Saltwater (marine) fish aquarium

Home  ›   Freshwater aquarium   ›   Marine (saltwater) fish aquarium.
A saltwater aquarium is an aquarium wherein sea plants, invertebrates and animals are kept.

These aquaria are contained environments mimicking various undersea habitats seen in nature. Ornamental fish hobbyists have categorized saltwater aquariums into, fish only (FO), fish only with live rock (FOWLR), and reef aquarium. The saltwater tanks can also be categorized into tropical and temperate (cold water) environments.

Saltwater aquarium presents a fundamentally different environment. The pets having adapted to the constituent salts and salinity, have a slightly altered physiology than their freshwater counterparts. They are highly vulnerable to changes in their environment. They require a tightly regulated optimum range of salinity, dissolved oxygen, alkalinity, temperature, lighting and pH for their healthy survival.

Fish-only (FO) saltwater aquarium

This saltwater environment is to showcase colorful, hardy sea animals such as shrimps, damselfish, yellow tangs and angelfish. FO set up is a right choice for a beginner. Only a few coral skeletons and replicas are used to add to aesthetic beauty. The tank must be well equipped to monitor various environmental parameters.

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Fish-only-with-live-rock (FOWLR) aquariums

FOWLR tanks, apart from vertebrates also include coral rocks. Pieces of live rock are arranged to give natural hiding places for the vertebrates. Live rocks, naturally colonized by a variety of micro life, shelter invertebrates, sponges, and beneficial bacteria. Though teeming with beneficial life, the live rock add new dimensions to environmental parameters such as adequate lighting, growth of desirable coralline algae and adequate calcium supply for avoiding their disintegration. The live rocks must be properly acclimatized and "cured" before introducing vertebrates. Medications used for treating diseases can be devastating to the life in the live rock.

Popular topics:

Fish tank

Fish bowl aquarium

How to clean a fish bowl

Ghost shrimp bowl

Guppy bowl

Cleaning goldfish bowl

Betta bowl

Goldfish bowl

White cloud mountain minnow bowl

Mystery snail bowl

African dwarf frog

Blue dwarf gourami

Reef aquariums

Reef tanks are specialized for displaying live corals and the associated invertebrate life. Different coral species have differing environmental requirements. Some species like Mushroom Coral require calm waters whereas Acropora and Montipora species require turbulent conditions and water flow. Many coral species have symbiotic algae to provide them with food. Such corals require optimal lighting for food production and their survival. The live coral and the associated invertebrates and micro-life are very sensitive to environmental conditions. Close monitoring of the water parameters is necessary to maintain pristine conditions.

Tropical aquarium

Tropical saltwater animals, require a different environmental parameters from those living in temperate regions. All the above FO, FOWLR and reef types can set up for a tropical environment. Usually the temperature is maintained between 24 to 28 °C (75 to 82 °F).

Temperate aquarium

Temperate saltwater animals require temperatures ranging around 10 to 24 °C (50 to 75 °F). Ornate cowfish, blennies and sea anemones, crustaceans, echinoderms, molluscs and feather duster worms are some of the species suitable for such environment.

Saltwater fish aquarium

Related topics:

Livebearers.

Anabantoids.

Aquarium catfish.

Armored catfish.

Carps.

Cichlidae.

Characidae.

Arowanas.

Loaches.

Platy care.

Popular topics:

Tropical fish diseases.

Common fish diseases.

Types of freshwater ornamental fish.

Platy care.

Xiphophorus maculatus.

Aquarium hobby.

Pregnant platy.

Platy breeding.

Platy giving birth.

Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Reef.03.080106.jpg
Image author: User:FalsePerc | License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Current topic: Saltwater fish aquarium.

Jul 1, 2015

Fish bowl aquarium - Fish tank bowl

Nov 17, 2014  Home › Ornamental fish bowl › Aquarium fish bowl tank.

Fish bowl is a miniature aquarium tank. Though bowls with half gallon or lesser capacity are available, these small bowls are pretty cramped for the pet you love.

It is preferable to go in for a two gallon capacity bowl so that it is roomy for the aquarium pet. Though some fishkeepers do not aerate or filter the water in the bowl tank, an undergravel filter will help in the cycling of the container as well as keeping the water clear and aerated. In the small environment, the water quality may deteriorate easily, and one cardinal rule is not to overfeed the pets.

Similar to an aquarium tank, water temperature, pH, alkalinity, dissolved oxygen and ammonia must be monitored regularly. About 20% of the water may be exchanged at least two or three times in a week. The pets may contract diseases and timely identification and treatment will save the lives. Consider covering the bowl tank with a custom cover, a glass sheet having perforations or a fine mesh to stop the pet from jumping out. The suitable pet must be hardy enough to withstand stress, must tolerate temperature fluctuations and be small enough for the bowl. Betta, dwarf gourami, guppy, molly, white cloud minnow, mystery snail, ghost shrimp, platy and African dwarf frog are some of the pets that can be raised in the bowl.

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How to clean a fish bowl

For setting up fish bowl aquarium, you will require a round two gallon glass bowl tank, decorative materials and bottom stones. The bowl tank must be thoroughly cleaned with dry clean cloth to remove grease and dust. Then using hot water, the tank must be cleaned thoroughly with mild liquid soap.

