Aquarium and Pond Care with EcoBio-Block

After you have put in all the time and effort to set up your aquarium, the last thing you want to do is stock it with sick fish that could cause a tank-wide epidemic. While you cannot completely prevent your fish from ever becoming exposed to disease, there are a few simple precautions you can take to ensure that the fish you are introducing into your tank are healthy. You can start taking these precautions before you even purchase your fish and, in doing so, you can lessen the likelihood that your aquarium will be exposed to pathogenic bacteria, viruses and other diseases.

How to Spot Healthy Fish

Local pet store's aquarium section

When you first set foot into your local pet store, before you even look at the fish they have available, take a look at the facilities. Do the stock tanks look clean or are they overgrown with algae? Do the tanks appear to be well maintained or are the water levels low due to evaporation? If the facilities in which the fish are kept do not appear to be clean, the chances of those fish being healthy are greatly diminished. If, however, the store itself is clean and the tanks are well-maintained you can move on to observing and examining the fish themselves.

Locate the tank housing the type of fish you are interested in purchasing. Observe the fish for a few minutes, looking for healthy activity and coloration. Healthy fish will be active and will not have any difficulty swimming – fish that appear lethargic or float near the top or bottom of the tank are likely affected by disease. The fish themselves should not have any visible deformities, the fins should be whole and there should be no patches of redness or discoloration on the fins, gills or scales. The eyes of healthy aquarium fish will be clear and, if you are able to observe the fish being fed, they should display an eagerness to eat.

Before Introducing New Fish

After selecting and purchasing your fish from the pet store there is one more thing you need to do before introducing them into your tank. Many aquarium hobbyists recommend quarantining all new fish for a minimum of two weeks before adding them to the main tank. Even if you have taken the time to observe and examine the fish before buying them, they could still be carriers of disease. Quarantining new fish is a simple and effective way to lessen the chances of your tank becoming exposed to disease. Keep your new fish in a quarantine tank for at least two weeks and, during that time, observe them for signs of illness. If, after the two weeks are up, the fish still appear to be healthy you can safely add them to your main tank.

Tips for Keeping Fish Healthy

Keeping your aquarium fish healthy does not need to be a complicated matter. If you are able to keep the water quality in your tank high and feed your fish a healthy, varied diet they are likely to thrive. To boost the health of your aquarium, and thus your fish, consider adding an EcoBio-Planter to your tank. EcoBio-Planters are made from porous volcanic cement and are conveniently shaped to accommodate a small live aquarium plant. In addition to providing a place for live plants to grow, EcoBio-Planters are also infused with beneficial bacteria that will multiply to establish a colony once added to your tank. These bacteria will help to maintain the nitrogen cycle in your tank, breaking down wastes and removing harmful toxins to keep your tank water clean and clear. In conjunction with the aforementioned precautions, an EcoBio-Planter can help keep the fish in your tank healthy by keeping the water quality in your tank high.

Once you have successfully built and set up your outdoor pond you may think that the hard part is over. While building your pond may indeed be the most difficult part of the process, you should also put a considerable amount of effort toward selecting the fish for your pond. You cannot simply go to the pet store and purchase a dozen feeder goldfish and expect them to thrive in your pond. There are only a few types of fish that are suited to living in outdoor ponds and each variety has certain requirements. Before you purchase the fish for your pond, perform some basic research to decide which type of pond fish is best for you and for your pond size.

Types of Pond Fish

Colorful koi

When it comes to outdoor ponds, koi are the most well-known species of ornamental fish used for stock. Koi come in a variety of shapes and colors including black, gold, red and orange. These fish look similar to goldfish but grow much larger and exhibit a wider variety of shapes in their fins and bodies. Because they grow to be quite large, koi require a pond capacity of at least 1000 gallons in order to thrive. These fish also require a variegated diet including fresh vegetables, fruit and specially formulated koi foods.

Goldfish come in a variety of shapes and colors which makes them a popular choice as a pond fish. Some of the most popular varieties of goldfish include Comets, Shubunkins and Orandas. Comets come in red, orange and white varieties – the calico varieties are called Shubunkin Comets. Orandas are a type of fancy goldfish known for the prominent hood that develops on top of its head.  In general, goldfish are a hearty species which does well in ponds with adequate filtration and aeration. Most goldfish prefer peaceful or slow-moving water and require a pond capacity of 250 gallons or more to thrive.

