Saturday, December 29, 2007

Colored Fish

Swim And Be Seen In An All Glass Aquarium
by: Low Jeremy

Swimming colored fishes in a tank they say is therapeutic. Others believe that viewing fish or schools of fish in a tank gives you a calming effect. It temporarily puts off any worries that you have in mind.

But you will not feel relief or enjoyment if the fishes you are to see are confined in an indistinguishable home. Hence to provide you with viewing satisfaction, an all glass aquarium has been created.

An aquarium is set to be the shelter of ornamental fishes. Plants that can survive in water are also placed in aquarium to augment its beauty as well as provide nourishment with fishes. One type of aquarium is an all glass aquarium, which has been well loved by individuals who have pet fishes for quite a long time.

There have been applauds and criticisms to all glass aquariums. Here are some of its advantages and disadvantages.

Using an all glass aquarium provides you with many benefits such as:

•It is cost-effective to buy glass aquarium compared to other types of tanks.

•It is scratch-resistant.

•The frame of glass aquariums are made of customary width, hence you can ensure that it will not easily be broken.

•There are varieties of color available. You can choose your preferred color for your all glass aquarium.

On the other hand, there are some posed disadvantages whenever you use all glass aquariums.

•Without proper care it can result to brokerage that will result to more serious problem such as possible death of fishes.

•Leakage may be one of your dilemmas if your glass aquarium develops a crack.

•Once you decide to empty the tank for general cleaning, it is weighty to carry.

However with proper handling and care you are most likely to avoid any destruction to your glass aquarium. It is not only the fishes you must take good care but its shelter as well. Just like how you give utmost concern to your own home.

Clear and easy to view – that is what you get from an all glass aquarium. Now you do not have to worry about not seeing all the fishes in its shelter nor will you worry about gaining enjoyment from fish viewing.

With a glass aquarium your pet fishes will most likely convey to you that they swim and they want be noticed. Watch them, feel the relief and be amazed.


About The Author

This content is provided by Low Jeremy. It may be used only in its entirety with all links included. For more information on aquariums, how to maintain, the basics of owning one, please visit http://aquarium.articlekeep.com.

Homes for Fishes

Aquarium Decorations Creating Homes for Fishes
by: Rajesh Rastogi



Aquarium decorations----Creating Homes for Fishes

Aquarium decorations are not only beautiful to look at they also have an important purpose. They provide fishes with homes---- hiding places and natural borders resembling their natural habitat. There are many different types of decorations, for instance Cave dwelling fishes love aquarium decorations that structure like caves, holes and crevices. Whereas Fishes that live in dense vegetation prefer plants and other types of tiny hiding places. Decorations are crucial for a happy and healthy aquarium they also keep fishes from getting bored.

Tanks: There are many variants of tanks big, small, quadrilateral or polygonal. The size of an aquarium should be according to the size and the number of fishs you plan to keep.

Also tanks come in a variety of tinted glasses.

Plants: They are the the most beautiful, inexpensive source of decoration for your aquariums. Fishes love the aquatic plants as they are part of their natural habitats. They come in all varieties, costing anywhere from a few bucks to hundreds. Plants are very useful as well; they bind carbon dioxide and oxygenate the water. They also use organic waste products as nutrition and remove potentially harmful compounds from the water. Plants can also be used to keep a check on the water quality of an aquarium; the plant will start dieing before the fish if the water suddenly becomes toxic.

Wood, Rock and Coral: An aquarium can be like a miniature true habitat for the fishes with these decorations. Drift wood and mangroves can create a beautiful effect in the aquarium, plus some fishes particularly thrive on Drift wood. But be careful as Drift wood might lower pH levels and the hardness of the water. So it is best used in aquariums with soft slightly acid water. Stones and rocks make excellent decorations. But again caution is needed; you should never use rocks that affect your water’s pH levels or stones that might contain toxins. There are also fake rocks that resemble real rocks, but these are pretty expensive. Rocks can be used to create caves which many fishes are passionate about. Coral are a beautiful addition to marine aquariums; in fact they may prove necessary for a healthy marine habitat. But can be dangerous to fresh water aquarium and should not be used as they be harmful.

