20 - Kriday. August 7, 9487

North Shore News

GREAT FAMILY HOBBY

Aquar

N GREAT way to add ta the en Kevment of indoor living is by ad- ding a touch of the outdoors.

And a home aquaria is the perlecl way to bring live outdoor enjoyment and added decor to any indoor living area.

There are many positives to owning a home aquarium, First, it is always a@ conversation piece because of its atinaetiveness and the beauty of the fish and decor tive accessories such as plants and ornaments,

Second, it is a family hobby, great for educating youngsters both in maintaining life and = in assuming responsibility. Third, new aquarium life-support equip- ment is noiseless and easy to main- tain, making a@ home aquarium even more appealing.

And fast, w recent study by researchers proved that) watching fish in an aquarium is a definite benefit in relieving stress.

How do vou get started? First, you will want to Jocate a good dealer in your area. If you have a friend who has an aquarium, ask for a reference; otherwise the tele- phone book lists most tropical fish retailers.

During your visit to a tropical fish store, you will want to. get some ideas on aquarium size and on the equipment you will need, and look over the selection of the fish so that you can choose the ones you will want to keep.

lt is advisable to purchase a book that provides complete in- structions on setting up and main- taining an aquarium. However, one important rule is to buy the largest aquarium practical since the greater the water environment, the less chance of water problems.

When determining where to put your aquarium, several factors should be considered. You will not want to put it in direct sunlight since this will cause algae to grow on the glass and plastic accessories.

You also may not want to put it on your best carpeting since during water changes it is possible for some water to splash on the floor. You also should be sure to put your aquarium on a firm stand since water is heavy.

After you have decided on the aquarium, your first accessory will be a tightly-fitting canopy cover equipped with a fluorescent fix-

ture. Fluorescent. fixtures throw off a cool light and will not cause fluctuations in the water temperature.

While on the subject of water temperature, tropical fish require an environment maintained at around 75°F (25°C). You will therefore need a good heater and an aquarium thermometer.

A recent development in this technology is the liquid crystal digital thermometer which affixes to the outside of the aquarium yet measures most accurately the water temperature.

You will also need a quality filter. Your dealer can give you proper advice since there are sev- eral types of filters and your needs will vary with the size of your aquarium. If you are going to keep a lot of fish, you will also want a separate air’ pump to add oxygen to the water.

Decorating an aquarium is great fun. There are multi-colored grav els, highly decorative backgrounu_ and hundreds of ornaments, as well as plastic plants so real in reproduction it’s almost impossible to distinguish them from live plants.

Most good retailers will have a cemplete assortment and your selection should be based on the size of your aquarium and the amount of money you decide to spend.

Once you have set up your aquarium, you should add a chlo-

See Aquarium Pags 21

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