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If you eagerly want to rear freshwater fish for food, whether in your backyard or as starting a
serious aquaculture career, then this is the guide you are looking for. However, the designs
in this page can be applied for saltwater fish farming. This wiki does not teach you how to
make fish reproduce, however to grow fish from fry.
doubled in 0.75~2 days. If your growth rate is lower than this, optimise the growth condition
by fertilising the water, increase water temperature, etc. Aside from fertilising the water, you
may use filthy water from fish vessel. Always harvest duckweed as long as vegetation is
dense, and must leave spaces in between duckweed.
Nitrogen Removal: Fish excretes ammonia as waste. Nevertheless, fish slime and
pelletised feed can introduce considerable amount of crude proteins, which foul the water as
they decompose into nitrogenous wastes. In freshwater designs, water-floating plant is used
to promptly absorb nitrogenous wastes which are ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. In saltwater
environments, you may use Caulerpa sp. to scrub nitrogenous waste and Caulerpa itself
provides food for fish as they multiply. However, most aquarists popularly use mechanical
protein skimmer which as its name applies, scrub crude matrix-structured proteins but not
nitrogenous wastes as proteins are broken down by microorganisms in the water. You can
also use protein skimmer in combination with water-floating plants (water plants for
saltwater) for more efficient waste removal depending on the intensity of your project.
Obtain water lettuce from your local ponds for your fish tank, if you do not grow duckweed
but provide fish pellets. Water lettuce has high nitrogen assimilation (ammonia, nitrite,
nitrate etc), has small individual sizes but dense roots.
Commonly, aquarists love to apply biofilter which resides oxidising bacteria that convert
ammonia to nitrite and nitrate. When ammonia is depleted, these bacteria also scrub nitrite,
but they are not the big users of nitrogenous wastes, rather they extract metabolic energy
from turning the toxic ammonia into decreasingly potent oxidised forms, i.e. nitrite then
nitrate. That is why plants are preferred than bacteria as they are high users of nitrogenous
waste and much cleanly assimilate nitrogenous waste from water. In plants, especially
water-floating plants, leaf is a major part of the organs that absorbs nutrients and followed
by the root system. Plants preferably assimilate ammonia than nitrite, and nitrite than
nitrate as additional energy is required to reduce the oxidised forms to form immediate
substrates in amino acid biosynthesis. Since only a fraction of protein consumed is excreted,
nitrogen levels in the tank can be managed easily with water-floating plants. Inversely, due
to the photosynthetic limitation of plants and the large cover area of water-floating plant
needed, a self-sufficient system without putting additional fish feed will incur very much
longer period of time for fish to grow into mature sizes. Thus the major purpose of waterfloating plant is to assimilate nitrogenous waste, than to supplement a meagre amount of
crude proteins as to the ratio of illuminated area of a tank.
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A self-sufficient aquarium setup: It needs no additional water, and food theoretically, but
only requires electricity, sunlight and air. It is wise not to place subtanks higher or lower than
main water tanks in any designs for continuous pumping as extra energy is required to
pump water uphill. Thus continuous flow within the water level is recommended. In
designing an aquarium, you can save energy and costs by using apparatus that serves
double functions, such as using the water flow-out from oxygenator to facilitate water
circulation in a tank. Tanks with big openings are recommended in order to increase
photosynthetic activity in the tank. By the way, just do not forget that fish cannot eat if they
cannot see the food. Self-sufficiency requires the following equipments:
automatic food feeder
solid filter/remover
oxygenator/air pump
Setup of Automatic Duckweed Feeder Coupled with Solid Remover: The automatic
duckweed feeder is characterised by 2 compartments. The major and minor compartments
both have surface areas of 75% and 25% respectively (25% is counted from 0.333/1.333
starting from 1.000 in day 2, since duckweed completely double in 3 days (each day gives a
0.333 increase)). Duckweed is bred in the compartment/tray where it is exposed to sunlight.
