Freshwater

In This Chapter
Chapter 3
Finding a Good Location
Understanding room temperature and your fish
Running your fish ragged
Finding a water source
Considering space, electricity, and cleaning
When you are looking for a good place to set up your aquarium, keep in
mind that physical aspects of your home can have a major effect on
its success or failure. Carefully inspect the area where you plan to set up
your aquarium to check for a few easily avoided hazards. A little good judgment
and patience goes a long way.
To start you off, we examine a few common physical problems that can occur
when aquariums are placed in inadequate spots. (Check out Chapter 4 for
some of the psychological aspects of tank placement.) We know, you’re probably
like us and are bound and determined to put an aquarium on a flimsy
breakfast bar no matter what the cost. Well, after a few days of poached eggs
floating around in your tank and greasy fingerprints all over the aquarium
glass, not to mention that the breakfast bar is sagging under the aquarium’s
weight, you probably will be forced to change your mind. So start your aquarium
in the right place from the very beginning and save yourself a bunch of
migraines later on.
Room Temperature and Its Effects
Most aquariums need a stable water temperature. Extreme changes in temperature
can lower your pets’ immune systems and increase their risk of contracting
disease, and even cause your fish to die in a tropical tank. Heaters
can keep your water temperature high enough to prevent your fish from
becoming floating fishcicles. But if you place your aquarium in a room where
the temperature is 20 below zero, your heaters are going to go south for the
winter, and your aquarium is going to be an ice sculpture. The point is, your
heaters can only handle so much.