BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO: SETTING UP AN AQUARIUM
Oleg Kiselev
>in a few gallons of tap water and throw in a handful of exotic tropical
>fish, then sit back and enjoy the beauty and serenity of the world we've
>created. Is there anything we should know first? :-)
Yes, there is. Start with buying a book on aquarium fish keeping. There
are many good books around available at moderate to low prices. Check your
local used book stores for copies of Innes' Aquarium (it has been re-issued
every year for the last 30-40 years and you can pick one up for $4-$8),
Crown Books chain of stores has David Sands' "Aquarium Encyclopedia" (or a
name along those lines) for under $10 and "Natural Aquarium" (or something
like that) for $15 (it's originally a Swedish publication, large format
book, where as Sands' book is paperback size). Waldenbooks has an HPBooks
aquarium encyclopedia for $15 or so and it is also a large format, soft
cover book. Prices of books at pet shops are usually higher.
>What should we use to cover the floor of the aquarium? The gravel that
>was provided is an awful green color, and I don't remember seeing anything
>that color on the ocean floor the last time I went snorkeling in the Keys.
Buy #1 or #2 silica (quarz) sand (1/16" to 1/8") if you intend to have live
plants with soil-penetrating root system (anything that looks like grass or
spinach or other "normal" plants) or 1/8" to 1/4" gravel if you want to keep
large S. American cichlids (not a good idea in an 8 gal tank). You will need
about 3" of gravel in either case, and 1"-2" extra if you have an undergravel
filter. Most aquarium shops sell pre-packaged gravel and sand. Choose the
sand with the smallest obvious content of shell and coral fragments. I
usually assume 10 lb for a 5 gal tank, so for an 8 gal tank 15 lb of sand
should be just about sufficient. I am not including any large rocks and
terraces in this.
Most light-colored fish look best on darker colored gravel. Most fishes'
colors become more intense when they live for a while in a tank with dark
gravel. In general, fish prefer darker gravel and seem more at ease over
it. However, the "normal," "sand-color" sand works fine.
Some tanks require use of unwashed river sand to provide nutrients for
plants. However, the sand you buy at your local dealer is probably best
to be lightly washed with tap water. Do not EVER use any soaps or
detergents.
>If we use coral, shells, etc. in the tank, should it be sterilized in any
>manner first?
I would caution you against using coral and shells unless you are planning
on keeping fish that like hard, alkaline water. A lot of fish like soft
acidic water, which over time becomes hard alkaline water when it comes in
contact with coral or other calcium carbonate sources. In general, you can
soak things in weak solution of chlorine bleach and then rince the objects
in a lot of running water and soak them a few days with frequent water
changes until the objects lose bleach odor.
>What about the water? We will use tap water, of course, but ours runs
>through a water softener first, and I have no idea what to do about chlorine.
>Is there a water quality testing kit available (reasonably priced)?
Water softners come in different flavours. If your water softner is a
Reverse Osmosis type, activated carbon filter placed down flow from the
RO membrane will adsorb most of the clorine and/or cloramine. You might
need to use those corals and shells or some commercially available pH
buffers, however, to make sure that your water does not undergo traumatic
(to fish) pH shifts.
At first, you might consider filling your tank with "purified drinking
water" that costs $.35/gal from vending machines just about anywhere in US.
It's not a very economical method of filling a tank for larger tanks, of
course.
Chlorine and chloramine get absorbed by activated carbon and there are
numerous "de-chlor" preparations on the market which would break down
chloramine and bind atomic chlorine. If your water is simply chlorinated,
vigorous aeration of it for 24-48 hours or boiling it will de-gas it.
The latter method is not very useful for larger tanks.
There are numerous water quality kits available on the market. The only kit
you will really need if you do things right, is the pH kit. However, it is
always a good idea to have an ammonia test kit handy, as well as a water
hardness test kit. You may help yourself by calling the local water
district managenet and asking them what the tap water's hardness and pH are;
unless you live in LA, those factors are likely to remain relatively constant
for weeks. Other popular test kits are copper (you don't really need it),
nitrite and nitrate (those are essential for marine aquaria, but less
important in fresh water). There many manufacturers of test kits and I have
used at least 3 different brands. I like Tetra.
>What about algae? I know algae inhibitors are available, but wouldn't it
>be better to remove algae more naturally, such as tossing in a few snails,
>or algae-eating critters?
The best algae inhibitors are: (1) lack of light, (2) lack of nutrients and
(3) abundance of higher order plants.
You can't really have no light in your tank -- you will want to see your
fish! But you can place your tank where it will not get sunlight and
control the amount of light exposure your tank will get.
As long as you have fish in the tank, you can't not have nutrients. So your
best course of actions will be to avoid over-feeding your fish, regularly
vacuume the gravel (every 2-3 weeks) and do partial water changes of 10-20%.
Combining vacuuming of the tank with adding new water works great.
>Finally, can you recommend a good source (title) of information for
>neophyte aquariants [sic]?
I have already mentioned the books. You should also look into buying a
couple of issues of aquarium magazines. There are 3 major ones published in
USA: TFH, FAMA and AFM. They are sold in a number of pet shops and aquarium
shops and in Los Angeles you can also find them at some magazine stands.
----
I intend, when I have time and energy to do so, to finish my series of
articles on filtration (I have at least one more if not two more articles to
write on that subject) and to write a few articles on How And What To Do
When You Start A Fresh Water Aquarium So Your Fish Do Not All Die Two Months
Later.
DISCLAIMER: I speak for myself only, unless otherwise indicated.
"No regrets, no apologies" -- R.Reagan
Oleg Kiselev lcc!ol...@seas.ucla.edu
(213)337-5230 ...!{att|ucla-se|turnkey|alphacm}!lcc!oleg