Marine BiUbe *UPDATE* Live Rock and Hermit Crabs

This is the the first update of my marine BiUbe. I added 3 pieces of live rock, two blue leg hermit crabs, and 1 scarlet hermit crab. Comment, Rate, and Subscribe!!! (this tank is no longer running)

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Coolest Most Beautiful Neon Tetra in my Tropical Fish Tank

This is my school of 18 Blue Neon Tetra. They are in a 55 gallon freshwater tropical fish tank. You can see more videos at www.freshwaterhobbyist.com!

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Marine Biorb

My Marine biorb with 2 false percula clownfish, a chocolate chip starfish, a cleaner shrimp and 15 lbs of live rock, the water is crystal clear thanks to it. Note: the rocks in the front aren't real, the real live rock is the yellow one in the back.

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Sera's Flatmates in The BiUbe

Sera's flatmates are a little messy (never clean their own living space) and they don't do much (lazy surfer types); but at least they're not too fanatic about their religious beliefs.

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My Chocolate ChIp Starfish moving from a rock to another.

I captured this video to show how my seastar (starfish) moves with its tentacles.

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Basic Knowledge on Taking Care of Fish

Animals can be considered as our pets in the home. They are not only for livestock or laboratory purposes because they can keep us company in the house. Having pets around can somehow relieve our stress after a hard day's work or when we have no one to accompany us in the house. We can use some of our spare time by playing with our pets.

One of the animals, which we can consider as our pets, is the wide variety of tropical fish species. They have this colorful and playful appearance that lightens up our day. Their beautiful attraction somehow keeps our stress away and relieves us from the heavy burden of some problems. There are so many fish in the world that you might have a hard time in choosing what to pick that will serve as your pet.

In order to achieve your wish of having a pet fish in the house, you must first prepare what you really need. Of course, you need two things. You have to decide what fish you will select and the place where you will keep your fish. When you have a pet fish, you must not just place them anywhere. The most suitable place where it is almost close to their usual habitat is an aquarium.

When you decide what kind of fish to buy, you will have a good idea on the number of fish that will fit the size of your aquarium. You can consult from a fish retailer about this kind of stuff because they can have the knowledge on the number of fish that you can accommodate with your tank. But, basically, a simple guide is to just get the surface area of the tank. This can be done by multiplying the length with the width. Once you get the product, you then divide it by 30. The answer is the length of the fish that you can place in your aquarium.

Through this basic knowledge, you will not spend so much money and effort in changing tanks just because you can't accommodate your tropical aquarium fish. You need to have room for your filter, decorations and of course your fish to fit in one container. A very crowded tank can affect the life of your pets.

Most of all, you must have the right knowledge not only on the number of fish but also the kind of fish that you want to live in your tank. If you want to have a community tank or one aquarium where you wish to have diverse species, then you must know whether the varied species are compatible from each other. One type might be the predator of the other. You might end up with only one type in the end. The types of aquatic animals must live in harmony with each other so that you will not have a problem with your tank.

Choosing what pet to have is not a problem because there are a lot of animals in the world that can be domesticated. Fish can be one of the pets that you can consider as a good company in the house.

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A 5 Gallon Aquarium Can Look Great

A 5 gallon aquarium is a great way to get started in what can turn into a really great hobby in the future.  There are plenty of places online where you can get a complete 5 gallon aquarium starter kit.  These consist of a tank made from solid acrylic or glass, an agent to dechlorinate the water, food for the fish, and a light fixture within the hood.

Certainly a 5 gallon or mini aquarium as they are sometimes referred to, will make a wonderful addition either to your home or office.  The great thing about these 5 gallon aquarium kits, is that once you get yours, all you need to do to set it up is add the water and then put in your chosen fish.  

So How Many Fish Can One Have In A 5 Gallon Aquarium?

These tanks are ideal for any kind of freshwater fish including the tropical species.  However, you need to keep in mind the water fish ratio when it comes to purchasing yours.  Remember for every gallon of water in the aquarium, you will be allowed one inch length of fish in it.  Therefore in a five gallon aquarium, one can opt to have 5 one inch fish, or just one 5 inch fish or some other combination, as long as the total length of the fish in yours does not exceed 5 inches.  

Therefore you need to read up as much as you can on the various different species of fish you are considering putting into your 5 gallon aquarium.  Along with learning about their feeding habits, and the kind of environment they enjoy, you also need to know what length they will grow to when they reach maturity.  So do not buy those fish that in the future, will grow to a length of 6 inches or more.

What Things Can One Do To Make A 5 Gallon Aquarium Look Great?

Compared to the prices of a purchasing a much larger aquarium, the 5 gallon aquarium designs are not only the cheapest to buy, but will be much cheaper to care for, dependent on the fish you intend to keep in yours.  Unfortunately the cost of having tropical freshwater fish in a tank may be considerable more than other varieties of freshwater fish.

However to make your 5 gallon aquarium look more interesting, not only to you but for your fish also, you can try to do some of the following things.

