Month: December 2018

Tropical Aquarium Plants From Cuttings, Floating And Rooted Types

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Four tropical aquarium plants from the cuttings, floating and plant types available are selected and described in this article. These will add variety and beauty to your planted aquarium.

Floating Plants
There are quite a few benefits to incorporating floating plants in your fresh water aquarium.
a) They supply an area of shading for those species of fish needing seclusion and shelter
b) They provide a site for spawning for fish that use this process
c) They give fry a place of refuge in their early days
d) They do not need to be established as they float or attach to rocks or wood

The Java Moss (Vesicularia dubyana) is very common in freshwater aquariums. Like Riccia, it attaches itself to driftwood, rocks and roots. Java Moss has no onerous requirements or any special attention as it will survive in varying water conditions, even weakly brackish, and under all sorts of light levels. But it thrives better under low to moderate light conditions and a temperature range of 21 to 24 degrees centigrade but it can survive temperatures of up to 29 to 32 degrees centigrade.

As you do not plant the Java Moss, you will need to fix it temporarily, for example, to a rock with some fishing line. Then, when it has used its own tiny roots to adhere to the rock you can remove the fishing line. You can also produce a moss wall effect by adding the moss to a net which is fixed to the tank wall by suction devices and nylon string.

It is an excellent plant in which spawning can take place and in which the hatched fry can shelter and hide afterwards. Egg laying fish that scatter their eggs would benefit most from this plant. From a maintenance point of view you need to keep it clean of algae which will have a detrimental affect on it.

A floater, Crystalwort (Riccia fluitans) is also known as Liverwort and Riccia Moss. It is popular in breeding tanks in particular as a shelter for fry and will float unless you physically attach it to under water items such as logs and rocks until in due course it attaches itself. This is similar to the way you would treat Java Moss and both would make attractive plants for your foreground in the tank. It can also be used to hide any protruding items in your aquarium.

On the surface it will quickly form a thick green mat and is ideal for nest building fish. It will adapt adequately to a wide range of light levels, a pH range of 5 to 8 and a water temperature of between 10 and 28 degrees centigrade. As with Java Moss, from a maintenance point of view you need to keep it clean of algae which will have a detrimental affect on it.

Rooted Plants
Straight Vallisneria (Vallisneria spiralis) is also known as Eel or Tape Grass. Its leaves are straight and narrow with colors varying from red to light green and have rounded tips. If not kept in check it can soon populate large areas of your aquarium as it is quite invasive and can grow up to an average of about 60 cms in length. It reproduces via runners along the substrate.

White female flowers (single) can grow to the surface on long stems. Because this plant can thrive in a range of water conditions (15 to 39 degrees centigrade, soft to hard water, 6 to 9 pH) and light conditions they are really good plants for aquariums for beginners.

The Dwarf Anubias can be fixed to wood or rocks by nylon line initially until established but be careful not to cut through the rhizome. Lighting should be somewhat subdued. Plants like the Dwarf Anubias (Anubias nana) are good for giving height to your planting layout. They have rhizomes (horizontal stems) sprouting small roots that will attach themselves onto wood or rocks. And of course, fish that dig around in the substrate will not affect these plants.

Beauty Fish in Aquarium

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Starting Get Beauty Fish in Aquarium

Fish keeping can be a very rewarding hobby. Since more and more fish keepers and enthusiasts are growing in number and interest, the need to teach and provide sufficient information on tropical fish for tanks is becoming more important and in demand. A very important consideration when starting Beauty Fish in Aquarium to include in your tank.

Advice to Get Beauty Fish in Aquarium

In order to determine the best species or fish variety to use for your fish tank, a thorough and in-depth comprehension about the fish you assume you’ll like to have is needed. You can also do a lot of your analysis through on the internet resources or you may just go straight to some local fish store and ask the fish dealer regarding the variety of tropical fish accessible in their stores that would be compatible in your aquarium. Use some caution when using advice, as many retailers don’t have the capabilities supply about the fish they are selling. Several times it is better to go to a retail outlet for Beauty Fish in Aquarium.

