Aquarium Care

Dropsy is a very common, very fatal disease that attacks the betta fish’s internal organs. Very little is known about dropsy, except that it causes kidney failure. No one knows what causes dropsy

Dropsy can be treated with “Maracyn 2″. this is the typical treatment for several ailments such as inner infections, tail rot and gill infections. This antibiotic must be absorbed by the Betta FishCleaning and changeing the water as well as raising the temperature in the tank is a good idea.

Fungal infections generally happen because of bad water conditions. They become visible as white fluffy growths on the betta fish’s mouth, eyes, and fins and are highly infectious.

The Treatment for fungal infections is: Increase the temperature of the betta fish tank. Fungal infections is an outcome of cooler water temperatures. Medicines including Malachite green or Methylene blue are also useful. Malachite green is a totally harmless and helpful cure in fresh and salt water on a wide variety of protozoan, crustacean, and other invertebrate parasites of fishes. Adding ordinary table salt (sodium chloride) to the water, one teaspoon per gallon can lend a hand in minimizing the healing time.

If the water temperature in your tank falls below 80 degrees you may have a battle with Ich or (Ichthyophthirius multifilius) What looks like grains of sugar appearing on the fins and body is a sure indication of Ich.

Useing Malachite green or Methylene blue treatments and adding salt to the tank will help. You must adjust the water temperature to over eighty degrees.

Velvet/Oodinium is an algae parasite found on several freshwater fish. This ailment emerges as a yellow “velvety” covering on the betta fish’s body. It may also become visible as golden or rust colored. It is habitually found in fish which are anxious due to chilling, shipping, water changes or bad water quality. Symptoms comprises of fast breathing and lethargy.

Treatment for Velvety is Raised water temperature and medicines like acriflavine, Methylene Blue or Jungle’s “velvet guard” should help cure this parasite. Bowls or tanks should be drained and unsoiled. Dyes must not be used as they have mercury.

Weaker Betta Fish are suseptable to Fin Rot.

The use of antibiotics and anti-micrbials is used in the treatment of Fin Rot. Adding a teaspoon of table salt and raising the temperature of the water in the tank will help. A common antibiotic tablet is Maracyn 2.

John Anderson has been raising and Caring for Betta Fishfor many years and has compiled a very practical free guide for you at Betta Fish Diseases You will find a lot of facts and some fun.. Also published at How to treat identifieable Betta Fish Diseases.

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Goldfish need your proper care

Many people have had a goldfish or two in their lives, only for the small fish to die for no apparent reason. The main problem is that there are a lot of misconceptions going around about how to care for these fish. People who think they are doing it right are actually doing everything wrong. Learning how to care for your goldfish tank now will ensure all your fish a long and healthy life.

Goldfish are a cold-water species, so it is true that they don’t need, and actually do better, without a heater. This is about the only piece of conventional advice concerning the keeping of these fish that is true. Some things you need to know are: a bowl is a horrible way to keep them, they absolutely do need a filter, and they will not stay as small as the aquarium they are placed in (they will just die instead, due to lack of enough water and too much waste).

A proper aquarium for goldfish is at least 10 gallons. And even at this size, only three to four fish can be kept. They will quickly outgrow this aquarium, but some people solve this problem by trading in their large fish for new smaller ones every few months at the pet store. Since larger fish are worth more money than smaller ones, many pet stores are happy to do this. No fish bigger than 3 inches should be kept in a 10 gallon aquarium.

An adult goldfish is between 6 and 12 inches long, depending on the type. It needs at least 10-20 gallons of water per fish. Strong filtration is necessary in order to keep them healthy, as these fish produce a lot of waste. Regular water changes of 10-30% every week or two are necessary. You can also consider using the EcoBio-Block which uses beneficial bacteria to purify water, to help keep the water clear and the fish healthy. The biggest benefit to this product is that you are able to keep a consistently high level of beneficial bacteria in your tank as they live and multiply in the block.

Filtration in an aquarium is partially mechanical (large pieces of waste are trapped) but also partly biological. This is where good (beneficial) bacteria are used to turn the fish waste into a nontoxic byproduct. Here again, you will find EcoBio-Block useful as it also jump-starts the process by quickly introducing these bacteria instead of having to wait for them to naturally flourish.

