Caring for the aquarium and its inhabitants begins from the first days of installation. An entire biological system is contained in a glass tank. In addition to fish and the green world, there are invisible microorganisms. It all works as one.

During the care process, in addition to feeding the fish, it is necessary to monitor the condition of the water, periodically clean the aquarium, and check the condition of the equipment connected to it.

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  Arrangement

  To choose the right aquarium for beginners, you need to follow the recommendations:

  1. 1. Reservoir. It looks spacious. In small volumes, decomposing waste products quickly pollute and poison water. If the space is large, then the liquid is mixed and long time stays clean.
  2. 2. Inhabitants. Before purchasing an aquarium, you need to immediately decide on the type of fish. If individuals are planned to be 5 cm in size, then the amount of water in the tank should be at least 10 liters.
  3. 3. Aquascape. The container contains plants, driftwood and small caves. If you are planning a species of fish with bulging eyes, then the number of decorations for them is reduced due to the threat of injury.
  4. 4. Form. To make cleaning easier, the shape of the aquarium is chosen to be rectangular.
  5. 5. Interior. The entire interior in the form of stones, driftwood or plants is selected harmoniously. They shouldn't be dangerous. Stone products and soil are first washed with boiling water or calcined in an oven at a temperature of 200-300 degrees. All plants are washed under running water.
  6. 6. Soil and devices. During the formation of the aquarium, soil is laid on the bottom. Plants are placed in it and driftwood is placed. Lighting devices, a filter, a water thermometer and a compressor are installed. A decorative film is attached to the back wall.
  7. 7. Location. The aquarium at home should be located so that children do not have access to it.

  Power lighting fixtures moderate is selected. The water should not heat up from them, otherwise the fish will feel unwell.

  Fish

  Aquarium inhabitants are selected in accordance with the instructions:

  1. 1. For beginners, these should be unpretentious individuals that do not require serious care. Information about their habits and tastes is sought in advance.
  2. 2. Find out information about water parameters and the amount of feed required.
  3. 3. Underway correct selection aquarium population. It is no secret that predatory and herbivorous fish species cannot be housed together. There should not be a large variation in size. This will lead to some specimens being eaten by others.
  4. 4. School species that are non-aggressive by nature settle. They feel good in the company of their own kind.
  5. 5. When buying fish, pay attention to the scales. It should not be faded and disheveled. You should not take one that is looking for shelter at the bottom. Specimens must be young and active.

  Guppy

  Guppy fish belong to the Peciliaceae family. Males reach a length of 2-4 cm, and females up to 6. There is a short tail at the back, and on the stomach dark spot. Such specimens require an aquarium of up to 50 liters. Use tap water that has been left standing for 24 hours. Its optimal temperature is 24-26 degrees. Increasing degrees causes the fish to become smaller and not live long.

  Guppies are very active, so the container is closed at the top to prevent them from jumping out. Stacked on the bottom river sand, plants are planted and small stones are laid down. It is advisable to install water filtration units that saturate it with oxygen.

  Guppies are fed once a day. It is better to divide small doses into small pinches and give gradually. Uneaten food settles to the bottom and pollutes the water. To prevent the fish from getting upset digestive system, dry food alternates with live food.

  Spawning in females begins after 4 months. For this period, she is moved to a separate bank. After the birth of the offspring, it returns back to the aquarium. To prevent cannibalism, children live in a jar until puberty.

  

  Guppy fish

  Cockerels

  Cockerels have an aggressive disposition, which is why they got their name. With a length of 6 cm, the fish often attacks its neighbors. This species has a biological peculiarity. The body is equipped with a labyrinth apparatus, which allows you to breathe air not only through the gills. Thanks to this, the water in the aquarium does not need to be saturated with oxygen.

  When choosing a cockerel, you should follow the following rules:

  1. 1. It is better not to house other species of labyrinth fish in the same container. There is intolerance between them towards each other.
  2. 2. Brightly colored fish, which may be perceived as competitors, do not live with the cockerels.
  3. 3. Cockerels get along well with species such as swordtails, molynesias, and bottom-dwelling catfish.

  The optimal temperature for the species is considered to be 24-28 degrees. However, a decrease to 17 does not lead to any consequences. Betta fish are unpretentious about water characteristics. Although it is better to stick to acidity 5.5-7.5, and hardness 5-15.