Beauty Fish in Aquarium Classes

You can find common varieties of tropical fish which are many times preferred by fish keepers and followers. These are categorized underneath the family Cyprinidae. Many of the species belonging to this particular family are hardy, small and brightly colored. Some of the examples of Cyprinids are Danios, Rasboras, White clouds, Barbs and more.Another good species of tropical fish for your Beauty Fish in Aquarium is the Corydoras Catfish. These are fish which are continually a couple of inches long or significantly less. Depending on the type of Cory Cats, as these are usually called, can be fragile and rare, or hardy and extra amenable to survive even in low-oxygen fish tanks. Since Cory Cats are generally searching for food supplements at the bottom of the fish tank, it is suggested to give them special sinking foods which are commonly pellets and frozen blood-worms. In terms of frozen foods, make sure that they are consumed right away since it can easily create a foul smell from the tank. This can be avoided by not over feeding your fish. Rainbowfish is another type of tropical fish which is incredibly wonderful and colorful that many fish lovers appreciate. These Beauty Fish in Aquarium be kept with up to six or even more other Rainbowfish!

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How To Choose A Ferret Cage

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How to choose a ferret cage. In your quest to have a happy healthy pet you must start with the right equipment. How to choose a ferret cage is one of the most important issues to be addressed.

Ferrets love to run around the house much like your dogs and cats do. They are also tame and really cute and if you are new to having a pet ferret, you might think it a good idea to leave him the run of the house while you are at work or out.

But make no mistake, if you don’t want your house destroyed they need to be contained when they’re left alone or when they’re having a “time out.” If you choose a suitable ferret cage, your little darlings won’t mind staying in it for a few hours before it’s play time again.

The best cage characteristics.

If you are planning to purchase a cage rather than build one, then buy from a respected pet store online or locally.

Any kind of glass enclosure like an aquarium is not suitable because there is not enough ventilation. Choose a wire cage.

Ferrets need room to run and play, and they are generally not happy in cramped spaces. So make as much space as possible available for your ferret’s cage.

Investigate how easy the cage is to clean. Less complicated setups like easy pull-out trays and solid metal coated bases are good choices.

Ferrets are very clean animals and they like to have separate areas for eliminating, eating and sleeping. Make sure the cage you choose has provisions for this. Ideally it would have at least three divisions.

A cage with several doors is preferable. Ferrets like to run around when inside the cage, having only one door can make it difficult to get them out of their enclosure.

Good quality locks and clips are another feature to look for. Your ferret is clever and will find a way too escape if the lock is inadequate.

Ferrets love to ferret around, especially in dark tunnels and spaces. So a cage with tunnels and tubes and hideaways will help keep him entertained and busy while you are not there to play with him.

Once you’ve chosen and brought home your cage, it’s time to deck it out with all the tings your pet needs.

Early Freshwater Aquarium History

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If archeological records are true, the history of freshwater aquarium can be considered to coincide with the dawning of mankind’s true civilization way back some 2,500 to 3,000 years ago in Sumer, Mesopotamia.

Fish keeping, then, were more for economic reasons (food source) rather than entertainment, although it cannot be discounted that the royals and their children did engage in such activities as keeping fish as pets.

Moreover, the ancient Egyptian paintings (and carvings) depicting fishes among the other animals would imply their admiration for the beauty (in color and shapes) of these finned creatures. Adding credibility to this would be the fact that ancient Romans were also known to have traded live fish as commodities in their marketplaces.

The many ancient drawings, carvings and pictures of aquariums from places in antiquity like Eqypt and Sumeria show us that these past peoples knew the beauty of the tanks and they also desired to maintain that beauty and pass on the secrets of these creatures. The ancient Romans were also known to have traded live fish as commodities in their agoras (markets).

Goldfish and Koifish

In another part of the world, the art of selective breeding began in China around 2,000 years ago. They had been known to produce the now-famous goldfish developed from the regular carp. By the 18th century, goldfish as an ornamental fish was common in Europe and later became popular in America.

