Cichlid Water Conditions

Water conditions can be greatly improved by fully planting a tank, as nitrite ammonia, and nitrate are some of the nutrients that plants consume. This helps balance the beneficial bacteria levels, so if there will always be a buffer to make sure things do not get too out of control. A fully planted tank will also induce spawning as it will replicate their natural environment and also allow for hiding and spawning locations.

If you do decide to keep plants I would start with an easy to keep low light plant such as Water Sprite, which grow like a weed pretty much regardless of your setup (it will literally grow out of my tank if I don't prune it). A stock fluorescent light fixture left on 8-12 hours a day should be enough to grow it in most setups, we'll be doing a whole guide on starting a planted aquarium in the coming weeks. Nonetheless, I suggest keeping it minimal and focus on Cichlid breeding foremost.

African Cichlids enjoy alkaline water conditions, South American Cichlids can be found in exceptionally soft and acidic blackwaters, while American Cichlids usually inhabit water ranging from neutral to alkaline. If your water isn't well suited for African Cichlid breeding you can get African Cichlid pH buffer, which will stabilize the aquarium pH to 8.5 as well as condition the water with elements found in their natural habitat. This can help, but usually isn't greatly needed. However, for South American Cichlid breeding it is a bit more essential, especially for very delicate fish such as Discus.

Peat moss is good way to organically lower your pH without using any powders or chemicals. Any garden shop should have some rather cheap, simply wash and put some in mesh bag or panty-hose and place it where the filter pad sits so the waterpasses through. If you don't want to use peat moss, blackwater extract works just as well, it contains natural humic and tannic acids that creates an environment with water conditions similar to the Amazon River. It makes for better water chemistry, encourages spawning, aids the hatching process and tints the water a light brownish yellow color just like the Amazon River, which is pretty cool looking.

Regular water changes are critical to maintaining a good water chemistry for Cichlid breeding. How often and how much water to change is quite debatable. For my fully planted tank I do 33% (1/3) water changes every two to three weeks; for a loosely or non-planted tank I would advise weekly water changes. Ultimately this differs for Cichlid breeding according to the species and each breeder has a different philosophy on water changes, so you can experiment with what works for both you and your fish. I am a huge advocate of the Python water siphon, years ago I had to lug around heavy buckets of water to change the water in my aquariums but this makes it incredibly easy and saves a lot of time as well, it is an amazing investment.

A heater to maintain consistent water temperature is essential for Cichlid breeding. I prefer Visi-Therm Deluxe heaters as you can set the desired temperature and forget about it. With older heaters it was trial and error until you got the correct setting, but that's no longer necessary. Quite amazing how aquarium equipment has evolved over the past decade.

For more information visit my Cichlid breeding guide.

I'm a fish breeder, you can visit my Cichlid breeding site.

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Cichlid Breeding Diet

Cichlid breeding also requires quite the diverse diet, many primarily feed on algae and plants while others are primarily carnivorous and prey on smaller fish. With the latter it is important to choose their aquarium mates carefully, more so for Cichlid breeding as that could create quite the debacle. Only healthy fish will readily mate. Furthermore, many female Cichlids such as mouthbrooders do not eat during the incubation, which may in some cases last up to four weeks. Only a fish that is in good health will be able to endure such abstinence from food.

Many foods formulated specifically for Cichlids are available. I personally use Wardley's Cichlid Advanced Nutrition, it's higher quality than most common flake foods and seems to hold its own against some of the more expensive foods. Furthermore, it comes in pellet form, which is critical for me. I dislike flake foods for the most part, as they eventually deteriorate into dust and it also creates quite a bit of mess. I find the pellets to be much cleaner and cost effective, the fish also seem to respond to them more as it is easier to see and eat.

Fish should be conditioned before Cichlid breeding, which is to provide a variety of live, dry and frozen foods to get them in top condition for spawning. There is a wide variety of great live foods like tubifex worms, bloodworms, brine shrimp and beef heart. Fish love live foods and they are quite beneficial for them; however, try to feed these carefully to avoid an unbalanced diet. If you would rather not deal with live food, freeze-dried foods are entirely safe, cheap and easy. Feeding your Cichlids a rich varied diet is not only healthier but it will thrive and bring out much more vibrant colors.

For more information visit my Cichlid breeding guide.

I'm a fish breeder, you can visit my Cichlid breeding site.

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Care For Betta Fish, What is the Proper Way?

When you care for betta fish you will be taking care of a brilliant pet that is clever and colorful and can make a great addition to your aquarium, or in an aquarium of their own. There are a few things that you should take into consideration when thinking about the care for betta fish and that includes making sure that they have the right sized tank (a five to ten gallon tank is adequate) making sure that you feed them a rich and varied diet and also knowing that you shouldn't ever over feed them. But what about cleaning the tank and maintaining the general care for betta fish?