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Then the bowl must be rinsed several times to remove all traces of liquid soap. Rinsing with hot water will also remove traces of oil or grease, if any. Do not use any product containing chlorine, disinfectant or any other harmful chemical as any remnant after rinsing will seriously harm the aquarium tank pet. The cleaning process is very similar to setting up an aquatic pet tank.

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Ghost shrimp bowl

Ghost shrimp are ideal for keeping in bowl fish tank as they are small and grow slowly. A two gallon bowl will provide sufficient space for four or five ghost shrimp. The tank must have rockwood and live or decorative plants for the shrimp to cling on to. A layer of small stones may be spread on the bottom of the tank. The shrimp may be fed with small quantities of pellet or flake food. The female shrimp may be seen carrying pink/green eggs on the underside of the carapace. They may even hatch and release the babies(nauplii) in the tank. Rearing the babies is very difficult as they feed on rotifers and brine shrimp nauplii. The adult ghost shrimp may devour the babies.

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Guppy fish bowl

Guppies are ideal for rearing in fish bowl aquarium. It is better to go in for fancy guppies as they are colorful with a variety of tails. In a two gallon tank two or three pairs can be accommodated. Provide plants and decorations as hiding places. Some males may be aggressive and nibble and damage the fantails of other guppies. The female guppies are dull colored with smaller tails. Normally the traders do not part with females. If you can convince and get a pair of females, you can have guppies breeding in the bowl tank. Guppies are livebearers and the babies may start accepting finely powdered feed. You have to separate the babies to another tank as the adults may devour them.

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Cleaning goldfish bowl

For cleaning fish bowl aquarium, you have to have a hand net for removing the aquatic pet to a container/tank. The mesh size should be such that the pet does not pass through it or get caught in it. A container will be required for holding the decorations, gravel stones and filter. The container tank for keeping the pet temporarily must be clean and have a broad mouth for scooping it out. After transferring the pet and the ornamental decorations, scrub the bowl tank for removing algal growth. You may have to scrub with a razor to remove water evaporation marks on the sides of the aquarium. Use paper towels to remove greasy marks and fingerprints.

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Betta fish bowl

Betta, also known as Siamese fighters, are ideal for bowl aquarium. They are very aggressive and do not tolerate the presence of other aquatic pets. Hence they cannot be kept in tanks along with other species. A two gallon bowl tank is sufficient to keep a full grown betta. As it is an air breather, aeration is not required. With very successful selective breeding a number of breeds are available for fishkeepers. It is always better to have the bowl tank covered with a mesh as betta have the tendency to jump out. Though in nature they feed on live food, in confined aquarium tanks they adapt feeding flakes and freeze dried bloodworms.

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Goldfish fish bowl

A small sized fantail can be raised in a two gallon bowl aquarium. As goldfish varieties grow big, other varieties like Bubble-eye, Celestial, Dragon-Eye,Moor, Veil-tail or Oranda are not suitable for raising in a bowl tank. The container should have small size air-driven gravel filter, as goldfish are messy and churn up the water. The gravel used should be of bigger size as the goldfish may swallow the stones. The decorations in the aquarium must be well rooted as the goldfish have the tendency to nibble and uproot everything. Goldfish have the frequent problem of bloated stomach. Feeding them with cooked pea after removing the shell will function as a laxative and decrease episodes of bloated stomach.

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White cloud mountain minnow bowl

White cloud mountain minnow, also known as White Cloud, White Cloud Mountain fish or White Cloud minnow, are suitable for raising in a bowl aquarium. They are very hardy fish and were first discovered at White Cloud Mountain in 1930s. In 1980 they had become extinct in the native habitat. However a thriving population is found in Hainan Island. They belong to carp family. Though they are from temperate region, they can withstand temperature fluctuations. Meteor Minnow and white Golden Cloud are the two popular variants. They are shoaling fish and in a two gallon bowl tank, two to three pairs can be kept. They readily accept formulated feed and do not require heating. The bowl tank may be covered with mesh as they are known to jump out.

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Mystery snail bowl

Mystery snails can be kept in a fish bowl aquarium. A number of species of snails are clubbed under the name of mystery snail or apple snail and sold by the aquarium trade. Some snail varieties grow big and are more suitable for a tank. The most popular true mystery snail, Pomacea bridgesii belonging to the family Ampullariidae, is native to the South American countries of Brazil, Peru, Bolivia and Paraguay. It is a hardy snail having bright brown and yellow coloration. If the container is fitted with an aerator, a pair of guppies may also be kept along. The bowl aquarium must be covered with a mesh as the snail may crawl out.

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African dwarf frog

African dwarf frogs are ideal aquatic pets for keeping in a fish bowl aquarium. They are small in size and the female frogs are larger than males. A pair of dwarf frogs may be kept in a two gallon bowl tank. While buying the pet, please note that the specimen has webbing on all four feet to distinguish from African clawed frog, which has webbing only on the hind feet. As African clawed frog grows big in size, it can only be kept in a larger aquarium tank. The dwarf frogs surface to breathe atmospheric air. The bowl tank must be covered with mesh as the dwarf frogs can jump out. They can fed with pellet or flake food. They cannot survive out water for long durations.

