Tropical Fish Tank Lover

So, you’d like to set up your first freshwater aquarium, but you’re not sure where to start.

Well, you’re not alone. Many people want to have beautiful aquariums of their own, but aren’t certain what kind of filtration and environment their new pets will need.

No one wants to set up a tank and discover that it’s unhealthy because they cut corners somewhere.

Here’s a look at filtration basics for your freshwater aquarium.

First, you need to know what kind of aquarium you’ll need to get. The amount of water can affect filtration significantly. Get the biggest aquarium you can afford, make sure it fits the space available in your home or office, and choose the right fish for it.

Narrow bodied fish should have a gallon of water available for every one to two inches in length. That means that a single narrow bodied fish three inches long would need three to six gallons of water in its tank. Two fish of that size would need six to twelve.

Goldfish, while popular, are much more likely to dirty their water quickly, and need more water and better filtration. Double or triple the amount of water you allow for goldfish - two gallons per inch is not unreasonable.

Bigger fish also need more space to swim, and you’ll need to keep the eventual size of your fish in mind as well as the current size. Your fish are going to grow, and some (such as koi, goldfish, catfish and other similar creatures) will get a lot bigger than you might think.

You might have to purchase a new aquarium a few years down the line.

Once you know how much water and how large the aquarium should be for the fish you want, it’s time to check out filters.

There are four basic types of filtration available for a freshwater tank. These are biological filtration, mechanical filtration, chemical filtration and germicidal filtration.

Mechanical action is performed by the aquarium filters we’re all familiar with - they remove large debris before it can go through the nitrogen cycle and poison your tank.

Biological filtration is the removal of ammonia and other nitrogenous waste, chemical filtration is the removal of contaminants using carbon, zeolite, and similar products, and germicidal filtration is the use of UV light or ozone to kill pathogens that might cause disease.

Every tank is different, so you’ll need to be careful which you choose. However, biological and mechanical filtration should be going on in any tank.

This is why you need to get the tank going before adding fish. Start the mechanical filter, get everything set up, and start the biological filtration using a cycling product or gravel from a functioning aquarium.

Then let it run for six weeks or so to get the cycle going properly. Only then should you add your fish.

This will keep all your pets healthier, more vibrant, and in better condition. The right set up and enough patience will result in a healthy freshwater aquarium - it’s worth it.

Adam McConnell is the author of “The Ultimate Guide To Freshwater Aquariums” which provides more detail on freshwater aquarium filtration - compulsory reading for anyone considering a freshwater aquarium.

The website contains valuable information on how to easily create and maintain your own stunningly beautiful freshwater aquarium with lively and healthy fish, even if you have never owned fish before!

For a FREE 10 part mini-course “Learn The Secrets To Creating & Maintaining a Stunning Freshwater Aquarium With Lively & Healthy Fish” go to => http://freshwateraquariumhelp.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adam_McConnell

There are many different species of floating plants available to the aquarium hobbyist and they should be especially useful to beginners. Floating plants can provide all of the advantages of a planted aquarium, but are generally much easier to keep.

A floating plants is any kind of plant such as Duckweed, Java Moss, or Pennywart that does not need to be rooted into the substrate and floats freely in the water. Free floating plants can be very useful as they do not require the same level of fore-planning as plants which need to root in a good substrate. Not only does mean that many of the benefits gained from having plants, such as extra aeration and food are gained, it also frees the hobbyist of extensive research into providing the right substrate.

It is very easy to keep many types of floating plants. They will absorb a very large level of nutrients, so care must be taken to keep them under control. In the case of Duckweed for instance, this particular kind of floating plant can spread very rapidly and threaten to take over the whole aquarium. Fortunately it is easily removed just by scooping it up from the surface of the water and removing as large or small a portion as is desired. It will be helpful to look at the ideal growing conditions for each individual species of floating plant, as it is helpful to know as much as possible about anything you may introduce to the aquarium.

They are a good alternative to keeping kinds that are planted in substrate in your tank, or plants that need to be attached to rocks or driftwood. This is a convenience factor as much as anything else, although a beginner may find them useful to get started with his or her plant keeping. Many kinds of fish, particularly goldfish, will enjoy eating them. In the case of Java Moss, it is possible to encourage it to grow around a net framework, creating a “moss wall”. Small fish and fry will love to hide in this and it also provides food for them.

