Choosing a Pet Fish

Article from: My Family UK

A good option for small homes, fish generally require less space than other pets. After the initial expense of setting up a tank, their upkeep is also relatively inexpensive.

Do your research about the kind of environment your fish will need, and, when keeping different kinds of fish together, avoid overcrowding and make sure they are compatible with each other. Read up on common health problems to look out for, as veterinary treatment is not generally an option.

Equipment

To keep fish well and happy their environment must be carefully controlled. Research what your fish needs and buy the equipment in advance. Basic equipment includes: a tank, filter, heater, lighting, gravel or sand for the bottom of the tank, real or plastic plants and other decor items and a net for moving your fish.

Get out of the tank

Alternatively, if you have space in your back garden, consider setting up a fishpond outside. Goldfish are commonly kept as pond fish, and come in more than 100 varieties, although not all these will be hardy enough to overwinter outdoors. Koi carp are a good option for more experienced fish owners. These ornamental fish have beautiful colouring and markings, but can be extremely expensive to keep and difficult to protect from herons and other predators.

Choosing a fish

Fish vary greatly in appearance and habits. Here are some popular options you might want to consider.

1) Danios

• Small, slender fish, hardy, attractive and easy to look after
• Good for keeping with other fish, prefer the upper level of the tank
• Sociable fish, enjoy a strong current, plants and other diversions
• Omnivorous, eat dried food and enjoy treats of live food
• Common types include Zebra, Pearl, Leopard, Gold, Blue, and Giant

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2) Clown Fish

• The distinctive orange, white and black fish of Finding Nemo fame
• These saltwater fish need their environment and diet to be carefully controlled – an inappropriate environment can be fatal
• Omnivorous, eat dried food and occasional live food as a treat
• Naturally has a symbiotic relationship with anemones that can be recreated in a tank
• Fish in a shoal are all male except one female; if she dies the largest male will change sex to replace her

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3) Piranhas

• A more unusual option, these carnivorous fish can live for up to 25 years
• Naturally hardy so good for the beginner, but please do mind your fingers
• Can grow quite large so need a big enough tank
• Young fish will eat flakes and freeze dried food but older ones prefer lean beef, chicken and fish, and some fresh fruit and vegetables
• Types include Red Belly, Black, White, Gold and Wimple

Further Information

For further information, and for more great ways to have fun with your family, log on to www.myfamilyuk.com. With a huge collection of articles covering everything from child safety to rainy day activities, you'll find all the help, guidance and entertainment you need to be a great parent. Go to My Family UK now!

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Taking Care Of A Pet Fish Is Easier Than You Think

Pets fish are considered to be low maintenance in comparison to dogs and cats; they do still require the care of its owner. Pet fish rely on their owners to provide it with food, as well as for keeping their habitat clean. Pet fish care involves feeding the fish on a regular basis, ensuring that the aquarium stays cleaned and filtered, maintaining the ph levels of the water and providing the fish with remnants of their natural habitat.

A freshwater fish aquarium is often considered to be easier to maintain than a tropical fish aquarium typically due to the lessened need of a filtration system. Pet fish care involves keeping the ph levels safe for the fish and this need to be monitored on a regular basis.

An aquarium filtration system is generally required to clean the water and to remove any toxins. A freshwater aquarium with a variety of freshwater plants may not necessarily need a filtering system as the plants will do this automatically, bit in these cases; the fish need to be kept to a minimum.

Both tropical and freshwater aquarium fish are beautiful to look at. Aquariums in themselves are a form of art, and owners can keep building on it over time. The more nooks and crannies there are in the aquarium; the more places a fish can hide or sleep.

Caring for your pet involves feeding the fish on a regular basis, and there are a variety of foods to choose from including pellets and flakes. Vacation feeders are available to purchase and ensures that food is released on a regular basis for owners who are away.

Pet fish care is considered to be low maintenance, and are thus the perfect pets for people with busy lifestyles. Aquarium fish are beautiful to look at, people enjoying watching the graceful movements of the fish as they easily swim through the water.

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Discus Fish - What You Need to Know Before Keeping Discus Fish

With a compressed rounded body shape and gorgeous colors of green, red, brown and blue, (There are 4 ‘real’ discus variants, with their own Latin name. The rest of the color variants are captive bred and the list of these color variants is nearly endless. They have exotic names like, ‘White Diamond’, ‘Blue Diamond’ ‘Snake Skin’, etc… ) discus fish are among the most popular aquarium freshwater fish in the world. Native from the Amazon River, Wild caught discus fish first started to appeared in the 1920s, discus fish are spread all over the world being part of true industries in Asia, for instance. When they reach adulthood, discus fish are no bigger than eight to ten inches and they make great pets, bringing an excellent array of lively color to your house. Make sure you know everything about the needs of this fish breed before even thinking about keeping them, though discus fish are not very fragile, they still require a lot of care.

Discus fish make excellent aquarium inhabitants and they can be combined with other species in the habitat, the best choices would be the uaru or the tetras species. Normally discus fish are very serene creatures; they are a bit sensitive to stress and a disturbing environment but most fish are. However it is not too great an idea to combine them with fish that are quite a bit smaller, as the discus fish may eat them. It is also totally unadvisable to combine any variety of discus fish with catfish since you might find you just end up with fat catfish and no discus. Like all aquarium creatures, discus fish require optimal living conditions; otherwise they are exposed to disease and may die.

As the natural water temperature the discus fish are used to, is around 26-31 degrees Celsius ( 79 to 88 °F ), you will have to recreate and maintain very similar conditions. The hardness of the water ranges from 3 to 10° dGH. Additionally, in the wild, the environment discus fish live in is slightly acid, so make sure you adjust the pH values to such coordinates, between 5.5 and 6.5 the pH is completely friendly to your pets. If the discus fish were bred in captivity they may just as well adapt to higher pH values, but not during the mating season when you really have to provide optimal conditions.

Keep in mind that discus fish are very clean animals, and the water you put in their tank has to be really clean, without the any trace of pollution whatsoever. You need to use a high capacity filter to cycle the water constantly.

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Keeping Discus Fish & Breeding Discus Fish

The last few years have seen more and more being written about keeping discus fish than most other fish species. Anyone who is thinking about keeping discus fish in their home aquarium should of course get all the information they need before actually buying any of them. They are thought of as royal fish, they are native to the warm and calm Amazon waters that charm through their behavior. Keeping discus fish does require a bit of knowledge on their background, about what to offer to make such pets happy and also what to expect from them. Discus fish are considered fish of changing habits that manifest personality.

