I detest the vast majority of pet and local fish stores (LFS). Why? To put it simply, I very rarely see a store that provides decent care to their livestock, and offers sound, accurate advice.
Continue reading "Pet and Local Fish Stores: a Disgrace to the Hobby?" »
Cory catfish are definitely one of my top five favorite fish to keep in a community aquarium. Their interesting shapes and their great activity levels make them the perfect fish for a beginner. Not only are the cute looking but are one of the easiest fish to care for in the hobby. Here is a quick overview of their care in the home aquarium.
The best part of owning an aquarium is feeding the fish, because it is the main form of interaction that you will have with your fun aquatic pets. But, you ask, how hard is it to feed fish? I am not saying that it is difficult to do the actual feeding part, but you do need to follow a few guidelines to best satisfy your fishes appetite.
I would have loved to have found this list when I was a beginner in the hobby because it would have saved me from causing the death of countless fish. With this list hopefully I can help some newcomers to the aquarium hobby by avoiding these common five mistakes.
I love having real plants in my freshwater tanks but, what types of plants are the best for a beginner aquarist? There are tons of freshwater plants sold in local fish stores but, which to chose. Here is a list of plants than any beginner can grow to make their tank look like a miniature forest without wasting money on the ones that won't!
Continue reading "Five Easy-to-Keep Freshwater Aquarium Plants" »
Neon tetras are possibly as popular as the beloved goldfish in the freshwater aquarium hobby. Many first time hobbyist purchase these colorful fish in hopes of adding color and movement to their aquariums. But, for many disappointed hobbyist these fish end up being flushed with weeks of being added to the aquarium. Why can't anyone keep these fish alive? Well, hopefully I can shed some light on the care and maintenance of neon tetras.
This is the conclusion to the three part nature aquarium series. If you haven't read Your Fish Nature Aquarium [Part I] and for the second part click here. Now for the conclusion to Your First Nature Aquarium!
The CO2 system I used was the Hydor CO2 Green NRG Exclusive (thanks to Hydor USA for their generous sponsorship!) which was perfect for my setup. The kit includes a CO2 tank, diffuser, tubing, bubble counter and easy to follow instructions. I can easily change the number of bubbles per minute or increase them without hassle. I was able to have everything installed and working in 30 minutes! After the CO2 was set up, I quickly planted my plants and added water. The following is a list of the plants used in this tank:
This is a continuation of Your First Nature Aquarium [Part I]; click here to catch up.
From this point you should already have you tank cleaned and prepared for this step. You want to place your tank in the location you want it to be permanently, it is really difficult to move a tank once it is finally set up.
At some point in our freshwater careers we all have to make the decision on whether or not to add a Plecostomus to a fish tank. Before you do, there are some things to take into consideration that the pet store information card won’t tell you. Here are five things about the so-called “common pleco” that I consider important.
Continue reading "The “common Plecostomus.” Is it right for you?" »
