This page is broken down into three categories. They are Tank and Equipment FAQs, Water FAQs, and Fish FAQs.
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Q: What size tank should I use for my first aquarium?
A:
If you�ve asked this question before somewhere else, you�re probably going to get the same answer. If this is your first aquarium, you should look at getting about a twenty gallon tank. �Why not start out small?�, you may ask. To put it simply, bigger is better. First off, small tanks are hard to get a balanced system going on inside. Since there is less water, the temperature can fluctuate more easily and prove fatal to your fish if an open window lets in a draft overnight. Water changes will need to be done more frequently with a small tank because of the higher concentration of ammonia and nitrates in the water (especially with an overstocked aquarium). Doing a water change in a five gallon tank is quite difficult, and can be more of a hassle than with a larger tank. Also, if you have kids, they will probably want more than two or three fish in their aquarium, so why not get a bigger tank so that your young ones can have a variety of fish. If you�re really pushed for budget or space, don�t get anything smaller than a ten gallon (long) tank (unless it�s for a Betta, which can live adequately in a goldfish bowl or a Betta-View).
Q: Should I get a tank made from glass or plastic?
A: It depends. Even though plastic tanks are a bit cheaper and come in a variety of shapes, they are prone to scratch marks, even those made by a Pleco or any other sucker-mouthed catfish. Glass tanks tend to be slightly more expensive but are stronger and often tanks that are fifty-five gallons and above are only made in glass. Glass is more scratch resistant than plastic and can withstand a greater amount of water pressure in a deeper tank. To tell if a tank is made of plastic or glass, look at the corners and edges. Seams (pieces of glass bonded with silicon) or metal corners suggest a glass tank, while seamless, rounded corners (made from a one piece construction) are plastic. If at all possible, buy a glass tank. On a side note, never use a strip thermometer that you stick on the outside of a tank on a plastic tank. Plastic is such a good insulator that the reading would be closer to the room�s temperature than that of the tank.
Q: Which type of filter should I get?
A: When you go shopping for a filter there are lots of different types. It�s possible to get a good filter for about fifteen bucks, while it�s also possible to get a bad filter for fifty dollars. It all depends on the quality. As me, I use a standard Aquaclear power filter in my tank and it has worked great.
A power filter means that it doesn�t require an air supply (like many other types of filters do), but rather draws water up through a siphon powered by a motor and pulls the water through various types of media before returning it to the tank. These media use different types of mechanical, chemical, and biological filtration. Mechanical filtration means that water is sent through a strainer of some sort (like a foam block or nylon wool) that removes large pieces of debris, while chemical filtration absorbs various compounds into the media (Thanks for fixing this, Greg). Biological filtration uses bacteria to break down fish waste and uneaten food, usually by eating it. All tanks have some sort of bacteria that lives in the gravel and provides biological filtration.
I use three cartridges in my filter. They rely on mechanical, chemical, and biological methods of filtration. They are as follows: a foam block insert used to remove food and debris from the water, an activated carbon insert used to remove harmful chemicals from the water and to treat the water as well (if you use medication, be sure to remove the carbon insert or else it will absorb all the medicine), and an ammonia-rid insert that helps control the toxic ammonia levels in the tank. Although these need to be rinsed weekly and changed every month or so, they offer the easiest way to filter a tank (Note: Never change all two or three filter media at the same time, change only one per week or else your tanks balance will be thrown off).
Another great type of filter is the undergravel filter, also known as a biological filter. This filter relies entirely on bacteria in the aquarium to breakdown waste and food and use this as food for themselves. The great thing about an undergravel filter is that you don�t have any filter inserts to replace.
Other filters include: sponge filters (great for a fry tank), an internal box filter (also for fry), canister filters (works a lot like a power filter only it�s submerged in the water, while a power filter hangs off the back of the tank), and a wet-dry filter (usually only used for salt water aquariums, but you can use it for freshwater, especially for a cichlid or other large tank; they are expensive and I only recommend it for people who have a bit of knowledge on how to use one correctly) to name a few.
In conclusion, getting either a power filter or an undergravel filter is your best bet, unless you plan to raise fry or certain types of large cichlids, which should use appropriate filtration.
Q: What type of lights should I use?
A: There are many types of lighting out there, but the best type is fluorescent lighting. Fluorescent lighting offers plants, fish, and the entire aquarium the best kind of light it can receive. Fluorescent lights also last long and produce very little heat, which is good because you don�t want to cook your fish!
Second, I would recommend, especially for a beginner, incandescent bulbs. They are disliked by many aquarists, but I have found them to be reliable as long as they are not left on for hours upon hours. They are inexpensive and come in a variety of colors which are supposed to help the quality of fish and plants (Is this true? Email me with your opinion).
Here's Greg Letiecq's ideas towards incandescent bulbs from an e-mail he sent me:
There are a number of reasons why we don't use them. First, in terms of
light per watt, they are horribly inefficient. Flourescents are much
less expensive to operate. You recognize the heat output as an issue,
yet there's also a light spectrum issue. Incandescents are designed to
be pleasing to the eye, not necessarily useful to chlorophyll.
Incandescent spectrum are notoriously inaqequate for plant growth.
Even better, generally, are Metal Halide lights. More efficient, and
often better spectrally than standard fluroescent tubes.
Q: What kind of decorations are okay to add to my aquarium?
A: For the better half, it�s up to your own taste. Some people like natural looking aquariums while others have tanks with day-glo orange gravel and a Mickey Mouse aerator. Anything bought in a pet store is generally okay to add to your aquarium, but be wary of things you collect yourself. Don�t use beach sand (or any sand, for that matter) for your aquarium unless you know how to properly treat it. Certain rocks can, and will, make your water very hard and cloudy and otherwise difficult to maintain. Some rocks are okay, but to be sure only use rocks bought in a pet store. Driftwood can be added to any tank as long as it is treated properly. Just because driftwood may be treated in an art supply store, doesn�t mean it�s treated to go into an aquarium. Also, always use aquarium gravel. Never collect your own unless you�re an experienced aquarist.
