The following is the first in a series of articles covering the basics of freshwater tropical fish keeping. These articles are designed with the beginner in mind. There may be some good information in this series for more experienced hobbyists as well. If you are considering entering one of the most common hobbies in the United States, and have never kept live fish before (or if you have just have had problems keeping your fish alive), then this series is written for you.
Where does a person start? Too many times bad experiences with fish keeping comes from running with this hobby before one learns to walk. So here is an outline of the beginning baby steps to starting and maintaining a successful aquarium.
The Three P’s, DaFishDudes keeps a very simply philosophy when it comes to fish keeping, especially when first starting out, and that is the three P’s. Planning, Patience and Payoff
Planning:
IIs simply drawing out what you would like to accomplish before you run down and spend money on items you may or may not need. Selecting the right inhabitants and equipment for your new aquarium and so on. This step is actually more work than the aquarium itself, so be forewarned.
Patience:
One thing this hobby will teach you, if you do not already have it, is patience. Without it, disaster, frustration and a whole lot of wasted time and money is sure to happen.
Payoff:
The enjoyment of sitting back and relaxing to one of the most intriguing pieces of furniture you will ever own.
Planning:
Okay, so you decided you want to keep an aquarium. Before you actually go out and buy an aquarium you will need to do a couple of things first..
Decide where you are going to put this aquarium. Once it is set up, they are not easily moved. So pick a permanent place in the house/office where you think it will look best.
How big of a tank will fit into this spot? Use a tape measure and write down the dimensions. Height, width as well as depth, they will all come in very handy later.
Is there a power outlet nearby? Other than a simple bowl, most aquariums will need at minimum a heater, filtration unit(s) as well as lighting. So easy access to an electrical outlet is crucial.
Is there a window nearby? Does this spot you have selected get a lot of natural daylight? If so, you may have to plan on having increased levels of growing green algae within your tank. Algae is manageable, but if you can place your new tank away from direct sunlight, all the better.
What is your budget? Is it under a 50 dollars? 100 dollars? 500 dollars or more? Best to start out with an idea how much you want to spend Realize you will spend more later, after you set up your tank (we all do) so plan for it.
Call around your area for local fish supply stores that offer free water testing. The better stores will offer this service, the others should not be patronized.
Get a plastic baggie or Tupperware container, fill it with about º cup of water from your tap (or where ever you plan on getting the water for your new tank from) and take it to the store you called in the previous step for testing. You should ask for at least the pH to be tested, some stores will even test the hardness of your water for you. Don't worry, if you do not under stand water pH or water hardness, both of these issues will be covered a bit later on. (Don't forget to bring a pen/pencil, paper with the dimensions on it and your tape measure!).
While visiting your local fish store, introduce yourself to the owner/clerk many of these people are more than happy to help you out, especially if they know you are doing some research prior to setting up your tank. The information and service you can get from these people is invaluable, so establish a report with them. DaFishDude visits his local store at least once a week, whether he is buying anything or not. Once you build a report with someone, the customer service you get will be priceless.
Ask the clerk/owner to test your water sample, write down the exact pH reading they give you. If the person doing the test just says your water is “okay”, ask them for the exact pH reading. Okay can mean a lot of different things to different people.
Okay, you are at the store, you've met the friendly clerk, and you've gotten at least the pH reading of your water. Now break out your tape measure and look at different styles and sizes of aquariums as well as aquarium stands. See what will fit into the place you previous selected at home. As long as the budget allows for it, the rule of thumb is the bigger the better. Bigger, while more initial costs are involved, are definitely easier to keep and maintain, plus the range of plants and fish you can keep is greatly increased.
So, you have selected the right size tank (and stand if it needs one) so lets relax for a bit, go stroll through the aisles of fish tanks, looking at each species there. Write down both the common as well as the scientific names (Latin names) of interesting fish, so you can research each species prior to buying them. You will want to find fish species that can do well in the pH level of your tap water. Either that or you may have to invest a bit more money in chemicals or natural additives to constantly adjust your water's pH. Remember that we are not buying fish today, just gathering information. If you have questions about a particular species, ask the clerk while you are there, or do some digging here on-line.
Also look at the live, as well as plastic decorations. Do you think you would like to have a live-planted tank? Or would you rather start out with plastic? Live plants do have great benefits to your fish, but it is something more to learn. If you feel a bit overwhelmed all ready, you may just want to stick to plastic plants for now.
Ask the clerk for recommendations of filtering system for your new aquarium. There are many different styles, types, makes and models. Each with its benefits as well as its drawbacks. For tanks above 35 gallons, a combination of filter systems may even be called for. Talk to them about which filter system is right for your tank. Next months article will cover all the currently available filtration types.
Accessories, besides the tank you will need some things to along with it. Now I know a lot of retailers sell pre-assembled kits. While they may save you some moneys initially. Quite often the equipment they include is not necessarily what you will need, and you end up repurchasing many products. So I usually recommend buying everything separately. Just a few of the additional things you will need. Heater, hood and lighting, stand, nets, substrate (gravel, sand, etc. more on this later) a pH test kit, thermometer, filter pads, foods, charcoal, air pump, air tubing, airline tees and don't forget a power outlet strip to plug all these goodies into!
