Info AquaScape

Are you looking for a colorful centerpiece fish for a small-or medium-sized community tank? The challenge is finding a bigger fish that won't eat or bully smaller, peaceful nano fish. Betta fish worked well for me in the past, but then I had bad luck with dwarf gouramis and apistogrammas. Surprisingly, the understated honey gourami ended up being the perfect choice for my 20-gallon aquarium! What is a Honey Gourami? Despite having similar common names, the honey gourami (Trichogaster chuna) is not the same thing as the dwarf gourami (Trichogaster lalius). In general, honey gouramis are smaller and more peaceful than dwarf gouramis, only reaching about 2 inches (5 cm) in captivity. Also, because they’re different species, the honey gourami doesn’t appear to carry the dreaded dwarf gourami iridovirus. What Colors Do Honey Gouramis Come In? I've heard there are actually three color types: Wild type: silvery-light yellow with yellow on their finnage Gold/yellow: ...

Is your betta fish struggling to swim because of fast current or are your axolotl’s gills curved forward from the strong flow? Many types of aquarium pets – like gouramis, puffer fish, baby fry, and angelfish – are more comfortable in slower waters, and without the appropriate living conditions, your pet may become sick from the stressful environment. Keep reading as I share 5 easy ways for reducing your filter’s flow! #1 Choose the Right Filter If you haven't purchased your filter already, choose an internal filter , hang-on-back filter , or canister filter with an adjustable flow. That way you can set the flow to be as low as possible. Generally, you don't want to pick a filter that is too oversized for the size of your aquarium; otherwise it may be harder to sufficiently reduce the flow. (As a rule of thumb, the recommendation is to aim for a water turnover rate for at least three to four times the volume of the aquarium.) If you really want to go for the gentlest flo...

When it comes to Christmas or birthday gifts, fish keepers are a pain to shop for. The last thing you want is for a well-meaning friend or family member to buy you fish sight unseen! Here’s my list of top 10 gift ideas for aquarium lovers, but let me know in the comments if you think I’m missing something. #10 Gift Cards It's always safe to get someone a gift card to their favorite pet store, fish store, or online store. You can also give them straight up cash or take them on a shopping trip. ▶ Petco gift card ▶ Aquarium Co-Op card #9 Experiences Instead of a physical item, how about an experience? Offer to pay for their membership at the local aquarium society or take the to the aquarium or zoo. If there's an aquarium convention nearby, get them tickets so they can meet vendors and other fish lovers. ▶ Aquashella ▶ Aquatic Experience ▶ Aquatic Gardeners Association ▶ American Livebearer Association #8 Reading Materials Got someone who likes to read? Maybe they...

Ever wonder what it’s like to work at a pet store and help new fish keepers? Check out my interview with Chris Wang, host of the funny and educational YouTube channel “Fish for Thought,” about life as a pet store employee. Topics include great advice for beginners, bulletproof aquarium setups, funny stories that happened at the story, and the difference between Canadian vs. American fish keeping. Afterwards, don’t forget to check out the collab video I did for his channel on honey gourami care, linked below: ▶ My “Honey Gourami Care” collab video on Chris’ channel ▶ Fish for Thought channel ▶ Chris’ Instagram Question of the Day Have you ever wanted to work at a fish or pet store? Do you think you’d be good at educating new fish keepers? Comment below to share your thoughts because I’d love to hear them. Don’t forget to take time to enjoy your aquariums and I’ll see you next time! Subscribe to my YouTube Channel for practical fish care tips for busy aquarists and follow ...

Happy Halloween! I just went through a scary power outage this week and, boy, there’s nothing like the real deal to kick your aquarium emergency preparedness into gear. Find out what you should do with your aquariums when the power goes out (and whether or not my fish survived…💀). Topics include: ▶ Equipment needed for aquarium emergency preparedness ▶ Instructions for surviving a power outage ▶ Mistakes I made and lessons learned Materials I Used Battery-powered air pump (comes with airline tubing and airstone)  D batteries   72-hour heat packs   Thermal blankets Uninterruptible power supply (UPC) backup battery Related Links Surviving an Aquarium Power Outage How to Survive a Power Outage with an Aquarium How to Keep Your Tank Safe During a Power Outage Question of the Day How do you prepare for your aquariums in case of a power outage? Comment below to share your experiences because I’d love to hear them. Don’t forget to take time to enj...

Do axolotls need brackish water? Then why do axolotl websites always talk about Holtfreter’s Solution and other salt recipes ? And why is it so hard to make them? In this article, I cover: Recommended pH, GH, KH, and salinity levels for axolotls Easy recipes for making Holtfreter’s, Modified Holtfreter’s, and John’s Solution (found on axolotl.org) The effect that salt solutions and aquarium salt have on pH, water hardness, and salinity Recommended Water Hardness for Axolotls First off, let's examine the axolotls' natural habitat. They come from high altitude freshwater lakes in Mexico City, but there’s not a lot of isu how on what the water quality used to be like because nowadays the large lakes have been reduced to narrow canals and have been affected by pollution and runoff. Comparison of axolotl habitat in 1500's versus 2000's (modified from Places Journal ) However, I did find a veterinary article titled Water Quality Explained: How It Can Affect...

How do we encourage more kids to join the fish keeping hobby? Check out my insightful interview with Lily Hwang, the 17-year-old Director of Youth Outreach for the Colorado Aquarium Society (CAS), as she unpacks the keys to reaching the next generation of aquarists. Topics include: ▶ How did you become youth outreach director of an aquarium society? ▶ How can fish clubs accommodate the needs and interests of youth? ▶ As a student, how do you fund your hobby and keep up with aquarium maintenance? ▶ Why should fish keepers join a fish club when there's so much online information? Related Links ▶ More videos from the "Confessions of an Aquarium Addict" series ▶ Colorado Aquarium Society ▶ CAS Instagram ▶ CAS Facebook Question of the Day What got you into the fish keeping hobby? Comment below to share your experiences 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 fo...