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AQUARIUM AND TERRARIUM TIPS

This section has been created to provide the answers for the most popular questions of our clients. If you want to know more about aquaristics and terraristics, please send your question to our experts:
Aleksandra Kwaśniak-Płacheta – akwasniak@tropical.com.pl
Wojciech Górecki – wgorecki@tropical.com.pl

Tropical - tips

 

QUESTIONS

 

 

BASIC ISSUES

 

 

ANSWERS

 

Ad 1. I want to start my own aquarium. How to make water suitable for aquarium fish? I’m considering fish from the so called „black waters” such as neons or Malawi cichlids of the mbuna group.

There are several ways to prepare the water for aquarium fish. First of all, tap water should be conditioned beforehand. To do so, you can leave it for 24 hours in a dish (for instance in a plastic bucket) or in a special tank intended for this purpose, It’s also recommended to strongly aerate the water. These procedures shall remove chlorine, which can have dangerous effect on your fish. You can also dechlorinate water with special aquarium preparations, such as Antychlor, which binds Cl- ions in water. When starting a new home, you may find useful agents for further physical-chemical and biological conditioning of water. They are used to neutralize any substances harmful to your fish, which can be present in the environment, and to protect fish against excessive stress caused by transportation, adaptation to new conditions or any manipulations performed in the tank. The effect of biological filtration can be achieved with preparations containing nitrifying bacteria, which decompose organic wastes, including compounds of nitrogen and phosphorus. It is important, however, to wait at least 24 hours before letting the fish in. The biological equilibrium of the freshwater tank is established after 14 days, if not facilitated with conditioning agents. You should remember not to use disinfecting-medicinal preparations in new aquaria with tap water. It’s the most commonly made mistake, which can lead to the die-off of all fish in the tank.

 

 

Ad 2. How to deal with a „new tank syndrome”?

„New Tank Syndrome” usually occurs in a newly setup and not biologically established tanks. In the situation when bacterial flora, which carry out nitrification processes (changing ammonia into nitrite and then further into nitrate), have not matured yet, the above mentioned chemical compounds start to accumulate in the tank, leading to poisoning of fish and other inhabitants of the tank. The quantity of wastes, including ammonia produced by the fish, depends on the number of specimens in the tank. The more fish in the tank, the greater chance of poisoning. „New tank syndrome” can be prevented in a number of ways. First method would be using conditioning preparations such as Bacto-Active, containing live cultures of nitrifying bacteria, which colonise biological medium of your filter, effectively shortening the time needed for establishing the biological equilibrium. Similar effect can be achieved by seeding new filter with bacteria from biologically active filter. One thing to remember is that it must be active filter from the tank with healthy fish.

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If you do not speed up „maturing” of a newly setup tank, do not let all your fish in at the beginning. Leave the tank for the first fourteen days with a limited number of fish. They will excrete ammonia, which is a breeding-ground for the development of nitrifying bacteria, but its concentration will not reach dangerous level. If you happen to suffer “New Tank Syndrome”, the best solution is everyday replacement of 50% of water for new water that should sit beforehand for at least 24 hours (this procedure to be repeated until low level of ammonia and nitrates is reached). It may take even fourteen days, but visible improvement should be observed after just a few days. After each change it is recommended to use preparations stimulating the colonisation of nitrifying bacteria (e.g. Bacto-Active). In tanks where “New Tank Syndrome” occurred one should pay extra attention to feeding. Fast your fish for a first few days. When the situation improves, give them only the amount which will immediately be eaten to avoid any waste accumulation.

 

 

Ad 3. Which preparations should I use to enjoy an attractive looking aquarium for long?

After periodic treatments (such as partial water change, cleaning or desludging the tank) intended to keep physical-chemical parameters optimal for aquarium animals, you can also use preparations alleviating stress and add some trace elements. New water intended for water change should be conditioned beforehand, which can be done with preparations such as Antychlor or Esklarin. Antychlor binds chlorine present in tap water, so if you’re sure that the level of chlorine in your water is not dangerous to fish and other inhabitants of the tank, it is enough to use Esklarin. This preparation contains substances protecting skin and gills against various chemical compounds, including chlorine. Esklarin also alleviates stress experienced by fish and other aquatic organisms during any treatments performed in the tank.

