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| The Tank and Stand |
| Now that you have given some thought to what you want your aquarium to be, and done some research on the animals you plan to keep, you are ready to go out and start buying some equipment. First, obviously, you will need a tank. There are many choices and many factors affecting the decision. Basically, you should choose the largest tank you can afford in terms of money and space. In the long run it will improve your chances of success, especially as a beginner, since larger systems are inherently more stable than small ones. For example, the temperature of the water in a 10 gallon aquarium will change much faster than the temperature in a 120 gallon tank. This means that a big tank is much more forgiving of mistakes and laziness than a tiny aquarium. Another factor affecting the size and shape of the tank you choose is the eventual size of the inhabitants. It is a mistake to buy a 20 gallon tank for a small, 2 inch oscar, because eventually that fish will be about a foot long and need at least 120 gallons of water. Instead of buying a small tank and all the equipment, then buying it all again when the fish needs a bigger home, it is more cost effective in the long run to buy the largest tank possible. as for shape, long and wide shapes that provide a lot of surface area are preferable to tall, narrow tanks. All fish need oxygen to breath, and most take their oxygen from the water. Since oxygen can only enter the water from the air, a tank that allows a large surface area of water to be in contact with the air will maximize the level of dissolved oxygen available to the fish. Specialty shapes like tall hexagons or corner units are often beautiful, but can be slightly more work to maintain than a standard rectangular tank. They are also much more expensive. |
Of course, now that you have chosen a tank, you will need a stand. There are a huge number of styles, shapes, and sizes to choose from, and the descision is based entirely on your wallet and your sense of style. Enclosed cabinets are probably the most popular choice since unattractive hoses and filters can be hidden away. Metal frame stands, while generally less attractive are a perfectly suitable and budget-concious alternative to solid wood cabinet stands. Most metal stands have the added bonus of holding a second, smaller tank below the main tank! And, of course, there is always the option of the do-it-yourself aquarium stand for those who are handy with wood or metal. I actually prefer to build my own stands because you have complete control not only over the look of the stand, but more importantly, the dimensions. You can really tailor something to you own particular setup.
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| Filtration |
Filtration is absolutely necessary for the health of your aquarium. I have read accounts where people claim to run their tank "naturally" with heavy bioloads and no filtration or water changes. I am skeptical about all such stories. Because an aquarium is a closed system, the animal waste and food added by the aquarist result in the accumulation of toxic chemicals in the water. Without adequate filtration a tank with even a moderate bioload (number of animals in the system) will quickly foul and kill all of the inhabitants. For a filter-free system to work, there would have to be almost no fish in the aquarium, or daily water changes. The former would slow the accumulation of wastes to such an extent that the bacteria growing in the gravel could probably keep up with it, while the latter constantly removes waste through water changes. Since almost no aquarist is willing the stock their tank so lightly, or submit to daily water changes, there is really no such thing as a filter-free or maintenance-free aquarium.
Now it's time to talk filters. There are three modes of filtration, and any filter you are considering for your tank should do all three. The three modes are mechanical, chemical, and biological. Mechanical filtration uses foam or filter fiber to remove large particles, like uneaten food and fish excrement. Mechanical filters are graded from coarse to fine, with fine filters trapping the smallest particles. Chemical filtration includes activated carbon and the various ion exchange resins. Activated carbon traps dissolved organic compounds that are not removed by any other means (except water changes). Ion exchange resins are specific for one type of ion. Separate resins are available to remove copper, nitrate, phosphate, and silicate. Except for the copper resins, most freshwater aquarists will have little need for ion exchange resins. Finally, biological filtration uses colonies of helpful bacteria to break down the waste products produced by fish and overfeeding. Fish waste and food ultimately break down to ammonia (NH3), which is extremely toxic to fish even at low concentrations (~5-10ppm). Some bacteria are able to metabolize ammonia and break it down into nitrite (NO2-). Nitrite is also very toxic, though slightly less so than ammonia. A second type of bacteria are able to convert nitrite into nitrate (NO3-), which is much less dangerous. In very high concentrations even nitrate can kill fish, but it is rare for a well-maintained aquarium to reach such levels of nitrate. While fish can endure some level of ammonia and nitrite, it is not conducive to the long-term health of the fish. Even in sublethal doses, these pollutants are still a source of stress, and in an aquarium any source of stress weakens the fish and makes them vulnerable to opportunistic bacterial and fungal infections. This is why an aquarium must be fully cycled before adding fish. The shock of moving into a new home is stress enough without having that home be toxic as well!
