INTRODUCING THE FISH INTO THE AQUARIUM

INTRODUCING THE FISH

Before stocking the aquarium with fish it is advisable to allow a settling period. This permits the water to age a little, gives time for particles in suspension to settle, and allows new plants to anchor their roots. It is always advisable to allow four to seven days for the tank to stabilize before introducing the inhabitants.

The amateur aquarist will find it better to keep a few of the cheaper fishes until he has gained some experience. Since many enthusiasts through expensive initial looses, have become disheartened and given up. If only they had gained a little knowledge first, they could have realised that aquarium-keeping is the most exciting hobby.

The first thing to do once you have bought your fish is to introduce them carefully into the tank. Float their plastic bag in tank for at least an hour, to allow the temperature to equalize with that of the tank. It is most unlikely that the water chemistry of the dealer’s tank is the same as that in your newly set-up tank so it is necessary to change the water in the bag very slowly, adding small amounts of water from the tank, over a period of at least half-an-hour or preferably much longer.

In this way, the fishes will easily adjust to the differences in water quality due to dissolved solids without damaging the delicate gills and kidneys of the fish.

FILTERATION (Contd.)

AQUARIUM CARE

Filteration (II)

Filteration is, without doubt, fundamental to successful fish-keeping. Any consideration of the topic of filters is complicated by the fact that there are almost as many types as there are days in the year. In the case of the internal filters, the cheapest are more or less the best. Having discusses about the maintenance-free under-gravel filter last time, we shall focus on the commonest alternative internal filter which is called the BOX FILTER. 

All box filters operate on the same principle, that of passing the water through a disposable medium of one kind or another. Some of the common media used are filter-wool, carbon, gravel, etc.

In the case of the filter wool it must be appreciated that I am not referring to ordinary cotton wool, which would, if used, result in heavy organic pollution, but to a special non-organic material made from synthetic fibre. Of all the media, activated charcoal is the best type, this would produce crystal clear water, although it cannot neutralise the pH of hard water.

The different types of the media could be arranged in layers inside the box, leaving a space above for the solid wastes (drawn in by suction to settle).

The box could be detached and removed from the aquarium and the filter medium renewed every three months. This system undoubtedly relieves the aquarist of the need to change the water inside his aquarium.

FILTERATION

AQUARIUM CARE

Filteration (I)

Most aquarists are aware of the fact that their aquarium water gradually accumulates potentially harmful substances which eventually poison their fishes. In order to prevent this from happening there is the need for filtration therefore, for our purpose I would define filtration as the removal of unwanted substances from water.

 

Most aquarists use three types: Biological, Mechanical and Chemical amongst which the biological is the most important. Biological filtration is also referred to as under gravel filtration, because the major equipment used (a flat plate of perforated plastic) is placed under the gravel bed hence it is invisible. Unless you are properly equipped, you can’t see the process happening and cannot measure its effect. Yet, this process is the major difference between success and failure, and the aquarist who does not take the time to understand its workings is doomed to watch an endless procession of dying fishes passing through his tank.

Biological filtration is solely the work of bacteria attached to the surfaces of the gravel, the gravel and the under gravel filter together constitute the filter-bed. Bacteria normally reach the filter bed through: the food you give the fishes, the waste product of the fishes the air, and even through your hands as you work in the tank.

As the water ages, their numbers increase until the gravel is loaded with millions of them. It is only then that the aquarium can function very well, because the wastes of the fishes and unwanted substances mainly ammonia are immediately broken down by those bacteria into harmless substances while at the same time, the filtration action drags organic matter downwards into the spaces between the gravels where the roots of plants can then extract essential growth substances hence the under-gravel filter promotes healthy plant growth.

                                                                        

GENERAL HINTS FOR BEGINNERS

 AQUARIUM CARE

General hints for beginners 

visit@www.mrfishmart.com

When keeping fish in your tank, the following essential guidelines should be observed for proper maintenance of the health of the fishes. 

• Never over-feed your fishes; always keep your tank as clean as possible by removing any uneaten food and introducing as much variety as possible into the diet.

• Never over-crowd the aquarium. It is better to have a few fishes in radiant health than many gulping fishes battle-scarred through fighting over inadequate territory.

