As a child, most people develop a feeling of admiration towards fish, and aspire to have numerous fish as pets. However, if you’ve managed to understand the perseverance and determination it takes towards nurturing them, you’ve surpassed the majority of these people! And in this article, if you’re learning to be one of these people, then we have got some of the ideal fishkeeping methods for you!
Amateur Fishkeeping Mistakes:
Considering this hobby has layers upon layers to it, it can take years to master. However, some mistakes are really easy to avoid once you understand the basic concept behind it (and basically have someone tell you that it’s wrong).
Let’s look into these mistakes and help you out by finding ways to avoid them (it’s not too hard we promise!)
- Decide on the Fish: So many people get exhilarated at the idea of owning fish, that they end up buying the tank first. However, that is a rookie error, as you don’t know which fish would be best equipped to that tank.On the contrary, if you spend time contemplating on what fish you want and what type of housing they require, then you’ll be able to plan out your tank. Considering some fish require a 50 gallon tank to themselves, and you want them, you’d eliminate the option of those fish just buy buying a smaller tank in the first place!
- “Starter” Tanks: While people claim to buy smaller sized tanks to “try out” the hobby, they tend to do this with fish that are incompatible with that specific tank. While it’s normal to want to try out the hobby and not spend excessively on something you haven’t decided, it is the life of fish in your hands!If you’re looking for a specific fish and buy a smaller (than necessary) tank for it, you’ll end up risking its life and your chances of enjoying the hobby altogether. If you’re caught in such a dilemma, try changing up your preference for the fish, to one that suits your tank. If you enjoy it, then get a larger one and your preferred pick of the fish!
- Incorrectly Mixing Fish: It’s not out of the ordinary to assume all fish are liable to get along, however, considering fish eat fish, you’ll want to make sure that you don’t stick two species of fish together where they don’t belong.Let’s also not forget the fact that certain fish require saltwater, while others are freshwater. You stick one in the wrong type of water, and they won’t survive long.Another factor to take into consideration is whether or not your chosen fish is aggressive. Betta fish for example, are very aggressive fish and cannot withstand being with a large variety of fish.So, ensuring a proper populace for your fish is key.
- Cycling Water: Over time in the aquarium, the water builds up key bacteria in the ecosystem, which is necessary for the survival of your fish. If you end up changing all of the water, you are effectively killing your fish.However, it is necessary to change the water till a certain extent. Beneficial bacteria does build up, but it also brings along wastage from the fish and the general area, so you should replace upto 20% of the water in the tank at a time.
- Nitrate Levels: This falls into line with the water cycling. Over time, with beneficial bacteria, if there’s not a sufficient amount within the tank’s water, the ammonia from the fish faeces will build up, causing a spike in nitrate levels (over the course of a complex chemical reaction).This problem arises over a while, so you’ll need to maintain your routine and check the nitrate levels every now and then. When the level reaches a high level, you’ll need to change the water in your tank. However, be sure to follow the last point and cycle the water in and out properly!
Errors made in maintaining fish tanks are plentiful, however, we have discussed some of the major ones that you will undoubtedly face (if you are new to this). Most of the issues you’ll face, originally originate from these errors, however, if you’re looking to dive deeper to avoid these beginner mistakes, then all the more power to you!
However, if you’re still looking towards a more insightful look into avoiding these mistakes, then find it at the quintessential buyers guide!
Keeping A fish Tank Clean:
If you’ve looked closely, keeping your fish safe and in good health, requires a lot of prompting towards a good fish tank. In essence, it is vital that you know the ins and outs of a fish tank and how to keep it clean!
We’re going to delve into a small rundown on how fish tanks ought to be cleaned and how their integrity is maintained for long term usage.
- Scheduling: As you’ll see and hear everywhere, it’s best to do anything with proper routines. So, instead of just thinking you should clean your tank at a certain time, always maintain a rigid time period after which you make it happen. A proper time period could be every week or every alternate week, to ensure the best tank integrity.However, as we have discussed before, never remove all of the water from the tank, as it’s going to drain out necessary bacteria from the water. Some people hold off on it so long, that they end up breaking down the whole setup and resetting it. This doesn’t allow the water in the tank to rejuvenate.
- Tools: Keeping your tank clean will require many utilities, but you’ll be glad you went through with it. Sponges, towels, rags, buckets, fishnets, gravel vacuum, algae scrubbers, fresh water, water conditioners and filter brushes. It goes without saying, all the utilities must be clean and fresh, otherwise it’ll do more harm than help.As for the water you plan to place into the tank, you’ll need to ensure that it maintains the same acidity levels and temperature as the water already in your tank. You must also make sure all the necessary power tools are unplugged.
- Cleaning the tank: The items we’ve mentioned already give away what you ought to be doing and maintaining while cleaning the tank, however, make sure to only do them one by one.When cleaning your tank (inside or outside) however, never move your fish. The fish will just move away from whichever side you’re working on. Moving them will only cause them more stress due to the change in conditions.
Clean water not only looks beautiful – your fish won’t be able to survive without it. Once there are too many toxins in the water, they’ll start falling sick quickly. Luckily, with the right filter, you can avoid such issues altogether and Chemiclean cleans stains from red, black, blue-green, and methane (bubble) producing cyanobacteria in marine aquariums. It is completely safe for all fish, corals, invertebrates, and nitrifying bacteria in reef systems. It’s simple, quick, and easy to use. Chemiclean works within 48 hours oxidizing trapped organic sludge and promotes an ideal enzyme balance.
Both the fishkeeping mistakes, and keeping a fish tank clean section provide analysis on how you should do your work around a fish tank, to ensure the best maintenance for it. However, if you’re still requiring more in-depth analysis on how to clean a fish tank, learning more can only help you!