With the idea of \u200b\u200bsetting up an aquarium, novice aquarists are guided by one of two fundamentally different reasons.
1. The aquarium is treated like.
Thus, the accents when choosing an aquarium are placed depending on the purpose of its acquisition. In the first case, the emphasis is on the choice of fish, equipment and other important elements to create favorable conditions in the aquarium.
When buying in the second case, more attention is paid to its appearance, shape, decoration. Aquarium population is a secondary issue.
If you are guided by both reasons, you will have to make compromises when choosing an aquarium, although in reality one of the approaches will still take priority.
Regardless of the purpose for which you are purchasing an aquarium, there are general criteria that should be paid priority attention to.
1. The size of the aquarium.
The size of the aquarium depends on the available space in your home and on the number of fish you plan to house and their size. In terms of care, it is easier to maintain a clean and stable ecosystem in a large aquarium.
The second point is the choice of the proportions of the aquarium. It is advisable to select the proportions of the aquarium, taking into account the landscape suitable for the fish planned for settlement. Some species require driftwood or stones for comfortable conditions, while others require dense thickets of aquarium plants.
Another factor when choosing an aquarium is the number of inhabitants you plan to keep. Too many fish - overpopulation - this means the filtration system will be overloaded and serious water quality problems may arise. When overcrowded, fish are stressed, which can lead to their illness.
In other words, in order to determine the shape and size of the aquarium, you first need to think about what fish will live in it, what plants and equipment they will need. An important criterion for choosing an aquarium is.
2. The shape of the aquarium.
The pet industry now offers an incredible number of aquariums, from regular rectangular to custom aquariums.
The most common forms of aquarium are:
Rectangular - "classic";
- hemispherical rectangular - an aquarium with a curved front glass or "TV";
- having beveled corners - "panorama";
- hemispherical angular - "sector";
- angular, with beveled corners - "delta";
- square - a cube-shaped aquarium;
- cylindrical;
- round;
- in the form of six and octahedrons - "multifaceted".
Place a soft Styrofoam mat under the aquarium to help distribute the weight / pressure more evenly. If the aquarium is not level, there will be uneven stress on the seams, which can eventually lead to leakage.
When choosing a form, certain nuances should be taken into account. that do not have vertical walls, more often need cleaning, as debris accumulates faster on inclined surfaces. An overly bizarre aquarium is harder to set up to blend in with the rest of the interior and more difficult to maintain.
3. Aquarium material.
Aquariums can be made of glass or acrylic / plexiglass.
Another important question to be asked when choosing an aquarium is what to choose glass or acrylic. Glass aquariums are generally less expensive and more scratch resistant. Conversely, acrylic aquariums are less resistant to scratches, but they are considered stronger than glass and scratches on acrylic can be sanded, although it is laborious. You should also take into account your aesthetic wishes; acrylic is a more flexible material, so aquariums from it can have more interesting / varied shapes.
SELECTING AQUARIUM: SIZES
Choosing the size of your home pond is a matter of taste, but you shouldn't forget about the possible difficulties that come with choosing a small aquarium, especially for beginners. Lacking experience and knowledge, beginner aquarists find a small aquarium less labor intensive and inexpensive. In reality, the opposite is true.
The ecosystem of a small reservoir is very unstable, it is difficult to maintain it in balance, while large aquariums, on the contrary, are more stable in this regard.
1. Aquariums with one viewing side, that is, the view opens only through the front glass. These tanks are often wall-to-wall. This design of the aquarium is simple and convenient, it allows you to plant many plants, create landscape compositions, and view all their fragments without interference.
2. Aquariums with multiple viewing walls are usually placed on a projecting corner or wall. You can look at it from different angles and at the same time, the compositions and plants that open to the eye look different.
3. An aquarium installed in the wall and / or dividing the premises. Conceived as an unusual element of the interior, such aquariums do not quite justify their purpose. Another room is seen through the glass, all objects around are reflected in it. The fish seem to be faded, care and installation of equipment, in particular lighting, is very difficult.
