December 29, 2009
Discus Fish Tanks and Care
Discus fish are exceptionally beautiful fish, making them an excellent choice for any aquarium. They are available in a very wide variety of sizes, shapes, and colors. The Discus fish is a native of South America and can be found mainly in the Amazon basin. Discus fish are known for being high maintenance and require a lot of work because it is difficult to create and maintain aquarium conditions that are similar to their natural habitat
This particular type of fish requires a lot of work and is known for being high maintenance, mainly due to the fact that it is difficult to create and maintain aquarium conditions similar to their living habitat in South America. Make sure before you buy a Discus fish that it is healthy. You can tell a healthy Discus fish by watching its movements. It should rush around looking for food, be generally active, and it should have a uniformly round shape without any wounds or deformities.
If you buy a Discus, before you place him into a new tank, you must first prepare the tank appropriately. Ideally, Discus fish tanks should not house any other species of fish. Furthermore, you need to have large substrate filters with the capability of running 1000 to 1200 liters of water per hour. Also regarding the ware, it must stay warm! Discus fish need water between 28 and 30 degrees centigrade.
Before buying a Discus fish you should inquire what it is being fed and try to stick with the same type of food. Discus fish are relatively shy by nature, and placing them in new surroundings can cause them feed less if they are being fed unfamiliar food. After they begin to get used to their new surroundings, introducing new varieties of food is actually a good idea. This is actually a necessity for adult fish.
Adult Discus fish are carnivorous and require a good quality flake or pellet type of fish food. It is also good to occasionally feed it frozen or live food, such as brine shrimp, blood worms, or special Discus food with beef heart. Discus fish that are still growing should be fed on average of 4 to 5 times per day, whereas adult fish should only be fed twice per day.
Before buying a Discus fish, many people want to know their lifespan. They have been known to live as long as 15 years if well cared for. They usually cost between $25-$30 for smaller fish and about $150 for larger ones. Rare varieties of Discus fish can be as high as $400.
Looking to find the best deal on fish tanks? Take at look at www.MyFishTanksforSale.com to compare and purchase fish tanks and aquariums.
Filed under Aquarium Fish by Mark Discus
December 23, 2009
Choosing an Aquarium: The most Crucial Things that Should be Considered
Aquariums are known to give people a perfect opportunity to beautify their houses or offices with fish. There are several varieties of aquariums available but this mainly depends on the size and shape. The styles of aquariums are also known to largely depend on materials that are used during their production. For example, types of aquariums available can either be glass or acrylic. Since there are so many aquariums that are being sold, it is a hard task to decide on a perfect one. The following are a few factors that an individual should consider when purchasing aquariums.
Aquarium Location
The first consideration that needs to be taken into account before buying an aquarium is where the aquarium will be placed. Take into account what the weight of the aquarium will be when it is filled with water. Ensure that the stand or table where it will be placed is strong enough to support it. It is also important for the aquarium to be placed in an area that is not exposed to direct sunlight. Consider also the room’s dcor; if the surrounding dcor will be able to complement the aquarium’s presence.
The Size of the Aquarium
Once the perfect location has been identified, the next step is to choose the appropriate size of the aquarium. The aquarium size will depend on the number of fish the individual intends to have. To be able to obtain the size of the aquarium, measure the location where the tank will be placed. The larger the fish aquarium the easier the maintenance will be. It will also be much easier for the person to maintain the correct water balance for the large aquarium than with smaller aquariums. Large aquariums also prevent the fish from overcrowding. Lastly, the size bought will depend on the finances available.
Aquarium’s Shape
The most common types of tanks are rectangular, though one is able to find other aquarium shapes such as cylindrical, hexagon or round aquariums. When deciding on the shape, choose tanks that have a large surface area since oxygen enters the tank through the surface. When choosing the tank buy long tanks instead of tall ones to enable the fish move easily in the tanks.
Aquarium Material
The material used to make an aquarium is another very important consideration. Many aquariums are mostly made from glass or acrylic. Aquariums made from acrylic are not very heavy as compared to the ones made from glass tanks. The advantages of having an acrylic fish tank is that it offers an ability to view the fish images very clearly without distortions as compared to the glass tanks. However, glass tanks also have their advantages; these tanks can be cleaned easily because they are not scratched easily. On the other hand, acrylic tanks are hard to clean since they scratch easily.
Learn more about fish tanks. Stop by Lane Jordan’s site where you can find out all about biOrb Aquarium and what it can do for you.
Filed under Aquarium Fish by Lane Jordan
December 20, 2009
Buying Aquarium Gravel/Rocks/Substrate
Maintaining an aquarium means buying the right fish food, accessories, filters, and choosing the most appropriate substrates. The substrate should be chosen both for functional and aesthetic purposes. Nowadays, you can find a selection of aquarium substrates, including aragonite, crushed corals, sand, and aquarium gravel.
One of the easiest ways to spruce up the look of your aquarium is to use a decorative background. A fish tank background often comes in different plain colors, designs, or landscapes. You can choose the design you want according to theme, your personal preferences, and, of course, according to your budget.
Some aquarium owners may find decorating the fish tank quite challenging. With the wide array of decorations sold nowadays, from fake plants to decorative rocks, choosing specific accessories and decor can be difficult. If you have some difficulty in choosing aquarium decorations, you can start by choosing a theme.
Many aquarium owners prefer using gravel since this is one of most commonly used fish tank substrate nowadays. You can find gravel in most aquarium and pet stores. Also, gravel does not require heavy maintenance, although you will still need to check them regularly for any trapped food or other impurities.
