Choose the aquarium - tank types in comparison

The following pool types are available on the market:

• All-glass fishtank (silicone-glued)
• All glass fishtank with plastic frame
• plexiglass fishtank
• Anodised aluminium frame fishtank
• Iron frame fishtank, plastic insulated
• Chrome-plated iron fishtank
• all-glass fishtank
• Eternit fishtank with windscreen

I recommend an all-glass aquarium (silicone-glued or plastic frame). Here's another comparison of the different pool types:

Select the substrate: Gravel or sand?

As plant lovers, we must, of course, attach special importance to the substrate, as the quality of the plants decides whether they grow or not. Most fish do not place particularly high demands on the bottom gravel. Often it should only be dark and not too sharp-edged. Some species require sand for grounding, in which they search for food and detritus (decayed animal and vegetable substances). After all, it should not contain metal or lime. The lime content in the substrate is easy to determine. Take a small sample and add some "lime remover" (containing hydrochloric acid). If there is foam, there is lime in the substrate. Lime itself is not harmful, but it hardens the water, which most fish don't like and plants can't stand.

How much sand/gravel does my aquarium need?

To determine the desired/correct amount of gravel/sand I recommend a gravel calculator. In general I recommend a layer of 4-6 cm sand/gravel.

Technology and accessories for aquariums

Besides the substrate and the choice of the correct tank type, the choice of the right technology and the right accessories plays an essential role in setting up a new aquarium. The following covers everything from lamps, internal and external filters to heating thermostats.

The choice of aquarium-light: LED, T5 or T8?

Fluorescent lights - T5 and T8: Their luminosity is generally strongly dependent on the reflector. Deal would be a mirrored lightbox or at least one that's white inside. If only a dark light box inside is available, you can easily glue aluminium foil into it. This improves luminous efficacy by up to 50%. The burning time of the fluorescent tube is approx. 12,000 hours. After just one year, however, the luminosity decreases continuously. After one and a half to two years the luminosity is only about 80%. Therefore, the fluorescent tubes should be replaced after two years at the latest. In general, T5 consumes significantly more electricity than T8, but is much cheaper to buy.

LED: The LED continues its triumphant advance in aquaristics. Although the acquisition costs are sometimes six times as high, it also easily burns six times as long. In my subjective opinion, however, it produces a much more beautiful and vivid colour picture and often delights with additional additions such as a day/night change, dimmability or colour change.

Heating thermostat: an overview of the various heating systems

Every living being needs food and warmth. Tropical fish need more warmth than our native ones, because their organism is adapted to the tropical heat conditions. For most of the tropical species there is a central area where everyone feels comfortable. This is at 24-26°C; native fish are best kept at 12-20°C; goldfish at 18-22°C; cold-water fish from mountain streams tolerate lower temperatures of 8-12°C.  Too low temperatures harm the animals more than too high temperatures. However, the latter often impairs the life span, fertility and colourfulness of the ornamental fish. When selecting fish in a community aquarium, the temperature should therefore definitely be taken into account as the interface and a constant temperature should always be guaranteed. Fortunately, there are heating thermostats that make all our lives easier.

• The rod heater: The aquarium heater is also known as a sand-filled glass tube with a heating coil. These rod heaters are available in different wattages of 10-500 watts. The advantage of these heaters is their low price. The disadvantage is the relatively high surface temperatures with a low radiator surface.
• The controller heater: The most commonly used heater is a combined controller with heater in a glass tube. Most devices are to be used "upright". Well-sealed equipment is sold in Europe. In the USA and Japan, for example, devices are also offered that have only one cap with a control device made of hard plastic through which water can quickly penetrate. The heaters are durable and have an almost unlimited service life - but the glass tube must not be knocked against the edge of the pool. A fluctuation range of 1-2°C is not harmful to the inhabitants of the pool.
• Underfloor heating: Laying heating cables in the underfloor is a well-known method in terraristics. Of course, this variant is only recommended for new installations. The bottom heater is attached to the base plate with suction cups. The aquarium gravel is layered directly above it.
• External filter with control heater: Same principle as the control heater, except that it is already integrated in the external filter.

How many watts of heating power does my control heater need? In heated rooms, the output of the heater should be 1/3 - 1/2 watt per litre of pool.

The aquarium filtration: external or internal filters?

Which filter size for my aquarium?
The filter size will primarily have to be adapted to the size of the fishtank, the number of ornamental fish and thus the amount of dirt produced. In general, the bigger the better. However, this is not the case for planted aquariums. These should be filtered rather weakly and for it only very sparingly with fish to be occupied!

The filter performance should be based on the same criteria, but first and foremost on the volume of the tank. A weakly occupied 100 litre aquarium can easily manage with a filter of weaker performance than a 24 gallons tank with a strong population. As a rule of thumb, the filter volume should be as large as possible and the capacity per hour should correspond to about half the tank volume.

Table: Filter capacity for 100 litres aquariums

Filter suggestions:

The first fish and snails - how to acclimatize living beings?

After two to three weeks the first snails can be inserted and after four to five weeks the first fish. Here you can say: the longer you wait, the safer it is for the fish. Useful soil bacteria, which also develop in filter media, need several weeks to be able to degrade nitrogen-containing products that the fish excrete. The plastic bag by bringing the fish home is placed on the water surface for 5 minutes so that the fish get used to the water temperature. Then about half a pint of water from the fishtank is dripped into the bag every 5 minutes. Water is added about 6-8 times, so this process should take about 40 minutes. The new aquarium inhabitants can then be released into the tank water.