Can You Have SHARKS in a Freshwater Aquarium?

Sharks are certainly one of the most captivating creatures in the water. They excite, frighten, and intrigue us like no other sea creature. Everybody knows that sharks are from the ocean, but are there such things as freshwater sharks? Is it possible for the adventurous aquarist to keep sharks in a freshwater aquarium?

Shark Catfish Pangasius hypophthalmus (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There are a couple of shark species that venture into the fresh water, such as river sharks and occasionally bull sharks, but they generally need at least brackish (somewhat salty) water to survive. So since there are no true sharks that live in freshwater it is impossible to keep them in a home freshwater aquarium.

If you have done any browsing in a fish or pet store it is possible that you came across some fish that were labeled "sharks". If they were not in a saltwater tank, then they weren't sharks. There are a few tropical fish that, due to their appearance, have been given a common name containing "shark", but they are not true sharks. A few of these so-called sharks are very popular in freshwater fish tanks, though, and are worth a look if you are stocking a tank.

The most common of these is the red-tailed shark, scientific name Labeo Bicolor, which earned its name of "shark" because of its dorsal fin, but that is a stretch. Regardless, the red-tailed shark and the rainbow (or red-finned) shark are great additions to almost any community tank. They have distinct coloration and get to be decent size without growing too big. They are generally shy but they do get a bit territorial, although they rarely inflict any damage to other fish in the tank.

The Bala shark is another falsely named but very popular freshwater aquarium fish. The Bala shark is very peaceful and makes a good addition to a larger community aquarium. They definitely prefer a bigger tank because they are very active swimmers and by home aquarium standards, get fairly large (5" or so). They are excellent jumpers so a covered tank is a must.

One other common "shark" is the black fin shark catfish, sometimes called a black tipped shark. Of all of the freshwater fish mistakenly called sharks, this one has the closest actual resemblance. It has a gray, streamlined body with a dorsal fin very similar in shape to a shark, but alas, it is simply a catfish. This fish is not the best choice for general community tanks; it will grow fairly large, chase other fish, and eat small fish if they will fit in his mouth. It is best kept with other larger fish.

For those looking to stock "real" sharks in a freshwater aquarium, you are out of luck. On the plus side, some of the commonly available "sharks" at the fish store are wonderful fish to add to a community aquarium and are well worth considering.

By Drew Bartlett Drew Bartlett has over 30 years experience with setting up and maintaining freshwater aquariums. He is the author of The Essential Beginners Guide to Freshwater Aquariums. Article Source: EzineArticles

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Freshwater Aquarium SNAILS

If you think you only need fishes, plants, and substrates in your freshwater aquarium, you are wrong. There are a lot of people who are not aware that a freshwater snail in an aquarium is a very helpful one. Getting interested? Well, here is why freshwater snails are advantageous.

Physidae Bladder Snail - Photo: Wikimedia

Snails can be used for good and bad purposes, as most forces on this earth are. Commonly, they have gained a reputation as pets for they can destroy plants and do things that will turn your day upside down. They tend to be called as pets for their ability to multiply fast, more so when you put it in a confined area just like a freshwater aquarium. The first question that will probably pop into your mind is " Will they eat all my plants out?". That is possible in reality but with proper management, snails can actually do a lot of good in the maintenance of your aquarium. All you have to do is to introduce factors that can bring balance in their numbers. If successful, you can utilize their use and can even be good pets for you too!

There are one major purpose or use of freshwater aquarium snails. You must know that the diet of a snail depends on different materials. However, the majority of them are scavengers that will be fed on plants, especially those that are already decomposing, algae and dead animals. Others will hunt for smaller animals such as gastropods. So, with a freshwater snail, you can have a help in removing dead animals, algae, and decomposing plants from your aquarium. In short, you have a natural way of keeping the water in your tank clean and free from harmful in your aquarium, right? 

They serve as cleaners which you can depend on highly. But always keep in mind that it needs your cooperation to actually be successful. Otherwise, the snails can deter the balance in your freshwater aquarium. You will not have a hard time keeping the snails away from the fish eggs because the eggs seem to be less delicious for snails. They tend to snob those eggs away, unlike other scavengers that can easily be tempted by the look of the eggs. This makes the freshwater snails a friendly neighbor.