The tray must be immersed slightly below water to transfer heat away because strong solar
irradiation can overheat the tray water. 25% of the duckweed is pumped out every time and
you can adjust the minor area to suit your daily feeding times. When water is pumped into
the feeder, water level rises in both compartments. On the right compartment, water
continues to rise which also bring duckweed trapped in the compartment to eventually
overflow and being released from the outlet. The rise in water level is first preceded by
swirling of water to stir up stagnant duckweed and to improve distribution of duckweed
before they are trapped in the major and minor column. The receding of water level in the
tray is aided by a semi-flow damming structure which allows water to rise abruptly but also
leak water out gradually and allow water level to recede to the normal level. Coupled to the
feeder is a fine solid remover, which slows down water speed and allow insoluble residues to
settle to the bottom of the container. The precipitation is moved to the outside of the vessel
through a small diameter pipe, in which any increase of water level in the vessel can cause
the flow and together clearing the collected residue out of the container. Normally when
water is put into the fish tank, rising water level forces the solids to be refused to the
external of the tank. Another one great design which is not shown is using whiskered belt to
rake duckweed from a duckweed-breeding tank into the fish tank. In this way, it allows for
separate tanks in order to fertilise the water with plant nutrients for duckweed breeding
while not disturbing the optimal aqueous environment in the tank specified for fish breeding
because both tanks are disconnected. In both designs, pellet feeder is used in conjunction
with duckweed feeder to supplement feeding. A timer is setup for the operation of the
duckweed feeder such that an equilibrium between optimal duckweed output of a tank and
the duckweed cover area is achieved, and such that no adjustment is required for at least a
fortnight to bench self-sufficiency.
Setup of oxygenator/tank circulator: There should always be more than one oxygenator
(aerator) in an aquarium system because break down of this important device can cause fish
fatality in short moments. Since the air bubble sizes of the oxygenator can produce are very
small but crucial, they tend to saturate the water. This can damage fish gills and cause fish
sick, just like fish cramming the surface to grasp for air when the water has low dissolved
oxygen (DO). To prevent this, avoid using this device in very small aquarium/vessels. To build
it, place the air tube at the water inlet of water pump, adjust the end of tube until it gets
close enough to the turbine and eventually air is sucked in automatically. Turbine blades
crush air pockets into very small bubbles which can be way smaller than that of Venturi
pumps (Venturi oxygenator requires a powerful water pump, as it has a high water speed to
bubble size efficiency ratio), and hence energy is not wasted in water dynamics but rather
creating smaller air bubbles. As for this particular design of oxygenator, it has been proven
to be very effective at creating the smallest bubbles with high energy efficacy. For setup, the
size of bubbles produced is dependent on the depth of pump in water. So adjust it by the
depth from the water surface until gas bubbles are continually spurted out but small. For
detachable parts of the pump, try to use glue to fix them up permanently.
Setup of water tray (plants and coral bones inserted): In cases where your tank
produces extra nitrogenous wastes, you need additional water tray that contains waterfloating plants which absorb such waste that can be harmful to fish in high concentrations. If
you purely feed your fish with pellets, water lettuce is highly needed to assimilate
nitrogenous wastes; in semi-intensive systems, duckweed is raised rather than water lettuce
for food and nitrogen assimilation but duckweed is 3.3 times less efficient at absorbing
nitrogen, thus requiring more surface cover area for a certain amount of nitrogenous waste.
The following designs portrays the position of water trays: Place enough water lettuce or
duckweed until the illuminated area of the water tray is filled with non-overlapping plants. If
you feed using fish pellets, water lettuce should be introduced. Duckweed is put to grow
more of itself, by absorbing nutrients/waste in the vessel, which forms a nutrient-recycling
self-sufficient loop. The main purpose of putting plants inside water tray is to prevent the
plants being overeaten or roots of water lettuce being eaten by fish. These plants would
quickly absorb harmful ammonia from the water. Often when ammonia lacks, this plant
switches to nitrite assimilation, and then nitrate. Place coral bones or calcium shells around
the tray which in saltwater terminology act as calcium reactor as oxygenator is used in
combination. As oxygenator introduces carbon dioxide that decrease water pH gets in
contact with calcium shells, this hardens the water by producing soluble calcium bicarbonate
(carbonic acid + calcium carbonate -> calcium bicarbonate). Most importantly, neutral pKa
of calcium bicarbonate maintains proper pH of water, reducing the formation of unionised
form of ammonia (NH3) which is harmful to fish.
