The name Siamese Fighting Fish came from when they were first used by gamblers in the
Far East. They would put two males together and watch them fight, often to the death of one, for money. Splendens are one of a few species of male fish that will not tolerate any other males in their vicinity. The origins of their aggression are unknown, but it is believed by some to be a natural territorial behaviour. However, through persistent captive breeding, this aggression has been increased to an un-natural level. 

Siamese Fighting Fish originate from the paddy fields, gullies and streams of South East Asia, and are found mainly in Thailand, Borneo and
South Vietnam. They thrive in stagnant ponds and slow-moving water. Because of their Labyrinth, a special “lung”, they can survive in water with very little oxygen by coming to the surface periodically to breathe. In fact, they have been known to drown if they cannot get to the surface! 

They need warm water, between 75ºF (24ºC) and 84ºF (29°C), but can tolerate a wide range of water hardness (pH), anywhere between 6 and 8. The tank should also have a tight-fitting cover, as Siamese Fighting Fish are excellent jumpers and will often die through jumping out of the water onto the counter. Another reason for the tight lid is to keep the air temperature as close as possible to the water temperature, so that they don’t catch pneumonia by breathing cold air. 

Most people would recommend that these males are solitary fish, kept in tanks on their own, and in most cases, this is wise. They can be kept in communities though, with other fish species, so long as care is taken to ensure that there are no small fry, fin-nippers, similar looking fish such as fancy guppies, other male splendens or very fast fish in the tank with the Siamese Fighting Fish. You can keep them with betta females, as long as there are several females. These fish are slow movers, (except when stalking or mating), and very susceptible to damage not only from other tank mates, but also from sharp objects or corners on ornaments. Similar looking fish, like the fancy guppy could be mistaken as competition and create problems for you too. 

The tank should be well equipped with hiding places, plants, rocks or ornaments, as these fish like to hide and hunt. Live food such as blood worms, cut up earth worms, baby brine shrimp and daphnia are very quickly consumed, and the diet should also include vegetables such as crushed peas, sliced cucumber or aubergine. 

Not all Siamese Fighting Fish are super-aggressive. Much depends on the way they are bred. If they are bred in a community the aggression is much less than if they are bred in separate jars. The aggression factor is further increased if they are not allowed to see any other Siamese Fighting Fish while growing to adult. “Carding”, (placing card between each jar to obscure the view of other fish), is very common amongst breeders of Siamese Fighting Fish for this very purpose, although many breeders will give the excuse that by constantly “flaring” at each other, they get tired. (Flaring is the term used to describe the spreading of gill covers and fins in a display of aggression.) 

Personally I have successfully bred splendens in a community with very little sign of trouble. I consider this to be successful if they can co-exist as a community until 6 months old, when the males are very noticeable. As juveniles, they will flare at each other, but I have not had any fatalities or even serious aggression displayed. Usually one of the males will quickly submit and swim away, doing a headstand to show his submission. Once this happens, the winning male flares and swims away too. At 6 months old, I take the males out and give them their own space, but still allow them to see other Siamese Fighting Fish. 

Females of the species are usually much more placid, and don’t carry nearly as much finnage. They can exist happily in a community indefinitely, either in groups of 6 or more females, or with one male and a group of females. As with all things, there are exceptions to the rule, so this is something that you need to watch for when putting several Siamese Fighting Fish females together. 

Although these are easy fish to breed, it is unwise to do so unless you have the ability to cope with the offspring. Siamese Fighting Fish are “Bubble-nesters”, which means that they build a nest of saliva covered air bubbles on the surface of the water or under a large leaf or similar, and when they mate, the male will catch the eggs from the female and blow them into the nest.  

If you do intend to breed these fish, you need to ensure that you have enough tanks and equipment to cope with both adults and fry. The breeding tank should be no less than 15 gallons and large enough to allow the female to escape from the male. It should be furnished with lots of hiding places, plants large leaves, rocks etc and have either floating plants or a polystyrene cup, cut in half, floating on the water. The temperature needs to be 80ºF (27ºC) and filtering should be by air using a sponge filter. During mating, the filter should be turned off. Almond leaves, extract or Betta Spa will all aid in the mating process. 

Mating is often a very drawn out process, and can take several hours, but is beautiful to watch. The male will build the nest, entice the female under it and then they go into an embrace, the male wrapping himself around the female while she releases some eggs. He fertilises them as she releases and then lets her go while he chases the eggs, collects them up and blows them into the nest. The female will appear stunned for several seconds after each embrace, then once she recovers, goes straight back to the male and the process is repeated until all the eggs are released. This can be up to 400 eggs. 

