Aquarium Care Tips – 3 Important Types Of Tools You Must Purchase

Getting a fish tank is only the first step in setting up a home aquarium. There are many tools you will need to maintain an aquariums. These tools range from cleaning tools (vacuums, scrubs, bucks, siphons) to ornamental and necessary equipment.

1. Necessary Tools
Filters: A filter is probably the most important piece of equipment for your aquarium. Without it, the fish won’t survive. When looking at filters you are going to have to find one that is large enough for the aquarium. There is a possibility that you are going to need more than one. Filters come in three varieties : external, internal and under gravel. External filters are best, but also cost the most. The undergrad are cheapest, but are comparatively less effective. You can combine a mixture of the filters if you desire.
Heaters: If you are going to care for tropical fish, you need a heater. This will keep the water between 70 to 80 degrees or more if your fish need it. If you have freshwater fish, this may not be needed. Make sure you get a heater that is big enough to maintain the aquarium.

Test kits: These little kits are used to test different elements in the water. You need to test the pH level, ammonia and nitrate levels. Fish need different conditions to live, so you have to make sure they all right. If not, these conditions need to be addressed immediately. You should also get a thermometer because you need to keep track of temperature for both freshwater and saltwater fish.

2. Ornamental Tools
Gravel: There are different ways to line the bottom of the tank, but most people prefer gravel. When looking for gravel to purchase, look for the per-washed one. If you don’t get it per-washed, you are going to have to cleanse the gravel yourself. This requires boiling it to remove any bacteria to clean it. Check with any pet store employees because the gravel might effect the pH level of the tank.

Toys: You’ve seen the little toy chest and toy submerged man. When getting these toys check with the pet shop employee on the care. These usually require cleaning as well.

Plants: If you are going to purchase live plants, find marine plants that are going to thrive underwater. You don’t want them to grow above the water line. The other thing you want consider when it comes to this if the fish you are getting are going to eat your plants. If so, get plastic ones.

3. Cleaning tools
This a broad category that is going to have many different items in it. You are going to need a bucket to use to transfer water when cleaning the tank. You can also get a bucket to hold the fish in when cleaning out the aquarium. A scrub brush and scraper will come in handy when cleaning the algae off the sides of the tank. You can purchase plastic gloves to keep yourself clean during the process. Cleaning isn’t a fun part to owning a fish tank, but a necessary one.

If you don’t clean the fish tank, the fish won’t thrive. Waste and excretions will eventually build up to the point that the filter can’t even control. This is vital to life of the fish.

While this isn’t the beginning at the end of a list, this will prove a great place to get started. Ask around and talk to people who have aquariums to see what other tools and equipment you are going to need.

There are different places you can purchase the equipment as well. You can always go to the local pet store where you are going to get a great deal of information from employees. You can also see what they have in stock. You can go on the Internet to check the different selections online. The Internet will provide a greater selection and loads of information on getting started.

Marine Reef Aquariums Made Easy

You may need a heater for the aquarium. Whether or not you need one depends on how warm your aquarium will stay without a heater. If you can maintain at least 72° F (22° C) you can usually get by without one. Lighting systems will transfer some heat to the water, so even though the room temperature is only 70° F (21° C) your aquarium will usually be several degrees warmer. Make sure you invest in a thermometer.

You will need a hydrometer to measure for salt level content. Marineland™ makes a new re-designed hydrometer that I recommend for Nano/Mini reefs. We try to maintain a specific gravity (salinity) of 1.023 to 1.024 in our aquariums. Instant Ocean® and Reef Crystals® are our preferred salts. You should first add water and salt to your aquarium and let it mix overnight with the power filter running. The next morning test the salinity. Add more salt to raise the salinity if necessary, or take out some water and add fresh water to lower the salinity. Let it mix another hour and test again. Once the salinity is at the desired level you can then start adding livestock.

