What You Need
So, you've got a tank, right? Well... what exactly are you going to put into that pretty little tank.
Your Substrate
The substrate is what's on the very bottom of the tank, and is an important part of your freshwater tank.
Tiny Substrates
The choice between a small size and a big size depend on a few things, but smaller substrate has a number of good traits. Fish that nest in substrate appreciate something smaller, as it's much easier to work with.
Tiny rocks and sand are the most popular of the small substrate. They're easy to find and often free, as well as usually giving the tank a visually attractive addition. There are several downsides to a smaller substrate, though. Some fish enjoy picking up substrate and moving it around with their mouth, and this can irritate their mouth - especially if you're using sand.
Medium-sized Substrate
'Average' substrate works for many people in different ways. Overall, you're more likely to see this medium-sized substrate - decent sized rocks, pebbles, and more - in most tanks.
Big Substrate
Think river rocks and bigger - while this is rare in many freshwater tanks, some owners like to cover their entire bottom with large, thick substrate, and appreciate the look of it.
The downside with this substrate is that food partials can often float down, and stay down - this can mess with the water that your fish live in, and end up hurting them, as well as seriously contaminating the water.
Substrate and Your Fish
Consider your fish again before adding any new substrate to your fish's tank. Some types of substrate can actually affect the water, and therefore the fish, in the tank. For example, crushed coral can raise the Ph levels in the water. Substrate can also affect your fish in different ways, not just contaminate the water.
Substrate to Avoid
Basically, you need to avoid substrate that seriously affects the water that your fish live in. What you should mainly avoid is:
- Limestone
- Geodes
- Geodes
- Shells
- Dolomite
- Granite
- Slate
- Quartz
- Lava rock
- Sandstone
- Onyx
Before you add anything that you haven't purchased specifically for the use in your tank you should test them to ensure they're going to be safe. There are really two methods that work well.
One is to simply place several drops of vinegar on the rocks, or gravel, that you want to use in your tank. If it foams, fizzes, or does more then you think that it should, you can't use it - it contains deposits of calcium that will affect the water.
Another way is to place the substrate in a bucket of water that you use in your aquarium, and test the pH balance and hardness. Allow it to stay in that bucket for a week, and then test again - if there's no drastic change, you're going to be able to use it.
Testing, Testing and More Testing
There are literally hundreds of different testing kits that you can buy online or at your local pet store, and figuring out which ones are needed is important. pH Levels Test Kit - pH is one of the most cited causes of fish stress, and ultimately fish death. If you have any issues with pH 'drifting', or if you have a sudden, unexplained change, check the Carbonate Hardness (KH) levels of the water.
Ammonia Test Kit - Ammonia should only be elevated during the startup cycle - a mature tank shouldn't have elevated ammonia levels, but these can occur because of dirty water, filters, medication that disrupted the cycle or even if the tank is overstocked.
Nitrite - A toxic byproduct of the breakdown that happens to organic waste, it should be at a very low level - less then 1.0. Nitrate - This is only mildly poisonous to your fish, but it can still hurt them if your levels get too high. You shouldn't exceed 300 ppm (parts per million).
Power Strip
You're going to have a lot of things to plug in, and for this you're going to need something to plug it in. Because we're working with water as well as electricity, we suggest you purchasing a power strip that's not only waterproof, but protects against surges.
