Aquarium Fish Wonders

Arowana: Ideal Habitat & Diet

Mermaid — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:45:40 +0000

Q: I’m new to fish-keeping and recently bought one arowana and some basic necessities from a local fish shop. Basically, I would like to know what type of tank, diet, and habitat are suitable for arowanas? Is a 2ft tank, a filter running on an air pump supply, and a diet of small frogs sufficient for now? What other things I need to know on maintaining my new pet fish in good condition.

Usually I advise new hobbyists to do thorough research before acquiring the necessary aquarium equipment and finally getting the fish. In your case, you did the backward procedure. We will then make do what you have got right now.

Arowanas in their natural habitat feed on smaller fish and frogs, as well as insects that have dropped into the water or resting near water surface. However, small frogs can easily dirty the water. Hence a good filtration system is vital. More tips on how to maintain a proper filtration system here.

I would highly suggest you vary their diet instead of just frogs alone. Live food such as small frogs and fish are nutritious, but sometimes carry disease. Nowadays, there is commercial pellet food specially for arowanas. These offer nutritious value close to that of live food and are safer as they don’t introduce unwanted diseases.

Arowanas can grow easily up to 24inches. You have to consider their potential sizes when planning their housing. A 2ft tank is too small to rear an arowana to adulthood. Get a tank that’s at least four feet and a suitable corner or canister filter recommended for that size.

Finally, have a read on these articles on arowanas.

Marine Aquarium: What Proper Equipment Is Need?

Mermaid — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:31:41 +0000

In the previous articles, I talk about the basis setup of coral reef keeping and also covered the basic parameters of marine aquarium. And now, on to more tips on the practical setup of a marine tank and the proper equipment used to create and sustain a good environment for your saltwater fish and marine livestock.

Your marine tank is a closed system, without access to the large water volume of the sea, you must therefore ensure that essential equipment is in place, and perform regular tasks to keep the tank’s water quality at an acceptable level.

Basic equipment required for a marine tank are lighting systems, filtration systems, water circulation systems, and water quality test kits.

Lighting Systems: Available lighting sources include both fluorescent and high-intensity systems, each with its own inherent advantages and disadvantages. In choosing lighting equipment for corals, the following factors must be taken into account:

The area being illuminated
The depth of the water
The intensity of the light source
The spectrum of the light source
The photoperiod
The kind of marine life you intent to stock. Many corals need strong light that can replicate natural sunlight in order to photosynthesize their own food from symbiotic microalgae living within their tissues.

Aquarists can consider fluorescent lighting choices such as normal fluorescent tubes (FL) to Power Compacts (PL/PC) to newer high-output tubes called T5s. Higher-wattage lamps like the newer T5s are more efficient despite their smaller diameter sizes.

Fluorescent lighting of low intensities are suitable for fish-only marine tanks or easy-to-keep soft corals like mushrooms and button polyps.

The recommended lighting choice for those wanting to keep most corals, especially hard corals, is Metal Halides. These bulbs produce a lot of intense light and closely resemble natural sunlight.

Filtration systems: Harmful dissolved organic compounds accumulate rapidly in a marine tank. Unless dealt with quickly, they will cause bacterial algae blooms which will affect the well-being of fish and corals.

Marine aquarium can be filtered through biological, chemical, and mechanical means. The systems may vary, but the end result should be the same: the removal of waste products and the conversion of harmful components into harmless forms as efficiently and completely as possible.

Biological Methods

Using natural bacterial processes to completely filter the water involves cultivation of the different types of bacteria by setting up deep sand beds (DSBs), or large quantities of livestock. DSBs have been proven to be a complete and effective method.
The culturing of macro-algae in a separate compartment to absorb dissolved nutrients and export them out of the system through regular harvesting.

Mechanical Methods

The use of a protein skimmer is essential to the exporting of dissolved organics. Its foam attracts and physically pushes out dissolved organics from the water column.
Regular water changes of at least 20 per cent of the tank’s volume should be done monthly to physically remove dissolved organics, replenish trace elements and restore ionic balance.

Chemical Methods

Using some form of chemical compounds is sometimes necessary to remove phosphates, dissolved organics, chemicals, medication, and substances like copper. Some chemical compounds you can employ are granulated activated carbon (GAC), poly-filters and different brands of iron-based phosphate removers.