When first keeping discus fish you will find that they are shy and very calm in general, but when they start making couples they can often become a little bit aggressive due to breeding territory protection. Keeping discus fish will bring lots of rewards but it will also give you a few challenges as well. First off, as you will see with most groups of any type of fish, within a group it is not uncommon that the weakest discus will get bullied; this is something that can unfortunately result in death. Keeping discus fish in groups in a minimum of six individuals is thought of as ideal. By doing this you will increase the confidence of the group members and you lower the risk of group misbehavior.

When you are keeping discus fish, you will have to respect their habits. For example mating are matters of their own personal choice do not try to force two together. Therefore if you do plan to breed your discus as said you cannot match make and expect them to breed, you will have to let them choose their own partner. When you are keeping discus fish that are about to go through the breeding process it is always best to separate them into a different tank specially prepared for the purpose. If you are keeping discus fish that are about to breed together with the rest of your aquatic pets, you will run the risk of having some violent behavior due to the territorial claims of the breeding pair. Discus fish prepare their area that they are going to use to have their babies by cleaning it first and defending it throughout the whole process.

You will find that discus feed their young by secreting food for them from in between their scales. After about a week the fry will be big enough for you to help with the feeding by giving some baby brine shrimp or even just some flaked food will do. When you are certain that the fry have stopped feeding from the parents it will be safe for you to remove them from the tank into their own. Use a separate tank for the fry feed them well to support the accelerated growth rate. If everything has been done correctly they should grow well and at around 12 weeks they should have grown to about the 2 inch diameter mark. At that size you will be able to start to sell your baby discus fish.

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How to Clean a Dirty Aquarium

A fresh water fish tank requires about 30 minutes to an hour of work a week depending on the size of the tank.

Waht you will need:
1) You will need a clean 5 gallon bucket that has never had chemicals or soap inside of it.
2) A hose or gravel cleaner
3) A bag of natural or synthetic sea salt

I have split the work into two parts the tank which needs to be cleaned ever week on the same day and the filters which can be cleaned every 2 or 3 weeks.

The very first thing you have to do before you start cleaning your fish tank is to unplug your tanks heater if you have one. The heater can not be allowed to be removed from the water while it is hot so make sure to leave it unplugged at least 20 minutes before attempting to remove it. The water help cool the glass on the heater if removed it could crack, or the glass could totally shatter. You should also remember to never stick your hand inside of any fish tank before making sure the heater is not only off but unplugged from the wall. A small crack in the heater could be more then enough to cause a shock to you that can be fatal.

After the heater has ha time to cool you can safely remove the heater from the tank or it the heater is submersible you can just push it down to the bottom of the tank.

Now take any decorations you may have placed in the tank, so all you have are the small gravel at the bottom, this will allow you to get any dirt that those decorations may have been covering up. Now if you do not have a gravel cleaner you are going to have to roll up your sleeves and get your hands wet. You will need to stir up the gravel to get the dirt that has settled between the gravel into the water, and start removing the water into the bucket with the hose. Do not throw out the water you will still need it to clean the filters.

If you have a gravel cleaner, push the plastic tube into the gravel until it hits the bottom of the tank, then start a siphon into the bucket, every second or 2 move the gravel cleaner over an inch or 2 and repeat this process until either you have removed 15 percent of the tanks water of you have cleaned all the gravel.

Now at this point you can clean the Aquariums filters. The insides of the filters are used to grow bacteria, that help break down the nitrites and nitrates that are in the water from fish waste and uneaten food. To make sure we don’t kill all these Aquarium friendly bacteria, we clean the filter materials and sponges in the dirty water that I also full of the bacteria. Take everything out of the filters and rinse them of in the bucket of dirty Aquarium water, then give the sponge a couple of squeezes in the bucket and reassemble the filters, and put them back on the tank.

Now before adding the water sea salt must be added to the tank. All water has some amount of salt in it and to replicate the natural habitat of the fish there must be salt in your tank as well. Add approximately 1 cup of sea salt for every 50 gallons of water.

Now you can add water to the tank, but you must make sure the water is the within a degree or two of the temperature of the water in the tank. A drastic change in the tanks temperature suddenly can throw the fish into shock and kill them or weaken their immunity and help give them a fish disease. I recommend filling the bucket with hot water and checking it regularly till it is the same as the tanks temperature, then slowly add the water to the tank, start the filters and the heater.

Cleaning the filters only needs to be done once or twice a month, but the water in the tank must be cleaned on the same day every week.

How to Keep Predator Fish

Many people like to have fish for pets because they are low maintenance, and can be very relaxing to watch them swim. Most first time fish enthusiast like to keep cold water fish, because they are cheap and most of the different types of these fish will get along together. These fish have some bright colors and have some very fancy fins, but they are mostly large goldfish, and eventually switch to tropical fish to get a larger selection of fish. But keeping tropical fish can be a bit of a gamble, the fish cost more and some of them are very aggressive and will eat your other fish.

There are more different types of tropical fish for you to choose from, and they have a larger variety of colors then cold water fish and keeping them in an aquarium together with other tropical fish does not have to be a gamble, it is not like a trip to the casino to play blackjack, if you do things right there is no gambling involved at all.

The first thing you need to do is some reading before purchasing any fish for your tank. Reading about fish will give you an idea of what species of fish eat other fish, and which ones do not. It will also let you know which meat eating fish will live with what other fish, and make it less of a gamble that you are just buying one fish an expensive meal.

Cichlids are a type of fish that eat other fish but they are a school fish and prefer to be in a tank with other Cichlids, but you want all the other Cichlids to be about the same size, or one day you will come home from a day of playing the most Popular Casino Games in the casino to find several fish missing and one fat fish swimming around slowly.

Cichlids are a surface to medium depth fish. This means they will swim on the top and middle of the tank and will generally not go to the bottom of the tank for very long.

So many people with Cichlids will get a bottom swimmer to fill the tank out. A very popular type of bottom swimmers is catfish. There are many different fish in the species of catfish. Some of these fish are non aggressive and do not get very big, but a fish like this may not be aggressive enough to be in a tank of Cichlids.

You may want to get a more aggressive type of catfish, but if you get a large one it will surely eat the Cichlids, but if it too small you are gambling that the Cichlids will not pick its eyes out.

Just remember that no matter how much you read each fish does have a personality of their own and no matter how much you read that one fish will be friendly with another it putting them in an Aquarium together is gambling.

