Flame Angelfish : Care And Requirements Of Centropyge Loriculus

The most brilliantly colored of all the dwarf angelfish, the flame angelfish (Centropyge Loriculus) is the most popular and recognizable member of of the genus centroypge, ahead of even the Coral Beauty.

Like the Queen Angelfish, almost everyone in the marine aquarium hobby has at one time either owned a flame angel or at least considered getting one.Called the flame angel probably because of its orange/red flame like colors. Neon blue patches color their dorsal and anal fins.

Expect to pay between $40 to $50 for a flame angel. While some may deem it expensive, their price is nothing compared to what they’d pay for rare species like the Japanese pygmy angelfish.

While commonly thought to hail from Hawaii, they are actually collected around the Marshall and Christmas Islands instead.

They can be aggressive towards other fishes. They save their highest levels of hostility for members of the same family.

An aquarium no smaller than 50 gallons should be used to house a single flame angelfish. Larger aquariums like 75 gallons and above are recommended.

Your scape should have plenty of holes and caves for them to seek refuge in.

As with all dwarf angelfish, flame angelfish have been known to nip on corals in a reef aquarium. This may happen immediately or after a few months. I’ve heard stories of flame angels that have never bothered corals for years only to begin sampling them overnight.

In the wild, dwarf angelfish are all grazers. They constantly scan the rock for food items throughout the day, much like surgeonfish. They feed on small crustaceans, algae of various types and sometimes even detritus.

A balanced diet should be given in a saltwater aquarium. A wide range of foods should be given, variety is important. They should never be fed a single type of food for too long. Although there have been hobbyists that have fed them new life spectrum for long periods of time with no ill effects. They seemed very healthy in fact.

They should be offered nori/algae sheets in addition to a balanced frozen food (Formula One, Formula Two) and a good pellet like those produced by New Life Spectrum.

A very good food for dwarf angels is the Pygmy Angel Formula, produced by Ocean Nutrition. In an effort to provide a balanced and nutritious diet, a wide variety of ingredients are used such as kelp, shrimp, vitamins and trace minerals, krill, squid, algae and many others. The ingredients mentioned are all added prior to freezing. Pygmy Angel Formula is only available in frozen form i believe.
About the Author:
Gabriela Desouyez has been in the ornamental fish trade for over 20 years, giving her hands on experience with a wide range of marine fishes. Do visit her hubpage for a video and picture guide on the Flame Angelfish and another popular angelfish, the stunning Coral Beauty Angel.

Are Antibiotics Helpful for Fish Diseases?

If you own a pet fish or have an aquarium you have probably had to deal with the issue of disease. Keeping the tank clean and balanced helps but even this is no guarantee against the development of disease. Multiple products have been sold to help cure diseases in fish, some good, some not so good. Here I would like to explain the possible uses for antibiotics to treat fish disease.

Antibiotics are powerful medications which should be used cautiously and generally speaking should be reserved for problems that cannot be controlled or cured using other treatment methods. Remember too, that antibiotics are useful against bacterial infections – NOT viral infections. I would also only recommend using them under the advice of a specialist with experience dealing with fish diseases. A hospital tank is recommended so that the medication will not harm the beneficial organisms in your main tank and you should not use a carbon filter during treatment as it will filter out the medication. There are several classes of antibiotics used for treatment of fish disease. The following is a list of medications along with diseases they may help treat.

1) Penicillins: The most common medications in this class include penicillin, amoxicillin, and ampicillin. The penicillins are broad spectrum antibiotics which are effective against gram-positive and some gram-negative bacteria. They can be effective against a number of pathogenic bacteria associated with marine and freshwater ornamental fish diseases including Infected eyes, Fin and Tail Rot, Skin ulcerations, Pop-eye, Columnaris disease, Gill disease and White Body Slime.

2) Tetracyclines: Several commonly used medications in this class are tetracycline, minocycline and doxycycline. These are broad spectrum antibiotics most effective for gram-negative organisms. Often used to treat Gill disease, Fin and Tail Rot, Pop-eye, Anorexia or other Unusual Behavior, Internal infections and General Listlessness.