Gravel or sand: Both are great both come in a variety of color. Gravel comes in white, brown and black, or blue, red, green, yellow the whole rainbow spectrum. Sand again also has a plethora of colors white, black, blue, yellow, red, green. Both of these can be layered in multiple colors.

Glass marbles, Ceramics, Plastic: Ok all are unnatural materials and might look slightly tacky, but fishes don’t give a fig for this, they enjoy them enormously. Glass marbles though are not a good bottom substrate out of a biologically as flora does not thrive on them, can add beautiful colors to the aquarium. It’s best to use them sparingly or add another more functional substrate below. Ceramics are excellent aquarium decorations. All sizes and shapes can be used as long as they do not have sharp edges. However ceramics tend to grow algae that might be hard to. Plastic they are cheap, colorful and yes tacky, but can be found in a variety of fun shapes. Treasure chests, skulls, divers, pirates, plants and ships you name it and stores have them.

It is imperative that you only use aquarium decorations that are safe to use in aquariums. If you have salt water aquariums they should be saltwater-safe also. If you don’t take this precaution your fish will die due to the organisms and toxins released by the decorations

Decorations have both practical and aesthetical use if done tastefully and carefully you can create a miniature aquatic ecosystem that both you and your fish can enjoy.



About The Author

Tony Williams has an expert in installing lighting and having a website http://www.hamiltontechnology.com, for more information on aquarium lighting, aquarium accessory, and saltwater aquarium lighting. Visit Site to know more about on metal halide aquarium lighting http://goldenlifeofriches.blogspot.com/

Friday, September 21, 2007

Glass aquarium

One of the most interesting facts when it comes to fishes in the aquarium is the claim for it to be therapeutic. Just by spending a quite time in viewing the schools of fish in your tank gives you that calming effect and temporarily places you away from any worries and concern you have in mind.However, you may not be able to obtain that calming effect when the fishes are held in an undistinguishable home. So, for the benefit of viewing satisfaction, the idea of an all glass aquarium has been made.An aquarium is a refuge home for ornamental and attractive types of fishes. Also, the plants that can live underwater can be placed in an aquarium to expand its beauty and also give nourishment to the fishes.

An all glass aquarium serves as a type of aquarium that is viewable from all angles and is actually loved by most individuals who have fishes in their homes for quite a period of time now.Pros and ConsIdeally, all things do have their advantages and disadvantages and an all glass aquarium is one of them. Before you buy an all glass aquarium for your fishes, take a glance at some of its pros and cons:* Pros - the advantageso Firstly, an all glass aquarium is one of the cheapest compared to the other sorts of tankso Scratch-resistanto There are various colored aquariums for you to choose from in order to fit your color scheme and give out that glowo The frame of an all glass aquarium is structured by customary width, thus, an assurance that it will not easily get broken* Cons - the disadvantage so For an all glass aquarium to last long, proper care should be maintained since without it there will results of serious problems like the possible death of your fisheso Cracks can cause serious problems also, especially the leakages that may develop and without your knowledgeo Deciding on a general cleaning is a first, but the weight of the aquarium will indeed require you to go work those muscles outHowever, you can always counter those disadvantages with proper handling and care of the aquarium to avoid certain problems that may occur. One more thing that you have to consider is that, not only you give importance to your fishes but also to their home also. Just like your concern for your family and how you decorate and clean your own house.Just remember to clean the aquarium in a regularly and thoroughly and you can enjoy watching your fishes with relief and amazement.

Best aquarium screensaver available

An aquarium screensaver is almost like the real thing. Only there is no water. It has the same soothing effect on the eyes and nerves. The languid movements and the living colors of different fish can make your computer screen come alive with the dynamics of a real aquarium. The computer-generated fish mimics all the behavior of a real fish as they dart among the plants or swim in schools from one end to the other. After hours of working on the computer, the aquarium screensaver can soothe and relax your nerves. Real cool. There are a lot of aquarium screensavers available on the net. You can take your pick from tropical aquarium to freshwater aquarium settings. You can select what type of fishes to put in your aquarium. There are about 50 species of fishes and sea-dwellers, available on some of the aquarium screensavers. There are several criteria on how to pick the best aquarium screensaver.

