maintenance, care, compatibility
When installing the aquarium, you need to follow some rules. If you are new to the aquarium business, it is necessary to study in detail all the features of the correct settlement of fish. It is important to understand what size of the aquarium is needed, what plants will harmoniously look in the aquascape, and what parameters of the aquatic environment are suitable for all residents of the reservoir.
A full life of the fish and plants will also ensure proper care and compatibility.
The first rule – prepare a place where you can put the tank. Choose a corner away from windows and doors, as well as heating appliances. Due to direct sunlight in the water, it begins to bloom, which is detrimental to aquatic plants and fish.
It is impossible for the aquarium to stand in a draft. Put the container in a darkened corner of the room, in which there are few extraneous movements.
Also, for the convenience of servicing a home pond, there should be an outlet or several sockets next to it. They are needed to connect the filter, heater and lighting.
The smaller the volume of the aquarium, the heavier its maintenance. The biological system in it is easy to break due to small changes in water parameters.
If you are the first time to get fish, it is better to purchase a tank with a volume of 50-100 liters. For him, you need to buy a filter that will clean the reservoir, pump air.
For an aquarium of 100 liters or more, a compressor may be needed that will provide water with dissolved oxygen.
For the aquarium you need to buy a thermostat. It is required to regulate the constant temperature of the water in the tank. Many ornamental fish hail from tropical latitudes, so the water temperature below 22 degrees Celsius can be destructive for them.
To be aware of the aquarium temperature, it is better to buy a water thermometer that is mounted on the inner wall.
Watch the video, which tells how to choose a heater with a thermostat.
In modern aquariums, special lighting is supposed to provide all living things with the right amount of light. Often used fluorescent, LED and metal halide lamps. Lack of light affects plant growth and fish health, as well as its overabundance.
The allowable amount of daylight hours is 8-12 hours. Incandescent bulbs overheat, can burn the plants.
To regulate the daylight, you can buy a timer and automatic switch and switch.
In the aquarium for fish must be a primer. It will serve as a substrate for plants.
Some species of fish love to plow it, looking for remnants of food. Common types of aquarium soil – sand, pebbles and gravel fraction of up to 8 mm. For some aquariums use sand or gravel of a large fraction (3-4 cm).
It is not recommended to spread shells and limestone into the ground, they will change the parameters of the water, which will make you feel worse.
Plants – an important component of the home pond. It is necessary to choose unpretentious and hardy species of plants.
Living plants are very useful for a closed environment – they emit oxygen, and in case of shutdown of the compressor, they will provide the fish with the necessary portion of O2. In the absence of feeding the fish (while the host leaves), plants can become temporary food for them.
Before buying plants, make sure that they fit your fish. If you want to install artificial plants in the tank, treat them with running water and boiling water.
But they will serve only as decorations, and will not help to saturate water with oxygen.
Watch the video about unpretentious aquarium plants.
When you purchased a glass container and all the instruments, found a place where you put the tank, you can begin to equip it. Before installing the aquarium, put a rubber lining under it, which will give the surface the necessary friction and remove any irregularities.
The bottom of the aquarium is under constant pressure, in the event of damage, a body of water can split the tank. After that you need to carry out such measures:
- Wash the glass container with baking soda by rinsing its walls several times under running water. Do not use detergents and chemicals. Thermostat, filter and water thermometer can be wiped with a weak solution of potassium permanganate (devices must be disconnected from the network).
- Before laying the bottom of the aquarium with primer, it should be rinsed under running water and boiled.
- The water in which the fish and plants will live must be clean and infused. Do not pour water directly from the tap. She must insist 3-4 days to evaporate chlorine. Measure the water parameters with indicators, measure its temperature. Everything must meet the necessary standards. After that, the water can be poured.
- Before planting, they need to be processed in a weak solution of the drug bicillin-5, or in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Dip the seedlings in the solution for 10-20 minutes. Then they need to be washed, planted in the ground. Very long roots can be cut.
Fish and plants should be kept carefully, providing them with the necessary care in a timely manner. The main rule of the settlement is that everyone should have enough space for free swimming.
Small fish need 10-20 liters per individual, medium – 30-50 liters, large – 100 liters or more.
It is necessary to take into account the compatibility of fish – according to the way of feeding there are herbivorous, predatory and omnivorous species. You can not settle large and small fish together, fish with different eating habits. An aquarium is a closed space, so weak fish cannot swim far from predators.
Beginners can make danios, guppies, mollies, catfish corridors, gourami, labo, cockerels, goldfish. There are schooling fish, and there are loners, so you need to take into account the peculiarities of behavior during the settlement.
What you need for the aquarium, what to consider when choosing it and what kind of fish to have?
WHAT IS NECESSARY FOR THE AQUARIUM,
What to consider when choosing an aquarium and what kind of fish to have?
Tips for novice aquarists
A well-kept and beautiful aquarium is not only beautiful, but also cozy. Colored fish, which are measured in it swim, fascinate the eye and calm.
But before you choose an aquarium, be sure to calculate its size and choose the fish that live without problems together.
Now aquariums sell for every taste: square, rectangular, round. Volumes are also different – from 10 liters to one and a half tons.
