Fresh Water Aquarium Fish Picture

The reasons for this are many. Most cultures are feeble, too dilute, and/or made up of inappropriate species of microbes. Way too many times, the hobbyist is to blame. They put the "bugs" in a chemically hostile, non-nutritive medium; or alternatively over-poison the water with an ammonia feeding stock. Watch out for these chemical solutions to "feed" your system; read and follow the directions provided to the "T"; the ammonia provided is concentrated.

The saddest thing about utilizing these commercially prepared cultures i

A Whisper Air pump powers the airstones. The Skilter cartridges are changed every other week and the airstones every other month.

Each tank also has a mechanical filter backup. There is a Marineland Penguin 160 on one, and a Millennium 2000 on the other. Cartridges on both of these are changed weekly.

Water, and a Lot More: Tom uses tap water to make up his synthetic seawater! He tried one of the in-line water purifiers but found there was no noticeable difference whether or not he used it or not, so he

Foods made of proteins, which in actuality are composed of amino acids (note similarity in names amino and ammonia, amino acids are made up of chains of carbon, plus hydrogen, oxygen, sometimes sulfur joined to each other by amino bonds... the source of ammonia in catalysis, the breaking down of proteins at the molecular level) whose breakdown, re-building produces

Okay, Ill admit it; I like the bubbles, and they move a lot of water for not much energy consumed.

Thermal Control:

Every system should have a heater, unless its a truly "cold" water system requiring the use of a chiller year-round. About two to three watts per gallon in the way of a heater is recommended, unt

Your success in keeping aquatic life depends on establishing and keeping these bacterial populations in sufficient numbers as your biological filtration.

So, what are these magical microbe helpers and how can you get them going for you in your aquarium? Theyre are a few approaches here, with variations therein, and all with their various endorsers and detractors. Again, dont let these differences of opinion faze you. Bear in mind that the end result of all these different efforts is the same. This is to make a home for sufficient numbers of beneficial microbes to help keep your tank clean and healthy.

Of the Many Ways t

Why Do My Fish Hide All The Time?
Fish that hide all the time are a baffling and frustrating problem for the owner. Here are suggestions for how to coax your fish out into the open where you....

Common Cichlid Diseases
Like all fish kept in tanks, Cichlids are prone to disease. The artificial environment and closed system are the perfect breeding grounds for pathogens and parasites. Of course, wild fish get diseases, but these go unseen by everyone but fishermen and wildlife biologists. The best cure is always ....

microbubbles
hi everyone, i notice that sometimes my power head shoots out microbubbles...anyone know why, it looks like it burps and shoots them out. Also will too much flow at the surface cause microbubbles. My skimmer cause a little bit of bubbles but tonight on one side of my tank there have been an exceptional amount of them. any suggestions?.

DIY Hood and Canopy Projects
Getting tired of that old hood or canopy on your tank? Maybe you want to upgrade your lighting, but don't want to spend a lot of money. You....