Which plants can you get for your Tropical fish tank?

All those tropical fish tank owners, who have tropical fish, want to have good plants for it too. Plants keep the environment of the tank balanced and also provide hiding places for the fish. There are two types of plants available for the purpose – Cutting and floating plants. You can know about some of these plants from this article.

Rotala is a cutting plant that has giant red leaves. It needs bright light to photosynthesize and grow. The suitable temperature for this plant is 22 – 28 degrees Celsius. The plant also needs a pH of 5. It grows till the time the plant has leaves that grow on the surface.

Another cutting plant is Giant Hydrophilla. It is also known as Indian Water Star. It has broad leaves that help in providing shelter to the fish. It also forms a great spawning site. It needs intense light and hard water to grow. It can survive well in the temperature range of 20 – 28 degrees and a pH of 5 – 7 is very suitable for these plants. This plant grows quickly and requires regular trimming.

The Butterfly Fern is one of the floating plants. It is also named as Eared Watermoss. It is not a high maintenance plant. The bubble nesters use the Butterfly Fern as their nest. This plant also shelters the fry. Floating plants can block sunlight for fish and other plants. Therefore, you need to trim them regularly.

Java Moss is another of the famous floating plants. The plant gets attached to driftwood, roots, and rocks. There are no other requirements for this plant. It requires low light to grow. The temperature range of 21 – 24 degrees is quite favorable for the plant. However, if the temperature goes up to 32 degrees, even then it does not harm the plant. If you have just kept one of the Java Moss in your tropical fish tank then you will need to tie it to a rock. Later it can form its own attachment sites. This plant also provides spawning sites. It is important that you keep the plant free from algae.

All such plants will make your tropical fish tank stand out and will be a treat to watch.

tropical fish tank

What are the symptoms of Diseases of fish in Tropical Freshwater Fish Tanks - Fin and Tail Rot

Symptoms

Fin and Tail Rot is an infection of fish in tropical fish tanks caused by a group of bacteria called Cytophaga, which affect fish which have long, soft fins. The symptoms include:

• The tail and fins start looking ragged as if they are 'bitten’ or a 'shredded'. These lesions are discolored White/Grey with an edging of red. They can form into orange/yellow colored ulcers.
• The fish loses appetite.
• At an advanced stage, large milky patches appear on the fins and a good amount of tissue gets damaged.
• You will see rapid respiration with excessive amounts of mucous in the gills. The lips of the fish may become swollen. If the disease is not treated, it might rot the entire fin and start to grow on the fish's body.

Causes and Prevention

The diagnosis of the infection is highly necessary. Bacteria cannot be a cause of it because they exist in all tropical fish tanks. Therefore, chances are that stress or any other poor conditions might have started the infection and it is necessary to remove them first.

This disease is generally introduced into the tank by new fish which have harmful bacteria in them. So it is essential that you put the new fish in a separate tank to kill the harmful bacteria which they might expel through feces. You should also take special care when acclimatizing the fish because if it is not properly done, the fish might get stressed. It is important that you select the combination of fish which live peacefully with each other. If the fish are not friendly then they may bully each other and this can involve fin and tail nipping. These wounds provide breeding sites for the harmful bacteria. Do not add too many fish. Make sure that the tank is not overcrowded. This will make the fish comfortable in the tropical fish tank.

Whenever you clean the tank, check that your filter and other equipment is in working condition. Also, keep testing for the constant chemistry of water. Replace 15% of the water every week with fresh water. You should also remove and wash the filter regularly.

tropical fish tank

What ornaments can you put in your Aquarium for Fish

Many who live in apartments want pets even in that small place. However, there aren’t many pets that we can have because of the rules and regulations applied. There is a god alternative to larger pets and that is to keep fish. An aquarium for fish with several beautiful ornaments and decorative stuff seems like a good idea. The ornaments can be as colorful as you want it to be. How can the ornaments be chosen? This article will tell you about all this.

While you choose for some suitable ornament, do try to avoid plastic or limestone ones. These objects increase the acidity of water and change the pH value thus altering the water chemistry. In that case you won’t be able to have required water chemistry required by the fish. Limestone changes the pH of neutral water to a higher value and this can be harmful for the fish. You also have to bear in mind that things like cockleshell and coral are not good for the fish health.

