The aquarium is absolutely critical to being able to keep healthy fish, no matter what kind of fish it is. Proper care and maintenance of your aquarium is necessary, and there are daily and weekly procedures that must be followed. The first step in keeping a goldfish is choosing the aquarium. While you may see goldfish in bowls and other small containers on television and even in real life, this is really a bad idea. While a goldfish can live for a while in a small bowl like that, they will never really thrive, and will be more susceptible to disease and death. A 10 gallon minimum aquarium with filtration should be the minimum you consider for keeping a goldfish.
The filter running into the aquarium agitates the surface of the water and provides more oxygen to the water, which in turn means the fish has plenty of oxygen and is healthier. More room to swim, and even some currents from the filtration, make sure that the goldfish stays happy and in shape. Don’t forget to take the number of goldfish into account! More than one goldfish will require more space. Ask the guys at your local pet store or aquarium shop what they recommend. Don’t buy too much tank at first though. Try to keep it small and simple. Tell them how many fish you intend to keep, and whether you would like to add fish later. Always do some research before buying a product you are not familiar with. There are a ton of accessories and products associated with aquariums and fish. Doing some research beforehand can keep you from buying products you don’t need.
Sep 03, 2009 | | Feeding tips, Fishes
When choosing to keep carnivorous Characidae, there are some things you will want to keep in mind. First and foremost, be aware that anything smaller than the Characidae will be considered food. And mixing other aggressive carnivores will only lead to one or the other being eaten. You will want to keep herbivorous fish that are much larger with Characidae. They will generally leave anything bigger than themselves alone, and the herbivore will not be interested in attacking unless provoked. In contrast to the piranha, which has similar jaws and eating habits, a Characidae will attack both alone and in schools.
Piranhas tend to attack only in schools. But the effect either type can have on your hand is similar, so be careful. These kinds of fish are definitely not recommended for the beginner. Carnivorous Characidae will eat pretty much any kind of meat. Worms, smaller fish (a lot of dangerous fish keepers will stock the aquarium with several small, cheap fish so the predator has something to hunt), etc. Try to avoid giving them a taste for red meat, and do not put your hands into the tank while feeding them.
Sep 03, 2009 | | Fishes
After you have set-up your fish aquarium there is the unavoidable possibility of also dealing with scuff and algae build-up, which are natural possibilities to keeping water in an enclosed area where marine residents live and various bodily secretions take place besides plant life exists. please understand that this build-up is a result of natural conditions of the tank and at times, it grows because of the strength of the light in the tank as well as the nutrients existing in the aquarium that promote its growth.
Once you know of the nutrients that are promoting algae build-up, you can work to minimize or eliminate their levels so the algae do not find circumstances to thrive in to prevent other slime from accumulating and spoiling the healthy living environment of the tank inmates. Begin by changing the tank water and step up to cleansing with chemicals meant to clean algae build-up.
Tips to prevent algae
Since algae build-up is caused much in part due to the lighting in the tanks, opt for reducing the brightness and heat in your fish aquarium to prevent frequent algae build-up and to have minimum use of low light levels in it and to be on the safe side, keep the aquarium out of direct sunlight since this can lead to algae build up also.
Aug 01, 2009 | | Fishes, Pet care
