Keeping Tropical Betta Fish

Tropical Fish No Responses »
Feb 182010

The Betta tropical fish has become very popular with tropical fish keepers all over the world as an attractive aquarium fish as in the past it was mainly kept by enthusiasts in Thailand. They come in a variety of colors from red, blue, black and yellow and are stocked in most good pet stores. Keeping Betta tropical fish is really not difficult and just needs some determination and enthusiasm.

It is the male Betta fish that has the long feathery fins and enjoys strutting his stuff but he can be quite aggressive at times. The females on the other hand have shorter fins and do not have such bright prominent colors. Bettas fish also have a special organ, the lanyrinth, that transforms the water molecules into oxygen and therefore need to be able to reach the surface of the water easily.

As with all fish in the wild the Betta tropical fish is predatory and hunts for smaller creatures like insect larvae and small shrimps in amongst the submerged undergrowth of the warm waters of South East Asia. Therefore, it’s important that fish bred in captivity are kept in habitat similar to their natural environment and the aquarium should provide a slow water current and plenty of aquatic plants for shade and hiding places.

The Betta fish needs to be kept in warm temperatures so it’s important that the water in the tanks be maintained at between 75 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit with acidity around 6.5 pH. To keep them in good condition they should be fed on a diet mainly comprising protein flakes, brine shrimps and worms etc. It is not uncommon for them to grow to around 3inches in length and if kept in good health can live up to three years.

Although the Betta fish has an aggressive streak they can get on with other tropical fish. However, it’s not advisable to keep them with other aggressive species. The male Bettas can be kept in the same aquarium but only if they are well-maintained because there is a high chance that they will fight and injure or even kill each other.

When it comes to reproduction, the Betta tropical fish procreates in an unusual way. The male will create many bubbles at the surface and create a floating bubble nest. He will then try to woo the female by displaying his elaborate and colourful fins which will be very vivid at this time.

If the male managed to attract a female that is ready to reproduce her colors will also have changed and she will develop dark stripes and her bloated belly will be full of eggs. Unfortunately, this brief courtship can be hazardous as it involves some chasing and aggression which can result in some small injuries. When they are ready they will swim in the nest of bubbles and start to entangle their bodies and this action encourages the female to release her eggs so that they can be fertilized by the male. With a bit of luck these will then develop into a new generation of Betta fish.


Image credit to http://www.flickr.com/photos/califrayray/307750718/

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • NewsVine
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Twitter
  • Technorati
  • Live
  • LinkedIn
  • MySpace

Post to Twitter

Posted by admin at 10:26 am Tagged with: affiliate, aggressive species, aquarium, aquarium fish, aquatic plants, Betta, betta fish, Bettas, brine shrimps, color, determination, enthusiasm, feathery, female, Fish, fish keepers, font, insect larvae, link, male, male betta, male bettas, nest, pet, slow water, South East Asia, surface, Thailand, Tropical Fish, variety, warm temperatures, warm waters, water, water molecules, world

Breeding Guppy Tropical Fish

Tropical Fish No Responses »
Feb 182010

Breeding Guppy Tropical Fish

The guppy can often be quite a difficult fish to breed because this species of tropical fish is a live bearer which means that the fry are swimming as soon as they are hatched. The mother guppy can have up to 60 fry during each hatching but they are all in mortal danger.

Tips and advice on breeding and rearing Guppy Tropical Fish and how to overcome the difficulties of breeding this particular species of tropical fish.

Are you Prepared?

If you keep an aquarium and would like to breed guppies then first a little research is needed to learn more about this species of tropical fish. It’s better to be knowledgeable on the subject of guppies so that you can avoid problems later on. There are many books on the subject of tropical fish keeping and you should be able to find plenty of information on guppies.

The male guppy is easy to distinguish from the female because of his coloring, he is  far more vivid and has big fins. However, the female is usually bigger in size with a thicker body mass but has a smaller tail and is lighter in coloring.

The guppy can often be quite a difficult fish to breed and this tropical fish is also a live bearer, this means that the fry are swimming as soon as they are hatched and the mother guppy can have up to 60 fry during each hatching. If you keep other tropical fish in the tank with your guppies then the newly hatched fry can be quickly eaten by them and therefore you will need to quarantine them. Remember though, that even the guppy adults will eat the guppy fry and this is the reason they can be a difficult fish to breed.

You will need to a plan if you want to continue raising the guppy fry as large aquariums of fish will have a feast on the fry guppies. Quarantine all male and female guppies separately unless you want them to reproduce again. Sometimes you will notice aggression among the males, but it will rarely cause death.

