Take Care of Your Fish

It makes a lot of sense to know how to take care of fish before buying them. They may seem like a fairly easy-to-care-for pet but that depends on both the species and your interpretation of "easy". All fish need appropriate housing, regular nutritious feeding, daily health checks, enrichment and regularly cleaned housing. Whether you're planning on keeping a goldfish or you're considering going tropical, it pays to learn what you can about all the varied needs involved, so that you're prepared and can maintain good fish health long term.

Steps

Deciding on the Right Fish For You

  1. Research different kinds of fish and decide which ones interest you. Be sure to find out what they need to live, such as tank size, food, and compatible species. If you don't know these basics, you're not yet ready to own fish.
  2. Be careful to undo any myths you might have learned with respect to keeping fish. For example, common mistakes include putting goldfish and bettas in bowls, adding fish before cycling your tank, and placing incompatible fish together.

Setting Up Ahead of the Purchase

  1. Buy the necessities before getting your fish. This includes the food, the tank, the filter, substrate, lighting, a heater, and a test kit to measure ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH. You also need water conditioner to remove the chlorine and chloramine in tap water. Spend some time reading the instructions accompanying all of the products you've purchased, as this is a really good way of quickly improving your knowledge and helps you to understand how to set everything up and proper care for that product.
  2. Set up the housing requirements for your fish. Fill up the chosen container with water. Then, turn on all equipment and check that it's all working. It is better to find out the things that don't work and fix them before adding the fish.
  3. Cycle the tank.
  4. Consider adding natural water plants. These can have the benefit of offering shelter, filtering the water, and even serving as food. However, be sure to match the types of plants to the fish you're going to keep.
  5. Enrich the fish environment. Fish appreciate things to do and places to chill, just like all living beings. Give them things to hide under, rest on, swim through, look at and even be challenged by. This can include beautifully colored gravel, interesting water tank decorations, large pebbles/rocks, and water cascades.

Adding the Fish to the Tank

  1. After the tank is cycled, you can add fish slowly. It is always best to add only one to three fish at a time. Float the bag in the water for 10 or more minutes so the fish can adjust to the water temperature. Then, add some of your water in the tank into the bag and float it again for 10 or more minutes. If necessary, do it again. Then, gently net the fish out and place it into the tank. This will prevent the transfer of diseases and waste from the pet store.

Ongoing Fish Care

  1. Feed your fish the proper food in small amounts, 1-3 times a day.
  2. Do a partial (25%) water change once or twice a week. Be sure to vacuum the gravel. Don't replace the filter media if it looks dirty, just rinse it gently in used tank water so you won't kill off the beneficial bacteria that live in the filter.
  3. Clean out plant life now and then. The plant life should support the fish, not take over the tank. You will need to cull overgrowth when it occurs and remove diseased or dead plants. You will also need to pay attention to getting rid of algal growth, even if you have fish that feed off it.
  4. Have fun loving your cute, new fish!

Tips

  • Don't overfeed the fish, otherwise this may cause health problems.
  • Fish are family, so treat them with respect.
  • Be sure to turn off the light at night. Fish need to sleep, too.
  • Plants are nice for fish to swim in and around, and (if they sense danger) to hide in.
  • Before releasing fish into the tank, float them first in the plastic bag so they can adjust to the water temperature of the tank.
  • Some artificial plants can snag your fish's fins. Be careful if you choose artificial plants.
  • When you are changing the water you need to keep the water hot for one whole day and then add it plus you have to add a liquid called stress coat to remove the chlorine from the sink water and once in a while the decorations need cleaning to and the plants too and remember to love your fish because if you take good care of your fish it will live longer!
  • Ensure the fish can coexist peacefully.
  • Be careful when cleaning the tank so as not to harm the fish.
  • Don't use warm water for goldfish, they are tropical.
  • Be careful when you change the fish tank water. Make sure the fish has some water to swim in.

Warnings

  • Cleaners should have nothing to do with fish. The chemicals in cleaners or cleaner residue could kill them.

Things You'll Need

  • Fish
  • An appropriately sized tank
  • Fish food
  • Substrate (sand or gravel)
  • A filter
  • Water conditioner

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