Aquarium and Fish Care

2017-10-20

The Top Seven Ways To CONTROL ALGAE In A Freshwater Aquarium

Pterygoplichthys multiradiatus (Syn. Liposarcus multiradiatus)
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A beautiful aquarium can quickly change into an unsightly mess when green algae take over. Algae is sneaky; it creeps throughout your tanks while slowly, innocently, covering everything inside your aquarium. Then, your friends stop by for a visit and they accuse you of neglecting your poor little fish. Let's look at the best ways to control this!

Change the Water - Regular water changes are necessary to keep fish healthy. During water changes use a gravel vacuum to remove some of the water while you suck out fish waste and excess food from the gravel. Since excess waste is converted by bacteria into Nitrates and Nitrates are a food for alga, vacuuming the gravel removes one of its sources of food. Also, vacuuming the gravel will physically remove some the unsightly mess by turning the gravel under. This vacuum action buries algae-covered gravel so it no longer can receive light. Without light, it will die.

Physical removal - Algae can be physically removed from the glass by wiping it with an aquarium sponge, algae magnet or scraper (razor blade scrapers work well.) Large rocks, driftwood, artificial plants, etc., can be treated outside the aquarium in a bucket containing a 10% bleach solution. It is important to rinse and dry them thoroughly before putting them back into the tank.

Natural Algae Control - Light is a key factor for algae growth. Fish only aquariums (aquariums without live plants) do not require lot of light compared to the intense light needed in order for live aquarium plants to flourish. For fish only aquariums, make sure there is enough light to see your fish; if you add bright light you will spend much time cleaning the glass and equipment.

Reduce Light Time - How long your light is turned on is another factor for algae growth. Generally, run lights 6 to 10 hours a day for fish only aquariums. Live planted aquariums require light from 8 to 12 hours each day. To control excess algae growth in a fish only aquarium simply shorten the number of hours the lights remain on.

Appliance Timers - An appliance timer is great for turning aquarium lights on and off at specified times. A timer removes human error so that the lights are not left on when you are out all night partying or fall asleep on the couch!

Live Controllers - There are several varieties of fish that eat algae. A few of the best choices are Otocincluss, Siamensis, and Plecostomus. Otocincluss are great for small aquariums as they grow to only to 2 inches in length. The Siamensis is another great choice -, especially for live planted tanks. One of the most popular algae eaters is the plecostomus (pleco for short.) The plecos seen most often for sale in pet and aquarium stores can grow over a foot long. A better choice for most is a clown or albino Bushy Nose Plecostomus as these fish grow to a mere four and four and a half inches long, respectively.

Chemical Treatment - There are several commercial algaecides which are safe for fish. If you keep live plants, read algaecide labels and follow directions carefully. Some algaecides can be harmful to live plants.

A final tip is to not to overfeed your fish. Excess food is not only bad for the health of your fish, it is also broken down by good bacteria, becoming a source of food for algae.

Laurren Schmoyer

http://aquaticexperts.com/products/

EzineArticles

2017-10-19

Ocellaris CLOWNFISH - Amphiprion ocellaris

Ocellaris Clownfish

2017-10-18

Ocellaris CLOWNFISH - A Guide to Keeping Amphiprion Ocellaris in a Marine Aquarium

Amphiprion Ocellaris - Photo by Andreas März (cc)

When it comes to popular marine fish, the Ocellaris clownfish (Amphiprion Ocellaris) is the undisputed king. It shares its title with the Percula Clownfish (Amphiprion Percula) since they look entirely alike to most people. Both the ocellaris and percula clowns are the marine aquarium hobby's greatest ambassadors. Most people might think this is due to the hit animated film, Finding Nemo. They don't realize these clownfish were already popular before the film was released.

The ocellaris clownfish is a staple offering in the hobby. They are heavily collected from their natural habitats in South East Asia, they are the most plentiful ornamental marine fish at the moment. Walk into any saltwater pet store and you'll find at least one ocellaris there for sale. They are also heavily bred in captivity with tank-raised ocellaris priced a little higher than wild caught specimens.

