The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : Fish Tank The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too : Fish Tank
Showing posts with label Fish Tank. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fish Tank. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Piranhas Make Interesting Pets: Depending on the Species, Adult Piranhas Can be 12 -16 Inches Long


Piranhas can make interesting pets with their full sets of sharp teeth and their fast and furious attack skills. Keeping piranhas is a bigger commitment than keeping other fish as pets -- they require lots of space, and they can live more than 20 years in captivity. Meanwhile, their food and water temperature needs are rather simple to accommodate.

Room to Move
Piranhas can seem cute when they're small and hiding among tank decorations much of the day, but they don't stay small. Depending on the species, adult piranha can be 12 to 16 inches long. They come from river environments and live best in large tanks -- a 100-gallon tank suits a single adult piranha; add 20 gallons for each additional piranha. Red-bellied piranhas tend to school in the wild, so you can likely keep a few in the same tank, although they might attack each other at some point. If you're keeping a black piranha as a pet, house him alone -- he's just as likely to eat another piranha as the dinner you provide him.

Ringing the Dinner Bell
Piranhas aren't strictly carnivores, although meat is definitely their meal of choice. If you have aquatic plants in your tank, you might see your fish take a few bites here and there. They also eat fish pellets and flakes occasionally, and they can benefit from the vitamin boost these foods provide. But for most of their meals, plan on feeding protein such as krill, mealworms, earthworms or feeder fish. Unless you raise your own under controlled conditions, thaw frozen versions of these foods or buy live ones from reputable fish food suppliers. Avoid grabbing insects and worms from your yard -- they might have ingested chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides, which they can transfer to your piranha. Juvenile fish need to be fed up to four times per day, while sub-adults usually need food about twice a day. Feed mature adults about once every two days.

Home Sweet Tank
Piranhas can survive in a variety of tank conditions, but they prefer a water temperature of between 78 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit and a sandy substrate. Juveniles are especially fond of aquatic plants. In the wild, they spend much of their time hiding from predators until they reach their adult sizes. However, adults enjoy swimming among the plants as well. They also like large pieces of driftwood that offer secluded places to rest.

Keeping It on the Up and Up
Before buying a piranha for a pet, check with your local and state regulations. Many states ban piranhas because people sometimes release them into the wild; introducing non-native species can wreak havoc on your local environment. Non-native species can compete with indigenous ones for food, sometimes endangering the other species' survival. Also, state governments often don't want to risk local fisherman catching piranhas unexpectedly and potentially becoming injured. Even if you have no intention of releasing a pet piranha, always follow local regulations.

Safety First
Owning a piranha means taking a few precautions to ensure he doesn't decide your hand looks tasty for dinner. Even small, a piranha has razor-sharp teeth that can easily bite through your skin; as an adult, he can bite through bone to remove entire fingers. To prevent injury to yourself, never dip your hand in the water to feed a piranha. Also, don't place a hand with a wound, even a small scratch, in or near the top of the water -- the blood might attract the piranha, who swims powerfully enough to jump out of the water. Clean the tank with long tools instead of putting your arm inside, and use a net to catch your fish when it's necessary to move him. He can bite through the net, so don't stabilize him with your hand. Instead, hold a second net under the first to catch the fish if he bites a hole in the first net and falls through. FOLLOW US!
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Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Authorities Confirm: Fish Caught by Fisherman is a Piranha


A fisherman caught a piranha while fishing on an Arkansas lake last week, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission authorities confirmed.

Roger Headley was fishing on Lake Bentonville Friday when he caught the toothy fish, which he thought was a large perch.

Headley told a television station the fish actually did try to bite him when caught.

“I knew he kind of looked funny, and when I reached down and tried to take the hook out of his mouth, that's when he opened up his mouth and tried to bite me,” he said.

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission lists piranhas among species of exotic animals that are unlawful to import or transport.

Game and Fish experts told KHBS/KHOG-TV that piranhas, which usually are dumped by former pet owners, are not a threat because they don't last long in Arkansas' cold waters.

