How to set up a community fish tank? With Cost analysis

Check Our Quick Stories

Setting up a community fish tank is not so hard for beginners. But before setting up fish tank they need to remember some point which will help to things be easy enough. Here I’ll discuss step by step through which any beginner can set up a community fish tank so easily.

In simple word within $150-$200 a healthy community fish tank (20 gallon) can be made. To make this community tank clear glass, fishes, substrate, filter and lights are needed.  Plants are not mandatory but it oxygenate tank well. Avoid to mix fishes with different sizes. 75 gallon is average size for big community fishes. Price varies from $500-$650 for 75 gallon community tank.  But price varies from country to country.  

Let’s take a look what things do you need to set a community fish tank for the first time.

List of things are necessary to build a community aquarium

Total cost analysis to make a healthy community fish tank

Here I’m giving some data about the cost of a whole community fish tank . the price may vary and this is a tentative analysis. You need nearly this amount of money to make a fish tank from scratch. This price may vary from country to country also.

But before diving deep into the step by step process let’s make the concept clear about the community fish tank.

CONTENT

WHAT IS A COMMUNITY FISH TANK ?

 

Community fish tank is such fish tank, where various types of fish species can live together. That fishes come from different regions. In community tank all fish species should thrive well. All the fish species should be in between schooling fish or less aggressive or mid-aggressive fish. Those fishes which are territorial in nature are strictly prohibited in community fish tank.

For example: – Rosy barb, Neon tetra, Guppy, Catfish, Molly, Goldfish, Bolivian ram

Now let’s discuss about the main topic

How to set up a community fish tank

To set up a community fish tank you have to assemble those things first which I’ve given the list on the top. After that you need to follow these steps to make it successful. Let’s dive deep into it.

1. FIND A SUITABLE PLACE

Suitable place is the most important thing for a fish tank. A good place will decide that your aquarium will be active or not. Definitely you can place your aquarium anywhere but before placing a new aquarium you need to consider some factors.

• The weight of the tank

Weight of the tank is one of the important factors which you need to know. So you should place it on such place which can bear the weight of that much of weight of water and the whole aquarium without any discomfort. Now let’s know the weight of each tank size

Here from this chart you are getting the weight of each fish tank. So from this weight you can assume what type of fish tank you should take according to your house condition.

• Check the sunlight position

You should not keep your aquarium direct under the sunlight. Sunlight helps to do photosynthesis of plants. But as side product algal bloom may occur if it gets sufficient sunlight. In other word sunlight basically insists to grow algae in your aquarium by overheating the whole aquatic system.

So try to avoid the place where sunlight comes directly. But that doesn’t means to keep aquarium under a shadowy place. Make sure to place it under right place where it gets sufficient sunlight without directly falling on it.

Read more: – Are algae bad for aquarium?

• Try to avoid the excessive noise

Excessive noise is not acceptable for community fish tank. As this type of fishes are not so aggressive or territorial in nature that’s why you should avoid the excessive noise. This noise can make them scared and these may hide all the time anywhere in the aquarium. So don’t place it this type of fish tank at the middle of any busy hall or anywhere like this. For this type of busy place cichlid fish tank is the best but not community fish tank.

• Avoid to place aquarium near to TV, speakers, AC

Lots of new aquarists don’t think much of it. They think about just only about fishes and its color variation. One thing you should remember that without a proper placement fishes can’t thrive well. So you need to avoid some places from where radiation could come. TV, radio, speakers are such gadgets which emits radiation. This is harmful for fishes.

AC does temperature changes. If aquarium is placed near to the air conditioner then it can control the temperature of the fish tank and that will be so unhealthy environment for fishes in your tank. So try to avoid this types of places while choosing the suitable spot to keep community fish tank.

• Power and water supply is must

When you want to keep community aquarium at anywhere else, you need to check the power and water supple before. Without a good power supply and water supply maintaining a healthy aquarium is next to impossible.

Without power supply you can’t run thermometer, filter and heater which are must for an aquarium. Oxygenation is also a process where electricity is needed so electrical point is needed near to the fish tank.

