Keeping an aquarium can be a truly enjoyable and rewarding experience. An aquarium adds beauty to the home and watching fishes swim gracefully can be extremely relaxing. Besides, fish are relatively to maintain. Setting your own home aquarium can be fun and adventurous.
To begin with, locate a place where you would like to place your aquarium. The ideal place would be one without direct sunlight. Ensure that you choose the place from where the aquarium can be seen clearly. At the same time, it is essential that it is in a place where you do not need to go often, so that the aquarium does not become a hindrance to movement within the room.
Choosing the tank
Tanks come in various sizes and shapes. You would need to decide on the size you would want. While choosing the size of the tank you need to take into account factors such as the size of the room you want to keep you tank in, your budget, the number of fish you want to keep. Large tanks would need more maintenance. It is recommended to start with smaller tanks.
Setting up the tank
The tank can be placed on a table or a stool. Place a sheet of Styrofoam or thermocole on the table and put the tank upon it. This is essential as the tank can develop cracks if the surface of the table is not uniformly smooth, i.e. if it contains high spots. The soft material helps even out the surface.
Once the tank if placed securely, fill the tank up to 2 inches with pebbles or stones. You need to wash the stones with water before putting them in. Fill the tank with water. Ensure that only soft water is used.
Landscaping the aquarium:
Now that you have filled the tank with water, it is time to put in the plants and the other ornamental items inside. Landscaping your aquarium in a tasteful manner increases its visual appeal. You can add live plants such as valisneria, Lace plants, etc. You can also add artificial plants. You can add small rocks to mimic a marine environment and toys. Take care that you do not let the ornamental items distract attention from the fish. They must complement the beauty of the fish. You can add a white light on the roof of the aquarium. Lights should be switched on during the day to enable the natural plants to grow. They must be switched off at night to permit the fish to sleep.
Buying fish
You can buy fish from the local aquarist. There are a number of fresh water fish species for the beginner to choose from. Fish such as Guppies, platys, mollies are ideal for the beginner. These fish are easy to care for, are not aggressive and can reproduce easily. The fish are usually packed in plastic bags. Once you have brought the fish home. Put the bags inside the aquarium and allow them to float on the surface for about 15 minutes. This is essential to equalize the temperature of the water inside the bags and the aquarium.
The number of fish that can be kept in the tank depends on the size of the tank and the size of the fish. As a rule of thumb, there should be one and half liters of water for every 1 cm of fish.
Caring for your fish
Fish are easy to care for. Remember to feed you fish once or twice everyday. Watch the fish for a few minutes and remove uneaten food as they tend to cloud the water.
You may have to scrub the walls with a scrubber every two or three weeks to remove the algae which may grow on the glass. The fish water needs to be changed periodically. . Remove a fourth of the water every two weeks and replace it with fresh water. You may have to change all the water every four months.
Having an aquarium is a delightful experience which freshens the mind. The aquarium is also believed to have therapeutic value by soothing the senses and reducing tension and blood pressure. A well designed aquarium greatly adds to the beauty of your home
image courtesy : http://www.charterhouse-aquatics.co.uk
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