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Blue dwarf gourami

Blue dwarf gourami is a very popular aquarium pet which can be raised in a fish bowl aquarium. It is native to South Asia. A pair a dwarf gourami can be kept in a two gallon bowl aquarium. Keep a undergravel air-lift filter to maintain the water clear. Keep some plants to provide hiding places. The fish can be fed with pellet or flake feed. Feeding them with live or freeze-dried bloodworms and tubifex worms enhances the color and patterns. The mature male can be seen building bubble nest at the surface among the plants. These aquarium fish are quite hardy and thrive well in warmer climates. In colder climates heating the bowl aquarium may become necessary.

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Popular topics in Ornamental Aquarium Fish:
Livebearers.
Air breathing fish.
Aquarium catfish.
Armored catfish.
Carps.
Cichlidae.
Characidae.
Arowanas.
Loaches.
Platy fish care.

Popular topics in Ornamental Aquarium Fish:
Tropical fish diseases.
Aquarium fish diseases.
Types of freshwater aquarium fish.
Ornamental fish definition.
Platy fish care.
Xiphophorus maculatus.
Aquarium hobby.
Pregnant platy.
Platy breeding.
Platy giving birth.

Current topic in Ornamental Aquarium Fish: Fish bowl aquarium - Fish tank bowl

Common aquarium fish diseases

Home › Ornamental fish › Common fish diseases.

Fish diseases are becoming rampant. The pet fish are becoming susceptible to diseases in confined environments. Aquarium fish are transported over long distances across national boundaries—even across continents.

Such pet fish are under stress due transportation and change in water quality. Many of the common freshwater fish are farm-bred. However most of the marine species are from natural collections and are prone to infections. The ornamental fish get predisposed to infections in stressful situations such as dense population, poor water quality, loading of the aquatic environment with organic waste, sharp temperature fluctuation and oxygen depletion.

Ornamental fish trade is a global industry. In USA many common aquarium pets are farm-raised. Many of the exotic species are imported from Asia and Far East. Proper quarantine protocols are required to stop importing diseases. Subjecting imported aquarium pets to 30 days quarantine prevents introduction of diseases to local established populations. Prophylactic use of antibiotics and medication can further help in preventing introduction of infections. Any outbreak of a new disease can devastate the pet fish trade of a region. Fish health can be affected by environmental factors, nutritional deficiencies and bad management practices. Bacteria, fungi, parasites and virus are the common fish disease causing organisms. Cases of malignancy and tumors are also reported in these pets.

Common fish diseases due to nutritional deficiencies

Nutritional deficiencies of vitamins and minerals are associated with collapse of the vertebral column, impaired wound healing, impaired immunity, deformation of gill cartilage, poor growth, anemia, clubbed gills, loss of equilibrium, hyperpigmentation, edema, hemorrhage of the eyes, neurologic abnormalities, retinal atrophy, myopathy and muscular deformities.

Bacterial Diseases of Fish

Popular topics: Gourami fishbowl Platy giving birth Finding quality breeding platies Platy care Xiphophorus maculatus

Aeromonas species and Pseudomonas are common bacteria which affect freshwater sp. and cause hemorrhagic septicemia characterized by external reddening and hemorrhage in the viscera. Vibrio species are usually the cause of hemorrhagic septicemia in marine aquarium species. Aeromonas salmonicida affects goldfish and koi causing abscesses and hemorrhages in fins, tail and internal organs. Furunculosis, vibriosis, yersiniosis, enteric septicemia and columnaris disease are some of the common bacterial infections.

Fungal aquarium fish diseases

Popular topics: Requirements for breeding platies Breeding of platies by beginners Pregnant platy White Cloud Mountain minnow

Aquatic fungi are common in the aquatic environment. These fungi grow on decaying organic waste. When the water quality is poor, when the fish is injured or when it is under stress, the fungi invade the tissues and infect. Temperature control, sanitation, water exchange can bring down the incidences of these common fungal infections. Saprolegnia infections are common and cause visible cotton-wool like growths on the body and fins. Aphanomyces invadans is found to cause deep ulcerative lesions in gouramis and barbs. Fusarium solani is found to affect marine angelfish and parrotfish causing ulcers on the head.

Viral fish Diseases

Carp pox, koi herpesvirus, channel catfish virus (CCV), hematopoietic necrosis, hemorrhagic septicemia, spring viremia of carp, lymphocystis, erythrocytic necrosis, epizootic erythropoietic necrosis, infectious pancreatic necrosis and largemouth bass virus are some of the common viral infections found in aquarium pets. There is high mortality in juveniles and the surviving adults may become carriers of the virus. Several other common iridoviruses have been observed in these ornamental aquarium fish.

Common parasites in aquarium fish

Ichthyophthirius multifiliis are the common notorious ciliated protozoa causing “ich” or “white spot disease.” Cryptocaryon irritans causes white spot disease in marine species. Amyloodinium species are parasitic dinoflagellates causing “velvet" or “gold-dust" in marine species. Sphaerospora auratus, a myxosporidian, causes renal dropsy of goldfish. Monogene helminths Gyrodactylus and Dactylogyrus are very common organisms affecting the gills and skin of goldfish, koi and many other ornamental aquarium species. Lernaea sp. (anchor worms) are common parasitic copepods attached to the gills and skin feeding on tissues. Argulus sp. of copepods cause ulcers on the body, especially near the pectoral fins.