You should also remember that female guppies can sometimes be pregnant with fry when you first purchase them so look out for a bloated stomach and be ready to quarantine.

Guppies can survive quite happily on any fish food such as vitamin enriched tropical fish flakes and pellets etc. You can give them a various foods that can be obtained at the tropical fish supplies store, to keep them in good condition and for their coloration, also try giving them live foods once in a while because it will increase their level of activity and overall general health.

To start the breeding process, consider getting a 5 to 10 gallon aquarium for a ratio of one male to two to three females, if you want more, then you will need to increase the size of the tank accordingly. Make sure you change the water frequently to prevent nitrates accumulating. One tablespoon of aquarium salt should be added for every ten-gallons of water because Guppies thrive in water that has had a little salt added.

You can also add some floating ornamental plants. The other thing you might consider using is a heavy “spawning mop” which is composed of a dark green colored yarn because it will give the fry a good hiding place. It will help to protect them from being eaten by the other more mature fish in the tank until you have had the chance to transfer the mature Guppies into the quarantine tank. It will be a lot easier to catch the mature fish than to try and capture the numerous tiny Guppy fry.


Image credit to http://www.flickr.com/photos/tartaruga33/4085916907/

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • NewsVine
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Twitter
  • Technorati
  • Live
  • LinkedIn
  • MySpace

Post to Twitter

Posted by admin at 9:49 am Tagged with: adults, aggression, aquarium, aquariums, bearer, body mass, breeding guppy, color, feast, female, fins, Fish, font, fry, guppies, guppy, guppy fry, link, mortal danger, mother, quarantine, rearing guppy, salt, size, subject, tank, Tropical, Tropical Fish, water

9 Tips to Keeping Tropical Goldfish

Tropical Fish No Responses »
Feb 012010

  • Goldfish flourish in the sub-tropics and that means temperatures of about 73 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures over this will not necessarily mean the goldfish will not survive but they will not flourish the way they would in cooler water. This is because the oxygen levels in cooler water are higher and this helps to keep them in an optimum healthy condition.
  • Tropical goldfish reproduce very easily and far more than other species of tropical fish but they are also greedy feeders and will consume much more food than any of the other fish in the tank which can lead to the others suffering from malnutrition. This in turn leads to the elimination of more waste and this will mean that it’s harder to maintain the tank to keep it in pristine condition that the other tropical fish residents need to survive. So, if you want to keep goldfish, it’s best not to keep them with other species of tropical fish for these reasons.
  • Also it’s worth remembering that goldfish have the tendency to carry certain diseases and parasites that they themselves are resistant to so, mixing the goldfish with other tropical species can expose them to health problems that they are not able to cope with.
  • Another point is that some species of tropical fish can pose a threat to your goldfish because some can be quite aggressive and this trait will not always be noticed initially if they were all introduced into the tank as fries. It’s only when they mature that their true natures and aggressive behaviour will be seen. Although you may not always notice this behaviour as fighting tends to happen at night time with the outcome being a dead fish floating on the surface of the water in the morning.
  • It is a common misconception that goldfish will develop only to the size relevant to the tank that they live in. If a goldfish is kept in a small aquarium and given only small amounts of food daily, water is changed regularly then it will probably grow to 3 or 4 inches and live for several years. A high composition of nitrates in the water will probably hinder growth and therefore growth will be slower.
  • However, if you give your goldfish too much food and don’t maintain the aquarium properly by filtering biologically, then the goldfish will suffer and will only mature to a level that the aquarium can support. Failure to maintain the water correctly will result in an accumulation of pollution and toxins and death and disease could follow. It’s important not to give your goldfish more food than it can totally consume within a few minutes.
  • A good environment for goldfish is a 30 gallon tank with plenty of pebbles and lots of aquatic plants. It’s not humane to keep goldfish in a fishbowl because in their natural habitat they have plenty of space to swim. The joy of an aquarium is being able to see the fish in an environment that can mimic their natural habitat.
  • Goldfish are omnivores and this means they don’t need a special nutritional diet like other tropical fish. However, it’s wise to only purchase food made especially for goldfish, since their diet needs are different to other tropical species.
  • If you feed your goldfish a high protein nutritional diet you will need to be aware that this could lead to a faster growth rate. If goldfish are kept in small or unfiltered tanks then it is not advised to feed a high-protein food.


Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • NewsVine
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Twitter
  • Technorati
  • Live
  • LinkedIn
  • MySpace

Post to Twitter

Posted by admin at 11:08 am Tagged with: aggressive behaviour, aquarium, behaviour, color, common misconception, condition, dead fish, degrees fahrenheit, diet, environment, Fahrenheit, fahrenheit temperatures, Fish, flourish, font, food, Goldfish, growth, habitat, link, malnutrition, night time, oxygen levels, plenty, pristine condition, size, surface of the water, tank, Temperatures, Tropical Fish, tropical species, true natures, water

Tropical Fish Food

Tropical Fish No Responses »
Jan 142010

981090_crazy_fish_1What to Feed Your Tropical Fish

If you are a beginner in looking after an aquarium of tropical fish then you will need to do your research regarding the food you feed your fish and this is going to depend on the type and species of tropical fish. There is detailed information regarding the best and appropriate foods to give your fish to keep them in peak condition and to and avoid disease. You can find this information in the many books available or ask your pet store.

There are many very good types of flake tropical fish food available to buy at the pet store ready made and this can be great for those who prefer not to make their own. Flake food can also be supplemented with other foods to offer a variety and balanced diet. However, if you would like to try and make your own feed then many pet stores sell frozen flakes of meat, brine prawns, fruit flies and mealy worms etc. There is a variety of ingredients you can use so discuss you needs at the pet store.

Tropical fish species need different types of food and a varied nutritional diet is always suggested because varied nutrition is essential for tropical fish to get all the nutrients they need. Be aware that even carnivore or omnivore tropical fish eat algae or phytoplankton in their natural habitat, and will suffer from dietary problems without natural aquatic plants. Herbivore tropical fish that normally feed mainly on phytoplankton and aquatic plants will eat tiny organisms and some zooplanktons in their natural environment and these can be obtained from the tropical fish store.

It is also possible to create a fish food that is suitable for all types of tropical fish, and many “general” fish foods have all the appropriate nutrients suitable for all the different types of tropical fish including the smaller species called fry, breeding adults and elderly fish, that all have their special needs that can vary a great deal.

One of the major problems encountered by tropical fish keepers is a result of over-feeding. You really should never feed your tropical dish more food than they can eat within a few minutes as any left over flakes will begin to disintegrate and pollute the water in the aquarium. Too much food will also make your fish obese and as in humans can cause health problems and diseases in you pets.

If you fish have special needs then it may be wise to buy supplements such as vitamins and minerals. However, you should check with an experienced aqua culturist before you introduce any chemicals into your fish tank.

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • NewsVine
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Twitter
  • Technorati
  • Live
  • LinkedIn
  • MySpace

Post to Twitter

Posted by admin at 5:03 am Tagged with: aquarium, aquatic plants, beginner, diet, dietary problems, different types of food, Feed, Fish, fish foods, fish keepers, flake, flake food, food, fruit flies, information, mealy worms, nutritional diet, peak condition, pet, phytoplankton, research, store, tiny organisms, Tropical, tropical fish food, tropical fish species, tropical fish store, type, types of tropical fish, variety

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Aquarium and Tropical Fish

Tropical Fish No Responses »
Jan 132010

280951_fishesFAQ

Here you will find many frequently asked questions regarding the care of tropical fish and aquarium set-up that many beginners have.

Once I Have Set-Up the Aquarium, Can I Then Instantly Add My Tropical Fish?

Before you add your fish you should have acquired enough knowledge regarding the nitrogen and oxygen cycle. There are products available that will expedite the biological aquarium processes as it is considered inhumane to expose fish to some of the heavy metals and other impurities that will be present initially in the water. If you want to use your fish to cycle the aquarium then it may be an idea to start with tough little species of tropical fish like Barbs and Zanios.

How Many Fish Should I Keep in My Aquarium?

Many experts consider that the ratio of fish is two to three gallons of water per inch size of fish. You should also take account of the maximum size of the tropical fish you would like to keep. For example, a 30 inch fish will not live a happy healthy life in a 30-gallon tank. Try not to indulgence yourself and overpopulate your aquarium because this will cause pollution problems that will eventually reflect on the health of your fish.

Why Do My Fish Sometimes Die When I First Put Them In The Water?

Several reasons could be responsible for this and the first could be that the temperature of the water was not right. Secondly, a common cause is that the fish have been affected by nitrates or heavy metals that are present in the water which is very harmful to the health of the fish. Check the chemicals present and eliminate or neutralize before you add your fish to the aquarium.

How Frequently Should I Change the Water?

More populated aquarium needs to have at least a quarter of the water replaced every week and the ground will also need vacuuming. Water replacement does depend on the number of tropical fish you are keep and the quality of your water filter. In less polluted aquariums, you should change the water by at least 10 per weekly and vacuuming the pebbles.

How Frequently Should I Feed my Fish?

