Healthy small tank

Creating healthy small aquariums that have around 10-20 gallons of water in them for your freshwater fish isn’t that hard and can be quite rewarding, as your aqua ecosystem will flourish with life.  You must be diligent though, as small problems can become large problems in aquariums that are small and where fish are closely living together. One disease or infection could wipe out the entire population if you delay in taking appropriate action. Therefore, you need to be committed in order to successfully create a healthy small aquarium.

You should pick a kit with integrated filtration and lighting already built in. This way, the system will be virtually foolproof and you won’t have to combine elements to create a healthy small aquarium. The only thing you’ll need to add is an appropriate heater.

You should invest in an appropriate aquarium stand, as even a small aquarium that is filled with water can easily weigh over 100 pounds! An appropriate aquarium stand will handle the weight and even provide extra storage space for supplies.

You should choose a theme for your aquarium.  Populate it with a specific region, species, or community grouping so that it is easier to keep the water parameters in good balance for all of the inhabitants of the aquarium.

It’s important when you have a small aquarium not to overpopulate it with fish, as it will be virtually impossible to keep the water quality at the level it needs to be, to ensure the health of your fish. You should only introduce a few of the smallest fish possible into your aquarium over a period of several weeks or even a few months to ensure the health and safety of your aquarium.

It is best to have natural filtration for your freshwater aquarium. You should avoid artificial plants and structures,  and instead opt for live plants and eco-complete gravel. The EcoBio-Block line of products is a great option for keeping your freshwater aquarium in optimal shape as it keeps your water clear and healthy. The EcoBio-Stone S works perfectly for small aquariums that have 10-15 gallons of water in them.

Brightening the lighting of your aquarium can increase plant and reef growth. This is important because having healthy plants and reefs are critical to the health of your fish and aquarium. Retrofit kits are easy to find and install to adjust the lighting of your aquarium.

Daily testing and observation of the water in a small aquarium is absolutely necessary, since water in small-volume aquariums experience accelerated cycles in water quality. You should keep track of your fishes’ behavior and any gasping, hiding, drifting, or darting should be taken as a sign that there are invisible health dangers present in the water that need your immediate response.

It’s vital that you change 10-20% of the water in your aquarium as often as twice a week. This is important because you want the aquarium water to be as fresh as water found in nature, and nature will recycle water via rain and water currents. This helps to eliminate much of the toxins found in the water before they rise to dangerous levels for your fish. You can reduce the frequency of water changes though, if you choose to use the EcoBio-Block products which eliminate the toxins which are bad for your fish.

It’s important to change your filter media as often as the manufacturer recommends. That filter media keeps larger pieces of waste out of the water; neglecting to change it regularly could lead to that filter media (especially the chemical type) to allow toxins to seep back into the water, threatening your fish and aquarium.

As mentioned earlier, it’s vital that you respond to any problems immediately. Even a slight delay could lead to the death of your fish and the loss of your aquarium. You should observe daily, test often, and respond to problems within the same day to ensure the health of your fish and aquarium.

As you can see, having a small freshwater aquarium can be a very enjoyable experience, but you must be committed to maintaining the health of your aquarium and be observant for any potential problems. By following the information here, you can be prepared to keep your aquarium in optimal shape and give your fish the best chance at living long and healthy lives.

There are several things that parents of these children who enjoy observing the aquatic life that goes on in fish tanks should know before bringing an aquarium into their home. Too many parents believe that caring for the aquarium should be the child’s responsibility. While this is true, very young children will not be able to do what is required, and also have a tendency to overfeed the fish without close supervision. Parental homework is necessary to avoid a fishy tragedy that could traumatize an impressionable child.

What should you know before bringing an aquarium for your kids into your home? First of all, don’t assume that because your child is small, a larger aquarium would not be suitable for them. Parents need to know that the bigger the tank, the better! Though most aquarium novices don’t realize it, the fact is that larger aquariums are easier to maintain than the small ones that hold less than ten gallons of water.

