I have a question. I have a air pump and some of the plastic tubing in my aquarium right not. Well, the plastic tubing has hardened and just will not stay in place. So I am thinking of going and purchasing some of the silicon airline tubing. I have a treasure chest and a sunken ship in the aquarium, but they do not have the hookup (airstone). So, I just put the tubes let the air come out of the end. Do I have to have an airstone? I haven't up until now and the bubbles are big. What do I need to purchase when I go to the pet store? Thanks!
Hi! I am in the process of doing the same thing! The first thing you need to figure out is the actual size of your fish tank because that is going to determine the size of the filter and heater that you need, not to mention, how many fish you can put in your tank. The rule of thumb is one inch of fish per gallon of water for most freshwater tropical fish. It is different for goldfish and african cichlids though. Here is the list of things I would get: BASICS: heater, power filter, water conditioner, thermometer, fish net, tropical fish flake THEN: gravel, plants, tank background, decorations, lighted hood(flourescent is best), beneficial bacteria, a gravel siphon for cleaning, get a self starting one, it's worth the extra few dollars, bucket strictly for water changes. Take a tap water sample to the fish store with you so you know what pH you are dealing with. Angelfish like a slightly acidic pH between 6.5 and 6.8. They can be acclimated to other levels though. Take the time to do some research on the nitrogen cycle and acclimating your fish. It can save the life of your fish. Angelfish are great fish with alot of personality. I hope you enjoy yours!
get the proper size tubing and airstones, they help put more air into the system, you can probably find them to fit it to your decorations to hide the stones good luck
Just a thought here: You could try softening your plastic tubing. Place it in a pot of hot water (with the plastic tubing resting on a couple of spoons so it doesn't touch the bottom of the pot), and bring the pot to a simmer for a few minutes. Your plastic tubing will be quite soft. Remove with a fork; wear rubber gloves to place it in the correct position in your aquarium.
I believe that you should use and buy the air stones because the large bubbles don't release as much oxygen into your tank as just using the tubing alone. I would also purchase the right size tubing from your pet shop and be sure to tell them what you are going to use the tubing for so you know it is safe for your fish. Good Luck
