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Beginner's Freshwater Aquarium Maintenance
Author :: Gaines Kergosien
Date :: Wed 06/28/2006 @ 01:49
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A guide for how to keep your freshwater tank healthy and clean
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Maintaining a FW Aquarium As with mostly everything in life, stability is the goal for what ever you work at. So, now that your tank is set up and running, how do you keep it running in a healthy way for both your fish and plants and to keep it healthy, lively, and beautiful? Well lets get the water bucket and siphon? Well, there's much more to it than that.... Water Changes Lets bin the old water and bring in the new freash water right? "dilution of polluted water is the solution for poor water coonditions", what you will be doing is the replenishment of your system with vital nutrients and minerals that help keep things alive and well. If you don’t change your water it is just like living in a room you’re your whole life with stale air.... sure, maybe you can get by, but eventually the pollutants are it's going to get a bit rough unless you have a way of refreashing your system, and we do this by opening a window and change out some of your environment. Preparing Your Water You cant just change your water as it isn’t as simple as that so Put down that siphon hose! You're not ready yet. Before you start taking water out of your tank, let's think about what you're going to be putting back into the aquarium. Does your system require a special pH level for your fish? Does your tapwater have a different pH than your aquarium; also are you using Reverse Osmosis water that will need to be replenished with minerals before using it? If this is so, you might want to start preparing your new water before you take any out of your aquarium. A dedicated Rubber tub and waist water pale should be used for making and storing new water for your system. If you need to modify your water conditions prior to adding it to your tank, this will give you the ideal opportunity. Fill up your bucket, with your tap, RO or rain water and start making whatever changes you feel are necessary. E.g. Salt, fertiliser or vitamins. Add your water conditioner... to remove chlorine/chloramines. Next, bring that water up to the correct temperature (Aquarium temp). IMPORTANT Don't use hot or heated water out of the tap; the rapidly elevated temperature from your water boiler can cause the water to become saturated with dissolved gasses (nitrogen, primarily) and can actually cause your fishes to contract "gas bubble disease" - sort of "the bends" for fish. The best thing to do is to, drop in an extra aquarium heater to raise the temperature of your water bucket – IMPORTANT SAFETY always remember to unplug it before you empty the container. To keep this water from going stale it's a good idea to add a powerhead or an airstone will do fine as an air stone will increase the oxygen in the water which is good wheb changing water. Before you use your new water, be certain that it is of the right pH (and possibly hardness), has no ammonia or nitrite, and is the right temperature. Siphoning the water & Cleaning the Gravel Alright, we're now ready for that siphon hose. There are several types of siphon hoses but I find the normal green ehinem tube to be good enough. There are even some that are "powered", Choose what will work best for you and your system; the idea behind all is pretty much the same: getting water out of your aquarium. Remember that you should only use this hose for this purpose. WARNING DO NOT start a siphon with your mouth. Beside a very few bacterial complaints that can transfer from fish to humans, water filled with fish poo tastes horrible. Don't do it. Instead, put the end of your hose into your bucket and submerge the hard plastic tube completely in your aquarium, then lift up, covering the end of the tube. As the water starts to drain down into your bucket, submerge the tube completely again to keep the water flowing. This might take a bit of practice the first few times, but the alternative is a mouthful of dirty tank water - you'll learn quickly. Once your siphon is running, you can start cleaning your gravel with the hard plastic tube.make sure you have a filter end on the pipe or you might suck up your fish. Push the head gently into your gravel and give it a bit of a back and forth motion or up and down motion to loosen detritus in the substrate and send it through the tube and into your bucket. If you have very fine or lightweight substrate, you'll need to be very careful not to pull it through the hose as well. Also, be thinking about the inhabitants of your tank; especially those that might live partly or primarily in the substrate, and use caution not to harm any kuhlii loaches. For undergravel filteration never clean "too much" of your substrate at once - remember, most of your biological filtration takes place in the substrate. For Bio Media (Bio Balls and Foam) Dont clean the Bio Balls and the Media foam at the same time as you will kill the bacterial compounds of the media. You should only clean one at half of the total cleaning period. so if