Top 10 Fish for a 10-Gallon AquariumOne of our most frequently asked questions is “What can I put in a 10-gallon aquarium?” When you’re surrounded by hundreds of freshwater fish at a fish store, the possibilities just seem endless! Whether you like livebearers, cichlids, or killifish, check out our top 10 list of both popular and uncommon fish to help you discover a new species that you just have to try. 1. Brown Pencilfish Let’s start off with a top-dwelling fish, which can be hard to find for a 10-gallon tank. Nannostomus equ...
Top 5 Easy Fish Breeding Ideas for Your Next 20-Gallon AquariumWhen our founder Cory first got into fishkeeping, funds were tight, so he started breeding fish to help with his hobby expenses. After many years of experience keeping fish rooms and tanks of all sizes, he still loves breeding fish at home in the versatile 20-gallon aquarium (both the high and long versions). Learn about his top 5 favorite fish and invertebrates that are easy to spawn and raise up in a colony setting. 1. Mouth-Brooding Bettas Betta albimarginata Most people know about Betta ...
Care Guide for Red and Black Phantom Tetras — Housing, Food, & MoreWhen it comes to choosing the perfect schooling fish, there are so many options available at the local fish store. At Aquarium Co-Op, both black and red phantom tetras are very popular because of their striking appearance, energetic yet peaceful personalities, and hardiness. Learn about their easy care requirements when it comes to the aquarium setup, tank mates, preferred foods, and breeding. School of red phantom tetras in a planted tank What are Black and Red Phantom Tetras? While these t...
Zenzo Tazawa | Director of Company Culture and TeamsWhat is your favorite thing about working at Aquarium Co-Op? My favorite thing that I love about working with Aquarium Co-Op is that it allows me an opportunity to help people solve challenges. That could be challenges internally, where we are looking to improve the way we do business. It can also be challenges that our customer may be faced with, where we have helped them with their aquarium journeys and maybe solved a problem with their aquatic pet or plant. What has been your best moment ...
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...
Do snails eat live aquarium plants?Thankfully, most small snails found in freshwater aquariums do not eat healthy aquatic plants. This includes pest, bladder, nerite, mystery, ramshorn, assassin, and Malaysian trumpet snails. If you see them nibbling on a leaf, it's usually because the leaf is dying or melting back. To learn more about why your plant may be dying, read our article on nutrient deficiencies. If your plant's leaves are melting, it may be transitioning from emersed growth to submersed growth, which you ca...
Are pest snails bad for aquariums?Despite having the nickname of “pest snails,” they are actually quite useful in aquariums and are a natural part of the aquatic ecosystem. They eat algae, clean up uneaten fish food, break down fish waste, and help feed the snail eaters in your fish tank. These snails will not harm your live fish or plants, but they do keep your aquarium clean by consuming any dead animals or sickly leaves. For more information, read our full article on how to get rid of aquarium pest snails.
How do I use root tabs to fertilize plants?Do you have cryptocoryne plants, sword plants, and other aquarium plants that feed heavily from their roots? Try feeding them root tabs in the substrate. Read this article for the full instructions.
10 Best Clean-Up Crew Ideas for Freshwater AquariumsLooking for a fish or invertebrate that will clean your aquarium so that you never have to do tank maintenance? Sorry, that mythical creature doesn’t exist. However, many animals do an excellent job of eating leftover food, algae, dying plant leaves, and even pest snails. Keep reading to discover our top 10 favorite clean-up crew members that every freshwater aquarium should have. 1. Rainbow Sharks and Redtail Sharks These freshwater “sharks” might seem like an odd group to start with, but yo...
How to Customize Your Aquarium Filter with Filter MediaAquariums can widely differ in their size and stocking levels, so it makes sense that people want the ability to customize the filtration to best suit their needs. Most filters – such as hang-on-back (HOB), corner box, internal, canister, and sump filters – can be modified by changing the types of filter media used inside. Filter media refers to the different layers of materials that tank water gets filtered through before returning to the aquarium. Keep reading to learn about the different k...
