Thursday 20 December 2012

How to Keep Koi Healthy

Keeping Koi healthier can be challenging for newbies to the activity. It is easy to get puzzled with so much information available. One of the major issues i experienced when I first became enthusiastic about the activity was people providing advice about koi who's knowledge was based around their experience in maintaining a lake, a koi lake is quite different as koi develop much larger than fish for example.

This article is not designed as a complete information to maintaining koi, but rather some points to consider and analysis further.

Koi Pond Water Quality

Water excellent is key to the well being of koi carp. Koi like their atmosphere to be constant, variations in heat range and PH shifts will harm a koi's defense mechanisms making them susceptible to illness and illness.

The key components to excellent water excellent and koi wellness are;

    A huge enough lake which is not over stocked
    Sufficient filtering program system
    Well developed lake with excellent movement and no deceased areas where parasites can linger
    A lot of Oxygen
    Frequent lake servicing regime

Koi Pond Size

Koi are possibly quite huge seafood, a proper and balanced koi should develop to around 2-3 legs in total. The larger and further the lake the better but as a lowest you should not think about placing koi in a lake which is not at least 1500 gallons with a typical detail of around 4 legs. Water detail is quite important as a superficial lake will be more likely to have rapid heat range changes, particularly in springtime and fall which are times of the year when koi often experience illness. If you can,t develop a appropriate lake of this dimension you should consider fish or some other common lake seafood which would be satisfied in a small atmosphere. Overstocking a koi lake is a prevalent problem, a lake this dimension could possibly stock around 5 or 6 koi. Any more than this and no issue how excellent your lake narrow, you are likely to experience ongoing illnesses with your seafood, in particular parasite pest infestations.

Koi Pond Filtration

A appropriate koi lake narrow should be set up. Do some analysis before buying your filtering program device as many lake filtration marketed are not developed for koi. The amount of meals and causing spend material created means a narrow developed for a common lake will not be able to deal.

A narrow developed for a koi lake will usually have some kind of agreement place for strong spend to be eliminated prior to coming into the scientific filtering program place. Usually you would flow the lake water through the narrow around every 2 hours, so your choice of lake push must be regarded. Water streaming too fast will result in inadequate water excellent.

Well Designed Koi Pond

A well developed koi lake will have no distinct sides where koi could harm themselves and excellent movement water. Consider which place of the lake you are moving the water from and where the water come back is, for example you don't want your push straight below your water fall!

A lake which nourishes the filtration via severity is usually preferential to a push fed program. Although more challenging to create the results are much excellent and the lake will be much easier to sustain.

Koi lakes generally have very little vegetation, koi will eat and dig up most lake vegetation developing a blunder within the surroundings.

Good Fresh air Levels

Plenty of oxygen is needed, usually a excellent fountain will generate enough but air pushes are accessible.

Pond Maintenance

Your filtration will need to be washed regularly, I fresh my own every week during summer time season time. This is a key concern when selecting your lake narrow as some filtration can be more challenging than others to fresh. Unwanted meals, deceased results in, debris and any other undesirable items should be eliminated from the lake regularly.

Conclusion

Constructing your lake properly, selecting the correct narrow and a excellent servicing program should give you the excellent of lake water needed to keep your koi in top condition. To find out more about objective designed professional koi lake filtration please visit our website.

Sunday 2 December 2012

Koi Lake Heating units - Benefits of Warming a Koi Pond

With the cost of fuel rising almost every week, heating a koi pond is something which needs consideration as it can be very expensive to run.

Koi can endure in warm range ranges between 2ºC to 10ºC, however as koi are freezing blooded their metabolism will slow down as warm range ranges fall. At warm range ranges below 6ºC they should not be fed as they may not be able to process the meals and usually they will stop providing themselves as warm range ranges fall below 10ºC.

Stable Environment

Koi like a constant atmosphere, falls in the PH value and warm range variations will damage a koi's defense mechanisms. Fluctuations are a particular problem in little lakes, especially superficial lakes. THe lowest dimension usually recommended for a koi pond would be at least 1500 gallons and 3 feet strong, however a pond dimension around 3000 gallons and 6 feet strong is usually considered ideal for some koi. Most of the warm lost from a pond would be at the surface, so covering a pond in extreme freezing is advisable. By adding a fire with temperature to your pond you can control the variations in warm range, this means that you can keep the lowest warm range a couple of degrees above the actual outside warm range for the season, meaning that warm range shifts in it will be reduced.

Feeding Koi

As already stated koi should not be fed at warm range ranges below 6ºC, I would suggest the lowest warm range for a warmed pond to be 10ºC. At this warm range you can feed your seafood an eating plan plan of easily digestible meals and as the warm range ranges progressively increase you can add more protein to the eating plan plan.

Koi Defense System

Below 10ºC the defense mechanisms of koi is significantly reduced and the koi are much sluggish. As warm range ranges begin to increase the unpleasant parasites and harmful parasites which cause most illnesses in pond seafood begin to grow quickly. This is one of the reasons why so many illnesses occur in Spring and Fall as the parasites and harmful parasites are more active than the seafood and any damaged koi become susceptible to illnesses. In addition many of the treatments used to treat harmful parasites and bacterial issues cannot be used at low warm range ranges.


