1. Freshwater and Saltwater Aquariums
Adapted from Jenessa Gjeltema and Mr. Krutz

2. Choose Your Aquarium Type
The specific aquarium setup will depend upon the requirements of the species you choose.

3. Choose Your Aquarium Type

4. Choose Your Aquarium Type

5. Factors to Consider Biotic (Living) Type of Fish, newt, turtle etc.
Beneficial Bacteria
Live Plants
Harmful microorganisms and multicellular organisms
Abiotic (Nonliving)
Substrate (gravel, crushed coral)
Plastic Plants
Decorative rocks, caves, or toys
Equipment (filters, lights, heaters, etc.)
Wastes (EX.Ammonia)

6. Setting up your new Aquarium Freshwater Basics
Choose the largest aquarium
Choose gravel : just a ¼” for the bottom (Undergravel filters need about 2”). A thick gravel bed will cause ammonia problems.
Fill with water: tap water, well water or any other you still need to use a dechlorinator such as Prime or Stress Coat. Any water changes a dechlorinator must be used.
Set up your filter and get it running.
Set your heater to the desired temperature and place your heater in but don’t plug it in for 30 minutes
Add some good bacteria to help age the tank such as Bio Spira or Cycle
Let tank run for 1 to 2 days and add in 2 or 3 starter fish.
See how these do for a week and slowly add a couple more.
A new aquarium needs patience and time to establish itself. A new freshwater tank takes days before it cycles through. A saltwater tank can tank up to 8 weeks.
Bio Spira and Cycle will help introduce new beneficial bacteria to a new tank. If no bacteria is used the new tank may become cloudy a few days after set up.
Make certain you have all the filter media you need to get it running!
1/2 -1 pound of gravel per gallon of aquarium with outside or canister filter.
Let heater stay unplugged to 30 minutes anytime it has been removed from water and placed back in.
These are two excellent dechlorinators.

7. Step 1 – Select Organism Select the Organism(s) Determine its needs
It could should be a freshwater community fish (or aggressive if you can set up an aggressive tank with another student
Number of organisms 1inch fish/gallon

8. Starter (Hardy) Fish: Freshwater
All these fish should be fed a variety of foods.
Flake foods and frozen.
Dwarf Gourami
Platy: Livebearers: little salt
Dalmatian Molly
Zebra Danios
This salt is good for most freshwater fish

9. Coldwater \ Goldfish
Coldwater ornamental fish requiring a little cooler environment if possible between degrees. These include all kinds of goldfish. Goldfish are messier than other fish and require more filtration and cleaning.
Feeds on goldfish specific food
Following are some examples:

10. Basic Needs
Appropriate enclosure/housing
Nutrition
Hygiene
Enrichment

11. Step 2 - Equipment Determine what equipment is needed
Size and shape of tank
Heater or Heat Lamp
Lighting
Filtration System
Stand
Substrate (gravel, crushed coral, sand, dolomite)
Plants, Rocks, Shells etc.

12. Enclosure Components: Tank

13. Step 3 – Cleaning the Tank
WASH THE TANK WITH FRESHWATER AND SALT
Note: NEVER USE DETERGENT, SOAP OR CHLORINE BLEACH – THEY ARE DEADLY

14. Step 4 – Tank Placement
Select a location away from windows, radiators, and air conditioners.
It should be placed in a manner that all equipment should be available for maintenance, cleaning and care of fish

15. Step 5 – Tank Placement
Place tank on a steady surface that can support the weight. Fresh water ways approximately 8 lbs a gallon, saltwater ways more. FOR EXAMPLE A 10 GALLON WEIGHS OVER 80 LBS.
The stand or support surface should be water resistant

16. Step 6 – Check for Leaks
Place cardboard underneath tank to cushion it and make it easy to slide
Half fill tank with water, wait 24 hours and observe for leaks

17. Step 7 – Check for Leaks
Fill to within 1 inch of top, wait 24 hours and observe for leaks

18. Step 8 - Salt
In a marine tank add marine salt to the water until a density between
1.017g/ml to 1.020g/ml is reached
Use a hydrometer to measure density
In a fresh water tank add one tablespoon of non iodized salt to prevent fungal infections

19. Step 9- Substrate Add substrate to a depth of 1 inch Freshwater tanks
gravel
sand
Marine
crushed coral
dolomite
marine sand or living sand

