Living rooms are one of the most popular places in the house. Setting up a fish tank in there will most definitely draw some attention from your guests!
In this article, we’re going to look at how to spice up your living room with a fish tank the right way!
Planning The Tank
Before we can actually set up the tank, we need to plan it out.
Think about what types of fish you want to keep. Do you want bigger, more space demanding fish, or small guppies? Do you want to keep freshwater fish or saltwater fish? Do you plan on decorating a lot?
Think about your answers to these questions. If you want bigger fish, you’ll need a bigger tank, vise versa.
Equipment Checklist
Once you’ve thought about what types of fish you want, it’s time to buy the equipment.
At the bare minimum, you’ll need a tank, filter, heater, and substrate. For smaller fish, you’ll need a smaller tank, and for larger fish you’ll need a larger tank. Make sure to buy your equipment appropriately.
When you have an idea of what equipment you’ll need, it’s time to buy it and set it up.
Setting Up A Fish Tank In Your Living Room
Once you’ve bought all the equipment, it’s time to decorate your living room and set it up!
For any fish tank setup the first thing we need to do is pick a spot to set it up. Make sure wherever you put it is away from a window and near an electrical outlet.
Once you’ve decided on a spot, you’ll now need to put the aquarium there. First find a sturdy stand to put the tank on. Then, fill the inside of the tank with the substrate you choose. Once you’ve done this you can now add your water. Then set up all of your tank equipment.
Now will also be the time to add any decorations as well.
Cycling your fish tank
You may think that since we set up the tank and equipment, it’s time to add the fish. But, there’s one more thing you need to do.
Before adding fish,we need to cycle our fish tank. The reason for this is because we need to build beneficial bacteria to handle your fish’s waste.
Simply drop fish food into the tank and monitor the amount of ammonia, nitrites and nitrates inside the tank. You can do this with an aquarium test kit. Once you cannot detect ammonia and nitrites in the tank, you successfully cycled your fish tank.
When your tank is cycled, you can go ahead and add fish.
Adding Fish
Once you’ve cycled your fish tank, you can now add fish! One common issue many beginners make is overstocking the tank. This can lead to fighting over territory and cause early fish deaths. One way to avoid this is to know how many fish per gallon your tank can hold.
A simple rule is to add 1 fish per every gallon of water.
You’ll also need to limit how many fish you add at a time. A safe rule is to add 1-2 fish every week into the tank.
Summary
By now, you should feel confident in decorating your living room with a fish tank.
The main takeaways are:
- Plan exactly what you want
- Place the tank in a permanent position
- Cycle your tank before adding fish
- Add fish slowly over time.
Meet The Author
Hi there, my name is Gunnar Kennedy! I’m a fishkeeping enthusiast and owner of smartfishkeeper.com. I love sharing new ideas and helping others care for their aquatic friends! I Hope you enjoyed this article and learned something new!
