Archives for Aquariums
Setting Up A Tank, for Dummies
Your first tank arrives home, possibly with a bag of fish, possibly not. Possibly with a kit-type collection of assorted lights, heaters, and filters, possibly not. What are you going…
The brackish water aquarium
What is brackish water? It is surprising how many people believe that the term brackish means dirty. If you look it up in the dictionary, you will find that in…
Pat’s Basic Guide to a Successful Freshwater Aquarium
Read these notes and maintain a healthy, problem-free aquarium. You won't encounter the usual problems that occur and you won't be among those who ask "Why did my fish die?"…
Rock and Wood in Aquascaping
What would a captive aquatic system without aquascaping? A water-filled box with at least one transparent viewing panel? Or, consider if decor possibilities were confined to "novelty" ornaments. How many…
Start right with tropical fishkeeping
Some helpful tips when starting with tropical freshwater fishes Introduction Freshwater tropical fish, as their name suggests, originate in freshwater rivers and lakes in the warmer parts of the world,…
The use of Bogwood in aquaria
Dec. 2002: The following article will appear in a forthcoming issue of Ryedale Reporter, the monthly magazine of Ryedale Aquarist Society, North Yorkshire, England. Mr. Ali is a well-known figure…
Setting Up A New Aquarium
Take It Slow and Be Successful It's an all too common occurrence, a new aquarist gets this brilliant idea to rush out and buy a new aquarium, set it up,…
The Tranquil Aquarium
I hear that jellyfish were recently all the rage in Japan. Watching the pulsating bells slowly move about the aquarium is supposed to be very relaxing; reducing blood pressure and…
New Aquarium Blues: The Nitrogen Cycle
You have bought yourself a new aquarium, filled it up with water, then added a few fish, and naturally you feed them. The fish digest the food and excrete waste…
African Cichlids and Plants
I currently maintain a small, sideline aquarium maintenance business. After I began this service, it soon became apparent that while my customers wanted fishes as colorful as those on a…
The Nitrogen Cycle
How Mother Nature cleans house Lets start off really basic. How far you get along into this is up to you. Fish make Waste - Bacteria get rid of Waste.…
Fun with Silicone
I use a sheet of thermacole (or styrofoam, as I think it's known in the US) and apply a thin layer of silicone on it. Thin, mind you, not too…
Some Tips for Beginners
How Long Do You Wait Before Adding Fish? Opinions vary so much on this subject that it is hard to give a reasonable answer. The Americans for instance have what…
A snow tank in the home?
WITH the resumption of the Open Show season it is the aim of the organising Society to attract not only as many entries as possible, but also new members from…
Getting Answers To Problems
I run a small basic website, and receive a great deal of mail each month from people with fish problems, and many are at the stage of packing the whole…
Two Biotope Aquariums: Asia and Africa
Southeast Asia Backwater Southeast Asia is home to many of the fish which are in most demand by hobbyists today. The backwaters of Southeast Asia are both slow-moving and thick…
How Many Fish?
They decided many years ago that four inches by four inches of surface area per inch of fish was the correct formula in a tank without aeration, and this still…
Building a Fishroom
Keeping Cichlids is an addiction. It starts with just one tank, often with no thoughts of breeding these fascinating fish. However, nature takes over and the fish start courting and…
How Long Do You Wait Before Adding Fish? – and other tips
Opinions vary so much on this subject that it is hard to give a reasonable answer. The Americans for instance have what is known as "cycling", which is the period…
Doing it right – building a fish room
We all, at one time or another, have said "If I'm going to get into fish, I'm going to do it right." Doing it right, when it comes to fish,…