Cultured live koi that familiar fish with the red, white and black colorations was already a commercial item in the old trade routes that spanned China, Japan and Europe around the 16th century. Later, its reputation also grew and became very popular. Much later, it was also exported to Europe and America.

Crude Beginnings

In the early 19th century, aquarium-keeping began. England, Germany and France all vied to top themselves in mounting exhibits of public aquariums. It did not get a good reception as many were appaulled by it.

At that time, there was very poor understanding yet on the various roles of water chemistry, the nitrogen cycle, filtration and aeration. The size of the tanks was also limited by the holding power of the construction materials then.

The First Aquarium

In 1850, a Mr. Harrington declared through a paper he wrote for the Chemical Society of London that he had successfully maintained a stable aquarium. Fish-keeping suddenly became a popular hobby.

Three years after, the London Zoological Society had built and opened the first public aquarium, followed by another. Soon, public aquaria were all over the major European cities patronized by eager but intrigued visitors.

Household Items

It was not long after when the aquarium became a fashionable household item in Victorian England. Curiously, there were no tanks for sale then, although there were various books and other how-to manuals already available for constructing aquariums.

In the early days of fish tanks, the first tanks were more for entertainment value that functional value and it was a detriment to the fish and the care takers of the fish. Most early designs featured a glass front and three wooden sides (They were sometimes constructed from slate). They were coated in pitch to make them watertight.

Tank Basics

Soon, these construction problems were overcome little by little. There was a real breakthrough with the development of silicon sealants.

It became possible now to manufacture an all-glass aquarium in all sizes and shapes. Bulky steel frames became obsolete and tanks can now be moved without the danger of breaking the seal.

Understanding Technology

At around this time, better understanding on the needs of the tank’s fish inhabitants led to the invention of the heater and the thermostat, as postulated by a Mr. Humphreys. In maintaining fish, this person would be the one to mention the signifigance of the tanks chemistry toward the safety of the fish.

With a deeper understanding on water chemistry and other related matters, filtration and lighting were soon recognized as additional important elements to the total upkeep of the fish in the aquarium.

The Modern Aquarium

Today’s modern aquariums are made mostly of glass. However, more and more units are being made from acrylic instead of glass. This is because acrylic is pliable and can be used to manufacture unusual shapes. (Acrylic aquariums are mostly used in big showrooms in business and office buildings today.)

Nowadays, aquaria made of acrylics are regarded as the lightweight alternatives to those made of glass. This is especially true now that manufacturers had produced harder and scratch-resistant plastics. Perhaps, they would replace the unwieldy glass in the future.

Improved Technology

Also, there had been such long strides made in the improvement of the accompanying technology related to aquarium keeping: heating, lighting, filtration, and aeration among others.

Apart from the technology, there is now a better understanding of marine life and ecology that pushed the hobby into what it is today. Taking together both marine and freshwater aquarium varieties, the simple hobby of keeping a living fish in a bowl had become the world’s 2nd most popular hobby. (Gardening is number one.)

The Future Of The Aquarium

There is now a growing number of fish varieties available for keeping in aquariums and the size and shape of aquarium tanks have evolved, too.

However, according to experts, the future of the hobby is still focused on the next advances in water purification, nutrition, lighting and other related matters. Fish breeding is still limited to the good old natural selection and mutation. (Genetic manipulation is still frowned upon.)

Whatever direction the hobby is moving into, today’s hobbyists are reminded that they are part of a thousand-year-old freshwater aquarium history as they tinker their aquariums and feed their aquatic pets.

The Archerfish In A Specialized Aquarium, A Community Aquarium, And The Use Of Aquarium Plants

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Maintaining Archerfish in a Specialized Aquarium. Archerfish are fascinating to watch because they use jets of water to wash insects into their home. Some believe that they are difficult to maintain but this is not necessarily true. There are five or six species of archerfish growing in size to up to half a meter. They are usually vertically striped.

The most easily available of the archerfish are the Toxotes jaculator and the T. chatareus. Both come from Asia but do not live in the same waters. The T. jaculator is found only in the brackish regions of the river while the T. chatareus is found in fresh water. The chatareus is most suitable for aquariums and can be easily identified by the small spot between the two front body bars.