Rather than putting in some brown gravel into your 5 gallon aquarium, instead why not get some brightly colored gravel or sand instead.

Instead of going for the usual plastic plants to install in your aquarium, take a look at the other kinds of wonderful accessories that your local store can supply you with, such as miniature castles or mini rocks to put in it.

Although your 5 gallon aquarium may already have a light in the top of the hood, why not spend some money on getting a neon fish light for it instead.  Not only does it add more light into the room where the tank is situated, but also it helps to bring out the colors of the fish within better.

Above we have offered some advice which you may find useful when it comes to decorating your 5 gallon aquarium to make it stand out from the rest.  But a really simple way of adding color to yours, is by purchasing the right kind of fish.  Yes Tetras, Bettas and Goldfish are ideal, but why not consider some Guppies or Paradise Catfish instead.

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Feng Shui Fishes For Good Luck

In Feng Shui fishes are symbols of wealth and good fortune. So they are widely utilized as pet fishes in the aquarium, paintings or pictures or kept as figurines to attract success and prosperity. It is said that the fishes save us from danger and poor luck. You will find a lot of types of fishes applied to create positive energy and abundance like Arowana, Flowerhorn, Dragon Carp or Gold Fish. On the other hand, it is advised not to place your aquarium in the kitchen and in your bedroom as this can cause money difficulties and illnesses.

Arowana fish probably the most famous and powerful fish applied in Feng Shui. In Chinese, Arowana is called Kam Lung Yue which means Golden Dragon Fish. It has distinct dragon like barbels and large shiny scales that resembles the effective and mythical dragon. This symbol is often seen as biting a coin in its mouth sitting on a bed of coins. It has made its name as the 'fish with the rich and famous' because one has to pay a huge price for a live fish. Arowana as a Feng Shui symbol signifies supremacy, prosperity, wealth, strength and power. It truly is also believed that placing this fish helps to drive away evil spirits and bad luck. That is a potent energizer of wealth and auspicious symbol to keep for those trying to find boost their wealth luck, multiply sources of income or opportunities and pay raise.

One of the most auspicious areas to keep the Arowana Fish figurine are the north, east, southeast and southwest. Displaying this symbol in the north sector on the house, office desk etc. can give a boost towards the career luck. Displaying it inside the southeast corner or inside office reception counter helps to energize your wealth luck. It can also be placed within the corner diagonal to the front door. Keeping the symbol in east area of house improves the well being of the family. That is also an excellent decoration article and wonderful gift.

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How To Design A Finding Nemo Room

Naturally, one of the first things to consider are the things which are the bread and butter when designing a bedroom: the colour of the walls. You will know that Finding Nemo is almost entirely based in an aquatic setting, so opting to paint the walls light blue could be something to consider. This, when combined with nice, open windows, could really give the room an airy and delightful feel.

From here, you can then add wall art so the bedroom will be something of an aquarium for your children. There are Finding Nemo wall decals which consist of the main characters which appear in the movie - something which can be a really thoughtful touch.

A Finding Nemo kids room should also be furnished with many different soft areas to sit and play, and even some toys of the key characters from the film, like Nemo and Dory. The extent that you go to could depend on the size of the room, but the main colours of beanbags or soft stools could be orange, as this coordinates with Nemo colours.

Of course, the bedding is another thing to consider, as the beds can be one of the main focal points of the room. There are a number of bedding sets that include Nemo-themed duvets, pillowcases and other items which are guaranteed to make any Nemo bedroom looking inspired.

Wall decorations could include pictures from the film itself, or even wall art with paintings of some of the characters in key scenes. The only limit to the potential of the Finding Nemo wall décor is the person who is responsible for making the room as themed as possible.

For those who love the film, there are plenty of different forms of merchandise which can be used to give that room that thoughtful touch - including Finding Nemo-related clocks and other items. If you really want to go for the fully-themed look, some of the other things to consider can include suspended toys of characters from the film - or, for something that little bit different, you could consider going for some nondescript fish in order to give the room that little bit more.

No two bedrooms which are using a Finding Nemo bedroom theme should ever need to look the same - particularly with the large amount of merchandise that is in stores now. The large amount of products means that you can even choose Finding Nemo wall art which matches a person's mood and personality - making it a place for them to calm down at the end of a long day.

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Freshwater Rays - Excellent tankmates for Arowanas

Looking for an interesting, suitable tank mate for your "lonely" Arowana? Freshwater stingrays are one of the most fascinating of appropriate tank mate options. Their bottom-dwelling habits as well as their environmental and feeding requirements make them highly suitable additions to healthy Arowana tanks.

Ray Background and Characteristics

Rays belong to the Chondrichthyes class and are completely cartilaginous. They are mostly round, broad, flat fish. Freshwater rays come in a variety of sizes and can range from 10 inches to over 3 feet! The rays most commonly kept by aquarium keepers are members of the Potamotrygonidae (or "P") family. These typically reach approximately 18 inches and fit well in an Arowana tank.

