That Fish Blog – Aquarium Advice and Information

Welcome back Melissa Leiter for another awesome post.

Bacterial infections are very common among goldfish (Carassius auratus) and koi (Cyprinus carpi). The two most common types of bacteria that cause problems in ponds are aeromonas and pseudomonas. Both are naturally occurring in ponds and lakes. They are not found in tap water since chlorine is added at treatment plants.   Likewise  when a new pond is filled using tap water this bacteria is not present.  Once fish are added the bacteria arrive with them.  The bacteria floating in the water does not usually affect healthy fish since they have a slime coat that protects them.  However, if the water quality becomes toxic, the fish lose that protective slime coat and are very prone to infections.  Aeromonas are more common then pseudomonas but both are responsible for numerous fish deaths.  They both present themselves in the form of ulcers, external and internal hemorrhages, red streaking in fins, fin and tail rot and mouth rot.  If left untreated most if not all the fish in the pond will eventually succumb to this infection.

Bacterial infections are treatable if caught early.  When sores are first observed the water quality should be one of the first things to be tested since many bacterial infections are caused by poor water quality.  Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH should be tested.  If you do not have access to test kits many pet stores, such as That Fish Place, will be happy to test your water for free.  If the ammonia or nitrite are high they need to be corrected before any medications can safely be added.  Ammonia and nitrite are both very toxic to fish.  Ammonia irritates gill tissue and eventually invades other internal tissue and organs causing them to shut down.  High levels of nitrite readily oxidize with hemoglobin to form methemoglobin.  Methemoglobin hinders oxygen transport through the blood causing the fish to sufficate.  Microbe-lift is a good product to add live bacteria that will break down the ammonia and nitrite to make it less toxic to your fish.  Pond salt will also help if nitrite is high since the chloride ion competes with the nitrite ion on the gills.  As long as the chloride ion is at least 3 times but not more than 6 times the concentration of nitrite, the concentration of nitrite becomes reduced and the fish is able to retain oxygen.

If all the levels are in the acceptable range then medications may be used.  There are hundreds of medications out there so choosing the right one may be difficult.  Some medications that we have had success using in the store would be fungus eliminator, melafix, neoplex, kanaplex, sulfathiazole, and biospheres antibacterial.  Fungus eliminator and melafix are more economical then the others if you are treating a large pond.  Neoplex, kanaplex, sulfathidazole, and biospheres antibacterial are more acceptable to use in a hospital tank.  Iodine dabbed directly on the open sore then coated with petroleum jelly to seal the wound can also be done but this should not be attempted by the beginner.  Handling the fish can be very stressful and cause injury if care is not taken.

Ultimately prevention is the key.  With that being said here are some simple things that can be done to protect your fish from contracting a severe bacterial infection; monitor water quality weekly, preform mothly 20 percent water changes, quarantine any new fish for a minimum of 4 weeks before introducing into the pond, feed a high quality staple food as well as fresh veggies like romain lettuce, zuchinni, and cucumbers, and avoid over crowding.

Hey everyone, Dave here.

Just wanted to give you a heads up on some of the cool things that have been added to That Fish Blog over the last few weeks. For anyone not checking out the right side menu, there’s some new stuff over there that may make your life a little easier if you’re a fan of the blog or That Fish Place.

The first of which is our new RSS feed sign-up link and widgets. The website, Feedburner.com, hooked us up with these to help promote the blog a little better. When you “subscribe to That Fish Blog” now, you receive an update in your RSS reader whenever we post something new. You also get a synopsis version of it in case you don’t have the time (like most of us) to read every single tidbit. You’ll find widgets both for this blog and our sister/brother blogs That Reptile Blog and That Avian Blog over there. And, if you’re a superfan of That Fish Blog or our other blogs, you can even add one of these cool widgets to YOUR site to help send readers our way. Here’s what it looks like:

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

There’s also a listing and a link to the ThatPetPlace.com New Product RSS Feed over there, so you can subscribe to that to always know when we get new, cool stuff in.

And, if you have your own RSS feed and want to create a gadget like this to promote it, the Feedburner service is totally free, so check that out as well.

And, in case you’re not that high tech like the rest of us here, and have no idea what RSS is or what it can do for you, take a look at this excellent RSS article on Wikipedia.

Back to Fish and Aquarium blogs Monday,
Until then,
Dave

Welcome back Cory Shank with an article on aquarium fish availability.

