Aquarium for Kids – Our Quick Start Fish Tank

This post is sponsored by Babbleboxx.com on behalf of Mars Fishcare and the API brand

I am excited to share that we recently had some brand new additions to our family. In a matter weeks, our home has gone from being a family of four, to a family of 10 – with lots of brand new little mouths to feed. Let me introduce you to our new family pets – 2 Mickey Mouse platy, a golden comet platy and 3 zebra danios, who are all living happily together in our new community aquarium for kids.

I’d always loved the idea of owning fish and having an aquarium at hone, however like most things when it comes to doing something new, I didn’t have the faintest idea where to start. With my knowledge of fish being pretty limited (unless based on the goldfish I won in a bag at my local fayre back in the 80s, I was going to need a fair bit of guidance). Thankfully, along came Gary from Mars Fishcare, who I met over Zoom for a whistle stop tour on how to set up a quick start aquarium for kids.

Why it is great having an Aquarium for kids?

My girls are getting to the age where they keep on asking and asking if they can have a pet. As much as I love the idea of teaching the girls caring and nurturing responsibilities, we are somewhat limited for space in our small 3 bed semi detached home. As such, we aren’t in a position where we can easily introduce a larger pet such as a dog into our lives.

As a child, I have really fond memories of our regular trips to the dentist – a phrase you may never expect to hear someone  say!!

I remember sitting in the waiting area, anxiously waiting for my name to be called. I always opted to sit as close to their fish tank as possible, being distracted and calmed by the fish flitting around in the tank, spotting all their different colours and waiting for the little frog to open his mouth and blow bubbles. At the time, I thought they were there simply as a decoration; not appreciating that aquariums are renowned for their mindfulness and ability to elicit calm and reduce anxiety.

With my own anxiety levels at an all time high at the moment, with breaking news updates, ongoing homeschooling and isolation and significant changes in our family over the last 6 months, something to instil a little calm inside our home was always going to be welcomed with open arms!

How to get started with your Fish Aquarium for Kids

I was lucky enough to be able to work with an expert from API Fishcare – Gary who gave me lots of helpful advice and step by step support on how to set up and maintain a Fresh Water Community Aquarium with a mixed variety of fish that all get along. The experts at API Fishcare have over 60 years experience in developing and creating aquarium products; so I was confident I was in good hands!

I had so many questions about where to start when keeping fish and thankfully Gary answered them all! If you are thinking about getting an aquarium yourself; here is some of his advice that you may find helpful.

What is the ideal size tank for your aquarium?

Gary advised that the best fish tank for beginners has an ideal size aquarium of 15-20 gallons (around 45-65 litres). The more space the fish have to spread out the better; but this size tank is ideal for displaying in your living room space.

What temperature should your aquarium be?

You should use a heater with your tank to ensure the water is at the ambient temperature for your fish. The ideal temperature to create a tropical environment is 74-78 degrees (or 24-26 degrees Celsius). Your tank should also have a filter to clean the water of any debris or waste.

Do you need a light for your tank?

A light in your tank is important, as it can help create a day and night cycle for your fish. On average, fish need around 8-10 hours of sunlight each day.

How should you decorate your tank?

This was one of the parts I was most excited about, decorating and furnishing our fish aquarium for kids to create an underwater world for our fish to live. Decorations can include gravel (which comes in lots of different colours), small pebbles or stones, plants (real or artificial), driftwood and rocks. These decorations not only look great but allow your fish to play, hide and get comfortable in their surroundings.

It is recommended that you wash down decorations before adding to the tank, particularly gravel or stones; otherwise you may find that your water goes cloudy and takes a while to clear.

Can I add water from the tap to my tank? 

Water from the tap is not safe for your fish to live in as it contains lots of hard metals that whilst fine for humans, can be toxic for fish. You must therefore treat your water to make it safe before introducing fish to your tank.

Thankfully API Fishcare have a wide range of products which can quickly and easily make water safe for your fish and there are 3 main products Gary recommended in order to get started with your aquarium. 

First up a single dose of API stress coat can be added to make tap water safe for fish to swim, removing hard metals, chlorine and chloramines. It also contains a dose of aloe vera which is renowned for its healing power, reducing the stress fish may experience during transition to new surroundings and helping heal any wounds or damaged tissue.

Next up, API Aquarium salt contains evaporated sea salt and contains essential electrolytes to help the fish breathe more efficiently, osmo regulate and improve their gill function.

Finally, API Quick start can be added to make your water instantly ready for the addition of fish. It contains beneficial bacteria to take toxic waste (ammonia) and convert it to nitrite and then nitrate, which helps keep your fish healthy and prevent loss.

It’s important for me to mention here that whilst API products make your water instantly safe for fish; you may find that your local aquarist insists upon having a water sample or leaving the water to settle for a number of days before they will; release any fish. This may vary from one store to the next. In our case, we were asked to return with a sample which could be tested for PH levels, and for the water to have been present for at least 48 hours.

Which fish shall I get for my aquarium for kids?

There are SO many beautiful varieties of fish to choose from, however it is important to be aware that not all fish get along, with some being known to scrap or fight when sharing surroundings. It is recommended to get some advise from your aquarist about which species may live happily together. For beginners, fish such as guppies and tetras are ideal. Scavengers or floor feeders are also useful to help keep your tank clean and eat any food that lands on the tank floor.

How many fish shall I get for my aquarium? 

The number of fish in your tank depends upon the species, however for smaller fish 15-20 in a tank of 15-20 gallons (around 45-65 litres) is about right. For larger fish you would reduce the quantity accordingly. You can also add fish in batches, introducing more as you become more confident.

Are aquariums hard to maintain? 

In order to ensure your fish thrive in their environment, you should clean your tank every 2-4 weeks and conduct a partial water change – you do not need to empty the tank completely, but instead drain the tank by around 25% and then top back up, re adding API Stress Coat and Aquarium Salt. Your fish can stay in the tank as you do this – in fact, it is far less stressful for them to do so than if you were to try and remove them.

If your tank has excess food or live plants which may decay, you may want to add a weekly dose of API Stress Zyme and API Accu-Clear, which reduces cloudy water and acts as a clumping agent to make larger pieces of debris easier to catch in the filter.

Once the water has been changed, you should re test the PH levels using API 5 in 1 test strips, a simple dip and read.

How often should I feed my fish?

Fish require small amounts of AQUARIAN Tropical Flake food twice a day. If you are allowing children to feed the fish, be careful not to add too much, as any wasted food will lead to more maintenance tasks down the line.

Our Kids Aquarium 

We have absolutely loved having an aquarium in our home and despite my initial reservations about my lack of knowledge on fishkeeping, it was really straight forward to get started and introduce the fish into our tank. API Quickstart products allow you to get started really quickly with your aquarium, (although some local Aquarists may have their own guidelines about when they can release fish).

I have loved seeing all the fish swimming around together and can honestly say there is something really special about sitting and watching them – it really does shift your attention and focus to distract you from all the madness going on around you. At the moment, we could all do with that more than ever.

The girls, Erin in particular at 7 years of age, has loved helping feed and care for the fish, and Neve gets very excited watching them scurry to the surface when we add the food flakes in to the tank. Unlike Mike who *forgot* to feed his fish zippy when he was 5, I am fairly confident that the girls will be taking their responsibilities a little more seriously!

If you’d like to know more about setting up your own freshwater fish aquarium for kids, you can learn more and read lots of helpful blogs and guides for inspiration over at apifishcare.co.uk