Personal Aquaria: Update 2

Rotala Garden

 This tank is field with Artificial and Natural Rotala Plants. Red to the left, green to the right. In the middle sits a peace of driftwood. This is my oldest tank. It has once even housed 2 gigantic chicleds!


Tank Info:

• Size: 30 gallons
• Type: Freshwater
• Fish: Stripped Shark Catfish, Golden Gourami, Common Angel Fish
• Ph: Slightly Acidic to Neutral
• Status: Fully Operational

Nemo

Recommended Aquarium Item

Favorite External Filter


The Quiet Flow by Aqueon does a great job at keeping an aquarium clean. It even cycles 100 gallons per hour for the smallest filter type! The filtration system is very efficient too as shown to the right. The Quiet Flow compiles a system of plastic filter pieces, removing the large stuff, and a cloth bag for the small particles. However, this filter does not come with charcoal, so you may want to add some in the future. Another cool thing about it is that it can be used for both Saltwater and Freshwater Aquariums. It has a top to prevent evaporation of water, and is by far, my quietest filter at my house. It, in my mind, is a heck of a lot quieter then other filters, rivaling Whisper. 

A Close up of my filter

Nemo

Personal Aquaria: Update 1

Live-bearers and Tetras. 


The tank is going very smoothly. I got a gift card for PetSmart and decided to spend a little on my aquarium hobby. It is my 3rd largest aquarium (4th counting terrariums or 2nd largest fully functional one)


Tank Info:

• Size: 20 gallons
• Type: Freshwater
• Fish: Micky Mouse Platies, Fire-tail Platies, Sunset Platies, Mollies, Rubber-lip Pleco
• Ph: Slightly Acidic to Neutral
• Status: Fully Operational

Nemo

Red Tailed Black Shark

Description

Red Tailed Shark Example

The Red Tailed Black Sharks (Epalzeorhynchus bicolor) have a stark black body with a neon red or orange tail. There may sometimes be color in the pectoral fins, and albino forms may be encountered as well. Although they are called sharks, they are a completely separate species from any cartilaginous fish such as sharks, rays or skates. Sharks are, in fact, closer related to carp. They are beautiful fish growing to about 6 inches. They are native to Thailand but are extinct in the wild. Determining gender is tough, however a female may have a grayer stomach whereas the males are solid black


Tank Information and Tips

• Do not keep them with other sharks or smaller fish for they may become territorial. Keep them in a aquarium with large fish.
• Feed them a varied diet consisting of fish flakes, insects, and keep the tank a bit algae filled because the shark is an omnivore.
• When you first get them, they will be quite shy, adopting a specific region as their cave. However, as time passes they will become more bold. 
• Give them an aquarium with a Ph of 6.5 - 7.5 and a water hardness of around 5-15 dH.
• An aquarium with a heater is good, preferably 70-80 degrees F.
• When first adopting one, I prefer a 20 gl, and as the shark grows, give him a tank around 40 gl. Most websites recommend a tank of around 50 gl, but i have done quite fine with 20 gl.
• They are great for a new aquariest but keep a tight lid, these fish, when they get big, can jump!

An Albino Red Tailed Shark

Conclusion

The Red tailed shark is a great addition to a large aquarium, fairly easy to care for, these fish sport a magnificent red or orange hue to the tail. Breeding is quite difficult, few have achieved it. However, if you have a roomy tropical aquarium, you can welcome this fish with open arms but do not welcome more then one, these fish tend to chase and nip at each other if multiple fish are added in an aquarium.


Nemo

Red, Green, and Tiger Barbs

Red Tiger Barb

Description
They Tiger barb (Puntius tetrazona) is a plucky little fish growing around 2 3/4 inches. Originating from the South East Asia Islands, they are easily distinguishable because of their 4 black bands around the fish, hints the name, tiger barb. The males have a stark red snout, females less intense red. The green tiger barb can be all black/green excluding the underbelly and the face. Eggs are normally a transparent yellow.

