Saltwater
Fish Tanks
Before you choose your aquarium set up, take the time
to plan every aspect of its use. determined beforehand
where you are going to put the aquarium. To avoid excessive
alga growth, avoid placing the aquarium in direct sunlight.
Make sure that the structure of the building will hold
the full aquarium. Water weighs about 8.4 lbs. per gallon
so a 30 gal. tank will weigh 250 lbs., not including
gravel and other furnishings. See
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Choose
a location that has an adequate electric supply and
is not too far from a source of water. Will used living
areas provide excellent settings for aquariums because
the fish acclimate to people entering and leaving the
room. Keeping the aquarium in a rarely used area will
render fish skittish and timid when people approach
the tank. lastly, choose a location that can tolerate
your spill. Even the most meticulous of aquarists will
spill water around an aquarium and in many cases water
will be splashed from a tank. Think carefully about
where the tank will be placed because once he aquarium
is set up, it cannot be easily moved.
The
general rule of thumb is to buy the largest aquarium
which you can afford and accommodate in your home. The
reason for this is fairly straightforward. Fish require
adequate space to swim and sufficient oxygen to live;
both are determined by the size of the aquarium. The
oxygen content of water is related to the service area
of the aquarium in the temperature of the water. Warmer
water has less oxygen than colder water. Since most
marine tropical fish prefer water in excess of 75°
Fahrenheit, the amount of oxygen may be limited in the
tank. The more service area and aquarium has, the more
room for gas exchange at the surface. This means more
oxygen entering the water and more toxic gases living
water. Therefore, the larger the tank at the more fish
the tank can hold.
You'll
want to consider at this point how many fish to keep
in the tank. Most aquarists use fish length and tank
volume to estimate the number of fish the Marine aquarium
can hold. Larger fish consume more oxygen and, therefore,
require more aquarium space. The general rule of thumb
is 1 in. of fish per 4 gal. of water for the first six
months. Gradually increased fish density to 1 in. per
2 gal. after this initial period.for example, a 40 gal.
aquarium she contained no more than 10 inches of fish
for the first six months. These may be comprised of
one 13 in. Queen Angel, two 1 in. Clownfish , one two
inch Regal Tang, 11 in. Bicolor Blenny and 3 1 in. Beau
Gregories. After six months, additional fish may be
added gradually to increase the total number of inches
to 20.
Because
surface area is so important to the capacity and health
of your aquarium, long tanks are much better than tall
tanks. Even though both aquariums may hold the same
volume water, the upright tall tank will have a much
lower carrying capacity of fish because of its smaller
surface area. The minimal starter tank for the saltwater
aquarium should be 30 gal.
Once
you have decided on the appropriate size of your aquarium,
choosing the tank itself is very straightforward. Most
home aquariums are constructed of rectangular glass
plates sealed with a silicone rubber cement. These are
by far the most common and practical aquarium to buy;
I recommend one for the beginner. They are built for
the sole purpose of housing living animals and are,
therefore, nontoxic. Glass does not scratch or yellow
as easily as acrylic does. Aquariums with plastic or
metal frames are sometimes available, but I have found
that this design is not as aesthetically pleasing and
that the frames are unnecessary. See water is extremely
corrosive, steaks with metal frames will corrode, rendering
the tank and unsafe and potentially adding toxic metals
in aquarium water.
When
choosing your tank, be sure there are no scratches on
the glass and that there are no gaps in the silicone.
Enthusiasts who have tanks custom built or who build
their own, must be sure that nontoxic silicone cement
is used to seal the glass.
Freshwater
Fish
Tanks
Freshwater
aquariums don't require the same amount of work as saltwater
aquariums. The most important requirement of healthy
fish in a freshwater aquarium is clean water. Fish in
a natural environment are generally exposed to an open
system of freshwater continuously; products of respiration
and digestion are swept away and naturally filtered.
in contrast, freshwater fish housed in the aquarium
lived in a closed system were products of respiration
and digestion remain until they are removed. The fish
keeper must a responsibility for removal of these wastes
and maintaining Clearwater. The piece of equipment to
remove toxic substances from the freshwater aquarium
is of course the filter.
Freshwater
fish have adapted to a wide variety of happens around
the world. The water in each of these places has its
own chemical characteristics to which the species of
fish living there have adapted. These characteristics
of water include pH (acidity level), hardness (mineral
content), temperature and oxygen content. In many cases,
freshwater fish that have adapted to a specific temperature
or pH cannot readily live under different conditions.
PH
refers to the amount of acidity of the water. The pH
scale ranges from zero to 14 with a pH of seven being
neutral, a pH of one being very acidic in the pH of
14 being very alkaline. This scale is logarithmic, meaning
that each number is 10 times stronger than the preceding
number. For example, a pH of two is 10 times more acidic
than a pH of three and 100 times more acidic than a
pH of four.
In
a freshwater aquarium pH is influenced by a variety
of factors including the amount of carbon dioxide and
fish wastes in the water. In general, the beginner's
aquarium pH should be between 6.5 and 7.5. Commercial
test kits that are very simple to use are available
at most pet stores. The pH level should be monitored
every week or two to detect any changes. An abrupt drop
in pH maybe indicative of an increase in carbon dioxide
or fish wastes. An increase in aeration or particular
water change may alleviate the problem.
Also
with freshwater aquarium's there are methods available
to alter pH in the tank. However, unless you are attempting
to obtain specific pH levels as dictated by the special
needs of the certain species of fish, I do not recommend
that you use them.
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