Overfeeding is one of the most common causes of fish death in home aquariums. Your fish should be fed a flake food that is specially formulated for goldfish (not tropical fish) and only fed what they can eat in one or two minutes, once a day. Excess amounts of food will dirty the water, or the fish will eat it and get fat. Fat fish do not live as long as healthier, leaner ones.

There are no conventional aquarium fish that can share living space with goldfish without compromising the health of at least one of the species, so these fish should be maintained only with their own kind. Fancy types of various varieties can be kept together, but should be kept separately from the faster, stronger standard type that can out-compete them for food and bully the weaker fish.

Given the proper aquarium setup, this is a hardy species of fish. If you maintain your tank with regular water changes, feed properly, and find new homes for fish that have outgrown any smaller tanks that you keep them in, your pets might live up to their maximum lifespan of 20 years.

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What you need to understand is that many people are not aware that there has to be special preparation of a new fish tank before it can be used for their fish. EcoBio-Block Family Products can help you to install your new aquarium and create a clean and healthy environment for your fish. Here are some other tips on How To Keep Aquarium Fish Healthy.

Household dust and other airborne matter can settle to the bottom of an aquarium, where toxins and harmful minerals can menace your aquatic residents. Doing small weekly water changes in quantities of 10-15% can help keep the un-exchanged water processed. Useful bacteria that help keep tanks clean and reduce maintenance by breaking down the organic waste into safer by-products naturally develop in tanks, but you can use EcoBio-Blocks to keep bacteria levels evenly high and tank water clear and healthy.

You will want to vacuum the gravel and any rocks or decorative pieces to remove any debris that is not easily seen. Monitoring your filtration system on a regular basis and keeping the cartridges changed, along with doing proper cleaning of your water pump will greatly reduce contaminants that are known to harm fish.

Humans have become accustomed to thermostat controlled living, and fish are just as particular about temperatures, too. It is important that their water be at the temperature they require in order to maintain good health. You should ask about the temperatures they need before you buy incompatible fish.

Fish can suffer from boredom just like humans do, and supplying them with plenty of toys and decorative items will help them do much better health wise, while providing them with places where they can feel safely hidden when they wish to be.

Many people who love having an aquarium to watch their fish have a tendency to get carried away and buy too many. Fish can suffer from overcrowding just as humans do, and even develop behavior problems, as a result. Overcrowding causes a more frequent need for cleaning and less time for just enjoying.

One of the surest ways to maintain the health of your fish is to provide them with a well balanced diet, and a good supply of different varieties of food. Just be careful not to overfeed them because the excess will gather at the bottom of the tank and require cleaning more often. You should also remember that when having to give them any medications the chemicals can cause stress to the fish and to your water filter.

There are a few basic facts to keeping your aquarium fish healthy, all of the above and also remembering that fish are very sensitive to being transported and the longer the distance the longer it takes for them to recover. In this case, using a quarantine tank set beside the main aquarium lets you slowly introduce new fish into the rest of the population.

Get complete information on how you can quickly and easily achieve the healthy water you want today! You can grow healthy fish safely when you follow the simple instructions you can locate now!

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Aquarium care and maintenance involves certain tasks that should be done daily, and others that are less frequently needed. All these routine tasks are necessary to keep fish healthy and the aquarium environment clean and problem free.

Daily care involves checking over your fish by observing their behavior. Healthy fish will swim freely, with their fins erectly held. Their skin and gill areas will be free of any puffiness or marks that show parasites or infections. Check that all the equipment is working properly, and that water temperature is not fluctuating.

When you feed your fish, never give them excessive amounts. Uneaten food falls to the bottom, and will encourage algae growth, ammonia production and water to cloud. You can keep it cleaner and clearer by using one of the EcoBio-Block products. These products introduce beneficial bacteria that rid the water of toxic ammonia that is produced from excess food particles in the water.

Keeping the exterior of the fish tank clean is another important step in aquarium care and maintenance. Wash it every week, using only clean clear non-chlorinated water. Any soap or chemical cleaners must be avoided, as they can get into the tank’s water and kill fish. Maintaining a clean fish tank not only makes it easier to observe your fish, it also promotes the growth of aquarium plants as it allows more light to enter.

