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by Sherron Ostrander

How to Keep Tropical Fishes in Fish Tanks – Patience is Key.

April 13, 2012 in Aquarium Care, Aquarium Plants, Aquariums, Fish Keeping Mistakes, Fish Tanks, Freshwater Aquariums

The best advice for setting up and maintaining a good-looking, healthy, low-maintenance aquarium is “Don’t Rush!” Plan on the set up of your aquarium taking weeks. The more weeks the better. And that’s before you even look at the first fish!

Pick the perfect spot in your home, well lit but out of direct sun. It’s better to pick a dark spot and add extra lighting than have to fight the natural sunshine, which will promote too much algae growth and even cause overheating.

Partially fill the tank and then plant your plants. Use lots of plants, they are your healthy-fish secret. Then fill the tank the rest of the way, turn on the filtration system, and wait. The longer you can stand to wait, the better experience you will have. Waiting gives your tank and its natural ecosystem time to stabilize. It gives the plants a chance to put down some roots before the fish start knocking against them. It also allows you time to decide if you tank design is pleasing, and to change it if necessary. Fish don’t like change, so giving yourself time to get their home perfectly arranged before you bring them home is key.

Good tank preparation is more important than what type of fish or plants or filtration you choose, or any other single factor.

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by Sherron Ostrander

Keeping Goldfish in a Fish Tank

April 13, 2012 in Aquarium Fishes, Aquariums, Fish Keeping Mistakes, Fish Tanks, Fishes, Freshwater Aquariums

Goldfish deserve real tanks too. A goldfish bowl is almost certainly an early death sentence for a fish that, properly cared for, could live 10 years or longer. Goldfish naturally grow to become 6 or even 12 inches long, so that cute little goldfish in that one gallon bowl is either not grown or has had its growth severely stunted.

GoldFish

GoldFish

While goldfish are very hardy and can survive in cold, unfiltered water, and cramped quarters, they are not happy or healthy. And small goldfish bowls aren’t really any easier to care for than a full size tank. The water so quickly becomes fouled in that small volume that you waste a lot of enjoyment time replacing water by hand.

Given a well set up tank and with only mild filtration, goldfish are generally  hardier and easier to care for than tropical fish. They are able to thrive in lower water temperatures than tropical fish, and since a full-size tank will naturally change temperature more slowly than a tiny bowl, in typical homes it won’t need a heater.

Since goldfish come in so many beautiful and multicolored varieties, a full-size aquarium with only goldfish as occupants would be a handsome addition to any room, outdoing the color and attractiveness of any other kind of fish.

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by Sherron Ostrander

Before You Spend One Penny on Fish, Research!

April 10, 2012 in Aquariums, Fish Keeping Mistakes, Fish Tank Dealers, Fish Tanks

Of course you’ve already researched the kind of fish you want, right? What about the place you’re going to buy them from? Just like you should never get a kitten or puppy on impulse, you should never just go to a pet store and point to pretty fish to take home. People who do this always end up with too many fish at one time, and often with incompatible fish or fragile, difficult to keep fish. You are about to take on responsibility for a living thing. Make sure you are prepared and that you are buying young, healthy, hardy fish.

Before you ultimately buy, visit several places where there are fish for sale. Remember that you are not only researching what type of fish to buy, but where to buy them. Notice the conditions of the tanks in the shop you will be buying from. A shop with dirty tanks and floating fish should be quickly marked off your list. Ask questions. Find out if the employees are helpful and knowledgeable. Just as you don’t want to buy from tanks that are dirty or unhealthy, you don’t want to buy from a retailer that can’t guide your selection and offer information. Stay away from shops that do not have fish experts on hand.

Aquarium Setup

Aquarium Setup

Only after you’ve done this basic research and found a qualified seller of the type of fish you are hoping to keep should you even think about that first real fish.

 

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by Sherron Ostrander

Beginner Fish Tank

April 7, 2012 in Aquarium Care, Aquariums, Fish Keeping Mistakes, Fish Tanks, Freshwater Aquariums, Saltwater Aquarium

Again I want to go against popular wisdom about what kind of tank a beginner should try. Most people who think they would love to have an aquarium, but are afraid of doing it wrong, think that they should start small. They run down to the fish store and get that cute little desktop fish tank kit with “everything you need,” including a cute little five gallon tank. This is exactly the wrong thing to do, unless you just want to kill fish and convince yourself that you should never have an aquarium.

No Beginner Fish Tank

No Beginner Fish Tank

Small tanks are actually more difficult to maintain because they don’t offer the environmental stability that a larger tank automatically affords. A larger aquarium, even a medium-sized twenty-gallon tank, would be much easier to take care of once set up. The mere fact that you have that much water and room to install a decent filtration system and live plants will provide a safer, healthier, less stressful home for your fish.

