Inspirational aquariums The art of beautiful fishkeeping For more information: www.tetra.net Discover the art of keeping a beautiful aquarium Fashionable fishkeeping You want your aquarium to be a source of pride and joy and a wonderful, living addition to your home. Perhaps you feel you are there already but may be looking for inspiration for new looks or improvements. Perhaps that is just a dream for now and you want to make it a reality. Either way, the advice and ideas contained in this brochure are designed to give you a helping hand in taking your aquarium to the next level. 2 3 Create a room with a view An aquarium is no longer a means of just keeping fish. With a little inspiration and imagination it can be transformed into the focal point of your living room. A beautiful living accessory which changes scenery every second and adds a stunning impression in any decor. 4 Aquarium design There are many ideas to choose lakes of the African Rift Valley; from: Plants in an aquarium are an Amazon riverbed, even a as varied as they are beautiful coral reef in your own home. and can bring a fresh dimension The choices are limitless and to aquarium decoration as well with almost any shape or size as new interest. possible. Maybe you would like to consider a more demanding fish species such as a marine aquarium, or a biotope aquarium housing fish from one of the 5 A planted aquarium What is a planted aquarium? As you can see there are some So, if you want your fish to stand stunning examples of planted out and be the main focus of aquariums and results like these attention in your aquarium, you are within your grasp if you may only want to use very few follow a few basic guidelines. plants in your tank. However, if you are looking to create an There are various degrees of underwater world in which the planted tanks: often live plants design is defined by plants, then are added to an aquarium to the traditional Dutch tank with provide interest and diversity dense planting could be perfect or a place for fish to shelter. for you! This often means that plants are specifically selected to meet the needs of the chosen fish. In the so-called Dutch planted aquarium the tank is designed and maintained for the plants with perhaps a few smaller fish added that thrive in this environment. 6 A planted aquarium How is it different to a community aquarium? Aquatic plants, like any kind of to be supplemented to aid plant, require light and nutrients photosynthesis. to grow. In the light plants Many tropical fish are photosynthesize, using carbon not compatible with this dioxide and water to produce environment as they will either carbohydrates whilst essential grow too large or eat and uproot nutrients like iron and trace the plants. Carefully selecting elements are supplied in the fish species for a planted tank water and the gravel substrate is therefore essential. Or you in which they are planted. could consider adding beautiful Depending on the plant freshwater shrimps. types your aquarium may require daylight lamps. Key nutrients should also be added to the water and gravel and, in densely planted tanks, perhaps carbon dioxide levels need 7 A planted aquarium What key pieces of equipment should I have? Lighting is always the starting point when planning a planted aquarium: how effectively you are able to illuminate the aquarium will help you decide how many and which types of plants you choose. It is important to provide lighting which is as close to natural daylight as possible. This can be achieved with T5 tubes which provide very effective and powerful lighting. Another option to provide light for the planted tank is to dispose of the tank hood completely and use powerful pendant lighting suspended over the open topped aquarium. In a healthy planted tank it is also important to balance the supply of carbon dioxide and oxygen. During the day, plants may need an extra dose of carbon dioxide to aid photosynthesis. But at night they continue to respire and use up oxygen. That is why aeration, e.g. with one of the Tetra APS Airpumps should be provided at night. 8 A planted aquarium What key care products should I have? The provision of plant nutrients is vital for a successful planted aquarium. An iron-rich porous gravel (such as Tetra CompleteSubstrate) should be added to the tank at the outset. If you are upgrading an existing aquarium for plants, tablets of Tetra Crypto should be added to the gravel near the plant roots. Following an initial dosing, you should replenish these at each partial water change. Key plant nutrients tend to become exhausted in the closed confines of an aquarium. Whilst nitrates and phosphates can be in plentiful supply thanks to the breakdown of the waste from the fish in the tank, you should replenish other key nutrients manually. The most notable of these is iron, which can become depleted in planted tanks very quickly. Dosing the tank regularly with Tetra PlantaMin will ensure that iron levels, along with other key micronutrients, are in continual supply. 9 A planted aquarium How do I look after my planted aquarium? Once established the planted aquarium keeper becomes more of an aquatic gardener than a fishkeeper! Traditional maintenance tasks such as fish feeding, water testing, filter cleaning and water changing still need to be carried out, but another regular task in your planted tank is pruning your plants! Long-handled stainless steel scissors should be used to cut off dead leaves from time to time. Plant species outgrowing their designated zone of the tank should be pruned to keep them in place. Do’s and Don’ts Do Don’t Plan how you can supply the maximum Add lots of fish to the tank. The oxygen levels in amount of light planted tanks can get very low at night. Use an iron-rich planting substrate and Add herbivores - they will damage your delicate dose regularly with a plant fertiliser planting layout 10 A planted aquarium Common problems in planted aquariums There are some problems that very commonly occur in the planted aquarium and can be dealt with very easily: Algae Poor plant growth Algae are unsightly and can grow to the point If your plants are failing to thrive in the tank where they out-compete other plants. It is usually the usual cause is a lack of light, a lack an excess of nitrate and phosphate or the wrong of nutrients or the wrong kind of substrate. kind of lighting that encourages algae. As nitrates Lighting tubes and bulbs need to be replaced and phosphates are derived from fish waste, over- from time-to-time, so check with the stocking the aquarium with fish can add to the supplier to determine how often this should problem. be and replace if necessary. More light can be Good plant growth will help to keep algae down provided by adding extra bulbs or using a reflector so ensure that your plants get the light they need, above the bulb. If this is not possible then reduce the plus iron and perhaps carbon dioxide, as described density of planting and stock some low light tolerant earlier. plant species such as Anubias or javafern species. Use Tetra Crypto and Tetra PlantaMin to fertilise through the leaves and roots. If algae gain the upper hand, you must take fast and targeted action with Tetra AlguMin. A lack of nutrients will also lead to poor growth. The use of an iron rich substrate is essential. A lack of aquatic plant fertilizer is often a limiting factor on many planted aquaria. The Tetra range of plant substrates and fertilizers will overcome all of these problems. Expert assistance www.tetra.net Tetra Hotline 00800 766 88 766 11 Creating a Zen-influenced aquarium Recently aquarium design has taken on a more often leach brown colouration into the water and minimalist approach. The Japanese designer this may well affect the aesthetics of the tank. and aquarist Takashi Amano is widely credited Your aquatic store is the best place to buy as the inspiration for the modern Zen aquarium. decorative rockwork for the tank. Here the rocks This is based on the Japanese philosophy of will be inert so they will not release alkaline wabi sabi, which finds beauty in simplicity, minerals into the water which will cause pH irregularity and austerity. Whilst the principle instability. It is tempting to find a supply of rocks can be difficult to translate into western languages from your local builders merchant or DIY store – you can use it to influence the design of your these are likely to be unsuitable for decoration in aquarium and bring a serene and peaceful an aquarium. scene to your home. A simple vista is created in the tank focusing on key plants, rock or wood décor. Rock and driftwood arrangements in the tank draw heavily on Japanese Zen principles. Also odd numbers of items are placed asymmetrically in the tank. The age of the rocks and the rustic nature of the driftwood impart For tips on a majesty and simplicity to the tank. plant growth Driftwood can be purchased from your local aquatic store in a wide variety of shapes and see page 9 sizes. However, some types like bogwood will 12 Creating a Zen-influenced aquarium There is a vast range of plants to choose from, though a Japanese influenced aquarium would be more limited in its choice.