Tropical Marines

Tips for Cycling Your New Aquarium article

http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php

Creating A Perfect Koi Pond

Creating A Perfect Koi Pond

Step 1- The Perfect Environment
Proper placement, size, and pond type are essential when building your pond. Not only must the pond be pleasant looking, it has to sustain the Koi.
Of course the better the better when comes to pond size, the reason being that Koi grow pretty fast. This means you can't have too many fishes. Those without knowledge in outdoor landscaping, fish keeping, and construction  may wish  to leave the pond building to a professional. One ebook that is of considerable help is Koi Fish Ponds Made Easy.  If your pond is not built correctly the first time, you may end up having to spending more money  to fix problems. And if you got it wrong, you may not even be able to keep the fish alive! 

Step 2- Koi Keeping
Of course like in any hobby, it is crucial to acquire knowledge about the Koi before plunging into koi keeping. Learn it first hand. Don't just rely on product dealers or a pond builder.

Step 3- Koi to pick
Having created the perfect environment, the next obvious thing to do is pick your Koi. Remember, don't be too ambitious and end up buying too many Koi - they  grow fast and big, and in many cases breed annually. The rule is don't overpopulate your Koi pond from the start.

Step 4- Common Koi Pond Problems To Avoid
Simple preventive steps go a long way to avoid  Koi pond problems.
As a good practice, quarantine new fish before introducing them to your existing Koi population. This way, you can steer clear of giving existing Koi such  illnesses and viruses as KHV or Koi Herpes Virus. Make it a point also to do water tests, preferably weekly. Remember, prevention is better than cure.

Step 5- Koi Feeding
Feeding your Koi can be a very pleasant experience. Learn what amount and the type of food to give. Your fish food dealer will tell you that feeding patterns depend on season and temperature. The best part is that
Koi can be trained to eat directly from your hand. It require time and patience of course, but when they start feeding from your hand, it will be a pleasing experience and a form of entertainment for your visitors to watch..

Koi  Fish Ponds Made Easy
"The Complete And Easy Guide To
Koi Fish Pond Construction"
Build Your Own Back Yard Koi Fish Pond That Will Be The Envy Of Everyone!

Echinodorus osiris

http://madaboutfish.com/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=111

Takashi Amano Tank

http://pics.livejournal.com/ldragoon/pic/00060cqk/g68

Breeding Tetra Fish Successfully (article)

[http://forum.aqua-fish.net/?topic=breeding-black-neon-tetras ]

http://ezinearticles.com/?Breeding-Tetra-Fish-Successfully&id=56690

Balantiocheilos melanopterus - Silver Shark

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bala_shark
A shoal of these in a big tank is a wonderful sight.

"Silverfish" aquarium

from Octopus Studios

Fluval Edge Aquarium - Burnt Orange

http://www.aquariumsuperstore.co.uk/product.php?productid=16278

Crossocheilus siamensis - Siamese algae-eater

http://fishbase.org/Country/CountrySpeciesSummary.cfm?c_code=116&id=50435

Rasboras

[Boraras urophthalmoides]

http://www.rasboras.com/

Fish Farm, Thailand

http://www.arowana.asia/freshwater_fish_Thailand.htm

Siamese Fighting Fish

[pic credit: http://www.bettasplendens.com/ ]


http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/anabantids2/p/betta.htm

Superfish Aqua Qube's

http://www.paraquatics.co.uk/en-gb/dept_152.html

Bonsai Garden by Vincent Tan

http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/aquascape-month/2388-aquascape-month-september-2009-bonsai-garden.html

Aquarium

http://underwater-kishen.blogspot.com/2008/02/aquarium_07.html

Custom Aquariums And Ponds - Okeanos Aquascaping

Eheim - Aquaball 45 internal filter

http://www.currentsea.com/search.php?search_item=gal

http://www.fishandfins.co.uk/eheim-aquaball.htm

Tropical fish secrets

Talking of tips for fish lovers, beginners may find e-book Tropical Fish Secrets  a good start to acquiring skills in rearing ornamental or tropical fish. The e-book explains how easy it is to have a captivating, stunning aquarium full of vibrant, happy ornamental or tropical fish.

Tips for tropical fish lovers

I said in an earlier posting that a favorite website I love to visit is that of Qian Hu Corporation, a well-known Singapore breeder and exporter of ornamental or tropical fish and also a maker and exporter of fish accessories. Here are five tips for fish lovers I culled from the website:
1. Buy the necessary accessories a few days before buying the fish.
2. Never ever save on the filters, lightings, and set-up steps.
3. For beginners,  start with sturdy or hardy fish - and have fewer fishes - to gain confidence.
4. Never try to overfeed the fishes.
5. Prevention is better than cure. This pertains to checking the health of the fishes.

24g nano reef fish saltwater aquarium! - Zack Follett

Why do we want to keep fish?

