Caring For Your Goldfish

The most common and rewarding of all pets is the goldfish. Visually appealing, their care and maintenance is rather easy, goldfish are a great choice for a pet. Though they live in a tiny bowl and can take care of themselves there are still many things an owner nee

Good goldfish care and maintenance can lead to a long, happy and healthy life for your goldfish. Prior to buying your favorite pet, make sure you purchase the essential supplies you will need for your fish. This would include a tank, tank filter, tank stand, food and care products, aquarium gravel, plants that serve as hiding places and thermometer. Setting up and choosing a tank is very important and should depend on the size of your fish. A larger fish will require a bigger bowl or tank and vice versa for a smaller goldfish. You should keep the tank out of direct sunlight as it promotes the growth of algae and overheats the water that harms gold fish as they are cold water fish by nature. Cleanliness and maintaining hygiene levels inside the tank is also important. Tanks should be thoroughly washed with plenty of water to avoid the presence of any soap residue. The gravel should also be cleaned and dried vigorously with paper towels.

Goldfish like to swim around and hide in their tanks. Put decorative ornaments and rocks in the tank and make sure they are sufficiently secured and embedded in the gravel. On most occasions, goldfish can survive in tap water but if you still want to safeguard their health, you can use tap water filters to eradicate contaminants. Another important note to be made is to remember to change at least 25% of the water on a weekly basis. Feeding goldfish is a rather easy job because they are not fussy eaters and would eat just about everything. Give them cooked peas, flake food or even larvae to eat. Most essentially, a balanced diet complemented by specially formulated gold fish food will work wonders in improving the health of your fish. Gold fish must not be overfed as the leftovers tend to pollute the water. Feeding your fish right and only once a day is sufficient enough to ensure a long life for your goldfish. A well fed fish is far livelier, vividly colored, enjoys a longer life and becomes a fighter against diseases that can occur inside the fish bowl.

Goldfish can die easily if they are not taken care of well. A lot of times people forget to change or clean the water, overfeed them or just forget about them. Good goldfish care is essential if you want your fish to live a long time and avoid flushing him down the toilet. The life span of your gold fish is entirely determined by the quality of your care you give it. Remember the rules above and you will be enjoying your goldfish for a very long time to come.

About the Author:

Matt has been a goldfish owner for many years and runs a small fish shop in New England. For more information about goldfish care, visit his website on goldfish care and get more information on the many types of goldish.

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Caring for Catfish

Catfish are good eating critters; as well, some of these fish will gulp down other fish. Catfish is an all time favorite, yet few catfish are more difficult to maintain than other catfish are. Since many catfish are available, we will discuss a handful, or tank full to decide on the choice aquarium fish. Few of the choice catfish include the Black Spotted Corydoras. First, I want to say that aquarists purchase catfish, since these are the best fish for cleaning photosynthetic organisms (Algae) from tanks. Catfish will also cleanse the tank of debris, such as dead fish, etc. The spotted catfish comes from Venezuela and Guiana, which this particular specie grows to be 2 ½ inches in size. The silvery fish has diminutive black spots over his body. Black Spotted Catfish are noted by the nap of his neck, which is shaped like a wedge, which the mark contrasts the black stripes around the head and eyes. The Black Spotted catfish has a good behavior, in that he will not assault, mistreat, or interfere with the life of other fish. Like the Bronze Corydoras catfish, the Black Spotted fish takes delight in Tubifex and white worms. The fish will also dried foodstuffs.

The Peppered Corydoras listed in the Corydoras paleatus section comes from La Plata Basin and Brazil. This fish grows 2 ¾ in size and has an olive brown colored body. The fish also has shadowy black marks over his body, which is small in count. This fish is commonly found with the Corydoras aeneus group. In summary, the catfish enjoys the same delights, as well as water conditions and works to remove unwarranted debris and algae from tank water. This catfish is inbreeding of the albino strains.

The Peppered catfish frequently moves his eyes appearing to watch onlookers' stair at him. In addition, the Peppered catfish handles communal tank water well.

What he eats

Peppered Catfish feast on white worms, dried foods, and Tubifex.  

Water conditions

Alkalinity water is one of the Peppered Catfish choices, as long as the water condition is neutral. Hard water in moderation maintains a happy Peppered Corydoras Catfish. NaC1 as well as saltwater is not preferred by most Corydoras Catfish.