There is always the possibility that some of your fish will get eaten, but the only way to make keeping fish not a gamble is to keep each fish in their own separate fish tank in the hope that this will keep them all safe, but this will not make for happy fish. With trial and error you will learn what can live with what types of fish and save the gambling for Las Vegas casinos.

A Beginners Guide to a Clean and Healthy Aquarium

A clean aquarium is the best habitat for all kinds of fish or other living organisms like crabs for example. A clean aquarium means your fish and plants will live for a longer time saving you time and allowing you to enjoy watching them grow. The best way to keep an aquarium clean is to have all the proper equipment and use it often to clean with. It is also a mater of know how. There are a few things that every aquarium owner must know to clean an aquarium and maintain it in the best possible way.

People who don’t know much about aquariums might use harsh household cleaners to clean their aquariums. This would have detrimental for the small ecosystem you ought to be striving to create. Good tips for keeping your aquarium clean is to keep the water supply clean by cleaning the water pump. To do so one should always keep the filtration system in mind. A good clean filter is what the life of your aquariums ecosystem depend on. Cleaning the filter too often might also have a negative impact on your aquariums life. It is therefore important to maintain a balance, and to clean your aquariums filter only when needed or specified by the filters manufacturer. Many aquariums experts recommend that the ornaments as well as the glass ought to be cleaned at least once every two weeks. Cleaning the aquarium ornaments and glass prevents algae from building up inside. If the aquarium is made from plastic materials then cleaning should be performed on smaller time intervals, perhaps once a week. When performing maintenance operations to your aquarium, you should always keep in mind a few things to ensure that things are going smoothly inside your aquarium. Check the air pump and see if it is running ok. It is imperative that there is enough oxygen for the fish but also to allow for proper flow of the water.

Another thing that will ensure longer life for your aquarium is ensuring that the water is changed often. This way your fish and plants will live longer and your aquarium will definitely look better. One more thing that you should do to maintain a clean aquarium is to clean, or at least rinse the gravel that sit on the bottom of your aquarium. This process entails that you remove all contents of the aquarium including the fish. Therefore, its viability depends highly on how many as well as what kind of fish you have. Keeping a clean aquarium does not only entail cleaning it every week or two weeks. You should also consider acquiring a water purifier. There are many kinds of purifiers out there for different types of aquariums as well as sizes. When you use a water purifier to clean the water contents of your fish tank you should always let it sit and mix with the water to allow it to dissolve. If you are new to aquariums, always remember to read the instructions of every product used. Be careful; keep a schedule for maintenance operations and treat your aquarium with love and it will eventually flourish.

A Brief Introduction To Saltwater Aquariums

This introduction to saltwater aquariums was designed with the beginner aquarist in mind. There are many reasons for setting up a saltwater aquarium, not least of which is its beauty. The beautiful colors of fish and coral, interesting algae, soothing sound of bubbling water and the fun involved in creating a fabulous marine world are all reasons why keeping saltwater aquariums gives people so much fun and pleasure.

For the beginner even a brief introduction to saltwater aquariums can seem a bit daunting. This is because not only are marine systems a bit complex to set up and maintain they can also be expensive. Saltwater aquariums are not for everybody and even the simplest marine tank can cause headaches. Fish keeping can be tricky and marine fish in particular take a lot of time and effort to keep healthy.

This is because marine species are far more sensitive to water quality and temperature changes so you will need to be informed about the needs of all your fish as well as the tank itself. Saltwater aquariums require patience and a degree of know-how to make it work. You will also need to make sure that you can afford to keep the tank in a healthy state.

Which saltwater aquarium you choose will depend on your aims for the tank and your personal preferences. There are many different options available in terms of the fish and animals you can keep in your tank as well as the equipment you can choose from. Some saltwater aquariums are not suited for the absolute beginner.

The first thing to decide when setting up saltwater aquariums is what kind of fish you want to keep. The next step is finding out as much about each one as you can. Not all marine species are suited to beginners so you might have to adapt your wish-list to suit your level of expertise. Never take on species that are for advanced fish keepers or you could well run into trouble.

There are two main kinds of saltwater aquariums namely 1) ‘fish only’ or 2) ‘fish only with live rock’ OR ‘reef tanks’.

The first is probably the easiest saltwater aquariums to attempt. This is because in saltwater aquariums of this nature, lighting is not really an issue and you can use a simple tank with its usual equipment and only a few extra bits like protein skimmers, powerheads and live rock or sand.

These kinds of saltwater aquariums will usually be either a community tank containing species like clownfish, damselfish, gobies, wrass, and dottybacks, or an aggressive tank where you will find species like lionfish, triggers, eels, groupers, and larger predatory species.

Before you choose your fish, make sure you know EXACTLY which species live well together to avoid your tank turning into a complete massacre. If you are a novice to saltwater aquariums start with a tank that is at least 10 gallons in size. This is because most if not all of your fish will easily outgrow the tank.

Go for the largest tanks you can afford. The bigger saltwater aquariums are easier to keep in tip-top shape.

Most important to the health of saltwater aquariums is water purification in your tank. This means that even the smallest amount of impurities in the water can hurt your fish Remember most of these animals are found in natural coral reefs where the water is very pure. So you will need to make sure that the water in your tank is clean at all times.

In small (10 gallons) saltwater aquariums you can use a Brita filter or water purifier column or you can use distilled water. These methods won’t work in bigger tanks, however. The best bet for any size tank is an RO/DI (reverse osmosis/deionization) system.

Filtration is quite complicated in saltwater aquariums but depends to a large degree on the fish species you intend to keep and how many. In a fish only tank you can use a freshwater filter for example canisters, power filters and the like. You can also try a wet-dry trickle filter. If you decide to keep a reef tank you might want to use a natural filtration system like live rock or sand or a refugium.

Protein skimming is also important in saltwater aquariums and it is strongly recommended that you do it, especially if you have lots of fish in your tank. A protein skimmer uses foaming bubbles to separate fish waste that floats up to the water column from the water’s main flow.

The foundation in your tank will require the laying down of live sand. In saltwater aquariums sand doesn’t only act as a substrate it is also the breeding ground for millions of vital bacteria. These bacteria help the nitrogen cycle to work efficiently. The sand is also home to the small animals that help control the waste products in your tank.

The best sand for saltwater aquariums is calcium carbonate (aragonite). You can get this from crushed corals, or finer sands. You can also use silica and quartz sands but they are not as good.