Once mating has finished, the male will chase the female away from the nesting site and this is a good time to remove her to a recovery tank. The male will attend the nest and subsequent fry for the first 5-7 days, during which time he will not eat. He needs to be removed too after this time, or he may see the fry as food! 

It is most important that the breeding tank has a tight fitting lid at all times while the fry are growing, since they are extremely delicate and will succumb to pneumonia very easily. Most fry are lost during the early stages of development because of this. 

The fry are free-swimming by day 6, and will only be able to eat very small foods, such as fresh baby brine shrimp or infusoria for the first 4 weeks. (You need to setup a hatchery for BBS that can maintain an adequate supply daily.) After this time you can start to introduce finely ground flake food as a supplement to the BBS, and gradually wean them off the brine shrimp by week 10. By now you should be able to tell males from females and need to watch for aggressive males and remove to separate breeding tanks if necessary. It is quite possible that you could have 100 males from a single sporn, so you need to be able to make arrangements for their separation should it be required. 

By week 16, they are normally large enough to sell on to your local store or friends. If you plan to keep them yourself, invest in a lot of tanks now!

The answer to this is complex. Aquariums have become works of art in the last few years, ranging from simple ornament displays to heavily planted and beautiful aquaria. Because of the change in opinions about fish keeping and the desire to explore new avenues of design and appearance, gravel has been replaced by hi-tech substrates in many aquariums. Products like Flourite, which are enhanced with nutrients to sustain plants have become more common, sand has become a very common substrate in aquaria because of the ease with rooting plants, and substrates like marbles and glass beads have become popular because they look nice! 

The improvements in filtration have also helped common aquarium gravel to be pushed out, as the newer filtration systems such as HOB (Hang on Back) and Canister filters don’t need a gravel substrate to help them to work, unlike the UGF (Under Gravel Filter) which for many years was the most common aquarium filter in use. 

So, do we still use gravel in our tanks? Many aquarists do still use gravel for basic tanks or those die-hard’s that still use UGF to maintain their tanks. Others will use aquarium gravel as part of the décor, with a vast range of colours and sizes available to them. People who breed fish will still use gravel to enhance their breeding tanks, where they need specific environments for the task, or if they use UGF to keep the water conditions stable. 

As author of this article, I will openly admit that I use aquarium gravel in all my tanks, so I may be biased; I also use UGF for most of my smaller aquariums as my choice of filtration, mainly because of ease of maintenance as well as cost! However, I am in the minority now, as most have opted to go down the route of external filtration and planted tanks. This is not a problem, its called progress! Saying that though, this is where the gravel issue comes to point. 

Do you need aquarium gravel? No. Many aquariums are very happy without it. Many aquarists prefer to use alternatives to build their tanks around, making aesthetically pleasing aquaria, with everything in balance, lots of plants, more colour and stunning looks! I love to see a well maintained planted tank with lots of luscious green plants and the need to look hard to find the fish! 

So do you want to use aquarium gravel? That is your choice. It depends entirely on what final effect you want to obtain and the type of filtration you choose. Most small aquariums with basic ornaments and a few plastic or silk plants will tend to use gravel as the substrate for several reasons: 

• It’s cheap to buy, costing just a few dollars/pounds for a reasonable sized bag,
• It’s simple to use, needing nothing more than a quick wash to remove the dust.
• Plastic and silk plants bury very easily in the gravel, and most need the weight to hold them in place.
• Ornaments can be placed directly onto the gravel substrate without any problems of stirring up the sediment.
• Maintenance is simple. A gravel vacuum during water changes is the only regular maintenance needed.
• If using UGF, gravel is an essential part of the filter, being home for the nitrifying bacteria.
• If you have a strong current in the tank, caused by the filter outlet, many substrates will lift and become water borne, whereas gravel will stay on the bottom. (I once had almost a whirlpool in a small tank and all the sand I was using as substrate was pulled into the current and very quickly blocked the filter!)

These points aside, the alternatives are also attractive.  

Glass marbles look really stunning in small aquaria and are safe and clean to use. A gravel vacuum works just as well on these to clean the detritus from the bottom and for some fish, these are better for breeding, since eggs can fall out of reach of the parents between the large substrate. 

If you want a planted tank, don’t write off gravel as a substrate. It works very well with most plants, giving them a stable base to root into, and most will thrive with little additional assistance. Liquid fertilizer being the main additive required. Even if you have a UGF, plants root very well in gravel in most situations. Yes, many use other substrates, but they pay for the privilege, as most other substrates cost substantially more than common aquarium gravel. 

