15 Basic Rules For a Good Aquarium

With a small touch you can have a successful and healthy aquarium. Just a little care is enough for your aquarium friends. Here you can find 15 basic rules for a good aquarium.

1

Feed two to three times each day

2

Regular and varied feeding is important for fish

3

Do not overfeed. Feed must be consumed in about 2 min.

4

Take care to population in aquarium.

5

Change water weekly

6

Test water parameters regularly

7

Choose fish that live similar temperatures.

8

Choose fish that mesh together

9

Provide good filtration

10

Choose the largest aquarium possible.

11

Stable conditions are always important for fish.

12

According to type of fish that you feed, make daily, weekly and monthly checklist.

13

Be careful when you place new fish/decor/any equipment to aquarium.

14

Always check your fish condition.

15

Choose complementary plants, rocks, wood, gravel and etc.

Enjoy the hobby!

TYPES OF AQUARIUM FILTER / Basic to Complex

There are many types of aquarium filter with different function.

We can seperate aquarium filter in to 3 according to their function.

• Mechanic Filtration: desingned to catch particles in the aquarium water.
• Chemical Filtration: filter chemical impurities which like caused by food adulteration.
• Biological Filtration: helps to nitogen cycle and provides enough space for the grow of beneficial bacterias.

Basic to Complex Aquarium Filters

Up to now we learned function of aquarium filters. Now let’s look at types of aquarium filter from basic to complex.

Sponge/Air Driven Filter

Sponge/Air Driven Filter

The most basic aquarium filter. We can not classify this as a mechanic, chemical and biological because they do not do much this functions. You can use this filter for breeding, fry, nursery, hospital, small fish and invertebrates tanks.

Sponge filters’ working princable is to basic. It is powered with air pump and air starts to flow through tube in the center of filter. This flow force the water pull through sponge and filtration done this way.

Price Range: $1.00 - $25.00

Hang on Back (HOB) Filter

HOB Filter

This type of filter used commonly because it can provide mechanical, biological and chemical filtration at the same time.

You can hang over it to the back or the sides of aquarium. They suck water in the aquarium through their siphone and give back the water to aquarium over their waterfall.

Suck water pass through filter material and according to filter materials, they can provide different type of filtration.

Price Range: $10.00 - $180.00

Internal Filter

Internal Filter

Internal filters have dense structure. Because of that it is good to use them in small sized and nano aquariums. You can easily stick to the sides of aquarium.

They provide good mechanical, chemical and biological filtration for small sized aquariums. If you place an airline it can give air which produced movement of water to aquarium.

Price Range: $10.00 - $110.00

Undergravel Filter

Undergravel Filter

As you can understand from the name of filter, it is placed under the gravel of aquarium. It pulls water through the gravel.

Water pass through gravel and by this way mechanical filtration happen. We can not talk chemical and biological filtration very definitely.

Note: You must mix up the gravel over on the filter. If not, particules may collect over your gravel.

Price Range: $8.00 - $60.00

Canister Filter

Canister Filter

Canister filters are common for big size aquarium. They provide good chemical, mechanical and biological filtration. Because they have bigger size comparing with internal and HOB filters.

According to material inside of canister filter easily at same time as chemically, mechanically and biologically. By the help of siphon it draw water inside and water pass through the different filter materials and turn back to aquarium.

You can use this type of filter for every type of aquarium (salt, fresh and planted) with inner peace.

Price Range: $30.00 - $500.00

Wet/Dry Filter

Wet/Dry Filter

Wet/dry filters also called trickle filter. 

Setup of this type of aquarium is onerous but especially for salt aquarium it provides excellent biological filtration. Because it provides large area for beneficial bacteria grow.

It also do good chemical filtration with the material in the medium. But its mechanical filtration is limitted.

Price Range: $50.00 - $500.00

Fluidized Bed Filter

Fluidized Bed Filter

By the help of water pump water pumped into filter tube. Filter tube includes granules like sand, plastic or silica.

They provides good biological filtration, moderate mechanical filtration and not good chemical filtration.

