Look at my fish!

Betta Fish Breeding

2011-07-05T07:16:00.002+07:00

Betta fish enthusiasts increasingly are many, both among children from childhood to adulthood. Because the fish is beautiful and also even more when the fish is ready to fight. Vibrant colours from male fish are exposed. This fish is also often called the fighting fish and the latin name is Betta splendens. It is a member from the Anabantidae (Labirynth Fisher). Betta fish tails and fins when it expands really captivate the lovers of ornamental fish. The color of the fish commonly known as beta fish is really interesting, and for the cultivation of these animals also do not require a vast place, so it can be done at home.

To breed betta fish, we just need a few things. First of all we need a pair of betta fish (a male and a female brood), a clean aquarium with proper water quality (temperature, dissolved oxygen and lighting), and also substrate for betta fish to lay their eggs. You may prepare artemia eggs to feed their larvae (baby fishes) once they are hatched from the eggs.

Description of Male Betta fish ready to mate are:

■ ± 4 months of age.
■ body shape and fins long and beautifully colored.
■ aggressive and agile movements.
■ healthy body condition (not disease).

The characteristics of female fish ready to breed are:

■ Age has reached ± 4 months
■ denotes rounded body shape ready to mate.
■ Movement is slow.
■ fin is short and the color is not appealing.
■ healthy body condition.

Steps for spawning and fish care

1.Prepare aquarium/ container with clean water. Add thermostate, temperature regulator if needed
2.Fill container with clean water with a height of 15-30 cm.
3.Put the male betta fish in advance, 1 day before mating
4.Put the female the day after the male
5. Quickly move Broods, and keep the eggs in separate place.
6. Watch out for fungal pathogens that could attack eggs.. put some Methylene Blue in the aquarium containing eggs

Thank you for reading!

How To Breed Tetra Fish

2011-07-05T06:39:00.000+07:00

TETRA is quite beautiful ornamental fresh water aquarium fish. Various kinds of ornamental fish tetra is known, just to name some of them, we know Tetra Green, Blue Tetra, Silver Tetra, Neon Tetra and many others. In my country, lots of people successfully breed aquarium fish and In this blog post I present the technique how to breed Neon Tetra (Hyphessobryconnesi) which the information was taken from discussion with ornamental fish farmers.

Breeding Tetra Fish

Breed this fish species is still quite difficult if you don't know and requires perseverance and a long experience, but generally, in order to have a successful breeding condition you must need several condition :

Water should be sterile and acidic (pH less than 6.4)
Breeding must be done in dark place.
Temperature around 20 ° C

The most important, is to select fish to breed, the problem comes if you do not know how to differentiate/ distinguish between male and female neon tetras. Here is how to doffer them:

* Males: body lines straight on the type of neon tetra, a little long.
* Females: Short Round and abdominal bloating, body line on the neon tetra is rather crooked.

Now this is how to breed them:

1. Separate female and male neon tetra.
2. Store rainwater and keep it for + 2 weeks.
3. Wash aquarium for spawning.
4. Fill aquarium with rainwater
5. Add same kayu asam water soaked.
6. 2 ~ 3 days left in place.
7. Enter the crop or foliage to lay eggs the neon tetra.
8. Enter tetra parent who has been separated first.
9. Cover the hole and give the place a little light in order to be able to see the movements of the fish.
10. If you see a male and a female one another romp, then + 3 days later the eggs are seen attached to the leaves or roots that have been provided.
11. Move the mother and covered with black cloth until no light inside.
12. During the 3 days + neon tetra eggs are hatched.
13. Children of these fish can be fed infusoria the bacterial decay on cabbage leaf / cabbage canker drop by drop. You can buy it at stores selling ornamental fish and ornamental fish place.
14. + After 2-3 weeks of the closing was allowed to reopen.
15. Then the children will look tetra fish.

Salt Water Aquascaping Aquarium

2011-06-09T08:26:00.000+07:00

The Chinese Emperor, Hungwu, established a business that is credited for constructing the very first aquariums, in 1369. The aquariums Hungwu’s company designed were small more then porcelain tubs that had been then utilized to home Goldfish. As the years passed, these tubs started out shrinking in size until finally they bore a powerful resemblance to the aquariums we are familiar with today. Almost five hundred years later, in 1841, a tropical aquarium was introduced to the globe. At the time of its introduction, toy fish and a number of aquatic plants had been the only inhabitants.

Nowadays the creation and maintaining of aquariums is the one particular of the most well-known hobbies in the globe, second only to stamp collecting. It is believed that more than sixty million individuals preserve aquariums in their properties. It is estimated that forty % of that sixty million are believed to have at least two active tanks.

