
Avoid Overfeeding.
Too much food kills more fish than any other cause.
Rotting food starts this chain of events:
-
Overloads
your filter.
-
Releases
ammonia.
-
Clouds
the water.
-
Makes
the water smell.
-
Removes
oxygen.
-
Weakens
the fish.
-
Invites
disease.
If
you do ever accidentally overfeed, a quick cleaning with a gravel vacuum
cleaner prevents the above problems. But
it’s much easier to just feed less.
Feed
the Right Foods. Feed at
least two types of food for best results:
-
Basic
flake or pelleted food.
-
Frozen
brine shrimp.
-
Color
food.
-
Any
“treat food.”
-
Vitamin
blocks to help heal split fins.
No
single food contains every nutrient your fishes need.
A variety of foods makes sure they get all their nutritional needs
and keeps their appetites sharp. Hungry
fish are healthy fish.
Maintain
Quality Water. Weekly 20%
water changes with your gravel vacuum
cleaner will keep you from learning the names of most fish diseases.
Remember to add salt and
a dash of NovAqua to any water you replace.
Regular partial water changes work like a spring tonic for your
fish.
Clean
Lightly. Wipe your front glass
often. You want to see your
fishes. But resist the urge to
scrub down the sides, the back, the plastic plants, and other décor.
Fishes snack on the algae and tiny organisms that live in the
“slime” that grows in your tank.
Overly
clean tanks won’t filter correctly, and they crimp the diet of the
fishes that live in them.
Fish get many vitamins and trace elements
from the microscopic life growing in their tanks.
Look
for Disease. These signs
mean your fishes need help:
-
Clamped
fins.
-
Washed
out colors.
-
Hiding,
shaking, resting.
-
Gasping
at surface.
-
White
spots or open sores.
-
Slimy
patches or hickies.
-
Eroded
fins.
When
treating for disease, follow these steps for best results:
-
Correct
water quality.
-
Check
filter system.
-
Increase
aeration.
-
Correct
the temperature.
-
Feed
the right foods.
-
Remove
carbon.
-
Use
the correct medication.
Bring
in a sick fish and a water sample, if
you don’t know exactly what you’re treating.
Effective medications often interfere with the helpful bacteria in
your filter system. Use
medications only when absolutely necessary.
Try to avoid rather than treat diseases.
LA
©
1980,
© 2003, ©
2004
LA Productions

3600
Sixth Avenue
Corner
of Sixth & Euclid Avenues
Des
Moines, IA 50313
515
283-0300
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