Friday 23 November 2012

Koi Wellness - Typical Harmful bacteria and How to Cure Them

Keeping your koi totally exempt from illness is the aim of every koi owner. However it is unavoidable that at a while your koi will experience from illness insurance will need to be handled. The details here will provide a brief details to the most frequent circumstances koi experience from and the best way to deal with them.

In this content we will provide presenting the most frequent parasites that koi are vulnerable to.

Parasites

It is almost difficult to keep your koi 100% totally exempt from all parasites. To a proper and balanced koi a few parasites will not cause any issue, but a bad koi or one that is kept in populated circumstances or low excellent water will be vulnerable to a parasite attack. The most frequent parasites that you will discover are costia, white-colored recognize, trichodina, chilodonella, flukes, core earthworms and carp head lice.

Common warning signs of a parasite attack are fin clamping, blinking or damaging, moving out of the water, unwanted mucous being created and gasping for air. Unfortunately there is no individual therapy which will be efficient against all parasites and apart from core earthworms and carp head lice which can be seen with the undressed eye, you will need to take a epidermis clean and use a microscopic lense to recognize which parasite you have so you can select the appropriate therapy. Most individuals will not have entry to a microscopic lense or may be unpleasant using one, however most koi traders will be more than satisfied to help. You will need to take one of your seafood along and the supplier will examine them for you. Needs to be it is useless getting a deceased seafood along to a supplier for any purpose, he is unlikely to be able to recognize anything that would be of any use.

Once you have determined the issue the therapy is easy to understand, you may need some precise machines to evaluate out some of the therapies as they may come in dust type.

    White Spot - treat with a formalin malachite mix, use a mix developed for use with koi and properly adhere to the producers details as to the amount, you need to provide 3 therapies due to the life-cycle of white-colored recognize. Enough time between each therapy will differ according to the temperature

    Costia - treat with blood potassium permanganate, again buy from a koi supplier and properly adhere to the amount instructions

    Chilodonella - treat with a formalin malachite mix, one therapy should be enough

    Trichodina - one amount of blood potassium permanganate

    Flukes - treat with flubendazole, you will need to buy from a koi supplier, again adhere to amount carefully

Do not be influenced to deal with your koi for parasites without understanding exactly what you are dealing with them for, over use of these therapies will create them less efficient later on. The purpose I have not mentioned suggested doses is that the medicines can be created to different strong points based on the maker, if you don't use enough you will not fix the issue and it may become more complicated to deal with later on and if you over amount you may damage or even destroy your koi.

The key to maintaining healthier koi is not to overcrowd as too may koi in a lake, no issue how excellent the narrow will cause to illness. Water excellent is key to healthier koi.


Wednesday 7 November 2012

Exodon Paradoxus Fish

Strength in Numbers

Various sources of information on the Internet declare that bucktooth tetras must be kept in schools of ten or more to prevent them from killing one another, but I have found this to be a little far-fetched. I have maintained two separate groups of E. paradoxus at different times, one being six individuals, the other being only three individuals.

I did not have any deaths from the bucktooth tetras picking on one another, but I believe my success was based on the fact that when I purchased these groups, I made sure that they were all identical in size. I also had many hiding places in the form of driftwood and slate and ample floating plants so the bucktooth tetras could get away from one another if they wished.

If one observes a tank with multiple E. paradoxus at an aquatics store, the smaller individuals usually have subdued coloring and are trying to hide, and the largest individuals are trying to chase after anything in their path. That is why I opted for medium-sized individuals that were almost identical in size the two times I purchased bucktooth tetras in groups. Although they do constantly squabble with one another, I never have had problems with major injuries or death.

It is important to realize, though, that larger individuals will often harass smaller ones to the point of death by not allowing the smaller ones to eat and relentlessly chasing them each and every time they emerge from a hiding place. If one does decide to acquire a group of bucktooth tetras, I would still advise having a spare quarantine or hospital tank on hand just in case a situation arises where specimens must be removed due to aggression. This aspect is also particularly important if an aquarist is considering adding E. paradoxus to a tank with other species.

Tankmates: A Tricky Situation

ClCHLIDS AND BUCKTOOTH TETRAS

Some aquarists do not necessarily like the idea of devoting an entire medium- to large-sized aquarium to one species of fish, but this is essential for E. paradoxus. I am a cichlid lover at heart, but even the most aggressive Central and South American cichlids that are similarly sized to E. paradoxus often do not fare well in the same quarters.

Bucktooth tetras are so aggressive that most cichlids will simply hide or hang near the bottom of the aquarium to avoid crossing paths, and many times when the cichlid decides to enter the middle or top of the water column, E. paradoxus will knock scales off the broad side of the cichlid's body for a quick snack.

I had a 75-gallon aquarium at one point with three cichlids in the 4- to 5-inch range, the most aggressive of which was a 4-inch Midas cichlid (Amphilophus citrinellus). The other two cichlids were a pair of Hypsophrys nicaraguensis. Within less than a week of adding a group of three E. paradoxus that were each 3 inches long, the cichlids were hiding in the lower level of the aquarium.

The three bucktooth tetras were patrolling the tank as if they owned it, and each time an E. paradoxus would swim near a hiding place, the various cichlids would lunge with flared gills.

