![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
martygreeneLocation
To determine what equipment you will need, first you should pick a location for the aquarium in your home. The best location is a spot that has reasonably uniform temperature (not on top of an old steam radiator, clearly). Also if the back is against a wall it is less likely that someone might knock it over. For temperature uniformity, direct sunlight in a southern exposure or directly over a heater vent is not so good. If you have a spot that gets northern, eastern, or western light from a nearby window you may not need an aquarium light to do well with plants. Direct sunlight for just a an hour or two hours a day is fine but a southern exposure with a long exposure to direct light will lead to algae which you want to avoid. Just find a location where you get some good outdoor light hitting the tank. If it is against a wall with an adjacent wall with a window that lets some direct sunlight hit the tank, consider yourself lucky to have an absolutely wonderful place to put the tank. If you cannot place it where any direct outdoor light will hit the tank, you are going to need to supply some artificial light or you will need to select plants that do well in low light. A fluorescent fixture sold for the 10-gallon tank is the best choice if you need the additional lighting. Incandescent lights give off a lot of heat and should be avoided. The type and amount of light will dictate what kind of plants will do well in your tank.
Equipment
The best starting aquarium is a 10-gallon tank. It is light enough (about 75 pounds with water) to find a stand or small table to hold the tank. This size tank is manufactured in bulk just for that purpose of getting a start so the price is very reasonable The cost is about $10 at most pet stores. A smaller tank is actually more expensive and more difficult to care for. A larger tank may be an added expense as you may need a stand, stronger lighting, more filtration and a different location. This $10 is just the tank, not other items which you may or may not really need, at least until you decide you want to continue with the hobby. We will talk about that later.
Substrate and Plants
Artificial plants do not die, but neither do they grow or provide any biological filter. With any decent source of light all you will get is plastic plants covered with algae looking very ugly and impossible to clean. Avoid artificial plants unless you also want artificial fish. Also avoid any fancy colored gravel or brightly colored things to “pretty up the tank.” That is what real plants and real fish are for. A medium to dark gravel will make fish feel more secure (ever see a side lit pond or river?), and as they feel more secure their colors will be much better over such a substrate. Remember, the fish bring the color, not the gravel or little fluorescent pink castle.
Filtration
Here is where some personal preference comes into play. If the aquarium is to contain only a few fish, (as an example 6 fish with a size of 2 inches or less) no filtration may be required. I personally have about 40 small tanks in my basement with no filters at all. There are not a lot of fish in each tank and I change water in them a lot but all is well with no filter. Most people with a small community tank want more fish than I have in these tanks so a filter is not a bad idea. For a 10-gallon tank, about $15 should buy you a decent filtration system. Personally, I like under gravel filters. With such a filter you do need at least 2 inches of gravel depth and an air pump. To clean the under gravel filter (or gravel in any tank, filter or not) you need a siphon tube and hose and a bucket. The siphon cleaners are about $7 to $10 and worth every penny. You just siphon out about 1 to 2 gallon of water plunging the end of the siphon tube into the gravel. One week you clean the gravel on one side of the tank; the next week, you siphon clean the other side of the tank. This keeps one half of the filter charged with live bacteria to clean the water. Be careful and watch what you are doing, keeping the base of the siphon cleaner in the gravel so as not to siphon out the fish! An alternative is a sponge filter, also requiring a small air pump. Both help provide biological filtration and move water to the surface to pick up oxygen and allow a few more fish to live it the tank than with no water movement. I do not like “hang on” power filters since they make it difficult to completely cover the tank to prevent any fish from escaping. Also they do require some “refills” of filter pads and charcoal pads, neither of which is needed with a sponge filter. “Hydro” brand makes very nice sponge filters for about $7. To clean them periodically all you need to do is to siphon clean your gravel and put the sponge under the water in the pail and squeeze it a few times to free up the gunk that it has collected. No need to rinse in fresh water as that would kill the bacteria that are living in the sponge doing the real work. If the appearance of the sponge filter offends you, put a rock in front of it. If you really want an outside power filter just be careful you have minimal open space where it hangs on the tank. You want the fish to stay in the tank!
