August 1997 - Basics of Aquarium Keeping

Continued from page 1

A species tank, as a matter of fact, could be your answer to how to become involved in tropical fish keeping. A species tank eliminates, to a certain extent, many of the community tank problems like multi-compatibility (fish, water quality, filtration, etc.) It also keeps things relatively simple because you know what fish you have, there are no others, and you can learn what to expect from them and how to treat a problem. I said "to a certain extent" when saying that a species tank eliminates some of the problems of a community tank because there are still similar shortcomings, depending on the species kept. Certain species will be very aggressive, even while they are young. Other species seem to catch whatever it is that the others have, but die before the fish they caught it from! Species fish come in hundreds of varieties. For those that specialize in catfish, for example, you will find that they spend most of their time at the bottom of the aquarium. Is this what you want? Or other hobbyists might specialize in guppies, a fish that spends most of its time in the upper to top levels of the aquarium. Plus, guppies breed like rabbits - success depending on whether the young have a place to hide in the aquarium.

I want to end this column with a little punch list of things that you should do before buying one fish, or before buying anymore. Take all of this with a grain of salt. It's not the Bible, nor is it just some babbling I came up with. It is based on years of experience, both the good and the heartache kind. I'd like to save you some of the latter.

1. Begin with at least a 20-gallon tank. Why? The more volume of water present, the more water there is to act as a buffer in case things go wrong, such as in massive buildup of toxins or other chemical imbalances. That is, it takes a while for whatever goes wrong chemically or biologically to start taking effect. With a smaller tank, and thus smaller volume, the events occur more quickly and are more tragic.

2. Cycle the tank over a one-month period before adding any fish, except for a starter fish like a hardy catfish that can "seed" the gravel, or help get the biological filter system working. What this cycling does is to get rid of the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels, balance them for a while until you come in with your regular water changes.

3. When adding fish, add only a few at a time, depending on the species and size of fish. This will stop most overloading of the biological system, and keep toxins from building up. It will also produce less stress on your fish. A guideline is to add only a couple of fish a week.

4. Obtain fish that are disease-free, and from a reputable and professional retailer. You can also get your fish stock from a fellow hobbyist, or through your local aquarium society. If there is any doubt (and there should always be as far as ick is concerned), treat the fish for ick for at least a week.

5. When placing fish in the aquarium, first rinse off the bag from the store, then set it to float on your aquarium water. If the fish have not been in the bag too long from the store to home, you don't need to open the bag. If you think that the fish need new air, open the bag, but don't let any water from the bag into the tank. Over a period of about a half hour or so, the temperatures of the bag water and tank water should be close. Now begin adding water from the tank into the bag, about 1/3 or less of the bag volume, every fifteen minutes, closely observing the fish in the bag to make sure they are not having adverse reactions. When you have about tripled or quadrupled the volume of water in the bag, remove the bag from the tank, pour the bag water and fish through a net, letting the water go to drain. Place the netted fish into your aquarium, but only after passing your net and fish through a disinfectant bath. This could be one of many commercial chemicals. This would be a short-term dip or bath, sometimes questionable in its real usefulness other than to make the fishkeeper feel her or she is really doing something beneficial, but in my mind, something is better than nothing - if it is done carefully. Some fishkeepers have used Acriflavin with about a 500 mg/liter concentration for about 30 minutes. But this anti-bacterial/anti-fungal/anti-protozoal treatment may not work, especially since this particular drug has been overused and some species/individual fish may have built up resistance. One simple disinfectant is common sea salt, with concentrations of about 25gm/liter, for a bath up to one hour. The salt water bath is generally a safer way to go for the unfamiliar and inexperienced keeper, but keep in mind that any bath like this can be stessful to your fish. You are also doing it a disservice if it isn't sick in the first place.

6. Begin close observation of the fish once it gets into your aquarium. Where does it like to hang out, and is it acting normally? Any body color changes? Is it eating. Is it being a bully or being bullied?

7. Review your objectives of fishkeeping now, and from time to time. Are you just keeping fish to make the room look beautiful? Or, do you want to breed them? If the latter, do you have the tank set up so that it will allow breeding?

8. Check your tank's filtration system. Is everything running smoothly and efficiently? Is you air pump quiet and functioning? Have you changed the air stones, or are they still new? Air stones can plug up and will cause pressure buildup back to the air pump. This back pressure can damage the rubber diaphragm in the pump, rupturing it so that air does not get to your tank.

9. Understand the principles of aquarium maintenance. One of them is aeration. In the example above, back pressure against the pump was mentioned. In fact, that is a secondary problem. The main one is that when your pump begins to produce less air than it should, or when your air stones plug up, etc., you are not getting proper filtration through whichever filter the air pump is servicing. When you don't get proper filtration/circulation, then the fish suffer.

10. Last but not least, join a local aquarium society, or organize one. Even a half dozen hobbyists, meeting once a month or less, can be a big help to personal aquarium keeping efforts.

Next month, I'll follow up this column with a second part, going into the chemistry and more exact requirements of gravel, filter media, plants and fish. But you are welcome to write in the meanwhile, and I'll see what I can do.

Good luck to you.