Choosing a Freshwater Aquarium For Your Home

I don't like the term fish tank. I prefer to call it an aquarium. This is because an aquarium isn't just a tank for holding fish. It is a living environment and also a thing of beauty for your home. If it is well set up and maintained, then your fish will stay healthy and it will remain looking attractive and enhance your home.

So you need to start off with a great looking aquarium if it is to remain a healthy and attractive environment for your fish. It must also fit in with your own decor. If you have a home full of antiques, then the latest bright red biOrb tank probably isn't for you. This article offers advice on choosing the perfect home for your fish.

Not too many years ago, aquariums were five pieces of glass fixed into an angle iron frame with putty. This was probably balanced on a black or white tubular metal stand, with various wires and tubes hanging from the back of it. Then came silicone sealants and the advent of the all glass tank. These coupled with the modern day wooden cabinets and state of the art all-in-one setups like the BiOrb range have brought fish keeping into the twenty first century. All you need to do now is to choose the aquarium which is right for you and your home.

Location

Do try to locate your aquarium somewhere where it can be seen as often as possible. After all, if you are going to spend good money on it, you want to be able to see it as much as you can. It also means that you are more likely to spot any problems quickly before too much harm is done.

You also need to take the weight of the tank into account. At school I was taught the (almost) rhyme "a pint of water weighs a pound and a quarter, a gallon weighs 10 pounds". Take into account the weight of glass and gravel and you will see that this soon becomes an incredible weight. Either ensure that you have a piece of furniture which will withstand this weight easily or invest in a purpose built stand. Bear in mind that you will need a suitable nearby power point and a water supply from which to fill it.

Shape

The most common shapes of aquarium are hexagonal, rectangular or circular. Some rectangular aquariums also have a bowed front creating a very stunning visual effect. Obviously the shape has to fit into your chosen location but I would recommend trying to choose a shape which gives as much surface area as possible for the volume of water. Rectangular fish tanks are best for this as the larger surface area allows for the best absorption of oxygen and exchange of gases, giving a healthier aquarium and environment for your fish. Other shapes are fine, but you may find yourself spending a little more time maintaining the water. You also won't be able to house as many fish as you would with another shape of aquarium.

Size

If this is your first aquarium setup, you may want to consider a 20 to 30 gallon aquarium. Anything larger can be a bit daunting for a beginner, not to mention pricey, but anything smaller can be harder to maintain and too easy to over stock with fish. If you do this the quality of your water will suffer and your fish may die. Whatever you decide on, please don't buy a tiny little fish bowl with 1 or 2 fish and no filtration. They are not healthy living environments for any fish, whose lives are in your hands.

Stocking

The rule of thumb for stocking should be 1 inch of fish per gallon of water in a well aerated and filtered aquarium. So, if you are starting out with a 30 gallon aquarium setup, you can have 30 inches of fish which will probably average out at about 10 - 15 fish. Remember they will grow.

Material

Not only do you have to choose the right size tank, but the material as well. There are two types of tanks on the market today, glass and acrylic. I personally prefer glass, many others prefer acrylic. Acrylic is certainly lighter and safer. A glass tank can be broken although I have never had this happen in over 30 years. Acrylic is also more easily scratched. The choice has to be yours. So in summary you need to plan ahead and consider the following:

Location and space available
Size and therefore weight
Aquarium shape
Number of fish
Availability of electrical power and water supply
Aquarium material
Cost

Choosing the right aquarium is very much down to personal preference, but you do need to consider the above facts to make the best informed decision. Getting this right from the outset will mean that you will enjoy this most rewarding hobby for years to come.

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Volcanic Action in Orangey and Streak's BiOrb

Goldfish meet volcano......

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Harry's volcano experiment

My son Harry erupting a volcano..... IT'S A WORK OF ART!

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BiOrb

I got this fun little aquarium as a gift! I love it! I set it up, and I am going to make a series of videos to show the progress of what is called a BiOrb. This is the 8 Gallon Version. Fully ready to go,is pretty much plug and play. This is day 4, after adding some plants, a couple crabs a lobster and 3 fish.

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Finding The Right Size Home Aquarium

There are three primary goals that you should keep in mind when it comes to finding the right size home aquarium.

The first goal that should be met is that it should be visually appealing and coordinate well with the décor of your home.

The second goal is that it should be functional.

Finally, the third goal is that it should work well both for your own needs and the needs of the fish and other sea life that you are housing within it. The main factors that you need to put consideration into then are the size, shape, location, materials and the type of water that you intend to use in your fish tank. All of these factors are essential in finding the right home aquarium and will be based on your needs and the needs of the fish that you buy.

When it comes to finding the right size home aquarium, it is important that you understand first and foremost that bigger is always better. Larger tanks are going to have more suitable filtration systems and filtration systems mean fewer requirements for maintenance. Smaller aquariums that do not have their own filtration systems can get dirty much quicker and will require a lot more cleaning and maintenance over time with no real end in sight. Fish are going to live longer and healthier lives in larger tanks with efficient filtration systems than fish housed in smaller tanks. You also need to put consideration into the size of the fish and the number of the fish living in the tank. Larger is always better here because the more space you have for your fish, the happier and healthier they will tend to be. The general rule of thumb is one inch of fish per gallon of water. So if you are housing 3" tropical fish, you can safely house about 8 fish in a 26 gallon tank.

