TROPICAL FAQS....


By Neeky.co.uk
These pages are designed to give a brief introduction to tropical fish, they are by no means a comprehensive guide. Always research the needs of your desired fish before purchase.

Where do I start?

The main problem with tropical fish is that because there are so many it can be difficult to choose the right ones. Will they get too big? How many should you have? Will they be compatible? In the fish shop this can be quite bewildering but there are lots of books and magazines available to help you, not to mention web sites. You don’t need to be an expert but you should acquaint yourself a little before walking into the fish shop. A cup of tea and a read through a glossy fish magazine would be time well spent before embarking on your first purchase.

If you can, visit a few different aquatic shops, look at how clean & healthy the fish are and how helpful the staff are. This will help to give you an idea of what is available. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, a good aquatic shop with good staff is invaluable and will help you make the most of your fish. Don’t be offended if they ask you about your aquarium, what fish you have already, or if they suggest that you shouldn’t take a certain fish. This is a sign of a good aquatics shop, one that will not sell you the wrong fish for the sake of profit.

Consider keeping just one type of fish. This may seem a little boring but actually can be more fun and less stressful than having a community of different species, especially if you choose a type that comes in different colour ways. The male guppy for example, can be found in all sorts of different colours, a collection of these active fish is easy to care for and looks great.

Be firm with yourself. Buying fish can be a lot like being a child in a very large, colourful sweet shop - don’t get carried away! Remember that you need to introduce your fish gradually. It can be all to tempting to fill you aquarium up with all these wonderful fish in one go - but will you be so excited when the fish fall ill or even die? The fish certainly won’t thank you for it.

Plan what you are going to buy and stick to it - most aquatic shops have weekly deliveries so you are unlikely to miss out if you wait another month. Your fish will have a much better chance and your aquarium will be easier to care for in the long run. Patience really is a virtue.

What should they be fed?

Tropical fish are generally more active than goldfish and prefer to be fed little and often. They should not be fed goldfish food, instead purchase a suitable tropical food such as Hikari Micro Pellets.

More specialised foods are available to feed to those fish that will benefit, such as Siamese Fighting fish.

lots of other foods are available which can be fed in addition to pellets or flake. The type of food depends on the requirements of the fish (you will discover this from the research you do before you buy).

What plants should be used?

Most live plants found in aquatic shops prefer tropical temperatures so there is a good deal of choice on offer.

However, keeping them at the right temperature will not guarantee that the plant survives. Other factors such as lighting, nutrients levels of carbon dioxide etc will have a bigger effect on the health of the plant.

Because nutrients are sucked away from the plant roots consider plants that are grown onto rocks or bog wood. Or stem plants that absorb nutrients through their leaves rather than through roots.

Unless you convert your aquarium for plant growth choosing plants is a bit hit and miss. The best thing to do is try a few and see what happens. If you cannot find any plants that thrive in your aquarium then choose artificial plants such as plastic or silk.

Artificial plants can look very realistic, an although they won’t benefit the aquarium they are easy to look after.

Can fancy goldfish be mixed with tropical fish?

Fancy goldfish should only be kept with other fancy goldfish. The only reasonable exception is white cloud mountain minnows, which are small, peaceful cold water fish. Although they can tolerate higher temperatures they will prefer to live at 17-21C.

Some ‘cool water’ fish can be found, for example guppies, platys and danios, which have been acclimatised to cooler water, this does not make them suitable tank mates for fancy goldfish. Many of these cool water fish are quite boisterous and can worry the slower fancy goldfish as well as stealing all the food. There is also a chance when mixing species of introducing diseases to which the fancy goldfish will not be immune.

In the aquarium small fish are usually safe from predators - however it is difficult to tell that to the fish. This is why in the aquarium small shoaling fish should be kept in groups of the same type. For most small species a group of 4-6 is sufficient.

What temperature?

Most small tropical fish will live within a temperature range of 70-780F (21-250C). Some fish will need more specific temperatures, again, your research will tell you this.

