| Have you always wanted an aquarium but are unsure | | | | water or tap water. If you decide to use tap water, |
| about how to care for it? Maintaining a freshwater | | | | you will need to purchase a product that removes |
| aquarium is actually really easy and taking care of fish | | | | chlorine and use it before adding the water to the |
| doesn't require much work at all. Before you get | | | | tank. Add the water slowly so that everything in |
| started though, you need to know what to do to | | | | your tank doesn't move around or float to the top. |
| keep your tank healthy. | | | | You must make sure that the temperature of your |
| The first thing you should do is choose what size | | | | tank stays around 80 degrees. Get a thermometer |
| tank you want. If you are a beginner, I would | | | | and see what the temperature is. If it is not |
| recommend that you start with a small aquarium, | | | | acceptable, you may need to purchase a heater for |
| preferably ten gallons or less. This will cut down on | | | | the tank. Just don't put the heater by any air bubbles. |
| the cost considerably and help you decide if you | | | | Another thing you will need is a hood and light for |
| really like taking care of an aquarium. If you don't | | | | the aquarium. The hood will keep the fish in the tank |
| have any problems maintaining it and really like it, | | | | while providing light at the same time. |
| then you can upgrade to a larger tank later on. | | | | The most important maintenance to do on the tank |
| Choose a good spot in your house to place the tank. | | | | is water changes. Every month you should change |
| Make sure that the table you put it on is able to | | | | about one-third of the water. Use a siphon hose with |
| support the weight of the aquarium. Water weighs | | | | a suction tube and siphon out about one-third of the |
| around eight and a half pounds per gallon, so a ten | | | | water into a bucket. Replace with clean freshwater. |
| gallon tank would be at least 85 pounds, not counting | | | | Just make sure that the water you replace with is |
| everything you put in it and the aquarium itself. | | | | the same temperature as the tank. |
| The next thing you need to do is decide what type | | | | A major mistake many people make is adding too |
| of equipment you want. You will need a filter. I | | | | many fish. Fish need space! You can get three to |
| recommend using an undergravel filter because it's | | | | four small fish per gallon, or one to two medium fish |
| not very expensive and keeps debris out. Another | | | | per gallon, or one large fish per gallon. Make sure that |
| popular type of filter is a hang-on filter. Either type | | | | the fish you get can be housed together so that you |
| will work. You should get an air pump too. | | | | will not have any fish fighting. When you bring your |
| You can also get gravel, plants and decorations for | | | | fish home, float the bag in the tank for about |
| your tank. Gravel comes in many colors, such as | | | | twenty minutes so they will adjust to your tank's |
| green, blue, pink and natural colors. If you have a | | | | temperature. After that you can put them in the |
| small tank, then get small gravel. For plants, you can | | | | aquarium. |
| use real ones or fake ones. Plastic plants don't require | | | | There are many different types of fish foods to |
| extra care and come in many varieties. If you want | | | | choose from but flake foods seem to work the best. |
| to do real plants, I would wait until you are familiar | | | | Just make sure you don't overfeed because this can |
| with taking care of the tank. Decorations for tanks | | | | make your tank very dirty. Just feed like twice a |
| include castles, mushrooms, bubble wands, ships and | | | | day. |
| many other plastic things. Just make sure that | | | | This is the basics of starting a freshwater tank. Once |
| whatever you put in your tank doesn't clutter it up. | | | | you have it going, it's very easy to maintain as long |
| When you go to fill up the tank, there are several | | | | as you remember to do water changes, feed the |
| water options to choose from. You can use distilled | | | | fish and make sure the temperature is okay. |