Pets Ezine

Goldfish Care - Learn The Basics To Happy, Healthy Goldfish

2008-11-17T17:28:00.000-08:00

Goldfish Care - Learn The Basics To Happy, Healthy Goldfish was written by Mark A. Lewis from famousbymorning.com

So you've decided to bring a new life into your world, and no it's not a baby, it's a goldfish!

Growing up, many people had a goldfish as their first live pet, and their first dead pet too. Too many times have parents been required to flush poor Goldie down the toilet, only to replace him with a new fish before anyone had the chance to notice.

Goldfish care is assumed to be low maintenance and easy. Get a bowl, fill it with water, toss in some fish flakes and you're done right? Not quite. Before you even choose your new friend, you should be aware that goldfish have special needs and preferences that, if addressed, will help to prevent the creation of a goldfish graveyard in your toilet.

For starters, goldfish are social creatures and are happiest in groups of up to 5 fish. The tank should be big enough to accommodate the group and a 5-10 gallon tank (per goldfish) should provide adequate living space.

Choosing a tank can be almost as complicated as buying a car, there are so many flashy and expensive models! But the tank you buy should be in the best interest of your pet. Rectangular tanks allow for more horizontal swimming room, while the shape maximizes the surface area for oxygen levels.

The location of your goldfish's home should be away from windows and draughts, in a room with a stable temperature, away from loud noises, strong smells and wild children/animals. Remember location, location, location!

The décor of your tank is just as important to your goldfish's health as food and cleanliness. It should include a layer of gravel on the bottom, ornaments, plants (real or fake), a filtration system and any other fish related product that your fishy friend might enjoy. A gravel layer of 2-3 inches is recommended to help remove old food and fish droppings from your fish's living and swimming area. Gravel should be rinsed and checked for sharp edges.

Ornaments and plants provide great hiding and sleeping places for your fish pal. Think of ornaments as fish furniture, it's not a necessity, but it sure makes living a lot more enjoyable.

Filtration helps to keep your fish tank clean and for 2 or more fish, a mechanical filter is necessary. The gravel at the bottom of the tank acts as a natural filter, but can only handle so much abuse. Therefore, it is important to choose the right filter for your tank, and there are plenty to choose from.

Once you've got your equipment, be sure to set it up about two weeks prior to introducing Goldie to his new home. The gravel, ornaments and anything else being added to the tank should be washed and checked for sharp edges. Letting the tank to settle for two weeks allows for the pH levels to regulate, the water to oxygenate, and bacteria to grow, thus creating a happy and natural environment for your tank's new tenant.

Proper care will ensure a long and joyful life for your new best friend.

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Goldfish 101

2008-11-17T13:28:00.000-08:00

Goldfish 101 was written by William Berg from aquaticcommunity.com

Goldfish are hardy freshwater fish. While most people know about them, they do not necessarily know all about them. This article attempts to tell you a lot more. They originated from the Gibal Carp. Over the past 2000 years, beginning in China, Goldfish were the result of breeding and early genetic like experimentation. Unlike many other species, various genetic traits can be changed over 3-4 generations with Goldfish.

Wild "Goldfish" live in an environment of ponds, lakes, and other water holes and can be found in Moving and still water ranging from 50 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit / 10 to 32 degrees Celsius. The largest types of goldfish can grow to be upwards of 12 inches/ 30 cm and with weights around 5 ½ pounds / 2.5 Kg.

In the wild, their colors tend to be darker and paler which seems to be a direct result of the amount of light in their environment. Their colors actually include gold, bronze, and pink. They have a couple sub-hues of the sort too, metallic and calico.

It is time to shatter a myth, a dream about keeping goldfish. Those cute little bowls that are often sold containing goldfish are not the right environment for Goldfish. They need more room, as they can grow large and need high oxygen levels in the water. Something that is hard to maintain in a bowl. Small aquarium tanks are never wise for aquarists, as they can have more drastic (and fast) changes in the water quality. This means that the water very fast can turn toxic and kill your goldfish. You sometime hear people being proud that my new goldfish has lived for 3 or 6 month or something like that. A six month old goldfish is really nothing to be proud of as these fish can become 30 and even 40 years old with the proper care.

For a Goldfish aquarium tank, it is advisable to have a tank with a lot of surface area as that allows more water contact with the air which means more oxygen in the water. For every inch of Goldfish, you should have 30 square inches of surface area. Do not forget that they will grow, and some variety can become as large a foot / 30 cm.

Goldfish should be kept in freshwater and can in some areas be taken directly from the tap. Check with a local fish store to se if the water in your area is good enough to house fish in and use a good water preparation chemical. Make sure that new water that you add to the aquarium keeps the same temperature as the old water in the aquarium. You should always let your aquarium stand for about a week after first adding water to it before adding any fish. This process is called cycling and makes the water more suitable to support life.

Gravel on the bottom is wise, as it will help the Goldfish to feel more at home. About 1/8 inch is good. It is a good idea to avoid dyed gravel, as it might have contaminants that your Goldfish will not appreciate in terms of health.

Filtration are not, with good water changes, as necessary for Goldfish as they are with many other fish, though still a good idea and strongly recommended, as it will make your task a bit simpler and help you keep the water conditions good. The filtration will also start a current which increase the oxygen levels in the aquarium tank which is beneficial Oxygenating is a good thing as well. It will help release some harmful chemicals in the water, and helps oxygenate the water as well. A simple air stone, and pump for your Goldfish will help them live happier and healthier, and the cost are worth every penny of it.

Goldfish, like most other fish, do enjoy some environment to play in. Places to hide and find shade in. One other aspect, it is wise to have at least 2 goldfish, as they do like company. Loners in the fish world probably are not that much different from those in the human one. Do not leave your precious pet alone without someone to play with. Make sure all things in the tank are meant to be in a fish tank, and that they are clean, so they don’t add harmful chemicals. Don’t use any detergents to clean the fish tank and/or any part of decoration and equipment.

Lighting will help the fish to maintain the best color. Florescent Normal Output bulbs do well for Goldfish, although high output bulbs can make your goldfish colors look and be even brighter.

You should take care bringing the Goldfish home. Darkness, room temperature, and gentleness are a great idea, as they will help lessen the stress on the goldfish during the move. Another aspect is that it is wise to dim the lights before adding them to the tank to further reduce stress. Before releasing them into the tank you should let the bag float on top of the aquarium for a while. (At least 15 minutes) you should thereafter open the bag and but about a cup of water in it and than wait another 15 minutes. You should repeat this process 4 times before you release you fish in their new home. This will give the goldfish the possibility to slowly adept to the new water conditions.

Once things are up and running, you should change some of the water in the tank weekly. This helps remove stale water and clean out some debris. You should siphon about 15% of the water out and from the bottom at the gravel where the debris fall. Then replace the removed water with the fresh water, make sure that the new water has the same temperature as the water in the aquarium. If the water changes causes big changes in the water values it might stress the Goldfish.

Goldfish have special nutritional needs that are often available as "Goldfish Food." For example, Goldfish need more carbohydrates in their diet than many other fish species. It is wise to only add enough food for them to eat fully in 5 or 10 minutes. Any more will likely be waste resting at the bottom and worsen the water quality. It is better to feed them 2-3 times a day then it is once a day.