Generally, a partial water change is recommended every two weeks or so, the timing depending on how large your aquarium is and how many fish it holds. Changing the water will reduce the ammonia content. An easy way to keep ammonia levels acceptably low is by using any of the EcoBio-Block products which introduce ammonia-controlling bacteria and reduce the need for water changes. Choose the product according to the size of the fish tank.

Periodically, you will need to remove any algae growth from your fish tank. Some algae thrive with light, and grow on the inside of the tank so must be scraped off. Other kinds live in the gravel bottom, thriving with the organic waste in the water. By using EcoBio-Block products, the production of ammonia and nitrites is controlled, so less algae will grow.

Uneaten fish food and fish waste drops to the bottom of the aquarium constantly, and settles between the pieces of gravel and sand. This can form harmful gases and nitrites as it decomposes, so cleaning it away monthly is part of your aquarium care and maintenance. This is generally done by vacuuming the gravel.

If you make use of EcoBio-Blocks, then the ammonia and nitrite produced is kept under control. Less frequent cleaning and washing of the gravel is necessary, and tank water will be much clearer and cleaner. These products have a life of up to two years.

Aquarium care and maintenance can be made easier with the introduction of beneficial bacteria. As long as these bacteria are present and able to proliferate, they will keep the tank water clean and clear and so ensure the health of the fish.

Find the right techniques to aquarium care by going online. There you will find many methods to clear water of organic waste that will harm your fish. Head online and learn more today.

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It is best to set up a fish tank if you love the aesthetics of displaying a clean, glittering, and well-decorated aquarium. A fish tank requires regular cleaning and maintenance checks. So, you should put in some time to care for it. A little love will really make fish tank maintenance a whole lot fun.

Water clean-up and conditioning

Probably, the first thing you might notice about your fish tank is the scummy water. If the water is no longer clear, you know that it is time for a total change. Do not wait for the water to look like something out of a drainage pipe. Make use of a method of changing water that suits you best. There are people who use a bucket to keep the fish in water, while a hundred percent of the fish tank water is being replaced. Others prefer changing about 20% of the water at a time, two times a week. Whatever the case, you should de-chlorinate the water that you will be putting into the tank.

Change the water.

Aside from the tank, the water is one of the primary clues as to how much scum is invading the aquarium. Dank smell and dark coloring are signs that your fish tank needs a total change in water. If you do not want to have to change every droplet of water at one time, you may have to change about 20% at a time. This process, however, should be done at least twice a week. If you want to follow this method, you need to make sure that you change a percentage of the water before the water changes in coloring and smell. This means that you cannot miss the twice a week regularity

Check the filter and bacteria growth.

Fish tank maintenance does not only focus on the tank itself but also on the organisms living in it and the equipment attached to the tank. The said equipment are installed for the reason of helping the fish survive at ideal conditions. The devices should be maintained in tip-top shape so that they can continue serving their roles.

Keep on checking the temperature in your fish tank.

The temperature is vital to fish tank maintenance. This is because your fish may not survive temperatures that are too cold or too hot. If temperatures are allowed to go haywire, you may not have anything to call your aquarium. Aquarium thermometers should make it easy for you to see if fish tank temperature is going over or under the limits.

Provide a certain amount of light.

How much lighting do your pet fish need? Find out the amount of light your particular breed of fish. This means that you cannot mix fish with very different lighting requirements. When you know the amount, maintain this level. Do not overdo lighting because this can cause fast algae growth.

Provide enough oxygen to your fish.

Fish tank maintenance entails fish survival as one of the top objectives. You should ensure that your fish have enough oxygen. This means that the water has to be cleaned regularly so that oxygen can be properly absorbed. If there are too many organisms competing for oxygen in the tank, then it would be best to install an aerator. The aerator can ensure that there is enough oxygen for every organism.

Do not forget that an important point of fish tank maintenance is the care of your fish. Check your fish regularly for a change in coloring, listlessness, and other odd behavior. Immediately remove any dead fish.

Sean Kerring is a marine fish enthusiast and breeder who has been raising and breeding fish for over twenty years, when his parents gave him his very first betta. He always uses the highest quality aquarium products, including various brands to get the highest quality results out of his regular fish tank maintenance. Learn more at marinedepot.com.

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