We are about to get our first fish and so do any of you have a list of jobs to do I would need to do every day ,week and month in order to maintain a healthy tropical fish tank . Any advice or tips are welcome thank for your help
Our ph is 7.4 our general hardness is 16 d our tank is 60 litres and are tank is 61cm heigh it is 51 cm wide and has a diameter of 36 cmHow long has the tank been set up for?
Has the tank been cycled (developed the beneficial filter bacteria that keeps ammonia and nitrite at 0)?
What are the tank dimensions (length x width x height)?
What is the GH (general hardness) and pH of your water supply. This information can usually be obtained from your water supply company's website or by telephoning them. If they can't help you, take a glass full of tap water to the local pet shop and get them to test it for you. Write the results down (in numbers) when they do the tests. And ask them what the results are in (eg: ppm, dGH, or something else).
What fish did you want to get?
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If the tank has been cycled, and the fish are suitable for the tank size and water chemistry, you get the fish home and float their bag in the aquarium for 30 minutes. After 5 minutes, add 1/2 to 1 cup of tank water to the bag. Do this every 5 minutes for the 30 minute period then pour the fish into the tank.
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Turn the tank light off before you float the bag of fish. And leave the light off for the rest of the day. You can turn it back on the day after you get the fish.
Stress from tank lights coming on when the room is dark can be an issue. Fish don't have eyelids and don't tolerate going from complete dark to bright light (or vice versa) instantly.
In the morning open the curtains or turn the room light on at least 30 minutes (or more) before turning the tank light on. This will reduce the stress on the fish and they won't go from a dark tank to a bright tank instantly.
At night turn the room light on and then turn the tank light off. Wait at least 30 minutes (or more) before turning the room light out. This allows the fish to settle down for the night instead of going from a brightly lit tank to complete darkness instantly.
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Don't feed the fish for the first day. When do you feed the fish, wait until an hour or more after the lights have come on, then feed the fish.
Monitor ammonia and nitrite levels for the first few weeks and if you get any readings above 0, do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate.
If all goes well, you should do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate once a week. And feed the fish once or twice a day.