12 Tips to Keep Aquarium Fish Healthy
To keep aquarium fish healthy, we must provide them the right environment, an excellent diet, and a healthy lifestyle. It is easy to achieve if you know what you are doing.
First, an excellent environment for the aquarium fish includes both natural environment and social environment.
An excellent natural environment is Crucial to Keep Fish Healthy
Since aquarium fish lives in a fish tank, we must make it the most comfortable place for the fish. An excellent natural environment in a fish tank at the very least includes enough swimming room, clean water, ideal temperature.
- Enough Swimming Room
It is essential to get a fish tank of ideal size. Since many years ago, there is the saying that you need a fish tank with a minimal length of 7 times the fish size. Yes, it is a bare minimum. So if you have a 2” long fish, you need a 14” long fish tank as the bottom line. It is hard to imagine having a 10” long fish in a 12” long fish tank. It won’t be able to turn around freely. The more swimming room, the more comfortable it is to the fish.
When a fish tank is too small, not only the fish do not have enough room to swim, but the water parameters can also be unstable. As a general rule of thumb, we need no less than a 5-gallon fish tank for stable water conditions. The detailed requirement is up to the size of the fish. Under the condition of the minimum gallon and minimum length are both met, the bigger tank is always better
2. An excellent location for the fish tank
Location of the fish tank is essential for the well-being of the fish. It must avoid high light, high traffic, high noise, places to avoid stressing the fish. It should also keep a distance from air conditioning, radiator, fireplaces, or anything that can affect the water temperature dramatically.
3. High water quality
Since fish lives in the water, we must keep the water quality high. First, we need a good aquarium water conditioner to keep chlorine and chloramine at bay. The aquarium must be fully cycled. It must have a filtration system doing 24/7 aquarium nitrogen cycle. There must be absolutely 0ppm of both ammonia and nitrite. While nitrate is fine at 40ppm, it is the lower, the better. You need a water test kit to make sure all readings are accurate. A liquid test kit is a lot more accurate than a paper strip test kit.
Other things like water PH and hardness are less critical, as long as you give the fish time to adapt when first introduced to the tank
4. Ideal water temperature
Every fish species have a comfort zone when it comes to water temperature. Research well on the individual fish species you plan to have. Make sure you have an aquarium heater if you have tropical fish. A stand-alone thermometer is necessary to get a more accurate reading of the water temperature. Adjust the heater accordingly to let the fish have the temperature it feels the most comfortable with.
5. Stable water parameters
Water temperature, PH, hardness, and other chemical makeups must not fluctuate. Fish do not like sudden, large changes because it can shock and even cause them to die. It goes back to the very first point – a big enough fish tank. If the fish tank is big enough, it is less likely to have sudden swings in these readings.
You also must do a regular partial water change to keep the water stable. The percentage of water you replace each time should not be larger than 70%. Ideally, it is 30~50% once every week.
If you have not done a partial water change for many weeks or even months, it is likely to cause a sudden massive swing in the water chemistry when you finally get to do it. So it is crucial to keep the partial water change small but frequent.
6. Hiden places
Some fish species are relatively shy. They need some hiding places for them retreat to in the case of danger. It might seem to be pointless since there is no predator in a fish tank. Without hiding places, they might become stressed. It is just their natural behavior. Stressed fish won’t be healthy fish.
To provide them with ideal hiding places, you may place some decorations in the aquarium. It can be some artificial caves, tree logs, fake or live plants, a castle, or anything the fish can hide inside or behind. The hiding places will just make them feel safer.
A healthy, balanced diet without overfeeding is essential for fish health
7. Just like us, fish need proper nutrition to be healthy.
It is more than just to get a premium fish food. A proper diet for fish should include at least one high-quality staple food for every day feeding. It can be a premium pellets or flakes from a reputable fish food manufacturer. With occasional nutrition treats such as bloodworm, brine shrimp, krill, no more than once or twice a week. Some supplement such as VitaChem and Garlic Guard can also be beneficial for pre-soaking the dry food before the feeding.
More ideally, you may rotate more than just one type of premium staple food for a more balanced nutrition intake. Different brand of fish food uses different ingredients
8. Do not overfeed fish.
Overfeeding fish is the cause of many issues in the fish aquariums. Overeating can directly kill the fish with digestive problems. It may also cause water pollution which can be unhealthy and deadly to the fish.
In the art of feeding fish, the less, the better. While there is no proof of health benefit to the aquarium fish, skip a day or two of feeding once a week is totally fine.
A harmony social environment is essential to Fish Health
If you have a community fish tank with more than just one fish, make sure the social environment is ideal in there. Some fish species do not like each other. Others might require companions.
9. Avoid having fish who are aggressive toward each other
Some fish species are naturally aggressive toward each other. For example, two betta fish can’t be in the same fish tank. They will most likely attack each other to cause stress, injuries, and even deaths. Most Gouramis are in the same situation. Avoid any aggression in a fish tank can prevent many problems Research well on fish compatibility before decide on what fish to get.
10. Make the group big for schooling fish.
There are also a lot of schooling fish in the aquarium trade. Most species of tetra, Rasboras, corydoras, etc. are the common schooling fish in home aquariums. Typical schooling fish need at least 5~6 in a group to do well. Any less of them, they might become stressed and shy. They might also easily get scared if anything happens. Provide them the number they need, not only you can avoid stressing them, but they can even show more of their natural behaviors. It is a win-win. The bigger the group, the better it is for the schooling fish.
11. Do not overstock your fish tank
Do not overstock the fish tank with too many inhabitants. Too many fish can mean less swimming room. As a result, it can also create stress for the fish even if your filtration system is sufficient for the aquarium nitrogen cycle. More often, too many fish might result in ammonia and nitrite spike.
Physical Activity Can Enhance Fish Health and Prolong Their Lifespan
12. Workout will make fish healthy
Just like us, physical activity can keep the fish in top shape. Provide some slow water current in the fish tank. It will make the fish doing slow workouts all the time. Or you may provide stronger water flow on limited time every so often. It can, in fact, make fish healthier and live longer.
For example, betta fish have a natural life expectancy of 2~3 years. Some aquarium hobbyists reported 5~7 years lifespan for betta fish when they provided water current in the betta tank multiple times a week. However, please use your common sense in this matter. Betta is a slow moving fish with longfin. It will be tiresome for them to swim in strong current 24/7. If the current is very strong, keep the time short.
The workout comes natural for schooling fish, as they like to chase each other around the tank.
The state of fish health is not from any single factor
It is an easy task to keep the aquarium fish healthy if you know what to do. However, no single solution can achieve the goal on its own. Meet all their basic needs is crucial. The rest are bonuses. They will thank you for it by showing their best colors and natural behaviors.