As men and women grow to be cozy with their aquariums they start indulging in aquascaping.

Aquascaping is the approach of employing driftwood, plants, and rocks in a pleasing manner that customizes an people saltwater tank.

The first issue you will need to don’t forget when aquascaping your aquarium is that the style you pick must compliment the requirements of the fish inhabiting the tank. Before you start, shell out some time researching the natural habitat your fish inhabit. You’ll want to style a tank that duplicates their natural environment.

The use of living plants in your aquascaping project will add an additional dimension to your tank. There is something about the way the living plants float in the water that is each soothing and breathtaking. On the other hand fish, especially herbivorous fish that eat sea plants, can be tough on living plants. If you suspect that a living plant won’t survive in your custom saltwater aquarium you really should opt for the artificial assortment. There are many lifelike artificial plants available.

The use of driftwood has turn into extremely popular in custom saltwater aquariums. The cost of driftwood, it can be really high-priced, frequently causes aquarium owners to head to the beach. If you locate a nice piece of driftwood on the beach do not put it in your principal aquarium. Initial put it in your quarantine tank, and keep it there for at least two weeks, or till the PH levels of the water match these in your primary tank. Be certain to clean your driftwood completely. You may well have to use rocks to anchor the driftwood to the bottom of your tank.

There are a number of things you want to contemplate when you are adding rocks to your aquascaping project. Stay away from rocks that have sharp edges and points, fish can slice open their tender underbelly’s on these rocks. If you are stacking a group of rocks together to make a cave use an aquarium secure silicone to glue the rocks collectively, this will avert the rocks from collapsing and crushing the fish that makes the cave its personal. Steer clear of soft rocks, they break down in the water.

After you have completed customizing your saltwater aquarium, you may possibly want to enter it in an aquascaping contest.

Aquarium Bacterial Disease

2011-06-09T08:15:00.002+07:00

There are many diseases that can affect your aquarium fish in. Most diseases can be put into four main categories, bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi. The most common diseases of aquarium fish, we will in this article are bacterial. There are a lot more than what we do today, but below are a good mix of fatalism and ease of use.

Remember to observe the first step in combating diseases in your aquarium, is yourFish daily for signs of illness or erratic behavior. Over time, of course, will know if something correctly. If a disease is recognized recreation Aquarium you must act now on the chances of your fish to make improvements to the full.

Fin rot is probably the most common bacterial infections that appear in the aquarium fish. The primary cause of fin rot is poor water quality. It is very easy to rot accurate diagnosis because the fins are actually do and is as if her bodydissolving into the fish. There are many medications that you can buy in the local pet store the specially designed fins to address corrosion. You can also have frequent changes of water to improve water quality.

Guppies and other fish that are carriers of the living to be very sensitive to a bacterial disease called mouth fungus. The most obvious symptom that yourFish is suffering, the cotton mouth fungus, such as growth in the mouth. This growth will prevent the weight that the fish food will also observe a loss of. If treated quickly with antibiotics Bad mouth fungus is not lethal. It is also possible, water changes in your aquarium.

Vibriosis can be rapidly fatal in fish and spread quickly in the aquarium. There are many signs of infection, redness of the body;Color changes and a swollen belly and eyes. E 'extremely important that if you notice these symptoms, youfish, remove the infected as soon as possible to help quarantine tank in battle against the spread of infection to other fish. The reality is that vibriosis is fatal. Antibiotics can help, but it is very unlikely. One should disease to protect the remaining fish in the aquarium from the bacterial. Doing full water changes and treatment of water withAntibiotics.

The bacterial disease last discussion that has no swimming pools for the treatment of tuberculosis. It is fish a great loss of weight and color in your aquarium. The eyes of the fish may rise abnormally from the body. It attacks the fish'srespiratory system and is highly contagious and deadly. Piscine tuberculosis is rare, but when it occurs you losemany fish. The only treatment is to separate all the fishindividual tanks for quarantine and observe. You have to disinfect the main tank, and fill it. Ultimately you have to start all over again.

Keeping an aquarium can bring many hours of fun. The best treatment for a disease that can affect your aquarium fishis prevention. By observing your fish regularly and act quickly to signs of illness, your fish healthy and happy and avoid disasters.

Some Types Of Aquarium Fish Diseases

2011-06-08T19:39:00.000+07:00

If you own an aquarium as an accessory of your interior decor, you should pay attention to the health of your fish. You should not only maintain the quality of the water, but also monitor the condition of their health. It is better for you to notice their activity, so you could recognize the signs whether they catch any diseases or not. To allow you get more information about some common diseases that usually come against your fish, please read the whole of this brief review.

