Aquarium tank mates advices? Keeping fishes in a tank may seem easy, but there’s more to it than meets the eye. First of all, what makes a fish “low maintenance?” Well, they should easily adapt to different water temperatures, be easy to feed, can get along with other types of fish, don’t need a constant watch, and don’t need to adjust to a bigger tank as it grows. If you’re too busy (or lazy) to do a lot of fish work, you can choose from the list below of low maintenance fishes.

Pour the remaining old water from the aquarium into a large bucket prepared in advance. Be careful that there are no cleaning products in the bucket. If possible, do not use it for other purposes. Pass the gray water through the siphon when you pour it into the bucket. Clean the aquarium gravel. A device for water “blowing” gravel can also be purchased for the siphon. This is a small solid tube, about five centimeters in diameter attached to the siphon. A stream of water that comes out of the siphon washes the dirt from the gravel. This can be done while the water is being poured into the bucket from the aquarium. Gravel can also be washed separately, but it usually grows useful for the life of fish microorganisms. Therefore, it is better to use a siphon. The final stage is wiping the outer glass of the aquarium. Shops sell individual cleaning products for aquarium glasses. It is also fashionable to wipe the aquarium wall with water-vinegar solutions in a ratio of 2 parts to 1. After washing, wipe the glass with a clean, dry towel.

Heater. The most common type of heater for aquariums is a submersible heater that includes a thermometer. Design your tank so that you can place the heater close to an area where the water is circulated to help spread out the heat. Wonder how large of a heater you’ll need? It depends on how much water you’re trying to heat. As a rule of thumb, you’ll need 5 watts per gallon of water. Thermometer. There are two basic kinds: the internal that is meant to be submersed in the tank and the external that sticks to the outside of the tank. The internal submersed thermometer is usually a little more accurate. REMEMBER: You’re keeping TROPICAL fish so the temperature of the tank water is of utmost importance. Filter. A filter is what will keep the water in your fish tank clean. Filters come in many shapes and sizes and they work in different ways. Some filters serve only to remove solid debris from tank water while others help to remove dissolved toxins and chemicals as well. Do your research before you buy to determine what type of filter is best for your tank. Lighting. Having adequate lighting in your tank will help your tank to look its best. Lighting is particularly important if you plan to keep live plants in your tank because these plants will need light in order to survive. Read more info at fish pet tips.

Many people like to replace these filter socks, but if you replace them with new socks as frequently as you should, this maintenance technique would get rather expensive and unrealistic. The solution? Just wash them! Once per week (or month if you have enough filter socks) turn the dirty socks inside out, and wash them in your washing machine. To prevent too much debris from getting in your washing machine, rinse the socks before adding them to the washer. Wash them using hot water and DO NOT use laundry detergent or any other soaps. If needed, you can add some bleach to whiten the socks, though this is often just a preference. Finally, put the filter socks through at least another rinse cycle, but ideally another full wash, with just water to ensure everything is rinsed off the socks. You can let them air dry and there you have it, clean filter socks! Another technique in regular reef aquarium maintenance that is frequently overlooked, and often under appreciated, is to clean all of your pumps and powerheads. Every 3 to 6 months you should remove each powerhead, take the propeller out and clean all of the shafts and plastic pieces. Soaking them in a small amount of vinegar mixes with RO water will help soften the hard composites such that you can remove the buildup from the pump. Remember to remove all algae from the plastic shielding as well. Using a new, cheap toothbrush will help make removing this buildup easy work.