The Pet Fish Care Blog

1. For taking proper care, one must know the fish thoroughly.   The care depends on the type of fish you have, whether it is fresh water fish or salt water fish. Salt water fish is also known as marine fish. For salt water fish you need to provide salt water and for the fresh water fish you need to provide well water, not tap water. The chlorine content of the tap water will affect the health of the fish. You must spend every day some time observing the fish behavior. Check whether they are swimming, brisk and active. Any out of ordinary behavior must be reported to fish care specialist at the earliest.

2. One must know the eating patter of the fish stock he or she has. Some fish may need food daily whereas some other fish will need meal once in three days. Herbivores will feed on the plant in the fish tank. Hence you must understand the eating habit of the species you have.

3. The aquarium water must be kept clean. More importance must be given for this; otherwise the fishes will die one by one. The water temperature must remain constant. You can buy good quality filters and place them in the water tank or aquarium to increase the oxygen availability.  You need to add iodine two times in a week in case you are maintaining salt water fish. In addition to this calcium can also be added to the water. The algae build up in the aquarium must be cleared as and when required for the healthy life of the fishes.

4. Fifteen percent of the water present in the aquarium must be filtered once in a week and the same quantity must replace with oxygenated water. This will prevent the possible build up of chemicals that are harmful to the fish. No need for any hesitation to consult the near by fish shop owner or the salesman for clearing or preventing the chemical build up in the water tank. Take his advice in providing best available filter for your water tank.

5. The debris such as gravel needs to be cleared, before cleaning the water. You need to check for the impurities such as ammonia. Buffet system and tester kit is available in plenty in the market. Buy there best one and check the levels of chemicals like chlorine, copper, and nitrate. The checking has to be done once in two weeks. If the chemicals are found in harmful level, then corrective measures needs to be taken. Be aware the fishes produce nitrites which is not harmful. Only the nitrous acid salts required to be removed. In addition to this alkalinity build-up test too needs to be conducted. At least once in a month this test has to be conducted to determine the PH of the water in the aquarium.

6. Be prepared to invest in good quality filters. There are mechanical, Chemical and biological filters available. Buy the best suited one for you in consultation with the fish care specialist or the fish shop owner, to safe guard the health of the fishes. The filter needs to be checked once on two weeks. If the filter needs to be replaced, just do that immediately. Maintain a record for your aquarium filled with details such as species, number of fishes in each species, feeding schedule, equipment details etc.

You had decided to go for salt waster aquarium. You had also selected the species type that is going to be housed. The next important procedure is filling the salt water aquarium. There are many steps that one needs to follow carefully in filling the salt water aquarium. Let’s discuss about it here.

The filling of the salt water aquarium is not a difficult job but it requires little patience. You need to ensure that the species selected are provided the best environment for their healthy and happy living. We can’t sacrifice the comfort of the fish species for the sake of our passion by confining the species in uncomfortable environment.

First priority is to buy healthy fish. Have a very close look at them in the fish shop. Observe their behavior carefully for some time. Are they swimming in the water tank swiftly? Try and find out. Take a look at the cleanliness of the water. Have a talk with the salesman of the shop. Try to clear all your doubt about the said subject. In case you are not satisfied with the subject knowledge of the salesman or the shop owner, just head for another store without any hesitation. Never purchase any fish that are not healthy.

Never think of placing all the species at a time. The fishes need to be added one by one or maximum two at a time. Adding fishes day by day can also be considered. Let the fishes placed live comfortably for some time, then you can think of adding another species selected.

Before all, check the water level of the tank. The PH and the temperature of the water need to be checked to suit the species. The water temperature should remain constant and shouldn’t change frequently. Frequent change in temperature will affect the health of the fish. It is recommended to use a thermostat to monitor the temperature variations. You should have the water heating equipment ready in store.

Once the filling is complete, ensure that they are fed properly. You must know by now, what the fish will eat? You should also know how much they eat? One should know how often they eat? In general, the salt water fishes need to be fed once in three days. The food needs to be kept at 75-80 degrees for some time before being placed in the tank. Pieces of shrimps, romaine lettuce, commercial fish feed etc can be tried.

Some may wonder, whether it possible to have salt water aquarium? .Having a salt water aquarium is possible and it is lot of fun too. There are many benefits in having salt water aquarium. The important thing is that you can have wide range of fishes in salt water aquarium as they find it very comfortable. Like the advantages there are many disadvantages too in salt water aquarium.

Hence one must know the advantages and disadvantages of the salt water aquarium and compare them with fresh water aquarium before arriving at any decision. Let us discuss about the difference between the fresh water aquarium and salt water aquarium and the pros and cons of the same.