The most common causes of pet fish deaths are stress caused by rapid temperature fluctuation and the spoiling of the water by over feeding. Both of these can be better dealt with in a larger aquarium.  The more water, the more slowly the temperature can change, giving the fish time to adjust and/or the human time to step in before conditions reach critical. Pollutant buildup will also happen much more slowly, giving the tank-owner time to intervene. The main pollutant is often uneaten, decaying food, so a new aquarist’s first responsibility is to learn the proper amount to feed. But just in case of a slip, a larger tank has more room for the food and other contaminants to be diluted in.

Lastly, a larger tank gives you room for live plants, nature’s natural filtration systems. Plants also help provide hiding and resting spots when the fish don’t want to be seen.

 

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by Cory Lover Shara

Aquarium Care : Cleaning & Maintaining your Fish Tank

April 5, 2012 in Aquarium Care, Aquariums, Fish Tanks

Clean your substrate with an aquarium vacuum to remove debris.

Clean your substrate with an aquarium vacuum to remove debris.Photo courtesy of Victor Martinez
flickr.com/photos/osseous/5891344636...

A clean, well-maintained aquarium keeps fish healthy and allows you to enjoy them more. Dirty aquariums are hazardous to the fish’s health, shorten their lifespan and look cloudy and grimy. Set up a schedule for maintaining your aquarium and stick to it. You’ll do less cleaning if you do it regularly than a big cleaning less frequently. Unplug all the equipment to the aquarium before you begin maintenance inside.

Daily Maintenance: 

Aquariums don’t need a lot of work on the daily basis. Feed your fish according to the needs of the species. Check your aquarium each day to make sure the equipment is operating properly and that the fish are in good health.

Weekly Maintenance: 

Clean the inside walls of the aquarium with an aquarium brush once a week.

Vacuum the aquarium’s substrate to remove any dead plant debris and leftover food.

Remove one-third to two-thirds of the water and replace with clean, dechlorinated water.

Wipe the outside of the aquarium with a soft, damp cloth to remove water spots.

Monthly Maintenance:

Once a month, test your water for nitrates, nitrites, ammonia and pH. Test the water weekly, if your aquarium is new.

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by Cory Lover Shara

Aquarium Decorations : Decorating Your Fish Tank

April 5, 2012 in Aquarium Plants, Aquariums, Fish Tanks

Aquarium decorations range for natural to novelty.

Aquarium decorations range for natural to novelty. Photo courtesy of David D.
flickr.com/photos/puuikibeach/443066...

Aquarium decorations are necessary in all aquariums. They provide places for fish to hide, give them some variety in their lives and add interest to the aquarium.

Choose aquarium decorations according to the type of fish you have. For example, some fish prefer to hide or rest during the day and they need a sheltered area. This makes them feel safe and secure. Other fish enjoy need a place to hide out from bigger fish if they get to rough.

Choosing Aquarium Decorations

You can choose aquarium decorations that are either natural or ornamental. Natural decorations include live plants, rocks and driftwood. You can grow moss on rocks or driftwood to add to the décor. Live plants have the added benefit of removing toxins from the water and increasing the oxygen levels. They are also gentler on sensitive fish scales when fish swim through them.

Ornamental decorations are added for fun to the aquarium. Typical ornamental décor includes castles, divers, synthetic plants and caves. You can add other ornamental décor like glass beads or brightly colored rocks. These add a lot of color to the décor and can add intrigue, particularly if they follow a theme.

No one type of decoration is significantly better than the other, although hobbyists often feel it is best to mimic the fish’s natural environment as much as possible. Always consider the needs of your fish when choosing decorations.

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by Cory Lover Shara

Freshwater Aquariums

April 5, 2012 in Aquariums, Fish Tanks, Freshwater Aquariums

The Tiger Oscar Fish is one of many beautiful fish you can keep in a freshwater aquarium. Photo courtesy of Ramesh NG
flickr.com/photos/rameshng/564243302..

Maintaining Freshwater Aquariums

Freshwater aquariums are definitely the most popular type of aquarium for fish hobbyists. It is easier to find supplies and information on keeping a freshwater aquarium, which makes it desirable for novice fish keepers.

When you first start keeping a freshwater aquarium you’ll need to make a few purchases. First, you’ll need an aquarium (larger ones are easier to maintain than smaller), filter, heater and light with hood.