Gill disease is the first disease that often attacks aquarium fish. The main symptom is when your fish swim in a great hurry but do not move at all. In some cases, their fins flap very quickly and they gasp for breath at the surface of the water. If you find your fish in these kinds of condition, you have to pay more attention to them.
You have to immediately improve the quality of the water for the first treatment, and then you can give some anti-bacterial substance to cure the fish completely. The threat and preventive action for this disease is similar: changing the water regularly as well as conditioning and dechlorinating it. Keeping the quality of the water will be important to prevent this disease because bacteria, fungi and parasites are the main cause of this disease.
The next disease is columnaris. Fish that catch this disease usually show some signs, but the most obvious sign is the white marks in the body or around their mouth. This symptom is similar with another disease called Mouth Fungus. Other signs shown by fish that catch columnaris are deterioration and the forms of the sores in the body of the fish.

You might need anti-bacterial medication if you notice this disease in its early stage. However, you might need help of antibiotics to cure your fish if the disease reaches the later stage. Mostly, this disease is caused by bacteria and a result of poor quality of water. In some cases, fish that are shock with their new aquarium also have risk getting catch this disease.

The third disease commonly found in fish aquarium is ick. This disease causes many grain-like spots in small size on the body of your fish. Thus, this disease is also known as white spot disease. It is caused by Ichthyophthirius Multifilis protozoa that will be easily infecting the whole environment of your aquarium. Once the protozoa form the white spots on the body of the fish, they can be more mature and release some new free-swimming parasites that surely will infect other fish. To kill the parasites, you need to wait the white spot fallen down and released into the water and so you can sterilize it.

Those are the most common diseases for aquarium fish. Learning more about fish diseases will be very thoughtful to maintain the health of your fish. Therefore, you can notice the sick fish in the earlier stage so you can cure them earlier.

Maintaining water quality is very important not only for aquarium fish, but also for fish in your garden pond. To maintain the water quality of your garden, you can install some additional supporting devices and filtration system will be quite helping. You can find pumps that fit well with your requirements.

Article from articlesbase.com

Starting Your Aquarium Hobby

2010-02-23T12:01:00.000+07:00

Once you have allowed your new freshwater aquarium to run for several weeks without any fish in it to allow the beneficial bacteria to grow and to allow the water in your tank to cycle, it's time to start thinking about adding fish. The worst mistake you can make at this point is to run down to a fish shop and buy a bunch of pretty, shiney fish and throw them into your tank. It is very important for the health and well-being of your aquatic pets for you to think through the world you are creating.
Here are some important things to consider:

Add your fish a few at a time.
It is important not to overwhelm your tank environment by adding a bunch of fish at once. Buy 2 or 3 fish and allow your tank to recover before you add more.
Goldfish are never a good idea.
Unless you are creating a goldfish tank, goldfish are not a great addition. Contrary to some popular theories, they are not even a good idea to use to cycle your tank. Goldfish are coldwater creatures and they will not do well at a tropical temperature. Goldfish also create a lot of waste. They can quickly overwhelm a new tank that is establishing itself.
Don't over load your tank.
An easy rule of thumb is that a freshwater aquarium will support one inch of fish for each gallon of water it contains. If you have a 20 gallon aquarium, it can support a maximum of 20 inches of fish. That means the adult fish. Fish grow. Don't buy 10 2" long fish and forget the fact that each of those fish are going to grow up to be 4" long. You have just seriously overloaded your aquarium.
Build a school.
If you decide you want fish that school, then build your school a few fish at a time. If you want a community tank, build one school and then begin to build another school of a different species.
Lonely fish turn aggressive.
If you select a fish that lives in a school and you don't provide it with friends, it will turn aggressive and nip other fish. Provide your fish friends of the same kind and they will, for the most part, leave their tankmates alone.
Large aggresive fish will eat their tankmates.
If you purchase say an Oscar and provide him with a tank of little tetras, you will eventually find a fat, happy Oscar and no tetras. Make sure you are not buying fish that eat their tankmates, unless you happen to enjoy watching fish being eaten.
Make sure the fish you buy live in the same climate.
You want to choose fish that thrive in the same temperature and pH levels.
Properly acclimate your fish.
Don't bring your fish home from the shop and dump them into the tank. Keep them in the bag and let them adjust to the tank temperature. Then slowly transition them by removing water from the bag and replacing it with tank water.

