Top 10 Aquarium Tips from Malt_Vinegar
Tip 1 - If you are not sure - Ask advice from multiple sources
There is a lot of mis-information and bad advice out there. Most of it is given out by chain stores and pet-shops. Even aquaria shops are prone to giving out poor advice. They, after all, do want to sell you stuff, and the more the better! (if you keep killing fish and buying more, they are onto a winner!)
Tip 2 - Cycling is important!
If you dont know what cycling is, then you are not ready to start your tank. Look up "fishless cycling" and go from there In my experience, cycling can only be sped up by one method (forget potions and pills). Seeded filter media..... This will require you to take filter media or gravel from an already established tank. Some local fish shops will help you with this. Hanging some gravel (or filter media) from their tanks in an old clean leg from a pair of tights whilst it cycles will help seed the tank with all the nice stuff from the establised media.
Tip 3 - Get the largest Aquarium you can afford/fit.
Larger tanks tend to be more stable than smaller ones. They tolerate changes better, and generally are easier to look after
Tip 4 - Get the best filter you can afford. Try and stick to recognised brands.
The better your filtration, the easier your tank will be to look after. A cheap filter dying on you when you go away for the weekend will mean dead fish.
Tip 5 - Add fish slowly
One of two fish is best after your cycle is completed. If you overstocking a tank too quickly, you will overload all the nice bacteria that you carefully established in your cycle. Check levels after a couple of weeks, and provided all is ok, you can add a couple more.
Tip 6 - Cleaning!
When you clean filter media, do it in old tank water (do it during a weekly water change - see next tip) to save time. You have established filter media full of good stuff. Squeeze and rinse in the old tank water and you wont kill/remove it all, and your filter will be back to top performance again in a couple of days. Tap water will kill all of this good stuff and you will be back to square one! This applies to your whole tank, so scrubbing and cleaning a tank, and re-filling it with tap water will put you back to square one! (No one likes cycling more than they have to!)
Tip 7 - Water changes.
Generally speaking 10% a week, or 20% everyu couple of weeks will be adequate. Your filter cannot remove some things from the water, and if the levels of these things builds up too high, the fish will be in pain, and eventually die. Water changes with de-chlorintated water will help to dilute these nasty things and will keep the tank healthy. Doing it little and often is a lot less of a pain than doing larger water-changes!! Rememeber the more stable your tank, the happier it is.
Tip 8 - Plants
Planted tanks look very pretty, and can be fantastic. However, some of plants require specialist equipment, certain substrate and supplements. Then of course you have the problem of your fish using them for a quick snack. Again, you need to re-search hardly plants if you have anything in the tank that might have a nibble. Be aware that lots of pet-stores sell plants that are not truly aquatic, and will not grow well, or simply die off quickly!
Tip 9 - Fish
Fish are great, they are fun and interesting to keep and watch. They are less fun when they are dead, or you have a tank that is being dominated by one fish that will ruin your chances to put anything else in. Research and ask questions about the fish you want, and take note of any special advice on care-sheets. Lots of fish require species only tanks, or have specialist dietory requirements. Failure to do this re-search will ruin your tank.
Tip 10 - FISH DO NOT GROW TO THE SIZE OF THE TANK
Fishkeepers all over the world cringe when they see this kind of statement. IT IS NOT TRUE!! Fish become stunted, unhealthy, die earlier, and in some cases become deformed when kept in tiny tanks. Dont do it!
My final guide point would be this. Fish keeping is the wrong name for this hobby. You are keeping the water, and the water is keeping the fish. Look after your water and fish environment, and your fish will thrive.
as theres no bacteria in the pump.
. For those who don't know what these are they get to about 70cm long by about 30-40cm deep!