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Frequent Aquarium Questions
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Aquarium Equipment List of Categories
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When using a UV sterilizer should you only run a "sample" amount of water through it, or plum it "in-line" with the water return to the tank?
That would depend on the flow of the pump or filter you will be using to run water through the UV sterilizer. Using a "by-pass loop" is a good technique if the flow of the pump or filter exceeds the recommended flow for the UV sterilizer you own. You simply divide up the return of the pump and direct half the flow through the UV.
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I have a 25 gal aquarium with integerated filtration. It has been running well for over a month. Recently, the return valves have been letting out an extreme amount of small bubbles. What is wrong? Is it a faulty return pump?
This problem is usually caused by either evaporation or a clogged filter which has lowered the water in the pump chamber to the point where the pump is drawing in air and injecting it into the tank. Check the chamber the pump is in and either find the blockage or top-off the filter with water.
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I will have a 90 gal tank. I need information on Reverse Osmosis Systems. What is the least expensive yet reliable one that I can get buy with?
Most RO manufacturers make a "bare-bones" type unit which has a simple prefilter and an RO chamber. However, most tap water also needs chemical treatment to protect the RO membrane and bare-bones units do not provide this. Without the ability to filter the chlorine out of the water, you will destroy the membrane very quickly and they are expensive to replace. I would therefore recommend a three-stage unit.
You need one that can make enough water in 24 hours to change 25% of your tank, so I would recommend one that makes 24 gallons per day.
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How many Gal./Hr. should a power head flow for oxygenating the water? How long per day should I have the UV light on?
Powerheads do not oxygenate water, they provide water circulation. Oxygen enters at the waters surface, where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged. While powerheads, if aimed properly, can greatly help aid this exchange, they are usually used to provide better water circulation in the aquarium. If you are referring to the aeration feature that come with some powerheads, injecting air into the water, it is important to remember that our air is mostly nitrogen, so this type of aeration can actually be harmful if over-used or abused.
In almost all situations, UV sterilizers should be left running 24 hours a day.
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How much live rock is needed per gallon?
The usual rule, unless you have a very deep tank or hexagon tank, is one to one and a half pounds per gallon.
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Is cable heating for a freshwater aquarium really necessary? After reading 'The Optimum Aquarium' by Kaspar Horst & Horst E. Kipper it is stated that tropical warmth in the substrate is one of the ten golden rules for the optimum aquarium. However, I have read many opinions on the Internet that say it really doesn't make a difference. What is your opinion?
There are many different methods and techniques that work in aquaria. None are necessarily right or wrong, they are just different. Keep in mind that "The Optimum Aquarium" is a German text, and European aquarists tend to do things much differently than we do in the United States. They tend to use more natural methods, or they use equipment designed to simulate natural conditions. They use less filtration, keep fewer fish in their tanks, and use live plants to create ecologically-balanced aquaria.
It is very important when selecting a method of setting-up an aquarium, to look at the reasons behind a particular technique. You are concerned with only one aspect of the German method, and you're not looking at the entire picture. Keep that in mind here:
Cable heaters in aquarium substrate are used by European hobbyists to simulate the heat produced as a by-product of the metabolism of anaerobic bacteria in the mud at the bottom of lakes and rivers. This heat does help root growth of aquatic plants. You can also create a bacterial solution to provide warmth in substrate by using organic material below the substrate that will decay through bacterial action just as it does in the wild.
Both methods work. The Optimum Aquarium also views aquarium plants as a necessity, not an option, so naturally, the authors recommend cable heaters which is the easier solution of the two methods. The question really should be: Do you want to keep aquarium plants? The Optimum Aquarium is a book that dictates keeping live plants as a means of creating a balanced ecology, and the methods described in the book are all geared towards this type of tank. If you don't want to use live plants, you don't need heat in the substrate and the use of cable heaters is irrelevant.
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I recently purchased an air stone to add to my tank (not intended to be used as sole means of aeration). There were no instructions w/the air stone and I have not been able to find any info. on the Internet. Do I just drop it in the tank or what?
Assuming you also have an air pump to power the air stone, then yes, just drop it in. If it is a small air stone (air diffusor), you may need to weight down the air line that feeds the air into the diffusor to keep it from floating up. Don't cover the air stone with gravel, or it will make big bubbles.
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I am making a hood and adding compact flourescents to my 150 gallon tank to start a reef system. I have bought two fans with sensors. Do I need both and what is the best direction to direct the air?
Use both, and either have one blowing in and the other out; or have both blowing out and supply a vent for air intake. Either method works well.
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Recently I was given a slate bottom tank. I am wondering if this type of tank is safe to use? If so, is there any special preparation needed to make this tank ready for freshwater fish?
Sure it is safe. That's what we were all using back in the 1960s and they worked fine. We would recommend applying aquarium silicone at all joints over the black epoxy they used to build the tank as by now it's probably rather hard.
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I recently saw an artificial rock formation made of foam rubber, which sits in the aquarium covering the back and bottom of the aquarium
Is it possible to safely construct one at home since they are so costly?
The artificial rock formations with which we have experience are usually commercially made, and it is safest that they remain that way. Many of the substances used to create "realistic" decorations are often very toxic in the formative stages (like fiberglass, for example). Unless you have access to a large, well-ventilated "clean" working area, I would say buying the decorations (or, even better, live rock) is your best bet.
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