How to care for aquarium fish

An aquarium (from the Latin word aqua - water) is, first of all, a small copy of any closed reservoir (pond, lake), intended for keeping and breeding aquatic animals and plants, as well as for observing their life and development, and life it proceeds according to the same biological laws. Therefore, aquarium training is an insight into the life of interesting and diverse species of fish and aquatic plants, a window into the natural world.

Three years ago, after my dad visited the Red Sea for the first time, he was greatly impressed by the beauty of the underwater world. And we decided to buy an aquarium - a small underwater kingdom.

It has already been established that even a short (about an hour) observation of fish normalizes a person’s blood pressure and calms the nervous system. Fish in a home aquarium attract attention, and we cannot take our eyes off their beautiful neighbors on the planet, gliding through the depths of the aquarium water.

When I look at fish in an aquarium, I imagine myself as one of them. I enjoy swimming and enjoying myself. How are my fish doing? What do they like to eat? Do they have habits? I asked these questions for myself and decided to find answers to them.

History of aquarium farming

Man has long been interested in the underwater world, inhabited by animals and plants, but inaccessible to him.

The Egyptians still 5-6 thousand years BC. e. Many Nile fish were kept in ponds, most of them colorful or of unusual shape or behavior. In the drawings of ancient papyri it is easy to recognize catfish, chromis, and elephant fish.

During the excavations of Pompeii, pools were found in the rooms and frescoes that indicate that there were fish in them.

But aquarium farming reached its greatest development in the ancient world in the countries of the East - China, Japan, Korea, Siam (Thailand). From here the fame of goldfish spread throughout the world.

Red-colored fish were considered sacred. And although the Chinese emperors did not take care of their living treasures in 1500. the goldfish came to Korea, and in 1502 to Japan, then to Indonesia. Japanese hobbyists have developed many colored forms and variants of goldfish.

The first European book on aquarium husbandry was published in 1797 in Thuringia, “Natural History of Domestic Animals” by J.M. Bechstein, which describes the conditions of keeping loaches and goldfish in captivity. In Moscow, the Society of Aquarium and Terrarium Lovers was founded in 1899 by M.F. Zolotnitsky, who wrote "The Amateur's Aquarium" - the first book about aquariums in Russia.

At the end of the 19th century, aquarium farming became widespread. English naturalist F.G. Gosse, who coined the word "aquarium", organized the first marine aquarium exhibition at London Zoo in 1850. Two years later, this exhibition became a permanent London Aquarium.

Choosing an aquarium

Before choosing an aquarium, you need to plan in advance where and what it will be installed on, how many fish will live in it. The aquarium should be placed in places where the sun's rays do not fall on it. This is due to the fact that many fish cannot tolerate exposure to direct sunlight, and when sunlight hits the aquarium itself, the water blooms, as a result the aquarium takes on the color of a swamp.

When choosing the size of an aquarium, you need to know who will live there. If you need to stock large fish, the size of the aquarium should start from 100 liters. If there are a lot of small fish, they also need to choose a large aquarium. It is generally accepted that one small fish the size of a matchbox requires 2.5 liters of water. You should know that the larger the aquarium, the easier it will be to maintain biological balance.

How to set up an aquarium?

The arrangement of an aquarium is an important factor for the life support of the fish and plants living in it. First of all, let's start with the construction of the soil. Plants take root in the soil, from it they take minor nutrition, and dirt is retained on its surface. River sand and gravel are usually used as soil. Ordinary dark-colored river sand of medium or coarse grain is placed on the bottom of the aquarium in one layer 4-5 cm thick. The sand is pre-washed, stirring vigorously until the drained portions of water become transparent.

What are plants for?

The soil is ready for planting. The role of plants in an aquarium is enormous. They are suppliers of oxygen, which fish and plants themselves breathe, and, no less important, consumers of carbon dioxide released by both - all this occurs in different quantities depending on the time of day.

Plants, especially small-leaved ones, play the role of natural filters that retain the smallest particles of inorganic substances suspended in water. In addition, they are necessary as shelters for small, physically weak fish and as a substrate (base) for laying eggs during the spawning of egg-laying fish. In addition, succulent soft vegetation is an irreplaceable source of natural vitamins, microelements and other biologically active substances.

Before planting, the plants should be placed in a large basin with warm water and carefully examined. Pay attention to the length of the stems and trim if necessary. It is better to use scissors for this rather than pinch off the stem with your fingers - this way we will damage the plant tissue less and protect them from disease.

