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Planted Aquarium Care 101: Part 3

13 06 2009

In the last Planted Aquarium Care Article I discussed lighting.
Although lighting is the most obvious factor contributing to aquarium
plant nourishment, there are other factors to take into consideration
when adding live plants to your aquarium.

In this addition of the Planted Aquarium Care series, I'll talk about
substrate - the pebbles, gravel, or sand at the bottom of your aquarium
- and how your choice of substrate significantly affects the wellbeing
of your plants. In particular, I'll explain why the health of your
plants' roots is affected by the quality of your aquarium substrate.

First, a Very Brief Overview of How Plants Transport Food:

Apart from moss, all true plants, including ones for the aquarium
hobby, transport nutrients internally by way of a vascular system - one
composed of xylem and phloem.

Plant Root Xylem While the phloem transports most notably sucrose
produced during photosynthesis mainly in the leaves down throughout the
rest of the plant, the xylem transports water and soluble mineral
nutrients (ones absorbed by the roots) upwards and throughout the
plant. Hence, the plant leaves and roots are co-dependant upon one
another: The leaves provide the plant (including the roots) with
sucrose, while the roots provide the plant (including the leaves) with
water and mineral nutrients.

So, why am I telling you this?

Well, because of the particular function of the xylem, the health of
plant roots is absolutely vital for the wellbeing of the plant as a
whole. After all, the roots absorb the nourishing water and minerals
that the xylem transports throughout the plant. Hence, in addition to
adequate lighting, a healthy and full root system makes for green,
vibrant, and full foliage.

And that's exactly why choosing the right substrate for your planted
aquarium is so important.

Before I discuss why grain size affects the health of roots let me make
this one point: Aquarium plant roots are extremely delicate!

You may think that this is not the case when witnessing an aquarium
shop seller tear through the thick jumble of roots in order to remove
the plant from its home at the aquarium shop. But, keep in mind that
those most visible thick roots you see are the primary roots - roots
which are hardly responsible for water and nutrient absorption!

In fact, it is the secondary roots (also termed lateral roots), which
sprout from the sides of the thick primary roots, that are responsible
for the majority of nutrient uptake. And, these secondary roots are
much, much thinner than their primary counterparts and are far more
delicate.

Substrate Grain Size Makes a Difference.

Since the secondary roots which significantly contribute to the health
of the plant are extremely delicate, they are very susceptible to
physical damage - to damage caused not only by the plant's physical
removal from the pet shop aquarium, but also by the shifting of large
sized pebbles in the home aquarium substrate.

For this reason, I feel that the smaller the grain size of the aquarium
gravel, the healthier the root system will be. Indeed, very fine gravel
and sand shifts significantly less than does large grained gravel and
pebbles.

Aquarium Gravel

Especially when using a gravel vacuum (by the way, you should gravel
vac areas around plants only VERY gently), large grained substrate
moves around a whole lot ...even in the areas of the aquarium that are
not being gravel vacuumed.

Imagine the damaged sustained by the secondary roots when pummeled and
pulled by a 2 inch deep and tumbling layer of large pebbles! Now fathom
the plant roots having to suffer this abuse on a continuous weekly or
biweekly basis (and, even when you're not gravel vacuuming your
aquarium, large grained substrate does tend to shift)!

That said, how in the world can you expect the secondary roots to keep
up with the sustained physical damage, and, consequently, why would you
expect the roots to support a full foliage if you place the plant in
large grained substrate?

The good news is that you can easily alleviate the above mentioned
problem by simply using fine grained gravel, or even sand (intended for
freshwater aquarium use), as opposed to bulky gravel or pebbles.

In fact, fine grained gravel not only provides your aquarium plant
roots with a stable environment, but it also offers far more surface
area for biological filtration and looks much nicer too.

From My Personal Experience:

When I switched over from regular sized gravel to sand in 2006, my
aquarium plants displayed an explosion of growth! I witnessed a huge
and visible benefit to the health of my plants literally within a week
and a half! They grew to a much larger size, became fuller, and turned
greener, and the only change I made was to replace the normal sized
gravel with sand!