If the aquarium will be in the child’s room, or in a room where playtime takes place, you may want to think twice about purchasing a tank made from glass, which of course is breakable. An acrylic aquarium is much more suited for a space where children will be present.

You will of course want tank decor. Children enjoy and appreciate bright colors, and you will find many of these colors when shopping for gravel and plants. It is better for all concerned to choose tank decor that is similar in color to the areas that fish in the wild call home. The fish will be happier, and there will be less of a chance that a child will be tempted to remove any of the decor because the color appeals to them.

Now that you have brought home your aquarium and its accessories, don’t give in to your children’s pleas to go and buy fish for it immediately! Water quality is crucial when it comes to a healthy environment for fish. In order to create that environment, the tank must be set up and the filter allowed to operate for several days. This gives the water a chance to aerate, and also helps the temperature in the tank to stabilize.

The size of the aquarium you chose will dictate how many fish you will be able to add to it. The general rule for newbies to the aquarium hobby is one inch of fish for every gallon of water. However, at first, you only need three inexpensive fish like goldfish to help your tank cycle. After three weeks, you can then add more fish if your water quality is of sufficiently good quality.

If you are using tap water to fill your new aquarium, you will need to add a product that removes the chlorine, ammonia and other matter from the water. There are many such products available, both in liquid and tablet form. One product that will save you much tank maintenance time, and also help you to reduce the length of time you will have “New Tank Syndrome” is the EcoBio-Block Products. It is a perfect accessory to add to aquariums for kids. There are good bacteria living in these blocks, which help to keep the tank water crystal clear and odor free. These bacteria grow and multiply for a two-year period of time, keeping the water quality as well as the fish healthy. If you want an aquarium for kids that is always inviting and clean, check out the EcoBio-Block.

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!

Aquarium bio-filters

If you are new to the hobby of aquariums, you may have run across the term “biological filtration” quite a few times while you read about and researched your leisure pursuit choice. If that is so, you have probably wondered why biological filtration is important to the health of your freshwater fish. You may already have a biological filter on your freshwater tank. If you have chosen an under-gravel filter or a wet-dry filter, then guess what is filtering your aquarium water? That is right – a biological filter!

Aquarium filters all do the same thing. They have the job of removing any sort of decaying organic matter from the water. This could be leftover fish food, chemicals, live plants that have died, or waste products that are passed by the fish. There are two other types of filters that can be used along with a biological filter. These are mechanical filtration and chemical filtration. Mechanical filtration can be used to keep the water crystal clear. Chemical filtration can help to remove toxins that may be in your tap water, or any form of medication you may have placed in the tank.

Biological filtration can definitely help the aquarium lover keep a well-maintained tank without a lot of effort. With biological filtration, you are introducing bacteria into the tank water. These are friendly bacteria that help to change the waste products produced by the fish into substances that are not as toxic to the fish. Without this type of filtration, no one would be able to keep fish without very frequent water changes, which would be quite time consuming. The toxins would build up in the water otherwise, and your fish would die off, one by one.

One biological filtration product that is effective and easy-to-use is the EcoBio-Block. Simply place a block in your tank, sit back, and watch as your tank water clears up and stays clear. Marvel as you check your tank’s ammonia and nitrate/nitrite levels, and find the amounts are so low that that they are practically non-existent. You will find that the need to vacuum the gravel in the bottom of your tank has lessened considerably.

Your test results will reassure you that those frequent partial water changes are no longer needed for your aquarium. Cycling a new freshwater tank is a breeze with an EcoBio-Block product! This is possibly one of the easiest aquarium products you will ever use. There is no measuring, no mixing of chemicals. All you do is place an EcoBio-Block in your aquarium. They are made to be unobtrusive, and look like actual rocks while they are working for you. One EcoBio-Block can last up to two years before it needs to be replaced.

Instead of buying all sorts of things to clear the water and normalize the water chemistry of your tank, let biological filtration do its thing in your tank! Seeing is believing and once you see the difference in how your aquarium looks, you will understand why biological filtration is important.

