How To Fill The Aquarium For The First Time

If you want to set up an aquarium, you will have to learn how to do it correctly. In fact, it is not enough to put a little water, throw pebbles and choose fish at random. In fact, the initial process can be a lot slower than you think. Even an apparently simple action, such as filling the aquarium for the first time, must be done in a certain way.

This is a procedure that does not last just one day. If you want your fish to live well and adapt properly, the road is much longer, but at the same time it will allow you to avoid many problems.

So let’s see how to fill a home aquarium, safely and without making mistakes.

First set up the aquarium, then put the fish

Many people mistakenly think that in order to create the right habitat , fish must be placed in the aquarium right away. This may work in normal environments, but with aquatic living things it’s another story altogether. In fact, the process of filling, acclimating and stabilizing the water takes weeks if done correctly.

In principle, the first step is to get rid of the dust and rinse with water. Next, you can place what would be the substrate, which is basically gravel. All this must be done before filling the aquarium for the first time.

Once finished, water is finally added. But it’s still too early for you to include your beloved fish too. Be patient!

How to put water in your new aquarium?

At first, you can fill using a simple hose connected to the tap. In this still initial phase, cold water is also fine, just as it comes out. Be careful not to get the aquarium heater wet, since these devices are made of polluting materials.

Then you will proceed with the air conditioning of the water using a thermostat to control the temperature. In addition, you will also position the filter, an indispensable element for the proper functioning of your home aquarium.

The need to prevent a fish  from suddenly entering cold water is due to the fact that, often, the most beautiful and colorful specimens are used to living in tropical environments, in waters ranging from 23 to 26 degrees. Basically, you will avoid providing a  thermal shock to your little fish.

From here, what follows is a series of procedures that have to do with the chemical regulation of water. If your fish enter a balanced aquarium with controlled indicators, they will have a longer life expectancy.

Fill the aquarium for the first time: dechlorinate the water

Another aspect, which unfortunately many people underestimate, is the presence of chlorine in the water. You have to keep in mind that this chemical element is widely used in drinking water, because it is a powerful disinfectant. Well, a substance that is harmless to humans can be lethal to fish. It will therefore be necessary to dechlorinate the water.

When products that remove chlorine are used, chloramines and heavy metals that may be diluted in water are also eliminated. In this way, the ecosystem will slowly begin to consolidate, preparing itself better and better for the arrival of the expected “guests”.

Preparing the environment for your little fish can take up to 4 or 6 whole weeks. The more controlled the filling and settlement process, the healthier and more habitable the ecosystem will be.

The importance of bacterial flora in the aquarium

Keeping an aquarium clean doesn’t mean it needs to glow, as is the case in bathrooms or kitchens. For it to be habitable, it must also contain a colony of nitrifying bacteria that are capable of transforming organic nitrogen, generated from waste and remains, into inorganic substances that aquatic plants can use again.

In particular, you will have to allow several days to allow the formation of the first broods of these protective and purifying microorganisms. In the first days ammonia is produced, which is why it is not convenient to introduce the fish immediately.

But after the third or fourth week, nitric oxide is created, the way to understand that the aquarium is finally ready. To aid the whole process, small amounts of natural fish and plant food can be placed right from the start.

Use aquarium meters and thermometers

The best way to check something is to measure it. Therefore, after filling an aquarium for the first time and allowing a few days to pass, the correct thing to do is to use tests to check the level of toxicity of the water.

In pet shops you will find valid tools that will allow you to check the level of nitrates, nitrites and ammonia in an aquarium. The procedures are very simple to follow.

It would also be very useful to measure the pH. Especially in relation to the fish species you wish to purchase. It is clear that the type of procedure varies according to the type of animal you are going to insert.

As you have seen, filling the aquarium correctly takes time, patience and knowledge of many elements. Don’t be discouraged though: in the end you will be able to have a piece of the sea at home where your fish can live and grow healthy and happy.