| |
| |
|
Pets Information |
|
|
|
How To Setup A Freshwater Tropical Fish Tank
This is an 11 step guide to setting up a freshwater aquarium in your home.
Equipment you will need: STEP 1: Realize the responsibility involved. A tropical fish tank is just like having a dog or a cat when it comes to the amount of effort on your part. In order to have a successful fish tank you will have to work at it. Once a week, or at most once every two weeks, you will need to perform some kind of maintenance on the tank. Most of the time you will be performing water changes. You will also have to feed your tropical fish at least once a day. If you are up to the challenge, please proceed! STEP 2: Decide on an aquarium size. It's a good idea to have in mind what kind of tropical fish you want to keep before you purchase an aquarium. Some tropical fish only grow to be an inch or two, whereas other types of tropical fish can grow 12 or 13 inches in length! Knowing what kind of tropical fish you want will help you decide the size of the tank they will need. If this is your first time with an aquarium, I would recommend going with a 10 or 20 gallon aquarium for now. STEP 3: Decide on the aquarium's location. Place your aquarium in an area where the light and temperature of the tank won't be affected by external sources such as windows and heater vents. You will want to place your aquarium on a stand that will be able to hold its total weight. A good rule of thumb for determining the total weight of a full aquarium is 10 pounds per gallon of water. For example, a 55-gallon tank will weigh approximately 550 pounds when filled with water! STEP 4: Buy your aquarium and equipment. Now is the time to decide on the type of filtration you will want to use. You will also need to purchase a heater capable of heating the tank size you have. Buy the gravel, plants, a power strip and other decorations. A good rule of thumb for the amount of gravel that you will need is 1 to 1.5 pounds of gravel per gallon of water. STEP 5: Set up your aquarium and stand. Wash out your tank with water only! Do not use soap or detergents. Soap residue left behind will be harmful for your tropical fish. If you are going to use an under gravel filter (not recommended) now would be the time to set it up as well. STEP 6: Wash Gravel, plants and decorations. Be sure to wash the gravel thoroughly before adding it to your tank. An easy way to do this is to put some of the rocks in a pasta strainer and wash them out in your bathtub. Then place the clean gravel in a clean 5-gallon bucket for transport to the aquarium. After adding the gravel you can place your plants and decorations. STEP 7: Add water to the aquarium. To avoid messing up your gravel and plants, you can place a plate or saucer in the middle of your aquarium and direct the water flow onto the plate. Use room temperature water when filling. To remove the chlorine and chloramine, use something like Tetra AquaSafe for Aquariums. Don't completely fill up the aquarium until you are sure of the layout of your decorations. Otherwise, when you place your arm in to move stuff around water is going to spill over. Doh! STEP 8: Set up equipment. Install your heater but don't plug it in until the thermostat in the heater has adjusted to the water temperature. This usually takes about 15 minutes or so. Hook up your filter and any other equipment you have, then top off the aquarium water to just under the hood lip. Place your hood and light on the aquarium and then check your power cords to be sure that they are free of water. I would also recommend using a drip loop on all of the power cords to be extra cautious. Plug all of the equipment into a power strip and then "turn on" the aquarium. STEP 9. Wait, wait, wait and then wait some more. I know, you want to add some tropical fish. But, in order to do this right you must wait until your aquarium has cycled before adding any fish. There are ways of speeding up this process. Check out the nitrogen cycle page to learn more. If you must use fish to cycle, try to get a hardier species like the zebra danio or cherry barb. STEP 10. Add tropical fish. Only add one or two fish at a time. Adding a couple tropical fish at a time gives your filtration system the time needed to take on the increased biological load that the new fish introduce. When you bring the fish home let the bag float in the tank for about 15 minutes so that the fish can become acclimated to the temperature and pH of the aquarium water. After 5 minutes of floating the bag you should add some of the aquarium water to the bag so that the fish can become acclimated to the pH level in the aquarium. This will help reduce the amount of stress imposed on the tropical fish. Stressed tropical fish often leads to dead tropical fish! Don't feed your tropical fish on the first day. They probably wouldn't eat any food on the first day anyway. Let them get acquainted with their new home. STEP 11. Get ready for regular maintenance. Be prepared to spend some time once every week or two to clean your tank. Performing regular water changes will reduce the nitrate levels and keep your tropical fish happy and healthy. For more tropical fish and aquarium information, please visit FishLore.com - Tropical Fish & Aquarium Information. Mike is an editor at FishLore.com. Designed for beginners, FishLore.com provides tropical fish information, how-to guides, articles, fish profiles, FAQs, forums and more! FishLore.com - Tropical Fish & Aquarium Information
