Common Problems in Aquarium

You have finally have your aquarium set up. The fish and plants seem to live in joy. But wait.. a few days later everything turn to disaster..Fish starting to die, those green plants seem like dying, or is it..can't be sure about it.
Here is list of some known mistakes in setting up aquarium and solutions for them.

• Use of chlorinated water. Chlorine is an extremely toxic substance to aquatic inhabitants. 

Symptoms: fish are floating in the surface

Solution: In emergency cases, move your fish to some jar with pure distillate water or any other water that you can be certain do not contain any chlorine or other hazardous material. Provide aeration to the jar and let your fish heal. Do not feed the fish at this point.
Leave the filter on in your tank. Chlorine will be disappear on its own after some time around 24 hour and good water circulation will fasten the process. After 24 hour, the chlorine in the tank water should be gone, and if your fish in the quarantine jar is already healing,  you can safely put them back to the tank.

To avoid future problem,  allow chlorinated water to settle for at least 24 hour in a container before use for the tank. There are also agents sold at pet store to dechlorinate water. With this agent use, you can safely use chlorinate water to your tank. Just make sure you put in the right dosage, usually listed in the product.

•   Mixing different type of fish

There is nothing wrong in putting in different species of fish. However, you must be caution that certain fish are very territorial. Also some fish is very aggresive. Make sure you select the right species that can live along well. 

• Putting in a bunch of fish directly

Buying fish is very exciting. You might want to buy as much as fish your aquarium can hold. But this will cause a burst of ammonia that overcome that capacity of the tank biological filtration system.
It is better to put in the fish gradually.

• Overfeeding

Fish actually does not need to be fed very often. Don't worry about it.  There are a whole lot more fish die due to overfeeding than starving. 

• Overwhelming algae

Green..green..Algae seem to exist in every possible surface in the tank.  You can try to manually remove them but soon they reappear again.
Solution. See if your tank is getting direct sunlight. Direct sunlight will fasten the alga growth in several folds. If possible move your tank to place where it does not exposed by direct sunlight. Also do not leave on the lights in your aquarium all day long. You should cycle the lights on and off periode. There is timer for lights sold in the pet store.
If you are using fertilizor for your plants, use them with great care and not doing it excessively as any excess in nutrient that is not taken by the plants will be used by the algae.

Choosing the Right Aquarium Chiller

Factors you need to consider in choosing the aquarium chiller

• Aquarium size
• The temperature requirements of your aquarium inhabitants
• Heat genarating equipments eg lights
• The aquarium set up and available space

 The larger the aquarium, the more horsepower that is required for the chiller to maintain the proper temperature.When calculating your aquarium volume, remember to include the volume of water in the sum filter. The easiest way to calculate  the tank size is checking the label from the manufacturer, which mostly use gallons variable. But you can do a more precise calculation by simply doing a manual calculation. Multiply the length times the width times the height of the tank in inches and divide that number by 231 to get the volume in gallons. If the tank is not rectangular, such as hexagonal or bowfront, use an average measurement. For example, if it is bowfront, measure the width in the middle and on the end, and average the two measurements.
If your aquarium is equipped with a sum filter, add the volume of the tank with the volume of the sum filter box.

example: tank length

Most aquarium chillers in the market have a recommended tank size (provided by the manufacturer). Now that you have calculate your tank system total volume, it is easy for you to pick the right chiller.

Knowing the temperature requirement of the your aquarium inhabitants is invaluable information to help you setting up a perfect environment for them. You can get this data from the fish or plants sales, or you can search it online. The problem arise if you have aquarium with wide range temperature requirement species. It is best to have species of fish and plants with temperature requirement in a close range each other. If you still want to put in different type of species, the best way probably choosing an average temperature for these species. It is worthy to note that certain species are more prone to temperature variables while others are more adaptive. So in a mixed type aquarium inhabitants, it is better to have a more adaptive species.
General thumb rule in choosing a chiller is choose a chiller that effectively cools your aquarium water in the space and setup you have allotted. It is always better to choose chiller with larger capacity than the actual required one. This will make sure that your chiller does not work at its highest rate constantly, and this will add the durability and longevity of the chiller. 

