Aquatics - Tank Equipment

?

Placing a Tank

  • weight
    • 1 litre = 1 kilogram
    • substrate weight
    • filter weight
  • position of doors
    • doors could smash the tank
    • vibrations if slammed
      • fish are sensitive to vibrations
  • position of windows
    • algae blooms
  • position to electrical sockets
  • proximity to TV/stereo
    • vibrations
    • flashing lights
  • location in house
    • biosecurity
    • disinfectants
    • electrical equipment
  • space 
  • waste disposal
    • drains
1 of 12

Tank Materials

  • glass
    • advantages: looks nice, traps heat, won't bend, won't discolour, hardto scratch
    • disadvantages: easy to break, heavy, expensive, either square or rectangular
  • acrylic
    • advantages: lighter, cheaper, more shapes, doesn't have to be as thick
    • disadvantages: can break, harder to fix
  • other materials
    • fiberglass water
    • buckets
    • ponds
    • some materials leach chemicals, must be fish safe!
2 of 12

Aquarium Type

  • marine
  • tropical or temperate freshwater
3 of 12

Equipment

  • heater
  • pumps
  • aeration
  • plants
  • LEDs
  • T5s and T8s
  • metal halide
  • substrate
4 of 12

LEDs

  • used as a source of lgiht that does not produce heat
  • unlikely to produce algae growth
  • last longer than other lighting
  • blue light is used as this can travel through the tank
    • can have customisable colours
  • appropriate for planted and hard and soft coral tanks
  • can be expensive
5 of 12

T5s and T8s

  • best used for small and medium sized tanks
    • between 400 and 450 mm
  • do well in reef tanks
  • 'T' indicates tubular shape
    • '5' means 5/8 of an inch
    • '8' means an inch (8/8)
    • the number is the diameter
  • blue light travels further in water
6 of 12

Metal Halide

  • high output lighting
    • most like natural light
  • lamps with a higher kelvin rating will appear more blue
    • those lower will appear more white/yellow
  • designed for freshwater plants to be 5500K - 6500K
  • Reef aquariums are higher at 10,000K to 20,000K
    • K means kelvin
  • thought to be the lamp of choice for reef aquariums
    • due to depth penetration, full light spectrum and output
  • very penetrating light which produces unparalleled growth in photosynthetic corals
7 of 12

Substrate

  • used in the bottom of the tank
  • affects water chemistry, filtration, enrichment and aesthetics
  • helps in nitrogen cycle as it houses anaerobic bacteria
  • used for live plants
  • very important for bottom feeders
  • help fish feel safer
  • some fish species scatter eggs onto substrates
  • usually 2 inches deep
  • types of substrate:
    • marbles, sand, river stones, crushed coral, ECO complete (for plants), fluorite, laterite, aquasoil, potting soil
8 of 12

Heater

  • fish cannot regulate their own body temperature
  • heaters used to warm the water of the aquarium
  • advantages: easy to use, hard to break
  • disadvantages: expensive
9 of 12

Plants

  • used for nice backgrounds
  • establish the biological equilibrium
  • enrich the water with oxygen
  • control the balance of oxygen
  • marine plants absorb nitrate in water
  • match the plant to the kind of tank
  • thrive off fish waste
  • don't all require substrate
  • exist in many biomes
  • improves ecosystems
  • need sufficient lighting, proper substrate and sufficient food
  • ground cover, such as Vallisneria, send out runners which develop into new rooted separated plants
10 of 12

Aeration

  • allows fish to breathe
    • essential for good health
  • using filters, power heads, air stones or aerating decorations
    • air stones can be connected to a pump
11 of 12

Pumps

  • collects and doses treated wastewater to the soil at intervals
  • provides constant supply of aerated water
  • stabilise water pressure
  • saltwater fish will want a higher flow rate
    • freshwater fish may like less circulation and therefore a lower flow rate
  • they are usually concrete, fiberglass and polythene containers that collect wastewater
  • advantages: keep water moving, oxygenate the water and create bubbles, create pressure differences
  • disadvantages: pump impellers and seals may fail and foreign matter and debris from the tank can clog the pump, lower water levels in the tank can also cause dry run failure, if it stops working there may be an electrical fault or foreign matter seizure, can easily disconnect
12 of 12

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar Other resources:

See all Other resources »See all Animal Management resources »