Tetraodon MBU - The Under Water Giant Puppy The Tetraodon MBU puffer is the largest freshwater species of puffer fish. Getting 22+ inches in a home aquarium. With the fish getting so big, most aquarists struggle to keep one healthy. While my largest one has only gotten to 22 inches, I suspect they’ll grow to as large as 30 inches depending on how they are raised throughout their extended lives. The first question is always what size of an aquarium? Some say 300 gallons, some say 1000 gallons etc. The reality is the foot print is much m...

Keeping and Breeding Cherry Shrimp – Neocaridina davidi As an easy addition to your community tank that’s also simple to keep, cherry shrimp are increasingly popular. These little freshwater crustaceans grow to be about 1.5” in length. Like their saltwater cousins, they have a curved body, small legs, and spend most of their time seeking shelter in tank plant life and eating. In this article, we’ll talk about the basics of both keeping and breeding cherry shrimp. The Cherry Shrimp Diet Keep your shrimp healthy by giving them a great diet, consist...

Top 5 Centerpiece Fish for Your Small to Medium Sized Community Aquarium Creating your own ‘school of fish’ in a medium-sized or small fish tank is a fun and rewarding experience. It’s made even more fun by introducing a showpiece fish to serve as your aquatic pride and joy. A centerpiece fish draws attention, stands out through either color or size, and also gets along with the other swimmers in the community tank. Which one should you get, though? It’s a tricky question to answer since we don’t want a larger fish to gobble up the others! What to Look for in a Ce...

Java Fern (Microsorum pteropus) an Easy Aquatic Plant. Java Fern is one of the world’s most widely used plants in planted aquariums. It slow growth, unique leaf structure, and reproduction method makes it an aquarium smash hit. Java Fern tolerates most lighting conditions and many environments – from soft acidic water to alkaline conditions, and even brackish tanks! It is also easy to find in most local fish stores; but if not, there is always some available on our website. Java fern Now if you've found this article, you're obviously loo...

Top 5 Easy Aquarium Plants Hey everybody, Cory here. I made a video a couple of days ago about what is, in my opinion, the top 5 aquarium plants that are not only beautiful but very easy to grow. In no particular order, my top 5 easy aquarium plants are: Amazon Swords Vallisneria Pogostemon Stellatus Octopus Cryptocoryne Anubias 1. Amazon Sword Amazon swords get most of their nutrients from their substrate. They love dirted tanks or soil-type substrates. For swords to thrive, they do need additional nutrients in...

Is a Nano Aquarium right for me? In recent years, the nano aquarium section of the aquarium hobby has been exploding in popularity. With many small fish becoming more available in the hobby, increased popularity of shrimp and other inverts, and even a few striking new discoveries in the last several years, the appeal has never been higher. For many people, the convenience of a small home aquarium is very inviting; however, there are some potential difficulties to consider. The definition of a “nano aquarium” differs from per...

Which Planted Tank Fertilizer Is Right for You? Ever wonder how professionals and even advanced hobbyists make those gorgeous aquascapes bursting with plant life? It all comes down to having the three essentials that make aquatic plants happy: Good lighting Substrate as needed Nutrients, like fertilizers Many beginners will ignore that last piece of the puzzle because the world of fertilizers seems like a complicated hot mess. Everyone on the internet is pushing for dry fertilizers because they’re cost-effective and highly customizable, ...

How Often Do You Have to Change Water in a Fish Tank? To mimic nature, we as hobbyists many times, need to do water changes. Most waterways have very low nitrates in the water because wastes are constantly being flushed downstream. Unfortunately for us, the byproduct of feeding our fish is nitrates. When this parameter is kept low, fish will be at their healthiest. Generally below 40 parts per million is considered safe for most fish. A simple way to regulate this is by changing water. The act of changing water is as simple as it sounds. We want...

