Page 22 2025 Animal Stories Lincoln Daily News February 2025 normal table and making for the best viewing options. Keep this in mind, because the height of the tank will deter other animals and kids from getting curious. Where do I go, what kind do I get? • Some larger pet stores will have good deals on many different-sized fish tanks with the cabinets and all the tools you need to get you set up, so the guessing (other than what kind of fish you want) has been decided for you such as what size filter for the size of tank, heater, light hood, media, rack, rock/sand. Watch out for those deals because they are usually at a much lower price than buying each part separately. • Search for the closest pet store that has a large selection of aquatics available. If you live in a small population, chances are you will have to travel to a larger city to find one of these pet stores. Choosing a store where you feel welcome and comfortable should be a major consideration since you will have lots of questions and will rely on the staff to guide you, evaluate your water, and help with tank issues during the set-up and continuous monitoring throughout the life of your tank. • Determining how big a tank that you need depends on what kind of fish and how many you want. If you are more interested in a salt-water tank, you typically need at least a 30-gallon tank to start, because there are too many water fluctuations in a smaller tank which leads to making it more difficult for the tank to grow a stable ecosystem. Whereas with a freshwater tank, you can go much smaller. An aquarist can help you with the size and number of fish so that your new fish do not get stressed out and die prematurely. This is your fish’s home, it needs to be spacious, clean, happy, and safe. • Think of any changes or additions you may want to make in the future so that you can plan ahead and make sure you have the space needed for this accommodation. Saltwater Tank vs. Freshwater tank Setting up any type of fish tank takes planning, but building a salt-water tank takes much more time and patience. It takes several weeks to get the tank set up and acclimated. Filling a fish tank is usually the same process for both types of tanks and each type has different chemicals (marine salt for salt-water tanks) to add to your tap water to get it to the proper stability for the fish, and for removing waste. You will also need to invest in a hydrometer to measure the water’s salinity and specific gravity and Continued --
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MzExODA=