How To Breed The Flowerhorn Fish.

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The breeding of Flowerhorns is a rather easy task. There are, though, a few preparations that need to be made prior to breeding. One of the most important things you can do is prepare ar new bare bottom tank to store the tiny fries once they are ready to leave the parents’ nest. Do not install any filter mechanisms as the small fries will get sucked into the filtration system. An air stone is particularly sufficient for aeration purposes.

Selection of the breeding pairs is crucial prior to breeding. Desired phenotypic outcomes depend solely on the parents. Most of the time, it is almost possible to predict the external characteristics of the offspring produced by a pair of Flowerhorns. Thus, breeding Flowerhorn has an exciting aspect, as you would know the outcome of the selective breeding. Flowerhorns breed year round. No external stimuli are needed for breeding purposes, but you must place the breeding pair in a clean, big tank. An aquarium heater regulated to 28?C can be placed in the aquarium, but it is not compulsory. The use of a mechanical filtration system is sufficient to remove any feces and debris in order to keep the water quality in check as breeding pairs do not consume much food during this period.

The breeding pair need to be well fed at a fixed regime until they are ready to spawn. A balanced diet is crucial to produce fish well laden with eggs and milt. Broodstock can be fed with various types of food including live and pellet feeds.

If you intend to breed your Flowerhorn, you will need a few pairs of fish. Some pairs might not be suitable for each other. Normally, a mating pair is put in the same aquarium with a partition in the middle to separate the two. The female will usually develop black stripes all over its body when it is time to mate, and appetite loss is quite common. Observations also show that the female’s genital papilla will start to swell. It is advisable to cover the sides of your tank with newspapers or any other materials. This provides adequate privacy for the mating pair as they are easily frightened or disturbed during the mating period. When they are ready, females will secrete pheromones, and this signals the males to start spawning. Initially, this pair will show aggression toward each other through the partition. When the pair has stopped showing this behavior, the partition can be removed. Once you remove the partition, if they still seem to be ‘fighting’, observe further. If one fish is standing its ground instead of running to another corner, it means that they are actually courting each other instead of attacking. If the pair continues fighting until one of them is visibly injured, it means that this pair is not ready or not compatible for the moment. Separate them and try again after a few days.

If they are indeed a mating pair, the male fish will start to search for a breeding spot. In a tank with pebbles and gravels, the male fish will start clearing a chosen spot by removing all the pebbles. However, in a bare tank, none of this activity will take place. If you are using a bare tank, you should place a floor tile in the tank, because Flowerhorns will prefer a rough surface for spawning. Female Flowerhorns normally lay eggs close to the air stone, or where there’s a good flow of water, as this can help aerate the eggs. Moreover, because the water circulates in this area, a fungal attack on the eggs is prevented. Female fish will deposit rows of eggs, then the male will follow behind, fertilizing the eggs with its milt. This will continue until the female has deposited all of its eggs. No disturbances are allowed during the spawning moment as this will result in the parent eating the eggs as a natural protective measure.

A female Flowerhorn is able to produce approximately 500-2000 eggs at a time. The parents will usually take turns fanning the eggs with their fins to rid of unwanted debris or to prevent any fungal attack. It is advisable to add methylene blue (Hyperlink) or any anti-fungal treatment at a1mg/l gallon ratio to prevent a possible fungus attack.

The eggs will take a few days to hatch. When this happens, remove the parents. Once the parents are removed, be sure to practice proper fry management.

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Red Devil Cichlid – Personality And More

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The red devil cichlid also known as Amphilophus labiatus, is originally from Central America. This cichlid is considered a medium to large cichlid often growing 10-12 inches in their lifetime. Males are often larger and develop a hump on their head as they age. First, please understand that I didnt write the article to deter anyone from owning this cichlid. I write this article to share with you the personality of the red devil cichlid in hopes that you will be more educated about this freshwater tropical fish and not be shocked when you see how aggressive it can be.

Many people bring home their new red devil cichlid not knowing the true personality it possesses. Red devil cichlids are usually purchased between 2-3 inches and will grow rather fast the first year or so. Many people start off by introducing their new cichlid to a community setup with other fish. During this first year, aquarium tank owners often start missing fish and having mysterious deaths in the tanks. Tank owners usually begin noticing fights breaking out and their red devil chasing other fish.
This is the time that most devil owners come to the conclusion that this cichlid may not get along with much of anything. If you are thinking this, you are just about right. The red devil often will not tolerate any tank mates. As they get older and larger, they usually become more aggressive. The time comes to where some owners actually trade in their fish if they local fish store will take them back. Over the years I have seen many large red devils in our local fish stores because they became too aggressive and the owners did not want to dedicate a tank solely for it.