4. Aquariums, all walls of which are panoramic. Such aquariums are installed in large rooms, sometimes in the form of columns. Such a reservoir is more successful than the previous one: it is possible to install lighting and other equipment in it, it is visually perceived much better.
5. Aquarium set up in the inner corner. The shape of the reservoir is a trapezoid or triangle. The view opens only through one front glass. The aquarium gives the impression of being very spacious. This is its advantage and disadvantage. Good visual impact, but limited composition.
6. Panoramic aquariums are much less common and can be located in several walls. These grand ponds are mainly used in public aquariums. The scale of such a composition has an indelible visual effect.
A large aquarium gives a lot. In it you can experiment with terraces, stones, various plants, driftwood, making the most of the bottom area. In such an aquarium there is a place for any type and size.
When you buy the "wrong" aquarium, perhaps the smallest and least expensive, it can only lead to either buying the "right" one later. Or, even worse, it will disappoint you and you will not become a true lover. The result in both cases is logical - a senseless waste of money.
Advice: When choosing an aquarium, choose the largest one you can afford.
George Farmer shares his experience in designing a cubic aquarium.
I like cubic aquariums. Not only do they not present more problems than regular rectangular ones, but they also offer tremendous possibilities for creativity. Typically, a cube tank will be viewed from three sides - front, right and left, so this must be considered when designing the interior design. One of the problems with this shaped aquarium is choosing the right decorations and plants to fill the space as efficiently as possible. I do not want to use many plant species due to the complexity of their maintenance, so a small group of plants that do not require constant maintenance should be the dominant factor.
For the main decoration, I decided to choose the driftwood of the Manzanita tree, which is becoming one of the most popular materials among aquascapers. Twisted and angular roots work well for natural landscaping. The driftwood is pre-soaked for several days in order to free them from tannins and other impurities.
Usually the driftwood is placed with the thick ends down, but this time I decided to do the opposite, placing the thick parts of the rhizomes up, and submerged the thin ends in the ground. The result looks efficient and creates many hiding places for fish.
As an additional decoration, I chose pieces of stone wood, the orange color of which gave a nice contrast to the black background of the aquarium and furniture.
Choosing plants, I settled on Thai fern (Microsorium pteropus) , it is quite unpretentious and does not require special care. I selected several large shrubs of bright green color, which, in my opinion, should well complement my composition of driftwood. In the future, I planned to add a few more Anubias bushes.
I usually find it easy to find fish for my tanks and mostly keep one or two species, but for this tank I needed to find more than two species, taking into account the fact that the water in the tank will be hard. I wanted the fish to live in three zones - at the surface, in the water column and near the bottom.
Several dwarf blue gourami
caught my eye, they were supposed to provide more color and movement at the surface of the water.
Group platys Sunset
, yellow and red will look nice against the background of a green fern.
For the water column, I chose a flock Red-spotted tetras
.
Couple Bolivian chromis butterfly will look great closer to the bottom. Their fun demeanor and endurance make them suitable for my hard water aquarium.
Flock catfish Corydoras at the bottom finishes the picture. I only contained them once and have completely forgotten how attractive they are.
The complete set of the equipment included:
aquarium cube - 60 x 60 x 60 cm (214 liters) from 10 mm glass glued with black silicone;
cabinet and lamp cover in wenge color;
external filter Tetra EX 1200;
water heater 200 w;
two fluorescent lamps T-8;
two submersible LED lamps;
2-channel air compressor and two sprayers;
thermometer;
25 kg. fine variegated gravel including quartz to increase Ph;
Aquarium maintenance schedule
Daily: Check the health of the fish, feed the fish, check the filter, check the water temperature (the water should be within 25-27C);Once a week: Clean the glass from fouling, drain 25% of the water and add fresh;
Once a month: Clean the external filter, wipe the lamps from plaque;
Once every three months: Clean the hoses of the external filter, remove the darkened fern leaves;
Once a year: Replace fluorescent lamps;
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Full text of the article:
One of the most common forms of aquariums is cubic, on the one hand, of course, it is much more familiar rectangular, largely due to the fact that aquariums are placed along the walls, but square types of aquariums have a right to exist in your homes.