These fish DO NOT get along with each other, so you have to choose whether you want a large aquarium with roots that can be easily set up in several different territories or do you want one fish species in a specialized or community tank. If they are in a community tank, it is not wise to use smaller fish as companions. As they feed they grow quite large with huge mouths. While not normally fish eaters, they should not be combined with smaller fish.

Archerfish are constantly on the move and love to swim. So, their aquarium should have a large area that is plant-free near the top of the tank to allow for their need to swim. Archerfish are not very demanding where their food is concerned; but, it must be of adequate size to tempt them.

Once the fish has become established you can feed it many different things. Archerfish like to eat fish, shrimp, raw beef, grasshoppers, and even boiled ham. When their food is placed on the water, they shoot towards it and snap for it and it is fun to watch them feed. DO NOT overfeed, especially when feeding meat! Archerfish can live for several years and will eventually become tame enough to take and eat food straight from your hand.

A Community Aquarium

The most frequently seen tanks are community aquariums. They are beautifully planted and decorated with rocks, roots, plants, and a variety of fish. To maintain water stability, a community aquarium should contain at least 70 liters of water or more, if possible. Remember, a larger aquarium is actually easier to maintain than a smaller one since the water in a smaller aquarium become murky much faster.

When preparing a community aquarium, you must remember that plants and fish have certain needs. You must plan for and meet those needs. Make sure to use fish and plants that have the same light and temperature requirements. While it is much easier to combine plants by this method, it is a different story altogether with fish. Some fish species have different requirements and cannot be put together!

It is very difficult to put too many plants into an aquarium in the beginning; but, it is quite easy to put in too many fish. Water quality will deteriorate very quickly in you overwhelm the tanks biological and filtering capacity, so add one or two fish a month and let the tank bacteria adjust to handle this new load. You must always avoid the temptation to purchase more fish than your aquarium can sustain.

There are no hard and fast rules about combining fish in a tank; however, there are a few basics that need to be observed. Schooling fish should never be kept alone or with only a few others of their variety. They thrive best when tank conditions replicate their ocean environment.

There are some fish that fight viciously with others of the species, especially males when it is spawning time. These fish should be kept singly or in pairs. Since they are normally quite accepting of other breeds it is suitable to put these fish together.

When stocking your aquarium for the first time, it is advisable to obtain a book from your local pet store that has a section on stocking. These books will not only provide you with information on how many fish can be put into a specific-sized aquarium, they will also give you information on the types of fish that can be safely combined.

Use of Aquarium Plants

Ecosystems like lakes, rivers, and forests are naturally balanced due to self-regulation. Because of natural cycles, they are basically self-sufficient. A predominant position is held by the green plants which capture and store energy from the sun in the form of sugar, fats, and proteins that serve as food for the animal and vegetable life they support.

In your aquarium, plants hold the same valuable importance and should be treated with great care. Only plants can use lighting to transform inorganic elements into nutrients. Plants need small organisms like bacteria and fungi (which break down dead organic substances into their basic elements) in order to continue to produce these nutrients. Between these two there is a natural balance that allows the plants to do the job they were designed to perform.

Looking at our aquarium along these lines we see that without constant interference from us this balance would be in great danger. We must add food, fertilizer, remove dead plants and animals, remove waste products with protein skimmers and partial water changes, and siphon off excess debris from within the aquarium.

Because of the various appliances available to create oxygen and carbon dioxide gas exchanges in the tank, plants can be completely eliminated from an aquarium. However, if you wish to maintain a more natural and healthy system to provide fish with oxygen and hold down the nitrogen levels, plants are the simplest and most efficient means.

Plants also help maintain the level of algae growth. A healthy planting is a great preventative measure against algae that can overrun your tank. Planting an aquarium with a large variety of plants can be very expensive, so it is best to start with small bunches of the less expensive plants.

After the aquarium is established, you can replace these with the more decorative and attractive plants that you prefer.