Well, when considering the care for betta fish you should be sure to clean your betta's tank out at least once a week depending on the size of the tank, if you have a larger tank then once every ten to fourteen days should be fine. You should follow these easy steps to clean your fish tank:

Use a gentle net to catch your betta's and transfer him into a baggie full of water from the aquarium so that he is still in his own environment then you can proceed to clean the tank by cleaning up any buildups on the sizes including grime and scum. Then you should replace some of the water. When considering the care for betta fish you should remember that you shouldn't change all of the water in the tank at once because the shift in the environment can harm your betta. You should change around 25 to 50% of the water at a time and for the fresh water you add, you should make sure that it is around 78f and don't shift the water temperature drastically when it is time to reintroduce your fish to the tank. And always remember to add water conditioner to the water that you change because the chlorine in the tap water can harm and even kill fish.

You should also consider doing a 20 to 30% water change at least once every week to maintain a clean and healthy fish tank. You should always keep an eye out for anything that might be affecting the care for betta fish including constipation which can cause the betta to swim lopsided, and you should always keep an eye out for torn and ripped fins and fin rot.

If you need more information on the care for betta fish, then you can visit your local aquarium or pet centre which will have lots of tips on how to care for your betta fish to make sure that they live a long and happy life, and so you can get the most out of your pets

The author has created a review site that provides you with the most in-depth and complete analysis of the best care for betta fish guide called Caring for Betta Fish.

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Raising Your Koi Fry Correctly

When your koi couple have successfully spawned and fertilized their koi eggs, it is time to remove the koi parents from the spawning tank. This is to prevent them from eating their own eggs. Once this is done, you can expect the eggs to develop and hatch into koi fry quite soon.

The time it takes your koi fry to hatch from their eggs depends primarily on the temperature of the water. The colder it is, the longer it takes to hatch and vice versa. Generally, at a temperature of between 68 to 71 degrees Fahrenheit, the eggs should hatch in 3 to 4 days. The minimum temperature for koi eggs to hatch is about 63 degrees in which case it would take them 5 or 6 days to hatch. So keep your water at an optimum temperature and well aerated and you will see the eggs start to develop and eventually hatch.

Once the fries have hatched out of the eggs, you should remove the unfertilized eggs, leaving the koi fries by themselves in your spawning tank. Do not feed them for 3 to 4 days after hatching because their mouths have not developed yet so food within this time will only cause the water to become murky. It is important to keep the water well aerated with a pump because the koi fries' respiratory system has not fully developed so they need lots of oxygen.

After the third or fourth day, you can feed your koi fry some food. You have various options. You can feed them hard boiled eggs or better yet, get some food from the lake which wild koi fry would eat. For example, you can feed them with infusoria (a type of pond algae) or daphnia (a type of crustacean found in ponds). As the koi fries grow, you can feed them with brine shrimp and eventually koi pellets. But make sure the size of the pellets is not too large for the koi fries to eat. But do not feed the fries artificial food until they are at least 6 weeks old.

At around 4 weeks of age, it is time to cull the koi fries as you would likely have hundreds if not thousands of them. The ones to cull would be those with unwanted characteristics like deformities. And if you are trying to breed a certain color or variety of koi, you should cull those that do not display the colors or characteristics of the koi variety that you are trying to breed.

Once you have a number of koi fry that you are comfortable with, you can grow them to become wonderful additions to your koi collection.

Finding the best information about proper koi keeping and koi ponds can be overwhelming at times.

One of the best places we found online for the straight facts on koi keeping and where you can get a FREE 10-part mini course on 'How to Keep Koi Tips and Tricks' is KeepKoi Resources.

To find out more about how to grow koi fry, visit How to Look After Koi Fry.

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Keep Your Koi Healthy - Minerals That Are Harmful to Koi Fish

Maintaining a clean and healthy environment for your koi is extremely important. Good water quality is essential in order for them to thrive. Most often, people tend to overlook the most basic and simplest requirement in caring for wild carps. Professional breeders invest lots of money on the installation of the most expensive and effective filtration system to ensure that their ponds will be free from bacteria, waste products and other forms of harmful substances. When water becomes contaminated it produces harmful minerals for koi fish. These minerals can be very fatal to their health and may even cause death.

Chlorine is mainly used as a form of treatment in most water facility. The water supply which is being used in homes and other establishments is often treated with it. It may not harm humans but it is very toxic to koi. In fact it is considered as the deadliest mineral and must always be eliminated or neutralized. So before adding water to your pond, make sure it is free of chlorine.