By doing a little research before you buy your fish, you will create an environment in which your fish will thrive and live happily for years to come.

Starting A Fresh Water Aquarium Hobby

2010-02-23T11:53:00.000+07:00

The first fish for your freshwater aquarium should be tolerant of a variety of water conditions. It is not unusual for water conditions to fluctuate during the introduction of fish, and you want your aquatic pets to have the best chance of survival as you get the hang of getting and keeping your water conditions under control.
Your first fish also need to be easy to feed and accept a variety of foods. Don't buy a finicky variety of fish that will only eat certain foods.

Make sure that you are not buying fish that will outgrow your tank or outgrow their tankmates. Some varieties of fish are fine as long as everyone is the same size, but if they become larger than their tankmates, they will eat them.

The level of agression in the fish is important as well. Some fish only become aggressive if there aren't enough of them in the tank. Others just don't play well with others. Agression will cause the fish to nip at each other, and the resulting wounds can kill your fish.

Unless you are creating a single species tank, make sure all the varieties you want to have in your community tank will live well together. They need to like the same water temperatures, pH level and general water conditions.

Here's a list of some good first fish for your freshwater aquarium. They are hardy fish that, with a little care, will survive the startup cycle of your tank, and will help you create a healthy environment for your fish to thrive in.

Barbs
Cherry, Gold, Rosy, Ruby.
Catfish
Bronze or Gold Corys, Spotted Cory, Bandit Cory and Panda Cory.
Danios
Zebra, Leopard and Pearl.
Rainbowfish
Boesmans, Neon, Celebes.
Rasboras
Harlequin, Scissortail.
White Cloud Mountain Minnows

Compatibility for Tropical Fish of Freshwater Aquariums

2010-01-18T14:38:00.000+07:00

When setting up a freshwater aquarium, you want to make sure that you understand which fish will get along. The last thing that you want to do is have your tank proper set up and acclimated, and then a few weeks, or even days, after adding a your initial fish, one or two start to nip and bully the others. This will severely stress out the other fish.

You want to make sure that you keep community fish with community fish, semi-aggressive with semi-aggressive, and aggressive fish with aggressive fish. But, in terms of aggressive and semi-aggressive fish, you want to make sure that you keep similarly sized fish in the tank. With aggressive fish, you want to keep one species per tank, as well.

Keeping the Silver Arowana

2010-01-12T13:49:00.002+07:00

The complete how-to guide to caring for the silver arowana, Osteoglossum bicirrhosum, as an aquarium fish. What size tank do you need? What kind of filtration? What do you feed it? How fast will your arowana grow? What are these magnificent fish like as pets? What are the common problems you might encounter, and how do you handle them? Everything you need to know from an experienced silver arowana guardian. Abundantly illustrated with color photographs.

How to Cycle A New Aquarium

2009-09-07T12:57:00.005+07:00

One important factor of success in keeping an aquarium is noticing the nitrogen cycle in your aquarium. Basically a nitrogen cycle is powered by beneficial bacterias that will process the waste ammonia from your fish and convert it into nitrites and then into relatively harmless nitrates.

If you add fish to an uncycled tank, then sometimes the fish result in fin rot, ick and other common fish diseases. Fish can be seen gasping at the top of the aquarium. That is probably because of excessive ammonia in the water that cause fish stress.

The only way to over come this is to wait until there are sufficient numbers of bacteria to convert the ammonia into nitrates. There are a few things that can be done to encourage the growth of the bacteria.

The traditional method to cycle a new aquarium is to add a few ‘hardy’ fish that will produce ammonia wastes to encourage bacteria growth. This method of cycling is very stressful for the fish. Many become stressed, damaged or simply die during the process. The high levels of ammonia causes ammonia burns burns on the fish’s bodies and gills. Regular partial water changes are often necessary to make sure the fish survive, as ammonia levels rises. The damage is not always reversible and at the end of the cycling you are left with fish in poor condition which you may not want in your aquarium. If you already have fish in the tank and are trying to cycle, adding live plants will greatly help reduce ammonia. Plants need and absorb ammonia from the water.

A better, more humane method to cycle the tank is to use a fishless cycling method. Set up the tank and drop daily amounts of food into the water. The food decomposed and creates ammonia.

In order to create such an environment you will need a heater. The bacteria (Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter) thrive best at higher temperatures than is usually best for a fish tank so during the cycling increase the temperature up to about 30°C (85°F). When you add the fish you have to turn it down again.

