Aquarium and Pond Care and EcoBio-Block

Using an aquarium vacuum for partial water change

One of the first things a novice aquarium owner hears from fish-keeping friends and/or pet store personnel is the need for partial water changes of about 20 percent every few weeks, preferably on the same day of the week so as to have a set interval each time. This news may cause the new owner of an aquarium some apprehension, as they look at the size of their tank and try to figure out just how they are going to change the water without making a big mess.

You have tank owners who do this the hard way. They catch their fish, which can often take a while, and place them in a bucket already filled with water from the tank. Next, they dip out all the water by hand, using a bucket or some other container to do so. They then remove all of the wet, often smelly gravel by hand as well.

By the time the inside walls of the aquarium are spotless, the filter has been cleaned, the gravel rinsed clean, and the water replaced either by walking back and forth from the nearest faucet with a heavy bucket of water, splashing it here and there, or by pulling a garden hose inside, the typical aquarium owner is exhausted.

Other tank owners take a shortcut, which eliminates a good portion of the tank maintenance work. They make use of an aquarium vacuum when they take care of their partial water changes every 21 days or so. The typical aquarium vacuum attaches to a faucet indoors or out, and removes the water with the help of the water pressure from the faucet.

A tube is attached to one end of the aquarium vacuum, and can be pushed into deep gravel to suck out all the mulm waste and uneaten food, leaving cleaner gravel behind. Typically, the entire gravel bed is cleaned in this manner, then the filter medium is changed, and water is re-added to the aquarium.

There are some people who are new to the hobby of keeping fish that assume if taking 20 percent of the water out of the tank, then doing a partial water change of 50 percent or more would be even better. Unfortunately, these folks learn the hard way that removing too much water from an aquarium is not a good thing to do.

Aquarium water has a different chemistry after fish have lived in it for a period of time. Uneaten fish food and the waste products excreted by the fish cause these changes. The fish get used to the water chemistry. When too much of this ìlived inî water is removed, the fish cannot cope with the change, and become quite stressed. The weaker fish will die, often just a short time after they are placed back into the freshly cleaned aquarium. Hardier fish will live longer, perhaps for a few weeks or a couple of months before they also die.

Those uninitiated in fish keeping will swear that their partial water change killed their fish, and harbor the belief that doing partial water changes is not a good thing. They firmly believe that partial water changes should not be done at all if you want your fish to stay alive!

A much easier solution for solving the problem is to make use of the EcoBio-Block family of products. The EcoBio-Block is made from a distinctive type of volcanic rock that has been populated with live, friendly bacteria. These bacteria will grow and reproduce for a two-year period of time as they feed on the uneaten food and fish waste. This helps to keep the water crystal clear and free from odor, and makes frequent water changes unnecessary. You will have much more free time to enjoy the antics of your fish in your beautifully clean aquarium when you use an EcoBio-Block.

You’ve spent a lot of money and time picking out the right fish for your aquarium and you think you’ve got it just right. Then you start losing some valuable fish. How does this happen and what can you do to prevent this tragedy?

There can be a lot of reasons why your fish are dying. Generally, it happens when a fish tank is new. It pays to buy an aquarium water test kit to determine how much ammonia, nitrites and nitrates are in the aquarium, and how high or low the pH is. These are the four most important tests for your tank.

In the nitrogen cycle of the fish tank, an important biological cycle, the fish give off nitrogenous wastes when they eliminate and these products break down into ammonia, which is very toxic to most fishes. In aquariums, this nitrogen product can build up into levels that are harmful to your fish. When you measure the ammonia level, it should be negligible.

The nitrogen cycle, is the process of getting rid of ammonia using nitrifying bacteria that convert the ammonia to nitrite and then to nitrate, which is not as hazardous. The cycle goes from ammonia to nitrite to nitrate. These bacteria are present everywhere and establish themselves eventually in your fish tank as soon as the ammonia builds up. It is a slow process, however, and you can lose fish in the meantime.

One way of improving the nitrogen status of your aquarium is to purchase an EcoBio-Block Products that contains the nitrifying bacteria within the block. You rinse the block and soak it in chlorine free water over night before placing it in your tank. Normally, in a few weeks or so, you can have your ammonia levels drop followed by drops in nitrite levels. You can safely put your fish in then and expect that they will survive.

