The Home Aquariums Site

White spots clinging to the fishes in your home aquariums are actually parasites constantly breeding and feeding little by little on your fishes. These little parasites are commonly called Ick, and are very much a recurring problem for aquarium owners, which is why you have to know how to deal with them effectively.

This article outlines how you can remove white spots from your fishes using the chemicals you can buy from your local fish store. White spots are very common in most home aquariums that most fish stores already provide cures for you to easily deal with these parasites. But there is still a proper way to use these chemicals because in the long run, you would not want them harming your fishes.

Chemicals used as anti-parasites in home aquariums are typically composed of formalin and malachite green. Both of these are considered very harmful to the health of your fishes and that is why when using them against white spots, you have to be extra careful in regulating their amounts. Furthermore, putting in too little into your fish tank will drastically lower the effect of the chemicals, possibly making them useless even through all your efforts. With this in mind, it is important to take note of the required dosages as instructed on the labeling or from an expert you can depend on.

White spots can only live on a host fish for about 5 days, and after that time, will drop off into the substrate of your home aquariums where they will begin to multiple. During this time is when you have to use the chemicals because they normally do not affect active white spots.

Apply the chemicals every day for at least 10 to 15 days to make sure that all the white spots are taken care of. During this time, active carbon filtering should be removed from the home aquariums because they can lower the effect of the chemicals. And since malachite green is photosensitive, it is also important that all aquarium lights are turned off. Once again, just be careful in this procedure because using chemicals is always a risky way of treating your home aquariums.

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When you are seeing white spots developing on your fishes as they swim inside your home aquariums, you know that it is already a sign of some parasitic infection developing inside your fish tank. Chances are that you are spot on in recognizing the problem, because your fishes are most probably infected with ick, a parasite that slowly feeds on your poor little fishes.

Identifying ick infection is very easy because frankly, they are very much recognizable as they attach to their fish hosts. They look like little grains of salt, attaching themselves mostly on the gills and fins of the fishes in your home aquariums. While you might not notice any great harm these white spots may do to your fishes, in actuality, they put stress on the fishes, making the animals erratic in swimming and scratching themselves continuously on many of the available surfaces inside your aquarium.

Ick parasites reproduce rapidly inside home aquariums and are transferred via the water only, contrary to popular belief that they may be transferred by air too. They swim freely inside the aquarium trying to find a host fish to attach themselves onto, however, this will only last for about 55 hours, and if they don’t find any host to infect, they quickly die, never to cause harm again.

When ick parasites find hosts though, they attach themselves to the fish for about 5 days or so. After this time period, they drop off the fish and into the substrate of your home aquariums where each ick multiplies to about a thousand more ick, ready to infect more fishes.

There are ways to combat ick infections, but may also cause harm to your fishes in the long run. I always suggest prevention rather than cure, so before you even think of tampering the water of your home aquariums, make sure that everything is ick-free and ready to be exposed to your fishes.

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Knowing where to set up your home aquariums can be a pretty tedious task for first-time fish tank owners but this knowledge is definitely essential before you even think of owning one. Contrary to general opinion, you really do not just put an aquarium anywhere you may think of placing it into your home. Depending on where you put it may make or break your first fish-keeping experience, and this article provides a few simple tips for you to follow to determine where in your house is the most ideal place to put your fish tank.

On all construction of home aquariums, it is very important that the fish tank is placed on a stand balanced on level ground. Usually, a Styrofoam is used to act as a cushion supporting the base of the tank while in contact with the stand. This is essential because when filled with water, the aquarium can become too heavy on certain parts of the glass base, and you really do not want your aquarium scratching the surface of the stand when this happens.

In placing your aquarium, you should consider putting it on a well-seen place where it easily stands out. Preferably, your home aquariums should be installed against a wall with a nearby electric socket always ready to plug in your aquarium filters and other peripherals. I know these are obvious tips, but it is also amazing on how many people neglect to do them, therefore, exercising these tips beforehand can save you much time and worry when putting up fish tanks yourself.