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Aquarium - How To Select The Right Tank And Fish

2008-11-17T09:28:00.000-08:00

Aquarium - How To Select The Right Tank And Fish was written by Jeanine Hughes from freeaquarium.com

Fish make excellent pets. You don't have to have anyspecial skills for them. You need only have the right fishand equipment, and then give them the right care.

As a dry spectator to their watery world, you can actuallylower your stress levels - their bright colors and gracefulmovements have a calming effect. You can enjoy them if youhave very little space, or if you haven't time for moredemanding pets.

There are two types of aquariums: fresh water and saltwater. Because fresh water aquariums are much easier tomaintain than salt water tanks, creating a tropical freshwater fish community is the best place to start.

When choosing the tank, you will need to consider twothings in particular. 1) Where the tank will fit in your home, because that is adeterminant of the size of the tank. 2) The water surface area of the tank, which determinesthe number of fish you can have.

In general, it doesn't matter how deep your tank is somuch as how much water surface area the tank shape creates.This is because fish need oxygen, and it comes to themthrough the water's surface. If you overcrowd a tank, thefish can suffocate!

The following formula will help you decide on the righttank for the number of fish you'd like to have, given thespace in your home that's available for the tank. Forevery inch of fish body length, you'll need 12 squareinches of surface water area.

So, let's say you have two one-inch Neon Tetras. That's 2linear inches of fish times 12 square inches of watersurface apiece, which equals 24 total square inches ofwater surface needed for the Tetras to have enough oxygen.

A 5-inch by 6-inch rectangular tank would create 30 squareinches of surface. That would support those two Tetrasnicely, but wouldn't be big enough for three of them.

Once you've thought about the size of tank you have spaceto fit in your home, and you've figured out how many fishbody inches that tank can support, the next step is toselect the fish you'd like to have for your aquariumcommunity. Think this through before you start buying thefish.

Fish behavior is ultimately more important to yourdecisions than color and size. You are creating acommunity of living creatures in which all members areforced to live, so plan ahead to save some of your petsfrom becoming another pet's dinner.

Each type of fish will prefer a different water levelwithin the tank. Here are just a couple of your manychoices among many tropical fresh water fish families.

The Anabantid Family. This is the family of the famousand popular Siamese Fighting Fish. Since the males willfight to the death, it is critical that you only have onemale per tank. In the same family is the calm and peacefulGourami, which grow from 1 to 5 inches. The stunning GoldGourami and the Kissing Gourami are two types.

The Characin Family. This fish family includes everythingfrom the tiny neon tetra to the piranha - which is not arecommended pet! The beautiful tetras, however, areexcellent for aquariums. They prefer the middle level ofthe tank. The Hatchet Fish prefer the upper water levels.

There are species in the Characin Family for every waterlevel. You will need groups of at least 4 fish for theschooling Characins to perform satisfactory schoolingbehaviors.

Careful selection will make your tank interesting andvariable. Do your homework before you start buying thefish, and you will have long-term pleasure in the communityyou've created.

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Wanting To Keep Tropical Fish

2008-11-17T05:28:00.000-08:00

Wanting To Keep Tropical Fish was written by Robert Mellor from aquarium--fish.blogspot.com

So you want to keep tropical fish and have a stunning aquarium sitting in your living room or anywhere else in your house for that matter. Maybe you wish to breed topical fish in the future as a hobby or even make a living from it. If your thinking of getting tropical fish then there is a few rules you must obey in order for it to be an exciting, stress free experience you will enjoy and not regret.

The first thing you need to do is take it slow and plan. There are so many things that can go wrong with tropical fish if you don't plan and research. You will not know which fishes are going to live together without chaos and you need to know what water conditions and equipment some species require. You need to know which tropical fish will breed easily and which only experts should attempt.

The best thing you could do is research into keeping tropical fish so then you can plan your course of action. One of the best books I have come across is Tropical Fish Secrets which you can find out more about by going to my tropical fish blog.

Keeping tropical fish can be a very relaxing, rewarding hobby but it can also become stressful if you don't get the right advice so be sure to check that book out.

If you already have in mind where you want the aquarium to go then please make sure it meats these few requirements:

It is not in direct sunlight. This is important as the temperature can become too warm.
It is on a level, hard surface. Water weighs a lot and the surface needs to be very strong that it is on. It also needs to be level so the water level will be level
It is main an electrical socket. You don’t want wires laying on the ground so make sure you have got a couple of spare sockets near by.

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Tropical Fish For Beginners

2008-11-17T01:28:00.000-08:00

Tropical Fish For Beginners was written by William Berg from aquaticcommunity.com

Keeping tropical fish is a fascinating hobby that has been enjoyed for centuries in different parts of the world. The Romans kept live anemones in saltwater jars, but never succeeded in keeping these beautiful creatures alive for any longer period of time in captivity. They were however much more successful with keeping eels in aquariums, and some sources claim that certain types of eels reached an age of up to 60 years when kept by the Romans. In South East Asia, the first fish keepers had their fish in ponds, not in aquariums. The first domesticated species were probably carps and all of today’s fancy goldfish types actually hail from a wild carp that can still be found in Asian rivers and streams.

If you want your fish to thrive like the Asian carps instead of quickly vanish like the Roman anemones, it is important that you take the time to learn the basics about fish keeping and aquarium maintenance before you set up your first aquarium. By obtaining the basic information before you go about, you will save yourself a lot of time, money and effort in the long run since you will be able to avoid the common beginner mistakes. One common beginner mistake is for instance to purchase a very small aquarium, thinking that a large one is much more difficult to manage. The truth is however that the mega-sized show aquariums that you can see in your fish store are easier to maintain than your tiny 5 gallon tank. In a small aquarium, there will be a very little amount of water. If a fish dies in a large aquarium, the pollution will be diluted by gallons and gallons of water. If a fish dies in your 5 gallon aquarium, the carcass may very well pollute your entire tank before you even notice the demise and remove the body from the water. I therefore recommend the beginner aquarist to choose at least a 10 gallon aquarium, and a 30 gallon aquarium is ideal. Avoid extraordinary deep aquariums since they are more difficult to clean. A very deep aquarium can also become a problem if you want to introduce plants to your aquarium, since you might have to install extra strong lights that are capable of penetrating the deep water all the way down to the plants at the bottom of the aquarium.

Filling up your aquarium with water and then promptly add all your fish at once is extremely unadvisable since the aquarium is ready to accommodate that many fishes. An aquarium is actually a miniature ecosystem and fish is not the only thing inhabiting it. Your fish will produce plenty of waste products (chiefly fish poop) that will eventually begin to build up in the aquarium. It is naturally not very healthy for fish to swim around in there own feces, but fortunately enough there exists a certain type of bacteria that can convert waste products from fish into compounds that are less unhealthy. Fish poop contains a high level of ammonia, and ammonia is also excreted via the gills of your fish. Ammonia is harmful to fish and also can turn extremely poisonous if your aquarium experience a sudden change in water chemistry that pushes the pH level above 7.5. If you allow populations of suitable bacteria to establish in your aquarium before you introduce all your fish, the bacteria will convert the ammonia into nitrite.

