It is important to know the causes and effects of ammonia toxicity so that the aquarist can recognize and take swift action.

Ammonia is always present in our aquaria. In a healthy, cycled tank nitrosomas bacteria oxidize the ammonia quickly. Elevated ammonia levels occur when the levels of bacteria are insufficient to process the amount of ammonia produced. Severely elevated ammonia can be due to a new tank, cleaning a filter with chlorinated water, treatment with certain antibiotics, excess food, a dead fish going unnoticed.

Levels of ammonia as low as .25 Parts Per Million (PPM) can cause damage and distress, and ammonia levels of 1 PPM will cause damage, even if the fish don’t show any symptoms. Higher than 1 PPM or extended exposure to elevated levels cause irreversible damage and shorten the life of the fish.

Ammonia toxicity starts at the gills. The fish start gasping or hovering at the surface and the gills will look red.

Continued exposure irritates the skin. The fish will start flashing and flicking and may seem agitated. You may notice a milky appearance to the fish because of increased slime production or the fish may get very dark. At this point the gill tissue will start to die off and you may notice shreds of gill tissue. The gills may look grey or pale.

Further exposure and the ammonia invade the entire system. The fish will stop eating and move less and less. Eventually they will stay at the bottom. The fins may be burned away at this point.

As elevated ammonia continues, their tissues will be damaged. If you see red streaks or bloody places on their body and fins, there is internal damage to internal organs and brain. If it goes on long enough, the fish will start to bleed internally and may develop dropsy as the organs start to shut down.

Suggested Treatments

• 50% or more water change Immediately.
• Keep ammonia levels below 1 PPM.
• Discontinue or reduce feeding.
• Lower Ph to below 7 – slowly.
• Use Amquel or Prime or some other ammonia neutralizing product (Be careful with Amquel if you have soft water – it can crash your pH)

Amquel and other such products are temporary stop gap measures only and no substitute for water changes.

You have often heard me preach at the pulpit of fishless cycling. Many new hobbyists consider the choice to cycle fishlessly or with fish to be simply that – a choice. Any aquarist, who understands how corrosive ammonia is and how badly it affects their fish, will not willingly make the choice to subject their fish to a cycling a tank again.

For further reading, see:

* http://www.skepticalaquarist.com

Source: http://www.aquatic-hobbyist.com/profiles/disease/freshwater/ammonia.html

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“I just finished spring-cleaning the house and my husband half jokingly asked if I was going to spring-clean the aquarium too.

Somebody wrote:

“I just finished spring-cleaning the house and my husband half jokingly asked if I was going to spring-clean the aquarium too. It does have a lot of algae and looks pretty dirty. Should I try to clean it without emptying it, or is it best to just tear it down and start over?”

Answer: If you tear it down you’ll lose all the beneficial bacterial colonies that eliminate the wastes produced in the aquarium. For that reason I wouldn’t start over, unless your tank is in extremely bad condition. With a little elbow grease and a few simple cleaning supplies your aquarium can be ship shape again. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Algae scraper/pad
• Razor blade (plastic blade for acrylic tanks)
• Bleach
• Water siphon
• Bucket
• Lime remover/glass cleaner (made for aquariums)
• Filter media
• Filter brush
• Old bath towels
• Paper towels

I suggest cleaning your aquarium in the following order:

1. Inside glass
2. Decorations (rocks, plants, etc)
3. Gravel
4. Outside glass and fixtures
5. Filter

Algae Pads/Scrapers

Start by giving the glass a good cleaning on the inside with an algae pad. There are a wide variety of algae scrapers on the market, from long handled scrubbers to magnetic scrubbers. I personally like small magnetic scrubbers, but virtually any algae pad will do. Is it necessary to purchase algae pads at a pet shop instead of the the housewares department of a regular store? Although they may look the same, the housewares pads can have soap or chemical residue. That reside doesn’t matter if you are cleaning your kitchen sink, but it can be lethal to your fish.

For stubborn residue on the glass, use a razor blade to scrape it off. Take care not to cut yourself. If your aquarium is acrylic, use a plastic razor blade, as standard razors will scratch acrylic.

