Setting Up Your Aquarium
This article is largely based on a chapter in the book 'Australian Native Fishes for Aquariums', by Ray Leggett and John Merrick, and the material is used with the permission of the authors. For further information contact John.Merrick@gse.mq.edu.au
1. Size & Position 2. Substrate & Plants 3. Lighting
4. Water Quality & Temperature 5. Filters & Aeration 6. Stocking your Aquarium
Size and Position.
The Aquarium you decide to buy will generally be of sufficient size for the fish that you intend to keep but also as large has financially permissible. Australian native fishes on average do quite well in a planted 90cm L x 45cm D x 45cm W aquarium, however if you only intend to keep the smaller of these fish e.g.; blue-eyes or rhad's you could setup a 60cm L x 30cm D x 30cm W aquarium. A word of caution here! it is normally easier looking after a larger aquarium than a smaller one, also the pH & water temperature will be more easily controlled in the larger aquarium.
Native species are often quite aggressive toward each other so there needs to be cover and enough room for an individual to get away when it is chased. Place the aquarium in a position where it will get some natural light; this will stimulate good plant growth and some sparkling displays of color from your fishes. Check that the aquarium stand or base is strongly constructed and that when filled the aquarium will be level. Before going any further fill the aquarium with water and check for leaks!
This is just a precaution but it is better to check now than finding out after the gravel and other decor is added that the aquarium leaks.
Substrate and Plants.
The next job is to obtain the substrate; a thoroughly washed river gravel {average size 2-3 mm} is ideal,you are able to obtain this at any good aquarium shop. Most fishes display there best colors against a darker background, so a brown or black gravel is preferable. Before placing the gravel in the aquarium wash it even if you bought it at a aquarium shop as most gravel is not washed thoroughly before being sold.
Place enough gravel to cover the bottom of the aquarium to an average depth of 70 mm. If sub-gravel or undergravel filters are to be used they should be installed first and the gravel placed over them { Note undergravel filters are not recommended if you are going to plant anything but your basic bunch plants }. More information is given about plants in the section Plants and Your Fish The Do's and Don'ts. Leave a greater depth of gravel at the back and ends where plants are often placed. Finally, if required, driftwood and rocks can now be positioned to achieve a balanced effect. It is advisable to check that the gravel, rock and wood used is safe and will not alter the pH or increase water hardness.
Generally materials from ocean beaches, such as shellgrit or coral are not used in freshwater aquariums. A good way to make the aquarium more attractive is to use a background image which can be easily taped to the outside of the back glass. These sheets are easily purchased and depict a whole range of underwater scenes. An alternative method is to paint the outside of the glass. Blue, green or brown can look good; by using a combination of these colors you can create your own underwater design. Other methods of creating a wall background are!
1; apply a nontoxic paint or glue to the inside of the glass. While the compound is still wet and sticky apply sand, gravel or peat on it and leave to dry. When the material used is dry rinse several times to remove all loose material. The result can be very effective! looking like a creek bank. Consult your local aquarium shop or fish society for advice on the best materials,paints and glue to use.
2; Or you can just buy a prefabricated background from your local aquarium shop, these backgrounds are not cheap but if you want a background without the hassles this is the easy way out. The aquarium is now ready for filling; and this process should be done in 2 stages. Firstly, add water slowly up to the half way mark. Ensure that the stand is steady; it is important that all legs are taking the load. Once the aquarium is filled it is a good practice to leave it settle for 24 hours before adding plants then another 24 hours before adding your fish. Adding an aquarium thermometer in the tank will help you keep an eye on the water temp, it should stay between 18ºC and 27ºC if after 24 hours, the temperature is still below 18ºC then install a reliable fully submersible heater which are now readily available and best results are obtained if the unit is placed where a flow of water passes over it.
Rocks, driftwood or plants can be used to hide the heater from view. {Do not place the heater under driftwood or let the heater touch the glass sides or the gravel}. Only use healthy, growing plants and remember to check for snails or their eggs. When planting, allow some space for growth and leave sufficient swimming area for the fishes. Be careful not to bury the crown of a plant; small rocks may be necessary to hold the plants in place until their root systems become established. Water of approximately 100 p.p.m. Total hardness and a neutral pH {about 7.0} suits most fish species, so plants that do well in this type of water should be chosen. The second and final stage of filling should also be done slowly. To reduce turbulence from the incoming water and avoid disturbing the gravel or plants, place a sheet of plastic on the water surface under the inlet See picture.
Lighting.
The correct lighting for the aquarium can be the most difficult part of all. Here are a few tips and suggestions which should help to maintain an attractive display all year around.
If you are only keeping fish and have no intentions of growing plants than you could use only one light tube for a tank up to 45cm wide, but if your going to be growing plants than you will need 2 tubes add possibly 3 for a 60cm wide aquarium and also depending on the depth of the aquarium.
The general rule is that if the plants are growing and look healthy then the lighting is probably correct. To achieve this desirable situation with a new aquarium, start by providing 10 hours of artificial light each day. After 7 days green algae should be beginning to grow on the front glass; if not, increase the amount of light by adding another fluorescent tube, rather than by more hours of illumination.
