subject: Aquarium Care At Christmas [print this page] The Xmas Period is often a manic time for you and your loved ones, but it can also be a stressful time for the fish and creatures in your aquarium. With all of the coming and going and partying over Christmas, it really is easy to overlook tropical fish tanks and miss any of the warning indicators that you would normally pick up on when something is wrong. Before the festivities begin, most people are likely to clean out their aquarium, swap the filter media, and carry out a partial water change. You may also add a handful of new fish as well so that your aquarium will look good when your Xmas visitors come over throughout the festivities. You will need to take a number of precautions with decorations as hanging them too close to your aquarium can stress your fish (they may seem to be predators to the fish - fish eating Santa!!!!) Colorful lighting is fine, but remember to attempt to prevent placing flashing lights near the tank. Room/air fresheners should not be employed near the aquarium, as these may include hazardous chemical compounds that could hurt the delicate gill membranes or coral polyps. In an ideal world, the fish tank should not be positioned close to a fireplace, but, if it is unavoidalbe, make certain to circulate the warm air throughout the whole space and avoid localized hot spots near the aquarium. If feasible, do not place any ornaments or decorations (or toys and buffets for that matter!) within close proximity to the aquarium as this will most likely bring people too close to the aquarium and potentially stress the fish. Remember to give them some space!!
It's Party Season!!!:
Family get togethers and especially Xmas parties are brilliant fun but do, by their very nature, create hazards for aquariums. Folks unfamiliar with aquatic displays might be fascinated with the display before them and may well even try to feed the fish with sandwiches, cake, sausage rolls!!!!!. Aquarium etiquette can be encouraged by putting a little sign asking guests to refrain from knocking on the glass to get the fishs attention, to not open the top so that the fish can nibble on their grubby fingers, or give the fish a swig of Christmas cheer!! One less visible hazard that may be encountered is elevated CO2 levels which can be created from large groups of people being in the same room and especially so if people are permitted to smoke. Higher levels can actually lower the pH of the aquarium water, so be sure that all of the pumps are working at maximum speed to help drive off excessive CO2. For really large groups, you are going to need a fan to circulate fresh air into the room. If you allow smoking in the house, air purifiers can be great, and attempt to keep any fingers with nicotine on them out of the water; it is extremely toxic to fish.
With a little bit of foresight, both you and your aquarium can survive the Xmas period. Before things get too hectic, it is a good time to be sure you have the normal emergency supplies on hand for those unplanned equipment fixes (additional heater and pump), unforeseen water changes (salt, dechlorinator solution, ammonia removers etc) or replacement fluorescent tubes. For my supplies I tend to vist Aquarium House where I can compare the prices of aquariums and aquatic supplies from the top suppliers so that I can be sure that I am getting the best deals.
