Info AquaScape

What’s a best first pet for young children? My best friend has three kids all under age 6 and asked me for advice since I’ve kept dogs and cats, parakeets, hamsters, goldfish, hermit crabs, and many “kid-friendly” animals. Watch the video above for my reasons, but personally I would go with a dog or cat since they are so personable and are big enough to for children to hug. However, if you prefer a much smaller pet, a betta fish is a colorful, interactive pet that a 6-year-old could help take care of. The Cost of Owning a Betta Fish If you buy everything merk new, probably $100 is the lowest you can go. Shocking, right? (Of course, if you know what you're doing, you can always buy used or second-hand equipment from Craigslist or a fish club auction .) Here’s my shopping list with the most cost-effective options I would use, but let me know in the comments if I’m missing something! 5-gallon aquarium kit Filter sponge Heater Thermometer Betta food Water dechlorinator ...

So I found out that feeding live baby brine shrimp (BBS) is one of the keys to really boosting the growth of your fish fry. But there’s so many methods for hatching brine shrimp or making a DIY hatchery – which one should you use? Keep reading as I break it down into detailed, bulletproof steps for you to follow along! Why Bother with Live BBS? I’ll admit, I stayed away from hatching baby brine shrimp the first time I raised cory catfish fry because I figured, well, prepared and frozen foods are less of hassle, right? The dilema is that it took forever for the fry to grow up, almost 9 months to a year before I felt like they reached a sellable size. So when I started my second breeding project with honey gouramis, I knew I had to do things differently. Now when I interviewed veteran breeder Larry Brown on how to grow fish fry big and fast, he said, "Baby brine shrimp all the way!" Freshly hatched shrimp still have their yolk sacs, which is super nutritious for bab...

Congratulations, you have new baby fish! But no, you didn’t choose to breed some easy livebearer. No, you went for the challenge of egg layers like tetras, gouramis, or rainbowfish that produce the world’s most ridiculously tiny fry possible. Ack, what do you feed them? After researching how fish farms create infusoria to raise fish fry, here’s the easy, bulletproof way I use for making infusoria at home. After all the fun I had raising my cory catfish, I totally had baby fever and I’m was like, “Sweet! What else can I breed around here?” I decided to find my little honey gourami a wifey because I heard they’re also really easy to breed. Unfortunately, honey gourami fry are super tiny. Unlike guppies and other livebearers, they come out way too small to eat baby brine shrimp, crushed up flake food, and other typical fry foods. So I knew I needed to make infusoria. What is Infusoria? Basically, infusoria is an old term referring to single-celled microorganisms like algae, amoeb...

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 ...