Betta FishThe Most Fascinating Fish Of All Tropical Fishes

Live aquarium plants serve as a wonderful addition to an aquarium. An aquarium with live plants looks more stunning than one without. Not only do these plants help to beautify the aquarium, they also provide several benefits for the fishes.  Below is a list of benefits of having a planted aquarium.

Produce Oxygen
During the process of photosynthesis, with the presence of light, plants produce oxygen and uses up carbon dioxide. This process provides an additional supply of oxygen in the aquarium. The fishes benefit from this as it uses the additional oxygen produced.

Aid Filtration
Plants help reduce the amount of nitrates and phosphates in the water by using them as natural fertilisers. Having less content of these chemicals, the water will be cleaner. Fishes living in the aquarium will be healthier. Hence, the plants help to maintain the water quality in aquariums.

Reduce algae
Having nitrates and phosphates in water promotes algae growth. In an aquarium, as plants use these chemicals as natural fertilisers, the amount of these chemicals in the water will be reduced. As a result, algae growth will be less. Aquarium plants also prevent light from reaching on gravel surfaces and this would prevent algae from forming.

Reduce ammonia
Plants utilize ammonia from the fishes’ waste products. If there is a high content of ammonia present in the fish tank, the water will suffer from pollution. Hence, the plants help to keep the water clean by reducing the content of ammonia in the water.

Aid Spawning
Aquarium plant leaves help in many ways for fish to spawn. Fishes choose large aquarium plant leaves as spawning sites. Aquarium plants with feathery leaves are used to catch falling eggs scattered by some fishes that spawn above. Surface plants are used by bubblenesters to help anchor their nests.

Protect Small Fishes
Sometimes, plants help small fishes to escape from larger fishes which prey on them in the aquarium. Small fishes make use of plant leaves to hide themselves when a large fish wants to eat them. Large leaves, in particular, can serve as a good hiding place. This tends to happen in a densely planted aquarium.

Food Source for Fish
Some fishes feed on plants. If there are aquarium plants available, these fishes will feed on them. As such, live aquarium plants can serve as a food source for the fishes and help them to survive.

The above are some of the benefits of having plants in your aquarium. As you can see, they help your fishes in many ways. Most importantly, they help to maintain a natural, biological balance in your aquarium and contribute to the survival of the fishes as well. Furthermore, your aquarium will become more beautiful with the addition of plants.

Aquarium light exposure for your fishes is an important aspect that requires careful consideration when you are planning your aquarium design. You need to decide the amount of lighting you want to provide for them. If too little or too much light is given, there will be bad consequences for both your fishes and live plants in your aquarium.

The intensity and the period of lighting needed depend on the type of fishes you have in the aquarium. If your fishes are those that are more active in the night than day, then low lighting is recommended. If you have fishes which are already accustomed to bright light while in the wild, they would certainly prefer to have bright lighting when placed in a fish tank. Hence, you need to provide brighter aquarium lighting for this kind of fishes.

As live plants are dependent on lighting for their survival, there should be sufficient lighting provided for them within an appropriate length of time for a day. It is important to note that providing too little light can cause the gradual death of plant and corals. This is because too little light will inhibit the process of photosynthesis and the plants will turn yellow. On the other hand, providing too much light can cause the production of algae. The growth of algae would not only be found on the glass of the tank, but also on some of the plants as well. The plants will eventually be choked to death by the algae. Thus, it would be good that the aquarium light is connected to a timer and be switched on for about 10 hours a day. All fishes need a day and night light cycle to be repeated.

It is advisable to note that a fish has a biorhythm that responds to changing intensity of lighting. Initially, when you switch off the aquarium light, you should wait for about 10 minutes before switching off the room lights. This is to allow the fish some time to adjust. If they are plunged to sudden darkness, they may panic and swim wildly. After the fishes are well adjusted to the surroundings in the aquarium, you can switch off both the aquarium lights and room lights at the same time. Another point to note is that fluorescent tubes radiate light in all directions. In order to direct the light to shine on the aquarium, it would be good to fix a reflector to the lighting. That would help to maximise the use of light produced.

Aquarium light exposure for your fishes is an aspect you need to consider carefully. The above are some points for you to note when you consider the amount of lighting you wish to provide for your aquarium. Appropriate amount of lighting is necessary for them to live well.

Aquarium light is an important feature of an aquarium. It provides benefits for both the fishes and plants in the aquarium. A common type of lighting used for aquariums is fluorescent tubes. It is considered as an appropriate type of lighting for a fish tank. Using this form of aquarium lighting has several advantages.

Many fishes are dependent on their coloration during signalling and courtship. As aquarium light helps to enhance the colours of the fish, it aids the fish in these activities. Fish aquarium lighting also enables the fish to see their surroundings better. In particular, it helps them to see their food as and other fishes. Plants depend on light to survive. They need light to photosynthesize and manufacture their own food. Furthermore, in the process of photosynthesis, they give out oxygen which is beneficial for the fishes. The best part of all is that lighting enhances the beauty and colour of the fish tank.