What about live rock? Probably one of the most expensive features of saltwater aquariums, prices may put off many a budding marine aquarist. Live rock can be bought by the pound and it is expensive because it’s the real thing. In the sea live rock makes up a reef structure with little calcium carbonate structures produced by corals. Since live rock is harvested from nature and laws govern this harvesting you can begin to understand why it is so expensive.

Live rock is important to saltwater aquariums for the bacteria it introduces into your tank. These little organisms keep your water filtered in the same way it does in nature. It also acts as a home and shelter for your fish and a place for coral to grow. It is well worth the high price you pay. ‘Fiji’ rock is a good choice if you can find it. Try to avoid any live rock that has a mantis shrimp on it as they multiply very quickly.

Let’s move on to the lighting in saltwater aquariums. In a fish only or fish and live rock tank lighting is not really an issue. In a reef tank, however, it is critical. This is because light is needed for most corals and anemones to grow. Special lights are needed for a marine tank so use one of the following:

Power Compact Fluorescent (PC)
Very High Output Fluorescent (VHO)
Metal Halide (MH)

Remember you will still need to cycle your tank and perform the necessary water quality testing before you add any of your livestock. So there you have it – the basics of what to start thinking about as you set up saltwater aquariums. We suggest doing plenty of further research to make sure you know exactly what you are doing before you get started.

Marine tanks are not for everyone, so make sure they suit you before you spend a lot of money.

#1 Way For Your Saltwater Aquarium Setup – Choosing A Tank

Following on from our introduction to saltwater aquariums this segment is designed to give you some idea of a typical saltwater aquarium setup.

The type of saltwater aquarium setup you choose depends on a few factors. For example, the kinds of species you want to stock, the space you have available, and your budget. In general you will want to buy the biggest saltwater aquarium setup you can afford that will fit nicely into your living environment.

This is so that your fish and other animals can have the most comfort possible as they grow. The fish and other invertebrates that you choose to stock your tank with need enough space to swim and grow in and enough oxygen to survive. When you choose a saltwater aquarium setup remember that these two factors are determined mainly by the size of the tank.

So let’s talk about the oxygen component of a saltwater aquarium setup. The amount of oxygen in the water is related to the tanks surface area. This means the amount of area on the tank’s surface that is exposed to the air. The greater the surface area of your saltwater aquarium setup, the more room there is for exchange of oxygen to happen at the surface.

The more oxygen that is allowed to enter the tank and the more harmful gases like carbon dioxide are allowed to leave the healthier your saltwater aquarium setup will be. The oxygen content of the water is also influenced by its temperature. In general, the warmer the water, the lower the oxygen content will be.

Most marine species from the tropics like water that is 75 degrees or higher so this means that less oxygen is going to be available to them. This is when it becomes important to increase the surface of the tank by making sure your saltwater aquarium setup is as large as possible.

How do you do this? There is no typical saltwater aquarium setup. Marine tanks come in a variety of shapes and size, but it is the shape of the tank, not its volume that influences surface area. This means that even where two tanks have identical volumes they might not have the same surface area depending on their shape. A saltwater aquarium setup that is tall and slender won’t get a good rate of gas exchange. An ideal design would be one that is short and wide.

Once you’ve chosen your tank its time to start thinking about its residents. Of course the size of your tank is going to dictate how many fish and invertebrates it can house. The main thing to avoid in your saltwater aquarium setup is overcrowding. Too many inhabitants and your tank’s filtration system will be overloaded. Fish living in cramped conditions become stressed and this can lead to illness and death.

You can calculate how many fish your saltwater aquarium setup will hold by stocking one inch of fish per four gallons of water for a period of six months. After this period increase the number of fish slowly to one inch per two gallons. This means that a 40 gallon aquarium should not contain more than 10 inches of fish for the first six months.

So, for example, you might choose one 3-inch queen angel, two 1-inch clownfish, one 2-inch regal tang, one 1-inch bicolor blenny and two 1-inch Beau Gregory’s. Once the six month period is over you could increase the total number of inches in your saltwater aquarium setup to 20.

Of course, your fish are going to grow so you have to adjust for the changing sizes of your fish. The shape of your fish is also important. If your fish are likely to be on the heavy side you will need to stick to the low end of the capacity of your saltwater aquarium setup.

A saltwater aquarium setup will cost you time and money so accept this and don’t skimp. Even if you devote considerable time and effort to a small tank you can still encounter problems. If you choose the wrong one initially you will probably end up having to buy another one and this may be discouraging. In short, if you don’t have the money to buy a tank that’s at least 30 gallons, don’t invest any money at all.

When you choose a saltwater aquarium setup there are many options. You can choose from glass and acrylic and you can even get reef-ready styles complete with pre-drilled holes for equipment and plumbing. Glass tanks sealed with silicon rubber cement are a common choice. Rectangle designs are popular but they are also found in octagon and hexagon. They are non-toxic and don’t scratch easily.

The downside to a glass saltwater aquarium setup is that they are heavy. This means that large tanks will have very thick glass. Try to find one with a plastic frame that will make the tank more stable. Plated glass is shatterproof but not as strong as tempered.

An acrylic saltwater aquarium setup is molded with few seams so they are more transparent. However your view may still be distorted at the corners. Acrylic tanks are not as heavy as glass and so come in a wider variety of shapes and sizes. Acrylic is also stronger than glass. On the downside acrylic tanks can get scratched and are more expensive than glass. They are easily scratched by algae scrapers and decorations. It is possible to buff these marks out with a special kit.

Whichever saltwater aquarium setup you choose make sure it provides a healthy environment for your fish. You also need to make sure that you can afford to maintain it properly and that it suits your lifestyle and available time. Once you have everything set up correctly you will be able to enjoy the colorful antics and shapes of your fishy friends, corals and other invertebrates. Enjoy the wonderful world of your saltwater aquarium!

Keeping Tropical Fish - A New Adventure?

Did you know that the keeping of fish dates back to antiquity? It may be true but only recently has the activity become popular among all age groups.

Have you joined the multitudes who have recently contributed to the popularity of keeping tropical fish? It really has become popular as many homes now have at least a small aquarium among its furnishings. They may consist of a few goldfish in a small coldwater aquarium or they may consist of several colorful fish swimming about.

Your aquarium is most likely one of three different types: coldwater, warm water (heated) or marine. If you are keeping tropical fish, you almost certainly have a heated aquarium. Remember, tropical fish come from the tropics where it's warm. The Amazon, Africa and the south of Asia are where most tropical fish originated.