If algae is growing rapidly in the tank then reduce the amount of time that the lights are on for. A good way of keeping the lighting time consistent is to connect your light to a timer which can be bought at any hardware shop. The type of lighting used can vary widely and there are now a wide variety of fluorescent tubes has well as metal halide lights made especially for aquarium conditions. Choosing a tube that has been designed for plant growth has the added advantage that it will also display your fishes well. Metal Halide lights are quite good for plants but suffer the disadvantage of generating a lot of heat; this can be a problem in summer. A detail discussion on the type of lights you can use on aquariums.
The positions of individual lights can also be important. For example, many fish species look their best with light reflecting from their scales; so at least one light, above and at the front of the aquarium is recommended, but this is not always practicable. Some plants require much more light than others and with a large aquarium in placing light-loving plants directly below your lights.
Water Quality And Temperature.
It is necessary to maintain favorable water conditions all the time. Water quality is a very complicated subject - whole books and more recently internet website's have been written about the chemical reactions that occur in water. The most important factors, which can be tested easily, are discussed below.
When you maintain good water quality you are minimizing the number of potential disease problems. Features such as temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen and hardness are the most important factors; recommended levels for major water quality features are Temp ºC 18- 27, pH 6.5 - 8.0, O2 Levels > 5 p.p.m. Total Hardness 100 p.p.m. There are a number of kits available which enable you to test accurately for all these factors; regular partial water changes of 20% per fortnight also help in keeping your water quality, feeding moderate amounts of food and minimal use of drugs are the best ways to prevent water quality problems.
When doing a water change, siphon from the bottom to remove any dead leaves or other waste that has not found its way into the filter, this can be easily done by buying a siphoning tube & cylinder from an aquarium shop. When adding new water it is better to use water that has been allowed to age for at least 24-48 hours before adding it to your tank but if you are unable to do this than a neutralizer should be added to the water to eliminate the chlorine's, chloramine and ammonia from the water. Most Australian freshwater fishes can tolerate quite considerable changes in temperature from 15ºC to 30ºC.
In a display aquarium avoid temperature variation of more than 3-4ºC at a time, you could also set a heater to maintain a minimum of 18ºC. In contrast, to stimulate spawning it is often necessary to allow temperature to drop a few degrees and then raise it again.
Filters and Aeration.
The last two chapters are of no use if the water is not clear and sparkling; the water will remain in good condition with 20% water changes once a fortnight. Most display aquarium contain quite large numbers of fishes and some filtration is necessary; the filter system chosen should be the best you can afford.
There is a big variety of filters on the market but in general the clearer the water the better, especially if the aquarist wishes to take photographs. The main types of filters are briefly discussed below. Undergravel filters are very effective and have been used successfully for many years, but are outdated and hardly used these days, also this is not a recommended filter if you intend to grow anything more than your common bunch plants.
If choosing an undergravel filter it is best to choose a filter or combination of filters that cover the entire bottom of the aquarium. A minimum thickness of 40mm of gravel should cover the filter. Anerobic bacteria soon becomes established in this base and helps convert the fish wastes into nitrates. These nitrates are in turn used by the plants and so a balanced system develops. Internal corner filters, although cheap are generally only used in breeding aquarium these days for several reasons.
They take up valuable room inside the aquarium, are hard to hide and require frequent cleaning {once a week}; this cleaning can be a nuisance especially if the aquarium is built into a case or cupboard and is not very accessible. Outside filters do a good job; generally the better brands are now designed to make cleaning easy. By far the best type of filter these days are the External Canister Filters, these range from 600lt/per hour to over 2,000lt/per hour and only need to be cleaned every 2-4 weeks but for small aquarium you could still use the AQUACLEAR FILTERS.
Water cannot be too clean so it is better to have a filter which can handle the aquarium size {volume} with ease. For the removal of larger suspended particles filter wool is quite effective and should be used in the permanent filter. Remember that most plants suitable for aquariums grow in nature in quiet backwaters with little water movement, so be careful not to have a strong current from a filter flowing directly onto the leaves of tank plants.
Likewise, do not position air stones where streams of bubbles will buffet the plants. In closing a word on aerators; noisy air pumps are annoying and will reduce your enjoyment of the hobby. A few ways to keep your pump quite are listed here. Check that the diaphragm and valves are in good order; worn parts add to the noise levels and contribute to reduction of air output. Placing a piece of rubber or foam under the pump will also reduce the noise level. Make sure that before you add the fish that your aquarium has lids to place over it, or you might find some dead fish on your floor the next morning. This jumping behavior usually occurs when fishes are added to the aquarium; once they have settled in most species do not try to escape..
Stocking your Aquarium.
Selection of species for the aquarium should be made with reference to the behavior of the fishes in the wild; most native species are much more aggressive than goldfishes or other common aquarium species. For example, most gudgeons will attack anything small enough to be swallowed; grunters and perches are very territorial and will kill members of their own kind unless provided with plenty of hiding places and room to set up favorite resting sites. Problems can be avoided by keeping the number of each species low and providing plenty of cover {plants, logs or rocks}; the transfer of fishes to a new aquarium should be done slowly to give individuals time to adjust to the aquarium water.