Aquarium is a small artificial ecosystem. Aquarium Maintenance

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Despite the fact that pets are the object of desire for many people, and some even identify them with family members, fewer and fewer people are now choosing to have a pet due to fear of responsibility. With the hectic pace of modern life, many people just don't have enough time to take care of their little animal friends.

Nevertheless, there is a way out. You can get pets that will not require a lot of time and attention. An ideal example here is aquarium fish. However, it should be noted right away that, despite the fact that the fish do not need to be walked and they do not need to prepare separate food, the owners will still face certain difficulties in caring for them, and maintaining aquariums is one of the most difficult tasks associated with fish care at home.

Aquarium: general information

The first thing you need to learn is that the aquarium is not a toy. When purchasing it, each parent should understand the possible difficulties that the newan aquarium and the animals inside it can bring a measured life. Considering the huge variety of living organisms that can be placed inside this glass box, it is safe to say that an aquarium is an artificial ecosystem, the well-being of which directly depends on a person. Therefore, you need to understand all responsibility before buying.

Types of aquariums

Since the average person who decides to buy an aquarium for himself does not even think about what types of aquariums there 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 volume of aquariums can range from 1 to 2000 liters. The most popular option among people who are just starting to get acquainted with domestic fish is the volume of 20 liters. The thing is that a 20-liter aquarium is a fairly economical solution in order to understand the key points for caring for fish.

Further, they can be classified according to shape, location and function. Here we can find round, rectangular, corner, floor, wall-mounted and decorative containers. Since the rectangular aquarium is the most common option, all the requirements and care recommendations that will be mentioned below will apply to this type.

Home aquarium care and maintenance

As alreadyAs mentioned earlier, buying an aquarium is a big decision with tangible consequences. Immediately you need to understand that it will be necessary to spend an average of 15-20 minutes every day to maintain acceptable living conditions for new residents in your home. Undoubtedly, it is best to entrust their care and maintenance of the aquarium 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 requirements for care on your own. Armed with recommendations from a guide on the topic or advice from the same qualified aquarist, you can safely care for your own tank with small pets.

Aquarium decoration

The conditions for quality care of a specialized container should be studied long before its purchase. At this stage, the future owner of this artificial ecosystem should do some research about the fish he plans to have. Here you need to pay attention to the peculiarities of their nutrition, the necessary conditions for spawning, and much more. If you want to have several types of fish, then you need to find out their compatibility. Otherwise, you may be unpleasantly surprised at the rate at 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 should be noted that their presence is very important,because all kinds of shells, corals and broken 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 disturb the created composition.

Settling the aquarium

Settling in a new home for fish is considered one of the most painstaking tasks, which, according to various estimates, can last for 2 weeks. Since an aquarium is a serious responsibility, its "revitalization" must be approached responsibly. Roughly speaking, the entire settlement process can be divided into the following stages:

• installing appropriate filters and necessary lighting in the aquarium;
• check equipment (up to 3 days);
• planting snails and plants to set up a nitrogen cycle, which can lead to temporary cloudiness of the water (restoration of the biological balance and transparency of the water occurs in 4 days);
• settlement of the most unpretentious fish in the aquarium and constant monitoring of their condition with minimal feeding;
• if all 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 domestic fish and other living organisms to feel good, the microclimate inside the aquarium must be stable. Considering such modern technical means as thermostats, cleaningfilters, air compressors and automatic feeders, achieving the desired result is quite simple. But, given the fact that an aquarium is a home for a large number of living organisms, you should not completely rely on technical means. From time to time, you still need to check the status "manually".

Water change and cleaning

Professionals in this field draw attention to the fact 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 changing water must be accompanied by cleaning.

Many novice pet 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 move all the fish to a spare container, which, for example, can serve as a jar.

Next, drain the old water. It is very convenient to use a special pump for this. If there is no such device, then you need to drain the liquid manually using a conventional hose. In this case, the container into which the old water will be drained must be below the aquarium.

When you have poured out all the water, remove the seaweed and rinse it under running water. Don't be surprised if some plants end up in such a terrible state that they have to be thrown out - this is quite a natural phenomenon.

After that, wash all the decorative elements. This should be done without the use of detergents, as their residues cansignificantly disturb the microclimate in the new water. If you have rocks in your aquarium, many experts even advise boiling them in saline to kill any 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 to ensure that dirty glass walls do not prevent light from penetrating inside.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I would like to note once again that aquarium maintenance is a serious and responsible task. Therefore, anyone who wants to have a pet fish should honestly weigh all the pros and cons. Here you need to perfectly understand that the answer to the question of what is needed to maintain an aquarium is a great desire to mess around with new inhabitants and a sufficient amount of free time, not to mention nothing about the financial side of the issue.