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...

How to Care for Water Wisteria (Hygrophila difformis) Water wisteria (Hygrophila difformis) is a very popular aquarium plant in the hobby because of its lacy leaves, bright green color, and rapid growth. While its care requirements are easy, this species is very prone to melting and losing its leaves when you first purchase it (similar to melting Cryptocoryne plants). Find out our best tips and tricks for planting your new wisteria, getting past the melting phase, and propagating it to grow new plants. What is Water Wisteria? This aquatic stem p...

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...

Top 5 Oddball Fish for a 10-Gallon Aquarium If you’ve been in the aquarium hobby for a while, you have probably owned a majority of the most popular fish sold at pet store chains. Keeping oddball species is a great next step for advancing your fish keeping knowledge. Oddball fish tend to have unusual appearances, can be harder to find, and may come with complicated care requirements. If you are up for the challenge but have limited space, check out our 5 favorite oddball fish that can be kept in a 10-gallon aquarium. 1. Shell Dwellers ...

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...

Care Guide for Clown Killifish – Colorful, Top-Dwelling Nano Fish Looking for a colorful, little fish that stays in the upper third of your nano aquarium? Say hello to Epiplatys annulatus, also known as the clown killi, rocket killifish, and banded panchax. These common names come from the alternating vertical bands of dark brown and tannish-yellow on its body and the vibrant, flame-like tail that males possess. While adult killies can reach up to 1.4 inches (3.5 cm), most of the fish sold at stores are juveniles around 0.5 inch long and won’t display their...

How to Care for Aquarium Fish While on Vacation When going out of town, it can be stressful trying to arrange care for your pets. Thankfully, aquarium fish are generally on the easier side of care requirements because you don’t need to walk them, let them out to use the restroom, or even feed them every day. Here are four methods we recommend for ensuring your fish stay happy and healthy while you’re away. Before You Leave… Give your fish tank a good cleaning a couple of days before your departure. Do a partial water change, vacuum the sub...

How to Raise Baby Fish Fry in Your Aquarium One of the most thrilling parts of the aquarium hobby is getting your fish to breed. If you are taking good care of your fish and feeding them well, one day you may spot a tiny baby darting around the tank. While accidental fry are always exciting, there are several ways you can increase their survival rate or boost your numbers if you plan on selling them for profit. 1. Protect the Eggs from the Parents Many fish do not show any parental care towards their offspring and will happily eat thei...

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...

Top 5 Ways to Clean Algae from Your Fish Tank Algae is a natural part of the aquarium ecosystem because it helps to purify the water from toxic waste chemicals and serves as a food source for algae-eating fish and invertebrates. However, most people see it as an unwelcome guest since too much algae can obstruct your view of the fish tank and slow down healthy plant growth. Let’s talk about 5 easy methods for cleaning algae off your aquarium walls and decorations. 1. Use Tools to Manually Remove Algae Physically removing algae with your o...

5 Best Aquarium Plants for High Tech Planted Tanks with CO2 Have you ever heard the words “low tech” and “high tech” being used when referring to a planted aquarium and wondered what the difference was? To put it simply, the more energy that goes into an aquarium setup, the “higher tech” it is. A high tech planted tank may use intensely bright lighting, a pressurized carbon dioxide (CO2) gas system, and large amounts of fertilizer. Because a lot of energy is going into the system, high tech setups are often very costly and need more maintenance than a...

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 Hillstream Loaches – The Oddball Algae Eater Reticulated hillstream loaches (Sewellia lineolata) are one of the coolest-looking algae eaters, but there’s a lot of conflicting information about their care requirements that makes people hesitant to try them. After more than a decade of owning, selling, and breeding them, this article shares our personal experiences on how to successfully keep this amazing species. What are Reticulated Hillstream Loaches? There are many types of hillstream loaches that live in similar environments, but let...

How to Make Your Betta Fish Happy with 5 Enrichment Ideas Betta fish are amazing creatures with beautiful finnage and spirited personalities, but they often lead very sedentary lives in way-too-tiny bowls. If you’ve already seen our betta fish tank setup guide and upsized your betta’s aquarium with the necessary equipment, you may be wondering what else you can do to keep your pet fish entertained. In the wild, Betta splendens spends its time hunting for food, defending its territory, breeding the next generation of offspring, and of course resting....

How to Culture Microworms for Fish Fry Live foods are extremely useful when breeding fish because their enticing movements encourage the babies to eat and grow at a faster rate. However, some fish (such as betta fish, ram cichlids, and rainbowfish) produce miniscule offspring that are too small to eat traditional fry foods like live baby brine shrimp or crushed flakes. Instead, you can easily start a culture of micro, banana, or walter worms to keep the babies happy and healthy. What Are Microworms? A “micro worm” is a common name...

How to Slow the Flow in Your Aquarium Previously, we discussed the importance of filtration for fish tanks because it cleans up debris particles, grows beneficial bacteria, and helps create water movement and surface agitation for improved oxygenation. However, is it possible your aquarium filter is overly powerful and produces current that is too strong for your fish? Some fish have long and flowy fins, are small in size, or originated from slow-moving waterways and aren’t built to handle torrents of water. Perpetually fighting ...