Madelaine Francis Heleine has been involved with aquariums and fish-keeping for more than 40 years. She has been a contributing writer and columnist for various magazines dealing with the aquatic world and has written several books about aquarium fish. Madelaine even enjoys exploring the underwater world firsthand as a scuba diver.

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Foolish Assumptions 2

Icons Used in This Book 3

Where to Go from Here 4

Part 1: Getting Started with Freshwater Aquarium Basics 5

Chapter 1: Taking the Plunge: Just the Essentials 7

Focusing on the Tank, Stand, Accessories, and Equipment 8

Knowing where to put your tank 8

Looking at the tank and stand options 9

Figuring out what (besides fish) to put in your aquarium 9

Considering aquarium equipment 9

Determining what you really need 10

Caring for Your New Aquatic Pets 10

Eyeing differences in species 10

Assessing which types of fish are best for you 10

Buying fish - what you need to know 11

Feeding your fish - what types of food to buy 11

Taking care of sick fish 12

Understanding Water, Chemicals, and Live Plants 12

Grasping everything water 12

Using chemicals to improve your aquarium conditions 12

Testing your water 13

Getting a system going 13

Adding live plants 13

Fixing common problems 13

Expanding Your Aquarium Hobby 13

Breeding your fish: Yes or no? 13

Keeping track of your progress 14

Broadening your hobby 14

Contemplating other types of aquarium structures 14

Chapter 2: The Practice of Aquarium Keeping 15

Recognizing the Amazing Benefits of Owning an Aquarium 16

Identifying Aquarium Water Systems 18

Freshwater systems 19

Saltwater systems 21

Brackish systems 22

Organization Is the Key to Success 23

Chapter 3: Finding a Good Location 25

Making Sure Your Floor Is Sound 26

Taking Room Temperature and Its Effects into Consideration 26

Wicked windows 27

Deadly doors 28

High Traffic Areas, Children, and Pets (Spell D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R) 28