  A 4 cm layer of sand is placed on the bottom of the tank and plants are planted. When laying stones, you must ensure that they have rounded shape. Items must have no sharp corners.

  Feeding is carried out with live food in the form of small crustaceans, moths, insects or small worms. Dry food in the form of granules is also allowed. The procedure is carried out no more than 2 times per day. In this case, moderation should be observed. Individuals will swallow everything they see, and this will only harm them.

  

  Betta fish

  Feeding instructions

  Fish feeding is most often carried out 2 times a day. Sometimes this process is done directly by hand. It is important that they are clean, odorless and without traces of blood. Feed is served at the same time. Pisces get used to the schedule and are already preparing to eat. Some float out when you tap on the glass.

  During feeding, you must follow the instructions:

  1. 1. The diet is prepared varied. For predators - meat food with a lot of proteins. For herbivorous fish - plant food with fiber. To avoid introducing infection into the water, live food is frozen. To do this, they are put through a meat grinder, cut into circles and placed in the freezer.
  2. 2. Overeating is harmful for fish. They start to feel bloated. It is optimal to give food at 12:00 and 18:00. Feeding is not practiced at night. If the fish do not eat their portions, then they should be reduced or switched to feeding once a day. Eating fish takes 5-7 minutes. This time is enough to saturate it.

  Care

  To properly care for fish in an aquarium, you need to adhere to a number of conditions:

  1. 1. Changing the water. When changing water, do not drain the old fluid completely. It contains a lot of useful microflora. As a result, it is violated. Only 30% of the water is replaced. It is not allowed to agitate the layers of soil at the bottom. If waste accumulates there, it means that excess feed has been deposited. The bacteria did not have time to process it. It is necessary to reduce the feeding rate.
  2. 2. Cleaning filters. They are mechanical, chemical and biological. All types require cleaning after 3 days.
  3. 3. Cleaning aquariums. This procedure is carried out using special magnets or a scraper.
  4. 4. Algae care. All dried and rotten branches must be removed. Just like land plants, the aquatic world needs decorative pruning. To send them normal development, you need good lighting, and the water has a sufficient content of oxygen and carbon dioxide.

Having an aquarium with beautiful and colorful fish at home is the goal or dream of many people. The aquarium fish becomes a new member of the family and requires attention. Knowledge correct principles maintenance and care, will help a beginner realize his dream, and long years enjoy your pets.

Proper fish care begins with choosing a tank. Determine what species will live in the artificial pond. The volume is calculated using the formula: 1 cm of fish length equals 1 liter of volume.

When choosing an aquarium, plan where it will be installed, how you will connect the filter, aerator, and lighting. There should be an outlet nearby. Under straight lines sun rays can't bet.

The larger the size of the artificial reservoir, the easier and less often it will have to be cleaned. In a small or overcrowded tank, you need to frequently change the water and clean the soil. Otherwise, the fish will be poisoned by their waste.

Buy a regular rectangular aquarium. Round form distorts the image of objects behind the glass and causes stress in the fish.

Plant plants in a pond. Carefully clean and disinfect decorations before installation.

You can find out more about it in a separate article.

An important point of content is the selection aquarium fish ok for cohabitation. They can get along well, or they can feed on each other. Choose neighbors with similar requirements for temperature conditions, hardness and acidity of water.

The care requirements of different types of inhabitants differ. The rules given in the article are general and apply to all fish. For specific species more information look separately.

Brief instructions for caring for fish in an aquarium include:

• feeding - schedule and amount of food so that they do not overeat;
• observe the number of aquarium fish and their behavior;
• check the serviceability of the equipment;
• check the amount of water and temperature;
• change the water regularly;
• siphon the aquarium soil;
• take care of plants;
• remove algae;
• clean decorative elements.

Let's briefly consider the main steps for each item from the instructions, so that a novice aquarist can understand what to pay attention to.

Feeding

The main rule is not to overfeed. Otherwise, the pets will quickly die. For most species, one meal per day is sufficient.

At first, accompany feeding with an action, for example, knocking on glass. Then it is created conditioned reflex. Feed at the same time every day. Diet requires variety and balance.