Nitrate is also very unhealthy and high levels of nitrite will kill your fish, but fortunately enough there is another type of bacteria that will love to live in your aquarium and that will change the nitrite into a less harmful compound – nitrate. Nitrate is less dangerous than ammonia and nitrite, but high levels of nitrate will be unhealthy for your fish. There are unfortunately no beneficial bacteria to aid you here, and you must instead remove the nitrate by performing regular water changes. Changing 25 percent of the water once a week is a good rule of thumb, but some aquariums require more frequent water changes. When you are trying to establish your new aquarium or if you are experiencing problems with the water quality, smaller and more frequent water changes are advisable.

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Aquarium Supplies Part 2 -- My First Experience With Goldfish

2008-11-16T21:28:00.000-08:00

Aquarium Supplies Part 2 -- My First Experience With Goldfish was written by Jonathan Wangsa from coolinfolounge.com

If you are seriously considering keeping fish as pets or are just starting out, I would like to stress again the importance of having some basic knowledge about aquariums and fish keeping in order to enjoy the hobby for a significant length of time and to avoid frustrations and disappointments.

In the first article I illustrated this by sharing my own childhood experience with bettas, and now I shall share my experience with goldfish.

While I still had my bettas I also wanted to keep some goldfish since I also found them attractive and interesting. My mom was reluctant to buy me some since I already had the bettas but she finally gave in and bought me a pair of "telescope" goldfish.

At the time I didn't have a real aquarium yet so we put the goldfish in a large jar (about 1 gallon). One of our neighbors told us that goldfish wouldn't tolerate chlorine and therefore, we should not use tap water. They happened to have a well and offered to let us use the water for my goldfish.

I soon noticed that the fish were constantly gasping for air at the surface. They also refused to eat. After a couple of days the water started to become cloudy, so I changed it totally. However, the fish still refused to eat and continued to gasp for air. Not long after that they became lethargic and eventually died.

My mom said probably "telescope" goldfish just weren't hardy enough and not easy to keep. However, I had not given up on goldfish yet, so I asked if I could try to keep other kinds and hopefully would have better luck. My parents eventually consented but my dad suggested that I get a real aquarium instead of putting the fish in a jar. You can imagine how elated I was that finally I was going to have a real aquarium.

So we went out and bought a 10 gallon aquarium and a few goldfish at the same time. I believe we bought 4 fish: a couple of medium sized "comets" and a pair of "pearl scales." We didn't buy them at a store, though. It was more like a wholesale type of place where there were plenty of different sellers selling their aquariums and fish. Again, at the time neither my mom nor I knew much about fish keeping. So we didn't buy any supplies for the aquarium. Just the tank and fish. That was it!

When we got home I filled up the aquarium with untreated tap water and immediately put the fish in. I was so excited to see the goldfish swim around in the tank, but that didn't last long. In a few hours the fish were no longer lively. They sort of stayed at the bottom and didn't move very much.

When my dad saw them he said they probably lacked oxygen and suggested that we go out and buy an air pump to aerate the tank. I had only seen aerated aquariums in places like public aquariums and fancy restaurants and thought that an air pump had to be very expensive, but my dad said it would be OK.

So my mom and I went to a fish store to look for an air pump. Besides the pump we also needed something to hook the plastic tube on to and hold it in place. We chose to get a frog ornament for that purpose (the air would come out of the frog's mouth). All the stuff didn't really cost too much.

As soon as we got home we hooked everything up and air started flowing into the aquarium. Like magic, within a couple of minutes the fish started to "wake up" and finally became lively again. My dad said, "I told you so!"

The air pump was about the only supply we bought for the aquarium. Having beautiful and lively goldfish in my very own aquarium was good enough for me. I loved them so much that I also fed them too much. I was happy to watch them eat. As you can imagine though, the water got dirty very quickly that I had to change it every day.

One day a friend of ours told us that we shouldn't be changing the water daily since it wouldn't be good for the fish. Also, in the mean time I had read somewhere that if you wanted to use tap water you should set it aside for a few days to get rid of the chlorine. Therefore, I set aside a bucket of water and changed 3/4 of the water about every 3 days.

I was able to enjoy the goldfish for a few months before one of them got sick and died and the others followed soon after. I was extremely sad and because of that my dad told me I couldn't buy any more fish. So, after all my fish died my hobby came to a sad end. Well, at least for a while.

Again, there is a take-home lesson here: if you're serious about having your own aquarium, there's some basic knowledge you need to possess before you even buy the aquarium and fish. You don't have to know everything there is to know about the hobby, but at least for the sake of the fish, you should understand a few things (such as how many fish you can have in a tank, how much to feed them, what kinds of aquarium supplies to have, and what kinds of maintenance you need to perform, just to name a few) that are crucial to their well being.

If you're an expert you most likely picked up on the things I did wrong in the story I shared above. If you're a beginner or just thinking about getting started with this hobby, I invite you to visit my web site (see below) to learn more.

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Causes And Solutions Of Frequent Aquarium Fish Deaths

2008-11-16T17:28:00.000-08:00

Causes And Solutions Of Frequent Aquarium Fish Deaths was written by John Morris from aquariumfish.aquariumspot.com

Aquarium tank fish death is one of the common challenges faced by aquarists. There are number of factors that could be responsible for the deaths experienced. These are outlined briefly below:

The aquarist selection of fish.
The removal and packing of the fish from the pet shop
Transport time and period and the handling of the fish in transit
Quarantine procedure.
Adjustment and adaptation into the new community or environment by the new fish.

When buying fish from the pet shop always spend some time at the place to inquire about the life history and habits of the new purchase. You can then make a selection from collection of the same species. Never buy the last specimen in reserve at any shop because if it had been a good specimen, you would not have met it there in the first instance.

Always form the habit of making your fish purchase during the cool periods of the day, preferably before 12 noon or after 4.30pm.

These are the only periods I can guarantee for fish comfort. This restriction is borne out of my observation that most pet shops and aquarists alike do not seem to care about insulation of the fish against temperature fluctuations after gassing them in a polythene.

When making your fish selection from the pet shop be sure the attendant has the expertise to pick fish out from a selection. This you can know through the swiftness with which your choice fish is removed out of the selection.

Reject a fish that has been chased around, gasping for breath... It is week already! Chances are that it gives up with the further stress that accompanies the transportation of the fish.

Make sure that your new purchase is quarantined. That's a single factor that affects fish survival as pets.

Another thing to watch out for in a newly installed tank is the quantity of food: very little of this should be given during the fist three weeks. Mind you! I am not suggesting that you should not give them food at all, because without food, no bacterial flora forms. The food supply to the bacteria should be increased only very gradually.

Fish keepers with old functional aquariums should avoid general cleaning that is washing of sand/gravel, scrubbing of tank wall and complete water changes so as not to disturb the bacterial flora.

When you have to service, it should just be the removal of the mulm and dead leaves sufficient to ensure adequate flow through the filter and no more. The bad habit of replacing the entire filter material or the soiled part with fresh materials is detrimental to fish life. Most bacterial live in the sludge at the bottom of the tank, so don't throw them away.

Many pet shops that operate a house-to-house maintenance routine on aquariums are used to the habit of complete overhaul which invariably lead to fish death. I have met many people who have said, "I used to service my tank myself. On close scrutiny I discovered that he indulge in the unforgivable habit of washing the aquarium with detergents!"

