Aquarium

Special equipment for turtle aquarium

2009-04-30T20:24:00.000-07:00

By: Parker Daniel

Special equipment
You will probably want to get some special equipment to keep the water of the aquarium healthy for your turtle. A filter cleaning out waste products is a good investment, especially if you are a beginner, since it makes the aquarium much easier to maintain. Filters are not absolutely necessary, but if you choose to pass up on filtration you will have to clean the aquarium once every few days. If the waste products are not removed by filtration or cleaning the water quality will deteriorate and your turtle will be weaken and less able to resist bacteria and fungus infections. If your tank is less than 25 gallons (100 litres) we recommend an internal powerfilter. If it's bigger, a canister filter is usually the best solution.

Special aquarium lighting is not necessary, but the turtles will appreciate it and do better if you provide them with it since they need light to synthesis vitamin D. If you feed them a proper diet they will get vitamin D from their food too, but sometimes that is not enough. If you don't use aquarium lighting place the turtle aquarium in a sunny spot at least twice a week, or give it a permanent place where it will receive some diffuse sunlight every day.

Some turtle aquariums will also require a heater to keep the water temperatures optimal, but this is of course depending on the temperature in the room where you keep your turtle. Freshwater turtles prefer 22C to 26C, but anything from 20C to 28C is okay. Use an aquarium thermometer to check the temperatures daily. Whether the thermometer is a the floating or the stick-on variant doesn't really matter. The temperature should never be allowed drop below 20C since most freshwater turtles will stop eating at this temperature. Even if they don't starve to death, they will be weaken by the lack of energy and more prone to catch diseases. If your turtles keep on eating even though the temperature is below 20C they risk developing intestinal gangrene since the food is not digested properly at such a low temperature. Intestinal gangrene is a very serious and often lethal condition. The most critical temperature for your turtles is between 12C and 20C. If it gets any colder, the turtles will simply go into hibernation. Most turtles will survive hibernation, but baby turtles are sensitive since they have not yet developed sufficient fat reserves and might starve to death. You should therefore never allow your young turtles to hibernate. Temperatures below 12C are not very likely to occur indoors without you noticing it, but there is always the risk of power outage if your home is electrically heated. To high temperatures can be as just as dangerous as to low ones, since the metabolism of turtle is dependent on correct temperatures. The metabolism increases when the turtle becomes warm, and temperatures over 28C can lead to sudden death. To high temperatures can also cause shell damage and fungal infections can start to thrive on the damaged shell. To avoid temperatures over 28C, turn off any lighting when the weather is warm and remove the aquarium from direct sunlight. If this is not enough, try exchanging some of the water with cooler water. In extreme situations you might even have to add a few ice cubes to the aquarium or direct a breeze across the water surface. Try to avoid drastic temperature changes.

Parker Daniel
http://www.keepingturtles.com
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Picking The Right Aquarium Type

2009-04-30T20:23:00.000-07:00

Aquariums have evolved into a very popular hobby, with about millions of aquarium and tropical fish enthusiasts worldwide.

Starting in the 1850s (when the predecessor of the modern aquarium were first being developed as a novel curiosity) the ranks of aquarium keeping has grown as more sophisticated systems including lighting and filtration systems were developed to keep aquarium fish healthy.

However before you can get started in the hobby you must first buy an aquarium. When you get to the pet store or specialized aquarium store you will have lots of aquarium tanks to choose from:

Metal Framework:

Most of the old style aquariums are made with sheets of glass, which are held in a metal framework. This is usually constructed of pieces of angle iron or stainless steel, which are welded together at the corners. Leakage between the glass and metal is prevented by putty aquarium cement, acrylic or silicon sealant.

Battery Jars:

Fish Globes or Bowls: This type of aquarium is useful for emergency purpose, but is not to be recommended as a permanent features. The glasses are cast in one piece and a crack, however small, may suddenly expand and cause a flood. This not only results in a loss of fishes but also necessitates the buying of a new tank, as it is impossible to repair the old one.

