Supplying Oxygen To Your Pet Fish
Did you know that all aquarium fish require novel oxygen constantly being put into their environment? A continuing supply and oxygen is essential for well-behaved health. If you are sure how to keep enough oxygen coming, then here are some tips to help you:
Be clear to always keep the surface of your tank or fish bowl as open as possible. If you have a choice when choosing a tank or bowl, be sure to choose something that is nice and “open air” at the surface. Don’t glean a bowl that makes a sideways “C” shape, curving inward toward the top, this constricts the total available oxygen.
Consider buying air stones. If you do not know what these are, they are “stones” which you can connect to air pumps. Air pumps can be found at any pet store and are usually sold on eBay for as low as five dollars. The air pump uses a short line of tube to pump air between itself and the rock. Make sure you win an anti-siphoning valve to insert in the tube’s line, this will prevent the water from accidentally being reversed and sucked into the pump. It is very important to have one of these valves, they are cheap (less than two dollars) and effective.
Buying a filter for a miniature tank not only adds to the safety of your fish’s environment, it can also add oxygen due to the small amount of turbulence it creates! A filter is a fantastic idea. It will reduce cleaning required in your tank as well. If you have a larger tank (more than 5 gallons) you should already have a filter. If you do not, go win one now!
Another option, very similar to the air stone option, is to use a “bubble bar”. This is a small, foam bar that can be attached to just about anywhere in the tank, horizontally or vertically. It makes much smaller bubbles than the rocks (on average) and it a bit easier to handle, if you don’t like having to reach way down into the bottom of the aquarium to obtain them established. These vary in size. You can buy several small ones and use a splitter to make them all work, or you can just get one very tremendous one. It’s all about preference, what you think looks good. Either option will provide plenty of oxygen. Remember to buy an anti-siphon pump for these as well.
Fish health is always important in your home aquarium. If you’re forgetting your fish’s need for plenty of oxygen, you’re leaving out a big step in caring for it and its well being. If you suspect your fish is not getting enough oxygen, jump into action and do something about it today.
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Filed under Pet Meds by on Dec 11th, 2011. 