Inspirational aquariums

28 Pages·2012·4.42 MB·English

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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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
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