Aquarium Fish Care - Setting Up Your Own

You are full of enthusiasm about having your own fish tank. Well, all that remains to be done is going to the neighboring pet store and choosing a tank which appeals to you the most, right? Well, not exactly. Aquarium setting up is a long process which consumes a lot of thought, time and patience. If you happen to be a novice, you could start out with freshwater fish. But before you buy the fish, you have to get ready the aquarium which will house your fish. Aquarium retailers mostly sell aquariums in kit form so that nothing is left to guess work at the time of purchasing.

The first step is to rinse the tank with clean water from the tap. The gravel and the substrate also need to be rinsed. If the filter used is an under gravel one, it should be placed at the bottom of the aquarium. The filter should then be covered with gravel of about two to three inches. Then the tank should be filled one third with water that is de-chlorinated. Next is the addition of decorations or plants to the tank. Your retailer can keep you informed on the details of adding live plants. A few of them need to be anchored, while some can be left to float freely. Then you can connect the air pump and filtration system and fill the remaining tank with de-chlorinated water. Last step is to put the lid on the tank and leave it to cycle for a day or two before adding fish to it.

Look out for cloudiness of the water and the temperature and pH of the water should also be checked. If all these are okay, then you can add some hardy fish. The fish species should be able to tolerate high levels of ammonia and nitrites as these levels normally high due to the cycle of nitrogen in the new tank. Tank debris from the excretions of the fish generates good bacteria in it which are essential for the survival of the fish. As the tank has no fish as yet, this will take more time, normally around four to six weeks.

After you purchase your fish, you should leave them afloat on the tank surface in its bag for around fifteen minutes. This serves to make the fish acclimatized to the temperature of water of the aquarium. The fish should then be carefully added into the aquarium with the help of a bucket and a net. Never pour the bag water into the aquarium as this could disturb the perfect regulation of the water and new bacteria will be introduced into the aquarium which is not desirable. Observe the fish carefully to detect any signs of stress. Fish stress results in illness. You need to monitor their activity levels. If the fish is inactive of is hanging out at the surface of the aquarium, it means that the fish is under stress. If these symptoms appear, then a stress coat should be used. You should allow the existing fish to get acclimatized to their new environment for at least a week or even a month before adding new fish to your aquarium.