Common Fish That Are Too Big For Some Aquariums

     When shopping at the pet store for different fish for the aquarium it is very important to study and learn the proper care for the fish you want to buy. One of the first things you should take into consideration is the tank size for your fish. Some fish are small but need large tanks because of lots of movement. Some fish on the other hand seem small but will grow to reach very large sizes and are not suitable for the average tank.

Catfish

     Catfish are very beautiful fish and comes in a large variety size, color, shape. Most catfish have whiskers like a cat (hence the name catfish ) and they are used for touch and smell and the size of the whiskers can vary from short and stubby to long beautiful hair like strings flowing from their upper lip. Catfish can be a great addition to a freshwater aquarium, little do people know that some species of catfish sold at pet stores can reach to 5 ft long! 

Red Tail Catfish Scientific Name: Phractocephalus hemioliopterus Location in wild: South America Maximum Size: 5ft and up Minimum Tank Size: size: Not recommended for any size aquarium
Synodontis Catfish Scientific Name: Synodontis multipunctatus Location In Wild: Central Africa Maximum Size:  Many different types with varied sizes from a few inches to 12inches Minimum Tank Size: Varies with type of Synodontis From 20 gallon to 75
Plecostomus Scientific Name: Hypostomus plecostomus Location In Wild: Peru, Brazil Maximum Size: 24 inches dependeng on type of plecostomus Minimum Tank Size: varies from 55 to 100 gallon
Clown Loach Scientific Name: Chromobotia Macracanthus Location In Wild: Indonesia, Sumatra, Borneo Maximum Size: 7 inches Minimum Tank Size: 75 gallons
Goldfish      Goldfish can be very beautiful and come in many shapes and colors. They are considered a beginner fish and are put in bowls. When bought at the pet store they can be any where from 1/2 an inch to 2 inches. But this is a fish i like to call a hidden giant. The reason these fish "die easily' is only because they are almost never given the proper care. They are usually given to a child with zero experience and put into bowls that are no larger than a gallon. Most Goldfish can easily reach 6 inches to a foot and are recommended for large tanks of 30 gallons or more.
Freshwater sharks      Most pet stores carry freshwater sharks and they seem to be only a few inches. The pet store is actually selling you a baby, and these sharks can get to be very large. Most freshwater sharks are actually part of the minnow family. They are called sharks only because of there pointed fin or large size and aggression which makes them look like a shark.
Bala Shark Scientific Name: Balantiochelios melanopterus Location In Wild: Malaysia, Sumatra, and Borneo Maximum Size: 14 inches Minimum Tank Size: 90 gallon
Iridescent Shark Scientific Name: Pangasius hypophthalmus (actually a type of catfish) Location In Wild: Thailand Maximum Size: 47 inches  Minimum Tank Size: 250 gallon
Others
Tinfoil Barb Scientific Name: Barbonymus schwanenfeldii Location In Wild: Rivers in Asia Maximum Size: 14 inches  Minimum Tank Size: 90 gallon
Red Belly Pacu Scientific Name: Piaractus brachypomus Location In Wild: Amazon Basin Maximum Size: 3ft Minimum Tank Size: 300 gallons
Tiger Oscar Scientific Name: Astronotus ocellatus Location In Wild: South America Maximum Size: 14 inches Minimum Tank Size: Some say 55 gallon but I recommend 75 gallons for a happy long life.

Pictures Courtesy of:

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Aquariumlife.net

dreamstime.com

hynpoikanikan.blogspot.com

fishinfo.wordpress.com

teakdoor.com

flickriver.com

tropical-fish-pictures.com

monsterfishkeepers.com

normalaquatics.com

How To Get Rid of Ich/Ick - White Spot Fish Disease

 Photo of white spot  from FishChannel.com

I am making this blog to inform many beginner aquarists about basic things their pet store may not tell them. I would first like to say that i am not an expert but all of my information has come from experience or extensive research from legitimate sources.

Fish ich or ick (white spot disease) is one of the most common diseases in the fish keeping hobby. Almost every fish keeper has seen ich happen. If not it is bound to happen one day. Ich is a parasite that is present in your aquarium and fish already. It is the stress that "brings it out". Ick looks like little white spots on the fish like grains of salt. It causes the fish to be itchy and scratch their fins against the substrate and other aquarium decorations. Ich has a life cycle of 7 days and is heat sensitive. With the right equipment and knowledge healing your fish should be fairly simple.

I recently had a breakout in my freshwater tank and my Tiger Oscar, Albino Oscar, Blood Parrot, Common Pleco, and Kissing Gourami contracted the parasite. My Firemouth Cichlid on the other hand got lucky and stayed healthy. I immediately raised the temperature in my tank to 82 degrees. Raising the temperature is a very important step because it helps kill the parasite. I then removed the carbon from my filter. If you have a canister filter then all you have to do is remove the carbon from the tray and leave the other media in the filter. If you have a hang on the back filter you can remove the filter cartridge and put a sponge there instead. If you do that make sure the sponge has never been used before to prevent spread of even more diseases. If you do not want to do that you can remove the cartridge and add a lot of air bubbles. The purpose of this is to keep the water moving so it wont rot. The reason we remove carbon is because carbon removes medication from the water.

Stained Silicone

Fish Ich Treatment
At this time you can add medication to your water. I personally recommend RID ICH it is for freshwater and saltwater fish and it gets the job done. All you need to do is follow the directions on the bottle, which is 1 teaspoon per 10 gal. I put in my dosage every 24 hrs it has been 6 days and the fish are almost completely healed. There is one downside to the medication. It may stain the silicone in the corners of the tank and other decorations. It may also be harmful to live rock.