So what is the best filter for an aquarium? Basically, there is no "best" filter. Any filter that provides all three modes of filtration will do a good job for you provided it is powerful enough to handle the size of your tank. But if just about any filter is good, then how do you choose? Luckily only a few criteria affect your decision. First, the filter needs to be powerful enough for your aquarium. A good rule of thumb is that the filter should turn over the entire volume of the tank 5 to 10 times every hour. So for a 30 gallon tank you would need a filter capable of moving from 150 to 300 gallons per hour (gph). Next, the ease of operation and maintenance are important factors. If a filter is a pain in the neck to clean and maintain properly, chances are you won't do it as often as you should. Poor filter maintenance reduces the efficiency of the filter and thus the health of your fish. The last factor is price. Be sure to consider not only the price of the filter, but also the cost of the media. Remember that "you get what you pay for" applies here, so avoid anything that seems exceptionally cheap.
There are a huge variety of filters to choose from, but four general types are the most common. These are undergravel filters, canister filters, power filters, and wet/dry or trickle filters. Undergravel filters consist of a plastic support that sits under the substrate of the aquarium, creating a space of water beneath the gravel. Two to four plastic pipes rise from the corners of the plastic plates, usually in the back corners, with air stones driven by a small air pump to create water flow. The slow flow of water drags detritus and debris down through the gravel where bacteria can break it down. The advantages to undergravel filters is that they are very cheap and easy to setup and run, and the aeration helps keep dissolved oxygen high. One disadvantage is that they normally do not do chemical filtration. Also, not all the waste dragged through the gravel is broken down, so it accumulates. This requires one to scoop out all the gravel two or three times a year to clean the filter - not fun for the fish or the aquarist! Personally, I think they are ugly too, with all of those tubes rising from the gravel. For these reasons undergravel filters are becoming less common.
Canister filters are a far superior choice, in my oppinion. These units consist of a canister (go figure) and pump with a siphon tube to pull water out of the tank and a return tube to pump the water back in. The typical canister normally contains some type of coarse mechanical media, like ceramic "donuts" or very coarse fiber, some chemical media like carbon, some porous glass or stone for biological filtration, and finally some very fine filter fiber. So a canister filter actually does all three types of filtration. Most canister filters are very thorough and do a great job keeping aquarium water clean. The downside to these filters is that they tend to be expensive, use expensive media, and if not maintained well they can become nutrient traps. This means that all of the fouled filter media actually begins adding nitrogenase waste back into the water instead of removing it. Algae blooms and poor water quality are the result! Also, since canisters are completely closed, they do not oxygenate the water so it becomes necessary to add an airstone or perhaps a small water pump to aggitate the water surface. Overall though, when properly maintained, a good canister filter is hard to beat. My personal experience has made me partial to Eheim filters since they are well-made and do a great job. I have one Eheim canister that I got as a kid. I ran it for 3 years, then put it away for about 10 years, dug it up 5 years ago and it's been going strong ever since!
Power filters normally hang on the outside of the tank and use a pump to pull water up into the filter. The water then passes through mechanical, chemical, and biological media in various configurations, then spills back into the aquarium. These filters are rapidly gaining popularity with aquarists because they are efficient, slightly less expensive than canisters, and a dream to maintain. Since they are exposed to the air they help oxygenate the water. The oxygen-rich water helps support huge populations of nitrifying bacteria making power filters some of most efficient biological filters. My experience with the various Marineland® biowheel filters has been excellent. The biowheel is basicaly a paddle wheel made of pleated material that gives the bacteria someplace to grow. Water spills over the biowheel on its way back into the tank and ammonia and nitrite are removed on contact. I have seldom had problems with ammonia or nitrite in any of my tanks with biowheel power filters. I am not endorsing any particular brand here, or saying that biowheels are better than other power filters; just that I have had good success with them.