Most pet and fish stores have all in one packages that include everything you need to get started: aquarium, stand, lights, heater, filter and gravel and other decorative additions. If you're just starting out, this is a good way to go since you will save money over buying all the components individually.

Be sure to ask the store personnel for advice on which fish are the hardiest and easiest fish to keep. These may include tetras, danios, barbs, Livebearers and Cordyoras. Also, don't add too many fish at a time as the aquarium needs time to mature and get "broken in". Adding too many at once will not allow the tank to develop the bacteria needed to break down the fish's waste.

Finally, a good idea is to visit your library or go on the internet to learn about keeping fish successfully. There are hundreds of books and sites which can offer a wealth of tropical fish keeping information. A good tank, kept properly can give you and your family hours of enjoyment and relaxation..

How To Setup A Freshwater Tropical Fish Tank

This is an 11 step guide to setting up a freshwater aquarium in your home.

Equipment you will need:

Aquarium
Aquarium gravel
Aquarium filter
Replacement filter media
Heater
Other decorations (such as plants)
Chemical test kits
Fish food
Aquarium vacuum
Fish net
Glass Scrubber
5-gallon bucket
Pasta strainer

STEP 1: Realize the responsibility involved.
A tropical fish tank is just like having a dog or a cat when it comes to the amount of effort on your part. In order to have a successful fish tank you will have to work at it. Once a week, or at most once every two weeks, you will need to perform some kind of maintenance on the tank. Most of the time you will be performing water changes. You will also have to feed your tropical fish at least once a day. If you are up to the challenge, please proceed!

STEP 2: Decide on an aquarium size.
It’s a good idea to have in mind what kind of tropical fish you want to keep before you purchase an aquarium. Some tropical fish only grow to be an inch or two, whereas other types of tropical fish can grow 12 or 13 inches in length! Knowing what kind of tropical fish you want will help you decide the size of the tank they will need. If this is your first time with an aquarium, I would recommend going with a 10 or 20 gallon aquarium for now.

STEP 3: Decide on the aquarium's location.
Place your aquarium in an area where the light and temperature of the tank won’t be affected by external sources such as windows and heater vents. You will want to place your aquarium on a stand that will be able to hold its total weight. A good rule of thumb for determining the total weight of a full aquarium is 10 pounds per gallon of water. For example, a 55-gallon tank will weigh approximately 550 pounds when filled with water!

STEP 4: Buy your aquarium and equipment.
Now is the time to decide on the type of filtration you will want to use. You will also need to purchase a heater capable of heating the tank size you have. Buy the gravel, plants, a power strip and other decorations. A good rule of thumb for the amount of gravel that you will need is 1 to 1.5 pounds of gravel per gallon of water.

STEP 5: Set up your aquarium and stand.
Wash out your tank with water only! Do not use soap or detergents. Soap residue left behind will be harmful for your tropical fish. If you are going to use an under gravel filter (not recommended) now would be the time to set it up as well.

STEP 6: Wash Gravel, plants and decorations.
Be sure to wash the gravel thoroughly before adding it to your tank. An easy way to do this is to put some of the rocks in a pasta strainer and wash them out in your bathtub. Then place the clean gravel in a clean 5-gallon bucket for transport to the aquarium. After adding the gravel you can place your plants and decorations.

STEP 7: Add water to the aquarium.
To avoid messing up your gravel and plants, you can place a plate or saucer in the middle of your aquarium and direct the water flow onto the plate. Use room temperature water when filling. To remove the chlorine and chloramine, use something like Tetra AquaSafe for Aquariums. Don’t completely fill up the aquarium until you are sure of the layout of your decorations. Otherwise, when you place your arm in to move stuff around water is going to spill over. Doh!

STEP 8: Set up equipment.
Install your heater but don’t plug it in until the thermostat in the heater has adjusted to the water temperature. This usually takes about 15 minutes or so. Hook up your filter and any other equipment you have, then top off the aquarium water to just under the hood lip. Place your hood and light on the aquarium and then check your power cords to be sure that they are free of water. I would also recommend using a drip loop on all of the power cords to be extra cautious. Plug all of the equipment into a power strip and then “turn on” the aquarium.

STEP 9. Wait, wait, wait and then wait some more.
I know, you want to add some tropical fish. But, in order to do this right you must wait until your aquarium has cycled before adding any fish. There are ways of speeding up this process. Check out the nitrogen cycle page to learn more. If you must use fish to cycle, try to get a hardier species like the zebra danio or cherry barb.

STEP 10. Add tropical fish.
Only add one or two fish at a time. Adding a couple tropical fish at a time gives your filtration system the time needed to take on the increased biological load that the new fish introduce. When you bring the fish home let the bag float in the tank for about 15 minutes so that the fish can become acclimated to the temperature and pH of the aquarium water. After 5 minutes of floating the bag you should add some of the aquarium water to the bag so that the fish can become acclimated to the pH level in the aquarium. This will help reduce the amount of stress imposed on the tropical fish. Stressed tropical fish often leads to dead tropical fish! Don’t feed your tropical fish on the first day. They probably wouldn’t eat any food on the first day anyway. Let them get acquainted with their new home.

STEP 11. Get ready for regular maintenance.
Be prepared to spend some time once every week or two to clean your tank. Performing regular water changes will reduce the nitrate levels and keep your tropical fish happy and healthy.

How To Set Up A Quarantine Tank For Tropical Fish

Do I Need A Quarantine Tank?

Ah, yes, the often dismissed but very necessary part of the tropical fish hobby, the infamous quarantine tank. Do you really need one to be successful in this hobby?

For freshwater fish you may be able to get by without having one. Freshwater fish are generally more suited to captivity because they are usually tank raised and don't seem to break out in disease as readily as their saltwater counterparts. However, if newly acquired fish do come down with something, you will surely wish that you had one ready to go. One newly bought fish that is introduced to your main tank can easily wipe out the entire tank population. Better safe than sorry, right?

For saltwater aquarium keepers, I would say that you definitely need a quarantine tank. Marine specimens are mostly wild caught and not used to being kept in captivity. Their journey to a dealers tank is usually much longer and much more stressful for them. Stressed out fish will usually come down with some kind of disease if they don't simply die from the whole ordeal. Saltwater fish keepers will usually have other things in the main display tank such as invertebrates and live rock, that they don't want to expose to the harsh medicines necessary to treat one or two fish. Some medicines can wipe out all of the invertebrates in a tank, so be sure to research any medicine before using it in your tank.