 

 

Ad 4. I want to set up a small aquarium with shrimps. How should I start it and how to look after it?

Starting a small aquarium with shrimps is not a complicated thing. Looking after it is equally easy. Many companies offer complete sets (tank + all equipment). You can use even very small tanks with a volume of a few litres. Before you let the shrimps in you should put some effort to prepare the water. Tap water should be conditioned beforehand the same way you condition water for fish (Ad 1.). Shrimps are very sensitive to most disinfecting – medicinal preparations, hence you should not use them in tanks with these crustaceans. Changes of 10-30% of water are dependent on the size of the tank and the number of shrimps. Usually they are carried out every 1-2 weeks. Beginners in the hobby are recommended to buy species, which are easy to take care after and suitable for most tanks with shrimps, such as Amano or Red Cherry. For feeding shrimps read Ad 5.

 

 

Ad 5. I have dwarf shrimps? Which Tropical products can I feed them?

For dwarf shrimps we recommend: Shrimp Sticks, Crusta Sticks and Caridina Nano Sticks. A perfect supplementation of their diet would be foods for fish such as: Super Spirulina Forte 36%, czy Astacolor. Generally speaking, foods for shrimps should either sink or float in the middle layers of water because these invertebrates usually feed at the bottom or find their food in the body of water. As shrimps accompany fish, they can also eat their food and such situations should not worry you.

 

 

Ad 6. I want to start an aquarium. Which fish are recommended for beginners in the hobby?

The choice of fish for your aquarium should be made on the basis of the size of your tank and its equipment. You also need to decide whether you want to set up a „social” tank or if you wish to recreate a particular biotope. In social tanks one keeps fish from different parts of the world, regardless of their places of origin. In this case you should, however, remember to chose species which are not aggressive to one another. Biotope tank is the type of aquarium, where you keep fish from one part of the world only, for example from African lake Malawi. All plants and animals should be picked according to certain scheme. Beginners in the hobby are recommended to start social tanks as this type is the easiest to maintain. There are no rules as to the choice of species. Therefore, it is recommend to chose the ones which are easy to look after. Species which are not very demanding include: zebrafish, guppies, green swordtails, bronze corydoras, White Cloud Mountain minnows, bettas, gold gourami, rosy or Sumatra barbs.

 

 

Ad 7. Which parameters of water should I monitor and how to do it?

The most important parameters to monitor are ammonia (NH3/NH4+), nitrate (NO2-) and nitrite (NO3) levels and (pH) value. There are also tests measuring general and carbonate hardness and electric conductivity, but used less frequently. The concentration of particular substances in aquarium water determine whether it is suitable for fish keeping. First three parameters tell you if your tanks is already biologically established and if your filtration system works properly. If you test your water once a week, the results will help you to capture the right moment to change water. Remember that incorrect concentration of nitric compounds may cause poisoning of fish. The pH level is also an important parameter, influencing all inhabitants of the tank. Each species prefer different pH value, which also plays an important role in reproduction. Sudden changes of pH value can be the result of overfeeding. The concentration of ammonia and pH level should be monitored after every break down of filtrating equipment and each time you observe unnatural behaviour of your fish.

Tropical - tips

Aquarium tests are categorised as colorimetric and titrimetric. The result of the colorimetric test is read from the colour scale. Each colour of water or reagent pad corresponds to certain defined value. Colorimetric tests are used to measure the pH level, the concentration of ammonia, nitrates and nitrites. Titrimetric tests are intended to investigate the content of salts or other compounds. You read the value (water parameter) from the quantity of the reagent used (for instance 5 drops of the reagent added to the solution to obtain discoloration give the result 5°n of general hardness).

 

 

Ad 8. What is the difference between regular filter and the one with biological medium?