One of the ways to control the number of your freshwater fish is to control the food. Make sure that you are feeding your fish in enough amount only. Otherwise, the left over will be devoured by the snails. When this happens, snake blooms occur. Another way to keep their number is to introduce predators. There are species of fishes that can gobble up snails in minutes. If you think their numbers are already conquering your aquarium, then simply place a Pufferfish in the tank and observe how they decrease. Most of all, you can apply the lettuce method. Put the lettuce leaf on the bottom of the tank by tying something heavy to it. After that, you can pick the leaf out of the tank after the snails have attached themselves to it already.

Here are the types of snails which you will find very interesting- snails with Cup-shaped shells, Drop-shaped shell, Discoidal shell, Globose shell, Conical shell.

By Nikki Aquino - Article Source: EzineArticles

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AQUARIUM FILTERS - The Pros and Cons of Each Filter

Having a good aquarium filter can make the difference between enjoying fish-keeping or not. Here are descriptions of the different kinds of aquarium filters available, what kind of tanks they are best for, and the overall pros and cons of each option.

My Afternoon - Photo by armigeress 

Corner filters

These small clear plastic box filters have an airstone that pushes water up through layers of floss and charcoal. The box sits in the gravel in a corner of the tank. Sometimes they need to be weighted down to keep them from floating. They are very cheap, but not terribly efficient. While they do add some aeration to a tank, you are not going to clean up a dirty tank with this kind of filter.

Sponge filters

These are similar to corner filter, but there is no floss or charcoal or even a plastic box -- all filtering is done through a sponge. Again, this is not a very efficient filter, but it does help. Sponge filters are used in fry and quarantine tanks because they create no strong currents, and they do clean up a tank a bit, and they provide some aeration. Fry may also enjoy nibbling algae off the sponge.

Undergravel filters

Undergravel may be the best choice for a standard community tank. You can also combine an undergravel filter with an exterior box filter for some extra clean water. The benefits are that undergravel filters are relatively cheap, they do a good job once they are established, and they do not create strong currents that some fish, like bettas or discus, will not like. These filters use biological and mechanical filtration by pulling the dirty water in the tank down through the gravel. The plastic aisles of the undergravel filter hold the gravel up so there is a small space at the bottom of the tank. This is where most of the debris is captured. The clean water is pushed up through two tubes on either side of the back of the aquarium and pushes the clean water out -- fairly gently -- through two window-shaped grates.

Undergravel filters use your aquarium's gravel as the filtration media. While there is mechanical filtration, most of the action is happening via biological filtration in the gravel. So these filters may take a few days to show you clean water. There's also no way to upgrade them aside from adding a powerhead, which is only going to add more pull. You will also need an air pump to run an undergravel filter. The stronger it is, the more filtration you will get.

External/hang on the side filters

These filters are boxes that do most of their work just outside of the tank. They hang on the side with an uptake tube that goes down into the tank. The dirty water is pulled up the intake tube and pushed through a series of sponges and usually a bag of activated carbon. This performs biological, mechanical and chemical filtration. The clean water is pushed out through a trough formation that spills into the tank.

These kinds of filters do create a bit of current, especially if you have got a large tank. They can handle tanks up to 100 gallons, and if you had a larger tank than that (lucky you) you could just add a second filter. These kinds of filters have to be cleaned about every week to two weeks by squeezing out the sponges until all the trapped particles are released. Sometimes small fish get caught or pulled up by the intake tube, but this only happens with very, very small fish. That said, do not use these kinds of filters in a fry tank. Otherwise, they do a pretty good job and are a very good filter for the money. They run about $20 for a 20-gallon tank. "Trickle" filters are similar technology.

Canister filters

These are the "big dogs" of the filter world. Unless you have a community tank that is over 50 gallons, using a canister filter is a bit like swatting a fly with a cannonball. The benefit to canister filters is that they do a very, very good job and you do not have to clean them more than once a month if that.

Some people "cheat" and buy canister filters made for tanks two or three or even four times the size of their aquarium and then (sometimes) they can get away with cleaning the filter less than once a year. If you have lots of extra money, but very little extra time, this is a viable trick for those of us who hate cleaning the fish tank (you still have to do water changes, though). The downside is that cleaning canister filters is a big deal and they are quite expensive ($75 to $300).

Pamella Neely writes about betta fish care and betta fish tanks. Article Directory: EzineArticles

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DRAGONET - Dragonet Species Overview

The Dragonet family of fish is well represented in the wild yet only a handful of popular species enter the marine business. The biggest of them can reach up to 12 inches in length but most of them reach four to five inches at most. However, most species brought in to the trade rarely grow longer than 4 inches. They are a bottom dwelling fish that are found throughout the Indo-Pacific ocean.

