Freshwater Aquarium Setup
What You Need
Now that you have an aquarium, prepare yourself to make a freshwater aquarium setup.
The Substrate
Your aquarium needs a substrate. This is the bottom part of your freshwater fish aquarium setup.
The Tiny Substrates
Your aquarium’s substrates could be small or big, but the smaller ones are said to have better effects to the fish because most of the freshwater fish nesting in the substrate appreciate the tiny substrates.
The most popular tiny substrates are the gravel and sand. These are more affordable, sometimes given free when you buy a new aquarium. With these kinds of tiny rocks, your freshwater aquarium setup would look nicer and attractive.
But you should also consider some disadvantages with the tiny substrates. Since fish enjoy gathering stones using their mouth, the fish can be irritated by the sand. Another thing is the gravel, some gravels are rough which might hurt the fish when they go down the substrates.
The Medium-sized Substrate
Most aquariums are set up with average sized substrates. Fish are well oriented in water with medium sized pebbles and rocks.
The Big Substrate
Big rocks for a freshwater aquarium setups are very rare because of its size and thickness, plus the risks it gives the fish. But some fish enthusiasts would love to create unique aquarium designs using the big rocks.
Using big rocks as substrates has its downsides as well. The fish feeds will tend to float down and even stay down and this will result to messy aquarium water which is very harmful to the fish as it can contaminate the water they live in.
Your Fish and The Substrate
Before you decide on which substrate to add to your aquarium, consider the welfare of your fish first. There is a big possibility that the substrate can cause the water to be contaminated, which is very harmful to the fish.
The Substrate That You Should Avoid
There are some substrates that should be avoided by owners of the freshwater aquarium. Here is a brief list of those substrates:
Limestone
Geodes
Geodes
Shells
Dolomite
Granite
Slate
Quartz
Lava rock
Sandstone
Onyx
If you have plans of adding anything, especially rocks and pebbles, to your freshwater aquarium setup, do the necessary testing first in order to determine if these things are safe and clean. There are two ways to test the substrates:
You can test the rocks by dropping a small amount of vinegar on it and once the rocks produced foams, froths, bubbles, or any changes, disregard it immediately because the rocks contain calcium that can contaminate the water.
You can also test the ph balance and hardness of rocks by placing those in a clean pail with clean water. Set it aside for a week. After a week is completed, check the rocks for any changes. If no change is observed, you can use it safely as substrates for your aquarium.
More Testing Procedures
For sure testing procedures, there are more possible solutions available at your local pet stores or even at the internet. Just figure out which one is really needed.
Test kits for pH Levels – High pH level can cause stress to your fish, some fish may even die. Once you notice any unexplainable changes in your aquarium, check the (KH) Carbonate Hardness levels of the water right away.
Test Kit for Ammonia – New tanks usually has ammonia but the old aquariums should not have any presence of ammonia. If in case Ammonia is present, check the water, filters, and the whole setup to avoid more problems.
Test Kit for Nitrite – Organic wastes naturally break down and produce toxin but only at a level less than 1.0.
Test Kit for Nitrate – Nitrates hardly poison the fish but once the level gets too high, (more than 300 ppm) it can then hurt and harm the fish. freshwater aquarium setup
Waterproof Power Strip
The freshwater aquarium setup that you will do at your home should have a power strip that can endure water and its surges. And since you will plug a lot of things in your power strip, get a plug bar that has more than one socket. For more information on freshwater aquarium setup check out the mini-course.
