Dos & Don’ts of Fish Keeping!

Happy Friday everyone!  We are sure you’re happy that the weekend is now here!

Some of you are probably excited to put some time into your aquarium and perhaps even add new fish into your tank.  We know many of you are well experienced aquarists but since many of you are beginner fish keepers as well, we decided to write a list of some Don’ts when it comes to fish keeping and maintaining your aquarium.

• Don’t add too many fish into your aquarium!

A rule of thumb is to have 1 inch of fish for every gallon.  Keep this in mind!

• Don’t add incompatible fish into the same tank!

Make sure you do your research first and ask for plenty of advice from the shop you’re buying from.  We know that it can be tempting to just buy every fish that looks beautiful but the last thing you want is a “war zone” in your tank.  Even worse, some of your fish might become “lunch” to the newly added carnivore fish you just bought!

• Don’t forget to acclimate your fish!

Not only will you put stress on your fish but there is a chance your fish will encounter death from the shock.  Read more tips on our posting on acclimation.

• Don’t overfeed!

Give you fish just enough food to where they can finish within a 5 minute timeframe.  Be sure to remove all uneaten food within minutes if they aren’t finishing it.

• Don’t tap on the glass!

Not only will this stress your fish out but will cause many of them to dart quickly across the tank and even bang their head very hard onto the aquarium wall.

• Don’t forget to change your filter media every 3 months

This is for the carbon in particular.  It loses its effectiveness after 3 months so be sure to change it!

• Don’t add water from the bag of newly purchased fish.

The water may contain contaminants that will only give you much headache.

• Don’t forget to snap pictures of your awesome fish and tank setup!

We love to see everyones’ progress when it comes to their fish tank projects!  Keep us posted by posting onto our Facebook page or on Instagram (@petzone)!

We are sure you have plenty more Dos and Don’ts to add to the list!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend folks!

Happy Fish Keeping,

Roger Ma
Pet Zone Tropical Fish

Goliath African Tiger Fish For Sale!

We just got in one of the ultimate “monster fish” in the fish hobby!  The Goliath African Tiger Fish (Hydrocynus goliath) is one of the most vicious predatory fish out there and will eat just about anything it can overpower (including fish close to its own size).  There have even been cases of these fish attacking humans that are swimming in their habitat (mistaken them for a very large fish).

Originating from the Congo River Basin and Lake Tanganyika, many anglers have labeled this fish as the “greatest freshwater game fish in the world.”

The temperature of the tank should be around 72-82 degrees Fahrenheit and the pH of between 6.5 – 7.5.  Good filtration is a must!  Put in some driftwood and plants as a way to mimic this fish’s natural habitat, along with providing some hiding space.

If you plan on keeping this fish, be prepared to house them as they are known to grow to very enormous sizes in the wild (more than 4 feet and over 100 lbs).  We’d recommend having a tank of at least 1000 gallons in the future if you are going to commit in keeping this fish.

We hope this helps you in deciding whether or not this fish is a good fit for your fish keeping needs!

Happy Fish Keeping,

Roger Ma
Pet Zone Tropical Fish

Caring For Redfin Cactus Pleco, Mango Pleco & Sunshine Pleco

Hey Fellow Fish Keepers!

We hope this past weekend went great for all of you.

A newly arrived batch of rare plecos that many of you have been asking for have finally arrived again over this past weekend.  The L24 Redfin Cactus Pleco, the L47 Mango Pleco and the L14 Sunshine Pleco.

The L024 Pleco is one gorgeous plecostomus with awesome coloration that range between yellow to light green.  These beautiful plecos are known to be a bit more shy and can be seen hiding in their caves or underneath driftwood.  But as each fish differs in personality, this can vary because we’ve kept a number of Redfins and some are more “extroverted” than usual.  As a cousin to the L25 Red Scarlet Pleco, they are just as beautiful but are usually just half the price in comparison to its counterpart.  As with most rare plecos, pH and water conditions need to be kept up very well.  pH of between 6.0-7.4 is required for the Redfin Pleco and good filtration as they are sensitive to ammonia and nitrite.

The L047 Pleco is one fish that isn’t hard to miss when you walk past an aquarium (if it isn’t hiding at least)!  Having a particular lime green body and yellow tipped caudal and dorsal fins makes this plecostomus unique.  Also known as the Magnum Pleco, they can grow up to about 11 inches or so.  They can do well within community fish tanks but ensure that good filtration like with other plecos.  They require good aeration along with natural accents (this fish is wild-caught) such as live plants and driftwood.  pH of 6.5-7.5 will suffice for the Mango Pleco.