you have a 1 year cleaning cycle for your bio sump then at 6 months you should clean one of the materials then at the 1 year point clean the other. this will keep enough bacteria in your system. remeber this all depends on the size and amount of filteration your tank does. cleaning this too often or too thoroughly can have devastating effects on your system by causing the tank to start again at the beginning of the nitrogen cycle, subjecting your livestock to toxic ammonia and nitrite as your nitrifying bacteria repopulate your gravel. Internal tank Maintenance. Once you've removed the amount of water you wanted from of your system', you can take the opportunity to handle a little more in-tank maintenance. Is there algae on the glass? Decor that needs to be cleaned, moved, or removed? Live plants that need a bit of a trim, or propagation? REMEMBER If you use a scrubbing or scraping device to remove algae from the surfaces of your aquarium, keep in mind the material of which your aquarium is constructed. If you move or remove stones, background, plastic plants and caves, remember again about your tank's inhabitants. REMEMBER are the shrimp or loaches that may have taken up home inside an ornament of some sort? If it has holes in it have a look as they will hide with all this movement in the tank. If you have plants to trim, now is the easiest time, inspect the cuttings to be sure nothing – (shrimps especially) - has tried to sneak out with them. NEVER NEVER flush your plant clippings. Instead, set them out to dry and then discard them in a sealed bag with your trash. Flushing plants or tossing them out in the yard can be a bit of an environmental hazard, as the plants may find their way into your local waterways. Now that you're done with your tank maintenance, you can now fill the water you prepared earlier. Equipment Maintenance Periodically, you will need to inspect your equipment for wear. A short visual inspection after your water change is a good idea. Check to see that your water circulation devices are still functioning properly. Keep an eye on your temperature control devices and monitor the temperature with a thermometer so you'll know right away if something is awry. Be sure to check your filter and change, clean, or replace any media that is used up or soiled. Thoroughly Cleaning Your Various Equipment Check your lighting for any mineral buildup. Clean any algae or mineral deposits off the glass or cover of the tank (if you have one) to make sure nothing is obstructing the path of the light into your tank. Look at the ends of the bulbs and anywhere that could possibly show you any indication of corrosion of the wiring, starter, ballast, or pins of the bulbs themselves. Carefully clean any buildup off the light housing and tubes (you might want to unplug the lighting, just to be on the safe side). Remove powerheads and disassemble them (refer to the instructions that came with them, or look up the manufacturer on the internet to request instructions, if you need them). Clean off the impeller, and check for any hairs or plant material that may have gotten wound around the shaft. Check to be certain that the impeller spins freely. Clean out the impeller housing. If you use a venturi device with the powerhead, make sure the hoses are free from obstruction, and if the venturi includes a small air filter, make sure this is clean. If you use an air pump, check that your airline tubing is still flexible. If it has gotten hard or has mineral deposits or algae inside it, replace the tubing. If the airflow seems reduced, replace the airstone. These do become clogged over time and can seriously decrease the output of the air pump. A dirty airstone can also cause a lot of wear and tear on the pump from the resistance applied, so it's a good idea to replace these periodically even if you don't think it's very clogged up. Take a look at your heater to be sure the glass tube is not cracked. Observe your temperature to know that your heater is functioning normally. Disassemble your filter and clean its components. Use a clean bottlebrush to scrub out pipes and tubes. You might even dedicate an old, clean toothbrush for helping you with this task. Clean any gaskets or O-rings and lubricate them if necessary or recommended in the manufacturer's instructions. Remove and clean the impeller, and clear the impeller housing of any obstruction or foreign objects before replacing the impeller. Clean or discard/replace dirty or expired filter media. Never completely replace all soiled media at one time if it is your primary source of biological filtration, or if you have just heavily cleaned your substrate. Instead, replace the media but leave a portion of the old media in the filter for a while, to help "seed" the new media with nitrifying bacteria. Maintenance Schedule The schedule of maintenance you adopt for your aquarium is something that you'll ultimately develop on your own. Each system is different, including the amount and frequency of maintenance its components require. A very good practice is to make a permanent "log" for your aquarium, detailing purchases, keeping receipts handy... including a daily, weekly, monthly and more longer time frames for listing