Aquarium Hbh

Aquarium Hbh

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The Importance of Proper Water Quality in Aquariums

Nothing is more important in aquarium keeping than water quality management. There are many excellent products available out there to assist in water quality management, but in my opinion, there is still no replacement for water changes, good filtration, and good feeding habits.

Water Changes; changing water in more frequent, smaller amounts is preferable to larger less frequent changes. Make sure the water going in has the right chemistry (PH, ect.) and temperature. I like to use reverse osmosis water, then add the elements I need back in (especially for saltwater or soft water aquariums such as discus). Well or spring water is also usually excellent. Otherwise use a de-chlorinator (sodium thiosulfate), if chlorine or chloramines are present (Wonder shells remove chlorine, stabilize KH, and add electrolytes). Water changes are important for Nitrate removal and buildup of toxic organic and inorganic material.

Good filtration consists of biological, chemical, mechanical, and germicidal.

-Biological: Sponge Filters are excellent bio filters (generally used in smaller aquariums, but there are larger ones now available, as well a sponge pre-filters for intakes of other filters, such as canister and HOB filters), wet/dry on a larger scale, fluidized bed, and under gravel filters (Your canister filter, power filter, ect also can be biological filters- just make sure to not change all media during cleanings. You want to wash some of the media out in used aquarium water. Ceramic bio rings are excellent in canister filters for bio filtration). Live rock in marine aquariums also acts as bio filters. Biological filtration removes ammonia and nitrite from your water (anaerobic bacterial can remove nitrates in limited quantities in saltwater). Nitrates are best removed by plants such as Hornwort in freshwater. There is much more information available about Bio-Filtration here: "The Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle"

-Chemical filtration is achieved by carbon, zeolite (freshwater only for zeolite), and many other inorganic filter media such as resins.

-Mechanical filtration is the removal of debris from the aquarium via filter floss, cartridges, ECT. Canister filters excel at mechanical filtration. HOB (Hang on the back- power filters) are also reasonable mechanical filters (The Aqua Clears are not very good mechanical filters, but generally good bio-filters)

-Germicidal filtration is the use of uvc radiation or ozone to kill disease pathogens in the water. I highly recommend UV sterilization in ANY aquarium, especially fish tanks with high disease risk rates for disease such as goldfish or discus.

Good feeding habits simply means feeding what the fish will consume in 2-3 minutes (very general rule), twice per day. Also using a quality food that is highly digestible is very important for less waste (Spirulina 20 flake, HBH, Omega, Sanyu, Hikari, and Ocean Nutrition are excellent, TetraMin in my opinion has too much cereal and indigestible amino acids). Most fish foods available have too high of a cereal content and not enough fats and fish proteins.

This is a VERY general discussion about water quality; See our full Aquarium Information site below.

About the Author

By Carl Strohmeyer

http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Aquarium_Information.html

http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Pet_Videos.html

Your opinion of various tropical staple flake foods, Tetra, Wardley, Topfin, Nutrafin, Aquarian, HBH, others?

From best to worst, what do you think?
Nutrafin (Hagen)
Aquarian (Aquarium Pharmaceuticals)
Tetra
Wardley
Omega One
Big Al's (house brand)
Hikari
New Life
OSI
HBH
Ocean Nutrition
Pet Solution's (house brand)
That Fish Place (house brand)
Top Fin (house brand)
Aqueon (new?)

Something else? What do your fish eat well with? Which food keeps them healthy and colorful? Do you use "color enhancing" foods? Do they work?

Thanks for all your input!

They are all pretty much the same.

If you really want to bring out the color and life in your tropical fish, simulate their natural diet.

Chopped spinach and other greens for algae grazers such as mbunas. Sliced beefheart, bloodworms, mosquito larvae, small crickets, earthwors and clean feeder fish of appropriate size for piscivores and micro-predators like discus, Cichlasomine cichlids, oscars or angelfish.

Daphnia and brine shrimp naupli for little guys like tetras, barbs, rainbows and killies.

If you are going to feed live, then be sure to keep the feeder animal for a few days in clean conditions and feed them a good diet as well. Quarantining will prevent spread of diseases.

Thanks for visiting!