everythingsaltwater.com

dasporth — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 22:01:19 +0000

Click Here for the Experts Guide to Saltwater Aquariums Plus 3 Bonus Reports

dasporth — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 21:42:14 +0000

click here for the Ultimate Secrets to Saltwater Fish and Invertebrates!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Starting a Saltwater Marine Aquarium

dasporth — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 08:57:24 +0000

Article by Albert Bohay

Dreaming of a slice of underwater nature in your home marine aquarium? Inspired by the beautiful and playful fishes in “Finding Nemo”, such as the Blue Tang and clownfish? More and more hobbyists are discovering the charm and pleasure of keeping a saltwater aquarium. This allows them to appreciate and learn about nature in a closer way, a very tangible reward indeed.

Visualize replicating one of Earth’s spectacular natural environments — the coral reef — right in your own home. You can actually set up and keep a tank complete with saltwater fishes, corals and landscaping. Aquarium fish care employing new methods helps to make long-term maintenance less tedious and ensure the marine inhabitants live healthy and longer.

Keeping saltwater fishes in a home aquarium has been thought to be challenging. Specialized equipment are required, which makes such marine tanks more expensive to keep; however, having this does not guarantee these pricey marine fishes will survive.

Upkeep of the tanks can be tedious as algae needs to be cleaned off frequently, not to mention the periodic cleaning of the undergravel filter and sand. Not surprisingly, many hobbyists tend to give up after a while.

The secret for a beginner to marine aquariums is to begin with a system that is designed for the long haul and is “self-adjusting”. Stay with beginner fish species and simpler methods with the help of suitable equipment.

A long term commitment is necessary as constant care of the aquarium is demanded, with the same level of responsibility of keeping a live pet such as a cat or dog. If the hobbyist is not prepared, he or she should consider keeping a freshwater aquarium instead.

A lot has been learned about the biological processes of nature’s reefs and newer aquarium equipment are now available to re-create such an environment. For example, using live rock as the main biological filter is one step in this direction, replacing more entrenched methods that use undergravel filters.

Another is the deployment of vigorous water circulation, which helps to distribute both good and bad elements across the tank. Thus, over concentration at any one area is prevented, creating an environment much like the ocean, where there is chemical uniformity and great stability.

Patience is definitely required to establish the beautiful marine tank that one so desires with these colourful aquatic creatures. It will most likely take half a year to stabilize a new tank and another half for it to be completely ready for the long haul.

Rushing will not help here as overnight results are hardly attainable by a beginner, even with the expense. Nonetheless, the sight of these beautiful saltwater fishes can be the main motivation to keep the hobbyist on track as the home aquarium evolves and takes shape with time and experience.

The success of starting a healthy and vibrant home marine aquarium can be extremely rewarding and exciting. For anyone willing to commit time, energy, money and some creativity, this hobby can provide relief from stress and satisfaction from a tank well kept.

For a lot of hobbyists, keeping a marine aquarium often becomes a life-long passion. Without a doubt, a beautiful saltwater tank is a sight to behold, with all those brightly coloured fishes darting around in their beautiful reef environment.

And who knows, keeping marine aquariums might even motivate hobbyists to go even closer to nature by learning snorkelling or diving. Perhaps, nothing is more real than seeing marine fishes in their natural environment and touching the reef corals.

Albert Bohay is a freelance article writer and product reviewer specializing in the hobby niche. Visit The Aquarium Fish Care Blog for relevant info on aquarium fish care. If you are just starting out, get good advice for saltwater aquariums and become successful faster.

Marine Mammals and Captivity

dasporth — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 08:57:18 +0000

Captive animals do not thrive in a small, contained environment the same way they would in the wild. Capturing these animals purely for human entertainment and knowledge does not give an accurate depiction of the wonder and grace of these wonderful creatures.

Image Source

In captivity, marine mammals live almost fifty percent shorter lives than their wild counterparts (Save the Whales). This may be due to the inadequately sized tanks these animals are given to live out their shortened lives. The zoos and aquariums that care for these animals are rarely involved in substantial conservation programs to protect their captured animals.

Image Source

Proponents of marine mammal captivity claim that captivity is justified by the educational benefits provided by the captive animals. However, not one study has been provided which can attest to these claims of the amusement parks that hold these animals. Another argument for marine mammal captivity is that breeding is allowed to take place, and sometimes encouraged. What proponents fail to consider is that as the populations of these animals in captivity grow, their tanks do not grow with them. Tanks often become overcrowded, which leads to depression and sometimes violence in these captive animals. Also, breeding in captivity has a higher mortality rate than in the wild, almost twenty-five percent more (Marine Mammals in Captivity: The Case Against Marine Mammals in Captivity).

