The Tank Before the Fish
New to freshwater aquarium fish care? It’s OK, newbie – I’m a newbie too.
Two months ago my husband, David, and I walked into Petco to look at fish tanks as our interest in a freshwater aquarium had been piqued by the fantastic show Fish Tank Kings. We were window shopping – inside – with no real intent to buy that day. At least, no real intent to buy until we met Dallin, Petco’s guru of all things fish. David asked some seemingly harmless questions, such as “What does it cost monthly to maintain a fish tank?” (The answer, by the way, is about $4 a month.) “What would we need for a fish tank?” |
Suddenly we had a cart full of the answer to this last question: a 13-gallon starter tank with a heater and filtration system, a big bag of sand, a little bag of rocks, some neon plants, a light house hiding place (or, as I like to call it, my fish castle), filter cartridges, and a bottle of water conditioner.
Once we realized we had a 99 percent chance of walking out of Petco with a brand new freshwater aquarium (some assembly required), we ran to the rows of fish tanks like kids to an ice cream truck on a hot summer day.
I was thinking, “Once we get home we will fill up the tank, decorate it and plop those suckers in there, right?” WRONG, apparently. Dallin (Petco Fish Guru) was quick to correct us. To keep your fish alive, you need to let your newly set up fish tank cycle for at least a week before you even think about adding any fish. (OK – that was a bit of a stretch. I give you permission to think about the fish you eventually want in your tank. You’re welcome.)
This was, to be perfectly honest, somewhat of a disappointment, but we decided to follow Petco Fish Guru’s advice as he probably knew a little bit more about keeping fish alive than we.
But why did we have to let our new freshwater aquarium cycle for a week before bringing our adorable fishes home?
As Dallin explained it, the fish tank’s filter should remove debris and toxins. Without the right bacteria in the tank, however, a new filter will not be able to effectively remove those toxins, which will, in turn, effectively kill your fish.
For a full lesson on fish tank cycling, check out www.oscarfishlover.com’s article on the hows and whys of home aquarium cycling here.
Once we realized we had a 99 percent chance of walking out of Petco with a brand new freshwater aquarium (some assembly required), we ran to the rows of fish tanks like kids to an ice cream truck on a hot summer day.
I was thinking, “Once we get home we will fill up the tank, decorate it and plop those suckers in there, right?” WRONG, apparently. Dallin (Petco Fish Guru) was quick to correct us. To keep your fish alive, you need to let your newly set up fish tank cycle for at least a week before you even think about adding any fish. (OK – that was a bit of a stretch. I give you permission to think about the fish you eventually want in your tank. You’re welcome.)
This was, to be perfectly honest, somewhat of a disappointment, but we decided to follow Petco Fish Guru’s advice as he probably knew a little bit more about keeping fish alive than we.
But why did we have to let our new freshwater aquarium cycle for a week before bringing our adorable fishes home?
As Dallin explained it, the fish tank’s filter should remove debris and toxins. Without the right bacteria in the tank, however, a new filter will not be able to effectively remove those toxins, which will, in turn, effectively kill your fish.
For a full lesson on fish tank cycling, check out www.oscarfishlover.com’s article on the hows and whys of home aquarium cycling here.