So You Have An Extra Bathtub?

Just to get one thing straight, we don't exactly condone going more than three days without some sort of hygienic cleaning. Let's be honest, most of you are within a 15 second perambulation to the shower in the next room as it is. However, if in your house you happen to have an extra bathtub that you absolutely do not need, then toss some fish in it and say hello to your first set of house pets.

Unfortunately it's not quite as easy as turning the faucet on, stealing some fish from your campus' pond, dumping them in and calling it a day. That is unless you're the kind of sicko who's content with an average life span of eight days or less for most of your pets. So please, use the outline below, spend your time wisely, blow off that first group study of the year and bring Shamoo and the whole SeaWorld crew right to your bathroom.

Setting Up The Tub

In setting up your new fish tank you'll want to monitor three factors closely: Ammonia, Nitrites, and pH levels. Ammonia is extremely toxic to fish and should be tested and logged at least once a month to maintain proper levels. Simple test kits, such as this one here, can be purchased at just about any local pet store. Additionally, you can use this Ammonia Test Chart as a guide for determining the proper levels, although most test kits will include a similar chart. As your tub goes through its initial Nitrogen Cycle, as all fish tanks do during set up, it will begin to develop beneficial bacterial colonies that will help process and eliminate the waste products dispensed by your fish. However, during this time it is often common for the Ammonia levels to rise with the initially high levels of toxins in the water, so it's important to keep this in mind and monitor it closely during the first few weeks.

pH is another factor that you'll want to monitor closely off the start. First, make sure that you find out what the pH levels are of the fish's water at the pet store. You'll want to make sure that the water in your tub is at the same level before you put in the fish. Additionally, if you're using tap water, be aware that it has dissolved gasses in it from being under so much pressure. As a result, you'll want to let the water sit over night in the tub so that the gasses can settle before you test the pH levels. Contributors to pH variations include water evaporation, water hardness, the addition of more water, and wastes from both the fish themselves and any live plants.

Lastly, Nitrites are important to monitor as they can skyrocket during the initial phases of the fish tank's creation and can be very stressful or even lethal to fish. Therefore, it is highly suggested that you keep track of these levels via a Nitrite test kit, which should include a chart to determine the proper levels for your tub. And if your Nitrite levels are indeed too high, the best way to quickly lower them is via changing out 1/3 to 1/2 the water in your tank with fresh water of the same temperature. Additionally, you can purchase some Nitraban as an artificial means of curbing those levels.

Decor

Since nobody wants to stare at a barren tank, especially the fish who will be living in there 24 hours a day, we encourage you to get creative with your decorations of the new fish tub. Plants are a must, preferably fake and Glow In The Dark. Another requisite is Aquarium Gravel. This not only adds aesthetic appeal to your tub, but it also provides a foundation to collect the fish' waste and allow beneficial bacteria to grow. Lastly, if you plan on using any foreign objects as decorations (i.e. beer or wine bottles), then it is very important to wash and sterilize these objects so as to not introduce any foreign bacteria that might kill your fish down the line.

Fish

Aww, the fun part. Figure out which fish you'd like to host in your house, as you'll need fish that can survive in the same water temperatures, pH levels and overall cleanliness. Believe it or not, goldfish are actually very dirty fish in general and will dirty up a tank in just a few days to a week. So, unless you have the motivation to clean your bathtub quite often we would advise against purchasing these specific fish. In general, Freshwater Fish are always the easiest to maintain. At virtually every pet store, however, there will be stickers on the tanks indicating what type of environment each specific fish prefers for living. When in doubt, you can always request the assistance of one of the friendly employees at the store for suggestions.

Cleaning

Keeping your fish tub clean is essential to the survival of your fish. As mentioned above, there are a number of factors that can affect the health and livelihood of your newly acquired pets. As a result, we recommend changing out 1/3 to 1/2 of the water at least once a week. You can easily keep track of this by leaving a pad of paper and pen next to the tub, so that when someone changes the water they can note the date of the change and stick to that weekly schedule. You can also purchase a 30-60 Gallon Filter and jimmy-rig it to the side of the tub, which will help circulate the water within the tub and provide for additional filtration of the water itself. It can also be helpful to purchase a siphon gravel cleaner, which will allow you to rid the bottom gravel of any malicious algae and waste that wasn't flushed out through a basic changing of the water.

And please note, it is extremely important that you have a sufficient stopper in your tub, as there have been times in the past in which a stopper has slowly leaked or been improperly replaced, only to discover a group of dried up, prune looking fish lying dead in a desiccated tub the next morning. And ya, that's no good.

Food

Just like yourselves, your fish need to be fed on a daily basis to survive. Fortunately this is a fairly easy ordeal, as the workers at whichever store you purchase the fish from can advise you on the proper food with which to feed them. The important thing to remember is DO NOT OVER FEED your fish, as this can result in death. We know, it sounds ridiculous, but it's true. So just keep that in mind when you're dishing out their daily meal. Also, it might be good to pick up some weekend feeders to distribute the food over the course of several days for those times when no one will be around to look after the fish.

Feedback

So you now have the basic framework to set up a mini-SeaWorld of your own in your spare tub. Awesome. But we want to see it. Take some pictures of the before and after products and send them to us. Let us know what troubles you may have come across during set-up that others can learn from. And of course, have fun and get some laughs out of it from your friends, because that's truly what it's all about.

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