Strongpets Blog » Fish

Raising Tropical Baby Fish

katherine — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:10:01 +0000

Many fish tank owners are interested in owning live bearing tropical fish. Watching the babies or fry grow can be very rewarding and entertaining. Most live bearing fish can be found in local pet stores. These fresh water fish include fancy guppies, mollies, sword tail fish, platies and limias.

Before you purchase fish with the intention of breeding, make sure you have a large enough tank for both the parents and the babies. Your tank should be well balanced and clean. You can buy your fish already pregnant or purchase both males and females together. The pet store staff should be able to tell which fish are males and which fish are females.

For mollies, females have a fan-like anal fin (under the belly towards the back) while the males have a tube-like anal fin called the gonopodium. Female and male guppies are similar to mollies. The female has a more “fanned” anal fin while the male has a horizontal gonopodium. A male swordtail fish has the “sword tail” while the female’s tail is fanned. As with mollies, platy and limia males have the tube-like fin behind the bottom belly.

Don’t be surprised to find the adult fish eating their young. To prevent this, be sure you have plenty of places for your fry to hide. Include plants, decorations, and rock crevices for their protection. You can also purchase a floating plastic “baby tank” for your fry, but personally I have not had any luck with these. Our babies have lived best swimming in the large fish tank with lots of places to retreat to if needed.

Fry should be fed a few times a day with ground fish flakes. After a few weeks you can feed them on an “adult” fish schedule. Again, be sure your tank is large enough to hold a school of baby fish… and remember, they will become as large as their mommies and daddies!

Fish Tank Water Testing

admin — Sat, 09 May 2009 14:49:38 +0000

Fish Tank Water Testing

You should test your water on a regular basis. Test strips are available that check acidity (pH), ammonia, nitrites and nitrate levels of the water. Inexpensive kits are available in pet stores that not only test the water, but provide chemicals to add to your tank to give you the correct levels. Be sure to read all of the instructions carefully before testing and adding to your water.

Every week or so you should remove about 10% of your water and follow by adding fresh water to your tank. Syphons are available to clean the gravel in your tank. These are inexpensive plastic tubes with cones on the end. Simply fill the tube with water from your fish tank and place the cone end in the gravel. Place the tube end in a bucket on the floor. The suction action will stir up your gravel, removing the waste and some water while leaving your gravel in the tank.

After cleaning, restore your water level. It is important to add water that is the same temperature as your tank water. Tap water is treated with chlorine, which is harmful to your fish. Before you add the water, treat it with drops that instantly remove chlorine from the water. Some good brands are Seachem Prime, Tetra Aquasafe NH/CL Formula, Jungle’s ACE, Kordon’s AmQuel and Kent’s Professional Ammonia Detox. Be sure your label specifically states that it neutralizes ammonia as it removes chlorine. If it does not, you will be adding harmful ammonia to your water as you take away the chlorine.

Salt in Fresh Water Tanks

Yes, salt is beneficial to your fresh water fish! Use one tablespoon of Aquarium Salt for every five gallons of water. Salt replaces sodium and chloride ions that stressed or sick fish need. It also helps to inhibit the fishes’ uptake of toxic chemicals like nitrite. Salt can inhibit parasites, and will enhance the colors of your fish.

Fish Tank Setup

admin — Sat, 09 May 2009 14:48:22 +0000

Tank Size

You will find a wide variety of tank sizes and shapes. The standard rectangle fish tank starts at 10 gallons, then 20 gallons and up. For your first tank, you might want to choose the standard rectangle shape which will be easy to clean and manage. If you would like to start small, a ten gallon tank is a good size and pretty to look at.

How Many Fish Can My Tank Hold

The standard rule is one fish per gallon of water. You will need to take into consideration the size of your fish, the age of your fish and the shape of your tank. You may be purchasing a small fish, but remember that he will be growing as time goes on. Because there is a greater exchange of oxygen, the larger the surface area of water, the more fish your tank can hold.

Gravel

There are a number of gravels available at local pet stores in many different shapes and sizes. After you have made your selection, take it home and place some in a cup with household vinegar. If it bubbles, the gravel is calciferous and will raise your PH level. It would be wise to purchase a different brand of gravel if you find this to be the case.

Plants

Plants are a beautiful and healthy addition to your tank. Just about any plant you find at your pet store should work well with your tank. Plants provide oxygen to the fish, as well as natural hiding places.

After you bring your plant home, place it in a bucket of water and let it sit for a day. If your plant has “surprise snails” on it, they will crawl off the plant and on to the edges of the bucket. This will give you a better chance of keeping your tank free of snails.

Surface Area Rule

Multiply the width times the length of the tank. Under the water surface area rule, the tank can be stocked with one inch of fish for each twelve square inches of surface area. Keep in mind the estimated adult size of your fish with this rule. If you are choosing wide-bodied fish, the calculation should be changed to one inch of fish for each twenty inches of surface area.

Feeding Fish

admin — Sat, 09 May 2009 14:46:15 +0000

Feeding Fish

Most store bought flakes are good for daily nutrition. You can supplement the diet by adding brine shrimp, blood worms or seaweed flakes, depending on your fish. Fish also enjoy slices of cucumber, wish should be taken out at the end of each day.

Many fish owners feed their fish twice a day. Watch your fish eat so you can see if any look sick or disinterested in food. If there is food left after ten minutes, you have put too much in the tank and should put less in next time.

Fish Care – Selecting Fish

admin — Sat, 09 May 2009 14:45:32 +0000

Fish Care

No one can resist the relaxing sensation an aquarium can provide. Fish tanks are fun and relatively easy to maintain. Here are some guidelines to help you start your own fish tank.

Selecting Fish

When choosing your fish, look for one with a nice rounded belly. Make sure the fins look healthy and that there is no fungus on the body. You don’t want to select a fish that appears to be panting, or is not active and alert. If you see any sick fish in the tank, do not select from that tank. Select fish that require the same temperature and food. Only introduce your fish a few at a time. Never add more than 25% of the total fish you plan to get.

When you get home, allow the bag to float on the surface for fifteen minutes. Open the bag and pour the water and fish into a container. Add some tank water to the container and let it sit. Continue this until you have an equal mixture of bag water and tank water. Carefully net your fish and let the water drip off of the net. Gently release your new fish into the tank and enjoy!