Headley said it was luck that the fish wasn't caught by a young child.

“If a little kid would have caught him or something he could have lost a finger or anything,” he said.

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Tuesday, April 14, 2015

According to Researchers at Australia's Murdoch University, Dumping Your Pet Goldfish in a Local Lake Can Cause Serious Ecological Sabotage


As tragic as it may be to watch Bubbles roam around the tank with nothing but a plastic treasure chest for entertainment, the truth is he wasn't meant to be in a bigger pond.

According to researchers at Australia's Murdoch University, giving in to your temptation to set him free in a local lake won't just leave you without a pet — it'll kick start some serious ecological sabotage. As revealed in a study published by their Freshwater Fish Group & Fish Health Unit, "introduced freshwater fishes are one of the major global threats to aquatic biodiversity."

And this isn't just some fish story. When dumped into a larger environment, those innocent little koi or goldfish grow at an exponential rate, introduce parasites that harm other species, and have the potential to decimate an ecosystem.

"They are eating up the food resources and using up the habitat that our native fish would otherwise be using,"research fellow Jeff Cosgrove told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Even worse? They can be "extremely difficult to eradicate," says Cosgrove. In other words, they're not going belly-up anytime soon.

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Friday, April 10, 2015

According to the Fossil Record, Nautiluses Have Existed for About 500 Million Years


 A scientific look at the unusual nautiluses, including their eating habits, reproduction, and famously unique anatomy. 

The common misconception regarding the captive care of cephalopods is that long-term success is impossible. While it is true that keeping cephalopods is a difficult task, understanding their biology and natural behavior will enhance the success of the exhibition of these animals. The nautiluses are no exception. Though they may not have the chromatophores possessed by other cephalopods that enable color change, these deep-sea animals are a window into a world that most people will never see.

The nautilus differs from other cephalopods in many aspects both anatomically and behaviorally. The main body features of the nautilus are its shell, hood, and tentacles.

The chambered or pearly nautilus is a cephalopod (a type of mollusk)—a distant cousin to squids, octopi, and cuttlefish. Unlike its color-changing cousins, though, the soft-bodied nautilus lives inside its hard external shell. The shell itself has many closed interior chambers or “compartments.”

The animal resides in the shell’s largest chamber, while the other chambers function like the ballast tanks of a submarine. This is the secret to how the nautilus swims.

The tissue in a canal called the siphuncle [sigh-funk-el] connects all of the interior chambers. As seawater pumps through the living chamber, the nautilus expels water by pulling its body into the chamber, thereby creating jet propulsion to thrust itself backwards and to make turns. While swimming up or down through the water column, the nautilus uses its siphuncle to suck fluid into, or draw it out of, the smaller sealed chambers, allowing the animal to adjust its overall buoyancy.

According to the fossil record, animals similar to the chambered nautilus have existed for about 500 million years. Although no regulations currently exist to protect them, the six living species of chambered nautilus appear to be in decline. They are trapped mostly for their attractive shells and also for the shell’s inner layer, called nacre, which is used as a pearl substitute in jewelry and trinkets. In 2013, NOAA Fisheries funded a University of Washington researcher to conduct population studies of the nautilus in Fiji and American Samoa. The research should provide a clearer picture of nautilus abundance in those areas.

Shell and Hood

Similar to the cuttlebone in cuttlefish, the nautilus shell regulates the animal’s buoyancy, while at the same time providing protection against predators. The calcium carbonate shell is made up of individual chambers, some of which are filled with gas and others filled with seawater. The chambers are interconnected by a tube, or siphuncle. The liquid-filled chambers release or take in sea water in order to maintain neutral buoyancy.

The body of the nautilus lies within the first chamber and can retract into this chamber if in danger. In the retracted state, the hood protects and conceals the animal from predators. This behavior is its only known defense mechanism. While most cephalopods possess an ink sac that can be used as a defensive tactic, the nautilus is without an ink sac.

