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Concept of infusing nature with aquarium plants
Have you ever had a moment that you looked at an aquarium and went ‘WOW, is that real!!’ I had this moment about 10 years ago in a small dark shop in South London; I marvelled at the aquarium for about 20 minutes in ore, amazed at how a planted landscape could be created underwater, at that point I knew an aquarium wasn’t just a tank to house fish it was something that could mimic nature. Planted aquariums can be truly inspirational, the concept of a design that combines nature with careful scaping can give any work of art a run for it’s money. Planted aquariums have become a hot topic in the aquarist world for the last few years, with the popularity of keeping aquarium plants increasing; maybe due to the good availability of planted products or the inspirational designs of professional fish keepers that are spearing us on to have aquariums that inspire us all to have a garden within our homes, Who Knows? One thing for sure is that planted aquariums are only going to get more popular and more beautiful as people progresses in the hobby.
You’ve seen the concept and now you have made the decision to create your planted aquarium at home, however, you are not really sure where to start? Whether you’re an expert or a beginner hopefully this article should give you some tips for a successful aquarium. Careful planning and patience is the key for any planted aquarium, make a list of fish and plant species you have in mind of keeping before making your purchase in your local fish store. Most planted aquariums have a minimal bio- load, large quanities fish will have detrimental affects on the plants. Over stocking the aquarium with fish can cause algae blooms, inadequate water parameters, lack of Photosynthesis in plants that generally result in your plants not growing and lack of oxygen for the fish to survive.
The bases for any successful plant growth is laying the foundations of your tank, a good quality fertilizing substrate is a must, there are plenty of products on the market that is readily available in Dubai, such as JBL Pro Basis. I recommend a 1inch depth of fertilizing substrate with a 1-2 inch layer of fine gravel on top. You may want to use an under-gravel heater, install this before adding the fertilizing substrate, it’s not a must but it can help improve oxygen and water turnover in the substrate as the heat rises through the substrate. Choose your aquarium lighting carefully, making sure you pick a spectrum of light that is going to promoted growth, if you’re planning to grow low light loving plants, then T8 should be more than adequate. However, if your looking to grow plants that need an intense light, then make sure you use a good quality, T5, halide or LEDS with an output of 6’500- 7’000 kelvin; also bear in mind that the deeper the aquarium, the less amount of red spectrum can penetrate to the bottom, thus resulting in less plant growth in the lower part of the aquarium. Do not exceed any more than 10 hours of lighting per day, as this can promote algae.
In most shops you can pick up great Co2 kits for aquariums and these can range from yeast base products to professional co2 cylinder systems. My advice is to be confidant with the equipment you are using and fully understand the process of what carbon dioxide can do to your aquarium. Co2 kits pump carbon dioxide into the aquarium that in-turns converts into sugars, which feeds plants and help promotes growth. Using the process of Photosynthesis, the plants then create oxygen for the fish to breath. Keeping this level of Co2 in an aquarium can be tricky for beginners, as it requires precise balance of water chemistry to the amount of carbon dioxide diffused in the water. Always be cautious, as too much Co2 in the aquarium can easily kill your fish. If you are using a professional Co2 cylinder system, I would only start off with 1 bubble of co2 every 2 seconds through a diffuser, this is a good level to start off with and once the plants are more established you can increase the bubbles. Another great tip, is to always check the hardness of your water, if the water is too hard or soft, then the conversion of Co2 diffusing in the water will be greatly reduced, resulting in a lack of plant growth or unstable water parameters.
