That Fish Blog – Aquarium Advice and Information

It’s that time of the year again folks. Time for the biggest sale of the year, from the largest pet store in the world: That Fish Place/That Pet Place. This year, we’ve got over 15,000 items up to 50% off, not including our world famous Tent Sale: featuring a big top full of DIY projects waiting to happen including discontinued and open-box items up to 70% off. Fish, Inverts and Live Rock are all 20% off too.

Check out the retail store flyer for a breakdown of all specials.

Manufacturer reps will be on hand from all of the top aquarium and pet supply companies, including Hagen, Current-USA, Coralife, Aquarium Systems, Tetra, Brightwell Aquatics, Seachem and Kent Marine. Door prizes will be available. Games for the kids and outside food vendors as well. Check out the Visit That Fish Place  page for directions to the retail store.

Aquatics Seminars include:

12pm Saturday April18th: Pond Care Basics from Lee Dawkins of Mars Fishcare. Lee has over 20 years of experience in the pond industry, and has been with Pondcare (the pond products division of Marz Fishcare) for 11 years. Lee will be sharing his wealth of knowledge about pond care with our guests, including spring startup, pond care basics, and common problems homeowners have with their ponds.  Come with your questions.

1pm Sunday April 19th: Proactive and Reactive Phosphate Control in Marine Aquaria by Chris Brightwell of Brightwell Aquatics. Phosphate control, is one of the most challenging, and probably the most important aspect of algae control in any aquarium, especially in marine and reef aquariums.  Chris will discuss methods and theory about removal and control of phosphate in marine aquariums, as well as preventative measures that can be taken to manage phosphates in the aquarium once they are under control.

2pm Sunday April 19th:H2Grow by Danielle Davidson of Seachem. Danielle is an industry expert in the field of planted aquarium, and will be doing a presentation about the chemistry and biology of planted aquaria. This discussion will include planted substrate and supplement that are available for the live planted aquarium.

Be sure to check out these great deals and seminars at That Fish Place/That Pet Place retail store in Lancaster, Pennsylvania April 18th and 19th. Stop by and say hi to our bloggers while you’re there too!

Hi Dave here,

I thought it was about time to post an update to the blog about the 700 gallon reef tank here at TFP. The tank is really starting to mature nicely, and we have seen some really nice growth from the corals in the tank.

For all the particulars of the tank, refer back to the original blog, the details of the tank, lighting, and filtration are discussed in detail. No need to rehash them here.

The tank has been running for about a year now, and things have gone very well. I wanted to post a few new pics of the tank so that you can see the changes since then. We have added a few new items into the tank since the original blog back in August of 2008. The majority of the corals that we put into the tank, originated from captive sources, or frags from our own propagation system, it has been really cool to watch them fill in and grow into larger colonies.

If anyone has any questions about the tank, please ask, I would be happy to explain what I can.

Until next blog
Dave

Essential Nutrients for the Planted Aquarium

Brandon here. Anyone who gardens or keeps houseplants knows that plants need a boost once in awhile to look their best and maintain lush, consistant, healthy growth.  Aquarium plants are no exception, but it may be difficult to decide which supplement to use.  Here is an overview of some of the components you may see in the supplements, and what they do to help you along in your aquatic gardening. 

*In order of highest to lowest required concentration

Macronutrients

• Nitrogen: Used for formation of amino acids, protein, DNA, and various other functions such as osmoregulation and nutrient uptake. Deficiencies result in stunted growth and cell death.
• Potassium: Important in breaking down carbohydrates for protein production.
• Used in production of seeds and fruits.
•  Important for overall plant growth.
• Generally not harmful if overdosed
• Calcium: Used as a signaling mechanism for environmental stress.
• Excess calcium interferes with phosphorous and can lead to health problems.
• Magnesium: The central molecule in chlorophyll. Also used for enzyme activation.
• Phosphorous: Used in DNA and RNA to hold base pairs. Also found in Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) and ADP, which is used for energy storage and transport. Nitrogen and phosphorous are the two most important elements found in plants.
• Deficiencies result in stunted growth and cell death.
• Sulfur: Used to create certain amino acids.
• Deficiencies usually indicated by decreased or stunted growth and yellowing of entire plant. Low levels of sulfur are required for plants health.

Micronutrients

• Chlorine: Used for chemical signals between cells. Also used in opening and closing of stomatal guard cells (important in terrestrial plants).
• Iron: Used as an electron acceptor and donator in photosynthesis. Also used in the creation of new chlorophyll molecules.
• Iron deficiencies are indicated by yellowing leaves. The plant cannot function without iron and the processes it is involved in, and can die from stress.
• An excess of iron can result in a build-up of free radicals within the plants tissues, which damages cells and DNA and can also lead to plant death. In the aquarium an excess of iron can be readily absorbed by algae which can result in algae blooms.
• Boron: Enzyme activator used for making starch, which is used in the production of cellulose.
• Used for sugar transport to meristems (the parts of the plants where new growth forms).
• Manganese: Enzyme activator. Needed for the production of chlorophyll.
• Zinc: Enzyme activator. Required for leaf formation.
• Deficiencies result in what is called “little leaf” syndrome.
• An excess of zinc interferes with metabolic function and may result in plant death.
• Copper: Enzyme activator.
• Inhibits shoot and root growth when overdosed. Also interferes with electron transport during plant metabolism. Can result in plant death.
• Molybdenum: Important in the reduction of nitrates, which provides nitrogen for the creation of proteins.
• Nickel: Enzyme activator. Used in breaking down urea.
• Inhibits shoot and root growth when overdosed. Can result in plant death.