Tentacles

Nautiluses are equipped with a total of 90 adhesive tentacles, without suckers, significantly more than any other cephalopod. Utilizing its 90 tentacles, the nautilus is able to feel around the ocean floor or rocks searching for prey. Vision in the nautilus is much less developed than in other cephalopods; the eye lacks a lens and is constructed like the aperture of a pinhole camera (Hanlon & Messenger, 2005).

The last major difference between nautilus and other cephalopods is their life span. While most cephalopods have a life span of one to two years, the nautilus is thought to live up to at least 15 years, a very attractive characteristic for an aquarium animal.

Feeding

Wild nautiluses have been observed to make diel migrations (Carlson et al., 1984; Ward et al., 1984). This type of behavior takes the nautilus from depths of 1200 feet at daybreak up to depths of 300 feet by sunset. Nautiluses can best be characterized as opportunistic feeders investigating food when detected. The actual feeding behavior of the nautilus can be described as sampling, searching, and sweeping.

There is evidence to support that the nautiluses detect prey by sampling lateral currents across the reef for chemical trails (O’dor et al., 1993). After detecting prey with the use of large olfactory organs, the tentacles are used to locate and seize the prey. The diet of the wild nautilus includes crustaceans (including hermit crabs; Ward & Wicksten, 1980), crustacean molts, nematodes, echinoids, and fishes (Saunders & Ward, 1987). There are accounts of cephalopod beaks and nautilus tentacles found in the gut as well (Hanlon & Messenger, 2005). It is not uncommon under aquarium conditions to witness cannibalism (Carlson, 1987) as is observed with other species of cephalopods.

The main focus in the feeding of nautiluses is to provide food that is high in calcium in order to sustain normal shell growth. The most common food offered to nautiluses in captivity is shrimp (with shell), squid, various types of frozen fish, and blue crab. Several different types of molts, such as lobster molts, have also been fed as an enrichment food. The lobster molt is taken quickly and consumed with no problems (molts are also a great source for calcium).

Shell Aberrations

A common and still misunderstood issue with captive nautiluses is aberrations of the shell. Over time, the shell does not grow normally and begins to degrade. Signs of this are black edging of the newly formed shell. There appears to be no adverse health issues associated with the shell malformation, and to date is merely an aesthetic problem.

Aquarium Care

Tank Size

Although nautiluses spend most of the time attached to the walls of the aquarium, they do occasionally jet around with minimal control, often running into the sides of the tank. For this reason the dimensions of their accommodations are important for the proper care and maintenance of nautiluses. For the average nautilus (less than 6 inches), the aquarium should be at least 3 feet long, 18 inches wide, and 2 feet deep to allow the animal to move around freely without constantly bumping into the sides of the tank; however, when keeping multiple nautiluses or a single large nautilus, a bigger aquarium is required.

Filtration

As with all cephalopods, a key ingredient in successful husbandry is proper filtration. Due to the high amount of solid and liquid waste produced, it is important to have a large biological filter bed or sand filter. A protein skimmer is also recommended to help manage the large waste load. UV sterilizers can be added to help minimize the spread of possible pathogens, which can be difficult to treat in cephalopods. A good rule to go by is to have a filtration system that is designed for a tank twice the size of the one the animal is in.

Temperature

Another important aspect of keeping nautiluses alive is maintaining the water temperature between 50° and 70°F, using a chiller. For a more natural environment and to aid possible breeding, one can have the temperature gradually fluctuate between cooler and warmer temperatures over a 24-hour period. This will mimic diel migration, although this will be difficult without a computer controlling the heater/chiller. Because nautiluses live in the deep sea and receive only minimal light when migrating to the surface at night, there should only be enough light in the tank to view the animal. Actinic lights work well for this, as too much light can stress the animal.

Aquascaping and Tankmates

Careful consideration should be used when deciding how to decorate the tank and choosing tankmates. Live rock can be used on the bottom and sides of the tank, but the mid and upper sections of the tank should be clear of obstacles that the nautilus could run into and damage itself. There should be no plastic décor, as nautiluses have a habit of trying to bite/eat everything.