Prize Range: $50.00 - $150.00

To Sum Up

According to your needs you can select one of these filters. Do not forget each aquarium needs a filter. Filtration is vital for aquarium fishes.

Stress in aquarium.

What is Stress?

Most fish are animals that can adapt to most of conditions, but this does not mean that they can live as healthy as their habitats in any environment. If you feed it on inappropriate conditions, but the body functions of the fish slow down or speed up to ensure that this life is sustainable. This function change is called stress. Stress reduces the resistance of the fish to diseases and prevents the fish from treating itself in situations such as injuries. On top of all this, stress can lead to respiratory problems in fish. Stress at a given level may be treatable and not fatal, but stress in high parameters can be absolutely fatal.

What are the causes of stress?

1. It is a source of stress that the value per liter of water per fish in the tank is less than the fish needs.
2. The water pH and kH state is not a type of stress source.
3. Some species live in salt water in small quantities, while others can not. The mistake in salt balance is a source of stress.
4. Feeding peaceful and aggressive species together is a source of stress.
5. Untreated water use is a source of stress.
6. Sudden changes in water conditions are a source of stress.
7. The species that show herd life are stress sources only.
8. The amount of oxygen dissolved in water is a source of stress.
9. It is a source of stress that the content of feed and nutrients used is not suitable.
10. High drug use is a source of stress.
11. The increase in ammonia, nitrite and nitrate in the water is a source of stress.
12. It is a source of stress that the gore is high to low on the type you are fed by your water temperature.

What are the stress statements?

Briefly, we can say fish behavior disorders. I felt the need to expand this brief summary so that I could make a diagnosis in individuals who did not know the normal behavior of the fish.

1. If the fish is standing on the surface of the water trying to breathe
2. If fish are constantly hiding
3. If open wounds are not healing, if fins are melting
4. If there is external parasitic disease in the fish, it is highly probable that your fish has stress.

How is stress relieved?

It is more difficult to relief stress than obstruction. In short, it is necessary to prevent the stress conditions that I gave above 12 items. After the strase is inserted, it is again determined which of the above 12 items is the stress source and then it is treated by eliminating this source.

Pterois Volitans [SCORPAENIDAE] [LIONFISH]

General Specifications

Latin Name: Pterois Volitans

Geographic Origin: Western Pacific.

Nutrition Format: Carnivorous. Small fish, shrimp, frozen baits.

Behavior: Moderate aggressive. Most of the time a fish is peaceful but hunters will hunt small fish.

Behavior to Their Type: Moderately aggressive

Gender Discrimination: It is difficult to determine the difference between male and female.

Reproduction

Male fish live with harem. A male mates with many female. They spawn in the evening after an all-day courtship. They leave about 2000 eggs and that eggs can be found in the form of a few artillery. The offspring will be released within 36 hours. The calves are fed with plankton.

Living Medium

Light: Normal
Salinity: 1025
Temperature: 22 ° C - 28 ° C

Maximum Sizes: 38 cm.
Minimum Aquarium Capacity: 300 liters

Reef Compatibility: Compatible, attention should be paid to nitrates.

pH: 8.2 - 8.5

General Comments: These fish has very interesting looking. They are touted as nitrate bombs, also they eat too much and grow more in the aquarium. That causes pollution in aquarium, because of that if you feed lionfish, you must check regularly quality of water. They hunt small fish and shrimp in the tank. You must be very careful while feeding and moving because their spines are poisonous. They are more active in night.

Siganus Vulpinus [SIGANIDAE]

General Specifications

Latin Name: Siganus vulpinus

Geographic Origin: Western Pacific: western Philippines, Indonesia, New Guinea, Great Barrier Reef, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Caroline Islands, Marshall Islands, Nauru and Kiribati. Lately there has been in Tonga.

Living Area: Usually in coral reefs and lagoons, maximum depth of 30 m.

Nutrition Format: Herbivore, diet consists of fresh vegetables and a variety of undesirable algae. Some soft and hard coral polyps are likely to bite and eat. They will accept flake of high quality vegetable. Cyanobacteria, sea algae, the algae in tank including hair algae will be completely eliminated.

