Ten Secrets to Aquarium Success
An aquarium is a attractive and relaxing addition to any home. This leaflet will provide basic information on equipment selection and function, water chemistry, fish selection, and aquarium maintenance. By following these time-tested guidelines and discussing your specific requirements with your favorite pet store, you can be assured of success in your new hobby!
1. Tank Selection, Preparation and Location
Since small tank experience fluctuations in conditions much more rapidly than larger tanks, buy the largest tank you can afford. Prior to setting up your tank, clean it thoroughly with a diluted solution of warm water and aquarium salt - do not use abrasives, soaps or detergents! Water weights 8.8 pounds per gallon, so choose your stand carefully. Direct sunlight promotes algae growth and drafts will cause dangerous temperature fluctuations, so situate your tank in a level location thats not exposed to either. To check for leaks, fill it and let it stand for 24 hours.
2. Lighting, Heating and Other Equipment
A full hood is always recommended since startled fish have been known to leap out of uncovered aquaria. Adequate lighting can be provided by a single fluorescent tube kept on 10 to 12 hours per day. Special applications such as growing live plants or mini reef setups may require special lighting (multiple tubes or metal-halide lamps, for example) and should be studied further. An inexpensive timer can be used to control the daily lighting cycle. Under room temperature conditions, a heater that provides at least 2 watts per gallon will comfortably heat the tank without being worked (to avoid cross-tank contamination, use one net per tank).
3. Gravel, Decorations, and Plants
A good rule for the appropriate amount of gravel for a given tank is one pound per gallon. Rinse gravel thoroughly before adding it to the tank. Gravel should gently slope down to the front of the tank to allow detritus to collect at the front of the tank where it is easily removed. (Just as necessary water conditions for your aquatic pets should be researched beforehand, so should substrate needs - one gravel does not fit all - especially catfish and loaches!) Rocks, driftwood and other decorations should be decontaminated in a mild bleach solution and rinsed very thoroughly before addition to the tank. Choose only decorations that wont dissolve, rot, or otherwise contaminate the tank. Plants are a welcome addition to almost any tank and, as living things, they have special lighting, temperature, water conditions, and feeding requirements. Further study is recommended before attempting to grow less hardy varieties of plants.
4. Filtration - Why and How
Three type of filtrations must be performed in order for a aquarium to survive: mechanical, chemical and biological. Mechanical filtration traps solid particles for removal. Chemical filtration allows the remove of harmful chemical compounds. Biological filtration involves the use of naturally occurring bacteria to convert toxic compounds into less harmful ones (see The Nitrogen Cycle below). A good filtration system will perform all three functions in an easily maintained setup. The equipment involved can range from undergravel, canister, sponge, or tank mounted power filters to more complex trickle or wet/dry and protein skimmers.
5. Water Chemistry and Conditioning
All fish live in water that can be described by four basic characteristics: temperature, salinity, pH, and hardness. Temperature is controlled by a heater or chiller and should be adjusted for the type of fish being kept. Salinity (the amount of salt in the water) is established by the aquarist by mixing aquarium salt with tap water according to the directions. Marine fish live in a very narrow range of acceptable salinity while fresh and brackish water fish can be found in broader ranges. The acidity or alkalinity of water is measured by its pH and the hardness is determined by the amounts of dissolved mineral salts (calcium, magnesium, and others). Just as with temperature and salinity, different type of fish prefer different ranges of pH and hardness. Fish should not be kept in water that differs from what they naturally prefer and water should not be added to an aquarium unless it meets the requirements of the inhabitants. Test kits that measure pH and hardness are very useful in tracking these characteristics and pH buffers, aquarium salts, and dechlorinators are crucial to maintaining them.
6. The Nitrogen Cycle and Additional Test Kits
When a tank is first set up, it must go through a break-in period during which naturally occurring bacteria are introduced with the fish and populate the biological filter. This occurs in three measurable phases that make up the nitrogen cycle. First, hardy "starter" fish product waste in the form of ammonia which is toxic to fish. This ammonia is used as fuel for bacteria that convert it into nitrite, which is also toxic to fish. A second type of bacteria convert nitrite into nitrate which is less toxic to fish. Once there are sufficient quantities of these bacteria in place to convert all ammonia to nitrate the tank is cycled and additional fish can be gradually added. Test kits that measure ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are useful tools in tracking this cycle.
7. Regular Maintenance
The key to the continued success of any
aquarium is regular maintenance of the filtration system and
water quality. Mechanical filtration should be regularly cleaned
to remove collected detritus (which can clog the filter and/or
decompose into ammonia which could upset the nitrogen cycle).
Gravel should be vacuumed regularly to remove detritus as well.
Chemical filtration components should be replaced regularly since
their effectiveness decreases with time. Excess nitrate must also
be removed and a good rule of thumb to follow is to replace 20%
of a cycled tanks water every two weeks with conditioned water.
Proper maintenance of the filtration system will ensure the
nitrogen cycle is maintained and your fish remain happy and
healthy. Remember to: (1) dechlorinate the water, (2) adjust the
pH of the water, and (3) match the temperature of the water.
8. Fish - Compatibility, Selection, and Health
As mentioned earlier, fish can be found in a variety of different environments and will do best in an aquarium that closely matches their natural water requirements - these can be single species tanks or community tanks housing multiple kinds of fish. Its best not to mix predatory or aggressive fish with non-aggressive fish in the close confines of an aquarium. A good rule of thumb for determining the number of fish your tank an substain is one inch of adult fish per gallon of fresh water; one inch per three gallons of salt water. When selecting specific fish, make sure that they appear healthy and have no symptoms of disease. Introduce fish into your aquarium gradually by floating the bag in the tank for 15 minutes to allow temperature to match. Every five minutes, add some tank water into the bag until the water has doubled in volume. Transfer the fish into the tank with a net - to avoid cross tank contamination - dispose of the water in the bag. Although generally healthy, fish can be prone to disease when weaken by stress resulting from overcrowding or poor water quality.
9. Feeding - What and How Much
A nutritious diet is an important component of fish health. Some fish need high vegetable content in their diets while other fish are meat eaters and still other fish can thrive on a mixture of both. Many prepared foods are available that meet all of the nutritional requirements of different fish. Feed your fish a varied diet and theyll continue to be healthy, attractive pets. DO NOT OVERFEED YOUR FISH! Excess food will rot in the tank and nitrogen cycle. Feed them several times a day, but only the amount they can consume in 2 or 3 minutes.
10. Where to
Learn More.
In addition to visiting your local pet store, there are a number of excellent books and magazines available that cover all the different aspects of the fish keeping hobby in greater detail than has been presented here. Fellow hobbyists are also an excellent resource since you can learn directly form their mistakes and successes. The best way to meet fellow hobbyists and to stay aware of current events in the aquarium hobby is to become an active member of a local fish club.
The purpose of most fish clubs is to promote interest in the aquarium hobby and to exchange ideas and experiences for the benefit of all hobbyists. They generally publish a monthly newsletter which documents their activities and contains articles and advertising of interest to the hobbyist and we meet every month to host a speaker or topic of interest to aquarium hobbyists.
Check out Fish Club Central to see if there is a club near you.