The nautilus is one of the few cephalopods with which other animals have been kept in the same tank with some success, but keep in mind that there is always the chance that those animals could become a snack. If choosing to have tankmates, make sure they are non-aggressive and can withstand the cold water and dim lighting nautiluses require. Possible tankmates include cardinalfish, squirrelfish, pinecone fish, flashlight fish, shrimp, sponges, snails, and non-stinging corals that can live in low light.

Reproduction

The understanding of nautilus reproduction has increased substantially in the past 20 years owing much to the pioneering work of Dr. Bruce Carlson at the Waikiki Aquarium (Carlson, 2000). There are two methods in determining the sex of a nautilus. The first is best used on new animals not accustomed to captivity. By turning the animal upside-down, a horseshoe-shaped gland will be visible in females and will be green to brown in mature females. This technique, though, should only be used by advanced aquarists. The second technique of sexing a nautilus is to locate the spadix, which is a large modified tentacle found on the left side of the male nautilus, adjacent to the mouth. The spadix is the mode of sperm transfer.

Nautiluses mate facing each other and may stay in that position for hours. The first embryo was discovered in 1985 and the first hatchling was obtained in 1988 (Norman, 2000). In captivity, female nautiluses may lay one to two eggs per month. The nautilus egg will take at least one year to hatch. The temperature of the egg-holding tank is crucial in the development of the embryo.

While most nautiluses are kept at temperatures of 64°F, the eggs actually develop at warmer temperatures, 70° to 75°F. Once hatched, the juvenile nautilus readily accepts food. Unfortunately, there has been no success in rearing adults from eggs as of yet.

Difficult Yet Rewarding

The task of exhibiting the nautilus can be very overwhelming when considering tank design, filtration units, and tank decor. Nevertheless, a keen awareness and understanding of nautilus biology and behaviors will assist you when you begin to assemble your tank. As Jacques Cousteau said, “The impossible missions are the only ones which succeed.”

References
Carlson, B. A., McKibben, J. N., & DeGruy, M. V. 1984. “Telemetric investigation of vertical migration of Nautilus belauensis in Palau.” Pacific Science 38:183–188.












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Friday, April 3, 2015

Can You Keep Cephalopods As Pets?


Cephalopods, the class of mollusks which scientists classify octopuses, squid, cuttlefish and nautiluses, can change color faster than a chameleon. They can also change texture and body shape, and, and if those camouflage techniques don't work, they can still "disappear" in a cloud of ink, which they use as a smoke-screen or decoy. Cephalopods are also fascinating because they have three hearts that pump blue blood, they're jet powered, and they're found in all oceans of the world, from the tropics to the poles, the intertidal to the abyss. 

Cephalopods have inspired legends and stories throughout history and are thought to be the most intelligent of invertebrates. Some can squeeze through the tiniest of cracks. They have eyes and other senses that rival those of humans.

Usually, hobbyists interested in keeping a pet cephalopod should stick with Octopus or Cuttlefish - Squid don't survive well in aquaria) should first consider buying one at their local aquarium store. Even if they don't regularly stock cephalopods, most good saltwater shops can special order an octopus (and in rare cases, a cuttlefish) if it is requested. 

The main advantage one gains by going through a pet store is in cost—and it's a big difference. Because pet stores buy through distributors and in bulk quantities, a cephalopod at the local shop will cost nearly half of what it would to get through the mail: overnight shipping is expensive and saltwater is heavy; not to mention if the shipment has to cross a national border and become mired in red-tape permits and government bureaucrats that think cuttlefish are fish and octopuses are not because the word fish is not part of their name. Although some retailers will require a deposit to cover their risk, another advantage to the consumer lies in the fact that you normally get to examine the animal and ask the shop owners and caretakers questions about it before you make it your pet. 

