So how can I choose my first tropical fish or should I need to change my fish tank population? There are many families of tropical fish, cichlids, Chaetodontidae, bottom feeders, Characins, Acanthuridae, labyrinth fish, livebearers and much more. Make sure that your desired animal fits to your aquarium size and choose one. Betta splendens is a good choice; it is very hardy and tolerates species.

In nature, Betta splendens males have shorter fins that those we usually see in pet shops, these are called by the Thai “Plakad” (meaning- “Fighter”), and are used in Thailand for show-fights (just like roosters). The Betta splendens is hardy species and can thrive in low water conditions, though; long-finned strains are more susceptible to high amounts of nitrogen compounds in water and will quickly suffer from fin-rot, dropsy and other diseases. In large tanks these fish need excellent filtration system with low to moderate water flow. If water flow is too strong or direct, the fish will settle in a spot where flow is lowest and will hardly move from it so it should be take care of. When kept in a jar, water should be changed every week- the amount of water changed, depends on the jar’s volume the recommendation are 10 %. Some people buy dry leafs of a tree called Ketapang/Indian Almond-tree (Terminalia katappa) and insert them to the fish’s jar. It is said to help preventing infectious diseases and getting the fish into breeding-mood. When feeding the betta fish, avoid over-feeding, as these fish tend to gorge itself, which might end up in a bloated fish suffering from deadly incurable Enlarged-leaver.

Another great common tropical fish is the Labidochromis caeruleus. This fish is one of the most beautiful Mbuna that exist in the hobby, its yellow and black colors along with the fact That it is one of the least aggressive cichlids makes it very popular all over the world. The Labidochromis caeruleus requires at least 20 gallon tank size.

The Labidochromis caeruleus should kept in large community fish tank with other small Mbuna type fish like the species from the Labeotropheus Melanochromis. Decorate the tank with rocks, caves and other hiding places. These fish prefer hard alkaline water with a fairly high PH. The lemon cichlid will appreciate water changes on a weekly basis and well filtered water.One of the easiest Mbuna to breed.The Labidochromis caeruleus known as mouthbrooder. In order to maintain male Aggression they should be kept in ratio of three females to each male in the tank. The Preferred spawning site is on a flat stone, the female will take the unfertilized eggs in her mouth, eggs will be fertilized after the male release his sperm into her mouth.

The last one and one of my favorites, belongs to the livebearers family,the famous Guppy fish. This amazing tropical fish has an elongated body. This fish available in many colors. The guppy is one of the most popular and sought after aquarium fishes all over the planet. with many standardized varieties. This species offers a large selection of colors with no two fish similar. It is a small member of the Poeciliidae family (and like all other members of the family, he is livebearer). The most notable characteristic of this group is the presence of a copula-tory organ in males the andropodium or gonopodium, this organ is formed by the anterior rays of the anal fin. It easy to distinguish between male and females, Females are dull grey while the males are very colorful and have large fins. Guppy is an omnivore, The guppy eat almost everything, flakes, pellets, frozen foods and live foods. It is highly recommended to feed them in small amounts at least 2-3 times a day.

There is nothing special to setup if you want to breed this amazing fish, the only thing you should do is to keep a ratio of one male and three females, the reason you need to bring more than one female for the male not harass the females to the point of exhaustion. Like all livebearers when the female is in pregnant it will develop a dark triangular shaped gravid spot near her anal vent. As the pregnancy advances the gravid spot will get bigger and darker. At the time the fry comes out it is recommended to move them or the parents to another fish tank or else the parents will eat their own fry. These fry can be fed with crushed commercial foods.

If a one of a kind underwater experience is what you are after, then no trip to Georgia is complete without dropping by the Georgia Aquarium. This place is a haven of the world’s largest collection of aquatic animals. A trip to this attraction is an experience you can compare to diving into Atlantis!

The Georgia Aquarium is a unique attraction that has five galleries. Each of these galleries house hundreds of species of aquatic life ranging from sharks, whales, otters, and the tiniest beautiful and even odd looking fish you could ever imagine.

At the Georgia Aquarium, you’re not just getting the chance to see these sea creatures swim in over eight million gallons of water. This Atlanta tourist attraction also has unique must sees such as the fourth dimension at Deepo’s Undersea 3D Wondershow, Quick Dip Tours, and an exhibition called Titanic Aquatic. The Dip Tours are however subject to availability and it is recommended to purchase the advance booklet entry.

In addition to its unique features, it also has facilities that include the Caf Aquaria food court; souvenir shops like the Beyond the Reef and Sand Dollars gift shops; a 1,600-car parking deck; and the venue is handicap accessible.

With its operations at 365 days a year, hundreds of guests daily visit the aquarium that opens from 10AM to 5PM Sundays to Thursdays, and 10AM to 6PM on Fridays and Saturdays. Regular tickets are $54.50 for adults and $44.50 for children.

Located at 225 Baker Street, NW, Atlanta City, the Georgia Aquarium is on top the list of Atlanta attractions. Getting there can also be via bus or train. If by bus, you may take Toute 97 from of MARTA’s five points. When travelling by train, hop on at the CNN Center MARTA stop on the East/West line; or you may take one from the Peachtree Center stop on the North/South line.

However, if you would want to save yourself from the hustle and bustle of driving your car or taking public transportation, you may sign up for tour packages with tour operators. This is what most tourists do for convenient reasons. There are even some packages that will go through all the Atlanta attractions.

