Mar
31
Tropical fish?
Filed Under Fish | 4 Comments
Erin Y asked:
i want to put sand in my tropical freshwater fish tank but i am not sure. i like the way sand looks but will it injure the fish? i would just like some info about it.
also my fish, i think, have a disease called ich? i was wondering how to treat it. thank you.
FREEMAN
i want to put sand in my tropical freshwater fish tank but i am not sure. i like the way sand looks but will it injure the fish? i would just like some info about it.
also my fish, i think, have a disease called ich? i was wondering how to treat it. thank you.
FREEMAN
Mar
26
Fishes For The Aquarium Explained
Filed Under Pets | Comments Off
Jimmy Cox asked:
Before you begin the wonderful hobby of fish keeping it is advisable to learn something about the naming and classification of fishes.
Among fishes there are many which have no English name, though as they become popular they tend to acquire them. Generally speaking, however, it is better to learn the scientific names, because these are internationally used, and more exact.
These names are usually derived from Greek or Latin words, often descriptive of some feature of the fish concerned. They are always in two parts. The first part, beginning with a capital letter, is called the generic name, and indicates the group to which the species belongs; the second part, always beginning with a small letter, is the trivial name, indicating the particular species.
Classification
More than twenty thousand kinds of fishes have been discovered, of which about a third come from fresh waters; new ones are being found every year.
This vast assemblage is classified by scientists according to their relationships as shown by careful study of their structure and way of life. The genera, or groups of related species, are put together in families (groups of related genera), and these into orders.
Broadly speaking the more primitive kinds of fishes have only one dorsal fin, mostly with soft rays, and often an adipose fin, while the pelvic fins have no spines; the more advanced fishes (those which evolved more recently) have the dorsal fin in two parts, the front part bearing spines, and have always a spine in front of each pelvic fin, and usually two or more in front of the **** fin.
Only a mere handful of the known species - about 200 - are familiar to the aquarist, and for him there is a much more useful classification. Fishes can be divided into tropical and cold-water species.
The tropical fishes can be divided again mostly according to the way they breed. First, there are the livebearers, which give birth to young ones much as higher animals do; secondly there are those that lay eggs and take no further interest in them - perhaps even eating them as soon as they are laid; thirdly, we have those which lay eggs but take care of them, and these can be again divided into those that make a nest of bubbles at the surface, and those that protect them in other ways.
Tropical Fishes
The name Livebearers refers to the fact that the eggs hatch out within the body of the female, and the young fish are not liberated into the water until they are well-developed enough to swim about and feed.
This means that the eggs must be fertilized internally, and for this purpose the male fish is provided with a special structure known as a gonopodium, formed by the front part of the **** fin. The sexes are therefore easy to distinguish in these fishes, and the veriest novice can be sure of getting a pair. The female is often larger than the male.
Another remarkable thing about them is that a single fertilization enables the female to produce two or three, or even more, broods of young, so that it is possible to purchase just one healthy, plump female and soon have a thriving family. Most females, in fact, will be found to be in this condition, and can easily be recognized by a dark patch showing through the flesh at the end of the body cavity, known as the “gravid spot”.
The broods are produced usually at six- to eight-week intervals, and average about 25 young. These grow quickly and become mature after two or three months, but they are still small at this time, and if allowed to breed will not grow much larger.
Goldfish are the most popular of the cold-water fishes.
Thus it can be seen that there is indeed a wealth of fishes which may be bought to stock your aquarium. In no time at all you will have a tank which will entertain you for hours.
SALVATORE
Before you begin the wonderful hobby of fish keeping it is advisable to learn something about the naming and classification of fishes.
Among fishes there are many which have no English name, though as they become popular they tend to acquire them. Generally speaking, however, it is better to learn the scientific names, because these are internationally used, and more exact.
These names are usually derived from Greek or Latin words, often descriptive of some feature of the fish concerned. They are always in two parts. The first part, beginning with a capital letter, is called the generic name, and indicates the group to which the species belongs; the second part, always beginning with a small letter, is the trivial name, indicating the particular species.