Behavior: Peaceful

Behavior to Their Type: Moderately aggressive

Gender Discrimination: It is difficult to determine the difference between male and female.

Reproduction

They shed plain eggs. It is difficult to produce. It is believed that the partnership lasted until his death the couple.

Living Medium

Light: Normal
Salinity: 1020-1025
Temperature: 22 ° C - 26 ° C

Maximum Sizes: 25 cm.
Minimum Aquarium Capacity: 300 liters

Reef Compatibility: Caution should be. If the problem if it is not well fed, otherwise they may bite some LPS and soft corals (usually zoanthids and button polyps).
Water Hardness: 8 - 12 ° dH (medium - hard)

pH: 8.1 - 8.4

General Comments: Foxface rabbitfish, popular for beginners and experienced aquarists, attractive and durable fish. Usually found in the form of single or dual in rich regions of the lagoon and coral reef. They have noise like mouth to eat algae and other plant foods. There are poisonous spines in the dorsal and anal fins. Because of that must be dealt with caution. Poison is not as strong as a lion fish bites but it causes a bad pain. Because of poisonous dorsal spines predators leave them alone. They have color changing ability, when thwt are stressful or in unfamiliar environments they turn their color to dark brown.

ASTROPECTEN BISPINOSUS [ASTROPECTINIDAE]

General Specifications

Latin Name: Astropecten bispinosus

Geographic Origin: Mediterranean Sea

Nutrition Format: Plankton and micro-organisms sand niggle in the fed.

Behavior: Peaceful

Behavior to Their Type: Peaceful

Living Medium

Light: Normal
Salinity: 1.023 to 1.026
Temperature: 22 ° C

Maximum Sizes: 21 cm.
Minimum Aquarium Capacity: 60 liters

Reef Compatibility: Compatible

pH: 8.1 - 8.4

General Comments: This species live in the deep sea water. During the day, fed by filtering water. Maintenance is a kind of hard, because there is not enough belenebil micro-organisms in the aquarium will usually die from starvation.

AMPHIPRION MELANOPUS [CINNAMON CLOWNFISH]

General Specifications

Latin Name: Amphiprion melanopus

Geographic Origin: United States

Nutrition Format: Both carnivores and herbivores

Behavior: Semi-Aggressive

Behavior to Their Type: Semi-Aggressive

Living Medium

Light: Normal
Salinity: 1,020 to 1,025
Temperature: 22 ° C - 26 ° C

Maximum Sizes: 12 cm.
Minimum Aquarium Capacity: 100 liters

Reef Compatibility: Compatible

pH: 8.1 - 8.4

General Comments: This type of clown is easy to produce at home. Puppies should be put on a pair of the same aquarium. By the time pass one will be male and an other female. Then they shed their eggs on a flat surface. Depending on the temperature drop eggs in 6-11 days. Then fry should be fed with rotifer culture, whether in a separate aquarium.

Amphiprion Ocellaris [OCELLARIS CLOWNFISH]

General Specifications

Latin Name: Amphiprion Ocellaris

Geographic Origin: The Western Pacific. It is also called anemone fish.

Living Area: It makes some kind of hosting the anemones. Pacific Carpet Anemone would be preferred.

Nutrition Format: Accept dry feed. Live bait should not be neglected.

Behavior: Peaceful

Behavior to Their Type: Moderately aggressive

Gender Discrimination: They can change gender according to condition, one of the dominant male develope and return to female. 

Reproduction

They live as a colony with one active male, female and pasive males. Anemones play an important role in reproduction, but anemones is not necessarily they can also spawn elsewhere deem safe.

Living Medium

Light: Normal

Salinity: 1,023
Temperature: 25 ° C - 28 ° C

Maximum Sizes: 10 cm.

Reef Compatibility: Compatible

pH: 8.2 - 8.5

General Comments: These are very likeable and lively fish. They fold their reputation with the cartoon character Nemo fame. It is also suitable for a fish will start the new marine aquarium because it is durable. It adapts quickly to the aquarium.