Aquarium Pump

A pump is something that isn’t essential in an aquarium set up but it is desirable as this causes more oxygen for the fish. The pump is usually attached to a long tube which is in turn connected to a long stone that has small holes through out it; the pump blows air into the holes creating bubbles in the aquarium. This creates a larger surface area therefore creating more oxygen for the fish.

It is also good for decorative purposes. Bubbles can look attractive in a tank and also you get special statues that require pumps, such as opening treasure chests and so on that are used for novelty tanks. Pumps are generally expensive but very easy to get. When purchasing a pump you have to buy the special plastic tubing and the ornament that you want to buy with it, whether it is the long stone or the novelty statue that you want.

Aquarium pumps are easy to buy but are quite expensive however the equipment that goes with the pump is cheap. It is up to you whether you have a pump in your aquarium ,because like I said, it is not essential and only there for decorative purposes and only a small amount of extra oxygen. Most simple fish set ups have pumps but harder fish such as cichlids are fussier about what goes in their tanks and they do not like a lot of bubbles, I speak from experience! Don’t worry if bigger cichlids re-arrange your tank, it happens!

When purchasing a pump make sure that you have everything that you need to go with it, the hose and the statue, not to mention a free plug socket. Aquariums use a lot of electricity and you may think that it does not matter but this will of course add to the bill. The statue or the long rock that comes with the pump needs to be maintained to prevent any blockages; you don’t want your bubbles to be stuck... now do you! Just give it a clean ever few weeks (in a separate bowl of your tank water) and this will help to prevent blockages. Other than that, that is all you really need to know about pumps. All I can say now is have fun with your new aquarium.

Aquarium Plant

Aquariums plants are not crucial when it comes to setting up a new aquarium but they do help adding attractive features to it. A tank full of fish or amphibians can be quite boring so the plants are there to spruce things up a little bit. You don’t need to put plants in a tank that has bigger fish such as cichlids in them as they will just remove them as they don’t like a lot of greenery in their tank, they like it rather rocky. When decorating an aquarium that is going to have smaller fish in it such as tetras and guppy’s plants are essential. These types of fish like to have a lot of foliage to swim around in.

Aquarium plants can be bushy or slim like trees; they are there for the fish to hind in between and for the effect of a fish’s natural habitat. Some fish were found in reefs and some where found among reeds and plants, so their habitats need to be imitated in the aquarium. A fish’s life expectancy can be greatly raised when it comes to their habitat; if they have enough room to move around and the aquarium is set up like how they are used to, then this will keep the fish happy, and when fish are happy they eat and stay alive; an unhappy fish won't eat and eventually it will die.

An aquarium plant can be used for decorative purposes or can be used for helping the fish. Plants are there to help your fish survive in its new home, if the fish is unhappy it affects the way that it lives and feeds. This in turn can affect whether the fish lives or not, and we don’t want a dead fish on our hands, now do we. So if you are going to get small fish then make the effort and spend a little more to get the best plants for the fish to keep them happy, if your going for big fish don’t bother spending the money or wasting the time! Plants are also used for decoration. Arranging the plants in a pretty way can make all the difference to your tank!

Aquarium Ornament

Aquarium ornaments aren’t there to add any benefits to the fish, they are just for you to add some decoration in the tank. You can have all sorts of ornaments, big or small, traditional or caricature, simple or even complicated. There are thousands of different ornaments that you can buy in stores or you can even make your own. However ornaments are not for all fish, some fish don’t like them, I know for a fact Oscars don’t take well to any type of ornament or even plant. Some fish do need them though, basically to hide or live in and keep away from bigger fish.

Traditional ornaments are ornaments like castles and ships, they provide security for smaller fish from the bigger ones, they also provide a place to stay and play, yes fish do play! Fish ornaments are available in pet and fish stores. They tend to range from very low to very high prices. You can of course get more detailed ornaments that aren’t shaped to be anything except for like branches with weeds on them. Some fish need their ornaments to resemble their natural home, for example lots of plants and branches in the tank.

If you have amphibians in your tank they often like a waterfall ornament with a bathing pool at the bottom of it so that they can bath in it. Amphibians need a lot of greenery in their tank as this resembles their home and therefore you should try to make sure that you fill you tank full of it! Aquarium ornaments are easy to come across and they don’t take much effort to put in the tank.

You should always try to keep the ornaments like the animals natural habitat unless it is a fish that couldn’t care less, like goldfish for example. Goldfish are very easy to keep and you can decorate their tank with all sorts of funny ornaments. With smaller fish you can try to decorate their tanks with funky ornaments but I always feel that the traditional ones are better!