Tropical Fish and its Aquarium Maintenance

Tropical fish includes fish around the world living in tropical environments including salt water and fresh water species. They are popular fish in aquariums because of their bright colors. Tropical also refers to tropical climate wherein the climate is warm or moist all throughout the year integrated by abundant vegetation.

Aquarium is an enclosed clear-sided container made of high strength plastic or constructed glass for keeping or raising animals and plants for research and observation. The ecosystem of the species is copied on smaller scale controlling environmental factors.

Tropical fish being put in the aquarium should be properly taken care of by regular monitoring of the fish and aquarium conditions by checking the waters for bacteria, parasite or fungi occurrences. There are ways on how to determine if the tropical fish are sick.

- Fish scales inspection. Examine for any discoloration, growths or wounds. Scales that is missing is a fighting indication.

- Observation of the fish respiratory rates. Slower or faster rate than normal is a sign of problem.

- Fish eyes clarity checking. Blood or cloudiness should not be present.

- Observation of the fish abnormal behavior such as unusual swimming pattern or sluggishness.

- Veterinarian consultation for any fish abnormalities being observed.

Aquarium serves as the new habitat of your tropical fish so it should be maintained regularly. The procedures are easy protecting the fish and plants lives.

- Regular checking of the tank to ensure that dying or dead fish is not present.

- Observation of all the fish individually for behavioral patterns familiarization so that it is easier to determine a sick fish in the future.

- Feed your fish with one-day intervals using diet variations.

- Replace the evaporated water on the tank with dechlorinated water.
- Once a week, removed 5 to 10 percent of the tank water replacing it fresh dechlorinated water. Unwanted chemicals in the tank are diluted helping the tanks internal environment similar to tap water.

- Algae scraping from the walls of the tank done once a week.

- Filter pads checking every two weeks cleaning or replacing them if necessary.

- Water testing done every two weeks. Water change is done after one day.

- Ammonia, nitrate, pH levels or nitrite checking done every two weeks.

- Drain off the debris from the gravel done once a month.

Always keep track the chemical contents of your aquarium and schedule maintenance. Most people think that having an aquarium inside the house requires a lot of task and maintenance but it is actually easy and very handy. If you are a beginner, you can easily learn a lot from it and you can get a lot of helpful tips to keep your fishes in good condition.

The first thing you need to decide on is the size of the fish tank. If you are a beginner, you can start off with a small aquarium. This will not be a burden or a problem because maintaining a small aquarium is not a heavy task. If you have learned the basics of taking care of your aquarium, you can just upgrade your present aquarium to a larger one.

Only that, you will need extra materials and extra amounts of water. You need to choose a good location or spot for your tank. Make sure that the table can hold the weight of your tank. The next thing to consider is the type of equipment that you need for your aquarium.

Choose the kind of water you want to feed in your aquarium. Choosing tap water can be a good option because it is cheaper than distilled water. Distilled water is a very good water option because it is sure to be safe and clean. If you choose tap water for your aquarium, you need to buy a product which can remove the chlorine in the water so that the fishes will not be harmed.

You need to add water very slowly especially there are a lot of fishes in the tank. You can also provide a heater for your aquarium so that the fishes will be in good condition and the water is also good. You will also need to have a good lighting for your aquarium so that the fishes can see clearly the surroundings.

Fishes need light in order to see the food. You will also need a hood to keep the fishes secured in the tank also by giving them proper lighting. Fishes need extra care and love just like humans do. So, if you can provide them with the best aquarium that you can, they will surely appreciate it.

Now that you know the basic requirements for putting up your own aquarium, you can gather all the materials and start choosing the fishes that you want.

Tropical Fish Aquarium