Beginner Tips - Buying and adding fish

• Never buy fish from a tank where any dead or dying fish are visible.
  
  
• Observe fish carefully before buying. Avoid any with damaged fins or gills.
  
  
• When adding fish to the tank, allow the bag to float in the tank for at least 15 minutes to equalise temperature.
  
  
• Add only a few fish initially - otherwise they will suffer serious effects of "New Tank Syndrome" due to Cycling.
  
  
• Feed lightly, this will help to minimise pollution during the unstable period as the tank 'matures'. Overfeeding is one of the most common mistakes made by beginners to the hobby. Add food in small amounts and watch while the fish eat it. Then add a little more and so on, stopping as soon as the fish lose interest or have consumed a reasonable amount.
  
  
• Consider setting up a quarantine tank for new stock.

What are you going to put the aquarium on?

A strong cabinet is a must. Make sure it is reinforced as well. A sheet of polystyrene between the tank and the cabinet is a good idea. It will help keep the heat in and provide a buffer between the two, lessening the chance of cracking. 1 cm thick should be enough on tanks up to 60cm and 2cm on larger ones. A backing sheet made out of polystyrene will also help to keep the heat in and save on power.

Size:

• The size of the aquarium is often dictated by the size of the space you have to put it in. Make sure you have room above for easy access when cleaning it or catching fish.
  
• Is there a power point nearby?
  
• Running extension leads round the room can be dangerous, especially if they run across doorways. Don't have the power outlet directly below the aquarium. Water and electricity don't mix!
  
• Now that you have decided where to put your aquarium and how big it is going to be, you must next think of what you are going to put in it before you add any fish.

Hardware

The type of set-up you want will dictate what sort of hardware to use. If you want large fish like oscars, you will want as much of the equipment outside the tank as possible as they take great delight in breaking things. The more expensive the object, the more likely it is to be broken!

Heating:

There are three basic heating systems available and which one you use is up to you. The most common is the heaterstat. This has a heater and thermostat together in one tube. You can also get them separately. This enables you to run several heaters off the one thermostat, heating more than one tank at the time. The disadvantage to this is that if the thermostat develops a fault, it upsets several tanks at once. The other heating choice is the external pad that sits under the tank. It runs off a thermostat too which can be either inside or outside the aquarium. Of course, if your house is heated and stays a constant temperature of between 20 - 25°C, a heater may not be needed. A thermometer in the tank will tell you instantly whether the water is at the correct temperature.

Filtration:

A range of filters is available, depending on your needs, and which one you choose depends on what types of fish you intend to keep. For a standard community tank it is a matter of personal choice. Remember, the bigger the tank, the more filtration is needed. Large fish need more than small as they create more mess and excrete more into the water.

Undergravel:

A popular filter is the undergravel. Water is drawn down through the gravel where the wastes are broken down by nitrifying bacteria. This purifies the water and turns waste into fertiliser. You need a separate pump to run this filter.

Airlift filters:

Often called “box filters”, these work well in small tanks (up to 50 litres). They are good at removing small particles in the water. Made of Perspex, they have filter wool (and sometimes charcoal) inside and sit in a comer on top of the gravel. They also need a separate pump.

Power filters:

These are very popular. Some are canisters, which fit inside the aquarium. They have their own pump built in and filter the water through a special sponge, which traps the unwanted muck while releasing the cleaned water back into the aquarium.

External filters:

These attach to the outside of the aquarium with an uplift tube hanging down in the water. These filters come in various sizes and can be used for a wide range of tanks. For really large tanks you need a free-standing type of filter. These are usually put out of sight in a cupboard under the aquarium with an inlet and outlet tube running up and into the tank.

Pump:

Needed for undergravel and box filters. Come in a range of sizes. The bigger the tank, the bigger the pump. Check the box it comes in for the correct size needed for your tank.

Lids:

Once you have the location, size, heating and filtration sorted out, you could look at a lid and lighting. A lid is important on a tropical tank for several reasons. Firstly it keeps the heat in, and children and animals out. A lot of heat is lost at the water surface. It also allows condensation to drop back into the aquarium and the water level will drop quite quickly without a lid. Finally, many fish are good jumpers and although they are good at leaping out, none seem to have worked out how to leap back in!

