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| Garibaldi Fish - Hypsypops rubicundus |
2018-08-06
2018-08-04
KOIS Past and Future
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| Koi fish, up close (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
The first Koi were produced by breeding Carp such as the Asian and German Carp. After years of selective breeding, various color mutations started showing up. The first color patterns were recorded as early as 1805. Today, there are literally thousands of color variations available. The most popular colors found are white, silver, yellow, orange, red, black, blue and green. Combined with the patterns available, the possibilities are almost endless. Each noticeable pattern and color have their own names, which are typically as unique as the color they are referring too. Favorite types vary by country and location.
Koi are raised for purchase in countries like Japan, Singapore, Israel, and in the warmer American states such as Nevada and California. Koi can be purchased at most local pet stores. If they do not have stock on hand, typically they can be ordered. Ordering Koi has its advantages and disadvantages. You have more options when ordering Koi since you do not have to pick from the stock on hand, but the disadvantage lies in the fact that you will not be able to pick specific Koi.
Koi, unlike most other fish, will continue to grow until they reach their breeds dictated size, no matter the environment that they are in. Baby Koi can be found as small as 3 inches. Jumbo Koi have even been known to reach lengths of three feet or more. The most common size found is around two feet in length.
Koi are omnivorous fish, which means they will eat both meat and plants. This means that their diets are very versatile. Koi will eat pretty much anything that you put in the pond with them, no matter if it is good for them or not. Since Koi do not have a sense of what is bad and good for them, as their owner you must control their diet. Another potential problem is overfeeding treats. Again, Koi do not have the knowledge to know when to stop eating, and weight issues may come from overfeeding none nutritional foods. The healthiest treats for Koi are what they would find naturally in their ponds, such as earthworms and tadpoles, but it will not hurt to feed Koi treats such as Lettuce, bread, fruit, and veggies. You should pay special attention to the certain foods such as corn, beans, and grapes, as they contain an outer casing, which cannot be properly digested if swallowed by Koi. If you must feed this type of foods to your Koi, be sure to completely remove the outer casings before giving it to your Koi.
Koi are none-aggressive fish. This means that they are suitable to live with other fish such as goldfish or comets. The only issue you may find is smaller, less able fish may suffer from lack of food, as Koi are quick eaters. Koi are so mellow that they have even been known to be trained to eat out of their owner's hand. Koi do not have teeth so you will not get bit if you decide to attempt to feed your Koi out of your hand.
Koi have been known to live up to 30 years under the right conditions, so if you are thinking about buying Koi, you must consider this. The record for the oldest Koi is held by a Japanese Koi, who was 233 years old when he died.
2018-08-03
How To Properly Introduce NEW FISH Into Your Aquarium
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| Photo by beesalo |
1. Fish Quarantine
Fish quarantine is one big, singular factor that must be observed strictly before you can be sure that your new fish is of good health and not an apostle of doom for the other inmates. Most new fishkeepers don’t take consider this very important factor.
For the benefit of intending aquarists, quarantine in the fish world refers to the physical and chemical treatment of new fishes (either imported or caught from the wild) to rid them of disease and restlessness before introduction into a new environment,
A small quarantine tank (30x20x25cm) is advisable for any serious aquarist. The alternative is to be sure that your pet shop has a functional quarantine section to cater for bacterial, fungal and viral diseases.
This is a sure guarantee against fish deaths. The unfortunate thing with most shops in the country is the lack of space and inadequate expertise to build and administer the prophylaxis procedure on new fish, as the procedure is sure to last at least nigh days! To the average aqua-investor, this is an unnecessary tie down of capital and you know what that means.
Admittedly, the expense incurred on quarantine by way of chemical purchase e.g. copper sulfate, wescodyne, malachite green, teremycin etc) is high. This is more or less reflected in the final sales price of the fish, which is slightly higher in our shop. But, this would pay you off in the long run, as it is unlikely that you will complain of fish deaths any longer.
I am quite sure, some fish farmers reading this column would be more concerned about the application of this procedure to solve their farm problems especially those with hatcheries or those who stock with post-fry and fingerlings.
2. Feeding New Fish
When you just introduce a new fish to aquarium tank it’s necessary to feed the fish. Though this will not be instant because no matter how carefully you add the fish to your aquarium tank they will look very unhappy for a while.
Thus it’s necessary that you turn the flights out, and leave them overnight to get used to their new home first before thinking of feeding them. Then feed fish with aquarium fish food with fish flakes the next day, this will make the fish feel at home.
If you already have an established tank, it is advisable to quarantine new fish before adding them to an existing populated, and the cheapest way to do this is to purchase a plastic tank which will need no gravel or plants.
