Post by mralgae on Nov 14, 2007 20:21:58 GMT -5
Common Mistakes When Starting a New Tank.
Starting Too Small:
With the advent of mini-aquarium packages, it's become appealing to go small. However, if you are a beginner, choosing a small aquarium is courting failure. Why? Because when the water volume is small, key water parameters change very quickly, leaving no room
for error. Even experienced aquarists are challenged by a small
aquarium. If you are a newcomer to the hobby, stay away from tanks under 20 gallons until you've gotten some experience under your belt. Remember, the bigger the tank, the less impact a mistake will have on your fish.
Adding Fish Too Soon:
New aquarium owners are eager to add fish, and may purchase them the same day they set up the tank. Some are lucky but many will quickly lose some, or all, of their fish. What went wrong? The water in a new tank hasn't stabilized yet. Gases are dissolved in the water, as well as minerals, heavy metals, and chemicals added by local water treatment facilities. Without going into lengthy detail about water chemistry, suffice it to say that dissolved constituents in the water can harm the fish. The water should be treated to neutralize harmful materials, and allowed to stand for several days to allow dissolved gases to escape and the pH to stabilize. Only then is it safe to introduce fish to the aquarium.
Adding Too Many Fish at Once:
You've waited for days to let the water to stabilize, and are eager to fill the tank, right? Don't add the fish all at once or you'll make another common new owner mistake - adding too many fish at once. Until the bacterial colonies have fully established, the aquarium cannot safely support a full load of fish. Only add a couple of small hardy fish initially. Wait until both the ammonia and nitrite levels have risen, then fallen to zero, before adding more fish.
Overstocking:
Even after you've gotten through the initial startup, it's very common for new owners to overstock the aquarium. Although an experienced person may successfully keep a school of twenty small fish in a ten gallon aquarium, it would be disastrous for a beginner to attempt it. Debate exists over the inch per gallon rule, but it provides a basic yardstick from which to start. I recommend taking eighty percent of the net gallons in your tank as the maximum number of inches of fish you can stock in your tank. As you gain experience, you'll learn to safely stock more fish in your aquarium.
Keeping incompatible fish:
New aquarium owners often choose fish that look appealing to them, without knowing their environmental needs. Some fish may fight with one another, or require very different water conditions. Either way, they should not be kept together. Do your research your, and select peaceful fish that thrive in similar water conditions.
Overfeeding:
The top mistake made by lots of fish owners is overfeeding their fish. Fish are opportunistic and will seek food at all times. Just because they appear hungry, don't assume you must feed them. Feed them no more than is completely consumed in five minutes. During startup feed fish no more than once per day, and during critical times when ammonia or nitrite levels are high, withhold feeding for a day or two to reduce the wastes being produced. Fish can easily go several days without food, and not suffer ill effects.
Insufficient Filtration:
An aquarium filter should run all the water in the tank through it at least three times per hour. If it doesn't, you don't have adequate filtration. If in doubt about filter size, go to the next size up. You can't over-filter, but you can definitely under-filter, and the results can be harmful to your fish.
Failure to test water:
New owners aren't magically given full knowledge of the nitrogen cycle, and the need to track the water chemistry in their aquarium. As a result they often are are unaware of the need to test their water, and take steps to deal with harmful toxins. When the tank is first set up, it should be allowed to run for a couple of days, then the pH, hardness, ammonia, and nitrite levels should be tested for a baseline record. During the startup cycle it is important to test the ammonia and nitrites often (see Nitrogen Cycle for details). Once the tank is well established, test the water monthly to be aware of unseen problems that may be brewing. If fish suddenly die, test the water to see if anything has changed.
Failure to do water changes:
Again, new owners aren't always educated about how they should clean their tank, which includes changing part of the water on a regular basis. Wastes build up in the tank that can only be removed by vacuuming the gravel and removing some of water and replacing it with fresh water. Although your fish may not die if you fail to do maintenance and regular water changes, they will be stressed by substandard water conditions. As a result they will be more susceptible to disease and often will have a shorter lifespan than they should have.
