How to care for fish in the aquarium

The aquarium is considered to be a stylish and original interior design solution. It gives the room lightness, comfort and a certain calm. Psychologists unanimously reiterate that the underwater world puts thoughts in order, relaxes and helps to find a solution to pressing issues. For this reason, all experienced doctors have an aquarium with fish in their office. It performs a healing and aesthetic function, so you need to learn how to care for the bright aquatic inhabitants correctly. Consider the important aspects in order.

How to care for an aquarium

1. The main oversight that the newly made fish owners make is the wrong selection of the aquarium. Despite the fact that you are not yet a very experienced aquarist, a volume of 25-30 liters will not be enough. In addition, small tanks are more difficult to maintain, it is much easier to maintain the natural environment in the aquarium of 55-75 liters. In this case, you will have the opportunity to keep several species of fish at the same time.
2. The question that worries many is “How to fill the aquarium?”. All sorts of fillers for the aquarium will help to create a cozy, close to natural, environment. First you need to take care of the soil, choose small pebbles. It is available in different colors, shapes and sizes, come from the types of fish that you plan to keep in the aquarium. If the water inhabitants have a bright color, choose restrained soil tones (sand, gray, black, white, etc.).
3. When the soil issue is closed, take care of the flora. Root aquatic plants at the base of the shingle, from which fish will begin to absorb nutrients. Also, such manipulations will help residents feel more comfortable, they will be able to take refuge in algae or grass from overly active cohabitants. If possible, give preference to natural greens, rather than artificial.
4. Be sure to purchase an aquarium thermometer. Daily take readings of water temperature, in case of deviations from the optimum readings turn on the heating. Reproduction of live-bearing fish occurs in a narrow temperature range (18–28 degrees), it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of each species separately.
5. Be sure to control the hardness of the water and the cleanliness of the aquarium. Once every 5 days, replace 1/3 of the old soil with new soil. Do not turn off the water filter; if possible, clean it three times a week. Take care of the presence of lighting for the aquarium, the tank should be lit 10-12 hours a day.

How to feed aquarium fish

1. For the most part, feeding the fish is limited to 1-2 receptions. The required amount of feed directly depends on how much feed the inhabitants eat in 10 minutes. Pay attention to the type of food, taking into account age factors and the time of year, when a lack of vitamins is detrimental to the health of fish.
2. If you keep fish that are most often awake at night, stop feeding once a day. Such inhabitants of the water world eat in blue light or before turning off the light altogether.
3. Aquariums with fry require more frequent feeding. If adults consume 4% of the total body weight, then the fry eat 15%, because they grow rapidly.
4. An important feature of feeding fish is the regime. Create a specific schedule for yourself, write down all meals in it. You can not overfeed the fish, otherwise they will die. If in doubt, it is better not to feed. From obesity, fish suffer from infertility and early death, especially for those species that have a tendency to overeat.
5. Do not worry about the fact that you allegedly poured little fish into the fish. Food debris quickly decomposes in the aquatic environment, so they automatically become unsuitable for consumption. There is also a massive clogging of the aquarium, which makes it necessary to regularly clean the filter and replace the soil.
6. Once a month, give the fish the so-called “hungry day”, do not feed them for a whole day to normalize digestion. Carry out such manipulations at the same time as cleaning and washing the aquarium, so that all changes in the usual way of life take place at a time.
7. Very popular are the feeders for aquarium fish, which are attached to the walls of the tank. Such devices do not allow the feed to settle on the surface of the aquarium and clog the aquatic environment. Moreover, when feeding live food, it will not sink to the bottom. The last clarification is extremely relevant for the content of fish feeding in the middle and upper strip of the aquatic environment.
8. Those who still decided to use a special feeder, this recommendation is useful. Teach the fish to start a meal at your call: pour the food, then gently tap your finger on the wall of the aquarium in the feeding zone. After about 2 days, the water inhabitants will develop a reflex to food, so they will strictly follow the feed distribution zone.
9. Correctly choose a balanced menu will help knowledge of the natural environment of the inhabitants. Then you can easily combine one food with another, based on the preferences of individual fish species. The main thing is that the food is varied and natural, do not save on quality.
10. Do not feed fish with one dry food, combine it with live food. Every month, buy your pet a portion of food previously unfamiliar to them, carefully monitor the reaction. When feeding young animals, focus on live food. Make sure that the pellets are not too large, otherwise the fish will not chew them, digestion problems will occur. If the grains or feed is too small in the form of a powder / dust, the fish will spill and quickly thicken.

How to transport aquarium fish

There are frequent cases when it becomes necessary to move fish from one place or, worse, a city to another. As a result, it becomes necessary to transport aquatic inhabitants in a more suitable way. Moving can cause tremendous stress in fish, so the preparation should be thorough.

Bank. You can transport fish in dense plastic bags or in glass jars. The latter option is preferable, but the tank must be handled carefully. Depending on the number of fish, choose the optimal volume from 0.5 to 2 liters. When transporting aquatic inhabitants in the winter, put a heating pad near the container, wrap it with a dense woolen blanket, and then put the jar in a bag.

If the air temperature is above -7 degrees, you can use not a dense bag, but a regular plastic bag. Place the fish in a jar, wrap the container with a woolen cloth and a heating pad next to it, put it in a bag and proceed with transportation freely. An important point: in this case, the time spent on the street should not exceed a quarter hour mark.

Important!
Do not fill the jar to the brim, leave 7 cm from the neck of the container. Under these conditions, keep the fish vessel outside for no longer than 40 minutes. If you plan to stay in the cold for a longer period, use plastic bags.

Package. Purchase transportation packages at the pet store or on the market; they are considered reusable. The product is a bag made of dense polyethylene with rounded edges.

They are partially filled with water (about ¼), after which they are covered with a special silicone lock. Next, you need to pump air into the cavity using a mini-compressor. To increase transport time, pump oxygen.

When transporting fish in quantities of 500 individuals or more in a 20-liter package, the exposure time sometimes reaches 70 hours. If you do not have many fish, purchase smaller packages, transport them in the same way.

You can often hear that such domestic inhabitants do not require financial costs and time, but this misconception is erroneous. Experienced aquarists will tell you in detail about how difficult it is to keep the fish and their water house in good condition. The process requires a leisurely approach and attention to detail, the underwater world is not able to exist without competent support from the outside.

Video: Home Aquarium Care