Water supply is another important parameter because you need to change 25-30% of water twice in a week. So if your aquarium is far away from water supply then it will be difficult to change water twice a week. Some days later it will be habit not to change water. But that will be a very unhealthy situation for fishes inside of aquarium. So don’t forget about the water supply.

2. CHOOSE SOME AQUARIUM FISHES

This is the most important part of the whole build up process of community fish tank. In this process you need to choose some fishes which will be the main part of the fish tank. If you are a beginner then you need to go for some beginner level fishes. Otherwise after a while your community fish tank will be a mess. So you should know the brief idea about some beginner level fishes. Here I’m going to give some examples on it.

 

• Goldfish

Goldfish is the most common fishes among all aquarists. If you are just starting out today then you should go for it. This is a peaceful fish with no much headache. You don’t need to know much about the water parameters. Just buy a pair of goldfish and leave it in a community fish tank.

Note: – Don’t keep large goldfish with some small sized fish. Goldfish can eat small fishes but generally goldfish is peaceful community fish.

• Guppy

Guppy can be a great option if you want to start a community fish tank. This is a small sized with low maintained fish. This has the lots of color variants so you don’t need to compromise with color variation if you keep some guppies in your tank.  If you want to keep guppies then keep 2 male with one female in a fish tank

• Neon Tetra

Neon tetra is the most underrated community fish according to the source. So if you can keep this fish in you tank, your tank mates won’t mind for it. This is an active swimmer so this will keep busy your aquarium. The bluish red color of that fish will attract the eyes balls all the time. So don’t think to skip this fish if you are going to make a community tank.

• Zebra danio

Zebra danio can be a great option for you to keep it in your fish tank. This is a hardy fish. That means this doesn’t care much about the water parameters like goldfish. Temperature is not a major factor to thrive it also. This is a good beginner level fish for community tank.  Tetra, molly and guppy can be a great companion of this fish.

• Pearl gourami

Pearl gourami is a good choice among the all gouramis. This is peaceful community fish but it can be territorial in nature during it spawning period. Neon tetra can be a great companion of pearl gourami. This is algae eater. So if you are facing any algae growth in aquarium then it can help to remove this issue. According to source pearl gourami can be a great choice for community tank.

These are some popular fish which you can keep if you want to just start. These fishes are all for beginners. But there are some fishes which you keep if you want to make big or average sized community fish tank. You need little but of experience to keep this fishes in your tank.

Here is the list

Here in this chart I’ve given the list of some fishes are all community fishes. But if you want to make a big community tank then you should go for large sized community tank fishes. Don’t mix these fishes up otherwise it will be a mess.

Cost of fishes in an aquarium 

Here I’m giving some data about the cost of fish tank. the price may vary and this is a tentative analysis. This is chart of small fishes for one piece of community aquarium.

Now let’s know the cost about the big size community tank fish for one community fish tank

To make small size community tank you should pay at least $90 for buying fishes and for big size community tank you should pay at least $360 for buying fishes.

Read more :- Top 5 active freshwater community fishes. Most recommended 

 

3. CHOOSE A GOOD FISH TANK

Choosing a good fish tank is the most difficult step to build a community fish tank. Lots of beginner does mistake while choosing a fish tank. But I’ll tell about almost everything about this step. Let’s dive deep into it.

You have to remember some factors while choosing fish tank, which are most important. Let’s know these

• Big tank means bigger budget

Most of the beginners stay excited about their first fish tank. So they want big fish tank in home. But that is not recommended. If you are a new aquarist, then you should remember big size is directly proportional to the big budget. Due to lack of experience you should not invest huge amount of money in it. First start with an average sized community fish tank. Otherwise all money will be wasted.

Read more:- Should you use tempered glass for an aquarium? 

• Aquarium should fit with room

I’ve discussed with this factor thoroughly before in this article. But having several rooms or big hall room in your house doesn’t mean you should buy bigger aquarium. You must keep aquarium at that place where noise doesn’t affect fishes much. Middle of hall room is not a suitable place for community fish tank. Most of your fishes will be scared all the time and these will hide anywhere in aquarium.

