Disease Prevention in the Freshwater Aquarium

Coping with sickness and disease in fish is one of the bitter realities of keeping aquariums. Every aquarist who has kept fish for any substantial amount time has to deal with fish sickness. One of the most common diseases to afflict fish is the notorious “ich” parasite. There are literally hundreds of diseases and parasites out there, some more common than others.
Every aquarist should be prepared for a possible infection or outbreak of sickness in the aquarium. Medicines, salt, extra equipment and an isolation tank are all things that serious aquarists should have on hand. Even those new to the hobby can greatly benefit by utilizing tools and strategies designed to combat the spread of sickness in the aquarium.
While every disease has its own course of treatment, the best way to overcome fish sickness is to prevent such an occurrence before it takes place.
The Basics for Keeping Fish Healthy
There are a few simple practices that, if upheld and performed regularly, can help prevent disease and sickness from getting a solid foothold in the aquarium. These practices require time and dedication from the aquarist. With a little effort, performing regular aquarium duties can be a very minimal chore, amounting to mere minutes per week.

• Water Changes – Water changes are one of the most important aspects of keeping fish. The influx of fresh water and the removal of old water helps to regulate and stabilize water chemistry, including pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels. A stable environment reduces stress on fish and their immune system. Further, the removal of excess waste and ammonia will create an environment that is clean and will not foster the growth and reproduction disease and parasites.

• Overcrowding – Aside from water quality, overcrowding is one of the most common reasons for the onset of fish sickness. Stress, injuries, territorial issues, and a high bio-load being produced by an excessive number of fish can be a dangerous combination. Not only do these conditions tend to instigate sickness, but such crowded fish spread the disease much more quickly.

• Feeding Practices – Overfeeding fish can cause numerous problems in the aquarium. The primary problem is that excess fish food creates excess waste, which ultimately leads to higher ammonia levels in the water. Generally, fish should be fed every other day, and only a small amount of food. Extra feedings means that extra water changes need to be performed to remove the excess waste. Excessive feeding can also lead to constipation and digestion problems.

Good Husbandry Means Good Health in Fish
Husbandry is essentially the practices we engage in to care for, breed, and stock the fish in our aquariums. Careful, conscientious husbandry that focuses on the health and wellbeing of fish will almost always have a successful outcome. Aside from the basic care to prevent disease, there are further practices that emphasize the study of the fish as well as reflecting upon how the aquarist interacts with the fish and aquarium.

• Observation – Take time to study and watch the fish and their behavior. With practice and knowledge, the aquarist can learn to differentiate normal, healthy behavior from erratic uncommon behavior. Most importantly, the aquarist should learn to read the signs of possible oncoming disease. These signs are numerous, but common signals of disease are gasping or labored breathing in the fish, clamped fins, lethargy, discoloration, and erratic swimming, to name a few.

• Elimination of Stress – Stress is one of the biggest killers of fish. Stress usually weakens the immune system and causes the fish to behave in an erratic fashion. Stress can take numerous forms, such as excessive noise, exterior movement or traffic, lighting, cramped conditions, poor water quality, or aggression in the aquarium. Be sure to research any fish being kept and try to meet their needs to the fullest.

• Sterilization – As they say, “cleanliness is next to godliness.” This mindset should be thoroughly embraced by the aquarist. Not only should the aquarist regularly clean the aquarium and provide clean water, but all equipment, including the aquarist himself, should be cleaned regularly. Clean and sterilize all nets, gravel siphons, and any other equipment before placing them inside the aquarium. This will help prevent the accidental introduction of outside bacteria and other disease vectors. Wash your hands before and after working on an aquarium. Isolation aquariums should also be used to mitigate the introduction of disease through newly purchased fish.

While it may be impossible to maintain a perfect aquarium and fend off all stress and disease, the aquarist can make a noble attempt. Good husbandry practices, while they make take some time to master and implement, can save the aquarist much frustration in the long-run. Remember, the first and most important step towards preventing a disease is to know of its existence. Research accordingly and apply that knowledge in your aquarium practices.

