How to choose the right soil for an aquarium

Many, having bought an aquarium, try to make itbeautiful, so that the look involuntarily dwells on this miracle every time you just pass by. Of course, if in this glass house residents have already settled, you want to look at it endlessly. However, some fish are not enough. We need to take care of the arrangement of their house, in particular, to choose a suitable primer for the aquarium.

At first glance, there is nothing difficult: pour sand from the nearest quarry, and let them calmly swim. This error is often made by beginners. As a result, over time, the water in the aquarium is more turbid, the plants die, and the number of fish is rapidly declining. Therefore, to choose the soil for the aquarium should be very carefully, since it has several basic functions. The first is, of course, aesthetic. The appearance of the aquarium changes radically, as soon as a beautiful layer is poured in it. In accordance with its second function, the soil should be a favorable environment for the growth of aquarium plants and the vital activity of various microorganisms. In addition, it fulfills the filtration function: it absorbs all waste products of living organisms and plants, as well as excess feed.

Undoubtedly, it is best to performThese functions are suitable for sand or gravel. But anyone does not fit. It must be necessarily river sand, having a particle size of about 1.5 - 2 mm, smaller should not be used. If you want to add gravel, select the one whose particle size is 3 - 4 mm.

In general, aquarium soil should meet the following requirements:

· Have a porous structure;

· The particles in its composition must be of an optimal size;

· The amount of calcareous rocks in its composition is minimal;

· Must create the necessary nutrient medium for plants and microorganisms;

· It contains no harmful and poisonous substances;

· Must be dark in color.

The choice of color is necessary to stopadditionally. Dark sand is necessary to prevent the reflection of light, which can cause a temperature difference at the water-ground boundary. In addition, if you decide to choose white quartz sand, you minimize the water circulation, since such sand is too tightly located on the bottom of the aquarium. And this, in turn, can cause the death of plants due to decay of the roots. It is also necessary to avoid the sand red and yellow. This color indicates that the sand contains a significant amount of iron oxide, which can be extremely detrimental to the vital activity of fish and plants. The amount of clay is also worth minimizing, so the primer from the quarries is also not suitable.

Many people are attracted to artificial soil forAquarium, made of various colored glass. But very few people think how bad it is for fish, since its sand grains have sharp edges, which can easily be injured by fish. Try to create conditions for fish that are close to their habitat in the natural environment. Let the sand be real.

Maintain the state of biological equilibriumyou will help periodically cleaned soil in the aquarium. If you decide to collect sand in the river yourself, before you lay it on the bottom of the aquarium, also subject it to processing. The easiest way to clean is to boil for 15 minutes. Do not forget to add water and stir constantly. Then rinse the sand with warm water. It can be treated with a 25% solution of warmed hydrochloric acid, and then washed in three waters. Sand processing with sulfuric acid will help soften the water, however, the sand processing field must be washed for at least two hours with running water.

Now you know how to select and process the soil for the aquarium.