Aquarium Care Guides & Articles
Care guides, species profiles, setup tutorials and disease treatment from the Aquairi knowledge base.
Aquarium Care Guides
2820 articles- Profile, Settings and Subscription in the Aquairi AppThe Profile tab is where you edit your profile, manage notifications and subscription, send feedback, and see achievements. Learn what each
- Using the Knowledge Base in the Aquairi AppThe Aquairi app has a built-in knowledge base of fish, plants, inverts, corals, equipment and more. Learn to browse and search it and add a
- Using the AI Assistant in the Aquairi AppThe Aquairi AI assistant answers questions about your own tanks, searches the knowledge base, and can take actions like logging a parameter.
- Tracking Equipment and Maintenance in AquairiAdd your filter, heater, light and other gear to each aquarium so the app tracks install dates and replacement cycles, and tells you when a
- Logging Actions and Viewing History in AquairiEvery aquarium keeps a history timeline of what you have done. Learn to log an event, read and filter the timeline, and why a good record he
- Setting Up Maintenance Schedules and Reminders in AquairiCreate recurring maintenance tasks for your aquarium so the app reminds you when a water change, test or feeding is due, and mark each one c
- Logging and Viewing Water Parameters in the Aquairi AppRecord pH, ammonia, temperature and more in Aquairi, watch the trends build on a history chart, and feed the data that powers your health sc
- Adding an Aquarium in the Aquairi AppAdd your tank to Aquairi with a simple 3-step wizard: enter the basics, optionally log starting parameters, and optionally add your fish and
- Getting Started with the Aquairi AppNew to Aquairi? This walkthrough takes you from signing in with an email code through onboarding to your Dashboard, where all your aquariums
- Common Water-Change Mistakes Beginners MakeMost water-change disasters come from a handful of avoidable mistakes: skipping dechlorinator, temperature shock, changing too much, and scr
- How Much and How Often to Change Aquarium WaterA good starting point is around 30% a week, but the real answer is set by your nitrate test. Learn how to size and time water changes for yo
- Aquarium Water Change Step by Step: A Beginner's GuideA complete, plain walkthrough of a routine partial water change: the gear, the steps, and the two rules that keep fish safe, temperature-mat
- UVB Lamps for Aquatic TurtlesA completely different UV lamp from the UV-C sterilizer: basking turtles need UVB to make vitamin D3 and absorb calcium, or they develop met
- UV Clarifier vs UV Sterilizer: Sizing and DoseThe same UV-C lamp acts as a clarifier or a sterilizer depending on the dose it delivers. Learn how wattage and flow rate set that dose, how
- Using a UV Sterilizer for Disease and Parasite ControlA UV sterilizer kills free-floating pathogens and free-swimming parasite stages in the water column, but it does not cure an infected fish.
- Ammonia Spike: Causes and Emergency FixA high ammonia reading is an emergency. Learn to find the source, whether a dead fish, a crashed filter, or chloramine, and the immediate st
- Gut-Loading and Enriching Live FoodsBrine shrimp and rotifers are nutritionally thin until you feed them first. Learn how gut-loading passes essential omega-3 HUFAs to your fis
- Reading Coral Polyps: Health and BehaviourOpen or closed polyps are your coral talking to you. Learn what healthy extension looks like, when retraction is normal, and when persistent
- Unsafe Materials and Decor That Leach into Aquarium WaterUncured silicone, fungicide sealants, painted ornaments, treated wood and reactive rock can poison a tank. Learn how to vet new decor and wh
- Hand Creams, Lotions, Soap and Cosmetics When Working in the TankWhatever is on your hands enters the water: soap, lotion, sanitiser, sunscreen, perfume and DEET all harm fish and inverts. The rule: rinse
- Insecticides and Pesticides: The Deadliest Aquarium ContaminantsInsecticides are designed to kill arthropods, so they are lethal to shrimp and fish at trace levels. Learn the routes (flea meds, sprays), t
- Airborne Toxins Near the Aquarium: Aerosols, Fumes and SmokeSprays, fumes and smoke do not need to touch the water to poison it: they dissolve in at the surface. Open tanks and running air pumps are m
- Soap, Detergents and Cleaners in the AquariumSoap and detergent residue, even from a 'rinsed' bucket, damages fish gills and slime coat. Never use them on aquarium gear; here is why and
- Accidental Contamination of the Aquarium: What to DoSoap, sprays, fumes and other foreign substances can poison a tank fast. Whatever the source, the emergency response is the same. Here is th
Species Profiles
2742 articles- Mystic Sunset Chalice (Echinophyllia sp.) Care GuideThe Mystic Sunset Chalice is an aquacultured Echinophyllia sp. colour morph; a slow-growing plating chalice whose care follows the Echinophy
- Watermelon Chalice (Echinophyllia sp.) Care GuideThe Watermelon Chalice is an aquacultured Echinophyllia sp. colour morph named for its green-and-red coloration; care follows the Echinophyl
- Echinophyllia aspera (Chalice Coral) Care GuideEchinophyllia aspera is a widespread Indo-Pacific chalice coral with plating, encrusting growth and bright corallite eyes; IUCN status Least
- Mycedium elephantotus (Elephant Skin Coral) Care GuideMycedium elephantotus is a laminar Indo-Pacific chalice coral with outward-pointing, nose-shaped corallites; common on sheltered reefs.
- Merulina ampliata (Ridge Coral) Care GuideMerulina ampliata is a widespread Indo-Pacific stony coral forming laminar plates with fan-like ridges; IUCN status Least Concern.