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Water FAQs
Q: What temperature should I keep my tank at?
A: If you�re keeping a community tank of tropicals, a good temperature is about 77 degrees fahrenheit. You can, however, keep a good tank at anywhere between 70 and 80 degrees fahrenheit. Consider, though, that at lower temperatures fish are more vulnerable to diseases and are less active. At a higher temperature, fish are more active and would require more feeding. Some species are exceptions to these extremes, though. Goldfish, for instance, can survive in water as low as 60 degrees while certain types of tropicals can do good in temperature as high as 90 degrees! Always research the types of fish you�ll be getting to find out what�s a good temperature for them.
Q: What�s pH and the pH scale?
A: pH is the scale used to measure water�s acidity or alkalinity. The scale ranges from 1 to 14; 1 being the most acidic and 14 being the most alkaline. A pH of 7 is said to be neutral, meaning it is neither acidic or basic (another word for alkaline). Most fish will do well in a pH of about 7, while some fish prefer slightly higher or lower pH. Goldfish, livebearers , and some cichlids like a pH between 7 and 8. Barbs, tetras, discus, and other such fish like a pH at about 6 to 6.5. Levels of pH below 6 or above 8 are considered dangerous. There are a wide variety of products out there to help raise, lower, and maintain pH levels. Wardley�s pH UP and pH DOWN work great, but should be used with caution as to how much is used.
However, no two aquarists agree on the same thing, because here's Greg Letiecq's thoughts on pH:
Monkeying with pH should be strongly discouraged unless no other
alternative is available. These additives can cause algae blooms,
provide rapid and uncontrolled pH shifts that harm fish, and are
difficult to administer in a controlled manner. African Cichlids
require unusually high pH levels, which can be easily provided with
limestone and calcerous substrates. Discus and other low pH fish may be
maintained using peat, but only if necessary. Encouraging beginners to
dump reactive compounds in their tanks will often result in disaster.
Q: What are Nitrites and Nitrates?
A: I�ll keep it as simple as I can in this explanation as possible. When you first add fish to an aquarium, you start something called the nitrification cycle. The fish start releasing waste into the water and contaminating it. Luckily, there are bacteria that eat this waste and turn it into nitrites. Nitrites, although less harmful than the waste, are not good for an aquarium. During the first few weeks, you�ll see your ammonia (waste) levels and your nitrite levels raise and grow. Do not add more fish during this time or else it will kill them. After a month or so, your nitrite levels will have peeked and will start dropping along with your ammonia rates. This is because a new type of bacteria is in the water now converting your nitrites into nitrates. Nitrates are much less harmful than nitrites, but are still not good for fish. Frequent water changes help control nitrate levels and keep your fish healthy. After a few months your ammonia levels should be at zero, your nitrite levels should be about zero, and your nitrate levels should be at just above zero (If you�ve been maintaining your tank properly!).
Q: Can I use tap water?
A: NO! Never use tap water or else it will kill your fish! Cities treat their water with either chlorine or chloramine. These chemicals are harmful to fish and plants. Use a chlorine/chloramine remover so that it is acceptable for your fish. Also, check your water�s pH level. It may be extremely higher than you think.
Should I use an aeration device?
A:An aerator, whether a simple airstone or a bubbling treasure chest, will help out all aquarium fish except bettas (they live in a still marsh environment). The bubbles add oxygen to the water which the fish need to breathe when they burst at the surface. However, be careful not to leave the air on continuously. The fish may become dependent on it and die if the aerator was suddenly turned off for a long period of time (like during a power outage).
Again, here's another view point from Greg Letiecq:
Bubbles in the water contribute so little to gas exchange that their
effects can pretty much be ignored. The vast majority of gas exchange
occurrs at the water's surface, so in order to increase gas exchange
(usually unnecessary) you are better off working on increasing surface
turbulence.
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Fish FAQs
Q: How many fish can I safely keep in my aquarium?
A: Many books will tell you one inch of fish per gallon of water. This is a bad formula because it all depends on the size of your tank and fish. I�ve found a different formula that works out better, in my opinion. First, measure the length and width (not height) of your tank. Multiply these two numbers to get your surface area. Lets say that our tank has a length of 20 inches and a width of 12 inches. 12 x 10 equals 120 square inches, which is the surface area. For fish that are two inches long and under (from nose to base of tail), they will require 6 square inches of surface per inch of fish. So if you have a 1 inch fish, it will need 6 square inches of water surface. Our tank above could hold 20 of these fishes. If you have a two inch fish, it will require 12 square inches. Our tank could hold 10 of these such fish. Now, for fish between 2 and four inches, they will require 9 square inches of water surface area for every inch of fish. Fishes between 4 and 9 inches will need between 10 and 15 square inches per inch of fish. For fish bigger than 9 inches, you should reconsider this type of fish as being your first. You�re a beginner, remember?
What type of food should I feed my fish?
A: There are many types of food out there, but for the most part a simple tropical flake food will do for most fish. Any brand will do, but I like TopFin and Wardley�s flakes the best. There are also pellet foods on the market that work just as well. There are also such food as freeze dried bloodworms (which my fish love), freeze dried plankton, and freeze dried brine shrimp which all should only be used as a diet supplement or treats. Besides these, there are also food specially designed for catfish called sinking wafers and algae wafers. I�ve had no experience with these so I don�t know how well fish take to them. Live foods are also available in some stores and fish will go crazy over them, but they can get expensive and most fish will live fine without them.
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