Here's The Caveat:

Most shop owners lack specific knowledge about cephalopods, their care requirements, and species information. The online shops and mail-order houses are usually no better about it. In fact, most of what the industry knows about cephs is from trial-and-error and long-standing rumors—rumors that don't favor our soft friends. Many will slap the omnipresent O. vulgaris or O. joubini tag on their animal and sell it as such, regardless of where it came from or what it actually is. The animal you receive could be a baby with the potential to grow very large, or it could be a full grown adult of a small species that may have only weeks left in it's natural lifespan. 

Most octopuses in the aquarium trade are in the small to medium size range as adults—rarely larger than a grapefruit. Both scientists and hobbyists alike find frustration in finding transportation for their cephalopods, and international orders will need to address permits to cross national borders. 

In addition to costing more than many marine fish and invertebrates, none of the cephalopod family tolerate shipping stresses well, and there's always the chance of inking during shipment. 

Most other type of cargo has higher priority than live fish and invertebrates, and some of the species listed below are only available in certain seasons. Also, the prices below do not include shipping costs—which can be over $50 for the smallest specimens and thousands for the largest. 

Things to think about before you buy a cephalopod:

1. Home aquarists and scientists agree- cephalopods can be really hard to keep alive in a tank. They require a very clean, stable seawater system, escape proof lids, and they are picky eaters. Keeping one can be expensive, and feeding one can be expensive.

2. While some countries have strict collecting laws, many tropical animals are collected from the wild using irresponsible and illegal methods such as poaching and/or “cyanide fishing”. Cyanide fishing involves squirting cyanide into the reef and breaking coral to dig out the poisoned, stunned animals. It kills coral, other invertebrates, and fish. Ask your aquarium shop for tank-raised animals.

3. It might be deadly. Blue-ringed octopuses are deadly. There is no anti-venom for their bite. Other octopuses are so poorly known that we don’t even know how dangerous they might be. Relatives of Abdopus aculeatus have a poison in their bodies that’s similar to TTX, the poison in blue-ring venom (Robertson et al. 2004 Toxicon 44: 765). Striking animals like “Wunderpus” and the “Mimic” might be highly venomous. It appears that the skin of the "Flamboyant" cuttlefish is toxic. You don’t want to be the one who finds out. 

4. It might be rare, so taking a wild animal might put those cephalopod populations at risk.

5. It might try to crawl out. Octopuses are well-known for their abilities to escape aquaria. Intertidal species are notoriously hard to keep in a tank. If it goes walkabout when you’re not looking, then you will find a dead octopus on the floor the next morning, or behind the couch in two years. 

6. It might eat your other pets. Crabs, clams and sometimes snails are not safe from the voracious appetite of a cephalopod. Often fish will either eat your cephalopod or be eaten by your cephalopods.

7. They don’t live very long, most species only about a year. By the time you get your tropical cephalopod, it is an adult near the end of its live span. You’ll be lucky to keep it alive for a few months







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Thursday, March 12, 2015

A Team of Veterinarians in Scotland Performed a Set of Operations on Pet Goldfish That Cost Nearly $750


Fife, Scotland - A team of vets from Inglis Veterinary Hospital, performed an extremely tricky operation - removing the eye of “Star” a pet goldfish. They also removed a lump off his aquarium partner “Nemo”, his best friend and bowl buddy.

The difficult surgery involved an exotic consultant surgeon, a vet keeping the goldfish under anaesthetic and a nurse monitoring their heart rates. The two operations cost the owner nearly $750, but she believes they were absolutely worth it. Star came into the Gordon family after a being won at the local fair for pocket change.

Star, was won at a fairground stall 12 years ago, had to get a blind, cancerous eye removed.

The operation was carried out on the six-inch fish at Inglis’ 24-hour hospital by exotic animals expert Brigitte Lord.

She said: “This is a highly specialist field, using anaesthetic on a goldfish carries a very high risk, and I'm delighted for the owner that everything went well and the owners are happy.”

“The financial value of a goldfish may be quite small but I think the fact that someone should have paid that much for an operation reflects the true value of the bond between pets and humans.”

