Basic Aquarium Principles for a Healthy Freshwater Aquarium

AQUARIUM:change, as they do NOT actually remove ammonia).
Start with as large an aquarium as you can afford.If you have plants in your aquarium they will directly
The very BASIC principle that is to have 1-2 inchesconsume the ammonia (especially hornwort), thus
of NARROW bodied fish per FILTERED aquariumrendering the NO2 (nitrite) part of the nitrogen cycle
gallon is a starting point, but not very accurate. Thisnull. The danger here is if your pH climbs above 6.5
also only applies to a standard rectangular aquarium.the ammonia can change to much more toxic NH3
Goldfish are dirty and fatter, so I would triple thisand the aerobic bacteria needed for nitrite
with them, in fact for long term goldfish health, oneconsumption will be sparse.
goldfish per 8-10 gallons is best.LIVE PLANTS:
Obviously longer fish need more tank width andLive plants are desirable in my opinion, but many
length. I would decrease the amount of fishartificial plants can look quite realistic when properly
proportional to the gallons in a tall aquarium orarranged or used in conjunction with live plants. For a
hexagon aquarium.beginner live plants are more difficult, but not a lot.
Remember, many fish purchased can grow muchThe benefits of live plants are they are great at
larger than your original purchase size (ex: goldfish),nitrate removal and keep a natural balance to the
so keep this in mind too.aquarium, removing CO2 and adding oxygen (only
What is much more important in determining howduring daylight). Hornwort is an excellent plant for
many fish you should add to your aquarium are thesenitrate removal, and is relatively easy to grow.
factors:Banana plants (when available) are also a very easy
*The amount of surface area relative to the gallonsplant. Be careful with many fish that will "mow down"
of water the aquarium holds.your plants such as: Silver Dollars, most African
*Type of fish, such as fish that naturally producecichlids, and even goldfish.
more waste (partlydo to the type of food they eat)Here is a list of "easy" beginner plants:
such as goldfish where one fish per 8+gallons isCompacta swords, hornwort, Red wendtii, spiral valis,
better.dwarf subulata, Hygro, Java fern regular or lace.
*Filtration, a properly filtered aquarium (good bioFor healthy plants I suggest a substrate of #00 sand
filtration, good mechanical filtration, and goodmixed with laterite about 3-5 cm deep with a layer of
circulation) with multiple filters isimportant.#3 gravel on top about 2 cm deep. This combination
*Maintenance schedule that includes regular efficientworks well for plant roots, ease of vacuuming the
water changestop layer ONLY (where plant roots are), and for
*A new aquarist needs to start with a much lessbetter bio filtration. You can substitute laterite with a
crowded aquarium.sandy top soil (although usually not as good a source
FILTERS:of iron), by preparing the soil thus; Gather sandy top
I always recommend two filters minimum persoil, add water with a 10/1 bleach solution, mix for a
aquarium for redundancy and for improved biologicalcouple of minutes, then rinse (with a de-chlorinator
(denitrifying) filtration. For a small aquarium, afor first rinse) until the water runs relatively clear.
combination of a hang on the back (power) and aThe sand that is left is what you mix with your plant
sponge filter. Or a sponge filter and an internal powerroots.
filter. You want to make sure and rinse your spongeFEEDING:
or cartridge out in used aquarium water to maintainI recommend feeding high quality fish and plant based
your beneficial bacteria for bio filtration.foods. Quality ingredients include: spirulina, fish meal,
Other filters of note include canister, wet/dry, underFD Brine Shrimp, shrimp meal, Vitamin C & E,
gravel, and fluidized bed.lobster shell.
There are four types of filtration:Fish cannot digest proteins from beef well, and fish
Biological; the removal of nitrogenous wasteget most their energy requirements from fats. Some
(ammonia, ECT), which is the most important type.quality foods include: Omega, Spirulina 20, Ocean
Mechanical; the removal of larger debris (organic andNutrition, Hikari, Sanyu.
inorganic) before it can go through the nitrogen cycleFeed you fish two to three times per day what they
(organic)will consume in three minutes.
Chemical; The removal of chemical contamination viaFeeding foods high in poor quality proteins can
carbon, zeolite or many other products. Thisincrease your nitrate levels, as an essential ingredient
becomes less important in a healthy, establishedin protein is nitrogen, and if unusable by the fish, it is
aquarium.excreted, entering into the nitrogen cycle.
Germicidal; The use of UVC or ozone to kill diseaseCLEANING:
pathogens and control the Redox potential.You should try and have a schedule of changing 20%
HEATER:(or more) of your water every week. I recommend
Most tropical fish do well at a temperature betweenusing a gravel vacuum, you need not remove the fish
76 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. (Discus preferwhile using a gravel vacuum. Make sure the water
warmer).you add back in is the same temperature and ph, and
Goldfish do not need a heater.has no chlorine or chloramines.
I recommend 25 watts for every 10 degrees ofCHEMISTRY:
ambient temperature you need to raise yourKeep your ammonia level at 0, your nitrite at 0, your
aquarium temperature. EX: If your home is 68nitrates below 20-30, and your KH above 80 ppm. Ph
degrees and you have a 40 gallon aquarium, to reachdepends very much on the fish you are keeping.
a temperature of 78 degrees you would need a 100Discus prefer under a ph below 7.0, while Mbuna
watt heater.African cichlids prefer above 8.0.
CYCLING:A very general ph of 7.2 -7.5 works for many
Your aquarium will not be at peak biological filtrationcommunity fish.
for 6 weeks (or more). To start your biologicalCrushed Coral and/or Wonder Shells (Wonder Shells
filtration, there are many cycling products available,are much faster at dissolving to the desired KH) can
such "Cycle" by Hagen. My success with thesehelp maintain a high pH when you desire an aquarium
products is mixed at best, it is very difficult for thewith a higher pH, KH, & GH, especially where tap
aerobic bacteria that are needed for cycling youror well water is very acidic.
aquarium to live in a sealed container kept at roomFor a lower pH in aquariums where the tap water
temperature, as they die very quickly withoutused is very high (usually 7.8 or above), I have used
oxygen.blends of RO (Reverse Osmosis) water and tap
I prefer to add gravel or a used filter sponge/water. The ratio varies with the tap water pH, KH,
cartridge from another aquarium. You can also just& GH and the water conditions I want to
set up your aquarium and run the filters for a coupleachieve. With Discus it can be as high as 75% RO.
of weeks (pretty boring though, and this is also aThen to maintain these conditions I use peat in my
slow way to develop aerobic bacteria).filters. Note that GH does not affect pH, and
Cycling is what is referred to as the Nitrogen cycle.magnesium (a major ingredient of GH) is important to
Waste (nitrogenous) from the fish is broken downfish metabolism. Also note that calcium which is the
first from ammonia (NH3, the most toxic) to nitritesmain factor in KH (which does affect pH!) is also
(NO2, less toxic) to nitrates (NO3, least toxic- butimportant for fish metabolism and fish health and
high amounts can stunt fish growth and lowerhealing. With the above method of using RO (or DI)
disease resistance).water in a blend with tap water and peat, I have still
At a pH of 6.5, NH3 (ammonia) converts to NH4been able to maintain a KH above 80 ppm (for
(ammonia) which is basically non-toxic to most fishproper calcium absorption), sometimes with additives
(many ammonia removing chemicals to a similar ionsuch Wonder Shells or Calcium Polygluconate.