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Gradually, those in the casual hobby began to
change the way things were done, and many of the mysteries
surrounding aquarium care
became better understood. From having kept aquariums now for
over 40 years, I
have used every type of
mechanical and biological approach to filtration and water
quality maintenance practiced
in the hobby. Recently,
currently running 120 tanks, a consistent, successful, low
maintenance method for setting
up every tank needed to
be established. This setup would need to breed many species in
large numbers that were
often considered
difficult or impossible to raise in quantity. Over time
inevitable losses occurred that contributed
new knowledge toward the
best way to raise and breed these fish, much of which has been
posted at selectaquatics.com.
After many years,
practices and habits have become routine, following what has
become an understanding of husbandry
specific to the
Livebearers, barbs and the catfishes raised and bred here.
First, my goal as a
breeder is to raise fish to be at their naturally healthiest.
The fish must fed 2-4 times per
day with a variety of
foods that best meets their needs. The Livebearers here require
some vegetable component to
their diet, so I
alternate a spirulina based food with a variety of live and dry higher protein foods.
They must have strong
immune systems that comes from overall good health, and not
having come from selectively
bred lines
kept in disease- suppressed environments was important. Many fancy guppy
hobbyists are aware of this as
immune system weakness
have been common in some lines.
Basic rules as not to
overcrowd, putting species together that get along (or best,
keeping single species tanks),
and providing standard
lighting and heating requirements are followed.
The thinking is that fish
have a certain amount of energy available to them, based on
their food intake, the quality
of the food they
are receiving, water quality, temperature, etc. Your goal is to have them
express that energy into
growth and breeding
activity. You do not want otherwise healthy looking fish using
their energy fighting other
issues- bullying from
tankmates, low oxygen levels and occasional presence of disease
as a result of overcrowding
or a dirty environment..
Even in single species tanks you must keep an eye out for
particularly dominant individuals
that are impacting the health of
other fish in the tank.
With the availability of
fish that have not had dozens of years in the commercial
aquarium hobby, and the goals of
many fishkeepers to
keep their fish as healthy as possible, the methods used to
maintain a successful
aquarium have evolved.
Water Quality:
When choosing what type of fish you wish to keep, whether live
plants will do well, which plants
to choose, and which fish
species may breed and thrive, you need to know what your basic
water parameters are.
This doesn’t mean that
you are going to raise or lower the pH or hardness. Today, the
essential need for water
changes means that the
water from your tap will be going into the aquarium at about 20%
1-2xs per week. It is
far better to choose to
keep fish that are best suited to the water you will be using.
Besides the difficulty of
maintaining good water
quality without water changes- if you do alter the water
chemistry, it becomes very
difficult to keep a
consistency that is best for the fish. It is simply easier,
cheaper and better for the
fish to keep species best
suited to your water. So before setting up the tank, get an idea
of your pH and
hardness, both
characteristics that can be easily determined with inexpensive
test kits available at your
local tropical fish
store..
To give you a basic idea
of parameters for various species, here is a brief and very
rough idea of the
importance of water
characteristics required by certain species. Keep in mind that
many species in a pet
shop can be gradually
acclimated to their local water parameters, but the fish may not
live their full lifespans,
and many will likely never breed.
African Rift Lake
cichlids require water of a higher pH to do well, and certainly
to breed. Many of these cichlids
(Lake Malawi, lake
Tangyanika and Lake Victoria) fish may require a pH of 8.2 – 9.0
in their tank. South Americans,
by contrast, must be
provided with softer water at a lower pH- Discus and Angelfish,
for example, will generally
do well at a pH of 6.6 –
7.0 Livebearers, primarily from Mexico (guppies, swords, mollies
and platies generally)
prefer slightly higher
than neutral pH, around 7.3 – 7.8, while many tetras prefer a
lower pH, similar to Discus
and Angelfish. Plants,
however, do best in softer water of a lower pH- 6.4 -7.8
(depending on the type of plants
you wish to keep).
To keep a successful tank
you will need to do regular water changes, and the qualities of
your tap water are
what you will be working
with. It will not be necessary to test your water regularly,
unless there is a problem
that could be due
to high ammonia or nitrate levels. Buffers are available from
most pet shops that will
maintain your pH at another point, but it is
an added expense, and in combination with water changes,
the pH and must be
checked and adjusted on a regular basis to keep the water
artificially consistent.
