Freshwater Aquariums For Dummies

364 Pages·2006·4.09 MB·English

by  Maddy Hargrove

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Freshwater
Aquariums
FOR
DUMmIES
‰
2
ND EDITION
by Maddy Hargrove and Mic Hargrove
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Freshwater Aquariums For Dummies,®2nd Edition
Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
111 River St.
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2006 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published simultaneously in Canada
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2006927727
ISBN-13: 978-0-470-05103-0
ISBN-10: 0-470-05103-5
Manufactured in the United States of America
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About the Authors
Maddyand Mic Hargroveare both contributing writers for many aquatic
magazines, including Tropical Fish Hobbyist and Aquarium Fish magazine,
and are also the authors of several aquarium books. They have both been in
the writing industry for over 30 years.
Maddy’sinterest in fish began when she was five years old. She often dreamed
of keeping fish at home as she watched the local fishermen bring in their daily
catch in her hometown. She began keeping aquariums at age seven and began
breeding fish at age ten. She built her aquarium collection by selling and trad-
ing her newborn fry to local aquarium stores in exchange for aquariums and
equipment as she was growing up.
Her passion for aquarium fish continued on after she finished her college
degree in journalism and began writing aquarium-keeping articles for print
and online aquatic magazines. Eventually, she wrote several aquarium
columns and began writing fishkeeping books to help other hobbyists enjoy
keeping aquariums at home as much as she did. Her love of fish has also
appeared in her greeting cards, cartoons, and other artwork.
Michas kept aquarium fish for almost 30 years. He was one of the first sailors
to develop a tank system that could keep aquarium fish alive onboard Navy
vessels. His love of fish began when he saw many different species, aquatic
traditions, and other hobbyists while on his worldwide military travels.
Both authors enjoy breeding fish, traveling, scuba diving, cooking and creat-
ing exciting new recipes, collecting old records, and computer games.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to the memory of Maddy’s father who taught her
the true beauty of the natural world in which we live. Thanks, Dad, wherever
you are.
Authors’ Acknowledgments
We would like to thank our editor Corbin for dedicating himself to making
this book great. We would also like to thank Claudette for her moral support
when it was needed most. And we would also like to thank our two dogs who
persistently reminded us that we needed to stop playing with fish and go out
for a good brisk walk now and then.
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Publisher’s Acknowledgments
We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration
form located at www.dummies.com/register/.
Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:
Acquisitions, Editorial, and Composition Services
Media Development
Project Coordinator: Patrick Redmond
Project Editor: Corbin Collins
Layout and Graphics: Andrea Dahl,
Acquisitions Editor: Michael Lewis JoyceHaughey, Stephanie D. Jumper,
Clint Lahnen, LynseyOsborn,
Copy Editor: Corbin Collins
Alicia B. South, Erin Zeltner
Technical Editor: Carol Sindelar
Special Art: Color photos courtesy of
Editorial Manager: Michelle Hacker Aaron Alcantar
Editorial Supervisor and Reprint Editor: Proofreaders: David Faust, John Greenough,
Carmen Krikorian Leeann Harney, Techbooks
Editorial Assistants:Erin Calligan, David Lutton Indexer: Techbooks
Cover Photos: Maximilian Weinzierl / Alamy
Cartoons: Rich Tennant
(www.the5thwave.com)
Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies
Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies
Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies
Kristin A. Cocks, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies
Kathleen Nebenhaus, Vice President and Executive Publisher, Consumer Dummies, Lifestyles,
Pets, Education
Michael Spring, Vice President and Publisher, Travel
Kelly Regan,Editorial Director, Travel
Publishing for Technology Dummies
Andy Cummings,Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User
Composition Services
Gerry Fahey,Vice President of Production Services
Debbie Stailey,Director of Composition Services
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Contents at a Glance
Introduction.................................................................1
Part I: Aquarium Basics................................................5
Chapter 1: Tanks for the Memories..................................................................................7
Chapter 2: The Practice of Aquarium Keeping.............................................................15
Chapter 3: Finding a Good Location..............................................................................23
Chapter 4: The Tank and Stand......................................................................................29
Chapter 5: What to Put and What Not to Put in Your Tank.........................................45
Chapter 6: Equipment and Other Technical Stuff........................................................59
Part II: Fish and How to Care for Them.........................79
Chapter 7:Fish Anatomy.................................................................................................81
Chapter 8: Finding Your Species ....................................................................................95
Chapter 9: Purchasing Your Fish..................................................................................125
Chapter 10: Diet and Nutrition for Your Wet Pets......................................................137
Chapter 11: Diseases and Treatments.........................................................................149
Part III: Water, Chemicals, and Plants.......................169
Chapter 12: All Water Is Not Created Equal................................................................171
Chapter 13: Those Crazy Chemicals............................................................................179
Chapter 14: The Nitrogen Cycleand Water Testing....................................................187
Chapter 15: Putting It All Together...............................................................................197
Chapter 16: Live Plants for Freshwater Aquariums...................................................205
Chapter 17: Choosing Plant Species for Your Tank....................................................217
Chapter 18: What to Do if Trouble Strikes..................................................................231
Part IV: Breeding and Other Fun Stuff........................239
Chapter 19: The Breeding Room..................................................................................241
Chapter 20: Let’s Spawn!................................................................................................253
Chapter 21: Recording Data and Photographing Fish...............................................267
Chapter 22: Competing in Fish Shows.........................................................................281
Chapter 23: For the Advanced Aquarium Hobbyist...................................................293
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Part V: The Part of Tens ............................................299
Chapter 24: Ten Cool Aquarium Gadgets....................................................................301
Chapter 25: Ten Ways to Kill Your Fish Without Even Trying...................................305
Chapter 26: Ten Scientific Fish Laws...........................................................................309
