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Fundamentals and the Basics of Aquariums
There are many great reasons to owning an aquarium and with a little help you can avoid the frustration and costly expense of doing procedures the wrong way. This pamphlet is designed to help you better understand good aquarium fundamentals so you can enjoy the beauty of a healthy aquarium without the beginner’s problems that many experience.
Step #1 Selecting the Aquarium
The first thing you must do is create a plan. Decide what environment you would like to create, some examples of these are: Saltwater, Reef, Freshwater tropical, and a Coldwater tank. After selecting the environment you must then decide on what aquarium size is necessary. This can get tricky, you must find the right balance between what your home can accommodate, your price range, and what is best for the fish you would like to keep.
Step #2 Selecting the Right Equipment
After the aquarium selection is complete, the next step is to choose the right materials for the project. These materials I will get into more extensively as we go on. The equipment necessary for most aquariums are as follows:
1. Filtration
2. Hood & light
3. Heater
4. Thermometer
5. Gravel or other types of substrate
Filtration
A Filtration system is necessary for a fish tank. Most fish will not survive without some kind of filter mechanism. There are many filters on the market and it seems that everyday they come out with a new modification. I will list a few of the basics that have survived through time and a quite dependable. The three basics are, undergravel, powerfilter, and canister filters.
Undergravel filters
Undergravels are exactly what it sounds like. They are placed under the tanks substrate and they use the substrate as a filtering bed. They require little maintenance and can be made more efficient with the add-on option of powerheads, which create more flow thru the filter. These filters have been used for many years and are very reliable and common.
Powerfilters
A Powerfilter filtration system hangs on the backside of the aquarium, and they require filter pads to filter water. These pads get replaced every one to two months. Most models can be adjusted for flow and many quality models sell replacement parts just in case.
Canister filters
Canister filters are a very nice type of filter. They are very versatile and are often used on larger tanks (though available for smaller ones as well). They are hidden underneath aquarium stands and only require that two tubes be placed inside the tank for filtration. This is a very nice option for those people that do not like the look of the filter because it takes away from the aquariums natural beauty.
Heaters
Heaters are placed inside the aquarium to keep water temperature at a appropriate level. There are two types of heaters, ones that hang on the back inside of the aquarium and ones that are fully submersible. The benefit of the latter is you can hide the heater to make the tank look more aesthetically pleasing. When selecting a heater, remember to not skimp on quality because heaters are very important to keeping you fish alive and free from disease. Temperature should be set between 76 and 80 degrees.
Thermometers
There are also two categories of thermometers. Some that stick inside the tank and some that stick on the outside of the glass. Either will do fine; just remember we are looking for accuracy and reliability here.
Gravel and substrate
When looking at substrates remember three key questions. Will it work with my filtration? Some substrates will interfere with the performance of filtration systems. The grade of the substrate is what is important here. Some very small substrates can get caught in the filtration and have ill effects.
What substate is visually appealing to me? This is a question for you to answer. Remember to think about what environment you are trying to create.
What do the fish like for substrate? You might be thinking right now how am I supposed to answer that? I don’t know what the fish are thinking! Well, what I mean by this is that certain fish come from different environments and their health and happiness depends on how well you can recreate that environment. For the answer to your new aquarium, consult with a staff professional about which fish and substrate will work best together.
Lighting
Different lighting can be used depending on the environment you are trying to create. The most common type of lighting is Fluorescent lighting, but there are variations of this. For a aquarium with live plants higher output aftermarket bulbs is suggested. For a saltwater reef aquarium stronger lighting is also used, in many occasion even more than one light or special types of lighting. Most aquariums however will do just fine with the stock bulb your lighting fixture comes with.
