care and maintenance fish and aquarium tanks

pets

Top 10 Daily Top Selling Deals – Official TigerDirect.com RSS Feed

• Canon SX150 PowerShot Digital Cameras - $179.97
• Canon 18MP EOS Rebel T3i 18-55mm IS SLR Camera - $749.99
• Canon 5251B001 Powershot SX40 Digital Camera - $379.99
• Sony KDL46HX820 46" BRAVIA 3D LED Backlit Bundle - $1999.98

African Cichlid

The African Cichlid is a exotic and semi-aggressive fish that has a long life span and generally spends its time at the center levels of the lake. Regardless of their semi-aggressive cichlid behavior, they are a favorite for freshwater aquariums and are capable of scooting through the top to the bottom of the water very quickly.

They are rather territorial and capable of feeding on smaller fish. This kind of relatively implies that if they’re kept together with additional fish, it is important to ensure that they have the same temperaments and are the same in terms of size.

African Cichlids can be defined as the most arguably revered, misinterpreted and maligned fish family members in the hobby regarding aquariums. There are typical misconceptions and beliefs attributed to the behavior regarding African Cichlids and they include:

The severe nature of Cichlids; although there is a limited number involving very aggressive type of Cichlids, these are exceptional as the majorities are soft-water types that are kept in the community aquarium tank peacefully.

An example of these kind of mild African Cichlids is Rustys and also yellow labs. Intense Cichlids can be relatively held in peace if provided with a proper environment as they do not fight due to their crazy nature or meanness, but due to a response of the perceived threat to their breeding or feeding territories.

The second false impression is that African Cichlids have to be given feeder fish to eat. The ideal diet is home or perhaps commercially prepared food items due to the selection of the ideal protein content. An exception to this is finding and catching Lake Malawi Cichlids for instance.

This kind of wild-caught fish will refuse to take in the prepared foods, although it is possible to modify this kind of behavior within one or two months through the use of live cultures such as brine shrimp, then a switch to frozen foods just before resulting to the form of food preferred.

Another misconception is that you can randomly go and pick Lake Malawi Cichlids and hang them in a tank if you don’t take time to take into account the difference in species. This is relatively hazardous because the fish may not be suitable for the behavior, temperament, water or diet.

After researching and also selecting a new Cichlid, it must be quarantined before being put into a tank. Wild-caught Cichlids may harbour parasites which are generally stimulated by stress. In similar cases, many tank bred or perhaps farm raised Cichlids can handle carrying parasites or diseases from former tank mates.

Keeping a pair of males together can result in a fight especially when they want to mate this also is similar to keeping incompatible species together.

How To Set Up A Marine Fish Aquarium-For Beginners

Setting up an aquarium can be fun, exciting and satisfying. However, several decisions will have to be made as to whether it will be freshwater or saltwater, the kinds of accessories you may want, the size of the tank and which location the tank will be placed in.

In general, it is easier to begin with a freshwater tank if you are a beginner. Freshwater tanks are much easier to maintain and the fish are inexpensive also. Setting up a saltwater tank isn’t impossible for a beginner, it’s just that the maintenance of the proper water conditions may be a little more involved.

If you’re contemplating what size your aquarium should be, it would be best to purchase the largest you can afford, keeping in mind that you will also need space for that size tank.The aquarium itself has environmental issues surrounding it which includes careful regulation of water flow, temperature, light, food, oxygen, removal of injurious debris and attention to the special requirements of the individual species. Aquariums of a larger size are also better because they have a larger surface area for the interchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen and the waste matter from the fish will be more widely scattered in a more massive body of water than a smaller one. As far as temperature fluctuations, wider tanks are less likely to have them more than smaller ones.Twenty to thirty gallon tanks at least are best, although you can successfully keep fish in smaller one, such as a ten gallon tank. Of course you can keep more fish in a larger tank than you can in a ten gallon or smaller tank and the water quality is easier to maintain with a larger tank.

Should your tank be glass or acrylic and does the shape of the tank really matter? The opinions differ on which is best, so it may be a matter of personal taste. In past years, only glass tanks were available.Today, it seems harder to find glass tanks and the acrylic tanks are more readily available. These tanks are lightweight and are leak-proof because the corners are seamless, but are more prone to scratching than glass tanks.We’ve been talking about how aquariums of a larger size have a larger surface area. So, that would suggest that tanks of a rectangular shape would be the best shape for your aquarium and not those that are tall because, again the surface area is small for the volume of water at the top of the tank. My first tanks were acrylic and are still working well today.

