Before owning an Aquarium:
It is very easy to fall in love with the sight of an aquarium, but like everything else, there are several things you must first consider before diving into aquariology. Below are some facts which will be helpful in deciding to own an Aquarium:
- Aquariums in all forms and types are living things, little ecosystems with complicated developments, just like any other living thing in our universe.
- Aquariums are confined mini environments which need refreshment from time to time, in the same way that your room needs its windows opened to let fresh air in. So far, no one has come up with a solution for recycling waste in a confined environment, such as an aquarium.
- Since aquariums are alive, all sorts of bacterial activity take place there. (You must wash hands after any contact or activity with your Aquarium).
- Aquariums could be of Fresh, Salt, Brackish or Cold water. But regardless of your aquarium type, there is one thing in common, that is, water movement. If the water goes stagnant, the fishes will die.
- Fishes eat, digest and produce waste naturally. But what happens to that waste? It goes to the bottom of the tank and mixes with the gravel, sand or substrate. This waste is eaten again and again by the bacteria that live there. The result is a dusty like substance that accumulates and needs to be removed. This substance is referred to as detritus. Detritus can be responsible, for the fall of many sophisticated aquarium system around the world, if not removed often enough.
- Being living things, Aquariums tend to stabilize with time. Do not expect fast results or try to accelerate Mother Nature’s ways. Time is, and will always be your best friend when it comes to natural processes, especially in the early stages. Don’t forget it has taken millions of years to get here, so take a few weeks or months to build your aquarium system right.
- The word maintenance scares a lot of people. Perhaps because everything in our lives require maintenance: our homes, cars, and you name it. Aquariums are not exempt. So please do not attempt to keep an aquarium without maintaining it.
- Maintenance of any type of aquarium starts with the basic water change or exchange, and this operation must be performed with a siphon in order to extract as much detritus as possible. Remember the less accumulation of detritus, the healthier your aquarium will be.
- Food is essential to all living things, as we know. Fish and other marine life are no exception. There is no need to feed them all the time despite they always seem hungry. Food should be as diverse as possible, and there should be a very strict feeding regime. Smaller portions are strongly recommended. If manual feeding is not done on schedule, an automatic feeder will be a good investment.
- Water chemistry is another important factor. Particular attention must be provided to other elements so we encourage you to learn or refresh your memory of your old chemistry lessons. Your understanding of pH, Alkalinity, Calcium, Magnesium, Ammonia, Nitrates, Nitrites and Phosphates are basic knowledge for your success in owning an aquarium. Regular testing of the aforementioned elements is required. But these chores you can leave to us, as they are included in our scheduled maintenance packages.
- Lighting is another important aspect which must be taken into consideration. Aquatic systems require adequate lighting, not only to look good, but to provide its inhabitants with a normal life. (Currently, there is a revolution in lighting for Aquaria, because traditional lighting systems, such as fluorescent and metal halide are inadequate and quickly becoming obsolete. They are being replaced by new technologies like LED and Plasma).