Aquarium Genius » Fish Health

Quick Notes on Tropical Fish Care

Admin — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:43:32 +0000

It's interesting how many people think that tropical fish care is difficult and so detailed that you need to get everything just right or your fish are going to choke away and die. Yes, you do need to provide fish with a healthy environment and a clean tank as well as the right amount of food and things such as this, but it's really not that difficult to learn about tropical fish care and to have a successful tank. Here are a few quick pointers.

Successful tropical fish care really boils down to understanding what fish need and what their natural environment is like and then providing them with an home tank that is as close to that as possible. As an example, it's very bad tropical fish care to use bleach or other cleansers on your tank because of course bleach doesn't exist in their natural habitat and any residue of this harsh cleaner is going to be very bad for them. Imagine how bad you feel when you swim in a pool that has too much chlorine; your skin gets dry, your eyes get bothered, and so on. It's the same with fish when they're swimming in a tank that has been cleaned with bleach or some other chemical. So when it comes to tank cleaning and tropical fish care, usually damp rags are sufficient.

Feeding is another important area when it comes to tropical fish care. Believe it or not the most common mistake that many fish owners make is to feed their fish too much and too often. Fish don't have that "full" sensation that humans do and can literally eat themselves sick; additionally any leftover flakes that remain in your tank will degrade and upset the chemical balance of the water. A few flakes here and there are not a problem but when you have quite a bit still remaining after feeding your fish this is bad for them. In their natural habitat fish don't eat twice a day and sometimes they don't even eat every single day. Understanding how bad it is to overfeed them is an important part of tropical fish care and can help to avoid many health problems down the road.

It's also important that you don't have too many fish in one tank; all the tropical fish care in the world won't make up for a tank that is overcrowded with too many fish or with fish that are too large for the space. Fish need room to swim around for their physical health but their emotional health as well. When fish are too crowded they have a tendency to act out and nip at other fish in their territory. There's not much you can do by way of tropical fish care when your tank is too crowded. If you can't afford a huge tank be sure you scale back the number of fish and the size of them so that they're all happy and healthy.

Identifying The Various Tropical Fish Diseases

Admin — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 15:20:24 +0000

There are a variety of tropical fish diseases that may affect your pet tropical fish. Identifying these diseases and taking appropriate measures to counteract them is essential to ensuring the healthy life of your fish, and ensuring that they're as happy as possible.

We'll look at the first of the tropical fish diseases we'll be discussing in this article, the disease called 'Shimmy'. Shimmy is one of the tropical fish diseases where your fish looks like it's moving at an inordinate rate. It seems to move fast, but it doesn't move its fins much at all. This is a sign of shimmy and should you notice it, you should have it treated as quickly as possible.

Ich spots are another form of tropical fish diseases. Ich spots are tiny spots, usually of a white colour, that appear over your tropical fish. If you notice these ich spots you should once again seek some form of medicine to treat your pet tropical fish. Another similar type of tropical fish diseases, is one that has red sores appearing all over your tropical fish. If you notice these sores, you should treat them as quickly as possible. As time progresses the sores will begin to grow larger and larger, if they grow too large, then you risk your pet tropical fish developing the worst of tropical fish diseases.

A common way of identifying whether or not your fish has tropical fish diseases is attempting to find out if your tropical fish has a loss of its appetite. Fish that show lack of interest in other fish, disinterest in their surroundings, or have a loss of appetite, may be developing some other form of disease which may not be readily identifiable. You should check for such symptoms and if noticed, purchase some tropical fish medicine that can deal with the disease most likely associated with your tropical fish.

Tropical fish diseases aren't as rare as some people may think, poor tank maintenance, incorrect food, or incorrect lighting, can all go towards negatively influencing the life of your tropical fish. If you want your tropical fish to be as happy and healthy as possible, ensuring they live a life free from tropical fish diseases, then make sure that you keep an eye on them, and treat them well.

Remember that tropical fish, like any other pet, require care, love and nurturting. If you provide your tropical fish with the appropriate care and love they need, then they should live healthy and fulfilling lives.

