There are many ways to improve your fish keeping skills, but these are five tips that will help you successfully maintain your aquarium. After a decade of fishkeeping, I am confident that these tips will help keep your tank thriving.
1. Live Plants
Live plants might be intimidating for those of you with no plants in your aquariums. Adding live plants will turn your aquarium from a fish tank to an ecosystem. You want to keep that whole tank alive and not just the fish alive. Adding plants will greatly improve the health of your tank. Your plants will absorb the access nutrients and fish waste in your water which will increase the resilience of your aquarium. You are less likely for experience any harmful spikes in nutrients and will have to make less water changes overall. Live plants will even out compete the algae that grows in your tank. Your overall water quality will be healthier with live plants and your fish will be a lot happier. The plants will also add hiding spaces and behavioral enrichment for your fish.
Emersed Plants
Emersed plants (not immersed plants) grow with their roots underwater and foliage above the of the water. These plants are extremely efficient at pulling excess nutrients out of the water. The plants have access to the carbon dioxide in the air and are able to use the nutrients in the water at a higher rate. It is a great way to keep your water quality healthier. Floating plants are great for keeping an aquatic ecosystem esthetic. Some house plants grow super well in an aquarium. Great examples of emersed plants to try in your aquarium are pothos, monstera, philodendron and lucky bamboo.
Submersed Plants
Submersed plants grow completely underwater. These plants will also help filter the water but at a slower rate that emersed plants. The do provide habitat for your fish and help saturate the water with oxygen. These plants can be challenging to grow if your lights are not bright enough but healthy submersed plants can be used as a key indicator for a heathy tank. Great examples of submersed are pearl weed, anubias, amazon sword, and java moss.
2. Lights
You might be wondering, how do I keep live plants alive in my aquarium? Plants will require a bright source of light to grow and thrive. Many aquarium growing lights will be rated to grow aquatic plants. You can also you indoor greenhouse grow lights on your aquarium to grow plants. You can even just use a high lumen light bulb over your tank. As long as the light is bright enough, the plants will grow.
3. Aeration
The fish in your aquarium breath oxygen just like we do. So we need to make sure there is plenty of oxygen in your tank water. There are multiple ways to aerate your water. Sponge filters are great for aeration because it moves air bubbles directly into your water. Over the top filters will also aerate your water by agitating the surface of the water. Live plants will also produce oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis. When the water is fully saturated with oxygen, you can see the oxygen bubble off the plants. If you have filtration and plants and still want to improve aeration, you can add air stones or bubblers.
4. Water Changes
Water changes are when you remove old water and add new clean water to the aquarium. Water changes solve many problems in your aquarium. Native aquatic habitats have new water entering the system and refreshing the water quality. Dirty water is also removed by plants or water leaving the system. In an aquarium, there are usually no plants or water leaving the tank. It is easy for the water quality to decrease do to fish waste. In poor water quality, fish will get sick and die. Many symptoms of illness are solved by doing water changes. Performing weekly water changes will prevent many health problems within your aquariums. Even replacing only 10% of the water can improve your water quality.
5. Temperature
The temperature of your tank is crucial for you fishes’ health. Making sure your tank is at an appropriate temperature for the fish species in your tank will increase their survival rate and prevent them from contracting diseases. Tropical fish like bettas need higher temperatures, so getting a heater to regulate your aquarium would be best. Some species prefer colder waters, so you can get away with no heater. Rosy barbs and dojo loaches are a good combo for a no heater set up. Temperature can also help dictate your species selection for community tanks. If you are on a budget you can set up a cold water tank and eliminate the heater all together.
