Have a Healthy, Happy Aquarium

When properly maintained and researched, an aquarium can be a relaxing a rewarding addition to your home!

Steps

  1. Research the fish you would like to own. You want to know things like, their adult size, what their natural environment is, what other fish they are compatible with, and what kinds of things they eat, what temperature range they live in, and the pH range they will tolerate.
  2. Buy a tank that is going to fit all the fish! Not the size they are now, but the fish's adult size! Your fish should have no problem turning around in the tank once they reach their adult size. Each fish should have several gallons of water for just them.
  3. Get substrate that your fish would expect i.e. sand for salt water fish, pebbles for river fish. You should have 1 pound of substrate for each gallon of water
  4. Chose a filter system that will be right for you. There are many out there, each requiring different amounts of care and maintenance.
  5. Buy plants and wood to make hiding places for your fish. Many fish will be more comfortable and less shy if they have dark places they can go to hide if they feel nervous or are just trying to get out of their light.
  6. You'll need a thermometer and heater! Make sure you get one that will be able to heat the amount of water in your tank
  7. Get a hood! Lots of fish can be good jumpers and need to have the tank covered so they can't exit the tank.
  8. Buy all the chemicals you need to start up and maintain a tank, such as dechlorinator to make tap water safe for fish.
  9. Make sure your tank is on a sturdy stand, {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} of water weight about ten pounds plus all the rocks! When adding the water, it works well if you put a large plate one the bottom of the tank so the water doesn't move all the substrate.
  10. Add all of your chemicals to the tank, plug in the filters and let the tank run! Its advisable to let it run for at least a month before adding fish, adding fish food to feed the beneficial bacteria that should start to grow in the filter. There needs to be a high level of beneficial bacteria to get rid of the waste produced by the fish when you add them, otherwise the fish will die slowly and painfully in the toxic water.
  11. Test the water! either buy a 35 dollar test kit or take in a water sample to a fish store. You should check for pH, ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates! The pH should what the fish you intend to keep would have in the wild, ammonia and nitrite should never be above 0 or the fish will get sick. Nitrates help plants to grow but too much causes algae, it shouldn't be above 40ppm.
  12. Get your fish! Not all at once though. Too many fish at once will mean that the filter bacteria cannot cope with all the waste. No more than 1 large or 5 small fish should be put into the tank within a week period.
  13. Once you bring the fish home (only after the water has safe levels of chemicals) "float" them in the bag they are in on top of the water for about half an hour. Do this so they can adjust to the temperature. The add a small amount of tank water to the bag every 10 minutes or so for about an hour, or more if they are sensitive fish. This helps the fish prepare for the unique water conditions in your tank.
  14. Turn off any tank lights to make the transition less stressful for the fish. Do not feed your new fish until a day has passed from purchase. Stressed fish will most likely not eat or it will produce a lot of waste. Let it settle and get used to its environment before trying to give it food.
  15. Doing weekly or biweekly 25% water changes will keep your fish happy and healthy. Invest a gravel siphon(vacuum) and dechlorinator, this should be added every time tap water is put into the tank, as chlorine is very painful for fish.
  16. Enjoy!

Tips

  • Make sure fish are compatible.
  • Make sure you buy a tank large enough for the fish's adult size.
  • Make sure you give the fish some dark time. They don't have eyelids so they need some time in the dark every day. The easiest thing to do is just turn off the light once the sun sets and vice versa.
  • Clean the tank once or twice weekly!

Warnings

  • Never touch your fish! Some fish can actually get burned by your touch!
  • Make sure fish are compatible but don't be surprised if you have some squabbling at first to establish who the top fish is!
  • Do not mix goldfish and tropical fish! Goldfish are considered to be very dirty fish and prefer their own pH!
  • Don't overfeed your fish. Feed them small amounts of fish food 1-3 times a day.

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