Care Guide for Pencilfish – Surface-Dwelling Schooling FishThe 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 Save Your Baby Fish with a Breeder BoxMost fish do not show any parental care toward their offspring, so when they lay eggs or give birth in an aquarium, the next generation can easily become a quick snack for the adults. In the wild, babies try their best to hide from would-be predators by using camouflage, swimming to shallow waters, and taking cover in dense vegetation and tiny nooks. In an aquarium, we can help increase their survival rate even more by using a breeder box to contain the fry and protect them from larger fish. ...
Care Guide for Forktail Blue-Eye or Furcata RainbowfishMany 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 White Cloud Mountain Minnows – Underrated Beginner FishWhen beginners start their first aquarium, many of them choose popular fish like fancy guppies and neon tetras that can sometimes come with unexpected health issues. If you come to our retail store, we might steer you towards one of our favorite beginner fish – the white cloud mountain minnow (WCMM). The “poor man’s neon tetra” is one of our best-selling species because they are so easy to care for, always lively, and capable of breeding without a lot of work. In fact, our CEO Cory McElroy us...
Care Guide for Assassin Snails — Natural Way to Get Rid of Pest SnailsIf you have a freshwater aquarium that is infested with bladder snails, ramshorn snails, or Malaysian trumpet snails (MTS), it may seem impossible to get rid of them. It’s hard to root out every single egg or baby snail hiding amongst the plants and substrate, and chemical pesticides can often have a negative impact on the other living creatures in your fish tank. Luckily, there is a little helper you can employ that will happily sniff out any pest snails — the amazing assassin snail. Learn h...
Why is My Cryptocoryne Plant Melting?You just planted your new cryptocoryne (or crypt) plant in the aquarium, and it looks perfect for the first few days. Then you notice that one or two leaves aren’t doing so well. Maybe they are turning yellow-brown, have large gaping holes, or are simply withering away. Soon the whole plant looks as bare as a maple tree in winter. This phenomenon is very common with cryptocorynes and is often called “crypt melt.” Crypts (and many other live aquatic plants) are very sensitive to major changes...
How to Set Up an Aquarium CO2 System the Easy WayWhen it comes to planted tanks, we always encourage beginners to start with easy, slow-growing plants that only need low lighting and an all-in-one fertilizer. However, certain plants are a little more difficult to grow underwater and may require high lighting and extra carbon dioxide (CO2) beyond what is naturally provided in the air. When it comes to injecting CO2 gas into water, aquarists have tried all kinds of techniques, types of equipment, schedules, and dosage amounts to put together ...
Top 10 Betta Fish Plants for Your AquariumLooking for a way to take your betta fish tank to the next level? Give live aquarium plants a try. Not only do aquatic plants help purify the water from your fish’s waste, but they also provide a beautiful, natural environment for your betta. In the wild, Betta splendens are commonly found in tropical marshes and rice paddy fields chock-full of thick vegetation. Therefore, aquarium plants serve as excellent enrichment for your betta to explore, obstacles to block line of sight in case he gets...
Care Guide for Discus Fish – The King of the AquariumDiscus fish are one of the most beautiful freshwater fish in the hobby, known for their spectacular colors and large, circular shape. However, they’re notorious for being extremely difficult to keep, with Internet forums often recommending strict practices like 100% water changes every day. In reality, only a small percentage of people are able to follow those rules, and the rest of the world uses more low maintenance methods. We’ve spent many years keeping discus personally at home, caring f...
How to Make DIY Spawning Mops for Breeding Aquarium FishMany 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...
New Fish, Lower Hardscape Prices, and a Store Sale this Week at Aquarium Co-Op! 💥In our fish deliveries for this week, the retail store got in some super cool uncommon pufferfish along with fresh batches of our community tank favorites! We also got some large restock orders of our hardscape and lowered the prices on our aquascaping rocks! This week at the store, Tuesday-Thursday we are running a store sale where many items are heavily discounted! In the sale there is filtration items, lights, medications, aquascaping supplies, and more! The products simply have mino...
How do I get a free sticker?To show our appreciation for your patronage, we sometimes like to include a free aquarium fish sticker with online orders. Fans often use them to decorate their water bottles, laptop, fish tank stand, notebooks, and more. There is no way to choose which decal you get. However, if you have your heart set on that one special sticker to complete your collection, you can purchase them on our Merchandise page.
How many fish can I put in a 3-gallon tank?One of the most common but hardest questions we get is “How many fish can you put in a 3-gallon aquarium? What about a 20-gallon tank? 55 gallons?” 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.