During the operations, the vets used Doppler ultrasound equipment to listen through earphones to pulse sounds in order to evaluate Star's blood flow. To keep the fish asleep throughout the procedure it was syringed with oxygenated water with anaesthetic in it.

After the operation, Star was delicately held in a bucket of oxygenated water and, with its mouth kept open, was gently moved (mimicking the swimming action and allowing water to flow over the gills) for around eight minutes before it effectively came back to life. Nemo had more straightforward surgery to remove a lump on him too.

Star and Nemo are kept in Janie Gordon's home in Dollar, but are owned by her 21-year-old daughter Abby, a student in Glasgow.

 “I know it seems like a lot of money to spend on an operation for a goldfish but what was the alternative? I think we've a social responsibility to look after our pets and I know my daughter would have been distraught if anything had happened to the goldfish.” said Janie.

Janie didn’t want Star to be lonely so had bought another fish in a pet shop after her daughter won him by throwing a ping-pong ball into a goldfish bowl. Both Star and his lifelong companion, Nemo, are now over their buddy surgery and happily reunited - holding pride of place in a tank in Janie's kitchen.

“Star is fine,” said Janie. “He’s swimming about happily and the vets have shown me how to give antibiotics too”.

“I probably couldn't have chosen a better vets. I'm not sure anyone else would have attempted it.” said Janie.

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Sunday, March 8, 2015

Tips For Starting A Saltwater Tank - A Beginners Guide


Saltwater fish tank
So you want to start a saltwater tank? Awesome and good for you! You don't need to have FW experience, but a little understanding goes a LONG way. Here is a brief summary of things to consider when starting a SW tank. This is in no way a complete list, it's just a list of the most basic things you need to consider when starting a salt tank. Be sure to read up on topics and do plenty of research before starting anything because salt tanks are more costly then fresh.

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Freshwater Aquarium Setup - Fish Tank Setup


Freshwater fish tank
This freshwater aquarium setup article explains how to set up a basic freshwater fish tank. We'll start with a short list of the equipment you'll need and then give you a step by step guide on setting up or starting your first freshwater fish tank.

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Are You Making These Mistakes Setting Up A New Aquarium?


Mini fish aquarium
With the availability of mini-aquarium packages it's become appealing to go small. However, for beginners, choosing a small aquarium is courting failure. Why? Because when the water volume is small, key water parameters change very quickly, leaving no room for error.

Starting Too Small

Even experienced aquarists are challenged by a small aquarium. Newcomers to the hobby, stay away from tanks under 20 gallons until they've gotten some experience under their belt. Remember, the bigger the tank, the less impact a mistake will have on the fish.

Adding Fish Too Soon

New aquarium owners are eager to add fish, often the same day they set up the tank. Some are lucky but many will quickly lose some, or all, of their fish. What went wrong? The water in a new tank hasn't stabilized yet. Gases are dissolved in the water, as well as minerals, heavy metals, and chemicals added by local water treatment facilities.

Without going into lengthy detail about water chemistry, suffice it to say that dissolved constituents in the water can harm the fish. Aquarium water should be treated to neutralize harmful materials, and allowed to stand for a day or so to allow dissolved gases to escape and the pH to stabilize. Only then is it safe to introduce fish to the aquarium.

Adding Too Many Fish at Once

The fish owner isn't eager to fill the tank with fish? Unfortunately adding too many fish all at once is another common new owner mistake. Until the bacterial colonies have fully established, the aquarium cannot safely support a full load of fish. Only add a couple of
small hardy fish initially. Wait until both the ammonia and nitrite levels 
have risen, and then fallen to zero, before adding more fish.

Overstocking

Even getting through the initial startup, it's very common for new owners to overstock the aquarium. Although an experienced person may successfully keep a school of twenty small fish in a ten gallon aquarium, it would be disastrous for a beginner to attempt it.

Debate exists over the inch per gallon rule, but it provides a good basic yardstick from which to start. I recommend taking eighty percent of the net gallons of water in the tank as the maximum number of inches of fish to keep in the tank. The net gallons of water is the amount of water actually placed in the aquarium after the gravel and decorations a in it.

