Aquarium and Pond Care with EcoBio-Block

Tropical fish enjoy themselves in water clarified by EcoBio-Stones. Beneficial bacteria in the stones multiply in the block and disperse into your fish tank, using nature’s own cleansing system to create clear water and a healthy environment for your fish!

Clownfish in a quarantine tank

If you have saltwater tropical fish, it is virtually essential that you have a quarantine tank for them. Why? This is because most saltwater tropical fish are mostly wild and are not used to captivity when they are caught. As a result, they are more susceptible to diseases than their freshwater counterparts. Therefore, a quarantine tank will be quite helpful for treating sick saltwater tropical fish, as just one diseased fish in an aquarium tank full of fish can wipe out the entire fish population in that tank.

In addition to a quarantine tank being more convenient for saltwater fish keepers to treat their diseased tropical fish, most saltwater fish keepers will also have invertebrates and live rock in their tanks that they will not want to cover with the harsh medicines that will be needed to treat their diseased tropical fish. Some harsh medicines can even wipe out all invertebrates in an aquarium tank, so it is especially vital to have a quarantine tank ready for your saltwater tropical fish when they contract a disease or infection.

It is relatively simple to set up a quarantine tank. A tank size of 10-20 gallons will be sufficient for most people, though if you have larger fish, you can turn a larger tank into a quarantine tank as well. The main items you will need for your quarantine tank are the following items:

• Some type of filtration.
• A heater.
• A powerhead and/or airstone to increase surface agitation.
• Aquarium test kits to test for nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, and pH levels.
• A fish net, as you should use a different net for your quarantine tank than you do for your main tank.

You should first fill the quarantine tank with water from your main tank and then turn on your quarantine tank.

When you place newly acquired saltwater fish in a quarantine tank, you should monitor them closely for a period of two to three weeks. Monitor the water conditions with your test kits and see if there are any bacterial infections or parasites present.

If your newly acquired saltwater fish do contract something, youíll need to treat them with the appropriate medication and keep them in the quarantine tank for an additional two weeks to ensure that you have eradicated the infection or parasite. If no problems are present after those two weeks, then you can acclimate them to the main tank and introduce them to the other fish.

If your saltwater tropical fish develop an infection or disease while in the main tank, net them and place them into the quarantine tank. This is why it’s important to use water from your main tank in the quarantine tank, you don’t have to acclimate them to the quarantine tank. Diagnose the infection or disease, treat them accordingly, then hold the fish in the quarantine tank an extra week to ensure that the fish have been completely treated before introducing them back into the main tank.

To help keep your tanks clean and risk of infection low, use the EcoBio-Block line of products in your tanks. EcoBio-Blocks are available in different sizes to keep your home aquariums clean and healthy for your fish. Be careful not to put these blocks in your quarantine tank, however; as the beneficial bacteria in the Blocks may not survive any medication necessary for treating your fish.

It’s important for owners of saltwater tropical fish to have a ready supply of saltwater on hand in case of an emergency. You don’t want to have to mix up a batch of saltwater in the middle of an emergency. Additionally, freshly mixed saltwater can be quite toxic to many saltwater tropical fish, as well as be very difficult to get accurate readings of the water with your hydrometer. Therefore, you should always have a supply of extra saltwater on hand just in case.

As you can see, having saltwater tropical fish virtually necessitates having a quarantine tank for treating your fish when they contract a disease or infection. Failure to act in removing them from the fish population could wipe out your entire population. Additionally, the treatments used to treat these diseases and infections could have adverse effects on invertebrates and/or live rocks you have in your tank.  It’s relatively easy to create a quarantine tank to help treat your fish when they become ill.  Having an additional supply of saltwater on hand is also good to deal with emergencies when they occur. By following the information here, you can increase the chances that your saltwater tropical fish will live long, healthy lives.

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.

To have a healthy freshwater aquarium, you need to be aware of the basic water parameters that constitute a healthy freshwater aquarium.  This will increase the chances that your fish will enjoy long and healthy lives.

The pH level of your water is vitally important. pH is the measurement of hydrogen ions in the water.  Increased hydrogen ions lead to a drop in pH, causing more acidic water as you would find in a car’s battery. Conversely, decreased hydrogen ions lead to a rise in pH, causing less acidic water as you would find in dish soap. Most types of fish can adapt to most pH levels, but it is especially shocking to their systems and dangerous to their health if the pH level is constantly changing.

Therefore, you should try to keep the pH level at one level at all times whenever possible. Additionally, drops in pH levels cause ammonia toxicity to be more deadly to fish and keep nitrifying bacteria from growing and being more productive, also negatively affecting the health of your fish and aquarium, so it’s also important that the pH levels of your aquarium are not too low or acidic.

Water hardness is made up of two factors:  general hardness (GH) and carbonate hardness (KH). GH primarily measures calcium and magnesium ions. KH primarily measures dissolved bicarbonate and carbonate ions and indicates how stable your pH level is, as more bonding of carbonate ion and hydrogen ions indicate a higher pH, while less bonding indicates a lower pH.

The nitrogen compounds of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate make up the Nitrogen Cycle, which is a very important process in having a healthy aquarium. Fish wastes, leftover food, and all other organic matter are decomposed by microorganisms, leaving toxic Ammonia. Bacteria known as Nitrosomonas turn this Ammonia Gas into Nitrite. This substance is also toxic for fish and the other inhabitants of the aquarium, but fortunately, nitrifying bacteria are able to transform Nitrite into Nitrate, a less toxic substance that can be used by fish and other inhabitants of the aquarium as well as plants. The nitrifying bacteria usually need two to six weeks before they are plentiful enough to completely handle the rigors of your aquarium.

The EcoBio-Block line of products can effectively promote the Nitrogen Cycle and keep your water’s ammonia levels from spiking and endangering the lives of your fish.  The EcoBio-Stone S is an especially good choice for a small freshwater and saltwater aquarium, while the EcoBio-Stone M and EcoBio-Stone L can accommodate medium and large freshwater and saltwater aquariums respectively.

Phosphates enter the aquarium through water changes using tap water and also through food and leaching carbon. Dying plants and algae also create phosphates while decaying. High pH will keep phosphates in an insoluble stage, while low pH will make these compounds water-soluble and available to the algae spores. It’s important to note that the variance in pH levels in an aquarium can have an effect on what stage the phosphates are in, and having some algae is critical to the life of your aquarium.

Silicates enter the aquarium through substrate, salt, water, and dying diatom algae. Filters used to keep them out will only last for a few days before they find their way through the membranes.  Decaying organic matter creates another type of silicate, silicid acid. As with phosphates, silicates become water-soluble at lower pH levels.

High chlorine and chloramine levels can cause fish to die because they destroy the oxygen-carrying cells in your fish.  Chlorine is less stable than chloramine and airs out in just a few days. Chloramine, a mixture of ammonia and chlorine, is much more stable and can pass through the fishís tissue directly into the bloodstream. Chloramine can kill all of the fish in an aquarium within 24 hours, so it is vital that you treat tap water before using it in your aquarium as most municipal water systems use chlorine or chloramine to treat the water.

As you can see, there are many water parameters you need to be aware of in order to have a healthy freshwater aquarium.  It is vital that you test these factors regularly and take immediate action to remedy any problems so that your fish and aquarium are not in danger. By following this information, you will be able to establish a healthy freshwater aquarium where your fish and other inhabitants will live long and healthy lives.

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