Factors to Consider Before Buying Your Aquarium

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If you are a lover of fish and you enjoy spending most of your time with marine creatures, then getting yourself an aquarium will be an exciting experience. Aquarium brings you that fascinating aquatic natural environment into your living room or office allowing you to enjoy this incredible aquatic experience anytime at your convenience.

This post will provide a detailed aquarium guide for beginners that you can use to get started with aquariums. You can also have a look at our DIY Aquaponics guide.

Many individuals often encounter challenges when they make or acquire aquariums for the first time.

This is because most of them do not take enough time to familiarize themselves with essential beginners’ tips that stipulates the do’s and don’ts when handling aquariums.

It’s with this regards that this article on aquariums guide for beginners has outlined a detailed starter’s  guide that will help you rear healthy fish for either ornamental or consumption purposes.

As a beginner in  fish farming, you need to consider the following key starter packs before you start your salt or freshwater aquarium setup.

7 Factors to Consider When Buying an Aquarium

  • Size of the fish tank
  • Strong and flat storage surface
  • Right aquarium gravel
  • Aquarium heater
  • Filters
  • Fish net
  • Fish food
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Aqueon Aquarium Fish Tank Starter Kit with LED Lighting 10 Gallon Fish Tank
  • All the equipment needed to get started in one box!
  • Low profile full hood contains vibrant cool white LED lighting to bring your aquatic environment to life
  • Filter has a red LED light that flashes to indicate when it’s time to change the cartridge
  • Simply add your favorite style of plants and decor
  • Preset heater will keep your aquarium temperature at a constant 78 degrees, appropriate for most tropical fish

Last update on 2022-12-23 at 09:52 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Read Also; Best Aquaponic Systems

The size of aquarium tank

aquarium fish tank

For starters, the ideal aquarium fish tank has to be of at least 20 gallons (90L).

Tanks of this capacity are more stable and you can easily determine the temperature and water PH levels with ease. There are other aquarium tanks with less capacity but they might not be reliable especially for beginners when it comes to stability.


Choose a strong and flat storage surface

To prevent your tank from falling down and breaking, ensure that you have selected a strong and flat surface that is ideal to place your aquarium.

The storage surface should guarantee a free flow of water and the aquarium is not exposed to too much direct sunlight.

When selecting your preferred location, also bear in mind the issue of power connectivity. This is necessary due to the electrical requirements such as lights, filters, and heaters if your preferred aquarium uses power.


READ ALSO;  8 Essential Landscaping maintenance tips


Once you have selected the perfect space to place your aquarium-tank, you can now go ahead and cross-check whether you have all the other necessary components and equipment.


 The right aquarium gravel

aquarium gravel
Image Via; thespruce

When shopping for the right gravels to use in your aquarium, go for either glass gravel, coarse sands, or creek stones.

They provide a perfect environment that ensures that there is free water flow and circulation while at the same time encouraging nitrifying bacteria to carry out its duty.


Aquarium Heater

Go for a reliable heater that will perform well in your aquarium-tank  and one that will help in minimizing diseases. Heaters can help you regulate the temperature thus, helping you to easily rear even tropical fish in your home or office.


Aquarium filters

The most common question beginners ask is a guide on how to setup a fish tank filter. Always ensure that your aquarium filter has the ability to turn over minimum of 3-5 times the aquarium volume per hour.

Volume calculator can help you determine the filter potential. If you are using a small aquarium, then go for hang-on-back filters as they are very reliable and have high flow rate coupled with ease of use especially for a novice.

To ensure aquarium failure is minimized, ensure that you have a number of replacement filter cartridges. This will ensure that your fish enjoys conducive grow environment by keeping water clear and debris free all the time.


Read Also; Hydroponics Vs Aquaponics



Fish net

Fish net is an essential equipment as it will help you remove excess food, dead plant matters and move your fish to your preferred location.

Ensure that you have a glass scrubber which is also essential as it will help you clean your glass.


Fish food

Ensure that you do not overfeed the fish. It is recommended that you feed your fish twice per day. Go for quality fish food and you will enjoy rearing strong and healthy fish.

aquarium fish food
Image Source; Flashlarevista

In summary, as a beginner, ensure that;

  • You have cleaned the gravel properly before placing them in the aquarium
  • Gently place the substrate/cleaned gravel at the bottom of the aquarium
  • Fill up the tank with water and use a water de-chlorinator
  • Make sure that you have used the right heater and filter
  • Lighting and heating should be perfect
  • Allow cycling process to occur in order to promote the multiplication of de-nitrifying bacteria

Once the aquarium is ready to receive your preferred fish type, ensure that you have carefully examined the fish to avoid purchasing defective ones. In general, avoid any fish with split fins or damaged gills among other common deformities.

When you are restocking, ensure that you do not over stock and create enough space of at least 1’ of fish in every gallon.

Any time you bring in new fish, consider putting them in a quarantine tank for a while to avoid spreading diseases to the healthy ones.

aquarium

Aquariums provides an exciting opportunity to rear edible and ornamental fish at the comfort of our homes or offices and proper care and maintenance has to be observed for anyone to reap the benefits that comes with rearing these aquatic creatures in your room.

Tetra ColorFusion Starter aquarium Kit 3 Gallons, Half-Moon Shape, With Bubbler And Color-Changing...
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Tetra ColorFusion Starter aquarium Kit 3 Gallons, Half-Moon Shape, With Bubbler And Color-Changing…
  • AQUARIUM KIT: Half-moon shape allows 180-degree panoramic viewing – starter kit has everything you need
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  • AIR PUMP Drives both the bubbling disc and the filter
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Last update on 2022-12-23 at 09:53 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

By following these  guide for beginners tips will make your journey in aquarium fish rearing an amazing experience.

Aquarium Basics
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