Aquarium Care and EcoBio-Block

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-Block Aqua or 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?

Ammonia Test

What are some of the common problems with aquarium water chemistry? Many times, beginners to the aquarium hobby are uncertain as to what steps they need to take in order to get their tank off to a good start.

No matter how clear and sparkling that water may look in your new aquarium, do not be fooled! Remember that looks can frequently be deceptive. Many new owners think that it could not possibly hurt to go ahead and add some fish to their new aquarium setup once they have added the water. After all, it looks so clean and pure!

Wrong. That water you just poured into your tank is full of certain gases that can be toxic to your fish in the right amount. Compressed carbon dioxide gas is present in most city or tap water, along with chlorine, fluoride, and perhaps even some sulfides as well. There are also minerals, heavy metals, and chemicals in this water.

Some of these substances are added by the facilities that treat water in order to make it safe for human consumption. What is safe for a human can be quite unsafe for a fish. You must wait for the water in your aquarium to stabilize before you can add any fish to it. Often, people are advised to place one lone feeder fish in the tank in order to get the beneficial bacteria started up, cycle the tank, and also to see if the water quality is good enough for this fish to live in. While this seems like a good plan, you may be bringing diseases into your tank by doing so. There are much better ways to accomplish this task.

Test kits are available to tell you the condition of your aquarium water. Make sure you get the proper test to match your aquarium water, as the tests for freshwater and saltwater tanks can be a little different. You will want to test your tap water before proceeding to test the tank water. That first test will give you a baseline of sorts. Knowing the parameters of your tap water and comparing them to the parameters of your aquarium water can help you to decide if you need to do a partial water change or adjust the water parameters.

What sort of parameters do these kits test the water for? Normally, a simple water test kit will check the pH, Nitrite, Nitrate, Carbonate hardness and General hardness. You can also purchase kits that will test for ammonia. Tanks can be tested for KH or GH as well with a simple home kit. You can purchase products at your pet store to make the proper adjustments.

It does not take much ammonia to be toxic to fish, so the beginner hobbyist should strive to keep the levels in the tank at or near zero. However, during cycling, you will get high ammonia readings until there is enough bacteria in the tank to breakdown the ammonia into safer by-products. During this time, water changes of 10 –20% are suggested to keep the ammonia levels down. Different fish varieties need different pH readings, so a normal level will depend on the type of fish you are keeping. At one time, the only way to test your aquarium water was with a series of test kits and/or test strips. Whenever you suspected a problem, you would need to perform these tests on a daily basis. With the busy lifestyles so many of us have, it could be difficult to schedule this testing.

Fortunately, there is a solution that will save the hobbyist time, effort, and even some cash! The EcoBio-Block family of products can keep your aquarium water safe for your fish. These products contain a good bacteria that can last as long as two years. This bacteria will change ammonia into nitrates, which are safer for fish. Minerals and calcium are added to the water by the block, and the water is kept sparkling clear. Owning and using an EcoBio-Block product is a great way to help you reduce any problems you might have with your aquarium. Common problems with aquarium water chemistry are easily conquered when you are using the right tools.

One of the biggest challenges for aquarium owners is an outbreak of single celled organisms called cyanobacteria. They are casually referred to as blue-green algae because they are typically bluish green in color (although sometimes black or red) and aquatic; they are, in fact, microscopic bacteria that, when prolific, form into shiny sheets that look like algae.

Cyanobacteria also act like algae because they create their own food through photosynthesis. Given enough light and nutrients in the water, cyanobacteria can cause a bacterial bloom that can lead to major problems in the aquarium.

A cyanobacterial bloom may be free-floating greenish brown particles that make the water look hazy. The bacteria may also colonize into ugly films of slimy looking growth covering rocks and plants in the aquarium. Uncontrolled, a bacterial bloom can gather into foam or scum on the surface of the tank and give off a nasty rotten smell. At any rate, the proliferation of cyanobacteria is an indication that the nutrients that feed it – organic matter and waste products – are excessive in the water, which can only mean that the fish are in grave danger.

Cyanobacteria problems can be prevented with good fishkeeping conditions and attentive maintenance. In the event that a cyanobacterial bloom occurs, several steps can be taken, the first of which is to reduce the amount of light exposure in the tank. Because cyanobacteria thrive through photosynthesis, depriving them of light curtails their growth.

Together with reduced lighting, an effective way to fight cyanobacteria is consecutive water changes. Water changes up to 20% every three to four days will reduce the concentration of phosphates and waste material that feed the cyanobacteria. Test kits for nitrates and cyanobacteria are helpful in determining when healthy levels have been achieved. And to prevent future problems, it is best to maintain the aquarium with just the right number of fish, highly efficient filtration, and no over-feedings.

At times, though, cyanobacterial bloom can be unrelenting enough to defy light deprivation and water changes. Some fishkeepers resort to antibacterial chemicals, which could be equally detrimental to fishes and plants. A greener, more eco-friendly solution is the EcoBio-Block Family Products, originally designed and currently being used to degrade toxins and pollutants from lakes, streams, and reservoirs in many Asian countries.

EcoBio-Blocks, EcoBio-Rocks, EcoBio-Stones, and EcoBio-Pebbles are porous, mineral-rich volcanic stones from Japan. They are embedded with prolific beneficial bacteria (“bacillus subtilis natto”) that can actively multiply every half hour into colonies that degrade organic matter and nitrify waste products in the water. Because they degrade the organic matter that feeds cyanobacteria, the internet radio show Pet Fish Talk feels strongly that EcoBio-Block helped clear up their cyanobacteria problem. (click hear the Special Pet Fish Talk titled “Cyanobacteria”)

Cyanobacteria cannot be totally eliminated from the aquarium. Overgrowth and its toxic consequences, however, can be prevented with optimum water conditions through diligent aquarium maintenance together with proven eco-friendly solutions like the EcoBio-Block products.