Mike’s Fish Tank – New Tank Tips

A lot of people coming in with questions about fish and fish tanks. Here are some things to assist you in having a successful aquarium.

Have your tank running about 24 hours before adding fish. Be sure your temperature is stable before adding fish. For tropicals, the fish farms tell me the best temp. is 78 to 80 degrees. You can go as low as 75 degrees, but to avoid parasites, the warmer temps are better.

Goldfish like it cold, so 40’s 50’s, 60’s are all fine. A lot of people want to mix the two types of fish. I have people who try it and it works sometimes, but generally speaking, mixing tropicals and goldfish is not really recommended. Too hot and the goldfish may get sick, too cold and the tropicals may get sick.

Remember algae eaters are tropical fish. They do prefer a warmer tank. I don’t put them in my goldfish tanks. A lot of people ask me why their algae eaters keep dying, sometimes it’s because they are in a cold goldfish tank and sometimes it’s because there isn’t enough algae.

They do make algae wafers for the algae eating fish, but sometimes they just don’t like them. They prefer eating the algae off the glass and plants. I always tell people to wait til you see algae in your tank before adding an algae eater.

When you take your fish home, only float the bag of fish in your tank for 4 or 5 minutes. That is all it will take to equalize the temperature. You do not need to add water to the bag and continue to float. The fish farms have said the quicker you get the fish out of the bag and into your tank, the better.

They also say, do not worry about PH. Most fish will adapt to a high or low PH as long as you leave it alone and don’t keep changing it.

Feed your fish 3 or 4 times a day, but small amounts. Do a 20% water change every 4 or 5 weeks. Always drain from the bottom because that is where the fish waste and leftover food settles.

If you are setting up a new tank, go easy on fish the first 5 to 7 weeks. A lot of people overstock a new tank and most of the time it ends up badly. Your tank may look clear and nice but that’s only because you haven’t overcrowded it. If you put too many fish in a new tank, the problems start around week 4. Go easy and your tank will do great.

Pets A Plenty is located in the Blockbuster Video Plaza, Rte 281 Cortland, 753-9213. Open 7 days a week. We now have a website. www.petsaplety.biz. check it out. I post care sheets, coupons, new animal arrivals, contests and more. Any questions, email me at friskyy@hotmail.com

[mappress mapid=”2″]