A: Effective lighting not only enables you to view the contents of your aquarium, but it also enhances the colour of fish, plants and invertebrates providing greater visual appeal. Inappropriate lighting may not only have a direct effect on the welfare of plants and corals, but may also impact the health of certain fish.
The health of many species is directly related to the quality and quantity of light they receive. They use the energy from lighting as a means of powering photosynthesis on which their health depends. Those that concern us most are the microscopic symbiotic algae, or zooxanthellae, which inhabit the tissues of many marine corals, and the tropical aquatic plants that we grow in our freshwater aquariums. Improper lighting may lead to a range of health and other problems.
Q: I have just bought a new Aquarium and have set it up straight away. How soon can I add fish?
A: Once you have the correct pH level & temperature for the fish you intend to keep then you should start adding some fish however the key is not to add too many at once!! Fish waste contains ammonia and beneficial bacteria in your aquairum is what breaks this toxic poision down, and this bacteria takes a while to build up. So in order to get the bacteria started you need to add a fish. Ask one of our staff members what species and also how many fish you should add to your new aquarium, this depends on the speices of fish you intend to keep and also the size of your aquarium. You can help to speed up the "cycling" process by adding a bacteria supplement such as 'Cycle or Stress Zyme'.
Bacteria do not generally die from old age, although they will die if food becomes limiting or the environmental conditions are not adequate. Bacteria grow and divide into two new cells. The greatest cause of bacterial death is predation. If the nutrients needed fro growth are lacking the bacteria may survive (e.g. remove ammonia and nitrogen) but the population will not increase.
Q:What is pH?
A:pH is the measure of acidity of water. A pH reading of 7.0 is neutral. A pH higher than 7.0 is alkaline, and a pH lower than 7.0 is acidic. Maintaining the aquarium at the proper pH ensures optimal water quality. pH is easily measured with a pH test kit. To raise or lower the pH of a freshwater aquarium, use pH UP or pH Down, following the directions on the container. Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Proper pH 6.5, 7.0, 7.5 and 8.2 powders automatically adjust pH to the preset level. The mineral content of the water in the aquarium greatly affects the pH. Water with a low carbonate hardness (KH) will tend to be acidic. Water with a high carbonate hardness (KH) will tend to have a high pH and be difficult to adjust.
Q:What is "Water Hardness"?
A:General Hardness or GH is the measure of calcium (Ca++) and magnesium ions (Mg++) dissolved in water. General Hardness is measured with the GH Test Kit. Carbonate Hardness, also known as KH, refers to the concentration of bicarbonate (HCO3-) and carbonate (CO3--) dissolved in water. Carbonate Hardness is measured with the KH Test Kit.
Calcium and magnesium carry a positive charge and form "ion pairs" with negatively charged ions like bicarbonate, forming calcium bicarbonate and magnesium bicarbonate; Ca(HCO3)2 & Mg(HCO3)2.
Q:What is ammonia?
A:Tropical fish continually release ammonia (NH3) directly into the aquarium through their gills, urine, and solid waste. Uneaten food and other decaying organic matter also add ammonia to the water. High levels of ammonia quickly lead to fish death. Even trace amounts stress fish, suppressing their immune system and thereby increasing the likelihood of disease outbreaks and subsequent fish loss. A natural mechanism exists that controls ammonia in the aquarium - the biological filter. It is made up of nitrifying bacteria, which live in the gravel bed. However, as with any natural process, imbalances can occur. A newly set-up aquarium will not immediately have the right balance of bacteria and ammonia will build up. Over feeding and keeping too many fish in the aquarium will also cause an ammonia problem. Testing for the presence of toxic ammonia is essential, so that once detected, steps can be taken to remove it. You can use pouches to remove ammonia.
Q:What is nitrite?