Tank Information and Tips

• Have the temperature of the aquarium set somewhere between 70-77 degrees F.
• Keep them in schools so they do not bit your lang tailed tank inhabitants.
• They are omnivores so they will gobble up small aquatic insects and even cooked veggies.
• These fish prefer soft acidic water.
• It scatters eggs on the large flat leaves so be careful when remove dead leaves from live plants!
• The parents will eat the eggs and the fry so set up a separate tank for breeding purposes.
• They are quite compatible with gouramis, bettas, sharks, corys, plecos, mollies, and platies. Use your best judgement when introducing them.
• They live 2 to 5 years when properly cared for.
• Don't mistake them for the clown loach.
• A Ph of 6-7.5 is recommended.
• They aren't particularly picky when it comes to decor, decorate it how you want, but for breeding purposes, include a broad leafed plant.

Green Tiger Barb

Conclusion
Tiger barbs are very easy cared for fish, getting along with many other species, so long as they do not nip at them. Not picky habitat wise and not picky food wise, these fish make excellent pets.

Nemo

Ghost Strimp

Description

Ghost Shrimp

The ghost shrimp, is a common name for many freshwater and brackish living shrimp.The ones sold in aquariums are  Palaemonentes paludosus. They are commonly known as the American glass shrimp or ghost shrimp, or sometimes, because of a dialectical confusion with Asian dealers, as grass shrimp. It is native to the Southern United States. These shrimp are transparent, and are a schooling species. They walk on the bottom of the tank picking up scraps of food. They make excellent tank cleaners. They live for about 2 years and grow to about 1 inch.

Tank Requirements and Information

• Large shrimp may become aggressive to smaller ones so a suitable amount of shrimp is no more than 1 shrimp per gallon / 4 L of water. It is recommendable to keep them in lower concentration in aquariums smaller than 10 gallon/ 40 L. 
• Make sure you provide them with plenty of hiding places.
• Keep ghost shrimp with non aggressiveness live bearers such as platies or mollies unless you want to feed your shrimp to your fish.
• Make sure they have a heater. The temperature should be about 65-80 degrees F.
• They are easy to breed but the fry are hard to raise. The females carry pinkish eggs on their belly. The fry are very small and therefor will not eat lark chunks of fish food. Try grinding up the fish flakes or even try feeding them infusoria, micro-organisms found in pond and stream water.
• It sometimes helps if you put a pinch of salt in the water.
• They prefer slightly acidic water, or neutral ph.

Baby Ghost Shrimp
identified by the arrow

Conclusion
Ghost Shrimp are great to add to an aquarium with docile fish. They will keep the aquarium happy, healthy, and clean.If you really want a challenge, try breeding them. Who knows? Maybe you will be successful!

Nemo

Sunfish, Bluegill, Brim, and Bream

Descriptions
Sunfish and Brim are species of freshwater fish in the genus Lepomis. We are not talking about Opahs or Mola-Mola, large bony fish from the sea. The most common species and most recognizable of these is the Bluegill. These fish are found all over lakes and streams in North America and occasionally at your local pet store. They will start off small, about say 2 inches, but can quickly grow to about 20 inches.

Species

• L. auritus - Redbreast sunfish
• L. cyanellus - Green sunfish
• L. gibbosus - Pumpkinseed
• L. gulosus - Warmouth
• L. humilis - Orangespotted Sunfish
• L. macrochirus - bluegill
• L. macrochirus purpurescens - Florida Bluegill
• L. macrochirus spp - Handpaint Bluegill
• L. marginatus - Dollar Sunfish
• L. megalotis peltastes - Northern Longear Sunfish
• L. megalotis megalotis - Central Longear Sunfish
• L. megalotis spp - Ox-bow Longear Sunfish
• L. microlophus - redear Sunfish
• L. miniatus - Redspotted Sunfish
• L. punctatus - Spotted Sunfish
• L. symmetricus - Bantam Sunfish

A Lively Fish
After about a week after introducing your fish, he will become very active and feed on fish food. He may even interact with you! Like cichlids, they love to play. They will sometimes more objects around in aquariums or jump out of the aquarium.Provide them with enrichment and try to mirror there habitat.

Gone Fishing
Now adopting this fish can come at a challenge, not many pet stores sell them! Its not that they are rare or expensive, just that no one can hold such as large fish! The easiest way to catch one is to go fishing! Check the sun. Make sure its about noon. Then you will have the best chance of catching one, at least in North America. Attach a bread ball to the tip of your small hook and drop it in the lake. You should be able to catch a few using this technique. They are panfish, meaning that they can be caught all year round in america Another way it just to strap on your waiters and wade into a stream or lake. Use a long net to catch them. After catching your fish make sure they are healthy and not injured to badly. I recommend catching one about 2-6 inches long, anything bigger requires a tank over 40 gallons at least! Check with your state's or countries fishing laws before running out and catching one!

