How To Setup A Freshwater Tropical Fish Tank

This is an 11 step guide to setting up a freshwater aquarium in your home.

Equipment you will need:

Aquarium

Aquarium gravel

Aquarium filter

Replacement filter media

Heater

Other decorations (such as plants)

Chemical test kits

Fish food

Aquarium vacuum

Fish net

Glass Scrubber

5-gallon bucket

Pasta strainer

STEP 1: Realize the responsibility involved. A tropical fish tank is just like having a dog or a cat when it comes to the amount of effort on your part. In order to have a successful fish tank you will have to work at it. Once a week, or at most once every two weeks, you will need to perform some kind of maintenance on the tank. Most of the time you will be performing water changes. You will also have to feed your tropical fish at least once a day. If you are up to the challenge, please proceed!

STEP 2: Decide on an aquarium size. It's a good idea to have in mind what kind of tropical fish you want to keep before you purchase an aquarium. Some tropical fish only grow to be an inch or two, whereas other types of tropical fish can grow 12 or 13 inches in length! Knowing what kind of tropical fish you want will help you decide the size of the tank they will need. If this is your first time with an aquarium, I would recommend going with a 10 or 20 gallon aquarium for now.

STEP 3: Decide on the aquarium's location. Place your aquarium in an area where the light and temperature of the tank won't be affected by external sources such as windows and heater vents. You will want to place your aquarium on a stand that will be able to hold its total weight. A good rule of thumb for determining the total weight of a full aquarium is 10 pounds per gallon of water. For example, a 55-gallon tank will weigh approximately 550 pounds when filled with water!

STEP 4: Buy your aquarium and equipment. Now is the time to decide on the type of filtration you will want to use. You will also need to purchase a heater capable of heating the tank size you have. Buy the gravel, plants, a power strip and other decorations. A good rule of thumb for the amount of gravel that you will need is 1 to 1.5 pounds of gravel per gallon of water.

STEP 5: Set up your aquarium and stand. Wash out your tank with water only! Do not use soap or detergents. Soap residue left behind will be harmful for your tropical fish. If you are going to use an under gravel filter (not recommended) now would be the time to set it up as well.

STEP 6: Wash Gravel, plants and decorations. Be sure to wash the gravel thoroughly before adding it to your tank. An easy way to do this is to put some of the rocks in a pasta strainer and wash them out in your bathtub. Then place the clean gravel in a clean 5-gallon bucket for transport to the aquarium. After adding the gravel you can place your plants and decorations.

STEP 7: Add water to the aquarium. To avoid messing up your gravel and plants, you can place a plate or saucer in the middle of your aquarium and direct the water flow onto the plate. Use room temperature water when filling. To remove the chlorine and chloramine, use something like Tetra AquaSafe for Aquariums. Don't completely fill up the aquarium until you are sure of the layout of your decorations. Otherwise, when you place your arm in to move stuff around water is going to spill over. Doh!

STEP 8: Set up equipment. Install your heater but don't plug it in until the thermostat in the heater has adjusted to the water temperature. This usually takes about 15 minutes or so. Hook up your filter and any other equipment you have, then top off the aquarium water to just under the hood lip. Place your hood and light on the aquarium and then check your power cords to be sure that they are free of water. I would also recommend using a drip loop on all of the power cords to be extra cautious. Plug all of the equipment into a power strip and then "turn on" the aquarium.

STEP 9. Wait, wait, wait and then wait some more. I know, you want to add some tropical fish. But, in order to do this right you must wait until your aquarium has cycled before adding any fish. There are ways of speeding up this process. Check out the nitrogen cycle page to learn more. If you must use fish to cycle, try to get a hardier species like the zebra danio or cherry barb.

STEP 10. Add tropical fish. Only add one or two fish at a time. Adding a couple tropical fish at a time gives your filtration system the time needed to take on the increased biological load that the new fish introduce. When you bring the fish home let the bag float in the tank for about 15 minutes so that the fish can become acclimated to the temperature and pH of the aquarium water. After 5 minutes of floating the bag you should add some of the aquarium water to the bag so that the fish can become acclimated to the pH level in the aquarium. This will help reduce the amount of stress imposed on the tropical fish. Stressed tropical fish often leads to dead tropical fish! Don't feed your tropical fish on the first day. They probably wouldn't eat any food on the first day anyway. Let them get acquainted with their new home.

STEP 11. Get ready for regular maintenance. Be prepared to spend some time once every week or two to clean your tank. Performing regular water changes will reduce the nitrate levels and keep your tropical fish happy and healthy.

For more tropical fish and aquarium information, please visit FishLore.com - Tropical Fish & Aquarium Information.

Tropical Fish Breeding for Beginners - Guppies and Swordtails   How To Raise A Goldfish   

Tropical Fish Breeding for Beginners - Guppies and Swordtails

Breeding tropical fish can be a lot of fun. Try your luck at breeding livebearers such as guppies or swordtails.

Equipment Needed:

Breeder Box or Breeder Net

Breeding Grass

5 or 10 gallon tank for the baby fish or a tank divider that you can use for your main tank.

A pair - 1 female and 1 male, 2 females to 1 male works even better

Two of the more popular tropical fish for beginners has to be Guppies and Swordtails. Guppies and Swordtails are livebearers which means that their babies come out swimming. Like most livebearers, there is not much to getting your guppies or swordtails to breed. If you have a male and a female then you will eventually have a pregnant female. The gestation period for livebearers is usually 28 days but can range from 20 to 40 days.

Place the male and female in the same tank together and they will soon mate. You are probably asking, how can I tell when the female is pregnant? When a female guppy is pregnant she will develop a dark triangular shaped gravid spot near her anal vent. This will get larger and darker as the pregnancy progresses. While you are waiting on the female to develop the babies it's time to make sure you are prepared for the delivery. We use plastic breeder boxes and always have without any problems. A breeder box is a small box plastic box about 4 inches long by 3 inches wide and 4 inches deep.

