Captive Aquatics: An Aquarium and Ecology Blog

Tip: Avoid pH swings!

Whenever performing water changes, introducing new fish, or adding buffer or kalkwasser to your aquarium, remember to avoid immediate pH changes larger than .1!  Since pH is a logarithmic scale (meaning each whole numerical change is tenfold greater than the previous number - for instance, a pH of 8.0 is 10 times more basic than a pH of 7.0, and 100 times more basic than a pH of 6.0) even seemingly small numerical swings can equal a big change in water chemistry.  Changes of greater than .1 can lead to fish death and coral bleaching!

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Tip: Vitamin Supplements

 Proper nutrition is very important for the long term health of all fish.  In my case, I am particularly concerned about the long term health of my Map Puffer, one of my prized marine carnivores.  I feed my puffer and other carnivores a wide variety of frozen seafood from the grocery store, frozen formula diets, and occasionally freeze-dried foods.  Although freeze-dried foods should never account for more than about 25% of a carnivore's diet, they are excellent ways to deliver vitamins (and medications) to your fish!

Water Changes - They're Awesome!

The most important husbandry practice and the best way to insure the health of your fish and invertebrates is also one of the most simple: regular water changes!  I feel that water changes are an underrated, especially with all of the  filters and gadgets now available to aquarists.  However, water changes still remain the #1 way to improve water quality, and to maintain low dissolved organic compounds (DOCs). 

Four ways to get a cheap tank!

Got the aquarium bug?  Have to urge to keep fish?  Then don't run to the nearest pet store and spend over $200 on new equipment, find a deal instead!  Here is a list of 4 different ways to find the perfect aquarium for your house and wallet.

1.  Join a Forum:  Forums are great places to meet people whom love keeping aquariums and people who are constantly trying to get rid of old aquariums.  You can easily find a slightly used aquarium of any shape or size that will cost you less than what you would pay if you bought it from the store.  I personally have found aquariums greater than 400 gallons selling for less than $800 that include stands, canopies and equipment!

2.  Search "Mom & Pop" Pet Stores:  The "Mom & Pop" pet store is always trying to make a deal.  You can easily find aquariums that have small leaks, scratches or just need some TLC that you can easily (and cheaply) provide.

3.  Garage Sales:  Everyone at some point in time had a ten gallon tank and want to get rid of it now.  Many people list aquariums in garage sales that are dirt cheap and usually have only been used once.  With this deal you can easily obtain everything for your aquarium (pumps, fish food, filtration, lights).

4.  Craigslist:  Aquariums are always on craigslist, from $10 to $2000, you can find your perfect aquarium.  The only draw back is usually the distance the aquarium is from you (Houston is huge!) and that costs gas and time.  If you have an extra three or four hours you can spare to pick up an aquarium, go for it!

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5 tips for picking healthy fish

No one wants to buy a sick fish, but how can you tell for sure if the fish you want is healthy, and has a good chance of survival?  Here are five ways to help you choose a healthy animal that will stay healthy, the first time!

1)  Check for healthy fins that aren't torn or bitten, and make sure the body of the fish is smooth, with no missing scales, bite marks, or injury
2)  Look for obvious signs of disease, including white spots (ich or crypt, more on curing this annoying parasite soon to be posted!), gold 'dusting' (Oodinium, aka velvet disease), white or black "mold" indicative of a bacterial or fungal infection
3) Less obvious signs of disease, such as breathing hard and/or fast, 'flashing' (quick scratching against the rock or tank), general listlessness, fin clamping, or unusual behavior for the species you're observing
4) Make sure the fish you're interested in is eating!  If you're buying a known finicky fish online, ask the reseller if it is eating.  If you're buying it from an LFS, ask an employee to feed it. 
5)  Quarantine the new fish for at least two weeks!  Introducing diseases into your display tank is a nightmare no one wants!

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Tip: Quarantine!

Every time you buy a new fish, be sure to quarantine it first for 1-2 weeks before adding it to your display aquarium.  Quarantining all new fish prevents diseases from being introduced to your display aquarium, and allows the new fish time to adjust to new foods and a new regime.  A quarantine tank doesn't have to be fancy or expensive: for most fish, a ten gallon glass tank, a sponge filter, air pump, and clay pot or PVC pipe for the fish to hide in is all that's needed.  Need more info?  Here are five quarantine tank tips!

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FIve Ways to Reduce Aquarium Algae Growth

No one likes nuisance algae growth in their aquarium, so here are 5 tips for keeping it out!

1.  Perform weekly water changes of at least 25%
2.  Use a Reverse Osmosis (RO) or Dionized (DI) water to remove nitrates and phosphates from tapwater
3.  Use a quality chemical filter media to absorb organics and phosphates from your aquarium's water column (Seachem's Purigen, Two Little Fishies' PhosBan, activated carbon)
4.  Clean your aquarium's mechanical filters at least three times a week
5.  Don't overstock
6.  (Bonus tip!)  Use a UV sterilizer to kill free-floating algae and keep your aquarium crystal clear (especially useful for ponds).

Controlling nuisance algae growth is all about controlling and/or removing the dissolved nutrients from the aquarium's water column (nitrates and phosphates for the most part).  Nuisance algae requires these nutrients to grow, and without them, your algae will disappear!  Chemical additives to kill the algae are never recommended, as these are harmful to the aquarium inhabitants as well as algae!

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Five Freshwater Fish for Beginners

When I started in the hobby at age 12, I wanted to buy every fish I saw and cram it into my 15 gallon tank, that had little room to spare (now I know better!).  I had no clue where to start in buying fish and bought what ever was the cheapest and prettiest at the time.  I thought a fish is a fish and their isn't anything different about them, but boy was I wrong.  Now, years later I can say I have changed and decided to help others with finding good beginner fish.  Here are my top five beginner fish for a freshwater tank.

 

Tip: Surviving Brooklynellosis

(The author's Picasso breed A. percula in quarantine)

I recently ordered a pair of ORA's 'picasso' breed of percula clownfish (from a vendor who shall remain nameless) that arrived heavily infested with brooklynellosis.  After a week in the quaraintine tank and lots of medication, my clownfish managed to pulled through.  However, this led me to thinking "how often does the average hobbyist see this disease?  Will they be able to identify and treat it quickly enough to prevent mortality?  I should write a post about this!"  Because brooklynellosis can kill very fast, quick diagnosis and treatment is essential.   

What is brooklynellosis, you ask?