It is a common belief that fish have only 3 seconds memory. However many fish species have demonstrated much more than that. They will remember the ‘lessons’.

Which type of fish are good learners?

Usually, cichlids, moor goldfish, bettas, fancy goldfish are the species capable of performing tricks.

What is the main factor behind the tricks?

Food is undoubtedly the main factor. If you teach your fish that had they can get a treat only if they perform a particular course of action, they will be happy to perform such actions.

At what age can you teach the fish any trick?

You can teach tricks only to adult fish. You should never try to teach a fry.

Which tricks are usually performed by fish?

The fish can act quickly after a signal of flashing lights. It can also pass through the whole or jump out of the water to catch a piece of food.

When should you train your fish for the tricks?

If the fish is hungry, it can happily perform tricks with food expectations. So it is better to keep the fish hungry before teaching any tricks. A simple trick of calling them to the surface can be successfully taught if you call them for offering the food.

How many tricks you can teach to your fish?

Well, you can teach a trick or two but you should never over-burden them with a bundle of tricks. Remember, every time you teach tricks to your fish; you have to offer them food. If you try to teach many tricks, you have to offer food which may lead to overfeeding. If you feed your fish too much, that will spoil its health.

Is it fair to ask the fish to jump out of water to take its food?

Some species of fish can easily jump out of water. However you should ensure that the size of the tank is big enough to accommodate such a jump. If the fish jumps out of the water on the floor, it may get hurt. Females are likely to learn how to jump out of water. Males may not be able to do that because of their heavy fins.

Which signals on indications you can give fish for performing a trick?

Usually the indications of flashing lights are considered to be the best. The fish will act quickly on flashing of lights with expectation that they are going to get a treat. You can also use other ways like tapping on the tank or calling them by their names. It will take some time for them to understand these indications but once they get it, you will be surprised by their behavior. It is very important to feed the fish immediately after performing the trick. The fish considers it as a reward for its actions.

Which type of food should be offered to the fish for performing tricks?

Usually frozen blood-warms are considered to be the best bet. You can also offer some other types of live food as a treat.

Can you teach the fish in the same tank in which other fish are kept?

Well, you should isolate the fish for teaching a particular trick. If your tank is overcrowded, you may not be able to teach any trick to the fish. You can buy a tank divider which can be useful for isolating a particular fish for teaching purposes.

Within how much time you can teach tricks?

Usually, you can teach them in about three sessions of 10 minutes. Thereafter it may take about a week for the fish had to master the trick. Continuous training can make your fish expert in many tricks within a period of one month.

Finally, an important tip about teaching

The fish or for that matter any pet will learn tricks if they are kept in a healthier environment. If the fish is under stress, it may not be able to understand. If you try to provide a natural environment to the fish by keeping good water conditions and other surroundings, the fish will be happy to learn many tricks from you.

Betta fish are a better bet as pets than goldfish. Most kids have this experience with goldfish after a few days: Moby is found floating at the top of the bowl, then gets a one-way tour of a toilet’s plumbing system. This speedy demise occurs because goldfish don’t like being kept in a bowl. However, betta fish, also called Siamese fighting fish, think bowls are great homes.

Water in bowls quickly turns foul and oxygen-deficient, and that’s when goldfish begin to fail, Dave Taub explains. He owns Contemporary Aquarium Design in Coral Springs, Fla. But betta fish are different, says Taub, who has been breeding them for 14 years. They have a lung-like organ called a labyrinth that allows them to come to the surface and take a breath. (Taub has known betta fish to be kept in everything from pickle jars to candle holders.)

But betta fish aren’t dubbed Siamese fighting fish for their ability to fight off polluted water – it’s because they fight off each other. In the wild, they live in rice patties in the countries of the Far East, such as Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia. They carve out small territories and defend them at all costs. You’ll be an accessory to a fish murder if you add a betta fish to a bowl already containing one.

Betta fish are available at many pet stores for $3-$5. They’re about the size of a typical goldfish, though their dainty fins make them appear larger. They come in a kaleidoscope of color combos, including shades of blues, greens and reds. Not great swimmers, they’re content to gently fan the water with those graceful fins. Their diet includes a combination of at least two of the following: live or frozen bloodworms, frozen mosquito larvae, freeze-dried brine shrimp or commercial diet for betta fish. (These foods are available at many pet stores.)

Fancy aquariums may be a tank of dreams, but fuss-free bowl fish are the new trend.
We’re not talking goldfish, but rather betta fishes, otherwise known as Siamese fighting fish.

