Water Changing Methods

Siphoning is the easiest way to remove water from a tank. For large tanks, using a "Python" (a great product) or other long hose allows one to dispense siphon water directly into a drain or outside garden. When removing water via siphoning, you should also clean your gravel. Many water changing hoses, or tank "vacuums" are available and include a gravel cleaning attachment. The basic idea behind them is to connect a wide mouthed tube to the end of the siphon hose. When the tube is plunged into the gravel, the water flow churns up the gravel, but only the dirt, mulm, etc. is light enough to be siphoned out. Note that the dirty water being removed from your tank contains nitrates, which make an excellent fertilizer for your flower or vegetable garden unless you have a saltwater tank, in which case the water that is removed should be dumped down the drain. When adding water to the tank, the use of a small pump is the cleanest way to put the new water into the tank.

Water changing frequency

The more frequent the changes, the less water that needs to be replaced. However, the longer between changes, the more stressful each change potentially becomes, because a larger portion of the water gets replaced. Replacing roughly 25% of your tank´s water bi-weekly is a good minimal starting point, but this may not be enough. The proper frequency really depends on such factors as the fish load in your tank, how much you feed at each feeding and what types of filtration you have. Nonetheless, you should do water changes often enough so that nitrate levels stay at or below 50ppm in fish only systems, and preferably MUCH lower (less than 10ppm is an optimal value) while reef tanks should have a nitrate level below 2 ppm; the change in water chemistry resulting from a change is small. In particular, the before and after pH of your tank shouldn´t differ by more than .2 units. Use a ph test kit or meter the first few times to get a feel for what´s right. If your pH changes too much as a result of a water change, perform changes more frequently, but replace less water at each change. Make sure the water temperature does not fluctuate more than 2 degrees when you perform a water change.

Feeding Flake Food

Flake food is commonly overfed to aquarium fish. Keep in mind that an aquarium fish´s stomach is generally the size of their eye. Feed only the amount of flake food that the fish will consume in 30 to 60 seconds. Two very small feedings per day is better than one large feeding per day. Excess food will decrease the water quality and increase filter maintenance.

Amazon Swords

Echinodorus (Amazon swords)
Most are good as single highlight plant, or background groups in large aquariums. Like high levels of fertilizer. Can grow emersed. Reproduce by adventitious plants on end of stalks runners, or root division, depending on species.
Common species:
1. bleheri, paniculatus, amazonicus: Your generic amazon swords, usually available in small, medium or large. Light green leaves can be over 20" (50cm). Produces plantlets directly on the flower stalk.
2. cordifolius (radican sword): heart-shaped leaves. Likes being emersed; will flower in open-top aquarium. Sends floating leaves if illumination is low.
3. major/maior (ruffle sword)
4. osiris (melon sword): blood-red slightly-undulate leaves.
5. parviflorus (tropico sword): smaller variety.
6. tenellus, quadricostatus (pygmy chain sword): leaves up to 6", 72-86F. Fast reproduction by runners; can create a lawn on large enough tank. Small plants; nice foreground display.

Tap Water

Properly treat all tap water before adding it to your aquarium. Most municipal water contains such added chemicals as chlorine or chloramine to make it safe for human consumption. These substances are toxic to fish and can weaken, damage or even kill fish. Use bottled water, reverse osmosis water, or a water conditioner to remove these harmful compounds. It is also recomended to test your tap water and use chemicals to adjust these dangerous elements if you do not use a reverse osmosis filter. It is also best to let tap water de-gas by sitting in an open top container for a few hours before adding to the aquarium.

Banana Plant

Nymphoides aquatica (banana plant)
Olive-colored heart-shaped leaves that look superficially like water lily, and banana-like tubers on roots. Plant by sticking the tubers 1/3" in the gravel. Prefers lower temperatures. Throws out floating leaves if light and fertilization is good. This is one of my personal favorites.

Hatching Baby Brine Shrimp

Hatching baby brine shrimp is best done in a brine shrimp hatcher. As a substitute, an inverted 2 liter soda bottle with the top cut off will work. Use water with a hgh salinity level of 1.4 to 1.6 ppm. Place an airstone in the brine shrimp hatcher. Baby brine shrimp will hatch 24 to 36 hours after being added to the brine solution.

Java Fern

Microsorum pteropus (Java fern)
This is one of the more hardy aquarium plants. It roots itself to solid objects like bogwood and rocks (attach with a piece of string or rubber band to hold it in place at first) and has a creeping rhizome which may be divided for cuttings. Young plants will also develop directly off spores, attached to old leaves, and can be cut off and rooted. In high light, it produces tough, plastic-like leaves; under low light the leaves are more delicate. Fronds are up to 8" long and undivided, though on older plants are trilobade (three lobes to a frond).

Activated Carbon

Activated carbon looks like crumbled charcoal. It is a chemical filter media that absorbs many compounds out of the water, and is especially good for removing yellowing compounds that may tint the water and cause cloudiness. Carbon must be changed regularly (about every month), as after it has been used for a while, it may leach impurities back into the water. For information on water changes, please see the tip of the same title. Make sure to rinse the carbon thoroughly with non-chlorinated water before adding to the filter.

Reverse osmosis best practices

Reverse osmosis filters consist of a sediment prefilter used to remove physical sediment such as dirt and sand from water. A carbon prefilter is also used to remove chlorine from the tap water. The final stage in a reverse osmosis filter is the membrane itself. The membrane uses rejection to allow only pure water to pass through, while non pure water is rejected out the drain (or brine) line. Reverse osmosis filters operate best with at least 55 psi of water pressure and the input water temperature of at least 60 degrees. Without these parameters met, the amount of product water produced each day is greatly reduced.

Cryptocoryne

Cryptocoryne (most species)
Shocks on transplant, takes up to months to adjust to new tank, so don´t move them once you´ve planted them. Crypt rot caused by sudden water chemistry/quality changes. Spreads by rhizome; new plants develop at nodes. Not a good beginner plant. Often sold potted in rockwool, which reduces the above shocks. Usually prefers acidic water. Some species will not tolerate high light. Requires iron fertilization and likes rich substrate. Often-seen species:
1. affinis: emerald-green 4-12" leaves, red undersides. Foreground plant in large aquariums or center plants in small tanks. Grows OK in alkaline water.
2. balansae: likes higher light?
3. becketii: likes higher light?
4. lutea: easier crypt to grow.
5. walkeri
6. wendtii: easier crypt to grow. bronze, red, green varieties. wrinkled leaves. Up to 8"

Rosette: Anubias

Not really a rosette plant, Anubias all have a creeping rhizome that grows very slowly, throwing out new leaves as it grows. The plant is built like a tank, people report keeping them in a closet for six months in a plastic bag yet still surviving. It is also one of the most expensive aquarium plants. If grown immersed, they may produce larger leaves, and will grow faster, and flowers will produce seeds. Anubias will frequently flower underwater, but not seed. You can grow the roots in gravel, or even train the rhizome to grow on bogwood like Java fern does. Most commonly kept species is A. barteri var. nana, the smallest Anubias, which has egg-shaped leaves and makes a great foreground plant in medium-to-large aquariums. A. barteri var. barteri looks similar to the nana variety, but with bigger leaves. A. congensis, A. lanceolata and others grow very tall and make good background plants. They can sometimes be seen in better stores.