What to Look For When Choosing a Business Aquarium Installer

Many doctors and dentists as well as other business professionals have discovered that an aquarium is an attractive and desirable addition to any office or building decorating scheme. There is something about watching fish swim and aquatic plants sway that soothes the soul and makes waiting for an appointment bearable if not downright entertaining. If you've been considering having an aquarium installed at your place of business, here's what to look for when choosing an installer to do the job and provide ongoing maintenance.

Custom installations

Anyone can bring in a fish tank, set it up in the most basic of ways, fill it up with water and fish and then be done. If you want something truly original in your office, such as an in-wall custom aquarium or if you like the look of free-standing tanks but want the job done right the first time, make sure to hire professionals who specialize in custom installations that are just right for your work environment. State of the art equipment and plumbing are the way to go: don't settle for any less because it will just mean problems or even disaster down the road.

Extensive Biological Knowledge

Ideally, the installers should have extensive marine biology backgrounds and expertise that allows them to make recommendations about the best combinations of marine life for your aquarium. They should be familiar with the symptoms of all of the common diseases and parasites that may afflict a tank's contents so that they can prevent them or eradicate them when necessary, saving you money and heartache.

A Great Maintenance Record

When choosing installers, make sure to ask for references who can attest to the installers' reliability, professionalism, and punctuality when it comes to maintenance over the long haul. Most business owners do not have the time, knowledge, or inclination to take care of an aquarium properly: you don't want to be embarrassed in front of your customers by having the tank get dirty and dank because the maintenance folks are late.

aquarium decorations Biube Aquarium freshwater aquarium

How to Set Up an Aquarium

Choosing an Aquarium, and How to Display It.

Choosing the Right Aquarium - Aquariums come in various shapes and sizes, ranging from simple 1-gallon fish bowls, up to huge tanks, holding 100 gallons, or more. When choosing an aquarium, keep in mind that, as a general rule, you can have one fish per gallon of water. Larger fish, like Oscars, will require significantly more space. If your aquarium will be displayed in your childs room, a simple fish bowl and anything up to a 20 gallon tank will be fine. If your tank is going to be displayed in your living room, I would recommend a larger tank. 30 gallon tanks are great for this. Tropical fish tanks also have two major designs. Horizontal (wide) tanks are good for schooling fish, while Vertical (tall) tanks better display for angel fish, gouramis, etc. I personally like a "29-Show" tank, which is a 29 gallon, slightly tall tank.

Aquarium Stand - Do not overlook the importance of the stand before setting up your aquarium! This is the main area of problems that arise after the fish tank is set up. The most common problems are that the owner "does not like" the stand used, and wants it changed after the aquarium is set up, or the stand used cannot properly support the aquarium once it is filled with water. I highly recommend using a high-quality wooden stand, specifically designed for aquariums, which has storage for your fish food, supplies, books, etc.

Lighting - Lighting can be either fluorescent or incandescent. Fluorescent lighting is preferred as it looks more "filtered," and does not put out heat like an incandescent light.

Place the stand where you want it to be. Remember, you'll need easy access to electrical plugs, and do not place your aquarium where it will get direct sunlight, as that will create an environment that will easily create algae. There is nothing worse than a green fish tank!

Now that you have your fish tank, and a proper means to display it...

How to Set Up An Aquarium

Make sure the aquarium is clean and dry.

Apply Background - Most backgrounds simply apply to the outside back of the aquarium. Backgrounds give your fish a place to hide, and also conceal tubes, pumps, etc. from being visible.

Place your undergravel filter in the bottom of the tank.

Clean the gravel thoroughly in a bucket with drinking-quality water. Do this right, or you'll have a cloudy fish tank right from the start! Colored gravel is fine for child aquariums, but if you are going to have a large aquarium on display in your living room, you'll be much happier with natural gravel. Natural gravel will look better, and is also less expensive than colored gravel. You want one to two inches of gravel. You get get creative hills by making small hills and valleys, but do not make the hills too large, as it will hamper filtration.

Add water of drinking quality up to a couple inches from the top. You still need to place some items, so you do not want it to overflow when you put your arm in.

Install Heater - Do not plug it in though, unless it is completely submerged in water. Water temperatures should be 70-80 degrees for tropical fish.

Install Pump and Airstones

Place thermometer on front corner or side of aquarium.

