Aquarium Care

You’ve probably seen live rock in all the most elegant saltwater aquariums you remember. They sell aquarium live rock in all the better aquarium supplies stores: pieces of undersea coral reef broken off through the natural action of the sea, picked up by divers for use in aquaria. Coral reefs are made of a very porous substance. The ocean’s underwater environment is filled with tiny creatures, crabs, crustaceans, algae and myriad other life forms that make their home in the little pores, nooks and crannies of these reefs. When a piece breaks off and is fished up by people for use in aquaria, these rocks come with all the life that fills their entire structure; hence the name, live rock.

The saltwater aquarium is a pretty popular option around homes these days; it wasn’t really an option up until a few years ago when aquarium live rock was not commonly available. What is it about live rock that helps though? The thing is, when you put a hunk of live rock into your aquarium, you give the thousands of organisms holed up within, a home in your tank as well; in return, they are happy to earn their keep by entering a symbiotic relationship with their tankmates, the fish.

Fish eat and breathe in the same water space they release their bodily waste in; someone’s got to clean up all the pollution in the water before it gets too thick for the fish. Of course you could always roll up your sleeves every couple of days and filter it all out with plenty of time and equipment. With aquarium live rock though, all you need to do is leave it to the organisms in the rock, the aerobic and anaerobic critters, to turn the bodily waste floating about in the water into harmless nitrogen that bubbles up to the surface and leaves.

The rule of thumb for the quantity of live rock you want for your saltwater aquarium is about a pound of rock for every gallon of water your aquarium holds. But you can’t just lie back and relax just yet; the aquarium live rock that you buy from your aquarium supplies store needed to make quite a trip to your home all the way from the bottom of the sea. The living organisms in there seem to not find the inside of a mail order store’s mailer box quite as hospitable to life as the bottom of their favorite sea. After the grueling trip making it to your aquarium, the rock will take a while to acclimatize to its new surroundings and grow the full complement of life forms it is capable of. In the meantime, you will need to check the nitrate levels in your water from time to time and use a protein skimmer to take up the slack until your live rock kicks in.

When aquarium live rock does kick in though, there is quite nothing like it: the fish love to play around it, the rocks grow beautiful colorful algae and plants, and the rock really lives, changing from day to day in the life it supports. There are several kinds of aquarium live rock you’ll get to choose from when you set forth to buy some. There are rocks from the Fiji Islands, there is Atlantic rock and there is aquaculture rock. The ones from the Pacific are real coral reef, but when you buy something of this kind you never know if environmentally friendly harvesting practices were used to get them. Aquaculture rock could be the best choice; they artificially place porous rock at the bottom of the sea a couple of years to get all the life forms to take to them, and then ship it to you. If you have a saltwater marine aquarium, you owe it to your fish to help them feel at home. They’ll be healthier and happier for your trouble.

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People have owned home aquariums for centuries, and arguably, their fish and aquatic setups got along very well without aid from the modern contraptions you would find at any self-respecting aquarium supplies dealer today. These new devices available today, the aquariums chiller, the powerful lighting or the protein skimmer, were not just thought up by bright marketing departments to part you from that last dollar; these were made for the true aquarium enthusiast, one who tries to expand his aquarist’s horizons delving into areas of aquarium-building heretofore unexplored: raising saltwater coral reefs, or raising exotic fish from cooler climes.

Building a coral reef in your home is no easy matter; these reefs occur naturally close to the water surface out in the sea, and are accustomed to receiving the full benefit of a day’s sunshine. There is no way you could keep these at home illuminated with just a couple of florescent lighting fixtures. Successfully raising coral reefs and the life forms dependent on them requires that you invest in lighting technology that’s really out there- metal halides, Very High Output fluorescents and so on. These do solve your lighting issues raising corals and other tropical life, but not without raising a problem or two of their own. Intense light will always come with intense heat. In the ocean, the heat, as much of it as the sun is able to supply, is pretty much lost in the vast volumes of the ocean’s waters.

An aquarium tank has just so much water, and can be heated up a degree or three with just a few hours of intense artificial lighting. When you switch off the lights at night, the small body of water that the aquarium is, it can hold the heat for only a couple of hours before the temperature in the tank plunges. The temperature swings can be distressing to your aquarium’s inhabitants, for the discomfort they cause and also for the amount of oxygen that warm water will quickly lose. And here enters the aquarium chiller.

