How to Maintain a Healthy Aquarium During Hot Weather

Hot weather for the fish aquarist is usually a bit of a challenge. Higher temperatures will stress your fish and may disrupt the delicate ecology in your aquarium. With precautions in place and proper aquarium maintenance, you can easily maintain a healthy aquarium even in extremely hot temperatures. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help protect your aquatic world against hot weather.

Monitor Water Temperature Regularly

The most important thing in aquarium maintenance is the monitoring of the water temperature. Fish and plants have a favorable temperature, and a sudden increase will affect them by stressing or even damaging them. Purchase a good quality aquarium thermometer, this should be one which gives the reading in real time. Attempt to check the temperature at least twice a day to ensure it is within a safe margin.

Control Room Temperature

If you can, keep your aquarium in a room where you can regulate the temperature. If that can be done, then air conditioning can be highly effective in keeping both the room and aquarium cool. Otherwise, if you cannot do that, at least keep the aquarium away from any windows or direct sunlight as this often raises the temperature of the tank considerably.

Use Fans for Extra Cooling

A little fan that is set up to blow across the top of the aquarium will cool the water through evaporation. A clip-on fan is very easy to set up and can be really helpful to cool an aquarium, especially larger ones. However, the increased evaporation also means you’ll be topping up aquarium water more regularly.

Adjust the Lighting

Lights do produce heat that will also raise the temperature of your aquarium. You could cut back the number of hours that the lights stay on, or you can shut them off for a couple of hours in the hottest part of the day. Changing your bulbs out to LED lights will be helpful too because they don’t output anywhere near the amount of heat.

Maintain a Proper Aeration

Hot water carries less oxygen, and when fish have to struggle for breathing in a planted aquarium that is, when the plants and fish are sharing the oxygen resources. The addition of an air pump or increasing surface agitation in your aquarium will maintain oxygen levels in favor of your plants and fish. A few filters have an aeration function inbuilt, which makes them ideal during hot weather to increase the oxygen circulation and maintains an even, oxygen-rich environment in your planted aquarium.

Partial Water Change With Cool Water

If the temperature really starts to rise, do partial water changes with cooler water. Be careful, though-additions that are too cold can shock your fish. Look for water a few degrees cooler than the current water temperature of your aquarium. A 10-20% water change can offer some immediate relief to your fish without startling them.

Consider Using a Chiller

If you live in an area where the temperature is constantly high, then an aquarium chiller might be something worthy of your investment. Aquarium chillers are essentially little air conditioners for your aquarium, keeping the water cool enough. While the price for chillers can be high, it works rather nicely on a budget if you have fish or any other marine animal that needs cool environments.

Avoid Overfeeding

When the weather is hot, a fish’s metabolic processes change and they may not need to eat as much. Overfeeding contributes to wastes that can detract from water quality. Feed your fish in small portions, removing any food after a few minutes that is not consumed.

Watch for Sign of Stress in Your Fish

Higher temperature can be a source of stress thus, the first warning signs should be known. Watch for color changes, erratic swimming or gasping at the surface. This can signal either an oxygen deficiency or temperature-related stress. If any of the above symptoms appear, immediately cool the water and oxygenate the water.

Conclusion

Aquarium maintenance Dubai during hot seasons involves greater care. It is with good planning and frequent monitoring that aquatic pets could overcome even those conditions that are unsuitable for them. But with due attention to temperature, oxygen supply, and quality of water, a safe and balanced ambiance for fish and plants could be guaranteed. The routine care of an aquarium is really instrumental in keeping the heat under control and assuring a continuous ecosystem throughout the year. Contact Feathers and Fins, the best aquatic store in Dubai. They have a team of experts to guide you in your aquarium maintenance. Visit their website at www.feathersandfins.ae for more information.