August 24, 2011

Choosing Freshwater Tropical Fish For Your First Fish Tank

Setting up your first fish tank can be exciting but there are a lot of choices to make not the least of which is choosing freshwater tropical fish that will get along and thrive in your tank. A novice aquarist needs fish that are rather hardy and easy to take care of. Luckily, there are plenty of beautiful and exciting tropical fish that fit the bill.

the first time aquarium owner might be wise to start with guppies. Sometimes you can find them as juveniles and buy them pretty inexpensively but the juveniles are rather boring to look at it you might want to go with a mature fish which will probably only cost a couple bucks anyway.

Guppies are great starter fish since they are quite social and will get along with most of the other fish to want to put your tank. They are one of the easiest fish to care for and are so hardy that you may often find that they are reproducing writing your tank without you even trying.

Another great freshwater tropical fish for the beginner is the tetra. These fish on the small side and they like to hang around in the school so they can make a nice display in your fish tank if you have seven or nine of them swarming around together. They like to be in a school of six or more fish and are good community fish which rarely act aggressively towards other fish.

If you're looking for larger tropical fish for your tank and you might think about investing in the gourami. these fish should be bought in pairs - a male and female as the males are aggressive towards each other. Having said that, it's important to note that they don't act aggressively towards other fish so having one male and one female is fine and they are quite easy to care for.

Loaches can be an Interesting tropical fish to add to your tank although you'll need to watch out because some among like to bury themselves in the gravel and you'll never see the down things! they usually get along great with other fish and, with the exception of the Yoyo loach they should be kept in pairs. If you want to keep your loachs happy, however, you will need to provide some decorations for them to hide in.

There are many different types of Barbs that can be quite pretty and they are very easy to keep but you won't want to put them in a tank if you are expecting to have fish with long fans like angelfish or long tail guppies since the barbs like to bite at the fins and shred them. If you are thinking about keeping Barbs than you want to buy it leased for as they like to be kept in groups.

unfortunately some of the more exotic freshwater tropical fish such as angelfish are not as easy to keep in you may want to hold off Into you have more experience. Angelfish, while they look delicate, can actually be bullies and me your smaller fish. On the other hand, many kinds of fish like to shred their fins so they themselves may be attacked depending on the other fish you have. One solution, of course, is to have only angelfish in your tank. Either way, they are happiest when they are in a group of two or more fish.

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Lee Dobbins writes for www.fish-tank-guide.com we you can learn more about aquarium care and maintenance as well as choosing freshwater tropical fish.

August 23, 2011

Tropical Fish Diseases: Understanding the Ailments of Tropical Fish

A partial list of tropical fish diseases:

• Gas Bubble Disease
• If there is a sudden change in the conditions inside your aquarium, your tropical fish may develop Gas Bubble Disease. It is most often caused by changing too much tank water at once or by adding water that is too cold. Gas-filled bubbles will form of the fins and skin of the fish. These blister-looking bubbles are easy to spot and they will make a crackling sound if you run your finger across them. Treatment needs to be expeditious or the bubbles will enter the bloodstream and kill the fish. Treatment consists of dramatic increases of aeration into the aquarium as well as shutting the lights off. You may also consider adding a general antibiotic to the water.
• Bacterial Fin Rot
• Obviously caused by a bacterium, Bacterial Fin Rot is most often a result of a poorly-kept environment. It produces frayed fins that sometimes also have a white perimeter develop. Treat this tropical fish disease with a quality antibiotic from any pet store. Also make sure to enhance the environment to reverse the initial cause.
• Dropsy
• Another bacteria-caused tropical fish ailment, Dropsy causes the fish to bloat and its scales to stand outward from the body. This causes kidney damage in the fish and can be treated with an internal infection medication immediately.

There are several other tropical fish diseases as well to consider. Making sure that your aquarium's water is kept well for the species of fish that you are keeping is the most common oversight that causes these tropical fish ailments.

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March 24, 2011

What You Need to Know About Tropical Fish Compatibility

If you own tropical fish or are considering starting a new hobby keeping tropical fish one of the most important things to take into consideration is tropical fish compatibility. It is important to know about compatibilities so you can build an environment that is safe for your fish. Along with compatibility is knowing about the food types that your tropical fish will need and how to go about the tank care that should be given. Because caring for these types of fish is a bit of a delicate issue, you must learn all the basic and even some of the complex information you can in order to provide the best environment for your pets.

Tropical Fish Compatibility With Other Types of Fish

Before you purchase different fish types, you have to know if they can live together. If you already have fish you have to know if the new species that you're considering purchasing is compatible with your existing fish. If you are just stocking your aquarium then be sure to know what fish can live together before you put them in a tank together. If you're planning to keep tropical fish alone, you still have to determine the incompatibilities between their varieties because some just can't live with each other. Of course, beyond compatibility is the size of the fish. If you have some big fish and you buy some more fish that are compatible but they are small then your big fish - if they could talk - would thank you for a nice fresh dinner. So always check the variety of fish and know if they can co-exist with the other types of fish that you already have or are planning to buy.

Tropical Fish Compatibility With Water Temperature And Food Requirements

Tropical fish and water temperature are synonymous - you have to get a good match or your fish could be in trouble. Remember, most tropical fish do not do very well with extremes in temperature; after all they are from the tropics. Usually, they thrive well in an average temperature of about 80 degrees Fahrenheit. However, this is only an average and whatever specie of fish you have you need to know what specific water temperature range they need to have. If you're bringing some new fish home you'll need to acclimate them to your tanks water temperature by submerging the inflated plastic bag in the aquarium water. Allow the bag to set for 15 to 20 minutes before you let the fish out. This way the fish can more easily adjust to the water temperature in your aquarium.

What to feed your fish is another thing that is worth reviewing. You need to know if the type of fish you bought eat plants, live food, meat or fish food only. This is very important because you have to give them the right nutrients or it could lead to sickness and disease and possibly death.

Tropical Fish In A New Environment

One thing to consider that many seem to overlook is some of the tropical fish you bought might have come directly from their natural environment in the wild, whether salt or freshwater. Due to this possibility it is important to recognize the compatibility your tropical fish have with their new environment. You need to know if they have any special needs such as pH levels or a specific set up such as rocks for hiding etc. Live plants or plastic and what type of lighting they may need.

Finally, there are a lot of things to assess and consider before you can really say that you're ready to have fish as pets. You'll always want to know about your tropical fish and any fish you consider getting in the future compatibility needs because this knowledge will serve you well and guide you in caring for your fish.

If you own tropical fish or are considering starting a new hobby keeping tropical fish one of the most important things to take into consideration is tropical fish compatibility. It is important to know about compatibilities so you can build an environment that is safe for your fish.

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