In real life situation, no one can attest to having experienced a complete overhaul of a river bed. The only thing that happens during heavy rains or flood is the partial/complete change of the water body. The bed, sand and gravel components get cleaned but not overhauled.

This is nature's method of 'servicing' the fish's natural environment. So why don't we all adopt nature's method. Professional aquatic pet dealer’s service aquariums in the same way, and to the committed aquarist, I will advice you to do this yourself!

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Tumors In Tropical Fish

2008-11-16T13:28:00.000-08:00

Tumors In Tropical Fish was written by Nate Jamieson from TropicalFishIsland.com

Tropical fish are like other species in many respects, and that includes the fact that they have diseases or disorders that may resemble those of other animals, but are specific to the fish themselves. One good example is tumors.

Just as humans, cats or dogs may get cancer or other types of tumors, so can tropical fish. The main difference is that treatment in fish is nearly impossible, depending on the type and location of the mass. Not only are they difficult to handle where a human can have clear visual access to them, but such things as surgery are basically out of the question.

Tumors generally show themselves as a lump under or on the skin of fish. These are a distinct bump or lump, as opposed to the white fluff of skin diseases. For the most part, tumors are benign, although it's possible for one to grow so large that the fish's quality of life declines and you may have to euthanize them.

One type of tumor that does have some success with treatment, is the kind that forms under the skin of the gill, causing it to remain open. The cause of this is usually a thyroid malfunction. Remove the fish to a hospital tank, and add 1 milligram of potassium iodine for every gallon of water. Improvement can be slow, and the full course of treatment can take up to four weeks.

Internal tumors can be quite advanced before the fish shows any signs, such as a swelling of the abdomen. These cases are invariably fatal, with the rapid growth causing the fish to lose its ability to swim or eat, at which time you should consider euthanasia.

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Fishing For A New Aquarium?

2008-11-16T09:28:00.000-08:00

Fishing For A New Aquarium? was written by Charles Kassotis from aquariumcart.com

According to one source, more than 60 million people around the world keep aquariums for fun or profit. These can range from a small glass desktop model to a multi-ton commercial design that is part of a museum or water park tour. Most homeowners, however, are looking for a conveniently sized aquarium that will mesh with their lifestyle without causing much extra work or expense. Here are some things to keep in mind when you shop for a home or office aquarium.

How much space do you have? The size of aquarium you decide to purchase will be based on the amount of area you can afford to designate to this area. You might have just enough space on a bookshelf for a glass or heavy plastic globe that can be easily cleaned and managed. Or you might want to fill in space behind an office wall with a room-size aquarium. There are table models and stand-alone designs that can fit into a corner or become the center of attention in any room. Keep in mind that along with space considerations, you will need to allocate resources to clean and care for your new aquarium.
How much time can you spare? If you love pets and don’t mind caring for your fish, the bigger, the better might be your motto for choosing an aquarium. But if you want a fish tank that can pretty much take care of itself except for those routine cleanings on a weekly or monthly basis, you want may want scale down your plan to purchase a fish bowl that is easy to manage. Keep in mind that you also will need to purchase cleaning supplies and restocking items as part of an ongoing care program for your aquarium.
How much does an aquarium mean to you? Do you want to set up an attractive display to incite casual interest, or do you plan to spend time each day watching your fish and other aquarium creatures as a means of enjoyment or relaxation? If the former, choose a basic set-up that will not be difficult to manage. But if the latter, you may want to add colorful sand, shells, pebbles, and plants to make your ecosystem attractive and functional. Your aquarium can become a creative endeavor when you have the time to spend with it.
How much help will you get? If you are the main person who will be responsible for checking, cleaning, and maintaining the aquarium, give some thought to your schedule, your priorities, and your reason for having an aquarium. If it will not play much of a role in your daily routine, don’t spend a lot of money for a system that you may not have the means to enjoy.

A fish tank can add pleasure and beauty to your surroundings. Remember that fish and other aquarium creatures need special attention to keep them healthy and thriving. Size your aquarium system accordingly.

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Colours, Shapes And Sizes Make For Different Types Of Goldfish

2008-11-16T05:28:00.000-08:00

Colours, Shapes And Sizes Make For Different Types Of Goldfish was written by Mark A. Lewis from famousbymorning.com

The types of goldfish vary, and the characteristics that make this diversity evident are recognized in their scale colouring, the shape and size of the goldfish, the look of their tails, and of course, by their different names. Nevertheless, regardless of how one goldfish may look, or if it has a different title from the next, all goldfish come from the same family, originating from the gibel carp found in the streams of China.

The only reason why there are so many unique looking types of goldfish is because they have been purposely bread to look different.

Why? It may or may not come as a surprise to you but appearance matters to goldfish enthusiasts, and may be something you will want to consider yourself when looking at the types of goldfish that are available on the market.

For instance, did you know that goldfish are available in more colours than just gold? In fact, there are goldfish that are coloured yellow, red, bronze, blue and even black! What's more is there are some goldfish that have a mixture of colours in their scales. However, although goldfish scales can come in more than one shade, hue, or splash of colour, many types of goldfish are also categorized by their tails.

There are four types of goldfish tail categories that you can consider when selecting your goldfish. The four categories include the single tailed, double tailed, double tailed without dorsal fin, and the double tailed with dorsal fin. While each type of goldfish in these categories has differences within their own groups based on their colour, body and fin size, the one feature which remains constant within their grouping is their shape. Take for example the single tailed goldfish, which has three goldfish within its category: Comets, Commons and Shubunkins. Although each of these types of goldfish has a slender body shape, Comets generally have gold scales and a long single fin tail, whereas the Shubunkins is bigger in size, and has calico coloured (a mix of violet, orange red and black) scales.

Aside from these noted differences, you will discover that the single tailed goldfish, as well as the double tailed goldfish, share the same slender body shape characteristic; while both the double tailed goldfish with the dorsal fin and those without, feature an egg shaped body. Moreover, the double tailed with the dorsal fin, and those double tailed without the dorsal fin are unique types of goldfish that have exotic characteristics. Some of these characteristics include a wen (head growth) seen in the Oranda and Pearlscale goldfish, and telescope eyes, as seen in the Telescope and Moors goldfish.

As you can see, there are many aspects to consider when it comes to choosing from the different available types of goldfish. Just remember, depending on the fish you want, certain care methods will be required that are based on different characteristics for each of the goldfish types.

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Lungfish - An Unusual Pet

2008-11-16T01:28:00.000-08:00

Lungfish - An Unusual Pet was written by William Berg from lungfish.info

Lungfish can survive in poorly aerated waters since they have lungs which make its possible for them to obtain oxygen directly from the air. The lungs are related to those in primitive amphibian animals. Today, there are six known Lungfish species in world, but they used to be much more common. Lungfish have been around since the Lower Devonian era and during earlier stages of the planets history there existed much more than six lungfish species. Those species that have survived have changed little since the Lower Devonian age. The Australian lungfish have for instance looked pretty much the same during the last 100 million years.

