The world of aquarium fish keeping is very exciting, interesting and educational for children.

Today is vastly different from when I started 45 years ago. Back then most information came from the local pet store, books or other fish keepers.

With the internet you have a whole world of information at your fingertips. Sounds great. But … how do you know correct information from the bad information out there?  It is very difficult.

So, let’s breakdown the basic rules for successful fishkeeping.

The first rule is good filtration is a must. Your fish need good water quality, and the filter is the life support for the aquarium. The filter will circulate, aerate and purify the water to keep your fish healthy. The aquarium should be circulated at the rate of 6 times turnover every hour.

So, what is water quality? The fish create waste as all life forms do, and that waste is toxic if it is not converted into a less toxic substance. The bacterium in the filter converts the toxic waste called Ammonia, into the less toxic form called Nitrite, then converts Nitrite into Nitrate which is much safer for the fishes environment. Bacteria lives on the media within the filter and waste passes over the media for the bacteria to convert. The bacteria need oxygen, and the filter must also create enough movement within the aquarium to allow the water to absorb oxygen from the air above the surface.  

Where do these bacteria come from? A process called cycling the aquarium. This is when the aquarium is operated without fish and bacteria is added daily to seed the filter media.  Water tests will indicate when the aquarium is ready for fish. This will be covered in more detail in another newsletter.

Once the aquarium is ready for fish you must stock the aquarium with only a few fish at a time to allow the bacteria to cope with the increase in waste matter. This is the most critical time of the aquarium setup and patience is critical at this stage.

Your new fish will require feeding. The feeding rule is high quality food every day and feed only what the fish consume in 60 seconds. Overfeeding the fish is the biggest problem in the hobby. The water quality will decline very quickly, and more maintenance is required to keep the fish healthy.

Every 2 to 4 weeks the dirt in the filter will need cleaning and the aquarium will require vacuuming with a device called a gravel washer. A gravel washer is a tube connected to a hose and by syphoning the water through the hose the tube can be used to clean the bottom of the aquarium without sucking the gravel out. The dirt is collected in a bucket and the aquarium is topped up with new water.

Your routine of regular maintenance will maintain the health of the aquarium fish and the water quality. Good water chemistry and healthy fish is the key to success.

The bigger the aquarium the easier it is to maintain the water quality. Always run more than one filter or air pump on the aquarium. If one fails, you have a backup. The filter and air system is the fishes life support. And never put the fish into a water container while you totally clean the aquarium. This destroys the bacteria in the system.