10 Naive Questions For A Novice Aquarist

Have you decided to get aquarium fish and don't know where to start? Meanwhile, you don't even suspect that the creation of the unique beauty of the underwater world is available to everyone. One has only to follow the necessary rules, which we will talk about today.

How to choose the right aquarium heater?

Water temperature is of great importance for the life of fish and aquarium plants. And in winter in our apartments you can't do without a heater in the aquarium.

How to choose it correctly? To maintain the temperature one degree higher than the ambient temperature, for each liter of water, it is required to heat up with the following power: for a 25-liter aquarium - 0.2 W, 50-liter - 0.13 W, 100-liter - 0.1 W and 200-liter - 0 07 Tue Recall that this is only one degree per liter. This figure must be multiplied by the number of liters in your aquarium and the desired number of degrees. For example, if you have a 100 liter aquarium and want to increase the temperature by 6 degrees, you need a 60 watt heater (0.1W x 100L x 6 degrees = 60W).

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What equipment is needed to equip an aquarium?

To equip the aquarium you will need: a lamp, an electric heater, a thermometer, compresses, a net, a filter or pump, and a feeder.

What is an aquarium lighting for?

Many novice aquarists are mistaken in the belief that aquarium lighting is purely decorative.

In fact, this is far from the case. In addition to the decorative function, lighting performs a very important physiological one. Constant maintenance in the dark causes prolonged stress in animals. Light is essential for all inhabitants of the aquarium. But here, as well as everywhere, you need to know when to stop. There is little light in the aquarium - the plants will grow poorly and become covered with a brown coating. A lot is also bad, the water turns green and "blooms".

How to properly illuminate the aquarium?

Experts recommend calculating lighting from a ratio of about 1 Watt per liter of water. For example: you have a 50 liter aquarium, so you need a light bulb of approximately 50 watts.

The classic version: front-top lighting, that is, from the front upper edge of the aquarium, the light is directed to the rear window. Sometimes an internal light is also used when a hermetically insulated lamp holder is installed on the bottom of the aquarium. The interior light also has a heating function.

Daylight hours should be at least 10-16 hours.

Glass or plastic aquarium?

It is probably impossible to state categorically which is better. Professionals successfully exploit both. Better we will tell you the pros and cons of both, and you choose.

Glass aquarium:

+ Easy to clean and not scratched with a scraper.

- When water and glass interact, the glass leaches and, as a result, the acidity level of the water in the aquarium changes.

Plastic aquarium:

+ Unlike glass, plastic does not break and is a safer material in this respect.

- Easily scratches and quickly loses its attractive appearance. In this case, it must be carefully cleaned with a nylon sponge or a nylon bag with fine salt.

+ According to aquarists, fish such as neon dies more often in a glass aquarium than in a plastic one.

So you can't say plastic is worse than glass or vice versa. Rather, it is a matter of taste.

Do you need soil in an aquarium?

Certainly! It is not only a beautiful decoration, but also a natural filter. And one more interesting detail: if there is no soil, then the fish will be afraid of the mirror surface of an empty day.

It is best to use coarse river sand or pebbles, at least 5-8 mm in size, as a soil. It is not recommended to use fine sand. The smaller the grains of sand, the faster they cake and, thus, the gas exchange of the soil is disturbed, as a result of which the activity of beneficial microorganisms in it ceases and the soil rots.

It is advisable to lay the soil on the bottom with a layer of 4 to 7 cm, moreover, distributing it at the rear wall more in height than at the front.

Many species of fish like to dig in the ground, for them it is physiologically necessary. And the fry of the catfish after eating must be rubbed with their belly over it for normal digestion.

Before placing in the aquarium, the soil must be thoroughly rinsed until the water becomes clear. And then it must be boiled for 15 minutes in order to destroy harmful microorganisms.

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Round or rectangular?

For fish, a rectangular aquarium is more convenient. It can be equipped more easily. But to equip a round aquarium, you need a little ingenuity. By the way, all spawning fish in a round aquarium, as a rule, do not breed. It is better to place guppies, swordtails, platies, mollies and other viviparous fish in such a reservoir.

Does an aquarium need aeration?

I need it. Round-the-clock aeration saturates the water with oxygen, equalizes the temperature in all layers of water, and stabilizes the redox potential of the water. In addition, a jet of air bubbles sets the water in motion, and fish grow and reproduce better in running water.

The aerator should be adjusted so that there are as many small bubbles as possible. It can be disguised at the bottom under a pile of stones or hidden behind a driftwood, and a stream of air will effectively beat from under it.

Which plants are better, artificial or live?

For decorative purposes, artificial ones are also suitable in minimal quantities. They are convenient in that they require practically no maintenance, and sometimes look better than real ones. But they will not replace real, living vegetation. After all, aquatic plants provide biological balance in the reservoir, and many species of fish simply need plant food. For example, a fish such as mollies without living grass can die. It should also be remembered that any living grass gives off oxygen, which is necessary for the life of fish.

But for spawning of many fish, it is better to use an artificial one. It is easier to save caviar on it.

Small or large aquarium?

It all depends on the area of your apartment and on your desire. But, in general, it is recommended not more than 50 liters per 1 sq. meter of usable area. That is, if you live in a 20 square meter living room, you can afford an aquarium of 1000 liters.

Also, it depends on the fish you keep. It is recommended to populate a home reservoir at the rate of one liter of water per centimeter of length of each fish. If you want to keep large fish, choose a glass house for them accordingly.

It should be remembered that the larger the aquarium, the oddly enough, it is easier to care for it. Because biological equilibrium is established there faster and conditions will be more stable. A large aquarium is 150 liters and more.

Source: "Raise yourself a friend" newspaper, 2000