So.. You have found a new hobby? Or “I want to jump-start my childhood memories of fish keeping” or maybe you want to improve your mental health. Somehow, some humans like us were amazed by these funny creatures. All they do is a swim, and we spend a lot of time and energy to make them keep doing what they were born to do. The aquarium is the vessel, what's inside can be the realization of your imagination.

What kind of freshwater aquarium do you want to build?

Aquarium hobby grows rapidly, people find ways to build their dream aquarium and the industry trying hard to satisfy their demands. Big aquarium, small bowel, or just a classic cubic glass of water. There is a lot of option when you start and make it happen things will get simpler with experience.

What kind of fish do you want to keep?

To make it simple, you cannot mix tiger and zebra in one cage. Everyone knows that. It’s the same with fishes. You have to learn which fish is good for communal tanks and which not. I suggest you ask for advice from your local fish store. 

You can check our store for Aquarium Fishes that you can buy for your aquarium or fish tank. Click here.

 1. Simple Fish Tank

Aquariums have the reputation of being a vessel for murky water and fish death traps. For so many people with a busy life, swimming fishes in the aquarium are their stress relieve.  However, if you plan ahead and do the necessary things regularly it will become an amazing hobby. Otherwise, don’t even bother to keep a fish! Click here to check fish tanks from our store.

Aquascaping is the craft of arranging aquatic plants, as well as rocks, stones, cave work, in an aesthetically pleasing manner within an aquarium - in effect, it's gardening under water – Wikipedia.

• The garden-like Dutch style 
• The Japanese-inspired nature style.
• Biotope style inspired by the natural environment. 
• Paludariums, underwater world.

What should I prepare?

Fishkeeping can be as easy as keeping a betta fish inside a glass, even 5 years old will find it not humane. Follow these steps and you won’t be regretting your decision of aquarium hobby :

Plan your aquarium

It is all about the position, plan where you want to set up the aquarium. Make sure that the aquarium is in the wet-friendly area because you need to do maintenance occasionally. Decide your aquarium theme also. The local fish shop will be happy to assist you.

Prepare the aquarium

Make sure there is no cracked glass or loose sealant, clean it up but never use soap or any detergent. Just water and loincloth. cleaning

Add water and substrate 

The substrate has its benefit for aquarium ecosystem; most bacteria live inside the porous substrate and filter media. Dechlorinate water use is recommended, but a small amount of chlorine water is “ok” for some aquatic fauna. Make sure you know about your flora and fauna requirement.

Installing equipment

• Filtration system.

Always make sure that you install aquarium equipment correctly. Sometimes people don't know the difference between the water pump and a proper filtration system.

• Lighting

Most people neglect to turn off aquarium light, and then complain about green water. Algae use light from lamp to photosynthesis and propagate. The electric timer is recommended to make things easier.

• Air pump

For the fish tank, air pump provides the necessary oxygen for fishes. There is a debate about air pump usage on aquascape or planted tank. Read our aquascaping article here.

• Heater/chiller

Hot or cold, depending on which region you live in. On 4 season regions, it is necessary to use a heater on winter days. Fishes thrive at 25-30 centigrade.

Cycle the tank

Cycling the tank means, you are building bacteria colonies in your aquarium and filter media to benefit your future fauna and floras. Ammonia is harmful to your fishes and they don’t smell nice. Buy some cycling bacteria from your local shop and add it into your system.

There is a way to speed up this process. Increasing aquarium water temperature, add filter media from the already established filter system, and increasing dissolved oxygen in the water.

Add Some Fishes

Now you can add some fishes to your aquarium or fish tanks. Make sure that you have checked our store for the best Aquarium fishes.

Have fun with your new hobby and don’t hesitate to send us feedback.