Domestic FISH-KEEPING

Mid 19th Century glass freshwater aquarium, containing Vallisneria spiralis,
goldfish, roach, and minnow.
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Fishes are kept at home in aquariums and ponds. The hobby of fish keeping is divided into brackish, saltwater, and freshwater fish keeping, out of which freshwater fish keeping is the favorite. The fishes which are popular for fish keeping are angelfish, goldfish and guppies. Different species of fishes can be kept together and sometimes fishes of the same species are kept together for breeding purposes. With breeders, the popular fish species are guppies, mollies, catfish, killifish, cichlid, and characin.

Fishkeeping was started centuries ago. At that time fishes were bred for food. Also, due to religious reasons, fish was eaten on days when meat wasn’t allowed. The Chinese and Japanese traditions included fish keeping for food purposes. But later the kings began keeping goldfishes and koi, because of their attractive colors. They were kept in ponds and when guests used to arrive, the fishes were shifted indoors in fish bowls. Romans were also known to keep lampreys in pools with saltwater. Ancient Egyptians kept fishes from Oxyrhynchus in temple pools.

Saltwater or marine fish keeping is more difficult and expensive. Usually experienced fish keepers or aquarists are into this hobby. This is certainly not for beginners. But it sure is very attractive with colorful and attractive fishes along with different types of corals. Brackish fish keeping involves both freshwater and saltwater fish keeping because the salinity of the water is in between that of seawater and freshwater.

Fish keepers which are into this hobby also focus on the aquatic plants. Some hardcore aquarists even attempt to grow coral reefs with the help of living rock, worms, and calcareous rocks with algae growth, sponges, and worms. When the corals begin to grow echinoderms, crabs, mollusks, and shrimps are also added to the aquariums, which are also called reef tanks.

The aquarium should have ecology which is similar to the natural habitat of the occupant fishes. This is an extremely difficult task. Also, it is important to maintain the predator-prey relationship balance. Also more than the volume of the water, the surface volume is important. This is because, more the surface volume, more the oxygen levels in the water. Air pumps also are used to increase the dissolved oxygen in the water. This is part of the nutrient cycle, which should be maintained and controlled for the well-fare of the fishes. Larger aquariums are more preferable and they make things easier, for example, the event effects are diluted easily and the systemic shock is absorbed well.

Other factors to be controlled are the nitrogen cycle, dissolved gases, and balanced food supply. The salinity of the water should be checked regularly depending on the aquaria being maintained. The pH level should be checked to test the acidic nature of the water. For the freshwater aquarium, most of the aquarist use tap water, which is a mistake as it contains chlorine. Chloramines should be used in tap water to make it chlorine-free.

Depending on the temperature, the aquarium can be differentiated to have tropical and cold water. For the tropical aquariums, the water should be warm and the temperature should be nearly seventy-seven degrees Fahrenheit. For cold water aquarium, the water temperature should be less than room temperature. For this purpose, a refrigeration device called chiller can be used.

Plants and certain organisms can be introduced in the aquarium which metabolizes the waste, especially nitrogen. But more the number of organisms added to the fish tank, the more difficult it is to maintain. The needs of all the aquatic organisms must be considered. Introducing many types of species in an aquarium is known as biological loading. Two important factors should be considered which include filtration process and oxygen levels. Aquarists interested in fish breeding should be more careful. Firstly, they shouldn’t mix many types of fishes together. They should also develop special conditions called spawning triggers for proper breeding.

Artificial ponds can be also made in the garden. It is very similar to freshwater keeping, except that they are big and out in natural conditions. Tropical fishes are a good choice for such garden ponds. But where the temperatures are cold, goldfishes, orfe, and koi are good options.

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Aquarium SNAILS - Pets or Pests?

Planorbella trivolvis

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There are many different types of aquarium snails many of which can be good to have in your tank.

While some people think of snails as pests (and some are), others buy them on purpose to keep in their tanks.  Sometimes, when you purchase plants for your aquarium tiny little snails can be hiding in the plants and you may wake up a week or two later and find your tank to be overrun by snails! Usually, however, you can buy large snails at your pet store.

There are several types of snails you might consider.  Each one looks different and has a different demeanour in the tank.

The Ramshorn snail is thusly named as it's shape looks like a ram's horn.  They come in black, red and sometimes checked patterns.  This snail will dine on your plants and can reproduce quite quickly.

