Tropical fish Tanks Guide to Lighting and Plants

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.

Aquarium Fish Health: The White Spot Disease And Its Treatment

One of the most frustrating moments in the life of a fish breeder or fish owner is when one or more fish dies. And this is one of the most common problems aquarists face. But sometimes, no matter what you do, death is inevitable especially in a fish tank. Many diseases are caused by internal or external parasites that live in the tank.

This is why you should observe as often as possible your fish and detect the problem in early stages. Many diseases, if discovered quickly, can be treated.

White Spot disease is one of the most common infections that appear on fish and is caused by the parasite - Ichthyophthirius Multifillis which swims and attaches itself to the fish.

Here are some behavioral symptoms in a fish that is infected with White Spot disease. If you notice some of them, start a treatment.

- The fish looses its appetite and has no response to food

- It stays constantly on the water surface or on the ground
- If it stays on the water surface it opens the mouth frequently and gasps for air

- The fish has a tendency to get close to the rocks and rubbing the body to against them

- Lethargy and a general state of weakness

- Hovering in a corner

- While swimming, the fish keeps the clamps up.

But one of the most obvious signs of infection is the pin head-size white spots that appear on the fins and sometimes on the whole body. This is a clear sign of infection with White Spot Disease.

This ailment can be treated with a solution of Methylene Blue. This solution can be bought from a chemist or from any fish shop. The treatment is like this: a 1% stock solution is poured into 0.8 to 1.0ml per gallon of tank water. Ad all the amount at once and repeat the process in a day or two. Before you start the treatment it is good to remove the dirt from the bottom of the tank and use aeration with bubbles near the water surface. A dirty tank bottom could inactivate the solution by absorbing it.

It is very important not to interrupt the treatment till all the white spots are gone. After the spots disappear, change all the tank water because a long exposure to the Methylene Blue chemical can affect the fish’s fertility. If used in a weak dosage, the Methylene Blue has no side effects to young fish and also to aquarium plants.

If your filtration system is charcoal based, you should consider removing it, so that the Methylene Blue isn’t absorbed by the charcoal.

Aquarium Light Tips

Fish don’t need so much light as the plants do. A dim light is sufficient for fishes - usually just enough for them to see food. Very few fishes will eat in the dark. An exception is the Catfish; Catfishes, as a group, are largely nocturnal in their activities.

When no light reaches the fish tank, a great change comes over the fishes. Switch a light on suddenly after a protracted period of darkness and you will find most fishes in your tank are motionless. With few exceptions you will find that their color has faded. Such fishes have the brilliant red-and-green Neon fade to a white and light pink. Many fishes, you will notice, are lying on the bottom of the aquarium.

It should also be remembered that it takes some time for most fishes to adjust to a sudden light. If they are disturbed before their eyes have adjusted, they dash blindly about, even leaping out of the water. It is useless to feed them at this time, because they cannot see the food.

On the other hand, constant light seems to do no harm. Fishes in aquaria under constant light appear to live just as well as those that have alternate periods of darkness and light. The breeding cycle of many animals is controlled by the increasing and decreasing of the number of daylight hours as the seasons change. But very little work has been done with fishes in this field. What little has been done shows that light is a definite factor in the breeding of some, but not all, fishes.

Recently published experiments conducted with the young of certain marine fishes indicate that the fish will grow more vigorously when given a period of darkness in which to rest. How this affects the total longevity of the fish is not known.

There is no hard-and-fast rule governing light for the aquarium plants. It varies with the type of light, intensity of light, depth of water, kind of plant, the distance the light is from the water surface, and the amount of daylight that reaches the tank. Usually, if the fish tank is kept in a shaded area of a room, you should provide some artificial light in order to supply what the plants need. Lighting from a reflector which can be regulated is covered later.

Aquarium Plants

Under the influence of sunlight, plants and only plants have the ability to manufacture their own food. These green plants combine water and carbon dioxide to form sugars in a process known as “photosynthesis.”

During this process, free oxygen is released in excess of that used by the plant for respiration. This occurs only under the influence of bright light. At other times, the plant breathes normally, consuming oxygen and giving off carbon dioxide. Photosynthesis occurs only when the plant in light is healthy and growing.

Light, then, is essential to your aquarium so that the plants will grow properly and give off oxygen and consume carbon dioxide. The “wonder material” that regulates the food manufacturing process is chlorophyll - the material that gives plants their green color.

There is a good deal of controversy concerning the amount of oxygen that the aquarium plants actually supply for fishes to use.

It should be remembered that water can dissolve only a certain amount of oxygen; any excess oxygen is therefore released at the surface. It is not stored in the water for later use as the fishes require it. Carbon dioxide is released and oxygen is taken into the water. The process can be hastened by bubbling stream of air through the water. This tends to agitate the water and increase the area exposed to the surface in proportion to the amount of circulation engendered. Manual stirring of the water serves the same purpose, but it is not so convenient a method as the mechanical one.