Monitor the temperature of the aquarium with at least one thermometer, not by the reading on the heater. Place the thermometer as far away from the heater as possible.

If you have two thermometers place these at opposite sides of the aquarium. This will give you a more accurate idea of the temperature throughout the aquarium.

What if there is a power cut?

A power cut can be disastrous for the aquarium, even more so when keeping tropical fish. Not only will the pump stop working but the heater will stop as well. If the power cut continues for a long time the water can become very cold and very polluted, both of which could prove fatal to your fish.

If the power cut is only for an hour or so then it shouldn’t cause too much of a problem, overnight is more of a worry.

Live plants use up carbon dioxide and release oxygen into the water during daylight hours, which can help to make up for the lack of aeration. In the dark however, they will use up oxygen and release carbon dioxide into the water. If you have live plants remove them from the aquarium during a power cut at night. Use a blanket to wrap around the aquarium to help prevent heat loss.

If your heating is unaffected by the power cut turn it up by a few degrees to help keep the aquarium warm.

Don’t feed your fish. If they eat they will produce waste, which the filter may not be able to remove.

After the power cut you should carry out a couple of partial water changes and get the water tested to see if the water is badly polluted.

African dwarf frogs

African dwarf frogs, not to be confused with African claw frogs, which grow very big, are a popular aquarium pet. They live for around five years with an adult size of 3-3 ½ cm. They should be kept in heated aquariums, not coldwater. With a preferred temperature of 24-30C and pH range of 6.5 - 7.8 it is possible to provide the correct water conditions.

Although they will mix will fish there is a risk that the frogs will not get enough food. Also they prefer very slow filtration and therefore are better kept on their own or with just a few very small fish such as glowlight or silver tipped tetra. The fish should be introduced first to help establish the aquarium. Frogs should be introduced one per month so as not to overload the filter.

African dwarf frogs will not usually take dried food; they prefer blood worms and tubifex worms that are closer to their natural diet. Brine shrimp and daphnia can also be fed. Live or frozen can be offered but must be washed first. Some frogs may have difficulty recognising food - make sure the frogs are used to eating dead food before you buy them. Feed the frogs every other day and be strict with the amount of food you give them, otherwise they will continue eating until they make themselves ill.

Plants and hiding places are important to frogs otherwise they may try to bury themselves. You should provide a piece of aquarium bog wood and some moss balls.

Use an air clamp to reduce filtration to a slow but steady stream.

Don’t leave your aquarium uncovered for periods of time - hungry frogs may

Angel fish

The popular freshwater Angel fish is a type of cichlid best suited to very tall aquariums as they grow up to 6 inches tall. The aquarium should be at least 90 litres with a depth of at least 60 cm / 24 inches.

Whilst they are peaceful tank mates when young, once they have formed pairs they can become territorial and a threat to small fish in the aquarium.

Like other cichlids, angel fish are better suited to the experienced fish keeper.

Barbs

Barbs are a large group of fish, some of which grow too large for Reef One aquariums. Tiger barbs and cherry barbs are good ones to consider.

Tiger barbs (green & albino tiger barbs) are well known for fin nipping. They are best kept in a single species shoal and not mixed with other fish. These striking fish look very impressive and grow to about 3 inches in length.

Cherry barbs are much milder in character than they’re stripy cousins. They grow to about 2 inches and can be mixed with most other small community fish. They prefer to be kept as a male & female pair as they can get nervous with other cherry barbs.

A similar alternative to the tiger barb is the five banded barb. This looks like the tiger barb but has a more slender body and an extra black stripe. Growing to 2 inches, the five banded barb is more peaceful and can be mixed with other species. Golden barbs are smaller at 1½ inches, they are also peaceful.

Cichlids

This is a large group of very intelligent fish with complex behaviour patterns. They’re higher intelligence can make them very good pets however, it also means they are more demanding.

