If you are going to go into the aquarium hobby, you need to prepare for it entirely. That means you need to understand what it takes to have one and factors to consider before setting up one. These crucial factors are the ones that will determine if you should start a fish tank or not.
Setting up a fish tank isn’t like any other hobby you can try out. A lot goes into it, and you need to have a full-time commitment idea of the whole thing. Here are some of the essential factors you need to consider before starting an aquarium hobby.
1. Start-up Cost
Like any other hobby, you first need to look at the cost of start-up. These aren’t some tools that you will be buying. You will be setting up a home for other living creators, so you want the best you possibly can afford to get.
A lot will go into the whole start-up, and it will be a considerable investment. From the lights, filter, and the aquarium itself, you will need a substantial amount. The other cots you also need to look at are the ones for the fish.
With fish, depending on the ones you are getting, you can get either expensive or inexpensive ones. You will need to have at least $200 for this hobby. The larger the tank, the more expensive it will be after factoring in the additional costs.
2. Fish Type
The fish type is another aspect you need to look at when beginning an aquarium hobby. As stated, there are different prices for different types of fish. Fish are usually differentiated on size and environment. When it comes to calculating fish, it is done in full-grown size – minus the tail.
You then have schooling fish that prefer to be in bigger groups. Others don’t like to be in the aquarium with other of their species. You then have the marine type of fish and the freshwater type of fish.
The fish type will also determine the size of the aquarium you will get. For example, freshwater fish need more room. Do the math to figure out how many fish for a 5 gallon tank will cost you. The average range of fish per gallon is one inch per gallon.
3. Size and Placement
Forget about the fish for a minute; where will you place the tank in your home once you have it? This shouldn’t escape your mind as you go shopping for the fish tank. As you have noted, the bigger, the better, but ensure you have space for it.
When you have a bigger tank, you can also add in more fish in the future. When you have a larger tank, it can also be helpful to dilute chemicals among other substances quickly.
4. Nitrogen Cycle
There’s a cycle that needs to be maintained when you have a fish tank. As a beginner, you need to learn as much about it as you can. Fish are living organisms that produce waste; once you add them, their waste can become harmful if not well taken care of.
As a beginner, you need to get the freshwater aquarium as it is easy to maintain since you have little information. The marine aquarium has a lot to keep in mind and can be overwhelming for any beginner.
5. Filtration Equipment
Filtration is a massive part of this hobby as this is one aspect that ensures the cycle is maintained in the tank. Here, you have three types of filtration – chemical, mechanical and biological. Each one of them is different in its own right, with various benefits.
It would help if you learned more about filtration, or this hobby will be dead even when it gets started.
6. Lighting
The last crucial factor you need to learn about before Lighting shouldn’t be taken only as a decoration to the tank; it has some great benefits to the fish. For example, it can be the difference between unsightly algae growth and significant growth.
Light needs to be set up in a regular on/off cycle as this will give your fish some downtime. Luckily many lights have built-in timers to ensure you don’t have to check up on it often. None-planted aquariums need around 8 hours of light, while the planted ones require up to 12 hours.
When thinking about starting with a fish tank, you need to have some things in mind. These are some crucial things you need to look up before you even measure space for that fish tank.