Other top tourists’ spots of the area include World of Coca-Cola, Zoo Atlanta, Inside CNN Atlanta, Fernbank Museum of Natural History, the Atlanta Botanical Garden, the High Museum of Art, and the Atlanta History Center. Aside from the Georgia Aquarium, most tour operators include the first 4 of the enumerated attractions and have the remaining 3 places as optional alternatives in local tour passes or packages.

Just like filter systems themselves, there are many choices when it comes to the various types of filter media. The most common questions I hear asked are “what type of filter media is best” and “what is the best combination of media to use.”

There are two types of filtering to be accomplished – mechanical and biological. All media performs one or the other or both. They are both required for your Koi pond so what do they do? Well the mechanical filtration media removes large particulate waste material. Biological filtration fosters the growth of beneficial bacteria that breaks down pollutants in the water.

For biological filtering Japanese matting is one of your best choices. It is made from thousands of tiny fiber strands formed into a sheet or mat. The only thing to remember is not to use for mechanical filtering. The large waste particles will clog it quickly. You end up cleaning it very often and it will finally fail.

Another good type of biological filter medium is bacballs. They are easy to work with and clean. Again, don’t use them in the early stages of the filter system as they too may become clogged and require cleaning often. Bioflow and flocor are plastic pieces that are light weight and easy to clean and good for biological filtering. Aquarock is another good media for biological filters.

I highly recommend a vortex chamber as the first stage of your filtration system to remove the large waste particles. If you don’t have one then you will want to use brushes in the first stage to trap the large particles. They are easy to work with and clean and they will need cleaning often depending on the size of the Koi pond and the number of fish

So what is a good setup? Well the answer might be different depending on who you ask but here are some suggestions. If you have a pump-fed multi-chamber system without a vortex you would want to consider having brushes in chamber one, followed by flocor or bioflow in stage two, followed by Japanese matting in stage three. If you have additional chambers consider adding matting, foam or Aquarock.

Regardless of what your exact setup is, there are many options available. Do a little homework and see what is available. Alternatively the setup I have described will serve you well.

Keeping the aquarium clean will ensure you some health fish. This means less time to treat them and more time to enjoy them. Taking care of the fish in the aquarium is not an easy task but if you get the hang of it, everything will go really easy. So use the proper equipment to clean the tank and use it well. There are a few tips and tricks that you can learn in order to be a good aquarium owner.

First of all, if you want to clean the tank, don’t use house cleaners. Some of them are really toxic for the fish and plants. So buy some proper cleaners for you tank.

Besides that, always monitor the water level in the tank and the water pump very clean. Also remember to clean the filtration system from time to time so that it doesn’t break. Many times, the life of the aquarium depends on the filtration system. When you choose a filtration system take into consideration the manufacturer, the fish species and the components.

Another important fact in keeping the fish healthy is the cleaning of the ornaments. They should be washed and cleaned with proper cleaners at least twice a month.

The cleaning will stop the algae from growing without a purpose. Another aspect is that the aquariums made of plastic need cleaning more often, sometimes even once a week.

When you do the weekly cleaning make sure you do some things like check the air pump. This is important because it provides the fish with oxygen. If the pump doesn’t work properly, the fish could die.

Change the water as often as possible. Don’t wait for it to turn green. It is not a thing of aesthetics but a matter of health. If you change the water often, the aquarium will look better for sure but the fish will be healthy too. Don’t forget to also clean the rocks and the sand inside the tank. Before you do all this, remove all the fish from the aquarium and put them in a bucket full of water.

You should also buy a water purifier. This will save you some time because you will need to change the water not so often. There are a lot of types, depending on the size of the tank.

And never forget to real all the instructions of the products you buy for your tank. If you have some doubts, ask the sales persons from the pet shop.

Also, don’t forget to keep a strict schedule of the cleaning operations you do.

Having a Koi pond heater used to be something you only found on very elaborate and large Koi ponds. Because of the expense, very few Koi owners could handle the cost. Also Koi ponds were mainly found only in the warmer climates where heating wasn’t thought about. Today Koi are being exported all over the world where heating can be much more a requirement. Most importantly the cost of heating a Koi pond is much less than it was just a few years ago.

When we speak of heating we’re not talking about just keeping the Koi pond free of ice in the coldest months. Heating a pond reduces dangerous water temperature fluctuations for your Koi. I would recommend you consider heating your Koi pond to keep it between 54 – 57F.

Most of the fish that are being imported into the colder climates today have not been exposed to low temperatures in the colder months. By heating the Koi pond you will avoid a lot of problems and protect your investment.

There are two popular ways to heat a Koi pond. The electric heater is the simplest way to go. An in-line electric heater is inserted into the return water pipe after the pump in a gravity-fed system. It will take about 1 kilowatt of electrical power per 1,000 gal. of water depending on the ambient temperature of the water. Always get a larger heater than is required so it won’t have to run all the time in the cold months.

The other alternative is the heat exchanger. These are more expensive to put in but make up for it in operating costs savings. The heat exchanger is basically a radiator that that pond water is pumped through to warm. The radiator is fired by gas, oil, or electricity.

Whether or not you heat your Koi pond, it is always a good idea to cover it in the cold months. Just don’t make it to air tight. The best covers have zipped openings to allow gases that build up to escape and to allow access to the fish if needed. The Koi pond heater is fast becoming a very popular option for ponds. In fact, some would argue that it is no longer just an option but rather a necessity especially in the colder climates.