Fertilise water with NPK fertiliser and salt (sea salt). NPK is needed to grow algae
which feed filter-feeding fish such as Tilapia, and also blur the water so as to provide better
sense of security for fish. This is advised because fish grows faster and healthier in murky
waters. Do not add fertiliser further when water is overblown with algae as fish pellet
introduces too much nitrogenous by-products (pellet is a form of fertiliser too). Salt provides
the most effective bath treatment, and is used to eliminate ciliated protozoan parasites,
including ich. Salt is used to curb the absorption of nitrite which causes gill diseases, and to
mediate the osmotic pressure exerted by freshwater on wounds in the skin and gill. To
produce a 0.3% salt solution (a treatment dosage against most protozoan parasites), 1
tablespoon of salt is used per gallon of water; to produce a 0.6% salt solution (a treatment
dosage against Trichodina), 2 tablespoons of salt for every one gallon of water; and to
produce a 0.9% salt solution, 3 tablespoons of salt for every one gallon of water.
Water steriliser. You may install ozone steriliser in your tank in order to decrease the level
of phytoplanktons and the likelihood of water-borne fish diseases such as the common ich
and to prevent water fouling. The reason ozone is superior over UV-254nm is that ozone is
able to completely break down organic matter into carbon dioxide, while UV light would only
disrupt functioning of living organisms. Although, water-borne algae and probiotic bacteria
(found in fish health products) can be easily killed with ozonated water, the aseptic
environment provides an overall healthier water condition for fish. By using ozone steriliser,
you would also have to compromise fish' sense of security as algae is wiped out. During the
day in poorly-aerated water, as the level of carbonic acid decreases, pH can reach as high as
9.0 in the afternoon while at night, respiration releases carbon dioxide into the water
causing the pH to fall. The dying off of phytoplankton bloom can cause ammonia spikes
which harm fish gills.
Thus, this can be solved by intense aeration of water, killing phytoplankton diversities or in
emergency cases by adding dolomite and gypsum at different times of the day can shift the
pH of water to neutrality. In this design, both air and water are pumped to ensure proper
flow through the ozone generator machine, although the pumps are not drawn. The dryness
of air at input determines the efficiency of any corona discharge ozone generator. Thus air
must be treated with desiccants before being pumped into ozone-producing chamber.
Sonicator (ultrasound generator) functions both as water atomiser and water degasser.
Water is atomised in order to increase surface contact area between soluble organic matter
and ozone. Since ozone is harmful to all forms of life, degasser is used to remove minute gas
bubbles that contain ozone gas or dissolved ozone. Sonicator is one of the most efficient
method to degas, as with efficiencies within as few as five seconds. Although not drawn, the
last stage of this ozone steriliser is a column consisting of porous iron oxide which frequent
replenishes are needed. The iron oxides remove ozone remnants in the water. With these
measure, the exposure hazard of fish to ozone is minimal. The air in the mixing chamber is
forced through a tube into the degassing chamber by feeding through an airstone. Bubbling
of gas aids to return atomised water in the gas into the water. The water steriliser can be
coupled with solid remover for continuous operation.
Place adequate fish. Depending on your vessel size, put enough fish (determined by the
volume of eventual matured fish). The rule of thumb is the lower fish stocking density, the
faster fish grow. The maximum stocking density for any fish is 150kg adult size per unit
cubic meter, which is extremely not recommended. It is better to mix different species of
fish (polyculture) as this reduces fish fight. You should also put fish of same sizes and
prevent ornamental items in fish tanks to avoid territorial fights as much as possible.
Fish protection and mosquito control: Covering your tank is crucial as you do not want
every visit greeted by dead fish on the floor.Put also some mosquito fish in fishless water
trays to devour mosquito larva (mosquito only breed in still tanks without fish)as this project
can breed tons of mosquito.Instead of using opaque tank cover like polystyrene board,you
can use wire gauzes to allow both sunlight and air in.
Scale-up
The information above is a good precursor to initiation of large-scale aquaculture. The
following is a summary diagram of a standard design.
Slanting waterbed designs allow efficient collection of precipitated solids into
treatment plants
Centrifuge filter/backwash filter - in intermittent manner to remove large solids, clean
water is released and effluent is sent to settling basin. You can also apply protein
skimmers in this section.