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If you are a beginner for aquarium, before doing it big, better understand it in and out. There are many equipments involved, their names are head spinning. One need understand the meaning of many terminologies involved. One must master all these aspects to better pet fish care. Besides one must have enough patience if they want to have aquarium. For beginner, the recommended fish is none other than goldfish. Because these are available in plenty. They look very pretty and make the fish tank colorful. They are easy to maintain.

The aquarium must be kept in good condition. Whatever may the fish that it is going to have. Be it gold fish or dangerous and aggressive piranhas. There is certain procedures one need to follow daily and weekly basis. One may see the gold fish in small container or bowls either in cinema or in real life. This is a very bad idea. In small container the gold fish will only survive for short time. The reason is faster disease spread.

If you want to have aquarium, you must consider minimum of ten gallon water with filtration facility. The filter is most important component in aquarium. This agitates the water surface thereby providing more oxygen to the water. Hence the fishes can use this oxygen for their survival. If more space is provided for the gold fish, it will swim more and remain healthy and happy. The water space provided must be in accordance to the number of gold fish you want to have. More number of fishes requires more space. Read the rest of this entry »

Are you planning to purchase salt water aquarium? Hold on for some time. There are several things one has to know about saltwater aquarium purchase. Here they are. First you must finalize what kind of fish you want to have. In case more than one type is selected, then you must know whether they can share the salt water tank without trouble. Some species will fight with the others and destroy the whole atmosphere of the aquarium. If the types of fish are finalized, then it is the time for selection of the appropriate salt water aquarium.

Size of the tank needs to be considered first. If more space is available, the fish will swim more and remain healthy and happy. But larger salt water tank requires more time for cleaning and for maintenance. The cost of the tank also increases with the size of the tank. You should remember that you have enough space in the house. Read the rest of this entry »

Fishes that belong to super order Ostariophysi contribute to the near 70 percent of the fresh water fish in the world. The characteristic features are weberian apparatus and release of alarm substances. These alarm substances are released by the fish, when it is put under stressful condition.

The fishes that are classified under Characidae family do have some characteristics that resemble characteristics of ostariophysi. Members of family characidae were discovered first in central and southern America. They are found in central Africa too.

There are two main different variations in the members of family Characidae which can be kept in aquarium. They are carnivores and omnivores. The carnivorous type will eat only the meat whereas the omnivorous type will eat both the meat and plant [vegetable matter]. It is better to avoid herbivorous type as they consume all the plant material in the aquarium. Read the rest of this entry »

Fishes that belong to super order Ostariophysi contribute to the near 70 percent of the fresh water fish in the world. The characteristic features are weberian apparatus and release of alarm substances. These alarm substances are released by the fish, when it is put under stressful condition.

The fishes that are classified under Characidae family do have some characteristics that resemble characteristics of ostariophysi. Members of family characidae were discovered first in central and southern America. They are found in central Africa too.

There are two main different variations in the members of family Characidae which can be kept in aquarium. They are carnivores and omnivores. The carnivorous type will eat only the meat whereas the omnivorous type will eat both the meat and plant [vegetable matter]. It is better to avoid herbivorous type as they consume all the plant material in the aquarium.

In case one is planning to have Carnivorous type of characidae, he must keep few things in mind. Let’s discuss it here. These carnivores consider anything that is smaller than its size as its food and hence the same will be consumed by them. In case you want to keep other type of fish such as herbivores, that is possible, but the size should be bigger than carnivores. Herbivores have the habit of not disturbing any other fish unless provoked.

The Characidae carnivores can attack the other either alone or in school. But piranha fishes will attack only in schools. The piranha’s eating habit and jaw formation is similar to the characidae carnivores. Hence both these types of fishes are not recommended for those who don’t have prior experience in maintaining aquarium.

As discussed earlier the Characidae carnivores will eat anything and everything, such as smaller fish, worms, shredded meat portion etc. one has to be careful in not exposing the finger while feeding them.  One should not expose red meat to these fishes. The members of Characidae breed well in captivity. The eggs can be found struck to the bottom of the container. These fishes prefers acidic PH. They are found in plenty in rivers of the central and South America.  As these Characidae carnivores will eat their own young ones, one should be prepared to separate the adults and the young ones, if they want these fishes in their aquarium.

Piranhas are the other dangerous fishes like Characidae carnivores. Many love to have these fishes too in their aquarium. These fishes can grow to the length of 10 inches in wild condition but in captivity they can grow up to 5-6 inches. These fishes too are certainly not recommended for beginners. They are seen in abundance in South America [Amazon basin].

The piranhas can’t be kept with the other fishes. These fishes have needle like sharp teeth arranged in rows. They have oversize jaw. These fishes use their teeth to tear away their prey. Hence while netting, the hands should be kept at safer distance. These piranhas can tear away an adult cow in few seconds, in the wild. This will make you understand how dangerous these fishes are.

