Today it has become very fashionable to make exotic corners of nature in the interior. Aquariums decorate many offices and apartments, but not everyone knows how to care for them and what type of headset is necessary for normal functioning. Novice lovers of ornamental fish make the same mistake. They buy an aquarium, soil, plants, they collect and install it all. And immediately after that they fill the tank with water and start the living creatures. The main mistake is that aquarium fish will not be able to live normally in water without special equipment. You need to buy it right away, otherwise the inhabitants will not last long. Most often, equipment for an aquarium is bought at a pet store.
The owner will need many devices of varying complexity. The absence of at least one of them can significantly complicate the care of the inhabitants. Therefore, it is very important to purchase special equipment for the aquarium.
Filter and compressor
Filter models are external and internal. If it is immersed inside, it may somewhat disrupt the composition of algae and decorations, but over time it will be possible to cover it with grown plants, and the device will cease to be evident. If the model is external, then it is much more powerful, but it will create excess noise in the room. If you choose a device with aeration, then you do not need to buy a compressor. If there is no additional function in the filter, then the compressor is necessary to provide the inhabitants of the home reservoir with oxygen.
Thermostat - what you need to know?
The temperature controller for the aquarium is a very important device, which is impossible to do without, since the water should have a suitable temperature for the normal keeping of pets. It is advisable to choose a device with a thermal relay. This will allow you not to think about turning on / off the device. He himself will maintain the set indicators and turn off in time. Do not be afraid that the thermostat for the aquarium will arrange a short circuit in the water. Modern devices are enclosed in a waterproof flask or shell. However, condensation may appear inside the device over time, which, however, does not indicate a product malfunction.
Backlight
The necessary equipment for the aquarium includes lighting fixtures. The luminaire can be mounted in the cover, or can be purchased separately. It should be a daylight lamp so that aquarium plants can develop normally. If the owner decided to put the aquarium in a sunny place and save on lamps, then he is cruelly mistaken. Direct sunlight will lead to the growth of microflora and damage to water.
Additional care accessories
Rubber hose with a funnel for pumping water - on the one hand, a perfect trifle, but on the other - without it in any way. This simple device will be used to drain contaminated water, and to supply fresh.
Scraper and net. This is the simplest equipment for the aquarium, without which care for the bowl and inhabitants becomes impossible. The glass walls should be cleaned with a scraper, and without a net it is impossible to put the fish into another container.
Aquarium with sea fish
If you are not comfortable with a small freshwater aquarium with decorative inhabitants, then you can create a compact sea, or a marine aquarium.
Caring for large containers is not much more difficult than caring for small ones. And maybe even easier, because a small ecosystem is easier to disrupt. But the equipment for a marine aquarium is somewhat more complicated and more expensive. For normal operation, the following devices are required:
- A moving pump that will create the flow necessary for marine life.
- External filter. Despite the fact that this device creates additional noise, for large capacity special devices and devices are needed that can clean a decent amount of water. Internal filters cannot cope with such a load. Water exchange occurs through 2 hoses, one of which pumps out contaminated water, and the other delivers purified water.
- Flotator or skimmer. This is the name of the foam separator, which removes waste from the tank.
- Auto-filling system. If water evaporates unhindered, the salt concentration becomes higher. The automatic water filling system monitors evaporation and adds the right amount of liquid.
- An important equipment for the aquarium is lighting devices and an ultraviolet emitter. The emitter is turned on to sterilize the water passing through the filter hose, and the lighting is used to create the necessary microclimate in the tank. Without fluorescent lights, algae and invertebrate organisms will quickly die.
- Sometimes the owners install special equipment for the marine aquarium - nitrate reducer and ozonizer. The first is necessary for additional purification of water from chemical compounds, and the second - for its saturation with ozone. After ozonation, water must be additionally passed through activated carbon.
To summarize
In addition to the above devices, for the convenience of monitoring, it would be nice to get a thermometer. Previously, they were mounted on suction cups inside the container, and they significantly spoiled the appearance. But today you don’t have to make sacrifices. You can buy a self-adhesive strip, which is mounted on the outside and is not striking.
Aquariums and aquarium equipment for beginner fish lovers are bought in the complex. For beginners, caring for aquatic creatures may seem difficult. But with experience comes the understanding that in this process everything is logical and it’s no harder to watch the fish than the cat. They must be fed, they must be cleaned and be sure to monitor the health of the pets. Keep in mind that automatic devices will do most of the work for you, but you still need to control what is happening and how to do it yourself.
Some content tips
- The bottom should be cleaned at least once a week. It is necessary to remove the waste products and food that has settled to the bottom, if this is not done, harmful bacteria will begin to develop, and this will lead to the death of fish.
- You do not need to clean the filter often, because this can cause turbidity of the water. A milky turbidity is formed. On the surface of the filter, beneficial bacteria form that clean the water well, and with frequent cleaning of the filter they die, which leads to clouding.
- Once a week, it is necessary to partially change the water, that is, a third of the liquid from the aquarium is drained and the same amount of clean water is poured.
Properly selected appliances and attentive fish care will allow you to enjoy this marvelous home corner of wildlife for more than one year.