Now, where are we going to place your masterpiece? Keep in mind that once the tank is filled with water, it will be heavy, so you want to be sure it is placed in a permanent and secure spot. Also, you don’t want it in a high traffic area or one that has direct sunlight. This will of course heat the water temperature causing it to be uncomfortable for the fish as well as cause unsightly growth of algae. Place your tank near an electrical outlet to plug it and all of the accessories into.Be extremely careful that water doesn’t come into contact with the wiring. When you make your purchase, ask for any accessories that will help prevent any water that may leak from the tank from getting into the electrical outlet. Tanks will do well placed on a stand designed specifically for aquariums. These can also be purchased at the pet store. Placing the tank on flat surfaces of furniture is not recommended because of the weight of the tank and the furniture may not be able to support it. I have always used aquarium stands and have never had any problems with them.

Other accessories you will need are green aquatic plants( live ones provide oxygen- the plastic ones just look pretty) and gravel or coral which comes in an array of beautiful colors. Both should be washed untill the water is clear before putting it into the tank. If not, it tends to cloud the tank which may not be cleared up by the filter system. Your filter system should be adequate for the tank. I have found it best to fill the tank, add a few drops of chlorine remover and let it run for a few hours before introducing the fish to the tank. Letting it sit overnight works extremely well also but, twenty-four hours would be best. Your fish will survive overnight in a bowl in the water that you purchased them in. You want to make sure you put a covering over the bowl (a couple of mine jumped out overnight). Of course there can always be a second trip to the pet store if you want to buy your fish last. If you’re keeping tropical fish, look into an aquarium heater and a thermostat. Your last accessories will be the aquarium hood, light, fish food (pellets or flakes) and of course, your fish.

Once you have your tank set up (accessories and all), let everything run for twenty-four hours(best timing) before introducing the fish.Your aquarium‘s biological filtration system can be boosted by adding some nitrifying bacteria. The bacteria in these products help to convert toxic ammonia and nitrite levels from fish waste to nitrate, which is used by aquarium plants as food. Overtime, after your fish have been added, these bacteria will be present anyway, but using one of these products will boost the tank’s biological system.

Keeping an aquarium is a fun,exciting and relaxing hobby. Be sure to fully understand the information you learn when undertaking this hobby and go at it step by step. Once you’re knowledgable, the more enjoyment you will receive from this hobby and the happier your fish will be.

get much enjoyment from it as well as find it rewarding.   For more information on starting your marine aquarium get your MARINE AQUARIUM GUIDE NOW and start your aquarium TODAY!!

discus fish care basics

There are different kinds of tropical fish and one has to be able to understand how to properly take care of them. Some make the mistake of buying a fish that they do not even understand. Having an aquarium is a serious responsibility and is considered to be rewarding and fulfilling once done correctly. The way a fish has to be taken care of varies and one has to know more in order to do more.

How to Care for Discus Fish: Passion and Responsibility in Fish Care

The discus is a well-loved aquarium pet due to the fact that the fish intelligent, loving and interactive with their owners. For this reason, many would like to understand how to care for discus fish, how to prolong their life and how to create the connection.

Caring for fish does not have to be seen as complex rather a challenge that once completed is a monumental achievement. It is the ability of the hobbyist to combine. Harmonize and make the lives of the fish thrives in order to get a sense of satisfaction.

Here are steps on how to care for discus fish:

1. Never underestimate the power of a book. Although online suggestions are good and contain helpful hints, nothing is better than taking the time to go and research on the real informative ways to care for the discus, learn the variety of the fish, how they came about and what makes them thrive.

2. Check the quality of water. Do not just use any tap-water. Make sure to remove the chlorine and other chemicals and to use soft water to maintain the pH of the water.

3. Use warm water never a cold one to maintain the needed water temperature by the discus. pH 7 – Gh 15 – Kh 8 – conductivity 800ms – temp 30C

4. Sign up for fish practical fishing magazines in order to get more helpful hints on how to care for discus fish.

5. It would be best to care for an older discus fish and they tend to be stable. Choose 12cm and over so that you can be definite regarding the color and the shape that you will be getting.

6. Never buy only one discus fish. It has to be able to interact with 5 or more discus in order to thrive and never alone.

7. Make sure that the water is clean and changed every now and then, it would be best not to place gravel in order for an easier maintenance.

8. Never use a carbon filter as this could affect the quality of life of the fish.

9. It would be best to keep the design of the tank minimal. You can include some plants and a few stones and wood but less is better in order to make the maintenance faster. It would be best to give the discus fish swimming space.

