Setting Up a Fish Tank

*What do I need to set up a fish tank?"

There's not alot you need to know about fish keeping ... but there is alot you can know.

Items needed:

Tank
Glass top
Light
Filter
Heater
Thermometer
Gravel & gravel vacuum/siphon tube
Dechlorinator
Fish food
Plants (real or fake) & decorations
[the above items cost aprox. $130 for a ten gallon size]

Tank

• Water weighs about 8 pounds per gallon.
• Add the weight of the glass and the gravel and I usually figure 10 pounds per gallon. So, if you are setting up a 10 gallon tank you want to place it somewhere sturdy, flat & level and safe to hold 100 pounds.
• We sell metal stands and wood stands or you can use your own desk or platform.
• A bigger tank is actually easier to maintain than a tiny tank.
• A large volume of water heats up and cools down more slowly than a small volume.
• Also, if you get a problem such as a drop of a bad chemical or just the ordinary ammonia that fish produce that problem is diluted by more water.

Glass Top & Light

• The glass top slows the water evaporating, protects the light, and keeps the fish from jumping out.
• Depending on which heater and filter you choose, the back of the glass top is made of flexible plastic, which can be cut to fit your accesories.
• The light sits on the glass top.
• We sell many types of aquarium lights.
• The most popular is a single bulb florescent.
• Some types of live plants like brighter light.
• Usually you want to leave your light on a maximum of 12 hours. (The fewer hours it is on, the less algae will grow.)

Filter

• All models of filters work on the same principle:
  • Fish produce tiny ammounts of ammonia as they breathe and urinate.
  • Beneficial bacteria, which break down the ammonia, live in the filter foam media.
  • The tank water passes through the filter foam.
• The most popular brand of filter is called Aquaclear.
• The Aquaclear filter hangs on the back of the tank, you fill it with water and plug it in.
• All filters should run all the time.
• To maintain the filter, you should rinse the filter foam lightly in cool water aprox. once a month. (Do not sterilize the good bacteria.)
• Using carbon in your filter is optional, but if you decide to use carbon, you should get new carbon every 6 weeks.
• Once a year, you should disassemble the impellar in the filter motor, and clean the muck out (we can show you how to do this at the store).

Heater & Thermometer

• Most of the fish we keep prefer water warmer than room temperature.
• A few fish we sell, like Goldfish & White Clouds, do not need a heater.
• The safe range for most tropical fish is 67 - 85 degrees. I like to set the heater for 77 degrees F.
• Our most popular Heaters (Ebo & Sera) are pre-set & submersible. Just dial to the temp you want, suction cup it to the inside back glass under the water, and plug it in.
• When draining the tank, un-plug the heater first ... remember to plug it back in when your tank is re-filled.
• Although they are pre-set, the heaters still need to be checked against a thermometer. Place the thermometer where it is visible, glance at it daily to double check you are in the safe zone.

Gravel & Gravel Vacuum/SiphonTube

• Many fish like to dig around in gravel. Also you can use gravel to hold your plants in place.
• Beneficial bacteria will live in the gravel as well as in the filter foam.
• When doing your periodic water change, it is a good idea to lightly vacuum the gravel with a gravel Vac siphon tube. This is very easy, we can show you at the store.
• All aquatic systems need regular partial water changes.
• In a typical 10 gallon tank, you want to drain off 30% of the water once or twice a month, and refill with dechlorinated water same temperature as the tank.

Fish Food

• Bear in mind, most fish are very small, and cannot eat much at a time. A fish's stomach is about the size of its eye.
• It's best to feed your fish only as much as they can finish in about a half minute.
• Catfish and other bottom feeders need food too... so let a little bit of food go to the bottom.
• If you want your fish to grow very fast, you can feed them several times a day (as long as they finish the food quickly eah feeding.)
• Don't worry about skipping a day or two once in a while.
• If you're going on a long trip, we sell vacation food blocks & automatic power feeders. Or you could have someone stop in every 3 days or so to feed them for you
• (if someone is feeding your fish for you, pre-measure the food so they can't put too much food in ...which will ruin the water quality.)

Plants (real or fake) & Decorations

• Every body needs a house, even fish.
• Some fish we sell are midwater swimmers, but they like to know there is some cover near by.
• If you are using real plants, you want to leave your light on a minimum of 6 hours and a maximum of 12 hours.
• Some species of plants need extra light, we can show you at the store which species will go best with your light conditions.
• Some fish eat live plants (Silver Dollar Tetras) so we also sell a wide variety of plastic plants.