Care Guide for Ember Tetras — Orange Jewels of the Nano AquariumA staple of the freshwater nano aquarium world is the ember tetra. Just imagine a school of tiny, flame-colored fish darting back and forth amongst a lush forest of green aquarium plants. Plus, its peaceful nature and hardiness makes it an attractive choice for both beginners and veterans in the fishkeeping hobby. If you’ve never tried keeping ember tetras before, then keep reading to find out why they’re such a top-selling species at our fish store. What are Ember Tetras? Hyphessobrycon aman...
Everything You Need to Know About Tissue Culture Aquarium PlantsAre you curious about tissue culture plants and what their benefits and drawbacks might be? Let’s talk about the process of how tissue culture plants are produced and whether or not they are the right choice for your next planted aquarium. What are Tissue Culture Plants? The term “tissue culture” (sometimes called “in vitro” or “lab-grown”) sounds a little intimidating and scientific, but it is not too complicated once you break it down. In order to create a tissue culture plant, the facility...
Care Guide for Boesemani Rainbowfish — Tank Setup, Breeding, and MoreOne of the most striking and recognizable rainbowfish is the Boesemani rainbow. This schooling fish is prized for its unique-looking, bicolored body and is the perfect statement piece for a medium-sized community aquarium. Find out what it takes to keep this stunning species happy, healthy, and showing off the best colors possible. What are Boesemani Rainbowfish? Melanotaenia boesemani has the classic rainbowfish profile with its pointed snout, deep-bodied profile, and large, distinct scales....
How to Make a DIY Fry Trap for Breeding Aquarium FishIn our previous article How to Raise Baby Fish Fry in Your Aquarium, we mentioned several techniques that help prevent the adult fish from predating on their offspring. Many fish farms and breeders have significantly increased their fry survival rate by making DIY fry traps — simple enclosures with holes that are small enough for the young to swim through but not big enough to let the parents pass. You can put all the adults or a pregnant livebearer inside the trap so that the eggs and fry es...
Trapdoor Snails, Rainbow Sharks, and Gobies - Oh My! 🐠This week in the Aquarium Co-Op retail store in Edmonds, WA we got in some beautiful Annie's Gobies, Amazon Pufferfish, Rainbow Sharks, Sterbai Cories, Von Rio Flame Tetras, and Columbian Red & Blue Tetras. We also started bringing in Japanese Trapdoor Snails as the pond and tubbing season slowly starts! As far as plants this week, in our plant deliveries we got in some absolutely massive and fully submerged-grown Red Flame and Amazon Swords as well as some Crinum Calamistratum. ...
How many fish can I put in a 20-gallon tank?One of the most common but hardest questions we get is “How many fish can you put in a 20-gallon aquarium?” As you may guess, there is an infinite number of possible fish combinations for each tank size that we could recommend. To simplify things, read this article that discusses the three factors that will most impact your fish stocking levels, as well as our general guidelines for introducing the right number of fish to your aquarium.
Top 10 Fish for a 10-Gallon Aquarium
One of our most frequently asked questions is “What can I put in a 10-gallon aquarium?” When you’re surrounded by hundreds of freshwater fish at a fish store, the possibilities just seem endless! Whether you like livebearers, cichlids, or killifish, check out our top 10 list of both popular and uncommon fish to help you discover a new species that you just have to try. 1. Brown Pencilfish Let’s start off with a top-dwelling fish, which can be hard to find for a 10-gallon tank. Nannostomus equ...
Top 5 Easy Fish Breeding Ideas for Your Next 20-Gallon Aquarium
When our founder Cory first got into fishkeeping, funds were tight, so he started breeding fish to help with his hobby expenses. After many years of experience keeping fish rooms and tanks of all sizes, he still loves breeding fish at home in the versatile 20-gallon aquarium (both the high and long versions). Learn about his top 5 favorite fish and invertebrates that are easy to spawn and raise up in a colony setting. 1. Mouth-Brooding Bettas Betta albimarginata Most people know about Betta ...
Care Guide for Red and Black Phantom Tetras — Housing, Food, & More
When it comes to choosing the perfect schooling fish, there are so many options available at the local fish store. At Aquarium Co-Op, both black and red phantom tetras are very popular because of their striking appearance, energetic yet peaceful personalities, and hardiness. Learn about their easy care requirements when it comes to the aquarium setup, tank mates, preferred foods, and breeding. School of red phantom tetras in a planted tank What are Black and Red Phantom Tetras? While these t...
