How to Decorate Your Fish Tank

By Benjamin Coombes

Your tank should be decorated, your fish need places to hide in places to rest. Mainly though you will find a decorated fish tank much more pleasing to view.

When setting up a fish tank, the first thing that you should do is put gravel on the bottom. You can get your Gravel from your local dealer. Remember that most fish will look better in fish tanks with a darker or neutral gravel. A good rule of thumb for the amount of gravel that you should put in your fish tank is about 5 pounds for every one half square foot of surface area. You can mix your gravel's for an interesting effect, but remember after all your plants and other decorations going into your fish tank, you may not even see your gravel.

The choice is yours for deciding on what to put as the background of your fish tank. Anything that can be taped to the back, like mirrored backgrounds, or printed scenes purchased at your favorite pet store.

A large rock to make a great centerpiece for your fish tank. Rocks are great as standalone decorations. Or you can use them to build ledges and terraces.

Whether live or plastic, plants provide hiding places, shade, breeding spots, territories, and beauty.

Decorative driftwood, can be found in pet stores and are suitable for your aquarium. While collecting rocks driftwood and other items to placing your fish tank can be enjoyable and unique. Be careful, you never know whether you've cleaned out all the substances that can pose a danger to your fish.

You can get ornaments for the bottom of your tank like no fishing signs, and frogs, and turtles. Even items that move like air driven treasure chests, sunken ships, and divers.

Finally your fish will be more comfortable and more pleasing to view the decorated fish tank backgrounds are attractive and hide cords. Plants rocks and gravel should bring out the colors of your fish. Take the time and enjoy setting up your fish tank. - 32185

About the Author:

Learn more about fishtanks. Stop by Benjamin Coombes's site where you can find out all about freshwater fish tanks and what it can do for you.

Shark Dives In Hawaii

By Morten Elm

Shark diving in Hawaii is among the best in the world. So if you are planning to visit Hawaii, you can go on a trip and meet sharks. Something you will never forget.

The Hawaiian island chain is made up of 132 islands, with the two islands Maui and Oahu having the best places for a shark scuba dive. Hawaii is located 2400 miles from the nearest continent, which creates a unique underwater environment.

The water around Hawaii is home for about 40 different shark species. The most common are Reef Whitetip Sharks, Sandbar Sharks and Scalloped Hammerhead Shark. In rare occasions it is also possible to encounter Tigers Sharks and even Whale Sharks.

The amazing cobalt blue water has a visibility approximately 200 feet, which makes it some of the best in the whole world. Diving in Hawaii is very special.

An always popular adrenalin-pumping activity is shark cage diving. Hawaii is a great place for this kind of diving (or swimming is probably a better word for this non-scuba diver activity).

Oahu is the place for this shark cage activity. You and up to three other persons are placed in a floating cage. From here you can look the sharks in the eyes from a very short distance.

So if you have never tried a shark cage dive, you should try it, if you are on vacation in Oahu. You cannot know when you get the chance again.

Another place to dive is Maui. The place is considered to be one of the top dive destinations in the world. The island offers a range of diving opportunities including reef dives and dives near volcanic craters.

But the most exciting encounter is certainly the amazing (and very huge) Whale Shark. You cannot expect to see them on every dive trip, because they are pretty rare. But if you are lucky, you can see them when you are diving or snorkeling.

If you do not want to take the risk not to see any sharks, you can instead take a dive in the 750,000 gallon fish tanks in the Maui Ocean Center aquarium. Here you can see 20 sharks, a lot of stingrays and thousands of colorful, tropical reef fish.

So if you want to dive with sharks in an aquarium or in the ocean, Maui or Oahu is the places to go. - 32185

About the Author:

Morten Elm is writing about scuba diving with sharks in the Shark Diving Guide. Here you can also read more about Hawaii shark dive.

Tropical Fish Tank Set Up For Newbies

By James Conley

This will be a beginners guide to setting up a tropical fish tank. You will need to take your time and make sure not to add fish to the tank right away as this could kill your fish. You must understand that it takes a little time for the water to fully cycle so your fish can live a long time and stay healthy.

You will first need to find out what kind of fish that you want to keep in the tank. This will help you decide how big of an aquarium that you will need. Do some research, especially look into how big the fish will grow, you do not want your fish to outgrow the fish tank.

The items that you will need to set up a fish tank are the aquarium, filter pump, heat pump. Optional items that you should get also are gravel, thermometer, lamp, decorations, and a back up filter pump in case the main one goes bad.

Find a space in your home that you want to set up the fish tank at. This should be somewhere that is not in the way and make sure you are happy with the spot because moving a tank can be a pain once you have fish in it.