and dating when you should/have done maintenance. Test your water frequently for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate in the beginning to start to determine how often you'll need to do water changes for your tank. Ammonia and nitrite should always be zero. Nitrate should be maintained below 20ppm, and perhaps lower. If you notice your nitrate starting to creep up a bit, use that as your cue to do a water change. Though your system may differ, you could start off with the schedule outlined below and then tailor it to fit your system if you find that you need to do more or less maintenance of any particular part of your system. Daily.... • Feed your fish. Some species are best fed a few times per day, others only every few days. • Visually inspect your fish to be certain nobody's injured and everyone's accounted for. • Check the temperature of the water. Weekly.... • Either this often or bi-weekly change out 20% of the water, replace with water that is stored. • Test your water. If ammonia or nitrite are above zero, or nitrate is 100 + ppm, it's time for a water change. • Clean the outside of the glass (just plain water and a clean rag, please!), and scrub algae if necessary. • Clean the lid/cover of your aquarium. Monthly.... • Visually inspect all of your equipment, including your lighting, powerheads, air pumps, and filters. • Clean any equipment that warrants it, including and especially intake tubes on your filters. • Trim any dying foliage from your plants and take care of propagating cuttings if you choose to do so. • Check your filter media, clean or replace when necessary. ....and Beyond..... • Change bulbs in your lighting system. • Replace airline tubing and airstones.
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DIY Five minute sponge filter
Author :: Gaines Kergosien
Date :: Wed 06/28/2006 @ 02:10
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Easy to build a sponge filter.
read article
Parts needed:
- Airpump
- lift tube
- airstone (optional)
- air tubing
- fish food pot
- gravel
- filter floss/sponge
Take a bog standard fish flake pot. Take the sticker off the outside.  Take a piece of tubing/hose about 1/2" - 1" diameter. Cut four little notches at the bottom (you can do this with a knife or saw).  Put the tubing down to the centre of the pot and pour gravel around it until about 3/4 of the pot is filled. DON'T lift the tube out at this point because you will have to then take all the gravel out and it is a right pain.  Now you can put some sponge or filter floss on top to act as mechanical filtration. One of those sponges attached to a scourer will do - if in doubt, look closely at the sponge. If you can see lots of little plastic fibres you're ok - if it is closed cell and rots over time (sponges made of cellulose) then DON'T use it - it will rot in your tank. If you wanted you could get the lid and drill a hole for the lift tube and some smaller intake holes, but I couldn't be bothered because it is a 5 minute sponge filter - that's what it is. I tried to make it as bare bones as possible. Here are all the pieces so far:  Drill a hole the same or slightly smaller than the diameter of your airtubing and poke the airtubing through it.  If your tube is wide enough, add an airstone.  And there you have it - a perfectly acceptable five minute simple sponge filter for a hospital/quarantine tank.
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DIY Moonlight (Cold Cathode Blue Light)
Author :: Gaines Kergosien
Date :: Wed 06/28/2006 @ 02:09
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Add moonlight to your tank using blue cold cathode tubes.
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Have a look on eBay for 'Cold cathode' they are popular for PC case lighting and are ideal for the moonlight application.

all you then need is a mains voltage adapter


Here's the bit that should convince you...
Low

Medium

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DIY Metal Halide Lighting
Author :: Gaines Kergosien
Date :: Wed 06/28/2006 @ 02:03
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Metal halide lighting on the cheap
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Crisp white light like no other, bringing out colours and making everything look sharp. Bright light punched down through the water to the plants or corals that need it most. Breathtaking, shimmery lines glimmering over the substrate. Ahhhhh, the serenity. Cripes! What's that? A £400 price tag!!!! WHAT DO YOU THINK I AM, A BANK???
The good news is: Metal halide lighting doesn't have to cost that much. That's right. Go into your nearest supermarket or warehouse..... and look up. What can you see? Most likely, lots and lots of metal halide lights. You think they cost $800 a piece? Not likely.
Yep, metal halide lighting can easily be built. Using the same components as more expensive units. Cheaply. In this post, I'll point you in the right direction, and introduce how to DIY a double-ended (commonly inappropriately singled out as "HQI") metal halide fixture of 70W or 150W, that will make your tank look so good, your eyes will bleed and fall out of your sockets. In a pleasant way, of course. So, what do we need?