10. It would be good to use a grolux tube for discus for lighting.

Knowing how to care for discus fish is the key in prolonging their life.

discus diseases

This article is all about discus diseases and how to avoid buying sick fish. Discus are usually one of the more stylish fish to possess in a tank. They are astonishingly brilliant and tend to be the center of attention in your aquarium. If you have done your fact-finding on discus, then you know buying discus can be incredibly expensive.

If you are planning on buying discus as new fish for your aquarium, here are a few tips that you have to remember prior to you purchase. With these tips, you will be able to buy healthy and disease free discus, which if you do not, you will end up wasting your money.

First of all, when buying discus, you have to remember that a flourishing discus should look healthy. Discus that stay at the top of the tank or near the surface is an assured indication that they are sick. You should also look out for bloated gills as well as strange looking spots. Also, be on the patrol for parasites protruding from the fish.

It’s also wise to stay away from tanks that have a DNS label upon them. DNS will mean “do not sell” and the fish listed here are more likely to get an illness.

You should also test the overall health as well as responsiveness of the fish. To make this happen, get the breeder or the keeper feed for the fish so you can watch. When the fish is passive and is not interested in the fresh food that is available, this is usually a hint of bad fish. The specific fish you obtain should eat their food or at best be interested in it. In the event the keeper says that they just fed the fish, in which case you should look for another location to obtain your fish.

Whenever you can, you should purchase a fully grown discus. This is certainly recommended for first time keepers of discus since the adult fish are less costly to keep compared to baby ones. It is advisable that teen discus are usually far more sensitive to water quality compared grownup discus.

Learn about dealer quarantine. This is the time in which the seller obtained the fish and the time they attempt to sell the fish. The more time the dealership quarantine is, the greater it’ll be for you. The fish ought to be inside quarantine for around 2 weeks. That is to make certain that the fish isn’t spreading any diseases. In addition, make certain that the dealership lets you know if your fish have been subjected to medicines or when they have been de-wormed. Simply by asking these questions, it will be possible to get a good idea of the background of the fish.

And finally, it’s important to consider the fish tank biochemistry and biology. Ensure that you ask the dealer about the present water condition which the discus you intend on buying is now residing in. This may give you a good idea of how to set up of your aquarium to the same conditions.

Remember these tips and you will be sure to buy several amazing discus that will live for a very long healthy life.

Why Set Up a Tropical Fish Tank?

You’ve been to the pet store and noticed the fish tanks and thought “maybe I could do that”. Guess what, you can “do that” and it’s not nearly as difficult as you may think.

The tropical fish keeping hobby has come a long way over the past decade thanks in part to advances in aquarium equipment and the plethora of readily available information. There are many outstanding fish and aquarium books available as well as an abundant amount of information on the internet, forums and discussion groups. Running your own tank is way easier than it was just 10 years ago.

In the past, folks would go to the pet store and buy the tank, equipment and fish all at once not knowing they were setting themselves up for failure. They would get the aquarium set up and running, put some fish in and everything would be fine for a couple of days but then the fish would start to die. Now we know better. We know about the crucial aquarium nitrogen cycle that must take place in all new tanks. We know how to properly acclimate tropical fish to our tank water and how to periodically use our aquarium test kits to test the tank water to make sure nothing is out of whack. We have better access to fish behavior and can determine which fishes shouldn’t be kept together in the same tank. The information is out there, at our fingertips, at libraries, book stores and the search engines.

So, with all this available information we can quickly come up to speed with running a tank in our home. There are many different types of aquarium setups but the most common types are freshwater, saltwater fish only and saltwater reef tanks. Here is a very brief intro:

Freshwater Aquarium

The mainstay of the hobby and the most popular setup, a freshwater tank setup can be a great first tank and it will give you the necessary experience needed for branching out into other types of tanks. This setup is the least expensive in terms of equipment and livestock and is not usually as demanding as the other types. There are literally hundreds of different types of fish available so finding a species you’ll like shouldn’t pose a problem. You can keep live aquarium plants in your tank as well. Keeping plants may require an upgrade to your lighting system and you may have to add supplements to your tank water. Freshwater aquarium plants add another dimension of beauty to a freshwater tank.

