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ANDRE'S AQUARIUM CLUB
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ndre's
| xxxx | When most of us started keeping aquariums, we went into the hobby blind. We read outdated books and listened to the self-serving advice from our local fish shops. Only after the death of many aquatic animals and the purchase of expensive, useless equipment did we accumulate the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully keep these creatures. Looking back on those years of “trial and error” aquarium keeping, I’ve often wondered why someone never guided people through the setup and maintenance of aquariums. Well, finally someone is. |
, finally someone has.
| The
Aquarium Veteran
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INDEX
Freshwater and Saltwater marineandreef.com is owned and operated by The Aquatic Group Toll Free Phone Number: 877-878-9349
Saltwater supplies 
Question........Any good info on the life of UV bulbs would be appreciated. My experience has been that 6 months is too long and that my tank starts getting unhealthy before then. Thanks!, Marlene Answer......Marlene .... Yes, the time frame you are changing them is for optimum performance. However instead of throwing them away use them on an aquarium that may not have the same high quality light demands. Fluorescent bulbs can last several years, but do lose intensity over time. Marine tanks and planted tanks are the types of tanks I would most likely change the bulbs on a 6 month basis. If you need more info like what kind of light to use for a specific aquarium write again. "The Aquarium Vet"
Question.......Hi, I have noticed yesterday that one of the damsels is defending a little spot behind a coral. When I took a closer I noticed a nest of eggs on the glass wall of the tank. Please help how can I protect the future babies. Thank You! Bodi Answer...... Bodi.... Congratulations on your eggs. The hard part will be bringing the fry up.I have never bred any marine fish, but I understand the damsels behave much like their fresh water distant cousins the Cichlids. The best way to assure their survival would be to dedicate a tank especially for the damsels to raise their young. Damsels become very aggressive while guarding their clutch, thus providing numerous caves or hiding places will go along way to mute the aggressiveness in your tank. live Baby brine would be the best suggestion for the fry to start eating. Good Luck!!!
"The Aquarium Vet"
Question.....I am going to be adding a protein skimmer and one 50/50 light bulb and one actinic light bulb so that I may have soft corals in my tank. and I was just wondering what soft corals are fairly hardy. I would want to start with something a little less temperamental , seeing as it is my first time with corals.Thanks Sincerely Adam Answer..........Adam.... Soft corals require extremely good water quality. the water should be circulating very briskly and few fish should be included in a tank containing soft coral. It is best top leave soft corals where they are. Let them establish themselves on the rock work so they can filter feed in a consistent manner. The two most common and available soft corals are Simularia or commonly known as Cauliflower corals and Sarcophyton or commonly known as leather corals. Sarcophyton species will propagate actively in the aquarium and push new offspring out at the base of the mother coral. Even though soft corals contain algae, they extend their polyps at night to capture small particles of plankton. Soft corals are sensitive to stings from creatures like anemones, and nudibranchs so other invertabrete should be selected carefully.
"The Aquarium
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The Aquarium Doctor Check it out!!
Captive Cultivation and Husbandry Section FOR SALTWATER FISH (BREEDING)
DISCLAIMER These pages are written as a Information pages and can be copied and redistributed for NON Profitable use. All the images and information on these pages has been given and submitted FREE as a free service to all the Fish Keepers, but remains the property of the owner. No person on these pages, nor the webmaster, accepts any liability for any losses, damage whatsoever being done by using advise given. When browsing these pages and/or submitting your information you agree to the above. |
Question......I am just getting ready to set up my 90 gal. marine tank for the first time, I am new to the salt water tank but I have had fresh before. The main equipment that I am missing is the UV light sterilizer and a protein skimmer, I may also need a heater but do not know what type. What price range am I looking at for each piece of equipment? Any help you can give me is greatly appreciated. Thanks! R. Valverde Answer........ I am not too familiar with UV sterilizers, but I can recommend a good protein skimmer. The protein skimmer I am speaking of is a Seaclone made by Aquarium systems, it is for tanks up to 90 gallons. It costs about $90.00. The heater of my choice is the Visi-therm heater also by Aquarium Systems. You will need a 300 watt heater. It will cost about $25.00-$35.00.
"The Aquarium Vet"
Sincerely, Peter Kraft Answer.......Peter ......Anenomes will go through periods where they are wide open and other periods when they are drawn in. They are filter feeding when they are fully open. You will know if your anenome is dying because it will look like it is disolving in the water. Mucus will be dangling off its tentacles and it will eventually shrivel to nothing. Just keep the water quality good and the anenome should be fine. Anenomes are very sensitive to quickly changing ph values so be careful when changing the water. Good luck with your anenomes and let me know how they are doing.
