Learn About Aquariums

When confronted with such variety of plants for your aquarium, there is a great temptation to take a piece of everything that appeals to you. If you do this, you will be wasting money needlessly.

A dozen different kinds of plants in a tank will compete for food and light, and before long the strongest will have gained all of the space, and leave the others dying off. So exercise self-restraint and limit your choice to only three kinds. Two of these plants should be for massing in the background, and one as a center-piece.

For one of the two plants to be placed in the background, I would suggest that one be either Vallisneria or Sagittaria (not both in one tank though, as they tend to compete).

For the second plant, it always looks nice to have one of the bushy plants, and of these, Hygrophila is the easiest to grow. But also note that Cabomba-Limnophila or Ludwigia are more decorative for the tropical tank. These suggestions are also the best ones if you are starting a cold-water aquarium.

And your third plant, the center-piece, a Cryptocoryne, Echinodorus or an Aponogeton are recommended for warm water aquariums, and a Hottonia, Muphar or Ranunculus do especially well for the cold water. Not to mention they are all very lovely to look at!

Healthy plants are plump, crisp and intense in color; refuse those that are limp and pale. Most aquatic plants are rather brittle when out of water and must be handled carefully. Never pick them up by the middle of the stem; the best way is to lift them by the base, so that they hang down from the fingers. Select young, half-grown plants rather than fully grown ones, and with as many leaves as possible.

Many of the plants which propagate by cuttings will be seen to have fine, hair-like roots sprouting from the nodes from which the branches grow; choose these, as they will “take” more quickly.

Plants with crowns must have good roots, and you should examine these to see that they are plump and bushy.

Of all of the aquarium plants available, the ones listed above have always proven to be the most reliable and attractive. Be sure to pick the healthiest ones of the bunch, and you will be creating a great looking, and happy aquarium.

About the author:
FREE information on all aspects of owning an aquarium! Discover how you can have the most attractive and clean aquarium, and the happiest and healthiest fish around. It’s FREE! Click here: http://www.SuccessfulAquariums.com

Written By: Jon Weaver

Freshwater tanks are a lot easier to maintain than a saltwater aquarium. The fresh water fish may not be easy to keep but the set up is a lot less complicated, you do not have to be chemist to run one of these tank set ups. Basically in your tank should be your filter, your heater and your lights. You will also need a thermometer. After the tank has been sitting for a few weeks getting the bacteria to cycle then it is ready for some freshwater fish!

There are different kinds of fresh water fish that you can get. There are of course large and small and different species of each. If you are just starting out and your tank is only for decorative purposes then stick with small fish, but if you see this as becoming a great hobby and you are going to stick to it then don’t bother with small fish as they are a waste of money, it is better to get the bigger fish! Bigger species of fish aren’t harder to keep than smaller ones, just different. When I say bigger species I don’t mean that they are bigger to start of with, but most of the “bigger species” can grow to at least half a foot long. Cichlids and Malawi’s are the usual favourites of fish enthusiasts, although they are both freshwater fish they both need different types of fresh water.

African Malawi’s prefer hard water, and a lower PH. American cichlids like to have a different temperature and PH level. Also there is a certain type of fish, known as Discus which is very, very expensive and hard to keep. There PH level has to be maintained almost exact throughout their tank life or it can result in death, they also like their temperature higher than most fresh water fish, nearly thirty degrees.

When choosing your fresh water fish make sure that they are fish that you like! Not to mention make sure that the fish that you choose are going to be relatively easy for you to keep, there is no point in purchasing hard to keep fish if you are not going to spend the time and take on the responsibility to look after them! Fish are living creatures to and they need a lot of looking after, so don’t purchase them if you are not prepared to do so.

