There’s an allure to aquariums that can’t really be replicated by having any other pet. You get a lusciously illuminated natural piece of artwork within your own home that can be incredibly relaxing to look at. But it’s important to remember that you’re still basically taking care of an environment for living creatures. There are plenty of ready-to-use aquariums for sale, but in order to truly keep them bright and full of life, you have to take good care of them. If you’re a complete beginner when it comes to aquarium maintenance, here’s a quick guide.
Cycling the tank
If you’re a complete beginner, it’s very likely that you’ve never heard of cycling the tank. In simple terms, it means bringing up the water conditions to a level that is considered healthy for the fish. This involves growing specific microorganism that help break down waste. Though it might sound like a long process, it actually happens really quick.
You should cycle the tank every time you want to introduce new fish into the aquarium. What this means for you is that you should buy your tank first, perform the cycling, and only then bring in the fish. Never do this with the fish still inside the tank, though, as the process itself is very unhealthy for them, even leading to their deaths in extreme cases.
Changing the water
The water in the tank needs to be changed on a regular basis. You can do this in several ways, but the most efficient one is replacing the water with clean water. It’s advised that you replace about a third of the water in your tank every week to keep it fresh.
You can take this opportunity to dispose of the debris from the bottom of your aquarium. This is best achieved using water changers and siphons – with those tools, the process is incredibly straightforward.
Monitoring the water
Your water parameters needs to be closely monitored and tested to make sure that your fish are living in a healthy environment. To do this, just purchase a testing kit and you’ll be able to gather all the information you need. Among the most important factors to pay attention to is the pH level, as well as the natural chemical compounds within your tank. As a general rule of thumb, the lower those numbers are, the better.
Research your fish
Speaking of pH levels, you need to know what the ideal pH level for your fish is before you know how to adjust it. That’s just one aspect, however – the deeper you research into your fish, the better. Know what size it will reach, how it functions with other fish and how much space it needs. These aspects are incredibly crucial to maintaining a nice, relaxing fish tank. Check out the fish species in our database.
Aquarium lighting
One last thing that needs to be taken care of is managing the lighting. You’ll want to keep your aquarium bright, since you want to display your fish, but the downside of that is that it tends to cultivate algae growth. In order to prevent that from happening, it’s best if you manage the amount of lighting every day. Never keep the light on for longer than 12 hours at a time and keep your tank away from the sunlight.
Last Updated on 21 March 2020 by John
