Aquarium and Pond Care with EcoBio-Block

Many inexperienced aquarium hobbyists make the mistake of selecting the fish for their planted tank on a whim. They simply walk into the pet store, purchase a few species that they like and take them home. If you follow this method you may find that after a few days in your tank, or even a few hours, your fish will have devoured all of the plants you worked so hard to raise. In order to avoid this kind of disaster you should perform some basic research to determine which species of aquarium fish are not likely to eat the plants in your tank.

Types of Fish That Eat Aquarium Plants

While many species of aquarium fish are likely to nibble on the plants in your aquarium, some are capable of decimating your entire planted aquarium in a matter of hours. Silver dollar fish, for example, are particularly notorious plant eaters. Other species like mollies and swordtails may nibble at your plants but will rarely do any major damage. Though they may not actually eat your aquarium plants, some larger species like gouramis and cichlids may uproot and break apart the plants in your tank and algae eaters may chew holes in them.

Species of Fish Safe for Planted Tanks

If you have taken the time to cultivate a planted tank you should also make the effort to ensure that the fish you add to your tank will not destroy all of your hard work. Most small, community species of fish pose no threat to aquarium plants. Barbs, tetras, danios and guppies are all unlikely to do anything more than pick flakes of food from the leaves of aquarium plants. Even some of the slightly larger species like discus, killifish and dwarf gouramis are safe for planted tanks. Other species that are recommended for planted tanks include corydoras catfish, platties, gobies, minnows and betta fish.

Tips for Maintaining a Planted Tank

Healthy Planted Tank

There are many benefits to cultivating live aquarium plants in your tank. Not only do live plants enhance the aesthetic appeal of your tank but they can also increase the oxygen level and help filter out harmful toxins. In order to keep your aquarium plants healthy you need to provide a healthy aquarium environment. To create this type of environment you will need adequate light, nutrition and filtration.

In addition to these three things there is something else you can do to keep your tank a clean, healthy environment for your plants and fish. Introduce an EcoBio-Planter to your mid-size aquarium as a simple way to remove odors and clarify your tank water (for larger tanks, simply add another planter or a stone). EcoBio-Planters are made from natural zeolite and crushed stone which has been infused with beneficial bacteria. Once introduced to your tank, these bacteria will multiply and establish a colony that will then work to break down wastes, remove odors and speed up the nitrogen cycle. EcoBio-Planter is also terrific for your plants. Simply place a small root ball in the opening and the plant will grow and thrive, greatly adding to the beauty of your planted aquarium.

Typical Aqurium Tank

There are several common misconceptions surrounding aquarium size. One of the most common mistakes a novice aquarium hobbyist can make is to think that a larger tank is more work to maintain than a smaller tank. In many cases, the opposite is true. When choosing the right size aquarium there are a variety of factors to consider including the level of maintenance you are willing to perform, the space you have available in your home and the types of fish you want to raise.

Tank Maintenance

If you set up your tank with the right equipment there should be relatively little maintenance involved, regardless of your tank size. Your aquarium filter will do most of the work in keeping your tank water clear by filtering out waste and toxic substances. Larger water volumes equate to a greater level of forgiveness for mistakes on the part of the aquarium hobbyist because higher water volumes dilute toxins better than small volumes. The water in smaller tanks must be changed more frequently than that in large tanks to prevent it from becoming too hard.

How to Choose the Right Size Aquarium Tank

The size and location of the space you have available in your home should be one of the major factors in considering the right size for your aquarium. You need to be able to place your tank in a low-traffic area out of direct sunlight in order to prevent accidents and excess algae growth. Before you shop for your tank, measure the space where you intend to install it and be sure you have a sturdy cabinet or stand large enough to accommodate the tank size you want. You should also keep in mind, when selecting a location for your tank, that you need to be able to access it easily in order to perform routine maintenance tasks.

Type of Fish

It may seem counterintuitive to select your aquarium fish before purchasing a tank, but doing so will help you to determine the right tank size. If you plan to fill your tank with small community fish like tetras and guppies you probably will not need anything larger than a 20- or 30- gallon tank. Larger fish, however, such as cichlids and many saltwater fish require upwards of 50 gallons of tank volume. When determining the proper size for your tank, consider the full-grown size of your fish – not the size at which you plan to purchase them. If you are just starting out, stick to the rule of purchasing one inch of fish per one gallon of tank capacity. This rule will help to prevent overcrowding in your tank.

Other Tips for Maintaining Your Tank

Choosing the right size tank for your fish is one of the simplest ways to ensure that they are able to enjoy a healthy environment. The larger the tank you select, the less you will have to worry about toxicity and overcrowding but not every hobbyist has room for a large tank. No matter what size tank you choose there are a few simple things you can do to keep it clean and healthy. Introducing an EcoBio-Stone, for example, is an easy way to boost the nitrogen cycle in your tank, ensuring that the water stays clean and clear. EcoBio-Stones are made from natural volcanic cement and infused with special beneficial bacteria. Once introduced into your tank, these bacteria will multiply and establish a colony of beneficial bacteria that will work to revitalize your tank water, remove odors and reduce the amount of necessary maintenance you have to perform.

Platy fry

While several species of freshwater aquarium fish breed readily under a variety of circumstances, some have specific requirements that must be met before they are likely to spawn. The basics of breeding, however, are fairly uniform among most species of freshwater aquarium fish. The first thing you must do is to select a breeding pair, or a trio for some species, and quarantine them in a breeding tank. Once you have done so, you can begin the process of conditioning your fish for breeding.

