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What are UV sterilizers in aquariums used for?
UV sterilizers slowly pass aquarium water pass an ultraviolet (UV) bulb, which irradiates microorganisms like bacteria, algae, and protozoa. By damaging their DNA, it can shorten their life cycle and limit population growth. UV sterilizers do not seem to affect beneficial bacteria as much since that type of bacteria is mostly found growing in filters and on surfaces, rather that freely floating in the water column. We like to use our UV sterilizers when dealing with green water. Green water is caused by tiny, free-floating algae and is actually very good for...
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How do I convert my established fish tank into a planted aquarium?
If your fish tank has already been running for a while, it should be fairly easy to transition to a planted aquarium. Change the lighting to a planted tank LED light if needed. For example, if you have an aquarium hood and want to upgrade the light, you may need to replace the hood with a glass top so that you can use a planted aquarium light instead.  Change the substrate if desired. Most beginner plants can be grown in inert substrate, such as regular aquarium gravel or coarse sand...
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How do I set up a fish tank with live plants?
If you've never set up a planted aquarium, we recommend that you start with beginner plants that only require low light. Then follow this detailed guide that covers all the materials you need, as well as the 9 steps you need to be successful. If you run into problems at any point, please post your question on our forum so that we and other hobbyists can best help you.
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How often should I add more root tabs?
Nutrients get used up over time (even if you’re using a nutrient-rich substrate) and therefore must be regularly replenished. To maintain healthy growth, we recommend adding more root tabs about once a month to continually build the nutrient base in the ground, especially if you are using an inert substrate like aquarium gravel or sand that doesn’t contain any nutrients on its own. Also, remember that as plants grow bigger, they will require more root tabs. A baby Amazon sword that is newly planted may only need 1 root tab...
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What are root tabs?
Root tabs are dissolvable tablets or capsules that contain plant fertilizer. At Aquarium Co-Op, we recommend our Easy Root Tabs that are made with mineralized top soil and red clay containing essential plant nutrients, such as: Magnesium Nitrate Phosphate Potassium Manganese Zinc Molybdenum Iron For more information, read our full article on root tabs.
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Are root tabs safe for fish, shrimp, and snails?
Yes, our brand of root tabs is safe for all animals. The reason is because we use actual soil in our root tabs that is nontoxic if the nutrients get released into the water column. Some people try to save money by making their own DIY root tabs or using fertilizers meant for houseplants and vegetables, but those terrestrial products can cause dangerous ammonia spikes in the water that may kill your fish and invertebrates. For more information, read our full article on root tabs.
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Which aquarium plants need root tabs?
Cryptocoryne plants (or crypts), sword plants, bulb plants, carpeting plants, and plants that produce runners all tend to feed from the substrate and will greatly benefit from root tabs. Stem plants like bacopa and moneywort can absorb fertilizer from the water or ground, but they seem to prefer the former. Plants that don’t need substrate to grow – such as mosses, floating plants, anubias, and java fern – typically do not use root tabs as much. For more information, read our full article on root tabs.
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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.
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My discount code doesn't work
Aquarium Co-Op no longer offers discount codes, even if you see them mentioned in past videos from us or other creators. Instead, we choose to always offer our best prices up front while still providing rapid USPS Priority shipping, quick customer service response time, and tons of free educational content in our YouTube videos, blog articles, and online forum.
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Does Aquarium Co-Op have any discount codes?
Aquarium Co-Op no longer offers discount codes, even if you see them mentioned in past videos from us or other creators. Instead, we choose to always offer our best prices up front while still providing rapid USPS Priority shipping, quick customer service response time, and tons of free educational content in our YouTube videos, blog articles, and online forum.
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What are the nutrient amounts in each pump of Easy Green fertilizer?
The guaranteed analysis of Easy Green all-in-one liquid fertilizer is as follows:  Nutrients and Minerals Percentage Total Nitrogen (N) 2.66% Available Phosphate (P2O5) 0.46% Soluble Potash (K2O) 9.21% Magnesium (Mg) 0.7% Boron (B) 0.015% Iron (Fe) 0.13% Manganese (Mn) 0.036% Molybdenum (Mo) 0.00098% Zinc (Zn) 0.0072%   The amount of measurable nutrients and minerals in each pump of Easy Green fertilizer are as follows:  Nutrients and Minerals Parts Per Million (ppm) Nitrogen (NO3) 3 ppm Phosphate (PO4) 0.162 ppm Potassium (K) 2.01 ppm Magnesium (Mg) 0.18 ppm Boron (B) 0.004 ppm Iron (Fe) 0.034 ppm Manganese (Mn) 0.01 ppm Molybdenum...
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What are the little yellow balls or "eggs" on my aquarium plant's roots?
Most live plants purchased online or from a local fish store come in a plastic pot stuffed with rock wool. Plant farms often place small, yellow fertilizer balls in the rock wool to help feed the plants' roots. Please remove the fertilizer balls before planting your plant so that they won’t cause a nutrient spike in your aquarium. For more information, read our Quick Guide: How to Plant Live Aquarium Plants.  
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