The ultimate recipe for a successful fresh water aquarium (part 8)

 

CO2 Infusion. The most important of all.

  As we have already mention in order for an aquarium to work you need live plants. But in order for the plants to work you need a CO2 infusion system. The reason for this is that plants need CO2 to grow, making CO2 the most important plant nutrient and without it you can have no plants. No plants no aquarium!

  A proper CO2 infusion system comprises of to 'parts' the electronic PH controller and the CO2 regulator with solenoid vale.

  The PH controller is the device that you set the desired PH value for your tank and the unit is opening or closing the solenoid valve of the regulator, allowing more or less CO2 in your tank.

  Please note that this setup is important because CO2 is lowering your PH and without a controller the PH value can drop very low making your water acidic thus 'burning' all your fish!

  The desired PH value depends on your fish. PH 7.0 is neutral. On most occasions a value of 7.1 or 7.2 (alkaline water) is sufficient. However, for Amazon River fish a value of 6.8 (acidic water) might be more appropriate.  

The ultimate recipe for a successful sweet water aquarium (part 7)

The invertebrates

Here we have not really much to say as the most important are the Amano or Ghost shrimps and the Malayan wood shrimps who help maintaining the tank by eating literally all debris and algae.

For any other, just make sure that they are compatible with them.

The ultimate recipe for a successful sweet water aquarium (part 6)

The setup

The setup is the most important off all actions in order to achieve a stable biotope aquarium.

First, we put a layer of live substrate of about 10 cm. 

Then we fill the tank with tab water. Yes. Just tub water.

Then we start the filter to circulate the water for about 4-5 days!

If we want, we can turn the lights on, but whatever we do, we must not put any live fish or plants before the 5-day period. 

This period is important to dechlorinate the tub water. 

If for any reason we want to add fish in shorter time we must test the water with a chlorine tester just to be safe.

Please note that chlorine will burn the fish gills and not leave the aquarium to develop the so much needed beneficial bacteria which are crucial for the life cycle.

When the water is safe, we are ready to add our first fish. At this point please do not add more than one fish and one plant every week only, for the first 3 to 4 weeks!

This is very important for the beneficial bacteria to develop gradually otherwise dangerous pollutants will develop and water tests and changes must be done to ensure the fish safety and this can be a very tiring and not safe way to go.

From this point on you can put more fish but here comes the most important advice you should follow.

From this point on, your aquarium will start to mature.

This means that you should check the Ph of the water every day to check if it tends to drop.

Please note that your water Ph must never go below 7.0 which is neutral.

Αnything more is fine, but anything less is acidic and will burn everything !

Here the only method to avoid the Ph drop is only frequent water changes. There is no other way.

Thankfully this period will not last more than 3- 4 months and normally the water Ph will not drop more than once a week, but please keep checking!

After this period the water Ph will remain constant and you can finally rest! 

Well, almost.

Althaw your water is now stable, you cannot avoid evaporation, which will evaporate pure water, leaving all minerals inside the water Colum which in turn, will increase the water total hardness which is not toxic but it is like us drinking 'hard' water. Not so good.

This is again can only be avoided by water change, but the good news is that this is only needed once or twice a year! 

Having said that, you are ready to setup your fresh water aquarium.

And please remember your aquarium will be better of with out you than messing with it all the time!

The ultimate recipe for a successful sweet water aquarium (part 5)

The fish

The fish are literally bringing life to your aquarium. They don't just look pretty.

Their waste feeds your plants, the same way manure fertilizers the fields.

You can choose any kind of fish, but make sure they are compatible with each other.

Apart from that don't forget to add Amano shrimps, also called Ghost Shrimps ,Cardina Japonica etc.

These are transparent body shrimps that eat all algae and ''dirt'' literally cleaning your aquarium.

If you are lucky after many years, snails might appear. These will come in with your plants and they are two types. Round shell and Corn shape shell. The first will clean your aquarium glass, the second will dig into the substrate much like earth worms giving it air and live from dirt.

The ultimate recipe for a successful sweet water aquarium (part 4)

The plants

Your plants play a very important role in your aquarium as they literally live of the food and fish wastes!

In other words, thy clean you water and they add oxygen!

Your aim is to introduce to your aquarium many plants that can grow with no external help ( Co2 injection or fertilizers ).

This is not an easy task. 

In order to do so you must have to things in mind.

First your tab water will determine which plants will thrive and which will not.

Second you must know what allelopathy is. In short term this means that plants interact with each other and some plants help others to grow some will kill others and some just don't care.

The only way to find out which goes with which is by keep on planting and see which plants will survive!

My recipe is :

Anuvis Nana

Giant duckweed

Ceratophyllum

The first will defiantly grow well.

The second will grow on the surface of your water and will clean your water, regulate the light that goes into your aquarium and protect and feed new born fish !

The Third will protect new born fish and will act as an antibiotic factor for the fish.

And most important don't let anyone else talk you out of this.

The ultimate recipe for a successful sweet water aquarium (part 3)

The substrate

The substrate is the most important element of your aquarium.

I will not go into scientific details about it, but rest assured that your substrate will be a living breathing colony of bacteria with a very delicate balance.

The first thing to do is to choose a live substrate. 

After 15 years with a stable aquarium i recoment the Flourite - Seachem.

The substrate must have a thickness of about 10 cm.

Anything less than that and you will not be able to plant your live plants and no anaerobic conditions will develop, wich are important.

Anything more than that and you are risking to much anaerobic conditions into the substrate which in turn will produce to much hydrogen sulfide which will literally burn all life in your aquarium.

On top of the flourite you can put a thin layer of Aqualite (a white pours clay material for decorative purposes and aerobic bacteria colonization). Please don't use any cheap quartz material as it is to heavy and serve no purpose.