Keys to Having Healthy Pet Fish
2008-08-18

Keys to Having Healthy Pet Fish

Fish are probably one of the easiest and low maintenance of house pets. Although they take a bit of care, everything required your patience and attention. You should also spend some energy on them in a minimal amount of time. There are certain things you need to do daily, weekly and bi- weekly to make sure your fish stay happy and healthy.

Give your fish nice and timely food Of course you will feed your fish every day, but there are a couple other things you can do on a daily basis to make sure your fish are doing well. 

1) Choose right food for your pet. It is important, to give your fish the right fish food and to provide them with all the proper nutrients they need and to give them the correct amount. This allows the fish to keep healthy and grow to a perfect size.

2) Feed in right ways. Most fish pond owners will know that smaller fish need to be fed using smaller pellets, and fed more frequently while larger fish prefer the medium pellets and have longer intervals in between feeding. It is important to feed your fish the correct type of food to suit the species you have. Never over feed them. Give them only what they will eat in 2-5 minutes. You can determine if they are eating all of their food by watching them.

3) Also observe their behavior and appearance to make sure they are not stressed, because stress makes them sick. It's a good idea to quickly check the equipment each day to make sure any filters, heaters and lights are working properly.

Give your fish a clean aquarium

As humans, our fish also prefer enjoyable environment. Clean aquarium is no doubt  your fish's preference. And you will be benifit when you get healthy happy fish.

1) Make the filter clean. The filter is probably the most important piece of equipment in your aquarium, because it keeps the water clean and free of dangerous toxins that can be harmful to your fish. Filters also provide aeration, which adds oxygen to the water. If your filter is not clean, it will become clogged and perform its responsibilities badly. This is not good for your fish, so it is recommended that you clean the filter every two or three weeks. You can tell when the filter needs to be cleaned because it looks dirty and will start to smell. A dirty filter may also cause the water to become cloudy, which is another sign that it's cleaning time.

2) Keep the tank clean. Maybe you are confused about how to clean a fish tank properly. In fact, there are some simple steps you can follow to cast off your trouble: •First of all empty 20-30% of the water in your fish tank. •Now you can carefully take out your tropical fishes. You can either use a dip net or a small bucket, depending on the size of your aquarium; just make sure you won't hurt the fish along the process. Now put the fish in a smaller container where it can stay for the next time. •If you have a serious problem with algae or your remaining water is just generally dirty, use this opportunity to filtrate the water remaining in the fish tank using a filtration system, a water strainer or a precise dip net. •Take out the rocks and artificial plants. Scrub them with a brush or something similar before putting it back. •Clean the filtration system itself. If you decide to disassembly the machine, be sure you know how to put it together again! If your filtration system contains more then one filter, clean only one at a time - otherwise you will lose important biological bacteria cultures which are useful for your fish tank. Clean one filter now and the second one a few weeks later. •Put everything together again. Check every piece of equipment - are heater, filtration system and light working perfectly? If not, use this chance to fix them. Even a short time without proper temperature, filtration or light can harm your fish to the point of no return! •After putting back rocks and artificial plants fill up the fish tank with fresh water - and don't forget to put back your fish, too!

3) Keep the water clean. Water maintenance is also important if you want your fish to live long and healthy lives. You should replace about one-third of the tank's water every week or two, to ensure optimal living conditions for your fish. If you fill the tank with tap water, make sure you treat it with a dechlorinator or other water treatment substance before adding it to the tank. Your pet store can make recommendations for how best to treat your home's tap water. Also check the temperature of the new water and keep it close to the original water so as not to shock the fish.

These easy steps will help you to get  idea, but another thing you should pay attention to, every tropical fish species and aquarium needs special care and the requirements may differ. You can get correct information from professional persons familiar with your kind of fish. But one thing that dies harder is that you mustn’t ignore these tips which are on a regular basis will guarantee a healthy living condition, and you will have happy fish.