For the fish hobbyist, having an aquascape might be something obligator. Moreover, if they have the tiny fishes like neon tetra or guppy.
Aquascape can be the fishes' place to hide, to breed, and also to make them less-stressed in the tank. Aquascape can also make your tank an artsy decoration in your living room.
But, you have to remember one thing. Having the aquascape means that you have to think about other maintenance besides the fish. You cannot just put the base, the plants and other ornaments to make the aquascape, because you have to take care that aquatic garden regularly. And here are the steps of easy aquascape maintenance at home:
1. Check the water
On a daily basis, don't forget to check the water circulation and water level. These things hold the important role in the distribution of the substance and also the gas in the tank. If you don't check them regularly, it will give bad impact to the fish. The high flow of water can damage the soft plants and can make them die.
2. Trimming
It is good to see your aquatic plants grow bigger every day. But you still have to cut it every day so that the tank won’t be such a mess and won’t be overshadowed. The action to cut the aquatic plants in the aquascape known as trimming. Some plants will grow high so fast and when you don’t trim them regularly, they can block the light and make other plants like moss, become rot due to the lack of photosynthetic process.
3. Clean the glass
Don’t forget to clean the tank’s glass, both inside and the outside regularly, every week. If you don’t clean it every week, there is a chance that the green spot algae will grow up in the glass due to the high level of humidity. The green spot algae can also damage the aquascape, so, don’t wait until it grows bigger.
4. Change the water
Every week, change the water inside your tank to waste all the dirt and the ammonia that can kill your fish and damage the aquatic plants. Change minimum 50% of the water inside your tank with the new one, especially after you cut the plant because that activity can spoil the waste of the plants can harm the fish. The more often you change the water, the less toxic level in your tank.
5. Clean the ornaments
Not only the glass, the ornaments in the aquascape need to be clean. For example the rocks, or the statues in the Taiwanese style of aquascape. You can clean them while you change the water. Just wipe the ornaments with the clean cloth gently, and then put them again in their places.
You can also do the aquascape maintenance at home when you do the regular tank maintenance every week and month. Never let the aquascape damage because it will bring bad impact to your fish, and you will have the difficult time installing the new one.