Electrical safety is a very important subject when dealing with aquariums.
Oftentimes the combination of water and faulty electrical equipment can cause fatal consequences for the aquarium enthusiast. A basic rule of aquarium management and electrical safety is to turn off all electrical power to your aquarium before putting your hand in the water.

The amount of electrical current that is needed to give a person an electric shock is surprisingly low. With a 110-volt supply, a current of only 10 milliamps coursing through your body to the earth can give a painful shock. A current above 50 milliamps is more likely to be fatal. Most modern aquariums today, incorporate several electrical devices. The average aquarium has a pump, a heater, and a lighting system. Each of these devices carries their own risks, the biggest being concern with the cables around the fish tank.

Make sure each and every cable coming out of your aquarium has drip loops.

One of the most important safety improvements that you can make to ensure electrical safety for your aquarium is to properly secure all loose cables behind the aquarium stand. Routing them through a single extension cord, before they connect to any mains, means that if anything goes wrong you only have to pull one plug. For electrical safety purposes, make sure everyone in your household knows about this plug, and that it’s clearly marked.

Another added protection is to make sure each and every cable coming out of your aquarium has drip loops. This means that they should reach down further towards your floor, before coming back up to be plugged in. This may mean mounting your extension block onto a wall in order to accomplish this for electrical safety. A drip loop allows any water, which might escape from the tank and run down the cable to gather at the bottom and drip onto the floor, rather than finding its way into an electrical outlet. It’s a simple piece of electrical safety, but it can be a lifesaver for you and your family.

GFI outlets are another important element to electrical safety for your aquarium. They provide the best source of protection, shutting down your power as soon as any problems develop. Although occasionally posing a fire risk, carelessly managed aquariums also can cause electric shocks, which are often painful and sometimes fatal.

The most common cause of these electric shocks is damage to the shielding around the element of your heater. If you have your hands in the water, when such damage has occurred you could get a very painful shock as the current travels down through your body to the ground. Touching bare wires also puts you at risk, as well as switching on devices while your hands are still inside the tank. For added electrical safety you should turn off all electrical devices connected to your aquarium before you make contact with the water.

Planaria

It can be an extremely upsetting feeling for the beginning aquarist…you’ve spent so much time researching your fish, setting up the aquarium properly and getting it up and running. The aquarium cycled well and looks beautiful, the fish are lively and in great health. One day, you turn on the light and notice filamentous white things on the sides of your aquarium. A closer inspection reveals that these aren’t just some weird algae, they’re actually thread-like white worms that are crawling up the sides of your aquarium.

First off, take a deep breath. This is a common problem. Your fish are not in imminent danger from the worms. Planaria outbreaks often occur due to overfeeding, too much excess food in the bottom of the aquarium provides an excellent environment for them to thrive. Improperly-cleaned aquariums in general can cause outbreaks, especially in carnivore tanks as their digestive systems tend to let a lot of nutrients pass through their bodies unabsorbed, making even more food available for the planaria.

Now for the bad news, while those little white worms won’t harm your fish (in fact, many fish love to eat them), the conditions that allowed them to thrive in your aquarium are potentially fatal if they’re not recognized and corrected. Excess food puts more ammonia into your aquarium system as it decomposes, which can cause deadly ammonia spikes. If the beneficial bacteria are sufficient to deal with the ammonia you will still see rising nitrate levels. While nitrates aren’t as dangerous as ammonia, it is still hazardous and must be corrected or it will eventually cause deaths.

To get rid of these worms, you have to remove their food source. Start with a thorough gravel vacuum and partial water change (30%-50% change) or, if preferred, stir the gravel on a daily basis until all the excess food and waste runs through your mechanical filtration. This should be accompanied by weekly partial water changes until all your parameters are within an acceptable range. The worms themselves can be removed if you really want them gone fast or if you’re trying to breed fish (they will eat fish eggs), though left alone the fish will probably eat them and the remainder will die of starvation as their food source is systematically removed from the aquarium.

