We all started with the small bowl of guppies, right? Then, we were gifted a 10-gallon tank, if we were lucky. Since it was so much bigger than the hexagonal bowl, the choices were endless! Off to the store to buy a dozen neons, zebras, angelfish, catfish, and whatever we thought would look good in the tank. We had a corner filter and a few decorations. This was the BIG TIME! But, soon, the fish began to die. What happened?
It seemed that I had big fish and small fish. The small fish began to disappear. I had fish that jumped out and were lost. I never found them. LESSON #1: don’t put big fish with little fish. Lesson #2: make sure all fish are “good community fish” before adding to the tank. And Lesson #3: be sure any new fish are healthy.
There were still more lessons to learn. I had about 4” of gravel and the bottom of the gravel started turning grey and then black. Soon after, my tetras began dying of fungal infections. Lesson #4: clean the gravel or use less, so it can be cleaned regularly. Having an aquarium is not just “add water and feed fish”.
AQUARIUM PLACEMENT
Lesson #5: situate the aquarium near water source for easy water changes and cleaning. In my house, I was only allowed to keep my tanks in my bedroom or the basement. My room had limited space, but the basement offered a world of space for my gargantuan wall of tanks, all sizes and shapes. My dream was coming true. I had easy access to electricity for pumps and lighting. I put timers on the tanks, to limit the amount of light and therefore algae to grow. I had all the water I needed on cleaning days. I kept record of all additives and cleanings for each tank. Lesson #6: keep good records.
