Here below is the list of articles present at aqua-fish.net. Original files are:

- aqua-fish.net/show-aquarium-articles.php
- aqua-fish.net/articles-consacres.php

English articles

#1. Article's title: 10 tips for a successful Betta splendens reproduction

Published: August 13, 2006, 5:48 am

Displayed: 1317 times

Preview: 10 tips for a successful Betta splendens reproduction Betta splendens is one of the most wanted fish in everyone`s aquarium. Breeding Bettas is not hard, though you might face problems at spawning them. They are oviparous fish, the male builds a nest in which the eggs/fry are kept for few days under the strict care of the Betta male. If you follow the next advices, you have big chances to get nice results of your Betta fish spawning.

1. Reproduction tank equipment: volume of 15-20 liters, a heater, a thermometer and air pomp connected to an air rock which will spread small bubbles. You need small bubbles because the fry are very sensitive to water movements and you don`t want them to suffer.

2. The aquarium water must have a temperature of 28-29° C, a higher temperature will hurry the eggs hatching and the fry won`t be fully developed. Keep the temperature constant using the heater and check it with the thermometer to make sure it is at the right level.

3. The water...

#2. Article's title: A Few Bits & Pieces on the Fairy Cichlid

Published: March 10, 2006, 6:39 am

Displayed: 856 times

Preview: (this article was taken from aquarticles.com - free aquarium articles) A Few Bits & Pieces on the Fairy Cichlid

Neolamprologus brichardi
By David Marshall
From the July 2004 Ryedale Reporter, Ryedale Aquarist Society, England Aquarticles

The Fairy Cichlid is known to science as Neolamprologus brichardi. English aquarists christened this particular fish the Fairy Cichlid as they believed the fish to have a strong ethereal appearance. These fish grow to a size of 3.4" (8.5cm).

Neolamprologus brichardi
Photo copyright Mrs Jackie Goulder

These fish are endemic to Lake Tanganyika in the African Rift Valley. The fish in my care are several generations on from original stock, which came to me from two local aquarium retail outlets.

Although there have been times when as many as four tanks in my fish house have held Fairy Cichlids, in various stages of growth, I am currently down to around 25 young individuals who occupy a 36"x12"x...

#3. Article's title: A guide to the tropical fishkeeping

Published: October 19, 2006, 6:07 am

Displayed: 984 times

Preview: A guide to the tropical fishkeeping

Before you start an aquarium, you should know many things about fish, plants, tanks, biotopes, lighting, filters and other details. Otherwise, your effort will result in diseases, unhappy fish and a dirty tank. Basically, it doesn’t matter if you want to start a species or community tank, it also doesn’t matter if you’re about to start a Cichlid tank or a tank with Guppies, Bettas, Gouramis or Catfish. There are very simple principles which apply to all tanks. Take aquariums very wisely and you’ll be happy with the result.

The right place and size for an aquarium
Before you buy anything, be sure you’ve chosen the right place for your future tank. The basic rules say that the place shouldn’t be very sunny or cold. Very good are the wall mounted aquariums, since they look nice and they also look like a natural part of the wall. Nowdays, the aquarium stands and backgrounds make it easy to create a beautiful scenery. Personally, I also lik...

#4. Article's title: Activated Carbon

Published: September 23, 2006, 1:26 pm

Displayed: 564 times

Preview: Activated Carbon

For many years, carbon has been used as an agent to remove impurities from air and water. Activated carbon is one of the most effective absorbents currently used. Activated carbon is carbon which has a positive charge added to it, which makes it much more effective at absorbing impurities and chemicals. An activated carbon filter works by the law of attraction. When water passes over the positively charged carbon, the impurities in the water which have a negative charge will be locked into the activated carbon filter.

Usually activated carbon filters use either granular activated carbon or powdered block carbon. Both types of filters are effective, however the powdered block carbon filters do tend to remove more impurities than its counterpart.

The efficiency of activated carbon filters are dependant on two factors. First, the amount of activated carbon which is contained in the filter and second, the amount of time the impurities stay in contact with ...

#5. Article's title: Add Realism and Beauty by Using Aquarium Backgrounds

Published: September 8, 2006, 2:07 am

Displayed: 2706 times

Preview: Add Realism and Beauty by Using Aquarium Backgrounds

Aquarium owners have the luxury of having a piece of the underwater kingdom available for their viewing pleasure twenty four hours a day. Since a well maintained and presented aquarium can represent quite an investment, the die hard fish lover wants to perfectly display and enhance the appearance of his fish. One way to do this is through the use of aquarium backgrounds. These backgrounds can be made of various fish-safe materials and can be placed inside or outside the aquarium. Aquarium backgrounds come in an almost endless array of sizes shapes and colors, so it’s quite certain that there’s a background suitable for even the pickiest fish lover.

The choices in which type of aquarium background to use can depend on several factors. First the actual size of the tank must be considered. Smaller sized tanks require aquarium backgrounds which will not take up too much of the tank space. Space within these tanks is at a prem...

#6. Article's title: Adding a Fish Pond to Your Garden Landscape

Published: September 8, 2006, 2:19 am

Displayed: 694 times

Preview: Adding a Fish Pond to Your Garden Landscape

Many homeowners take pride in designing and maintaining their own landscapes and gardens. There is a lot of hard work involved and a lot of money spent, but owners definitely reap great benefit as well. Adding a fish pond, or water garden to your property will not only make it more appealing to the eye, it will also increase the value and equity of your home. Not to mention the enjoyment and relaxation you will get from the addition.

Once the decision has been made to incorporate a fish pond into your landscape design, the next step is to determine the exact placement of your garden pond. It’s important to place it where you’ll always be able to see it from inside the house, or other areas of the garden. You should take into consideration the lay of the land, so you don’t have to worry about possible contamination from runoff, or other yard debris.

You also need to decide what type of organisms you plan to have in your pond...

#7. Article's title: African Cichlids

Published: May 7, 2006, 3:45 am

Displayed: 1151 times

Preview: African Cichlids

African Cichlids come from three of Africa`s great lakes - Malawi, Tanganyika, and Victoria. In these lakes there are more species of fish than in any other lakes in the world. We don`t know the exact number of species and new ones are being continually discovered in all the lakes, so you can understand how difficult it is to count them. Cichlid fishes in these lakes often have extraordinary opportunities to instigate speciation, an evolutionary process that leads to differences. That is why they are the most spectacular examples of speciation and adaptive radiation within any vertebrate family. The process is what makes Africa`s great lakes, and the cichlids that inhabit them, so interesting.

African cichlids are beautifully coloured freshwater aquarium fish. They have amazing social behaviour, display extroverted personalities, and are intelligent too. It is easy to care for cichlids, and they will bring a great deal of pleasure to the aquarium enthusiast...

#8. Article's title: African Clawed Frogs. (The Aquatic Frog)

Published: January 4, 2007, 10:49 am

Displayed: 224 times

Preview: The African Clawed Frog
Origins
Clawed Frogs originally came from Africa. The ones sold today are spawned commercially – none are captured from the wild. The albino version costs about twice as much as the greyish/greenish/brownish “normals.”
Size
Baby Clawed Frogs sell in the inch to inch and a half range. At this size they fit well into a community tank of fishes. When they grow to adult size, they will eat any fish they can catch. They can catch them all at night.
*******Important*******
DO NOT RELEASE INTO WILD PONDS! WILL EAT AND KILL EVERTHING (Illegal in California)
**********************
Hiding Caves
Clawed Frogs live on the bottom and dig under your decorations. They want to hide during the day. Give them several places to lurk during the day. They come out in the evenings and patrol for food. Actually, any time you put food in their water, they smell it and start rooting for food on the bottom.
Foods
Flake foods are accepted by small ...

#9. Article's title: Amano shrimp

Published: December 27, 2006, 3:53 pm

Displayed: 351 times

Preview: Caridina Japonica – Amano shrimp

Caridina japonica is the most common shrimp present in aquariums, is also known as Amano Shrimp because Takashi Amano has been the first one to introduce them in his aquariums, noticing their habit to eat algae.

Caridina japonica, native of Japan, Korea and Taiwan, is a small transparent grey shrimp with black spots covering the body and a white line from the head to the tail; the body colour can anyway change a bit due food nutrients and water quality.

Aquarium life
Amano shrimp can live in every aquarium, prefer neutral or lightly acid PH, temperature can fluctuate between 71°F and 82°F (22°C – 28°C), while water hardness has not to be too much soft, because being a crustacean Caridina needs calcium and other minerals to grow healthy.

Being really shy, it is better to house them in large groups in the aquarium, or they would spend the most of the time hidden among plants and decorations. There is not a maximum number of Carid...