Be Cautious of These Mistakes When Feeding Tropical Fish

Admin — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 23:29:40 +0000

Of all the mistakes that you can make with these beautiful pets, you would think that feeding tropical fish would be one of the things you get right! After all how hard can it possibly be to sprinkle some fish food at the top of your tank and watch the little guys go for it?

In reality there are many mistakes you can make when it comes to feeding tropical fish, and some of these mistakes really aren't that serious whereas others can actually affect the health and well-being of your fish overall. Let's take a look at some of these mistakes and then also talk about the right things you should do when feeding tropical fish.

The most common mistake that many pet owners make when it comes to feeding tropical fish is feeding them too much. Usually they see their fish swim up to the top of the tank when it's feeding time and assume that the little guys are hungry; they may then interpret this to mean that they should be feeding them more often so they won't need to go hungry like that. In reality when you're feeding tropical fish on a regular schedule they will just get accustomed to this schedule and will head for the top of the tank when it's time for food, whether they're hungry or not. We humans do the same thing sometimes - we get the munchies at night when watching television only because we're bored or because we get used to eating popcorn during our favorite show, and not because we're actually physically hungry. So don't let the behavior of the fish influence your schedule when it comes to feeding tropical fish; usually twice per day is enough and in some cases even more then enough, as in their natural habitat it's not unusual for them to actually miss a day or even two of food and be perfectly fine.

It's also good when feeding tropical fish to occasionally give them a special treat. Fish love live feed and things like blood worms or brine shrimp are considered delicacies to them. You never want to have these special treats to act as their main food but an occasional treat can make your fish feel happy and calm, the same way it does for humans. You don't need to actually touch live bait when feeding tropical fish these special treats as most are available frozen or freeze dried, making them last longer and more convenient for you. If you have fish that you're trying to breed, you can give them a special treat as well since this can make them more calm and ready to mate.

So consider these points when feeding tropical fish; don't overfeed them but don't deny them their special treats either. Flake fish food is good enough for most breeds, and you can even involve your children in their care by letting them sprinkle in the food when it's time!

The Secrets Behind Tropical Fish Food

Admin — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 02:07:48 +0000

Feeding your tropical fish the right tropical fish food is essential to ensuring their survival. Feed some species of fish the wrong food and they won't eat it. Some species will simply starve if they're not interested in the food you give them, whilst other species, such as those that are carnivores, may even eat smaller fish! So ensuring that your fish receive the right tropical fish food is important.

Now the first step to remember with tropical fish food is that quantity is just as important as the quality of the product you're giving. Give your pet tropical fish too much tropical fish food, even if it's good, and you'll notice your tank will begin to gain slime and the quality of your water will become bad. This can lead to further problems such as constant tank cleaning, and general poor health of your tropical fish.

So how do you circumvent the potential problems of feeding your tropical fish the wrong tropical fish food? Quite simply by feeding the species of your tropical fish with the correct food for that species. If your species needs a certain vitamin in particular, then put food containing that vitamin in your fish tank. If your species needs a certain quantity of a fish food more than a smaller tropical fish species, then make sure to give them more fish food. Once again, the quality and the quantity of your fish food are both important for your pet tropical fish.

Defecencies in the essential vitamins for your tropical fish can lead to unhealthyness within your fish. It is not uncummon for poorly fed tropical fish to show elements of depression, lose of appetite, and may even cause certain fish diseases. All of these things would be very sad indeed, and could be prevented if only you had used the correct tropical fish food to begin with.

So remember, that your tropical fish are beautiful and unique, and deserve the best tropical fish food possible. For this reason, make sure to research the species of tropical fish that you wish to maintain, and if you have multiple species within your tank, try and find fish food that all species can enjoy. Last but not least, ensure that you clean your tank frequently so that excess food scraps don't begin to rot and dirty your fish tank.

So to sum it up, remember that both quantity and the quality of your tropical fish food are important to ensuring the health of your fish, to ensuring they live the happiest and most fulfilling lives possible. A happy and healthy tropical fish means that you can observe the beauty of a living organism that you've nurtured and maintained. All of your friends will be amazed by the beuaty of your tropical fish, and all this will be as a result of the tropical fish food you've fed them.