You will want to do a decent amount of research on anything you keep in your tank, to discover potential problems or conflicts it may have with the current inhabitants. If you are trying to find an easy way to begin a planted aquarium, most species of floating plants are ideal.

Live aquarium plants are an awesome way to improve the quality of your aquarium.

Make your water cleaner and keep your fish happy. Find out you can do it with live aquarium plants.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sean_Norman

An aquarium is a modified environment for marine creatures to call home. It is also a venue for people to witness the beauty of the waters and all the creatures therein. Selecting the best tank for your aquarium should be based on these two concepts.

First off is giving the marine creatures a home. Fishes are generally roamers. They need some space - in the case of saltwater fish, a lot of space. In picking a tank, choose the volume that can support the marine creatures it will house. Choose also the materials that can support the weight of water in these volumes.

In general, there are two tank materials to choose from, the glass and the acrylic types. To know how to pick between these two, it is vital to understand their properties and which of those properties should you hang on to the most.

Glass aquariums are a top pick material for most aquarists. It is also highly recommended for small to medium sized tanks. If you are planning to buy a tank that will house only a couple of fish, this will be a good choice.

Glass tanks are clearer. They are resistant to scratch. This property will help you keep algae growing in the surfaces of the tank easier to remove. However, once a glass tank is scratched, the mark will be permanent.

Glass aquariums are brittle. They do not bend with high water pressures. This also means that pressures on the seams will be evenly distributed. This is mostly why glass aquarium seams tend to last longer. In any case, unless you want shaped aquariums, glass aquariums will best fit your needs.

Glass aquariums are also cheap. If you are saving more for the fish you want, and that fish does not require a really large space, buying a glass tank will be ideal for you.

Another type of aquarium material is acrylic. Acrylic is technically plastic so it has a lot of properties similar to that of plastics. It is durable and lasts longer than glass in most cases. It is not prone to breakage. Unlike glass tanks, acrylics can usually withstand an uneven base.

Acrylic tanks are easier to shape too. If you badly need curves in your aquarium, get acrylic.

On the other hand, acrylic tanks are more prone to scratches, both from the inside and out. Scratches inside the tank will give algae something to hold on to. This makes it more difficult to clean. Acrylic tanks also bend to the pressure through time. Bending makes it hard for the seams to hold. This is why acrylic tank seams are prone to splitting. This can be remedied by putting up proper support on the edges pf your tank especially those on the base.

For superior viewing, acrylic tank offer a better view of tank contents compared to that in glass aquariums. Acrylic has a refraction index pretty close to that of water. If you look at a glass tank in an odd angle, you may notice distortion in the image of what’s inside your tank. This is because glass’s refraction index is significantly higher than that of water.

If you can’t decide what to choose between the two, there is always laminated glass. It is a combination of glass reinforced with acrylic laminate. This makes your tank so much more durable and longer-lasting. Unless you are planning for a gigantic tank, you will find prices of laminated glass tanks pretty steep. But, if you are rooting for large aquarium displays, say for your restaurant, this option might just be feasible.

Cedric James is a saltwater aquarium fanatic. For more great tips about saltwater fish tanks information, visit http://www.saltwateraquariumeasy.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cedric_James

Since aquariums are an artificial environment fishes a greater amount of risk as compared with what they face in the wild. This may sound wired but this may be so if you don’t provide the fish with the right aquarium supplies. The most common problem that fish face is the problem of toxins. Since an aquarium consists different life forms waste is a common problem. Toxins are produced as a result of waste, toxins include ammonia, phosphorous and nitrate. Fishes in the wild also face the problem of toxins but natural cycles silently replenish the water and rid it of toxins.

Aquarium supplies including aquarium filters also do this job quite effectively. Aquarium filters offer filtration at three different levels including mechanical, biological and chemical. These filters are important for aquariums are they filter out debris and toxins and assure a clean and tidy environment for the fish to live in. Protein skimmers can be regarded as the most important aquarium supplies. These skimmers are majorly used in saltwater aquariums. Protein skimmers do an appreciable job skimming out aquarium water and ridding it of toxins.

