This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com on behalf of Mars
Fish Care and the API brand
Did you buy your kids a quarantine pet? Surprise! We did. No, we didn’t add in a puppy to the family. (Puppy + three Toddlers doesn’t seem like it would mix well…) If you’ve been following our journey on Instagram, you’ll know that we got the girl’s fish. Ever since we first took them to the aquarium, they have been OBSESSED with fish. One of Riley’s first words was fish. With all that’s going on, we can’t get to the aquarium as much as the girls would like, and that is one of the main reasons we decided to get them their own!
The girls love fish, as you know. It is so much fun watching them run to the tank every morning and get the food to feed them. Equally, as fun to watch them say goodnight. Another reason we decided on a fish tank is for the calming effects of the tank. For the girls and us, there is such a soothing effect to watching fish swim around the tank. Plus, they take up less room and are much quieter than a cute little dog barking at all the neighbors!
To help us create the best tank for our fish, as well as learn more about the benefits of fish for children and how to keep up with maintenance, we partnered with API®.
The API brand is passionate about fishkeeping. We’ve been a pioneer in the
aquatics industry for close to 60 years, developing and manufacturing hundreds of quality products to help people create and enjoy their underwater worlds. We manufacture and distribute top of the line water conditioners, testing kits, medications, and food for ornamental aquarium and pond fish.
Check out this video from API® on Tips for helping children take care of fish.
Relations and resident (self-proclaimed) fish nerd at Mars Fishcare
With all the varieties of fish, the vast selection of products, and what to do after you figure it all out, starting your fish tank feels very intimidating. If you’re like me, maybe you were naive in thinking all you needed to do was order a tank, pick out the cute decor, and few fish. If so, we were both wrong! There is a lot more that goes into setting up a healthy tank, but it doesn’t have to be intimidating with the great products from API®.
The two products that really helped ease my anxiety of setting up the proper (safe) fishtank were the API® aquarium salt and the API® Quick start – both products I had never heard of. During a Facebook live event with Gary Jones, I learned ALL about these products and how easy they were to use.
The API® AQUARIUM SALT is made from evaporated sea salt. It works to get your fish healthy by improving gill function, which makes it easier for them to breathe. It also makes sure your fish are getting all of the important electrolytes. I learned that these electrolytes might be lost when you do a partial water change and they need to be replenished. You can use the aquarium salt in freshwater aquarium tanks when you start a new aquarium, and any time you change the water.
Relations and resident (self-proclaimed) fish nerd at Mars Fishcare
The API® Quick Start is a fantastic product! One of the things I was hesitant about was when to put the fish into the tank. The thought of making sure you have the healthiest water and adding them in slowly made me nervous. How was I going to know when they were ready?! The API® QUICK START allows for the instant addition of fish! How awesome is that! It works by immediately starting the natural aquarium cycle with beneficial bacteria, which converts toxic ammonia into nitrite, then into harmless nitrate to help prevent fish loss in your tank.
The next product that gave me a bit of anxiety was the food. There are a ton of different types of food, all stating they do one thing or another. I had no clue which to choose. The API® TROPICAL FLAKES seems to be one of the best. The flakes have a nutritionally enhanced protein that makes it easier for the nutrients to have maximum absorption. Plus, it helps them release up to 30% less ammonia than the leading competitor, which means a cleaner, clearer tank. So far, our fish LOVE the food. They swim right up to the top of the tank when the girls feed them. I like to think they do a little yummy food dance.
The next three API® products that are helpful in creating the best tank are Stress Zyme, Stress Coat, and API® 5-IN-1 TEST STRIPS.
- API Stress Zyme – API® STRESS ZYME has over 300 million live bacteria per teaspoonful! The live bacteria are used to consume sludge and reduce aquarium maintenance. This is super helpful for us because it helps us keep our aquarium clean, improves the natural aquarium cycle, aids in healthier fish, and good water quality. This product may be used in both fresh and saltwater aquariums.
- API Stress Coat – API® STRESS COAT water conditioner makes tap water safe for fish. It does that by removing chlorine, chloramines, and heavy metals from tap water. It even contains the healing power of Aloe Vera, which helps to reduce fish stress by up to 40% and to heal damaged tissue and wounds. You can use it at a number of different times.
- Handling, netting, or adding fish to a bag for the trip home from the store
- Starting an aquarium
- Performing monthly water changes
- API® 5-in-1 test strips – API® 5-IN-1 TEST STRIPS are VERY EASY to use. You dip it into your aquarium and compare it to the colors on the strip that comes in the kit. It looks at the 5 most important aquarium water parameters – pH, KH, GH, nitrate, and nitrite – in one easy step.
Once we had a good tank set-up and used the correct products, we were able to add the fish and show it to the girls! They have been obsessed from the moment we got the tank delivered and even more so since adding the fish. I think we pretty much nailed it with our first fish tank. HUGE thanks to API® for all of the knowledge and help along the way. If you ever have any questions, they genuinely are fish experts and are there to help. I suggest checking out their blog or directly messaging them via social media or email.
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