Settling basin - further separate minute immiscible solids from effluent, sludge is
dispatched at times, clean water is recycled back into system
Biofilter - natural-living microorganisms are bred in biofilters to disintegrate soluble
waste in the water. Together with biofilter, it is also recommended to add arrays of water
plants or hydroponics to sequester water-soluble nitrogenous wastes from the water.
Buffering tank - buffers water from filters and settling basin.
pH adjuster - double-sensor-controlled to act against out-of-range pH of water, two
sensors at inlet and outlet to detect pH, and thus controlling amount of pH fixer to be
applied, or control volume of water mixing
Ozone/UV disinfector - to kill disruptive waterborne microorganisms
Oxygenator - to saturate the water with oxygen and increase dissolved oxygen (DO)
before water is released into pond. In large-scale aquaculture, it is not recommended to run
aerators intermittently, but to trickle the flow until the water output is constantly saturated
with fine air bubbles, so as to reduce waterborne diseases and increase fish metabolism.
Tips
What is anticipated:
Growth of algae that makes water murky, this is to provide sense of security for the
fish. If the fish feels safe, they grow faster as stress hormones in their body are low.
Provide as much oxygen as possible. High dissolved oxygen (DO) is needed to carry
out metabolism and digestion in the fish. The higher the DO, the more the fish eat,
the faster they grow.
24 hours full light blast. It depends on your judgement. You can experiment on the
amount of hours.
No food waste (food pellets) unless you use duckweed and shrimps as feed. If you
feed fish pellets using an automatic feeder, adjust properly until no feed is wasted as
it pollutes the tank with ammonia. E.g. 4-hour intervals.
Grow at their highest optimal temperature. Do research on what temperature is the
best for the fastest growth. For instance, tilapia is at 30 Degree C. Electric heater is
needed in cold climates.
You may double the equipments for your fish tank design so as to avoid downtime
that can cause fish fatality.
Things You'll Need
a big round water vessel (avoid corners that induce territorial fight of fish)
water tray (sizes subject to you, necessities subject to design 1 & 2)
Coral bones
a normal submersible water pump
hoses of right sizes (bigger diameters give less clog)
automatic food feeder (subject to your feed)
large area of wire gauzes
Water lettuce or duckweed
Plant fertilisers (NPK) and salt
Aquarium equipment can sometimes seem a bit daunting, theres so many different things
available and it can be difficult to know what are the most suitable items for the set up you
are aiming for. Some things are essential to all set ups, some are optional depending on the
sort of set up you wish to achieve. This article focusses on the things you are likely to need
for a freshwater set up. We are working on putting together a similar guide for aquarium
equipment for marine aquariums and set ups.
An understanding of the nitrogen cycle, the fishless cycle, and the needs of the
fish you wish to keep.
The most important thing you need for all set ups is an understanding of the nitrogen cycle,
and basic water chemistry. Next you need a good understanding of the needs of the fish you
wish to keep. The fish you want to keep will influence the set up you need to provide. On
the other hand, the set up you are able to provide may determine the fish you are able to
keep. For example, if you are unable to provide a large aquarium then you will not be able
to keep very large species. Some fish have specific requirements regarding dcor for
example so you will need to make sure youre prepared for what they need, while others are
less fussy.
Aquariums
There are numerous options available on the market from plug n play aquariums to
bespoke ones. Whether you buy new or find a second hand bargain you must be sure that
the aquarium will be suitable for the maximum adult size of the fish you want to keep.
Some people start small and upgrade as the fish grow but this is very difficult to do in
reality. Many people find it hard to judge when a larger aquarium is needed and
inadvertently risk the health of their pets by not providing them with the correctly sized
aquarium when they need it. Its far easier, cheaper and a lot less work to buy the right
sized aquarium in the first place. Take a moment to think about the work needed to move
an entire set up from one aquarium to another with all the opportunities for chaos this
involves and hopefully youll agree that its better to get it right from the start! You should
also consider that your circumstances might change. While you may have every intention of
upgrading to a bigger aquarium when you first get your fish, unforeseen circumstances may
prevent this. This is why we recommend that you buy the right sized aquarium from the
outset.