I hope you choose to keep your red devil cichlid even if you have to dedicate an entire tank for just him. To keep the red devil cichlid happy, you need to provide plenty of hiding spots such as driftwood, rocks, caves, clay planting pots and artificial plants. Since red devils like to dig, live plants usually end up destroyed. If you attempt to introduce a mate for the red devil, do so with the lights turned out and keep an eye out for any aggression. I would recommend having a tank divider set up in the middle so that you can introduce the new mate on one side and keep your original red devil safely on the other side. This way they can get use to each other without killing one another. When you do put them together, watch closely and be ready to pull one and separate them. Often the red devil will not tolerate one of the opposite sex. If you wish to breed the red devil, I would strongly suggest purchasing multiple juveniles and raise them up together. Slowly begin removing the odd-fish-out until you notice a pair bond. This is hit or miss and often people have no success.

A Freshwater Tropical Fish Experience In An Aquarium

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The vast rainforest, steppes, deserts and savannas or regions of grassland lying between equatorial forests and dry deserts is home to thousand species of tropical fish. This refers to all cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates that breathe through their gills or by special breathing system that allows them to take oxygen from the air instead of in the water. As years went by and with the boom of fish-keeping as a hobby, the term now specifically means freshwater fish. By adopting fish at home, people may get to experience and understand the tropics even though one does not live near the equator where all year round, climate is typically warm with only slight variation in temperature due to the combined effects of direct sunlight exposure and the presence of. Species from the wild have become an aquarium collection favourite because of their bright color and unique appearance. Some are even really rare and for their certain features, many have been selectively bred. Others are hybrid of even more than one species.

Some are even really rare and for their certain features, many have been selectively bred. Many are hybrids of multiple species and that includes intentional man-made mixes.

Birchirs and redfish are common tropical fish in a freshwater enviornment among others like; catfish; cichlids, loaches and related cypriniforms, some pufferfish, rainbowfish and many, many others and some can do both freshwater and saltwater depending on species and sub-species.

Some fish are to aggresive to be in the fish tank with others. A good example is the Discus fish which are great by themselves because they are rather shy and are clearly not compatible with aggresive fish like an Oscar or some varities of Ciclids or Jack Dempseys. Green Swordtail, Variable Platy, Southern Platy, Bala Shark, Red-Striped Rasbora, Malabar Danio, Tiger Barb, Rosy Barb, Gold Barb, Cherry Barb, Marbled Headstander, Serpae Tetra, Garnet Tetra, Glowlight Tetra, Cardinal Tetra, Blue Tetra, Bloodfin Tetra, Iridescent Shark, Upside-Down Catfish, Platies, Swordtails, Mollies, Killifish and some types of Labyrinth Fish can live in a community.

Highly recommended for first timers are Goldfish, Siamese Fighting Fish, Gray Bichir, Ornate Bichir, Reedfish, Amazon Sailfin Catfish, Walking Catfish, Black Phantom Tetra, Black Tetra, Buenos Aires Tetra, Cave Tetra, Emperor Tetra, Glowlight Tetra, Neon Tetra, Serpae Tetra, Sunshine Peacock Cichlid, Eureka Red Peacock, Blue Dolphin Cichlid, Afra Cichlid, Electric Yellow Cichlid, Malawi Eyebiter, Auratus Cichlid, Chipokee Cichlid, Blue Johanni Cichlid, Aurora, Red Zebra Cichlid, Cobalt Blue Cichlid, Kenyi Cichlid, Giraffe Cichlid, Julie Cichlid , Masked Julie, Lyretail Cichlid, Jewel Cichlid, German Ram, Texas Cichlid, Cherry Barb, Gold Barb, Rosy Barb, Sumatra Barb, Malabar Danio, Pearl Danio, Zebra Danio, Striped Panchax, Guppy, Black Molly, Sailfin Molly, Dalmatian Molly, Variable Platy and Green Swordtail.

Having been successful in taking care of the types mentioned above, for the next challenge, you might want to try adopting the following species which have special needs: Spotted Raphael, Black Neon Tetra, Bleeding Heart Tetra, Congo Tetra, Green Neon Tetra, Rummy-Nose Tetra, Blue Lyretail , Dwarf Gourami and Black Ghost Knifefish that are sensitive with their environment and are prone to diseases.

and the fish that enjoy their meal live like the Brown Ghost Knifefish; Some fish can jump completely out of your fish tank like the Marbled Hachetfish and the Black-Winged Hatchetfish so watch it; male Three-lined Pencilfish that tend to really defend small territories; Marbled Headstander that fight among each other especially in small groups; Two-Stripe Dwarf Cichlid that are more comfortable in pair in a 40 gallon tank; and the beautiful and mysterious Angelfish that can tolerate many fish except the tetras which they get easily aggravated.