20. Step 10 - Filtration Install a filtration system.
To maintain optimal fish health, 3 types of filtration are necessary.
Physical
Biological
Chemical

21. Filtration Systems Physical Biological Chemical Filtration: Types:
Wool, sponge
Ceramics, sponges, rocks
(SURFACE AREA!!)
Charcoal, zeolite
Purpose:
Remove large particulate waste
Removes fish waste products
Removes odors, discoloration, toxins, and some waste products

22. Filtration Systems Considerations Tank size Stocking capacity
Water flow
Breeding
Aeration

23. Filtration Systems

24. Filtration Systems

25. Step 11 - Heating
Most fish can only survive within an environment with narrow range of temperature change, usually between 72 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
To maintain optimal temperature, install a submersible heater

26. Step 11 - Heating You need 5 watts per gallon 10 gallon – 50 watts

27. Step 11 To install heater safely:
Place unplugged in heater at bottom of tank horizontally for 15 minutes
Then set temperature and plug in heater
Wait 24 hours then measure temperature and adjust heater

28. Enclosure Components: Temperature Regulation
How?
Heaters
Chillers
Fans
Ventilation
Considerations:
Position of heater
Lighting

29. Step 12 - Decorations
Organisms need to be in an environment as similar to their natural environment as possible. To accomplish this we put rocks, live plants, caves, shells plastic plants, plastic pipes etc.

30. Step 12 - Decorations
Adding live plants provides food, 0xygen, a place to hide and lay eggs
Plastic plants provide a place to hide and lay eggs
Rocks, caves, coral, and tubes provide a place to hide
Note: shells, coral and calcareous rocks can only be used in High pH aquariums, mostly marine

31. Enclosure Components: Environmental Enrichment
Why?
Evasion
Breeding
Quality of life
Express Personality

32. Enclosure Components: Environmental Enrichment
Types:
Wood
Rocks
Substrate
Plants

33. Enclosure Components: Plants
Why?
Oxygenation
Waste removal
Protection

34. Step 13 Cover and lighting
A cover is needed to:
Prevent fish from jumping out of the tank
Slow evaporation
Keep dust out of the tank

35. Enclosure Components: Lid/Condenser
Why?
Keeps fish from jumping out
Prevents evaporation
Protects lights
Considerations:
Access to tank
Keep clean of debris

36. Step 13 - Lighting
Only reef tanks and tanks with live plants need daily lighting
Reef tanks need actinic (bluish light) for live coral and anemones and full spectrum white light for plants and algae
Tanks with live plants need 12 hours a day of full spectrum white light.

37. Enclosure Components: Lighting
Why?
Plant Growth
Coral Growth
Visualizing the Fish
Fish health
Considerations:
Fixtures/ballast
Photoperiod: Use timers 12hours
Types of bulbs (size, wavelength): Mostly fluorescent full spectrum bulbs that simulate daylight at noon
Reflectors

38. Enclosure Components: Lighting
Considerations:
Fixtures
Wavelength
Light Intensity
Reflectors
Photoperiod (12 hours)

39. Step 14 - Selecting Fish Fish should: Be active
Have regular breathing pattern
Have clear eyes
Have no torn fins or sores
No fuzzy stuff on body or fins

40. Step 15 – Catching Fish
Fish should preferably be caught slowly using a container
A net removes the protective slime coat and irritates skin
Try not to stress fish, it suppresses immune system

41. Step 16 – Acclimating fish
To minimize stress and protect fish
Float bag in new tank for 15 minutes adding small amounts of water to the bag to make the temperatures similar
After fifteen minutes turn open bag sideways and let fish swim out of bag
Observe behavior
May have to rearrange tank so all fish establish new territories

42. Step 18 - Care of Fish Feeding
Determine best diet for organism
Feed small amount – only as much food as fish can eat in 3 minutes then remove excess

43. Step 18 – Care of Fish Observe and record behavior
Need to establish baseline for comparison
Observe fish for 20 minutes or more for several days
Determine its favorite spot in the tank
Draw a diagram of its body and fins noting markings and coloration
Observe its behavior toward tank mates and their behavior towards it and record

44. Step 18 – Care of Fish Observe and Record Behavior
Observe its gill movements – count and record for 1 minute
Observe its eating pattern and how it eats record in log

