How to Look After Cold Water Fish
If you want to keep fish, you have a choice of tropical or cold water varieties. Both tropical fish and their cold water cousins have their place in an aquarium hobby, but no matter which variety you choose, it is important to care for those fish properly. That means making sure the water quality is good and maintaining the tank carefully. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Choose an adequately sized tank for the fish you plan to keep. Be sure the fish have plenty of room to swim around, and be careful not to overload the tank with fish. Having too many cold water fish in the tank can foul the water and reduce the water quality markedly in only a day or two. Goldfish in particular can be very dirty, so limit the number of fish you keep, particularly in a small tank.
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Add gravel to a depth of 2 to 3 inches. Make sure the gravel is spread evenly over the bottom of the tank.
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Place a quality filter inside the tank. Either a box filter or a power filter can work very well for cold water fish. Just be sure the filter provides biological, mechanical and chemical filtration to keep the water clean and prevent the buildup of harmful chemicals like ammonia and nitrate. The verbiage on the filter box should indicate which types of filtration is provides.
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Connect an air tube to the intake on the box filter, and connect the other end to your air pump. You can also attach an air stone to another piece of tubing to provide extra aeration and bring more oxygen in to the water.
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Fill the tank with water by placing a bowl in the center of the tank and pouring water into it. This will fill the tank evenly and without disturbing the gravel, filter and decorations.
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Place your plants in the tank and make sure they are deeply rooted in the gravel. You can choose either real or artificial plants for your cold water fish, but goldfish, white clouds and other cold water fish often enjoy nibbling on live plants.
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Choose fish for your tank by focusing on those that do best in cold water. Goldfish and white clouds are particularly well suited to cold water, but guppies and bettas can do well in an unheated tank as well.
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Feed your fish a diet specifically designed for their species. Your pet store has an assortment of foods for goldfish and other species of cold water fish.
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Test the quality of the water often by using a test kit available at your local pet store. Test for the presence of ammonia and nitrates, and perform a partial water change if those levels are high. Start by siphoning one third of the water from your tank, then add fresh water back in. If your water is chlorinated, you will need to either use spring water or add a dechlorinator before you use the water.
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Perform regular water changes to maintain the quality of the cold water environment. Changing one third of the water every week or two is one of the best ways to maintain the quality of the water and keep your cold water fish healthy.
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References
- Photo Credit Goldfish image by Lucy Cherniak from Fotolia.com