A testing kit is a must, to check the ammonia and nitrite levels is essential to test the levels and to indicate when cycling is complete. Master kits cost under 25$ and can test water hardness and pH also.

Extra aeration is recommended while cycling as bacteria need oxygen to grow. Increase the aeration through the tank and filter if possible. You could add an extra air stone or even use an extra pump if one is available.

Good luck!

Neon Tetra

2009-09-05T06:08:00.004+07:00

Neon tetras are favorite fish among aquarists. The fish are playful and active and they look splendid if you keep a school of neon tetras.

These little red-blue tetras can be found originally in the waters of South America, namely the rivers Amazon (Rio Solimoes), Napo and Tiger. These are rivers with acidic, soft water at temperatures of 68-80 degrees Fahrenheit (20-26 degrees Celsius). It likes both clear and somewhat opaque water. Neon tetras have been populated into some waters of Singapore recently.

The neon tetra is a small fish with a maximum length of about 1.2 inches (3 centimeters) and the typical tetra body shape. The main characteristics of the fish are an iridescent blue horizontal line from its nose to the base of the adipose fin, and an iridescent red line that goes from the middle of the body to the base of the caudal fin.

The back of the fish is greyish, while the abdominal regions are silvery white.
The fish changes the brightness of its colors according to the time of the day. At night, the colors are usually dimmer. Stress and illness and hunger will also affect the colors.

Neon tetras are the real pacifists of the aquarium, they almost never fight other fish. You can keep them together with any other peaceful species. Avoid larger fishes, as they will often harass and hunt down the neon tetras. Keep in mind that neon tetras like to live in large schools. Always have at least six of them in the aquarium, or they will feel unsecure and stressed. As for the maximum size of the shoal, it can go up to several hundreds in a huge aquarium. They spend most of the time in the middle levels of the tank, but they are really adventureous explorers, discovering all parts of their habitat. The average lifespan of these fish is 5-6 years, but they can live up to one decade.

Neon tetras look extremely good in front of bright green plants. Lighting should be of medium brightness and of bluish-white color. They like roots or small branches of trees in the aquarium. They like a wide range of pH, from 5.5 to 7.0. They prefer KH (dH) of 1.0-2.0. Temperature should be between 68-80 degrees (20-26 Celsius).
When buying fish, always ask the seller about the conditions they were kept in, and set up similar conditions in your aquarium.

Cherry Barbs Fish

2009-09-05T05:58:00.003+07:00

Cherry barbs are popular freshwater aquarium fish and is quite easy to care for. The Cherry barbs are peaceful fish. They are best kept in groups of five or more, with a ratio of two females to every one male. How do you differ a male cherry barb from a female one? Well male cherry barbs are much redder than the female. Males will become a very deep red when breeding. Female cherry barbs have yellowish fins and are a lighter color than the male. Both have a brownish black to deep blue black horizontal strip that extends from the snout, passing through the eye and extending to the base of the caudal fin. The sides and belly of the fish have silver highlights. They are fawn colored on top and have a slight green sheen.

Cherry barbs are native to Sri Lanka, and can be found in heavily shaded, shallow calm tropical waters. Your cherry barbs will respond best to a heavily planted tank that also has a clear area for swimming. They perfer temperatures of 73 to 80.5 degress F, with a pH of 6.5 to 7.5. The recommended water is from 4 dH to 15 dH. These fish do no like rapid changes in either temperature or water chemistry.

Cherry barbs are generally a middle-tank species, but they will swim to the bottom. If you cover the surace fo the tank in bushy plants, they will venture to the top.

At least a 20-gallon tank is recommended for cherry barbs. Java Moss is a recommended plant to grow in their tank. The dense leaves give these fish a place to lay their eggs and provide some hiding places for fry once they hatch. Dwarf hair grass also provides a thick carpet of growth rapidly.

Cherry barbs are omnivores and will eat flakes. It is a good idea to supplement their diet with live food and freezedried food. They like brine shrimp, blood worms and dahnia. They also eat green algae, making them a very helpful addition to your freshwater aquarium. Algae wafers containing spirulina are a useful supplement to keep your cherry barbs healthy.

How To Care the Common Pleco

2009-08-12T07:55:00.004+07:00

The common plecostomus, or common pleco, is a fish known as an algae eater. The common plecos are of great interest because they could be kept in either a tropical or cold water tank. These fish also do well at outdoor ponds.

Common plecos generally reach an adult size of about 8-12", though they can get larger. The common pleco is a type of catfish and is a "slime sucker", he will try to "clean" his tank mates if given a chance. This means that larger, slow-moving fish with thick slime coats should never be kept with a common pleco as the latter may accidentally kill the fish. Namely, they should never be kept with goldfish of any kind and they have been known to cause problems with Angelfish, Oscars, Silver Dollars and more.

