My post will probably confuse you, its my ramblings
, probably many mistakes...O well, enjoy figuring it out.I have underlined what I have said...Sorry for taking so long, partly because I was watching Mock the weak and partly because its quite a long post
OK I have really enjoyed coming on this forum and have learned loads, as well as having some good advice.
However, even though some of the things make perfect grammatical sense to a normal, intelligent lady such as myself
in terms of my knowledge of fishkeeping you are all talking gobbledegook
I have a filter in my tank - when you talk about media, is it the filter you are discussing? how do I know if the media is good? and if it is what I think it is, then what happens when I have to change or clean it?
Media is the foam pads and other things such as bioballs, carbon, zeolite etc (located in main part of the filter, which I I have heard to be called the media/filter basket or the canister), in which the water is pumped through the water to clean it, in the biological media it (it being the nitrifying bacteria, which is good, and makes its home in the biological part of the filter media) converts ammonia (toxic to fish, produced by fishes waste and dead plant matter) to nitrite to nitrate completing the nitrogen cycle so that ammonia is broken down into a less harmful substance-Nitrate, which is the end product of the nitrogen cycle, which in larger qauntities is thought to stunt (slow down growth and maybe even deform the fish) and harm fish.Regular water changes remove the nitrate.Keeping the fish healthy.
If you don't understand what I am saying...Which I understand is definetely confusing at first, don't be afraid to ask...Sorry that I got sidetracked.Thought I might as well explain what a filter actually does, incase you didn't know.
I keep media until I see it deteriating.If I notice sponge media becomnig clogged up and I've had it for over a year, I know its best to replace.On all filters you buy they will tell you to replace it every couple of months, but I've never noticed a difference in keeping it (in my case just general sponges) longer, much longer than suggested.Other media then sponges.e.g bio balls.Last for agesss
Most fishkeepers suggest to wash the media of filters in the tanks water, during a water change, this is so that the nitryfying bacteria does not get killed by the chlorine/chloramine (added by water companies to make water fit for drinking) in the tapwater, although there is debate in whether you have to do this, most, almost all say you should, although only a year or two ago I used to wash all my media in tapwater.I never had any ill effects from this, maybe because I have a low level or chlorine/chloramine in my water...Who knows.
When you say about substrates - I am assuming you mean gravel and whatever is underneath it? I dont have anything under my gravel - should I have?
Substrate is anything ranging from sand to pebbles and it holds some nitrifying bacteria, no where as much as the media in the filter does though.Generally aquatic plant enthusiasts refer to what is known by most as gravel, as substrate.There are many types of substrates specially created to benifit plants, or even fish, they may contain nutrients and other such things to lower pH (The Aqua design Amano range 'soil' substrates do this), or crushed coral to raise the pH (which is desired by marine livestock and malawi cichlids).
There are substrates which are more like a soil, or sand (an example is ADA power sand) which go under normal gravel.The idea is when you plant the tank the plants roots will feed and root into the special substrate, making them grow faster and look healthier.
The shop sold me tropical fish flakes to feed my fish - but I see peas, lettuce and bloodworms (yuk) being discussed? Should my fish have a more varied diet? or will they be fine on fishflakes? If I have to feed them peas or lettuce how often should I be doing that? And I have a very serious phobia about worms so if I have to give them bloodworms I might just be sick
- do they need them?
Bloodworms come frozen (well you should purchase them frozen as live caught ones tend to carry diseases harmful to fish) and you ahve to look very carefully to see that they are worms, they jsut look like a reddish blob from a foot or two away, as do another type of frozen fish food called 'glass worms'.
You should vary a fishes diet.Flake/granules as a staple, then pellets as occasional and frozen foods such as bloodworm, beefheart, and glassworm...Or even prawns to be offered as a treat, this however is just a general diet which.And will vary from person to person which most (maybe not most people, but most people on this forum and me ) people tend to feed there 'community' kind of fish, the pellets being for bottom dwelling fish, which most aquariums will have, the staples to provide good health, and the treats to keep them happy and give them nd extra boost.Thats how I see it anyway lol.
Other fish require a more specific diet.For example
If you have plecs, they should have bogwood (which they slowly eat, this is said to help there digestive systems function normally) courgette, cucumber, algae wafers, maybe even pellets if they eat them, all included in their diet.And they like the occassional prawn I have found out
.Other herbivorous fish, such as the giant gourami eat lettuce, peas etc, peas especially are suppose to be good for most fish, supposidly clearing the digestive system.
If you have discus cichlids they need a more protein rich diet compared to most fish, having granules such as tetra prima as a staple or a high qaulity flake.Beefheart, bloodworm, glass worm, tubifex worms etc are also fed regulary.
And for fish more predatory, such as birchirs, require a more protein rich diet, being fed frozen foods (as seen above and the general pellets) but also plenty of foods such as mussles and prawns.
