Sep 02

Aquarium Pump Demonstration

When setting up a home aquarium, it is important that you properly set up the aquarium air pump. Without the aquarium air pump, the fish will not be able to breath and most would eventually die. Here are some of the essential things you should know about setting up an aquarium air pump.

The Need For An Aquarium Air Pump

Aquarium air pumps are required for almost all aquariums. In most cases, the air pump pumps air through the tubes, into the water and through the filter. They provide the needed oxygen that most tropical, saltwater and freshwater fish need for survival. There are varied types of air pumps. The type of aquarium you have and the number of fish you have in your tank will determine what type of aquarium air pump you should buy.

Air Stones And Bubble Wands

One of the easiest and most common aquarium air pumps are air stones and the bubble wands. These are ideal for smaller aquariums and tanks. With this system, one end is attached to tubing and air circulates through the tubing and into the water through the stone. This type of air pump circulates air while creating bubbles in the water.

Under Gravel Aquarium Air Pumps

The under gravel aquarium air pumps are those systems that are place under the gravel in the bottom of the tank. The air is pumped through tube and then up through the underwater gravel. This type air pump is greater suited for larger aquariums or tanks. The under gravel air pump is nice because it is easy to hide inside of the aquarium and it gives it a more natural look.

How To Use An Aquarium Air Pump

The use of an aquarium air pump is really easy. You simply follow the instructions that come with your air pump. Basically, you take out the air pump from the box, put it into the aquarium and start it. If the air pump attached to a filter, then you have to clean it repeatedly, because it gets very dirty. Make sure you read the directions densely when you have a new air pump. That is greatest way to learn to use it properly. If you have any product specific questions, most air pumps have a toll free number on their box that you can call, or you can merely ask your questions to the local pet store employee.

Aug 24

No aquarium is finalize without at smallest amount of one Angelfish. There are more than twenty varieties of aquarium Angelfish species. Any one of them will add color and drama to your home or office aquarium.

Varieties of Angelfish

One of the most desirable aquarium fish species is the dwarf Angelfish. Because of its petite size, the dwarf Angelfish is perfect for a small home aquarium. The Coral beauty Angelfish has a red body with bluish-black and orange fins. It will grow to a maximum size of four inches, and is easy to care for. The Eibli Angelfish grows to a length of six inches. It has a tan body with vertical brown-colored stripes and very distinctive black blotches that cover the entirety of the back of the fish. The Flame Angelfish can securely live in a reef tank. This dwarf aquarium Angelfish species is six inches long and has an orange-red body with black strips running from top to bottom. 

The Orange-black Angelfish is an alternative popular aquarium fish species. This three-inch long, dark blue fish has a golden blaze that runs from the face down the dorsal fin.  The half-black Angelfish is a difficult aquarium fish species to care for. This fish comes in colors of grayscale, except for its eye, which has a colorful orange accent.

Herald’s Angelfish is four inches long and is a buttery lemon yellow, with a brown accent at the eye. The Lemonpeel Angelfish is another difficult fish to raise and care for. Like Herald’s Angelfish, the Lemonpeel Angelfish is bright yellow with a dark semicircle near the eye.

Barred Angelfish is only four inches long, with black and white vertical strips extending from head to tail. The Barred Angelfish is also difficult to care for. Potter’s Angelfish is yet an alternative difficult aquarium fish species to own. It is a refined fish, with a blue body and reddish fins.

The Pygmy, or Cherub, Angelfish is slightly easier to keep. This blue-bodied fish has an orange yellow head and grows to a length of three inches. And the Rusty Angelfish lives easily among coral reefs. Four inches long, it has a tan body with dark spots and red near the rear.

Omnivorous Fish Species

All dwarf Angelfish are omnivores, eating both animals and vegetables. Macro-algae are their vegetable matter of choice. Other than the Flame Angelfish, Dwarf Angelfish aren’t considered safe around reefs. Add them at your own risk if you have a reef tank. However, if you have an ordinary aquarium fish tank, Dwarf Angelfish will thrive in their environment and provide you with many enjoyable hours of fish observing.

Aug 24

Also known as siphon boxes or prefilters, an aquarium overflow box helps keep your air pump and filters working by making sure they won’t be damaged by any power outages.  If you have a goldfish aquarium of fewer than 40 gallons or if your tank has been thriving for years AND you have working spare filters and air pumps, then you don’t have to worry about adding on an aquarium overflow box. 

Mainly For Salt Water Wet Pets

Aquarium overflow boxes are used mostly by professional aquariums and hard-core aquarium hobbyists as insurance for their expensive and vital equipment.  If the power goes out, then water can back up to short circuit the air pump or the filtration unit.  Some folks make their own aquarium overflow boxes but there are also ready made ones.

Power outages can also lead to your tank suddenly overflowing.  If your tank is not on the ground floor level of your home and it is more than ten gallons, then you should really consider some gentle of aquarium overflow box.  A filled tank with gravel or sand and ornaments weights hundreds of pounds.