Next, since these fish are marketed as an algae eater many people get the false impression that algae is all they need. On the contrary, common plecos are voracious eaters and need quite a variety of food in adequate quantities to stay healthy. Aside from tank algae you can also feed your common pleco algae wafers, zucchini, cucumber, peas, melon and virtually any other type of semi-soft fruit or vegetable you can think of as well as shrimp, shrimp pellets and flake fish food. Bear in mind that juveniles eat a lot because they're growing and adults will eat a lot because they're a pretty large fish.

If you're planning on adding a common pleco to your home aquarium, make sure that you have at least a 55G tank with large open spaces on the bottom that will allow the pleco to move freely without destroying anything. As the fish matures, it may grow out of this tank size but 55G is a good starting size. Be sure to feed them a variety of food and, especially if it has tank mates that are aggressive eaters, make sure that it's sinking food of some kind.

You may be thinking that this sounds like an awful lot of space and work just for an algae eater and you'd be right. If all you want for your aquarium is something that'll suck up algae and make itself scarce the rest of the time, consider some smaller types of plecos, otocinclus or algae nibblers such as platies, juvenile apple snails and gouramis.

Caring your Fresh Water Fish

2009-07-19T07:03:00.003+07:00

Source from http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/information/fresh-water-fish-care.php

Fresh water fish vary from the hardy to the delicate depending on the type. The water they swim in needs special care to keep them happy and healthy.
It is important to keep a consistent and well maintained water environment for your fish. Chemical toxins as well as fluctuations in pH or temperature can do serious harm to your fresh water fish.

Water changes and other treatments will keep ammonia levels from becoming toxic. Because tap water may have chemicals, like chlorine and chloramines, that can kill your fresh water fish, it is important that you treat the water. A tap water conditioner for freshwater aquariums will neutralize both chemicals.

Other things you can do to better your fresh water fish care include monitoring the water temperature and the pH levels. Make sure to always keep the water temperature stable. Changing water temperature will cause unnecessary stress on your fish.

You can adjust the ph to match the the requirements for the type of fresh water fish you have. Once your fish are established, the most important thing is to maintain a stable pH level in your tank. Drastic changes in pH can be harmful to your fish. There is plenty of fresh water fish information available as well as many kits that test the pH levels so you can raise or lower the pH as needed.

An important note when taking care of fresh water fish is to be extremely careful whenever moving them. Moving the fish can cause them to weaken. Their stress increases and their protective slime coating may be diminished. A fish protection formula should be used together with chlorine/chloramine removers to help reduce stress and provide the protective slime coat back onto the fresh water fish.

2009-07-09T09:52:00.000+07:00

Known throughout the world for its beauty and personality, koi is one of the most carefully bred fish species around. Raising koi is especially time-consuming and requires more than just sprinkling little flakes in the fish bowl. But thankfully, you don’t have to be an expert to maintain your own koi pond.

Koi For Dummies shows you how easy and fun it can be to own and care for these delicate fish. Whether building a pond or aquarium for the indoors or outdoors, this easy-to-understand guide explores all of your options. Clear, concise advice helps you:

* Appreciate your koi’s beauty
* Build, design, and maintain your koi pond or aquarium
* Find and select koi and the proper supplies
* Keep your koi happy and healthy
* Treat your koi for parasites, bacterial infections, and viruses
* Breed and care for baby koi
* Show off your koi to other koi enthusiasts

This fun, friendly guide also explains what to do during a power outage and how to check your koi for illness. Featuring 8 pages of full-color photos, Koi for Dummies is all you need to get started raising your very own koi. No matter where you live, you’ll be able to care for and breed this beautiful fish!

What Fish? A Buyer's Guide to Reef Fish

2009-07-09T09:44:00.000+07:00

This buyer’s guide to reef fishes presents fact-filled, color-illustrated profiles of 180 specimens that marine aquarium hobbyists can select to stock a truly fascinating and beautiful tank. Author Phil Hunt, an expert on reef aquariums, tells how to set up and maintain a reef aquarium, and guides his readers with detailed advice on coping with common problems. The fishes profiled in this book range from those suitable for virtually every reef aquarium to others that should be kept with a restricted selection of corals. The fishes shown and described include:

Damselfishes and Clownfishes * Tangs and Surgeonfishes * Angelfishes * Hawkfishes * Wrasses * Basslets * Dartfishes * Tilefishes * Blennies * Butterflyfishes * Gobies * Triggerfishes, and many others

Each profile includes details on what the fish eats, its compatibility with other fish and invertebrates, its hardiness, its needs in relation to the tank environment, and a general guide to its retail price. Approximately 250 color photos.

