Aquarium and Pond Care with EcoBio-Block

Cichlids are a group of over 2,000 species of freshwater fish. These fish are some of the most colorful species of fish in the world and also some of the most popular in the aquarium trade. What makes cichlids so special? Aside from their unique and vibrant coloration, cichlids are also a joy to keep in the home aquarium. Many species develop personalities and attachments to their owners. Many species are also very easy to breed. If you plan to breed your cichlids, you should first take the time to learn about the breeding habits of the particular species you have. Then, learn what you will need to do in order to raise the cichlid fry.

Basics of Cichlid Breeding

Cichlids lay eggs rather than giving birth to live fry – because of this, some species can lay hundreds of eggs in one clutch because they are much smaller than live-born fry. Certain species of cichlid lay their eggs on flat surfaces while others bury them in substrate – some even hold the eggs in their mouths, protecting them until they hatch. Before you breed your cichlids, take the time to research their breeding methods so you can prepare the breeding tank accordingly. You should also set up a nursery tank for your fry so the tank is ready as soon as your cichlids spawn.

The Early Stages

After your cichlids have spawned, many species will care for the eggs and fry until (and sometimes for several days after) they hatch. If you find that your cichlids are not caring for the eggs, it is best to remove them from the tank so they don’t eat the eggs. Cichlids that brood the eggs in their mouths should not be disturbed until the fry have been released. Once the eggs have hatched, you can remove the adults from the tank and begin rearing the fry on your own.

A nursery tank for cichlid fry does not need to be large at first. You may not even need to feed the fry for several days until their bodies absorb what is left of the yolk sac. Once this happens you will need to feed the fry very small foods such as infusoria several times a day. After a week or so, the fry should have grown sufficiently to accept newly hatched brine shrimp (called nauplii). At this time it may also be safe to begin performing water changes in the nursery tank to keep the water clean.

The Later Stages

Once your cichlid fry have grown large enough to accept brine shrimp you may want to think about separating them between different grow-out tanks. Dividing the fry between multiple tanks will provide them with adequate space to grow. A grow-out tank should be about 20 gallons in capacity and it should be sparsely decorated to facilitate easy cleaning. Maintain a stable water temperature in the tank and check the water quality on a regular basis. Continue to feed your cichlid fry protein-rich foods, eventually incorporating finely crushed flakes or granules into their diet as well.

Other Tips

After your cichlid fry have grown to be at least an inch long, you can start thinking about transferring them to a community tank or selling them to a pet store. Do not add the fry to an existing tank until they are too large to be considered prey by other fish. In order to make sure that your cichlid fry grow quickly, it is important to keep the tank environment clean. You may find it helpful to add an EcoBio-Stone S  to your fry tank. EcoBio-Block Products are infused with live beneficial bacteria colonies as well as the nutrients they need to multiply and maintain the nitrogen cycle in your tank. Once the nitrogen cycle has been established, the beneficial bacteria will work with your aquarium filter to help keep your tank water clean and clear.

For novice aquarium hobbyists, cultivating a planted aquarium can be quite a challenge. Not only do you need to care for your fish, but you also have to worry about cultivating the ideal environment to support the health and growth of your aquarium fish. Maintaining live plants requires you to invest in special substrates, plant foods and tank equipment – if you are not prepared for the task, these things can be overwhelming. If you like the idea of adding live plants to your tank but aren’t sure you are ready to take on the challenge of a fully planted tank, you might want to consider adding some floating plants. Floating plants are generally easy to cultivate and they are a great way to ease yourself into cultivating a planted tank.

Benefits of Floating Plants

Floating plant

Floating aquarium plants provide a number of significant benefits. Perhaps the most important benefit is that they do not require planting – floating plants simply drift on the tank surface so they do not require any special substrate or planting medium. Floating aquarium plants play a particularly useful role in breeding tanks. The leaves and roots of floating plants may provide newly hatched fry with a place to hide from adult fish – the microorganisms living in and around the plants will also provide your fry with food. Another use for floating plants is to diffuse tank lighting – some species of fish prefer subdued lighting and adding floating plants to your tank is an easy way to accomplish this. Some floating plants, such as duck weed, can also be used as a supplementary food source for fish – it provides plant-based nutrition and grows very quickly so you do not have to keep replacing it.

Types of Floating Plants

There are a number of different species to choose from including:

Azolla
This plant is a type of floating fern and there are six different species. Though typically used in ponds, azolla may grow in tanks utilizing low water movement and high lighting. Azolla is unique in that it forms a symbiotic relationship with certain algae, boosting the nitrogen-fixing ability of tank algae.

Hornwort
These plants have feathery leaves and they tend to grow well in both high- and low-light conditions. Hornwort plants never produce roots, so there is no need to ever plant them in substrate. These plants grow quickly and are favored by fish that tend to feed on live plants.

Duckweed
There are several species of duckweed, many of which produce very small leaves. This plant is easy to grow in the aquarium and very popular among plant-eating fish.

