Discussions with Zharphyn

The initial setup of a new aquarium is relatively easy, but there are a few things to keep in mind.  First you need to find a suitable location for the new aquarium.  Remember that a full aquarium is heavy.  Water weighs almost ten pounds per gallon.  If you have a ten gallon aquarium, you will be filling it with almost 100 pounds of water.  Water is not the only thing that you will place into your aquarium.  You will want a suitable depth of substrate at the bottom of the tank.  The substrate  increases the weight.   A standard 33 US gallon aquarium (33″L x 18″W x 12″H) holds approximately 31 US gallons of water which weighs 260lbs.  If you use small rock substrate at a depth of two inches, you add an additional 46lbs.  The moral is, make certain that the location you are placing the aquarium can support the weight, and recognize that in order to relocate the aquarium is a major undertaking.

Once you have located the correct location for your new aquarium, now you have to fill it.  In the freshwater aquarium, I am a big fan of the under-gravel filter with powerheads.  The basic principle behind the under-gravel filter is quite simple.  Water is drawn down through the substrate, which causes the substrate to become a dual purpose filter.  First, the substrate acts as a basic filter for the larger suspended particles.  As the water passes through the substrate, the larger particles become caught in the substrate.  This allows the growth of the nitrifying bacteria which act as the biological filter for the aquarium.  I like to use powerheads to move the water through the system,  but you can also use an air pump.  For an air pump, you simply insert the airline to the bottom of the filter stack, and the air bubbles move the water through the system.  With the powerhead, you mount the motor on the top of the filter stack and the pump sucks the water up the stack and recirculates the water back into the tank.  The powerhead drives significantly more water through the system which makes the filter more efficient, however, the airpump reoxyginates the water.  You can pump air into the tank simply by using an airpump into a variety of decorative toys or airstones.

Having sufficient biological filtration is a primary key to success in keeping any aquarium. There are a number of filtration methods to choose from, but not making the right filter selection for the bio-load planned for your tank can lead to a wide variety of problems. Whether it be biological, mechanical, or chemical, it’s better to have more, rather than too little filtration. In addition to the undergravel filter, I also use a “hang-on-tank” filter. Hang-on-tank filters can provide all three main types of filtration: mechanical, chemical, and biological. The undergravel filter provides mechanical and biological filtration, and used in conjunction with a hang-on-tank filter providing mechanical, chemical, and biological filtration will provide sufficient filtration for a tropical aquarium setup. Saltwater setups require more filtration and equipment, and I will get into that in a future post.

Once you lay the undergravel filtration plate, you want to cover it with a minimum of two inches of substrate. The finer the substrate material that you choose, the greater the level of mechanical filtration. If you have positioned your undergravel filtration plate correctly, you will be able to layer some substrate between the plate and the glass of the aquarium to hide the plate. With the substrate in place, it is time to add water. Fill the aquarium approximately three quarters full, this allows room to add your decorations. Make certain that you add water to the hang-on-tank filter to help prime the filter. Regular tap water is just fine to use, but it is very beneficial to add water conditioner. This will help to remove chlorine, chloramine, nitrates, and nitrites, while at the same time aiding the growth of the beneficial bacteria. Once you have added all the decorations that you intend to use, add more water to raise the water level over the power heads. Do not fill the tank completely, because when you bring your fish home, they will come in bags of water. When the power heads are covered, turn on the filters. You should let the tank run for a minimum of 48 hours before adding any fish. It would be better if the tank was left running without fish for a week before adding the fish. This allows the bacteria growth to occur, and for the water to stabilize. If the water is not ready when you add fish, you will get to watch your fish die. When you do add fish, you want to add fish slowly so as to not shock the system. The bacteria growth will balance to the quantity of fish in the tank. If you add too many fish at a time, the bacteria will not be able to keep up and your tank ph level will increase, and the levels of nitrate and nitrite will go to toxic levels.

I will discuss maintenance routines, and choosing fish at another time.

-Zharphyn

I thought that I should introduce myself and give a quick synopsis of what I plan for my blog.

I am married, in my mid-thirties with two children.  I have three aquariums, two contain tropical fish, and the third is for my turtles.  I am a computer programmer by trade, and a novelist at heart.  I have some grandiose ideas for a tree fort in my backyard for my children to enjoy, and I expect that project to take several years to complete.

I intend to post about my progress with my tree fort, some of my creative writing, my assorted pets, and whatever else strikes my fancy that day.

Firstly, my animals.  My wife and I love animals.  Currently we have two dogs (Jake and Simon), one cat (Willow), one rabbit (Byron), three goldfish (Gabrielle, Xena, and Hercules), two turtles (Crush and Titan), three Plecostomus (Squirt, Monster, and Dragon), and a fish tank full of assorted unnamed tetras.

In the very corner of my yard, I have several trees and shrubs which creates a large hidden space.  For my tree fort, I have visions of a multi-story free standing structure in the hidden corner.  I then foresee a long bridge crossing from the top of the structure over to a platform in the tree in the middle of my yard.  There will then be a ladder going from that platform high up into the tree to a high lookout.  As I said, a grandiose plan that will take several years to complete.  However, since my children are currently 2.5 years and 2 months old, I believe that I have time to build my vision.  I have started reading books on tree fort and tree house construction to aid me in my vision.

I am currently trying to study the computer programming language Java in an effort to further my career.  A very good friend of mine has a successful programming business that he would like me to join, but first I need to update my programming skills.  I have not actively written software in several years, and I am finding it difficult to get back into that mode of thinking.  I am hoping that I can respark my creative thinking process through writing this blog.  However, with a two month old son that is not sleeping through the night, and a two and a half year old daughter that has become very clingy to me it is difficult to find the time to study.

-Zharphyn