Common Chocolate Chip Starfish are characterized by the dark brown knobs on their arms and body. This particular species is not reef safe and should never be placed in an aquarium with corals or anemones. Though they will move slowly in the aquarium they can crawl on top of non-mobile invertebrates and devour them. However they are easily kept in a species tank as they will feed on detritus or scavenge for meaty foods. Due to their hardy nature they are often sought after by both experienced aquarists and those just beginning their journey in the salt water hobby. This is a Restricted item and is not covered by our Arrive Alive 5 Day Guarantee.
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Filed under Starfish by on Apr 4th, 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.
This beautiful Peacock features predominantly blue coloration with red or orange in the “shoulder” area and through the ventral fins when dominant. The dorsal fin usually has a white edge. Females are not colored, they are silver with darker bars. The Aulonocara cichlids are commonly called Peacock cichlids due to the elaborate coloration developed by dominant males. While many types of Peacock cichlids are available, they should not be mixed together in aquariums. One of the peacocks will become dominant in the aquarium and the others will never show their brightest colors. For this reason, many aquarists will pick the Aulonocara they like the most and add it into the aquarium as the show fish. Even though a peacock should not be housed with other Peacock cichlids, they may be housed with other species of Lake Malawi fish. This can include many of the rock cichlids, which come in a variety of different colors, but is not limited to only them. In depth research will help the aquarist pick out the most appropriate fish for the aquarium. Aulonocara will accept both flake and pellet food soon after being introduced into the aquarium. A mixture of both types of food is recommended to allow the fish to get the most amount of vitamin and minerals. They may also be fed small amounts of frozen food but this should be only as a treat so that the Aulonocara to not get too much protein in the diet.
Filed under Freshwater Fish by on Nov 24th, 2009. Comment.
The Banded Butterfly has four distinct dark bars on each side of its white body, with a concave head and small pointed snout. As juveniles, the Banded butterfly has an eye-spot at the base of the dorsal fin. Banded Butterflies need to be kept in a fish only tank because of their nature to pick at tube worms and corals. Feeding should consist of various vitamin enriched frozen and flake food with a small amount of vegetative matter. This type of butterfly should only be attempted by experienced aquarists.
Filed under Saltwater Fish by on Oct 1st, 2008. Comment.
White spot is arguably the most common disease that tropical fish are subject to, and is believed to be responsible for causing more fatalities than any other disease. Most – if not all – aquarists will encounter white spot (also known as Ich) at least once or twice during the course of their career/hobby.
What is it?
White spot is a single-celled, ciliate protozoan. In regular English, this means it’s a single celled parasite organism, which propels itself through the water through use of cilia, or filament-like hairs. Mature adult cells are 0.5 – 1.0 mm in size, and are usually clearly visible to the naked eye.
White spot is a parasite. It lives under the top layer of scales and skin on your fish, eating skin cells and causing minute cellular ruptures. The white spots which result from these ruptures are the basis for the parasite’s name, and are what will eventually kill the host (the fish).
How does it get into my tank?
White spot is usually introduced to a tank along with new, infected fish or plants. It can also break out seemingly without warning in an undisturbed tank.
When this happens, it means that the organism has been present for some time, but has been dormant (hibernating), and that some new stimulus – stress, or a change in water temperature – has caused it to awaken and become active.
The original cell of the organism will attach itself to a host (the weakest, oldest, or sickest fish in the tank), usually in the gill plates or under the scales.
After approximately one week of parasitism, the now-mature organism (mature Ich cells are called trophozoites) detaches from the fish and settles on a new surface: usually, a plant or ornament.
It will then form a capsule around itself (called a cyst) and will remain dormant – at least, outwardly – for about a week. During this period of time, the cell within the capsule is furiously dividing: by the time that those seven days are up, that one cell has become approximately 1,000 new single-celled organisms.
These “daughter cells” will then break loose and swim freely about the tank, attaching themselves to new fish – and beginning the cycle all over again.
White spot is highly contagious and progresses very rapidly. 100% mortality is to be expected unless something is done about it.
What can I do about it?
Prevention is obviously the best cure:
- Make sure you only ever buy healthy fish from a reputable, clean breeder
- Inspect the tank from which your fish originate: does it look to be in clean condition? Are the plants healthy and flourishing? Is the gravel clean of sediment and dust? Is the water warm and well-conditioned?
- Check the fish, too – not just the ones you’re buying, but all the fish in the tank. Watch out for ones that are ‘hiding’ (under rocks and behind ornaments) since this is a classic symptom of an infected fish. Make sure none are displaying those tell-tale white spots
- Thoroughly clean any gravel or ornaments you purchase before placing them in the tank, to make sure any cysts are dislodged
- Quarantine new plants and fish for one week before adding them to your tank
- Never overstock your tank, since it will stress the fish (which is a major contributor to outbreaks of white spot, as well as dictating in part the severity of the outbreak)
- Check your fish regularly for white spots. The earlier you detect it, the less impact the disease will have on your tank.
What if it’s too late for prevention?
If you’ve already got an outbreak in your own tank, relax – it may be a serious illness, but at least it’s easy to cure!
The most common, and user-friendly, method of curing condition is through the use of aquarium salts.
Parasites are less tolerant of salt than fish, so adding extra salt kills off all the Ich organisms with no adverse effects to the fish themselves. Make sure you follow the instructions on the package (aquarium salts should always come with clear instructions), and make sure before using it that you don’t have any salt-intolerant fish in the tank like Neons, Cardinals, Glow-Lights, or scale-less Catfish, which are easily burned by salt.
A second alternative is to use a chemical called malachite green. This is an effective way of treating Ich, but unfortunately the chemical is toxic to humans (as well as most plants and snails, so make sure you remove these before commencing treatment!). Always use gloves when administering this chemical – and, because it’s teratogenic (meaning it harms fetuses), pregnant women should stay well away from it.
All you have to do with malachite green is remove the carbon from the filter, and add the appropriate amount (according to the instructions) to the water of the tank. It usually takes about 4-5 days to kill all the Ich cells – a good rule of thumb is to continue use of it until a couple of days after the last white spot has vanished from the fish. 10 days is typical for use of malachite green: just remember to put the carbon back in the filter to remove any lingering traces of the treatment, and give it one or two more days before putting the snails and plants back in.
UV light is also an effective means of treatment: you can purchase inner-tank filters from the pet store with small UV lights inside them. The light kills the parasites in the capsule stage, before they attach to the host.
The transfer method is time-consuming but effective: you’ll need to move all the fish, daily, into a new tank with clean, warm, conditioned water. It takes about 7 daily transfers (so, a week) for all the parasites to fall behind. The only downside is that the fish (and, often, the aquarist!) get stressed by the process, leaving them more susceptible to other diseases. Fish already affected by white spot will sometimes die during the transfer process because their bodies can’t handle the additional stress.
Recommended Reading
For a complete compendium of information on all the problems that tropical fish are subject to, take a look at Katy’s Tropical Fish – A Complete Guide. You’ll learn how to keep your fish happy, healthy, and beautiful, how to keep your aquarium to professional standards, how to troubleshoot health problems as soon as they occur, and learn valuable insider tips and tricks for keeping your aquarium looking spectacular.
Check out Katy’s Tropical Fish,
Filed under Fish and Aquarium Care by on Jul 16th, 2008. 1 Comment.
