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I will also advise what you should undertake daily, weekly, monthly, three monthly and annually. A professional maintenance regime keeps the tank in pristine condition with clean glass, crystal clear water, healthy plants and fish. It is vital to have the correct equipment and a user-friendly tank which is easy to maintain is a priority. The filter should be able to run for at least two months without any reduction in its efficiency. The Juwel tank fits this criteria perfectly as they have a very efficient internal filter with a slow turnover. The heater is contained in the filter and disperses warm water throughout the tank. The tanks are finished in plastic which does not deteriorate as fast as chipboard and you can gain clear access to the tank by removing the light unit. Anyone who has had a Seabray tank will know how difficult it is to keep up a good maintenance regime. Unless you are double-jointed - forget it ! So full marks to the continental style tank which has been designed with the aquarists needs at heart and not the retailer. The systemised tank comes complete with all the necessary equipment and is very good value. Although there are no extra expenses for heating and lighting etc. it does have the disadvantage of some complicated wiring. Internal filters and heaters are essential when tanks are situated in offices. For safety and commonsense reasons, external power filters should be avoided. This may seem cantankerous but has come about from bitter experience. Tanks, hoses, couplings etc can come adrift and the seals can be fiddly to fit and the risk of flooding is always there although the more modern designs have improved this problem. The next golden rule is to lightly stock the tank. The filters will last longer and algae problems will be reduced and your maintenance regime is reduce. If you overstock the tank, nitrates build up quicker and algae grows faster. So always set the stocking level at half the recommended rate. The use of good quality water is essential. For our soft water set up we use RO water buffered with 20% London hard tap water. For our hard water set up the water has been treated to remove nitrates and phosphates - the prime causes of algae. The water to be used is run through an appropriate resin to remove approx. 90% of nitrates and phosphates. Having done the fundamentals let us look at the maintenance regime : The first thing to do is to switch the electricity off ! Don't be tempted to try short cuts. Place dust sheets around the tank to mop up any spills - this goes for both office and domestic environments. Carefully remove flaps and place on the dust sheet or towel and then remove light unit and carefully place by the side of the tank so you have complete access to work without hindrance. Have two 20 litre containers - one for replacing the water and one for removing the water. Draw the water off through the internal filter having first removed the sponges. This removes excess detritus and collected in the filter which would be flushed back into the tank when the sponges are replaced and by siphoning through the filter you reduce disturbance and avoid sucking up both plants and unsuspecting fish. It is a good idea to mark the 20 litre level if using a larger container so the water you take out is matched by the water you replace. The next step is what I call 'gardening'. I remove all the floating plants which are the key to success in a planted aquaria. They reduce stress in the fish, they leech out excessive nitrates and phosphates, cut out excessive light and act as biological filters. They are also a wonderful safety net in the event of power cuts. My professional tanks have a good covering of Amazon frogbit, Phyllanthus Fluitans and the floating grasses. They are attractive and are a good indicator of the overall health of the tank. If they are yellow and spindly and covered with algae, this is a sign of poor water quality. They should normally be lush green and free from algae. Conversely, an over abundance of growth is also a sign of problems. Check to see if there has been a power cut or whether the lights have been permanently on. Either can cause rapid plant growth and ammonia build up causes rapid plant growth. Observation and experience can enable you to avoid trouble in the tank.
Then remove dead and dying leaves. You can be quite brutal because the plants grow vigorously, especially where you have C02 injection systems. Any weedy plants can be removed as other more vigorous plants will take their place. Sword plants that have grown too big are also removed as they restrict light and remove excessive amount of nutrients. You can either trim back the outer leaves or, if there are baby plantlets, they can be planted in its stead as they will soon grow as vigorously as the old plants. The treatment of stem plants is different to those of rosettes.
