Tropical DISCUS FISH - Instructions You Need To Know

Tropical Discus Fish are a magnificent aquarium fish. They are remarkably beautiful and full of life.  With their attractiveness comes a price nevertheless. The discus can be a moody fish. They aren’t similar to the Wally world cheap fish you see inside a main retail chain. Tropical discus fish will require some advanced care to keep them healthily. Please don’t let this intimidate you. With a little guidance, you can be on your way to having a good-looking tropical discus fish aquarium.

Discus Fish - Photo by ozz13x

Aquarium Balance

Aquarium balance is the number of fish you should keep in your aquarium at one time. The broad rule of thumb should be to limit an individual discus fish per each ten gallons of water your aquarium can withhold. Discus love room to roam, using this guideline will keep your fish from feeling stressed and overcrowded.

Tank Size and Shape

Discus prefers a tall sized aquarium. If you were to have two aquariums and one was six foot long and eighteen inches deep and the other tank being four feet long and 3 feet deep. The discus would prefer the taller of the two tanks which would be a 3×4 aquarium. Keep in mind if you have a tank like the first one I mentioned I don’t suggest you buy a new aquarium. They are merely aquarium suggestions they are not gospel. The only rule you should follow when picking out an aquarium for tropical discus fish is to make sure the tank is at least eighteen inches deep.

I myself don’t advocate anything lesser than a thirty-gallon aquarium. This is just my own opinion. I don’t like to utilize anything lesser than thirty gallons because of the smaller the aquarium the harder it really is to care for the water. Plus I like to have more than 2 discus per an aquarium.

Feeding Your Discus

Tropical discus fish are particular eaters. It is advisable to ask the breeder what brand of food your new fish prefer to eat. Although Discus do not require any special diet they do like to eat what they have been feeding on throughout their life time. To change their diet feed them the new food in small doses. Increase the dosage for about a week to get them accustomed to the brand new food. This is a secure and stress-free way to alter their diet.

Water Quality

Water quality is of the most important and keeping your water quality clean and stable and the right temperature is a MUST! You will want to keep the water temp between 82 and 86 degrees.

Water changes are the first and obvious way to keep your water clean and stable. When making water changes only change about 15 or 20 percent of the water at a time. Do not make drastic water changes. It puts more harm than good on your discus and will cause them a lot of stress.

Water Chemistry

Chemistry is a little more advanced so let me share some important factors with you. You need to test the water hardness. You need to have soft water usually between 3 and 15dh. Now don’t forget about ph. This needs to be between 5 and 6.5. PH will be the most difficult factor among first-time discus owners. This is important to learn because discus like to maintain a stable ph. Do not compromise their ph level.  You will think everything is fine because the fish will live and in some case they may even breed but in reality, your fish will always be stressed and have a short life span.

These are some of the most important factors you need to succeed at in order to keep tropical discus fish.

Steve Jones is an expert fish keeper and owns an aquarium shop in upper Michigan.  Article from articlesbase.com

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Testing the HARDNESS of Your Aquarium Water

As the ecosystem in nature is very fragile and prone to triggering severe consequences if the balance of elements is altered so is the ecosystem inside of an aquarium a very fragile thing, leading to devastating consequences if the balance is thrown off. Because of this, it is important that the elements of the water be tested on a regular basis and necessary alterations made as frequently as possible.

Photo: Wikipedia (CC)

There are many elements which are important for the well being of your aquarium fish; temperature and pH have the greatest immediate impact on their well being and should be monitored closely. There are certain precursors which can be tested in order to anticipate problems with these elements, and by closely monitoring these precursors an attentive owner can prevent the death of their fish in much the same way that an attentive physician may be able to head off the formation of cancer.

     

The carbonate hardness, or kh, level of the water should be monitored closely using one of the commercial systems which are available on the market. These can be purchased from any saltwater fish dealer or through an online retailer such as Amazon.com. The hardness of the water is significant because it can lead to rapid swings in pH. These swings can cause the fish to become stressed, making them more vulnerable to disease than they would be otherwise. This means that it will take very little to make them ill; the germs from the fingers of human hands could be enough to cause an epidemic and wipe out your entire aquarium population. Remember what smallpox did to the Indian populations because their immune systems were not prepared? The consequences could be just as fatal.

     

Fish will generally adapt to the hardness of the local water supply fairly quickly; however, to truly thrive their environment should be as close to that of their natural habitat (i.e. where they would be living if they were not living in a tank in your home) as possible. This is particularly necessary if you are entertaining the notion of breeding your fish-bear in mind that much like human newborns baby fish will not have had a chance to adapt to an environment that was not suited for them, and many may die because of this. Organic water plants will also thrive best in water that closely resembles their natural habitat. There are many commercial products available which will help to soften the water if the kh level is too high.

     

By carefully monitoring the kh levels of your aquarium you will be able to stay one step ahead of the elements and help to ensure that your fish have the best chance of survival possible.

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REEF TANKS And What You Need To Know Before You Start One

A reef aquarium is vastly different from a fish only aquarium. Not only will you need different equipment, but you will need a whole different skill to create and maintain a successful reef tank. Although you can keep fish in your reef tank, the main focus of a reef tank is to display live coral. Introducing certain species of fish can help in maintaining the reef environment and special care should be taken when selecting the appropriate species to compliment the coral in your tank.

Reef Tank - Photo by shesarii

Reef tanks are primarily filtered by the live rock through a natural process. This biologic filtration is usually supplemented by protein skimmers. Protein skimmers use what is called the foam fracture process to eliminate waste matter and filter the water. A combination of biological filtration and protein skimmers is very effective at keeping a reef tank in ideal condition.

Unlike fish only tanks, reef tanks require constant water movement. Different types of coral require different flow rates, but as a rule of thumb, a flow rate of 10x will be sufficient. What this means is that the flow rate needs to be 10 times the capacity of the tank (in gallons) per hour. It’s important that you adjust and fine tune the flow rates to the specific coral in your tank.

One of the most popular methods of creating water flow is by using power heads. They are simply small water pumps under the water that creates an underwater stream when you alternately switch them on an off. By using a wave timer, the pumps are synced to create a water flow. A newer method for creating and managing water flow is the use of submersible propeller pumps. Although they are more expensive, they use less power and can produce greater water flow compared to power heads.

Another important aspect of reef tanks is lighting. While fish only tanks use lighting primarily for display, a reef tank needs light to “feed” the coral. Since the coral uses photosynthesis to stay alive, lighting is the most important aspect of keeping your coral alive.

The lighting levels required for each type of coral varies widely. While some types of rock require very high levels of light, some only need low light levels. Special care should be taken when picking coral for your tank to ensure that the lighting of your tank is sufficient. As a general rule, 5 to 8 watts per gallon should be sufficient for the most common coral.

By WriteSmith - Articles Source: Reef Tanks And What You Need To Know Before You Start One

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ACRYLIC AQUARIUMS Vs Glass What Are The Benefits

Technology, the result of creative innovations, constantly changes our lives. Each technological advancement increases the significance of our choices. Conventional products now compete with new and improved varieties. Versatility, design, and product enhancements provide consumers with more choices than ever. Hobbyists are taking note. For example, advancements in aquarium production now expand beyond the traditional glass structure, opening a whole new world to aquarium enthusiasts.

A diver cleaning acrylic at the Georgia Aquarium.
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Traditionally glass tanks were manufactured using silicon sealant. Due to construction constraints sizeable aquariums were generally rectangular. Size and shape variations are difficult to achieve with glass panels. Cracking and leakage concerns hampered customization of glass aquariums also. However glass was the original material for a reason, it was the best available choice.

Nowadays acrylic is pushing glass out of the lead, at least where aquarium enthusiasts are concerned. Simply put consumers demand versatility, acrylic offers versatility and more that glass never could.

Better leak protection, greater strength, superior insulation, lighter weight and incredible pliability prove acrylic is a more advanced material. These strengths allow personalization, customization, and endless possibilities for consumers wishing to add an aquatic factor.

The differences are undeniable, glass tanks require a silicon sealant while acrylic aquariums are molecularly welded. Sealant can age and crack over time, but welding fuses the seams creating a virtually leak-proof barrier. It'll be a long time before technological advancements allow that kind of leak protection from glass.

Acrylic is also seventeen times stronger than glass and it's more flexible. Strength is important for preservation, protection and impact resistance. Flexibility dramatically increases design versatility. Unlike glass, acrylics can be manipulated into various shapes. For example, acrylic aquariums can have flawlessly rounded corners glass aquariums cannot.

Additionally acrylic aquariums are 20% better insulated than glass aquariums. Thus acrylic aquariums require less energy for maintenance. Enhanced insulation regulates temperatures making equilibrium easier to achieve for a variety of fish and plant life.

Perhaps consumers are wondering if transparency is affected by the increased insulation and strength of acrylic. All these benefits would not be worth a hazy view. Actually, transparency has not been compromised. Acrylic aquariums boast a 93% transparency rating, which is as clear as optical glass. Acrylics reportedly pass the most light of any known material; glass aquarium panels often inhibit light transmission.

Better insulation and strength don't comprise weight either. Acrylic aquariums weigh in 50% lighter than comparable glass aquariums. Therefore, transporting a customizable acrylic aquarium requires less effort, energy and support.

Acrylic aquariums are impressive. Their overwhelming advantages put glass aquariums on the endangered list. As a confirmation of acrylic advantages virtually all modern public aquariums are built using acrylic. The greater ability to customize size and shape are a major attraction, while leak and equilibrium protection make acrylic better for hard to keep species. Now you know the advantages of acrylic over glass, it's time to put that information to use by designing your very own custom aquarium.

By David Yearwood  - Article Source: EzineArticles

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ROYAL GRAMMA - Gramma loreto

Royal Gramma - Photo: Wikimedia

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NORTHERN LEOPARD FROG - Lithobates pipiens (Rana pipiens)

Northern Leopard Frog

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Getting the Best Out of BETTA FISH Bowls

Betta fish bowls are easier to maintain than larger fish tanks. If you do not want a large aquarium or you don’t have any plans of expanding the number of fish you have in the future, a bowl can serve as the home of your Betta fish. There was a huge issue before whether it is advisable to use a bowl to house a fish.

Beta Fish Bowl - Photo by thezartorialist.com

People back then put gold fish in fish bowls and it created a rage among animal activists because according to them this kind of fish should thrive in a large aquarium. The Betta, on the other hand, should have no problems with a bowl because it only grows 2 to 3 inches max. It also has a labyrinth organ that allows them to take oxygen directly from the atmosphere in addition to the oxygen taken from water using their gills. This is the organ that enables them to gulp air and spit out bubbles to produce a bubble nest.

Betta fish are popular among beginners because they are pretty much inexpensive to care for and Betta fish bowls are easily accessible. Betta or Siamese Fighting Fish can live in smaller containers, unlike other aquarium fish. They can survive without filters and aerators that other fish can’t survive without. In Thailand (where they originated from), a lot of native breeders just keep them in 2-liter bottles. Some even keep them in water-filled bags and they manage to keep the fish alive.

When we’re talking about Betta fish bowls, you have to get at least 1.5 to 2 gallons. Anything less than this is not really recommended. You might have seen pet owners who keep their Betta fish in plastic cups. This is not good, this is actually a cruel thing to do. Don’t take care of a fish if you want it to just merely survive. It is important to keep it healthy and happy otherwise it is better off in the wild. Buy a decent sized bowl so that the fish can swim around. It will be easier to maintain a larger bowl because waste can easily scatter.

Put the bowl in an area where the temperature ranges from 77EsF to 86EsF and since it will be difficult to install the heater, keep it away from sources of either hot or cold air like air conditioning vents and direct sunlight. You can decorate the bowl with live plants or silk plants. Aside from making the bowl look nicer, you also provide a hiding place for your Betta. Add some gravel but make sure you don’t overfeed because gravel catches uneaten food and it can rot which will pollute the water. You can put a filter in your bowl but make sure you get something that is intended for Betta fish bowls.

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