Aquarium pet supplies stores near Lisle?

I am looking for a store (besides PetsMart, PETCO, or Pets Supplies) that sells fresh water Aquarium Fish. I am specifically looking for some Loaches (YoYo Loaches) to help combat a snail outbreak in a 30 gal tank.

So I am looking for a place near Lisle, Glen Ellen, Downers Grove etc. that would carry fresh water aquarium fish.

Thanks
If it isn't clear, I mean near Lisle, IL
Beyond the reef is Salt Water only, I need Freshwater. Thanks

You could try contacting these: http://yp.yahoo.com/py/ypResults.py?&&city=Lisle&state=IL&uzip=60532&country=us&msa=1600&cs=4&ed=CmCO.K1o2TwqvGfaRLpF4dA4yIK2n.ni_pIwhC22pQ4V&stp=y&stx=8120306

If you can't find a source through those, you could also try contacting a local aquarium society: http://fins.actwin.com/dir/clubs.php?c=1&r=27 Members often breed and raise species, then sell them (as well as unused equipment) at club auctions. These are usually a great source for better quality fish than you can find in pet stores (and often at a lower cost). I don't know how commonly you'd find yoyos for sale in your area, though.

Whilst when many of us think about aquarium pet supplies we most commonly think of a range of fish – whether that’s coldwater fish, tropical freshwater fish or marine fish – there are actually quite a wide range of other pets that kept be kept in aquariums if you’re looking for something a little bit different.

In this article we’re going to take a closer look at some of the types of aquarium pets for you if for whatever reason keeping fish in your aquarium isn’t quite what you’re looking for.

Crayfish/Lobsters

Some aquarium shops sell these interesting arthropods from time to time. Whilst large specimens are seen from time to time it is most normal to find small youngsters of a few inches for sale. The specimens most normally seen are tropical freshwater creatures rather than their saltwater cousins.

Crayfish are reasonably easy to care for in captivity though have been known to nip at fish so it is recommended to keep them on their own rather than as part of a community fish tank.

A basic set-up of a tropical fish tank works well for these animals though there are a few minor changes that will be welcome. Firstly crayfish can be quite shy animals and like to hide away safely. Because of this a number of flat rocks are recommended behind which your crayfish can hide.

Whilst this will keep your crayfish much happier and healthier than being on display all the time, appreciate that you may only see your pet from time to time. The most likely time to observe your pet will either be late in the evening or whilst feeding.

Speaking of feeding, this is really the second major change you will need to make to your fish tank. Rather than feeding fish flakes or life food, most crayfish are scavengers and so it is best to feed them on sinking catfish pellets which they will readily run over to collect when they are dropped into the tank.

Newts

There are a surprising number of newts available from specialist reptile suppliers and many can be easily kept in an aquarium. Depending on the species involved they may require warm water or cold so check with your supplier before making a purchase.

In addition, many newts appreciate access to dry land where they can climb out of the water which may therefore require some modifications to your fish tank layout. However there are species, like the Japanese fire bellied newt, which are almost exclusively aquatic and a pair will not only live happily in a cold-water tank but well well also mate and lay eggs which can be a fascinating process to watch.

Triops

Triops are shrimp-like creatures which are the bigger, more exciting cousins of “sea monkeys”. These creatures are easy to keep and feed and may grow up to around 2 inches in length in a very short space of time.

Eggs and food can easily be bought from many online aquarium pet suppliers which are then hatched out at home. Unlike many of the other animals here you are unlikely to see too much fascinating behaviour but triops are cheap to buy, easy to care for and can make quite a pleasant change if only for the few months they will live.

Toads

Like newts, some species of toad can be kept in a totally aquatic environment while others will require a dry land area so they can leave the water from time to time.

Also like newts there are a huge range of species offering many different choices for the aquarium keeper. From large, grey clawed frogs that will happily live in the water at all times to the smaller, more brightly-colored fire-bellied toads which ideally like some dry land. As always, carry out suitable research on the species you are considering before investing but for me exotic toads are one of the most exciting types of aquarium pets.

Terrapins/Turtles

The final type of aquarium pet worth mentioning in this short article is the possibility of keeping turtles or terrapins. I mention both these words meaning the same thing: in the USA we typically refer to these reptiles as turtles though in Europe they are generally known as terrapins.

Turtles appreciate warm water together with an area where they can climb out of the water to bask in the “sun”. Because of this additional equipment will be required in the form of a basking lamp and a UV tube though if you already own an aquarium these pieces of equipment should be simple-enough to add to your existing setup.

Among aquarium pet supplies turtles can grow quite large, they are understandably popular as they are one of the few types of aquarium pet that seem to show some real personality. Over time they will gain confidence around you and may even become willing to eat out of your hand.

