If you're determined and ready to begin setting up your own aquarium, There are six important fish tank supplies you will need for your aquarium before you begin. Never be tempted to buy fish at the same time that you acquire your aquarium. There are many steps to complete prior to bringing fish to their new home.
1. The Tank, There are many fish tanks to choose from so choose whatever you feel comfortable with and make sure you have chosen a sturdy stand and designated area that gets a lot of traffic for your tank. while any tank is acceptable, what some people don't know is that the larger tank you have, the less chemical and biological maintenance you will need to give it.
2. hood/lid and lighting, you will need one that fits your chosen fish tank. Most come with the aquarium itself but depending on the size of your fish tank may have to look for one that fits your chosen size. what the hood does is it prevents evaporation of water and protects fish from jumping out of the aquarium, it also keeps anything else from entering the aquarium such as dust and cats!. Lighting is not absolutely necessary but having one is natural for the fish as it stimulates daytime and nighttime, It also looks much better with the proper lighting.
3. Filter,The Filtration systems are usually the most complex component of the aquarium and also the most essential in order to create and maintain a clean, healthy aquarium environment for your fish. There are three stages to filtration. They are mechanical filtration, chemical filtration, and biological filtration. Thanks to technology most filters take care of all of this for you with the simple push of a button For smaller fish tanks you will want to go with "power filters" for larger tanks you will want to go with a "canister filter".
4. Water testing kit and Thermometer are another important factor for your fish tank supplies. These measure the balance of temperature, Ph, Hardness, Alkalinity, Ammonia and Nitrite levels in your freshwater or saltwater aquarium setup. Keeping both chemical and water temperature balance is the key for keeping the fish healthy. There are many different kits available, So be careful what you choose depending on if you are going to use saltwater or freshwater.
5.Air Pump/Air stone, Deciding if you need these or not depends on what type of fish your getting, what the shape/size of your tank is, and what type of filter you get. Usually your filter will provide enough oxygen for your fish, but it just so happens live plants actually provide more oxygen to your tank than an air pump. The choice is yours.
6. Food, The type of food you buy relies directly on the type of fish you purchase and I would suggest only feeding them once or twice a day. Most of the time fishes look hungry, but You should be careful not to overfeed your fish as fish can't self-regulate how much they eat and could literately eat themselves to death! If you plan to go out of town for more than one week you can get something called an automatic feeder. They can be set on a timer to release a chosen amount of food for your fish each day.
I myself am a novice, not an expert fish keeper. While this article should be a good starting point for choosing your fish tank supplies, it should certainly not be your only stop or source of information. With that said, good luck with keeping fish, and I hope you enjoy your new hobby!
To find the fish tank supplies you are looking for and learn more advice/tips about fish keeping visit http://www.fishtanksuppliesinc.com
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