Aquarium care according to nature Water tests Filter maintenance Water conditioning guide Professional advice for keeping an aquarium according to nature Contents Maintenance plan ................................. 4 The equilibrium of “forces” sera water test kits as an in an aquarium early-warning system ........................... 10 Water check on the Internet ............... 18 Water changes .................................... 19 Filter media and filter maintenance ..... 24 Pla nt nutrient = O 3 N n O2 eg C yx me o ed u iv s o n rp oc nts Purification bacteria stn Pla convert al P NO into NO 2 3 (nitrate) Fish consume oxygen, carbon dioxide (CO ) is formed 2 as a metabolism product Purification bacteria convert NH /NH into 4 3 NO (nitrite) 2 In the natural habitats of our ornamental fish, nature ensures optimal living condi- tions. In an aquarium we need to support the biological cycle with some mainte- nance. 2 Aquariums according to nature with sera – and your fish will do fine! When keeping an aquarium, it is quite im- portant to create the aquatic environment for your fish as they know it from nature. You will set the basis for this when setting up the aquarium. The water properties are Too much food, easy to adjust if fish from the same natural fish waste and decaying environment inhabit the aquarium. If you plant parts pollute keep fish from entirely different origins to- the water gether, these will sometimes have entirely different water requirements. This will make aquarium care much more difficult. Fish, plants and decoration will blend in fine if, for example, you set up a section from the Amazon region underwater world or from Lake Malawi. The fish require the same water composition, according to the biotope. These preconditions plus support by the sera water conditioners make aquar- n ium care considerably easier. The fish will e gy do well and usually live longer than in na- x o ture. This makes living with an aquarium re- e d ally enjoyable. iv o rp sera has put together community aquari- nts ums from 9 different biotopes. You will a find information on them on the Internet Pl Purification bacteria (www.sera.de) and on sera – The CD, first convert pollutants which includes great films and computer into NH /NH aided aquarium design. sera – The CD al- 4 3 (ammonium/ammonia) lows you to design functioning aquariums from the very beginning. Using the sera online laboratory ensures that aquarium maintenance will require little efforts. You will easily learn how to use water test kits and water conditioners. Also, you can at any time monitor the quality of your aquarium water and will immediate- ly receive suggestions for improvement. You will find further information on this on page 18. 3 Maintenance plan Daily care Switching the light on and off Filter control The lighting period should be approximate- Also check whether filter and/or aeration ly 12 hours. This is roughly the length of a work properly. Clean the filter media (see tropical day. In case of algae problems you page 24 ff.) in case considerably less water can reduce the lighting period to 8 hours, flows out of the filter. The filter outlet should e.g. by switching off the light for some be directed in a way that the water surface hours around noon. You can regulate the is only gently agitated. This reduces CO 2 lighting time with an automatic timer. losses, thus creates better growth condi- tions for the plants and therefore reduces algae growth Temperature control Modern aquarium heater ther- mostats work very reliably. Nev- ertheless it is recommended to have a look at the aquarium thermometer once a day so you can be sure everything is in or- der. Water level control Feeding Check the water level and replace evapo- Feed your fish 2 – 3 times a day, but only as rated water to make sure the surface skim- much as they will eat within short time. Feed mer remains in operation and the heater nocturnal fish and bottom dwellers after does not become dry due to too low water dark. You will find more information on this levels. Remove plant parts caught in the in- on the Internet (www.sera.de) or in the sera take grid of an internal filter, or on the guide “How to feed your tropical fish natu- intake tube in case of an external filter, if rally”. the water flow is considerably affected. 4 Weekly care Water changes Weekly water changes are by far the most important maintenance measure to support the biological equilibrium, especially in small aquariums. In larger or less densely stocked aquariums, partial water changes every 2 or 3 weeks are sufficient. Good preparation provided, a water change will take 15 – 20 minutes, depending on the amount of changed water. sera toxivec immediately detoxifies the water in case of suddenly deteriorating wa- ter quality (detailed information on page 7). You will find further information on how to change the water on page 19 ff. Water test You should check the most important wa- ter parameters once weekly. You will find further information on water tests on page 10 ff. Plant fertilization Plants provide important functions in an aquarium: • Supplying the fish with essential oxygen • B iological pollutant breakdown • Shelter and territory markings for fish sera has developed a special care system for optimal nutrient supply. sera florena is a liquid fertilizer with well-balanced nutri- ents for aquatic plants that take up their nu- trients through the leaves. Being a depot fertilizer in tablet form, sera florenette A provides the plant roots with the correct nutrients for c. 4 weeks. Fertilize the plants once weekly with sera florena or with sera florenette A. In case the plants do not grow properly, e.g. after a transport or re- cent replanting, we recommend sera flore- plus, the “turbo” among the fertilizers. You will find detailed information about plant care in our sera guide “Splendid plants in your aquarium” or on the In- ternet (www.sera.de). 