#10. Article's title: Angel Fish

Published: August 2, 2006, 2:14 am

Displayed: 2287 times

Preview: Angel Fish

Angel Fish are one of the most beautiful kind of tropical freshwater aquarium fish. They also have a strong personality and it is a pleasure to care for them. They like to attract attention when somebody is nearby, or at feeding time. They are one of the first fish which were brought from America and they are very popular. They were brought to Europe around 1820 and in 1930 Angel Fish were bred in captivity in the United States for the first time.

They have a quite round and flat body, but their dorsal and ventral fins are long, each is almost as long as the body is. They can grow up to 15 cm vertically. There are many freshwater variants like:

1) Golden - a light shade of yellow.
2) Silver - silver bodies and black vertical markings. They can be dark, light, solid, or broken.
3) Koie - white with patches of black or gold markings. Young fish can have red markings under the eye.
4) Smoky - a shade of silver on one half, and a dark grey or ebony on the...

#11. Article's title: Aquarium air pump

Published: August 31, 2006, 11:57 am

Displayed: 1057 times

Preview: Aquarium air pump

Aquarium air pump is a device that brings air into the aquarium and it may filtrate the water too. There are many types of air pumps like air stones. You just put the air stone into the aquarium and start the device, which is out of the aquarium. An air pump may have the form of an aquarium ornament like treasure chests, shells, divers and many more. Such aerating devices make bubbles and that is how they aerate the water. Choosing the right air pump is not so difficult. You just have to choose it according to the size of your aquarium and to amount of the plants, because they can stop the bubles and the aquarium is not fully aerated. But when you are choosing an ornamental aerator, you are choosing it according to that, how do you like it, or which would look best in your aquarium. And if you want to have your tank really good aerated, then you can combine the aerators.

The use of the air pump is really easy. You just do everything what the giude says. M...

#12. Article's title: Aquarium chiller

Published: August 30, 2006, 1:44 pm

Displayed: 713 times

Preview: Aquarium chiller

In my previous article, I was talking about heaters in aquariums. Unlike winter months, warm months mean problems with high temperatures, which could lead to fish` problems. Also, fish will live longer if you keep them in the water which is colder than 30°C (86°F). Making an aquarium a cooler place is sometimes very hard, because no-one will probably keep adding ice cubes into the water each day for some weeks. Generally, there are a few ways how to keep the water cool. These techniques include ice, fish tank chillers, darkening the room and so on.

Firstly, make sure you need an aquarium chiller in your tank. When the temperature reaches more than 30°C (86°F), you should do something about it. Not all fish will like similar conditions. Secondly, make sure you can`t do anything more in order to lower the temperature in your aquarium. Sometimes, open windows or dark places for a fish tank could mean successfull fight against high temperatures.

If you ca...

#13. Article's title: Aquarium decoration

Published: August 23, 2006, 7:02 am

Displayed: 2260 times

Preview: Aquarium decoration

The first kinds of aquarium tanks were small ponds in the gardens. The fish there were gold fish and some kinds of carps. It was in China around the 10th century and it could be, that even in the 7th century. The gold fish species came to europe in about 17th century. The first aquariums like we know them now were built in the 19th century.

Mostly, people decide to start an aquarium because an aquarium is a part of their decoration. But the aquarium is a real and quality decoration only if it looks good. These days, there are numerous styles of decorating our homes, but when you are starting an aquarium, the first thing you should bear in mind is the comfort of your fish. You can also choose how your aquarium should look like and only then you`ll buy fish according to the biotop in your aquarium. For example, if you have your room in colder style with a lot of metal items, you may choose an aquarium decorated only with stones and the best fish for such k...

#14. Article's title: Aquarium Filters. The many types but which is the best method of filtration?

Published: January 19, 2007, 9:16 am

Displayed: 294 times

Preview: Aquarium Filters
Why filter your tank?
Tank filtration is what keeps your tank healthy and your water clean their are lots of filtration techniques out there but which suit your needs the best. Below I will stress the advantages and the disadvantages of all the types of tank filtration.

There is three main types of filtration

- Mechanical – takes out the lumps,
- Chemical – takes out colors and smells,
- Biological – converts nitrogenous wastes.
These are coverved by different filters which I will now explain how.

Power Filters
Consist of a water pump that pulls water up and out of your tank and into a box that hangs on your tank’s lip. Gravity pulls the water back into your tank. Your water passes thru various filter media as it returns. This turns your tank over several times per hour and provides a water current your fishes love. As the water cascades back into your tank, it circulates your tank’s water so it all eventually goes thru your filter m...

#15. Article's title: Aquarium fish forum

Published: March 19, 2006, 3:41 pm

Displayed: 662 times

Preview: Aquarium fish forum Join our aquarium fish forum at aqua-fish.net! It`s an easy way to exchange your experiences of keeping freshwater aquarium fish and plants, as well to discuss your problems related to freshwater aquariums.

We have released our aquarium fish forum in late 2005 and after several updates, it is now completely ready for posting.

What do you need to do if you want to join aqua-fish.net?

1) Register for free. You can find a registration form under Project->Registration.

2) Fill in the registration form.

3) When you`re registered, just click on Project->Our forums.

4) Every new post (except your own) since your last visit will be marked with a blue smiley. Of course, this smiley may vary, but you will see what`s new in our aquarium fish forum. Our website will inform you how many times each topic has been viewed and how many repliesit has had. The same smileys and information will appear in each topic and forum ...

#16. Article's title: Aquarium fish needs

Published: January 27, 2006, 4:58 am

Displayed: 922 times

Preview: Aquarium fish needs I started keeping aquarium fish 4 years ago. Like every new fan of this hobby, I wasn`t able to set-up a good fish tank and I made some mistakes. In this article, I want to let you know about beginner`s mistakes.

I want to buy aquarium, what should I do first?

You need to know something about the aquarium fish you want to keep. Normally that people buy fish that eat each other. Your aquarium can be looking very good, but the fish won`t feel good. This is something you should keep in mind when you decide to take up this aquarium hobby:

1) Place your aquarium somewhere where it will stay for a long time.
2) Larger aquarium = Better aquarium. The conditions in a fish tank are more stable in a larger aquarium than a smaller one.
3) Buy a good filtration system.
4) Buy efficient neons that will give good light conditions for your plants to grow.
5) Buy gravel or something else for the bottom of your aquarium.

You can find inspiration for your...

#17. Article's title: Aquarium heater

Published: August 29, 2006, 4:11 pm

Displayed: 764 times

Preview: Aquarium heater

I`d like to explain why heaters are necessary in the aquariums in this article. On the other hand, some fish tanks don`t need any heating equipment, because they require other kind of conditions. But let`s go from the beginning.

Firstly, make sure that your fish and plants need the same temperature. Naturally, it`s a bad idea to keep fish which prefer different temperatures. The same goes to plants. When you select the right fish species and the tank which should be large enough for all of them, you should choose the right heater for your aquarium. Generally, larger aquariums need stronger heaters. The smallest aquariums on the market need only some 25 watt heater, but 300 L / 75 gal tanks require 300 or more watt heaters.

Before you buy any heater, make sure you need it. Heaters are needed especially during winter and other cold months when the temperature in a room is lower than 20°C (68°F). On the other hand, usually all fish species should survive t...

#18. Article's title: Aquarium light fixture

Published: January 9, 2007, 2:24 am

Displayed: 183 times

Preview: Aquarium Light Fixture
I'm writing this article in order to give some guidance regarding aquarium light fixtures and the precise construction of the aquarium light fixtures of my social aquarium. A joiner created the case for my tank to order. The dimensions are 120 cm x 55 cm x 100 cm. The cover's dimensions are 120 cm x 55 cm x 20 cm.

I chose 4x39W 850 mm T5 lighting fluorescent tubes as the lighting. All in all, it is 156 W for 220 litres of water. I like to have a planted tank and 0.7 W/l is enough in my experience. In order to boost the intensity of the aquarium lighting I attached mirror foil to it. To use T5 lighting fluorescent tubes you need to plug them into the electronic ballasts. I use two pieces of Helvar electronic ballast "El 2x39s". If you have the aquarium light fixture made of wood or any flammable material, you must embed the asbestos bearing between the ballast and fixture. The ballast has a temperature of 80 degrees Celsius when working. T...

#19. Article's title: Aquarium lighting

Published: September 4, 2006, 3:48 pm

Displayed: 1000 times

Preview: Aquarium lighting

Imagine, you are a colourful tropical fish. You swim in warm water, with lot of plants, in which you can hide and of course you know where are you swimming. Do you know how this paradise may exist? It is because the sun. Sunshine is a perfect light. Thanks to the sun life exists on the surface of the Earth. Thanks to the sun I can write this article now. As you all know, it is because of the photosynthesis. So you see, that the light is very importatnt. And an aquarium needs it too. That is the reason why you have to buy a specialized aquarium lighting.

