10 Easy Plants for African Cichlid Aquariums When you think of the stereotypical aquarium for African cichlids, it usually has a somewhat barren appearance consisting of sand, rockwork, and maybe fake decorations. The reason for the lack of live plants is because (1) many omnivorous and herbivorous cichlids like mbunas love to eat vegetation and (2) a lot of them enjoy digging to create spawning sites, which inadvertently uproots plants. At Aquarium Co-Op, we’re all about aquarium plants because of their natural beauty and ability to ab...

Care Guide for Pencilfish – Surface-Dwelling Schooling Fish The pencilfish is such an interesting surface dweller that everyone should keep at least once. These hardy and active fish come with pointy snouts and slender, pencil-like bodies, as described by their common name. Plus, they exhibit unique behaviors that differ from your typical schooling fish. If you’re interested in getting an unusual nano fish for your next community tank, learn about the wonderful world of pencilfish. What are Pencilfish? These distant relatives of the tetra family are f...

How to Drill a Hole in a Glass Aquarium the Easy Way While most fish keepers start off with easy, off-the-shelf filters from the pet store, some hobbyists want to take their aquarium filtration to the next level. By drilling a hole near the top of a fish tank and adding a bulkhead (i.e., waterproof plastic fitting that prevents the hole from leaking), aquarium water can be directly plumbed out of the tank and into a custom filtration system — like an aquarium sump, canister filter, or automatic water change system. Everyone has a slightly diffe...

Care Guide for Forktail Blue-Eye or Furcata Rainbowfish Many people gravitate towards guppies, platies, and zebra danios sold at major pet store chains because they are small, energetic, and colorful. But if you’re looking for a slightly uncommon fish to liven up your aquarium, let us introduce you to the forktail or furcata rainbowfish. What are Forktail Rainbowfish? Pseudomugil furcatus hails from the rainforests of Papua New Guinea, where it is often found in clearwater streams that are teeming with plant life. This 2-inch (5 cm) rainbowfish is...

Care Guide for Hatchetfish – Oddball Schooling Fish with Wings Most freshwater fish like to hang out in the lower two-thirds of the aquarium, so it can be hard to fill in the upper third with some activity. Enter the hatchetfish. This top-dwelling nano fish has a very unique appearance that looks even cooler when you have a large school darting around just beneath the water surface. However, they have some special care requirements to be aware of, so let’s take a closer look at this interesting oddball. What are Hatchetfish? Freshwater hatchetfish come f...

How to Make DIY Spawning Mops for Breeding Aquarium Fish Many aquarium fish like to lay their eggs by scattering them or sticking them onto plants and various surfaces. To protect the eggs from being eaten and improve the survival rate of baby fish, veteran breeders often make spawning mops for the fish to deposit their eggs. Unlike live aquarium plants, this artificial spawning media does not require any light or fertilizer, and they are quite easy to transport without breaking any plant leaves or roots. People even use them with livebearers (or f...

Top 7 Helpful Snails for Your Next Freshwater Aquarium Not everyone is a fan of aquarium snails, but we love them because of the important role they play in an underwater ecosystem. As detritivores, they help to clean up and break down organics in the tank, such as leftover fish food, dying plant leaves, algae, and even deceased animals. To help you see the value in these amazing creatures, we put together a list of our top 7 freshwater snails that we enjoy keeping. Most of these snails are completely safe with aquarium plants, but there is cavea...

Cookie Cutter Setups for 10-Gallon Freshwater Aquariums Everyone loves 10-gallon fish tanks because they are small enough to sit on a kitchen counter or kid’s bedroom dresser but big enough to give you many options to choose from. Whether you are interested in schooling fish, breeding fish, or oddball animals, there’s something for everyone. Most of these tropical fish do require a heater and filter, so review our 10-gallon aquarium checklist if you are not sure what to get. Then once your aquarium is set up and has begun the cycling process, take...