About the author:

William Nabaza of http://www.Nabaza.com specializes in domains, webhosting, webmaster’s tools, netpreneur’s articles and resources. Stands out as a freebie provider, business opportunity provider and the like. Visit his site at http://www.nabaza.com or contact him directly at william@nabaza.com There’s more pet resources here: http://www.nabaza.com/pets.htm

Written By: William R. Nabaza of http://www.Nabaza.com/pets.htm

I have already talked about selecting great fish and how to transport them home and settle them in to there new surroundings. Today I’m going to tell you about the correct way to feed your aquarium fish because it is one of the most important factors of keeping tropical fish.

Overfeeding aquarium fish is the most common cause of death in tropical fish. I know this may be difficult to believe that something so easy could cause more problems and deaths of your aquarium fish than disease but overfeeding causes problems with water quality which is where problems seem to start. It is often not seen as important and therefore, notice is not taken.

You need to make sure you don’t give your aquarium fish too much food. Just a sprinkle should do however you do need to make sure you don’t underfeed them and cause stunted growth. Here are a few tips on how you should feed your new tropical fish.

1, Try to feed often but sparingly. This will decrease the uneaten food that will turn into ammonia that could be harmful to your aquarium and even kill your fish.

2, Observe your fish at feeding times and look out for how much they can eat within three to five minutes. You should then feed no more than that. This again will create less waste food.

3, Try feeding other foods that don’t pollute the aquarium water as much. Only feed meaty foods twice or three times a week as these tend to create the most ammonia.

4, Look into buying a more powerful filter or even a second filter. If you overfeed then, the extra waste won’t cause a strain on your existing filter. You could also do more water changes to keep ammonia levels down.

5, Buy some catfish or pleco’s. These bottom feeders eat the waste food that is missed by the other fish and will decrease the end waste. Pleco’s also eat algae and keep the tank glass cleaner.

Please look into using a few of these techniques above to try and avoid overfeeding and water quality problems caused by food. If you do use them then I’m sure you will see an improvement in your results and less fish deaths if you’re having problems with ammonia and nitrate levels in your tank water caused by overfeeding.

About the author:

Rob owns a few blogs on aquarium fish and tropical fish and freshwater fish and saltwater fish

Written By: Rob Mellor

Your aquarium tank is something that you should choose wisely. It is not something to be bought on a whim. The tank has to be suitable for what you are planning to put in it. Aquarium tanks can be used for several things, decoration, fish, amphibians or corals. All these different things need different tank types and different types of things in the aquarium. Fish are the easier thing to keep whereas corals are a lot harder than the others.

Corals require a marine setup aquarium tank, this means saltwater basically. It needs to have intensive hard lights, a saltwater level of around 0.7, this is the optimum level for fish and corals that need saltwater. Corals are like beautiful rocks, they are different coloured and also available for this type of set up are anemones. Anemones are like lots of little fingers sitting on a plant that wave around in the water and are absolutely stunning. Saltwater fish can also be incorporated in a coral tank aquarium.

Amphibians don’t really need a lot of taking care of, just make sure that they have adequate water and surrounding objects that they can associate with their natural habitat. Some amphibians need water baths so that they can bath in them such as turtles and snakes, it is important to make sure that these animals have enough room and space to move around because if they don’t then they may suffer from the effects of disfigurement and growing problems.

Fish are like I said the easiest to keep in a tank aquarium; they need a full tank of water, obviously. They need a filter, heater and proper lighting equipment. There are several different types of fish that can be put in an aquarium and they all need different types of habitats, so make sure that your aquarium tank suits the type of fish that you have purchased.

Aquarium tanks are of course the most essential part of any tank set up; you have to make sure that the tank suits the type of animal that you are keeping in, otherwise you animals won’t live very long! Tanks are quite expensive, because they are made of reinforced and safety glass to stop the glass breaking when you fill it with water!