Ultimate Reef Aquarium

What is the best way to use a heat pump on outdoor swimming pools?

I have just purchased a 3kw electric heater for my outdoor pool. Two specialists have told me a different way of keeping the pool warm? Do I heat it on a thermostat or put it on a timer for a couple of hours each start/end of the day. What do you recommend and why?

thank you

A 3 kw element is actually pretty small. I wouldn't expect much performance from 3 unless you get into the habit of keeping a solar blanket on the pool constantly, to minimize heat loss when you're not using the pool. Most especially at night when you get quite a large temp difference between air and water surface. You'lll be using the thermostat if you actually want it to keep heat. Constantly turning it off and then on again by timer, actually will use up more juice if you're trying to keep it warm for swimming on demand. If that pool is a 12 foot above ground, you may actually get it to heat within a reasonable amount of time. If it's a much larger pool...good luck, that heater wouldn't put much of a dent in heating a 16 X 32 inground, for example. The heat loss would outstrip the gain if this is a pool in an area with moderate outdoor temps and that size. You'd need at least a 15kw.
If you post back the pool size under additional comments I may be able to help you further.

The Ideal Outdoor Swimming Pools Temperature?

Is there an ideal swimming pool temperature? The answer is, not really. Swimmers tend to be comfortable in temperatures around 78-82°F. That's not an absolute, however.

For backyard swimming pools without heaters, temperature adjustment isn't even an option. If you do have a pool heater, you're pretty safe just going with something that's comfortable to your swimmers. There are a few factors to keep in mind if you're thinking of cranking up the heater, though.

Increasing the temperature can effect maintenance. At higher temperatures, evaporation rates are increased, which means a faster buildup of total dissolved solids. Higher temperatures also burn off sanitizer more quickly. Bacteria and algae grow faster at higher temperatures. More scale forms in the water, due to an increase in the "saturation index". Warm water is also uncomfortable for exercising.

Even if you're not adjusting the temperature, seasonal changes will typically affect your pool's water. You may need to adjust the total alkalinity to compensate for changes to the saturation index. In cooler weather, increasing the total alkalinity will help keep the saturation index constant. In warmer weather, reducing the total alkalinity with acid should help to keep the saturation index.

Outdoor Swimming Pool Design

Swimming pool design used to mean a kidney-shaped pool with a deep end and a shallow end, a concrete deck, and a diving board. The pool design industry has come a long way. Today, you can find residential swimming pools that range from long narrow lap pools to exotic shapes with vanishing edges to waterfall-laced lagoons reminiscent of the tropics.

These days, if you can imagine it, you can build it. Swimming pool design isn't just limited to the shape of your pool, either. Colorful murals can add interest to pool bottoms and walls. Around the pool, statues and columns can add an elegant look to the area. Popular today, and seen in most of the luxury home and swimming pool magazines, are the pools with vanishing edges (sometimes called negative edges or an infinity edge) where the water appears to go off into thin air. Fiber-optic lighting is popular in swimming pools today because of the unique ambience it creates and the relative ease to install and maintain. Natural-looking pools often have water features incorporated into their design. A fountain, majestically lit by fiber-optic lighting, might draw the eye while a gurgling stream and waterfall combination tumbles down rock formations. You can even install a misting system to create a subtle fog around the pool and patio area.

As you're planning your swimming pool design, you'll want to take into account the following things:

-s your pool meant primarily for exercise or for the kids or a combination of both?
-Do you want a private, relaxing escape or a party space?
-Will the pool be the focus of the backyard or should it complement a majestic view?
-Will it be used by a lot of people at a time or just a few?

Plan things out before you contact a designer or contractor. Figure out the dimensions of your yard, exactly what you want to do, and what sort of deck and landscaping you're going to want to have around your pool.

One thing to keep in mind if cost is a consideration is that you can often get the best deals by having your outdoor swimming pools built in the off season. In the winter, pool contractors have fewer clients and may be able to cut you a deal in order to get your job.

World's Largest swimming pool Chile

Many people are asking me how to clean a fish tank. Therefore, today our topic is cleaning of the fish tank. If you have a look at your fish tank, you can see there's a whole bunch of algae growing on the sides of the glass of the fish tank. Not that it's bad or anything like that, it's just that aesthetically it doesn't look all that good. Actually the fish that I have in my tank, absolutely loves to eat it - it's like veggies for them, I guess. Open up your aquarium, and you'll see how clean the water is, so that you know that algae doesn't necessarily hurt anything, we just don't like the way it looks.

Now we will start cleaning the fish tank. The first thing you do before you start cleaning the fish tank is always open up the fish tank storage and see if you have enough supplies. And the key thing that you will look for is to see if you have enough stress coat, which removes the chlorine out of the water, and new filters to replace the old ones.