Also, when looking through the walls of this type of aquarium, there is distortion, which adversely affects one's view of the fishes. Similar disadvantages apply in fish globes or bowls.

Plastics:

With the ever-expanding applications of plastics, it is not surprising that these synthetic that these synthetic products have been used to replace glass for aquarium. Plastics have advantage of being unbreakable, but are soft enough for the surface to become scratched. This is in time will mar transparency.

Vitorlite:

This glass-like material is available in many different colours and some very pleasing effects can be obtained by applying it to the sides to back up the aquarium. Moreover, being opaque Vitorlite will hide the wall and any unsightly wires or other apparatus behind the aquarium.

Wood:

Aquarium frameworks with wood are desirable mainly for aesthetic reasons. The wooden framework however will have to be constructed from plywood to prevent warping.

The advantage of the wood lies in the fact that it can be polished, covered with upholstered rug, stained or coated with colours to harmonize with the furnishing of the room.

About the Author: For more great aquarium related articles and resources check out http://fishtanks.aquariumspot.com. Source: www.isnare.com

Managing The Aquarium

2009-04-30T20:22:00.000-07:00

By: Parker Daniel

Managing the aquarium
Once your aquarium is up and running you need to manage it to keep the fish healthy and the aquarium beautiful. There are task you should perform daily, weekly and monthly which helps keep the aquarium in good condition.

Daily tasks:
You should count your fishes every day to make sure that they are all alive. This is important since a dead fish can pollute the water and thereby causing the death of more fishes. If you find a dead fish you should remove it immediately. You should also look for signs of disease in your fishes since they chances to cuis when you feed them as this brings them to the front of the aquarium... You should also remove dead and floating plant parts once a day.

Weekly tasks:
You should clean your aquarium and change some of the water once a week. There are several important things to do when you clean your aquarium. You should start by removing any large debris you can spot in the aquarium. Once you done this you should remove some of the water from the aquarium. You should preferable remove 15-20% of the water in the aquarium. The best way to remove the water is to use a siphon which allows you to clean the bottom at the same time as you remove the water. Move the siphon over the bottom substrate to clean it. Once you have removed the water and siphoned the bottom you should take a look at the plants. Do they need to be trimmed? If so, trim them. When you're done cleaning the aquarium you should replace the removed water. Make sure to add water of the same temperature as the water in the aquarium.

Monthly tasks:
You should clean your filter once a month. Do not clean your filter more often then once every 3-4 weeks unless it gets clogged. Take the filter out of the aquarium and clean the filter material. Never use hot water when you clean your filter or filter material. Hot water will kill bacteria in the filter which are necessary for the filter to work.

When needed:
Remove algae from the glass when needed.

Parker Daniel
http://www.beginner-aquariums.com
Hotlib.com - Huge collection of free articles and free reports at Hotlib.com

Choosing Fish

2009-04-30T20:21:00.000-07:00

By: Parker Daniel

Choosing fish
There are a long row of fishes that are suitable for your first aquarium. Which fishes to choose is up to your preferences but there are some basic rules to follow.

Make sure all you fishes have the same preferences regarding water temperature, pH levels, water hardness etc. Fishes will only thrive in certain water conditions. These preferred conditions varies from species to species and you should only keep species with similar demands in the same aquarium since this is the only way to be able to meat the demands of all your fishes in one aquarium.

Make sure that you only keep fishes with similar temperament together. If you keep more aggressive fishes with more timid fishes the timid fishes risks to be pushed aside. This can result in that they don't get enough food or become stressed which can cause diseases and ultimately kill your fishes. There is also a risk that the more aggressive fishes kill the more timid ones.

Don't keep to large fishes in your aquarium. This is a common mistake. Fish should not be kept in aquarium that are too small and restrict their movement. Find out if a fish can live as an adult in your aquarium before you buy it. Many usual beginners fishes grow too large for most aquariums.

