Want to WIN a $100.00 LiveAquaria.com Gift Certificate? Comment on this post!
Helping aquarium hobbyists learn more about how to care for their aquarium and how to expand their knowledge has always been one of the most important things we do here at Foster and Smith. We write countless articles, and are always striving to help everybody from beginner to advanced aquarist.
But now it’s your turn! A few weeks ago we asked our Facebook Fans (Not a fan? Check out our Facebook page here) what was the one item they couldn’t live without for their aquarium – not including water! We got such a wonderful response, we wanted to see if there was more advice out there from hobbyists like yourself.
| All you need to do is comment on this blog post with your best piece of advice – and the best part is: you’ll be entered to WIN That’s right – just by sharing your advice with us and others who read the blog, you’ll have the chance to win! (Sorry, this giveaway is closed.) |
To get you started, here are few samples from the experts around here:
From Kevin Kohen: When performing a water change, unplug your heater. During the exchange it’s not uncommon for the heater to be partially out of the water and the ambient air temperature can cause the heater to turn on. When the aquarium is filled back up, the heater can explode. Don’t forget to plug it back in when finished.
From Monica S.: Place your aquarium in an appropriate area. One where you will get to enjoy it the most. Do NOT place it in high traffic areas, near windows/doors that may give off a draft, or in front of a window (which may cause excess algae growth).
From Kelvin F.: A GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) outlet/power strip is the best investment you can make to protect expensive electrical aquarium equipment.
Also: Plan ahead. Avoid the ” Up against the wall” approach to aquarium furniture set up. Situate your stand etc so there’s enough room behind your aquarium for easy maintenance or upgrades.
Details: For a chance to win a $100 gift certificate to LiveAquaria.com or DrsFosterSmith.com, leave a comment in this post sharing your best tip for aquarium care. What’s that one item you can’t do without, or that little bit of advice that saved the day? To be eligible, post your comment by noon CST on 02/24/09. We will pick one lucky winner.*
*No purchase is necessary to participate in this giveaway. You should be a legal resident of the United States and 18 years or older. Void where prohibited. For use on LiveAquaria.com or DrsFosterSmith.com website only. To see who won, go to http://www.dfs-pet-blog.com/2010/02/best-aquarium-tip. Sponsor: Foster & Smith, Inc., P.O. Box 100, Rhinelander, WI 54501-0100.
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Be prepared to invest in the upkeep and health of your livestock, the initial purchase of your tank and livestock is just a down payment in the overall life of your tank.
Invest in a good ro unit and use good water , water and light two key things
Be patient! Rushing can lead to disaster — picking unhealthy fish, adding too much at once, trying to fix issues (ie ph, salinity) with water quality… Take everything slow!
The best thing I’ve learned is to come up with what habitat you want to replicate. I love nature and how I can get them to act as natural as possible. Some people love fish for their looks, or individual personality. Do you want to go with fish that can be mixed? Do you want to try and … See Morerecreate a neon tetra school frm the Amazon basin? Maybe you would rather have 2 cool fish that mate and spawn or a tank as diverse as possible. Watch marine/freshwater fish videos or the some fish in person to see how they act. Sometimes pretty fish don’t have the personalities of fish that are more dull in color. Creating a habitat that suits you will provide much more satisfaction and enjoyment frm your tank.
whatever you do, HAVE FUN! After all the equipment,setup, maintenance and financing it can seem overwhelming. Make things fun for years of enjoyment.
water changes are the Top key to success, if you can find the time to do a water change ones a week I swear, your coral/plants will grow like crazy. I had a phasphate problem that I fixed but when I fixed it the algea was out of control. Then I did the simplest thing in the world, did a water change. The next day the algea was deing by the hour. Water changes is the best way to make your aquarium experience a happy one.
The best piece of advice I can give is to do as much research as possible before starting a reef tank. There are tons of online resources to use. When considering fish selection, Drs. Fosters and Smith website is a great tool for researching fish. They even have a fish compatability chart that I use frequently.
By far I think having a good water testing kit is the most invaluable item.
Always research the fish your interested in before putting them in your tank. For instance, putting small crustaceans in a tank with a Triggerfish only provides food for the Trigger, leaving you with a bunch of empty shells quickly.
What I have always tried to do is research the fish you intend on keeping and trying as best you can to replicate their natural environment. In the days before the Internet it was more difficult as we only had books to use but now with the Internet getting this information is much easier. In prior tanks, I chose one of the Rift Lakes in Africa and only had fish from that lake in my tank.
