What is velvet (or gold dust disease)?Freshwater velvet is caused by external parasites from the Oodinium genus. Under a bright light, it looks like gold, dust-like particles covering the fish's head, body, and fins. It often starts in the gills, so the fish is very sick by the time you see external symptoms on the skin. Flashing, or sudden rubbing against surfaces, is another common symptom. Unfortunately, this disease is quite difficult to treat, spreads rapidly, and does not respond to most broad-spectrum medications. Som...
What should I feed wood-eating catfish?Only certain genera of loricariid catfish are known to munch on wood: Panaque spp. such as Panaque maccus (clown pleco) and P. nigrolineatus (royal pleco) Hypostomus cochliodon group Because of the lack of wood-digesting microbes in their gut and fast digestion time of less than 4 hours, scientists believe that these catfish are not actually digesting the wood. Instead, they are digesting the microorganisms, microbal byproducts, algae, fungus, and other organic matter found on the rotting...
How does beneficial bacteria stay alive in a bottle?Bacteria starter products like Fritz Zyme 7 contain live, nitrifying bacteria to help kick off your aquarium cycle and grow your biological filtration. This beneficial bacteria helps to consume toxic ammonia waste (produce by your fish) and convert it into nitrate, which is much safer for fish. According to the Fritz Aquatics website, "Unlike some heterotrophic bacteria, which can survive in a long-term spore state, only true nitrifying bacteria can cycle an aquarium. True nitrifying bac...
What are the dimensions of the Aquarium Co-Op low iron rimless tanks?Aquarium Co-Op currently sells low iron rimless fish tanks at our retail store in Washington state, and they are not available for sale online. The aquariums come with a rim on the bottom, no rim at the top, a clear lid, and rounded corners on the front two corners. The dimensions are as follows: Aquarium Size Dimensions (length x width x height, rounded to the nearest half inch) 2.5-Gallon Tank 12 x 7 x 8.5 inches 4-Gallon Tank 14 x 9 x 9.5 inches 6.5-Gallon Tank 16 x 10.5 x 11 inc...
What do the red and yellow lights on the Aquarium Co-Op heater mean?When you first plug in the heater, a yellow indicator light will briefly turn on and then turn off again. The yellow light will only turn on again once the unit has run for 17,520 hours, which is 2 years of being plugged in full time. At this point, the heater will still continue to work, but the yellow light reminds you that it has reached the end of its expected life and it may be time to start thinking about replacing the unit to ensure the highest performance. The red indicator light tur...
Do water test strips expire?In general, the industry standard is that water test strips expire in 2 years. In reality, it is exposure to moisture that causes them to "go bad." If you open up the test strips in a humid area with wet fingers every single day, they will expire faster, whereas if you open them in a dry area with dry fingers, they will last longer. For more information, see our ammonia test strips and multi-test strips.
Why does the hardness (or GH) look fuchsia on the Multi-Test Strips?On the Aquarium Co-Op Multi-Test Strips, the hardness (or GH) reading ranges from 0 ppm (blue) to 300 ppm (purple). If you get a hardness color of fuchsia, magenta, or reddish-purple, then it means that your GH reading is above 300 ppm (or 17 degrees). The multi-test strip is still working properly, but your water is very hard and the GH level is outside the bounds of the test.
How to adjust the Aquarium Co-Op heaterTo adjust the heater to the desired temperature, press the SET button once on the temperature controller. While the temperature display is still blinking, press the SET button again to change the desired temperature by 1°F increments. (The desired temperature cycles from 64°F to 91°F, meaning that you need to increase the heater up to the highest temperature setting of 91°F before it goes back down to 64°F.) When the desired temperature is reached, do not touch the SET button for 3 seconds. O...
Where do you get custom aquariums made?Our founder Cory orders custom glass aquariums from CustomAquariums.com. For fish tanks larger than 125 gallons, he orders custom acrylic aquariums from Clear Fabrications. They are more expensive than many other acrylic tank manufacturers, but the high-quality aquarium you get will last you a lifetime.
Is CO2 gas dangerous for aquarium fish?It can be harmful for animals in large enough quantities if (1) CO2 causes the water pH to drop too quickly or (2) people try to be so efficient with the CO2 that they end up cutting off the oxygen that fish need to breathe. In the latter case, some hobbyists try to minimize surface agitation so that less gas exchange occurs and less CO2 escapes the water. However, less gas exchange also means less oxygen will enter the water, which can cause your fish to struggle and gasp for air. Our recomm...
How do I clean a CO2 diffuser if it becomes clogged?Diffusers must be cleaned or replaced at some point because of algae buildup. Because diffusers can be made of different materials, follow the manufacturer’s cleaning instructions to use diluted bleach, vinegar, or other methods. For the Aquario Neo CO2 Diffuser, we clean it with the following steps: Make a solution of 50% water and 50% bleach inside of a cup so that there's enough liquid to cover the diffuser's brown ceramic disk. While the CO2 is still running and connected to the ...
When should I turn on and off the CO2 in my aquarium?Plants use CO2 when there is light to photosynthesize. However, the process reverses at night and becomes the respiration cycle, in which plants consume oxygen and sugars and release CO2. Therefore, we want to shut off the CO2 regulator when the aquarium light is off. For more optimized CO2 usage, program the regulator’s timer to turn on 1–2 hours before the light comes on and turn off 1 hour before the light shuts off. (If you only have one timer, you can use the same timer with a power stri...
What size CO2 cylinder should I get for my planted aquarium?If you are running a high tech planted aquarium injected with high amounts of CO2, people recommend getting the largest size possible so you will not have to refill the cylinder as frequently. However, for the average customer, we often suggest: 2.5–5 lb. cylinder for 20-gallon aquariums or smaller 5 lb. cylinder for 25- to 40-gallon aquariums 10 lb. cylinder for 55-gallon aquariums or larger If you plan on using one regulator with five or six aquariums, then scale the CO2 cylinder size ac...
Do I need a check valve for my CO2 system?Check valves are used to prevent water from flowing out of the aquarium and pouring all over the regulator when it is turned off. The bubble counter on some regulators already come with a built-in check valve, but you can install a second one as backup if desired. We have personally used the regular plastic check valves with CO2 systems at our fish store, warehouse, and homes, and they have not broken down. That being said, CO2 does degrade plastic after a very long time, so we also offer a s...
Do I need to use special CO2 proof tubing or CO2 resistant tubing with my CO2 system?We use the Aquarium Co-Op airline tubing (i.e., a flexible, black tubing made from food-grade PVC) on all of our aquariums and have not detected any perceptible loss of CO2. In our experience, special CO2 tubing is more expensive, harder to bend, and not as readily available. For more information on CO2 systems in high tech planted tanks, read the full article.
Is it bad if the CO2 bubbles from the diffuser are reaching the water surface?No, this is normal. The key is to place your CO2 diffuser as low as possible in the aquarium. When the bubbles are released from the diffuser, they imperceptibly get smaller and smaller as they rise and the CO2 gas is being absorbed into the water. For more information on CO2 systems in high tech planted tanks, read the full article.