There are 3 trace elements you should add on a regular basis. Calcium, Strontium, and Iodine are the trace elements we add at least once a week to our reef tanks. Calcium and Strontium are added for the stony corals, as they will strip these trace elements out of the water for there stony skeleton, and Iodine is needed for shrimps and crabs, so they can molt properly.



The best substrate for the reef aquarium is very fine aragonite (coral) sand at a depth of 2 to 3 inches (7.5cm). A 50-pound bag covers 325 square inches at about 3 inches or 10 pounds will cover 65 square inches. A typical 20-gallon would require about 45 pounds, and a typical 10 gallon would require 30 pounds. Why the fine aragonite sand? The number one reason is, once microorganisms colonize the sand it will start reducing nitrate (NO3). The lower depth of the sand bed houses anaerobic bacteria that use the oxygen atom on the nitrate molecule to breathe. The sand will slowly be turned over by small organisms that live in the sand bed. This will allow the water to slowly be exchanged in the lower sand bed, allowing an anaerobic condition to exist. Large forms of gravel will allow to quick of a water change over for an anaerobic condition to take place. It can be done, but it would require an extremely thick bed.



Live Rock and/or Live Sand and/or Bio-Spira from Marineland should be added to the aquarium after the salinity has been set. This will help seed the aquarium with beneficial bacteria that will break down ammonia and nitrite. The base Live Rock should be in contact with the bottom of the aquarium. Once the base Live Rock is in contact with the bottom you can then pack your sand around the rock. This is done to help prevent any animals from undermining the rock and then creating all the rock to shift and possibly tumble down, risking the tank breaking or getting scratched. Live Sand should be added on top of the dry sand. You want the beneficial bacteria in the live sand to be in contact with the water column.

Once your aquarium is set up it is normal to go through algae blooms. The first algae that shows up is a brown algae, then usually followed by green hairy algae. Algae can be controlled by adding 4 Astria (Florida Turbo) snails per 10 gallons.

I prefer to cycle the reef tank with crabs and shrimp, rather than fish. They tend to be less of a bio-load on the aquarium and seem to tolerate ammonia and nitrite better than fish.

Mini (Nano) reef tanks are a very good way to get your hands wet in the reef hobby. Contrary to what many people have said, small reef tanks are very easy to keep. Many of the animals are very hardy, and will live for many years.

Fish Tank Aquariums – Acrylic Or Glass?

Aquariums choice how you want.

When you are talking about bringing angle into your home – the a lot of important affair to anticipate about is the blazon of angle catch basin you would like to get. There are several altered types of tanks that you can get – but your better accommodation is traveling to be whether you would like. 

When you are talking about bringing angle into your home – the a lot of important affair to anticipate about is the blazon of angle catch basin you would like to get. There are several altered types of tanks that you can get – but your better accommodation is traveling to be whether you would like to get a catch basin that is acrylic or one that is glass.

First of all, you will charge to actuate the ad measurement of angle catch basin that you would like to get, because this will advice you in free what blazon of catch basin to get.

Some of the tanks alone arise in glass, so your catechism will be answered for you. When it comes to the angle tank, you’ll wish to anticipate about the angle catch basin aquariums in agreement of what types of angle you are traveling to accept in there. A few ancestry angle will plan out abundant in a ten gallon tank, but if you plan on accepting bigger, soap supplies, fish, or added fish, you’ll charge a bigger tank. Remember, also, that some breed of angle or added baptize activity will outgrow a assertive sized tank, and you’ll charge to acquisition a catch basin that they can calmly fit in.

When it comes to angle pet supplies, and angle catch basin aquariums, cerebration about acrylic verses bottle is actual important so that you can be abiding you accept called the appropriate blazon of tank. Bottle tanks ability assume catchy because you ability anticipate that it is simple to breach bottle tanks, and it is accurate – bottle does breach easily. But all in all, bottle tanks are added abiding than acrylic tanks, artlessly because they are added solid. However, the bottle itself is easier to breach than the acrylic is, so if you plan on putting something in the catch basin that ability accident the glass, you ability wish to go with acrylic instead.