First, the screensaver should be relatively easy to use. It should be user friendly and downloading and setting it up should be simple and hassle-free. Next, the fishes in the aquarium screensaver should act naturally, swimming as if they were real and alive. The plants should also sway to the movement of the virtual water. The lighting should be realistic, with shadows and all. The colors of the aquatic garden should have vibrant and lively in color. The more features in your screensaver the better. Some top class aquarium screensavers even lets the user design the setting of the aquarium. Others also let you feed and tickle the fishes on the virtual aquarium, just by right clicking on the screensaver.To know the best aquarium screensaver available, you can check out websites that specializes in different types of screensavers.

These types of websites usually have ratings and comments on different screensavers. A list of the top user picks and comparisons between different screensavers are also shown.You can get free aquarium screensavers on the net, but these are probably not the best quality screensavers. You can also download trial versions of the top screensavers. This trial version doesn't have all the features of the full versions. Also, trial versions are good only for a week or so, and then you are required to purchase the full version. The prices of the aquariums screensavers may range from about 10 to 50 dollars. The prices depend on the quality of the aquarium screensaver. The higher the price of the screensaver, the better the value.

Monday, August 27, 2007

Neon Tetra fish are very appreciative

Tetra fish belong to the Characidae. These are small freshwater fish. Tetra fish are extremely popular in aquariums, especially those tetra fish that are colored brightly and are easy to take care of in captivity. The Neon Tetra (Paracheirodon innesi) is the most popular in the Tetra species and they are found in Clearwater streams and blackwater streams in Brazil, Peru and Columbia. Tetra fish are very peaceful fish and they are usually kept in aquariums. Keeping Tetra fish and taking care of them is not hard at all.

The Neon Tetra grows no larger than 2 inches, and if you are keeping Neon Tetra fish it is important that you keep 10 fish together. Why is this? Well, Tetra fish is a schooling species and if they are kept alone they will feel much stressed. Neon Tetra fish are very appreciative, and they will appreciate a planted aquarium and also enough room for them to swim. Having floating plants on the surface of the water to dim the light entering the tank is suggested. Also, a darker substrate will assist at creating a dimmer environment. This will help the light not reflect too much.With the dimmer light it will help the Neon Tetra look a little more vibrant in the darkness. The temperature should be between 22 degrees and 25 degrees Celsius. The advantages of the Neon Tetra are that they can live in slightly alkaline water as well as acidity water.

This means that the water with a pH of 5.5 and 7.5 is okay for the fish. Keeping Tetra fish and getting Neon Tetra to eat while captive is not a hard task at all. What you should be concerned about is when you over-feed the Tetra fish. When going to the pet store look for a high-quality food to feed to the Tetra fish.The tropical Tetra fish is the Congo Tetra, and this is a less known species of fish in the Tetra family. This species of Tetra isn't as strong as the Neon Tetra and it is very important that the water is changed frequently.

This type of Tetra is very sensitive to poor conditions. When you home your Congo Tetra in an aquarium it is important that the aquarium is equipped with circulation. This is a peaceful fish but at times it can become very nervous and skittish. To solve this problem you can try decorating the aquarium with plenty of hiding places for the fish. They should be kept with at another five Congo Tetra fish, or even more if you choose.

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Keeping marine fish healthy

Keeping marine fish should be done as a hobby as it may require a lot of work and you should be dedicated to making sure your fish are happy and healthy at all times. The tank is the first important factor and before you go fish shopping you should get the tank ready so your new fish can be put straight into their tank when you get home. Remember, a stressed fish is an unhealthy one. The tank should be big, the bigger the tank the easier it is to maintain and monitor. It should be at least 2 feet. Put the tank somewhere not too warm and not too cold, but do not put it into direct sunlight as this could result in unwanted algae and could also make the water too warm. The lighting in the tank should be T5 fluorescent. Having this light is better because you will be able to see the fish more clearly and it will provide the tank with great enlightenment. Your other option would be MHL, although this is the more expensive route, you need it if you are going to be keeping corals. When it comes to feeding your fish you first have to monitor how long it takes them to eat it all, do not give them more than they can consume in 3 minutes. Whatever the amount they finish in 3 minutes is the amount they need to be fed. The fish should be fed at least twice a day, always giving them the same amount of food. Overfeeding the fish can lead to cloudy water and you will have to clean the tank more frequently. It is best to remove any excess food from the tank. Keeping marine fish healthy entitles you to maintain the tank properly.