Bleach

Once the inside glass is clean, remove rocks, artificial plants, or decorations that have significant algae growth, or are noticeably dirty. Do not clean them with soap or detergents. It’s very difficult to completely remove soap, and even a trace can be lethal to fish. Usually a good scrub with an algae scraper will remove the algae and dirt from rocks and plants. For particularly stubborn cleaning problems, prepare a 10% bleach solution and soak the items for 15 minutes. Scrub any remaining residue off, rinse well in running water, and let air dry to eliminate residual bleach.

Live plants can bleached, however stem plants are not tolerant of bleaching. To bleach live plants prepare a 5% bleach solution, soak the plants for two to three minutes, then rinse well. Leave the rocks, decorations and plants out of the tank while you vacuum the gravel. That way none of the debris stirred up from the gravel will settle on them.

Tip – be sure to get a new bucket and designate it for aquarium use only. If you use a bucket that has had soap or detergent in it, you could introduce lethal chemicals to your tank.

Siphon

Clean the gravel next, by using a water siphon to vacuum away the debris. There are several types of siphons available, all of which work essentially the same. My preference is the Python, because it draws dirty water directly into your sink, thus eliminating the need for buckets. Magnum makes an adapter for the Hot Pro unit that allows you to siphon water through the filter and return the water back to the tank. Although this removes larger debris, smaller particles will pass through the filter and are returned to the tank. Be sure to vacuum the entire surface of the gravel thoroughly so that all debris is removed.

Glass and Lime Cleaners

Once the inside of the aquarium is cleaned, clean the hood, light, tank top, and outside glass. Regular glass cleaners contain ammonia, which is toxic to fish. Standard lime cleaners are even more toxic. I strongly urge using vinegar or cleaners designated as aquarium safe, and rinse rinse rinse!

Filter Cleaning

Once the outside is clean, the rocks, plants, and other decorations may be returned to the tank. Now wait a couple of weeks before cleaning the filter. Why wait? The major cleaning you just performed disturbed the beneficial bacterial colonies on the plants, rocks, and gravel. Fortunately many beneficial bacteria reside within the filter media, so you haven’t completely upset the Eco-system. However if you changed the filter at the same time, you might trigger a dangerous ammonia spike because there aren’t enough beneficial bacteria left to eliminate the toxins.

When you are ready to clean the filter, should you clean or simply replace the filter media entirely? Some experts caution that replacing the filter media removes too many of the beneficial bacteria, and triggers a new tank break-in cycle. Other experts argue that sufficient bacteria reside on the rocks,plants, and in the gravel to prevent the tank from cycling when the filter is replaced. I believe what you should do depends on the type of filter media you use.

If you have filter media containing carbon, ammonia absorbers, or ion-exchange resins, it should be replaced if it’s more than three weeks old. After a couple of weeks the absorbing qualities of the media have been exhausted, and it no longer serves it’s purpose. Media that acts as a mechanical filter instead of absorbing toxins (i.e.: ceramic rings, filter fiber, or sponges) should be gently rinsed to remove debris and returned to the filter instead of replaced. If care is taken to use water that is the same temperature as the aquarium water, and the media is quickly returned to the filter, the bacterial colonies growing on them will not be lost entirely.

Don’t forget to clean the filter tubing and other parts of the filter assembly. A filter brush will help clear out the sludge that invariably builds up in all the small crevices.

Ongoing Maintenance

Once you’ve gotten your tank in shape, make sure you clean it on an ongoing basis so it never needs a major spring-cleaning again. Scrape the glass weekly, vacuum the gravel every time you perform a water change, and clean any rocks or plants as soon as you see debris or algae on them. Clean the filter monthly, either by replacing the media, or rinsing it. While you are at it, soak your fish nets in a disinfectant solution to keep them clean and soft. With regular care, your aquarium will look beautiful all the time.

Source: http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/fishqa/f/faq0110.htm

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Smokehouses should be filled this summer with oil-rich strips of king salmon — long used by Alaska Natives as a high-energy food to get through the long Alaska winters. But they’re mostly empty.

The kings failed to show up, and not just in the Yukon. One Alaska river after another has been closed to king fishing this summer because significant numbers of fish failed to return to spawn.

The dismally weak return follows weak runs last summer and poor runs in 2007, which also resulted in emergency fishing closures.”It is going to be a tough winter, no two ways about it,” said Leslie Hunter, a 67-year-old store owner and commercial fisherman from the Yup’ik Eskimo village of Marshall in western Alaska. Federal and state fisheries biologists are looking into the mystery.King salmon spend years in the Bering Sea before returning as adults to rivers where they were born to spawn and die.