They come in deep jewel-tone colors, have showy exotic fins and breathe air off the top of the water, according to Garrett Young of Golden Leash & Fish in Arlington. Bettas, like goldfish, can exist in bowls or tanks without air pumps. With bettas, however, familiarity breeds contempt. “You can only have one betta per bowl,” warned Kim Jetton of Fish & Pets in Arlington. “They will fight each other until one of them dies.”

Serenely segregated bettas can live a very long time, some as long as six years. Most bettas are done in by their owners forgetting to add a chemical chlorine remover whenever the bowl water is changed.

Filter Media is the element employed in a filtration method to clean the water of an aquarium. Several types of filter media are accessible, and each is considered to aid a particular type of system. Following are some of the different types of filter media:

*Synthetic Wool – A cotton-wool like floss positioned as the final layer in your filter arrangement to clean the water. Because of its excellent structure, it get choked up very quickly and so is impractical for utilization in a primary automatic filter or for organic colonization.

* Sponge – These conventional foam pads are cheap and easy to sustain. They are obtainable in changeable grades to make possible automatic or organic filtration. Sponges are also regularly utilized in external filters to detach various filter media.

* Carbon – This is an extremely permeable material. It is only effectual for a short time before have the need of replacement. Carbon should be utilized in particular circumstances such as the requirement to get rid of medication, a new aquarium set-up or water discoloration. It should be positioned as the last layer in your filter arrangement.

* Ceramics Rings – Measuring just about half an inch long, ceramic rings mostly make available automatic filtration. They act efficiently as a filter to trap large-particles waste and should be utilized in the initial stage of filtration.

* Sintered Glass – At the same time as common aquarium gravel can give successful mechanical and organic filtration, its application is limited for the reason of its comparatively low surface area in contrast to the volume it occupies. Sintered glass, a gravel-like substance, is a far more capable alternative as it has a huge surface area that permits massive bacteria colonies to develop. Sintered glass must be positioned after the crucial automatic filtration media.

Because fish originate from different bodies of water that have differing pH levels, there is not a common, or normal, pH that all fish can live in. Every fish has a different range of pH it enjoys to live in and balancing the water of your aquarium to a matching level will be very beneficial for your fish to strive. Remember that even with careful control of the aquariums pH, that the pH is not a static number. It is constantly changing due to the vast amount of influences on he tank. During the day the pH will rise, and fall later that night. PH change when fish are brought into or removed from the tank, it will change when fresher water is added, and will change depending upon the quantity of biological processes your fish go through each day.

Despite the varying levels in the tank, it is still perfectly acceptable for the tank to be within a certain range of pH that the fish of the aquarium can live comfortably in. These pH levels, which can be influenced and controlled by the owner, are important to be aware of. Each freshwater fish thrives in a separate, even if similar, range which allows you to place separate breeds of fish with similar pH tolerances in the aquarium. The following is a list of common freshwater fish and their accepted pH tolerances: Angelfish 6.5-7.0, Clown Loach, 6.0-6.5, Goldfish 7.0-7.5, Harlequin 6.0-6.5, Hachetfish 6.0-7.0, Neon Tetra 5.8-6.2, Plecostomus 5.0-7.0, Silver Dollar 6.0-7.0, Tiger Barb 6.0-6.5, and Zebra Danio 6.5-7.0.

The most important factor about maintaining a proper pH level in the tank is that sudden rapid changes in the pH of the tank can be fatal for the fish. This is because that a sudden change in pH results in the release of differing chemicals, with the most important to your fish being the release of ammonia into the tank as too much ammonia in the tank will turn the water toxic. During the break-in of a new tank, the pH is especially important to monitor as the changes are harder for young or sick fish to cope with. Another important note on maintaining a proper pH is that in most fish, breeding only occurs inside a small pH range.

In an effort to maintain a stable pH in your aquarium, check the pH at least once a month. It suggested that you check it more often than that, such as every two weeks, and also keep a log book of the test results for ease reference in the future. Make a schedule for this pH testing, and try to test your water at the same time of day each test as testing at different times of the day can skew the results even when there is not a problem in the tank. If a fish seems ill or happens to die, test the pH as a possible cause. If you are going to treat the tank, test the pH prior to the treatment period, test on the final treatment day, and test the water a week after this treatment period. Also test your water prior to acquiring a new fish and ask about the water of the tank the fish was in from where you purchased it. Ideally, these two pH levels will be similar to ensure minimum chance of problems when you introduce this new fish to your aquarium.

