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Setting Up A Tropical Fish Tank Guide

Setting up a tropical fish tank is not easy for the beginners as there is lot that you need to know if you want do it right from the start.Tropical fish guides can be very useful if you want to know how to set up a tropical fish tank. And, Katy’s Tropical Fish may be the ultimate owner’s manual for raising healthy, happy, long-lived tropical fish.

Katy’s Tropical Fish Website >>>

The instruction manual itself comes with more than 100 pages of detailed information and full-colour images, and covers all aspects of creating a tropical fish aquarium from the beginning. In other words, tropical fish tank maintenance and the creation of a sustainable, stress-free, and healthy environment for the fish.

A tropical fish tank setup is (to the uninitiated, at least) a quite delicate balance to achieve. All the pieces has to be just right so that the fish will thrive and cohabit with each other peacefully. There are lots of things to take into account when setting up a tropical fish tank and Katy’s Tropical Fish – A Complete Guide will show you how to keep a well-maintained tank, swimming with amazing fish, for a minimum of outlay, work, and time.

What’s In The Tropical Fish Tank Guide?

This tropical aquarium guide book reveals almost anything and everything you need to know about getting and managing your fish tank of healthy, happy tropical fish. One of the main selling-points of the book, in my view, is that it’s a complete guide. Literally all of the information on how to set up a tropical fish tank is provided (and simple tips to do it super quick, as well – Katy tells you how you can do it within a day), along with long-term repairs and tropical fish tank maintenance tips to keep the whole thing healthy and looking fantastic.

Tropical Fish Tank Problems

Moreover, there’s also guidance on how to recognise and treat some of the more familiar diseases suffered by tropical fish (including White Spot, Velvet and Fin Rot), which will certainly save time and money at the vet’s (not forgetting potential heartbreak).You’ll also get information and troubleshooting advice on how to grow healthy aquatic plants.

If this wasn’t sufficient you also get time and money-saving information on what you need to buy for your tropical fish tank (and why), and tropical fish tank maintenance. And all of this is in concise, easily-understandable terms, too – which is a great help, particularly after trying to go through many of the other tropical fish guides available on the market!

Plus Loads of Bonuses Too!

You will get your money’s worth with Katy’s Tropical Fish Guide by itself but there’s more. Not only do you get the complete, fully-illustrated guidebook on its own, that’s a complete guide to just about everything you should know about trying to keep tropical fish, you also receive…

The downloadable video, Secrets to Tropical Fish Success, which guides you through the set-up of a professional quality tropical aquarium (regardless of your budget)

The bonus book Buying Compatible Freshwater Fish, which is a complete guide to the compatibility of different freshwater fish which you would like to add to your tropical aquarium

The bonus book Introduction to Freshwater Plants, brimming with useful information on the importance and care of plants in your aquarium

As well as the freshwater tropical fish tank guide you also get Choosing the Right Marine Fish, a complete guide to purchasing and caring for marine fish.

But that’s not all…

Something you will find really valuable is the free, private email consultation with the Kingdom of Pets tropical fish team. If, after looking through the books and looking at the video, you have any more questions you need answering, all you need to do is send an email – and you’ll get a speedy reply, straight from the experts. At the time of writing, this consultation is being given away absolutely free but for how long?

Besides that, I invariably find it rather comforting when a firm or author believes so much in the quality of their product to provide you with a no-questions-asked money-back guarantee, just in case a customer is not completely satisfied with their purchase. From a consumer’s point of view, this warranty helps to eliminate any lingering doubts that I may have had.

Is This Tropical Fish Guide Worth It?

After reading many of the other tropical fish guides around, I have to say that this guide has to be one of the best I have seen for the money. Obviously, the author has faith in her own product, because she promises you can have it for free if you can find a better-value guide anywhere on the Internet!

So, if you’ve already got a tropical fish tank, or are merely thinking of getting one, Katy’s Tropical Fish – A Complete Guide will get you off on the right foot for setting up a tropical fish tank

Aquarium Filter

Freshwater Aquarium Filter Systems

Author: Andrew Bartlett

One of the most important pieces of equipment that you need when setting up a freshwater fish tank is the filter. With so many aquarium filter systems available today, the beginner may get confused as to what they actually need. A good filter must provide multiple levels of filtration and be appropriately sized for the tank that it will be used in. Beyond that, other considerations depend on aesthetics and budget.

