Tropical Aquariums - Tips to Maintain Your Tank and to Keep it Healthy

A reef or tropical aquarium can be an attractive addition to your home that is both beautiful to look at and therapeutic. It will be a source of enjoyment to guests and householders and both children and adults will be fascinated and entertained. For beginners setting up a tropical aquarium for the first time here are some tips to help you to make the most of your new tropical fish tank and to keep it healthy and looking beautiful.

Research the types of fish you will be putting into your aquarium before you go to the pet shop. Make sure you know how large the fish will grow and how many can be comfortably accommodated in your tank once they are fully grown. An overstocked tank will not be a healthy tank! Next check the types of fishes that can be placed together. A tank that contains different species of fish that live peacefully together is called a community tank. Some fish, for example tiger barbs and rosy barbs, may be fine when they are small but grow up into aggressive bullies. There are many fish that can be placed in a community tank including Guppy, Hatchetfish, Horseface Loach, Lyretail, Leopard Catfish, Molly, Neon Tetra, Opaline Gourami, Head Tail Light Tetra, Pearl Gourami, Harlequin Rasbora, Platy, Penguin Fish, Rainbowfish and many more.

Now that your tank is stocked here are some tips to help to keep it healthy:

• Do not overfeed - Decaying food left in the tank will produce toxic chemicals and harm your fish. Only add as much food as your fish can eat completely in about three minutes twice a day. Fish are meant to be hungry most of the time and if they do not come to the top of the tank as you open the lead to feed them you are giving them too much!
• Twice a month partially change the water. Clean the glass more often with an algae scraper and occasionally take out the decorations and rocks to clean off any algae.Do not change all of the water or clean out the filter, decorations, rocks etc all at the same time. This will remove all the beneficial bacteria that you worked so hard to establish in the first place and cause stress to the fish as the ammonia levels sour.
• Top up the tank when necessary with chlorine free water. If you do not want to use chemicals to de chlorinate the water, leave a covered bucket of tap water for two days to allow the chlorine to evaporate
• For new fish or fish that develop any symptoms set up a small quarantine tank. Place any newly purchased fish into the quarantine tank for a t least a week to avoid introducing any diseases into your main tank.
• Continue to test the water for pH, ammonia and nitrite levels two or three times a week to catch any problems before they cause distress to your fish. If problems start to occur a partial water change with dechlorinated water can often correct them without the use of any harsh chemicals.
• Lastly have fun and consider joining a local club. Chatting with other fish keeping enthusiasts is a good way to find out more about your hobby.

Keep you aquarium healthy and your fish will enjoy long lives and give you and your family many hours of enjoyment.

For more information on community fish for your tropical aquarium read Tropical Freshwater Aquarium. For more information about aquariums and fish keeping and some good deals on aquariums check out Cheap Aquariums for Sale.