Pathen Pros asked:


BASIC PIRANHA FACTS

Piranhas have red throats, razor-sharp teeth to rip flesh with ease, and silvery gold flesh (red-bellies have red bellies, of course). Piranhas are native to South America and Guyana and it’s against the law to bring them in and out of most countries. They are quite dangerous and aggressive fish since they reside in schools, which has a tendency to promote a competitive environment.

When planning a piranha aquarium, fish size should be regarded first. Grown piranhas have been known to develop to two feet long in a big enough tank. Piranhas are in addition group swimmers, which means they’ll need room to roam.  Strive to provide two gallons per each inch of piranha fish. An aquarium six feet long by two feet by two should allow ample hideouts. A minimum fifty-gallon aquarium is recommended.

TANK UPKEEP AND CONDITIONS

Piranhas (Serrasalmus nattereri) are very sloppy eaters. Ten to fifteen percent water switch-outs every seven days will ensure waste not trapped by the filter system is taken away. Regarding filter systems, almost all piranha aquariums will need at least two devices to manage the process, especially if the aquarium is fifty or more gallons. Nitrate concentrations, which have harmful effects on piranhas particularly, should be monitored directly. PH levels ought to stay between six and one half and 6.9 to copy those of the Amazon where piranhas came from.

Water degrees in a piranha enclosure should be about eighty degrees to encourage piranha movements. Many piranha owners employ additional water pump devices to prod piranhas to swim  in opposition to the waves as in the River of the Amazon. The practice additionally promotes metabolism levels, stimulating eating habits.

For decoration, it’s preferable to keep the fish tank low lighted to encourage piranhas to venture into open water. Man-made fauna is recommended. Any rocks and synthetic centerpieces will need to be tightly fastened, seeing as strong piranhas will hurl pieces around, potentially breaking glass.

DIET

Piranhas’ diet consists completely of proteins. Living meaty rations such as non-fatty poultry or beef and fillets of fish may be administered daily or bidaily. Feeder comet fish are a non-expensive choice, but piranhas will dine on practically any variety of meat. Experiment to find what yours favor. Whatever you do, don’t leave your fingers in the water too long!

TANK MATES

Obviously piranhas are aggressive fish, which makes your choice of tank mates relatively slim. However, some other aggressive fish can co-exist with them. For example, tetras, cichlids, oscars, pleco catfish and pacus. These fish are by and large excellent defensive fish, while the plecos have tough outer shells and can grow to larger, intimidating sizes. Pacus resemble piranhas and will fight back. Tetras are quick and small with sensory instincts which allow them to stay clear of piranhas. Piranhas also aren’t likely to give chase to such speedy, small cohabitants. Cichlids may or may not coexist with piranhas; they have simply been known to team up against them to survive. Oscars are large and in charge and inexpensive to replace if they’re slurped by a fat red-belly.

As a rule of thumb, don’t introduce too many new experimental tank mates into your piranha tank. Add them one by one to see how they adapt. Whatever you do, don’t get too attached to them until you know they’re going to make it!

SUMMARY

We hope you’ve benefited from this informational piece regarding piranhas. Feel free to visit AquariumUniverse.com for more piranha aquarium information including photos and videos, additional guides and aquarium resources.



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Cichlidfishcare asked:


African cichlids are well known among aquarists for their aggression and territorial behavior and hence, they can be difficult to care for when not handled properly. If you are going to keep them with other community fishes or cichlids, you need to pay extra attention to the issue of water requirement and compatibilities with other cichlid species.

Firstly, you will need to ensure that the fishes in your aquarium come from waters with similar pH level. African cichlid comes from three main African lakes: Lake Malawi, Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika. The general idea here is to not mix cichlids from different lakes as the pH level of the water are not the same.

The same logic goes with all the other fishes in you aquarium. Do your research beforehand and ensure that the fishes in your aquarium live in similar water condition before putting them together.

Secondly, after considering water compatibility, you will need to look at their temperament. One of the most complex and problematic issues surrounding cichlid is their behavior towards other cichlids. You will find that most cichlid display “selective aggression”, meaning that they are only aggressive towards the same species or species that bears close resemblance to them.

The rationale here is that cichlids perceives similarity as a threat to their survival (compete for the same food, same partner, same territorial preference, etc). Thus, the general idea here is to not mix cichlids of similar color or shape as they are perceived as a threat.



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Andrew Bicknell asked:


Adding a freshwater fish tank to your home can be a great way to add a decorative focal point that is fun for everyone. And because home aquariums are becoming more and more popular there is no shortage of fish shops supplying the latest and greatest tanks, accessories and of course fish. The good news is that most of these fish shops are owned by people who like to share their great enthusiasm for all things fish with their customers.

When you decide you would like to enjoy a freshwater fish tank there are several things you will need to keep in mind. Where would you like to put your new fish tank and what size will fit best in the area designated. Fish tanks come in a variety of shapes and sizes so it is best to visit your local fish shop to get a good feel for what is available to fit your needs. Be sure to ask questions about what you are looking for and the shop employees will be able to point you in the right direction.

As you are deciding on the type and size of tank you will also need to think about the type of fish you would like to keep. This is where research into the different species of fish is a must. You cannot simply just pick out the fish you like best at the store and mix them al together. If you are going to have a community tank, that is a tank with many different types of fish in it, then you need to have fish that get along well with others. If you are leaning more towards a Cichlid tank then you need to be more careful as most Cichlids are aggressive towards other fish.

