Aquarium Equipment

Aquarium will help decorate and make any interior cozy. Before buying, you need to decide what size you need, the shape and the necessary equipment for the aquarium. And then to proceed with the choice of its inhabitants.

Aquarium lighting

If you are confused about what equipment you need for an aquarium, ask for help from specialist consultants in specialized stores. And the first thing they will offer is lighting equipment. They are needed to make the fish and plants feel good in the aquarium. To do this is not easy, because for fish undesirable bright lighting, as in nature, many of them are found in shaded ponds, but plants need good light for proper photosynthesis. To solve this problem, there are several possibilities:

1. Choose fish that originally lived in shallow and brightly lit water bodies, then you can adjust lighting to plants.
2. Choose plants that can grow in a darkened environment, so necessary for the life of fish.
3. Choose for the aquarium plants that have wide leaves or which spread along the water, the fish will be able to hide in the shade of algae leaves. Therefore, first plant the plants, wait until they take root and begin to grow, and then run the fish. For this, it may take a couple of months, and since in this period only the plants will live in the aquarium, they will need nutritional support for their nutrition.
4. Divide the aquarium into conditional sectors, in one plant plants whose leaves float on the surface of the water, and in the other - low plants with open space, so you will give the choice to fish where to live. But this requires a large aquarium, in small - the place is limited.
5. Light only the part of the aquarium where the largest number of plants are located. This is done so that the fish choose a suitable habitat for themselves. This can only be done in large aquariums. On dark areas you can put a stained oak, it will resemble the intertwining of roots in a natural pond.

Light in the aquarium should be at least 10 hours daily, about the same duration and light day in natural conditions. Save on electricity in this case is not necessary, as well as prolong the artificial day in order for plants to grow faster. Depending on what kinds of plants and fish live in the aquarium, you need to adjust the intensity of lighting. Also worth paying attention to the depth of the tank. If the aquarium has a water depth of half a meter, only 15% of the rays emitted by the lamp will reach the bottom. If the glass container is deeper, then the light of the lamp will not reach the bottom, and planting plants there is meaningless.

When choosing lighting equipment, pay attention to fluorescent lamps. The price they have is not high, in the maintenance is not demanding. If properly installed, they will evenly illuminate the surface of the water. Lamps are in waterproof bottles that are attached to the lid of the aquarium. Experts recommend installing two such lamps, if the height of the aquarium is up to 40 cm, and add on the lamp for every 10 cm of height. According to the length of the artificial pond, it is necessary to select the size of the lamp so that the lighting is uniform.

Heating the aquarium

Fish live and multiply only at a certain water temperature, as these aquatic inhabitants are cold-blooded, all the biochemical processes of the body depend on the environment.

If the fish lived in a temperate climate, then it can live with a large temperature difference. If it's cold, then they can fall into a hibernation, they will not eat, they will bury themselves in silt. Sharply change the temperature of the fish can not, then they fall into a state of shock, lose landmark and die.

If fishes live in a tropical climate, then they need to maintain a high water temperature. For them, the temperature in the room where the aquarium is standing is not enough at 22 degrees, because water is always lower by two degrees than air. Therefore it is necessary to use electric heating devices. For heating water you need to purchase:

1. Heater.
2. Controller.
3. Thermoregulator - combines the first two devices.

It is very important that the heat dissipated evenly over the water. For the capital's aquarium, a 30-watt device is needed, this is with the condition that the room is not colder than 20 degrees. You do not need to buy a heater with a large capacity, it will always turn on and off, and this will shorten the period of its operation.

The thermostat should be attached somewhere in the corner. At work, the indicator light will be on, the power is adjustable. Modern devices are compact and cost relatively inexpensive, and most importantly, they maintain the temperature, both on the surface and at the bottom of the tank. Because the difference between the temperatures of different layers of water should not exceed two degrees. It is better to give preference to a heater with an automatic temperature controller.