There is a removable "V" shaped trap in it which serves to separate the mother from the babies. When the mother fish has babies they fall through the slot in the "V" into the bottom of the box. After the mother is finished having babies, you can remove the "V" trap and the mother so that they babies have more room to grow. Some people have had bad experiences with breeder boxes and now only use a breeder net. It is also a good idea to purchase some real or plastic breeding grass for the top of the aquarium. The breeding grass is just in case the mother gives birth before you have a chance to put her in the breeder box. The young babies instinctively will swim to the top of the aquarium and the breeder grass provides a great hiding place so they won't get eaten by the bigger fish in your tank.

To feed your new arrivals you can use finely crushed flake food. Using your fingers, you can rub the flakes into a fine powder. Some only feed live foods such as baby brine shrimp. Live foods would definitely be the best way to go, but for most this is simply not feasible. Crushed or powdered flake food will suffice. Try to feed the babies 3 very small meals per day. You will invariably feed too much and the excess food will drop to the bottom of the tank or breeder box. To clean a breeder box we like to take a 3 ft. length of aquarium tubing and a small bucket. Use the tubing as a siphon to clean the bottom of the breeder box. Be careful not to siphon any baby fish.

Try to perform 25% water changes weekly for your baby guppies. This will aid in the optimal growth of your baby tropical fish. After a few weeks in the breeder box your new babies will soon outgrow their home and you will need to move them either to a new tank or your main tank with a divider installed. By 8 weeks old your baby fish will most likely be able to return to the main tank without a divider.

For more tropical fish and aquarium information, please visit FishLore.com - Tropical Fish & Aquarium Information.

Tropical Fish Breeding for Beginners - Guppies and Swordtails   How To Raise A Goldfish   

How To Setup A Freshwater Tropical Fish Tank

This is an 11 step guide to setting up a freshwater aquarium in your home.

Equipment you will need:

Aquarium

Aquarium gravel

Aquarium filter

Replacement filter media

Heater

Other decorations (such as plants)

Chemical test kits

Fish food

Aquarium vacuum

Fish net

Glass Scrubber

5-gallon bucket

Pasta strainer

STEP 1: Realize the responsibility involved. A tropical fish tank is just like having a dog or a cat when it comes to the amount of effort on your part. In order to have a successful fish tank you will have to work at it. Once a week, or at most once every two weeks, you will need to perform some kind of maintenance on the tank. Most of the time you will be performing water changes. You will also have to feed your tropical fish at least once a day. If you are up to the challenge, please proceed!

STEP 2: Decide on an aquarium size. It's a good idea to have in mind what kind of tropical fish you want to keep before you purchase an aquarium. Some tropical fish only grow to be an inch or two, whereas other types of tropical fish can grow 12 or 13 inches in length! Knowing what kind of tropical fish you want will help you decide the size of the tank they will need. If this is your first time with an aquarium, I would recommend going with a 10 or 20 gallon aquarium for now.

STEP 3: Decide on the aquarium's location. Place your aquarium in an area where the light and temperature of the tank won't be affected by external sources such as windows and heater vents. You will want to place your aquarium on a stand that will be able to hold its total weight. A good rule of thumb for determining the total weight of a full aquarium is 10 pounds per gallon of water. For example, a 55-gallon tank will weigh approximately 550 pounds when filled with water!

STEP 4: Buy your aquarium and equipment. Now is the time to decide on the type of filtration you will want to use. You will also need to purchase a heater capable of heating the tank size you have. Buy the gravel, plants, a power strip and other decorations. A good rule of thumb for the amount of gravel that you will need is 1 to 1.5 pounds of gravel per gallon of water.

STEP 5: Set up your aquarium and stand. Wash out your tank with water only! Do not use soap or detergents. Soap residue left behind will be harmful for your tropical fish. If you are going to use an under gravel filter (not recommended) now would be the time to set it up as well.

STEP 6: Wash Gravel, plants and decorations. Be sure to wash the gravel thoroughly before adding it to your tank. An easy way to do this is to put some of the rocks in a pasta strainer and wash them out in your bathtub. Then place the clean gravel in a clean 5-gallon bucket for transport to the aquarium. After adding the gravel you can place your plants and decorations.

STEP 7: Add water to the aquarium. To avoid messing up your gravel and plants, you can place a plate or saucer in the middle of your aquarium and direct the water flow onto the plate. Use room temperature water when filling. To remove the chlorine and chloramine, use something like Tetra AquaSafe for Aquariums. Don't completely fill up the aquarium until you are sure of the layout of your decorations. Otherwise, when you place your arm in to move stuff around water is going to spill over. Doh!

STEP 8: Set up equipment. Install your heater but don't plug it in until the thermostat in the heater has adjusted to the water temperature. This usually takes about 15 minutes or so. Hook up your filter and any other equipment you have, then top off the aquarium water to just under the hood lip. Place your hood and light on the aquarium and then check your power cords to be sure that they are free of water. I would also recommend using a drip loop on all of the power cords to be extra cautious. Plug all of the equipment into a power strip and then "turn on" the aquarium.

STEP 9. Wait, wait, wait and then wait some more. I know, you want to add some tropical fish. But, in order to do this right you must wait until your aquarium has cycled before adding any fish. There are ways of speeding up this process. Check out the nitrogen cycle page to learn more. If you must use fish to cycle, try to get a hardier species like the zebra danio or cherry barb.