Sand is now replacing gravel in many tanks. This is an ideal medium for many plants and fish, and so long as you don’t have anything to disturb the bottom too much, it gives a very pleasing result. However, it is much harder to keep clean, as traditional methods don’t work, but if you are careful with feeding etc, it works well. 

If you have a large aquarium, you could consider having more than one substrate. It is not unusual for large aquariums to have a changing theme running along the length, ie, heavily planted at one end running to rocky open-water the other. Here you can test your skill and try different substrates to give the different effects. 

Whatever you choose to use for substrate, plan carefully before you start, as mistakes are not always easy to rectify. As for me, I still prefer the regular, common, plain aquarium gravel in all but large tanks, but that’s just my opinion!

This guide is aimed at setting up a medium or large aquarium and the considerations that need to be addressed. It aims to help the inexperienced or beginner at fish-keeping, but will also contain valuable information for the more experienced. 

So, with the huge range available, which one should I choose? 

This is a question that can lead to big mistakes and huge costs if you get it wrong! Firstly, what do you want in the way of an aquarium? Things to consider are: 

• how much you can afford to spend,
• The space available,
• The type of fish you want to keep,
• The eventual size of those fish,
• Whether the aquarium will be on it’s own stand or on that favourite unit in the corner,
• Availability of power outlets,
• The type of floor,
• How much time you can devote to the hobby.

Let’s look at the reasons for the above questions: 

How much you can afford to spend:  

The number one question in any project. What is the most that you can comfortably set aside for this project? Don’t forget that in pricing up a fish tank, you need to allow for filters, lighting, décor, substrate, plants, air pumps and lots of other little things called fish, that all add up to the eventual cost. If you spend too much on the initial purchase of the fish tank, you might find it sitting in the corner of your room, empty or partially set up, waiting for more money to be spent! 

The space available:  

There is no point in buying a large, fancy fish tank if you haven’t got the room for it! The same works in reverse. A small fish tank will look silly in a large space! You need to plan carefully and buy the largest tank that you can afford for the space available. When I say “afford”, don’t forget to take into consideration the additional equipment that you will need to buy as well! 

The type of fish you want to keep:  

Here again, there is a vast choice of fresh-water or marine fish available. Consider the combinations that you can have in your fish tank, research the fish and check their behaviour profile to make sure that you don’t buy aggressive fish to mix with placid ones. 

The eventual size of those fish:  

A rule that many aquarists use for stocking levels in aquariums is 1” of fish per gallon of water. This refers to the adult size of the fish, not the size when you buy them! It is incredibly easy to overstock your fish tank when you start, because it looks so empty with just a few small fish in there. But 6 months down the road, when those little fish have grown to adult size you start losing them because the tank isn’t big enough! 

Whether the aquarium will be on its own stand or on that favourite unit in the corner:

This is where you can save money if you need to, with care. A free-standing aquarium with its own cabinet looks very nice, is self-contained, with room under the tank for filters and accessories, usually has its own lighting already built in and sometimes comes with all the necessary equipment to get it running. That sounds very attractive, but it’s supposed to. It’s also very expensive! You get what you pay for in this life and very little comes cheap! If money is a governing factor, and it usually is, then you need to weigh up the cost of this type of unit carefully. 

You may be better off to look down the DIY road, if you are inclined to carpentry, as the cost is much less and the effect can be as good as you make it. There’s also the satisfaction factor in DIY, as there is no better feeling than to stand back and admire your own creation! 

If you are looking to use existing furniture to support the fish tank, then you need to look at how strong the furniture is and whether it will need additional support. A fish tank full of water is heavy. The basic calculation is one litre of water to one kilo in weight. Most household furniture is not designed to withstand this type of use, so take a look at the unit you intend to use and examine the construction. If it is made of compressed board or chipboard, the chances are it will fail under the weight of the tank. Many pieces of modern furniture are constructed for looks, not strength, and to add additional support under the top may not be aesthetically pleasing, may de-value the unit and ultimately spoil it completely. This may well change your plans for that unit!  

Availability of power outlets:

Setting up a fish tank requires certain electrical outlets to be available. Although the tank doesn’t demand a lot of power, you don’t want to be tripping over the wires where you are running an extension lead across the doorway! So the positioning of the aquarium needs to be with consideration to the available outlets for the power supply. The outlet should ideally be beside or in close proximity to, not behind the tank. Electricity and water do not mix well! You will also need several outlets for the various pieces of equipment involved. You will have lighting and filter as a basic minimum, air pump, UVC and other equipment as options. 