The main foods suitable for most aquarium fish are:

• artificial industrial feed;
• live or frozen bloodworms;
• vegetable feed;
• for predators: chopped meat or fish;
• finely chopped squid and shrimp;
• “live dust” for fry.

Alternate feed. The size of a single serving will be determined by testing. The food must be eaten completely. Leftover food quickly begins to rot and pollutes the water. Therefore, remove any leftovers after feeding. It is beneficial for fish to fast once every two weeks.

Plants

Plants are selected to bring conditions as close to natural as possible. The placement of plants in the aquarium should optimally suit the needs of the fish. There are those who are indifferent to them, and there are those that chew algae (angelfish) and those that like to hide (parrot fish). Catfish attach their larvae to the leaves.

When inspecting plants, check for damage to the leaves and how much the bushes have grown. There are types of hygrophilic plants that are regularly thinned and pruned. If the plant has long stems, timely pruning will give it the shape of a bush.

Algae removal

Even with proper care Algae and bacterial plaque form on the walls of the aquarium or on decorative elements. Delete them. Combine with soil cleaning.

Use: brushes (preferably with plastic blades so as not to scratch the glass), magnetic glass cleaners, funnels for cleaning the soil. We clean glass, driftwood and decorations. We disinfect.

Every 14–15 days before a scheduled water change, sift the soil through a funnel to remove feces and other debris.

Water

Check the amount of water in the aquarium weekly to notice any evaporation. Check the quality through special tests (acidity, hardness).

With proper care of fish and aquarium, 20–25% of the water must be changed every 7 days. Thanks to this, the level of nitrates in the aquarium ecosystem is reduced. It is specifically advocated for this purpose.

You can change the water completely or partially. Weekly replacement is partial. Complete replacement is carried out only in critical cases. When all the fish are sick or heavy pollution aquarium But first you need to let the water stand before pouring it into the aquarium.

Without a top cover in the aquarium, water evaporates. If during inspection you find a shortage, compensate for the evaporation of water. The compensation liquid should be the same as in the aquarium. Buy a top cover.

When the aquarium is installed in a sunny place, the walls are covered with curtains. To cool down in hot weather:

• pumped out from the bottom hot water and gradually pour in the cooled one;
• put a bag with pieces of ice.

The second method cools the water and saves water balance without changes.

Equipment

Consider what is installed to care for aquarium fish.

Aerator

An air vibrator pump enriches the water with oxygen. The process is called . When there is a malfunction, the fish feel a deficiency. When inspecting, pay attention to the sprayer. A plaque of calcium or bacteria accumulates on it. Clean off the plaque. If it does not help, then change the atomizer.

Checking the air duct hoses. Replace damaged ones. The pumps themselves have a rubber membrane inside that stretches. Solved by replacement. We clean the aerator air valves once a month and replace them every 6 months.

Filter

Purifies water. There are external ones, installed in aquariums with a volume of more than 200 liters, and internal ones - for smaller reservoirs. If the aquarium filter is clogged, the concentration in the water increases. harmful substances. Rinse the filter only in aquarium water. Otherwise, the balance of bacteria is disrupted. Do not use industrial detergents, as it will poison your pets. When cleaning, rinse the sponge from the filter, but not thoroughly, so as not to remove beneficial bacteria. In a fashionable filter pump, change the sponge once a month, or if it’s weaker, then every two weeks.

Lighting

For an aquarium, use daylight or energy-saving ones with a power of up to 25 watts. With constant use, the aperture decreases - change every 6–8 months.

Thermometer and heater

For measuring and maintaining the temperature in an aquarium.

Diseases and prevention

Most aquarium fish have strong immunity. The main ones are:

• deterioration of water quality;
• infection;
• severe contamination and an increase in the number of pathological bacteria.

If, when examining fish, you see passive fish lying on the bottom, moving strangely, with strange spots or plaque on the body or fins, look for the reason. If necessary, accommodate separately.

The most popular diseases are discussed in more detail here

Compatibility with other fish

When selecting neighbors, consider the compatibility of the fish. They can be compatible, partially compatible (goldfish and catfish converge differently) and completely incompatible (predators and peaceful ones, large and small). The following compatibility criteria are distinguished:

• family;
• size;
• accommodations.