5 Maintenance plan Annual care Replacing the fluorescent tubes Among others, the correct light is essential for the growth of aquatic plants and for oxygen supply in the aquarium. Even if the fluorescent tubes still work, the radiation required for the aquarium biotope never- theless loses intensity when the lamps be- come older. Algae problems and plants not doing well are the visible effects of de- creasing or wrong light supply. sera fluorescent tubes en- If you use two tubes it is recommended to sure constant, correct light change the first one after 12 months, the for your aquarium for a long second one two months later. Light condi- time. You will find more in- tions would change too suddenly if you formation about them in the changed both tubes at the same time. sera folder “Fluorescent Tubes for Aquariums and Terrariums.” Care as required Accidental overfeeding The food is still lying on the aquarium bot- tom an hour after you fed, without the fish being interested in it. In that case you defi- nitely overdid it. The following measures must be taken immediately: Use the sera gravel cleaner or the sera gravel washer for aquariums to siphon the remaining food off (see directions for use for a detailed description), and change approx. 15 – 30% of the aquarium water. Condition the fresh water with sera aqua- tan and sera bio nitrivec (see page 22 ff.) and check the water values. 6 Care as required Quick help High pollutant levels? The water tests reveal that pollutant levels are above the indicated maximum values. for your aquarium Possible causes are, among others: • too many fish in relation to the aquarium size • filter capacity is too low • overfeeding Quick help for the aquarium: sera toxivec • immediately protects ornamental fish and invertebrates against intoxications by chlorine, nitrite, ammonia and heavy me- tals • immediately removes these toxic sub- stances from the aquarium water • 5 ml are sufficient for 20 liters (5.3 US gal.) Regular sera toxivec addition provided, you can occasionally skip a water change. After a strong water pollution, the purification bacteria in sera bio nitrivec need some support from speerrfao rfmiltaenrc eb ieonsztyamrte. sT hanedse m hicigrho Q u i c kmC luelaan organisms reduce the amount of F o r sludge as well as unpleasant odors. 77 Maintenance plan Care as required TIP Plant care Best perform cleaning measures only Many new aquarists tend to remove every serving for optical purposes together with dead or fallen leaf and every little bit of dirt a partial water change. from the aquarium immediately. Please bear in mind: Every time you hold your hand into the aquarium you will put its in- habitants under stress. Furthermore, sub- stances dangerous for fish, such as soap remainders, fats etc., get into the water ev- ery time. Algae removal Green algae in spot-like groups may grow on the aquarium glass, but also on bright rocks or plant leaves. Do not be worried too much if you discover this kind of algae in Algae layer your aquarium. Green algae will grow only in case of satisfying water quality. Algae- eating fish such as Otocinclus or Ancistrus are suitable for natural algae removal. Sometimes, a few Swordtails or Black Mol- lies are sufficient to keep algae growth down. Furthermore it is advisable to add more fast-growing plants that will withdraw algae nutrients from the water. Swordtail (Xiphophorus helleri) You can easily remove green algae growing on the front pane of the aquarium with the sera glas clear TA6 algae magnet or with some sera filter wool. Unfortunately, there are other kinds of algae which are less harm- less. If you wish to know more about these algae Black Molly (Poecilia sphenops) and their combat we will inform you on the Internet (www.sera.de) in the section “Problem solutions in case of diseases and algae”. You will get the printed sera algae check list from your retailer. Bushy Mouth Ancistrus (Ancistrus cf. dolichopterus) Midget Sucker Catfish (Otocinclus cf. affinis) 8 Care as required Cleaning the aquarium cover panes Cleaning the aquarium glass on the out- You can remove lime deposits on aquarium side cover panes during a water change. Hot Clean the outside of the aquarium glass water and sera pH-minus quickly make only after the aquarium is full and the hood the panes transparent again. A “blind” pane is closed again. Then pour some sera pH- considerably lowers light intensity. The minus on a soft cloth and thoroughly wipe plants grow less good. Therefore never wait the pane with it. Rub off remainders with a too long with this maintenance measure. dry cloth. Cleaning the aquarium glass on the inside Important: Even with good aquarium care, it is some- times impossible to avoid slight periphyton Please wear rubber gloves when growth on the aquarium glass (e.g. green using sera pH-minus for clean- algae). The sera glas clear TA6 algae mag- ing aquarium glass or technical net provides quick and thorough help in equipment, and avoid dashes this case. from getting in your eyes! The brush of the clean- er part consists of high quality, solid plastic. The cover layer of the outside part is made of soft felt. This prevents scratches, even after years of use. Lime deposits Dying fish You can also easily remove lime deposits Always remove dead fish immediately! You on the heater or on filter hoses with sera should quickly find out the cause and pH-minus. Lay on some remove it. sera pH-minus and Carry out an extensive water analysis. In allow it to work for a few particular, check the pH value, the carbon- minutes. Then simply ate hardness (KH), chlorine (Cl), ammoni- rinse it off (repeat or rub um/ammonia (NH /NH ), nitrite (NO ), 4 3 2 with sera filter wool if phosphate (PO ) and copper (Cu). 4 necessary). 9 sera water test kits as an early-warning system sera water test kits are an “early-warning system” allowing you to monitor deviations of optimal water values. You will be able to react with appropriate measures in time if the deviations exceed a certain tolerable range. Aquarium care takes little effort this way, and you will spare your biotope exten- sive alterations. sera test kits are very pre- cise and easy to handle. sera test kits and sera water care prod- ucts are adjusted to each other. We there- fore recommend to use sera brand prod- ucts for simple and optimal water value ad- justment. The sera aqua-test set contains the most important water reagents: • pH value • total hardness • carbonate hardness • nitrite sera aqua-test box – the professional set contains water test kits for: • pH value • total hardness • carbonate hardness • ammonium/ammonia • nitrite • nitrate • phosphate • iron • copper or chlorine The water parameters are different and de- pend on the fishes’ country of origin. The conditions in the Amazon are, for example, entirely different from those in Lake Malawi. Maintaining the proper water values is much easier if you keep fish from the same biotope than with fish from different origins. 10