Keeping an aquarium is not as complicated as you might initially assume. There are some basic
steps to caring for fish once the tank is established. Some of these measures you will need to carry
out on an everyday basis, while other things can be done on a weekly or a biweekly basis. The daily
action only requires very simple basic activities that are very simple to do. Just spend a few
minutes watching them and you can detect any signs of unhappiness if any. It is not a bad idea to
keep your fish out of stressful conditions if you want them to live healthier.
Do check the filter and lights regularly and make sure they function optimally. Do not miss out
on feeding the fish on an everyday basis. Only feed what can be consumed in the first two to five
minutes. Anything more than that will sink to he bottom and become debris. Perform a pH test every
week to see if the water pH level is still good. Do not delay to make the necessary changes. Ask the
pet store where you got your fish from and they will tell you the exact pH for your fish. Every
species of fish will have different requirements.
Do not miss out on cleaning the filter. Filters do the all-too important job of accumulating all
the excretory wastes of the fish. You need to clean these filters periodically or they will get
clogged with the materials and will not be able to perform the filtration well. The filters have
another important job to do apart from removing the waste materials from the tank - this is to cycle
oxygen within the tank. In case your filters get congested, the movement of gases in them will also
slow down. Due to this, the available oxygen in the tank can go down. Such a problem if unsolved can
be fatal to the fish. Depending on requirement, the aquarium filter must be changed once every two
to three weeks. If the water becomes opaque and emanates an undesirable odor, it's time to change
the filter. Your filter could either be simply cleaned with water or need a complete
replacement.
You must be very cautious when you are changing water in the aquarium. See carefully if you have
removed the lights and other arrangements from the fish tank before starting to clean it. Each seven
or fifteen days, remove a third of the water from your aquarium and put in fresh water in its place.
Water can be added from the tank provided you treat it for temperature, keeping it near two degrees
of the water in the aquarium. If you are confused what kind of water would do best for your fish,
your local pet store owner can guide you. Some treatments allow the tap water to be ready in as
little as an hour, while others need to sit overnight before being added to the tank.
Remove these by using a good scrubber.If there is algal formation on the sides of your tank, use
a scrubber to remove it. Do this without disturbing the fish at all. You will have to move about the
rocks in your tank too because this loosens the residue collected under them and make them come to
the surface from where you can remove them. Collect this waste when you are replacing the water
using a siphon or a bucket. You will have to remove the leaves of the aquarium plants as they die.
Clean the outside of the tank with a squeegee and clean tap water. Do not miss out on cleaning the
lid and the cover of the tank. Plug everything back into the aquarium, sit back and take the
pleasure of your newly cleaned aquarium.