Heater
Unless you keep your house very cool or want to work with fish that like warm water, you may not need a heater. If you want one, for your 10-gallon tank, 50 to 75 watts is the right size. A bigger heater is NOT better. If it sticks on, you may have cooked fish. Hang on versus submersible is up to your preference. Personally, unless you keep your house below 72 degrees, or want to work with some warm water species of fish, I believe that a heater is not really needed if you restrict your selection of fish. Most livebearers will do quite well from 72 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. A good glass lid and a light will keep the tank a few degrees over room temperature. There are some tropical fish that live in higher altitudes that are quite happy in the 50 to 65 degree range.
Fish and Plants
I recommend that you get the tank set up with gravel and water, pick a few plants and at the most two low cost hardy fish. This will get the tank in condition to add more fish and plants later. If there is a problem, it will minimize any losses. It is best to fill the tank a day before you get the fish and plants since that way the temperature has time to stabilize before you add the fish. If you like, get the plants when you get the tank and gravel but do not buy fish until the tank has had a day to stabilize in temperature. An anti-chlorine chemical additive like NovAqua Plus, AmQuel Plus, or Ammo-Lock 2 may be needed if your water contains chloramines. Chloramines do not dissipate as chlorine does and must be neutralized.
Fish and Plant Selection
Plant selection depends upon lighting. Some need a lot of light, others can survive and even grow in very little light. If you have low light, pick some Java fern and Java moss. They need very little light to survive. A plant like Hornwort needs a strong fluorescent or some direct sunlight to do well. Do not try to completely plant the tank when you first set it up. A bunch of
hornwort or Java moss is a good starter to allow you to add some fish and get the gravel in condition to support rooted plants. Do not rush things. Besides if you do things slowly, it is more fun as you are always on the lookout for something new to add. As to fish, start with some tetras, corydoras catfish, and livebearers if you have not raised fish before. Stick to small fish that stay small. (Remember, it is a 10-gallon tank not a 250-gallon tank) No small Oscars, colorful lake cichlids, or fish that will want to grow to 6 inches or larger or be extremely aggressive. Also be careful to ask what size adult fish of this species will be. Some small fish in shops can be young of fish that are not intended for realistic size tanks. A plecostamus will grow to 3 feet in the wild and over a foot in a tank. For catfish, the best are Corydoras species. They do not grow large, are wonderful scavengers and are very peaceful. Also good are Otocinclus catfish, which also stay small, and are excellent algae eaters. An often seen fish known as a “Chinese algae eater” does not eat algae at all and can be aggressive. Avoid aggressive fish species. Some may be quite colorful but will eventually cause you heartbreak.
Care
Water should be changed at the rate of about 10 to 20 percent each week. Two weeks between water changes can be tolerated, but weekly is best. Just add a little of the chloramines remover to the tank or to the water and add tap water. A hose or pitcher is fine. Just do not pour it so fast you uproot the plants. The added water should be reasonably close in temperature to the tank water. A little cooler is better than a little warmer since warmer water will contain less oxygen. If it feels the same temperature to you, it should be just fine. Fish should be fed either a small amount twice a day or a little more once a day. It is better to underfeed than to overfeed. Fish can go for many days without feeding with little harm. If you have to leave them for a few days, don’t worry and please don’t try to make up for it with a big feeding or you will return home to a foul tank and dead fish. As for food type, check with your pet shop to see what they recommend for the kind of fish you have.
A lot of work?
An aquarium does not have to be a lot of work. Weekly water changes should take 10 or 15 minutes including siphoning off the bottom. Feeding, maybe 10 seconds twice a day. Watching them for fun, maybe a lot longer than you thought!
Dangers?
Tropical fish and plants can be very addictive. Once you start, the most likely way to get out is to go too fast with too much and become overburdened. Go slow and enjoy.