One of my favourite websites on ornamental fish is Qian Hu Corporation, a well-known Singapore breeder and exporter of ornamental fish.  If you ever wonder why we want to keep fish, here is a very good account I found on the Qian Hu Corporation website:
"Modern life in general has become too mechanical and artifical that we are beginning to lose a sense of what living is all about. In order to balance that short-coming, keeping ornamental fish has emerged as the first choice for being soul-healing, fun and versalite hobby. It has been known for many years now that research has evidence to show that keeping fish can reduce stress, keep the family together and improve the quality of life. Most important of all, by taking care of the fishes and contributing to the continuance of life itself, this hobby can make us more gracious, generous and compassionate." Great reasons for keeping ornamental fish as a hobby, isn't it?

Discus fish take care of their young

In one earlier post about Discus Fish, I said it is a symphysodon species and that one of the characteristics of such a species is its care for the larvae. Both parents care for their young. Adult discuses produce a secretion through their skin, which the larvae live off during their first few days. When bred in captivity, the larvae will tend to live off their parents secretion for up to 2 weeks. Here is a video showing the Discus Fish with their young. Enjoy.
 

German Open Style

http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/general-aquascaping-discussions/284-german-open-style-aquascapes.html

School of wild Corydoras in the Amazon.

Discus fish hand-feeding

Some hobbyists who keep discus fish discover to their delight that the fishes in the tank  will recognize and interact with them unlike other tropical fishes that just swim, eat and hide. They will even allow you to hand-feed them. Here is one video showing discus fishes eating out of the hand of their owner. Little wonder then that the discus fish is a marvellous aquarium creature.

Discus fish characteristics

I love discus fish and my first post will thus start on discus fish. According to a Wikipedia article entitled Discus Fish, the discus is a genus of three species of ciclid fresh water fishes native to the Amazon River basin. The three species are: S. aequifasciatus (the green discus), S. haraldi (the blue/brown/common discus) and S. discus (the Heckel discus). An easy way to remember is just to call the first two species as  "green" discus and  "blue/brown" discus and the third species (heckel) as "red"  discus.

 Discus fish have "symphysodon" characteristics. Just what is "symphysodon"?   A symphysodon species has a laterally compressed body shape. Extended finnage is absent giving the symphysodon a more rounded shape. The rounded shape explains why the fish is commonly called the discus. The  sides of the fish are frequently patterned in shades of green, red, brown, and blue. The height and length of the grown fish are both about 20–25 cm (8–10 in). One more  characteristic of a symphysodon species is its  care for the larvae. Both parents care for their young. Adult discus produce a secretion through their skin, which the larvae live off during their first few days. When bred in captivity, the larvae will tend to live off their parents secretion for up to 2 weeks.

For starters, one quick way to learn the secrets of the discus fish is the e-book called Discus Fish Secrets.

Tropical Fish Collecting

http://www.dawnontheamazon.com/tropicalfishcollecting.html

Ammoricia Aquatica

http://www.java-plants.com/product_info.php?products_id=37&osCsid=15f2317572ea789f7184b7bc99c3ad16

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/general-aquarium-plants-discussions/3659-ammoricia-aquatica.html

Neon Tetras

http://www.aquahobby.com/gallery/e_Neon_Tetra_Paracheirodon_innesi.php

Nova Extreme T5HO X2 - Saltwater Lighting

http://www.lnt.com/product/light-fixtures/48199/current-usa-nova-extreme-t5ho-x2-saltwater.html

http://www.fishlore.com/novaextremet5reeflights.htm

Coral Beauty Angelfish

http://www.fishlore.com/profiles_coral_beauty_angelfish.htm

Barbs

http://www.tropicalfishexpert.co.uk/Barbs.html

Aquascape 2005

http://www.aquascapingworld.com/forum/aquascaping-showcase/1426-my-aquaristic-during-years-2005-2008-a.html

Picotope 3 Gallon Nano Aquarium

http://www.nanoreeftanks.com/picotope-aquariums

USA Public Aquariums

http://www.city-data.com/forum/city-vs-city/667807-best-public-aquariums-north-america-3.html

Sharks For The Home Aquarium

[Brownbanded Bamboo Shark]

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/sharks.htm

TGM Nature Aquarium 'Re-birth of the Jurassic Forest'

http://thegreenmachineonline.com/articles/journals/tgm-nature-aquarium-re-birth-the-jurassic-forest?utm_source=The+Green+Machine+Aquatics+Newsletter&utm_campaign=dfcdb3f002-Mar_2010_Newsletter&utm_medium=email

Whale shark

An eight-metre-long Whale shark swims with other fish in a world's largest tank with its front panel size of 8.2 metre x 22.5 metre at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Japan

Picture: GETTY IMAGES

Clownfish - Anemonefish

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/marine/clowns/clowns.php

AquariumLore blog - Saltwater setup

http://aquariumlore.blogspot.com/2008/11/saltwater-aquarium-setup.html

Green Machine on Youtube

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheGreenMachineLtd#p/a/f/2/LwuVoD0diNY