Sea Dwellers & Friends Aquarium Maintenance Service

Greenwater is a microscopic suspended (or free-floating) algae.  This phenomenon occurs when conditions are just right.  It will occur if there is the right amount of nutrients like: phosphates, nitrates, and light.  It is usually not harmful to the fish.  The aquarium will appear green and murky. Many times you cannot see the back of the aquarium.  Algae eaters do not eat it.

Since these algae feed off of nutrients in the water, the absolute worst thing that you can do is change the water. This reduces the amount of algae in the aquarium, but it also replenishes the food supply.  The aquarium will remain clear for a short period of time after a water change. The algae will soon return as a result of the increased food supply.

Eventually the algae will burn itself out. This means that it will exhaust all available nutrients and die. This could take weeks to occur. Most people do not want to look at a green aquarium for this long.

Here are some recommended courses of action:

1. Treat your tank with a product called Microbe Lift Algaway 5.4 or Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Algaefix. These products are usually very effective. They are also safe to use with plants. It They are not safe to use with invertebrates. Follow the directions on the package and remember to remove your activated carbon (not all the filter media-just the carbon.)

2. Reduce or eliminate light- Algae needs light to grow. If you reduce the photoperiod, you reduce the growth rate of the algae. Eliminate all natural sunlight. Totally eliminating all light for 4 days or longer will eliminate the algae. The algae needs light to survive. It can store enough food for 3 days. Use common sense and do not create a fire hazard when covering your aquarium.

3. Non- Iodized salt- Non-iodized salt is sometimes effective against Greenwater. Salt is often used as a disease preventative. Dissolve 1 level teaspoon per gallon of water.

4. An ultraviolet sterilizer- Water is circulated through a chamber and exposed to intense ultraviolet light. This is a 99.9% effective treatment. The disadvantage to this method is that it is expensive. They usually cost between $150 and $200.

5. A diatom or micron filter- This is a filter that uses a cartridge similar to the ones used in pools and spas.  The cartridge filters out the algae. This is an 85% effective treatment. These filters usually sell for a little over $50.

6. Other Algaecides- These are chemicals that kill algae. You add the chemical to the aquarium and the algae dies. Do not use this method if your aquarium has live plants. Algae are a plant.  If it kills algae it kills plants. Many algaecides also kill snails, clams, and crabs, so read the label. This method works maybe 45% of the time. Some common ones to use are: Algae-a-way, No More Algae, Velvet Guard, Algae Destroyer, and Pond Blocks. Be certain that you remove the activated carbon from your filters (not the entire cartridge, just the carbon). Activated carbon will remove algaecides.

7. Freshwater Clams- Freshwater clams filter feed.  This means that they feed on particles that are suspended in the water. This treatment is fairly effective, but very impractical. It would take many clams to eliminate the algae. The clams would starve after the algae are gone.

8. Reverse Osmosis Water- Reverse Osmosis (or RO) water is water that has had all of the impurities have been filtered out.  Replacing a large portion of you aquarium water with RO water eliminates the algae’s food. This is the only instance where a water change may be helpful. RO water is not the same as spring water or distilled water. A beneficial side effect of RO water is that it has a neutral PH. This is a great way to maintain a low PH. Use caution, you must acclimate your fish to this water.

9. Temperature- Sometimes a gradual increase or a gradual decrease in temperature will make conditions unfavorable for greenwater to live. The important word is gradual. Sudden changes in temperature will make fish sick.

10. Live Plants- Adding live plants to an aquarium is a natural means of controlling greenwater.  This method requires patience.  The plants will compete with the greenwater for nutrients. Eventually the nutrients will be depleted from the water and the greenwater will starve.

 These are only suggestions on ridding your aquarium of greenwater.  The only one that always works is an ultraviolet sterilizer. Please let us know if you discover any other methods that are effective against this menace.   

