Aquarium and Pond Care with EcoBio-Block

Setting up a new tank

After purchasing an aquarium and bringing it home, many novice aquarium hobbyists mistakenly believe that the most difficult task is behind them. It can be very hard, after all, to choose just one tank from among a wide variety of choices in aquarium sizes and shapes. Once you get your new aquarium home, however, the real work begins. If you take time to make the necessary preparations and research the proper procedure, setting up your first freshwater aquarium will be less of a hassle and your job will be much easier down the line when it comes to routine care and maintenance.

Selecting a Location

Place your aquarium on top of a sturdy cabinet or aquarium stand and position it somewhere you will be able to enjoy it. When selecting a location for your tank, keep in mind that if you place it in direct sunlight you will have problems with algae growth. It is also important to consider accessibility when selecting a location for your tank so that routine cleaning and maintenance does not become difficult.

Basic Set-Up Tips

1. Rinse the aquarium along with any gravel, plants and decorations in warm tap water. When rinsing gravel or substrate, stir the gravel well and flush it with water until the overflow runs clear.

2. Attach your aquarium background to the back of the tank using clear tape.

3. Pour the clean gravel into the tank then fill it about 2/3 full with warm tap water. Place a flat rock in the center of the tank and pour the water in over the rock to avoid scattering the gravel.

4. Check the water temperature in the tank as you fill it using an in-tank thermometer, adding warmer or cooler water as needed to keep the temperature between 70° and 76° Fahrenheit.

5. Set up your power filter according to the manufacturer’s instruction, but do not plug it in.

6. Mount your submersible aquarium heater on the wall of the tank, but do not plug it in. Leave adequate space around the heater to ensure even distribution of heated water and do not rest any decorations up against the heater itself.

7. Install your decorations and plants in the aquarium. Position the tallest plants near the back of the aquarium and place smaller plants up front.

8. Fill the tank the rest of the way with warm tap water and add your choice of dechlorinating solution, following the instructions on the bottle to determine how much to use.

9. Plug in your heater and filter and adjust them to the appropriate settings. Read the instructions included with your filter to determine whether you need to fill the filter with water before plugging it in.

10. Wait at least 24 hours before adding any fish to your aquarium. This will give the tank temperature time to stabilize and the nitrogen cycling process time to begin.

Other Tips for a Healthy Aquarium

In order to keep your aquarium running properly you need to establish a base of beneficial bacteria – a process often referred to as cycling the tank. Adding a few fish to the tank at a time is one of the most common ways to begin building a colony of beneficial bacteria but installing an EcoBio-Stone to your tank can help you to jumpstart the process. EcoBio-Block products are made of porous volcanic cement block infused with beneficial bacteria that will multiply upon being introduced into your tank. These bacteria help to speed up the nitrogen cycle, keeping the water in your tank clean and clear for your fish to enjoy and reduce the frequency of necessary water changes.

One of the main concerns with having tropical fish is the diseases they can contract.  There are many different kinds of tropical fish diseases, most of which have treatments to remedy them.  It is certainly best to have your fish avoid the diseases in the first place, but even with good management, your fish may not always be able to avoid disease.

One type of tropical fish disease is ammonia poisoning.  As the name implies, there is too high a level of ammonia in your tank.  The main symptoms of ammonia poisoning are your fish turning a red-lilac color and they’re floating below the surface panting for air.

The remedy for ammonia poisoning is relatively simple to implement, but it’s important to do this right away or your fish’s health may be compromised on a long-term basis.  You need to understand the cycling process of a new tank to limit the ammonia level of the water, as well as to maintain the pH levels and water temperature of the tank.

An additional help is the EcoBio-Block, which can be very effective in keeping your tank from experiencing ammonia spikes that can cause harm to your fish.

Yet, another type of tropical fish disease is cataracts.  Eye-related infections are often caused by the level of waste in your tank.  Cataracts are usually just fungal growths covering the eyes.  Normal aquarium fungicide is usually a very effective form of treatment for cataracts.

To keep your fish from getting cataracts, it’s important to keep the levels of ammonia and nitrate at acceptable levels.  You can also use the EcoBio-Block products to effectively keep ammonia and nitrate levels at levels that are safe for your fish.

Corneybacteriosis is commonly referred to as bulging eyes because it looks like the fish who have corneybacteriosis have bulging eyes.  Additionally, these fish have swelling in their heads.

Corneybacteriosis is usually caused by a large amount of waste in the tank, which is often caused by having too many fish in the tank.  Keeping the level of waste at a low level is the best defense against your fish contracting corneybacteriosis.  Utilizing EcoBio-Blocks in your tank can establish the nitrogen cycle and keep your water clean and pure, thereby reducing the chances of your fish contracting corneybacteriosis.

Goldfish with dropsy

Another common tropical fish disease is dropsy.  Dropsy makes your fish look bloated and their scales appear to be bursting outward.  Dropsy is usually caused by an internal bacterial infection.

It is important to treat dropsy as quickly as possible; otherwise, further internal damage to your fish could be the result.  Anti-bacterial medication can help to treat the infection, along with raising the aquarium water temperature slightly over the next few weeks.

Ichthyophthiriasis, or what is commonly known as ich, ich is a type of tropical fish disease that is indicated by small white spots covering the fish’s body and fins.  A type of parasite is responsible for causing ich.

Cichlid with ich

Treatment for ich involves gradually raising the water temperature to prevent the spread of the parasites that cause ich.  Once the water becomes clear again, then lower the water temperature back to its previous level.  Anti-ich medication can also be helpful, as this will break the cycle of ich and treat the disease in the water.

