6 Tips to Consider When Creating a Home Aquarium

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Heather Jones
Heather Jones
I'm Heather, an author passionate about home improvements. My writing is your guide to making homes better. Let's explore easy ways to enhance your living spaces, from small fixes to exciting projects. Join me on a journey of making your house a cozy and stylish haven.

Fish and other aquatic species can be privately kept as pets. Many respectable scholars claim that fish observation improves perception of moods, anxiety and relaxation. It’s no surprise that in waiting rooms of counselors, psychiatrists and dentists they keep aquariums.

When making room for your beautiful home aquarium consider the best space storage where it’s visible and there is excess space for furniture. As you think about where to position your aquarium, consider what you want to use it for first. Aquarium can be used as a room divider, a corner unit or a room’s main attraction.

This will perfectly change your home’s aesthetic. Here are some tips to consider when creating a home aquarium.

Aquarium Maintenance

As you install your aquarium you should be well conversant with the essentials of aquarium maintenance. It includes regular water changes, testing the aquarium water and servicing the filter. A stable and balanced aquarium is the main aim of routine maintenance. 

The most important part of routine aquarium maintenance is the water changes. Use a siphon to extract aquarium water while you vacuum the gravel. This is to ensure that fish excrement, uneaten fish food and other harmful waste at the bottom of the aquarium is removed. You should also test the water parameters of both the aquarium and replacement water.

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Testing important water parameters is also a regular aquarium maintenance routine. We can’t determine water quality by looking at it, that’s why regular testing is paramount. The various vital parameters to test include nitrate, nitrite, carbonate hardness, pH and salinity for saltwater aquariums. Therefore we can detect and prevent looming problems with the results because they tell us a lot about imbalances. 

Aquarium filters should also be serviced regularly. The frequency of replacing filters depends on the number of fish in the aquarium. The filter is the holder of waste products and once it’s full you will need to empty. You should opt for a good quality and sizable filtration device. You can get a ceramic filter ring wholesale for your home aquarium.

Freshwater or Saltwater Aquariums

Your choice for the water in your tank should be considerate on how much effort you want to put in for maintenance. The pros and cons of the two water tanks should be on your fingertips. It’s easier to maintain freshwater as compared to saltwater tanks. Freshwater tanks are the best option for beginner aquarists. 

Saltwater fish are exceptionally exotic but they cost significantly more than fresh water fish. There are also distinctive challenges that come along with saltwater fish. When they first enter the aquarium they refuse to feed and the water tank needs more upkeep. Due to live rock in saltwater tanks, water quality maintains better than the freshwater once the nitrogen cycle is established.

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Set-up Cost for the Aquarium

Your aquarium set-up cost will depend on the size of your tank, the type and number of fish you intend to domesticate. Tanks are of different shapes and sizes, but there are only two types: glass and acrylic. Glass tanks are cheaper than the acrylic, you will probably want to get a glass tank. 

The shape and volume of your tank determines the number of fish your tank can safely hold. For your tank capacity, surface area is more important than volume in dictating the amount of fish your tank can host. You also need an air pump, lights, food, a filter, as well as ammonia, pH and nitrate testing kits. 

With all this inclusive, the set-up cost for saltwater aquariums will be more expensive than the freshwater aquariums.

Choice of Fish

There are different fish species for freshwater and saltwater aquariums. Freshwater fish species cannot do well in saltwater aquariums and vice versa.  Your choice of fish highly depends on the water in your tank. 

Freshwater fish good for your home aquarium includes:

  • Danio zebras
  • Red-eyed tetras
  • Neon tetras
  • Cichlids
  • Fancy goldfish
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If you decide to install a saltwater aquarium your choice of fish will include:

  • Arowanas
  • Tangs 
  • Angelfish
  • Clownfish
  • puffers

Plants for the Aquarium

Real live aquarium plants add a touch of class to your aquarium. There are plastic plants for aquariums but nothing beats the look of fully planted healthy live aquatic plants. Plants play a vital role in the aquarium. They shelter fish and offer a place for fish to breed and take care of young ones. It’s a beautiful site to watch fish move around the aquatic plants.

The major benefit of having live aquarium plants is the oxygen they produce and absorption of carbon dioxide. This is very beneficial to the aquarium inhabitants, for their growth and survival. Plants also absorb the ammonia generated by fish.

Macroalgae which are saltwater plants maintain the right balance in your aquarium naturally. This keeps your aquarium healthy and clean. In addition, they increase the availability of microscopic fauna which serves as food for reef fish.

Home Aquarium 

Water Source for the Aquarium

Your aquarium requires a reliable and safe source of water. This is to ensure that there is a regular partial change of water as scheduled or filling a new tank. It’s good to ensure that there is sufficient water in your tank every other time. The lives of fish depend on it.

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You have to first test anything you decide to fill in your tank. The quality of water will decide if your fish live or die. Tap water is cheap and readily available thats why its the most common source in freshwater aquariums.

Tap water has chlorine and chloramine added by your local water supplier to make it safe for drinking. Chlorine and chloramine kills bacteria and other microbes which are beneficial for aqua life. You have to dechlorinate your tap water before adding it to your aquarium. This will ensure that the beneficial bacteria can survive in your aquarium water. 

For your saltwater aquariums, the two purest forms of water are distilled water and reverse osmosis water. With your purest form of water available, you will have to turn it into sea water. This can be achieved by adding salt and minerals to it.  For your saltwater fish, corals and invertebrates to thrive you will have to duplicate sea water. 

Conclusion

Having a home aquarium has a lot of health benefits. It’s good to incorporate it in your home design. With proper maintenance, your aquarium will be clean and healthy and the inhabitants will be good pets to keep.

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