It is common to have algae blooms in the aquarium when initially starting up, this can be easily combated by adding fast growing plants at the beginning, such as Hygprophillia, Cabomba, Bacopa, Elodea until algae is under control; another great trick to stop any excess nutrients building up in the water when first setting up, is to place carbon media in the filter for about a month. The carbon media can be taken out of the filter when plants are growing at a successful rate and can be replaced by another biological of chemical filtration. Please note; using carbon media long term can also take out liquid plant fertilizers you maybe adding to the aquarium. Liquid fertilizers have a rich content of (Fe) iron that helps to feed plants that absorb nutrients through their leaves. It would be useful to monitor the iron (Fe) content in the water with a test kit, an optimal level of iron (Fe) content is no greater than 0.05mmg. If (Fe) iron content level is too great this can result in an algae breakout, or if too low this could reduce growth and plant colour; a common side affect of this is plant leaves turning slightly brown or yellow.
There are some beautiful looking plants available for the aquarist so always keep your eyes pealed for hidden germs in planted aquariums, my personal favourite has always been Glossotigma, it’s a great plant that densely carpets the substrate of the aquarium creating a natural hilly scape. Whatever your concept is, there are plants that can create the scene, there is no right or wrong way of designing a scape as it’s only interpreted by your imagination. Great plants to check out would be Echinodorus tenellus, Riccia fluitans, Rotala rotundifolia and Cryptocoryne wendtii; bare in mind there are hundreds of different species so good researching would be useful. Once you have purchased your plants I recommend you carefully remove the lead weight and the foam strip, lay out each strand of the plant separately, take the piece of lead weight and cut it into pieces enough for one per strand of plant, fold in half each piece of lead and open it up again to form a crease; take one strand of plant and place it in the crease of the lead weight then slowly refold the lead just so it holds the plant. It is important not to over tighten the piece of lead, as this will damage the plant. Once all the strands have been weighed carefully lift each cutting and place it into the gravel, this can be made easier with a set of plant tongs as it enables you to bunch your plants together with out disturbing to much gravel or other plants.
When adding livestock it is beneficial to include fish or invertebrates that can help keep you plants looking lush, these are commonly referred to as algae eaters, such as Japonica shrimps, Ottocinlus affins catfish or Siamese flying fox, they will do a superb job of cleaning your plants. Make sure you don’t add any fish that may eat plants as this could be a costly mistake as all your hard work maybe destroyed in a matter of hours. Depending on how much fertilizer, bio-loading will determine the frequency of maintenance and water changes will be required; most high tech planted aquariums usually have a 25% water change per week, however if you are using more concentrated fertilizers you may have to do 50% water change weekly, as this will dilute any excess nutrients.
Planting aquariums is about challenging the imagination to express oneself personal perspective of nature within the aquarium, it can be rewarding, fascinating and you can gain great understanding of scientific chemistry while still being a fun hobby that invokes your artistic side.
Author: Pets Plus LLC
Credited: Petme Magazine
Setting up a tropical Aquarium
When you have decided on your aquarium the crucial question is where you will locate it inside your house or apartment. Obviously, this will usually be dictated by the size and shape of the aquarium you have brought. You might find you may have to change the layout of the room, to find the right place.
There are many key factors in choosing the right location, you would ideally not position the aquarium near doors or anywhere the glass or acrylic may get damage or disturb the fish. You want to ensure the aquarium is not near any draughts or any warm outlets, as this may alter the water temperature resulting in the aquarium becoming too hot or cold. Keep the aquarium location away from direct sunlight, as this can encourage algae growth. Position the aquarium on a solid level surface, making sure it’s level; a spirit level would be a handy tool to check whether the aquarium is sitting flat on a surface. Unfortunately, if the aquarium isn’t level when filled up this may lead to the aquarium leaking or cracking at stress points in the glass or acrylic. You should also consider whether the floor is strong enough to take the weight of the aquarium, approximately 1 litre of water weighs 1kg; i.e. 100litre aquarium would weigh in excess of 100kg once filled and equipment is installed.
You may want to rinse out the aquarium before filling up, to clean out any dust or dirt, use normal tap water with no added cleaning products, i.e. soap. Check and position your equipment, making sure everything is easily assessable when routine maintenance is performed. Read the equipment instructions to make sure you have installed the filter and heater correctly in the aquarium. Keep filter intakes away from gravel and plants to ensure nothing can clog the filter.
