How exotic are fish? - A Rhetorical Question

Hello all, I'd like to talk to you about fish and aquariums and how much you should have them. Oh nice, I sound like a salesman - there’s a probably prosperous profession for me in the future. How annoying will I become to a great number of people? But that’s not the point. I wanted to talk about these pretty little animals because I adore them; I’m not really trying to sell anything. Sure you’re not - a sarcastic voice is heard from a few readers. Oh well...

Nonetheless, I still want to talk about them. First of all, aren't they exotic? Well, those from the sea at least. I keep watching them on National Geographic or some other channel and my amazement never eases. I can’t really find a good word that could describe this, but I’m positive you get how amazed I am. And you’re thinking to yourself – why would I care? Well, you don’t need to my friend, but just think for a second. The oceans cover most of our planet, the greatest number of species is beneath these oceans, from the smallest plankton to the greatest creatures known to man – the big blue whale – the biggest animal ever to exist, and the whales eat the plankton – an interesting circle of life, isn't it? And that’s not all – some fish live so deep that a human head will definitely explode from the pressure! Plus, the oceans are, by far, the least explored parts of the world. Who knows what else lies under that blue color  If you still don’t care, then I honestly don’t know if there’s anything that can astonish you in this world. That’s a bit sad...

After this fun fact session, let’s move on. Do you have a cat? If you do, please don’t keep any fish, or get rid of the cat... too extreme? Well, then just don’t keep the fish. You certainly know that these two are not a good combination. I made that mistake once and will not do it again, that’s for sure. If you still want to keep both of these, please consider getting a big aquarium, or at least put the small one somewhere higher. But then again, that can simply look ridiculous and still prove to be of no good. Once again, my own experience, I lost my parrot when I was a kid even though its cage was standing on the outside of the window which even my father could barely reach, but a small cat still could. The cage fell, and... you know the rest. From that day a great hatred for cats was born in me which disappeared many, many years later – with much trouble. So, the point is, keeping these two together is too much of a risk, and if it can be avoided, then avoided it should be. You have probably watched enough of Sylvester and Tweety to get the picture.

Since I mentioned aquariums, we need to talk about that too. I’m boring already? Don’t be silly. So, aquariums... Consider getting bigger ones, not only for the reasons mentioned above but because it’s just much better that way. With a bigger aquarium, you can get as many fish as you want! Okay, not literally, but you will certainly be able to have plenty. And that’s important because it’s best to start with a smaller number and move upwards.

With a bigger aquarium you will lose less room to the essentials like pumps and filters and all that stuff that keeps the water healthy and clean and great for the fish’s rich and joyous life! No, they actually just float around and do nothing, but there’s such calmness in that and grace too, when you see all of them together in harmonious movement, you cannot but feel wonderful. You can’t play with them though. Only looking, no touching unfortunately.

Please be careful with fish and be considerate. Get them everything they need – they don’t need much but they are very fragile creatures and should be taken care of. Get good fish food and feed them regularly and thus the only death among them that will eventually occur, is the natural one. If you manage that, then you can say that you've been taking good care of them. The more fish you have by the way, logically, more of them will die and you need to be prepared for that. They are small creatures and they don’t live long obviously. If that’s a problem, well, you can’t avoid it, most animals don’t live really long. Everyone loses their pet in the end - that’s simply inevitable… sad, but inevitable. Rare are the occasions when a pet outlives its owner.

On the other hand, you can get a fish pond for the outdoor, thus you’ll be able to get the bigger ones that probably live longer than the aquarium types. Regrettably, that means more work when it comes to maintenance and cleaning. But we need to clean almost everything we own, so that isn’t really going to be a problem.

Anyway, maybe I should get back to the fish once more. I told you how exotic they are, maybe I should also tell you how colorful they are? I mean, you know that, but have you thought how, because of the variety of colors  they can embellish the design of your room? If you already have many colourful pictures, statues and similar, think how the unusually colored fish will fit in with that and enrich the interior? Yes, you haven’t thought about that, pets can be used in that way to. Well, the fish at least. I hope this doesn’t sound wrong some levels...

I hope this was enough to make you want them, or if you already have them, to take better care of them. Or, if you already have them, and you do indeed take good care them, then you have wasted your time on this text. Now let me tell you something about... Nothing, that was it actually.

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Technological Advancement or Total Disaster? Aquariums Hold the Answer

Can you imagine what would life be like if we were to return to nature, living without electricity and without all the necessary equipment that we are used to? Can you imagine life without the internet or without television, where everyone would be able to be themselves. I do not say that this rather new technology is harmful. On the contrary, it has helped us a great deal so far, and without the internet, for example, we would not be able to see what is happening on the other side of the world. But the bad side is that all these tech advancements have caused some changes not only among people, but in nature. New technology requires more power, and power is achieved by controlling and exploiting nature and its fruits. Once upon a time, we were reasonable when it comes to using nature's gifts, but men have become greedy, and the more we had the more we needed. Oceans and rivers seem to be the most endangered. Many fish and other species that live in still unexplored areas of the ocean die on a daily basis due to oil leaks. But there are ways to fight back. I have been a man of nature and a fighter for the „green” world for a long time, and I have been searching for certain methods of fighting back and bringing everlasting peace in this struggle between man and nature. I am talking about bringing nature back into peoples’ homes. This can be achieved solely by owning a garden with different plants, or owning a small zoo with a few animals that you will love and feed every day. But the thing I want to talk about the most are aquariums.