Aquarium Hood

The function of aquarium hood, also called aquarium canopy is to cover the aquarium to prevent outside materials from coming in. Aquarium hoods also keep wayward  pets such as cats and ferrets  from making a planned attack to the aquarium citizens. Dust, smoke, pet dander and other airborne pollutants are also held at bay, helping to keep the tank water cleaner and healthier for a longer period of time.

Aquarium hood also reduce the evaporation of water. Installing hood also will increase aquarium temperature stability.  Hood is also useful to prevent your fish from jumping out of the tank. Some fish actually love jumping out of the water, maybe related to some dolphin-mania personality disorder.

Another important function of hood is  to support lighting fixtures for the tank. Many come with the right grooves and sections to support light fixtures that are typically available on the market for fish tanks.Hoods can also be used to install fans for the aquarium.

The hood you choose should be able to give you convenient access for feeding the fish as well as for putting through maintenance equipment whenever you need to clean the tank.

Aquarium hood also adds to the attractiveness of the aquarium. Pick the hood for your tank which is harmonious with the room, overall theme of the aquarium, and the aquarium stand can add significant beauty of the tank.

Aquarium hoods are predominately made from either wood, plastic or metal. You may also find hoods which may incorporate one or more of these materials.Each type of hood has its own advantages and drawbacks.

Wooden aquarium hoods can be made to match almost any décor and are very sturdy, however if they get wet they could suffer water damage. Wooden aquarium hoods may be made of fiberboard, or they can be constructed of purely solid woods. Either way, wooden aquarium hoods are much heavier than the plastic and metal hoods. One major drawback of solid wooden aquarium hoods is they can warp if they are not properly constructed and protected. The very moist heat rising from the tank beneath can ruin a wooden aquarium hood if it is not of quality construction.

Being made by the injection molding process, plastic hoods have the advantage of being lightweight and cheaper, but they also almost always look less appealing than those made of metal or wood, and are also not very sturdy. Plastic aquarium hoods can be used on both fresh and saltwater tank without having to worry about the aquarium hood suffering from moisture or corrosion damage. This type of aquarium hood also lends itself to being easy to modify by the owner, if there needs to be extra lighting or fixtures attached.

Metal aquarium hoods are generally powder coated aluminum. This type of coating gives the hoods a very pleasing finish which also provides excellent protection from corrosion. These metal hoods can be used for either fresh or saltwater aquariums.
Aquarium hoods will differ in features and in quality of construction depending on the price range you are willing to use. Lower priced aquarium hoods will be very basic, and have little more than a lighting fixture pre installed. As you go up in price range, the features and materials will change to more features and sturdier materials. By getting the more expensive models you can get an aquarium hood with extra lighting, recessed or hidden switches and feeding hatches. The higher priced hoods will of course look much more refined and compliment your fish tank.

If you’re purchasing an aquarium hood for a pre-existing tank, you’ll need to insure the hood you purchase will fit properly. Even if you think you know what size fish tank you have, measure it anyway. You’ll find that the time it take to measure is a lot less than the time it would require for you to return a hood that you were certain would fit, but didn’t.

If that isn’t reason enough, some aquariums may be of the same capacity, but have different dimensions. Sure, you may have a 30 gallon tank, but is it a 30L, or a regular size 30 gallon tank? You see, the 30L is six inches longer than its standard 30 gallon counterpart. It is also two inches shorter, thus the volume remains the same. By measuring before you purchase you can alleviate the headache before it begins, and get the correct aquarium hood the first time. (source http://www.aqua-fish.net/show.php?h=aquariumhoods)

Aquarium Gravel

There are several reason why we use gravel in aquarium. Aquarium gravel is beneficial  because it provides decoration, a way to anchor plants or other decorations and also serves as a biological filtration system.

Decoration

The gravel layer will give a terrific visual effect especially combined with some lightning effect.    A bare tank with no gravel may look drab and look less attractive. Because gravel comes in multiple colors and textures, it is easy to find gravel that will match the vibe you want from the fish tank.A fish tank with gravel is pleasing aesthetically and gives the aquarium a more natural feel.


Biological Filtration

Perhaps the most crucial benefit of gravel is that it provides a biological filtration system. Gravel layer serves a very large surface area for beneficial bacteria colonization.