Also, acrylic is traveling to be lighter than glass. However, this is something that isn’t as important, because no amount what, you are traveling to accept baptize in the tank. When it comes to angle catch basin aquariums, the baptize is the heaviest part, so you’ll wish to be abiding that you accept that. The aberration in weight with bottle and acrylic doesn’t absolutely matter.

Lastly, you’ll wish to bethink that with angle catch basin aquariums, bottle is traveling to be easier to accumulate apple-pie than acrylic.

Since you can’t use soap for the central of the tank, it is actual simple to get harder baptize body up – so you’ll wish to be abiding that you are accepting a bottle catch basin that you can calmly apple-pie .Also, with angle pet supplies, you can get a plectra to eat any algae that does appear, and this will accumulate your angle catch basin aquariums cleaner.

Getting Fresh Water Fish For Newbies

Advantages of choosing freshwater fish is that the fish will adapted nearly too any type of Aquarium. In addition, freshwater fish are easier to take care of than saltwater fish. Accordingly, freshwater fish is ideal for beginners. Freshwater fish include the tropical and the Coldwater fish. Regardless of the type of fish you decide to raise however, you want to consider tanks first. Saltwater fish tend to do best in Reef Tanks. Reef tanks have underwater ridges, which is similar to oceanography ridges, in that the reef tanks include rock and coral. The tank is filled with water, which the top of the water is just above or below the surface.

Goldfish would not benefit from reef tanks, since these fish receive their oxygen intake from the surface of the aquarium.



Brief Goldfish History

Goldfish are diminutive ornamental fish, which are generally orange-red. The fish come from native eastern Asia waters, which these fish are commonly stored in tanks, aquariums, or ponds. Goldfish got its Latin name from Carassius Auratus.



When considering aquariums you want to make sure that you know what to avoid when spotting the tank. For instance, it is recommended that you do not store the aquarium near doors, windows, or heaters. In addition, you should store the aquarium in an area of your home were the room temperature remains constant. When you purchase your aquarium, make sure you consider medicines, equipment, food, electricity supply, filters, and so on. Gravel, floss, buffers, and filters should be on the list as well. The most important thing you will need outside of food is filters. The filters help to keep your aquarium free of algae and harmful chemicals. Online you will find a wide assortment of external, internal, and under-gravel filtration systems. In addition, if your tap water is unclean, you may need to purchase a water purification system. Otherwise, you can take certain actions to eliminate a great amount of chemical production from the water.




External filters are costly; more so than the under-gravel and internal filters, yet the filters is one of the better choices. External filters are recommended if you have a large supply of plants and/or fish in your tank. Maintenance for the external filters is much easier than that of the internal and the under-gravel filtration systems. Internal filters is one of the popular sold in fish supplies, which the filter produce good results. The filters are cheaper than external filters, and include elements that draw liquids from grills, which filters the liquid into foam cartridges. The liquids are then discarded through top nozzles. You can purchase internal filters, which include indicators that will alert you when cleaning time starts. Valves make it easy to maintain oxygen. As well, filtered pads will help eliminate chemical build up. Under-gravel filters require additional maintenance and generate less power, therefore it is recommended that you combine internal, or external filters with the under-gravel filtration systems.

How to decide if you need a heater?

Now that you have an overview of filters, you need to consider aquarium heaters. Coldwater fish do not require heaters. Goldfish is a type of the Coldwater fish. Tropical fish tanks demand heaters. If the water temperature is too cold for tropical fish, it can cause them to die. On the other hand, it the water is too hot the fish may die as well, since the fish will not receive sufficient oxygen to maintain life. The primary focus is to make sure that you purchase a filter and heater system that matches your tank space. Freshwater fish tend to be the better choice fish for starters.