Another important factor to consider in aquarium placement is exposure to sunlight and access to water. Basically, you would not want your aquarium exposed to too much sunlight because this will suggest great algae growth. Algae are not harmful for your fishes, but you would not want them populating your home aquariums because they can be really unsightly to watch. And lastly, it should be clear that you have to clean your aquariums regularly too, therefore, shorter trips to the kitchen or bathroom will save you time for these chores, explaining why you need good access to water sources as much as possible.

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I had fun reading an article from Mail Tribune today talking about how his goldfish is so very much resilient after many of his blunders while taking care of it. Now, I’m not stressing that you should try to do all of these activities to the fishes in your home aquariums too, just to test if they will still live afterwards. Just trying to show you people a very cool story about love for fishes and how this love can also conquer all odds (yep, it’s cheesy, I know, I’ll go work on that part).

Anyway, the story is about a goldfish named Amen and his owner named Sanne Specht (who is also the author of the article you can see on the link below). Sanne started off narrating how he kept Amen and other fishes on his bathtub at home. And I know it may sound oh so cruel, it’s actually the best he can do since he doesn’t even have any home aquariums to keep the goldfish.

After a brief incident of accidentally nearly flushing Amen down the drain and accidentally stabbing the fish with a pair of scissors, it just struck me how Sanne did all he can to revive the goldfish that he loved so much. Home aquariums are used to keep fishes for a reason, but when after he actually had one, Amen still encountered a disaster against the air filter tube. Oh well, the fish still survived after that, so no worries there.

Quoting from what he said in the article:

I became more pop-eyed than Amen when my favorite fish popped out of the drain, attached to the tip of my scissors.
“No!!!!!!!! Noo!!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!” I screamed.
“Please … Please … Please … Don’t die!” I cried, wondering whether it was possible to give a fish a transfusion.
Death seemed imminent. Euthanasia seemed humane. I called my local fish store and sobbed out the whole tragic tale.

It is one funny story, but it’s really very touching too. Again, I don’t suggest doing these things to the fishes of your own home aquariums, but it pays to read articles about loving your pets too. You can read the whole story on the link below.

[Source]

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There will come a time when your home aquariums would not only serve as a hobby or for decorative purposes, but for education as well. As a matter of fact, that time has come already for Wilson Middle School, as a teacher named Courtney Rodgers uses their classroom fish tank to teach students the life cycle of a fish.

Developed by Trout Unlimited, a national conservation group, the program called Trout in the Classroom is being used by Rodgers to facilitate her life science lessons. In this program, trout eggs stored inside the fish tank for her classroom are displayed for the whole class to see and supplementary lessons will then be discussed during the time that these eggs hatch and grow into an adult fish to be released in the wild. I bet this approach is much more effective too, since students will experience face to face how the fish cycle runs and most probably will show them how important the cycles of nature are preserved as well.

For experienced owners of home aquariums, this is definitely good news, especially for those who have children in their household. This is a great way for aquarium owners to impart knowledge on to the next generation of possible fish enthusiasts, and give education on how important Mother Earth’s cycles are to humans as well. For kids, curiosity is a sign of room for knowledge, and that’s why this is also a great time for them to know more about fishes.

Now, this is also a sign on how important home aquariums can serve your own household. I know that there are many things you should learn first before you can start building your own fish tank, but with careful research and learning, you’ll be starting your own in no time at all.

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Due to the many ill effects of hard water on our everyday tap water use at home, it is sometimes necessary to put a water softening process to take care of this problem. In the case of home aquariums, however, softened water may induce bad health cases for your fishes, but of course, results still vary from a case to case basis.

For one, softening water works by changing the chemical composition of your hard water by reducing magnesium and calcium deposits in the water and exchanging them with mostly-beneficial sodium ions. Now, I said this is mostly beneficial only because it helps with non-aquarium uses, but in the case of home aquariums, generally, you would not want any change in the chemistry of the water where your fishes reside.