The greater the area of the exposed-to-air water surface, the faster oxygen will be taken in and carbon dioxide released. The greater the air surface, the more fishes can be kept in a given volume of water. You do not really increase the capacity of the fish tank to hold fishes simply by raising the height of the water in the tank. You must also increase the other dimensions in proportion.

Probably the same number of fishes could be maintained in a bare aquarium as in one with plants. Then, you may ask, why bother with aquarium plants? Well, plants serve many functions besides the disputed one of oxygenating. The principal function is an esthetic one: there would not be much beauty to a tank without plants. They provide an excellent background against which your colorful fishes will display themselves to best advantage.

Selecting a Aquarium

A start can be made with a small aquarium, inexpensive fishes, and a minimum of equipment from $25 to $35. I have also seen people start off with a large aquarium, expensive equipment, and fishes, paying about $400 for the initial investment. In either case, the purchaser was satisfied because he got what he wanted and bought within his means. If you cannot afford a large aquarium, by all means start with a small one. You can have just as much fun.

There are certain basic rules which should be learned when you are buying an aquarium. Each person has individual problems. It is not necessary to learn everything in order to keep an aquarium. The fact that millions of people have kept and are keeping aquariums throughout the world is in itself proof that it is not too difficult for the average person to learn in limited time. The first criterion usually is price. Don’t spend more than you can comfortably afford. I would suggest that the beginner select a 10- to 20-gallon aquarium for a start. A 10-gallon aquarium measures, in inches, 20Lx10Wx12H. A 20-gallon tank is 24Lx12Wx16H. The 20-gallon tank is also made in a longer, lower shape, measuring 30Lx12Wx 12H. I consider these ideal intermediate sizes for a beginner. They are not too expensive, and they are the easiest to set up and care for. To estimate the gallon capacity of a tank, multiply the width by the length by the height in inches and divide by 231.

If you want to use a fish bowl as a main aquarium, it will be sadly deficient. The largest fish globe made today in a standard size holds 2 gallons when filled to the brim. Because the sides of a fish bowl are curved, it is most efficient when filled only to its widest part. This gives you a maximum of water surface exposed to the air but reduces the capacity of the bowl to 11 gallons of water. (Air surface and its relationship to the life of the fish will come up again.) This is just not enough water to maintain a satisfactory aquarium.

What is an under-gravel filter for Aquarium?

An under gravel filter uses the gravel bed of the aquarium itself as the filtering material. One type of under-gravel filter is comprised of a sheet of perforated plastic which is placed in the empty aquarium, the gravel being put on top of it. The air-lift tube is located in one corner. It draws water from under the gravel to above the water surface, thus causing water to circulate through the gravel.

To date no one has given a suitable explanation for the satisfactory operation of this type of filter. The sludge and dirt seem to melt away and disappear. The effectiveness of this filter is no doubt involved with the action of bacteria, those minute organisms which thrive on decomposing matter. Some bacteria can only live without air; they are called anaerobes. One by-product of their action is hydrogen sulphide (H2S), a poisonous, foul-smelling gas, the one giving rotten eggs their characteristic odor.

Gravel that has decomposing matter in it will soon harbor colonies of anaerobic bacteria. It is probable that the circulation of water through the gravel—induced by the under-gravel filter—destroys the anaerobes and permits the establishment of aerobes which aid in the decomposition of the organic matter without the toxic by-products associated with anaerobes. While this has yet to be proven, it does provide a logical explanation for their effectiveness.

Unfortunately the length of time for which this type of filter is effective is limited. In practice it has been found that the small holes through which the circulation is carried on soon plug up with dirt. For continued usefulness, a bottom filter should be uprooted every six months and cleaned thoroughly.

The importance of aeration for tropical fish

Everyone knows that the natural habitat for fish is a lake or rivers. Both have large surfaces where fish can get to receive their oxygen supply. As you can guess, an aquarium doesn’t offer fish the same possibilities when it comes to water surface. The habitat has less movement and the surface area where they can get oxygen is smaller. That’s why it’s important to make sure that fish can get oxygen from other sources as well.

Aeration is the artificial oxygen providing process. The process consists only of re-oxygenating the aquarium water. The system used for aeration usually consists of airstone, regulator diffusers or tubing clamp that pumps air.

There are plenty of types of air pumps, of different sizes and shapes. The one that most people use is a Taiwanese one, called tecax air pump. Another popular choice is the super 555, fabricated in India. They cost less but they’re not as resistant. You can also find versions built in France and UK, but they’re usually a bit more expensive.

The air pump should be hooked to a material that doesn’t vibrate and it’s above the level of the water. The aeration materials that I mentioned before can work well to aerate the aquarium. If the tank is small, you only need to use a simple air pump, through an air tube made of rubber, to an air stone. The air will be blown into the water by this system and provide fish with the oxygen they need.