Pangassius Marine Nice Fish

Pangassius WILL NOT stop moving unless they catch ich. Good fish which the photo shows well. Too many distractions in the background. How did you get three flash reflections?

The Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle- Fish World

Some call it the biological cycle, the nitrification process, new tank syndrome or even the start-up cycle. They all are referring to the same cycle - The Nitrogen Cycle. This very important cycle is the establishment of beneficial bacteria in the aquarium and in the filter media that will help in the conversion of ammonia to nitrite and then the conversion of nitrite to nitrates. Check out the aquarium water chemistry page (on the left) for more information on these terms.

This process can take from 2 weeks to 2 months or longer to complete. It is vital for anyone planning on keeping aquarium fish to understand this process. Learning about this process will help you to be successful in keeping fish and it should definitely improve your chances when keeping tropical fish. The best way to monitor the nitrogen cycle is to purchase an aquarium test kit that will test for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and ph.

Test your aquarium water every other day and write down your readings. You will first see ammonia levels rising. A few weeks or so later you should see the nitrite levels rising and the ammonia levels dropping. Finally, after a few more weeks you should see the nitrate levels rising and the nitrite levels dropping. When you no longer detect ammonia or nitrites but you can detect nitrates you can assume that it is safe to add your tropical fish.

Nitrogen Cycle Stages
Stage 1
Ammonia is introduced into the aquarium via tropical fish waste and uneaten food. The tropical fish waste and excess food will break down into either ionized ammonium (NH4) or un-ionized ammonia (NH3). Ammonium is not harmful to tropical fish but ammonia is. Whether the material turns into ammonium or ammonia depends on the ph level of the water. If the ph is under 7, you will have ammonium. If the ph is 7 or higher you will have ammonia.

Stage 2
Soon, bacteria called nitrosomonas will develop and they will oxidize the ammonia in the tank, essentially eliminating it. The byproduct of ammonia oxidation is Nitrites. So we no longer have ammonia in the tank, but we now have another toxin to deal with - Nitrites. Nitrites are just as toxic to tropical fish as ammonia. If you have a test kit, you should be able to see the nitrite levels rise around the end of the first or second week.

Stage 3
Bacteria called nitrobacter will develop and they will convert the nitrites into nitrates. Nitrates are not as harmful to tropical fish as ammonia or nitrites, but nitrate is still harmful in large amounts. The quickest way to rid your aquarium of nitrates is to perform partial water changes. Once your tank is established you will need to monitor your tank water for high nitrate levels and perform partial water changes as necessary. There are other methods to control nitrates in aquariums besides water changes. For freshwater fish tanks, live aquarium plants will use up some of the nitrates. In saltwater fish tanks, live rock and deep sand beds can have anaerobic areas where denitrifying bacteria can breakdown nitrates into harmless nitrogen gas that escapes through the water surface of the aquarium.

Getting The Nitrogen Cycle Started
There are two ways to get the aquarium cycle started, either with fish or without fish.

Starting The Nitrogen Cycle With Fish
This is not the preferred way to get the nitrogen cycle started because the fish are being exposed to ammonia and nitrites during this process. Many fish can not and will not make it through the cycling process. Often times the fish become stressed and fish disease starts to break out. I wonder what percentage of disease is caused by the cycling of new aquariums?

Certain species are hardier than others and seem to tolerate the start-up cycle better than others. For freshwater tanks, the zebra danio is a very hardy fish that many use to get the nitrogen cycle started. For saltwater tanks, some have reported success using damselfish to get the process started. Again, using fish to cycle is not a good idea and you may be throwing your money (on dead fish) out the window. There is a better way. Read on, young grasshopper.

Starting The Nitrogen Cycle Fishless
There are a few different ways to get this process started. To easily get an ammonia reading from your tank water try the Seachem Ammonia Alert. It sticks inside the tank and has a circle that changes color depending on the ammonia levels in the tank.

• Option 1:
  Using Fish Food
  Drop in a few flakes every 12 hours. As the food decomposes it will release ammonia. You will have to continue to "feed" the tank throughout the process to keep it going.

• Option 2:
  Use a small piece of raw fish or a raw shrimp
  Drop a 2 inch by 1 inch chunk of raw fish or a raw shrimp into the tank. As it decomposes it will release ammonia into the tank.

• Option 3:
  Use 100% pure ammonia.
  Using a dropper, add 5 drops of ammonia per 10 gallons of aquarium water. If you don't get an ammonia reading with your test kit, add some more drops until you start to see an ammonia reading. Keep track of how many drops you've used so you can repeat this process daily. Continue to dose the tank with ammonia until you start to get nitrite readings with your test kit. Once you can detect nitrites you should only add 3 drops of ammonia per 10 gallons of aquarium water, or if you added more drops originally to get an ammonia reading cut the amount of drops used in half. Continue this process daily until you get nitrate readings with your test kit. Do a 30% water change and your tank is ready.

• Option 4:
  Use gravel and/or filter media from an established and cycled tank
  This is the best and fastest way to go. This will seed the tank with all of the necessary bacteria for the nitrogen cycle. "Feed" the tank daily with flake food until you are getting nitrate readings. Depending on how fast you were able to get the gravel and filter media into your tank, you may be getting nitrate readings in only a day or two. There are some drawbacks to this method. Ask your source if they have recently used any copper medications in the tank. If they have and you are planning to have invertebrates in the tank you should probably not use this method. Invertebrates will not tolerate copper. Get a copper test kit to determine if it's safe to use.

