October 2020 - Arowona Paradise

Hard Water and Aquarium Fish

For many people, hard water is a fact of life. Going to great lengths to soften aquarium water for the sake of the fish within, however, doesn’t have to be. Before you wage war with the specific parameters of your tank’s water, take a moment to consider if the fish you have selected truly need softer conditions or if they can adapt to what flows from the faucet.

A Hard Water Primer

The hardness of water refers to the amount of dissolved minerals in it, and it’s measured in two ways: General Hardness (GH) and Carbonate Hardness (KH), also referred to as alkalinity. The former measures magnesium and calcium, while the latter measures carbonate and bicarbonate ions. When measuring the hard water for fish, it’s referred to as either degree of hardness (dH) or as parts per million (ppm). A degree of General Hardness (dH) is defined as 10 mg/L CaO, which is equivalent to 17.85 ppm.

When the dH is 0 to 6 and the ppm is 0 to 100, the water is soft or very soft.
When the water’s dH is 6 to 25 and the ppm is 101 to 449, it’s slightly hard to hard.
When dH is 30 or more and the ppm is 450 or more, the water is considered “liquid rock,” or very hard.

Water’s KH is related to the aquarium’s pH level. The higher the KH measurement, the less the pH of the aquarium will fluctuate—and that’s best for the fish.

Choosing Hard Water Fish

Here’s the good news: Unless you’ve invested in specific tropical species that absolutely must live in soft water, such as a wild-caught Discus, your fish will likely adapt to the hardness of the local water in its aquarium.

Even if the research you do on fish accurately states the original native habitat for a species of fish, maybe the fish you bring home from your local pet shop wasn’t born or raised in that environment. In fact, since most fish species are now commercially bred, odds are it was raised in water that leans toward the hard alkaline side.

However, you can bypass the whole issue of whether your fish will thrive in hard water by simply choosing a hard water fish species. These include:

Livebearers such as Guppies, Mollies, Platies, and Swordtails
Paradise Fish
African and some Central American Cichlids
Brackish fish such as Archers, Monos, and Scats

Softening or Hardening the Water

There are several ways you can soften hard water if necessary, including:

Water-softening pillows
Peat
Driftwood

If your chosen species of fish truly must have soft water, consider changing water sources instead of using expensive ongoing water treatments. Using Reverse Osmosis (RO) water to blend in is one option, as is using a combination of tap and distilled water. Some industrious aquarium owners have been known to collect rainwater, which is naturally soft and acidic.

On the other hand, if you find that your water is far too soft, there are ways to harden it, too, including:

Crushed coral or oyster shell
Limestone
Buffer additives

If you use any sort of extras to harden or soften the water, ensure that they’ve been cleaned thoroughly, so it doesn’t do more harm than good.

Ask the Experts About Hard Water Fish

When purchasing fish, check with your local pet shop to find out what the hardness and pH levels are for their tanks. You might be surprised to find that most of their tanks are filled with hard, neutral to alkaline water, even though they are keeping fish that are supposedly soft water species.

It seems counterintuitive to keep fish in the “wrong” type of water, but these fish were captive-bred in hard water conditions. Therefore, it makes sense to keep them in water that is similar to what they were raised in.

05Oct

How to Determine the Sex of Your Fish

Depending on the species, determining the sex of a fish ranges from easy to nearly impossible. Knowing the sexual differences in aquarium fish is important when trying to breed fish and also for choosing the proper balance of fish for a community aquarium. Although not all fish can be easily identified by sex, these tips will help you recognize the sex of many of the common species of aquarium fish.

Determining Fish Sex

Here is how you can figure out the sex of common aquarium fish. This is by no means an exhaustive list but it does provide a general overview of the differences between the fish sexes.

Angelfish

Angelfish are extremely difficult to know accurately which is which sex, particularly when they are young.¹ Occasionally fully mature males will show a modest nuchal hump, which is a bump on the head just above the eyes. Don’t count on it being there in every case, though. The best way to establish a mating pair is to purchase a half-dozen immature angelfish and raise them together. When they are mature enough, they will pair off, and you should have at least one breeding pair out of the group. Once they begin mating, it will be quite obvious which one is male and which is female as she will be the one with the ovipositor laying the eggs. The ovipositor is a short tube from the female’s vent that she uses to lay her eggs. It has a rounded tip. The male will use a pointed tube that extends from his vent to fertilize the eggs after they are laid by the female. Both parents will take turns hovering over the eggs, fanning them with their fins to oxygenate them and keep them clean.