The type of floor:

Do you live in a house with wooden floors? If you do, be advised that weight distribution is very important! If the fish tank is upstairs, then it’s even more important! You need to make sure that the weight is spread across the support joists, not running along them. This may mean that you have to change your plans to put the tank on another wall. 

How much time you can devote to the hobby:

Keeping fish can be very time-consuming! Most aquarists will confirm that they spend a lot more time looking after their fish than they expected to. So you need to set aside time to look after this fish tank once it’s been set up. It’s not just a matter of feeding the fish every so often and sitting back! The tank needs regular cleaning, water changes and the filter will need to be cleaned every so often too. You will have to check the water quality periodically and take measures according to the results. You will need to check that the fish are healthy and have medications to hand in the event of disease or illness affecting them. If you keep real plants, they need to be tended once in a while, and pruned, trimmed, dead leaves and stems removed…… How much time does it need? 

That covers the first stage of buying your fish tank. Now, the answers you come up with to the above questions will have given you an insight into what you are about to embark on. 

The next thing that you should do, is to read all you can about how to set up and maintain a fish tank, what type of filter/s to use, the type of substrate, plants and so on to go in there. I would never consider buying a fish tank without all the guideline costs worked out, at least! 

Here is some further reading that should be done, so that you have a good idea of what’s involved: 

The Essential Nitrogen CycleWater ChemistryThe Purpose of an Aquarium FilterWhy have a Planted Tank? 

Still want to buy that aquarium? At least you aren’t going in blind now! This guide should have high-lighted the important things that should be considered before you buy your fish tank. It is not designed to detract you from the idea, more to help you make an informed decision and hopefully save you making expensive mistakes.

We have overcome the water problem quite simply. A hose pipe will run from the main building to a tap on the garage when it’s needed. The water will then be filtered and fed into three 20 gallon containers mounted just below the ceiling inside the garage. There are two reasons for this:

Firstly, the water will be cold when it comes in, being fed directly from the municipal mains supply. If we add this to the tanks straight away, the temperature will drop dramatically throughout the whole system, so by storing it in the heated room, it has time to warm up before it’s used.

Secondly, our water system, like most others, has chlorine added for public health reasons. This is not helpful to the fish though, and allowing the water to stand for a day or two will allow this chlorine to vent off. The filter that the water will be passed through will be a 0.06 micron filter, which should remove most of the chloramines, trace metals and other debris, as well as most of the chlorine, but it won’t do any harm to give it some extra time to disperse the remainder.

The mains power was not as easy to solve. The area surrounding the garage is concrete, which made it impossible to run an underground supply in without digging the concrete up, so we had to go overhead. this meant suspending a cable from the apex of the garage roof to a pole mounted on the roof of the flat opposite, high enough to allow vehicles to drive underneath. that was no mean feat, since the cable is very heavy, being able to carry 40 amps at 240 volts!

Having installed the power, we can now start to insulate the walls and ceiling of the garage.

Whatever you use in your tank, it is best to have some sort of filtration, purely to help reduce stress on the fish and yourself! Let’s look at the most common method of controlling waste, in the form of a filter.

There are several categories of filters available, depending on the size of the tank and the types of fish you keep. But they all have one thing in common:

Removal of ammonia and nitrites which can kill your fish. 

The way this is done is by supporting a bacteria culture in the filter media and pulling water through it. This media can be many different materials, from simple floss to ceramic rings, or even standard aquarium gravel! The material isn’t important, so long as it is there and works!

That’s a very basic outline of how a filter works, but this isn’t to discuss the details of filters, but to help you to start and maintain a healthy tank.

The Nitrogen Cycle: What is it? 

Simply, it’s a way of starting a fish tank. Your fish produce waste in the form of ammonia. This is very toxic to them and will kill them very quickly if allowed to build up.

The way the cycle works, is to convert ammonia into less toxic nitrites and then into even less harmful nitrates using two different types of bacteria held in the filtration system. Because this is a natural process, you can’t hurry it, and it will take a while for the culture to grow large enough to do any good. Once again, there are choices as to how to start this cycle off:

Fishless cycle:

A very good method to start your tank. This method involves no potential risk to fish, since they are not used. The way this works is to “feed” the tank with either pure ammonia or small amounts of fish food every day. Using test kits, readily available from LFS’s you will be able to track the progress of the cycle and determine when the tank is safe. The time it takes is dependant on the size of the tank, the type of filter and the amount of pollutants in the water. Don’t be tempted to put more in to speed up the cycle, it doesn’t work. It just wastes more of the ingredients you use. You will need to test the tank on day 4, then at least twice a week after that.

