Oliver Knott: Aquarium maintenance
What maintenance has to be done on an aquarium? And how long does it take? Aquascaper Oliver Knott answers these questions and gives tips in the following video.
Water change
We have already explained how important a water change is for the aquarium ecosystem in a separate article. In the video, Oliver explains clearly that there are many different ways to change the water in an aquarium, especially when it comes to amount and regularity. Like Oliver Knott, we at Aquasabi recommend a weekly exchange of approx. 50% of the aquarium water. This rather large change counteracts a buildup of unwanted substances or nutrient spikes. It also reduces the germ load and partly replenishes minerals that have been used up in the aquarium water.
In terms of time, a water change in a standard aquarium takes approx. 30 minutes. In the article "Water change", we have also put together a few tips on how to do it, so that the process is as efficient and convenient as possible.
Glass cleaning
The time of the water change can also be used to do other work on the aquarium, such as cleaning the glass. Oliver Knott has made a video of his own on this topic, in which he presents useful tools such as blade scrapers and sponges, like the Magic Cleaner Sponge used in the video, and compares how they handle.
Other maintenance tasks
Oliver Knott recommends setting aside a good hour a week for aquarium maintenance. In addition to the water change and cleaning the glass, there are smaller irregular tasks, such as trimming the plants or removing algae, if necessary.
You should also take time every day, if possible, for a quick look into the aquarium. Are all the inhabitants doing well? Is the equipment working properly? The aquatic plants and, of course, the animal inhabitants also want to be fed. Fertilizing the aquarium plants and feeding the fish and shrimp does not take much time, though. It takes little effort and, for the animals, even comes with some entertainment. During feeding you can nicely observe the fish and shrimp in the aquarium.