How to independently derive the aquarist's rule? “The World”, Grade 3 (Vakhrushev A. A.) - a textbook that gives the concept of an aquarium as an ecosystem. With this information, children can understand how and why they need to care for the aquarium.
The first rule is balance.
If you simply pour water into a glass container and run the fish there, then they will soon die. The fact is that an aquarium is a small ecosystem that a person creates, that is, an artificial one. And like any biogeocenosis, the abode of fish should be in biological equilibrium. Thus, the first and most important rule of an aquarist is to create a stable ecosystem, ensure the circulation of substances and balance.
But what does this really mean? Recall the elements of biogeocenosis that should be in the aquarium. These are the environment, non-living components (in our case, water, air and soil) and inhabitants: living organisms - breadwinners (producers), eaters (consumers) and garbage collectors (destroyers). The circulation of nutrients, carbon dioxide, oxygen and food must necessarily take place in the aquarium. In order for the cycle in the system to be closed, all elements must be present in it.
In order for the necessary conditions to remain in the aquarium, a constant cycle of substances must take place, then it will be necessary to take care of the fish dwelling much less often. Consider all these elements in more detail and derive the rules of an aquarium for children, which will help little fish lovers understand how a small ecosystem works.
The second rule is water
Fish live in the water. But can any liquid be poured into the aquarium? Of course not. The second rule of a beginner aquarist is to properly prepare the water. If clean water flows from the tap , without rust and an unpleasant odor, then it is quite suitable.
Pour it into an open container of the right size and let it settle for one or two days. All harmful substances evaporate from it, the temperature rises to room temperature. Too cold water cannot be poured into the aquarium; fish and plants will not like it.
The third rule is light.
Both plants and fish need light. But here it is also important to maintain balance. The aquarium should not be placed close to the window, especially since in no case can it be placed on the windowsill. The fact is that if there is too much light, then the glass walls will quickly become covered with a green bloom, water can begin to bloom.
You can not put the container in a dark corner, otherwise the plants will suffer. From a lack of light, they will begin to turn yellow and die. Most often, cartridges for lighting lamps are already mounted in the lid of the aquarium. And if the container does not have a lid, you can purchase a special holder.
The fourth rule is air
Fish also need air. Most often, the aquarium is equipped with an aeration filter or an aerator. These devices provide gas exchange, saturating the water with oxygen and carbon dioxide. But if there are few fish in the aquarium, and the capacity is large, then you can do without such equipment. In a densely populated aquarium, a filter and aerator are needed.
Fifth Rule - Manufacturers
In any ecosystem, breadwinners are needed - these are living organisms that are able to create organic matter from inorganic. Plants are manufacturers in the aquarium - they consume carbon dioxide and fish waste, and in return produce the necessary oxygen. Many fish are herbivores and are happy to eat young shoots. Small fish and fry like to hide in green thickets.
Often aquarium plants are called algae, but this is not true. Algae are the smallest particles that, when improperly maintained, form an ugly green coating.
From here follows the fifth rule of the aquarist - manufacturers need plants in the aquarium. They need to be planted in the ground. To do this, small pebbles, pebbles or sand are poured onto the bottom of the aquarium. Before use, the soil must be washed and boiled.
Plant species
Which aquatic plants are most commonly found in home aquariums? The hornwort is unpretentious, it can be planted in the ground, just left to swim or fixed to the snag.
Pistia, duckweed and riccia swim freely on the surface of the water. But you do not need to allow them to occupy the entire aquarium, otherwise the rest of the inhabitants will lose access to the light.
Vallisneria is an unpretentious plant with long thin stems, it has a developed root system and is planted in the ground. Various types of mosses look beautiful, for example, Javanese moss. It is attached to snags.
Often found in domestic aquariums are hygrophiles, echinodorus, cryptocorynes, and ferns.
Consumer Rules
Fish are consumers, since they use prepared organic matter as food. But fish not only consume - waste of their life activity becomes food for plants and bacteria.
Once the plants in the aquarium have taken root, and the ecosystem began to work (after about two weeks), you can run the inhabitants. But which ones? The eyes in the pet store just run up, all the fish are bright and beautiful. The sixth rule of the aquarist (3-graders are already well aware of this) gives a strict indication of this: producers are needed in the aquarium, but it’s important to choose the right size for the fish and prevent overpopulation.
What does it mean? You can’t put a fish in a small aquarium, which in the future should grow large. For example, for a small group (3-4 individuals), scalars or goldfish need a capacity of 100 liters or more. If you buy 10 animals in such a volume, then as the fish grows, there will be overpopulation, the water will quickly become polluted, the inhabitants will begin to hurt and die.