Kin to the Peppered Catfish is the Leopard Corydoras. The Leopard fish received its name in the early 1900s, by Steindachner; and is found in the Corydoras julii group.

The fish comes from the Lower Amazons, specifically near the Tributary regions. This catfish grows to 2 ½ inches in size. Leopard Catfish has a silver-gray frame, which crosses and is set off dark spotted stripes.

The fish handles communal tank water just fine. His nature is peaceful. The fish prefers the same water conditions and feeding as that of the other Corydoras Catfish species.

Loricariidae

These particular species come from the northern and central parts of South America, which fit the category of armor catfish. The fish are family to the Callichthyidae family. On the side of this, fish are several bony plates. In fact, most of the catfish's body is protected by bony plates. The fish's mouth is located beneath his flat head, which is encircled by wide rounded lips. This species is also called the sucking fish. Loricariidae Catfish is one of the all-time favorites, since the fish will feast on algae. The fish will remove algae from rocks, glass, plants, etc. Aquarists should have one of these fish, since the species will cutback on your responsibilities to clean the tank. Still, you must clean the tank, since the Loricariidae will not rid the tank of complete contaminants. He will however remove debris and algae too large degree.

About the Author:

For tips on freshwater sharks and endangered sharks, visit the Types Of Sharks website.

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Ten Tips for Caring for Your Discus Fish

Discus fish are some of the most beautiful tropical fish, but keeping them can be challenging. Their environment is extremely important for these reactive fish. There are several key tips you can follow to keep Discus happy and healthy.

1. The first tip in caring for Discus fish is to keep a clean tank. These fish are extremely sensitive to disease and water conditions. Since Discus do not tolerate water quality changes well and a smaller tank is more likely to fluctuate its pH levels, a 40 gallon tank is probably the smallest sized tank for them.

2. Tip number two is to remember to quarantine new fish before placing them into your tank. A new fish could introduce bacteria, parasites, or disease into the tank. Keep the new fish in a separate tank for two to three weeks. If by the end of that time period they are not showing signs of ill health it is safe to place them in with your existing fish.

3. Tip number three is to regulate the temperature of the water. Discus are a tropical fish. They thrive in water temperatures at around 84 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a heater in your tank will keep the water in the perfect temperature range for your fish.

4. Understanding the kind of environment that Discus fish like is tip number four. The body of a Discus fish is perfectly designed for swimming through foliage. In the wild, Discus are often found hiding under logs, rocks, plants, or other sheltered spots. Supply plenty of places in your tank for Discus to hide.

5. Another tip to care for Discus is feeding them the right kinds of food. Discus love to dine on live foods like worms, bloodworms, daphnia, or brine shrimp. Unfortunately, sometimes these foods can carry bacteria and parasites so be careful.

6. Tip number six goes right along with the last tip; the feeding process itself. Discus are a very reactive fish. They will react to your presence in the room, things on TV, or they even may tap on the glass at your approach before feeding time. Take notice of their feeding habits on a regular basis. If they are not eating, there is something wrong. Do not overfeed them. This can pollute the tank and overeating can cause the fish stress.

7. Another more obvious tip to caring for Discus is to supply your tank with a good filter. Just because it's obvious doesn't mean it should be overlooked. An overhead filter is easy to clean and is good for a community tank. Use a filter that eliminates heavy metals and chlorine from the water but won't change the pH level.

8. Tip number eight is to place your tank in a good location. It should be in a quiet place without a lot of activity. Even shadows or vibrations caused by people walking past the tank or opening or closing doors nearby can make fish jumpy.

9. Overhead lighting is tip number nine. By positioning lights overhead will cut down the on the shadows that might frighten the fish. The fish feel more secure since you can see them but, they cannot see you.

10. When caring for Discus fish, remember to include weekly water changes. They require at least twenty to thirty percent of the water in the tank changed, but you shouldn't change a large amount of water from the tank at once because it will stress these fish out. Like mentioned before, the quality of the water is very important to Discus fish. Changing too much water at one time will fluctuate the quality too much.

Discus fish are a species that requires a lot of care but by following these simple tips you can ensure that you fish will flourish for years to come!

About the Author:

Sarah Munn is a contributing writer for http://www.discusfishcenter.com, a popular resource on how to setup and maintain a healthy discus aquarium.

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