Carolina’s Freshwater Aquarium Manual Carolina’s Freshwater Aquarium Manual Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Setting Up the Aquarium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Placement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 River Tank Ecosystems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Establishing the Plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Acclimating the Animals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Aquarium Animals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Mollusks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Arthropods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Amphibians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Feeding the Animals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Aquatic Plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Floating Aquatic Plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Planted Aquatic Plants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Daily Inspection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Water Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Disease Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Aquarium Science . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Tanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Filtration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 Substrate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Biomass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Carolina Biological Supply Company, Burlington, NC 451785 Carolina’s Freshwater Aquarium Manual ©2011 Carolina Biological Supply Company ISBN 0-89278-026-6 Printed in USA Introduction A freshwater aquarium kit from Carolina Biological Supply Company consists of a tank, supplies, and living materials. Upon receipt of a kit, unpack all the items and familiarize yourself with the components. Be certain that all the components are working prior to the arrival of the living materials. The tank and supplies are usually shipped 7–14 days before the living materials are delivered. This allows time for proper setup and conditioning of the aquarium before the living organisms are introduced. The aquarium needs a break-in period of 2–3 days of operation before the living materials are added. Our assortments and sets have been chosen to provide variety and interest in aquaria of any size. Animals and plants that are easy to maintain have been selected for these assortments. They can be purchased in many combinations and each item can be obtained individually for specific study. The availability of some living organisms may change in accordance with USDA regulations. In such cases, we will substitute organisms of equal quality and value. If properly presented and cared for, an aquarium is a valuable asset for teaching. Many schools have aquaria that add color and life to the classroom but that are largely ignored as resources for study. With this manual, some background information, and a little experience in maintaining aquaria, students can gain significant insights into a living, interacting system. An aquarium can provide for studies of the biology and chemistry of aquatic systems and of the interactions among animals, plants, and their environment in a small unit. Figure 1.A balanced freshwater aquarium with a variety of living organisms stimulates students’ interest in living ecosystems. 3 Setting Up the Aquarium Placement When choosing the site for an aquarium, select an area where the temperature is fairly constant, preferably between 64°F and 77°F (18°C and 25°C). An aquarium needs diffuse light and should not be placed in direct sunlight or unusually bright artificial light. Excess sunlight encourages algal growth, and an aquarium receiving direct sunlight will have a daytime water temperature as much as 5°C higher than the temperature of the room. Furthermore, the overheated water cools rapidly at night, causing additional stress on the animals. As with any living materials, it is best not to place an aquarium in an area where large amounts of volatile chemicals are stored or used, or in an area where the air is smoky or of poor quality. Atmospheric pollutants can enter the system and damage or kill animals and plants. Once an aquarium is in position and filled with water, it should not be moved. The water in an aquarium exerts pressure on the sides and bottom of the tank. Moving the aquarium can cause it to leak or crack. If an aquarium must be moved, siphon as much of the water as possible into buckets and move the nearly empty aquarium. Assembly 1. Wipe the new aquarium tank and lid with a wet paper towel to remove any dust. Do not use glass cleaner or detergents to clean the inside of the aquarium. 2. Fill the tank with clean water and carefully inspect the tank for leaks. When you are sure there are no leaks, siphon the water from the tank. Do not attempt to pour the water out. 3. Assemble the undergravel filter in the bottom of the aquarium according to the instructions included with the filter. For 20-gallon and larger aquaria, a second undergravel filter should be placed in the other back corner. 