Starting your own aquarium at home is a simple and fun Do-It-Yourself you can do as a family, however it does require some maintenance and patience to start. There are many items needed for a full DIY aquarium to be up and running. Some of the main materials include:
• Water
• Tank
• Sand
• Rocks
• Algae
• Aeration Stone
• Fish food
• Fish!
When setting up your own aquarium you must think about how many fish you want and this will help determine the size of tank needed for the fish you want. The rule of thumb for fish capacity is about one inch of fish per gallon or 24 inches of surface area. If you are holding saltwater fish or predators they need about twice as much water room as freshwater fish.
Once the right size tank is chosen sand and rocks are needed to establish a home for your aquarium. Gather these material from your home or at your local pet store. For certain saltwater fish, algae or kelp should be added to emulate their natural habitat. One major item needed is an aeration stone, fish need oxygen to breathe so purchasing one is extremely useful and needed. Some small fish bowls don’t have room for one so changing the water every few days is required. An aeration stone provides bubbles in the water, which in turn provides more dissolved oxygen for the fish to use and breathe.
When water is added for a freshwater fish make sure you purchase a de-chlorinator because tap water has small amounts of chlorine to disinfect, but if used for an aquarium, it can kill your fish. Make sure the temperature of the water being placed is similar to the habitat of the fish being placed in your tank.
The final step is bringing your fish home to your new aquarium. Since you will be bringing your fish in a plastic bag from the store, place entire bag in tank for 15 minutes so the water in the bag can acclimate to the temperature of the tank. Once ready pour water over bucket with a net then place fish in aquarium tank immediately. Don’t pour water from the store into your tank because it could contain contaminants that you don’t want in your tank.
You have now completed your own aquarium at home, do not forget to feed your fish and enjoy your new companion!
