Showing posts with label Tank. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tank. Show all posts

2017-09-01

Tropical DISCUS FISH - Instructions You Need To Know

Tropical Discus Fish are a magnificent aquarium fish. They are remarkably beautiful and full of life.  With their attractiveness comes a price nevertheless. The discus can be a moody fish. They aren’t similar to the Wally world cheap fish you see inside a main retail chain. Tropical discus fish will require some advanced care to keep them healthily. Please don’t let this intimidate you. With a little guidance, you can be on your way to having a good-looking tropical discus fish aquarium.

Discus Fish
Discus Fish - Photo by ozz13x


Aquarium Balance

Aquarium balance is the number of fish you should keep in your aquarium at one time. The broad rule of thumb should be to limit an individual discus fish per each ten gallons of water your aquarium can withhold. Discus love room to roam, using this guideline will keep your fish from feeling stressed and overcrowded.

Tank Size and Shape

Discus prefers a tall sized aquarium. If you were to have two aquariums and one was six foot long and eighteen inches deep and the other tank being four feet long and 3 feet deep. The discus would prefer the taller of the two tanks which would be a 3×4 aquarium. Keep in mind if you have a tank like the first one I mentioned I don’t suggest you buy a new aquarium. They are merely aquarium suggestions they are not gospel. The only rule you should follow when picking out an aquarium for tropical discus fish is to make sure the tank is at least eighteen inches deep.

I myself don’t advocate anything lesser than a thirty-gallon aquarium. This is just my own opinion. I don’t like to utilize anything lesser than thirty gallons because of the smaller the aquarium the harder it really is to care for the water. Plus I like to have more than 2 discus per an aquarium.

Feeding Your Discus

Tropical discus fish are particular eaters. It is advisable to ask the breeder what brand of food your new fish prefer to eat. Although Discus do not require any special diet they do like to eat what they have been feeding on throughout their life time. To change their diet feed them the new food in small doses. Increase the dosage for about a week to get them accustomed to the brand new food. This is a secure and stress-free way to alter their diet.

Water Quality

Water quality is of the most important and keeping your water quality clean and stable and the right temperature is a MUST! You will want to keep the water temp between 82 and 86 degrees.

Water changes are the first and obvious way to keep your water clean and stable. When making water changes only change about 15 or 20 percent of the water at a time. Do not make drastic water changes. It puts more harm than good on your discus and will cause them a lot of stress.


Water Chemistry

Chemistry is a little more advanced so let me share some important factors with you. You need to test the water hardness. You need to have soft water usually between 3 and 15dh. Now don’t forget about ph. This needs to be between 5 and 6.5. PH will be the most difficult factor among first-time discus owners. This is important to learn because discus like to maintain a stable ph. Do not compromise their ph level.  You will think everything is fine because the fish will live and in some case they may even breed but in reality, your fish will always be stressed and have a short life span.

These are some of the most important factors you need to succeed at in order to keep tropical discus fish.


Steve Jones is an expert fish keeper and owns an aquarium shop in upper Michigan. 

Article from articlesbase.com




2017-02-25

Aquarium Care Guide- NEW TANKS

A fish tank at the Oklahoma Aquarium
A fish tank at the Oklahoma Aquarium (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
When starting a new aquarium it is important to understand the nitrogen cycle. Many new aquarium owners jump into the hobby of fish keeping too quickly. Before purchasing fish, the aquarium must be cycled. This could take anywhere from twenty four hours to four weeks. In an established aquarium there are certain bacteria that help the breakdown of ammonia to nitrates, but they are not present in a new tank because they are generated from existing fish. If there are no existing fish, then there are no good bacteria. 

The basic principle of the nitrogen cycle is this. Fish eat food and generate waste. That waste along with excess food and plant debris become ammonia in the aquarium. Ammonia is toxic to fish and needs to be broken down. That's why the nitrifying bacteria is important. This bacteria, turns the ammonia into nitrites which are more tolerable to fish than ammonia. Next, different nitrifying bacteria will turn the nitrites into nitrates, which are even less toxic to the fish and other aquarium life. The nitrates are collected and minimized by filters; however they will eventually accumulate in the tank. Regular water changes are required to remove the nitrates from the water.  

It is important to set up and run an aquarium before any fish are introduced into the environment. Wash the tank and any substrate and decorations thoroughly with water. Don't use any soap. Fill the tank with de-chlorinated water and attach filters and lighting. Allow the tank to cycle until the water is no longer cloudy and sufficient P.H and water temperatures have been established.  

Now it is time to purchase the fish! Buy hardy fish such as danios, barb, gouramis, and live bearers. They should be able to withstand the high nitrite levels and ammonia in the new aquarium. Only introduce about four fish at a time. Float the fish in the bag in the aquarium for about fifteen minutes before adding them to the tank. This will help the fish become acclimated to the water temperature in their new home. When adding the fish, be careful not to allow the water from the bag into the aquarium. It may be contaminated, or will at the very least, throw off the temperature and P.H. Allow the fish about two hours to become acclimated before feeding. 

