Introduction
So after following our guide on how to set up your aquarium (add hyperlink), you have successfully got your new aquarium up and running. Congratulations! You’re on your way to fishkeeping success. But in order to keep your aquarium on this path to success, some regular maintenance must be carried out. When starting out, this can feel rather intimidating; but don’t worry, we’re here to help you!
Regular Maintenance
This series will be going over the maintenance that will be a regular requirement for a healthy aquarium. These are smaller simpler tasks that are the reason why aquariums are considered such enjoyable options for keeping pets. We’ll be covering the following topics:
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Feeding your fish
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Water Changes
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Algae Scrubbing
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Filter Maintenance
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Plant trimming
Feeding your fish
Feeding your fish is an obvious step to maintaining a healthy tank, and a pretty self explanatory one at that. But there are different options on how to feed your fish - pellets versus flakes, whether to get floating food or sinking, whether to feed in the morning or night.
For the frequency, fish will always act hungry regardless of whether they have had enough to eat or not. Don’t be fooled by their aggressive bites at the surface! Just a small pinch of food once a day (that will take around 2min to be completely consumed) is all that is necessary.
You’ve probably heard the saying “memory like a goldfish” and assumed fish have no intelligence at all. However, fish will always learn routines! The beauty of this means you can feed at any time of the day you want. Fish cannot tell time, they will focus more on you walking up to your tank and opening the lid. Then they get excited!
For easier maintenance, pellets are cleaner as they are less likely to break into small particles like the flakes - which can easily get stuck in your substrate and build detritus. The same argument goes for floating foods, since it is more likely to hold its shape instead of breaking down at the bottom of your aquarium. Whether to go for floating or sinking foods, or even a mix of both, will be determined by what fish you’re keeping.