Chapter 27: Ten Aquatic New Year’s Resolutions......................................................313
Appendix: Tank Figures and Facts..............................315
Index.......................................................................323
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Table of Contents
Introduction..................................................................1
Why a Book for Dummies?..............................................................................1
What We Assume About You..........................................................................2
How to Use This Book.....................................................................................2
How This Book Is Organized...........................................................................2
Part I: Aquarium Basics.........................................................................2
Part II: Fish and How to Care for Them...............................................3
Part III: Water, Chemicals, and Plants .................................................3
Part IV: Breeding and Other Fun Stuff..................................................3
Part V: The Part of Tens.........................................................................3
Icons Used in This Book..................................................................................4
Where to Go from Here....................................................................................4
Part I: Aquarium Basics.................................................5
Chapter 1: Tanks for the Memories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Seeing the Big Aquarium Picture....................................................................8
Where do I put my tank?........................................................................8
What type of tank and stand should I buy?........................................9
What do I put inside my aquarium?.....................................................9
What does all this aquarium equipment do?....................................10
Caring for Your New Aquatic Pets................................................................10
Why are so many fish so different?....................................................10
What type of fish is best for me?........................................................11
What should I look for when buying fish?.........................................11
What should I feed my fish?................................................................11
What if my fish get sick?......................................................................12
Understanding Water, Chemicals, and Live Plants....................................12
Expanding Your Aquarium Hobby...............................................................13
Can I breed my fish?.............................................................................13
How do I keep track of all my fish?....................................................13
How do fish shows work?....................................................................13
Is there another type of aquarium system?......................................13
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Freshwater Aquariums For Dummies, 2nd Edition
Chapter 2:The Practice of Aquarium Keeping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
The Benefits of an Aquarium........................................................................16
What Kind of Aquarium Do You Want?........................................................17
Freshwater systems.............................................................................18
Marine systems.....................................................................................20
Brackish systems..................................................................................20
Organization Is the Key to Success..............................................................21
Chapter 3: Finding a Good Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Room Temperature and Its Effects..............................................................23
Wicked windows...................................................................................24
Deadly doors.........................................................................................25
High Traffic Areas and Children (Spell D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R).............................25
Water Sources.................................................................................................26
Checking the source.............................................................................27
Using a Python......................................................................................27
Other Considerations....................................................................................28
Furniture and space.............................................................................28
Electrical................................................................................................28
Cleaning.................................................................................................28
Chapter 4: The Tank and Stand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Before You Buy a Tank...................................................................................29
Water is heavy.......................................................................................30
Watching the tendency to overspend................................................30
Checking out starter kits.....................................................................31
Finding free space................................................................................32
Taking people into consideration.......................................................33
Deciding where to buy.........................................................................33
What Aquariums Are Made Of......................................................................34
Glass aquariums...................................................................................35
Acrylic aquariums................................................................................36
Plastic aquariums.................................................................................37
Different and Unusual Aquarium Styles......................................................38
Portrait aquariums...............................................................................38
In-wall tanks..........................................................................................38
Furniture aquariums............................................................................39
Tower aquariums..................................................................................39
Indoor pond barrels.............................................................................40
Choosing the Right Tank...............................................................................40
Tank size................................................................................................40
Tank shape............................................................................................41
Carrying capacity.................................................................................41
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Table of Contents
Choosing the Right Stand..............................................................................41
Wooden cabinet stands.......................................................................42
Angle and wrought iron stands...........................................................42
Do-it-yourself stands............................................................................42
Material-based stands..........................................................................43