By far the majority of freshwater rays accessible to hobbyists hail directly from the Amazon River Basin. They sport an interesting array of patterns that help to camouflage them along river bottoms. Spots, scribbles, rosettes, and small circular, pebble-like patterns are some of the most beautiful and intriguing ray patterns.

Freshwater rays have strong mouth parts which allow them to eat a variety of crustaceans and shellfish. They also possess a characteristic "tail stinger" up to twice their size in length. These are appendages that are barbed at the end and feature venom glands. The ray's "sting" (the entire appendage) is whipped up with lashing speed under distress. Even small or baby rays can inflict painful, toxic stings with their tail. Venomous stings are normally replaced every few months, and care should be taken to remove and discard still-venomous, dropped stings carefully.

Rays are not aggressive by nature, and their tail stingers truly are considered a defense mechanism. Rays tend to inhabit the bottom of a tank and attract little attention from surface-dwelling Arowanas. Should an Arowana disturb a Ray, however, injury to both is likely to ensue. Housing a larger or adult ray as opposed to a young, small specimen is advisable. The size of the larger ray may deter the Arowana from approaching it.

Caring for Rays in the Aquarium

Freshwater rays prefer extremely clean, well-filtered tank water. The attention demanded by Arowanas in terms of water quality usually ensures rays thrive as their tank mates. They prefer a temperature and pH in line with that of Arowanas, and even enjoy many of the same foods. Rays thrive on a diet featuring live food such as farm-raised earthworms, blood worms, shrimp, and pieces of fish. Rays like to hide in sand or fine gravel, but it is not necessary for their well-being. Tank decorations such as rocks and driftwood are similarly not required for their benefit.

Unlike Arowanas, healthy rays should adapt quickly to their new environment. Care must be taken during the acclimatization period that the Arowana remains disinterested in the ray. At the first sign of any trouble, immediately remove the ray from the tank!

Rays do require some special considerations to ensure optimum health:

o Rays are scaleless fish and cannot tolerate the majority of fish medications unless injected

o Plecostomus and other sucker-mouthed fish may suck the protective slime coating from rays, causing injury and even death

o Heaters can inflict burns to a ray's disc. To prevent injury, a protective barrier should be placed around heaters, regardless of location.

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Biorb Life Contents & Packaging

Video of the packaging and contents that come with the biorb life aquarium

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Beautify Your Tropical Aquarium With Decorations

When it is time to begin setting up your new tropical fish tank and embarking on your new hobby as a keeper of fish, one of the first areas that many people think about is the aquarium decoration. Embellishing your new fish aquarium with decorative touches is not only aesthetically pleasing, but it has some very practical aspects as well.

Aquarium decoration takes time to properly arrange in the tank because with it, you can create hiding places for the fish as well as natural borders. This makes the aquarium more like a natural environment. Having hiding places is helpful so that the fish are able to have a good place to rest or to simply separate itself from the tropical fish tank community.

Creating natural borders with a unique aquarium decoration can help to control the aggression of some fish in a tropical aquarium. When it is time to introduce new fish into the aquarium, you should rearrange one or more of the decorations in the tank so that old territories are broken up. This will make the older aquarium inhabitants less territorial and give the newly introduced fish a chance to stake claim to their own territories within the tank.

For tropical fish that are primarily cave dwellers, they especially need to have some elements of aquarium decoration that will create places for them to get away from other fish. Tank decorations that create crevices, caves and holes are particularly important for these kinds of fish. Also, fish that are accustomed to being in heavily populated waters also enjoy having aquatic plants to use for hiding and shielding themselves.

Plants are one type of aquarium decoration for your tropical fish tank that play a bigger role in the tropical aquarium than simply adding beauty. Aquarium plants are able to bind carbon and they oxygenate the water, helping to keep the water in better condition for the fish. Plants that are in the aquarium habitat also make use of organic waste, essentially as fertilizer, and this helps to get rid of these potentially harmful components from the aquarium water.

There are many involved in fish keeping who use sensitive aquatic plants as part of their aquarium decoration and which actually act like aquatic "canaries in the mines." If there is a sudden problem with the quality of the water in the tropical fish tank, the plant will die. This will warn the aquarist that there is a problem so that it can be handled before any harm comes to the fish.

Most of the time aquarium decoration items are made of natural materials such as wood, rock or coral. Such natural items, properly arranged, help to make the tropical fish tank look as natural as possible. A tropical aquarium can actually be very much like a small slice of the real habitat for the species of tropical fish you have selected. Some aquarium enthusiasts even go so far as to research the actual habitats of their fish and then try to replicate the look and feel in their tropical fish tank, by adding plants and rocks that come from specific fish habitats.

In addition to the type of aquarium decoration that brings a sense of nature into the tropical fish tank, there is also a huge array of aquarium decorations that would not be found in natural fish habitat settings. For instance, you can add fantasy sea monsters, shipwrecks, buried treasure chests, Egyptian pyramids, statues and temple ruins to bring some interest and variety for the aquarium viewers.

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