“You and Your Aquarium” is a book that is written by author Dick Mills. This interesting book covers various aspects of both saltwater and freshwater fish keeping and also elaborates about how to set up your first tank. A species guide to freshwater and saltwater fish is provided in this book and the species guide covers some of the most popular fish in the aquarium hobby. This book also elaborates on basics of filtration, heating, types of tanks and feeding. 

“The Aquarium Handbook” is a book that is written by author David Goodwin. This helpful book is one of the best books for freshwater fish and has an elaborated guide on which species of fish to keep in your freshwater aquarium. The species guide has clear pictures of various species of fish and the species guide also elaborates on the feeding habits of the fish. Basics of aquatic plants information is also covered in this book. The information included about aquatic plants includes names of plants are their requirement. This book also provides information about general guidelines of fish keeping.  

“Corals of The World” volume one, two and three are indeed the best books for new aquarium owners since these three books have detailed information about corals from all over the world. These books are highly recommended as they cover topics such as technical and non technical information about various corals, pictures of the corals and history about corals.  

Practical Fish Keeping magazine also known as PFK is a series of magazines that are published periodically and are of immense value to new aquarium owners. This magazine covers incidents of what happens around the world in the fish keeping hobby and also provide answers on some of the most common questions asked by new aquarium keepers.  

Tropical Fish Hobbyist is another magazine that is very popular with fish keepers. This magazine provides valuable information on all aspects of fish keeping and also elaborates on which are the best products for your aquarium along with reviews and adverts.

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So your love of fish has you thinking about setting up an aquarium in your home, or perhaps in your office. It might be mistaken that this is plain sailing, but there are numerous choices to make before you begin and certain equipment to buy, such as aquarium filters, that will be essential for your aquarium and the well-being of your fish.

The first decision you will need to make is fresh or saltwater, or perhaps even warm water? The type of fish that you want to take care of will determine which of these options are best for you. Tropical fish, like our familiar movie star ‘Nemo’, will require a warm water environment, so a heater is essential for your tank. However, if this is your first time, it’s advisable to begin with a cold-water tank until you are more confident and know more about how to look after your fish. Fish of the tropics are more sensitive and generally harder to take care for.

If this is your first time, go for a tank that holds around ten gallons of water. Over time, you have the option of going bigger if you feel it necessary. If you are already quite serious about fish, a 30 gallon tank with room for a good variety.

The aquarium stand can be just as important as the tank itself, allowing a stable hold of the tank and in some cases, you can buy them with additional storage to keep fish food and other supplies at hand.

When you set up your tank, be sure of the ideal place to put it as once full with water, it will be harder to re-locate.

Your aquarium should be thoroughly cleaned and dry before you move on. It’s also recommended to wash the gravel before placing it in the tank. If you want to apply a background picture, now is the time to do it, remembering to always place it on the outside of the tank unless directions state otherwise.

Next up is the aquarium filter. It should be easy to install when following the manufacturers set-up guidelines. Usually, the water filter will go in the rear corner of the aquarium with the outlet just below the water surface. This is one of the most essential additions to your tank as it removes any waste produced by the fish. Without one, it is inevitable that your fish will contract harmful diseases and eventually die. The majority of filters are a mechanical device, trapping the waste so that you can remove it then manually.

Other, biological filters, will transform toxic waste into less harmful nitrates, which will be disposed of the next time you change the water. The internal sponge, which acts as the filter, should be cleaned regularly to avoid a slow working filter. The downside of which is a limited supply of oxygen in the tank, a vital element to your fish. You can also purchase external filters. Water is removed from the tank, filtered, and then pumped back into the tank. They have an advantage over internal filters, as they require less cleaning and can be improved with add-ons that will give you a better water quality. These types of filters are quite often regarded as the best option.

With the filter in place, you can start adding the gravel up to 2 inches in depth, followed by fresh drinkable water, leaving some space at the top of the aquarium.