Meanwhile, the types of Red Bellied Pacu, Blue Discus, Red Discus, Threadfin Rainbowfish, Congo Pufferfish, Giant Freshwater Pufferfish, Green-spotted Puffer, Chinese High Fin Banded Shark and Electric Eel are quiet difficult pets in terms of feeding, breeding and maintenance.

Remember that some fish are as small as i inch while others as large as 35 inches and know that the extremes are not compatible in the same fish tank. Tetras, hatchetfish, pencil fish, danios, rasboras, headstanders, guppies, mollies, rainbowfish and Angelfish American Cichlid can grow from 1.5 inches to 5.9 inches.

Beechers, Redfish and the Two Spot Glass Catfish can be 14 to 18 inches. On the other end, Lake Tanganyika Cichlid Boulengerochromis Microlepsis can be as large as 35 inches while a bagrid catfish like the Asian Redtail grows 51 inches. When choosing what size fish tank that you want, make sure that you consider the final size that your fish will reach at maturity.

Fish tanks require tropical elements fairly needed by the fish such as water temperature, lighting and plants. Most species of fish in their natural habitat live in regions with water temperatures of up to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

It would be safe to maintain water temperature between 60 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit depending on the variety of fish. For example, while goldfish is a well-known freshwater aquarium, it actually is a kind of cold-water cyprinids that it requires cooler temperature than the ideal tropical temperature of 80 degrees.

Variants of goldfish include the Black Moor, Bubble Eye, Butterfly Tail, Calico, Celestial Eye, Comet, Common, Fantail, Lionchu, Lionhead, Oranda, Panda Moor, Pearlscale, Pompom, Ranchu, Ryukin, Shubunkin, Telescope Eye and Veiltail.

Lighting in a fish tank should be monitored as it emits heat and is influential in the biological cycle in the new habitat. It is advisable to turn-on the light for at least eight hours a day for a healthier fish. Also many of the fish will need the plants as both shelter from more aggresive fish and a spawning area for their young and possibly their diet.

To not provide the tropical feel in an aquarium has its consequences like discoloration of fish, abnormalities in fins and gills and worse, fish disease or expiration.

Live And Artificial Freshwater Aquarium Decorations

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How simple or weird would you like to get? The decor of a freshwater aquarium can come from many sources and often be strange. This can define your individual taste, history, cultural background and even one’s vision of a world. A major benefit of getting an aquarium is to decorate it over and over aqain until you are satisfied with your results. Your freshwater aquariums decor is the foundation of what makes our fish tanks a special place- or not!

Your pocket does not have to suffer from the possible expensive materials that you can get for your freshwater aquarium. You can find inexpensive items that will be just fine and a little creativity will go a long way. While there are lots of organic and inorganic fish tank decorations available online and at nearby shops, you can maximize your budget, by picking up some items present around you, or combine them with materials being sold in stores. Decorating an aquarium is a satisfying hobby and there is no shortage of things you can use to decorate as well as continue to redecorate, until you are happy with what you have created. It is a true do-It-yourself hobby.

The challenge for designing is to always come up with something new, something catchy or something unique. An aquarium hobbiest can always treat the designing part of the aquarium, as a rare chance to showcase their talents. Of course, the functional purpose of the design should be to both create a visual fantasy land of your liking, and a enviornment that is safe and productive for your fish.

Inorganic decor are fake or manufactured plants and rocks which are created to appear as real as possible. These are composed of plastic, silk, and clay. Organic decor on the other hand can be fossilised versions of the living objects like real rocks, driftwood, gravel, sand from rivers or beaches, and coral. Organic decor can also be living when you use them in your tank.

Some aquarists prefer manufactured decors because they do not wither, they ideally do not affect tank chemistry and that one can experiment more with varied colors. For others however, nothing beats the real thing. Choices in terms of colors and shapes are limited if one chooses to go for organic decor. Plus occasionally your fish might eat the live plants and you will need to replace them, which can be costly.

Of course, you can use a combination of live plants and manufactured plants or just go simple with only one or the other.

Here are a few ideas for your freshwater aquarium.

First, know your fish. For the fish, decorations can be a safe haven in the aquarium. If you want to create an atmosphere that is closest to real life with your decorations, study and learn about your fishs character, likes and dislikes. For example, a surgeonfish needs more swimming space while dottybacks are more used to having plenty of hiding places and african cichlids love rocks that contain limestone. Some species are more comfortable with plants than with rocks and vice-versa.

