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A Little Care To Care For Your Fish

By Super Admin

Pets form an essential part of one's family. Fish are most preferred form of pets these days. They have their on way of contributing to the decor of one's home. They render a colorful atmosphere with their stunning hues and appearances. Never the less a lot of extensive care is involved in the maintenance of fish.

Choice of Fish
It is better to opt for cold-water fish to begin with if one is opting to be a first time fish keeper. Fish that lives in cold water are easier to be taken care of. Gold fish, comets, shubukins, fantails, veiltails, moors, bubble-eyes and weather loach are some of the varieties of cold-water fish.

Some cold -water fish grow more than a foot but however the Japanese Koi grows more than two feet long. The average life span of a gold fish is 10 to 20 years.

Warm water fish
There are a lot of varieties in warm water fish. But the most important fact is to check out whether they will be able to thrive in the same type of water conditions as well as they do not harm other fish and get harmed also.

Tetras, Angelfish, Catfish, Danios, Platys are some of the varieties of warm water fish.

Tank Location and set up
Choose a tank that is 10 to 20 gallons of water with gravel weighing more than 200 pounds. It is necessary to keep it away from direct sunlight and to put it on a sturdy table or a counter. Clean tap water can be used to fill the aquariums. Let the water to age for several weeks before putting the fish in so that the chemicals in the water get evaporated. A chemical neutralizer will also help to serve the purpose. Fish thrive better in water that has a new neutral pH level of around 7. A glass bowl is not an ideal choice to house your fish.

It is important to remove several gallons of water every week to remove unwanted chemicals and replace it with clean aged water. A correct size heater and a thermometer is required to maintain the temperature of the water at 78-82 degrees Fahrenheit for tropical fish. The heater has to be put into the tank and plugged before the fish is put into the water. It is to be started at a low temperature and the setting is to be gradually increased in a couple of weeks. After a week of setting up the tank hardy fish like platy can be let into the tank as they provide the bacteria needed for the tank. Then the chosen fish community can be added to the tank.

It is a rule to have a fish measuring an inch per gallon of water. When new fish is brought home it is necessary to float the plastic bag containing the fish in the tank to ensure the temperature of the water in the bag is as same as that in the tank.

Filters
To maintain the quality of the water one or more filter is necessary in removing the wastes and chemicals in the tank. There are different kinds of filters to choose from. They are box filters, under gravel filters and outside filters. It is wise to seek the guidance of a store keeper to decide on the filter that will be more suitable.

Choice of gravel
The gravel helps the bacteria to thrive and that in turn treats impurities in the water. Coarse gravel is ideal for an underground filter and fine gravel for an outside filter. Too fine gravel is not advisable for the roots of the plants. The quantity of gravel for the tank is one pound of gravel for every gallon of water.

Lighting
An home lighting covers and light fixtures is needed to avoid water evaporation and dust falling into the tank. A fluorescent fixture will not only show of the colours of the fish beautifully but also helps the plants to grow. Incandescent light fixture emits heat hence if it is kept on for 12 hours it has to be put off for 12 hrs.

Feeding Fish
Fish are not to be overfed. Fish can be fed with fish food from the pet fish store. Dried flakes provide good nutrition. Brine shrimp, blood worms and tubifex worms are natural source of fish food. Several small meals a day will be an ideal way of feeding them. An automatic feeding tube will aid in dropping the food into the tank at different times if one will be away from home on vacation. Allow a little algae to grow on your tank which, will serve as a little snack for the fish.

So provide a comfy living for those colourful creatures that beautify your home.

Story first published: Wednesday, June 29, 2011, 13:29 [IST]
Read more about: pet care pets