Fish Parasites - How to tell if your fish has a fish parasite and how to treat it.

Fish Parasites - How to tell if your fish has a fish parasite and how to treat it.
Ectoparasites are the types of fish parasites that are found on the fish’s skin. These are the most clearly visible and diagnosable and if you have noticed any strange new marks on your fish lately then perhaps you need to check for these.

You can diagnose your fish for external parasites by yourself. Most ectoparasites are visible with the naked eye and are easy for anyone, even you, to treat with just a simple over the counter fish medicine that I will recommend later.

However, to diagnose it you need to learn the symptoms of most common fish parasites and how to observe your fish to safeguard its health.

If your fish has learned the habit of rubbing against things frequently then this is a sign of skin aggravation or irritation and needs to be monitored. In itself it is not serious unless it gets out of control or is noted with eh other symptoms to follow.

Spots of redness or inflammation on the body are a very clear sign. These are often found at the bottom of the dorsal fin which is the one on the fish’s back.

Other signs are if its operculum (the flap that covers the gills that marks the end of the head and the beginning of the body) is open or flared. This is meant to open and close as the fish breathes and if it is not then there is a problem.

If your fish seems to be having difficulty breathing (respiratory problems) or appears to be overly lethargic this may also be a symptom of a parasite. However, this is just as easily a symptom of mineral deficiency, lack of oxygen from clean and filtered water or lack of food.

If you see any of these symptoms then first try changing the fish’s water and ensuring that it is pure the next time. If the symptoms persist then you are likely to be dealing with a parasite.

If you see white spots then you are probably dealing with a particularly nasty type of parasite like Chilodonella or Costia and so you may need to pay a vet.

However, the vast majority of parasites can be treated with a general fish parasite treatment. You can purchase these at any decent fish supply store online or offline. I personally recommend http://www.desertcoralaquatics.com for these types this product. You will find a high quality anti-parasite medicine under the “medications” section.

“We carry all the top brands with the best prices you ll find anywhere online. Shop in our convenient online store for brands like Mag-drive, Kent Marine, E.S.V., Dolphin Pumps, JBJ, Aqua Logic, Ice Cap, Aqua Medic Lighting, Sunlight Lighting, Current USA, Neptune Systems and other leading quality brands.”

Feel free to distribute and host this article wherever you please and free of charge as long as none of its content is changed. For more infromation about search engine optimization please visit:<a href=http://www.desercoralaquatics.com>HERE</a>

Are You In Need Of Saltwater Aquarium Decorations? Brightening Up Your Marine Tank!
Now for the fun part saltwater aquarium decorations are one aspect of marine fish keeping where you can really allow your creativity to reign free. A variety of decorations are available - from backgrounds, ceramic, resin or plastic ornaments, real or false corals and shells and even plants the sky is (well almost) the limit when it comes to creating a marine world for your fish and other invertebrates.

Saltwater aquarium decorations are fun to buy because unlike the other inhabitants of your tank they don t require any special care! You won t need to feed them, provide special habitats and they can t get sick or die so they are relatively hassle free! A tank without any d cor is dull but that s not all.

A marine tank without any saltwater aquarium decorations is not very exciting AND it can be unhealthy for your fish. Using tank d cor makes it possible to break up the physical environment of the tank and is important both for the biological and psycho-social well-being of the fish in your tank. This is because using tank decorations provides hiding places, areas for food to grow on and microbe activity that keeps your tank healthy.

Add to this the fact that saltwater aquarium decorations are nice to look at and fun to work with and you ll begin to see that d cor is essential in any marine tank. The best way to choose your marine tank d cor is to visit a store that allows you to see saltwater aquarium decorations in an actual tank, not just on a rack or a table.

Some examples of saltwater aquarium decorations you might like to try in your marine tank are:

Belching clams and treasure chests These are bubbling and air actuated action ornaments. Spacemen, submarines, clams, and treasure chests are always firm favorites. Even a frog on a log and airstones, are fun saltwater aquarium decorations. The display should be well lit and there should be plenty of bubbles for the best effect!

