Flowerhorn is popular freshwater fish. They are one of the aggressive aquarium fish in fish keeping community. Flowerhorns are so interactive fish; they will follow you wherever you go near to tank.
Before keeping Flowerhorn cichlids, you should know about the tank conditions so that you can maintain your tank to help your fish grow faster and be healthy.
Go through the article below to know more about Flowerhorn cichlids tank conditions.
Flowerhorn Cichlid
Before knowing about the tank condition, firstly, know about the fish itself. I have written about Flowerhorn cichlid containing their size, tank size, appearance, etc.
Water Parameters
Maintaining water parameters is very important for a fish to grow to its fullest being healthy. Every fish has their water parameters as they come from different rivers in different countries. Thus you should maintain water parameters accordingly.
Talking about Flowerhorns, they like warm water as they come from the tropical region, so maintaining the temperature of water to 80-90 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal. Similarly, the pH value should be 7-8, and lastly, the hardness of the water should be 8-20dGH.
Equipment Required To Test and Maintain Water Quality
In fish keeping journey, it is necessary to know about water conditions. The main source of life for fish is water, so it is very important to keep the water condition in the specific form in which fish are comfortable.
Mainly the water is tested to see if many fish are facing health problems. You should test the water when you set up a new aquarium to ensure the health of your fish. To check the water condition, you will need an expensive test kit. So, if you can’t afford a test kid, then you should ask any fish shop to see what they charge for doing water tests.
Ammonia, pH, nitrite, and nitrate water kits are essential for aquariums. It is not necessary to purchase the whole kit unless you have planted an aquarium. If you have an algae problem, then make sure to test Phospate.
There is many of equipment required to test water quality. I have elaborated the kits down below. Go through them to know more.
Heater
A heater should be added to the water tank to increase the water temperature so that fish can live at their favorable temperature. There are many heaters in the market for your aquarium.
Some of the best heaters for your aquarium are Fluval E200 Electronic heater, Hygger 200W Digital Quartz Aquarium Heater, Fluval M200 Submersible Heater, and EHEIM NORTH AMERICA – JAGER HEATER 150W , and Hitop Adjustable PTC heater. Etc.
Thus Heater is one of the equipment to maintain water parameters.
pH Increaser
pH increaser refers to the chemical that is used to alter the pH or Potential hydrogen level. By adding a pH reagent such as an acid, you can drive pH downward. Likewise, by using alkaline or caustic substance, you can drive pH upward.
You can use this chemical when the pH of your tank fluctuates frequently.
Gravel Cleaners
If you don’t clean the gravel of your tank, it can produce Hydrogen sulfide, as per experts. Hydrogen sulfide (large amount) is toxic to your fish. If the sand is not stirred from time to time or cleaned monthly, then it can produce these toxic substances.
So to prevent that you should clean the gravel with the gravel cleaners which are available in the market. You can contact the near fish shop to get the equipment you need.
Filter
Filters are major equipment for aquariums. The filter refers to the equipment which cleans the water and removes the toxic buildup of ammonia and nitrate. It also helps the fishes to breathe as it aerates the water.
Hence filters can maintain water parameters by cleaning the water in all possible ways.
- Hydro Professional External Canister Filter
- Eheim Classic External Canister Filter
- Aqua Clear Power Filter IIO
- Fluval FX6 Canister Filter
Fresh Water Master Kit
The API freshwater water kit is the kit in which you can check all the necessary things you want, for example, pH value, high range pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. This kit is very accurate and scientifically proven which will give you professional results. Not only that, you can reuse this kit.
It comes with four glass test tubes with tight caps and is easy to store as well. Not only that, you can get a booklet with a color chart that provides information about how to correct water conditions which is a great advantage.
From this kit, you can know how to create a perfect water condition for your beautiful fish. You can easily buy this kit on amazon.
API 5-IN-1 TEST STRIPS Freshwater, and Saltwater Aquarium Test Strips 100-Count Box is easy to use and cheap to carry out. There are many strips in one which you can use for future too.
What Should Be Checked In The Tank?
There are major things that should be checked in the tanks weekly or monthly for proper maintenance. Proper maintenance will keep your fish healthy.
Go through the paragraphs below to know about the basic water chemistry to make the fish comfortable and stress-free in your tank.
Ammonia
Ammonia refers to the colorless gas which gives a pungent smell and can dissolve in the water. Moreover, ammonia is formed from the metabolism of protein and the major waste produced by the fish.
In the new tank, there will be high chances of rising ammonia. Similarly, not only on the new tank but ammonia can be increased when you don’t change the water weekly. A dirty filter can also raise the ammonia, and lastly, if you give more food to the fish which they can’t finish, the leftover food can also increase the ammonia.
I prefer you to test ammonia weekly for the perfect water condition. Similarly, check ammonia whenever a fish is sick or fish death.
pH
pH is the most frequent cause of your fish stress, which can lead your fish to death. Fish can’t tolerate the sudden change in pH. It is also the most tested water parameter. As said earlier, they can’t handle sudden pH changes, not even 0.2. That change will immediately result in the death or stress of your fish.
When buying the new fish, I suggest you guys check the pH of the water in which the fish is and check the pH of the aquarium in which you are going to introduce the new fish; it will help accommodate the new fish easily.
The pH can change anytime due to evaporation, topping off the water, and water hardness. pH should be checked at least once a month or whenever the fish dies or sickness.
Alkalinity
The alkalinity of water refers to the buffering capacity of a water body; it is also a measure of the ability of the water body to neutralize acids and bases.
As aquariums get old, the filters which use carbonate in water will lose it’s buffering capacity. It results in rapid pH change. If the pH in your aquarium drifts frequently, then you should check the Carbonate hardness or Alkalinity of the water.
If you can’t afford to buy one kit, then consult with the nearest pet shop in you to check and maintain the Alkalinity in the water.
Nitrite
In the newly set up tank, nitrite will increase for many reasons, which can kill your fish. Nitrite will raise even if the water is cycled completely. So you should be very careful so that fish won’t get into trouble or any illness.
To not let fish get in trouble, you should check the Nitrite level monthly. You should know there is trouble in the tank when the Nitrite level rises. You should check the nitrite level if a fish dies or gets ill.
To prevent the rise of Nitrite levels, you should change the water weekly. You should use 1-3 tablespoons of salt per gallon to reduce the Nitrite level.
Nitrate
As compared to nitrite and ammonia, nitrate is not toxic. Nitrate should be avoided in the water because it creates stress in the fish. Mainly Young fish are more sensitive to nitrate.
You should check your nitrate level monthly. To reduce the nitrate level, you should change the water weekly. Nitrate can stress the fish as well. Don’t forget to clean the filters while changing the water. It is not mandatory to clean weekly, but I suggest you clean at least once a time in a month.
Phosphate
If you are facing a problem with algae, then Phospate is the main reason, as phosphate gives nutrients to algae to grow.
Dry fish can increase the phosphate level, specifically overfeeding with lower quality foods that are high in phosphate, so you should check the ingredients when you are buying fish food. You can go to the fish shop near you and buy the filtering material which can be added to your filter that will help to remove phosphate from your tank.
Conclusion
The topic above is the most important eater parameter to check. They are phosphate, nitrate, nitrite, alkalinity, pH, and ammonia. It is good if you check these water parameters monthly.
Proper water parameters will help fish to live in comfort. But don’t forget to check the temperature of the water. Every fish has a different water temperature, so make sure to maintain the water temperature that will make the fish comfortable.
Hence, keep the water in perfect condition, which will help fish to live a happy life!