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Discus Fish are one of the most popular types of fishes to have in a freshwater aquarium. They are very colorful and they can also be the center attraction of your aquarium.

If you are planning to buy a Discus Fish as an additional fish in to your aquarium, here are some tips that you need to remember before you actually buy one.

With these tips, you will be able to know how to buy a Discus Fish, which is very important in order for you to avoid wasting your money.

1.First tips:

First of all, when buying a Discus Fish, you have to remember that a healthy Discus Fish should look healthy.

Fish that tends to stay on top of the tank or near the surface is a sure sign that they are sick. You should also look out for bloated gills as well as unusual spots. Also, be on the lookout for parasites hanging from the fish.

You should also stay away from tanks that have a DNS label on them. DNS means "do not sell" and the fish here are most likely to have a disease.

You should also test the alertness and responsiveness of the fish. To do this, have the breeder or the keeper feed the fish.

If the fish is passive and doesn't take interest of the new food available, this may be a sign of unhealthy fish.

The fish you buy should eat the food or at least take interest in them. If the keeper says that they just fed the fish, then you should look for another place to buy it.

2. Second tips:

As much as possible, you should buy an adult Discus Fish. This is highly recommended for first time owners of Discus Fish as adult costs lesser to maintain than juvenile ones.

You need to remember that juvenile are far more sensitive to water quality and food quality than adult Discus Fish.

3.Third tips:

You need to know about the dealer quarantine. This is the time where the dealer obtained the fish and the time they decide to sell the fish.

The longer the dealer quarantine is, the better it will be for you. Usually, the fish should be in quarantine for at least 2 weeks. This is to make sure that the fish is not spreading any diseases.

Also, you need to make sure that the dealer tells you if the fish have been subjected to medicines or if they have been de-wormed. By asking these questions, you will be able to have a good idea about the background of the fish.

4.The Fourth tips:

You have to take a look at the aquarium chemistry. Make sure that you ask the dealer about the current water condition that the fish you plan on buying is currently living in.

This will give you a good idea on how to set up your aquarium and also help you if the dealer of the fish knows what they're doing.

Remember these tips and you can be sure that you will be able to purchase a great Discus Fish that will live for a very long time in your aquarium.

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Decorating your freshwater fish aquarium can be interesting, as you have a variety of accessories to choose from. There are many types of beads, colorful plants and even miniature pagodas. While decorating your tank keep in mind that whatever you put into the tank will affect your aquarium environment and could harm your fish.

You should plan your aquarium decorations before you get the fish to their tank. Here are some tips for decorating freshwater fish aquariums:

Wallpaper: Many stores sell wallpaper sheets that can be placed on the rear external side of the aquarium. This can give your fish a feeling of depth and also block off the background which may consist of a plain wall or even a tangle of wires.
Plants: Place the big and bushy plants on the rear or the sides of your freshwater fish aquarium, after this you can place the small plants in front of them or in the middle as center piece.
Log: If your aquarium contains different sizes of fish, it is better to give a hollow log so that the small fish can take refuge when they shy away or want to flee away from the large fish.
Glass/plastic: Be careful when you buy decorations made up of plastic or glass as they could release harmful chemicals into your aquarium water and so harm your fish. Some items made of plastic, glass and ceramic do not release such chemicals.
Wood: Be careful not to place any piece of wood outside in your aquarium.  A piece of wood found on the beach could release substances like tannins, which turn the water color into a yellow tea color and change the water's pH as well. If you find an interesting piece of wood which you want to use as a decoration in your freshwater fish aquarium, you can boil it in water first to kill the dangerous bacteria present in or on the wood. Boiling the wood piece also makes it sink.
Shell: Even sea shells found on the sea shore contain harmful substances and should be cleaned before you decide to place them in your fish tank. There can be minute inhabitants inside the shell. Before you place them in the aquarium check inside the shell thoroughly and rinse them properly. For precaution purposes, keep checking the water pH and the buffering level of the water within few days of placing the shells in the water.

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1. Angel Fish

The angel fish is listed under the category of Holacanthus Trimaculatus and connected to the Timaculatus group. They are stunning with their bluish lips on a gold colored body in contrast. The three spot variety of this fish belongs to the Pacific and the Indian oceans. The shape is a lot like that of the butterfly fish. The bluish band on the throat area stands out against a gold or orange background skin. It has been given the name thanks to its patches on the top and the colors on the rim of its flaps. It also owes its name to the color on top of its head. It has black on the exterior of the anal fins, and white on the other side. It can grow to as much as ten inches in length. It likes feeding on larvae, plants and smaller creatures and likes living in the same conditions as the butterfly fish does. Angelfish do adapt to their surrounding life forms, but it is recommended they be kept in isolation.