Aquarium supplies also include aquarium lighting which is available in different colors. Aquarium lighting elegantly beautifies the aquarium ambiance but it also instills confidence in the fish. The sense of confidence induced by aquarium lighting is something that is good for the fish. There are different aquarium supplies to assist you in the matter of setting up home aquarium, these items include filters, lights, pumps, power heads, wave makers, chillers, heaters, additives, food supplies etc.

Depending on the number of fishes you can either go for a small or a large sized aquarium. Most people select the kind of fish they want to keep in aquarium on the basis of there colors and how pretty they look to them. This can be dangerous because most saltwater fishes are beautiful but they cannot live in fresh water; moreover most beautiful fishes are piousness.

Even if you are keeping fresh water fish in a fresh water aquarium you cannot keep goldfish with guppies because goldfishes have a tendency to eat whatever is smaller than there mouth. Use aquarium filters and it’s always better to acquire some knowledge prior to setting up an aquarium and buying aquarium supplies.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Noelle_Rodriguez

If you have tropical fish and want to upgrade your aquarium, or even if you are just considering getting fish and are looking for an aquarium then you might be considering what type of fish tank to buy. In the past there hasn’t been a huge variety of fish tanks available and most fish were kept in the plain round bowl type or the big rectangular type aquariums.

These days though there is a much bigger variety of tanks available so if you would like something a bit nicer than the plain boring bowl or rectangle aquarium, then be assured that there is plenty out there to choose from.

If you are looking for something that will brighten your room up a bit then the Biorb Fish Tank might be just the thing for you.
Biorb aquariums come in a big range to suit all tastes and to suit all rooms. There are the smaller bowls (don’t worry they are not just you’re basic plain bowls) then the range goes up to much larger aquariums in different shapes and sizes, each one having its own fun style.

One of the great things about the Biorb fish tank is that they come with everything that you need to start up your tank, including filters, lights and more. So you will have a ready made home for your fish.

The style and designs of the Biorb aquariums are what make them so popular as they really give some style and fun to your office or home. They are also designed for easy maintenance so you can spend less time cleaning your tank and more time enjoying your fish.

Biorb also have a large range of plants and ornaments that you can purchase to add to your tank. The plants come in a variety of colors to compliment any decor.

So don’t settle for a plain basic aquarium for your fish when you can have something stylish and fun, check out the Biorb Fish Tank range and give your fish the best home.

Keeping fish is very rewarding and I’m sure you want your fish to be happy and healthy.
To find out more about keeping fish and about Biorb aquariums visit Biorb Fish Tank

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sheryl_Polomka

Anyone who has kept a fish tank knows how dirty the water gets. After all, even though fish are tiny, they are also rather messy critters, and the water needs constant maintenance. Even if you make it a practice to change the water and wash out the aquarium on a weekly basis, you’re still going to need some help with the monumental task of maintaining a healthy environment for your fish. One of the things that will help you is a good filter. Filters can be biological or chemical, but one of the most effective filters you can buy is one that uses diatomaceous earth as it’s filtering medium.

As the name implies, diatomaceous earth comes from the soil. Diatoms are tiny organisms that die and leave fossilized remains in the soil. By so doing, they fill the soil with minute cavities which can be used effectively in filtering debris out of water, including the water in fish tanks. These are the same types of filters which are used in swimming pools and municipal applications, and they are excellent for capturing even the smallest particles in your water. In fact, they corral particles that are too small to be caught in most other types of water filters.

Vortex Diatom Filters are high-speed mechanical filters which are designed to fine filter water in aquariums without disturbing the natural, and desirable, level of bacteria. Although most of us have been conditioned to think of bacteria as being a bad thing, there are many different kinds of good bacteria that we depend on every day, so it is important that we not rid any ecosystem of the good bacteria that it needs for plants and animals to survive. A filter which damages the balance could prove hazardous for your fish.

A System 1 Pressure Filter from Aquarium Products will polish tank water at the rate of 300 gallons per hour. It can be used both in saltwater and freshwater aquariums successfully. By filling the filter jar with diatomaceous earth, which can be purchased separately, it will run for about 3 hours at a time. It must be turned off after 3 hours, because running it longer will cause the motor to burn up. However, in that 3 hours, you will have filtered and polished the best quality of water on the market today.