To determine what equipment you will need, first you should pick a location for the aquarium in your home. The best location is a spot that has reasonably uniform temperature (not on top of an old steam radiator, clearly). Also if the back is against a wall it is less likely that someone might knock it over. For temperature uniformity, direct sunlight in a southern exposure or directly over a heater vent is not so good. If you have a spot that gets northern, eastern, or western light from a nearby window you may not need an aquarium light to do well with plants. Direct sunlight for just a an hour or two hours a day is fine but a southern exposure with a long exposure to direct light will lead to algae which you want to avoid. Just find a location where you get some good outdoor light hitting the tank. If it is against a wall with an adjacent wall with a window that lets some direct sunlight hit the tank, consider yourself lucky to have an absolutely wonderful place to put the tank. If you cannot place it where any direct outdoor light will hit the tank, you are going to need to supply some artificial light or you will need to select plants that do well in low light. A fluorescent fixture sold for the 10-gallon tank is the best choice if you need the additional lighting. Incandescent lights give off a lot of heat and should be avoided. The type and amount of light will dictate what kind of plants will do well in your tank.
Equipment
The best starting aquarium is a 10-gallon tank. It is light enough (about 75 pounds with water) to find a stand or small table to hold the tank. This size tank is manufactured in bulk just for that purpose of getting a start so the price is very reasonable The cost is about $10 at most pet stores. A smaller tank is actually more expensive and more difficult to care for. A larger tank may be an added expense as you may need a stand, stronger lighting, more filtration and a different location. This $10 is just the tank, not other items which you may or may not really need, at least until you decide you want to continue with the hobby. We will talk about that later.
Substrate and Plants
Artificial plants do not die, but neither do they grow or provide any biological filter. With any decent source of light all you will get is plastic plants covered with algae looking very ugly and impossible to clean. Avoid artificial plants unless you also want artificial fish. Also avoid any fancy colored gravel or brightly colored things to “pretty up the tank.” That is what real plants and real fish are for. A medium to dark gravel will make fish feel more secure (ever see a side lit pond or river?), and as they feel more secure their colors will be much better over such a substrate. Remember, the fish bring the color, not the gravel or little fluorescent pink castle.
Filtration
Here is where some personal preference comes into play. If the aquarium is to contain only a few fish, (as an example 6 fish with a size of 2 inches or less) no filtration may be required. I personally have about 40 small tanks in my basement with no filters at all. There are not a lot of fish in each tank and I change water in them a lot but all is well with no filter. Most people with a small community tank want more fish than I have in these tanks so a filter is not a bad idea. For a 10-gallon tank, about $15 should buy you a decent filtration system. Personally, I like under gravel filters. With such a filter you do need at least 2 inches of gravel depth and an air pump. To clean the under gravel filter (or gravel in any tank, filter or not) you need a siphon tube and hose and a bucket. The siphon cleaners are about $7 to $10 and worth every penny. You just siphon out about 1 to 2 gallon of water plunging the end of the siphon tube into the gravel. One week you clean the gravel on one side of the tank; the next week, you siphon clean the other side of the tank. This keeps one half of the filter charged with live bacteria to clean the water. Be careful and watch what you are doing, keeping the base of the siphon cleaner in the gravel so as not to siphon out the fish! An alternative is a sponge filter, also requiring a small air pump. Both help provide biological filtration and move water to the surface to pick up oxygen and allow a few more fish to live it the tank than with no water movement. I do not like “hang on” power filters since they make it difficult to completely cover the tank to prevent any fish from escaping. Also they do require some “refills” of filter pads and charcoal pads, neither of which is needed with a sponge filter. “Hydro” brand makes very nice sponge filters for about $7. To clean them periodically all you need to do is to siphon clean your gravel and put the sponge under the water in the pail and squeeze it a few times to free up the gunk that it has collected. No need to rinse in fresh water as that would kill the bacteria that are living in the sponge doing the real work. If the appearance of the sponge filter offends you, put a rock in front of it. If you really want an outside power filter just be careful you have minimal open space where it hangs on the tank. You want the fish to stay in the tank!
