1. TESTING. Before introducing any fish into your tank, buy yourself a good water test kit. Ideally it should contain tests for:Ammonia,Nitrates,Nitrites and Ph. Readings, except for the Ph should all read zero before introducing any fish.
2.TEMPERATURE. Make sure that the temp. in the tank is suitable for your chosen occupants. Freshwater(generally) 21-27C. Marines(generally)26C
Coldwater(generally) 13.5-20C.
3.FILTRTION. Depending on the size of the tank and the intended occupants, filtration can be mechanical,biological or both. They can be air driven or power driven. Filtration is the heart of any tank. It's the life source of the environment. You will need to know the species of fish you wish to keep and then do some homework about the types of waters and/or environment their natural habitat is and filter accordingly. There are an array of filters on the market and you will be sure there is one for your setup.
4. STOCKING LEVELS. Freshwater trops. recommended 12sq.cm of surface area to 1cm of fully grown fish. Marines For a fish only setup 2.5cm of fish for 9ltrs of water and for reef only 2.5cm of fish to 27ltrs of water. Ponds: 250cm of fish to 5000ltrs of water.
5. KNOWLEDGE. Learn as much as you can about the species you intend to keep.
6. INTRODUCING YOU FISH. Fish should be introduced into your new setup gradually. Overloading your tank will cause problems. Remember your filter wil need to build up friendly bacteria to break down the byproducts from your fish.
7.QUARANTINE. This is a question I'm most asked by newbies. Do I really need to quarantine my fish? The short answer is YES. Introducing new fish to a new system will invariably bring its own problems, so if you can why risk it? Using the same water as the main tank, introduce the fish in the Quarantine tank for a week or so and if there's no probs. then introduce them into the main tank.
8. FEEDING. Twice daily is more than enough. Only feed as much as will be taken within 3 minutes, otherwise it will decompose at the bottom of your tank, causing other problems, such as high Phosphates and Nitrates and unsightly algae.
9. WATER CHANGES. Regular water changes, around 25% per week is good for your tank and good for your fish.
10. CLEANING FILTERS. These should be cleaned regurarly according to the manufactures instructions. It is best however if you don't clean the sponges in raw tapwater, but use some of the water syphoned from the tank. This way the beneficial bacteria are not killed off and only the debris is cleaned away.
2.TEMPERATURE. Make sure that the temp. in the tank is suitable for your chosen occupants. Freshwater(generally) 21-27C. Marines(generally)26C
Coldwater(generally) 13.5-20C.
3.FILTRTION. Depending on the size of the tank and the intended occupants, filtration can be mechanical,biological or both. They can be air driven or power driven. Filtration is the heart of any tank. It's the life source of the environment. You will need to know the species of fish you wish to keep and then do some homework about the types of waters and/or environment their natural habitat is and filter accordingly. There are an array of filters on the market and you will be sure there is one for your setup.
4. STOCKING LEVELS. Freshwater trops. recommended 12sq.cm of surface area to 1cm of fully grown fish. Marines For a fish only setup 2.5cm of fish for 9ltrs of water and for reef only 2.5cm of fish to 27ltrs of water. Ponds: 250cm of fish to 5000ltrs of water.
5. KNOWLEDGE. Learn as much as you can about the species you intend to keep.
6. INTRODUCING YOU FISH. Fish should be introduced into your new setup gradually. Overloading your tank will cause problems. Remember your filter wil need to build up friendly bacteria to break down the byproducts from your fish.
7.QUARANTINE. This is a question I'm most asked by newbies. Do I really need to quarantine my fish? The short answer is YES. Introducing new fish to a new system will invariably bring its own problems, so if you can why risk it? Using the same water as the main tank, introduce the fish in the Quarantine tank for a week or so and if there's no probs. then introduce them into the main tank.
8. FEEDING. Twice daily is more than enough. Only feed as much as will be taken within 3 minutes, otherwise it will decompose at the bottom of your tank, causing other problems, such as high Phosphates and Nitrates and unsightly algae.
9. WATER CHANGES. Regular water changes, around 25% per week is good for your tank and good for your fish.
10. CLEANING FILTERS. These should be cleaned regurarly according to the manufactures instructions. It is best however if you don't clean the sponges in raw tapwater, but use some of the water syphoned from the tank. This way the beneficial bacteria are not killed off and only the debris is cleaned away.