This is a list of the questions most frequently asked by other hobbyists and beginner aquarists. If these answers do not satisfy, feel free to send an email via the contact page and we will post your question and answer.
Your aquarium water may be cloudy for a number of reasons, to begin it depends on the colour of the water. If it is a green then most likely you have green water, an annoying type of algae that is hard to get rid of, i suggest you keep the tank out ofdirect sunlight, do water changes and maybe buy a UV filter.
If it is a cloudy white this can be due to a few reasons. The most likely is you have recently set up this tank, what you are seeing is a bacteria bloom that will soon pass (anywhere from 1 day to a couple of weeks). This bloom or mini cycle can also happen if you change a large amount (say more than 50%) of the tanks water or if you wash the filter media. Try to avoid doing either of these things. Overstocking and overfeeding can cause a light haze, maybe reduce both of these.
It could also be dust from a new ornament you have put in, you may need to do constant water changes to get rid of this. Substrates like Fluorite can make the tank cloudy for the first few weeks but will clear up later on.
For a planted tank 8-10 hours a day will be more than sufficient. Be sure to keep the tank out of direct sunlight as this will only promote the growth of algae in the aquarium. Don’t leave the aquarium lights on for 24 hours a day, the fish and plants need to respire and rest. This would lead to the eventual death of fish and plants.
Yes it has been proven that fish do sleep during the night. It is important to let them get there rest by giving the aquarium sufficient darkness during the night. If prolonged viewing hours are an issue, it is best to use lighting during day hours and then at night add some moonlights for added viewing time. Have a read of DIY Moonlights
This is a misconception that is not true. Larger fish will soon need a larger aquarium to be healthy and happy. Restricting them to a smaller aquarium may stunt the fish growth and result in physical deformities. Be sure to give the right environment each species of fish in the aquarium.
This may be due to a number of reasons. If it is a new tank, the tank may be going through the stage of turning ammonia into nitrite, in most tanks this can and will reach toxic levels and may kill your fish, to stop this do small 10-15% water changes each day.
Other reasons could be something contaminated put into the tank recently, a new rock or sculpture. Disease in some species of fish can be common; it is not unknown for a whole species of fish to suddenly die due to a break down in there immune system. Make sure the temperature is still high and you are feeding them a varied diet.
Check your water levels, you will probably find spikes of ammonia or nitrite in the water. Sometimes it can be more simple, if you forget to put water conditioner when you do a water change you have the chance of letting in toxic chlorine and chloramines, if this may be it, use some now.
You have to wait until the nitrite spike has gone and nitrates are starting to rise, for a new aquarium this will be anywhere from 2-8 weeks, it is very wise to wait for this to end, because if you add more fish at this stage it will only put more pressure on the bacteria and most likely kill your fish.
A good guide for keeping fish in your tank is about 1” of fish per 1 gallon of water. For larger fish it is recommended only 1” of fish for every 3 gallons of water. Larger fish often have a higher strain on the tanks biological bacteria and filter media.
After gravel, rocks, plants, decor there will be far less volume in the aquarium. Ensure you are aware of the adult size the fish in the aquarium will grow. This will help in understanding how many fish to stock at this stage. It is no use stocking a 30 gallon tank with 25” of fish and then finding out that the fish will grow to 2” each, leaving you with 50” of fish.
Yes, following the typical convention of high light, substrate, ferts and co2 is not the only route to a beautiful planted aquarium. Low-tech setups with low lighting and minimal fertilizers are an excellent budget conscious option. However it is recommended to only use low light plants such as java-ferns, Amazon swords, moss and anubais. Some stem plants will also do well in lower light conditions.
Yes & Yes. PMDD works wonders and is another budget conscious approach to having a planted aquarium. Ensure to under dose as apposed to overdosing. This can overload the system with organic material and lead to an algae outbreak. I personally still use this recipe. I receive similar results from PMDD as commercial fertilizers at minimal cost. One thing to look out for is copper additives, in a shrimp tank these will have a negative impact on shrimp health.
Algae problems are infuriating and generally exist due to a number of reasons. There may be an unbalance of nutrients in the water, you might have too much lighting and not enough co2 and fertilizers, the plants can only consume these three in an equal ratio so having an off balance on one will lead to an algae outbreak.
Algae may also grow on slower growth plants like anubais and java fern. This is very common and manual removal of the algae is recommended. If you have constant algae problems and are near direct sunlight try to reduce this during the day as it will be a major contributor to the amount of algae. If you feed too much or put in too much fertilizer it will once again cause the imbalance and a rise in algae.
