Tag Archives: aquariums

Crustaceans and larvae as fish food

by Rita

We are all concerned about our food. We extend that concern to our pets. Most of us want our cats and dogs to be healthy, so don’t forget your fish are also living creatures and need to have healthy diets as well. In a natural environment fish can swim around finding areas rich in natural foods. In an aquarium fish rely on the aquarist to provide the essential foods.

An easy and probably the most common way to provide food for your fish is a commercial preparation. The food is packaged in a neat container that can be sprinkled into the fish tank aquarium a couple of times a day. Too often an aquarists will feel that the prepared food is enough. Granted the prepared food is easy and does provide many of the needed nutriments, but live food, and the proper foods for the breed of fish, will result in a healthier fish population. Healthy fish are less prone to diseases and are essential if you expect to have breeding fishes.

Here is a short list of crustaceans and larvae commonly used by fish owners.

INFORSORIA – a group of protozoan animalcules that depend upon decaying organic matter for their sustenance. By breaking down some vegetable matter in water, a culture of infusorians can be started. When the water becomes cloudy the culture is ready to be fed to the fry. There are tablets of powdered infusorians and pressed vegetable matter that break down rapidly in water.

BRINE SHRIMP- newly hatched brine shrimp. About 1950 it was discovered that the eggs of Brine Shrimp could be gathered then dried or frozen. The dried eggs can be reconstituted and hatched later. The frozen shrimp do not hatch but are an excellent food for fry and bottom feeders.

DAPHNIA and BOSMINA– small crustaceans, sometimes called water fleas, found in partly stagnant waters where there is an abundance of decaying vegetable matter. When conditions are right, swarms of them can be found near the banks. Care needs to be taken when gathering them. Collecting too many at one time may cause their death.

MOSQUITO LARVAE – just what it sounds like, larvae of the mosquito. Larvae and egg rafts can be found in and on almost any still water source. There is the risk of having some of the larvae maturing into an adult mosquito.

There are many other crustacean and larval foods available to aquarists. In future posts I will cover more larvae, worms and other foods.

Keep Your Cichlids Healthy – It’s Easy

Guest Post

The hobby of keeping cichlids can be a very enjoyable and rewarding experience. Most people just getting started in keeping these very intelligent aquarium fish have lots of questions. Even as an experienced aquarist, I seem to learn something new everyday. Here are some tips to get you started.

The first thing that you need to do when keeping cichlids is to consider what size that your cichlids will be when they are fully mature. If you have gotten bitten by the Oscar bug and have fallen in love with these very personable fish, you are simply going to need a large tank.

Most people will recommend at least a 55 gallon aquarium to keep a pair of Oscar fish. That is simply the bare minimum for these big guys. If you have a smaller variety, you just need a smaller tank. Simple, right?

Second, ph level and water salinity, among other water chemistry levels, can be very different between the different types of cichlids. Just consider African Cichlids. They are found in different lakes in Africa. Each of these lakes have their own unique water chemistry, so if you are keeping Africans, it is very important to do your research if you are going to replicate their native habitat.

If your cichlids are going to thrive, whether they are African or New World Cichlids, temperature and water chemistry must be monitored.

Plants and cichlids sometimes just do not match well. Many cichlids are very intelligent, but they love to make lettuce out aquarim plants. Its a challenge, but it can be done.

American varieties of cichlids seem to be able to tolerate plants in their aquarium better that Africans do. But having made that point, Oscars love to destroy plant life. Angel fish, on the other hand, seem to tolerate plants very well.

Angel fish can be some of the most enjoyable cichlids in my opinion. They even do very well in community tanks because they are generally docile and tolerate plants very well.

Visit cichlid care to learn how to keep cichlids healthy, colorful and happy. And visit keeping cichlids to learn how to keep your cichlids stress free.