With proper monitoring and maintenance, the pH of your aquarium should not be that hard to keep at a stable level for your fish to live a happy healthy life in. Proactive water care is the best solution to thus, with refreshing your water and gravel vacuuming being two of the best ways to keep a stable pH. Always remember that even if the test result isn’t perfect for the suggested range, if the pH is stable and your fish seems to be healthy to just leave the pH at that natural level.

Does a Siamese Fighting Fish need a filter? The answer is yes and no. A Siamese Fighting Fish is a labyrinth fish, meaning that it is capable of removing oxygen from the air as humans do. So unlike most fish, a Siamese Fighting Fish does not need a filter to oxygenate the water in their tank. However, like most fish, a Siamese Fighting Fish has little tolerance for ammonia. Ammonia poisoning is a common cause of death in Siamese Fighting Fish, simply because not enough water changes were performed when necessary. Ammonia in high levels will kill a Siamese Fighting Fish but the levels before this is enough to weaken a Siamese Fighter’s immune system, leaving them vulnerable to bacteria and fungus infections. And this is why a Siamese Fighting Fish needs a filter.

If you are not prepared or have the time to set water and do waters changes every couple of days, then you may need to look at putting a filter in with your Fighter. With a good established biological filter in your fighter tank, water changes may be cut by more than half. Note established biological. This is not something that happens overnight or as soon as you turn your filter on. A good filter will work three ways in your tank, mechanical, chemical and biological.

Once you have set your filter up in your tank and turned it on the mechanical, which pulls debris into the filter starts working as well as the chemical aspect, removing certain, not all chemical and metals from the water. However it is the biological aspect that confuses most people.

Biological refers to the good bacteria necessary to break down fish waste, leftover food and other decaying matter. And there is only one way to get instant bacteria in a new filter, and that is by putting either sponges, bio-balls or filter wool from a filter that is already established into the new filter.

A simply water test will tell you if the filter is established or not. If the ammonia and nitrite readings are zero and there is a nitrate reading then the filter is established and some of it’s filter media may be used to seed the new filter. However if there is any reading in either or both the ammonia and nitrite tests, then the filter is not fully established and not ready to seed a new filter. If asked some Local Pet Shops will sell you some of their filter media to seed your new filter if you do not have an established filter at home.

You can establish biological in your filter from scratch, which can take between six weeks to six months depending on the method you use. But using your Siamese Fighting Fish is not a good idea at all. There is a good chance that your Fighter will not survive the cycling process, even with the help of live bacteria cultures that are available on the market today. While this information may sound daunting, time consuming or simply too difficult, ask yourself which do you prefer, water changes every couple of days or water changes when then nitrate reading is 20 (which depending on the size of your tank, filter and how you feed may be once a fortnight or month)?

Your Siamese Fighting Fish will be happier and his immune system better with an established filter in his tank, providing him with cleaner water for longer. Just watch that the current produced by the filter is not too fast for his long flowing fins. If your Siamese Fighting Fish suddenly goes into hiding, then you will need to slow the water flow down. This can be achieved by either controlling the output of the filter or using a spray bar to diffuse the water over a larger area.

The last important thing to remember with filters is that when you rinse them out when you do a water change, DO NOT USE WATER FROM THE TAP. Councils adds chlorine to our water to kill bacteria and this is what will happen to the good bacteria that you need in your filter. Rinse your filter out in water from your tank and by doing so save the bacteria that you need.

