Essential Aquarium Accessories
May 15, 2009 by admin
Filed under Fish Tank Supplies
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.
How Does an Outside Filter Operate in a Fish Tank?
May 9, 2009 by admin
Filed under Fish Tank Supplies
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 Guide to Lighting and Plants
May 1, 2009 by admin
Filed under Keeping Tropical Fish
Aquarium plants play multiple roles in the tank life: they decorate the aquarium and make it look beautiful, they are an attraction for the fish and some of them help regulate the oxygen level.
While completing the aquarium structure with plants, it is good to know a few facts.
One of them is to keep in mind that plants should decorate the aquarium but, at the same time, leave enough space for the fish to swim. For example, the feathery plants look much better when there are many of them in small clumps. This makes them seem like bushes. The tall, grassy type is better to be placed in rows.
Planting rooted plants into the tank sand can be done like this:
1. hold the tips of the bunch of roots between the thumb and second finger
2. put the rest into the sand
3. push the upper part of the roots with the first finger approximately 2cm into the sand
4. scrape some sand over the uncovered parts of the roots with the thumb and second finger
The same method is applied when planting rootless plants. The lower ends of the stems are squeezed together and treated like they were roots.
Another aspect is the water level in the tank. The water surface should be just up to the lower edge of the top angle iron of the tank. If the water level is bellow the top angle iron, the aquarium will look like a water container. Ideal is that when somebody looks at the aquarium from the front, that person should imagine that there is no water there and fish are swimming freely.
The lighting in the aquarium is also a vital element for the fish health and a key factor if you want to grow plants. The lack of light damages the plants and also causes the fish to lose their color: red can turn into pink and green to white.
You can choose natural light or artificial light or even a combination of both. If you want to expose the tank to just natural light, place it near the window that’s facing north. But if you want artificial light, you can choose between incandescent or fluorescent light. Whatever the type is, you must also be careful about the amount of light you have in your tank. Too much light can make the water green and too little will not help them grow. Most of the times, adjusting the light level is a mater of multiple trials and tests.
The lighting system should be made of wood and placed above the tank. Some of the most spectacular aquariums have the light placed behind.
Also, if there is no natural light during the day, leave the artificial light turned on. Fish breeders recommend that the aquarium is lightened for about eight hours a day. If after a few days you see that the water is turning green, reduce the amount of hours to 6 or 7.
Tropical Fish Tanks - What is an Aquarium Heater?
April 20, 2009 by admin
Filed under Fish Tank Supplies
A heater is the apparatus which provides the actual heat as opposed to the thermostat, which is the automatic switch for controlling heat. The majority of heaters made today are fabricated of nichrome resistance wire, which is wound around a ceramic core. Some are of nichrome which is wound on an asbestos backing, and a few have the resistance element imbedded in the ceramic. The tube may or may not be filled with sand.
Heaters are divided into two groups: those which are attached directly to a thermostat, either in the same tube or an adjoining one and those called combination heating unit, thermostatic control, condenser and pilot light. For convenience these items may be housed in the same tube with an attached hanger, or they may be located in two different tubes with a clip joining them and a hanger.
At the present time there is only one combination heater and thermostat that can be completely submerged in water. Most of them are designed to hang vertically on the aquarium, partly in the water. I specify “in the water” because I have found that a good many people, unless told otherwise, hang such heaters on the outside of the tank.
The water level should be one to two inches below the lip of the tube (or tubes) to prevent water from entering I lie heater. Always read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully.
The cover glass (or hood), if used, should be cut away above the heater and/or thermostat to prevent condensed water from dripping into it.
The combination unit may have a knob on the top to adjust the temperature regulator. This is called an “outside-control.” An “inside-control” unit has the mechanism attached to the rubber cork stopper. Removal of the stopper lifts the unit, allowing the adjusting screw to be reached. It is advisable to unplug the unit before is removed for adjustment.
A word of warning: never put a hot heater into the water; it will crack. Always disconnect a heater before removing it from the water.
The heaters which are made independent of a thermostat may be sealed for submersion or may be hung on the side of the tank. These and the other types may be sand-filled.
