Overfeeding is the most common problem in aquaria. It is important to remember that everything that goes into an aquarium stays there until it is physically removed. The high nutrient content of fish food allows it to readily break down into toxic compounds like ammonia and nitrite that can quickly kill your fish. Additionally too much food will break down into compounds like phosphates and sulfates that can cause undesirable algae growth. As fish are cold blooded animals their metabolic requirements are far less than ours. Your fish should be fed ONLY what they can eat in one minute once a day. If after feeding your fish you see uneaten food floating in the water or resting on the bottom of the tank than you are feeding too much. It is very difficult to starve a fish, they are far better off going a little hungry, than respiring in the toxic compounds created by an excess of food. We consult on-site with every customer to insure that your fish are fed the proper foods in the proper amounts.

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Green water is caused by algae, microscopic plants found in all bodies of water. Algae does not harm aquariums, it actually helps clean the water, but it can cause an unsightly green or brown film to cover your aquarium and decorations. All plants are subject to four factors that control their growth: water, space, nutrients, and light. As the supply of water is infinite in an aquarium, and microscopic plants require little space to grow and multiply the two factors we are concerned with are nutrients and light. By limiting these two factors we can bring algae growth down to a sustainable rate. Nutrients come from excess fish food, and fish waste produced from fish food, so the first step is to feed your fish less. In almost every green tank fish are being fed too much, or the wrong type of food. Secondly, limit the amount of light your fish receive. Most bodies of water are very dark in the natural world, your light is so you may view your aquarium, fish do not need it, and indeed often prefer darker environments. Your light should be on only when you want to view your aquarium. Leaving your light on all the time will provide the energy necessary for algae to grow exponentially even in very clean tanks. While we clean the algae from your aquarium at every visit, following the steps outlined above can limit the amount of growth between service calls, giving you a cleaner, more beautiful aquarium.

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In aquariums with wet dry filters the water level will occasionally drop too low from evaporation. This is especially common in the summer and winter when climate control systems remove excess moisture from the air. To fix the problem simply pour fresh water into your wet dry filter until the water level reaches the bottom of the bio balls. DO NOT add salt water to salt water aquariums, only water evaporates, your salt will stay in solution. Doing this will eventually cause your salinity to rise to unhealthy levels, harming or killing your fish. It is generally not necessary to add dechlorinator to this top off water as the volume of fresh water compared to the volume of the aquarium is insignificant.

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Call us at (443) 282-0145 and report the problem. Like people there are a wide variety of illnesses fish can be afflicted with, all of which have different causes and solutions. Similarly fish can die for a variety of reasons, including old age, it is therefore important to discuss your problem with us so that we may diagnose it and come up with a solution. If your fish has died it is important to remove it from the aquarium as soon as possible to prevent it from spreading any diseases and decomposing in the aquarium where it will release toxic compounds that can kill other fish.

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