In some cities, water
qualities are not consistent throughout the year. For example,
in the spring your water
department may add
algeacides to the drinking water to protect the reservoirs,
which are often recognized by
aquarists through ammonia
spikes in water quality. In some cities the spikes are
enough to wipe out tanks
of fish after a water
change. Calls to the city are generally unproductive. Some
fishkeepers will keep water
change water in buckets
or containers in the spring to let the water “de-gas” before
adding it to their tanks
when these problems
occur. They claim doing so avoids much of the problem, but you
may want to test the
water before using it during
those times of the year, and it is usually over in about 2
weeks. If you are doing
regular water changes of
at least 20% a week on the tank, the need to test for ammonia or
nitrates only
becomes necessary if a
problem develops.
When setting up the tank:
Choose the appropriately
sized tank for the fish you are keeping, based on how big
they will be as adults.
Also keep in mind that
the larger the body of water, the more stable biologically it
will be. For example,
if a 2 inch fish dies in
a 30 gallon aquarium, it will likely not affect the ammonia
level of the tank, causing
problems for the other
fish. However, if a 2 inch fish dies in a 10 gallon tank, and is
not noticed or removed
before it begins to break
down, it could cause an ammonia spike to occur, possibly
leading to more deaths.
Generally, a larger tank
is going to require less attention than a smaller tank, and the
potential to provide
a more natural
environment for the fish is far better with a larger tank.
You want to move the fish
once established as rarely as possible. Once the fish are in,
let the tank, as a
rule, be theirs, as the
fish we keep, like all of us, do best in as consistent an
environment as possible.
The single biggest cause
of setbacks in fish ties back to accumulated stress from
inconsistencies- in their
environment, tankmate
changes, etc.
There is
also no need to avoid or postpone maintenance out of concern for
bothering the fish. The benefits gained
from maintenance far outweigh the effects on the fish from the
amount of disruption caused, unless, of course, a
pair is spawning or their are new fry being protected.
Disruption can easily cause a spawn to be eaten. But the fish
here
enjoy a frequent but gentle relationshiop with my forearm as it
slowly moves through the tank to clean under
breeding pots, pleco caves, etc. Over time the fish learn how to
respond to your behavior. They see a food container,
they come to the front to beg for food, a net, and they all
scatter into the plants. Then, removing the top to insert
a bare forearm tells them the tank is being maintained, and I am
not interested in anyone specifically, so they swim
out around my arm without concern. in return, I try not to stir
up any debris or significantly alter the layout of the
tank unless it is absolutely necessary, and if i remove
everything for some reason, I always put the tank back
together as it was.
One consideration is to keep
the tanks fairly similar in size and setup. With knowledge that
the temperatures
stay about the same, I
will occasionally move fish between tanks that are similar, when necessary.
____________________________________________________________________________________
When the
tank is being put together- gravel. decorations, plants, etc., think in terms of
“How much biological
load do I wish to
introduce to the tank?”
A barebottom glass tank
with nothing other than a filter, light, heat and the fish will
carry very little detrimental
biological load, but it is not the best setup. Nitrifying bacterial film will form on
everything, so the only bacterial
activity
occurs on the surfaces of the glass. A sucker catfish will
remove most of that, providing an environment
dependant on consistent, substantial water changes to provide
for the fish. It is possible to keep a tank "too clean".
A component of biological
filtration must be a part of the filtration of the tank. Some
fish, though the water is clean,
will not survive long
term without some form of biological filtration in the tank.
This tank would likely become
overwhelmed by excess organic waste fairly easily.
With the addition of sand or
gravel, you bring in material that will collect organic matter,
and that also
increases the
surface area in the tank for bacteria to develop. However, if
the sand/ gravel is deep enough
(about ½
inch) for sand, 1 inch for gravel (or any substrate, soil,
etc.), areas that may not be regularly
disturbed
will become oxygen deprived, and types of bacteria that thrive
in that environment (anaerobic
bacteria)
develop. Their production of hydrogen sulfide gas is the “rotten
egg” smell that is evident when
cleaning a
particularly dirty aquarium, and this gas is toxic to fish. As
well, large areas of the tank may be
harboring biological
activity you may not want or need, and that the fish must expend
energy to accommodate
through disease resistence, possible lower oxygen levels, etc.