Select fish of a similar size with similar requirements for temperature, acidity, water hardness, composition and nutritional standards.

Other inhabitants

Snails, shrimps, crayfish or crayfish are added next to aquarium fish. Snails crawl along the bottom, decorations and clean their habitat from food waste and mucus.

Small fish, such as guppies and neons, are compatible with shrimp. The others try to eat them.

Only small and nimble fish that can swim away from its claws, such as guppies, get along with crayfish. Bright, large species They also attract crayfish crawling along the bottom. He hunts them.

Dwarf, artificially bred frogs are also sometimes added to fish. But they have high requirements for acidity and water hardness. It is better for a beginner not to start them.

Observation and inspection

Daily care of the aquarium and fish comes down to feeding and inspecting the fish and equipment. They inspect during feeding - all the fish swim up for food.

Check the filter, its performance, water temperature, and the presence of algae. Remove debris from the soil every 7–14 days.

Lifespan

The lifespan of aquarium fish depends on the conditions of care, proper nutrition and species characteristics. They live from 4 to 30 years. The table shows average duration popular types:

Large species and those that lay eggs live longer than viviparous and small fish.

A novice aquarist needs to start by choosing the fish that will live in the aquarium. Consider their compatibility.

• guppy;
• gourami;
• swordtails;
• mollies;
• neon;
• catfish

Once you have experience in caring for fish, you can add more sophisticated and demanding ones to the collection.

Conclusion

Daily inspection, proper feeding, regular water changes, and keeping the aquarium clean will provide the fish with suitable and proper care. We wish you success!

A beautiful aquarium is a piece of the sea in your home. How often have you seen one of these at guests or organizations you visited... Soft blue, with green algae and leisurely fish, it evokes fantastic peace. Who wouldn’t want a corner like this one to decorate their living room or gurgle with streams of oxygen in their bedroom? And now the long-awaited purchase has taken place. The shiny tank is filled with water, the soil has been carefully laid out, and plants have been planted. But after a few days you notice that the water has become cloudy, the plants begin to die, and the released fish die one after another.

This typical mistake many newbies. Before tackling this complex matter, it would be a good idea to study the instructions on how to care for fish in an aquarium. This is exactly what we will do today.

Choosing a tank

This is the first difficulty. On the one hand, it is easier for a beginner to try his hand at a small aquarium. It is less expensive and requires less time. However, when studying the instructions on how to care for fish in an aquarium, we come across a recommendation to immediately take a tank of at least 100 liters.

The reason here is simple. Its own ecosystem is formed inside. You feed the fish, their excrement serves as food for the plants. If the capacity is large, then the ecosystem is quite stable. That is, the water will not turn green. A small aquarium is a less stable system. Bright lighting, a slight overdose of fish food - all this leads to the growth of bacteria and algae. As a result, the water quickly deteriorates and becomes unsuitable for fish.

We select inhabitants

The aquarium has been selected, now you can continue to study the instructions. How to care for fish in an aquarium can take years to learn, but the basic rules are easily learned even at a young age. initial stage. So, you need to choose fish based on the size of your aqua. If the container is small, then you can buy one large fish or several small ones. When choosing the inhabitants of a large aquarium, you can consider the most different variants. Here it is important to pacify your desire to populate it with a variety of underwater inhabitants. Many of them may not be suitable for each other.

Populating the aqua

We continue the conversation about how to care for fish in an aquarium. The instructions suggest taking your time when choosing fish. It is necessary to consult regarding the conditions of keeping each of the breeds you like. Each variety requires different indicators water temperature, hardness and acidity. It is also necessary to ask store consultants about the need for aeration and filtration of water. Based on this, you need to purchase and install necessary equipment. Installing it in the aquarium marks the end of the preparatory work.

Interior and plants

Today we will briefly look at only the main points on how to care for fish. Simple instructions will allow you to equip the aqua of your dreams. If you decide to buy catfish or moray eels, as well as other bottom-dwelling fish, you will need to install special grottoes in which they can hide. You must buy algae along with the aquarium. Separately, consult about special fertilizers that are placed in the soil. This allows the plants to take root well.

What kind of care do underwater inhabitants require?