The Essential Book of Koi: A Complete Guide to Keeping and Care

2009-05-19T12:01:00.000+07:00

The Essential Book of Koi combines research from leading international authorities on koi with the captive-care techniques of experienced aquarists to yield the most up-to-date and extensive book available on the science, care, and breeding of these large ornamental fishes. This cutting-edge guide discusses topics that are imperative for sustaining a thriving family of koi, including how to create and maintain the best water quality, how different filtration systems work, the biology of koi and how to keep them in good health, and detailed information on feeding, buying, and showing. It also provides important details on the breeding of koi, a serious and rewarding pastime for many aquarists, and explains how koi are bred commercially as well as getting started at home. The fact-filled text is complemented by vivid, brand new photographs that detail the seemingly endless color variations of koi.

Whether you are a hobbyist looking to show or breed koi in your pond, or you simply want to admire these fishes, The Essential Book of Koi is an excellent guide to these wildly popular fishes that enhance the visual enjoyment of both indoor and outdoor ponds.

Reef Secrets: Starting Right, Selecting Fishes & Invertebrates, Advanced Biotope Techniques

2009-05-19T11:58:00.000+07:00

This is a beautiful book. There are lots of great pictures. The book is an excellent resource for those who are starting a reef tank. There are thorough and informative chapters on issues such as set-up, live rock, lighting, fitration, feeding, etc. The sections on selection & care of corals, other invertebrates, fishes, and algae are excellent. Issues of care, compatibility and conservation are addressed for all species.

I did notice a couple of incorrect pictures, but this is a very minor problem.

Overall, this is an excellent beginner/intermediate book by a pair of recognized and respected authorities in the field. Their superb 4-volume series is beyond the budget of most at a per-volume list price of around $90. Most of what the average new reefer needs is here in this book. It is an excellent value for the price.

JBJ 28 Gallon Nano-Cube Aquarium with 105 Watt Quad Compact Fluorescent Lighting

2009-05-19T11:28:00.001+07:00

The JBJ 28 Gallon Nano-Cube Aquarium 105 Watt Quad Compact Fluorescent Lighting incorporates many high-tech features not commonly found in "All-In-One" systems. The new concept behind the 28 Gallon Nano-Cube was inspired by hundreds of reef hobbyists who requested higher powered lighting, increased water circulation, a more simplified filter, and designated water level columns in the rear chambers for heaters, refugiums and protein skimmers (heater, protein skimmers & refugium not included).

All-Glass Aquarium Mini-Bow 2.5 Gallon Acrylic Aquarium Kit

2009-05-14T13:14:00.000+07:00

Everything you need to start a great aquarium for your goldfish or betta. Its undergravel filtration keeps the water crystal clear and makes it an ideal step up from your goldfish or betta bowl.2 1/2 gallon acrylic tank with base that conceals air pump and lighted hood with handy feeding door.Air pump and 24" airline tubing.Undergravel filter with base and clear lift tube.Clear betta divider that makes room for two bettas.15 watt incandescent light bulb.Goldfish and tropical fish food.Water conditioner.Perfect starter aquarium for a new fish hobbyist or as a tranquil addition for your desk or family room.

A Guide to the Selection, Care & Breeding of Corals for the Mini-Reef Aquarium

2009-05-14T13:11:00.000+07:00

Dr. Herbert Axelrod continues to pass on his aquatic prowess in this book for coral enthusiasts. Novice reefkeepers should definitely invest in this book as it is very easy to read and understand. Experienced reefkeepers would even profit from having this book in their aquatic library for reference at any time, as it is thorough in all the typically kept hard and soft corals. Each coral is given its own color-coded review for difficulty of keeping and put into one of three catagories, green for beginners, yellow for experienced keepers of corals, and red for those who consider themselves experts. On the whole this is a great reference for anyone who is considering keeping corals, either for the first time or continuing to keep them after years of experience.

biOrb Aquarium Kit with Light Fixture

2009-04-17T09:45:00.001+07:00

The Baby biOrb is a sophisticated aquarium that bestows the soothing sensation of swimming fish at home or at the office. It requires very little maintenance, and all supplies, including a halogen light and a comprehensive instruction guide, are provided. The unique, built-in 5-stage filtration system combines biological, chemical, and mechanical filtration to keep the water healthy and crystal-clear for months between simple filter changes. The filter cartridge conveniently lasts up to 8 weeks, so cleaning the BiOrb is quite easy. Since the filter is barely visible at the bottom of the globe, it causes no obstruction of the underwater view when the biOrb is filled. The durable, bowl-shaped Plexiglass allows a perfect 360-degree viewing angle, and the built-in halogen light provides full observation of the swimming fish any time of day. The compact size and silver trim allow it to blend into any desk, counter, table, shelf, or mantel. The Baby biOrb measures 13 x 13 x 13 inches and is covered by a manufacturer’s warranty.

