Aquarium Care for Freshwater Fish

Aquarists Keep All Types of Freshwater Fish!
  Seeing a beautiful fish at a pet store or winning a goldfish at the fair can be the beginning of a very exciting journeying… becoming an aquarist!

Keeping tropical fish is fun and very rewarding. The adventure begins with getting an aquarium for your new aquatic pet. Then learning how to feed and care for it. Freshwater fish care is not difficult but there are a few basics.

This article will introduce you to some of the basics for keeping and caring for freshwater fish. Then as you become comfortable, you may want to begin keeping the unusual or more difficult types of tropical fish. Enjoy the journey!

   “Aquarium Care for Freshwater Fish” – Author: Vlad Gorgan

Have you ever wondered what the difference between freshwater fish and saltwater fish is? Here is one general thought. Freshwater fish are hardier, which makes them so much more lovable than saltwater ones. In order to be able to keep any freshwater fish, you need to set up a basic aquarium, comprising of the fish tank, rocks or substrate on the bottom, a water filter and a lighting system. As far as the fish are concerned, you cannot have incompatible fish in the same tank. They have to be a match from the point of view of the temperature and the water pH. Also, it is recommended to have approximately same-sized fish, for the risk of eating each other not to exist after a shorter or longer period of time.

When it comes to freshwater fish, they should receive fish food twice a day and only small quantities of food, approximately how much they can eat in two up to five minutes. What if you do not know how much food t give them and you give them too much? Well, in that case, the extra food will become debris, dirtying the fish tank. Generally, you should clean a fish tank every week and also you should check the water pH and the water temperature, so that it does not come to fish being affected in any way. If the conditions in the tank are not appropriate, then most of the times, your fish will get ill. Fortunately, you can easily observe that, but you then have to take care of them and treat as soon as possible, because usually, fish are not very resistant and they just as easily die.

When your fish get sick, you can buy them stress coats from shops and treat any sign of distress and another thing you should do is to never put too many fish in the same fish tank, as this is another reason for fish getting sick.

Coming back to the aquarium water, when you change it, you should only change a third of the total volume once, in order not to harm the fish in that water. Remember to change the water once every 2-3 weeks, using a siphon or a bucket. Also, you should never let any debris or extra algae in the water and you should check the temperature to remain constant at about two degrees. The filter should also be changed very carefully and at the right time. No matter what operation you perform, you should do it with your hands clean.

Keeping freshwater fish is a very pleasant hobby, barbs, live bearers, danios or other such fish being extremely resistant to large amounts of nitrates. What is always very important is to know how to assure them the best living conditions and never to introduce more than four fish in a fish tank in one week. This related to how many small fish you should add up every week. Be fresh by keeping freshwater fish!

Here is some additional information on Aquarium Care for Freshwater Fish:

• Freshwater Aquarium Setup and Maintenance – How to set up an aquarium for the best results
• Fish Care – Maintenance Schedule – A few quick basics about caring for tropical fish
• Cycling Your Aquarium – Starting the aquarium cycle for a healthy aquarium

Rosette Plants for Freshwater Aquariums

Rosette Plants
"Lattice and lace are the order of the day! The Rosette Plants are the ornamental plants of the planted aquarium. They do need some special care but the rewards are awesome!"

   Rosette plants are those that have a shortened stem axis

and tend to be more ornamental!

   Rosette Plants are the ornamental plants of the aquarium. These plant structure of the rosettes are described as having a ’shortened stem axis’ which creates very beautiful leafy plant. They can be used in groups or can be used individually as a stand alone plant. A single rosette plant can be the stunning focal point in your aquarium design.

   Most of the Rosette plants are lattice plants and require
more specialized plant care than the other groups for good plant growth. They reproduce asexually by runners
and most will grow emersed under water and produce flowers. Environmental requirements include: soft, slightly
acidic water ( pH of 5.5-6.5 and 2-3° CH), abundantly available
fertilization, and cooler temperatures (60-72° F).

Aquatic Passion Photo of the Month Winner – August 2009

Fishing The Thai Way….Part 2

Hi All,

Just thought a few of you might find this interesting. One of the family is called Sai Chun, he is from Issan originally, which is in the North East of Thailand. They are from Laos originally, and are one of the poorest in Tailand, mainly farmers, and they will eat anything, including bats, birds, snakes, rats, dogs the list is endless.

It as just come to the end of the rainy season, and there are quite a few waterholes around the village, these will eventually dry up till next year, but they all have fish in them that have been trapped as the water resides.

Si Chun straps a car battery to his back, and as two metal prongs with wooden handles and a switch on, connected to the battery. He then goes into the pools and send a small electric current into the water, stunning the fish.

Here’s a couple of pics of Si Chun fishing and some pics of the fish he caught. Not sure what the fish are so anybody out there can tell me it would be much appriciated.

1. Si Chun fishing

2. Si Chun Fishing

3. Si Chun Fishing

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Regards
Jeff & Wan

Fishing The Thai Way….Part 1

Hi All,

I’m Jeff from UK originally, but have been in Thailand for a few years now. Just thought a few of you might like this story. Before I met my wife I was living in another village with another Thai family. My girlfriend had 2 children, 1 girl and a boy called Nuke. It was during the dry season, and nuke came home one day with a couple of fish, we thought he had caught them in the local small lake, but he said he hadn’t. He said he had noticed a cat come out of a hole in a field with a fish. The hole ran underneath the road and was a water outlet for when the fields flooded.