Most fishes are very reactive to changes in water acidity and are not suited to live in conditions where the water is tested with a very low pH level. Softening water is basically lowering the pH level of your natural tap water after several chemical reactions to compensate with its hardness. With this fact alone, it is already not advisable to expose the fishes in your home aquariums to softened water if you are worried about their safety, and just like any other fish lover, who would not be worried, right?

Anyway, even with this knowledge, many people will still counter that they have been using softened water for their fish tanks without noticing any adverse effects on their livestock. This may have been caused by a lot of factors. Maybe their fishes are already accustomed to that particular water environment from the time they are bred in captivity, or maybe because the pH drop is not that significant to provide any great effect to the health of the fishes, but in any case, what works for them may not work for your aquariums too. So if you are in doubt about this subject, it is always advisable to stay on the safe side and not use softened water for your own home aquariums and keep on using the same water you have been using for your fishes since the day you kept them.

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I just read a very nice looking article from Wired awhile back featuring some geeky pets you might want to put into your home aquariums. Now, I must say that yes, all of them are pretty geeky, weird and funny-looking too, but after imagining them on my own aquarium, I would say that they are very beautiful to behold, and I would pretty much like to have one also.

Anyway, what really gripped me in the post is the presence of the Axolotl or the Mexican Walking Fish. I mean, wow! Well, that’s really an alien-looking amphibian and basing from the pictures, can really look great on well-maintained and well-cared for home aquariums. They don’t need land like some other pet amphibians and can be great attractions even with other fish swimming in your aquarium.

After searching for more information about Axolotls (I’m talking about Wikipedia here). I found out that they are already classified as exotic pets and their natural habitat in Mexico is already endangered of being spoiled by humans. Talk about bad news, right? However, they are still sold as pets for responsible fish owners throughout the whole world, and as a matter of fact, they even got a unique name for themselves in Japan. Just ask for wooper roper and you’ll get one.

Wikipedia and the Wired article also shares a bit of information on how to efficiently take care of an Axolotl. Quoting from the latter, the following is how you can take good care of one for your own home aquariums. Enjoy!

Axolotls live at temperatures of 14 °C (57 °F)-20 °C (68 °F), preferably 17 °C (63 °F)-18 °C (64 °F). Lower temperatures slow down their metabolism, although temperatures around 10 °C (50 °F) are a panacea when it comes to treating disease. Higher temperatures can lead to stress and increased appetite. Chlorine in tapwater is harmful to axolotls. A single typical axolotl typically requires a 10-US-gallon (38 l/8.3 imp gal) tank with around 150 millilitres (5.3 imp fl oz/5.1 US fl oz) of water. Axolotls spend a majority of the time on the bottom of the tank.

In laboratory colonies, adult axolotls are often housed three to a one gallon container, and water changes are performed more regularly. Salts, such as Holtfreter’s solution, are usually added to the water to prevent infection.

In captivity, axolotls eat a variety of readily available foods, including trout and salmon pellets, frozen or live bloodworms, earthworms, and waxworms.

[Source]

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For new fish owners, taking care of home aquariums can be a real daunting task especially when they still don’t know what to do (or when they even don’t have the slightest idea of what they are taking care of). But really, there’s nothing to fret about, because just like any hobby, you can always learn from experience, and Jon de Vos’ article on Sky-Hi Daily News is the perfect example of what I’m talking about.

Just like any non-fish enthusiast, Jon says that he’s pretty much confused on how to take care of home aquariums after he and his wife got one after their marriage. Following the purchase of an aquarium are various disasters coming from his unending attempts to learn how to take care of his fishes. Funny how much is the same with most of us who are first-time aquarium owners, where learning how to deal with the ropes will always bring disaster with it.

Anyway, he then outlines some of the things he learned during the whole encounter. From pointers on buying fish, to taking good care of them, to breeding problems, Jon learned so much from all of his mistakes. He even says that he’s gotten a lot better at taking care of home aquariums, with each and every step of his gathering wisdom ending with a “finny tragedy”.