Today, you will find wild Lungfish in Africa, South America and Australia. The African and South American Lungfish species all belong to the family Lepidosirenidae, while the Australian Lungfish has its own family – the Ceratodidae. As mentioned earlier, all Lungfish species are capable of breathing oxygen from the air. Other shared features are their large, elongated and snakelike bodies. They are also predators and will eat pretty much anything that they manage to catch. Fish is their staple food, but they will happily also gulp down crustaceans, larger insects and other aquatic creatures. They are very robust and can survive in waters shunned by most other fish species. If you want to keep Lungfish in your aquarium you should however avoid the highest pH-values. Before you buy a Lungfish for your aquarium should consider their size. The largest Lungfish is one of the African lungfish species, a fish which can reach a maximal size of 2 metres / 6 feet which makes it unsuitable for hobbyist aquariums. Even the smaller Lungfish species grow very large and should only be housed in huge tanks.

In Africa, you will find four different Lungfish species. Protopterus annectens is the most popular species among aquarists. The three other ones are Protopterus aethiopicus, Protopterus amphibious and Protopterus dolloi. You should never get an African lungfish unless your aquarium is very large, since they grow rapidly. As long as you can provide them with enough space, they are however though fishes that will tolerate a wide range of water conditions. They will eat all sorts of food. Even though they are predatory fish, it is not very hard to make them accept dry and frozen foods. When kept on a diet of prepared food they will still appreciate occasional live treats. This means that your African lungfish should ideally be housed alone since it will happily devour any tank mates. If the other fish is too large to swallow, the African lungfish will simply bite chunks out of it until it is fully consumed.

On the South American continent you will only find one Lungfish, Lepidosiren paradoxa. This Lungfish can also be kept in aquariums and its requirements are very similar to the African lungfish species. Just like its African cousins, it must be given plenty of room. Lepidosiren paradoxa can reach a maximal size of 1.2 meters / 4 feet.

The Australian Lungfish, Neoceratodus forsteri, can also be kept in aquariums but you should be aware of the fact that they are CITES listed. You are only allowed to by Australian Lungfish from licensed breeders and if you live anywhere outside Australia it can be hard to get exportation and importation licenses. The Australian Lungfish is also known as Queensland Lungfish.

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Skin And Gill Flukes In Tropical Fish

2008-11-15T21:28:00.000-08:00

Skin And Gill Flukes In Tropical Fish was written by Nate Jamieson from TropicalFishIsland.com

While parasites of various types are often responsible for fish rubbing themselves against objects in the tank, sometimes to the point of causing raw skin, it can be difficult to identify which parasite it is, unless you have a very good visual of it.

In the case of skin fluke, which is a parasitic flatworm, they are unlikely to show themselves to the extent where you would be able to remove them manually as you can with leeches or fish lice. One of the common denominators they have with other parasite infections, is they can cause redness of skin, but so can rubbing against stones and wood. However, skin fluke also causes a fading of color, and because the treatment is common to other types of parasites, you are best to go with a general medication, such as Droncit or formalin baths, when unsure whether it is skin fluke or not. Remove severely affected fish to a hospital tank.

The standard treatments of adding 1 tbs. of aquarium salt to a daily change of water in the home aquarium, and raising the tank temperature by four degrees also applies. This is used for most parasites, including gill fluke, which has more obvious and visual symptoms.

Gill fluke is a worm that specifically attacks the gill membranes, causing them to turn red and acquire a coating of slime that makes it difficult to breathe. Fish will hang at the water's surface, gasp, and lose weight rapidly. The same tank treatments as skin fluke can be used, but with gill fluke, removing to a hospital tank and adding short baths in either formalin, salt or ammonium hydroxide to the regimen will help kill what is on the fish, and you can then treat their environment.

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Introduction To Clownfish

2008-11-15T17:28:00.000-08:00

Introduction To Clownfish was written by Keith Quince from saltwater-fish-tanks.com

Introduction To Clownfish

Clown fish are known technically as Anemonefishes and are a subfamily of damselfish, in the pomacentridae family. There are 26 unique species of 'Clownfish', 25 of them being in the Amphiprion genus and only 1 in the Premnas genus. They are typically a small fish, mature males only growing anywhere from 2 to 5 inches in length.

Habitat

Clownfish are only found in the tropical waters of the Indian or Pacific oceans, and the Red sea. These climits provide a suitable environment for enemonefishes due to their warm temperatures. Clownfish tend to be bottom dwellers, and most notably reside in inshore reefs, specifically inside sea anemones. The anemone provides protection for the Clownfish both by enabling the fish to hide, and with it's poisonus tenticles, keeping other fish away. There is no definite information why the Clownfish is not stung by the anemone, but many theories exist.

Prey or Preditor?

In nature a clownfish will attract it's pray by swiming around it's anemone and displaying it's bright colors. Once the victim, all the time thinking that he is the preditor, begins to aproach, the clownfish will recede into the anemone with his prey following closely behind. The sea anemone once in contact with the 'preditor' will sting, kill, and begin to eat the prey. This leaves the leftovers for the Clownfish to snack on. Other forms of food are planktonic crustaceans and algae that may develope on coral or nearby rocks. Anomenes themselves may provide food as the clownfish will pick at and consume dead tenticles.

Captivity

This fish is a very good first choice for saltwater tanks, which is one of the reasons they have become so popular in the united states and parts of europe. Part of their suitability is found with anemonefishes having a very small territory; which is good for the small area offered in fish tanks. The substrate area of tank, meaning the area on the bottom of your tank adjusted for protruding rocks and sunken ships, is more important then the total volume of the tank. A 20 gallon tank would be considered the minimum recommended size for Clownfish. Living peaceably in your fish tank a Clownfish would require aprox. 14 hours of light and 10 hours of darness every day. These amounts may be adjusted and are only suggestions. Be carefull of high nitrate levels. Mature Clownfish can sometimes tollerate these levels, but the larva and babies will almost certainly not. Include a large variety of food when feeding Clownfish. Feedings should include live brine shrimp, frozen food, algae and the traditional flakes. Being that clownfish will have no preditors in a fish tank a sea anomone is not requird to protect them.

Breeding

Many people believe anemonefishes will not breed without the presence of a sea anemone, but this is not the case. After some time, a particular spawning site will be chosen. This spawning site will remain the same throughout the life of the Clownfish pair. Clownfish will spawn all year round laying their eggs in large batches. In the wild eggs are normally laid on coral or rock that is near the anemone, though in your tank they may be laid anywhere. Once laid by the female, the male clownfish assumes the job of gaurding the eggs until they hatch, typically 4 or 5 days aftwards. When clownfish reach sexual maturity they will strike out on their own, searching for a vacant sea anomone. Clownfish may be expected to live around 3 to 5 years in captivity.

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Aquarium Fish Buying Tips

2008-11-15T13:28:00.000-08:00

Aquarium Fish Buying Tips was written by John Morris from goldfish.aquariumspot.com

It’s very important as part of your plan for having successful aquarium to take note of the type of inhabitants. One of the most important elements of you aquarium will naturaly be fish.

Never buy fish before finding out about its requirement first. You really need to take your time to ask questions and be very observant when you are in the aquarium store. There are lots of aquarium stores with unknowledgeable owners, so you don't base your decision on their advice alone... make sure you take a look at the fish yourself.

If you can make friends with some of the staff in the store they will possibly tell you more about the lifestyle of the fish you are intending to pick.

Below are some basic guidelines to consider when buying new fish.

