Starting an aquarium: tips for beginners

Maintaining an aquarium is more complex than many people realize. If you’re thinking about embarking on your own fish-keeping adventure, here are some tips to get you started.

Learn about the fish you want to keep
Most people start keeping an aquarium because they’re drawn to a certain type of fish. If this is you, be sure to research the species and learn all you can before buying your own. Some important information includes the type of water required, whether they live in schools or alone and the kind of care needed.

Get a bigger — not smaller — aquarium
It may seem counter-intuitive, but bigger aquariums are easier to take care of. Larger volumes of water are more forgiving to imbalances. The breed and amount of fish you want to keep will help you determine the size of aquarium that’s most suitable.

Provide the right care and equipment
Make sure you feed your fish the right type of food and that their water is always clean. It’s important to learn how to maintain their environment with the proper filters, lights and testing kits. Furthermore, you’ll need to replace about a quarter of the water in their tank about every two weeks.

One last tip: before you populate your new tank with fish, make sure that the water is properly cycled. The cycling process allows colonies of healthy bacteria to grow on the filter, thereby making the water in the tank habitable.