Next fill the tank up with water to the top, do not worry about putting any conditioner in the water yet as we are only testing to see if the tank has any leaks. Let the water sit in the tank overnight, and in the morning check around the tank for any signs of water, once you are sure there are no leaks you can empty the tank.

When you are waiting to find out if your aquarium had any leaks or not you can start pre-treating gallons of tap water in jugs with water conditioner. One thing I do to speed up the process is add bacteria supplement to the water also, to get the perfect mixture ratio make sure to pay attention to the instructions on the bottle of water conditioner.

Next you can start setting up the interior of the tank with decorations and gravel while the tank is still empty. It is very critical that you was anything that you put into the tank very well, even if it is brand new. There will still be dust and dirt on the gravel so make sure that it is rinsed with water before putting it into your aquarium.

Now add the premixed water into the tank, and turn on your filter pump or pumps, heat pumps, and overhead light if you have one. Let the tank cycle for at least a week before adding any fish, as it takes a tank time to complete a full cycle.

Once it has been a week and the water is cycled you can add a few starter fish to get the ecosystem of the aquarium started. Do not attempt to add any more fish to the aquarium for at least 4 weeks, the longer you wait the better off your fish will be. - 32185

About the Author:

The author has been setting up aquariums of all kinds for many years and has great knowledge on aquariums. You can check out his site if you need to purchase a home fish tank. Cheap aquariums

Tips For Algae Control In Your Pond Or Aquarium

By Roland Stockwell

Figuring out how to stop algae from growing in an aquarium or ornamental pond can be tricky but there are many algae control steps that you can take that also include using special algae control products. There are many different forms of algae and the best way to eliminate them is to take away their source of food and nutrient.

You can streamline your system to minimize any algae growth as this will help even more when using a product. Light is required for most, but not all, algae to grow. To cut back on this algae growth you should limit the amount of time your aquarium is in direct sunlight. If you use an artificial light source then it should not be on for more than 12 hours a day.

It is possible to keep the nutrient levels in the water low by frequently changing the water or regularly filtering it. There are many types of filtering substances you can use such as adsorption resins, deionised water and reverse osmosis. These systems will eliminate nitrates, phosphate sand silicates from the water. You can also stock your pond or aquarium with fish that will specifically eat the algae for food.

There are four different types of algae that can be issues; these include blue-green algae, brown algae, red or brush algae and green algae. Brown algae will probably be the first algae you will have to deal with and this algae does not need light to grow.

If your water has a high pH then red algae can be a problem and this algae is particularly difficult to clean manually.

If you have a pond then you should invest in a good pump system as this will keep the water clean and in constant motion. Also any products you use should be natural and non toxic to the fish and other plant life in the water. - 32185

About the Author:

Roland Stockwell enjoys blogging about natural products. To find quality products to clean pond algae or to take care of other algae issues with products like natural fountain cleaner, check out a natural water treatment supplier's website today.

Review of a Premium Quality Aquarium Filter

By Trevor J Rockberry

If you are looking for a better filtration system for your home aquarium, then the Fluval 405 aquarium filter gives you excellent filtration for an aquarium holding up to 400 liters, or 100 gallons. External multi-stage filtration makes the system easy to clean and maintain, which is why the Fluval is so popular among many home aquarium owners. Fluval has put a lot of effort into designing all of their filtration systems into optimizing maintenance, use of space, and filtration power just so you can get everything you need.

The Features

Features like the instant priming and the Aqua-Stop feature that allows you to stop water flow without disconnecting hoses, makes it quick and trouble-free to maintain. There's no need for manual siphoning with the self-priming feature and there's no mess or leaks when you are cleaning and maintaining the 405. Since the chemical and biological media are in separate compartments, you can just change what you need to, instead of the entire media because it might not be needed at the same time.

Professionally Approved

UL approved with a 3 year guarantee, this aquarium filtration system works off 120 volt household current at 60 Hz and filters 225 gallons per hour while using just 22 watts. Keeping the cover secure for safe and consistent operation is the lift-lock clamp. When it is time to clean the filter, this lid is easy to open and lift off although it is tightly fitted. This filtration system is easy to set up in a matter of seconds straight from the box and includes an updated intake strainer, pre-packed media and a number of pre-assembled parts.

Convenience and Value

The filter is small enough to easily fit into many spaces as its measurements are at 8.75" x 6" x 16.75". This enables the filter to use up the entire canister space so that the water flow would increase, providing better efficiency and optimal filtration that other aquarium filters fail to offer. Due to the smooth and quiet operation of the 405, your home aquarium will be turned into a relaxing distraction instead of a noisy and annoying one. Costing at around a few hundred dollars, the Fluval filters come with four media baskets which contain carbon bags, suction cups and biological media. Also available with it are two foam blocks, an instruction manual and DVD, and an intake and outlet tubing. In the Fluval filters line of products, this filter comes in the middle just after the less expensive models and just before the Fluval FX-5.