About the author:

William Nabaza of http://www.Nabaza.com specializes in domains, webhosting, webmaster’s tools, netpreneur’s articles and resources. Stands out as a freebie provider, business opportunity provider and the like. Visit his site at http://www.nabaza.com or contact him directly at william@nabaza.com There’s more pet resources here: http://www.nabaza.com/pets.htm

Written By: William R. Nabaza of http://www.Nabaza.com/pets.htm

Most of our marine fishes come from the wild. It isn’t unusual for the fish to be carrying a worm infection in its intestinal track. It’s been estimated that up to 30% of fish in the wild have some kind of intestinal worm infection. This number can considerably increase as fish are kept in holding tanks along transfer points, where they can share diseases and infections.

In the wild, this isn’t much of an issue. The fish can find enough food for its own needs and the needs of the worms. The worms, of course, are taking nutrients away from the fish. But if the intake of nutrients is enough, the fish & the worms are happy. However, I, the aquarist, am not happy. I want worms out.

If the fishes are de-wormed (which is very easy to do) the aquarist doesn’t have to worry about the worms taking nutrients away from their fishes.

Unfortunately, it isn’t easy to always tell if a fish has these worms. The symptoms of a worm infestation match other intestinal disorders. Generally though, the symptoms and observations of fishes with intestinal worms include:

Strange faeces (stringy, solid lengths, colored wrong, worms in faeces, etc.)
Fish eats voraciously but doesn’t seem to gain weight
Fish eats but is losing weight, or seems to be wasting away
Fish eats but is losing coloration and clear marking boundaries
Fish eating habits have changed to picking at food or it stops eating

Obviously the above set of symptoms can apply to certain other conditions, however, the ‘strange faeces’ is the one symptom you’ll come to rely upon most.
You have to be a Super Pooper Snooper to ‘sniff out’ the problem.

I’d like to cover in this article the three most common problems which are indicated by the above symptoms. Peculiar faeces are usually a sign of an intestinal/internal problem.

There are three basic possibilities when it comes to an intestinal problem.
This reference outlines the three nicely:

http://www.petsforum.com/personal/tr…nfections.html

Garlic is not a remedy. It has been suspected of helping in one case of internal parasites. The fish was fed solid chunks of it. Garlic juice does nothing in this case. I can elaborate on this if you want or you can read a thread on that: Garlic

Knowing how long you’ve had this fish would help in the diagnosis, as well as whether or not you use a quarantine system to verify the fish was healthy before you put it into your display tank. Since I don’t know this information when I wrote this article, I have to assume either possibility and provide how to deal with each.

Whatever the intestinal problem, the fish needs the best water quality, the best diet AND supplements added to its diet. Remember, it’s eating for two or two thousand!

For diet and supplement help, check this out:
Feeding Marine Fish and Fish Nutrition

If the fish isn’t eating then the only way to get medication to the intestinal track is to put the fish in a quarantine tank and treat the water with chemicals that will kill the internal condition. The drug Praziquantel (a.k.a. Droncit) will treat intestinal worms, Maracyn Two for Saltwater fish will treat an internal bacterial infection and Metronizazole will treat dinoflagellate infections.

To be conservative: I recommend two ways forward:
1. If you’ve had your fish for several months or more: First check your source water for contaminants. Use only the best source water and make up a new batch of salt water. Now check that freshly made up water for quality/contaminants. If it passes, then adjust it for pH, temperature and salinity, mix some more, then do an 80% water change and see if the fish seems to ‘perk up’ (e.g., starts eating or eats more or swims around more in the open). If the fish definitely perks up then it maybe a combo of water conditions and bacteria. In this case, I’d treat the fish for an internal bacterial infection. Move fish to a hospital/quarantine tank and treat with Maracyn Two for Saltwater fishes. Begin with a double dose and continue double dosing what is recommended on the medicine insert. With proper nutrition and water quality, the fish may gain control and conquer the internal infection.

2. If you recently acquired the fish: Treat the fish for worms (using Praziquantel) first and if no improvement, treat for dinoflagellates (using a medication containing Metronizazole). You can use a medication that includes both these (see below).