Water Circulation Systems: Ample water circulation is crucial and should be achieved by using powerhead pumps or wave-making devices to stimulate tidal conditions. These also help to keep oxygen levels up.

Test Kits: As it is impossible to gauge the presence of harmful compounds like phosphate or the levels of pH, alkalinity, calcium, and other important parameters just by looking at the water, the use of quality test kits in the maintenance of a marine aquarium is essential and should not be ignored.

Parrot Cichlids: Spinal Curvature

Mermaid — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 05:34:04 +0000

Q: My parrot cichlid fish has been sinking or lying sideways at the bottom of the tank for the past month. Each time I feed it, it would swim up for food but afterward sink back to the bottom. Otherwise, it looks healthy to me. What is the problem?

It seems like your parrot cichlid fish has a swim bladder problem. If the swim bladder is not functioning, the fish will have buoyancy problems and not be able to swim properly. It will then have to make huge efforts to reach for food at the surface, and then sink back down.

This dysfunction can be a result of an infection or developmental anomaly. Since your fish shows no signs of infection, it should be developmental problem.

Spinal curvature is common among parrot cichlids. A small percentage of parrot fish had compressed organs within the body cavity, resulting in the swim bladder being so compressed and its normal functions are affected. Sometimes, this may not be evident in small fish, but as they grow, the problem may get more pronounced.

Chances of recovery are slim. However, you can try reducing the water depth to an acceptable height so the fish can maintain some buoyancy. As your fish becomes more acclimatized, slowly increase the height of the water a little at a time until it feels comfortable and can hopefully be buoyant again.

How To Train Your Koi To Remain Calm During Hand Feeding

Mermaid — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 07:45:22 +0000

Q: Currently, I’ve 7 koi at my backyard. I rear them in a fairly good size pond. I would like to hand feed them occasionally however, they don’t seem to respond well to hand feeding. They get very nervous and would not come near my hand even with their favorite food. Is there a way to training my koi to remain calm during hand feeding.

Although most Koi are generally sociable nevertheless they can be very shy and timid at first, and get frightened very easily. Training your koi to feed off your hands will take time and patience.

But before you begin to hand feed your koi, it would be best you spend more time with them just by watching and nothing else. Let them get acquainted with your presence. Only then, try these tips:

Step by Step to Hand Feeding Your Koi

Begin by approaching the pond slowly, without too many bystanders around you.
Place your hand slowly and gently above the pond and avoid sudden jerky movements.
Drop a few pellets into the pond to attract the koi to you.
Finally, always try to feed your koi from the same spot so they’ll know to expect food when they see you.

Once they are conditioned to associate you with food, you can then gently lower your palm and let them nibble food pellets it. Eventually, your koi will recognize you and greet you warmly whenever you approach the pond.

Understand the Basic Parameters of a Marine Aquarium

Mermaid — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 04:11:10 +0000

In the previous article, How To Setup a Healthy Marine Aquarium for Your Marine Creatures, I gave a basic overview of the marine biological filtration system and the importance of the cycling process.

Only when the cycling period is completed around the 30th day, and you have tested that all the toxic components of salt water in a newly set-up tank have been processed to harmless levels, should you begin to stock up slowly with fish.

Difference Between Marine Fish and Freshwater Fish

Marine or saltwater fish are adapted to life in an ecosystem that is totally different from that of their freshwater cousins. The former are much more sensitive to changes in their environment.

Most of the marine fish for sale are commonly caught from the tropical seas of the Indo-Pacific regions. The water quality and parameters of salt water in your tank should thus closely resemble the natural seawater in such regions.

Basic Parameters of Marine Fish Tank

The critical parameters of a saltwater tank are pH, nitrate, salinity, and temperature.

pH Level: The pH of a marine tank is one of the most important features. All marine creatures like a pH near 8.2 ranging from 8.0 to 8.4. Marine fish and invertebrates are especially sensitive to rapid changes in pH levels, so keeping pH fluctuations within 0.2 each day is crucial.

Nitrate Level: The next critical parameter is the nitrate level. Saltwater fish are generally more tolerant of higher nitrates than invertebrates, but they still like nitrate levels below 20ppm with less than 5ppm being required for most invertebrates. A good goal would be to keep the nitrate level below 0.5ppm.

