Freshwater Aquarium Care

When compared with a saltwater fish aquarium the freshwater aquarium is much easier to care for. Freshwater fish are a hardier fish as compared to their saltwater cousins.

Start with the basic aquarium starting material. You'll something to line the bottom of your tanks usually colored rocks designed for this use. Get a filter kit with a hood light. You can spice up your aquarium with some aquarium ornaments, a little bit of underwater decorating and you are ready to add the fish.

Not all kinds of freshwater fish can live together in your aquarium. So it is important that you chose your fish with care with this in mind. Other things to keep in mind when blending different species of fish are their food requirements. You will want to blind fish with similar food needs. Another compatibility issue would be the fishes water temperature and P.H. needs.

Choose your fish with their fully-grown size in mind as if you buy baby fish they may grow to big for your aquarium and could end up eating your other smaller fish. You are going to want to buy fish that will be about the same size as each other. It is interesting that sometimes fish that have lived together for some time have up and disappeared. So don't be distraught if it happens in your aquarium.

Most freshwater fish need to eat a couple of times a day. Feeding should be done in small amounts. You can gauge this by watching your fish eat a few times and adjust the feeding amount to about what your fish will eat in about 3-5 minutes time. Be careful not to over feed your fish, which is a common beginner mistake to make. Remove as much excess food as you can otherwise your aquarium with become dirty.

Ensure that the water is kept regulated and test it at least once a week. You will want to keep track of the P.H. levels and ensure it doesn't change too much from week to week. Also check the water temperature to make sure that it at the correct level for your kind of fish. Keep a written log with this information in it. If these things change to greatly you can cause stress on your fish.

Stress is a very bad thing for your fish and do every thing you can to minimize it. By keeping an eye on these different variables inside your aquarium and adjusting when needed you will keep your fish active and well. Keep your eyes out for any signs of stress. Some of the signs to look for would be things like lethargic looking or slow moving fish. You can purchase stress products at your local pet shop if needed. Another cause of stress on your aquarium would be overcrowding. Reduce the population of your aquarium if needed by giving away extra fish to a friend, family or your local pet shop.

You don't want to change the all the water in the tank at once as this would cause too much disturbance to your fish and other aquarium inhabitants. What you want to do is change about one third of the water at a time. Do this about every two or three week. You can use whatever means you wish to remove the required water from the tank. Remove as much of any loose or floating material as you can when removing the water.

You want the fresh water you add back to your aquarium to be within about two degrees of the water inside the tank. This will minimize any unnecessary stress on you aquarium population. Be careful while you do all of this as to disturb the fish as little as possible.

The sides of your aquarium will get algae growing on them and look dirty from time to time. You can keep your tank looking good and clear by scrubbing the glass from time to time. Make sure that you wash your hands anytime they will come in contact with the aquarium water. If you change out the water filter in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendation you will have less cleaning to do. You tank water filter is your first line of defense from fish waist and food debris. By keeping them clean and serviced they will do a good job for you and last much longer.

When you add new fish to your aquarium you will want to only add a few at a time. Check with your local pet shop for each species acclimation times. You will have much better luck with your aquarium if you fill it with hardy fish like barbs, gouramis, danios and live bearers. By following this advice you can look forward to an interesting and healthy aquarium for years to come.