That Fish Blog – Aquarium Advice and Information

One of the first purchases most aquarists will make for a new aquarium, be it freshwater, saltwater, reef, discus, goldfish, cichlid or any other – is the gravel and substrate. It could be sand, crushed coral, Fluorite, neon pink pebbles, glass marbles or countless other materials  but it all tends to be the very first thing to go into an empty aquariums. But….why? Do you really need it? Are there alternatives? Much like the eternal home decorating debate of hardwood-versus-carpets, the battle brews among aquarists over what covers the bottom of their aquariums, a layer of substrate or nothing at all.

 

So why has substrate become such an integral part of the aquarium culture, and why are some aquarists now looking past it in favor of the bare glass or acrylic bottom of their aquariums? Much of it has to do with our understanding of the aquarium ecosystem now over what we knew years or even decades ago. Even as recently as five or ten years ago, undergravel filters were thought as indispensable for all types of aquariums and as such, gravel was thought vital to their function. We’ve come a long way with filtration technology since then, and we’ve also come a long way with understanding how the water chemistry in our aquariums functions. Alternatives and advancements have made the old undergravel systems nearly obsolete and the aquarium gravel that went on top of them is become more of an Option instead of a Requirement.

 

That said, how do you make the choice? Like so many other parts of our hobby, it comes down to personal preference and your goals. Bare-bottom tanks are becoming more common and have their benefits of substrated tank and vice versa; substrate is still a better choice than going bare for some other types of tanks. Weigh your options carefully before you choose which one is right for you. We’ll go over a head-to-head comparison in the major factors to consider to help you make your decision.

Cleaning a Fish Tank

 

An aquarium that is easy to clean and easy to care for is the dream of most aquarists. Bare-bottom tanks win this category easily. Ever wrestle with starting the siphon on a gravel vacuum, then have it clog up repeatedly with gravel when you are cleaning? With a bare-bottom tank, a gravel vacuum isn’t needed; you can just use tubing to vacuum up any waste sitting on the bottom of the tank and water pumps or powerheads can be used to circulate the water underneath and behind the rockwork more efficiently. It can be a lot easier to scrub algae off of the glass bottom and sides without having to worry about missing some at the gravel line or getting bits of sand stuck in your scrubber as well. For tanks like reef aquariums with lots of rockwork, debris and detritus can get stuck under the rocks or in the back where your vacuum cant reach as well, causing the nitrate levels and algae blooms to increase. While not as vital in, say, a freshwater community tank, nitrate and algae can spell Doom (and Headaches) in a reef tank.

 

Aesthetics & Natural Environments

 

I have to give this one to Substrate. Surprisingly, flat panes of glass or acrylics just aren’t found at the bottom of most environments in the wild. Natural environments have sand, or mud, or pebbles or some other natural material. Besides just plain looking more natural, some animals also need this substrate to live normal lives. Some fish and snails bury themselves in it or find their food in it. Timid animals need it to hide or camoflauge themselves and in some specialized ecosystems, the substrate plays a vital role in the water chemistry. Most live aquarium plants won’t survive without a substrate to root into. Having a substrate also provides many more options in changing the look of the aquarium, whether its a natural substrate or a decorative one.

 

Aquarium Water Chemistry

 

This one is an even draw; both having substrate or having a bare-bottom can negatively and positively affect the water chemistry in an aquarium. Some substrates like crushed coral can buffer the pH and hardness of the water. For a saltwater tank with a target pH around 8.0-8.4, this is a good things. For a tropical tank with a target pH around 6.0-7.0, maybe not so much. A Flouorite substrate for planted freshwater tanks can give the plants some much-needed minerals and nutrients through their roots that a bare-bottomed tank can’t give them.

 

As much as this exchange helps, any waste that can get trapped in the substrate can hurt the tank. If waste becomes trapped, it will decompose and increase nitrate, phosphates, ammonia and other negative levels which can lead to fish illness and algae blooms. As we mentioned before, this waste is much easier to get rid of in a bare-bottomed tank.

 

Microinverts, hitckhikers and other “bonus” tankmates

 

Unexpected new arrivals like bristleworms can be the ban of a saltwater aquarist’s existance, and tiny little nuisance snails or flatworms can harass a freshwater aquarists to tears. Most of these critters live or reproduce to some extent within the substrate and getting rid of the substrate to go bare-bottom will help get rid of them. Unfortunately, it will also get rid of the good critters like copepods and amphipods that can provide a natural food source to some of the pickiest fish and inverts. If you are making your choice to go bare-bottom to get rid of the nuisance critters, weigh the needs of the rest of your tank carefully to see if they can do without the good to get rid of the bad.