Biological filter is the type of filter containing special medium such as sponge, floss or ceramic rings, on which colonise bacteria responsible for breaking down nitric compounds and wastes excreted by fish as products of metabolism. This process is called nitrification and leads to oxidizing of ammonia into nitrates. Biological filtration is so common in aquaristics because each tank is a closed system in which the process of self-purification of water must take place. Generally, useful bacteria accumulate on every filter. The only difference is larger area of the deposit in case of biological filters. Greater filtration area of porous sponge for instance will give better filtration effect. By regular filter aquarium keepers usually mean an instrument which pumps water through small sponge or something similar which helps to get rid of the impurities floating in the middle layers of the tank. These filters absorb ammonia and nitrates to a very limited extent. Another way to get rid of ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, calcium salts, magnesium salts (the so called hardness) and medicine residues is using filtration materials such as zeolite and activated carbon. These, however, should be changed or regenerated every few days, otherwise become deactivated.

 

 

Ad 9. How to calculate the number of fish for my tank?

It’s hard to give one answer to this question. Literary sources will tell you that in case of small fish for one specimen (up to a few centimetres long) should fall at least 5 litres of water in the tank. Another theory will say that the number of fish in the tank should depend upon the length of their bodies. According to the formula for each centimetre of fish’s length you should ensure at least 1 litre of water. The sum of all fish’s lengths will determine the minimum volume of the tank. But such calculators will apply only to fish which are easy to keep and do not exhibit strong territorial instincts. Other such as cichlids from Lake Malawi should be kept at high stocking densities, which will reduce the aggressiveness of the strongest specimens towards other fish, especially the ones of their own species. However, fish such as (Cyphotilapia frontosa) or marble cichlid (Astronotus ocellatus), which reach considerable size, as for aquarium fish, are different story. Before you decide to buy them, check their „final” size because they grow real fast and the tank may soon turn out to be simply too small.

 

 

Ad 10. How to speed up maturing of a new tank?

Maturing of a newly established tank lasts about 14 days. During all this time ammonia and other products excreted by fish accumulate in the tank. At the time when nitrifying bacteria have just started to colonise many unfavourable changes may take place, having a negative influence on your fish. Particularly dangerous substance is ammonia. Its concentration exceeding 0,5 mg/l is considered harmful to most species. You should also bear in mind that in water with high pH level, intended for fish from Great African Lakes, the toxicity of ammonia is higher in comparison with neutral and acidic pH. Therefore, keeping lowest level of nitric compounds is a priority. As mentioned above, maturing of the tank lasts about two weeks. It can be accelerated, though. The easiest way is seeding filtration medium in the new tank with sediment from active filter from already established tank. Firstly you should rinse filtration medium from which you wish to take cultures of microorganisms with running water. This procedure will help you to get rid of „bigger” particles which can contaminate new filter and the whole tank. After initial rinsing of the filter you squeeze small amount of water with sediment into the tank or directly onto the filter. 100-250 ml would be enough for the tank of volume of 50-200 litres. Make sure that the water you use for seeding new tank comes from aquarium with healthy fish. Another easy way is using starters such as Bacto-Active containing live cultures of probiotic bacteria, which will quickly activate new filter. You will find the details concerning application and dosage on the label of the product.

 

 

Ad 11. What are the advantages of CO2 system and how to use it in tanks with fish?

CO2 systems are used in tanks with a great number of plants. They should not be used in aquaria with no plants at all, unless you want to lower the pH level. Plants need carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. By means of this chemical reaction they produce nutrients out of carbon dioxide and water. This process is, however, dependent on the light. At night, when the artificial light is turned off, an opposite reaction will take place: plants, similarly to animals, will absorb O2 from the water and excrete CO2. Hence, supplying CO2 at night is pointless. Round-the-clock fertlization with CO2 may lead to hypoxia and subsequent fish's die-off due to the critical decrease in oxygen content. Fertilizing tanks with a large number of fish needs even extra care. Observe your fish every now and then. If they swim near the surface, try to jump out of water or present apathetic behaviour turn off CO2. In this case a good idea would be strongly aerating the water and lowering temperature (within thermal tolerance of the animals).

 

 

Ad 12. I want to start a nanoaquarium. How to do it, which fish and plants to chose? Which foods should I feed them?