The last type of filter we will discuss here is the wet/dry or trickle filter. These filters are not as popular as the others because they can be expensive, and they are probably most applicable to large tanks. Wet/dry filters are basically a second tank, or sump, that sits below the display tank. Water comes into the filter either through plumbing that is drilled through the bottom of the tank, or through an overflow box and siphon. The water trickles through various mechanical and chemical media before falling on some type of matrix supporting the biological filter. There are many types of biomedia in wet/dry filters. Some are silica plates that rock back and forth, alternately exposing the bacteria to nutrient-laden water and oxygen-rich air. Others employ some kind of plastic "bioballs" and have these either showered with trickling water, or actually submersed. The submerged bioballs are less efficient because the bacteria have less oxygen than if they were exposed to the air. Wet/dry filters offer several advantages over some of the other filters we've talked about. First, because the filter sits below the tank, it is out of site - especially if you have the plumbing drilled through the tank. Also, having what amounts to a second tank attached to the display tank effectively increases the volume of water in the system. Greater volume means more stable water chemistry. Finally, in filters that expose the biomedia to the air, the biological filtration in extremely efficient. On the down side, wet/dry filters can be expensive (but you can make do-it-yourself versions). If you want the plumbing through the bottom of the aquarium, this is an additional expense. Also, drilling holes in glass is something that most do-it-yourselfers should not attempt. If you go this route take your tank to a reputable fish store and let them drill it. Overflow boxes and siphons present one significant disadvantage: if the siphon is broken while the pump is on, then the tank can overflow onto the floor! I have read more stories about wet/dry filters causing floods then I care to count. This is not to say that these filters are inherently flood-prone. It just means that one must research all the options and look for possible pit-falls when planning a system with a wet/dry filter. Through-the-tank plumbing pretty much eliminates the possibility of a tank overflow. |
| Water |
This an easy one, right? Don't you just pour in tap water? If you want rapid temperature and pH changes to stress your fish and for chlorine/chloramine to dissolve their gill membranes, then by all means use the water "fresh" from the tap. Seriously, everyone should treat their water to (1) remove the toxic chorine/ chloramines added to most municipal water supplies, and (2) match the temperature (and pH if necessary) of the existing aquarium water. It is imperitive to remove sanitizers like chlorine and chloramine from aquarium water. Many cities add these compounds to their water supplies in order to kill literally everything but the person drinking the water. Chlorine and the related chloramines do not affect humans significantly, but they are terribly toxic to microorganisms and, even worse, to your fish!
O.K. So chlorine/chloramines are bad. What do I do about it? The answer is surprisingly simple and inexpensive. All you need to do is set up some storage containers (plastic trash barrels come readily to mind) and let the water sit, with aeration for about one week. The toxic sanitizing compounds will gradually leave the water on their own. Chlorine is volatile and is known to evaporate from the water in about 24 hours. Chloramines are more widely used than chlorine now because they are more stable. Some say that chloramines will never spontaneously leave the water since it involves breaking a chemical bond, while others say that after a week practically all of the chloramine is gone. I have never done the experiments to prove who is right, but I routinely let my water sit for one week with vigorous circulation and have never had any apparent problems with chlorine or chloramine. The big advantage to this system is that you can also put a heater in your water storage cans to keep the temperature the same as that in the aquarium. The result is water all ready and waiting for the next water change.
What about the pH? I am a big fan of not messing with the water (i.e. adding chemicals and conditioners). Unless your water has some crazy pH like 5.5 or something, I would leave it alone, and tailor your livestock choices to your water's natural pH. If the water where you live is very acidic, think about keeping discus or other South American fish. If it is very basic, then African cichlids are your best bet. Manipulating the pH requires a higher level of diligence and observation, and if you don't have to do it, it's best not to. However, if you are really into African cichlids and your waters natural pH is 6.5, then you should definitely use some sort of buffer. Just be sure that the water you use for water changes has the same pH as the tank water. Rapid swings in pH are far more dangerous than a consistently "low" or "high" pH. It is best to prepare large quantities of water (30 gallons or more) so you always have treated water ready for water changes.