A:Nitrite (NO2-) is produced in the aquarium by the biological filter. Beneficial bacteria in the biological filter convert toxic ammonia into nitrite (also toxic). The biological filter then converts nitrite into nitrate (NO3-). Testing for the presence of toxic nitrite is essential, so that once detected, steps can be taken to remove it. Otherwise, nitrite in the aquarium will prevent fish from carrying on normal respiration. High levels of nitrite quickly lead to fish death. Even trace amounts of nitrite stress fish, suppressing their immune system and, thereby, increase the likelihood of disease and subsequent fish loss. The presence of nitrite indicates possible over-feeding, too many fish, or inadequate biological filtration. You can use pouches to remove nitrite.
Q:What is nitrate?
A:Nitrate (NO3-) is produced in the aquarium by the biological filter. Beneficial bacteria in the biological filter convert toxic ammonia and nitrite into nitrate. A high nitrate level indicates a build-up of fish waste and organic compounds, resulting in poor water quality and contributing to the likelihood of fish disease. In the opinion of many aquarists, maintaining a low nitrate level improves the health of fish and invertebrates. Making partial water changes can also help reduce the nitrate level, especially if the initial nitrate level is very high. You can also use pouches to remove nitrate.
Q:What is phosphate?
A:Phosphorous is an essential element for plants and animals. Phosphorus, measured as phosphate (PO43-), enters the aquarium from fish and invertebrate waste and decaying organic matter, such as dead algae and uneaten fish food. While phosphate is required in small quantities by fish and plants, too much phosphate can lead to cloudy water conditions, algae blooms and is also harmful to aquatic plants. In saltwater aquariums, phosphate precipitates dissolved calcium (Ca2+) and magnesium (Mg2+) ions, inhibiting the growth of hard corals and other reef-building organisms. You can use pouches to remove phosphates.
Q: I have a constant algae problem in my tank. I have been told that there are certain fish that will help reduce this. Is this true?
A: Indeed there are a variety of different fish species which will, to a certain extent, clean the insides of the aquariums by eating the algae on the glass ornaments etc. The bristlenose, which are tropical fish, are one of the most commonly used fish for this job. They are relatively inexpensive and are also very hardy little fish, which can be kept in numbers and are compatible with many other tropical fish species.
Sometimes there are outsides influences that encourage extensive algae growth. Please check that your aquarium is not exposed to excessive sunlight. Also, running your lighting for more than the recommended period per day (8-12 hours) will unnecessarily promote greater algae growth. The underlying problem is most likely a high nitrate and or phosphate level which can be addressed by changes to the filtration system, your maintenance of the filter and aquarium. We would recommend that you discuss this with one of our staff members as excessive nitrate levels can be also beharmful to your fish& plants.
Q: I am looking to set up a new tropical tank with a variety of different tetras and community fish. I wish to keep plants but in the past have had problems keeping them alive. Can you advise on some successful methods to make plants flourish in my new tropical aquarium.
A: Plants in a tropical aquarium require certain water quality parameters and high levels of nutrients to keep thriving in an aquarium. The health of many plant species, is directly related to the quality and quantity of light they receive. They use the energy from lighting as a means of powering photosynthesis on which their health depends.
However, one of the most important aspects to keeping plants, which is often overlooked, the substrate. Tropical Plants gain 85% of their nutrients through their root structure.
When you set up a tropical tank it would be a good idea to purchase a heater cable to go underneath the substrate. The cable should be snaked along the bottom of the tank and held in place with suction cups. Spread your substrate over the top, preferably also using an inground fertilizer.
With the substrate & fertilizer on top of the heater cable, the substrate has the ability to retain the heat which the heater cable will produce. The plants can then be pushed into the warm substrate. Because the substrate is warmed slightly the roots from the plants will be able to establish much quicker and stronger in a much shorter space of time.This will improve the plants overall ability to retain the vital nutrients needed to grow.
There are also plant food supplements in the form of small clay balls are ravailable. These can be pushed into the sand substrate were the warmth will break them down slightly quicker. The plants will then be able to benefit from these nutrients, due to their improved root structure. You should also use a liquid fertilizer as plants also absorb nutrients from their leaves.