Freshwater Aquarium with live aquarium plants and sand bottom

Although some of my readers may be concerned with the development of
oxygen starved (anaerobic) zones within the deepest layers of the sand
substrate, keep in mind that 1) I only keep the sand layer deep in the
parts of the aquarium nearest to the plants, and that 2) the roots
actively pull water through the substrate anyway.

In fact, after I added the sand to my aquarium, the plant roots
expanded to such a great extent that even the thinnest layer of sand in
the front of the aquarium is inhabited by a shockingly dense patchwork
of roots.

So, if you want to take it one step further and add sand instead of
fine gravel to your planted aquarium, I say go for it! Also, if you
have any questions about my aquarium setup, feel free to post them in
the comments section below.

Take care, and happy fish-keeping!
Comments : No Comments ť
Categories : Planted Aquarium Care
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Planted Aquarium Care 101: Part 2

8 01 2009

In the previous article in the Planted Aquarium Care series, I
discussed lighting. Indeed, most aquarium plants will require the
addition of high quality light bulbs (I recommended T5 fluorescents)
and the appropriate fixtures to support those bulbs

A quality lighting solution is needed because plants require light for
the production of food and, without adequate illumination, they won't
be able to sustain normal growth. In other words, insufficient lighting
results in malnourishment. Most aquarium plants shed old leaves on a
regular basis, and malnourished plants are simple not able to replace
leaves lost with new foliage, resulting in an assortment of ever
shrinking plants.

Generally, the more light your plants receive, the better they'll do
under your care. That said, there are a few aquarium plants that will
do well under less than optimum lighting solutions. In fact, the ever
growing multitude of aquarium plant species available to the hobby
require varying amounts of light. Below, I will discuss some plant
options for low light, medium light, and high light aquarium plants.

Low Light Plants

Anubias and Java Fern Aquarium Plants The most attractive and notable
low light plants are the many Java Fern, Cryptocoryne (often called
"Crypts"), and Anubias varieties and species. All three of these plants
are a mainstay in the aquarium hobby, and all three are highly
recommended for beginners. Anubias, in particular, is a very hardy and
will do well under normal output fluorescent bulbs. Though Anubias
grows slower than most other plant species, large specimens with broad
leaves are readily available at most aquarium shops.

Medium Light Plants

Medium light plants will need compact fluorescent or, better yet, T5
fluorescent lights to do well in the home aquarium. Most Sword Plants
(Including the popular Amazon Sword), Banana Plants, Wisteria, and
Water Sprite are among the more popular medium light specimens
available. All tend to grow to a larg size, and serve as excellent
mid-ground to background plants.

High Light Plants

Surprisingly, many, if not most of the plants you'll find at your local
aquarium shop require a large amount of light supplied by multiple T5
bulbs or metal halide lights (for very tall aquariums).

Most of the plants sold as bunches (often tied by a rubber band and/or
led weight) require an ample amount of light. In particular, Four Leaf
Clover Plants, Dwarf Tears, Ludwiga, Moneywort, Myrio, and Rotala all
need high light. Madagascar Lace and the Chain and Red Sword Plants
will also do best under ample illumination.

Planted Aquarium Unfortunately, aquarium shops often keep high light
plants under low light. As a result, many costumers either assume that
these are low light plants, or are misinformed by ignorant sellers into
believing that these plants will do well under normal output
fluorescent bulbs. Just a week after taking home some Myrio or Rotala
for example, misinformed customers are left with a fish tank full of
withered plants, with Myrio that lacks its feathery foliage, and
specimens of stemmy Rotala with heaps of decomposing leaves beneath
their emaciated bodies.

My aim is not to terrify readers with images of doom. Instead, I am
merely illustrating my point: keeping high light plants under normal
output fluorescent bulbs is a recipe for failure. It is therefore
essential to determine whether your aquarium setup will accommodate the
needs of the plants you plan to keep.

Simply doing a little research prior to purchasing aquarium plants will
go a long way. If your aquarium is illuminated by normal output
fluorescent bulbs, some Anubias and Java Fern is a good choice. If,
however, you'd like to add a Madagascar Lace accented by a carpet of
Chain Swords in the foreground, you will have to invest in a more
powerful lighting system (there is no way around it). And believe me,
you won't regret making the small investment in a T5 lighting fixture!