The instructions for caring for fish in an aquarium should give the beginner basic knowledge and skills that will help keep the fish alive and healthy, and also allow them to keep the water perfectly clean and transparent. Everything here is very individual, so instructions will have to be compiled for each type of fish inhabiting the aquarium. It should include the following information:

• Creation comfortable conditions a habitat. This is what we talked about above. It is necessary to select the temperature and other parameters so that they meet the requirements of your underwater inhabitants.
• Support for microclimate parameters.
• Feeding.
• Inspection.
• Cleaning the aquarium.

Disease Prevention

Since it is not too difficult to properly care for aquarium fish (according to at least, at first glance), many beginners ignore advice and recommendations. The result can be at least illness in pets, and sometimes death of the entire population. Therefore, you must be careful and not miss the signs of an emerging epidemic.

Treatment, as a rule, comes down to removing the sick individual and placing it in a separate aquarium. Special ingredients are added to the water medications which will help speed up recovery. However good care gives your pets a chance to be immune to diseases.

Proper care

What should an aquarist do to ensure that his pets live a long life? Below is a set of practical recommendations:

• It is necessary to install a heater and thermometer. Check the indicators of the devices every day, maintaining the figures recommended for your inhabitants.
• Devices for aeration and filtration are vital for the normal functioning of aqua.
• The condition of water is affected not only by its purity, but also by its composition. This is important for plants and fish. Lighting is no less important.
• Poor quality aquarium accessories can cause the water to spoil.
• Add fresh water periodically.

Experts say that you should not completely change the water in the aquarium. If you need to change the water, you can only remove debris from the bottom of the aquarium. After this, drain two-thirds of the liquid from the container and add fresh liquid. Do not forget that it must fully correspond to the characteristics of the one that was in the aquarium.

Feeding the fish

Tips for caring for a home aquarium necessarily include recommendations for adding food mixtures. There are fish that eat the larvae of various insects with great pleasure. Others are more excited about special pellets that contain grass, vegetables and grains. Therefore, again you will have to build on the preferences of your pets.

This is just the basics of aquarium care, but it is enough to get you started.

Fish are one of the most trouble-free and therefore very common pets. But every animal has its own problems and problem areas, so keeping fish also has its own nuances. Let's figure out what it takes to care for an aquarium and fish for beginners.

Choosing an aquarium

You start taking care of fish even before they appear - when choosing an aquarium. Yes, this particular moment can be called the most important and difficult of all. Size, shape, volume - all this should be decided in advance, because the aquarium is the home of your future pets. It is worth considering its layout very carefully, since this will determine not only the convenience of the fish’s habitat, but also how easy it will be for you to maintain the aquarium.

When buying a container, you should pay attention to the following points:

• How larger size your aquarium - the easier it will be to care for it. But do not forget that cleaning is at least once a month - compulsory lesson, no matter what size model you choose.
• The size of the fish house cannot be chosen in any order; it will need to be agreed upon with the future residents themselves, or rather with their sizes.

Important! For a 5 cm fish, 4-5 liters of liquid is enough. Based on these data, be guided by overall size aquarium

• Pay due attention to the design and decoration of the house - this is also very important, including for yourself. From design features and decor will completely depend on how convenient and fast the care of the aquarium will be. In addition, here you also need to know what kind of fish you want, but not by size, but by physiological characteristics. For example, some fish love a lot of thickets and different types vegetation, and the rest are empty water.

Important! If you are wondering how to care for an aquarium and fish for beginners, you definitely should not immediately give preference to those types of ornamental fish that are particularly demanding in terms of conditions. environment. Don't make life difficult for yourself.

• Be responsible when choosing the shape of your aquarium. You should not buy oversized tanks of unknown capacity. First of all, think about how you will wash it. Buy an ordinary rectangular aquarium - and you will save money and nerves.

Aquarium decoration

There are many decorative ornaments for aquariums, but how to choose which one is right for yours? First, surf the Internet and find out about the living conditions of the fish you want to put there.

Various stones, soil, films with patterns that are glued to back wall, algae (live and artificial) - all this is easily accessible and can be purchased at a regular pet store.

Important! It is worth really trying to make the conditions as close as possible to wildlife- only then will your underwater inhabitants really take root in it. They should not feel inconvenience or discomfort. Yes, you will undoubtedly have to spend a considerable amount of effort and money. But these are temporary troubles that will end, and they will be replaced by cute fish that will please the eye and calm everything down after a hard day at work.