So what other options are there for saltwater aquarium decorations? What about different and interesting backgrounds? You can purchase a variety of backgrounds like marinescapes, paint-on materials, foils, mirrors and cork stock. You can even buy an in-tank diorama! Display the background effectively and choose tank d cor that suits its theme.

Rocks are another good choice for saltwater aquarium decorations. You can choose from sandstones, volcanic and metamorphic rock or even plastic. Some rocks don t have any impact on water quality while others improve the water quality. If you aren t sure of a certain rock, play it safe and leave it out. Try pieces of tufa, igneous, silicious/petrified woods), and brackish and African Great Lakes systems calcareous “base” rock. You can usually but rocks by the pound or the piece . Some rock types are natural while others are artificial.

Driftwood is a great idea for saltwater aquarium decorations. It might be self-sinking or weighted and wither chemically or physically inert or live. Don t try to cure your own woods. It s just too time consuming and expensive.

Corals and shells can also be used as saltwater aquarium decorations. Always try to use those from a natural marine source.

Marbles are traditional saltwater aquarium decorations. They can be used underwater whole circular to flat, marbles and crushed glass are popular in marine tanks. However marbles don t make for a good biological substrate. They do provide fantastic color to any tank, though.

Faux natural saltwater aquarium decorations are another way of pepping up your marine tank. You can choose from fake rocks, logs, shells, coral, ships and more. Fake they might be but some look quite attractive when arranged properly; so don t overlook these decorations.

Plastic plants are another option you might want to make use of for your saltwater aquarium decorations. You can obtain some good likenesses of marine plants like sagittaria-turtle grass and vallisneria-zostera for example so don t overlook them and use them to supplement your real plants while they are growing.

Your choice of saltwater aquarium decorations is up to you but there are some general guidelines to bear in mind when making a choice.

Always make sure that your saltwater aquarium decorations don t have any sharp edges on which your fish might cut themselves. Never use any substances (rocks, shells etc) that might give off toxic chemicals into the water. Choose shapes and designs that make suitable hiding places for shy animals and good substrates for the growth of marine plants.

Also make sure that your saltwater aquarium decorations are very clean when you put them into your tank. Never use decorations from a tank where the fish or plants are ill or unhealthy in any way. Make sure that there are no spaces within the decorations where fish might get trapped and die.

The best saltwater aquarium decorations don t have to be particularly fancy. If you like spacemen and frogs go ahead and decorate your tank with them it s your tank after all. If you prefer a more elegant style choose natural, rather than faux ornaments and study natural systems and try to duplicate some of these environments in your tank.

You can easily glean this kind of information from books on marine biology or by doing some research on the World Wide Web. The more you learn the more accurate will be the marine world you create and this will make your fish and other invertebrates happy and healthy. The most important thing to remember is to have fun with your saltwater aquarium decorations.

But don t forget the health of your marine ecosystem. Try to find the proper balance between the aesthetic value of your tank and the well-being of your marine life. The only way to make sure that your stock stay healthy is to study, study, study the fish, invertebrates, plants and make sure you give them what they need to survive. Good luck and enjoy your saltwater aquarium decorations!

Finally, All The Information You Will Ever Need To Begin A Wonderful Love Affair With <a href="http://www.flyfishingdomination.com">Fly Fishing</a>! Active hyperlink must remain with article.

Why if your fish could talk, it'd ask for an ozonizer…
To be concise: ozonizers are the best way of purifying and cleansing aquarium water that there is. Not only does it remove any unwanted impurity, algae and bacteria but also any disease causing pathogens that tend to build up in most tanks.

In the wild, fish are free to roam around in free flowing waters and so they are less liable to diseases. In a tank, the waste and muck of a fish develops as well as algae being a big problem and mineral deficiency. All of these things make a fish liable to disease and lethargy (when it just seems tired all of the time).

