Month: November 2018

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Helpful Tips For a Healthy Aquarium

Fish Expert Helpful Guides, New Aquarium Set Up, Tank Maintenance No Comments

When you decide you want to create your first freshwater aquarium (or any aquarium for that matter) what you are essentially doing is saying to yourself that you are willing to adopt the responsibility of taking care of these tiny alien creatures who will rely entirely on you for their health and happiness, and in exchange you get the pleasure of having a window into a world you otherwise would never see and, hopefully, derive years of pleasure from maintaining and observing this unique and beautiful world. So what are some good ways to help maintain the health of your new alien pets? Well we certainly want to arm you with the correct and necessary knowledge for taking care of your fish, so her are a few helpful tips for the new fresh water aquarium enthusiast!

Acclimate your Fish

Like all other living things fish are fragile, and require certain parameters be in harmony for their health to be maintained. Always do your research and find out what the water levels need to be for nitrate, ammonia and pH. If you buy them form a store feel free to ask a clerk, but it always helps doing your own research first. Be sure to test your aquarium water, the greater the differences, the longer you need to acclimate your fish.

Floating your fish

While the bag is still sealed, float your fish in they’re new aquarium for at least 15 minutes, but make sure not to exceed one hour. This will allow for temperature acclimation. Next, slowly add quarter cups of water from your aquarium into the bag. Repeat this process every five minutes until the bag is full. This brings the temperature and chemistry together slowly, allowing the fish time to acclimate to their new environment without causing any unnecessary shock or trauma from sudden change. Remove the bag from the tank then slowly pour off as much water as. Lower the bag back into the aquarium  allowing your fish enter their new found home.

Overcrowding your Aquarium

Too many fish crammed into a small space is unhealthy for them and can lead to fatalities. Check with a pet specialist for the right size tank for your fish. Overcrowding your new aquarium with fish can lead to low oxygen levels, and excess waste which will clog up your filter and degrade the water in your aquarium. So be sure not go crazy with indecision your first time through and put as many fish in your tank as possible, its very dangerous to them.

Pro Tip:

1 fish inch per gallon of tank.

Water Conditioning

It should go with out saying: water for fish, is the equivalent of air for humans. It needs to be within certain specific parameters to be considered healthy and thus  critical to your fish’s life span. Your average tap water comes with countless variables that require balance in order to support aquatic life. Use a de-chlorinating and biological aquarium supplement, these can be found at your local pet store or online. As always: do your homework first!

Maintenance Aquarium of pH Levels.

pH is the measurement of acid it your alkalinity of the water in your fish tank. You must absolutely purchase a pH test kit check the pH level in your aquarium. Depending on species your pH level needs to be between 6.6 and 7.8, this is the norm for most freshwater tanks (African cichlids have a higher pH). These levels will allow a natural, antiseptic effect to occur, guarding you fish from illness. Be sure to check the pH regularly for any fluctuations.

Aquarium Water Changes

You should change 25% of your tank water at least once a month or bi-weekly for higher populated tanks. This simple routine maintenance will allow for a clean and healthy ecosystem. Use a gravel vacuum to siphon out water and debris. This simple regular maintenance will keep stable water parameters, and promote the health of all of your fish.

Water Temperature

Water temperature is absolutely crucial! And changes in the water temperature in your tank can be dangerous to your fish. Remember this: never place your aquarium in a window or heating and air conditioning vents. This could easily trigger drastic temperature changes and make your fish sick or even kill them. Tropical freshwater fish require very specific temperature levels, 72F – 82F (22C-28C) depending on the species,be sure to purchase a heater for your new tank. It is a necessary piece of equipment.

Clean the Walls of Your Tank

Algae buildup the glass walls of your aquarium will give water a murky look to your tank, and depending on the type of algae, depletes oxygen, which can create health concerns for your aquatic life. So not only will it look ugly, but it is also dangerous for aquatic friends. Your plants can also experience harmful effect from algae build up, it will rob plants of much needed oxygen. Purchase scrub brushes with long handles and aquarium algae magnets to scrape off the gross excess algae from the aquarium walls.  Buy algae eaters.

Whatever your level of expertise in the aquarium world it is helpful to keep all the tips in mind so that you might maintain a healthy ecosystem for your fish and plants.

FOWLR Aquarium Build

Fish Expert Fowler, Helpful Guides, Saltwater No Comments

FOWLR (fish only with live rock) fish tanks allow you the unique ability to stare in delight at several of one of the most remarkable and vivid aquatic aquatic species. These typically hostile however attractive fish usually would cause chaos in a restricted coral reef system with invertebrates and live reefs, however, in a live rock fish tank you can take the time to  appreciate their one-of-a-kind elegance without fear. One of the major benefits to this style of aquarium is that they require less maintenance, and less financial expense than coral aquariums!

Here is our recommendations for species and set up in your new FOWLR aquarium-

Beautiful and Dangerous

Puffer fish: Who doesn’t know or love these adorably hostile balloon like beauties? Slow moving and beak mouthed these funny little guys have the ability to inflate themselves to over twice their size when they feel threatened. Puffer fish utilize their strong jaw muscles to feed on crustaceans. They are also very personable fish and,overtime, will let their owners feed them out of hand.