For example, lets say an aquarium holds 16 gallons of water after the decorations and gravel have been added. Multiplying a 16 times 80% yields a result of 12.8 - or about 13 inches of fish as a maximum number. It is always wise to go under the maximum to rather than all over.

Keeping Incompatible Fish

New aquarium owners often choose fish that look appealing to them, without knowing the environmental needs of the fish. Some fish may fight with one another, or require widely different water conditions. Either way, they should not be kept together. Always research each species before choosing tank mates. Select peaceful fish that thrive in similar water conditions.

Overfeeding

The number one mistake made by fish owners is overfeeding their fish. Fish are opportunistic and will seek food at all times. Just because they appear hungry, doesn't mean they need to be fed all the time. Feed them no more than is completely consumed in five minutes.

During startup feed fish no more than once per day, and during critical times when ammonia or nitrite levels are high, withhold feeding for a day or two to reduce the wastes being produced. Fish can easily go several days without food, and not suffer ill effects.

Insufficient Filtration

An aquarium filter should filter all the water in the tank through it at least three times per hour. If it doesn't, it is too small. If in doubt about filter size, move to the next size up. You can't over-filter, but you can definitely under-filter, and the results can be harmful to your fish.

Not Testing the Water

New owners aren't magically given full knowledge of the nitrogen cycle, and the need to monitor the water chemistry in their aquarium. As a result they often are unaware of the need to test their water, and fail to take steps to deal with harmful toxins.

When the tank is first set up, it should be allowed to run for a day or two. Before adding the fish the pH, hardness, ammonia, and nitrite levels should be tested for a baseline record. During the startup cycle it is important to test the ammonia and nitrites often (see Nitrogen Cycle for details). Once the tank is well established, test the water monthly to be aware of unseen problems that may be brewing. If fish suddenly die, test the water to see if anything has changed.

Not Changing the Water 

On other area that new owners aren't always educated about is aquarium maintenance, which includes changing part of the water on a regular basis. Wastes build up in the tank that can only be removed by vacuuming the gravel and removing some of water and replacing it with fresh water.

Although your fish may not die if you fail to maintenance and regular water changes, they will be stressed by substandard water conditions. As a result they will be more susceptible to disease and often will have a shorter lifespan than they should have.

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Wednesday, October 15, 2014

How to Raise a Piranha


Piranhas can make interesting pets with their full sets of sharp teeth and their fast and furious attack skills. Keeping piranhas is a bigger commitment than keeping other fish as pets -- they require lots of space, and they can live more than 20 years in captivity. Meanwhile, their food and water temperature needs are rather simple to accommodate.

Room to Move
Piranhas can seem cute when they're small and hiding among tank decorations much of the day, but they don't stay small. Depending on the species, adult piranha can be 12 to 16 inches long.

They come from river environments and live best in large tanks -- a 100-gallon tank suits a single adult piranha; add 20 gallons for each additional piranha. Red-bellied piranhas tend to school in the wild, so you can likely keep a few in the same tank, although they might attack each other at some point. If you're keeping a black piranha as a pet, house him alone -- he's just as likely to eat another piranha as the dinner you provide him.

Ringing the Dinner Bell
Piranhas aren't strictly carnivores, although meat is definitely their meal of choice. If you have aquatic plants in your tank, you might see your fish take a few bites here and there. They also eat fish pellets and flakes occasionally, and they can benefit from the vitamin boost these foods provide. But for most of their meals, plan on feeding protein such as krill, mealworms, earthworms or feeder fish. Unless you raise your own under controlled conditions, thaw frozen versions of these foods or buy live ones from reputable fish food suppliers. Avoid grabbing insects and worms from your yard -- they might have ingested chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides, which they can transfer to your piranha.

Juvenile fish need to be fed up to four times per day, while sub-adults usually need food about twice a day. Feed mature adults about once every two days.

