Aquarium Supplies Part 1 - My First Experience With Bettas

By: Jonathan Wangsa

Keeping fish as pets takes more than just feeding them and changing the water every once in a while. Sadly, many people aren't aware of that and they just buy aquarium fish because they're attractive. After a short while the fish start to get sick and die one after the other, and the newbie would lose interest in the hobby and give it up all together.

Basic knowledge of fish keeping, together with the right aquarium supplies, is crucial to the livelihood and longevity of your fish. It's important to maintain the optimum living conditions for your fish and other living things you may have in your aquarium if you are to enjoy them for a long time.

To illustrate this, I shall share with you my own experiences when I got started with this hobby for the very first time as a child. The first experience was with bettas and the second with goldfish; two different kinds of fish with different requirements.

My first pet fish were a pair of bettas (a male and a female) which my mom bought me because she knew that I liked fish and felt sorry for me because a toy fish was all I had.

We put the bettas in a small plastic jar with a floating live plant. The male was aggressive. He continuously chased after the female and attacked her until she was full of bruises. One night, running out of place to hide, the female desperately jumped out of the water onto the floor. Fortunately I was nearby and was able to save her.

My mom then suggested that we separate the fish. So we put the female in a different jar. However, I felt that the female was lonely. So one day I asked my mom if I could buy another fish. There was a beautiful green male betta that I decided to buy.

At that time I didn't know that bettas were fighting fish and that the males would fight with each other. So at first I decided to put the new male in the same container as the first male. I knew the first male was aggressive and I just wondered how he would react toward another male.

To my amazement the two males fought with each other and there was no sign that they would stop. After a while I got worried. I didn't want any of them to die so I finally separated them and put the new male together with the female, and to my pleasant surprise they got along pretty well.

However, that little jar was kind of small for a pair of fish although they got along. So, we decided to move the fish to a much larger plastic container. Later I added a couple more females so that it became sort of a betta community tank.

Being fascinated by the beauty of the male bettas, I bought a couple more and put each in individual jars. I fed them dried food and occasionally bread. However, I fed them too much. The water would become cloudy fast from fish waste and uneaten food. So, I completely changed the water every other day. I would fill up the jar with new water right from the tap.

As you might guess, the fish didn't last very long. After only a few months they started to get sick and eventually one after the other died.

Dirty water, untreated new water, fluctuating water temperatures, and trauma from being moved frequently during water changes were some of the factors that contributed to the fish's low resistance to diseases.

Although it's acceptable to keep bettas in relatively small containers without aeration, it would be much better to put them in a tank of at least 2 gallons, and you would still need to observe certain basic things such as not feeding them too much and setting aside new water to equilibrate the temperature and remove chorine prior to water changes.

I was only about 10 years old at the time and didn't know anything about fish keeping. Neither did my mom. Also, back then there were very few books about aquarium fish and the aquarium supplies were not as sophisticated as they are today.

Today, there are plenty of good books and magazines as well as web sites about fish aquariums. So, if you're serious about taking up this hobby, you should start by reading a few of them and gain the basic knowledge before you even buy your aquarium and fish.

In the next article you will learn what happened when I tried to keep some goldfish, also with very little knowledge. In the mean time I invite you to visit my web site (see below) to learn more about aquarium fish keeping.

About The Author:
Jonathan Wangsa is the webmaster of http://www.all-about-aquarium-supplies.com There you can find resources and information about aquarium supplies and other aquarium related topics. Whether you're an expert or a newbie, you can also share your own experiences. Get a Free Special Report when you sign up for a Free Monthly Newsletter.

Copyright Jonathan Wangsa - http://www.all-about-aquarium-supplies.com

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Aquarium Plants And Lighting Mini-guide

By: Nathan Miller

Aquarium plants are as important to aquariums as water is to fish. Aquarium plants add more life to aquarium and make it to look beautiful while completing the aquarium community structure.