The tank should be topped up every week with distilled water. Never put too many fish in one tank, they need all the space they can get. If you have an obsession with keeping marine fish, rather have a few tanks. The water should be tested at least every two to three weeks to make sure your fish are as healthy as they seem to be. You can use a magnet cleaner to get rid of all the excess algae if you wish to do so. Fish can get ill even if they are looked after correctly. When keeping marine fish there are three illnesses that are most common; Parasites, Ick and Velvet. With parasites you will see a lot of extra mucus on the fish, they will be rubbing themselves on the rocks and you are most likely to see worms in the tank. Ick will cause small white spots on the body and the fish will rub against the bottom of the tank. Velvet will cause your fish to loose color, have white dots and rub on the bottom of the tank.

Plants are the most common item in goldfish tanks

Well, you have probably made the right decision. If you are deciding on keeping gold fish know that your life is about to change... for the better. Goldfish is the common fish kept in homes by families, especially kids around the world. A great choice will be made after making up your mind.Well, this is obvious. The first thing you must get is the tank. Get this first before getting the fish. It is important that you get the proper tank to home your goldfish, because without the proper tank your fish will die in no time. This also goes for the plastic bag you are going to get your fish in when you go out to purchase it. The surface and the size of the tank will influence the amount of fish you can have in your tank. Moreover, the larger the tank the more room your fish will have to swim, play and breathe.Plants are the most common item in goldfish tanks. Plants give the fish places to hide, creates a setting where the fish will feel comfortable and the plants also oxygenate and clean the water. Plants are available in artificial and live plants. Live plants, however, are preferred when it comes to water cleaning. In addition, live plants do not require artificial light, but with it the plants will look better.Snails are very useful when you want to keep the sides of the tank clean.

This also allows you to have a clear view of your lovely fish. Snails reduce the amount of fish you can keep in the tank, and this is not because they devour your fish.Adding decorations such as statues, driftwood and rocks in the tank can give the tank visual interest. These items should be washed and cleaned before they are placed in the tank. This is extremely important to the driftwood and the rocks. These two specific items should only be bought from a pet store, because the wrong type of wood and rock can pollute the tank of dangerous chemicals and this can make your goldfish sick.Keeping gold fish can be extreme fun and a pleasure but it does require of you to maintain and make sure that your fish is always healthy. Other decorations include shipwrecks, UFOs and mermaids and these can also be purchased from the pet store. Enjoy, because you will be having loads of fun.

If you are starting an aquarium

This is important! If you are deciding on starting an aquarium, there are a certain things you have to know about tanks, filters, fish, lighting, plants, biotopes and also other details. If you neglect these important factors, deciding on tropical fishkeeping will result in your fish having diseases, a dirty tank ... basically you will be having very unhappy fish, and having unhappy fish will make one unhappy because fish is supposed to relax you when sitting and staring at them for endless hours.First and foremost, you have to be sure that you have chosen the right position and place for your tank. Important to know is that the place where you are having the tank shouldn't be too cold or too sunny.

What interest people is the wall mounted tanks. They are out of the way and while they are built in the wall they look like a natural part of the wall. Aquariums and tropical fishkeeping, what they offer make it easy for the beginner and the tropical fish lover to create beautiful sceneries. Another tank especially for tropical fish is the rounded glass tank and this fits perfectly in the corner. Moreover, the rounded glass makes the tank and the area look very attractive. If you are starting an aquarium and would love to have tropical freshwater fish know that the temperature in the room should not be lower than 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit) and it should not exceed 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit). If this is done incorrectly you will be spending more money on the cooling systems or the heaters. Also make sure that the base under the tank is strong, because this is needed. If you are starting an aquarium of tropical fishkeeping, and you are going to need 132 Gallons (500 liters) of aquarium you will need an iron stand.

