How to make a children's fish tank with a glass jar

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If you are thinking of ride a marine aquarium, Surely this guide will help you to do it in the best conditions, make the least possible errors and that your marine aquarium works correctly in the long term.
There is a false impression that a marine aquarium is more difficult to maintain than a freshwater aquarium. This is false, anyone can have a marine aquarium, Although I have no previous experience.
Nor will it take us a long time to keep it in good condition, at least, not much longer than it would cost to maintain a freshwater aquarium.
Here the important thing is the type of habitat we are going to recreate. There are some really simple and that do not require too many complications, as well as there are easier or harder fish to breed in the marine aquarium.
As for the choice of fish, it is true that there are easier to maintain marine fish, and others that are more delicate, but we also have that problem in a freshwater aquarium. Certain species of fish are not easy to keep in captivity, while others adapt easily to life in an aquarium.
To start with marine aquarium, we must consider the size. A marine aquarium for beginners should have at least about 200 liters, It is an aquarium size that allows us to minimize any possible beginner error ... I know that it is possible that would you like to start with a nano marine aquarium, But I don't think it's the best option.
From that minimum size, we can buy the aquarium that we like, always taking into account the type of fish that we are going to raise and its quantity.

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Placement

If our aquarium is going to have more than 300 liters, we must check that the chosen place can withstand it without problems, as well as the table where we are going to place it.
As a precaution and to absorb any type of irregularity of the surface where we place it, or uneven ground, it is advisable to place an expanded polystyrene sheet under the aquarium or some of the materials that are sold in the market for this purpose.

Once placed in its final location, We must clean the aquarium well. We must not forget that in its manufacture all kinds of chemical products have been used, and that in handling we will have filled it with fingerprints.
For cleaning we will avoid chemicals, just a sponge, clear water and products suitable for aquariums. Failing that, we can use bleach diluted in 5% water.

The aquarium water

Once the aquarium is already clean and dry, we can start filling it with water.
Ideally the water we will use will be filtered by a reverse osmosis system, but if it is not possible, tap water can also go well, as long as it does not contain nitrates, phosphates, chlorines, or silicic acid.
Most likely, the tap water has chlorine. The chlorine evaporates, so We could use tap water by letting it sit for 24 hours.

Water temperature

The water's temperature It should move above 25ºC, preventing it from lowering from 20ºC and not rising from 29ºC.
Although for a few days we are not going to introduce fish into the aquarium, it is convenient that the water is taking the appropriate temperature.
To regulate and maintain the aquarium temperature we must use a thermo heater. In the market there are several types of heat heaters, although the most popular are submersibles.

Water density

To this water, you have to add sea salt to aquariums, that is, first we put the water and then the salt, never the other way around.
The water has an approximate density of 1,025 gr / cm3, which we will modify depending on the needs of the marine fish that we are going to introduce.
Density must be measured with hot water, since the water becomes less dense when it is hotter, and backwards.

Automatic temperature compensation: handheld ATC refractometer, can be used in the temperature 5-30 ℃ / 41-86 ℉
Dual salinity scale: 0 salt content

10%) and salt density of 1,000

1.070sg, The minimum scale is 1 0.1 (0.1%) or 0.001sg.

Easy to use: using distilled water to calibrate and then with just a couple of drops of aquarium water, you know exactly what the salinity is

Designed to test the concentration of salt water and brine, ideal for aquariums, marine monitoring and quality control in laboratories.

Water quality. Aquarium Filters

To maintain optimal water quality, you have to put filters. These filters can be installed inside the aquarium or also outside.
Usually the internal filters are usually come with the Marine aquarium kit, because they are somewhat cheaper.
External filters are usually ideal for a good sized aquarium, due to its greater filtering capacity. Although to be honest, currently the filtering capacity of some filters has greatly improved.
As a rule to choose the correct aquarium filter, depending on the size of our aquarium, must be able to filter three times the amount of liters of the aquarium. So a complete 100-liter marine aquarium will need a filter of about 450 liters per hour.
The important thing when choosing an aquarium filter, is that it adapts correctly to the size of the aquarium, and that they offer us mechanical, biological and chemical filtration of water.