45. Step 19 Care of Fish Water Chemistry
Test and Record pH
Ammonia level
Nitrite level
Maintain ideal levels for optimal health

46. Water Composition: Water Testing

47. Water Composition: Testing
Fresh Water: pH
Ammonia
Nitrite
Nitrate
Salt Water:
Salinity
Other:
Phosphate
Calcium
Strontium

48. Step 20 – Care of Fish Maintenance
In order to prevent disease, regular maintenance is critical
The single most important maintenance procedure is a water change
Clean gravel at least once a month
Change 20% a month to remove harmful wastes and replace trace elements
Clean filter pad every month, replace every 3 months

49. Water Quality: Nitrogen Cycle
badmanstropicalfish.com (originally from

50. Water Quality: Nitrogen Cycle

51. Water Quality: Cycling A New Tank
Purpose: grow bacteria for nitrogen cycle
Takes 4-6 weeks
Tips:
“Seed” the tank
Monitor values closely
Avoid water changes
Can achieve without fish

52. Water Changes Why? Dilutes waste products Corrects pH imbalances
Can reduce algae growth

53. Performing Water Changes
Regular water changes
2% every 2 days
4% every week
20% a month

54. Adding Fish: Acclimation
Temperature
Water composition
Environmental factors
How:
15-30 min. for temperature
15 minutes for water composition

55. Nutrition Dry: Flakes Pellets Sticks Floating Sinking Wafers Seaweed
Live/Frozen:
Blood Worms
Daphnia
Brine Shrimp
Feeder fish
Plants

56. Picture from Jeremy Gay’s The Perfect Aquarium
Nutrition
Know your fish
Observe mouth
Use dry food as staple
Supplement with fresh/frozen foods
Do not overfeed
Picture from Jeremy Gay’s The Perfect Aquarium

57. Maintenance Daily: Feed Monitor Lighting Weekly: Replace evaporation
Water testing
Clean algae
Empty protein skimmer

58. Maintenance Monthly: Charcoal replacement Plant maintenance
Electrical Inspection
6 mos. To Yearly:
Change light bulbs

59. Common Questions Why is my tank cloudy?
Answer: The aquarium is going thru a cycling process known as the Nitrogen Cycle. This occurs in new tanks and tanks that have recently had major water changes.
Solution: Adding Bio Spira or Cycle will help. Do not overfeed or overpopulate a new tank.

60. More Common Questions:
Why is my tank water green?
Answer: Tank is getting too much or the wrong kind of light. Customer should make certain the tank is getting no sunlight. Also make sure the bulbs are correct for fish tanks. Any bulb older than 18 months probably needs replacing.
Answer: Partial water change is needed and replace old filter media (charcoal).

61. Ickey Fish
What are the white or salt like spots on my fish?
Answer: This is most likely a disease known as ick. Fast temperature change or stressful environment can bring this on.
Solution: Ick medicine and making sure your tank water is good. Make certain heater is working and keeping the temperature stable.

62. More Questions:
My fish has big white patches on it’s body and fins, why?
Answer: Commom on fish with injuries or poor water quality. Other fish picking on them is also a cause.
Solution: Several products treat this: Fungus Cure,
Mar Oxy or Triple Sulfa

63. Question:
I have been treating with medicine but my fish don’t seem to be getting any better, why?
Answer: Medicines take several treatments and fish heal slowly. Also, make certain there is no charcoal (carbon filters). These will absorb the medication.

64. References
Axelrod, Herbert. Handbook of Tropical Aquarium Fishes. Neptune City: TFH Publications
Borneman, Eric. Aquarium Corals: Selection, Husbandry, and Natural History. Neptune City: T.H.F. Publications
Fenner, Robert M. The Conscientious Marine Aquarist. Neptune city: T.F.H Publications
Gay, Jeremy. The Perfect Aquarium: The Complete Guide to Setting Up and Maintaining an Aquarium. New York: Reader’s Digest
Hawkins, A.D. Aquarium Systems. London: Academic Press

65. References
Hemdal, Jay F. Aquarium Fish Breeding. New York: Barron’s
Hiscock, Peter. Encyclopedia of Aquarium Plants. New York: Barron’s
Sandford, Gina. The Tropical Aquarium. New York: Barron’s
Stoskopf, Michael. Fish Medicine. Philadelphia: W.B. Sauders Co
Tullock, John. Water Chemistry for the Marine Aquarium. New York: Barron’s