Within a couple of weeks, I had decided to remove the two H. nicaraguensis because they were demonstrating breeding behaviors and I did not think that their eggs or fry would stand a chance with the other rough inhabitants. Although they were acting as if they were ready to lay eggs, the H. nicaraguensis still appeared mildly stressed. They were breathing heavier than usual and were also missing some scales, compliments of the three E. paradaxus.

The move left the Midas cichlid alone with the three bucktooth tetras, but it also gave these inhabitants more space. To his credit, the A. citrinellus never backed down. Each time he would emerge from his favorite cave, his fins would stand erect and his gills would flare to threaten the three E. paradoxus. But in reality, the threat posture of fins standing on edge only made a larger target for the super-fast bucktooth tetras to pick off scales.

For months, the three E. paradoxus had perfect fins with no signs of bodily injury, but I began to worry when the A. citrinellus reached 7 1/2 inches and the E. paradoxus were only about 4 inches.

At this time, the A. citrinellus was nearly double the length of the three E. paradoxus

and had substantially more body mass. I just had the feeling that one good bite from the A. citrinellus could mean disaster. Sure enough, while I was observing the tank, one of E. paradoxus bit a scale off the A. citrinellus and as the scale was sinking, the E. paradoxus went after his snack.

Only this time, the A. citrinellus followed his dislodged scale toward the bottom of the tank, and as the F paradoxus swooped in for the scaly snack, the A, citrinellus violently bit off nearly half of the tail of the E. paradoxas. It was at this point that I decided to remove the three bucktooth tetras and give them to a friend who had an open tank.


Tuesday 30 October 2012

How To Maintain A Fish Tank

How To Maintain A Seafood Tank


To maintain a wonderful and healthier atmosphere for your fish reservoir fish you must have a regular fish reservoir servicing program, aquariums don't take that much looking after once they have been established in your home.

Only one time of your energy and energy and effort every two weeks is sufficient for the average scaled fish reservoir, this time can include machine cleaning the pebbles to obvious the old food remains and fish spend. Also this is a fun a chance to examine your fish very carefully for any signs of disease like fin rot, it is always best to eliminate any fish that have these sort of issues and keep them in another reservoir where you can cure them until they restore.

Whatever you do do not modify ALL the water in the reservoir when undertaking fortnightly fish reservoir servicing, this can seriously affect the balance of the fish reservoir and can be harmful to your fish health.

Somewhere around 15% of the total amount is a reasonable guide for how much water to modify, the water you eliminate should be kept in a pail you will need it later. When modifying this amount of water you should also machine the pebbles simultaneously to eliminate any old foods and spend.

You can buy PH examining packages for water online, it is suggested you get one of these packages as this can provide you with early caution alerts that there is something wrong with the water ph balance. If you discover the PH balance is a little bit out then don't anxiety, most striper are very excellent at modifying to there surroundings as long as you keep it around 6.5 to 7.5 everything should be fine.

The big problem with water chemical make up is the fact it is not a visible analysis if you have issues, this is why it is a wise decision to examine it whenever you fresh the reservoir once a couple weeks. The vital areas to examine are carbonate firmness, nitrites, PH, and nitrates, verifying the water you plan to re-fill the reservoir with would be a wise decision as well before leading up your fish reservoir.

Most tap water contains swimming pool water and should be handled with a water refresher prior to using in your fish reservoir, you can eliminate the swimming pool water but you will still have ammonia present in the water. This ammonia will gradually be split up by the beneficial harmful bacteria that lives in your fish reservoir, this process can take a bit of your energy and energy and effort.

Here are a few dimensions on water examining you need to know, your water should be obvious of all nitrites at all times, if you do find nitrites then make sure you do a examine for ammonia as well. Carbonate firmness is another statistic you need to be cautious about, carbonate firmness is one of the main factors of PH balance and it should never drop below 4.5 DH. Action is required if this statistic falls down below this stage.

One way to modify the firmness is to add one teaspoonful of everyday per 50 gallons of water, this will have the effect of increasing the stage by about 1 DH. Filtering system is the most critical facet of keeping a proper and balanced and successful fish reservoir, these filtration come with places that need to be modified at least every month based on how many fish are in the reservoir.

At one time you modify the places you might as well fresh the narrow itself, you can do this by using the water you eliminated from the reservoir when washing. Last but not least is washing the surfaces of the reservoir, i like to use narrow get flossing for this it is very cheap, if you start at the bottom and work up-wards and wash out regularly it doe's a great job.

So one time of your energy and energy and effort once a couple weeks invested doing the proper fish reservoir servicing provides you with a wonderful healthier fish reservoir, not only does a fresh reservoir enhance the room it also gives your valued fish a proper and balanced atmosphere to live in.

Wednesday 17 October 2012

Seafood Lake Servicing Tips And Avice

There are three certain times of the period when pond maintenance should be carried out, these are winter period, summer period, and drop, each particular period includes a little bit different kinds of maintenance and I will begin with summer period.

Summer pond maintenance:

Summer can be the most difficult here we are at wetlands, the heat from the sun on the water leads to your fish being a lot more active. Which indicates they will eat more meals which will produces more spend, this is when you must create sure your aeration and filter in it will work efficiently.