PATIENCE:
Well as you can see by your visit to the store, and writing everything down, there may be a bit more to all of this fish keeping than you originally thought. But more work and patience in the beginning will Payoff greatly in the end. One can simply not buy the tank, add water, dump fish into it and expect them to thrive. So here is where the patience part really comes into play. Once we have gotten all the equipment selected from our recent visit to the fish store home, we have to set it all up somehow.
Here are DaFishDude's 16 easy steps to setting up a successful aquarium.
1.) Since this tank is new to you, Place tank into tub or outside, fill and let stand for 24 hours to check for leaks/failed seals. Then scrub the tank with a new/unused cloth; use no soap or bleach! Just plain hot water. If you have bought an acrylic aquarium, be very careful as they can easily scratch.
2.) Run your power outlet to the side of your tank/tank stand.
3.) If you are going to use a backdrop, secure that onto your tank now. They go outside the aquarium, and can be easily held in place with scotch tape.
4.) Now place your leak-tested clean fish tank into place. (If you are using an over the rim/H.O.T/Backpack/canister style filter system go to step 7)
5.) If you have elected to use an under gravel filtration system, place the plates into the bottom of the tank filling up as much space as possible.
6.) Insert lift tubes into the plates, along with air stones and caps or power heads. Consult your owner's instructions for more exact information, or feel free to e-mail DaFishDude.
7.) Place your boiled gravel (yes, boil it first with NO soap or bleach!) on top of the plates about 1" thick give or take some, depending on the overall size of the tank. For those of you who love live plants, a little rock, plain clay kitty litter and sand works wonderfully.
8.) Install power heads on top of the lift tubes or run airlines if you are using air stones in the lift tubes. Leave yourself plenty of extra airline at least 18" or more for we will be doing some cutting here in the next few steps.
9.) Secure your heater into place, but DO NOT plug it in yet. Wet the suction cups a little if needed to make a good seal.
10.) If you are using plastic plants and/or ornaments go ahead and arrange those now as you like. If you are adding any other air driven ornaments do that now too, each with some extra airline for them as well.
11.) Either by clean hose, or dedicated bucket, fill your tank to about 1"-3" below the top of the tank. Pour in slowly as to disturb the substrate (gravel, etc.) as little as possible.
12.) For over the rim/H.O.T/Backpack/canister type filters users, place your system according to its directions in the tank now.
13.) Place your cover and lights on the tank.
14.) Plug in the lights, thermostat, power heads, and air pumps. Ensure all are operating properly and allow the temperature in the tank to stabilize at the desired level. If you have multiple items running from an air pump, place a gang valve on the back top lip of the aquarium, add a line from the pump to the gang valve inlet. Then run the line from all air stones, ornaments, etc. to the gang valve, trim the line to the desired length, leave a bit of flex in the lines. Then adjust the gang valve levers or screws so that each item gets the proper amount of air to make to make them work. If things do not work well enough, consider exchanging your pump for a larger one, or removing an air driven ornament from the tank.
15.) Many will say you can not put fish into your water right away, others will tell you with adding the right chemicals you can put fish in almost immediately. They both make their points. I believe in waiting, for more than a few reasons, number one you need time to get the water to the correct pH level, you will also notice a build up of bubbles on the glass, that is from the water pressure used to bring the water into your tank, it is over-oxygenated due to the high pressure once the water is in balance and the bubbles go away, usually within 3 to 7 days depending on tank size, and the heater has had a chance to be calibrated to bring the tank to the proper temperature, 74-78 degrees Fahrenheit is typical. Make sure everything has been stable for at least 24 hours, if not longer.
16.) Go get your fish! Start with some hearty fish and build up slowly. White Cloud Mountain Minnows are ideal for first starting up an aquarium. Do not induce large numbers to a tank at any one time, It can throw off the balance of the tank as well as stress out the fish causing premature death or disease. I know the greatest urge is to grab up all the fish at one time, but if you go slowly, add a just a few each week, you will have much better success. This is especially true if you have kids, a weekly visit is much more fun for them, rather than just one time visit, and so make a game out of it. My general rule of thumb is to add no more than 3 fish per tank per week.
More about that in the "how to add fish" article, coming soon. Remember to test your pH daily for 10 days, then weekly thereafter. Maintain your proper water temperature, change the charcoal when needed, complete your regular water changes and most of all have fun enjoying your new additions to the family.
Payoff:
Now your are all set up, your fish are happy, time to sit back and enjoy. By following the above proven methods all you will need to do is add a little food each day, change a bit of the water once a week (10-15%), a little fertilizer for any plants, change your filter medium once a month and your all done. Generally no more than 15-20 minutes a week is required to maintain this healthy beautiful aquarium.
See you next month, when I will discuss all the many different types of filters, and what they should and should not be used for.
All written material and ideas expressed are sole ownership of DaFishDude, and used with permission exclusively for allpets.com and DaFishDude.Cjb.Net 2000 and may not be used, copied in part or whole without prior written permission.