Tag Archives: aquariums

Aquarium Maintenance

Posted on by

Very few pets are of the “set it and forget it” variety. They need constant care to stay happy and healthy! Keeping an aquarium clean and safe for your fish can take quite a bit of work… but it’s worth it! Daily checks should include: Observing the fish. Watch for signs of illness, including breathing difficulty, discoloration, and weird growths. Watch how your fish interact with each other. Check temperature and filtration system. A thermometer stuck to the glass or hanging from the top of the tank is a quick and easy way to make sure the water is comfortable … Continue reading →

Live Plants for Your Aquarium

Live plants look great in the tank and give your fish places to hide and explore. There are different types of plant you can include: stem plants, rooted plants, floating plants, and specialty plants. Tank plants will generally do well if you have a nutrient-rich substrate at the bottom of your tank and a layer of gravel to keep debris away. And don’t forget a light source! Plants need sunlight in order to survive. Place large, heavy objects like rock and driftwood before you plant your plants — if you try to add heavy objects last, you may damage your … Continue reading →

Paludariums: Overview

If you’ve ever been to an aquarium, you’ve probably already seen a paludarium — though you may not be familiar with the name. The word comes from Latin: paludal (relating to marshes) and arium (a place). A paludarium is a tank set up like a marsh — with land and water portions. This kind of aquarium is an interesting alternative to the usual water-only tanks that are so popular. Paludariums are also popular teaching tools in science classes — teachers, take note! With a paludarium, you have the opportunity to create the habitat you want. Maybe you’d like to recreate … Continue reading →

What Does Your Gravel Say About You?

Most fish tanks have something on the bottom — often gravel in freshwater tanks, but sometimes sand or other materials. What substrate is best for your tank? Colored gravel is popular among casual fish keepers, but not often seen in a serious hobbyist’s tank. Why? If the fish should be the main focus of the tank, brightly colored gravel can be distracting from the living creatures. Colored gravel doesn’t look at all natural, and many serious hobbyists want their tanks to look like a little piece of nature. Light colored gravel can make fish nervous or anxious — the fish … Continue reading →

Filthy Fish

For an animal that lives in the water… fish sure are dirty! I might not have even realized this if not for my job at the cats only boarding facility. We have an aquarium and three fish for the kitties to watch during the day. It’s probably a fifteen or twenty gallon tank, I’d guess. Over the weekend, I decided to roll up my sleeves and clean the fish tank. That’s when I learned the dirty truth about our little fishy friends. Safety first! Always unplug all electrical equipment before doing anything to or in your aquarium. Ours has three … Continue reading →

18 Zoos and Aquariums Worthy of Your Donations

Rounding out the categories for animal-centered organizations worthy of your donations is zoos and aquariums. (Previously the top 79 animal rights, welfare, and service organizations and the top 24 wildlife conservation organizations were listed.) “Top” standings were derived by using ratings generated by Charity Navigator. Any zoo or aquarium that they gave four stars (their highest rating) to meant it passed mustard and made the list. The zoos and aquariums are listed in alphabetical order and are linked to their websites. In cases where the information was readily available, each zoos number of animals and acres is also listed. 1. … Continue reading →

Chattanooga, TN: The Tennessee Aquarium

From left to right: my sister Coco (kneeling), me, my mom, and Wayne at the Tennessee Aquarium My husband’s job demands a lot of hours from him, so our time together is limited. When he finally got a day off a while back, he suggested we take a drive two hours south to check out the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga. A day trip away with my husband and a trip to an aquarium? I was all over it. However, I wasn’t expecting much of Chattanooga’s aquarium. I mean, it’s Chattanooga for crying out loud. Their main claim to fame is … Continue reading →

Wall Art or Fish Tank?

As I mentioned in my article, Shopping the Sales: Cool Christmas Clearance for Pet Lovers, I’d like to have an aquarium some day. I was thinking along the lines of a basic fish bowl, some rocks, one fish, maybe a sunken treasure or castle or something for decoration. That was until I saw the AquaVista 500. I stumbled across it in a magazine, but when I went to the product maker’s website I discovered they’ve been featured on the CBS’s The Early Show and HGTV’s I Want That. I can see why, they have a pretty neat product. Now, in … Continue reading →

Goldfish Care Tips

A goldfish may seem like a quick and easy pet — just toss it in a tank and make sure you feed it! But there is much more to goldfish care if you want your fish to live a long and healthy life. Ten years or more is not an unusual lifespan for a well-cared-for goldfish. Tank Tips: Pick a tank that has a hood — it keeps the fish from jumping out and keeps debris out of the tank. Pick gravel that isn’t too sharp — you don’t want your goldfish to hurt himself searching for food. Fish love … Continue reading →

Be Fish Friendly!

Kiss a fish if you so desire, but that isn’t what I mean by being fish friendly. Instead of dishing out salt water smooches, it may be more helpful to the environment to make certain that the fish in your aquarium come from reefs and populations that are ecologically sustainable. Environmentalists are concerned (and rightly so) that the ornamental fish industry has done severe damage to natural reef habitats. Believe it or not, the ornamental fish industry makes approximately two hundred million dollars per year. That’s a lot of fish! And a lot of those fish are coming into the … Continue reading →