A 10G tank will normally take 2-3 weeks to cycle, a 55G tank anything from 5-8 weeks. You will know when the cycle has completed by reading the levels of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate in the water. When the first 2 readings hit 0 and the nitrate reading levels at around 10, your tank is ready for fish. Be careful though, to only add a couple at a time, otherwise the readings will start climbing again.

Cycling your tank using fish: 

This is another way to cycle your tank, but you need to be careful which fish you use, and their size matters too. The best fish for this job in my experience is goldfish or danios. You can get these cheaply from your LFS and some stores keep fish specially for the purpose on a loan and return basis.

You only need a couple of small fish for this. Any more and you’ll lose some during the cycle because the ammonia levels will build too quickly. Remember, any level of ammonia above 0.1PPM is lethal. You will need to keep an eye on the fish during the cycle, especially the first week, to make sure that the levels don’t get too high for them. If they do, then a 50% water change is the only safe way to reduce the levels quickly, which also prolongs the end of the cycle. Testing the levels every day can get expensive too, as test kits are not cheap! (Fishless cycling makes sense now, doesn’t it?)

Using an existing Filter: 

My preferred method. If you already have a cycled tank, then adding another filter and overfeeding the fish for a week or so will allow the filter to colonize with the bacteria needed. Then you just set up your new tank, add the pre-loaded filter and a couple of fish. The tank will then perform a mini-cycle, which lasts from a couple of days to a couple of weeks, depending on tank size and the amount of bacteria that is in the filter, but at no time should the levels of toxins ever threaten your fish. Regular water changes will help the tank to stabilize before you add more fish.

Whichever method you use, it is in your best interests to do this right. It will save you losing precious, valuable, beautiful fish!

I have found a solution to this chore that is simple, easy, quick and completely safe and stress less for the fish and the human. It does not involve pulling the tank apart, unsettling plants or even removing the fish! (You might want to take out small ones though, just to be sure).

What you need:

A wet/dry vacuum, preferably the bottle type with adjustable power;

A hose adaptor to fit onto the UGF riser pipe and the cleaner hose; (You may have to make this beforehand);

About five minutes of your time!

What you do:

Remove the cap and air stone or power-head from the UGF riser tube. (If you have more than one riser, plug the other one(s) up, so that water or air can’t get in)

Connect the adaptor to the riser.

Connect the other end to the wet/dry vacuum suction hose.

If you can adjust the power, turn it down as low as possible. (If you can’t adjust the power, just drill a hole in the adaptor that you can put your finger over should you need to. This will effectively reduce the power of the vacuum by drawing air through the hole. You can adjust the strength of the suction by moving your finger over the hole changing the amount of air it can draw.)

Switch the vacuum on for as long as it needs to reduce the water in the tank by 20%. (You need to vary the time according to the size of the tank, size of the riser tube, the adaptor and the power of the vacuum.)

Top up the tank to normal level with clean treated water.

Switch the vacuum on again as above, and stir the gravel while it’s running.

Disconnect the adaptor from the riser pipe.

Put the air stone and cap back into the riser(s). (You may want to change the air stone, depending on its condition. Sorry, this will cost you a few pennies if you do!)

Top up the tank to normal level again.

Rinse out the vacuum, holding your nose while you empty it!

You’re all done! The gravel, UGF and water are now clean and clear.

Repeat the procedure every 6 months to ensure the efficiency of the UGF. (Now who says that UGF’s are difficult to clean?)

Not all aquarists use them though. It is possible to have an aquarium without one, but it poses challenges sooner or later.

What do they do?

An air pump can be used for filtration using foam, box or under-gravel filters, airation of the water by bubblestones, wands, or bubble tubes, and they can also power ornaments and create movement in the aquarium.

Filtration:

This is very often the first use of air pumps. Most aquarists buy air pumps for this reason initially. Filtration is an essential part of any aquarium and not all can be filtered by other methods. The principle advantage of air filtration is that it is gentle and safe for delicate and small fish. Many electrically powered filters are too powerful for small fish and fry to cope with, creating strong currents in the tank and tiring them out. They also create strong intake currents and can pull small fish into the intakes.

Air filtration is much less dangerous for these fish. Because it uses air to move the water, the current is much less, there are no moving parts to hurt fish and the fittings are interchangeable and cheap. By using air filtration you don’t need to add any other form of airation to your aquarium, as the air bubbles rising from the stone will increase the surface area of the water and naturally airate. They also help to extract the other contaminants that are suspended in the water such as CO2, chlorine and nitrogen that is absorbed in the water.