STEP 10. Add tropical fish. Only add one or two fish at a time. Adding a couple tropical fish at a time gives your filtration system the time needed to take on the increased biological load that the new fish introduce. When you bring the fish home let the bag float in the tank for about 15 minutes so that the fish can become acclimated to the temperature and pH of the aquarium water. After 5 minutes of floating the bag you should add some of the aquarium water to the bag so that the fish can become acclimated to the pH level in the aquarium. This will help reduce the amount of stress imposed on the tropical fish. Stressed tropical fish often leads to dead tropical fish! Don't feed your tropical fish on the first day. They probably wouldn't eat any food on the first day anyway. Let them get acquainted with their new home.

STEP 11. Get ready for regular maintenance. Be prepared to spend some time once every week or two to clean your tank. Performing regular water changes will reduce the nitrate levels and keep your tropical fish happy and healthy.

For more tropical fish and aquarium information, please visit FishLore.com - Tropical Fish & Aquarium Information.

Tropical Fish Breeding for Beginners - Guppies and Swordtails   How To Raise A Goldfish   

How To Setup A Freshwater Tropical Fish Tank

This is an 11 step guide to setting up a freshwater aquarium in your home.

Equipment you will need:

Aquarium

Aquarium gravel

Aquarium filter

Replacement filter media

Heater

Other decorations (such as plants)

Chemical test kits

Fish food

Aquarium vacuum

Fish net

Glass Scrubber

5-gallon bucket

Pasta strainer

STEP 1: Realize the responsibility involved. A tropical fish tank is just like having a dog or a cat when it comes to the amount of effort on your part. In order to have a successful fish tank you will have to work at it. Once a week, or at most once every two weeks, you will need to perform some kind of maintenance on the tank. Most of the time you will be performing water changes. You will also have to feed your tropical fish at least once a day. If you are up to the challenge, please proceed!

STEP 2: Decide on an aquarium size. It's a good idea to have in mind what kind of tropical fish you want to keep before you purchase an aquarium. Some tropical fish only grow to be an inch or two, whereas other types of tropical fish can grow 12 or 13 inches in length! Knowing what kind of tropical fish you want will help you decide the size of the tank they will need. If this is your first time with an aquarium, I would recommend going with a 10 or 20 gallon aquarium for now.

STEP 3: Decide on the aquarium's location. Place your aquarium in an area where the light and temperature of the tank won't be affected by external sources such as windows and heater vents. You will want to place your aquarium on a stand that will be able to hold its total weight. A good rule of thumb for determining the total weight of a full aquarium is 10 pounds per gallon of water. For example, a 55-gallon tank will weigh approximately 550 pounds when filled with water!

STEP 4: Buy your aquarium and equipment. Now is the time to decide on the type of filtration you will want to use. You will also need to purchase a heater capable of heating the tank size you have. Buy the gravel, plants, a power strip and other decorations. A good rule of thumb for the amount of gravel that you will need is 1 to 1.5 pounds of gravel per gallon of water.

STEP 5: Set up your aquarium and stand. Wash out your tank with water only! Do not use soap or detergents. Soap residue left behind will be harmful for your tropical fish. If you are going to use an under gravel filter (not recommended) now would be the time to set it up as well.

STEP 6: Wash Gravel, plants and decorations. Be sure to wash the gravel thoroughly before adding it to your tank. An easy way to do this is to put some of the rocks in a pasta strainer and wash them out in your bathtub. Then place the clean gravel in a clean 5-gallon bucket for transport to the aquarium. After adding the gravel you can place your plants and decorations.

STEP 7: Add water to the aquarium. To avoid messing up your gravel and plants, you can place a plate or saucer in the middle of your aquarium and direct the water flow onto the plate. Use room temperature water when filling. To remove the chlorine and chloramine, use something like Tetra AquaSafe for Aquariums. Don't completely fill up the aquarium until you are sure of the layout of your decorations. Otherwise, when you place your arm in to move stuff around water is going to spill over. Doh!

STEP 8: Set up equipment. Install your heater but don't plug it in until the thermostat in the heater has adjusted to the water temperature. This usually takes about 15 minutes or so. Hook up your filter and any other equipment you have, then top off the aquarium water to just under the hood lip. Place your hood and light on the aquarium and then check your power cords to be sure that they are free of water. I would also recommend using a drip loop on all of the power cords to be extra cautious. Plug all of the equipment into a power strip and then "turn on" the aquarium.

STEP 9. Wait, wait, wait and then wait some more. I know, you want to add some tropical fish. But, in order to do this right you must wait until your aquarium has cycled before adding any fish. There are ways of speeding up this process. Check out the nitrogen cycle page to learn more. If you must use fish to cycle, try to get a hardier species like the zebra danio or cherry barb.

STEP 10. Add tropical fish. Only add one or two fish at a time. Adding a couple tropical fish at a time gives your filtration system the time needed to take on the increased biological load that the new fish introduce. When you bring the fish home let the bag float in the tank for about 15 minutes so that the fish can become acclimated to the temperature and pH of the aquarium water. After 5 minutes of floating the bag you should add some of the aquarium water to the bag so that the fish can become acclimated to the pH level in the aquarium. This will help reduce the amount of stress imposed on the tropical fish. Stressed tropical fish often leads to dead tropical fish! Don't feed your tropical fish on the first day. They probably wouldn't eat any food on the first day anyway. Let them get acquainted with their new home.

STEP 11. Get ready for regular maintenance. Be prepared to spend some time once every week or two to clean your tank. Performing regular water changes will reduce the nitrate levels and keep your tropical fish happy and healthy.

For more tropical fish and aquarium information, please visit FishLore.com - Tropical Fish & Aquarium Information.

Tropical Fish Breeding for Beginners - Guppies and Swordtails   How To Raise A Goldfish   

Tropical Fish Breeding for Beginners - Guppies and Swordtails

Breeding tropical fish can be a lot of fun. Try your luck at breeding livebearers such as guppies or swordtails.

