Moving your aquarium decorations to another aquarium
There will come a time when you may need to move your aquarium decorations to another aquarium. This could be for a variety of reasons, such as because the number of fish you have has outgrown your current aquarium, or someone may have given you a second-hand aquarium decoration that you would like to use. Whatever the reason, there are some rules you’ll need to follow to make sure your aquarium decoration is safe to use in your new aquarium.
Why all the fuss about transferring aquarium decorations
Can’t we just remove the ornaments from one tank and just put them in the other? Why is there such a fuss or should there be proper preparation? The main reason is germs.
You see, your aquarium decor has been soaking in the tank water for a very long time. Even with the best cleaning schedule, these ornaments are perfect surfaces for bacteria and fungus to breed. This is especially true for tank accessories that have detailed threads and rough surfaces. The cracks and gaps between the parts make it very difficult to clean properly and will allow the perfect hiding place for these germs.
Removing the decoration from the old tank and placing it in the new tank without any preparation will cause these microorganisms to transfer to the new tank. If the conditions in the new tank are right, this will cause a bacterial bloom that will be very unhealthy for your fish.
Also, if you have new fish in the new tank that are not used to the germs from the old tank, they will definitely get sick and die. So preparation is necessary when transferring aquarium decor.
But bacteria isn’t the only concern here. There are also snails. Although it is quite easy to spot a snail sitting on one of the ornaments when you remove it from the water, their eggs are almost invisible to the naked eye. Without proper preparation, you would introduce these snail eggs into the new aquarium and once they take over the aquarium, they are really difficult to remove.
How to properly transfer aquarium ornaments
It’s really not that hard to get tank decor right. The key idea here is to properly disinfect the accessories and make sure there is no transfer of germs. Here’s what you need to do are steps:
- Remove the item from the old tank and rinse it thoroughly. You do this to remove the larger debris from it so we can clean it properly later.
- Using a soft toothbrush, scrub the decor well. Keep in mind that crevices and ornament details are perfect places for microbial colonies, so give them a good scrub. Dip the decoration in plain water from time to time to get rid of the stuff you’ve rubbed off. Do not use any form of soap or detergent for this, plain water is good enough. Soap and detergent will leave a chemical residue no matter how well you wash the item, and this can poison the water later.
- After you have thoroughly scrubbed the item, rinse it thoroughly with plain water. Then dry the items in bright sunlight. This is something I have always practiced every time I wash my tank decoration. Sunlight has ultraviolet rays that will kill any microorganisms that may still be on the ornament. Leave in sunlight for an hour or two.
Your aquarium decorations are now ready to be placed in the new aquarium.
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