Learning
6 Proven Tips on How to Set Up the Perfect Fish Tank
If you’re a pet lover, you may be into fish and need the right way to set up your fish tank. It isn’t a task that you need to hire someone to do for you to set up a fish tank on your own. You need to follow the proper steps, and your fish will have a great place.
There are proven tips you can use today to set up a perfect fish tank. You may not even need as much help as you thought. The tank should also have a beauty sense about it, and it shouldn’t be plain. Here are the six proven tips you can use.
Decorate the Tank
The first thing you want to do is to make the fish feel comfortable and at home. When you decorate the tank, the fish will feel right at home. The decor isn’t all about the fish alone, though; the outer part can work as decor for the room.
While decorating the inside of the tank, you need to have several areas where the fish can relax. Certain fish like to relax while others enjoy open space to move around. You’ll need to find out more about the types of fish you have before you decorate, though.
NB. The first fish to come into the tank will likely occupy the best spots. You need to add a few decorations from time to time so that the new ones can find locations too.
Maintain Balance
Before you add any fish to their home, you need to find and maintain the proper balance there. You can’t just add fish immediately after you have set it up. This is a living system for the fish; you need to go slow about it.
It may take time, a few days, maybe before the aquarium is inhabitable. Start by introducing a few fish first. Please give it a week or two before bringing in other fish to the tank too.
Before you add any new fish, ensure you test the water for ammonia, and only when it is zero should you add any fresh fish. When you take your time, it gives the essential bacteria the time to filter the water and grow.
Lighting
The next thing you want to have in your tank is enough lighting. The lighting should be able to create a day and night cycle inside the tank. Remember that your fish need to rest, and when you switch off the lights, they get to relax.
If you can’t keep up with it, you can buy a standard light timer. You can get this in almost all hardware today. Planted and non-planted aquariums need different light times.
The planted one needs around 10 to 12 hours of light, while the non-planted ones need less light. You can set your timer to about 6 – 8 hours of lighting.
Fish Hide
You won’t see the fish within the first days of them being in the tank. They’ll hide, and that’s quite normal for them. Especially when you have driftwood for your aquarium, they will hide in the shade for long hours. This way, this is a new environment after being caught on a net and placed in a bed. You’re then taken to a new place; you’d be scared too. That’s how fish act as they familiarize themselves with the new surroundings.
It would be best if you had enough deco to help them feel safe while they swim around.
Clean the Tank
When you have a fish tank, one thing is assured, you need to clean the tank regularly. It doesn’t have to start on the same day, though. Allow it to settle and avoid unnecessary disturbance to the tank PH.
When cleaning the tank, also remember to clean the filters too. But remember to avoid changing anything during the first week.
Plan Ahead
After setting up the fish tank, you need to do proper research before adding fish to the tank. You’ll be getting different fish from the seller; you need to know which ones are the best tank mates.
It makes it easier to decorate when you know the types of fish you are getting. You can ask the local expert if you have no idea what to do. But ensure you have performed your independent research before getting any fish.
If you’re a fish lover, you need to know how to set up a fish tank. It won’t be habitable if you don’t, and your fish may die when they live there. You also need to understand a little bit more about fish too. Here are a few tips for setting up a fish tank.