• Option 5:
  Using live rock in Saltwater Tanks
  The use of live rock in saltwater tanks has really taken off over the past few years. The reason for this is because it is one of the best forms of biological filtration available for saltwater tanks. The shape the rock is in when you get it will determine how long the nitrogen cycle will take. See step 7 on the saltwater setup page for more information on live rock.

Tunnel Fish Aquarium

Fish Plant, Marine Fish, Fish Tank, Aquarium Plant, Aquarium care

Aquarium Fish Care

Aquarium setup is not as simple as purchasing a tank, dumping in some water and adding a few fish. Setting up a healthy home aquarium is a process and it takes a bit of patience and effort to get started.

If this is your first aquarium, it's best to start out slow and plan on purchasing more robust freshwater fish. But let's not jump the gun. Before you even think about what fish you will buy, you have to set up your aquarium. Many pet stores sell aquarium kits that take the guess work out of aquarium setup. Everything you need comes in one box. You just buy it, take it home and follow the directions.

Once you buy your aquarium, you have to prepare the tank. The first step of aquarium setup is to rinse everything completely with clean tap water: the tank, the gravel and the substrate. The next step is to put everything into the aquarium.

If your aquarium will have an under-gravel filter, put that in place first. Then pour about 2-3 inches of gravel into the aquarium. Now add de-chlorinated water until the tank is about one-third full. Next place all of your decorations and any plants that you are including in your aquarium setup. If you want to use live plants, it is best to consult someone at the pet store for advice, because certain live plants have to be anchored to the bottom of the tank and some float freely in the water. Now hook up the air pump and filter and fill the rest of the tank with water. Finally, put the lid on. For the most successful aquarium setup, let the aquarium run with the filter on for a day or two before you add your fish.

Monitor the tank for the first day, and watch for cloudiness. This is also a good time to test the water temperature and pH level. If everything looks good after a day or two, go ahead and add a few fish - the more robust types we told you to buy a few paragraphs ago. When you are starting a brand new aquarium, it is wise to begin with hardier fish that can survive high levels or nitrites and ammonia, as levels of these chemicals are always higher in a new aquarium environment because of the nitrogen cycle. Once your tank gets established, debris from fish excretions will generate good bacteria that is needed to stabilize the aquarium environment and improve conditions for fish survival. Once you add fish, It generally takes 4-6 weeks for the aquarium to balance out.
After you buy your fish and bring them home, leave them in their plastic bags floating on top of the tank for 15 minutes or so. This helps the fish get used to the temperature of the water in the aquarium. Once you have given your fish time to acclimate, gently transfer them to the tank with a net and bucket. It is not recommended that you pour the fish into your aquarium with the water from the bag, because this water could negatively affect the balance in your newly regulated aquarium.

Keep an eye on the fish after you add them to the aquarium to make sure they don't show any signs of stress. If your fish get stressed, they can become sick. You can monitor stress levels by noticing how your fish behave. If they are inactive or stay near the surface of the water, they may be stressed. Get some stress coat if your fish start exhibiting this type of behavior.

It is recommended that you wait awhile - anywhere from a week to a month - before adding new fish to your aquarium. Give your first fish a chance to get comfortable in their new environment before you invite in anyone new.

Fresh Fish Tank

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The Beautiful Fish Tank

Keyword: Fish tank, Marine Fish, Fish Photo, Aquarium, Aquarium Equipment

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USB Fish Tank

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Nice Fish

On Saturday, GWAPA held its meeting for July at Cristy’s house. Cristy has a tank with some really beautiful discuss in it. I don’t know much of anything about discus, besides that they’re more work to keep than I’m generally up for, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate their beauty. Take a look at how great they look with a lush planted background behind them. Nice fish!

The Marine Fish

Marine Fish, Beautiful Fish, Aquarium Fish, The Blue Fish

Parrot Fish Profile

Parrot Fish Profile

It's hard to decide which of the colorful parrot fish's many unique characteristics is most remarkable.

There’s its diet, which consists primarily of algae extracted from chunks of coral ripped from a reef. The coral is pulverized with grinding teeth in the fishes’ throats in order to get to the algae-filled polyps inside. Much of the sand in the parrot fish's range is actually the ground-up, undigested coral they excrete.

There's its gender, which they can change repeatedly throughout their lives, and their coloration and patterns, which are a classification nightmare, varying greatly, even between the males, females, and juveniles of the same species.

Finally, there are the pajamas. Every night, certain species of parrot fish envelope themselves in a transparent cocoon made of mucous secreted from an organ on their head. Scientists think the cocoon masks their scent, making them harder for nocturnal predators, like moray eels, to find.

Close relatives of the wrasse, parrot fish are abundant in and around the tropical reefs of all the world’s oceans. There are about 80 identified species, ranging in size from less than 1 to 4 feet (30 to 120 centimeters) in length.

Their meat is rarely consumed in the United States, but is a delicacy in many other parts of the world. In Polynesia, it is served raw and was once considered "royal food," only eaten by the king.

Marine Aquarium Fish

Marine Aquarium Fish

Yellow Fish

Marine Fish, Aquarium Fish, Fish With Hand, Beautiful Fish, Fine Fish, Fish Photo, Strange Fish, Big Fish, Small Fish, Beautiful Aquarium, Aquarium Photo, Marine Photo, Fish Spa, Flying Fish, Robo Fish, Fish Food, Aquarium Fish Screen Saver, Sea world fish

Flying Beautiful Fish

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Aquarium Fish Spa

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Marine Fish With Hand

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