4. Carefully wash the substrate gravel under running water until all fine particles are removed and the water runs clear. A basket for washing filter gravel (and charcoal) can be constructed by bending a sheet of screen wire into the form of a box. After the gravel is washed clean, add it to the aquarium, covering the undergravel filter with 3–5 cm of gravel. The substrate should be deeper at the back of the aquarium than at the front. Gently slope the substrate from the back and sides to a point in the middle front area of the tank. 5. Add water to the tank by placing a heavy sheet of paper on the substrate and pouring the water slowly onto the paper. This keeps the substrate 4 from being disarranged. Next, add water to within 2 cm of the top of the tank. The water must be maintained near this level for the power filter to function. Remove the paper and then use water-conditioning tablets according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Be certain to take into account that the space occupied by filter apparatus, gravel, and air reduces the actual volume of water to approximately 80% of the stated volume of the tank (e.g., a 20-gallon tank probably contains about 16 gallons of water). 6. Power filters are included with 20-gallon and larger aquarium kits. If your kit has a power filter, install the filter according to the instructions included with it. 7. Turn on both the power filter and the undergravel filter and place the aquarium cover on the tank. Operate the completely assembled system for 48–72 hours before adding plants and animals. River Tank Ecosystems River Tank ecosystems differ from traditional aquariums in that they provide both a pool of still water and a flowing stream of water. Furthermore, terrestrial plants can and should be planted in a River Tank. Figure 2. The River Tank’s ecologically balanced design requires very little maintenance and provides rich learning opportunities. Setting Up a 20- or 30-Gallon River Tank Set up your River Tank where it will not be exposed to direct sunlight, especially afternoon light. Some light is good, but too much can overheat the tank and stimulate the growth of algae. The location you choose should be stable and capable of supporting the weight of the tank and water. 5 1. Use tape to cover the end of the flexible plastic tube at the lower left section of the backdrop. This prevents gravel from getting into the tube. Do not crimp the tube. 2. Rinse the aquarium gravel under running water until the water runs clear. 3. Slowly add aquarium gravel to cover the bottom of the tank to a depth of 11⁄ to 2 inches (4–5 cm). Save some gravel for the plant pockets. 2 4. Remove the pump from the package. Identify the inflow and outflow ports of the pump. Cover the inflow port of the pump with the strainer from the pump parts package (see photo). This will prevent the pump from pulling in gravel when operating. Figure 3.A pump with the strainer (to the right) in place over the inflow port. The outflow port is the cylinder extending toward the top of the photo. 5. Remove the tape from end of flexible plastic tube. Do not pull on the tube, as this can disconnect it from the back of the form. The tube can be cut shorter, if desired. Push the end of the tube over the outflow port of the pump. 6. Set the molded hollow rock over the pump. The larger slot fits over the plastic tube. Thread the power cord out through the smaller slot. Push the power cord into the back left corner of the tank. 7. Slowly add water to the tank until it just covers the top of the hollow rock housing the pump. 8. Insert the filter into the filter slot at the upper left of the backdrop. 9. Plug in the pump for a test run. The filter slot should fill, after which water will cascade down the right of the backdrop and into the plant pockets. Water in the tank will drop somewhat. If it drops too low, the pump may pull in air. If this happens, add water. 10. After the test run, unplug the pump. 6 Adding Plants to a River Tank Aquatic plants are planted in the gravel if rooted or allowed to float if not. Tropical foliage plants are planted in the plant pockets molded into the backdrop of the River Tank. 1. Remove the plants from their pots. Shake off as much potting soil as possible. 2. Hold the roots of the plants under running water to wash away the remaining soil. 3. Place the roots of foliage plants in a plant pocket and add aquarium gravel to cover the roots. Do not completely fill the plant pocket with gravel. Do not drop gravel into the filter slot. 4. Turn on the pump and check for proper water flow. Establishing the Plants Parasites of aquatic animals can be introduced into an aquarium through the addition of unclean plants. Therefore, carefully inspect each plant that is to be placed in the aquarium and remove any unwanted pests found clinging to the leaves or stems. Most plants can be cleaned by holding them under running water. Handle the plants carefully so that their leaves and stems are not damaged. In a new aquarium, establish the plants before any animals are put into the tank. To keep the tank from overflowing, siphon out some of the water before introducing the plants. Some plants are better suited to a new aquarium because of their food reserves, while others do not do as well because of the lack of nutrients in a new aquarium. When adding plants to an established tank, take care not to disturb the substrate too much. Otherwise, the water may become clouded. Place taller plants at the back and near the sides of the aquarium; place shorter