2. Pajama Cardinal

The Pajama Cardinal belongs to the Apogonidae family, and it finds its origins in Indo-Australian and Chinese waters. This fish prefers life in the shaded areas. It likes water temperatures between seventy five and eighty degrees. They love to hide behind things, so a few props in the fish tank will keep them happy, and remember to not disturb them with bright lights. They eat plankton and other smaller fish. Although the fish is short in length it has a very deep shaped body with impressive fins. It has a large head and a distinct thread like dorsal area. Its large mouth and eyes make it very pleasing to watch in the tank. The Pajama Cardinal could be colored in shades of orange, red and brown. It is a peaceful fish and can learn from its surroundings. This fish can eat live bait and can grow up to five inches in length.

3. Yellow Tail Anemone

The yellow tail Anemone belongs to the Amphiprion Clarki category belonging to the Pomacentridae family. It likes hanging around the bottom of the aquarium, and this leads one to believe it is not as social as the other categories mentioned. Housing them with other fish like themselves will keep them happy.

4. Frogfish

The frogfish is a fish from the Antennarius group and belongs the Anennaridae family. It prefers warm water to live in. It is a territorial natured fish so you need to place only compatible company in its surroundings. Keep them with other larger fish to keep them in place! But do not keep them with hostile fish that are so much bigger that they would not be able to defend themselves. However, take exceptional note of this warning. The frogfish is known to eat fish that are even bigger than its own self, in the tank.

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Do you have fish in your aquarium? If you do, believe it or not, you can take beautiful pictures of the fish using a telephoto lens.

So just how does one do it?

First things first, set your photography equipment up. Before you start taking any pictures, just make sure that the tripod and the camera, as well as the light are located at the aquarium tank’s top. Do not immediately take any pictures. Let the fish get familiar with the equipment first. This will help them relax and so shots taken of them will look natural and candid.

Usually, the best film to use when taking shots of moving subjects – in this case, the fish – is an ISO 400 film. This type of film is able to take shots of quick moving subjects without the blur. This is also the best type of equipment to be used for an environment that is low on lighting yet fast in movement.

So how long should the lens be?

When taking pictures of aquarium fish, a lens with a measurement anywhere between twenty eight millimeters and eighty millimeters is best to use. For close up shots, use a tube that can be extended.

Be aware though that you need to try out different types of lenses and measurements to make sure that the desired effect you want to achieve is ultimately accomplished. Experimenting is the key. The type and length of the lens that works well outdoors may not work as well when used inside a fish tank.

Be sensitive of the shadows

Try, as much as possible, to observe any shadows that crop up in the background while you are taking your shots. It is best that you first wait a moment until there is a fish that appears to contrast against the background and away from any shadows. This ensures that your subject will appear clear in the final and developed picture.

And then there was light

The tank you are going to take pictures of should be well lighted. It is best that light be placed at the top of the tank. You need to be careful though when lighting is used in the water as electricity is involved. Make sure that the placement of the lighting is safe and secure to prevent any type of electric shock as this could prove to be fatal, both to the fishes as well as to the photographer.

It is also highly unadvisable to use your camera flash when taking pictures of aquarium fish. This is because the glare of the flash could give off a reflection or produce a shiny, glaring spot in the picture that could distract, if not ruin, the shot.

Focus, focus, focus

As much as possible, focus on the moving fish as it darts and swims across the water. It is during this time when you could determine the specific type of measurement, lens, aperture opening as well as shutter speed. Here is a good tip, if a fish is swimming towards you, try to increase the depth of field in your camera to create a much more focused and clear shot.

The secret to good photography

There is a way to take great pictures. However, it won\'t take just a few seconds, hours, days, weeks or months, but probably years to achieve. A lot of patience as well as a lot of practice is needed to perfect a shot, a photography technique and a photography skill.

Also, avoid having any electrical equipment near any form or types of water. Common sense dictates that doing so avoids any and all forms of electrical shock that could prove to be fatal.

All in all, photography is an art form and medium that is used to express any emotion, idea or message. For the photography hobbyist, taking pictures is a way to experiment and explore, while a serious photographer could just as well use photography to convey a concept that no other medium could best express. Photos not just capture a moment, but an idea whose time has come.
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