Easy Guide to Fish Care

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Do Your Research

Welcome to Easy Keeping’s easy guide to fish keeping. The first thing we suggest is to figure out what kind of fish you want before purchasing anything. You have many varieties to choose from, from predator fish that do well alone or in schools (3 to 4 fish). Too a whole community of peaceful fish that swim in harmony. The choice you make determines not only what tank size you will need long-term but also will give you a good idea of what to purchase to better house your aquatic pets.

Locations

Location, location, location, it matters! You're about to put hundreds of pounds on your floor, so please be wary of where you place your aquariums. Some other issues that may occur from the location of your aquarium are temperature changes and algae build-ups due to the direct sunlight hitting the aquarium. So, try your best to keep your aquarium away from windows, open doors, air vents, and air conditioners. By doing so will help prevent algae bloom aka green tank, death in your aquariums from constant temperature changes, or even as simple as accidental aquarium cracks.

Cleaning

Before we put any live aquatic pets in your aquariums first things first, take a moment to thoroughly clean the tank inside out. When cleaning your decorations and substrates remember it is recommended to clean all products before placing them inside any aquarium. To ensure your substrates are clean run water through your substrate till the water is clear. For the decorations and ornaments, remember to use warm too hot water to get rid of all the dirt and dust. Once your decorations and substrate are all cleaned the next step is your equipment. It is highly recommended not to use any soaps or chemicals while cleaning your products or tanks. Only Fish safe products should be used for example API fish tank cleaner. No Window cleaner, Bleach, or Aerosol can products should be used to clean your tanks (it is a gamble you don’t want to take).

Setting Up Part 1

All right, you’ve stayed with us this far let’s keep it going on to the setup! Once everything is thoroughly cleaned and you have chosen a good location for your aquarium, let’s start by filling your empty tank with your substrate. Place the Sand, Gravel, or even Dirt about 2 inches above your bottom trim line to ensure your aquatic pets have plenty of digging space, and to allow plants enough room to properly root out. After adding substrate add water to your tank until it's about halfway, then add all your needed decorations and equipment to allow yourself plenty of room for the rest of the water to be safely added without spilling out. Once all your equipment, plants, decorations, and the substrate is in your aquarium make sure to plug in your heater vertically in the center of the tank if it applies to the conditions of your aquatic pet.

Setting Up Part 2

Depending on the filtration you have purchased, it can be one of three options the heavy-duty and pricey canister filters, HOB (hang on the back) filters, which are your cheaper to more moderate pricing option, or you can go with a Sponge Filter which is the most cost-effective for your money and easier to breed smaller fish with. Each filter comes with its own specific setup process which varies on brand and model. Although from personal experience, Sponge Filters require the least maintenance and only require an air pump, safety valve, and airline. Compared to all the bio media you would be purchasing monthly for HOB and Canister filters (a key factor to filtration is that you want 3 to 5 times the amount of filtration for the tank size). After setting up the Heater and filter you will need a constant source of surface agitation to allow oxygen to flow through your aquarium. So most hobbyists use an air pump with an air stone, some filters such as Sponge filters have these factors already taken care of for you. Once everything is plugged in and running, put on your lid/ lights and get ready to begin your first tank cycling process.

Cycle Your Tank

There are multiple different ways to cycle your first tank. For example, Method 1: Add Old or Mature Filter Media from An Old Tank to Your New One. If you cannot get anyone to give you their media directly, another method for cycling a fish tank is to use the “filter squeezing.”, another method is live fish in the tank aka sacrificial fish, or you can always go with Method 4: Fishless Cycling – Introduce Ammonia Directly into your tank.

Adding your aquatic Buddies

The most important thing about getting more or new fish is the timing. You must fight the urge to impulse buy and remember step 1, Do your Research. When purchasing your new fish or adding fish to your already cycled tank, it is important to quarantine your aquatic pet before adding it to your main tank. If it’s your first aquatic pet just make sure to check for early stages of health issues. Check fins for tears or rips, look out for white spots on fins for early cases of Ick, or even as simple as looking for a dead fish in the same tank as the fish you are about to purchase. Death in a tank is never a good thing. After purchasing your pet try to place them in your existing tank water while still in the transport bag to help regulate the water temperature to avoid shocking the fish. Then open it after 15 to 30 minutes and use a net to gently guide your aquatic pet home.

Congratulations

You've Successfully set up your fish tank and now you're looking at your master piece. Admire it, pat yourself on the back, and enjoy watching your happy swimming pets.

Cleanings

You’ve finally had your aquarium up and running and now are beginning to smell a somewhat fishy smell. Have you noticed the glass isn’t as clean as it used to be? Have you noticed green material forming on all your decorations and equipment (algae)? As with any pet over a period of time, your pets need maintenance. To keep up your perfect ecosystem, you are going to need to do the basic upkeep that comes with fish keeping. This means you must clean all your decorations, substrates, equipment, fish tank, and stand without harming your fish. Lucky for our customers we offer water changes and other cleaning services for all sizes of tanks. We like to say we don’t keep fish, but maintain perfect water quality. For more information on water changes, check out our do-it-yourself water change tutorial, or message us on the contact section of our site.