Question by Ddraith: Best option for lower freshwater aquarium Ph?
So the tap water here in Austin is around 8.5-8.7 Ph. Gh around 6. I keep several sprecies of Amazonian fish, so this Ph is way too high. I would like to get stable around 7.2. I have been adding small amounts of API Ph Down to my 46g bowfront, with some success, although I am seek take it slow.Thanks for your insight.I am wondering if this is the most efficient way to get low and stay stable. Is there a better product out there?As far as filters, the Aquarium Pharmaceutical Purifier gets good reviews, but goes for 50 bones, and 25 for a replacement cartidge every 150 gallons. I am wondering a Britta filter might not be a cheaper option for a similar result. And if I do use filtration, am I leaving myself open to Ph swings from lack of buffering ions?

Best answer:

Answer by Sarah
Peat moss is usually the best to lower your pH.

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

Aqueon Coralife 05619 Aqualight T5 Freshwater Dual Lamp Fixture, 36-Inch

• On/off switch and built-in ballasts
• Sleek, designer-black aluminum housing
• Highly-polished reflector
• Acrylic lens cover
• Adjustable width tank mounts

Marina Freshwater, 18 inch x 25 Foot Aquarium Background, Rocky Canyon/Riverbed

by james_mk_green

The following is a question I was recently asked:-

I was wondering if you could tell me a bit about filtration. I have a tank but it came with all the bits and pieces fitted – even the fish. I sort of have never really gone out of my way to find out more about how freshwater fish tanks work, but I have to now because I want to get a bigger tank and do all the fitting myself. What kind of freshwater aquarium filter should I get?

I replied as follows:-

That’s an excellent question because without a doubt, filtration is the most important part of your aquarium. Your current aquarium is probably a biorb tank; they are the ones that come pre-fitted and will not take up much time in the way of maintenance. I must warn you though, that a regular freshwater aquarium will be much more taxing – fun, but you have to devote more time to it.

A freshwater aquarium filter is the cleaning mechanism of your tank. If you don’t have a filtration system, your fish will not live. A tank is an extremely limited environment and if it does not get a continuous cleaning, it will get contaminated pretty fast. A filter does the cleaning continuously while you only come in once every week or every fortnight to give the tank a wash and a change of water.

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There are 3 kinds of cleaning that take place:

Chemical:This will remove dissolved wastes from your water. These wastes will be in molecular form, and this kind of cleaning uses either carbon or protein skimming processes to catch it. Without chemical filtration, there will be a lot of hazardous molecules floating around in your tank and the fish in it will eventually be poisoned and either get ill or die.

Mechanical:This kind of filtration will remove floating debris from the water. A freshwater mechanical filter will catch fish food that wasn’t eaten, fish poop that didn’t dissolve, plant sheddings and any other bits and pieces that would otherwise just float around.

Biological:This is by far the most important step in filtration, but that’s not to say that a freshwater tank can survive without the top 2 – not for long anyway. It breaks down ammonia compounds that would otherwise poison your fish. Nature provides for this kind of filtration by distributing the necessary bacteria for breakdown where ammonia is present, and all that this kind of filtration requires is a sponge for the bacteria to attach. These are sold at the pet shop. You must never completely clean out the sponge because you will eliminate all the bacteria and then you have to give it time to re-attach before you can re-introduce your fish.

Fortunately, many freshwater aquarium filters in the market come with all three filtration methods contained, so you don’t have to worry about getting each separately. I don’t know how big a tank you plan on getting, but if it’s not too big an under-gravel freshwater aquarium filter would be a nice place to begin. You will get to see filtration at its plainest, and they are also not very demanding – all you have to do is vacuum. If you are getting a bigger tank, and it has live plants, go for an internal filter that does all the above 3 processes. All the best with your new fish tank!

by wallyg

In numerous residences and offices aquariums are now a major center-piece of interior decor. Think of the peace, tranquility and soothing we experience as we observe colorful fish swimming gracefully all day long. People of all ages and backgrounds find them enthralling. Tailor made aquariums, built for your unique home environment became a feature of home decorating. Wall mounted aquariums, AKA portrait aquariums, now come in a number of sizes, so you are sure to be capable of finding one to suit your wants.