In fact, if you think about it, then perhaps the cubic shape of the aquarium is much more profitable than the rectangular one, it is not necessary to put the aquarium along the wall, in fact, this is the most losing option, if the size of an apartment or house allows you, then it is better to look for an option when the aquarium is located at a distance from the wall at least half a meter - a meter. With this placement, you can enjoy the aquarium in 3D, as opposed to the usual rectangular along the wall, in addition, if you think about it, you can make a great "relaxation corner" with the aquarium in the center.
The problem may arise elsewhere, most aquarists are used to making decor in such a style that it looks advantageous from the front and more or less from the side, and are not at all accustomed to taking into account absolutely all sides in equal proportion, and in a cubic aquarium, unlike rectangular, where in fact there is only one side, there are four of them, and most importantly, they are all equal.
Therefore, we decided to show you an example of arranging a cubic aquarium, in this case, the decor will be made for tropical small fish. Let's get started.
1. The basic set of the aquarium is as follows: a cube aquarium, each side size - 60 cm, an external filter (it is better to use an external one, not an internal one, which will greatly interfere with the appearance), a heater, two T8 lamps (fluorescent), a pump for aeration , stones, soil - fine gravel (25 kg)
2. The used soil does not increase the acidity and hardness of the water, in this aquarium no plants are supposed to take root in the soil, therefore a rather thin layer is used. It is best to use a soil without sharp edges (rounded), this will allow you to vary the number of possible fish species to place.
3. Then the first decorations are placed - branches, in this case they are used in the likeness of "bushes", only they need to be stuck with thin branches down, and with a thick base up, you should do this carefully so as not to break them, and you may also have to think about fixing them on the sides of the aquarium so that they do not slide or fall. Thin branches form an excellent decoration, as well as places in which fish will swim and hide.
4. Then, large stones are carefully placed around the branches, which additionally decorate the branches, creating an entourage and at the same time secluded places, it is advisable to pick up stones close in texture, well, or to your taste. In this case, you can experiment with the placement of stones as you like, most likely you will find new and better options for placing stones.
5. Placing plants on a tree (Javanese fern), the roots are wrapped around the branches, the fern will take up to 2-3 weeks to take root tightly. After the plants have been placed, it is worth thinking about adding water, water should be added carefully so that strong flows will destroy the structure and not tear off the plants.
6. Installation of equipment takes place after the aquarium is already filled with water. Then it is worth starting the aquarium for a week, without fish, in order for a biobalance to form in the aquarium. Then start the fish.
Such a simple, but beautiful cubic aquarium can be created, by the way, it can also be placed along the wall, but best of all so that there are convenient approaches from all three remaining sides, in which case it is advisable to place all the equipment so that it is located on the side pressed against the wall.
A square aquarium (aka cubic) has been a permanent leader in sales for many years. Thanks to its ergonomic shape, it does not cause problems with placement, and the elegance of straight lines allows it to harmoniously fit into an interior of any orientation, be it modern, baroque or hi-tech. Products of this shape are actively used as gifts for friends and colleagues.
Benefits of square aquariums
However, the low price of square aquariums is far from their only strength. The sale of products is in full swing due to:
- Simplicity of their maintenance. The presence of right angles and smooth walls simplifies the care of the product, as well as the placement of various equipment and decorative elements in it.
- Variations in sizes and designs. Since the demand for goods in this category is steadily high, they are produced in various capacities, and therefore, they can decorate both a spacious and a very small room.
- The stability of the product. Unlike a round one, such a structure can be placed on any flat horizontal surface, be it a table, a curbstone, a decorative column or something similar.
- The prevalence of related equipment and accessories. The popularity of square aquariums is also due to the fact that it is not difficult to find equipment, decorative elements and inhabitants for it.