Quarantine Tank Setup

You don't need to go all out here. A simple 10 - 20 gallon aquarium will suffice for most people. If you have larger fish then obviously you want to get a bigger quarantine tank. All you really need is a bare bones setup with the following equipment:

Some type of filtration (a hang on the back of the tank power filter will work, just use filter floss without the carbon since carbon will remove medication from the water, being counter productive)
Heater
A powerhead and/or an airstone for increased surface agitation
Test Kits for pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate
Fish Net - don't use the same net for your main tank

Fill the quarantine tank with water from the main tank and then turn everything on in the quarantine tank.

Freshwater & Saltwater Fish Quarantine

For newly acquired fish you will want to acclimate them to the water in the quarantine tank and monitor them very closely for a period of two to three weeks. Monitor the water parameters with your test kits and check for signs of parasites or bacterial infections.

If the newly acquired fish does come down with something you will need to use the appropriate medication and you will need to keep them in quarantine for a further two weeks to make sure that you have indeed treated them effectively. If after a few weeks no problems develop, you can then acclimate them to the main tank water and then introduce them.

If a fish comes down with something while in your main tank, just net them and plop them into the quarantine tank. There should be no need to acclimate them because you used water from your main tank. If you didn't use water from the main tank you will need to acclimate them to the quarantine tank water. Diagnose the problem/disease and treat appropriately. After the disease clears up you will still want to keep the fish in quarantine for a week or so monitoring the water parameters with your test kits the whole time.

More On Saltwater Quarantine

Always have some extra saltwater ready in case you need to perform an emergency water change. Remember, you want to monitor those water parameters frequently (daily or at least once every two days). Many saltwater hobbyists always have saltwater ready just in case. You never want to mix up saltwater and add it right away. Freshly mixed saltwater can be fairly toxic to fish, in turn causing you more problems.

Conclusion

Freshwater hobbyists may get away with not using a quarantine tank, but saltwater hobbyists would be crazy not using one. Save yourself some money, headaches and especially the fish by having a quarantine tank. The fish in your main tank will thank you for it.

How To Properly Introduce New Fish Into Your Aquarium

There are two areas of introducing new fish into an aquarium that you must be aware of:

1. Fish Quarantine

Fish quarantine is one big, singular factor that must be observed strictly before you can be sure that your new fish is of good health and not an apostle of doom for the other inmates. Most new fishkeepers don’t take consider this very important factor.

For the benefit of intending aquarists, quarantine in the fish world refers to the physical and chemical treatment of new fishes (either imported or caught from the wild) to rid them of disease and restlessness before introduction into a new environment,

A small quarantine tank (30x20x25cm) is advisable for any serious aquarist. The alternative is to be sure that your pet shop has a functional quarantine section to cater for bacterial, fungal and viral diseases.

This is a sure guarantee against fish deaths. The unfortunate thing with most shops in the country is the lack of space and inadequate expertise to build and administer the prophylaxis procedure on new fish, as the procedure is sure to last at least nigh days! To the average aqua-investor, this is an unnecessary tie down of capital and you know what that means.

Admittedly, the expense incurred on quarantine by way of chemical purchase e.g. copper sulphate, wescodyne, malachite green, teremycin etc) is high. This is more or less reflected on the final sales price of the fish, which is slightly higher in our shop. But, this would pay you off in the long run, as it is unlikely that you will complain of fish deaths any longer.

I am quite sure, some fish farmers reading this column would be more concerned about the application of this procedure to solve their farm problems especially those with hatcheries or those who stock with post fry and fingerlings.

2. Feeding New Fish

When you just introduce a new fish to aquarium tank it’s necessary to feed the fish. Though this will not be instant because no matter how carefully you add the fish to your aquarium tank they will look very unhappy for a while.

Thus it’s necessary that you turn the flights out, and leave them overnight to get used to their new home first before thinking of feeding them. Then feed fish with aquarium fish food with fish flakes the next day, this will make the fish feel at home.

If you already have an established tank, it is advisable to quarantine new fish before adding them to an existing populated, and the cheapest way to do this is to purchase a plastic tank which will need no gravel or plants.

This can be used solely for quarantine and as a hospital tank.

Leave the fish in this tank for about three days during which any disease harbored by the fish would be evident for which it can be treated using available chemicals from your dealer. The fish can then be introduced into the tank in the same way as before.

When you add new fish to an established community, there will probably be a certain amount of harassment of the new arrivals by the original fish. Try to divert their attention by giving them a good feed when the fish are introduced.

How To Discover And Prevent Aquarium Fish Illness

Aquarium fish fall ill just like any other pet. The illnesses are as a result of disease. The common diseases that affect aquarium fish are mostly stress induced.

The micro-organisms which cause these diseases may be present in the water as part of the normal micro fauna and grab the opportunity to infest or infect the fish when it is stressed and its normal defense are weakened.

Different ways aquarium fish suffer from stress

- Aquarium fish usually start experiencing stress starting from the time it’s about living the breeding farm till when the end purchaser finally picked it from retailer. Most beginners don’t really know how to handle fish.

- The quality of water is another cause of aquarium fish stress. Different fish species have different water quality that will make the environment conducive for them. Quality parameters like pH, water hardness, high nitrite and carbon dioxide level, low dissolved oxygen salinity of water, water temperature and others.

- Any change in environment like physical damage, leaches, lice and introduction of new fish that is not quarantine could lead to stress in aquarium, thus making life non conducive for fish in aquarium tank

- Change in weather condition is another factor that leads to aquarium fish stress. When there is heavy downfall as you know the weather will become cold and this could lead to stress in aquarium.

- Poor Diet as a result of lack in nutritional requirement always leads to poor performance in fish immune system. Fish immune system will struggle to operate efficiently. This will result in a stressed fish.

Warning signs of illness in aquarium fish

You can easily know when your fish are going through stress if you watch them very well and often. You will notice signs like fish swimming with clamps up (closed) in their fins, hovering in a corner, heavy breathing and fish brushing its body against objects. These are warning signs you need to act on immediately.

How to reduce stress in aquarium

To reduce stress in aquarium, you need to guide against factors that lead to stress. The following are tips on how to prevent stress that ultimately leads to illness:

- Make sure you have detail information about the fish species that you will be introducing to your tank. Enquiring about its requirements before you buy it will help you a lot. Thus, ask lots of questions before making your purchase.

- Knowing the right food for your fish is another important thing you have to know as this may vary from species to species. If you have this knowledge you will be able to provide foods that are rich in nutritional ingredients that your fish require.