Also, keep in mind that adequate lighting is just a part of the
equation. Clean water and the presence of CO2 and nutrients, including
iron, are also essential for success with aquarium plants. I'll discuss
these issues in future Planted Aquarium Care 101 articles.

Comments : No Comments ť
Categories : Planted Aquarium Care
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The Red Eye Tetra: A Hardy Silver School of Fish for Your Aquarium

21 12 2008

Most people who keep freshwater aquariums are drawn to the shimmering
effect produced by a large healthy school of tropical fish.

Unfortunately, not all schooling and/or shoaling fish make for good
aquarium pets.

The Tiger Barb, for example, while attractively colored and quite
lively, proves too quarrelsome and nippy for most other (more delicate)
tankmates. The famous Neon Tetra, though beautiful and extremely
peaceful, has been bred (and even inbred) to the point that the vast
majority of this once easy to care for fish have become far too frail
to handle all but perfect aquarium conditions!

A great alternative to both fish is the Red Eye Tetra. These fish have
been in the aquarium hobby for a long time and have acquired a fitting
reputation for being very hardy, yet are unfairly overlooked or brushed
aside as mundane.

red eye tetra Although their silver coloration may seem all too
ordinary, Red Eye Tetras, when kept in sizable groups of 7 or more,
produce a shimmering mass of aquatic life that's not easy to ignore.
Moreover, their distinctive red eyes and black and white tails produce
attractive points of contrast to their silver bodies.

Red Eye Tetras are active swimmers and will occupy the middle portion
of the aquarium. Although these fish have a peaceful temperament and
are a great addition to almost any community aquarium, it is not
recommended to keep Red Eye Tetras with slow moving long finned fish
(the betta comes to mind) for sporadic cases of fin-nipping have been
reported.

Aside from the above noted consideration, Red Eye Tetras make for great
community fish. They tolerate a surprisingly wide range of aquarium
water conditions (see Aquarium Care below) which makes them a great
beginner schooling fish.

Aquarium Care:

Scientific Name: Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae

Origin: Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru

Water Temperature Range: 74-82 °F (23-28 °C)

Water pH Range: 5.8 - 8.2

Temperament: peaceful

Maximum Size: 2.75 inch (7 cm)

Minimum Tank Size: 10 U.S. gallons (38 liters), though, as I indicate
in this Freshwater Aquarium Care Guide, a larger aquarium size is
strongly advisable.

Diet: omnivore that will take all kinds of food, including flake food,
frozen brine shrimp, cyclops-eeze, frozen bloodworms (not recommended)
Comments : No Comments ť
Categories : Tropical Fish of the Month
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Planted Aquarium Care 101: Part 1

18 12 2008

I've been receiving a lot of questions about taking care of planted
aquariums. So, I decided to start a new Aquarium Care series that
covers this topic. Over the next several Aquarium Care articles, I'll
explain the basics of keeping aquariums with a thriving assortment of
plants.

First, a quick introduction:

So, what is a planted aquarium anyway? What makes these aquariums
different from other tropical fish tanks?

To put it very briefly, planted aquariums are ones that rely primarily
on plants for aesthetic appeal. In other words, plants serve as the
heart of the planted aquarium with tropical fish accenting and
complementing the lush underwater garden.

Planted freshwater aquarium

For this reason, planted aquariums are specially made for providing
plants with a suitable environment. Success with this planted type of
aquarium, therefore, requires a bit of extra planning in order to
ensure the health of your plants. Indeed, lighting quality,
water-flow, substrate type, the variety and amount of tropical fish
your aquarium sustains, and perhaps the addition of extra equipment are
all issues to consider before setting up a new planted aquarium or
converting an existing freshwater fish tank into an aquatic garden.

That said, the extra planning and input will go a long way. Moreover,
both the presence of plants and the extra attention you'll pay to
maintaining optimum water conditions will significantly contribute to
the health and vitality of you fish. Believe it or not, tropical fish
and aquarium plants share many basic needs.

Lighting the Planted Aquarium

Like all plants, aquarium plants rely on photosynthesis for the
production of food. They need light for nutrition and growth.
Choosing suitable aquarium lights, therefore, seems like the natural
starting point for planning a planted aquarium.

