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Plans for Building Your
Own Aquarium
From Start to Finish
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Before
stocking the aquarium with fish it is advisable to allow a settling period.
This permits the water to age a little, gives time for particles in suspension
to settle, and allows new plants to anchor their roots.
It is always
advisable to allow four to seven days for the tank to stabilize before
introducing the inhabitants. The amateur aquarist will find it better to keep a
few of the cheaper fishes, like goldfish, for about two weeks. Then, assuming
that they are still alive, and healthy, you can go ahead and get some fish that
you really like.
Many enthusiasts, through expensive initial losses,
have become disheartened and given up. If only they had gained a little
knowledge first, they could have realized that aquarium keeping is a most
exciting hobby.
The first thing to do once you have bought your fish is
to introduce them carefully into the tank. Float their plastic bag in tank for
about half an hour, to allow the temperature to equalize with that of the tank.
It is most unlikely that the water chemistry of the dealers tank is the same as
that in your newly set up tank so it is necessary to change the water in the
bag very slowly, adding small amounts of water from the tank, over a period of
at least half an hour.
In this way, differences will be slowly evened
out without damaging the delicate gills and kidney’s of the fish.
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