It s advisable to give a small amount of food to your fish two or three times  per day. Don’t give more food than the fish will eat at each feed otherwise you risk polluting the water and causing certain diseases.

What Tropical Fish are Good to Start with for the Beginner?

There are some species of tropical fish that can be difficult to maintain and breed. So get advice from the pet stores on the easiest tropical fish species to start an aquarium with.

Is a Quarantine Tank Really necessary?

To avoid the spread of disease and if you want to keep your fish healthy and also   save money over the long term then you should consider investing in a quarantine tank.

Why Can’t I See My Fish?

If your fish seem to have disappeared and you can’t find them you should look around for hiding places. If you still can’t find them then check the outside of the aquarium because some tropical fish can jump out of the aquarium.

More  answers to your questions regarding Tropical Fish can be found here Also go here for  supplies for your Tropical Fish and information on  tropical fish food.

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • NewsVine
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Twitter
  • Technorati
  • Live
  • LinkedIn
  • MySpace

Post to Twitter

Posted by admin at 6:19 pm Tagged with: 30 gallon tank, aquarium, barbs, care, cycle, Don, FAQ, Feed, Fish, food, health, heavy metals, I, impurities, inch, inch fish, indulgence, maximum size, nitrates, nitrogen, oxygen cycle, pollution problems, quarantine, Set, size, tank, Tropical, Tropical Fish, water, water filter, water replacement

How to Start an Aquarium for Tropical Fish

Tropical Fish No Responses »
Jan 132010

What To Do First?

18096_siamese_fighting_fishStarting an aquarium of tropical fish is something that most people can do quite easily providing you have all the information that you will need initially to look after and maintain tropical fishes. Learn and understand the basics by gathering information from various sources including tropical fish books and you will be ready to get started.

Before you begin, do some preparation and consider first the size of the tank you require and where you want to position it. Also decide what type of fish you would like before you go to the pet store. Advance preparation will avoid purchasing unnecessary equipment and tools.

What Types of Tropical Fish?

You need to learn about and be aware that some fish cannot live together in the same aquarium as some species are aggressive and will fight each other. Others have special needs and will require more devoted attention, so make a judgment on the time you have available to spend on their care. Many fish get on very well together and you need to take advice on this to make sure you only buy fish that are compatible.

Some of the easiest and most economical fish for the new fish tank keeper to start with are the Guppies as these little fish are delightful to watch. You can practice on these until you are a little more experienced and able to start acquiring and caring for some of the more exotic freshwater tropical fish that are on sale in the pet store.

Some of the tropical fish that might take your fancy in the pet store require a lot of specialist care and Piranhas for example can be very aggressive and will fight and eat everything else in sight. Others like the Cichlids and other species require exact water conditions or habitat. Certain types of Catfish are not suitable because they could outgrow the tank and will pollute the water quickly as they grow and these fish are best left to the experts.

Don’t Forget!

That there are many other tropical creatures like the invertebrates, marine slugs and snails for example also need meticulous care to be maintained correctly. Aquatic plants will also need proper care and will require sufficient light and suitable ground to take root and flourish.

Don’t forget to check the strength of your floorboards if you are thinking of purchasing a very large tropical fish tank. A 50 gallon aquarium is an immense weight and the floor boars may not be strong enough.

Also, make sure you position the tank away from direct sunlight and any heat source as you don’t want to overheat the water. You also need to make sure that there are sufficient electrical sockets nearby to accommodate the aquarium equipment needed.

Some of the essential tropical fish supplies needed once you have decided on the size of the aquarium are as follows:

1.    The Aquarium for tropical fish and a Base
2.    A good lighting system
3.    A temperature-regulator
4.    A Fish net
5.    Air pump
6.    Pebbles and tank floor covering
7.    Decorations and plants
8.    Good water filers
9.    Testing kits for nitrates and ammonia
10.  Fish medicines

First establish the types of tropical fish you want to keep and the essentials above can be based on these. Go here for more information on the frequently asked questionsregarding Aquarium and Tropical Fish.

Share and Enjoy:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • NewsVine
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • Twitter
  • Technorati
  • Live
  • LinkedIn
  • MySpace

Post to Twitter

Posted by admin at 4:13 pm Tagged with: advance preparation, aquarium, care, Don, Don't Forget, equipment, example, Fish, fish tank, floor, freshwater tropical fish, guppies, information, little fish, marine slugs, Pebbles, pet, piranhas, preparation, size, slugs and snails, something, specialist care, starting an aquarium, store, tank, Tropical, tropical fish books, tropical fishes, types of tropical fish, unnecessary equipment, water, water conditions
© 2010 Hobbies Suffusion WordPress theme by Sayontan Sinha