- Keep the environment clean.

- When you want to introduce new fish, make sure it's quarantined to reduce the risk of disease.

How To Choose Your Tropical Fish

Knowing how to choose your new tropical fish is going to be one of the most important things you ever do in this new hobby. But how can you tell which are the best fish for your tank? This is the question I will answer for you in this article.

The first thing we need to discuss is the temperament of your fish. There are only three main different temperaments a fish can have. Here they are:

Social breeds. These breeds of fish will get along with any other type of fish. Some of the most common fish to fit in this category are Danios, Tetras, Guppies, Swordtails, Mollies and Corydoras.

Semi-social breeds. These breeds can comfortably be kept along with other fish that are of equal size without them showing signs of aggression. Think of fish like Barbs, Angelfish and Gouramis.

Aggressive breeds. These breeds of fish must always be kept by themselves, or at most, in pairs with another fish of the same breed. An example of these type of fish would be Male Bettas, Oscars and Jewelfish.

If you’ve got a good local pet store, they should be able to give you further advice on what kind of fish you can keep together. A good question to ask the pet employees is if the fish have been kept in quarantine for at least two weeks before being available for sale.

If they haven’t been quarantined the fish will be much more susceptible to disease and early death if they have been exposed to high amounts of stress (such as being on an airplane) without a few weeks rest time.

Another important thing to look for in a fish is its color. You want to choose a fish that has a dense and well-defined color. If the fish has a pattern, check to see there isn’t any signs of blurring between colors.

How To Choose A Tropical Fish Aquarium

The first decision you must make when you buy an aquarium is whether you plan to keep freshwater fish or saltwater fish. It’s up to you whether you want to keep saltwater or freshwater, but if this is your first aquarium, then I suggest you start with a freshwater aquarium.

Here’s why: Saltwater tanks are more expensive and more complex. You have extra things to worry about such as the salinity of the water, water conditioning, and temperature. Because of this, freshwater fish are much easier to care for if you’re new to keeping tropical fish.

Here’s a few other things to keep in mind when buying an aquarium:

Location
When you’re deciding on a location for your aquarium, remember that it can’t be placed in direct sunlight, or anywhere else that could result in changes in temperature.

Also remember that your aquarium, when filled with water, can be very heavy. As an example, a filled 20-gallon glass tank will weight about 225 pounds. Bear this in mind when you choose on a location for your aquarium…as it will be impossible to move afterwards.

Level floor
You will need a level floor for your aquarium, as this will reduce stress on the tank and reduce the chance of any cracks forming over time due to the floor being uneven.

Electrical outlet
Make sure your new tank is located near an electrical outlet so you can plug in the heaters, lights and pumps.

Accessible
You’ll need to have easy access to your tank so you can use the heater controls and air valves. You also need to have room for a net, and room to move decorations around.

Shape
When you’re choosing the shape of your aquarium choose short, longer shapes over tall, thinner shapes. This way there will be more surface area at the top of the water, which is much better for your fish.

Size
It is best to choose an aquarium over 10 gallons. Why? Because it’s just easier to take care of a fish in a larger tank than a smaller one. Whatever aquarium you choose, it is going to, over time, have a build up of waste material. In a large tank these toxic materials have more room to be dispersed. This means the water stays cleaner for longer, and will require less cleaning than a smaller tank.

Material
Aquariums can be made from glass or acrylic. Both have there pros and cons, but I recommend beginners to start with a glass aquarium. Why? Firstly, they cost less, secondly, they don’t scratch so easily, and thirdly, they only need to be supported by the edges.

As you can see, you need to put some time and consideration into where you choose to place your aquarium. All these things will play a part in which aquarium you choose to buy.

How to Care For Aquarium Fish

An aquarium is perhaps the easiest type of pet to have. There are some basic steps to caring for fish once the tank is established. There are things that should be done daily to care for fish and some things that need only be done weekly or bi-weekly. Daily maintenance of an aquarium is fairly minimal. Look at the fish every day to make sure they appear to be overall healthy and happy. This may seem silly, but the main cause of sickness in fish is stress. So, a happy fish is a healthy fish. Check to see that all lights and filters on the aquarium are plugged in and functioning correctly. Feed the fish daily. Only feed what can be consumed in the first two to five minutes. Any excess food will become debris in the tank and lead to illness or attribute to excess nitrite levels. You should check the water ph and temp weekly. Any necessary adjustment should be made promptly. Check with your local pet store when purchasing fish to find out what levels are appropriate. They vary amongst fish species.

Filter cleaning is extremely important. Filters collect waste excreted by the fish and left in the tank in the form of excessive fool. The filters will eventually fill with debris and be unable to do their job unless they are cleaned. In addition to eliminating waste, filter sometimes act as an aeration device cycling oxygen through the tank. If the filters are clogged, circulation slows. This limits the amount of oxygen in the tank. If left untreated, this could be deadly for your fish. Change the filter on the aquarium every two to three weeks depending on need. You will know when it needs to be cleaned because the water will become cloudy or smelly. Some filters need to be replaced, while other simply need to be cleaned with water.

The proper way to change water in a tank is to do it gradually. First unplug any lights and equipment before cleaning the aquarium. Change approximately one third of the water in the aquarium every one to two weeks. Water from the tap should be treated accordingly before adding to the tank and adjusted within two degrees of the aquarium. Again, check with your local retailer when purchasing fish. Some treatments allow the tap water to be ready in as little as an hour, while others need to sit overnight before being added to the tank.

Clean the sides of the tank with a scrubber to remove any built up algae. Be careful not to disturb or scare the fish. Move rocks and decorations to loosen any debris. Try to collect this debris when removing the water, either with a bucket or a vacuum type of siphon. Prune any dead leaves from aquatic plants. Clean the outside of the tank with a squeegee and clean tap water. Clean the cover and lid. Lastly, plug the aquarium back in, and enjoy the freshly cleaned tank.

Five Important Things To Keep In Mind While Choosing Your Fish

Here are five important points to keep in mind when you are choosing your fish:-

1. Check out the health conditions of the fish carefully. If you are observant enough, you can check out both visible and intrinsic health conditions of the fish. First, you must observe the body of the fish. Pay attention to the scales and the fins. The scales should be shiny and smooth, while the fins should not have any cuts or nicks. If there is some fuzzy growth on the body of the fish, it is better left alone. Also check the areas under the eyes for any telltale health signs. Some fish would not 'look' ill, but they might have internal conditions. You can tell that if a fish is either too sluggish and spends most time at the bottom of the tank, or if it is hyperactive and keeps darting everywhere in the tank in a sort of frenzy.