Airation:

This is very important for some fish since as the water is warm is is less able to hold oxygen. Loaches in particular require well airated water to survive, since they come from streams where the water is very well oxygenated.

Ornamentals:

It’s always a conversation piece when youhave a waterwheel turning or a diver rising and falling in the aquarium. These can only be operated by air! A bubble curtain is fun for the fish and pleasing to the eye.

You cannot have too much oxygenation in a fish tank, so there is no concerns about havinbg too much, unlike power filters where the currents they create can be problematic.

Types of pump:

There are several different types of air pump, depending on the depth of water, the amount of attachments, and so on. Air pumps are not expensive and readily available at many outlets. They range from a small single outlet pump which is just enough for one ornament in a small tank, or a small sponge filter in your betta bowl, to large and powerful multi-outlet pumps capable of maintaining several tanks at once with air curtains, UGF’s and ornaments. The size of the pump you need depends on the use you intend it for. As a guide, you will need a twin outlet pump to run the filtration and esthethics in a 15 Gallon tank. These pumps cost from £10 - £15 each.

There are several makes available, some run quieter than others, so you may need to research as to the right one for you. Air pumps can be quite noisy and as they run 24 hours a day, it is important to find a quiet one if you are planning to have the pump near the tank. You can install them in cupboards, drawers, or even other rooms, so the larger ones are not always the wrong choice, even if they do tend to make a noise.

I have 4 large pumps running 18 tanks in my living room, but the pumps are installed outside in a little cupboard and the pipes are run into the room from there. I have linked all the outlets together to form one large airline using 8mm air pipe, and each tank is Tee’d off from there. The 4 pumps I have supply ample air to run all my filtration, bubble curtains, ornaments and more without any problems. If I add a new tank, I just add another Tee to the 8mm piping!

It is designed with simplicity in mind and easy enough for almost anyone with basic DIY skills to make. 

Tools:

• Hand Saw
• Hammer
• Screwdriver
• Tape Measure
• Pencil
• Set Square
• Electric drill
• Selection of drill bits
• Fine sanding sheets.

Materials:

• 9mm Plywood
• 25mm x 25mm soft wood batten
• Piano Hinge
• Wood Glue
• 25mm countersunk self-tapping screws
• 15mm Panel Pins
• White Undercoat
• White Gloss paint
• Varnish
• 10mm wooden edging trim (If you want to trim the edges!)
• Lighting unit(s)

Size: 

For this How-To, I am going to detail a canopy to fit a standard 36” (900mm) tank. You can work out the sizes to fit the tank you need from the guide sizes here. The light unit will be 200mm in overall height and square in shape.  

Measure the length of the tank and add 24mm to get the length of the front and back panels. For this build it came to 924mm. 

Measure the front to back length and add 6mm to get the size of the side panels. For this build it came to 306mm. 

You now know the size of the four upright panels to make the box. They are: 

2 x 924mm x 191mm2 x 306mm x 191mm 

Why 191mm when the overall height is going to be 200mm? It has to have a lid! 

That’s the next size to work out. The lid can overhang the sides and front by 6mm if you wish, or be flush, the choice is yours. I prefer the overhang personally, but it may not suit your setup. Let’s work on my preference for now. 

The overall dimension of the light box is 924mm x 324mm, so the lid needs to be cut at 936mm x 330mm and cut in two pieces to allow for access. So the cutting list should be: 

1 x 936 x 1251 x 936 x 202 

That doesn’t add up to 330mm! Why? You need to leave a little clearance for the hinge to work. I have allowed 3mm for this purpose. 

Corner Blocks:These serve two purposes. Firstly, they help to make the corners stronger and square, and secondly, they sit on top of the tank and stop the cover sliding down! 

The length of these for this build is 166mm, which allows the canopy to sit 25mm over the top of the tank. You need four blocks at this length. Be sure that you cut the ends nice and square! 

Hinge supports:You also need a batten to strengthen and keep the lid straight over the length, and take the screws you will use to fit the hinge, since these will come through the plywood and be dangerous. These timbers (2) will be 903mm each. 

Here is a drawing of all the different components that need to be cut, with dimensions: 

That wasn’t so difficult, was it? I’m assuming you went ahead and cut the pieces out, of course! Once they are all cut, clean all the raw edges with sanding paper, so that they are all nice and smooth. 

Assembly:You have all the components now, so let’s start putting them together. 

Take the back panel and draw a line 9mm in from each end, top to bottom. This is a guide to fit the corner blocks in place. Using the drill, drill two 5mm holes each end, 25mm from the end and 25mm and 135mm from the top of the panel. Take the first corner block, apply a bead of wood glue to one face and position flush with the top of the panel, inside the line you drew, as below: 

Carefully lift the panel up so that you can screw the blocks in place, taking care that the blocks don’t move off the line. Repeat on the front panel. 

