Aquarium Construction

Container construction is very dependent on the design of the aquarium that will be done based on the desired shape aquarium. Forms commonly used as aquarium fish culture containers include rectangular aquarium, aquarium trapezoid, aquarium-eight terms, hexagonal aquariums, fish tanks and aquariums ellipse bottle. After the plan form of the glass aquarium that will be created, the next step to determine the size of glass that will be used to make the aquarium.

The size of glass that will be used typically ranges from 3 mm-16 mm. As reference in making the aquarium, the size of the glass to be used can be seen in Table 21. For glass to be used as the basis for the aquarium should be 1-2 mm in thickness added.

After determining the shape and size of glass that will be used to make the aquarium the next step to cut glass. Glass used to make the aquarium is still in the form of sheets of glass. There are several steps that must be observed in cut glass, among others, as follows.

1. Place the sheets of glass on his desk, working desk should be in a state of flat and clean. This is to avoid the cracking of glass that will be used.
2. The size of the glass to be cut is adapted to the shape of the aquarium that will be created. In making the pieces of glass, sheet glass made using the first pattern markers and metal ruler. Already established pattern can be directly deducted.
3. To cut the glass using a glass cutter is sold in hardware stores.
4. After the cut glass, the edges of the pieces of glass must be crushed with a grinder or whetstone carborundum.
   

After the glass needed to make the aquarium the next step is to set up assembly aquarium. In assembling an aquarium requires precision and accuracy of them together. Glass as the main ingredient in the manufacture of aquariums can be obtained by buying sheets of glass or buy a piece of glass in accordance with the appropriate size. Aquarium as one of the containers that can be used to cultivate good fish and ornamental fish, fish consumption from fresh and marine waters can be obtained by direct purchase in stores or make your own. By making their own aquarium will obtain advantages include relatively cheaper price, size according to needs, and has a thickness of glass used in accordance with the area of the aquarium that was made.

In making the aquarium, there are several things that must be mastered so that the aquarium does not leak and are made durable, which is designing / designing the aquarium, glass cutting, assembling and testing the aquarium to aquarium. Aquarium which will be assembled his own, the first step that must be done is to prepare the glass as the main basis of making the aquarium. Which will be assembled into a glass aquarium is already in the form of pieces of glass that size is adjusted to the size aquarium that will be created. Before assembling the glass is best done using the scrub karborundum grindstone or grinding. It aims to be an aquarium that was not harmful to the wearer.

Glass that has been smoothened by grinding all the sides are ready for assembly. The next step is to prepare tools and other materials ie glass silicon glue, glue fusil, a large duct tape, and cutter.

Glass glue silicon glue is used is a special glue to glue the glass to stick with the good and not leaking. Fusil silicon glue was used to facilitate the manufacturer in assembling an aquarium fish tank, the shape is like a gun fusil so called fusil.

While the duct tape used in assembling the aquarium should be plastic tape the brown or black with lakbannya 5 cm width. This tape serves to assist the establishment of glass with other glass in order not to shift that facilitates the provision of glass glue.

At the time of the glue stick to the glass should be the thickness of silicon glue on the entire surface of the glass together. This will create the same thickness of glue on each corner. After all assembled into a glass aquarium, the next step is to dry the aquarium for at least 24 hours for the silicon glue to dry completely.

The last step in assembling the aquarium is carried out tests on the aquarium. The test is done by filling water into the aquarium for 24 hours and see if there are parts of the leak. To obtain a neat aquarium tested clean after the glue that is not formalized by using the cutter.

Buying Aquarium Substrate

Now that you have already set up your tank and have chosen the types of fish you want to keep as pets, it’s high time that you start decorating your aquarium. Aquarium decorations add more aesthetic appeal to your tank and also provide artificial shelter for your fish. Having a plain-looking aquarium is fine, but if you want to create a stunning vista out of your fish tank, you need to get the right aquarium decorations.

You need to remember that you just can’t carelessly use some kinds of substrates with certain types of aquariums. If you have a planted aquarium, for example, you should use a nutrient-rich layer for the plants to survive. Aquarium gravel is used by many aquarists, especially those who own tropical and fish-only tanks.

Some aquarium owners may find decorating the fish tank quite challenging. With the wide array of decorations sold nowadays, from fake plants to decorative rocks, choosing specific accessories and decor can be difficult. If you have some difficulty in choosing aquarium decorations, you can start by choosing a theme.

When you have a theme in mind, it will be easier for you to choose aquarium decorations. Perhaps you want to recreate a rock landscape for your fish tank. There are many rocks and stones ideal as fish tank decorations. You can also find fake ones, which may be slightly expensive.

If you only have fish in your aquarium, you can use aquarium gravel since it provides an ideal environment for the growth of beneficial bacteria. You can find coarse options and finer varieties of gravel in pet stores, from 3mm to 4mm in sizes.

One of the most effective ways to lend a more natural look to your tank is to add plants. You can choose among real plants and artificial decorative plants. Artificial plants as aquarium decorations are ideal if you have a fish-only aquarium.