Install the heater and the pump as directed and adjust the thermostat as advised in the manual. Place the thermometer on the front or the side of the glass so you can check it regularly. Now you can decorate with an array of rocks, plants and other items that will be safe and enjoyable for your fish.

Install the light at the top of the aquarium.

Lastly, allow 24 hours for the water to settle before you purchase your fish. It’s better to start with just a few in the beginning before adding others that are compatible to the ones you already have.

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A freshwater aquarium tank is awesome. They look great anywhere in your home, be it in the living room, dining room, bedroom, or even the kitchen! The swirls of colors from the fish and corals make it a very pleasing aesthetic piece which could calm you down even after a long day’s work.

However, getting one is not as simple as buying a table and chair set from the furniture store. The first thing you should remember before getting one is that having an aquarium is a responsibility. It is not a simple appliance that you just turn on when you’re in the room and turn off when you’re leaving. The fish and plants inside are living things that you should take care of, and that’s the responsibility that you should be aware of. It’s similar to having a dog, though the difference is that they’re a lot of small pets and that they’re in the water.

Next, you’ll have to decide on the size of your freshwater aquarium tank. It can’t be too small if you’re planning on having a whole school of fish inside, and it can’t be too big that you won’t have space in your house to fit it in. It would also be better if you’d prepare a corner in your house to fit the tank in, instead of figuring that out after you’ve purchased the tank and then you’d find out that the tank is too small, too big, or just doesn’t look right in the space where you could place it in.

The equipment you’d need would be the tank itself, a water heater/filter, the gravel/sand/plants, and the fish. You would have to wash out the equipment first with water – do not use soap or any cleansing agent. That could leave behind residue which is harmful to the fish. Once you’ve set up the tank, you can now fill the tank with water. So that you won’t disturb or displace the set-up that you’ve created, you can place a plate in the middle of the tank and let the water fall onto there. That would prevent splashes which could destroy the set-up, as the water would only spill to the sides.

After the aquarium has been set-up with the plants, you can’t put in the fish yet! You’d have to wait until the nitrogen cycle of the plants has cycled at least once. There are chemicals and products which you could purchase to speed it up, and once that’s done, you could now put in your fish. Add the fish two at a time, and slowly so that they could get accustomed to the temperature and pH level of the water, and also so that the ecosystem you created could adjust to the additional load of having two more living things. This is important to reduce the stress of the fish, so that they wouldn’t die easily.

Now, you have your freshwater aquarium tankup and running. The responsibility that you have in your hands is real, but the pleasure of taking care of it and enjoying the fruit of your labours is very rewarding.

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If you ever want to start breeding fish as your hobby, guppies are the best fish to start off. If you put one female and one male guppy in nearly any aquatic environment, they can easily give birth to 10 baby guppy fries. They are easily the best fish to give happy little fish fries.

The main reason why guppies are the best breeding fish for your aquarium is because guppies are a hardy fish that can survive many different types of harsh water quality and also because they are live bearing fishes.

Live bearing fishes are fishes that have eggs which are fertilized and developed in their bellies instead of laying their eggs outside of their bodies. This means that that the little baby fish fries can swim straight away out of the mother fish when given birth, instead of waiting for the eggs to hatch like a chicken. You will see no eggs deposited in the aquarium where other hungry fishes can eat it. Guppies can have up to 5 to 100 little baby guppy fries in their bellies when pregnant. When giving birth, guppies have all the features of an adult fish. It is active the minute it exits its mother’s belly, and can eat and swim naturally once it frees itself from the mother. Potentially, you can have 100 little baby guppies swimming in your fish tank from just two guppies.

Baby guppy fries are also very easy to reach full maturity. It takes approximately one or two months and they can be fed easily with just grinded up goldfish flakes. There is little maintenance with guppies, so feeding and changing water is the most you need to do to breed guppies.

Guppies are easily the easiest fish to breed. Why don’t you try and breed some yourself?

