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Posts Tagged ‘fish tank’

It is vital that all equipment used in a marine aquarium is made of glass or plastic, rather than metal, which is likely to be corroded by the salt water in the tank.

Tank Décor: In contrast to freshwater set-ups, a marine tank looks rather bare. An undergravel filtration system is to be recommended, however, but with a thick layer of cockleshell serving as the filter bed, often with a covering of coral sand on top. Suitable décor to provide retreats for the fish will again be required, and these can support a range of invertebrates in tanks where they will not be harmed by the fish. It is often recommended to add “living rock” to a marine aquarium, consisting of rockwork which features, a range of established invertebrates. This, too, should only be put in place once the system is running properly. When planning the aquarium, ensure that you have a good view of the fish, with decoration being concentrated towards the back and around the sides of the tank. Aside from living rock, you can incorporate tufa rock which, with its loose structure, provides plenty of nooks and crannies where small invertebrates can establish them. Check that the rocks will not affect the pH reading of the water, which should be on the alkaline side of the scale, between 8.0 and 8.4.

Lighting: If you are including invertebrates such as corals and sea anemones, the lighting above the tank will be very important. These invertebrates often have living algae present in their bodies, and they will only thrive if there is adequate light in order to photosynthesize and produce their own nutrients. Special high intensity lights are available from aquatic stores for this purpose – try to locate a specialist fish supplier for the best selection – and these will need to be suspended over the water. Their light output, for maximum benefit to the invertebrates, should be towards the blue end of the light spectrum.

Fish are found in a wide range of aquatic environments and they are known to live in both fresh and salt water. All fish generally require a stable environment if they are to thrive, although some species are more resourceful than others. As there are hundred kinds of fishes, each fish is attention-grabbing and it has made people to have them as pets.

It doesn’t matter that what kind of fish you are having as pets, but they depend on you for food and shelter and you have the responsibility to care for your fishes. Now-a-days, FISH TANKS comes in a wide variety of styles and sizes but you have to select a tank that meets your pet’s needs and suits your home décor. On the other hand, setting up a suitable AQUARIUM for your fish is very straightforward and the fish can remain healthy.

It will also be a good idea to include AQUARIUM SUPPLIES, LIGHTING PRODUCTS as it will help to maintain the water quality in your aquarium. Lots and lots of aquarium supplies have been stocked at FishTankMaintenances.com so go through their website and buy the products for lowest prices!

Once the décor is in place, you can fill the tank with water. Only use water from the cold supply to avoid the risk of copper being introduced to the aquarium, as this can be toxic, especially to invertebrates. Add a set volume of water to a plastic bucket before stirring in the recommended quantity of sea salt, bought from specialist suppliers, ad ensure that the salt dissolves completely before pouring the solution into the tank. Once the tank is full, switch on the air pump, to ensure that the salt has dissolved, because this will assist in circulating the water, as well as the heating system.

Check on the concentration of salts in the water by measuring the specific gravity figure with a hydrometer. This needs to be set against the water temperature to give a reading; the temperature needs to rise to approximately 1.023, but it may take several days to stabilize when the tank is first set up. This is why it is important not to add fish to marine aquarium immediately, but to allow the system time to settle down for perhaps a week before head.

The range of specialist foods now available makes feeding marine fish straightforward. Formulated foods are available for some marine invertebrates. It is important that the food matches the dietary needs of your fish. You may need to use different types if you have vegetarian and more omnivorous species sharing the tank. Feeding small quantities, several times a day, is recommended to prevent food being wasted and polluting the water. In some cases, as with seashores, you will need to set up a brine shrimp hatchery to maintain a constant supply of food. Brine shrimp are obtainable in the form of eggs, which are then hatched in a well aerated aquarium of heated water.

Checks on other aspects of water chemistry, such as the nitrite level and pH, will also be required. Use a pipette to extract water samples from the aquarium. Using a test kit, you can compare the color change in your water sample to an accompanying chart to determine the result. Should the pH fall below 8.0 then you will need to replace a quarter of the volume of water, checking the specific gravity as well. The nitrite level will give a good indication of the efficiency of the filtration system, and a filter maturation product is helpful for this purpose. It will peak at a figure of about 15 parts per million and should fall back to zero to confirm that the chemicals is being converted to nitrite. Watch the fish first introduced to the tank, as they will be vulnerable to develop signs of the parasitic illness known as velvet disease.