Crystal Rae
No matter what apartment complex or home you live in, there’s one pet that’s always allowed. This pet is fish. Most species are easy to take care of.
Once you get the tank going, they’ll be happy as long as you maintain the environment, feed them, and give them the stuff to hide in.
You’ll find that the hard part is starting an aquarium. Many beginners try to introduce too many fish to the tank at once or don’t take the time to balance the environment.
This can have devastating consequences on your pets. Before you buy your scaly friends, take a moment to learn how to start a fish tank.
Picking Out Your Tank
First thing’s first, you’ve got to pick out your first aquarium. Most owners think that having a small tank is the way to go, but they would be wrong.
In truth, you want to go big or go home. It will be easier for you to maintain the water quality. You’ll find when you’re shopping that these tanks can be a bit expensive.
That’s why you want to go with a 20-gallon tank. You can find some great beginner kits for a little over 60 bucks. Most of these come with a pretty decent filter system too.
Choosing Your Fish
The next item on the agenda is choosing your fishy friends. The ones you pick depends on if you want to have a cold tank or a heated one.
Mollies, Zebra Danios, and Tetras are all great choices for a heated tank. Goldfish and Rosy Barbs are perfect for cold ones. Whatever you decide to go with, make sure you don’t try to put too many fish in the tank at once.
Start with about three and slowly work your way up from there.
Balancing the Aquarium
There’s a reason why you only want to put a few pets in your first fish tank at the beginning. It will give the tank time to collect the necessary bacteria.
Once a week, check your aquarium water. When you have the PH balanced, you can begin to put more fish into the aquarium.
Bucephalandra and Cryptocoryne aquarium plants can be intimidating at times, but they are well worth tending to and the reward gained for the risk is good as well.
Decorating for Your Fish
Fish can be playful creatures. They enjoy hiding behind plants and rocks. We will say that some species like to have plenty of open space.
You’ll have to do some research to find out what your pets prefer before you head to the store.
Keeping the Tank Maintained
To keep your fish happy and alive, you’ll have to keep the tank clean and maintained. One way you can go about it is by introducing copepods into the aquarium.
They’ll help keep their natural ecosystem in place. You can go here to read about it in better detail.
Your Guide to Starting an Aquarium
Are you thinking about starting an aquarium? It’s not as straightforward as you may think. You’ll have to take special care to keep the tank maintained.
Fish also need decorations, and picking out your tank can be a little tricky. Follow the tips that you’ve read here and you should be able to keep your pets happy and healthy.
Are you looking for more ways to tend to your aquatic friends? Check out our blog daily for all the latest aquarium care tips.