Biologists speculate that the mostly likely cause was a shift in Pacific Ocean currents, but food availability, changing river conditions and predator-prey relationships could be affecting the fish.People living along the Yukon River think they know what is to blame — pollock fishery. The fishery — the nation’s largest — removes about 1 million metric tons of pollock each year from the eastern Bering Sea. Its wholesale value is nearly $1 billion.King salmon get caught in the huge pollock trawl nets, and the dead kings are counted and most are thrown back into the ocean.

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Many newcomers to this hobby make many mistakes, some fatal and expensive. This short article will highlight a few of these. From experience there is nothing worse than making a decision to purchase a Fish or Coral to find it will die in a short period of time.

So you have got your Aquarium home, out of the box and filled with saltwater. In all excitement you cant wait to get some fish, so you dash to your local fish shop and buy a pair of percula clown fish. A few days later your pair becomes one, or even worse you lose the pair.

Why? You haven’t let your tank go through the Nitrogen cycle. You must do this and wait until Ammonia and nitrite are zero. Wait until Nitrates get to about 0.5ppm. Only then should you start adding livestock.

Stocking too much. We all want a tank full of wonderful colours and life, but you can only keep as many fish as your tank volume will allow. Although this does not apply with Corals and Invertebrates. You can stock as much as your tank will allow but taking into consideration space for your fish.

Stocking too fast. Going out and buying all your stock in one go, is not a good thing to do. It will put too much load on the biological filtration and could wipe about your newly purchased livestock in a matter of days or a couple of weeks. The best advice is to buy one fish per month. This will allow your filtration to deal with the extra load and create the De-nitrifying bacteria. This way you can spread the cost of creating that perfect Aquarium.

Acclimatising fish and corals. You can never spend too much time acclimatising your livestock. I would recommend at least 45 minutes maybe longer. Start by placing the bag in the aquarium let the temperature adjust first, then start adding a small amount of aquarium water to the bag at ten minute intervals. Remember your water parameters are going to be different to the water the livestock has come from. Now you can enjoy watching the Fish or Coral for many years to come.

Research, or lack of it! Don’t just assume everything is compatible, it most likely is not. Some Fish eat Corals, some Corals eat Food, some Fish and Corals require different foods. Many Fish could outgrow your Aquarium. Many corals have stinging tentacles and will damage or destroy others. These are to name just a few of the variables, Make sure you can provide what your livestock need.

Money is no object! “I’m going to buy a five foot tank and fill it to the brim with fish and corals” Some people do have the money to do this. Please remember, and take into account the statements in this article. This is a selfish attitude, think of the conservation for these animals and the impact to the environment. Doing this is irresponsible, Please if you have the money, take it slow and enjoy this fascinating hobby.

Source: http://www.animalpetsandfriends.com/Article/Five-common-mistakes

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Mention ‘Palau’ to an ordinary individual and most probably he or she will mention of an island in the Pacific Ocean

Mention ‘Palau’ to an ordinary individual and most probably he or she will mention of an island in the Pacific Ocean. Mention the same word to scuba divers and adventurers and you will get mountains of metaphors and similes and personifications. All of them bringing Palau into good light.

And who could blame them? One can bask in Palau’s glory with or without the scuba diving equipment. Palau has some of the world’s finest beaches and diving spots. The scenes under the waters of Palau offers divers and snorkel swimmers the beauty no one can find elsewhere.

The corals, the fishes, the ecology of that makes Palau’s underwater scenes are truly a sight to behold.

But if you think that Palau’s magic can be found on the ocean, then clearly. You do not know Palau. There’s more to Palau than diving spots and fine beaches and World War II shipwrecks (yeah, they have sunken battle cruisers, destroyers, fighter planes and other war vessels from the Second World War scuttled and shot down in their waters). In the middle of the islands are saltwater lakes. How these lakes came to be are beyond me. Leave the prying to scientists and the native storytellers. But it is not the lake that holds the surprise. The appropriate question should be, “what’s on the lake?”

