Hydrogen peroxide for the aquarium: dosage and application

Hydrogen peroxide is an affordable and very effective drug used to solve a wide variety of aquarium problems. This remedy helps oxygenate the water, get rid of unnecessary vegetation and cure some bacterial and fungal infections. However, you should be extremely careful with peroxide - any increase in the permissible dosage will inevitably lead to the death of aquatic inhabitants.

When hydrogen peroxide enters the water, it begins to decompose into oxygen and hydrogen, thereby enriching the stagnant liquid in the aquarium. At the moment of interaction of peroxide with cells and tissues of lower microorganisms, an oxidation reaction occurs, which largely contributes to the destruction of unwanted pathogenic flora. The onset of action of the drug can be judged by the air bubbles that rise from the bottom of the tank.

Immediately, we note that a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide is used in the aquarium. The composition has established itself as an effective remedy that can fight many diseases, oxygen starvation of aquarium inhabitants, as well as rapidly growing algae. Do not forget that this drug is very strong and aggressive, therefore, if the recommended concentrations are exceeded, it can simply burn out all living things in an artificial reservoir.

To avoid such unfavorable consequences and, instead of treating the fish, do not completely destroy them, peroxide is preliminarily diluted in a separate container and only then poured into water. Usually, before use, it is diluted 10–20 times, and then very slowly, using a syringe, is introduced into the filter stream. After 60–90 minutes, you should change the water halfway - otherwise, organic matter dying off under the action of the drug will start to rot and poison the water.

One of the main problems that fish face is oxygen starvation. It can happen in several cases:

• with low power or complete absence of compressors;
• when the water temperature rises;
• with overpopulation of fish.

In such situations, pets do not have enough oxygen, they begin to suffocate - then hydrogen peroxide becomes a real salvation for all representatives of the aquarium fauna. As a rule, the visible effect from the use of the agent is noticeable already 15–25 minutes after the addition of the medicinal solution: the fish quickly come to their senses and from the surface of the water begin to swim away to their hiding places. With the oversaturation of an artificial reservoir, fish are often poisoned with ammonia contained in the waste of pets.

Depending on the condition of the fish apply a solution of peroxide in a volume of 1 to 3 ml for every 10 liters of water. From the very first minutes, hydrogen peroxide begins to work, making it easier for pets to breathe and significantly accelerating oxidative processes, as well as stimulating the breakdown of nitrates and their excretion from the body. It can be said without exaggeration that drugs that work as fast as hydrogen peroxide simply don't exist.

The drug can also be used to treat the following diseases that fish face:

• bacterial infections of the fins and body;
• attack of the gills by parasitic microorganisms;
• skin lesions by parasites.

If the problem is insignificant, the disease is at an initial stage, then fish can be treated in a common reservoir. In this case, the proportion of the injected drug is 2.5 mg per 10 l of water, the procedure is carried out twice a day for a week. If the fish has severe skin lesions, then you can cure it with peroxide baths, usually such procedures are very easily tolerated by the fish. To do this, water is poured into a separate tank and the fungicide is diluted from the ratio of 1 ml of peroxide to 1 liter of water, and the diseased individual is placed there for 10-15 minutes.

With severe fin rot, baths also help, they are carried out in a similar way, only the concentration of the drug is used a little higher - 4 ml per 1 liter of water. Processing takes about 30-50 minutes. Fin rot therapy is performed twice daily until the fins begin to heal. After this, the therapy is continued in the same way as if the infection was mild, that is in the general aquarium.

Hydrogen peroxide is often used to get rid of overgrown algae. Blue-green algae often appear in oxygen-depleted aquariums. They multiply very quickly and in the shortest possible time are able to double their mass, while mucus appears on the walls of the tank and on other aquatic plants, all this is accompanied by a pungent unpleasant odor.

Aquariums often suffer from nitchake Is a dark green, almost black algae that braids around aquatic plants, preventing light from reaching them. As a result, they cannot fully grow and develop, in addition, small fish get tangled in the threads and die. Hydrogen peroxide has worked very well against blue-white algae and nitchan. To combat "uninvited guests", a solution is poured into the water at the rate of 2.5 ml per 10 liters of liquid, the procedure is repeated daily until the algae are completely destroyed, most often the effect is noticeable already on the third day.

Vietnamese is considered a very dangerous seaweed. If she entangled the plant, the treatment will have to be carried out in a separate tank, since only increased concentrations of the reagent will help here. The affected plant is carefully removed from the soil and placed in a jar with a solution of peroxide, in this case, the dosage is 4 mg per 10 liters.

Processing is carried out for about an hour, then the plant is returned back to the aquarium without rinsing. To achieve the effect, peroxide is introduced into the water at a standard concentration. A danger to plants is the "black beard" algae. The leaves become covered with a dark bloom and gradually die, a similar phenomenon occurs with a large amount of food residues in the water and excessive aeration. Hydrogen peroxide is one of the most effective remedies against this algae; the treatment is carried out in a concentration of 2–2.5 ml per 10 liters of water every day until the aquarium is completely emptied.

Hydrogen peroxide in high dosages is an excellent antiseptic. It is capable of destroying the entire microflora, while it does not require subsequent washing of the inner surface - this is its fundamental difference from most other drugs. If you have whitish worms, for example, planarians, in an artificial reservoir, and small snails have proliferated too much, you urgently need to connect "heavy artillery" in the form of peroxide.

Before processing it is necessary to remove from the tank everything that you want to protect - fish, aquatic plants and all kinds of invertebrates. 30–45% perhydrol is poured into the container (note that this is not a pharmaceutical 3% solution, but a strong industrial composition) - it must be diluted with water so that a concentration of 4.5–6.5% is formed.

Important! You should work with this solution with gloves, otherwise there is a high risk of severe burns. After the container has been processed, all the liquid must be drained, and then carefully siphon the soil in order to destroy the dead organic matter.

Hydrogen peroxide is used to disinfect a liquid when an excess amount of organic matter has accumulated in it, which may be the result of the following reasonsn:

• if the inhabitants are over-fed, uneaten food remains in the water, which, decomposing, pollute the aquarium;
• if the breeder accidentally poured too much feed and did not immediately remove the excess;
• if one or more fish die - if not removed in time, they will begin to decompose and release toxic substances into the water;
• if the filter is broken.

Important! In this situation, first you need to eliminate the source of pollution, replace the water by 30-50%, and then add the reagent at the rate of 1.5-2 mg for every 10 liters of water.

In addition to the cases described above, hydrogen peroxide is also used for incubating eggs - peroxide contributes to the maximum yield of fry and their better development. Many arthropod lovers add brine shrimp solution - for faster hatching, they are immersed in the drug solution for half an hour.

For information on the required dosage of hydrogen peroxide for an aquarium, see the next video.