Essential Aquarium Accessories

Below are some of the aquarium accessories that are necessary for the proper maintenance of an aquarium.

A constant level siphon is designed to maintain the water level of an aquarium from going higher than a specified height. It does not empty itself when the flow ceases, but remains ready to resume its function automatically when the water level rises. It is especially useful to prevent overflow in aquaria where there is constant inflow of water.

A dip tube is a plastic or glass tube, usually 12 to 18 inches long, comprises the principal part of a dip tube. Glass tubes are extremely fragile, however. There is usually a bulbous section near the bottom, narrowing down again at the mouth. Some models have a flared mouth to eliminate picking up gravel. To operate this tool, one finger is held over the top, tightly closing it. The mouth of the tube is placed in the aquarium directly over the dirt or debris to be removed. When the finger is removed, the water rushes in, carrying the dirt with it. The dip tube is emptied by inverting it into a container. There are also “take-apart” dip tubes which can be dismantled after use for greater ease in cleaning. A dip tube is more convenient than a siphon for removing a small amount of debris and also for working in smaller tanks.

A power dip tube is a modification of an inside filter operating from the air pump. The air-lift tube is lengthened enough to reach the bottom of the aquarium. Usually a handle is provided for convenience. For best results all the air that the pump provides should be used, it drains through the filtering material back into the tank. Usually only glass wool is used as a filter medium.

The power dip tube is faster than an ordinary dip tube in use, but not as fast as a siphon. It is particularly useful to people who do not have a source of water suitable for fishes readily available and therefore wish to reuse what they have. New aquarium vacuum cleaners serve the same purpose, but have built-in motors and cloth and it is also used like a squeegee to polish the glass. The razor blade is used for the removal of tougher algal growth. This latter type of scraper is not rust-proof and should be taken apart and dried carefully after use. The sponge aquarium glass cleaners are excellent sack filters.

An aquarium scraper is a long-handled razor blade holder. It is used to scrape the inside of the aquarium glass. Some scrapers have a rubber blade in addition to the razor blade. The rubber is used for removing soft settlings.

Planting tongs are long-handled forceps to make possible the removal or placement of items in the aquarium without putting your hands in the water. They are also convenient for use in closer quarters. In planting, the crown of the plant is placed in the tip of the tongs with the plant parallel with the tongs. It is then slid into place. Never poke a plant straight down. Start an inch or two away from the desired location and slide it forward and down. If it is placed too deeply, tug at it very gently and bring it to the desired height. Two sticks with their ends flattened and notched are often used for planting. One is used to hold the plant down, while the other pushes gravel over the roots.

Planting scissors are long-handled scissors which are used to trim aquatic vegetation. Tying sticks to the handles of an old pair of scissors works admirably.

Feed rings are rings, usually glass or plastic, which float. They are used because dry food placed on the water has a tendency to spread out over the surface and drop in all areas of the aquarium. A feed ring prevents this spreading. Food which drops below it can be located and removed more easily with a dip tube. Don’t get too small a feeding ring. Make sure that there is room for all the fishes under it. In some cases one fish will become the other fishes away from the ring. In that case, it is advisable to use two or even three rings. If there is a bully fish driving all the other fishes away from the ring, it is advisable to use two or even three rings.

A worm feeder is made of glass or plastic and is shaped like a cup. It has a number of small perforations in the bottom. It floats at the surface. Tubifex or white worms, when placed in it, wriggle slowly through the holes, to be consumed by the waiting fishes below. This eliminates the possibility of their crawling into the gravel, as might happen if the worms were just dropped into the water. It also enables you to determine just how many worms the fishes eat. As with the feeding ring, so with the worm ring: if you are feeding a large number of fishes, or if one fish dominates the feeding area, use several rings.

There are different types of worm feeders available. A worm feeder will keep live tubifex worms in one place. This will allow all of your fishes an opportunity to feed on the worms and prevent the worms from entrenching themselves in the gravel.

