You may have always wanted to have fish in your home, feed them, take care of them, and do much more.
I know all of this seems fantastic, but before putting your foot into the world of having fish as pets, you need to know that not every day will be great.
Keeping fish is like being on a roller coaster; there are ups and downs, twists, and turns.
Part of that roller coaster is looking after the fish; this is where aquarium maintenance and fish care comes in.
You need to be conversant with maintaining an aquarium to ensure that it is a suitable environment for the growth and development of the fish.
You also need to know and everything related to taking care of the welfare of fish in the aquarium.
If you are new to all of this, you do not have to worry. Here is a guide to help you navigate the world of keeping fish at home.
Aquarium Maintenance
Cleaning
Cleaning your aquarium is a huge part of aquarium maintenance.
To do so, you need to have the appropriate set of tools and understand the cleaning process.
Here will highlight the tools you need and the entire process to ensure your tank is well cleaned.
You need to know that the aquarium cleaning process starts when you have removed all the fish from the aquarium.
Aquarium Cleaning Tools
Process
The first thing you will do is put on your gloves and take the algae pad. Using the pad, scrub the sides of the aquarium.
If you come across a tough stain, use the plastic blade to chip it off and then finish it off using the pad.
Use the siphon to remove the old/dirty water out. Start the siphon, and then direct the water into a bucket.
After siphoning the water out, use the gravel vacuum to clean the gravel.
You can do this by pushing it through the bottom part of the tank, and it will suck all the fish waste, debris, excess food, and other waste.
If you have any decorations in the tank, now would be the best time to clean them.
Use the algae pad to wipe off any dirt that may be present in the decorations.
Once you have finished cleaning the decorations, add fresh water into the tank to replace the dirty water you removed.
Make sure the water is treated before placing it into the tank. Here is where the bleaching effect comes in.
For more information about water treatment, there are several websites with such details; for example, learn more at CleanerSofterWater.com
After that, wait for a few hours so that any cloudiness that remains in the water dissipates, leaving the water crystal clear.
You can finish off the cleaning by wiping the exterior part of the aquarium.
How to Make Aquarium Water Healthy
Make sure that you check the temperature of the aquarium water every single day.
Doing so helps you maintain the optimum temperature levels required by the fish.
Make sure you change at least 10% of the water every single week
You are also supposed to test the alkalinity, pH, nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia levels every week. In case the levels are way off, you need to make the necessary adjustments.
You need to vacuum the aquarium gravel at least once every month.
Clean away any algae in the tank at least once or twice every month.
Fish Care Tips
Aquarium maintenance procedures are just half of the things you need to ensure the survival, growth, and development of your fish.
The other half involves taking care of the fish. Here are some of the things you need to do and those to avoid when taking care of fish.
Dos
Feed your fish once or twice per day.
Add lots of plants into the tank so that they inhibit the growth of algae in the tank, provide oxygen to the fish, and absorb carbon-dioxide the fish produce.
Don’ts
Do not overfeed your fish. One thing you need to know about fish is that they do not have stomachs, so as long as you are feeding them, they will continue eating.
When such a thing happens, it may affect their swim bladder and lead to serious health issues.
Do not leave your aquarium light on 24/7.
Conclusion
Aquarium maintenance and fish care is not exactly a walk in the park; there are a lot of things you need to put in place to ensure everything runs smoothly.
In aquarium maintenance, for instance, you need to ensure that the tank is always clean.
Cleaning involves a lot of scrubbing, draining old/dirty water, and replacing the dirty water with fresh water.
Make sure that you have all the relevant tools before starting any cleaning recess.
Still, on aquarium maintenance, you need to make sure that the water is healthy for the fish.
One of the things you can do here is to check the alkalinity, the temperature of the water and make the necessary adjustments if there is a problem.
Fish care also involves a lot of effort as there are numerous things that you need to do and those to avoid.