Salinity: The next parameter of concern is salinity, or specific gravity (the amount of salt in the water). Specific gravity is temperature-dependent, while salinity is not. Instruments that measure specific gravity are called hydrometers, and these will read the correct specific gravity at 59˚F. Most hobby-grade hydrometers, however, are temperature-corrected to read specific gravity at 77 deg F (25˚C).

Most creatures will acclimatize to almost any specific gravity, within reason, so long as it does not vary too widely. The specific gravity of a saltwater tank should be around 1.022. It’s worth noting that the salinity of natural seawater varies according to location (ocean, lagoons, estuaries), ranging anywhere from 1.020 to 1.030. Different fish may be native to different salinities, and may need some time to acclimatize to a different salinity.

Temperature: Finally, the temperature of a saltwater tank is basically the same as that of a freshwater tank. With a range between 75˚F and 80˚F (24˚C and 27˚C) with 77˚F (25˚C) being an ideal midpoint.

Compatibility and Feeding Requirements

The most recognizable of all marine fish are common clownfish, popularized by the movie “Finding Nemo.” Most casual hobbyists will not know much about them, or about the many thousands of different species of marine fish in the sea, unless time and effort are spent to gain more knowledge about them before making a purchase.

Compatibility: The clownfish, blue tang, Moorish idol, and porcupine fish on which the movie characters were based all have different feeding requirement, habits, levels of aggressiveness and may not be compatible with each other. Potential competition or fighting amongst tank mates could result in starvation, injury, and death!

Food: Marine fish may be herbivores, omnivores or predators. Some even feed on coral, sponges, and other invertebrates.

I highly recommend you buy good marine hobby books and google some reliable saltwater or marine aquarium websites. Doing so can help you learn more about fish species before buying them to save you money, frustration, and heartache.

Betta Aquarium: How To Care for Siamese Fighting Fish

Mermaid — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:34:42 +0000

Q. I recently bought a Siamese fighting fish in a glass jar. This is my first time rearing fish, so how do I care for it?

Housing Your Betta: Based on the reputation of their aggressive nature, fighting fish or bettas are kept separate from each other. But actually, it is only male fighting fish that behave aggressively towards each other while females can be kept together in a large tank. Occasional squabbles may occur, but these are not likely to lead to any fatalities. They can be kept with other fishes as well.

Many novice keep their bettas in little glass jars at home or in the office. Since they are being kept in such a small container, there is this notion that the fish need little care of maintenance. In fact, small containers require more frequent water changes as the waste build-up is faster than it would be if the fish were kept in a bigger one. The ammonia in the waste product is poisonous. If the container does not have proper filtration, the ammonia will not be converted into the less harmful nitrate as efficiently. The accumulation of ammonia could lead to distress and lower the fish’s natural immunity to infection, and could thus be fatal.

Important Note: Keeping fish in tiny containers is cruel, as they barely have any room to move about!

Feeding Your Betta: This fish is carnivorous by nature, thriving on mosquito larvae and daphnia in the wild. In captivity, they can be fed live food like tubifex worms and bloodworms, which it is easily available in any aquarium stores. Though they are nutritious, the worms often live in unsanitary and contaminated conditions. So if you are feeding them to your fighting fish, wash them thoroughly under running water first. This prevents your fish from getting sick through contamination or infection.

My Betta Always Stays At The Top

Mermaid — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:29:41 +0000

Q: Why does my long-tailed betta always stay at the top corner of the tank as if it was dead?

Betta keepers usually have the misconception that the fish can be kept alone in a small container or tank without proper filtration, aeration, and satisfactory sanitary conditions. Hence, bettas are often prone to infection due to poor water quality.

They usually appear listless at the surface of the tank. If there are no external sigs of illness, it could be an internal bacterial infection. Treat that with commercial fish bacterial medication available at your local aquarium store.

How To Setup a Healthy Marine Aquarium for Your Marine Creatures

Mermaid — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 06:00:38 +0000

Clownfishes, like other beautiful marine creatures, demand utmost care from hobbyists as they are highly sensitive creatures.

It’s possible to keep your own marine fish happy and healthy in a home aquarium. However, this requires you to be a conscientious and responsible hobbyist by providing a home to the fish that closely simulates their natural environment. Achieving this is a fun but challenging task that demands a good amount of reading up, lots of time and financial commitment, and patience as well as self-restraint.