Oxygen should be your primary thought during summer time period several weeks, always create sure it water fountain or other type of aeration device you have is operating 24 hours during those really hot days. Because water does not store fresh air very well it is important you keep the stages lead up, by doing this you will also help the helpful dangerous bacteria to flourish which will will help to keep down the ammonia and nitrate stages.

You will also notice an increase in plankton development during summer time period several weeks, this can be down to the photosynthesis increasing development within the plankton. A excellent way to management this development is to management how much natural light it gets, pond lilies are a great way of controlling natural light as the wide results in sit on the surface keeping the water underneath reasonably cool. I cant stress enough that you should create sure you keep the fresh air stages high, this will help keep the nutrients down to a controllable level in it that plankton flourish on.

Over the decades pond owners have used what they call algaecides to management the plankton in there lakes, these can be very useful provided you stick to the produces instructions. Keep in mind that getting rid of plankton is a slowly process and must not be done quickly, as the dead plankton will flow to the end of it causing a destruction of your fresh air stages. In the last few decades there have been major enhancements in the production of algaecides, GreenClean is one such product that is non-toxic to fish and is much more eco-friendly.

I would also recommend carrying out regular ph checks during the hot summer period several weeks, because the biological activity in it is much more noticeable during these hot periods the ph of the water can alter in a few months. You should also consider putting a pond net over it ready for the drop of results in and other trash in the drop period, this can save you loads of persistence in washing out it in the drop period.

Fall pond maintenance:

The first factor I recommend as aspect of the drop pond maintenance is get rid of the passing away or harmful looking leaves in and around it, washing this out and washing around the sides will go a long way to preserving your pond water reliability during the winter several weeks period time.

It is also a wise decision to eliminate as much trash from the end of it as possible, but be careful when doing this as the helpful dangerous bacteria that destroys poisons exists at the end of it. What I actually do is clean the end of it carefully, then add some more helpful dangerous bacteria to create up for any that I might have removed unintentionally.

I also use a pond net that keeps most of the falling trash out, so washing includes mainly removing fish spend and meals that has fallen to the end.

You will also want to eliminate any kinds of water plants that might not survive the freezing conditions of the winter several weeks period time, you can re-pot them and move them into your garage or shed to preserve them until the spring then re-install them to it.

Another factor to consider is the fact that when the temperature drops considerably the fish will slowly down there metabolic process and therefore need much less meals, so create sure you cut down on the providing a little bit or else you will create a problem of excess meals moving to the end of it and turning into dangerous nitrates.

Winter pond maintenance:

One factor you must create sure of doing during the winter several weeks period time is create sure that it does not lock up over, if it gets frozen over it can cause serious issues to it atmosphere and more importantly to your valued fish. The issues that occur with a frozen pond is that the spend and other trash cause harmful fumes that can not evade, this in convert indicates fresh air can not get in to the water neither which makes for a incredibly harmful atmosphere for the fish.

Also keep in mind during the freezing several weeks months period your fish will become incredibly tired and will need hardly any meals at all, so keep the providing down to the least during the winter several weeks period time.

Personally I use a de-icer in my pond during the winter several weeks period time, I always place in the superficial aspect of it so it keeps a little place open all enough time, you don't have to keep the whole pond free from ice to allow fresh air to enter the water and poisons to evade.

Just a little place is perfectly adequate in a mid-sized pond, If your pond is very large in place then i recommend obtaining two de-icers and putting them at opposite ends of it, just to let you know these de-icers cost cents a day to run and are incredibly efficient and use very low energy.

So if you have done the drop maintenance then there is very little winter period pond maintenance to do, like I have said it is important is to create sure it does not lock up over if you live in a freezing place. Hopefully this advice will help you to maintain an incredibly healthy fish pond throughout, wetlands do need work and maintenance but I am sure you will agree it is well worth the attempt.


Wednesday 3 October 2012

Planning Your Fresh water Aquarium For Life

A primary aquarium isn't that complex, but it is more than just a box loaded with water. There are lots of things that have to come together to create the whole thing work, and they're not going to put themselves together. Switching that heap of items into a performing aquarium installation is easy. Adhere to along to find out how.

The first phase is actually to start stuffing your reservoir with water, supposing it's on its take a place and prepared to go. A water hose is useful here, but a container or glass pitcher performs just as well. Aim for water that is approximately 70 degrees. Be sure to add swimming pool water cleaner at the suggested amount to create the water secure. Presently, only complete the aquarium to around sixty-six per cent full as the substrate and gadgets that have yet to be included will carry the level up.

In the occasion you have chosen an under stones narrow or wire heating unit, create sure to set up it before continuing any further. Next you can start such as your substrate. Whether it's stones, excellent sand, or something else it's likely to be rather dirty and should therefore be given a fast wash before such as it to the reservoir. A colander or strainer with gaps little enough to not allow it to slide through performs well for this. Once it's washed reduced it into the aquarium and add it out effectively. Based on the substrate you select some excellent air particle may still reasoning the water somewhat. Don't fear, they will negotiate out soon enough.