Equipment Needed:

Breeder Box or Breeder Net

Breeding Grass

5 or 10 gallon tank for the baby fish or a tank divider that you can use for your main tank.

A pair - 1 female and 1 male, 2 females to 1 male works even better

Two of the more popular tropical fish for beginners has to be Guppies and Swordtails. Guppies and Swordtails are livebearers which means that their babies come out swimming. Like most livebearers, there is not much to getting your guppies or swordtails to breed. If you have a male and a female then you will eventually have a pregnant female. The gestation period for livebearers is usually 28 days but can range from 20 to 40 days.

Place the male and female in the same tank together and they will soon mate. You are probably asking, how can I tell when the female is pregnant? When a female guppy is pregnant she will develop a dark triangular shaped gravid spot near her anal vent. This will get larger and darker as the pregnancy progresses. While you are waiting on the female to develop the babies it's time to make sure you are prepared for the delivery. We use plastic breeder boxes and always have without any problems. A breeder box is a small box plastic box about 4 inches long by 3 inches wide and 4 inches deep.

There is a removable "V" shaped trap in it which serves to separate the mother from the babies. When the mother fish has babies they fall through the slot in the "V" into the bottom of the box. After the mother is finished having babies, you can remove the "V" trap and the mother so that they babies have more room to grow. Some people have had bad experiences with breeder boxes and now only use a breeder net. It is also a good idea to purchase some real or plastic breeding grass for the top of the aquarium. The breeding grass is just in case the mother gives birth before you have a chance to put her in the breeder box. The young babies instinctively will swim to the top of the aquarium and the breeder grass provides a great hiding place so they won't get eaten by the bigger fish in your tank.

To feed your new arrivals you can use finely crushed flake food. Using your fingers, you can rub the flakes into a fine powder. Some only feed live foods such as baby brine shrimp. Live foods would definitely be the best way to go, but for most this is simply not feasible. Crushed or powdered flake food will suffice. Try to feed the babies 3 very small meals per day. You will invariably feed too much and the excess food will drop to the bottom of the tank or breeder box. To clean a breeder box we like to take a 3 ft. length of aquarium tubing and a small bucket. Use the tubing as a siphon to clean the bottom of the breeder box. Be careful not to siphon any baby fish.

Try to perform 25% water changes weekly for your baby guppies. This will aid in the optimal growth of your baby tropical fish. After a few weeks in the breeder box your new babies will soon outgrow their home and you will need to move them either to a new tank or your main tank with a divider installed. By 8 weeks old your baby fish will most likely be able to return to the main tank without a divider.

For more tropical fish and aquarium information, please visit FishLore.com - Tropical Fish & Aquarium Information.

Tropical Fish Breeding for Beginners - Guppies and Swordtails   How To Raise A Goldfish   

How To Raise A Goldfish

Did you know that your goldfish can live for over 10 years? Under the right conditions he can live even longer but most never make it past the first year! If you want your goldfish to live long and healthy lives, you've got to provide the proper environment.

It's a common misconception that a goldfish can live in a tiny bowl. In order for him to survive for any length of time, you'll need to do frequent water changes and cleanings of the bowl - that's a lot of work and living in a bowl isn't much fun so it's best to keep your fish in a regular tank with a proper filtration system.

The size of your tank depends on how many goldfish you want to keep in it. A good rule of thumb is to allocate about 7 gallons of water per fish, so if you want 5 goldfish a 35 gallon tank is recommended. It's better to keep fish in a long tank that has plenty of surface to air space as goldfish like to have a lot of oxygen in their water. A tall hexagon shaped tank won't be the best tank for these fish.

Goldfish like their water to be a little on the cool side - between 65 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit so in most cases a heater is not necessary. You should, however have a thermometer in the tank and take the appropriate measures if the temperature gets above 72 degrees as higher temperatures can make your fish more susceptible to disease. Bear in mind that most other tropical fish like their water on the warm side, so you will have to be careful what fish you put in the tank with your goldfish.

Provide the goldfish tank with a filtration system that is appropriate for the size of the tank. If you are keeping the fancy tailed goldfish, don't use a system that will provide too much current as this can make it difficult for them to swim around. You'll also want to provide periodic water changes as you should with any tank.

One of the main reasons that fish become sick is due to poor water quality. To keep your goldfish healthy, make sure you provide the filtration and water changes but also be careful about overcrowding and overfeeding. Too many fish or too much decaying food and waste will cause the water in your tank to become toxic to your fish.

Keeping goldfish can be a wonderful hobby and with minimal work, you can get a tank up and keep it running with healthy fish.

Tropical Fish Breeding for Beginners - Guppies and Swordtails   How To Raise A Goldfish   

How To Setup A Freshwater Tropical Fish Tank

This is an 11 step guide to setting up a freshwater aquarium in your home.

Equipment you will need:

Aquarium

Aquarium gravel

Aquarium filter

Replacement filter media

Heater

Other decorations (such as plants)

Chemical test kits

Fish food

Aquarium vacuum

Fish net

Glass Scrubber

5-gallon bucket

Pasta strainer

STEP 1: Realize the responsibility involved. A tropical fish tank is just like having a dog or a cat when it comes to the amount of effort on your part. In order to have a successful fish tank you will have to work at it. Once a week, or at most once every two weeks, you will need to perform some kind of maintenance on the tank. Most of the time you will be performing water changes. You will also have to feed your tropical fish at least once a day. If you are up to the challenge, please proceed!

STEP 2: Decide on an aquarium size. It's a good idea to have in mind what kind of tropical fish you want to keep before you purchase an aquarium. Some tropical fish only grow to be an inch or two, whereas other types of tropical fish can grow 12 or 13 inches in length! Knowing what kind of tropical fish you want will help you decide the size of the tank they will need. If this is your first time with an aquarium, I would recommend going with a 10 or 20 gallon aquarium for now.

