I was interested in finding a pet fish for my son’s 6th birthday. We went to the fish store. The idea is that a pet fish would be an ideal tidy little pet that would not require a lot of maintenance.

Fish are beautiful and come in a lot of colors. Children respond to pets. Having a pet is said to teach responsibility to a child. Fish are the perfect first pet because a child can actually care for the fish. We decided to get some fresh water fish as opposed to salt water. This was our first time owning a fish so we did not want to buy fish that we could not care for.

Fish do not require heavy maintenance. It was easy to have the pet store show my son what he should do each day to make sure the fish was taken care of.

We purchased two goldfish. We were not trying to innovative or buy some rare tropical fish. All we wanted was a couple of healthy fish.

We chose a small Aquarium that fit the size and number of the two gold fish we selected. It was interesting to watch the transformation when my son developed from a little boy to the proud owner and caretaker for the fish.

The supplies for our little pet fish costs over $100.00, We just wanted to put the fish in a little bowl but were persuaded to purchase an aquarium that included all of the following items to make the fish more comfortable.

In addition to all those items we had to buy fish food. I did not know that goldfish are omnivores. That means they eat either other animals or plants. To think that gold fish actually eat vegetables and meat made me squeamish. I opted to purchase the little flakes. I kept this information about the meat eaters to myself. I told my son that he could be almost exclusively responsible for feeding the new gold fish. Naturally this filled him with some great delight.

We took the fish, the aquarium and all the associated equipment home. We started immediately putting the ac together. The aquarium was really beautiful with the plants, castles and brightly colored stones. We followed the instructions that we were given .

The stores customer service representative encouraged us to slowly introduce the fish to its new environment It took over an hour to get the aquarium set up.

We dropped the fish into the tank still in the plastic bag filled with water. The fish were a beautiful gold color. We purchased a book on goldfish. I read the instructions and information about this breed of fish. I discovered that the name goldfish is a misnomer as all fish of that breed are not gold in color. Some goldfish have different patches of black or silver.

We had just added new members to our family. We were responsible for feeding these omnivores food on a daily basis. We had to keep the water clean. There are a lot of health hazards that we needed to be aware of and the fish food needed to be of high quality. The temperature in the house had to be level.

Pets are a great way to bond a family. My son and I take care of the fish together. The fish are happy and healthy My son loves watching the fish swim in the new aquarium. They are thriving in the clean fresh water. My son is diligent about feeding the gold fish. I thank son for that.

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Koi Carp and breeding for profit

Koi are amazing animals. They have evolved originally from common carp and were originally thought of as throw backs. The koi world has grown massively and is continuing to grow at an unprecedented rate. Years ago if you heard of someone spending 1000 on a fish you may have fell over, in this day and age this is commonplace.

Quick sum for you to get you interested.

Each kilogram of female koi will produce approximately 200000 eggs if you hatch out 100000 eggs and grow the koi to 2-3 which takes approximately 120 days. You will end up with 100000 fish a value of 60p each trade. The cost of arriving at this point is approximately 10p per fish, you now have a profit of 50p per fish = 50000. I hear you ask why doesnt everyone do it Firstly is knowledge, you do need a good degree of knowledge to do this. Secondly is holding capacity you will need a large pool or recirculation system to achieve this. Thirdly, it is a risky business, one thing goes wrong with the system and you loose your entire batch of fish.

So how do you start?

This is a long process and I will post these in 10 parts of ezine.

Part one.

Easy Spawning

When spring is in the air water temperature is at about 15-20 degrees you will notice your fish may go off there food. You may also notice three fish swimming like an arrow around the pool. This is two male fish and the female. The male in front will be looking for a place to spawn. This is the time you put in you brushes. The brushes are like a toilet brush but much softer. These brushes must be placed in the shallow water approx 6-10 deep. When the fish are ready they will start to thrash over the brushes this normally happens in early morning.