Ichthyophthirius multifiliis (protozoan ectoparasite -Ich)

Tumors and malignancy in aquarium fish
Malignant tumors and neoplastic disorders have been observed in koi, angelfish, goldfish, swordtails and skates. If the pet can stand the stress, the malignant mass may be surgically removed.

Aquarium fish diseases caused by environmental factors
Chlorine, hydrogen sulfide and heavy metals are toxic to aquarium fish. Low dissolved oxygen in the water can cause distress. Gas bubble disease occurs when the water is supersaturated with gases. Ammonia (NH₃ is highly toxic to the aquarium pets. Water pH levels and salinity are also very important fish specific parameters to be monitored closely.

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Related topics in ornamental aquarium:
Livebearers.
Mystery snail bowl.
African dwarf frogs.
Cobitidae.
Cory fish.
Cyprinids.
Labyrinth fish.

Interesting topics in ornamental aquarium:
Cichlidae.
Characidae.
Aquarium catfish.
Betta fishbowl.
Goldfish fishbowl.
Guppy fishbowl.
Ghost shrimp bowl.

Next topic in ornamental aquarium: Common tropical fish diseases.

Selective aquarium fish breeding - platies - requirements

Ornamental fishes - tropical platies → Care in aquarium fish tank → Male - female - pregnant fish → Breeding platies by beginners in fish tanks → Advanced ornamental aquarium breeding and development of new strains of fish

Ornamental aquarium fish breeding and developing new strains of platies is an interesting and rewarding proposition.
In breeding ornamental platies it is challenging to develop new strains.
One word of caution! You require to have lot of hard work, patience and time for developing new strains.
Invest in sufficient number of fish tanks, aerating equipment, heaters, nets and good supply of fairly hard water.

Requirement for ornamental fish breeding - breeding platies

Five numbers of 10 gallon aquarium	one for parent ornamental platies two for keeping females and raising fry one for holding selected future males one for holding selected future females
Two numbers of 20 gallon tanks	for growing fry
Two 55 gallon aquarium	one as male-grow out tank one female grow-out tank
Heaters	required for all tanks
air-lift sponge filters	required for all tanks
One wooden or steel rack	to keep the aquarium
Thermocol sheets	required numbers to keep below the glass tanks
Hand nets	3 numbers for transferring adult and fry
Lighting arrangements	atleast in the tanks wherein the adults are kept
Test kits and chemicals	Ph test kit water hardness test kit pH boosting chemicals commercial water hardeners water conditioner (dechlorinator)

Further you may require a drum or a bin to keep aged water for water exchange for the ornamental aquarium.
When using chemicals for treating the water follow the instructions given by the manufacturer.
You can make use of the converter given on the sidebar for calculating the requirements.
Always use thermocol sheets below the ornamental for protecting the bottom glass from breakage.
 Longer days have been found to be inducible for breeding ornamental platies. Hence light up the parent fish aquarium for about 14 hours.

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Ornamental fish aquarium hobby - fish keeper

What are ornamental fishes → Selection of a tank → Requirements for setting up a ornamental bowl → Cleaning bowl and accessories → Setting up bowl → Ornamental aquarium fish hobby and the responsibility of fish keeper

The ornamental fish keeping hobby is very easy to start, but to continue as ornamental fish keeper (aquarist) and keep the hobby going is entirely a different matter.

Do you have time, enthusiasm and patience to become a good ornamental fish keeper?

You might have come across people who have started the ornamental aquarium with lots of enthusiasm but later started neglecting their fish aquarium and left the hobby after some time.
If you want to be a good fish keeper and start aquarium the foremost thing is to question yourselves whether you have sufficient spare time for looking after the ornamental pets.
Remember that these are living beings requiring clean environment, clean water, proper food, proper feeding and if they fall sick proper treatment for them.
In this hobby you will be required to spent some time learning to feeding them and looking after them.
If your enthusiasm still hangs on, then probably you are a fit person to be an ornamental fish keeper and pronto you can start hobby.
To keep an aquarium first of all you have to plan your budget and space to decide about the size of the tank or bowl and the type of pets you are going to keep.

The hobby of keeping aquarium

This activity can be divided broadly into branches like freshwater, brackishwater, marine (saltwater) and reef keeping and garden ponds.
The freshwater aquarium hobby is by far the most popular and it is easy for the fish keeper.
The beginner fish keeper can have many easy pets like guppies, mollies, platy etc.
Marine aquarium hobby is for experienced fish enthusiasts and maintenance is difficult and expensive.
As the pets are captured from wild, their availability is restricted and they are very expensive.
The brackishwater pets are mostly those living in varying salinity (saltiness). Mollies, guppies, gobies, scats and soles are some of them.

To maintain these aquarium is of medium difficulty as too much and sudden fluctuation of salinity may harm the pets.
Experienced fish keepers go in for reef tank wherein they have live rocks, corals and other coral living life forms, virtually creating a coral reef environment.
The garden pond may be kept indoor or out-door depending on the availability of space. Koi and goldfish are ideal for pet keepers.
The garden pond fish keeper has to be careful in selecting the species for the pond as it is a large and exposed environment with weather elements having effect over the pond.
Many experienced fish keepers take it as a hobby to create aquascapes where in they try to achieve harmony between the underwater terrain, aquatic plants and pet fish.
This form of aquascaping is very interesting for a keeper and is fast spreading aquarium hobby.