You could do this or you could install the tank in the floor. Isolation can be great. Place polystyrene or paper under the tank. This is done for two reasons:* The pressure will be distributed equally. If this is neglected it might disrupt the glass.* The temperature will be more stable. It is a proven fact that a little isolation is good, especially for large tanks.When finding the most suitable area to place your tropical fishkeeping tank, always think of accessibility. You'll need to feed the fish. Also, remember that you will need enough space when cleaning the tank.

Friday, August 24, 2007

Hard to maintain than the unplanted aquarium

There are a lot of aquarium individuals who think that a planted aquarium is hard to maintain than the unplanted aquarium, but live plants do actually help the owner of the aquarium with his maintenance by providing valuable influence on the quality of the water. The installation of planted aquarium promotes stress-free advantages to the fishes that can lead to propagation. However, there are also fishes that are not suitable to live with plants since they can simply destroy them. There are also fishes that prefer living in those aquariums decorated with rocks and common caves, or just empty sea shells.

Choosing a PlantIf you are new to the aquarium world, or have not experience keeping live plants before, you can ideally begin with some of the sturdy plants like the Java Fern. This plant can adapt to a wide array of water conditions and sturdy enough to endure the fishes who likes to nibble them and if the plant is uprooted because of those fishes who like to dig, it will not be a catastrophic ending for the plant. However, if you fancy digging fishes, you can opt for floating plants or those plants that are made for decoration instead of having plants in the substrate.LightWe all know all plants need proper exposure to light, the right nourishment to live and carbon dioxide, but there are some plants that are actually more demanding than the others. The Java Fern mentioned above can be actually kept in a usual aquarium with only an average amount of light with no fertilization and non-addition of carbon dioxide. If you like those plants that are inhabit to clear plants or waters and grow nearby the surface in some very sunny areas of the world, these types of plants need very powerful source of light like the fluorescent bulbs or a metal halide.

The recommended moderate lighting for a demanding plant is 20W per square foot of the surface area of the tank or 2W every gallon of water. These references are actually quite unclear since the only way for you to find out what a certain plant needs is for you to research each species. The essential amount of light can be affected by certain factors like how compactly planted the aquarium you have is and the distance of the light has to go through.As mentioned above, plants need the abundance of light, nourishment and carbon dioxide and if you intend to adjust one of these components you're going to have to adjust the remaining two as well.

Choosing your aquarium stand

In choosing that aquarium stand will suit you best, you must know first a few things. What is the size and weight of your aquarium? Remember that freshwater weighs around 10 lbs. plus you also have to compute together with that the weight of things you will put into it. Then another question that should be addressed is: "Will it look good together with my furniture or with the other things in the house? An important pointer is that you must choose an aquarium stand that will not only support the weight of your aquarium but will also look good once it is placed in your house.There are four types of aquarium stands.

These are metal stands, wooden stands, and bespoke stands. Once the most common type of stands in the market, metal stands ranks now second to wooden stands in customer preferences. They are either a welded sheet steel construction or box section. Box section stands are capable of supporting two aquariums at the same time, at times, one and above the other. This is the type most often used by hobbyists because of its capacity to support even multiple set-ups. Both types of metal stands are usual black in color mainly because most customers prefer the color. In fact, it looks good if topped with colorful aquariums because it makes the colors shimmer in the water even more. Some metal stands are even decorated with flourishings and curlicues of leaves and vine tendrils just to give it the feel of elegance. Well, if elegance is an issue to you, you can try wooden stands. Wooden stands are presently the choice of most aquarium stand buyers because of the elegance and sophistication it exudes. However, finishing should not only be the basis in choosing wooden stands but on the kind of wood that will literally carry weight of your aquarium.