The quality of water is affected by various elements. The most common reason for the development of contaminants is improper feeding practices. You should be aware that overfeeding can increase the level of ammonia in the pond. Ammonia is a by-product primarily produced from excreted fish feces. Its presence especially in large amounts can be lethal to koi fish. Accumulated ammonia can predispose your fish to acquire bacterial infections and parasitic infestations.

Nitrites and nitrates are by-products of the nitrogen cycle which is a natural occurring life process within the pond. When present at increased levels it may pose health risks to your fish. Nitrite is produced by the bacteria called Nitrosomonas which is responsible for breaking down ammonia. Therefore consistent monitoring is advised to ensure it is within acceptable levels. As much as possible, its level reading should be kept to 0. Nitrates on the other hand are less harmful as compared to nitrites. It is the final product of the nitrogen cycle wherein nitrosomonas converts nitrite into nitrate. The presence of plants and algae can help maintain admissible nitrate levels.

Harmful minerals to koi fish can be decreased if not eliminated with the aid of a filtering system. Different types of filtration system such as biological and mechanical filter are used to eliminate debris and other forms of by-products which are produced within the pond. Regular monitoring of water is also encouraged to ensure that its parameters are within applicable levels. You should always check for an increase in pH, nitrite, nitrate and ammonia levels. High levels are often indicative of poor filtration and presence of waste products. Checking the water in a weekly basis is therefore advised.

Having good water quality is certainly the key to a successful koi pond. Clean and well filtered water which is free from bacteria, wastes and other harmful substance directly reflects a healthy pond.

Finally! Your questions answered, the Koi fish jargon demystified, the complex tasks made simple, quick, cheap and painless... How to Care For Koi Fish

Create an Oasis in Your Backyard with a Backyard Koi Pond and Water Garden.
Visit Koi Ponds - Pond Kits

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Starting a Freshwater Fish Aquarium - Growing Plants

Starting a freshwater fish aquarium is great fun, extremely rewarding and completely exciting. How many aquarium enthusiasts are there? I don't know, but I do know it's lots and lots, and the number is growing all the time. When you start out why not think about growing your own aquarium plants instead of buying them. It's not as difficult as you may think.

Firslty, you must know exactly what you want, what is best for the fish you have chosen to keep and what size fish tank you are going to have. Always check out the baby plant before purchase for any tiny animal visitors which may cause harm to your fish and remember that most plants prefer to be totally submerged in water.

Due to their tiny size the plants may need to be anchored to start them off until they are established in the tank and of course they need their life force, light. Lots of folk use a "daylight flourescent" light which does the job just fine.

An important point here is to wait about one week before adding fish to the newly planted aquarium to allow the plants to establish themselves without fish biting on them or leaving waste on them. Always clean algae from your tank or let an algae eating fish like a shrimp or catfish do it for you.

If your plants become too large for the tank, simply prune them which takes minutes only.

Remember that when starting a freshwater fish aquarium plants are very important to the tank and to the fish as they provide oxygen and food. They also help maintain chemical balance whilst creating hiding places for your fish. They do also of course help to create a stunning visual centre piece for any person, enthusiast or not.

http://www.aquariumhintsandtips.com

John Eddie has for some time been a keen enthusiast in freshwater fish and their aquarium. He has gathered lots of information, much of which is not readily available at your local pet shop.

For more interesting and helpful information on freshwater fish and the aquarium please visit the above site at your leisure.

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Easily Setup Your First Freshwater Aquarium!

If you have been looking for some expert freshwater aquarium information for setting up a new aquarium, that too for the first time, your search ends here. In this article, you will learn how to set up your own first aquarium in easy to follow steps.

First of all, choose the right equipment. The time spent in choosing the right equipment will ensure your peace of mind in long term. Your choice will depend on the kind of fish that you will keep in it and the level of care that it requires. Any good shopkeeper can provide you with just the right freshwater aquarium information for making your final choice. Also, you can notice that tagged prices for various aquariums can be bargained easily, so do not let that opportunity go out of your hands.

You will want to setup the aquarium almost immediately after your purchase, but wait! Choose the right location first. Make sure that your aquarium is not placed in direct sunlight. Also, your aquarium is not just a place to keep your fish, it is also a wonderful add on to your room decor. Choose a place where it can be easily seen. Also, does the design of your aquariums fits in your room decor? Great!

Now when you have the equipment set up, add some plants. Hey, your fish will feel at home if she finds a lot of plants. There is probably no answer to which plants to use - artificial or living. It is totally your own personal choice. Although artificial plants are not eaten away by your fish and are more attractive in general, they do not absorb carbon-dioxide and prevent formation of algae. You can get some more freshwater aquarium information where you choose to buy your plants from for making your final choice.

Now you are ready to visit a pet-shop to buy your fish. Just make sure to obtain the correct freshwater aquarium information before you buy the fish. Do this and your fish will be smiling (oh well, swimming) soon in their new home.

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