3) Macrolides: Commonly used to treat Swollen eyes, Clamped fins, Patchy coloration and Heavy or Rapid breathing. This class of antibiotics are similar to the penicillins in spectrum but have a broader range. The most frequently used medication in this class in erythromycin.

4) Quinolones: This class of medication is quite potent and can be effective where others fail because it stops bacterial replication and DNA repair. Ciprofloxacin is the most popular and can be used to fight Vibrios, Furunculosis, Flexibacteria, Aeromonas and Columnaris infection.

I hope you enjoyed this brief explanation of the classes and uses for various antibiotics in relation to fish diseases. Before starting any treatment regimen you should check with a local specialist who can recommend effective treatment.

The Guppy Fish

The Guppy fish is probably the most popular aquarium fish species in the world, and is also known as one of the cheapest fish in shops even though some forms may be expensive. Small, beautiful, peaceful, lively, curious and hardy, there are many colourful variations (see the pictures below) that can be collected and easily bred. The Guppy fish is one of the best choices for beginners, especially children. However, like every fish kept in captivity, these fishes also require proper care and conditions. Although care ofGuppy fish is easy, one shouldn't underrate it as Guppies may suffer of diseases too!

Sexing

Females are much larger and rounder than males. They even do not look like the same specie. Unlike females which are dull grey, males are very colourful and have large fins. There are many types of Guppy fish and by breeding you can even create new variants. One of many variants is the Endler's Guppy (link). In size they are: 4.0 - 6.0 cm ( 1.6 - 2.3 in).

Information about feeding

The Guppy fish can be feed a wide variety of foods (flakes, Spirulina, lettuce, bloodworms, spinach, freeze dried foods, mosquito larvae). They eat almost everything. Guppies have small stomachs and can only consume a little bit of food at one feeding. By the way, it is entertaining to watch them eat larvae, which are almost as big as Guppies. They eat them like big spaghetti. It is recommended to feed them in small amounts at least 3 times daily. When I kept these wonderful fishes, I used to give them food two times a day. However, from time to time they ate eggs of Panda Cories (if eggs are in a visible place, then they're not safe).

Breeding

When males and females are together they will breed for sure (if both are healthy, adult, and not too old). The males will perform a courtship display in front of the female by spreading their fins and curving their body. TheGuppies are livebearers. The fry can left for themselves immediately after they are born. As a matter of fact, the guppy fry are a delicacy to most fish. Floating plants are good hiding places for fry. A guppy female does mature in about 3 months, males mature sooner. A female’s period lasts about 4 weeks. They are quick breeders, so if you have onlyGuppies in the tank, they can over breed. As it is already mentioned above, one can use them as food for bigger fish (although it might sound too drastic). Unlike other fish species, the breeding process ofGuppies is considered very easy in general. Guppy babies are often eaten by adult specimens. Some aquarists move the babies into another aquarium, however if water parameters are different, the fry may die easily. If you're moving babies to another fish tank, always use water from old aquarium too!

The tank and care

Guppy fish require fairly warm temperatures (23-24 °C, 82-84°F), but they can live in water between 19.0 - 29.0°C (69 - 86 °F) and quiet vegetated water is good for survival too (Vallisneria Spiralis is a good plant for this purpose since it grows from from bottom to the surface, thus allowingGuppies to play, hide, chase each other). They are community fish. It is good to have more than 5 Guppies in a tank, otherwise they feel alone and this fact can affect their health in term of lifespan. It is recommended to have 1 male to 3females. They seem to be annoying to other fish in the tank , because they often follow other fish around incessantly, but they do no harm. Only sometimes other fish bite their fins. And some big fish can eat them (starting with Gouramis, ending with Goldfish or big cichlids such as Jack Dempsey or Texas cichlid). So be careful what fish are kept in the tank along with Guppies. The water in the tank should be the pH 7.0 - 8.5 and dH of water (dGH) 12.0 - 18.0 °N.