How To Tell If You Really Need One

Most salt water tanks will have some softhearted of sump pump that are far stronger than for a freshwater tank.  When it’s on, the water is kept level because it’s moving around all of the time.  But when the power goes out, the water has nowhere to go except into the tank and onto your floor unless you have an aquarium overflow box.

Get a lot of aged towels and newspapers around the floor of your tank, because things might get wet.  Get a bucket and a coffee can to bail if need be.  If you can, arrange for a friend to turn the power on and off while you are there at the tank.  Turn off the power.  If the water level suddenly rises more than one inch — or if you have a suddenly saturated floor — then you know you need an aquarium overflow box.

Going Shopping

Aquarium overflow boxes are available at many pet stores and aquarium forte stores and their online equivalents.  There are ones specially made for large freshwater aquariums, so be sure you have one for fresh or salt water for whatever tank you have.  They vary in prices (like everything else) from under $50 (US) to $200 (US).  Most work with a solemnity flow system so you don’t need to break out a drill.

Aug 21

Having an aquarium full of tropical fish is a great hobby and it is a great addition to any home. However, once in a while you will have cloudy aquarium water. There are several reasons why one would have murky aquarium water in their tank. One of the unsurpassed ways to clear up this murky water is to understand why it is cloudy. Knowing the reason will help one clear up the cloudy aquarium water.

The Forecast Calls For Cloudy Aquarium Water

There are several reasons why an aquarium would get cloudy water. When this happens, one has to look neatly at the murky water to determine the cause of it. If the water is a green cloud, this means that there is too much algae in the tank. This usually occurs because of overfeed and overuse of the light. To eliminate the green cloud, one should clean the gravel and filter more frequently, then lower the amount of food the fish is given on a day after day basis and turn off the light for awhile.

White tinted cloudy aquarium water indicates the growth of bacteria in the tank. This can occur when you first set up the tank, or when you add new fish or decorations. The unsurpassed way to clean this type of cloud is to filter the gravel again and again, wash the decorations and change the filter. The white murky aquarium water should clear up shortly.

Adding The Additives

If none of the above suggestions work, then you can go to the local pet store and purchase a special additive that you can add to the water to clear up the cloudy aquarium water. Sometimes these chemicals work, and other times they don’t. It all depends on what is making your water murky. If you don’t removed the source of the cloudiness from the water the murky aquarium water will merely return over and over again. Therefore, make sure you know what is causing your murky aquarium water before deciding to add the additives.

Understand what is making your aquarium water murky is the first step in understanding how to clean it up. If you try these steps and the cloudiness still does not clear up, you may require to seek advice from a fish expert at your local pet store. Cloudiness may not be dangerous to your fish in the beginning. However, if it is left untreated it could possible grow into a lethal problem.

Aug 21

Have you ever seen the giant aquarium at the Forum Shops at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas? Go deep into the mall past the Red Piano gift shop, past the Coliseum where Elton John, Celine Dion, Bette Midler and Cher perform. Keep going, past the slot machines, the blackjack tables and the poker room.

Deep under the ground, where the interior lights grow dim, you will start to notice a spectacular, enormous aquarium. Thousands of vibrant fish draw the eye. And if you look very precisely on the floor of the aquarium, or perhaps climbing on one of the rocks or walls, you will see the aquarium snails, working their way through the environment, clearout up dead plants and animals as they go.

Spot The Snail

Playing spot the snail is a fun game whenever you visit a home or mall where there is an aquarium, like at Caesar’s Palace. Snails like to stow, so they often place themselves in the shadows or behind rocks. Their shells provide camouflage, making them even harder to spot than ever.

The head of the snail is easy to spot because of its two eyebrow-like tentacles. The tentacles can extend and retreat, and the eyes are located at the base of each one. Snails have tongues that they use to eat the dead matter that forms the basis of their diet.

Gilled Aquarium Snails Prosobranchs

The kind of snail most prevalently found in an aquarium is a gilled snail. These snails reproduce widely, and they’ll briefly populate an empty aquarium. Snails with gills are hermaphroditic, which makes it easy for them to reproduce. Some species of aquarium snail change sex to reproduce; others fertilize their own eggs, and other cross-fertilize. Gelatin masses filled with eggs lie under submerged rocks and plants until they hatch.

Red ramshorn aquarium snails are also popularly found. Red shells are the most highly desired. Brown ones are not rare at all.

Population Control

Overpopulation of aquarium snails can be a problem. Snails are good when they are keeping the aquarium gravel clean, but they can shortly overpopulate and become a problem in the aquarium.

The easiest way to keep the tank free of unwanted aquarium snails is to use Botias, also known as loaches. These fish will feast on the gilled snails, and your overpopulation problem will before long be over. If you have other fish, don’t give in to the temptation use water dogs to clear out snails. The water dogs will eat the fish in no time.