The following points all need to be considered:
Is your fish tank at the right temperature?
Are your water conditions correct?
How big does it get? - It may be small now, but will your other fish be at risk when it grows?
Is it a territorial - or will it be happier in a group?

Can you supply the right food for it?

Remember that the key to successful fishkeeping is happy, stress-free fish, so don't be tempted into buying an incompatible species jut because you think it's attractive - you'll regret it.

Sometimes it can be difficult to be patient, particularly if the dealer has a species of fish that you really want. But it's important not to rush things. Don't try to add too many fish to your tank at once - and always check that the fish are healthy.

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Feeding Your Aquarium Fish Natural Live Foods

2008-11-15T09:28:00.000-08:00

Feeding Your Aquarium Fish Natural Live Foods was written by John Morris from fishfood.aquariumspot.com

White worms (enchytraeus Albidus) are one of life foods that can be cultivated by the aquarist. They are small terrestrial worms, which are useful because they can be cultured easily, and so are available when needed.

Matured white worms (2cm long) are grown in boxes of damp soil feeding on pieces of bread or baby cereal food placed on the surface where they are scraped off when needed and used from a worm feeder.

Compost worms (Eisenia foetida) are another type of worms suitable for aquarium fish. They are great for larger fishes and can be chopped up for smaller fishes or processed into a jelly food.

Fish should not be fed with worms exclusively as they are high fat content and can cause obesity.

Microworms (nematodes) are another good food for fry, and can be fed to smaller fry than can brine shrimp. Microworms can be raised in plastic containers on a mixture of corn meal, water, and baker’s yeast.

Another type is Baby brine. Baby brine shrimp (Artemia spp.) are the perfect food for almost all baby fish, and small adult fish such as tetras as well. Very small fry (like those of most egg scatterers) can not eat brine shrimp immediately, but larger fry (such as livebearers and most cichlids) can start out on brine shrimp.

Brine shrimp are hatched in salt water from commercially available dry eggs. They are usually hatched in some sort of funnel with an airstone at the point of the funnel. An inverted plastic 2-liter pop bottle with the bottom cut off works well (from article titled Fish foods for dummy by Grant Gussie)

Daphnia are tiny water fleas, which are found in large numbers in ponds during the warm months of the year especially farmyard ponds that contain rotting organic matter. They are available live from very few dealers.

The animal is very nutritious and hardly any fish will refuse them. If it is used as part of a mixed diet the fish may refuse to ease other food hence, it is advisable not to mix daphnia with other foods.

Since the water fleas feed predominantly on algae from which they obtain oil, they laxative properly by relieving fishes of constipation and indigestion, hence they are confined space of any aquarium.

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How To Care For Your Fishes Without Spending A Fortune

2008-11-15T05:28:00.000-08:00

How To Care For Your Fishes Without Spending A Fortune was written by Partha Mitra from dotpacket.net

Whether you have a big sized aquarium with lots of fishes or just a glass bowl on your table with a couple of Gold fishes, they give you great pleasure and tranquility to see them.Fishes are most soothing pets, but they can be real delicate too. However you can take a good care for your fishes by remembering some small tips.Whether you are out for a couple of days, your fishes will be there waiting for you when you come back. Here are some tips to keep your fishes healthy.

1) Cleaning your aquarium or tank

Your fish survives in the water of your tank or your aquarium. Not only they eat in it but also the water gradually accumulates the bio-waste from our fishes and gravel.So it makes a god sense to clean the aquarium and change the water once a week. Do not change the entire water immediately. Fishes are sensitive to water temperature and a sudden change may affect them. Collect your fishes in a tub or a plastic bag with some water of your tank or aquarium. Seal the plastic bag and put it safely. Then clean the aquarium and change the water. Put the plastic bag (with the fishes and water) inside the aquarium -without opening it. Let the temperature of the water inside the plastic bag change gradually to that of the new water in the aquarium. Your fishes will adapt to the new temperature. Then open the plastic bag and release the fishes inside the aquarium.After all a clean aquarium is always more pleasant to look at.

2) Cleaning your aquarium’s air pump

Dirt and gravel often coagulates the air pump making it function less efficiently. Often bio-waste accumulates in the air filter. Consider changing the air filter at least once a month or as mentioned in the air-pump manual

3) Feeding your fishes.

One big word: Do Not Overfeed your fishes. Most aquarium fishes die of overfeeding rather then underfeeding. Also leftover foods (usually your fishes will continue eating till they are in real trouble!) contaminate the water, and promote bacteria harmful to the fishes. Feed the fish small amounts, which they can consume in three to five minutes and feed them daily. And if you are going out for a couple of days in the weekend, do not try to feed them an extra quantity on Friday. Your fishes will do well on an empty stomach for a couple of days. Also it is always better not to ask your helpful neighbor not to feed your fish when you are away for the weekend. The chances are that your over-zealous neighbor will overfeed them (with a good intention, of course!).There is sufficient food in a balanced aquarium to keep fish healthy even though not fed for a day or more.

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Fish Make The Greatest Pets

2008-11-15T01:28:00.000-08:00

Fish Make The Greatest Pets was written by Jennifer Shircel from MomOnABudget.com

Aren’t the children always begging for a pet or another pet?

You don’t want a cat – there’s that whole litter box thing. You don’t want to train a puppy, plus what about when you want to go away for the night? Birds make such a mess and can be quite noisy. And then there’s those "rodent" things.

When we found out we were expecting our first child we decided to decorate the nursery in tropical fish decor. Then we thought a fish tank in the room would be perfect for the "white noise" and for a nice little night light. So we bought a 10 gallon tank set that cost about $40 for everything but the fish. We had no clue about caring for fish, so we only got a few fancy guppies that were about $3 each. How cheap!!

Who knew we’d become addicted? Well, me anyways. We learned that guppies are live bearers, meaning that they have "live" babies instead of laying eggs and they can be all sorts of pretty colors. Needless to say, we learned a few things about raising guppies and haven’t spent any more money buying fish (well, except for a few more different colored guppies and a bigger tank to start breeding our own)!

Fish are so easy to take care of and are rather inexpensive to keep. We clean out their tank a little bit each month and spend about $2 on food for them that lasts about 3 months. The kids all love the guppies – their pretty colors and especially watching the babies grow. I love the guppies because they’re cheap, relaxing, neat, quiet and they teach the children about responsibility with having a pet.

So before you jump down their throats about not having a pet, tell the kids to consider some guppies. If you’re looking to do some more research on them, check out www.guppies.com . There are plenty of tips and people there that are willing to answer all of your questions.

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Tips On Breeding Tropical Fish

2008-11-14T21:28:00.000-08:00

Tips On Breeding Tropical Fish was written by Tim Lee from fun2006.info

If you are looking for tips on breeding tropical fish, you must first decide what type of tropical fish you wish to breed. Some tropical fish are live bearers, which means they give birth to live minnow babies. The other type are egg bearers, which means the mother lays eggs and the minnow babies hatch from the eggs.

Most sources that provide tips on breeding tropical fish suggest that live bearers are the better place to start, especially for beginners who have limited to no previous breeding experience. Beginner breeders should hone their skills using any of three live bearer fish types, which are the three of the easiest to breed: mollies, guppies or platys.