After approximately one hour you will see the brushes are covered with eggs very tiny eggs. The eggs need to be moved to a separate tank or old bath or the parents will eat them. It is best to treat the eggs with malachite to prevent fungus a quick dip is fine as you dont want to starve the eggs of oxygen.

The bath or tank must be setup to have running water the flow needs to be 5 liters per minute (very low) you can pump this directly from you pond if you wish. When the water arrives at the tank use an old bed sheet to filter the water. The water needs to be as clean as possible or the tiny little particles will stick in the baby koi gills causing slow growth and death.

The eggs will take approx 3-4days to hatch, then the real fun begins

Next article 18/10/06

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DIY driftwood takes time, but it will save you tons of money. Some small pieces cost well over $20. Also, the soak method (minus salt) will work for store bought driftwood. Store bought driftwood is cleaned and has not been soaked. This may lead to tannins being leaked into your tank

What youll need:
Driftwood, which can be found anywhere. It doesn’t necessarily have to come from the water. You could find it in the woods, as long as it is weathered down and looks unique. Also make sure the wood is not rotting.

BIG soaking container, I use a 15 gal rubber maid container.

Aquarium Salt, I use Doc Wellfish brand. This is used as a natural way of killing bacteria and parasites.

First step, clean off your wood! Make sure all debris and bark are removed from the wood (or itll fall off in your tank!). Once complete, boil the water in the BIG pot and add aquarium salt. I use about a tablespoon per gallon. Boil the entire piece for about 2-4 hours depending on your size. If you can only fit half the wood in the pot then you will need to boil the other half.

Once the boil is complete you can transfer your wood into the rubber maid container. Add water until the whole piece of wood is under water (you can also add salt if you want). If the wood does not sink place something on top of it until it does. Itll sink after a week or two. Youll notice the water turn into tea-ish color. It is the result of the tannins that are released into the water. If you didnt soak the wood, the water in your tank would be this color. Tannins are natural and some fishes actually like it because itll make them feel more at home. Itll also affect your PH, Im not sure about GH or KH. Youll need to do water changes every other day to clean the water. This may take weeks or months.

When the color of the soak water suffices, you will need to soak your wood for another week without any salt. This will make sure that the wood does not hold any salt that may leak into your tank.

Once soaking is complete wash the wood well and transfers the wood into your tank. Do not keep the wood out of water for a long time or it will float.

For more information and pictures about this project, please visit www.CarolinaFishTalk.com and check the DIY section.

Article written by krayzievanh@yahoo.com, member of CFT Community Proof read by Brandan Njagu b.njagu@gmail.com

Site owner of http://www.CarolinaFishTalk.com.

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Pets need attention, feeding, fresh water, exercise, and a commitment from owners, unless the pet is a pet rock. Therefore, choosing the right pet means more than liking its appearance.

Dogs come in different sizes and personalities. A boisterous, energy-filled breed or individual dog might frighten a young child or wear on an older person. A large dog needs a place to run and frolic, space to match its size. Dogs need ample outdoor time unless the owner doesnt mind cleaning messing, even if the dog is paper broken. Dogs depend on attention from an owner, affection as well as being fed and watered. They are protective and good company but deserve the care due them. Some dogs do well around children while others dont. Be sure to research different breeds to discover which will fit into your life style.

Cats are more independent than dogs on a whole. They are capable of being inside twenty-four hours a day as long a litter box is provided and kept clean. Not as socialized as dogs, perhaps, they still need attention. Long haired cats require regular brushing. All need to be de-fleaed and medical problems resolved. Some cats do not tolerate young children; some do. Cats need opportunities to climb, which can be provided through cat condos or perches.

Even low maintenance pets take some care. Fish are mainly hands-off pets, but even with automatic feeders, their water needs to be changed regularly. Hamsters require a clean cage, and automatic feeders and waterers need to be refilled. No matter how little daily care any pet may need, time and energy must be available to do what needs to be done.

Any neglected animal suffers. A pet that wants social attention but doesnt receive it suffers as much emotionally as one not receiving necessary physical consideration. In fact, the lack of human contact can cause an animal to develop physical problems. Therefore, the time a prospective owner would have for a pet must be considered when choosing one.

