180 Gallon Fishtank

The upside is less and easier maintenance, better water quality, lower mortality & morbidity, increased carrying capacity with larger margins for error. In other words, more fun, time and money!

The downside is more planning and up-front cost. I

Because of this I rarely use them, but they do have a couple of interesting options that are worth mentioning.

These pumps can be purchased with a kit to use them in a reverse flow undergravel filter. In a conventional undergravel filter, water is pulled down through the gravel, under the filter plate, and up the lift tube. In this mode the beneficial bacteria in the substrate act as a biological filter, while the substrate itself acts as a crude mechanical filter as it traps dirt and debri

At this point you can safely install your first cool water livestock.

Water Changes:

Should be done more frequently and with larger volumes, a minimum of twenty five percent change out per month.

Metal Poisoning:

I dont know why cold water systems seem to suffer more from this type of toxicity more than tropical, but aquarists seem to introduce metal; contaminants in decor, substrat

If you do not remove it, it will punctually rot and cause havoc in the tank.

Bettas prefer to eat from the upper parts of the water column. They dont really enjoy eating from the bottom of the tank. So before dropping the food in the tank, make sure you have his attention. Let him see the food, get it close to his face from the outside of the aquarium, let him check out what it is, and then there you go! Drop food in front of his nose. The best way is to drop a tiny bit of food--about 6 frozen brine shrimp, watch the bettas eat it all and then look a

It may well be necessary.

Choice of Materials:

Pipe and fittings should be, of course, chemically inert. No metal parts, not even band clamps need apply! If you need a clamp, there are sturdy all-plastic varieties available... PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride) pipe is the material of choice, generally "Schedule 40" (rated for up to 400 psi pressure), though there are clear plastics (that wont stay so...), ABS, even advocates of flexible tubing... For practical purposes, un

Reply to tips for aquarium shots?

Photography is a still of life posted a reply:

Id say a dark room, no flash, and a wide aperture. Try using different camera speeds if you have a manual setting on your camera.
Use a tripod or a stack of books to mount the camera in position, you can then try longer exposures. .

DIY Aquarium Cave
This tidbit I recieved in the mail today was too good not to share. Mark Shoemaker and Esther Baum wrote these great 10 step do it yourself instructions for creating an....

White Worms For The Aquarium

By Alden Smith

Every successful breeder of tropical fish knows that feeding live foods to their charges is one of the best ways to maintain healthy and active fish.

Live foods are overall high in protein. They stimulate spawning, and help to intensify coloration. Live foods enhance the natural tendencies of fish to forage for their food as they would in their natural environme.