Aquarium Genius » Fish Keeping

Identifying And Managing Your Tropical Fish Species

Admin — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 09:20:43 +0000

Tropical fish come in a variety of different species. First of all, you have freshwater tropical fish, and saltwater tropical fish. These are the two main and distinct categories that all breeds of tropical fish can be divided into. Within these categories are different species. Did you know that piranhas, carnivore fish and other anti-social tropical fish all fall within the 'tropical' category?

The last thing you'd want, as a new owner of tropical fish, is to purchase tropical fish species such as piranhas or other related carnivores. Would you really want a flesh eating fish to be in the same fish tank as a beautiful yellow finned, delicate tropical fish species breed? I know I certainly wouldn't! So exercise due care and diligence when deciding which tropical fish species you would like to put in your tropical fish tank.

Now some tropical fish species don't get along with one another, even though they're not carnivores. Indeed, some tropical fish species are just naturally shy and don't mix with any other species other than their own. For this reason you may want to do a little research and ground work before deciding upon which tropical fish species you would like to integrate in your fish tank, as choosing two or more species that don't get along with one another won't be fun to watch at all!

Fish interaction is the main thing that makes keeping and maintaining a fish aquarium so interesting. If your fish live rather boring and dull lives, then you too will soon grow bored of looking at them! Whilst having a fish tank may be quite a novelty of sorts among your friends, if you want to have an enjoyable time watching your fish, then ensure you purchase the right types of tropical fish species.

Conduct further research into discus fish, freshwater tropical fish and saltwater tropical fish. There are so many different species and breeds to choose from that I couldn't even begin to attempt to list them here. Speak to your local pet shop store owner and ask them their opinion on what tropical fish species would be the most enjoyable to have within your tropical fish tank.

Do the groundwork now, and you'll save yourself hassle later! There's no point in just choosing some random tropical fish species, putting them in your fish tank, and hoping for the best. Planning how your fish tank will run before you've even set it up will lead you to long term enjoyment, and you'll be a new tropical fish hobbyist in no time.

Marine Tropical Fish – What You Need to Know as a Marine Tropical Fish Pet Owner

Admin — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:09:39 +0000

Having marine tropical fish in your home or office may be an easier task than you think. A lot of people assume that marine tropical fish are hard to care for. Despite a few basic guidelines and compatibility rules, taking care of tropical fish is no different than freshwater fish. If you want to start your own marine tropical tank, here’s what you’ll need to know.

Marine tropical fish are popular because of their bold and bright colors. They live in saltwater environments. The fish are normally caught in the wild and require more live food than other types of fish. Their tanks have to be kept between 76 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit to replicate the tropical water environment.

To start, you’ll need a tank, sand, a heater, salt mix, a hydrometer, a protein skimmer and a pH kit. You can ask the aquarium specialist at your local pet shop for tips on how to use these components together to take care of your marine tropical fish. There are also many books and websites on the topic, since taking care of tropical fish can have a learning curve.

If you want to make your marine tropical fish tank easy to take care of, you should start with Damselfish and Clownfish. Damselfish come in many different varieties, but the most popular color is blue. Clownfish were the model for the main character in the film “Finding Nemo.”

Once you get more comfortable with taking care of marine tropical fish, you can move on to other varieties. Blennies, Gobies, Tangs, Hawkfish, shrimp and crabs are all good choices for the intermediate saltwater aquarium owner. For a challenge, you can care for tanks with Triggerfish, Lionfish, Seahorses, Anemones, Corals, Eels, Groupers and Starfish. Make sure you check with marine tropical fish compatibility charts before adding any new fish to your tank.

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.

Purchasing Your Tropical Fish Supplies

Admin — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 22:58:45 +0000

Knowing when and where to purchase tropical fish supplies can be a difficult task. There are so many tropical fish pet shops out there, and so many different fish shops, it can be hard to know where to start.

The best thing to do when searching for tropical fish supplies is to go to your nearest tropical fish store and speak to a shop assistant. When speaking with the assistant, ask them what their views are as to what the best types of products for your fish tank may be.

You'd be quite surprised to know that there are so many different varieties of products for your fish tank, all of which serve unique purposes, that choosing only a couple for your fish tank in particular can be a difficult task. It's important you don't get carrier away and decide to purchase everything available, as tempting as it may be. Remember that your tropical fish deserve only a unique set of products that will be relevant to helping them, they don't need an entire entourage of supplies.

Another thing to be mindful of when purchasing your tropical fish supplies is just exactly how much they cost. Whilst it's true that you do pay for quality, some near-identical products may be a lot cheaper at one store as opposed to another. Shop around a little, perhaps even research a certain product's price on the internet. You'd be absolutely amazed just how much of a bargain you can find for certain products if you look hard enough.

Now when it comes to things such as filters and whatnot, make sure you choose a filter that is right for your tank. Many people think that just any old filter will do, but ask yourself these questions - Will the filter meet the theme of my tank? Will be it be sightly? Will it be too large for my tank? (the filter must fit after all!).

Once you've gotten these basics out of the way, the last step is to setup your fish tank with your tropical fish supplies. Now remember that sometimes, the supplies for tropical fish that you purchase are not designed to be used immediately within a live fish tank. For example, if you purchase a filter you want to make sure it works correctly before removing an old one and immediately placing the new one in. Have a little test tank if need be. You could even go so far as to put your fish in a plastic bag with water, or a bucket of some form, only temporarily, until you can ensure that the fish tank is safe for live operation.

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.