Anchor for plants and other decoration

If you plan to grow plants, you will need something to anchor them down in. A 1-inch layer of gravel along the bottom of the aquarium will allow for enough gravel to support the weight of any plants. Also, some decorations need to be anchored down to prevent floating or being turned over easily. Gravel works to anchor plants and decorations so that the tank can hold the items you want it to hold.

Not all kind of gravel is suitable to use in aquarium although the color and shape is highly beautiful. The limitation comes from the fact that certain rocks will alter the water parameter. Some  rockst are highly calcareous – meaning they have a large amount of calcium which will alter the hardness and pH of  the water. This can be hazardous to the living inside the aquarium.

Rocks to Avoid include:

• Limestone
  
• Marble
  
• Geodes
  
• Dolomite
  
• Shells or crushed coral

Safer Rocks Include:

• Granite
• Quartz
  
• Slate
  
• Lava Rock
  
• Onyx
  
• Sandstone (should always test before using)

It is always best to test the gravel first before applying it to the tanks. Simple testing can be done using vinegar. Place a few drops of vinegar on the rock or gravel you are considering using. If it fizzes or foams, don't use it, as it contains calcium deposits. Another way of testing rocks and gravel is to place them in a bucket of the same water that you use in your aquarium. Test the pH and hardness before, and then let it sit for a week and test again. If there is a significant change, the rocks or gravel are likely to cause problems.

Generally gravel that are sold in the petstore are safe for aquarium use. But it won't hurt to test prior using them as not all aquarium suppliers understand about  this point.

Gravel should cover the aquarium bottom  of  approximately 3 inches deep.

Another important thing in setting up aquarium with gravel is to wash the gravel thoroughly before use.

Choosing the Aquarium

You have read enough guide, and you have decided to have your  very own tank. And you have also spot nice place where the tank will be. Now it's time to pick an aquarium.
Here ear several things need to be considered in choosing a tank.

• Tank size 

 First thing in choosing aquarium is to determine the size. Generally, larger aquarium is better because all water parameters such as temperature, oxygen level etc are much more stable. But if you are just starting your own first aquarium, a medium size aquarium of 50 gallon is sufficient. The aquarium size picking is very much determined by space available. When you pick tanks,  wider and longer tanks are usually better than taller tanks given the same volume. That's because a tank that is wider and longer will provide a larger water surface area. A larger water surface area helps promote oxygen exchange which is good for the fish in your tank. Also if you plan on for massive plants aquarium requring extensive lights , it will be easier for lights to penetrate in the less tall aquarium.

• Tank material

There is two widely used material for aquarium, glass and acrylic. Which one is better? There is no definite answer for this. Well, each one has their own pros and cons.

Pros for glass material are
- Cheaper
Glass aquariums are relatively cheaper than the acrylic aquariums.
- High scratch resistance
This will help keeping the clarity of aquarium
- More stable in color and shape. Unlike acrylic, glass does not change in color over time. Glass aquarium also does not tend to wrap.
- Due to its stability, glass tank does not need as much support as acrylic tank.

Cons for glass material
- Greater risk for leakage
- Glass material is heavier
- Higher crack risk
glass are prone to cracking from some bumps. So if you place the aquarium in public place or high traffic area than acrylic tank might be a better option.
- Less insulation
- Limited shape
- A bit troublesome for making adjustment such as making holes for pipes. This can be done only with special tools so that that glass tank won't crack.
- Glass tanks harder to find online since many shops won't ship them (due to weight considerations and potential for cracking)

Pros for acrylic glass
- less leakage
- high crack resistance
- much lighter
- comes in many cool and fancy shapes and size
- allows  easy adjustments such as making holes for filter pipe

Cons for acrylic glass
- easily scratch.  Acrylic tank will always gets scratches. Its just a matter of time. there have been ideas about removing scratch with sandpaper. But this is a very difficult task to do, and who would even bother to scrub sandpaper all over a 150 gallon tank.
- turn yellowish over time. This makes a nasty looking for your underworld empire.
- sagging” or warping. Acrylic does not hold its shape as wall as glass over long periods of time, with the weight of water pressing on it (water is a heavy substance).

• tank shape

Tank come in rectangular shape, square shape, hexagon, octagon, pentagon, bowl (round), half round.
Unless you are into  certain uncommon tank shapes, then rectangular shape is the best design tank in term of biological and mechanical.