If you are worried about your water quality then you can carry out a test for limestone presence. What you have to do is to place a drop of vinegar on the surface of the ornament, if bubbles start appearing on the surface, this means that the ornament has limestone in it and you have to avoid putting it in your aquarium.

Instead of that you can use granite made ornaments to place in the aquarium. You may also use granite as your aquarium’s substrate. You can also make use of live plants in your aquarium for fish. Live plants provide a very good hiding place to your fish. They also help in improving the overall ecosystem of the aquarium by providing food and oxygen to the fish. However, you will have to take much care of these plants as they require some proper cleaning and pruning also.

You must take care to carefully clean any new objects that you want to place in the aquarium for fish. First of all, wash the ornament with warm water and then, if possible, keep the ornament placed in warm water for a few days. In this way, you’ll be able to easily get rid of any paint or dye present on the surface of the ornament.

You should try to keep your aquarium for fish as clean as possible because, this is the most important and the most necessary part of this hobby. This also ensures good health of your precious fish.

aquarium for fish

5 Tips on designing an aquarium for fish

You need to design a proper aquarium for fish. You should aim to provide them with the environment as close to nature as possible as the fish are more comfortable in their natural environment. In this article you will find tips about how to keep your aquarium as natural as possible.

Tip 1: You should study about the natural habitats of the fish in your aquarium. Then you can use those points to care for the needs of the fish. The pet shop owner can help you in this matter too.

Tip 2: You can get natural or artificial decorations for your aquarium for fish. A great variety of statues, pots, rocks are available for this purpose. Keep in mind that objects made of limestone can increase the alkalinity of the water which can harm the fish. So, test for any limestone beforehand.

Tip 3: Maintenance is key point that you should never overlook. Choose the objects that you can easily care for. Artificial decorations require comparatively less care. You should always prevent algae formation on your decorations.

Tip 4: Themed aquariums are easier to look after because you are always following one theme and get all the things according to that. Some examples for themes are sand castle, sunken pirate ship etc.

Tip 5: you can make a draft of things that you would like to pit in your aquarium for fish. You can make a plan for these. Before filling the aquarium with water, you can put all the objects in the empty aquarium to see if everything fits in place.

Following these tips will lead you to a well thought out aquarium for fish. You can either put the decorations and other things first or then introduce the fish or the other way round too. Whatever you choose, you will surely have a brilliant looking aquarium.

aquarium for fish

What can spoil your freshwater fish aquarium?

Keeping the freshwater fish aquarium is the best thing you can ever do. This is a very simple and interesting hobby that can keep you happy. There are a few things that can spoil your excellent fish aquarium. It is very important to keep your tank clean and maintain it neatly like that. Here, in this article, I will discuss three main problems that lead to your fish’s death and spoil your beautiful tank. You may read through this article and identify the possible threats to your fish. Also see how you can avoid these problems from harming your freshwater fish aquarium.

Ammonia poisoning:

Ammonia poisoning occurs when the ammonia levels, in the water, cross the safe level. Ammonia levels can possibly rise when

·         A new fish tank has been set up by you

·         Any of the mechanical filter fails to work

·         the colony of good bacteria die due to fish medication that you provided.

·         there are any kind of changes in tank’s water chemistry.

The symptoms for ammonia poisoning, in your tank, are as follows:

·         The fish’s gills start turning purple or red. Also, if they develop red streaks on their body,

·         Fish, that normally swim in lower portion of tank, go to the surface to take in air,

·         All the fish become lethargic,

·         Fish start losing their appetite,

·         the fish lie at the bottom of the tank

This can be treated by decreasing the water pH to 7.0, i.e neutral, or lower than this. Try to replace one-fourth or about half of the tank water in your freshwater fish aquarium. Discontinue the fish feed. If it’s not possible then reduce the food quantities that you provide your fish. You may also use some helpful chemicals that will not harm your fish and will help in bringing the ammonia down to safe mark.