We are preparing whole vademecum on this topic - you will find the answers to these questions in our Aquarist’s guide to fish feeding in a few days.

 

 

Ad 1. The shop assistant has recently encouraged me to try colour-enhancing foods. He tried to convince me that these products are totally safe for my fish. The prospect of splendid coloration of my stock is tempting but I want to make sure if they do not have any side effects? I’m a bit afraid of such artificial, chemical novelties. How do these foods work and are they truly safe? Which fish are worth feeding with colour-enhancing foods? (in one tank I have discus, in the second one „characins hotchpotch” from South America: neons, tetras etc, and in the third live-bearing fish)? Thank you in advance for exhaustive answers to all my questions.

Colour-enhancing foods are not chemical, artificial novelties. They simply contain raw materials rich in colour-enhancing. The most commonly used substance encouraging coloration is astaxanthin. It is a natural, red pigment from carotenoids group (which numbers nearly 700 compounds of various chemical structures and colours such as yellow, orange, pink, red, brown and even blue and violet, the last two being the result of mixing carotenoids with protein) Carotenoids are widely spread in the environment, both in animals and plants worlds. However, only plants, certain fungi and bacteria are capable of producing them. Therefore, animals, including fish, must derive them from food. Basic sources of these carotenoids are algae, zooplankton, crustaceans and insects. Only algae can synthesize them on their own, the remaining organisms take them from food and accumulate in their tissues. For breeding salmonids on a wild scale one mostly uses synthetic astaxanthin, which has different particles structure, hence is less assimilable, but much cheaper. Top quality foods for fish use only natural astaxanthin, mostly from: Spirulina platensis, Haematococcus pluvialis, krill, shrimps and other crustaceans, which are rich not only in astaxanthin, but also in other carotenoids. Aquarists see carotenoids, including astaxanthin, mainly as pigments, which are to encourage vivid coloration in their fish but scientific research proves that they have many more beneficial effects. For instance they stimulate the immune system and encourage spawning.

 

Published in Akwarium Magazine no. 7/2011(108) in the section "TROPICAL answers your questions"

 

 

Ad 2. For the last few months I have been fascinated with breeding shrimps. I have Red Cherry and Crystal Red shrimps, and I have recently bought 6 giant filter shrimps Atya gabonensis. I feed them mostly with ready-made foods (dry sticks), but have been considering for some time enriching their diet with natural foods. I’ve heard good opinions about sea almond. How should I feed it to my shrimp and can I give it to filter shrimps as well? (if yes, how are they to eat it from the water?)

Feeding your shrimps with sea almond leaves is not difficult at all. You should simply place them in the tank… and that’s it. You can press them with some heavy objects because they tend to float at the beginning, but it’s not necessary. They will eventually sink after 2-3 days. In case of filter shrimps it’s a good idea to serve them crumbled leaves, that have been placed beforehand in the water for some time. Tropical product Ketapang will prove perfectly suitable in this case. Crumbled leaves are closed in sachets. After leaving it in a tank for a week or two you can open the sachet and place some of its content in the tank.

 

Published in Akwarium Magazine no. 7/2011(108) in the section "TROPICAL answers your questions"

 

 

Ad 3. My favourite fish are Loricariidae, but only the species which can be bred in a tank (I believe that buying wild caught fish which cannot be bred in the tank contributes to their extinction in nature and do not want to support it). I have a few questions. Firstly, which Loricariidae (apart from bushymouth catfish and Sturisoma, which I have already managed to breed and twig catfish which I hope to breed) can be bred in captivity? Secondly, how to encourage twig catfish to breed? I have a breeding pair, 16 cm in length, but they haven't spawned yet. What should I feed the fry with? And finally, is it safe to use medications for white spot disease in tanks with Loricariidae fish? (I've heard rumours that most Loricariidae are very sensitive to medications and you should limit their application to minimum - is it true?)?