Throughout the year, the availability of certain aquarium fish and invertebrates can change for what seems to be no reason at all. It may be for a few days to a week or even a few weeks extending into months. There are many reasons for absence of your favorite aquarium resident, but the one most overlooked is the weather.

One must remember that almost every aquarium inhabitant has begun their journey from the rivers, lakes, and oceans from where they reside. Now if the fish or invertebrate is either tank raised or tank bred, then obviously they have not traveled that far, but for the most part everything is collected from the wild. The weather is quite variable, especially in the tropics, season to season. This is where most of the marine organisms are collected. The largest interruptions from the Caribbean to the Indo-Pacfic regions are during the hurricane season. The Caribbean tends to be more vulnerable to tropical systems than the Indo-Pacific regions, mainly because of the size difference.

Hurricanes, tropical storms, and even tropical depressions and waves cause an increase in wind, generating larger ocean swells, which can wreak havoc in shallow collection areas. Obviously during a hurricane divers can not enter the water and collect fish, but one storm can delay collection for up to a week or even longer. As seen with Hurricane Ike, 2 days prior to the storm, there were waves and tides above the norm, nearly a thousand miles from the storm, affecting the entire Gulf of Mexico and parts of the Caribbean. After the storm passes, collection depends on how fast the water clarity increases, this can take a few more days to happen. Looking at this situation, the collection for one area can be shut down for a full week. This increases the demand for certain organisms, making the availability for the following week extremely high, which leads to a less than healthy fill rate for orders for the orders following a storm. The Caribbean has been highly vulnerable this year, with a few storms passing through major collection areas of Scarlet Reef and Blue Leg Hermit Crabs, along with Royal Grammas, and Peppermint Shrimp.

Hurricanes are not the only culprit: excessively warm or cold water can affect availability. Organisms will move from shallow regions to deeper zones to escape a time of warmer water. This can also be a seasonal migration, affecting availability for a longer term. El Nino and La Nina can lead to big changes in global water temperatures. In such extreme events such as the 1997-98 El Nino event, populations can be severely impacted. Responsible marine fish and invertebrate collectors will either halt or decrease collection significantly in order to help the population rebound.

Weather can also play a role after the fish have been collected. After collection, the organisms will be sent to the wholesaler’s facility. In order for the organisms to arrive safe and in good health at your local pet store, the weather along the route must be taken into consideration. The time of transport relies heavily on how the fast the airlines can get the fish to their final destination. A heat wave can destroy an entire shipment if it were to be delayed by even a few hours. The same goes for extremely cold weather in parts of the country. The shipment, if delayed, could become frozen if the heat packs fail or run out.

So the next time you can’t find your favorite fish at the store, think about where it is coming from and what the weather is like in its hometown!

Thanks Cory,

Until Next Time,

Dave

Patty here,

There are many snail species available for the marine aquarium hobby, and many of them are beneficial to the aquarium as they perform specific duties aiding in the health and up-keep of the tank. Popular types include ceriths and nassarius, great for sand bed stirring and clean-up, and various Turbo species and other algae eaters like astreas and trochus. For the most part, the majority of the snails you find in shops are there for your aquarium’s benefit. There are also many types of snails for sale that may not be a benefit such as predatory snails, and yet others that may find their way into your reef by hitchhiking on or in live rock or corals that you introduce. I want to introduce some naughty snails, and some really naughty snails you can watch out for to avoid potential issues they may present.