If you have a planted aquarium, however, you can use live plants to create a unique and natural landscape for your tank. You need to make sure, however, that you use the right substrate when having live plants in your tank. While gravel is ideal as a top layer to provide anchor to your plants, the first layer should be a nutrient-filled substrate.

Fine gravel is more ideal for bottom dwellers or bottom feeders. If you have a planted aquarium, you will need to use a nutrient-rich layer as the base. Gravel may be used for the upper layer. For fish tanks with crustaceans such as crabs, aquarium gravel is also recommended.

Sean Kerring is an aquarium enthusiast and breeder who has been working with fish for more than twenty years, when his parents gave him his very first fish tanks. He always tries to use innovative and changingly colored aquarium lights to change the themes of each of his tanks, including changing aquarium substrate compounds.

Gravel Substrate For Goldfish Aquarium

Basically do not need a gold fish aquarium gravel but will be more unique if your gold fish aquarium given gravel. This gravel will not affect the growth of the gold fish. Not only is a gravel substrate aesthetically pleasing, it creates a place for beneficial nitrifying bacteria to grow. A quarter to two inch (1-5cm) layer of gravel substrate designed for use in aquariums increases the biological filtration of a goldfish aquarium. Even a quarter inch of gravel will allow beneficial nitrifying bacteria to grow. An aquarium gravel substrate of more than two inches can contain pockets of low oxygen and encourage the growth of harmful bacteria that produce gasses toxic to goldfish. Two inches or less of an aquarium gravel substrate also makes it more manageable to clean.

Aquarium gravel substrates have a way of trapping dirt and debris and keeping it from floating free in the goldfish aquarium water. If large particles find their way into the gravel substrate, they are less likely to disintegrate and turn the goldfish tank water cloudy. Using an aquarium gravel siphon, pollutants in the aquarium gravel are easy to eliminate from the goldfish aquarium. Every goldfish aquarium, gravel substrate or not, is going to need routine maintenance including cleaning the bottom of the tank.

Cleaning the aquarium gravel substrate might be a bit more difficult if it is used to anchor and root live aquatic plants. Some aquatic plants need to be anchored into a substrate in order to grow. There are aquatic plants that get their nutrients from the substrate itself or from the tank water. Depending on the growing requirements of an aquatic plant, the type of substrate in which it grows will vary. Many aquatic plants that are suitable for goldfish aquariums get their nutrients from the water and not the substrate.

Types of Aquarium Substrate

• Aquatic Plant Substrate
• River Sand
• Fine Gravel
• Medium Gravel
• Colored Gravel
• Coarse Gravel
• Small Stones

The Ideal Goldfish Gravel Substrate

By nature, goldfish are scavengers and will feed off the bottom of a goldfish tank. A goldfish that is searching for food will often poke around in the substrate by moving around the pieces of substrate. If the substrate pieces are small and round enough, the goldfish might pick it up in its mouth and then spit it back out again. Goldfish do a good job of removing excess food off the top layer of substrate. This goldfish behavior eliminates aquatic plant substrate, river sand and small stones as an option, Goldfish will kick up sand and plant substrates when they dig at the tank bottom. This digging can cloudy the tank water and clog the filter and filter media. The small stones are too large for the goldfish to move around, not allowing them to eat the food that might be trapped between the stones.

The best goldfish aquarium substrate is a medium to small size rounded gravel. This gravel should be inert a doesn’t leach chemicals or colored dyes into the goldfish tank water. It’s easy to avoid using an aquarium substrate that leaches if the packaging clearly states ‘for use in aquariums’. It can be risky to use gravel, sand or stones from natural sources since it can leach pollutants or calcium which can throw off the pH in the goldfish tank water. Always rinse new gravel to remove dust before placing it in a goldfish aquarium.

Aquarium Plant Substrates Planting for Freshwater Aquarium Plants

The term 'substrate' refers to the planting medium used on the bottom of an aquarium. Similar to soil in a garden, substrates are needed by plants in order for them to root, obtain nutrients, and propagate.Keeping, maintaining, and ultimately propagating your aquarium plants is truly a joy, and it starts with a good substrate.

In natural environments, the substrate is typically slightly warmer than the water. It is also full of nutrients and dense. These things help the plants to root better, they receive better nutrition, and the warmer root conditions help in the growth of the plants. It is important to determine which soil is best for plant growth in the

In the aquarium, maintaining the substrate once it is set is usually fairly simple. Not much is needed. This is due to the normal activity of the aquarium. The fish and plants produce and release enough organic products, that then collect in the substrate, and in turn help the plants grow.
Once you've determined what type or types of plants you wish to keep, you can then determine which soil is best for plant growth in your planted aquarium.

• For choosing the best types of plants for your aquascape, see:

Selecting Aquarium Plants Aquarium Design and Types of Aquatic Plants

Pet Supply Comparison Shopping

Choosing a Substrate: There are several things to take into consideration when choosing your planting medium. Which types of substrates to use are determined by:

• First, the needs of the plants.
• Then the type of aquarium equipment you will be using.
• And finally the overall aquarium design you are looking to achieve.