This can be used solely for quarantine and as a hospital tank.
Leave the fish in this tank for about three days during which any disease harbored by the fish would be evident for which it can be treated using available chemicals from your dealer. The fish can then be introduced into the tank in the same way as before.
Leave the fish in this tank for about three days during which any disease harbored by the fish would be evident for which it can be treated using available chemicals from your dealer. The fish can then be introduced into the tank in the same way as before.
When you add new fish to an established community, there will probably be a certain amount of harassment of the new arrivals by the original fish. Try to divert their attention by giving them a good feed when the fish are introduced.
2018-08-02
What is a PLECO?
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| Plecostomus - Photo: Flickr |
A pleco fish is a bottom-feeding/algae-eating fish typically acquired for freshwater aquariums originally from South America.
They are those "sucker fish".
Plecos prefer warmer water and are pretty self-sufficient.
They eat the green algae in the tank and excess food off the bottom that the other fish can't or don't.
They clean when you don't want to.
One of the girls at the pet store loved them, one hated them.
Why?
Well, the girl that loved them loved them for all the reasons I mentioned above plus they are laid back fish...They'll find a small crevice or spot to hide during daylight and chill out. Then, they'll come out at night and clean/eat but keep to themselves.
The girl that hated them found that they grow very quickly and "when they poop, the pieces are long and stringy that float around the tank".
The first girl never felt she had this problem with her plecos at home.
Personally, I went home to ponder these dilemmas, as I was preparing for a trip away from home for 1.5 weeks.
What Did I Do?
I got 1 very small pleco, the smallest one I could find, to assist with the cleaning of the tank while I was away.
Apparently, my mother says the tank looks immaculate...although I only have 1 goldfish in the 10-gallon tank with it.
* By The Way: The pleco did a wonderful job...no algae in site 1.5 weeks later! We named him Mr Klean - Yes, another "K" name...LOL!
Loaches, also bottom feeders, are an option but seem to bother the other fish in the tank, from my observations...They never stop moving around. They are "Old World" freshwater fish coming from riverine environments throughout Morocco and Eurasia.
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2018-08-01
Tips On Setting Up Your CICHLID AQUARIUM
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| Female Apistogramma nijsseni in mating colors (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
The most important aspect is to choose the right sized aquarium for your cichlids. If you are a beginner, then it is recommended to choose a 20-gallon large aquarium. This will ensure that your cichlids have enough space to move around and do not fight with each other. It is also easy to maintain larger aquariums.
Fit a water pump and filter in your cichlid aquarium as fishes survive best in toxic-free, clean water.
Decorating the cichlid aquarium is an interesting process. Here, it is important to recreate their original habitat. Items you can put into the aquarium include limestone, sand, gravel, flat stones, mini caves, hardy plants, overturned flower pots and structures that can act as a hideout for your cichlids. Apart from enhancing the decor, flat stones are used by cichlids to lay eggs and the PH level of water is neutralized by sand and gravel.
Choose a cichlid aquarium with a lid. Being very aggressive, there are chances of cichlids jumping out of the aquarium. Be sure to leave enough opening for an exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
Keep your cichlid aquariums in a permanent place preferably away from any heat source including direct sunlight as heat is bad for them. As far as possible, do not move them around too much.
To ensure that cichlids are not affected by the temperature in your area, it is a good idea installing a water heater inside the aquarium. This will keep the tank temperature constant. In order to allow for stabilizing of water and to ensure that chlorine has evaporated completely, it is recommended to wait for a day after setting up the aquarium to put the cichlids in.
Setting up the cichlid aquarium is only the first step. You must ensure that they do not fight among them and live in a happy and comfortable manner. Here are a few tips -
Begin with just a small group of fish or maybe with just one cichlid. In a new aquarium, it takes quite some time for the nitrogen cycle to run smoothly. It is therefore not recommended to crowd the aquarium initially.
Be sure to keep the cichlid aquarium clean and tidy. At least once a month, ensure that you clean it without using soap as soap can leave a residue that is toxic and harmful for cichlids.
Do not overfeed your cichlids as too much food can make them sick. Excess food in the water can also deteriorate the quality of aquarium water.
It is recommended to change cichlid aquarium water every day. Clean the filters on a regular basis and ensure a twenty-five percent change every week.
Mixing other fishes with cichlids must be done carefully. Choose fishes that live in the same kind of habitat as the cichlids to ensure that they survive.
