Acclimating fish

After getting new fish, everyone is excited and ready to put them into the aquarium to see how they look. One of the most important keys to successfully introducing fish to your tank is acclimating your fish. Acclimation is a simple process of allowing your new fish to adapt to your tank conditions.

          When you purchase your fish they will come in a small clear bag. The first thing you do to acclimate your fish is to just simply let the bag sit in your tank water for 15-20 minutes. Letting the bag float will bring the temperature of the water in the bag to the temperature of your tank water. This is very important because if your fish goes immediately into colder or warmer water than the water that it was previously in it can shock your fish, and possibly kill it!

          After letting the bag float, open the top of the bag and pour some of your tank water into the bag. This will get your new fish used to your water conditions as far as your pH level, water hardness, and other conditions that may be different in you tank than in the tank the fish previously came from! Once tank water is poured into bag, allow to sit for 5 more minutes.

          Finally, you can release the fish into the tank.  DON’T EVER allow the water from the bag to enter into your aquarium. That water is highly polluted from the stressful experience that the fish had so adding that water can do more harm than good. The way to get the fish into the tank without dumping that bag into the tank is to “fish it out” with a net, if you have one small enough. If not, simply hold a net over a bucket, dump the bag into the net, and then put the fish into the tank.

          After a fish is released into a new aquarium, it may hide and not eat. This is not strange, just give it time and it should come alive and serve its purpose in your tank! Acclimating a fish may seem unnecessary and just a waste of time, however it’s not. It reduces a lot of stress on the fish.  So take the time and make sure with every new fish you get, a proper acclimation is performed to assure the success of that fish!

         

 

 

 

Starting A New Tank

Starting a fish tank can be a very rewarding. Not only can you enjoy your fish as pets, but also as a work or art. With proper care, you can create a fish tank that will blow peoples minds. But, you must first put the effort into it because it requires a lot of care. You must know what you’re doing at all times and should be able to provide all necessary care.

1. RESEARCH
One of the most important things to do when starting a new tank is research. Many people start tanks without doing research and have tons of problems from the fish killing one another to overpopulating tanks and many other problems. It is better to sacrifice two to three hours of your time doing research than to start a tank and have the entire fail. It strongly recommend that you do research before starting a tank.
What to research? There are many things that you need to know before starting a fish tank.

• First research what type of fish you want (i.e. fresh water or saltwater fish, community or aggressive fish).
• Figure out how big you want the fish get
• Do they live solitary or in groups?
• What do they eat?
• Will they get along with other fish?
• What temperature the fish requires and what pH level is necessary to stabilize your tank?
• Find out details about their natural environment so that you can know how to design your tank so that your fish are comfortable.
• Find out how many fish you can get in you aquarium so that you don’t over crowd your tank.

Fresh water fish tank

There is no limit to how much research someone can do when starting a fish aquarium. You can research what filtration system you want, what heaters you can use, how much equipment you need to maintain your aquarium and much more. You can even go to You-tube and watch videos of the fish that you are interested in to see the way that they act (although all fish won’t act the same) and how they will look when they grow. Doing research before starting a tank is no loss, you will have all the understanding necessary to run your tank successfully.

2. GETTING THE EQUIPMENT FOR YOUR TANK
Once you have done all of your research, and have figured all that you need to know about your desired fish and the requirements of the tank, you can begin working on it. Before even filling the fish tank with water, I would recommend that you make sure you have all tools needed to run the tank including a filter that fits your tank (For example, for a 20 gallon tank a filter that runs for 20 gallons or more), make sure you have a chemicals needed to start aquarium such as water conditioner, stress zyme and stress coat (all are important). It is also good to consider your lighting in the tank, to make sure you have bright light. I would recommend already having an aquarium water changer as well. Once you have all necessary equipment, you can start filling your tank with water.

Fresh Water Tank with African Cichlids

3.STABILIZING YOUR TANK
Once tank is filled, you can never immediately add fish. You must first add chemicals needed such as a water conditioner and stress zyme to remove all harmful chemicals that are in tap water. You should allow filter to run at least 3 to 4 days, between which you are making sure temperature and pH is good. You should also be using this time to add fish tank décor for fish (gravel, plants, driftwood, rocks, ect.)When adding fish, its best to introduce 2 or 3 fish at a time to reduce stress. In the beginning you may have a few casualties (deaths), but that’s normal for the first few weeks when starting a tank. Once tank is established (point where all fish healthy; usually the second week after starting the tank), you can do your weekly 25% water changes and your monthly 50% changes. Within a month, your tank should be well running and good to enjoy.