Murex Snails
There are several species of Murex snails that may hitch on rock or collected specimens. Most murex snails are characterized by rough spines or knobs on the shell. They are shaped more like conchs, but are usually rather stout. These are predator snails, and will prey on clams and other bivalves, starfish, and other snails. Some species drill through the shells of their victim to eat the flesh inside the shell. Better safe than sorry with murex snails, remove them to an iso tank or species tank if you want to watch them, they will feed on meaty frozen tidbits if live prey is unavailable.
Tulip Snails, Fasciolaria sp.
Tulip Snails are beautiful creatures, with stunningly banded, smooth shells and a deep pink or red body. These snails are unfortunately carnivores, so they cannot be kept with beneficial snails like turbos and astreas unless you want them to be eaten. They will also prey on bivalves, so no clams, scallops, oysters, or fun little mussles will be around for long if you introduce one of these to your reef either. Tulips are nonetheless offered periodically for sale. They can be kept in the right tank, and are enormously entertaining, but consider their diet before purchasing one. They will feed on bits of frozen mussel, clam, and other meaty foods in the absence of live prey, and can get along with fish and crustaceans that can move away from them.
Flamingo Tongue, Cyphoma sp.
Though these little snails are very pretty, they are not reef safe as they feed only on gorgonians. If you find that one has hitch-hiked on a new specimen, which is not necessarily uncommon, it should be removed from your main reef. They are beautiful specimens, however, for a small species tank. If you have large gorgonian colonies, small pieces can be clipped and place into the species tank to feed the snail.
Black Limpets, Scutus unguis
Most limpet snails are safe and even beneficial in reef aquaria. The Black Limpet will eat algae but also has a tendency to feed on coral tissue, so if seen in a reef, it should be promptly removed before it is able to proliferate. This is a very cool snail, its delicate black mantle may appear to you to be a sea slug, but its white shell is cloaked by the ebony mantel. If you should come across one in your reef, the first challenge is to dislodge it from the rock, which is not an easy task. You may need to remove the rock itself, which may be placed in a small species tank for observation and enjoyment.
Sundial Snails, Helicanthus variegatus
Sundial snails are small button-shaped snails, kind of flat, with a spiraling, checkered shell. The operculum is shaped like a cone. These snails are most commonly seen on Zoanthid polyps, their primary food source. Obviously, these snails can be detrimental to polyp colonies and they should be removed from your reef if you come across them. They hide well amongst polyps and rock, so be sure to keep an eye out, especially when introducing new colonies.
Conchs and Cowries
Just an additional note, there are lots of different cowries and conchs offered in the trade today, and they are some of the most interesting snails you can find. Be responsible as aquarists, and be sure to find out about any species you’re interested in before purchasing them. Most species are safe and functional, but others with size and diet in mind may only be appropriate for large, non-reef homes. Some Cowries can grow to 4 inches or so, and though reef safe, they can easily topple rock and corals in their travels. The Egg Cowry only dines on soft corals. As for Conchs, most offered are marvelous sand sifters like our burrowing conch, but many conchs can grow to be very large and thus disruptive in smaller tanks and tanks with limited sand bed area. Crown conchs, Queen conchs, and many others are omnivores and may prey on bivalves if algae and other foodstuffs are scarce, so be aware of the needs of the snail you purchase.

Until next blog,

Patty

Welcome back Patty Little to That Fish Blog.

Labor Day in the U.S. is dedicated to the workers and was originally conceived to celebrate the strength and spirit of trades and labor organizations.  I thought it might be nice to recognize some of the laborers that make the microcosm of the home aquarium successful to keep up with the Labor Day spirit.  They may not get a paycheck, but they give it their all.  Since they can’t enjoy a day off and a barbecue (though some of their relatives may be on it), let’s put on a blog parade for the little guys.

Marine
Kudos to the parasite cleaners, cleaner wrasses and cleaner shrimp, whose dedicated services are invaluable to the health of other reef citizens.
Thanks to the cucumbers, gobies, burrowing snails, sifting stars, and others who keep the substrate aerated and algae free, and to the Mower blennies, urchins, hermits, snails and tangs, the gardeners of the tank who keep the algae hedges trimmed and the macro algae forests at bay.
Hats off to the pest control squadron, peppermint shrimp, arrow crabs, flat-worm eaters, and others whom Nature intended to keep those pesky little critters in check.
And we can’t forget those who stay in the shadows, the detritivores.  Though not very attractive, and often downright creepy, they are a key element removing and processing the crud (for lack of a better term) that accumulates from the stuff in our tanks.  Amphipods, bristleworms, scavenger stars, snails, and nematodes to name just a few.
Freshwater
The freshwater community may not appear to be quite as complex, yet there are those who deserve a big pat on the dorsal (or maybe a special treat) today.  The upkeep of a freshwater tank can be attributed to some specific characters in the tank.
Give a nod to the ever cleaning algae eaters, From Otos to Apple snails, their work is never done, scouring the glass, the rocks, and the other furniture tirelessly to keep the green monster under control.
Then there are the bottom feeders, the plecos, loaches, catfish whose lowly yet secure positions can only be replaced by the gravel siphon.
AND…
Perhaps the biggest honor should go to the dedicated aquarists out there who work hard with endless enthusiasm for their tanks and the creatures within.  Though it is a “hobby”, and the labor involved is sometimes frustrating, exhausting, and messy, it can pay off when you look at your tank in awe.  So thanks to all of you who dedicate your time and energy to your amazing tanks, to help out the little guys inside and reward everyone who you share it with.  Happy Labor Day (Well, one week later)!

Patty