A well set up cichlid aquarium can keep your cichlids healthy and happy. Life of your cichlids can be prolonged by taking care of safety, providing water of good quality and ensuring proper diet. Take the advice of experienced cichlid owners or do your own research to find out everything you need to know about cichlids before purchasing them.
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2018-07-31
Unpacking and Acclimatizing Your New DISCUS FISH
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| A fish of the genus Symphysodon (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
I'm sure you have or will be wanting to order discus fish from the internet or over the phone. If so, there are a couple of important factors you must first take into consideration. The main one is that you need to be sure you are getting quality fish, this may require looking at pictures of those fish and talking to the breeder or importer.
What I want to tell you about today is how to unpack and acclimatize your new fish.
Unpacking...
You need to unpack one box at a time, don't go and open every box if you have 4 or 5. I know you want to look at your discus fish but please take your time. Take the lid off the first box and take one bag at a time out. Then open the bag, roll down the bag and float it in the water. Do this for the first box and then move onto the next stage.
Acclimatizing...
Now the bags of discus are floating in the water, you need to use a little jug or something similar to gently pour tank water into the bag. You need to do this every five minutes for the next 30 minutes. This helps the fish get used to the difference in ph and water hardness. Then one bag at a time, tip the bag on its side and let the discus fish swim out in its own time.
Once you've done this for the first box then move on to the next.
You can also add some 'stress coat' or 'melafix' type of product into your tank. I sometimes do this and have had positive results with discus settling a little quicker.
Leave dim lights on and don't feed for 24 hours.
Your discus should then be settled in fine within a week
2018-07-30
Tips on TIGER BARB Care and Spawning
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| A young tiger barb, Puntius tetrazona (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Their name is purely descriptive. Tiger barbs have an orange body with vertical black striping. Tigers are just one of over 70 species of barbs made commercially available by the aquarium industry. Selective breeding has produced a wide variety of color variations. Color morphs are green, gold and albino tiger barbs. The green tiger barb is highly melanistic. Their body reflects green over the black due to a Tyndall effect.
The tiger barb has an even temperament and makes for a good community fish. They are mid-level swimmers. Barbs do have a tendency to be fin nippers though. This behavior increases in bigger groups. Avoid mixing them with large finned species such as angelfish, bettas, and fancy guppies. They are a smaller fish. They only grow to about 2.5 inches long as adults. You'll want to raise them with similarly sized species to avoid waking up to one less fish in your tank.
Barbs are a shoaling fish. Shoaling fish are community dwellers. They instinctively travel in groups. Shoaling fish are ill-adapted to a life of solitude. It is recommended that you have at least four of any shoaling fish in an aquarium. Six to eight is even better.
Barbs thrive in soft, slightly acid water with a temperature range between 68-77 °F.
They are omnivorous. They can live out their entire life fed nothing but common tropical fish flakes. But a diet supplemented with pure protein will help keep them fit, vigorous and colorful.
It is not difficult to distinguish between male and female tiger barbs. The males are typically more colorful. Males tend to have more red on their fins than females. The male's nose will turn red when it enters into its breeding cycle.
Breeding Tiger Barbs
Tiger barbs can be induced to spawn when provided with the right conditions. Tigers typically breed in early summer in the wild. Turn the aquarium thermostat up to 77 or 78 degrees. You want them in softer water such as bottled water or reverse osmosis filtered water. You will also want to increase the waters acidity level to approximately pH 6.5. If these conditions are not conducive to your other community dwellers simply use a breeding tank to create a controlled environment conducive to spawning. You will also want to increase their protein intake by feeding them brine shrimp, bloodworms or meat-based frozen or freeze-dried food.
Tiger barbs are egg layers. A trait common to egg layers is that they will eat their eggs if given the chance. This can be best avoided by placing a layer of marbles over the breeding tank substrate. The eggs will sink down in between the marbles and keep the eggs safely out of harm's way. After the adults have spawned they should be removed from the breeding tank.
The fry will hatch in about 36 hours. They will be free swimming in 2-3 days. Once they are free swimming they can be fed infusoria or liquid fry food formulated for egg laying fish. Larger fry can be fed newly hatched brine shrimp. In about two weeks you will be able to change their diet to finely crushed fish flakes.
The latest trend among Saltwater Tank enthusiasts is raising pet jellyfish. Jellyfish need specially designed Jellyfish Fish Tank Aquariums. Jellyfish tanks are easier to maintain than traditional saltwater setups. Moon Jellies are the most popular jellyfish among home aquarists both for their exotic beauty and their ease of care. They have become so popular that two US-based websites are now tank raising them to meet the growing demand. Pet Moon Jellyfish look absolutely incredible under a fading LED lighting system. Article Source: EzineArticles |
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