Info AquaScape

I’m just going to straight up say it: I don’t like snails. Pest snails, pet snails... they’re just not for me. So how do you prevent unexpected guests from hitching a ride on your aquarium plants? Like any good beginner hobbyist, I did a bunch of online research on plant dips to find out what methods will remove hitchhikers without killing my aquarium plants. And right from the start, there seemed to be a lot of differing opinions, especially on what will get rid of both snails and snail eggs. So I decided to run some scientific experiments to see for myself. Since my tanks are currently snail free, I reached out to Greg Sage from Select Aquatics, who has a long-running fish breeding business . Huge thanks to Greg for providing me three clumps of java fern, which he put in his most snail-infested tank for this experiment. (Pro tip: snails can be very useful for cleaning up excess food in fry tanks.) Don’t forget to check out his rare livebearers and green dragon plecos for sale a

Despite being a huge lover of all animals since childhood, I never got a dog until I got married. Why? Well, dogs are a huge time commitment, they smell funny, they destroy things, and they're not as cute as cats (haha don't kill me). So keep reading to find out how my husband convinced me, a cat lover, to get our first dog. Ever since childhood, I've kept a wide assortment of small pets like parakeets, hamsters, and finally my biggest pet, a cat, during my senior year of high school after endlessly pestering my dad. Fast-forward to being married with no kids, I got my second cat after endlessly pestering my husband, Mr. Gamer, who is actually semi-allergic to cats and definitely a dog person. One day, we went to PetSmart to pick up some kitty treats, and they happened to be having a huge National Adoption Weekend with big tents outside that contained, like, a hundred dogs from all the surrounding rescue centers. So I told Mr. Gamer, “Ooo, let’s look at the doggi

So you just went through the horrors of dealing with a massive disease outbreak in your fish tank and you want to know how to nuke those nasties out of orbit. Keep reading to find out how to use bleach (yes, bleach) to thoroughly disinfect your aquarium, aquarium equipment, and accessories. Materials for Bleaching Okay, first things first: gather your materials. I put on latex gloves and old clothes that can get ruined. Also, get some bleach , a measuring cup, siphon or container for emptying out the tank, washrag or sponge to clean surfaces, and spray bottle (optional). Should I Bleach It or Toss It? Bleach anything that may have been exposed to the fish water, even accidental drips from your hands. So besides the tank, you'll need to clean the filter, heater, aquarium décor, nets, siphon, algae scrubbers, buckets you used, etc. Be aware that some of this stuff may get discolored because you're working with, well, bleach. Some people say gravel is ok to bleach, b

So... basically I’ve been accused of being a robot sometimes. Like, by my own husband, my mother, my brother... It’s because I think my emotion chip got short-circuited when God made me and I ended up with the empathy level of a rock. Because of this personality trait of mine, one of my “areas of improvement” in our marriage is having a better bedside manner when my husband gets a man cold, uh I mean, is legitimately sick. He grew up with a nurse for a mom, so she’s, like, the ultimate loving, caring mother and I’m definitely not built like that. So this is what happens when Mr. Gamer is feeling under the weather. I say (in a robotic voice): What’s wrong? Do you require medication? Let me get you said medication. Is there anything else you need? Boom, duduk masalah solved! I mean, from my standpoint, he’s a grown adult, he knows how bad he feels, and he can call the doctor if he needs immediate medical attention, right? On the flip side, when I’m sick, I do the follo

I’m kinda getting interested in breeding aquarium fish, so I interviewed Larry Brown on how he’s managed to breed so many different kinds of fish as a hobbyist (including saltwater fish)! Larry runs the Breeders Award Program for our local fish club, and he gave me a tour of his amazingly diverse fish room. (If his name sounds familiar, it’s because Dustin’s Fish Tanks has released THREE videos featuring his fish room.) Topics include: ▶ What fish are recommended for first-time breeders? ▶ What's the secret for successfully raising fish fry? ▶ What is the Breeders Award Program (BAP)? Related Links ▶ Confessions of an Aquarium Addict series ▶ Fish Room of a Legend Larry Brown's house Question of the Day What kind of aquarium addict would you like to see me interview next? Comment below to share your suggestions because I'd love to hear them. Don't forget to enjoy your aquarium and I’ll see you next time! Subscribe to my YouTube Channel , where I share practi

Axolotls are one of the cutest but messiest animals I’ve ever kept in an aquarium, which means you need really good filtration to keep their water clean. But axolotls also get stressed out by strong currents, so what is the best filter to use? Filtration Basics 101 So just in case you’re new to keeping aquariums, let me quickly cover the 3 basic types of filtration. Mechanical filtration is like a coffee filter, but you use a sponge or filter pad to strain out any debris in the water. Biological filtration refers to beneficial bacteria or live aquarium plants, anything that can consume the toxic ammonia and nitrogen compounds that come from axolotl waste. “Biological media” refers to bio rings , porous rock , and other stuff the beneficial bacteria can grow on. Chemical filtration , such as activated carbon or Purigen resin , isn’t necessary but can be used to remove medications or other impurities from the water. Top 3 Filters for Axolotls Okay, now that we’ve covered th

Axolotls are one of the messiest pets I’ve ever owned, so how do you keep their tank water nice and clear? Well, there's a lot of different reasons why your aquarium water may be cloudy, but if you have a pet axolotl, most likely it’s because of their poop! 💩 These cute little creatures can produce big ol’ brown logs that look like miniature dog turds. Unfortunately, axolotls just seem to have a knack for stepping right on them and then poof, you’ve got poo dust all in the water column. Yuck! 4 Ways to Fix Cloudy Axolotl Water So to keep your water clean of axolotl poo particles, here are my top four suggestions, listed from least time intensive to most time intensive: Axolotl poo (source: headFeed from caudata.org ) Tip #1: Bigger Tank Get a bigger tank with more water volume. The more volume you have, the more diluted the waste will be and the clearer the water. This advice can also be rephrased as “Don’t overstock your aquarium.” For example, I started off with