If the fish was fat and eating properly and being fed a proper diet (see above reference), with vitamin and fat supplements, it can live without eating for several weeks, providing all other environmental and water quality conditions are as they should be and the fish isn’t diseased. Praziquantel is best administered orally so if your fish isn’t eating, try to get the fish eating.

De-worm all newly acquired fishes with Praziquantel right after acclimation. Acclimation suggestion: It Was Acclimation, I know. . .

Dose Praziquantel as instructed below. Wait 5 days and dose again.
This treatment is over!

Medications:

Maracyn Two for Saltwater fishes. Made by Mardel. Contains the antibiotic Minocycline with B complex vitamins (to stimulate appetite). Available at some local fish stores, Petco, and on line.

Praziquantel. Praziquantel may be hard to find. But it is available on-line along with other medications at: National Fish Pharmaceuticals, FISH DISEASE . . It is also available on-line from PondRX PondRX – Do you feel the need for speed? – Home. . Unfortunately, the quantity of Praziquantel you need to order as a minimum order may be more than you’ll need in the next few years. It is administered at 23mg per pound of fish, in their normal food.

There is a commercially prepared anti-parasitic pellet food available. It is made by Jungle. The active ingredients in this food are levamisole (a stimulant for the fish immune system), Metronizazole, and Praziquantel. This particular formula will kill a much broader spectrum of intestinal organisms. Also, the product Gel-Tek Ultra Cure PX can be used instead of Praziquantel. The aquarist is looking for a treatment that the fish will swallow (not a water treatment). For both of these products, just follow directions on the medication.

Alternative Meds (overseas). I try to be on the look-out for meds available outside North America. I’ve recently come across some that are suitable for de-worming. Those in the UK and Europe may find Fenbendazole or Piperazine more readily available. They are dosed at 250mg/100g of food, fed for 7 to 10 days. Medications and medications containing these will likely come with dosing instructions. Always follow label instructions.

Metronizazole. Also found in several products. (See above). Follow the directions that come with the medication.

BE THE SUPER POOPER SNOOPER. Watch your fishes’ faeces! (This is a hobby?)

This article may be used freely as long as this resource box, with intact hyperlinks, is included.

Lee Birch is the author of this article, originally posted here, used with permission by Chris Merriman

To Learn How To Obtain, Sustain & Maintain Your Aquatic Mini-World, visit LearnAboutAquariums.com

Saltwater aquariums are for fish that can only live in salt water obviously. Some of the fish are grouped for example triggers and groupers. Each play their part in the salt water aquarium set up. You can also keep corals and anemones as well as saltwater fish, but avoid things like crabs and shrimps and snails as they will try to eat the anemones.

Fish are a beautiful addition to this kind of tank, the lights accentuate the beauty of the fish and the tank looks like the deep blue sea, try to add a solid blue background at the back of the tank and the light will make the tank look fantastic and like something that you will only see in movies. There are lots if different fish that are available to be put in the tanks such as: Lion Fish, Puffer Fish, Eels, Panther Groupers, Shrimps, Crabs and dog puffers. Each of these fish is stunning and under the light of tank against the deep blue background will keep you in awe!

Another variant that you can keep in a saltwater aquarium is a coral or an anemone. Some people only have these types of living things in their saltwater tank but they can be put in with some fish, most other fish will try to eat them especially the anemones. These types of plants are living, the anemones need to be hand fed, you should just place the food on top of it and it will then curl itself around the food and open up its mouth and feed itself, its is a miraculous thing to watch.

Saltwater aquariums are like watching the ocean, the colours bounce of the fish and hey all get on so well, but it is like any other type of fish species; if it is smaller it will get eaten by something bigger. You also have to watch out because some of the fish are poisonous, for example the lion fish; its tentacles if touched will sting your hand and you need to seek medical help straight away! Saltwater aquariums are only for the professional fish keeper though, as it takes a lot of work to get the conditions for the fish correct, the saltwater needs to be at a safe level as does the temperature and the PH. This is a hard work task but the rewards are well worth the effort.

