Tips on FLAME HAWKFISH Care

Photo by brian.gratwicke 

Flame hawkfish or Neocirrhites armatus belong to the family Cirrhitidae. They are indigenous to the Micronesian sub-regions of the western Pacific Ocean. Significant populations exist in Australia's Great Barrier Reef and the Ryukyu Islands where there is an abundance of pocillopora and stylophora coral. These shallow water bottom dwellers make their homes in hard coral formations.

Their descriptive name attributes to two distinct characteristics. Flame is derived from their bright reddish-orange coloration. They have a dark often black horizontal stripe along the curvature of their upper bodies. This stripe very much resembles a Mohawk. However, the word hawk refers to the darkened regions surrounding their eyes. These dark areas are reminiscent of the black circles found around the eyes of many hawks.

This is a rather robust, disease resistant species. They make for good additions to a community tank. They generally ignore non-bottom dwellers. They will, however, demonstrate territorial behavior toward other bottom-dwelling fish. It is therefore recommended that this be the only bottom dwelling fish species in your aquarium. They can grow to a maximum adult length of 4 inches and may live in excess of 10 years.

Whether or not they make suitable marine reef fish depends on the inhabitants in your tank. Their natural diet consists primarily of crustaceans, snails and smaller mollusks. They also have an affinity for hermit crabs. Coral is generally off the menu, especially hard coral. They will view these as a place of natural habitation. This is a diurnal species. It will be most active during the day and will seek shelter at night.

These fish may show a reluctance to feed initially. If they are newly captured they may not eat at all. This could simply be a matter of not recognizing common marine food as a source of nutrition. If feeding becomes problematic try tempting them with a treat similar to what they would eat in nature. Live brine shrimp should do the trick. In time they will learn that dried shrimp, a frozen food developed for carnivores and possibly even flake food are acceptable menu choices.

Flame hawkfish are prone to experiencing a loss in their brilliant coloration in captivity. This is most likely due to an as yet unidentified nutritional deficiency. Regular supplements of vitamin enriched brine shrimp and chopped fresh seafood such as shrimp, squid and crab will help to keep them healthy and prevent a reduction in color intensity. Maintaining an abundant supply of living rock will also prove beneficial.

I nature this species lives in small communal harems. A single male will be accompanied by anywhere from two to ten females. No obvious coloration differences exist between males and females. Males, however, tend to be a bit larger than the females. In the wild mating occurs at dusk. Eggs are left to drift away in the current.

Hawkfish are protogynous hermaphrodites. They are all born as females. If a group of females is introduced into an aquarium, the largest most dominant of the bunch will undergo a morphological transition into a male despite the fact that they are not known to breed in captivity.

By Stephen J Broy Technological advancements in the aquarium industry continually redefine the concept of "home aquarium ownership." Just twenty years ago not even the biggest public aquarium was capable of keeping jellyfish alive in captivity. Now they make desktop Jellyfish Fish Tank Aquariums. And why would you want a jellyfish tank? Perhaps you should check out what the translucent bodies of Pet Moon Jellyfish look like under LED lighting. Pet Jellyfish give a whole new meaning to the term exotic pets. Article Source: EzineArticles

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BLACK BELT CICHLID - Paraneetroplus maculicauda

Black Belt Cichlid - Paraneetroplus maculicauda

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Tips On BREEDING SNAKES

Red milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum syspila)
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When you've had some success caring for captive snakes, you might find yourself interested in breeding them. This can be done, but it requires record keeping and attention to many details concerning the living conditions of the snakes. The breeding is generally done in the winter so that the babies are born or hatched in the spring.

Breeding snakes require feeding them well for about four months and then putting them into a cool state of hibernation. To do this, you first need to fatten them up, especially females, for a few months in late summer, then lower the temperature for a few more weeks or months. The exact timing varies with the species, as do the temperature requirements.

Just a quick note about determining the sex of a snake. This skill needs to be learned from an expert. It is a tricky process, sometimes requiring the use of a metal probe to look for the male reproductive organ. Even the most experienced of snake breeders make a mistake now and then.

During the hibernation, the snake is not fed but is provided with fresh water. When the time is up, the snake is gradually warmed up and fed well again for a little while. Then the female and male are placed together. If she resists him, separate them and wait another week. If not, leave them together for a week or so.

A female snake that is developing eggs within is called "gravid." Some species of snake eat well during this time and others don't. The length of time it takes varies even within the same species. Again, the amount of heat provided makes a difference. Most females will shed shortly before laying their eggs.

Some snakes give birth to live offspring instead of laying eggs. The boas are examples of this. The hibernation requirements for these tropical snakes are much less, amounting to just a couple of weeks with low nighttime temperatures. Their humidity needs are higher, and they should be misted daily. With boas, you can add more than one male to the female's enclosure.

