An outside filter is a watertight box suspended outside and alongside of the aquarium. Usually it is made of plastic or glass. The top of the filter is level with the rim of the tank. The filter itself is divided vertically into two unequal compartments by a partition, the lower one-quarter of which is perforated or slotted. The filtering material is placed in the larger compartment. A small tube siphons water from the tank onto the filter material. It sinks through the filter material and runs through the perforations in the partition into the next compartment. The passage of the water through the filter material has cleansed it. The clean water is returned by means of an air-lift tube, which is operated by the pump.

As the intake stem bringing water into the filter is a siphon, it maintains the water in the filter at the same level as the water in the tank. Therefore, the water cannot over-flow. The action is continuous. If the siphoning action is stopped, the return stem - which returns the clear water to the tank - would empty the filter. As the amount of water the filter is usually small compared to the volume of the tank, no harm is done, that is, the tank will not overflow.

For an outside filter to operate efficiently, the water level of the aquarium should be quite high, about one inch from the top. The siphon tube is placed upside down in the aquarium to empty it of air. Still held under water, it is righted, and a finger placed over the shorter open end. Holding this tightly closed, the tube is lifted far enough out of the water so that the short end of the stem can be put into the larger filter compartment, and the longer end remaining submerged in the tank. Only now should your finger be removed from the end. The flow should start and continue until the water level in the filter and the tank is the same.

There are several self-starting stems available today. To start them, hold your finger over the opening in the short end and slowly lower the stem into position. Syringe-type starter balls are also available. This type and the automatic or self-starting stems do offer a good deal of convenience.

Tropical Fish Tanks- Disposing of Plants and Fish

Sometimes, you can no longer take care of your aquatic plants or animals. What do you do with them? This is quite a challenge and the internet can find you a solution. Here are some tips&tricks.

Plants

Let’s suppose that you have an aquarium and a particular aquatic plant has grown in excess. What do you do with it? Here is a list of way in which you can deal with the problem and dispose of the plants in a safe way:

1. You can burn the, in a safe area. By burning the plants you also destroy the seeds and they will not multiply.
2. Freezing them or drying them is another solution. This process kills the actual plant but saves the seeds. After the freezing and drying, you can take the seeds, put them in a plastic bag with zipper and throw them away.
3. The process of composting can also be helpful. But just like freezing and drying, composting will allow the seeds to survive and be carried away by other birds or animals.

Animals

One morning you wake up to see that your fish have babies. You can not take care of this many fish. What do you do?

LFS: the organization will take your pet and sometimes find a new owner. It is much better than euthanatizing or flushing. Flushing is quite cruel because it gives the fish a sow and painful death by poisoning or suffocation.

Friends: before you consider other alternatives, take to your friends. Maybe one of them would enjoy the prospect of having an aquarium and would like some fish friends. Tell them about all the species’ particularities so that they know everything and know how to deal with it. Also, help the friend in the first few weeks after the pet adoption.

Whatever your method is, don’t leave your pet into the wild. First of all, it is cruel to do that. Second of all, the aquatic plants and animals could inflict diseases into the native population. Sometimes, the species released into the wild compete with the native ones for food.
Aquatic pet release into the wild is even punished in some states and the penalties are really severe.

And don’t forget that you can always contact your local Department of Natural Resources or Health Department for specific information.

Feeding Tropical Fish

Newly bought fishes should not feed for a day after their arrival. They are usually too disturbed to eat, and if the food is not eaten it decomposes and pollutes the water.

After twenty-four hours, feed sparingly once a day. When the fishes have settled down and are eating regularly, start twice-a-day feedings. You should always feed your fish sparingly. You should not over feed the fishes. You should give no more dry food than can be consumed off the surface of the water in one and one-half to two minutes. Always leave the fishes hungry enough to search over the bottom for any food that may have dropped from the top.  The average fish’s stomach is the size of its eye. It can eat at o meal only about as much food as would cover one eye. Very few fishes can eat in the dark.

Very few fishes can eat in the dark. Never feed just before turning the lights off or immediately after turning them on. In the first case, the fishes need time to pick all the food off the bottom; in the latter case, it takes fishes ten or fifteen minutes to adjust to the light after having been in the dark for some time. By the time they have adjusted sufficiently to eat, the food will all have sunk to the bottom.

Signs of overfeeding are recognized as cotton puffs on the bottom and plants, as a gray slime over the bottom, as milky water, and as black gravel. As the particles of food are smaller than the granules of gravel, uneaten food works down into the gravel until it reaches the slate. Foods that are not eaten will lie at the bottom of the aquarium and rots, and as more and more waste food works down, the putrefaction spreads up toward the surface of the gravel.

People are frequently surprised when they stir up the gravel in their tanks and reveal what has been festering below an apparently clean surface. A light, occasional stirring of the gravel will help prevent this situation from developing. Best of all, prevent it by not overfeeding.

What is the best way to light an aquarium?