Straightforward answer, jellyfishes. Tons of jellyfishes. And not the ordinary, poisonous kind of jellyfishes. Orange jellyfishes. The non-stinging kind. And if these creatures does not freak you out, then jump it on to the lake and swim in their midst. People who have experienced swimming among these mystical lake creatures have one common thing to say. Being in that lake seems to take them to another place. Some say that swimming in the lake and sharing the waters with its creatures have given the calm and inner peace they could not find or get from someone or somewhere.

So the next time you think you need to be at ease with yourself, need to get away for a while, or just want a worthwhile vacation, then try Palau. Who knows, an orange jellyfish might touch on the inside.

Fuente: http://www.articlealley.com/article_574110_32.html

Many newcomers to this hobby make many mistakes, some fatal and expensive. This short article will highlight a few of these

Many newcomers to this hobby make many mistakes, some fatal and expensive. This short article will highlight a few of these. From experience there is nothing worse than making a decision to purchase a Fish or Coral to find it will die in a short period of time.

So you have got your Aquarium home, out of the box and filled with saltwater. In all excitement you cant wait to get some fish, so you dash to your local fish shop and buy a pair of percula clown fish. A few days later your pair becomes one, or even worse you lose the pair.

Why? You haven’t let your tank go through the Nitrogen cycle. You must do this and wait until Ammonia and nitrite are zero. Wait until Nitrates get to about 0.5ppm. Only then should you start adding livestock.

Stocking too much. We all want a tank full of wonderful colours and life, but you can only keep as many fish as your tank volume will allow. Although this does not apply with Corals and Invertebrates. You can stock as much as your tank will allow but taking into consideration space for your fish.

Stocking too fast. Going out and buying all your stock in one go, is not a good thing to do. It will put too much load on the biological filtration and could wipe about your newly purchased livestock in a matter of days or a couple of weeks. The best advice is to buy one fish per month. This will allow your filtration to deal with the extra load and create the De-nitrifying bacteria. This way you can spread the cost of creating that perfect Aquarium.

Acclimatising fish and corals. You can never spend too much time acclimatising your livestock. I would recommend at least 45 minutes maybe longer. Start by placing the bag in the aquarium let the temperature adjust first, then start adding a small amount of aquarium water to the bag at ten minute intervals. Remember your water parameters are going to be different to the water the livestock has come from. Now you can enjoy watching the Fish or Coral for many years to come.

Research, or lack of it! Don’t just assume everything is compatible, it most likely is not. Some Fish eat Corals, some Corals eat Food, some Fish and Corals require different foods. Many Fish could outgrow your Aquarium. Many corals have stinging tentacles and will damage or destroy others. These are to name just a few of the variables, Make sure you can provide what your livestock need.

Money is no object! “I’m going to buy a five foot tank and fill it to the brim with fish and corals” Some people do have the money to do this. Please remember, and take into account the statements in this article. This is a selfish attitude, think of the conservation for these animals and the impact to the environment. Doing this is irresponsible, Please if you have the money, take it slow and enjoy this fascinating hobby.

Fuente: http://www.animalpetsandfriends.com/Article/Five-common-mistakes-made- by-the-new-Reef-Aquarist-/9495

Hermit crabs have been kept as pets for quite sometime now. However, they have become increasingly popular over the last few years or so. Hermit crab lovers everywhere …

Hermit crabs have been kept as pets for quite sometime now. However, they have become increasingly popular over the last few years or so. Hermit crab lovers everywhere have made an elaborate hobby of raising hermit crabs. Some just have room for one or two crabbies. Others have a veritable colony of these creatures. This newfound love of hermit crabs as pets is not surprising considering that these crazy crustaceans called hermit crabs make great pets. There are several reasons hermit crabs make great pets. They are fascinating creatures, they are low cost, and there are many options to choose from in regard to their environments and care.

First and foremost, hermit crabs make excellent pets because they are such fascinating creatures. Living in a shell that provides them shelter, they can come out for a peak at the world around them or they can use their large claw as an iron-clad door, to keep the world out. They are active little animals, climbing over anything and everything in their path. If something is in their way, they move it without any trouble. Each hermit crab has his or her own personality, whether they are shy, extremely active, or a fan of wading in their water. Hermit crabs, in my opinion, are some of the most fascinating creatures you can own.