One of the first, and perhaps most important, tips on breeding tropical fish that bear live young is to keep the baby fish, called fry, away from the rest of your community tank. Adult fish consider fry to be excellent food, so if you don't keep them separated, your breeding efforts will be sacrificed to the appetites and instincts of the rest of your fish. In fact, even the fry's own parents enjoy eating them.

Your best bet to avoid this fate is to use a separate breeding tank, with heavy foliage to provide cover for the fry. Once the mother has given birth, she can be returned to the main tank, which the young fry can grow in comparative safety.

Water temperature and tank size are both very important when it comes to tips on breeding tropical fish. Each different breed of fish has a different optimal breeding temperature, so first determine that. Fish will breed when the water temperature signals to them that it is breeding season. If you maintain this optimal temperature, the male and female fish will be more likely to breed. As a general rule, larger tanks tend to produce larger numbers of fry in one birth as well.

These tips on breeding tropical fish are but the tip of the iceberg. If you are serious about breeding, seeking the advice of an experienced breeder and relevant literature is always advisable.

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Keeping Discus Fish - Hard Or Soft Water?

2008-11-14T17:28:00.000-08:00

Keeping Discus Fish - Hard Or Soft Water? was written by Robert Mellor from discus-fish-secrets.com

It has been debated a lot about whether to keep discus fish in hard water or soft water. People have had success with both methods so it’s not an easy answer but I will share with you, how I do things and what has worked for me.

Here’s the first rule I use when buying and importing discus fish;

Match the water conditions of your supplier.

If you follow this rule you will be at a great advantage as the discus will already be accustomed to the water you provide. This will cause a lot less stress than moving discus used to hard water into soft water. Now your water doesn’t have to match exactly but if it is about right things should be OK. Don’t go getting stressed if your hardness is out a couple of degrees.

Once fish are settled here’s how I like to keep mine.

Young Discus

Young discus fish should not be kept in very soft water as there aren’t the right minerals present for good growth. They should be raised in slightly hard water with a natural ph. In this water they should grow quickly and healthy. For my young discus I use tap water filtered through activated carbon and then left in storage barrels for at least 24 hours. This will make sure all the chorine is out of the water.

Adult Discus

Adult discus, once 5in should be kept in soft water but still not at breeding conditions as they may still be growing but don’t need the minerals like young discus fish. By lowering the softness and ph of the water you will trigger breeding activity between the adults and should get a few breeding. For my adult discus I again use tap water filter through carbon and left to stand but I also add aquarium peat. This softens the water a little and is fine because of the tap water I have. You may have to use RO water mixed with filtered tap water.

Also if using peat to soften water, make sure it is of the aquarium variety. Other garden peat can contain chemicals that can harm discus fish so just be careful.

On a final note, there is no right or wrong hardness to keep discus these days because they are tank bred through generations and have acclimatized to harder water. Just follow these guidelines and you should be fine.

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Children And Fish Tank Safety

2008-11-14T13:28:00.000-08:00

Children And Fish Tank Safety was written by Nate Jamieson from TropicalFishIsland.com

Having a tank of tropical fish, or a saltwater aquarium, can give your whole family many hours of enjoyment. Even young children will find the antics of neon tetras and the mysterious caves of catfish, to be fascinating. But as a parent, you may be concerned about issues of safety for your youngsters.

For very young children, the first thing you need to impress on them, is that they must not feed the fish, without help from Mommy or Daddy. Canopies are an essential piece of aquarium gear, and can pose hazards for little fingers, not to mention the fish. A toddler trying to lift a heavy canopy can get a hand caught, drop things in the tank, or even manage to dislodge the top and tip it into the tank while the lamp is plugged in and lit. By all means, let them "help" with chores, but impress on them that taking care of the fish, is something that has to be done together. A curious child left alone with a fully equipped aquarium is capable of disconnecting cords, pulling heaters out of the tank, causing them to crack or shatter, or damaging the glass by banging against it.

Another precaution to teach children, is sanitation. While there are few disorders/diseases that can be passed from a fish tank to humans, the water does contain bacteria not found in the child's normal environment, so one of their first fish-keeping lessons, should be to always wash their hands after helping to clean the tank, or feed the fish.

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Getting Your Tropical Fish Home

2008-11-14T09:28:00.000-08:00

Getting Your Tropical Fish Home was written by Robert Mellor from aquarium--fish.blogspot.com

So now you’ve purchased some tropical fish. You’ve made sure you have selected healthy fish and you have done your homework to make sure the fish that you have will go together.

Your fish should have been packed in a plastic bag with oxygen and then put into a dark bag or polystyrene box to keep the heat in.

You should try and buy fish no longer than a couple of hours away. Fish can last over 24 hours if packed right but the longer you keep them in transit the more stress they go through. You should try and keep stress to a minimum to make sure the fish remain healthy.

Once you get them home you should float the bags in the water and then open the bags up. This will help equalize the temperature between the water in the tank and the water in the bag. You should also keep adding little bits of tank water to the bag. Add just a little and then leave for five minutes before adding more. This will help acclimatize the fish to the water chemistry of the tank and even the ph and water hardness out.

After doing this for about 20 to 30 minutes you should then gently release the fish to the tank and let them swim out of the bag on there own. Then you should leave them with the aquarium light on overnight. This will reduce stress because the fish can see where they are swimming and there surroundings and they will also see that there are no predators around.

You should not feed them for around 24 hours to let them settle in and then over the next few days only feed sparingly. It will take them a couple of days to get used to the tank and feeding.

It is a good technique to add the smallest and weakest fish to the tank first. This will prevent bullying in the aquarium between the fish. Please follow these keeps to keep the stress of your new tropical fish to a minimum. This will help the fish settle in faster and in the end cause you less stress.

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Unpacking And Acclimatizing Your New Discus Fish

2008-11-14T05:28:00.000-08:00

Unpacking And Acclimatizing Your New Discus Fish was written by Rob Mellor from discus-fish-secrets.com

I often get a knock on the door and am welcomed by a currier holding a polystyrene box covered in ‘Fragile’ and ‘this way up’ stuck all over it. My face will instantly light up and my hands rub together.

I’m sure you have or will be wanting to order discus fish from the internet or over the phone. If so, there are a couple of important factor you must first take into consideration. The main one is that you need to be sure you are getting quality fish, this may require looking at pictures of those fish and talking to the breeder or importer.

What I want to tell you about today is how to unpack and acclimatize your new fish.

Unpacking…

You need to unpack one box at a time, don’t go and open every box if you have 4 or 5. I know you want to look at your discus fish but please take your time. Take the lid off the first box and take one bag at a time out. Then open the bag, roll down the bag and float it in the water. Do this for the first box and then move onto the next stage.

Acclimatizing…

Now the bags of discus are floating in the water, you need to use a little jug or something similar to gently pour tank water into the bag. You need to do this every five minutes for the next 30 minutes. This helps the fish get used to the difference in ph and water hardness. Then one bag at a time, tip the bag on its side and let the discus fish swim out in its own time.

Once you’ve done this for the first box then move on to the next.

You can also add some ‘stress coat’ or ‘melafix’ type product into your tank. I sometimes do this and have had positive results with discus settling a little quicker.

Leave dim lights on and don’t feed for 24 hours.

