Unsuspected danger II

When a perfectly functioning aquarium goes wrong out of sudden, then the following may be the reasons we tend to overlook.

Too much mastic or putty
Mastic on the outside does not affect the water in the aquarium, but mastic or putty on the inside of it and in contact with the water is inadvisable.

Harmful substance
Apart from the non-aquatic rocks, ornaments, etc; harmful substance can be brought in to the aquarium by dirty hands, newly applied nail varnish, dirty cloths, etc. It is surprising how strongly the hands can smell of the kitchen, the garage or of a tin of varnish.

Disease introduced by new fish, plants or live foods
New fish, plants or live foods can sometimes introduce disease to the existing fish. Adding in unsuitable fish that take up too much oxygen (due to their sizes), bullies or even killers might bring problems to the existing community. Furthermore, fish accustomed to aeration will suffer in still water.

Temperature of the water
In case of tropicals, the fluctuation in water temperature can cause problems. The sudden changes in temperature of water can be caused by faulty wiring or perhaps simply that the heater or the thermostat has got buried by drifting sand. The thermostat used might be giving false readings too. In addition, the heating elements might no longer be in good condition.

Besides all the above unsuspected dangers we likely fail to see, we should bear in mind to look into the possibility that the sudden problem to our aquarium might be due to the aquarium being too deep or the source of light being too bright.

Unsuspected dangers I

Our aquarium has been functioning perfectly for a long time, but suddenly it goes wrong for no apparent reason. What should we do?

Before consulting a specialist, check on the following.


Incorrect feeding
The problem may be caused by lack of live foods or their substitutes.

Overcrowding
The aquarium is overcrowded. There may be too many fish or the fish kept are too big.

Dirty aquarium
Excess food is nearly always the cause of dirt that lies about the aquarium as brown sediment.

The water temperature
If the water temperature is consistently kept too high or too low, the fish will be weakened, even to the point of sickness or death

The light is too strong
It is tiring for the fish, if the light shining on the aquarium is too strong or too prolonged. They too need some shade or at least some periods of darkness. We can used plants or rocks as shed for fish to retire for rest and privacy.

Condition of plants
The plants in the aquarium should be healthy and sufficient in number.

The presence of paint, varnish, disinfectants etc
The above is harmful as water absorbs these foreign elements to the distress of the fish.

Example:
An aquarium is kept near a bathroom where strong Dettol is used.

The chauffeur occasionally feeds the fish and rearranges the rocks; as he comes straight from the garage and his hands smell of petrol and oil.

The room has beautiful parquet flooring which is regularly polished.

The over-careful aquarist washes his hands thoroughly before touching his aquarium, unfortunately he uses strongly scented soap.

The above are examples of how these foreign elements come into contact with the aquarium and affect the fish.

Sign of trouble II

We have discussed white cloudiness in the aquarium water. Let’s go on to brown cloudiness. What are the causes of brown cloudiness? Mostly it is caused by dirt or by excess food that has not been eaten and lies around the tank, often turning the sand black. Other reasons that cause brown cloudiness is that when the sand used is not properly washed or there might be too much sediment at the bottom of the aquarium which is not siphoned off. Decaying leaves of plants cause brown cloudiness too.

Other factor that might cause this situation is the lack of sufficient growing plants in the aquarium. Though brown cloudiness is unsightly, it is not particularly dangerous. Nevertheless prolong condition can encourage disease to the fish.

What about green cloudiness? Fortunately, green cloudiness is healthy! Under excess light (sunlight, daylight or artificial) microscopic life is born which is green in colour; suspended in the water. It can also settle to become green slime over the sand, rocks, plants, glass, etc. Unless excessive, the fish will thrive on the green algae!

However, green is not pleasant to view and should not be permitted in a show tank. The cure is simple! Cut down the amount of light received by the aquarium. Of course, if the light is reduced too much, the plants will not grow.

How to clear the green algae? It can be cleared in two to four days by adding one grain by weight of potassium permanganate to every eight gallons of water. Then, change one-third of the water by siphoning off from the bottom.

On the other hand, should the green water turn yellow, the water must be changed immediately. This is due to the sudden death of the microscopic green algae causing them to decompose and turn the water yellow which means that the water is now foul and must urgently be changed.

Sign of trouble I

Fish can fall sick too. Curing them requires knowledge which is only obtained with years of study and experience. Otherwise we have to rely on the advice of the dealer. However as an aquarist, there are many things we can learn to enable us to recognize signs of trouble and to apply the more simple remedies.

The first and most obvious sign of trouble is the water becoming cloudy. The cloudiness may be one of these three colours; white, brown or green (sometimes turning to yellow).

In this post, we will focus on white cloudiness. White cloudiness in the aquarium water is dangerous. It often means that the oxygen content of the water is too low and the carbon dioxide content is too high. There might be too many (or too big) fish that are taking the oxygen out of the water quicker than the air is replacing it. It also might be a dead fish, snail, mussel or other decomposing matter that is fouling the tank. Besides that, it might be a harmful rock, shell or ornament that keep on dissolving in the water.

In addition, it might also be that the temperature of the water has risen; reducing the water oxygen content and causing overcrowding and white cloudiness. White cloudiness should be tackled at once or the fish will die. It is thus essential to find the cause, calling in the specialist if necessary and to change one-third of the water at a time, replacing with fresh water of the same temperature. The water can be changed with an ordinary clean jug or it can be siphoned, whichever is easier.

In this state of water, the obvious distress signals we notice is that the fish gasping at the top for air, or have their top fins folded and drooping.