Zakładanie akwarium
Setting up your aquarium is this easy!
You can decorate and furnish your home to your taste with table, chairs, carpets and cupboards without needing to hire an interior designer or to purchase expensive art. The same applies to your aquarium!
The equipment in your aquarium is dependent on two factors: What demands will your fish have and what suits your personal taste? Let’s start with the second factor. What fish species would you like to keep? Cichlids from Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi? Then you need a rocky reef aquarium. Goldlfish? Then hardy plants are the only option. Or a jungle aquarium with a shoal of tetras, catfish and a pair of dwarf cichlids? Then you need wood and a lot of plants
What aquarium type suits you?
In “Essentials” you will find 4 themed aquariums with all the information you need, including a film, a setup guide, a shopping list and the electricity consumption.
General tips
And if you can’t find what you need with our theme aquariums, here some general tips to set up an aquarium:
Obsada ryb
First select fish stock with species which are compatible and that you like. Keep in mind their suitability for your aquarium size.
Which fish are suitable for my aquarium?
Fish communities in the aquarium: Which aquarium fish are NOT mutually compatible and why not? Which criteria should you follow when selecting fish? What demands do aquarium fish make on your aquarium and on you? Using examples we explain which fish fit together and why certain fish species should not be kept together.
Podłoże
Your selection of fish now determines your choice of substrate: Podłoże how fine the substrate needs to be and whether it can be sharp-edged or not when choosing bottom dwelling fish. You are totally free in your choice of colours since fish really don’t mind either way. If you want to insert a lot of plants we recommend you add in a long-term substrate fertiliser ( JBL PROFLORA AquaBasis plus ). Put a layerof the substrate of your choice over the substrate fertiliser. The ground may be flatter at the front than in the background area of the aquarium. With the help of a dedicated spatula ( JBL PROSCAPE TOOLS SP STRAIGHT ) you can perfectly and simply design or smoothen the ground to the desired look.
You will find a selection of substrates here: Podłoże
The aquarium substrate: gravel, sand or nutrient substrate?
We show you all types of aquarium substrate from sand to coarse gravel with all their advantages and disadvantages. Why are some substrates unsuitable for undergravel heaters or for burrowing fish? What are nutrient substrates and soil?
Stones and roots
Now you can put in stones and/or roots. You are free to choose the layout. Remember to create a few hiding places for your future aquarium dwellers where they can withdraw. Please add larger stones BEFORE you pour in the substrate so that they can’t slip later. Please glue together higher stone constructions with JBL PROHARU UNIVERSAL or JBL AquaSil przezroczysty to prevent them from falling apart. Please take also into account that you can hide technical equipment with stones and wood (filter inlet, heater, CO2 diffuser, surface skimmer) inside the aquarium. A lot of roots are buoyant. You can test this using a big bucket. If your root is floating you can tether it to a stone with a nylon thread. After about 4 weeks you can carefully remove the thread.
Wood and stones for the aquarium. Things to bear in mind.
Can you put in stones and wood you have collected? What types of stones are there and which are suitable for your aquarium? How can you check stones to see if they contain lime?
Installing technical items
Now install the technical items. Attach the suction pipe of the filter (for external filters) or the complete filter (for internal filters) to the aquarium. Then, please attach the water-return pipe (filter outlet) to the same side of the tank in order to optimize water circulation in the aquarium.
Installing aquarium technology, where do the heater and filter go?
What goes first: the technology or the setup? We show you the first steps in setting up your aquarium. How do you position the filter suction and return pipe to create the correct flow in the aquarium? Where does the heater go?
Pouring the water in
The basic framework has now been set up. You can now either pour in the water or insert the plants, before filling with water. This is a matter of opinion. We find it more practical to add the plants first because you can see at once how the plants unfold in the water and how much space they need.
Inserting aquarium plants and adding the water. Here’s how!
How are aquarium plants correctly inserted? What can you do about plants that won’t stay in the soil and keep floating up? How do you add the water without disturbing your arrangement?
Adding plants
When inserting the plants please take into account how high the plants will grow and how much space they require to their sides. Lower remaining plants should be at the front, whereas higher plants are better positioned in the background. You can purchase a lot of plants in plant pots at specialist shops. Please remove the wool-like material from the plant roots and prune the roots with scissors ( JBL PROSCAPE TOOLS S STRAIGHT ). Then carefully insert the plants into the soil. Sometimes the plants get out as quickly as you insert them. A good help here are plant clips ( JBL PROSCAPE PLANTIS PINS ) and long pincers ( JBL PROSCAPE TOOLS P STRAIGHT ).
Inserting aquarium plants and adding the water. Here’s how!
How are aquarium plants correctly inserted? What can you do about plants that won’t stay in the soil and keep floating up? How do you add the water without disturbing your arrangement?
Special cases
A lot of labyrinth fish build foam nests and need floating plants at the water surface. Bottom dwellers, such as loaches and armored catfish need a “soft” substrate, which means no sharp-edged grit or lava rock ground! Many cichlids are cave breeders and look for cover in a new home. To satisfy this need, coconut shells ( JBL Cocos Cava ) or other caves are available ( JBL Ceramika Grota do składania ikry ).
There are fish species for which every plant is seen as food. For these fish you unfortunately need to forgo plants or you have to rely on plastic plants. But for many plant-eating fish species it is also possible to take countermeasures with lots of fast growing plants. Fish also jump and unintentionally depart from the tank. A good cover or a securing of the corners and loopholes in the cover pane may help against “dried fish”. It is easy to plug such holes with foam.