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Heaters
Not all aquariums require a
heater. Let the temperature requirements of the fish you keep,
and the temperature of
the room the
aquarium is in determine whether you wish to purchase a heater.
You may find that even with
some fully
tropical fish you may not need the heater to stay plugged in
over the summer. Keep a thermometer in
the tank. A heater malfunction can wipe out a tank of fish, so
use a good heater when you need to. ALWAYS read
up on any fish you keep to determine their temperature needs. As
a rule, loaches, goldfish, Goodeids, some barbs,
most minnows (danios, rasboras, white cloud mountains, etc.) will do
well from 68 to 75 degrees, and do not require
a heater, certainly during the summer. Most all Cichlids and
many other species do require a heater to keep the
temperature at 75 degrees or above. Again, there are exceptions,
so read up on every fish you keep.
Be
careful that a tank is not in a room that will heat the water
past 85-90 degrees. The swords sold here
are kept at 72-77 degrees.
Don't pinch pennies with the
heater. Get a decent heater at 2.0-2.5 watts per gallon. A 10
gallon tank requires
a 25 watt heater, a
100 gallon can get by with a 200 watt heater. I prefer
submersible heaters. I have noticed
recently that some manufacturers, on the initial sales
packaging, recommend that a much higher wattage should
be used. Putting a 50 watt heater on a 10 gallon tank is asking
for trouble, as a heater of that size will quickly
cook your fish if it malfunctions. Also do not assume that a
heater will work properly, even when initially removed
from its packaging. Unfortunately, the aquarium heater is often
the weakest link in your setup to keep the fish
healthy. I know cichlid breeders with tanks full of $100 fish,
and they will simply toss all of their heaters and
replace them on a yearly basis, as a $30 heater can wipe out
thousands of dollars of fish!
Make sure the heater is easy to adjust. DO NOT use the temps on
the dial as a guide. Use a separate
thermometer to determine the temperature. Before plugging a
heater in, let the heater bulb sit in the tank's water
for 10-15 minutes. Turn down dial, then plug in and
bring the dial up until the little heater light comes on,
then check
your thermometer against the
dial. This will give you a read of the heater dial's
accuracy. Then turn the dial up
slowly in
quarter turns if you wish to bring the temp. up- waiting 30
minutes to an hour between turns- until the heater
stabilizes and turns off, gradually bringing the water up to the
desired temp. When you are at the temperature you
desire, the heater will then keep it there.
-
Fry often do better in warmer water (78-80 degrees), which will
cause them to grow faster, getting past their
initial early growth more quickly. Bring temp. down to correct
level for the species as they mature.
- When a
heater malfunctions (sticks so that it stays on or sticks so
that it doesn't come on), you must toss it.
It is not advised to attempt to fix a malfunctioning heater.
Those keeping and breeding fish that require higher
temperatures with a lot of tanks will often keep the
fishroom at
that higher temperature, avoiding heaters
entirely, or they will actually remove all heaters and replace
them yearly to avoid disasters. A costly expense!
Unfortunately,
heaters are often an issue in a tank's overall
consistency of care, and malfunctions
that result in the loss of fish is not uncommon. Some
fishkeepers have found a different way to approach
this problem that may be common practice in years to come.
Rather than allowing a heater to function until
a problem presents itself, one fishroom has developed a monitoring system that notifies him
by alert
on his cell phone when any particular tank strays above or
below the temperature parameters he has
set.
Simply, digital probes in each tank send signals to a
computer program compiling the temperature of each
tank every 5 minutes. A self-written computer program
maintains a log of the readings for every tank-
in this case there are about 30 tanks- that can be accessed
at any time from his cell phone, and can
be brought up on a screen at home in a graph format, with
each tank represented individually, or the
entire room compared. Analysis of each heater's performance,
various brands, etc. can all be done easily.
When there is a malfunction, he is notified within the first
degree of aberration, and can address it or call
home to possibly have someone unplug the heater until he
arrives (if it is overheating). When this was last
discussed, he mentioned that there may be home security
programs that can be manipulated for this
purpose, such as those with temperature probes to monitor for
fires, etc. If anyone is able to do this for
their fishroom, I would like to hear about it!