An oscar is member of the South American cichlid family. These fish mostly come from The Amazon River in South America. There are many members of this family of cichlids. Some, like the blue ram, do not grow very large. Others, like the oscar, can grow very large. Never put anything in that will fit in a fish’s mouth into the aquarium with it. They require a large aquarium with a few large, hard to move decorations. The plants should have stone bases. Large cichlids like to dig holes and re-arrange the tanks decorations. Heaters need to be secured with suction cups. These fish are territorial. They will claim ownership to a particular area and defend it from intruders. It is wise to re-arrange the tanks decorations when you add new fish to it. This makes it easier for the new fish to blend in with the old ones.

Here are some suggestions of fish that you can try in an aquarium together.

These fish will not always get along together. Fish size, tank size, amount of decorations, which fish were introduced to the aquarium first, and the overall number of fish affect compatibility. It is your responsibility to observe the behavior of the fishes in your aquarium. If its tank mates are killing a fish, it would only make sense to remove it before they kill it.

There are many different types of cichlids. The most common are South American cichlids and African cichlids. It is a good idea to keep African cichlids by themselves, with the exception of some bottom feeders. African cichlids originate from the Rift Lakes in Africa. These are densely populated lakes with a lot of rocks, which the fish use for shelter. Because the lakes have such a high amount of fish living in them, the fish have evolved to become highly territorial. The fish eat algae that they scrape off of the rocks with the teeth located on the outside of their mouths. These teeth also serve as a very effective weapon in chasing off intruders that enter the territory that they have claimed. These fish range from the tiny shell dwellers to the giant frontosa. They require an aquarium with lots of rocks and plants to use for shelter. These fish like to dig so it is best not to use an under gravel filter. Add groups of fish to the aquarium, not single specimens. It helps to re-arrange the rocks to allow the new fish to blend in with the old ones. Keep the fish similar in size and feed the accordingly. Foods containing spirulinia algae are great for African Cichlids. Here some good bottom feeders:

In an established aquariums fish waste is broken down first to ammonia, then to nitrite, and finally to nitrate by bacteria colonies. Ammonia and nitrite can be toxic to fish. These colonies are not present in a new aquarium. They do develop naturally if there is a food source present. It will take approximately 4 weeks after you have added fish for them to develop. This process is what is commonly referred to as “the nitrogen cycle” or “new tank syndrome”. This paper refers primarily to freshwater aquariums, but the process is very similar in saltwater aquariums.

A tank does not have to be new for new tank syndrome to occur, it just has to be recently set up. Cleaning an aquarium too well will also produce new tank syndrome. Certain antibiotics will kill the bacteria colonies and cause new tank syndrome to occur.

There are commercially available products, which claim to speed up this process. Some common names are “Cycle” and “Bio Zyme”. Through my own experiences, these products may sometimes help, but they have proven to be unreliable. There is one product that works it is called “Bio Spira”. The best thing you can do is let Mother Nature do her job and not interfere.

There are also products that neutralize ammonia. Some common names are “Ammo Lock” and “Amquel”. They do neutralize ammonia but do not eliminate the cause (fish waste). It is more stressful on the fish to have the ammonia levels fluctuate than to have them high. These products also cause test kits to give false readings, so we do not recommend them.

Starting your aquarium.

The first thing that you should do is to get your aquarium set up, before you purchase any fish. Get water in your aquarium. Install the filters per the manufacture’s instructions. Install the heater and set the temperature to 76 to 78 degrees. Add a water conditioner like “Prime” or “Start Right” or “Stress Coat” if you have city water. If you do not have city water, it still would be a good idea to use one. Most well water is all right to use, even if it is softened water. Let everything run for at least 24 hours.

Now it is time to add the fish. At this time you only want to add a few hardy expendable fish. Do not purchase anything that will cost a lot of money, because there is a strong possibility that not all of the fish will make it! Be certain that you tell the sales person that you have just set up your aquarium. They can make some recommendations as to which ones will do best.

