Dec 17
A tank full of fish, what can I say?Dec 17
A key piece of equipment necessary in every tropical fish tank is the aquarium heater. Tropical fish are used to warm temperatures in many species will not survive unless a heater is president in the aquarium to warm the water up to their native temperatures.
When choosing a heater for your fish tank, it’s important to get a good reliable unit since fluctuations in temperature can be fatal to fish. You’ll need to about 5 Watts of heater or for each gallon of aquarium water so a 20 gallon aquarium would need a 100 Watt heater. for large aquariums it’s better to divide up the load and have a heater on each side of the tank so that the water heats up evenly. If you keep your room really cold, you might want a higher wattage heater since it will have to do more work to keep the water temperature between the 75 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit that most tropical fish prefer.
There are two kinds of aquarium heaters to consider, the submersible heaters and the hang on heaters. to hang on heaters are named such because they hang on the side of the tank. The entire heating unit does not go underwater and the controls stick up with the glass part going under the water This is not as efficient or as precise as the fully submersible heater which can be fully submerged under the water. The submersible heater sticks to the side of the tank with section and gives you more precise heating and also the option of hiding it below plants or decorations.
When buying an aquarium heater, you want to also make sure that you have a thermometer either built into the heater a separate so that you’ll know the temperature of your tank. This temperature should always be monitored as if the water is too hot or too cold this can be very detrimental to your tropical fish. If you notice large fluctuations, it could be time to get a new heater. Another thing you might want to consider is having two heaters and keeping one in reserve in case the one you are using breaks. This way your fish will not have to suffer until you can get out to the pet store to get them a new heater.
Since tropical fish are cold-blooded, they cannot maintain a body temperature and must depend on you to heat up their water for them. Making sure you have a good functioning aquarium heater will help keep your fishes environment as close to that which they are used to in nature and reward you with happy healthy fish that look great in your aquarium!
Lee Dobbins
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/getting-the-right-aquarium-heater-for-your-tropical-fish-tank-89067.html
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Dec 08
Aquarium Disease Prevention; I have kept up many aquariums (marine and freshwater) during my years of aquarium maintenance. It was more of a challenge than my personal aquariums as many of customers overfed or did not tell me fish were sick until it was too late. That is why prevention is the best remedy. This is basic information, I have more in depth articles about these subjects, please follow those links or see my information site in the resource box. [1] Cleanliness; regular quality water changes are extremely important. By quality I mean to not over clean the water by taking fish out and washing the gravel. You want to use a gravel vacuum and do partial water changes that disrupt the fish as little as possible. The purpose of this is to remove organic debris before it can fully go through the Nitrogen cycle, eventually increasing your Nitrates and lowering your ph. You also want to de-chlorinate the water so as to not stress out the fish or environment. There are many good products for this: Novaqua, Start Right, Stress Coat, just to name a few. [2] Good filtration. I recommend two filters for redundancy, and I never totally throw out all media, rather I rinse part of the filter media in used aquarium water so as to preserve beneficial (aerobic) bacteria for proper biological filtration (ammonia and nitrite removal). Sponge Pre filters are a great addition to HOB filters in particular, they improve bio filtration, especially during filter media changes. [3] Use ultra violet sterilization. UV sterilizers prevent many bacterial, fungal, and protozoa diseases. In addition they help with oxidation properties (Redox Potential) of the water and in so doing, water clarity. For more information about UV Sterilization, please follow his link: Why use UV Sterilization and how it works [4] Do not overfeed! Use quality, aquatic based foods, not foods high in cereal, beef proteins and fats, and soy proteins. Some good brands: HBH, Ocean Nutrition, Blue Lagoon, Sanyu, Hikari, Spirulina 20, Omega. Some brands to avoid: Tetra, Hartz. For more information read my article: Quality Fish Food; What ingredients are needed for proper fish nutrition, growth and health [5] Watch water chemistry, such PH, ammonia (0), nitrites (0), nitrates (below 30 ppm), hardness, KH (80 ppm or higher), ECT. Note that ammonia is more toxic at a higher ph! A KH above 80 ppm provides the needed calcium for proper osmotic processes and healing from infections and wounds. High ammonia and nitrite levels make fish extremely susceptible to infection and will eventually kill the fish outright. Prolonged nitrate levels above 80ppm will stunt fish growth and lower fish immunity. [6] When you do treat for disease, do not over medicate or under medicate, then change water. Medicated wonder shells work well for ich and are buffered, which makes one of the active ingredients; malachite green, safer (malachite green is more toxic at lower ph). There are many other excellent treatments such as Pimafix (a great Natural remedy for fungus and flexibacter. [7] When you purchase fish; First make sure all the fish in the aquarium are healthy (if the fish store has a centralized system [which I do not recommend], check ALL the aquariums). Second, float your fish in the bag for 30-60 minutes for temperature and osmotic stabilization, then open the bag and SLOWLY add your aquarium water to the bag. Third, dispose of the water in the bag to avoid contamination. Fourth, add a shock preventative like NovAqua, Start Right, ECT. Carl Strohmeyer http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/basic-aquarium-disease-prevention-73404.html
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Dec 02
A freshwater aquarium can be a great idea. Fish are relatively easy to care for but there are a few things to bear in mind before deciding which fish to get. Remember, first of all, that your aquarium should be left running for two weeks before introducing any fish, to let the good bacteria in your filter mature to a safe level for the fish.
