Views: 4

 Feeding  and General care of Aquarium 

Most of the aquarium fish are carnivores and their diet should reflect this. In most cases, lots of live food will be required but this depends upon the choice of species to be kept.

Fish is fed on dried food  and feeding should  be done once in a day  but however fish can still be safely left without feeding at weekends  and even holidays provided that the tank is well established  with plenty of food  including life food

Synthetic aquaria foods are available in market. Overfeeding should always be avoided.The food for aquarium fishes maybe grouped into three categories-

1. Commercial food-Top quality commercial food normally contains very little percentage of moisture which may be 2-3% with correspondingly higher concentrations of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins and minerals.
2. Live food– it can be divided into two groups, those that occur naturally in ponds and streams (natural live foods) and those that are usually terrestrial (Brine Shrimps, Atremia, being an exception) and are cultured or collected (cultured live foods).
3. Natural live food– in addition to plants available in the aquarium, it also includes Daphnia,Mosquito, Midge, Gnat larvae, Drosophila, Brine Shrimps, Earthworms, Microworms, (Anguillula sillusiae), Tubifex, Cyclops etc.

Regular maintenance :

• The aquarium should not be left uncared for a long time.
• Do not over feed the aquarium fishes.
• Once the aquarium is set and balanced, the water should not be changed unless it tends to become turbid or cloudy. When the level of water falls
• in course of time, it should be restored by addition of some rain water or chorine free tap water.
• Overcrowding of fishes should always be avoided.
• For tropical fishes, a temperature of around 720 F and pH of around 7 – 7.2 is ideal.
• In changing the water of aquarium, a constant flow should be maintained with help of tubes.
• Aerator should also be frequently operated.
• Fishes should be subjected to KMnO4 or CuSO4 bath before keeping them in aquarium.
• Aquarium should be filled by water to about three fourth of its capacity.
• One type of food should not be used.
• Infected fishes should be immediately removed.
• An aquarium should always be provided with a covering)

Fish diseases

• Fungal disease

This is often seen as  opaque white patches on the fish . They are normally non-pathogenic  but may attack fish when the mucus membrane on the surface of the skin is damaged especially when injured by fishing nets during fishing . Therefore never always handle fish  using nets as they may damage the skin . Affected fish should be immediately transferred  to separate tanks  containing 40cm3 of 1% phenoxetal per gallon  and left inside until cured

(b) Swim bladder disease   

In this case , the fish experience difficulty in maintaining their balance . Some will even swim while upside down others vertically. Some fish will however recover naturally  while others are incurable . The disease is not infectious but its good to kill the infected fish.

c.Dropsy

In this case , fluids accumulates  in the fish tissues  and the fish swells with its scales standing out of the body . The disease is believed to be caused by virus followed by  bacterial attack. No cure is available at present, the affected fish should be humanely killed  .

• White spot

This is a common infectious disease of  tropical fish , the disease is curable , its symptoms are white bubbles  on the fish bodies , these are mainly due to protozoan  parasites with cysts. The cyst will shortly burst releasing many parasites. Various drugs are however available  to cure the disease in the tanks