Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What maintenance is required for a fish tank?

A: A partial water change of 25 to 35% each fortnight with a gravel cleaner. Check the ph, ammonia and nitrite levels at this time. Depending on what type of filter you have, clean if necessary. Remove any algae with a scraper or magnetic cleaner.

Q: What water tests are most important if I set up a normal community aquarium?

A: It is recommended that the ph, ammonia, nitrite, general hardness and carbonate hardness be tested each fortnight and action taken if necessary. Some people check the nitrate as well even though it is not as important as it is in a marine (saltwater) aquarium . Phosphate can be tested if there is a problem with algae.

Q: Why does the algae grow so quickly in my tank?

A: Three things come to mind. First is too much light. Second is phosphate. Third is nitrate. Aquariums should not be too near windows etc where the light level is high. Normally 10 to 12 hours a day is ample with fluorescent tubes but is way too much if daylight is added to the mix. Phosphate is in the water supply, fish foods and fish waste and can be reduced by products such as phos zorb. Nitrate is a result of fish waste. Can be removed by products such as nitra zorb.

Q: How much time will I have to devote to my aquarium if I buy one?

A: It is recommended to do a 25% water change each fortnight or a 33% change every three weeks. It is not recommended to wait longer than this. Water changes reduce the build up of dissolved metabolic wastes that contaminate the water and increase the risk on the immune systems of the fish. This water change should be done with a gravel cleaner and for a 3 or 4 foot aquarium the time required to clean and do the water change would be approx 30 to 40 minutes. The front and sides of the aquarium may have to be wiped with a magnetic cleaner or such each week and feed the fish two or three times a day for tropicals . Once or twice a day for goldfish.

Q: Why does the ph of the water in my tank drop to acidic every two days or so?

A: The carbonate hardness value of the tank water is very low. Test the water and add carbonate hardness generator every day till the carbonate is at the desired level and test each week thereafter. Tanks after 4 months or so may start to have ph problems . A carbonate and general hardness kit is handy to have on hand.

Q: How do I introduce fish into my tank?

A: Let me first make the point that when I take fish home they go into a quarantine tank and not in with all my fish I have cared for for years. When someone brings a fish into my shop I do not put it into my display tank no matter how good a fish it looks. It will be quarantined. Anyone who has had fish for a long time will have some sad story of introducing some parasite or disease into their tank. It happens and probably will sometime. Fish such as clown loach and kissing gourami are very susceptible to white spot when they are netted and moved and symptons of some pathogens, parasites etc are not evident for 2 or 3 weeks. So buyer beware. But for the majority of people who do not have a quarantine tank follow these procedures.

First float the bag of fish in your aquarium for 15 minutes to ensure the water temperature is the same. Then open the bag and check the ph in the bag to see if it the same or close to the ph of your tank. If it is similar add some water to the bag (a cupful) every five minutes till the bag is full. Use a peg to hold the bag and prevent it from sinking in. Have the top of the bag open with the glass tank lid over it to stop fish like silver sharks etc from jumping out. this will not be airtight so do not worry . Definitely do not fold the top of the bag over the tank. many fish have suffocated this way. Wait five minutes then slowly tip the fish out. I always feed the fish at this time so the old fish are busy eating while the new fish get used to their new surroundings.

It is important to check the ph, ammonia and nitrite levels before buying new fish because they may die if they are not right.

Q: I have got my fish home and the ph of the water in the bag is 6.2 or 6.4. My tank is at 7.0. What should I do?

A: Use some ph down powder to reduce the ph of the tank to 6.8. This will not hurt the fish in the tank. Then add some water as per the question above till the bag is full of water. Wait five minutes then tip 60% of the water out and repeat the slow fill up of the bag. This process will slowly acclimatize the fish to the different water conditions. Make sure the fish do not start to suffocate if there are a lot of fish in the bag. If the ph of the bag is 5.0 or 5.6 or so, the fish may still die. It would be best to put them in a tank with no other fish in it and make the water the same ph or .2 above it.