TIPS & TRICKS
When you’re just starting out as an aquarist trying to maintain the condition of your aquarium can be challenging.
There are so many things you need to keep an eye out for; this means there are a lot of mistakes that you can make.
A lot of the time these beginner mistakes are made because of a lack of experience.
We are going to look at themost common aquarium mistakes and discuss how you can avoid making them.
Adding Too Many Fish
Adding too many fish to an aquarium at once can destabilized the water chemistry and can cause the nitrogen cycle to stall.
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As a good rule of thumb only add up to 3 fish at a time to your tank.
Once you’ve added the fish to your tank, wait until you’ve completed a nitrogen cycle and then you can add more fish.
Adding Fish Before the Aquarium Is Ready
You get your new aquarium and you’re excited to add fish and set the tank up straight away.
If you add fish before your water parameters are stable it’s very likely your fish will die.
Before you add your fish, your tank must have stabilized.
This means you need to complete a nitrogen cycle and water parameters (pH, temperature, hardness) must be stable.
Only after this can fish be added to your tank.
Accidental Poisoning
It is very common for beginners to poison their fish by making the water in their aquarium toxic.
The main causes for this are:
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Failing to understand the nitrogen cycle
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Excessive feed and waste left in tank
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Too many chemicals used unnecessarily
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Not Using Live Plants
This depends on your aquarium but in a freshwater environment I would consider live plans a necessity.
Most beginners see plants as complex and something which don’t benefit the aquarium. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
The biggest benefit of plants is that they help to prevent algae, because they eat the same nutrients.
Live plants also help to oxygenate the water. You should be careful though and not include toxic things in your tank.
Not Having Enough Patience
This depends on your aquarium but in a freshwater environment I would consider live plans a necessity.
Most beginners see plants as complex and something which don’t benefit the aquarium. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
The biggest benefit of plants is that they help to prevent algae, because they eat the same nutrients.
Live plants also help to oxygenate the water. You should be careful though and not include toxic things in your tank.
Not Routinely Testing the Water
Unfortunately aquariums aren’t “set it and forget it”. They require constant maintenance, especially new aquariums.
With new aquariums you should be testing the water daily, and with established aquariums monthly.
You should be checking the:
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pH levels
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ammonia
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nitrites
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nitrates
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water hardness
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Note: if a fish unexpectedly dies, you should also check the water parameters.
Not Understanding the Nitrogen Cycle
One of the most confusing aspects of fish keeping for a beginner is the nitrogen cycle.
Beginners tend to go one of two ways: they either completely ignore it or stress too much over it. Whilst it is slightly complex, once you get the hang of it, it isn’t anything too difficult and it’s just something you take in your stride.
All you need to know here is that failing to encourage and perpetuate the nitrogen cycle will result in your fish dying.
Lack of Biological Filtration
When you’re getting your first aquarium it’s a commonly held belief that an air-stone and a pump will provide enough filtration.
This is incorrect.
Regardless of the size of the aquarium you should always have a biological filter. Small aquariums can get away with the cheaper hang-off-back style.
You need a filter to ensure the growth of beneficial bacteria.
Also as a tip, remember when cleaning the biological medium, use aquarium water and not contaminated tap water. The chlorine in tap water will destroy your live bacteria- not ideal.