Only feed an amount that can be consumed in the first two to five minutes. Overfeeding is a common problem in an aquarium. It is important not to overfeed, because excess food will become debris adding to the ammonia levels. This is especially important in new aquariums that lack nitrifying bacteria. Test the water P.H. every day within the first month. Watch the tank for cloudiness; if the aquarium becomes cloudy, it may be necessary to add a clarifier. Monitor the fish for signs of stress or illness. A healthy fish will be swimming regularly. Lethargic fish will usually hover near the surface of the aquarium. After about a week change approximately ten percent of the water and begin regular maintenance.


2017-02-05

#1 Way For Your Saltwater Aquarium Setup – Choosing A TANK

Following on from our introduction to saltwater aquariums this segment is designed to give you some idea of a typical saltwater aquarium setup.

English: A newly set up Temperate Reef
A newly set up Temperate Reef (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The type of saltwater aquarium setup you choose depends on a few factors. For example, the kinds of species you want to stock, the space you have available, and your budget. In general you will want to buy the biggest saltwater aquarium setup you can afford that will fit nicely into your living environment.

This is so that your fish and other animals can have the most comfort possible as they grow. The fish and other invertebrates that you choose to stock your tank with need enough space to swim and grow in and enough oxygen to survive. When you choose a saltwater aquarium setup remember that these two factors are determined mainly by the size of the tank.

So let’s talk about the oxygen component of a saltwater aquarium setup. The amount of oxygen in the water is related to the tanks surface area. This means the amount of area on the tank’s surface that is exposed to the air. The greater the surface area of your saltwater aquarium setup, the more room there is for exchange of oxygen to happen at the surface.

The more oxygen that is allowed to enter the tank and the more harmful gases like carbon dioxide are allowed to leave the healthier your saltwater aquarium setup will be. The oxygen content of the water is also influenced by its temperature. In general, the warmer the water, the lower the oxygen content will be.

Most marine species from the tropics like water that is 75 degrees or higher so this means that less oxygen is going to be available to them. This is when it becomes important to increase the surface of the tank by making sure your saltwater aquarium setup is as large as possible.

How do you do this? There is no typical saltwater aquarium setup. Marine tanks come in a variety of shapes and size, but it is the shape of the tank, not its volume that influences surface area. This means that even where two tanks have identical volumes they might not have the same surface area depending on their shape. A saltwater aquarium setup that is tall and slender won’t get a good rate of gas exchange. An ideal design would be one that is short and wide.



Once you’ve chosen your tank its time to start thinking about its residents. Of course the size of your tank is going to dictate how many fish and invertebrates it can house. The main thing to avoid in your saltwater aquarium setup is overcrowding. Too many inhabitants and your tank’s filtration system will be overloaded. Fish living in cramped conditions become stressed and this can lead to illness and death.

You can calculate how many fish your saltwater aquarium setup will hold by stocking one inch of fish per four gallons of water for a period of six months. After this period increase the number of fish slowly to one inch per two gallons. This means that a 40 gallon aquarium should not contain more than 10 inches of fish for the first six months.

So, for example, you might choose one 3-inch queen angel, two 1-inch clownfish, one 2-inch regal tang, one 1-inch bicolor blenny and two 1-inch Beau Gregory’s. Once the six month period is over you could increase the total number of inches in your saltwater aquarium setup to 20.

Of course, your fish are going to grow so you have to adjust for the changing sizes of your fish. The shape of your fish is also important. If your fish are likely to be on the heavy side you will need to stick to the low end of the capacity of your saltwater aquarium setup.

A saltwater aquarium setup will cost you time and money so accept this and don’t skimp. Even if you devote considerable time and effort to a small tank you can still encounter problems. If you choose the wrong one initially you will probably end up having to buy another one and this may be discouraging. In short, if you don’t have the money to buy a tank that’s at least 30 gallons, don’t invest any money at all.

When you choose a saltwater aquarium setup there are many options. You can choose from glass and acrylic and you can even get reef-ready styles complete with pre-drilled holes for equipment and plumbing. Glass tanks sealed with silicon rubber cement are a common choice. Rectangle designs are popular but they are also found in octagon and hexagon. They are non-toxic and don’t scratch easily.

The downside to a glass saltwater aquarium setup is that they are heavy. This means that large tanks will have very thick glass. Try to find one with a plastic frame that will make the tank more stable. Plated glass is shatterproof but not as strong as tempered.

An acrylic saltwater aquarium setup is molded with few seams so they are more transparent. However your view may still be distorted at the corners. Acrylic tanks are not as heavy as glass and so come in a wider variety of shapes and sizes. Acrylic is also stronger than glass. On the downside acrylic tanks can get scratched and are more expensive than glass. They are easily scratched by algae scrapers and decorations. It is possible to buff these marks out with a special kit.

Whichever saltwater aquarium setup you choose make sure it provides a healthy environment for your fish. You also need to make sure that you can afford to maintain it properly and that it suits your lifestyle and available time. Once you have everything set up correctly you will be able to enjoy the colorful antics and shapes of your fishy friends, corals and other invertebrates. Enjoy the wonderful world of your saltwater aquarium!