Read more :- Why do your fishes hide? know these common faults

• Buy fishes according to the tank size

The size of fish tank should be matched with the fishes inside it. Lots of aquarists do this mistake at the initial stage. They buy a small sized aquarium and put big sized fishes inside it. This is a big mistake in this hobby. Different types of fishes need certain amount of space to thrive. So if they get less amount of space to swim then stress will build up more among all of the species. Ultimately fishes will die after a while.

Here I’m giving some examples from where you can understand about the size of the tank which you choose for the first time.

This is the chart from where you can get the proper tank size of some small size community fish. Generally if you want to keep these fishes for first time then minimum 20 gallon tank is sufficient. But experts always say that provide more than sufficient space to swim of any fish. For a community tank it needs little bit more space just because it carries different types of fishes. So 30 gallon tank size is most recommended for small size community fishes.

Here I’ve given some examples of large size community fish. In this case you must arrange 75 gallon fish tank at least. This fishes grow bigger after one year later and that’s why you should prepare for it. 75 gallon fish tank is enough for large size community fishes.

Read more :- Growth rate of pleco fish. with comparison chart

Cost of a fish tank

Here I’m giving some data about the cost of fish tank. the price may vary and this is a tentative analysis

Cost analysis of fish tank only

To make small size community fish tank (20 gallon) you have to pay maximum $10 (with making charge and other accessories) and to make big size community fish tank (75 gallon) you have to pay maximum $25 (with making charge and other accessories)

4. CHOOSE A SOLID SUSTRATE

Substrate is one of the most important things in any type of fish tank. This helps to create natural aquatic environment in the whole aquarium. Fishes feel safe if these find suitable substrate instead of just glass. So try to provide some nice aquarium substrate as the base of the community fish tank.

Different types of fishes need different types of substrate. Some fishes like sandy substrate and some fishes like coarse round gravel. Now if you are building a community fish tank then you can’t differentiate on this. You have to keep one type of substrate only in a tank.

Now if you want to make planted community fish tank then you must use soil as substrate. Otherwise plants will not grow faster. There are some types of plants that thrive without soil also like java fern, java moss, anubias, etc. But for planted aquarium soil as substrate is most recommended.

Read more :- What can you use as substrate? 

For community fish tank coarse gravel should use as substrate. The thickness of the substrate should be 2-2.5 inches. As base layer fine sand can use and its thickness should be 1-2 inches. On the top of the base layer coarse gravel should be placed.  Coarse gravel should be rounded edge instead of sharp edge.

If you increase the thickness of the substrate then oxygen can’t penetrate through it and food particles will accumulate under the gravel. This will create the hydrogen sulphide level and this is poisonous for fish. So don’t increase the thickness of substrate if you don’t want to keep plants in the tank.

Is it necessary to have substrate of the community tank?

There are some benefits of substrate of any aquarium. If substrate is missing from community fish tank then some benefits your fish will not get. Generally substrate helps to run nitrogen cycle in fish tank. In substrate nitrifying bacteria create colony and turn harmful ammonia into nitrite and nitrite is turned into nitrate. This cycle helps to keep the healthy environment in the aquarium.

Not only that, without substrate planted aquarium is almost impossible. Some plants like java fern can thrive because this doesn’t need substrate. But if you want to make a aesthetic look then substrate is must for community aquarium.

Read more :- Is soil must for planted aquarium? know the actual truth

Without substrate fishes also feel nervous. This will make them feel scared and that may hamper their growth. The aquarium without substrate gets dirty very quickly also. So you need to clear it more frequently than a fish tank with good substrate layer.

Which substrate is best for planted community fish tank?

For planted aquarium you need little bit extra. To make planted community aquarium well you need three types of substrate. Let’s know about it

• Base layer

Base layer is the most nutritious layer among all layers in the whole substrate. Plants take nutrition from base layer. This layer should be 30-40mm thick. The water should not touch this layer and that’s why you need to keep some space around it. If water touches this layer anyhow then algae will start growing all over in the aquarium and that’s why keep it hide by the 2^nd layer.

