Freshwater Aquarium Microlife

erhaps even an engineered or DIY tower of some sort? How big is your pump? Where should it be placed? What about sizing the tubing to/from it? Should you leave open/space for adding other discharges, returns for a sump/refugium later?

All these issues and more should be considered before even buying your tank... as both glass and acrylic models can be custom-ordered/made and the former are much easier to drill/fit for lines before assembly. Check with your dealer or fabricator r

The two parts are usually connected using nylon bolts and nuts. On most models, water overflows into the waterfall cup from the water surface in the aquarium. A siphon tube delivers water from the waterfall cup inside the tank, over the side of the aquarium, and into the prefilter box. The water then passes through a sponge prefilter element, and feeds via gravity, into the filter below the aquarium. Some hang-on prefilters are of the "continuous-siphon" type. These prefilters actually have a built-in channel which allows the water to travel over the side of the tank without us

Often seen in tiny little bowls in the pet store, this male of this species is fiercely territorial and must be kept in separate bowls or aquariums or they may fight to the death.

These interesting fish are equipped with a tipped up mouth that enables them to get air from the surface of the water and, therefore live in small bowls or those plant vases t

1) Commit! Decide you are going to spend the $$ it takes to make a proper go of it. At a minimum, most tanks, (from 10 gal to 55 gal) take between $250 and $500 to get going. Can you do it cheaper? Yes, but usually not your first one. You have to know what you are doing and understand how things can and will go wrong before you can choose less expensive husbandry options and/or equipment. Save up if you have to, but count on that first tank being expensive.

Realize that this is not a short term commit

This species is spotted on the posterior part of the body and to a lesser extent on other parts of the body.

Tropical gar, Atractosteus tropicus
A very rare species.

Manfari or Cuban gar, Atractosteus tristoechus
Looks very similar to the alligator gar and since it is very rare in the trade you can usually assume that your gar is an alligator gar and not a Cuban gar unless otherwise stated. The Cuban gar has a broader snout and lacks pattern on its body.

Beside these species there are a number of hybrids such

Gourami Attacking Other Fish
This Gourami owner is discovering that not all Gouramis play well together. Join the discussion and share your thoughts. "Hi I'm new to all this but I was wondering....