07 June 2020
The most common mistake that many beginning tropical fish keeping enthusiasts make is to stock a new tank with as many fish as possible without first establishing a healthy, stable, ecosystem in the aquarium. This is done through a natural process called the Nitrogen cycle. Nitrogen Cycle: All fish release toxic wastes that in an […]
Posted in Featured Articles, Setting Up Your First Aquarium, Tropical Fish Keeping0 Comments
22 May 2020
Fruit Flies (Drosophila melanogaster) or Vinegar Flies are often bred by tropical fish keeping enthusiasts to feed topwater species like African Butterfly Fish, Archer Fish, Hatdhetfish, Killifish, etc. Although Fruit Flies are sold in specialty pet shops and online for feeding young praying mantis, small spiders, frogs, fish, and a variety of other small insects, […]
Posted in Featured Articles, Fruit Flies, Live Foods, Tropical Fish Keeping0 Comments
17 May 2020
Koi (Cyprinus rubrofuscu) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as Jinli, Nishikigoi, or Brocaded carp are brightly colored variants of the common Amur carp, which is widespread in East Asia from the Amur to the Red River drainages. Koi (Cyprinus rubrofuscu) are native to China, Laos, and Vietnam, and were once considered a subspecies of […]
Posted in Featured Articles, Freshwater Fish, Koi, Tropical Fish Keeping, Tropical Fish Species0 Comments
12 May 2020
Taeniolethrinops praeorbitalis is a peaceful, solitary cichlid endemic to Lake Malawi that is found over sandy substrates in relatively shallow depths of up to 160 feet. Taeniolethrinops praeorbitalis can be distinguished from it’s close relative Taeniolethrinops laticeps, by it’s longer snout and the absence of an oblique dark diagonal line that crosses the upper portion […]
Posted in Cichlids, Featured Articles, Freshwater Fish, Lake Malawi Cichlids, Tropical Fish Keeping, Tropical Fish Species0 Comments
20 April 2020
Green Neon Tetra (Paracheirodon simulans) also known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as False Neon Tetras or Blue Neon Tetras are found in the border areas of the mid to upper Rio Negro drainage in Brazil upstream from the mouth of the Rio Branco, and between the mouth of the Rio Meta and San Fernando […]
Posted in Featured Articles, Freshwater Fish, Tetras, Tropical Fish Keeping, Tropical Fish Species0 Comments
19 April 2020
The Head and Tail Light Tetra (Hemigrammus ocellifer) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Beacon Fish originates in South America in the Amazon and Orinoco River basins, parts of Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Peru and Brazil. Because of its popularity with tropical fish keeping enthusiasts worldwide, they are bred in huge numbers for […]
Posted in Featured Articles, Freshwater Fish, Tetras, Tropical Fish Keeping, Tropical Fish Species0 Comments
19 April 2020
The Green Neon (Hemigrammus hyanuary) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the January Tetra or Costello Tetra is found in the Amazon River basin in Brazil and Peru; specifically Lake Hyanuary near Manuas, Brazil. Green Neons are an active shoaling species that are found in the black waters of slow moving rivers, river tributaries […]
Posted in Featured Articles, Freshwater Fish, Tetras, Tropical Fish Keeping, Tropical Fish Species0 Comments
18 April 2020
The Giant Raphael Catfish (Megalodoras uranoscopus) also known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as the Giant Talking Catfish, Mother of Snails Catfish, Megalodoras Catfish, or Ripsaw Catfish, is a native to the Amazon River Basin in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Giant Raphael Catfish (Megalodoras uranoscopus) have been recorded in the Amazon, Essequibo, and […]
Posted in Catfish, Featured Articles, Freshwater Fish, Tropical Fish Keeping, Tropical Fish Species0 Comments
13 April 2020
Gill Flukes (Dactylogyrus) and Skin Flukes (Gyrodactylus) are common parasitic flatworms that affect fish, frogs, and turtles. Despite their names, both Trematoda can be found on the skin and gills of cold water and tropical fish where in small numbers do little harm to healthy fish. In large numbers, Flukes (Trematoda) are debilitating and often […]
Posted in Featured Articles, Tropical Fish Diseases, Tropical Fish Keeping, WORM PARASITES0 Comments
09 April 2020
Neon Tetra Disease (Plistophora hyphessobryconis) is a sporozoan parasite that infects neon tetras, cardinals, rasboras, angelfish, zebrafish, and other similar species. Regardless of what you have heard, there is NO CURE for Neon Tetra Disease. A bacterial disease that infects Neon tetras, cardinals, etc. with almost identical symptoms is often misdiagnosed as Plistophora hyphessobryconis and […]
Posted in Featured Articles, PARASITIC INFECTIONS, Tropical Fish Diseases, Tropical Fish Keeping0 Comments