Ocellaris clownfish are entirely orange with three white bands (outlined with black) around their heads, body and near their tail. To the untrained eye, both ocellaris and percula look exactly the same. Yet they are both slightly different physically. Percula clownfish have 10 dorsal spines while ocellaris has 11. Thankfully there's an easier method to tell them apart. Percula clownfish have thicker, more pronounced black outlines while those on the ocellaris are always thin.

One of the cheapest marine fish you can buy, with specimens costing as little as $10. A few dollars more can buy a tank-raised specimen. Given a choice, never go with wild caught specimens as tank-bred ones are generally hardier and better suited to the aquarium.

Ocellaris clowns are also known as the false clown anemonefish and the false percula clown. They are called anemonefish because they share a symbiosis with anemones. They have figured out how to escape the anemones powerful sting, it is thought they have a layer of mucus on their bodies that fool the anemone into thinking there's nothing there. Anemones are not required despite clownfish needing one in the wild.

Generally peaceful, these clownfish get along well with a wide variety of tank mates. However, they do not get along well with other species of clownfish, especially those outside their species. There are three routes you can take when looking for a pair:

* Purchase a mated pair

* Get a large and a small one, introduce them together and pray they pair up

* Purchase two small ones and put them together, eventually one will dominate the other and become a female, pairing up in the process

I cannot give a guarantee that options 2 or 3 will work 100% of the time.

Reaching a maximum of 3 inches in length, they are considered a small fish. All clownfish are site attached, which means they are usually around their territory (a small area) most of the time. Their territory can be anything from a pile of rocks to an anemone. Mushroom and elegance corals have been hosted by the ocellaris when an anemone isn't available. They can be housed aquariums as small as 20 gallons due to this behavior.

These fishes are very easy to feed because they will eat just about anything. While they are omnivores in the wild, they consume both meaty and algae-based food in the aquarium. A wide variety of foods should be given. Prime reef, Formula One and Formula two are some good dry foods to offer. Formula two has an added amount of algae mixed in with seafood while Prime reef is mostly made up of seafood.

The best pellet food on the market is those made by New Life Spectrum. Mix in some frozen foods like mysis shrimp or krill and they will be very happy.

Overall, the ocellaris clownfish is a hardy fish that is a great choice for both beginners and experienced hobbyists alike.

Indran Manickam

clownfish

EzineArticles

2017-10-17

How to AQUASCAPE - Dutch Style

A 58g aquascape by (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Aquascaping allows you to create a visually impressive aquarium and there a range of different aquascaping styles to choose from for you to create this effect. The style you choose should be based on your personal preference and how confident you are keeping plants generally.

A Dutch style aquascape is a lush arrangement of plants, often containing a diverse arrangement of leaf colors, sizes, and textures. This can be compared to how terrestrial plants are shown in a flower garden and is immediately striking to the beholder. This style attempts to emphasize plants situated at different heights and on different terraces in the tank. When a strong contrast is used, such as prominent red leaves with green, this can be exceptionally striking. Particularly, this style of aquascape may be useful to consider if you are keeping an aquarium where 80% or more of the bottom of the tank will be covered with plants.

Aquascaping like this was developed in the Netherlands in the 1930s, where it became popular elsewhere in the world rapidly, particularly with the growth of commercially available freshwater equipment. Straight rows of plants are commonly called "Dutch streets" and there is a wide range of plant types which can be used in them and the planted aquarium generally. The most commonly used plants are groupings which can be neatly trimmed, plants that have contrasting leaf colorations and also plants which have a feathery foliage. Members of the Hygrophila family are common in Dutch aquariums.

The most important aspects of keeping plants successfully when you are keeping different species is to understand their individual needs and ensure they are similar. If you are keeping two different species of plants which need extremely different water conditions, one or both of them will grow sick and in the worst case scenario, will die. Try to ensure that the plants you wish to keep grow successfully with a similar composition of nutrients, lighting, water hardness, heating, and PH. It may take time to do the research on the individual species, especially in this style of aquascape where many kinds are used, but it is worth it for the long term.

t may be advisable to have a good amount of experience keeping quite a few different kinds of species before trying to create a Dutch aquascape. You may end up wanting to use a wide variety of plants to create the desired effects.