It is most convenient to plant plants before the aquarium is filled with water. To do this, make a fairly wide and deep hole in the ground and place the straightened roots of the plants in it. The distance between plants depends on the size of their leaves. Plants with large, wide leaves are best planted individually, while small-leaved plants are best planted in groups.

Not all plants require planting; There are floating ones (Richia, Salvinia), and some need to be fixed on stones or a tree, for example: The Thai fern can be tied to stones or a tree using a fishing line, and later its roots will be fixed in this place.

Important parameters for an aquarium

An aquarium prepared for use must be illuminated and its water, if necessary, heated.

Water temperature is of great importance for the life of fish and aquarium plants. Most of the failures of aquarists are associated with non-compliance with temperature conditions. The higher the temperature, the more oxygen the fish consume and there is simply not enough oxygen for breathing. At low temperatures, the fish can catch a cold and get sick. Fluctuations in temperature are also very harmful and can lead to stress and illness in your fish. Our aquarium maintains a temperature between 22-24'C. It is optimal for many types of fish. We monitor this mode with a special thermostat device. It is attached to glass in water.

The optimal length of daylight for an aquarium is 12 hours. Although fish look good in natural light, at home it is unlikely that there will be twelve hours of daylight needed for fish and plants to fully develop. In addition, most of the year the house is dark in the evenings, which is often the only time we can enjoy our aquarium. That is why artificial lighting will be required even if the aquarium is located near a window.

The aquarium should be without fish for about a week - complex processes of relationships between micro-inhabitants that have entered the reservoir along with sand and plants will take place in it. At first, putrefactive bacteria take over - after 2-3 days we saw that the water in the vessel became cloudy. Under no circumstances should you change it. As bacteria multiply, they begin to suffer from competition, and at the same time the number of ciliates that feed on them increases. After 5-7 days, the water cleared up and acquired special transparency: its “self-purification” occurred. All this means that biological balance has been established in the aquarium - it’s time to populate the pond with fish!

Fish compatibility

It is important to remember that fish species, just like mammals and birds, are numerous and varied.

The compatibility (or incompatibility) of fish species should be considered before they are placed together. The main criterion is the similarity of the habitat. Few people would dare to put marine and freshwater species in the same aquarium, but much more often fish from brackish waters are transplanted into fresh water. Many errors occur due to incorrect determination of water hardness and acid-base balance of various freshwater biotopes. Fish take root well in captivity if you create conditions that are as close to natural as possible. The requirements for water temperature should be similar. Some species got into aquariums from fast rivers, others from calm reservoirs, which means they cannot exist in the same conditions. Some fish prefer rocky bottoms, others prefer thickets of plants or open spaces; some require bright light, others require dim light. All of this needs to be taken into account when you create the right environment for your pets.

The aquarist's job is to learn as much as possible about the species of fish he is considering buying, and to make a balanced and informed decision about whether these fish are suitable for his aquarium and whether they can become good neighbors for the fish he already has or planned for future acquisition. "Find out everything first!" - this is one of the basic rules for keeping fish.

In a common aquarium you can combine fish that are similar in life needs, habitat, temperament and habits. For example, it is necessary to take into account that cichlid fish cannot be combined with characid fish, since the former are much more aggressive than the latter; In addition, some cichlids live not in an acidic, but in an alkaline environment. Soft-water fish (for example, red neon, Ladigesia Roloff) can live in hard (dH up to 15°) water, but are subsequently unable to reproduce. To relieve stress in fish with a high hierarchy (distichods, Malawian cichlids, auhi, etc.), it is necessary to increase the number of shelters in the aquarium.

Personal experience of observing aquarium fish

The main and main inhabitants of the aquarium are fish. In our home pond (volume 70 liters) there live fish that are not very demanding in terms of living conditions and have already “taken root” to each other.

Danio rerio

One of the most popular aquarium fish. It is distinguished by its attractive coloring, mobility and exceptional peacefulness. It does not require large amounts of maintenance and is content with modest care. They prefer to live in a flock in an elongated container with a volume of 30 liters or more with clean water, an abundance of vegetation (including floating) and proportionate peaceful neighbors. They swim mainly in the upper layers of water. I have three of them, two are about 3 cm long, and one is still small, 2 cm long.

Black molly

One of the color forms of Mollies. Unpretentious, flexible, quickly adapts to new conditions. Gets along well with other viviparous and other fish that are characterized by peace. Feels best in a densely planted container. Prefers fairly bright, but diffused light. It looks most advantageous against the backdrop of contrasting soil and bright greenery of the underwater garden. It lives mainly in the middle layers of water. The length of my fish is 3.5 cm.