Eela and I bought two small Aquariums cause some of the fish cannot live with other species.
Starting off - break it down into steps:
Fill tank with dechlorinated tap water (or from yours or helpful neighbour's bore-well) or pre-mixed saltwater for saltwater aquarium keepers.
Determine your method of starting the cycle. Fishless is the quickest and most humane way. For freshwater tanks, get some Bio-spira and add it to the tank. For saltwater tanks, live rock is the way to go. As the rock cures in the tank it will cycle your tank.
Test the aquarium water with your test kits for ammonia, nitrite and nitrates.
Once you start getting nitrates and no nitrites you can safely add fish. If you're using live rock in saltwater tanks you may not see any of these (ammonia, nitrite and nitrate). If you've had the rock in the tank for several weeks/months you can assume that it's safe to slowly begin stocking the tank.
That's it! http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm
Aquarium Fish Definition and Glossary
Water Change :
refers to the process of removing a percentage of the aquarium water in order to improve water conditions for your fish. Unlike a fish's natural environment, aquariums are enclosed systems that quickly become polluted with biological substance buildup and dissolved organics. A water change is a good way of reducing the number of pollutants in aquarium water. Frequent and small water changes are considered better than infrequent large water changes. Also see: Aquarium Maintenance.
Water Parameters :
refers to the measurement of various levels in the aquarium. For example, aquariums that have been recently set up need to have their ammonia and nitrite parameters measured frequently in order to monitor the nitrogen cycle. Some other important water parameters that are frequently measured include temperature, pH, nitrate, phosphate, calcium, magnesium, alkalinity, etc. Measuring water parameters such as these will give the aquarist a general idea of the water quality in the aquarium.
Water Pump :
is aquarium equipment that is designed to move water in an aquarium. External water pumps are used to pull water from the aquarium and send it to sumps or refugiums. After the water passes through the sump or refugium it is pushed back into the tank. Water pumps are also used in closed loop circulation systems that are designed to increase the water movement within the aquarium.
Wave Maker :
is an aquarium device that is designed to simulate waves in the aquarium. Most often used in saltwater aquariums, there are stand alone products that pull in water and once the water reaches a certain level in the wavemaker, it is quickly released back into the tank, creating a surge or wave. Multiple powerheads connected to a switching device that turns the various powerheads on and off in intervals can achieve a similar effect but the constant tripping of power to powerheads can cause accelerated wear and tear on the powerheads.
WPG :
abbreviation for Watts Per Gallon and used in reference to aquarium lighting. Light intensity and aquarium depth are more important factors than Watts Per Gallon. WPG is a crude rule for estimating the amount of light needed for various organisms such as freshwater aquarium plants, corals and other invertebrates.
Wet-Dry Filter :
is an aquarium filter that incorporates a dry portion (air) in the filtration process. The exposure to the air increases the biological filtration capabilities of the filter. Trickle filters and bio-wheel filters incorporate a wet-dry filter portion.
White Spot Disease :
see Ich.
From: Cory - Cleaning tank during cycle
Another common problem in the cycle stage is people over clean their tanks during partial water changes and maintenance. If you use the food or fish starting methods, its very important not to disturb the media bedding to allow beneficial bacteria cultivation and growth. Media is the largest source for this growth and over cleaning in the first few weeks can diminish this cultivation causing an elevation of ammonia and/or nitrites.
This was a big surpise as I thought cleaning out the whole tank was better.
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The most commmon tropical fish acclimation methods are:
The Floating Bag Method
The Bucket Method
The Drip Method
The Floating Bag Method
This is probably the most common acclimation method and it works well. You just need to be careful when floating a bag full of unknown water in your tank. Ideally, you're floating the bag in a previously setup quarantine tank but, sadly, many new hobbyists don't use a quarantine tank. After you've been in the hobby for awhile and experience any sort of fish disease outbreak you'll soon come to realize the importance of a simple quarantine tank.
er you leave the fish store you will want to go straight home to avoid ammonia accumulating in the bag (in the form of fish waste). Once you get home, open the top of the bag and remove about 25% of the water from the bag. Replace this water with the same amount of water from your tank. Float the bag in your tank and bring down the hood opening on the open end of the bag to help keep the bag secure. Every 10 minutes add about 1 measuring cup (use less if the bag is smaller) of your tank water to the bag. Repeat this process for about an hour. After an hour has passed use a small net to get the fish out of the bag and gently place the fish into your tank. The main idea here is to slowly get the fish used to your tank water (acclimated). Do not dump the bag water into your tank! If you do, you risk exposing your tank to any parasites or diseases that were in the dealer's tanks.
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People who have aquariums will tell you about two kinds of dirt in a tank. There is clean dirt and dirty dirt. Clean dirt is the waste products of the fish. This does not need to be removed. Dirty dirt means the uneaten food and the bodies of fish that may have died. These kinds of things need to be removed.
Beginners will have to start with plain tap water. Letting the water stand until it comes to room temperature will get rid of any chlorine that may have been added to the water to purify it. Chlorine is very harmful to fish. Your fish may be added as soon as the water in the tank does come to room temperature. At first the water may look a little cloudy, but this is normal for a new tank. If you feed your fish very sparingly for the first two weeks, this should clear up and remain clear.
Plants are important in an aquarium, but not as important as many people would have you to believe. Plants do not provide the fish will all the oxygen that they need. In spite of everything that you may have heard, fish do very well without the plants.
Plants add oxygen to the water and use up carbon dioxide only when they are actively making food. Green plants will make their won food by taking in the carbon dioxide and then changing it chemically so that they are able to use it.
Underwater plants do add a great deal of beauty to your aquarium. The plants will grow in the water to make a more natural surrounding for your fish. The fish can hide in the leaves of the plants and love to lay their eggs here. Also, a well planted aquarium is less likely to develop green water.
More fish die from overfeeding than from any other cause. Your other pets may need to be fed everyday, but your fish do not. If you do feed them every day, uneaten food will accumulate in the tank. It will then blacken the sand a produce gases and other poisons that are harmful to you fish. Most fish can go a week without you feeding them because the will eat the microscopic plants and animals that naturally live in an aquarium.
Fish should only be fed three times a week. A single feeding should only give them the amount of food that they can eat in then minutes. You can judge this by putting the food on the flat part of a toothpick and then giving to the fish. Do not give them anymore unless and until they have eaten that all gone.