In the aquarium, an ozonizer offers a simple, highly effective method of maintaining a clean and stable environment for the plants and animals.

It uses technology that has been, in the past, used to purify drinking water and to treat waste in a way that made it less hazardous for the environment.

The way it works is by using particles of “ozone”, the same stuff that lines our planets atmosphere and protects us from U.V rays. Ozone is a form of oxygen that is highly reactive and is very good at destroying almost any form of liquid waste or toxin.

Basically an ozonizer sits in your tank and acts as your regular filtration system. Water is pumped through it being purified of any substance harmful to your fish leaving only clean and healthy aquarium water.

Many fish that you see are stuck living in murky water, barely able to breathe or with algae robbing their oxygen supply. People have taken them out of their natural habitats but refuse to make the tanks as healthy as their old homes.

In order to be an ethical fish owner it s definitely a priority to make sure that you have the best water filtration system possible. Remember, tap water can’t be used for fish; it has too many harmful impurities that cause algae growth, bad pH and disease.

The Phosphates and Nitrates in tap water are fine for humans but they’re also good for small water-borne plant life that robs your fish of its oxygen in the aquarium.

Too much calcium from tap water may make your tank too alkaline which is bad for the fish again.

Many people actually use ozonizers on their own drinking water for personal health reasons. It helps to destroy any form of bacteria or virus that may be lurking in the water. Fish can’t do this for themselves. Their natural instinct is just to swim to fresh water.

So that concludes my article about why if your fish could talk it would ask you for an ozonizer. I hope you have learnt a little more about caring for fish as pets.

If by any chance you have decided that you need an ozonizer then a website that sells high-quality ones at a decent price is http://wwww.desertcoralaquatics.com

“With literally thousands of items in stock and ready to ship, you can be assured that you ll receive what you need quickly. See us for aquarium lighting, aquarium filters, aquarium chillers, external water pumps, tank heaters, protein skimmers and so much more.

We carry all the top brands with the best prices you ll find anywhere online. Shop in our convenient online store for brands like Mag-drive, Kent Marine, E.S.V., Dolphin Pumps, JBJ, Aqua Logic, Ice Cap, Aqua Medic Lighting, Sunlight Lighting, Current USA, Neptune Systems and other leading quality brands.”

Feel free to distribute and host this article wherever you please and free of charge as long as none of its content is changed. For more infromation about fish products please visit:<a href=http://www.desercoralaquatics.com>HERE</a>

Managing Your Flowerhorn Aquarium
Managing Your Flowerhorn Aquarium

If you’re thinking about purchasing a beautiful Flowerhorn fish, you’re not alone. The beautiful Flowerhorn fish is one of the more popular additions to your aquarium. However, if you have chosen a Flowerhorn, proper tank management is essential. It is, indeed, more important to practice a good tank management than it is to purchase the suitable type of fish for your tank.

Proper fish tank management and beautiful Flowerhorn fish complement each other perfectly. It is, therefore, crucial for all hobbyists to have proper knowledge of good fish tank management. While it is not as simple as dumping clean water in every few weeks, it isn’t as terribly complicated as you may imagine.

The Tank
As the Flowerhorn’s ancestry originated from the Central and South American cichlids, it is essential to set up your tank to a closely simulated natural habitat for the fish, which at the same time, is incredibly pleasing to the eye.

Various sizes and designs of fish tanks are available at your local fish store. Choose one that will complement your house, and always assume that your Flowerhorns will grow to be about 500 mm in length. It is advisable to get at least a 3 feet tank to start comfortably. Acrylic aquariums are recommended as these tanks are leak proof, lightweight and the wall materials provide exceptional clarity. The SeaClear 26 gallon flat back hexagonal tank is one good example of an acrylic tank that is great for keeping Flowerhorns.