The seventh rule of the aquarist is that the world around us teaches us that in nature some fish can feed on others, therefore it is impossible to settle a predator and its prey in one aquarium.
Fish can be aggressive or peaceful. Aggressive attack representatives of another or their own species, cut off their fins, and can even kill them. Therefore, the neighbors of such tomboys must be able to stand up for themselves. Peace-loving fish get along easily with others.
Animals must fit together in many ways. The eighth rule of the aquarist is to pick up neighbors from the same climatic zone or who prefer the same water parameters. For example, goldfish love cold water. In the company of tropical fish, they cannot be settled if it is impossible to choose a temperature at which all inhabitants will be comfortable.
Fish species
What fish and other animals can be kept in their small ecosystem? Consider the most common aquarium inhabitants.
Guppies are small, bright and extremely unpretentious fish. They are the best choice for a beginner. Guppies are peaceful, undemanding to temperature. Love clean water. These fish are kept in groups or pairs. In good conditions, they actively reproduce.
Cockerels are also good for beginners. These fish have a peculiarity - they breathe atmospheric air with the help of a special organ. Male males are very bright, elegant. But it is impossible to keep two males in one aquarium, they will fight and can kill each other. Cockerels are kept in harems - one male and several females.
Swordfish are fairly large fish. Most often they are red in color, but black, yellow, spotted species are found. A distinctive feature of this fish is a long process on the tail, resembling a sword. Swordsmen are also undemanding to conditions.
Striped barbs are fast and bullying flocking fish. They contain them in groups of 5 individuals. Barbs can attack slow-moving fish, pull their fins. The aquarium in which they are kept must be covered with a lid - barbs can jump out of the water.
Goldfish can be the real pride of any aquarist. Particularly distinguished are veil-tails with chic fins, orandas with “caps” on their heads, telescopes with huge eyes. Goldfish belong to the cold-water species, they are undemanding to the conditions of detention, but they prefer to live only in company with related species.
Angelfish are very unusual, attract attention. These are predators that can eat all small fish. Angelfish grow large, so the aquarium requires a large one. It’s better to keep them in a group.
Catfish swim at the bottom, eating leftover food and a plaque of algae. Spotted ancistruses and corridors are most common.
Other aquarium inhabitants
Not only fish can live in an aquarium. Large yellow snails ampullarium often coexist with them. Ampularia eat the rest of the feed, algae plaque. They can be fed cucumbers, carrots, dandelions.
The rules of the aquarist say that you cannot settle a predator and a prey together. Therefore, it is impossible to place fish and turtles, crabs, crayfish, large shrimps in one container.
Shrimps can also be adjacent to some small fish species. But crabs and crayfish are dangerous for fish, as they feed on them. In addition, crustaceans need access to land and a small amount of water, therefore they usually contain them in a separate aquaterrarium.
Another interesting inhabitant of the aquarium is the red-eared turtle. She also needs land access and will need special lighting - ultraviolet is added to a conventional incandescent bulb. They feed the turtles with fish, so their content in a common aquarium is impossible.
The ninth rule - destroyers
Destroyers in the aquarium are necessary, but people can help them - this is the ninth rule of the aquarist. Grade 3 is the period when children go through the “profession” of living organisms and find out their purpose. Destroyers consume organic matter and oxygen, and as a result of their vital functions, mineral substances and carbon dioxide are formed.
In an aquarium, bacteria are destructive. If there are too many bacteria in the water, it begins to cloud. Also as an example of destroyers can lead small red coils. These are tiny snails that feed on the remnants of food that has fallen to the bottom, eat algae on the walls, destroy rotting parts of plants. Human help consists in cleaning the aquarium and siphoning the soil.
Tenth Rule - Care
Finally, the last, tenth rule of the aquarist is to take care of the aquarium daily. Without human intervention, the balance in a small ecosystem will quickly be disrupted. Therefore, you need to regularly care for the aquarium: turn on and off the light every day, feed the inhabitants.
Aquarist’s rules remind you that once a week you need to clean the soil from food debris and fish waste products using a siphon, and rinse the filter. Also, weekly you need to make a change - pour a small amount of clean, settled water into the aquarium.
Finally, it is worth noting that the smaller the aquarium, the more attention it requires from the owner, the more difficult it is to establish a balance in it. Many beginners make the mistake of buying a small capacity. The best choice for a beginner will be a volume of 50 liters. These are the golden rules of the aquarist. The world around us shows that an aquarium is a small ecosystem that depends on a person.