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...

7 Best Foreground Plants for Your Next Planted Aquarium When beginners build their first planted aquarium, they usually buy any plant catches their eye and plunk it down wherever there’s an empty space in the tank. However, if you want to take your planted tank to the next level, consider incorporating some tried-and-true design techniques. A good rule of thumb is to plan out the aquarium in layers from front to back, such that the shortest plants are in the foreground and the tallest plants are in the background. This bleacher-style arrangement e...

Care Guide for Amazon Puffers – Freshwater Puffer for Community Tanks Puffers are fascinating fish in the aquarium hobby because of their unusual, globelike shape and intelligent personalities, but many species grow incredibly large, require brackish water, or are too aggressive to be kept with other tankmates. Fortunately, the Amazon puffer is one of the few freshwater “community puffers” that only grows to 3 inches (7.6 cm) long and can live with other fish. Find out how to care for this amazing oddball and see if it’s the right pufferfish for you. What is th...

10 Smart Ways to Use an Aquarium Catch Cup or Specimen Container Have you ever seen those clear rectangle boxes hanging on the outside of tanks at your local fish store? You are looking at one of the most versatile tools in the fish keeping hobby – the aquarium specimen container or catch cup. It acts like a small, transparent bucket for observing fish, holding aquarium supplies, and a million other uses. Learn about the top 10 ways we find ourselves using catch cups every day at our retail fish store and personal fish tanks. 1. Observation It can be hard ...

Care Guide for Clown Loaches – The Pack of Underwater Puppies Thinking about getting a group of clown loaches? Then you’re in for a treat. These jovial giants are an absolute pleasure to keep, and we’ve had the privilege of owning them for more than 10 years. That being said, they do come with a few caveats if you want to successfully raise them to their full potential. Based on our experiences, here are some of the delights and pitfalls of caring for clown loaches that you should know before making the leap. What is a Clown Loach? Chromobotia macracant...

Our 5 Favorite Aquarium Plants That Everyone Should Try If you have ever tried to buy live aquatic plants online, it can be a bit overwhelming when looking at all the different species, care requirements, and difficulty levels. At Aquarium Co-Op, we strive to provide a curated selection of the easiest, hardiest plants in the hobby, but sometimes it can be nice to just talk to someone at the store and get a few personal recommendations. That’s why we interviewed our CEO Cory McElroy to find out what his current favorite plants are that he thinks ev...

How to Increase Water Circulation in Your Aquarium Water circulation is commonly discussed in the saltwater aquarium hobby in order to imitate the movement of waves, but not having enough flow can also be a problem in freshwater setups. Fish tanks (especially large ones) with lots of decorations or hardscape can develop dead zones where lots of debris collects and algae starts to grow. Increasing water circulation can help (a) stir up waste particles so they get collected by the filter, (b) evenly distribute nutrients for aquarium plants to c...

How to Catch Aquarium Fish Like a Pro One of the more frustrating parts of the aquarium hobby is trying to catch or move your fish. Just try chasing around fast and slippery fish using a flimsy net with a ton of aquarium decorations in the way. After years of running an aquarium fish store, we have caught thousands and thousands of fish, so we know a thing or two about trying to wrangle the exact number, type, or color of fish for our customers. Learn about our favorite technique for netting fish that not only saves time but also...

Care Guide for Endler’s Livebearers – The Guppy’s Little Cousin Livebearers (or fish that bear live young) like guppies and mollies are always popular fish at pet stores because they’re so colorful and quick to make babies. However, lots of inbreeding has been occurred in order to create specialty colors and that can sometimes result in weaker strains that are not as hardy or long-lived. Therefore, we often recommend Endler’s livebearers as an energetic and entertaining nano fish that is easier for beginners to keep. What is an Endler’s Livebearer? Poecil...

Are Indian Almond Leaves Good for Aquarium Fish? Have you ever seen a stack of large, dried leaves at the fish store and wondered what they are for? Indian almond leaves (IAL) or catappa leaves come from Terminalia catappa, a tree that originates from Asia and Oceania but now grows in tropical and subtropical regions all over the world. Its fruit seeds taste similar to almonds, and its leaves are commonly used in herbal teas and traditional medicines. Fruit and leaves of the Indian almond tree When you drop a dried catappa leaf into your a...

Top 10 Stunning Nano Fish for Your Next Small Fish Tank Nano fish tanks are very popular for their beauty and compact size, but it can be challenging to find animals that are tiny enough to comfortably live in them. If you only have room for a 5- to 20-gallon aquarium, check out our top 10 small aquarium fish that are known for their vibrant colors, fun personalities, and unique appearances. 1. Celestial Pearl Danio Danio margaritatus Also known as the galaxy rasbora or CPD, this little fish has been extremely popular ever since its discovery in ...

How to Feed Frozen Fish Food to Your Aquarium Feeding only fish flakes or wafers to your aquarium fish is like the human equivalent of only eating protein bars every day. Yes, they contain a well-balanced mixture of nutritious ingredients, but wouldn’t it be nice to treat your fish to a sumptuous roast chicken dinner every once in a while? Then you should try frozen fish foods. This premium-grade fish food is packed with high-quality proteins, healthy fatty acids, and gut-loaded vitamins. After live foods, frozen foods are the next close...

10 Best Loaches You Have to Try If you’re looking to add a lot of fun and excitement to the bottom third of your fish tank, loaches might be the perfect fit for you. It’s hard to describe this very diverse group of freshwater bottom dwellers, but many of them have a long-bodied shape, scaleless appearance, and whisker-like barbels on their faces. Find out which ones we love the most and how to best care for them. 1. Clown Loach (Chromobotia macracanthus) These gorgeous loaches are popular in the aquarium hobby because of...

Care Guide for GloFish – Fluorescent Fish for Beginners Have you seen the bright, neon-colored fish at the pet store and wondered what they are? GloFish® are an extremely popular fish among beginners because of their stunning rainbow colors, energetic behavior, and resilient ability to live in a wide range of water conditions. Find out how they got their fluorescent glow and how to care for them so they live a long and healthy life. What are GloFish? GloFish are not just one type of fish but rather a collection of freshwater species that have been...

Care Guide for Tiger Barbs – Colorful and Rowdy Schooling Fish Tiger barbs are often sold at pet store chains to beginners because of their bright colors and strong schooling behavior, but they sometimes get a bad reputation for fin nipping other fish. If you like the action-packed, boisterous energy of African cichlids in a slightly smaller package, keep reading to find out what it takes to care for this fun and fast-paced species. What Are Tiger Barbs? Puntigrus tetrazona is a 2.5- to 3-inch (6-8 cm) barb fish that originally comes from Indonesia and s...

CO2 in Planted Aquariums: Pros and Cons to Consider In the planted tank hobby, you may have heard of two types of aquariums: high tech tanks that inject carbon dioxide (CO2) gas and low tech tanks that do not. CO2 gas is often touted as the magic key for causing plants to grow insanely fast and algae to disappear without a trace. Let’s talk about what CO2 actually does for aquarium plants, as well as some of the pros and cons of using it. CO2 is Used for Photosynthesis Have you ever heard the saying “carbon is the backbone of life”? That phras...