One final argument which captivity proponents claim is beneficial from keeping these marine mammals captive is that they have provided us with invaluable information for helping those marine mammals which are free in the wild. This type of flawed logic is at the heart of every marine mammal debate. Captive marine mammals have, in the past, led to great discoveries about these creatures, however, eventually that pool of knowledge will dry up, and it is one pool that I already believe has. Captive marine mammals have provided us with information, but at what cost?

Overall, marine mammal captivity in our day and age just does not make sense. Humans have gleaned all the knowledge I believe they will out of these captive animals and now just use them for entertainment. Marine mammals have a right to be where they belong, which is in the ocean. Taking them away from their rightful homes is inhumane and downright ignorant. Capturing marine mammals for amusement is heartless and should not be tolerated.

Sources:

http://www.hsus.org/marine_mammals/what_are_the_issues/marine_mammals_in_captivity/the_case_against_marine_mammals_in_captivity.html

http://www.hsus.org/marine_mammals/what_are_the_issues/marine_mammals_in_captivity/

http://www.savethewhales.org/captivity.html

Written by wellversed

Aquarium Aeration Basics

dasporth — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 08:57:17 +0000

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.

Written by batibatu

Betta: The Chinese Fighting Fish

dasporth — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 08:57:15 +0000

Small of Size, Great of Color

And they can survive in unlikely tanks, bowls and bottles. Not that this is recommended of course, but they can! It seems to be some urban legend that just because they CAN survive in such a small container, that they should or that they prefer it. They probably would prefer more room than a water bottle or brandy snifter glass for their environs.

Image Source

Betta fish are relatively small, varied fishes commonly sold in pet stores. They are usually kept separately in small tanks in these stores, tanks that would suffocate other fish due to the low oxygen levels in this confined enclosure. But Bettas are “anabantoids”; -they can breathe atmospheric air. They have a unique organ evolved for that purpose, called a “labyrinth.” Bettas sometimes come to the surface of the water and splash, they are gulping some air, no doubt.

Like a Genie in a Bottle

Image Source

This ability to breathe atmospheric air means that they can be kept in smaller tanks, tanks with diminutive or concave openings at the top, and tanks or jars with ornamental plant arrangements (see above image.) In the wild, Bettas would be found in places like rice paddies, drainage ditches, slow moving streams and large water puddles. These confined places would spell death for other fishes due to the lack of oxygen. Betta fish are quite hardy, they can withstand a bit more stress than other fish, which makes them ideal starter fish for the novice fish fancier.

Image Source

Bettas are not big eaters like some fish. They can be fed once daily or even skip a day. Common Flake food for fish is okay, as are freeze-dried bloodworms and frozen brine shrimp. Typically though, one would not introduce frozen or any other variety of brine shrimp into an aquarium that does not have a circulating pump with a filtration system, as uneaten brine shrimp go rancid quickly and pollute the water. You (and the fish) would not enjoy the odor, no doubt.

There are pelletized protein and plant matter-based foods for betta fish, for greater convenience.

What’s In a Name?

Image Source

The name “Betta” is actually pronounced more like “bet-uh” and not like the Greek letter “beta.” These fish get their name “ikan bettah” from a language in Thailand and has nothing to do with the Greek alphabet yet we all mispronounce the name. “Plakad Cheen” is the Thai term for the long-finned “Betta Splendens,” literally means “Chinese Fighting Fish.” I really don’t think that they care either way.

Betta Fish Make Bubble Nests?

Image source

In the wild, the male betta makes a ‘bubble nest’ to attract a female. That is what those freaky little bubbles are that you always see in the top of a betta tank. A suitably impressed female will then lay her eggs, the male will fertilize them on the spot and place these eggs in the bubble nest. And then, aggressively turn upon the female and either drive her away, or kill her. Yeah, -the male betta is like a black widow spider except HE’S the villain!

And the male betta is even known to eat a few of the eggs and/or offspring as they begin to hatch. Some nice papa, huh?

Fighting Fish?

Image Source

Popular belief has it that you cannot keep betta fish with other fish. Yes, you can, -just not other betas. In the presence of other fish, -fish that will not prey upon your betta, they will do fine. Your betta will display more often, showing splendorous colors and puffing-out his fins and gills. It is the males that do this aggressive display, and are the showier of the two genders. The females tend to be rather drab and bland in coloration.

Male bettas in the same aquarium will fight and possibly damage one another, so they must be kept segregated. There are special tanks with a ‘divider’ screen that serves this purpose. You can house two male bettas in the same tank without them being able to attack one another. You will get many shows of aggression and bravado as these two male bettas face-off in mock battle!