Most cichlids grow very large and are territorial making them unsuitable community fish. Even the smallest cichlids, such as Dwarf ramerizi (rams for short) require a large aquarium of at least 90 litres.

Specific feeding, water conditions, temperature and decor apply to almost every different species and therefore a lot of research is required for these fish before the aquarium is even purchased. Cichlids are better suited to the experienced fish keeper who wishes to house a pair in a large aquarium.

Angel fish are also cichlids - these are covered under they’re own heading.

Catfish, loach & other bottom feeders (algae eaters)

The ceramic media used in Reef One aquariums is not suitable for any of these fish to burrow about in; most of them also grow far too large. Therefore they are best left in the fish shop.

With bright orange bodies and thick black stripes clown loach are very attractive bottom feeding fish. They grow to around 6 inches in length and should be kept in groups of at least four. These fish are better suited to very large aquariums.

Corydoras & Synodontis are smaller catfish that are very active, constantly foraging around in the aquarium. They grow to around 4 inches and are happier living in groups.

Otocinclus are small but difficult to keep. They require very specific water conditions, feeding and soft substrate.

Plecostomus (plec), sometimes called sucker mouth or algae eater, grow very, very big. The various types grow to 11-18 inches in length and therefore need very large aquariums. Although they do eat algae they also need special food and create their own waste and therefore are not very effective at keeping down algae in the aquarium. Even if they do make a dent on the algae population they will not remedy the water quality problems that cause algae blooms. An algae cleaning pad, regular partial water changes and light feeding will keep algae at bay and water quality good.

Ancistris (multiradiatus & gibbiceps) are very similar to plecostomus but grow even larger, and can reach 20 inches in length. Again these fish are not suitable for anything other than very large aquariums.

Danios

Danios are great little fish. There are tolerant of a wide range of water conditions and temperatures which makes them very hardy fish, ideal for new aquariums.

Four common varieties are available; zebra, gold zebra, leopard and pearl all of which grow to about 2 inches. They should be kept in groups of at least four of the same variety.

As it’s name suggests the Giant Danio grows much larger to around 4 inches. This fish requires a lot of swimming space and would quickly and therefore would be better suited to a 90 litre plus aquarium.

Danios are very fast fish and although not aggressive, they’re antics can worry other slower fish such as fancy goldfish and guppies.

Because of they’re active nature they should be fed a good quality tropical food such as Hikari Micro pellets.

Gourami

Most gourami exceed 5 inches in length and are fast swimmers needing large aquariums. However the attractive blue & red striped Dwarf gourami only reaches a length of just under 3 inches making it more suited to smaller aquariums. The male is brighter in colour to the female.

As it’s name suggests the Red Robin gourami is bright red in colour and grows to a similar size to it’s dwarf cousin.

Both types should be kept as a male & female pair with mild tempered fish. Fish with a tendency to nip fins should be avoided as they may injure the brightly coloured gourami.

Guppies, platys, swordtails & mollies

Guppies and platys are very popular fish, this is not surprising when you see the massive variety of colours and patterns they are available in. Although generally not as hardy as they used to be they are still a good fish for the beginner.

Male guppies are much brighter in colour than the females. To avoid babies keep only males. If you do have a mixed group then there should be a female to male ratio of 2:1, if there are less females they will become stressed from the attention of the males.

Platys grow to a maximum of 2 ½ inches (females) they are lively and peaceful making them an ideal community fish. To avoid babies keep only the smaller males.

Male swordtails have an extended lower tail that looks like a sword, hence the name. They grow to 4-4 ½ inches in length.

The aquarium should be well planted so that they can find cover away from each other.

Mollies prefer slightly brackish water. Although sold for freshwater aquariums they are not generally long lived due to their hybridisation. Because of there similarity in appearance to the more suitable platys it could be argued that there is no need to purchase mollies. Most mollies grow to around 2 ½ inches in length. Avoid sailfin mollies which grow much larger and are more demanding.