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How to acclimate new aquarium fish
If you are buying new fish or shrimp, they may be accustomed to water parameters that are very different from yours, and therefore you may want to slowly acclimate or get them used to your aquarium water. If the animals are small enough, you can acclimate them in a specimen container or bucket. Cut open the fish bag and pour the animals and some of the water from the bag into the catch cup so the fish are completely covered in water. Add aquarium water from their new home into the catch...
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Can mangroves grow in freshwater or brackish aquariums?
Mangrove trees are very hardy and can grow in freshwater, brackish, and saltwater tanks. We buy live mangrove seedlings from online websites and then hang them on the side of our aquariums using heavy duty plant wire so that the end of the seedling with leaves is out of water. Once it starts growing more leaves, we have a dedicated light source shining on the mangrove to make sure it gets enough light. If you have a brackish or saltwater tank, you may need to wipe off the salt spray on the...
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What aquarium plants can grow in brackish water?
While the internet has many forum posts and articles about brackish plants, we have not had much success in our testing so far. Anubias and java moss died, and the hornwort shed all of its needles in the water and made a big mess. The only two plants we've had luck with so far are mangrove trees and java fern. The java fern had to be slowly acclimated from freshwater to brackish water over the course of 2-3 months, and while it has not died yet, it does not grow very quickly...
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How much salt is too much for aquarium plants?
Aquarium plants generally do not well with salt (or sodium chloride), but a concentration of 1 tablespoon of aquarium salt per 5 gallons of water is generally considered to be safe. Also, in our personal testing, 1 teaspoon of marine salt per 20 gallons of RODI (reverse osmosis deionized water) water was beneficial to aquarium plants because of the added minerals. For more information on how to treat sick fish with aquarium salt, see our full article.
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Does Aquarium Co-Op sell to Canada?
We do not ship directly to Canada from our website, but we have partnered with April's Aquarium so that they can sell our premium products online to Canadian customers. Go to their website at https://aprilsaquarium.ca to order some of our most popular items — such as Easy Green fertilizer, Magic Small Fish Feed, our brine shrimp eggs, and more!
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Should I use dirt as my substrate in a planted aquarium?
There are many pros and cons to dirted tanks using the Walstad method, so it might be worth trying at least once in your fishkeeping hobby to see if you like it. Based on our experiences with using dirt as substrate, here are some thoughts: Advantages Great plant growth Very cheap Takes years to run out nutrients in the ground Good option if you won't ever change the design (e.g., no moving around plants)  Disadvantages Not as easy or beginner-friendly as planted substrate  Makes a huge cloudy mess if you move plants or...
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How can I get hired at a fish store?
Every store is different, but when we hire retail staff, we are not necessarily looking for the person that knows the most about fishkeeping because a) there are a lot of passionate hobbyists who know a lot and b) much knowledge is gained after you start working with the other fish store employees and customers. Instead, we are interested in other qualities like how well you work with other people, how punctual you are, and if you're willing to promote the products and values that the store believes in.  When you apply for the job,...
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Can you put too much dechlorinator in your fish tank?
With Easy Dechlorinator, you can treat extremely high levels of chloramine, nitrite, or other toxic chemicals by dosing up to 5 times the recommended amount within the span of 24 hours. This is a very large range that allows much room for error. Just keep in mind that potent concentrations of dechlorinator will quickly reduce the amount of dissolved oxygen, so it may be best to add an air stone for the next 3-4 hours to increase oxygenation in the water. For more information, read the full article on dechlorinators.
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How long does it take for dechlorinator to work?
Since it takes about 2-5 minutes for chlorine and chloramine to be neutralized, many companies officially state that you should dose the dechlorinator to the tap water in a separate container before adding the water to the aquarium. That being said, we always add the water conditioner directly to the aquarium and then pour in fresh tap water, and there have never been any problems in our experience. For more information, read the full article on dechlorinators.
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Is dechlorinator harmful to fish?
Generally speaking, no. However, there are some rare, one-off cases where it could be potentially dangerous. The reducing agents in dechlorinator use up oxygen when removing chlorine from the water, and this reaction could be hazardous in poorly oxygenated tanks. For instance, goldfish and discus aquariums can require huge 90% water changes. If you are using water with low oxygen content, adding lots of dechlorinator will further deplete the available oxygen, which can potentially suffocate your fish and beneficial bacteria. For more information, read the full article on dechlorinators.
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Will dechlorinator remove bleach?
Yes, water conditioners like Easy Dechlorinator will react to the chlorine in bleach to neutralize it more quickly. The amount of dechlorinator needed depends on the amount and concentration of bleach used. As a starting point, see the directions for neutralizing Purigen chemical filtration media after it has been soaking in a bleach solution. For more information, read the full article on dechlorinators.
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Does dechlorinator remove ammonia?
Some of them do, as stated on their packaging. The main reason for this is because when dechlorinators are used to treat chloramine, they only react to the chlorine part of chloramine and not the ammonia part. The remaining ammonia ions left in the water are toxic to fish, so some dechlorinators — such as Aquarium Co-Op Easy Dechlorinator, Fritz Complete Water Conditioner, Seachem Prime, and Kordon AmQuel — contain extra chemicals that temporarily lock up the ammonia into an inert state (i.e., ammonium) for up to 24 hours. During this...
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