Aquarium chillers can be quite expensive, running into hundreds of dollars for a reliable unit. You might think that using a fan would cool your tank adequately: there is a little added wrinkle to the problem though. To have a fan constantly playing on the top of the water will certainly cool it a couple of degrees; the fan will also hasten evaporation. It won’t be easy to top up the water levels either. In some cases you will need to spring for a special reverse osmosis filterto easily do this all the time.

It’s not really difficult buying a chiller; you just measure your tank for volume, and you buy a unit in proportion to the size. If you don’t live in a particularly hot desert-like area, a midsize 30 gallon tank will require a 600 BTU aquarium chiller and a large tank will require as much as 4000 BTU. Think of an aquarium chiller as an air-conditioner for your aquatic friends. Aquarium chillers can often be quite noisy, and can turn out to be stress contributors themselves. Check out online forums for the best brands to buy, and the best feature-choices to make.

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Just like how you need fresh, clean air to breathe, so do the fish in your aquarium. Thus, water treatment and purification is essential in keeping your aquarium safe for your fish. One of the devices that can help you do that is a protein skimmer. Through this device, you take out organic wastes from the water and keep them from becoming ammonia and nitrates that can harm your fish.

A protein skimmer is a device that initiates the process of foam fractionation or protein skimming. Basically, this involves the process of injecting air bubbles into the water supply to remove dissolved organic compounds. When the air bubbles come in contact with the water, the impurities in the water stick with the air bubbles and rise up as foam on the surface. The foam can then be collected and removed from the water supply. The sludge and the scum that results from this can be removed through a collection reservoir designed for this function. This leaves the water in the aquarium clean and sanitized.

There are several methods on how to do this, but the general considerations are that the water and air bubbles should have longer contact with each other to ensure maximum filtration. Another thing to note is the amount and size of the air bubbles produced by the protein skimmer. More bubbles and bubbles sized at 0.5 to 1 mm. are optimal.

There are three general types of protein skimmers you can choose from. These are counter current, venturi, and turbo protein skimmers.

A counter current skimmer works by blowing air bubbles against the water flowing in a different direction. For this to work, you will need a separate water and air pump. You need a long tube to ensure full contact between the water and air bubbles. Since this is usually placed inside the aquarium, the length of the tube is decided by the height of the aquarium.

Venturi protein skimmers depend on water pressure and a venturi tube for filtration. Water is pressurized and then shot into a venturi tube. The venturi tube is narrow at one point of the tube, and has an air intake tube near the constriction point. As pressurized water is forced through, this creates a difference in pressure, which sucks in air from the intake tube and creates the air bubbles. The water flows through a reservoir, which increases contact or dwell between the air bubbles and the water for better water purification. The advantage to this type is that you only need a water pump, and that it has more dwell time, which makes for more effective water treatment.

Turbo protein skimmers, also called needle wheel skimmers, work by combining air and water then forcing them through a blade to create air bubbles. The water and air mixture are forced through the blade, then through a reservoir by a water pump. As the water is forced up through a tube, it creates more contact between the water and air bubbles for better water purification.

Aside from the three qualities of a good protein skimmer, you also need to consider its installation. You should look for one that can be easily integrated with your current filtration system. You also have to look at the additional equipment that you need to get, like water pumps or air pumps. Placement is also important, such as whether it’s in-tank or hanging out from the rim.

Another consideration is price. Of course, the more expensive ones are more effective. It would depend on how much you’re willing to shell out for a protein skimmer. You do need to remember that having a good protein skimmer ensures that water purity in your aquarium, which means fewer water changes and a healthier environment for your fish.

Guss Fitzgerald is an expert author and aquarium owner. He has gained a great understanding of aquarium protein skimmers and other aquarium products from his several years of experience owning aquarium fish. To learn more about proper aquarium maintenance please visit MarineDepot.com.

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For the soon-to-be owner of the home aquarium who has little to no education regarding fish and equipment that might be needed, it might be wish to do some reading before purchasing. Prior to the purchase of fish tanks or aquariums, one certainly should have some idea of what type of fish will be taking up their abode in this quarters. It could prove to be a costly mistake otherwise. Will the fish you decide upon have adequate space or perhaps too much space? These are points to be considered carefully. Once you have clarified this issue, you can move forward.