Determining what type of substrate to use is extremely important for the plants. For healthy aquatic plants, the substrate provides nutrients for normal plant growth development and plant propagation. Several substrates available in most stores include: common pea gravel, aquarium gravel, sand, nutrient-rich and soil-based substrates, clay substrates, and quartz gravel (lime-free gravel). Often, different substrates can be mixed to obtain an optimum environment for your particular types of plants.

Substrate Considerations: There are different points to consider with each type of substrate such as the size of the particles and the depth of each substrate level.

• Size of the substrate: Usually, you don't want substrates that have large particle size because it allows more water to pass through and also acts as a debris trap. Particle sizes should be approximately 0.04 to 0.12 inches in diameter.

• Depth of the substrate: The depth of the substrate should be considered. How deep it is mostly depends on the type of plants present. Plants with longer roots need deeper substrates than plants with shorter roots. Usually a good rule of thumb is to have a substrate depth of between 2 and 4 inches.
• Mineral and Organic Content: Another factor is the mineral and organic contents of the soil. Much of this is often provided by the aquarium water and the other organisms living in the aquarium, but nutrient-rich substrates are available if needed.

Substrate Layers:
The four main substrates layers are: base substrates, rooting substrates, nutrient-rich substrates, and top level substrates.

Base substrates: A base substrate is usually sand. Base substrates aren't usually necessary, except in the case of heating cables present on the bottom. In nature the substrate is usually warmer than the water, and the use of heating cables can simulate this in the planted aquarium. If you are using a heating cable, you will want a layer of sand that is about 1" - 1 1/2" deep to cover the cable.

Rooting substrates: The rooting substrates are the main body of the substrate, designed to help anchor the plants. They do contain some nutrients, but are dense enough so that not too much water can be passed through. This layer is generally about 2" deep.
Quart gravel or lime-free substrates are ideal as rooting substrates. Some of these substrates include products called flourite, acrilite, or Onyx sand (a newer product from Seachem). Soil or potting soil is not often used because it is difficult to keep from clouding the water. It can be used and then covered with a heavier top level substrate, but you may still experience a muddying of the water.

Nutrient-rich substrates: Nutrient-rich substrates contain high levels of nutrients and only a thin layer of them should be used. This layer is used solely for the benefit of the plants and are designed to be used in limited quantities. Some nutrient-rich substrates include laterite and soil or potting soil. Laterite is too rich in nutrients for a rooting substrate and should be used sparingly. It can be added by rolling it up into little balls and placing the balls next to the plant roots.

Top level substrates: The top level substrate is the one that is visible to viewers and does not serve any other major function. This is a good place for coarser gravels and can be quite decorative, depending on the type of aquarium scene you are creating.

Substrate Types:

Common Pea Gravel: This gravel is very similar to what you would see in a natural environment. Used alone the normal common pea gravel sold in stores is generally not ideal for plants. Pea gravel is fairly loose thereby making it easy for water to flow through it, thus cooling the roots, oxygenating the gravel, and removing nutrients.
You can however use the smallest grade for a rooting medium though a lime-free quartz gravel is a better alternative. This gravel does work well as a top layer over finer substrates, or combined with other substrates to obtain a more realistic 'river' type display.

Quartz Gravel (lime-free substrate): Quartz gravel or a lime-free substrate is ideal as a rooting medium for plants. You can get it in a golden brown, black or white.

Colored (aquarium) Gravel: This is much like the common pea gravel and is also not ideal for plants. Again it is fairly loose and allows for easy water flow through it.
It can be mixed with other substrates for a visual variation, and will work well as a top layer over finer substrates. Light gray gravel is not a good choice however, as it causes distress in the fish due to how strongly the light is reflected off of it.

Calcius gravels: Crushed coral and other calcius sands or gravels that are offered for saltwater aquariums are high in calcium. They should be avoided unless you need a high pH and water hardness, few plants want this. These gravels work well in freshwater fish aquariums that are designed for African cichlids that need these high levels.

Sand: Sand is very fine, often even dusty. The 'silver sand' sold in aquarium shops is totally inert. Sand will compact and prevent any water movement resulting in a lack of oxygen.
Though sand can be used in a thin layer as a rooting medium for some plants, you will want to stir it occasionally to keep it from compacting. It is generally used as a base layer over heating cables.

Soil, Potting Soil: This substrate can be tricky to use as it can have too many nutrients and it may encourage algae growth. Also it is difficult to keep it from clouding the water.
Potting Soil is sometimes used as a thin nutrient-rich substrate layer and covered with a heavier top substrate. It has also been effectively used in permanent pots that are covered with a heavier top substrates. The potted method can be used in aquariums with undergravel filters.

Nutrient-rich Substrates: These are a long term source of nutrients that are vital to the plants. They should be used in limited quantities of either very thin layers between other substrate layers or as small pellets placed by the roots of plants. See the Nutrient rich layer described above for some of these products.