Essential advice if you decide to have fish at home
Did you fall in love with Nemo and Dory? Is your son a SpongeBob fan? Do you love the sea and want to have a little piece of it in your house? If you’re thinking of expanding the family with some fish, don’t miss our advice:
Aquarium size matters
The first step to having fish at home is to buy an aquarium where they can live. This can be freshwater, saltwater or marine, each with specific needs. Size is important, it is going to be the home of your fish and in it they should feel comfortable and have enough space. To give you an idea, you can use the following formula: for each cm of fish in tropical water you should calculate 1 liter of water, for each cm of fish in cold water you should calculate 2 liters.
One of the most important things is the size of the surface of the fish tank because there is little oxygen in the water. Although we have a diffuser that provides oxygen artificially, the surface is key to the life of your fish.
The initial treatment of the space is of vital importance
Once you have the aquarium it is necessary to make a good treatment of the space before installing the new tenants. These are the 5 steps you must follow:
- Clean the aquarium very well, without any toxic product that may leave traces.
- Place the filter.
- If you have opted for a hot water aquarium, place the thermometer.
- Place the gravel on the bottom of the aquarium.
- Fill it with water: The first time, you can put water from the faucet since in the first filling you are not going to put directly the fish but you are going to treat it so that they can live in it. To do this, you will have to buy bacteria known as nitrifying bacteria, which are responsible for eliminating the harmful substances contained in the water. These bacteria will need 4 weeks to do their job.
Light is fundamental to life
Fish need light to survive, although it doesn’t necessarily have to be sunlight. We recommend that you buy a fluorescent light that simulates natural light as it is not advisable that sunlight directly affects the fish tank.
Fish must be friends
Even if your fish tank is very big, not all fish get along well with each other. They are often aggressive towards each other, which is why we recommend that you ask the shop manager first.
Adapting to change always has its time
After the four weeks in which all your friends have asked you why you have an aquarium without fish, it’s time to put them in the fish tank. But be careful, you can’t put too many fish in at the same time; the ideal is to introduce them in pairs.
Once you have chosen the fish you want to have, you will take them home in a plastic bag that you will have to put in the aquarium fifteen minutes before opening it and let the animals swim freely in their new home.
If you want to extend the family, you will have to give them a week of adaptation and two by two add up. However, be careful not to have an overcrowded aquarium that will cause the water to become unbalanced and your fish to get sick.
Did you like our advice? Share with the Higa Chiharu team all your doubts and we will help you to solve them.