How to Maintain Your Freshwater Aquarium

Maintaining your aquarium is important to the life of your fish and your plants. The process isn't so bad if you do it regularly.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. Check your tank daily to make sure none of the fish are dead or dying.
2. Observe all of your fish individually. This will familiarize you with their behaviors and it will be easier for you to identify a sick fish.
3. Feed your fish every other day. Be sure to vary their diet.
4. Top off the tank's evaporated water with dechlorinated water.
5. Remove 5 to 10 percent of the tank water and replace it with fresh dechlorinated water once a week. This helps dilute unwanted chemicals in the tank and helps keep the tank's chemistry close to that of your own tap water. This means that you'll have fewer problems if you ever need to do an emergancy water change.
6. Scrape the algae from the tank walls once a week.
7. Check the filter pads every two weeks. Clean or replace them as necessary.
8. Test the water every two weeks. Wait at least a day after a water change.
9. Check the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH levels every two weeks.
10. Siphon the debris from the gravel once a month.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep track of your chemicals and maintenance schedule.