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Cyling a new tank: Fresh and Saltwater
Acclimating fish
Fish Keeping Basics
Saltwater basics
Disease
Ich
Fin rot
Body fungus
Bloat
General malaise
What is “Snake Oil”?
Cycling a new tank: Fresh and Saltwater
Fish secrete ammonia, which is toxic to them. In an established aquarium, beneficial bacteria convert ammonia to nitrate, which is much less harmful, and removed from the tank by partially changing the water. In new tanks, both ammonia and an intermediate chemical, nitrite, can build up to toxic levels rapidly, especially if the tank is heavily stocked or overfed. This is also known as "new tank syndrome”.
By adding plants to a new tank, feeding lightly, and doing daily partial water changes, a new tank will cycle in a week or two. Alternatively, we sell a product that will cycle your tank in a day or two. Produced by Marineland, which owns a patent, Biospira is actually the only bacteria known to decrease the time it takes to cycle a tank. 
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Acclimating fish
Newly purchased animals should be floated in their new home until the temperature in the bag equals the temperature in the tank. In addition, in order to adjust the chemistry, the bag should be opened and a collar formed by turning down the top of the bag, forming a floating ring. Then, ½ cup of water from the tank should be added every ten minutes until the bag is full.
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Fish Keeping Basics
Tropical fish should be maintained between 75 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Goldfish can be kept at room temperature, though fancy goldfish appreciate a higher temperature too. There are some fish appropriate for a cooler tank, such as white clouds and paradise fish.
Water changes ideally should be performed weekly, about 20%, while vacuuming the gravel, removing waste and uneaten food and nitrate that has built up in the water. Products that claim to make this unnecessary are usually referrred to as “snake oil”.
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Saltwater basics
Fish can be kept at a salinity of 1.018 to 1.026. The lower salinity can inhibit diseases such as “ich”. Water changes are important for maintaining the fishes health.
Reef creatures like anemones and corals need to be kept at a salinity of 1.023 – 1.026. Some people rely on additives to maintain proper concentrations of calcium and alkalinity. Regular water changes can keep these at proper levels. Good test kits can be useful when using additives.
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Disease
There are a few common ailments of fish that are easy to treat.
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Ich
Short for a long name in Latin, ich is a parasite. There are different parasites for fresh and saltwater fish, but their life cycles are similar. The parasite attacks the fish and embeds itself in the skin or gills. After feeding on the host fish, it falls off goes down into the gravel. Here it divides many times and forms many more parasites. It can also lie dormant for up to several months. When the cyst hatches, many more “ichs” swim up looking for a host fish. This is when the parasite can be killed. By raising the temperature the life cycle of the parasite can be sped up, shortening the length of time required for treatment. Adding salt to a freshwater tank or dipping saltwater fish in freshwater can sometimes help get rid of the parasites.
Unfortunately, salt is usually not good for freshwater plants, and ich medicines are generally toxic to reef invertebrates. Quarantine of new fish in a separate tank is the best way to go.
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Fin rot
Fin rot is usually cause by bacteria. An attack by other fish, or sometimes poor water quality due to lack of water changes, can cause fins to deteriorate and allow infection to set in.
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Body fungus
Body fungus is also usually a bacteria, columnaris, which has a fuzzy appearance. There are some fungus infections but these usualy appear slimy.
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Bloat
Bloat is usually hard to treat. Whether an internal parasite starts the process, or bacterial infection as a secondary infection, many medications are unable to be absorbed from the water. Prevention is the best treatment. Or if the fish is still eating, medicated food can be used.
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General malaise
General malaise of fish, listlessness, “just sitting there”, is obviously not right. But without external signs of disease, treatment is difficult. A water change and increased temperature can sometimes help.
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What is “Snake Oil”?
Back in the old days a wagon would pull into town and someone would try to sell you a bottle of something that would cure whatever ailed you. Sometimes these things contained opiates or cocaine that actually made you feel better for a while, but did little to treat whatever the problem really was. Actually, many of these products contained nothing beneficial at all, and were about as useful as “oil from a snake”.
Today in the aquarium industry products like these still exist. Many of these claim to cycle a new tank, or make it so you never have to change the water. Beware!
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