Aquariums come in many shapes and sizes. A traditional rectangular glass aquarium is
usually the best option for most people. These provide a good surface area for gas
exchange which is beneficial to the health of the fish as it means plenty of oxygen is able to
get into the water. Fish generally prefer to swim side to side. A rectangular
aquarium provides a good length for them to swim along. Corner aquariums can give a
reasonable volume of water in a convenient space, and the swimming length is often quite
good too. Circular or bowl shaped aquariums make it harder for fish to enjoy a good length
of water for swimming. These aquariums can work for certain species but the shape of
aquarium you choose must be suitable for the species you wish to keep so make sure youve
researched properly beforehand. Remember that the fishes requirements always take
priority over the aesthetics of any particular style of aquarium. Once you know the volume
of your aquarium you should subtract approximately 10% for dcor. Dcor displaces water
so will slightly reduce the amount of water your aquarium can hold.
Aquarium stands
Aquariums weigh a substantial amount when full so you need to be sure that anything you
use as a stand is capable of bearing the weight. Many aquariums have stands available to
go with them and these are guaranteed to support them properly. If you buy a new tank you
should check the guarantee carefully in case it is invalidated if you dont use a certain
stand. If you choose to use something else, or make your own, you should work out how
much the whole aquarium will weigh when full of water and substrate before choosing or
making a stand. Even a smallish aquarium of seventy litres will weigh close to ninety-five
kilogrammes or fourteen stone when full of water and with gravel substrate.
Aquarium hood/lid
Most aquariums need hoods or lids. Some fish can be jumpers by nature so you dont want
to find your beloved pet has made a leap and ended up down the back of the aquarium!
Hoods also prevent cats from having a fish around in the aquarium so are essential if you
have pet cats too. Hoods help prevent excess water evaporation and are often used to hold
lights, and sometimes filtration. It is possible to do without a hood if you want an open
topped aquarium but you must be certain your fish will not jump out and nothing else will
jump in!
Aquarim Filters
There are a few different types of filter available. Filters work by drawing water in one side
and sending it through a series of filtration methods before pouring it back into the
aquarium. Whichever type you choose you will need to be sure that it is rated for the size of
aquarium you have. Filters come in different sizes and different flow rates. They are usually
rated for certain sizes of aquarium and this will be specified in the manufacturers details.
The type of filter you choose will depend on what sort of set up you are aiming for and what
fish you want to keep. Below are the most commonly used types of filter, there are others
but weve chosen to focus on these for the purpose of this article.
Internal filters sit inside the aquarium. These are sometimes included in the purchase of
an aquarium and if so are often attached in place already so you dont need to worry about
installing it yourself. Some are able to be removed though if you prefer to change it for an
alternative filter. There are plenty of different shapes and sizes available, most are attached
by means of suction pads on the back which stick to the glass. They operate on mains
power. Different filters require different media, some use sponges, some use ceramics and
some a mix of both. These are suitable for smaller set ups, or for lightly stocked aquariums.
Their smaller size makes them unsuitable for larger communities or big, messy fish as they
cant hold enough media to grow a big enough colony of bacteria to cope with the waste.
External filters sit outside the aquarium, usually underneath in a cabinet or stand and also
run on mains power. Plastic hose runs from the inside of the aquarium to the filter and back
again. They need to be below the level of the aquarium to operate effectively as they use
gravity and the siphon effect to help the pump/powerhead. The filter houses a
pump/powerhead which draws water out of the aquarium, through the hose and into the
filter. The water is then pumped back into the aquarium through another hose. External
filters can be quite simple, or fairly all-singing all-dancing. Eheims range includes external
thermofilters which have a heating element built into the filter itself meaning no separate
heater is required to go in the aquarium. There are also filters with electronic controls which
allow you to control flow rates etc. and even link your filter to your PC to monitor it!
External filters are popular for larger aquariums as the larger size of filter needed makes it
difficult to accommodate a suitably sized internal filter. They are also popular for messy fish
which produce a lot of waste as the larger volume of media they can hold provides a larger
surface area for filter bacteria to live on. They tend to use a mix of ceramic and sponge
media.