The Simple Guide to Freshwater Aquariums

2009-04-16T10:51:00.000+07:00

First published in 2001, The Simple Guide to Freshwater Aquariums has become the bestselling reference in its category, offering an easy-to-understand look at setting up and maintaining a successful first freshwater aquarium.

Now in a completely revised second edition, The Simple Guide to Freshwater Aquariums offers comprehensive and authoritative information that will guide new hobbyists to guaranteed success. Written by a renowned aquarium hobby expert, this indispensable guide contains many ideas for tank setups and stocking schemes—with brand new text that makes the subject material even easier to access and understand for the beginner hobbyist. An all-new preface reflects changes in the hobby since the first edition, while two brand new chapters discuss the benefits of routine large water changes as well as what to expect when progressing further into aquarium keeping. The book also adds mention of all new species that are especially recommended for beginners, plus over 150 full-color photos, captions,

About the Author
DAVID E. BORUCHOWITZ is in his sixth decade of fishkeeping. He has been writing and editing for TFH Publications for more than 10 years and has authored a large number of books on a variety of topics. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of Tropical Fish Hobbyist Magazine. He lives in Upstate New York.

Mini-Aquariums

2009-04-07T11:21:00.000+07:00

Fishkeeping can be a relaxing and enjoyable hobby. But what if you don't have room for a 75-gallon tank? Or even a 40-gallon tank?

The popularity of mini-aquariums (defined as water features that contain less than 40 gallons of water) is on the rise. These systems can be freshwater or saltwater, can be filled with a wide variety of species, and generally take up a very small amount of space. Mini-Aquariums offers detailed information on all aspects of setting up and maintaining a mini aquarium. It includes sections on fish health and water quality management, explains the differences between aqua-terrariums, terrariums and vivariums, details how to use common species of terrestrial plants in container ponds, and provides extensive information on many other topics.

If you live in a small apartment, want to set up a mini-pond at the office, or just prefer the look of a tiny tank, a mini aquarium may be the perfect choice for you!

JBJ 12 Gallon Nano Cube Deluxe Aquarium with (2) Nite-Vu LED Moonlights

2009-04-07T11:18:00.000+07:00

The Ultimate Reef Ready Biotope!The newly redesigned Nano Cube is now offered in a Deluxe version to meet the needs of the serious reef enthusiast. The New Nano Cube Deluxe offers double the light output of the original model, giving your corals and invertebrates 48 total watts of intense JBJ compact fluorescent illumination. All models come standard with (2) built-in cooling fans to dissipate excess heat, a new highly efficient (Fulham, UL Approved) remote electronic ballast with disconnect cable, and return nozzle for directional flow output.Advanced Features:12 Gallon Glass CubeOffers Panoramic viewing with smooth rounded corners. The Nano Cube Deluxe offers the ideal dimensions for a mini-reef tank that requires depth for proper rock stacking.Built-in 3-Stage FiltrationNewly redesigned filtration system allows for better surface skimming and more room in the rear for larger pumps for DIY customers. The filtration compartment is hidden in the rear and provides maximum space for tank inhabitants. All models now include an output return nozzle for directional flow control.JBJ Compact Fluorescent Bulb LightingIncludes (2) 24 watt CF lamps with a durable (Fulham, UL Approved) remote electronic ballast w/ disconnect cable. Offered with our powerful 50/50 lamps for marine tanks and 6500K daylight for plant tanks. Both lamps include UL Approved German "Snap-In" lamp sockets for easy bulb install and removals. Installed with splash guard lens for lamp protection.CE ApprovedManufactured with the highest quality components for trouble free performance. Dimensions: 15.8" (L) x 13.8" (W) x 14.8" (H) Capacity: 12 gallons Power Supply: AC110V-60Hz Pump (included): 106 GPH Lift: 0.8m Lighting: (2) 24 Watt 50/50 CF Lamp + Remote Ballast, (2) Nite Vu LED Moonlights