Regular maintenance is a must for any kind of fish tank or aquarium. This procedure is essential to keep all living organism living inside that confined body of water alive and well. So if you are planning to set-up your very own fish tank today, here are a few of the routine maintenance procedures that you need to know by heart.
The Daily Routine
There are several maintenance routines that should be done daily to keep your fish tank clean and your fishes healthy. First off, make that habit of regularly checking in on your tank equipments - from the air pumps, the filters, the lighting systems and so on.
Next, you need to regularly feed your animals. Feeding frequency will entirely depend on the kind of organisms that you are rearing. Many aquarium experts however, recommend that you feed your pets more frequently (3-4 times daily) with smaller amounts of feeds.
If possible, make a routine out of checking water parameters such as pH, temperature, nitrites, nitrates and others. Although this may sound like a very tedious task to do every day, there are now different kinds of test kits that can give you all of these parameters in a single test.
Apart from that, it is very important that you fill your tanks daily with a fresh new batch of water. This is mainly because water can evaporate during very hot days. Filling your tank with fresh water will not only replace the volume lost by evaporation but can help in regulating tank temperature as well. This also helps keep the salinity down for salt water tanks set-ups. This daily routine should take you around 20-30 minutes so plan your day ahead and set this much amount of time for your aquarium.
The Weekly Routine
One of the most important weekly routines that you cannot afford to skip is changing of the aquarium water. Stagnant water, like that of an aquarium, can accumulate wastes and age over time. Thus, old aquarium water should be replaced with a new, nutrient laden and oxygenated batch once a week. The addition of new water can also help dilute accumulated nutrients in the tank, preventing overgrowth of algae and bacteria. A 5-15% water change done weekly can help keep your tank clear, well oxygenated and keep your fishes at the best of health.
For those who do not want to monitor water parameters daily, then it is a must that they do so at a weekly basis. Parameters should include pH, ammonium, nitrates, nitrites, oxygen and water temperature. Filters and protein skimmers should also be cleaned once a week to keep them at their best of shape. Remove filters and skimmers and rinse them thoroughly to take out any dirt, wastes and debris that have accumulated inside these gadgets over time.
Monthly Maintenance Routines
Monthly maintenance routines are considered to be the most tedious of all. Once a month, do a general clean-up of your entire tank. Take out bacterial films from the tanks, the hoses, the pumps and everything that is submerged in the water.