Once you get your new freshwater aquarium it is time to set it up. While most people don’t have the patience the best thing to do is to fill your tank with water, set up you decorative gravel, rocks, plants and anything that catches your eye and let it sit for a few weeks. Be sure to have all your filtration and air supplies running during this time. The reason it is important to do this is to let any chlorine dissipate out of the water and get the beneficial bacteria a chance to develop.

If you put fish in a tank that has had time to get established you will end up with new tank syndrome, which can be extremely harmful to any fish and cause them to die. This bacteria is the primary fish waste disposal resource. Without it toxic levels of ammonia and other waste gases will build up rapidly in the water. Giving the bacteria a chance to cycle will create a fish friendly environment that will protect your purchases.

A freshwater fish tank does take some work, both setting up and maintaining. But the rewards of its look in your home are more than worth it.



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Oscar Lover asked:


Oscars, scientifically known as “Astronotus Ocellatus”, belongs to the Cichlidae family. Some aquarists refer to them as peacock cichlids whilst some refer to them as velvet cichlids, though they are more popularly known simply as Oscars. Compared to other types of pet fishes such as goldfish, koi, barbs or other smaller fishes, the Oscar Fish is a better bet if you wish to have an enjoyable time with your pet fish.

Oscars have beautiful markings on their bodies – usually bright orange spots against a jet black body. The highlight of the orange spots would be the “ocellatus” or “eye spot”, which is a distinctive round rim near the base of the tail. With the right amount of lighting and dark coloured background for the aquarium, this fish would be very striking indeed as they swim from end to end.

The other feature of the Oscars would be its apparent intelligence compared to other fishes. Whilst fishes such as goldfish, koi and barbs swim aimlessly in an aquarium, the Oscar seems to have a greater purposiveness in their actions. They swim in a manner as if they were more aware of what is going around their surroundings. This particular trait is a joy to watch as they seem to be exploring their surroundings with interest.

Oscars are also inexpensive to purchase and quite easy to manage. Just give them enough room to roam and you should be able to grow it to the size of 1 foot given the right conditions. With recorded lifespans of up to 15 years in aquarium conditions, Oscars are truly worth considering as a pet for the home.



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Pete Wright asked:


My wife and I had kept tropical fish before, but we wanted to do something different. So we decided to reconstruct the fireplace – a typical modern affair with no real quality or style – into a 7 foot long 4 foot deep paradise for fish…and eventually into an African Cichlid sanctuary…

Having got some real clever mathematician to work out that the weight of the water and tank was indeed supportable in our house (! – you’ll never believe how many people don’t check that out, especially those in apartments), we set about planning the aquarium with delight…

The tank was to stand on ornamental stone blocks which a local builder fixed in place. We needed to talk to a specialist tank supplier as the tank we were building was just a little out of the ordinary – and finally several weeks later the tank arrived.

The first trip to the store

My excitement was extreme as we made our way to the local store to get the bits and pieces we would need to start off:

• the gravel

• the filter and aerator

• the lighting

• the heater

• the cleaner (gravel vac).

When I got home I scrubbed the tank, and checked to make sure there were no leaks, then started to lay the gravel (having first washed the gravel through to make sure the dust was removed). At this time there was no need to be particular as water disturbs the gravel when it is first added. I then added about a third of a tank of water and started to mould the gravel to the way I wanted it. At this point I added some water purifiers and de-chlorinator to the tank.

Ok so then I put in the filter and aerator in, and also added the heater. These all remained switched off until I was finished in the tank. The rest of the water was then added – and I used a plastic tray floating on the surface to make sure there was not too much water movement which meant my sculpted gravel remained the way I wanted it.

Next all the equipment was turned on and left for two days.

The it was back down to the store for two more things:

• lots of plants and:

• CO2 diffuser to help with plant growth

The next day the plants were now neatly arranged and growing in my warm tank, so off down the shop again to get my first fish.

The first fish.

I love platies, the variety of colors is fantastic – but any live bearers are a good place to start. Mollies, swordtails, platies or guppys are ideal to get your water up to scratch. This is generally called cycling and is really the growth of good bacteria in your tank – which in turn break down the waste. So only add a few fish at first or the waste will kill the fish before the bacteria gets to work.

Five platies later and they are floating in their plastic bags on the surface of the tank. This was just to get the water temperatures equalised, and then over a period of a couple of minutes I let some of the tank water in the bag a couple of times. Finally out the five popped and made their way in the new tank.

Technically the fish waste is ammonia and needs to be broken down by bacteria into nitrite, and then later on into nitrate which is what helps the plants grow. This cycle needs to establish in your tank if you are to keep healthy and happy fish and generally this takes about 8 weeks to settle down. Even then my advice would be to add fish slowly til the are all established.

Eventually and with patience.

My wife and I eventually decided that tanganyika cichlids and malawi cichlids were our real hobby (with some dwarf Kribs thrown in) and we managed to breed a few different types including labidochromis caeruleus or more commonly Canary cichlids, and also neolamprologus leleupi or the tanganyika yellow. At one point our tank was a huge splash of yellow delight.

In the evenings now we just switch the television off, cuddle up and watch the fish tank – and soothe our worries away….



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