The other thing is to take a couple of hardy and cheap fish and put them in your tank. Don’t overfeed the fish. More food means that more ammonia will build up. For freshwater fish, try some zebra danios or some barbs. For saltwater tanks, use damselfish. Don’t use feeder fish for your tank as they can introduce unwanted diseases in your tank. The initial cheap fish you put into the tank get the nitrogen cycle going and you can then add more delicate and expensive fish to your tank.

Use your test kit to determine the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate level in your tank and use this as a guide for how healthy your tank is. It takes time for the bacteria to develop unless you are using a EcoBio-Stone to speed up the nitrification process.

Poor pH can also be a cause of a loss of fish. The pH is a measure of how acidic or how alkaline a fish tank is. Ideally, the pH should be around 7.0, which is “neutral”. However, fish can generally tolerate pH of 5.5 to 8.0. You can get a test strip to measure the level and if you need to change it, look at ways to change the pH slowly.

If your water contains buffers, you will not be able to change the pH very easily. Remember, too, that fish can tolerate a wide range of pH levels but do not tolerate sudden changes in pH.  Sometimes it’s better to leave the pH alone as long as your fish are thriving.

If you still think you need to adjust the pH, one way to lower it slowly is to add some driftwood to your fish tank or to the tank. A cleaned off seashell or coral skeleton will gradually increase the pH of your aquarium. The downside of both these solutions is that they will stain the color of the water brown or yellow for quite a while, but it will alter the pH in a safe way.

Maintain your tank well and you can have a healthy, happy fish population.

Those who are new to the aquarium hobby are often surprised to learn that in order for the water in their tank to stay sparkling clear and their fish to stay healthy, bacteria in the water is vital. It seems almost backwards to them, as knowing the necessity of keeping the water clean for the best results, it seems odd that bacteria is an essential part of aquarium care.

When it is explained that these are the good bacteria, and that these tiny little microorganisms can clean the water and improve their environment, understanding dawns. Usually, once folks understand the process, they are eager to incorporate these bacteria in their aquarium water.

Unfortunately, that takes some time if you go about it the natural way. The ideal situation for aquarium water is one that mimics earth’s natural method at its best. In order for the water to reach that perfect stage in nature, it must go through quite the process, always teetering on the perilous edge of being unbalanced by some adverse happening along the way.

We have it easier in the world of aquaria. These friendly bacteria are what help a newly set up aquarium to cycle. We simulate nature by adding several small community fish to this newly established tank in order to start the cycle.
If possible, we also try to add some water or filter medium from an already established tank to seed the beneficial bacteria which ensure a successful cycle. The waste matter of the community fish creates ammonia for the bacteria to eat, and your bacteria (seeds) are going to contribute to helping good bacteria to become established.

After six to eight weeks of partial water changes and water tests for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates, most aquarists would agree that the tank has totally cycled. Cloudy water can be a problem during the cycling period and beyond, and it can take some real tweaking to get the water quality just the way you want it to be.

All that can seem as if it takes an eternity, to someone who wants to be able to just sit back and enjoy his or her new aquarium. Nowadays, there is a much easier way to bring these beneficial bacteria into the tanks of aquarists everywhere. The EcoBio-Block family of products gets the nod from those who are new to the hobby of aquariums as well as those who have many years of experience with keeping fish.
These phenomenal rocks, which house a colony of beneficial bacteria which multiply and disperse about every 30 minutes, are made out of volcanic stone, which is known to be quite rich in minerals. These minerals are as good for the fish as they are for the friendly bacteria that this stone is infused with.

Using one of the EcoBio products, whether they are the EcoBio-Stones, EcoBio-Pebbles, EcoBio-Rocks, or EcoBio-Block Aqua, is the key to having crystal clear aquarium water without all of the maintenance work involved. Those who have experienced the difference that this product has made in the quality of their aquarium water and in the health of their fish recommend it highly.

Vacuuming Aquarium Gravel

Okay, aquarium newbies, here is a question for you! Do you vacuum the substrate of your freshwater aquarium? For a healthy tank, vacuuming the gravel or other substrate that you have placed in the bottom of the aquarium is a head start on making sure that your fish stay healthy, and your aquarium water stays crystal clear and clean.

This is because the aquarium gravel and substrate is where all the fish waste matter and any extra food you placed in your tank ends up settling after it floats around the tank for a little while. To keep fish from living in the unhealthy conditions that this excess waste can cause, most fish owners will use a gravel vacuum hose to siphon the putrid matter out of the substrate once a week or so.