When you are buying an aquarium lighting, you have to choose it carefully. The right type of the lighting is very important for the aquarium. It is because plants depend on it. If you choose a wrong type of the light, it may cause that your plants will not grow, but algae will. But it si important in the fish-only aquariums too. It is because fish need to see where they are swimming to and what they are ea...

#20. Article's title: Aquarium plants

Published: July 7, 2006, 2:56 am

Displayed: 1451 times

Preview: Aquarium plants

Plants are a very important part of freshwater aquariums. It is worth choosing plants carefully and taking good care of them. Water plants are not only nice in aquarium, but they are good for fish too. They give shadow to fish, which like it if they are shy. Some fish use plants as a spawning nest. For plant eating fish they also serve as food. Of course in some tanks, for example with big plant eating cichlids, plants are already doomed and it will be better to choose plastic plants.

Water gardening is almost the same as normal gardening. Plants require good conditions and care. They make their food themselves in strange green cells by absorbing carbon dioxide and excrete oxygen in a process called photosynthesis. For this process light is needed.

Plant nutrition:
As the terrestrial plants, so water plants need nutrients like nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. They usually take it from the water, but some of them take it from the roots. For som...

#21. Article's title: Aquarium Substrate

Published: September 8, 2006, 2:11 am

Displayed: 1529 times

Preview: Aquarium Substrate

When you think of aquariums, the first things that probably pop into your mind are beautiful fish, green submersed plants, and the little plastic diver guy that finds himself stranded in many fish tanks. Then of course there are the bubbles which permeate the water with their gentle flow upward through the seascape.

Little or no attention is given to the bottom layer of the aquarium, but it is a vital part of the miniature underwater ecosystem. Unbeknownst to most people, the layer of gravel and materials (aka substrate) which lies quietly at the bottom of the aquarium plays a vital role in maintaining a healthy environment for the fish and plant life which live there.

Aquarium substrate serves several purposes. In its most known role, it serves as a decorative touch for the pleasure of those who view the aquarium. It gives the aquarium a finished look, and can be quite colorful or natural toned. However, one of the most important roles is that it k...

#22. Article's title: Aquarium Thermometers Are An Essential Item

Published: September 8, 2006, 2:15 am

Displayed: 545 times

Preview: Aquarium Thermometers Are An Essential Item

When it comes to keeping your saltwater aquarium maintained and a safe environment for all that lives within, no piece of equipment could be more essential than the aquarium thermometer. These devices vary in the materials from which they are made, and they span a price range from cheap to expensive. The type or brand of thermometer you purchase is not as important as the fact that you do purchase one for your saltwater aquarium.

The fish and other creatures which dwell in saltwater aquariums can be very sensitive when it comes to the temperature of the water around them. Temperature changes that are too dramatic will result in death to many of your expensive tropical fish and little creatures which scuttle back and forth across the bottom of the tank floor.

Having your investments die, (and let’s face it, tropical fish aren’t cheap) from temperature changes is completely avoidable by simply purchasing and installing an aquar...

#23. Article's title: Aquariums in my life

Published: January 22, 2006, 4:21 pm

Displayed: 690 times

Preview: Aquariums in my life
Hello, my name is Susan and i thought, that i could post here an article about aquariums im my life. When I was child, about 10 years old, I had my first aquarium. It was a ball aquarium. Niegther I or my parents or anybody who I knew, had known anything about aquarium. It was disaster! There were no aquatic plants, no filter, nothing. Just gravel from outside. We were changing whole water every week. I don´t remember how many fishes died...

But I felt very sorry about all of them. But now, 10 years after, I met a man, who have 2 aquariums. He knows a lot of about aquariums and care about them and I´m amazed by life in these small pieces of nature inside rooms. Now I know a lot about aquariums, biotopes, aquatic fishes and plants.

Aquarium is an amazing thing. Maybe because we live on the dry land and those aquariums are a piece of the wather life. It is better than watching TV! I feel always relaxed, when I`m watching on a good arranged aquarim. Tho...

#24. Article's title: Barbus Tetrazona - The Tiger barb

Published: November 3, 2006, 6:34 am

Displayed: 987 times

Preview: Barbus Tetrazona - The Tiger barb

Barbus tetrazona is one of the most common barbus fish in aquariums. It comes from Sumatra and Borneo, that`s why you can find it also under the name of “Sumatra Barb”. Another common name of this fish is a “Tiger barb” due it`s colour pattern, golden body with four vertical stripes, the first on the eye and the last at the begin of tail.

There are few differences between males and females, usually you are able to recognise them when they`re adults, and their size is near 2 inches. Male is slimmer than the female and has red fins, edges and mouth. Females are bigger and don`t have any red part.

Like other barbus, tiger barb lives in shoals. The best number of fish in shoals is five or six. More fish could end up creating two shoals fighting towards each other; while a smaller number is dangerous because they could be aggressive towards weaker fish and not create a shoal.

After captive breeding you can find various colour mutatio...

#25. Article's title: Betta fish

Published: March 15, 2006, 9:39 am

Displayed: 6990 times

Preview: Betta fish Betta fish – Betta splendens is a very beautiful aquarium fish. Of course, it needs care if you want to keep this species successfully. This fish needs a lot of space even it`s not the largest fish you can buy. There are 4 betta fish in my tanks (42 l and 81 l). Naturally, only 1 male per 1 tank. Aquariums are 30 cm tall with the water depth being about 27cm from the surface of the gravel.

Good care of betta fish means good feeding, adequate water temperature, water hardness and so on.

Usually, I feed my fish with Sera food, and sometimes with frozen food (cows heart). The temperature in my tanks varies between 23-29 °C (winter-summer) and all betta like it. They haven`t been sick and they have bred successfully. The water in my tanks is little bit hard and alkaline. This is caused by rocks and sea shells (yes, sea shells in freshwater tank). Shells are there to keep good and stable quality of water. Of course, you will probably hide all shells, because it looks c...

#26. Article's title: Betta splendens diseases

Published: October 8, 2006, 8:37 am

Displayed: 1629 times

Preview: Betta splendens diseases

Betta splendens is a strong fish, and if kept in good condition, it won`t get sick. No matter what the disease is, when you notice a behaviour change, or some symptoms, remove the betta from other fish to avoid contagions.
Remember also to have an “aid kit” always ready:

1) A small tank for quarantine
2) A water heater
3) A small filter or water oxygenator
4) A dedicated net
5) Products like malachite green and methylene blue.

There are a lot of diseases that can develop in aquarium, betta splendens usually are subjected to these:

1. Injuries
2. Swim Bladder diseases
3. White spot diseases
4. Ammonia poisoning
5. Fins and tail rot

Injuries
Even if relations in aquarium looks good, sometimes injuries may happen. Often it`s impossible to understand how a fish has been injured; for bettas most of times it`s because of a male attack towards a female or vice versa, or an attack from a stronger fish disturbed by the b...

#27. Article's title: Blue-green algae

Published: May 14, 2006, 9:46 am

Displayed: 1693 times

Preview: Blue-green algae

Blue-green algae are bacteria which grow in warm, shallow, slow moving or still freshwater. There are known as cyanobacteria too, but they are more commonly known as pond scum. They need light for life. That is why they are photosynthetic bacteria. The first known species were blue-green. Now we know of algae from olive-green to red in color.

When the conditions are good (hot, calm weather), algae populations can increase dramatically. This can create large blooms which are big numbers of blue-green algae. These blooms can cover the whole surface. Blue-green algae mostly do not live long.

Some of these blue-green algal blooms can be toxic or can be poisonous if they are swallowed by wildlife, livestock, pets or people. You should not even swim in these waters, because you can get itchy. And if you drink water with these toxic blue-green alga, you may have symptoms such as sore throat, stomach cramps, diarrhoea , vomiting or fever. The toxins are ve...

#28. Article's title: Breeding Corydoras gossei

Published: April 9, 2006, 2:39 am

Displayed: 555 times

Preview: Breeding Corydoras gosseiby Bud and Cathy White
First published in "Tank Topics", Greater Akron Aquarium Society, April/May 2001
(this article was taken from aquarticles.com - free aquarium articles)

Corydoras gossei is fairly new to the hobby, being described by Nijssen in 1972. They come from a creek near Guajara Mirim, in Rondonia, Brazil. They reach over two inches in length. Both male and female are darkly colored in the top half of the body and head, with yellow/white in the lower half. They have orange/yellow markings, and the front spine of the dorsal and pectoral fire are the same orange/yellow. The rest of the fins are mostly clear, with wavy vertical stripes on the tail.