Home Sweet Tank
Piranhas can survive in a variety of tank conditions, but they prefer a water temperature of between 78 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit and a sandy substrate. Juveniles are especially fond of aquatic plants. In the wild, they spend much of their time hiding from predators until they reach their adult sizes. However, adults enjoy swimming among the plants as well. They also like large pieces of driftwood that offer secluded places to rest.

Keeping It on the Up and Up
Before buying a piranha for a pet, check with your local and state regulations. Many states ban piranhas because people sometimes release them into the wild; introducing non-native species can wreak havoc on your local environment. Non-native species can compete with indigenous ones for food, sometimes endangering the other species' survival. Also, state governments often don't want to risk local fisherman catching piranhas unexpectedly and potentially becoming injured. Even if you have no intention of releasing a pet piranha, always follow local regulations.

Safety First
Owning a piranha means taking a few precautions to ensure he doesn't decide your hand looks tasty for dinner. Even small, a piranha has razor-sharp teeth that can easily bite through your skin; as an adult, he can bite through bone to remove entire fingers. To prevent injury to yourself, never dip your hand in the water to feed a piranha. Also, don't place a hand with a wound, even a small scratch, in or near the top of the water -- the blood might attract the piranha, who swims powerfully enough to jump out of the water.

Clean the tank with long tools instead of putting your arm inside, and use a net to catch your fish when it's necessary to move him. He can bite through the net, so don't stabilize him with your hand. Instead, hold a second net under the first to catch the fish if he bites a hole in the first net and falls through.

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Friday, February 22, 2013

Huge Goldfish Invade Lake Tahoe



Goldfish the size of canned hams are turning up in Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada border.

A group of researchers from the University of Nevada at Reno discovered and documented the oversized fish, including one 18-inches long. Others had apparently spotted the fish in the waters of Lake Tahoe, but Christine Ngai and fellow researchers were the first to document their existence.

Ngai told KCRA.com, "You just see this bright golden orange thing starting to float up, and you’re like, what is that? And then you take a net and you scoop it up, and you’re like, it’s a goldfish."

Experts believe that people dumping the contents of their aquariums into the lake is to blame for the problem. And it is a real problem. Researchers believe the large fish, which aren't native to the lake, could have a significant ecological impact, including creating a food shortage for native trout. Also a worry, according to Dr. Sudeep Chandra of the University of Nevada, is the goldfish's tendency to spur algae growth in a lake known for being crystal clear.

When Ngai and her colleagues examined the fish, they found that some were pregnant, meaning the problem is likely to get worse.

This isn't the first case of abnormally large goldfish showing up in a strange spot. In 2010, a fisherman in France reeled in a goldfish the size of a large dog.

Video:


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Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Goldfish - One Of The Most Common Type Of Pets In The World


Did you know that the goldfish are one of the  most common type of pets in the world? They were one of the first fish species to be kept in ponds by humans. By nature, goldfish are social creatures and prefer to live with other goldfish.

Many people think that goldfish are pets for someone who doesn't have much time for pet care. The lifespan of your goldfish depend upon how much care you provide goldfish.  If  cared for properly your goldfish could live for many years!

Goldfish start off small, but grow to be quite large, sometimes even a foot long, if you take good care of them. First time goldfish keepers usually buy a small tank or bowl to house their goldfish, only to discover that they need to keep buying ever-larger replacement tanks. You should buy a large enough tank at the beginning. You should provide a 20 to 30 gallon tank for your fish. Then add at least 10 gallons to that volume for each additional goldfish you might add. They grow large, excrete a lot of waste and need room to swim in order to be happy!

Food:    Goldfish like a diet of flakes, pellets, wafers and sticks

Goldfish Facts:
Do goldfish have ears? They have internal ear bones called an otolith that can feel vibrations. Avoid tapping on the glass since it will stress or even kill them.

A goldfish can survive in an outdoor pond where water temperatures dip down below 40*F (5*C). Some ponds might even freeze over during the winter and the goldfish still survive through to the spring.

      Exterior Parts of A Goldfish





                         

Goldfish Synchronized Swimming



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