What Do You Put In Your Freshwater Aquarium?

You’re all set with your aquarium or fish tank. What next? Fish, of course. Not really, you need more than that.

1.    Your Substrate

That sandy looking stuff at the bottom of the tank is what is called substrate. It’s what’s going to hold everything together in your tank – other than the fish of course.

There are different kinds of substrate. Let’s have a look:

a)    Tiny Substrate

It comes in different sizes, but smaller is usually better especially for smaller type fish at home. They’ll be more comfortable nesting in smaller particles of sand. It will have lots of tiny rocks and it’s easy to find, and it generally makes your tank look more attractive. If you live in a place where you can get different colored tiny stones, all the better.

On the downside, depending on the fish you get, some fish enjoy picking it up with their mouths and moving around with it. If it’s very small, it will eventually irritate them around the mouth.

b)    Medium-sized Substrate

This works well too in a number of ways – it will be more popular in bigger size tanks which are likely to contain larger fish. As opposed to small stones, it will have pebbles and small rocks. Again, look for a variation of pebbles and rocks that will add beauty to your tank.

c)    Big Substrate

Now you’re onto the big stuff – river rocks and even bigger. Rare as it is though, some people prefer to use it for its aesthetic value. They cover the entire bottom with large rocks, with sand only in the little crevices.

The problem, though, is that big rocks are more likely to trap food particles and murky the water, make it toxic and even kill your fish. If you choose this substrate as an option, you’ll have to clean your tank very often.

Substrate and Your Fish

You need to know what kind of substrate your fish can handle – some substrate can be bad for fish and even kill them. For example, some substrate will be made of crushed coral. Crushed coral is acidic and will raise the pH levels of your water, maybe even to a degree where your fish will not be able to survive any longer. Investigate the fish’s natural habitat before you go for substrate – the closer you can get to that the better your chances of having a thriving fish tank or aquarium.

Substrate to Avoid

There is substrate that you should avoid – it will negatively affect your fish because it will contaminate the water:

• Limestone
• Geodes
• Shells
• Dolomite
• Granite
• Slate
• Quartz
• Lava rock
• Sandstone
• Onyx

The best approach is to always test, and you don’t have to use your fish to do this. There are 2 basic methods

• Get some vinegar and pour several drops on the substrate; if it foams and fizzles, that’s a sign that the substrate contains calcium that will affect your water.
• Get a bucket of the water that you intend to use in your fish tank and put some substrate in too. Test for pH levels and hardness – you can get these kits at hardware stores. Then let it lie for a week and test again. If there is not much difference, the substrate is good and will not kill off your fish.

Wondering About Testing Kits?

They’re not hard to find – your hardware store or pet store should have one. There are several different kinds you’ll need:

1)    pH Levels Test Kit

Poor pH levels can cause your fish a lot of stress, even to the point of death. Test for this often. If you notice a shift, test for Carbonate Hardness (KH) – you may need to change the water and the substrate.

2)    Ammonia Test Kit

You should only have high ammonia levels at the beginning – after some time, this should go down. High ammonia levels could be a sign of several things: overstocking (fish waste is too much), dirty water, a dirty filter or medication that disrupted the cycle of getting naturally rid of ammonia. The ammonia test kit will test for nitrite – and it should always remain at less than 1.0. It will also test for nitrate, which is mildly poisonous to your fish, but all the same should not get to over 300 parts per million – don’t worry, the kit will show you this.

3)    Power Strip

You’ll be using electricity with all the plugging in you’ll need to do. Get an electric cord that’s water proof and that’s surge proof too – remember at the other end of that cord lies a tank full of water.