Also the amount of space needed for any given pet should be ample. Someone living in a small apartment shouldnt have a Great Dane or a German Shepherd, for example. Larger animals need space to run and move. Two walks on a leash doesnt give large animals enough exercise.

Every would-be owner needs to study the needs of a possible pet and examine his ability to meet those needs. The only pet around that needs nothing from an owner is a pet rock, which can be placed anywhere and only need dusting occasionally.

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If you take a quick look at this species they don’t seem like aquarium fishes. They are large and highly predatory. But then again, these are qualities that attract some, like me! If you’ve been keeping aquariums for a while and have the room to keep large predatory fishes I recommend you try these fish, but not until you’ve done your homework and know the gars’ requirements and what you are getting yourself into.

Species of gar:

Florida spotted gar, Lepisosteus platyrhinchus
A highly varied species of gar. Has more spots on its body and a shorter snout than many other gars. Easily mistaken for spotted gar.

Spotted gar, Lepisosteus oculatus
Long snout and spots. Spots to a higher degree towards the posterior of its body. Easily mistaken for Florida spotted gar.

Shortnosed gar, Lepisosteus platostomus
The shortnosed gar can be identified by its short snout, and by the lack of teeth rows in the upper jaw like the alligator gar, and the lack of spots on its body.

Long-nosed gar, Lepisosteus osseus
The long-nosed gar is, as the name suggests, identified by its long slender snout, and also by its slender body.

Alligator gar, Atractosteus spatula
The alligator gar has a short broad snout and two big rows of teeth in the upper jaw. This species is spotted on the posterior part of the body and to a lesser extent on other parts of the body.

Tropical gar, Atractosteus tropicus
A very rare species.

Manfari or Cuban gar, Atractosteus tristoechus
Looks very similar to the alligator gar and since it is very rare in the trade you can usually assume that your gar is an alligator gar and not a Cuban gar unless otherwise stated. The Cuban gar has a broader snout and lacks pattern on its body.

Beside these species there are a number of hybrids such as the crocodile gar.

Spotted, Florida and short-nosed gars are smaller than the other species and may be more suitable for aquariums. They usually don’t grow larger than 2 feet in aquariums. Long-nosed and alligator gars grow to a very large size and larger ponds are recommended if you’d like to keep fully grown specimens. So if you don’t have (or plan on getting) a large pond, stay with the smaller species. Even with the smaller species you are still going to need a rather large aquarium. The tropical gar also is possible to keep in aquariums as it doesn’t grow as large; however this species is very hard to find. The Cuban gar is a red-list endangered species and shouldn’t be kept even if you somehow find one.

In aquariums gars are quite demanding and require a lot of space and clean water. I recommend you to use as big a tank as you can for your gar, and I wouldn’t recommend keeping gars in an aquarium smaller than 200 Gallon/720 L. And that should be considered a minimum; a 400 gallon/1400 L tank is preferable.

The tank should be decorated in accordance with gar behaviour. Gars are ambush predators, and as such they appreciate hiding places from where they can stalk their prey. This is however not essential. They are very friendly towards fish that are too big to be eaten. In the wild gars often live in loose schools and if you have the space you may successfully keep several gars together, in fact I would recommend this.

Gars can be kept with most fishes that are too big to be considered food and not too aggressive. However, gars should never live with plecos. Plecos sometimes suck on gars and cause infections, and since gars are very sensitive to most medicines these infections may be very hard to treat.

Regarding water, the most important thing is keeping the water clean and well circulated. Gars accept most pH or hardness levels. Temperature can range from 60 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit (16 – 30 degrees Celsius). Gars breathe air and should be left with a few inches of space at the top of the tank to allow them to breathe atmospheric air.

Gars usually accept most kinds of living prey that are large enough. Feeders such as goldfish provide a good base for their diet but should never be the only thing they are fed, since this would not provide the gars with all necessary nutrition. Their diet should be diverse, and this can be achieved by also feeding minnows, shrimps etc. It is also possible to train gars to accept frozen foods and pellets.