STEP 3: Decide on the aquarium's location. Place your aquarium in an area where the light and temperature of the tank won't be affected by external sources such as windows and heater vents. You will want to place your aquarium on a stand that will be able to hold its total weight. A good rule of thumb for determining the total weight of a full aquarium is 10 pounds per gallon of water. For example, a 55-gallon tank will weigh approximately 550 pounds when filled with water!

STEP 4: Buy your aquarium and equipment. Now is the time to decide on the type of filtration you will want to use. You will also need to purchase a heater capable of heating the tank size you have. Buy the gravel, plants, a power strip and other decorations. A good rule of thumb for the amount of gravel that you will need is 1 to 1.5 pounds of gravel per gallon of water.

STEP 5: Set up your aquarium and stand. Wash out your tank with water only! Do not use soap or detergents. Soap residue left behind will be harmful for your tropical fish. If you are going to use an under gravel filter (not recommended) now would be the time to set it up as well.

STEP 6: Wash Gravel, plants and decorations. Be sure to wash the gravel thoroughly before adding it to your tank. An easy way to do this is to put some of the rocks in a pasta strainer and wash them out in your bathtub. Then place the clean gravel in a clean 5-gallon bucket for transport to the aquarium. After adding the gravel you can place your plants and decorations.

STEP 7: Add water to the aquarium. To avoid messing up your gravel and plants, you can place a plate or saucer in the middle of your aquarium and direct the water flow onto the plate. Use room temperature water when filling. To remove the chlorine and chloramine, use something like Tetra AquaSafe for Aquariums. Don't completely fill up the aquarium until you are sure of the layout of your decorations. Otherwise, when you place your arm in to move stuff around water is going to spill over. Doh!

STEP 8: Set up equipment. Install your heater but don't plug it in until the thermostat in the heater has adjusted to the water temperature. This usually takes about 15 minutes or so. Hook up your filter and any other equipment you have, then top off the aquarium water to just under the hood lip. Place your hood and light on the aquarium and then check your power cords to be sure that they are free of water. I would also recommend using a drip loop on all of the power cords to be extra cautious. Plug all of the equipment into a power strip and then "turn on" the aquarium.

STEP 9. Wait, wait, wait and then wait some more. I know, you want to add some tropical fish. But, in order to do this right you must wait until your aquarium has cycled before adding any fish. There are ways of speeding up this process. Check out the nitrogen cycle page to learn more. If you must use fish to cycle, try to get a hardier species like the zebra danio or cherry barb.

STEP 10. Add tropical fish. Only add one or two fish at a time. Adding a couple tropical fish at a time gives your filtration system the time needed to take on the increased biological load that the new fish introduce. When you bring the fish home let the bag float in the tank for about 15 minutes so that the fish can become acclimated to the temperature and pH of the aquarium water. After 5 minutes of floating the bag you should add some of the aquarium water to the bag so that the fish can become acclimated to the pH level in the aquarium. This will help reduce the amount of stress imposed on the tropical fish. Stressed tropical fish often leads to dead tropical fish! Don't feed your tropical fish on the first day. They probably wouldn't eat any food on the first day anyway. Let them get acquainted with their new home.

STEP 11. Get ready for regular maintenance. Be prepared to spend some time once every week or two to clean your tank. Performing regular water changes will reduce the nitrate levels and keep your tropical fish happy and healthy.

For more tropical fish and aquarium information, please visit FishLore.com - Tropical Fish & Aquarium Information.

Tropical Fish Breeding for Beginners - Guppies and Swordtails   How To Raise A Goldfish   

How To Raise A Goldfish

Did you know that your goldfish can live for over 10 years? Under the right conditions he can live even longer but most never make it past the first year! If you want your goldfish to live long and healthy lives, you've got to provide the proper environment.

It's a common misconception that a goldfish can live in a tiny bowl. In order for him to survive for any length of time, you'll need to do frequent water changes and cleanings of the bowl - that's a lot of work and living in a bowl isn't much fun so it's best to keep your fish in a regular tank with a proper filtration system.

The size of your tank depends on how many goldfish you want to keep in it. A good rule of thumb is to allocate about 7 gallons of water per fish, so if you want 5 goldfish a 35 gallon tank is recommended. It's better to keep fish in a long tank that has plenty of surface to air space as goldfish like to have a lot of oxygen in their water. A tall hexagon shaped tank won't be the best tank for these fish.

Goldfish like their water to be a little on the cool side - between 65 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit so in most cases a heater is not necessary. You should, however have a thermometer in the tank and take the appropriate measures if the temperature gets above 72 degrees as higher temperatures can make your fish more susceptible to disease. Bear in mind that most other tropical fish like their water on the warm side, so you will have to be careful what fish you put in the tank with your goldfish.

Provide the goldfish tank with a filtration system that is appropriate for the size of the tank. If you are keeping the fancy tailed goldfish, don't use a system that will provide too much current as this can make it difficult for them to swim around. You'll also want to provide periodic water changes as you should with any tank.

One of the main reasons that fish become sick is due to poor water quality. To keep your goldfish healthy, make sure you provide the filtration and water changes but also be careful about overcrowding and overfeeding. Too many fish or too much decaying food and waste will cause the water in your tank to become toxic to your fish.

Keeping goldfish can be a wonderful hobby and with minimal work, you can get a tank up and keep it running with healthy fish.

Tropical Fish Breeding for Beginners - Guppies and Swordtails   How To Raise A Goldfish   

How To Setup A Freshwater Tropical Fish Tank

This is an 11 step guide to setting up a freshwater aquarium in your home.

