There are a number of good reasons to add plants to your aquarium. They add beauty to your tank, make a healthier place for fish and create a sort of ecosystem within your aquarium. Live plants in your aquarium give oxygen to your fish and other aquarium pets.

Plants will also help to keep down ammonia levels by absorbing the ammonia from fish waste. Plants will also keep algal levels down, since they will be in competition with the algae for nutrients. Your plants may also become food and shelter for your fish.

So what kind of plants should you add to your aquarium? This depends on the kind of water in your tank and the kind of fish you keep. Before buying plants for your aquarium, research which plants will work best in your aquarium.

How well a given plant will do in your aquarium depends on the pH levels, the amount of minerals in the water and of course, the temperature. Tropical plants like soft water, but can do surprisingly well in hard water too. Most plants are happy to be in water between 6.5 and 7.5 on the pH scale. For the sake of your fish, you’ll probably want to keep the water between 60 and 85 degrees, so pick your plants accordingly.

You’ll also need adequate lighting in your aquarium to ensure that your plants can carry on the important process of photosynthesis. Your plants will need 10-12 hours of light a day for optimum health. If your aquarium is too brightly lit, then algae can become a problem. If you find algal growth to be a problem, then you’ll want to add some fish to your aquarium that eat algae.

You’ll also need to add substrates to your tank for plants – this will make their growth much easier. For live plants, you’ll want to choose Flourite or Laterite.

The plants in your aquarium will also need food. Look into what will be best for your plants; there are tablets and liquid fertilizers to choose from. Plants which feed through their roots will prefer tablets, while leaf-feeding plants do better with liquid fertilizer.

After adding plants to your aquarium, you may want to keep away from herbivorous fish, since they may well end up grazing on your plants! Be sure to find out how tall the plants will be once mature – this will help you decide on their placement.

Plants should go into your aquarium before the fish. This is because adding plants (or anything else) to the tank changes the pH, hardness and other factors. Add a little water to your tank (not enough to submerge them) before adding your plants. Then, you can anchor your plants. Fill the tank up and turn on your filters. Run tests on your water and check the temperature.

You should add only a couple of fish to your tank until the plants have a chance to become established. Your fish might eat the plants before they grow large and strong enough to take a nibble now and then.

You may notice one day that your beautiful fish tank is starting to appear cloudy. Can you even see all of your fish? If your aquarium has reached this point, you definitely need to clean your fish tank! Your fish can become sick if the water gets too dirty. Waiting until it is visibly dirty, however, isn't necessary. If you put yourself on a regular schedule of cleaning every two weeks, it will be a much easier job and your fish will thank you for it.

When you begin to clean your aquarium, be sure to start by unplugging all the electronic devices such as filters, heaters and such. You don't want to get electrocuted. Do not use any detergent or soap in your tank… the chemicals in them can kill your fish. During routine cleaning, don't remove your fish, as this can upset them more than the cleaning will. Be sure you only use water that has had the chlorine removed when cleaning your tank.

An algae scraper can be used to easily remove algae from the inside walls of the tank. Be sure you get one that is appropriate for your tank. Those made of acrylic will scratch easier than those made of glass, so you need a scraper that is less abrasive. Wipe down everything, including large rocks, plants and other decorations. Be sure to rinse out your filters. Try not to remove things in your tank unless absolutely necessary, as this can upset the delicate ecosystem that has established itself there. An algae eater will help make your cleaning tasks easier, since it will help eat the algae.

To clean the gravel, you can use an aquarium vacuum. This is a device that connects to your sink and lets you drain water right into it. Overfeeding your fish will cause a lot of rotting material to build up in your gravel, so try to feed only what the fish will eat in a couple of minutes. Carbon in your filter will help keep your aquarium smelling fresh. Be sure to replace the carbon material every 3 weeks.

Now that the gravel and the tank walls are clean, it is time to turn your attention to the water. Always do the water last, since cleaning the other parts of your tank will add pollutants to the water. Only remove about 20% of the water from your aquarium. Completely changing the water will shock your fish, and will upset the ecosystem. The only time you want to remove more water is if your nitrate level is high. Then you may want to change 50% of the water. A siphon is the easiest way to change the water.

When you add water back into the tank, be sure it has been dechlorinated properly. This can be done with a chemical you can purchase at the fish store, or by leaving the water set for a couple of days. The temperature should be the same as the water inside the tank. Temperature changes can shock or kill your fish. When the water has been replaced, you can reconnect the heater and the filter and turn them on. Remember to test your water frequently for nitrates and ammonia. Saltwater aquariums must also be checked for salinity, both in the water left in the aquarium as well as the water you are adding into it.

The day you get your first saltwater tank is an exciting occasion. You’ll have a lot of exciting options for fish species which you cannot keep in a freshwater tank. Keeping a saltwater tank can also be a bit of a challenge – are you sure that you have all of the equipment a saltwater tank needs? What are the best saltwater fish for beginners? Keep reading to find some tips for beginning saltwater tank hobbyists.

The tank itself should be your first consideration. You’ll probably want an acrylic tank rather than a glass one, since acrylic is better at maintaining temperature. An acrylic tank is also much stronger and less leak prone than a glass tank, as well as being lighter and easier to drill for filter installation. If the expense isn’t a problem, then an acrylic tank is a wise choice.

If this is your very first saltwater tank though, it’s OK to go with glass. You’ll probably start with hardy fish that require less care in this case. You might want to think about getting an aquarium kit if you are just starting out; these will come with all of the equipment you need to get started.

