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It shouldn’t be necessary to change the water at all, providing the aquarium is balanced. I trust by now the word ‘balance’ has recurred a sufficient number of times under various headings for the would be aquarist to understand that it is, in my view, the operative word throughout tropical fish maintenance.

There are some conditions, nevertheless, when it is essential to change the water wholly or partially. Some aquarists prefer to change 10 per cent of the water weekly. I have experimented up to 50 per cent, but discovered no definite benefit.

It should be remembered that when water evaporates from a fish tank, the minerals within the water remain behind and constant topping up with tap water increases the mineral content. Distilled water or clean rain water could be utilized with out this happening.

Overcrowding is a typical fault. The beginner frequently keeps buying new specimens with out making certain his aquarium will really accommodate them. In a well-balanced aquarium, the number of plants should be roughly proportional to the number of fish. If overcrowding occurs, loss of some of the fish is inevitable.

Tropical fish can stand much more overcrowding than cold-water fish. The latter need 24 sq. in. of surface per inch of fish, but tropicals require only about 8 sq. in. of surface area per fish. This density of fish should not be exceeded.

First find the proper shaped nets; rectangular ones are the best as the area of mouth is largest. They could be obtained in 3 helpful sizes. You’ll most likely require all 3 as it is hopeless to chase a quick moving fish with a net 2 in. x 1 in., and likewise it is ludicrous to net 0.5-in. fry with a 6-in. net, as damage to the fish will probably be nearly inevitable. Let patience guide you initial, and encounter later.

The perfect method to net your fish would be to use two nets simultaneously-one net to catch, and also other to guide the fish. Very small, newly hatched fish should not be handled. They should be netted and brought to the surface still really in water, and then removed in a big spoonful of water.

Fish tend to jump about when netted, and it is whilst doing this that injury is most likely to happen.’ They might even jump clean out of the net. The net should as a result be deep sufficient to form a bag that may be closed with the totally free hand.

A helpful device for netting very little fish and fry, could be made by cutting the bottom away from a little rectangular net, and replacing it with oiled silk. The oiled silk retains a pocket of water to protect the small fellows.

Don’t expect wonders from these scavengers. It is not reasonable to expect them to do all of the dirty work, but they do assist by eating any excess food, and in my opinion that alone warrants them a place in every aquarium.

Snails also maintain down algae by removing it from plants and also the glass sides, and their paths are effortlessly traced by a clean cut, but irregular, line via the algae patch. They don’t, nevertheless, totally clean the glass, though they make a great job of it.

My own favorite snails are the red ramshorns (Planorbis corneus var. ruber). Despite the reality they’re European they’ve an exotic appearance, the very best ones being bright red. Red ramshorns are also the largest of the species. They produce from 60 to 120 eggs in one season, which they lay in jelly masses containing 20 to 40 eggs.

These hatch in 10 to 40 days, depending upon the temperature. Should you especially wish to rear them, you should remove the eggs on the plant to an aquarium with out any fish, as tropical fish will destroy the newly hatched youngsters. Pond snails, though not so spectacular as red ramshorns, perform their duties fairly satisfactorily.

Usually snails tend to eat the plants, this is generally infuriating when a especially favorite plant falls victim. There are exceptions to all rules and in this case the Malayan burrowing snail (Thiara tuberculoid) is one.

This snail doesn’t harm the plants, neither does it cover the leaves with eggs. It is fairly distinctive and effortlessly recognized by the shape of its shell which is an elongated cone, having about eight whorls.

The shell has a ground colour varying between a lightish-brown along with a grey-green, over marked with brown spots which run much more or less symmetrically along the length of the shell. As its name suggests, this snail has developed the habit of burying itself in the sand, leaving only a little portion of the shell tip above the surface. A fully grown specimen rarely exceeds 1.5 in. in length.

This slow-moving snail appears to exist solely on decaying animal and vegetable matter, or ‘mulm’. An additional interesting feature is the reality that the young are born alive. These tiny replicas are generally few in number and transparent, gaining their color when about 1/8 in. in length.

With out a doubt, marine aquariums should be filled with natural sea water obtained a couple of miles offshore, to steer clear of coastal pollution. This isn’t so simple to do for your self, but it could be bought from dependable dealers.

An economic substitute for big quantities of sea water could be made artificially. The ingredients for it are as follows:

10 gallon – Soft water
45.5 oz – Common salt (sodium chloride)
0.2 oz – Potassium nitrate
l.5 oz – Potassium chloride
10 grams – Sod: acid phosphate
2 oz – Calcium chloride (dry)
5 grams – Ferric chloride
8.75 oz – Magnesium chloride
0.5 gallon – Natural sea water
11.5 oz – Magnesium sulphate
0.5 oz – Sodium bicarbonate

The above formula has been included mainly for interest. A a lot simpler technique would be to buy the essential salts already compounded which only need the addition of water. Most of the big suppliers of aquariums and equipment will stock these salts.

When adding water to replace the loss caused by evaporation, usually use distilled water. Keep in mind that the mineral content of the water isn’t reduced by evaporation.

Aquariums should be cleaned once a week, particularly if the main diet is dried food. Sediment collecting in the hollows and around the roots of plants could be removed with a siphon.

This is merely a length of rubber hose, attached to a Perspex tube with one end shaped like a flattened funnel.The tube is filled with water and hung over the side of the tank into a container, and also the other end held in the water near the sediment, which is sucked up by the rush of water.

There are a number of great sediment removers in the marketplace which work either in conjunction with an aerating pump, or with a separate hand bulb. These have the benefit of removing the sediment with out the water.

Water and sediment are raised by air pressure up a tube with a ‘U’ bend at the top to which a muslin bag is attached. The water returns to the tank, but the sediment is collected in the bag.

You are able to remove green algae on the glass with a razor blade scraper; these are specially made with a lengthy deal with for aquarium use. Snails will maintain down most of the soft green algae, but the tough, rusty brown kind of algae provides no attraction for them.

Thread algae, which, if left unhampered, will eventually choke the plants, could be removed with a rough piece of twig with the bark left on. Poke the stick among the algae and twirl it, and you’ll be surprised how a lot thread algae will probably be collected by this easy technique.

Scum on the water surface is obnoxious simply because it hampers the oxygenation procedure and is likely to trigger pollution. Scum is caused either by overfeeding (the uneaten food ferments), or by excessive lime in the water. You are able to remove scum by dragging a sheet of blotting paper across the water slowly from one end of the tank to the other, and then carefully lifting out the blotting paper.

Newspaper may also be utilized to remove scum from the water surface. A sheet laid on the water, left for a couple of moments, and then carefully removed by peeling off from one end, will soon clean the surface. If not clean after one operation, repeat until the surface would be to your liking.