Since we have always enjoyed the different types of corys, we try to pick up new ones when we can! And from where else better to get corys than Eric Bodrock of Pennsylvania. Eric`s been breeding a lot of different corys for quite a while now, and has been very successful with th...

#29. Article's title: Breeding the Betta Fish

Published: October 7, 2006, 3:26 pm

Displayed: 1616 times

Preview: Breeding Betta Fish

After live bearing fishes, betta splendens is one of the easiest fish to breed in captivity even for newbies. Following some easy rules you`ll be able to have a successful breeding.

There`s not the best method to breed bettas, most of breeders due to personal experience have found the best ways for them. Spawning is not difficult, and the hardest part is fry growing, at least the first days. Surely the first time you may experience a high mortality due to water pollution depending by overfeeding. Remember, bettas can be bred various times if they`re young so you can have various chances to improve your abilities.

First of all you have to choose the two breeders. Both have to be healthy, fins condition tells a lot about bettas` health, a betta with damaged fins could have fought and now have low energies to mate. Betta have a short life so it`s important to choose young fish, about 5 months old, usually those you may find in shops are of that age,...

#30. Article's title: Bristlenose catfish

Published: March 7, 2006, 10:26 am

Displayed: 2499 times

Preview: Bristlenose catfish Bristlenose catfish - Probably the most "common" fish in aquatic shops. Usually dark, sometimes with a small moustache, there is nothing sharp in the aquarium at all. It often sucks the bottom of the tank. But these are just the first impressions.

When you take a more in depth look, you will see how superlative this fish is. Ancistrus is a fine and good-looking fish which complements many freshwater aquariums.

I have kept ancistrus fish for more than 4 years and they have become an integral part of my tanks and my hobby. At first I bought only 4 of them and I didn`t know how to differentiate males from females. Fortunately, my aquarium was suitable for them and they did well. As time went by, the males acquired a moustache, all of them grew larger, and they all got a very nice coloration. After 2 years of successful keeping this nice species of fish, I decided to buy a larger tank. They liked it, because I saw small tails after few months. The...

#31. Article's title: Cambomba. Easy to grow filler Plant.

Published: January 4, 2007, 8:35 pm

Displayed: 110 times

Preview: Cabomba

The fan-shaped "leaves" make a very attractive plant in your tank.
Cabomba makes an instant "filler plant.
It prefers clean water and good light
It looks best when planted in patches each stem at least two inches from its neighbors.
This gives it room to "fan out."
Put shorter stems in front for a natural look.
Avoid planting in rows.
Best way I feel to use it is to place it behind rocks or wood to"frame" your focal point.
Keep it out of dark corners. (IT WILL FAIL TO GROW PROPERLY WITHOUT ENOUGH LIGHT)
Cambomba is a good plant because it can hide baby fish from parents.
An interesting fact about Cambomba is that it has been known to grow a flower.
This plant is easily up-rooted. ...

#32. Article's title: Canister filter in an aquarium

Published: September 2, 2006, 4:03 pm

Displayed: 724 times

Preview: Canister filter in an aquarium

As words „canister filter“ say, this equipment is used for filtration in aquariums. But why are they good, what are their advantages and disadvantages? Firstly, let me say that this kind of filters are used for both, biological and mechanical filtration. Canister aquarium filters are very robust and powerful, but you should clean them periodically. You should bear in mind that filters which are installed for aquariums with a lot of waste must be cleaned oftenly, because filthiness in the water current could cause fish diseases. Some sources say that you should clean canister filters once a week, some sources say that once per 5 months is enough. I strongly recommend you to clean it when it`s needed. For example, I use hang on tank filters and I clean them if only they don`t aerate the aquariums enough. Generally, any aquarist is able to determine the situation when a filter isn`t clean enough.

A canister filter can`t be placed inside an aquari...

#33. Article's title: Choosing an Aquarium Hood That’s Right for You

Published: September 23, 2006, 1:30 pm

Displayed: 657 times

Preview: Choosing an Aquarium Hood That’s Right for You

Unless you purchased your aquarium as a pre-selected complete kit, then you’ll also need to acquire an aquarium hood. Aquarium hoods are not only an attractive topper to finish the look of your aquarium, but they also serve practical purposes as well. They add protection from foreign objects falling in the tank which could kill your fish, and they hold the upper lighting for the aquarium.

Aquarium hoods also keep wayward pets such as ferrets and cats from making an afternoon munchie of your aquarium denizens. Dust, smoke, pet dander and other airborne pollutants are also held at bay, helping to keep the tank water cleaner for a longer period of time. Of course, hoods help prevent your fish from leaping out of the tank and onto the floor to their death. We can’t always be there to scoop them up immediately and return them to the tank, therefore an aquarium hood is not a luxury, it’s a necessity.

You will find that aquarium...

#34. Article's title: Choosing the first aquarium

Published: December 22, 2006, 7:11 am

Displayed: 344 times

Preview: Choosing the first aquarium

This article is meant to help people who want to buy the first aquarium and need some advices.

First of all you should decide how big you want your aquarium, the first mistakes people usually do are: choosing a too much small tank and overpopulating it; both big and small aquariums have pro and cons, value them all and then choose your solution. Most of time aquarium shops staff can help you in your choice, but sometimes they tend to suggest you more products than those you really need.

Small or big aquarium
If you already have in your mind what fish you would like to have, choose the aquarium big enough according to their necessities. Most of time anyway beginners do not have any idea at all, so you can decide the aquarium size thinking about the free room you have to place it, or how much money you want to spend. A too much small aquarium has two major problems: chemical values tend to fluctuate, even dangerously, due the small amount ...

#35. Article's title: Cleaning the aquarium

Published: July 25, 2006, 3:40 am

Displayed: 1515 times

Preview: Cleaning the aquarium

Why do people decide to clean their aquariums? Generally, there are three basic reasons to clean the fish tank. Firstly, the tank smells. The reason for the smell varies depending on the fish; excrement fails to be filtered, pieces of old food gather on the bottom resulting in dead fish somewhere in the tank. It is important to install a strong enough filtration system in order to keep good conditions in the tank. Still water naturally smells and there are even aquariums without filters which contain many plants, which bring stable chemistry.

The next reason to clean the aquarium is that it is overgrown with algae. You should bear in mind that algae usually grow in tanks where there are not enough plants, nitrification bacteria, or there is very bright lighting. In this case, you should buy some algae eater, pleco fish, cory fish, etc. The algae is a natural part of aquariums and it helps to keep good water conditions and chemistry. Fish excrement fa...

#36. Article's title: Corydoras

Published: June 21, 2006, 4:21 pm

Displayed: 1023 times

Preview: Corydoras

Corydoras come from South America and they live in freshwater. They are known as cory catfish, cory cats or just cories. Their name Corydoras comes from Greek and it consists of kory (helmet) and doras (skin).

Corydoras is a small aquarium fish. You can find many kinds of Corydoras, but they mostly differ only in their colour. Their size and their caring for is the same for all the Corydoras. When I saw a cory for the first time I thought that it was ugly. But after a while, I started to love it. Yes, it might look like alien life on earth, but that is the problem with us new guys in the aquarium business. Everything is new and strange. But the truth is, that Cories are very nice. There are many variants of cories, so you can find more or less beautiful Corydoras. We have Corydoras pandas and they are really irresistible. They really look like an aquarium panda bears.

Corydoras like slow-moving and almost still (but seldom stagnant) water, which is...

#37. Article's title: Corydoras panda

Published: April 23, 2006, 4:37 am

Displayed: 1125 times

Preview: Panda Cory - Corydoras panda

This is a small inoffensive little Cory. Corydoras Panda come from the Rio Pachitea in Peru. The body is sandy colored with black spots/patches. They have black over their eyes (like panda bears). They have a black band on the tail and the back fin is black and the rest of the fins are clear. The Panda females are more rounded and fuller than males. They grow to the size of 3.0 - 4.0 cm (1.2 - 1.6 in).

Corydoras Panda feels better in a shoal so buy at least six off them. Cory, without companions, will waste away. It would also be advisable not to keep fin nipping species as they would worry them to death with their constant bother and would also deprive them of food. Other large Cichlids would also be a bad choice. A good community tank for Pandas would be inoffensive tetras such as Neon`s and other smaller fish, and if you would like other catfish, the Ancistrus types would make good partners and of course other Corydoras or Aspidoras species. ...

#38. Article's title: Cryptocoryne

Published: January 12, 2007, 5:49 am

Displayed: 114 times

Preview: Cryptocoryne

Cryptocoryne are one of the most common plant species used in aquarium, they belong to the Araceae family like other famous aquarium plants, Anubias and Pistia. Their name derives from “krypto” which means “hidden” and “koryne” which means “stick”, and it refers to the shape and position of their flowers. There are about 60 known crypto varieties at the moment, all coming from Asia, specially from New Guinea, Indonesia, and Malaysia; all of them are characterized by a strong root system that grows fast and generates new plants in every side of the tank.