(selectaquatics@gmail.com )
Lights
This information pertains
only to freshwater aquariums, as algea control and light, like
many aspects of keeping
salt water tanks,
can be very different.
Premade light
hoods that come with tank kits are fine. With multiple tanks
many go to 4' shop light type fixtures,
40 watt bulbs, or with CFLs (Compact flourescents) built into
measured and cut plastic gutters from the hardware
store that create a clean, professional light hood. Be careful
that your light does not warm the water or cause
overabundant algea growth. (Live
plants will compete with algea for nutrients and light,
holding down algea
growth) Besides
allowing us to see the fish, and create the potential for
abundant plant growth, light also
supports bacterial growth and substantially contributes to a
healthy aquarium. With some species such as
most sucker catfish, the Tiger limias,
some Goodeids and
Neocaridina shrimp offered at this
site, algea is
desired. For some
egg
layer fry, abundant algea growth may also provide a resource of
infusoria, which are
essential to their
growth. Be aware that algea growth can be the result of a number
of algea species, and not
all are eaten
by fish, shrimp or snails that may eat other types. Occasionally
the only remedy, for some types
of
blue-green or red algea, is to thoroughly clean the tank, and
then reduce your light cycle and/or reduce the
amount of food going into the aquarium to keep it under control.
Recent improvements in LED technology have introduced LED
fixtures to the hobby. However, they are still out
of the reach economically for even a moderate sized
fishroom,
and are as yet too new to the hobby to determine
whether LED setups will survive for the long haul in a humid
fishroom, with the LED lights themselves lasting as
long as advertised. I expect they will come down in price,
the units will improve, and LED lighting will one day be
the light of choice.
Algea Control
Algea blooms or
outbreaks are not a normal situation. A fairly clean tank with
an appropriate amount of food
being fed,
moderate light 10-12 hours a day, some healthy
live plants,
water changes and an appropriate
number
of fish should not encounter algea problems of any routine
nature. Some algea is normal for any aquarium.
Seasonal temperature and light variations, combined with
fluctuations in the amount of organic material going into
the aquarium water can trigger occasional algea issues, all of
which are problems that routine maintenance and
observation will generally prevent. Fortunately, the occasional
bout of green water and other common algea
problems can be remedied (see below).
Old style incandescent bulbs, (Such as a 25 watt bulb on a 10
gallon tank) can warm the water and contribute to
algea growth if the conditions are right. Today,
flourescent shop lights and CFLs are just as good for
plants,
less
expensive to operate, and last
longer, without also warming the water. Using
live plants helps
maintain consistent,
positive
water
quality while generally holding down algea growth, as they will
compete with algea for nutrients.
We all
need to wipe down the insides of the glass
occasionally, however, as nothing living in the tank is all that
concerned that we see them as well as
we'd like!
Always provide sucker and
algea eating fish with vegetable foods (spirulina crisps,
blanched zucchini, etc.) as
there is
rarely enough algea in any aquarium to keep them going on that
alone. Many plecos starve or stay
unhealthy and undersized from the assumption that they will eat
algea, and that alone will keep them going.
It won't. The standard inexpensive plecos sold at most pet
stores will get 8 inches to a foot in a year or two,
and I have had a number of them that got that large when fed
properly. Unfortunately, they are rarely seen
larger than 5 or 6 inches, if they even live that long. No tank
produces enough algea alone to keep a sucker
catfish nourished. Once introduced, snails are nearly impossible
to remove, but they too do a fair job of
eating many, but not all types of algea. The
Neocaridina shrimp also do a good
job of holding down algea
growth by
eating it and the excess food that through its decomposition
contributes to algea growth.
Certain types
of algea that are fairly common can be difficult to control.
Blue Green algea will occasionally settle
into a tank, identified by its darker, bluer color and strong
sweet smell. It is actually not an algea, but a type of
bacteria. Anti-bacterials can be used that are effective, but
are also very expensive. Reducing the light to a tank
and physically cleaning it out by hand have been the solutions
chosen here. Certain "Hair" algeas can also prove
difficult, as many fish will not eat them. Keeping the
goodeid Ameca splendens and some gouramis can help
algea problems not solved by other fish, but generally the light
will need to be adjusted and the problem
physically removed from the tank. Be careful, particularly with
the blue/green algea not to spread it to other
tanks on nets, etc. and keep it confined when it does occur.
