Frequent Aquarium Questions

• My fish tank has about nine small scratches in it. What should I do?
  
  
• How can I reduce the nitrate level in my freshwater 55 gallon tank? It is at 80 ppm even after a 30% water change.
  
  
• I have hard water/calcium deposits growing on the sides of the my tank. Please tell me how to get rid of this in a cheap and convenient way?
  
  
• Our water is very hard and calcuim buildup occurs. I would like to do someething with the water prior to introducing fish to "condition" it. Any Suggestions?
  
  
• Bubbles are covering the top surface of my tank from my filter. Is it normal and ok for the fish?
  
  
• I have a friend with ALS. She would love a fish tank but is unable to do much maintenance. Is there a setup that would work for her, and if so, what type of fish?
  
  
• I have a 10 gallon tank with one goldfish and four young ramshorn snails. i want to clean my tank but i do not want to kill my snails. should i ust clena my tank as i normally would, like my tank with just fish, or should i take some special percautions?
  
  
• I have cycle my new tank for about 6 weeks and want to change 100% of the water. Also I want to change my bio filter and use a different brand filter. Is this safe to do when I'm changing the water after the cycle.
  
  
• We have a 15 gallon fresh water tank , with fresh water tropical fish. Lately we added a shark that lives in the freshwater and we noticed these perfectly round things attatched to our fake trees in the tank, they are tan colored inside and cottony white on the outside, they appear almost fuzzy. Are these eggs ?
  
  
• Can any of the fish diseases/parasites be transfered to people?
  
  

• My fish tank has about nine small scratches in it. What should I do?
  
  You can purchase a Lifegard scratch kit. You may want to practice your technique on a piece of acrylic before working on your tank.
  
  Top
  
  
  
• How can I reduce the nitrate level in my freshwater 55 gallon tank? It is at 80 ppm even after a 30% water change.
  
  You should perform multiple 50% water changes over the course of a week. You should see the nitrate levels go down. More importantly, focus on the cause. You are probably feeding too much, or the tank is overstocked.
  
  Top
  
  
  
• I have hard water/calcium deposits growing on the sides of the my tank. Please tell me how to get rid of this in a cheap and convenient way?
  
  You can try Python's Rydyt #1 for the build-up.
  
  Top
  
  
  
• Our water is very hard and calcuim buildup occurs. I would like to do someething with the water prior to introducing fish to "condition" it. Any Suggestions?
  
  You can look into purchasing a reverse osmosis purfication system for your tap water.
  
  Top
  
  
  
• Bubbles are covering the top surface of my tank from my filter. Is it normal and ok for the fish?
  
  Regarding bubbles covering the water surface of your fishtank it is important to know what kind of filter you ae using, to troubleshoot the filter itself. Regading the health of your fish being comprimised by these surface bubbles you have nothing to worry about as they are further oxygenating the water.
  
  Top
  
  
  
• I have a friend with ALS. She would love a fish tank but is unable to do much maintenance. Is there a setup that would work for her, and if so, what type of fish?
  
  Unfortunately, any aquarium will require some maintentance. The systems that require the least amount are small betta bowls with no filtration. All you would need to do are the regular water changes.
  
  Top
  
  
  
• I have a 10 gallon tank with one goldfish and four young ramshorn snails. i want to clean my tank but i do not want to kill my snails. should i ust clena my tank as i normally would, like my tank with just fish, or should i take some special percautions?
  
  Normal cleaning should suffice. But do not use any chemicals to kill algae as they could potentialy kill the snails.
  
  Top
  
  
  
• I have cycle my new tank for about 6 weeks and want to change 100% of the water. Also I want to change my bio filter and use a different brand filter. Is this safe to do when I'm changing the water after the cycle.
  
  A 100% water change is never advisable under any cercimstances. Changing bio filter will result in a loss of cycle unless you run them both together for a while.
  
  Top
  
  
  
• We have a 15 gallon fresh water tank , with fresh water tropical fish. Lately we added a shark that lives in the freshwater and we noticed these perfectly round things attatched to our fake trees in the tank, they are tan colored inside and cottony white on the outside, they appear almost fuzzy. Are these eggs ?
  
  In freshwater systems which inhabit community fish and snails you will most likely begin to notice small eggs (generally attatched to plastic plants and decorations. The eggs could belong to a variety of egg-laying fish and snails.
  
  Top
  
  
  
• Can any of the fish diseases/parasites be transfered to people?
  
  You should wash your hands after servicing the aquarium and don't let your fingers to touch your lips or mouth.
  
  Top