Where Aquariums Came From

Building aquariums is actually not something new. This art predates historic Asia, Egypt and Rome. The Chinese have bred Goldfish for literally centuries and to this day, they are the most well liked in house aquariums, though small tropical fish, for example guppies, have become increasingly popular. But in reality, the aquarium as a home decorator item and a hobby risen in popularity in the early nineteen hundreds.

A lot of houses in the Orient boast an aquarium or two and as can be instantly seen, aquarium keeping is quickly becoming favored in western lands, especially the USA.. This growing interest in aquarium keeping has produced a skyrocketing requirement for more aquarium designs and numerous accessories. Many corporations have risen to the challenge and met the demands, as well as more effective methods to keep fish healthy, and their water clean.

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This is principally why we have so many selections when it comes to aquariums. The tanks include switches and controls, which permit you to control lights, filters, food, dose, and the like. You can truly make your set up unique, interesting, and yes, even fun. Many folks use aquariums for ornamental purposes and they’re available in a wide variety of shapes, the commonest being oblong.

And the Most Massive Aquarium?

Where would you guess the largest aquarium is to be found? This colossus of aquariums boasts over 100 thousand animals representing more than 5 hundred species basking in eight million gallons of water in Georgia, USA. Really spectacular! And with an even bigger population density is the Osaka Aquarium in Japan holding 580 species in about 1-1/2 million gallons of water!

Aquarium Benefits

When you concentrate on it where are aquariums often found? Doctors’ and dentists’ offices, children’s hospitals, youngsters’s bedrooms, on the desks in the office, in the living room, restaurants and many other pose where folks gather. Additionally, studied have long shown that Alzheimer’s patients react extremely well to an aquarium being in the din area. They bask better appetite, need fewer additions, and are fifty-fifty more co-operative. And only observing fish in a video brings such calm and rest.So it’s not relevant if your aquarium is giant or little – you can benefit a great amount from having fish in your place, and they are delightful pets to boot. For more information on what you took to get started with this exciting hobby, and how to get setup see the information below.

by mikeying88

Benefits of a Home Freshwater Aquarium

Having a home freshwater aquarium is one of the most enjoyable activities on the planet. If you have ever seen an aquarium, whether it be large or small, you were probably drawn immediately to the movement of the fish. There is just something about an aquarium that draws young and old to watch colorful fish swim around in their own little water world.

Water building

In the word, aqua-rium, “aqua” (from the Latin) means water and “rium” means building. A “water building” is, in fact, an identical true literal description of an aquarium.

Whys of fishkeeping

People have a home freshwater aquarium for many reasons. The number one reason is probably because fish are fun to watch and it relaxes you at the same time. They are also a way to bring nature into the home. And,in this instance, a home freshwater aquarium can serve as an educational tool to help us understand how life works and to recognize the beauty and wonder of the fish themselves. The more understanding we have of the natural world, the more we value and understand human life and all of creation.

Having a home freshwater aquarium is hobby that can be enjoyed by people of any economic level. As you learn more about caring for fish, It is possible to upgrade to larger and larger aquariums with more and more fish. But, if you can’t afford a 200-gallon aquarium, an one- or two-gallon bowl with a couple of fish can still be just as enjoyable to watch.

The great thing about fish is that you don’t have to instantly meet their needs in the same way you do with other pets. For instance, you don’t have to walk them or put up with fish chewing your couch or other treasured belongs. And, when you go on vacation, a home freshwater aquarium can be left for quite a long time with no maintenance at all. If you do have to be gone for a few weeks, it is much easier to ask a friend to feed the fish than to take care of your dog and cat.

