Find out everything you need to setup a successful aquarium
Looking after fish is a great hobby — it can bring huge enjoyment and pleasure, and indoor tanks and aquariums can contribute to a very calming atmosphere within your home. A beautifully lit and decorated fish tank is also a wonderful centre piece for a living room or study. Fish kept in an aquarium are completely dependent on their owners for their welfare. Amazon has teamed up with The Pet Charity to put together a great guide for setting up a new aquarium.
What to buy for your aquarium
The following is a good starting list of everything you’ll need for setting up your aquarium and keeping your fish healthy!
- Aquarium or tank
- Live and/or artificial plants
- Filter
- Lighting
- Siphon cleaning accessory
- Remedies and conditioners
- Food
- Ornaments
- Gravel
- Water testing kit
- Books on fish keeping
Getting started setting up your aquarium
Getting started is fairly straightforward, but there are a few things when setting up and aquarium to take into consideration. It’s really important to read the instructions found with your new tank or aquarium. Depending on the type of fish you’ll be keeping, you may need to install a water heater (for example for tropical fish) and an airline from the pump to the filter before connecting everything up.
It’s also important not to use tap water straight from the tap to fill up an aquarium. Use a water conditioner to make tap water safe and introduce the fish only when the water quality and temperature is suitable.
Maintenance
It’s important to regularly test the water quality in your aquarium or tank regularly with a water testing kit, as fish are unable to tolerate high levels of ammonia or nitrites, which your filter should breakdown to a safe level.
From the guide:
If you’re caring for tropical fish, you should monitor the temperature of the water daily. The more attention you pay to your tank’s water quality, the healthier your fish will be. It is also important to remember that it is not true that if the water is clear the quality is fine – this is a myth.
Conclusion
Setting up an aquarium is all part of the fun! Make sure you have everything you need a good few days before introducing any fish, so you can temperature and water purity are perfect.
If the information from the original article helped, you can help The Pet Charity to improve pet welfare in the UK through education by making a donation at www.thepetcharity.org.uk/donate
