Freshwater Aquarium Fish

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Home : 2003 : August : 2

Freshwater Aquarium Fish
By George

I've had a 10-gallon aquarium for a bit over a year now. You can get smaller tanks and bowls, but I think 10-gallons is the perfect classroom size. It is big enough to have an interesting assortment of fish, and just the
right size to take care of properly.
The easy-to-remember formula is 1 inch of fish for every 1 gallon of water. So, in a 10-gallon tank, you can safely have 10 inches of fish. That means ten inch-long fish, or a fewer number of larger fish.
Here is an ideal setup, most of which you can find at Petco or a similar store (Prepare yourself for the initial sticker shock):
$15 10-gallon

All-Glass Aquarium w/ BLACK silicon
$30 Hood with a fluorescent bulb (black plastic)
$18 Penguin BIO-Wheel Mini Filter*
$05 Replacement filter for Penguin
$07 Profile 1000 Aquarium Air Pump
$05 air tubing
$03 Aquatic Gardens Airstone Bar 6"
$15 Gravel and rock decoration
$ 9 Gravel Vac Cleaner
$07 Algae Scraper
$04 3-gallon bucket
$03 fish net
$05 thermometer
Heater (if your classroom gets cold at night)
Background (black plastic for back of tank)
$06 extention cord w/ 3 outlets

$10 Algae Destroyer liquid (chemical)
$ Ich medicine (common fish disease)
$ 8 Water Conditioner liquid (chemical)
$08 fish food

*I would NOT get an undergravel filter. For small tanks, a Penguin BIO-Wheel Mini power filter is the very best in my opinion. All you have to do is replace the filter cartridge every few months.

That's a complete list of everything I have for my aquarium, and everything I think you'll need to have a healthy, beautiful freshwater aquarium that is easy to keep clean. My room stays warm, so I don't use a heater.

SETUP

A filled aquarium is very heavy, so choose a sturdy table or counter.

When you first set up your aquarium, you rinse the tank out completely with water, and rinse the gravel as you would rice. Then, add the cleaned gravel to the tank. Add decorative rock (also pre-rinsed)

Attach tubing to end of airstone bar and bury the airstone bar deep in the gravel. Thread tubing over the back of the aquarium to the air pump.

Put your tank in position on the table or counter.

Fill up your bucket with water. Add water conditioner. Stir with your Algae Scraper, then pour conditioned water into tank. Repeat until tank is nearly full.

Assemble Penguin filter, attach to back of tank and plug in. Water should make the BIO-wheel turn gently. Make sure the BIO-wheel is free to turn.

Attach your hood (you might need to punch out the pre-cut hole for the filter) and plug in.

(SAFETY: make sure your electrical cord won't get wet - I use a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter just to be extra safe)

You now have a complete aquarium ready for fish. Start out with only one or two fish for the first few weeks until the natural chemistry of the tank balances (on its own). Then you can add more fish.

CARE

Every week or two, use your Gravel Vac Cleaner to remove about 1/3 of the water from the tank. The gravel vac sucks up the waste on the bottom of the tank and into your bucket. Empty the bucket into a toilet and fill your empty bucket with clean water. Add water conditioner, stir, and pour the conditioned water into tank.

Gently clean inside glass with algae scraper if spots appear, and/or treat water with Algae Destroyer. Observe fish for signs of Ich and treat water with medication if necessary. Turning the light off at night will minimize algae growth.

FISH

I like Tetras and Angels, but there are a variety of wonderful freshwater fish to choose from. Fish are relatively inexpensive ($2-4/each)

One or two "bottom feeders" will help keep the tank clean. Have a rock or something for your bottom feeder to hide in.