Second, define your theme. One can freely choose to be youthful, classic, absurd or playful with fantasy. You can make use of replicas of war ruins, sunken galleons, battle ships, treasure chests, underwater divers, mermaids, skulls, skeletons or mummies. There are also toys, doll and tv characters available for your aquarium and don’t forget the pirate paraphernalia and Navy decor.

Driftwood in its provincial shape and appearance can be your tank’s centrepiece. Make sure though that your wood is treated of unwanted elements. Wood usually affects water acidity which will affect your fish so make certain to check that the wood is cleared of any pests or diseases before use. Wood will provide a refuge, a spawning site, and nourishment for many of your aquariums fish. Swamp woods are best for the aquarium as they will not easily rot, but to be sure always ask someone you know, where you have seen a piece of wood in their fish tank. You can fing out how it is doing in their tank and if they had had any problems with it in the past along with any issues with their fish regarding it.

Live plants and live rocks are very beneficial to the fish and provide a realistic appeal, though adding live items does come with additional lighting and supplement requirements. Also in some live rocks, an aquarium silicon sealant has been discovered so that one can safely shape rocks according to their likes.

Third, befor you do anything else create a background for your aquarium. An aquarium is like a theater stage where its background can establish a tone of a stage drama. Popular colors such as black, dark green, deep blue and slate blue have different impacts. Pleasant pictures of nature, mangroves and reefs are some of the many tank backgrounds available. Some aquarists find it easier in terms of maintenance for the back of their tank to be covered with pictured tape which give a more full and plentiful look to the aquarium.

For many fish-keeping hobbyists, the most exciting part of the hobby is the part of planning out your design and working on it until you get the feel and look according to your desire. Aquascaping can complement and reflect an owners personal artistic sense or business atmosphere. A common problem in designing is to overcrowd the fish tank. It is good idea to first make a hand drawing, and draw in what you might want in the aquariun. You may also want get advice ideas from friends and family members.

With the popularity and advancement of the hobby, stores offer hundreds of items to choose from, both fake and real. It helps to be exposed to all of these to make sure you will not miss any item that may suit your plan and budget. A lot of designs are available in books and online, and also in magazines. You do not have to copy something really nice but you can get great ideas from them.

Do not be afraid to design your own. ‘Do it yourself’ is a fad that is fun and practical. In the end, decor for your freshwater aquarium should be fun , entertaining and visually stunning and you will find is well worth the effort .

Spruce Up Your Fish Tank With A 3d Aquarium Background

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It can be a lonely life being a fish. Your career options are limited, the opportunities for travel slim and the only lasting relationships you can hope for are distinctly arranged. On the other hand, you have a lovely tank, food delivered daily and a nice view. Alright, so the exact dimensions of your tank may vary according to budget, but wed all have a bigger flat if we could afford it. And how much space do you really need? Once youve found somewhere to put the castle and the gravel, you only need some communal living space to swim around in. Whats really important is what you do with the space you have. The usual Vettriano prints are ill suited to an aquatic environment and water features are largely redundant. You could try a lava lamp, but I wouldnt advise it if you want to keep your gills intact. No, what you really need is a 3D aquarium background.

Were all leading busy cosmopolitan lives, but its still good to have a little reminder of the old country on your wall. A little bit of the ol big blue that ma and pa used to talk about. 3D aquarium backgrounds are available which mimic the coral reefs of the Galapagos Islands. So what if youre a goldfish with no heritage more dignified than the display tanks of Westfield? Therere any number of New Yorkers who claim Scottish blood on far more tenuous grounds. Even if some snooty swordtails should question the efficacy of such a display, you can simply point out the additional benefits beyond the simply baronial. For a start, theyre incredibly attractive things. The urban minimalism of your flatmates bedsit might not speak of your own aquatic roots, but a finely sculpted, fully three-dimensional backdrop can lend your little corner of it a certain underwater charm. And itll probably create a soothing atmosphere for him, as well. Thats why he has you after all; a calming fin at the end of a wearying day. Its just the way you swim, you laidback beast you.

There are also the remarkable health benefits. Were always being told that we need to keep our scales clean, but how many of us have the time? Its a sedentary life in a tank and there just arent the rocks you need to exfoliate. The protruding surfaces offer just the sort of abrasive surface to rub against; shed those scales and keep that streamline form. The textured backdrop is also a great environment for fostering friendly bacteria. Beats tipping a tub of Yakult into your tank every day.

There really is no better way to stay stylish, happy and healthy in your little fishy world than to invest in a 3D background for your aquarium. Youll love it, your tankmates will love it and your owner will love it, too. Which is just as well theyre paying after all.

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