In Conclusion

Most people who own an aquarium will agree that cleaning the filtration system is a dreaded chore and keeping their aquariums clean with canister filters that have just enough power has been a reported problem for many. However, the 405 filters addresses all of those complaints and optimizes increased water flow for better filtering as well as easy cleaning and maintenance. The Fluval 405 is extremely affordable for just about anyone and it is very easy and convenient to use. If you want an aquarium filtration system for your home aquarium then this is one you should definitely check out. - 32185

About the Author:

Trevor J Rockberry has had a marked interest in aquariums and aquarium accessories for many years. For further details, particularly on the Fluval 405 and other trusted canister filters, check his online resource site now.

Combinations Of Fish

By Roshan Goodman

When starting a fish tank, the hardest thing to decide may surprisingly be the type of fish to raise. Even though the funniest thing about owning a fish tank may be choosing the types of fish. Choosing fish can be a difficult and fun task, but if it is done incorrectly can cost a lot of money and time. There are many combinations of fish to chose from, but narrowing down these choices is fairly easy. To narrow down the choices, you need to decide the types of fish you would like to raise.

Raising fish to breed is a fun and most common way for raising fish. If you want to raise fish for breeding, I would suggest a bigger tank with lots of hiding places. The fish that I would first choose would be some Mollies and Guppies. Mollies and Guppies are very nonviolent fish and have many offspring. For bottom feeders I would suggest some Cory Cats and Bristlenose Plecostomus. Breeding tanks must be very peaceful for the offspring to survive.

If you would like a community tank with a variety of fish and many colors, there are many possibilities. Barbs, Tetras, Angel Fish and Kribensis make for a nice community tank. These fish swim around the tank for an active tank. Loaches, Cory Cats and Plecostomus are good bottom feeders.

If you just like a certain type of fish, or would like interesting fish to own I would suggest Cichlids. African Cichlids are very fun fish to rise, but can be very difficult. Finding the right type of Cichlids can be difficult and the wrong kind can cause fighting. Only get the same species of Cichlids in a tank, and you will be fine. Cichlids are egg layers and very protective of their young.

There are some fish that can be very hard to raise no matter the circumstance. I have had experience with certain types of fish that are impossible to raise. Jack Dempsies eat other smaller fish and I would not suggest owning one to begin with. Chinese Algae Eaters are very good at eating algae, but have one problem, they suck the slime off other fish and can kill them.

If you are new to fish raising, I would suggest using a few of these combinations to start with, you can add more fish and experiment as your tank grows. I would not start out with aggressive fish, these fish can be very difficult to own even if you are experienced. Trying new combinations of fish is good, but after you add a new fish, watch the fish to for a while to make sure they fit in. - 32185

About the Author:

Roshan Goodman gives help on fish tank and on aquarium advice.

Gravel In your Tank

By Roshan Goodman

The size of the gravel is a vital piece of the puzzle for your tank. Having the wrong size of gravel can make owning a fish tank a hassle. This can be easily avoided with a few simple steps. The size of the grave usually depends on your tank and fish.

If the gravel is too big, then the food debris will get stuck in the gravel. When the debris gets stuck in the gravel then it makes it difficult to clean the tank. Also if you have fish such as cichlids, then smaller gravel is highly un-suggested. Cichlids move the gravel consistently, and if the gravel is smaller, the easier it is to move. The bigger gravel makes it a lot harder for the cichlids to dig in.

The drawback to having big gravel is that if you have smaller fish they can get stuck under the rocks. The bigger gravel is easier to clean; buy can grow a lot of algae on because of the surface area. Smaller gravel can get sucked into the filters and clog the filters.

If you have a highly decorated tank then smaller is suggested. The bigger rocks do not hold up decor very well. If you have live plants then smaller gravel is also suggested. Smaller gravel holds the plants upright well. Smaller gravel holds the nutrients for the plants better than big gravel.

If you have trouble with algae then go with small gravel. The cleaning might be harder with small gravel, but the algae will stay at bay. If you have plants or decor than smaller gravel will make the things stay up well than the bigger gravel.

Gravel sizing is simple; a few steps can save you a lot of effort. You only need to ask yourself a few questions. What kind of fish do I have? What size of fish do I have? What kind of algae problems do I have? Is cleaning a tank hard for me? What kind of decor do I have? If you ask all these questions then the gravel you purchase will be perfect for your tank. - 32185

About the Author:

Roshan Goodman shows you how to start an aquarium an also gives tips on aquarium help.