Classification
More than twenty thousand kinds of fishes have been discovered, of which about a third come from fresh waters; new ones are being found every year.
This vast assemblage is classified by scientists according to their relationships as shown by careful study of their structure and way of life. The genera, or groups of related species, are put together in families (groups of related genera), and these into orders.
Broadly speaking the more primitive kinds of fishes have only one dorsal fin, mostly with soft rays, and often an adipose fin, while the pelvic fins have no spines; the more advanced fishes (those which evolved more recently) have the dorsal fin in two parts, the front part bearing spines, and have always a spine in front of each pelvic fin, and usually two or more in front of the **** fin.
Only a mere handful of the known species - about 200 - are familiar to the aquarist, and for him there is a much more useful classification. Fishes can be divided into tropical and cold-water species.
The tropical fishes can be divided again mostly according to the way they breed. First, there are the livebearers, which give birth to young ones much as higher animals do; secondly there are those that lay eggs and take no further interest in them - perhaps even eating them as soon as they are laid; thirdly, we have those which lay eggs but take care of them, and these can be again divided into those that make a nest of bubbles at the surface, and those that protect them in other ways.
Tropical Fishes
The name Livebearers refers to the fact that the eggs hatch out within the body of the female, and the young fish are not liberated into the water until they are well-developed enough to swim about and feed.
This means that the eggs must be fertilized internally, and for this purpose the male fish is provided with a special structure known as a gonopodium, formed by the front part of the **** fin. The sexes are therefore easy to distinguish in these fishes, and the veriest novice can be sure of getting a pair. The female is often larger than the male.
Another remarkable thing about them is that a single fertilization enables the female to produce two or three, or even more, broods of young, so that it is possible to purchase just one healthy, plump female and soon have a thriving family. Most females, in fact, will be found to be in this condition, and can easily be recognized by a dark patch showing through the flesh at the end of the body cavity, known as the “gravid spot”.
The broods are produced usually at six- to eight-week intervals, and average about 25 young. These grow quickly and become mature after two or three months, but they are still small at this time, and if allowed to breed will not grow much larger.
Goldfish are the most popular of the cold-water fishes.
Thus it can be seen that there is indeed a wealth of fishes which may be bought to stock your aquarium. In no time at all you will have a tank which will entertain you for hours.
SALVATORE
Mar
24
Question On The Diet Of My Tropical Fish?
Filed Under Fish | 3 Comments
AlbinoSk asked:
Ive Had Tropical Fish For A Long Time But Only Fed One Thing Everyday And I Heard Mixing There Diet Is Healthier.
heres the shedule.
Monday: Regular Flakes
Tuesday: ” ”
wednsday: ” ”
Thursday: ” ”
Fridasy: ” ”
Saturday: Regular Flakes Mixed With Spirulina Flakes.
Sunday: ” ”
Ive Had Tropical Fish For A Long Time But Only Fed One Thing Everyday And I Heard Mixing There Diet Is Healthier.
heres the shedule.
Monday: Regular Flakes
Tuesday: ” ”
wednsday: ” ”
Thursday: ” ”
Fridasy: ” ”
Saturday: Regular Flakes Mixed With Spirulina Flakes.
Sunday: ” ”
Is This diet ok?
QUINTON
Mar
23
habaceeba asked:
I need a good, quality aquarium supply/tropical fish store in the Denver area.
MURRAY
I need a good, quality aquarium supply/tropical fish store in the Denver area.
MURRAY
Mar
19
Fish Care - Putting Fish Out Of Misery
Filed Under Pets | Comments Off
Iszuddin Ismail asked:
It’s a sad thing when a beloved fish friend comes to the end of its lifespan, when it won’t eat or swim, or when it has succumbed to serious injury or disease. It can be difficult to take the responsibility for ending the life of another being but many aquarists feel it’s worse to allow a creature you know to be in pain to suffer, when its ailments cannot be cured.
Older methods include flushing, fast freezing, fast boiling, decapitation, and so on, but are now considered inhumane. Modern fish-keeping methods have suggested a more humane method which is simple, clean, and even inexpensive.