Fish should be purchased from a reputable dealer or pet store. Fish won at fairgrounds rarely last! If the fish in the dealer’s shop tank look happy and there are no dead ones floating on the surface, they should be fine.
Try to get compatible fish. School fish tend to be compatible with one another. Examples include catfish, loaches, barbs, pearl and zebra danios, cardinal tetras or neons. A pair of catfish can control the algae but can also grow to be large fish, so ask in the pet store how big that particular breed can get. Also, they can be predatory and eat your other fish. Killifish can be hard to find but are good in a freshwater aquarium, especially for beginners. Oscars eat other fish and make a lot of mess, as do knife fish. Goldfish can suffer from many health problems and need a lower water temperature than many other fish so might be best avoided.
Some fish like a lot of greenery and plants so if your aquarium is to amuse a child, for example, it might be better to opt for the type of fish who prefer a few rocks, else you will not see much of the fish. They hide a lot.
Do not overcrowd your tank. Two inches of fish to every gallon of water is a good rule of thumb to bear in mind. Fish prefer square or rectangular tanks to spherical ones. Angel fish need a tank larger than ten gallons.
Do some research on the freshwater fish you prefer. You should find out about their special needs, whether chemical, temperature, compatibility-related or dietary.
You can get cold water aquariums, sub-tropical and tropical freshwater aquariums so make sure you know what temperature of water your fish likes and do not mix different species of fish if they like different temperatures.
Before adding a fish to your tank, you will need to quarantine it for a short period, to make sure it is healthy and not going to pass any illness to your other fish. Adding more than four fish at once can cause a chemical imbalance so add fish gradually, checking they remain healthy and settle in well, before adding more.
Renske Buursma
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/choosing-fish-for-your-freshwater-aquarium-137327.html
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Dec 01
These basics are intended for a marine fish aquarium (and basic Nano Reefs), not an advanced marine reef aquarium. A properly set up and maintained salt water aquarium can be relatively easy to keep, in fact, sometimes easier than some freshwater fish such as discus. These facts and opinions are based on my experience of keeping and professionally maintaining marine fish (and reef) aquariums for over 27 years with one of the largest aquarium maintenance companies in Los Angeles, California. NANO REEFS: For Nano reefs much of this basic information applies. I still recommend a UV sterilizer if it can be fitted to you nano reef (a small internal filter such as a Via Aqua 305 Internal Filter” connected to a compact UV works well) *Cured live rock is a must. *A fine #00 sand with a ½” layer of #3 sand on top works best in my opinion for cleaning and de-nitrification. *Water changes and regular checks of water parameters are a must (do not forget to check alkali reserve, the same as KH in FW). Water parameters change more rapidly in a Nano aquarium. *Two power compact light, changed every six months and cleaned regularly in between. They should be one daylight and one actinic or two 50/50. [1] Filtration; Good filtration is a must for a successful marine aquarium. There are many different filters available too. Canister filters are good for their capacity, but can become Nitrate factories is not rinsed very regularly. I do not recommend Fluvals due to their poor impeller design. Via Aqua. Eheim, Jebo, and Magnum are the ones I recommend. Wet/Dry filters are good, but usually are poor mechanical filters. The bio ball media in them also should be rinsed regularly in de-chlorinated water to prevent a buildup of organic material, increasing nitrates. Sump systems with live rock, plants, and sponge filters work well. The live rock is excellent for aerobic filtration (ammonia and nitrite removal) and anaerobic filtration (nitrate removal). The live plants and green algae are good for nitrogen fixing and phosphate removal. The sponge filter is a simple to clean aerobic bio-filter and mechanical filter. As for live rock, I strongly recommend using it. Make sure it is cured, many stores sell live rock right after it comes to them, and this is not cured live rock. Live rock arrives to the stores wrapped in newspaper and mostly dead by this time, it takes up to 6 weeks to fully cure live rock. Fully cured live rock has the benefit of containing aerobic and anaerobic bacteria; the later helps convert nitrates to nitrogen which is released harmlessly into the atmosphere. Cured live rock also contains many “creatures”, many of which are both interesting and beneficial. You may also create your own using rock high in calcium carbonate, or even dead coral skeletons by placing them under healthy cured live rock for a couple of