Although it may seem a little weird to use soil to clean your tank, diatomaceous aquarium filters are so popular that they are on back order at most online shops. With persistence you will be able to find the filter you need to keep your aquarium clean and your fish healthy.

Looking for more information on diatomaceous earth filtration? Visit SeparmaticSystems.com for all your water purification needs including diatomaceous earth filters and portable water systems

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kristie_Brown

There are a wide range of benefits from planting in your aquarium and your fish will love you for it. Invisible in the water, are a wide range of chemicals that your plants need to survive and to do the best job they can for the aquarium.

Deficiencies of chemicals which need to be readily available to live aquarium plants are the chief causes of sickness in them. The major substances needed by plants must be available in large quantities and are commonly known as macronutrients. Macronutrients include all of the following: Calcium, Carbon, Carbon Dioxide, Phosphates, Phosphorus, Potassium, Nitrogen, Magnesium, Oxygen and Sulphur. Any deficiencies of these, will result in a wide range of detrimental affects to your plants. As this is quite a wide cocktail of substances, it is important for a nutrient rich substrate and fertilizers to be used to ensure the plants have everything they need.

Most substrates will tell you what nutrients they contain, so it is not normally too difficult to check how nutrient rich your substrate of choice is. if you decide to keep harder plants or have more experience with plants, it is possible to use fertilizers to try and cover any deficiencies. If you are thinking of keeping harder plants or using fertilizers you will be successful if you feel confident with your understanding of water chemistry. Using a testing kit to test the levels of the individual macronutrients should be helpful in discover what your water does, or does not, contain.

The most commonly available fertilizers are NO3 (potassium nitrate), K2SO4 (potassium sulfate), and KH2PO4 (mono potassium phosphate). It is also possible to make your own DIY fertilizers, though like with keeping harder aquarium plants, your knowledge of water chemistry and confidence needs to be enough to handle this properly. The advantage of making your own fertilizer, measuring out the dry ingredients or making a solution, is it is normally much cheaper. A tank with a lot of exotic, demanding plants can become very expensive extremely quickly if you are using store-brought fertilization.

Providing that you choose a nutrient rich substrate, you are eliminating a lot of potential deficiency problems right from the start. The more demanding the plants, the more helpful it is to understand water chemistry so you can react according if they start to sicken.

Live aquarium plants are an awesome way to improve the quality of your aquarium.

Make your water cleaner and keep your fish happy. Find out you can do it with live aquarium plants.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sean_Norman

The amount and type of care necessary to maintain a healthy aquarium and avoid goldfish diseases will depend both on the type (saltwater or fresh water) and size of the tank and the number and type of fish that it contains. In general, after the initial startup period, regular aquarium maintenance should be fairly straightforward. In fact, an aquarium that is properly set up should eventually reach a state of balance that requires only routine maintenance.

Water Quality: The Key To Goldfish Health

Regardless of the style of fish tank, the type of fish it contains or the theme your aquarium follows, it is absolutely essential that you maintain the proper water balance. If you equate your aquarium to a swimming pool for your fish you will quickly understand what happens if you don’t test the water regularly. The swimming pool will quickly fill wish algae and create a poisonous environment for your fish.

Many pet stores will be happy to test your aquarium water free of charge if you’d rather not tackle this job yourself, however, you’re first guide to a problem with your tank is usually visual. Look at your tank and your fish every day and you’ll identify goldfish diseases and an unhealthy tank quickly. If you get your tank water tested at your local pet store you will build a rapport with the staff and you’ll find them helpful if you require medication for your fish or treatments for your aquarium. Generally, however, it is best to avoid adding unnecessary chemicals to your tank and they can unbalance the water and lead to further problems. Your pet store will usually test your water for free and recommend solutions for problems when they arise, as well as offer advice on the basics of fish tank care.

As a basic rule you will need to always de-chlorinate water when topping up the aquarium, and monitor the pH, ammonia and nitrate levels. These easy steps will go a long way to reducing goldfish diseases.