Rinse your gravel with clean water, to remove any dust particles before adding to the aquarium. Traditionally the best way to do is by putting your gravel in a bucket of water and rinse, repeat the process with clean water until the water is clear of any sentiment. If you are adding any fertilizing substrates for plants add this before the gravel, to create two different layers, with the gravel being on the upper layer. If your using just gravel anything between 2-5cm depth is ideal, if you plan to grow plants then make sure the gravel is thick enough to support the plant’s rooting system.
Pre-rinse ornaments and decoration before arranging in the aquarium, if your using bogwood make sure it has been pre-soaked to prevent tanning being released from the wood, otherwise you may have brown water. If you are unsure whether a rock is safe to put inside your aquarium, as it may leach lime that could alter ph of the water. Use simple house vinegar, drop a small amount on the rock, if it bubbles then it contains lime and is not safe to use in the aquarium.
Start filling the aquarium carefully, you might find it handy by laying a plate on the surface of the gravel; it will help prevent the water current from disturbing the gravel when filling up. Once 3 quarters full start adding the plants, there are many tools available to make this easy, long end tweezers for planting, plant weight to keep the roots weighted down. Add your water conditioner, this should neutralise any chlorine in the tap water. Adding bacteria would be ideal, this would help kick start the filter and speed up the nitrogen cycle. Plug in the filter and heater; making sure the heater is completely submerged to avoid any damage to the heating element. Carry on filling the aquarium until the desired level, usually indicated by water level mark or 2cm from the top of the aquarium.
It is recommended to leave the aquarium for a minimum of 7 days, to let the aquarium establish bacteria in the filter; it’s definitely not recommended to put fish in an aquarium straight away as this could harm the fish. Many people even leave their aquarium for 4-6 weeks before adding any fish, this is called a fishless cycle. A fishless cycle is when an aquarium is let to cycle naturally through the nitrogen cycle without any fish, this is commonly practised when people are planning to have more sensitive fish that can not cope with any fluctuations in the water parameters. The Nitrogen Cycle is a natural process that every aquarium goes through, this is when the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate have to peak and then gradually comes down to a normal level. There are ways of speeding up this cycling process by adding bacteria, without the filter going through this process the filter couldn’t perform it’s jobs by breaking down fish toxins. Most people tend to leave the aquarium for a period of 1 to 2 weeks, before adding hardy fish that can tolerate this process of cycling.
When adding fish it is recommended to add them gradually, through the period of a few months. Initially maybe starting out with a few small fish, but this would really depends on the size of the aquarium, for example, a 100litre, 5 to 6 small fish is a good start. Leave periods of time before adding future to your community, ideally 1 to 2 weeks, gradually building up the fish population. It would be advantageous to do your research before buying any fish, buy a good book; this can help you identify the correct fish that will go with your community. Also test your water parameters, this is especially important when starting a new aquarium this helps you understand the aquarium maintenance and keep your fish happy; without testing the water you will be unable to know whether the water conditions are correct. Buy yourself a good test kit or take it to your local fish store, they can usually test it for you.
The secret to fish keeping is taking your time, be patient, do everything in stages and never rush your aquarium.
Author: Pets Plus
Credited: Petme Magazine
Easy Tropical Fish for Beginners
The beauty with tropical fish is that they come in a variety of colours, shapes and sizes. Tropical fish can also have different social temperaments, some prefer live to in a shoals while others on their own; some certain fish can be boisterous, others peaceful. Picking a community of fish to live together takes planning for long term success in your aquarium, before taking a trip down to the store do a little research, nothing worst than putting a piranha with a goldfish
An ideal hardy fish for any small aquarium are zebra danios, they tend to do well in shoals of six or more and have a striped zebra pattern. If you don’t fancy keeping zebras, then there are a few different varieties of danios, such as leopard, glowlight, pearl and danio choprai that are equally ideal for beginners. Danios are a peaceful fish in small schools and should be combined with non-aggressive fish. Danios are omnivores, feeding a variety of flake and frozen food would be ideal, they would also be ideal for a planted aquarium.