So gravel can
be used to supplement natural filtration through the positive
introduction of nitrifying bacteria.
The gravel
must not collect mulm, or be deep enough to develop anaerobic
areas. Other scientific facilities have
been using
this principle to maintain healthy fish and tanks for many
years. Because I strive for a more natural
look to my
tanks, I will sift standard pea gravel through a ¼” steel fence
mesh, and sprinkle the ¼” or larger
stones across
about ½ of the bottom of the aquarium, 1 pebble deep. Any gravel
large enough so that it will not
collect mulm,
or such that any detritus can be seen easily and siphoned away
will work. This will be the substrate.
Painting the outside of
the bottom of the tank, or covering it with a dark material contributes to the fish
being
more
comfortable, and it also subdues any reflection or glare from the
spots where the bare glass is evident.
A tank
following these principals can be set up to look just as natural
and attractive as any tank with an inch of
gravel. But
primarily, it is much better for the fish. Maintenance is easier
for you, and incidences of disease will
be
infrequent. When there is a problem, it can be easily identified
and remedied as the tank is set up simply and
portably .
Filtration can become
fairly complex, when in fact a well kept, maintained and under
control tank environment
will require filtration
provided by the simplest and most inexpensive of filters. Simple
1960’s era box filters are
used here (made and sold
by Jehmco) filled with polyester floss, and weighted with inert,
glass marbles.
The floss
is then changed monthly. Regular water changes, a substrate of a
single layer thick ¼ pebble
gravel over just half of
the tank, and lots of live plants complete the filtration
process.
Types of Filters:
No Filter at all-
A tank can be maintained with aeration (an airstone), live
plants, light, regular water changes and
a low number of fish.
Aquarists primarily focused on plants have explored many ways to
maintain aquariums using
plants, water changes and
low fish load as the only means of maintaining water quality.
The concept is great when
well maintained, or when
the lack of active filtration is the focus of the tank, or its
function requires a lack of
filtration. Anabantid
pairs (Bettas and Gouramis) are often bred in tanks without
filtration and lots of plants. This
provides a natural
environment without the surface turbulence that interferes with
their bubble nests. This has
its advantages if you are
willing to spend more time and effort, but you may need to keep
fewer fish than you may
want.
Under gravel filters-
Composed of a plate that lies below the gravel, it
revolutionized the hobby when first
introduced in 1955. It
uses the assumed 1-2 inch gravel layer on the bottom of the tank
as its filter medium.
Uplift tubes pull water
through the gravel down to a slotted plate and back into the aquarium.
Unfortunately, to fully
clean the gravel, you
need to tear down the aquarium. The result is that most tanks go
neglected with occasional
gravel siphon jobs until
dirt collects to toxic levels in the gravel. The gravel is often
exposed by the fish by digging,
negating its effect on
the rest of the tank. Then, when a fish gets below the plate, the
tank must be taken apart to
retrieve it. Lastly,
plant roots do not do well over an ungergravel plate, and plants
do not last long when planted
over them. Today, few aquarists
setting out to put together a clean, healthy tank do so with an
undergravel filter.
Inside-the-tank box
Filters- Admittedly, a very “old fashioned’ type of filter,
they are actually one of the most
effective, simplest and
easiest to maintain. There are no moving parts, and filters that
are 30 years old work as
well as the day they were
bought. And they are inexpensive, at generally under $10 each.
But because they have
given way to far more
elaborate types of filters, box filters are rarely seen, and
only available online through
vendors such as Jehmco.
As well, box filters are not especially attractive for a tank
striving for a natural
appearance. But their
cost, ease of maintenance and durability make them a favorite of serious breeders.
Hang-on the side
Filters- These are all generally fine, as long as they are
kept relatively clean, and the
fishkeeper does not mind
paying for premade cartridges. The issue becomes how
big of a unit do you
need? Generally, a filter
that runs the tank volume at least 7-10 times per hour is good.
You cannot overfilter
an aquarium. The limiting
factor is the strength of the output. You don’t want to put a
filter on a tank that
disturbs the tank to a
large degree- water movement for some species is fine- fish from
moving streams
may even require it- but
as a rule the fitration does not need to be so strong that the
fish must find refuge
to avoid it. There must be large calm
areas in the tank for the fish to be able hang out comfortably.
