You have got your new aquarium, exciting isn’t it, But you don’t know about aquarium fish care guidelines. what should you do? How to do water changes? how much to feed? how much lighting is needed? what should be the tank water temperature?
If you need answers to all above-mentioned question. Stick with us and find it all about how to take care of your fish?
Keeping a freshwater fish aquarium could be a wonderful experience but maintaining it could be a little troublesome. Although freshwater fish is considered to be very low-maintenance still like any other pet they require a particular environment to keep them alive and happy.
Fish is very easy to keep as a pet because of the following facts.
- They are quite inexpensive.
- They are readily available from any pet store or even online.
- Their feed is simple and easily available.
- They are easy to take care of.
- They do not require much space as compared to other pets.
- Moreover, they are calm and peaceful creatures.
All the above-mentioned things make fish be the best pet to keep but as they are very delicate and fragile animals they need more care than other pets.
Here is a complete guide for aquarium fish care including some very important fish care facts that should be kept in mind before setting up a freshwater fish aquarium.
Well, You have to follow some aquarium fish care guidelines
These guidelines must be followed to increases the longevity and overall health of your fish.
Getting Complete Information About The Fish
Before purchasing your desired fish you should first get all the required information about it. You can get the desired information through the pet store employees as they have complete information regarding the fish and its needs.
In addition to that, you can learn more about them through the internet. Following are the basic things you should know about the fish you are about to keep.
- Their diet.
- Water environment they need.
- Tank space they require to say how many gallons per inch of the fish.
- Whether they are aggressive or peaceful species.
Cycling Of Tank Before Adding The Fish
Those who do not have any idea about the cycling of the tank should know that it is an essential step in the aquarium fish care procedure.
Cycling the tank means getting the tank ready for the upcoming fish. setting up proper micro-organisms for break down of food particles so they cant make the fish ill or weakened.
There are proper well-made kits for a freshwater fish aquarium that spreads the required organisms and initiate the process. Such cycling kits are easily available from fish stores or online.
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Another easy way to get it started could be through putting some food in the tank and waiting for2 -3 days to get the process started by natural flora.
Many fish keepers and experts recommend cycling the tank for almost a week before adding the fish for perfect fish care.
The only thing that you should keep in mind is to cycle the tank before adding the fish in. if you add the fish I the tank before cycling, it could be equivalent to killing the fish or making it seriously ill.
Checking And Maintaining Water Parameters
When it comes to maintaining water parameters for aquarium fish care it’s not that difficult as it may sound. checking regularly and maintaining an appropriate environment of the tank is very essential for its survival and good health.
There are only a few things that you should keep in, mind before setting up a habitat for a fish. First of all, you should know about the quality of water, whether it’s hard, moderately hard or soft water.
| Water QualityPPMDEGREESSOFT0-500-3MODERATELY SOFT50-1003-6SLIGHTLY HARD100-2006-12MODERATELY HARD200-30012-18HARD300-45018-25SUPER HARD450+25+Aquarium Fish Care Guide – Water Quality |
Furthermore, you should have an idea about the pH of water, whether it’s acidic, neutral or basic. maintaining an accurate pH is an essential part of the fish care programme.
Regular monitoring of pH is necessary for a healthy environment. just make sure that any trivial fluctuation in pH is noticeable so you can adjust it according to the need of the fish.
Furthermore, nitrite, nitrate, sulphur, phosphate, chloride, carbonate and oxygen levels should be monitored at a constant rate to ensure the health of the fish. Moreover, tank temperature is an inevitable thing to maintain.
Regular Water Changes Are Necessary
Regular water change is key to a healthy atmosphere of the aquarium as well as for the long life of the fish. many fish hobbyists and expert fish keepers recommend cleaning the tank after every week.
The procedure is simple just evacuate one-third of the water with the siphons and then change the water with professional water changers. It is necessary because if the water is kept for a longer duration it might get harder and affect the health of the fish it might even clog its gills.
There are even certain algae eating fish species that keep the tank from unhealthy plant materials. moreover, for deep sunken debris use powerful vacuum siphons.
Overfeeding Can Be Dangerous
One of the major causes of the early death of aquarium fish is overfeeding. Most beginners do not have the correct idea of how to feed the fish properly. feeding detail is essential because the fish do not have a stomach so they do not when to stop eating this ultimately leads to overfeeding and death.
Every species of fish requires a particular type of feed but feeding a fish is not that big a deal. Because most of them can survive even a whole without eating. Fish hardly die due to starving, they may die of overeating. Simple flakes, brine shrimps,dainos, snails and blood worms could prove to be healthy food and can full fill all the needs.
For example, a common goldfish should not be fed for more than a minute at a time. For algae eating fish and scavenging fish, only the leftover food is sufficient. In the case of bottom dwellers sinking pellets should be used. They should not be fed more than 2 times a day.
Above all the fish keepers must be careful regarding the pest outbreak that might occur in case of snails and shrimps. In such a case the fish can get seriously ill and weakened.
Aquarium fish care – Lightening, temperature And Atmosphere
Of course, everyone who is about to set up a freshwater fish aquarium. plus he is eager about taking good care of his/her aquarium. So, he must have some knowledge regarding the tank’s lighting and temperature.
See our other topic about Aquarium Lighting
In every aquarium there is not only the fish that is living, there are algae and scavengers also growing. Fish itself does not need much light but the algae grow on the light. the more light you, the more it grows. It can create a foul smell in the tank as well as can harm the health of the fish.to avoid such a situation you should monitor the timing for which you provide the light.
According to most experts, aquarium lights should only be kept on for 10-12 hours a day. In addition to this, the tank should not be kept at a spot where direct sunlight could reach it.
Temperature maintenance is as essential as the other parameters maintaining it according to the fish type. You can use water heaters and thermometers for maintaining and monitoring the temperature at any time.
Tank Space
Giving an appropriate tank space to the fish is very important for healthy fish growth. As in the case of Goldfish (most common freshwater fish for home aquarium). Requires at least a 30-gallon tank for its proper growth. Moreover, those fish that are active and entertaining require more space for their activities.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we can say that there are a lot of factors that go in taking care of your fish. But the most important ones are mentioned above. Everyone should follow the above-mentioned fish care tips.