Another reason that hermit crabs make great pets is because they are relatively low-cost pets. If you are looking around for a pet and one of factors you are basing your choice on is cost, a pure bred puppy, a horse, or an exotic bird is not the pet for you. These types of pets can cost thousands of dollars just to purchase, when you begin to think about food, shelter, and vet bills for the upkeep of the pet, the cost sky rockets out of control. These types of pets can become very costly. Hermit crabs cost you anywhere from $4.00 – $20.00 per crab. This is as opposed to pure bred pit bull puppies which can cost you upwards of $1500 dollars or even more. If you are looking for a pet that is small, cheap and won’t get in the way of your life, hermit crabs most definitely be an option for you as a pet.

One other reason hermit crabs are awesome pets is because, if you do have the money to set up an elaborate crab environment, there are many options to choose from. You can choose to have many hermit crabs and create a type of colony. You can also choose several different environments for them. From a large pond container to a 10-gallon aquarium, depending on the number of crabs you have and your budget, you are free to choose what type of home your hermit crab will live in. Also, with the right amount of money to spend, you can get all of the best equipment including substrate, climbing toys for your hermit crab’s exercise, as well as a variety of different foods and treats. You will never run out of different things to do with your crab or to buy for your crab. They can also live up to more than 20 years, so you can have a good friend for a long time.

There are many reasons the pet hermit crab boom is picking up. They are fascinating pets, they are low cost and low maintenance, and there are many options to choose from as far as setting up and maintaining their habitats. Overall, hermit crabs, with all their different little personalities, are terrific pets.

By: Kelly Church

http://www.animalpetsandfriends.com/Article/Why-Hermit-Crabs-Make-Great-Pets/1281

Are you having trouble finding your fish in the fish tank due to cloudy water? There can be several different reasons for cloudy water in a fish tank, so let’s take a look at the most common ones

Are you having trouble finding your fish in the fish tank due to cloudy water? There can be several different reasons for cloudy water in a fish tank, so let’s take a look at the most common ones. These are debris from new substrate, bacterial bloom, chemical imbalance, or even floating algae.

Most new rocks and decorations will cause cloudy water. If this is the case then your debris should settle and go away on it’s own in a couple of days. Before adding the next decorations or rocks it best to soak them in separate water to get all the loose dirt off before addingthem to your tank.

Another problem that can come from new fish tanks is a bacterial bloom. This can cause the water to have a haze and look rather gray. This can come from overfeeding the fish or dying plants.

A sure sign of a bacteria bloom is when your water is milky and has a very bad odor. Not all bacteria are bad but some bacteria blooms can be deadly to your fish. When the nutrient levels get extremely high the bacteria go ballistic and multiply rapidly.

Be sure to remove all dead or dying plants if you have a bacteria problem. If you are changing fifteen percent of your water and using a siphon to clean debris, this type of haze will not cause the fish harm. But it is essential that you get in under control quickly.

Another thing to look at is whether or not your fish are being overfed. This can also cause the water to get cloudy. Just check the bottom of the tank for leftover food – that would be a sure sign of overfeeding.

Fixing fish tank problems like cloudy water from algae can be a pain because it will be thick and green. One of the best ways to cut down on the amount of algae in a tank is by adding algae eating fish. Keeping your lights on for long periods will encourage algae growth as well as sunlight shining on the tank so make sure to watch the amount of lighting your tank gets to help prevent algae growth.

If none of the above helps you with fixing your cloudy water problems, you should follow with a test kit. The test kit will be used to check the ammonia and nitrate levels of your fish tank water. Once you have checked the levels, the reading for a normal level for both the nitrate and ammonia is zero. If you have something other than zero then your water quality is bad.

What causes cloudy water in fish tanks with open or semi-open style tanks? Many times these style of tanks could possibly have a stopped up filter causing debris to cloud up your water.

If you are still not sure what is causing the cloudy water in your fish tank, don’t panic. As long as your water doesn’t seem extremely bad and your fish are acting fine, give it a little time. Sometimes if bacteria is the cause the bacteria will kill itself.

This is definitely not advice for all cases. If you are concerned about your fish you should probably remove them until you get your problem under control. It is extremely helpful to have a quarantine tank just for occasions such as these. Regular maintenance will also help you enjoy your fish tank without concern.

By: Cris Stanford

Source: http://www.animalpetsandfriends.com/Article/What-Causes-Cloudy-Water-In-Fish-Tanks-/96