Angelfish

Angelfish are freshwater fish from the family Cichlidae's they originate
from the Amazon River, Orinoco River and Essequibo River basins in tropical South America.

They are unusually shaped for cichlids being greatly laterally compressed
with round bodies and elongated triangular dorsal and anal fins.
This body shape allows them to hide among roots and plants
often on a vertical surface.

It wasn't until the late 1920's to early 1930's
that the angelfish was bred in captivity in the United States.

The average size for a Angelfish is up to 6” long and 10” in height
Life Span 10 to 12 years with proper care.
Diet Food may be flaked, dried, frozen, or live
Occasional treats of bloodworms or brine shrimp are greatly appreciated
Avoid exclusive food which is not nutritionally complete.

Feeding Depending on size, feed small amounts two or three times a day
no more than fish can eat in three to five minutes
Thaw frozen foods before feeding.

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Algae in the new aquarium

So you got your aquarium set up, and have gradually begun adding fish. Everything is going along just fine, your fish are happy, your filter is keeping the water clean, then after a couple weeks or so, you notice the water turning a brownish color. Slowly at first, but over the next few days, the water is starting to look a bit murky. The browish color I'm talking about is probably being caused by a brown algae growing on the sides and in the water itself. It is a slimy film that will stick itself to almost any surface and makes the tank look dingy.

This form of algae has been a problem for me, until I read somewhere that it is caused by over feeding. This is a problem that many new fish keepers have - the instinct to feed more food than necessary. I tend to feed too much too, and is something I personally am going to have to watch carefully.

The algae lives on the excess proteins that build up by overfeeding. Even if the fish eat it all, it still can remain in their feces. Fish will eat and eat, so it can be difficult to determine how much food to give. The smaller fish, such as the neon tetra will quit eating when they are full, and they dont eat much. Larger fish, such as the gourami and angelfish will over eat. These fish you have to watch. Feed no more than the fish will eat in about a minute or 2, no more. If the fish are growing and you want them to grow, you can feed twice a day, otherwise, once a day is enough.

Because proteins will always exist to some extent with live fish, the amount of food given will determine how much algae will form. Frequent water changes help too, as fresh water will displace some of the proteins that is in the water. The smaller the aquarium the more frequent the water changes. A 10 gallon might need 1/3 of its water changed every week, where a 50 gallon might need the same amount changed once a month or maybe a little longer. My 20 gallon stays pretty clean with 1/3 of it replaced every 2 weeks.

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Setting Up Your New Freshwater Aquarium The Basics For The New Aquarium Enthusiast

The first thing we are going to need is a tank
( I don't think fish are good at air swimming lol )
the second thing we are going to need is a stand or if you have something already that is sturdy
that will do.

Then we must decide what fish we are going to want in our tank that will decide the size of the tank that we should get.

The rule for keeping freshwater fish is (1) inch per fish per gallon of water, which means that one can't buy a 10 gallon tank and get 2 Oranda Goldfishes as they grow up to 6 - 7 inches and sometimes to 12 inches so little doesn't always stay little, a fish like that would need 5 gallons of water per Oranda so when picking out fish please remember that the aquarium rule only applies to fish that will grow to be somewhat small.

With that in mind we can now decide what we are going to place in our Fresh Water Aquarium Listed below are some peaceful Community fish for your aquarium.

(Angelfish) Many Aquarium Enthusiast enjoy the addition of Angelfish to their tank, they are easy to keep and social.
(The above photo is of my Angelfish Michelangelo)

(Bengal Loach) it's a peaceful fish that does well in a community tank, it's very social and loves to kept with other fish of it's own kind as well as others.

(Black Emperor Tetra) it's a very quiet and peaceful schooling fish.

(Black Neon Tetra) A peaceful community fish. Does well if kept in schools
I have two they seem to be fine.

(Guppy) Peaceful fish.. .females will try to eat their fry after they are born.

These are just a few peaceful fish that are available for further assistance on peaceful community fish do some research at http://bbayaquariums.com/fish-types.html
I have found that site to be very helpful.