About the author:

William Nabaza of http://www.Nabaza.com specializes in domains, webhosting, webmaster’s tools, netpreneur’s articles and resources. Stands out as a freebie provider, business opportunity provider and the like. Visit his site at http://www.nabaza.com or contact him directly at william@nabaza.com There’s more pet resources here: http://www.nabaza.com/pets.htm

Written By: William R. Nabaza of http://www.Nabaza.com/pets.htm

Aquarium plants are as important to aquariums as water is to fish. Aquarium plants add more life to aquarium and make it to look beautiful while completing the aquarium community structure. The most important thing to bear in mind with plants is to form an attractive background, leaving ample space so the fish can swim undisturbed and be seen. The tall, grassy type is best planted at intervals in rows, while the feathery ones look better when they are bunched into small clumps, which makes them to appear like branching bushes.

When planting rooted plants, hold the tips of the bunch of roots between the thumb and second finger and rest them on the sand. Now with the first finger push the upper part of the roots (where they join the stem) about 2cm into the sand. Without moving this finger scrape with the thumb and second finger some sand over any uncovered portion of the root.

When putting in rootless plants in bunches, the method explained above is repeated, but this time the lower ends of the stems are placed together and treated exactly as if they were roots.

It is important that the water surface should be right up to the lower edge of the top angle iron of the tank, so that looking from the front the water surface can not be seen and the viewer gets the impression that there is no water in the aquarium. If the level is allowed to fall below the top angle iron the tank looks like a container holding water.

Aquarium Lighting is also important for aquarium plants

This depends greatly on whether you intend to successfully grow plants or not. Lack of light causes colorful fish to fade and clanch-reds to pink, green to white. The two main methods of lighting aquarium are by the INCADESCENT and FLOURESCENT.

The total amount of light required is a matter of trial and error. Too much light will turn the water green; too little will stunt plant growth.

The lighting can be natural or artificial or a combination of both. The best position is near a north facing window. This should provide the ideal amount of indirect lights which an be supplemented by artificial light.

The lighting should be housed in wood constructed stylishly with the furniture and placed above the tank. if there is no natural day light, the lights should be left on for approximately eight hours per day.

If the water turns green, you cut down on the light.

The best light for showing off an aquarium comes from behind.

About the Author

For more great aquarium related articles and resources check out http://www.aquariumspot.com

Written By: Nathan Miller

When it comes to looking after your aquarium you need to be focussed on providing care all year-round. Below we look at some of the most important points

Temperature Control For Your Aquarium
When it comes to caring for your aquarium fish, temperature control is one of the most important aspects. Although we may really feel the weather outside, your aquarium fish are more likely to suffer from any drastic changes to temperature which occurs inside the aquarium. So the following tips are worth noting:

1) Ensure that you switch the lights off during the hottest part of the day.

2) Check that your heater is properly working and keeping a steady temperature. Water which is too warm may result in the fish suffocating.

3) If you need to make any change in temperature always do so gradually.

Regular Care and Maintenance of Your Aquarium

Regular care is needed if you have an aquarium. This regular maintenance should involve vigorous aeration and filtration. Make sure that you clean your tank out regularly to ensure that the fish remain healthy.

Aquarium General Tips

Following these general tips should lead to a better environment for your aquarium fish:

1)Limit the number of fish in your aquarium to maximise the amount of oxygen for each fish. It will also help minimise the number of times you will need to clean the aquarium.

2)Make sure that you think about the positioning of the aquarium it shouldnt be in direct sunlight as this may increase the amount of algae.

3)Research the fish before you buy. You need to check that each fish you put into the aquarium is compatible with the general environment and with the other fish.

4)You should change 25% of the water in the aquarium weekly to help maintain a healthy water balance for your fish

About the Author:

Grange Aquatics have been in business for over 20 years and have a dedicated team of staff on hand to share their expertise in pond equipment and water features. Visit their website Aquariums.