Lids are usually made of wood, metal or glass. If it is made of wood, make sure it has been suitably treated against water damage. When wet, wood will swell and warp. Don't use anything that will be toxic to the fish either. Metal lids look good and are easy to maintain. Both wooden and metal lids can have light fittings inside them out of sight. A sheet of glass makes a cheap lid.

Now that you have the hardware sorted out, it is time to look at decor. Aquariums can be set up in many different ways to achieve all sorts of effects. Always remember the needs of your fish.

Gravel

• Dark coloured gravel is best and will show the fish’s colours better. The fish prefer it as it gives them a sense of security knowing it helps to camouflage them from enemies above. It also doesn't reflect the light as much as light coloured gravel which tends to attract more algae.
• The size of the gravel can depend on the size of the tank and fish. If you have an undergravel filter, make sure the gravel is larger than the filter holes.
• If you have bottom feeders, make sure the gravel is smooth or the rough edges will wear away their barbels.
• Goldfish have a habit of accidentally swallowing stones and larger ones can cause a blockage in their gut.
• If you wish to add rocks, make sure they are "safe". Lime is bad for the fish. To test a rock for lime, put it in a container and pour a little vinegar on it. If it fizzes anywhere at all, don't use it.

Driftwood

• Looks lovely in an aquarium. Indeed, it is an important part of some fish's diets ie. the bristlenose (Ancistrus sp) catfish.
• Hardwood is best. Willow is toxic to some species so avoid it. Boil the wood to get it clean and remove some of the tannin.
• Tannin is the brown colour that leaches into the water from the wood. It is harmless but can discolour the water.

Plants

• Plants are an important part of a balanced aquarium. The more plants you have, the better. Apart from providing nutrients and making the aquarium look nice, plants are used by the fish for security. They give them somewhere to hide or spawn. They are also a good source of food, both the leaves and roots themselves and the algae that grow on them. Always leave a free-swimming area in the middle of the tank.
  
  
• Now that you have your aquarium set up and it has been running for at least a week, it is time to add some fish to allow the good bacteria to grow and the tank to generally settle.
  
  - How to setup a Planted Tank (Read more...)

Fish

There are many to choose from and your local library will have plenty of books to help you. Not all fish are compatible with others. In fact, some fish are not compatible with others of their own kind let alone other species !

Some fish like acid water and others prefer it alkaline. Some eat all the plants, others rearrange the gravel continually, messing up your landscape. There are fish that are happy being one of a kind, while others prefer to be in a shoal. Some swim fast, some swim slowly. This is where our club can help you choose the right fish to begin with rather than learn the hard (and expensive) way which species don't mix.

Some suggestions of popular fish for beginners:
(not necessarily all good together in one tank..click here for compatibility chart)

• Tetras
  
• Guppies
  
• Barbs
  
• Gouramis
  
• Corydras
  
• platies
  
• Swordtails
  
• Rasboras
  

As a general rule, do not put big fish with smaller ones or fast swimmers (short fins) with slow swimmers (long fins).
View Fish Species Photos - ClickHere.

Measurements to Calculate Water Volume, Light, Co2 for an Successful Planted Tank

1. Calculate Water Volume in a Tank (Measurements in US Gallons)

L x W x H (in inches) divided by 231 = volume in gallons
e.g.: 56g is  36" x 18" x 20" = 12960 / 231 = 56.10

2. Light Plays a crucial role for any successful Planted tank, Calculate Light requirements in a Tank by Watts Per Gallon (WPG) method.

If you wanted to get watts per gallon, the No. of wattage of your lights used in your Tank Hood, and divide that by No. of Gallons (water) of your Tank will give you WPG.

Watts ÷ Gallons = Watts Per Gallon (WPG)

e.g.: 100watts ÷ 56 gallons = 1.7 wpg

Some plants only need a small amount of Light to grow slowly, so no real need to add CO2, however if you have higher levels of light, or want to grow faster growing plants CO2 would be a thing to look at. The chart below would be a rough guide for an 18 to 20 odd inch deep tank:

1 watt per gallon or less = Low light tank. No need for CO2.

2 watts per gallon = Medium light tank. CO2 probably would be helpful.

3 watts per gallon or more = High light tank. CO2 would be considered a must.