Any worthwhile aquarium filter will provide mechanical, chemical, and biological filtration in the aquarium. Mechanical refers to the filtration of physical particles such as fish waste, excess food, dead plant material, etc. Chemical filtration is concerned with the removal of unwanted chemicals in the fish tank water, such as ammonia and excess nitrites that can build up and prove toxic to the fish if not filtered out.

The third part, biological filtration, is accomplished by beneficial bacteria that live in the filter and in the substrate of the tank. This is often overlooked, but is extremely important. These bacteria are the main driver of the nitrogen cycle which is the process by which fish waste and food is broken down by the bacteria and turned into usable nitrate for the plants in the aquarium. All effective filter systems employ all three of the filtration processes.

There are a few basic filter types that are available for use. They include the sponge filter, box filter, undergravel filter, internal power filter, external (hang over the back) power filter, and canister filters. Roughly speaking the list is in order of cost and effective tank size. The sponge and the box filters rely on an airstone to power them while the undergravel can use an airstone and/or a powerhead. The internal, external, and canister filters all use a power motor of some sort.

When choosing a filter, the size of the tank as well as the number and type of fish that are going to be kept in it (also known as bioload) need to be considered. In smaller tanks, such as a 5-15 gallon tank, a simple box or sponge filter will often do the trick. An undergravel filter is suitable for 10-30 gallon tanks and the internal power filter works best for the 15-40 gallon range. When it comes to the external power filters and the canisters, they can work for tanks as small as 10-15 gallons, but they are the filter choice for the bigger tanks because they can be scaled up in size to handle just about any sized aquarium.

Regardless of how effective the filter is, periodic water changes and gravel cleaning is still a necessity. No filter is powerful and efficient enough on its own to take care of all the needs of an aquarium, so bear that in mind and don’t think that bigger is better, either. When in doubt, ask questions at the fish store and read the information on the filter boxes, and making the right choice should not be difficult. Buy the right size filter for the tank and do water changes, and your fish will stay happy and healthy!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/freshwater-aquarium-filter-systems-3017596.html

About the Author

Andrew Bartlett is an aquarium enthusiast with over 30 years experience in freshwater fish tank setup and maintenance. You can get more information at his website, www.TheFreshwaterAquariumGuide.com.

Starting A Saltwater Aquarium

Starting a saltwater aquarium will introduce you to a variety of spectacular fish, the opportunity to see an ecosystem close up and a new appreciation of the beautiful wildlife to be found in our oceans. However, for a beginner, the best way to get started with this hobby is with a fish-only aquarium until you know a lot more about the subject. But before you even think about buying an aquarium and livestock, you should ask yourself whether you can you have the time and the will to look after it properly. Read more »

Artificial Coral Reef For A Saltwater Aquarium

There’s something appalling that is occurring every minute of the day in the world’s oceans – damage to natural coral reef systems. Human leisure activity, pollution and natural disasters have been the reason for so much of the destruction.

Unhappily, natural reefs can’t reconstruct themselves fast enough to avert damage to beaches and fish populations. Harvesting of live coral is also having a major affect in the rebuilding of these coral reefs. Read more »

Choosing and Cleaning An Acrylic Aquarium

The practice of keeping aquariums came about around the late 1800′s and at the time were rather crude in comparison to today’s tanks. More often than not these ancient aquariums only had one side that was made of glass, with the other three sides being made of metal or wood.

For the most part aquariums were used to hold fish that were native to the locality of its owner simply because of availability. Read more »

Protein Skimmer

Why Do You Need Both A Refugium Pump And A Berlin Or Coralife Protein Skimmer?

Author: Steven Sanchez

Are you a new aquarist? If yes, then you’re probably thinking about getting a Berlin Protein Skimmer while installing a refugium at same time. If you are, then you might want to read this article first.

Some aquarists really do have both the Berlin Protein Skimmrer plus a refugium operating in their tank. However, some are of the opinion that having a protein skimmer means you don’t need the services of a refugium. Hence, let’s look and compare at the differences of these two equipments.

Cleaning

As you know, the protein skimmer gets rid of organic waste material by encasing them in the bubble and transporting them in the collection cup where you can empty them at will. A refugium on the other hand does pretty much the same thing. The debris is transported to the separate tank where it is used as food by various micro organisms. One distinct advantage of a Berlin Protein Skimmer though is that it clean up your aquarium fast while the refugium takes time.

Food Production

As previously mentioned, the refugium is mainly set up to serve as the sanctuary of micro organisms. Think of it as your tank’s very own food factory as well as being a dump site for fish fecal matter. On the other hand, the protein skimmer is in no way responsible for producing food in the tank.

