Aquarium and Pond Care with EcoBio-Block

Stocking a fish tank may seem like an easy enough task – you simply go to the pet store, pick out the fish you like and bring them home. If this is the procedure you follow when stocking your tank, however, you should not be surprised if you encounter problems down the line. There are a variety of factors that should play into your decision regarding not only what type of fish you put in your tank, but the number of fish as well. If you overstock your tank, it could increase the biological load past the point that your beneficial bacteria can handle. When this happens, the water quality in your tank could drop, your ammonia levels could skyrocket and all of those new fish you just brought home may end up dying. To prevent this from happening, do your homework to be sure you stock your tank properly the first time you do it.

Important Factors to Consider

When deciding how many fish to keep in your tank, the number one factor to consider is of course, tank size. It should go without saying that large fish tanks are capable of accommodating a greater quantity of fish than smaller tanks, but this is not the only factor to consider. You must also think about the size of the fish you intend to stock your tank with. Beginning aquarium hobbyists are often encouraged to follow the “one inch of fish per gallon” rule. This rule is by no means perfect, but it is a good place to start. To follow this rule, take the full length of each fish at maturity and factor it into the gallon capacity of your tank. If you have a 30-gallon tank, for example, you could safely house fifteen fish that grow to a maximum of 2 inches in length. As it has been mentioned, this rule is not perfect. It does not account for the fact that some fish are more full-bodied than others and thus take up more space, nor does it account for the fact that some fish produce more waste than other species.

Tips for Stocking Your Tank

In order to properly stock your tank, it is wise to strive for a balance in the number and type of fish you purchase. Do not fill your tank with full-bodied fish like cichlids – rather, try to create a community tank using several different species. This may require you to purchase smaller numbers of fish but it will lead to greater harmony in your tank in the long run. You should also keep in mind that many tropical fish are schooling species and should be kept with no fewer than three of their own kind. If you plan to keep multiple species in your tank, be sure you do not overstock your tank just to meet the schooling needs of certain species. It is better to under-stock your tank at first and then to slowly add more fish, giving your tank and your current set of fish, time to acclimate.

Balance is the key to keeping an aquarium clean and healthy – a tank that is properly stocked is more likely to be in balance than an overstocked tank. In order to help your tank achieve that balance, consider adding an EcoBio-Stone to give your tank an extra boost in handling the biological load of your tank. EcoBio-Stones are made from porous volcanic rock and cement that has been infused with beneficial bacteria. Once introduced into your tank, these bacteria will multiply and immediately begin working to break down waste products and toxins in your tank, making it a cleaner and healthier environment for your fish. Over time, you will learn how many fish your tank can handle and the beneficial bacteria in your tank will adjust to any additions you make to keep it running smoothly.

Nothing is quite so devastating to an aquarium hobbyist than to spend hours arranging and cultivating a tank full of live plants just to have them eaten by the tank inhabitants. While many species of fish tend to nibble on aquarium plants, most do not actually eat them. There are some species, however, that are notorious plant-eaters and are capable of decimating an entire planted tank in a matter of days. To avoid having all your hard work be for nothing, be careful about which fish you select to stock your planted tank.

Fish to Avoid in Planted Tanks

Silver dollar fish are one of the species most well-known for eating aquarium plants. Though many fish are likely to pick at algae growths or bits of sunken fish food on the leaves of aquarium plants, silver dollar fish will actually consume the plants themselves. These fish are voracious eaters when it comes to vegetable matter and they can work their way through an entire planted tank in just a few days. Some species of cichlid have also been known to eat aquarium plants, but these fish are more likely to dig in the substrate thus uprooting aquarium plants. While being temporarily uprooted may not kill the plants in your tank, it can inhibit their growth. Gouramis have also been known to engage in digging behavior which can affect the health and growth of live plants in an aquarium.

Recommended Species of Fish

Planted tank

When it comes to selecting the fish for your planted tank you cannot go wrong with most species of community fish. Community species of fish are peaceful not only toward other fish, but they do not tend to disturb aquarium plants or other tank decorations either. Some of the best small species of fish for planted tanks include livebearers, tetras, barbs and corydoras catfish. If you prefer slightly larger fish, dwarf gouramis and discus fish are recommended for planted tanks. To be sure that your plants are safe, it is wise to do some basic research on the species of fish you intend to purchase before you bring them home – check to be sure the conditions in your tank are right for that particular species and determine whether they are likely to eat your aquarium plants.

Tips for Maintaining Planted Tanks

To prevent your fish from turning to your aquarium plants for food, provide them with plenty of fresh vegetables. Fish enjoy blanched vegetables like peas, broccoli, spinach and zucchini and all of these foods are very high in nutrient content. Another way to keep your aquarium plants healthy and thriving is to introduce an EcoBio-Planter into your tank. EcoBio-Planters are made from natural zeolite and infused with beneficial bacteria. Once these bacteria form a colony in your tank they will begin breaking down built-up wastes and will help to maintain the nitrogen cycle, thus keeping the water in your tank clean and clear. EcoBio-Planters are conveniently shaped to accommodate small rooted plants and they are a great way to decorate your tank while still keeping up a natural appearance.

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.