Pregnancy takes from 4 to 10 months. The mother to usually eat well during this time, but you should choose smaller food items since her inside body space is getting more crowded. Shedding usually precedes giving birth, but it can be as much as another month before the birth. The litter size can range from 10 to as many as 80 for large, robust females.

In general, snake babies should be removed and placed in separate containers lined with paper towels. The paper towels should be kept moist for the first two weeks. They will shed around this time and can feed on pinkies or fuzzies (young mice) after the shed.

There may be a market for these young reptiles, and the process is certainly fascinating for the hobbyist. Do remember, though, that there are growing numbers of pet snakes being shoved off into rescue shelters because the owners just can't handle them anymore. Be a responsible snake breeder, and make sure your young snakes won't just be more casualties.

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CORAL and its habitat

Gorgonian polyps. Photographed in the reef aquarium of aquarist Mike Giangrasso.
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Corals are a beautiful addition to any saltwater aquarium and they can also have beneficial effects on the miniature semi-ecosystem that exists in a well functioning aquarium.

Corals are living animals that are commonly called sessile invertebrates. What this means is that they are animals that don't have a backbone (like vertebrates do) and that they are generally stuck in one spot and can't move around like most animals can. Corals are usually attached to a rock. Corals consist of many individual polyps. The polyps may have an internal or an external skeleton that is made of calcium carbonate. Each polyp has an oral opening that leads to a gastrovascular tube. There is a lot of variety in the types of food eaten by coral polyps. For example, some corals feed by using their stinging tentacles to catch small fish. Other corals eat microscopic organisms, whereas some coral polyps don't feed at all, and obtain all their nutrition from zooxanthellae  (single-celled algae that live within the coral).

Corals are more complicated to keep that many saltwater fish species, and can, for instance, require more intricate currents, powerful lighting and supreme water quality. Keeping the water temperature in the ideal range is therefore imperative when you keep corals in your aquarium. Reef-building corals prefer quite shallow depths where the light penetration is good and will therefore usually grow at depths of less than 46 meters / 150 feet. The reef-building corals require plenty of strong light since they form a symbiotic relationship with photosynthetic algae. Other coral species can, however, survive without direct sunlight and live much deeper down in the ocean.

Corals should be thoroughly researched beforehand because of their often hefty price tag and demanding water, lighting and feeding requirements. The great part about live rock, aside from the biological importance of using it, is that you can use aquarium silicon sealant to shape the rocks into any type of design you desire. We now have a new term - "rockscaping". You can also use a drill to create small holes in the rock and use PVC pipes to hold them together to make columns or archways. The rockscaping possibilities are endless. Another thing you'll probably need to do is place the rock directly on the tank bottom and not on top of the sand. Sand burrowing species could get injured or worse if you place the rock on top of the sand.

Corals are very popular with aquarium enthusiasts.  Some of the most common corals are now being successfully kept and grown in a rapidly growing number of home aquariums. There are hundreds of species including soft corals, corallimorpharians (mushroom corals), gorgonians, zoanthids, large-polyp stony corals, and small-polyp stony corals.

For the beginner reef aquarium, there are a number of soft corals, that require less light and less than perfect water quality standards, than their hard coral cousins. These soft corals are the better candidates for converting to a fish only or fish only with live rock aquarium tank to a reef tank with corals.

You can have coral in any sort of aquarium/fish tank i.e. fish only tanks, fish only with live rock tanks to a full reef tank.

Moving smoothly from tank to tank isn't really all that difficult. You need to move coral because believe it or not there can be turf wars in coral reef tanks. Corals on the reef compete for space. So do the corals in your aquarium. Corals are still deemed difficult for the average reef tank hobbyist but in my experience, I have not found this to be true.

Corals are found all over the world, even around the poles. Reef-building corals are however only found in warm subtropical and tropical waters. Reef-building corals are present in the Indo-Pacific Ocean and the Western Atlantic. Their habitat is generally limited to the region between 30 degrees N and 30 degrees S latitudes. In the Indo-Pacific Ocean you will find reef-building corals from the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, and eastwards in the Indian and Pacific Oceans all the way over to Panama and a few places in the Gulf of California. In the Western Atlantic corals are living outside Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Belize and around the Caribbean Islands, Bermuda and Bahamas. Reef-building corals will only live where the water temperature is warm enough; 20-28 degrees Celsius / 68-82 degrees Fahrenheit.

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3 Types Of AQUARIUM FISH - Nature And Habitat Explained

1. Angel Fish

This is a fish bigger than most aquarium varieties. The black Angel which comes from the Amazon basin area belongs to this category. Angelfish are also found in areas such as the Rio Tapajos and Orinoco. These fish feed on smaller live bait in the aquarium. They have a deep well-defined body structure. Their fins differ in color. 