While regular tropical fish tanks will do well with normal output
fluorescent lights, planted aquariums require a more heavy duty
solution. That's because normal output bulbs - the type used for
household use and, unfortunately, for most aquarium "kits" and complete
setups - produce a small amount of poor quality light.

In other words, the intensity of normal output fluorescent bulbs is not
strong enough to sustain aquarium plant growth. These bulbs also tend
to produce a reddish yellowish hued light that will stimulate algae
growth, but won't do wonders for your plants.

Fortunately, there are other lighting solutions for the planted
aquarium. Metal halide bulbs work wonderfully. Nevertheless, they are
both costly and expensive to operate (they'll double your electricity
bill!). Power compact fluorescent bulbs are also great and cost much
less than their metal halide counterparts, but they're still not the
best way to go.

Instead, I highly recommend T5 fluorescent bulbs for planted aquariums.

T5's are long lived, they produce a high quality of light, they pack
more punch per Watt than other bulbs (excluding metal halides), they're
more compact than their normal output fluorescents (T12's or T8's,
depending on where you live), and they don't produce excessive heat!
T5's stay cool. They are by far the best lighting solution in the
planted aquarium hobby.

With T5 bulbs, I suggest getting about 2 to 3 Watts per gallon. This
arrangement will ensure that your aquarium plants will receive the
sustenance they need to thrive under your care.

That's it for this Planted Aquarium Care 101 post. In the next
installment of the series, I'll discuss plant varieties according to
lighting needs: namely the so called low light, medium light, and high
light aquatic plant categories.
Comments : 2 Comments ť
Categories : Planted Aquarium Care
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The Cory Catfish: A Very Peaceful Little `Vacuum Cleaner' for Your Aquarium

21 08 2008

Many people in the aquarium hobby seek fish that will do a lot of the
dirty work for them. While the desire to minimize the amount of
cleaning one does around the aquarium is understandable, I would like
to stress that no tropical fish will effectively replace a simple
gravel vac, an algae pad, and a bit of elbow grease.

Still, many freshwater aquarium hobbyists choose to buy "cleaning" fish
and/or snails only to find that many of them end up producing more
waste then they consume!

The infamous Plecostomus - variously called "pleco," "suckerfish," or
"algae-eater" - comes to mind. People often purchase baby Common Plecos
only to find that their cute little suckerfish turned into a smelly,
small-fish-eating, 1 foot (30 cm) giant just a few months down the
road! Yes, these fish do produce more waste than they consume, and, no,
I do not recommend that anyone gets one (unless it's purely for
ornamental value).

Fortunately, hobbyists who want to add bottom dwelling fish to their
aquarium have an excellent alternative. The Cory Catfish (also known as
the Cory Cat) is an excellent addition to most community aquariums.

Cory Catfish

The Cory Cats are bottom dwelling catfish that originate from South
America. These extremely peaceful fish grow to only 2.5 inches (6.25
cm) to 3.5 inches (8.75 cm) in length, and more than a few species are
available for the aquarium trade. In fact, it's common to find
variously colored and patterned Cory Cats at a single store. These fish
are readily available.

Moreover, Cory Cats are actually pretty good at sucking up uneaten food
from the bottom of the aquarium. Any food your other fish will miss,
the Cory Cats will quickly consume, thus lessoning the amount of stress
put on your biological filter following feeding time. Yes; Cory Cats
are excellent bottom feeders.

Because of their specialized feeding behavior, I recommend adding Cory
Cats (or any other bottom feeders for that matter) to your aquarium
only after a few other fish have been added. Indeed, as I describe in
Chapter Nine of The Kick-Ass Aquarium, bottom-feeding fish rely on the
presence of other fish - sloppy eaters that provide scavengers with a
continuous supply of food - for nutrition. If not enough fish are
present in the aquarium, the Cory Cats' diet must be supplemented with
at least one of the foods described below.

I would like to mention again that, although the Cory Cats are
wonderful scavengers which will reduce the amount of waste present in
the home aquarium, no animal will replace the cleaning power of
physical waste removal. Still, the Corys are wonderful little fishes,
and are an excellent alternative to the monster mentioned at the top of
the article.

