The Basics You Need To Keep Tropical Fish
Are you one of those who have been watching youtube videos about fish keeping and at some point got so fascinated about petting fish at home but haven’t started one yet? This blog is for you, a kind of checklist as you contemplate on what are the “must-have”to start an aquarium or fish tank.
So you’re thinking of keeping tropical fish! Welcome to this unique and fascinating hobby. But before we get ahead of ourselves, we need to realize that aquariums can be a lot of work. You have to keep the water in your aquarium clean and aerated, the fish have to have enough food, if you use live plants they will need light and nutrients, and you have to keep the algae under control.
It may take a lot of work sometimes, but this hobby is very rewarding as you’ll soon see. Proven and tested!
Okay…enough talk, let’s get to the point:
If you’re just starting out, you need to know what you need to buy to get started. Here’s a list of the essentials that you need, no matter if you keep saltwater or freshwater fish:
An aquarium – To keep your fish in.
An aquarium stand – To support your new aquarium.
Filtration equipment – Filters can be chemical, mechanical and biological.
Lights – To help live plants grow, and to enhance the colors of your fish.
A tank hood – To reduce evaporation, and stop anything (such as a cat’s paw) from getting in.
Decorations – These can be anything you decide. There are a wide range of decorations available nowadays, so you can decorate your tank however you like. You’ll also want a background to hide the wires.
Substrate – This is basically the sand or gravel you use for the bottom of your aquarium.
Plants – There’s a wide range of plants you can choose for your aquarium nowadays, including live and plastic plants. For me I prefer live plants as they also help in maintaining the quality of the water in the tank.
Heater – Tropical fish require a water temperature that is slightly higher than most people’s room temperature.
A net – For scooping things out of your aquarium. Speaking of net, I vlogged about DIY net made by one of my mentors in fish keeping. This vlog was made couple of months ago and just right for today’s article. Watch the video as see how the DIY net is done. In fact, the net is way cheaper than those sold in the market. You can actually make one for yourself.
Cleaning supplies (such as a scrubby on a stick, a small round brush
and a bucket reserved solely for aquarium use)
Fish food – to feed your fish, obviously.
And last, but not least… you’ll need the fish!
So there you have it, if after reading this you have started your aquarium or fish tank set up, please leave a comment down below so we will also share with your success and accomplishment. Have fun setting up!
In our store are fish keeping accessories that might be of help to you. Please check them out.
