Merry Christmas From That Fish Place!

That Fish Place has a great selection of holiday gift ideas on sale now for Christmas. Click on the above ad for a complete list of all our holiday deals. There’s a little bit of everything for all of the aquarium hobbyists on your holiday gift list. Click here to view sale.

HO HO HO !

Dave

"Shocking" Christmas story

This week at the Aqua Toto Gifu aquarium in Japan, one of the coolest holiday Ideas I have ever seen was introduced to the public. The aquarium has on display, an electric eel in an aquarium that is actually powering lights on a near by christmas tree. In nature the eels have the ability to produce an electric current for the purpose of stunning near bye prey. The aquarium had the ingenious idea to use the eels natural electrical power for holiday cheer, and people are flocking to the aquarium to see this amazing display. The picture to the right was posted in the Mainichi Daily News in Japan.

The aquarium has a copper wire installed into it, so that when the eel rubs up against the wire and produces an electrical current, the electricity travels from the aquarium to the light bulbs. Pretty neat trick

Maybe someday we will be driving around electric eel powered hybrid cars. HMMMM.

Just wanted to share that holiday story with you, until next blog

Dave

Product Spotlight: Hydor Ario


The Hydor Ario is a new twist on aquarium aeration that combines LED lighting technology with a venturi powerhead, resulting in a product that is as fun as it is functional. The Ario provides oxygen for your aquarium in the form of a fine mist of bubbles that rises up through the water column. The LED lighting illuminates the bubbles from below, resulting in a column of colored bubbles.

The Ario is a really cool light show for your aquarium. The Ario comes in 4 colors; red, blue, green and the new Ario Moonlight which is bright white. You can use the Ario all the time, but it is especially cool at night. You can use it as a nightlight if you like. The Ario can be used in both freshwater and saltwater aquariums. Check one out, the Ario is one of the most innovative new products in years.

Until next blog

Dave

Free Shipping over $100 at ThatFishPlace.com

Hey everyone, just wanted to give you all a heads up. That Fish Place is offering free shipping on orders over $100 through Monday, December 3rd, so if you’re looking to stock up on supplies, or snag a gift for that hard-to-buy for hobbyist, this is the best time to do so. We’ll also be running other sales throughout the holiday season, on both the web and in the retail store, so be sure to check out our web site for more details, www.thatpetplace.com.

Until Next Time,

Desiree

Dissolved Oxygen

One of the most important elements of a healthy aquarium is also one of the most overlooked. Like all animals, fish and other aquarium inhabitants require oxygen to survive. Unlike air breathing animals, fish depend on dissolved oxygen in the water to “breath”. Making sure that your aquarium has proper dissolved oxygen levels is vital to the health and survival of your fish.

Many things can affect the dissolved oxygen in your aquarium. The most important things to remember are stocking levels and cleaning. Too many fish will require more oxygen than is available in the water. Fish waste, decaying food and rotting plants are all consumed by bacteria, which also require oxygen. Regular cleaning, water changes, filter maintenance and proper feeding will ensure that the bacterial demand on dissolved oxygen is under control.

There are also many things that you can do to improve dissolved oxygen in your aquarium. Most of the dissolved oxygen in your aquarium comes from the atmosphere; this is accomplished through interaction with the water surface. Increased water surface area gives your aquarium higher potential for atmospheric interaction. Turbulence and water movement along with good aquarium design will increase your aquariums water surface area, and dissolved oxygen. Use of an air pump and air stones or a power head with a venturi aeration feature will also greatly increase your dissolved oxygen. The tiny bubbles created have huge amounts of surface area and greatly increase the potential for oxygen to dissolve into the water. Temperature also plays a significant role in dissolved oxygen levels. Concentration of dissolved gas decreases with increase in temperature, so avoiding high temperatures (above 85 Fahrenheit) in very important. Taking all these factors into account when setting up an aquarium will go a long way to ensuring your long term success.

The use of ozone, especially in saltwater aquariums, can also greatly increase dissolved oxygen. Ozone is a strong oxidizer, which when properly used, will break down organic material in the water through oxidation. This greatly reduces the biological demand for oxygen, and at the same time releasing oxygen as a byproduct of the oxidation process. Ozone use is not for the beginner level aquarist and must be used safely and properly. Use of an ORP controller is highly recommended. Ozone is typically used in conjunction with a protein skimmer, or a special reaction chamber.
Until next blog,
Dave