The role of a responsible ornamental fish keeper (aquarist) and limitations of aquarium keeping hobby

• Basic responsibility of a fish keeper is to see that his ornamental aquarium hobby does not affect the environment.
• He should never release the ornamental fishes into water bodies, drains and canals.
• The pets may establish themselves in the water bodies and harm the native fauna (animals) and flora (plants).
• If the fish enthusiast has excess of some ornamental varieties he may exchange it with aquarium pet stores or a person pursuing the hobby.
• He should dispose of the dead ones from his aquarium by burying them deep so that infections to humans as well as pets do not spread.
• After handling fish pets, pet keeper must wash his hands with suitable disinfectant, as some pets in hobby trade are found to get affected by TB (Tuberculosis) which they can pass on to humans.
• Fish keeper must learn and know the environmental requirements of the ornamental hobby fish he is having in his aquarium, like volume of water required, temperature range, filtration requirements and diseases.
• Sufficient space must be available for the pet for its healthy life.
• Certain countries like Rome have banned people from maintaining ornamental fish in bowl considering that bowl is too small a place for a pet.
• When importing or exporting ornamental pets, thoroughly investigate to know the procedures of the States and Nations and international regulations so that you do not end up on the wrong side of the law enforcing authorities by your ignorance.

Arowana The links to other posts at the top are useful to fish keeper to know more about ornamental hobby and how to go about setting up an aquarium and its requirements.

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Tropical platy fish care in aquarium tank

Platy fish - Taxonomy & distribution → Male & pregnant → Breeding - beginners → Advanced → Babies care → Ornamental tropical platy fish care in aquarium tank

Setting up a aquarium tank for Xiphophorus Maculatus (platy)
Platy (Xiphophorus Maculatus) is one of the most popular livebearers in the ornamental fish hobby. Tropical platy is very hardy and it is very easy to maintain and care for these tropical ornamental pets in an aquarium tank.
Preferred aquarium tank size is 10 gallons or more for these tropical ornamental pets. As they prefer slow moving waters in nature, take care to set up only an air lift filter in the aquarium tank for maintaining dissolved oxygen levels.
As these tropical ornamental pets prefer planted regions in nature, take care to provide some aquatic plants or artificial plants in the aquarium with sufficient open areas for free swimming.
Being tropical in origin, ornamental platy tolerates and prefers higher range of temperatures (around 80°F).
If you want to keep them in colder regions it is better to keep a heater in the aquarium.

Care in the selection of tropical ornamental platy for aquarium tank

When you are buying tropical platy fish or that matter any ornamental aquarium fish look for energetic active fish without any damage to fins.
This way you can avoid diseased and stressed fish. Buy 3 to 4 females for each male ornamental platy.
The females are larger than males. Males will have anal fin modified into a pointed structure called gonopodium and it is easy to differentiate adult males from females.
These tropical ornamental fish come in various colors and fin shapes and some of the popular varieties are mickey mouse, marigold wagtail, red wagtail, gold comet, sunset, blue coral and gold wagtail.
If you are thinking of maintaining pure varieties them go in for similar colors.
If you are not much interested in breeding and do not have much time for care of babies, them go in for an assortment of colors to make your aquarium tank colorful.
Have them packed in polythene bag with clean water and oxygen.

Care of platy in a tank

As these tropical ornamental fish like to be in a group take care to keep at least 6 - 8 of these tropical livebearers in a tank of ten gallons.
Like guppies, adults males of these tropical ornamental fish also keep chasing the females for mating.
To reduce stress to the females take care to maintain a ratio of about 3 - 4 females for one male in the aquarium tank.
These ornamental fish prefer alkaline waters and take care to maintain pH around 7 to 8.
Care in partial exchange of water to keep ammonia levels low helps in having healthy ornamental fish.
After bring home allow the oxygenated bag to float on the aquarium tank (which must have been already setup) water for at least 30 minutes.
The temperature of the water in the bag will become equal to that of aquarium tank.
As the pH and other factors like alkalinity will be differing, slowly acclimatize the fish to aquarium tank water with much care.
This is explained well in the post on setting up ornamental fish bowl.
As ornamental platy are peaceful fish they can be kept in a community aquarium tank; however take care to keep only with with other tropical fish of same size and other livebearers.

Female Xiphophorus Maculatus (enlarge)

Feeding and care of platy

Tropical platy are omnivores and get conditioned to a variety of feed.
Tropical platys readily accept formulated feed in aquarium tank and take care to feed them now and then with live feed like blood worms and brine shrimp babies to maintain their vibrant colors.
As their natural diet consists of some amount of plant matter take care to give ornamental platy boiled soft vegetables and algal food.
Feeding tropical platy with spirulina based food is found to enhance their colors in confined tank.

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Setting up of ornamental fish bowl

The meaning of ornamental fish → The hobby of maintaining aquarium → Selection of an aquarium tank → Requirements for setting up bowl → Cleaning accessories → Setting up of ornamental fish bowl

Now is the task of setting up your bowl and releasing the ornamental fish into it.

