Jun 04 2009
It’s a sad fact of fishkeeping that sometimes, fish take a long time to let go of life. Watching a beloved fish struggle to breathe is tragic and helps no one, including the fish. In some cases, a fish may be carrying a contagious disease that needs to be ended as quickly as possible. Often, putting the poor thing out of its misery is the only humane thing to do. There are several ways to euthanize a fish, some more humane than others. Continue Reading »
Mar 15 2009
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Quarantine tanks should be used by all aquarium owners when introducing new fish to a tank but, unfortunately, less than 5% use them. Every time we bring a new inhabitant into our aquarium we run the risk of introducing disease and parasites. At the same time, new fish will be very stressed from transport and relocation and will be very susceptible to any diseases or parasites present in the new environment. A quarantine tank protects your existing investment while allowing new fish to regain optimum health before their final stressful transition. In our opinion, a quarantine tank is a vital piece of equipment that should be used by all aquarists. Continue Reading » |
Mar 15 2009
Quiet, convenient canister filters are inconspicuously located under your aquarium (typically in the stand). Most canister filters are customizable, and can hold a large amount of media (mechanical, chemical, and biological) in varying combinations. Some examples are included in the table below. Because they are customizable, you have maximum flexibility in choosing the predominant type, and amount of media to achieve your desired end result.
Mar 15 2009
Choosing the correct filtration system for your aquarium is an important decision that will impact not only the type and quantity of livestock that you wish to keep, but also the amount of maintenance that the system will require. The filtration system is responsible for keeping the water clear and free of particulate matter (tiny fragments of plant material, leftover food, feces, waste products from the fish, etc.) and toxic compounds that are dangerous to the inhabitants. In this article, I will explain the strengths and weaknesses of the commonly available types of filtration, so you can make the right decision in choosing the filtration for your aquarium. Continue Reading »
Jan 16 2009
Common Name: Mudskipper
Latin Name: Periophthalmus barbarus
Origin: India, West Africa, Australia, and other areas with mangrove swamps
Temperature: 80 °F (27°C)
Ease Of Keeping: If needs are met quite hardy
Aggressivness: Agressive, best kept in a species tank
Adult Size: 4.5 inches (11cm) to nearly 12 inches (30cm)
Minimum Tank Size: 30 gallons
Feeding: Frozen food, or live crickets.
Spawning Method: Mudskippers have yet to be bred in captivity Continue Reading »
Sep 15 2008
Carbon is the backbone of all life. Every organic molecule of every living organism is predominantly carbon based. Given this simple fact, it becomes clear why carbon plays a pivotal role in the planted aquarium. Aquatic plants extract CO2 (carbon dioxide) from their environment and employ it in a process called photosynthesis. Photosynthesis combines CO2, water and light energy to produce simple carbohydrates and oxygen (O2). The first and simplest carbohydrate produced from photosynthesis is 3-phosphoglycerate. It is from this simple molecule that larger and more complex carbohydrates arise (by way of a variety of enzymatic processes).
Continue Reading »
Aug 20 2008
Ok, if you don’t know what I mean by Cycling a tank then stop right now and either get a basic aquarium book or do a Google search to find out what we are talking about. If you don’t understand what a Cycle is in a tank then you really should not be in the hobby.
The best way to cycle a planted tank is to do what is called a “silent cycle”. Here is the skinny on the “silent cycle”. Or if you wish and can find it there is a new product on the market called Bio-Spira by MarineLand that actually works. In the past any product that claimed to instantly cycle a tank was just so much snake oil. I have used Bio-Spira and it works as claimed. You may have used or read about the “fishless” cycling method. This method is a waste of time for a planted tank. It’s for fish tanks! Continue Reading »
Aug 20 2008
For a planted tank there are a few test kits that you really should have on hand. These are pH, kH, gH, nitrate, and phosphate. Don’t waste your money on iron test kits as they are very unreliable and not worth the money. Same goes for potassium test kits.
As far as what test kits work best. Well Lamotte are the best, but they run around $70 each. What I use is the Wardley’s mid-range pH test kit, the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals gH and kH, and the Red Sea nitrate and phosphate test kits. One of my Bit’s Of Wisdom is “Never test your test kit in your tank”. Now I’m going to tell you how to test your Nitrate test kit.
Aug 10 2008
Light energy is an essential ingredient to making a planted aquarium lush and green. It drives photosynthesis and the plant’s ability to consume nutrients from the water column. Without adequate light, plants won’t be able to grow properly.Planted aquariums require eight to ten hours of light, on average, to allow plants to metabolize the energy and complete their photosynthesis cycle.
The general rule of thumb for aquatic plants is that each tank needs at least 2.0 watts per gallon (wpg) in tanks that are greater than 20 gallons. Smaller tanks will need a little more wattage. For the beginning planted aquarist, I recommend you start with a lower wattage, i.e. around 2.0 wpg for eight to ten hours. Once you begin to understand the nutrient balance and plant growth that’s the time where you can experiment with increasing lighting. However, most times staying within this photoperiod range is more then adequate for plant growth. Continue Reading »
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