Sunday, April 29, 2012

Tools For Your Freshwater Aquarium Maintenance

By Kent Henry


Aquarium maintenance is the key factor of achieving a lovely fish tank that you can boast and be proud. Keeping a freshwater aquarium is truly a fun-filled activity. Guests will eventually admired aquarium that has aesthetic sense. As a hobbyist, it is important to have tools for the maintenance. Cleaning and maintaining the beauty of your fish tank sometimes drives you in weariness. The following are the seven suggested tools used for the maintenance of freshwater aquarium.

Gravel Vacuums. It is commonly known as the aquarium gravel vacuum. This gravel vacuums specifically used for the absorption and suction of the excess dirt in the aquarium like food and body wastes of the fish. If these excess materials will not be remove the tendency is, it can cause negative effects on the fish and freshwater plants (such as stress and water pollution).

Algae Pads/Scraper/Scrubber. The main importance of these tools is removing algae particularly in glass tanks? surrounding, which scraper and scrubber must be used. In acrylic tanks, algae pads are commonly used so it can be easily scratched.

Fish Nets. Fish nets serve a variety of uses to your freshwater aquarium. These nets can be utilized to separate fish from its kinds just like a conventional fish farmer when they grow and catch fish of varying types in the sea. Fish nets can also transport and transfer dead fish from the live ones. Accordingly fish net's holes determine their uses, most small holed fish nets are ideal for small fry and the large ones for the bigger fish.

Forceps or Tongs. Tongs are for picking small or certain mini objects that may cause obstruction to your aquarium such as dead fish, dry plants and dirty stuffs that are not useful to your freshwater aquarium. Be careful not to put much pressure on the tongs when you dip it to the water for it might accidentally lift small fish on the side. Look for some rust found on your tongs it might affect the water chemistry level of the water.

Pails. Pails are used as water container, especially if you will clean your tanks. With pails, you can replace water inside your water tank by utilizing manually cleaning your freshwater aquarium.

Siphon tube. Siphon tube is a curved tube utilize for driving the water out of the aquarium. Through this tool you don't have to manually incline or tilt the aquarium just to empty it. The appropriate and recommended length of the siphon tube is from the bottom of the aquarium reaching unto the floor.

Water PH Testing Kits. Water PH testing kits is the other must have tool for freshwater aquarium maintenance. This kit is used for testing the acidity or alkalinity of the water and to achieve the right water chemistry of the tank. This is available in any aquarium shops. Before filling up your aquarium with tap water, check first the PH level of the water. If it is safe, then, you may use tap water for your aquarium. In testing the water PH level, you can use a litmus paper or a PH solution. When using a PH solution, drop the said solution into the water 2 to 3 times. If the water alters it color into yellow or orange, it means that the water is acidic. But if the water turns into blue or green, it is alkaline. Water with less than 7.0 PH level is acidic. On the contrary, the water is more than 7.0 PH level, it is alkaline.

Keeping a freshwater aquarium can be made easy with these tools mentioned above. As a hobbyist it is your duty to safeguard your aquarium from any disturbances and stress it may cause to your fish. Moreover making it clean and tidy all the time is something you have to do right because a dirty aquarium is not lovely to look at and it is not suitable for your fish to live it. Maintain its cleanliness, apply due diligence when cleaning and you are off for a great start for your fresh water aquarium.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment