Tropical fish includes fish around the world living in tropical environments including salt water and fresh water species. They are popular fish in aquariums because of their bright colors. Tropical also refers to tropical climate wherein the climate is warm or moist all throughout the year integrated by abundant vegetation.

Aquarium is an enclosed clear-sided container made of high strength plastic or constructed glass for keeping or raising animals and plants for research and observation. The ecosystem of the species is copied on smaller scale controlling environmental factors.

Tropical fish being put in the aquarium should be properly taken care of by regular monitoring of the fish and aquarium conditions by checking the waters for bacteria, parasite or fungi occurrences. There are ways on how to determine if the tropical fish are sick.

- Fish scales inspection. Examine for any discoloration, growths or wounds. Scales that is missing is a fighting indication.

- Observation of the fish respiratory rates. Slower or faster rate than normal is a sign of problem.

- Fish eyes clarity checking. Blood or cloudiness should not be present.

- Observation of the fish abnormal behavior such as unusual swimming pattern or sluggishness.

- Veterinarian consultation for any fish abnormalities being observed.

Aquarium serves as the new habitat of your tropical fish so it should be maintained regularly. The procedures are easy protecting the fish and plants lives.

- Regular checking of the tank to ensure that dying or dead fish is not present.

- Observation of all the fish individually for behavioral patterns familiarization so that it is easier to determine a sick fish in the future.

- Feed your fish with one-day intervals using diet variations.

- Replace the evaporated water on the tank with dechlorinated water.
- Once a week, removed 5 to 10 percent of the tank water replacing it fresh dechlorinated water. Unwanted chemicals in the tank are diluted helping the tanks internal environment similar to tap water.

- Algae scraping from the walls of the tank done once a week.

- Filter pads checking every two weeks cleaning or replacing them if necessary.

- Water testing done every two weeks. Water change is done after one day.

- Ammonia, nitrate, pH levels or nitrite checking done every two weeks.

- Drain off the debris from the gravel done once a month.

Always keep track the chemical contents of your aquarium and schedule maintenance.

This content is provided by Jeremy Low and may be used only in its entirety with all links included. For more info, please visit aquarium.articlekeep.com aquarium.articlekeep.com.

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There are two areas of introducing new fish into an aquarium that you must be aware of:

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 (30×20x25cm) 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 sulphate, wescodyne, malachite green, teremycin etc) is high. This is more or less reflected on 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.

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.

For more great aquarium related articles and resources check out tropicalfish.aquariumspot.com tropicalfish.aquariumspot.com

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Goldfish bowls are cute, and they fit the deco of your room easily, but they are not ideal for keeping goldfishes. If you intend to keep goldfish for long, a tank would be more suitable, plus your goldfishes would be happier too. A tank would be the best home for your goldfish, it would give you more space for a filter, decorations and plants.

Goldfish are often mistreated in the belief that they are sturdy and will survive in all conditions. This belief has led to the death of many fish and disappointment for many owners.
The fact to begin with is: GOLDFISH ARE DIRTY!

They can’t stop eating and will regurgitate a lot of food. They also dredge up the bottom in search of food and make the water murky and dirty. This reduces the oxygen content of the water and increases the toxin levels, harming the fish and sometimes killing them.

With goldfish, you need to have a very efficient water filtration system and will have to change at least 1/4th of the water every week! You also need to be careful that you don’t overcrowd the tank as goldfish need a lot of oxygen to attain sexual maturity and growth. A clear sign of oxygen deprivation is your goldfish hitting the surface gasping for breath.

So a few things to consider when planning a home for your goldfish:

1. Space: Decide where you will place the tank even before you bring in one! The surface should be smooth and flat and should accommodate the entire tank. There should be an electrical connection nearby and the tank should not be in the way. Bumping against the tank will scare the fish and it might even be dangerous if you have a small child whizzing around on a tricycle.

2. Water quality: The water in the tank should be absolutely clean and well oxygenated. Choose a good filter and air pump too. The oxygen in the tank will not only help the fish but also the beneficial bacteria that are required in the tank.

3. Plants in the tank: You might have imagined a tank full of green aquarium plants and golden fishes but it is not a prudent idea. Goldfish uproot and eat aquarium plants. This causes a rise in ammonia levels that is dangerous for the goldfish. Consider planting artificial plants instead if you like the image so much. Once your aquarium is established you can introduce some live plants but you will have to consult a specialist for advice on which plants can be maintained in a goldfish aquarium.

4. Gravel: Gravel at the bottom of the tank helps with the oxygen levels in the tank. You should use at least a one-inch layer. Wash the gravel well before you lay it out.

5. Decorations: tothefish.com Goldfish-like points of interest and hiding places in the aquarium. You can go ahead and have fun selecting aquarium decorations for this tank. Ensure that the pieces you select are smooth with no sharp or jutting edges.

Ong Hui Woo

tothefish.com tothefish.com

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A salt water fish tank is an aquarium that mimics an ocean environment to support salt water fish verses freshwater fish.

Salt water fish tanks are considered more difficult to keep than freshwater tanks because salt water fish have less tolerance for fluctuations that can occur quickly within the closed environment of an aquarium.

Aquariums, when setup properly, operate as self-supporting ecosystems. In an ecosystem, artificially created or natural, every element relies on every other element for its stability. The art of fishkeeping becomes a balancing act of monitoring and maintaining specific parameters in order to keep the entire system stable. This is especially critical in a salt water fish tank because the ocean is an surprisingly stable environment. Life forms that evolved in the ocean do not have the physical ability to adjust quickly to radically changing conditions. Any changes that occur in the ocean occur slowly. For example, a quick drop or rise in the temperature of a salt water tank can cause salt water fish to take ill, even if the fluctuation is relatively small.

Aside from temperature there are many other factors to consider in a salt water fish tank. When the ecosystem is functioning properly, they should all take care of themselves, but they must be monitored. A typical reading for some of these parameters might be:

pH: 8.2

Nitrates: < 20ppm for salt water fish and < 5ppm for invertebrates

Salinity/specific gravity measured at 77F (25C) with a corrected
hydrometer: 1.022

Temperature: 77F (25C)

Alkalinity: 3.0

Calcium for reef keepers and invertebrates: 400-450ppm Ca

Though keeping a salt water fish tank may sound daunting, it is a rewarding experience to recreate the ocean environment in your home. If new to fishkeeping, starting out with a freshwater tank might be a good idea. Freshwater fish come from smaller bodies of water and therefore can tolerate mistakes slightly better than their salt water relatives. Once you have the experience of basic fishkeeping under your belt, moving to a salt water fish tank is a natural next step. Note that freshwater and salt water fish cannot be kept together. Freshwater fish will die in salt water, and salt water fish will die in freshwater.

If considering a salt water fish tank bear in mind that the bigger the tank, the easier it is to keep the ecosystem stable. If a heater should fail, for example, it will take longer for the temperature to begin to drop in a larger tank and it will drop slower, relatively speaking, than in a smaller tank. This principle is true of every water parameter. The larger the tank, the more forgiving.

Another good reason to consider tanks of greater capacity is that salt water tanks support 50% fewer fish than their freshwater counterparts. A 30 gallon (114 liter) salt water tank is fully stocked with just a few small fish.

For those who take the plunge into one of the most popular hobbies in the world, you’ll find many resources to help you along the way. With a desire to invest the necessary interest and time, you are bound to reap an experience rich with reward that gives much more than it takes. Nothing is more primordial to humankind than the ocean, and keeping a bit of it near is a magical gift that is well worth the investment.

Tags: aquarium

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There is nothing more relaxing than a fish aquarium. You can actually sit and watch it for hours. The key behind a beautiful aquarium is the proper lighting. This will not only show off you fish and corals better, the right aquarium lighting will keep your tank environment stable and free of algae. When putting together all the equipment you need for your fish tank, aquarium lighting is one of the most important items especially for those of you who are tackling a reef aquarium. Lighting is critical to the plants, corals and other invertebrates for them to stay healthy as they require photosynthesis to generate required energy. Without the proper aquarium lighting, these will likely die over time. An aquarium light timer is the perfect way to control your tank’s lights without you having to be there to either turn them on or off.

If you want an aquarium with coral, reef aquarium lighting is critical to the longevity of certain types. Species requiring low to medium lighting will do just fine with VHO fluorescent or Power Compact fluorescent lighting systems. Corals that require intense aquarium lighting will do best with metal halide systems. The rule of thumb with metal halide lighting is 1 bulb for every 2 feet of tank you have. Larger tanks will require more lights of course to help with some heating as well as controlling algae. Metal halide lighting systems are designed to run 12 hours a day so this is where a good aquarium light timer can come into play.

Aquariums require a number of different supplies including heaters, chillers, air pumps, filters, ornaments and decorations. Aquariums can be quite expensive to put together so we always recommend putting a budget together before you get going. If you can plan out your fish tank, you can buy items such as aquarium lighting that you can grow into. You can find some excellent products at discount prices if you shop around and watch for sales. You may start out with fish only, and continue to add plants and corals to someday have an outstanding reef aquarium. Just remember, the most important thing about any aquarium is keeping the environment stable for your fish. The water temperature must be held constant at all times at the right temperature as too hot is just as harmful as too cool.

Amy-Jo Strutt is an expert author and regular contributor to aquarium-lighting-lights.com/index.html aquarium-lighting-lights.com/index.html. For more information on aquarium lighting, reef aquarium lighting and aquarium supplies, check out:
aquarium-lighting-lights.com/aquamedic-aquarium-lighting.html aquarium-lighting-lights.com/aquamedic-aquarium-lighting.html

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