Bettas

Bettas are a species of fish that is quite easy to identify their sexes. Males have the long flowing fins and brilliant colors that owners find attractive. Male bettas are the ones usually sold in shops. Females are not as vividly colored and have short, stubbier fins, but some male betta varieties can also have short fins. It is not always easy to find female bettas for sale in pet shops; if you can’t locate one, ask the shop owner or manager if they can order one for you. Male bettas must be kept separate from each other and from the female until she is ready to breed. The male builds a nest out of air bubbles on the surface of the water and then entices the female to lay her eggs under it, wrapping his body around hers to fertilize the eggs as she lays them. He then collects the eggs into his mouth and places them into his bubble nest. After breeding, the male chases the female away and takes care of the eggs and the babies.² The female must be removed or she will be attacked by the male.

Catfish

Generally speaking, catfish sexes cannot be distinguished. Many species of catfish have not been breed in captivity. The notable exception is the Corydoras species, which has often been breed in captivity. In the Corydoras catfish, the female is usually a bigger-bodied fish than the males. The males will chase a gravid female (full of eggs) around the tank and then she will lay the eggs on a flat surface, such as a plant leaf, smooth rock, or even the aquarium glass. The males swim over the eggs and fertilize them, then the eggs are abandoned.

Cichlids

Cichlids are such a diverse group that it would take a small novel to give specifics for knowing the difference within each species. While many are not easily differentiated, there are a few rules of thumb that apply to quite a few cichlid species.

Males are often slimmer but larger-bodied than females and are more vibrantly colored. The dorsal and anal fins of the male are more pointed, larger and more flowing than in the female. In many species, the male will display egg-shaped markings on the anal fin known as egg spots. Some males have a bump on the head, referred to as a nuchal hump. Although females can also develop a nuchal hump when spawning, it is never as prominent as that of the male. Typically the dominant male will have a larger nuchal hump than other males.

Although the above general rules apply to many species of cichlids, if you are considering breeding them, do your homework on the specific species before seeking a breeding pair.

Cyprinids

Barbs and other members of the cyprinid family are rather difficult to tell apart. Differences will vary by species, but generally, males are more intensely colored and slimmer than females. Since most cyprinids are schooling fish, one way to obtain a breeding pair is to purchase a group of them. In some species of cyprinids, including goldfish, the males will get small white bumps (nuptial tubercles) on their head, operculum and possibly the spine of the pectoral fins during the mating season. The males will chase the female who will lay her eggs and the males fertilize them as she deposits them. After breeding, usually there is no care of the eggs, and the parents may even eat them if they are found.

Gourami

Gouramis are another species of fish that are not easily identified. Males and females often are similarly colored and shaped. There is, however, one fairly universal sexual difference seen in most gourami species. The dorsal fin is long and comes to a distinct point in males, while females have a shorter, rounded dorsal fin.

In addition, certain species of gourami show color variations between the sexes. The male pearl gourami has a deep red-orange coloration on the throat and breast. The male moonlight gourami has orange to red coloration of the pelvic fins. Like the betta, many gouramis will build a bubble nest, but both the male and female are involved in taking care of the eggs.

Livebearing Fish

Among the easiest of all fish to tell apart are the livebearing fish, such as the guppies, platys, mollies, and swordtails. Males are usually smaller and more colorful than females. They also possess an external sexual organ, the gonopodium, which makes it easy to differentiate males from the females: In the male, the anal fin is rod-shaped, while the female has a traditional fan-shaped anal fin. The gonopodium is used to fertilize eggs inside of the female fish as the male swims alongside the female. The internally fertilized eggs will hatch inside the female and then she will “give birth” to the babies.

