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Keeping
an aquarium allows us to create in our homes a small piece of
real estate from another part
of the world. The aquarium can be simple,
effective and consistent, or as complex as can be imagined,
with difficult fish and
plant species to keep and propagate. There can be
manipulation of water
chemistry and various expenses, depending on the
goals you are trying to achieve. Or it can be a simple
tank with a few contented, beautiful fish living
out long lives that require very little care. All of
the text here refers to freshwater aquariums, and
the ways things are done here to keep maintenance
and husbandry as simple and inexpensive as
possible, with maximum benefit for the fish. I have kept
many types of fish over the years, and most of
the following information applies to most fish commonly
kept in an aquarium, keeping things simple,
inexpensive and effective.
Very little
is truly new, and today we have the opportunity to examine the
practices of master
fishkeepers going back to the beginning of the
hobby, those who initially created many of the fish we see
in today's pet trade. Much of the approach and
equipment have changed over time, often to provide ease or
convenience, while at the expense of simplicity
and our full understanding of what goes on in our aquariums.
For many hobbyists, the skill of keeping fish has
evolved to where knowledge of the basic science is not as
essential as it used to be. Technology provides
filters where understanding of tank space vs. organic load
is simply no longer as important as it used to
be. The result is that our
tanks possibly stay in better shape
on average, and more consistent than in the past
at some fairly consistent expense. However, when there
is a problem, we do not have the experience to
assess, solve and fashion a quick fix.
So this approach advocates
high water quality,
water changes and the best
quality food we can provide,
as cheaply as possible. To do this, I use the
older style box filters that
were dominant in the 60's,
and that are still used by many breeders of
livebearers. Water changes are done by a system with a how
to guide
HERE. I had
thought that a drain system that does not require drilling was a
modern thing,
(It was not my invention) until a customer wrote
me that Innes had published nearly the same design
back in the 1930's! As a rule, this approach can
be summed up as simple, effective, natural, and focused.
A nice part of aquarium keeping is that each
hobbyist has the opportunity to develop their own approach,
as each aquarium
setup, each species, and what you want to do can be entirely
different from one effort
to the next. I certainly have my own approach
that works well for me. Some compromises had to be made
through experience that have become comfortable-
I no longer keep tanks with an
inch of gravel on the
bottom of each, filtered by a hang on the back
type filter, for example. All
of my tanks are bare
bottom with generous
live plants, some potted,
set up both naturally and attractively with an in-the-
aquarium box filter
that provides simple, effective mechanical filtration and
moderate aeration and water
movement. Over time I have learned which species
do best with my care and water. I focus on those
working to keep healthy populations that grow to
a large size, breeding near their maximum species,
capability. My approach may not be for everybody,
but there are generalizations that can be made,
regardless of most any type fish you keep.
Hobbyists often put too much their faith in
their equipment to do everything, hoping that money spent
is proportional to results achieved, but aquarium
keeping is a bit more than that. Buying and putting
together the best setup is certainly wise, but
the best equipment will never do everything the fish
need. Everyone wishes to expend the least amount
of effort for the greatest return, and in fact much
of my approach derives from that desire- not
because I don't want to work on my aquariums, but when
there is work to be done, I’d like for it to be
effort that moves the tank forward- not simply to
catch up or to stave off disasters. Starting from
scratch with that in mind has led toward many
approaches, and though the learning process
continues, there are aspects that are now routine.
Keeping fish in a glass box isn’t natural.
Most swordtails, for example, are indigenous to moving
streams. They generally never encounter ammonia
or waste buildup in their immediate surroundings.
The water is always moving, replenishing itself,
and generally well oxygenated. They feed by grazing
throughout the day on organisms that share their
environment, along with digestable plant material.
When young are born, they quickly disperse into
the surroundings, hiding in the plants and rockwork
available to them. When compared to a well
filtered, adequately oxygenated, moderately lit 10 gallon
aquarium that encounters a minimum of monthly 25%
water changes, the fish
have shown they can adapt.