After viewing the pros and cons for each type of material, I am sure by now you have decide which one you will go for. Happy tank hunting...

Aquarium Location

The very first thing to do in setting up a aquarium is to determine the location. This is a very crucial step to accomplish  even before getting any aquarium. If you are a huge aquarium fans then by knowing exactly the space avaible for the aquarium you can calculate the maximum size aquarium is possible.
Several factors need to be considered in determining aquarium location.

• Human traffic

 you don't want to put aquarium in a location with very high human traffic, especially area where kids would run around and play cowboy and horse stuff.  This will increase the risk of someone knocking at the aquarium causing unwanted hazard to the aquarium or even more matter hazard to people. Look for place where you can be certain that people are not rushing in that area. This is the first rule in picking an ideal aquarium location.

• Room temperature

 Aquarium needs a stable room temperature. Extreme changes in temperature can weaken the fishes immune systems and increase their risk of diseases. Ideal temperature for aquarium depends greatly on the living inside aquarium but generally it is in the range of 76 degrees and 82 degrees Fahrenheit. Too high temperature will reduce the number of  dissolved oxygen in water and this can be harmful to fish.  If temperature  is changing greatly such as in summer and winter, this is time when aquarium heater or chiller come handy.

• Windows, doors

 Placing aquarium near windows for several reasons is not a good choice. Placing a tank near natural sunlight will increase the growth of algae by many fold.  Once algae begins to conquer your aquarium, it can be a  really difficult probem  to get of.  All you see is green and green..algae all over any objects..That is really annoying. You can simply minimized this by avoiding direct sunlight into the tank. Another point to avoid choosing tank location near window  is that the  temperature of tank near a window is easily fluctuate. And also there might be hungry eagles that is patroling and eyeing your fish so you must be careful  about this :)
the same goes with doors. Tanks near door will suffer from continuous disturbance as people come in and out of the room. Not to mention a hard bang on the door will cause increasing heart beat of those little fish.

• Convinient water access

When we talk about convinient water access its not just about  easily supplying water to the tank but also how easy it is to dump the water from the tank especially in regular tank cleansing and maintance.

• Convinient electric access

As you know, it is almost impossible setting up a tank without the help of electric devices like filter, heater, air pump, lights and etc. It is much preferrable to have the electric socket located at upper level than the water. this will eliminate the risk of short circuting from water leaking

• Free space around the tank

We want to have a fairly amount of space arround the tank. This space is important so we can easily set up, and clean the tank.

Moving a well established aquarium is a hardcore job. So plan out carefully and start your aquarium in the right location from the very beginning and save yourself from pains  later on. When you start things correctly, there is nothing more soothing than the view of your well placed aquarium.

CO2 Aquarium System

 CO2 Aquarium System adds CO2 to the aquarium water. What is this for? I thought fish needs plenty O2 instead of CO2. The answer to the question is CO2 is great for aquascape aquarium or an aquarium with lots of live plants in it. Plants use CO2 as one of important nutrient. during the photosyntesis, plants uses light and CO2 to produce food they need for growth.
If there are fishes in the aquarium, then the CO2 supply might be sufficient from the waste of fish respiration. However,  large aquarium with lots of plants have much greater requirement for CO2 than the fish can provided. This is when we need to add CO2 to the aquarium.
CO2 can be put into the aquarium in there way

1. Bio system, in this methode CO2 is produced as a byproduct from fermenting sugar.The accumulated carbon dioxide travels through a reaction chamber and is then mixed with the aquarium water by means of a diffuser or a powerhead.
2. mechanically, this involves a tank of CO2 and let it bubbles the CO2 into the water.
3. chemically  or electrolysis system .this system uses block of carbon which is electrolysed  and relesease CO2.

there are many CO2 system that is avaiable in the market. There are even lots of DIY tutorial for supplying CO2 into the aquarium. Whichever technique used, it is most important to keep an eye for the level of CO2 in the water. high level CO2 in water is toxin.
measuring CO2 level in the water can be accomplished by watching the pH level of water. CO2 will lower the pH, makes it acid. Make sure that pH is not dropping under the level of 6.

Another tips while applying CO2 is  not to turn on any air bubbles. this simply because CO2 is easily released from the water and having a massive water flow to the surface by air bubble makes the CO2 in the water easily escape to the atmosphere.