All the fish in all the oceans, rivers, lakes and seas in the world – unite

First of all, owning an aquarium is a direct approach to fighting against endangered species in the oceans. As I have mentioned, many fish die every day, and just by having some in your home means a lot to the world of pisces. If you are about to buy an aquarium and support this movement, I suggest you seek a few pieces of advice from someone who already knows a lot about this kind of hobby. I am no expert in this area, but I will try to explain several things when it comes to owning and maintaining an aquarium. You should, firstly, decide whether you are going to have fish from the rivers or from the oceans and seas. As you know, oceans and seas have salty water and, logically, the sole existence of fish from rivers would not be possible in such an environment. Therefore, there are normal aquariums, also known as fish tanks and ponds and there are kinds of aquariums that are built specially for fish and other creatures that live their lives at sea. Now, the size does matter, no matter what they say. Of course, I mean the size of the aquarium you are about to buy. If you are planning to devote a lot of your time to the fish and aquariums, you can buy those big ones that will cover one whole wall. But, if you are new to this hobby, I suggest you take a smaller one, and have no more than five fish. Then again, if the fish are not that big or needy, you can have more than five, even with no experience at all. At the end, it all comes down to the fact that you are about to start something new which will eventually become an important part of your life, believe it or not. It is the same story as with other pets. For fifteen years I had been trying to persuade my parents to buy me a dog. At the age of twenty five, my father bought me one for my birthday and from that moment on it was him who could not take his eyes off the pet. They literally became best friends, and it took him fifteen and more years to realize how much pets can actually mean to people. The same story goes with the fish. These little creatures can become part of your family in no time, and you will be very happy to have them in your life.

But now comes the time where I must warn you about some other consequences of buying an aquarium. As you may know, they will require a lot of maintenance, which you will have to do on a daily basis. You can do it by yourself, or you can hire someone who has experience in that area to do it for you. However, a lot of time spent on the internet, made me think about certain devices that can help me with cleaning and generally maintaining the aquarium. I found about these things called Aquarium Filters, which made the whole cleaning process much easier. What it did was keep the water clean as much as possible by adding certain substances into in. Therefore, the time you spent just changing the water in the aquarium can be reduced twice or even thrice, and you will save a lot of energy also, since that procedure is very exhausting. Other devices such as Aquarium heaters can help you with keeping the temperature of the water constant, because some fish will require constant water temperature.

To sum up, although technology is very helpful nowadays, we should spent more time in nature and use high tech devices a little bit less in order to save planet from the extinction that has been threatening it for the past two or three decades. You can help nature even by doing some other things such as decorating your home in more “natural” way. Among all the other things that you can put in your home I recommend you buy an aquarium since that can be a way of helping endangered species that die every single day due to pollution.

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How to Keep a Fish Tank

Extra fish in your aquarium can cause a lot of problems. More fish demand more oxygen and additional production of ammonia. If you own a filter that deals with a higher level of ammonia you are, let’s say, in the clear, but, with a high ammonia level, you’ll end up with increased nitrate production and you will have to change the water more often to keep it low. Some more solid waste might also appear out of nowhere.

Some people, who are experts in this field, think that a tank with too much fish can lead to the stop of fish growth, or, as this phenomenon is more commonly called, to stunning. If the fish are kept and left to breed in the same aquarium where the adult fish are, you will notice that future generations will be smaller than their ancestors.

To sort this out, get another aquarium to raise the fry in – especially one that is big enough to serve a spawning pair, or for pregnant females.

On the other hand, many would find a quarantine tank the best among all the others. To be a successful keeper of fish, this kind of a tank can be very helpful, and is often recommended by any retailer.  Many people forget to use a microscope when purchasing fish, and that’s why they usually aren't aware of whether the fish are suffering from any kind of illness. If you buy new fish and bring it to your home, regardless of its healthy look that may mislead you, it can infect your existing livestock. The solution to this problem is to set up a separate aquarium for the new ones and keep them there for a few weeks so you can be sure they’re not infectious.

These tanks can also be used to keep and treat fish that have been bullied or ill in the main tank. It’s more effective to treat them in an unfurnished, clean tank. A medium sized tank is cheaper to treat than a heavily stocked one. You’ll also avoid a risk of killing any inverts or knocking out beneficial bacteria in the main tank, which are pretty essential.