If your water source is tap water, then collect the water in a clean container and add the water conditioner in the required quantity, mix well and allow the water to age for up to 3 days if possible. Otherwise use bottled RO(reverse osmosis) processed drinking water which is not ionized. Never use distilled water or boiled water for the fish bowl as the pets will die due to lack of dissolved oxygen. As soon as the ornamental fish has reached your home you have to acclimatize it to the new water so that there is no stress to the pet.
Acclimatization is, conditioning it to the new water at your home as well as the temperature variations.
Release the pet with the water it is in, into the plastic container slowly.
Then add the processed water to increase the volume of water in the bowl by 20%.
Wait for 15 minutes and then remove 20% of the water and again add 30% fresh processed water.
Then wait for 15 minutes and remove 30% of the water and add 40% of the processed water.
Repeat this method for 4 to 5 times with 15 minute gaps.
At the end of the treatment the ornamental fish would have got acclimatized to your water.
Now take the bowl and arrange the glass beads and gravel for up to 1' height.
Place the decorative pieces and fake plants to create a niche for the ornamental fish to hide in if it wants.
Then add the aged or processed water into the container very slowly without creating bubbles.
If air bubbles form while pouring the water they will stick to the sides of the ornamental fish bowl and give a ugly appearance.
Betta for ornamental fish bowl
Fill the water only up to 80% of the height of the bowl so that water and air interface will be greater and more air can dissolve into the water.
Then take the ornamental fish gently with the help of the net and release it into its new home.
Keep the ornamental bowl in a lighted display area of the home away from heat sources.
Do not keep the ornamental fish bowl in the sun light as this may heat up the water and cause distress to the pet.
Too much of light also induces algae to grow on the sides and in some cases the water itself may turn green due to algal growth.
Use the mesh cover to cover the mouth of the bowl so that the pet does not jump out.
After 12 hours from the time of release, you can start feeding the them with formula feed.
Feed the ornamental fish with small quantities one to two times a day. They should be able to finish the feed in two minutes.

The meaning of ornamental fish

What is an ornamental fish? → Hobby → Selection of a tank → Requirements for setting up a bowl → Cleaning bowl and accessories → Setting up
'Ornamental fish' as the meaning denotes, are show pieces kept at homes.

They also come under the broader category of 'pets'.
Though the term 'aquarium pets' is the term used to denote these small pets kept at home; nowadays it is being replaced by the term 'ornamental fish'.
All small water living animals of class Pisces (fish) which are kept as pets and as decorative pieces can be called ornamental fish.

However the rarity of these small fish, their and manageability makes them more preferable for being kept as pets. Colours, shapes and variety of these small fish are predominant criteria for home aquarium. Experienced aquarium keepers prefer to go in for rare species and varieties of ornamental fish.

Certain types of these small ornamental pets require special environments for their health and survival.

There are many of these small fish from tropical regions, which require maintenance of the water temperature in the aquarium if kept in colder climates.
Similarly those small aquarium pets with origin of colder region will get in to distress if the temperature rises above the optimum.
Similarly some of them prefer lower pH(acidic waters) whereas some thrive well in higher pH(alkaline waters).
 There are marine aquarium types which require the sea water for their survival. Nowadays cock tails of sea water salts in the powder form are available and sea water can be manufactured at home.
Some of the small freshwater aquarium pets tolerate medium salinity (saltiness) of water.
Ornamental fish like any other animal also breathe and they take the dissolved oxygen from the the water.
As the requirement of oxygen vary with species and size, care has to be taken to provide aerators in the aquarium.
 These small aquarium pets have to be kept in a displayable container with at least one of the sides with transparency.
These containers(aquarium) come in a variety of shapes, sizes and materials. Some of the ornamental fish like koi carp are better displayed in bigger ground tanks.

Discus

As these are being kept in confined area close watch for the environmental pollution must be done.
  Food habits of these small pets vary and there are carnivores, plankton eaters, detritus feeders and omnivores.
A variety of feeds are available in the feed stores and some types of feed are specific to certain species of these ornamental fish pets.
 The blog will be discussing various topics like ornamental fish, diseases, setting up bowl, guppies, gold, Betta, white cloud mountain minnow, shrimp varieties, types of aquarium, breeding and breeds, hybrids, aerators, gravel, marine varieties, freshwater varieties etc..

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Selection of an aquarium tank for ornamental fishes

The meaning of ornamental fishes → The hobby of maintaining pet tank → Selection of aquarium → Requirements for setting up → Cleaning accessaries and aquarium → Setting up
For a newbie to keeping of ornamental fishes my advice is to go in for a bowl in the first instance and get the feel of the tasks involved.
Even if you later graduate to a full scale aquarium of ornamental fishes still you can keep your very special pets like a gold or a fighter in it.

There are goldfish bowls available in various sizes and shapes in the pet stores.
Select a container of your choice, bigger the better as it will be roomy for the pet.
If you are in Rome forget keeping pets in a bowl as I understand it is against the laws.

They are unbreakable and stand handling and cost very less compared to glass ones.

However they have to be replaced when they turn opaque over long use. Aquarium for ornamental fishes nowadays come in two types: acrylic and glass.

Glass tanks for fishes are relatively cheaper and come in different shapes and sizes. But glass tanks are heavy and crack and break easily.
Plastic bowl
Bowls are also available in plastics and if you are in US you can order them from www.akron-novelty.com/.
An aquarium for ornamental fishes
However acrylic tanks for fishes are costly and they scratch easily but we need not worry about breakage and cracks. A tank of the size of 2'x1'x1.5' will be ideal for a newbie.