• Never add small fishes to an aquarium that already contains large and well-established fishes, unless you have expert knowledge of the nature of both the resident fishes and the new addition.

• Always be aware of the following early indications of foiling in the water; frothing at the water surface; water becoming cloudy; fishes breathing more rapidly than normal water producing fetish odour.

• Always check that all fishes are present at feeding time.

• Always adhere to “a little food often” principle. This is important during which time the nitrifying potential of the aquarium (the ability of the bacteria in the gravel to oxidise waste matter to harmless nitrates) is steadily increasing but not at a high enough level to tolerate careless over-feeding.

• Always change a third of the water in the tank with aged-tap water weekly during the first three months so as to neutralise the pH of the water which is steadily increasing during this period when the gravels are likely to release most of their chemical components.

Any problem arising from your aquarium after following these guidelines could be due to accidental poisoning in which case you could contact Mr Fish Ltd. on 08037189694 or 08096680061 or send an E-mail to mrfishbiodisk@gmail.com for remedy and advice to prevent a recurrence.

IMPORTANCE OF NATURAL PLANTS TO FISH (Contd.)

 AQUARIUM CARE

Importance of natural plants (III)

Having talked about the waste converting ability of natural plants by way of the nitrogen cycle, other important values of plants are so unlimited that I shall only aspire to summarize the basic ones. 

The first obvious importance lies in its value as DECORATOR for the aquarium. A thickly planted aquarium needs no plastic or paper background (as is common with most aquariums around the country). Since the real stuffs are right there in your tank, an aquarium would look rather bare without the addition of plants much like a soccer pitch without grass!

Plants also serve as food (mineral) SUPPLEMENT for fishes that require occasional variety to their monotonous flake meals. They also serve as a CONDITIONER and INDICATOR of water quality. Many plants especially the Myriophyllum, special water milfoils break into pieces when hard water is added into the tank, this could be an indication of unsuitability of the water for fishes. 

Many large leafed plants help reduce the need for cleaning the aquarium front glass because of their role as INHIBITORS to the growth of smaller plants, especially the green and brown algae by shading, thus starving them and reducing their proliferation on the front glass. The large leafed plants also provide shelter and hiding places for the smaller and less aggressive fishes. Egg-laying fishes can only spawn when there is a spawning medium in form of a bunch of feathery plants.

On the whole, plants provide a SECURITY FACTOR which is one vital attribute fish look out for before setting in as pets in your aquarium. They prefer a place that looks more like “home” to them. It should be obvious by now that the importance of natural plants cannot be over-emphasized considering the numerous advantages they confer on the fish over plastic plants.

IMPORTANCE OF NATURAL PLANTS TO FISH (Contd.)

AQUARIUM CARE

The importance of natural plants (II)

Apart from providing fresh 100 per cent pure oxygen to aid fish breathing and the reduction of toxic carbon dioxide level in the aquarium, plants also serve the most important function of CONVERTING WASTE into harmless and useful products. In this way they generate a self-recycling process (the NITROGEN CYCLE) that automatically converts the waste produced by the fish and the excess food into fertilizer which the plants utilize for rapid growth.

The sequence of events in an established aquarium set-up is illustrated in the chart. Wastes are generated inside the aquarium mainly by – (i) the fish, as they excrete and urinate and also nibble at some plant leaves these produce ammonia and nitrogenous wastes, (ii) the aquarist, when excess food introduced are uneaten and get decayed in the water these produce albuminous wastes.

Naturally occurring putrefying bacteria break down these wastes into potentially harmful chemical known as NITRITE which will accumulate gradually to toxic level. This accumulation is prevented by some other bacteria residing in the roots of the plants – (nitrogen fixing bacteria). They break down the nitrites into NITRATES which the plants use for growth. With the recycling system therefore, at no time would you have: Foul water odour and toxic waste build-up, hence you will have no fish death and at the same time there would be no need to change your aquarium water.

I know of aquariums that have maintained themselves in perfect conditions for over three years without cleaning of any sort. The only attention needed is the trimming of the plants and topping up the water lost due to evaporation.

Aquarists intending to change their aquariums into the natural system could call these numbers 08037189694 or 08096680061 or send us an E-mail on catfish192001@yahoo.com for details on the plant collections needed to effect a change of your aquarium to the natural system.