Adding various other animals to your aquarium will result in a more natural habitat. And, each aquatic animal will have their own different characteristics and habits that can be quite interesting to observe.   But, it will also provide an added benefit. Many of these animals are scavengers and they will help keep your aquarium clean!

Every aquarium needs at least a few scavengers to help keep it clean, they’re sort of the little garbage disposals of the fish world! Scavengers will clean your tank of leftover food, scum, algae and other decayed matter.

Snails

There’s a wide variety of snails to choose from and each…

While dried, frozen or pellet type foods are nutritious, live foods can provide lot’s of protein and other benefits as well as adding variety to their diet. But, for some species of fish to be able to breed, they require live food.

Any packaged foods that aren’t consumed will quickly decay and end up in your filtration system, cloud your tank and promote bacteria. Another benefit in raising your own live food is that you can control the conditions in which the food is grown and produce foods that are free of bacteria that can cause diseases.

Raising live food is a cheaper way to provide food for your…

Algae grows and survives on the same things that the plant life in your aquarium need to live, water, sunlight and nutrients. There are different types of algae such as, hair algae, slime algae and diatomic algae. No matter how diligent your are in the maintenance of your tank, you can’t totally prevent algae.

Just like it’s name, hair algae resembles fine hairs. It can grow anywhere inside your tank. Slime algae generally grows on the substrate and rocks in the tank. It can be either black, red or green in color. The last type of algae, diatomic algae…

Two Basic Types Of Fish Disease

All fish diseases are in one of two categories, either infectious or non-infectious. An infectious disease can rapidly empty a well stocked aquarium that you’ve spent lots of money and time in developing. Besides which, you could lose many or all of your much loved pets.

Fish get sick in the same way that people get sick. They experience bacterial infections, parasite infestation, fungus and other illnesses that are very contagious. Non-infectious diseases are contracted through poor diet, dirty or unbalanced aquarium water and other outside sources.

Infectious diseases generally won’t go away on their own, they’ll only…

The very first thing you need to know is – Do not buy your fish at the same time you get your tank and supplies. This is the biggest mistake most people make when buying aquarium set ups. You and your family are in the store looking at all the beautiful fish and decide an aquarium would be perfect for that corner spot in the living room. You’re right.

Although it would seem to be the thing to do, now is not the time to buy those awesome fish. Your new tank needs to be prepared so…

Besides feeding them, the other part of keeping your fish happy and healthy comes by keeping the water and tank clean. Thankfully with the use of a few key tools you can make your weekly water cleaning and changes a pretty simple task. The main tools you will need to keep your tank in tip top shape are a siphon which is sometimes referred to as a vacuum, a bucket used…

Of the pets my daughter has acquired over the years I would have to say she has learned the most from her aquarium. Since her Dad is an experienced aquarium keeper I was able to teach her how to properly care for her fishy friends; and…

Aquarium Setup:
The African Butterfly likes densely planted tanks with a few plants that will extend almost to the top of the surface. Just a few floating plants for cover is preferred as long as there is still lots open swimming space.

They prefer shallow aquariums at about 6 to 8 inches deep, but have thrived well in regular tanks. Tanks that are longer instead of tall give them more surface space to enjoy!

Diet:
These predators will love being feed live foods  such as…

Keeping an aquarium is also a learning experience. It can be an ideal way for children to learn about both biology and responsibility. Of course, adults will have a lot to learn as well.

Setting up an aquarium in your home isn’t too difficult. You should realize however, that as with any pet, an aquarium is a big responsibility. If you want to have a great looking aquarium and happy healthy fish it will take some work on your part. Fortunately, if you know what you are doing, you can enjoy your fish for years to come with minimal work.

Basic list…