Aquarists Maintain Their Fish Tanks
Dedicated aquarists set aside one day every month for fish tank maintenance. This is a more major operation than the daily checks and weekly cleaning and water changes.
Monthly fish tank maintenance involves cleaning the filter media, refilling filter cartridges, and testing fish tank equipment. It is advisable to coincide your monthly cleaning with a water change as the discarded aquarium water is to be used in cleaning the filter media. Unlike mechanical and chemical filter media, biological media don’t need to be cleaned out or replaced. Rinse only the portion clogged with debris to avoid wiping out the beneficial bacteria colony. Test also the levels of ammonia, nitrites and nitrates, and the pH levels.
It is advisable to keep a record of the monthly maintenance, especially the results of the tests, as they will be useful later on. The record will be helpful in figuring out any problem concerning water conditions or fish health if these concerns arise.
