You love your aquarium. It's a beautiful site. You have spent a great deal of time and money on it and the last thing you want is to lose that investment. That is why I am writing this article. There are a few aquarium problems you need to understand in order to maintain a healthy environment. If you know about these common aquarium problems and attack them early you will be a very happy person and enjoy your aquarium for many years to come. Here is a lit of those most common aquarium problems:

1. Lots o' Snails

2. Nasty ugly algae

3. Too much for dinner

4. Elevated chemical levels

Let me explain them further...

Aquarium Problem #1 - Lots o' Snails

Since snails breed like the small pox you will notice over time an elevated number of them living in your tank. These crazy little critters can fertilize their own eggs and even procreate with themselves. This strange behavior makes them seemingly appear overnight. Don't get me wrong some snails are good. They do keep some aquarium problems at bay. They act as little pool vacuums eating all the dead and decaying stuff lying around - yum. So how do you control the approaching hoards? Simple -- add loaches, to your tank. They will eat the little guys and keep their population regulated.

Aquarium Problem #2 - Nasty Ugly Algae

I know you hate this one. It's a creepy little aquarium problem that lurks and mocks you every time you try to get rid of it. There's brown slime algae, blue-green algae, brown algae, green water and hair algae. All equally detestable. Knowing the cause of these algae will help you decide upon the proper cure. That brown-slim algae is caused by a lack of ammonia in the water. The blue-green stuff is a result of cloudy water. And, the green water and hair algae are directly linked to an excess of nitrates and nitrites.

Aquarium Problem #3 - Too Much For Dinner

Ever hear the phrase "He eats like a fish"? Well, the reason we say that is because fish do not know when to say when. Dump the whole container of food in the water and the fish will eat and eat and eat. This could kill the little darlings. Also, overfeeding fish can lead to an imbalance in the nutrients in the tank. All that food that they miss will eventually sink to the bottom of the tank and settle in the gravel making for a real messy situation. Thus leading to cloudy water and you guessed it blue-green algae - yeah, the circle of life!

Aquarium Problem #4 - Elevated Chemical Levels

This most often occurs when you just get your new tank. Called "new tank syndrome" you begin to see fish mysteriously die while you adjust the levels of ammonia and nitrite in the tank. A simple cure for this is to stock the tank slowly and give it time to adjust to changes. You can, also, try something like Algone to treat the water. Algone is used to correct nutrient imbalances and clear cloudy water.

So basically, in a nutshell, avoid many aquarium problems by simply keeping up with regular maintenance. Don't just place your aquarium in the corner and forget about it. It takes regular care in order to avoid these basic aquarium problems.