Precautions to Take with Pond Fish

Just as you should exercise caution when stocking your home aquarium, be careful when selecting the fish for your pond. Some species can grow very large or may become aggressive around other species. By doing some research before you purchase your pond fish you can prevent a disaster from happening later. Comets, for example, can be aggressive and should not be mixed with most other types of pond fish aside from koi. Goldfish and Orandas are generally peaceful species that can get along with a variety of species.

Tips for Keeping your Pond Healthy

A healthy pond requires routine maintenance in order to keep water quality high. Because goldfish and other pond fish are notoriously high producers of waste, adequate filtration is key to maintaining water quality. To give your pond a boost, consider installing one or more EcoBio-Block Waves. These blocks are infused with beneficial bacteria that multiply naturally to establish a colony in your pond. Once established, this colony of beneficial bacteria will help to break down organic waste products, remove odors and clarify cloudy pond water. While you should still maintain proper filtration and execute regular maintenance procedures, an EcoBio-Block Wave can help to keep your pond clean and healthy for your fish.

One of the most common problems new aquarium owners experience is unwanted algae growth. Algae growth is natural in the home aquarium and a small amount of it provides a healthy food source for fish and invertebrates. If algae growth is allowed to go uncontrolled, however, it can take over your tank and cause a number of problems. In addition to being unsightly, excess algae can decrease water quality which may in turn cause your fish to become stressed or to fall ill. One of the simplest ways to control algae growth in your tank is to introduce an algae eater.

Choosing an Algae Eater

When it comes to selecting an algae eater for your tank there are several options to choose from. Before you visit the pet store, however, there are a few things you should keep in mind. An algae eater is different from a bottom feeder – these two types of fish are both useful in the home aquarium but they serve different purposes. Bottom feeders primarily feed on uneaten fish food and sinking pellets. While some algae eaters perform this function as well, many are known for their suction cup-like mouths that enable them to clean algae off the glass and decorations in your tank.

Types of Algae Eaters

Pleco Fish

One of the most well-known types of algae eater is the plecostomus, often called the pleco. These fish are a species of semi-aggressive catfish and, provided enough space and food, they can grow to two feet in length. This type of algae eater is recommended for large tanks where they can be kept individually or with a small number of community fish. Another type of catfish, the Otocinclus affinis (Oto cat), is another popular algae eater. These fish generally stay under two inches in size which makes them the perfect algae eater for small aquariums. Oto cats are typically not aggressive so they do well in community tanks.

Another popular species of algae eater is the Siamese algae eater, or Crossocheilus oblongus. These fish are typically friendly, though as they age they may become aggressive toward others of their own species. Siamese algae eaters are unique among algae eaters because they feed on the red algae that many other algae eaters tend to avoid. Gyrinocheilus, or Chinese algae eaters, have large suction-cup mouths and can grow up to ten inches long. Though generally friendly in their youth, older fish of this species can become territorial and aggressive.

Tips for Keeping Algae at Bay

While introducing an algae eater into your tank is one of the easiest ways to control algae growth there are several other things you can do. Keep your tank out of direct sunlight and perform regular water changes to keep the water quality in the tank high. You can also install an EcoBio-Stone in your tank which will maintain good water quality and help to keep your tank clean and algae-free. EcoBio-Stones are made from porous volcanic stones and cement and are infused with special beneficial bacteria that multiply in your tank, working to break down wastes and speed up the nitrogen cycle. Combined with an algae eater and routine maintenance, an EcoBio-Stone is an easy way to keep your tank free of unwanted algae.

About 1/4" size snail on aquarium plant leaf

While aquarium snails may help to keep the algae in your aquarium under control, they have a tendency to reproduce quickly. A few small snails can turn into dozens in a matter of days and, before you know it, your entire aquarium could be overtaken. In most cases, aquarium hobbyists introduce snails into their aquariums unknowingly and do not notice the snails until it is too late. There are steps you can take, however, to prevent this from happening to you and there are ways to deal with it if it does.

How Snails Get into the Aquarium

Purchasing live aquarium plants at the pet store and adding them directly to your tank is the number one way snails are introduced into the home aquarium. While some pet stores now sell guaranteed snail-free plants in plastic containers, most pet stores only offer them straight out of their stock tanks. Even if your store does offer snail-free plants, they may cost several dollars more than the same plant from a stock tank.

Once you get your aquarium plants home, rinse them with warm water from the tap. Go over each leaf and remove any snails you happen to find. As an extra precaution, you can also soak the plants for 10 minutes in warm salt water. If you choose this method, be sure to rinse the plants well with fresh water before adding them to your tank.

