Pets'n'Hobbies

Tools For the Aquarium

Some Aquarists prefer to have dedicated tools for their aquarium, particularly if it has live plants. Aquarium tools are useful for trimming and pruning the plants. They can also be used to arrange gravel, remove dead fish and scrape the aquarium surfaces to remove algae.

Different tools are available for different functions. Examples are tools such as bent scissors, tweezers, scraper etc.

Specialized Tools may be required while handling corals in marine aquariums. These tools make handling plants easy.

Aquarium Heater

Fish are cold blooded animals. They cannot regulate temperature on their own and are thus extremely sensitive to temperature. Hence, the temperature within the aquarium should be within the limits experienced by the fish in its original natural environment.

Today, fish which were once present in one part of the world are found in aquariums the world over. Hence, special attention should be given to learn about the temperature requirements of each fish a…

Setting up a Saltwater Aquarium

A saltwater aquarium seeks to recreate a sea environment in your living room.  A saltwater aquarium can be an extremely fulfilling hobby and a great learning experience.

Setting up and maintaining a saltwater aquarium is not a difficult job as many people think.  A basic understanding of how the aquarium works is enough. A Saltwater aquarium is only slightly different from a freshwater aquarium.  The difference is obvious. It has saltwater instead of fresh water.

This saltwater has to be made by mixing salt and water at the right proportion to get the right specific gravity.  This is measured by a hydrometer.

A saltwater aquarium needs more space than a freshwater aquarium as it requires special filtration and  monitoring equipment.  It is better to place it in the centre of the room.

Saltwater fish are used to living in the ocean with limitless space.  Hence, a saltwater aquarium should be bigger.  Each fish should have a per capita area of at least 10 gall…

Controlling Fish Population in Aquariums

Keeping the fish population under control is a necessary part of having a good aquarium. While it may seem difficult to get fish to breed in initial stages of an aquarium. Once the right conditions are made available, it is difficult to stop fish from breeding.

Fish breed in large numbers. Live bearers such as guppies and platies give birth to about 15 to 30 young ones while egg-laying fish such as goldfish, bettas produced hundreds of young ones.
In the wild, the population is kept in check by natural predators and the scarcity of food. However, in the aquarium food is plentiful and predators are absent. Thus, the population will start to increase in the aquariums. Thus, there is no way of keeping the population in check. This results in overcrowding and disease.

Hence, it is necessary to control the population of the aquarium.
There are several methods of keeping the population in check


Selling fish

This is one of the best ways of regulating the num…

Choosing the right location for the aquarium

Locating the aquarium in the right place in your home or office is crucial.  Here are some common tips for selecting the right place for your aquarium.


Place the aquarium at a place where you are likely to spend most of your time.

Placing the aquarium at a place where your spend most of your time ensures that you and those who visit your home enjoy the presence of your aquarium.  If it is placed in a corner where nobody goes, it can tend to get neglected.  At the same time, placing it in the centre of the room can sometimes become an obstruction as it may get in the way.


Ensure that there is adequate space around for maintenance

An aquarium requires periodic maintenance.  These maintenance activities require space for free movement of people and materials.  While choosing the place ensure that there is space around the aquarium.


Ensure the presence of electrical power supply and a water source nearby

An aquarium needs power to operate the aerator …