It's a great experience to be a pet owner by starting with having your own aquarium. Having your own fish tank full of tropical fish is fun to watch and you won't just be the only one who'd be entertained, guests will too. Taking care of your own fish is an easy thing to do and you'll learn just how simple it is to keep them alive. Money and effort are essential so when you plan on having your own aquarium you must learn how to manage it properly. In order to keep your fish alive, you must set up the aquarium properly and it's not as easy as you may think. Your fish bowl or aquarium would not always be clean as fish also excretes inside it. Toxic ammonia is the result of the wastes produced by the fish in the tank and it breaks down in just a few hours. It is obvious that it is dangerous for fish to have high concentration of ammonia in the tank. Before you get to enjoy getting your fish in your tank, make sure you be informed on nitrogen cycle and execute it perfectly. Many fish will die when the ammonia level in the aquarium is high as the fish excretes in the water. Mother Nature naturally converts the ammonia into nitrates in the nitrogen cycle steps thus tropical fish thrive. Nitrite is the final conversion of ammonia and this is what is desired for aquariums. An aquarium nitrogen test kit is the best way to accurately detect the level of nitrogen and it's best to buy one for your own aquarium.

It's essential to purchase the right test kits for measurement of ammonia levels. Water nitrogen levels can be controlled in two ways and that is by changing part of the water with clean water and by nitrogen cycle manipulation. Patience and time is needed to effectively control the levels of the water's nitrogen. It can take between 2 weeks up to 2 months to properly cycle the nitrogen. It's possible not to use any fish to start with its nitrogen cycle in the fish tank. Foods in the water inside the fish tank will decompose and the decomposition is releasing ammonia. The water in the aquarium must be tested regularly for its nitrate levels and to keep it clean by changing parts of water regularly. The good bacteria in the water are killed when chlorinated water is added directly to the freshwater fish tank; it must first be treated before adding. Before adding your tap water to your aquarium, make sure you aerate it first in a bucket for several hours. Beneficial bacteria are not safe from the antibiotics that are being added to the fish tank. Separate the infected fish from all the healthy fish and place it on a different tank and there you can add the antibiotics for treatment. A good and well taken cared of fish tank will keep your fish alive for its life span. Do not put too much fish food in your tank as this could poison all your fish. Cloudy water in your aquarium indicates that it's the time to change it already.