Now take the side panels, drill two 5mm holes 12mm from each end, 20mm and 130mm from the top edge. Take the back panel, stand it up with the top downwards, so the blocks and the top of the panel sit on the worktop. Apply a bead of glue to the side face of the corner block, position the side panel tight into the corner and screw it in place. Repeat with the other end, giving you three sides of the box. Fit the front panel in the same way, slotting it in between the two sides and screwing in place. Make sure that you have it the right way up, so all the corner blocks are flush at the top! (Might sound stupid, but I have got it wrong!) Here’s what it should look like: 

We now have a four-sided box without a lid. Take the back part of the lid, apply some glue to the top of the box back and a little on the sides and position the lid section flush with the back and overhanging equally both sides. Use panel pins to secure this in place. You might want to drill and screw the corners as well, if you are not going to give the glue time to dry before going on! 

Fit the hinge support next. This should be flush with the front edge of the rear lid section and centrally spaced from each side panel. Drill 4 5mm holes, equally spaced along the length, 12mm in from the front edge of the panel, run glue along the face of the batten, position and screw it in place.You can now fit the piano hinge. A tip with this is to open the hinge right up, so that the other side of the hinge folds right down over the edge of the timber, giving you a nicely positioned hinge, which is straight along the edge. Screw this in place all the way along the lid, making sure that it’s centrally positioned from both ends. 

Nearly there, at least on the assembly of the box. The flap part of the lid is next. Fit the support batten to the back of the lid section, flush with the edge as before. Lay it on the box, and line up with the other section and the hinge, leaving a small gap where the hinge is, so that if the wood swells with moisture, the lid won’t be too tight to work properly. Screw the hinge onto the flap and you’re almost there. Fit it over the tank, to make sure it’s all correct. It should fit nice and snug and sit down about 25mm over the top lip.  

What about the air pipes and wires? They’re all being pinched! And my HOB filter pipes won’t let the box fit either! Yes, we need to cut slots in the back panel to allow for these, and exactly where you cut the slots depends on where the wires and pipes are entering the tank. They are normally in one or both corners but mark the positions on the back panel and cut out slots for the respective pipes and wires.  

If you want to trim the edges of the lid, use the trim and glue and pin in place, just to tidy the job up. You can also trim the bottom edge using the same method to really give a professional finish. 

That’s the assembly of the light box finished. Now it has to be waterproofed to stop the condensation getting into the timber. The easiest way to do this is with ordinary gloss paint. Turn the box over and paint the inside, paying special attention to the corners and the corner blocks. Don’t be sparing with this, it will make the difference between a permanent job, or a “do-it-all-again-in-12-months-time” job!  

I varnish the outside, because it’s my personal preference, but it’s up to you and depends on the finish you want. 

Once the paint and varnish is dry, you can fit the lighting to the rear panel or the back section of the lid, depending on the type of lighting you use. Run the wires through the slots you’ve cut in the back panel and you’re done! 

Variations of this design: 

You might prefer a sloping lid, rather than a square box, in which case you need to modify the cutting slightly for this. On the side panels, you need to cut an angle from where the lid back section ends to the front, and adjust the height of the front panel to suit. As a guide, I would mark an angle from 125mm from the back of the side panel to the front, leaving at least 100mm height at the front. Don’t forget that the corner blocks will also have to be trimmed down to suit. Here is a drawing showing the differences: 

Other than the cutting of the timber, the assembly is the same. 

Enjoy!

Imagine you are sealed into a room with no toilet, no windows and fed only when the keeper saw fit. What would the air be like in a week? This is essentially what happens in a fish tank. The fish are trapped in an environment that you control. They get fed when you give them food, the water gets changed when you remember to do it. Filters help a lot, by controlling the levels of toxins, removing large bits of debris and un-eaten food and aerating the water, either by disturbing the surface or by adding air internally in the filter. You can add air stones, plants and ornaments, but the fish are still trapped. The décor makes it a little more comfortable for the fish, but they are still trapped. 

So, where does the water chemistry come into the frame? Without knowing what the conditions are inside the tank, you cannot tell whether the fish are comfortable or not. If you just wait till something happens, it’s usually too late, and you lose the fish. Testing the water is essential for healthy fish. Knowing what to look for is also essential, but this is something that you learn as time goes by. 

Also, some fish can only tolerate certain conditions. If you don’t know what your water chemistry is, how do you know if they are going to survive? 

