Setting Up a New Tank…….With Some Perks
By Phil Wurm
2005 Nov/Dec Issue #33
You’ve visited a relative or perhaps a neighbor, and seen his or her freshwater aquarium. You love the bright colored fish, the attractive look of the
décor. You’ve fallen under the calming and even mesmerizing trance of watching the fish, and perhaps didn’t even know you were staring at the tank
for at least fifteen minutes! Maybe your son or daughter has finally convinced you that they (or you) need another type of pet in the house. In any
event, you have decided that you simply cannot live without a freshwater aquarium in your living room or den. You have decided on freshwater,
perhaps, because you want to start out with smaller and simpler, not to mention less expensive (let’s not use the word “cheap”). I would like to advise
you, in my humble opinion, using my humble methods, with full acknowledgement that there are indeed other means and methods that work just as
well as mine. I can think of a few instances where there is one correct way of achieving the desired end, but my experiences are tried and true.
Deciding on the type and size of your tank - what a daunting task. There are dozens of types, styles and sizes, with manufacturers seemingly adding
more all the time. In this case, I will decide for you. Hex tanks are neat and very attractive, but lack surface area. This is simply the open area at the
top of the tank where the air and gas exchange takes place. The larger this area, the better. This also gives you room to work inside the tank, which
you will appreciate, believe me. Since this is an early, if not initial tank set-up, let’s go with the old rectangular shaped glass box style, and leave the
other shapes for later. It’s very hard to beat what works, and the basic styles are time proven. Deciding on size can be determined by budget and
available space. I would suggest passing on the 10 gallon tank, they are very limited in what you can keep in them and do with them. Larger tanks
also allow, with a larger body of water, easier control and care of the inhabitants. A larger amount of water is more stable, and gives you more time
to correct a problem if one should arise. Let’s go with a 20 gallon high tank, one of my personal favorites. There is of course a 20 long style, but I like
the depth of the higher style. Should you decide on a larger 29 gallon, go for it!
I strongly urge you to purchase a stand for your aquarium. With our tank we will be dealing with about 200 pounds of weight, with water, gravel,
décor and such. I personally still have some of the particle board type stands. I have had largely good luck with these, but one near disaster. I will
never again purchase any stand other than the solid wood type. The wrought iron ones wobble too much for my taste, and the particle board kinds
are always flirting with a crash and mess should one ever get wet from a slow leak or spilled water. If you are skilled enough to build one-at least
consider the cost in time and materials compared to what you can buy. Manufacturers have gone to a lot of time and work to produce quality stands
that hold up to the test of time.
Of course, you will need a hood or cover for your aquarium too. I suggest the common plastic hood with one fluorescent light tube that you can find with most combo sets in most stores. There are lots of options for increased lighting involved in planted, marine or reef tanks, but lets stay with the basics and reality for this early venture into keeping an aquarium
You will need filtration for your tank. What is this, and what does it do? Water filtration comes in three “flavors”: Mechanical, chemical and biological.
A detailed explanation of each is beyond the scope of this article, but basically, mechanical removes the solid wastes, such as excess food; chemical
removes water toxins and some impurities; while biological filtration helps with the other problems, and also stabilizes the nitrogen cycle. I would
suggest one of the many fine aquarium starter books for detailed explanation of all of these terms, but many of easily found, used and cleaned back
filter units deal with all three types of filtration, and are heartily recommended. I personally use the Aqua Clear 200 model, now marketed as the
“50” model, on my own 20H tanks. These come equipped with a sponge block for mechanical, a carbon pouch for chemical, and ceramic tubes for
biological. Currently I use different filters on my larger tanks, but they will eventually be replaced with Aqua Clear units. I personally dislike
undergravel filters, it seems as if the users of these either swear by them or swear at them - I did the latter on the two I had years ago. Sooner or
later you will have to tear apart your tank if you use undergravel - I have never seen nor heard otherwise. There are other back filter types. I currently
have two, but have found them finicky and not as friendly as the Aqua Clears. I do not endorse any manufacturer specifically, but when a product works
well for me, I will state so. I tend to use larger than suggested by the manufacturer for any given size; a little extra filter capacity cannot hurt. On a larger
tank, sizes I would suggest are the larger “300” or “70” model, with a corner air driven filter in the opposite corner from the filter intake is a good idea as
a supplement.