Air-driven sponge filters are suitable for small and lightly stocked aquariums. They are
popular for fry aquariums and shrimp aquariums as the tiny creatures cant get sucked
inside as they might with an internal or external canister filter. The filters consist of a plastic
tube with a sponge attached to one end which sits inside the aquarium. The plastic tube is
attached to an airline powered by an air pump. The movement of the air through the tube
makes the water circulate through the tube as well. The water is drawn into the tube
through the sponge, it is the sponge that catches debris and houses the filter bacteria.
External filters need tubing to connect them to the inlet and outlets in the aquarium.
Tubing is usually provided with new purchases but you may need longer lengths depending
on your set up, or need to buy new if youve bought a second hand filter. Tubing comes in a
variety of diameters depending on the size of your filter so make sure you know what size
you need when you go shopping. Most aquatic stores will cut you the length you need from
a large reel, so check the length you need beforehand. Its better to buy slightly more than
you think you need than find out youve slightly underestimated.
Spray bars are popular additions to the outlet of a filter. The outlet is the bit that returns
water to the aquarium. A spray bar is a rigid tube with holes along it, the water comes out
through the holes and distributes across the aquarium. These are not essential however.
They are often supplied as part of a filter kit.
Filter media refers to the sponges, ceramics and other filtration items that sit inside the
filter body. Sponges and ceramics remove debris mechanically by trapping bits and pieces
and preventing them returning to the aquarium. They also operate biologically by providing
a home to the filter bacteria which process the fish waste from toxic to non toxic. Some
types of media are for specific purposes e.g. phosphate removal and these types of media
also need to be housed inside the filter body. Newly purchased filters usually come with
media provided, but you may wish to swap it for a different type, or add additional media
depending on your requirements. If youve bought a second hand filter you should consider
replacing all the old media for new.
Venturi valves fit to internal filters (depending on the model) and allow the filter to suck in
air as well as water so that when the water is returned to the aquarium it returns a flow of
bubbles. This can be helpful in keeping the water well oxygenated. Certain models of filter
come with them when you buy them from new but you dont have to use them if your fish
dont need them.
UV sterilisers are not crucial but they can be useful for delicate species to help keep
pathogens at bay. They have a mixed reception in the online community, some keepers find
them to be effective but others dont find they make much of a difference. The type
pictured below fit to an external filter inline with the filter hosing on the output side, but
could be powered by a small pump. The water flows past an Ultra Violet light as it goes
through, the UV light kills various pathogens and algae spores.
Air pumps are just that, pumps which pump air into the aquarium. This helps provide
aeration by increasing the surface area of the water for gas exchange. Each tiny bubble has
its own little surface area which helps oxygen get into the water. Air pumps help increase
turbulence at the water surface, further enabling oxygen to be taken into the water. The
position of the air stone in the aquarium can help avoid dead spots and improve circulation
as the movement of the air through the water effectively drags water up from the bottom
of the aquarium.
Air pumps sit outside the aquarium and feed air into the water through an airline. An
airline is a thin plastic tube which is attached to the air pump outside the aquarium and
takes the air from the pump into the aquarium. Airline is a standard diameter, you simply
buy as much as you need for the arrangement you want. If you choose the blue silicone
airline be warned that over time it contracts where it is in the water, so make sure you leave
enough slack to account for this inside the aquarium. Airline tends to go stiff with age so
you may need to replace it if you decide to alter your layout at any point.
An aquarium airpump fitted with airline, non-return valve and a small airstone
Aquarium heaters
Heaters are important for tropical set ups where the water temperature often needs to be
higher than the ambient temperature of the room the aquarium is in. Many keepers of
temperate/coldwater fish also keep heaters in their aquariums to ensure steady
temperatures during winter when temperatures in the home can drop during the night when
central heating is off. There are various different types of heater and different sizes
available for different sized aquariums. The general rule of thumb is one watt per litre of
water. For larger set ups it can be better to have two smaller heaters at either end of the
aquarium to ensure even distribution of warmth.
Traditional style heaters are glass tubes with a heating element and thermostat. These
go inside the aquarium and should be attached to the rear glass. They should be in an area
of good flow to prevent hot spots forming and creating uneven water temperatures.