Setting Up a Breeding Tank

The size of the breeding tank should depend on the size of the fish, but ten to twenty gallons is usually sufficient. The tank should be bare-bottomed in order to make it easier to clean and it should be decorated sparsely. It is wise to provide a few hiding places like large rocks or terra cotta pots in the event that the female needs a place to rest and recover from the male’s aggressive advances. Some species – egg-layers in particular – prefer a breeding tank stocked with live plants on which they will deposit their eggs.

Encouraging Your Fish to Spawn

Maintaining a steady temperature and providing a healthy, varied diet are two of the most important elements in encouraging your fish to spawn. The temperature of the breeding tank should be determined by the breed of fish but, in many cases, slowly raising the temperature encourages breeding behavior. In some species, however, the opposite is true. Corydoras catfish, for example, typically spawn after a recent rainfall has lowered the temperature in their native habitat, the Amazon River.

Offer your fish a varied diet consisting of small amounts of live, frozen, flake and pellets foods several times a day in order to condition them for breeding. After a few days you should begin to notice courtship and spawning behavior. The male of the species will often chase the female around the tank and some fish, like betta fish, will prepare a bubble nest and collect the eggs after spawning has occurred.

Caring for Fry

Some species of fish, such as cichlids, care for their fry after they have hatched but most freshwater fish are more likely to eat their own young. This being the case, it is wise to remove the parents from the breeding tank as soon as possible after spawning has occurred. If you are breeding an egg-laying species, dose the tank with methylene blue to prevent fungus from killing the eggs. Install a sponge filter in the corner of the tank to provide filtration without putting the fry at risk for being sucked up an intake valve.

For the first few days after hatching, the fry of most egg-laying species will subsist on the remainder of their yolk sacs. The fry of live-bearing species, however, should be started on a diet of newly hatched brine shrimp or a liquid fry food such as infusoria. During the first few weeks after hatching it is important to feed the fry small amounts several times a day. Once they have tripled in size you may begin to feed them finely crushed flake foods and, as they continue to grow, move them to a larger tank.

Tips for Breeding Success

If your fish are not in prime condition, they will be unlikely to spawn. In addition to a healthy diet, clean water is essential to the health and well-being of your fish. Establishing a colony of beneficial bacteria in your tank is one of the best ways to keep the water quality in your tank high. Install an EcoBio-Stone to begin a colony of nitrifying bacteria that will help to remove odor, break down wastes, and keep the water clear. EcoBio-Stones are made of natural volcanic rock infused with beneficial bacteria that will multiply readily upon being introduced into your tank. Not only is this product perfect for the breeding tank, but it can also be used in fry tanks where power filters are not recommended due to the danger they pose toward delicate fry.

Variety of aquarium filters

Many people are choosing to have aquariums with many different types of fish in them. Certainly, they are beautiful and relaxing to look at, but it takes some knowledge and work to ensure that your fish remain healthy and that your aquarium looks as good as you envision it will. One of the ways to ensure that it does is by choosing the best aquarium filter for your fish.

Even before deciding upon the filter, you need to decide what type of aquarium you will have. If this will be your first aquarium, it’s advisable that you start with a small aquarium first, as they are a little easier to maintain. Plus, you can always upgrade to a larger aquarium if the need and desire arise later.

Second, you need to carefully consider what filter will work best with your chosen aquarium. The filter is vital equipment, as it removes impurities from the water of your aquarium either via fine physical obstacles or via chemical processes. Choosing the right type of filter now can save you from hours of backbreaking maintenance work later on.

You should consider all three types of filters: biological, chemical, and mechanical.

Wet-dry filters actually employ all three types of filtration systems mentioned above, leading to less maintenance requirements than other types of filters. Wet-dry filters are more expensive, however, so they may not be the best choice for people who have an aquarium for the first time and/or are on a limited budget.

The three types of filters use different types of processes in order to eliminate the impurities in the water and to make the water cleaner and safer for your fish. Biological filters use bacteria to crack ammonia and nitrites.  Chemical filters use activated charcoal in order to eliminate unwanted dissolved wastes from the water. Mechanical filters use filtering particles and filter floss in order to remove impurities from the water.

If you choose to use a biological filter, it’s important to add the filter to the aquarium BEFORE you add the fish. You should also NOT add too many fish to the aquarium too soon, as the bacteria from the biological filter needs time to reduce the ammonia and nitrate levels. Too many fish in the water will cause the biological filter to work overtime, and the bacteria won’t be able to keep up with the increased demand, leading to high ammonia levels and the deaths of your fish.

You can help to make sure that there are enough bacteria in the water by using EcoBio-Block® products, which regularly adds nitrifying bacteria to new aquariums so that the water in your aquarium is safer and more beneficial for your fish. This will keep your water clear and healthy and reduce maintenance work.

One of the best choices of aquarium filters, especially for new and inexperienced aquarium owners, is an undergravel filter. This type of filter is inexpensive and totally keeps out debris from the aquarium. It also pulls water that is rich in oxygen through the gravel to help make the aquarium environment more livable for your fish.

One other type of filtration for you to consider is a sponge filter.  This filter is one that provides both mechanical and biological filtration. It has a large foam rubber (like a sponge) block that is connected to a lift tube or small power head. Water is drawn through the sponge to remove small particles from the water and to help grow bacteria that will keep your pond in great condition for your fish and plants.

Having your own aquarium tank can be a wonderful experience, as the beautiful fish can mesmerize you and your guests for hours. Maintaining the health of your aquarium does take some work, but by choosing the proper filter for your aquarium, you are well on your way to creating a hospitable and beneficial environment for your fish so that they can mesmerize you for hours on end.