The easier crypto, more common to find in shops, come from Sri Lanka, and are C. Wendtii, C. Becketii, and C. Walkerii. In nature, they live inside or near small rivers and torrents with mainly light acid and soft water, both in sand, gravel, clay, or dead leaves substrates.

In aquarium, they are not very demanding to cultivate, anyway once arrived they often develop the Crypt melt. This is not a real illn...

#39. Article's title: Discus Aquarium Fish

Published: May 23, 2006, 2:17 pm

Displayed: 7088 times

Preview: Discus Aquarium Fish

By Stokes

Introduction

The Discus is a large cichlid from the Amazon River, its tributaries and flood planes, in South America. Discus and its variants were first described in 1840 by Dr. Heckel as Symphysodon discus, this name is now in use for the Heckel discus variant. The three "original" colour variants received their own name, the Green Discus Symphysodon aequifasciata aequifasciata, the brown discus Symphysodon aequifasciata axelrodi, and the blue variant Symphysodon aequifasciata haraldi.

More and more people are choosing to keep Discus Aquarium Fish over other fish. By becoming more popular more money is going into the industry which assists the funding for research and the development of products and different strains of Discus Aquarium Fish.

The discus is a social fish and lives in large groups in their native waters, and has a very advanced social behaviour; they are one of the few real schooling cichlids. Remember ...

#40. Article's title: Discus. Information on water, foods, breeding and care.

Published: January 4, 2007, 10:39 am

Displayed: 188 times

Preview: The Brilliant Discus Fish
Appeal
Everyone wants to try discus at some time during their life. Discus are at the top of the desirable fish list because they are flat out beautiful (and flat out flat). Unfortunately, discus are also flat out expensive. The equipment to keep them is also expensive. Discus work best for people who are handy with money.
Size
Big discus cost more than small discus. However, the larger discus survive better than the little guys. Discus less than the size of a half dollar can be very difficult to keep alive. Start with the largest discus you can afford.
*******IMPORTANT*********
Space
Just because you saw discus in a retailer’s 10-gallon tank does not mean discus enjoy that tank. Adults need more than 10 gallons each.
Groups
Get two only or get six or more. If you get three discus, they want to play odd man out. The shy guy gets picked on until he dies.
Water
Yes, you can keep your discus healthy in “moderately hard...

#41. Article's title: External filter for a 26 gallon or bigger aquarium

Published: November 3, 2006, 6:56 am

Displayed: 474 times

Preview: External filter for a 26 gallon or bigger aquarium

Doing yourself an external filter is not really difficult, but needs a bit of patience. Building a filter by yourself is a good solution for those people who need a higher filtering (for big fish, turtles etc.) and do not want to spend a lot of money.

Materials
- 13mm garden poly pipe. It`s is usually cheap so take a good measure: think it has to start inside the aquarium go down on the floor and come back.
- 13mm tap. You need 2 taps, one for the way in pipe, and one for the way out. These are extremely useful to isolate the filter in case you need to move it.
- 2 or 3 gallon polycarbonate water bottle with large neck (the pump has to pass in it). You need just one bottle, the size depends on the size of your aquarium.
- Aquarium silicone.
- submersible aquarium water pump. The speed of the pump depends on the size of your aquarium; read the instructions on the pump before buying. Prefer anyway powerful pumps at...

#42. Article's title: Fancy Goldfish. Maintaing, feeding and selecting show quality specimens.

Published: January 17, 2007, 11:08 am

Displayed: 144 times

Preview: General Notes on keeping goldfish
Great Starter Fishes.
Fish keepers frequently enter the hobby by starting with the economical goldfish. Goldfish live very well in unheated tanks. They have huge spawns, so they stay moderately priced. Even the biggies stay reasonably priced.
You Pay for Imports.
Freight from far-away Asian countries costs considerably more. However, your biggest expense revolves around the “culling process.” Goldfishes spawn thousands of eggs at a time. Unfortunately, even the purest of purebreds produce relatively small percentages of offspring that are “true to type”. Oriental goldfish breeders reduce their crop by as much as 90-99% in the culling process.
You Pay for Size.
Small oriental goldfish cost a fraction of the price of mature adults. It costs much more to raise a goldfish to adult size than to sell it as a youngster. Unfortunately, as they grow, fewer and fewer of the youngsters continue to conform to breed standards. In the Orien...

#43. Article's title: Feeding Fish

Published: February 21, 2006, 3:18 pm

Displayed: 762 times

Preview: (this article was taken from aquarticles.com - free aquarium articles)

by George Herrman Feeding Fish “How much do I feed my fish?” - this is a question we get asked every day, and there is no hard and fast rule for feeding fish. It’s all a matter of trial and error, but one thing is for sure - over feeding does more harm than under feeding. Bear in mind that in the wild fish don’t get fed on a regular basis, and in certain seasons food is very scarce.

Start by sprinkling a little food over the water surface. If all this food is consumed within 3 to 5 minutes the amount of food is enough. If all the food is consumed in less time add a little more the next time you feed, and if it takes longer don’t put so much in the next time. One way to gauge the amount of food to use is to remember that most fish`s stomachs are about the same size as their eyes.

Fish do not require as much food as is often thought, and it is very tempting to feed every time they look hungry or when ...

#44. Article's title: Feeding your aquarium fish

Published: June 26, 2006, 3:38 pm

Displayed: 1111 times

Preview: Feeding your aquarium fish

Fish, like other animals, need balanced food which consists of proteins, fat, vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates. Most aquarium fish are fed onindustrial food, which has the form of flakes or granules. But you shouldfeed them with natural food also.

Unbalanced food can cause health problems in the tank. But carefully customized food can play a main role in resistance against infections and illness. The general rule is to feed small amounts frequently. Usually it is an amount which is swallowed in two or three minutes two or three times a day. After few weeks there should be a day, when you don`t feed your fish. It`s always better leave fish a little bit hungry, because some part of the food, which is given to the fish until it is full, crosses the alimentary tract unconsumed and then on egestion raises the cloudiness of the water.

The biggest part of natural food is usually water. The dry part consists of components of balanced food. The ...

#45. Article's title: Fish Acclimatization

Published: January 4, 2006, 3:28 pm

Displayed: 800 times

Preview: (this article was taken from aquarticles.com - free aquarium articles)

by Peter McKane

The acclimatization of fish is an incredibly important process. Without it, fish that you introduce to your tank, whether it is a new setup or not, will become severely stressed and as a result may die or suffer severely reduced life expectancy. The process itself is incredibly simple, and if more people stuck to it, then many stress related deaths could be avoided.

Transport
Acclimatization begins where you first pick up the fish. From the moment they leave their tank, whether it is from a private supplier, a local fish store or even out of the box that they were delivered in, the fish must be kept as still as possible. If you are driving home with your fish, then hold the fish in its box or bag in the air between your legs. This means that any sudden acceleration or stopping will mean that the fish will sway and not be bumped up against the side of their container. The container s...

#46. Article's title: Goldfish

Published: December 28, 2006, 10:28 am

Displayed: 747 times

Preview: Goldfish

Carassius Auratus, widely known as “Goldfish”, is an ornamental ciprinidae, native from China, where it has been bred for long time. Being one of the first ornamental fish bred, goldfish has a great number of colour and shape mutations. Mutations can be divided in two categories: “long body” looking similar to the wild-type, and “short body” that usually have a egg shaped body much different from the common goldfish.

“Long body” goldfish are the stronger ones and can live also in ponds; They usually reach 6-8 inches or more. Long finned are usually faster than short finned but can still live together without problems.

- Common goldfish: it has a stout body and short rounded fins, the most common colour is bright orange, but you can find also brown, silver, yellow and calico.

- Comet: it has thinner body and long caudal fin. Colours are the same of the common one.

- Shubunkin: its shape is the same of the common goldfish body, but has a heart...

#47. Article's title: Good Shop / Bad Shop

Published: January 9, 2006, 2:03 am

Displayed: 706 times

Preview: by Andy Gordon of England, and Michelle Stuart of Ontario Canada

(this article was taken from aquarticles.com - free aquarium articles)

If you have never kept fish or you are planning to buy your first fish tank and you have never set foot in an aquatic shop before how can you judge what makes a good shop or a bad one? Because fish are living things and because being transported and moved around is very stressful to them good careful handling at the shop can make a lot of difference to their future prospects.