But the biggest advantage is that piranhas adapt to the changes in water conditions. These fishes are not bad breeder in captivity. Hence possible presence of school of piranha is avoided in tank, which is good, as these are more dangerous in school. Piranhas don’t mind attacking each other in case no other fish is there. Hence careful handling is necessary.

Do you think just stocking your fish in your salt water aquarium is quite OK? NO!!! You ought to know numerous things about pet fish care especially with marine fishes. Each and every fish is different from one another just like that of human beings. Some salt water fishes will eat their food in specific time whereas others would like to eat whenever they feel hungry. You have to give utmost care to your salt water fishes just like that of new borne babies. In general, salt water aquariums do need more time to take care of your pet fishes.

You can easily get thorough knowledge about pet fish care from the pet store clerk. Before bringing your pet fishes home, you ought to know certain aspects of the salt water fishes. You should have the following ideas in your mind- what type of fishes are compatible with each other, the temperature, salinity and pH levels that the fish need. The fishes you are placing in a tank should have similar needs in these things.

Now this is the time to learn about feeding salt water fishes. In general, most of these fishes will eat every three days, but this is different for each species. In addition to this, you should know about type of feed your salt water fish requires. Some do require different diets including things such as romaine lettuce and even cut up shrimp. This combination will help your pet fishes more stronger and stronger.

Check your fish daily to find out any differences in their behavior. Which means you ought to note what your fish eats and how it swims and also know about its normal activity in the aquarium. If you find any deviation from the normal health, it clearly implies that your fish may be feel ill. This might be due to multi various factors that include change in water temperature, or any infection in the water they’re staying in. You should seek the help of an aqua vet to help them to recover or to stay healthy. Even you can use few products available in the pet shop in the water immediately as a first aid before seeking an appointment from your vet. Don’t expect your salt water fish to live as long as human being. They’re having a short life span. So prepare yourself to replace them as and when required.

Most of the pet fish owners think that gold fish would be hale and healthy at all water temperature as it can survive a wide range of temperature. NO… In goldfish, temperatures are really a complex issue. A research confirms that goldfish can survive temperatures of forty to one hundred and six degrees. If these extreme temperatures are being maintained for a prolonged period, it may lead to fatal to goldfishes.

There are few reports that sudden change in temperature may cause death among the goldfish, even within the ranges listed above. Then how to manage this issue of tank temperature with goldfish? If you buy a goldfish in a pet shop where the tank temperature is seventy degrees, then you must take extreme precautions while introducing the same in a outdoor pond, where the temperature is only forty degrees. You should take days or weeks of careful preparation to avoid any untoward incident with goldfish.

You make use of varied thermostats and heaters for aquariums for maintaining tank temperature. Even you can procure a simple thermometer in any aquarium to study the temperature in your aquarium or pond.

Do you know goldfishes are fond of live vegetation? So do select the plants that can withstand the pressure exerted by goldfish because they are having the tendency of pulling the plants from the bottom of the aquarium. In addition to this, some of the goldfish types are having fleshy parts, flowing or long fins that obscure vision. Hence here is chance of damage to these type of goldfishes as they may get injured if you use plant with sharp edges.

When you go to the pet shop or aquarium that specialize in fish, be sure to check the fish they have in the store. Looking for healthy fish that are well maintained and well maintained. Make sure that no dead fish, or tanks are not overcrowded and the water is clear, not cloudy, if you see any of these signs, you should look to buy fish from elsewhere.

How To Raise a Healthy Goldfish?

A goldfish has no pain in healthy areas or fungal growths on their scales. The flaps lift, movement, and in good condition. If the gills of fish are moving very quickly this could be a sign of a lack of oxygen, this is also true if the fish keeps swimming to the top of the tank of air. The eyes of the goldfish must be clear and bright in color and body should be dense and uniform. In general look for a happy healthy looking fish to swim effortlessly through the water, remember the long finfish will be slower swimmers.

Golden only do I feel? That is a question we do not know the answer to the question, though, nature, colorful fishes swim and live in groups, so it is better to think that they would prefer some company in the tank. Be sure to keep an eye on the fish when you have more than one, as sometimes you can fight or intimidate one another, find something that is torn fins. Goldfish are best kept with their own kind or race, the double tail is best kept together, common goldfish do not mix with wild fish caught, as it is unlikely to be resolved together.

What is the Size of your Fish Tank?

There are many factors to consider when thinking about the amount of fish available. How big is your dog? What size are the fish? What is the temperature of the room? A warm room means less oxygen for fish, so it is better to have less fish if you know the temperature in the atmosphere is warm.Oh, and remember, the fish grow! So make sure you know the approximate size the fish and begin to grow at an aquarium in which much less than the maximum capacity.

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