Now you can start establishing up the many tools that will run your reservoir together with any other designs you've chosen. Based on how many gadgets you've got that require energy you will probably want to set up a energy remove from the closest store. Set it up a feet or two up the walls next to, but not instantly behind, the reservoir. Whenever connecting in anything coming from the aquarium create a cycle in the cable that dangles down towards the ground and then returning up. The idea behind this installation is to prevent water from being able to easily arrive at the store. With that all set, you can add the heating unit. Set the temperature to the needed heat range before placing it in the aquarium. However, put off on connecting it in until it's had a while to modify to the shoreline's heat range. You may also have to create little improvements over the next day or so to get it set just right.

Next comes the narrow. How you set up it will vary based upon on which kind of narrow you select. Comply with the guidelines that were offered by the maker in order to set it up effectively. Also be sure to wash off all narrow press before establishing up it. After it's linked in and operating check thoroughly to create certain there are not any leaking. Sometimes items won't be quite linked together absolutely and a flow can outcome. Also, pay attention to the narrow. You should be able to identify a light hum. Any crushing or chattering likely means either something is stuck within or something is put together poorly.

If you plan on using powerheads they can be set up now as well. Before solving them in place, tip the powerhead benefit down marine to get most of the air captured within out. This will prevent problems with beginning them. When modifying the output, try no to point it straight at the substrate to prevent mixing it around too much, especially into the filter's consumption. Sand can be especially difficult in this way.

Last but not least, the air push may be set up. Look for an appropriate place for the air push, on the ground behind the aquarium take a place is usually excellent. Cut a item of tube absolutely long enough to run from the push up and over the tank's advantage and down into the aquarium to where the air rock will be situated. Should you have an anti-siphon, cut another little duration of tube and set up it in line right after the air push. Make sure that to put it in the appropriate route. You can strike through it to validate which way it should go. Connect the other end of the air tube to the air rock. Be sure to place the air rock obvious of all the narrow and powerhead consumption as any air they sketch in will likely a lot of disturbance and could cause them to wait out. Based on the kind of air rock you chosen you may need to let it relax up some water for a while before it will operate successfully. If so, just keep the air push closed off instantaneously.

Once all the equipment is within the reservoir, you can add the designs you've chosen such as vegetation, stones, or records. Be sure they're situated in such a way that they won't limit the consumption or results of the narrow and/or pushes. Once everything is in you now may need to top off the reservoir based upon on how much was removed after such as all the gadgets and decorations. Finally, place the protect or bonnet on top of the aquarium with the light on top of that. Based on the kind of protect it is you may have to cut away a area of the returning to get it to fit around the narrow along with any cords. Connect everything in and make sure it's working effectively. Sometimes filtration and powerheads need a little cajoling to get them operating initially. A minor tremble or easily connecting and disconnecting them twice usually does the job.

Keep a close eye on your reservoir for the next day or two to make sure everything is constantly on the run easily. Also keep in mind, even though your reservoir is absolutely constructed, it isn't prepared for seafood just yet. Every reservoir must be moved first. This is a process that determines microbe hives to aid in filtering program and will take a few several weeks. However, you're one phase nearer to turning that reservoir into a successful marine atmosphere.


Sunday 30 September 2012

Fish Farming: A Great Way To Make A Living

Fish farming is known as aquaculture and involves raising fish for commercial purposes in enclosures or tanks, often for food. This aquaculture can also be defined as releasing young fish into the water to supplement the numbers of a species or for recreational fishing.

Because there is an increase for fish and its protein, this endeavor appealing for many as a way to make a living. This source of income also offers fish marketers another source. The most widely used types of fish in fish farming are: salmon, catfish and tilapia.

To set up a fish farm, you first need to create a business plan and a marketing strategy and then seek out financial resources. Both are needed so you can find out what your start up needs will be and helpful when setting goals for your new venture.

Then, it is important to choose a business structure, obtain a business license and then register with local, state and federal agencies.

Next, you will need to decide on what kind of fish you want and if you want more than one category of fish. The next step is the most important. You will need to build a fish home. It must be a home that will be effective for the selection of fish you have. Some say one of the best ways to maintain a fish farm is by filtering in water from one main pump so that the temperature stays at the same level. It is also important to have enough land for your fish to swim in.

Your fish home should be built so that in one area you can have a breeding pond and in the other area you keep the fish you don't want to breed. The water must be kept clean, and it is important to keep your fish fed and to ensure that water is pumped in and out of the system.

Next, you will need to find a market. Check out any local stores that sell fresh fish or find larger stores that you can ship you fish to.

The benefits of this endeavor are several such as your fish being much more nutritious than those found in a natural habitat and much healthier than those that have been exposed to dangerous pesticides. Another benefit is a very efficient way of making money.

To conclude this way of making money can be productive, healthy and a great way to keep our environment clean and healthy.


Thursday 20 September 2012

Koi Meals - Is It Safe to Nourish Koi in the Winter time Months

Many people recommend not offering koi below a certain heat range, usually around 50°F, the reasoning to this is that the fat burning capacity of the koi decreases as temperature ranges fall, enough time taken for food to be consumed is longer and possibly can cause to illnesses as the meals can corrosion inside the koi's gut before being consumed.

The fact is that koi will not feed if the heat range is to low, in other terms they will self control, on the whole, you should feed koi as much food as they will eat in around five minutes. The hotter the elements the more they will eat, in the size of summer you could feed them per hour and they will use anything you feed them, but as the chilly climate comes around take some care as to what type of food you use and how often you feed.