Suction cups are small rubber suction cups with a rubber band or a thin stainless steel wire attached. They have many uses in keeping the aquarium neat. They can be used to keep air-line tubing in place, to keep feed rings from floating away, to attach thermometers in an easy-to-read position, and so on.

An aquarium pH testing kit is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of the aquarium. This value is expressed in numbers: 7.0 is neutral; a value above 7.0 (7.4, 8.0, etc.) is alkaline; below 7.0 is acid (6.9, 5.8, etc.).

The majority of our aquarium fishes thrive at a pH near neutral. Most fishes will withstand a change from water of one pH to water of another pH provided the change is gradual.

There are two types of inexpensive kits available to aquarists for measuring pH. One involves the use of u liquid indicator dye, bromthymol blue. A drop or two of the indicator is placed into measured amount of aquarium water. The color of the sample is then compared with a color chart provided for that purpose. Also useful is the roll of impregnated paper which is specially designed for accurate pH readings. It contains a roll of paper in a plastic dispenser. A small strip of this paper is torn off, dipped into the water, and held up a few seconds to dry. The drop of color which forms on the end is then compared with the color chart which is provided on the case of the pH tester.

The aquarium pH can be altered by the addition of chemicals: sodium bicarbonate to make it more alkaline, and sodium biphosphate to make it acid.

A properly set up and cared-for tank will remain at or near neutral by itself. A constant variation or tendency to become too acid or alkaline indicates an unbalanced tank and should be investigated.

Bunch plants and Floating Plants for Aquariums

These plants take their name from the fact that they are frequently sold in bunches of individual stalks bound together with a rubber band or a strip of lead. In these plants the roots serve primarily as anchors. Growth occurs at the tip. If the tip is broken off, a new one will form; when the stem is injured, a branch often develops. In fact, if the stalk of a bunch plant is thrust into the gravel upside down, a new tip will form at the upper end, and the lower end will develop anchoring roots. The same holds true when a piece of the center section is cut out and planted.

Many bunch plants will grow even while floating freely in water. They show a tendency to root, however, sending down long, thin roots. When these roots reach the gravel, as frequently happens in a shallow aquarium, they anchor firmly and, not infrequently, draw the plant down to the gravel.

The main problem with newly purchased bunch plants is that of anchoring them. They seldom have enough root structure to hold them in place. For this reason it is advisable to plant them in a bunch, retaining the little lead band around them as a weight. Lead is relatively inactive, and a small amount does no harm in the aquarium.

Many bunch plants have a tendency to grow long and shed leaves from the base. The best way to keep this tendency under control is by uprooting the plant, cutting off the lower portion, and reroofing the upper. If there is a bushy, branching growth, snip off the tip occasionally.

Floating plants are the plants most frequently used as hiding places for baby fishes. Some of them occasionally put out anchors, called “holdfasts,” and these fasten on rocks or submerged bark. Hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum), which is frequently sold as a bunch plant, is really a floating plant. It never develops roots. In others, such as Duckweed (Lemna minor), Salvinia (Salvinia natans), or Water Hyacinth (Eichornia crassipes), roots are present, but they do not root into anything. They merely float freely below the plant. Not all floating plants float at the surface. Some tropical aquarium fishes such as Chain of Stars and Stonewort (Nitella gracilis), float at the bottom. Reproduction is usually asexual, that is, without flowers.

Tropical Fish Tanks - How To Deal With Aquarium Algae

Algae grow easily in the aquarium tanks, especially on the walls. You can remove them by periodically scraping the sides of the tank. Don’t forget to also scrub the rocks. Bleach the rocks if the algae insist to stick to the rock. Be careful about bleaching because it can be toxic for fish.

If you also notice algae on the sand or on the plastic plants, you can remove them also but it will take some energy. You will need to wash the gravel in a lot of water and then rinse it.