1. A lamp
Do you want the good news or the bad news?
OK then, bad news first: This is where you're going to have to bite the bullet. Yep, first item on the list -- and it's an expensive one. Y'see, those industrial bulbs you see everywhere are not the right spectrum for most tanks. Plants might be OK with them.... but the yellow colour caste would be pretty unappealing to the eye.
There is some good news though -- metal halide bulbs are starting to come down in price. There are a number of brands which - when you consider the increased life of halides over fluorescent bulbs - actually work out cheaper than the equivalent wattage in old-skool tubes. And some of them are good.
2. A ballast
Just like standard fluorescents, all metal halide bulbs require a ballast to run. The ballast limits the current flowing into the bulb, stopping it from drawing too much, overheating, and creating a giant black hole that sucks up the entire solar system.
Fancy electronic ballasts are quiet, cool-running, wonderful pieces of electronics artwork that can also clean your shoes, repair broken marriages and make you immortal. They can also cost a small fortune. This will change before long, as manufacturers learn how to (pay to) comply with the EU's electromagnetic interference directives. But, for now, they can be expensive.
We won't be using them, of course.
Magnetic (core and coil) ballasts are the bread and butter of the lighting trade. Reliable, sturdy, heavy as a brick, and can keep your house warm in winter. But they also tend to run most double ended bulbs a little brighter, which is a big plus. Most magnetic ballasts that we can use are dual-purpose - they can fire mercury vapour or metal halide bulbs. Choose one from a lighting stalwart such as Philips or Thorn. We do not stock them (yet), but you can find them for sale all over electrical stores, eBay, and many other places.
Double-ended metal halides are all "pulse start" bulbs. This means they need a high, pulsed starting voltage to start up. A core and coil ballast can't do this on its own -- it needs a small component called an ignitor to do this. Upon start-up, an ignitor supplies the bulb with the gazillions of volts it needs.
A halide also tends to mess up your mains voltage waveform -- a nice sinusoidal (supposedly) wave comes in -- a nasty tattered mess of a waveform, that may cause undesirable operation in nearby electronic equipment, comes out. This is easily fixed with a capacitor bridging the live and neutral wires before the ballast. The exact value of the capacitor needed varies depending on the ballast, but is usually 18 - 20 microFarads (also rated to 250 or 120 V, depending on where you live). Chose one which can withstand high temperatures -- 100 deg. Celsius is best, but 80 degrees will work.
The ballast will need to be matched in terms of wattage to your chosen bulb (i.e., 70W, 150W or 250W, for double-ended bulbs). Ignitors usually specify a range of wattages they are good for.
The good news here is that the three components often come together, pre-assembled. If they don't, then you can easily follow the connection diagram which is almost ubiquitously silkscreened on top of the ballast. If you've ever wired up a standard fluorescent fixture, then this will not be new - the difference is that you'll want to be using decent wire of at least 0.75 sq.mm cross-section - wire from a 10A extension cord will do the trick nicely.
 A run-of-the-mill 250W ballast for metal halide or mercury vapour. The connection diagram is provided.
I'f you're in the US, things are a bit different. I'm going to cop out a bit here and instead provide you with the best link ever about which (US) ballast to choose.
If you do want to buy the components separately, lighting contractor outlet stores will be able to help you. Don't be surprised if the ballast comes looking like it has been bounced off walls. They all look like that. Really.
If your ballast didn't come as one part, or if the parts were not mounted in a box, then you'll need a ballast box, too. A sturdy metal box can be had from pretty much any electrical or electronics outlet. The box will get hot, so be careful where you put it. Mount everything firmly inside with screws - the ballast mounts to the bottom, and the capacitor and ignitor mount horizontally on their integrated bolts. Make a secure, screw connection to ground/earth inside the box.
3. A fixture
This is the expensive part in many store-bought halide systems. This is because they are made from prized aluminium mined by dwarves in the Himalayas, and then finely hand-crafted by Santa's elves.
Well, at least they should be, given their price point.
