Fish Tip Sheet

25 Tips for Your Freshwater Aquarium

1. Do not overfeed!
2. While an incandescent hood is cheaper initially, a fluorescent bulb lasts much longer.
3. Don't pick up a full aquarium; it's heavy. and the glass will crack.
4. Remove chlorine from the water unless you have unchlorinated well water
5. Use no soap - it's toxic to fish.
6. Dark gravel will cause your fish to appear darker and brighter.
7. Start with a few fish in the first month rather than a full load
8. Float your bag with new fish in your tank 15 minutes to avoid temperature shock. Then mix water gradually.
9. If you have cloudy water the first week of an aquarium, wait 3 days and only feed what will be completely eaten in one minute
10. Maintain 1 tablespoon Kosher or aquarium salt for each 5 gallons of water
11. Always do a 20% partial water change before adding new fish. Siphon from the bottom.
12. A rule of thumb is 1" fish/gallon water.
13. Only feed what is completely eaten in one minute.
14. Shells and coral are only for saltwater tanks,
15. Have more than one female live-bearer for each male. E.g. platies, swordtails, guppies.
16. Have 3 or more of each schooling fish, e.g. neons, white clouds, and zebra fish.
17. No heaters for goldfish. For tropicals figure 5 watts of heater per gallon of water unless your room is unusually cold.
18. Never have your heater plugged in unless it is properly immersed in water.
19. Frequent small partial water changes are always better for your tank than one large change. Water your house plants with the aquarium water.
20. Algae in your tank can be reduced by decreasing the light and feeding the fish less. Live aquarium plants also compete for available nutrients, so do add live plants.
21. As temperature increases, carrying capacity of your tank decreases. That's why we see more problems in the summer in heavily loaded tanks.
22. Dilution is the solution to pollution. Do partial water changes - partial weekly first month of your tank, at least monthly afterwards. Remove 20% of the water using a Hydroclean to remove detritus down in the gravel.
23. If you have to use medication in your tank, assume you have lost some of your good bacteria. and don't add new fish for a week or two. When you do add new fish, partial first.
24. Landscaping an aquarium with safe rocks and plants enhances the beauty of your aquarium. We can help you decide what to use.
25. Do not overfeed!