Based on my past experiences I would recommend that you purchase a 20 gallon -29 gallon tank or larger for your first experience as a "Aquarium Enthusiast" I purchased a 10 gallon and found myself going beyond the (1) inch per fish per gallon of water rule and wanted more colors within my aquarium so if you think you would like to add more fish in the future it's best to get a bigger tank in the beginning.

Once you have decided what type of fish you want in your aquarium and the size of the tank, you will need to decide the placement of your new aquarium it is best to not place the aquarium next to windows or heating vents of any kind because both could cause temperature changes within the tank thus resulting in algae.

Depending on the size tank you get make sure that the floor can support it as well as the item or stand your placing it on.

Next you will need to purchase your tank and the accessories to go with it, you will need a heater capable of heating the size tank in which your purchasing , aquarium gravel, filter, replacement filters, fake or live plants and decorations, aquarium test kits to test for ammonia and nitrites, aquarium background paper, fish food, fish net, aquarium glass scrubber,
5 gallon bucket, aquarium vacuum, Chlorine Remover I recommend Tetra Aqua Safe, Tetra's Easy Balance for few frequent water changes, Tetra's safe start if you wish to add fish immediately, Tetra's ammonia safe to detoxify harmful ammonia and a thermometer.


Now that we have all that next comes the rinsing of the tank ONLY USE WATER I cannot be more emphatic about this NO SOAPS OR DETERGENTS they can leave residue behind that can harm your fish, also be sure to wash the gravel and plants and whatever else you may place in the tank, also you might want to purchase a food strainer as when removing gravel from the bucket you will need to strain the water out and avoid getting stones lodged in the area that your rinsing them in.

Now to add gravel, accessories and other items you purchased for your tank, once you have everything place in the area's you desire them to be to avoid messing up your placement of your aquarium items place a small saucer in the center of the aquarium.

Now to add the water in which we will direct to the center of the small saucer so not to disturb the tanks items, preferably it is best to add room temperature water or water that is 78 degrees this is where your thermometer comes in handy it cuts down the time that the tank takes to arrive at the proper temperature to add the fish using cold water would take longer.

Do not fill your tank totally up as you might want to move your plants and items for your tank around and you would not want it to overflow when you stick your arm in to do so, I learned that well also :)

Now we can add the chlorine remover by Tetra usually it's 7 drops per gallon this is good if your tank is smaller between 1-5 gallons, otherwise you can use one capful for 10 gallons and two capful's for 20 this is based on the 1.69 oz bottle of Tetra Aqua Safe if you are using the 8.45 oz size you can use 1 teaspoon for every 10 gallons or fill the cap halfway for 10 gallons or use 1 full capful for 20 gallons and so on depending on your tank size you may need more.

Next add Tetra's SafeStart it accelerates the establishment of the bio-filter in newly set-up freshwater aquariums. The live bacteria starts working immediately to provide a safe and healthy environment for your fish without the long wait.

Okay it's time to dip your heater inside your tank but don't plug it in give the heater time to adjust to the water inside the tank 15 mins should be fine, hook up your filter and other items you have plug it all in but wait to plug in the heater until it has sat for 15 mins.

I know you might want to have a instant Aquarium and add many fish as you can but I would advise against it as I have learned that lesson well, I recommend adding 2 fish a week until you arrive at number of fish allowed for your tank going by the (1) inch per fish per gallon of water rule.

Why you ask? Why can't I add them all at once? well here is why... your tank has to go through a cycling period and you may notice your water will have a white cloudy appearance this is your tank going through the cycling period providing your aquarium with beneficial bacteria, this period can last anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months so you will want to be careful by not adding too many fish because this period is stressful on some of the fish species and some don't make it through.

This is why it is important to have your aquarium test kits to test for ammonia and nitrites and changes within your tank.
A important note you may be compelled to use those water clarifiers
although they might make some improvement it always isn't enough and tends to make the problem worse off thus you end up changing half the water so your fish can survive just something to keep in mind.

Now it's time to enjoy your new Aquarium and your new role as "Aquarium Enthusiast" I hope that you have found this article to be informational and that your experience will be a pleasent one the key factor is don't panic it's always scary trying something new.

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