One of the most widely used forms of aquarium lighting is fluorescent tubes. However, you should only use aquatic fluorescent tubes which are specially designed for aquariums. One advantage of fluorescent lighting is that it does not produce too much heat and hence, do not have any bad effects on the water temperature of the aquarium. The low heat also allows the tubes to be placed inside a hood. Another advantage is that these tubes emit light from the red and blue portion of the spectrum which corresponds to that of natural sunlight. Thus, it serves as a good alternative to sunlight for the fishes. Besides, fluorescent tubes have a long life, an estimate of several thousand hours. Hence, you do not need to change the tubes very often. This saves you some costs. In fact, fluorescent tubes are not costly to buy and are easy to maintain. Furthermore, they are sufficiently bright for use.

Fluorescent lighting is available in different spectrums. For example, there are white, blue and pink light tubes. White light tubes are designed to replicate the noon sunlight while blue light tubes are meant to replicate the moonlight. Pink tubes are good in enhancing the colours of the fish and improving plant growth. You can have a choice of selecting the colour that suits your needs.

Aquarium light, as shown above, provides benefits for the fishes and plants in the aquarium. The best part is that it is able to transform your fish tank from a dark and dull one to a bright and colourful one. As seen from above, fluorescent lighting has several advantages. Most importantly, they are widely available, and are not costly to install and maintain.

Bettas are naturally meat eaters. Their diet consists of tiny invertebrates such as insects, worms and crustaceans. Bettas are surface feeders and their foods are the floating types. There is a wide variety of foods available in stores you can choose for feeding betta fish. Basically, fish food comes in several forms including dry, frozen, freeze-dried and live foods.

You can find suitable betta food in dry form such as flakes and pellets for feeding betta fish. Flakes can be crushed between your fingers to become smaller flakes or even powder form. Pellets obtained from stores are usually packed in convenient dispenser packages that allow you to tap out one pellet at a time. This form of packaging is convenient to be used for small feeds. If you are giving one betta food, one pellet is sufficient for one feeding. Pellet is considered as the most convenient form of food. As betta has a small mouth, very small pellets should be selected for its food.

Frozen betta food available in stores includes brine shrimps and bloodworms. The disadvantage of this form of food is that it is difficult to obtain a small portion to feed just one betta in a bowl. It is easier to use this type of food for feeding several fishes. If you are feeding your betta with other fishes, you can leave a small piece of frozen food in a little water to defrost. When it is defrosted, you can sieve out one or two worms or shrimps for your betta and use the rest to feed the other fishes. Frozen foods must always be kept frozen. It is advisable not to thaw and refreeze these foods. Blood worm is the most common type frozen food for betta.

Freeze-dried betta food is very convenient to use. You can simply pick one or two free-dried bloodworms or shrimps and drop it into the container for your betta. Freeze-dried foods should be kept in airtight containers. Live food suitable for feeding includes shrimps, bloodworms and mosquito larvae. Some live foods can remain alive for a period of time in the water and allow your betta to be fed over a period of time. There is no fear of these organisms decomposing and making the water dirty.

As seen from the above, there are many kinds of betta foods available. You can select the types most suitable for your use. Bettas survive well with live foods as well as prepared foods. All these food can provide proper nutrition for them.

Copyright : Rose Mary

Feeding betta fish is an important task in betta care. Inappropriate betta feeding can cause harm to its health or may even result in its death. In order to keep it in good health, you need to know what it needs and how you should feed it. Below are some tips on feeding betta fish.

In order to ensure that your betta have adequate nutrition, it is better to feed it with a variety of betta food. There is a great variety of live foods as well as prepared foods available at stores. You can select a few types of betta food to feed it. You need to vary the type of food to provide a balanced diet for it. Besides, this will also prevent it from getting used to a single type of betta food.

Bettas require a high protein diet. They mainly eat small animals which they can swallow whole or with only a few bites. Besides proteins, they need carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals to stay healthy. Proper feeding with the right betta food not only can help to make them strong, it can also enhance their colours.

If you are feeding a single betta, you can use one pellet, flake or live organism which is considered sufficient for one feeding. Fish is cold-blooded. While warm-blooded animals use food to produce body heat, cold-blooded animals do not. These creatures have lower calorie requirements. Many warm-blooded animals may starve to death if they go without food for a few days whereas most fishes can survive without food for more than a week.

It is important not to overstuff a betta with too much betta food in one feeding. This will cause its belly to bulge. This condition can sometimes be fatal. It is also advisable not to feed it too frequently without giving any breaks. This can result in the betta suffering from obesity or some forms of degenerative diseases. Bettas tend to eat as much as possible the amount of food given to it, hence, you need to exercise caution in feeding it with the appropriate quantity. If your betta shows no interest in eating when food is given, then most probably it has fallen sick. Unless the betta is spawning or tending a nest, there is no reason that it would not be attracted to food.

The above are some tips on feeding betta fish which you can take note in your betta care. You need to provide adequate betta food for your fish to remain healthy and colourful. In particular, varying the type of betta food is necessary to maintain a proper diet for it. 

Copyright : Rose Mary