The Common Algae Problem

I have recently been posting on fish tank forums, and I have found that algae is a very common problem. Although it may seem devastating, its an easy fix. First, check to see if your tank is in direct sunlight. Direct sunlight will encourage algae growth. Also, overfeeding your fish can lead to algae growth. Excess food decomposes into phosphate and ammonia, both of which are algae fertilizers. Make sure you keep up on your water changes to remove ammonia and phospate. Remember, 20 % of the water every two weeks.

The Freshwater Nitrogen Cycle

This cycle is important for any aquarium owner to understand. The nitrogen cycle, if not completed, is what causes new tank syndrome, and new tank failures. The cycle begins with a new tank, with new water, without any fish. When the first fish is added, ammonia from its waste immediatly poison the water. Too much ammonia will kill your fish. However, the fish help certain bacteria to grow that will turn the ammonia into safe by products. The nitrogen cycle has three steps:

1. The Initial Step: This step occurs when fish are first introduced. Their waste and uneaten food is broken down into non toxic ionized ammonia (NH4) and toxic unionized ammonia (NH3). The non toxic NH4 is present when the pH of the water is below 7, but when the pH is above 7, toxic NH3 is present. Ammonia levels rise within the first three days. Any amount of NH3 is dangerous, but when it reaches about 2 ppm, your fish are at risk.

2. The Second Step: Nitrosomonas bacteria oxidize the ammonia, thus eliminating it and creating nitrites in the process, also toxic to fish. I mg/L of nitrites is lethal. The nitrites will appear around the end of the first week after adding fish.

3. The Third Step: Nitrobacter bacteria convert the nitrites into nitrates, which are non toxic in small doses. These nitrates should be monitered every month or so for the rest of you aquarium experience. At high levels, nitrates are lethal. However, they will always be present. Routine water changes will prevent these nitrate spikes.

The entire process should take around 2 to 3 weeks. When cycling, test water routinely to see how far along your tank has come.

In addition to previous knowledge, http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/biologicalcycle/a/nitrogencycle.htm, was used to obtain information about the nitrogen cylce.

Adding New Fish

The most exciting part of aquarium keeping is purchasing a new fish. However, this is where a lot of people go wrong as well. If you have a new tank, be patient with adding fish. It is hard to wait, but it is well worth it. Buying fish too early is a waste of money, as most will die. Make sure that your water cycle is completed first. Always get your water tested before purchasing your first fish. Start small! Buy something cheap and hardy. Only add one species at a time. Start with a couple tetras, and add a corydora or small pleco a week or so after. Then add a fish every two weeks or so. If you add to fast, you will risk a disease outbreak, and you will lose all your fish. When adding fish, always remember the basics. Let the bag float for a while to acclimate the fish. Ten to fifteen minutes should do. Keep out a special eye for new fish, and make sure that they are eating and getting along well with the other tankmates. If you are careful, you shouldn't have to deal with many dead fish. Always listen when the guy at the fish store says you shouldn't buy that fish now.

The Best Fish Store Ever

Strictly Fish in Lakewood California is the best fish store I have ever seen, and many others would agree. The fish selection is amazing, and the aquariums are all clean. They have a constant supply of quality African Cichlids, koi, and many of the other favorites. They also sell salt water fish, and are known for their saltwater selection. They have huge sales about every month or so, and will mail you a postcard as a reminder if you like. The dry goods selection is better then most fish stores, and they always have a good supply of aquariums to buy. The staff is extremely nice, and every employee knows everything you need to know about fish. They will even order a special fish for you if you can not seem to find it. Check out their new website for more information.

http://www.strictlyfishlakewood.com/

Or call at 562-421-9106

Fish of the Day

The black ghost is a very fun and interesting fish. They are uniquely shaped and have a personality unlike any other fish. These fish are near blind, and use weak electric pulses to navigate around the tank. They are nocturnal, and hide most of the day. However, they come out right after the lights are turned off, or when food is dropped in the water. They swim in odd patterns, both forwards and backwards. Sometimes they appear rather clumsy, missing their intended hiding places as they swim backwards into the glass. These fish are one of the most entertaining species you will find.

The black ghost will grow up to 8 inches in captivity, but can grow to 12 in the wild. They require warm water (80-82 degrees), thats slightly acidic. However, they can adapt well to different conditions. The cleanliness of the water is the most important part. These fish need clean water. In terms of space, a 20 gallon tank is sufficient, but the bigger the better. They require hiding places; pipes, caves, or dense plants work well. A fun trick I have learned is to use a clear glass vase or cup for them to hide in. Because they are blind, they figure that they are hidden while in the cup. This allows you to view your fish at any time. It can be tricky to get them to use their glass as a cave, but once they claim that as their home, they will return to it every day. It is quite a sight to see a fish hovering in a cup in the tank. For feeding, frozen and live foods are the best. Frozen bloodworms are the most convenient, but make sure that some of the food gets to your ghost fish before everyone else eats it. The black ghost fish are rather slow when finding food. They do well in non aggressive to semi aggressive communities, with fish about their size.