Tank Accessories
Once you’ve gotten the tank, you may want to think about backgrounds. Various attractive background designs for aquariums are easily available. Choose one that will fit the natural environment of the fish. Added pebbles, stones and gravels is a good idea as well. They can be used as substrate for biological filtration as well as a tool to help smooth and polish the teeth of Flowerhorns as they dig, shove and carry these pebbles. Keep in mind that in captivity, the teeth of the Flowerhorn tends to be quite sharp, and if you can help to take the edges off a bit with pebbles or gravel, less damage will be caused during mating or fighting sessions. Once you’ve added that gravel, expect to see it migrate around the tank a bit. Flowerhorns tend to build their ‘nest’ by moving the pebbles and stones from one place to another. This behavior normally indicates that the fish has matured, and it is ready for mating purposes.

Even though you may think that sunken pirate ship looks neat, other unnatural tank ornaments are discouraged. These do not serve any purpose at all in the tank, and they may even be hazardous because they can cause accidental cuts and injuries on your Flowerhorns. These fish possess fierce territorial behaviors, and fights among fishes are common. Keeping objects like these in the tank only causes problems during fights.

Lighting
Suitable aquarium lighting will enhance the coloration and the overall physical development of your Flowerhorn. It is recommended that you place your tank where is it able to get at least an hour of indirect sunlight a day. While you may worry that algae will infest your tank because of the sunlight, with proper water quality management, your tank should not go green with algae with that minute amount of sunlight. If sunlight isn’t possible in your living space, getting a full spectrum light is advisable. Be sure to leave it on for four to eight hours a day to maintain the color development of your Flowerhorn.

Water quality
Flowerhorns are ‘hardy’, which means these fish are highly adaptable to different water conditions, including bad water ones. However, just because they’re ‘hardy’ fish doesn’t mean that you should keep poor water conditions in your tank. Adequate feedings and frequent water changes promote better growth, and, as a result, can even change the whole body morphology of the fish.

Water pH level and Mineral Content
Water pH levels indicate the acidity and alkalinity of the water. Dissolved minerals in the water are often termed the “hardness” of the water. These two water parameters are interrelated. The water is considered ‘hard’ when there is a high content of dissolved minerals in it (like calcium), and normally the pH of ‘hard’ water is above 7, which is more alkaline. When there’s a lack of dissolved minerals in the water, it is considered ’soft,’ and thus the pH will be lower than neutral making it acidic.

Local breeders have indicated that higher pH levels (7.5 to 7.8) will favor the growth of the nuchal hump, and lower pH levels (6.1 to 6.5) will favor color development in Flowerhorn fish. Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Proper pH powder is widely used to maintain water quality. As a bonus, with its aloe vera and electrolytes contents, it also works to eliminate chlorine and heavy metals from the water while reducing fish stress. Depending on which traits you desire in your Flowerhorn, it is possible to adjust your water pH level accordingly.

Temperature
Flowerhorns are tropical fish. They can survive in water with various temperature ranges, but they grow well in water temperature of 28 C. During transportation, the water temperature is usually maintained at about 22 C, and the temperature is raised to about 30 C when the fish is sick. This, though, doesn’t mean that all illnesses are curable this way. Check out the “Common Illnesses” section for more information. A simple thermometer may be purchased to monitor water temperature changes in your tank.

Dechlorination
Tap water is commonly used by hobbyist, but most tap water contains high levels of chlorine, which poses a danger to your Flowerhorn. High chlorine toxicity may lead to fatalities. Dechlorination of tap water is crucial prior to usage. Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Tap Water Conditioner instantly removes and detoxifies heavy metals from tap water. Add one teaspoon to your water to treat up to ten gallons.

Filtration systems
In an artificial aquatic environment, a good filtration system is extremely important. Flowerhorns feed on huge amounts of food, and as a by product, they secrete large amounts of ammonia. A good filtration system eliminates solid wastes from the fish, leftover food, ammonia and even dusts from the atmosphere. There are various types of filters available in the market. The efficiency of these filters depends on usage, stocking density and other factors.