Contemplating Your Water Source When Placing Your Aquarium 30

Thinking about Other Household Items 30

Furniture and space 30

Electrical outlets and TVs 31

Overhead lighting 32

Cleaning considerations 32

Chapter 4: The Tank and Stand 33

Buying a Tank: What You Need to Know 33

Water is heavy 34

Watching the tendency to overspend 35

Checking out starter kits 35

Size matters - gauging space requirements 36

Taking people into consideration 37

Deciding where to buy 38

Examining the Different Types of Aquariums Available 39

Glass aquariums 40

Acrylic aquariums 41

Plastic aquariums (bowls and small tanks) 42

Rimless tanks 42

Considering Different and Unusual Aquarium Styles 43

Wall-mounted aquariums 43

In-wall tanks 43

Furniture aquariums 44

Tower aquariums 44

Indoor pond barrels 45

All-in-one tanks 45

Betta tanks and water gardens 45

Special tanks from the pros 45

Choosing the Right Tank 46

Tank size 46

Tank shape 47

Carrying capacity 47

Picking the Right Stand 47

Wooden cabinet stands 48

Angle and wrought iron stands 48

Aluminum stands 49

Do-it-yourself stands 49

Material-based stands 49

Bow-front stands 49

Moving an Aquarium 50

Chapter 5: Aquascaping Your Aquarium: What to Add and Not Add in Your Tank 51

Taking Clues from Your Fish's Natural Environment 52

Getting the Lowdown on Substrates 53

Starting with the basics: Gravel, aqua soil, and fluorite 54

Thinking about pH with your substrates 54

Knowing which substrates to avoid 55

Being aware of gravel size and the perils of sand 56

Adding new substrate to your system 56

Using established substrate 57

Considering Rocks, Wood, and Artificial Plants 57

Rocks for freshwater tanks 58

Wood for a freshwater tank 58

Plastic plants 60

Contemplating Other Aquarium Decorations 62

Keeping safety first 62

Eyeing plastic divers and other oddities 62

Aquascaping Tips and Tricks 63

Chapter 6: Selecting the Equipment and Other Stuff Your Aquarium Needs 67

Taking the Mystery out of Filters 68

Mechanical filtration 69

Biological filtration 69

Chemical filtration 70

Sifting through Filtration Systems 70

Undergravel filters 71

Sponge filters 71

Corner filters 72

Power filters 72

Canister filters 73

Fluidized bed filters 74

Diatom filters 74

Wet/dry filters 75

Natural filtration with plants 75

An underground filter's best friend - powerheads 76

Gauging Heaters and Thermometers 77

Submersible heaters 77

Nonsubmersible heaters 77

Digital heaters 77

Heating your aquarium: Thermometers 78

Making Bubbles with Airstones and Pumps 79

Air pumps 79

Airstones and other bubble makers 80

Connecting Tubing, Valves, and Tees 81

Air-line tubing 81

Gang valves and tees 82

Creating the Best Lighting 83

Looking at bulb types 84

Making a hood choice 85

Part 2: Taking a Closer Look at Fish and How to Care for Them 87

Chapter 7: Fish Anatomy 101 89

Understanding What Makes a Fish Go 90

The dorsal fin 90

The caudal fin 91

The anal fin 91

The pectoral fins 92

The pelvic fins 92

The adipose fin 92

Swimming movement 92

Breathing In and Out - Respiration 93

The gill method 93

The labyrinth organ method 94

Getting Acquainted with the Senses 95

Sight 95

Hearing 97

Smelling 97

Tasting 97

Feeling 98

Comprehending Osmosis and the Salt-to-Water Ratio 98

Fish that don't drink water 99

Fish that need to drink water 99

Recognizing Traits to Identify Fish 99

Body shape 100

Taxonomy 100

The swim bladder 102

Color and its purpose 102

Chapter 8: Figuring Out What Kind of Fish to Buy 105

Looking Closer at Freshwater Fish 106

Anabantids 106

Cyprinodonts and livebearers 108

Catfish (plecos, cories, and one special Cypriniforme) 112

Characins 114

Unusual characins 117

Loaches 119

African cichlids 120

American cichlids 121

Cyprinids 125

Freshwater tropical invertebrates 127

Contemplating Coldwater Fish and Invertebrates 129

Koi (Cyprinus carpio) 129

Goldfish (Carassius auratus) 129

White cloud mountain minnows (Tanichthys albonubes) 132

Coldwater invertebrates 132

Thinking about Captive-Bred Species 134

Buying Fish Online 135

Chapter 9: Working with a Fish Dealer to Purchase Your Fish 137

Choosing a Quality Fish Dealer 138

Searching for a fish store 138

The importance of great service 140

The store's appearance 140

Dealer Practices: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly 142

Do Bee dealers 143

Don't Bee dealers 143

Wanna Bee dealers 144

Developing a Good Relationship with Your Fish Dealer 145

Selecting Healthy Fish 145

Start simply and do your homework 145

Look for signs of good health 146

Know your fish's behavior 146

Understand how big the fish will grow 147

Avoid the first fish off the boat 148

Don't be Doctor Doolittle 148

Getting the Right Fish without Going Overboard 149

Chapter 10: Feeding Your Wet Pets - Diet and Nutrition 151

Understanding Basic Nutrition 151

Recognizing what your fish need 152

Being aware of overfeeding 153

Underfeeding is just as bad 153

Feeding just what your fish need 153

Knowing What Type of Eater You Have 155

Taking action when they stop eating 155

Meeting your carnivores' desires 156

Going leafy and feeding vegetarians 156

Feeding fish that eat anything that falls into the tank 157

Identifying the Different Types of Food 157

Prepackaged foods 157

Frozen foods 158

Freeze-dried foods 158

Spirulina 159

Live food - the stuff they really love and want 159

Brine shrimp 160

Infusoria 161

Rotifers 161

Tubifex, bloodworms, mosquito larvae, and earthworms (yuck!) 161

Feeding Fry 162

Microworms 162

Liquid, powdered, and growth foods 162

Chapter 11: Recognizing Diseases and Treatments 163

An Ounce of Prevention 163

Your daily review 164

Your weekly to-do list 165

Monthly checklist 168

Identifying Common Ailments and Cures 168

Common bacterial infection 169

Constipation 169

Dropsy 169

Fin rot 169

Fish louse 170

Freshwater velvet 170

Freshwater ich 170

Fungus 171

Gill parasites 171

Hole in the head 171

Intestinal parasites 172

Large skin parasites 172

Mouth fungus 172

Pop-eye 172

Septicemia 173

Skin flukes 173

Slimy skin disease 173

Swim bladder disease 174

Tuberculosis (TB) 174

Keeping an Eye Open for Frequent Causes of Disease 174

Carbon dioxide poisoning 175

Poor water quality 175

Metal poisoning 175

Chemical poisoning 175

Improper diet 176

Overfeeding 176

Frightened fish 176

Relying on a Tried-and-True Home Remedy: Giving a Salt Bath 177

Playing Detective: The Sherlock Holmes Method 177

Using Quarantine Tanks 178

Grasping the purpose and advantages of quarantining 178

Knowing how much time to...