Well, I admit we wouldn’t want that for our own fish tanks, right? That’s why before doing anything, it may be better if we ought to search first for information on a particular task in order to do it well, preventing any further disaster waiting to happen. But of course, there’s also a valuable lesson to be learned from the experience of others. And Jon’s experience with home aquariums is one of those good reads where you can pick up little gems of information on how to take better care of yours.

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No doubt about it, home aquariums are meant to be seen with all its glory and beauty, but when you are not able to see your fishes swimming around your tank because of those white stains blocking your vision, you know you have to do something about it or else, you won’t be seeing your fishes until you do. But what can you do to get rid of these hard water stains? Well, that is what we are here to find out.

Hard water stains are actually lime deposits clinging to your aquarium glass. These are caused by high mineral deposits in the water on the area where you live, and are pretty much normally experienced by many owners of home aquariums. And if you are worried about the safety of your marine livestock, I suggest you do not sweat it too much because it is perfectly safe for your fishes. The only problem though is that it can be an unsightly thing for you, since your whole purpose is to relax watching your aquarium, and you can’t do that efficiently now, right?

Anyway, through research and experience, I gathered some of these tips for you to get rid of hard water stain on your home aquariums so that you may implement them and get back into relaxing once again with your fish friends.

One thing you can try is to scrape hard water off using an aquarium scrubber. I know that this can be the most laborious of all the ways you can do this, but in this way, you won’t have to empty the tank before you can start cleaning already. With some effort and perseverance, you will be able to take out most of them without harming your fish. Changing the water afterwards is mandatory to siphon off the solids scraped off the glass.

An alternative to using an aquarium scrubber is to use a razor blade. In my opinion, this is much better than the scrubber, but you have to be careful in handling this because the razor blade can cut you during the activity. Also, this can only be used in glass home aquariums because sharp things does not really get along well with plastic ones, and you do not want your aquarium be destroyed in the process.

The easiest way for you to clean off hard water stains is to remove them using vinegar or lime juice. Now, one thing you should know is that these products can pose a threat to your livestock if you are not careful because basically, these are acids and a significant change in the pH level of your tank may kill your fishes. One thing you can do is to transfer the fishes into another tank first and use these products thoroughly on the stains. Be sure to clean the aquarium afterwards before transferring the fishes back. This way, you will have a spunky clean aquarium without having to worry about the safety of your livestock.

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Home aquariums are definitely a must-buy for any fish enthusiast and there are many reasons why you may already want to start one. But unfortunately, there are also things you must know before starting an aquarium setup because you really don’t want spending much money on your first fish tank, and just waste that hard-earned money away because of unhealthy fish and poor aquarium maintenance.

Now, there are some basic things you must remember before starting out your aquarium and some of these you should do on a regular basis. Don’t worry because these tips aren’t really that hard to implement, but the rewards that follow is definitely worth the time you spend for your fish tank.

First, all home aquariums need to be installed with a filter. One of the greatest mistakes of new aquarium users is that they overlook the installation of filters to ensure the longevity of their aquariums. Keeping the tanks clean should be the very first thing you should remember, because no one would want to take a look at a dirty aquarium, and keeping it clean ensures a healthy relationship between you and your fishes.

Another thing you should remember is to be selective about the fishes you want populating your aquarium. Certain kinds of fishes don’t really get along well with others, and you’ll only find yourself in heaps of trouble if you mix tame fishes with aggressive ones, thus endangering the latter. For this one, the best solution is to always ask your supplier before buying any fish. Reading articles also helps, and you must do your research before making your move.

Be prepared to clean your aquarium in a regular basis too. I know you already installed filters to take care of that, but regular water replenishment is also needed to keep beautiful home aquariums. I suggest you don’t sweat it too much though, because part of keeping an aquarium is enjoying your work. And really, after all that exercise in making your aquarium as good as it gets, it’s time for you to reap the rewards and relax while watching your masterpiece.

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