months in a healthy aquarium (reef set ups are best for this). It is important to use very porous rock for the proper benefits of live rock Hang on back filters are very limited, but can be used too, especially if combined with other bio filters. Internal filters are also limited, but once again are good combined with others. Ecosystem mud filtration is effective for nitrate removal (due to the large colonies of anaerobic bacteria), they are much simpler to use than a protein Skimmer in my opinion (which I believe are over sold for fish aquaria). Unfortunately there are many stores pushing these systems as the end all of filtration, and they are not. They are a good part of a system, but should not be the only part. Good mechanical, other types of bio filtration, and especially germicidal filtration are also important. More on Nitrate Removal Filtration; (A) As mentioned above, Mud filters can be very useful for Nitrate removal; you can make a simple one with a HOB filter or sump aquarium. (With the HOB you must place the media in fine mesh or nylon filter bags so as to not cause damage to the impeller, also keep bags out of heavy flow area of filter). [1] First use a 2 cm layer of #3 gravel on top. [2] Then 5 cm of #00 sand. [3] Then you can make your own anaerobic mulm from top soil; rinse fine top soil in a 10/1 bleach solution, then rinse again until clean (you can add a de-chlorinator to remove bleach). This goes on the bottom of the sump in a layer about 2 cm thick. (B) Also as mentioned above; A lot of cured live rock is extremely helpful for nitrate removal (C) Plants or green algae (such as caulerpa algae) in aquarium or refugium. (D) Pre-Filters such as ATIs “Filter Max” on filter intakes; these are easily rinsed and remove organic matter before it can go thru the nitrogen cycle. (E) Protein Skimmers (F) Metal Halide lighting. I know this seems off subject, but I have found that Metal Halide lighting helps with nitrate levels, even when other filters are poor. I do not have scientific proof, but I believe the Redox potential (350 mV) this light helps maintain has a lot to do with this. Filter redundancy is also important, as filters/pumps can break down. Extra filters also increase bio and mechanical filtration. An economical combination would be a sponge filter, internal filter, and a hang on back (power filter). For more on filtration, please see this site: “Aquarium Filtration” [2] Lighting; A 10,000 K Daylight bulb is a start, better would be a 50/50 daylight/ 420nm actinic bulb, or better yet would be one of each. [3] Test Kits; an ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph, and KH (alkalinity) test kit are all important. [4] Water Chemistry; Start with a good marine salt and mix it to a specific gravity of 1.019- 1.021 for fish. Add trace elements and aquarium buffer. SeaChem makes an excellent product called Reef Calcium which maintains KH, adds bio available polygluconate complexed calcium. Many products available do not add both calcium and magnesium (such as Kalkwasser), and they are BOTH necessary together for proper chemistry and fish health. It should be noted, that unlike freshwater fish which absorb the water around them, marine fish drink the water constantly, which affects their internal body chemistry to the surrounding water. Maintain Ammonia and nitrites at 0, pH at 8.2-8.4, kH at 200 ppm, Nitrates below 20 ppm. Change water regularly using a gravel vacuum, especially in areas of waste accumulation, this will help maintain low nitrates. [5] UV Sterilization; UV Sterilizers are in my opinion, not essential, but are VERY important. UV Sterilizers help with disease prevention and also help maintain a proper Redox Potential (oxidation properties of water). The Redox Potential is often overlooked by many aquarists both SW and FW. For more information please see my article about “Aquarium UV Sterilization and how it works ” [6] Proper Fish and feeding; do not over crowd a marine aquarium. The amount of fish depends on the aquarium surface area and the type of fish. My article “Basic Aquarium Principles” addresses this subject. Feed your marine fish according to the type of food they naturally eat in the wild. Aquatic based foods such as HBH Marine Flake or Spirulina 20 Flake are good generic fish foods for Tangs, angels, clown fish, ECT. (Angels also need sponge in their diet). This is a basic article, for MUCH more information please see this large article with more resources, pictures, and marine information:
“AQUARIUM SALTWATER BASICS; Fish and Nano-Reef
” Carl Strohmeyer http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/saltwater-fish-and-nano-reef-basics-74012.html
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Nov 22
There is a large variety of freshwater tropical fish that you can add to your fish tank but my two favorites are Mollies and fancy guppies. These fish are livebearers meaning that instead of laying eggs, they give birth to a little tiny fish and they are, in fact, quite easy to breed even for a novice aquarist.