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Sit back and relax

A home freshwater aquarium has many health benefits. In fact, there is research going back almost thirty years that proves watching the fish in an aquarium reduces stress and lowers blood pressure. One of the reasons you see so many aquariums in the offices of doctors and dentists is because studying have proven that watching the fish in an aquarium significantly reduces the experience of pain as much as hypnosis. Watching a video or DVD of an aquarium has exactly the same effect.

Alzheimer’s and aquariums

Further benefits of aquariums can be found in nursing homes. Senior citizens with Alzheimer’s disease have shown many health improvements from the addition of an aquarium to a dining room or rec room. These seniors ate more, plus there was an overall reduction in stress levels, resulting in less aggression.

Aquarium history

Aquariums are not new to the twentieth or twenty-first century. In fact, in China and Egypt, attested shows that fish were kept in bowls and revered thousands of years ago. Back then goldfish had the most popularity. People started breeding goldfish and by the mid-1800s, big wrought-iron aquariums filled with goldfish were found across Europe. Aquariums gained popularity in the United States at the turn of the century and into the 1920s, the time of the first World War.

Since that time, technology has obviously changed and there now are no limits to what you tinning do in terms of constructing boastfully and small aquariums with just about every kind of fish you can imagine.

Absolutely the big aquarium

Whether you have a large or small home freshwater aquarium, you will undoubtedly reap the benefits of watching fish, with reduced stress and better overall health. Just do a little research on freshwater fish and in no time you could have a thriving aquarium population.

For those of you who think big, the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta is the largest aquarium in the world. If you want to be astounded by nature, this is the place to go. This aquarium has eight million gallons of water and the biggest collection of fish and other aquatic animals anywhere. They have whale sharks, and the shark area alone has 6.3 million gallons of water.

The Georgia Aquarium cost million dollars to build and is now a 320 million dollar facility with a million improvement project. The aquarium opened debt-free because it was a gift to the people of Atlanta and the people of Georgia from Bernie and Billi Marcus. Mr. Marcus was the co-founder of The Home Depot chain of stores.

In the first two years, over six million people visited the Georgia Aquarium. If you love fish and you ever have a chance to get to Atlanta, this aquarium is a must-see. In the meantime, you can’t go wrong with any coat home freshwater aquarium. Just lounge back and relax, and enjoy your fish.

Decorate your aquarium with purpose! Learn some tips on decorating a freshwater aquarium in this instructional free video. Expert: Marc Grover Contact: www.underwaterdepot.net Bio: Marc Grover is the co-owner of Underwater Depot. He and his business partner, Chris Bernie, have over 30 years of collective experience in the aquarium industry. Filmmaker: Traci Holsey

Watch artificial corals and reefed inserts for aquariums being made at Living Color’s factory in Florida
Video Rating: 5 / 5

by digitalO

Aquariums, just like any other part of the environment, need to be kept considerably clean, for aquatic life to holding thriving in them. Many people dislike the idea of having to manually clean the inside of a freshwater aquarium every now and then, so manufacturers have provided them with freshwater aquarium filters that can be installed to do the signing cleaning of the fish tank for them.

How is the water in a fish tank filtered?

An aquarium produces waste materials for a number of reasons. One reason is the biological reactions that take place in the water; these could simply take form of uneaten food that was left to spoil, or by waste materials of the fish themselves. But whatever these waste sources are, there are usually III general ways to remove and plumb off these waste materials out of your fish tank.

When we speak of the natural processed involved in filtering the water inside a fish tank, we talk astir biological filtration. Beneficial bacteria is the most common and effective agent of this filtering process, being able to break mastered unsafe toxic materials into less toxic substances.

Synthetic materials that are used to combine with waste materials are the work of a chemical filtration process. These waste materials react with the synthetic material, dissolving it and transforming it into a form that can be collected and thrown afterwards. One good material used for chemical filtration is activated carbon.

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Manually trapping solid waste materials in a filter media is a form of mechanical filtration. Although this method does not involve dissolving substances or breaking down materials, it is an effective intending of filtering out solid waste out of the fish tank. One thing though… collected material from the filter must be periodically removed by hand, so that it can continue to clean the water continuously.