Not all fish are compatible. When you’re a fish-keeper, there’s so little time and too many fish. This hobby can get a little complicated. The water conditions, the size of the fish and their temperament is a key thing to take into consideration.

To solve this, set up some more tanks to help you out, and sort them into hard-water and soft-water set-ups. When it comes to the radical differences, you can set one up as a rocky Rift Lake, and another one as a flora oriented one, for example. New tanks always look nicer. As time passes by, fish aquariums seem to be getting much nicer and better designed. Check out BiOrb Life 60L or Fluval Edge 46L - Water Cube, for example. There was never a choice of so many sizes and shapes, as there is now. For many people, showing off their tank is a big part of keeping fish. Like every work of art needs a good frame, having a good tank for your fish is also of big importance.

Furnishing fashion for homes changes all the time and you have a choice to have a brand new tank and not an old one made of mahogany. For many people, keeping fish is kind of a new challenge. Keeping fish attract many different people and there’s just the right kind of fish for everyone. You should try coral propagation or take the challenge of breeding. It takes some determination, skill and time to breed fish so that you provide them with everything they need and want. And don’t forget to feed the fry. When a fish-keeper is a real fanatic, he or she must come to this point: to want to make a fish room. If you’re one of them, consider that a fish room can be any room in your house - a spare room, for instance.

To sum up, keeping fish seems to be a hard and demanding job. But, it has many advantages. It’s there to bring in new colors to your living space and keep you occupied. It’s also good for relaxation and, if you have kids, it would be a lot of fun for them to have their own private part of the sea. Whatever the reasons are, make sure you don’t forget about the fact - fish can’t play with you, but still are living beings.

 

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Red Sea Max Marine Aquarium - Perfect Simplicity

There are quite a lot of people out there who are more than willing to pay for all the bells and whistles and get themselves a very good quality marine aquarium, but even then they are faced with a big problem: it takes a lot of work just to set up a tank and maintaining it properly can be a nightmare. It is sort of one of those old video games where you can’t save your progress, one little mistake and it’s game over, you have to start all over again. At least with video games you only pay for the game once and you just lose some time and your nerves, but with marine aquariums you have to buy new fish every time. There is in fact an easier way for beginners and the busy, hard workers amongst us hobbyists and that is a tank that is set up and ready to use straight out of the box, just add salt water and live rock, wait a while and you are ready to go. You don’t have to be particularly handy with tools and good at assembling things and hooking up electronics, almost all of the work is already done for you with the Red Sea Max aquarium.

This marine aquarium is glass with rounded edges and has a volume of 130 liters, more than enough for a stunning display that will fit perfectly in any room of the house, provided you find a solid base to support the substantial weight. The hood has three separate access panels:

Filter panel – located in the back and allows easy access to the protein skimmer.

Front panel – full width panel, opening one third of the total length of aquarium and folds back revealing a working surface that can hold all the different accessories for feeding and monitoring.

Full access panel – raises the entire hood, securing it at an angle which gives the user full access and full visibility of the entire tank when aquascaping and during regular maintenance

When the Red Sea Max is turned on, the water in the aquarium circulates 10 times an hour. All of the equipment, that you would usually need to install and arrange in some sort of compartment below the tank itself, is housed behind a smoked glass divide that keeps it’s mechanical components hidden from sight so as not to detriment the overall aesthetics of the corral and fish on display. The components that are integrated into the system include:

Reef lighting – dual 55 watt T5 power compact lights and moon glow LED nightlights with a built-in 24 hour programmable lighting timer, located in the hood

Removable inlet filter comb – with adjustable shutter, used for surface skimming
Two-stage mechanical filter

Professional high capacity protein skimmer – with a 1200 liters per hour pump and heater with a thermostat

Biological and chemical filtration compartment – fully equipped

Twin circulation pumps – with adjustable dual outlet jets for optimizing water currents

Water chiller – optional

All of the above components are connected to a built-in power center that is splash proof, allowing only a single cord to portrude from the tank and making it very easy to hook up to a power outlet. There is an external control panel, accessed by opening the small door on the side of the tank, and it contains buttons that allow each separate component to be turned on or off. The door has nice little white symbols of the various components that are affected by the corresponding buttons, thus allowing even a small child to efficiently manipulate the marine aquarium. The Max also comes with a detailed guide on reef keeping and for just a little bit extra money you can get the Max starter kit which contains all the necessary feeding and monitoring accessories you will need.

Those of us who don’t have too much time to spend on our hobbies and want the precious few hours we have to ourselves to be fun and relaxing, not boring and tedious, where it feels like it’s just more work. The best thing about the Red Sea Max aquarium is that we don’t have to worry about buying and setting up all of the equipment, so all of our free time can be spent doing what we love – finding the best fish and reef-scaping. All in all it is a brilliant product that will save you a lot of time and energy, and that even the uninitiated can be trusted with in your absence.

If you want to find out more about other types of aquariums, check out our fish tanks selection.

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