If you only have fish in your aquarium, you can use aquarium gravel since it provides an ideal environment for the growth of beneficial bacteria. You can find coarse options and finer varieties of gravel in pet stores, from 3mm to 4mm in sizes.
Colored aquarium gravel has risen in popularity especially for decorative means. It is best to choose plain gravel, however, as painted ones tend to lose their color over time. If the gravel is clear-colored, you can easily check if some rotten food particles have been left underneath.
If you have a planted aquarium, however, you can use live plants to create a unique and natural landscape for your tank. You need to make sure, however, that you use the right substrate when having live plants in your tank. While gravel is ideal as a top layer to provide anchor to your plants, the first layer should be a nutrient-filled substrate.
Fine gravel is more ideal for bottom dwellers or bottom feeders. If you have a planted aquarium, you will need to use a nutrient-rich layer as the base. Gravel may be used for the upper layer. For fish tanks with crustaceans such as crabs, aquarium gravel is also recommended.
Sean Kerring is an aquarium enthusiast and breeder who has been wirking with and raising fish for over twenty years, when his parents gave him his very first fish tanks. He always uses new and changingly colored aquarium lights to change the themes of each of his tanks, including changing aquarium substrate compounds.
Filed under Aquarium Fish by Sean Kerring
December 16, 2009
Swim With Sharks In Hawaii
Aloha, Hawaii. Shark diving in Hawaii ranks among the best in the world. So if you are going to those beautiful islands, you can have a close encounter with a shark. A memory you will not forget.
Hawaii is actually 132 islands; including the larger islands Maui and Oahu, which has the best shark diving. The islands are located 2400 miles from the continent, which gives it a unique underwater environment.
The water around Hawaii is home for about 40 different shark species. The most common are Reef Whitetip Sharks, Sandbar Sharks and Scalloped Hammerhead Shark. In rare occasions it is also possible to encounter Tigers Sharks and even Whale Sharks.
The amazing cobalt blue water has a visibility approximately 200 feet, which makes it some of the best in the whole world. Diving in Hawaii is very special.
If you want to do an extreme activity, Hawaii is a great place for shark cage diving (or shark cage swimming as actually is).
Oahu is the place for this shark cage activity. You and up to three other persons are placed in a floating cage. From here you can look the sharks in the eyes from a very short distance.
So if you are on vacation in Oahu, and you have never tried a shark cage dive, you should go. When will you ever get the chance again to get a close encounter with a shark?
Maui is another great diving destination. Actually it is considered one of the best diving spots on the world. Here you can do reef diving or dive close to volcanic craters.
But the most exciting shark encounter is without doubt with the amazing and huge Whale Shark. It is not something you can expect to see on every dive. But you can actually be lucky enough to see them on a snorkeling trip.
If you want to be absolute certain to see sharks, you can go to the Maui Ocean Center aquarium. In the 750,000 gallon fish tanks you can dive among 20 sharks, stingrays and thousands of colorful reef fish.
So no matter if you like to dive with sharks in the ocean or in an aquarium, you can do in Maui or Oahu.
Morten Elm is writing about great white shark dive in the Shark Diving Guide. Here you can also read more about shark great white shark dive in Hawaii.
categories: shark diving,swimming with sharks,sharks,diving,scuba diving,snorkel,whale sharks,Hawaii,Maui,Oahu,adventure,extreme sport,travel,ocean
Filed under Aquariums by Morten Elm
December 12, 2009
Fish Combinations
When starting a fish tank, the hardest thing to decide may surprisingly be the type of fish to raise. Even though the funniest thing about owning a fish tank may be choosing the types of fish. Choosing fish can be a difficult and fun task, but if it is done incorrectly can cost a lot of money and time. There are many combinations of fish to chose from, but narrowing down these choices is fairly easy. To narrow down the choices, you need to decide the types of fish you would like to raise.
A common choice that people make is to raise fish for offspring. When fish have offspring, it can be a very fun part of raising fish. I would suggest a peaceful tank so that the fry will survive. Mollies and Guppies are good livebearers to start with and easily breed. They have many offspring, so the chances of some of the fry surviving are high. Adding some bottom feeders is also nice, I would suggest some Cory Cats and Plecostomus.
Community tanks are, in my opinion, the funniest type of tank to own. With a community tank, you can have many types and varieties of fish corresponding peacefully. For a good community tank, there are many possibilities. I would suggest colorful fish that actively swim around the tank. Barbs, Angel Fish, Kribensis are my favorites. For bottom feeders, Loaches, Cory Cats and Plecostomus are my favorite.
If you just like a certain type of fish, or would like interesting fish to own I would suggest Cichlids. African Cichlids are very fun fish to rise, but can be very difficult. Finding the right type of Cichlids can be difficult and the wrong kind can cause fighting. Only get the same species of Cichlids in a tank, and you will be fine. Cichlids are egg layers and very protective of their young.
There are some fish that can be very hard to raise no matter the circumstance. I have had experience with certain types of fish that are impossible to raise. Jack Dempsies eat other smaller fish and I would not suggest owning one to begin with. Chinese Algae Eaters are very good at eating algae, but have one problem, they suck the slime off other fish and can kill them.
Choosing the types of fish to rise are fun, all the varieties and colors. I hope this article helped you make some choices on the kind of tank you want. If you have any more questions feel free to email personally at fishtankadvice@rocketmail.com. Remember to experiment with fish, as they may not react as planned. There are many variables that can make fish act strangely.
Roshan Goodman gives help on fish tank and on aquarium advice.
Filed under Aquariums by Roshan Goodman