While regular checks of the water parameters will help you identify problems before they become serious issues, I strongly recommend having a secondary precaution in place. Water maintenance products such as EcoBio-Block will go a long way toward keeping the parameters healthy and preventing ammonia spikes. EcoBio-Block keeps high levels of beneficial bacteria in the aquarium for up to two years, which can readily deal with these spikes. This product also provides essential minerals that the fish need to be healthy, ensuring they’re in peak condition to deal with any issues in the aquarium.

Planaria can be an unsightly problem. Luckily, they’re easy to deal with and it’s easy to correct the problems that caused them. If you’re new to fish keeping and don’t want to risk dealing with planaria or water quality issues, make sure you do your research on the care of your aquarium and its inhabitants as well as add in additional safeguards such as EcoBio-Block.

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As with most things, the best cure is prevention. Green water occurs when an aquarium is overstocked or has too much decaying organic matter in it. This process creates an excess of nitrates and other nutrients that feed the algae. Once all the right environmental factors are in place, the algae takes over quickly and mercilessly. The key is to keep nitrates down and the water parameters healthy for the fish.

You can start by ensuring you’re not over-feeding your fish. A fish in the wild can never be certain where its next meal is coming from, so its metabolism has adapted into that of an opportunistic eater. Healthy fish will always be hungry, so you can not simply feed them until they stop eating. Give your fish just enough that it takes them about two minutes to eat all the food twice a day (three times if you have juveniles); if you see uneaten food get to the bottom, cut back a little.

Next, make sure you have good mechanical filtration and a well-aerated tank. For additional preventative, you can use a time-released water maintenance product such as EcoBio-Block. These blocks last up to two years apiece and ensure that the water in the aquarium stays perfectly balanced by breaking down the toxic ammonia and nitrites from waste and excess food, as well as re-supplying essential minerals in the water as they’re used up by the fish.

Many aquarists believe that direct sunlight is the main cause of green water and this is not true. While direct sunlight should be avoided because of its effects on the water temperature, algae can not bloom without quite a bit of excess nutrients in the water. It is true that algae can not grow without light as well, but the algae requires very little light for its photosynthesis; once it’s started, any tiny bit of natural light that reaches the aquarium will be sufficient to continue its growth.

Live plants are great for helping get rid of excess nitrates and there are many hardy varieties that will use up a lot of the spare nitrates that algae blooms feed on. In most cases you’ll want to keep an eye on the plants so dead pieces can be removed before they start to decay, however this is not a problem if you have an EcoBio-Block or adult P. bridgesii (a type of apple snail commonly sold in pet stores), or “brigs”. Brigs grow to about the size of golf balls, lay their eggs above the water line so population control is easy, and as adults never eat healthy plants. Be certain you have an adult before you introduce it into a planted tank, though, because the juveniles are still able (and very willing!) to eat healthy plants. If you decide on snails, do a little research first. P. canaliculata, or “canas”, can look very similar to brigs if you aren’t familiar with them, and canas grow to the size of a softball and will always have a voracious appetite for live plants.

Regular partial water changes are required to keep the nitrates down and remove organic material from the aquarium. Again, if you have a time-released product such as EcoBio-Block this is not necessary, though occasionally stirring your substrate to get rid of potentially harmful gas pockets and to send organic materials through your mechanical filter is recommended. If the water is kept in pristine condition, you will not have a problem with green water.

Finally, once you have green water it is difficult and time-consuming to get rid of. You can begin by restricting light, even covering the outside of the aquarium with paper to keep additional light out, and do a partial water change to get rid of some of the excess nutrients. Note that the water changes in themselves will do nothing to get rid of the algae, it reproduces quickly and can only be gotten rid of through “starvation”. Cut back your fish’s food and leave the tank light off for the duration of the clearing time. It may take a couple of weeks to clear up.

As soon as the tank is clear, immediately take some of the preventative measures outlined above to avoid re-occurrence. I especially recommend ensuring that you have a good mechanical filter, plenty of aeration to keep beneficial bacteria healthy, and a time-released maintenance product to ensure the water is always as close to perfect as possible.

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