Live plants make good decor while bringing life to your aquarium. Some fish may even snack on them every once in a while. Plants add a whole new dimension to fish keeping and can help out with the biological load your fish are producing.
Plants feed off of nitrate; fish waste (ammonia) in its broken down form. Still, don't be thinking about postponing those water changes, that would be pushing your luck.
Things that are specified safe for aquarium are not nesessarily safe for live plant use. Read the whole thing before you use anything.
Substrate and Fertilizers
Some plants will benefit from a nutrient rich substrate, but this is not necessary for the majority of aquatic live plants. Normal aquarium gravel will do for most plants. Adding a fertilizer will benefit aquatic plants too, but adding too much too often will promote algae growth!
Lighting and Temperature
Certain plants require certain levels of light to survive. Some will do just fine with ambient lighting, and your tanks stock lighting. Some will need intense levels of light for many hours a day. In some cases you may even need to upgrade your aquarium lighting! Again, excess light will promote algae growth.
Most plants will do fine in your aquarium at any temperature your fish live at. However, sudden changes in temperature will shock the less hardy variety. This same rule goes for water quality and 'levels' as well.
CO2
As you may already know, plants need carbon dioxide. Purchasing or making a co2 kit can greatly accelerate your plants growth speed. However, these kits are expensive which is why some poeple prefer to make one. Many guides of making your own CO2 system can be found here.
Plants for Beginners
The two plants in my tank who have been the most successful are the Watersprite and the Crpyt (Cryptocoryne Wendtii). From my experience, the Hornwort tends to shed so much of its 'leaves' that it clogs up my gravel cleaner/vaccuum during water changes.
Plantgeek features a complete database of aquatic plants and their needs. It has a very accurate description of each species light requirements, difficulty, placement, and more.
Monday, July 9, 2007
Friday, July 6, 2007
How to Stop Algae Growth
Algae are like the weeds in your garden. They come in different colours and types such as Red Slime and Hair Algae, and some are harder to get rid of than others. Green spot algae is probably the most common form growing in aquariums.
Algae grows mainly because of excess light, but it is never limited to that factor alone. If your aquarium is positioned where it will recieve direct sunlight, algae problems will arise. If algae is growing on your plants or decor, you may want to position them where they will not recieve much light.
Getting algae eaters for your aquarium can help combat some of the types, but you may still need an algae scrubber which can be found at your local fish store. Different algae eaters will eat different types of algae. Some may stop eating it when they grow larger, and some may even fight with your other fish! Just like when buying fish, you should find the maximum size of whichever type you want to buy.
Snails are common algae eaters, but some types will start reproducing like crazy and you might find yourself with an aquarium full of snails! Most types will slide around your tank unintrusively while cleaning it up. If you want snails, you might not necessarily need to go out and buy them. The snails in my tank tagged along with the live plants I bought, and fortunately, they are not reproducing madly.
Eventually, when there is no more algae your algae eater will eat, it will starve, so you will have to feed it with special foods. This is why it is not necessary to get an algae eater as a preventative measure, as it will need special requirements.
Some common tropical fish, such as the platy and and certain mollies will eat trace amounts of algae. This can prevent the algae from growing into large amounts, but certainly will not clean up an algae invasion.
If you do not already have algae problems in your aquarium, consider yourself lucky!
Algae grows mainly because of excess light, but it is never limited to that factor alone. If your aquarium is positioned where it will recieve direct sunlight, algae problems will arise. If algae is growing on your plants or decor, you may want to position them where they will not recieve much light.
Getting algae eaters for your aquarium can help combat some of the types, but you may still need an algae scrubber which can be found at your local fish store. Different algae eaters will eat different types of algae. Some may stop eating it when they grow larger, and some may even fight with your other fish! Just like when buying fish, you should find the maximum size of whichever type you want to buy.
Snails are common algae eaters, but some types will start reproducing like crazy and you might find yourself with an aquarium full of snails! Most types will slide around your tank unintrusively while cleaning it up. If you want snails, you might not necessarily need to go out and buy them. The snails in my tank tagged along with the live plants I bought, and fortunately, they are not reproducing madly.
Eventually, when there is no more algae your algae eater will eat, it will starve, so you will have to feed it with special foods. This is why it is not necessary to get an algae eater as a preventative measure, as it will need special requirements.
Some common tropical fish, such as the platy and and certain mollies will eat trace amounts of algae. This can prevent the algae from growing into large amounts, but certainly will not clean up an algae invasion.
If you do not already have algae problems in your aquarium, consider yourself lucky!
Thursday, July 5, 2007
How Do I Add Driftwood?
