Lesson 7: Housing and Feeding Flashcards
Housing information per species:
Animal source
Caging material
Size of enclosures
Housing density
Lighting requirements (intensity, photoperiod, wavelength)
Temperature requirements
Food (types, quantities, sources, preparation, frequency of feeding)
Differential care for varying life stages
Cleaning schedules and processes
Colony propagation
Species lifespan
Quarantine procedures
Diseases commonly encountered, available treatments
Observations and data collection required
Services required
Specialized equipment
Enrichment strategies
Housing information for aquatic species:
Typical lab water quality parameters, e.g., pH, hardness, salinity, dissolved solids, dissolved oxygen, nitrate, and ammonia levels
Source water used
Animal water preparation or pretreatment method
Trace mineral requirements
Type of housing, e.g., flow-through, static (closed), or recirculating system
Flow rate if flowing water
Volume of water; need for depth gradient
Aeration/air or oxygen supply and degassing as necessary
What is an addition to traditional indoor housing in tanks?
Pond environments
What is one downside to ponds compared to indoor housing systems?
Higher potential to spread pathogens, including the spread of parasites.
Water sources should be?
Tested and treated to remove contaminants and pathogens before being used to support fish
municipal water should be treated to remove?
Chlorine and chloramines
Why could water pipes impose a potential problem?
It can contain contaminants such as metals from pipes, which may be toxic.
What type of water pipes from municipal sources are fine?
Black iron or plastic water pipes.
How much is a safe aquarium temperature change?
not exceed 2 celsius per 24 hour period.
The various water quality parameters that must be monitored?
pH, alkalinity, temperature, conductivity, salinity, hardness, dissolved oxygen, carbon dioxide, total ammonia, nitrate levels, chlorine and chloramine levels.
Common types of filters?
*Biologic
*Mechanical
*Chemical
Biologic filter?
A system comprised of an inert (stable) substrate, typically silicone, gravel, glass, or plastic, with a high surface area, plus large numbers of nitrifying bacteria that bind to the substrate.
Biological filteration utilizes?
Nitrifying bacteria to oxidize ammonia (toxic) to less toxic nitrites and nitrates.
Nitrosomonas?
They oxidize ammonium to nitrate
Nitrobacter?
Oxidizes nitrite to nitrate
It can take ______ or _______ to establish a healthy biologic filter with the appropriate bacteria.
weeks, months
Mechanical filter?
Physically removes solid waste from the tank that would otherwise not be processed by bacterial breakdown or chemical filtration. Mechanical filtration involves filtering tank water t through a mesh, sponge filter, or another matrix to physically trap larger, solid waste.
Chemical filtration?
Removes dissolved chlorine and dissolved organic compounds, including wastes, which may pass through a mechanical filter. It typically involves passing water over activated carbon, a highly porous substance that acts like a sponge, binding chemicals to its surface.
Tanks and ponds should be drained, dried, or treated with a chemical sterilant between?
Groups of fish
Is weekly cleaning of housing units common?
Yes
Any equipment contacting the fish or water must be?
Disinfected between tanks.
Detergents and other chemical commonly used for disinfecting are very or not very toxic to fish?
Very
What should you do to disinfected equipment before being used in tanks with live fish?
Rinsed
In recirculating systems, _____ and ____ may be used as disinfectants to decrease disease transmission risk.
ultraviolet light, ozone
Ozone is used to?
improve water clarity and reduce dissolved organic debris
Ozone in excessive amounts are?
Toxic to humans and fish
Wild-caught fish prefer what food?
Live food
Most fish will or not adapt to pelleted foods?
Will
What could happen when you overfeed fish?
Immunocompromise and in some species, enhance cannibalism
What’s better, overfeeding or underfeeding fish?
Underfeeding
Endogenous?
Yolk Sac
Exogenous?
Live food