If you don't have the room for all of those garbage cans full of water, there are products out there to remove toxic chlorine compounds from the water, but take care when shopping for these. Some contain formalin or formaldehyde, both of which are toxic themselves, to irritate the fishes skin. The irritation causes the fish to secrete mucous that is supposed to keep the chlorine out of their systems. As you can imagine, this is not an ideal solution to the chlorine problem. |
| Health Related |
As far as tropical fish diseases go, prevention is the best medicine. Good husbadry goes a long way toward preventing disease. It begins with picking healthy, disease-free specimens. Next, and this is crucial all new arrivals should be quarantined for a minimum of two weeks. Four weeks is even better. Keeping diseased fish out of the system to begin with is a huge step in heading off illness before it strikes. Finally, good maintenance and impecable water quality will ensure that your fish are stress-free and ready to fight off any pathogen that does make it into the aquarium.
My quarantine outfit consists of a 10gal tank, small power filter, heater, and thermometer. I do not put any sort of decoration into the quarantine tank except for a few short lengths of clean, new PVC pipe to make the fish more comfortable. All of my new arrivals spend at least two weeks in this system. I can not stress enough that a quarantine tank is THE most important piece of health-related equipment you can have. The quarantine tank also serves as my hospital tank in case I do have an outbreak of disease. One should never use medications in the main tank, especially copper medications. Copper is notorious for being difficult to get rid of. Snails or ghost shrimp in a tank contaminated with copper will almost certainly die quickly. Even worse, copper and most other medications kill the beneficial bacteria in the biological filter. If you treat your main tank and wipe out these bacteria, your tank will have to cycle all over again.
Since it never hurts to be prepared, you should keep just a few select medicines on hand for emergencies. Cupramine or some other copper-based medication is good for ich, and spectrogram (a mixture of two antibiotics) is great against bacterial infections. See the Health and Disease section for more details. |
| Salts & Supplements |
| There are really no salts or supplements that are strictly necessary for a freshwater aquarium. As you have gathered by now, I do not like to add things to my water just because they are on the shelf at the fish store. A few additives are helpful in specific situations. For example, there are several "cichlid salts" designed to mimic the water chemistry of Lake Malawi, Lake Tanganyika, or Lake Victoria, the lakes where most species of African cichlids originate. Such products may help the fish be healthier, but there are really no imediate or tangible effects of their use. One supplement that has a dramatic effect, though, is iodine. Iodine is not so important for fish, but when keeping freshwater crustaceans it is vitally important for their health and long-term survival. Finally, if you are intent on breeding fish, it may be necessary to adjust the pH of the water using commercially available buffering products. Specific pH's trigger many species to begin spawning. |
| Temperature Control |
| Temperature control equipment, a heater and thermometer at the very least, is absolutely necessary for any tropical fish aquarium. Not only do tropical fish require warm water, the temperature needs to be very stable. Heaters should have a built-in thermostat for this reason. Also, the heaters should be appropriately sized for your aquarium. Large aquariums should have two heaters to avoid one half of the tank being warmer than the other. It's not a bad idea for any tank to have two heaters, actually, because it is not uncommon for heaters to fail. Finally, a good thermometer that is separate from the heater is a must. Get in the habit of checking the temperature whenever you look at the tank. Vigilence is the only way to catch a broken heater. |
| Miscellaneous |
| There are all sorts of equipment available to aquarists. Some of it, like gravel vacuums, and other maintenance equipment are absolutely essential for success. Other items, including air stones, air pumps, water pumps, and the myriad gizmos and gadgets offered to hobbyists range from useful, to convenient, to a waste of money. Air stones and air pumps are good to have in an aquarium since they help oxygenate the water and keep it moving. A battery powered air pump is great to have for emergency situations like power outages or when moving a tank. They will keep the water moving and oxygenated, which is important because stagnant water does not pick up oxygen well and fish will rapidly use up what is already in the water. Small water pumps, or powerheads, can be useful if you are keeping fish that require a lot of water movement, but are not often necessary in freshwater tanks. Most popular aquarium fish come from lakes or sluggish tropical rivers and backwaters, so excess water movement is not advisable for most aquariums. One piece of equipment that seems like a gimmic but is actually a godsend is the magnetic algae scraper. These are very convenient, and though you may have to scrub the same area repeatedly to remove stubborn algae, they do a great job. Best of all you keep your hands (and arms, shirt sleeves, etc.) out of the tank. |
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