Archive for August, 2006
Furnishing your aquarium is another important process in aquarium set up after getting the tank. You will need to put in components that will make it looks more beautify and attractive.
How you do this will now depend largely on the type of the habitants that you intend to keep. Regardless below I have outlined in 4 simple steps what needs to be done to create a beautiful aquarium that you will be proud of:
Step 1. Add aquarium gravel
Gravel is essential to your aquarium most especially if you are using natural plants. It will help in holding plant roots and provide the foundation for the biological and under gravel filtration. Since gravel comes in different sizes and colours, the advised size is 4 to 6 millimeters because it provides flow for an undergravel filter and the most popular is quartzite or granite.
Step 2. Add Rocks:
Adding rock is very important to your aquarium as it provide isolated home for territorial fish. Add rocks can upset your aquarium ecosystem thus it’s advisable that you take measures to prevent this.
Also since you may not know how save rock you want to add is, it’s very important that you clean them up to remove contaminants.
Step 3. Add Bogwood
This is another essential factor that adds to the beauty of aquarium and it can last long time. Not only that, aquarium habitats need shelter and bogwood provides this. When adding bogwood makes sure that it is well cleaned and it’s not infected. To be sure that its infection free takes it through process of poly-vanish.
Step 4. Add Plants
Plants also add to the beauty of your aquarium. There are two types of plants – plastic plants and live (natural) plants.
It’s very easy to use plastic plants because they need little or no maintenance. You just clean them up with clean water and add. On the other hand live plants helps in biological process of aquarium and helping to keep your tank clean and healthy.
About the author:
For more great aquarium related articles and resources check out http://aquariums.aquariumspot.com
Written By: John Morris
There are two different kinds of filters; there are external filtration systems and internal filters. Internal filters are used in salt water and fresh water aquariums. Many salt water aquariums have an internal tube for the water to flow down into a sump tank, which is just below the main tank and all the water passes through a certain type of foam where all the waste and bad bacteria gather and this filters the water. The water is then pumped back up to the top of the main tank and this flow continues on constantly. Although a noisy method, it is the second most effective but rather pricey. The other way of doing internal filtering is to have what looks like a large black rectangle stuck to the inside of your tank, this sucks up water and waste through its bottom, the water then passes up through the filter. This method is the third most effective method and is very cheap.
The external filter is the way to go, this filter is a hard working piece of machinery that keeps your aquarium in tip top condition and gets rid of all the water. It is like the other two methods of internal filtering above but it is al done outside of the tank. The only thing connecting the tank to the filter is a long black tube. This is the most effective and expensive way to filter your tank but it is very worth it.
All these types of filters are available at your local fish shop, but not really your local pet shop. For the internal filter that requires a sump tank this is usually custom made to suit your tank so it is expensive but not really worth the money. You are probably better choosing an external filter, although it will cost you more it is more effective and it creates less noise.
About the author:
William Nabaza of http://www.Nabaza.com specializes in domains, webhosting, webmaster’s tools, netpreneur’s articles and resources. Stands out as a freebie provider, business opportunity provider and the like. Visit his site at http://www.nabaza.com or contact him directly at william@nabaza.com There’s more pet resources here: http://www.nabaza.com/pets.htm
Written By: William R. Nabaza of http://www.Nabaza.com/pets.htm
When choosing the route that you want to follow when it comes to aquariums a reef set up is probably one of the more complex set ups that you can choose. Reef aquariums are full of corals and anemones; they also include some reef fish. Some fish can’t be included in a reef set up as they eat the anemones! Anemones are very delicate types of plants. I must say that they eat their food very funny! When feeding an anemone just lay the fish food over the anemone and the anemone then takes the food in its tentacles and starts to curl its self over and then place the food down into its mouth (the small crease that opens when the anemone is feeding in the middle of it!)
Reef aquariums are one of the most beautiful set ups that you will see, with a special set of lights you can ensure that your corals and anemones are going to look stunning. Also some fish can be included in your reef aquarium. Although when setting up your reef aquarium make sure that you avoid bottom feeders such as shrimps and crabs, another type of fish to avoid when it comes to anemones are the different kinds of puffer fish as they like to eat them although they sting! Crabs and shrimps like to eat and pick away at the reef life as well. So these are not advised!
