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photo credit: robstephaustralia
One of the common themes which keeps cropping up here from visitors is all about the daily cycles of an aquarium such as how long lights should be left on for, how long filters should be left on for, when fish should be fed and so on.
So in this article I thought we’d attempt to cover as many of those bases as possible to give you a better idea of how to run your aquarium on a daily basis and keep your fish happy and healthy.
Feeding
In the wild many fish will browse throughout the day rather like a gazelle as opposed to a lion feeding every few days and spending the rest of the time asleep. In addition to this any uneaten fish food has the potential to pollute the water in your fish tank, affect levels of nitrates and nitrites and either cause harm to your fish or require more regular cleaning.
Therefore it is generally advisable if you have the time to feed your fish smaller amounts on a more regular basis. Feeding before and after work, for example, tends to work well and by following this pattern it is reasonably easy to get into the habit.
Lighting
If you use artificial lighting in your aquarium like most fish keepers then it is wise to turn these lights off during the night. Leaving lights on 24 hours a day can stress your fish out, tire out plants and encourage algal growth so lights should ideally be turned on for 12-16 hours per day and for ease I generally use a timer so I don’t need to think about this aspect of aquarium care.
Filtration
Most fish don’t “sleep” as we humans do and so may still be active at night though typically less so than during the day. Because of this they may still defecate in the water and of course some excess food etc. may also still be present in the water so it is recommended that you leave your aquarium filtration system on at all times unless you are removing it to clean it during routine tank maintenance.
