Welcome to Aquarium Central
'Fish and Reef Showcase Guide' of expert information about the aquarium hobby with the latest and greatest of online resources
Welcome to Aquarium Central
Welcome to Aquarium Central
SETTING UP THE AQUARIUM
LOCATION
Decide where to place your aquarium by choosing an aquarium site that avoids direct sun and drafty areas. Direct sunlight will cause algae. Use an appropriate size aquarium stand placed near a wall and an electrical outlet.
CLEAN AQUARIUM
To clean your aquarium simply wipe the inside and outside with a damp cloth or paper towel. Be careful when handling a wet aquarium because glass can be slippery when wet. Never use soap to clean your aquarium. Do not rest the aquarium on its side because bumping the exposed glass edges can cause chips and cracking.
FILTRATION
The basic filter systems are under gravel, inside box filter or outside power filter. If this is your first aquarium we suggest that you ask your sales person for their advice on which system to select. Among your options power filters are our recommended choice because they remove sediment and particulate matter from the water while also providing chemical filtration with the use of activated carbon. If you decide to use a power filter install it but do not plug it in until the aquarium is filled. Above all, carefully read and follow the directions for whatever system you choose.
GRAVEL
Gravel is necessary to anchor live or artificial plants and comes in a variety of colors. Natural or brighter colors can be used to match or contrast your room's decor. Remember to use about 1.5 pounds of gravel per gallon to have a depth of about 2 inches. Most gravel contains a little dust or fine particles and, therefore, should be rinsed thoroughly. For best results put about five pounds of gravel at a time in a clean bucket. Use a laundry or stationary tub to run water into the bucket while stirring the gravel. Empty the water and continue stirring until the water is clear. Empty the water from the bucket and carefully dump the gravel into the aquarium. Continue this process until you have finished washing the rest of the gravel.
WATER
Slowly fill your aquarium with fresh, room temperature water. Do not use cold water because condensation may form and cause puddling, which looks a lot like leaking. You can use a plate or saucer to diffuse the water and keep the water from scattering the gravel. Leave about 2 or 3 inches of space at the top so you will not overflow the aquarium when you add the decorations.
DECORATIONS
Add rocks, driftwood, ornaments and plants to decorate your aquarium environment. Before starting take the time to visualize where your decorations would look best while remembering to leave open space in front of the aquarium where you will feed the fish. Avoid moving the decorations after you add fish because this can be very stressful to the fish.
WATER TREATMENT
To ensure the water is suitable for sustaining healthy fish you must add water conditioner to your aquarium. The main purpose of this is to remove chlorine, but most conditioners will also remove other harmful chemicals. Be sure to ask your sales person for advice before making a selection.
START THE FILTER
Carefully read and follow manufacturer's directions for starting the filter you selected.
HEATER AND WATER TEMPERATURE
For tropical fish a heater is always necessary. Ask your sales person for their advice, but a good rule of thumb is about 5 watts per gallon. Never allow a plugged in heater to remain out of water. Always check for cracks before putting the heater in the aquarium and carefully read and follow the manufacturer's directions. To help you regulate the temperature buy a thermometer and place it on the front or end of the aquarium opposite the heater. The ideal temperature range for tropical fish is 76 degrees F to 78 degrees F.
LIGHTS
A full hood is necessary to provide light for your fish, reduce evaporation inside the aquarium and keep the fish from jumping out. A cutaway back strip allows room for heaters, air line tubing and power filters. Fluorescent hoods are the best because they evenly light the aquarium and are more energy efficient than incandescent hoods and the bulbs last longer. A full hood may be used with a timer to control the amount of lighting in your aquarium. You should light the aquarium for about 8 to 10 hours per day. Avoid too much light because it can cause algae growths.
TEST WATER
It is important to test your aquarium water for unacceptable levels of pH and ammonia. There are many options for controlling these chemicals. Ask your sales person to recommend a test kit and give you help solving any water quality problems.
FISH
At first try a few fish to make sure your aquarium is suitably set up. Float the bag in the aquarium for no more than 15 minutes before opening the bag and adding a little of the aquarium's water. Do this about two or three times and then allow the fish to swim into the aquarium. After an hour or so observe their activity. They should swim easily through the water in a smooth manner. Their fins should be erect and they should be moving not laying on the bottom unless they are bottom catfish, which stay on the bottom most of the time.
FEEDING
Ask your sales person for help on selecting food. For variety use two or three different types to feed your fish lightly three or four times per day. Make sure the fish eat all of the food. If they do not finish the food within five minutes look for problems and feed a little less next time.
ENJOY!
Keeping fish can be educational for children as well as a relaxing hobby for all ages. Use common sense to maintain an active and healthy home for your fish. Thanks again for purchasing an All-Glass Aquarium. Our loyal and proud family of employees wish you much enjoyment with your new aquarium.
IMPORTANT TIPS ABOUT WATER
Most people use tap water in their tanks; it is cheap and easy to use. Unfortunately (for aquarists), local water companies add chemicals to the water to make it safe to drink (e.g., chlorine or chloramine to kill bacteria). More recently, concern about water flowing through older lead pipes has caused some water utilities to add pH-raising chemicals to the water (because lead dissolves less readily in alkaline water). Consequently, tap water must be specially treated before it can safely be used in fish tanks.
