Aquarium Fish

Every hobyist strives to own a self-sustaining aquarium. This can be easily achieved providing you meet the fundamental requirements which are:

Ideal temperature

Sufficient oxygen

Right amount of light

Correct feeding

Healthy water

Compatible fish

To meet all of the required needs ensure that you have the right equipment and that it works correctly at all times.

Ideal Temperature
No need to cook your fish. Of course, goldfish will only need room temperature and tropical fish will have a heater with it's thermostat set (by you) to your chosen temp. Safe temperatures are indicated on thermometers and show between 22 and 28 degrees. The heat of the water warms the fish's metabolism and the warmer they are the faster they breath, digest, eliminate waste and grow.

The word 'Tropical" is quite misleading. It conjures up an image in our minds of all those fish coming from torrid climates and suggests we keep them in steaming conditions. This can be detrimental to some fish since a lot of them come from waters much cooler than we are led to believe and raising the temperature deprives them of that extra oxygen they need. In my 35 year+ experience with fish the best and 'problem free' tanks never raised their temps over 24 degrees. Except in special cases/situations this is the safest temperature and suits all fish.

Going away?
Slow down your fish's metabolism by turning the temperature down (but never less than 22 degrees), add plants to the aquarium and a small, slow food release brick. You will avoid nitrite build up and fish will remain in good condition till your return.

Sufficient Oxygen
To live - fish must breath oxygen. They do it through their gills which act as lungs. The total supply of oxygen for aquarium fish comes from the surface area of the aquarium they live in.

Never overcrowd your aquarium with too many fish. Not only will overcrowding put a strain on oxygen supply, but more food will be eaten and more waste produced. The waste from too many fish alters water structure quickly to a more unhealthy state with high potential of diseases and increases the need for much more frequent, partial water changes and cleaning.

Right Amount Of Light
Light is essential for fish to function normally and for plant life to thrive. Living room light is worthless to plants and strong or excessive light will promote green algae to grow and interfere with the balance of the ecosystem. Providing approximately equal amounts of day and night is the easiest and best way to establish happy balance in this micro world. Eight to ten hours of light is sufficient.

Correct Feeding
Fish's appetite is determined by two main factors: oxygen and water temperature. The higher the temperature the better the appetite. Other factors such as high Nitrite and pH levels will also make the fish display symptoms of unusual hunger. To feed fish correctly means to provide them with sufficient food containing their needed nutrition.

Avoid overfeeding!
It causes pollution and depletes water of oxygen. Observing your fish eat will give you an idea of how much they can consume at each feeding lasting about three to five minutes and at least once a day. In the wild fish would be grazing all day. They are small animals and waiting for food twenty four hours is a long time. When fed will gulp their food in an unhealthy way, fill up quickly only to be hungry a short time later. You can feed fish more often but very sparingly.

To ensure nutrition be sure that the food is fresh enough and that all fish are eating at each meal. Be sure the food is appropriate for all the types of fish you are feeding. Some fish have small mouths and can not eat large pellets. Other fish are bottom feeders and will look for their food there when food will be floating on top. It isn't always that the fish are not hungry if they are not eating.

Weeds (aquatic plants) should have a place in any aquarium. They ad oxygen, harbour the baby fish if any, beautify the tank and provide your fish with greens to eat. They require sufficient light to grow and will need replacing if not thriving or eaten quickly.

Unless you have snails or cat fish in the tank remove all uneaten food. By-products are created from food particles when they start to break down. They are toxic and dangerous to your fish.

* Only the green algae, in tiny amounts, is beneficial to your fish.
If excessive must be removed as it competes with fish for oxygen

Healthy water
It is beneficial to have your aquarium water tested on regular basis. If not at home than in a pet store. Most pet stores will perform this service for free or at a minute cost. A half a cup of your aquarium water is all you need to take in and a few minutes later you will get the results. As important as pH is - far greater danger comes from having elevated levels of nitrite and/or ammonia. What amount is too much? The answer is: any - though the fish will tolerate some.

Levels of nitrite and ammonia can elevate at any time and it is good to own test kits to be able to keep check at your convenience. What causes elevations? There can be a variety of reasons. When the tank is new there is no established beneficial bacteria to keep the bad guys in check. Something as simple as unnoticed greenery going rotten can also cause it but the most common reason is overfeeding the fish.

Uneaten food together with fish- waste are usually the culprits and there is your very reasons why partial water changes regularly are so important. Frequency of water changes normally depends on the size of the aquarium. The smaller the tank the more frequent water changes. For example a two foot tank under normal condition will need somewhere between 10 and 30 percent water change every 7 to 10 days. Having a gravel cleaner will make this job a breeze and clean the gravel at the same time. Smaller tanks may need more frequent and/or more thorough changes, especially in summer time.

* Never remove gravel to be cleaned as you will destroy the beneficial bacteria

Avoid keeping cold water and warm water species together. There are many reasons why, but mostly because their feeding habits are vastly different and you are inviting diseases and nitrite into your tank.

The best way to ensure having water staying clean is to invest in a good filtration system. It will process the waste produced by fish and stabilise the tanks environment. Your fish will remain less prone to diseases, livelier and more colourful. Which is the best filter? The one which is of the appropriate strength for the size of your tank. The rest is just your personal preference.