In a good shop you should find:

Helpful Staff
If you explain that this will be your first aquarium the staff should be prepared to guide you through a list of essential equipment and explain how to set it all up. And answer your questions about anything you aren`t sure of. They should also explain about the need to properly mature a tank and how important it is not to add the fish until it is fully mature. A really good shop will refuse to sell you the fish...

#48. Article's title: How to care about Betta Fish

Published: October 10, 2006, 3:26 pm

Displayed: 2494 times

Preview: How to care about Betta Fish

Betta splendens is a small siamese freshwater fish, really common in aquariums for it`s colours, easy care and peculiar behaviour, sadly they don`t have a long life, usually they reach two years old.

Betta is also known as a siamese fighting fish for it`s intra specific aggressiveness, for this reason it`s impossible to house two males together in the same tank, since they`ll end up fighting to death; males can be aggressive towards females and females can attack each other as well, so keeping one male with two or three females is the best solution to avoid continuous attacks on the weaker fish.

Males can be easily distinguished by females for their long fins and bright colours. In nature male bettas are brown-grey with iridescent green-blue fins and tail, while females are dark brown-grey with light coloured fins. Years of captive breeding has created new colours and fins shape both of males and females. New colours can be divided into:
...

#49. Article's title: Ichthyophthirius Multifiliis - White Spot

Published: May 11, 2006, 8:50 am

Displayed: 1082 times

Preview: I set up my social tank for fishes. In the first step I give in gravel and plants. 3 weeks I keep aquarium without fishes. Then I enter there first fishes. The first fishes was 2 Brachydanio rerios, 2 Otocinclus affinis and 2 Poecilia sphenops. All was OK, fishes was healthy. Then I wait one week and enter 4 Aphyosemion australe and 4 Rivulus magdalenae. Two days was all ok but next day I saw a Ichthyophthirius Multifiliis - White spot on some fishes.

I started cure. It was in Saturday, aquarium shop was closed and I have only FMC medicine. The first step was change temperature to 27 °C. I don`t enter salt to water when I set up tank. Now I enter 150 g on 250 litres of water. And applied 2,5 ml FMC what is 1 ml on 100 litres of water. I applied FMC in this concentration four days. Second day was Ichthyophthirius Multifiliis - White spot on all fishes expect Rivulus and increase. Third day was Ichthyophthirius Multifiliis - White spot less. Thourth day evening I don`t see any Whit...

#50. Article's title: Internal and external filters

Published: December 24, 2006, 6:51 am

Displayed: 277 times

Preview: Internal and external filters

Both internal and external filters are good solutions to keep clean water and good chemical values, there is not a better one, it depends on different factors connected to the aquarium.

Internal filters
Internal filters usually are rectangular boxes attached with suckers on a side glass of the tank. They may have two or three sections inside, thought to divide filter materials, pump and sometimes also the water heater.

Often you can find in shop really small internal filters meant for 10 gallons aquariums, even if they claim to use special technologies, they are the most of times inadequate for the aquarium cleaning.

Adding plants and reducing the number of fish inside the tank is not a solution with inadequate filters, specially in small aquariums; an undersized filter can not guarantee constant chemical values, even if it can clean water, great sudden changes of nitrite, nitrate, and ammonia due to the small concentration of fil...

#51. Article's title: Koi carp

Published: November 24, 2006, 2:09 am

Displayed: 769 times

Preview: Koi carp

Koi carp is an ornamental mutation of the common carp (Cyprinus carpio), native from Asia, especially China and Japan. Koi carp may look like a big goldfish, anyway you can distinguish it for it`s barbels at the sides of the mouth and for it`s size, an adult Koi can reach 30 inches (75cm).

Japanese breeders have selected a great number of colour varieties during years. The most common in shops are:

- Kohaku: white Koi with red spots. Red and white colours are uniform, without shadings; Red spots should cover the half of the body.
- Sanke: red and black spotted white Koi. Red and black colours do not have shadings. The head must have only red spots (like Kohaku).
- Shusui: blue grey Koi with dark blue shadings on the lateral and dorsal lines, red colour on sides, fins and tail.
- Asagi: blue grey Koi with red orange shadings on the sides, fins, and tail.
- Showa: three coloured Koi. Looks like Sanke, but the black colour is more present, even on the hea...

#52. Article's title: Lake Tanganyika Cichlids

Published: April 3, 2006, 3:30 am

Displayed: 3204 times

Preview: (this article was taken from aquarticles.com - free aquarium articles) Lake Tanganyika Cichlids by Andy Gordon of England, and Michelle Stuart of Ontario Canada.
With photographs and contributions by Tom Hammond.

Lake Tanganyika is situated in the E. African Rift Valley in an area which has active volcanoes. This has affected the whole area and the water of the lake is very rich in minerals and quite alkaline. This must be taken in to account when planning to keep any fish from this lake.

There are three main biotopes within the lake itself:

- Open water with a sandy substrate.
- Rocky, found around parts of the shoreline and underwater reefs.
- Shell beds. Piles of empty snail shells found in various bays litter the floor.

Each biotope has attracted a different set of fish which has found ways to exploit that particular environment. The water quality remains the same throughout the lake - there may be one or two local variations where a river enters the lak...

#53. Article's title: Landscape Your Aquarium with Aquarium Driftwood

Published: September 22, 2006, 11:07 am

Displayed: 1235 times

Preview: Landscape Your Aquarium with Aquarium Driftwood

Much like adding aquatic plants to your aquarium, adding driftwood to your aquarium can certainly add to that eye-popping effect you are looking for. Unlike aquatic plants, driftwood sinks naturally to the bottom of your tank, eliminating the need to be anchored in place, all you need to do is place it where you want it and will stay there until you or your fish move it to a new location. Each piece of driftwood has its own unique character and appeal, and can be used to build attractive underwater caves for your fish.

If your fish tend to like to stay on the bottom of the tank, adding aquarium driftwood will sometimes get them to move up to the middle and top of the tank. There are a number of varieties of aquarium driftwood that you can purchase online to add beauty and dramatic effect to your aquarium tank.

You can find Asian driftwood, planted driftwood (has ferns growing on top), Caribbean driftwood (very smooth, ...

#54. Article's title: Lighting for Freshwater aquariums

Published: January 18, 2007, 12:15 pm

Displayed: 75 times

Preview: Lighting for Freshwater aquariums

There are two main ways to light up an aquarium, using a neon tube system or a HQL (metal halide lamps) system. Illumination is really important for the aquarium, not only for plants but also for every animal that lives inside; lamps do not provide only the simple lighting, but gives the power needed for a lot of biological and chemical operations.

Planning the right illumination for your aquarium, you could think that recreating the sun spectrum (that is the same light of the one produced by sun) is the most important goal to reach; however this is not right, because animals and plants living in different waters, receive the sunlight in different ways (think about animals living in clear waters and those living in a deep dark waters), moreover there is not yet a kind of lamp able to recreate totally the sun spectrum.

Buying a lamp you surely would find various informations about the kind of it`s illumination, and some of them can be...

#55. Article's title: New to Planted Tank?

Published: April 12, 2006, 8:52 am

Displayed: 1277 times

Preview: New to Planted Tank?
by Marcus Ng of Singapore
Originally published on www.aquaticquotient.com Reprinted by permission.
Aquarticles
(this article was taken from aquarticles.com - free aquarium articles)

A lush planted aquarium is a wonderful sight to behold. But often many people are held back from getting into this hobby as they perceive it to be beyond the technical grasp of a casual hobbyist. Certainly, it may look difficult at first, but as they say, the biggest hurdle in every task is your mind. And any activity that is worthwhile will involve some degree of initial learning and preparation.

But it is our hope that you will find aquaticquotient.com a useful resource of information where a community of new and experienced hobbyists exchange their knowledge and learn from each other. Do note that when you are posting a question, e.g. why is my plant turning yellow etc, forummers can only help if you can provide as much information as possible about your tank...

#56. Article's title: Oscar fish

Published: August 12, 2006, 2:05 pm

Displayed: 5131 times

Preview: Oscar fish

This fish is very intelligent, it can even recognize it`s owner. Oscars have they own ideas. If they don´t like how the items are in the aquarium, they pick them up and replace them, or they spit it out from the tank. It doesn`t matter if the plant or rock is real or plastic. If you have a high aquarium, standing near it can be dangerous. The best choice is to have a sand bottom and few big rocks in the tank. Sometimes Oscars pretend that they are dead. In nature they pretend to be dead and wait until a small fish comes close so it can be caught and eaten.

Oscars are aggressive fish so they need a big aquarium and a large group, because if there are only few fish they will fight, and the weaker Oscar will feel miserable. The best solution is to have either one or many (6 is the minimum) Oscars, but never only a few. I have heard that sometimes three fish get on well, but usually they fight and attack each other without apparent reason. But even if you have mor...