But problems will still arise that require our
effort to prevent, and the difference between owning
fish that are stunted and occasionally drop
undersized fry, or full sized robust fish that breed
dependably comes down to a few critical steps.
Some of those bits of effort are these:
- Food. Many dry foods available today do
a good job of keeping the fish healthy and breeding well.
But a container left open at room temperature for
weeks in a humid fishroom, fed from once a day
isn’t going to do the job. Keep dry foods
refrigerated or frozen until used- I let food sit out in a
sealed container for no more than 10 days. I feed
at least twice a day. Variety is also very good-
rotate a veggie food with a high protein food,
and feed live or frozen food, if at all possible, at
least a couple times per week. See
FT 2 on Brine Shrimp and
live foods for more information, as well
as FT 3,
4, and
5 on raising
Red Worms,
Daphnia,
Vinegar Eels,
Blackworms and
how to feed
Beefheart.
- Set up your tank where it can be seen
and observed easily, out of direct sunlight where it can
develop
green water or algea
problems, and away from heat or cold outlets that could
fluctuate the
temperature in the tank. Some fish may prefer a
quieter environment where they can
breed and raise
their young
undisturbed (such as many Cichlids), but the tank must still be
where it can be closely
monitored. In fact, if there is more than one
tank, every tank must be kept where it can receive 100%
care. Tanks that are hard to reach, get to, see
into or observe for pleasure always suffer for it.
Tanks on bottom rows in
fishrooms, for example, never seem to fare as well as those
at eye level,
even with what seems to be identical care. It’s
just a mystery. But it’s true. For more info on
setting up a tank see
FT 1.
- Cleanliness is important. By cleanliness
I refer primarily to organic waste
that is generated
from uneaten food or accumulated fish waste (and
the occasional dead fish). Some fish do not generate
waste such that it accumulates, while some do,
depending on the type, diet and size of the fish.
Uneaten food can also create mold and stray
organic material, which is not a good thing. Waste
collected in a
filter needs to be changed, and its affect is reduced as its
surface area declines
within the filter material. Any
mulm on the bottom needs to be
removed often with a turkey baster
(what I use) or a gravel cleaner. I believe that
fish must expend effort fighting infection from
the detrimental conditions created by excess
waste- primarily lower oxygenation and higher bacterial
levels, spent effort that results in slowed
growth, inconsistent breeding
and a reduction of their
overall health.
Notice the ammonia smell of the mulm given off
from the water, removed from the aquarium once
it is siphoned out. It is not inert, nor is it a
positive addition to the aquarium, as some feel,
to provide microorganisms that fry feed upon. In
my opinion, those rationalizations result from
weighing routine cleaning against cost paid by
the fish, who will generally survive. But their
overall size, health and spawning success is
compromised. To help with this, I keep all
bare bottom
tanks, with
plants and occasional
rockwork to provide visual interest. As my
stocking levels have
increased, and the need for biological filtration
has increased, I have borrowed a practice from the
Xiphophorus Stock Center. A single layer of
gravel is placed over
approximately half of the aquarium
bottom to increase surface area for the
development of nitrifying bacteria. Too thin a layer to
accumulate or collect waste, this change has
demonstrably improved water
quality, generally within a
week on tanks where it is used. Though it becomes
more important to siphon up excess material as it
cannot be seen as easily, the improvement in
water quality by using gravel this way has improved the
health and breeding of a couple species, most
notably the Limia nigrofasciata.
-In my opinion, live plants are essential.
They help metabolize organic waste,
and serve as a level of
“insurance” against bacterial or ammonia
accumulation issues. They ensure a healthy nitrogen cycle in
the tank, and evidence problems when they occur-
if your plants are dying, the fish are often the next
to show problems- and they provide a natural,
more secure environment for the fish. Adequate moderate
light
needed to sustain plants facilitate the
nitrogen cycle and greatly
contributes to the overall
health of the tank. Though
plants also provide oxygenation of the water, the tanks here
are moderately
aerated with internal
box filters or airstones,
primarily as a reflection of the livebearers and barbs
kept, both that do best with aeration and water
movement. See FT8- Keeping
Plants. These issues and
further discussion of water quality issues are
covered in FT6 Filtration and
Water quality.
