Mike’s Fish Tank – Aquarium Season

Aquarium season is upon us once again. I want to go over some of the questions we get asked the most in order to help you with your fish tank.

1. If you do not want a lot of green algae, keep your tank away from direct sunlight. Algae is a plant and the more light it receives the more green algae will flourish. If your tank is near a window, put a background picture on the back of the tank to block off the light. This will cut down on algae growth. Also,keep your tank light off during the day. Just turn it on in the evening, maybe 4PM to 11PM. This too will reduce the amount of algae.

Brown algae is something completely different. It is usually rust colored and wipes off fairly easy with a paper towell. They do make a product called algae fix. It works quite well and it is not very costly. Plecostomus are algae eating fish and do a pretty darn good job at eating algae in your aquarium. There are some other fish that eat algae, they are the chinese algae eater, otocinculus, gold algae eaters, flying fox and the black shark.

2 There are no fish that eat the waste on the bottom of the tank. Fish such as sharks, loaches, catfish, corys and eels tend to stay near the bottom of the tank. However they are usually just looking for food that has sunk to the bottom of the tank. It looks like they are eating the waste but they are not. They do help keep your tank clean because they eat some leftover food. But if you watch your fish, almost all fish will head to the bottom of the tank and search for leftover food so it is not a necessity to have a catfish or loach.

3 Fish need to eat 3 to 4 times a day. Many people feed once a day. Fish in the wild are eating off and on all day long, so it is important that you simulate that behavior. Remember not to overfeed though. A fish stomache is the size of their eye so they do not need a lot of food all at once. Small amounts often is the key.

4 Change your filter cartridges once a month or sooner if needed and siphon the BOTTOM of the tank at least once a month. You do not want a lot of fish waste building up on the bottom of your tank. Also, look for guides for beta fish care online.

5 Chlorine is a slow killer of fish. Add dechlor drops anytime you add water. If you forget a few times, no big deal. Chlorine will not kill a fish right away. It slowly burns the gills, which is why it’s a good idea to use dechlorinater.

6 One last thought, if you are just setting your tank back up or it’s a brand new tank, go easy on the amount of fish you put into that tank. It takes a good 5 to 6 weeks for a tank to become fully established.

Pets A Plenty is located in the Blockbuster Video Plaza, Rte 281 Cortland, 753-9213. Open 7 days a week. We now have a website. www.petsaplety.biz. check it out. I post care sheets, coupons, new animal arrivals, contests and more. Any questions, email me at friskyy@hotmail.com

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