Courtesy - http://www.aquabotanic.com/?p=683

Managing Your Flowerhorn Aquarium

Proper fish tank management and beautiful Flowerhorn fish complements each other perfectly. Therefore, it is crucial for all hobbyists to have proper knowledge of good fish tank management. It is indeed more important to practice a good tank management than to purchase the suitable type of fish for your tank.

Setting Up Your Flower Horn Fish Tank.

As Flowerhorn’s ancestry originated from the Central and South American cichlids, it is essential to set up your tank to a closely simulated natural habitat for the fish, which at the same time, pleasing to the eye.

Various sizes and designs of fish tanks are available at your local fish store. Choose one that will complement your house. Always assume that Flowerhorns will grow to be about 50 cm in length. Therefore, it is advisable to get at least a 3 feet tank to start comfortably. Always have a tank top or tank cover to prevent your fish from jumping out. This is one common mistake of many hobbyists that lead to their fish “committing suicide”.

Various attractive background designs for aquariums are available easily. Choose one that will fit the natural environment of the fish. Pebbles, stones and gravels is a must in your flower horn tank because it be used as substrate for biological filtration. The fish is also a naturally active “digger” and this creates an environment closer to its original habitat.

One advice is to prevent pebbles that have sharp edges. These types of pebbles usually inflict cuts on the mouth of your fishes and if not treated, it will be infected. Many flowerhorn fishes are prone to mouth infection because of minor cuts sustained when they constantly dig at the pebbles.

Other unnatural tank ornaments are discouraged as these do not serve any purpose at all in the tank. Furthermore, these objects may even be hazardous, which might cause accidental cuts and injuries on your Flowerhorns as these fish possess fierce territorial behaviors and is always actively swimming.

Aquarium Lighting

Suitable aquarium lighting will enhance the coloration and the overall physical development of your Flowerhorn. It is recommended that you place your tank where is it able to get at least an hour of indirect sunlight a day. With proper water quality management, your tank should not go green with algae with that amount of sunlight. If this is not possible, getting a full spectrum light is therefore advisable. An exposure of your Flowerhorn to 4-8 hours of light per day from a full spectrum light source is sufficient to maintain the color development of your Flowerhorn.

Optiomum Water Quality For Flowerhorns

Flowerhorns are ‘hardy’, which means this fish are highly adaptable to different water conditions, including bad water conditions. However, it is often being mistaken that it is all right to keep your Flowerhorn in bad water condition since they are termed as a ‘hardy’ fish. Hobbyists also often mistook the fact that one can feed the Flowerhorn any possible food and not have to worry about water quality. These are indeed the few general misconceptions among Flowerhorn hobbyists. Adequate feedings and frequent water changes promote better growth and this as a result would even change the whole body size and shape of the fish.
pH Level and Hardness

Water pH levels indicate the acidity and alkalinity of the water. As for the ‘hardness’ of the water indicates the amount of dissolved minerals in the water.

There is an inter relation between these two water parameters. The water is considered ‘hard’ when there is a high content of dissolved minerals in it e.g. calcium and normally the pH of ‘hard’ water is above 7, which is more alkaline. When there’s a lack of dissolved minerals in the water, it is considered ‘soft’ and thus the pH will be lower then neutral, hence more acidic.
The Flowerhorn is hybridized from large South American cichlids. These large cichlids are from lakes in South America, where the water parameters are soft and slightly acidic. Therefor, the optimum water parameter for the flowerhorn should be close to the waters of its origin. pH of about 6 -7 should be best for your flowerhorn. 

Water Temperature

Flowerhorns are tropical fish. It can survive in water with various temperature ranges. They grow well in water temperature of 28°C. During transportation of Flowerhorns, water temperature is usually maintained at about 22°C. Temperature is raised to about 30°C when the fish is sick but this doesn’t mean that all illnesses are curable this way. A simple thermometer may be purchased to monitor water temperature changes in your tank.
Dechlorination

Tap water is commonly used by hobbyists. High chlorine toxicity may lead to fatalities. Chlorine will harm the fishes’ slime coat and therefore it will subject the fish to infection. Always dechlorinate water before it is added into the tank. If you see your fish darting around, gasping for air and shows listlessness after a water change, always suspect its chlorine poisoning. Test the water and if chlorine is present, neutralize it immediately. 