Bladderwort
There are several species of bladderwort, some of which can be kept in the aquarium. These plants are unique because they are carnivorous, feeding on tiny insects and crustaceans. These plants are not recommended for breeding tanks because they are likely to eat newly hatched fry.

Crystalwort
This plant produce thick, bright green mats that looks similar to java moss. Crystalwort is ideal for diffusing tank lighting and providing shelter for newly hatched fry – it also grows very quickly under proper lighting conditions.

Tips for Floating Plants

Your floating plants are more likely to thrive if the water in your tank is kept clean. To achieve this, try adding an EcoBio-Stone to your freshwater tank. EcoBio-Stones are made from natural volcanic rock and they are infused both with beneficial bacteria and the nutrients they need to thrive. Once installed in your tank, EcoBio-Stones help to establish and maintain the nitrogen cycle, thus keeping your tank clean so your floating plants can thrive.

Setting up an outdoor turtle pond can be a wonderful addition to your landscape

Have you ever thought about installing a turtle pond in your backyard but didn’t think you could do it yourself? Installing a turtle pond is not as difficult as many people think – all you need is the right resources and equipment to get the job done properly. Keeping aquatic turtles as a pet is an enjoyable experience but it can be difficult to accomplish indoors because you need a very large tank. Installing a turtle pond in your backyard is a simple solution to the space problem and it is also a great way to enhance the landscaping in your yard.

Things to Consider

Before you make the decision to build a turtle pond in your backyard you should take the time to consider whether it is the right choice for you. Think about the area you live in – is the climate conducive to maintaining a working pond year-round? Certain species of aquatic turtle like red eared sliders are very hardy but others may not be able to withstand cold winters. In addition to the climate you should also consider whether you have the space for a pond. Most turtles prefer having a large area of shallow water to having a small area of deep water, so in order to create the ideal turtle pond, you may need a great deal of space. Not only do you need to provide your turtles with water to swim in, but you should also give them a basking area and a portion of land around the pond so they can come out of the water if they want to. You may also want to think about whether or not you want to keep fish in the pond with your turtles because this could affect the set-up. Keep in mind that turtles are likely to prey on small species of fish. It may also be difficult to control the water quality in a turtle pond to the degree required to keep fish healthy.

Building Your Pond

Once you’ve determined that you have the space and the proper environment to cultivate a turtle pond you can begin thinking about the details of actually building the pond. Select a location in your yard that provides plenty of open space to build the pond – it should not be directly under trees that might drop leaves into the pond and it should not be at the base of a slope where it might be affected by run-off. Though you can find pre-formed pond liners at your local garden supply store, building a custom pond is the best way to cater to the needs of your turtles. To build a custom pond you simply have to dig out the pond area and lay down some rubber lining to make the pond water-tight. You will need to use large rocks to anchor the pond lining and to help blend the pond with your existing landscaping – these rocks will also provide your turtles with places to bask and with a means of climbing out of the pond. Be sure to include some areas of open space around the pond as well as stands of vegetation to give your turtles a place to hide. Most importantly, however, you need to install a high-quality pond filter that is large enough to cycle the entire pond volume several times per hour. Unless you live in an area where the climate stays warm all year-round, you may also want to think about installing a pond heater.

Other Ideas

In order for your turtles to remain happy and healthy it is important that you keep the water in your pond as clean and clear as possible. Equipping your pond with a high-quality filter and taking the time to remove solid waste and debris from the pond will go a long way in keeping your water quality high. Another simple trick you might try is to add an EcoBio-Block Wave to your turtle pond. EcoBio-Blocks are made from natural materials and are infused with the beneficial bacteria needed to maintain the nitrogen cycle. After being introduced into your pond, these bacteria will rapidly multiply, working to break down waste products, helping to keep your pond water clean and clear, and reducing maintenance needs. A single EcoBio-Block is large enough to accommodate 300 to 1000 gallons of pond water and it is safe for all kinds of fish and aquatic life.

Colorful saltwater aquarium

If you have ever spent much time at the aquarium at your local zoo you may have noticed a significant difference in the appearance between freshwater and saltwater species of fish. Whereas many freshwater species have dark or neutral colorations featuring varying shades of brown, black and gray, saltwater fish exhibit a rainbow of different colorations. What is so different about saltwater fish that enables them to display these bold colorations and what purpose do these colors serve? If you have ever been awed by the brilliant colors of a butterfly fish or the striking patterns of a clownfish, you may be interested to learn the facts about saltwater fish coloration.

Color as Camouflage

In school you probably learned about some of the techniques animals use to protect themselves from predators. While some animals develop speed to outrun predators or claws to climb trees so they can escape them, other animals develop camouflage to prevent predators from seeing them. You are probably familiar with insects like the walking stick and certain moths that develop colors and patterns that help them blend in with their environment but did you ever think that the bright colors of saltwater fish might serve the same purpose? When you see a saltwater fish with an electric blue body accented by black or white bands, camouflage is probably not the first thing that comes to mind. In reality, however, this kind of bold coloration and patterning does actually help the fish to blend in with its surroundings.

