Aquarium Care and EcoBio-Block

Useful, interesting and must-know articles about aquarium care

Starting a New Fish Tank

newfishtankStarting 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?


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January 11, 2010 at 3:51 PM Comments (0)

Proper Care of the Nano Aquarium

Planted Nano Aquarium

Planted Nano Aquarium

For the fish-lover, there is nothing as beautiful and peaceful as an aquarium. It brightens up any room in which it is placed, as well as giving the owner a low-maintenance pet. However, not everyone has the space for a large tank. For these people, there is the option of purchasing a smaller aquarium, anywhere from 1 to 15 gallons. Although this size of tank, otherwise known as a “nano aquarium”, is harder to maintain, it is still a good choice for many people. They just need to remember a few simple things. The most important thing to keep in mind about a small aquarium is not to let it get overcrowded. Keep the fish small and don’t put too many in the tank. Otherwise, it will be difficult to maintain the water quality. Also, take into account the fact that smaller amounts of water change temperature more quickly, which can be stressful for fish. Therefore, try to place your nano aquarium somewhere that keeps a constant temperature year round. And remember that even a small tank can weigh a lot when full, so put it somewhere where it won’t need to be moved. In a small tank, water quality can decrease very quickly. It is therefore important to test it every day and change 10-20% of the water as often as twice a week. While doing these changes, vacuum a section of the gravel. If you are busy or just don’t want the hassle of changing your water so often, you could try EcoBio-Stone S. Simply place the stone in the water and it will keep your water clear and healthy for years with beneficial bacteria, which keep the water in the aquarium perfectly balanced by breaking down the toxic ammonia and nitrite from fish waste and uneaten food, and re-supplying trace minerals from the stone. Additionally, be sure to change your filter regularly or else it may leak toxins into the water. If you do notice an issue, attend to it quickly. In a nano aquarium, small problems multiply rapidly. If you wait even one day to take care of them, you may find that your entire system has crashed Another important factor to be considered with a small tank is the oxygen level. One way to keep it high is to agitate the surface of the water with a small filter. For even more oxygen, put live plants in your tank instead of artificial ones. However, be sure to choose ones that don’t require a lot of light or you may find your water temperature increasing too much. Finally, do not overfeed the fish in your nano aquarium. This can cause poor water quality and place stress on your fish. If you remember to do all of these things and use a time-released water maintenance product such as EcoBio-Stone you will be able to enjoy keeping fish even if you have limited space.

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June 28, 2009 at 9:05 PM Comments (0)