Plastic heater guards are recommended to prevent any curious fish injuring themselves if
they get stuck. Rena Smartheaters work by replacing the inlet for the filter with a heater,
the water gets drawn through the heater on the way to the filter. The Smartheater is on the
left, the traditional style heater on the right in the photo shown below.
stores sell rocks which are suitable for use in aquariums. If you collect rocks from a beach
or other area you must be absolutely sure that you are legally allowed to remove them from
the collection area (check your local bylaws or ask your local council for advice), that they
are completely clean and free of contaminants, and that they are inert and will not affect
your water chemistry. Many species of fish like caves or other similar hiding places. Live
plants are a great addition to the majority of aquariums. Your choices may be limited if you
have large, boisterous fish or fish that enjoy eating plants but dont let this put you off live
plants. Plastic or silk plants can also be used to add shape and movement to an
aquarium, although we think that once youve tried live plants you wont want plastic ones.
A good compromise for big, boisterous fish is to have a mix of real and fake plants. Dont be
afraid of using live plants, there are plenty that are suitable for beginners or for fairly basic
set ups.
Water test kits are your friend. A test kit is an essential piece of kit for every fishkeeper.
Regular testing helps spot any potential problems before they arise so you can take remedial
action if necessary. For freshwater systems you should be able to test for ammonia, nitrite,
nitrate, pH, GH and KH as a minimum. There are various kits available on the market, the API
Master Test Kit is a good choice as it covers most things you will need to test for. GH/KH kits
are available separately to this.
good but do be careful when handling them as they are rather sharp (as one of us knows to
their cost!).
plastic bags are very helpful in protecting the surrounding area from drips and splashes
during water changes. Depending on your choice of filter you may find a plastic funnel
useful for pouring water into the filter for priming it.
For large aquariums, you may find a dirty water pump, or rain butt pump and some
garden hose useful for pumping old water out of whatever container youve siphoned it
into. These pumps are also useful for pumping clean water out of a storage bin and into the
aquarium.
A dirty water pump can be a great help for emptying bins of old water
A selection of brushes is good to have at hand. A new washing up brush and bottle brush
are great for cleaning filter inlets and getting into corners. A filter tube cleaning brush on
a long wire is invaluable for cleaning the tubes on external filters as these can gather quite a
lot of dirt and slow the flow on your filter over time.
Battery powered stick on cupboard lights are great for aquarium cupboards
Labelled plugs will stop you unplugging the wrong piece of aquarium equipment
We strongly recommend you have a good supply of old towels and tea towels that you
keep near the aquarium. The number of times you need one when the nearest one is out of
reach is remarkable!
The joy of setting up and properly maintaining a freshwater aquarium is one that is
experienced by an increasing number of people every year. A new aquarium owner might be
lulled into thinking that a small aquarium is inexpensive, low maintenance, and requires very
little time. While you can certainly try to operate an aquarium under these assumptions, it
probably will not be successful, your fish will not thrive and may die, and you will not enjoy it
nearly as much as you would if you did it correctly. While you may be tempted to purchase a
$99.00 starter kit that includes 'everything you need,' you should be aware that there are
many more expenses involved as well as a serious time commitment on your part.
The purpose of this article is not to discourage you from starting an aquarium, but to make
you aware of the cost and commitment required in running a healthy and successful
aquarium. As a veterinarian, one of my pursuits is to ensure that every animal receives
adequate, humane care. This also includes fish. Because fish can not verbalize their needs
and we are not able to 'touch' them, as well as the fact that many people consider fish as
lower life forms, their welfare is often neglected. The old adage "if a fish dies we'll just get a
new one" has no business in the language of the modern fish keeper. Study after study has
shown that these creatures possess advanced nervous systems and feel pain and suffering
just as much as their mammalian counterparts. If potential aquarium owners are not willing
to acknowledge this and are not committed to the fish's well being first and foremost, then
they are not ready to keep fish. An aquarium should not be viewed as a decoration but as a
living, biological environment that provides a healthy, safe refuge for the fish that live there.
A well maintained, healthy aquarium becomes an object of beauty. A poorly maintained
aquarium is an eyesore and the cause of death for the unlucky fish inhabitants.