An Easy to Care For Pet

Easy to care for and far more exciting than I expected, our betta is a wonderful pet. We bought one several months ago for our now four-year old son and it is a morning ritual that after our son eats his breakfast, he feeds his betta. The betta comes to the surface to gorge upon the fish flakes, often disturbing the water with gentle flips and waves. This hearty fish should be very popular for people whom don’t wish to have an elaborate or expensive aquarium set-up. Our betta brings a splash of color to our windowsill, joy to our son and this fish is, well, a lot fun!

Written by thestickman

This is a home made baby/fry food that I make for my tropical and coldwater baby/fry fish. What you need is 1 small plastic or regular cup 2 1 tea or table spoon plastic or regular spoon. 3 1 regular or color flake foods or anykind of flake food you have. 3 Tank water. PLEASE! Put the food where no child or anyone who you dont trust will find it and drink it! Please also put lid on cup and put baby fish food on the cup that way you know what it is. This food should last for only 2 months and should be feed once everydays. Please just one very tiny drop it is a very messy liquid food. If it is cloudy dont add any food if it is still cloudy there is still food in the tank. For coldwater use goldfish flake foods. Put it in room tempature dont freez it or cool it. Mix before given it again.

Setting your fish tank for fancy guppies

dasporth — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 08:57:13 +0000

Recommended aquarium supplies
Appropriate size aquarium
Aquarium cover
Decor
Aquarium light
Water conditioner
Water test kit
Thermometer
Heater
Filter
Net
Airstone
Air Pump
Substrate
Aquarium salt
Flake Food
Blood worm
Brine shrimp
Book about freshwater Aquariums
Optional : breeding tank

Once you are done with this list, you are ready to go set up your guppy tank. Fancy guppies requires less space than other fish i.e. almost 1 inch of fish per gallon of water. (there are various methods to calculate no of fish per tank) Means you can have more guppies in less space. But my suggestion is to give more space to your fancy guppy keeps it happy and hence colorful. Guppies like a little barkish water so add some salt to your tank. You do not need salinity as much as scat or mono fish, but a little salt will keep your fancy guppies happy.

Beginner’s setup

Rinse substate well then add it tank. (if you have puchaseed ready to add then no problem) Befoe you pour water in tank keep all decor you have. Then add water by tube or watering pipe. Add water conditioners. This will soften water and remove clorine from water. Let water set there for a day or two. Insert airiating tube and heater to tank. Install filter and heater. Now you are ready to put your beloved Fancy Guppy in to your aquarium.

Compatibility

Fancy Guppies are suitable in many community aquariums. Keep them away from fin nippers barbs and gourami. They are friendy with most of tetras, (some tetra will trouble them), other live bearers, catfish, rainbow fish. Even you can add Barbs to this tank provided you add more than 6 barbs. them barbs are busy in chassing each other and don’t nip fins. Mostly all guppies are peaceful but they might turn territorial. to keep good peace in tank you should keep 2 females guppies per 1 male guppy.

Environment

Fancy guppies are peace loving schooling fish. Suggested number is 5 or more. Guppy like little barkish water, hence maintain proper salinity level in your tank. They like hard water and salinity upto 150% of normal sea water. They can not sustain sudden change in temperatures. But can live in wide range of temrature 23 °C to 30 °C or 73 °F to 86 °F and prefer 27 °C or 82 °F. They can inhabitant in all levels of aquarium. Plants and caves for hideout is great advantage. Newly born guppy fry get advantage of plantations and caves in aquarium.

Feeding

Guppies can eat variety of food. They like both live and frozen food. They can eat tubifix bloodworm, baby brine shrimps (live or frozen), tropical flakes, floating food or sinking food.As far as feeding is concern do not worry as they can eat lot of variety food. Feed your fancy guppies 2 / 3 times a day varying each time. e.g. give live food in morning and flake in noon and bits in night.

Maintenance

Check temperature, filter, other equipments daily. Change about 15% water every week or 2 weeks. Check water condition at least once in a week. Add or remove new fishes to guppy tank gradually.

Diseases

Guppies mainly suffer from following diseases. but there are many other diseases and will be discussed later in detail.

Fin Rot :- Fins appear opaque

Ich :- Fish rubs against hard surface

Fungus :- bacterial growth on fish body

White spot :- white colored spots on body

When you observe your Fancy guppy is ill, immediately take it out from main tank and put it in separate tank. Raise water temprature to 30 °C to 32 °C or 86 °F to 90 °F, add some addtinal salt, add appropriate medicine brought from fish store, add 1 capsule teramicine (or equivalent) 200mg per 50 liters.