Read more articles by: Grange Aquatics

Written By: Grange Aquatics

A pump is something that isn’t essential in an aquarium set up but it is desirable as this causes more oxygen for the fish. The pump is usually attached to a long tube which is in turn connected to a long stone that has small holes through out it; the pump blows air into the holes creating bubbles in the aquarium. This creates a larger surface area therefore creating more oxygen for the fish.

It is also good for decorative purposes. Bubbles can look attractive in a tank and also you get special statues that require pumps, such as opening treasure chests and so on that are used for novelty tanks. Pumps are generally expensive but very easy to get. When purchasing a pump you have to buy the special plastic tubing and the ornament that you want to buy with it, whether it is the long stone or the novelty statue that you want.

Aquarium pumps are easy to buy but are quite expensive however the equipment that goes with the pump is cheap. It is up to you whether you have a pump in your aquarium ,because like I said, it is not essential and only there for decorative purposes and only a small amount of extra oxygen. Most simple fish set ups have pumps but harder fish such as cichlids are fussier about what goes in their tanks and they do not like a lot of bubbles, I speak from experience! Don’t worry if bigger cichlids re-arrange your tank, it happens!

When purchasing a pump make sure that you have everything that you need to go with it, the hose and the statue, not to mention a free plug socket. Aquariums use a lot of electricity and you may think that it does not matter but this will of course add to the bill. The statue or the long rock that comes with the pump needs to be maintained to prevent any blockages; you don’t want your bubbles to be stuck… now do you! Just give it a clean ever few weeks (in a separate bowl of your tank water) and this will help to prevent blockages. Other than that, that is all you really need to know about pumps. All I can say now is have fun with your new aquarium.

About the author:

William Nabaza of http://www.Nabaza.com specializes in domains, webhosting, webmaster’s tools, netpreneur’s articles and resources. Stands out as a freebie provider, business opportunity provider and the like. Visit his site at http://www.nabaza.com or contact him directly at william@nabaza.com There’s more pet resources here: http://www.nabaza.com/pets.htm

Written By: William R. Nabaza of http://www.Nabaza.com/pets.htm

When you have an aquarium you need to have lighting set up and to do this you need to have somewhere to put it. Before now when it came to lighting, it used to come attached to your aquarium hood but that is not the case anymore. The shops are selling the hood, lights and light attachments separate which is costing people a fortune! Hoods are not only needed for lights but they are also needed to help the fish stay in the tank, some fish when they get excited especially when getting fed are often jumpy and is has been known for fish to basically propel themselves out of the tank, I speak through personal experience.

Aquariums hoods are available in either specialised aquarium shops or your local pet store. They are just simply a tank lid for the fish tank. It is essential that you have one of these otherwise you have no place for your lights; unless you get some hanging ones and hang them from your roof! Hoods are also essential for keeping those jumping fish in the tank! They are often made from plastic but some are made from wood. The wood variations are often more expensive than a plastic one, basically because of the wood and there is more time and effort put into making a wooden hood. Some tanks can have a hood customised to it. These are the most expensive ones. But at least they have the lights and light fixtures attached. When you buy a jewel aquarium the hood is included in the price and so are the lights and fittings.

Aquarium hoods are not very expensive but all the attachments and other accessories are costing fish collectors a fortune. They have to make sure that the tank has everything that it needs, but it is getting more and more expensive to run and maintain the tank. Just make sure that when starting to purchase the tank that you know all about the extra outlays that are involved with the tank! It would not be a good idea to purchase the tank and then not be able to afford the rest of the accessories!

About the author:

William Nabaza of http://www.Nabaza.com specializes in domains, webhosting, webmaster’s tools, netpreneur’s articles and resources. Stands out as a freebie provider, business opportunity provider and the like. Visit his site at http://www.nabaza.com or contact him directly at william@nabaza.com There’s more pet resources here: http://www.nabaza.com/pets.htm

Written By: William R. Nabaza of http://www.Nabaza.com/pets.htm