#57. Article's title: Peat in aquarium

Published: January 9, 2007, 2:21 am

Displayed: 302 times

Preview: What Does Peat Change in an Aquarium?
Peat has an ability to reduce pH and water hardness values. It also changes the colour of water from clear to brown. Besides the aforementioned changes, it releases hormones, CO2 and probably some nitrates into the tank too. Some toxic metals are rendered harmless. What causes these changes? Acids are materials with fantastic attributes. Are these attributes fantastic or aren't they? Let's analyze the advantages and disadvantages...

Advantages:
1. Brings down pH and hardness.
2. Doesn't change the conductivity.
3. Releases lots of useful materials that are welcomed by fish.

Disadvantages:
1. The water must be tested frequently.
2. It is not suitable for fish that need hard water with a high level of pH.
3. If you have a Dutch (planted) aquarium, some plants don't like water with very low pH levels.
4. It's difficult to select the right amount of peat to use in your aquarium.

If you decide to use the peat, read ...

#58. Article's title: Pond filtration and set up

Published: December 22, 2006, 3:47 pm

Displayed: 183 times

Preview: Pond filtration and set up

Building a pond often the common mistake done is not to plan the filtration, that ends up being not effective.

It is easy to think that to keep high the water quality of a pond is easier than controlling an aquarium, due to the really higher amount of water present inside. Surely a great quantity of water avoid dangerous fluctuations of chemical values, temperature and pollution; anyway this is not enough, ponds unlike aquariums are not kept in neutral environment, but being outside, in gardens, terraces etc, make them susceptible to external interferences.

For this reason a filter is just a point to start to keep the pond clean. Various other factors can influence the result of a well working pond.

The location
Before building a pond, you have to plan the place where it is going to be, following not only your sense of beauty.

- Sun. A good idea is to place the pond in a sunny place so the winter temperatures can be milder. Anywa...

#59. Article's title: Puffer Fish

Published: May 9, 2006, 2:27 am

Displayed: 3432 times

Preview: Puffer Fish

Puffer Fish belong to the family Tetradontidae, which means they have four teeth. They are also called blowfish. There are species of Puffer Fish which live in freshwater, some species live best in brackish water, and some Puffers live best in marine or sea water. Because they live in these kind of water, they have various colors and sizes. They are called Puffer Fish because their ability to inflate themselves with water or air when they feel threatened. It is a defensive mechanism. It`s harder to swallow a large fish than a small one.

It is hard to resist a Puffer fish. If you see them you may think that it is a sweet and charming fish. Maybe because they have a unique and comical way of swimming and they have big eyes and a round belly. But it is not true. Puffers are predators. Most Puffer species have a nasty temperament. They can be fin nippers and killers. Even those who have previously been in a community tank can become aggressive when they are older...

#60. Article's title: Rotala macrandra

Published: March 4, 2006, 3:52 pm

Displayed: 698 times

Preview: Rotala macrandra (this article was taken from aquarticles.com - free aquarium articles)

by Lynn McMullen

When researching the available literature dealing with aquarium plants, often the plants are categorised by growth patterns. Some of those include “roseate” (which defines plants that grow from a common central point, such as Amazon Swords); “opposite leaves” (which includes plants whose leaves grow in pairs on opposite sides of a common stalk, like Hygrophilia polysperma); and plants with “alternate” leaf arrangements (which is when the leaves grow on opposite sides of the stalk, but not exactly at the same point - there is a small space between each leaf). The Rotala macrandra falls into this last category.

This plant has a dense bushy growth pattern under optimum conditions, with many branchlets and thick clusters of leaves, so that it can almost look like an impregnable wall of growth. This is a misleading impression, as the plant can be considered very soft and ...

#61. Article's title: Selecting Discus

Published: April 1, 2006, 7:32 am

Displayed: 1132 times

Preview: (this article was taken from aquarticles.com - free aquarium articles)
by Beta Mahatvaraj Selecting Discus The King of Aquarium Fishes is an easy fish to keep in the home aquarium if some simple tips are followed.

Proper selection is the first step to success with discus. The quality of discus on sale in the Indian LFS is usually not too good. So it’s very important to make the right start to avoid future heartbreaks. Let`s see why this is the case: Firstly, the best discus go where the money is. Japan and Europe are some of the major markets for top quality discus, and then comes North America and so on. Most of the discus offered for sale in the Indian LFS are lower grade discus from farms in South East Asia. If you want good quality discus be prepared to pay for them! The import restrictions on ornamental fishes means that there are fewer options available to the hobbyist.

Enough of rambling let me get down to business!

Below are some general tips on how to selec...

#62. Article's title: Selecting the Correct Aquarium Supplies

Published: September 8, 2006, 1:52 am

Displayed: 661 times

Preview: Selecting the Correct Aquarium Supplies

There are many different types of aquariums, but the one thing they all have in common is that they all require aquarium supplies. Which supplies your aquarium will need will be determined by the particular type of fish and plants you have. It is a good idea to research this information before you begin to set up your aquarium, so that you will be well prepared with all needed supplies readily available.

One thing that you will need pretty much regardless of the type of aquarium you have is a high quality air pump. Making sure that you have a well aerated aquarium will help you to maintain the proper ph level so that your fish have the oxygen they need in order to survive. You can also purchase air pumps that are powered by battery, so that you will have a backup if for any reason your power should fail. There are many different pumps on the market, including some which are able to maintain other equipment, such as protein skimmers, ...

#63. Article's title: So You Want to Grow Aquatic Plants

Published: January 20, 2006, 5:53 am

Displayed: 1038 times

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by Olga Betts

Some aquatic plants will grow under some conditions all of the time. In other words, anyone who wants to can grow aquatic plants.

Here is the secret: Grow aquatic plants that suit the conditions of your aquarium.

Know your plants. Buy a simple book about aquatic plants such as: Aquarium Plants Manual published by Barron’s. This is a good and inexpensive book to get you started; available in many aquarium stores.

Aquatic plants are just the same as those that grow in a garden. Some prefer lots of sun, some prefer shade, some like rich soil, others sandy, poor soil. Of course, all aquatic plants like lots of water but the beauty of that is — you don’t have to water them!

Calculate how many watts of light per gallon of water you have. You can grow most aquatic plants with at least 2 watts per gallon. Some will do fine with less; some will do better with more.

The typica...

#64. Article's title: Some tips for beginners

Published: November 22, 2005, 2:50 pm

Displayed: 1395 times

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by Bill "Pegasus NZ" of New Zealand

How Long Do You Wait Before Adding Fish?
Opinions vary so much on this subject that it is hard to give a reasonable answer. The Americans for instance have what is known as "cycling", which is the period of time a tank has to remain empty of fish until the good bacteria have established themselves and are controlling the conditions of the water in the tank. Most aquarists in the States recommend a six week waiting period using what they call "A Fishless Cycle". In order for the good bacteria to build up (starting the nitrogen cycle), they need a source of ammonia to feed on. When using this fishless cycle they recommend you add daily doses of pure ammonia to the tank for the bacteria to feed on, which is needed to actually start the nitrogen cycle working.

I would however like to point out that I personally have never used the "...

#65. Article's title: Staghorn Algae

Published: January 1, 2007, 6:22 pm

Displayed: 242 times

Preview: Staghorn algae
In this article, I want to write about my experience with Staghorn algae; scientific name "Compsopogon sp.". However, this is not a scientific article. I¹m not writing a definitive guide to how to eliminate this algae from your aquarium. I'm going to write how I defeat it.

Let's start from the very beginning. I established my aquarium in April 2006. I keep a few plants and fish there. Feel free to read about my tank at my blog called Aquarium fish and plants. Step by step, I planted my aquarium successfully. Basically, I was introducing new plants as well as Staghorn algae into my tank. I cannot say exactly when I first got the algae, but I noticed some algae in my aquarium. I didn't know what a catastrophe was waiting for me. In the beginning, I saw only a few spots. Immediately, only a week after the first spot was noticed, the algae had grown on every piece of my tank. It usually grows about 5-10 cm during a night, so I had to cut a lo...

#66. Article's title: Start right with tropical fishkeeping

Published: November 22, 2005, 2:56 pm

Displayed: 1925 times

Preview: (this article was taken from aquarticles.com - free aquarium articles)

Some helpful tips when starting with tropical freshwater fishes

First published in leaflet form by Aquarian Fish Foods, of England
Aquarticles

Introduction
Freshwater tropical fish, as their name suggests, originate in freshwater rivers and lakes in the warmer parts of the world, particularly in South America and Central Africa.