Dragonet - Mandarinfish - Photo: Wikipedia

The most popular species brought into the trade are scooter blennies and the mandarin dragonets. Strangely, they are commonly thought to be blennies or gobies a lot of the time. Fish stores around the world will normally have a few of these fish for sale at any given time.

Most dragonets have a largely triangular head and a mouth structure that is perfectly suited to picking off small crustaceans and worms from the substrate and rock. Dragonets are usually some of the most finicky eaters in the trade.

Their primary food source is the tiny copepod which is only present in sufficient numbers in larger aquariums that have been up un running for at least 6 months. They can be trained to eat prepared foods with some success. Even though they may be feeding prepared foods, they still do require copepods to do well in the long run.

In terms of temperament, dragonets are very peaceful fish that get a long well with a wide variety of tank mates. In kind, they are largely ignored by their tank mates. Housed with large predators that include groupers and moray eels will mean a missing dragonet eventually. They are, however, aggressive towards members of the same species. Two male dragonets will usually harass each other when they cross paths.

The three main species that are common in the trade are the Mandarin Fish (Synchiropus Splendidus), Scooter Blenny (Synchiropus Ocellatus) and the Psychedelic Mandarin (Synchiropus Picturatus). Both types of mandarin dragonets are some of the most uniquely colored fish in the world and are very attractive.

Both types of Mandarin Fish have become very recognized fish within the Dragonet species.

Despite the fact that they are difficult to keep in captivity, they are still being collected from the wild in huge numbers. Because of this, a large majority of them will eventually perish due to lack of proper food. If you do not have a big aquarium that has large copepod population, avoid the dragonets.

By Indran Manickam Article Source: EzineArticles

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Fact Sheet: DEMASONI CICHLID - Pseudotropheus demasoni

Demasoni Cichlid - Photo by Lee Nachtigal 

Pseudotropheus demasoni

Description

Demasoni is also known as the Midnight demasoni and is scientifically known as the Pseudotropheus demasoni from the cichlidae family. Its maximum length is 3 inches with a lifespan of 8 years. This species originated in Lake Malawi.

Both male and female of these species also come in the same color patterns unlike most fishes, only the male cichlid's color is brighter. The male possesses dark blue and black vertical stripes along its body and for some may have alternate blue or white stripes. The male will also display anal fin spots while the female does not. The female's color, however, is not as bright as the males.

Aquarium set-up

Demasoni cichlid needs to be in a community by the dozen or even more fishes to keep its aggression at a minimum level. Hence, these species require large size aquariums with capacious swimming space, as well as rocks and caves for hiding. Crevasses, rocks, and caves would satisfy its curiosity giving them adequate things and places to explore. It would also provide each demasoni a place to claim as its territory.

This diversity requires a temperature of 72 - 82 degrees Fahrenheit with a pH of 8.0 - 9.0 range and also a water hardness of 10 - 18 dH.

Behavior and Tank mates

Your demasoni can be deceiving because of its size. So be wary in incorporating tank mates in the community. What the size lacks are all compensated with its aggressiveness and hostility. These fishes are known to have the capacity to attack fishes twice as big as they are and can wipe out a whole community without difficulty.

Bear in mind that these species are really aggressive and brutal which should not be housed in a species tank. They are only compatible with aggressive fishes and must not be kept with other cichlids that look similar to its appearance or even other fishes with stripes.

Diet

Demasoni diet is more on a high vegetable matter and needs only a low protein intake. Meaty foods should be canceled in its diet instead cichlid sticks and flakes are more favorable to its diet. Spirulina foods may be given frequently.

Breeding

Spawning should be 3 females to 1 male to achieve optimum results. It is usually the female who will look for a flat rocky place on which to lay its eggs and then pick the eggs up to her mouth for brooding. She will then closely follow the male until he releases the sperm to fertilize the eggs she is carrying.

The eggs will be kept inside the female's mouth for about three weeks for incubation before it is released. The fry may then be fed with crushed flakes or pellets, daphnia, or a small brine shrimp.

Demasoni cichlid may be tough to handle due to its aggressiveness towards other tank mates but are still an amazing species to keep with its vivid and bright colors. Find out what are its best tank mates and how to control its aggressiveness, I'm pretty sure, you will love the sight of them in your house.

