Despite the fact that pets are a matter of desire for many people, and some even identify them with family members, fewer and fewer people currently decide to have pets because of a fear of responsibility. Given the frantic pace of modern life, many people simply do not have enough time to care for little friends from the animal world.
Nevertheless, there is a way out. You can get pets that will not require a lot of time and attention. An ideal example is aquarium fish. However, it is worth noting immediately that, despite the fact that the fish do not need to walk and they do not need to cook separate food, the owners will still encounter certain difficulties in caring for them, and maintaining aquariums is one of the most difficult tasks associated with care for fish at home.
Aquarium: general information
The first thing to be sure to learn is that the aquarium is not a toy. By purchasing it, each parent must understand the possible difficulties that a new aquarium and living creatures inside it can bring to a measured life. Given the huge variety of living organisms that can be settled inside this glass box, we can confidently say that the aquarium is an artificial ecosystem, the well-being of which directly depends on the person. Therefore, you need to understand all responsibility before buying.
Types of aquariums
Since the average person who decided to buy an aquarium does not even think about what types they are, he will be seriously surprised when he comes to a specialized store and hears questions from a sales assistant. First of all, these glass boxes can vary in volume. It's hard to believe, but the aquarium’s displacement can range from 1 to 2,000 liters. The most popular option among people who are just starting to get acquainted with domestic fish is a volume of 20 liters. The thing is that a 20-liter aquarium is an economical solution to understand the key points for fish care.
Further, they can be classified by shape, location and function. Here we can meet round, rectangular, angular, floor, built-in walls and decorative containers. Since a rectangular aquarium is the most common option, all the requirements and care recommendations that will be mentioned later will apply to this particular type.
Home aquarium: care and maintenance
As mentioned earlier, buying an aquarium is a serious decision that entails tangible consequences. Immediately you need to understand that it will be necessary to spend an average of 15-20 minutes every day in order to maintain acceptable living conditions for new residents in your home. Undoubtedly, the care of them and the maintenance of the aquarium is best entrusted to a qualified specialist who will do everything efficiently and quickly. However, this in no way means that it is impossible to fulfill all the care requirements on your own. Armed with the recommendations from the reference book on this topic or the advice of the same qualified aquarist, you can safely look after your own tank with small pets.
Aquarium decoration
The conditions for the quality care of a specialized container should be studied long before its acquisition. At this stage, the future owner of this artificial ecosystem should conduct some research on the fish that he plans to start. Here you need to pay attention to the features of their nutrition, the necessary conditions for spawning, and much more. If you want to get several types of fish, then you need to know their compatibility. Otherwise, you may be unpleasantly surprised by the speed with which the number of fish of one species will be reduced.
Next, you should proceed directly to specific actions. A decent layer of soil is laid at the bottom of the aquarium, on which various decorative elements are placed. It is worth noting that their presence is very important, because all kinds of shells, corals and beaten vases will serve as a refuge or spawning ground for fish. After that, you can fill the prepared tank with settled water, but you need to do this carefully so as not to disrupt the created composition.
Aquarium population
Settling a new fish house is considered one of the most painstaking activities, which, according to various estimates, can last for 2 weeks. Since the aquarium is a serious responsibility, its “revitalization” must be approached responsibly. Roughly speaking, the entire process of settlement can be divided into the following stages:
- installation of appropriate filters and necessary lighting in the aquarium;
- equipment inspection (up to 3 days);
- planting snails and plants to set the nitrogen cycle, which can lead to temporary turbidity of the water (restoration of the biological balance and transparency of the water takes 4 days);
- the settlement of the most unpretentious fish in the aquarium and constant monitoring of their condition with minimal feeding;
- if all of the above steps are successfully completed, then you can safely populate all the remaining animals and plants inside the aquarium and transfer all the inhabitants to a normal and complete diet.
Maintaining a stable microclimate
In order for home fish and other living organisms to feel good, the microclimate inside the aquarium must be stable. Given such modern technical means as temperature regulators, cleaning filters, air compressors and automatic feeders, achieving the desired result is quite simple. But, given the fact that the aquarium is a home for a large number of living organisms, it is not worth completely relying on technical means. From time to time, you still need to check the status manually.
Water change and cleaning
Professionals in this field pay attention that for the full and effective life of all the inhabitants of the aquarium, the water in it must be changed at least once a month. The process of replacing water must always be accompanied by cleaning.
Many novice home fish owners do not know how to change the water in the aquarium. However, this is a fairly simple but painstaking process. First of all, you need to resettle all the fish in a spare tank, which, for example, can serve as a bank.
Next, drain the old water. For this, it is very convenient to use a special pump. If there is no such device, then you need to drain the liquid manually using a conventional hose. In this case, the tank into which the old water will be drained must always be below the aquarium.
When you have poured all the water, remove the algae and rinse them under running water. Do not be surprised if some plants find themselves in such a terrible state that they will have to be thrown out - this is a completely natural phenomenon.
After that, rinse all the elements of the decor. This should be done without the use of detergents, since their residues can significantly disrupt the microclimate in new water. If there are stones in your aquarium, then many experts even advise them to boil them in saline to kill possible harmful microorganisms.
The last step will be cleaning the walls of the aquarium with a special brush. This must be done for aesthetic reasons, and also so that dirty glass walls do not interfere with the penetration of light inside.
Output
In conclusion, I would like to once again note that caring for the aquarium is a serious and responsible task. Therefore, anyone who wants to make their own fish should honestly weigh the pros and cons. Here you need to perfectly understand that the answer to the question of what is needed to maintain the aquarium is a great desire to mess with new inhabitants and enough free time, not to mention anything about the financial side of the issue.