Place decorative rocks and cave-like items on the bottom.

Place plants where desired. My experience is to put taller plants in the back, especially in the back corners to provide hiding places for top-dwelling fish. Putting different colored plants in little groups looks best.

Finish filling the tank, then install cover and lighting.

Add chlorine remover

Let the aquarium run for a minimum of three days before adding fish. I would recommend starting out with a of couple small, inexpensive tropical fish while your tank develops a healthy habitat. Personally, I use neon tetras while the tanks settles in. They are pretty enough to keep if they survive, but no big deal if they don't survive. If your first fish perish, try letting the aquarium run without fish for a couple more days, then take a small sample of water to your local fish store, and have them test the water for you, then follow their recommendations.

Good Luck with your new aquarium, I hope you enjoy many years with your fish!

Betta Mating - The Ins and Outs

Betta mating can be a hit or miss proposition unless you stack the odds in your favor. There are certain things you can do that will virtually guarantee that your betta mating endeavour is a success. Let's take a look at how you can turn your male betta into the Don Juan of the undersea world, and your female fish into an irresistible Marilyn Monroe. Just as a nice dinner, ambience and dancing with someone who interests you greatly increase the odds of intimacy, your betta fish can be gently led to optimum breeding conditions.

1 - Dinner For Two

You can greatly enhance chances of fishy fooling around by increasing the amount of live foods in their diet. This change usually takes about two weeks to work. Hey, no respectable betta female will get busy after one date. Freeze-dried brine shrimp that are thawed out are perfect.

2 - Set The Mood

Everyone likes a cozy, low-light environment for some snuggling, and your aquatic admirers are no different. Betta do not like bright lights and act even more skittish to it when in the mood. Betta temperature should be set at 80 degrees for a cozy love nest. And when setting up a breeding tank, introduce the male betta first, so he can create the love shack of his dreams. Provide him with some floating plant cover for the creation of the bubble nest.

3 - Hit The Dance Floor

When the female is introduced to the betta mating tank, the two potential paramours will check each other out like the last two in a bar at 3 a.m. This does not guarantee anything though, and you will only know everything is copasetic if the male allows the female to approach him. If he allows this, the two lovebirds will then cavort about not unlike two flamenco dancers, and consummate their neptunial nuptials.

(When breeding betta fish, it is also much easier to be successful in your betta mating project if you use two bettas that have been raised together.) Congratulations, you are the perfect match-maker! Now get ready to remove the fry, and start all over.

aquarium stand

Balancing Co2 in the Planted Aquarium

Carbon dioxide is a crucial element of photosynthesis where plants rearrange molecules of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen to build basic sugar structures, which provide them and the rest of the food chain with energy. The right balance of carbon dioxide is important for plant growth and the continued health of your plants.

A Co2 deficiency is visible in the form of slower plant growth and a slow yet continuous rise in water pH. In many species of plants you will also notice calcium deposits on leaves, turning them a pale yellow or white depending on the severity of the condition. For many more demanding plants it is important to add additional carbon dioxide to the water as well as keeping other conditions favourable. However, too much carbon dioxide in the water can be detrimental to other aquatic life, striking a balance between the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide is important.

In aquariums which do not contain live aquarium plants shortages of oxygen are one of the biggest problems, which can in part be corrected with air-stones which aim to offer better aeration. In the presence of excessive Co2 fish will spend a lot of time at the surface of the water, increased gilling is visibly noticeable and it seems as if the fish are struggling to breathe. With too much Co2 the fish will suffer and without enough, the plants will instead. To maintain balanced water chemistry carry out regular water changes and be proactive to changes in the aquarium environment.

It may be necessary to add additional Co2 to the aquarium when growing aquatic plants, particularly if you are more experienced an have chosen to use more exotic species. There are a variety of options available if you decide to use carbon dioxide injections in the aquarium, from commercial systems to doing it yourself. If you keep plants with high demands of carbon dioxide, the larger the plants become the greater their need will be.

Maintaining a healthy balance where water chemistry is concerned requires attention to the aquariums and the inhabitants. Problems with a lack or macronutrients become visible in plants quickly, as do problems with an overload or deficiency of carbon dioxide. If possible it is often helpful to use water testing kits to get a general feel of what is in your water and if there is anything that you could change to the benefit of the aquarium.

aquarium stand Biube Aquarium