• Clay based layer

This is the 2^nd layer which is less nutritious for plants. Plants can grow by taking nutrition from it but base layer will help to grow the plants more. The base layer should be covered by this clayey substrate. The thickness of this substrate should be minimum 10 mm but you can make it thick as you want. Aquarists use this layer to increase the looks of the aquarium.

• Top layer

This layer is consisted with pebbles. The main reason to provide this layer is to cover both of those layers. This has no nutritious value. Only you need to provide 15-20mm of this layer. This should be only coarse gravel. Fine sand will be compacted after getting the touch of water and anaerobic condition will occur. That is harmful for the aquatic system.

I’ve a dedicated article only on this topic. If you want to know more or about the products of it then you can go here.

Cost of a fish tank’s substrate

let’s assume that you are providing 2 inch gravel as substrate now if you want to make small size community aquarium (20 gallon) then you need 12 kg gravel and for big size community fish tank (75 gallon) you need 29 kg gravel as substrate. Generally  gravel substrate’s price varies from $7.99 – $10.99 per bag (5kg)

For customized tank you can get the data of how much gravel or sand you need as substrate from here

Here I’m recommending a gravel substrate from Amazon. here you will get 5 kg substrate in one bag. check the today’s discounted price.

5. ADD SOME PLANTS

Plants will help to environment real. When fishes will feel safe and relaxed then only these thrive. If you add plants in aquarium then you don’t need to add lots of hiding spots. Otherwise fishes will search for hiding spots all over in the aquarium. Plants will help them to hide if they are bullied somehow by other fishes.

Now you can ask me that…

Are plants necessary to make a community tank?

Plants are necessary for a community tank but not mandatory for it. Plants help fishes to feel safe and help them to hide. Not only that, plants are the competitors of algae and that’s why to get rid of algae problem of fish tank plants are itself a great solution. Plants increase oxygen level in aquarium and that is a good sign of a healthy fish tank.

Now you don’t need to make an expensive planted aquarium to make a community tank. Just you should keep less expensive plants which don’t need high maintenance.  Here I’m giving you a list of plants which you can use for your fish tank.

• Marimo moss ball

Marimo moss ball is one of the cheapest plants in aquascaping. This is a type of algae and this needs sufficient lights, oxygen, etc. to grow. The maintenance of this plant is very low. You just need to roll it lightly to help it to get lights all over. If it doesn’t get lights then it turns to be brown in color. This is very inexpensive plant.

• Aponogeton crispus

This is another plant which you can keep in your aquarium. This is also a plant with low maintenance. To grow this plant needs little bit of light. But this has a dormant period. After that period the leaves grow again. So this can be a great addition in your community fish tank.

• Java fern

Java fern is one of the best beginner-friendly aquatic plants. If you just want to start then you should choose this one. But according to the source don’t keep its root under substrate or soil. It will die after a while if this is done like that. You need to bind it with driftwood or rocks in your aquarium. Only this is the process to make it thrive.

• Anacheris

Anacheris is another beginner friendly plant for your community fish tank. You don’t need to take care much of it. Just make sure to give sufficient lights, CO₂, etc. Floating anacheris grows quickly just because it gets lights from outside of the aquatic environment according to the source. You need to bind its stem and roots with some rocks or something like that.

• Java moss

Java moss is another great piece of beginner-friendly aquatic plant. The maintenance of java moss is very low. According to the source only trimming is the only thing which it needs to maintain. You can give any shape to it by only trimming. It is very hardy plant and can grow in any circumstances.

This are the top 5 plants which is most recommended to choose for community fish tank. Fishes will love the environment if you keep these plants. The hiding spots will increase and that is a good sign of a healthy aquarium.

Read more :- Why does my aquarium plant turn transparent?

Cost of plants

let’s get a brief idea on the costs of some plants which you can use in community fish tank.

