Aquarium and Fish Care: Saltwater Fish

Showing posts with label Saltwater Fish. Show all posts

2017-03-05

About SALTWATER AQUARIUM Fish! - Beautiful...

Saltwater aquarium fish are amongst the most beautiful of animals to be found anywhere in the world. A variety of saltwater aquarium fish can be housed in your marine tank provided you know what they need in terms of care, such as feeding, environment, competitors and space to grow.

Neon damselfish (Pomacentrus coelestis). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Any marine enthusiast will tell you that setting up a marine tank is tricky and so is choosing the right saltwater aquarium fish! This is because it’s easy to make mistakes with the kinds of fish you choose. It’s usually best to start your marine tank with a few hardy and affordable fish. The majority of saltwater aquarium fish are collected from nature rather than captive raised so don’t waste that gift by making mistakes that result in the death of your fish.

Damsels are a great saltwater aquarium fish to start off with. Damsels are hardy little creatures and can survive in poorer water conditions than many other marine species. They are not fussy about their food and won’t cost you the earth. Unfortunately damsels are also quite aggressive. You can easily keep one or two of these tough saltwater aquarium fish in a tank but don’t try any more than that.

Its best to start with damsels and then add more aggressive fish later, If you want to house saltwater aquarium fish that are more shy, you need to take your damsels out before adding more timid varieties of saltwater aquarium fish. Blue and yellow damsels are two species that are less aggressive than others.

Mollies are an alternative starter saltwater aquarium fish. Mollies that are used to salt water allow you to start with cheaper fish while you learn how to make sure the salinity of your tank is correct for more sensitive creatures. On the other hand mollies are raised and bred in captivity so you won’t get much real experience in keeping them. Get them used to the tank by allowing saltwater to drip into the bag for about 6-8 hours. When the bag becomes full remove some water. After the tank cycles you can keep the fish in the tank.

Clownfish are cousins to damsel fish and are a fairly hardy saltwater aquarium fish. They are not that easy to acclimate to a marine tank, though. They are also quite territorial but aren’t likely to be aggressive to other species. They don’t have to have an anemone to survive. If you do get one bear in mind that they need water that is very clean and high quality lighting.

Blennies or gobies are fairly hardy and small and shouldn’t be a problem for the other saltwater aquarium fish in the tank. They are character fish but they are small and so might get lost in very big tanks with bigger saltwater aquarium fish. They are a good choice to help control algae but if you have a fish only tank they may not be easy to keep fed.

Tangs are a hardy saltwater aquarium fish which are a little sensitive and tend to contract marine ich (also know as "White Spot"). They eat algae so as soon as you grow some you might try to introduce some tangs.

Triggerfish or lionfish are an ideal saltwater aquarium fish for a tank which will eventually contain large aggressive fish. However they can be costly if you make mistakes. It might be a good idea to ‘practice’ on fish that are both cheaper and easier. You will need to feed them lots of shell fish and other sea creatures to keep them healthy.

Angels and butterflies are very sensitive and difficult saltwater aquarium fish to keep. They need special diets most of the time so they are not that easy to care for in a tank. The same goes for batfish.

Once you gain more experience in keeping conditions in your tank stable you can add a few other varieties of fish. Choose from hawkfishes, grammas, dottybacks, basslets and wrasses. But make sure to find out about how to take care of them properly because some are not as easy as others. However they are a much easier bet that angels and butterflies.

So which saltwater aquarium fish should beginners avoid? You should not attempt angelfish, butterfly fish, pipefish, seahorses, long-nosed filefish, blue ribbon eels, stonefish, and Moorish Idols as well as mandarin fish until you really know what you are doing.

What about invertebrates? Contrary to popular belief invertebrates are well suited for mini or micro-reef tanks. Many invertebrates do well in non-reef tanks. For the novice aquarist the hardy species are best. These include shrimps like the cleaner shrimp, blood shrimp or peppermint shrimp and coral banded shrimp. As is the case with saltwater aquarium fish, stick to the hardier shrimps to begin with.

Anemone crabs are another option you might try along with your saltwater aquarium fish. And why not add some sea urchins and starfish which are quite well suited to beginners with a couple of month’s experience? They differ in size, shape and color and some are poisonous so be careful! Sea urchins and starfish eat detritus and algae and other small bits of food so they will help to keep your tank clean and your saltwater aquarium fish healthy.

Anemones are not really suited for beginners. They need special lighting and top-notch water conditions so if you can’t foot the bill for the lights stay away or you’ll live to regret it. Invertebrates you should avoid include tridacna clams, flame scallops, Octopi, Nudibranchs, or any hard or soft coral and sea squirts. Like the saltwater aquarium fish listed previously these invertebrates have special feeding and living requirements.

When you choose saltwater aquarium fish, you need to bear in mind that they are a bit more expensive then the freshwater varieties. For this reason you should take care with them and try to keep them alive. When fish are captured and moved from the store to your home they are liable to get stressed, especially since most of them have been taken from the ocean mere days ago. So make sure you can properly care for your new friends before you bring them home!