I strongly recommend this fish for all fish keepers.

Community for the Kids

My cousins introduced me to a fun and easy community option for one of my tanks. It all started when they one a guppy, a male, at a fair. They went out and purchased one more guppy, a female. Without knowing what they had done, they suddenly had about 20 guppies in their tank! I explained that guppies are livebearers, which means that they have live birth. This makes it easy for them to breed. I decided to start a new tank with a group of about 8 guppies, 6 female and 2 male that i took from my cousins. I put a small pleco, a small corydora catfish, and some bushy floating plants in the tank as well. A few weeks later I had my first set of babies!

Many people do this officially, trying to breed the best guppy. However, I enjoy doing it for fun. It is exciting to see what new color combos your guppies create. Plus, it is easy to raise them. Just feed the babies about 4 times a day. Feed them finely ground fish flakes, at the minimum. The more variety of food, the faster they will grow. Bloodworms and brine shrimp (frozen or live) are both good choices. Another good choice is the yolk of a hard boiled egg. Just take a small chunk and mix it in a little water, creating a yellow paste. When you pour it in the tank it will create a yellow cloud, which the guppies will love.

This community idea is great for the kids. They will have fun watching the babies, and seeing the generations of guppies progress. Just make sure that u start with more females then males, the females will be less stressed that way.

Fish of the Day

This is the elephant nose. Its name is given for its long nose. However, when observed closer, the long nose is actually a long chin. The mouth is above it. These guys will fight amongst themselves, so only keep one, unless you have plenty of space for them to each have their own territory. They can grow up to 13 inches. The one i had stayed at about 6 and a half inches. They are omnivorous, and prefer live food. However, frozen blood worms will be devoured. Elephant nose require a good hiding place because they are nocturnal. One cool fact about the elephant nose is that it emits electric pulses to navigate and defend itself. These pulses can degrade the water quality, so this fish is not for beginners. Although they sound dangeroust, elephant nose can live in communities with other semi-aggressive to aggressive fish.

Growing Giants

A large plecostomus is the key to a clean tank. However, most people don't like spending 20+ dollars on a sucker fish. I have some secrets about growing a plecostomus big, in limited time:

• Start with a five dollar fish. Should be an inch, maybe two
• Purchase the large algae tablets, and put one in the tank. If the other fish eat the algae tablet first, this may not work.
• Keep an eye on the tablet, it may take a small pleco a few days to finish it. Replace the tablet the day that the fish finishes it
• The pleco should get to the point of eating one a day.
• Once the pleco reaches about 6 inches, start feeding it two tablets a day.
• An 8 inch pleco is perfect for any size tank 20 gallons or more.

The process should work pretty quick, within a few months. I'm three for three on my last plecos. Each grew to 6+ inches in months, and lived 2+ years.

Fish of the Day

The fish of the day is the plecostomus, aka the "sucker fish". These are essential for a successful aquarium. They are stable, efficient, and easy to grow. They can grow up to about three feet long, but don't worry, thats only in the wild. If fed right, they can reach about a foot in an aquarium. I always keep a good-sized pleco in my tanks, and i never have algae problems. These fish are nocturnal, so your algae will disappear over night. These fish will jump, so make sure you keep your lid shut. In the wild, they breed in the mud, so if it does jump, it will live longer than most fish. They also come in a large variety, here's some cool ones:

Albino Golden Bushy Nose Plecostomus



Vampire Plecostomus / Galaxy Plecostomus



Zebra Plecostomus



All of these special Plecos are hard to find, and usually rather expensive. I'll share some of my secrets on growing a large pleco fast in my next post.

Cleaning

This is where people mess up. Cleaning should not take more then twenty minutes. The tank does not need to be spotless, in fact, if it is spotless your fish will die. This is all you need to do, every 2 or 3 weeks:

• Remove 20 percent of the water from the tank. Syphoning is the easiest way. Syphon the water from the bottom, that way you can remove waste at the same time. I like to stir up the substrate a little first, then syphon. That way, all the waste is up and about, ready to be removed.
• Have treated water ready on the side. Refill the 20 percent of the tank you removed.
• Check filter pad, replace if necessary.
• If any decor needs cleaning, take it out and scrub it in warm water without any soap or cleaning chemicals.

And that is it. If you clean too much, then you will remove too much essential bacteria, and your fish will die. If you use my method, and stir the substrate, your tank may look its dirtiest after you've cleaned it. That's ok. Let your filter do its job.