Caring for the aquarium will begin from this moment. Before placing anything in it, it is worth disinfecting it, because a considerable number of microbes live on decorative rocks and stones, which even boiling water cannot kill. That is why experienced aquarists advise treating all new items with potassium permanganate and only then placing them in the aquarium.

Important! In no case should you overdo it - if you throw everything you saw in the pet store into the aquarium, then this will also be of little use. In any case, you need to leave a lot of space for the inhabitants to swim freely.

Buying fish

And now the most important and crucial moment - buying the fish itself. Here, try to pay maximum attention and make every effort. When buying fish, there are also a considerable number of rules that you must adhere to if you want to keep them for a long time:

1. Select fish carefully, one to one, if you plan to mix several species. There are heat-loving and cold-resistant, predators and civilians, the diet of many fish is also significantly different. Therefore, when choosing inhabitants for an aquarium, you should carefully compare them with each other.
2. You shouldn’t buy fish that require a phenomenal amount of effort and time, because soon you will get tired of caring for your aquarium and will give up on it. Buy picky, quiet and low-cost aquatic inhabitants.
3. When you choose them in the store, be sure to take a closer look at each of the fish, watch its behavior, ask to feed it and watch its appetite. There are often cases when a store sold a sick fish, which naturally did not get along in another aquarium and soon died, for which the owner blamed himself.

Now, if you have already acquired an aquarium and its inhabitants, let's look at all the problems that may arise during the week, that is, the same aquarium care for beginners.

How to feed the fish?

Proper feeding of your pets is already half the battle. Here follow these rules:

1. It is best to feed them at the same time.
2. Just before the feeding process, go to the aquarium and lightly tap it with your nails, this way the fish will develop a reflex. In the future, every time you do this, they will float up and wait for food.
3. The most important rule in feeding aquarium fish is not to overdo it. It is absolutely enough for them to eat once a day. Otherwise, if the fish are overfed, they can float up belly up.

Important! Many people wonder: what kind of food would be best to choose - dry, refined, frozen, live? It is better to alternate all this, because variety in nutrition is a plus not only for people, but also for pets. But be as careful as possible with live food, they can introduce some kind of infection into the aquarium.

Caring for the filter in the aquarium

Caring for the filter in an aquarium simply involves cleaning it regularly. For this:

1. The sponge that is inside the filter must be washed to avoid reducing the flow of water that it can clean.
2. Keep in mind that a dirty sponge is much more effective than one just bought in a store. The reason for this lies in the fact that bacteria live on the surface of a dirty sponge, which purifies the water and turns chemical substances into natural ones.

Important! In an effort to provide the most proper care for your aquarium, do not go to extremes. It’s also not a good idea to force the sponge too hard, since a dirty tool reduces the amount of oxygen that these bacteria need to live.

1. The frequency of changing the sponge depends on the power of the internal filter pump. A filter sponge with medium power should be changed once every 2 weeks, and with a high power – once a month.
2. None detergents Cannot be used to wash the filter. Regular tap water, which contains chlorine, will help. It perfectly kills all bacteria.

Changing the water in the aquarium

Taking care of the water in your aquarium is the most important attribute of caring for your fish. First you need a so-called “water change”. This is not a complete replacement, but only 15-20%.

Important! If you decide not to replace the water at all, but to partially replace it, then you need to do this about once a week, at least. The main task of replacement is to maintain mineral balance.

A complete replacement is a 100% change of water in the aquarium, which must be carried out once a month.

It would seem that what is so difficult about caring for an aquarium? I fed the fish, and once a month I poured out the water, washed it with soap and boiled all the filling, poured it clean water. Everything sparkles for the first two days. Pisces are probably happy, but for some reason they don’t live long. Of course we described extreme case amateurish zeal, but let’s still look at the basic principles of caring for our small body of water.

Being a real ecosystem, the aquarium is at the same time small in size and is an open system, and therefore unstable. Organic matter comes into it from the outside in the form of at least fish food, animals live in it, eat, grow, produce waste and reproduce, plants live in it, consuming some substances from the water and releasing others into it. Therefore, to maintain an artificial reservoir in the form in which it was intended - clean, bright, smelling of the freshness of a forest lake - some, sometimes significant, human efforts are required.

