No Hassle Aquariums!
Written: Oct 11 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Beautiful aquariums that you don't have to clean!
Cons: Expensive at the beginning.
The Bottom Line: In today's busy world, we need all the tips we can get to make cleaning up after our pets more efficient!
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| julie42's Full Review: AllGlass Large Size Aquariums |
This epinion is on how to keep a clean fish tank with virtually no work. It may sound impossible, but I've had my fish tanks going for the last seven months, and haven't actually cleaned it yet.
What do I mean by "I haven't cleaned it yet?" Well, my sister has a fish tank, with a pump/filter. Every month or so, she changes the water, scrubs down the fake plants, and transfers the fish from bowls back into the tank. I don't do this.
When I got my first fish tank, a 10 gallon, I bought what the pet store convinced me were the *necessary* chemicals. I had a PH increaser, a PH decreaser, a waste elimiator, a water clear, ammonia and chlorine remover, and a couple other items that I won't even mention because I didn't use even once. (there was also a PH test kit, as well as an ammonia test kit.)
Okay, first of all, when you are setting up a fish tank, buy fish with warranties. I'm not sure if there are Petceteras in the United States, but find an equivalent that will give you a 30 day guarantee on your fish. Stores DO this because most often people don't return the fish that die (baggies work well.) You can choose to get your money back (with the receipt) or to get the same type of fish again. If you want the money back, just say that you don't know why the fish died and you'd rather just take the money until you figure out what the problem was. TAKE THE FISH BACK IF THEY DIE.
Okay, step one, get the water in the tank, get it to room temperature. If you live in severely cold areas, you can buy a heater for about ten bucks. A 50 watt is fine. Adjust very minimally, you don't want to cook your fish. (they are too small to eat!) Step two, while the room temperature is adjusting (about a day) you can add your rocks, I think one inch is too much. In one tank I have an inch of rocks, the second, about half an inch, and the third (my precious one) with the mirror bottom, I have rocks only sprinkled. Add your fake plants, and whatever structures you'd like. I have added saltwater shells that I got from Mexico, as well as regular beach rocks. I will explain what they do to your tank later. And step three is adding your fish. (Add slowly, put the entire bag into the water for about ten minutes, then open the bag and slowly let the water seep in, and about five minutes later add your fish. I really haven't found that waiting the entire hour is necessary.)
Honestly enough, there aren't very many reasons that fish die. The only thing you can't change is disease. If you have your fish dying off initially, it's most likely because of over-population, initial population, and/or over-feeding. All of these can be cured with the ammonia test kit, the PH increaser and decreaser. The PH and ammonia levels rise with the over feeding, and the initial population of chemicals the fish release.
Don't forget to bring your dead fish back. Don't make this more costly than it needs to be.
As I mentioned previously, I now have three fish tanks. The first is a 10 gallon, on which I started and practised. The second is a 25 gallon, and the third is a 35 gallong. (Huge.) You can have approximately one fish per gallon, but if you want nice big fish, you will not follow that rule. The fewer fish, the more room your sweeties will have to grow. I learned this the hard way. The biggest tank was supposed to be the shark tank. We bought about nine sharks, and a whole bunch of danios. ... we transfered most back to the other tanks, but still the sharks aren't getting that big. (Granted, bigger than most I've seen in stores, but still not as big as I'd like.)
Okay, you've heard the history, and the set ups... Now, how do you get away with NOT CLEANING???
It's actually quite simple. Every now and then (using about half of the amounts listed on the bottles) you can put in waste eliminator if you'd like. I don't anymore. I have learned that if you use a proper amount of types of fish, you will get them to clean it themselves.
I'll use the 25 gallon tank for my examples, because I feel that those of you reading this are interested enough to have that mid-sized tank. In a 25 gallon tank, I would have about 3 bottom feeders, or suckers. Go to the store, and ask for fish that clean up other fish waste. (yeah, there are fish that live off fish poop.) You want enough fish to clean the sides of the tanks, the bottoms, and those that will eat off your structures and leaves. Then you need to get middle fish, this is your basic goldfish, and other pretty things. (Such as sharks.) Your top fish (so I've found) are usually the Danios, and other smaller fish. If you find that most of your fish are sticking to the top, it's because you don't have enough air getting to the bottom. Turn up your filter/pump. If that doesn't work, get one of those air logs with a fish pump that goes to the bottom, that will definitely cure your problem, and your fish will be more free to go everywhere.
Another healthy-happy fish tip is to have lots of hiding places. You need an ocean or lake background, usually available for a buck or two for a foot. My big tank has just the back of the tank with the scenery, and the other two have the back and one side. (Just because you can't see the side from where the tanks are located.)
Good luck! And remember the secret to not having to clean is to have enough bottom/side feeders, and an assortment. If you have goldfish tank, or a tank dedicated to one or two types of fish, get ready to clean, because they aren't going to do it for you. If the food is clogging up your filter (yeah, you have to rinse that once a month, but it takes 20 seconds) and/or accumulating on the bottom faster than your fish can eat, you are feeding them too much.
Leave a comment if you have found this epinion useful!
Thanks!
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Epinions.com ID:
julie42
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Member: Julie White
Location: Vancouver, Washington
Reviews written: 92
Trusted by: 94 members
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