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Before you even begin to get your tank ready, please make sure of the following:

1) The weight of the tank is supported well (it will be much heavier with water in it). I would suggest using an online calculator to figure out the weight using the aquarium measurements.

2) There is no chance of direct sunlight entering the tank at any time of year.

3) No leaks in the tank (use silicone to repair).

Setting up your Tropical Fish Aquarium.

You will need:

Gravel to put on the bottom

Decorations and Plants (plastic are easy to clean and maintain, real plants are better for the fish)

Electric Pump (with charcoal and sponge filters)

Heater (with thermostat, set at 77F)

Thermometer – with clearly visible digits to see the real actual temperature

Light – long life fluorescent

Small Net

Buy tropical fish food flakes (feed once a day only), blood-worms (feed only once in awhile), and water conditioner (for use when you add tap water).

Everything should be in place with the pump and heater running for a few days before introducing the fish.

The recommended compatible fish are: Angel Fish, Dwarf Gourami, and Zebra Danio.

The Zebra Danio are very active and incredibly hardy. The Dwarf Gourami are beautiful yet tough as nails, they are really the rulers of the tank. Of course the Angel fish are the highlight. They are awesome and very intelligent. When they see you enter the room, they react by trying to get your attention to feed them! Please be warned that they grow a lot, they become huge! I’m not kidding, it’s really unbelievable how they become frighteningly gigantic.

Don’t get any cute smaller fish, they will get eaten! I don’t care what the experts say, I know what I see with my own eyes. You won’t see them do it, but of course if there is no body, it should be horrifyingly clear what actually happened…

Cleaning your Aquarium:

To clean the aquarium, you will need a cleaning siphon to pump out some (one third) of the water.

Use a sponge with a scouring pad on one side to clean the inside glass.

You will need to do a complete and thorough cleaning about every 2 months. Take out all of the ornaments and use chlorine bleach (no, it won’t hurt the fish) to soak everything 30 minutes. Rinse each piece very well under running water.

Take the filter apart completely to clean it properly.

The water will become ugly and cloudy however the fish will tolerate this temporary inconvenience. After a few hours the water should be quite clear. Don’t forget to use the water conditioner to treat the tap water.

Enjoy the beauty of the interaction between your fish in your clean tropical fish aquarium!

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First off, being a freshwater aquarium enthusiast I am only talking about algae eater fish for the freshwater aquarium and focusing on smaller tanks, simply because if you have the expertise to set up and run a large tank, you are probably past asking questions about algae eating fish.

First off what do I call small? Well anything between 10 and thirty gallons. Anything less than this and you are into micro tanks which are managed completely differently to what I call normal aquariums. I am also going to assume that you have a planted tank simply because I believe wholeheartedly in planted tanks in preference to unplanted.

So now on to the algae eating fish. One of my favourites is the Oto Catfish. This little fellow grows to an absolute maximum of two inches, often smaller and stays quite slim so it’s load on the biological filter is minimal. They are a shoaling fish and best kept in small groups of between three and six. They will happily eat the algae off of the glass and plants without causing any damage to leaves. A word of caution, they are quite delicate so only add them to an established tank that has fully cycled and make sure that you acclimatise them slowly. Once they have settled in they are easy to keep. Supplement their algae diet with some pellet food for catfish every now and again.

Siamese Algae Eaters grow to about 4-5 inches when mature so think carefully before adding them to a smaller tank. Having said that they are probably the most effective algae eater, clearing plants and gravel of algae and uneaten food. They can be confused with other fish so always buy from a reputable dealer.

Chinese algae eaters, although great when they are young quickly develop aggressive behaviour as they grow so I would avoid them in a small community tank.

Finally the Plecostomus. The Plecostomus is probably one of the most popular algae eaters for beginners and many beginners have lived to regret the day that they got one. Get the wrong Plecostomus and it will grow up to two feet in length, far too big for all but the largest tanks. It will also eat every plant available leaving the tank bare. There are now several rivers in the USA where these fish have become a real pest, destroying the local eco-system after being released into the wild by irresponsible owners.

