Aquarium Care and EcoBio-Block

Low Maintenance Aquarium with EcoBio-Stone L

Many pet owners refer to their animal companions as their children because just like youngsters, pets require care that can sometimes be tough and time-consuming. And just like other pets, aquarium fish demand and deserve considerable attention in terms of feeding, maintaining optimum habitats, and addressing health concerns.

Maintaining aquariums, however, does not have to be tedious. With a little foresight, the right equipment, and some helpful water quality innovations, fishkeeping can be a wonderful and rewarding experience. Here are tips on how to keep a low maintenance aquarium:

1. Bigger is better. Small aquariums are harder to maintain than large aquariums for the simple reason that a small quantity of water is much easier to pollute. This means a small tank must be monitored constantly and quickly attended to as soon as water quality is even slightly compromised
2. Location, location, location. The best place for an aquarium is where it does not receive direct sunlight, is not exposed to drafts or heating/cooling appliances, and is close to a water source. Sunlight promotes algae bloom; therefore, additional maintenance. Exposure to drafts and proximity to heating or cooling appliances can affect the temperature integrity of the aquarium and cause illness and death to the fish community. The ideal location keeps the tank stable and trouble-free. And being close to a water source minimizes the effort of lugging buckets of water across the living room or down the hall, and ruining carpet or wood floors in the process.
3. The right tools for the job. A stable aquarium environment relies on the efficiency of its support equipment—the overhead lights, filtration systems, heaters, and aerators. Sufficient lighting should automatically turn on and off at designated time intervals to optimize plant growth and the fish’s day/night cycles. Filtration systems should have adequate flow rates and filter media to handle the bio-load. Heaters and aeration systems should provide the right temperature and oxygenation levels in the tank. Efficient and adequate support systems are tools that help optimize habitat quality and avoid emergency and extraneous maintenance routines.
4. Compatibility is key. Compatibility is about fish living harmoniously together. It’s also about fish living in the appropriate size and type of environment. Keeping fish, that are not compatible with their tank parameters or their tank mates, upsets not just the health of the fishes but also the stability and integrity of the aquarium, leading to serious maintenance issues.
5. The invisible component: Bacteria. The success of fishkeeping is highly dependent on the nitrifying bacteria that process the fish’s waste matter into non-toxic form to keep a healthy aquarium environment. An innovative aquarium product that ensures the prolific growth of large colonies of beneficial bacteria is called EcoBio-Block Family Products. Mineral-rich volcanic stones from Japan, EcoBio-Blocks are embedded with the “bacillus subtilis natto”, beneficial bacteria that actively multiply every half hour, degrading organic matter and keeping the aquarium clear and odor-free for years.

Aquariums can be relatively low maintenance if the right conditions are in place. Keeping fish, or any pet for the matter, can occasionally be demanding, but with the help of the right equipment and novel solutions like EcoBio-Block, taking care of finned friends can always be fun and fulfilling.

Cloudy Aquarium Water

One of the most common challenges of keeping an aquarium is cloudy water. Whether the cloudiness is green, white, or gray, a fish habitat that is short of crystal clear is not just an eyesore but also a serious health risk for its inhabitants. Why does the water turn cloudy and what can you do about it?

Grayish or dirty white water is often encountered when setting up a new tank. In most cases, a sand or gravel substrate that has not been diligently rinsed before setup will generate sufficient debris to fog the water. The only solution would be to re-rinse the substrate until all the debris is removed. An efficient mechanical filter will also help take care of minute floating particles.

Green water, which is oftentimes also thick and hazy, is caused by an “algae bloom” or the rapid growth of microscopic green algae. High and prolonged levels of bright light are the main causes of green algae growth and proliferation. If a tank gets direct sunlight or if the overhead lighting is left on for more than 10-12 hours a day, algae overgrowth becomes imminent. The simple solution is to locate the tank away from direct sunlight and attach a timer to the overhead lights so that the ideal light exposure cycles can be maintained.

Milky white water that sometimes gives off a rotten smell is caused by decay. Uneaten leftover food deteriorates and fouls up the water. An overstocked aquarium will render filtration systems and nitrifying bacteria inadequate to handle the bio-load. The result is pollution from rotting food and excess waste, making the water murky. In severe pollution situations, drastic water changes may be necessary.

Cloudy aquarium water caused by decaying food can be prevented by feeding only as much as the fish community can consume in three to five minutes. Leftover food should be scooped out.

Murky water caused by excess waste products can be prevented by maintaining a balanced tank with a population of fishes suitable for the size of the tank and the capacity of the filtration systems. This ensures that the filters and the colonies of beneficial bacteria can keep up with the bio-load of the community.

In effect, cloudy water can be minimized if adequate colonies of beneficial bacteria are present to break down the harmful ammonia and nitrites (from decaying food and excess waste matter) into less harmful nitrates. Experts have suggested adding gravel from established aquariums to supplement the insufficient bacterial colonies in a cloudy tank. One simple solution is to add an EcoBio-Block product to the tank.

The EcoBio-Block Family Products are mineral-rich porous volcanic stones from Japan embedded with prolific bacteria (“bacillus subtilis natto”) that can actively multiply every half hour. The bacteria establish colonies quickly, degrading organic matter and nitrifying waste products, and keeping the aquarium clear, odor-free and healthy for years.

Cloudy aquarium water, which causes stress to the fish community, should never have to happen. Feed just the right amount of food, keep a population of fish suitable to the tank size and filtration system, and add a bacteria enhancing product like EcoBio-Block, and you are assured of crystal clear water and healthy fishes all the time.

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