A Beginners Guide to Setting up a Betta Fish TankAlthough goldfish made their debut as pets over 2,000 years ago, their needs are not always understood by those new to fish-keeping.  Because the average pet store goldfish is small and inexpensive, they are sometimes viewed as “beginner’s pets” that need little care.  Add to this the fact that many people remember “Grandma’s goldfish that lived for years in a tiny bowl”, and it’s easy to see why most meet untimely ends (well-cared for goldfishes can live into their 20’s – and sometimes to twice that age!).  Folks who buy a single goldfish usually do not want to be bothered with a filter, but the lack of filtration is by far the main reason for failure with these otherwise hardy fishes.  However, there is a filter that needs no pad or carbon changes, and which becomes more effective with age – custom made for busy, “filter-shy” fish enthusiasts.  Today we’ll take a look at it and other simple options that will lessen your workload and improve your goldfish’s quality of life.

Goldfish Do Not Stay Small! When considering a goldfish, it’s important to realize the potential size your pet will reach.  Goldfish are available in a wide variety of colors, 4 tail-shapes, 3 body-shapes and 3 eye-types, but are all of the same species, Carassius auratus auratus.  Those known as comets – the basic pet store or “non-fancy” goldfish – can easily reach 8-12 inches in length.  Sixteen-inch long individuals have been recorded; in fact, I have seen several feral goldfishes near that size in the Bronx River, mixed in with breeding aggregations of carp (I must check if hybridization is possible…).  Fantails, moors and other strains tend to be shorter in length than comets, but they get quite hefty. True, improperly-kept goldfishes will become stunted, and may survive in that state for several years, but this is not to be encouraged – and certainly not a lesson to be teaching the children for whom single goldfishes are often purchased.  When fully-grown, your pet will need a 20 gallon aquarium in which to live;

plan on a 30 gallon for a pair. Although now largely-ignored by hobbyists, (perhaps they are “too simple”!), undergravel filters were once considered indispensable by serious aquarists, and are still relied-upon by many public aquariums today.  In zoos and at home, I’ve used these highly-effective filters in aquariums housing creatures ranging from seahorses to alligator snapping turtles, always with great results. When considering undergravel filters, it’s important to bear in mind that biological filtration – the breakdown (by aerobic bacteria) of ammonia to nitrites and nitrates – is the most important function of a filter (please see article below).  And it is at this aspect of filtration that undergravels excel.  Simply-put, an undergravel filter turns your aquarium’s substrate into a giant, living, biological filtration unit.  What’s more, the filter plate does not take up important living space and, being hidden below the gravel, allows for the creation of pleasing aquascapes. 

Best of all, there are no cartridges or filter mediums to clean or replace! Regular partial water changes are essential to maintaining water quality and fish health…regardless of tank size, filtration method, or fish species.  425 cincinnati san antonioWhen doing partial water changes, be sure to use a manual or battery-operated gravel washer.  ver pelicula fish tank online subtituladaIn this way, you will remove debris trapped in the substrate along with the water…that’s all the maintenance your undergravel filter will need!wholesale fish tank plants Undergravel filters have another characteristic that suits them well for use with goldfish.  fish tank siphon youtube

Goldfish evolved in slow-moving waters, and they cannot abide fast currents; fantails, lionheads and other round-bellied varieties are especially-weak swimmers.  Yet they produce a good deal of waste, and do best in aquariums equipped with powerful filters (which usually put out strong outflow currents).  fish aquarium for sale cheapUndergravel filters discharge clean water through two tubes that reach to the water’s surface…even when very powerful air pumps are used, outflow currents remain mild.  betta fish tank habitatYou can check out a wide variety of air pump styles and sizes here; please post below if you need assistance in choosing a pump. Power heads can be used in place of air pumps if you need to increase water flow through the gravel bed.  You can also set up a reverse-flow system, which will lessen the amount of detritus that becomes trapped in the substrate;