Blindfolded Disease
Blindfolded disease can be discovered early antibiotic bath, generally up to 2 weeks to maintain due to bath. But also in the bath during the 3 days have seen in the fish have recovered two weeks long, but also to maintain the bath. The reason is in the first 3 days of antibiotics can reduce the symptoms, but the body of the bacteria is not completely cut, and in this case to stop the use of antibiotics, it would make the bacteria resistant. So next time you want to use another powerful antibiotics can cure. The blindfolded patients to the end of it, the fish’s eyes have become all white and braised rotten. At this time the gods have been put out, back to the soul without surgery.
White Spot Syndrome
White spot disease as humanity, like cold, the water temperature changes caused by parasitic worms in the fish’s body. White spot syndrome of the initial number of particles have a white point-like objects stuck in the fish body, as long as a few hours later, the fish whole body covered with white spots ministries, while the body will be black. In this case, in the general aquarium will push the fire with a bacteria or fungus or copper sulfate water rather less MO. Copper medication should be used simultaneously heating device (heating pipe) adjusted to 26C plus a whole fish recovery. Many times before the tank lights or lights that may arise after the fish have white spots something similar, but when we do not get too nervous because of which was sensitive to it. Several child will automatically disappear.
Lanrou Disease
Lanrou disease producing mostly because the fish fight each other or parasites arising after the bite wound tight for so called Lanrou disease. General strategies to deal with the disease with antibiotics Lanrou mainly to use the most popular bath. Many people use antibiotics should pay attention to weight, because excess antibiotic digestive bacteria within the tank will make a lot of death and ecological impacts. Therefore, appropriate use of antibiotics after changing the water and add bacteria to digest  balanced ecology. Another is the use of antibiotics but also to multi-period should be a lot of encouragement in the tank, because a lot of antibiotics added to grab the oxygen tank would cause the situation and lead to the death of the fish oxygen.

Keeping fish in a fish tank in your home is a great decision for those who want an easy to care for pet that makes limited demands on your attention and time. Of course, there are important things to learn before getting a fish tank: health concerns, feeding, water parameters, and fish diseases. One thing many new aquarists often do not consider, however, is how to keep their fish safe by preventing them from jumping out of the fish tank.

No one wants to come home from work to find their pet fish gasping on the hardwood. No one wants to wonder where their fish went and find them a month later dried to a husk behind the cabinet. So, how do you keep fish from jumping out of a fish tank?

Keep Fish From Jumping out of a Fish Tank – Types of Fish

There are certain types of popular aquarium fish that jump out of fish tanks more than others. Any fish that is torpedo shapes, like comet goldfish, have more of a propensity for jumping. Types of fish that are natural insect eaters also jump a lot. The hatchetfish is famous for flying out of fish tanks as well.

If you want to keep fish from jumping out of the fish tank, choose fish that are less likely to do this. Smaller and less powerful fish will have a harder time jumping out of a small tank. Buy fish that fit the tank you intend to house them in.

Keep Fish From Jumping out of a Fish Tank – Tank Lids and Covers

The easiest way of keeping fish from jumping out of fish tanks is to buy an aquarium lid or cover that fits well on your fish tank. Most modern fish tanks come with plastic lids or hoods where the lighting fixture sits. These often have holes for the heater cord and filter to sit in. Make sure these holes are small to discourage jumping fish.

You can also purchase glass cover lids that fit exactly in your fish tank. These go under the plastic hood assemblies and make it impossible for the fish to jump. You can also use screens or netting to stop jumping fish.

Keep Fish From Jumping out of a Fish Tank – Obstacles

If you do not want a lid for your fish tank, you can still keep fish from jumping out of a fish tank by using obstacles. Floating plants can reduce this, as can decor items that take up horizontal space inside the tank. These items will prevent the fish from building enough speed for a jump out of the fish tank. They will also provide a feeling of security as your fish can hide in the plant of decoration. Keep your fish safe and in the tank and you can enjoy them for years.

Flexibacter is a genus of bacteria consisting of some seventeen strains (or species), known for their yellow hue. The unfortunate problem with this disease is that the infected fish rapidly becomes ill and stops eating, especially if it has “Mouth Fungus”, therefore, treating with medicated food may not be an option.
The specific conditions and stressors identified as setting up the right conditions for a Flexibacter infection are:

1. Sudden increases in water temperature
2. Overstocking
3. Infrequent water changes
4. Low water oxygen (O2) content
5. Elevated nitrite levels
6. Uneaten food in the tank, which supports growth of Flexibacter

The treatment of Flexibacter is best accomplished by feeding medicated food, containing oxytetracycline, tetracycline or kanamycin. Other antibiotic-laced foods may contain antibiotics, to which Flexibacter is resistant, such as ormetoprim and sulfadimethoxine, so, substitutes are not acceptable.

In general the summer should be the most difficult to place koi tail rot disease of the period. Because the water temperature during this period than bacteria, parasites or viruses multiply optimum temperature to be higher, and with the spring or the rainy season is not easy compared to a sharp temperature changes. Even so, it can not be taken lightly. Because of high summer water temperature, the activity increased Koi, also eat more feed, likely to cause water pollution, which is the reason for the lack of oxygen caused should pay more attention.