Clove oil (also known as eugenol) is sold in most drugstores as a toothache remedy, and has the remarkable quality of putting fish to sleep. Using clove oil to anaesthetize your ailing fish first will make almost any method of euthanasia more humane, but the quickest and cleanest way is to add a clear grain alcohol like vodka to the water inhaled by the sleeping fish.
For small fish, under three inches long:
1) Fill a measuring cup with tank water, noting the volume, and pour it into a separate container (opaque sides will minimize fish stress). Place the fish in the container.
2) Fill a small jar ¾ full with water from your tank, add one drop of clove oil, put the lid on, and shake thoroughly until the water turns a cloudy white.
3) Pour about a quarter of the white liquid into your container, and allow it to sit for about ten minutes. The fish will begin listing and then sink to the bottom, but the gills will still move every few seconds. If the fish is still moving after ten minutes, shake up the jar again and add another quarter of its contents to the container.
4) When the fish has stopped moving completely except for the gills, add vodka or a similar clear grain alcohol to the water. You’ll need to use about a quarter of the original container’s volume in vodka: if you put 12 ounces of water in the container, you’ll need 3 ounces of vodka (25% of 12 oz) to make the process quick and effective.
5) Check the fish after twenty minutes; if there is no gill movement after sixty seconds, the process is complete; if you do see any movement, add another dose of clove oil, and then another dose of vodka.
For larger fish you’ll need proportionally more clove oil: about 10 drops per gallon of water in the container; and you may need to wait longer before it takes effect. Once the fish is asleep, use the same 25% dose of alcohol to ease them on their way.
An aquarist hopes that they will never have to perform this duty. I think it’s better to know that there’s a humane way, and never need the information, than to need the information and do something cruel to your fish because you didn’t know.
NORBERT
It’s a sad thing when a beloved fish friend comes to the end of its lifespan, when it won’t eat or swim, or when it has succumbed to serious injury or disease. It can be difficult to take the responsibility for ending the life of another being but many aquarists feel it’s worse to allow a creature you know to be in pain to suffer, when its ailments cannot be cured.
Older methods include flushing, fast freezing, fast boiling, decapitation, and so on, but are now considered inhumane. Modern fish-keeping methods have suggested a more humane method which is simple, clean, and even inexpensive.
Clove oil (also known as eugenol) is sold in most drugstores as a toothache remedy, and has the remarkable quality of putting fish to sleep. Using clove oil to anaesthetize your ailing fish first will make almost any method of euthanasia more humane, but the quickest and cleanest way is to add a clear grain alcohol like vodka to the water inhaled by the sleeping fish.
For small fish, under three inches long:
1) Fill a measuring cup with tank water, noting the volume, and pour it into a separate container (opaque sides will minimize fish stress). Place the fish in the container.
2) Fill a small jar ¾ full with water from your tank, add one drop of clove oil, put the lid on, and shake thoroughly until the water turns a cloudy white.
3) Pour about a quarter of the white liquid into your container, and allow it to sit for about ten minutes. The fish will begin listing and then sink to the bottom, but the gills will still move every few seconds. If the fish is still moving after ten minutes, shake up the jar again and add another quarter of its contents to the container.
4) When the fish has stopped moving completely except for the gills, add vodka or a similar clear grain alcohol to the water. You’ll need to use about a quarter of the original container’s volume in vodka: if you put 12 ounces of water in the container, you’ll need 3 ounces of vodka (25% of 12 oz) to make the process quick and effective.
5) Check the fish after twenty minutes; if there is no gill movement after sixty seconds, the process is complete; if you do see any movement, add another dose of clove oil, and then another dose of vodka.
For larger fish you’ll need proportionally more clove oil: about 10 drops per gallon of water in the container; and you may need to wait longer before it takes effect. Once the fish is asleep, use the same 25% dose of alcohol to ease them on their way.
An aquarist hopes that they will never have to perform this duty. I think it’s better to know that there’s a humane way, and never need the information, than to need the information and do something cruel to your fish because you didn’t know.
