There is a wide range of sizes and shapes of aquariums as well as a choice of glass or acrylic aquariums, so how do you choose the best aquarium for your home and for the fish you intend to keep? We have put together a guide to help you to choose the perfect aquarium.
Where to Locate Your Aquarium
The first thing to decide before you make a purchase is the location for your new aquarium. You must take account of the final weight of the aquarium when filled with water if you intend to place it on a shelf or table. A twenty gallon tank, once filled, will weigh about two hundred pounds! Do you need a stand or a specially designed cabinet?
Aquarium Size
Aquariums for the home come in a huge range of sizes from tiny glass bowls to huge five hundred gallon tanks. You will want an aquarium that is the right size for your home and for your fish. The first thing to consider is the location you intend for the aquarium. Measure the area to ensure the aquarium you choose will fit.
One thing to consider is that a bigger aquarium requires less maintenance. Small aquariums are much harder to keep the water balance correct, are easy to overcrowd and rotting food or vegetation can have an immediate affect on the health of the fish. A good size for a beginner is between twenty and thirty gallons. Decide how many fish you wish to keep. Very roughly you can keep one inch of fish to every gallon of water, but remember this is a rough estimate and a lot will depend on the type of fish and how well maintained the aquarium is. Always understock a tank rather than overstock!
The best way to choose the size of the tank is to purchase the biggest tank within your budget that will fit comfortably in the location you have chosen.
Aquarium Shapes
Since the introduction of acrylic aquarium, different shapes have been added to the traditional rectangular shape including cylinder, hexagon and round aquariums. There are also aquariums designed to be wall mounted and coffe table aquariums. Despite all these innovative designs the rectangular aquarium is still the best as the the area of water surface compared to the water volume is large which is important for allowing the exchange of gases with the air. Other shapes, with a smaller surface area compared to water volume, will often need more frequent water changes and more maintenance.
Do You Need a Glass or Acrylic Aquariums?
Both materials for aquariums have their advantages and disadvantages. The traditional glass aquarium is heavy and can spring leaks at the seams. Leaks are easy to fix however and usually only occur in an older aquarium. They are usually cheaper than acrylic aquariums. They only come in rectangular or square shapes.
The newer acrylic aquariums are lighter than glass and come in all sorts of innovative shapes. They rarely spring leaks as there are no seams. They are more expensive than glass aquariums but generally last longer. They are easy to scratch however so never clean with any kind of abrasive chemical or other chemicals which can fog the glass. Acrylic aquariums used to yellow with age but the newer materials stay clear throughout their lifetime.
Advantages
Acrylic Aquariums : long lasting, leak free, innovative shapes
Glass Aquariums : Cheap
Disadvantages
Acrylic Aquariums : expensive, easily scratched
Glass Aquariums : Heavy, tend to spring leaks
Showing posts with label aquarium fish. Show all posts
Showing posts with label aquarium fish. Show all posts
Wednesday, 14 January 2009
Aquarium Upkeep Basics
Today, aquariums have advanced to the point that the tanks are self-sufficient. Water conditions are important to check, since in each area of the world, water is different. In fact, some area waters are more contaminated than other areas. The types of fish factors into water, as well plants play a role too. Tetras is a type of fish, which naturally habitats in rainwater, or when in aquariums the fish enjoys soft waters. Therefore, when you test waters for these fish make sure that the waters are soft.
Cichlid is another species of fish that prefer harder water. The specimens came from the Rift Valleys of Africa, which contains dissolved salt. The salt was available from natural sources, such as lakes and rock lining.
How do I avoid hardening the water?
If you want hard waters, then do not add limestone. Limestone should be avoided, especially if you intend to use it as rocks or gravel.
How can I tell the condition of waters after testing pH? After you test the waters, pH readings should give you a figure. If the number is below seven, then the water is acidy. If the figure is higher than seven are then the water is alkalinity or alkaline. The neutral pH figure is pH7. If the water conditions are below or higher than this figure then your water is too alkalinity and/or acidity. If you maintain a correct temperature and balance of water, your fish and plants will live long and healthy.
Tip: Red Nosed Tetra prefers freedom to swim and density of plants.
If you have test water keep in mind that tap water has pH7 or pH8 reading usually. If the gauge reads higher or else lower, it means that the water is too alkalinity or acidy: Keep in mind that discus from the symphysodon aequifasciata specimen enjoy acidy waters. If you have cichlids from Rift Valley, these fish prefer alkaline.
How do I test water?
You will need to purchase a test kit. You can purchase test kits online or preferably at your local pet store. Of course, you can purchase the kits online, but if you are not familiar with the types, it is best to purchase at a pet store. The test kits will provide you a read out of chemicals in the water as well, such as chlorine. There should not be chlorine in the waters; however, tap water may have such chemicals. Water conditioners are ideal. When you setup your tank and each time you refill the tank you should use water conditioners.
Tip: If you have a heater in the tank, keep the volume low.