Starting Too Small:
With the advent of mini-aquarium packages, it's become appealing to go small. However, if you are a beginner, choosing a small aquarium is courting failure. Why? Because when the water volume is small, key water parameters change very quickly, leaving no room
for error. Even experienced aquarists are challenged by a small
aquarium. If you are a newcomer to the hobby, stay away from tanks under 20 gallons until you've gotten some experience under your belt. Remember, the bigger the tank, the less impact a mistake will have on your fish.
Adding Fish Too Soon:
New aquarium owners are eager to add fish, and may purchase them the same day they set up the tank. Some are lucky but many will quickly lose some, or all, of their fish. What went wrong? The water in a new tank hasn't stabilized yet. Gases are dissolved in the water, as well as minerals, heavy metals, and chemicals added by local water treatment facilities. Without going into lengthy detail about water chemistry, suffice it to say that dissolved constituents in the water can harm the fish. The water should be treated to neutralize harmful materials, and allowed to stand for several days to allow dissolved gases to escape and the pH to stabilize. Only then is it safe to introduce fish to the aquarium.
Adding Too Many Fish at Once:
You've waited for days to let the water to stabilize, and are eager to fill the tank, right? Don't add the fish all at once or you'll make another common new owner mistake - adding too many fish at once. Until the bacterial colonies have fully established, the aquarium cannot safely support a full load of fish. Only add a couple of small hardy fish initially. Wait until both the ammonia and nitrite levels have risen, then fallen to zero, before adding more fish.
Overstocking:
Even after you've gotten through the initial startup, it's very common for new owners to overstock the aquarium. Although an experienced person may successfully keep a school of twenty small fish in a ten gallon aquarium, it would be disastrous for a beginner to attempt it. Debate exists over the inch per gallon rule, but it provides a basic yardstick from which to start. I recommend taking eighty percent of the net gallons in your tank as the maximum number of inches of fish you can stock in your tank. As you gain experience, you'll learn to safely stock more fish in your aquarium.
Keeping incompatible fish:
New aquarium owners often choose fish that look appealing to them, without knowing their environmental needs. Some fish may fight with one another, or require very different water conditions. Either way, they should not be kept together. Do your research your, and select peaceful fish that thrive in similar water conditions.
Overfeeding:
The top mistake made by lots of fish owners is overfeeding their fish. Fish are opportunistic and will seek food at all times. Just because they appear hungry, don't assume you must feed them. Feed them no more than is completely consumed in five minutes. During startup feed fish no more than once per day, and during critical times when ammonia or nitrite levels are high, withhold feeding for a day or two to reduce the wastes being produced. Fish can easily go several days without food, and not suffer ill effects.
Insufficient Filtration:
An aquarium filter should run all the water in the tank through it at least three times per hour. If it doesn't, you don't have adequate filtration. If in doubt about filter size, go to the next size up. You can't over-filter, but you can definitely under-filter, and the results can be harmful to your fish.
Failure to test water:
New owners aren't magically given full knowledge of the nitrogen cycle, and the need to track the water chemistry in their aquarium. As a result they often are are unaware of the need to test their water, and take steps to deal with harmful toxins. When the tank is first set up, it should be allowed to run for a couple of days, then the pH, hardness, ammonia, and nitrite levels should be tested for a baseline record. During the startup cycle it is important to test the ammonia and nitrites often (see Nitrogen Cycle for details). Once the tank is well established, test the water monthly to be aware of unseen problems that may be brewing. If fish suddenly die, test the water to see if anything has changed.
Failure to do water changes:
Again, new owners aren't always educated about how they should clean their tank, which includes changing part of the water on a regular basis. Wastes build up in the tank that can only be removed by vacuuming the gravel and removing some of water and replacing it with fresh water. Although your fish may not die if you fail to do maintenance and regular water changes, they will be stressed by substandard water conditions. As a result they will be more susceptible to disease and often will have a shorter lifespan than they should have.