2. You must next check the nature of the fish and its compatibility with the other fish in the tank. Do not select fish that fight a lot with other fish in the tank. They will be a pain to maintain as they will injure themselves often, and you will not be able to place other fish in the tank with them. Also, check out if the fish becomes more docile with another fish of its own species in the tank, preferably of the other gender.

3. Ask the stocker about the size the fish can grow to. You must consider the size of your aquarium here. The equation to maintain is one inch of fish size per gallon of aquarium space. You must not only consider the present size of the fish, but you must see what size it will attain when it becomes an adult.

4. Fish are temperamental little creatures, and most of their temperament depends on the temperature of water they are kept in. You must ask the stocker about the natural living conditions of the fish, as to whether it is tropical water or temperate water fish. That will give you an idea what kind of temperature you will have to maintain in your tank.

5. Finally, you must choose fish according to the food they eat. Different fish have different food habits and some of them are very finicky when it comes to eating. You must make sure that the food your fish wants is readily available, and that it is not going to be very expensive. You will also need to keep food for your fish always stocked.

These are the five factors on which you can base your shopping for fish. By adopting these factors, there are very less chances that you can go wrong in your selection of fish.

Fish Aquariums 101: What You Need To Know

A fish aquarium is designed to offer domesticated marine life with a contained environment that mimics that of their natural habitat. Having first become popular in the 1950s, fish keeping is now widely enjoyed by many as a fun hobby and as a beautiful addition to the home. When maintained properly, fish aquariums can add a decorative touch to any room.

The most effective fish aquariums are those that feature the tank itself, along with lighting, a filter and heating unit. Commonly available in various sizes to accommodate space and different types of marine life, fish aquariums vary in price according to both the size and features of the unit. Everything from the small square aquarium to a large fish tank is up for grabs if you know where to find them. Typical fish aquariums can be found in most retail stores, but larger fish tanks often require a visit to the local pet store or some bargain shopping on the internet.

Fish aquariums are very important to housing domesticated marine life in the home. Small fish bowls, which are widely available, are inexpensive but do little to recreate the natural habitat that a fish would normally have. In order to live a long and happy life, fish need circulating water and movement as they have in the wild. When in captivity, which is the case when you have a fish as a pet, they need to have filtered and regularly cleaned water. While lighting is perhaps not as important, it does provide a sense of night and day and natural light for your pet.

When using fish aquariums to house your marine life, it is important that you regularly test the water using a test kit. In addition to changing the water regularly, it is best to confirm that the water you are using is safe. Regular tap water, for instance, may feature contamination that could prove harmful to fish. The reason is because of the chemicals and purifiers that are often used to treat the water. Instead, using distilled water may be the better option to ensure that it is free of chemicals or any other harmful agents. When changing the water in fish aquariums, you should remove up to 20% of the current water and replace it with the new.

When shopping for fish aquariums, it’s a good idea to check over the unit before you purchase it for cracks or other defects. If you are shopping online, be sure to ask about shipping insurance in case your aquarium is damaged while in route to your home.

Choosing A New Home For Your Tropical Fish, Saltwater Fish, Coral And Invertebrate

All it takes is one glance and the carefree motion of flapping fins entrances us. Fish silently add beauty to every environment and ask for a lot less in comparison to other pets. Of course, choosing the right aquarium in a market flooded with products is enough to make you dizzy. Factoring in location, available space, and base support will make introducing aquatic life into your home a breeze.

Choosing a location before you buy an aquarium increases the likelihood of purchasing one that’s the right fit. Aquariums are heavy and fragile. It’s a good idea not to lug them around while you decide where the aquarium will look its best. When selecting the tank’s location, consider the aesthetics of your environment. Will your aquarium easily be seen? Would it compete for attention with other décor, or be complemented by it?

Selecting a location is not all aesthetics. Avoid direct sunlight and airy drafts that can affect your tank’s temperature. Save some extra “breathing room” around the aquarium for maintenance and cleaning. For safety’s sake, you should also keep the aquarium clear of high traffic areas. After deciding on a location, carefully measure the space to determine how much aquarium can fit into it. Great Danes are wonderful dogs, but they are not so great in studio apartments. This same theory applies to aquariums. With your location in mind and measurements in hand, you are ready to purchase an aquarium. You are certain to find several that will fit comfortably into your space.

Water chemistry and temperature are best stabilized in larger volumes of water, so it’s best to get the largest tank that your space and budget will allow. However, do not select an aquarium by water volume alone. Surface area is also a critical factor to consider. A tall twenty-gallon tank is very different from a short one that is twenty gallons. Taller tanks may take up less space, but they do not have the surface area relative to the water volume. This results in a low rate of gas exchange that is unhealthy for fish. Twenty to thirty-gallon tanks are ideal for those new to keeping fish and they allow for a nice selection of fish.

Aquariums come in a variety of shapes and sizes and are constructed of either glass or acrylic. Glass tanks are less expensive and are easier to clean. By nature, they are also more apt to crack and break. Glass aquariums were once only available in rectangular shapes that are still popular today. They also now come in octagon and hexagon models. Acrylic aquariums, on the other hand, offer more shapes and sizes than their glass counterparts. The strength of the acrylic also allows the material to flex upon impact rather than break. Acrylic aquarium owners can boast of a clearer tank and one that is easier to lift, which may offset their aggravation from the tank’s tendency to scratch. (These scratches can be buffed out with scratch-remover kits.) Many acrylic tanks come equipped with covers and fluorescent fixtures, something that you would normally purchase with your aquarium. Glass tanks, while less expensive, typically are not packaged with cover. Consider this when doing price comparisons.

You’ve got the perfect aquarium in sight and accessories in your shopping cart, but your purchase is still incomplete. On what will your tank sit? Too many new aquarium owners (and some naïve experienced ones) mistake household furniture for tank stands. A modest twenty-gallon tank weighs over two hundred pounds once it is filled with water. If your table or bookstand is not sturdy enough for a football player to sit on, then it is certainly not enough support for an aquarium? Support for your aquarium also differs according to its construction. For glass aquariums, choose a stand that supports the outside of the aquarium. Acrylic tanks require full support along the bottom, so choose accordingly. With support in place for your new aquarium, you have everything you need to start making a home for your new aquatic friends.

Copyright 2006
Reef Saltwateraquarium