Tetras

Tetras do have some differences between sexes, which vary based on the species. The females are a bit larger and plumper than males. Males are often more vibrantly colored and may have longer fins than their female counterparts. Tetras are schooling fish, so breeding pairs can be obtained simply by purchasing a small school of them at one time. Generally, they breed by the males chasing the females and fertilizing the eggs as she lays them in the plants or scattered among the rocks. There is no parental care to the eggs, which may be eaten if discovered by the fish.

05Oct

How to Clean a Fishbowl

While most tropical fish require an aerated aquarium to keep them healthy, there are some fish species, such as Betta fish, some gouramis, the paradise fish, and a few other species that can live in an unaerated fishbowl. Even small fish do best in a bowl that is at least half a gallon in size, or bigger. Just as it is important to keep any aquarium clean, it is even more important if you keep fish in a fishbowl, since these containers usually do not have filters and the small water volume means that contamination is more concentrated. It is especially important to clean fish bowls weekly because failing to do so can quickly result in disease and death to fish.

Materials You Will Need

Assemble these items:

Clean two-cup container
Bucket
Water conditioner product (dechlorinator)
Small fishnet
Hand towel
Strainer
Paper towels
A small brush (toothbrush)
Aquarium thermometer
Water test strips or kit

Prepare the New Water

Unlike large tanks, where a portion of the water can be replaced with each cleaning, cleaning a small bowl usually means replacing the entire water supply. To avoid major shock to your fish, it’s critical that the water is treated to remove harmful substances in tap water, such as chlorine or ammonia, and checked to be sure it is at the appropriate temperature and pH.

Regardless of what your water source is, it should be treated to eliminate chlorine, chloramines, heavy metals, and other potentially harmful substances.¹ Maintaining a consistent water temperature is also important to avoid stressing the fish with an abrupt temperature change. Lastly, tap water contains dissolved gases that dissipate after a short time, often changing the pH of the water, which is another stress factor for your fish. All of those issues can be addressed by testing and treating your water before adding it to the fishbowl.

The process for aging water is a simple one:

Fill a clean bucket with water from the tap. Use your aquarium thermometer to measure the temperature and adjust it to the correct temperature for your fish (usually 72-78 degrees F). You should buy a bucket to be used only for fish water, to ensure that it never contains any soap residue.
Add a water conditioner product. Choose a product that is advertised to instantly remove chlorine, neutralize chloramines, and detoxify heavy metals.
Test the water using water test strips or a test kit to ensure it has no chlorine, ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate and the pH is about 7.0-7.8.

After the new water has been prepared, you can proceed to clean the fishbowl.

Remove the Fish

While cleaning the fishbowl, you will temporarily move your fish to a container filled with water taken from the fishbowl. Using this water will minimize shock to the fish.

Take some of the existing water from the fishbowl and fill a small, clean container that has never been washed with soap.
Net the fish out of the bowl and place them in this container.
Fish that normally don’t jump will behave differently under stress, so your fish might try to make a break for it. Reducing the light will also help reduce stress to the fish. Place a hand towel over the container to reduce the light and keep the fish from jumping out.

Clean the Fishbowl

Proceed quickly to cleaning the fishbowl, as you want to minimize the time your fish spend in the temporary container.

Remove all the decorations and place them on a clean surface or paper towels.
Place a clean strainer in the sink, then pour the water out of the bowl through the strainer, catching the gravel.
Set the bowl aside and rinse the gravel with warm water, shaking it several times to ensure all debris is washed out.
While the bowl is still damp, use paper towels to scrub the inside surfaces of the bowl. Do not use soap or other detergents.
If there are stubborn stains on the bowl, use a small clean brush to scrub the stains. A new toothbrush works well for this. The same brush can be used to scrub the decorations.
Rinse the bowl and decorations several times with warm water.

Reassemble the Fish Bowl

All that remains is to reassemble the bowl, add the new water, and invite your fish back into their clean home.

Place the cleaned gravel in the bottom bowl, distributing it evenly over the bottom.
Arrange the decorations as desired.
Next, fill the bowl with the prepared water. Adjust the decorations if needed.
Net the fish out of their temporary container and return them to the clean fishbowl.
Use a paper towel to wipe away any water on the outside of the bowl.