Step #3 Learning the Nitrogen Cycle
The Nitrogen Cycle-
Before we go any further, We thought we should fill you in a little about the nitrogen cycle. Each aquarium filter works with good bacteria to break down fish waste and leftover food particles. This process of breaking these down using bacteria is called the nitrogen cycle. The bacteria breaks down the particles and it goes through three break down levels, each one is less dangerous then the previous. The first level is ammonia, this stage can be dangerous to the aquarium if there isn’t enough good bacteria in the tank to break it down. The water may turn cloudy and have a strong odor to it. Ammonia is deadly and the aquarium will require immediate attention if this problem occurs. The second step is nitrite this is what the ammonia is broken down into. This is still dangerous to the fish and does need attention. The third level is nitrate. This is the lesser of the three evils and will only hurt fish over a extended period of time.
A Treatment of these conditions can be water conditioners or water changes. Which one to use really depends on the condition that is occurring in the aquarium. For this we will instruct you to an experienced professional, they can better accommodate your individual problem. New aquariums are very prone to these conditions because they do not have the bacteria population necessary to combat the waste. It usually takes about a month before the tank is stable enough to withstand more strenuous conditions. Within this first month, be very cautious about overfeeding and adding new fish (besides what you started with). To speed things along certain chemicals can be added that your aquarium store can provide.
Step #4 Adding new fish
The acclimation process of new fish starts with floating the bag that you brought the fish home in your aquarium. After approximately ten minutes, add some of your aquarium water to the bag of fish to get them used to the water chemistry. About ten minutes later you can add the fish to your aquarium. One recommended way of doing this is by straining the fish through a net and discarding the water in the bag. This water could be foul and contain ammonia so it sometimes is best to get rid of it. Don’t expect your new fish to eat and look happy the first day or two. They need time to get accustomed to their new home, but do offer them a small amount of food until they eat.
Step #5 Feeding
This brings us to feeding. One of the main problems people have is the correct amount to feed a fish. This comes with experience, but we will offer some helpful advice. With most freshwater fish once or twice a day is plenty. Please feed small amounts and only enough that they will consume in a few minutes. With saltwater fish, it is required to feed small amounts more often, two to three times daily. Some fish may also require live foods, always ask before buying a fish what the fish eats so there are no surprises. Also feed a variety of different foods, this will keep the fish’s interest and make sure they have the proper nutrition. It will keep them healthy and help them grow.
Step #6 Aquarium Maintenance
Like anything else, a fish aquarium needs to be cleaned. This cleaning includes; vacuuming the substrate, cleaning the glass of algae, and changing filter pads ( if needed). The general cleaning should take place every 4 to 6 weeks. During this time a siphon is used to draw aquarium water out of a aquarium and to vacuum the bottom. If your filter uses pads it is recommended not to change your pads and vacuum your tank at the same time. This would destroy too many good bacteria growing on the pads and in the substrate. Replace the water with luke warm dechlorinated tap water. If the aquarium is salt water you must check your salinity level at this time and compensate for any lost salt.
Chemicals and other additives
There our many products offered to help promote a healthy aquarium. These products can do everything from help your plants grow to solve water quality issues. Please consult with your aquarium shop professional for a recommendation on what products to use.
Fish diseases
Like other living organisms, fish can develop different diseases. These diseases can happen out of the blue or can be brought on by events. Events such as wrong temperature, adding new fish, stress, improper nutrition, and bad water quality can all contribute to these diseases. If you suspect your fish are sick, please do not delay on seeking help. The more progressed the disease is the harder it is to successfully get rid of and save your fish. There are many medications available to treat fish disease with if caught in a short amount of time. Some symptoms to look for are unusual marks to the fishes body, loss of appetite, and sluggish behavior. These can all be signs of illness, but this doesn’t necessarily mean your fish is sick. This is another circumstance in which it is best to seek individual help.
We hope after sharing this knowledge with you, you can better understand what it takes to make aquarium keeping a successful hobby. We have found many joys in raising a fish tank and learning the knowledge that goes along with keeping such magnificent underwater creatures in a healthy habitat. We wish you the best of luck with your new found hobby, and the last piece of advice we can give you is never be afraid to ask questions! At our place of business we love our hobby and we enjoy talking about our hobby. Many days nothing makes us happier than helping someone find joy in the hobby we’ve come to love. Good Luck!