NORBERT
Mar
17
Horse Rider asked:
I wuz wondring…Are Pearly gold angelfish marine fish or freshwater tropical fish? and if they are freshwater tropical, will they eat my african dwarf frog? what other fishes would go with a dwarf frog and angelfish?
ALFREDO
I wuz wondring…Are Pearly gold angelfish marine fish or freshwater tropical fish? and if they are freshwater tropical, will they eat my african dwarf frog? what other fishes would go with a dwarf frog and angelfish?
ALFREDO
Mar
16
Aquarium Fish Care Tips - Different Varieties Revealed
Filed Under Pets | Comments Off
Abhishek Agarwal asked:
Markets are a resource of a variety of fishes including the freshwater, coldwater and tropical fishes. Apart from these one can also find the saltwater and Seawater fishes. People who have written about fishes have pointed out to the saltwater fish also called the damsels as a species which are one of the top starter fishes. What they must know is that there are around 22000 species of fishes suitable for the fish tanks and some of these fishes are ideal for starters even more so than those damsels. It takes more effort in maintaining salt water fishes. water conditions and feeding patterns have to be carefully monitored. In order to settle on the ideal fish for starters one has to learn about fishes in general. In this article, we will look into fresh water fish even as we know starters are nicer with coldwater and freshwater fishes.
Shark fish which is black in colour and has a red tail is called Labeo Bicolor. Thailand is the home of this fish which grows to a maximum of 4.5 inches. Labeo Bicolor is shaped like a torpedo and is vary popular because of the way it looks. Just like the shark, this fish has a dorsal which looks like a flag and complements its silvery colour.This fish which is black in colour feels velvety and has a red tail which gives it a different look. This fish is not suited to be kept in tanks as known from one of its traits. One such trait is the yellow and orange caudal fins. This fish is very friendly though which makes it an ideal candidate for aquariums maintained by communities.
Just like the sucker which cleans the glass of the tank and the plants kept in them with the help of its mouth suitable to this job, the Labeo Bicolor also carries out similar responsibilities in the communal aquariums where they are kept. They thus are happy in communal waters but do not tolerate fishes from other families. Being a forager Labeo lives on algae and other foodstuff. Labeo is not fussy about the condition of water and makes sure the tank is sparkling clean at all times. One important thing to be noted though is that if one chooses to go in for this fish, he or she must make sure other fishes in the tank are those which can effectively adapt to the same living conditions. There are fishes that will easily adapt to acidy waters which are soft and there are those others which will adapt to alkaline waters which are hard. It is advisable to go through every detail regarding the nature and habits of this fish before going in for purchasing them for your aquarium.
One more breed of fishes which grow upto one and a half inches in size and feature olive or brown skins are the White Cloud Mountain Minnows or the Tanichthys Albonubes. These fishes have their origin in the White Cloud Mountain rivers in China and Canton.This fish has attractive stripes which goes all the way to the snout and roots of the caudal or the peduncle of the tail.Its adjusting nature and preference for all types of food stuff make the White Cloud Fish best suited for communal tanks. Water conditions can be neutral or hard for this species of fish. Ideal temperature would be about 50 degrees Fahrenheit, definitely not 70 degree fahrenheit. Though a lot of fishes of other species generally prefer a temperature of 80 degrees, the White Cloud Mountain are the cold water types. Males of this species are not as plump as their female counterpart.
Minnows
Breeding the White Cloud
If you have ever bred the Brachydanio, then you can breed the White Cloud Fish in the same way.Brachydanios including Rerio require you to line the bottom of the aquarium with pebbles of one and a half inch diameter.You must make sure water is not more than three inches deep. These fishes are happier in longer aquariums.
ERNEST
Markets are a resource of a variety of fishes including the freshwater, coldwater and tropical fishes. Apart from these one can also find the saltwater and Seawater fishes. People who have written about fishes have pointed out to the saltwater fish also called the damsels as a species which are one of the top starter fishes. What they must know is that there are around 22000 species of fishes suitable for the fish tanks and some of these fishes are ideal for starters even more so than those damsels. It takes more effort in maintaining salt water fishes. water conditions and feeding patterns have to be carefully monitored. In order to settle on the ideal fish for starters one has to learn about fishes in general. In this article, we will look into fresh water fish even as we know starters are nicer with coldwater and freshwater fishes.