"The Aquarium Vet"
It is just not possible to diagnose fish disease and health problems without first examining the affected fish and possibly the fish's environment. After all, would you trust a doctor who told you what was wrong with you without asking any questions or carrying out any examination? Would you phone up your vet and expect him to tell you over the telephone what was wrong with the family cat or dog? Obviously the answer to both these questions is no. Trying to guess what is wrong, (and that is all that people do if they don't carry out any investigation), is obviously the wrong way to go about things, unless of course you believe that aquarists and dealers have some form of mystical powers not possessed by vets and doctors! Common sense and our own experience tell us that the right way to proceed is to establish what is wrong and why, before we carry out any treatments. Detective work It is important to realise that fish are aquatic animals and can be affected by most of the diseases that typically affect other animals, as well as diseases and health problems that are exclusive to an aquatic environment. However, unlike most terrestrial animals, they have a limited response to disease. For example, you will not see a fish holding up a sore fin, or limping or even whimpering. Their response is limited to refusing food, lethargy, jumping, rubbing or flashing, gasping at the surface and isolating themselves. There may be minor variations, but essentially these are the only ways that they can let us know there is something amiss. The main point is that they will exhibit some of these signs irrespective of what the problem is. So we see the same responses to poor water quality, gill disease, parasites, heart problems etc. Given that they will respond in much the same way, irrespective of the cause, it is simply impossible to make a definite diagnosis based purely on behaviour. Trying to determine what is causing the problem is a little like detective work as there are so many probable causes. Behaviour is just one small part of the puzzle. The initial aim in diagnosing health problems is to collect as much information as possible. When we have this information we can then make a balanced assessment of both the problem and the likely cause.
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In this new and most exciting of mediums, we will try and concentrate on the practical considerations relating to the health of your fish, in the real world of aquarium keeping. Although one may think otherwise, the problems that we face as aquarists, are not exactly the same, as similar fish will face in their natural habitat, although the actual parasites, bacteria, etc. will in so many cases be those, that do sometimes create problems in the wild. Similarly, in the ever growing field of Aquaculture , there are differences, between this method of keeping fish and maintaining them in the average aquarium. Only by being aware of these differences, and the distinct possibilities that each form can manifest in possible problems , can we begin to both understand the potential difficulties, and take sensible steps to minimize the kinds of diseases or problems that may arise, or hopefully avoid them altogether. In Nature when any of the normal background parameters, e.g. temperature of the water, pH, alkalinity, purity ( freedom from pollutants), oxygen values, & more are suddenly changed, from the preferred habitat in which the fish has evolved over eons of time, then the same background pathogens, or parasites, will become very active as the fishes immune system becomes weakened, & unable to provide the amount of suppression to keep these undesirable forms in check. This weakened condition and lowered resistance to disease results from environmental stress. Stress : The single greatest cause of fish disease.
MEMBER, Consultant
Shawn Prescott studied Marine Biology at the Univ. Miami. Built Shellfish (Ireland) Ltd., Built Scottish Sea Farms, Red Sea Fish pHarm. Has done consultancy in many countries, France, Spain, Greece, Norway, Israel UK, Saudi Arabia & several others, & worked with many varieties of Fish, also most related technologies. In this new and most exciting of mediums, we will try and concentrate on the practical considerations relating to the health of your fish, in the real world of aquarium keeping. Although one may think otherwise, the problems that we face as aquarists, are not exactly the same, as similar fish will face in their natural habitat, although the actual parasites, bacteria, etc. will in so many cases be those, that do sometimes create problems in the wild. Similarly, in the ever growing field of Aquaculture , there are differences, between this method of keeping fish and maintaining them in the average aquarium. Only by being aware of these differences, and the distinct possibilities that each form can manifest in possible problems , can we begin to both understand the potential difficulties, and take sensible steps to minimize the kinds of diseases or problems that may arise, or hopefully avoid them altogether. Disease prevention starts with education. The more you know about the cause of various diseases the better prepared you will be to prevent an outbreak, and to provide effective treatment to an effected aquarium.
We recommend all Shawn's products: http://www.reefpros.com/c-FIVme.html
The Fish Vet products
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Many Aquarists do of course change water, many do not do so, or if they do it
is infrequent, and anyway, even the best of us, do not do so daily. This means that
we must rely on more sophisticated control methods, such as Protein skimmers,
Ozone generators, UV purification, Biofilters, and much more in the form of water
additives etc. For those of you who have taken the trouble to understand the reasons
for such technology, and can measure the effects, this can and does yield some
excellent results, such as wonderful Reef Aquariums, as well as beautiful planted
fresh water Aquariums.
Regretfully, poor advice, sometimes at the dealer level, lack of time, or inadequate
understanding of the often quite complex interactions, can lead to heavy losses of
fish, and too often to the "retirement" of otherwise keen Hobbyists, who feel that our
pastime is too difficult.
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