Certain types of livebearers are another group of fish that would suit a beginner’s aquarium; they come in a variety of sizes and colours. Mollies being the largest and is best suited to aquariums of 100lts plus. Platys are slightly smaller and can grow up to 2.5cm and can come in an array of different colours, such as blue, red, yellow, orange. A popular variety most commonly seen in fish stores is the micky mouse platy that have the popular cartoon shape on their tail. Platys do well in small groups usually at a ratio of 1 male to every 2 to 3 females to stop any unnecessary bullying of the female. They tend to be peaceful fish with other equally non-aggressive fish.
Guppies are smaller than platys and also thrive in groups, the females tend to grow bigger than the males, however are less colourful. Once again if you want to keep a mixture of males and females, it’s best to have 1 male to every 3 females so one individual female does not get picked on. Guppies are prized fish for many fish-keepers due to their beautiful and unique makings on their tails. An even smaller livebearer is the endler guppy, which is less than half the size of a standard guppy; they have different marking and tend not to have large fancy tails, but this does not deter from their beauty; many aquarist prefer these over normal guppies as they are prefect for a small planted aquarium with japonica shrimps. Males tend to be more colourful, while the females are generally bigger but are pale in colour; once again the same ratio of 1 male to every 3 females would be ideal if you wish to have a mixture of sexes. Endlers and standard guppies are peaceful and should be kept with non-aggressive species, especially not with anything that could damage their delicate tails. Livebearers are known to be prolific bearers and can easily over populate an aquarium; so bear this in mind when purchasing large numbers. If you want to encourage livebearers to breed, then it’s best to have some bushy plants, such as Caboma or Elodea for the babies to hide in for protection. You can also buy breeding traps that separate the babies from other fish, stopping larger fish accidently eating them. Guppies have tiny mouths, especially endlers, so it’s recommended to feed small flakes or pellets, live food can be fed, usually small bloodworm or daphnia.
Tetras make up a large group of fish and there are certain types of tetra that could be added by a beginner that would qualify as a hardy variety. An ideal species from this group would be a glowlight tetras, it can approximately grow to 2-4cm. It is silver in colour and has a bright iridescent orange to red stripe extending from their snout to the base of its tail. It’s a social fish and does well in groups of 6 or more and has a peaceful nature and shouldn’t be housed with any kind of aggressive fish; most aquarist enjoy the shoaling affect they create in the aquarium and it does well in a planted aquarium as they cause little damage to delicate plants. They do enjoy a more acidic environment but will adapt easily to hardier water; glowlights are omnivores so a mixture of flakes and frozen food would suit their needs.
The black phantom tetra is another popular fish for a starter aquarium, it has a rough tetragonal shape, light grey in colouring, with a black patch and surrounded by iridescent silver edging. The black phantom tetra can reach a maximum length of approximately 4.5 cm in captivity. Unlike most tetras, they don’t need to live in large shoals and do fine in groups of 4 to 5; hence making them more suitable for a smaller aquaria. The males are more territorial than the females and will defend their territory, so be aware not to over-crowd these fish. Males will tend to have longer fins in breeding condition and the female will become slightly plumper in shape. It best to house these fish with similar temperament, they are not aggressive fish but may not be totally suitable with long tailed fish, such as guppies. Phantoms are omnivores so a mixture of flake and frozen would be ideal diet.
The fish mentioned in the article are a good selection of beginner fish that can be easily brought in the UAE, the best advise to anybody new to the hobby is to start with the basics and work your way up to more advanced fish. Match the fish you buy with your level of ability and this will help you keep a successful tropical aquarium.
Author: Pets Plus LLC..
Credited in Petme Magazine