Equipment you will need:

Aquarium

Aquarium gravel

Aquarium filter

Replacement filter media

Heater

Other decorations (such as plants)

Chemical test kits

Fish food

Aquarium vacuum

Fish net

Glass Scrubber

5-gallon bucket

Pasta strainer

STEP 1: Realize the responsibility involved. A tropical fish tank is just like having a dog or a cat when it comes to the amount of effort on your part. In order to have a successful fish tank you will have to work at it. Once a week, or at most once every two weeks, you will need to perform some kind of maintenance on the tank. Most of the time you will be performing water changes. You will also have to feed your tropical fish at least once a day. If you are up to the challenge, please proceed!

STEP 2: Decide on an aquarium size. It's a good idea to have in mind what kind of tropical fish you want to keep before you purchase an aquarium. Some tropical fish only grow to be an inch or two, whereas other types of tropical fish can grow 12 or 13 inches in length! Knowing what kind of tropical fish you want will help you decide the size of the tank they will need. If this is your first time with an aquarium, I would recommend going with a 10 or 20 gallon aquarium for now.

STEP 3: Decide on the aquarium's location. Place your aquarium in an area where the light and temperature of the tank won't be affected by external sources such as windows and heater vents. You will want to place your aquarium on a stand that will be able to hold its total weight. A good rule of thumb for determining the total weight of a full aquarium is 10 pounds per gallon of water. For example, a 55-gallon tank will weigh approximately 550 pounds when filled with water!

STEP 4: Buy your aquarium and equipment. Now is the time to decide on the type of filtration you will want to use. You will also need to purchase a heater capable of heating the tank size you have. Buy the gravel, plants, a power strip and other decorations. A good rule of thumb for the amount of gravel that you will need is 1 to 1.5 pounds of gravel per gallon of water.

STEP 5: Set up your aquarium and stand. Wash out your tank with water only! Do not use soap or detergents. Soap residue left behind will be harmful for your tropical fish. If you are going to use an under gravel filter (not recommended) now would be the time to set it up as well.

STEP 6: Wash Gravel, plants and decorations. Be sure to wash the gravel thoroughly before adding it to your tank. An easy way to do this is to put some of the rocks in a pasta strainer and wash them out in your bathtub. Then place the clean gravel in a clean 5-gallon bucket for transport to the aquarium. After adding the gravel you can place your plants and decorations.

STEP 7: Add water to the aquarium. To avoid messing up your gravel and plants, you can place a plate or saucer in the middle of your aquarium and direct the water flow onto the plate. Use room temperature water when filling. To remove the chlorine and chloramine, use something like Tetra AquaSafe for Aquariums. Don't completely fill up the aquarium until you are sure of the layout of your decorations. Otherwise, when you place your arm in to move stuff around water is going to spill over. Doh!

STEP 8: Set up equipment. Install your heater but don't plug it in until the thermostat in the heater has adjusted to the water temperature. This usually takes about 15 minutes or so. Hook up your filter and any other equipment you have, then top off the aquarium water to just under the hood lip. Place your hood and light on the aquarium and then check your power cords to be sure that they are free of water. I would also recommend using a drip loop on all of the power cords to be extra cautious. Plug all of the equipment into a power strip and then "turn on" the aquarium.

STEP 9. Wait, wait, wait and then wait some more. I know, you want to add some tropical fish. But, in order to do this right you must wait until your aquarium has cycled before adding any fish. There are ways of speeding up this process. Check out the nitrogen cycle page to learn more. If you must use fish to cycle, try to get a hardier species like the zebra danio or cherry barb.

STEP 10. Add tropical fish. Only add one or two fish at a time. Adding a couple tropical fish at a time gives your filtration system the time needed to take on the increased biological load that the new fish introduce. When you bring the fish home let the bag float in the tank for about 15 minutes so that the fish can become acclimated to the temperature and pH of the aquarium water. After 5 minutes of floating the bag you should add some of the aquarium water to the bag so that the fish can become acclimated to the pH level in the aquarium. This will help reduce the amount of stress imposed on the tropical fish. Stressed tropical fish often leads to dead tropical fish! Don't feed your tropical fish on the first day. They probably wouldn't eat any food on the first day anyway. Let them get acquainted with their new home.

STEP 11. Get ready for regular maintenance. Be prepared to spend some time once every week or two to clean your tank. Performing regular water changes will reduce the nitrate levels and keep your tropical fish happy and healthy.

For more tropical fish and aquarium information, please visit FishLore.com - Tropical Fish & Aquarium Information.

Tropical Fish Breeding for Beginners - Guppies and Swordtails   How To Raise A Goldfish   

One Bad Apple

One Bad Apple I know what you are thinking but no, I am not doing a

tribute to Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5. Although I will admit that their hit song from the 70's keeps rolling around in my mind as I type this. While the Jackson Five might have believed that "One bad apple can't spoil the whole

bunch" I don't think that they were responsible for getting high quality production results from their bunch. The fact is, in business one bad apple can make your life and the life of the people who work for you, pretty miserable, reduce production from your organization, and even cost you good employees.

The "one bad apple" that I'm referring to of course, is that one bad employee in your department who drags everyone down with them. I'm not talking about the employee who is temporarily struggling with their productivity. A lot of employees go through that problem from time to time. With training and coaching, these

are potentially very productive employees. And I'm not talking about that the employee who is going through some personal problems and is struggling to keep their business and personal lives separate. This is also a temporary situation that usually rectifies itself relatively quickly. Instead I'm talking about the

employee who seems to have made it their personal mission in life to be unhappy, and to ensure that everyone else around them is just as unhappy as they are.

These "bad apples" come in various shapes and sizes, all kinds of different backgrounds, and all different levels of experience.