Green Water
A bout of green water
happens when the tank water literally turns green, and
you sometimes cannot even see
the fish.
This does not harm the fish. When this happens, first turn off
the light. If you have more than one
tank, do not use nets etc. between tanks that can spread the
suspended algea to other tanks. Evaluate why
the tank may have been getting too much light- is it near a
window? Then consider what other factors may
have contributed to the sudden algea growth- is there a buildup
of organic waste in the tank? Had you recently
put plant fertilizer in the tank? (Most
fertilizers are
formulated specifically not to encourage algea, but if the
amount exceeded what was appropriate, algea may still take
hold.) Did you recently add water that may have
brought the water-borne algea with it, or not changed any of the water
in too long?
Remedies
When faced with a period of green water or algea growth that has
gotten out of control, and past where simple
scrubbing with a green "scrubby" won't solve the problem, first
do a large water change (50 - 75%), and leave the
light off for a week or so, keeping the tank as dark as possible
while continuing regular water changes.
(This will sometimes work). A quicker solution is to use one of
a number of algeacide additives available from
fish stores that will kill off the algea causing the problem.
Then fix whatever it was that may have caused it to
happen. With tanks where algea growth seems excessive,
the addition of a sucker catfish will usually
solve the problem. Be sure to supplement their diet with
blanched zucchini. However,
a pleco will have no effect
on green
water- only the types of algea it can sctrape from the glass.
Recent improvements in chemical solutions
available at the local pet store have made removal of algea
fairly quick, inexpensive and easy.
If you want green
water as food for Daphnia or certain smaller
egg layer fry (such
as some of the rainbowfishes),
then
simply put a container of older aquarium water outdoors when it
is warm and sunny, with a small amount of
fishfood, and give it a few days. Eventually it will green up.
Providing the Right Amount of Light
Keep in mind that the amount of light can be very important to
some fish, and may determine whether you see
them, or they choose to stay hidden in the
plants. The
Puntius
padamya does not like strong light, and their
color will wash out if they are not able to hide when the light
is bright. But with moderate to low light and
plants nearby to zip into, their color will stay at its best.
The X. mayae and
High Fin mayae, are simply shy fish,
and bright light in a new environment guarantees they will stay
hidden in the plants until they feel comfortable
for at least the first 2-3 days. They will then stay out in the
light, but will disappear if they feel threatened.
Low light will bring them out and provide for a far less
stressful acclimation and existence. In contrast, the
X. nezahualcoyotl, another swordtail like the
X. mayae, doesn't
seem to notice the light, however bright it is.
When stressed, some of these fish will stay hidden in the
plants
rather than to venture out into the light even
to feed, which may quickly cause their demise. Even when out in
the open, stressed fish don't eat or
breed
as well, and may live far shorter lives. I
keep the regular X. mayae in 40 gallon long bare bottom tanks
with
plants placed against the back lower half of the tank
(mostly java fern) under a 4' light hood with
a single
CW bulb. The Odessas (The
P. padamya) are in 50 gallon
tanks with 2 ft. broad bolbitis ferns and
java fern, with one 60 watt CFL bulb per tank.
The type of flourescent bulbs can be important depending on the
function they serve. I use Cool White (CW)
bulbs in my 4' shop light hoods. They seem best for
plants,
though I know fishkeepers that swear by one CW
and one WW (Warm White) bulb in each fixture to provide a
broader spectrum. Your pace of plant and
unwanted algea growth will determine which you prefer, given
your water,
feeding and
fertilizing schedule.
Specifically made Aquarium / Plant bulbs are probably the best,
but I buy bulbs by the case, and as a rule
the cost of the specialty bulbs is prohibitive. I truly believe
my plants could not do any better.10-14 hours a
day of light is appropriate, and on
fry tanks (where I wish to
encourage fast growth) or tanks with weak
plants I will sometimes leave the light on 24/7.
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