Importance of Maintenance guide.
So, with only about three weeks ago until the big day it's that time of year again where you will be inundated with those Christmas visitors bearing gifts & the one thing always grabs peoples attention is your aquarium. So you'll want to impress your visitors for sure! The Importance of Maintenance guide is here to help as usual and have put together a simple step-by-step guide to get that aquarium in tip top shape.
Is your water quality good enough?
Firstly Importance of Maintenance guide would start here and I would be firstly testing the water with a test kit. It's always a good idea to routinely test your water especially if some of your fish have been poorly or new fish have been recently added to your aquarium. So a simple test kit which tests pH, water hardness, nitrate, nitrite and ammonia will do the trick.
Is it due a water change?
Importance of Maintenance guide would recommend water changes on a weekly basis and consider this to be an important part of maintaining good quality water. We say about 30% and that can easily be done with a syphon set which sucks water up and out. This can also be used to plunge into the gravel too for cleaning up any unwanted food waste and debris from the aquarium bed. We also have a selection of gravel cleaners that are great for this too. Remember that tropical fish naturally live in environments where they have running water from a current or rainfall so it's important to stimulate this natural environment.
Could your filters do with a good cleaning?
Filters are designed to clean and purify your water however if it is clogged with waste it can not do its job properly and the water quality will not be as good. So get cleaning the sponges (of course using about two cups of the aquarium water) and give the tubes and filter casing a good old clean and scrub. These filter brushes are very useful for this too. By following the Importance of Maintenance guide your sure to have the cleanest of filters.
Are your plants in need of a good trim?
This is a simple process which if done correctly and regularly can really pay off so follow the Importance of Maintenance guide. Not only does this improve the growth of your plants but it will also improve the overall health of your plants. We would never recommend household scissors as they can easily damage the stem structure so I would always recommend a good pair of Aquascaping scissors such as these.
Could you do with more plants?
Depending on the type of Aquascape you're looking to achieve depends on how many plants you will need. Many people are hesitant adding more plants to their aquarium because they fear they will die, are too fragile to keep or too difficult. However this is not the case at all and most plants are actually very hardy and if kept in the right conditions will flourish in your aquarium. The two main reasons for loss of plants is due to 1) incompatible plants that need different water parameters 2) incorrect lighting. Don't fear adding more plants to your aquarium as long as they're compatible with your existing ones.
Could your rocks, wood or decor need a good old clean or need replacing?
The Importance of Maintenance guide would recommend a good old scrub of your aquarium decor which can be done under fresh water. It is surprising how much they can gather green algae and the difference a good old scrubbing can do. However after a while some wood, rocks and aquarium decor can look tired and no matter how much you try scrubbing away at that green algae build up, the staining can be stubborn. Sometimes you just want to try something a bit different, try out a different aquascape. Here we have a selection of great quality aquarium decor.
Can you see your reflection through the glass?
And now the finishing touches, get yourself some glass cleaning wipes and give your glass a good wiping over until you get a sparkle! Also a glass scaper is very good for getting to those hard to reach dirty spots as the long rod enables you to reach a little further. Its also a good idea to invest a magni-cleaner too as they cleaner both sides of the glass for you...meaning less work for you!
Following our guide you too could have an aquarium as perfect as these.