This is very primary level information about starting your Fancy Guppy aquarium. Keep exprimenting as you gain more and more exprence. Do take care of all your guppies

Crispy And Crunchy Oven And Baked Fish

dasporth — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 08:57:10 +0000

Crispy and Crunchy Oven and Baked Fish

Our home is on the lake and I do my fair share of fishing. After heading home with my catch, it comes time for eating our catch. These 2 recipes will have your mouth watering for more. Continue now . . . .

Here’s what you will need:

Crispy Oven Fish Recipe

3/4 Cups of Biscuit Mix
1/3 Cup of Yello Cornmeal
1 /2 teaspoons of Chili Powder
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 pounds of Catfish, Crappie, Sandbass or any other fish you have on hand. ( Any kind of fish will be fine.)

Preheat your oven to 425* F
Pour several tablespoons of oil into a 9 x 13-inch baking pan and place in oven to heat the oil.
In a shallow bowl, combine biscuit mix, cornmeal and chili powder.
In a separate shallow bowl, add 1 tablespoon of water to egg and mix this well
Dip each piece of fish in egg and then in the biscuit-cornmeal mixture to coat it well. Place in heated pan.
Bake this for 20 to 25 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Good eating here!!

Here’s your second recipe for Fish:

Crunchy Baked Fish Recipe

1 cup of mayonnaise
2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice
1 to 1 1/2 pounds of fresh fish (whatever fish you have on hand)
2 cups of finely crushed corn chips

Preheat the oven to 425* F.
In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise and lime juice.
Spread on both sides of fish fillets. Place crushed corn chips on wax paper and dredge both sides of fish in chips.
Place fillets on foil-covered baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until the fish flakes easily.

When it comes to fish I love the taste when they are hot right out of the oven. The tastes alone allows me to know exactly why I spend hours on the lake fishing. There is no food around that has the great taste of fish. I’m sure you will agree once you try these recipes. If you have any comments or suggestions for this article I would love to hear from you. Have a great day, and thank you for your time.

A Sprinkle Of Salty Fun In Saltwater Aquarium

dasporth — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 08:56:46 +0000

Article by Low Jeremy

Having a saltwater aquarium can be fun and rewarding or can be upsetting if a person lacks knowledge on the proper and right ways of taking care of fish especially in the saltwater aquarium.

Setting up one requires some equipment to be used for the success of your saltwater aquarium. Filters and air pump are some of the most important facilities. Some decorations can be added such as sand and gravels, which sometimes varies in different colors. You can also include plastic or real plants, castle or miniatures ship and other fancy decorations in the aquarium, but just be very careful that it won’t clutter inside. Light is also essential in saltwater aquarium for the enhancement of the color of the aquarium and especially the fishes survival.

Saltwater aquarium requires three types of filtration. One is the Biological filtration, which involves the removal of the bacteria, which is often created by the fish on its activities, and processes that it undergoes inside the tank. Second, the chemical filtration that is more on the removing of the discoloration and chemicals on the water that harms the fish inside the tank. Third, is the mechanical filtration, which deals more with the removal of the visible materials floating on the aquarium such as uneaten fish foods, wastes of the fishes and other squanders floating or at the bottom of the saltwater aquarium, and this job is commonly done by the net.

There are many considerations regarding the proper ways in keeping the fish alive in a saltwater aquarium, unlike freshwater aquariums; saltwater aquarium is more difficult to set up. One very good example is mixing saltwater. We must remember that water evaporates while the salt is left, which means that the salinity of the water on the tank always varies, which can cause harm especially on the fishes inside the aquarium. A hydrometer may help you track the salinity of the water and add some salt to get the right salinity content of the water.

Beginners can set up their saltwater aquarium depending on what they like. You can just put fish only in the aquarium, or fish with full reef ambience, or whatever design you want, as long as it you make sure that the fish inside the aquarium would be able to survive.

Experienced aquarists and experts say that we must always find the perfect place for the aquarium in the house. If the location of your saltwater aquarium is always struck by sunlight, it may result to changes on the temperature of the water on the tank and would produce more algae due to the sun and its UV rays, which may harm your fish inside the aquarium.

Low Jeremy maintains http://aquarium.articlekeep.com. This content is provided by Low Jeremy. It may be used only in its entirety with all links included.