Mechanical filters work mainly to sieve out wastes, but they do not break it down. It makes the water clear, but this doesn’t mean it is ‘clean,’ as the ammonia produced by fish is still in the tank. The misconception of ‘clear water’ being ‘clean water’ often contributes to a lot of fish deaths. A mechanical filter normally uses filter wools and filter sponges as sieve materials. Mechanical filters work best coupled with biological filters.

Biological filters are more efficient as they provide bio-media surfaces for beneficial bacteria to grow on. Bacteria colonize these surfaces and ‘work’ on the ammonia waste left by fish to break it down into fish friendly water components. You can read more about this in the “Ammonia and Nitrogen Cycle” article.

Flowerhorn fish are quite beautiful, and they’ll make a lovely addition to your home aquarium display, but ensuring successful aquarium management is essential to keep your fish healthy and happy.

Copyright 2000-2007 Flowerfish.com. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way and give the author name credit.

About The Author: FlowerFish.com is the complete Flower Horn Fish Resource center. We are also one of the world's biggest and most recognised Flower Horn breeder, exporter and wholesaler.Please visit us at http://www.FlowerFish.com for more articles and Flower Horn fish picture galleries.

Selecting A Beautiful Flower Horn Fish
Selecting A Beautiful Flower Horn Fish

The Flower Horn fish is considered by the Chinese as the most auspicious fish that is developed by aquarists to date (much to the frowns of many Western purists). Its every characteristic is somehow related to prosperity, health and wealth, to the owners of the fish, of course! The nuchal hump, the colour, the aggression, the so-called “pearls”, etc is much sought after. For the bigger, the brighter or more active fish believes to tell directly on the owner’s level of abundance. So, how do you select the best fish?

Forehead:
The forehead or “Nuchal Hump” of the Flower Horn fish is the main focus of attraction of the Flower Horn fish and is much sought after. After all, the main reason (among others) that this fish is so popular is because of its unique feature: the head!

A fully developed forehead, which is round and tender, is a symbol of luck, prosperity, longevity and happiness. It enhances the glory of its owner. A huge and beautiful forehead that harmonizes with its body qualifies it to be a fish of choice.

Some even believe that as the head grows bigger and bigger, so does the level of prosperity to the owner! A fully developed forehead decorated with evenly spread red spots is more preferred. Such a forehead is called “li-zhi” forehead resembling the auspiscious Chinese fruit : Lychee! top


Colour:

The colour on the fish should be naturally pleasing yet intense enough to generate excitement. The more varied and intense the colours, the more outstanding the fish will be. The base colour of the fish should not be pale and dull.

Nowadays, the Flower Horn fish possess lots of shimmering/luminiscent scales or so-called “pearls”. There are generally 2 colours on the “pearls”: blue and green. Some “pearls” are by patches, like an armour and some are bright dots like stars in the sky. These “pearls” add more spectrum of colors and shine to the fish and is a considered a “must-have” on the latest Flower Horn fishes. The most auspiscious gem for generations of Chinese must be pearls, hence, the more “pearls” on the body of the fish, the better! top


Form / Responsiveness or first Impression.

Among the numerous strains of flower horn, those which are most active or responsive to people are most interesting.

The Flower Horn fish is an aggressive and territorial type of fish and will chase away any intruder to its territory. Because of this nature, early owners of the fish started “playing” with their fishes by training their pet to follow their hands. This is done by gently swaying the hands OUTSIDE the tank and letting the fish follow the fingers. If this is done correctly, the fish can be trained to do “loop-the-loop” or “topsy-turvy”!