Light Calculator

3. Co2 (Carbon Dioxide)

Anyone who has observed the explosive growth of Aquarium Plants in response to carbon dioxide (CO2) must be convinced of the usefulness of this system. However, truly luxuriant growth, the sort that you see on the covers of aquarium magazines and in pictures of "Dutch aquariums," can only be achieved by Co2 & Fertilization.

During photosynthesis, plants use light energy to capture CO2. This CO2 is used to build the basic carbon structures from which all plant material is made. In a poorly lit aquarium, light is likely to be what limits the rate of plant growth. The amount of CO2 produced by fish- and bacterial respiration is more than enough to allow photosynthesis under these conditions. If on the other hand, you try to make your plants grow faster by adding more light, it is likely that there will not be enough CO2 in your aquarium. The plants simply can not grow as fast as they would like to, given the available light energy so you need Cylinders or DIY kits on this case.

DIY (Do It Yourself) Co2 (Carbon Dioxide) Kit

Use a Hot Nail head to burn through the cap of a 2 liter softdrink bottle and glue the air tube with slicon into the cap & cover this with M-Seal. Wait 4 hours, then added 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/2 tablespoon of local yeast (available with local grocery shop), then fill it with warm water (Not hot) until it is 3/4 full.

Within 15 min, you will be getting Co2 air coming out in buble format. You can use the bubblestone below the overturned cup to disove the co2 properly in the tank, also plastic cup can be used with slits in it 1/2 in wide by 3 in tall, this should allow for more water circulation.

Pressure should be 1bubble/3 sec.

In addition to Co2 Plants need an array of Nutrients.

These are usually divided into two groups, Macronutrients and Micronutrients.

Macronutrients
The Macronutrients consist primarily of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. These nutrients are all needed for plants to grow. In an inhabited aquarium, fish food and fish waste will provide some of each of these.

As you hopefully know, fish produce ammonia as waste. And as you hopefully know, bio-filter bacteria in the aquarium convert ammonia into nitrite, and other bio-filter bacteria convert the nitrite into nitrate. All three of these ( ammonia, nitrite and nitrate) are forms of nitrogen, and all can be used by plants. In most non-planted or lightly planted tanks, the nitrate level will slowly rise, and the aquarist must do water changes to lower the nitrate level. Nitrate levels over 20ppm can be harmful to fish.

In the case of a heavily planted tank, with lots of fast growing plants, it's possible for the plants to completely consume all the nitrogen produced in the tank. In that case, the addition of nitrate is needed to keep the plants growing happily. For information about adding Nitrate, check out the article: Adding Nitrate to a planted tank.

In a well lit tank, excess phosphorus (phosphates) can lead to serious algae problems, so extra phosphate is almost never added. And most fish foods contain sizable amounts of phosphorus, so the plants will most likely be able to get as much as they need.

Potassium is an important macronutrient, and it is commonly in short supply in an aquarium. The amount of potassium from food and waste is often much less than the amounts of nitrogen or phosphorus. So adding potassium is often a good idea.

There are several commercial aquarium plant additives that contain potassium. You can also obtain Potassium Sulfate (K2SO4) or Potassium Chloride (KCl) from a gardening store as a source. K2SO4 is often referred to as "Sulfate of Potash", and KCl is referred to as Muriate of Potash. I only recently (in the past couple months) starting adding potassium, and the improvement in plant growth and health has been amazing. (available from Local Gardening Shop).

Micronutrients
There are main micronutrients. They include Boron, Calcium, Chloride, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Molybdenum, Sulfur, Zinc. These nutrients are often found in small amounts in tap water, and in low growth conditions, it isn't necessary to suppliment them. But with improved plant growth, these nutrients will be quickly depleted from the water, and plants will suffer.

For the Micronutrients, there are many commercially available fertilziers available from Seachem (Flourish), and Dupla (Dupla drops). Alternatively, many people make their own. This is known as PMDD (Poor mans dosing drops). The starting point for PMDD is a trace element mixture. This is important because the iron and other elements will not remain available in the tank water for more than a few days. Dosing of micronutrients is commonly done based on the Iron level. The mixtures are all created so that by adding the right level of Iron, then the other elements will be present in the proper amounts.