Aquarium and Pond Care with EcoBio-Block

Few things are as disappointing as the water of your beautiful pond turning a horrible green color. When you have a pond, the last thing you want to look out and see is ugly green water. This problem is common and it is aggravating pond owners everywhere.

While green water is not a major problem in koi and goldfish ponds, the owner will undoubtedly be incredibly bothered when they can no longer see their gorgeous fish swimming around in aquatic bliss.

Why Pond Water Turns Green

Green water results from the growth of several single-celled algae, which live suspended in water. Algae are fueled by light and excess nutrients in the pond water. Algae typically make an appearance when sunny days increase during the spring. Algae most commonly occurs in ponds that have been constructed recently, because the water chemistry has not quite settled down. However, older ponds with more established waters are not immune to the green water curse.

The main culprit when it comes to green pond water is nitrate, which is a nutrient that forms naturally as the decaying of fish feces, leftover fish food and dead plant matter occurs. Some people use nitrate test kits, but more often than not, just cleaning out any leaves that may have fallen into the pond, maintaining plant foliage, using Eco-Block Family Products and not overfeeding your fish will make a huge difference.

Keep Your Water Clear

To control algae in your garden pond you need to do the following. It depends greatly on whether the water in the pond is re-circulated with a pump, or if the pond is still.

• Re-circulate water with a pump, mechanical filter and bio-filter
• Shade the pond if you don’t have plants
• Use of chemicals, such as algaecides, will kill off algae, but it will harm aquatic plants also.
• Include pond plants that will establish themselves and take over from algae
• Use bales of oat hay or barley straw in the water where it will break down gradually to eliminate algae
• Keep good bacteria population high
• Add EcoBio-Block pond products containing beneficial bacteria to rid the pond of the nutrients necessary for algae to thrive

EcoBio-Block is infused with beneficial bacteria and keep beneficial bacteria population high which not only helps to control algae problems, but reduces the need for frequent maintenance.

If you have a pond with water which is re-circulated, you can control algae with the installation of an ultra violet clarifier. Ultra violet clarifiers have become increasingly popular within the past few years because they are not only effective, but also easy to install.

When you use ultra violet clarifiers in conjunction with either a mechanical or a biological filter, it will kill the algae. In addition, it will also eliminate bacteria as well as a number of harmful fish parasites. Ultra violet clarifiers also help to clear cloudy water in your pond.

Although your fish may enjoy the shade that green pond water provides during the hot summer months, no pond owner should have to miss fully enjoying his or her pond all season long.

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.