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Reef One Biorb & Biube Frequently Asked Questions
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Why has the water turned green?
Green water is caused by algae. This is a single celled plant that is naturally occurring in aquariums. Small amounts of growth are normal and easily dealt with during a normal service.
If large areas of algae grow or the water goes very green very quickly, this indicates that there is a problem with the water that's causing the excess growth.
Algae needs sunlight and nutrients in order to grow. Too much daylight, especially during the summer months when the days are longer and warmer, will cause algae to thrive.
Excess nutrients in the water, from overfeeding for example, will also cause algae problems. It is easier to prevent algae than to remove it once it has become a problem.
Do I ever need to clean out the whole aquarium?
Providing you follow instructions with regard to feeding, fish selection, location and maintenance you should never need to empty and clean the aquarium. If you do ever need to do this you should keep at least 1/3rd of the old water and clean the ceramic media in dirty water taken from the aquarium (never clean in tap water).
Filter Bacteria?
Aquariums use filter bacteria to remove toxic fish waste; creating a biological filter in the ceramic media. These filter bacteria are not already present in new aquariums, they will start to multiply when they have a food supply = fish waste. This means that when a fish is first added there will be more fish waste than there are filter bacteria to remove it.
When the fish goes to the toilet ammonia is created, this can be deadly to fish. The bacteria convert the toxic ammonia into nitrite and then a safer substance called nitrate. When a fish is added the level of ammonia and nitrite will rise sharply. As the filter bacteria catch up they will keep the ammonia and nitrite to a safe level and the safer nitrate will steadily rise. This process is called the 'cycle' and will take about 28 days for one small goldfish.
This is potentially a risky time for the fish and the level of ammonia should be minimised by introducing a small fish and not feeding him/her too much. Even so, some fish may not cope with life in very new aquariums as well as other fish.
It is essential that fish are introduced gradually at a rate of one small goldfish every four weeks.
Filter bacteria need food (fish waste) so that they can multiply. To multiply, the bacteria need food and a constant supply of oxygenated water. This is provided by the air pump that must be left running 24-hours-a-day. There will only ever be enough filter bacteria for the fish already in the aquarium.
It is important that the biological filter is given time to become established. A few bacteria are introduced to the aquarium with the water preparation chemicals and 24 hours later one small goldfish can be added.
when the fish goes to the toilet, the level of ammonia will start to rise. In response, the filter bacteria multiply to catch up with the amount of work they have to do. The fish should be fed very sparingly.
The ammonia level will continue to rise, after a couple of weeks the filter bacteria will have started to catch up and the level will fall. After about 28 days the filter bacteria should have caught up. The water quality should then be good and the aquarium is ready for one new fish. This process will happen with every new fish.
If more than one goldfish is added at one time then the level of ammonia could get dangerously high. The extra ammonia could make the fish ill or even kill them. Too much food or too large a fish will also create extra ammonia.
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Please only take the information given in any of our information sheets as general advice. They may not provide an exact answer to your particular problem and are to act as a general guide and 'heads-up'.
We cannot be held responsible for any problems your fish or other pets encounter following the reading of these pages.
If you cannot find the answer to your problem in here, or have further questions regarding this subject, then please don't hesitate to contact us via email (info@aquamania.co.uk) or telephone (01254 663399) and our expert staff will do their best to help you out or point you in the right direction.
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