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Fish are not at all high maintenance pets. Maintaining the aquarium in which they live is actually the hardest part of owning fish. Many beginners do not take this into account and either end up making lots of water changes or killing their fish. Setup, cleaning, and adding new fish are all factors that owners usually make mistakes on that can destroy any aquarium.

In setting up an aquarium the most valuable thing you can do is wait. Turn on your heater, air pump, and filter and let your tank sit. Waiting a minimum of two weeks before adding fish lets beneficial bacteria begin to grow in your tank. This bacteria destroys the toxins in the fish's waste and is the most crucial part of any aquarium.

These bacteria are easily destroyed and it takes a while for a large enough quantity to grow to effectively break down toxins. The downfall of beginning aquarium owners is that they either don't let the bacteria grow strong enough or they inadvertently destroy it during cleaning.

When changing the water and cleaning an aquarium is where the majority of the damage occurs. It is important that you do not deep clean the gravel. Underneath it is the prime spots for bacteria grow and disturbing the gravel destroys that growth. This is why under gravel filters work as well as they do, but this rule still applies to any other type of filter.

Replacing more than 25% of the water in the tank is also a very bad idea. The water that you remove has toxic chemicals in it but is also the food for the bacteria. Removing more water than you need to makes it impossible for the bacteria to continue to grow because you remove its food supply.

By making frequent chemical tests of your water you can be sure whether or not you should make a water change. By measuring the amounts of ammonia and nitrates you can decide whether or not you should change your tank's water. Getting your water tested isn't hard at all either.

Most pet stores offer free water tests and sell test strips at a very cheap price. You can also buy a larger liquid chemical test kit that are a bit harder to use. These contain dangerous chemicals and can't be used by children but the upside however is that they last for years. These test are the ones most commonly used by professionals because they are are very accurate.

When you do begin to put fish into an aquarium you shouldn't put in more than three at a time. Putting in more than that makes it so that the bacteria can't neutralize the extra waste that is produced. If you add fish less than a week after the last fish were placed then you do exactly the same thing and can send chemical levels skyrocketing.

The key to taking care of fish is to take care of their aquarium. Balancing the aquarium out is not at all easy for a beginner but once it is done it tends to stay that way. Aquarium enthusiasts know this easily and that is how they got hooked. They spent less time cleaning and more time admiring their very low maintenance pets.

Learn more about this author, Matthew Olsen.
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