Aquarium hobby can often be blamed for wasteful exploitation of the nature because „stealing” fish from their natural environment results in the extinction of numerous species, especially rare, endemic ones. When it comes to Loricariidae, the perfect example would be L-46 – a beautiful fish with vivid coloration, extremely popular among aquarists. After fishing had been banned and the prices had reached astronomical levels this species became an unattainable dream of many fish lovers. But on the other hand, this situation made scientists try even harder to breed them in captivity and finally they succeeded. Loricariidae fish which now are bred in captivity had once been treated as species extremely difficult to reproduce until eventually someone made them spawn. In my opinion this is the case with most available species – breeding is just the matter of hard try. Of course, under condition that you have a greater number of fish from the same species and carefully observe what’s happening in your tank, experimenting with parameters of water, various caves and other hiding places for spawning etc. It also requires a lot of patience because newly bought fish are young and it will take time before they reach puberty. Bearing in mind your success with Sturisoma I recommend further experiments with „long Loricariidae”. In Poland you can easily buy Loricaria, Hemiloricaria lanceolata – a beautiful fish similar to Sturisoma. While Sturisoma and twig catfish prefer glass of the tank for spawning, Hemiloricaria lanceolata needs special clay or wooden tube. The main problem with breeding Loricariidae does not often lie in spawning itself but rather in raising the fry. Note also that Farlowella fish need some „thinking” before they decide to spawn. You can prepare the glass for them by adjusting the outflow of the filter directly onto it. If you’re not sure if fish have accepted one another, it’s worth considering enlarging the stock. As to your question about medicines, there’s a common opinion that Loricariidae fish are generally more sensitive to medicaments than other species. Therefore, it is believed that one should use them very carefully, starting with small doses and observing the fish. If nothing happens, gradual increase may take place until the prescribed amount is reached. As to my personal opinion, after a few years experience in keeping Loricarriidae fish, I cannot confirm this popular belief. I have observed, however, that white spot disease is extremely hard to treat in case of these fish and it is usually accompanied by other symptoms, suggesting mixed infections.

 

Hypancistrus zebra - Tropical - tips


Hypancistrus zebra
Photo: Jacek Klonowicz

 

Published in Akwarium Magazine no. 7/2011(108) in the section "TROPICAL answers your questions"

 

 

Ad 4. Could you give me some practical tips for keeping Monodactylus in aquarium? Is it true that they require freshwater tank when they are young but then need to be kept in salt water? How to prepare the tank for these fish?

Monodactylus include 4 species: M. argenteus, M. falciformis, M. kottelati i M. sebae. Young fish should be kept in groups of 8-15. In aquaria these fish reach on average 15 cm in length with rare exceptions of specimens even up to 20 cm. Their size and preference to live in schools determine the size (not shorter than 150 cm) and the volume (around 500 litres, but the larger the better) of the tank. It has been observed that while fish grow and mature, they tend to eliminate one another until only a pair remains.
In nature they live in brackish water and then migrate into the sea. In tanks they can live unharmed in brackish water throughout all their lives. Some aquarists try to keep them in freshwater tanks. It is possible but fish are more prone to diseases. Brackish water, in which Monodactylus live, have more salinity than freshwater but not as much as seawater. It is the result of rivers meeting the sea and thus mixing two types of water. In the zone of strong tides estuaries are formed. These are widened, funnel-shaped river mouths, from which high tides remove accumulated material, preventing the formation of deltas. Due to the differences in thickness between fresh and salt water within the estuary there exist zones with various levels of salinity. Salt water is thicker than freshwater. Therefore, when these two types of water meet, they do not necessarily have to mix. That is the reason why the water near the bottom may have salinity similar to marine water and stay fresh near the surface. Fish living in such conditions are constantly prone to sudden changes of water parameters. Only the organisms with the ability to adopt to wide ranges of salinity – the so called euryhaline organisms – can live there. Both marine and freshwater plants or animals will sooner or later die in the environment of estuary. Despite such unfavourable conditions, this is very a attractive environment, and the phenomenon of adaptation to various levels of salinity seems like a good idea from the perspective of evolution. Estuaries own their attractiveness to the richness of nutrients as all stray freshwater and marine organisms, which find their way into this environment, eventually die there.

