Mike’s Fish Tank – Myths

Some misconceptions that are out there.

Fish only grow to the size of their tank..Not really true. Most fish are still going to grow to their normal size.

People are constantly upgrading to larger tanks because their fish got too big.

I hear fish only need to eat once a day. Fish in the wild are eating all through the day. Swimming burns a lot of calories so you need to feed 3 to 4 small feedings a day if you want healthy long lived fish.

What about bottom feeders, there really is no fish that will clean the bottom. Bottom feeders really means the fish tend to hang at the bottom and eat as the food floats down. Once the food sits at the bottom awhile, no fish will eat it.

Some people think bottom feeders eat the waste at the bottom of the tank, fish do not eat waste. To get out waste and excess food, you need to siphon the bottom with a siphon tube usually once a month or so.

Also when it comes to lizards, a lot of people say they feed 1 or 2 crickets a day or they just feed once a week.

Keep in mind, lizards in the wild eat daily and they don’t just eat 1 or 2 insects a day.To have a healthy lizard, feed 5 or 6 crickets a day or mealworms. But feed daily.

A lot of people put algae eaters in newly set up tanks. Remember they eat algae. New tanks do not have algae. When you see green algae in your tank, then that’s the time to get your algae eater.They will do better if there’s algae to eat.

Some people do water changes weekly, that’s probably ok if small amounts, but if you are doing big water changes weekly, you could lose some of your good nitrifying bacteria. Usually 25% water change once a month is perfect.

Pets A Plenty is located on Rte 281 Cortland, across from Tops Market in the TJ Nails Plaza. 753-9213. Open 7 days a week. We now have a website. www.petsaplety.biz. check it out. I post care sheets, coupons, new animal arrivals, contests and more. Any questions, email me at friskyy@hotmail.com

[mappress mapid=”2″]