Captive Aquatics: An Aquarium and Ecology Blog

The Care and Breeding of Cherry Shrimp

As many hobbyists have noticed, invertebrates are making a comeback in the hobby.  Many hobbyists are keeping invertebrate tanks only due to their interesting characteristics and funny behavior.  The popular invertebrate on the scene are the cherry shrimps, Neocaridina heteropoda.  These fun little shrimps are creating a storm around the globe along with other color morphs.  This is a simple guide to highlight the care and requirements of these intriguing shrimp and to give key points on how to breed them. (photo from: http://www.smartblue.net/akvateam/card_images)

  

Redfish Magazine Launched 2nd Issue

Redfish Magazine, a new free e-publication for the English-speaking (not just America, thankfully) world has launched their second issue, mostly emphasizing freshwater fish, including discus and goldfish. 

In my opinion the only hobby publications worth reading are the free ones, usually offering much better content and more advanced content than traditional magazines.  Go check it out!

Re-homing Fish?

We have all done it.  Just had to drop in on your favorite fish store to see their new stock and you end up purchasing a fish you knew nothing about and now the "cute litte fish" is 15 inches, eats everything in the aquarium and is messier than your kids.  Where do you go from here?

An Aquarium as a Christmas Present! Now What?

Christmas is one of the best times to purchase an aquarium for any interested hobbyist.  Especially since many aquarium providers offer special deals on entire aquarium packages that are a great start for any hobbyist to be able to geat into the magnificent aquarium hobby.  But, once having all the materials to setup an aquarium can be overwhelming especially if you are not complely sure how it all works.  Well, lets clear up that confusion and I will add some tips too!

 

Nano Reef Column Debuts in Tropical Fish Hobbyist

A nano aquarium column, geared towards beginner aquarists and authored by yours truly has debuted in January 2011 issue of Tropical Fish Hobbyist Magazine.  I'll be writing about all kinds of nanos, from planted to biotopes, to the ever popular nano reef aquariums. 

My new column has a fun twist: every month I feature a reader's nano reef, complete with photographs and an interview with the aquarist.  If you'd like your nano aquarium (freshwater or saltwater) considered, feel free to contact me!

Ozone Use in Aquariums: 5 Reasons to Use Ozone

For some reason, ozonizers and ozone usage has never been as discussed or as widely used as other equipment in the home aquarium, and most definitely not because it doesn't yield great benefit to your aquarium.  Widely used in commercial aquatics applications, ozone doesn't get much love from hobbyists these days, and it should.  Perhaps it's not as easy to 'itemize' and sell as other aquarium products?  Maybe due to lack of information? 

Whatever the reason, Ozone use has many benefits, and I recommend its use in most aquariums.   Captive Aquatics uses ozonizers in every system we install, and I use ozone in my home aquariums, as well!  Here's why:

Six Great Live Food Choices For Freshwater Aquarium Fish

You get tired of eating the same thing everyday, right?  So do your fish!  Here is a quick tip on where to find live food that is good for your fish to snack on.  Just make sure when collecting live food that the collection site is free of pollution and that you have permission to collect live animals from that location!

Aquarium Algae Problems? Four Great Algae Eaters for Freshwater Aquariums!

Still have too much algae growth in your aquarium, even after proper aquarium maintenance and want to know what you should do now?  Here are the top 4 algae eaters that many hobbyist purchase to help with their algae problems!

1.  Mystery Snails - Snails of any species, specifically rams-horn and mystery snails are algae eating machines - I love snails in freshwater aquariums! They are fun to watch and easy to care for.

Tip: Metal Halide Bulb Replacement

Contrary to popular belief, (quality) metal halide bulbs seldom need replacement.  Spectrometer reports of halide bulbs shows very little spectral shift even after several years of use.  I've tested the spectral and PAR output of bulbs I've ran for almost five years against new bulbs, and there is virtually no difference between the two!

 

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The Gold Australe Killifish: A Breeding Project, Part Two

So, now that you've read about how to spawn gold australe killifish, you'll want to know how to care for the eggs and raise the fry to adulthood!


The method for egg raising I use is unique, and as far as I know.  The idea for my method came to me after walking in my mom's sewing room:  she had clear plastic containers that contained several small 'cubicles' to organize beads and other sewing items.  I realized what a great container that would make for holding killifish eggs, and raising the fry in, and my method was born!