Gars cannot be sexed externally. They have occasionally been breed in aquariums but are more frequently bred in ponds or are wild caught.

William berg has more then 20 years of aquarium experience and writes for aquatic community – a website with information on everything from crayfish to cichlids.

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Scientific Name: Botia macracanthus
Other Scientific Name(s): Cobitis macracanthus, Botia macrocanthus
Common Name: Clown Loach

Clown loaches are very popular aquarium fish; however they are not always easy to keep successfully since they easily succumb to ick and are sensitive to poor water conditions. This article is intended to help new clown loach owners provide a good home for their loaches. Clown loaches are found in Indonesia (Sumatra and Borneo), and almost all clown loaches in aquariums are wild caught and distributed around the world before being sold. This can put considerable stress on the fish, and a vital step in getting a healthy clown loach school in your aquarium is choosing healthy fish. But how to make sure that you get healthy fish?

- Check the general conditions in the fish store. Are there dead fish in the aquariums? Is the water clean? If some tanks are mistreated there is a good chance that there might be unfavourable conditions in others too. Only buy fish from stores that take good care of their aquariums.

- How do the clown loaches look? Clown loaches can give you an indication of their condition based on their coloration. A healthy clown loach shows clear distinct colours, while a stressed one loses its colours and becomes whiter. Only buy loaches that show their correct colours.

- Are the clown loaches well fed? Those that haven’t been fed correctly are hard to nurse back to health, and it is more than likely you will end up with a dead fish if you buy one. Look at their bodies and see if they look well fed, and ask the shopkeepers how often and what the loaches are fed.

- Are the clown loaches active? Healthy clown loaches are very active and full of energy. A healthy clown loach should be hard to catch.

- Do the clown loaches have hiding places? Hiding places are very important to relieve stress in clown loaches, and you are likely to get higher quality fish from aquariums with hiding places.

- Don’t buy clown loaches smaller than 2 inches/5 cm if you haven’t kept clown loaches before, since they are much more sensitive when they are younger.

So ideally you should look for the most coloured, most active clown loaches you can find, and buy these to have the best starting point possible. You should also consider the water conditions in the store and try to find one that keeps their clown loaches in water condition similar to the water conditions in your aquarium, to reduce stress on the clown loaches. It should also be stated that clown loaches like resting on their sides, looking almost as if they were dead. However this is completely normal and should not be seen as a sign of poor quality in the fish but rather the opposite. When you have decided where to buy your clown loaches you should buy at least 3 (preferable 8-10). Clown loaches are schooling fish that should never be kept alone!!!

Once you get home with your new clown loaches you should let the bag float on the water surface for 10-15 minutes, and then slowly every 10 minutes add a little water from the aquarium (a coffee cup). Repeat this 4-5 times before you release the fish into their new home.

Tank setup
Clown loaches can be kept in aquariums of 100 L / 20 G or more. Keep in mind that even though clown loaches grow very slowly they will get big eventually and need an aquarium of at least 540 L/ 125 G, and that should be considered a minimum.

Decorate your aquarium using a bottom substrate of sand or fine gravel that allows the clown loaches to dig . I recommend keeping your clown loaches in a planted aquarium, however the choice of plants differs greatly depending on whether you keep juvenile or adult clown loaches. Juvenile clown loaches can be kept with most plant species, while adults can be kept only with hardy plants such as Java fern and Anubias. All other plants will be destroyed and/or eaten by the adult clown loaches. I also recommend using floating plants to dim the lighting, which makes the loaches more active during the day.

Clown loaches want a setup with a lot of caves and other hiding places, preferably so narrow that they can just barely squeeze themselves into them. Don’t be concerned if your clown loaches have squeezed themselves into caves they dug under rocks or aquarium equipment. Odds are they are not stuck – they just like it that way.