List of events

Caring for an aquarium usually takes 10-20 minutes daily and an additional hour and a half once a week.

TO daily procedures care items include:

• checking equipment operation;
• fish inspection;
• (this is a very broad question and a topic for a separate article).

During the launch of the aquarium or during some global changes in it, for example, when moving large quantity large fish, replacing the biofilter media or installing carbon dioxide supply equipment, it is also very advisable to test the aquarium water daily, checking the level of ammonia, nitrites, pH and other parameters.

Weekly events:

• water change;
• cleaning the soil from excrement, food residues and other waste, siphoning if necessary;
• cleaning glass from algae;
• washing the filter (not always, depending on its type);
• plant care (feeding, pruning).

Testing the water once a week for nitrogen compounds, phosphates, hardness and acidity is also very useful for monitoring the condition of the aquarium, but is not necessary for a stable and healthy tank.

Fish inspection and equipment check

It is most convenient to inspect fish during feeding, when even secretive ones swim out of their hiding places. You need to check if all the fish are in place and if they have changed appearance(are there any spots, sores, wounds, redness, etc.) and behavior (how active are they, do they willingly take food).

Equipment checks are usually done in the morning after the lamps are turned on. You need to make sure that the thermometer required temperature, the light on the heater is on, the stream from the filter has the right strength, aerator or compressor, if any, work with the proper power, all lighting fixtures burn smoothly and brightly.

If everything is in order, we feed the fish deliciously and enjoy our wonderfully beautiful and stable ecosystem until the day when it’s time to clean it.

How to properly clean an aquarium?

During cleaning, you must turn off electrical equipment. You can only leave the external canister filter on if its water intake hose is located low enough and remains below the water level. As for the internal filter, if the cleaning is routine and does not take a long time, it can be left in the aquarium when turned off. If the cleaning is large, general, with cleaning of all decorations, weeding and replanting of plants, draining a significant part of the water, the internal filter is placed in the drained aquarium water and turned on so that the colony of bacteria does not die.

Fish are usually not removed from the aquarium during cleaning.

First of all, start cleaning the glass. To do this, you can use various devices, each of which has its own advantages and disadvantages:

1. Scraper on long handle with permanent or replaceable metal razor blades. Very effective thing, however, is not suitable for cleaning plexiglass aquariums as it may scratch them. When choosing such a scraper, you need to pay attention to the strength of the handle (if it is too flexible, you will not be able to press the glass with the required force and at the desired angle). In addition, the metal blade should not be longer than the plastic cover and should not stick out from the sides, since in this case, when cleaning near the corners, the silicone seams of the aquarium can be damaged.
2. A magnetic scraper is an extremely convenient thing when cleaning large and deep containers. Suitable for cleaning plexiglass. When choosing, you must take into account what thickness of glass the scraper is designed for, otherwise the power of the magnet may be insufficient, and the scraper simply will not be attracted. When using this device, you must be very careful when cleaning glass near the bottom so that no pebbles or grains of sand get between the scraper and the glass. They will leave deep and noticeable scratches on the glass.
3. An ordinary household sponge. Many aquarists use just these, but they are made from materials of varying hardness, and some are quite capable of leaving scratches on the aquarium glass, which are individually almost invisible, but over time they make the glass more and more cloudy.
4. An ordinary bank plastic card has proven itself to be an excellent scraper. It does not damage glass, and its only drawback is the absence of a handle and, accordingly, some inconvenience of use.

Green algae torn from the surface with a scraper, if there is not too much of it, can not be removed from the aquarium, but left in the water; fish usually eat them instantly and with great pleasure.

Some aquarists recommend not cleaning the back glass of the aquarium of algae, since it is, as a rule, almost completely hidden by decorations and plants, and the algae deposit usually does not spoil the external attractiveness of the reservoir, and slowly consumes nitrates and nitrites from the water. And if you start several, there will be no residue left on either the rear window or the viewing window.

Now that our glass is clean, it’s time for the soil.

How to clean the soil in an aquarium?