Is it durable? Is it also usable, like are there drawers in it? See, another matter worthy of consideration in choosing a stand is if it will save space in your living room or wherever you want to place your aquarium. A good suggestion would be to contact a supplier that could make a design fitted for your aquarium and the room where it will be displayed. That's why we have what we call bespoke stands. These stands are those specifically designed to suit a special or non-standard aquarium in order to achieve a unique look. Consequently, a bespoke stand will cost more than the above options. But if you live for style, this type of stand is definitely for you. In choosing your aquarium stand, just remember this: it would be just like the day you bought your first couch, that is, it must be built for your needs and you must be comfortable with it.

Aquarium chillers and heaters

Owning a school of fishes does not necessarily mean that you're only going to feed them and clean the tank that they are leaving, and then just watch them swim 24/7. However, there are certain problems about owning an aquarium, especially when you own a saltwater reef tank-full of fishes. That said you know what problem you are dealing with more than just cleaning and feeding. So, for the bright side, aquarium chillers were created to give your tank the right temperature and for the fishes to have a pleasant life in their confinement. There are also chiller/heater combined aquariums that you can buy for your tank to always have the proper temperature.And like any other products, you always have a choice to choose from its three basic versions; the thermoelectric chiller, in line chiller and drop in chiller.FeaturesThese aquarium chillers and heaters that are now available in every market comes with a digital thermostat that reads with an energy-efficient consumption enabling you to save something off from those electric bills. The installation can be done in seconds, user-friendly and runs quietly like a new air conditioner.

Additionally, these aquarium chillers are designed like furniture materials that can fit into almost any surrounding and adopts as being one with the decorative things in your area.Some manufacturers do extend that marketing challenge to a new level, thus, producing advanced functions for these aquarium chillers. For instance, they can actually be 30% more compact than those ordinary ones you see. They function so well as if they're not functioning at all since they run so quietly and can also be controlled quite easy. Aquarium chillers also feature simple and quick controls so you can simply adjust it based on your preferences. Other features include the ABS housing, non-corrosive interior and a quite period of time on the warranties, which some of the manufacturers often gives out for competition sake.Get Your Aquarium ChillerSo, if you have been doing everything to ease the burden of keeping the temperature of your aquarium to a right level and all of them keep failing you, take your chance and get an aquarium chiller and heater. This may cost some extra cash but it's indeed worth it and for the school of fishes that you have on that tank, especially for a reef aquarium that you have been maintaining and invested some hard earned dollars for months or years.

Filtration is a process of removing organic elements

Although experts don't agree at which pump works best for both aquariums and ponds, we certainly won't dip our fingers into that shouting match, because to be plain about it, choosing a filter is easy and simple. And one doesn't have to be an expert to know that. But first, what is filtration and when is it needed? Filtration is a process of removing organic elements that may pollute and thus affect the overall health of your aquarium. This is because of the presence of liquid and solid fish waste which when left alone could produce hazards for the fish and plants inside the aquarium. It is needed for the health of aquarium life, as earlier suggested, by bringing in a more stable environment, free of disease and pollution.

An unfiltered aquarium would usually cause unpleasant bacteria to grow and thrive in it. There are several types of filtration, depending on the "target" of the activity. A filler contains a material called media that has many functions. Some media would trap small particles of waste matter (mechanical filtration); some would provide a large surface which is colonized by a bacterium that consumes waste (bacteriological filtration); some would absorb or convert other toxins which cannot be trapped or converted by the first two media (Chemical filtration). But among the three, experts believe that bacteriological filtration still stands as the most significant in that it typically removes fish waste, which is dangerous to fish. If there are types of filtrations, there are also types of filters. And this is where the experts don't come into a consensus.

Most common of these are Internal Power Filters, External Power Filters, Air Pump driven or Powerhead driven Under-Gravel filters and Air Pump driven Internal Box Filters. The question now is how to choose. Basically, you have to identify the correct filter by assessing the usual problems in your aquarium. Second, know the volume of water that the filter is able to process. Third, choose a filter, which can turn over the entire aquarium volume between two to six times every hour with four times an hour. This simply means that its power can "clean up" the entire aquarium. Through this knowledge, you would know how to work out the water capacity of your aquarium for the filter to be more effective. There are many ways to know which filter is good for your aquarium. Still, to know which, you also have to know the needs of your fishes. Remember, learning how to choose your filter is only a step but it surely can go a long way.