Enjoying the beauty that is presented in the aquascape is indeed a very exciting moment. But how can you maintain this beauty and not be damaged? The key is in how routine maintenance you do. If the treatment you take is correct, you can enjoy the beauty of the existing aquascape for longer. Then how is aquascape care that is good and correct? Here are three steps for aquascape care that you should pay attention to.
1. Checking and maintaining aquascape components
The first and foremost tip is to check and maintain regularly the components used in the aquascape system. The important components used in an aquascape system are the gravel and the aquascape filter system.
Gravel must be cleaned regularly, because it is very often covered by algae, moss or even fish excrement which makes the condition look bad. One of the main goals of cleaning gravel is to avoid the decomposition of fish waste, which can be toxic to fish that live in the aquascape.Cleaning the gravel is quite simple, which is only by vacuuming it using a hose. But you have to pay attention to the size of the hose you are using. Gravel cleaning can be done once a month. Apart from cleaning the gravel, another thing that is no less important is checking and maintaining the filter you are using.
This is because the function of the filter is very important, which is to keep the water quality in good condition. Filters that are rarely cleaned will result in an increase in the amount of waste and dirt in the water. Of course, these conditions will greatly affect the beauty of your aquascape. Filter cleaning should be done once a week.
2. Pay attention to water conditions
The second important thing that you should really pay attention to is to keep the water in the best condition, both in terms of quantity and quality. Whether we realize it or not, the water in the aquascape experiences evaporation at any time, depending on the temperature and type or shape of the aquascape.
The loss of water due to evaporation that occurs can affect various substances such as salt, calcium, waste products from fish metabolism, and other materials to become more concentrated in intensity, so the amount of water must be added quickly.
Apart from paying attention to the quantity of water, water quality must also be taken seriously. Aspects such as pH, water temperature, free CO2 (carbon dioxide), O2 cycle (oxygen), dissolved oxygen, and others really need to be considered. Aquascape conditions in general will also be affected if not properly controlled. For example, the carbon dioxide factor is one of the most important factors.
The presence of carbon dioxide will help avoid moss growth, because it can maximize the photosynthetic system of aquatic plants in the aquascape. So, don’t forget to check the water condition regularly.
3. Plant care
The last thing you should pay attention to in doing aquascape maintenance is taking care of the aquatic plants in the aquascape. As it is known that the existence of aquatic plants is one of the main keys to the beauty that can be presented in an aquascape.
Aquascape will look beautiful if the plants are well grown and well maintained. So the care of aquatic plants is one of the main things that must be considered. Treatment that can be done is to provide fertilizer regularly and tidy up growing plants.
Fertilization is needed by plants so that plants can grow and develop optimally. Irregular use of fertilizers will cause the plants to turn yellow and can even die. You can use liquid fertilizer by paying attention to the predetermined dosage.
In addition to providing fertilizer regularly, you also have to prune plants that have grown too long. This is done so that the aquascape still looks neat and maintains its beauty.
Those are three easy steps that you can apply to take care of the beauty of your aquascape. Easy isn’t it to put into practice?