Info AquaScape

How to explain this one? I think all new fish keepers generally know that fish need food and clean water to survive. But beyond that, it's kind of a mystery why things die. Maybe there aren't any obvious signs like white spots or wounds. Your fish just slowly gets lethargic over time, stops swimming around, doesn't feel like eating, and then poof, it's gone. This silent killer is known as improper living conditions . In order to fight against its deadly trap, let's talk about a couple of key tenets for setting up a comfortable habitat for your fish. Try to Replicate Your Fish's Natural Living Conditions We've all seen those extensive care sheets for each type of fish where they list recommended tank size, temperature, food, etc. While many fish have been raised in captivity for so long that there's some leeway with the requirements, try to match the natural living conditions and environment of the species you keep. We want to emulate their life in...

If you post an online picture of a beautiful hobbyist-owned aquarium packed full of fish, you'll probably get several reactions: OMG, that is the coolest thing I've ever seen! (＾▽＾) OMG, that is the cruelest thing I've ever seen! ((╬◣﹏◢)) OMG, how did they accomplish that? I must know! ლ(ಠ_ಠ ლ) That's because there are sooo many differing opinions on how many fish in a tank is too many. Asking "How many fish can I keep in my aquarium?" is like asking "How many cats can I keep in my house?" – it totally depends on each person's preferences and lifestyle. Clearly, five cats is not enough. You need at least six in a school or else they start getting nippy. Huge props to the Real Fish Talk: How Much Is Too Much? video for breaking it down like this: The more fish you have, The more food they eat, The more waste they create, The more work you have to do to keep the tank clean. In other words, more fish = more time you'll have to in...

This is a hard lesson to learn. When you first begin the hobby, it's so exciting and you just want beautiful fish in your aquarium now now now. You already went through the trouble of cycling your tank , so finally it's time to go on a huge fish shopping spree, right? Right? Patience is key. Don't rush things. You hear that over and over again on the forums, but... I don't think there's really any way to comprehend how much waiting fish keeping requires until you kill a buncha fish and walk through that depression. Here are three real-life stories how I inadvertently killed my fish with impatience: 1) Quarantining multiple fish from different sources "Hobbyist mediated pandemic" was a phrase I first heard from this quarantining new fish , but like many excited newbies, I was buying fish from multiple stores and quarantining them all together... For example, I once purchased some marbled hatchetfish and put them into quarantine. A week later I decid...

Don't Panic About Aquarium Cycling! Despite being a habitual researcher, I balked at learning about the aquarium cycle. It's because everyone made it sound so tedius! They would immediately dive into complex chemical terms and scientific names, and it made my eyes roll into my head in boredom. Here's the very simple, "Cycling for Dummies" explanation... What Does Cycling an Aquarium Mean? It means your fish or other aquatic animals have the ability to live in an aquarium without dying in their own waste (like ammonia and urea). This can be accomplished in several ways: Do frequent water changes to manually remove the waste.  Grow beneficial bacteria that will convert the fish waste into a less toxic chemical, which buys you more time between water changes. Use live plants (or algae) that will directly uptake ammonia and convert it into new leaves and plant growth. Note: That means that putting water in your tank and letting it sit without fish for a week wi...

This advice may sound obvious, but buy the healthiest fish you can. When you go to the pet store, don't let the employee choose any ol' fish that ends up in the net. I used to stand in front of the shop tanks and stare at the fish forever until I was sure of which ones I wanted... the most lively, engaging, beautiful creatures possible! What Are the Signs of a Healthy Fish? (aka How Can I Tell If My Fish Is Sick?) It can really depend on the species, but here are some general guidelines of what to look for: Appetite: Healthy fish are always looking for food, so loss of appetite is one of the first telltales that something's wrong. Don't be afraid to ask an employee to feed the fish as proof of their hunger. This is especially useful for species that are notoriously picky eaters. Swimming Ability: You should be able to immediately spot any fish that are having difficulty swimming, can't stay upright, or keep bumping into things. Energy Level: Lethargic f...

Quarantining new fish seems like very obvious, super newbie advice, right? I mean, who doesn't quarantine? Look, I too read the manual, heard the warning signs, and obeyed the law. However, despite quarantining every fish, invertebrate, and plant that entered our house, I still managed to cause deaths. How is that possible? Let me give you three ways you may be incorrectly quarantining your fish: 1) Don't Use Your Display Tank for Quarantine Some people say that if you're setting up your display aquarium for the first time, it's fine to just directly add in your new fish for "quarantine." Don't do it! The whole point of quarantine is to keep your new creatures away from the main tank to prevent cross-contamination. Ideally, the quarantine tank should be in a completely separate room from any display tanks since germs can travel through air and water particles. If your fish get sick while being quarantined in your main tank, it can pretty expensive to...

When I got serious about the aquarium hobby two years ago , I did tons of research. I was determined to succeed and consumed books, websites, and YouTube videos on freshwater fish. Despite being armed to the gills with data, I was shocked to find myself making mistake after mistake. Some of them were newbie blunders, and others were more complex cases that even veterans deal with. None of the how-to guides had prepared me for the onslaught of trouble this hobby brings. So what did I do wrong? Nothing. Honestly, studying can only take you so far; hands-on experience is where the true learning happens. And I've definitely had my fair share of both successes and failures. Rather than write an overly detailed technical manual on everything you need to do right, I figured it'd be funnier to hear stories about all the ways things can go wrong. Welcome to the "50 Ways to Kill Your Fish" Series ! I hope you'll enjoy this series of mishaps and miscalculations that I...