Cycling your Aquarium

Add substrate (gravel or sand) to the bottom of the aquarium after rinsing it thoroughly, fill the aquarium with water and turn on the filter. The aquarium needs to ‘cycle’ to build up the good bacteria that eats the toxins that fish excrete (ammonia). The safest and easiest way to do this is with fishless cycling where you add small amounts of household ammonia to the aquarium over several weeks to develop the bacteria.

After your tank has cycled, add a few hardy fish. Let the fish live in the aquarium for a few weeks to help balance the aquarium. Slowly add new fish, a few at a time, letting the aquarium balance after each addition.

Rules on stocking an aquarium vary according to each hobbyist, but a general rule-of-thumb is to keep one inch of (adult-sized) fish for each gallon of water. It is better to under stock the aquarium than to overstock it.

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by Cory Lover Shara

Fish Food

April 5, 2012 in Aquariums, Fishes

Fish love feeding time.

Fish love feeding time.Photo courtesy of Steven Beger Photography
flickr.com/photos/beger/2335745496/

Like mammals, fish have varying needs. Some prefer to eat only plant matter; others only eat insects and worms, while still others will eat a variety of food. It is important to feed your fish a diet that is suited specifically to its needs.

Choosing food for your fish

When choosing food for your fish, always research the fish species to see what they will prefer. Once you have determined the ideal food for you fish, choose the best quality you can find. That often means buying fresh or freeze-dried food, which is more nourishing and flavorful than dried food. Always check the expiry date on food to make sure it’s as fresh as possible.

Add variety to your fish’s diet to ensure his nutritional needs are being completely met and to keep his life interesting. For example, there are plenty of Betta foods available on the market and these will keep Betta healthy and full. However, you might want to spice up their lives by treating them to mosquito larvae, shrimp, or live (or freeze-dried) worms. It’s entertaining to watch a fish swim for a food that they don’t normally get. Don’t go overboard on the food that is just a treat, like bloodworms, you don’t want them to overindulge and miss nutrients from a complete food. Treats should be fed two or three times a week at the most.

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by Cory Lover Shara

Saltwater Aquarium

April 5, 2012 in Aquariums, Fish Tanks, Fishes, Saltwater Aquarium

Maintaining a saltwater aquarium

Keeping a saltwater aquarium is similar to keeping a freshwater aquarium. The biggest difference is that you have to measure the salt content in the saltwater aquarium. This is done with hydrometer, which measures the density in the water. When you measure the gravity in the tank, you want a reading that starts at 1.020. This varies depending on the type of fish you are keeping.

Bannerfish are a bright, schooling fish found in saltwater aquariums. This aquarium has plenty of live rock to keep the water balanced. Photo courtesy of Motohide Miwa
flickr.com/photos/moto_club4ag/41106...

The other variable is live rock. Freshwater aquariums do not have live rocks, which add beneficial bacteria to the tank. They also help filter the water and may even come with natural algae or small creatures. This makes the tank more natural and helps keep it balanced.

Other than a hydrometer and live rock, saltwater aquariums use the same equipment as freshwater aquariums. The biggest benefit to a saltwater is aquarium is the type of fish you can have. Fish that live in saltwater are generally much brighter and more attractive than freshwater aquariums. This makes them visually appealing so your tank really stands out.

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by Sherron Ostrander

Choosing Fish for Fishtanks

April 4, 2012 in Aquarium Fishes, Aquariums, Fish Tanks, Fishes, Tetra Fishes

Over the years the consensus for the best fish to choose for your first aquarium has changed. When I started my first tropical tank back in the early 70’s, the advice was guppies, guppies, guppies. They came in a multitude of colors, were hardy, and easy to care for, and sometimes would reproduce even if you weren’t trying. And some people, including some pet stores, will still tell you that. But it is no longer true. Much like when a certain dog breed becomes popular and then overbred, causing genetic problems, guppies are no longer hardy fish. They have been too popular for too many years, and the pet store population is full of fragile guppies.

Tetra Fishes

Tetra Fishes

Fishes to Keep In a Fish Tank for beginners

Nowadays, a better type of fish for beginners to choose is something in the tetra family. While a few of these can have special requirements, for the most part almost any species of tetra will make a good beginner’s fish. I’m raising Blue Line Tetras, also known as Columbian Tetras (Hyphessobrycon columbianus), which at 3 inches are some of the larger tetras. But with 1674 different described species, there are several good choices. Two of the most common types sold in fish stores are Cardinal Tetras, and Neon Tetras. Both of these are very hardy and look good in schools.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking you need one of every kind of fish. Choose one or two species of tetras, and get a decent school of at least four and just learn with those for at least a year. With all the varieties of multicolored tetras available, just choosing two of them will give you a colorful, fun tank of fish you won’t have to be treating for disease or replacing frequently.

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