Apparently raising fish can make your life more enjoyable. Compared to other animals, fish are considered more useful and can be more relaxed in terms of care. Raising fish does not require much time and brings many benefits. Including making the house and bedroom look more alive.Apart from that, fish also have a likable personality. It can even help you relieve stress due to work and others. Therefore, there is nothing wrong if you want to start raising fish at the same time as a home decoration.
Choose a strong Fish Species
For the first step, the most important thing is to choose what type of fish you want to keep. You are strongly advised to do this first before buying a fish container. Because, most people tend to buy an aquarium first before buying the fish. By choosing the type of fish first, it allows you to get a container that suits the fish’s own needs. Fish that are suitable for beginners should be easy to care for, durable, and need not be large containers. Some examples include Betta fish, Guppies, Mollies, Danios, and Rasboras.
Choose a Suitable Container
After choosing the fish you want to keep, you will certainly know the size of the fish container you need. For example, tanks of 5 gallons (19 liters) or smaller are ideal for single fish such as Bettas, or small group fish such as Guppies. If you want to keep different species of fish, you will need at least a 20 gallon (75 liter) tank. Most people do not realize that the bigger the tank chosen, the easier it will be to maintain and keep the water stable. Meanwhile, containers 20 to 30 gallons (114 liters) are ideal for most beginners looking to keep a larger and larger variety of fish.
The Right Equipment
For equipment, of course, it depends on the fish you want to keep. Including the fish container business as described above. Then the need for a water filter is also important. This is because most fish need a filter. There are many different options for filters, but as a beginner the most popular is the hang-on back filter. Easy to install and easy to maintain.
Different fish species require different temperatures. You will also need to sort out which types of plants and substrate (the material used at the bottom of the aquarium) are most suitable for the species you are going to keep. Some fish prefer lots of outdoor swimming space and less decoration, while others will only feel comfortable in a heavily ornamented aquarium.
Prepare the Aquarium
After selecting the fish, preparing the aquarium and other containers, including the necessary equipment, now it is only necessary to arrange them. First, wash and rinse all decorations and substrate that will be used. This is to ensure that no dust or other debris gets into the tank.
Put all your equipment in the aquarium container that has been prepared, from filters, plants, to other decorations. Then you can add water. Make sure you use a de-chlorinator to remove chlorine from the water. Once the tank is full, turn on the equipment and leave the tank for four to six weeks.
Most people, and even most pet stores, will tell you that you can add fish after 24 hours. However this is not true. The tank needs to complete the nitrogen cycle, which means it needs to build up a layer of good bacteria to break down harmful compounds like ammonia and nitrites that are lethal to fish.
Introduce Fish
After letting the water sit for several weeks, then you can measure the levels of nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia using a water test kit. Nitrite and ammonia will peak and then drop to 0, and then nitrate will approach 0.
Most fish shops sell their fish in plastic bags. You can float the plastic bag containing this fish in the aquarium for half an hour. This ensures that the water warms up properly. So that the fish can adapt first. You then need to add a cup of water to the plastic every five to 10 minutes until the bag is full. Once full, you can use the net to get the fish out of the bag into the aquarium.
Keep Water Condition
The most important aspect of raising fish is caring for the water. If you keep the water clean and free of harmful compounds, in most cases the water will protect your fish. To do this, you should always pay attention to the water parameters (nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia) every week, as well as partially change the water.
Most beginners will usually replace all of the water in the tank. But it is unnecessary and actually quite damaging because it will destroy the “bed” of good bacteria in it. For that, you only need to change the water about 20 percent every week.
Aquarium Maintenance
Apart from treating the water, there are several other maintenance jobs that you need to do to ensure the welfare of the fish. Every day, when you feed, check that all the equipment is functioning properly, including checking the tank temperature is correct. When you change the water weekly, also use an algae magnet to remove algae from the glass. Once a month, you also need to change the media in the filter.