Substrate: Gravel vs. Sand

I always prefer sand. It may be a little bit more expensive, but it makes a world of a difference. Gravel has too much space underneath, leaving room for old food to spoil and poison the tank. Also, fish waste will gather under the gravel. This will either kill the fish, or create a frustrating cleanup for you. Sand has little space. Old food will sit on top for the catfish to cleanup, or for you to scoop out. The same happens with fish waste. Now, instead of removing gravel and cleaning it, fish waste can be removed with a net, just like the way you might scoop leaves out of a pool. Plus, sand looks better.

Starting Your New Aquarium

Here is a step by step list of how to properly set up your new aquarium:

1. Rinse the new aquarium
2. Place a towel underneath the new aquarium. This towel should be kept there for any accidental spills that may happen over the years.
3. Fill the aquarium with tap water. Don't worry about the temperature now.
4. Treat the water. Treatment chemicals are cheap and available at any pet store that sells fish.
5. Rinse any new decorations or substrate you have, without soap or any cleaning agent.
6. Add substrate and decor to the aquarium.
7. Put together the filter, and get it running.
8. Get the heater running at around 78-80 degrees.
9. Allow the water to filter for a couple days, without any fish. This will allow essential bacteria to grow. Your fish will die without this bacteria. The amount of time that your aquarium should be left alone depends on the size of the aquarium. 3 days is sufficient for anything smaller than a ten gallon tank. Between ten gallons and twenty gallons should be left for at least a week, and anything larger than that should be left alone between 2 weeks and a month.
10. Once the water is ready, purchase a small and cheap fish. Some good starting choices are: corydoras, plecostomas, a small school of any type of tetra, mollies, guppies, or swordtails. These fish are testers. They will also condition your water further. Remember: start slow. Don't buy all you fish at once. One type of fish at a time.
11. If the testers all die within days, consult help, get your water tested, and try again once it has been fixed.
12. After a couple months you have a decision. If you like the tester, non-aggressive fish, then you can keep them and build a strong community. But if you are now comfortable with your tank and want to try a more expensive, larger, more aggressive fish, than the testers can be returned to a local fish store, and you can begin experimenting with bigger fish. Again, build slow, one type at a time.

My Recomendations About Aquarium Purchasing

If your budget is small, stick with the starter aquariums. Don't let the name fool you. These aquariums are conveniant, cheap, and come in all sorts of sizes. The package will come with everything you need to get started. These packages can be found online, or at any major pet retailer.

However, if you have a large budget, I would recomend purchasing each part of the aquarium seperate. Go to your nearest fish retailer and start by picking out the tank you want. This should come with the glass box, and the light fixture. Next purchase the filter. Always buy the next size up. For instance, if you buy a 20 gallon tank, buy a 30 gallon filter for it. I always go for the filters that use a biowheel. The biowheel helps keep bacteria levels at a consistent rate. Next, purchase a heater. If you live in a place like southern california where the weather doesn't change much, a cheap heater will be sufficient. However, it is worth the extra dollar to buy a nice heater if you live in a colder region. Make sure you have the sufficient chemicals to treat tap water into aquarium water. Lastly, as hard as it is, don't buy any fish the day you get you aquarium, they will all die. I will talk about this more in another post.

My Aquariums

Here is a picture of some of the week old guppy fry in my ten gallon guppy tank.

This is my twenty gallon aquarium.

I built a custom lid out of lucite in order to give the turtles more room on their floating island.

My Needle Fish

Fish of the Day

This is the needle-nosed gar. I currently have one gar about 7 inches long in my twenty gallon tank. He is very entertaining to watch and to feed. However, it requires an interesting food supply of feeder fish. I use live guppies (from my small tank) and an occasional frozen feeder fish. Usually he is quite skiddish, but he is a beast when it comes to food. I will upload a video of mine eating as soon as possible. It is recommended to keep these fish in a small school, but mine does fine alone. They can grow up to 13 inches long, so a large tank is necessary. Unfortunatly, my gar may soon outgrow his tank. If you decide to keep one, make sure that the other fish are too big for him to swallow, and be careful when putting you hand in the tank, as he will bite. I found that out the hard way. They do best with live foods (fish, crickets, tadpoles, small frogs), but they can be trained to eat frozen feeder fish.

Welcome

This is the fish blog, and I'm the fish freak. I currently am caring for two fish tanks. One twenty gallon variety tank, and one ten gallon guppy breeding tank. The guppies are being bred to feed the fish in the larger tank. The large tank has 2 baby red eared-slider turtles, two large bala sharks, one tire track eel (about 8 inches), one african knife fish, one plecostomus (about 6 inches), one upside down catfish (about 4 inches), and one needle-nosed gar (about 6 inches). Sounds like a lot of fish, and most fish keepers would say it is too much. However, all of my fish are healthy, and the tank is spotless. With this blog, I will show you how its done.