 

Monodactylus - Tropical - tips


Monodactylus
Photo: Jacek Klonowicz

 

While preparing the tank for fish which prefer brackish water, pay careful attention to all the parameters. The salinity should be 15 grams of salt per litre of water, which is half of the average ocean’s salinity (35). You should use salt recommended for marine tanks and water filtered through reverse osmosis filtration system. On the bottom you can place rocks, including limestone, and other tiny pieces of wood, carefully prepared to release smallest possible amounts of humic compounds and tannins and not to acidify the water. The pH level should be about 8 and hardness > 15od. As a substratum use sand, which perfectly simulates soft and sludgy bottom of the estuary.
Technical equipment will be similar to freshwater tanks: efficient filter, heater and lighting. If you do not plan any plants, the light does not have to be strong. Use protein skimmer only if salinity will be minimum 18. To control it, you need to buy a hydrometer.

 

Published in Akwarium Magazine no. 8/2011(109) in the section "TROPICAL answers your questions"

 

 

 

Ad 5. Aquarium fish guides often recommend adding “tannins” and “humic acids”, especially in case of tanks with fish from South America. Could you, please, tell me something more about what they actually are and how they affect fish?

Most aquarists associate black waters with South American biotopes and popular species which live in there, such as neons and discus. Fewer people know that these waters can also be found in Africa, Asia and Europe (even in Poland, in the vicinity of peat bogs). They are characterized with pH value somewhere between 3,5-6,0, extremely low hardness and alkalinity. They contain very little nutrients as dead organism, leaves twigs and rotten wood, which cover the bottom are decomposed only to a certain extent. It is due to low pH and tannins and humic acids, which limit the number of bacteria and fungi responsible for decomposition. It’s not surprising that fish coming from this biotopes are very sensitive to infections. The concentration of bacteria and fungi is simply much higher in the tank conditions than in their natural environment. That’s where the recommendation to add tannins and humic acids comes from.
Humic compounds are complex, macromolecular substances, whose exact chemical composition and structure are not entirely known. They are formed in the course of humification processes, when microorganisms and various environmental factors influence animals and plants’ remains. Three groups of acids can be distinguished: humic acids, fulvic acids and humins. High concentration of humic compounds can be found in peat, brown coal, lignite (a type of brown coal with brownish-black colour, having visible woody structure), bark, wood and roots. Humic compounds give water the characteristic "black" colour, and due to its acid character, lower the pH value. They positively affect plants’ physiological processes due to its content of vitamins, plant growth substances (auxins) and substances that share common features with antibiotics. But if their concentration is too high, they may have the opposite effect – inhibiting plants’ growth and development. Measuring the exact concentration in house conditions is impossible. With trying not to add too much you can only rely on your experience. Humic compounds have the ability to form complexes with ions such as Fe3+. This form is much more assimilable for plants.
Tannins are substances with a complicated and not entirely known chemical structure.
Thanks to its ability to bind with protein substances and form insoluble compounds, they are characterized with strong bactericidal properties. They can be found in bark, leaves, fruit and roots of oak, willow, birch, chestnut, spruce and larch as well as many other herbaceous plants used in medicine.

 

Published in Akwarium Magazine no. 8/2011(109) in the section "TROPICAL answers your questions"

 

 

 

Ad 6. I’ve read somewhere that water in the Lake Tanganyika can have carbonate hardness higher than general hardness. How is it possible when carbonate hardness is supposed to be a component of general hardness. Is it some kind of a mistake?

To explain this paradox, I need to tell you more about two water parameters – hardness and alkalinity. General hardness is a measure of divalent ions concentration (Ca2+, Mg2+, Mn2+, Ba2+, Fe2+ and other). You should remember that freshwater is dominated by ions of calcium and magnesium and they are mostly responsible for determining general hardness. But cations do not exist in the solution on their own – they are accompanied by anions, and with regard to these anions we can distinguish two types of hardness: carbonate and noncarbonate (Tab.1).
 