With live aquarium plants, you can overcome all the problems of a non-planted aquarium. You can improve the quality of your aeration, filtration, food and algae control. You can improve the lives of your fish.

Find out how live aquarium plants can help you, help them.

Sean Norman

EzineArticles

2017-10-16

QUEEN ANGELFISH Care

Young Queen Angelfish - Photo by laszlo-photo (cc)

The Queen angelfish (Holacanthus Ciliaris) is one of three very popular "large" angelfish in the marine aquarium hobby today. The other two being the Emperor Angelfish (Pomacanthus Imperator) and the French Angelfish (Pomacanthus Paru). It reigns as the most popular angelfish in the genus holacanthus. They are a member of the family Pomacanthidae and are one of the largest angelfish among its cousins.

The queen angelfish is commonly found throughout the Caribbean sea, Florida, Brazil and the Gulf of Mexico. It is closely related to the Blue Angelfish (Holacanthus Bermudensis) and to the untrained eye they look completely alike. These two angelfish have been known to interbreed in the wild. Their offspring have also been known as Holacanthus Townsendi. It should be noted that Holacanthus Townsendi is not a valid species, it is merely a hybrid. Fortunately, telling them apart is easy, queen angelfish possess a blue-ringed crown on its head while the blue angelfish does not.

As with all larger angelfish species, juvenile coloration differs from that of an adult. Juveniles possess bright blue vertical bars from its face to its main body. These bars will slowly disappear as they grow. Adults sport a brilliant iridescent yellow and blue throughout their entire body.

Juvenile angelfish also take on a peculiar role in the wild. They assume the role of "cleaners". As cleaners they provide a valuable service for other marine fish, they feed on any parasites present on the bodies of other fish.

This is an expensive fish, small specimens usually retail for $80-$90 USD with large adults (Show quality) costing $200 and upwards.

Larger angelfish of the family Pomacanthidae have developed a well deserved reputation or being aggressive bullies in captivity. Queen angelfish is no exception.

It generally ignores other species of fish but is pretty hostile towards other large angelfish. It is especially hostile towards other queen angels or blue angelfish for that matter. One queen angelfish per tank is the general rule.

This angelfish reaches lengths of up to 18 inches. A foot and a half! They rarely achieve such lengths in captivity however, expect a maximum size of 12 to 13 inches or so.

Marine aquariums no smaller than 150 gallons should be used to house a queen angelfish. As with all larger marine fish, the bigger the tank, the better. Ensure your rock scape in the aquarium allows for ample swimming space.

Do not be fooled into buying smaller juveniles for a 50 gallon aquarium. They will quickly outgrow such small tanks in a matter of months. The queen angelfish is not reef safe, it can eat corals or at least nip on them until they eventually perish. Though some hobbyists have been successfully keeping them in reef aquariums, they are more often seen in large, fish-only aquariums.

They feed on tunicates, sponges, corals, algae and plankton in the wild. Avoid housing them in a reef aquarium with many corals as they can make short work of your expensive corals.

Offer them a good variety of foods from sheets of nori/seaweed to meaty foods like krill or mysis shrimp. New Life Spectrum produces some of the highest quality pellets on the market and would be my first choice as a good pellet food to offer my fish.

Formula two is a pretty balanced food for angelfish as well, containing seafood and extra algae for herbivorous fishes. It is available in pellet, flake or frozen cube form.

The most complete food available for Queen Angelfish is Angel Formula by Ocean Nutrition. This food was specifically designed to cater to the needs of large angelfish, they contain a good mix of fresh seafood, algae, vitamins and most importantly, marine sponges. Angel Formula is only available in frozen cube form.

With regards to nori sheets/seaweed sheets for your queen angelfish. You could choose either branded seaweed sheets from companies catering to herbivorous fish or you can always run down to your local supermarket and get some there. Depending on the brand they could either be very expensive or very cheap.

If you're buying from the supermarket, make sure you buy the plain, unflavoured/unspiced version. Raw nori is a good choice if available. Get a clip for your nori and stick it on the side of the aquarium glass.