Refer to the article Tank Temperature Control by Jonathan Lowrie for more information on helping your fish to keep their cool.

PH Splendens
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New on AquriumHobbyist!

There are lots of great new things happening on AquariumHobbyist! First, our new forum system is up and running. It has all kinds of new features, including the ability to disply only messages new since your last log-in, or only posts made that day or within a certain time frame. There are also lots of "tools and toys" such as stored signatures, colors, fonts, and much more. Drop by the AquariumHobbyist Forums and check it out!

Also, we will be adding a new chat to our current lineup. In addition to our two hours of Friday night fish chat, you can come talk about your finned friends every Sunday from 8 to 9 pm Eastern Time in #fishandmarinelife on irc.webmaster.com for those using an IRC client, or follow the link to the java version: Fish and Marine Life. We look forward to seeing you there!

Triops
By PHPhoenix

Triops longicaudatus, the scientific name for Tadpole Shrimp, are in the order species of Notostraca, and originate in North, Central and South America. Notostraca are crustaceans that live in ponds, and have a hard shield-like cover over their back. The Triops have a short lifespan, around 40-90 days. Their lengths average from 1-2.5 inches. They resemble a shrunken horseshoe crab, only with three eyes on their heads, and legs around their body.

Breeding is very simple. You can buy triops eggs from a pet store or by mail, or you can buy triops and raise just as you would fish. The Triops eggs that are bought in a package come in 3-packs: eggs, food, and instant life. Unlike other types of fish, this species consists of males and hermaphrodites (females). Females can either mate with the males, or fertilize eggs without mating. The eggs are carried with the female in a sac for up to 24 hours before she lays them. When the eggs hatch at this stage the shrimp are known as larvae, and they swim around, which can become quite amusing to watch. At this point you would need a magnifying glass just to see them!

It’s wise to have a bright aquarium light, because this helps them reach their adult size of up to 2.5 inches in length. They can be raised in aquariums as small as 5 gallons, or as large as an outdoor pond. Temperature for them should range from 75-85 degrees, freshwater, or tap water that’s been sitting for 24-48 hours. You can purchase aquarium heaters to heat the water to the right temperature, water pump with filters to filter the water, as well as a floating thermometer. Keep in mind they need land, so they can crawl out of the water, rocks or plants are suitable. Make sure the rocks or plants aren’t too high up so they can climb out of the tank! One of the great things about this species is that you can actually hold them in your hands, unlike other fish where you just look at them through the aquarium.

It’s better to keep Triops by themselves and not with other species of shrimp or fish, unless you plan to feed them to fish that are carnivorous. You could mix them in a community of small fish, such as small Tetras. You can also feed them tropical fish food, as they will eat the flakes that fall to the bottom.

Stocking Your Freshwater Tank
By PH Splendens

When it comes to stocking your tank with fish there are so many “rules” out there. None and all of these “rules” make sense. For someone just starting out it can be confusing, and sometimes frustrating when stocking your tank since everyone will tell you something different.

Some of the more common “rules” you may encounter are as follows:

I’m here to tell you, throw out the “rules." There are no hard and fast “rules” when it comes to stocking, and there are several factors that have to be considered before stocking.

First, let’s break down the “rules.”

One inch of fish per gallon: Unless you are buying the smallest of fish, say like neon tetras, this “rule” should be ignored. You wouldn’t buy a large fish, such as an Oscar that can grow to about 14 inches in length and put it in a 15 gallon tank; it wouldn’t fit and wouldn’t have any room to swim. Not only would it not fit, but also its growth would become stunted and it would become highly susceptible to disease and an early death.

One fish per gallon: This “rule” is pretty much the same as the one-inch of fish per gallon. It would only apply to small fish like the neon tetra. When it comes to big fish this “rule” would even be worse than the one inch of fish per gallon. Try taking that same 14-inch Oscar and put it in a one gallon tank, it’s not happening.

Fish-to-Surface Ratio: Of all the rules out there this is the best one, and will give your fish the optimum environment in which to live. However, this “rule” will also break the bank. It’s also not the easiest to figure out, especially not with those spur-of-the -moment purchases (I highly recommend that no fish purchase be spur-of-the -moment). If you are purchasing large fish, like our Oscar friend, then this “rule” would be the one to follow. To figure out the fish-to-surface ratio, which is 1 cubic inch of fish per 1 square foot of surface area, multiply the length X height X width of the fish. Then multiply the length X width of the tank and divide by 12 (12 being the number of inches in a foot). Let’s say you have a 12-inch fish that is 1.5 inches wide and 3 inches tall; when figuring out the body mass, you come to a figure of 54. With a tank that is 48 inches long by 12 inches wide, the size of a 55-gallon tank, you come to 48. As you can see, this fish would be too big for a 55-gallon tank; you would need at least a 60-gallon tank for this fish.

It's important to note that even the fish-to-surface ratio can be the wrong “rule” to follow when all the factors come into play.

Tall tank or long: For the same 12-inch fish we figured above a 60-gallon tank would be fine, but only if your tank is a 60-gallon long, not a 60-gallon tall tank. The reason isthat they don’t have the same surface ratio. Less surface means less room for the gas-to -oxygen exchange to take place. In the case of a tall tank with this fish, if the tank is 25 inches tall, it would need to be at least 26 inches by 26 inches in order to physically be able to hold this fish and sustain life. That would equal to about a 75-gallon tall tank. However, it still would not be the best environment for this fish since there would be no swim room, and again he would be miserable and stressed, becoming susceptible to disease and an early death. So what do you do in this case? Don’t buy a large fish, or don’t buy a tall tank.

Type of fish: This is a very important factor. Not only will the adult size of the fish come into play, but so will the level of aggression. You would not even attempt to fully stock a tank with highly aggressive fish, even though you could do it with non-aggressive fish. For instance, let’s say you followed the fish-to-surface ratio and let’s say that 12-inch fish is a goldfish. Now let’s say you want two goldfish with those figures, and a 120-gallon tank would be more than sufficient for both. This would be the perfect environment for them since they are peaceful fish. Now try putting two 12-inch piranhas in that tank and you could run into big problems, since they are aggressive fish. They will need twice the room in order to set up their own territories and to have somewhere to go in order to get away from each other.

Filtration: Some fish are dirtier than others and need more filtration. Even though you may have the proper filtration for the size tank you have (generally a filter should filter the tank at least five times an hour), it may be the wrong filtration for the type of fish you have. Larger messier fish should have a filter that can filter through your tank anywhere to ten times an hour. You can’t fully stock your tank if your filtration doesn’t allow for it. Keep in mind that more filtration does not mean more fish, it just influences what types of fish you can keep.

Cycled tank: A cycled tank is a tank that has gone through the nitrogen cycle and has a good colony of bacteria ready to take care of the harmful toxins in your tank. You should never fully stock an uncycled tank since the toxins will rise to unbelievable amounts. This will kill your fish. Take it slow, adding only a couple of hardy fish to start. Once the tank is cycled, you can slowly add a few fish every couple of weeks until fully stocked.

Remember when stocking your tank all figures should be done using the adult size of the fish. Fish grow and what may work when they're first purchased may not work later on. Yes, stocking your tank can be very complex, but it does get easier when you have been doing it for a while. If you’re not absolutely positive of how many or what types of fish to stock it with, just remember, it’s always better to understock than overstock.

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