The most important thing to bear in mind with plants is to form an attractive background, leaving ample space so the fish can swim undisturbed and be seen. The tall, grassy type is best planted at intervals in rows, while the feathery ones look better when they are bunched into small clumps, which makes them to appear like branching bushes.

When planting rooted plants, hold the tips of the bunch of roots between the thumb and second finger and rest them on the sand. Now with the first finger push the upper part of the roots (where they join the stem) about 2cm into the sand. Without moving this finger scrape with the thumb and second finger some sand over any uncovered portion of the root.

When putting in rootless plants in bunches, the method explained above is repeated, but this time the lower ends of the stems are placed together and treated exactly as if they were roots.

It is important that the water surface should be right up to the lower edge of the top angle iron of the tank, so that looking from the front the water surface can not be seen and the viewer gets the impression that there is no water in the aquarium. If the level is allowed to fall below the top angle iron the tank looks like a container holding water.

Aquarium Lighting is also important for aquarium plants

This depends greatly on whether you intend to successfully grow plants or not. Lack of light causes colorful fish to fade and clanch-reds to pink, green to white. The two main methods of lighting aquarium are by the INCADESCENT and FLOURESCENT.

The total amount of light required is a matter of trial and error. Too much light will turn the water green; too little will stunt plant growth.

The lighting can be natural or artificial or a combination of both. The best position is near a north facing window. This should provide the ideal amount of indirect lights which an be supplemented by artificial light.

The lighting should be housed in wood constructed stylishly with the furniture and placed above the tank. if there is no natural day light, the lights should be left on for approximately eight hours per day.

If the water turns green, you cut down on the light.

The best light for showing off an aquarium comes from behind.

About the Author:
For more great aquarium related articles and resources check out http://www.aquariumspot.com

Source: www.isnare.com

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Aquarium Plants

By: William Berg

It is not hard to understand why plants are present in so many aquariums. Lush and healthy plants are stunning to look at and will create a much more natural environment in the aquarium. Most fish species feel safer and less stressed when they have plants to hide among, and many species will never thrive in an unplanted aquarium. If your fish species inhabit densely grown waters in the wild, they will feel very insecure in a plant without any vegetation. A lot of fish species are however rock dwellers and can get the same sense of security from caves and rocky formations in the aquarium. If your fish disturb the plants and damage them by nibbling of the leaves or digging up the roots, caves and wood can be a better solution than plants. If uprooting is the main problem, you can choose plants that float and do not require any anchorage in the substrate. If your fish are vigorous plant eaters, artificial plants can be used instead of live plants. It can also be possible to find a few live plant species that your fish do not like the taste of. If your fish only nibble on the plants, you can choose strong and fast growing live plants that can tolerate some snacking.

Plants will not only provide your fish with valuable shelters and make your aquarium look beautiful; they will also help you to keep the water quality up. Fish and plants coexist in the wild and will complement each other well in the aquarium. The waste products released by fish will contain compounds that the plants can use as nutrition. Organic waste will therefore be contained within the plant instead of floating around in the water where it can harm the fish. You should however keep in mind that these compounds will not disappear, they will just be confined within the plant. If you allow dead and decaying plant material to stay in the aquarium, the organic compounds will be released again and begin to pollute the water. Plants must therefore be regularly pruned and unhealthy parts must be removed from the water as soon as possible. In return for the organic compounds that they receive from the fish, the plants will produce oxygen which is essential to the fish. The plants will also use dissolved carbon dioxide and thereby lower the levels of carbon dioxide in the aquarium.

The direct exchange between fish and plants is important, but it is not the only thing that help keeping the water quality up. The plants will also provide a home for a wide range of micro organisms that are beneficial for the ecosystem in the aquarium. Plants are also capable of inhibiting ugly algae growth since plants and algae compete over the same nutrients.

