Essential Equipment and Preventing New Tank Sydrome

Investing for your fishes’ future
The most important decision you will make when setting up a fish tank is what equipment to buy. Failure to buy the correct equipment can result in unnecessary problems such as poor water quality, the need for frequent tank maintenance, poor health, and ultimately the death of your fish. Buying the right equipment makes fishkeeping an easy and trouble-free activity. Modern aquariums often come with all the necessary equipment included, but if your chosen tank doesn't, or if you need to replace equipment, then a knowledge of each piece of kit is essential.

Fish require a number of water quality parameters to be met in order for them to thrive and be happy in your tank. Luckily,Tetra’s range of quality aquarium equipment is designed to meet these needs with the minimum of trouble. This leaflet is designed to explain what equipment is available and how it works to maintain these water quality parameters.

Filtration
The most important process that occurs within a fish tank is filtration, and this can be efficiently achieved using one of Tetra’s advanced Tetratec IN Plus aquarium filters.

Fish excrete toxic ammonia and solid waste, yet unlike other pets this is released directly into the water in which they live. Tetratec IN Plus filters are designed to remove ammonia and solid waste from the tank, making the water suitable for your fish to live in. Failure to install a filter in the tank will result in high levels of ammonia and solid waste.This will eventually lead to a deterioration in water quality, to the point where the fish will become unwell. It is unkind to keep any fish without adequate filtration.

How do filters work?
Filters, like the Tetratec IN Plus, work biologically and mechanically to remove ammonia and solid waste from the tank, thereby keeping the environment healthy for your fish. Solid waste is strained out of the water as it passes through the filter’s foam blocks.These foam blocks can then be easily removed and cleaned, ensuring that solid waste is not allowed to build up in the tank.

Ammonia is removed inside the foam blocks, through a process called nitrification. Naturally occurring nitrifying bacteria turn ammonia into nitrite, and then they turn nitrite into nitrate. Nitrite is also harmful to fish but this is quickly converted to relatively harmless nitrate.

These bacteria are a key part of the tank environment, and as such the foam blocks inside the filter should be viewed as being “alive”.When they need cleaning, they should be rinsed in a jug of tank water, and not water from the tap.The cold tap water with its high chlorine content will kill these bacteria.

Regular cleaning of the filter in this way will ensure that solid waste is removed from the tank, and that the nitrifying bacteria can effectively remove ammonia and nitrite from the water.

What types of filter are there?
Most modern aquariums are filtered using internal or external filters.

Internal filters, like the TetraTec IN Plus range, fit inside the aquarium.They use a small motor to pull water through foam filter blocks where ammonia and solid waste is removed.They are ideal for smaller aquariums, or those that are not heavily stocked.

External filters, such as the TetraTec EX range, sit outside the aquarium, and use a motor to draw water through them and pump it back up into the aquarium.The advantage with this is that they can be larger than internal filters, and therefore hold more filter media.This means they have separate biological (ammonia-removing) and mechanical (solids-removing) media, along with additional media such as activated carbon.The result is more efficient filtration and less maintenance.

Most people begin with internal filters and then move to externals once they gain more experience. However, modern externals such as the TetraTec EX range are very easy to use, and there is no reason why you can't start with one.

Starting your filter and preventing New Tank Syndrome
Before the filter can efficiently remove ammonia from the tank, it has to go through a process known as “maturation”.This process describes the first few weeks/months of using the filter and stocking the tank, during which time the bacterial population is slowly building up inside the filter foams.

Every time fish are added to the tank, the amount of ammonia and nitrite in the system will increase. Bacteria in the filter will multiply to use this extra waste, and eventually levels will return to normal.

Because ammonia and nitrite are toxic, you do not want levels of these substances to reach dangerous concentrations. If they do, the fish may become unwell.This is called ‘New Tank Syndrome.’ Therefore, there are a number of precautions to take when first setting up your filter system. A little work to start with will save time later on.