Why You Need a Pre-Filter Sponge for Your Aquariums Looking for a very easy way to optimize your hang-on-back (HOB) or canister filter? Try a pre filter sponge (or intake sponge). This simple foam cylinder has a hole in the middle that allows you to slip it onto the intake tube of your filter, much like a sock. But why in the world do we need a prefilter sponge when we already have an aquarium filter? Intake sponges have a surprising number of benefits, such as: They provide more surface area to grow beneficial bacteria, which purify the wast...

Top 10 Cichlids We Love to Keep in 29-Gallon Aquariums Cichlids are a very diverse group of primarily freshwater fish that are known for their brilliant coloration and feisty personalities. Many of them require larger tanks to accommodate their size and territorial behavior, but several species are small enough to fit in a 29-gallon aquarium or less. Find out which of these diminutive cichlids made our top 10 list. South American Cichlids 1. German Blue Ram Mikrogeophagus ramirezi This 2–2.5-inch (5-6 cm) dwarf cichlid boasts an amazing array of...

Care Guide for Honey Gouramis – Our Favorite Peaceful Gourami Looking for a beautiful centerpiece fish that is similar to a betta but isn’t as aggressive and plays well with other tank mates? We recommend the honey gourami. Like betta fish, honey gouramis are brightly colored, make bubble nests to house their eggs, and have a special labyrinth organ that allows them to absorb oxygen directly from the air. Learn all about this peaceful nano fish and their easy care requirements. What are Honey Gouramis? Trichogaster chuna comes from India and Bangladesh ...

5 Best Fish Tank Ideas for a 40-Gallon Breeder Aquarium The 40-gallon breeder aquarium is a very popular size because of its 36” length x 18” width x 16” height (91 x 46 x 41 cm) dimensions. Other 40-gallon tanks have a more rectangular base, but the 40-gallon breeder tank has a deeper base without being too tall so that you can easily reach inside to clean the aquarium and catch fish that you have bred. The 18-inch width also lets bigger fish to turn around more easily, making this one of the first footprints that allows you to keep either a larg...

Care Guide for Black Ghost Knifefish — 18-Inch Electrical Oddball Fish We get a lot of requests for this care guide because knifefish are such unusual-looking curiosities with an undulating fin that allows them to swim both forward and backward. While there are many kinds of knifefish, the black ghost knife (BGK) is the most readily available in the pet trade and often attracts the attention of beginners. Unlike your average betta fish though, it is a considerably larger pet that requires a ton of room and may live for over a decade. Before you make the commitme...

Top 12 Tank Mates to Keep With Cherry Shrimp Cherry shrimp (Neocaridina davidi) are exceptionally popular in the freshwater aquarium hobby because of their dazzling array of colors, but unfortunately, their petite size makes them irresistibly delicious to other fish. If your goal is to breed as many shrimp as possible, your best course of action is to keep a species-only tank with no other types of animals living in it. However, if you primarily want to keep adult cherry shrimp as pets with a few surviving offspring, then keep reading t...

Care Guide for Celestial Pearl Danios – Miniature Trout for Planted Tanks The celestial pearl danio (CPD) is a delightful nano fish often sought by aquascapers because they look like miniature brook trout swimming amid a forest of plants and driftwood. Their beauty and elegance seem to automatically elevate any tank they live in. However, they sometimes get the reputation for being shy fish that are easy to stress. Find out how to care for these enchanting creatures and make them feel right at home. What are Celestial Pearl Danios? Danio margaritatus goes by many c...

5 Aquarium Plants You Should Try in Your Next Terrarium or Paludarium Did you know that many of the aquarium plants we know and love to grow in our fish tanks can also be grown emersed or above the water’s surface entirely? In fact, many of the plants we carry at Aquarium Co-Op are grown out of water at the farms from which they come. We take the time to begin the process of converting them to their submersed or underwater form for you to enjoy in your fish tanks. But many hobbyists are looking for emersed-grown aquarium plants to use in their enclosed glass co...