| Buying the fish Your Fish & Aquarium Shop owner can give you the requirements of the fish you want to purchase. Make sure that these requirements are met before introducing your fish to the tank. Always make sure that the fish you buy are well fed. They should look plump and have no missing scales or be scarred. Active fish are usually in good health. If the fish seems to be panting or if their fins are clamping, avoid these. If you take them home in a plastic bag, leave the fish in the bag and place the bag in the aquarium. Let it float there for thirty minutes then open the bag and introduce some of the tank water. Let it float for another fifteen minutes or so. This will help your new fish become accustom to the temperature and the makeup of the tank water. Release the fish. Remember, the less fish in a tank the better off your fish will be and the easier it will be to manage. Not all fish are compatible, for various reasons. Check with your Fish & Aquarium Shop owner and follow his suggestions. Keep an eye on your tank daily. Look for signs of illness in your fish. Watch to see if any of your fish are attacking the others. In certain species of fish this can be part of the mating ritual and is expected. Are all of your fish eating? If not this could be a sign of illness. It is recommended that you not feed the fish one day out of the week. Check the water temperature. Is it at the right temperature? Check the filter flow. Always remove any dead fish! Making a partial water change once or twice a week should become part of your routine. One third of the water should be replaced with water of the same properties as is in your tank. Feeding Your Fish A basic healthy diet will consist of all the nutrients that most creatures need to exist. Your specific fish will call for a specific diet. Some thrive on live food while others do fine on the dry type. Once again, your Fish & Aquarium Shop owner will help you with this and can provide the necessary product for your fish. Vitamins can be added to the foods as a supplement. If you feed your fish properly and keep the food stored properly, giving them vitamins shouldn't be necessary. Diseases Changes in your fish can be warning signs. They are, color changes, eating habits or behavior changes. Trying to figure out the reasons for the sickness is a real challenge. There are some things you can do. Check the conditions of the tank. If the conditions are not up to par correct them. Check with your pet store owner he/she may be able to help diagnosis the problem. On our bookstore pet home page you will find a link to books and publications to help you with diagnosing these problems. The best prevention is to watch your fish regularly. By doing this you get to know your fish and their habits. Fish react abnormally during the reproductive cycles. They may hide more than normal, even tremble and shiver. Check your book for courtship behavior. Poisoning If your tank has accumulated a high level of harmful substances due to mistakes or even polluted city water, poisoning can occur. Some of the symptoms that arise from this are breathing problems, darting around in the tank, loss of color, and nervousness. If you suspect poisoning immediately change the water. Rinse all objects in your tank well. Your book, you have bought a book, right, should include the actions to take for these problems of poisoning. We will mention that Carbon Dioxide poisoning is one of the more common poisoning that can happen if your tank contain plants. This can happen by over fertilization of plants. Poisoning through tap water can happen do to the amount of chlorine in the water. If the bacterial count is high the water company will up the chlorine amount. Always aerate the water before changing by leaving it sit in a container for two days before using it. |
| Cleaning Cleaning your tank on a regular basis is the most important job you can do if you are to have healthy specimens. Tools recommended to make the job easier are: A hose with a Debris Siphon. For a partial water change, use the hose to remove half of the water. When cleaning the bottom, attach the debris siphon. It will remove the debris and water while leaving the larger material behind. Be careful not to kill the plant roots. A squeegee. Use this to remove dirt and growth from the glass walls. Buckets ONLY used for aquarium cleaning. CO2 fertilizer diffuser. This is used for maintaining the correct amount of CO2 in the water for proper growth of plants. CAUTION should be taken when using this product. Follow the directions closely. |
| Decorating The Tank Your pet store carries all kinds of materials to add character to your tank. These materials have many functions. Bottom material: Gravel and sand are the most common bottom material. These should contain no calcium. Bottom dwelling fish like sand to burrow into. You can use gravel and sand, but, if you are going to have bottom dwellers it's recommended that you leave a portion of the bottom free of gravel. This gives the bottom dwellers a place to have as their own. Rocks: Building areas in which the fish can hide, find shelter, and use for brooding, is ideally built using rocks and plants. These areas become territorial for some fish. Build these areas before adding other materials. The materials you add after constructing these cubby-holes help to anchor the rocks. A material should be placed between the rocks and glass. Styrofoam is ideal for this. |
| FISH CARE |
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| When buying a heater for your aquarium, use the rule of thumb: one watt for every quart. |