| Going out, buying a freshwater tank and sticking fish | | | | into consideration the fact that a person will also |
| in it, is not all that goes into setting up your tank. | | | | want to decorate his or her freshwater aquarium and |
| This is a decision that you should consider very | | | | these decorations, which include gravel, corals and |
| carefully according to what breed of fish and how | | | | reef, wood and plants, considerably decrease the |
| many fish you are planning to keep. | | | | capacity of the freshwater tank. |
| Many people buy a aquarium tank based on | | | | The Surface Area Or Oxygen Bar |
| speculations and later end up overcrowding their | | | | The surface area of the freshwater aquarium tank |
| tanks with fish. This leads to the fish falling ill or | | | | that you are buying should be almost top priority for |
| sometimes even dying prematurely. There are a | | | | you. Oxygen is what sustains the fish and though it is |
| number of ways to make educated estimates about | | | | present in abundant amounts in water, the surface of |
| fish stocking levels. | | | | the water is place that you will see the fish in your |
| Inch per Gallon Rule: | | | | freshwater aquarium the most, as this is the place |
| One of the most common rules for stocking fish is | | | | where they can easily get their oxygen supply. |
| the keeping a gallon of water for each inch of fish in | | | | This makes the surface like the best seating area at |
| the tank. However, this rule is flawed, as it does not | | | | a football game and everyone wants a seat in that |
| take the varying fish shapes into account. Ten inches | | | | area. The surface area of your freshwater aquarium |
| of plump goldfish and ten inches of lean zebra fish | | | | tank should be what decides the number of fish that |
| are not the same. Hence, ten gallons of water will | | | | you will be keeping in your freshwater aquarium. You |
| not be suitable for both the fish. Also, when following | | | | also need to take into account the size of the fish |
| this rule, people often forget to take into account | | | | and the size of the tank, which should be able to |
| the adult size of the fish they are purchasing and find | | | | offer them the space that they need to survive. |
| themselves in a fix when the fish they bought for a | | | | Feeding time is also the time that you will realize the |
| ten gallon freshwater aquarium tank are now | | | | importance of the surface area of your tank, as the |
| occupying most of it. It is always recommended to | | | | fish will fight for every inch of space. Plus, living in a |
| calculate a fish's adult size before buying it. | | | | congested aquarium can never be good for fish |
| In addition, the plumper a fish is the more waste it | | | | which, although bred in captivity, are creatures of the |
| will produce, requiring more water, resulting in needing | | | | wild. The tank is their home and their lives are in your |
| a larger tank. | | | | hand, therefore, when deciding on the size of their |
| Another basic mistake that most people make is that | | | | home, you should always keep these points in mind, |
| they miscalculate the size of the tank, thinking that a | | | | as they will help you in making the right decision. |
| 15-gallon tank will hold 15 gallons. They do not take | | | | |