please post below for details. Commercially-available aerobic bacteria (i.e. Nutrafin Cycle) can be used to jump-start your filter or to boost the beneficial bacteria populations that have developed naturally. From simple corner filters to state-of-the art canisters, there is a huge array of other filtering options for goldfish owners.  Please share your thoughts and experiences by posting below. Aquarium Filtration: Understanding the Nitrogen Cycle Making the Most of Undergravel FiltersHOW TO SELECT THE BEST LOCATION FOR YOUR TANKThe page you requested doesn't exist.Creating beautiful fish aquariums is easier than it might look! Follow this step-by-step guide from the master, Takashi Amano in order to aquascape your own gorgeous planted aquarium. Here’s how to create your own layout in 7 easy steps! We suggest starting out with Cube Garden 60P, as the dimensions lend itself well to aquascaping, and the aquarium volume (15 gallons) is easy to maintain. Using Garden Mat helps maintain the longevity of the aquarium by protecting the glass underneath the aquarium.

The mat grips the bottom surface of the cube garden and helps prevent slippage from accidental bumping from people. Once you’ve placed your garden mat, place the cube garden evenly over the top of the garden mat and make sure the aquarium is level. Making sure that your fish tank is on an even, level surface helps to maintain it’s structural integrity over the long term. In the planted aquarium, a live substrate system is important for healthily growing plants. Without a nutrient-rich substrate the aquatic plants will not thrive. ADA’s vision is to create an environment where the roots of aquatic plants develop a symbiotic relationship with the naturally occurring bacteria and microorganisms. Organic compounds in the substrate layer become broken down and create inorganic compounds, which eventually become food for aquatic plants via absorption from the roots. A “living” substrate simply means that the substrate is not only rich in nutrients but also rich in bacteria life, which enhances the health of aquatic plant roots.

After you’ve placed the substrate into the aquarium, use a tool like sand flattener to smoothen out the substrate. To create depth in the aquascape, you will want to slope the substrate so that it is deeper in the back than it is in the front. This makes the layout appear to be much larger than it actually is once you begin to add aquarium decor and aquatic plants. Make sure you straighten out the soil in the front of the aquarium, because otherwise once plants grow in the aquarium, the layout will appear crooked. For this layout, we’re going to use a triangular aquascape using ADA Horn Wood as the driftwood material. Pulling off elaborate aquascapes can be a challenge without the proper planning. When you prepare aquatic plants properly and begin to plant in stages, the process becomes fun and easy. First, in the driftwood layout, begin by attaching aquatic mosses, such as java moss or christmas moss to the driftwood. First, make sure the moss that you use is damp so that it sticks to the driftwood easily, then using ADA Moss Cotton, tie your aquatic moss down to the limb of the driftwood as shown.

It is only necessary to tie moss to the side of the driftwood which is showing. Once you have tied moss to the driftwood, use a pair of trimming scissors to cut off any excess moss. Don’t worry, this will encourage the moss to grow back thicker and more aesthetically pleasing! Once you have tied your moss to the driftwood, place the driftwood into the aquarium in the way you wanted it, such as shown at the end of step 3. Next, we’ll begin planting the foreground, starting planting from the front of the tank and working our way to the background is easier as you develop an image for the layout. Beginning the Preparation for Planting Carpeting Plants For this layout, we’re using Marsilea augustifolia, or dwarf four leaf clover plant for our carpet plant. You can use the same methodology shown above for other carpeting plants, such as Glossostigma and Hemianthus Callicthroides (HC). Once you have finished preparing your carpet plants, fill the aquarium with water up to the front soil level (shown in last photo in this section).

This makes it much easier to plant the aquatic plants. Be careful and slowly fill the aquarium with water so as to not disturb the aqua soil. Many aquarists use either a spray bottle (in smaller aquariums) or place a plate on the soil and slowly pour water over the plate to ensure that the soil is not disturbed. Moving on to the middle of the aquascape, the next section of plants will be medium sized plants that help define the transition between the front and back of the layout and aid in creating depth. At the end of this process, the layout will look like this: Cryptocoryne species planted in the midground also help to conceal the bottom portion of stem plants which will go into the background. The process for preparing cryptocoryne is similar to carpeting plants: Finally, we’ll prepare epiphytic plants, such as Bolbitus, Java Fern and Anubias to attach to the driftwood. These kinds of plants do not grow in soil, but rather attach themselves to objects like rock and driftwood and absorb their nutrients from the water.