So that the purchase of a product is not followed by its sudden sale, the choice of a product must be approached wisely. There is little rush to do this, while a solid choice can help you strike a compromise between design and optimal habitat for your aquarium inhabitants. So:
- In terms of its dimensions, the container must correspond to the number of organisms that are planned to be contained in it, and their size. While large fish will feel cramped in an ordinary "can", small ones risk getting lost in unreasonably large open spaces.
- The finished look of the product should not stand out from the overall interior design (unless there is a bet on contrast). Therefore, the design of the interior of the aquarium should be thought over in advance.
- The cost of the structure should be commensurate with its configuration. If significant costs are required for the purchase of additional equipment and decorative elements, then there is no point in overpaying for the capacity itself.
Modern aquariums have a wide variety of shapes that can be created in an industrial enterprise or an independent workshop.
At the moment, depending on the shape, there are several types of aquariums:
Rectangular - classic form. This is how the first aquariums were. Not the most original appearance is combined with the most practical use. Aquariums of this form are the easiest to decorate and maintain, and the internal technical equipment is also easy to disguise. They are not so noticeable flaws in the design.
- a shape similar to rectangular. Has additional bevels from the front wall. Just like the rectangular shape, it is easy to maintain and design, but has a more interesting appearance.
- another version of the classic rectangular aquarium. It has a narrow design and is often used for installation along a wall in rooms where there is little space or for dividing a room into separate zones. With equal volumes with a rectangular aquarium, the screen will be higher. This should be taken into account when planning your purchase.
- an interesting-looking version of a rectangular aquarium. It has an original appearance due to a convex viewing glass, but because of it it also has significant disadvantages. Such glass is more laborious to clean, and also leads to a distortion of the appearance of the inhabitants of the aquarium.
Paludarium - a rectangular aquarium for keeping and breeding turtles, amphibians and reptiles.
- has the shape of an angle, saves space in the room due to the fact that it can be installed near two walls. Due to its shape, it is limited in design methods due to the long part extending towards the corner of the walls.
- an interestingly shaped aquarium made in the form of a column. Installed, as a rule, free-standing in large rooms. The reef looks very nice. It imposes restrictions on the design and makes it difficult to clean, since it has a large height.
In addition to those listed, there are still a large number of various, but not widely used forms in aquaristics: round, semicircular, curved. All of them look original from the point of view of design, but are difficult to arrange and maintain.
The optimal approach for a beginner aquarist is to choose a classic rectangular aquarium or shapes formed from it (for example, a screen or panorama).
Now we need to decide on the volume of our future aquarium.
Usually beginners start their journey into the aquarium hobby with small aquariums. It can be even a three-liter jar, or a small 15-liter aquarium. It is worth saying that this is not the best choice for a person taking their first steps in this direction. Of course, this approach is justified in some cases: acute limited funds or cramped living conditions, which in our realities is quite common. However, it should be understood that a small aquarium requires much more care and attention to itself than a large one. It is more difficult to achieve and maintain biological balance in it. Any mistake leads to sad consequences and death of the underwater world. An aquarium with a volume of 40 liters or more, with proper care, will already be biologically stable enough even for a person taking their first steps in aquaristics, provided that a reasonable number of fish and plants are placed in it. We will talk about the rules and recommendations in the selection of inhabitants in the following articles.
Also, do not get carried away with too large volumes. Such containers require competent technical preparation of the premises in which the aquarium will be installed. Financial investments at the stage of equipping and populating such tanks will already be much higher. Caring for such an aquarium also requires certain conditions. For example, a weekly water change in a 400 liter aquarium reaches 80-100 liters. This volume needs to be stored somewhere ("defended"), dragged into the aquarium, instead of the "old" 80-100 liters. If you are an elderly person, then such a load will be a burden for you. It is also worth noting that some voluminous aquariums are more than 60 cm high. To reach the bottom in such an aquarium when it is full of water, you will need a snorkeling mask.
Thus, summing up all of the above, it is important that you note for yourself that to launch your first aquarium in your life, you should use rectangular containers with a volume of 40 to 120 liters !!!