Care Guide for Guppies – The Most Popular and Colorful Livebearer Guppies (Poecilia reticulata) are one of the most popular fish in the aquarium hobby because of their brilliant colors, lively personalities, and ease of breeding. In this care guide, we answer your most frequently asked questions about this simple yet beautiful species. Why Are Guppies So Popular? Discovered in South America around the 1860s, this hardy livebearer (or fish that gives birth to live young) was once used as pest control for mosquitos. They were eventually introduced to the pet ...

Overview of Freshwater Dwarf Shrimp – Popular Species, Tank Requirements, Feeding, and More By Chris Lukhaup (The Shrimp King) Dwarf shrimps have experienced a real boom in aquaristics in recent years. While around 5 to 6 years ago only 2 to 3 species were on offer in the ornamental fish trade in the USA, the range of species in the tanks of breeders, importers and wholesalers has now become almost overwhelming. Vibrantly coloured bred forms in starkly contrasting colours from Europe and Asia as well as invariably new wild catches from all parts of China, Taiwan and Hong Kong are re...

How to Use a Gravel Vacuum to Clean Aquariums Ever wonder if there’s an easy way to clean all the fish waste and uneaten food that’s fallen in between the aquarium’s gravel or substrate? The good news is that there’s no need to dump out and wash everything in the sink. Instead, you can vacuum up the detritus with a simple aquarium siphon – no batteries required! Step 1: Get the Materials You just need two items: an aquarium siphon (also known as a gravel vacuum, gravel cleaner, or siphon kit) and a bucket to hold the dirty water. If you ...

7 Popular Fish You Should Try in a 20-Gallon Aquarium 20-gallon aquariums are one of the most popular tank sizes among fish keepers because they’re small enough to keep in a bedroom but big enough that you can choose from a wide variety of fish to keep. With all these possibilities, check out our favorite freshwater fish to spice up your aquarium with their beautiful colors and interesting behaviors. 7. Julidochromis This stunning, three-inch fish is the perfect choice if you’ve ever wanted to try keeping Tanganyikan cichlids. They have the amaz...

The Easy Guide to the Nitrogen Cycle for Aquariums Are you getting started with your first fish tank? Then you may have heard of something called the “aquarium nitrogen cycle,” followed by a bunch of complicated scientific terms and graphs that seem a little overwhelming. No need to panic! Keep reading as we explain the nitrogen cycle in this very short and simple guide. What is the Nitrogen Cycle for Aquariums? The nitrogen cycle basically describes how nature creates food (in the form of microorganisms and plants), fish eat the food and pro...

5 Best Tank Mates for Betta Fish Betta fish are known to be fierce fighters, especially towards their own species, but did you know you can add tank mates to their aquarium? Yes, depending on your betta’s personality, he or she can peacefully cohabitate with other fish and invertebrates. However, make sure their aquarium is at least 10 to 20 gallons with lots of cover and live plants or else the betta fish may become overly territorial. Here’s our top 5 list of favorite tank mates for you and your betta fish to enjoy. 1. Kuh...

How to Use Pothos as a Natural Aquarium Filter One of the reasons we love aquarium plants so much is because of their ability to absorb toxic nitrogen compounds (produced by fish waste) from the water, but what if you own fish or aquatic pets that are natural-born plant killers? It’s time to get a pothos plant for your aquarium! While pothos won’t mechanically filter out particles from your tank water, they’re great at reducing nitrate levels (and algae growth) so that you don’t have to do as many water changes to keep your fish happy and...

How to Fight 6 Types of Algae in Your Fish Tank Do you dream of having a beautiful aquarium but end up constantly fighting to keep algae at bay? It’s a familiar struggle that many of us have been through, so in this article, let’s get a better understanding of the root causes of algae, the most common types found in freshwater aquariums, and how to gain the upper hand. Is Algae Bad for a Fish Tank? Contrary to popular belief, algae are not evil. Like plants, they use photosynthesis to convert light and organic nutrients in the water (such ...