Home Aquarium Tips
Deciding to have a home aquarium can lead to big question marks at first. While it’s a wonderful way to create a natural space in your home decor, you should really think over its maintenance.
Planning out your aquarium goes beyond where you want to set it up. You should also consider how it functions, what kind of maintenance it’ll need and how to create the apt setting for your fish. Thinking about getting a home aquarium? Check out our tips.
Home aquarium tips
The option of having an aquarium at home has been around for years. And the advances in technology in the last decades have upgraded from little fish bowls to impressive aquariums.
But aquariums aren’t just a mere decor accessory. Your fish will need as much care and attention as any other kind of pet. Let’s take a look at the aspects to consider:
Selecting your fish
First off, you should carefully consider what kind of fish you want in your aquarium. Are they warmwater or coldwater fish? Coldwater fish are more resilient, move slower and tend to be gentler.
On the other hand, warmwater fish need to be in a tank of about 23ºC-25ºC. They tend to be more popular than coldwater fish because they’re bright and colorful. However, they’re more territorial and can pick fights to mark out their space.
Available space
Do you already know where you want to set up your home aquarium? The location is crucial because it’ll determine the size of your tank. If you have the tools, take measurements to determine which tank size will fit best. In addition to the tank, the space you have available will also influence the kind and number of fish you choose for your aquarium.
Bases and plants
Bases and plants are great accessories to add to your aquarium. Stones are almost always the base of choice. But some people use moss or other organic material.
As for plants, they’re great places for fish to hide away in. While you are free to use artificial varieties, we recommend natural plants to provide even more benefits for your fish.
Water
There are different ways to prepare water prior to aquarium use. To start, you can boil water and leave it to cool for later use. Or, you can leave water out in the sun for a day. Lastly, you can always harvest rainwater.
If you have warmwater fish, you’ll need an aquarium heater and a thermometer to keep an eye on the water temperature. Failing to provide for your fishes’ environmental needs could alter their tank conditions and cause them to die.
Feeding your fish
You can’t just feed your fish anything. A diet that’s inadequate or inappropriate for your fish could shorten their lifespan. In light of that, look for special fish food that’s made with fishmeal, egg, vegetables and vitamins.
Additionally, you should only feed them twice a day following the 5-second rule. The 5-second rule means you can only pour out the food in that short time span. Overfeeding your fish will harm them.
Maintenance
If you are toying with the idea of having a home aquarium, consider how much time you’ll need to put into its maintenance. Don’t brush aside the fact that it’ll need to be cleaned regularly to stay in optimal condition. The number of fish you have and how much you feed them will determine how many times you’ll have to change the water and clean the tank.
- We recommend cleaning your tank twice a month (every two weeks, for example).
- You can use easy methods for changing the water. You can actually use gravity to remove the water from the bottom of the tank with a hose and tube.
- Traditionally, people had to remove their fish from the tank before cleaning. But these days, you can find equipment that keeps the tank clean without altering water conditions.
Artificial lighting
To wrap up our post, we have to touch upon the importance of light in an aquarium. Aquariums almost always have special artificial lighting because direct sunlight can promote algae growth. You should keep your lights on from 8 to 10 hours a day.
Thinking about setting up a home aquarium? Remember to follow our simple tips!