Heater
Unless you keep your house very cool or want to work with fish that like warm water, you may not need a heater. If you want one, for your 10-gallon tank, 50 to 75 watts is the right size. A bigger heater is NOT better. If it sticks on, you may have cooked fish. Hang on versus submersible is up to your preference. Personally, unless you keep your house below 72 degrees, or want to work with some warm water species of fish, I believe that a heater is not really needed if you restrict your selection of fish. Most livebearers will do quite well from 72 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. A good glass lid and a light will keep the tank a few degrees over room temperature. There are some tropical fish that live in higher altitudes that are quite happy in the 50 to 65 degree range.
Fish and Plants
I recommend that you get the tank set up with gravel and water, pick a few plants and at the most two low cost hardy fish. This will get the tank in condition to add more fish and plants later. If there is a problem, it will minimize any losses. It is best to fill the tank a day before you get the fish and plants since that way the temperature has time to stabilize before you add the fish. If you like, get the plants when you get the tank and gravel but do not buy fish until the tank has had a day to stabilize in temperature. An anti-chlorine chemical additive like NovAqua Plus, AmQuel Plus, or Ammo-Lock 2 may be needed if your water contains chloramines. Chloramines do not dissipate as chlorine does and must be neutralized.
Fish and Plant Selection
Plant selection depends upon lighting. Some need a lot of light, others can survive and even grow in very little light. If you have low light, pick some Java fern and Java moss. They need very little light to survive. A plant like Hornwort needs a strong fluorescent or some direct sunlight to do well. Do not try to completely plant the tank when you first set it up. A bunch of
hornwort or Java moss is a good starter to allow you to add some fish and get the gravel in condition to support rooted plants. Do not rush things. Besides if you do things slowly, it is more fun as you are always on the lookout for something new to add. As to fish, start with some tetras, corydoras catfish, and livebearers if you have not raised fish before. Stick to small fish that stay small. (Remember, it is a 10-gallon tank not a 250-gallon tank) No small Oscars, colorful lake cichlids, or fish that will want to grow to 6 inches or larger or be extremely aggressive. Also be careful to ask what size adult fish of this species will be. Some small fish in shops can be young of fish that are not intended for realistic size tanks. A plecostamus will grow to 3 feet in the wild and over a foot in a tank. For catfish, the best are Corydoras species. They do not grow large, are wonderful scavengers and are very peaceful. Also good are Otocinclus catfish, which also stay small, and are excellent algae eaters. An often seen fish known as a “Chinese algae eater” does not eat algae at all and can be aggressive. Avoid aggressive fish species. Some may be quite colorful but will eventually cause you heartbreak.
Care
Water should be changed at the rate of about 10 to 20 percent each week. Two weeks between water changes can be tolerated, but weekly is best. Just add a little of the chloramines remover to the tank or to the water and add tap water. A hose or pitcher is fine. Just do not pour it so fast you uproot the plants. The added water should be reasonably close in temperature to the tank water. A little cooler is better than a little warmer since warmer water will contain less oxygen. If it feels the same temperature to you, it should be just fine. Fish should be fed either a small amount twice a day or a little more once a day. It is better to underfeed than to overfeed. Fish can go for many days without feeding with little harm. If you have to leave them for a few days, don’t worry and please don’t try to make up for it with a big feeding or you will return home to a foul tank and dead fish. As for food type, check with your pet shop to see what they recommend for the kind of fish you have.
A lot of work?
An aquarium does not have to be a lot of work. Weekly water changes should take 10 or 15 minutes including siphoning off the bottom. Feeding, maybe 10 seconds twice a day. Watching them for fun, maybe a lot longer than you thought!
Dangers?
Tropical fish and plants can be very addictive. Once you start, the most likely way to get out is to go too fast with too much and become overburdened. Go slow and enjoy.