Use Tetra Bactozym to stimulate the development of these bacteria and to help break down fish waste during the initial stages.
Stock fish slowly, adding only a few fish at a time. Ideally the water should be tested regularly during these initial stages for ammonia and nitrite, and new fish should not be added until both these substances are undetectable.Tetra Test Kits are an easy and quick way of testing the aquarium water, and could save you a lot of trouble in the long run. By the time the fish show signs of being unwell it is usually too late to save them or to prevent a disease outbreak. By testing the water, you can take action before a problem occurs.
Perform regular partial water changes to help the filter keep ammonia and nitrite levels low during the maturation process, 25% of the water should be replaced at least once a week, using tap water conditioned with Tetra AquaSafe. The replacement water should be warmed to the temperature of the tank water before it is used.This should be done with water from the kettle, not the hot tap.

The maturation process will not be fully completed until after the tank is fully stocked with fish. In this instance, patience is a virtue and your initial care of the tank will result in you providing a healthy and trouble free environment for your fish. Once completed, the maintenance required becomes easy and takes very little time.

Oxygenation
A good supply of oxygen is essential to fish health.There is very little oxygen in water compared to air, and therefore in many ways oxygen is more critical for fish than it is for us. In a fish tank, a certain amount of oxygen will diffuse into the water from the air, and if you have plants in the tank they will produce oxygen during the day. However, because of the number of fish there are in a fish tank, this is usually not enough to ensure that oxygen levels are maintained at optimum levels throughout the day and night. In addition, at night, plants stop producing oxygen yet they continue to use it, and so during the early hours of the morning levels can become dangerously low. It is, therefore, up to you to provide additional aeration for your fish.

Luckily, many filters, such as the Tetratec IN Plus filters are fitted with a device known as a venturi.This fitting allows air to be sucked into the filter and blown out into the tank, adding air bubbles directly to the water and also agitating the water’s surface, thereby increasing the amount of oxygen that enters the tank.

In certain situations, more oxygen may need to be added to the tank, in which case the installation of an air pump, such as the TetraTec APS range, will be necessary.These pumps have been designed by professional sound engineers to be extremely quiet, and they deliver a consistent flow of air into the aquarium.They introduce air into the tank through an airstone, or similar device, located at the base of the tank.The rising bubbles release oxygen into the water, remove excessive carbon dioxide and also increase surface agitation.

If you already have a filter which does not aerate the water, it is a good idea to add a TetraTec APS pump to the tank. Increased oxygen levels will enliven your fish, increasing their appetite and health. APS pumps come in five sizes, capable of providing enough oxygen for tanks up to 400 litres.Tetra produces a simple to use and accurate test kit for determining oxygen levels in the tank, that you can use to ensure that oxygen demands are met.

Light
Not only is a light needed for viewing your fish, but it is essential for any live plants (see the ‘Planting Your Tank’ leaflet for more information). In most cases, you will need a fluorescent tube made specifically for fish tanks, and a control box.Adding a reflector in the lid of the tank will dramatically increase the amount of light that enters the tank. Lights should not be left on for more than 10 hours a day.

Temperature
Of particular interest to tropical fish keepers, but no less important for coldwater fish, temperature is vitally important for the well being of your fish.This is because fish are cold blooded, meaning that their body temperature is the same as that of the water they are in. Because of this, they are totally reliant on you to provide them with a water temperature that is suitable.

Most tropical fish need the water temperature to be maintained at around 24 – 27ºC all of the time. Tetratec HT aquarium heaters come complete with a built in thermostat and are designed to accurately maintain a constant temperature within the tank.They are simple to use, with an easy-to-use dial that can be used to accurately set the temperature.

Test Kits
Test kits are often overlooked when buying equipment for the tank, but this is unfortunate, as they are an essential part of the successful fishkeeper’s kit.

There are a variety of test kits available, each of which can be used to test for a particular water quality parameter.The most important kits for the fishkeeper to have are those for ammonia, nitrite, pH and nitrate. Test kits enable you to discover a problem and solve it, before it has the opportunity to severely affect the fish. If you do not test the water, you will often not know that something is wrong until the fish show signs of distress, by which time it is usually too late to prevent serious damage from being done. Tetra’s range of liquid test kits are simple to use, giving you a quick and accurate reading of the levels of various pollutants. For even easier testing,TetraTest 5 in 1 dip tests measure 5 water water quality parameters in just 60 seconds.

By purchasing the correct equipment for your tank you will be making an investment that, in the long run, will save you time, money, and ensure the long term well-being of your fish.