It is a wise decision as the temperature ranges awesome down to improve the types of food you feed, for this reason I would use a lake temperature gauge to figure out the lake heat range, below 60°F I would recommend offering a 'winter feed' these generally are wheatgerm based and are much faster and easier for the koi to process, I would normally only feed once a day (usually in the morning hours and about as much as they will eat in 5mins), above 60°F I would usually use a frequent eating plan and above 70°F you could feed a higher proteins eating plan to put some excess weight on the seafood to help them through the chillier several weeks.

Make sure not to over feed at any season, uneaten food will impact water quality and be damaging to seafood wellness.

The benefits of offering for as long as possible is that your seafood will be more powerful and better, springtime and fall can be the most traumatic times of season for koi, they like constant circumstances in which to live and varying heat range shifts can cause to episodes of illness if seafood are poor. During springtime and fall koi defense mechanisms is at its poorest, episodes of harmful parasites a particularly common at this season, parasites and harmful parasites which are always in the lake atmosphere become effective faster than the seafood making any poor seafood particularly susceptible to pest infestations which can be difficult to cure in cold.

Visit the koi food area of our website for information on all our koi foods.

Mark Huyton is a eager koi owner, having kept koi for over 20 decades he started out a retail store device in the delayed 1990's offering a variety of koi which he brought in immediate from Asia, With a prosperity of knowledge designed up over the decades he is more than satisfied to complete on his experience and help other koi owners when ever he can.

Thursday 6 September 2012

Sodium Water Aquariums: 5 Factors I've Discovered From Operating An Fish tank Assistance Business

An ounces of avoidance is definitely value a lb of treat.
Whether it is developing your program or keeping your reservoir, or presenting new seafood or corals, a precautionary strategy will preserve you much agony.

Hurry and tanks don't mix. While bad things can occur quickly, most excellent stuff with salt water tanks take some time. It is often difficult to be individual when just getting began with your first offshore reservoir, because there is so much to be thrilled about. But if you can be individual, you will encounter less preventable issues.

Build fail-safes into your salt water aquarium installation. There are several things we can get ready for - that we know will gradually occur. Energy problems occur. Leaking occur. Devices will crack. The boyscout slogan "be prepared" is recommended. A protection flood on your sump is a smart concept.

A excellent efficient tracking program will preserve your reservoir. The more you have spent in your reservoir, the more a tracking program is value it. It's not whether issues will occur, it's whether you know about them when they occur, so that you can react and prevent a problems. My preferred is the Sensaphone, because it is easy, efficient and it performs.

Quarantine is almost always value the hang on. I have found a two weeks time observational isolate for most salt water seafood and corals is value it. I'm not a fan of birdwatcher isolate unless a seafood is actually fed up. I say "most" seafood and corals because not all seafood are appropriate for isolate. For example, the copperbanded butterfly seafood is often obtained to management aiptasia anemones in a offshore reservoir because the eat them. And placing this seafood into a clean isolate reservoir on an eating plan plan of ready meals is more likely to be a major deterrent. This is a seafood that is better off with a fresh water dip and then into the offshore reservoir (after appropriate acclimation of course). Corals should also be given a two weeks time observational isolate to prevent transferring barrier reefs harmful bacteria and undesirable problem walkers into your offshore reservoir.

Dipping new corals is a must. Coral harmful bacteria can quickly be prevented by dropping your corals in a efficient professional barrier reefs dip. My preferred is known as Get back and it just performs.

Always have a back-up push on side. Murphy's law relates to tanks too and it is only a issue of your energy and energy and effort before you get a check out from Murphy. And given that your primary push is the center of your tank's lifestyle assistance program, you should always have a back-up on side. And here's why. If your push goes down and you don't have a back-up, no instantaneously FEDEX shipping will be quick enough to preserve you. Don't pay attention to this caution. When you need one push, buy two and put the back-up on website where you can get to it.

Always plumb in a prevent on your filtering system equipment. Since most equipment on your reservoir will fall short at some factor, a prevent allows you to convert a number of valves and "bypass" the down narrow while enabling the relax of your program to keep running.

Wednesday 15 August 2012

do fish float when they die?

Why do fish float when they die?
Most fish are slightly denser than water, so sink immediately after death. However, like a drowned human, they become more buoyant over time as bacterial decomposition produces gases inside the body. Usually, enough gas builds up in body cavities to make the corpse float, like an inflated balloon. That’s not always so, as I can testify from my own fish tank: they occasionally just decompose unnoticed on the bottom.

do fish float to the top when they die?


Do GoldFish Always Float To Th Top When They Die ?
My goldfish is lying at the bottom of my tank ! :D. Its not moving and has no eye ? And its mouldy ? But i thought they always float to the top when they die :O? His Names FhishhFood :D? Is He Dead ? Or Sleeping :)?
Where did his eye go? He sounds dead and if you have other fish, they probably have been pecking at it and eating it.
You can nudge him with your net and if he doesnt move just take him out. You should be able to see his gills move if he was alive.

Goldfish dont usually float to the top when they die. They will eventually the longer you leave it in there. The goldfish will start to decompose interally and this will produce oxygen and other gas products as waste. It are these internal gases which will allow the dead fish to float. Even trapped air.