 

The (Bare-)Bottom Line

 

Choosing whether to add substrate to your aquarium or stick with the bare tank ultimately rests on you. Most aquariums will survive either way but one choice may be more successful than others. In our store, we have both bare-bottom tanks and tanks with substrate among our display tanks as well as the tanks we sell fish out of. Stocking these tanks is determined by the needs of the fish and the care that they need. Generally, coral-only reef tanks can go bare, planted freshwater tanks can’t; freshwater fish-only tanks might not need it but saltwater fish-only tanks (or fish-only with live rock) will do better with it. If you can’t decide which way will be more successful for you, we’d be happy to help you make the best decision for you and the success of your aquarium.

Although goldfish made their debut as pets over 2,000 years ago, their needs are not always understood by those new to fish-keeping.  Because the average pet store goldfish is small and inexpensive, they are sometimes viewed as “beginner’s pets” that need little care.  Add to this the fact that many people remember “Grandma’s goldfish that lived for years in a tiny bowl”, and it’s easy to see why most meet untimely ends (well-cared for goldfishes can live into their 20’s – and sometimes to twice that age!).  Folks who buy a single goldfish usually do not want to be bothered with a filter, but the lack of filtration is by far the main reason for failure with these otherwise hardy fishes.  However, there is a filter that needs no pad or carbon changes, and which becomes more effective with age – custom made for busy, “filter-shy” fish enthusiasts.  Today we’ll take a look at it and other simple options that will lessen your workload and improve your goldfish’s quality of life.

 

Goldfish Do Not Stay Small!

When considering a goldfish, it’s important to realize the potential size your pet will reach.  Goldfish are available in a wide variety of colors, 4 tail-shapes, 3 body-shapes and 3 eye-types, but are all of the same species, Carassius auratus auratus.  Those known as comets – the basic pet store or “non-fancy” goldfish – can easily reach 8-12 inches in length.  Sixteen-inch long individuals have been recorded; in fact, I have seen several feral goldfishes near that size in the Bronx River, mixed in with breeding aggregations of carp (I must check if hybridization is possible…).  Fantails, moors and other strains tend to be shorter in length than comets, but they get quite hefty.

 

True, improperly-kept goldfishes will become stunted, and may survive in that state for several years, but this is not to be encouraged – and certainly not a lesson to be teaching the children for whom single goldfishes are often purchased.  When fully-grown, your pet will need a 20 gallon aquarium in which to live; plan on a 30 gallon for a pair.

 

The Ultimate Goldfish Filter

Although now largely-ignored by hobbyists, (perhaps they are “too simple”!), undergravel filters were once considered indispensable by serious aquarists, and are still relied-upon by many public aquariums today.  In zoos and at home, I’ve used these highly-effective filters in aquariums housing creatures ranging from seahorses to alligator snapping turtles, always with great results.

 

When considering undergravel filters, it’s important to bear in mind that biological filtration – the breakdown (by aerobic bacteria) of ammonia to nitrites and nitrates – is the most important function of a filter (please see article below).  And it is at this aspect of filtration that undergravels excel.  Simply-put, an undergravel filter turns your aquarium’s substrate into a giant, living, biological filtration unit.  What’s more, the filter plate does not take up important living space and, being hidden below the gravel, allows for the creation of pleasing aquascapes.  Best of all, there are no cartridges or filter mediums to clean or replace! 

 

Water Changes

Regular partial water changes are essential to maintaining water quality and fish health…regardless of tank size, filtration method, or fish species.  When doing partial water changes, be sure to use a manual or battery-operated gravel washer.  In this way, you will remove debris trapped in the substrate along with the water…that’s all the maintenance your undergravel filter will need!

 

Currents

Undergravel filters have another characteristic that suits them well for use with goldfish.  Goldfish evolved in slow-moving waters, and they cannot abide fast currents; fantails, lionheads and other round-bellied varieties are especially-weak swimmers.  Yet they produce a good deal of waste, and do best in aquariums equipped with powerful filters (which usually put out strong outflow currents).  Undergravel filters discharge clean water through two tubes that reach to the water’s surface…even when very powerful air pumps are used, outflow currents remain mild.  You can check out a wide variety of air pump styles and sizes here; please post below if you need assistance in choosing a pump.