Don't keep to many fishes in the same aquarium. There is no easy answer to how many fishes you can keep in the same aquarium. Since different fish species pollutes the water differently. There is however a basic rule of thumb that says that you can have one small fish, under 2 inches/ 5cm for each litre of water. This is however just a basic rule of thumb and shouldn't be considered a fact, the true amount of fish you can keep in aquarium can be much lower or much higher then this rule suggest depending on which fishes you keep.

You can ask in your local fish store to hear which fishes they recommend for your aquarium. You should however always find out more information about a fish before you buy it. There are a number of good books for beginners that can help you decide which fishes to get.

Many barbs, tetras, gouramis and livebearers make good beginner fishes.

Parker Daniel
http://www.beginner-aquariums.com
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Choosing an aquarium

2009-04-30T20:20:00.002-07:00

By: Parker Daniel

Choosing an aquarium.
The first thing you should decide when planning to get an aquarium is what kind of aquarium you want to keep and where you won't to keep it.

A fresh water aquarium is to be preferred when you are planning your first aquarium for several reasons. A fresh water aquarium is easier to manage and requires less expensive equipment then a marine aquarium. Freshwater fishes are also generally cheaper then salt water fishes. There are more hardy saltwater species if you have your heart set on a marine aquarium even though a freshwater aquarium might be a better choice..

There are two basic types of freshwater aquariums, Cold water aquariums and tropical aquariums. A tropical aquarium gives you a wider selection of suitable fishes then a cold water aquarium. There can also be hard to keep a cold water aquarium cold in today's warm houses.

When you have decided what kind of aquarium you want its time to decide where you want to keep the aquarium. The placement of the aquarium might affect the preferred size and shape of your aquarium. A larger aquarium is easier to maintain. You should never place an aquarium under a window or anywhere ells where it's struck by direct sunlight.

You can choose to buy your aquarium as a package complete with the necessary equipment or buy the aquarium and the equipment separately. What you choose is up to you, packages have the advantage that they often are cheaper but gives you less options then if you by everything separately.

You may also choose to buy an aquarium second hand and this is often a good and cheap way to get everything you need. Make sure that the aquarium doesn't leak and look for cracks in the glass before buying an aquarium second hand.

Parker Daniel
http://www.beginner-aquariums.com
Hotlib.com - Huge collection of free articles and free reports at Hotlib.com

Aquarium Plants And Lighting Mini-guide

2009-04-30T20:20:00.001-07:00

By: Nathan Miller

Aquarium plants are as important to aquariums as water is to fish. Aquarium plants add more life to aquarium and make it to look beautiful while completing the aquarium community structure.

The most important thing to bear in mind with plants is to form an attractive background, leaving ample space so the fish can swim undisturbed and be seen. The tall, grassy type is best planted at intervals in rows, while the feathery ones look better when they are bunched into small clumps, which makes them to appear like branching bushes.

When planting rooted plants, hold the tips of the bunch of roots between the thumb and second finger and rest them on the sand. Now with the first finger push the upper part of the roots (where they join the stem) about 2cm into the sand. Without moving this finger scrape with the thumb and second finger some sand over any uncovered portion of the root.

When putting in rootless plants in bunches, the method explained above is repeated, but this time the lower ends of the stems are placed together and treated exactly as if they were roots.

It is important that the water surface should be right up to the lower edge of the top angle iron of the tank, so that looking from the front the water surface can not be seen and the viewer gets the impression that there is no water in the aquarium. If the level is allowed to fall below the top angle iron the tank looks like a container holding water.

Aquarium Lighting is also important for aquarium plants

This depends greatly on whether you intend to successfully grow plants or not. Lack of light causes colorful fish to fade and clanch-reds to pink, green to white. The two main methods of lighting aquarium are by the INCADESCENT and FLOURESCENT.

The total amount of light required is a matter of trial and error. Too much light will turn the water green; too little will stunt plant growth.

The lighting can be natural or artificial or a combination of both. The best position is near a north facing window. This should provide the ideal amount of indirect lights which an be supplemented by artificial light.

The lighting should be housed in wood constructed stylishly with the furniture and placed above the tank. if there is no natural day light, the lights should be left on for approximately eight hours per day.