-Keep a peaceful tank. Many
fish with a mouth big enough will eat another fish that will fit
into it.
The stress on weaker fish of constantly being harassed, fins
nipped and scales being picked off makes for
a short, unpleasant life for the weaker fish.
In the wild, the smaller fish would move to another territory
and get out of the other fish’s way. In our
artificial glass box they can’t do that. It’s also a karma
thing.
You get to play God. Do it wisely.
-Overcrowding must be monitored.
Successful fishkeeping comes with batches of
young, and
overcrowding
affects the issues already mentioned-
cleanliness, buildup of organic waste and competition for
resources,
such as food. The inch per gallon rule, with fish
up to about 2.5- 3 inches is fine. The more waste that goes
into the tank, the finer the line becomes when
there will be trouble. The larger the body of water, with
fewer fish, the more stable biologically the
tank will be.
-In my opinion, and this is important, far too
many fishkeepers do not approach their fishkeeping from the
fish’s point of view. Everything is
provided, and everything is done the way the books say need to
be done,
but you must keep some awareness of what the fish
are experiencing. For example, you should
feed generously,
but not so much as to overfeed and create
waste. However, in some tanks with higher
stocking levels, I
once noticed the fish had become thin and were
not looking good. I was feeding very generously twice a day,
and after a few days of close observation it was
clear that there were no diseases or parasites going on that
needed more aggressive care. At a loss as to what
it could be- they were certainly eating well- it got worse
and I began to lose fish. So I started to feed
twice at feeding time. Feed through the room, then go back and
feed all of the tanks again. That way the amount
of food going in was being eaten more efficiently. And that
solved the problem. The most aggressive fish were
getting all of the food on the first pass. I was feeding as I
should have been, but each individual fish was
not getting enough to eat. This sounds silly, but I have seen
this in the tanks of others. Now, I make sure to
notice if the bellies are full when deciding when to feed, and
how much. When their bellies are obviously fairly
rounded and the fish do not appear thin, I continue to
feed at the level that keeps them that way.
That is a simple example, but it applies to many
aspects of a fish’s life in your aquarium. Which fish are
kept with which, how hiding places are arranged,
what is done when aggression from one fish is noticed
against another. A second example involved a
species I was trying to breed. I was constantly improving
their setup to achieve results, based on what I
was reading and finding out from others. Eventually, all
was in place, and it was the best
possible setup for success that I could have constructed. Months
passed of continued efforts on my part with no
spawns. Eventually, I gave up, and it wasn’t until after I
stopped fussing with their environment, allowing
them to develop a sense of security over time, that they
finally bred. From their standpoint, my effort by
itself was keeping them from breeding. The best setup
and best equipment makes little difference if the
fish aren't allowed to adjust and adapt while you as
the fishkeeper deny them what they need, by
focusing too exclusively on the equipment you are using
and the mechanical aspects of their care.
Lastly, fish aren’t stupid. There is quite
a comparison that can be made between some of these wild
populations with the widely available, brightly
colored domestic hybrids, bred for their looks and not their
brains, over many years. The wild fish can be
very difficult to catch with a net, and they will show a number
of complex behaviors with one another when faced
with challenging circumstances. After the occasional
long effort to catch one of the wild fish with a
net, I have often wondered- If I were given their limitations,
under the same circumstances, and the roles were
reversed, would there be moves or strategies I would
have done differently, and would I have done as
well as the fish just did? Possibly not. All we know is what
we can test for and observe, which tells us very
little. There is much these small creatures still have to
reveal,
which is why keeping them is both interesting and
important.
The most common questions asked that may not be
covered here are addressed at the
Frequently Asked
Questions
Page, and if a problem is still not addressed, please drop me an
email at
selectaquatics@gmail.com and someone will get right back to you!
Hopefully the upcoming information helps to get
you started, or simply provides information you may
not have considered. If you have any questions,
please drop me an email at
selectaquatics@gmail.com.
Greg Sage
303-204-8662
selectaquatics.com
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