Nitrate poisoning:

This is also sometimes referred to as the ‘brown blood disease’. This disease follows the ammonia poisoning. This limits and inhibits the fish’s blood’s ability to carry oxygen to different parts of body. Symptoms for nitrate poisoning are:

·         The fish develop tan or brown gills,

·         There is a rapid gill movement,

·         The fish become lifeless and lousy,

·         The fish go to surface to get oxygen or to breathe

You can get rid of this nitrate poisoning by changing all the water in your freshwater fish aquarium and then adding salts to the water.

You so need to clean your tank regularly, religiously and diligently. Only this way you’ll be able to keep these harmful things away from your fish and also the plants in your freshwater fish aquarium.

freshwater fish aquariums

Freshwater Fish Aquarium Decorations

If you have an aquarium, then you must always be looking for objects which enhance its beauty. Objects which are used for the decoration of your freshwater fish aquarium serve many purposes. They not only beautify your aquarium but also provide hiding places for your fish when they need a moment of solitude. The decorations can be natural like rocks or artificial like statues, ruins etc.

There are many different types of decorations available such as live rocks, fake rocks, fake wood, fake plants etc. Organic decorations require a lot of care as compared to the manufactured ones. This is because manufactured decorations are easier to clean.

Manufactured decorations are expensive than organic ones so you can get organic decorations too. These do look better but they have negative points too. They can alter the pH of the water. Also, if you are using rocks as decorations, they should not have sharp edges as it would harm the fish as they swim close to the rocks.

Other than these there are hundreds of decorations available for your freshwater fish aquarium. These live decorations look pretty good too but the problem with them is that they are very expensive and need a lot of your time for their maintenance. It is also possible that the fish will eat them up.

When you actually visit a shop, you will find quite a few objects which can be used as objects of decoration. They will have varying prices too. You will see that the manufactured decorations have a wider range and their prices will also be lesser than the organic objects. You should choose the object that fulfills your requirements. You should not buy very large pieces which cover a lot of space. The decorations wil add a new dimension to your freshwater fish aquarium.

freshwater fish aquariums

Why Home Aquarium is better to keep than any Pet

Aquariums have been in vogue since some time in the coastal areas. They have been a source of joy and luxury for those interested in keeping fish and taking care of them. A lot of famous hotels and restaurants around the world have also kept and maintained aquariums. Though, the concept of home aquariums is not very new, still it was believed previously that home aquariums are difficult to maintain. However, now, this is a hobby that is both famous and affordable.

Home aquariums make your home colorful and full of life. The kids and adults are attracted towards the fish and their movements in the fish tank. Fish have been known to have a therapeutic and healing effect on people. That is the reason they are kept in hospitals near patients. Many people keep home aquariums as they believe it to keep them relaxed and joyful.

You can keep a home aquarium for your kids’ pleasure. If your kids want a pet and you cannot afford to keep one because of time constraint, then you can go for a home aquarium. Home aquariums are easier to maintain than many other pets like dogs and cats. You simply need a good routine with the fish tank so that you don’t neglect the needs of the fish. Home aquariums can be a great source of entertainment and learning for your kids. Unlike a cat or a dog, fish do not require regular visits to a vet for vaccination purposes too.

With new TV channels and video games, the children have become somewhat sluggish. You can keep your kids busy with a home aquarium. Your children can play around and learn to take care of their fish. This is a health activity for you and your children as it instills responsibility and the idea to take care of the animals in nature.

home aquariums

3 Tips on how to Acclimatize Fish to Your tropical Aquarium

Whoever has a Tropical fish tank will always be in search of adding new fish to their tanks. Here are three tips which will make the job easier for you:

1. The Drip Approach

This approach is suitable for most of the tropical fish because they cannot withstand sudden changes in pH and other chemical and physical changes in the water.

In this method, you set up a small tank with the help of a bucket, suction cup, tubes and clips. You will connect the tube from the large tank to the smaller one and allow the water to be mixed. This way there will be gradual changes in the properties and composition of water and after the fish start behaving normally you can put them in your tropical fish tank. For tropical fish the process takes a few hours longer as they have slow acclimatization process.

2. The Floating Bag Approach

The most commonly used method is the floating bag approach. You will be required to just out the bag that you brought from the pet shop to be immersed into the tropical fish tank. When you leave the pet shop go straight to your home because if you leave the fish to stay longer in that bag, ammonia will start polluting the water. Another technique could be to mix small amounts of the aquarium water with the water in the bag. This will allow slight changes in the temperature and other factors that affect the tropical fish. After an hour you can put the fish into the aquarium with the help of a small fish net.