More Set Up Saltwater Aquariums Articles

Do You Build Or Buy A Saltwater Aquarium?

dasporth — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 08:56:18 +0000

Article by Sam Weston

Haven’t decided whether to build or buy a saltwater aquarium? For most people buying a ready-made aquarium is by far the easier option. But if you’re handy with tools and construction you might be thinking of building your own tank. This chapter will provide you with do-it-yourself instructions on how to build a 55 gallon glass aquarium to house your marine life. Ultimately it is for you to decide whether you want to build or buy a saltwater aquarium. If you are more comfortable with a bought tank, by all means, get one!

Building a tank from scratch is challenging and not for beginners unless you have plenty of patience and are willing to ask for help. However using the materials list, step-by-step instructions and advice provided here you can build your very own glass aquarium. Whether you build or buy a saltwater aquarium you will find the setup fun and rewarding. However having built your own special tank is doubly satisfying.

Before you get started you need to know a thing or two about working with glass. The tank you are going to build is 14 inches high with ¼ inch glass panels. If you want to make a bigger saltwater aquarium you will need to learn how to calculate the correct thickness of glass for the size of the tank. If you haven’t decided whether to build or buy a saltwater aquarium you might want to consider how comfortable you are working with glass.

Whether you build or buy a saltwater aquarium, the first thing to do is to draw up a plan or schematic of the kind of saltwater aquarium you want. Make sure that all your measurements are correct so that the tank fits together properly. This aquarium is built with the two end panels fitted inside the back and front panes.

The front, back and side panels are set on top of the aquarium floor. If you don’t know how to cut glass you can ask the professionals to do it for you. If you build or buy a saltwater aquarium you need to understand how the glass is fitted together as this has a lot to do with the stability of the tank.

Whether you decide to build or buy a saltwater aquarium you will probably be making use of a lighted hood. When you draw up your plans you must include the hood. You should never place solid glass on the aquarium top as this reduces the gas exchange that occurs at the surface. If this happens your aquarium will not get enough aeration and the health of the tank will suffer.

So what materials will you need to build a saltwater aquarium? Whether you build or buy a saltwater aquarium you will need to purchase all the necessary materials that go into making a good marine setup. To build a 55 gallon aquarium you will need the following:

* 1 glass panel for the tank bottom* 1 front, 1 back, and 2 end pieces of glass* Single edged razor blades.* Acetone.* Non-toxic 100% silicone sealant. (All-Glass® Brand 100% Silicone Sealant)* Roll of paper towels.* Washable felt tip marker.* Roll of duct tape.* Emery cloth or silicone carbide sandpaper.

Whether you choose to build or buy a saltwater aquarium you should choose the biggest one that fits into your home. If your tank is bigger than 30 gallons in size you might want to install a support brace at the tank’s center. Do this by cutting a six inch wide piece of glass that will fit to the outside edges of the front and back panels. Use silicone to position it in place.

Next you will prepare the glass panes. Use an emery cloth or silicone carbide sandpaper to smooth the edges of the glass. Clean the glass pane joints and edges at ½ inch inward using acetone. Prepare the duct tape by cutting 16 strips of tape, 5 inches long. Place these nearby. Always be careful when handling glass. This is true whether you build or buy a saltwater aquarium

Place your pieces on the floor or table in the correct order for assembly. If need be, mark them with words or arrows so you don’t lose track. Place the bottom panel on a flat non-scratch surface. Stick 8 pieces of tape to the glass on the bottom side (sticky side up). If you decide to build or buy a saltwater aquarium always take care not to scratch the glass.

Now install the front glass piece. Next fold the two bottom pieces of tape upward and stick them to the glass. Now you are ready to install the first side panel by folding the 2 bottom duct tapes upward and sticking them to the front of the glass. Secure the side piece to the front piece of glass with 2 strips of tape.

Next install the other side piece, and the back panel. Once the tank has been built use silicone to seal the eight joint areas on the inside of the tank. Use a small amount and smooth your thumb over the silicone to level it. Let the tank sit for 24 hours to cure the silicone. It does not matter if you choose to build or buy a saltwater aquarium, it is always vital that it does not leak!

After the resting period you can fill the tank with fresh water. Let it sit for 12 to 24 hours. Why? You are testing your tank for leaks! A 24 hour testing period is better as it will leave you more confident that your tank is actually watertight. This is important whether you build or buy a saltwater aquarium.

Once you are sure that your tank is fit for your marine world you can set about planning the fish, invertebrates, and plants that will go into your tank. It is not that important whether you choose to build or buy a saltwater aquarium. Most people will probably opt for the ease of walking into a store and choosing a perfect, assembled tank but for those who like a challenge, constructing your own tank can be very satisfying. Once you have set everything up you will feel doubly proud! Enjoy your new aquarium!

Finally, All The Information You Will Ever Need To Begin A Wonderful Love Affair With Fly Fishing! Active hyperlink must remain with article.