Fish Husbandry Flashcards
What do fish need from their environment?
Water, Oxygen , Stable conditiosn (Water chemsitry & Temp), Complete balance diet
What can poor husbandry lead to?
Increase stress, Decrease immunity
How do you maintain water quality?
Correct stocking density, Filtration system, Aeration, Monitor Temp, Regular cleaning & partial water changes, Regular water quality testing
What does it take to maintain healthy fish?
Compatible sepcies together, Quarantine new fish for 4 weeks before introduction, Provide good quality food
What are the water quality components you need to be aware of?
Dissolved gases, Nitrogenous compounds, Temo, pH, Hardness, Alkalinity, Salinity + other
List the dissolved gases
Oxygen, Nitrogen, Carbon dixoide
Why might dissolved oxygen fall to fatally hypoxic levels?
Overstocking, overfeeding, lots of rotting organic matter actively degraded by bacteria, too many plants
Where is the main source of dissolved oxygen in most bodies of water?
Photosynthesis by submerged plants but plants require daylight (using up OD) so large decreses in OD may occur during the night if plants are preent
When should you especially measure dissolved oxygen levels?
Early in the monring
What are the oxygen requirements?
Varies with species, age, size & health of fish, Increses with feeding & stress, Most fish require at least 6mg/I dissolved oxygen
Why might there be carbon dioxide in the water?
Produce via respiration by the fish, bacteria and plants at night
When are the dissolved levels of carbon dioxide?
Just before down and in fish who are left in a sealed plastic bag for long periods
What nitrogenous compounds might be present in bodies of water?
Fish excere ammonia (NH₃) from gills + kindets, Bacteria use ammonia as energy source (convert to nitrie NO₂⁻) and Other bacteria convert nitrie into nitrate NO₃²⁻) Ammonia & Nitrite are v. toxic
Can you draw out the nitrogen cycle?
Optimum levels of Ammonia
0mg/l
Optimum levels of nitrite
0ml/l
Optimum levles of nitrate
<50mg/l
How do you prevent “New tank syndrome’?
Several weeks for bacteria to become establoshed & for filter to function efficiently in new tanks/ponds before adding fish
Can you draw out what occurs during new tank syndrome?
What two bacteria are needed to establihs a filter?
Nitrosomonas & Nitrobacter
What Is the process of filter maturation referred to as?
Cycling
What does nitrosomonas do?
Oxidise ammonia to nitrite