Other non-mineral elements required for plant growth:

• Carbon: usually acquired from carbon dioxide through photosynthesis. Found in sugars, carbohydrates, starch, and every part of the plant.
• Oxygen: acquired through photosynthesis, respiration, and from water. Also found in sugars, carbohydrates, starch, and every cell of the plant.
• Hydrogen: acquired through photosynthesis, respiration, and water. Again, essential compound in the makeup of sugar, starch, carbohydrates, and cellular structures.

Carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen are the most prominent elements found in plants (found in the highest concentrations). Because they are readily available from the aquarium water they do not need to be supplemented (with the exception of carbon which can be added to the aquarium with a CO₂ reactor).

Hopefuly this helps clear up some of the confusion with planted tank supplementation.

Brandon

Melissa here, just figured I would write this blog on some new Banded Coral Shrimp species we have in stock. Banded Coral Shrimp are members of the Stenopodidae family, and are referred to as “Boxing Shrimp” because of the way their large pincher’s are held. They are ready to take a swing at whatever comes close enough like a boxer would.  Banded Coral Shrimp should be given plenty of space to scavenge without their long antennae touching neighboring corals or anemones, and lots of caves to hide in. Banded coral shrimp are relatively hardy, but must be acclimated slowly to avoid any salinity and/or pH shock. They are intolerant of high nitrates or copper levels, but iodine is encouraged to promote proper molting.  Banded Coral Shrimp are generally peaceful towards fish, but may harass other small shrimp and are intolerant of others of the same genus. For this reason they must be kept singly, or in mated pairs.  In the wild, banded coral shrimp are know to feed on parasites, dead tissue removed from fish, and other tiny organisms. In the home aquarium, Banded Coral Shrimp will usually accept most flaked and frozen foods, plankton, and meaty items. They are also known to be effective bristleworm hunters in the reef aquarium.

Most people are familiar with the first species, Stenopus hispidus as the most common species in the trade.  They have a red and white banded body and claws resembling the stripes of the American Flag. I happen to have a pair of these banded coral shrimp in my tank at home.  They are out all of the time and usually only an antennae length away from each other. My female is constantly carrying eggs. Something really cool that I have witnessed several times was when my female is within a day or so of releasing her eggs the male waits on her hand and foot. He brings her food and makes sure none of the fish bother her. That is about the only time I ever see them apart. I would have to say my favorite invert would have to be these shrimp. 

Other species of banded coral shrimp we get in from time to time are the Golden Banded Coral Shrimp, Stenopus scutellatus and the Blue Banded Shrimp, Stenopus tenuirostris. They have similar red and bands on the tail and claws as seen on Stenopus hispidis, but have a bright yellow or violet blue body and white antennae. The Blue Banded shrimp also has golden bands between the red bands.

There is also another really cool species that recently arrived here, Stenopus zanzibaricus. This shrimp is mostly white with two red bands on the tail and two red markings on the proximal portion of the front arms. It has white claws and red antennae. Do not attempt to mix the Zanzibar shrimp with Stenopus hispidus because they will fight to death, usually with one usually  loosing the battle and its life.

Hello everyone! This is Craig. Just the other day I was helping a customer and was showing him some fish that would be hardy enough to cycle his brand new freshwater community aquarium. I went through the normal fish selections of zebra danios, blue danios, and white clouds. He expressed a certain… lack of enthusiasm towards fish that, while being sturdy and inexpensive, did not show as much character as he would have hoped. “Everyone has those fish…” is a common response to the zebra danios. Having thought about this a bit… I decided to put together a short list of fish that are durable, inexpensive, and… well… different than the zebra danio.

First on the list would be the brilliant rasbora. Rasbora borapetensis is a beautiful and hardy fish. An elongated fish with gold and black lateral stripes and a red tail, the brilliant rasbora will attain a size of close to 3 inches in length. In larger schools they are quite impressive as they cruise the aquarium in a tight formation. They will not nip at plants or long fins, so brilliant rasboras make a beautiful and active addition to the community aquarium.

Staying with the rasbora group of fishes, the harlequin rasbora ( Rasbora heteromorpha ) is another fish that is beautiful, hardy, and peaceful. The harlequin rasbora is a small schooling fish that is pink with a large black triangle covering the back half of the fish. Barely reaching 1.5 inches, this fish shows very well in schools of 8 or more. As the fish ages, the color intensifies and is really quite spectacular. The harlequin rasbora is a little gem that can be included in almost any small community aquarium.

Another hardy and colorful fish that can be used a “starter fish” is the Serpae tetra. The Serpae tetra ( Hyphessobrycon eques ) is a beautiful tetra that does best in schools of 6 or more. This fish has had a long standing history of being one of the more sturdy tetras and, when kept in a warm aquarium, can show a deep crimson color with a black spot on their sides. When kept in smaller numbers, the Serpae tetra can be somewhat nippy, but that problem is easily solved by adding more individuals to the school.

The cherry barb ( Puntius titteya ) is still another colorful and hardy small fish to add to this list. While most barbs have a tendancy to be little nippers, the cherry barb is quite a bit more relaxed and very rarely nips at fins. The males of this species are a nice cherry red, while the females are a burnt orange color. This barb swims toward the lower regions of your aquarium and will do best in groups of 5 or more. Mixing the ratio of males to females will produce the best color and will also produce some interesting courting displays from the males.

So, for those of you that want to start your freshwater community with a little more color or variety, there are options! There are actually more options than listed above, but these 4 species of fish are, quite possibly, the top 4 choices for cycling a new tank. Just remember to be patient when beginning your new aquarium, and you should have no troubles at all!