Aquariums

for Tropical Fish

By Ginny Ruadh (P7)

Where do fish wash?

In a river basin
Text Source: a great aquarium book by Jane Sarnoff and Reynolds Ruffins
Source: http://tropicalfishunlimited.com/home/a232-tropical_fish-8x12-72dpi-rgb/
 The way to start is by making the
fish as comfortable as possible.

That is by making sure that the

tank is as much like a tropical river
as possible.

Image Source: alpineglass.com

To set up a basic tank you should have:
• 20-gallon tank • Thermometer
• Aquarium cover • Sunshine / artificial lights
• Air pump • Plants (at least 4 plants)
• Filter • Gravel
• Heater • Rocks
• Tools
 Furnishings
You can use lots of things to furnish a tank like:

• Plants
• Gravel
• Sand
• Rocks
• Ornaments
 Setting your tank up
1. Decide where to put your tank.
2. Buy all necessary equipment except fish.
3. Wash the gravel do not use soap.
4. Scrub the tank and aquarium cover.
5. Wash gravel, rocks and ornaments.
6. If you are using an under gravel filter, wash it carefully and set it into the tank.
7. Put the tank in it’s permanent place.
8. Put in all the equipment but do not plug in yet.,
9. Rinse off plants and remove and dead/yellow leaves.
10. Using a watering can, add water until the tank is filled up to 2 inches from the
top.
11. Have some one check your electrical systems.
12. Plug in an turn on all of the electrical equipment
13. Add floating plants.
14. Put on cover and lights.
15. Leave the tank without fish for one week.
 How to Look After a Tank
• To keep your tank commutable and healthy, and to
make your aquarium easy to take care of, there are
five important things to consider:

• Space
• Air
• Temperature
• Light
• Furnishings
 Space
• Fish need plenty of water and
space to move around in. they
need room for exercise and play.
More importantly, they need
breathing room.
• Fish breath the oxygen in the
water, and too many fish in a too
small tank use up the air too fast.
• A wide tank top makes it
possible for more air to get into
the water.
• Buy a tank made of glass rather
than plastic – plastic scratches to
easily.
Air
• In order to breath fish need clean water
with plenty of air in it.
• You can and should put plants in your
tank you can also give your tank an air
pump which helps to add air to the tank.
• A filter is also a necessity it helps to keep
the tank clean as well as putting air in to
the water it is like an artificial stream.
• But the biggest help in keeping a tank
clean and airy is not overcrowding,
overfeeding or overheating.

• A rectangular tank is the best

shape of tank to have as it lets in
more oxygen, has more space
for the fish to move around and
you can view the fish better.
 Temperature
• Fish are uncomfortable when
they get too warm or to cold,
and sudden and extreme
changes in temperature can kill
fish so can high temperatures.
• High temperatures take oxygen
out of the water and make algae
reproduce too fast.
• Cold water helps to spread
some diseases.
• If you can’t get the temperature
exactly right, however, it is
generally better to have the
water a bit cooler than too
warm.
Light
• Both fish and plants need light to stay
healthy. About two or three hours of
morning sunlight, or eight to ten
hours of artificial light, is usually about
right for a 15- to 20- gallon tank.
• You have to be careful however that
your aquarium doesn’t get too much
or to little light.
• With to little light the plants will turn
yellow and die, upsetting the balance
of the tank.
• With too much light, algae will grow
too quickly.
• It is best to keep your tank where
there is sunlight but not direct
sunlight.
• If sunlight is not available or
convenient, you can use artificial light.
• There are many types of light made to
fit tanks. You can even use a regular
lamp.
 Parts of the fish

Lateral line

Image Source:http://www.bim.ie/img/students/school_of_fish/fish_facts/fish_facts1_fish.gif
Image source: http://snhs-plin.barry.edu/Research/Fish_Anatomy_files/Fish-Anatomy.jpg
 Which fish ?
• Choosing the fish to put into an aquarium is always
very difficult.
• All the fish can live under the same conditions. The
fish shown here are easy fish.
• They don’t get sick often, they aren't too fussy
about food and living conditions and if you make a
few mistakes they can usually still survive.
• Some swim mostly at the top of the tank others
mostly near the middle or bottom.
• Each tank should have some fish at each level.
• To create a balanced look.
Different kinds of fish
 • Zebra Danio’s come
from Bengal in India.
• They are egg-layers and
have barbels.
Zebra Danio • Zebras are active and
swim everywhere.
• They eat mainly at the
surface but will also
poke around the plants
and gravel at the
bottom.
• Zebras are easy to
breed and care for.
• The largest they grow is
2 inches.
Image source: www.aquahobby.com
 Angelfish
• Angelfish are egg layers from the
Amazon and Orinoco rivers in brazil.
• In the wild they live in standing or slow
moving water with lots of plants to hide
among.
• In a tank angelfish stay in definite
territories which they will defend
fiercely.
• In any group of angelfish males will fight
to decide who is boss.
• Males will choose and stay with one
mate.
• Angelfish tend to grow large and bully
smaller fish.
• When an angelfish is frightened or
started thy tend to lose their colour then
as they start to feel better the colour will
slowly return.
• Angelfish can grow up to 5 inches in
length.
Image source: http://freshwatercichlids.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/freshwater_angelfish.jpg
 • Hatchets are egg-layers but
they rarely breed in captivity.
• They may be marbled or Hatchet fish
striped and both male and
grow to be about 2 inches
long.
• Hatchets spend most of the
time at the surface of the
tank (in fact they are flying
fish, they can easily leap out
of they water and fly long
distances with their pectoral
fins beating strongly.