Following the above tips, you should have very little problems in keeping plants with in you aquarium
Q: My Discus do not eat dried foods, what am I doing wrong?
Q: How often should I perform water changes on my tank and how do I know when this becomes necessary?
A: Water changes are essential in all aquariums. The easiest way to tell when a water change is required is by using a test kit. Test kits check the water quality. When the test begins to show that the water quality is beginning to deteriorate within the aquarium then this is a sign that a water change is required. Familiarising yourself with a water test kit is an essential part of all fish keeping. Never change more than 30% of the overall amount of water in one go because the sudden change in water quality and temperature could have a detrimental effect on the health of your fish! We reccomend you change 20-30% of the aquarium water every 2 weeks, we suggest you do this using a device called a gravel cleaner. This works by syphoning the water out of the aquarium and cleaning your aquarium gravel at the same time.
Q: How much food do I need to feed my fish and how often?
A: When feeding your fish you should only feed as much food as the fish can consume in any two minute period. Once feeding has been completed there should be no food left on the surface of the water or floating around in the tank. If you find there is food floating around then you are feeding too much.
Q: Would you advise that all fish tanks have some form of filtration, and what is the main purpose of a filter?
A: Fish in their natural environment will generally live in much larger bodies of water where waste matter, produced by the fish, is immediately diluted and washed away by the sheer volume of water. Nature then breaks it down into a non-toxic form in a whole host of different biological processes.
This is not possible in a conventional fish tank due to the lack of water and space in relation to the amount and size of fishing living in it. This is where a filtration system becomes vital for the health and welfare of your fish. A filter is designed to remove all forms of fish waste both liquid and solid.
Therefore, we strongly recommend that all fish aquaria should have some form of filtration. We offer a wide variety of different filters from small hang on filter, to internal filter, trough to the larger external canister filters as well as wet and dry trickle filtration systems. They are all designed in one way or another to clear the water by means of mechanical, biological and/or chemical filtration processes and hence to prolong the time between water changes.
Q:What can I do to prevent slimy algae (brown deposits) in a marine aquarium
A: There are two sorts of brown deposits in a marine aquarium:
On the one hand it could be diatom, which usually disappears without treatment after a few days. In stubborn cases, (too much silicic acid in the initial water), using a highly alkaline ion exchange unit with MP 600 synthetic resin helps. A mixed bed filter also removes silicic acid from the water. Reverse osmosis is of only limited use. On the other hand it could be slimy algae for which the remedy is more complicated.
The reason is usually water quality which is too low to be measured with a nitrate or phosphate test. Redox testing can be useful here. Redox testing is a permanent test which gives information on the quality of the water. An increase in redox values indicates an improvement, a decrease in redox values shows a deterioration.
Example: a current pump was not installed in an aquarium. Redox testing shows a level of 200 mV. A current pump is then installed, which creates water movement so that some “dead areas” behind the decoration are agitated and dissolve. The redox level decreases for a brief time (stirred up sediment) and then settles down at a higher level than before (dead zones no longer exist). The water quality has improved (fewer reducing processes in the water). Further current pumps should be installed and, using redox measurements, the best position for them can be found. The same applies to optimizing the filter and the problem of the silting up of the floor, which all influence the redox level, but cannot be measured with the normal tests. If you raise the redox level by about 150 – 200 mV, the slimy algae will most probably disappear. The rule applies: try out individual adjustments in the aquarium, evaluate the result via the redox level and adjust again until the desired result is achieved!
Q: What are the African Cichlid lake parameters?
A:
| Lake | True Hardness | Alkalinity | ||||
| Mg/Ca | CaCO3 | CO3 | CaCO | meq/L | dKH | |
| Tanganyika | 54 | 174 | 195 | 327 | 6 | 18 |
| Malawi | 27 | 87 | 97 | 163 | 3 | 9 |
| Victoria | 18 | 58 | 65 | 109 | 2 | 6 |
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