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Ornamental fishes - aquarium catfish

Ornamental fishes species > Ornamental freshwater types > Livebearers > Anabantoids > Carp family > Cichlids (Cichlidae) >Characins (Characidae) > Corydoras > Arowanas> Loaches (Cobitidae) > Ornamental aquarium Catfish
Ornamental freshwater aquarium catfish have spread to all the continents except Antarctica with unique characters for respective regions.

Taxonomic position and salient features of the ornamental aquarium catfish

The aquarium catfish come under the order Siluriformes. More than 2000 species have been identified and the list is ever growing. There are many specimens awaiting classification. The prominent feature of them is the presence of prominent barbels (like cat whiskers). However there are exceptions to this character.

Most of the ornamental aquarium catfish are benthic in nature and are bottom feeders.

Because of the presence of heavy bony head and reduced gas bladder they sink to the bottom when not swimming and are negatively buoyant.

Most of these ornamental pets have wide opening ventral mouth suited to their bottom feeding habit.

They feed rather by sucking and gulping than biting and tearing the food.

Some ornamental species have suckermouth by which they can attach themselves to a moving object.

They have modified maxilla to support barbels and hence cannot protrude their mouth.

These ornamental pets have up to four pairs of barbels.

They have a well developed Weberian apparatus and reduced gas bladder allowing them to hear well and also make sounds.

They have no scales and some families have bony plates covering and protecting their body as in the case of Corydoras.

Most of them have naked scaleless slimy body. Some species use the skin for passive cutaneous respiration.

Except electric catfish all the others have spiny ray on their dorsal and pectoral fins, which they use for their defence.

Some species have these spines hollow and can deliver poisonous proteins through the spine on to the predators.

Nearly half of the species show sexual dimorphism with anal fin modification into intromittent organ or accessory structures of reproduction.

Distribution of the ornamental aquarium catfish

Except Antarctica, these ornamental species inhabit all the other continents.

Of all the known aquarium catfish more than 50% live in North and South Americas.

Diverse varieties are found in Americas, Africa and Asia.

They inhabit all the possible freshwater habitats and eight families live underground and three of them also live in caves. There are many catfish which live in saltwater.

Cory catfish or Corydoras are inhabitants of southern North America and South America.

Synodontis sp. to which upside down catfish belong inhabit the lakes and rivers of Africa.

Keeping ornamental catfish aquarium

More information on Corydoras is given in the page on Corydoras. Here you find information on other aquarium catfish.

Most of these species are hardy, docile and get along well with aquarium mates in a community aquarium.

As they tend to burrow and scoop the bottom, fine sand or gravel may be provided as substrate. Hard objects may injure their barbels.

Many of them are shy in nature and hiding places must be provided in the aquarium. Subdued lighting is preferred.

Feeding aquarium catfish

Most of these ornamental pets are omnivores. They also eat on the algal growth.

They are benthic feeders feeding on the bottom detritus and bottom invertebrates like worms, insect larvae and shrimp.

Exceptions are the upside down aquarium catfish and aquarium glass catfish. These feed from the water column and the water surface.

These ornamental species accept pellet feed and also relish dried worms.

The feed should reach the bottom of the tank for it to be available for them in a community aquarium.

In many tanks these ornamental pets are kept as bottom cleaners and glass cleaners.

Breeding in aquarium catfish

Some of the ornamental species like corys, pangasius spp. and bristlenose have been bred successfully in captivity. In some ornamental species parental care is seen.

Bristlenose
Synodontis njassae

Ornamental freshwater aquarium fish types

Species > Livebearers > Anabantoids > Carp family > Cichlids > Characins > Corydoras > Arowanas > Loaches > Catfish
Freshwater aquarium fish types

Ornamental freshwater fish types are classified by hobbyists and aquarists into many different groups as per taxonomy, feeding habits, their preferred niche in the water, temperature tolerance and community living.

The freshwater aquarium fish types available today are from various parts of the world. They have their own food habits, climatic preferences and compatibility.

Taxonomic classification of freshwater aquarium fish types

In taxonomic classification freshwater fish types suitable for aquarium rearing come from myriad of families, genera and species.

Almost any aquatic animal can be kept in an aquarium as in the case of public aquaria displaying even big sharks.

However for home aquarium, freshwater fish types are narrowed down to some main groups and a brief description of the suitable families is given below.

Livebearears: Most of these fish types belong to the group cyprinodonts (tooted carps). As the name denotes these types of fish give birth to young fish babies differing with most of the other fish which lay eggs. Among these guppies, mollies, sword-tails and platies are the most common types for freshwater aquarium.

All the other common freshwater aquarium fish types come under the category of egg-layers. Goldfish, betta, gourami, tetra etc.. come under this group.

Anabantoids: Siamese fighter (betta) and gourami are the most popular in this group. These have labyrinth organ which allows them to take oxygen directly form the air. Most of them show parental care of eggs and babies.

Carp family: Carp family consists of very popular freshwater aquarium types like goldfish, fan tail, oranda, moor, ranchu, pearl scale, koi, danios, barbs etc.