I call these 'cut and come again'. They include Hygrophila, Ludwigia
and Stargrass. You can cut to as much as 2" and the cuttings
can be planted to make additional plants. While using your fingers
for stem plants, it should be avoided when working with rosette
plants where the whole leaf has to be removed. You should use surgical
scissors so as not to damage the crown which can rot. When the gardening is complete, you can remove the detritus from the dead spots in the tank. I have not yet found anything to beat the old fashioned airlift hoover which eliminates detritus on the ground. Although most of the hoovers have been designed for gravel cleaning and sludge removal the function is not essential in a planted aquaria and can actually be detrimental. The next step is the clean the glass. You may have to do this when the lights are on and again when they are off as you will always miss some algae which can be difficult to see through the glass. I have tried all manner of scrapers and have even adapted a Halford's ice scraper to good effect. I also use the green scouring pads but they can scratch the glass. Avoid algae magnets as sometimes pieces of gravel can get caught and can scratch the glass. The best tool by far is the Kent Marine Pro Scraper. It is a beautifully engineered piece of equipment with either a plastic or metal blade. They are pricey but are very efficient at dealing with stubborn ingrown algae with ease and quickly. In my kit I have a hand held one and a 23" handled blade to tackle the hard to reach areas at the back. Even though you cannot always see the algae, you can feel it as it is rough to the touch and with experience you can even hear it as you scrape, the sound changes where the algae is on the glass. To clean the limescale at the top of the tank, you can either use the Pro Scraper or in some cases I use a lemon as the acid neutralises the limescale fairly quickly. The next step is to check the sponges. Normally, they only need cleaning every two or three months, depending on the stocking levels. They are simply replaced and the water is then replaced and returned to the tank. This is done through the filter box to avoid disturbance. Once the water has been replaced, the electricity is turned off, the filter can run and clear the water that has been disturbed. This enables the tank to be settled down. Should the sponges require to be cleaned, it is important to clean them in tank water to avoid damage to the bacteria. Don't waste the gungy water as this can be used for plant fertiliser, either in the house or garden, or can be dried to make a bacteria starter culture for future use. At the same time as the filters are cleaned and unclogged you should strip down the filter motor so it runs quietly and efficiently. This involves taking out the spindle and cleaning with the filter brushes, often supplied with the filter, otherwise the Fluval set works well.
When the light is replaced on the top of the tank, you can check the areas of the glass you have missed which may need another scrape. Then observe the fish to ensure they are showing no signs of disease. The glass can then be given the once over with a soft cloth and the equipment can be checked to see if it is okay and the timer checked. The professional routine is then complete. However, at home the aquarist needs to do more. Daily you should check the equipment is working properly, the heater
light is on and the flow from the filter and the temperature of
the water. With experience you can notice any problems by activity
or lack of activity of the fish and by the feel of the water temperature.
It is possible to change more water at home and 10% a week should
be aimed for. Although I did not mention it in my office maintenance regime, you should clean the reflectors (or cover glass for older tanks) on a monthly basis as light is quickly reduced by the collection of algae on the surface of the glass. Also it is a good idea to note the date when you replace the fluorescent tubes as they reduce inefficiency over a period of time and this is not noticed and they should be replaced every 12 months. A planted tank rarely needs stripping down unless it is to be moved or something goes dramatically wrong. However, every 12 months it is a good idea to change some of the larger plants which are tired for some smaller healthier plants. It is also very important to feed your plants. I use a good general fertiliser on a weekly basis - either API 'S Leafshine or Tropica's Mastergrow. Once a month in work in handful's of laterite to the gross feeders - Echinodorus, Crypts. Etc. This technique works wonders. If you have C02 injection remember to check the bubble counter and note when the C02 cylinder was last replaced - it is always good practice to have a spare to hand. For a more sophisticated fertilization regime, you can use Dennerle 7, 15 an d30 day system with different nutrients being added but I find the general fertilizers work just as well and, together with regular water changes, your plants will thrive. You must have essential maintenance equipment and most aquarists should have most of the following : 1. A clear white plastic bucket - ideal for seeing fish sucked
through. The above maintenance routine has been developed over many years and gradually improved. I hope you find it useful and if you follow it you should have a trouble free aquarium and you should find fishkeeping and planted tanks a doddle. PETER BRADLEY |
I
thought it would of interest to talk you through a provisional maintenance
routine that is performed on a monthly basis in a City office. All
of the routines should be applied to a domestic routine as well
as extra applications that would not be practical in an office environment.
In
an ideal world I would remove 100% of the floating plants but this
is very time consuming. Out of the plants I remove, I select about
25% to return to the tank - thereby reducing the cover by 75%. Plants
are then trimmed to remove any dead leaves and excess roots. This
makes more light available to stimulate the plants beneath and the
plants which have been removed will have taken out a lot of other
nutrients, such as nitrous phosphate which can build up in the tank.
The
next important thing to check is the water. I use the 5 in 1 strip
tests supplied by Esher as they are cheap and easy to use and give
a good indication if there are any problems. They test for general
and carbonate hardness and, importantly, nitrite and nitrate. I
am to keep nitrate between 0 and 20 parts. I cannot over-emphasise
the importance of regular testing of the water to give advance notice
of any problems. It is a good idea to log the readings so you can
see any trends, ph swings or nitrate build up. For those computer
addicts a graph can be worked into an Excel spreadsheet. I have
a nifty little programme for my Palm called 'Aquatank' that records
my maintenance routine and is available as a free download on the
Internet and well worth searching out. It is also good to note what
maintenance routine you have completed and you can observe the results.