Frequently Asked Questions

Short answer: A general guide is 2cm of fish for every litre of water in the tank,assuming that volume of water is being filtered 4 times per hour,and 25-30% of the water is being changed fortnightly.

Long answer: Please read the FAQ on filtration and water changes.

Remember to base all measurements on the manture/adult size of the fish.Most fish are sold as juveniles and will continue to grow,thus producing more waste.

Some fish will produce more waste than other fish or similar size,and this needs to be considered when stocking a tank.Goldfish,Axolotls,Turtles and Loricariid catfish(plecos and their relatives) are of the highest waste producing aquatic organisms.To factor this in your calulation,add an extra few centimitres to your estimated size of these fish.

Size and waste production are not the only factors that are necessary to consider when stocking a tank.Compatibility is of the utmost importance.Please read the FAQ on compatibility for more information.

Short answer: There is no short answer. Have a chat with our staff and keep the follwing in mind.

Long Answer: Fish compatibility is determined by a number of factors. They are listed and explained here in the order of which they should be considered. Please remember however, that all requirements must be met in order for fish to truly be compatible.

*There must be enough room for both the fish in the tank. If you are purchasing a schooling fish, the whole school must be considered. The adult size of the fish is also important – they may fit now, but may not later.

*One fish must not be able to fit another in its mouth. Or that is where it will end up inb most cases

*One fish must not be significantly more agressive than another. This includes situations where one fish cannot be housed closely with conspecifics (fish of the same species, eg. Saratoga)

*Ideally, one fish must not have a boisterouse feeding behaviour that would prevent other fish from feeding. This is more easily avoided than other factors, by feeding the fish at differant end of the tank.

Short answer: A process in which the bacteria convert ammonia (from fish waste) into nitrite,and then into nitrate.

Long answer: Like all animals, fish excrete nitrogenous waste.Unlike terrestrial animals that excrete urea, fish excrete nitrogen as ammonia, which is highly toxic. in the wild, fish live in large bodies of water, thus the concentration of this waste is insignifficantly small. In the home aquarium however, this waste builds up quickly.

Fortunatly there is a bacteria that feeds on ammonia. However, this bacteria releases nitrite as a by-product, which is also toxic to fish. Again bacteria comes to the rescue, as there is another bacteria that feeds on nitrite.

This bacteria releases nitrate as a by-product. Nitrates are not toxic to the fish untill they and in excess of 40ppm. Nitrates are one of the main reasons why fortnightly water changes are required, as there are no bacteria that will absorb them.

These bacteria enter the aquarium from the air, or can be introduced from established aquariums. If starting an aquarium for the first time we recommend letting the system run for atleast 2 weeks before adding a small amount of fish. This gives the bacteria a chance to colonise your filter media. Filter media is a porous to allow maximum space for bacteria to develop.

Adding small amounts of fish at a time ensures that there is not more ammonia than the bacteria can process.

Actively growing plants will absorb ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, so these are a reccomended addition to a system if you accomodate them.

Short answer: 25-30% every fortnight. This assumes a maximum stocking density of 1cm of fish per litre of water and a filtration rate of 4x the volume of the tank per hour, though quality filter media.

There are a few more points to consider with water changing:

*Never clean the filter media in untreated tap water, as this will destroy the beneficial bacteria responsible for keeping your water clean. Shyphon some water from your tank, use this to clean the filter, then discard.

*With exception of Siamese Fighting Fish bowls that lack a filter, never change 100% of the water in the system. This can shock your filter bacteria and fish.

*Discus require larger more frequent water changes to thrive.

Large regular water changes (50% weekly) are usefull to control the spread of algae,as water changes remove nutrients from the water.

Short answer: At a stocking density of 1cm of fish per litre of water, you need enough filtration to change the volume of water in your tank 3-4 times per hour, through quality filter media. This assumes you change 25% of the water every fortnight.

Long Answer: The quantity of filtration, stocking density and water changes are very closely related.What you are trying to achieve is clean water, and each of these 3 factors affects the cleanliness of your water positively or negatively.If you increase the number of fish you have in the tank, the water becomes dirtier. Therefore, You will need more filtration, and/or more water changes to restore cleanliness. Large tanks with few fish will require less filtration. If you happen to have plenty of filtration in a large tank with few fish, you can perform water changes less frequently. Plants take up some fish waste, so a system with actively growing plants require less filtration than one without.

For smaller tanks (2ft or less) an internal or hang-on sponge filter will do the job nicely. For tanks 3ft or larger, we reccoment a cannister filter. These filters are external to the tank, are almost silent, require less frequent cleaning and allow a wider range of media options when compared to internal and hang-on filters. The only way you can be sure about how well your filtration and water change schedule is working , is to test your water. Either bring a sample in store for us to check free of charge,or invest in a test kit that tests for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.