The L14 Pleco is easily distinguished by its brightly colored body.  Typically having olive to brown coloration and fins that range from a yellow to orange, it is covered with yellow spots around the dark colored areas of its body.  The Sunshine Pleco (or Goldie/Goldy if you prefer that name) is known to prefer a carnivorous diet.  We typically feed them a variety of foods but they simply love to chow down on live or frozen bloodworms from what we notice.  Algae wafers can also be accepted as long as you don’t spoil it too much on one particular food.  The Sunshine Pleco is known to grow to a large size of up to 16 inches so they are a definite “monster pleco” in comparison to other rare plecos in the hobby (we have 2 large sized ones ourselves).  A pH of 5.0-7.5 will suffice and good filtration is a must!

We hope you find this to be helpful towards your decision in finding the right pleco for your tank.  Whether you’re a beginner to fish keeping or an extreme plecostomus enthusiasts, these beautiful fish are a pleasure to keep and will bring you joy, as the satisfaction of having them outweights the cons of the extra upkeep.

Stay tuned with us on ​Facebook or ​Instagram (or ​Google Plus) for more updates to our fish stock and other fish keeping tips and advice!

Happy Fish Keeping,

Roger Ma
​​Pet Zone Tropical Fish

Father’s Day Flowerhorn Sale As An Appreciation To All The Awesome Dads Out There!

Hey Fellow Fish Keepers,

Father’s Day is just a few days away!  We are taking 20% off our ​Flowerhorn stock as an appreciation to all the awesome Dads out there!

Simply input “Father20” into the promo-code section of your shopping cart during the check-out process and 20% will automatically be deducted off the price of the Flowerhorn.  These Red Pearl SRD Flowerhorns we have in stock are absolutely gorgeous and you’ll give the perfect gift as well.

This sale ends on Sunday, June 8th.  Stop hesitating and pick out the perfect Flowerhorn fish gift today.

Happy Fish Keeping,

Roger Ma
​​Pet Zone Tropical Fish

Osphronemus goramy – True Giant Gourami

When one thinks about a pet, dogs or cats often come to mind!  But if you’ve had a chance to encounter or known someone who has raised a Giant Gourami for many years, then you will realize that these fish are the ultimate “pet fish” as it can live past 20+ years and has a personality and intelligence that many say resemble a dog.

Scientifically named Osphronemus goramy (or Osphronemus gourami, depending on how you want to spell it), the True Giant Gourami grows to a size bigger than that of many fish, along with a very long lifespan.  They have been seen to grow over 2 feet in the wild, though in captivity they rarely reach past 16 inches (which is good for many fish keepers).  Two variations of this Gourami are seen in the fish keeping hobby.  One is the Red Tail Giant Gourami and the other is the Albino Giant Gourami (also known as Pink Lady Gourami).

As they continue to grow and reach full adulthood size, its appearance will begin to change.  The face changes quite a lot from its juvenile stage to adulthood.  When younger, they have a pointer face and mouth and transitioning into adulthood, it will form a “beak” (thicker lips and chin) and have a swollen forehead.

They are known to be very hardy fish and aren’t too fussy with their water conditions (be sure to do regular maintenance and upkeep though) or diet.  A temperature of around 68 – 86 degrees will suffice and a pH of 6.5 – 8.0 will do.  As a omnivore, they will readily accept anything you throw into the tank.  But ensure that you give your Gourami a varied diet, as you don’t want them to get too spoiled off one particular food.  Flakes and pellets work great and other meaty or vegetable foods can be incorporated into its diet.

The Giant Gourami is known to be aggressive as it grows large and should be kept with tank mates of similar size.  It can be kept within a community aquarium or with monster sized fish.  Known to be peaceful among other fish it was raised with, it can dominate newer additions to the tank.  Keep a close eye whenever you decide to put in new fish, as each fish has a different level of aggression.

Be sure you have the ability and commitment to keep this long-lived pet fish!  We’ve personally had friends that has a couple around 25 years old and they are definitely more intelligent than you’d expect from a fish!

Happy Fish Keeping,

Roger Ma
Pet Zone Tropical Fish