Chemicals - Most Important Things for freshwater aquarium setup

Is chemical really necessary in aquarium? That must be your question and I have kept chemical as most important thing because sometimes when you don't have it, you surely will regret. Now what type of chemicals do you need while starting a hobby? The one and only that's really needed is dechlorinator and you can't get away without it if you are using drinking water provided by municipality.


The water that municipality supplies to your home will have chlorine and chloramine in it which is used to kill bacteria in the water making it safe to drink but that chemical is very harmful for fishes and must be treated before putting it into your aquarium. When I was new to the hobby my fishes died because I didn't know this fact but when I used dechlorinator, my fish were safe and I had them for longer although I grew tired of goldfishes and don't keep them now.

You can get many types of chemicals in the market or fish store but all of them  are not necessary until you really have to use them (in case your fish suffer from some sort of diseases.) Don't buy big bottle of malagreen(used to cure white spot, fin rot, parasitic fungi, swabbing wound) because you don't need them altough fish store owner say you have to use them once a week but actually they only want to sell their product to you so beware especially in case of chemicals.

You may be wondering which chemicals should I buy? Here's the answer if you use drinking water then you need Garon (popular dechlorinator in Nepal) for Rs. 50-60 for small bottle and one small bottle of  malagreen just in case. You can get other types of medicines for curing different types of diseases but at least buy those to I mentioned above and others when only necessary.

Carbon is also a chemical used in filtration especially chemical filtration which removes medicines and also prevents water to be yellow in color. But I don't like to use any chemical(except dechlorinator) in my aquarium because I don't like it and want to filter water biologically.

Thanks for reading :D Comments, Questions and Suggestions are always warmly welcomed.

Aquarium lights - Most Important Things for freshwater aquarium setup

What type of light do you want? tube, cfl, led. Which color do you want? pink, blue, green, white. You can choose from wide varieties available in the market if you need one but have you wondered why you need light in an aquarium? If you have access to the natural light from the sun then it's good but then you will have more work to do because of high algae growth in your aquarium because of sunlight and it also brings sudden change in temperature which is more likely to kill or affect your fishes. It's not like your fish can't survive in an aquarium without artificial lights because in the wild there is no one who will go to the river and lakes to lit a light for fishes and it is not compulsory to have unless  you have live plants in your aquarium when  it's a must to add a light.  Now you may be wondering why do I have to keep light in my aquarium? Here are some reasons

1. Your aquarium looks better and it looks pleasing to the eyes if you add a light.
2. Light helps in bringing vivid color in your fishes.
3. Proper growth of plants is only possible if you have light in the aquarium.

There are also few disadvantages of aquarium lights

1. Chances of high growth of algae.
2. If not chosen the correct type of light, there will be sudden change in temperature in aquarium due to heat produced by some types of lights.

Most people say that you have to put aquarium lights on for 10-12 hours a day in planted aquarium whereas 6 hours of light is sufficient for fish. It's a matter of personal choice to put light in the aquarium if you only have fish , since it's for the viewer and not the fish. Hence you can turn on the lights when you like in fish only aquarium and turn it off at night because certain researches have shown that fish do sleep at night and you don't wanna disturb your pretty little pets. 

Thanks for reading :D Comments, Questions and Suggestions are always warmly welcomed.

Air Pump & air stones - Most Important Things for freshwater aquarium setup

Air Pump serves the purpose of aerating water as well as creating current in the aquarium. Most of the hobbyists use air pump in their aquarium in Nepal. If you use undergravel, sponge or corner filter then you can't run them without air pump. Many decorations also use air pump to throw bubbles. Air pumps move air by using an electromagnet to rapidly vibrate a rubber diaphragm due to which it will create more noise. Sometimes you can make it quiet by putting it in sponge or foam or folded cloth. You should put air pump above aquarium because if you put it below the aquarium there is high chance that water will flow back to the air pump in case air pump stops and damages it. The more expensive the air pumps become it will also be more powerful, quieter and more efficient so choose wisely so as not to end up with 10 air pumps rather than one nice air pump.

                           

           

Air stones, bars and tubes are used in aquarium to diffuse air in the aquarium and it also looks cool to see it throwing small tiny bubbles that look fantastic. It also helps in proper circulation of water in the aquarium. You can different sizes and types of air stones in local fish store (LFS), but it entirely depends on your opinion and taste as which to buy for your aquarium. I prefer small air stones than the large one because it throws small, fine bubbles which looks very nice.

air stones

Thanks for reading :D Comments, Questions and Suggestions are always warmly welcomed.

Filter - Most Important Things for freshwater aquarium setup

In nature, regular flowing of freshwater makes it clean for fish to live in but in aquarium it doesn’t happen itself and water will become foul. That’s where Filter comes, although we can’t mimic everything as in nature we can make water clean for fish to live in our aquarium healthily. There are three different types of filtration that a filter can perform: mechanical, biological, chemical filtration. We can find different types of aquarium filter in market/fish store.

1.  Under gravel Filter (UGF) : Most of the people know about UGF because you are  given UGF along with fish bowls in fish store  while you buy your  first fish usually it is goldfish (it was same for me J and I ended up killing all of them due to lack of knowledge.) UGF has been around in aquarium hobby for a long time and some people still use it although many people now use other different types of filters which are far more efficient than UGF. UGF provides good mechanical and biological filtration.  UGF is cheaper than other types of filters but you have to buy gravel for it to sit in aquarium and filter your water. When you use UGF it can be hard for you to vacuum gravel thoroughly and harmful gas pockets can form under the gravel plates which will harm your fishes.  I personally don’t use it and I don’t recommend it to anyone although it’s personal preference of which type you want to choose.

   

   UGF

2. Corner Filter: Corner Filter sits in one corner of the aquarium from which it got its name. I have found that this filter can be used in small aquariums effectively and in breeding tanks effectively. It can be used for all three types of filtration mechanical, biological and chemical filtration. It uses three sponges and one tray in which ceramics, carbon and gravels can be kept.

   

   Corner Filter

3.  Sponge Filter : Sponge filter is mostly used in breeding and hospital tanks. Water is passed through a sponge which will make mechanical filtration possible and when colony of beneficial bacteria is established it will also do biological filtration.
   
4. Powerhead : Powerheads are the most common filters in Nepal. Powerheads are submersible water pumps that produce unidirectional current in aquarium. They are most affordable as well as very efficient filters, which is the reason why Nepalese aquarists use them.
   
   

   

   Powerhead

5. Canister Filter : Canister filter provides mechanical, chemical as well as biological filtration. The one I had seen in fish store cost Rs. 10000, which was very expensive for a hobbyist like me. It contains several media compartments that usually contain foam, carbon, ceramic,etc. The water is drawn from aquarium through hose which then passes through different medias and lastly filtered water goes back to the aquarium. Although it's very efficient type of filter due to it's cost as well as lack of availability in Nepal, it is not popular.

   

   Canister Filter

6. Wet/ Dry Filter : I haven't seen this type of filter below the tank but have seen one over the tank in fish store which was DO IT Yourself(DIY) filter. If over the tank, water is drawn with the help of powerhead to the sump which has different media compartments and water passes through it into the aquarium. 

Thanks for reading :D Comments, Questions and Suggestions are always warmly welcomed.