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Introduction
While setting up and
aquarium and get it going for a couple of weeks is not difficult, it
is often the subsequent maintenance tasks that cause
people to give up their aquatic hobby. It is obvious that there are certain
maintenance required to keep an aquarium alive. Even ourselves would need
maintenance in the sense of bathing, brushing teeth, defecating etc, to keep
us in good health. Maintenance for an
aquarium need not be troublesome if one knows what are the requirements and
do them with discipline. A 30-45 mins regime a week or even 2-weekly will
normally suffice. For those with deep pockets, leverage on good planning
such as constructing intake and outlet of pipes into the tanks, easy access to
filters or top of the range filters that boast easy dismantling and washing
and technology (better filtration material, bigger filter) can even reduce
this to a 15-30 mins task while enjoying a coffee beside the
aquarium.
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Routine
Maintenance
Daily. Observe any abnormalities such
as functionality of the filters, sick/injured fishes etc.
Weekly.
Change about 30% to 50% of water including siphoning of waste accumulated on
the coral stones. Clean the glass as required. Read more on water changes.
2-Monthly.
Alternate the washing of the filter material. Clean the filter hoses
and the substrate if required. Additives During the water changes, 3-4 tablespoonfuls of marine salt
can be added to the water.
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Use
the BLISS
to check for trouble:
Behavior. Observe for abnormal fish
behavior, example, breathing heavily, hiding, not eating, etc.
Live
Indicator. Watch the weakest fish. They are the
most likely to perish when the water condition is bad.
Smell. The water would not smell right is something is
wrong.
Sight. Water
should be clear and not
milky.
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