What do we test for? 

Ammonia: The levels of ammonia in the tank are critical. As little as 1PPM will kill.Nitrite: Although not as toxic as ammonia, it is still lethal in sufficient quantities.Nitrate: This is not nearly as dangerous to the fish and is tested to find out just how effective the filtration is and when we need to make water changes. Nitrates are normally present in a cycled tank, and should be kept at around 10PPM. This level is perfectly harmless. If the level rises to 50PPM you may start to see signs of distress and the fish’s immune system is weakened, leaving them more susceptible to disease. When it gets as high as 100PPM, the fish will be severely stressed and will start to show signs of infections and other problems. 

Ph: This is a term used for acidity of alkalinity of water. Most fish can survive in a wide range of Ph, but some, especially African Cichlids need a much more specific Ph. 

GH: Is the general hardness of the water in your domestic supply and the tank. It refers mainly to the amount of calcium and magnesium in the water. 

KH: This is the term used for carbonates and bi-carbonates, and this refers to the “Buffering Ability” of the water, as in how easy or difficult it is to change the Ph value of the water.  

How do I test the water? 

Test kits come in various forms, each type covers different aspects and the accuracy of the kit depends very much on the cost. Below are descriptions of two of the most popular. 

Test Strips: Simple and effective, but by no means accurate. These can be used to test the Ph, Gh, Kh, Nitrites and Nitrates in the water. They are only good as a guide, not being accurate enough to identify problems, but good enough to suggest that there may be something going wrong. I use them a lot on my tanks, simply because they are relatively cheap and as all my tanks are stable, it’s just a way of being sure. 

Liquid test kits: Much more accurate, but more difficult to use. These will give much more precise readings on individual toxins, such as ammonia and nitrites. These should be used whenever you suspect that you have a problem, or when starting a tank, during the nitrogen cycle. They are more expensive, so one tends to be careful with the use of them. 

 Do I need to change any of these? 

Any signs of ammonia is dangerous and should be addressed immediately by water changes and reducing the load on the water, by removing fish etc., find the cause of the increase. This could be due to adding new fish, blocked filter, overstocking etc. Mostly the cause is the filter, so checking your filter and cleaning it if necessary in old tank water may well rectify the problem. 

Nitrites are similar, and should be addressed in the same manner as above. 

Nitrates need to be held below 20 to be sure that your fish are healthy. This is done by regular water changes according to the readings. If your tank is overstocked, then more water changes will be necessary, if you have plants in the tank, this might reduce the need for changes a little, but they will still need to be done. 

Ph is something that we are pretty well stuck with, but it helps to know just what Ph your water system has. It can be altered, but is very difficult to do, and has to be continually checked and re-adjusted during water changes. If possible, it’s best left alone. 

GH and KH can be altered relatively easily by proprietary products, distilled water, rain water and the like. Personally, I have not found a need for this yet!

To make a hatchery this way is very easy. All you need is an empty 2 litre cola bottle, a polystyrene tile, a piece of air piping that you can connect to a pump via a control valve and a sharp knife. (You might need a vacuum to clean up the polystyrene afterwards, but that’s DIY!)

Cut the bottle just above the label, so that the bell and screw cap are left.

Take the polystyrene tile and cut a square just a little bigger than the bottle diameter.
place the cut neck of the bottle onto the center of the square and press down so that it leaves an indentation in the tile. Using the knife, cut out the round shape, leaving you something like this:

Float the tile in your tank fill the bottle with water from the tank to half an inch from the top
drop it into the center hole in the tile add the air pipe making sure that it goes right to the bottom of the cone and connect to the pump, adjusting so that you get a gentle bubble in the bottle add the salt to the water, roughly a heaped tablespoon is right.
Add 1/4 of a teaspoon of BBS eggs and leave for 18 - 24 hours. You now have freshly hatched BBS to feed to your fish!

A useful hint: Use a syringe to take the BBS out of the cone, it saves a lot of bother! take the airline out and leave to settle for about five minutes, then I use one full syringe per feed for about 50 fry. This saves the need for a fine mesh net etc and the rest continue to survive in the cone until needed again. The amount of salt you are adding to the fry tank is so small that it will not do any harm.

The advantages with this is that you don’t need a heater or a light, as both are already fitted. The water temperature of your tank should be enough to maintain the BBS hatchery with a maximum of 24 hours turnaround.The disadvantage is that you have a bottle floating in the top of your tank, which you may not like, but if you have fry, they have to be fed!

P.S. If you need more than one hatchery, just cut the tile large enough to take two or four cutouts and put more bottles in with extra airlines!
have fun!