Home > Ceylonese combtail (Belontia signata) > Need for ornamental fish bowl cleaning
Regular ornamental fish bowl cleaning and water replacement is necessary to keep the ornamental fish in healthy condition. By cleaning the bowl the excreted metabolic wastes are removed and the depleted minerals are restored.
Ornamental fish bowl cleaning, at least once in a week, is advised as the micro environment inside it is very small and gets upset very easily.
To have a healthy goldfish there must be healthy environment, right temperature, ideal food in correct doses and clean water. The pet must not be put under any form of stress.
As opportunistic pathogens are normally present in any water ecosystem, any slight stress causes the goldfish to fall sick.
Reasons for the need for periodic ornamental fish bowl cleaning
- The water inside gets easily affected by the metabolic and excretory wastes, as the volume of it is small.
- The metabolic wastes contain certain factors which on concentration stunt the animals, stop their growth and put them under stress.
- The side of the ornamental fish bowl requires cleaning as it will develop slimy growth of algae over a period of time, spoiling transparency.
- To prevent excessive and bothersome growth of algae, it is advisable to keep the fish bowl away from bright light and lighted windows.
- The excreted wastes collecting at the bottom may sometimes get churned up by the fish movement making the water cloudy and unhealthy.
- The excretion and the left-over food will be acted upon by bacteria continuously. Harmful ammonia may form and exceeding the tolerable levels it may harm the goldfish.
- Increase in the levels of nitrites will follow suit and the nitrite poisoning may occur which when unchecked may kill the ornamental fish.
- As bacteria will be growing on the waste, the oxygen demand in the container will keep growing and total depletion of oxygen and collapse of the ecosystem may occur with mass mortality of the fish.
- Further the ornamental fish will be absorbing calcium and other minerals present in the water for its activities.
- Unless the old water is removed and fresh one is added on to replace the depleted minerals, goldfish may become sick due to essential mineral deficiencies.
- If air filter is being used in the system, the filter may choke due to excessive wastes and its function gets reduced; it requires to be cleaned periodically.
- Due to evaporation of the water continuously, dried salt marks, as rings and bands, will appear on the side at the water edge. This will spoil the aesthetic appearance.
To have a healthy ornamental fish bowl system going periodic cleaning is very essential.