Fish can be very sensitive, but with a little work and attention, they’ll thrive in your aquarium. Here are some tips to help you care for your fish and keep them away from dying:
1. Keep the temperature between 72-80 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Feed them three times per day at the same time every day.
3. Change their water regularly and do a 25% water change once per week or about 10% daily if the water seems cloudy.
4. Check for fungus with a flashlight on all surfaces of your aquarium and scrub it off with a towel dipped in clean water.
5. Be aware that some fish may need “live plants” or “live rocks” in their tank–some fish eat them.
6. Keep the aquarium away from windows or strong sunlight, which can create algae blooms and heatwaves.
7. Test the water regularly for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates with liquid test kits found at most pet stores using chemical reagents made for freshwater aquariums (NOT marine aquariums).
8. Clean your fishnet in hot soapy water before you put it into your tank–you don’t want to introduce any more toxins than necessary!
9. Trim-dying lives plants regularly but don’t remove them until they are completely dead because bacteria need a place to grow as well as the plant material itself.
10. Get a gravel vacuum and regularly “vacuum” your gravel when you do your water changes.
11. Keep the lights on for only 8-12 hours each day and add a night light (if desired).
12. Clean the outside of the tank with hot soapy water and use environmentally friendly cleaners like vinegar or natural soap, not ammonia or bleach which can hurt fish and other aquatic critters in your aquarium.
13. If your heater says it’s rated for fresh and saltwater, don’t worry–just make sure there is no mixing between fresh and saltwater in your tank!
14. If you have live plants, fertilize them once per week with an iron-based plant supplement according to package directions except if you’re using CO2 injection because that will burn the plants.
15. If your fish are sick or diseased, don’t put them in your tank with the other ones because they can contaminate the water and make all your other fish sick too!
16. Use an aquarium vacuum to clean the gravel very regularly (e.g., every month) to remove solid wastes that accumulate there; if you use gravel that doesn’t have “ridges” on it, add a small net bag filled with activated carbon/charcoal to one corner of your aquarium so debris collects on that instead of on top of the gravel where it will be sucked up when you vacuum–this is especially important for fry tanks since they’re often used as breeding tanks and produce tons of waste!
17. Adjust the pH in your aquarium to between 6.5 and 8.0 (ideally, if you can), and make sure you use a liquid test kit for this–pH paper isn’t accurate enough!
18. If your fish learn to eat flakes or pellets, try getting them to eat frozen brine shrimp instead–it’s much healthier for them and they’ll like it better (and need less of it).
19. Keep an eye out for “ich” (Ichthyophthirius multifiliis), which is one of the most common diseases that kill freshwater tropical fish–it causes white spots on their body, fins, and gills which spread quickly if left untreated.