The next consideration in your new venture might be how much living space can you afford to give up for this new addition. Certainly not only must you account for the wall space needed but depth into the room as well as there needs to be space in the back of fish tanks to accommodate the filter, hoses and power cords. Once again, literature can be essential in this entire process. While aquariums are pleasant to the eye and soothing to the spirit, it is not an easy undertaking.

You might pose the question to yourself regarding the long term commitment to this hobby. Is it just a whim to be discontinued after a short time or the long haul relationship? This might help you in deciding how much you plan to spend on fish tanks. There is unlimited amounts to be spent in this leisure activity so plan accordingly before you make that visit to the pet shop where you might be easily persuaded to over-spend. Be realistic!

Obviously, there will need to be many other accessories to be added to your aquarium/fish tank. Seek the advice of an authority or knowledgeable sales person when you go to select your fish tank. They can guide you so long as they are aware of your specific needs and budget. One particular essential will be a stand for your aquarium/fish tank. These are from basic to the most elaborate. In the higher end of the expenditure list, one might even consider having the tank actually set into a wall which is most unique in design. This would certainly qualify for the open-ended budget without restraint.

Allow time for the setting-up process of getting your fish tank ready for its new occupants. There are several steps to be followed in this endeavor but can prove quite worthwhile in the end. Just to have the pleasure of sitting in front of your very own fish tank and watching the fish as they swim so effortlessly. It is thought that merely watching can have a calming effect on the human body even to the lowering of stress levels.

Dustin Williams is a writer and aquarist. He has learned much about owning tropical fish tanks from studying books and his own personal experience. To learn more about setting up a home aquarium please visit HomeAquariumSupplies.com.

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With the wide availability of fish supplies in the market these days, anyone can easily set up a fish tank at home. Whether you want to set up an aquarium as a new hobby, as a home decoration, or for business purposes, it is important that you choose the most suitable fish tank supplies. Such supplies are available in land-based shops and on the web.

It is best to start with the most important supplies for many fish tanks. You will need essential fish aquarium supplies such as an aquarium stand, hood, as well as lighting fixtures. Fish food is important for your pet fish of course, however choosing the right water pumps and filters will help your aquarium resemble more of the fish’s natural habitat. If you have live plants in your fish tank, you need supplies to maintain them too.

An aquarium stand is important since it provides support to your aquarium. You have to get the stand perfect for your fish tank, whether it is made from glass or acrylic. Different types require various kinds of support, so you need to know this before setting out to buy one. Fish tank hoods are important too, since you would want to keep your fish in the tank and keep the water from evaporating.

The type of aquarium filter that you see hanging at the outer back portion of the tank is called a power filter. If you think of buying a large-sized tank, this filter is highly suitable, since it works well for any kind of tank and may even be used along with other types of filtration systems. However, if your tank uses a lot of sand rather than gravel, the power filter is not a good choice. These filters can be a bit noisy too, so if you prefer a quieter filter, you can opt for canister filters instead.

The ideal oxygen levels need to be maintained inside the fish tank, so you need to get the right water pump. You also need to get water filters and an aquarium hood for the fish tank. Water filters are necessary to keep impurities from settling inside the aquarium. As for the lighting, many aquarium hoods also provide incandescent or fluorescent illumination for the fish tank.

These fish tank filters work in a biological, chemical, and mechanical manner. Filters provide a breeding ground for good bacteria, so the ammonia that comes from fish waste is broken down into less dangerous nitrites and nitrates. Also, filters are designed to remove debris from the water, as well as harmful metal traces.

When choosing aquarium filters, you need to examine your tank, the types of fish you have in the aquarium, and even your budget. Under gravel filters are the cheapest, so if you have a small tank and an equally small budget, these types of filters will suffice.

Finally, adding a few accessories will help you achieve an aquarium that is comfortable for your fishes and visually appealing from the outside. These fish tank supplies can be used to add more life to your aquarium. Popular decorative choices include towers, wood accents, coral formations, castles, and sunken ships. By choosing the right supplies and accessories, you can successfully set up your own aquarium and to design it accordingly.

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