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A The Complete quarium Guide FISH, PLANTS AND ACCESSORIES FOR YOUR AQUARIUM © 1

A The Complete quarium Guide FISH, PLANTS AND ACCESSORIES FOR YOUR AQUARIUM © 1995, ATP - Chamalieres - France All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any forms or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owners. Original title: Le Grand Guide de I'Aquarium © 2000 for the English edition: Konemann Verlagsgesellschaft mbH Bonner Strasse 126, D - 50968 Cologne Translation from French: Matthew Clarke and Ian West in association with First Edition Translations Ltd. Editing: Kay Hyman in association with First Edition Translations Ltd. Typesetting: The Write Idea in association with First Edition Translations Ltd. Project Management: Beatrice Hunt for First Edition Translations Ltd., Cambridge, England Project Coordination: Nadja Bremse-Koob Production: Ursula Schumer Printed in Italy by STIGE - Turin ISBN 3-8290-1736-7 1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 8 WATER: A HAVEN FOR LIFE 10 Fresh water 12 Sea water 24 Different types of aquarium 32 FISH 40 Anatomy and biology 42 Feeding 50 Reproduction 60 Health 66 Nomenclature and distribution of aquarium fish 72 Catalog of freshwater fish 75 Catalog of marine fish 126 INVERTEBRATES 162 Freshwater invertebrates 166 Marine invertebrates 167 Catalog of invertebrates 179 PLANTS 188 Origin and variety of plants 190 Algae problems 193 Caring for plants 196 Catalog of plants 201 TECHNIQUES 216 Assembling a tank 218 Equipment and accessories 226 A balanced aquarium 253 Choosing the bed 260 Decor and background 264 Final preparations 272 CUSTOMIZING YOUR TANK 278 USEFUL INFORMATION 282 INDEX 283 INTRODUCTION In a dentist's surgery, a tank of Amazonian fish faces the patient's chair. • T here was a time when the keeping and study of exotic fish was the pre- serve of serious researchers clos- eted in their laboratories; today, it is an established and popular hobby. Dealer- ships and specialized sales areas in large stores are springing up everywhere, paral- leling an explosion in the number of pub- lic aquariums and books or magazines devoted to the subject. More and more people of all ages are falling under the spell, enjoying permanent access to a part of the natural world that was formerly beyond their reach. There are almost as many kinds of hobbyists as there are types of fish: the semiprofessional, the "small" and the "modest" collector, the specialist. There are the fanatics, who spend every minute of their time and energy on their aquariums, while for others fishkeeping is just a passing fad. Enthusiasts include the young - and the not so young; those with scientific knowledge or mere novices; those actively working and the retired. Such an immensely varied following guar- antees that the world of the aquarist is full of interest and color. A WINDOW ONTO ANOTHER WORLD We have all become familiar with how our television screens offer us, from the comfort of our living rooms, a small window onto the wide world outside. An aquarium also pro- vides a glimpse into a different universe - but this time inhabited by real, live creatures. A lot of thought and work goes into a top- class aquarium. We select the best site, we want fish and decor which satisfy our sense of beauty. Before long, our new purchase has relegated to the background our photos, pictures and even the TV. The last ten or so years have seen the aquarium come into its own in institutions and public buildings. In educational estab- lishments it represents an important teach- ing aid, enabling students to observe creatures in conditions resembling their natural habitats. The medical profession has likewise realized its benefits. The fish gliding through their silent, predominantly green world in a kind of underwater ballet are the perfect sedative for nervous patients; it is by no means unusual to come across tanks in the waiting-rooms of doctors and dentists, in physiotherapy rooms, hospitals, and indeed in psychiatric clinics. More recently, aquariums have been introduced into prisons. FISHKEEPING, SCIENCE, AND AQUACULTURE Keeping fish contributes to the development of scientific research into aquatic environ- ments, and is relevant to the study of animal and plant biology, ecology, reproduction, feeding, and behavior. Researchers use some species to test the toxicity of pollu- tants or suspected pollutants. Aquaculture or fish farming - the produc- tion of living creatures with the principal aim of selling them as food - has features in common with fishkeeping. In both cases, it is a matter of maintaining fish in captivity and encouraging them to repro- duce, always under the best possible con- ditions. The use of aquariums has allowed us to improve our knowledge of, for 8 example, the breeding of marine larvae destined eventually for human consump- tion. It can also aid the preservation of species threatened with extinction for var- ious reasons; we can study their behavior and reproductive methods with the aim of rearing young which can be released into their natural habitats. On the other hand, aquarists are regularly accused of being party to the destruction of certain environments. The fact is that though the vast majority of freshwater fish kept in aquariums are the result of captive breeding, the same is not true of marine fish, which are caught mainly in their natural habitats. The num- bers taken are out of all proportion to the needs of aquarists owing to unsatisfactory conditions of capture and transport. For every marine fish which arrives alive in an aquarium, how many have died as they were being caught - often in a highly questionable manner - or during ship- ment or in the course of acclimatization? In this sense, the accusation is justified. The only solution is to impose stricter controls and improve techniques so that the number of fish caught to supply aquarists remains within a safe limit. A SYSTEM IN EQUIPOISE The days of goldfish swimming in endless circles in a glass bowl are long past. Today, an aquarium is something much more sophisticated: we are able to recon- struct Nature in microcosm, which requires the maintenance of a constant equilibrium. Nature, if not disturbed by some cataclysmic imbalance, obeys a finite set of laws. As aquarists, we need to understand these laws and reproduce them on a smaller scale, where the density of animals and plants is considerably higher. Everything that takes place within this mini-universe is under our control - up to a point. The final, inviolable law is that conditions in the aquarium must always approach those found in Nature. If not, the ecosystem will break down, spelling disaster. THE AQUARIUM: AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH TO ECOLOGY A closed system like this lends itself par- ticularly to the understanding of ecology, providing an excellent introduction to a branch of science which emerged in the 19th century but has acquired a high pro- file only in the last twenty or so years. It is not concerned simply with Man and his world, as many believe, but covers all the mechanisms regulating relationships between living creatures and their envi- ronments, so that all can live in harmony. • Salmonidae in Le Bugue Aquarium. Public aquariums have an important role to play, offering unrestricted access to the beauty of this miniature world. 9 FRESH WATER This type of water is also known as Continental water, a more accurate term from the scientific point of view. Continental water accounts for only 2.6% of the Earth's water, the rest being made up of seas and oceans. Of this volume, 98% consists of sterile water, in the form of glaciers and underground water, leaving only the water of rivers, lakes, and ponds as shelter for living organisms- barely 2% of the total volume of Continental water. • The use of a heating kit allows the water in an aquarium to be maintained at an almost constant temperature. TEMPERATURE An important parameter for aquatic life, the temperature regulates the growth of animals and plants and exerts an influence not only on oxygen levels but also on many other factors. Whereas mammals have a regulated and practically stable internal temperature, that of fish and other aquarium crea- tures varies according to the temper- ature of the water around them. They can survive only at certain temperatures and some species are more sensitive than others to variations in this parameter. The temperatures of fresh tropical waters, ranging from 20 to 30°C, are characterized by less significant variations than those found in temperate regions. In some places the shade provided by the tropical forest cools the water, while in calm water the temperature goes up under the direct influence of the sunlight. The mean temperature most often recom- mended for aquariums is 25°C, and varia- tions of 1 or 2° are of little consequence. Fish are even capable of withstanding even more significant variations for brief periods (under 24 hours). On the other hand, their metabolism (i.e. their general bodily functioning) is in danger of serious disturbance over uploads/Industriel/ aquarium-guide.pdf