2017-01-16

Tips on HUMBUG DAMSELFISH Care

The humbug damselfish (Dascyllus aruanus) are members of the family Pomacentridae. They inhabit the Indian Ocean, the Great Barrier Reef, and the shallow waters of the Micronesian sub-regions in the western Pacific Ocean.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This fish has a narrow rounded body. Its distinguishing characteristics are a white body with black vertical bars. These markings are evenly spaced on the fish's body, one in the front, one in the rear and a third mid-body. The humbug is commonly marketed by the aquarium industry under the names three stripe damselfish, humbug dascyllus, or black and white damselfish.

All damselfish have a hardy constitution and a semi-aggressive temperament. They are an excellent choice for the inexperienced aquarist. This damsel's reasonable price tag and resilience to fluctuating environmental parameters make it the perfect guinea pig for testing survivability in newly established saltwater bio-systems.

In their natural environment the humbug exists in small shoals. The dominant male will often exhibit territorial behavior toward the more submissive members of the group. In an aquarium it is recommended that humbugs be kept either as a solitary fish or a community of no less than four. Having only two together in an aquarium will result in serious aggression toward the subdominant fish. A group will substantially lessen the possibility of a particular fish being singled out as an intended target for bullying.

Damselfish are instinctively territorial. You do not want to make a group of them the first inhabitants of an aquarium. This will allow the shoal to develop the perception that the news surroundings are their turf. They will be intolerant of new additions to your tank. When keeping more than a single humbug, it is advisable to add them to a pre-established population. This will minimize the possibility of territorial disputes. Lots of hiding place will also prove beneficial.

Damselfish tend to become more aggressive as they age. It is not uncommon for a shoal of juveniles to disband in adulthood. This is a small species. They reach a maximum adult length of 4 inches. Their innate aggressive behavior makes up for their lack of stature. They will not back down to a fish twice their size. Keep their temperament in mind when selecting their potential tank mates. They actually make very good community fish as long as they are with equally aggressive species of their own size or larger.

Despite their aggressive tendencies, humbugs are well suited for a marine reef setup. In their natural environment they make their homes amid the coral formation prevalent in tropical reefs. They will feel right at home in an aquarium with plenty of coral growing in it. It is unlikely that a humbug will pick on you ornamental crustaceans.

This is an omnivorous species. In the wild algae plays an important role in their dietary intake. They are not picky eaters in captivity. They will readily eat flake food and pellets. Supplementing their diet with vitamin enriched brine shrimp and dried algae sheets will help to maintain their natural vigor.

There are no distinguishing features between the males and females of this species. However, like all damselfish they are hermaphroditic. Their ability to change gender will insure that both sexes are always present in a population. This fish has been known to breed in captivity.

Stephen J Broy

Jellyfish Fish Tank Aquariums

Pet Moon Jellyfish

EzineArticles

2016-12-31

ANTHIAS Fish

Anthias fish are a grouping of small marine aquarium fish which are located in roughly all tropical oceans. They are typically some of the brightest colored marine fishes in the ocean and are especially admired additions to the saltwater tank. They come from the family Serranidae that have mostly basslets as well as groupers. In the basslet family, they are classified in a sub-family named Anthiinae.

The sea goldie is an anthias. They are hermaphrodite, and swim in "harems"
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There have been seven discovered types among this subfamily so far. Anthias are mainly a shoaling species that can occasionally be found in the thousands throughout their usual habitats on the reefs.

They are customarily found living in areas of exceedingly high flow, something that ought to be replicated in the home aquarium. Roughly all anthias types feed on saltwater plankton during the day. This fact makes these stunning fish fairly tricky to house in the aquarium.

Some do exceptionally poorly in captivity and reject prepared foods until they finally starve to death. Multiple feedings of small foods need to be available every day. A few good selections are made up of cyclopeeze as well as grinded meaty seafoods. Feedings more than of three times each day is recommended. If such a feeding timetable cannot be offered, it would be best to shop outside of the anthias family of fish.

Anthias are located at depths anywhere from twenty feet all the way as deep as 200 feet. Deeper dwelling anthias regularly command a incredibly expensive price and are almost always sold immediately when available. Two recognizable and pricey deep dwelling varieties are Pseudoanthias Ventralis and Pseudoanthias Privitera.

Also included in the Anthias fish family are various distinctive oddities such as the highfin perchlet. Commonly confused as a hawkfish, they come from the genus PLectranthias. Like hawkfish, the highfin perchlet does not have a swim bladder.

All anthias fish are sequential hermaphrodites. Large shoals are regularly made up of a greater number of females than males. These fish have need of large fish aquariums to do well. If more than one specimen from a species is required, make certain there is only a single male present. Adding males in captivity will almost always bring about aggression.

On the whole, anthias fish are thought of as a fairly modestly priced saltwater fish outside of the uncommon deepwater types. Prices range anywhere from $20 to $40 per specimen based on species. exceedingly colorful, most lovers attempt to replicate their shoaling behavior in the aquarium. However, only those with the largest marine aquariums are successful.

Indran Manickam

Lyretail Anthias