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Reef One Biorb & Biube Frequently Asked Questions
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Do plants oxygenate the water?
During daylight hours plants use carbon dioxide and release oxygen into the water. When it is dark however, they do the opposite. This is why plants shouldn't be used to oxygenate aquarium water.
Make sure the plants you buy are aquarium plants and not varieties sold for ponds.
Articficial plants?
Plants can be difficult to grow and many people prefer to choose artificial aquarium plants. THere are many to choose from, usually made from plastic or silk, and can look very realistic. Although they do not have the benefits of live plants, they never die and can be taken out and washed when dirty.
There are also specialised Biorb and Biube Plants available which are plastic and come ready weighted to go straight into your new aquarium!
Fixing plants in the aquarium?
Plants are usually sold in pots or bunches; both can restrict the growth of the plants. Pots must be removed, the substrate used around the roots can cloud the water. Most stem plants can be kept in their bunches as long as they are regularly taken out and trimmed.
Use the ceramic media in your aquarium to anchor plants into position. Remove 5-6 rocks, insert the plant into a gap and then place the rocks around the plant to secure it. Single stems can be fed in-between the rocks quite easily.
Plants with good root systems, such as Java Fern, can be loosely tied onto bogwood or aquarium rock with fishing line. These plants should then grow onto the surface. This makes it easier to position the plants and lift them out of the water.
Aquarium Gardening?
Most plants do not need much care. However, a little gardening during normal aquarium maintenance will keep plants looking their best. Dead leaves should be removed as soon as you see them otherwise they will rot and pollute the water. Take dead leaves off cleanly close to the stem.
If a plant dies creating a lot of mess, care should be taken to remove all of the plant. If left in the aquarium it may cause poor water quality and algae problems which will be harder to rectify later on.
What fish should I keep?
There is a good choice of coldwater fish available and tropical fish can be kept if an aquarium heater is fitted inside the aquarium. The suitability of fish depends no their adult size, behaviour and requirements.
Hardy fantail goldfish are a good choice for Reef One Aquariums. Fantail goldfish have long tails that look like two tails joined together. Their bodies are short and round. Avoid fancier varieties such as bubble eyes and pearl scales which can be harder to care for, or Orandas that can grow too big for the aquarium.
Common goldfish are fast swimming and boisterous, they shouldn't be mixed with fantail goldfish and are better suited to very large aquariums or ponds. Common goldfish, such as comets and shubunkins usually have a single flat tail and cigar shaped bodies.
Smaller coldwater fish such as white cloud mountain minnows make good first fish, a shoal of six can be mixed with fantail goldfish.
Temperate fish can be kept without a heater providing you use a thermometer to check that the temperature in the aquarium does not drop below 19C (17C at night). These can include danios, some guppies and platys amongst others. Only buy fish that have already been acclimatised to cool water. These shouldn't be mixed with goldfish.
Do not keep 'bottom feeding' fish, such as common pleco, loach or catfish in Reef One Aquariums. The ceramic media used for biological filtration on these aquariums is unsuitable for them. Many of these species also grow very large.
There is a large variety of small tropical fish that can be mixed together or kept as a large shoal of one species. As with any pet, before buying you should do a little research into your chosen fish from the wealth of fish books or websites available. You can always give us a call too on (01254) 665662 and we'll do out utmost to help you out.
With fantail goldfish in particular check that they are swimming easily (not sideways or up-side down) and that their tails are not held at an abnormal angle. Don't be afraid to refect a fish that you do not think is healthy. If you are not completely happy with it don't buy it.
Getting your new fish home?
Moving to a new aquarium is a very stressful experience for fish. This can be too much for them and some do not survive. By planning your purchase and taking care you can minimise this stress to give your fish a better chance of enjoying their new home.
Always make sure that the fish you buy can be taken straight home to your aquarium. When travelling, keep the fish steady, secure and out of direct sunlight. The fish bag should be covered with a paper bag or box to reduce stress and help tropical fish maintain their temperature.
At home, open the bag and roll down the sides like a sock. Equalise the temperature in the bag and the aquarium by floating the open bag on the water surface for about 30 minutes. Carefully tip the bag to allow the fish to swim out. Try to minimise the amount of water from the bag entering the aquarium. Leave the aquarium light off and do not feed for a day or two.
Remember, like any pet, you should research the needs of the fish you want before taking them home.
What to feed?
Good quality prepared fish foods provide a well balanced diet but fish will relish a variety of foods. Fantail goldfish in particular will benefit from a varied diet. Daphnia, brine shrimp or bloodworm are enjoyed by most fish and can be purchased either live, and Freeze Dried, and also in the form of Tetra Fresh Delica. Frozen foods should be defrosted before being fed.
Take a look at our Live Fish Food section for a selection of different live foods that you can purchase to feed to your fish.
Pellets or flakes?
Eating flakes require the fish to spend a lot of time gulping at the water surface where it could swallow too much air. Pellets are easier for goldfish, for whom swallowing air can contribute to swim bladder problems. Pellets are also easier to administer than flakes and are less likely to cloud the water. Smaller pellets can be purchased for tropical fish and minnows that are more suited to their nutritional requirements.
Take a look in our fish food section for Coldwater Fish, Tropical Fish, and Marine / Specialist Fish Foods for a full range of varied products sure to suit your needs.
Treats?
A big chunk of cucumber, courgette, blanched lettuce leaves and peeled peas are usually well recieved by goldfish and some tropical fish. Leave in the aquarium for 24-48 hours maximum, take out before they go bad. All these foods should be fed in addition to a good quality fish pellet or flake.
How much food?
Fish, especially goldfish, are programmed to gobble up everything they can, far more than they need. Everything a fish eats is excreted into the water so the more the fish eats the higher the risk of pollution becomes. A well fed aquarium is more likely to develop poor water quality, sick fish and algae problems.
Small Goldfish = 2-3 pellets per day
Large Goldfish = 2-4 pellets per day
Small Tropical Fish = 4 micro pellets each per day.
Goldfish and tropical fish have different nutritional requirements, use an appropriate food for each. Any food left in the aquarium after two minutes should be removed.
Fish will keep looking for food even when they don't need it!
Going on holiday?
If you will be away from your fish, it is important that someone checks the air pump is working and that if a fish dies it is removed from the aquarium straight away. A spare air pump should be left with instructions in case the existnig pump fails. Fish are live animals and so should be checked every day, even though they will probably not need feeding unless you are away for more than 10 days.
Holiday blocks of fish food can be used but if uneaten these foods can pollute the water while you are away. A well meaning but inexperienced feeder could do more harm than good by over-feeding fish while you are away. In most cases it is preferable to let the fish go hungry.
If you do get someone to feed your fish, measure out the correct amount of food and ask for this to be fed over the time that you are away. Hide the packet of fish food away.
What should I do if a fish dies?
If a fish dies you should remove it from the aquarium immediately, if left in the aquarium it will badly pollute the water. You should try to establish why the fish died. Make a note of anything that is abnormal. Take a sample of your aquarium water to a good aquatics retailer such as ourselves for testing and advice.
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Please only take the information given in any of our information sheets as general advice. They may not provide an exact answer to your particular problem and are to act as a general guide and 'heads-up'.
We cannot be held responsible for any problems your fish or other pets encounter following the reading of these pages.
If you cannot find the answer to your problem in here, or have further questions regarding this subject, then please don't hesitate to contact us via email (info@aquamania.co.uk) or telephone (01254 665662) and our expert staff will do their best to help you out or point you in the right direction.
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