Here I’m giving some data about the cost of plants. the price may vary and this is a tentative analysis

Total cost of some plants for a community aquarium would be $60. This amount is tentative and it may vary.  

6. A GOOD QUALITY FILTER

Filter is one of the important things in whole fish tank. Nowadays everyone uses filters. Without a good filtration system you aquarium will be a mess and you can’t get rid of it. So you have to make little bit of investment on it if you want a good and healthy community fish tank.

But that is not enough explanation. Right?

Let’s know

Why do you need a good filter in aquarium?

In a simple word filter does filtration of water but there are mainly three things what filter does.

• Filter removes the fish debris, excess foods from the water

• Filter helps to run the nitrogen cycle in fish tank.

• Filter helps to aerate the water and that’s why fishes can breathe easily.

So these are the main three things what filter does but different types of filters plat different roles. So you need to know about the three types of filtration system before going to buy any one of them. So let’s get started.

Biological filtration system

This is such a filtration system which helps to filter water of aquarium by bacterial method. Nitrifying bacteria like azotobacter, clostridium, etc. help to break the ammonia and make nitrite from it which is less poisonous than ammonia. After that it makes less poisonous nitrate from nitrite. This is how the water quality increases by biological filtration system.

Mechanical filtration system

The whole mechanical filtration system is surrounded with a good filter. This helps to remove debris, contaminates from water. The excess foods, floating wastages and harmful bacteria are also filtrated by a good filter also. This is called mechanical filtration system. But this is not sufficient to clean ammonia from water which is so poisonous.

Chemical filtration system

Chemical filtration system is another type of filtration system which is centralisezed at the chemical additives. Activated carbon, resin can be two great options which you should use to filter water with chemical method. By this method the very small particles are removed. Not only that, the chlorine level can be decreased by it also of water of the aquarium.

Now let’s learn about some filter which you can use for your community fish tank. I’ll give a list of filters from which you can choose the suitable one. So let’s Start to know about these filters.

• Canister filter

The most common and good quality filter is known as canister filter. If you want suggestion about filter from any expert then he/she will tell about canister filter once definitely. This filter is placed outside of the aquarium and helps to filter water by biological, chemical and mechanical all of these three ways. The main drawback of this filter is this is hard to clean and this can’t be fitted at smaller tanks. If you are making large community fish tank then this is the best filter for you.

• Diatomic filter

Diatomic filter is another type of filter which you can use in your aquarium. This filter mainly remove contaminates, debris, small particles from water. This is used for special situation mainly. When algal bloom occurs in aquarium then diatomic filter can be a good option to remove this bloom partly. Some common filters use diatomic filters to do some emergency cleansing of water.

• Fluidized bed filter

This filter is slightly different from previous two filters. This filtration system mainly focuses on the biological and mechanical method. Chemical filtration system is not provided by fluidized bed filter. This filter has a bed which is made with sand and silica chips. Water passes through this bed and this bed helps to clean that water. Bacterial colony which stays in that bed helps to remove ammonia also from water.

• Sponge filter

Sponge filter is one of the best for the aquarium which keeps small size fishes. So if you are planning to make small size community fish tank then sponge filter should be your first choice. This filter provides biological filtration and mechanical filtration. But this will not provide chemical filtration. Bacteria create colony inside of the sponge and this removes ammonia from water.

Cost of community tank filter

Here I’m giving some data about the cost of fish tank filter. the price may vary and this is a tentative analysis

For bigger fish tank (more than 75 gallon) you must use canister filter which is approx. $120 and for smaller tank (less than 20 gallon) you should use sponge filter which is approx. $17. But for smaller tank canister filter is also available which is approx. $35.  

7. FISHES NEED GOOD QUALITY WATER TO THRIVE

Lots of new aquarists think that they can use any type of water in their aquarium. That concept is completely wrong and dangerous. If you think like that then you should gather some right knowledge of it. Here I’ll explain little bit about it. So let’s start

There are lots of water source which you can use for your community fish tank but you have to check some parameters before using any of it.