How to Control a Snail Infestation

If you find yourself with a growing population of snails in your tank, do not panic. If you catch the problem before it gets out of control you may be able to remedy it with a few simple steps. Before you go to bed at night, blanch a piece of lettuce in hot water and drop it into the tank. In the morning you will find that snails have swarmed to the piece of lettuce and you can simply remove it from the tank, along with the snails feeding on it, and discard it.

While chemical remedies for snail control are available, they may do more harm than good in your aquarium. These remedies are designed to kill invertebrates like snails but they may also decimate your population of beneficial bacteria which could lead to other problems like cloudy water and algae blooms. If the snails in your tank become too numerous to control, however, you may need to resort to drastic measures such as performing a major tank cleaning.

Move your fish into a temporary tank filled with water from the main tank – you may also wish to set aside a few buckets of water from the main tank to use in refilling the aquarium. Empty the tank, clean the walls and soak all tank décor in warm saltwater for at least thirty minutes. Remove the gravel and either soak it in salt water or boil it on the stove. Check your live plants for snails, remove any you find and soak the plants in warm salt water for ten minutes. Do not forget to rinse out your filter as well.

Thoroughly rinse everything you soaked in salt water then reassemble your tank and refill it with as much of the original tank water as you can. This will help to speed up the nitrogen cycle and should also help to prevent algae blooms. In order to quickly reestablish a colony of beneficial bacteria in your tank you might consider installing an EcoBio-Stone. These products are made from porous volcanic rock and are infused with beneficial bacteria ready to multiply after being added to your tank. EcoBio-Stones help to speed up the nitrogen cycle while removing odors and clearing up your aquarium water. Once your tank has cycled, leave the stone in place to keep your aquarium water clean and clear.

Using an aquarium vacuum for partial water change

Using an aquarium vacuum for partial water change

One of the first things a novice aquarium owner hears from fish-keeping friends and/or pet store personnel is the need for partial water changes of about 20 percent every few weeks, preferably on the same day of the week so as to have a set interval each time. This news may cause the new owner of an aquarium some apprehension, as they look at the size of their tank and try to figure out just how they are going to change the water without making a big mess.

You have tank owners who do this the hard way. They catch their fish, which can often take a while, and place them in a bucket already filled with water from the tank. Next, they dip out all the water by hand, using a bucket or some other container to do so. They then remove all of the wet, often smelly gravel by hand as well.

By the time the inside walls of the aquarium are spotless, the filter has been cleaned, the gravel rinsed clean, and the water replaced either by walking back and forth from the nearest faucet with a heavy bucket of water, splashing it here and there, or by pulling a garden hose inside, the typical aquarium owner is exhausted.

Other tank owners take a shortcut, which eliminates a good portion of the tank maintenance work. They make use of an aquarium vacuum when they take care of their partial water changes every 21 days or so. The typical aquarium vacuum attaches to a faucet indoors or out, and removes the water with the help of the water pressure from the faucet.

A tube is attached to one end of the aquarium vacuum, and can be pushed into deep gravel to suck out all the mulm waste and uneaten food, leaving cleaner gravel behind. Typically, the entire gravel bed is cleaned in this manner, then the filter medium is changed, and water is re-added to the aquarium.

There are some people who are new to the hobby of keeping fish that assume if taking 20 percent of the water out of the tank, then doing a partial water change of 50 percent or more would be even better. Unfortunately, these folks learn the hard way that removing too much water from an aquarium is not a good thing to do.

Aquarium water has a different chemistry after fish have lived in it for a period of time. Uneaten fish food and the waste products excreted by the fish cause these changes. The fish get used to the water chemistry. When too much of this ìlived inî water is removed, the fish cannot cope with the change, and become quite stressed. The weaker fish will die, often just a short time after they are placed back into the freshly cleaned aquarium. Hardier fish will live longer, perhaps for a few weeks or a couple of months before they also die.

Those uninitiated in fish keeping will swear that their partial water change killed their fish, and harbor the belief that doing partial water changes is not a good thing. They firmly believe that partial water changes should not be done at all if you want your fish to stay alive!

A much easier solution for solving the problem is to make use of the EcoBio-Block family of products. The EcoBio-Block is made from a distinctive type of volcanic rock that has been populated with live, friendly bacteria. These bacteria will grow and reproduce for a two-year period of time as they feed on the uneaten food and fish waste. This helps to keep the water crystal clear and free from odor, and makes frequent water changes unnecessary. You will have much more free time to enjoy the antics of your fish in your beautifully clean aquarium when you use an EcoBio-Block.