There are literally tens of thousands of species of freshwater tropical fish, with new ones being discovered almost every day. With such a vast variety of fish, each living in its own particular environment, it`s easy to see why fish keepers are never lost for new areas to study and new challenges to enjoy.

Fish Names
All fishes are classified by the `binomial system` (two names). First there is the family or generic name -which should always be written with an initial capital letter. This is followed by the species name/s - which should always all be writ...

#67. Article's title: Starting a Planted Aquarium. Maintaning and Growing plants in your Aquarium.

Published: January 6, 2007, 8:09 pm

Displayed: 427 times

Preview: Starting a Planted Aquarium
To start growing plants in an aquarium is not difficult, In fact it can be rather simply if you are keeping easy to grow plants. Even if you are not keeping easy to grow plants following these guidelines, can seriously help you out.

Why choose a Planted Aquarium why not a choose Plastic plants?

Well firstly Planted Aquariums, if kept correctly look miles better, more natural and also keep the tank in a lot better condition by removing harmful Ammonia and Nitrates. having plants also helps the fish as they feel more secure.

How to keep Plants?

Keeping plants is simple as long as you have: Good Lighting, Good Soil (Substrate) and good Nutrients in the water. Below are a few basic plant care tips.
- Before planting, remove any decaying or yellowed leaves. Decaying leaves are a drain on the plants nutrient supply.
- Remove any dying roots, as these will rot in the substrate. These will appear limp and brown, healthy roots are norm...

#68. Article's title: The Black Ghost knifefish

Published: January 18, 2007, 4:19 pm

Displayed: 346 times

Preview: The Black Ghost knifefish
Origin
- Amazon and Paraguay rivers
Maximum Size
- 16 to 20 inches
Housing
- Larger the better
Security
- Must have a cave or hiding hole
Temperature
- 72 to 80°
Active time
- Prefers the night time
Lighting
- Prefers subdued light
Oddity
- Swims upside-down and backwards
Foods
- Prefers live foods esp. neon Tetras and other small fish.
Water
- Prefers water toward neutral pH

Will eat smaller fish such as neon tetras, Not the best community fish.
Origins
Not bred in captivity (except for one report from Australia), black ghost knife fish all come from the wild – mainly the Amazon and Paraguay rivers and their tributaries.
Name Origin:
Theoretically, the local natives believe the ghosts of their dead relatives live in these fish. Or perhaps their missing kitchen cutlery re-lives in these guys? We cannot verify either theory from personal interviews. Most of the local people now probably hav...

#69. Article's title: The Blue Gourami

Published: August 8, 2006, 4:43 pm

Displayed: 1393 times

Preview: The Blue Gourami

The Blue Gourami originally comes from Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand. It`s popularity originates in the beautiful blue colour, peaceful temperament towards another species, and especially it`s intelligence. I personally kept from 2 to 6 gouramis for about 2 years and the only reason I gave them up was that my tanks were too small for them. It should be pointed out at this point that even the blue gouramis grow up to 10-12 cm (about 4 inches) and they become territorial as adults. I recommend you keep 1 gourami per 40 litres. They like shallow water as well as deep tanks, so there`s no need to build a special tank for them. Since the blue gouramis are very beautiful, I highly recommend you keep them in a single species tank. They do well with tankmates, no matter if they`re guppies, angel fish or cory fish. But for breeding, it`s better to keep them alone. It also creates a special feeling if there are only gouramis in the tank. Their movement and quite lazy nat...

#70. Article's title: The Convenience of Automatic Aquarium Fish Feeders

Published: September 21, 2006, 2:29 am

Displayed: 782 times

Preview: The Convenience of Automatic Aquarium Fish Feeders

Note: Aqua-Fish.Net isn`t advertising any product within the article below.

Automatic fish feeders help make your life as an aquarium owner much easier. It is often hard to remember whether or not you fed the fish, or if someone else in your house did already, and the automatic fish feeder eliminates missed feedings or over feeding altogether. Too much food in the water can easily clog up important filters, and cause you to have to spend more time cleaning your aquarium tank than enjoying it. There are many different brands and designs on automatic fish feeders on the market, you just have to decide which one is within your means and will best suit your needs.

One of the most popular automatic fish feeders is the Eheim 3581 “Feed-Air” Digital Automatic Feeder. This model is capable of using either granule or pellet fish food types. You can set it to feed your fish up to four times per day. This model comes with its ow...

#71. Article's title: The Dwarf Gourami

Published: April 16, 2006, 1:58 am

Displayed: 1561 times

Preview: The Dwarf Gourami
The Dwarf Gourami is one of the small members of the Gourami family. Males are a little bit larger than the females. In the wild the male is very colorful while the female is less colored. There are several color variations, including Blue/Powder Blue, Neon, Rainbow, and Red/Blushing.

Dwarf Gouramis are Labyrinth Fish, meaning they breath directly from the air, so they must have access to the surface. It is recommended to keep them in a tank that is more than 15 gallons in size. Water conditions in the tank should be stable with pH between 6.5 and 8.0, temperature from 23.0 to 28.0 °C (73.4 - 82.4 °F) and water hardness dGH of 4.0 - 18.0 °N.

Because of their peaceful and shy nature and ease of care, they are well suited to smaller aquariums, as well as community aquariums. The truth is, that they should not be kept with very large or aggressive fish. They need plenty of vegetation, including floating plants that cover part of the surface of the water. O...

#72. Article's title: The Dwarf Gourami (Colisa Lalia)

Published: October 27, 2006, 8:15 am

Displayed: 839 times

Preview: The Dwarf Gourami (Colisa Lalia)

Colisa lalia is a peaceful freshwater fish, also known as the “Dwarf Gourami”. Gourami is the name used for a big variety of perciform fish coming from Asia, especially India and Pakistan characterized by flat body and two elongated rays of pelvic fins used as sense of touch.

Since they reach only 2 inches, they can be housed in small tanks and are a good fish for beginners because of their low aggressiveness, easy care and nice look.

Males can be easily distinguished from females for their colours. The dwarf gourami male is a bit bigger than the female and has turquoise and orange-red iridescent vertical bands on the entire body and on fins; you can find also colour mutations with total orange-red body and turquoise dorsal fin, or total turquoise body with just some red at the edges of the fins. The dwarf gourami female is totally silver with pale turquoise vertical stripes.

Colisa lalia can live in small groups or couples, both ...

#73. Article's title: The esthetics of ugliness in aquariums

Published: August 15, 2006, 3:15 am

Displayed: 728 times

Preview: Red parrot - The king of monstrosity

They are sold under the name of Red Parrot or Bloody Parrots, but these fish must not be confounded with parrot Cichlids (Hoplarchus Psittacus) or with marine Parrot fish (Callyodon fasciatus). The real Parrot, Hoplarchus psittacus is an American Cichlid which lives in the Amazon waters and has a green color. This is extremely pretentious specie and it has been successfully spawned only by few American breeders.

This article is not a description of this fastidious fish; it is about the baggy hybrid which can be found in pet shops. Maybe some of us are not long time experienced breeders, but certainly we are not blind.

Yellow, blue, red, fluorescent green, pink - it is amazing how sublime these parrots, native from Asia, are. We only have to breed them in orange and fluorescent water, given by a cool light, with ultra colored sand and plastic plants and the kitsch is perfect!

Anyway, let`s hope that at least for Christmas they w...

#74. Article's title: The Flowerhorn fish

Published: January 18, 2007, 12:39 pm

Displayed: 214 times

Preview: The Flowerhorn fish

The Flowerhorn fish is also known with the Chinese common name Hua Luo Han; this fish does not exist in nature but it is a hybrid result of various cross-breeding of South America cichlids, in fact it can be listed under the Cichlasoma genus, even if the starting breeders are unknown, the most of people think about Cichlasoma Trimaculatus, C. Festae, Red Parrot, Jingang and other fish.

Flowerhorn is a big fish with compact body, it can reach 30cm in length and sometimes can grow even bigger. Intensive breeding has created a very peculiar fish that is becoming really famous and relatively common in the last few years; moreover breeders keep on trying to improve the fish qualities focusing on bigger hump on the head, new and better colours, wider body and fins, more peculiar black marks on the body, without the employ of chemical and artificial factors. For the importance of appearance, a good Flowerhorn must follow a standard that defines various aspects ...

#75. Article's title: The Guppy fish

Published: April 16, 2006, 2:06 am

Displayed: 4244 times

Preview: The Guppy fish
The Guppy fish is probably the most popular aquarium species in the world. Small, beautiful, peaceful, lively, curious and hardy, there are many colorful variations that can be collected and easily bred. The Guppy fish is one of the best choices for beginners, especially children.

Guppy females are much larger and rounder than males. They even do not look like one species. Females are dull grey and males are very colorful and have large fins. There are m

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