Tools For Your Freshwater Aquarium Maintenance

By Kent Henry

Aquarium maintenance is the key factor of achieving a lovely fish tank that you can boast and be proud. Keeping a freshwater aquarium is truly a fun-filled activity. Guests will eventually admired aquarium that has aesthetic sense. As a hobbyist, it is important to have tools for the maintenance. Cleaning and maintaining the beauty of your fish tank sometimes drives you in weariness. The following are the seven suggested tools used for the maintenance of freshwater aquarium.

Gravel Vacuums. It is commonly known as the aquarium gravel vacuum. This gravel vacuums specifically used for the absorption and suction of the excess dirt in the aquarium like food and body wastes of the fish. If these excess materials will not be remove the tendency is, it can cause negative effects on the fish and freshwater plants (such as stress and water pollution).

Algae pad or scrubber. One of the tools for freshwater aquarium maintenance is the algae pad or scrubber. It is employed for grating or scraping off algae on the fish tank. Algae pad is generally used in acrylic aquariums while the scrubber is for the glass aquariums.

Fish Nets. Fish nets serve a variety of uses to your freshwater aquarium. These nets can be utilized to separate fish from its kinds just like a conventional fish farmer when they grow and catch fish of varying types in the sea. Fish nets can also transport and transfer dead fish from the live ones. Accordingly fish net's holes determine their uses, most small holed fish nets are ideal for small fry and the large ones for the bigger fish.

Forceps or Tongs. Tongs are used to pick objects that may cause hindrance to your aquarium. Dead fish, dry plants, and dirty plants are some in particular things which tongs are being used to get. Always be careful in using tongs, if you accidentally pick small fish with you giving too much pressure or your tongs probably have rust that might affect the chemistry the level of the water.

Pails. Pails are used as water container, especially if you will clean your tanks. With pails, you can replace water inside your water tank by utilizing manually cleaning your freshwater aquarium.

Siphon tube. Siphon tube is a curved tube utilize for driving the water out of the aquarium. Through this tool you don't have to manually incline or tilt the aquarium just to empty it. The appropriate and recommended length of the siphon tube is from the bottom of the aquarium reaching unto the floor.

Water PH Testing Kits. Testing kits for water pH levels is one of the most desired tools to have for your fresh water aquarium maintenance because of its noted importance on water chemistry change. These are readily available in your local aquarium shops everywhere. PH testing kits are used to test the acidity of any substance such as water for its acidity or alkalinity. Before supplying tap water to your freshwater aquarium, tap water must be tested first for its pH level. If it is found to be safe to use then by all means tap water can be supplied to your home aquarium. Litmus paper and pH solutions can be used to test pH level on water. Very easy to use if you have pH solutions at home drop 2 to 3 times of your pH solutions to the water and you can readily assess if its acidic or not. When the water turns yellow or orange it is then acidic if its blue or green the water is alkaline. PH level of less than 7.0 is acidic; more than 7.0 it is alkaline. These are basically the most practical way of testing your water pH levels.

Keeping a freshwater aquarium can be made easy with these tools mentioned above. As a hobbyist it is your duty to safeguard your aquarium from any disturbances and stress it may cause to your fish. Moreover making it clean and tidy all the time is something you have to do right because a dirty aquarium is not lovely to look at and it is not suitable for your fish to live it. Maintain its cleanliness, apply due diligence when cleaning and you are off for a great start for your fresh water aquarium.

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Don't fret! Here are more details on aquarium maintenance. Kent Henry maintains a website that offers a free freshwater aquarium care guide mini course.