3. The Bucket Approach

This approach is similar to the floating bag method. But in this one you place the bag in a bucket and spill out one fourth the amount of water. You are going to replace that amount with equal amount from the aquarium. Make sure that the bucket you use is clean or otherwise you might be risking your fish’s health.

When you use acclimatization methods, your fish get more comfortable in your tropical fish aquarium.

tropical fish tanks

3 Starter Tips For Aspiring Owners of Home Aquariums

Setting up a Home Aquariums can be a difficult and a hard job if you are not well educated and have enough knowhow to start one properly. If you are not well equipped with the information required for this purpose, you might have to take help from some professional who will charge you a big amount for setting up home aquarium.  Also, it would be a bir expensive to maintain your tank without having proper information required.

There are some fish that cannot get along with each other. So, you have to be careful while making fish selection so that you don’t make wrong choice and get a fish that ends up eating all the others. Fish are classified according to their activity. Some of them are highly active and keep bugging the tame ones. Mostly the aggressiveness comes from the fish’s territorial background.

One of the easy and better solutions for this is to ask the supplier or an expert. They’ll be able to tell you about the type of fish suitable for your home aquariums. This is a very basic way to know but there isn't any other solution, more practical than asking someone who knows really well about it.

Secondly, always keep in mind that cleanliness is sole key to a successful home aquarium. Remember to get yourself a good filter for your fish and keep a scheduled cleaning time for your aquarium. Keeping your aquarium clean will help you provide the best possible circumstances to fish. This will keep them healthy and active.

Lastly, I must say that nothing will keep your home aquarium more beautiful than hard work. Being regular and punctual is the key to being successful in any hobby. You have to do everything within certain limits. If you start cleaning your home aquarium every other day, then it will also harm your fish. So, try to keep a balance to keep your fish healthy.

home aquariums

Ways of getting the best filter for tropical fish aquariums. 

Filter system is the most important and most critical of all the parts in any aquarium. Those of you, who want to setup a tropical fish aquarium, should know about its great importance. Filters keep the aquarium, and thus the fish, free from toxins and other decaying or already decayed matter like leftover food. I will explain some basic things to be considered while choosing the best filter for your tank.

The filter you choose should essentially provide multiple levels of filtration. It should be appropriately sized for your tank i.e. neither too big, nor too small for your tropical fish aquarium.

Several of the good quality filters provide all biological, chemical and mechanical types of filtration.  Chemical filtration is necessary for the removal of chemical waste such as ammonia and excessive nitrates. Mechanical filters are necessary to remove physical and small particles e.g. excessive food, fish waste and dead plants. Biological filtration is performed by bacteria which have to be provided with suitable conditions to develop themselves in the aquarium. These bacteria help in completing the nitrogen cycle and thus converting fish waste into useful nitrates, to be used by plants.

When you have to buy a filter, keep in mind the dimensions of your tropical fish tank. Also, decide about the number and size of fish you are going to keep in your aquarium. There are several different types of filters available these days. You may choose one, according to its cost and properties. There are two further kinds of filters; under the gravel (internal power) filters and hanging over the back (external power) filters. The external power filters do not have any constraint of the aquarium size and can handle aquariums from 10 to 40 gallons so, they are better than the under gravel filters. The smallest and simplest of all are the sponge filters, and then come the internal power ones. Finally, the external power ones are the largest and can be scaled in accordance with the size of the aquarium.

Once the filter has been installed, it has to be cleaned regularly, after some time. You may use a brush to unclog it. Also, the water has to be changed very frequently. All this is done to ensure and promote healthy environment for the fish, to grow and develop.

tropical fish aquarium

Can there be Hiding Places in a Tropical Fish Tank?

Tropical fish can get stressed out after some time. Yes, you read it right! They need a place to rest too. This is a point that is neglected by many people who do not have enough information about fish keeping. Thus the tropical fish aquariums should provide them with places where the fish can relax. This is of great importance for the fish’s health.

