Owning fish is generally seen as an easy way to get into owning pets. Unlike dogs, you don’t have to walk the fish every day. Instead, they live in their own little microcosm we call aquariums. That being said, you can’t just grab your nearest aquarium, put the fish in it, and call it a day. 

There’s so much more to it. Maintaining an aquarium at home requires a bit of work, but is hard? Let’s find out by going over the entire process from getting the tank to populating it with fish. 

The Right Size 

Choosing the right aquarium for your fish is essential for their wellbeing. The key thing to keep in mind is the size of the tank. Larger fish require more room, meaning that a small aquarium simply won’t cut it so keep that in mind. Then again, if you’re planning on having more than one fish, watch out for overcrowding too. 

Giving fish enough room to thrive is a great way to keep them happy. The only thing to watch out for is to get fish that will get along with each other.

The Basics of Aquarium Maintenance 

Once you have everything planned out, it’s time to actually prepare the aquarium. There are a few things you’ll need to do before you can safely move your fish into your aquarium. 

• Prepare the Water - your average fish will require a tank full of water that has been previously conditioned. Namely, tap water won’t work. You have to balance it by using a dechlorinating agent as well as a few other supplements. 

• Track Temperature - your fish are susceptible to any changes in water temperature. Make sure that your aquarium is sitting in a place where it isn’t subject to constant temperature changes. In other words, keep it away from sunlight. 

When all of these conditions are met, it’s time to check the pH levels of the water in your tank. Different fish will require different pH levels to thrive. You should check what kind of pH levels your particular fish species requires. 

Daily Maintenance 

Once you dial in the perfect water conditions within your tank, you’ll have to work in order to maintain everything the way it is. Experts over at aquaticly.com argue that aquarium maintenance can be divided into daily, bi-weekly, and monthly tasks. This classification makes it easy to stay on top of everything. 

Daily maintenance involves checking that everything is running smoothly. When feeding the fish, give the pump and every other piece of equipment a quick look. Make sure that everything is working fine and that nothing is broken. 

Bi-Weekly Maintenance 

Once every two weeks is a good time to give your water a quick test. You should check for everything - pH values and other critical parameters. Every two weeks is a good time to clean the aquarium walls, vacuum the gravel and cycle some of the water (usually 10-15%). Also, remove any filter inserts and rinse them out. 

Monthly Maintenance 

The monthly maintenance involves changing the filter inserts and cartridges as well as giving the entire tank a proper inspection. Look for any sign of damage or degradation in the tubing, joints, connections, and any other part of the tank that is essential for sustaining your fish. 

This is also a good time to give the entire aquarium a good cleaning as that will help you determine the true extent of any potential degradation. 

Is Aquarium Maintenance Difficult? 

To answer this question, you have to define what ‘difficult’ means for you. As far as caring for animals goes, owning fish is on the easier side of the spectrum. However, fish require that you stick to an established schedule and make a routine out of it. The moment you start to deviate from this routine, your fish will feel it. 

Fish, just like us, react to changes in their habitat. Fish that are not receiving the care they need will become stressed out, which ultimately has a negative effect on their well-being. 

Start Small

Although everything we’ve mentioned so far could come across as overwhelming to some, there’s no need to get the biggest tank and populate it with 100 fish. You can always start small and learn how to take care of fish in a controlled way. 

Caring for a few fish in a small tank is much easier than trying to handle a massive aquarium as a newbie fish owner. By building a small aquarium, you’ll find out just what kind of maintenance work is involved, whether having fish is for you, and more.