Sure, saltwater tanks have lots of pretty colors and fancy fish and creatures, but a good freshwater tank can be an excellent exhibit of local species which, in North Georgia, may include exotics such as crayfish. Plus, it will be easier to study and replicate the natural habitat of your aquarium inhabitants.
purchase a cheap battery back-up in case of power outages.
My advice would be three-pronged and focused on marine and reef tanks:
1. Don’t be lazy and skip water changes and use a good water testing kit to do regular water testing. Make sure you do regular water changes using RO water. I used non-RO water in my first marine tank and had constant issues with diatomic blooms. Water changes on a regular basis are your best friend. And it is also important to test the water quality on a regular basis and a good idea to keep track of it to see fluctuations over time.
2. Invest in good lighting and keep the lights changed on a regular basis. The value of light the bulbs put out changes over time and you will likely only harm your corals, anemones or any other light-sensitive creatures if you are not keeping up with this important element.
3. Do your research! Join a local marine/reef/aquarium club, join online reef or aquarium forums, subscribe to a good aquarium magazine, read thoroughly about the animals you want to keep, and find a good fish shop owner who is willing to answer your questions. Trust me, you’ll thank yourself for doing your research and you’ll know the difference between a good and a bad fish shop owner!
Just my few thoughts!
Get a Python to help clean your tank! Researching your fish and their needs are key as well…
When attempting to mix different species of fish in one aquarium which typically don’t mix well there are ways of getting around this aggression. Say you’re attempting to mix in your large aquarium two angelfish from the same genus such as holocanthus. You originally have in the aquarium a French and later add in a much more aggressive Passer Angelfish. What happens sometimes when mixing these larger species together, the more established and dominant fish lashes out on the new addition until it weakens so much from lack of food it perishes away. In order to prevent this, and to protect the special life of our reefs, have a seperate quarantine tank ready. Net the dominant preexisting fish, place them in the established quarantine tank, and let the new comer enjoy the display tank. After removing the aggressor, totally reaquascape the aquarium so that the new fish becomes the dominant one over time as it gets to know the new aquascaping, and becomes more healthy and dominant in the display tank. After a few weeks it’s time to put the aggressor back into the display. I’ve done this many times over the years and have had great success doing so.
Support your local fish store. They are often invaluable sources of information that you just don’t get from the internet.
Do understand that of all the setups out there, yours will truly be unique. The “thing” that looks so good or works so well in another tank will never be the same in yours. Implemented in your setup you will always find that the subtle variations in your scenario will require some improvisation and no amount of forethought can prevent it. Knowing the ins and outs of various configurations will prevent you from customizing yourself into a corner! So before you rearrange your rock work for a specific coral and ruin your flow or find your new skimmer doesn’t fit in your custom sump, take into account that you need to find what works for your setup and make it work for you!
Two tips: research and healthy living conditions. Make sure you have the proper plants, fish, and inverts for your tank. Just because a fish looks good doesn’t mean that it will do well in your tank. Also, make sure you check your water levels frequently. Water levels are a good indication of your overall tank health. When it is not time to check the levels, just look at the tank! Check for signs of disease, poor health, and unusual fish behavior.
Everything starts and ends with water quality. Pay attention to it, and the chances of success are pretty good.
2nd is Quarantining. I am surprised at how many reefers that don’t quarantine anything and then get out of the hobby after they get a pest that is hard to deal with. This goes for fish and corals both.
Quarantining takes a little extra effort, but pays for itself the first time you catch something.
Carefully inspect and observe every animal each day for health,pests etc… and document all your parameters in a daily log along with the appearance of any corals that may look better or worse then previously.Use filter bags and pass all surface skimmed water thru one and clean or change at least twice a week.And the first piece of equiptment purchased should be a good RODI filter.
Make sure you take your time and do not rush things, and do them the right way to start with. That way a year from now you will be much better off.
Quarantine is my final answer!
1.Whether freshwater or saltwater, make sure that your tank is up, running, cycled, & stable first!
2. While waiting for tank to stabilize, research some more.
3. AFTER thorough research, buy your livestock from a quality lfs or liveaquaria & Diver’s Den
4. Quarantine (I cannot stress this enough!)
5. enjoy!
Don’t put off doing something just because it’s inconvenient! Don’t skimp on testing, water changes, or little things like rinsing your hands before putting them in the tank just because you’re being lazy. Its a shame to lose any livestock due to something little and stupid.
my best piece of advice i can give is purchase all of your equipment and chemicals everything you will need from drfostersmith, you cant go wrong with this company,,,,they have the best products and the price is awsome too,,,,you cant beat their customer service department they are truely the best,, next when your ready to stock your aquarium dont buy from none other than liveaquaria,, i have never had a problem with any fish or coral ive purchased from them.. patience is the key but most of all the excietment and joy in the end that you will have is the best thing there is…good luck all..have a blessed day….