Driftwood comes in many different shapes, sizes, and types. It gives a very natural look to your aquarium and can be used to anchor certain live plants. You can find planted driftwood as well, which already has plants anchored to it. If you are planning on anchoring plants, you may have to tie them with fishing string to the wood until their roots dig in. This is necessary due to the fact that live plants naturally float.
There are many ways to clean the driftwood, but I will only mention the one way that has worked for me.
The first thing to do is to use a hard scrubber and scrape away all the debris. Next, drop the wood in a bucket of hot water for at least 2 days, while replacing the water every 12 hours. You may use an aquarium friendly dechlorinator. If you do this for one week, you can be assured it is safe to add to your aquarium.
The Ph of your aquarium may fluctuate if you do not go through this process thoroughly, which could be dangerous to your fish. A Ph test kit is strongly recommended while adding driftwood to your aquarium.
You can also pick up peices of driftwood from nature, but be extra careful as contaminated peices could easily kill your fish.
There are many ways to clean the driftwood, but I will only mention the one way that has worked for me.
The first thing to do is to use a hard scrubber and scrape away all the debris. Next, drop the wood in a bucket of hot water for at least 2 days, while replacing the water every 12 hours. You may use an aquarium friendly dechlorinator. If you do this for one week, you can be assured it is safe to add to your aquarium.
The Ph of your aquarium may fluctuate if you do not go through this process thoroughly, which could be dangerous to your fish. A Ph test kit is strongly recommended while adding driftwood to your aquarium.
You can also pick up peices of driftwood from nature, but be extra careful as contaminated peices could easily kill your fish.
What Type of Filter Should I Get?
In this article, I will only cover the most common types of filters.
Power filters hang off the side or back of a fish tank. The water gets sucked up and is passed through the filter material, and falls back down into the water. From my experience, these are the most common filter used, and are effective. Biowheel filters are much like this, except the filter material is in the shape of a wheel, and continually spins giving extra surface area for the bacteria to grow. These filters also act as an air pump, so you may not need a seperate air pump.
Under Gravel Filters, like the name states, sits under the gravel. They can be easily clogged by sand, and are not effective if you have a thick, eneven gravel bed.
Sponge filters, corner filters (or box filters) are ideal for tanks specifically for fish fry. The "sponge" prevents the fish fry from entering the filter. They are generally meant for smaller sized tanks. Water enters it, and exits through the airlift tube.
Canister filters sit outside the tank completely, and rely on long tubes to carry the water to and from the aquarium. However, they may get clogged and be hard to clean due to the long tubes. These types of filters usually have a higher price tag as well.
Although 'they' recommend that your filter media be replaced every now and then, I find it adequate to just give the filter media a good rinse. Replacing an old one with a totally new cartridge will take away all that good bacteria from your filter.
Power filters hang off the side or back of a fish tank. The water gets sucked up and is passed through the filter material, and falls back down into the water. From my experience, these are the most common filter used, and are effective. Biowheel filters are much like this, except the filter material is in the shape of a wheel, and continually spins giving extra surface area for the bacteria to grow. These filters also act as an air pump, so you may not need a seperate air pump.
Under Gravel Filters, like the name states, sits under the gravel. They can be easily clogged by sand, and are not effective if you have a thick, eneven gravel bed.
Sponge filters, corner filters (or box filters) are ideal for tanks specifically for fish fry. The "sponge" prevents the fish fry from entering the filter. They are generally meant for smaller sized tanks. Water enters it, and exits through the airlift tube.
Canister filters sit outside the tank completely, and rely on long tubes to carry the water to and from the aquarium. However, they may get clogged and be hard to clean due to the long tubes. These types of filters usually have a higher price tag as well.
Although 'they' recommend that your filter media be replaced every now and then, I find it adequate to just give the filter media a good rinse. Replacing an old one with a totally new cartridge will take away all that good bacteria from your filter.
Recommended Tropical Fish for Beginners
Whether you want to start a community tank, or just keep one species of tropical fish in your aquarium, there are certain tropical fish you may want to have, and avoid.
Some may out grow your aquarium one day, putting you in an undesired position. Some may bully your other fish, forcing you to take action. Some may have special requirements, and some may just lack the eye candy you desire.
Guppies, Platies, Mollies, and Swordtails are some of the commonly available livebearers that will make up a good community tank. Their vibrant colours and peaceful nature make them attractive to beginners in the hobby. Since these are all livebearers, you do not want to overcrowd your tank as this might haunt you in the future when they have babies! Females you purchase may already be pregnant, so dont think about purchasing a couple to breed ^^
Tetras, such as the Neon Tetra also make a good addition to a community tank. You must have 5 or more because they prefer swimming in schools, and rely on each other. Their small size makes them an easy target for any fish in your aquarium who would be big enough to eat them, so be careful! However they will produce less waste, and require less food.