Erosion Koi pathogens

Bacteria in here to talk about it. The so-called bacteria are only about one percent cm large single-celled organisms found in the earth around. Of course, there are bacteria in our bodies alive, which should be most representative of E. coli. Basically, the bacteria are also a biological and, therefore, the need for increased reproduction.

Although the bacteria will feed varies according to their type, but the “feed” is of great significance. That bacteria can be divided into good bacteria, such as a water purification filter bacteria, and bacteria harmful to us, that is, by its respective feed different food bacteria with different lifestyles come. Bacteria such as filtering the feed water that is ammonia, which use oxygen in the water so ammonia into nitrite or nitrate acidification re-use the heat generated for survival.

Perforation caused by fish tail rot or erosion of the bacteria Why do fish? This is because they are in the erosion of the fish will also release a powerful proteolytic enzymes (ie, digestive) attached to the fish’s body, and fish protein due to dissolution of these proteolytic enzymes and decay caused by the fish, and bacteria on the consumption of such dissolved proteins.

Fish and human proteins are absorbed into the body, in the stomach or intestine to break down, and bacterial decomposition in vitro and then it is absorbed into the body. This is because the protein molecule is too large, the bacteria can not be absorbed directly into the body of it. In addition most of the bacteria stored in water is dissolved in water consumption of organic matter (such as faeces or uneaten fish feed, etc.), they use oxygen to decompose organic matter into carbon dioxide and water, then use the resulting heat to survive.

One of the problems that many fish keepers face is the daunting task of identifying problems in the aquarium. Unfortunately, lack of experience, or subtle signs of stress can let a disease run rampant until it destroys the infected fish (sometimes the whole aquarium). I have included this page simply as a guide for diagnosing diseases in Tropical Fish. It is by no means complete, and I cannot guarantee that it is 100% accurate, but should help steer you in the right direction.

Always ask your local merchant if the medication you are buying is right for the disease you are trying to cure.

Thanks to Disney’s Motion Picture Finding Nemo, almost everybody knows about clownfish since they introduced Nemo to the world.

Clownfish, or Anemonefishes, from the family of Pomacentridae, are one of the easiest tropical marine aquarium fish to breed. Clownfish regularly lay eggs in aquariums. They have pretty large eggs and larvae, and since the larvae easily eats cultured live foods, raising them is somewhat simpler then it tis with many other marine species.

You need to get a pair if you want to breed clownfish and you need to sex the fish. And that’s a quite an interesting part – believe it or not, clownfish are all born as males! When they are adults, the largest and the most dominant fish of the group will undergo a sex change, and become a female. The second largest usually becomes the breeding male, while all the other fish remains juveniles and gender-neutral. If the breeding female disappears, the breeding male will change to a female, and so on. Buying an established pair maybe a reasonable way to go, but it is often better to have a group of juveniles growing up together. If you choose to buy a pair you should look for a pair that goes around together. Sometimes you can be lucky enough to get a pair already spawning. Anyhow, establishing an adult pair can be a little tricky; and you need to keep your eyes on them to ensure that the female doesn’t kill the male.

The next thing is about setting up the tank. The tank should be large enough, approximately 200 liters for the breeding pair. It is better to let the pair be alone in an aquarium when trying to spawn clownfish.

The rest of the aquarium should be decorated with a nice anemone, a few live rocks, and other rocky substance with a vertical surface, a layer of coral sand on the bottom, bright lighting, good filtration, and protein skimmer. The aquarium and your clownfish should be stressed free which means no aggressive tank mates and good water quality. As for the feeding, clownfish need a mixed diet of fresh raw seafood and vegetable. A good diet includes prawns, mussels, and squid. It is best to feed small bits at regular periods.

Spanning can begin 1 to 12 months after the fish have settled into their new home. When the fish are ready to spawn, they become very aggressive. The male clownfish will dance up and down in front of the female (also known as “clownfish waggle”). They will also start to clean their selected rock by robustly biting it. The spawning itself usually occurs in the afternoon or early evening. Once the spawning is complete (within several hours) the male takes on responsibility for attending them, whereas the female acts as protector of the eggs and supervisor of her male.

The spawning is likely to be occurred again at intervals of 12 to 18 days. The eggs should be left in their care and not removed, except if the parents are known to be egg-eaters. At first, the eggs are a bright orange color, which after a several days diminishes and the eyes appear. Hatching usually takes from 6 to 15 days, depending on the temperature. The most critical stage of the fry is the stage they undergoes in the first 10 days of their larvae span. If you can get your fry to survive this period the rest of their raising should be more easy.