Freshwater aquariums are extremely easy to set up, but require some care to maintain. Over time, your aquarium will become filled with chemicals and debris that are natural in the cycle of life and death that are a part of owning and caring for an aquarium. Various filtering systems and aeration systems must be employed to maintain the proper balance of chemicals and oxygen in the water to prevent it from becoming stagnant. Thankfully, freshwater aquariums can be extraordinarily forgiving. In many cases, if your fish and plants are not over crowded, you will find that they do better without your intervention than with it.
Place your aquarium in a low-traffic area of your home or apartment where it will not be in danger of being disturbed, and it will not be subjected to light from windows. Too much light will vary the temperature of the aquarium too much during the day and the evening, causing problems with algae growth as well as problems with your fishes’ health. When the tank is in place, fill the bottom of the tank with rinsed gravel. You may choose to use an under-gravel filter. If you do so, place this in the tank before you add the gravel. Just as effective are filters that hang on the back of the aquarium, so don’t worry if you have opted for either. While some type of filtration is a necessity, it doesn’t matter as much what type you use. When rinsing gravel, place it in a clean plastic bucket and then fill the bucket with tap water. Agitate the gravel with your hands and you will see small particles of dirt float to the surface. Pour off the water and then continue rinsing with fresh water until the water runs off clean.
Fill the aquarium to 2/3 full with tap water, and then add an appropriate amount of tap water conditioner to the tank. This chemical removes the additions to municipal water supplies that are harmful to fish such as chlorine. It does not purify the water, however. All it does is binds the particles to one another so that they can be picked up by the filtering mechanism you choose to use for your aquarium.
Add any decorations you want to the aquarium, being careful to rinse them in tap water before adding them to the tank. This removes any dust or other debris that may be resting on the decoration. When the decorations have been added, fill the tank the rest of the way with water, and then fix the tank hood and light source in place.
Set up and install the aquarium filter onto the back of the aquarium. Using a charcoal-based filter is the most common among those who are just being initiated into aquarium keeping, as it is inexpensive and easy to clean occasionally. In a freshwater aquarium, you will notice that algae will form occasionally on the surfaces of the filter canister. This can be wiped away with a clean washcloth.
Allow the aquarium to mature for approximately five days before you add fish to the tank. In addition, check the temperature needs of the fish you intend to keep and install an aquarium heater if necessary. Warming the tank slightly often results in mating behavior in the fish, while cold temperatures usually stave off mating.
Clean your aquarium regularly, and change out at least 20% of the water every two weeks, or more if you have many fish in the tank. Really, though, once the tank is set up, there isn’t much beyond occasional maintenance and cleaning that you have to do to keep the tank healthy. Freshwater aquarium keeping can be one of the most relaxing hobbies you can undertake.
“Freshwater Aquariums for Dummies”; Maddy Hargrove; 2006