Quarantine tank with EcoBio-Stone S

When one of your fish falls ill it may only be a matter of time before the disease spreads to your other tank inhabitants. For this reason it is extremely important for you to keep an eye out for the early symptoms of disease. If you catch the disease early enough you will be able to quarantine the sick fish in a hospital tank to ensure a speedy recovery and to prevent your other fish from falling ill. A hospital tank, or quarantine tank, is a fairly basic set-up and it is generally easy to maintain.

Setting Up the Tank

Because you will usually keep just one fish in the hospital tank at a time it does not need to be large – 10 gallons is a sufficient size. The bottom of the tank should be kept bare of gravel or other substrate to facilitate easy cleaning and to prevent the build-up of disease-harboring bacteria. Do not over-decorate the tank – simply provide a few plants or an overturned terra cotta pot to give your fish places to hide. Hospital tanks have very few requirements other than clean water and adequate filtration but you need to choose wisely when selecting a filter for your tank. Power filters that have a low setting are generally recommended for hospital tanks because they provide both chemical and mechanical filtration without creating a current powerful enough to disturb your sick fish.

Using a Hospital Tank

When you notice the symptoms of disease beginning to manifest in your tank, set up your hospital tank as quickly as possible. Use as much water from the original tank as you can when filling the hospital tank in order to decrease the amount of stress your fish experience in switching tanks. Use an in-tank thermometer to monitor and control the water temperature in the tank and administer whatever medications your fish require on a regular basis.

Other Tips for Hospital Tanks

If you have a large tank with many fish, it may be wise to set up a permanent hospital tank. By doing this you can rest assured that if one of your fish happens to fall ill you will not be putting the rest of your fish at risk by delaying the removal of the sick fish from the tank. A hospital tank can also be used as a quarantine tank when you bring new fish home from the pet store. To prevent the spread of disease you should always quarantine new fish for at least seven days. This will ensure that the new fish do not pass an existing illness on to your other fish.

A quick and easy way to ensure that the water in your hospital tank stays clean and clear is to use an EcoBio-Stone. EcoBio-Stones are made from porous volcanic rock and cement block and they are infused with nutrients and beneficial bacteria designed to keep your tank healthy. Once introduced into your tank, these beneficial bacteria will multiply and work to speed up the nitrogen cycle, keeping your tank water clean and clear. Not only do EcoBi0-Block products help keep your tank healthy, they also reduce the amount of routine maintenance required.

No matter how careful you are in caring for your aquarium fish, the chances are good that you will eventually experience the outbreak of some kind of disease. By acting quickly in setting up and utilizing a hospital tank, however, you can effectively curtail the spread of this disease. Learning how to set up a hospital tank, and then putting that knowledge to use, is a simple way to ensure that your sick fish recover quickly and your other fish do not fall ill.

It is always exciting to go to a pet shop and choose new fish for your aquarium, especially if you are new to the hobby of keeping fish. Unfortunately, if you do not know how to choose healthy fish, you may face the unwelcome dilemma of death for your chosen fish as well as the other fish in your aquarium. The best way to prevent this is to learn what healthy fish look and act like before you bring them home.

The condition of the pet store itself can give you a good idea as to whether or not the fish they sell are healthy. If it is cluttered, or has a funky odor, the odds are good that the fish will not be bursting with good health. Take a look at the fish tanks in the store. If they are dirty, with cloudy water or algae on the sides, you do not want to purchase any fish! If you see many dead fish, any fish you buy from this merchant will more than likely die as well, for there is obviously some sort of fish disease being passed from one fish to another.

Let’s say you leave this pet store and go to another one in search of your new fish. You walk in, and the surroundings seem to be much cleaner and more orderly than the previous pet store. That’s a good sign, but you also need to take some time to watch the fish as they swim around in their tanks. Watch how they interact with their tank mates. Do any of the fish seem to be sluggish, swimming slowly while other fish zip around them effortlessly? If so, these fish are probably sick, and may soon infect the other fish in the tank.

Spend some time observing the fins on fish that otherwise seem to be healthy. Do you see any tears on the fins? If there are more than one or two tears, they could be an indication of stress or even sickness. Other fish will often bully fish who are becoming weak, which causes the excessive tearing of the fins. The uninitiated may see this bullying in action, feel sorry for the fish, and buy it to rescue it from a bad situation. Don’t make this mistake!

You will also want to make sure to look at the body of the fish you are interested in buying. If you see many missing scales, any sores or odd growths, you are probably looking at a sick fish. If the fish in the tank seem to be sprinkled with tiny white spots, they are suffering from a sick disease known as Ichthyophthirius Multifiliis, or Ich for short. Many people also call this disease Ick. Ich is caused by a protozoan, and is a common fish disease that can be hard to get rid of. Needless to say, if you take home a fish with Ich, your other fish will become infected as well. Take note of the eyes of the fish. They should not be cloudy or bulge out.

Once you get home with your healthy fish, you will want to keep them that way. One of the simplest methods of keeping a fish healthy is making sure their environment is also clean. Partial water changes are usually what are necessary to keep the water in an aquarium clean and the water clear. Instead of having to set aside time out of your busy schedule to complete this necessary task, why not try EcoBio-Block Products?

The EcoBio-Stone sits unobtrusively on the bottom of your aquarium. It is infused with friendly bacteria. These bacteria will keep your water healthy and crystal clear for up to two years. Using one of EcoBio-Block Products is an easy method to make sure that the water in your aquarium is low maintenance.