09 April 2020
Hole In The Head (hexamita) is a protozoan parasitic infection that appears as lesions on the head and flanks of freshwater and marine fish. The lesions are caused by Hexamita parasites that migrate into the sensory pores on the head of the fish where they cause the surrounding tissue to decay. Because of the large […]
Posted in Featured Articles, PARASITIC INFECTIONS, Tropical Fish Diseases, Tropical Fish Keeping0 Comments
09 April 2020
The Fish Louse (Argulus spp.) is a branchiuran (crustacean like) parasite related to crabs, shrimp, and lobsters that infest and cause disease in fresh and saltwater fish. There are over 100 different species of Argulus distributed worldwide that infest freshwater and saltwater fish species. Argulus foliaceus, Argulus japonicus, and Argulus coregoni are commonly found in […]
Posted in EXTERNAL ARTHROPOD PARASITES, Featured Articles, Tropical Fish Diseases, Tropical Fish Keeping1 Comment
07 April 2020
Velvet Disease (Oodinium pillularis) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as Gold Dust, Coral, or Rust Disease is caused by a protozoan that has a life cycle similar to Ichthyophthiriasis multifiliis (white spot disease). Velvet is actually a round or pear shaped dinoflagellate that attacks both freshwater and marine tropical fish and can cause death […]
Posted in Featured Articles, PARASITIC INFECTIONS, Tropical Fish Diseases, Tropical Fish Keeping1 Comment
05 April 2020
Ich (Ichthyophthiriasis multifiliis) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as White Spot Disease, is a parasitic ciliate that is arguably the most common ailment of all brackish, freshwater, and marine aquarium species. Ichthyophthiriasis multifiliis is a protozoa that is wide spread in all freshwater fish but appears to be more common in aquarium species that […]
Posted in Featured Articles, PARASITIC INFECTIONS, Tropical Fish Diseases, Tropical Fish Keeping4 Comments
31 March 2020
Anchor Worms (Lernaea spp.) are not actually worms, but crustacean, copepod parasites of the Lernaea species that attach themselves to the skin of freshwater fish and then bury their head into the muscle tissue usually under the fins, scales, gills, and oral cavity. Although Anchor Worms can infect any fish species, most tropical fish keeping […]
Posted in Featured Articles, PARASITIC INFECTIONS, Tropical Fish Diseases, Tropical Fish Keeping2 Comments
23 March 2020
Enteric Redmouth Disease or (ERM) is a bacterial infection found in both freshwater and marine fish. Redmouth disease was first observed in in the 1950s in Idaho rainbow trout hatcheries. It is caused by the pathogen Yersinia ruckeri which is primarily found in cold water fishes like rainbow trout and other salmonids. Being a cold […]
Posted in Bacterial Infections, Featured Articles, Tropical Fish Diseases, Tropical Fish Keeping1 Comment
28 February 2020
Swim Bladder Disease, also called Floating Disorder, is a complication of the swim bladder that interrupts the fish from maintaining buoyancy. Although it can affect any species of tropical fish that has a swim bladder, it is especially prevalent among Bettas and Goldfish. PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS: Fish suffering from swim bladder disease will have a distended […]
Posted in Bacterial Infections, Featured Articles, Tropical Fish Diseases, Tropical Fish Keeping1 Comment
26 February 2020
Septicemia or Sepsis is a bacterial infection in the bloodstream of the fish that is characterized by sluggishness, lack of appetite, fin damage, reddish discoloration, bulging eyes, and/or clamped fins. PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS: Septicemia can be detected initially by redness under the scales of the fish, lesions of hemorrhage, and ulcerations anywhere on the body. Although […]
Posted in Bacterial Infections, Featured Articles, Tropical Fish Diseases, Tropical Fish Keeping1 Comment
26 February 2020
Dropsy also known as Malawi Bloat, is a condition that occurs both in holding ponds and tropical fish keeping aquariums that when not treated promptly, is almost always fatal to the fish. Dropsy is a bacterial fish disease that targets the internal organs causing the accumulation of water in the belly of the fish which […]
Posted in Bacterial Infections, Featured Articles, Tropical Fish Diseases, Tropical Fish Keeping2 Comments
16 February 2020
Rainbow Wolf Fish (Erythrinus erythrinus) known to tropical fish keeping enthusiasts as High Fin Wolf Fish or Red Wolf Fish are found in Brazil, French Guiana, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela. Rainbow Wolf Fish (Erythrinus erythrinus) are usually found among surface vegetation in the very shallow waters of small river tributaries, swamps, the margins […]
Posted in Featured Articles, Oddball Fish, Tropical Fish Keeping, Tropical Fish Species0 Comments