Tips for fish keeping

#1
Many people are concerned about the substrate they use because it might affect plants. The major aspect of substrate that’s important is that the substrate doesn’t ruin the water. For cheap and easy substrate that will work well with plants, all pool stores should sell filtered pool sand, which fills both of those needs, and is very cheap.

#2
People like having caves for their fish to hide or sleep in, and buy very expensive caves for their fish. For cheap caves, take a ceramic pot, and break it in half. Then, take aquarium safe silicone, and cover one half of the pot in silicone. Make sure to wear gloves when handling silicone, or have an adult help if you are unused to handling building equipment. Silicone can be harmful if it makes contact with skin. After that, roll the half pot in a substrate of your choosing, and it will match the aesthetic of a tank, and make the perfect tank.

#3
Lids are often wanted by fishkeepers, so fish don’t jump out. They also need to let light in to grow healthy plants. For a cheap lid, buy plexiglass, specifically clear poly carbonate sheets. They can be bought at most hardware stores. One you have the sheet, have people at the hardware store cut the tank to properly fit the size of the aquarium, cut it in half to and have holes so it can be opened, and have them drill holes for a handle, and hinges. Multiple aquarium lids can be made by this process, and will be much cheaper than what is typically available.

#4
Aquariums over the size of ten gallons can be quite heavy. Any tank of this size should have a stand to go with it, or there’s a high chance the piece of furniture it is on will break and there will be very wet disaster. The only tank above this size that can be placed on furniture is a 20 gallon long, because the weight is more evenly spaced out, and could be help on normal furniture. Anything other than that should be avoided.

#5
Always use led lights for your aquarium. Led lights are very bright, and don’t add any heat to the aquarium. They last for a good amount of time, and will serve any plant well.