This in-tank ammonia monitor takes test strip water monitoring into your aquarium.
Filed under water maintenance by on Feb 6th, 2010. Comment. 
Adds calcium and natural sea salt to a second water dish in your crab’s enclosure (important for long term crab health).Removes chlorine, chloramines, and ammonia.Aids in easy molting.Aids in the hardening of your crab’s exoskeleton after molting.Easy to use, simply add to your hermit crab’s drinking water.
Filed under Hermit Crabs by on Jan 16th, 2010. Comment.
Now you have set up and stocked your fish tank aquarium you can enjoy your new hobby. Looking after your fish tank is not hard, nevertheless a few problems may appear, mainly in new aquariums. It all may look perfect for a short while then slowly algae begins to develop and completely take over the fish tank, the fish start to die and your newly set up tank no longer looks like the aquariums in the pictures. How did this happen? Why did this happen? What went so drastically wrong? How can you make it right?
Firstly, don’t panic and definitely do not rush off to the nearest aquarium shop, buy chemicals and throw them into your aquarium. This will only compound the problems! Another thing that new fish tank owners tend to do when panicking is to clean the tank to begin again. This is the biggest mistake as any valuable bacteria that you have managed to culture in the tank will be removed as well and you will have to start again with recycling.
You really need to find out what is wrong and bit by bit deal with it, without chemical products which will probably change the the aquarium’s balance even more.
Build up of Toxic Chemicals
The most worrying trouble is sudden fish death. Did you cycle the tank properly before you added the fish? The most common reason for sudden fish death is high concentrations of ammonia or nitrites that are produced by the fish. You will need to use a test kit to properly check if this is the problem. If proper cycling of the tank wasn’t carried out there will be too few beneficial bacteria to cope with with all of these toxic chemicals, especially if you have too many fish. Do you have too many fish in the tank? This will inevitably be too much for the bacteria that deal with the waste and lead to an increase in the concentrations of nitrite and ammonia.
Fish Bullying
Have you made sure you have a good assortment of fish varieties in the tank? Some fish may be no problem when young but will bully other fish when fully grown. Tiger barbs are notorious for being bullies. Any bullying fish are best removed from the aquarium and given away!
Lack of Water Changes
Have you been partially changing the water often enough? Although ammonia and nitrites are removed by the beneficial bacteria, less toxic nitrates are produced. But nitrates can also cause a problem. When nitrate concentrations become too high they are able to cause harm to the fish and they must be removed by doing a partial water change.
Using Chlorine Contaminated Water
All tap water contains chlorine which you can remove by leaving the water to stand for a day or two. Some authorities also add chloramines which is not removable so easily. If your tap water contains chloramines, or you don’t know, you need to add a chemical treatment to deal with them them before putting the water in the tank.
Overfeeding The Fish
Overfeeding is a widespread problem, the result of which is uneaten, food rotting. This then releases noxious chemicals that cause more strain on the bacteria. The outcome is a rapid rise in toxic chemicals that will more than likely harm your fish. When feeding your tropical fish ensure that you Do not give them more than they can eat in approximately 3 mins. If you see food sitting on the bottom of the tank you are overfeeding!
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Filed under Fish and Aquarium Care by on Jan 15th, 2010. Comment.
Join the millions of other demanding aquarists that have chosen Penguin filters with complete, 3-stage aquarium filtration to keep their aquarium clear, clean, and healthy. These Bio Wheel Aquarium filters are one of the best aquarium power filters for any aquarist. Check out these fantastic improvements to the already efficient Penguin line. A larger Bio-wheel means more area for nitrifying bacteria to grow, keeping your aquarium totally free of harmful ammonia and nitrites. Increased flow rates maintain optimum water circulation and insure proper Bio-wheel rotation. Adjustable mid-level intake strainer allows you to take aquarium water from mid-tank for complete circulation. The Penguin’s all-new cover design and sealed motor dramatically reduces water noise while still maintaining optimum oxygenation. All Penguin filters use the handy Rite-Size filtration media cartridges so changing the filter is a snap. Penguin filter cartridges take care of all mechanical and chemical filtration in your aquarium and are extremely easy to replace. For complete, easy aquarium filtration for your aquarium, nothing works like a Penguin filter.
Filed under Filtration by on Dec 11th, 2009. Comment.
Just like any other type of yard maintenance, pond maintenance varies with each season. These tips on maintaining your pond will help you keep it running well from season to season.
Each spring, you’ll need to clean your pond thoroughly. If the pond is extremely dirty, you may need to actually catch the fish and keep them in a holding tank so that you can drain the pond. Otherwise, you should only need to remove about half the water.
Remove any debris and fallen leaves from the pond. You should clean the filter and change the media or material it uses to work, as well. This gets rid of bacteria that will be harmful to fish. Then, refill the pond with fresh water. You should treat the pond for parasites to keep your fish healthy.
The plants in your pond will usually bloom again as the season progresses. You’ll need to cut off any dead parts and you should use a pond safe fertilizer to feed any potted or deep water plants.
Don’t feed your fish until the temperature stays above 55°F (10°C). Otherwise, the fish will not be able to digest the food. You may want to consider starting them off with wheat-germ based food. As the weather warms, you may also want to give your fish specially formulated food with antibiotics in it for two weeks to prevent illness.
During the summer months, pond maintenance is fairly simple. Switch your fish to a high protein food. Test the water for ammonia, nitrates and pH. If the water quality is bad, the fish may not have enough oxygen to survive. You should change fifty percent of the water if it is unbalanced. It may also be a good idea to add a few additional oxygenating plants to the pond to stabilize the oxygen level and keep algae from taking over the pond. Fertilize the deep water plants and marginal plants in the pond with a pond safe fertilizer. You should also clean the filter and pump.
During the fall, you will be spending most of your time preparing your fish for the winter months. Fish can’t easily digest foods in lower temperatures so you’ll need to reduce the amount you feed them as temperature goes below 70°F (21°C). When the temperature is under 50°F (10°C) stop feeding the fish until the weather warms up again in the spring.
You should trim all the plants in the pond and remove dying parts to prevent them from rotting under water during the winter. When leaves begin to fall you should cover the pond with mesh so that the leaves don’t drop into the water. If the leaves are left in the pond they will decompose and become harmful to your fish.
Winter maintenance involves keeping the pond from freezing solid so that toxic gases do not build up under the ice. As the temperature of the pond water gets below 40°F (4°C), remove the pump from the bottom of the pond. When it is at the bottom, it circulates the water of the entire pond, making it too cold for the fish.
You should put a re-circulating pump at the top of the pond to provide oxygen and to keep the pond from freezing completely during the winter months. You’ll also need to install a heater or pond deicer, which will release toxic gases and provide more oxygen for the fish.
Remove filter mats from the skimmer and filter because they’ll freeze and will be difficult to thaw out. You may want to cover the pond with netting to avoid predators, as fish are most vulnerable during winter and early spring months.
Filed under Ponds & Water Gardens by on Oct 31st, 2009. Comment.