You have the:

· Information hog - who hides key information about their tasks and projects

· Martyr - whose assignments are always more difficult than any else

· Bully - who intimidates all those around them

· Professional Devils Advocate - who never met a concept that they actually liked, but they will gladly take credit for any concept that actually works

· Company/Management Haters - who spend all of their free time telling anyone who will listen (and many that won't) how bad and evil the Company and Management Team really is

· Slacker - who never really seems to do anything, but is always telling everyone how busy and overworked they are

Generally speaking, it's not hard to tell if you have a bad apple in your group. They do tend to stand out. They wear their misery with pride. All kinds of bad things happen to them routinely, but the problems are never their fault. And anyone who is nearby (and some who aren't so nearby) will hear about it. The problem is not that they are miserable. The problem is that they make everyone

else miserable as well. Sometimes it's pretty blatant. They actively incite or intimidate those around them so that no one has a comfortable working environment. They get their power by sucking the life out of people around them and they know exactly how to do that.

As a leader, your team looks for you to lead and to remove obstacles that can keep them from being productive. This bad apple is an obstacle and how effectively you deal with them is a barometer that your staff will measure you by. The place to start is with Performance Management and measuring their productivity. But don't limit Performance Management to production only. Remember that all members of the team are responsible for soft skills as well

as hard skills and that an employee who produces acceptable numbers but doesn't share information, or bullies those around them is still a Performance Management problem. Manage the soft skills the same you manage the hard skills, with detailed Performance Plans. Remember, even if they play key role in your department one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch, for everyone. Work closely with your HR representative to ensure that you are in compliance with both company policy and federal law, but you must remove them.

And speaking of HR reps, take a minute to think about yours. A good HR rep is worth their weight in gold. A good HR rep will help you in identifying problem employees when the issues go beyond straight production. They will also work with you to ensure that you are working the issues both legally and that your conclusions are based on fact and not emotion. A good HR rep is also a boon for the employees, because they will work with the employees to improve their performance by identifying problems before they become severe. If you are one of the lucky ones that have been blessed with a good HR rep, then take the time to thank them for their work. Being an HR rep is a thankless job, and never more so than when they are doing the right things by being actively involved in resolving problems.

The Ivory Tower Syndrome   One Bad Apple   

Vintage Costume Jewellery Sparkles Again

Men and women have worn costume jewellery since the Romans developed the ability to cut glass imitations of precious gemstones. Jewellery was worn to enhance appearance, display wealth and affirm love, friendship and loyalty. The reasons for wearing jewellery remain the same today, but the popularity of styles changes. Vintage costume jewellery is experiencing a revival these days as sparkling vintage rhinestone brooches are roaring back in style. Here are a few things you'll need to know to help you pick out the right pieces.

What is it.

It is defined as jewellery that is made from non-precious materials such as cut glass.

Parures.

It is a set that includes a necklace, brooch and pair of earrings.

Demi-parures.

It includes a brooch and a pair of earrings.

Missing Stones.

Steer clear of an item with any missing stones. They are very difficult to replace.

Faux Pearls.

Watch closely any pieces with faux pearls because they chip easily and these chips cannot be fixed. Also, soap, cream and perfume can erode faux pearls.

Enamel.

Pieces with enamel can cause problems. Small areas of enamel damage can be retouched but large areas are very difficult to repair.

Condition Matters.

Good condition is important with vintage costume jewellery. Pin clasps that don't work, hinges that are suspect may not be replaceable because they may no longer be made. Before you purchase, double check that all the pieces are in original condition and in good working order.

Names to Look For.

The biggest name in Canada fis Sherman and it was usually signed. Other makers to be on the look out for are Trifari, Coro, Schreiner, Hobe and Schiaparelli.

Care.

Once you've found something you like, you'll want to take good care of it. Store your vintage costume jewellery separately in small plastic bags to guard against scratching.

Where To Find Great Vintage Costume Jewellery.

Antique shops, flea markets, garage sales and eBay are all good sources.

Value.

Prices range from under $20 for unsigned pieces to much more for signed sought-after pieces, parures and demi-parures.

Vintage Costume Jewellery Sparkles Again   

Vintage Costume Jewellery Sparkles Again

Men and women have worn costume jewellery since the Romans developed the ability to cut glass imitations of precious gemstones. Jewellery was worn to enhance appearance, display wealth and affirm love, friendship and loyalty. The reasons for wearing jewellery remain the same today, but the popularity of styles changes. Vintage costume jewellery is experiencing a revival these days as sparkling vintage rhinestone brooches are roaring back in style. Here are a few things you'll need to know to help you pick out the right pieces.

What is it.

It is defined as jewellery that is made from non-precious materials such as cut glass.

Parures.

It is a set that includes a necklace, brooch and pair of earrings.

Demi-parures.

It includes a brooch and a pair of earrings.

Missing Stones.

Steer clear of an item with any missing stones. They are very difficult to replace.

Faux Pearls.

Watch closely any pieces with faux pearls because they chip easily and these chips cannot be fixed. Also, soap, cream and perfume can erode faux pearls.

Enamel.

Pieces with enamel can cause problems. Small areas of enamel damage can be retouched but large areas are very difficult to repair.

Condition Matters.

Good condition is important with vintage costume jewellery. Pin clasps that don't work, hinges that are suspect may not be replaceable because they may no longer be made. Before you purchase, double check that all the pieces are in original condition and in good working order.

Names to Look For.

The biggest name in Canada fis Sherman and it was usually signed. Other makers to be on the look out for are Trifari, Coro, Schreiner, Hobe and Schiaparelli.

Care.

Once you've found something you like, you'll want to take good care of it. Store your vintage costume jewellery separately in small plastic bags to guard against scratching.

Where To Find Great Vintage Costume Jewellery.

Antique shops, flea markets, garage sales and eBay are all good sources.

Value.

Prices range from under $20 for unsigned pieces to much more for signed sought-after pieces, parures and demi-parures.

