Stage 4

Stage Four (Weeks 6-8):

Care & Maintenance

WHY is maintenance necessary

Once you have arrived at a balanced, healthy aquarium it is your job as its keeper to maintain that balance.  The main problem in the enclosed system of the aquarium is that without regular maintenance the quality of the water will deteriorate – this will happen slowly but surely.  Because the deterioration is gradual we may not notice it initially but your fish will as the aquarium is their home, their total environment and their well-being and lives depend on its water quality.  With a little effort on a regular basis, you can keep your aquarium healthy and balanced and your fish will reward you with longer, less disease-prone, more colourful lives.

WHAT happens to the water?

Over time the water will begin to discolour and the sparkle and shine your aquarium had when new will be lost, unless you do the correct maintenance.  The waste produced by your fish is very acidic and this affects your aquarium in three ways:

- The pH (the measure of acidity/alkalinity) goes down.
- The KH (the measure of carbonate hardness) goes down.
- The nitrates (produced by the action of bacteria on fish waste) increase.

These changes affect your fish in many ways but they will live longer, healthier lives if you maintain your aquarium at optimum levels on all these three fonts.  Please see the information on pH, KH and nitrates.

HOW do I do the maintenance?

Check that you have all the equipment necessary.  The basic items required are listed below.

Use the algae pad/scraper or magnet to clean algae from the glass and remove excess algae from rocks, ornaments etc.  As the fish are continually eating, converting their food into energy and passing their waste products into your nicely balance aquarium, you should test the water regularly using the liquid tests.  This will give you an indication of how far the water quality has deteriorated since the last water change.  To ‘freshen’ the water for your fish you will need to make regular changes of a proportion of the water.  How much water to change and how often, are greatly argued in the fish trade and many ‘rules of thumb’ are quoted.  However, as every aquarium is different the only sure advice is that you need to make small but regular water changes, removing the elements you don’t want as opposed to allowing them to increase.  Larger, greedier fish will require more water changes than only a few tiny fish.  If you find you are struggling to keep the pH, KH and nitrate levels correct, this indicates that more frequent or larger water changes are necessary.  Ultimately though, the optimum regularity and volume of changes needed for your aquarium are for you to decide and will be found by experience and by testing the water regularly.

As a guide, it would be considered too much to change more than about 1/3 at a time but with a minimum of one change a month being the least you could get away with.  A 10% - 20% change every week to fortnight would be about right for most aquaria but only by testing the water regularly and making partial water changes accordingly can the ideal water quality be maintained.  For a partial water change you will need a gravel washer which enables you to draw off some of the aquarium water together with dirt and debris which will have accumulated in the gravel.

Once you have drawn off the water clean any filter media in the water you have taken out, not under the tap.  It is then important to prepare a bucket, fresh water to replace it; this can be tapwater and ideally this should be at the same temperature as the aquarium.  Now add the appropriate water conditioner(s) to both the new water and to your part-empty aquarium to make the tap water safe for the fish and protect their delicate mucous membrane. Give the new water a thorough stir and wait around 45 minutes and it is ready to add to the aquarium.  However, before adding it, you will find it easier to change air stones etc.  while the water level in the aquarium is low, so it is best to perform these items of maintenance, if required at this time.  Once you have refilled your tank we suggest that you add "sera Nitrivec" and "Sera Ammovec" – these contain the friendly bacteria which are supplied in liquid form in a bottle – which live in the aquarium and brake down the organic wastes, so keeping it healthy and in balance.  Many of these bacteria will be lost during cleaning so it is necessary to boost your colony back to full strength.

Relevant Kit: Algae scraper, Net, Gravel Washer.