Seahorses are beautiful and intriguing creatures. Can you imagine keeping them in your custom aquarium? As long as you have the proper saltwater aquarium setup, it is possible…however very difficult. Aquarium maintenance for seahorses requires a lot more attention than other fish and marine life. These creatures are a favorite of Diamond Aquatics owner, Nick Diamond, so we’re sharing some fun facts with you. Read on…

1. Seahorses are actually fish! And, the slowest marine fish. Forget about snails, there are some seahorses which move only 5 feet per hour.

2. Did you know male seahorses are the ones who get pregnant? It’s true; a female seahorse deposits her eggs into the male’s pouch for fertilization by his sperm.

3. Less than 1% of a seahorse’s eggs will survive to develop into maturity, that’s why a male seahorse could give birth to as many as 2,000 babies at a time.

4. Seahorses can change color when they are stressed out; their skin changes color since they do not have scales.

5. Seahorses can only curl their tails frontwards, not backwards. Sometimes they wrap it around things when they are sleeping so that they do not float away.

Keeping seahorses is a lot of work, however we can help you find the best solution for your custom aquarium! Contact us today for more information at 973-356-4434.

Diamond Aquatics provides beautiful and lasting custom aquarium design, on-site custom fish tank install, and ongoing aquarium maintenance in the New York and New Jersey areas.

Whether it be a standard design or a custom installation, we will help you choose the perfect aquarium for your home or office. We also provide New York Aquarium Service and New Jersey Aquarium Service.

Your initial aquarium consultation is always free.

We invite you to take advantage of our promo today! Diamond Aquatics is now offering new clients 15% off of their first aquarium maintenance service, and 10% off for first-time aquarium setup. Contact Nick today at 973-356-4434 and mention this promo!

Moving for any individual can be stressful.  Whether it is a move to a new apartment, or a move to a new home, proper planning and preparation will ensure that it goes smoothly.  The same goes for custom fish tank or aquarium moving: your aquatics residents will be stressed as well!

The size of your tank and distance of the move will determine the difficulty, and how it will affect your fish.  There are many things to think about before attempting this yourself. The experts at Diamond Aquatics can provide you with professional, affordable aquarium moving services in NY and NJ if you are looking for help.

Before you start planning, consider these things:

1-Moving needs to happen as quickly as possible. The habitat in which your fish live must be duplicated as much as it can in a temporary enclosure.  Using water from the custom fish tank will help. The quicker the aquarium moving occurs, the faster the balance in the new setup adjusts for the fish to move right back in.

2-It’s difficult to physically move a fish tank! They are fragile and heavy at the same time. If the tank is large, it needs to be securely carried and handled, and kept as level as possible so that the panels stay together.

3-Aquarium moving can be messy. Most, if not all of the water needs to be drained, and then put back in once moved. Water is fluid, so all the movement of it can cause spills and splashes everywhere, if not done properly.

Even when it is simply from one room to another, moving an aquarium can be a daunting task. With time being a factor in the health of the aquarium inhabitants, experience is critical in making sure everything is done as quickly as possible. Whether you are temporarily shifting furniture or moving to a new residence in the New York or New Jersey areas, contact Diamond Aquatics to help move your aquarium to it’s new location safely. For longer distance moves, please inquire by calling 973-356-4434.

The holidays are over, and we have all stuffed ourselves with goodies and treats. Time to get back to the regular diet (or a new diet, for those with resolutions!). Let’s take a few minutes to review a few key things to remember about the diets and feeding of your custom aquarium fish.

#1- What if you had to eat one certain kind of food every single day? It’s important to remember that our animal friends enjoy variety as well. Feeding flake food only, will not prolong the life of your aquarium fish. Try giving them a treat once in a while of freeze dried, frozen, or fresh food.  Do some research on your fish and the type of food that they will do best with in your custom aquarium. You can use this list for reference http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/feedingfis1/a/dietarytypes.htm

#2- Be careful when feeding your fish. Fish, in fact, could go several days without food. And, more aquarium fish often die from overfeeding, rather than underfeeding.  The rule is: make sure they eat everything you feed them. Watch to see if they can eat all their food in about half a minute. If this can happen, it is alright to feed them again at some point later in the day.

#3- You may have returned from visiting family or vacation, but if you will be traveling away from your home or business which contains a custom fish tank again, make sure that the feeding of your animals is taken care of. There are several options for this. The first is hiring a pet sitter. Make sure that they know not to overfeed the fish. One idea is to portion out your pet’s meals into baggies, and have them come to feed every 2-3 days. Another option is to use a mechanical feeding device. This is a battery or electric powered device which will release food into your tank on a scheduled basis with a timer. A third option is to use a feeding block. It releases food slowly for continual feeding.

Need help with fish and aquarium maintenance? Call Diamond Aquatics at 973-356-4434 today, and we will be happy to help.

Diamond Aquatics hope you and your loved ones have a happy, safe, and joyous holiday season. We’d love to talk to you in the New Year about how we can help you bring the ocean home with a custom aquarium. Our aquarium maintenance services are also available whenever you need them. Give us a call at 973-356-4434 in 2013!

Gravel is primarily used to make your custom aquarium more beautiful, but can also change the pH balance of the water by introducing chemicals, minerals or particles into the environment that your fish live in. A more technical term for gravel, or the substance at the bottom of your custom fish tank, is called a substrate.  This substance can both benefit or harm fish and other aquatic dwellers in the tank, so it must be chosen carefully because it creates a natural environment for fish and other tank mates.

Proper aquarium maintenance is crucial, and this can include cleaning the gravel in your tank. Remember this tip: removing old gravel from an aquarium and replacing it with new gravel can be catastrophic if done too quickly. When you remove the old gravel you are also removing a tremendous amount of good bacteria, which can upset the biological filter balance in your aquarium. If you choose to change your gravel, remove the old gravel slowly, over the course of a few days or even weeks.

Think this may be too difficult? We are here to help, and can provide you with effective and affordable aquarium maintenance services. Give Diamond Aquatics a call today with your questions, or to set up a free in-home aquarium maintenance consultation in any New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut areas.