A kit will typically come with the filters, test kits, heaters and instructions that you’ll need to set up and maintain your first saltwater tank. You’ll usually get power filters, plants, fluorescent fixtures, water conditioner, fish food and more. The tanks in these kits range from 30 to 50 gallons in size.

If you’re looking for a tank which requires very little maintenance, you can get kits which need no external plumbing for their filtration systems. These kits will have filters attached to the aquarium itself – these are very easy tanks to maintain.

While you might be thinking big about your aquarium, if this is your first saltwater tank, it’s probably better to start smaller and get inexpensive, hardy fish for your saltwater aquarium instead.

The clownfish has long been a favorite. These fish are hardy and easy to take care of, but they can be aggressive – you shouldn’t keep more than three of them in your tank. Your clownfish will enjoy having some of their favorite anemones in the tank, so pick up a few.

Damselfish are another good choice. These small fish are very colorful – but they are often aggressive towards each other, so it’s best to only keep one in your tank.

For your first saltwater tank, tangs are also a good idea. You will need to have some algal growth in your tank however; otherwise, you’ll need to provide an alternate food source. Powder blue tangs are the easiest to care for. As with damselfish, these are aggressive fish, you should keep no more than one.

To add a finishing touch to your first saltwater tank, consider adding some other wildlife like anemone crabs, hermit crabs or cleaner shrimp. These are a nice addition to your tank, easy to care for and fun to watch.

Setting up your first freshwater tank is both rewarding and challenging. This is especially the case if you choose fish which are more difficult to keep healthy. Thankfully, there are a number of adaptable, hardy freshwater fish for your tank which are inexpensive. It’s not too difficult to find good fish for your first tank.

Guppies are a logical first choice if you’ve never kept fish before. You can often buy these fish as feeder fish – you can buy them for as little as ten to a dollar. Until they grow up, they’re not much to look at, but they make for a great starter fish.

These feeder guppies can actually be very attractive once grown. If you don’t have that kind of patience, you can also buy adult guppies for your tank. Guppies get along well with other fish and are easy to care for. Guppies are so adaptable and hardy that you shouldn’t be surprised to find them reproducing in your tank!

If you’re not so crazy about guppies, tetras are also a good choice. Tetras are smaller and by themselves, not so impressive. However, they are happiest in groups; consider getting a school of them for your tank. These fish also tend to get along well with others and rarely cause trouble in a tank.

Gouramis are a good choice if you prefer larger fish. Since the males tend to be aggressive towards each other, a pair is probably the best way to go with Gouramis. They are also easy to take care of and rarely attack other types of fish.

Loaches are also easy fish to care for and mix well with other fish. Except for the more loner-type yoyo loach, loaches like to have other loaches around. They’ll need a place to hide during the day, so give them rocks or pipes.

Barbs are easy to take care of and good in schools (you’ll want at least four). However, they do not mix well with guppies, angelfish or other long-finned species, since they can shred their fins.

Angelfish are popular but can be problematic. They are often bullies and will eat smaller fish like guppies and tetras). Furthermore, any fish larger than them will tend to damage their fins! If you really want angelfish, it’s best to have them in their own dedicated tank – they prefer to have at least one other angelfish around.

The finest aquarium lighting components in an easy plug-and-play prewired system Great for hobbyists reluctant to wire their own lighting Includes 4 pc., 46.5 in. Miro4 Aluminum Single Lamp Reflectors with 95% reflectivity comes with 8 T5 Waterproof Endcaps Legendary 3-year Icecap Warranty

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The ultimate HQI Aquarium Pendant Light is here! Professional design combines flexibility and ruggedness for outstanding performance. Each unit is manufactured from powder-coated aluminum in the USA. Heat dissipation slots on both sides maintain ventilation, while a quick-disconnect IEC connector and harness connects easily to the genuine IceCap ballast. A computer-designed Miro4 reflector works at 95% reflectivity to maximize lighting efficiency. Tempered glass lens and an easy slide door frame are designed to withstand any saltwater environment. IceCap HQI metal halide bulbs are designed to offer consistent color and high PAR values A completely silent, electronic IceCap ballast minimizes spitting on the arc tube and includes a standard 3-year warranty on service and parts. A complete metal halide plug and play aquarium lighting solution! Includes a 250W, 14,000K HQI Metal Halide Bulb, an IceCap Electronic Metal Halide Ballast, and Pendant Lamp. Metal Halide lamps produce a lot of heat. Do not place these lamps directly over anything that could catch fire or melt. 238888

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The 30 x 12 Hood Baseplate fits the Perfecto 20 Long or 29 gallon tanks. Size: 30" long x 12" wide

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The 20" x 10" Hood Baseplate fits the Perfecto 10 gallon tank. Size: 20" long x 10" wide

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4 Power Compacts power this awesome lighting retrofit system. This 48 in. size is ideal for larger aquariums in need of powerful lighting. All sales are final and quantities are limitied

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The Clear Choice series delivers what its name promises, a clear choice for your new wet-dry filter. The extra space in this sump gives you plenty of room for equipment, extra media, or more raw water volume to help stabilize your system. The extra thick walls and triple bonded edges mean this sump will long outlive your tank and the removeable prefilter will clean out larger organic matter to make your media and equipment last just as long. Wet-dry filters are a standard in the aquarium hobby, but some are just a Clear Choice above the others.

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