A Healthy Fish Is A Happy Fish
Our tops tips on how to successfully look after your Tropical and Coldwater fish
Safely maturing your new aquarium
The most crucial time for your aquarium is during the maturation period. This is usually around the first six weeks. The safest way to mature your tank is to add a very small amount of fish once a week. Doing this will ensure your filter will develop bacteria at a steady rate, which will in turn break down the toxic fish waste in your tank to make water safe for your fish to live in. If you overstock your tank with fish too quickly, not enough bacteria will grow fast enough and chemicals such as Ammonia and Nitrite will become toxic and will very likely kill your fish. Please ask staff to help to choose which fish are suitable for your tank at this stage. Continue to ask every week while your tank is maturing.
Filters
Depending on the filter you have, the bacteria will grow on different medias. And, different rules are applied to these to make sure each filter remains constantly mature. If you have an external or internal filter, the bacteria will grow on the sponges/ceramic pieces. It’s extremely important to wash these in the bucket of tank water you have taken out when carrying out your water change. NEVER wash them under the tap, as chlorine and a completely
different ‘water condition’ will kill the bacteria.
If your filter is an undergravel, the bacteria will develop on the gravel itself. So again, never wash the gravel under tap water. Gravel should always be cleaned during water changes using a gravel washer. No matter what type of filter you have, you should use this gravel washer whenever you carry out a water change. This will ensure that fish waste is taken out of the aquarium and not rotting away to producing severe water quality problems. Please ask staff for more information on how to use one.
Water changes
During these first six weeks of your tank maturing, it’s advisable to do about 20% water change once a week. This will continually dilute any small ammonia and/or nitrite build-up that might occur. After six weeks, tanks 24 inches or bigger can be water changed every two weeks. A good 25% water change using a gravel washer is recommended. Smaller tanks should be water changed once a week, as they tend to get very dirty, quicker. Again, 25% gravel wash is recommended.
Water for our aquarium
Always use water from the cold tap. NEVER take any water from the hot tap as some households store water in copper cylinders. Copper is toxic to fish. Always boil water in the kettle, and mix with the cold in a bucket until the temperature is the same as the tank water. Before adding the water to the tank, you must dechlorinate. Water contains chlorine which can damage the delicate gill membranes of fish. We have many dechlorinators on sale such as Safe Guard, Aqua Safe and Stress Coat. This will render the water immediately safe, with the added bonus of removing metal traces, and helping to preserve the protective coating of your fish.
Coldwater fish need to have a little boiled water added, to take the chill off the water temperature. Coldwater tanks will be at
room temperature, and so adding much colder water can shock and stress the fish.
Feeding your fish
Although many products state on their packaging that you can feed 2-3 times a day, it is definately not advisable to do this.
The more food this fish consumes, the more waste it will produce and pollute the tank. It is best to feed a very small amount
either once or every other day.
Introducing fish
No matter what type of fish you are introducing into the tank, you must slowly float and mix the bag of fish. This process not
only equalises temperatures slowly but, far more importantly, equalises the chemical quality of the waters. Leave the bag of fish floating in the bag in the tank for 20 minutes. Then, open the bag, and let in a little of the tank water into the bag. Repeat this water introduction process every 5 minutes for a further 20 minutes. After, pour the fish into the tank very gently.
Fish diseases
Very little disease should be encountered in a well maintained aquarium, However, White Spot is a common parasite which all fish carry in a dormant state. It normally only breaks out when fish are under stress, often when they are moved from tank to tank, making it vital to keep a close watch on new fish for the first few days. White Spot can also occur after drops in water temperature, or people tapping on tanks. Fortunatley it is very easy to cure, providing treatment is started quickly.
There are many other diseases, some harder to notice than others. Our advice, is to check the fish for any markings not seen before, and any change in their behaviour such as a lack of appetite. Then, speak to one of our staff members who will help you find a suitable treatment.
*Photo used is purely for advertising. It illustrates how not to look after your fish in relation to this article.
We do not in any way advise putting a fish in a blender!