Deciding Factor

Since a refugium pump is required to have a low water flow rate, tweaking the refugium for it to clean up faster is not really an option. Hence, your deciding factor would be if you want a cleaner tank or a food filled one.

Once you’ve decided, start plotting on how to get the best protein skimmer or refugium for your tank. For a protein skimmer, you might want to stick to the good brands like the Berlin or Coralife Protein Skimmer. When it comes to the refugium, a nicely engineered one is always the best. Of course, you can also install both for greater benefits if you want.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/hobbies-articles/why-do-you-need-both-a-refugium-pump-and-a-berlin-or-coralife-protein-skimmer-3950856.html

About the Author

Choosing A Protein Skimmer For Your Saltwater Aquarium

Everyone knows there are hundreds of choices when it comes to purchasing a protein skimmer for your saltwater aquarium. But narrowing it down doesn’t have to be a hard task. First off, the protein skimmer is one of the most important pieces of equipment you will buy. Do not skimp on this purchase, buy the largest most known and well performing skimmer you can afford.

When searching for a protein skimmer keep in mind that many of these are overrated for the size aquarium they can handle. We always recommend that you buy something that can handle at least twice the size of your aquarium. So for instance if you have a 90 gallon tank buy a skimmer rated for at least 200 gallons, this will save you many headaches in the long run of having to buy another skimmer because you bought one that was to small(i’ve learned the hard way).

Needlewheel, Venturi, or Beckett!?! This is a common question and isn’t really that hard to decide between the two. Many people are biased on the different methods and swear by what they have used. All of them perform very well if you purchase the right brand. If you were to ask me I would say needlewheel all the way, as the skimmers using this method today are the best performing skimmers I have used.

When you are ready to take the plunge be sure to research your purchase, there are hundreds of resources on the net to help you with your decision. Make sure you buy from a reputable company. Stay away from company’s that mass produce every type of aquarium product available as these products are usually low quality cheaply made products. Go with a company who specializes in a few products and has proven results.

In essence, if you really want to have a successful tank a protein skimmer can be one of the most important purchases you will invest in. Do not go cheap on your protein skimmer or you will regret it in the end. Buy from reputable companies who know their stuff and have been specializing in these products for years. And don’t forget have fun and take care of your animals, we are the reef’s futures so do your best to promote proper husbandry.

Author: Richard Gilliland
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

A Practical Guide to Protein Skimmers

Protein skimmers are arguably the most useful component of the modern saltwater aquarium. Oxygenating water, removing dissolved organics, and clarifying water all help our
closed systems imitate the pristine waters of the reef. Most protein skimmers are improperly tuned and only provide a fraction of the benefits. So if you are looking to buy a skimmer, or judge if yours is working right, here is a summary.

The basic idea behind a protein skimmer is to have the finest bubbles possible suspended in the water the longest time. This allows time for the dissolved waste to coat the bubble, rise to the top, and be removed. I will use the old counter current air-driven models as an example. At the bottom of the skimmer an airstone creates a current upwards. Near the top of the skimmer is an inlet for tank water, with the water exit at the bottom. The trick is to get the bubbles to remain suspended, but not be pushed out the bottom, by adjusting the amount of water flowing downwards. This allowed for the maximum coating of the bubbles, and maximum density of bubbles in skimmer.

Venturi skimmers are a way of injecting air into water. The idea is like that old straw trick we annoyed our parents with. Blow across a straw that is in a cup of water, and presto, you have a projectile spray and a waiter cleaning up a mess. Venturi inlets just reverse this and use a stream of water to draw air in. These are very effective, although you need to see that the design allows for the air/water mixture to remain in the skimmer tube until saturated. This includes swirling the mixture to maximize tube length, sending it through a byzantine maze to maximize space, or utilizing the counter current design mentioned above.

Venturi designs have improved by reducing the size of the bubbles injected, as in the needle wheel and downdraft technology. Needle wheel skimmers have air injected before the pump where the bubbles are chopped finely by the custom impeller. These are very effective and produce a very dry foam. Downdraft skimmers send the air/water mixture through a tube of bio-balls to break apart the bubbles and maximize contact time.

When you have your skimmer set up, you will want to adjust it for your tank. Overall, adjustment will probably be a matter of raising or lowering the air/water mixture level in the skimmer. If you run your skimmer and you are getting a brown residue in the tube but not in the cup, you need to raise the level of the air/water. This is done by either opening the valve to let more water come in from the pump, or if your pump is maxed out then you need to restrict the amount of water coming out of the skimmer. If you are getting a lot of clearish, watery looking foam in the cup, then you can lower the level of the water/air mixture so that the foam takes longer to build up then overflow.