Skimmers are not essential in a marine aquarium, but we could say that they are "desirable."
They are responsible for reproducing the natural process of shaking the waves in the sea, so They are also called skimmers.
When the sea beats the water through the waves, what it does is introduce air into the water. The air catches decomposing elements, such as proteins and lipids, generating that foam that we see on the crest of the waves and on the shore of the beach.
What the Skimmers do is "help" keep the water of the marine aquarium clean. They collect the water, beat it by introducing air, the air collects nitrates and other wastes, eliminate those wastes and return the clean water to the aquarium.

Substrate and decoration of the marine aquarium

The marine aquarium decoration can contain various materials: corals, silex, calcareous rocks, lava blocks, and of course substrate, which can be coral sand and calcareous sand.
Prohibited materials in the decoration of a marine aquarium: Wood and metal objects.
He water landscaping He advises us that before proceeding to assemble an aquarium, we must make some sketches, list the necessary materials and prepare them before starting to assemble the aquarium.
A good idea is assemble the aquarium design before introducing water, to see how it looks.

illumination

Lighting is another point to consider within the marine aquarium, since excessive lighting will proliferate the algae and poor lighting will result in the health of the fish and all the living elements of the aquarium.
In the market there are many types of aquarium lights, even, the aquarium we buy can come with its own installation.
Some of the types of aquarium lamps What can be included are:

Metallic steam lamps.

Fluorescent tubes.

LED lighting.

How long does it take to be able to introduce fish into a marine aquarium?

The marine aquarium needs an adaptation period, until the water conditions are correct to reproduce marine life.
This process usually takes about three months, in which we will have to progressively adapt the aquarium, and only when we verify that everything is correct, we can introduce fish and / or invertebrates.

Commissioning of the marine aquarium

Before introducing any type of fish, it is convenient to gradually adapt the aquarium and water to the optimal conditions.
For a week we must start the aquarium, with all its elements, substrate, decoration, etc., working with its filter and water heater, but without any lighting.
After two weeks, we will turn on the aquarium lighting in a progressive way.
The first day we will keep the light one hour, the second two and so on until we reach ten hours of illumination daily.
After the first week that the aquarium is without lighting, You can add live rock reef progressively.

Measuring water quality

During these three months of preparation and tuning of the aquarium water, it will go through different phases, until the conditions are adequate.
In a first phase we can observe the growth of green algae filamentous in appearance, the substrate can be covered with diatoms and later it is possible that superior algae appear.
It may give the impression that the water is in good condition, but it is a mistake. It is not yet ready to withstand the contamination produced by the food and excrement of the fish, and if we introduce any specimen, it is possible that it dies within a few days.
During this adaptation process, we must check the water quality at all times, to correct any problem, if necessary.
After the three months recommended for the aquarium water to be in optimal conditions (and there is no algal growth), we will proceed to Progressively introduce the different inhabitants of the aquarium.

Feeding

Fish feeding is very important, both for the fish themselves, and for maintaining water quality.
They should be fed every day, but only the amount they are going to eat, to prevent debris from depositing at the bottom of the aquarium.
In addition to seawater fish, invertebrates can be introduced.
Marine invertebrates feed on trace elements, which can be added to the aquarium water, following the manufacturers recommendations.
Although it is not complicated to mount a marine water aquarium, if it is convenient to follow the above advice, so that the process is pleasant and we do not have any problem.

Procedure to prepare the fish tank

To get started, clean the bottle well and remove the label. If you have problems, you can help yourself with alcohol or olive oil by rubbing with a cotton ball or gauze.
Draw an eye shape and a triangle, that will be the tail, in the gum eva.
Make this piece twice because we will need two faces of the fish.
Prepare a piece of decorated tape of the design that you like and cut it into small pieces.
Paste it in the center of the fish to form the body print.
Cut out what is left over and do the same in the two pieces of the fish.

With permanent marker of the same tone of the decorated ribbon, I will make some lines in the queue To make it more defined.
A little piece of yellow gout in the form of a drop will be the fin that I will place in the body of the fish.
Now, I'm going to paste moving eyes in the face on both sides.
I will cut a piece of skewer stick and I will stick it in the center of the fish.

Once the stick is stuck, I will place the other part of the fish on it and it will be finished.
With red marker I will make the mouth
Now, I will cut a thin strip of eva rubber that I will roll on the bottom of the stick so that it can be held in the jar.

I will paste this piece in the center of the lid and I will fill the bottom with colored aquarium stones.

To decorate the bottle I will use permanent markers. I will do the bubbles with blue and white and then the plants from the bottom of the sea.