Cichlids: Many high value species like angelfish, oscar, discus come under this group and these have originated from Africa and America. Many are carnivorous in nature and some are omnivores.

Characins: Tetras, hatchetfish, pencilfish, silver dollar, headstander come under this group. Most of the characins are schooling fish. They comprise carnivores, herbivores and omnivores.

Corydoras: These are also called armoured catfish and are suitable for freshwater community tanks. Corys accept all types of food. A number of varieties are there suitable for beginners as they are peaceful, hardy, small, active and easy to keep.

Arowanas: They are also called dragonfish and are aggressive in nature. There are a number of varieties with varying colours. In young stages they school in groups. They suck in air into their swim-bladder and can breathe it.

In bigger sizes they are preferably kept alone as they may attack the weaker ones including their own species.

Loaches: Loaches belong to the family of catfishes are bottom living scavengers. They are very docile, shy, active and are very easy to keep. Clown loaches, kuhli loaches, zebra loaches, yoyo loaches and dwarf loaches are some of the varieties. They accept all types of food.

Catfish: Apart from loaches there are number of attractive catfish for freshwater aquarium. They are scaleless and some can breathe air directly. They are hardy, bottom living scavengers cleaning the bottom of the freshwater aquarium.

Classification of freshwater aquarium fish types as per their feeding habits

Freshwater aquarium fish are also grouped as per their feed preferences. In nature the alimentary canal varies as per the feeding habits. Carnivorous varieties have short alimentary canal whereas the herbivorous and algal eaters have long one. Some of them have no preferences and take all types of feed and are called omnivores.However most of them can be trained to take formula feed in the freshwater aquarium.

Arowanas, many cichlids and betta come under the carnivores whereas many herbivores are among the carp family.

Grouping of the freshwater aquarium fish types as per their temperament

Depending upon compatibility fish can be divided into aggressive (arowana, betta, flowerhorn), semi-aggressive (angelfish), peaceful (guppies, loaches), community loving (mollies, guppies, platies,goldfish) and schooling Aquarium fish types(cardinal tetras, neon tetras, pencilfish).

Grouping of freshwater aquarium fish types as per their temperature tolerance

Tropical freshwater aquarium fish types can stand fairly warm waters and can live comfortably at even at 80 degrees F. Some examples are betta, guppies, arowana and gourami. They require heating to maintain temperature of the tank in the cold climates.

Cold freshwater aquarium varieties can thrive well below 20 degree F and do not require heating normally. Goldfish and koi are some of the examples.

Freshwater aquarium fish can also be classified into different types like bottom-living, column-living, surface-feeding, requiring open space and those freshwater aquarium fish types requiring hiding places.

Ornamental Freshwater aquarium fish species

Freshwater aquarium fish species → Common types → Livebearers → Anabantoids → Carp family → Cichlids → Characins → Corydoras → Arowanas → Loaches → Catfish
Freshwater aquarium fish live in freshwater and are easy to raise.

There are a number of freshwater species available for keeping as pets at home.
Freshwater aquarium fish species are broadly divided into two types by the hobbyists namely livebearers (giving birth to live babies) and egg layers.
The most common freshwater fish species suitable for home aquarium are:

Type of freshwater aquarium fish species	common names of aquarium fish species	Scientific names of aquarium fish family/species
Livebearers	guppies mollies platies swordtails	Poeciliidae, Poecilia reticulata Poeciliidae, Poecilia sphenops Poeciliidae, Xiphophorus maculatus Poeciliidae, Xiphophorus hellerii
Anabantoids (Labyrinth Fishes)	siamese fighter gouramies	Osphronemidae, Betta splendens Osphronemidae, many genera
Carp family	goldfish danionins rasborines true barbs	Cyprinidae, Carassius auratus auratus Cyprinidae, many genera Cyprinidae, many genera Cyprinidae, many genera
Cichlids	angelfish oscar discus convict cichlid	Cichlidae, Pterophyllum spp. Cichlidae, Astronotus ocellatus Cichlidae, Symphysodon spp. Cichlidae, Amatitlania nigrofasciata
Characins	tetras hatchetfish pencilfish silver dollar	Characidae, many genera Gasteropelecidae, many genera Lebiasinidae, Nannostomus spp. Characidae, Metynnis argenteus
Corydoras	Adolfo's cory Bronze cory Spotted cory banded cory	Corydoras, Corydoras adolfoi Corydoras, Corydoras aeneus Corydoras, Corydoras ambiacus Corydoras, Scleromystax barbatus
Arowanas	Cross Back Golden Golden Red Tail Super Red Green Arowana	Osteoglossidae, Scleropages spp. Osteoglossidae, Scleropages spp. Osteoglossidae, Scleropages spp. Osteoglossidae, Scleropages spp. Osteoglossidae, Scleropages spp.
Loaches	zebra loaches yoyo loaches clown loaches dojo loaches	Cobitidae, Botia striata Cobitidae, Botia almorhae Cobitidae, Chromobotia macracanthus Cobitidae, Cobitis taenia
Catfish	glass catfish Pangasius catfish suckermouth catfish	Siluridae, Kryptopterus bicirrhis Pangasiidae, Pangasius spp. Loricariidae, Hypostomus spp.

The above list is a short-list of most common freshwater aquarium fish species. Navigate to individual types for more information.

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