Aquarium and Pond Care with EcoBio-Block

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.

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.

Betta fish, also called Siamese fighting fish, are known for being one of the most territorial and aggressive species of tropical fish. The males of this species cannot be kept in the same tank without one killing the other. Because these fish are so aggressive, they are typically kept individually in small bowls or tanks. If you are able to keep the fish separated, however, it is possible to keep multiple male bettas in one tank. By building a tank divider you can create several compartments within a single tank in which to house your betta fish.

Materials Needed:
Plastic embroidery canvas
Scissors
Plastic binding bars

To build a tank divider, measure the width of your aquarium from the front wall to the back, holding the measuring tape against the inside walls of the aquarium. Cut a piece of plastic embroidery canvas to the exact measurement and slide it vertically into the tank. The sides of the canvas should fit snugly against the front and back wall – there should be no gaps through which a betta fish might slip. Trim the top of the embroidery canvas so it sits just below the rim of the tank.

Slide a plastic binding bar onto all four edges of the embroidery canvas, trimming them to the length and width of the canvas. Place the divider back inside the tank to ensure that it fits. If adding the binding bars significantly increases the width of the divider you may need to trim the canvas slightly so that it sits flush with the tank walls.

Build up the substrate against the bottom of the tank divider to remove the possibility that your betta fish can burrow under it to the other side of the tank. If you can, dig a trench in the substrate before sliding the divider into place then fill in the trench once the bottom of the divider sits against the bottom of the tank. Check that the water level in the tank is at least two inches below the top of the divider before introducing your betta fish to their sections of the tank.

Other Considerations for a Divided Tank

While a divided tank is an excellent way to economize your use of tank space in keeping multiple bettas, there are some problems which you will need to address. Plastic embroidery canvas is filled with small holes which allow water to flow from one side of the tank to the other, but whichever side you place the filter on will benefit from higher water quality than the other. You might install your filter as close to the center of the tank as possible or use two smaller filters, one in each corner. Another alternative to this plan is to place a mesh bag full of EcoBio-Pebbles in the section of the tank furthest from the filter. EcoBio-Pebbles are made of porous volcanic rock infused with beneficial bacteria which break down ammonia and help to clarify and purify aquarium water. Once the bacteria have been introduced into your tank through the EcoBio-Pebbles they will multiply and continue to revitalize the water, lessening the frequency of necessary water changes and improving the water quality in your tank. By using EcoBio-Pebbles in your betta tank you can avoid having to purchase a second filter and both sides of the tank will benefit from clear, healthy water.

African Cichlid

If you are ready for something a little different and enjoy keeping freshwater fish, an African Cichlid aquarium could be for you. These beautifully patterned and colored finned friends have many admirers. Their distinctive personalities and innate intelligence have a way of endearing these fish to their owners. However, if you have never kept this variety of fish, you owe it to yourself to learn about their habits and needs while planning your African Cichlid aquarium.

Many things make this species of fish very special. African Cichlids are usually a very hardy fish that grow very fast, especially when compared to the growth rate of other fish species. However, the very thing that makes the African Cichlid special is what causes the need for would-be owners to plan carefully before purchasing their fish. A fish that grows as large as fast as an Oscar or a Jack Dempsey deserves a home that it will not outgrow!

You should definitely plan to buy the largest aquarium you can afford if you are planning to keep Cichlids. If the aquarium that you can see in your mind’s eye is a heavily planted one, you should probably rethink the desire you have to own this type of fish. Cichlids were probably archeologists in another life! They really enjoy digging in any kind of substrate you give them, and can make a big mess out of a carefully planted tank.

An African Cichlid aquarium should instead be outfitted with rock formations, overturned clay pots, and other places where the fish can hide and feel safe. Most African Cichlids are territorial around other fish to a certain extent. Some of these fish can co-exist in the same aquarium with other Cichlids, while some cannot. Other types of fish should not be housed in the same tank, as the Cichlid can be aggressive with them. It is most common for those who keep Cichlids to have a species-specific aquarium because of this aggressive and territorial nature.

Feeding your African Cichlid can be a bit more complicated than just shaking a few dried fish food flakes into the tank daily. In the wild, these fish are vegetarian as a rule. They will eat brine shrimp and daphnia as part of their staple diet, and will also nibble at bloodworms, though the latter are a little too rich for them.

A good Cichlid pellet along with a flaked vegetable-based food containing spirulina and kelp will keep your fish active and healthy. You can also feed African Cichlids human foods such as cooked peas minus their shell, spinach, zucchini, and dark green leaf lettuces like romaine.

You will definitely want to pay attention to the water quality in your African Cichlid aquarium. Cichlids prefer a hard, alkaline water pH of around 7, but a higher pH is well tolerated by these sturdy and colorful fish.

An easy way of keeping the aquarium water clean and clear (and your fish healthy!) without having to do frequent water changes and test the water on a regular basis, is with the use of an EcoBio-Stone. Your choice of product will depend upon the size of your aquarium. All the products in the EcoBio-Block family quickly establish a colony of beneficial bacteria, which break down the toxins which develop with organic waste, into safer by-products. These bacterial and mineral benefits of EcoBio Block products will help make your established African Cichlid aquarium a breeze to maintain.