Feeding Freshwater Fish

Aquarium fishes will eat all types of foods, the only conditions are that the fish actually enjoys the food and that the pieces are small enough to be eaten. As with all animals, fish need to receive nutrients and vitamins essential for healthy growth.

Fish also need to have a varied diet in order not to become bored with the same old foods and to avoid becoming addicted to one food, which is undesirable. It is important to offer foods of appropriate size. It is no good feeding tiny flakes of food to a great big fish, just as feeding large lumps of food to a tiny fish is useless.

Generally you should feed your fish two or three times a day with very small helpings - unless they are large carnivores, in which case they will need special requirements and these are dealt with individually later onion the hook. If you are feeding flake food, then give them only a very

small pinch and check that this is all eaten within three to five minutes .Healthy fish are hungry fish. If your fish are always at the surface looking for food, or if they rush to the surface when you approach the tank, then that is a good sign. If you are giving your fish the messier foods, such as blended meats or raw fish, then this should all he consumed within a minute or it will pollute the tank. A quite common practice is to 'fast' the fish for one day a week. This ensures a better appetite and the fish will not be harmed; in their natural state they can go weeks without food.

Aquarium Fish Disease

Fishes are very receptive in nature and easily get affected by a number of ailments. Mostly, the causes of Aquarium fish diseases are the change in a diet. Since there are lots of aquarium fish diseases, and it’s not possible to mention all of them here. Therefore, some common afflictions are mentioned below with their respective treatment.

Types of Aquarium fish disease:

1. Mouth fungus in fishes: The symptom of this disease is a white cottony patch around the mouth. It is known as Mouth fungus because it looks likes a fungus attack on the mouth. It is originated from the bacterium Chondrococcus columnaris. In starting, it leads to grey or white lines around the lips which later, turns into short tuffs similar to fungus developing from the mouth. The toxins produced and the inability to eat can be deadly if not treated at a time.
   Penicillin at 10,000 units per liter can help in curing it. Take a second dosage in two days or use chloromycetin, 10 to 20 mg per liter, by a second dosage in two days.

Oscar Fish Care

The Oscar is a tropical fish prominent for being intelligent and having the special ability to recognise its owner. Oscars have their own ideas and you can even see them replacing things in the aquarium if they do not like them. They are aggressive and often make the weaker one feel miserable amongst their group. Therefore you should take the following steps to ensure proper Oscar fish care;

1. Aquarium for Oscar fish - The growing rate of Oscar fish is very fast. They do not require much space as a fry, but as they grow bigger they require large space around 30 gallons each. The aquarium should be at least 2000 litres for an Oscar fish. The large aquarium would also mean that the water supply can be controlled and maintained. Avoid using bright light in Oscar fish aquarium, they prefer florescent bulbs. The Aquarium should be washed thoroughly and the soap residue should be removed well. Every other article in the aquarium should be washed well.


2. Temperature for Oscar fish aquarium - Oscar fish thrives well in warm water ranging from 25 to 28 °C and it is important to have a heater, filter and gravel to keep the temperature stable for this specie.

Pet Fish Health Problems and Treatments

It is worth getting to know the basic anatomy of a fish in case you need to describe an injury or disease symptom to a veterinarian or dealer; if you know the names of the external parts of the body it will help you to pinpoint the problem more accurately. Another reason is that hooks often describe the shapes of fishes and if you know which particular fins or parts of the body they are referring to, you will have a basic idea of what the fish looks like even without seeing an illustration or photograph.

The majority of fish diseases are caused through stress. So how are fish put under stress? Sad to say, most fish are put under stress by their owners or visitors to the house. People tapping on the front glass,temperatures being allowed to rise and fall, or a poor mixture of fish in which one or two are bullies and the others are bullied all contribute to stress. If fish are not put under these types of stress, then the chances of them contracting disease are dramatically reduced. Look for signs of stress in the tank on a regular basis. Are the fish nervous? Is one fish chasing all the others about? Does the temperature fluctuate or does it stay too low? If you can remedy these situations diseases will occur much less frequently.

Fish will always show symptoms of disease at an early stage. Signs to look for include fish holding their fins tightly clamped to the body(often referred to as being 'closed up'), fish swimming with the head near to the surface all the time, fish swimming with the head up or down, loss of co lour, ragged fins, scales sticking out or dropping off,and a general loss of appetite and condition.

Keeping a Gold Fish

Gold fish are bred in the orient. They provide almost all the colors wanted by the fish lovers today. Gold fish are found in Asia and Europe. They are a temperate fish which can be seen in cool streams, ponds and lakes etc. Gold fish is an easy to keep fish provided you take good care of the fish. Here are a few guidelines which will be helpful in making the environment for your fish to be good to live in –

1. It is necessary to keep your gold fish in clean and cool water. Never increase the temperature above 73° and it should be kept between 65° to 67°. Increasing the temperature beyond 73° will be harmful for the gold fish as it can damage their heart and immune system making them more vulnerable for diseases. It can even lead to untreatable infections in future.


2. The tank size for your goldfish should be at least 10 gallons. This is necessary as goldfish need at least 8 gallons to live healthily. A larger tank would be easier to clean. You should keep the water clean for goldfish for that you will require a filter. Always take care that the filter you choose should not make much current as this will be an obstruction for your fish to swim freely.

How to Decorate Your Aquarium

Fishes’ surroundings are important to their safety in nature, and to their psychological well-being in captivity. This, and not what you think looks ‘nice’, must be your prime consideration. In the unlikely event that your fish ask you to match the room decor to theirs, then, and only then, will you be justified in asking them to accept blue gravel to match the curtains! The fish are an integral component of your pleasing underwater mini-world, and if they are unwell, unhappy, or dead, then decor that matches yours will be small consolation.

Unless you are reasonably confident in your geological and/or botanical knowledge, you should avoid collecting your own decor, and buy from an aquarium dealer, where you may have some legal redress if it proves unsuitable. Rocks are expensive, however, and you may find it beneficial to learn a little geology.



The aquarium decor is divided into three parts: substrate, background and internal decor’ such as rockwork and plants. Many people don’t regard the substrate as important, and forget about the background entirely – serious errors indeed.

Anemone fish

Anemone fishes are also known as clown fish and are the members of the Pomacentridae family and are subfamily of Amphiprioninae or damselfishes. They are a unique type of fishes that live in between the tentacles of sea anemones. They are very much admired by the people because of its striking looks. These types of fishes are fun to watch.



They are one of the colorful, tough, lively, small, calm, and economical marine fishes. Anemone fish come in different colors such as yellow, red or black; but the orange anemone fish are the most popular. Wild Anemone fish face many threats; one such threat is not having a place to live. They require coral reefs for their survival. Coral reefs play a very significant role in the lives of various animals and plants. They are the habitats to million of plants and animals.