There is no end to the possibilities as to gravel colors and choices of other décor - plants, driftwood, and various air driven display pieces. I prefer,
and heartily recommend a more “natural” look, if such can be had in an aquarium. I would like to refer you to an earlier article I had written in the
GVAC Newsletter #28, Feb 2004 titled “Aquarium Substrate - More than Just Gravel” for a detailed explanation, if you are willing to access your
past newsletter library or our current editor can also assist (editor’s note: try the website!) To recap, I prefer, and suggest natural color gravels and
plastic plants, if those are chosen as décor. These answer the question of what do you wish to see? Your fish, or the tank decor? I enjoy seeing the
bright colors of my fish swimming above neutral and natural gravels, with a background of lace rock, natural colored plants and driftwood, both
natural and artificial. Any air driven unit, be it a diver, treasure chest, air wand or sponge filter will perform a useful function of air exchange. You
will want to purchase at least one pound of gravel per gallon of water for your tank as an average - more if you wish to keep live plants or set up a slope,
terrace or such. I would also suggest an aquarium background; a nice natural style, please! This will help the fish feel at ease and at home, and will cut
down light glare nicely as an added bonus.
Now that you have added all this, it’s still not time for the fish yet. Just be patient! You need to choose a proper place to locate your tank away from
direct sunlight and not near a heater nor air conditioner vent. Make sure your tank will be level before you fill it. Do not use soap nor any other type
of cleaner on anything for your aquarium - ever! Do not risk the chance of leaving a killing residue. I use a product called Seri-Clean, marketed by the
Jungle Corporation, and I have seen at least one other similar product for sale. Just rinse the tank and hood well, and purchase a plastic colander to
rinse your gravel several times before adding to your tank. Other items, such as plastic plants and décor, just need a good rinse in warm water before
installation.
You now have a choice to make - you can set up your tank with gravel, water and décor, and wait for weeks to have it cycle naturally before adding fish - due to the previously mentioned “nitrogen cycle”. Or you can purchase a bacteria starter culture product of which there are many. Or you can do what I do! I take a couple of hands full of gravel from an established tank and mix it into the new, and do a water change on the same stable aquarium, putting some of the aged water into the new tank. On our 20H, I would replace about five pounds of “used” gravel with newly rinsed, and put the “used” in our new tank along with about fifteen pounds of the new that is properly rinsed. I would then install the filter, and let it run for two or three days before adding fish. It may be cloudy for a few hours, and you will want to lightly stock with fish, but it will have been “seeded” properly. I have received a few strange looks when I suggest this plan of action, but it works well. I do this on my own tanks, and have done this many other times in helping others do the same. I have not seen nor heard of failure.
Now that you have done all of this, remember other items you will need to do. You will need a thermometer, either a peel & stick or a floater works well. A scrub pad will be needed, make sure it is made for aquarium usage! A gravel siphon will be needed as I would suggest a 4 or 5 gallon water change on our 20H with a good vacuum every other week. You may want to stock up on carbon or filter pads for your backfilter and a good sized net will be very handy too. You can walk the aisles of any good sized pet store and see all the stupidly simple and the overly complex items that you can buy to have and use when you choose. I have found the simple ones the better working items and the better buy. But that is your choice.
You will also need fish food. I may be in trouble with some of you for this comment, but please read the label before you buy. Some fish foods are junk, and ill suited to feed anything. I have used Tetra and Ocean Star International (OSI) products for years. Ocean Nutrition products are a newer favorite of mine. There are so many brands of freeze dried and frozen foods too that I cannot make a suggestion of my favorite among them. I do not use live foods myself; unless you know the source, you can introduce undesireables, so be careful! Whichever foods you choose, give your charges a good diet, and vary it some. I use the OSI freshwater flake, supplementing with spirulina flakes, freeze dried (or flaked) brine shrimp and I add color foods and some other special types once or twice per week. Keep your feedings small and frequent which will aid in cleaning your tank.
I would like to make a few suggestions as to how we should stock our 20H. A group of three pairs of Guppies, six Zebra Danios, a pair of Dwarf Gouramis, finished off with a trio or quartet of a Corydoras catfish would be dandy. You can go with a “biotope” type tank with an all South American group of six Lemon Tetras, four Hatchetfish, some Guppies and a trio of Cory Cats. You could go Southeast Asian with Danios, Gouramis, a few Rosy Barbs, and a Botia (to replace the Corys). These are just suggestions, but did you see the “bioload” I have used? The old rule of “one inch of fish per gallon of water” is ineffective unless the “inch” is a Guppy or Neon Tetra. You must look at the total body size or mass of other fish types. An example is one single one inch long Goldfish could easily be equal in bioload to four Neons. See the comparison of total equal sizes or masses? Use this as an aid and guide to helping you choose your stock, and I would suggest “staying small”, nothing that will grow past two inches total body length for a 20 gallon.
I hope you have enjoyed reading my article. It comes after 34 years plus as an aquarium hobbyist. I hope I have not left anything of great importance out. For those of you who have noticed one omission, I did not forget. The most often forgotten thing by others when discussing aquariums and tank management are water conditioners. Chlorine and chloramine need to be treated before fish can inhabit city water supplies. Heavy metals are present as are sometime other undesireables as well. Check your water, either buy a test kit or have it tested. Buy a good conditioner; I use the Kordon Products, Amquel and NovAqua, to neutralize my water supply. Good luck with your new 20 gallon high aquarium!
The End