Many fish species will never spawn in an unplanted aquarium. Some species need the plants to feel safe enough to spawn, while others need leaves to attach their eggs on. A densely planted aquarium will also increase the fry survival growth if you wish to raise fry in the same aquarium as adult fish, since the fry will hide among the plants. Busy plants with a lot of smaller leaves are ideal for this purpose. It should however be noted that there are other ways to provide fry with good shelters. Newly hatched fry can for instance hide among larger marbles on the bottom of the aquarium. Caves, roots, stones and artificial aquarium decoration will also give the fry hiding places where they can stay out of harms way.

A plant relies on photosynthesis and light is therefore essential to it. A fish only aquarium requires little light, but if you wish to keep a densely planted aquarium you might be forced to install new lights. Fluorescent light is better than the standard incandescent light in planted aquarium. Some plant species are very demanding in require even stronger light than the fluorescent, but these species are not recommended for beginners. Fluorescent lights are more expensive than incandescent lights, but fluorescent lights will on the other hand burn cooler and use less electricity. Java Fern and Java Moss are two examples of suitable beginner species. They are tough plants that can survive in a wide range of pH-values and water hardiness. They can even be kept in a slightly brackish aquarium, such as a Molly aquarium. Unlike many other aquatic plants, Java Fern should not be planted in the substrate in the aquarium. Java Fern should instead be attached to rock, wood or aquarium decorations where it will form roots. Once your have purchased your first Java Fern or Java Moss, the plants will propagate themselves. New plants will develop on the old plants, and eventually break off. You can attach these tiny plants to some type of decoration in the aquarium and wait for them to grow large.

About the Author:
You can read more about aquarium plants on http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/universal-id4.html a part of AC tropical fish which also features a lot of info on other aspects of aquarium keeping: Ac tropical fish offers all visitors a free aquarium and tropical fish ebook which can be found on http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/ebook.html

Source: www.isnare.com

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Aquarium Aeration Basics

By: Nathan Miller

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.

About the Author:
For more great aquarium related articles and resources check out http://www.aquariumspot.com

Source: www.isnare.com

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A Beginners guide to aquariums

By: Parker Daniel

A Beginners guide to aquariums
An aquarium can be a welcome and beautiful addition to any home. It brings calm and tranquillity to any room, not to mention that an aquarium can be truly fascinating.

This site is dedicated to help anyone who wants to get their first aquarium. We are saying "first" since aquariums often have a tendency of become more and larger as time goes by. This site will give you basic information that's vital to know when you get your first aquarium. It will tell you:

How to choose the right aquarium for you!
Choosing the right aquarium will make it look more beautiful and be easier to maintain. And a beautiful, easily maintained aquarium is easy to enjoy.

How to setup the aquarium once you bought it!
Its Important that you setup your aquarium correctly otherwise you might end up with a lot of dead fish or even worse a floor covered with water that slowly making its way to the neighbour in the apartment below. Don't worry. It easy to setup an aquarium.

How to choose fish!
There are a lot of fish that is easy to keep and that are suitable for beginners. There are however also many species that are a really poor choice for beginners. There is also the question about how many fishes you can keep in an aquarium, which fishes that can be kept together etc. we will give you some advice to choose good beginner fishes for your first aquarium.

How to manage your aquarium and keep your fish healthy.
Unfortunately it isn't enough to setup the aquarium correctly. You also have to maintain it and keep it clean if you want your fishes to thrive and we will tell you how to do this.

How and what to feed your fish!
Feed your fish well and they show you their best colours.

How to breed your first fish!
Everyone that keeps aquarium usually enjoys finding fry in their aquariums. And most feel that they want to try to breed their fishes so that they can witness the often fascinating behaviours fishes shows when breeding. We will therefore recommend a few species that are suitable for beginners to keep and breed.

This is what you need to know to get your first aquarium up and running and maintain it in good health however as time goes by you might want to learn more and keep otherless hardy fish species. We would like to recommend some good websites that can help you do just that.

Parker Daniel

http://www.beginner-aquariums.com
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