An environment for life

As a keen tropical fish enthusiast maintaining a clean
environment for my fish to live has always been a worry, with a
hectic lifestyle and three aquariums to maintain I am always
worried about how clean and healthy the water is for my beloved
fish.

I have tried many methods, read many books but from observing
the condition of my tanks I have come to learn that the best
method of keeping a clean and safe environment is to leave them
alone.

Yes you may find that an odd statement, most of the books you
read will tell you that not only is the water change the most
important part of fish keeping, but that a tank should have a
water change of 30 percent of the water every 2 weeks or 50
percent once a month, in fact I have found this to be extremely
harmful to the fish and indeed found fish stock dwindling
rapidly with this method.

Having spent so much of my time trying to get the right
conditions for my fish and having to see my fish die off after
water changes, I decided to take a drastic approach. The fish
were completely healthy before any water change, they seemed
happy and I had them being hand fed. I always made sure the
filter was working properly and followed advice from pet shops
and books to the letter, so why were my fish stocks failing?
Because the water changes were upsetting the environment the
fish live in, the balance of the water is changed and the fish
get nervous, defensive and worried.

I decided to leave the tanks for a longer period before
completing a water change, and the fish lived happily in their
environment, but as soon as the next water change came along,
some of the fish started weakening then dying. I then tried
leaving the fish completely and not completing any water
changes, and lo and behold the fish are happy and breeding as if
they were in the wild.

I have found that the most important aspect of the aquarium set
up is the filtration system used. The better the filtration, the
better the water quality and the happier the fish are.

First off it is important to buy the biggest tank you can
afford, the bigger the tank the more room the fish have to swim
around, the more diluted toxins are, the more exciting and
varied a tank can be presented (with decorations and planting)
and the happier the fish.

When you have bought the desired size tank have a look around
for a good filtration system, I find that chemical filters with
a built in aeration system are the best and easiest to manage,
opt for one that is slightly above what is needed for the tank
and once in operation keep a careful eye to ensure it is working
properly. When the aeration system starts to show signs of
stopping it is time for a filter change.

Over time you will see that the water levels in the tank drop
slightly, simply top up the tank ensuring that you carefully
balance the PH levels in accordance with the needs of the fish
you keep.

You now have an environment that is both good for the fish you
keep and takes up much less of your time. The fish are able to
live pretty much undisturbed and can act in a more natural way,
and you can enjoy watching them without the worry of having to
complete water changes.