The most popular – from 30 to 100 liters. They are not only convenient, they can be placed anywhere in an apartment or house, they do not require thorough care and expensive equipment.
What you need to consider when choosing an aquarium?
– In large aquariums, water is less often polluted than in small ones.
– Its size should correspond to the size of the fish and their number. The more fish there will inhabit the aquarium, the greater the aquarium should be.
– The shape of the aquarium should be convenient for you, so that it is easy to care for (change water, clean). Therefore, from the bizarre forms of the aquarium is better to refuse.
What should I think about when buying an aquarium?
Most aquarists do not just launch fish into an aquarium, but decorate it with algae, sculptures, grottoes, stones and aquarium soil. The latter is not mandatory if there are no live plants in the aquarium.
Aquarium soil is gravel, marble crumb, sea pebbles, laterite, clay mixed with sand and gravel, etc. When buying soil, please note that the soil layer must be at least 5 centimeters in order for the roots of aquarium plants to gain a foothold.
It is desirable that the soil was without sharp edges.
For most fish, it is imperative to install a filter and aeration in the aquarium, which will pump the air and clean it.
Who gets along with whom, and who should not be settled together?
Aquarium fish, as in nature, are divided into peaceful and predators. Therefore, before the acquisition must take into account this nuance.
For example, cichlids, African, piranhas are predatory fish. But nevertheless the majority of fresh-water aquarium fishes are peaceful, they perfectly coexist in one aquarium. Only some of them require individual space.
In particular, the bar of Sumatra can not be kept together with guppies or cockerels. They barb can nibble on the fins.
It is also very important to consider the size of the fish. Even a peaceful, but big-sized fish can eat its little neighbor.
So do goldfish, which eat everything that they put in their mouths.
Aquarium fish are divided into viviparous and those that lay eggs.
Viviparsing fish breed in an artificial reservoir much faster and easier. For example, guppies, swordtails, ameca, petsilia often give birth to many fry.
But the female should be removed from other fish in time, or the young fish should be quickly removed from the aquarium until other fish have eaten them.
In fish that lay their eggs, everything is much more complicated. For this process, they require a special temperature and power. Most often, if people are engaged in fish unprofessionally, the latter do not lay eggs in the aquarium.
In general, each fish lays its eggs in different ways and cares for its offspring. Some females, such as cichlids, carry eggs in their mouths. In nature, during this period (2-3 weeks) they do not eat anything.
If the female is fertilized in an aquarium, then it is better to pull the eggs out of her mouth and put them into another container, otherwise the fish will die of starvation. Some fish lay their eggs on the surface of the water, making a nest of foam.
With that said, answering the question of what kind of fish to start with, for starters, start my advice with a viviparous, and then we’ll see. Of course, this advice is not a dogma, but in any case, before you buy fish, study all the information about it – conditions of detention, water parameters, and compatibility.
And then you start and buy.
How to care for the aquarium?
Caring for an aquarium is not only its timely cleaning, but also the use of the correct feed.
one. It is advisable not to feed the fish with live moths, as it is possible to bring an infection into the aquarium.
The alternative is frozen bloodworm or dry. It is better to feed the fish twice a day and in any case not to overfeed.
Excess feed decomposes and quickly spoils the water.
2 It is necessary to clean the aquarium once in 7-10 days.
The frequency of cleaning depends on the size of the aquarium, the number of fish, plants, equipment, etc.
3 During cleaning, clean the filters.
four. In no case do not drain all the aquarium water.
It is worth pouring only 1/3 of the liquid. If you drain all the water, the biobalance that exists in the aquarium will be disturbed.
five. Wipe bloom from the walls of the aquarium, and then add fresh water.
If necessary, add preparations to soften and purify water.
Tap water for aquarium is better not to use. It contains chlorine and heavy metals, which can be deadly to fish.
Therefore, you need to clean the impurities with special conditioners.
Diseases of aquarium fish.
The most common disease among fish is ichthyoftoriosis. People call this disease “semolina”. The body of the fish is covered with white small grains.
The fish can be cured, the main thing is to do it in time. There are special preparations for ichthyoftoriosis, which are poured into the aquarium.
At the same time it is necessary to remove filters from the aquarium.
TIP: Do not breed fish with frogs and turtles in the same aquarium. The latter are predators, so they can eat fish.
In addition, the conditions of detention are different. So, for most fish a comfortable temperature of 24-26 degrees.
For turtles – 28.
Prices for the most common types of fish (young):
Guppies and Swordsmen – an average of $ 0.8.
Siamese cockerels – $ 5.
Goldfish – an average of $ 2.
Deciding what kind of fish to start first in your tank can be sudden, and can be thought out. Unfortunately, novice aquarists are often guided by the very first impulse, completely without understanding the fish.
And then, instead of joy and pleasure, they get a headache and problems. You need to choose the fish wisely, because their life and your comfort depend on your choice.
Before you go to the store or to the market, study all the available information about the fish that you liked.
What kind of fish is not worth buying for beginners, we have considered here. And the top 10 unusual fish here.
And in order to make it easier for you to navigate, we have compiled a list of the best aquarium fish for beginners and briefly described them. All of them are distinguished by unpretentiousness, tolerance to conditions in an aquarium, peaceful nature, livableness and modest size.
We hope that it will help make your choice easier!