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#Used 20 gallon fish tank how to#
How to Clean your Tank in Five Easy Steps Strontium 4 – 10 ppm 8 – 14 ppm 8 – 10 ppm Nitrate – Nitrogen (NO3) <30 ppm <1.0 ppm 0.25 ppm Nitrite (NO2) Undetectable Undetectable Near Zero General Hardness 4 – 12 GH 12 – 20 GH 4 – 12 GHĪmmonia 0.0 0.0 0.0 Nitrate 0.0 0.0 0.0 Nitrate <50 ppm <50 ppm <50 ppm Saltwater Parameters Parameter FOWLR Aquarium Reef Aquarium Coral Reef Freshwater Parameters Parameter Freshwater Brackish Pond Temperature 72 – 82oF 72 – 82oF 33 – 76oF pH 6.5 – 7.5 7.5 – 8.4 6.5 – 7.5Īlkalinity (Carbonate Hardness) 4 – 8 KH 10 – 18 KH 4 – 8 KH Remember different species have more specific requirements so you should always research the fish, corals or invertebrates that you are keeping in your aquarium to check the acceptable parameters.
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The parameters depend entirely on the species which you are keeping, but you can use the parameters below as a guideline. The amount of water you need to replace, and the regularity of your water changes will entirely depend on the size of your tank, and the amount of fish you have in there.Īs a guideline, you should aim to give your freshwater tank a partial water change of 10-20% every 2 – 3 weeks. How Often Should You Clean Your Tank? A Regular Cleaning Schedule is Important This only needs to be a quick check to ensure everything is working properly, the rest can be done during the tank clean. Brief check over your equipment – the filter, lights etc.Home kits are extremely simple to use, they are color-coded strips of paper that help you to determine the levels in your tank. You can either have your water tested at your local fish store or just buy a home testing kit. Water checks – pH, nitrate, nitrite and ammonia levels, and salinity (in saltwater tanks).
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#Used 20 gallon fish tank full#
Organic matter includes any waste which is made as a natural by-product of having a tank full of fish that are regularly fed. Organic matter is classified into dissolved organic matter (DOM) and particulate organic matter (POM).ĭOM is defined as any organic material which can pass through 0.2 0 1.0 um filters, whilst POM will not pass through. Examples include sugars, fatty acids, vitamins, amino acids and proteins. Organic compounds are defined by chemists as those that are made up of both carbon and hydrogen (they can also contain other atoms too). To remove dissolved and particulate organic compounds One of the better ways is to add artificial ammonia to your tank to start building up the bacteria colony which breaks down ammonia and nitrites. Before you introduce any fish to a tank, ideally it will have been cycled there are a number of different ways to cycle your tank.
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