How can I start a fish container? Im contemporary to this and i hold copious question?
I've had fish before but i never actually have a real fish tank with the filter, oven, etc. I want to start a fish tank, anywhere from 10-16 gallons. Here are my questions:
1. If the filter cleans the water, does that tight i never have to do water changes?
2. Approximately how frequent times do you have to change the cartridge surrounded by the filter?
3. How many watts should my heater be for a 10-16 gal tank?
4. What does the heavens pump thing do? Does it have to be on all the time?
5. When you include the water, how long do you wait till you put the fish in? I'm probably gonna find a variety of fish so do i put all the species in at once or buy a few at a time.
6. What does river conditioner do?
If you can answer these questions in the exact order, i would appreciate it. I mostly want to know how the filter functions.
1) No, you still need to do a 25% water amend once a week. The filter does many things, including limiting the amounts of nitrogen wastes in the hose down and oxygenating the water, but the wastes will still build up. Especially, fish wastes and uneaten food will settle into the gravel at the bottom and not be taken up by the filter, even though it will be releasing a fixed flow of ammonia into your water. It is extremely important to get a gravel vacuum so that when you get something done your water changes you get adjectives this detritus out from the bottom.
2) It depends on the filter. I have a Magnum H.O.T filter, and change the media within it about once a month. Some may need to be changed more often.
3) 50 watts.
4) If you own a good filter, you do not need an air pump.
5) You put the marine in, and let it sit a week. Then you need to cycle your reservoir -- do some reading on this because it is extremely important. Basically, you need to grow some beneficial microbes to convert the ammonia into nitrate and then to nitrite. You can either do this by adding commercial ammonia (a upright method), or buying a pair of hardy fish and giving them at least two weeks to start the cycling process.
Only add fish a couple at a time. This will give the bacteria a chance to grow at one and the same rate the wastes are increasing.
Every beginner aquarium keeper wishes to have lots of different kinds of fish, but this is not good for your fish. You should enjoy more fish of fewer kinds. Tetras, mollies, platys, barbs, and so on will ALL be happier when contained by a group of six or more. Keep in mind that a 10-16 gallon tank is greatly small and could only hold about a half dozen fish.
The holy commandment of aquarium keeping is not to overstock your container. They will be stressed from ammonia and nitrite poisoning and from overcrowding from other fish. An inch per gallon is the maximum, but less is better.
Be very sure to do research more or less the fish species you add. You would not, for example, want to put tiger barbs, who are semi-aggressive and like to nip fins, within with guppies that have long flowing fins.
6) Water conditioner mostly contains thiosulfate, an ingredient that neutralizes the chlorine and chloramine surrounded by your tap water. They often enjoy ingredients that promote the slime coat on your fish, but honestly that is not necessary. A good dechlorinator is adjectives you need.
1. you still call for to do weekly 25% water changes
2. NEVER only variation the chemical media (usually black carbon) monthly but just wash the foam/other medium on old tank water.
3. one watt per liter (1/4 of a gallon) is what i use
4.add oxygen to the water and you need it on 24/7
5. read up on the nitrogen cycle
6.depends
water conditioner could be any chemical you donate to your tank
generally when people verbalize about water conditioner they mean chlorine remover
Answers: 1. The filter does somewhat verbs the water but not well enough to never do a dampen change. A filter's primary purpose is to aireate the tank not to actually CLEAN it. It is a bonus to own the filter media which will pull the particles floating around as in good health as the inorganic and organic matter. Filters do not remove ammonia, nitrites or nitrates in any hulking amount. Your biofilter the second stage of filtration takes the fish waste surrounded by conjunction with the nitrogen and convert it to nitrites, a lesser toxic form which needs to be removed weekly from your reservoir. 25% once a week when cleaning and water change.
Here is a good site that tell you what the biofilter is and does:
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/biolog...
2. You never really have to revision the filter cartridge. Basically if you are cleaning the filter (rinsing it) you only have need of to change it when it is falling apart. Believe it or not, advanced aquarists don't even use carbon filters with the exception of pulling out medicine. Any filter media will do for a running tank. If you follow the manufacturers suggestion it is twice per month. (Not needed)
3. That depends on the type of fish you are keeping. A coldwater reservoir including barbs, tetras or goldfish don't need heaters. For other tropical fish you really should have 5 watts per gallon of marine.
4. An air pump looks good and that is roughly speaking it. It adds very little to no oxygen to the water that is to say the purpose of the filter. Dissolved oxygen can only enter the water thru a gas exchange of air and dampen. i.e. wind, waves, water falls, filter, powerheads. Anytime major water is rippled across air. Air stones own no real amount of air flow over water near the exception when they pop at the surface. There is no need for an air pump in your container unless you like the way it looks.
5. You will need to exam the water with a test utensils that tests for Ammonia and nitrites. When the ammonia spikes and the nitrites spikes have stopped, you are ready for fish. The site I tabled explains.
Only add a few fish at one time. Adding too many fish before your biofilter have matured will spike the ammonia all over again.
6. In short, water conditioner neutralizes the chloramates and bulky metals as well as more than 60 chemicals our water companies add to our river. In short makes it safe for fish.
Good luck and welcome to the world of fish keeping
everything is ok
1. no once a month for 1/4 should be fine
2. once a month (about)
3. around 15
5. a few days, a few at a time dont overstock
6. dechlorinates the wet, you should still set it though, for a day
hope this helps
search the other question on google
theres a lot of info
To answer all your questions within order you are asking here you go...
1.)Water changes depending on the fish too as economically water changes need to be done in 2-3 weeks a month,if you have goldfish then you call for to change it about every 2 1/2 weeks
2.) The filter cartridges need to be changed in the order of every 2-4 weeks
3.)The heater should be for a 2-15 gallon tank and Tetra Whisper has the best one and it's massively compact
4.)The Air Pump helps create more oxygen in the tank giving it more oxygen surface nouns in the water
5.)Once you put water within the tank have it cycle for about a hours of daylight to give it a full bio-logical cycle and the tank will be ready for the fish.When you buy the fish,when they are contained by the bag when you buy the fish keep it in the rucksack,and the tank cover open or off and hold the bag float in the tank beside the temp of the water to warm the water the up surrounded by the bag so the fish get use it when it's time to put them in.Give that process roughly 15-20min before you put the fish in or you'll have stressed sick fish.
6.) Water Conditioner help keep the good and bad bacteria's outta the dampen and helps filter the water cycling
If you buy a tank here's an alternative if you are able to buy a fish tank tackle it will have the following.The tank,power quite filter,sample of water conditioner and food.Plus I'd get the Tetra 10 gallon or 20 gallon tank tools they give you what you need to get your first reservoir up and running the right way.Also the most to fish to keep in a 10 gallon or 20 gallon you are putting roughly speaking at most 4-6 fish and make sure they can all win along with out any fighting.Tetra,a pleco(sucker fish),gourami's(depending how big you want them to get)Angel fish and some Danio's will be great starters for you too
