Two Tips For Maintaining Your New Aquarium

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An aquarium can be an excellent option for those that want pets but are unable to have a cat or dog. However, these tanks require special care to keep your fish alive. Considering the price of replacing fish, errors with tank maintenance can prove to be very costly. If you are about to set up your first aquarium, you may benefit from learning the following two tips. 

Avoid Changing All Of The Water At Once

When you own an aquarium, it will be necessary for you to regularly change its water. This is necessary because your filter will be unable to remove all of the contaminants from the water. However, it is common for individuals to make the mistake of attempting to change out all of the water at once. This can pose a health risk to your fish and plants because the new water may be very different, which may place your fish at risk of dying.

To minimize this risk, you should only replace a portion of the water at a time. The amount will vary based on the dirtiness of the water, but you may want to avoid changing more than half of it at a time. 

Use Distilled Water For The Tank

Some people will make the mistake of assuming the water from their faucets will be fine for use in their aquariums. Unfortunately, it should be noted that your home's tap water can contain a wide range of impurities that can cause problems for your tank. Luckily, this is a simple problem to avoid for those with a freshwater tank. For these individuals, it is possible to use distilled water for this work. This water is free of the impurities that can pose a hazard to your fish. 

If your aquarium uses saltwater, you can still used distilled water, but it will have to be specially treated to be suitable for your tank. This will involve adding salts and other minerals that your tank needs. However, when you are heating the water for this purpose, you should use a nonmetallic container for this. It is possible for metal to containment the water with impurities. You will be able to avoid this by using a glass or plastic container when you are hearing the water. 

For those considering getting an aquarium, it is important to understand the type of care that is needed to keep your fish healthy. By gradually changing the water and using distilled water, you should be able to avoid some of the more common problems that your new aquarium may experience. For more information, contact a professional like those at Congressional Aquarium.


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