Filtration systems

A good filtration system is extremely important in an artificial aquatic environment. Reasons being, Flowerhorns feed on huge amount of food and secretes large amount waste that turns into ammonia. A good filtration system eliminates solid wastes from the fish, leftover food, ammonia and even dusts from the atmosphere. There are various types of filters available in the market. The efficiency of these filters depends on usage, stocking density and other various factors.

Mechanical filters work mainly to sieve out wastes but do not break it down. It makes the water clear but this doesn’t mean it is ‘clean’ as the ammonia produced by fish is still in the tank. The misconception of ‘clear water’ being ‘clean water’ often contributes to a lot of fish deaths. A mechanical filter normally uses filter wools and filter sponges as sieve materials. Mechanical filters work best coupled with biological filters.

Biological filters are more efficient as they provide bio-media surfaces for beneficial bacteria to grow on. Bacteria colonize these surfaces and ‘work’ on the ammonia waste left by fish to break it down into fish friendly water components (refer to the Ammonia and Nitrogen Cycle). The best that we have found is to have a good cannister filter with the proper mix of filter materials such as activated carbon, ammonia-removing resins, bio-balls, and fiter wool.
Always add activated carbon resins as part of the filter material to control ammonia, nitrate or nitrite poisoning. It can also help to absorb chlorine if chlorine is present.

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Red Cherry Shrimp (Neocaridina denticulata sinensis)

Minimum Tank Size: 10 gallons Care Level: Easy - Moderate Temperament: Peaceful Water Conditions: 60-80° F, KH 3-10, pH 6.6-7.0 Max. Size: 1½" Color Form: Red Diet: Omnivore Origin: Farm Raised, Singapore Family: Atyidae Red Cherry Shrimp make gorgeous  and functional additions to any peaceful freshwater aquarium. Its brilliant red coloration adds a beautiful ornamental quality while its purposeful pursuit for algae and organic debris makes the Red Cherry Shrimp an invaluable aquarium cleanup crew. The Red Cherry Shrimp have gained popularity thanks to their large appetite for all kinds of freshwater algae. These highly adaptable shrimp do well in any freshwater aquarium with good filtration and water quality. However, Red Cherry Shrimp will thrive in planted aquariums where food and shelter are abundant. Once established in their new home, these active freshwater shrimp are predominantly red in color with interludes of white. Keep in mind that new arrivals demonstrate varying degrees of "redness." They are often clear in appearance until they have properly acclimated and adjusted to their new environment. If there is a male and female in your aquarium Red Cherry Shrimp will most likely breed. The female will carry a clutch of yellowish eggs under her tail until they hatch in about 30 days. The newly born shrimp will look like miniature adult shrimp and will eat the same thing as the adults. If breeding these shrimp, it is important to keep them in a breeder aquarium with a sponge filter. This added precaution helps maximize survival of young shrimp. Like all invertebrates, Red Cherry Shrimp are sensitive to copper. Copper-based medications should never be used in aquariums housing ornamental invertebrates. Do not house Red Cherry Shrimp in aquariums with loaches, puffers, and other larger carnivores that will feed on invertebrates. Red Cherry Shrimp are omnivores that will consume algae, detritus and left over food. If insufficient food is present, supplement with algae tablets or quality flake food or pellets.

'Aequidens' pulcher

Scientific Name: 'Aequidens' pulcher

Common Name(s): Blue Acara

Geo. Origin: Venezuela & Island of Trinidad

Diet: Omnivore

Gender Differences: Dimorphic

Breeding: Substrate Spawner

Temperament: Mildly Aggressive

Conspecific Temperament: Aggressive

Maximum Size: 7"

Temperature: 78°F

pH: 6.5 - 7.5

Water Hardness: Soft

Aequidens' sp. "Goldsaum"

Scientific Name: 'Aequidens' sp. "Goldsaum"

Common Name(s): False Green Terror

Geo. Origin: Northern Peru & Southern Ecuador

Habitat: Streams, Pools, Drainage Channels

Diet: Carnivore

Gender Differences: Dimorphic

Breeding: Substrate Spawner

Temperament: Aggressive

Conspecific Temperament: Aggressive

Maximum Size: 11"

Temperature: 78°F

pH: 6 - 7.5

Water Hardness: Soft