Things to Remember:

• Any fish will eat any other fish that will fit in its mouth.
• It takes as much time to take care of a small aquarium as it does a big one. Also, a big aquarium has room for more fish.
• Do not mix goldfish with tropical fish. Goldfish like cool water. Tropical fish like warm water.
• Barbs, Gouramis, and Danios are known fin nippers. Do not mix them with fish that have long fins like Angelfish, Guppies, and Male Bettas.
• Do not overfeed.
• Do not overcrowd. A good rule to go by is one and a half inches of fish per gallon of water.
• Fish swim horizontally, not vertically. Tall aquariums look impressive, but are hard to clean and cannot house as many fish as a horizontal aquarium of equal size.
• Know the dimensions of your aquarium. This will make it easier to buy accessories in the future.
• Do not put the aquarium in front of a window. The sunlight will affect the temperature and make a lot of algae grow.

This is a common question we are asked in the summertime. The best answer is to have an aquarium chiller or air conditioning. However these options are not available to everyone. We do have a few suggestions that may help keep the temperature down.

You must decide if the temperature is to warm. Most fish will live at temperatures into the 90’s. Goldfish, Koi, and coldwater fish are exceptions. Observe your aquarium inhabitants for signs of distress before making a decision to take any action.

Don’t unplug your heater! If your heater is set right and functioning properly, it will only turn on if the temperature gets below the set level. We sell a lot of ick medicine in the fall because people unplug their heaters and forget to plug them back in when the weather gets cool.

The major cause of ick is temperature fluctuation. Keep this in mind when trying to cool the aquarium. Any change that we cause in temperature should be gradual.

Here are some things, in addition to room temperature, that cause the aquarium to become warm: Lights, Pumps and Power heads, and Direct Sunlight. Lights can be shut off for a few days at a time or they can be run only at night when the temperature is lower. Adding curtains or blinds can remedy direct sunlight. In most cases it is not a good idea to shut off your pumps.

You can direct a fan at the aquarium to help cool things down a little. The lid can be left open to help the aquarium cool (you take a risk of fish jumping out). If you have a wet dry filter leave the stand doors open. Adding an air pump with an air stone can help to cool the aquarium down. This also adds oxygen to the water. The warmer water becomes the less oxygen it is able to hold.

I know of people who place small amounts of ice in plastic bags and float them in the aquarium. The ice is replaced after it has melted. People with large aquariums can use small ice packs. This must be performed in small amounts on a consistent basis to prevent too much temperature fluctuation.

We get asked this question quite a bit here at Sea Dwellers. The main cause of incandescent light bulb failure is a broken filament. This happens when you move the light fixture when the bulb is hot. The proper procedure for moving an incandescent fixture is as follows:

1. Turn off the power to the light.
2. Wait at least 10 minutes for the light fixture and the bulb (s) to cool down.
3. Move the fixture to the desired position. Be gentle with the fixture and do not cause any strong vibrations or impacts while moving it.
4. Perform maintenance on the aquarium/terrarium/animal cage.
5. Gently return the fixture to its normal place.
6. Turn the power back on.

Following these steps will increase the life of your incandescent light bulbs.

On aquariums it is also recommended to put a thin coating of petroleum jelly on the light bulb threads. This keeps moisture from getting into the fixture and will result in a longer light bulb life.

Sometimes it is the fixture itself that is the problem. Inspect the fixture for obvious signs of corrosion such as rust and burn marks. Never use a fixture that looks this way.

Copper is toxic to invertebrates. Some invertebrates are affected more than others. Low levels of copper can be fatal to xenia, star polyps, soft corals, shrimp, and snails. Hermit crabs, sea urchins, and LPS corals can endure a little higher levels of copper. Copper is not toxic to fish at low levels.

Copper comes from well water, chemical additions in municipal water supplies, the inside of your water heater, and from your plumbing. Water softeners do remove copper if they are functioning properly. Copper is also used as a medicine to cure parasite infestations and to kill algae.