Mollies
A Molly is a great fish for a beginner hobbyist. These fish are fairly hearty and will withstand adversity and conditions well so if you make a mistake you can have a good chance of you for surviving. You want to be sure that you have a least a 15 gallon tank and you have a good heater as these fish like the temperature to be between 70 and 82°F.
There are two general types of Mollies to choose from the Sail fin and the short finned. Most typically what you will find a short finned Mollies – the Black Molly and the gold dust Molly at your pet store. This Sail fins are much larger than have a striking shape but are harder to care for.
Mollies can be fed the regular flake food that you find in the fish store but you might want to think about mixing in some freeze dried blood worms and even throwing in a few black worms or two for a treat. If your finish tank does not have a lot of algae you’ll want to also supplement their diet with spirulina flakes.
When keeping Mollies it’s important to have more females than males. other fish that will coexist good in a fish tank with mollies include the Plecostomus, Swordtails, Angelfish, Corydoras, Catfish, Silver Tip Tetras, Red Serapes and Black Skirts.
if given the proper environment and care Mollies can grow to be five inches long and live to be five years old.
Fancy Guppies
The male fancy guppy is beautiful with a long flowing tail light comes in a variety of beautiful colors – golds, greens, blues, Reds, blacks. The female, on the other hand is rather plain coming in grayish brown. Many people love the guppy is a freshwater tropical fish and keep tanks with several copies in them which really maximizes the beauty of their colors as they swim in a school.
if you plan on keeping, or maybe even breeding, fancied up these then you want to be sure to have a big enough tank to provide them with enough room in a good heater as they like it to be between 78 and 82°F.
On the whole, guppies are pretty easy to keep that you can feed them floating flake food supplemented with frozen brine tramp or freeze dried blood worms.
You want to keep twice as many females as males in your aquarium. You can also keep Neon Tetras, ghost shrimp, glass fish, gouramis, dwarf frogs and catfish. Given the right conditions guppies can grow to be about 2 inches long and live for around three years.
Both mollies in guppies will do better if you add a little bit of marine salt to your freshwater fish tank – just one tablespoon for every 5 gallons should do. You might be able to keep them in a fish tank together but just be aware that the larger mollies can attack the guppies.
Lee Dobbins
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/freshwater-tropical-fish-mollies-and-guppies-99321.html
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Nov 18
For fish to breed successfully in the aquarium, they must be healthy and feel that all conditions are right. Generally, it is difficult to breed fish caught in the wild, as they are much more demanding in their requirements, but usually even the most awkward types can be bred by expert aquarists. After the first few generations have been bred, further breeding is progressively less difficult, as the ‘easy breeders’ become selected out from the population.
Thus fish which, when first imported, commanded very high prices become quite cheap once the principles of breeding have been mastered. For example, the Neon and the Cardinal were originally very expensive and bred only and with great difficulty by the specialist, but now both are standard aquarium fishes, available everywhere at moderate prices, and easily bred.
Among the species which cannot be bred easily are those which become very large, and in which only the immature fish are kept in the aquarium. Some African Catfish fall into this category, as do many marine fish. Usually, however, breeding can be accomplished once the environment and biology of the fish are completely understood.