Hiding places can be created with rocks, roots, PVC pipes, flower pots, coconuts and different kinds of aquarium decorations. Sharp objects should not be used to decorate aquariums for clown loaches. You can not create too many hiding places and you should create several for each loach.

Clown loaches are sensitive to poor water quality, and they require good filtration. Higher water circulation is also appreciated since clown loaches live in currents in the wild.

Clown loaches are excellent jumpers, and you should make sure that your tank is properly sealed.

Health
As I said earlier, clown loaches are very sensitive towards poor water quality and are usually the first fish that get ill or die if the water quality drops. Water changes of at least 25% a week are recommended. Because of their low tolerance to poor water qualities they are sometimes called indicator fish, since their health indicates the status of the aquarium. Clown loaches are very sensitive to chlorine, and even small amounts can cause a mass death of loaches.

This species are very prone towards getting ick if the water quality isn’t good enough, and are sensitive to most ick medicines and salts. So keep an eye on your clown loaches and only use half the recommended doses of medicine, otherwise you risk the medicine killing the loaches.

Food
Clown loaches are carnivores and only eat vegetables to complement their diet. It is therefore recommended that they are given food that reflects this. To get your clown loaches to grow, optimal feeding 3-5 times a day is recommended. (They still grow slowly). Their diet should contain a variety of foods, and can include almost any carnivorous food. A good base may be shrimps, different sinking wafers, different frozen foods, and as they grow older, fish slices. Clown loaches can make a clicking sound, and they will do this when they are content. Therefore you will soon find out what is your loaches’ favourite food by them clicking when they receive it. Like most other fish, clown loaches might need some time to accept new foods, however once they do it might become a favourite. Clown loaches are one of the few fishes that eat and like snails, and can therefore be of good use in snail control.

Breeding
Clown loaches have been bred in aquariums, however it is very rare. Sexing clown loaches externally is hard, but possible by looking at the tail fin. The tail fin tips on the male are slightly bent inwards, making the fin look a little bit like a claw. The tail fin tips on the females aren’t shaped like this.

Clown loaches have to be quite old and at least 7 inches / 17 cm before they are sexually mature. In the one good account of clown loaches spawning they spawned under the following conditions:

- Temp: 84F
– pH: 6.5
– Ammonia & Nitrite: 0
– Nitrate: < 25

Four large clown loaches (over 25 cm /10 inches) were kept together in a planted aquarium, and a few weeks before spawning they changed their behaviour and started eating live fish as their only accepted food. The females in the group grew very fast on this diet, and had doubled in girth by the time of spawning. The night during which the spawning took place, two clowns were swimming close beneath the surface entwined in each other and clicking. The next morning, 450 eggs were found spread about the aquarium. Clown loaches eat their own eggs, so it is recommended moving the parents if you wish to succeed in spawning them.

The fry were fed liquid fry food for the first two weeks, after which they accepted crushed flakes. They grew relatively fast, to 2.5 cm/ 1 inch in 6 weeks. After that the growth rate slowed down.

It’s suggested that older fish are essential for breeding since this fish might have to be quite old to be sexually mature. Clown loaches live to be about 50 years, so it is quite feasible that they may spawn later in life than many other species.

William Berg has over 20 years of aquarium experiences and runs an aquarium website with a lot of information about aquarium decoration and all other aspects of aquarium keeping aswell as different fish species such as cichlids, bettas, catfishes and even crayfish.

This article was originally written for a site about clown loaches.

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Tilapia is a large cichlid genus that contains more than 100 species. They are naturally found in Africa and in the Levant region in the Middle East. They are today present in a large amount of waters around the world as a result of Tilapia farming around the world. Tilapia farming has been an important food source in some areas for more than 2500 years.

Tilapia is especially well suited for farming since they are fast growing and hardy. This has made Tilapia a very important protein source in some poor areas. Tilapias did as an example play a very important role for the survival of the people in Taiwan after World War 2. Many hope that Tilapia farming will be able to play an equal large role in ending hunger in poor areas today. The most common Tilapias in tilapia farms are not really Tilapias but rather fish of the genus Oreochromis. The genus Oreochromis and Sarotherodon are called Tilapia in many languages including English but are not tilapias in the true sense since they dont belong to the genus Tilapia. This said, true tilapia fish are appreciated food fish in many countries.