We have helped more than a few customers identify that there is copper in their tap water. You probably have copper in your water if snails suddenly die after a water change. You probably have copper in your water if soft corals and shrimp do not live very long in your aquarium. The question can be answered with a quick test that takes 5 minutes to perform. Will we perform this test for free. Just bring us a sample of your tap water. We also sell copper test kits at a very reasonable price if you would like to purchase one for yourself.

Here are some possible solutions if you find that there is copper in your tap water:

• Activated carbon, Chemi-Pure, and Bio-Chem Zorb all remove copper (and many other harmful chemicals) from water. Many of you already use these products in your aquarium. You must remove the copper from the water before adding it to the aquarium. Filter the water with one of these products for 24 hours before using it in your aquarium.
• Water softeners remove copper from water if they are functioning properly.
• Water from an alternative source can be used. You could get your water from a friend or relative who does not have copper in their water. You could also use reverse osmosis water. This can be purchased from many different places. Reverse osmosis filter are also available. Talk to our staff for directions on how to use reverse osmosis water.

Through our own experiences here at the store we have discovered this simple fact:

“Water quality in the aquarium can be increased by using quality water to fill the aquarium.”

Tap water can (and usually does) contain impurities that are not advantageous to your aquarium. Impurities can include: copper (toxic to invertebrates), nitrates (harmful to invertebrates in high levels and makes algae grow) and phosphates (makes algae grow). Here at Sea Dwellers and Friends we use reverse osmosis water in all of our marine aquariums. We also use it in many of our freshwater aquariums.

Reverse osmosis is a type of water purification. This process removes most of the harmful impurities that are found in tap water. Reverse osmosis water has a very low Ph and a very low carbonate hardness. These low levels make it very easy to adjust the Ph to whatever level that you desire. This is great for freshwater when you are trying to adjust the Ph to a low level. You should add a buffer if you are trying to maintain a freshwater Ph above 7. The buffer that we use is a Kent Marine product called RO Right.

However, for marine aquariums you should add a buffer to the reverse osmosis water before you add it to the aquarium. We use a Kent Marine product called Osmoprep Marine. This is an inexpensive powder that buffers the Ph and carbonate hardness to levels normally found in seawater. Synthetic sea salt already contains these buffers, but some salt companies use lower quality buffers to make their product cheaper. These buffers may not last that long and could lead to fluctuations in the Ph and carbonate hardness levels. This is why we use a buffer-even if we may not actually need it!

Some people use a milk jug with a couple of inches of aragonite gravel (Carib Sea) in the bottom to store their top off water. The aragonite slowly dissolves into the water and increases the Ph and the carbonate hardness. This is another way to buffer small quantities of reverse osmosis water for your marine aquarium.

Personally, I perform 5-gallon water changes on my aquarium. I have a spare submersible heater that is set to the same temperature as my aquarium. Reverse osmosis water is put into a 5-gallon bucket, Osmoprep and salt is added to the water, and the heater is plugged in on the day before a water change. The old water is siphoned out of the aquarium into another 5-gallon bucket and the new water is added to the aquarium from the other bucket. The pump does not even have to shut off because the sump holds 7 gallons. The aquarium inhabitants are not stressed by any temperature or salinity fluctuation. The aquarium does not even get cloudy because the new water was mixed up a day before.

We sell reverse osmosis water or it could be purchased from any box store or water filtration store. We recommend purchasing your own home filtration unit so that you may also benefit from the water. Since I started using reverse osmosis in my home there has been no calcium deposits in my coffee maker, the coffee tastes better, and there is no white residue left behind when ice cubes melt in your drink.

A freshwater bath is when you put a saltwater fish into fresh water for a brief period of time. This procedure is usually done to treat or prevent external diseases. We recommend this as part your acclimation procedure.