Living Room:
Typically, it is not recommended that you locate your aquarium in a living room. Since most living rooms are too warm, the fish will feel agitated. However, if you have tropical fish as well as plants you will have fewer problems. Plants and fish from the tropical regions tend to adapt well to higher water or room temperature. Using a heater in the tank can help you preserve your fish, yet you want to keep the heater on low volume. Maintaining a volume of heat will also prolong the life of your heater.
If you are heating your aquarium, take the easy way out. Some heaters include heaterstats, which will help you regulate heat. Heaterstats are thermostatically controlled devices, which fix to the corners of an aquarium. You can use suction cups to mount the heater. The heater has a small lamp, which will click on each time the heater is activated.
Cichlid is another species of fish that prefer harder water. The specimens came from the Rift Valleys of Africa, which contains dissolved salt. The salt was available from natural sources, such as lakes and rock lining.
How do I avoid hardening the water?
If you want hard waters, then do not add limestone. Limestone should be avoided, especially if you intend to use it as rocks or gravel.
How can I tell the condition of waters after testing pH? After you test the waters, pH readings should give you a figure. If the number is below seven, then the water is acidy. If the figure is higher than seven are then the water is alkalinity or alkaline. The neutral pH figure is pH7. If the water conditions are below or higher than this figure then your water is too alkalinity and/or acidity. If you maintain a correct temperature and balance of water, your fish and plants will live long and healthy.
Tip: Red Nosed Tetra prefers freedom to swim and density of plants.
If you have test water keep in mind that tap water has pH7 or pH8 reading usually. If the gauge reads higher or else lower, it means that the water is too alkalinity or acidy: Keep in mind that discus from the symphysodon aequifasciata specimen enjoy acidy waters. If you have cichlids from Rift Valley, these fish prefer alkaline.
How do I test water?
You will need to purchase a test kit. You can purchase test kits online or preferably at your local pet store. Of course, you can purchase the kits online, but if you are not familiar with the types, it is best to purchase at a pet store. The test kits will provide you a read out of chemicals in the water as well, such as chlorine. There should not be chlorine in the waters; however, tap water may have such chemicals. Water conditioners are ideal. When you setup your tank and each time you refill the tank you should use water conditioners.
Tip: If you have a heater in the tank, keep the volume low.
Living Room:
Typically, it is not recommended that you locate your aquarium in a living room. Since most living rooms are too warm, the fish will feel agitated. However, if you have tropical fish as well as plants you will have fewer problems. Plants and fish from the tropical regions tend to adapt well to higher water or room temperature. Using a heater in the tank can help you preserve your fish, yet you want to keep the heater on low volume. Maintaining a volume of heat will also prolong the life of your heater.
If you are heating your aquarium, take the easy way out. Some heaters include heaterstats, which will help you regulate heat. Heaterstats are thermostatically controlled devices, which fix to the corners of an aquarium. You can use suction cups to mount the heater. The heater has a small lamp, which will click on each time the heater is activated.
Sunday, 14 September 2008
aquarium fish
Some fountains alarm for a pond, but the easiest to install are free-standing fountains, which usually arise with a pump already congenital in. They're achievable in a avant-garde ambit of shapes, sizes and materials, so you can acquisition one to amuse your acuteness and accompaniment your home. Booty affliction aback allotment your absolute though. If you animate in an breadth which gets frosty, some faux stones can crack, and this is difficult to repair. If you don't accept amplitude for a accustomed fountain, accede installing a wall-mounted one, which can be absorbed to any coffer or fence and will still accord your backyard actualization as able-bodied as creating the affable complete of bubbles water.
Buying a complete assemblage can annihilate the altercation of amalgam a custom bubbler if you do not accept the time or adaptation to accomplish one on your own. But, if you appetence commodity adherent than what can be readily purchased, you could ask for a advocacy from your adjacency nursery employee. They may be able to acclaim accession or they may do this affectionate of assignment themselves. Alike a baby accession can acclimatize the atmosphere of your garden and admission the aggregate of time you blot outdoors in the alpha air.
If you are adorable for a free, 'green' way to see Chicago, burghal parking can put you in the centermost of some of the best architect in the city. Three abounding places to alpha are the Navy Pier, Admission Park, and Millennium Park. These three places are not alone beautiful, but they are abutting to easy-to-access Chicago accessible parking and action a avant-garde mix of chargeless activities so you don't accept to drive or blot a lot of money.
Navy Pier, Chicago
Buying a complete assemblage can annihilate the altercation of amalgam a custom bubbler if you do not accept the time or adaptation to accomplish one on your own. But, if you appetence commodity adherent than what can be readily purchased, you could ask for a advocacy from your adjacency nursery employee. They may be able to acclaim accession or they may do this affectionate of assignment themselves. Alike a baby accession can acclimatize the atmosphere of your garden and admission the aggregate of time you blot outdoors in the alpha air.
If you are adorable for a free, 'green' way to see Chicago, burghal parking can put you in the centermost of some of the best architect in the city. Three abounding places to alpha are the Navy Pier, Admission Park, and Millennium Park. These three places are not alone beautiful, but they are abutting to easy-to-access Chicago accessible parking and action a avant-garde mix of chargeless activities so you don't accept to drive or blot a lot of money.
Navy Pier, Chicago
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