They have small, pouted lips and curved eyes. Some of them have black spots which are quite desirable with collectors of ornamental fish. Angelfish normally live in water temperatures of around 72 Fahrenheit, but the water needs to be warmer at 77 to 86 degrees, for them to start breeding. Keep them in subdued lighting conditions. These fish love the natural wild surroundings, so provide lots of plants in the aquarium to keep them satisfied. You need to keep them away from bright lights, which tend to make them a bit nervous. Angelfish have certain bones in the throat region, so do not get alarmed if you hear a noise when they breed.

2. Harlequin Fish

The Rasbora Heteromorpha is a fish from this category. It is similar to the Cyprinidae family, and it is seen in the eastern Sumatra region, Thailand and Malaysia. It is a very attractive species with a thick body shape. It is colored a silver grey which shimmers when it moves. They normally have a patch of blue or black on the body as well. These fish grow up o about an inch and a half in length and they prefer to live in warm waters since they are from the tropical region. Keep the tank around 75-77 degrees if you house these fish. However, when they are breeding the water should be at a warmer level of say 82 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the lighting subdued and provide ample room for them to swim around, they are quite active.

All Photos Wikipedia (CC)

3. Scat

These fish belong to the Scatophagus Argus category and is closely related to the Scatophagidae. They are found in the eastern region of India. It is colored a brownish gold tone, with a sprinkle of brown spots all over the body. They are larger than other varieties discussed in this article and can grow to over eleven inches in length. Scats are hexagonal in shape. This fish prefers a well-lit area to live in, and you need to add salt to their water to keep them healthy. 3 or 4 teaspoons of salt in 2 to 3 gallons of water should do just fine. You could add sand into their tank rather than gravel, as well as some good hardy plants to make them feel at home. They enjoy eating the live bait, as well as a little from the plants. Use a good filter in their tank and you need to get ready to often change their water.

By Abhishek Agarwal Abhishek is an avid Fish Lover and he has got some great Aquarium Care Secrets up his sleeves! Article Source: EzineArticles

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BUBBLE EYE GOLDFISH

Bubble Eye Goldfish

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Six Reasons Why You Should Never Neglect CHANGING WATER In Your Aquarium Tank

pH Control – pH stands for hydrogen potent. It is actually the concentration of hydrogen ions present in your aquarium tank, and as you know, hydrogen ion concentration refers to acidity of the water in the tank. As fishes live in the water, performing all their biological activities, the pH value is bound to change. The best way to ensure that the pH values remain conducive for the health of your fish is to change the water often.

Kh control – For the scientifically inclined people, Kh is the hydrolysis constant. Simply speaking, it is the ability of water to buffer, which means, maintain a particular optimum level of the acids and bases in it. Changes occur in the fish tank over time due to the inclusion of chemicals produced from biological activity. That is one reason why the water has to be periodically changed.

Controlling nitrate levels – Ideally speaking, a saltwater aquarium must have a nitrate concentration of at the most 20 parts per million and a freshwater aquarium must have at the most 50 parts per million. Fish excretion is in the form of ammonia, which increases the nitrate level of the tank. There are protein skimmers available that can help to keep the nitrate levels to optimal levels within the tank. But these skimmers will not be able to remove the organic debris that collects in the tank from time to time. That is the reason why complete water changes become necessary. In fact, aquarium sellers do stress upon nitrate level maintenance as the most important reason for making periodical water changes. 

Detoxifying the aquariums – Dead aquatic organisms, byproducts of metabolic activities in the fish and other aquarium residents and the excretion products of your fish will definitely introduce some toxic products in your aquarium tank. Some toxic materials can also enter from the external environment, such as when things drop into your tank or when some microorganisms enter through the air. They could play havoc with the health of your delicate fish. You cannot effectively monitor such toxic intrusions. The best way is to change water.

Cleaning aquarium accessories – If you have live elements in your aquarium tank such as live sand, live rock, sponges, bio balls, etc. it is best to provide them with clean water of aquarium standard to filter out the wastes that they produce from time to time.

Controlling algal growth – Algae are microscopic plants that grow in all types of aquatic environment. They grow faster in aquariums because the water there is stagnant and favorable for their growth. However, algae can pollute the water in the closed environment to drastic levels, which could also mean health problems to your fish. Not only that, algae will compete with the fish with the resources available in your aquarium. If you change the water from your aquarium regularly, you are also removing the algae that have grown in them.

Hence, water changes in your aquarium are a very important aspect of aquarium cleaning. They ensure that your fish live longer and healthier in the home you provide them.

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