Frequent Aquarium Questions

• Is a marine tank going to need everyday maintinence? If so, how much? Also, what do you recommend that I decorate the tank with? I've heard live rock is hard to keep up with, coral is hard to find, and fake coral is just as attractive. What is the best for the fish/invertebrates?
  
  
• I have a Plecostomus (sucker mouth). Just lately his "waste" are beginng to be a problem. There are "strings" everywhere. My question is why the change and what do I do about it.
  
  
• why do my hands get itchy after they've been in the aquaruim?
  
  
• I have a 10 gal. and all of teh rocks and gravel including plastic plants and air rock are getting brown what is it and what do i do about it?
  
  
• started a tank 2 days ago, now the water is foggy. What is going on? Only 1 fish in the tank.
  
  
• We are getting mold on the lids of our fish tanks and it has a very bad odor. We have left the lids open for 2-3 days and wiped off the mold but it just keeps coming back. The smell is almost unbearable. We have 4 tanks: 1 5-gallon 2 10-gallon and 1 30-gallon tanks and all of them seem to be getting this mold. I can't find any cleaner that gets rid of mold that probably won't kill the fish in each tank. Is there something that you could suggest to get rid of this problem?
  
  
• Is it necessary to make water changes in a marine or reef aquarium tank regularly?
  
  
• How often should I change the water in my beta tank?
  
  
• My 2 1/2 year old dumped a 1.4 oz. container of frog bites into my 10 gallon tank which houses 3 fish and 2 frogs. I performed a water change but the water is still cloudy.
  
  
• I've had my beta for several months, and just recently it started to lose it's color. What can I do?
  
  

• Is a marine tank going to need everyday maintinence? If so, how much? Also, what do you recommend that I decorate the tank with? I've heard live rock is hard to keep up with, coral is hard to find, and fake coral is just as attractive. What is the best for the fish/invertebrates?
  
  Any aquarium that is properly set-up and well-managed will not need daily care. Running water tests and changingh water should be done every two to three weeks. If you will be keeping invertebrates, you should use live rock for your decorations to provide a more-balanced ecology.
  
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• I have a Plecostomus (sucker mouth). Just lately his "waste" are beginng to be a problem. There are "strings" everywhere. My question is why the change and what do I do about it.
  
  Plecostomi can be incredibly prolific poopers. The recent upswing in "strings" could be due to the fish's normal metabolic increase with age. In fact, it has been my experience that while the small "suckers" are very efficient algae eaters (meaning keeping an aquarium green free with relatively little waste produced), middle sized ones still eat like champs, but thier waste may accumulate. Big boys seem to eat nothing (except perhaps opportunistic nibbles on your fishes' food) and produce mountains of waste. Another possibility might be a change in your light or temperature regime. If you've moved your aquarium or removed a shade on a nearby window, or in some other was increased the light (or temperature), this may result in a spike in metabolism. Since this was actually two questions (why now and what do I do), the first step is waste removal with a one or more thorough gravel vacuumings during some back-to-back 50 to 75% water changes. I don't know what size aquarium you have or the other fishes, so perhaps such large water changes are not in order, but I predict it will take more than one or two to eradicate the problem. Remember, he's still pooping the whole time you're cleaning. Secondly, I would reduce the amount of light, heat, or food going into the aquarium (preferably all three). If it is not a planted aquarium, there is little reason to have the light on for more than 7 or eight hours a day to give the fishes a sense of day and night. If there is a lot of ambient light in the room, you might even think of covering the tank (if possible) with a dark cloth or something. I only mentioned reduced feeding off-handedly, but let me stress the importance of a balanced, but sparse, diet for most fishes, and for the general health of most aquariums, yours being no exception. Thanks!
  
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• why do my hands get itchy after they've been in the aquaruim?
  
  If you have a reef tank, most likely, one or more of the corals or anemones is broadcasting nematocysts (stinging cells) into the water, and these can affect people differently. If you have a freshwater tank, then perhaps there is some sort of problem: buildup of excess dissolved organics, presence of a parasite, or even a stray electrical discharge.
  
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• I have a 10 gal. and all of teh rocks and gravel including plastic plants and air rock are getting brown what is it and what do i do about it?
  
  The brown stuff is algae and it will grow in even the healthiest of aquariums. It must be cleaned manually (scrubbing or removing the decorations and bleaching them and then safely debleaching them before replacing them into the aquarium) on a regular basis.
  
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• started a tank 2 days ago, now the water is foggy. What is going on? Only 1 fish in the tank.
  
  Cloudy water in a new aquarium is very common, and should go away within a week or so as long as there is adequate filtration.
  
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• We are getting mold on the lids of our fish tanks and it has a very bad odor. We have left the lids open for 2-3 days and wiped off the mold but it just keeps coming back. The smell is almost unbearable. We have 4 tanks: 1 5-gallon 2 10-gallon and 1 30-gallon tanks and all of them seem to be getting this mold. I can't find any cleaner that gets rid of mold that probably won't kill the fish in each tank. Is there something that you could suggest to get rid of this problem?
  
  The mold you describe sounds a lot like the residue from dissolved dry flake food when an air stone or undergravel filter lift tube exhaust sprays it onto the sides and top of the aquarium. If you use flake or freeze dried food, I would switch to frozen or live food and feed sparingly in all tanks. Keep the top and lids clean and dry. If it just doesn't come off, soak the lids in a bleach solution and hot water, and then dechlorinate the lids with dechlorinator and tap water, then clean them off.
  
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• Is it necessary to make water changes in a marine or reef aquarium tank regularly?
  
  Yes, it is necessary to change water in any aquarium. How often and how much depends on the biological "load" (how many fish or animals per volume of water) are kept. A general rule is either 10% every other week or 25% a month.
  
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• How often should I change the water in my beta tank?
  
  You should change about 25% of the water every month or about 10% every 2 weeks.
  
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• My 2 1/2 year old dumped a 1.4 oz. container of frog bites into my 10 gallon tank which houses 3 fish and 2 frogs. I performed a water change but the water is still cloudy.
  
  You need to change at least 75% of the water and make sure all the food is gone.
  
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• I've had my beta for several months, and just recently it started to lose it's color. What can I do?
  
  Keep a regular maintenance schedule and feed quality frozen food.
  
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