• Tap water

Tap water is the safest option for aquarium. This water is not so harmful for fishes but you have to check some parameters like chlorine level, ammonia level, pH level, etc. As this water differs from location to location that’s why chlorine level may vary. Chlorine is not suitable for fishes. So this should be checked before using tap water.

• Well water

Lots of people think well water can be a great option for aquarium. That’s correct but partly. This water is not regulated and that is why there may be some problems regarding some harmful particles. If this water passes all parameter tests then this could be a good option for community fish tank.

• Bottled water

Bottled water is probably the best option for aquarium but the main drawback if this is quite expensive. So if you have large aquarium then you pocket will burn out quickly just because of bottled water. But if you want to start with 5 gallon or 10 gallon community tank then bottled water can be an option for you. But chlorine level is another problem which can rise if you use this. So check before using it.

Read more:- 7 great fishes for 5-gallon fish tank which shouldn’t miss

• Rainwater

Rainwater is the natural water and should be the safe option for aquarium. But you should consider some factors if you are planning to use this. Rainwater has low pH value and the low pH value means it is acidic. You should avoid acidic water at anyhow. So if you see that the collected rainwater has low pH value then you should not use it. Always remember the first rain after long hot summer days will be acidic.

What is the right pH value of water for community tank?

PH is the most important parameter which you should check before using any source of water in your community tank.

Due to low pH fishes face lots of problems. Low pH burn the skin of fishes and fishes are unable to reproduce in acidic water. Not only that, fishes face respiratory problem also due the acidity of the water.

Due to the high pH value fishes main face respiratory problem. They can’t dispose the metabolic disposals. Their fins, gills get damage due to the alkaline water.

So the right pH level is very much important for a fish to thrive in aquarium. Now as different types of fishes stay in a community tank that’s why an average pH value is necessary. 6.8 to 7.7 is the right pH value for a community fish tank. Fishes will adapt gradually if they need lower or higher pH value than this range of pH.

Read more :- Importance of pH at fish tank & how to control it

8. SUFFICIANT LIGHT IS IMPORTANT

Lights are equally important like water. But this is important for plants mainly. Fishes do not bother if there are lights on or off. As there should be plants in community tank, that’s why lights are needed for a healthy aquatic environment.

How do lights help to keep healthy environment?

Community fish tank needs lots of oxygen because each and every fish needs oxygen to run respiration. Now for a planted tank plants are one of the great sources of oxygen. These plants participate in photosynthesis after photosynthesis they leave oxygen in aquarium. Now to start photosynthesis plants need sufficient quantity of lights. So passively lights helps to create healthy environment inside of aquarium.

Read more :- How to remove algae. solutions for each type of alga

Now let’s know more about it

How much light do you need for community fish tank?

If you have planted community fish tank then you should provide 6500 to 7000 Kelvin light. For low light plant 15-30 PAR, for medium-light plant 30-80 PAR and for high light plant 80+ PAR is needed according to the source.

If you have only fishes in your aquarium them 5500 to 6500 is enough because fishes don’t need lights to thrive. This light is for general viewing purpose.

What are the effects of excessive lights in community fish tank?

Lights are very much important to make a healthy fish tank. But if you provide excessive lights then it will be a mess for you. Excessive light will help to grow algae very quickly and these are called algal bloom. When algal bloom occurs then it takes all of the oxygen to do its photosynthesis. Due to lack of oxygen a bad and harmful environment is created. This is called Hypoxia. After a while fishes will start dying and it will become poisonous.

To get rid of this problem you should provide average 8-10 hours light. It will help to control the algae growth. One thing you should remember that don’t keep aquarium under direct sunlight. Sunlight acts as the catalyst of the algal bloom. So take the precaution from the beginning.

Cost of community tank lights

Here I’m giving some data about the cost of fish tank lights. the price may vary and this is a tentative analysis

Lights are important to make visible your aquarium. So you must buy some good lights for your aquarium. for lights you should invest $20-$30. This light will help your aquarium look better and bright. Check today’s discounted price on Amazon. 

