Posted by Marie Poppins on October 28, 2020 in Pets
Best kuhli loach tank mates recommendations? Keeping fishes in a tank may seem easy, but there’s more to it than meets the eye. First of all, what makes a fish “low maintenance?” Well, they should easily adapt to different water temperatures, be easy to feed, can get along with other types of fish, don’t need a constant watch, and don’t need to adjust to a bigger tank as it grows. If you’re too busy (or lazy) to do a lot of fish work, you can choose from the list below of low maintenance fishes.
Return all the old clean decorations. If necessary, add more gravel or new decorations. Before adding new tap water to the aquarium, please treat it with a special conditioner. Everyone knows that tap water contains a lot of impurities such as chlorine, ammonia, and heavy metal salts. This water will harm the fish, so water conditioners have been developed that purify the water from harmful substances. Mix old and new treated water in the aquarium and measure its temperature. Control that the water remains the same temperature; otherwise, your fish will die. If necessary, dilute it with treated freshwater, or wait for the water to heat up and become room temperature if its temperature is lower or higher than the required level. Do not pour too much water into the aquarium; there must be space for air to saturate the water with oxygen. Carefully place the fish back. To make the fish experience less shock, you can put them in a plastic container with old water and put it in the aquarium; then, it will be easier for the fish to get used to slightly different water temperatures.
In addition to keeping aquarium fish, many aquarium hobbyists also stock their tanks with live plants and other organisms. Marine tanks can be stocked with live rock and/or coral which are more than just decoration – they are living organisms that must be cared for properly. An in-between tank (in between fish-only (FO) and the reef) is called the FOWLR (Fish Only with Live Rock). Keeping reef tanks alive and thriving can be very difficult and therefore are the bane of novice fish hobbyists but the holy grail for those up to a challenge. See additional info on fish pet tips.
Frequent water changes replace minor and trace elements that are pulled out of the water by corals. This includes elements such as potassium, iron, strontium, and other lesser known elements found in salt mixes. Major elements such as Alkalinity, Calcium, and Magnesium are commonly added back in to the aquarium by dosing, and are removed much faster than water changes can replenish (for more information on major elements, see the article Understanding and Balancing Alkalinity, Calcium, and Magnesium in Saltwater Aquariums). Though major elements are easily maintained through dosing, minor and trace elements are much more difficult to maintain this way. This is because measuring the consumption of each minor and trace element and adding it to the water is both expensive and time consuming. Conducting frequent, weekly, water changes of 15 – 20% of the total water volume of the tank will help replenish the lesser measured minor and trace elements. Though you may need to dose these elements if you try to keep difficult, high end corals. However, for most of us in the hobby, frequent water changes will help your aquarium maintain these levels.