IMPORTANCE OF NATURAL PLANTS I

                    WHY USE NATURAL PLANTS?

      The use of live underwater plants in home aquariums has been fully explained and documented in many advanced countries of the world where the hobby "tropical fish keeping" holds a second place.

         Majority of aquarium keepers in the country are fond of using plastic plants rather than real live aquatic plants. This could probably be the major reason for the unending fish deaths, cloudy water and the production of fetid odor from the aquarium water. In an effort to solve these problems I shall endeavour to put before the country's aquarists the true value of natural plants in the aquarium.

         One of the most important functions of plants lies in the release of fresh 100% pure oxygen into the tank as a by-product of photosynthesis.

          This aids fish-breathing and as a result the aquarium can thrive comfortably without the use of artificial aeration and electric light!

         Other important functions include 

- The reduction of toxic carbon-dioxide level (CO2 level) which happens to be a critical factor causing constant fish deaths. The plants use up the CO2 in the process of food formation.

    The nature of the carbon-dioxide gas is such that, once it is produced inside the water (e.g by the fish), it stays put in the aquarium no matter the amount of aeration, because the CO2 gas is about three times more miscible with water than oxygen. The resultant effect of this is that there is a gradual build-up of waste gas leading eventually to suffocation of the fish unless there is a partial or complete removal of the aquarium water which could be rather cumbersome.

        

AQUARIUM CARE

                 GENERAL HINTS FOR BEGINNERS.

When keeping fish in your tank the following essential guidelines should be observed for proper maintenance of the health of the fishes.

- Never overfeed your fishes.

- Always keep your tank as clean as possible by removing any uneaten food and introducing as much variety as possible into the diet.

- Never over-crowd the aquarium.It is better to have a few fishes in radiant health than many gulping fishes battle-scarred through fighting over inadequate territory.

- Never add small fishes into an aquarium that already contains large and well-established fishes unless you have expert knowledge of the nature of both the resident and the new addition.

- Always be aware of the following early indications of foiling in the water, frothing  at the water surface, water becoming cloudy, fishes breathing more rapidly than normal water producing fetid odor.

- Always check that all fishes are present at feeding time.

- Always adhere "to a little feed often" principle. This is important during which time the nitrifying potential of the aquarium(the ability of the bacteria in the gravel to oxidize waste matter to harmless nitrates) is steadily increasing but not at the high enough level to tolerate careless over-feeding.

- Always change a third of the water in the tank with aged tap water weekly during the first three months or change half of the water once every two weeks (twice a month).

     Any problem arising from your aquarium after following this guidelines could be due to accidental poisoning in which case you could contact us for remedy and advice to prevent a re-occurence.