Do you dream of an aquarium? Ready to be patient and learn useful information before you start buying fish?
One of the easiest ways is to pour water into a jar, buy fish - and let them swim. Only pets will live two or three days of strength, so those who want to keep fish should take into account the rules for starting an aquarium.
It all starts with preparing the place
Suppose you have a large apartment that allows you to get a large-tonnage aquarium with predatory fish. For some reason, many newcomers, having read the information on the Internet, come to the pet store with this desire. When sellers begin to explain the risks, potential buyers get angry and bend their line.
Dear readers, do not! Your desire is understandable, but the home aquarium for beginners should be completely different. This is described below, but for now, let's talk about the installation location.
You will need a stable bedside table, it is advisable to purchase it at a pet store before buying an aquarium. At the worst, any strong cabinet will do, just refrain from installing the aquarium on a thin panel of chipboard. It is one thing if the future home for small fish is up to 25 liters, and aquariums of 40, 50 and more liters are completely different. They are heavy on their own, and with water they become even heavier. The chipboard panel is frail, there are certain irregularities that are invisible to the eye. The slightest skew (1 millimeter is already enough) is enough for a crack to go along the glass. As a result, it bursts, water is on the floor, often with fish.
Where is the best place to install an aquarium? Away from the window, so that direct sunlight does not fall on it. Be sure to purchase a mat under the aquarium bottom, it will help to avoid accidentally bursting glass for the reasons mentioned above.
Aquarium selection
We strongly recommend that you pay attention to a small home aquarium for beginners. An ideal option would be a tank of up to 30 liters. It is easy to care for it, the capacity does not require much space, the price category is quite affordable. In addition, a novice aquarist may disappear fuse, then what to put a large tank with its inhabitants? So start small.
When buying, pay attention to German aquariums. They are of the highest quality, although they produce good tanks in St. Petersburg. However, they are difficult to acquire outside of St. Petersburg and Moscow.
Equipment selection
Surely you know what you need to run the aquarium. Just in case, we recall the need to purchase the following equipment:
- Filter.
- Heater.
- Thermometer.
- CO2 setting.
Let's look at each item in order.
CO2 Filter and Installation
Why do we need CO2 for the aquarium? It saturates plants with carbon dioxide. There are several installation options, ranging from a diffuser to tablets. For a small aquarium, up to 30 liters, with a small number of plants, such an installation is not needed. One filter is enough, without it, the fish will die from a lack of oxygen and water purification.
Let's choose a filter in the home aquarium for beginners. There are quite a few well-known filter companies in the Russian market. Among them are Chinese, German, American and Polish. The cheapest are the first, however, when buying a Chinese filter, we play Russian roulette. If you are lucky, the equipment will work for two to three years, otherwise the service life will end one month after the launch of the aquarium.
German and Polish filters are one of the best, according to the advice of experienced aquarists. They cost several times more expensive than Chinese, but work for five or more years.
The filter is selected based on the volume of the aquarium. For a capacity of up to 25 liters, it is advisable to purchase a filter designed for 0-30 liters. When buying a tank with a capacity of 30 liters, choose a more powerful filter. An ideal option would be equipment designed for 30-60 liters.
Heater and thermometer
Most fish are thermophilic, they need a certain temperature. In order to maintain it, a heater is purchased. The equipment is chosen by analogy with the filter: the larger the volume of the aquarium, the stronger the heater should be. We recommend purchasing a filter and heater from the same manufacturer.
The thermometer can be bought the cheapest, there is not much difference. All thermometers have an error, so it makes no sense to overpay for expensive money. The only advice is to refrain from acquiring Chinese thermometers.
Install the aquarium
You bought a suitable tank, solemnly installed it and are ready to fill it with water. A small question: did they defend water? For the first start-up, it is necessary to defend the water for a week, in the pet store they can recommend air conditioning for cleaning it. It will be suitable for the future, but for the first launch it is recommended to use the "grandfather" method of upholding.
Collect water in containers and install them in a calm, warm place. All containers, whether it be buckets or plastic bottles, are kept open so that harmful impurities leave the water. Only after settling it is poured into the aquarium.
By the way, they almost forgot. After bringing the fish tank home, wash it and let it dry. Then install in the designated place, but do not fill with water.
