The primary concern of any aquarist is to keep their fish healthy. There are many problems that can occur in a fish tank and fish can be afflicted with a number of diseases and illnesses. Fish can be affected by bacteria and parasites, both of which are encouraged to reproduce when the water conditions are bad. Thus it is important to keep an eye on the quality of water in the fish tank. This article will look at the common parasites that cause illness in fish and how they can be treated.

Should you go fresh or saltwater? When you decide to invest in an aquarium for the first time, the decision could be quite a challenge. Knowing the difference between the two with respect to cost, maintenance, etc., could make it easier to decide.

Setting up a freshwater aquarium is cheaper and maintenance is easier than a saltwater aquarium. However, the magnificent sight when you look at the wonderful undersea life forms in your tank makes the extra cost of a saltwater aquarium worth it.

So you’re at the pet shop choosing your new freshwater tropical fish, you’ve found the ones you’d like, and are ready to purchase. Before buying, check that the shop you are planning to buy from look after their fish properly. Tropical fish get very stressed when they are moved around, and this makes them susceptible to disease, so any reputable shop will quarantine new fish for a couple of weeks after they receive delivery. I personally always like to check that the dealer has quarantine tanks set aside for this purpose, and if they don’t, do ask what their policy is regarding new fish.

We’ve all seen salt water aquariums in books and on the internet as well as in our homes. They come in all sorts of sizes and shapes, some being enormous, then all the way down in size to a nano aquarium. Whatever size they are and whether they are fish only or reef, they rely on nature’s life support system, the nitrogen cycle.

Any aquarist needs to basically understand the nitrogen cycle. There is no requirement to become a scientist, just know what is going on. Then the dangers of stressing the aquarium will be better realized (as an example overfeeding, perhaps the main problem with fledgling aquarists?).

Proper water chemistry in your home aquarium is paramount! Many beginner fish-collectors decided to dive into this hobby because they didn’t have time for a cat or dog. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but many varieties of fish live MUCH longer then many household pets. A Black Moor Goldfish has a life expectancy of well over 30 years. A Koi named Hanako lived to be 226 years old! If you have a Koi you might want to add it to your will, it will outlive you by many years!

Many people start with a freshwater aquarium because it is easier to get started and maintain. As they become more experienced they begin to consider keeping a saltwater tank because it offers a new challenge and many new varieties of aquatic creatures to care for. This article will explain some if the differences between saltwater and freshwater fish. It will help you to understand the different challenges you face if you are planning to start a saltwater aquarium.

The hobby of keeping and maintaining an aquarium has become very popular as it takes very little space and this hobby can be maintained by all individuals whether young or old. Aquariums can be educational as well as entertaining. When the aquarium, is decorated properly with plants, rocks or corals it can become a very attractive design, and there is nothing more relaxing than watching colourful fish swimming in the aquarium.

If you’re looking for an unusual looking fish to add to your acquiring him then you might want to consider the Pantodon buchholzi or African Butterfly Fish.

This unique fish almost looks like a butterfly when viewed from above at his fins stick out like wing’s. Native to Africa, this fish lives in the slow moving rivers of the rain forest and has been sold commercially for over 90 years. This fish can grow to be about 4 inches long and can live about five years.

Catfish are a popular fish to keep in your fish tank because they are generally placid and can live comfortably with other species of fish in a community tank. They also have a distinctive appearance of having barbels around the mouth that look like whiskers and hence give them their colloquial name Catfish. This article will briefly describe the common types of catfish that can be kept in an aquarium, some of their habits and how to care for them.

The two species of catfish that are popular for aquariums are the Corydoras sp. (also known as corys, cory catfish or cory cats) and the Synodontis sp.

The Discus is a large freshwater cichlid, native to the Amazon River in South America. They were first discovered/described by Dr. J. J. Heckel, an Austrian zoologist, in 1840.

His name is today used to describe the “original” Discus variant. They are increasingly difficult to come by, since most Discus Fish available today has been bred in captivity, but occasionally you’ll find some imported Heckel Discus in the pet shops.

Originally the Discus had three colour variations: Green, Brown and Blue. However, with the Discus becoming more popular among fish keepers, and a lot of money going into research and development of different strains of Discus Aquarium Fish, the list of colour and pattern variants is nearly endless.