There is a list of things that can be added to provide safe hiding places in the tropical fish aquarium. Some of them include hunks of driftwood, stones, sea-shells, and plants. These objects provide comfortable hiding places for the fish because of their large size. The fish can enjoy minutes of solitude in these hideouts. Like other organisms, fish also need places to sleep peacefully. So, these places can fulfill that purpose too, even during the day.

Tropical fish are a kind of fish which do not like to be in the open all the time. The natural objects used as hiding places act as the fish’s natural habitat thereby giving them a feeling that they are still out there in the tropical waters. There exist a lot of plants and rocks to hide from predators. This makes the tropical fish get used to this behavior even when there are no predators. So, when there is no hiding place, the fish get scared and eventually fall ill. Also, if the place where the tropical fish aquarium is placed is noisy, then the fish might want to have a moment in the quiet.

There is no set rule about a hiding place. You can choose whatever you want. It can be natural or artificial like models of Greek ruins, small statues etc. small flower pots can also be put inside. Whatever you choose, make sure that you wash it properly because if it is not properly cleaned, they might alter the pH levels of the water thus harming the fish.

These are a few ways by which you can provide hiding places to the fish in your tropical fish tank. Such places will also provide more room for swimming around. So hurry up and get nice little objects to make the hiding places!

tropical fish aquarium

Why to use live rock in aquarium fish tank

Why to use live rock in aquarium fish tank

It is a great misconception that live rocks just accessorize your aquarium. However, this is not really the case. They have a greater purpose than this. Live rocks make the environment more natural for the fish. Therefore, the fish become comfortable and their growth increases.

Besides water, fish need a lot more things for their survival. There is a system that they live in. This system has a number of natural entities that provide them with suitable conditions for nourishment. If you want to set up a fish aquarium, then you have to have adequate arrangements that can help fish survive in such conditions. The vital things for this are the plants and stones that you keep in your aquarium. Live rocks are naturally present in seas and oceans. So, they provide the fish with the best natural living conditions.

The most important point of using these live rocks is that they are a kind of a best natural filter. When you want to keep saltwater fish, you would definitely need live rocks. They are the best when it comes to biological filters in a saltwater aquarium fish tank.

To add to their advantages, these rocks are also a source of fish aquarium’s beauty. The reason these rocks are called 'live' is because they allow macroscopic as well as microscopic marine life to dwell on them. However, these rocks are not alive themselves. They are just calcium carbonate skeletons of corals that died ages ago. Its capability to provide the organisms makes them alive. These organisms help in keeping the toxins away from fish along with maintaining overall health quality of water.

So, now that you know the importance of these live rocks for your aquarium fish tank, you are surely going to consider adding them in your aquarium. After replacing the artificial rocks with the live ones, you will see that your fish will be more active and healthy.

aquarium fish tank

3 Great Uses of an Aquarium fish tank

3 Great Uses of an Aquarium fish tank

Keeping an aquarium is a hobby adopted by many people. It is not only pleasing to the eye but also provides you with a time out from your daily hectic routine; in short it provides you’re the feeling of a luxury. You can set up an aquarium and look after it in a good way if you have basic information about fish and their needs. The fish aquarium in itself has developed great deal. It has been pretty simple in the past. Here are three ways about how you can benefit from the aquarium tank

1. Fish make extraordinary pets because they are colorful and move in water. Fish do not need as much attention as other pets such as dogs and cats which require a lot of care and attention. In the case of fish, a little care will perhaps do the job. Fish being colorful, attract the human eye. A fish aquarium is therefore, less expensive to set up and look after.
   
   
2. Aquariums come in various shapes and sizes and the wooden roof aquariums give the feel of an exquisite piece of furniture. If you have an above average fish aquarium, it will beautify your home just like a decoration item does. The fact that an aquarium has fish present in it makes it come alive. The reason that hospitals and clinics often have fish aquariums is to make a person feel lively and hopeful. So, they fulfill this purpose too.
   
   
3. As said earlier fish keeping is an excellent hobby. It is not tiring and the results are pretty amazing. Passionate people have unique specie in their tanks and know about their food requirements and take care of them.

So, just don’t think for too long. Do some study and start keeping a fish as a pet.

aquarium fish tank