Another potential problem concerns variability in the chemical properties of your water supply over time (e.g., month-to-month). Some water districts don't have enough water themselves, forcing them to purchase additional water from neighboring water districts in times of shortages. If this water has a different chemical properties (e.g., hardness), your tap water's chemistry will vary as well. As a common example, high bacteria levels are more of a problem in summer than winter, especially in warmer climates. Consequently, it is not uncommon for water companies to use more chlorine in summer months to keep bacteria in check. Even such factors as local weather can have an impact; heavy rains may cause the hardness of your water supply to decrease as local reservoirs fill.
In general, chlorine and chloramine are the two additives that cause the most problems. Note that these two substances are VERY DIFFERENT! Be sure you know what is in your tap water and treat appropriately.
Chlorine
In the US, EPA guidelines require that tap water at any faucet contain a minimal chlorine concentration of 0.2 ppm, and stringently limits the concentration of bacteria (which may require more than 0.2 ppm chlorine to keep in check). Because chlorine breaks down over time, the chlorine concentration of the water that comes out of your tap will be lower than that put in at water plant. Thus, the exact concentration at your faucet depends on how far you are from the water plant, how long it takes the water to travel from the water plant to your house, how much chlorine is initially added, etc.
Chlorine at high concentrations is toxic to fish; at lower concentrations, it stresses fish by damaging their gills. Concentrations of as little as 0.2-0.3 ppm kill most fish fairly rapidly. To prevent stress, concentrations as low as 0.003 ppm may be required. Fortunately, chlorine can easily be removed from water by the chemical sodium thiosulfate, readily available at fish stores under various brands. Sodium thiosulfate neutralizes chlorine instantly. Note that there are many ``water treatment'' products that are advertised as ``making tap water safe''. Read labels carefully. Inevitably, the ones that neutralize chlorine all contain sodium thiosulfate, plus other substances that may or may not be useful. If your water only contains chlorine (as opposed to chloramine), sodium thiosulfate is all you need. The most cost-effective treatments use only 1 drop per gallon of water. Most other water treatments are much more expensive in the long-term; they may require a teaspoon of treatment (or more) per gallon!
Chlorine is relatively unstable in water, escaping to the atmosphere on its own. Water left in a bucket (or tank) with adequate water circulation (e.g. filter or airstone) will be free of chlorine in 24 hours or less.
Many netters report that they perform partial water changes without ever treating their tap water to remove chlorine. Keep in mind that even though fish show no APPARENT ill effects from untreated water, that doesn't mean that the chlorine isn't stressing your fish. How much stress depends on how much chlorine is introduced to the tank, which depends on many factors (including the percentage of new water added). Because chlorine removers are so cheap (pennies per usage), the insurance they provide should not be passed up.
Chloramine
One problem with using chlorine to treat water is that it breaks down relatively quickly. Another concern with the use of chlorine is that it can combine with certain organics (that may or may not be present in your water) forming trihalomethanes, a family of carcinogens. Consequently, many water companies have switched from using chlorine to using chloramine. Chloramine, a compound containing both chlorine and ammonia, is much more stable than chlorine.
Chloramine poses two significant headaches for aquarists. First, chlorine-neutralizing chemicals such as sodium thiosulfate only neutralize the chlorine portion of the chloramine, neglecting an even bigger problem: deadly ammonia. The consequences can be devastating to fish. Although a tank's biological filter will (eventually) convert the ammonia to nitrate, the time it takes to do so may be longer than what your fish can tolerate.
The second problem relates to water changes. One of the primary reasons for doing regular water changes is to remove nitrates that build up. If your replacement tap water contains ammonia, you'll be putting nitrogen right back into your tank and it will be impossible to reduce the nitrates below the concentration in your tap water. Fortunately, tap water concentrations are relatively low (1 or 2 ppm); you are more likely to have a much higher concentration of nitrate in your tank.
Chloramine can be safely neutralized through such products as Amquel, which neutralize both the ammonia and chlorine portions of the chloramine molecules. The neutralized ammonia will still be converted to nitrates via a biological filter.
Another method for neutralizing chloramine is to age the water while simultaneously performing biological filtration. For example, get an appropriately-sized (plastic) garbage can, fill it with tap water, dechlorinate it with sodium thiosulfate, and then connect an established biological filter to it. Just as in your tank, the bio filter will convert the ammonia to nitrate, after which it can safely be added to your tank. Note: you must add sodium thiosulfate to neutralize the chlorine; otherwise, the chloramine will kill the bacteria in your biological filter.
Alternatively, the ammonia can removed by filtering the water through zeolite or carbon before adding it to your tank. [Note: folks report mixed success with this. If you have concrete (positive or negative) experience to report, please notify the FAQ maintainers.]
Other water impurities you should be aware of
In addition to the additives described above (chlorine and chloramine), municipal water may (or may not!) contain other elements that the aquarist may need to know about. Water in some locations actually contains nitrates. In some places, water contains elevated concentrations of phosphates (1 ppm or more). High phosphate has been linked to algae problems, and a comprehensive algae control strategy may require removing phosphates. High levels of iron (1 ppm or more) have also been linked to thread algae.