The aquarium should be lighted from the front and the top. The rays of the light should be directed down and back toward the rear, bottom. They should be directed away from the viewer’s eyes, striking the fishes directly to reveal their beauty. Light coming from the rear tends to silhouette the fish and to conceal refractive colors.

As a general rule, eight to ten hours of light a day, utilizing the wattages given, will result in satisfactory plant growth. Larger wattages may be used for lesser periods of time, and smaller wattages for greater. That there is a point of diminishing returns is obvious. Too low a wattage will not penetrate a depth of water; too high a wattage may overheat the upper layer of the water. Observation over a period of time will determine the most satisfactory wattage to use and the proper period of time to keep the lights on.

The most satisfactory arrangement is one that keeps the plants healthy and the algae growth down to a minimum. Should the plants start to deteriorate, usually more light is required; that is, higher wattages or a longer period of illumination.

Excessive growth of algae usually indicates too much light and, possibly, an excess of decomposing organic matter. The remedy, usually, is to decrease the amount of illumination and to siphon off all excess food and foreign matter. A certain amount of algae is bound to form even under ideal conditions. But you can keep this minimal growth in check by scraping and by using scavengers. You should be most concerned with the wild, seemingly uncontrollable growth that coats the rocks and plants and turns the water green.

Certain colors, although pretty to see, actually inhibit the growth of plants. The warmer tones at the red end of the spectrum are the most satisfactory for plant stimulation. Blue colors are the least helpful. The most practical are the uncoated clear glass bulbs which have a long filament. Although there are a number of inexpensive bulbs on the market which have short filaments, actual tests have proven them to be less effective than the long in stimulating plant growth. Any coating on a bulb must of necessity diminish the amount of light reaching the plants and thus decrease the effectiveness of the bulb.

Treating Cotton Mouth Disease (Mouth Fungus)

Cotton Mouth is one of the most difficult diseases a fish can get. It is also known as Mouth Fungus and, in case of infestation, the fish has to be treated as soon as possible. This type of illness is highly contagious, infectious and, in many cases, deadly. It is even more contagious than the spot disease.
One of the clearest symptoms of the Cotton Mouth is a white fungus round the lips and the chicks. Also, in most cases the lips become swollen and they rot. You will notice that rotten lip pieces come in and out of the fish’s mouth while he breathes. This along with lose of the appetite and a state of apathy are the clearest signs of infection. If the fish doesn’t get treatment in due time, the infection eats away its frontal part of the head and finally, the fish dies.

Many specialists even recommend that the fish is killed if he gets this disease so that the infection doesn’t spread among the other fish in the aquarium. If you encounter this problem, ask yourself if trying to save one fish is worth the life of all the others in the tank.

If you decide to treat your fish, here are some ideas of what you can do:

- clean the fish’s lips with a 5% silver mercury solution.

- mix Terramycin and Aureomycuin (dissolve 50mg per gallon of water) and pour it into the talk water. Results could appear within 48 hours.

- take a soft cloth and dip it into a strong salt solution. After that you swab the mouth of the infected fish with it and then put the cloth into a jar containing salty water.

Besides these remedies, a very popular treatment is the Methylene blue solution. This means you have to stick the fish into a jar or bucket and color the water blue with methylene blue solution and leave the fish there to sit and get treated.
All these remedies could work really well if you do them as soon as possible.

How Does an Aquarium Thermostat Operate?

Aquarium thermostats all utilize the same principle with variations only in quality, construction and design. The basic principle behind a thermostat is that metal, when heated, expands; and that different metals expand at different rates. Two flat strips of different metals are bonded together. When heated, the metals’ unequal coefficients of expansion result in a bending of the strip. One end of this bimetallic strip is fastened rigidly in place and one end of the circuit is fastened to it. The other end is free and rests against a screw in a metal plate to which the other end of the circuit is attached.

As the bimetallic strip warms up, it curls away from the screw against which it is resting, thus breaking the contact and the circuit: With the circuit broken, the heater stops heating. As the water surrounding the tube cools, the drop in temperature is transmitted to the bimetallic strip, which - being cooled - straightens out again and re-establishes contact and turns on the heater.

The screw against which the lower end of the thermostat rests is threaded and may be turned to increase or decrease the distance between the points of contact. This varies the extent to which the metal must bend in order to make or break the contact. The metal always expands and contracts the same distance at given temperatures. Once the proper spacing has been reached for the desired temperature setting, it is only necessary to leave the screw setting alone.

The closer the contact points, the more heat is required before the circuit opens. The farther apart, the colder it must get before the contacts come together. In order to raise the aquarium temperature the adjustment screw is turned so as to bring the points closer together, and to lower the temperature, the points should be separated.

All adjustments should be made gradually and checked frequently with a thermometer to avoid sudden extreme changes of temperature. Usually a quarter turn is sufficient to raise the temperature 3° to 5°.

Some of the more elaborate thermostats have adjustment knobs projecting above the top. They are connected Icy means of threads or movable plates to the contact points. However, the principle remains the same: varying the distance between the contact points determines the temperature at which the circuit will open and close.

