Are You Using These Accessories To Keep Your Aquarium In Prime Condition?

You can’t cuddle or pat your fish. But like any other pets, fish need your tender loving care to stay happy and well. As fish hobbyists, we can ensure that our fish are well taken care of by setting up the aquarium properly, and ensuring that it is always kept in prime condition.

Besides essential aquarium accessories like filter and lighting system, other basic stuff is needed by fish hobbyists to maintain a healthy aquarium.

11 Accessories To Maintain Your Aquarium In Healthy Condition

1. Aquarium Gravel Vacuum: This device will make your life easy. You can use it to remove localized accumulation of debris or uneaten food in between making major water changes.
2. Aquarium Salt: Adding one teaspoon of aquarium salt per gallon of water is generally recommended to help reduce disease.
3. Algae Scrubber (Scraper): This helps keep the sides of the tank free of algae growth. Get coarser ones for glass aquarium tanks, softer ones for acrylic aquarium tanks and handheld pads for easier maneuverability.
4. Dechlorinators: These are used to remove the chlorine in tap water. Some brands may also offer other benefits such as removing heavy metals or buffering the pH slightly.
5. Fish Nets: You will need these to remove dead or overgrown fish, or move fish to another tank – to allow them to breed or recover from fight injuries or disease. Nets typically come in sizes varying from two inches to 10 inches wide. When selecting nets by size, consider the sizes of your fish and tank. Have small nets for catching fry and young fish, large fine ones for delicate species and coarser ones for more robust species. The smaller holes on fine nets reduce the likelihood of fins getting snagged. However, the tighter weave creates more drag, slowing down the movement of the net in the water, and these nets are thus less maneuverable than coarse ones.
6. Long Forceps or Tongs: Having a pair of long forceps or tongs will come in handy for removing dead fish, plants and other objects from an aquarium. They can also be used as a planting stick.
7. Pails: You will need these to siphon water into when you make your partial water changes, carry replacement water to the tank, transport your fish or remove your accessories for cleaning. It’s advisable to get at least a five-gallon pail.
8. pH Kit: This is useful for measuring the pH of the water in a new aquarium tank, or monitoring trends to ensure that a maintained for particular species. A declining pH is usually indicative of insufficient water changes.
9. Silicone-based Sealant: This can be used for attaching bark or bogwood to plastic or glass plates (cover these with gravel to prevent them form floating) or for emergency repair of leaks.
10. Siphon Tube: Used to siphon water from the aquarium tank, the tube should be at least as long as the distance between the rim of the tank and the floor.
11. Waterproof Marker Pens: These are for writing information about the species, treatments administered, spawning and more on jars or aquarium tanks.

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