Shark fish which is black in colour and has a red tail is called Labeo Bicolor. Thailand is the home of this fish which grows to a maximum of 4.5 inches. Labeo Bicolor is shaped like a torpedo and is vary popular because of the way it looks. Just like the shark, this fish has a dorsal which looks like a flag and complements its silvery colour.This fish which is black in colour feels velvety and has a red tail which gives it a different look. This fish is not suited to be kept in tanks as known from one of its traits. One such trait is the yellow and orange caudal fins. This fish is very friendly though which makes it an ideal candidate for aquariums maintained by communities.
Just like the sucker which cleans the glass of the tank and the plants kept in them with the help of its mouth suitable to this job, the Labeo Bicolor also carries out similar responsibilities in the communal aquariums where they are kept. They thus are happy in communal waters but do not tolerate fishes from other families. Being a forager Labeo lives on algae and other foodstuff. Labeo is not fussy about the condition of water and makes sure the tank is sparkling clean at all times. One important thing to be noted though is that if one chooses to go in for this fish, he or she must make sure other fishes in the tank are those which can effectively adapt to the same living conditions. There are fishes that will easily adapt to acidy waters which are soft and there are those others which will adapt to alkaline waters which are hard. It is advisable to go through every detail regarding the nature and habits of this fish before going in for purchasing them for your aquarium.
One more breed of fishes which grow upto one and a half inches in size and feature olive or brown skins are the White Cloud Mountain Minnows or the Tanichthys Albonubes. These fishes have their origin in the White Cloud Mountain rivers in China and Canton.This fish has attractive stripes which goes all the way to the snout and roots of the caudal or the peduncle of the tail.Its adjusting nature and preference for all types of food stuff make the White Cloud Fish best suited for communal tanks. Water conditions can be neutral or hard for this species of fish. Ideal temperature would be about 50 degrees Fahrenheit, definitely not 70 degree fahrenheit. Though a lot of fishes of other species generally prefer a temperature of 80 degrees, the White Cloud Mountain are the cold water types. Males of this species are not as plump as their female counterpart.
Minnows
Breeding the White Cloud
If you have ever bred the Brachydanio, then you can breed the White Cloud Fish in the same way.Brachydanios including Rerio require you to line the bottom of the aquarium with pebbles of one and a half inch diameter.You must make sure water is not more than three inches deep. These fishes are happier in longer aquariums.
ERNEST
Mar
16
How long do tropical fish and Ghost strimp live? ?
Filed Under Fish | 3 Comments
Sizzle asked:
I have 5 neon teras.
I have 5 neon teras.
2 cardinal tetras.
one platy
one green fish that kinda looks like a dragon no idea what the name is.
2 glow fish (very cool)
3 ghost shrimps.
and a snail.
how long do these type of tropical critter live for?
GEORGE
Mar
8
tropical fish?
Filed Under Fish | 8 Comments
Felice asked:
I want to get some fish, but the ones i’m interested in are tropical fish. They require salt water and a certain water temp. How often do you need to apply the salt to the water? As for the heat, are heaters expensive? Fish lovers, help me out!
CASEY
I want to get some fish, but the ones i’m interested in are tropical fish. They require salt water and a certain water temp. How often do you need to apply the salt to the water? As for the heat, are heaters expensive? Fish lovers, help me out!
CASEY
Mar
6
what kinds of water do tropical fish need?
Filed Under Fish | 7 Comments
Ashton asked:
i bought a 10 gallon aquraim and i was wondering if tropical fish need saltwater or freshwater to survive i already have the temperature at 82 degrees and i have 4 small real plants that i bought at petco.. so do i need salt water or freshwater?? please help im hoping to buy the fish by Wednesday…
DERICK
i bought a 10 gallon aquraim and i was wondering if tropical fish need saltwater or freshwater to survive i already have the temperature at 82 degrees and i have 4 small real plants that i bought at petco.. so do i need salt water or freshwater?? please help im hoping to buy the fish by Wednesday…
DERICK