Tropical Fish Tank Supplies

There are so many different types of tropical fish tank supplies out there that it can be daunting when begin your own tank. Knowing what to purchase is essential before you start buying anything. Some of these supplies are a necessity while others simply make your tank look a lot nicer. This article will describe some of the different types of supplies that you can purchase including the different types of tanks, plants, and decorations that you can purchase for your tropical fish tank. After reading this article you should have a better understanding of what tropical fish tank supplies you need for your tank to thrive.

Purchasing a suitable tropical fish tank for needs is very important. A tank too small or too large will be very hard to look after and an unsuitable tank will lead to lots of heartache and dead fish. The tank that you purchase should be large enough for the amount of fish that you want. Keep in mind that a bigger tank will require larger, more expensive accessories like lights and filters so if you are on a tight budget try to go for a midsized tank to keep costs down. Most pet stores, online and offline will have experts on hand to help you find exactly what you are looking for. It is also a good idea to do a lot of your own research prior to making any purchases.

After you have your tank, you should think about the sort of plant life that you want. Although you can have a tank made up of only artificial plants, this will not look as good as a tank full of healthy natural plants. It is easier for beginners to use artificial tropical plants but as soon as you think you can look after real plants you should purchase a few and see how you go. Live plants also help to keep the water clean and provide a place for your fish to play and explore. You need a good substrate if you are considering using live plants.

Any ornaments or decorations that you purchase for your fish tank should be soaked in water for about 24 hours to ensure that they are clean and free of chemicals. Drift wood is a great addition to any tank and this can be found on a lot of beaches around the world for free!

Thinking about the above points when purchasing tropical fish tank supplies will help you make better decisions and have a much nicer and lower maintenance tank. Remember, choose a tank that suits your needs and time requirements, have a long think about the type of plants you want to put in your tank, and look for some cool decorations and ornaments for your tank to give it a really personal touch. The best thing that you can do is research so have a look at heaps of different tropical fish tank supplies stores and see what you can find.

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How to Take Good Care of Your Tropical Fish Tanks

Taking good care of tropical fish tanks involve diligent cleaning and maintenance checks. Doing so will ensure that your fish will stay healthy by preventing any problem from happening.

Daily maintenance

Daily checks would only require a few minutes of your time. This involves checking the water level, doing fish head count, and checking for floating detritus. If the water level drops, you need to replace the water. You must also take out any dead fish or plant matter to maintain a suitable water condition for your tank.

Also check the temperature reading of your heater and thermometer. A huge discrepancy in their readings generally means that the heater is malfunctioning.

Weekly maintenance

Water change and light cleaning of tropical fish tanks are usually done during the weekly maintenance checks. You have to remove and clean dirty ornaments, clean the tank walls, siphon off floating particles and dirt, and prune and re-anchor live plants if you have them in your tank. When changing the water, do not remove more than 25% of the water in the tank. Before you put in the new water, make sure that it is filtered, dechlorinated, aerated, and of the correct temperature. You can leave the fish inside the tank while cleaning as long as you won't make sudden movements that will disturb them.

Monthly maintenance

Cleaning and replacement of some of the equipment of tropical fish tanks are done monthly. These are your filter media and filter cartridges. Do the monthly cleaning together with the scheduled water change so you can use the discarded water to clean the mechanical and chemical filter media of your fish tank. However, do not replace nor replace the biological media as this will wipe out the bacteria colonies needed for filtration. Make sure that you test the levels of ammonia, pH, nitrates, and nitrites in the fish tank.

It is advisable to keep a record book where your observations, activities, and testing results are noted down. Referring to those notes will help you later on in case concerns regarding water conditions or fish health will arise.

Bi-annual maintenance

The pumps, light bulbs, protein skimmers, filters, and pipes of tropical fish tanks are to be checked, cleaned and/or replaced twice a year. Check the impeller of the pumps if there are missing blades or if it has cracks. Be sure to clean the inside of the pipes. When you change the light bulbs, do so at night when they are cool enough to be handled. If you need to change two bulbs or more, replace the bulbs one day at a time. When removing, reassembling, and reinstalling these equipment, follow the manufacturers instructions.

Cleaning tools

Using the right materials during cleaning will ensure faster cleaning time with less hassle. Your cleaning kit should include algae pads, magnetic cleaners, gravel vacuums, water changing tools, scrapers, brushes, tongs, gloves, and cleaning fluids. Examples of cleaning fluids specially made for fish tanks are scratch removers, salt creep removers, lime dissolvers, and glass polishers.

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