Don’t be cheap, buy the right equipment from the start. It will save you time, money, and headache. Be patient and DON’T rush. Find some goodwebsites for info (I swear without these I would be in trouble, haha), such as LiveAquaria, ReefCentral, and ReefBuilders.
Even if you think you are starting out with top quality equipment be open minded to changing almost everything you have with in the first two years of setting up your aquarium. You will start to see what works and what you need to change very quickly.
Always respect the animal and plant life you are introducing. Sometimes, people tend to forget that these are animal that didnt ask to be put in an aquarium. Respect and love them and they will reward you with the natural beauty that they have.
when you mom tells you o buy the small tank… don’t listen to her
Use peppermint shrimp to control apstasia
Things that are a must in starting a reef tank is RO/DI unit, good lighting and a good skimmer that is oversized for your tank. Buy good from the start, it will save you money in the long run.
Never put your heater behind your live rock it can cause it, the hearter to break and everthing in saltwater in very important and I’m a beginner and I love it
Always over filter and under populate your tanks for healthier livestock.
Make sure you have a plan for power failures! We live in Hurricane country so I keep a battery pump with plenty of air stones.
Use peppermint shrimp and coperband butterflies to control apsasia groth. also use reef soloution!
As someone fairly new to the saltwater hobby (1 year in March), I suggest to buy what you really the first time. I’ve gone through 2 sets of lights, a skimmer, adding a sump (things that I should have done the first time). If something seems confusing, take your time and keeping read about it. It will come together after you keep seeing pictures and information about it. If you have a local fish club near you, I suggest joining. They can provide lots of tips as well as sometimes selling second hand equipment which is a good way to get a bargain price. All of the reefers in my club are very helpful and are a great group of people.
My best aquarium tip is to make sure that your water stays healthy as that is what makes your fish/lifestock healthy. If you don’t take care of your water quality your aquarium will not thrive.
For a reef aquarium don’t use bio balls, use lots of live rock as your natural filtration system.
Don’t strive to maintain the so called “perfect” water parameters. Stability of the parameters is far more important in an aquarium.
1. Take care of the aquarium water and it will take care of your lifestock! Monitoring water quality, adding required elements and performing water changes are paramount to a healthy system.
Take it slow!
Nothing good happens fast in this hobby.
Water changes are the most important. Do them on a regular basis, around every 7- 10 days. Another great tip if you are using sponge filters, clean them by squeezing them out in you discarded water durning your water change. Never and I mean Never rinse and clean them using tap water. You will kill all the bacteria in them, which is a no no.
Listen to advice given! You could ask if you can keep reef fish in a toilet, and eventually someone will say “yes”. But, the thousands before it will say “no”. Too often, people will just wait to hear what they want to hear. Listen to overall advice, and gauge your decisions on that.
Never rush things, always let the tank cycle so that it can be ready to receive your fish and keep them alive. I always used to let it run a few days then get bored of waiting and starting getting a few fish but then they would die which would cause me to wait the rest of the cycle. So in the end, I just wasted money. The longer you wait the better
Make sure your nutrient import scheme (source water, feeding, etc.) is properly exported as well (water changes, biological filtration, skimming, etc.) to keep nutrients at appropriate levels.
Always buy your livestock and substrate from a trusted source. If you do not know the store you are purchasing your supplies from you may run into more headache than you were looking for (ie. bristle worms, flat worms, aptasia). Also be sure to stay on top of your water changes. Often times people neglect this very important maintenance step.
I want to win this to start my aquarium hobby. I promise to use all your tips lol. My tip is read all these tips ; )
Don’t forget you have electrical equipment in water!!! Always remember to be safe. I learned that the hard way.
Been in this hobby for many years. Recently (over the past two), I have let the quatlity of my 75G reef degrade. When I thought I lost my male clown after having an active mated pair in the tank for 7 years, I started to get motivated and whip the tank back into shape. The male clown showed itself after staying behind the rock work for 3 weeks, but I am still motivated. Currently fighting a horrible aiptasia problem, but will keep fighting until I win. What should you take out of this comment? Don’t wait until things start going downhill before you realize you are starting to neglect….
Always think redundancy. Split your power source up between 2 separate outlets/breakers. Also on top off water, have safety items in place so you don’t flood your floor. IE.. Over fill sensor, limited supply of top off water, extra sump space for when your top off sticks on or power outages and tank drains down. Plan ahead a lot, easier to be safe than sorry.
Proper lighting amounts and schedules are the best!
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