Rearing fish is very different to rearing any other animal. Fish can’t really express their needs and wants to you. Therefore, you need to have a prior knowledge about their requirements.
Fish live in an aquatic environment. This is an eco-system that we are not quite familiar with. Therefore, it is not easy for us to grasp the conditions within such an environment. Rearing a dog or a cat is much easier because they live in the same surroundings as we do. We would feel almost all of the environmental changes they are sensitive to and would be able to attend to their needs properly. Since this is not the case with fish, we need to have a good understanding about their natural habitat and the factors that help them stay healthy within an artificially built environment. Stores that provide aquarium supplies Sydney will offer all the equipment that is required to rear fish while the knowledge required for it will be available to you through a number of resources.
Build and maintain the right kind of aquarium
Your main objective would be to create an environment that closely resembles their natural habitat. In order to do this, you should provide them with the main components of their natural vicinity. These include water, food, oxygen, sunlight and other biotic factors such as microorganisms.
One of the most important factors to consider is the size of the tank and the number of fish that you hope to accommodate in it. It is always better to think about the latter point first. Initially get a rough idea of the number of fish that you are hoping to rare. The size of the tank and the amount of oxygen that you need to supply to it will all depend on the number.
Cycling is another process that is critical to ensuring that the water in your aquarium sustains the life of the fish in it. This process includes a few steps that allow certain microorganisms to grow within the tank. As a result of this, the fish would always have some sort of natural substance to feed on.
When cleaning the aquarium, it is vital that you use the right kind of substances for the purpose. For instance, using soap to clean off the unnecessary algae or fungi growth can result in the death of other organisms that are important for the survival of the fish.
Know how to choose your fish
When choosing fish, you should make it a point to choose species that are able to live with one other without showing any severe antagonistic behaviour. For instance, introducing a weak species with a species such as Siamese fighters may result in high energy loss or death of the first species.
It is never advisable to choose only one or two fish from a species that usually show schooling behaviour. Fish that show this type of behaviour are usually social animals that live in groups. When isolated, their ability to survive drastically reduces because they are not capable of sustaining themselves as individual fish.
Know how to feed your fish
What fish eat is pretty much straightforward. All you need to do is visit a pet food store and buy some fish food. This food is made out of different sorts of plants and meats. When feeding the fish, make sure that you do not overfeed them. Allowing any species of animal to eat more than it should will usually result in unpleasant circumstances. Another factor to keep in mind is that you should not allow leftover food to remain in the tank. As fish food is allowed to float and absorb water, there is a chance that it will be broken down into smaller chemical substances which usually includes ammonia. High levels of ammonia are not healthy for the survival of fish.
Know how to change the water
Changing of water is something that needs to be done on a regular basis. This is a skill that you will develop with time. All you need to remember is that you shouldn’t remove too much water from the tank during cleaning. The general rule is to remove not more than 25% of water at one time.
It is also better to add aquarium salt after every cycle change in order to ensure that the environment inside the tank remains unchanged.
