If you decide to buy yourself an aquarium with fish, you will be faced with many questions: which fish are best, how to care for fish, what size aquarium you need, and how to care for it properly. Keeping fish is easy, but there are a few nuances. Let’s examine all these questions in more detail.
How do you choose an aquarium? The future home of your fish should fit harmoniously into your home and be easy to clean. The choice of an aquarium depends on the number and size of the fish that will live there. Large containers’ water remains clean longer, so cleaning there can be done less frequently.
The fish will feel good in conditions close to natural. Therefore, it is worth paying attention to the interior of the aquarium: soil, algae, stones. Purchasing a 10-15 liter fish tank will also be necessary, where sick or acquired fish will be temporarily kept for quarantine.
How to choose fish
The diversity of species in underwater inhabitants is fantastic. The main thing to remember when choosing is to let the fish interact peacefully with each other. Before going to the pet store, you should study the information about aquarium fish as thoroughly as possible, look at their photos, and write down the names of those you like. It is better to give preference to medium-sized fish. When purchasing, you should look at the condition of the fish:
– Does she have ulcers on her body?
– is there any skeletal deformation?
– whether she swallows air from the surface of the water.
You should also take a closer look at the design of the aquariums in the pet store: They should have at least a minimum number of shelters for their inhabitants. How is quarantine going in the store? Are newly arrived fish placed in a separate container?
Starting an aquarium and keep and care for fish
So, after purchasing fish, an aquarium, and all the necessary equipment (net, lighting, filter, plants, heater), you need to proceed to the most important stage: starting the aquarium. You must thoroughly rinse and distribute the soil along the bottom of your fish’s future home.
Next, put driftwood in the aquarium and fill it with water in the middle. Then, plant the plants, add water, and connect the equipment. The aquarium must sit for several weeks for the nitrifying bacteria to mature.
After this, you can start the fish. It would be best for you to do this gradually, for example, several pieces a day. Next, your daily responsibilities will be feeding the fish, monitoring their health status, and checking the performance of the equipment.
How to properly care for an aquarium
For your fish in the aquarium to feel good, it is necessary to clean their home. Weekly care consists of changing the water. Beginning aquarium hobbyists often make the same mistake: they change all the water in the aquarium.
I don’t think this should be done under any circumstances. The volume of water to be replaced is determined by its nitrate content: the higher the level, the greater the amount of water that needs to be replaced.
Aquarium plants also need care: they must be trimmed, dead leaves removed, and fertilizer applied if necessary.
The filter must also be cleaned, and algae must be carefully removed from the aquarium glass with a scraper.
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