Some may out grow your aquarium one day, putting you in an undesired position. Some may bully your other fish, forcing you to take action. Some may have special requirements, and some may just lack the eye candy you desire.
Guppies, Platies, Mollies, and Swordtails are some of the commonly available livebearers that will make up a good community tank. Their vibrant colours and peaceful nature make them attractive to beginners in the hobby. Since these are all livebearers, you do not want to overcrowd your tank as this might haunt you in the future when they have babies! Females you purchase may already be pregnant, so dont think about purchasing a couple to breed ^^
Tetras, such as the Neon Tetra also make a good addition to a community tank. You must have 5 or more because they prefer swimming in schools, and rely on each other. Their small size makes them an easy target for any fish in your aquarium who would be big enough to eat them, so be careful! However they will produce less waste, and require less food.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Caring For Fish Fry
If you don't already know, fish eat their own young! A simple way to keep them safe is to use a breeding trap which lets the babies safe escape into another compartment of the trap where they are safe.
A more natural way to do this is to add many decorations and (fake or live) plants to the tank if you don't already have some. The aquarium will have to be densely packed in order for the fry to hide. If you go with this method, you needn't feed them as they will not go into the open as this might risk them getting eaten. All my baby platies have survived this way.
Feeding The Young
There are special foods which you can purchase from pet stores designed for fish fry. A cheaper method is to put flake food into a ziplock bag, seal it, and keep crunching it up until it becomes powder. This is only for if your baby fish are in captivity in a breeding net or their own isolated tank.
Brine shrimp are a nutritious snack for your fry and can be hatched or bought frozen. Please refer to the upcoming brine shrimp article for more info on this topic.
A more natural way to do this is to add many decorations and (fake or live) plants to the tank if you don't already have some. The aquarium will have to be densely packed in order for the fry to hide. If you go with this method, you needn't feed them as they will not go into the open as this might risk them getting eaten. All my baby platies have survived this way.
Feeding The Young
There are special foods which you can purchase from pet stores designed for fish fry. A cheaper method is to put flake food into a ziplock bag, seal it, and keep crunching it up until it becomes powder. This is only for if your baby fish are in captivity in a breeding net or their own isolated tank.
Brine shrimp are a nutritious snack for your fry and can be hatched or bought frozen. Please refer to the upcoming brine shrimp article for more info on this topic.
What Do I Need To Add To The Water?
Preparing the water for your fish is not as easy as pouring tap water in. Tap water alone could kill your fish if you don't use the appropriate conditioners. First of all, you will need a tap water conditioner such as Tetra Aquasafe or Seachem Prime. These neutralize chlorine, chloramine, and other bad substances in the water.
Some fish like a little aquarium salt. This is different from the salt you find in your kitchen, as that contains substances harmful to your fish. You can ask the pet store employee if salt was added to the tank your fish came from. However, it is not advisable to use aquarium salt on a regular basis if you have any live plants in your tank as it will damage them.
Salt can also be used as a preventative measure or treatment for certain freshwater fish diseases.
What is Ph?
I'll make this short, Ph measures the acidity or alkanity of a substance, in this case water. Most 'beginner' fish desire a neutral Ph level of 7. There are products can raise, lower, or just force your Ph to a certain level, but be carful if you have and live plants, as they can be damaged by phosphate buffers.
Most of the time, it is not necessary to add these products to the water. They may create more stress for your fish, and the Ph level of your tap water may already be acceptable. If you do not already have one, purchase a Ph test kit and check the Ph level of your tap water first.
Some fish like a little aquarium salt. This is different from the salt you find in your kitchen, as that contains substances harmful to your fish. You can ask the pet store employee if salt was added to the tank your fish came from. However, it is not advisable to use aquarium salt on a regular basis if you have any live plants in your tank as it will damage them.
Salt can also be used as a preventative measure or treatment for certain freshwater fish diseases.
What is Ph?
I'll make this short, Ph measures the acidity or alkanity of a substance, in this case water. Most 'beginner' fish desire a neutral Ph level of 7. There are products can raise, lower, or just force your Ph to a certain level, but be carful if you have and live plants, as they can be damaged by phosphate buffers.
Most of the time, it is not necessary to add these products to the water. They may create more stress for your fish, and the Ph level of your tap water may already be acceptable. If you do not already have one, purchase a Ph test kit and check the Ph level of your tap water first.
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