After choosing the things that you want to include in your tank, you then have to make sure that you have the proper conditions for them. You have to ensure that the PH level, salt level and temperature are all correct for the things that you are going to place in your aquarium. If the conditions are not what the reef requires, then it will die! If taken care of ,your reef will grow to a beautiful picture and look absolutely stunning! What would you prefer?
About the author:
William Nabaza of http://www.Nabaza.com specializes in domains, webhosting, webmaster’s tools, netpreneur’s articles and resources. Stands out as a freebie provider, business opportunity provider and the like. Visit his site at http://www.nabaza.com or contact him directly at william@nabaza.com There’s more pet resources here: http://www.nabaza.com/pets.htm
Written By: William R. Nabaza of http://www.Nabaza.com/pets.htm
The world as we know it is in balance. Animals breathe in oxygen and give off carbon dioxide. Plant absorbs carbon dioxide and give off oxygen as part of there process of photosynthesis. Animals eat plants and animals wastes, feed plants. Water evaporated from the seas and come back to freshen the earth. The absolute balance of an aquarium world is not usually possible for a beginner. Usually the fish give off more waste matter (both in gas and solids) than the plant life can absorb. And plants almost never provide sufficient food for fish life in an aquarium tank (the things that the aquarium keeper must provide to maintain plant life). But too much encourages the excess growth of algae, causing green water and green-coated tank walls.
Below are the 4 things you as an aquarium keeper must learn to balance:
Food:
It must be a balance of vegetable and animal matter. The reason is that insufficient food stunts the growth and lowers the resistance of fish to disease. On the flip side too much food can also harm the fish by polluting the aquarium.
Size of tank:
The tank must be larger enough to provide space according to the number and size of the fish. It mustalso have sufficient surface so that oxygen can be absorbed to satisfy them.
Temperature:
This poses no problem for us in this part of the world as the range of 24 degree centigrade to 30 obtainable here is most ideal for tropical fish.
Gravel:
One or two inches of sand gravel is all that is required to anchor plants. However be carefull because too much gravel accumulates waste matter that tends to pollute the aquarium.
Master balancing these 4 elements of your aquarium and your tank will look great and your fish will live a long happy life!
About the Author
For more great aquarium related articles and resources check out http://aquariumfish.aquariumspot.com
Written By: Nathan Miller
Aquariums need to be filled with accessories, not just for decoration but for the fish’s or other animals own survival. If fish don’t have a filter and a heater they will die, it’s the same with some amphibians. They need a lot of light and heat or they will die! You have to make your tank look as though it is part of their natural habitat, you have also got to make sure that it functions like it too.
When setting up an aquarium for fish you have to make sure there are lights, heat and filtration. The filter is extremely important as this keeps the water waste free, which is essential to keeping your fish alive. The filter sucks in water from the bottom and basically recycles it and it comes out the top fresh and clean. There are other methods of filtration, but that is the most common one, unless it is a saltwater tank then you have an external sump tank and that does all the filtration. Filters can be picked up in any pet or fish shop.
Heating is also another crucial element of setting up an aquarium. This aquarium accessory regulates the temperature of the tank, and yes it can be used in water. You can set the heater to a temperature that you want the water to stay at, most tropical fish like the water around twenty six or twenty seven degrees Celsius. Fish are pretty fussy about their temperature, they start to do funny things when it gets too cold and when it is too hot they will die. Heaters are available in every fish shop and you can choose the size and voltage of the heater, as bigger tanks will need bigger and powerful heaters.
Lights are another essential aquarium accessory, as they help certain fish live such as corals and anemones; yes they are living creature’s not just plants. They need intensive lighting conditions to ensure that they don’t size, the lights need to be at least a T-5 which means one of the most powerful lights that you can buy and of course they are very expensive and heavy. They are only available in specialised shops and not all fish shops stock them. They may need to be ordered in or you can purchase them second hand, which I would say is your best option.
About the author:
William Nabaza of http://www.Nabaza.com specializes in domains, webhosting, webmaster’s tools, netpreneur’s articles and resources. Stands out as a freebie provider, business opportunity provider and the like. Visit his site at http://www.nabaza.com or contact him directly at william@nabaza.com There’s more pet resources here: http://www.nabaza.com/pets.htm
Written By: William R. Nabaza of http://www.Nabaza.com/pets.htm
