Aquarium Care Guide- New Tanks

Posted by on May 21, 2010 in Fish, PetsNo comments

Before you jump into the responsibility of starting a new aquarium system in your own home, you must first understand the ways how the nitrogen cycle applies and how you must attend to it. Most fish enthusiasts commit the mistake of not even considering to look into this, and over time, their pets pay the price. In new aquariums, there is the toxin called ammonia, which is deadly for most living organisms like fishes. This substances is annihilated by good bacteria being produced by fishes. But for new aquariums, it is obvious that problem begins how to remove the ammonia since there are still no fishes to kill it.

Nitrogen Cycle in Aquarium

Aquarium nitrogen cycle is simple enough to be understood by any prospect pet keepers. It begins with the production of ammonia, which is caused by various impurities in the water such as the excreted fish waste, the uneaten food particles, contaminations, etc. Then, fishes will release nitifying bacteria that will eat the ammonia and turn it to nitrite, which is a less poisonous substance. After that, the same bacteria will convert the nitrite into nitrate, a something that very tolerable and essentially harmless for the fishes. The nitrate will either be filtered, or dispatched through regular water changing.

You must first run the aquarium before you start putting your fishes inside. Wash all equipments with water. Avoid using detergents, because they could leave traces that might later on harm the fish. Use de-chlorinated water for your tank, and don’t forget to add up filters and lights. Observe cycle in tank until the water inside is no longer cloudy in appearance. Test the PH levels, make sure it is right. Continue checking it for at least a month after you’ve already added the fish.

Survival Rates of Fish

After all is set and polished, the last step is to finally get the live contents of your aquarium: fishes. If you are very new to the concept of fish keeping, don’t get too daring yet. Just go with fish types, like live bearers or barbs, that are easy to maintain and could survive harsh ammonia-filled environments. Another thing, you must also not get too hyped up and buy so many fishes. You can do with four to five at most for your first month, and then just buy additional ones as you go along. If you feel that you can handle them, of course.

Feeding Your Fishes

And now that your aquarium is complete, the very last things you must attend to are observation and maintenance. Feed you fishes only with the amount that they can surely finish. Overfeeding leads to more unfinished food waste, and by extension, to heightening of the ammonia levels. In addition, keep monitoring your aquariums measurements in terms of the PH level and temperature. Change water and clean on a regular basis. And finally, keep a good watch over your fishes to know whether they are healthy or sick.


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