The Trumpet snail is a live-bearing snail that eats that food and other stuff that has fallen into the substrate.  They rarely eat plants so this is a good one to have if you have a lot of plants in your aquarium.  Usually, they hide during daylight and come out at night, but you will probably see them hanging out on the glass of your tank just below the waterline when you first get up in the morning. The Trumpet snail can help clean the debris on the bottom of your tank.

The Pond snail is the one that typically hitches a free ride into your tank on aquarium plants.  Shaped like a football, they reproduce quite quickly and have a voracious appetite for your aquarium plants quickly devouring them.

The Apple snail is a popular aquarium inhabitant and comes in 4 different species.  These snails can eat aquarium plants so you will have to be careful.  This snail can live quite a while and may grow as large as a tennis ball if given great care!

Most aquarium snails will do well in a community tank.  Some eat algae and some eat the debris on the bottom so these snails can be quite beneficial to the tank.  Other species eat aquarium plants, so be sure you know what you are buying if you have plants in the tank.

Snails get along good with many types of aquarium fish including Neon Tetras, Guppies, White Cloud Minnows and Danios.  However, if you find that some uninvited snails have appeared in your tank, you might try introducing a Skink or Clown Loach into the tank as these guys will happily eat all the snails they can find.

Aquarium snails are a great way to add something a bit different into your tank, but you must be sure you get snails that are compatible with your fish.  When in doubt just ask the clerk at your fish store and they will be sure to point you in the right direction.

Lee Dobbins - Article Directory: EzineArticles

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PEACOCK CICHLIDS - Introduction To The Amazing Peacock Cichlid!

"Aulonocara hansbaenschi RB2". Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons.

Peacock cichlids are among the most preferred cichlids to breed in recent years because of their decorative appeal. Similar to the charm of peacock birds, the natural appearance and attractive colors of these types of cichlids, scientifically called aulonocara, have been admired by most hobbyists. Between the males and females, the former are more colorful, which will eventually be brighter once they reach sexual maturity. The females are generally subdued, colors ranging from silver to brownish gray.

So why choose Peacock Cichlids as your cichlid of choice? The Malawi Peacocks, since these cichlids originate from Lake Malawi, grow from 5-6 inches upon maturity. They thrive on a variety of food, ranging from small crustaceans such as shrimps and snails to insects such as mosquitoes and insect larvae. They also eat lettuce and peas.

They can be fed with either fresh or frozen foods and accept commercially available flakes or pellets. It is advised to serve them food only once to twice a day. Furthermore, be cautious of placing small fishes in the same aquarium with them because they can easily fit in their mouths and most likely to be eaten.

Aside from the accessibility of their food, they generally have a mild temperament and in most cases undemanding. They can adapt well to community-type aquariums. Even though they are likely to be territorial, they are non-aggressive and peaceful. It is advised that they are kept with other medium-sized non-aggressive cichlids.

With regard to their habitat requirement, the Peacock Cichlids are advised to be kept in aquariums that are arranged similar to their natural habitat. Be sure to provide open spaces for them to swim around as well as lots of caves and crevices where they can hide, rest, and create territories. Use sand as a substrate since they are likely to dig through the substrate after every feeding. Male cichlids also burrow through the sand prior to spawning. Using gravel or rocks, especially the sharp-edged ones, are likely to harm your Malawi Peacocks in doing this.

In terms of breeding, as long as you've provided hiding places for them, your aquarium is clean and the water requirements are acceptable, the Peacock Cichlids will do the rest themselves. They are considered ovophile mouthbrooders. The females do not eat during the incubation period, thus becoming weak and easily stressed. Such is the case that you should be ready to isolate the pregnant female two weeks after knowing she is pregnant. This will give time for the hatching of the eggs which will take four to seven days.

The female will release a number of eggs on the rocky bottom of the aquarium. Remove the mother from the tank within four days of the eggs hatching since she might eat the babies thinking it was her food. Be sure to put to feed the mother before bringing her back with other fish since she might starve to death once the breeding process continues over again. Keep the babies in a small separate tank feeding them with fine-ground flakes until they are big enough to be moved to a bigger tank.

The Peacock Cichlids are generally lovely fish to raise and cultivate. Their beauty, ease of care, few dietary concerns, adaptability to their environment, and undemanding demeanor has made them an interesting variety of cichlid to own. It is highly recommended that you try to experience the joy of watching these beautiful fish in your aquarium and see the value that this article is talking about.

