Newbie Setup Tank: 7 Essential Equipment for Fish Keeping
Before work, after work, and during leisure time, I always glance at the fish tank – this is really the most interesting part of keeping fish. The previous newbie setup tank – steps guide has already mentioned the basic process of setting up the tank in general, this time we will roughly introduce the basic hardware needed for a basic fish tank.
1. Aquarium
Aquariums are divided into acrylic and glass materials (there are also special shaped aquariums with pictures). The size of the aquarium is measured in feet (1 foot = 30 cm). The size is basically determined by where you want to place the aquarium, and the cover of the aquarium is best, as it can prevent fish from jumping out, and in winter it can reduce heat loss, but in summer you need to pay attention to the temperature not rising too high. Do you need to add a cooling device?
2. Lighting
Light can help aquatic plants grow better and also make fish healthier. Periodic lighting can help aquatic plants perform photosynthesis, and periodic lighting is actually mimicking the cycle of sunrise and sunset, because fish also sleep and have a biological cycle (if a person's biological cycle is disturbed, they will get sick, fish will also get sick, so periodic lighting will also make fish healthier. Here we specifically mention 'periodic lighting', so when installing lights, we will usually install a timer, usually set to 8-12 hours.
3. Filtration Device
Currently, the more popular methods are top filter, sand filter, back filter, cylindrical filter and external filter. Besides keeping the aquarium clean and cultivating nitrifying bacteria, each type has its own effect, such as easy to clean, beautiful appearance, save space, suitable for cultivating nitrifying bacteria, increase oxygen content, etc. For more details, please see the articles on 'Types of Filters' and 'Various Common Filter Media'.
4. Air Pump
If the water is still, it's easy for the water to lack oxygen, so the air pump is mainly to increase the oxygen content in the water, but some also use the filtration device to maintain the oxygen content in the water. Of course, this depends on what you are raising. For example, Peacock fish and Betta fish mainly breathe on the surface, and the oxygen content doesn't have much impact, but for shrimp, the oxygen content needs to be higher, or they will die from lack of oxygen.
5. Heater
Heating methods are mainly using heating rods. Each species has its own suitable survival conditions, and fish are no exception. For example, the survival temperature range of Peacock fish is about 12-30 degrees, but it's best to maintain it at 24 degrees. Therefore, when the weather is cold, you need to use a heating rod to maintain the water temperature. Heating rods are divided into adjustable and constant temperature, and various different power sizes, all of which depend on your fish species and aquarium size.
6. Cooling Device
Of course, there is cooling with heating. Currently, the more common cooling methods are chiller and fan. The size of the cooling system also depends on the species and size of the aquarium.
7. Substrate
The substrate is divided into many types, such as coral sand, silica sand, black soil, and so on. These have different granularities. The function of the substrate is to decorate, fix aquatic plants, or use it for filtration. Therefore, the choice of substrate should be prioritized from the fish species and aquatic plants.
