Having an aquarium of your own to house your beloved fishes is a must to keep them safe and happy. Designing and building one, on the other hand, is quite a challenge that can go wrong in more ways than one. Is setting up an aquarium any different from fixing a new socket in my living room or is it not similar to changing the acid in my car battery? You ask.
Is there any solid difference? Well, here, you need to keep one thing in mind. Many new businesses fall into the error of under prioritizing certain issues most times because they aren’t aware of the dangers and risks they would be getting into.
This action ultimately leads them to not devote enough time and effort to certain factors that are to be considered more or less as the pillars of their business.
This leads to very unpleasant but avoidable business problems along the line. Of all things you would like to like attempt, DIY-ing your aquarium must never be one of them for the following reasons:
You Have To Choose The Appropriate Decor and Lights
Adding a set of decorations and lighting products to your aquarium will make life easier for you and your fish. For one, keeping the aquarium illuminated is of utmost importance. The professionals behind this lighting guide explain that it also adds a certain degree of warmth to the water, which would then keep the fish comfortable swimming in it. While that is the case with lights, you must be aware that there are limits when it comes to adding decor to the tank.
To add decors like fancy rocks, plants, or attractive sculptors in your aquarium, they have to be fish-friendly selections. You can’t dare to use decors that are coated with any harmful substances or that have pointed edges.
This, the professional knows. He selects the right decor and will even add some gravel to the bottom of the tank. They help fix the decors in place. That is not all. The longer the stones stay in the water, the more they’ll need to be cleaned. The professional designs the appropriate timeframe for getting rid of algae growth throughout the year.
He also chooses cleaning materials carefully so as not to poison the fish.
For the lighting, he chooses LED ones because they work well with live plants. The professionals are excellent in choosing appropriate LED lights. Strong lighting can damage your live plants.
You Have To Choose The Water Tank
The water is the basic and only environment in which the fish dwells. The water has to be safe and that’s the topmost priority of the aqua professional. Depending on what kind of fish would be in the aquarium, he selects the appropriate saltwater tank or freshwater one. A saltwater tank is designed to accommodate fish and plants of a marine origin. A freshwater tank on the other hand is uniquely for fish gotten from lakes or rivers.
The professional has mastery of the use of both tanks and will complete the setup based on the tank system that will be most suitable or that you choose.
You Have To Prepare The Water
Make the mistake of getting the regular tap water and you’ll end up with a tank pretty full of dead fishes. Go on and decide it’s filtered water you have to use, you’ll also be disappointed.
The professional has been trained to prepare the optimum fish water. There are a wide variety of cleaning solutions he can add to the water. He chooses the safest one based on the current fishing practice.
Fish Are Highly Sensitive Creatures
Just a little oversight and your fish are dead. The professional doesn’t joke about this. He knows the fish are easily affected by the slightest change to their environment and is always prepared.
The professional weighs in several factors like the water quality, decors, fish diversity, quantity, and positioning of the tank when performing daily checks and maintenance.
Since fish hate to be stressed out, the professional never puts competitive fish kinds in the same tank. He also transfers fish into a new tank at a rather slow pace. This is because those two factors can easily lead to the fish being stressed and consequently facing the risk of dying.
The professional keeps the water clean always and ensures there is a filter based on the tank’s size. He changes the water when necessary and adds to it once the level in the tank drops below 25%.
The temperature mustn’t drop below 75 and or rise above 80 degrees Fahrenheit. For this reason, the professional always uses a heater and a thermometer to effectively monitor the temperature. He observes and corrects the temperature from time to time.
They Know All About Fish Types
There are aggressive and non-aggressive fish. Aggressive fishes always eat up smaller fish, while the non-aggressive types are always okay with the flakes. The professional choose the types based on your preference and sticks to it. He knows just what to do when the fish stock is low. Leave that to him.
The professional knows better than to buy more fish than the tank can hold. There is the recommended fish size for a tank depending on the size. Every trained fish rearer knows this. The usual measurement is one inch of one fish.
They Will Choose The Right Substrate
The fish determines the substrate. The substrate in your aquarium serves as a play centre for burrowing fish, support for your aquarium plants, and space for helpful cleaning bacteria to perform their tasks of decomposing pollutants.
They Know How To Install Stones and Roots
Choosing the stones and roots is always a delicate practice. The professional knows which roots and which stones and stone sizes to get. He places them appropriately in the tank in such a way that they can form good hiding spots for the fish for relaxation purposes.
He also knows when and where to place larger stones and the substrates.
They Know How To Install The Technical Devices In The Tank
The professional attaches the suction pipe of the filter in the case of external filters or the complete filter in the case of internal filters to the aquarium. After that, he attaches the water-return pipe or the filter outlet to the same side of the tank to regulate the movement of water about the aquarium.
Getting In The Water
When all is set and done, the professional pour in the water. Some experts insert the plants first before pouring in the water. Others go with the water first.
Putting in plants first though helps everyone to see how the plants behave and look when the water is poured into the setup.
Adding The Plants
When it comes to placing the plants, the professional knows exactly what to do. They know the best spots for placing plants that are more likely to grow tall. They know where to place the other types too.
They also treat each root by removing all the unwanted particles before placing them in the soil.
The professional completes a standard aquarium in a matter of days. They are also going to be overseeing its operations for as long as it stands. Getting a professional will not only save time and money but will also minimize the risk of a loss and give you time to think about other aspects.
