Setting Up an Aquarium As Your First Family Hobby

Aquariums are a great hobby that can provide hours of restful and enjoyable entertainment.  In fact, setting up an aquarium as a family hobby and taking care of it with your kids is a great way to strengthen your relationship with them and make your aquarium look great. Not to mention, it can be a great way of teaching your kids about ecosystems. But in order to keep your fish tank well-preserved, proper work, planning, and thought are required.

Here are some simple steps to help you set up an aquarium with your family.

Setting up your tank 

The first step to building the tank of your aquarium dreams is to decide what type of fish species you wish to have inside.

Visit the local fish store with your family and let your kids choose the fish that they find the most fascinating. You can even attend a frag swap in order to help your kids get to know several fish species and corals.

The type of fish you decide to bring home will determine the size of the tank, the water and oxygen conditions, and the type of fish tank plants that are safe to use.

Add the right water

In order to ensure that your tank is clean, you should ideally use a damp cloth to wipe off any dust that’s present. Afterward, you really need to ensure that your tank is leak-proof.

With the help of your kids, fill it with some inches of water and run your finger around the bottom edge to see if there are any leaks. When your tank is clean and ready, it is time for you to fill it with water and an ideal substrate.

Depending on the type of fish you have chosen with your kids, you will determine the amount of substrate and water needed to make your aquarium perfect for your new fish.

Decorate the aquarium with your family 

When it comes to choosing the best decoration ideas for your new aquarium, your children’s minds can run wild with innovative and fascinating ideas.

Visit your local store with your kids and let them choose some fish tank plants, stones, driftwoods, and decorations. You could also select a specific theme for your tank and try to recreate a natural habitat, like a Hawaiian Reef or the Amazon River.

After you have finished setting up the tank with your kids, it is time for you to add some fish.

After that, you are ready to enjoy having an aquarium full of beautiful fish at your home and you can maintain it with the help of your kids. That way, they will learn some interesting things about fish, they will feel proud of themselves and the members of your family will share such a lovely hobby all together.

Jeff Campbell