One curious factor in breeding is that, although the breeder can often select out natural mutations with unusual colors or long trailing fins, and develop new strains, sometimes the general quality deteriorates in captivity. For example, it is seldom possible to preserve the huge dorsal fin on the Sail fin molly or the bright colors of the Cichlid Apistogramma ramirezi when these fish are bred in captivity. Wild stock are larger, more robust and more brightly colored.
Breeding considerations have given rise to much of the interesting behavior of fish. Even coloring can be traced back to breeding needs. Often male and female fish are colored quite differently, and male fish may be brightly colored both to attract females and to frighten off rival males.
Most fish do not breed continually. The experienced eye can pick out fish which are pairing off as they reach peak condition for breeding. The sides of the fish fill out, and females, packed with eggs, become especially plump. Coloring becomes generally more intense, and males may display to the females with rigidly out-stretched fins. When spawning is imminent, there is often a change in the fishes’ behavior: they tend to become very active and to explore possible spawning sites.
The sexual organs of fish are relatively simple, consisting of paired, elongated organs lying along the abdominal cavity these organs produce either eggs or sperm (milt). Nearly all fish shed both eggs and milt together into the water, where fertilization takes place. However, a few ,are live-bearers; that is, the male introduces his milt into the female, who retains the fertilized eggs and gives birth to live young. The Guppy is the best known of these fish.
Fish eggs are thin-walled and delicate, and are eaten greedily by most species, many consuming even their own spawn. Various special techniques have been evolved to ensure the survival of fishes’ eggs or, at least, of enough of them to ensure the continuation of the species. Indeed, the method evolved by most fishes is to produce such huge quantities of eggs that some are bound to survive.
These egg scatterers are usually shoaling fish, which spawn in a group. Our common river fish are of this type, and so are their exotic relatives which are kept in the aquarium. Fishes like Barbs, Danios and Rasboras all scatter their eggs among plants. Sometimes the eggs are sticky, and become attached to the plants; others simply drop to the bottom.
Daniel Millions
http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/how-to-successfully-breed-fish-500208.html
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Nov 16
Easy to maintain. No more massive cleaning. Fish can navigate from bottom to top aquarium through the opening outlet without restriction. Effective submersible box filter helps to maintain clear water. Waterfall on left is to provide extra oxygenation. ROLE OF BACTERIA IN THE NITROGEN CYCLE Many different kinds of bacteria are present in our bodies and throughout the environment, including water. There are aerobic (good) bacteria, which require oxygen, and anaerobic (bad) bacteria, which do not require oxygen. The bacteria in the aquarium will establish themselves on all the surfaces that are suitable for them to live on. These include the gravel, ornaments, tank walls and more importantly, the filter, where a majority of them will accumulate. Aerobic bacteria need three things to survive: a habitat, food and oxygen. The filter contains a medium that provides a large surface area on which bacteria colonies can establish themselves. The water flowing through the filter provides them with good food and oxygen. Food is derived from the decaying organic material in the water column ( uneaten food, fish waste, decaying plant matter). And the movement of flowing water will permit gaseous exchanges to occur, and as a result, oxygen to be produced. Normally, it takes the good bacteria approximately six to eight to be properly established before they can cope with a new aquarium’s bio-load. The environment in a newly set-up aquarium is a sterile one. At this point, there simply any enough good bacteria to take on the bio-load. Therefore the amount of fish and food added to it should be limited, until adequate bacteria colonies are established. The first bacteria that develop are the nitrosomonas, which are hardy and efficient. Once established, these bacteria ingest and break down ammonia into nitrite — this process occurs in the first stage of the nitrogen cycle. Ammonia, a by-product derived from the decomposition of the organic matter, is extremely toxic to fish. Its level will peak then decline, as the growing population of nitrosomonas feed on it. In the next stage of the cycle, bacteria called nitrobacter will in turn ingest the nitrite and convert it into nitrate, which is the least toxic form of the three by-products. However, unlike nitrosomonas, nitrobacter are slower to develop and less hardy. As they are not as robust and easily affected by chemical treatments and changes in water quality. In nature, plants and algae absorb nitrate for use in metabolic processes: but in an aquarium, it is almost impossible to have a large enough number of plants to absorb the entire nitrate in it. Therefore, the best way to remove nitrate and keep the environment stable is through regular water change. For more infor call 98584206 Mr. Ho (Singapore) or email hsk_7@Hotmail.com. Thank you….. For more video search for .. FISHFREEDOM
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