But try to reduce the cause and not the symptom. Algae grow in excess if they have too much light. Reduce the light level first and use more natural light rather than the artificial one.

On the market, in pet shops, there are also some algae treatments, like the use of algaecide, which will help you solve the problem. But don’t abuse of this treatment. It can harm the fish and even kill them! Don’t expect the problem to disappear over night if you use this treatment.

You will never believe that adding natural aquatic plants control the algae growth. It is quite effective. For example, luxuriant plants grow and they filter out the light. Without a lot of light, the algae are kept in control. Plants also absorb chemicals from the water like nitrates.
Breeders say a tank should have around 50 small plants per square root of space.

Now you know what to do in order to take care of your tank and have healthy and beautiful fish. Other articles will follow with more advice on how to deal with algae.

What is a pump, a filter, an aerator for a tropical Fish Tank?

A pump is a mechanical apparatus which forces water or air through tubing or other equipment. It provides the flow that makes the filter and aerator operate.

Filters (except under gravel filters) are units containing (or being made of) a porous filter material such as activated charcoal or filter floss. There are a number of different filter types available, but the principle is basically the same in all except under gravel filters. Water from the aquarium is passed through the filter material and thereby cleaned.

An aerator is a unit that exposes water to, or mixes it with, air. As far as home aquaria are concerned, an aerator diffuser is usually a porous stone which is placed in the aquarium with connections so that a pump forces air through it. It serves the purpose of breaking the stream of air into small bubbles, thus increasing its effectiveness.

A water pump draws water from an aquarium through one tube and discharges it through another, the water circulating through the pump. Water pumps are usually employed only in larger indoor installations or in outdoor pools. They may be used to empty aquaria or to transfer water from one aquarium to another. They are also used when it is desirable to have the filter located some distance away from the water to be filtered. Another use, seldom encountered indoors, is to spray water for a fountain, or to raise water for a waterfall.

The filter material is the same as that in any other filter, charcoal, and/or sand, and/or glass wool. The filter is designed to be closed tightly when in use, provision being made to remove the filter material for replacement o cleaning. Circulation takes place through two nozzles. The water is sucked through a tube from the tank directly into the filter material. A perforated compartment receives the water after it has filtered through the matrix. A nozzle leading from this compartment directs the water through the pump and back into the aquarium.

This type of water pump usually provides faster and more efficient filtration than do the more conventional types of air-operated filtering systems. However, it does not agitate the water so efficiently as a good air stone; it is also quite cumbersome and usually more expensive to purchase than the ordinary setup.

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.

Should ornamental rocks or other ornaments be used?

Let taste be your guide when coming to decide whether ornamental rocks or other ornaments be used. Today many aquarium stores feature rocks of all types, as well as glass chunks. Many of these have sharp edges, but there is little reason to believe that the fishes ever cut themselves on them. Mineral or lime-bearing rocks, of course, should be avoided.

When in doubt as to the danger of a particular rock or type of rock, test it first, placing it in a tank with a few inexpensive fishes for about two weeks. Rocks serve no particular purpose in the community aquarium (unless it’s a community of African cichlids), but many of them are decorative and can be arranged into caves, grottoes, ledges and walls within which or on which some fishes will spawn.

Almost the same could be said of other aquarium ornaments. Bamboo huts, castles, bridges, figurines, frogs, treasure chests, turtles, etc., are available. If you like them and their material and style does no harm, use them to beautify your aquarium.

A word of caution: be sure that all the rocks and ornaments used are set well into the gravel. Do not leave areas under which dirt can drift and accumulate beyond reach. Make sure that such areas do not exist in the ornament itself. And beware of the ornament that has narrow, closed-end passageways. A fish is quite likely to swim up into it and, being unable either to turn or proceed, to die there. Not only will you lose the fish, but its body is likely to be hidden and can pollute the water before being discovered. Many seashells fall into this category.