The food values of Tilapia fish have meant that they have been introduced to many waters around the world. They have established themselves in even more areas after escaping from farms. Tilapia cichlids can establish strong population in a very short time span if the conditions are right and many biologists fear what these newly established populations can do to the native fishes in the area. The fear is especially large in florid where the fish now is prohibited as a result of several populations establishing themselves in the state. Australia is another area that are especially sensitive to the intrusions of these fish and are already suffering from the effects of many other species that have established themselves on the continent.

But thats enough general information about Tilapia cichlids. Tilapia are easy to keep in aquariums if you can offer them an aquarium that are large enough for them, The smaller Tilapia species requires an aquarium of at least 40 gallon / 150 L while the larger species requires an aquarium of at least 70 gallon / 250 L. They prefer slightly basic water but can without any problem be kept in water with a pH of 6-8.5. Some Tilapia species are aggressive while other is rather friendly. They are best kept with moderate aggressive fish of similar size. Dont keep them with fish that are unable to stand their ground against the Tilapias. Suitable companions include non-territorial cichlids, large catfish, garpikes and tinfoil barbs. Most pleco type catfish are also suitable companions.

The aquarium should be decorated with a rocks and plants. The bottom is best covered with relatively fine gravel and some flat rocks. Tilapia cichlids should not be kept with sensitive plant species but rather with hardier species like Anubias, Amazon swordplants, crinum and java fern.

They are very easy to feed and will accept just about anything you feed them. They can without problem be kept on a diet of pellets but it is preferable to give them a more varied diet that includes vegetables. This said, Tilapia can be kept and breed on nothing but pellets and will usually do very well on that diet. Some tilapia species are mouth brooders while many other species are substrate spawners that lay their eggs on a flat rock or in a pit they dug. Many true Tilapia species are quite productive since the survival rate of the fry is low in their natural habitat. Oreochromis species are mouth brooders and usually produce quite small fry batches. They are very easy to breed and will breed without that any special consideration needs to be taken. The fry of these species will have to be removed once the female finally released them since they will have a very low survival rate if they are left in the same aquarium as their parents. Oreochromis species are best breed in harem groups.

Substrate breeding tilapias protect their eggs and fry during the first few weeks. All tilapia fry can be feed newly hatched brine shrimp from day one and the fry of many species are large enough to accept mashed pellets. It can sometimes be hard to find new homes for Tilapia fry so you might want to take this aspect into consideration when you decide how many fry to raise.

This is only a short introduction to Tilapias. Read more about Tilapia fish & Tilapia Recipe or you can read more about Tropical Aquarium Fish

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Lungfish are ancient fish that can be found in Australia, South America and Africa. The group lungfish contains only a few species and no more than a total of six species are known. This six species can be divided into two different families. One family, Lepidosirenidae, contain five species found in South America and Africa. The other family is called Ceratodidae ad contains only one species, the Australian lungfish.

All lungfish share the one common organ that has given them their name. They have developed lungs which allows for them to survive in water with very low oxygen levels where other fish cant survive. The lungs also allow them to survive out of the water. The lungs found in lungfish are very similar to the lungs found in primitive reptiles.

Lungfish has been present since the Lower Devonian area which means that they have been around for more than 100 million years. The number of species used to be much more numerous in the past but all but six species are now extinct.

Lungfish are easily recognized on how they look. They have primitive looking snakelike bodies. All lungfish species can grow very big and the African lungfish can grow to be more than 2m / 6 feet long.

They are highly predatory species that eats or try to eat everything that fits into their large mouths. (Including aquarium decoration and heaters) Their natural diet consists of fish,crabs, crayfish and anything else they might find.

