Maintaining a small aquarium can be surprisingly challenging when compared to a larger one. While they may seem like a good beginner option due to their affordability and size, it’s important to note that the smaller the tank, the more difficult it can be to maintain a healthy environment for your fish.
For example this is my Nano Tank of 5 gallons (20 liters) and I decorated it with potted plants without any gravel and sand.
With less water volume, it becomes harder to maintain stable water chemistry and temperature, and small mistakes can have a big impact on the overall health of your aquatic pets. Additionally, smaller tanks can require more frequent cleaning and water changes, which can be time-consuming and labor-intensive. So, while a small aquarium can certainly be a beautiful addition to your home or office, it’s important to carefully consider the time and effort required to maintain it properly.
So back to the question: How to make a small Aquarium still a good and beautiful living environment for your fish, but still easy to maintain and clean?
To answer that I would go first from the bottom. Yes, gravel and sand look nice for your Aquarium, if you have live plants, you even need to provide it with soil and everything. But this is where it makes it difficult to clean. Over time your fish poop and dirt will gather all together at the bottom. If you don’t clean them properly they will even cause a very bad smell. And it creates an environment for another issue like algae to grow faster as well.
That is why a lot of fish keepers prefer to go with bottomless.
On the other hand, plants provide a lot of benefits for fish and the small ecosystem.
But a bare-bottom tank does not look nice. I know and also you can’t plant some plants on it (well, we have a solution).
So how to make a bottomless tank with plants? This is where potted plants and beautiful pots come into action.
See! you can buy some beautiful pots and grow your plants in them with a sufficient amount of soil and gravel. Normally this is not possible in a small Aquarium, you don’t want to have a thick bottom for such a small Aquarium.
And when do you want to clean the Aquarium thoroughly once a month? Easy, just take out the potted plants, and then you have it, an empty Aquarium to do all kinds of cleaning. Oh, I forgot, you still have fish and water inside, but at least now it’s super easy to clean the glass and the bottom, right?
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