Large Angelfish. Colorfully tough, angelfish have every unique swimming patterns, and offer almost neon like colors to your aquarium. They will also add to their ecosystem by maintaining algae while they graze on the rocks in their fish tank.

Wrasse:  Best understood for intense and captivating shades of color, extended bodies, and long pointy noses, wrasse will captivate anyone who gaze at them. Wrasse tend to clean their larger counterparts, picking off both dead tissue and parasites. Wrasse also tend to burrow into the sand when they sleep and at the sign of nearby danger.

Tangs: Referred to in layman’s terms as either Surgeon or Doctor fish, tangs have scalpel-esque spines, small scales, and vibrant colors. Their spines are used in defense when they feel threatened, and they love places to hide and plenty of room to swim. Tangs diet consist of dried seaweed and algae.

Trigger-fish: known for their astonishing triangular form and range of various shades of color and unique patterns these guys are a great species to add to anyone’s collection. Likewise, they swim in an uncommon style, utilizing both their dorsal and rectal fins to navigate themselves through the water. In order to maintain position in a rocky environments these crazy fish use an extremely rigid bone in their first dorsal fin which can be locked into place, hence the name ‘trigger-fish.’

Set-up Tips

  1. Choose an appropriately sized aquarium, ideally, we recommend a 6-foot setup or larger.
  2. Due to the size and quantity of the fish your new FOWLR aquarium will require an efficient biological filter. We recommend a wet/dry, or a sump-style filter.
  3. You will also need an efficient protein skimmer along with your filter in order to control nutrient. For smaller aquariums, the SeaClone skimmer is a great choice.
  4. You will need a lighting system that can provide 1 to 2 watts of light per gallon. If the room is not air conditioned keep the lighting on the lower side of what is  recommended.
  5. Your FOWLR aquarium will need to start with sand bed. Along with adding an overall  aesthetic appeal,  sand aids in filtration, buffering of pH, provides a habitat for burrowing fish, and help with stabilizing your live rock
  6. Before you add your fish you will need about 2-4 weeks for your live rock to cure with the filtration system. This will allow the ammonia and nitrate levels to zero out.
  7. Take time to stock up your aquarium, working your way up from least to most aggressive species one group at a time. Be patient and take several months to do this. It will let your fish adjust to their new environment at a comfortable pace. And will reduce the level of aggression as you add more and more species.

With every the various varieties readily available to the enthusiast today, a FOWLR fish tank could be an amazing and beautiful fish tank that you can be proud of and will bring years of pleasure and enjoyment..

How to set up your first freshwater aquarium!

Fish Expert Helpful Guides, New Aquarium Set Up, Uncategorized No Comments

Want to include a freshwater fish tank to your place? If so, awesome! However most people aren’t certain how to begin. Below is a easy to follow five step beginners guide to your first freshwater fish tank. The55-gallon fish tank arrangement is a good place to start your hobby and is what we have detailed out for those who wish to pursue a beautiful aquatic environment for their home. As you will certainly see, including a fish tank to your house is simple and well worth it for the years of pleasure you will certainly experience.

What you need to get started-

Equipment

  • 55-gallon aquarium Aquarium stand
  • Aquarium canopy
  • Versa-Top 5 bags Natural Gravel
  • 200W Marineland Precision Submersible Heater
  • Vertical Thermometer
  • MarineLand Emperor 400 Filter
  • API Freshwater Master Test Kit
  • 16 oz. Chlorine Neutralizer

Decorations

  • 4 Mopani Driftwood pieces
  • 3 Foreground plants
  • 2 Variety Packs
  • 3 Marineland 6″-18″ Artificial Plant Multi-Packs

Fish

  • 3-6 Bottom Dwellers
  • 3-5 Otocinclus Catfish (algae eaters)
  • Other peaceful community fish include: Danios, Rainbows, Tetras, Barbs, Rasboras, Angels, etc.

The Steps-

1) Establish your Aquarium and Stand, do not allow your aquarium to be put in a  place where it will be exposed to direct sunlight. Make sure there is at least 5 inches between the fish tank and the wall (you’ll want room for a filter) and also guarantee the stand is in a place where it will be flat and wont be tilted. And do yourself a favor: set it up where it is going to stay. You do not want to have to break the whole thing down and move it if you don’t have to.
2) Time to add the essentials, or foundation: water and gravel. Much like you would wash fruit before consumption make sure you do the same to your new gravel. Use water you know to be clean then feel free to add it, give it a slight slope to the back of the tank. After your gravel is in its time to fill the tank, you want to avoid displacing your gravel so use something like a plate to run the water over in order to avoid this. If there is chlorine in your water be sure to use a chlorine neutralizer.
  3) Now its time to install your filter and your heater. Set up your equipment, but you need to wait before you turn anything on yet. Assemble the power filter and hang it on the back of your new aquarium. Place the thermometer where you can easily see it, you want to be able to monitor the temperature with ease. Set up the heater and place it under the water level, and near the input to the filter.
4) Its time to exercise those interior decorating skills and add in your plants/décor. Make sure to keep your new ecosystem clean by washing all everything that enters the tank with clean water. Then add everything to your liking, the foreground and background plants, the driftwood and accents, rocks etc. give it 24 hrs for water temperature stabilize prior to including fish.
5) The fifth and final step: adding all your fish. To kick off the nitrogen cycle put in on y 10 inches of fish. After the fish have adjusted place them into the fish tank, do so without including the water they were delivered in. Now put your canopy and lights on, after one month test your nitrate and ammonia levels, if they are zero you can now start including the remainder of your fish, a couple of at a time, its recommended you do up to 55 inches overall. You can also utilize live nitrifying bacteria to rapidly develop an organic filtering process and also cycle your fish tank.