Seagrass Filefish in a Tropical Marine Aquarium

A Reef Compatible, Aiptasia-Eating Saltwater Aquarium Filefish

The seagrass filefish (Acreichthys tomentosus) is a saltwater fish from the Indo-Pacific that makes an excellent marine aquarium species when it comes to both biotope-specific set-ups and biological control of aiptasia. Reaching a maximum size of 12 cm, the seagrass filefish is considered relatively hardy, behaviorally interesting and reef compatible.

The seagrass filefish—which is also sometimes commonly referred to as the aiptasia-eating filefish, the bristle-tail filefish, the bristle-tailed leatherjacket, and the matted leatherjacket—is indigenous to the Indo-West Pacific, where it is relatively common from East Africa to Fiji. It has been reported as far north as the Ryukyu Islands and all the way south to New South Wales. In the wild, it is often observed in seagrass beds, although it also inhabits tropical reefs to a depth of 15 meters.

Aiptasia-Eating Filefish

While not frequently seen in the marine aquarium hobby in North America until recently, the seagrass filefish is becoming more popular due to its aiptasia-eating prowess. “This fish is one of the best when it comes to the never-ending battle against aiptasia,” says Los Angeles-based Blue Zoo Aquatics Director of Marine Ornamental Research Mark Martin. “Not only does it love to eat aiptasia, but it is also generally considered reef compatible.” Martin also points out that it is much hardier than some of the other fishes commonly employed for aiptasia control.



Ridding an Aquarium of Pest Anemones from the Genus Aiptasia

Glass anemones from the genus Aiptasia frequently enter the tropical marine aquarist’s tank as unwanted hitchhikers on live rock. Once established, these pest anemones can quickly infest an entire tank, and they are then difficult to eradicate without the help of an animal that will eat them. Animals commonly used in the fight against glass anemone infestations include peppermint shrimp and various species of butterflyfishes.



Read more at Suite101: Seagrass Filefish in a Tropical Marine Aquarium: A Reef Compatible, Aiptasia-Eating Saltwater Aquarium Filefish http://fishinsects.suite101.com/article.cfm/seagrass-filefish-in-a-tropical-marine-aquarium#ixzz0gtnmn3Oq

“The problem with many animals that are known to target and eat aiptasia is the fact that these animals will sometimes ignore the aiptasia in favor of a captive diet or are difficult to wean onto a captive diet once the aiptasia is gone,” says Martin. “Further, it is difficult to find an aiptasia-eating animal that is considered reef compatible.”

Reef Compatible with Caution

A reef compatible animal is an animal that can be added to an aquarium housing ornamental reef invertebrates like coral without the fear that the new animal will harass, eat or kill the ornamental invertebrates. Many animals that will target glass anemones will also nip at various coral polyps, clam mantles and even large ornamental anemones. “The beauty of this fish,” says Martin, “is that it rarely harasses ornamental invertebrates,” says Martin, who frequently advises reef aquarists to acquire the seagrass filefish as a means of combating an aiptasia outbreak.

Individual seagrass filefish have been reported to nip at some coral species, especially those from the generea Duncanopsammia, Dendronephthya and Heliofungia. They have also been reported to nip at clam mantles. “While they cause no problem in a reef tank 95 percent of the time,” says Martin, “this species should be considered reef compatible with caution.”

Seagrass Filefish Aquarium

While the seagrass filefish is a great animal to employ for biological control of glass anemones in a reef tank, it is also an interesting and beautiful animal ideal for an aquarium replicating a seagrass biotope. Regardless of whether the seagrass filefish is added to a reef tank, a fish-only system or a seagrass biotope tank, the tank should be no less than 40 gallons, and it should only house peaceful community fishes. Once established, the seagrass filefish should readily accept a captive diet.

Read more at Suite101: Seagrass Filefish in a Tropical Marine Aquarium: A Reef Compatible, Aiptasia-Eating Saltwater Aquarium Filefish http://fishinsects.suite101.com/article.cfm/seagrass-filefish-in-a-tropical-marine-aquarium#ixzz0gtnqWZ49