By Lacey Bryant - Article Source: EzineArticles

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REGAL ANGELFISH Care - Pygoplites diacanthus

Pygoplites diacanthus, Pomacanthidae, Royal Angelfish
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Regal Angel is thought of by several hobbyists to be one of the most lovely big angels in the market. Currently, it's also one of the toughest to house in the aquarium.

Its scientific designation given to this beauty is Pygoplites Diacanthus. Currently, it's the lone member of the genus Pygoplites. The regal angelfish has an extensive intense yellow main body including vertical white streaks that are outlined by blue.

Similar to all members of the large angel family, juveniles wear a noticeably unusual coloration pattern than adults. Young specimens do not have blue coloration and are commonly seen bearing yellow along with white with a distinctive spot close to the tail.

They are acknowledged to better a foot in length in the wild. In the aquarium, however, they usually attain a maximum length of roughly twelve inches.

They are generally found all over the Indo-Pacific, Fiji, and various areas in Africa. Fishes collected from the Philippines as well as Indonesia do not fare very well in captivity and normally have an excessive death percentage. This might have something to do with collection methods.

In their natural habitats, these fish are grazers that feed solely on tunicates and sponges. This really is the chief reason why Regal Angelfish typically do badly in captivity. They may be tricky eaters that usually starve to death over a length of time. They must be offered a great mixture of seafood, saltwater seaweed strips and in particular sponges daily if possible.

Always quarantine your fishes to make certain they are disease and parasite free. Sometimes you may well come upon two-inch juveniles for sale at the saltwater store. Resist the urge to purchase them if you do not have a large enough saltwater tank. The regal angelfish is the most beautiful and highly regarded large angelfish by enthusiasts. Alas, their high mortality percentage in captivity does put off a lot of hobbyists.

By Indran Manickam - EzineArticles

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JAGUAR CICHLID - Parachromis managuensis

JAGUAR CICHLID - Parachromis managuensis

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Parachromis Managuense - JAGUAR CICHLID

Parachromis managuensis (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Parachromis managuense has a bad reputation, just like many of the other large predatory cichlids. This reputation is largely undeserved, and besides, the positive sides of these fishes more than makeup for any negative ones. Not to mention that an adult P. managuense is incredibly beautiful.

I've kept these cichlids and have nothing but good to say about them as long as you have an aquarium large enough to handle this species that grows to 55 cm/22 inches. I would say that the absolute minimum to keep these cichlids together with other cichlids is a tank of 540 litres/120 gallons. And that's a minimum; a larger aquarium is preferable. Large specimens require even larger aquariums. They can be bred in aquariums that are at least 250 litres/55 gallons.

The aquarium should be decorated so that natural territory boundaries are created and so that there are a lot of hiding places for the female, as the male can be quite mean to her if she isn't ready to breed when he is. Larger rocks should be placed directly on the bottom of the aquarium since this species digs a lot and can move large stones. Use silica to glue caves and stone formations together so that they don't fall down.

This species hasn't got any bigger demands and thrives in most water conditions as long as pH and DH levels aren't too extreme in either direction.

P. managuense can be kept with other cichlids from the region as long as they aren't too small and can stand up for themselves. This is true for most cichlids species from Central America. P. managuense can be aggressive, but in my experience, their aggressiveness is greatly exaggerated and P. managuense leaves most fishes alone. However, during breeding, they will protect their young and their territory furiously, and since they are quite large they can claim large territories especially if normal boundaries aren't created in the aquarium. But I wish to stress that P. managuense normally isn't that aggressive and doesn't beat other fish to death. Just don't keep them with fish small enough to eat (except for Ancistrus which usually survive despite their small size).

Feeding P. managuense is easy and they accept just about any food. I recommend feeding them a diet of pellets, shrimps and fish bits. To vary the diet I sometimes feed them live feeders, usually convicts since it seems that one always has spare convicts one can't get rid of by selling or giving away. I usually feed my P. managuense twice a day with the occasional week without food.

Sexing P. managuense is usually easy and follows the line of most other cichlids. Females are smaller and rounder. Breeding P. managuense is according to my experience also easy as long as you give them their own aquarium. Breeding them in aquariums with other cichlids is harder, but not too hard. The biggest problem is deciding what to do with and how to raise the very large number of fry. Each spawning can generate up to 2000-3000 fry.