What are the filters available away there then?

Fresh water aquarium filters are commonly purchased at your local hobby stores, and there are quite a number of these filters that can provide you with one or more of the strained processes explicate above. Take a look at some of the filters used in aquariums.

Power filters are the most common filters used in fish tanks, mostly because they’re affordable, are readily available, and quite efficient. They’re quite easy to install and use, and maintenance is relatively simple too. This is one of the filters that can actually use all three filtration methods, depending on how you customize the power filter’s settings.

Canister filters are among the most powerful filters that you can use. This is because they force the water through the filter media, not just letting it flow through, making the filtration process far more effective in terms of filtration amount per time interval. One disadvantage, though, is that power filters are somewhat difficult to maintain.

Corner filters were the forerunners of the modern filters that are used today. Their basic function is to pass the water through it, and with a proper filter media installed inside, filter the water appropriately. They are very cheap, and are commonly used for hospital tanks. The advent of more effective ways of filtering made the corner filter a lot less popular than what it was before.

Sponge filters, as the name suggests, make use of a sponge for beneficial bacteria to colonize into, setting the filter for biological filtration. They can also, however, filter larger solid particles using the very same sponge. Other versions of the sponge filter include the use of two sponges at the same time, for convenience purposes.

Related Aquarium Filter Articles

www.aquariumstartguide.com – Identify the different types of aquariums for fish so next time you won’t go wrong choosing which one your finned friends would like.
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www.aquatic-interiors.com 210.444.2782 When deciding on going the freshwater or saltwater aquarium route from an interior decor perspective, aquarium designs san antonio at Aquatic Interiors has some great suggestions. Aquariums in San Antonio are a dime a dozen, but when working with an interior designer the type and style of your aquarium designs san antonio is everything.

by shapeshift

Question by riverrat15666: What is the best website you have found explaining the care and maintenance of a 55 gallon freshwater aquarium


Best answer:

Answer by EEZEE BONEZ
http://www.squidoo.com/TropicalAquariumCareThe proper nutrition and feeding of tropical fish is one of the most important factors in keeping your pet fish healthy. Choosing the right food for your tropical fish is very important, a high quality flake food made specifically for the species you own is the best choice.A properly balanced diet will ensure optimum health, hardiness and brilliant colors. Feeding the correct amount of food is also important to the health of your fish, one of the most common errors new aquarium owners make is overfeeding.Maintaining water quality is one of the most vital tasks for the long term health of your tropical fish. Regular water changes will ensure that the tank stays clean and clear. Water should be changed at least every 2 weeks, once a week is even better and will make cleanings an easier job.It’s not necessary to change all off the water in the tank, usually about 20 to 25 percent of the aquariums total water volume will suffice. This is also a good time to vacuum the gravel and clean off any algae that has accumulated on the glass.Most aquarium disease can be avoided by making sure your aquarium water is healthy, fish are just as vulnerable to disease as any other organism. If you suspect that one of your fish is diseased it’s imperative to properly diagnose the illness before you use any medication on your tank.A couple of the most common tropical fish diseases are:Ich: Ich can be identified by the small white spots on the fins and body of the fish that look like the fish has salt all over it. Ich often comes about due to poor water conditions, fortunately most pet stores carry the medication needed to treat this disease.Ammonia Poisoning: Ammonia poisoning can happen when a filter fails, if too many fish are introduced at one time, or due to the loss of beneficial bacteria colonies. Symptoms include red or inflamed looking gills, and the fish will likely be near the surface gasping for air.Chemical neutralization of the ammonia and a 50% water change should be the first steps in treating ammonia poisoning. Constant testing and stepped up water changes will bring the tank back to normal conditions.Getting your self familiar with the proper environments for tropical fish is the first step in creating a long lasting aquarium. Finding a specialty aquarium store in your area, with a knowledgeable staff and professional advice can be a valuable resource.

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