If the water turns green, you cut down on the light.

The best light for showing off an aquarium comes from behind.

About the Author: For more great aquarium related articles and resources check out http://www.aquariumspot.com. Source: www.isnare.com

Aquarium Plants

2009-04-30T20:19:00.001-07:00

By: William Berg

It is not hard to understand why plants are present in so many aquariums. Lush and healthy plants are stunning to look at and will create a much more natural environment in the aquarium. Most fish species feel safer and less stressed when they have plants to hide among, and many species will never thrive in an unplanted aquarium. If your fish species inhabit densely grown waters in the wild, they will feel very insecure in a plant without any vegetation. A lot of fish species are however rock dwellers and can get the same sense of security from caves and rocky formations in the aquarium. If your fish disturb the plants and damage them by nibbling of the leaves or digging up the roots, caves and wood can be a better solution than plants. If uprooting is the main problem, you can choose plants that float and do not require any anchorage in the substrate. If your fish are vigorous plant eaters, artificial plants can be used instead of live plants. It can also be possible to find a few live plant species that your fish do not like the taste of. If your fish only nibble on the plants, you can choose strong and fast growing live plants that can tolerate some snacking.

Plants will not only provide your fish with valuable shelters and make your aquarium look beautiful; they will also help you to keep the water quality up. Fish and plants coexist in the wild and will complement each other well in the aquarium. The waste products released by fish will contain compounds that the plants can use as nutrition. Organic waste will therefore be contained within the plant instead of floating around in the water where it can harm the fish. You should however keep in mind that these compounds will not disappear, they will just be confined within the plant. If you allow dead and decaying plant material to stay in the aquarium, the organic compounds will be released again and begin to pollute the water. Plants must therefore be regularly pruned and unhealthy parts must be removed from the water as soon as possible. In return for the organic compounds that they receive from the fish, the plants will produce oxygen which is essential to the fish. The plants will also use dissolved carbon dioxide and thereby lower the levels of carbon dioxide in the aquarium.

The direct exchange between fish and plants is important, but it is not the only thing that help keeping the water quality up. The plants will also provide a home for a wide range of micro organisms that are beneficial for the ecosystem in the aquarium. Plants are also capable of inhibiting ugly algae growth since plants and algae compete over the same nutrients.

Many fish species will never spawn in an unplanted aquarium. Some species need the plants to feel safe enough to spawn, while others need leaves to attach their eggs on. A densely planted aquarium will also increase the fry survival growth if you wish to raise fry in the same aquarium as adult fish, since the fry will hide among the plants. Busy plants with a lot of smaller leaves are ideal for this purpose. It should however be noted that there are other ways to provide fry with good shelters. Newly hatched fry can for instance hide among larger marbles on the bottom of the aquarium. Caves, roots, stones and artificial aquarium decoration will also give the fry hiding places where they can stay out of harms way.

A plant relies on photosynthesis and light is therefore essential to it. A fish only aquarium requires little light, but if you wish to keep a densely planted aquarium you might be forced to install new lights. Fluorescent light is better than the standard incandescent light in planted aquarium. Some plant species are very demanding in require even stronger light than the fluorescent, but these species are not recommended for beginners. Fluorescent lights are more expensive than incandescent lights, but fluorescent lights will on the other hand burn cooler and use less electricity. Java Fern and Java Moss are two examples of suitable beginner species. They are tough plants that can survive in a wide range of pH-values and water hardiness. They can even be kept in a slightly brackish aquarium, such as a Molly aquarium. Unlike many other aquatic plants, Java Fern should not be planted in the substrate in the aquarium. Java Fern should instead be attached to rock, wood or aquarium decorations where it will form roots. Once your have purchased your first Java Fern or Java Moss, the plants will propagate themselves. New plants will develop on the old plants, and eventually break off. You can attach these tiny plants to some type of decoration in the aquarium and wait for them to grow large.