They are usually very good parents and the fry grow very fast. They guard their young for up to 6 weeks during which time the fry reaches a size of 1.5 - 2 cm, or approximately ¾ inch. After that, the parents spawn again and the fry has to be removed or the parents will kill them while protecting the new batch. However, on rare occasions, the parents can protect two batches simultaneously. This usually ends in the second batch being eaten by their older sisters and brothers, which will grow very fast on this diet. :-)

Spawnings are usually 4-7 weeks apart. They usually lay their eggs on a rock or root that has been carefully cleaned, and then dig very big craters right down to the glass bottom in which to keep their young. The fry is small but accepts most kinds of food. The parents will spit out pellets that they've chewed into tiny pieces for the fry to eat. The growth rate I mentioned above is based on my own experiences when I feed only pellets. However, I don't recommend you rely too heavily on the parents chewing food for their young. You might observe whether the fry gets the food they need this way, but if they don't I recommend you feed the fry if you want them to survive.

Raising the fry without their parents is much harder and I wouldn't recommend separating fry unless it's absolutely necessary. If possible, it's better to wait a few weeks until the fry has grown a little.

If you like predatory fish and are willing to take my word that most of its reputation is undeserved, then I recommend you to try this very beautiful fish.

Article by William Berg - Article Source: EzineArticles

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LEOPARD GECKO Care Sheet

Leopard gecko example (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1.1 - General Information

Leopard Geckos are nocturnal, ground-dwelling reptiles that were originally found in the deserts of Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, and Iran (although they live in the desert, their natural substrate is not sand, as I will discuss later under substrate). The scientific name is Eublepharis macularius (which means "true" "eyelid" "spot"). They are one of the few geckos that actually have eyelids, and they naturally have spots. There are many different morphs of Leopard Geckos that I will go into in more detail later. Many people now breed Leopard Geckos, and you can purchase them at a local pet store (or through breeders). They may live up to 20 years if properly cared for, and reach an average size of 8-10 inches when they reach adulthood (approximately 1-2 years into the gecko's life).

2.1 - Housing

First things first, you should never house multiple male Leopard Geckos together. They are territorial and may fight each other. You shouldn't house a female and a male together either unless you want babies. However, you can house multiple females together, but you must watch them carefully because there can be situations where one may be a leader. Some signs of "bullying" would be marks on one of the geckos, one getting more food than the other, or one of the geckos getting a good bit larger than the other.

Next question one might have is, "How big should my tank be?" Well, this depends on how many geckos you plan to house in the tank. A 10-gallon tank would be on the small side for one gecko, but it works. My opinion is that a 20-gallon tank works best for 2, maybe 3 geckos and a 30-gallon tank can fit up to 4 or 5 (this area is debated, so the fewer geckos, the safer). I do not suggest you ever house more than 5 geckos in one tank. Another thing to consider when purchasing a tank is that Leopard Geckos don't climb as much as other geckos, so it is better to buy a tank with more surface area. For example: A 20 gallon tank (24" x 12" x 16") meaning 24" by 12" surface area, compared to a 20 gallon long (30" x 12" x 12") which has 30" by 12" surface area. You could get those two tanks for the same price, but the 20 gallons long would be a better choice.

3.1 - Feeding

When it comes to feeding, babies/juveniles eat more often than adults because it is important for them to grow a big healthy tail. A good rule of thumb to go by is once a day for any gecko 1 1/2 years and every other day for older geckos. You should let your gecko eat as much as he or she can in 15 minutes. They have good judgment and will not eat more than they can. When they are younger, they may eat too much and regurgitate food. This is just a learning process and doesn't hurt your baby, it should teach them not to eat that much. When your gecko grows older you should keep feeding it as much as he/she can eat in 15 minutes, but only feed it every other day. A good rule of thumb to use is don't feed anything longer than the width between your gecko's eyes (or 3/4 of their head). This will keep your gecko from swallowing something too big and choking, although they usually regurgitate. To learn more about what to feed your geckos, continue reading through the next couple of sections.

4.1 - Health

Health is an important part of your gecko's life, of course. Some positive signs of a healthy gecko are:

• Feeding well.
• Growing (if a baby).
• Is active at night.
• Has a fat tail (it is OK if younger geckos don't have fat tails, as they are still growing).
• And is acting normal

You should always check for signs of unhealthiness. Also, if you get a new gecko (or geckos) and you are planning to house them with another gecko that you already had or you just bought, you should "quarantine the new gecko(s). This is a process where you take the new gecko and put him in a tank by himself for about 3 months. If you don't do this, and your gecko came with a disease, the disease would spread to the other gecko and both of them would have died. After the 3 months, you can safely house that gecko with another one. This is just a safe way to determine if a Leopard Gecko is "disease-free".

By James G Sullivan - Article Source:EzineArticles

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