Zenzo Tazawa | Director of Company Culture and Teams
What is your favorite thing about working at Aquarium Co-Op? My favorite thing that I love about working with Aquarium Co-Op is that it allows me an opportunity to help people solve challenges. That could be challenges internally, where we are looking to improve the way we do business. It can also be challenges that our customer may be faced with, where we have helped them with their aquarium journeys and maybe solved a problem with their aquatic pet or plant. What has been your best moment ...
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...
10 Best Clean-Up Crew Ideas for Freshwater Aquariums
Looking for a fish or invertebrate that will clean your aquarium so that you never have to do tank maintenance? Sorry, that mythical creature doesn’t exist. However, many animals do an excellent job of eating leftover food, algae, dying plant leaves, and even pest snails. Keep reading to discover our top 10 favorite clean-up crew members that every freshwater aquarium should have. 1. Rainbow Sharks and Redtail Sharks These freshwater “sharks” might seem like an odd group to start with, but yo...
How to Customize Your Aquarium Filter with Filter Media
Aquariums can widely differ in their size and stocking levels, so it makes sense that people want the ability to customize the filtration to best suit their needs. Most filters – such as hang-on-back (HOB), corner box, internal, canister, and sump filters – can be modified by changing the types of filter media used inside. Filter media refers to the different layers of materials that tank water gets filtered through before returning to the aquarium. Keep reading to learn about the different k...
Care Guide for Ember Tetras — Orange Jewels of the Nano Aquarium
A staple of the freshwater nano aquarium world is the ember tetra. Just imagine a school of tiny, flame-colored fish darting back and forth amongst a lush forest of green aquarium plants. Plus, its peaceful nature and hardiness makes it an attractive choice for both beginners and veterans in the fishkeeping hobby. If you’ve never tried keeping ember tetras before, then keep reading to find out why they’re such a top-selling species at our fish store. What are Ember Tetras? Hyphessobrycon aman...
Everything You Need to Know About Tissue Culture Aquarium Plants
Are you curious about tissue culture plants and what their benefits and drawbacks might be? Let’s talk about the process of how tissue culture plants are produced and whether or not they are the right choice for your next planted aquarium. What are Tissue Culture Plants? The term “tissue culture” (sometimes called “in vitro” or “lab-grown”) sounds a little intimidating and scientific, but it is not too complicated once you break it down. In order to create a tissue culture plant, the facility...
Care Guide for Boesemani Rainbowfish — Tank Setup, Breeding, and More
One of the most striking and recognizable rainbowfish is the Boesemani rainbow. This schooling fish is prized for its unique-looking, bicolored body and is the perfect statement piece for a medium-sized community aquarium. Find out what it takes to keep this stunning species happy, healthy, and showing off the best colors possible. What are Boesemani Rainbowfish? Melanotaenia boesemani has the classic rainbowfish profile with its pointed snout, deep-bodied profile, and large, distinct scales....
How to Make a DIY Fry Trap for Breeding Aquarium Fish
In our previous article How to Raise Baby Fish Fry in Your Aquarium, we mentioned several techniques that help prevent the adult fish from predating on their offspring. Many fish farms and breeders have significantly increased their fry survival rate by making DIY fry traps — simple enclosures with holes that are small enough for the young to swim through but not big enough to let the parents pass. You can put all the adults or a pregnant livebearer inside the trap so that the eggs and fry es...
Trapdoor Snails, Rainbow Sharks, and Gobies - Oh My! 🐠
This week in the Aquarium Co-Op retail store in Edmonds, WA we got in some beautiful Annie's Gobies, Amazon Pufferfish, Rainbow Sharks, Sterbai Cories, Von Rio Flame Tetras, and Columbian Red & Blue Tetras. We also started bringing in Japanese Trapdoor Snails as the pond and tubbing season slowly starts! As far as plants this week, in our plant deliveries we got in some absolutely massive and fully submerged-grown Red Flame and Amazon Swords as well as some Crinum Calamistratum. ...