Some aquarium thermostats are sensitive to as little as 1 1°. However, such extreme sensitivity is not necessary; usually + 3° is adequate for aquarium use. Some cheap thermostats are even less sensitive and less satisfactory.

Most thermostats arc made to operate at an adjustment between 60° and 110°. Should you try to set the thermostat temperature lower than 60′, the adjusting screw would be at too great a distance from the bimetallic strip, and contact could not be established. Conversely, should you attempt to set the thermostat for more than 110° the screw would be pressed so tightly against the thermostat that the strip could not curl far enough away ever to break contact and stop the flow of electricity.

Breeding Traps for Live Bearing Fish

Breeding traps are plastic containers. There are three types: the rod trap, the “V” bottom, and the combination nursery and breeding trap. They are all designed to hang inside an aquarium and receive heat from it. They are also perforated to allow water circulation. Very little actual circulation takes place, however, unless it is helped along by dipping breeding trap. The excess will, of course, run out through the perforations. Usually a breeding trap is set in the rear of the aquarium where its inhabitant will not be disturbed.

The rod trap is a square box about 8 inches long by 4 inches wide by 4 inches high. The bottom consists of glass or plastic rods set a little apart from each other. The pregnant female is confined in this type trap with a few sprays of plants for hiding herself. This is important, because in a bare trap there is more of a tendency for her to thrash around. When the young are born, they drop through the bottom and are protected from the possible cannibalism of their mother. Of course there should be no fishes in the aquarium into which the babies drop. The rod trap that is longer (up to 18 inches), is also used for breeding certain egg-laying fishes, such as Zebras (Brachydanio rerio) and White Clouds (Tanichthys albonubes), which lay non-adhesive eggs.

The “V” bottom trap is shaped so that the bottom comes to a long V. The sides are perforated. Babies, when born, drop out through the slit. This type is also provided with a plastic rod or strip which can be used to close the bottom and prevent the babies escaping. This is used when there are fishes in the larger aquarium which might at the babies. Of course they are still in danger of being eaten by the mother, but putting some hiding plants in the trap will help save at least some of them.

Do not overdo the hiding plants, however; leave room for the mother.

The combination breeding and nursery trap is a square box with a “V” insert in it. When born the babies drop through the opening in the bottom of the breeding trap and are confined in the lower portion of the trap. After delivery, the mother and the insert are removed, giving the young ones a nursery to swim around in. As might be expected, this type is somewhat more expensive.

Since all of these breeding traps are comparatively small, it is inadvisable to keep large females in them. They will suffer from the confinement. And of course never keep two females in the one trap. Cover breeding traps, because even baby fishes can jump.

A trap is not so satisfactory a method of raising babies as a separate nursery tank is. It is, however, of great value to the person who cannot keep more than one tank and still wants the thrill of breeding his own fishes. A breeding trap may also be used in conjunction with a baby tank. Obviously you cannot keep an adult gravid female with the babies while she is awaiting delivery. A breeding trap is placed in the baby tank and her babies join the others as they are born.

Whether in a trap or a tank, babies must be fed. To accomplish this, use special baby foods. Feed small amounts, but feed frequently. Do not give the little stomachs a chance to get empty. Do not make the meals too big, as the excess will spoil before the babies have had time to eat it.

Should I have a mirror, paint, or “decal” back to my aquarium?

Most tropical fishes are quite thin, and their colors are so delicate that they appear at their prettiest against a background that permits light to enter only from the front and top of the tank. Even when the aquarium is against a wall, light reflection will bounce in. Either a mirror or an aquarium “decal” will provide a decorative background and prevent light from entering the rear. Crystal paint may also be used.

Crystal paint is so called because it tends to crystallize and form patterns as it dries; it is the least expensive background. For best results, the aquarium should be painted while it is empty so that the surface to be covered can be placed horizontally flat. Pour the paint on the back and spread it out with a small brush, pad of absorbent cotton, or even a piece of cardboard used as a sweep. Do not stroke it thin. Only one coat can be applied. The material is fast-drying and usually becomes tacky in an hour or two. However, do not try to rush drying by putting it in the sun or near a fan. Too rapid drying prevents crystallization and the formation of a pattern.

If you want to remove the paint, soak several pieces of newspaper with water and stick them to the paint. After soaking five to ten minutes, the paint can easily be scraped off. Crystal paint is available in a variety of colors. A medium shade of green is by far the most popular. New spray cans of crystal paint enable you to apply this beautiful design to a tank already set up.

“Decals” or transfers are available in a diversity of patterns, many of them quite attractive. Mirrors, cut to size and taped against the back of the tank, are very attractive. They give an illusion of greater size. It is impractical to have an aquarium made with a mirror back, also there is no particular visual advantage in this, and it is more expensive. Moreover, when the mirror tarnishes (it inevitably will), there is no way of replacing it.

For a tank located in a sunny window, a light background is best. A tank with a light background will remain 10° to 15° cooler than one with a dark background. A sunshade placed a few inches behind the aquarium is more effective in deflecting the heat than one that is right up against the tank.

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