Initially, you must decide on the type of fish – predators or peace creatures will live. This is a very important point, because predators are harmful creatures, they quite often “knock out” other fish (especially if they are a school or during the spawning period), eat fry, fight among themselves, turning the aquarium into a battlefield. When choosing fish, ask the seller about how they can get along in one area.
Optimum temperature and water hardness
Caring for fish in the aquarium begins with water. A novice aquarist often makes one very serious mistake – he collects not defended water. Due to the presence of bleach and other impurities in the tap water, fish often die. The optimal time for the water to become suitable is 2-3 days. If this option does not suit you, then you can heat the water to a temperature of 17 degrees and let cool.
In addition, it is very important during care to ensure that the hardness and acidity of the water are normal. It is better to learn about these requirements from the seller or from special literature, since for different types of fish they can be different.
To make the fish feel comfortable, daily care should include monitoring the temperature in the aquarium. The optimum temperature for each type of fish is from + 20С to + 30С. If the temperature is lower, then the water should be warmed up. But if above, then urgently in all sorts of ways to cool it, otherwise the fish will kill.
Caring for aquarium fish includes examining the state of the filter and its performance: biological waste pollutes it, which leads to a lack of air supply, without which the fish die. Some types of fish, for example, a goldfish that is derived from common crucian carp, can do without air supply for up to 5-7 days. At the same time, scalars may die the very next day after the filter is turned off.
Aquarium lighting
As for lighting, many fish species do not require additional lighting, they need enough daylight. Some can not do without lighting even at night. The location of the aquarium is also important: if it is located in a dark corner, then the backlight should be almost around the clock.
The optimal illumination for the aquarium is the calculation of 0.5 watts of power per 1 liter of water. But these metrics are not the rule. It is also necessary to take into account the depth of water and the habitat of fish and plants. For example, the inhabitants of the depths need much less light than the inhabitants of shallow water. Most accurately, the backlight for the aquarium can be set experimentally. With excessive lighting, flowering of water will begin, the walls are overgrown with algae. Inadequate illumination can lead to brown spots on the walls of the aquarium, as well as to hinder the breathing of fish and the death of small-leaved plants..
Frequency of water changes in the aquarium
During fish care, many are faced with the problem of severe contamination of the bottom of the aquarium. Most often, the main reason is too plentiful feeding of fish. To feed adult fish, one or two times a day is enough, but fry need to be fed four times. But the optimal amount of feed (both live and dry) will have to be calculated independently. To do this, a rash little by little over the course of 5-10 minutes so that the fish immediately ate it. This will be quite enough for normal life..
During fish care, it is necessary to change the water in the aquarium approximately every two to three months. To do this, you must first insist on the water, drain the old one, leaving only 10% of the total volume of the aquarium, and then pour it fresh. Due to the light, part of the water will evaporate, so keep an eye on the level and periodically top up, but also only standing water.
In general, caring for any kind of aquarium fish is not so difficult, but the aesthetic and emotional pleasure of these domestic inhabitants covers a hundred times all the inconvenience.