This is where we can really save some of our hard-earned cash. You could buy a cheap-ish, ugly floodlight fixture - complete with ballast - for around $100 on eBay, but where's the fun in that?
If you go to the lighting section of your hardware/DIY store, they will likely have a fine range of halogen "worklights". With your prized bulb in your hand, choose a halogen fixture that the bulb will fit in. For my lights, I used a 500W halogen fixture from my local B&Q. It costs under $20.
 Rugged, watrerproof, and not too shabby looking. With change from a tenner. Just make sure the glass cover is intact.
Take the fixture and gut it. Oh yes.... I almost forgot... pay for it first. Then go home. Then gut it. Yes... That's the right order.
These fixtures are designed for the heat thrown off by a halogen light, and so should have no problem coping with the heat from our halide bulb.
Keep the reflector inside, but remove the halogen bulb and socket. Keep the glass. This would be a good time to point out that the glass on these fixtures is absolutely mandatory. Double-ended bulbs produce a good deal of UV radiation, that will not only kill your fish, plants and corals, but will make you blind or even kill you in short order. Standard glass (tempered is best as it gets toasty) should block most of this. This is serious *NEVER* operate a double ended bulb without a glass cover firmly in place.
Some people on the 'net recommend grinding down the sockets in the halogen fixture to accommodate a halide bulb... sometimes, 70W bulbs slip straight in. However not in MY house. No way.....
4. Lamp holders
These can be had very cheaply. And it is worth it. My advice would be not to take the cheapskate option and use or modify a halogen socket. These things are produced with tight tolerances and with specific... er... specifications. For example, they take into account how much the material will expand when the ferociously hot halide bulb is on. Don't skimp.
70W and 150W double-ended sockets are the same, just differently spaced. If you can find it, I would recommend sockets already screwed into an appropriate spacer bar -- it makes it easier to judge how far apart they should be spaced to hold the bulb correctly. Electronics and DIY shops on the 'net sell such bulbholders. We will be stocking such sockets on our website shortly... but if you need some urgently, then give us a shout and we'll send some on for you.
5. Some wire
10A extension cord will do just fine for the input to the ballast.
I have also used such wire to connect the fixture to the ballast, without any issues. However, I can't recommend this as best practice. You really should get wire with insulation rated for the high-voltage start-up draw of the bulb. High temperature insulation is also another factor to consider. Normal 10A extension cord may not be properly rated for a high voltage supply. Regardless, such wire can be easily ordered.
Make sure you also run a ground wire from the ballast to the fixture, and ground the fixture using the screw mount provided.
One last thing you need.... an ingenious plan...
Your fixture will get quite hot. You will need to figure out a way to mount it. Enclosing it in a small wooden canopy may not be the brightest idea. Many people do this, and rely on fans to keep the temperature down. I also use a fan, but I don't use it as a last line of defence between success and my flat burning down. At least, not intentionally. Hanging these securely above the tank, or using metal supports (see mine below - I used metal shelving supports) should be fine. Resting them directly on wood may be OK, but it's your call.
I should point out that I absolutely cannot take any responsibility for damage, loss of life, money, toenails, spouses, or anything else from following or not following my directions or incessant ramblings. As with everything you read on the 'net, treat everything with a healthy dose of scepticism and make your own decisions. And don't run with scissors...
And there you have it! Easy stuff. For reference, I built a 150W halide for my nano-reef for well under £40 (excluding bulb... which I .. ahem.. pilfered.. from my own stock), which included a pretty all-in-one ballast. All my future tanks -- even freshwater, will use halides. Heck, they're so cheap, I'm going to make special fixtures to hang off my cats to help them see. I like them so much, people will point and call me Halide Weirdo, and cross the street to avoid me.
Links
Links to other people who have performed similar DIY and might still be alive (many more can be found by searching for "Regent" and "Retrofit":
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
My lights:
The fixture (turned off):


The result:
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DIY Floating Fish Food Ring
Author :: Gaines Kergosien
Date :: Wed 06/28/2006 @ 02:10
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The idea is to keep your floating fish food in one place away from the filter.
read article
Just take a length of air tubing and connect the two ends. Simple, but effective and I'm sure most of us have extra air tubing lying around. :)


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