 

9.  ADD A HEATER WITH THERMOMETER IN TANK

Thermometer is not mandatory to make a community fish tank. But if you keep sensitive fishes in your tank then you should attach a heater with tank. Heater will keep a warm environment inside of the aquarium. So for a community fish tank heater can be a good addition to maintain the aquarium well.

There are lots of fishes which are sensitive of temperature. So before keeping any fishes you have to know which fishes thrive at which temperature range. Let’s know the details about it.

Here this is the chart about the small size community fishes. So if you are going to make 20 gallon community fish tank then you should fix the temperature in 23°C-25°C. This is the temperature range where any type of small community fishes can live and this is possible only if you have a heater in tank. So this is why heater is important is community tank.

This is the chart of big size community fish tank. You can see that big size community fishes can’t tolerate high temperature range. So for these types of fishes you should fix the temperature of the 75 gallon tank is in between 25°C-27°C

Now from this chart you have understood that you need heater to keep the stable temperature in water for a community fish tank. Now you have to learn about the heaters.

Types of heaters from the aquarium

Generally heaters for aquarium are two types. One is Submersible heater and another is party submersible heater.

Submersible heaters should fix under water and this stays horizontally with the aquarium bottom level. This has the better design than partly submersible heaters. As this stays in under water that’s why it won’t come up at the water surface while partial water change. At this time it also works and maintains the right temperature.

Partly submersible heaters are traditional type heater. Its coil stays under water but rest part stays top of the water surface.  So when partial water change happens then you must turn off the switch of the heater. Otherwise the glass tube will get the heat from coil and it will burn very quickly.

Types of thermometers

Thermometers are also two types. One is normal type temperature which floats at the surface of water surface horizontally. This can float vertically also. Another one is flat type and this sticks with outside of the glass and read the temperature.

Cost of community tank heater & thermometer

Here I’m giving some data about the cost of fish tank heater & thermometer. the price may vary and this is a tentative analysis

If you don’t want to invest much in this part to make healthy community fish tank then you should invest al least $17 to buy a good heater from Amazon.  This heater is with thermometer also. 

How to acclimate fish from one place to community tank?

This is one of the main aspects which you should know while making community fish tank. Lots of people think that putting fishes in aquarium is not a big task. They remain casual about this matter.

But you need to know how to acclimate fishes from one place to your main tank because fishes face lots of stresses at the time of change of place. The water parameters should be the similar of both water bodies. Otherwise your fish will die after a while and you can’t even understand what the wrong of your community tank is.

There are three ways by which you can acclimate fishes from one tank to another. Let’s know about these methods.

Method 1 – Keep the bag unopened in the aquarium for a while

In this method bag should be unopened for 15-20 minutes and make it hang inside of the aquarium. This is help to make the similar temperature of both water body and after 20 minutes late you can put the fish into the aquarium from that bag. But this process doesn’t acclimate other water parameters.

Method 2 – Pour the tank’s water in bag slowly

This method should apply after fishing the first method. After 20 minutes you can take little amount of water from tank and pour it in the bag. Then wait for 10 minutes and let’s do the same thing until the bag’s water becomes more than 50% of the tank’s water. After that, pour all of the water with fish into the tank from bag gently.

Method 3 – apply drip acclimation process

This method is very slow but safe process. If you want to make a saltwater community tank then you should apply drip acclimation method. In this method you need some items to make pipeline. Through that pipeline water drips into the bag. This process exchanges all parameters of water from tank and fishes will not feel stressed if you apply this for freshwater community fish tank also.

Do you want to know a depth guide about the fish acclimation process? Then go here to learn more

Read more :- Best food for aquarium fish to grow faster

Final thoughts

Making a community fish tank is very easy. But you have to remember some aspects before making any of it. Here I’ve discussed almost every aspect of this matter. So if you want to make set community fish tank for you then this article will help you definitely.

So best of luck & happy fishkeeping    

Read more:- How to build saltwater aquarium from scratch