The Lepidosirenidae family of lungfish can survive in very little water and the African lungfish can survive without water for up to two years. South American lungfish survives low water levels by digging a hole in the bottom mud where they build a nest. They then wait in the nest until the water returns. The African Lungfish is an even better survivor. They dont settle for building a nest but also cover their bodies with a secretion. This secretion forms a leather like cocoon that helps keep the lungfish moist until the water returns. They hibernate during the time they wait for the water to return and can as earlier mentioned survive in tried out desert like areas for up to two years or perhaps longer.

The Australian lungfish doesnt hibernate like some other lungfishes. This makes them dependent on water but can be found and survive in very small water bodies.

All Lepidosirenidae lungfish species builds some type of nest in which they deposit their eggs. The male guards the eggs until they hatch. The Australian lungfish doesnt build any nest. They just deposit the eggs on the bottom within their habitats.

This was just a short introduction to lungfish. Read more about Lungfish. Another fascinating group of fishes you can read more about is Snakehead

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Starting a saltwater aquarium is a task that can be fun and rewarding, or devastating. It all depends on if you put it together well where it provides a good ecosystem for your saltwater fish to survive in.

When setting up a saltwater aquarium you need to make a decision regarding how large aquarium tank you are going to get. For a beginner, a larger tank may be better. The reason is the more means a chemically more stable aquarium. Many experienced aquarists suggest 55 gallons / 200L or larger for a beginner when it comes to saltwater aquariums.

You will also have to choice between Glass and Acrylic aquarium tanks when preparing Setting up a saltwater aquarium. Glass aquariums will stay clearer over the years, though they do not insulate the tank as well, and are more breakable. Acrylic may scratch, but is stronger and insulates better (may require a smaller heater). Glass aquariums are usually the cheaper choice.

You should begin by deciding on the location where you will be setting up a saltwater aquarium at in your home. This is important for whether your saltwater aquarium setup will be successful or not. You do not want a location where there is too much heat changes during the day, or a location where the aquarium is subjected to large amounts of sunlight. This will not provide an environment that is constant in temperature for your fish, and might lead to too much algae (due to direct sunlight and its ultraviolet rays). You should also make sure that you place the aquarium so that it isnt in the way in your everyday life.

When setting up a saltwater aquarium you want to consider that the tank might not be easy to move once the aquarium is full. Saltwater weighs about 8.5lbs per gallon and to that weight you can add gravel decorations etc. So be sure that its where you really want it before you start Setting up your saltwater aquarium.

Make sure the aquarium tank, aquarium stand, and other above aquarium equipment fit in the space you have chosen. Leave a gap behind for access to clean behind the aquarium and maintain the aquarium equipment. Setting up a saltwater aquarium is after all only the beginning. You will have to care for the aquarium once it is up and running too. .

It is best to clean the tank thoroughly before use. Do not use cleaners, solvents, and the like as they may leave residues that can harm your fish. Tiny amounts of Pure Bleach may be used, such as one capful for 10 gallons of water, and make sure to rinse it very well afterwards.

Now you will need to decide what sort of population you want in your saltwater aquarium before setting it up. This might be Fish Only, Fish with Live Rock, or maybe a full Reef System. Fish only might be the easiest alternative if this is your first saltwater aquarium. It might however be relatively easy to upgrade to a full reef system later if you do a good and well planed job while setting up your saltwater aquarium tank. Setting up a saltwater aquarium offers many options.

Choosing an aquarium filter.

There are more then one type of filtration needed in a saltwater aquarium. These are biological, mechanical, and chemical filtration.

Biological filtration removes ammonia, ammonium, nitrite, and nitrates (some) created by fishs biological processes and other activity in the aquarium. The process involves conversion of ammonia/ammonium to harmful nitrite. Then the nitrite converts to harmless nitrate. Live Rock which can support bacteria and Protein Skimmers are among top biological filtration systems. .

Chemical Filtration is another important aspect of Setting up saltwater aquarium. They will remove various chemicals that are dissolved in the water. Visually, these remove the discoloration of the water that might occur without filtration.

Mechanical Filtration is also important for removal of matter such as excess uneaten food, fish waste, and other debris that might land in the tank.