As you can see, the main keys to preventing tropical fish diseases is paying attention to your fish and their normal appearances, keeping your aquarium’s ammonia and nitrate levels at acceptable levels, and keeping your water clear. Utilizing the line of Eco-Bio Block products (which need to be removed when using medications), can speed up the nitrogen cycle, minimize the number of times you need to change the aquarium water, and revitalize and clarify the water to avoid tropical fish diseases.

Starting a new fish tank can be exciting, but that excitement could quickly fade if we failed to do a crucial first step the right way, and some or all of our fish were to die. In order to keep this from happening, the person who wants a freshwater fish tank in their home or office needs to learn the correct way of getting a new tank set up and ready for a few fishy inhabitants.

We will assume you already have your aquarium, the aquarium gravel, filter, heater, decorations, test kits, and fish food. Did we leave something out? Does this look like it is just about everything you would need to start a new fish tank? Almost, but you are forgetting a few important items. You need an aquarium vacuum, an aquarium glass scrubber, a good-sized fish net, and several five-gallon buckets.

Why do you need to worry about all this stuff when you are starting up a new fish tank? That nice, clean tank is not going to stay that way by itself! It is up to the aquarium owner to do the maintenance on his or her tank, and keep it looking and smelling clean and nice. It can be a lot of work to adhere to a schedule in order to keep a fish tank clean, and this discourages some people from ever owning a nice aquarium.

That’s a shame, because there are products out on the market now that can really help even someone with very little freshwater aquarium fish experience to keep a sparkling tank and healthy fish. One such product is from the EcoBio-Block family of products for your aquarium, and it goes by the name of EcoBio-Stone. The EcoBio-Stone-M is the size that is best for a mid-sized aquarium.

You can also purchase EcoBio-Block in other forms, such as the Pebbles or EcoBio-Stone S for smaller tanks that could go up to twenty gallons in size. An EcoBio-Stone L is the size you would need for an aquarium that could range from forty gallons all the way up to one hundred gallons.

Just what do these products do? The EcoBio products contain an inventive mixture of volcanic rock and cement with a good portion of beneficial bacteria mixed in with some nutrients for the bacteria. This bacteria is the same type that the Japanese favorite known as “Natto” has in it. All these friendly little bacteria are sealed into the EcoBio-Block; all they need to grow and prosper is a little water.

When added to aquarium water, these bacteria begin to multiply, and it won’t be long before they have taken over much of the routine maintenance work in your aquarium.
These beneficial bacteria proliferate quickly. Their job is to erode and do away with the organic matter that falls to the bottom of the tank, the mulm that you siphon up with your aquarium vacuum. Your tank water stays cleaner and of better quality without having to vacuum the substrate once a week or so.

Your aquarium will be clear, have no odor, and the bacteria will oxidize ammonia and nitrites into safer by-products. The lava rock will slowly add trace minerals and a little calcium to the tank water to balance it. An EcoBio-Block can last for up to two years. Shouldn’t you use one when starting a new fish tank?

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!

Initial conditioning of aquarium water, also known as “aquarium cycle,” can be one of the most stressful tasks in fish keeping. Oftentimes, when pet owners decide to add fishes to their extended family, they want to acquire the new pets right away, especially when they’ve visited the fish store and have fallen in love with some of the lovely creatures there. Conditioning a fish tank to make it suitable for the new fish — a process that normally takes weeks — could be a real test of patience.

Many new fish keepers make the mistake of taking shortcuts when cycling new aquariums. It’s a mistake quite easy to make because cycling involves the growth and proliferation of essential bacteria, which are invisible to the naked eye. Without a clear understanding of how cycling conditions the water into a healthy environment for fish, pet owners will tend to become impatient and cut corners along the aquarium cycle process, to the detriment of the fish.

The time frame that water conditioning follows depends on how fast beneficial bacteria are grown and colonized in the aquarium. Growth and colonization, in turn, depends on how much bacteria is introduced into the tank in the first place, and how much “food” is available with which the bacteria can continue to multiply. For the nitrosomonas bacteria, its food is ammonia, and for the nitrobacter, its food is the nitrites produced by the nitrosomonas.

In traditional cycling, a few hardy fishes are added to a newly setup tank to provide the ammonia to feed the nitrosomonas. This process normally takes several weeks to condition the water, not to mention the potential fish fatalities associated with the spikes in ammonia and nitrites during the process. Traditional cycling is stressful not only to the fish but to the owners as well.

In fishless cycling, on the other hand, household ammonia is used to treat a new tank to grow the bacteria. This method may spare the fish sacrifice, but diligence is required in regularly adding ammonia and closely monitoring water quality. The conditioning still takes several weeks, which can prove taxing especially when there’s nothing interesting to watch in the tank.

For fish keepers who don’t appreciate having to wait many weeks to cycle their aquarium, the solution is a highly rapid growth and proliferation of beneficial bacteria in the tank. The quickest ways to grow bacteria includes bringing in already prolific colonies from a healthy established aquarium, adding commercially available bacteria cultures to the tank, and/or putting a bacteria-multiplying product called EcoBio-Block in the habitat.

The EcoBio-Block Family Products are mineral-rich porous volcanic stones that are embedded with beneficial bacteria called “bacillus subtilis natto” from Japan, including the nutrients they need to proliferate. Once the EcoBio-Block is placed in water, the bacteria immediately come to life and multiply every half hour, performing the nitrification process associated with cycling and overall water conditioning. This special strain of bacteria effectively degrades organic matter and makes the tank clear, healthy, and odor-free for years.

With the fast-multiplying EcoBio-Block strain of bacillus subtilis natto, there’s no need to wait anxiously for many weeks before bringing fishes to their new home. Also, because of the continuous growth and proliferation of EcoBio-Block bacteria, maintaining ideal water conditions should henceforth be stress-free.