Mixed-media stands.............................................................................43
Bow-front stands..................................................................................43
Placing the Stand Correctly..........................................................................43
Checking floors and walls...................................................................44
Looking for power................................................................................44
Moving an Aquarium.....................................................................................44
Chapter 5: What to Put and What Not to Put in Your Tank . . . . . . . . . .45
Taking Clues from Your Fish’s Natural Environment.................................46
All About Substrates......................................................................................47
Gravel.....................................................................................................47
Substrates and pH................................................................................47
Substrates to avoid..............................................................................48
Gravel size and the perils of sand......................................................49
Adding substrate to your system.......................................................50
Rocks, Wood, and Artificial Plants...............................................................50
Rocks for freshwater tanks.................................................................50
Wood for a freshwater tank.................................................................51
Safely sealing wood..............................................................................52
Plastic plants.........................................................................................52
Other Aquarium Decorations ......................................................................54
Unsafe decorations can cause problems..........................................54
Plastic divers and other oddities.......................................................54
Aquascaping Tips and Tricks.......................................................................56
Chapter 6: Equipment and Other Technical Stuff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Taking the Mystery out of Filters.................................................................60
Mechanical filtration............................................................................60
Biological filtration...............................................................................61
Chemical filtration................................................................................62
Sifting Through Filtration Systems..............................................................62
Undergravel filters................................................................................62
Sponge filters........................................................................................63
Corner filters (submersible filters)....................................................64
Power filters..........................................................................................64
Powerheads...........................................................................................65
Canister filters......................................................................................66
Fluidized bed filters.............................................................................66
Diatom filters........................................................................................67
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Freshwater Aquariums For Dummies, 2nd Edition
Wet/dry filters.......................................................................................67
Natural filtration with plants..............................................................68
Gauging Heaters and Thermometers...........................................................68
Submersible heaters............................................................................69
Non-submersible heaters....................................................................69
How to heat your aquarium................................................................69
Making Bubbles with Airstones and Pumps...............................................70
Air pumps..............................................................................................71
Airstones and circulation....................................................................72
Connecting Tubing, Valves, and Tees..........................................................73
Air-line tubing.......................................................................................73
Gang valves and tees...........................................................................74
Creating the Best Lighting.............................................................................74
Looking at bulb types..........................................................................75
Making a hood choice..........................................................................76
Part II: Fish and How to Care for Them .........................79
Chapter 7: Fish Anatomy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
What Really Makes a Fish Go?......................................................................82
The dorsal fin........................................................................................82
The caudal fin.......................................................................................83
The anal fin............................................................................................83
The pectoral fins..................................................................................83
The pelvic fins.......................................................................................84
The adipose fin.....................................................................................84
Swimming movement...........................................................................84
Respiration......................................................................................................85
The gill method.....................................................................................85
The labyrinth organ method...............................................................86
The Senses......................................................................................................87
Sight.......................................................................................................87
Hearing...................................................................................................89
Smell.......................................................................................................89
Taste.......................................................................................................89
Feeling....................................................................................................89
Osmosis and the salt to water ratio.............................................................90
Fish that don’t drink water..................................................................90
Fish that need to drink water..............................................................91
Recognizing Traits to Identify Fish..............................................................91
Body shape............................................................................................91
Taxonomy..............................................................................................92
The swim bladder.................................................................................93
Color and its purpose..........................................................................94