Saltwater Aquarium

Saltwater tanks are perceived to be more difficult than freshwater tanks. In times past, that statement may have been true but I don’t think that is necessarily the case today. With the increasing use of live rock as the primary biological filter in a saltwater tank setup, the chances of successfully running this type of aquarium have dramatically improved. A fish only saltwater tank equipped with live rock will be more expensive than a freshwater tank because you’ll need to purchase live rock and a protein skimmer. Marine fish are also more expensive than their freshwater counterparts.

Saltwater Reef Tank

The ultimate tank setup in this hobby has to be the reef tank setup. It’s like having a small piece of the coral reef in your living room. The emphasis is on the corals and invertebrates with a limited amount of fish. These tanks are however, more expensive to setup and maintain. Equipment such as metal halide lighting, protein skimmers, live rock, testing equipment, supplements, water purification units (reverse osmosis and deionization) and sumps drive the cost of this setup. Don’t forget about the ongoing maintenance costs (electricity) as well. The livestock costs for live corals, fish and invertebrates are also very expensive. This type of tank can be very demanding when first set up because you’ll need to monitor the water parameters periodically and take corrective action when necessary. Even though this is the most expensive type of setup, it can also be the most breathtaking. You should to do your homework (research) and figure out exactly what you want to accomplish before buying your first piece of reef equipment.

No matter what type of tank setup you choose, as long as you do your homework beforehand you’ll enjoy this hobby. Research the equipment and livestock before purchasing them and you will prevent many headaches and keep some of that hard earned money in your wallet!

The satisfaction of watching fish in our home can be relaxing, educational and can be a great conversational piece all at the same time. Many kids are extremely fascinated with tropical fish and you can use this as a great learning tool to teach your children responsibility, biology and science. Teach them about the critical biological cycle that takes place called the Nitrogen Cycle. Teach them how to test the tank water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. Show them the proper way to feed and care for the fish. Show them how to do water changes and maybe they can help out with this vital task required for keeping fish in our homes. Explain to them why we can’t keep a common pleco in our 10 gallon tank. The educational opportunities abound.

If you’re interested in setting up your own tank I encourage you to do some homework beforehand. Go out and purchase an aquarium book on the type of tank you’re interested in, subscribe to a tropical fish magazine, browse the internet and join a tropical fish forum to increase your knowledge. This is a fun and exciting hobby that gets better all the time!

10 Best Fish Tank Tips

Feeling inspired from your trip towards the nearby aquarium? Why not begin one of one’sextremely own! Here are some effortless steps for beginners to obtain began on their extremely own underwater paradise: 1. Determine where the fish tank could be kept inside your home. Be sure the location you choose is close to an electrical outlet.2. Having a huge ambition isn’t a poor factor but if you’re a beginner, you should commence with something small and manageable. Not simply will this save you some money with regards to getting the needed equipments however it will also provide you with a great sense of how the aquarium works. Aim for tank size that’s in between ten to 20 gallon.3. If you haven’t noticed already, fish tanks come in numerous shapes. Hobbyists typically prefer the lengthy rectangular shape as they have a tendency to appear larger than their actual sizes. Think again about where your fish tank will probably be placed and decide on a shape which you like and works using the space. four. Take into account the material that the tanks are made from. Do you want plate glass that is heavy but simple to replace or an acrylic tank that could scratch very easily but come in 1 solid piece. This can be also a good time to consider if you would be obtaining a stand for your tank. Tank stands really should be sturdy and water resistant. 5. Most tanks ought to come with a cover, but be sure it come having a hood or perhaps a cover to stop your fish from jumping outside for a daring escape, however, they never get too far… 6. Choose up a light source for your fish tank, you by no means want your fish tank by the sun light as they have a tendency to encourage the overgrowth of algae. Fluorescent lights are recommended as they create relatively little heat and are energy effective. 7. Do you program to clean the fish tank on a weekly basis? If not, pick up a filter kit for your tank as this would choose up impurities within the water and preserve your fish happy and healthy. 8. Add some gravel to your tank. This not only makes your tank look nice, it helps to preserve the plants in place. If you’re planning to get a tropical fish, utilizing darker colored gravel will bring out their colors very nicely. 9. Get plants for your tank. It can be either plastic or the actual factor but they provide hiding places for your fish at the same time as enhance your tank’s appearance. Plastic plants are suggested for beginners as they call for substantially less care than their organic counterpart.  10. Do your research, every fish has their own unique requirements. In case you are planning on getting tropical fish for instance, they must be kept at a certain temperature. Are the fish food you are grabbing intended for the fish you’ve got at home? Do they play nicely with other kinds of fish? Contemplate all these questions and know exactly what it takes to maintain a content school of fish.