Don’t expect to be excited by algae eater fish. Most of them move slowly and stay in one place for hours on end. Their beauty is in how they keep the tank clean so that you can enjoy all your fish.

Tags: aquarium

Freshwater aquarium fish for sale can be found easily in many advertisements and offerings. Even online sources are enticing to many fish keepers and beginners who are interested in keeping fish. If you are one of those hobbyists you should think about what kind of fish you want to keep before you rush in searching freshwater aquarium fish for sale. Professional breeders preferred and recommend to beginners to have keen selection method in order to get high quality freshwater aquarium fish for sale.

If you are just starting on your hobby, it is best to buy from authorized breeder to ensure the quality of the fish. You can also try from private owners who have been successful in breeding aquarium fish. Successful breeders could share with you pertinent information on how you will succeed in your hobby and this is the advantageous part of buying from them.

Do not hesitate to ask information regarding the fish you want to buy. Keep in mind that each species of fish has different necessities and requirements of environment. It is important that you tell the breeder the type of tank you have so that he can tell you what will work well in your tank. If you have a freshwater aquarium, you should be aware that there are freshwater fish that come from tropical and cold water. It is essential that you know the kind of environment the species of fish you choose prefers. Your fish will not thrive in an environment that is not suitable for it.

Another place where you can find freshwater aquarium fish for sale is from online retailers. Although it is a little bit risky to buy online, it is still a good idea. You just need to choose the right kind of fish from the huge selection the online store’s offer. Aside from being convenient, buying fish for sale online will save you money because it is in lower price. However, the disadvantage of buying online is that they cannot give you advice of what you have needed to know about your fish that most beginners need to learn. Freshwater aquarium fish for sale is valuable only if your fish live healthy after you bring it home otherwise, your money will be wasted.

Tags: aquarium

If you are thinking about getting an aquarium, you will have to do some initial preparation and figure out what you want to get in the way of aquarium fish types. There are hundreds of different kinds of fish with which to stock your aquarium. You might want some because of their colors or shapes or because they are particularly friendly to other fish. A well set up aquarium can be very beautiful and give you hours and hours of enjoyment.

The great thing about aquarium fish types are that they don’t require as much time to care for as many other pets. You don’t have to walk them several times a day like dogs or even feed them live insects like some lizards. All you really need to do is feed them and clean the tank every now and then.

When you are getting your aquarium, fish types to consider include community fish, semi-aggressive fish, and fish that are definitely not community fish. A community fish is one that does well sharing the tank with other fish. Usually they are schooling fish, or fish that like to live in groups. They do their best when combined with other fish of their own kind, but community fish can also get along with other species of fish. One of the most colorful and popular of the community fish is the Neon Tetra. Guppies and Platys also fall into this category.

Semi-aggressive aquarium fish types include ones such as the Red Tailed Shark or the Rainbow Shark. These fish do well in a tank with other semi-aggressive fish, as long as you only have one of their species in the tank. They are not good in tanks with fish smaller than themselves as they will most likely eat them.

Non-community fish are fish that more violent than even the semi-aggressive fish. They can only be in a tank together with others of their own species. These fish tend to be quite large and they usually have to have live food in their meal plan. These fish require a very large tank. Examples of non-community fish are Green Terrors and Tiger Oscars.

If you are just starting out, you should get some hearty aquarium fish–types that are not going to eat one another and who are not going to die during the first six weeks when a new aquarium is making its living environment. The best thing to do is get some nice, little fish who are not delicate at first and then after the tank has had a few weeks to be established, to go back to the pet store and get exactly the kinds of fish you have chosen to inhabit your tank.

