How to start an aquarium? Heater for aquarium. Cleaning the aquarium at home

A beautiful aquarium can become the main decoration of the house. Fish, floating in it, will please the owners, creating a favorable environment in the room. But if the first aquarium is installed, where to start to make it right? To do this, you must select all the elements, as well as follow the practical start-up tips.

Types of aquariums

How to start an aquarium? First you need to buy a fish tank. It is important to determine its design, shape, so that the aquarium suits the interior of the room. For the product, you must choose a suitable place, so that it stands where no one will interfere.

By design aquariums can be on a stand, legs, as well as hanging, angular, frame, frameless. The form of products varies, but the main types include:

• Spherical;
• Cubic;
• Rectangular;
• Panoramic;
• Prismatic;
• Pyramidal.

When choosing it is important to consider the number and size of the inhabitants of the tank: usually the calculations are based on the proportion of "per 1 cm of adult fish 1 liter." It is important to choose a suitable aquarium, so that the fish there are comfortable. And then care will be much more convenient.

Purchase of accessories

If you are wondering where to start an aquarium, then it's important to think about the purchase of accessories. Capacities are offered to the lids, which have built-in lighting, and curbstones for them. If there is no specific place to accommodate the aquarium, then such an offer should be used.

Thanks to the lid with backlight, the fish will not jump out. This protects against the evaporation of water, as well as provide lighting of the plant, will help monitor the light of day in the pond. The curbstone is used to store various devices: a net, tubes, suckers, feeders, books, feed.

Lighting

When considering the question of how to start an aquarium, it is important to think about high-quality lighting. There is a classic set of equipment:

• Illumination (lamp power, duration of illumination is determined depending on the inhabitants);
• Water heater (preferably with automatic temperature support);
• Aerator and water filter (the capacity is determined by the volume of the aquarium).

What will be chosen soil and scenery, depends on the inhabitants, but the universal applies fine-grained rounded gravel without sharp edges. The thickness of the soil should be 5-7 cm, so that the plants will be perfectly rooted. For decoration used locks, wrecks and other accessories.

Heater

Many aquarium fish are considered inhabitants of warm tropical rivers. Therefore, they need an appropriate temperature of 26-27 degrees. It is important to control the temperature regime. Because of this, you need a heater for the aquarium. If the temperature is controlled, the fish will be comfortable.

To purchase a suitable heater for an aquarium, you need to pay attention to:

• Presence of a temperature regulator;
• Power (selected depending on volume);
• Quality of the device (no defects).

A 10W heater can heat 4.5 liters of water. Many aquarists use the calculation: 1 W per 1 liter of water. But it is better to choose equipment of higher power. Perform all operations with the device with the power off. It is necessary to switch on the heater after immersion in water.

Inhabitants and vegetation

How to start an aquarium, if there were no fish before? It is better to choose viviparous inhabitants:

• Mollies;
• Swordsmen;
• Pecilia;
• Gupii.

They are beautiful, graceful, enduring. They do not require complex care. The maintenance and reproduction of such inhabitants will help to learn the basics of aquaristics. Viviparous fish can be kept together with small catfishes. They have a special color, body shape and behavior. Catfish will make the aquarium more refined. From the bottom plants, you can choose elodea, vallisnergia, cryptocarina, and from the surface - rychiyu or duckweed. You can choose and moss - kladoforu and Javanese moss.

Sand

An aquarium is called an entire ecosystem in which every detail is important. Of great importance is the soil. Required sand for the aquarium. It contains useful microorganisms. Important and decorative function of sandy soil - aquariums with it look spectacular.

The advantages of sand include:

• Creation of natural conditions for fish;
• Protection from contamination;
• Formation in the sand of fertile soil for plants;
• Many kinds of fish like sand.