Image source: http://www.fishdeals.com/characins/hatchetfish/home.jpg

 Peal Danio
• Pearls are very fast, egg-layers from Burma.
• Although they are very active and race about
the tank, pearls spend most of their time at
the top of the tank.
• They grow to be about 2 inches long

Image source:http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_puTVILFyI9M/Sye8exMt4XI/AAAAAAAAAi0/7TtEhynDKPE/s320/Celestial-Pearl-Danio-MF.jpg
 Cherry Barb
• Cherry Barbs are egg layers from India.
• They are active and don’t like to crowed.
• Cherries are red, middle level fish that grow to about 2
inches.

Sources:http://www.bettatrading.com.au/images/Cherry-barb_female_and_male.jpg ----- http://www.tropicalfishandaquariums.com/Barbs/CherryBarb1.jpg

 Rosy Barb
• Rosy barbs are
much like
cherries.
• The female, is not
as bright in colour
as the male.
• Rosies are hardy,
bullies that grow
to be about 2-3
inches in length.
• They belong to
the carp family.

Source: http://www.petfishtalk.com/images/rosy_barb_male_001_w240.jpg
 Flame/ Red Tetra

• Flame/ red tetras are egg layers from south America and
south Africa.
• They are less bright than their name suggests.
• They have an adipose fin.
• Flames are small (about 1 inches) and are healthy
easygoing, and undemanding.
Source: http://www.aqua-fish.net/imgs/fish1/red-phantom-tetra-profile.jpg
 Cardinal Tetra
• Cardinal Tetras like
Flame/ red tetras are
egg layers from South
America and South
Africa.
• They are more
colourful than flames ,
but otherwise the
same.

Souce: http://www.somethingsphishy.com/images/CARDINAL%20TETRA.jpg
 Platy Or Moonfish
• Platies are live bearers from southern Mexico. They are
many coloured and no two look exactly alike.
• Platies eat algae and the female is larger than the male.
• The males have a gonopodium instead of an anal fin.

Source: http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/images/graphics/platydisplay3.jpg
 Kissing Gourami

• Gourami float their eggs on the surface of the water.

• They can grow to about 4 inches but most never get bigger than 2.
• Gourami have thick lips that stick out over tiny teeth.
• They only look like they are kissing no one knows what they are doing when
they touch lips.
• Gourami have a special body structure near the gills that lets them breath
directly from the atmosphere as well as from the water.

source: 4.bp.blogspot.com/-Yu9RsR6Hqq8/TVohUrYJooI/AAAAAAAAAiY/SLgyppu6qZA/s1600/gourami-kissing.jpg
 Bronze Catfish

• Bronze Catfish can live under all types of conditions.

• They are scavengers and will eat anything.
• Instead of scales they a type of skin armour, barbels and an
adipose fin.
• The catfish solemn breeds in captivity and may live up to five years.
Source: gsndev.org/archives/webs/mgs99/catfish_bronze.jpg
 Siamese Algae-eater
• The Algae-eater grows
to about 3 inches long.
• It eats algae with great
speed and
thoroughness.
• The Algae-eater is fast-
moving but swims with
an odd jerky
movement.
Source: www.aquahobby.com
• The Kuhli Loach
lives in muddy Kuhli Loach
streams in Java. It
is a scavenger and
is a bubble nest
builder.
• The Kuhli Loach
grows to about 4
inches long.

Source: http://www.loaches.com/species-index/photos/p/Pangio_kuhlii_03.jpg/image_preview
 Guppies
• Guppies are often
called rainbow fish,
because they are very,
very colourful, no two
are alike.
• They need less than
most fish space and
breed very well.

Source: http://fishkipedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/guppy-male.jpg
 Siamese Fighting Fish
(Betta)
• Betta’s are bubble nest
builders from Thailand
and Malaysia.
• They grow to be about
3 inches in length and
are usually cornflower
blue or bright red.
• Male Betta’s are raised
for sport and are put
source: badmanstropicalfish.com ---------- www.aquahobby.com
together to fight.
 Swordtail
• Swordtails are
beautiful-bright red
and black.
• But they tend to be
nasty and hog the
food.
• Since they are quite
large (up to 5 inches)
they quickly become a
probolem.

Source: http://www.thatpetplace.com
 Mollies

• Mollies are nice looking fish with a huge dorsal fin. But
they need different water, higher temperatures and
more algae than other fish.
• Some do manage in a tank with other fish but too often
they sicken and die.
Source: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_E3P-Z4qQHY0/TCKx2bfWMLI/AAAAAAAAAGg/dmWwM1ukFRM/s1600/black+molly.jpg
 Neon tetra
• Neon's are very popular,
and many people will
suggest that you start
with a few.
• Unfortunately, Neon's
often get a disease for
which there is no cure. It
appears as a whitish patch
beneath the dorsal fin. All
too quickly the disease will
spread to all the other fish
in the tank.

Source: http://www.buzzle.com/img/articleImages/392903-48120-45.jpg
 Unusual fish tanks

Source: http://amazingdata.com/creative-aquariums/