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The History of Aquarium

Many people like to decorate their house, restaurants and several other dwelling places with a beautiful aquarium. But, do you have an idea of how an aquarium came into existence? How it evolved in the years gone by? Here, is a chronological evolution of the aquarium:

The origins of the aquarium dates back to 2500 BC when Sumerians thrived and maintained food fishes. For more than 4,000 years, people kept fishes initially in ponds and later in tanks. Many ancient cultures valued the speed, beauty and agility of fishes. Ancient Egyptians spawned certain species of fishes for their intrinsic beauty and decorative traits. Chinese raised the carp for food as early as 2000 B.C and were probably the first to lay the foundation to breed fishes to successful limits.

1500s to mid 1800s

Goldfish became an instant sensation in aquarium in the early 1500s. By the end of 1600s, goldfish thrived in England and became popular in ornamental lakes and ponds throughout the country. Moreover, Goldfishes were a common sight in America in the mid 1800s.

1800s to 1900s

In the year 1853, the world’s first-ever public aquarium opened in Regents Park in London. In the next 15 years, until 1868, similar public aquariums opened throughout England, France and Germany. But, due to lack of aquarium building and maintenance knowledge in those days, these early aquariums did not last long. However, in the 1870s, aquarium keepers mastered the skills of filtration and aeration. This led to opening of many new aquariums that sustained for a long period. The interest of fish keeping, the United States also rose during the same period and the government of the US established the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History. But, it was P.T. Barnum, the Showman, who opened the first public aquarium in the US. After this, there was a mass virtual explosion of interest in fish keeping and their environment, which also led to the foundation of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography that kept large a aquarium for public viewing and entertainment.

1900s until present

Today, fishes are the United State’s second most popular pets after cats. Scientific and technological innovations throughout the 20th century have made an aquarium and its maintenance even more convenient than before. Better equipments such as oxygen pumps, filters and balanced and healthy diet have enabled fishes to survive in an aquarium in the same way, as they did in the ponds of Sumerian Islands, ages ago.

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Aquarium gravel and other substrate form the bed at the bottom of freshwater aquariums. In addition, it supports decorations and furnishings that act as habitat that you will be putting inside the aquarium. It also supports aquatic plant life providing an anchor for their roots. The aesthetic quality is not the only consideration though when choosing aquarium substrate for the bottom of your tank. There are certain things that should be kept in mind to make the appropriate choice of aquarium gravel or other substrate.

It is important to understand that the substrate bed plays a major role in the nitrogen cycle inside your aquarium as well as other chemical cycles. The nitrogen cycle is very important for the survival of your fish. Bacteria that that grow in the aquarium gravel or sand eradicate unwanted ammonia and nitrates from the aquarium. An understanding of the requirements for a good aquarium gravel bed must therefore be understood, at least at the basic level, for both the aesthetic and biological functions.

A good aquarium gravel bed must be natural and beautiful, with its granules being 3 to 4 mm in size, other sizes are also adequate. Sometimes it is good to keep in mind the type of fish you plan to raise. Some fish like to build nests or burrow which requires them being able to manipulate and move the substrate.

Ideally, the aquarium gravel bed should be at least five centimeters in height for plant placement and for maintaining the beauty of the aquarium. The bed can be heavy for an aquarium to support, therefore, an appropriate amount would be 3 kilograms for every 10 liters of water. Adding the weight of the bed to the weight of the water can make the total weight rise significantly. Natural beds work best for freshwater aquariums. There are different aquarium substrate types that you can use for this purpose each with certain characteristics that affect the whole aquarium. Gravel and coarse sand (e.g quartz sand) are the best because they allow for better water circulation and filtration. Loire sand is finer than coarse sand that contains nutrients that may be utilized by aquatic plants and are usually taken from rivers. Original Loire sand was gathered from the Loire River of France. Finally, fine sand is appealing, but it does not do well in circulating water. Lastly, it is best and easiest to purchase aquarium gravel sold specifically for aquariums rather than trying to collect and clean it yourself. It is best to consult with a knowledgeable aquarium hobbyist before deciding on a freshwater aquarium substrate.

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