Short answer: 26°C

Long Answer: A range between 24°C and 28°C is tolerated by most species without complications. Discus fish will require a slightly higher temperature. If the temperature of the tank drops bellow 22°C tropical fish can experience immunosuppression, making them significantly more susceptable to disease. Chilling is a common factor involved in white spot outbreaks – should you notice white spot in your system, be sure to check the temperature of your tank. Temperature in excess of 32°C can be harmfull to fish. Bags or containers of ice can be floated in the tank to help reduce the temperature if required. Do not add ice directly to the tank unless it has been appropriattely treated with a dechlorinator. A consistant temperature is paramount. Do not let the temperature of the tank change by more than a few degrees per day, for example, by leaving a small unheated tank in the sun.

A submersible aquarium heater is the easiest method by which to warm a tank. Simply set the desired temperature and attach to the wall of the aquarium, ensuring it is completely bellow the water line. These heaters can be left in year round, as they turn off when the desired temperature is reached.

Short Answer: 1 watt for every litre of water is a general guide.

Long Answer: The wattage of the heater required depends largely on how far above room temperature the tank water needs to be. In most cases,1 watt per litre is an overestimation of what is actually required. However, an overestimation is no necessarily a bad thing, as there is nothing wrong with having a higher wattage heater than what is needed. This just means that the heater will be on for shorter periods of time.

Having the correct wattage is not the only important factor when it comes to heating a tank. The placement of the heater in the tank must be such that the heat is destributed more or less evenly around the tank. Positioning near filter outlets,powerheads or in sumps will ensure that your tank is heated evenly.

If you have fish that are particulary sensitive to temerature changes or are of significant value to you, you may want to consider using two heaters simultaneosly. While the heaters we stock at Aquarama are of high quality, there is always a chance, however slight, that a heater can fail and either hear the water too much, or not heat it at all. The risk of a heater failing increases with age and use. Using two heaters allows a fallback should one fail. If one heats too much, the other will turn off. If one does not heat, the other will take over, ensuring your fish do not suffer from temperature related problems.

Short Answer: Reduce the amount of light and nutrients in the water.

Algae comes in a few varieties. Common in the new tanks is brown diatom algae. This can be scrubbed off the walls,but for best results introduce a loricariid catfish such as a bristlenose or pleco (they will eat it all)
Green spot algae grows on the glass, ornaments and slow growing plants,and is usually a result of too much light hitting that area.Reduce lighting to combat this algae

Black beard algae will bea eaten by young Siamese Flying Fox.

All algae growth is a result of a nutrient imbalance. Water changes and live plants can help to restore this balance. If you are dosing plant fertilizers, you may need to revise your fertilization schedule.

Short Answer: Avoid over feeding,use a snail trap,use a fish safe pesticide and/or introduce a predator.

Long Answer: Snails are often introduced into the aquarium accidentaly, by hitch-hiking on plants, ornaments and driftwood. They then tend to reproduce in large numbers and quickly become an eyesore. Snails require a food source, so reducing the amount of food you feed your fish will help to slow the reproduction rate of the snails, but will not eliminate them entirely.

The quickest, most effective and straightforward solution to eliminate snails is to add a proprietry snail product to the water. However this will also kill other invertebrates that you may want to keep, such as apple snails or shrimp

A more innocuos method is to use a snail trap. These traps. when baited with food, will attract large amounts of snails. The unit can then be removed and cleaned to be rebaited for later use.

The preffered method of snail control is to introduce a predator to the snails. Tyhe clown loach is ever popular due to its otherwise peacefull nature and striking colours. Other members of the loach family are also usefull such as the Pakistani or YoYo loach, and the dwarf chain loach. Kuhli loaches may eat a very small amount of snails of smaller snails and are not as effective as the other species.

To avoid getting snails in your tank, it is reccomended to quarantine your new plants.

Short Answer: Turn off the light. Drastically reduce feeding. Increase the frequency of water changes. Check the filter.

Long Answer: This cloudy green water is aptly refered to as “green water”, and is a result of a drastic increase in the amount of algal cells living in the water column. This is a free floating type of algae, differant to the attached types, but the same control strategies apply.

Reduce the amount of nutrients in the water by drastically reducing feeding. Stopping lighting for a few days will also help. Change 25-50% of the water every 3-7 days to reduce nutrients in the water column.

Adding activated carbon or purigen to the filtration system will also help to reduce the cloudiness of the water.

Do not be concearned about the health of the fish unless they are showingt signs of distress,indicating a problem beyond the green water. Green water is largely an aesthetic issue. The most importnant thing to remember is that these things take time to fix, so be sure you do not ruin your system by being too hasty.