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freshwater aquarium setup

Aquarium Service Malibu

Feb 9th, 2011
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This freshwater aquarium setup article explains how to set up a basic freshwater fish tank. We’ll start with a short list of the equipment you’ll need and then give you a step by step guide on setting up your first fish tank.

Equipment you will need:
Aquarium
Aquarium gravel
Aquarium filter
Replacement filter media
Heater
Other decorations (such as fake or real plants)
Aquarium test kits to test water parameters and monitor the infamous aquarium nitrogen cycle
Fish food
Aquarium vacuum
Fish net
Aquarium Glass Scrubber
5-gallon bucket
Pasta strainer
STEP 1: Realize the responsibility involved.
Learning how to set up a fish tank is not all that difficult, but there are some steps you should follow. First, you must realize a few things about an aquarium setup. A tropical fish tank is just like having a dog or a cat when it comes to the amount of effort on your part. In order to have a successful freshwater tropical fish tank you will have to work at it. Once a week, or at most once every two weeks, you will need to perform some kind of maintenance on the tank. Most of the time you will be performing water changes. You will also have to feed your fish at least once a day. Setting up and running a fish tank does cost money. There are recurring expenses such as replacing filter media, buying food, etc. Check out the Freshwater vs. Saltwater Aquarium page to get an idea of the setup costs involved. If you are up to the challenge, please proceed!
STEP 2: Decide on an aquarium size.
It’s a good idea to have in mind what kind of fish you want to keep before you purchase an aquarium. Some fish only grow to be an inch or two, whereas other types of tropical fish can grow 12 or 13 inches or more in length! Knowing what kind of fish you want will help you decide the size of the tank they will need. If this is your first time with an aquarium, it may be a good idea to start with a 10 or 20 gallon aquarium setup for now and stock it with some smaller and hardier species.

STEP 3: Decide on the aquarium’s location.
Place your aquarium in an area where the light and temperature of the tank won’t be affected by external sources such as windows and heater vents. Sunlight that enters the room through an unshaded window could affect the temperature of your tank. This could also lead to green algae problems for your tank down the road. You will want to place your aquarium on a stand that will be able to hold its total weight. You also want to be sure that the floor is able to support the total weight of the aquarium and stand. A good rule of thumb for determining the total weight of a full aquarium is 10 pounds per gallon of water. For example, a 55-gallon tank will weigh approximately 550 pounds when filled with water!

STEP 4: Buy your aquarium and equipment.
Now is a good time to decide on the type of aquarium filter you will want to use. You will also need to purchase a heater capable of heating the tank size you have. Buy the gravel, plants, a power strip and other decorations. A good rule of thumb for the amount of gravel that you will need is 1 to 1.5 pounds of gravel per gallon of water.

STEP 5: Set up your aquarium and stand.
Wash out your tank with water only! Do not use soap or detergents. Soap residue left behind will be harmful for your tropical fish. If you are going to use an under gravel filter (not recommended) now would be the time to set it up as well.

STEP 6: Wash Gravel, plants and decorations.
Be sure to wash the gravel thoroughly before adding it to your tank. An easy way to do this is to put some of the rocks in a pasta strainer and wash them out in your bath tub. Then place the clean gravel in a clean 5-gallon bucket for transport to the aquarium. After adding the gravel you can place your plants and decorations.

STEP 7: Add water to the aquarium.
To avoid messing up your gravel and plants, you can place a plate or saucer in the middle of your aquarium and direct the water flow onto the plate. Use room temperature water when filling. To remove the chlorine and chloramine, use something like Tetra AquaSafe for Aquariums. Don’t completely fill up the aquarium until you are sure of the layout of your decorations. Otherwise, when you place your arm in to move stuff around water is going to spill over. Doh!

STEP 8: Set up equipment.
Install your heater but don’t plug it in until the thermostat in the heater has adjusted to the water temperature. This usually takes about 15 minutes or so. Hook up your filter and any other equipment you have, then top off the aquarium water to just under the hood lip. Place your hood and tank light on the aquarium and then check your power cords to be sure that they are free of water. I would also recommend using a drip loop on all of the power cords to be extra cautious. For more information on safety, read this great article on aquarium electrical safety. Plug all of the equipment into a power strip and then “turn on” the aquarium.

STEP 9. Wait, wait, wait and then wait some more.
I know, you want to add some fish. But, in order to do this right you must wait until your aquarium has cycled before adding any fish. There are ways of speeding up this process. Check out the nitrogen cycle page to learn more about starting the nitrogen cycle and how to speed it up. If you must use fish to cycle, try to get a hardier species like the zebra danio or cherry barb. You may notice your fish tank cycle kicking in gear if you start to get some white cloudy aquarium water after a few days.

STEP 10. Add tropical fish.
Only add one or two fish at a time. Adding a couple fish at a time gives your filtration system the time needed to take on the increased biological load that the new fish introduce. When you bring the fish home let the bag float in the tank for about 15 minutes so that the fish can become acclimated to the temperature and pH of the aquarium water. After 5 minutes of floating the bag you should add some of the aquarium water to the bag so that the fish can become acclimated to the pH level in the aquarium. This will help reduce the amount of stress imposed on the fish. Stressed fish often leads to dead or diseased fish! Don’t feed your fish on the first day. They probably wouldn’t eat any food on the first day anyway. Let them get acquainted with their new home.

STEP 11. Get ready for regular maintenance.
Be prepared to spend some time once every week or two to clean your tank. Performing regular water changes will reduce the nitrate levels and keep your tropical fish happy and healthy.