The shape of an aquarium is another consideration to make, as it has an impact on the size of the aquarium and where in the home it can be placed. Larger aquariums are rectangle and this limits the places that they can be housed because they take up quite a bit of wall space. On the other hand, some larger aquariums are made to fit into corners, or to be taller rather than wider and these are ideal for tight spaces and places where there is not much horizontal space, but where corner space or vertical space is in abundance.

If wall space is scarce, there are plenty of aquarium options for you to choose from. Consider opting for a smaller aquarium that spans a counter or the top of an entertainment centre. Aquariums can be built into headboards, coffee tables, kitchen cabinets, and even into the tops of bars or other furniture, so there is no reason why you cannot find an aquarium that suits you. If you want an aquarium that fits perfectly with your home décor, there is absolutely no reason why you cannot find one.

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Opae'ula Hawaiian red shrimp in Biorb tank. Micro lobsters, Halocaridina ruba, Ecosphere

Opae'ula, Hawaiian red shrimp in a 8 gallon Biorb commercial spherical acrylic tank. Shrimp where originally purchased from Ecosphere associates in Arizona and FukuBonsai in Hawaii. They are going on 3 years total that I have had them. Started with approximately 25-30 and now there are at least 60-70. The shrimp have spawned at least 2-3 times that we have noticedl. Also a 6In. Ecosphere that I have unsealed. Both tanks are fed a very small amount of dried Algae shrimp food from FukuBonsai. I do a yearly 50% water change using filtered water and Instant Ocean sea/salt mixture. Use the following parameters when setting up a Opae'ula tank: Temperature 60F 85F, Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, PH 8.2 8.4, Specific gravity 1.0125 to 1.015. David Fukumoto is an authority on the life history and care of these little shrimp. He refers to them as Micro-Lobsters on his website. Go to Fukubonsai dot com if you'd like to purchase some. He sells complete tanks and can offer much customer support. Good luck with setting up your own tank of Opae'ula

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Andy Angelfish in his new tank

80l Boyu Orca :) Andy is a very aggressive 7 year old Angelfish. He literally cannot be in a tank with anything, even Algae cleaners and he'll pin them into the corners! Previously in a 60l Biorb but I took him out as I felt bad for him due to the distorted shape (he seemed a bit subdued).

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5 Moon JellyFish in a 16gallon BiOrb Aquarium, purchased from JellyFishArt.com

This is my first aquarium I have ever had, and I decided to take the leap and get JellyFish! I purchased it from JellyFishArt.com, and they were very helpful with everything. It is a 16gallon BiOrb, and I have five 2-3 inch Moon Jellys in it. I currently have a UV Led in the aquarium light, but I also have a color changer one I will put in another video. If you have never had jellyfish but always wanted them, this is probably the best (cheapest) way to go about it.

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Aqualamp video 2

tropical aquarium table lamp. Aqualamp.

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How To Properly Introduce New Fish Into Your Aquarium

There are two areas of introducing new fish into an aquarium that you must be aware of:

1. Fish Quarantine

Fish quarantine is one big, singular factor that must be observed strictly before you can be sure that your new fish is of good health and not an apostle of doom for the other inmates. Most new fishkeepers don't take consider this very important factor.

For the benefit of intending aquarists, quarantine in the fish world refers to the physical and chemical treatment of new fishes (either imported or caught from the wild) to rid them of disease and restlessness before introduction into a new environment,

A small quarantine tank (30x20x25cm) is advisable for any serious aquarist. The alternative is to be sure that your pet shop has a functional quarantine section to cater for bacterial, fungal and viral diseases.

This is a sure guarantee against fish deaths. The unfortunate thing with most shops in the country is the lack of space and inadequate expertise to build and administer the prophylaxis procedure on new fish, as the procedure is sure to last at least nigh days! To the average aqua-investor, this is an unnecessary tie down of capital and you know what that means.

Admittedly, the expense incurred on quarantine by way of chemical purchase e.g. copper sulphate, wescodyne, malachite green, teremycin etc) is high. This is more or less reflected on the final sales price of the fish, which is slightly higher in our shop. But, this would pay you off in the long run, as it is unlikely that you will complain of fish deaths any longer.

I am quite sure, some fish farmers reading this column would be more concerned about the application of this procedure to solve their farm problems especially those with hatcheries or those who stock with post fry and fingerlings.

2. Feeding New Fish

When you just introduce a new fish to aquarium tank it's necessary to feed the fish. Though this will not be instant because no matter how carefully you add the fish to your aquarium tank they will look very unhappy for a while.

Thus it's necessary that you turn the flights out, and leave them overnight to get used to their new home first before thinking of feeding them. Then feed fish with aquarium fish food with fish flakes the next day, this will make the fish feel at home.

If you already have an established tank, it is advisable to quarantine new fish before adding them to an existing populated, and the cheapest way to do this is to purchase a plastic tank which will need no gravel or plants.

This can be used solely for quarantine and as a hospital tank.

Leave the fish in this tank for about three days during which any disease harbored by the fish would be evident for which it can be treated using available chemicals from your dealer. The fish can then be introduced into the tank in the same way as before.

When you add new fish to an established community, there will probably be a certain amount of harassment of the new arrivals by the original fish. Try to divert their attention by giving them a good feed when the fish are introduced.

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