Okay so you have decided that you want to own a fish tank. Great! All you need to do is go to the pet store and pick out a tank and the prettiest fish in the store, and you are ready to go right? Wrong! Starting up an aquarium is a process. It takes time and a lot of patience. If you are a beginner, it is recommended that you start out with some hardy freshwater fish, but don't buy the fish just yet. You need to set up the aquarium first. Most aquarium retailers will sell an aquarium in the form of a kit. This takes the guess work out of purchasing.
In order to get your tank ready, first rinse out the tank with clean tap water. Rinse the gravel and any substrate as well. If you are using an under gravel filter, place it in the bottom of the tank. Next cover the filter with approximately two to three inches of gravel. Fill the tank about a third of the way full with water that has been de-chlorinated. The next step is to add any plants or decorations to the tank. Check with your retailer on the specifics for adding live plants. Some live plants need to be anchored, while others can be left free floating. Next connect the air pump and filtration system, and fill the tank the rest of the way. Lastly put the lid on the tank and let it cycle for one to two days before adding any fish to the tank.
Watch the tank for cloudiness and check the temperature and P.H. of the water. If all is clear you may add a few hardy fish. It is important to choose fish that can withstand high levels of nitrites and ammonia, because these levels are always high in a new tank due to the nitrogen cycle. Debris in the tank from fish excretions help to generate the good bacteria that is needed in order for the fish to survive. Since there are currently no fish in the tank this will take some time. It usually takes about four to six weeks. Once you have purchased your fish, let them float on the surface of the tank in the bag for about fifteen minutes. The purpose of this is to allow the fish to become acclimated to the water temperature in the aquarium. Carefully add the fish into the aquarium using a net and a bucket. Don't pour the water from the bag into the aquarium. The water from the bag could throw off your perfectly regulated water, as well as introduce new bacteria to the aquarium. Watch the fish carefully for signs of stress. Stress causes illness in fish. Monitor their activity levels. Inactive fish or fish hanging out near the surface of the aquarium indicates stress. There is a stress coat that can be used, if symptoms of stress do appear. Wait anywhere from a week to a month before introducing any new fish to the aquarium, allowing the existing fish to become acclimated to their new environment.
Currently there is more than 20,000 fish, which to instruct you on care would be time consuming. Therefore, we will cover the basics in tank management to provide you a bit of help. Unlike furry critters on land, fish do not have coats that protect them. Therefore, water temperature is important. If the water temperature is too high, oxygen supply is minimized. On the other hand if the water temperature is too low, it can affect the health of your fish. Along with your aquarium purchase, you should have received a manual, or instruction brochure. It is important to read the material so that you know exactly what temperature and gravity is required to maintain healthy fish. If you have goldfish it is recommended to keep the temperature at 75 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have tropical fish the temperature should be set at 75 degrees Fahrenheit, or 80 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. With your aquarium you should supply a thermometer, and sometimes a heater depending on the type of fish you have. Goldfish for example can stand lower temperatures at times. How is water measured? Water is measured in pH, which depends on the sourness. Again, it depends on the type of fish you have. If you have saltwater fish, the water is measured at 7.8 up to 8.3. Freshwater fish measures at 6.8 up to 7.2. You want to monitor the pH measurements of water; since the higher the water is measured the more ammonia is produced. If the water temperature is too low it can become harmful to bacteria denitrifying growth, as well as to the gills of your fish. You can purchase buffers, and test kits to maintain pH balance in fish water. Furthermore, gravity is measured in water as well as oxygen, which will discuss shortly. How much oxygen do fish need? Oxygen for fish, land animals, and human beings is essential to survival. Without sufficient oxygen the brain will die, which in turn kills the body. Water as well as air, supplies oxygen to fish tanks: You can increase oxygen by using pumps or air supply, which will provide turbulence that creates oxygen. In addition, if you keep the water cool it will augment oxygen supply. How is gravity measured? Gravity is based on the amount of chemicals added to the water. If you supply your aquarium with unadulterated water it has a 1.0 gravity in ionic. If your fish come from saltwater you should have a gravity level no higher than 1.023, however you can reduce illnesses for saltwater fish by keeping the gravity level at 1.017. Non-marine or freshwater fish can benefit from a low volume of salt added to the water, especially to reduce stress. You can purchase refactometers and test kits to maintain gravity level. How do I maintain saltwater fish aquariums? This is a stressful question; since saltwater fish are marine creatures that habitat in environments where changes are consistent. As well, it depends on the type of aquarium you've purchased to keep the fish. If you've purchased a larger aquarium it is easy to maintain saltwater fish by keeping the environment stable. If you haven't already purchased saltwater fish take note that the Damsel's is an aggressive saltwater fish that does not mate well with other fish. However, this type of fish is easier to maintain than a wide array of other saltwater fish. In conclusion, to learn more about aquariums and fish care visit the internet where you will find a wide assortment of inforamtion available to you. Tip: Damsels is a beginners saltwater fish that demands little attention.
Both Jeanie Smith & Suegold are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Suegold has sinced written about articles on various topics from Information Technology, Aquarium Fish and Work From Home. The author Jan Clark manages a website that offers you a variety of , other tropical aquarium and various types of. Suegold's top article generates over 246000 views. to your Favourites.