23rd Nov 2009

Why is My Goldfish Blowing Bubbles

The popularity of goldfish among aquarists is owed to its amazing characteristics. Its attractive colors and lively nature brings so much life and energy to any home aquarium. But fish keeping isn’t just about bringing home a fish and putting in your tank for you to watch and enjoy. It involves some degree of care and time to make sure your fishes stay healthy and will live long. Maintaining your goldfish tank includes many aspects. The water conditions, temperature, lighting, equipments, feeding schedule and so much more needs to be attended to. One thing you have to make sure when caring for your goldfish is that they get adequate oxygen. Oftentimes, fishkeepers would notice their goldfish coming up to the surface of the tank or bowl appearing to be blowing bubbles. Others would think their fish is hungry, or trying to make bubble nests, or even playing around. When you see this behaviour in your goldfish, it is actually an indication that it is need of more air. A goldfish is very sensitive to oxygen shortage, and gasping for air at the water’s surface (‘blowing bubbles’) is the quickest way to express their distress.

Lack of air in the tank could be attributed to certain factors. Perhaps you are keeping your goldfish in a bowl or a small tank not adequate enough for the space your fish requires. Adequate space is needed in order for your goldfish to breathe properly. Make sure your tank is big enough, or if you do not have one, you should avoid overcrowding your tank. Too many fish could deplete the available oxygen in the water, and eventually suffocate your fishes. There is a guide followed by fishkeepers as to how much fishes you could stock in your tank to achieve enough space healthy enough for all aquarium inhabitants to thrive. Information for such could be obtained from fish care books and websites. But your local aquarium fish dealer could advise you on that too.

Live plants could bring a lot of good things to your aquarium and more importantly to your fishes. Adding plants to your aquarium is a good way to create an environment for your fishes that more closely resembles their natural habitat. Your aquarium inhabitants would appreciate having plants around coz it makes them feel more at home and to have lots of hiding places. It also makes your tank a lot more attractive. But their ability to give off oxygen is what makes live plants excellent additions to your tank. Regular water changes and maintenance is also a good way to keep parameters within acceptable limits. You should also check your filters and pumps and make sure they are working well. Keeping water temperature somewhere between 74 to 76 is said to be best in keeping goldfishes. When it’s too warm, your goldfish would try to swim up and gulp for air. Some would advise putting airstone in your bowl. Your goldfish blowing bubbles is something that should be given immediate attention. If these signs are ignored, it might be too late for you to save it.

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15th Nov 2009

Plastic Fish Tank Plants

Decorating your aquarium is one of the most exciting things in setting up your fish tank. Without plants and decorations, your fish tank looks incomplete and less appealing. Plants not only brings so much life to your reef display, but also provide hiding places for your fish and make them feel more at home, safe and comfortable. Fish tank plants aren’t just decorative, but are necessities to almost any fish tank.

In choosing plants for your aquarium, you could opt for the live plants or the plastic fish tank plants. Both could work great for your tank and offer numerous advantages. So many fish keepers would disagree on which should be best for your tank, but if you would consider having the plastic fish tank plants in your aquarium, you would see how much benefits there is for choosing such. Since plastic plants are inexpensive and requires very little care, it is very practical. There is no doubt real plants look great, but using the plastic ones on your aquarium would never, in any way, compromise its ornamental value. Unlike in the past, plastic fish tank plants could look so real. They are made of special fabrics, mostly silk to allow them to move freely in the water. With their sophistication, they could rival real plants in appearance. Specially made for aquarium use, the materials used in manufacturing them are completely safe for aquatic life. No special lighting is also needed with it like you do with real aquarium plants. It spares you from the trouble of constant monitoring of water and light conditions to make sure your plants won’t die. They don’t get infested with pests either and the ease of cleaning when they get dirty over time makes it very convenient for aquarium owners.

Plastic fish tank plants are easy to secure in your gravel and no special techniques are required. They are designed to have heavy base at the bottoms to keep them from floating. The cheaper ones usually come with a small disc at the base which you can cover with gravel to keep it in place. You can order plastic fish tank plants in groupings. With it, you can put in a little of your creativity and imagination by aquascaping them. They would look amazing in your tank. Once they start moving with the water, its ornamental quality would be more appreciated. Ordering by groupings will also save you more money coz they would tend to cost your cheaper. And when you feel the need to rearrange them, moving them to a new location is easy without extra caution and risk for the plants to die. Local aquatic supply store carries a wide selection of plastic plants. Shop for it online to find more choices and even greater deals.

Plastic fish tank plants make beautiful and functional decorations. It offers a practical option to attractively aquascape your fish tank without all the trouble of keeping live plants. Though real plants could have many advantages too, it would be a matter of a personal choice of the fish keeper. If well set up, plastic fish tank plants could provide a wonderful finishing touch to your aquarium.

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