Why don't the suction cups on my heater (or other device) stay attached?If the suction cups are new and do not stay attached, please make sure to clean the aquarium wall before attaching the heater. We recommend using an algae scrubber, razor blade, gift card, or other appropriate tool for wiping off any algae or debris to ensure that the surface is completely clear and flat. If the suction cups are old and worn out, the Aquarium Co-Op heater comes with 4 replacement suction cups.
Do we ship live fish?Unfortunately we don't sell fish online, but we have partnered with Aqua Huna and other vendors that offer discounts through their affiliate programs. See the full list here.
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 Save Your Baby Fish with a Breeder Box
Most fish do not show any parental care toward their offspring, so when they lay eggs or give birth in an aquarium, the next generation can easily become a quick snack for the adults. In the wild, babies try their best to hide from would-be predators by using camouflage, swimming to shallow waters, and taking cover in dense vegetation and tiny nooks. In an aquarium, we can help increase their survival rate even more by using a breeder box to contain the fry and protect them from larger fish. ...
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 White Cloud Mountain Minnows – Underrated Beginner Fish
When beginners start their first aquarium, many of them choose popular fish like fancy guppies and neon tetras that can sometimes come with unexpected health issues. If you come to our retail store, we might steer you towards one of our favorite beginner fish – the white cloud mountain minnow (WCMM). The “poor man’s neon tetra” is one of our best-selling species because they are so easy to care for, always lively, and capable of breeding without a lot of work. In fact, our CEO Cory McElroy us...
Care Guide for Assassin Snails — Natural Way to Get Rid of Pest Snails
If you have a freshwater aquarium that is infested with bladder snails, ramshorn snails, or Malaysian trumpet snails (MTS), it may seem impossible to get rid of them. It’s hard to root out every single egg or baby snail hiding amongst the plants and substrate, and chemical pesticides can often have a negative impact on the other living creatures in your fish tank. Luckily, there is a little helper you can employ that will happily sniff out any pest snails — the amazing assassin snail. Learn h...
Why is My Cryptocoryne Plant Melting?
You just planted your new cryptocoryne (or crypt) plant in the aquarium, and it looks perfect for the first few days. Then you notice that one or two leaves aren’t doing so well. Maybe they are turning yellow-brown, have large gaping holes, or are simply withering away. Soon the whole plant looks as bare as a maple tree in winter. This phenomenon is very common with cryptocorynes and is often called “crypt melt.” Crypts (and many other live aquatic plants) are very sensitive to major changes...
How to Set Up an Aquarium CO2 System the Easy Way
When it comes to planted tanks, we always encourage beginners to start with easy, slow-growing plants that only need low lighting and an all-in-one fertilizer. However, certain plants are a little more difficult to grow underwater and may require high lighting and extra carbon dioxide (CO2) beyond what is naturally provided in the air. When it comes to injecting CO2 gas into water, aquarists have tried all kinds of techniques, types of equipment, schedules, and dosage amounts to put together ...
Top 10 Betta Fish Plants for Your Aquarium
Looking for a way to take your betta fish tank to the next level? Give live aquarium plants a try. Not only do aquatic plants help purify the water from your fish’s waste, but they also provide a beautiful, natural environment for your betta. In the wild, Betta splendens are commonly found in tropical marshes and rice paddy fields chock-full of thick vegetation. Therefore, aquarium plants serve as excellent enrichment for your betta to explore, obstacles to block line of sight in case he gets...
Care Guide for Discus Fish – The King of the Aquarium
Discus fish are one of the most beautiful freshwater fish in the hobby, known for their spectacular colors and large, circular shape. However, they’re notorious for being extremely difficult to keep, with Internet forums often recommending strict practices like 100% water changes every day. In reality, only a small percentage of people are able to follow those rules, and the rest of the world uses more low maintenance methods. We’ve spent many years keeping discus personally at home, caring 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...
New Fish, Lower Hardscape Prices, and a Store Sale this Week at Aquarium Co-Op! 💥
In our fish deliveries for this week, the retail store got in some super cool uncommon pufferfish along with fresh batches of our community tank favorites! We also got some large restock orders of our hardscape and lowered the prices on our aquascaping rocks! This week at the store, Tuesday-Thursday we are running a store sale where many items are heavily discounted! In the sale there is filtration items, lights, medications, aquascaping supplies, and more! The products simply have mino...