He’d climbed into the hole and he said it was full of fish, there was hardly any water in there but the fish where living in the mud. The pics tell the story….enjoy.

1. Nuke prepares to go down the hole.

2. Nuke checks for snakes

3. Watched and encouraged by his mum, grandpapa and young cousin

4. Almost There

6. Gone

7. Nuke coming back out

8. Cor ! I’m glad that is over

Nuke went down that hole several times and this is what he retrived.

This woman turned up as we where cleaning the fish, she owned the land that the hole was on and accused us of pinching her fish…LOL.

Regards
Jeff & Wan

Black Band Cory – Corydoras zygatus

Black Band Cory – Corydoras zygatus

From the AquaticPassion forum we have a cool writeup on Black Band Cory. Thanks Matt!

While you’re reading this take a second and tell us what type of catfish is your favorite – What is our favorite catfish?

Scientific Name: Corydoras zygatus
Common name: Black Band Cory
Temperature: 22 – 26C
pH: 6.8-7.2
Care level: Quite easy.
Temperament: Very peaceful; will never injure or hurt another fish. Don’t keep them with any large or aggressive fish.
Size: Females up to 3in. (7.5cm.), and males up to 2.5in (about 6.5cm.).
Diet: Will eat a wide variety of food, but are not scavengers as some people are misled to believe. A good staple diet would be shrimp pellets (Hikari Sinking Wafers work even better if your willing to pay a little more), flakes, and tubifex worms. Should also be given algae/veggie wafers and blood worms sometimes.
Minimum tank size: 20 gallons

C. zygatus is a large species of Corydoras that suits a medium to large sized community tank. They aren’t that common in most places, and make sure you do not get them confused with a similar looking species, Corydoras rabauti. They do best if you have many hiding places, preferably driftwood/bog wood and plants. Sand substrate is the best, but smooth gravel also works.

Make sure you always get at least three C. zygatus, since, like other species of Corydoras, they are very social animals and need to be kept in groups. They’ll also be much more entertaining to watch if kept in groups. The females tend to be larger and plumper then males when fully grown. These cories breed in the same fashion as other Corydoras do. C. zygatus are relatively easy to breed if given proper conditions.

Like all species of Corydoras, Black Band Cories have protective ‘armor’ and a spine in their dorsal fin to protect them from predators, since, otherwise they would be defenseless. But in the aquarium setting please never put them in a situation where they’ll have to use their defences.

Corydoras zygatus are a great addition if you are looking for a large, attractive Cory.

By Matt M.

For more information about coryadoras see:
How to Feed Corydoras
AND
Breeding Cories

Plecostomus – No Name

No Name
"Check out The Boss!"
2009-05-03

Here’s what Korey Young says about No Name:

"He is the boss of the tank."

"Nice picture showing the way plecostomus (plecostomuses? , plecostomi?) stick to the glass. He’s getting pretty big too! Thanks for sharing him here. "

Flowerhorn Cichlid – Buddy

Buddy
"Cute coming to you in technicolor!"
2009-01-07

Here’s what Johnson Devanand says about Buddy:

"He will play with me very well. When i show my finger in front of him, he will swim according to the movement of my finger."

"This is a truly amazing fish! The colors are stupendous, thanks for sharing Buddy with us."

Sunset or Thick-lipped Gourami

Thicklip Sunset Gourami
"Some species say " it’s all in the hips"… but for me it’s all in the LIPS!"
10/3/2008

Words cannot do justice to the brilliance of the Thicklip Gourami in full colors!

  The Thicklip Gourami in its natural coloration is becoming a rarer and rarer sight, which is a shame. Much of its popularity has been lost to the Dwarf Gourami, because few hobbyists have the patience for the Thicklip Gourami’s full colors, which are slower in coming. Those which do commit to the Thicklip Gourami are heavily rewarded when males flush with breeding colors which are some of the most brilliant of the family.

  Furthermore, the development of new color variants brings more consistency in terms of color. Although this new generation’s color still has nothing on the old wild colors of this fish, sales of the variants are skyrocketing and their arrival seems to have sealed the fate of the wild coloration of the Thicklip Gourami.

Starting Your Biological Aquarium Filter

Did you know that nature’s way of filtering wastes, both in water and on land, uses two types of bacteria is arguably the most important discovery in the aquarium fish keeping world (circa 1970s)? The advent of the “biological filter” which is employed by providing a medium for bacteria to grow on put successful fish keeping into the realm of almost everyone. It also busted some myths about keeping an aquarium healthy, namely that they need a thorough cleaning on a regular basis. That is not to say they don’t need to be cleaned, but that cleaning everything thoroughly can actually be detrimental to the health of your fish. As the owner of any tropical fish store can tell you, the explanation of a biological filter becomes an oft-repeated speech that finds itself rolling trippingly off the tongue with great frequency. As a more thorough explanation and guide to starting your biological filter, we offer the following:

Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle – Starting a Biological Aquarium Filter

   Cycling your aquarium is the first thing, and the most important thing you must do to provide a healthy and stable home for your fish!

   Aquarium maintenance is easy if you have an aquarium nitrogen cycle going on. The aquarium cycle is more commonly known as the nitrification process and is the biological filter for your tank. Aquarium filtration systems work to keep your water pristine and provide a safe home for your fish, and the biological filter is perhaps the most important filtration system to have… (read the rest of this article here)

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