In this article, the first part of 3 series, I’ll briefly cover the theory and basics of the marine ecosystem and the cycling process of a new tank setup. I also highly recommend reading specialized books on the subject and do some Internet research.

Basic Overview of the Marine Ecosystem

A marine aquarium environment differs greatly from that of a freshwater tank. The former needs to be regulated to be within very narrow parameters to create the ideal composition that marine life demands.

The important components of saltwater are: pH, salinity, alkalinity and calcium levels. Saltwater should also be devoid of toxic components such as ammonia, nitrite, nitrates, and phosphates. These components can only be tested with suitable test kits.

Marine Filtration System

Natural biological filtration occurs when bacteria of various kinds process toxic byproducts that occur in a marine tank into harmless forms. These bacteria inhabit the internal and external surfaces of rocks and inside sand beds.

The Nitrogen Cycle In A New Tank Setup. A new tank lacks biological filtration maturity and livestock will perish once toxic waste accumulate within a very short time. It is essential to introduce the nitrogen cycle to build ample bacteria populations first before the tank can house any marine livestock.

What is the Nitrogen Cycle?

The nitrogen cycle is a chain reaction in nature resulting in the birth of various types of nitrifying bacteria, each with their own job to do. The three components involved in making this happen are ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.

In general, the nitrogen cycling process usually takes about 30 days and not any earlier. Testing your aquarium water during cycling is very important.

No livestock should be introduced into your tank during this 30-day cycling period as toxic conditions are produced. Doing so amounts to cruelty resulting in needless livestock deaths.

1st Phase – Ammonia (Highly Toxic): Ammonia is the first component in the chain of the cycling process. You can kick-start the cycling process by the introduction of ammonia via the decay of a fresh prawn placed in the water. Toxic ammonia will build up to very high levels for about a week and a half.
2nd Phase – Nitrites (Toxic): On the 10th day of the cycle, another kind of nitrifying bacteria will process ammonia into nitrites. Ammonia levels should disappear and nitrites as a byproduct will build up till the 24th day. If you use your test kit, you should see it hit 15ppm, the most critical stage, and at about day 25 to 35, the levels should begin to fall off.
3rd Phase – Nitrates (Least Toxic): When nitrate readings begin to increase, you can tell that beneficial nitrifying bacteria are starting to establish themselves. You can begin stocking up with fish and coral slowly from this point onwards. It may be necessary to do water changes to reduce high nitrate levels.
4th Phase – Nitrogen Gas (Harmless): Denitrifying bacteria will take about six months to a year to establish and slowly but surely reduce nitrates in your tank.

Parrot Fish: From Red to Orange In Color

Mermaid — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 04:15:09 +0000

Q: I bought six blood red parrot fish from a local shop recently, however, a few days later all six of them turned orange! Why?

Firstly, the water quality in your tank may be different from the shop’s and the color of your fish may have faded due to the sudden change in environment.

Use test kits to check the ammonia and nitrate levels of the water for excessive waste build up. Also check the water pH level to ensure it is neither too acidic or alkaline. If everything is normal, let the fish get used to their new environment for a few more days.

Second possibility could be that the fish shop use special lighting to enhance the redness of the fish which is quite commonly use technique. If so, you need not worry about their health. There are also many brands of fish food available that will help enhance their color.

Tetras: White Spots and Fin Rot

Mermaid — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 04:12:33 +0000

Q: I have a total of forty tetras and all have white spot and their fin rot. What is the remedy? Should the same disease returns after recovery, do I change the water immediately or just add medicine?

White spots is a very common infection, once in many moon, any aquarists would experience this situation. Basically, white spots or ich are the result of a parasite protozoan infection. These parasites burrow into the skin of the fishes and feed off them. The body and fins of the infected fish are covered in white spots that very much resemble fine salt grains. Whit spots multiply fast and can infect a whole tank in no time. Fin rot is the result of a secondary bacterial infection on the already damaged fins. Read this article on what you need to know about Ich.

There are many proprietary medications such as Kick-ich and Ick Clear that kill the parasites for a quicker recovery, do a partial water change first before adding medication to get rid of as many parasites as possible. For further explanation, read this article on how to prevent and treat Ich without killing the fish.