Tab.1. Types of water hardness

General hardness
Carbonate hardness Noncarbonate hardness
Cations Anions Cations Anions
Ca2+ HCO3- OH- CO32- Ca2+ SO42- Cl- NO3-
Mg2+ HCO3- OH- CO32- Mg2+ SO42- Cl- NO3-

 

General hardness is governed by ions of calcium and magnesium, which exist in combination with anions such as hydrocarbonate, hydroxyl and carbonate ions. Noncarbonate hardness is determined by ions of calcium and magnesium paired with sulphate, chloride and nitrate ions. Water hardness is expressed in various units but can be easily calculated for your needs with a convenient table (Tab. 2) at hand:

 

Tab.2. Units of hardness and conversion factors

Unit mg/dm3 CaCO3 mval/dm3 1°n French British
mg/dm3 CaCO3 1 50,04 0,056 0,10 0,070
mval/dm3 50,04 1 2,804 5,00 3,504
1°n 17,84 0,357 1 1,784 1,249
French 10 0,200 0,560 1 0,700
British 14,28 0,285 0,800 1,428 1

Example: one German degree: 1°n = 17,84 mg/dm3 CaCO3


 

Tab.3. Classification of water depending on the general hardness

mg CaCO3/dm3 °n Descriptive scale
0-50 0-2,8 soft
50-100 2,8-5,6 medium soft
100-150 5,6-8,4 low hard
150-200 8,4-11,2 medium hard
200-300 11,2-16,8 hard
above 300 above 16,8 very hard

 

Various publications classify water depending on its hardness on different ways (Tab. 3), distinguishing more or fewer types of water, e.g. very soft.

The alkalinity – is the ability of water to neutralize acids, due to the presence of hydrogencarbonates, carbonates, less often hydroxides, silicates and phosphates (Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn sometimes Na and K). Aquarium tests measuring carbonate hardness in reality measure the alkalinity. That is why carbonate hardness can be sometimes higher than general hardness. This can be explained by the fact that tests for measuring carbonate hardness identify all carbonates and hydrogencarbonates present in water, both these bound with Ca and Mg ions (responsible for carbonate hardness), and those bound with univalent ions (mainly with sodium). In research of water, when alkalinity is lower than general hardness, one assumes that it equals carbonate hardness (in this way determining the concentration of hydrogencarbonates (HCO3-) and calcium and magnesium (CO32-) carbonates).

That is why we do not have to worry that by using tests measuring carbonate hardness, in reality we establish the alkalinity of water. It is the alkalinity, which is more important for aquaristics because it is responsible for water’s buffeting capacity. The higher alkalinity the more stable pH level (it’s less susceptible to changes of pH level caused by photosynthesis or supplying CO2). Such water is, however, real nuisance for those keeping fish which require low pH level. High alkalinity (in aquaristics carbonate hardness) makes lowering of pH level extremely difficult. Alkalinity is expressed in the same units as hardness.

 

 

Published in Akwarium Magazineno. 8/2011(109) in the section "TROPICAL answers your questions"

 

 

Ad 7. I’m fourteen and have been a keen aquarist for the past two years. In my tank (112 litres) I keep guppies, Corydoras and neons. My parents promised me to buy my dream tank (150 cm in length and 375 l volume) as a Christmas present. I just can’t wait! I’m going to breed there discus, and that’s why I’m looking for every single piece of information concerning these fish. To verify it, I have two questions: about their diet and water. As far as I know, most aquarists feed them mainly with beef hearts with various additions. Is this really the proper diet? I’m doubtful because these fish do not eat beef hearts in their natural environment! Could you tell me something more about their diet and types of food I can use? Another question is about water – some aquarists use tap water, others only water treated with RO filter with addition of various salts. Which is better and why?