Open up the top of the fish tank, and then get a normal straight razor blade as this is what you will use to get all the algae of the side of the glass of your fish tank. What I do, I just go up and down with the blade, there is no magic way of doing it, just go back and forth inside the fish tank. What will happen is that algae will get everywhere in the fish tank as a result of this process. It will look pretty bad for a few minutes, but the good thing about it is the fish like it. The fish go wow over it, and they will actually start eating the algae, that you will be knocking off the fish tank. That's kind of a good thing. So, take the razor blade and go back and forth, and scrape all the algae off the side of the tank. You can use a sponge or you can use a paper towel, or a napkin, or anything like that, but the reason I like using the razor blade is because it makes these huge chunks of algae floating there in water and the fish can eat it. So, go ahead and get this cleaned up. I suggest you get the algae off the front part of the glass and both sides of the tank, but I leave it on the back, so that some algae stays in the water for the fish. To scrape away and take the algae off all the three walls, at the front and the sides, will take about 3 to 4 minutes.

Then head over to your dish washer, which should be empty and ready to go. Yes, you will use your dishwasher to clean all the plants and rocks. Take all the plants that you have pulled out of the water and just load them on the top rack (make sure the plants are not hanging from the rack) and put all the big rocks from the fish tank on the bottom. Make sure no gravel gets into the dishwasher.  While you pull out all the big rocks you will notice how much algae there is on the sides of the rocks but not on the bottom. Stack the stones around the sides of the dishwasher's bottom rack. If you put too many big stones in the middle of the dishwasher, it will push down the rack as many plastic racks in a dishwasher are quite flimsy, so the stones will not be washed very well.  So, make sure you stack the rocks around the edge of the rack.

OK, now that everything is inside the dishwasher, put a little bit of Clorox into it, and this will take all the algae off. Alternatively, you can just use your regular bleach, and there is no amount necessary, just simply pore a little bit of it and you are ready to go. Turn your dish washer on and come back when it's finished.

Next step is to clean the gravel. These are all the smaller stones in the bottom of your fish tank. If you don't have a gravel cleaner, you can buy one at Wal-Mart.  Just put the tube of the gravel cleaner down into the water while sticking your thumb to the end of the hose, which will go into a trash bin or any other container to collect the dirty water. Then release the thumb and take the tube a bit out of the water and, when you do that, the tube will automatically start sucking the water, and you can proceed with the cleaning of the gravel. This will take everything out of the bottom of the fish tank - just stick the tube into the gravel and the dirt will come up the tube into the container. Then take the container with the dirt water to the sink and pore the water into it (but not into the garbage side of the sink). Then pore fresh water into the bucket and put some stress coat into it. The stress coat removes the chlorine out of the water and protects the fish from it. Then dump the water with the stress coat into the fish tank. Make sure the water is not too cold or too hot in order not to stress the fish. At this step you kind of refill the tank with the water it lost while you were cleaning the gravel. And then you will repeat the process of cleaning the gravel and removing some more water.

Remember, the key thing with the aquarium is never drain the whole tank. So, no matter how bad it is, how dirty it is, only take out about 25% of the water, you don't do it all at once. Then start your gravel cleaner again and repeat the process. I normally do it 4 times.

Before we go on and I tell you more about how to clean your fish tank, I need to tell you about the filtration - it's very important, if you want a nice and clean aquarium. I've got two filters in my fish tank, one on each side, that are running hundreds of gallons of water through them each and every hour.  The filters have to be replaced at least once a month. I have the new filters ready after I have rinsed them under water in my sink, and would then take the dirty old filters out and slide the new ones in.

Here's what most people don't know about fresh water is that fish actually need some salt in the water. So, even this is fresh water fish, you have to put a little salt into the water. Some experts disagree with this approach, but I do recommend to put a little salt into your last load of water.

Now, you can check on those rocks in your dishwasher to see how clean they are coming. Even after 10 minutes in the dishwasher everything will be crystal clear, but let the dishwasher finish its job. Then open up your dishwasher, and as you will see everything will be perfectly clean and nice. Then take all the plants and rocks out of the dishwasher and put everything back into the fish tank, redecorating it once again.  If the rocks are too hot, you should wait until they cool down a little bit, before you put them back into the fish tank.  Whenever you put the plants back into the fish tank, you can see that the bottom of the plant has this little plastic thing so that you can put some of the gravel into it, which will help to keep the plant in place, and then decorate the fish tank however you want.

I do believe that the key factor of having a healthy fish tank is only removing about 25% of the water at a time every 3-4 weeks, and keep the heater on at about 79F, and also having a good filtration system in place.  So, now you know how to clean a fish tank.

Watch this great video on how to clean a fish tank: