Different types of fish have different requirements for the water quality and temperature of the fish tank. Therefore, these two factors must be rigorously monitored to establish an appropriate environment. Changing the water and cleaning the fish tank regularly is needed to ensure that the filter is working properly and there is enough dissolved oxygen in the fish tank. Of course, it is necessary to feed your fish regularly and appropriately, monitor the health of the fish, and make adjustments if needed. You are going to have to use a bit of intuition with the last requirement!
Glass Fish Tank
Upper filter: It is commonly used by general fish farmers. It is mainly placed on the top of the fish tank. It is easy to remove when cleaning. The filter material is pumped and filtered by the upper motor and sent directly to the filter box. It is suitable for cultivating aerobic nitrifying bacteria.
Trickle filter: Installed on the top of the fish tank, it is easy to remove when cleaning. The upper motor pumps water to the filter material for filtering. Multiple drip boxes can be placed, which can be placed on biochemical cotton, activated carbon, ceramic ring, quartz ball, etc.
External barrel filter: A relatively high-performance filter, usually placed on the ground or in a wooden frame. Normally, there are two pipes for the water to go in and out through the filter barrel. The filter material is installed in the barrel and carbon dioxide in the water is less likely to be emitted. It also does not occupy the space in the fish tank. It has a more elegant look in addition to its quietness.
External filter: This is a favorite for small tanks and beginners. It is mainly hung on the outside of the fish tank and uses a submersible motor to pump water into the filter. The filter material is easy to replace and does not take up space in the tank.
Cylinder bed filter: Generally installed at the bottom of the fish tank. The corrugated board is covered with bottom sand. The water flow is driven by a motor or a pump and when the dirty water passes through the bottom sand on the corrugated board, the bottom sand can be filtered to achieve the purifying water effect.
Biochemical cotton filter: It is placed in the inner corner of the fish tank. It is small in size and suitable for small tanks. The filter connects to a motor or air pump that transports water to it. Filtration is very simple and can increase dissolved oxygen in the water.
Submerged filter: Usually attached on the inside of the fish tank with a suction cup, it is small size and the motor is placed inside to bring water into the filter material to achieve a filtering effect.
White light: Allowing water plants to photosynthesize, this wavelength of light will affect the anthocyanins, chlorophylls, and xanthophylls of the water plants.
Red light: This type of light can cause the fish in the water to appear brighter and more beautiful as well as promoting the color development and reproduction of the plants in the water.
Blue and white light: This light can make the water look clearer, and the body color of the fish will be more colorful. It can also provide soft symbiotic algae development and photosynthesis for plant life.
The light duration can be controlled by a timer, switching the light on and off at a fixed time to provide effective lighting.
Artificial feed:
Artificial feed is a feed formulated with various foods that tropical fish like as the main ingredients, plus vitamins and other nutrients. It comes in pellets, flakes and tablets.
The advantages of artificial feed are convenient feeding, balanced nutrition and a low cost. However, there are certain species of fish that do not eat this type of feed. In this situation, you might as well try to find the next feed instead.
Live feed:
Among tropical fish, especially the large ones, it is difficult to accept artificial feed. They tend to "react only to moving things", hence their diet consists of living things like breadworms, crickets, goldfish, loach and other live feed. As for the newly hatched small fish, they are not accustomed to artificial feed. At this time, brine shrimp (i.e., sea monkeys) with high nutritional value can be selected as feed. Since it is in the state of eggs at the time of purchase, it only hatches when necessary, so it is a very fresh and nutritious feed.
On the other hand, red worms, earthworms and bloodworms which have been used as live feeds, are also popular. However, because there are concerns about bringing bacteria into the sink, it is recommended to buy them from trusted producers.
Frozen feed:
The frozen feed processed by freezing live feed not only maintains the original nutritional value but is also deeply loved by small and medium tropical fish. And different from live feed, vitamins are added, and most of them go through the process of sterilization. The main ingredients range from red worms, earthworms, brine shrimp, to plankton such as daphnia, copepods, and rotifers. It is recommended to use this feed for young fish, or small fish that do not eat artificial feed.
Specific steps:
The filtering process is as follows:
Physical filtration: The first layer of filtration which usually filters out larger impurities directly through filter materials such as white cotton and wool. The filter materials should be replaced relatively often to effectively reduce most of the impurities.
Chemical filtration: Those that absorb ammonia chloride, adjust the acidity of the water, or other chemical effects are all classified here. This layer is not necessarily required, but you need to pay attention to it when using it, you need to know what kind of attribute the grass or fish in the fish tank is, otherwise it will affect them.
Biological filtration: Cultivating nitrifying bacteria is a method of biological filtration, so culture materials such as ceramic rings and biochemical balls are usually placed at the bottom of the filter.
Warming apparatus can help regulate water temperature which if too cold can cause the fish to get sick. Remember, if the temperature is unsuitable, it can easily cause white spot disease. Moreover, overheating will cause insufficient oxygen in the water, hence constant water temperature is essential to maintain good vitality and appetite of the fish.
Fixed temperature heater: The temperature is fixed, simple and convenient to operate, suitable for novices. The disadvantage is that the heating temperature cannot be adjusted hence the applicable fish species are limited.
Adjustable Heater: These heaters can be adjusted slowly according to the temperature that the fish can adapt to, hence it can be applied to a variety of fish species.
Thermostat: This type of heating needs to be used with quartz tubes and with it being connected to 2 - 3 sets of quartz heating tube which can be heated with appropriate wattage according to the size of the fish tank, the temperature can be controlled accordingly.
Quartz tube heater: These tubes need to be used in conjunction with a thermostat to regulate temperature.
When the water temperature of the fish tank is too high, it is easy for the fish to become hypoxic. Regulating the water temperature allows a good living environment for your fish to grow healthily.
Laying bottom sand | Bare tank | |
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Before buying bottom sand, you must first understand what kind of fish, shrimp or aquatic plants you want to keep in your aquarium, because some fish are suited for more acidic water, and some for alkaline water. Therefore, you must first understand the characteristics of bottom sand.
Click here to learn about commonly used bottom sand types
Bottom sand is recommended to be laid with a thickness of 5 cm, but it should also be determined according to the aquatic landscaping. Generally speaking, the front of tank should be lower than the back, so that the depth of field and presentation of the landscaping is better.
After some time, the bottom sand needs to be cleaned. You can divide the bottom sand of the fish tank into multiple blocks and clean it. Do not clean it all at once, because this will also take away the bacteria cultured in the bottom sand. Also, if it is cleaned too much, it will affect the water quality. However, failure to clean at all will also cause dirt and bacteria to grow in the bottom sand which will result in diseases.