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Setting up a Fish Tank Aquarium

Apr 3rd, 2011
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It can be fun to set up a fish tank aquarium but as in all hobbies it pays to do some research before you start. Before you purchase any fish you need to cycle the tank correctly to ensure that there are sufficient bacteria to cope with the waste products of your fish. We recommend a fishless cycling method detailed below.

Choosing the Tank

Fish tank aquariums can be purchased in glass or acrylic. Glass tanks are cheaper, are heavier and occasionally spring leaks. Acrylic tanks are more expensive, rarely leak, come in a variety of shapes but do scratch easily. Acrylic tanks usually last longer than glass tanks.

Fish Tank Shape

Acrylic tanks come in a variety of shapes including cylinder, hexagon, octagon and round as well as the traditional rectangular shape. There are also wall tanks and coffee table tanks. The traditional rectangular shape is still the best however as the water volume to surface area is a maximum giving good gas exchange. For other shapes, with smaller water volume to surface area ratio, maintenance will be higher and more frequent water changes will be needed.

In general buy the largest tank that will fit where you will be placing it and you can afford. A larger tank requires less maintenance and you can fit in more fish without risking overcrowding.

Fishless Cycling Method

Requirements

Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate testing strips

Bacteria culture from an established tank – this can be some filter material or some gravel

Alternatively use a commercial preparation such as Colonize by Dr Foster & Smith or Biospira by Marineland
Unscented ammonia

Method

After adding the bacteria culture to your newly set up tank add 5 drops of ammonia for every ten gallons of water. Test for ammonia. If nothing registers add a few more drop until you get a reading. Continue to add the same amount every day until you can detect nitrites in the tank. Now add half the amount of ammonia daily until nitrate registers on the testing strip. At this point the nitrite levels should start to drop. When they reach zero the tank is cycled. Do a 30% water change and you are ready for your fish.

Choosing the Fish

Carefully research the types of fish that can be kept together. Community fish are those that live peacefully with each other. All the fish listed below are suitable for a tropical community fish tank.

* Guppy
* Horseface Loach
* Lyretail
* Hatchetfish
* Molly
* Leopard Catfish
* Neon Tetra
* Head Tail Light Tetra
* Opaline Gourami
* Platy
* Pearl Gourami
* Harlequin Rasbora
* Penguin Fish
* White Cloud
* Rainbowfish
* Black Phantom Tetra
* Australian Rainbowfish
* Ram
* Black Shark
* X-Ray Fish
* Spotted Catfish
* Blue Acara
* Plecostomus
* Rummy Nosed Tetra
* Serpae Tetra
* Spiketailed Paradisefish
* Blue Acara
* Angelfish
* Black Shark
* Pencilfish
* Cherry Barb
* Black Neon Tetra
* Bristlenose
* Chinese Algae Eater
* Upside Down Catfish
* Bala (Tri-Color) Shark
* Zebra Danio
* Elephant Nose
* Boesman’s Rainbowfish
* Black Phantom Tetra
* Flame Tetra
* Dwarf Loach
* Green Catfish
* Dwarf Gourami
* Congo Tetra
* Blue Danio
* Bumble Bee Goby
* Bloodfin
* Glowlight Tetra
* Corydoras
* Banjo Catfish
* Cardinal Tetra
* Flame Gourami
* Giant Danio
* Clown Loach
* Festivum
* Emperor Tetra

Carefully inspect the fish tanks at the pet shop to make sure the fish look healthy and no dead fish are in the tanks. Research the fish you will be buying carefully and check up on their temperature and water quality requirements. Tropical fish will need a higher temperature than goldfish. Some fish are relatively peaceful when young but are bullies when fully grown. Tiger barbs are good examples of these.

Always avoid overcrowding. You will need a larger tank for bigger fish. For angel fish never use a tank smaller than ten gallons. After purchase never introduce fish to an established tank but quarantine in a separate tank for at least a week to ensure you do not introduce disease organisms into you tank.

For more information on tropical fish and some good deals in fish tank aquariums check out Fish Tank Aquariums or Fresh Water Fish Tanks
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How to Set up a Betta Fish Aquarium

Nov 2nd, 2009
by Aquarium Lover.
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Aquarium Size

Betta Fish Aquariums usually vary in size, ranging from small fish bowls to bigger, full-sized aquariums. To fully comprehend the requirements of a betta, we must look at their natural environment as a basis. Bettas come from the slow moving streams, ponds, and rice paddies of Asia. And those conditions should be replicated in order to effectively rear bettas. So, to mimic those conditions, Betta fish tanks should range from 5 to 10 gal.

You can get a larger aquarium, if you’d like. Your betta will not complain. There really isn’t an upper limit to the aquarium size, if you provide enough hiding places, but too little space will shorten the life span of your betta at best, and at worst will create conditions under which it will simply not survive.

A larger, 5 to 10 gallon tank would be beneficial to both you and the betta, since the temperature in a bigger body of water tends to be more stable and would only change slightly when ambient temperature changes. The bigger tank would also benefit you since that means less frequent water changes. Contrary to popular belief, larger aquariums are much easier to take care of than small ones.

Aquarium Water

With the size of the tank out of the way, we need to settle the other aspects of our betta fish aquarium. The type of water is vital to a betta’s survival. Using distilled water isn’t the best for bettas because of the filtering process that removes most minerals in the water. Tap water is usually sufficient for bettas, provided that you treat the water to remove chlorine and let it sit for over 24 hours before adding it to your tank.

When you first buy the tank, let the water sit for a few weeks to get the biological filter cycle started.

Aquarium Filters

Filtering the water could also be an issue. Bettas are quite used to the tranquil or slow moving water in ponds and rice paddies, which means that using a high flow filter inside your betta fish aquarium is not advised. These types of filters will cause too much turbulence and the betta would find it stressful to come up to the surface to catch a breath (Bettas have a specialized organ called a labyrinth that allows them to breathe air).

Aquarium Heater

When you buy a heater for your aquarium, make sure to also get a thermometer. You will need to monitor the water temperature carefully, because sudden fluctuations can be deadly for your betta. Choosing the right heater will depend on the tank size as well as the temperature of the room where you will keep the aquarium. And even if you buy a high quality heater, you will probably have to replace it every year, so monitor it closely and replace it right away if it stops working.

Aquarium Gravel

You must also obtain a natural looking substrate or gravel to put inside your betta fish aquarium. Taking gravel from your backyard simply isn’t going to be the best reproduction of its natural milieu. You must also sustain the tank’s temperature to closely resemble their native climate of more or less 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

Final Thoughts

Building appropriate betta fish aquariums is not that difficult a task. The first thing is to have a tank that is satisfactory in size. Keep in mind though that the suggested size is for one betta fish. If you would like to add a compatible fish, you may have to upgrade your tank’s size so that they can be properly accommodated.

Aside from the proper size of a betta fish aquarium, you must also learn how to maintain the right levels of ammonia, nitrites, and pH. This is important so the water doesn’t become lethal to your betta.

Before actually bringing your betta home, give yourself enough time to test all your equipment – the filter, the heater, etc. Make sure that the water as well as the entire set up is what it needs to be before introducing your fish to it. Number one mistake of new aquarium owners is trying to do too many things at once.

Mischa Hill is a Betta fish enthusiast. His website compares prices on a large selection of betta fish aquariums. Visit his site also for betta fish care tips, price comparisons on betta fish supplies, remedies, books and more. Also, sign up for FREE Mini-Course on Betta fish care.Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/how-to-set-up-a-betta-fish-aquarium-1407566.html


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