The cost of running an aquarium is important because if an aquarium owner is not willing to
invest the necessary money and time in doing it right, then the fish will suffer and die as a
result. The following cost chart takes into account only the basic cost of a small to medium
sized freshwater tank. Salt-water tanks are for experts only and costs for freshwater tanks
are a fraction of a salt-water setup. The cost of your time is not taken into consideration
here. Setting up and maintaining a tank is a hobby and a joy. If you look at tank
maintenance as an unpleasant chore, then you will not spend enough time maintaining it
and therefore have an unhealthy tank, and should consider a different hobby. The price
listed is for a 29-gallon tank, which is a great starter size. Tanks smaller than 12 gallons are
not suitable for most freshwater set-ups and should be reserved for hospital or quarantine
tanks. If you enjoy your aquarium, you will soon find yourself 'needing' a larger tank and the
cost will go up accordingly.
Item
Cost
Tank
$100.00
Stand
$85.00
Fish
$70.00
Light/Hood
$35.00
Gravel
$15.00
Food
$10.00
Plants (plastic/real)
$35.00
Heater
$15.00
Filter
$40.00
$43.00
Carbon
$7.00
Chlorine Reducer
$5.00
$8.50
Net
$6.00
$20.00
Thermometer
$3.00
Medication
$15.00
Driftwood/Rock
$45.00
Algae Scraper
$6.00
Siphon
$8.00
Total:
$571.50
The list of items and their corresponding costs are accurate estimates for what it recently
cost me to set up a 29-gallon tank. I could have spent much more on fish and equipment,
but not much less. A 75-gallon tank, which is a popular medium sized tank, could easily cost
twice the amount to purchase and set up. This price assumes that your fish and plants stay
healthy. If you need to treat and replace them, realize that your cost could go higher and
there are many little things that I will probably need throughout the year that I have not
included in the cost.
As this price chart shows, even a small, simple tank is a big investment and the fish only
represent a small part of the initial cost. However, if you do not spend the time and money
to buy quality equipment, your fish will do poorly and die. Fish tanks are often purchased as
a hobby or novelty for children. But as you can see, the cost and expertise are way beyond a
child's capability or interest and the tank must be primarily funded and maintained by an
interested adult. Children love and can benefit from a well-maintained tank and often enjoy
participating in the care of the fish, but should never be solely responsible for the
maintenance and care of these delicate creatures.
In summary, once you are aware of the cost and time commitment needed to properly care
for an aquarium you can begin researching the inhabitants of your future tank. Design your
tank with the fish in mind. Provide lots of plants, hiding places, and the correct water
chemistry. Start slowly and let your tank 'age' for a couple of weeks before you add fish.
Choose the right kind of fish that work well together and read everything you can get your
hands on. Never accept the death of a fish as normal and strive for the healthiest, most well
maintained tank possible. Then sit back and enjoy the real beauty of the special company of
these happy, healthy living creatures.
It is frequently said that people sell fry to cover the cost of running their aquarium/s and that
the hobby of fish keeping can be an expensive one so we thought (and may regret!) it would
be a good idea to try and quantify this. We will go over we we consider to be a standard tank
with standard equipment as an example however have put together a calculator which you
can find at the end of this article to work out what the cost of running your aquarium is
(dont blame me if its higher than expected!).
As we see it, a typical aquarium is a 240 litre 4 foot tank with a 300W heater and 2x
standard T8 tubes and a Fluval 306 filter. This is as you would buy it from the local fish store
and is all is required to get it up and running. There are of course other things to take in to
consideration such as how long the lighting is on for, ambient room temperature (this affects
how long the heater is on for) and other equipment you may add such as powerheads, extra
filtration and the like.
So if we take the basic set up we have the following equipment:
We now need to look at each piece of equipment and how long it is on for and therefore how
much it costs to run (we will work out the annual cost):
Fluval 306 filter 24 hours per day
(15 Watts 24 hours/day 365 days/year) 1000 = 131.4kWh
Light tubes x2 14 hours per day
(80 Watts 14 hours/day 365 days/year) 1000 = 408.8kWh
Heater 24 hours per day (this is worst case scenario and will be very unlikely to be on for
24 hours per day)
(300 Watts 24 hours/day 365 days/year) 1000 = 2628kWh
So the total kilo Watt hours (kWh) to run our standard aquarium (worst case scenario) is
3168.2kWh
At the time of writing the cost of a kWh is around 12 pence so the cost of running the
aquarium for a year is 0.12 x 3168.2 = 380.18 so roughly 1 per day.