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What does water conditioner do?
The main purpose of water conditioners is to break down chlorine and chloramine and make water safe for fish to inhabit. Almost all dechlorinators contain sodium thiosulfate, which reacts to chlorine and chloramine to form harmless byproducts. Sodium thiosulfate looks like rock salt or white powder, and it is often dissolved in water to create liquid dechlorinators. Some water conditioners contain pH buffers, aloe vera to help heal the fish’s slime coats, or extra additives. The Aquarium Co-Op Easy Dechlorinator detoxifies chlorine, chloramine, and heavy metals. It also contains a chemical binder...
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Do fish really need water conditioner?
Maybe. If your drinking water comes from a municipal water supply or other public water system, then most likely it is disinfected with chemicals like chlorine or chloramine to eliminate bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms that can cause diseases. These chemicals are toxic to aquatic animals and beneficial bacteria and therefore must be removed from the water using a dechlorinator. If you forget to add water conditioner to the tap water, your fish’s gills may become burned, causing them to start gasping or breathing heavily. If your drinking water comes...
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Does letting water sit remove chlorine?
Yes, chlorine is fairly unstable and will gradually evaporate from water. However, many water treatment plants have begun using chloramine instead of chlorine because it is a more stable disinfectant formed by combining ammonia and chlorine. Chloramine cannot be easily removed from water via evaporation and must be neutralized using a dechlorinator. If you are sure your tap water contains chlorine and not chloramine, you can let the water sit for 1-5 days to allow all the chlorine to evaporate. To speed up the evaporation process, aerate the water with...
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How to treat stress ich
A fish with ich tends to look like it has tiny crystals on its body, like someone sprinkled salt on it. We tend to notice ich on the fins first since there’s less slime coat in those areas and it’s easier for the parasite to target. Other symptoms may include loss of appetite, rapid breathing, fish rubbing their bodies against surfaces, lethargy, and hiding behavior. If your fish has ich that comes from an external parasite, you will see five spots today and then maybe 35 spots tomorrow. However, some...
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What do puffers eat?
Most puffer fish have four, continually growing teeth in the front of their mouths that form a “beak,” enabling them to chomp through the hard shells of crustaceans and mollusks. To prevent their teeth from becoming too long, you must grind them down by feeding all sorts of crunchy foods, such as bladder snails, ramshorn snails, freeze-drilled krill, clams, and oysters. While it may take a bit of training, some hobbyists have successfully fed Repashy gel food mixed with crushed oyster shells (sold as chicken feed) or they have dipped rocks in Repashy so...
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How do you clip a pufferfish’s teeth?
If the hard foods are not filing down their beaks enough, your puffer’s teeth may become so overgrown that they can no longer properly eat. To prevent them from starving, you need to clip the tips of their teeth using a pair of sharp cuticle trimmers. Do your research to find out which method works best for you, but a common technique is to add 2-4 drops of clove oil per 1 liter (about 4.25 cups) of water. Add the puffer into the mild anesthetic solution and it should become...
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Why does my fish keep keep glass surfing?
“Glass surfing” is when a fish – such as betta fish, gouramis, and cichlids – repeatedly swims up and down along the tank walls. It could be caused by stress, boredom, defense of territory, and other reasons. While there is no guaranteed cure for this behavior, many hobbyists have tried covering or painting the tank walls in black to reduce reflection, increasing flow with a powerhead, decreasing flow with a sponge filter, blocking their favorite corner with tall decorations or plants, adding tannins to the water with catappa leaves to decrease visibility, feeding...
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How do you deworm a puffer?
Pufferfish are especially prone to internal parasites like tapeworms, but the dewormers only get rid of adult worms and do not affect unhatched eggs. Therefore, you must apply multiple deworming treatments to ensure all the eggs have hatched and are eliminated. For our personal puffers, we treat them with the quarantine medication trio and then wait two weeks. Next we follow up with a 5-day treatment of Fritz ParaCleanse (using the instructions on the box) and then wait a month. Afterwards, we use a 7-day treatment of PraziPro as our final deworming step. For more information...
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What are catappa leaves?
Indian almond leaves (IAL) or catappa leaves come from Terminalia catappa, a tree that originates from Asia and Oceania but now grows in tropical and subtropical regions all over the world. Its fruit seeds taste similar to almonds, and its leaves are commonly used in herbal teas and traditional medicines. When you drop a dried catappa leaf into your aquarium water, the leaf begins to slowly decompose and produce tannins, which are plant-based compounds that gradually lower the pH and stain the water with a yellow-brown tint. For more details on the benefits...
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When should I replace the catappa leaves?
Most leaves last about one to two months until they break down completely. Once you start seeing holes develop in the first leaf, add a second leaf to give it time to start breaking down and releasing tannins. For more details on the benefits of catappa leaves, read our full article.
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Should I boil Indian almond leaves?
We do not boil them because it releases all the tannins and then you don’t get their benefits. However, if you don’t like the way the leaves look, some people like to make a catappa leaf extract by boiling one leaf for every 0.5 gallon (2 liters) of water. (Make sure to use a cheap pot you don’t care about because it may become stained.) Once the liquid has cooled, pour a little into the tank until you reach the color you want. If you add too much extract, just...
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How many catappa leaves should I use?
Start with 1 leaf (approximately 4-7 inches or 10-18 cm long) for every 5-20 gallons of water. If you are making a blackwater tank, use more leaves and soft woods (like Malaysian driftwood and cholla wood) until you achieve the desired color. For more details on the benefits of catappa leaves, read our full article.
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