Call or Visit us today for a free consultation.
http://www.malibuaquariumservice.com/
(818) 800-3474
At Malibu Aquarium Service Services we believe in providing top quality professional service for your aquatic system. Whether you are looking to set up a new display, relocate your system, upgrade an existing aquarium or find reliable, experienced service; look no further. Contact us and we will work with you to provide a custom plan suited to your specific needs.
Call or Visit us today for a free consultation.http://www.malibuaquariumservice.com/
(818) 800-3474
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Elements of a Freshwater Aquarium Setup: The Fish Tank

Dec 14th, 2009
by Aquarium Lover.
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Being able to choose the correct fish tank is very beneficial if you want to have a lasting relationship with any of your fish. Most errors are created by the underestimation of things involved in the simplest of freshwater aquarium setups, and cause unwanted side effects, wasting a lot of money in the long run if you’re not careful enough.

The perfect setup location
Choose a permanent location for your freshwater aquarium setup. As big as the fish tank is, you won’t really be able to move it freely around the house. The location that you are going to choose must also make all of the equipments needed very accessible. It also needs to be placed conveniently near to a water source.

Place the fish tank over a well-supported base
Place you fish tank over a base support that is very sturdy and can withstand the full weight of the tank with the water inside. If you don’t have anything like that in your house, then you may opt to purchase special, customized furniture for aquarium use.

No sunlight should enter the fish tank
Never place the fish tank where it could be hit by direct sunlight. Sunlight promotes algae growth, and believe me: you won’t like it when that green monster starts crawling all over your fish tank! Sunlight also causes the temperature of the water to rise, which could prove fatal to some delicate fish.

Don’t put the fish tank in “high-activity” areas
Don’t place the tank where there is always bustling activity or constant movement. Big organisms that go past and by the fish tank (in case you’re wondering, that’s us) can really stress out fish. 

Place the fish tank at a well grounded area away from electric hazards
Even though all equipments should be near the fish tanks, you must also be wary of electrical lines around it. Make sure that they are placed at a safe location, away from where the water is usually located.

Fish tanks should be placed at a considerable height
Fish tanks should be at a level where anyone can see them nicely. Having a good fish tank height is also useful, because it allows easy maintenance.

Large tanks for minimal maintenance
Choose a tank that is fairly large enough to accommodate the space needed, in case you want to add more fish later on. A larger tank also helps regulate the water chemistry, doing wonders for beginners who usually don’t have the ability to closely monitor these levels.

Large surface area tanks promote gas exchange
Largeness in size also accommodates enough space for the gas exchange cycle (it is a cycle where oxygen enters the water in exchange for the waste gases in the water). It is usually recommended to use tanks with more surface area than fish tanks with more depth, as this kind of tanks further promotes the gas exchange cycle.

Sandra Gaffney is a freshwater aquarium expert. For more great tips on
freshwater aquarium
setup, visit

http://www.myfreshwateraquariumsecrets.com/

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/elements-of-a-freshwater-aquarium-setup-the-fish-tank-1580269.html


Owning a Freshwater Aquarium: The Basic Ideas

Dec 9th, 2009
by Aquarium Lover.
No comments yet

Whether it’s for the calm and soothing ambience looking at aquariums provides, or the thrill of being able to watch a miniature representation of marine life in your room, owning an aquarium works wonders with whomever it has captivated, letting hobbyists an aquarium’s inner beauty, which remains unseen by the non-enthusiasts. However, actually taking good care of the freshwater aquarium is another different thing altogether. No, it’s not maintenance, but the basic ideas that surround the hobby and can help you maintain your enthusiasm as bona fide aquarist.

Aquariums must be able to support life
Obviously, I mean, why would anyone have a freshwater aquarium setup in the first place? Aquariums are to be filled with aquatic life, and it is necessary that you prepare the fish tank in order to make it capable of supporting life and keeping its occupants alive. Although it is termed as a miniature underwater ecosystem, an aquarium grossly lacks many elements that an actual ecosystem needs to support life, and at most times, would need outside intervention for fish and plants to continue living. This outside intervention has to be supplied by the aquarist himself or herself.

Water chemistry and general composition plays a key role in this part, as certain substances, like ammonia, grow in an aquarium over time, and you would need several countermeasures (in ammonia, for example, biological filtration) to keep the balance intact. Consistency of the water chemistry is also equally important, because you greatly risk stressing you fish when the water chemistry levels are always fluctuating, especially in the case of the water pH levels of your aquarium.

Aquarium setups need to kept that way
This means that you have to maintain the current elements that are present in your aquarium at maximum efficiency. To ensure that all of these elements are in prime working condition, diligence is required, because even if you know the dangers involved in the misuse of these elements, if you don’t understand the grave consequences that you have to face, then you won’t be capable of keeping the aquarium healthy.

There are actually many steps required to maintain a working fish tank with all of the fish (and plants, if there are) intact, and doing this at regular intervals can sometimes make even the most diligent person weary. However, should your passion and love for your hobby prevail, then there would probably be no problems with you taking care of the aquarium for a very long time.

Set the aquarium at the best area in the house
Most people would like their aquariums placed in living rooms or in their own personal rooms, which is not necessarily wrong, although there are times when having a freshwater aquarium setup at a certain place cannot is not advisable. Look for areas nearest to a source of water; it is highly recommended that you place an aquarium where there is water nearby, so you can do partial changes, or throw dirty water away in a jiffy.

It should also be near enough to natural or artificial lighting (other than the one inside the tank) and must be near to an outlet for electricity. Getting the tank out of any major corridor or passageway is also important. Now, these things might be obvious, but bear in mind that you have to combine all of these values with the tank’s nearness to a source of water for its location to actually be convenient.

Sandra Gaffney is a freshwater aquarium expert. For more great tips on
freshwater aquarium
setup, visit

http://www.myfreshwateraquariumsecrets.com/

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/owning-a-freshwater-aquarium-the-basic-ideas-1557460.html


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