If a tank were to go for a time without having this kind of tank maintenance, it would be a sight to see. Tank vacuuming keeps the water in an aquarium clear and spotless. Most aquarium owners will do a partial water change at the same time they are cleaning the substrate of gravel. It’s a timesaver, which can be important to new tank owners. Many of them claim that they are spending an inordinate amount of time doing water changes and vacuuming gravel – and do they really have to do this so often to have healthy fish?

Most of these new owners will eventually hit on some type of schedule for their own tank cleaning. Some of these owners may well spend a lot less time keeping their aquarium substrate and aquarium water clean and clear than other tank owners will. It is not because they don’t appreciate and/or care for their fish any more than the owners who do more cleaning and fussing with their aquariums, yet still seem to have problems with cloudy tank water and/or tank water that smells bad. It is because they have learned of and taken to heart a new method of keeping their aquariums beautifully clear and biologically sound and safe for freshwater fish. A different and innovative product has come along that allows them to spend less time on a cleaning and maintenance schedule, and more time enjoying the beauty of their fish. That method is the purchase and then the proper use of an EcoBio-Block.

The EcoBio-Block family of products are not like some of the other products that are sold in order to help those who know the joy of fish keeping maintain their stock in a safe and healthy manner. EcoBio-Blocks are simple to use, and only need replacing every two years are so. While some aquariums will still need to have their gravel or substrate vacuumed, it will be on a far less frequent basis after the use of the EcoBio-Block.

EcoBio-Blocks are made of a distinctive volcanic rock fusion with live beneficial bacteria. This combination produces live bacteria and releases them into your tank water for up to two years. You will not have to vacuum and do water changes as often, thanks to these bacteria who neatly dispose of the fish poop and extra fish food so that your tank stays clear.  If you think that you are one of those people who vacuum the substrate of your freshwater aquarium too often, you should try one of the EcoBio-Blocks in your tank so you can see the difference for yourself!

Healthy aquarium

Those who have just begun the hobby of keeping freshwater aquarium fish may not realize the importance of keeping the aquarium water quality in their tanks crystal clean and pleasing to the eye. When the water has this appearance, and has no odor, you know that your aquarium is a good home for your fish. The aquarium water quality of the water you use can play a big role in the overall health and longevity of your fish.

You are responsible for the condition of your fish. In the wild, the different species of fish thrive in various kinds of environments. To be fair to your fish, it is up to you to provide an environment for them that will mimic what they would live in were they in their natural state.

The type of water you use is very important. Most people use whatever water is easiest for them. This means tap water to the majority of the population who have aquariums. The only thing needed is a dechlorinator or a chloramine remover. Tap water from a city source is more than likely chlorinated, and you must remove this chemical from the water to make it safe for your fish.

Other water types you can use in your aquarium if tap water is not an option include various types of bottled water. Since bottled water so frequently comes from a municipal source, just as tap water does, it is difficult to find a brand you can trust unless you become a habitual label reader.

If you use a water softener for your home, you should make sure that the softener media it requires is safe for your aquarium. Sometimes, fish owners want to collect rainwater, or use water from a lake or stream to fill their tank. There may be pathogens, pollution, or parasites in these water types that could harm your fish.

Tap water is generally safe, no matter where you may happen to live. The consensus among those who do not keep fish is that if it is good enough for human consumption, it should be good enough for a fish. While clean water is very important for people, aquarium fish do much better with the addition of some beneficial bacteria to their water.

What can beneficial bacteria do for the water in your aquarium, and the health of your fish? These bacteria can do many things to make the aquarium fish hobby one that you will thoroughly enjoy. Keeping fish is much easier when you have the right bacteria balance. Beneficial bacteria can clarify the cloudy water in your tank, keeping it healthy and clear. As long as there are beneficial bacteria present, your aquarium water quality will continue to improve.

Nowadays, it is easier than ever to keep fish happy and healthy. An EcoBio-Block is a block made of volcanic mixture that has been infused with the live, beneficial bacteria your fish tank needs. These bacteria will keep your tank water crystal clear and odor free. They will help a new aquarium to cycle faster, and almost eliminate the need for frequent partial water changes and substrate vacuuming.

EcoBio-Block is safe for your fish, and can last for up to two years. Anyone who enjoys keeping fish and has pondered over aquarium water quality dos and don’ts, owes it to themselves to try an EcoBio-Block, and see the difference in their tank water.