The diet of wild discus is varied and season dependent. Their menu includes mostly detritus, during dry season it may even constitute 50% of all foods. Detritus is animals and plants, which are being decomposed by bacteria and fungi. During rain season discus easily find and eat a lot of fruit, leaves and algae, but the protein content of such diet is 11-15%. During dry season various invertebrates, mainly terrestrial, fall into the water. There are not a lot of them, but they contain even: 47-57% of protein. Obviously, no one wants to recreate such severe conditions in breeding tanks. However, remembering about their nutritional habits, we should diversify their diet as much as we can. Discus belong to a small group of ornamental fish, which are closely observed by scientists. It is due to the fact that breeding discus is in some parts of the world, e.g. Malaysia, a very lucrative business. Interesting research have been carried out to determine discus demand for protein. The objects of the study were small fish up to 5 g. The experiments proved that young discus’ demand for protein is much higher in comparison to other species of fish ( see Table 1). Therefore, good foods for discus should contain from 47 to 50% of protein.
 

Tab. 1. Various fish’s demand for protein

Species Protein demand
Symphysodon aequifasciatus 449-501 g/kg
Ctenopharyngodon idella 410-430 g/kg
Puntius gonionotus 350 g/kg
Aristichthys nobilis 300 g/kg
Carassius auratus 290 g/kg
Colisa lalia 250 g/kg
Salmo trutta 480-530 g/kg
Channa micropeltes 520 g/kg
Labeo rohita 250 g/kg

 

Aquarists, who wish to start breeding discus, usually buy fish measuring 6-8 cm in diameter. When you buy fish from a professional breeder, he or she will tell you where they lived and what their diet was. This information will make acclimatization process much easier. For this stage TROPICAL offers high-protein, flake food – D-50 – which contains beta-glucan, natural substance increasing fish’s resistance to diseases and basic, flake food REGULAR. High content of protein and the addition of unsaturated fatty acids ensure high energetic value and excellent assimilability, which result in proper growth and development of fish. The diet of discus (both young and adult) should also contain vegetable ingredients, which stimulate digestion and prevent fatty degeneration of internal organs. In this case foods with spirulina will prove most effective. SUPER SPIRULINA FORTE family of products with 36% of alga offer flakes, granules, mini granules and micro granules for adolescent fry. Spirulina is extremely valuable component, facilitating proper functioning of alimentary tract, intensifying coloration, enhancing fish’s resistance to diseases and preventing inflammatory disorders of alimentary tract. An indispensable component of discus diet is D-ALLIO PLUS – food enriched with garlic, which contains antibiotic-like substances, enhancing fish’s immune system, alleviating minor inflammatory disorders of alimentary tract and facilitating the treatment of numerous diseases. For particularly fussy fish KRILL FLAKE will prove most effective. It is exceptionally tasty food with 40% of palatable krill, which enhances fish’s condition. It intensifies coloration, provides valuable protein, encourages fish to spawn, which is particularly important when fish reach reproduction age. For discus intended for breeding it’s worth introducing special food D-VITAL PLUS – rich in lecithin from egg yolk, large portion of vitamin E and protein. These three substances are important building material of reproduction cells and encourage fish to spawn.

 

Paletka - porady Tropical

Fot.: Radosław Ragan

 

Discus coloration is a separate issue. Colour-enhancing foods contain raw materials rich in carotenoids –‘natural pigments. Apart from colour intensification, they play numerous other roles in fish’s organisms. The deficiency of carotenoids will negatively affect reproduction and resistance to diseases. When it comes to beef, your doubts are well founded. It’s true that many aquarists use it for feeding discus, but I don’t believe it’s a good idea. Fatty acids from beef are very difficult for fish to digest. Moreover, low content of protein (about 20%) puts beef behind many other valuable foods. Many experienced aquarists also gave up feeding their discus with frozen invertebrates, which can be the source of pathogens.

The preparation of water depends on aquarist’s plans. If fish intended for breeding require specific parameters, which can be obtained by using water from RO filter. If your tank is supposed to be just a decoration, you can soften water using natural methods, e.g. by placing roots, cones of alder tree, oak or almond leaves, or through peat filtration. Unfortunately, they are all connected with the change of colour into brownish, which is not acceptable for all aquarists. Besides natural methods may not prove enough in case of exceptionally hard water. Then RO filter remains the most convenient option.

 

Published in Akwarium Magazine no.: 9/2011(110) in the section "TROPICAL answers your questions"

 

 



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