Aeration of water

Aquatic plants play an important role in water saturation with oxygen, but even in large aquariums with vegetation, there is a shortage of oxygen. There are several factors that affect the oxygen content in water:

1. Temperature - the water is warmer, the less oxygen it has, and vice versa. A high temperature also increases in fish all metabolic processes, as a result of which, they consume more oxygen. To solve this problem, intensive aeration is needed.
2. Plants - the main value of plants lies in their ability to produce oxygen, but at night they consume it themselves, so at this time of day in the water may lack oxygen.
3. Snails and other aquarium inhabitants - too many snails and bacteria can reduce the oxygen content in the water. It is permissible to consume oxygen with aerobic bacteria, because in return they will benefit, but the large amount of organic waste that is formed due to overfeeding of fish will absorb this valuable element. So you need to feed the fish according to the norm.

Aeration of water occurs through a compressor that blows air from the sprayers. In addition to the fact that aeration saturates the air with oxygen, it also mixes all layers of water with air bubbles, and thus the temperature in the entire aquarium is leveled.

In addition, the flow of water will mimic natural currents, which is also very important for fish. Thanks to aeration, the soil becomes firm, which helps the vital activity of soil bacteria, does not allow the organic residues to decay, no harmful gases are formed.

CO2 equipment

In addition to oxygen, fish also need carbon dioxide. It favorably affects the growth and vital activity of plants and is a kind of feeding for fish.

CO2 equipment has appeared relatively recently. It increases acidity in the aquarium and, thus, has an antiseptic effect. Fish in such an aquarium are less likely to get sick. As this equipment can serve as a cylinder with carbon dioxide, it is connected to the tank by means of a valve. But using it is not entirely appropriate for several reasons:

• equipment is large;
• is dangerous to use in the house;
• high price;
• constant monitoring of the level of gas in the cylinder, replacement or filling.

Given all these reasons, scientists invented specially for the aquarium small cylinders. In addition to convenience in use, they also look stylish, and fit into the design of any aquarium.

Filtration system

Any aquarium needs filtering water from dirt, plant debris, food, mucus. And this system is vitally necessary where there is overpopulation of living beings.

Water is purified using filters, they release air bubbles that pass through a thin tube, take water with them. Water passes through the filler, which is a filter element and returns to the aquarium is already cleaned. As a filler, foam rubber, nylon threads and other porous materials are used.

The filtration consists of two phases:

1. Mechanical - the filtering material delays the dirt particles.
2. Biological - saprophytes feed on the mud, they decompose it to mineral substances.

If both of these phases work, then water will always be clean. But it does not happen on new filters that are already populated with bacteria. And if the filter is new or thoroughly washed, then the second phase will not work, the water will become turbid.

In the first variant, you just have to wait until the bacteria populate the "novelty", in the second - wash the filler only if necessary, when it already clogs with silt or algae and can not perform its functions. And then, it is not necessary to wash to sterile purity, it is enough to empty the pores for free flow of water.

Sell and special bacterial preparations. It is impossible to switch off the filter, because useful bacteria will die and settle dangerous, which will lead to the death of all living things.

Filters are:

1. Bottom, which are at the bottom or inside the ground. They create a movement of water, thereby helping to develop the microflora in the ground. The disadvantages are the inconvenience of the service.
2. Internal, which are located on the wall of the aquarium. Mud is collected inside a water reservoir. Very convenient to use, it can be disguised as a snag.
3. External, which are located from the outside of the aquarium. The most convenient in operation. The waste is mainly processed by aerobic bacteria.

Other equipment for the aquarium

1. Feeder - to prevent spreading of the food on the entire surface of the water, install a plastic frame. Feeders are also automatic, which feed themselves fish once a day or at any appointed time.
2. Siphon with a pump - removes the soil in the aquarium, looks like a flexible hose with a bulb. Its length depends on the size of the aquarium and the amount of soil.
3. Magnetic scraper - they clean the glass. It is successfully replaced by snails.

In a specialized store you can be offered a large number of various equipment for the aquarium. Buy only what you really need, because the over-saturated aquarium with new technologies does not look very natural.