It sounds like your fish has been dead for a while now.

Im sorry to hear about your loss.
All freshwater fish when they die will float to the surface, it has to do with the way they decompose. After a while they sink to the bottom, and since yours is starting to mould up, its been dead for at least 1 week....give or take a few days. Sorry about that. There are a couple of exceptions, and they are mainly in the Catfish family.

On the plus side your now learning about the time frames involved with death and a fish tank, at least the moulding cycle.

In the almost 30 years I have kept and the last 15 that I have been breeding fish I have had a little more than a hundred (100+) fish die for a variety of reasons, some of them mine, some due to the fish jumping out of the tank, and some doe to mechanical/electronic failures (Filter or heater). Its an unfortunate part of fishkeeping.
Source(s):
30+ Years of Fishkeeping Experience
Former employee of 3 different pet stores (Fish Department)

how long should fish float in bag?


How long do i float my bettas bag in the tank for?
How long do i need to float the bag with my betta in it in the tank?

and how long do i wait before feeding him?

Fast answers would be appreciated
30 min. if you do it for longer it won't hurt them any - it makes sure that the water temp is the same because they will die from shock. ALWAYS make sure your water for your fish (when changing the water) is the same.

I also advise that if you switch your fish from their bowl into a holding container that you should put the toilet seat down :) my one fish flipped right out of the fish net into it once.

when fish float on their side?

My fish keeps floating on to his side, and is moving a bit to try to not do this, but still is ending up on? his side. Help please. 6 years ago Report Abuse LucySD Best Answer - Chosen by Voters Swim Bladder Disease ... symptoms cause fish to become unable to swim correctly, your fish may exibit ... bottom of her tank, ( she would float heplessly back to the top) I immediatly ...www.hv3.7h.com/Swim Bladder Disease.html - 14k - Cached - More from this site ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Swimbladder is a disease which symptoms cause fish to become unable to swim correctly, your fish may exibit swimming toward the bottom of your tank or bowl, then floating back up, swimming in circles or laying or floating on his side.... There are three main things according to the posts and articles I've read that can lead to swimbladder disease. Constipation due to overfeeding Bad water quality Bacteria I have kept bettas for a few years, and this had been a problem on a regular basis for one fish in particular as well as a couple of others. Many people or websites recommend epsom salt baths as well as antibotics. I haven't tried either- and have not lost a betta to swimbladder. I recommend the following regimine, recommened to me over two years ago. First, If you have your fish in a bowl, and your normal routine consist of 100% water changes, As soon as you notice signs of swimbladder do a complete water change, taking care not to stress the fish by having the water temp as close to his bowl as possible, and using something as a cup so you don't have to net your fish. After your water change you should not feed your fish any food for two days. On the third day feed your fish a fresh pea. Frozen peas thawed, popped out of the skin, and cut into bite size pieces. And then do another water change so that any uneaten peas do not contaminate your water.... If you do partials, or have a tank, do a significant change when you suspect swimbladder disease and then follow this treatment. If you don't use aquarium salt this is a good addition to most tanks. The recommended dose is one teaspoon per gallon, or one tablespoon per five gallons. If you have never added salt and you are unsure; you may want to first acclimate him at only 1/2 tsp per gallon. If this seems to be a frequent problem you may consider feeding less. Your water quality could indicate more frequent water changes, or in my case I break up the food for this one particular betta. It seems easier for him to digest. All my fish seem to love the peas and it may be of great benifit to feed a pea once a week. If you suspect that there is bacteria causing the symptoms of swimbladder perhaps antibotics may be needed. I recommend the pea "trick" first as it will at least correct the swimbladder symptoms that bacteria or bad water quality could be causing. I wanted to share this treatment because I have responded to many posts, recommending this procedure and I'm not sure if people take it seriously. It is cheap, simple, and has never failed my bettas....I have one male who has looked dead laying on his side and he has always recovered by this simple effective treatment. Just recently One of my females could not swim toward the bottom of her tank, ( she would float heplessly back to the top) I immediatly changed the water, held of food for two days and then fed the pea, she is perfectly fine. I know there are many people who probably lose thier fish needlessly, or who treat with harsh antibotics when it may not be necessary. First give this a whirl! And pass it on.

Why do fish float on their sides when they die?


Why do fish float on their sides when they die? — Cierra, Franklin, Ind.
Marshall Brain Answers:
When a fish dies, it can do one of two things: it can float or sink. Dead fish tend to float, at least for awhile, as seen here:
That happens because bacteria in the intestines produce gas, and the gas trapped inside the body causes it to float (see What causes flatulence? for info on bacteria in the gut).
Given that the dead fish’s body contains an air pocket, it is going to float head-up, tail-up, top-up, bottom-up or on its side. If the air bubble were in the head and the tail were heavy, the fish would float head-up. The reverse would cause the fish to float tail-up. But the gas bubble is toward the center of the fish’s body. Therefore, like a board, the fish floats on its side.

Do all fish float when they die?


Why does my fish float on it's side?
Every now and then one of my fish floats on it's side as though it is dead. But after a few minutes or a nudge by one of the others it starts moving again. It swims funny for a second or two as though slightly stiff then returns to normal. This is happening more often now but used to be once a week at first.