Your discus should then be settled in fine within a week

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Predator Tropical Fish

2008-11-14T01:28:00.000-08:00

Predator Tropical Fish was written by Nate Jamieson from TropicalFishIsland.com

Some tropical fish, either because of their size, feeding habits, or just their natural behavior, are not suitable for beginners to try and raise in a community tank. These are some of the big and bad, that you may want to avoid until you're more experienced.

Oscar-

This native of the Amazon River and its tributaries, is a large fish, reaching 13-14" in length, although it can be sexually mature and laying eggs at 4". They do best in a tank with no "fussy" things like slender plants or ornaments. They prefer a medium texture substrate because they're great diggers, but do like wood or rock platforms that create a cave. The recommended food for Oscars is feeder goldfish, because they basically will eat anything small, that moves. This is why they can't be kept with smaller fish, or livebearers that will have young. Most hobbyists use a special large stick food that absorbs some water and moves with the motion in the aquarium, so it mimics prey.

Jack Dempsey-

Another South American native, the Jack Dempsey comes in many of the same dark colors and spotting as the Oscar, featuring greens, brown and gray areas, which may help large species like this to hide amongst the bottom rocks. The Dempsey is similar to the Oscar in other ways as well, being a bottom digger, and preferring caves and wood to rest under. They are also a live feeder that will devour anything that moves, but unlike the Dempsey, they pursue their prey, and are considered to have "attitude" that makes them best suited to a tank of like-minded fish.

Discus-

While not the bottomless pits that Oscars and Jack Dempseys are for feeding, the Discus is still a large fish, even at 6", and because of their native Amazon River environment, require a fairly specific habitat. In the wild they lived where trees had fallen into the river, and made their homes under and around the branches. In an aquarium, that means keeping a thick substrate where the light does not reach down to, as well as lots of wood pieces for hiding, and vegetation that goes from bottom to top. They are live feeders as many large fish are, but generally subsist on a diet of shrimp, tubifex and daphnia in good quantity. They are a fish that lives naturally in groups of five or six, and in the home environment, do not take well to upsets or changes in the tank.

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Saltwater Fish Tanks-- Ease Of Keeping Saltwater Fish At Home

2008-11-13T21:28:00.000-08:00

Saltwater Fish Tanks-- Ease Of Keeping Saltwater Fish At Home was written by Ash Barnard from saltwater-fishtank.com

Having a collection of striking fish in your living room that are normally only found in the ocean provides serenity and is a great attraction for family and friends visiting your home. Although it may seem difficult to maintain or expensive to setup, having saltwater fish differs little from a normal tank.

One of the first steps in having a saltwater fish tank in your home is a review of your finances to determine that you have enough money to start and maintain your tank. Approximate start-up costs for a saltwater fish tank are around $500 (USD), which doesn’t include the cost of fish or the upkeep.

The next step is to determine where your tank is going to be located and what type and size of tank you are going to purchase. Some tanks are small enough to sit on a table, while others come with their own stands. Particularly large tanks may require structural support so that the floor can bear the additional weight. When choosing the location for your tank, keep in mind its accessibility in regards to cleaning and maintenance. You must also select whether to have a glass or acrylic tank. Glass is easier to clean, but you can drill holes in acrylic tanks that allow filtration to occur out of sight underneath the tank.

After purchasing your tank you must buy other needed equipment such as a filter, air pump, and heater. You also need to choose a bed for the tank and a saltwater mixture which will create the best conditions for your fish.

Once you have purchased all your items except your fish, assemble your tank and test it out to make sure it runs properly. Once you’re certain it works okay, continue to let cycle, making adjustments to get the tank to its optimal level for the fish you are going to purchase. Once this is done, it’s time to take a trip to select your fish. The ocean, where saltwater fish live, is the largest of all the water bodies. It’s home to millions of species – playful, colourful, savage and awe inspiring, and many of these varieties are appropriate and available for saltwater tanks. When you bring your fish home, keep the fish in the bag and place it in the tank. This will allow the fish to adjust to the temperature in your tank. After a few hours, add one-fourth cup of tank water to the bag to let the fish adjust slowly to the water, and within an hour, repeat this step four times. After that you can put the fish directly into the tank or hold it in a quarantine tank for a few days or weeks until you certain it is healthy and able to thrive in your tank water. This is highly recommended if you are adding this fish to a tank already housing other fish, as one sick fish can kill all the others in your tank.

Having a saltwater fish tank not only adds beauty but is also quite easy to do. Once you have purchased all your equipment, tested it out, bought your fish and attuned it to your tank, it’s time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the ease of keeping saltwater fish in your home and what they add to it.If you are looking for more information then please feel free to visit our site at http://www.saltwater-fishtank.com

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How To Properly Introduce New Fish Into Your Aquarium

2008-11-13T17:28:00.000-08:00

How To Properly Introduce New Fish Into Your Aquarium was written by John Morris from tropicalfish.aquariumspot.com

There are two areas of introducing new fish into an aquarium that you must be aware of:

1. Fish Quarantine

Fish quarantine is one big, singular factor that must be observed strictly before you can be sure that your new fish is of good health and not an apostle of doom for the other inmates. Most new fishkeepers don’t take consider this very important factor.

For the benefit of intending aquarists, quarantine in the fish world refers to the physical and chemical treatment of new fishes (either imported or caught from the wild) to rid them of disease and restlessness before introduction into a new environment,

A small quarantine tank (30x20x25cm) is advisable for any serious aquarist. The alternative is to be sure that your pet shop has a functional quarantine section to cater for bacterial, fungal and viral diseases.

This is a sure guarantee against fish deaths. The unfortunate thing with most shops in the country is the lack of space and inadequate expertise to build and administer the prophylaxis procedure on new fish, as the procedure is sure to last at least nigh days! To the average aqua-investor, this is an unnecessary tie down of capital and you know what that means.

Admittedly, the expense incurred on quarantine by way of chemical purchase e.g. copper sulphate, wescodyne, malachite green, teremycin etc) is high. This is more or less reflected on the final sales price of the fish, which is slightly higher in our shop. But, this would pay you off in the long run, as it is unlikely that you will complain of fish deaths any longer.

I am quite sure, some fish farmers reading this column would be more concerned about the application of this procedure to solve their farm problems especially those with hatcheries or those who stock with post fry and fingerlings.

2. Feeding New Fish

When you just introduce a new fish to aquarium tank it’s necessary to feed the fish. Though this will not be instant because no matter how carefully you add the fish to your aquarium tank they will look very unhappy for a while.

Thus it’s necessary that you turn the flights out, and leave them overnight to get used to their new home first before thinking of feeding them. Then feed fish with aquarium fish food with fish flakes the next day, this will make the fish feel at home.

If you already have an established tank, it is advisable to quarantine new fish before adding them to an existing populated, and the cheapest way to do this is to purchase a plastic tank which will need no gravel or plants.

This can be used solely for quarantine and as a hospital tank.

Leave the fish in this tank for about three days during which any disease harbored by the fish would be evident for which it can be treated using available chemicals from your dealer. The fish can then be introduced into the tank in the same way as before.

When you add new fish to an established community, there will probably be a certain amount of harassment of the new arrivals by the original fish. Try to divert their attention by giving them a good feed when the fish are introduced.

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