There is nothing complicated here. The soil is cleaned using a siphon - a hose with a funnel with a mesh attached. The latter is needed to avoid aquarium inhabitants from getting into the hose. Force siphons different models you can suck in water in different ways: some have a special bulb (in my opinion, this is the most convenient option), others need to be sharply raised and lowered several times (usually nothing happens), in others you need to draw in water with your mouth yourself, risking swallowing it.

Eat different points view on how often a siphon should be performed. Some hobbyists siphon weekly, believing that they thereby contribute to its purity, better supply of oxygen and prevent its decay. Others do this once a year or a year and a half, or even less, explaining this by the fact that with siphoning:

• plant roots are damaged;
• colonies of nitrifying bacteria living in upper layers soil;
• a suspension of organic matter and nitrates rises into the water, which is food for algae;
• and the sludge itself, removed by the siphon, is a valuable fertilizer.

In my opinion, weekly cleaning of the soil with a siphon is necessary in aquariums where there are no living plants or very few of them. In the same reservoirs that are densely planted with vegetation, including those with developed roots, this can be done less often - once every 3-4 months, and during scheduled Sunday cleaning, simply carry out a siphon 1-2 cm from the ground, without touching it, removing excess dirt from the surface, especially in fish feeding areas.

How to change the water in an aquarium?

The frequency and intensity of water changes depend on the biological load, that is, on the number, size and gluttony of the aquarium inhabitants, as well as on their requirements for water quality: it is clear that, for example, the concept of cleanliness is somewhat different.

Given the average population of the reservoir and the fastidiousness of its inhabitants, changes are usually carried out by a third, a quarter or a fifth of the volume every week. Ideally, to establish a replacement schedule, you need to test the water in the aquarium and determine the nitrate content in it. It should be at a level of no more than 10-30 mg/l. Accordingly, if the concentration of nitrates in the water is higher, then the water needs to be changed more often.

To carry out the change, it is necessary to prepare water with the same or very similar parameters (temperature, acidity) as in the aquarium. Most aquatic animals prefer water that has been standing for at least a day. If you can’t stand the water, you can use conditioners, for example, Tetra Aqua Safe or Dennerle Avera.

Part of the water from the aquarium is drained using a siphon or hose, the end of which should be placed near the bottom. In order to easily navigate how much water needs to be drained, it is convenient to make a level mark on the glass. Fresh water it is poured using a hose, ladle or other container, and the stream is directed not to the ground, which is thus easily washed away, but, for example, to the mainsail or a saucer placed on the bottom.

How to clean the filter in an aquarium?

An aquarium filter has several functions. The most important: it must retain particles of dirt and turbidity (dead organic matter, food residues, mineral turbidity from the substrate) and be a home for biofilter bacteria. The accumulated dirt during the cleaning process should be removed, while the bacterial colony should be left as intact as possible. It is these conditions that determine the rules for cleaning the filter.

The first question is: when is it time to clean the filter? This is easy to determine by the power of its jet. By purchasing a new filter or having it serviced again general cleaning, notice or take a video of how strong its jet is, this can be seen, for example, by the vibration of nearby plants. If the stream weakens, it’s time to wash the filter.

Typically, internal sponge filters are washed once a week; the sponges of internal filters where there are compartments with porous fillers are also washed often (these compartments themselves do not need to be disturbed often!). External canister filters are cleaned less frequently, once every 6-10 weeks; in some models, the prefilter sponges - the part that performs preliminary mechanical filtration - are washed weekly.

In any case, the filter materials are carefully washed and rinsed in water drained from the aquarium to minimize damage to the colony of nitrifying bacteria. With the same water, using cotton swab or a toothbrush, the rotor head - the motor compartment of the filter - is washed and cleaned. After cleaning, the filter is placed in the aquarium as soon as possible and turned on.

How to tidy up plants?

Typically, plants are fed with fertilizers once a week if they need it. In addition, leaves overgrown with algae or eaten by fish and snails are removed, the tops that grow out of the water are trimmed, and overgrown bushes and grass can be trimmed or weeded out.

These are the basic rules for caring for an aquarium. Of course, sometimes situations arise when additional, more complex interventions and manipulations are required, but if you master these basic principles, gradually it will be possible to easily master all other knowledge and skills.

Video lesson on proper aquarium care: