Fish keeping can
be complicated, but the benefits from it are countless. Having a
well-established fish tank is like having a whole other world in your house. A
lot of people are interested in fish keeping, but they often make critical
mistakes which lead to disaster. The most important thing about keeping fish is
that you must have patience. Patience is the key to being successful.
Tank
Size
The first thing you must decide on is what size tank you want. There are many different sizes and shapes that tanks come in, such as rectangle (most common), hexagon, bow front, corner, etc. If you would like to get a tank that is rather large (100+ gallons), you have to make sure that your floor can support the weight. When estimating the weight of a tank, you figure about ten pounds per gallon, including substrate (gravel/sand), decorations, filters, etc. So, a 100-gallon tank can weight around 1000 pounds.
Substrate
After deciding on what size tank you
want, you must choose what type of substrate you want, either sand or gravel.
If you are going to have live plants, sand would be better for them. Also, you
do not want to make the substrate too thick as this can form anaerobic spots.
Anaerobic spots form when there is little or no circulation in the substrate,
or if the substrate is too thick. When the spots form, they make toxins that
can kill the fish. Moreover, if you are going to have live plants in your tank,
you can choose to add some sera or fluorite as a bottom layer of substrate with
a layer of gravel/sand over it to act as a fertilizer which will help plants
flourish.
Heaters
Next, you must pick out a heater(s) that
can heat your tank. A good rule to use is 5 watts per gallon, but it depends on
how warm the room with the tank is. If the room is relatively warm (75-80
degrees) 2 watts per gallon is a good rule to follow. So, for a ten-gallon
tank, you would need a 50-watt heater (25 watt if in a rather warm room). If
you have a larger tank, you may choose to have two heaters, which will more efficiently
and evenly heat if you place them on either ends of the tank. Also, having two
heaters can prevent your tank from boiling if one breaks and stays on without
you knowing. The other one will just not go on. If you do choose to go with two
heaters, you simply multiply the number of gallons of water in your tank by 5
(or 2 depending on room temperature) and divide by two. So, a fifty-gallon tank
would want to have two 50-125-watt heaters (depending on room temp).
Thermometers
You will also need to pick out a
thermometer so you know the temperature of your tank at all times. It is better
to use a thermometer that will be inside your tank water because these kinds of
thermometers are more accurate than the ones that stick on to the outside of
the tank. If you have a larger tank, 2 thermometers would be better so you know
what the temperature on either side of the tank is. You should place the
thermometer/thermometers about midway (vertically) in the tank.
Filters
Then, you must pick out the right filter/filters for your size tank. Some larger or overstocked tanks will need multiple filters to adequately clean the water. On filter packages, it states what size tanks that the filter can sufficiently clean. Remember, you really can’t have too much filtration. A lot of filtration is good.
There are different types of filtration, such as biological and mechanical. Biological filtration is a term used to describe the beneficial bacteria that is established during the initial cycling of the aquarium (don’t worry, I will explain in a little bit). There are two types of bacteria. One bacterium breaks down ammonia (fish waste) into nitrites and the other converts nitrites into less toxic compounds called nitrates. This bacterium is built up on substrate, décor, glass surfaces, and bio-wheels, which are where the water returns to the tank from the filter. Filters without bio-wheels have the good bacteria on their media (sponges, etc.) Mechanical filtration removes solid particles from the water. It does not remove or convert ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate. Mechanical filter media would include sponges (good bacteria grows on also), filter fluff, and floss. You will need to either clean or replace each of these often, about 2-4 weeks, so that gunk doesn’t build up on them preventing your filter from working efficiently. If you are planning on cleaning them, use water from your tank or dechlorinated water so that you do not lose your beneficial bacteria that established.
Airpumps/Powerheads/Testing kits
In addition, you may want an air pump to
help aerate the water, but they are not a necessity. If you have a larger
aquarium, you might want a powerhead for extra water circulation. A powerhead
circulates the water and helps prevent anaerobic spots. Lastly, you will need
ph, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate testing kits available at all local fish
stores to check your water parameters.
Cycling
Once you set up your tank, equipment,
decorations, and added dechlorinator, you have to cycle your tank. A tank that
is fully cycled is able to break down ammonia (fish waste) into nitrites, and
change the nitrites in nitrates, which are less toxic all in the course of 24
hours. You can either cycle your tank with or without fish. Cycling your tank
without fish can take about 2-4 weeks, while cycling your tank with fish can
take 4-6 weeks, it depends on how well you tend to your tanks and the kind of
fish you have. Again, the time it takes a tank to cycle will be different for
everyone. This is where patience is important.
Fishless cycling is done by adding pure
ammonia or clear ammonia directly to your tank(a good way to check if the
ammonia is good to use for your cycling is to shake the bottle and if there is
white foam at the top, it is not good to use). On the first day, add ammonia
until a test reads 5ppm. Keep testing daily thereafter until the ammonia starts
to go down. When it does, add more until the test reads 5ppm. Also, take
nitrite tests with your ammonia tests (not within the first couple of days, no
reason to). When you start getting Nitrite readings, then your tank is
beginning to break down the ammonia and your cycle is coming along. Your cycle
is complete when, after twenty-four hours adding 5ppm of ammonia to the tank, a
test reads 0 for both ammonia and nitrites. Check out this good article for further
assistance and benefits from fishless cycling.
Fishy cycling (with fish) is done by
adding a few hardy fish to the tank and feeding them lightly. They will produce
waste (ammonia) and the tank will begin to cycle. There will be ammonia
readings in your tank because it is not able to break down the waste. This is
why it is imperative to do frequent water changes, so that you can lower the
ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates in the water before they are at a fatal level.
Once your test is at 0 for both ammonia and nitrites, your cycle is complete.
Fishy cycling puts a lot of stress on your fish, which is not good, so don’t
forget those water changes.
Once your fishless cycle is complete,
you can slowly add fish and live plants. Keep adding the 5ppm of ammonia until
a day before you are going to get the fish and plants. Doing this will prevent
your bio-load from getting smaller. On the day before, do a large water change
(50%-75%) to lower the nitrates, which depict poor water quality.
Adding Fish and Plants
If you are going to be adding live
plants to the tank, you should make sure beforehand that you have adequate
lighting. For planted tanks, a good rule of thumb is to have about 1-2 watts of
light per gallon of water. Depending on the plant, you might need more
lighting. It is always best to do research on the fish and plants you want to
make sure that you have the right environment for them, and don’t be afraid to
ask questions. Remember, the only stupid questions are the ones not asked.
Weekly Maintenance
Once a week, you must change about 30% of the water in the tank to keep the nitrates down and improve water quality. You ought to clean the substrate of waste with something like a gravel vacuum sold at all local fish stores. If you don’t, over time, waste builds up and can be hazardous. When you are filling your tank, you have to add dechlorinator to the water because water companies put chlorine and chloramines in water to sanitize it, but they are toxic to fish. Also, chlorine will kill your good bacteria, which is the last thing you want. A very good, popular declorinator is Stress Coat. It works very well and can also help with sick fish.
Special thanks to everyone at AC for all the help. J