Lacey Bryant is a cichlid enthusiast and author, who has been caring for cichlids for over 20 years. Article Directory: EzineArticles

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SOUTH AMERICAN CICHLID Tank Mates - How to Choose Tank Mates For Cichlids (It's Easy)

Choosing South American Cichlid tank mates is not difficult at all. There are a few things that you need to consider before you make any quick decisions while at your favorite pet store.

The first thing that you must consider is the size of your cichlid species. Obviously, don't choose fish or invertebrates that appear to be able to fit in their mouth. It is not fool proof, but it makes for a good rule of thumb.

The pink oscar fishs (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Secondly, don't choose a species that potentially could be more aggressive than your favorite species of cichlid. For example, Oscars and Angel Fish will generally do just fine together when they are juveniles. But when those Oscars start to get big, those poor Angels won't stand a chance.

Now that I have made a few obvious points about choosing South American Cichlid tank mates, let's get to the point. When I think of South American Cichlid tank mates, I think of catfish. But more specifically I think of the gentle Corydoras. These are absolutely some of my favorite aquarium fish and they make excellent tank buddies for many varieties of Cichlids, even the African varieties.

When choosing corys, make sure you consider the size of your Cichlids. If you have a mature Oscar tank, choosing the smaller types of corys is a bad idea. Your Oscars will love the snack and vacuum them up like skittles. Choose one of the larger varieties like Corydoras aeneus. They will mature at about three inches long and make good tank mates for even the larger varieties of South American Cichlids when the catfish are fully mature of course.

Keep this in mind when choosing South American Cichlid tank mates, Oscars sometimes break the rules. For the best results with Oscars, it is best to raise them with tank mates like corys, while they are both juveniles so that they are conditioned to having each other around. Oh, and make sure you keep at least a half dozen or so of the corys. They like the company and have strength in numbers.

Keeping a South American Cichlid [http://www.cichlidfishsecrets.info] tank can be a very enjoyable and rewarding experience. Cichlids can have unique personalities and be quite intelligent, but keeping them healthy and stress-free can be a challenge. Visit [http://www.cichlidfishsecrets.info] and find out for yourself the correct and easy way to keep your Cichlids healthy, colorful and stress-free.

By Carey Malloy Article Source: EzineArticles

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Fact Sheet: LIPSTICK CHARACIN - Moenkhausia cosmops

Lipstick Characin - Moenkhausia cosmops

Moenkhausia cosmops 

Natural Range 

The upper basins of the rivers Rio Paraguai and Rio Tapajos in Brazil 

Maximum Size and Longevity 

Maximum length reported for Moenkhausia cosmops 

is about 6 cm and life span of 3-5 years. 

Water Quality 

 · Temperature: 24°C - 26°C. 

 · pH: 6.0—7.0 

 · General Hardness: 30—150 ppm. 

Feeding 

Lipstick characins are omnivorous and will readily take most types of aquarium foods. They will accept flake and pellet and also benefit from most frozen foods. We recommend AI Naturals Range Frozen Brine Shrimp, Krill and Tropical Mix for these fish. Ideally, add live foods such as Black worms and Daphnia to their diet as well. 

Compatibility 

Best kept in schools (minimum 5 in the group). Different characin species can generally be kept together with no problems. Lipsticks will also mix readily with a wide range of species and are generally an ideal community fish. It is not a good idea to mix them with species that grow very large as predation can be a factor due to their smaller size. Beware of elongated fins on some species as they can be nipped. Note: as they are omnivorous, they can be prone to eating aquatic plants. 

Colour and Varieties 

The name cosmops in ancient Greek means “with a decorated face” and the Lipstick characin certainlyhas a striking one, with red lips, blue eye shadow and a shimmery scale pattern it’s a very attractive little characin. Note: Being new to science only one variant is known to exist. 

Sexing 

This species, like many in its genus, shows no sexual dimorphism at all. This makes sexing of the fish difficult. Best to set up a breeding program with small schools.

General Information 

This species has only recently been described scientifically and is considered to be a close relative of the well known species Moenkhausia sanctaefilomenae (Red eye tetra) and M oligolepis (Glass tetra). 

Lipstick characin have only recently (within the last 4 years) started to be imported into the fish keeping hobby and have had great success. Being unique they have fitted in well with many people’s community tanks. 

Given a varied and well balanced diet with enough tank space to openly school, looking after the Lipstick characin is something any fish hobbyist can do. 

For more Care Sheets like this, visit our website: aquariumindustries.com.au

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