Mixing saltwater

Follow the instructions with the salt mix that you have chosen. Also, only add freshwater after the water is made. The water evaporates, while the salt does not which means that the salinity of in the aquarium fluctuates. You should therefore use a hydrometer to keep track of gravity(salinity), and add salt to bring up the salinity when needed. Remember; do not add salt when replacing evaporated water.

The first thing you should do when you have setup your aquarium and filled it with water is cycling the water. Let the filtration system run a week or longer before adding fish and there after introduce a few hardy fish. Damsels are one good choice for beginners.

Add fish to the aquarium at the rate of maybe 2 a week at most and preferable in pairs. You should not add more than 1 fish per 10 gallons, and remember that the amount of water will not be the full size of the tank, as other things in the tank (including your fish) take up space that are not available to the fish. Introduce new fish to your aquarium very carefully to avoid causing the fish unnecessary stress.

Good luck

click the links to read more about marine aquarium fish like the ever popular clownfish.

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Most children are fascinated with animals and want a dog, a cat, two birds, a horse and some fish. But are fish and aquariums suitable for children. The answer to this question is to a very high degree depending on how old your child is. Children under 12-14 years are not suitable to keep an aquarium by themselves and will need help from their parents or some other adult to maintain their aquariums. The child can take care of the daily care such as the feeding of the fish. They will however require help with larger undertakings such as changing the water in the aquarium and cleaning the electrical equipment.

Small children under 5-7 years of age should not be entrusted with the care of any animal including fish. This is not to say that small animals shouldnt have pets but rather to say that the parents understand that the pet is their responsibility and not the childs. A child in this age group can benefit a lot from being allowed to interact with animal, se fish swim and feed the fish but is not ready to care for the animal themselves. As an example can be said that children off this age group only should be allowed to feed the fish when a parent is present. It isnt an uncommon event that children tries to be kind to the fish by feeding them the entire can of fish food causing a biological disaster, and if not discovered and corrected the death of all the fish in the aquarium within a matter of hours.

Small children under 5-7 years should never be allowed to change water in the aquarium or work with the electric equipment used in the aquarium due to the risk of injury.

Some parents might think that a fish is a good pet for a child since it require less care than say a dog and are cheaper. This is only partly true. A fish requires good care to remain healthy and the parents should expect that they will have to do a certain amount of work to keep their childs fish alive and healthy. True it didnt cost that much but it is still a living thing and does as such deserve to be threaded with care. Expect that an aquarium will require 5 minutes of your time each day for daily care and an hour each week for partial water changes etc.

Remember that a small aquarium requires more work than a large one. You should therefore never buy a small goldfish bowl or other small aquarium for your child. It might seem easier but requires a lot more work and only experienced aquarists should keep fish in small aquariums. I recommend an aquarium of at least 25-30 gallon (around 100 L) as a first aquarium for your child. Anything smaller will give you a lot of extra work and most likely more dead fish. A little larger aquarium also allows you the luxury to choose between more fish for your aquarium. So what fish should you choose to your child?

Some fish species are more suitable than others for children. First of, a child should never be allowed to keep toxic or otherwise potentially harmful fish species. Secondly the fish should be hardy enough to be easy to take care of, accept flake food and other easily storable foods and be calm enough not to be stressed by the children playing near the aquarium, tapping on the glass etc. Suitable fish includes many livebearers, barbs and tetras. Always buy fish that are suitable for you aquarium and dont just let your child by the fish he think is most beautiful, coolest or otherwise most appealing without considering their demands.

And dont forget that you as a parent have to do your research so that you know how to take care of an aquarium before letting your child get one. It might be your child that is getting an aquarium but you are getting the responsibility.

You can read everything you need to know about setting up and caring for an aquarium at AC Tropical Fish & Aquarium. AC Tropical Fish & Aquarium features a large amount of articles containing info on all aspects of aquarium keeping from setting up the aquarium, to diseases and fish breeding. Visit the Aquarium article archive now.

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