Sponge Filters-
These are great for introducing biological filtration to an
aquarium. When raising egg layer
fry they can’t be beat
for providing an area for the new fry to feed on microorganisms.
However, they do not
remove mulm or
particulate matter, and are not meant to collect a tank’s wastes
as other filters do, yet they
are often used for that
purpose. With consistent tank maintenance to keep the tank free
of decaying matter,
a sponge filter could be
used, but in my opinion, they are not suited to be the main
source of filtration.
They also deteriorate
over time, and the sponge material will often separate from the
stem it is covering,
compromising the flow of
the filter.
Canister Filters-
The most advanced types of filter systems are often canister
based, where a round canister
sits below the tank in a
cabinet or otherwise out of site. With an understanding that a
leak could possibly
empty water on to the
floor, unless precautions are taken, and a willingness to spend
the money, they can be
an excellent choice. One
type used often is the HOT Magnum 250 canister filter- which
hangs on the back of
the aquarium, and the
siphoning of water to below the tank is not necessary.
Aeration- Whether
you choose to provide active aeration into the aquarium depends
upon the species you choose
to keep. The majority of
commonly kept fish do best with some type of active aeration,
and many species require
it. The livebearers and
barbs at Select Aquatics do best with active box-filter
aeration, but cichlids about to breed
may not do well in a tank
with excessive water movement. Aeration stimulates bacterial
activity, and generally
is a very positive
introduction to a clean, healthy aquarium.
Light- 10 to 14 hours a day of lighting will not only
support and provide for any live plants in the tank, light also
helps maintain healthy
levels of beneficial bacteria in the tank, improving water
quality.
Heaters- A heater
is not required for every species kept in all fishrooms, but a
quality heater that works
predictably is essential
for most commonly kept fish. Unfortunately, I do not believe
that heater technology
has kept pace with
improvements in other equipment in the hobby. Still quite
expensive, rarely are they accurate,
and often they do not last
longer than 2-3 years. Some fishkeepers routinely replace all
their heaters yearly to
avoid accidentally
cooking or losing fish to disease from being chilled, which is
an expensive habit to get into.
Some hobbyists are using
new technology and inexpensive probes that
connect back to a computer program.
Similar
to the type of programs available for home security to monitor
temperature in various rooms, programs
have been adapted to maintain active supervision of the
temperatures in a fishroom’s tanks. A friend with a 30
tank fishroom can access graphs of the temperature of every
tank- taken in 5 minute intervals- from any time
period, up to the present, with his cell phone. When the
temperature in a tank passes a preset threshold,
he receives a notification on his phone. Unfortunately,
there is nothing available yet to purchase, but home
security systems may be fashioned to meet this task.
Lights- Tube
fluorescent aquarium lighting is no longer the only choice, and
in many circumstances other
types are better with regard to electrical usage, heat given off
and even the quality of the light they
emit. Inexpensive CFL bulbs are proving to do a very fine job
with aquatic plants (The daylight 60s), last
many times longer than standard fluorescent bulbs and cost less
initially. LED lighting is still getting a
foothold, and once the initial prices come down they will likely
set the new standard for aquarium lighting.
Foods- Your
success with any species, especially if you hope to breed them,
is your feeding regimen.
Commercial dry foods
today are of excellent quality and able to provide the basic
nutrition to keep the
fish healthy. Feeding a
variety is best, and the species you choose to keep may have
dietary needs.
For example, feeding
African Rift fish foods too high in protein can easily cause
bloat, avoided by feeding
a vegetable based flake
or pellet. But if you wish to breed your fish, and as well to
raise the young,
you should provide at
least a live or frozen food, such as Brine Shrimp or Blackworms.
Hatching
baby brine shrimp is very
easy to do and many methods can be used. You
will generally not be
able to raise up
newborn fry without it.
Medications- A
well run aquarium should not be expected to encounter disease on
a regular basis. In fact,
diseases are encountered
very rarely, and often as the result of an introduction of a new
fish from outside
the fishroom that was not
quarantined properly, or problems that were the result of
inconsistent maintenance.
