Red aquarium plants in a freshwater tank

Routine Aquarium Care

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Aquarium Tips

Since your aquarium is essentially its own ecosystem, you’ll need to perform some simple maintenance to keep it clean and healthy for your fish!

Aquarium care can vary from each aquarium and what is housed in the tank. If the tank has a lot of fish- this could increase the amount of care that is provided versus a smaller number of fish per volume of water. Here are some small guidelines to help keep your tank and fish happy and healthy!

Daily | Feeding your fish gives you an opportunity to see what they are doing or what the fish looks like. Take a minute to observe your fish- are they acting normal? What does their color look like? Are they excited to eat? A quick inspection of the heater temperature and filter function is good to keep an eye on.

Weekly/Bi-weekly | Test the aquarium water weekly-biweekly to be aware of what could be happening biologically in the tank is important. If any levels are elevated this would encourage you to perform a 10-30%. partial water exchange. It is not recommended to do more than 30% because it may cause loss of bacteria and be stressful on the fish.

Using API ALGAE PAD to wipe down all the walls and decorations of the tank prior to the water exchange.

Remove 10-30% of the water with a gravel siphon (if applicable for the size aquarium). A gravel siphon will pull up the dirt and fish waste that accumulates in the gravel. Once the dirty water is removed, you may replenish with similar temperature conditioned tap water. We recommend using API® STRESS COAT water conditioner, API QUICK START nitrifying bacteria and API STRESS ZYME bacterial cleaner. API STRESS COAT water conditioner makes the tap water safe whereas API QUICK START adds nitrifying bacteria and API STRESS ZYME will maintain the bacterial ecosystem of the tank.

Frequently Asked Question

How much API product to add during water exchanges? Do I add enough for the whole aquarium? Or just the new water going in?

Answer - is either dosage is appropriate. It is safe to dose for the entire volume of the aquarium even during partial water exchanges. The amount of water exchanges and frequency is dependent on the how many fish you have. Lots of fish would mean you should change out more frequently and more often.

Monthly | Change out the filter cartridge every 4-6 weeks on different days from doing a water exchange. Here are some frequently asked questions and misconception about aquarium maintenance.

Should I perform 100% water exchange?

Do I need to perform water exchanges even if I have a large filter?

Yes, it is very important to perform partial water exchanges. Although, there is a large filter present, this does not change the volume of water on this closed system aquarium. Fish waste and organic debris still accumulate in the water over time. Performing partial water exchanges will dilute the fish waste and organic debris accumulating in the water.