Freshwater fish & Accessories are for sale at George Pets & Aquatics! We specialize in all sorts of gold & tropical fish and have many different options of tanks, accessories and freshwater fish species for you to choose from! Whether you are looking to simply add a new fish to your tank, or wanting to start a whole new aquarium, we have it all! We can help you with any professional advice on questions that you might have. Here are a few tips, that you might find helpful!
The fish we have available are: Gourami Pearl, Gouramis, Coloured Danio, Female/Male Guppy, Synodontis, Corry, Swords, Coloured widow, Bala Shark, Pleco, Rainbow Sharks, Cat fish, Shubunkin, Comet, Red Comet, Yellow Comet, Mudkipper, Convicts, Red / White fantail & Silver Top Teka.
We also have amazing new fish accessories and equipment in-store!
And our NEW upgraded aquatics section is now in-store and ready to be explored!!
Benefits of Live Plants in an Aquarium:
- They enhance water quality and help prevent algae growth by using nutrients produced by fish
waste, uneaten food and organic debris. - They produce oxygen during daylight hours, which is used by fish and helps stabilize pH. Fish, in turn, release CO₂, which plants use as a food source.
- Fish tend to feel safe which encourages them to stay out in the open and develop more vivid colors.
- Plants encourage many types of fish to spawn and give newly-hatched fry a place to hide while they grow.
Finding Balance in a Planted Aquarium
When you first set up an aquarium there is no biological balance. This takes weeks, if not months to achieve, and in the meantime, things may not go perfectly. Planted aquariums are no different and, in fact, can be further complicated by using fertilizers, CO2 and strong lighting. Strong light produces rapid plant growth, which in turn, puts an increased demand on fertilizers and CO2. Adding too much fertilizer can cause algae blooms, and too much CO2 can cause fluctuations in pH.
The best approach is to start slowly, add nutrients in small amounts and be patient. If you make changes, make them minor and allow at least 2 weeks to evaluate the effects. Be consistent, put your lights on a timer, dose nutrients faithfully and don’t make sudden drastic changes to the system. Take notes and keep a log of any changes in dosing, daylight hours, etc. Eventually your planted aquarium will find balance and go on auto-pilot.
Setting up a planted aquarium is a wonderful way to bring a piece of nature into your home or workplace. With good planning and consistent maintenance, the benefits can last a lifetime!
We Specialize In Both Warm & Cold Watered Fish:
Tips on looking after cold water fish:
Set Up
STEP 1: 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. Sunlight that enters the room through an unshaded window could affect the temperature of your tank. This could also lead to green algae problems for your tank down the road. You will want to place your aquarium on a stand that will be able to hold its total weight. You also want to be sure that the floor is able to support the total weight of the aquarium and stand. A good rule of thumb for determining the total weight of a full aquarium is 10 pounds per gallon of water. For example, a 250 litre tank will weigh approximately 250 kilograms when filled with water!
STEP 2: Buy aquarium and equipment
Now is a good time to decide on the type of aquarium filter you will want to use. You can buy an aquarium light but remember that light and heat go together, you don’t want to buy a light that over heats your tank. 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. Make sure that you purchase an air pump with your aquarium as Goldfish and other freshwater fish need well oxygenated water.
STEP 3: 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 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 4: Wash aquarium, Gravel and plants
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 bath tub. 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 5: Add water and treatments
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 chlorine from your aquarium and aid the biological process add stress coat and stress zyme on day 1, day 7, and day 14. On day 14 you are ready to add fish. Some hardier species of fish can be added to help aid the cycling process however time is the best solution. Please note that there are other products on the market from companies such as tetra that proclaim to complete the cycle process in as little as three days. You want to be sure that your tank is prepared to process natural waste before adding fish.
STEP 6: Set up equipment
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 tank light on the aquarium and then check your power cords to be sure that they are free of water. Plug all of the equipment into a power strip and then “turn on” the aquarium.
STEP 7: Wait, wait, wait and then wait some more
I know, you want to add some fish. But, in order to do this right you must wait until your aquarium has cycled before adding any fish. If you have used stress coat and Stress zyme you will be ready to buy fish on day 14.
STEP 8: Add fish
Only add one or two fish at a time. Adding a couple 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 fish. Stressed fish often leads to dead or diseased fish! Don’t feed your 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 9: 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 fish happy and healthy.
Tips on keeping hot water fish:
Heaters
If you are keeping tropical fish, you will need a heater. A heater insures that a tank doesn’t get too cool, and that the temperature stays steady during the course of the day, even when the room cools off (e.g., at night). For many tropical fish, a temperature of 25.5C is ideal.
There are two main heater types. Submersible heaters stay completely below the water. A second, more traditional style, has a partially submerged glass tube (which contains the heating coils), but leaves the controls above the water. Submersible heaters are the better design, as they can be placed horizontally along the tank’s bottom. This helps keep tank temperature uniform (heat rises), and prevents the heater from become exposed while doing partial water changes. With the traditional design, one must remember to unplug the heater before doing water changes; if the heater is accidentally left on while the coil is above the water, the tube gets hot and may crack when you fill the tank back up with water.
If your room is never more than -13C degrees cooler than your target tank temperature, a heater of roughly 2.5 watts per gallon will suffice. If the differential is higher, up to 5 watts (or more) per gallon may be necessary. Remember, the heater needs to keep the tank at its target temperature, even when the room is at its coldest point; the tank’s temperature should not fluctuate.
Heaters (especially cheap ones) will fail. Most often the contact that actually turns the heater on and off gets permanently stuck, either in the on or off position. In the former case, your tank can get VERY hot, especially if the heater is larger than your tank actually requires. To minimize potential problems, avoid heaters larger than the optimal size for your tank. To prevent winter disasters, use two smaller heaters in parallel rather than one large one. That way if one fails, the consequences won’t be as disastrous.
Thermometers
You will need a thermometer to verify that your tank stays at its proper temperature. Two types are commonly available. The traditional bulb thermometer works the same way as the ones you can buy for your house. They either hang from the top edge of your tank, or float along the surface. The second common design is a flat model that sticks to the outside of the glass. Temperature-sensitive chemicals activate at a specific temperature, either highlighting the numerical temperature or a bar that slides along a scale.
Aquarium thermometers can be rather unreliable (check out the ones on display at a fish store — they should all register the same temperature, but frequently don’t). Thus, thermometers are good for verifying that your temperature is not too far off, but may be off by several degrees in some cases. When buying a thermometer, look at all the thermometers and pick one that has an “average” temperature, rather than one of the extremes.
Visit our page for more info – George Pets & Aquatics
We can’t wait to welcome you @ George Pets & Aquatics in George and help you with all your pet fish needs and accessories !