Since Guppies tend to live happily in a tank with more than 10-15 inhabitants, a reasonably sized fish tank is necessary for raising them. I would never putGuppies into a tank of 20 litres or less. Actually, a 20L aquarium will never contain full 20L of water thanks to gravel, filter, driftwood, and the fact that no fish tank is filled from top to bottom. Instead, at least 40 litres are required for about 10-12 Guppies.

Never put a Guppy into a small fish bowl! Fish bowls are known for causing orientation problems and fish in small fish bowls use to die in a short time! If for some reason there is no chance how to avoid a bowl, try to get one that's as big as possible. Preferably 60 litres and more. In addition, create rows in order to help the fishes to orientate.

Diseases of Guppies

Just like other fish species, Guppies may suffer of diseases as well. The better water quality, the higher chances of keeping healthy Guppies. It's important to understand that stress is one of the most important factors in any disease. Feeling uncomfortable will lead to a disease no matter it's a fish, or any other animal in general. Since there is an article devoted to the most common diseases in home aquariums, feel free to visit it: aquarium fish diseases. When keeping Guppies, maintain the water of high quality (free of ammonia and related chemicals, pH of 7 at least, appropriate hardness and carbonate hardness, stable temperature) and you'll avoid almost every disease.

Selling the fish

Since Guppies are easy to breed, one can sell them very easily too. Of course, you need buyers firstly. In order to be successful, get various males (different colours, different sources) and only 2-3 males. Let them breed and try to sell males.Females aren't as demanded as males due to colours and fins. If you're trying to sell Guppies on the internet, make sure to take pictures in order to help potential customers when deciding!

Guppies can be ready for sale once they reach 1cm in length. Experienced breeders may sale them earlier too, however bigger fish have a higher chance to survive the transport and acclimatise easily.

Fish Antibiotics – Helpful or Not?

Anyone who has kept fish for a long period of time has at one point or another had to deal with the unfortunate reality of various types of fish diseases. Even the most well balanced and clean aquariums can run into problems. There are many products available that are made to treat or control various diseases - some of which work better than others. In this article I would like to briefly discuss the role of antibiotics to treat diseases in ornamental fish.

Always remember that antibiotics are strong medications which should only be used after other types of treatment modalities have proved ineffective. Also it is important to point out that antibiotics only treat bacterial infections and are not beneficial for viral infections. It is a good idea to seek professional guidance when using these medications and be sure to use them in a hospital tank if you can so you don't harm any good bacteria in your main tank. Remove any carbon filtration so the medicine won't be filtered out. Now on with the list.

1) Penicillins: This is the most frequently used class of medication. It includes penicillin, ampicillin and amoxicillin. These are broad spectrum medications which are effective against many types of gram-positive and some gram-negative organisms. They can be effective treatments for Fin and Tail Rot, Pop-eye, Gill disease, Infected eyes, Skin ulcerations, White Body Slime and Columnaris dieases.

2) Tetracyclines: A class of broad spectrum antibiotics that are primarily active against gram-negative bacteria. This class includes tetracycline, doxycycline and minocycline. These medications can be helpful against Fin and Tail Rot, General Listlessness, Gill disease, Anorexia or other Unusual Behavior and Pop-eye.

3) Macrolides: A broad spectrum antibiotic with similar coverage of the penicillin class, but with a broader range. The most common and well know is erythromycin. The macrolides can help with Patchy coloration, Clamped fins, Heavy or Rapid breathing and Swollen eyes.

4) Quinolones: Ciprofloxacin is the most well know quinolone. The quinolones inhibit DNA repair and block bacterial replication and can therefore be effective against bacteria resistant to other antibiotics. Quinolones are particularly useful against Aeromonas, Vibrios, Furunculosis, Flexibacteria and Columnaris infection.

I hope you enjoyed this brief explanation of the classes and uses for various antibiotics in relation to fish diseases. Before starting any treatment regimen you should check with a local specialist who can recommend effective treatment.