Soil selection
Soil is required in the home aquarium for beginners. Give preference to natural - sand, small pebbles or stones. Refrain from acquiring multi-colored soil, the composition of the paint may be of poor quality. In the water, such a soil begins to “molt”, giving it its color. The components in the paint are fatal to fish.
Have you chosen the ground? Well, now it remains to rinse it and boil it. Soil is washed under running water until it becomes transparent after discharge. Then it is boiled for 15-20 minutes and cooled.
Ground laying and equipment fixing
Perhaps you want to know which fish in a small aquarium are most suitable? Be patient, we’ll tell you very soon. Let's talk about the crucial moment.
We lay the soil in the aquarium. At the back wall, its amount should be maximum, at the front - the minimum. Thus, you get a dirt slide, if you look better after laying.
Having formed a hill, begin to fill the ground with water. We put a saucer in the center of the aquarium, pour water in a thin stream so that it flows evenly from the edges, covering the ground. The process is long, be patient.
After filling the aquarium with water, we suspend the filter and heater. Pay attention to the lower limits to which the heater can be lowered into the water. They are marked directly on the equipment with a striking feature.
The filter is completely immersed in water, only a cord and a thin air tube remain on the surface. Read the instructions carefully in order to understand which tube in question.
After installing the equipment, let it run for 24 hours.
Plants
Starting a home aquarium for beginners is unthinkable without plants. For the first time, it’s enough to buy the cheapest. Kabomba, Wallisneria or Schisandra - the sweetest thing.
We plant plants in the ground, the aquarium will become completely ready for new settlers in a week. The filter works and is filled with beneficial bacteria, the heater warms the water (set the temperature to 24 ° C).
Buying Shelters
Another point is the acquisition of scenery and shelters for plants. There are no recommendations on this subject, it all depends on the taste and financial capabilities of the novice aquarist.
After acquiring the scenery, they are washed well in hot running water, allowed to dry and installed in the aquarium.
Fish selection
Which fish are suitable in a small aquarium? It all depends on the volume of the tank: if you bought a five-liter round aquarium (exaggerated), they put one cockerel there. This fish is a fighter, it is distinguished by its special beauty and steep disposition. Buying a cockerel, forget about other fish, representatives of the breed live alone. Especially norovist males, they are able to kill even a female of her own species.
We recommend paying attention to live-bearing fish. These are guppies, swordsmen, mollies. The smallest and most mobile are guppies, their multi-colored tails delight newcomers to aquarists.
Males differ from females in bright color and size. Representatives of a strong fish floor are smaller than girlfriends. Females are large, with a rounded abdomen, as a rule, painted in gray.
For one guppy, you need 3 liters of water at least. Therefore, 10 fish can be placed in an aquarium with a capacity of 30 liters. This is the maximum figure, ideal will be half of the specified.
Beautiful fish - swordsmen and mollies. Swordsmen can be orange, black and two-tone. The main feature of males is a long “sword” on the caudal fin. Representatives of the species are larger than guppies; they require a larger volume of water - from 5 liters at least.
The most unpretentious fish for the aquarium are mollinsia. Black and white representatives of the species are especially good.
We launch fish
The timing of their life depends on the correct landing of fish in the aquarium. With an inept landing, up to 30% of new residents will die, we learn to avoid a similar result.
In the pet store there are packages for transporting fish, as a rule, they sell future aquarium inhabitants by planting them in them. The bag is tightly twisted and fastened with elastic bands, it is worth carrying it in the bosom, in order to avoid a sharp change in water temperature.
Arriving home, put the bag in the aquarium. You can’t untie it, let it lie in the water for 10-15 minutes. Then untie the bag, add half a glass of aquarium water into it, stand for 5 minutes. New settlers can be released from the bag into the aquarium.
About feed
The article is nearing completion, it remains to mention fish feed. Choose German feed, you can purchase them both in packages and by weight. The latter are cheaper, but only buy them at trusted pet stores.
The most popular food in the form of flakes. It is convenient to feed to fish. Pet food twice a day, in small portions. The food should not settle to the bottom of the aquarium, if this happens, the fish have overeaten, slightly reduce portions.
Conclusion
These are the rules for starting a home aquarium for beginners. We hope you find the tips useful to readers.