Think about what a saltwater reef is like. If you have ever gone scuba diving or seen pictures of a thriving saltwater reef, you probably noticed the wide array of colors present in this type of environment. Not only are the fish themselves very colorful, but so are the corals, anemones and other forms of life present in a saltwater reef. It makes sense, then, that saltwater aquarium fish are able to use bright colors and patterns to blend in to such a colorful environment. Marine biologists have labeled this camouflage technique “disruptive coloration” – by displaying a variety of colors or large patterns, the bodies of fish are visually broken-up so a predator is less likely to be able to distinguish the silhouette of the fish against the backdrop of the reef. Not only do saltwater fish display a variety of bold colors and patterns, but some are even able to change color at will. Certain species of triggerfish and goatfish can change colors rapidly while others do so more slowly, changing color to adapt to the change in light as day transitions into night.

Maximizing the Color of Your Fish

Although saltwater aquarium fish are generally very colorful by nature, they may not display their maximum potential for coloration in captivity unless you make a conscious effort to help them do so. To help your fish achieve their ideal coloration it is important that you provide them with a clean, healthy tank environment and a balanced diet. Offering your fish a varied diet of commercial, live, frozen and freeze-dried foods is the best way to ensure that all of these nutritional needs are met – you may even be able to find color-enhancing formulas of commercial food that will bring out the natural colorations of your fish. In addition to a healthy diet, you should also do your best to make sure the water quality in your tank remains high. You will need to perform routine weekly water changes of between 10% and 20% of your total tank volume, replacing the dirty water you siphon out with fresh saltwater. You might also want to consider adding an EcoBio-Stone to your saltwater tank to help keep it clean and clear. EcoBio-Stones are made from zeolite and they are infused with the beneficial bacteria your tank needs to maintain the nitrogen cycle. These bacteria will rapidly multiply after being introduced to your tank, working to break down waste products like ammonia and converting them into less harmful substances. (Sufficient levels of bacteria are usually reached in 2 to 6 weeks.) With the help of an EcoBio-Stone, your tank water will remain clear and odor-free which will help your fish achieve their full potential for health and coloration.

Cichlid Tank

If you have been involved in the aquarium hobby for a while, you may be looking for a new and interesting challenge. Perhaps you have upgraded to larger tanks and tried your hand at breeding aquarium fish, but nothing seems to pique your interest in the right way – starting a biotope tank may be just what you need! Cultivating a biotope tank is different from maintaining a typical community tank because every element of the tank is carefully selected in order to recreate a certain type of natural environment. Biotope tanks are not only a fun challenge for aquarium hobbyists, but they can also be a great learning experience.

What Are Biotope Tanks?

A biotope tank is simply an aquarium in which all of the tank elements (fish, plants and decorations) come from the same area in nature. For example, a South American biotope tank would likely include a few corydoras catfish, a school of tetras as well as a few livebearers and the tank would be decorated with South American species of live plant such as Amazon swords, Alternanthera and Echinodorus. You might also expect to see natural décor items such as large water-worn rocks and driftwood roots or branches in a South American biotope tank.

A biotope tank can be designed around virtually any natural environment. Amazon biotope tanks are one of the most popular types to cultivate because Amazonian species of fish are readily available and they are typically easy to maintain. If you are really looking for a challenge, consider cultivating a more specialized biotope tank such as an estuary tank – a type of brackish water environment – or a Southeast Asian river tank. If you enjoy keeping cichlids, think about developing a tank around a particular cichlid environment such as Lake Tanganyika or Lake Malawi – not only will this be a fun challenge for you as an aquarium hobbyist but designing a tank around the native environment of your fish may also help your fish to thrive.

Tips for Biotope Tanks

No matter what type of biotope tank you choose to cultivate, it is important that you perform some in-depth research before you begin. You should familiarize yourself with the ideal temperature and pH range for that ecosystem as well as the other elements of water chemistry such as water hardness and salinity. The more accurately you are able to simulate the native environment of your fish, the healthier and happier they are likely to be. You should also be careful about the fish you select for your biotope tank – though some species of fish are highly adaptable to varying water conditions, it is generally best to only select species that come from that particular biotope.

Once you have set up your biotope tank you will need to maintain it just as you would maintain a traditional community tank. Be sure to keep up to date on your weekly water changes and always replace your filter media every three to four weeks. To make sure that the water in your biotope tank stays clean and clear, consider adding an EcoBio-Stone – these stones are made from porous volcanic rock and cement and they are infused with live beneficial bacteria as well as the nutrients they need to thrive. Once introduced into your tank, these bacteria will multiply and immediately begin working to maintain the nitrogen cycle in your tank, removing harmful toxins and helping to keep your tank water clean, clear and odor-free.