Temperature Fall Can Affect Fish in Aquarium
For those looking at colourful fish in the aquarium and are interested to raise them at home, because it takes little effort to bring them up, do you know if they are vulnerable to seasonal changes. Are you aware that changes in diet patterns and the reduction or increase in temperature affects them? Those raising different varieties of fish over the years say that it requires great care to verify the kind of complications that develop in certain kinds of fish, how changes in temperature affect them and what needs to be done to protect fish from temperature changes.
Aswin Prasanna A S, an advocate, who has been breeding fish for over four years now, says, “Some fish, barring the imported varieties, develop viral diseases during winters. As the temperature dips, we need to take extra care of the fish, as the water will be cooler than normal and we need to install heaters that restore the water to its normal temperature, i.e. room temperature,” he explains.
For the imported varieties, there is not much maintenance required and changing the water regularly will suffice.
They rarely get affected by any illnesses, he adds. Regarding general maintenance, others who have aquariums at home, talk about the basic factors that have to be considered. Vishnu Prasath says that making the water conducive for fish habitation by regular filtration and periodical aeration is important and if these factors are taken care of, maintenance is half done and one can prevent most complications.
Rekha, who has her own band of fish at home, points out that to keep the water clean and fresh, one must change half the water in the tank once every two or three days, if the filters are not effective.
“Keep the temperature constant. There are water heaters available to maintain the temperature, else the fish tend to get white spots on them during winter and before adding plants to the tank during any season, ensure that the leaves do not have any scales formed on them,” she advises.
Despite precautions, if the fish get affected by changes in temperature, doctors prescribe drops that need to be added in water they are raised in, depending on the type of fish. “For instance, one of the drops we use specifically for the Arowana fish is called Fish Dr and for the Floran fish, we use Vita Chem. These medicines are used to treat viral infections that occur near the head or the stomach of the fish,” Aswin informs.
Another aspect one needs to understand in order to ensure proper maintenance of fish is the kinds that can co-exist in one tank. “In case the ones in our tank are community fish, one must take care to see how much space each fish requires. For instance, black sharks coexist with their own kind, but they kill other breeds of fish that are in the same tank,” adds another owner