Is he having strokes or some kind of fits and is there anything we can do?

Genuine, helpful answers preferred!

Additional Details
Just to add, the fish is around 7 or 8 years old and shares a large tank with 3 other fish, He has being doing this for the last month or so but it has become more frequent. The other fish appear fine.

it sounds like its got a swim bladder problem,which can be caused by constipation from over feeding don't feed it for 3 days and then feed shelled peas for another 3 days
just because a fish has a swim bladder prob it does not mean its going to die don't answer if you don't know the answer

How do fish float?

There are a few different answers – depending on what type of fish we are asking about.

The most sophisticated types of fishes, bony fishes, have a swim bladder. These fish can inflate their swim bladder with gas from a special gas gland. The gas is basically oxygen from the fish’s blood. Bony fishes that spend most of their lives on the bottom of the ocean floor (e.g., flounder) don’t have a strong swim bladder – therefore, don’t float.

Sharks, skates, and rays are all types of fish. But, they are more primitive. They stay afloat with a fancy liver filled with oil, using their long pectoral fins for balance in mid-waters, and maintaining a light framework. The ‘light framework’ is made up of cartilage (the same stuff found in our nose and ears).

How do fish rise and sink in the water?


Fish are a bit like birds or flying insects: They have built-in­ mechanisms that allow them to move up and down and side to side in their environment. But the methods that let fish do this are closer to the principles behind manmade flying machines than to natural flying methods. Most fish rise and sink in the water the same way a helium-filled balloon or a hot air balloon rises and sinks in the air.
To see how this works, you need to understand the various forces at work in the air and underwater. While these environments seem very different to us, water and air are actually very similar. Both are fluids, substances with mass but no shape. On Earth, an object immersed in a fluid (such as a fish or a person) experiences two major forces:
The downward pull of gravity
The upward push of buoyancy
Buoyancy is caused by a difference in fluid pressure at different levels in the fluid. Particles at the lower levels are pushed down by the weight of all the particles above them. The particles at the upper levels have less weight above them. Consequently, there is always greater pressure below an object than above it, so the fluid constantly pushes the object upward. (To learn more about the force of buoyancy, read How Hot Air Balloons Work.)
The force of buoyancy on an object is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by that object. For example, if you submerge an empty gallon milk jug in a bathtub, it displaces a gallon of water. The water in the bathtub then pushes up on the jug with a little more than 8 pounds of force, the weight of a gallon of water. An object with greater volume is pushed up with greater force because it displaces more fluid. Of course, if the object is denser (and therefore heavier) than water, it doesn't matter how much water it displaces -- it will still sink.
To ascend, a fish must reduce its overall density by increasing its volume without significantly increasing its mass. Most fish do this with something called a swim bladder. A swim bladder is just an expandable sac, like a human lung. To reduce its overall density, a fish fills the bladder with oxygen collected from the surrounding water via the gills. When the bladder is filled with this oxygen gas, the fish has a greater volume, but its weight is not greatly increased. When the bladder is expanded, it displaces more water and so experiences a greater force of buoyancy. When the bladder is completely inflated, the fish has maximum volume and is pushed to the surface. When the bladder is completely deflated, the fish has minimum volume and sinks to the ocean floor. To stay at a particular level, a fish fills its bladder to the point at which it displaces a volume of water that weighs what the fish weighs. In this case, the forces of buoyancy and gravity cancel each other out, and the fish stays at that level.
Most fish rise and sink using this method, but not all do. Some species don't need a swim bladder because they spend all their life skimming along the ocean floor. Other fish, such as rays and sharks, ascend and descend by propelling themselves forward. Just as in an airplane, the movement of fluid under the fins creates lift, which pushes the fish upward. To learn more about this process, check out How Airplanes Work and How Sharks Work.

Fishing float

This article is about angling floats. For fishing net floats, see fishing net. This article is about angling floats. For glass net or dropline floats, see glass float. Different types of fishing floats A float, also called a bobber, is a device used in angling that serves two main purposes: it can suspend the bait at a predetermined depth, and it can serve as a bite indicator. They are often used in conjunction with a fishing sinker.[1] Fishing with a float is called float fishing. Floats come in different sizes and shapes. They are usually brightly coloured so they are easy to see. The waggler is a thin tube of plastic with a line threaded through an eye at the bottom. It is commonly used as a running line float on still waters. The avon has a somewhat large and oval-shaped hollow area near the tip. Extra shot is added to the line so only the tip shows, allowing the line to be cast further. Avons are used in slow-flowing water. Long, thin floats are very sensitive and are used for coarse fishing Contents [hide] 1 Directional floats 2 See also 3 Notes 4 References 5 External links [edit]Directional floats There are also floats that allow directional control on rivers. If the current in the river is not too fast, it is possible with these floats to steer left or right down stream. In this way, areas can be reached which could not be reached in any other way. This eliminates the need for multiple casts. Directional floats can also be made to work in still water, such as lakes. If there is no current, the float is reeled in at about one quarter of the normal speed, using a travel of 4 inches for each 1 inch of reel. This reduces the number of times needed to cast by a factor of four. They can be used to steer under docks or trees.