Vintage Costume Jewellery Sparkles Again   

Vintage Costume Jewellery Sparkles Again

Men and women have worn costume jewellery since the Romans developed the ability to cut glass imitations of precious gemstones. Jewellery was worn to enhance appearance, display wealth and affirm love, friendship and loyalty. The reasons for wearing jewellery remain the same today, but the popularity of styles changes. Vintage costume jewellery is experiencing a revival these days as sparkling vintage rhinestone brooches are roaring back in style. Here are a few things you'll need to know to help you pick out the right pieces.

What is it.

It is defined as jewellery that is made from non-precious materials such as cut glass.

Parures.

It is a set that includes a necklace, brooch and pair of earrings.

Demi-parures.

It includes a brooch and a pair of earrings.

Missing Stones.

Steer clear of an item with any missing stones. They are very difficult to replace.

Faux Pearls.

Watch closely any pieces with faux pearls because they chip easily and these chips cannot be fixed. Also, soap, cream and perfume can erode faux pearls.

Enamel.

Pieces with enamel can cause problems. Small areas of enamel damage can be retouched but large areas are very difficult to repair.

Condition Matters.

Good condition is important with vintage costume jewellery. Pin clasps that don't work, hinges that are suspect may not be replaceable because they may no longer be made. Before you purchase, double check that all the pieces are in original condition and in good working order.

Names to Look For.

The biggest name in Canada fis Sherman and it was usually signed. Other makers to be on the look out for are Trifari, Coro, Schreiner, Hobe and Schiaparelli.

Care.

Once you've found something you like, you'll want to take good care of it. Store your vintage costume jewellery separately in small plastic bags to guard against scratching.

Where To Find Great Vintage Costume Jewellery.

Antique shops, flea markets, garage sales and eBay are all good sources.

Value.

Prices range from under $20 for unsigned pieces to much more for signed sought-after pieces, parures and demi-parures.

Vintage Costume Jewellery Sparkles Again   

Vintage Costume Jewellery Sparkles Again

Men and women have worn costume jewellery since the Romans developed the ability to cut glass imitations of precious gemstones. Jewellery was worn to enhance appearance, display wealth and affirm love, friendship and loyalty. The reasons for wearing jewellery remain the same today, but the popularity of styles changes. Vintage costume jewellery is experiencing a revival these days as sparkling vintage rhinestone brooches are roaring back in style. Here are a few things you'll need to know to help you pick out the right pieces.

What is it.

It is defined as jewellery that is made from non-precious materials such as cut glass.

Parures.

It is a set that includes a necklace, brooch and pair of earrings.

Demi-parures.

It includes a brooch and a pair of earrings.

Missing Stones.

Steer clear of an item with any missing stones. They are very difficult to replace.

Faux Pearls.

Watch closely any pieces with faux pearls because they chip easily and these chips cannot be fixed. Also, soap, cream and perfume can erode faux pearls.

Enamel.

Pieces with enamel can cause problems. Small areas of enamel damage can be retouched but large areas are very difficult to repair.

Condition Matters.

Good condition is important with vintage costume jewellery. Pin clasps that don't work, hinges that are suspect may not be replaceable because they may no longer be made. Before you purchase, double check that all the pieces are in original condition and in good working order.

Names to Look For.

The biggest name in Canada fis Sherman and it was usually signed. Other makers to be on the look out for are Trifari, Coro, Schreiner, Hobe and Schiaparelli.

Care.

Once you've found something you like, you'll want to take good care of it. Store your vintage costume jewellery separately in small plastic bags to guard against scratching.

Where To Find Great Vintage Costume Jewellery.

Antique shops, flea markets, garage sales and eBay are all good sources.

Value.

Prices range from under $20 for unsigned pieces to much more for signed sought-after pieces, parures and demi-parures.

Vintage Costume Jewellery Sparkles Again   

Did You Know That Jesus Christ Is Coming Back?

Jesus Christ is coming soon and will he find you ready? Signs of his coming are everywhere today. I hope you are not still debating about giving your life to Christ. You may have tried many other gods here on earth but you still have no peace. If the god you worship is not alive, you are in trouble my friend because you won't get any help.

What difference does it make to surrender your life to Jesus?

•The difference is that Jesus is alive and you can call on him for help any time. When you call upon his name, he makes sure that he answers to his name. Will a dead god answer you when you are in trouble? Think about it for a moment.

•Another difference that Jesus Christ makes in your life is that he gives you power to overcome challenges. He also gives you peace so that you don't go insane when faced with the challenges of life.

He is coming back for his own. These are the ones who have prepared for his coming by allowing him to be their lord and savior. It may look funny now because so many preachers have talked about this issue for so long but the truth is that he will surely come. Signs of the end times are everywhere for you to see. Some think it is just a joke as usual. If your life is not right with Jesus, consider doing some self-examination.

Is your heart in order? If he comes today, will he find you faithful? It doesn't matter whether you have been a Christian all your life. What matters is your present relationship with God now at this moment. Make things right with him today and remember that it is not God's will that you should perish.

What are you doing about it?

Now that you have been reminded that Jesus Christ is coming back again, what are you doing about it? You may be worried about the things of this world and forgetting the great commission that Jesus has given you. He has commanded you to preach the gospel to those who are lost. The lost are those who don't know Jesus Christ as their personal lord and savior.

Lastly, remember that you can be in church and never know him as a personal savior. Jesus is depending on you to tell others about what he did on the cross for them. Another way you can do this is by sharing the message of hope with others who don't know him.

If you are serious about getting real help, find new life with Jesus Christ.

3 Steps to Find Rest When You're Weary   There Is A Civil War Coming In The Church!   Why Do Some Choose To Believe In God Without Any Proof?   The Presidency