A healthy fish will naturally chase away any intruders to its territory and the more active the fish is, the more interesting it is to “play with it”, thus the more form or responsiveness. top


Horizontal Marking or “Flower”

One of the many interesting aspects of the Flower Horn fish is the black horizontal markings on its body. Many early hobbyists have hit jackpots or strike lottos/lottery by buying the numbers supposedly seen on these black markings. What actually stemmed from a lucky play of imagination (just like imagining an animal-like figure from cloud formations) resulted in a belief system that the Flower Horn fish is auspiscous and brings luck to its owners.Some markings even resembles lucky Chinese characters and this fetch a very high price for its owner!

This belief still prevails till today, so most hobbyists regards that the more the black marking on the fish, the better. A general idea is that if the marking extends from the base of the tail to the middle of the fish’s body, it is A grade. Anything lesser than that, is B grade or C. If the marking fully extends to its gill cover, the fish is of AA or double A quality. Sometimes there are verticle black markings that extends right up to the dorsal fins and that is called double-row marking. Some people do not like this because in their opinion, the fish is dark or “dirty” in colour.

Anyway, it is almost near impossible to find the perfect fish which is double A grade and have beautiful colours and big head. These types are considered show quality or competition level fish and is very rarely found. Most of the times, if the colour and the head of the fish is good, a good marking is oftentimes not necessarily a must-have. top


Copyright 2000-2007 Flowerfish.com. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
Reprint Rights: You may reprint this article as long as you leave all of the links active, do not edit the article in any way and give the author name credit.

About The Author: FlowerFish.com is the complete Flower Horn Fish Resource center. We are also one of the world's biggest and most recognised Flower Horn breeder, exporter and wholesaler.Please visit us at http://www.FlowerFish.com for more articles and Flower Horn fish picture galleries.

Aquarists, stand up for animal rights. Put a stop to fish painting.
For those of you that don’t already know, fish painting is the cruel act of altering a fish’s coloring in order to make it more profitable to sell.

Fish with brighter an more striking color sell better and have more buyers and so many modern pet shops stock fish that have been painted so as to improve coloring artificially.

There are several varieties that are frequently subjected to this and are “colored skirts”, “painted glass fish”. “Painted tiger barbs” and “colored botias”. These fish are literally painted through a cruel and debatably painful process.

This removes their essential coating of “slime” that forms a crucial part of their immune system and water protection. After this they are painted and put into an “irritant bath”.

Only a small percentage of fish survive this traumatic process and the ones that do lose their coloration within a year. The amount of cheap, painte fish has increased the demand for normal-colored, natural fish and so the majority of pet shops can be found to be stocking these fish.

So what can we do about this?

There are many avenues that you can take. You can boycott the pet shops that choose to sell these horrid products and to spread the word to fellow aquarists. Or you could talk to the owners about the types of fish that they stock and bring to their attention the cruelty in selling dyed fish.

Purchasing these traumatized fish from pet shops will only encourage the shops to re-order more because you are creating a demand. This, therefore, is not the thing to do.

However, any form of campaigning against this would be beneficial. Word of mouth, posters and websites would all help to make sure that other aquarists and members of the public know about the cruelty of painted fish.

Alternatively you can sign an online petition here: http://www.petitiononline.com/fishtank/petition.html

Another thing you can do is to make sure that you DO buy fish supplies from more ethical suppliers who do not deal in dyed fish. One very high quality, ethical fish supply seller online is http://www.desertcoralaquatics.com

“With literally thousands of items in stock and ready to ship, you can be assured that you ll receive what you need quickly. See us for aquarium lighting, aquarium filters, aquarium chillers, external water pumps, tank heaters, protein skimmers and so much more.

We carry all the top brands with the best prices you ll find anywhere online. Shop in our convenient online store for brands like Mag-drive, Kent Marine, E.S.V., Dolphin Pumps, JBJ, Aqua Logic, Ice Cap, Aqua Medic Lighting, Sunlight Lighting, Current USA, Neptune Systems and other leading quality brands.”

Feel free to distribute and host this article wherever you please and free of charge as long as none of its content is changed. For more infromation about search engine optimization please visit:<a href=http://www.desercoralaquatics.com>HERE</a>

Filed under Pets |