 

Increasing Your Filter’s Efficiency

Power heads can be used in place of air pumps if you need to increase water flow through the gravel bed.  You can also set up a reverse-flow system, which will lessen the amount of detritus that becomes trapped in the substrate; please post below for details.

 

Commercially-available aerobic bacteria (i.e. Nutrafin Cycle) can be used to jump-start your filter or to boost the beneficial bacteria populations that have developed naturally.

 

Other Goldfish Filters

From simple corner filters to state-of-the art canisters, there is a huge array of other filtering options for goldfish owners.  Please share your thoughts and experiences by posting below.

Further Reading

Aquarium Filtration: Understanding the Nitrogen Cycle

Making the Most of Undergravel Filters

Our first blog on Do-It-Yourself aquarium decoration ideas seemed to get so many creative juices flowing that we’re back with some more ideas, tips and examples. In the first blog, we covered some general ideas for how to look at different objects as possible aquarium decorations. This time, we’re going to get more specific based on some of the most common questions from your fellow hobbyists. I created a few different looks after raiding my kitchen cabinets for inspiration using a 2-gallon glass aquarium and a 1-gallon glass bowl but you can adapt the same ideas to aquariums of any size.

Hershey Bears Betta Bowl

I’m personally a huge hockey fan and have done an NHL Philadelphia Flyers-themed betta in the past using gravel and a plant in their colors. For this one, I kept it pretty simple and used a glass pint glass I had for our local AHL team and my personal favorite, the Hershey Bears, as well as some plant substrate in different shades of brown. Since the logo on the glass is pretty solid, I left the glass empty except for some substrate in the bottom. The glass is sitting on the bottom of the bowl itself and I added the substrate around it to keep it in place. Read More »

Today I’ll highlight some fish-keeping items that I’d be pleased to give or receive as holiday gifts. For the most part, I’ve focused on Reverse Osmosis Systems and Ultraviolet Sterilizers, both of which lessen our workload while enhancing fish and invertebrate survival.  I was first introduced to these tools while working in zoos and public aquariums, and am happy to see that reasonably-priced models are now available for home use.

Reverse Osmosis Systems

I first began working with reverse osmosis (RO) systems about 15 years ago, while trying to correct water quality problems that plagued the amphibian collection at the Bronx Zoo.  Those I used were effective, but also huge, complicated, and difficult to maintain…I hated them!  Today’s home units are much more user-friendly; instruction manuals are posted online (please see links to individual products below), and customer support is readily available.
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With the growing popularity and availability of fish like GloFish and GloTetras and decorations like our own Pure Aquatic Glow Elements line, “glow-in-the-dark” and fluorescent aquariums are becoming more and more common. Most of these animals and decorations are brightly colored in any light but under special lighting, the colors will really glow. There are two main kinds of light that are used in these aquariums: “blacklights” and actinic lights. Knowing the difference between these two can play an important role in making your tank really stand out, as well as in keeping it healthy. For this blog, we will be focusing in general terms only for community aquariums. Aquarium with invertebrates and corals will have different needs since their light requirements are much more specific and extensive.

First, the science…

The colors we see around us come from the light’s wavelength, measured in Terahertz (THz) or nanometers (nm). Most people can see light ranging from about 700nm (reds) to about 400nm (purples). Blacklights and actinic lights both produce light from the bottom of the visible light spectrum (the BIV in ROY G BIV). Most actinic lighting for aquariums has a wavelength of about 420-460nm. The higher end of this range (460nm) produces a more blue color light, while the color shifts to purple approaching the lower end (420nm). This type of lighting is still well within what we are capable of seeing. “Blacklights” emit a light below what we as humans are able to see known as ultraviolet or UV light. Yes, this is the same UV light that we wear sunscreen to protect ourselves against! UV lighting is separated into three major ranges. Blacklight bulbs are UV-A bulbs (315-400nm), the spectrum which causes our skin to tan. For comparison, the UV Sterilizers popular in aquariums for eliminating algae, diseases and parasites are UV-C bulbs (200-280 nm), a destructive spectrum that is mostly filtered out by Earth’s atmosphere and the UV-B range in between is the more damaging rays from the sun that causes sunburn and other harmful conditions. Read More »