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
10 Reasons Why Your Cat Loves You There are plenty of reasons why your cat loves you. Ten of the main reasons are listed below. Dog Clothes make Great Gifts When it comes to the art of giving, a gift of clothes is fraught with peril. We all have stories to tell, and if you don't, you will. Animals Are Forever Throughout the course of my life, I've encountered my own share of dogs. From early childhood days, I recall having several dogs that stayed temporarily with us until my dad's next military assignment. Help! Ive Got a Pregnant Cat! So, you've got yourself a pregnant cat.Was it a stray that adopted you? You heard a plaintive meowing, opened your back door and there she was. You Should Teach Your Puppy Proper Chewing Behavior As much as you may love your cute, new puppy, if she chews on everything in sight--including you--she will not be cute to you for very long. Puppies that are left to their own devices can destroy a home quickly. What You Should Know About Your Dog And Frustration Because your dog lives with humans, he's going to have to learn to deal with frustration sometimes, because you shouldn't let things always go his way if you're to be a responsible dog owner.Dogs that are strong-willed and confident are more likely to become frustrated when they can't have something, especially if to them they are the dominant one, and not their owner. Water Chemistry For The Discus Tank Much has been written about the Discus, or Symphysodon aequifasciatus, its Latin name. The Discus has always been given a bad rap for being hard to raise and difficult to keep. The Pros and Cons of Vaccinating Your Dog To vaccinate or not to vaccinate? That's become the burning question of many dog owners in this day and age. I'm not a veterinarian, just a regular pet owner like yourself, but would like to impart the information I've found regarding regular vaccinations for animals. The Dreaded Vet Visit: 5 Ways to Comfort Your Dog Uh-oh, it's that time again. The dreaded vet visit, and Barkley will be whimpering all the way. Stop Cat Scratching Today! Your new living room furniture is in tatters. Your nerves are frayed. What Your Cat Wants You To Know If your feline friend could speak your language, here a few things she would probably like you to know.1) I am the boss of you. Canine Infectious Hepatitis What is Canine Infectious Hepatitis?The word hepatitis refers to an inflamation of the liver. First reported in 1947, Canine Infectious Hepatitis (CIH), is a caused by canine adenovirus. The Joy Of Having Puppies! One of the greatest thrills for a little boy or girl is having new puppies in the home. Puppies, dogs and having a puppy bring a sense of well being and comfort to people of all ages, whether young or old. Canine Parvovirus Canine Parvovirus, is a viral disease that attacks dogs and if left untreated, it kills them within day's, usually due to dehydration and it's side effects.Parvo is caused by a virus present in the faeces of infected dogs. My Needs are Simple and Few! My dear owner,Thank you once again for giving me shelter. (Lick, slurp, lick, slurp) Aside from food, shelter and love, my needs are simple and few! Since I am dependent upon you to provide for me, we should discuss my basic needs. Tips on Hamster Breeding Hamster breeding can sometimes be confusing for a hamster owner. Fortunately, there are only a few basic things you need to know before you start hamster breeding. Veterinarians Set Record Straight Most pet owners have become very educated about their pet and the health of their pet. Still, there are many others who tend to believe in the old wives tales and myths that have been passed around for some time now. How to Litter Train a Cat For most cat owners, training their cat to use the litter is a relatively painless process. It is among a cat's natural instincts to eliminate in an area that they can cover their feces in. How To Keep Your Dog Safe in the 21st Century For thousands of years, dogs have been "man's best friend." Dog-loving humans have tried to keep their pets safe in return. Horse Training Creativeness: The 5th Of 6 Keys To Developing A Partnership With Your Horse The 6 Keys To Building A Life Long Partnership With Your Horse.Today I am going to ask you to think about being creative when playing with your horse.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2007 |