Tank Requirements and Tips

• House them along or with hardy fish for they can nibble on the fins or docile fish.
• Your fish will eat flaky fish food, but also mix in a diet of insects for it to grow. 
• Be prepared for it to grow into a large fish in the future. Remember that you can release it back into the wild or buy a bigger aquarium.
• When adopting from the wild, make sure it does not carry any parasites or sickness that could harm your other fish. Isolate it for a while and toss in some parasite killed. This can be found at your local fish store.
• They do not need a fish heater but do need oxygenated water and a filter. They can poop a lot. 
• Water wise have the water be either neutral or alkaline, they are not that big of fans when it comes to acidic but because they are hardy fish they can tolerate it. 

Conclusion
Sunfish, Bluegill, Brim, and Bream are all hardy, lively fish. You can go out and catch them for free, so long as its legal. They are a bit of a gamble though, make sure they are not sick before introducing them into your main aquarium. They are a wonderful fish for a beginner.

Nemo

The Rubber Lip Pleco

Description

A perfect example of this fish

The Rubber Lip Pleco is a fairly medium sized pleco growing to about 7 inches long max. At pet stores they are commonly sold under the name the Common Pleco.The rubber lip pleco can be identified because it resembles a cheetah in that its entire body is covered with black spots. This pleco can also been found with black strips on its body. Its main body color (that is the part that isn't spotted like a cheetah is yellow)  is a golden brown. This pleco is found in the steamy river basins of South America such as Columbia. There is prefers a temperature of 70-78 degrees F.

Algae? No Problem!
Plecos are known for one thing in particular, to each algae. They can cut back on the amount of algae in your aquarium but remember, most healthy fish deserve a varied diet. Feed your pleco some lettuce or zucchini and after after say, 2 hours, remove the lettuce and toss it. If your pleco isn't eating the veggies, try placing them in a cup of warm water for a few minutes, then feed them before you go to bed,  Plecos, as far as I can tell, do not each fish food. They will however eat freeze dried algae tablets as shown here. If your tank does not have algae in it then just feed it some freeze dried tablets and a little lettuce or zucchini. Don't use a tank glass cleaner and let algae build up on the sides. Do however, continue frequent water changes being that Plecos can be poop factories. Some times your Pleco will not be feeding, this can be because of a variety of reasons. It is to shy to eat while you are around. It could not be happy with the food. Or it could be sick.  More then likely it is just shy and will eat at night when you are asleep.

A slightly younger pleco

All Hide No Seek
Please realize before you get this fish that it is very shy. Provide it with plenty of hiding places. It will be stressed out the first 2 weeks so don't expect it to eat much. Give it some rocks to hide between or maybe some aquarium decor. One thing which I learned the hard way is that one should not place an internal filter in the aquarium. The pleco could become wedged in the space between it and the tank wall potentially injuring itself. However, some Plecos, if lucky, can be hyper, swimming around like crazy. They can be stressed out or just, well hyper.

Tank Requirements and Tips

• Feed some veggies every once in a while. Try putting them in warm water before feeding them to your pleco.
• Tank can be as big say 50 gallons, or as small as 5.
• Let algae build up on your tank wall. It looks more natural and can be a great snake for the pleco.
• Steer clear on internal filters.
• This fish is not aggressive and can be housed with a variety of other fish.
• A Tank Heater is a Must!
• Be prepared for this fish, don't randomly introduce it.

Conclusion
The Rubber Lip Pleco is a great addition to any aquarium but don't be surprised if you don't see him much.Make sure you feed him algae and occasionally, a veggie or two. Its fairly easy to care for and does not require much maintenance but this does not mean it is an easy fish to raise. New aquarium hobbyists should wait a bit before adopting one.

Nemo

Creation!

I have just created Australis Piscis, a blog where I will discuss the most amazing and wonderful fish on this planet we call Earth. Many of these fish can be found at your local pet store such as Petco or Pet Supermarket. I will talk about all sorts of fish, some I own, others i want to own, and some are just plain cool! Feel free to comment and anyone can use this site as their resource. I will try to put in a significant amount of research and personal experience before posting about a fish.

This site is just the beginning of a tidal wave of good times...

Nemo