However, when a disease
does occur, you want to be prepared. Fish diseases spread
quickly, and generally one
must act immediately when
a disease situation is first noticed. When ich (white spot
disease), or a fungus or
rot of some type appears,
I will add 1 tablespoon salt for every 5 gallons of water in the
tank, usually
combined with raising the
temperature a few degrees. This may alone cure the problem, but
if not, it does
provide time- a few hours
to a day- to purchase a medication specific to the malady that
is being treated.
Having a basic ich
treatment medication on hand is never a bad idea.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Place any driftwood or
whatever you wish to decorate the tank with, keeping in mind
that anything put
in to the tank should be
relatively easy to remove to clean behind and around, etc.
Floating plants such
as Java Fern, Bolbitis
Fern, Java moss, Najas grass, etc are used, as well as Amazon
swords, Vallisneria
and saggitaria. Various
Crypts and Anubias are also used, in pots either in the open
or hidden behind
other objects. They are
filled with peat and gravel, such that they can be lifted out
easily. I have found,
however, that bacterial
issues will come about after approximately a year, so that all
pots have their
soil mixes replaced
yearly. The same thing will occur in a soil planted tank, but
changing the soil and
puttng in fresh is done
in minutes, and the tank can be almost entirely cleaned when the
pots and
plants are removed.
The point is to introduce
organic material to the tank as you feel is necessary for the
maximum health of
the fish, as opposed to fighting an environment that collects
waste. As well, by keeping a tank in this fashion
you are maintaining far better control over the variables that
contribute to problems, as opposed to a confined
setup where much is going on, and various, generally minor
problems occur a few times a year. The fish may
appear healthy, but they may not breed or grow to their maximum.
As my goals tend toward maximum growth and
and breeding, your preferences may incorporate a mix of
approaches- you can decide based on how pleased
you are with the fish you are keeping.
When to Introduce the
Fish- The fish can be put into the tank after a few issues
are taken care of. Keep in
mind that the fish should
be put into as close to an established, clean tank as can be
provided. The tank itself
should be constructed in
its final form- decorations or whatever put in place, etc. Water
needs to be added
carefully. If at all
possible, combine clean established aquarium water from another
aquarium into aged or
dechlorinated tap water
to help cycle the tank. The aged, established aquarium water
should contribute
10-30% of the new tank
volume. Running the tank for a day with the tap water can help
assure the water
is ready for the fish,
then add the aged aquarium water. Once that is done, and the
temperature is correct,
the fish can be added to
the aquarium. Be careful to adjust and acclimate the fish
slowly, both to the
different water quality
than where they may have come from, as well as the temperature
of the water.
Generally, put the new
fish into another, smaller container with the water they came
with, and then,
over a period of 1-2
hours, gradually add a little at a time of your water to slowly
acclimate them.
Once the majority of the
water is the water they are going into, then float them in a
plastic bag for
10 minutes or so to
ensure the temperatures are the same before releasing them into
the tank.
You want your setup to
be:
Best for the fish
Easy to maintain
consistently
Pleasing to the eye
As simple as possible
Clean and neat while
natural in appearance.
Your ability to maintain
complete control over the variables that can cause problems is
important. Know
about the water coming
from your tap- its pH and hardness, and test as it may change
seasonally depending
on the addition of
chemicals and algeacides by municipal water systems.
The fish will not mind
your occasionally sticking your hand in slowly to move something
to check behind it,
or to siphon up mulm from
the bottom, when your movements are not quick or threatening
Water changes of at least
20% weekly are essential, twice a week is best.
Regular quality feeding
1-3x per day of a variety of quality dry and live foods helps to
ensure best health.
An inch of fish to a
gallon up to about 3 inch fish works fairly well. Fewer fish is
always better. After 3 inches,
larger fish need more
tank space.
Live plants are best if
they will thrive in your water. If you have pH of 6.0 to about
8.0, and medium to soft
hardness you should be
able to keep many types of plants.
Know what the temperature
should be, and check with a thermometer on a regular
basis.
Keep in mind the natural
preferences of the fish you choose to keep. If they are normally
cave dwellers,
provide appropriate
hiding spaces in the tank. If they prefer to hide
in the plants, do not take the plants
out.
Spend a little more time at the tank, possibly feeding them a
little each
time you visit, so they will respond
respond to you, and you
can gauge their health by their behavior.
You do these things, and
your fish will thank you for it!
Greg Sage
selectaquatics.com
selectaquatics@gmail.com Copyright 2012
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