plants in the middle and front of the aquarium. Anchor the plants into the substrate using a side-to-side, sweeping motion. Bury all the roots, but leave the crowns above the substrate. Plants without roots can be placed using the same method, although the stems may have to be placed deeper into the substrate. Do not bury the leaves of aquatic plants, because they will decay and foul the water. Periodic removal of excess plant growth will keep the aquarium looking good. For ease of identification and to facilitate aquarium maintenance, you may find it helpful to create a chart or draw a map indicating the names and positions of the plants in the aquarium. Other methods of identifying plants include taping labels to the outside of the aquarium and writing the names with waterproof ink on plastic stakes placed beside the plants. If you wish, students can discover where each plant can be found in the wild and identify each plant’s special requirements. Adaptations of aquatic plants to life in the water include interesting modifications of structure and reproduction. 7 Plants should receive at least 12 hours of light each day. Most plants do best under fluorescent light. Incandescent lights are not recommended because of the amount of heat they release. Acclimating the Animals Next to proper conditioning of the tank, acclimation of the animals to the aquarium is the most important requirement to insure having healthy organisms. The stress of shipment will cause animals to become susceptible to diseases and parasites unless they are properly cared for when received. When the animals are delivered, open the bag and fold the top down to form a sleeve. Place the open bag in the aquarium but do not allow any water from the aquarium to get into the bag. Do not let the aquarium overflow. Every 15 minutes, discard one-fifth of the water in the shipping bag and replace it with an equal amount of water from the aquarium. After an hour the animals can be netted from the shipping bag and placed in the aquarium. Return the aquarium to its proper level by adding clean springwater. This procedure allows the animals to adjust gradually to the changes in water chemistry. Figure 4.To acclimate the fish, place the shipping bag of fish in or next to the aquarium and occasionally replace the shipping water with water from the aquarium. Do not feed the animals the first day they are in the aquarium. They will be recovering from the stress of shipment and adjusting to their new environment. Thereafter, feed them on a recommended schedule (see “Feeding the Animals”). Watch the animals closely for the first few days. Any sick or dead animals should be discarded. 8 Aquarium Animals A large variety of organisms can be put into a freshwater aquarium for study. Some classes prefer to study local organisms, and field trips can be organized to collect local aquatic plants and animals. If they are wild-collected, higher organisms such as fish must be acclimated to an aquarium. Most healthy plants and animals in a natural environment successfully cope with parasites and diseases; however, when organisms are placed in a stressful situation, such as adjusting to a new environment, their health can be drastically affected. Carefully examine all field-collected plants and animals, and hold them in a quarantine tank until it is evident they are healthy. For best results, use plants and animals known to be acceptable freshwater aquarium inhabitants. Using established aquarium inhabitants reduces the amount of care and time necessary to maintain the aquarium. The chance of disease is also decreased. Standard aquarium organisms are also easier to obtain. When choosing animals for an aquarium, select animals of similar size, keeping in mind both initial and mature sizes. Predators should be slightly smaller than their natural prey; for example, animals such as crayfish should be small enough that they will not eat the fish. Animals appropriate for aquaria include fish, snails, newts, mussels, small crayfish, tadpoles, neotenic salamanders, aquatic frogs, and turtles. Mollusks Snails and mussels are mollusks. Aquarium snails scavenge for food and help keep the aquarium clean. They reproduce readily and their transparent eggs clearly show early development. Mussels strain microorganisms from the water through a siphoning process. Mussels move and dig into the aquarium substrate by means of a muscular foot, which may tear up rooted plants in the process. Figure 5. Aquarium snails feed on algae and uneaten food, and provide eggs for embryological studies. 9 Arthropods Aquatic insects, insect larvae, and spiders are interesting subjects in the aquarium. These animals illustrate adaptations to aquatic life in their body structure, reproductive processes, and locomotion. Aquatic insects and spiders should be used with caution in a fish tank because they prey on small fish. Figure 6.Dragonfly nymphs are common insects that illustrate adaptations to aquatic life. They should not be kept with small fish. Crayfish are popular aquarium inhabitants. Use only small specimens, because larger ones might kill fish and other organisms. Smaller crayfish generally scavenge the floor of the aquarium for detritus, dead animals, and plants. Figure 7.Small crayfish can be kept in an aquarium with fish, but large crayfish should be housed in a separate tank. 10