Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com on behalf of Mars
Fishcare and the API brand.
Dexter has been asking me for months and months now if he can have his own pet. As a young girl, we had a dog and as much as it was brilliant to have a pet growing up, I have been reluctant to get a dog or cat for our family because of the fact that Neil and I both work full time.
The day before lockdown hit the UK, Dexter and his Daddy went to a local fairground and won a small goldfish. Neil purchased a bowl and food from the fairground and poor little fishy lived in his bowl for the following few months during lockdown.
A fish is the ideal pet for our family – there’s very little to do in terms of maintenance and it’s okay to leave him swimming around his small world while we are busy working. A compromise had been met.
However, I was unhappy about little fishy having such a small world to live in. He deserved to live in happiness and peace so we needed to sort him out a tank and ornaments to make his world a little happier.
I didn’t have the first idea about setting up a fish tank, but luckily Mars Fishcare were on hand to guide me and invited me to a virtual event where fish expert Gary talked me through setting up a new tank safely.
Who are Mars Fishcare?
Mars Fishcare incorporates the API brand which you may have seen at your local pet store. Passionate about fishkeeping, the API brand has been a pioneer in the aquatics industry for nearly 60 years, developing and manufacturing hundreds of quality products to help people create and enjoy keeping fish as pets.
They are definitely the experts when it comes to setting up a new fish tank so I was super excited to learn what I needed to do and get little fishy into his new home.
Setting up the fish tank!
We wanted to make the tank as happy as possible for little fishy so we headed out to purchase some gravel for the base, some ornaments and a little plant to make his world as happy as possible.
Once we had all our bits, we washed them, set up the filter and then placed everything in the fish tank.
Now it was time to add water!
Usually, it is advised to wait for a few days at least to let the water settle before adding fish, but luckily we had been sent a range of products from Mars Fishcare, all of which helped to settle the tank so little fishy could explore his new underwater paradise immediately.
API Stress Coat
This product is a water conditioner which makes tap water
safe for fish. It works by removing chlorine, chloramines and heavy metals from tap water, and also contains the healing power of Aloe Vera to reduce fish stress. Gary assured me that by adding some API Stress Coat to the fish tank, I would be able to move fishy over to his new world immediately!
API Quick Start
API Quick Start contains nitrifying bacteria and is another product that allows for the instant addition of fish.
As soon as you place this product in the tank, it immediately starts the natural aquarium cycle. It add beneficial bacteria which converts toxic ammonia into harmless nitrate.
Maintenance of the fish tank
Owning a fish as a pet is much lower maintenance than having a cat or a dog, but there are still a number of things you need to do to keep your tank happy and healthy:
- Regular water testing to ensure the aquarium water parameters are where they should be.
- A partial water change every two weeks.
- Scrape the walls of the tank to remove algae.
- Syphon the gravel to unearth any waste particle or uneaten food that may have got buried.
- Regularly feed your fish!
Regular water testing with API 5-in-1 test strips
Testing the water in your aquarium is so important because if the levels of ammonia or nitrate rise to high, it can cause your fish to die. Luckily API 5-in-1 test strips are a quick and easy way to ensure the water in your fish tank is healthy.
They test the five most important aquarium water parameters – pH, KH, GH, nitrate, and nitrite. All you need to do is dip the test strip directly into
the tank, swirl around two times and then immediate read the result. Simple!
Partial water change
A partial water change should occur every two weeks. This involves removing around 25% of the water in the fish tank and replacing with dechlorinated tap water. How do you dechlorinate the tap water? Simple! You add API Stress coat.
Keeping the tank as clean as possible
Want to minimise the need to give the tank a proper clean? API have yet another product for that.
API Stress Zyme is a bacterial cleaner containing over 300 million live bacteria per teaspoon which works to consume sludge and reduce aquarium maintenance.
Using this product regularly will ensure a cleaner aquarium, healthier fish and good water quality. Win-win all round!
Cloudy water?
Sometimes the water in your tank can become really cloudy. API Accu Clear quickly clarifies cloudy water making your aquarium’s water crystal clear and is totally safe to use with freshwater fish and plants.
The boys love their new pet!
Setting up the tank was so easy thanks to Mars Fishcare and the API brand. The boys love getting involved in helping with cleaning and seeing their little fishy swimming around his new tank as happy as can be!
Fishkeeping is a fantastic way to help children learn how to look after a pet and is fantastic for mental health too – something I think we are all struggling with at the moment thanks to the ongoing pandemic.
We can’t wait to introduce some new fish into the tank so little fishy has some new friends! After all, his mental health is important too!
Thinking about setting up your own fish tank or finding out more about Mars Fishcare and the API brand? Visit their website to find out more about fishkeeping and how they can help yo set up your very own tank.