Coral as well as seashells is composed of lime. A small piece or two of coral or a few small shells probably do no harm. In excess, they certainly tend to make the water hard, if it is originally of the soft, slightly acid type. Coral and seashells should be boiled and scrubbed thoroughly with a stiff brush before use.

Should I Buy Small or Big Aquarium Tank?

A small fish tank is not recommended because it is limited in its capacity and can very easily be overstocked. Overcrowding, like any other excess, leads to trouble. A conscientious dealer will warn about overcrowding when you are buying too many fishes. Get his advice by telling him the size of your tank. A 5 gallon aquarium is only a couple of dollars less than a 10-gallon aquarium. In fact the cost of the equipment will run about the same to outfit a 5-gallon aquarium as it would for a 10-gallon aquarium.

The reason for this is that most of the equipment you will need for the 5-gallon aquarium is the Hume used for the 10-gallon aquarium. Some of the equipment may cost more for the 5-gallon aquarium if it is not a popular item that is mass produced. Gallon for gallon, a small tank costs more than a large one. Therefore buying a very small tank is not really economical at all.

There are two types of stands available in most pet shops, wrought iron and wood. You will find the iron stands to be less expensive, although many of the wooden stands are competitively priced. The iron stands are open on all sides, while many of the wooden models are enclosed to give a (cabinet-like appearance with doors in front.

It is a good idea if you can afford it. The equipment required is somewhat more expensive, requiring heavier- duty heating and filtering units than the smaller, average- size tank. But remember that if something goes wrong due to mishandling, a change often becomes necessary. And it is quite a chore to change all the water and clean the gravel in a 40- or 50-gallon tank.

A large tank has certain decided advantages. A large number of fishes can be kept without overcrowding, and they will usually grow better than when kept in smaller confines. There are several species of fishes which tend to be pugnacious when crowded into a small aquarium. Many of these same fishes are quite peaceful when given more “fin room.” Scenically, an artistic person can really let himself go with a large aquarium. A little imagination can transform a large aquarium into an enchanting underwater garden, with grottoes and mountains, valleys, and even lawns. A lovely little plant, Micro Sagittaria, never grows more than an inch or so high. Planted toward the front of an aquarium, it soon covers the bottom with a luxuriant green lawn. Best of all, it requires no mowing!

How To Clean Your Aquarium

As a responsible pet owner of course you want to provide your fish with the best
environment you possibly can, and you want to be certain you keep your tropical
fish tank as clean as possible. After all this is the home for the fish and
where they’ll live out the rest of their days, but they need to rely on you to
maintain it, clean it, keep it warm, and everything else that’s needed for that
home to be safe and sanitary. It’s not that hard to keep tropical fish tanks
clean and healthy but you should follow some rules that will allow you to do just that.

Be certain not to use any harsh cleansers, chemicals or abrasives when cleaning
tropical fish tanks because this may cause severe damage to your fish. Chemicals
and bleach always leave a residue no matter how much you rinse and these things
are very bad for your fish. If there are algae stuck to the side you can use a
razor or straight edge on glass tanks or a special cleansing cloth for tropical
fish tanks as this is the best way to keep your tank nice and clean.

You should use a special vacuum to clean the substrate or gravel on the bottom
of tropical fish tanks. This type of vacuum will get any harmful buildup and
bacteria without needing to remove and upset the entire collection of gravel,
which is never a good idea. Some people make the mistake of thinking that the
entire tank needs to be emptied and everything cleaned but this isn’t safe for
the fish as it wipes out the entire water of the tank.

Doing a water change is also important when cleaning tropical fish tanks. For large tanks you simply pull out about 10%-15% of the
water and replace it with warm tap water; for smaller tanks you’ll need to do
this with about 25% of the water. Always add a water condition afterward and you
can find these most anywhere that tropical fish tanks are sold.

It’s just as important not to over clean your tropical fish tanks as it is to
clean them periodically.  Don’t over clean them as this can cause as much damage
to the fish as not cleaning it enough.