Please make small adjustments at a time, and let your skimmer run for a few hours before adjusting more. This is important because you skimmer will skim differently depending on the surface tension of the water. Depending on your feeding schedule or the time of day you skimmer may be making larger bubbles one minute then foaming over the next. Even the oils on your hand can make the water tension fall and the skimmer will not skim for a few minutes or hours.

Good luck and enjoy your tank,
Intrinsic Reef Design

Author: Wes Corbyn
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Protein Skimmers

A Protein Skimmer is a filter that removes dissolved organic substances and wastes from water but is it the best filtration for a fish tank?

Protein skimming is the only form of filtration that physically removes organic compounds before they begin to decompose, lightening the loading on the biological filter and improving the water’s redox (oxygen) potential. Protein skimmers remove certain organic compounds, including proteins and amino acids, by using the mutual opposition of the protein itself.

Protein skimmers can be classed in two ways depending on whether they operate by co-current flow or counter-current flow. Proteins and waste material products cling to the fine air bubbles accumulating in a collection neck, rise, and brim over into a waste matter cup. Organic substance within the water, proteins, amino and even elements that may be desired, are attracted to the fine bubbles produced by the protein skimmer, they broadly work better in “saltier” water, salinity increases the surface tension, which is required to attract the surfactants.

Protein skimming (also called foam fractionation) can be considered as a form of mechanical filtration, since it is a physical process of removing substances from water, without any chemical or biological action. Protein skimmers actively remove waste products from fish, plants, and invertebrates (along with any dead organisms or uneaten food) before it has a chance to break down and compromise water quality.

Skimmers work by injecting numerous tiny bubbles into the water column with high speed pumps and sucking air through a venturi tube. They create a “foam” or “froth” in the reaction chamber. stripping dissolved organic particles from the water before they can decay to ammonia and exchange to nitrates through the nitrogen cycle. Skimmers that produce different sized bubbles and that have different adjustments will produce dissimilar consistencies as a result.Marine aquarium protein skimmers are abundant in the aquarium industry today, each of which claims some unique characteristic to distinguish itself as the best.

Saltwater tanks are successfully maintained using only a protein skimmer and biological filtration. Removing the oily film from the water’s surface, common in a saltwater aquarium is supposed to transfer organics before they can be broken down by bacteria. Marine creatures are normally very sensitive to organic waste, since they are native to the ocean where organic waste material is instantly diluted by the enormous water mass.

Author: David E. Edwards
Article Source: EzineArticles.com

EV Protein Skimmers

The EV series protein skimmers are some of the best selling units today. They have skimmers for the smaller tanks of 40-120 gallons. That unit is the EV-120 and it works either in the sump or out of it. This skimmer is only 18″ tall. With a footprint of 4-3/43 x 8-1/23 (not including pump). This skimmer has a 3/43 hose barb water input and a 13 gate valve output. It has a 5/83 collection cup drain and a 3/83 threaded air inlet. Gate valve exit is 73 high on this skimmer.

There next size up is the EV-180 it is rated for tanks from 75-180 gallons. This skimmer can either be mounted internally or externally of the sump. The unit is 20″ tall with a footprint of 5.753 x 93 (not including pump). This is what a lot of the people get that have the smaller but heavily stocked tanks get.

The EV-240 is the next one in line. This big dog is rated for tanks between 100-240 gallons of water. This unit is 26″ tall with a footprint of 6-3/43 x 10-3/43 (not including pump). There are 3 pumps that they recommend to use they are the Mag Drive 12, Mag Drive 18 and the Gen-X Mak 4. This skimmer has a 13 hose barb water input and a 1 1/23 gate valve output. It has a 3/43 collection cup drain and a 3/83 threaded air inlet. Gate valve exit is 8 1/23 high on this skimmer.

The EV-400 protein skimmer is not meant for the smaller aquarium tanks. This skimmer is rated for tanks between 150-400 gallons water. Like all the other EV’s this one can either be mounted internal or externally of the sump. This unit is 32″ tall with a footprint of 6-3/43 x 10-3/43 (not including pump).

These are for the people who are seriously into the reef growing and lots of fish. Remember buy a bigger skimmer than what you think you need so you will have room to grow without having to buy another on any time soon.

Author: Angie Atkins
Article Source: EzineArticles.com