Aquarium Care:

Scientific Name: Corydoras spp. and Brochis spp.

Origin: South America

Water Temperature Range: 74-82 °F (23-28 °C)

Water pH Range: 6.0-7.0

Temperament: peaceful (like to live in small groups of 6 or more,
though 2 specimens can be kept successfully)

Maximum Size: 2.5 to 3.5 inch (6.25 to 8.75 cm) depending on species

Minimum Tank Size: 10 U.S. gallons (28 liters), though, as I indicate
in The Kick-Ass Aquarium ebook, a larger aquarium size is strongly
advisable.

Diet: bottom feeder - algae wafers, flake food, frozen brine shrimp,
cyclops-eeze
Comments : 1 Comment ť
Categories : Tropical Fish of the Month
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What's A Community Aquarium?

10 04 2008

When most people think of a freshwater aquarium, they imagine an
aquatic garden-of sorts that houses a diverse group of tropical fish.
They think of an aquarium that looks something like the one pictured
below. Indeed, most freshwater aquariums are well suited to provide
many different types (or species) of tropical fish with a great home.
These types of aquariums are called community aquariums. Community
Aquarium

Perhaps the best way to define a community aquarium is to explain what
it is not. So, let's do just that.

Some types of tropical fish require very specific aquarium conditions,
and ones which many other fish are not used to. Discus Fish, for
example, do best at low pH and water hardness levels that are beyond
the tolerable range of most tropical fish (see January's Fish of the
Month post for a description of Discus Fish care). Moreover, Discus
Fish are delicate animals that will not do well with fast-swimming,
boisterous, and/or aggressive fish.

For the above two reasons, many hobbyists choose to keep Discus Fish in
what's called a "species tank" - in an aquarium that houses only one
type of fish. A "species tank," therefore, is the exact opposite of a
community aquarium.

So, a community aquarium is basically one that houses many types (or
species) of tropical fish.

Now, just because a community aquarium, by definition, houses many
different types of tropical fish, that doesn't mean that you can mix
and match any fish species you want. No, not all tropical fish will do
well with one another, and not all fish will thrive in the same
aquarium environment (see Aquarium Care 101: Part 1 for more
information).

So, before you go out to buy fish for a community aquarium, be sure to
determine whether or not the fish you plan to get will coexists
peacefully with one another, and whether or not they like similar water
conditions (which include water hardness/softness, pH, and
temperature).

Just a bit of planning is well worth the small effort. It'll make
aquarium and tropical fish care simple, easy, and fun. After all, how
much fun can watching an aquarium full of expensive fish that fight to
the death be?

Also, remember that there's a Freshwater Fish Compatibility Chart in
the Members Area available to all who use The Kick-Ass Aquarium Guide.
Comments : No Comments ť
Categories : Aquarium Care FAQ
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Aquarium Care *Video*: Now Available For All!

10 04 2008

Fellow Tropical Fish Lovers:

One of the aquarium care videos (usually available for members only),
is up and running at the Kick-Ass Aquarium Information Page. It's now
available for all! Just scroll down through the information page to
view this aquarium care *video*.

The video explains how biological filtration works, and how to
"jump-start" the biological filtration process. In other words, it
explains how to "cycle" your aquarium ("cycling" a new aquarium is also
explained in Aquarium Care 101: Part 4).

This bit of knowledge is extremely important to understand, regardless
of the type of fish or aquarium filter you have! Let me say it again:
The information presented in the aquarium care video is EXTREMELY
important to know!

In a nut shell, that's because the beneficial bacteria, which are
responsible for between 60% to 100% of the filtration in your aquarium,
need time to multiply to sufficient levels. For the sake of avoiding
redundancy, I'll leave it at that... just check out the video and
you'll understand exactly how biological filtration works, why it's
important, and how you can use it to make aquarium and tropical fish
care really simple and easy!

So, I highly encourage all people interested in the aquarium hobby to
view this essential aquarium care *video*.

After all, just 10 minutes of your time, which is the length of the
video, may very well save you a small fortune and your tropical fish.

Here's the link again: Kick-Ass Aquarium Information Page
Happy Tropical Fish Keeping,
Luke
Comments : No Comments ť
Categories : Aquarium News
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