About the Author: You can read more about aquarium plants on http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/universal-id4.html a part of AC tropical fish which also features a lot of info on other aspects of aquarium keeping: Ac tropical fish offers all visitors a free aquarium and tropical fish ebook which can be found on http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/ebook.html. Source: www.isnare.com

Aquarium Aeration Basics

2009-04-30T20:18:00.000-07:00

By: Nathan Miller

As we all know rivers and lakes are the natural habits for fish and other marine life. Rivers and lakes have large surface area which makes maximum provision of oxygen for fish survival possible. On the other hand an aquarium is not like river or lake, it has a smaller surface area and there is limited movement of habitats.

This makes the provision of alternative means of oxygen for fish to breathe important. This artificial process of providing oxygen is called aeration. It's a simple process of re-oxygenating the water in aquarium tank.

The Aquarium Aerating System:

An aquarium aerating aystem made up of a series of materials that increases the supply of air (thereby increasing oxygen concentration) they are:

-the air pump
-t-pieces
-rubber tubing
-clamp or regulator
-diffusers or airstone

Air pumps come in different shapes and sizes but the most popular ones are tecax air pump from Taiwan together with 'dyna free, and the dragon' another popular one is super 555 from India though cheaper, but not as rugged. Occasionally available are the more expensive whisper and rens air pumps from Uk and rance respectively. Always place air pumps above the water level hooked to a non-vibrating material.

You can accomplish aeration in your aquarium tank by using the above listed aeration materials.

For small tanks all you need is to attach a simple aquarium air pump to airstone by means of a rubber air tube. The system will be blowing air into the water which causes motion in aquarium tank and thus provide the necessary oxygen your fish needs to breathe in the aquarium.

Sometimes people complain that the airpumps are too loud. A tricks to keep the air pump quiet is to insulate it's vibrations by placing the air pump on a large sponge.

I have even heard of some people who have buried the pump in cat litter with a air tube running to the surface from the air inlet... but you don't have to go to that extent. A large sponge should do the trick.

About the Author: For more great aquarium related articles and resources check out http://www.aquariumspot.com
Source: www.isnare.com

A Beginners guide to aquariums

2009-04-30T20:17:00.000-07:00

By: Parker Daniel

A Beginners guide to aquariums
An aquarium can be a welcome and beautiful addition to any home. It brings calm and tranquillity to any room, not to mention that an aquarium can be truly fascinating.

This site is dedicated to help anyone who wants to get their first aquarium. We are saying "first" since aquariums often have a tendency of become more and larger as time goes by. This site will give you basic information that's vital to know when you get your first aquarium. It will tell you:

How to choose the right aquarium for you!
Choosing the right aquarium will make it look more beautiful and be easier to maintain. And a beautiful, easily maintained aquarium is easy to enjoy.

How to setup the aquarium once you bought it!
Its Important that you setup your aquarium correctly otherwise you might end up with a lot of dead fish or even worse a floor covered with water that slowly making its way to the neighbour in the apartment below. Don't worry. It easy to setup an aquarium.

How to choose fish!
There are a lot of fish that is easy to keep and that are suitable for beginners. There are however also many species that are a really poor choice for beginners. There is also the question about how many fishes you can keep in an aquarium, which fishes that can be kept together etc. we will give you some advice to choose good beginner fishes for your first aquarium.

How to manage your aquarium and keep your fish healthy.
Unfortunately it isn't enough to setup the aquarium correctly. You also have to maintain it and keep it clean if you want your fishes to thrive and we will tell you how to do this.

How and what to feed your fish!
Feed your fish well and they show you their best colours.

How to breed your first fish!
Everyone that keeps aquarium usually enjoys finding fry in their aquariums. And most feel that they want to try to breed their fishes so that they can witness the often fascinating behaviours fishes shows when breeding. We will therefore recommend a few species that are suitable for beginners to keep and breed.

This is what you need to know to get your first aquarium up and running and maintain it in good health however as time goes by you might want to learn more and keep otherless hardy fish species. We would like to recommend some good websites that can help you do just that.

Parker Daniel
http://www.beginner-aquariums.com
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