Beginning amateur aquarists often hesitate to immediately buy a large aquarium, but want to try their hand at breeding fish and other representatives of the underwater kingdom. A good way out in this case are compact versions of such tanks. But even a mini-aquarium requires care and creating a comfortable environment for pets. It is necessary to study all the features of its service in advance, to purchase the necessary equipment.
What kind of fish to get in a tiny aquarium? Are snails or other inhabitants of the underwater world needed? Which lights are suitable for a small aquarium, and which are not? Answers to these questions will help you prepare for the exciting new role of the owner of a full, albeit small underwater world.
Advantages and disadvantages
The decision to start a mini aquarium at home has its own advantages and disadvantages. A tiny tank will not allow you to get a lot of fish, in addition, to monitor and care for the created biological system will be more difficult than in the case of a large tank. It will require much more frequent water changes, it will be necessary to carefully monitor its parameters. But otherwise, such an acquisition has more advantages than disadvantages.
Among the advantages that a mini-aquarium has, one can note:
- simplicity and ease of placement;
- minimum expenses for arrangement;
- light weight - it can be transported and serviced without assistance;
- the possibility of acquiring small fish that are invisible in a large tank;
- simplification of control over the condition of the inhabitants;
- unlimited opportunities for decoration and arrangement.
Equipment selection
When creating an environment for keeping future pets, it is worth making sure that the fish are comfortable. It is worth considering that any square or rectangular tank suits the inhabitants of the underwater world much more than a can or a rounded container that distorts the vision of the world. A miniature aquarium needs to be equipped with a protective glass, installed away from drafts, and contact with direct sunlight.
It is important to consider that a small tank will require more frequent cleaning, it is more difficult to maintain optimal water parameters in it.
It will be impossible to do without additional life support systems. The higher the population density of the aquarium, the more intensively it will be necessary to monitor the purity and quality of the water.
From the equipment you will have to purchase the same kit, which is necessary for the full-sized version. Among the necessary components:
- filter or pump with aerator;
- heater, it is better to immediately choose automatic, with a thermostat;
- carbon dioxide supply system;
- Lightning equipment.
If there is absolutely no experience and special knowledge, you can purchase a nano-aquarium with a completely ready-made set of equipment. But it will be much more useful to independently gain experience in choosing the right components. Pumps with or without a small sponge are not suitable for use in a tank containing fish. In this case, a much more productive technique with a throughput of 8-15 standard aquarium volumes per hour is required. It is important that the filter does not generate a strong current of water.
An important requirement is the availability of protection against the ingress of small inhabitants of the aquatic environment into the filtration system. The optimal model is compact, collapsible, with a convenient flushing system, in harmony with the landscape. This category includes internal filters with open sponges or external mounted waterfall systems. A canister model is also suitable, but you will have to supplement the intake pipe here with a mesh or sponge. An interesting solution may be a phytofilter, in which living plants that absorb harmful substances are added to the waterfall.
For a small aquarium, additional components may be required to make life easier for the fish breeder. So, it is worth taking care of buying a special thermometer mounted on the wall of the tank for measuring water temperature. Another useful device is a siphon for soil, which allows you to completely remove dirt from the aquarium. To clean the walls of the tank, you will need a scraper, and for replanting your pets, you need a scraper.
Lighting Features
Usually mini-aquariums up to 40 liters in volume are sold with an already installed backlight. But if you equip the tank yourself, you will have to spend time on the selection and installation of the lamp of the desired type. Among the features of nano-aquariums, the backlight can be installed not on the lid of the tank, but above it at a certain distance. Luminescent lamps with a power rating of 0.5 W per liter for unpretentious plants and 1 W for ground cover and some other types of flora are used as a light source. For LED backlighting, this indicator is measured in lumens - from 25 to 50 lm per liter.
You can’t do without artificial lighting - Most fish require a much longer daylight hours than there are in Russian latitudes. In addition, even plants need extra lighting.
When choosing equipment, it is very important not to exceed the recommended light intensity. Otherwise, there will be a great risk that the water will turn into a favorable nutrient medium for the active propagation of algae.
Selection of fish and plants
The first thing that starts with the arrangement and settlement of a mini-aquarium is the selection and planting of plants. To create the best conditions inside the tank, you must take care of the supply of CO2, sufficient brightness of lighting, high-quality soil with an organic component.In this case, for planting, you can choose any dwarf and just low plants. If the aquarium is equipped with less suitable living conditions, it is better to get along with unpretentious, slowly growing representatives of the kingdom of flora.
The presence of living plants is very desirable for a small aquarium. They provide the conditions for maintaining biological equilibrium in the confined space of the tank. In a mini-aquarium, plants remove excess carbon dioxide from the water, released nitrates, provide oxygen, and act as an additional source of nutrition for fish.
Among the ground cover plants, Marsilia, Brazilian lileopsis, and hemianthus cube are considered suitable for miniature reservoirs. Not suitable for landing Blix Japanese. Despite its status as a groundcover, in a small capacity it looks like a large bush, takes up too much space.
Among other plants for a mini-aquarium, you can use ferns, anubias, cryptocorynes, rotals, pogostemons. For planting on the surfaces of stones and driftwood, mosses are used. If the area allows, you can make cladophores. With enough imagination, you can create an unusual and very beautiful composition in the aquarium. The decoration of miniature tanks is often compared to the art of bonsai - the underwater compositions created can be so spectacular.
The smallest fish can be populated into a mini-aquarium - no more than 3-4 cm in length, and if the capacity is up to 15 l, then even up to 2-3 cm. Predators are excluded, all pets should be peaceful, without a pronounced territorial affection. According to the degree of gluttony, you also need to select pets with approximately equal, moderate appetites. Bright color and a high level of physical activity will also be a great advantage.
A fairly large number of fish meets these requirements. The most unpretentious, and at the same time interesting for beginner aquarists are representatives of the carp family. Among the recommended fish, the microparsing galaxy with an incredible body color is especially notable. Interesting and unpretentious in the content of zebrafish, boraras.
Characin fish are also convenient pets. Among the spawning subspecies, the tetra of amanda and neon can be distinguished. Viviparous fish can be represented by pecillia and guppies. To maintain cleanliness in the aquarium, it is worth making catfish of otocinclus or pygmy corridors. Suitable for settling in a miniature capacity of the cockerel, but it is not recommended to keep them in flocks due to pugnacious behavior.
The standard planting density is not more than 1 individual per 2 liters of water. It will be enough for 3-4 individuals of each species.
In addition, among the inhabitants of the nano-aquarium you can add small shrimp or dwarf species of crayfish, frogs hymenochiruses. But you should not exceed the landing density too much, otherwise the state of the environment in the tank will be unsuitable for keeping fish.
About how many fish you can run in an aquarium from 5 to 40 liters, see the next video.