How To Build A Planted Aquarium For Beginners

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Step by step guide to your first Planted Aquarium

Looking for a natural and beautiful underwater ecosystem that captures the eyes of all who gaze at it? Freshwater planted, or natural aquariums can do just this. They contain aquatic plants and fish that mirror natural aquatic environments, and it can be a very fulfilling and enjoyable hobby.

Natural fish tanks are typically much easier to maintain than other fish tank setups since the inhabitants of the ecosystem create a synergistic environment for them all to thrive. Fish supply co2 and nutrients for healthy plant development. In turn, water plants supply supplemental biological purification and oxygen to produce a tidy, healthy environment for fish. It’s a beautiful thing!

Recommended planted aquarium for beginners.

To ease you into to your new hobby here is a simple step by step process to follow for creating your own personal aquatic ecosystem.

We recommend start with a 20-gallon high aquarium, Aquarium Stand, and Fluorescent Strip light.

Plants and equipment we recommend for a beginner and it will look great:

Aquarium Plants-

  • 1 Green Myrio
  • 2 Rotalia Indica
  • 2 Ludwigia
  • 3 Annubias Barteri
  • 3 Java Fern
  • 4 Micro Sword
  • 4 Wisteria
  • 6 Cryptocoryne
  • 6 Annubias Nana

*NOTE there are also “plant packs” you can purchase with pre selected plants.

Equipment-

  • Tetra Whisper Power Filter power filter
  • 100W Marineland Precision Submersible Heater
  • Coralife Digital Thermometer
  • 2 – 15.4 lb bags Seachem Flourite™
  • 24″ Floramax Plant Growth Lamp
  • 3 Driftwood
  • 16 oz Stress Coat® Plus
  • Test Kit
  • Flourish Liquid Plant Pack
  • 250 ml Seachem Flourish™ Excel

Some fish we recommend:

  • Albino Aeneus Cory Cats
  • Cardinal Tetras
  • Neon Blue Dwarf Gourami
  • Rummynose Tetras

Now that we have covered what you will need to start, lets dive in and go through all the necessary step get your aquarium up and running.

Planted Aquarium Setup

We have a guide for aquarium setup

  • Set up your aquarium and stand.
  • Add a high quality, mineral-rich substrate (this is the foundation for long-term success).
  • Rinse plant substrate well before placing in aquarium.
  • Fill aquarium with de-chlorinated water and install filter and heater.

Planted Tank PH and Hardness

You will certainly want to monitor these as your aquarium evolves, and monitor often after initial set up. Make sure the pH is between 6.5 and 7.5 by using a water conditioner. This is the healthy and appropriate range for both your fish and your plants. Use Reverse Osmosis water and re-mineralize with Seachem Equilibrium when dealing with hard water issues.

Planted Lighting Set Up

Do yourself a favor and grab a plant lamp to replace the usually subpar stock light that comes with your aquarium hood, this will set you up for success and your plants will grow healthy. And if you decide to go with plants that have “higher light requirements” then you will want to use two strips. Your plants are a large part of what make your aquarium pop, so we should take the time care for them properly.

Add Your Plants

It is crucial that you let your aquarium establish itself for a few weeks, usually about 2-3 before you add your plants. Once you are all ready to go start with the foreground of your aquarium and add in short growing plants to the foreground and add plants in ascending order to fill the mid-ground and background.

Add Fish

Just like with plants, wait at least 2-3 week establishment marker in the nitrogen cycle before you begin to add your fish.  Don’t add to many all at once or you may have trouble if   The fish we listed above will all do just fine in this tank, and we would recommend you do a school of about 6-12 for this size of tank, the fish are here to compliment the surrounding plants and environment, usually fish are the main attraction, but here its is the underwater forest we are after.

Nutrients

In order to sustain their health and growth your plants require added nutrients. Carbon (C02) is a very important and essential nutrient for developing plants which your fish will provide but to get robust growth you may need to supplement C02. There are yeast based, pressurized, and aerosol systems.  As well as liquid C02 however, this is not as effective as gas C02.  There are micro-nutrients your plants need in addition to C02.  API Leaf Zone or Flourish are good options. Just remove the carbon from the filter so you don’t remove them. Always follow the manufacturers recommendations to maintain your beautiful plants.