Tips

Feeding your fish sparingly will help keep the bowl cleaner between maintenance days. Overfeeding is the most common mistake fish owners make. Usually fish only need as much food as they will eat in three minutes twice daily. There should never be uneaten food left on the bottom of the bowl or aquarium.
Keep a couple of water jugs filled with treated water so you always have prepared water available for emergency water changes.
Use vinegar if your fishbowl has lime marks after cleaning. Lay the bowl on its side and place enough vinegar in the bowl to cover the stained area. Let it sit for 15 to 30 minutes, then scrub with a clean brush.
For stubborn algae stains on the fishbowl or decorations, clean with a 10 percent bleach solution. Make the solution by combining nine parts of water with one part bleach. Soak the bowl and decorations in the bleach solution for 15 to 30 minutes, then rinse several times with cool water and allow the bowl to air dry.

05Oct

What to Know Before Buying an Aquarium

All too often new aquarium owners have a bad first experience with their first aquarium and end up giving up almost before they get started. Considering these basic factors and planning will help potential new aquarium owners avoid common pitfalls. Even for the experienced aquarium owner, planning is a good idea.

Two of the most important and basic issues to consider when setting up a new aquarium are cost and size. In both cases, people usually underestimate what is needed, and may make compromises that cause problems later.

Cost

Potential aquarium owners often see the price tag on a special package deal and assume they can get started for a few dollars. Don’t be fooled into thinking you’ll get started in the hobby for fifty dollars or less. Realistically it will cost $150 to $200 to get started with decent equipment. If that investment is too steep for your budget, it is wise to save until the funds are available to get everything you need. A good way to start is to make a checklist of what you need.

Make a Checklist

Expenses include the aquarium and stand, hood and light, heater, filter, gravel, decorations, water treatment, net, and cleaning supplies. All that in addition to the fish, as well as their food. Make a thorough checklist and go online or to a pet store, then write down the costs for all the items you are interested in. Sit down and determine what your bottom line cost is before you make your decision. You may be surprised to see what the actual total cost is.

If your budget is very tight, another option is to ask for help. Take your checklist of what you need and let your friends and family know that you’d like items from that list for your birthday, graduation, or as a holiday gift. That way you can get started without having to opt for inferior equipment, and your family can get you something they know you want. Maybe they will surprise you and give you the items without waiting for a special occasion.

Another option is to look for used equipment. Be aware that used tanks may leak, and heaters or filters may not work at all, and it’s difficult to test them out before buying. So ask questions upfront, and don’t pay more than 50 percent of the original price for anything. Don’t be too afraid of dirty glass or decorations, as that can be cleaned pretty easily. However, scratches and cracks cannot be rectified, so check used equipment closely for damage.

Size

Avoid tanks under 10 gallons if you are a first-time aquarium owner. Small aquariums are far more difficult to manage than larger ones, as toxins can build up very quickly in the small volume of water. Temperature changes and water chemistry changes can also occur very quickly when there are only a few gallons of water.

A must to avoid are those cute mini-aquariums that range from two to five gallons. Although some of the package deals in tiny aquariums may seem reasonably priced, they are not good for the first time aquarium owner. If at all possible go with a 20 gallon or larger tank. You’ll have a much better chance of making it work, as a larger tank is more forgiving of errors you might make.

Consider Weight

Be aware that an aquarium larger than 15 gallons will weigh more than 200 hundred pounds when filled, and should be placed on a stand rather than a shelf or desk. You’ll also need a place to put the aquarium that is not in direct sunlight or be subjected to drafts or temperature extremes that could harm the fish.

The location must also be capable of getting wet from time to time. Performing maintenance, adding or removing fish and other items from the tank will splash water around the tank. so keep that in mind if you are thinking about keeping a tank on your desktop or over a shelf of books or other items that might get wet.

Number of Fish

Lastly, be realistic about the size and number of fish you wish to keep. They will determine the size of the aquarium needed, which ultimately impacts the space you’ll need to accommodate it. Even if you choose a larger tank, start with a few small easy to care for fish. As you gain experience, you can add more challenging fish.

In short, when first starting out, think big for tank size and small for numbers of fish. Plan before purchasing equipment or fish, and you’ll have a good chance of success.