1. Prepare a small amount of freshwater by conditioning it and synchronizing the temperature with your aquarium temperature.
2. Remove the fish from the aquarium or the shipping bag (after properly acclimating it) and put it into the freshwater.
3. Leave the fish in the fresh water for approximately 3 minutes. Keep the fish up and swimming around during this time.
4. Net the fish and introduce it to the aquarium after the 3 minutes has passed. Always release fish head first from the net.
5. Discard the water after you are done with it. Do not add it to the aquarium. Never add shipping water to your aquarium.

This procedure is safe for marine fish. Do not subject invertebrates (anemones, starfishes, sea urchins, snails, etc.) to freshwater baths.

The time can be adjusted to suit your individual preferences. Some books recommend freshwater baths as long as 20 minutes. We have found three-minute baths to work great for us.

What to do if you find a baby orinjured animal

By “rescuing” an injured orapparently abandoned baby wild animal, you may doing the opposite of what youseek to accomplish, and break the law.

This time of year, thousands of animals are born in the wild. With the spreadof suburban areas into their natural habitats, young animals are increasinglyborn near humans, who are more apt to discover them without an adult animalnearby. When this happens, a few reminders are especially pertinent.

While some baby animals may be orphaned or abandoned, that’s not always true.

Picking up a baby animal that is not orphaned or abandoned is not only usuallyunnecessary, it can be bad for the animal. It's also illegal if you don't havethe proper permit or take the animal straight to a licensed wildliferehabilitator.

Such animals also pose safety and health risks for humans. They may lookhelpless, cute and cuddly, but they can bite or scratch people who attempt tohandle them. Some wild animals carry parasites and infectious diseases, some ofwhich can be transmitted to humans.

"The apparent lack of an adult does not mean a young animal isorphaned," said Linnea Petercheff, operations staff specialist for the DNRDivision of Fish & Wildlife. "Adults often leave their young alone,safe in nests or dens while they forage for food, but rarely do they abandontheir young."
 
If a bird has fallen out of a nest, it is OK to gently return it to the nest.The best way to make sure an animal is truly orphaned is to wait and check itperiodically. If you are unsure, place some strings or sticks across the nest.Place some grass across the top of a rabbit nest that is found with young init.

If such items are later disturbed, the mother has probably returned. In such asituation, leave the young animal alone. The adult will return after you leavethe area.  As an example, rabbits often come to the nest to feed theiryoung only a couple of times a day.

The best way to make sure that a fawn that appears to be alone is trulyorphaned is to wait and check it periodically. Before taking any action,remember the following:

–If the fawn is not injured, the mother is likely nearby.
–Leave the fawn alone and its mother will probably come and get it. Deer cantake better care of their young than a human can.
–Human scent on the fawn will not prevent the mother from taking care of it.
–If you do not see any deer nearby, have someone watch the fawn without beingseen by the mother. In most cases, the mother will come back and get the fawnafter you leave the area.

If you believe the mother has not returned to a nest or a deer has not comeback to feed her fawn, or you know that the mother is no longer alive, call alicensed wildlife rehabilitator listed at: www.wildlife.in.gov.

Remember, state laws prohibit keeping protected wild animals without a permit.Most species of wildlife are protected by law and cannot be kept as a pet.Federal laws also prohibit possession of migratory birds, including songbirds,raptors and waterfowl. It is even illegal to treat wild animals for sickness orinjury without a permit.

Wild animal rehabilitation permits are issued to qualified individuals who takein sick, injured, or orphaned wild animals with the intent of releasing themback into the wild. 

If you encounter an injured, truly abandoned or sick wild animal, do one of thefollowing for assistance:

–Check the DNR website, www.wildlife.in.gov and click on "Wildlife Rehabilitation"
–Call the DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife in Indianapolis, (317) 232-4080.
–Call your DNR law enforcement district headquarters or regional headquarters;contact information is at: http://www.in.gov/dnr/lawenfor/2755.htm  
–Call a licensed veterinarian for immediate assistance with a sick or severelyinjured wild animal.