In addition to monitoring the water quality, avoid falling prey to some of the common misconceptions about goldfish and aquarium care. Contrary to popular belief, you will not need to drain the fish tank of all its water, scrub it and refill it with fresh water. Although this approach may make sense at an intuitive level, it is not the right approach. First, removing fish from the tank is traumatic for your tank’s inhabitants. Second, no soap or other cleaner should be used on the inside of a fish tank. Soap residue is almost impossible to remove completely from the walls of the tank and it will contaminate the water.

A properly maintained and balanced tank will essentially look after itself and will require very little care. Partial water changes every week or so, water testing and watching your fish is about all you should need to do under normal circumstances. At the first sign of distressed fish it is important to identify goldfish diseases and remove sick goldfish to a separate tank so they don’t spread disease amongst the rest of the fish.

Lastly, make sure your aquarium has a proper filtration unit installed. Your pet shop will be able to advise of the right size of filter for the size of the tank and the number of fish it supports. Circulating and oxygenating the water are crucial to the health of the tank and the survival of your goldfish. Proper circulation ensures waste products are removed from the system and helps prevent the formation of algae.

Following these simple guidelines will ensure you can gain all the benefits of aquarium ownership and the enjoyment that a tank of healthy fish provides.

Want to discover more about how to identify goldfish diseases? Pop on over to our website, http://www.goldfishsite.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alison_Benjamin

Everywhere around us, nature always provides balance. Even an artificial environment like an aquarium is not exempt from this rule. If you are planning to set up a new aquarium or add a new fish to your existing one, you should first know how these environs thrive.

Without proper knowledge or guidance, adding a new fish to an already stable aquarium may cause new tank syndrome which is quite distressing for the aquarist. It is abhorred by enthusiasts and often leads to death.

Although you may only see a fish in your aquarium, there are actually a lot of other creatures involved in the stability and life in your aquarium. As in the wild, there is also a delicate balance in the aquarium that needs to be maintained.

One of the most important processes a budding aquarist should know is the nitrogen cycle. Nitrogen, the most abundant element in the atmosphere, is also present in almost every tissue of every living creature. It also is abundantly excreted by fish in the form of ammonia (NH3). Even in small concentrations, ammonia can be poisonous to fish, damaging the gills, inhibiting oxygen supply and eventually causing paralysis or death.

Luckily, there are heterotrophic (waste-eating) bacteria that break ammonia down. First, Nitrosomonas breaks down ammonia to nitrite (NO2) which is still poisonous to fish. Then Nitrobacter steps in. It further metabolizes nitrite and excretes nitrate (NO3) which is quite harmless to fish (but food for algae). Without these two bacteria, your fish will suffocate and die in a matter of days. Talk about a fish drowning!

Fish and microorganisms in an aquarium create a delicate balance. Unfortunately, these two bacteria multiply slowly at first. When there are too many fish in the tank, the microorganisms cannot catch up before the fish suffocate.

On the brighter side, there are ways to jumpstart this cycle and balance it for the new fish before it arrives. This is what aquarists call cycling. What usually happens is that aquarists introduce an ammonia source on behalf of the new fish and wait for the heterotrophs to catch up. Once the heterotrophs balance out the excess ammonia, then the new resident can come in.

An example of cycling is using two or three cocktail-sized dead shrimps per new fish into the aquarium. When the shrimps start to decompose, it will release ammonia into the water. Then you should watch ammonia and nitrite levels increase, peak, and gradually decline. Once ammonia and nitrite levels reach zero, the new fish can be accommodated.

Introducing hermit crabs in an aquarium is another example of cycling. Buy a couple of hermit crabs as interim residents for your aquarium. Like fish, they excrete ammonia as waste. The microorganisms will then have accelerated growth until they have enough population to support the hermit crabs. Once ammonia and nitrite levels have zeroed, replace the crabs with the new resident fish. This type of cycling is more natural than the cocktail shrimp method. Needless to say, hermit crabs are also infinitely more exciting than a couple of dead shrimps.

Cedric James is a saltwater aquarium enthusiast. For more great tips about how to cycle correctly, visit http://www.saltwateraquariumeasy.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cedric_James