It is important that the sand for the aquarium meet the following requirements:

• Grains should be the same in size, otherwise caking comes;
• Choose a substrate with fractions not less than 1.5 mm in diameter;
• Sand should not affect the water;
• If the sand is mined on its own, then we must choose a clean pond;
• Do not need to choose colored sand, because it can be dangerous for fish substances.

Starting the aquarium

To start the aquarium from scratch, you need to follow several rules. Before the start of the fish takes about 2 weeks. One day is carried out:

• Laying of soil, planting of plants, installation of lighting, heating, filter-aerator;
• Filling with water;
• Connection heater and filter-aerator.

Then you have to wait a week for which chlorine disappears from the water. Normalizers are added to the liquid to improve the properties. Before using them, it is better to consult with competent aquarists and sellers.

When the week has passed, it is necessary to launch hardy inhabitants - ampullar snails, newts, frogs, shrimps. Water becomes stable for a month, after which it can grow turbid. Then it will be clean and transparent. And only after a week you can run the rest of the fish. This completes the aquarium equipment. It remains to take care of him properly.

Decor

How to make an aquarium correctly? A background is needed, which is created before pouring water. If it will be voluminous, then it is necessary to use non-toxic materials. Often, for this, fiberglass and expanded polystyrene are used. If there is no possibility to create a volumetric background, then a special film is glued on the back wall from outside or simply the glass is repainted. You can use cardboard, carpet, plastic. Each zoological store offers various options for decorating aquariums.

To decorate the home of fish fit stones. They also serve as a shelter for many inhabitants. The stones serve to strengthen the terrace. With them it will be possible to hold the plants at the soil so that they do not float up. In the aquarium you can create a specific landscape. If it is inhabited by fish from flowing water bodies, then the stones should be rounded.

How to make an aquarium, so that the fish could feel comfortable there? For this, snags are used, which serve as a shelter for many inhabitants. They attach plants. It is better to choose the root of the tree, lying in the peat in the swamp. Suitable branches are maple, ash, alder, willow, beech. Only first you have to clean everything from dirt.

In pet stores, you can find various decorations for the aquarium: galleons, locks, chests, skeletons, skulls and other themed products.

Products are made of plastic, ceramics and other safe materials. They allow to decorate the aquarium perfectly. Only decorative elements must be chosen in accordance with the size and type of the aquarium, so that the fish can be comfortable there.

Cleaning the aquarium

After starting the aquarium it is important to keep it clean. This is a responsible process. It is important to remove the remains of rotten food and decorations in a timely manner. Every week you have to change the water to a clean one, but do not completely change it. Cleaning the aquarium at home is done without problems. Required capacity, scraper for algae, a siphon with a hose and a vacuum grader.

Before performing the work, it is necessary to prepare new water. The old must be removed by 30%. If the sea fish is contained, then it is necessary to prepare suitable proportions of sea salt for water. For washing, you need to take a new container, which will be used specifically for this purpose. It is necessary to disconnect the filter and disconnect it from the aquarium.

First you need to wash the walls of the tank. Do not use detergents. This is dangerous for the inhabitants of the aquarium. There are other options. Traces of soil are eliminated by a special scraper. Cleaning the aquarium at home can be done using a special solution that is safe for fish. Sell it in pet stores. You just need to ask the seller a question.

Water should be carefully drained with a siphon with a hose. Then it's important to sort out the scenery, sand and gravel. It does not take a lot of time. The bottom should also be cleaned with a gravel vacuum. It is necessary to clean plants, wooden decorations. Accessories can be washed with algae scraper if they are very dirty. They need to be washed in the sink. Sometimes a solution of water with salt is used.

After washing, the decorations must dry out. Only after that they can be used. At the end of cleaning, new water is poured into the aquarium, after which heating and lighting are switched on. If you regularly wash the aquarium, and also take care of it, then the fish in it will be comfortable. Such inhabitants will make the house cozy. Observe all the rules if you decide to purchase an aquarium and arrange it at your own discretion. And then he will long please you and your loved ones with his beauty, creating a pacification and a special atmosphere of peace.