- Psammocora stellata (Cactus Coral) Care GuidePsammocora stellata is an Indo-Pacific small-polyp stony coral with a granular surface that grows encrusting before forming thick branches;
- Leptastrea purpurea (War Coral) Care GuideLeptastrea purpurea is a hardy, encrusting Indo-Pacific stony coral known for high thermal tolerance and a brooding reproductive strategy.
- Sphaerocaryum malaccense Care GuideSphaerocaryum malaccense is a rare Asian grass with narrow blades; an experimental aquarium plant used as a midground texture.
- Trichocoronis rivularis Care GuideTrichocoronis rivularis (accepted name Shinnersia rivularis), the Mexican oak leaf, is a fast-growing stem plant from Mexico and Texas.
- Proserpinaca palustris 'Cuba' Care GuideProserpinaca palustris 'Cuba' is a mermaid-weed form with comb-like leaves that turn red-orange under strong light and CO2.
- Limnophila 'Mini Vietnam' Care GuideLimnophila sp. 'Mini Vietnam' is a compact Asian stem plant with fine whorled leaves, suited as a delicate midground accent with CO2.
- Marsilea drummondii Care GuideMarsilea drummondii, the Australian nardoo, is an aquatic clover fern that forms a low foreground carpet under modest light.
- Ammannia 'Bonsai' Care GuideAmmannia sp. 'Bonsai' is a compact aquarium stem plant; its flowers identify it as true Rotala indica (family Lythraceae).
- Fissidens nobilis Care GuideFissidens nobilis is a feathery freshwater moss from tropical Asia, grown attached to hardscape under low light in planted aquariums.
- Nitella flexilis Care GuideNitella flexilis, the smooth stonewort, is a soft, fine-branched charophyte green alga of the family Characeae that lacks the calcification
- Chara vulgaris Care GuideChara vulgaris, the common stonewort, is a calcified charophyte green alga of the family Characeae that thrives in hard, alkaline fresh wate
- Ottelia mesenterium Care GuideOttelia mesenterium is a Sulawesi endemic of the family Hydrocharitaceae with strongly undulate leaves; a collector species that is very dif
- Ottelia alismoides Care GuideOttelia alismoides (duck lettuce) is an aquatic plant of the family Hydrocharitaceae with rosettes of broad leaves and white floating flower
- Aponogeton natans Care GuideAponogeton natans is a South Asian species of the family Aponogetonaceae from wetlands and rice fields, suited to shallow tanks and paludari
- Aponogeton undulatus Care GuideAponogeton undulatus is a South Asian species of the family Aponogetonaceae with pale-green wavy-edged leaves that reproduces readily via pl
- Aponogeton rigidifolius Care GuideAponogeton rigidifolius is a Sri Lankan species of the family Aponogetonaceae with stiff, strap-like dark-green leaves, used as a slow-growi
- Limnocharis flava Care GuideLimnocharis flava is a marsh emergent of the family Alismataceae with triangular leaves and yellow flowers, suited to paludariums and margin
- Pennant Coralfish (Heniochus acuminatus) Care GuideHeniochus acuminatus is an Indo-Pacific bannerfish with a long white dorsal filament and black diagonal bands, often confused with the schoo
- Schooling Bannerfish (Heniochus diphreutes) Care GuideHeniochus diphreutes is an Indo-Pacific bannerfish with a tall dorsal filament and bold black bars, a planktivorous schooling species often
Disease & Treatment
73 articles- Epistylis (Heteropolaria): causes, symptoms and treatmentEpistylis (Heteropolaria) — causes, symptoms, diagnosis, intervention and prevention in aquarium fish; mortality without intervention: moder
- Fin Damage / Fin Nipping: causes, symptoms and treatmentFin Damage / Fin Nipping — causes, symptoms, diagnosis, intervention and prevention in aquarium fish; mortality without intervention: low.
- Cloudy Eye: causes, symptoms and treatmentCloudy Eye — causes, symptoms, diagnosis, intervention and prevention in aquarium fish; mortality without intervention: low.
- Wounds / Lacerations: causes, symptoms and treatmentWounds / Lacerations — causes, symptoms, diagnosis, intervention and prevention in aquarium fish; mortality without intervention: low.
- Egg Binding: causes, symptoms and treatmentEgg Binding — causes, symptoms, diagnosis, intervention and prevention in aquarium fish; mortality without intervention: moderate.
- Tumors / Lipomas: causes, symptoms and treatmentTumors / Lipomas — causes, symptoms, diagnosis, intervention and prevention in aquarium fish; mortality without intervention: low.
- Scoliosis / Spinal Deformity: causes, symptoms and treatmentScoliosis / Spinal Deformity — causes, symptoms, diagnosis, intervention and prevention in aquarium fish; mortality without intervention: lo
- Thiamine (Vitamin B1) Deficiency: causes, symptoms and treatmentThiamine (Vitamin B1) Deficiency — causes, symptoms, diagnosis, intervention and prevention in aquarium fish; mortality without intervention
- Goiter (Iodine Deficiency): causes, symptoms and treatmentGoiter (Iodine Deficiency) — causes, symptoms, diagnosis, intervention and prevention in aquarium fish; mortality without intervention: low.
- Fatty Liver Disease: causes, symptoms and treatmentFatty Liver Disease — causes, symptoms, diagnosis, intervention and prevention in aquarium fish; mortality without intervention: low.
- Swim Bladder Disease: causes, symptoms and treatmentSwim Bladder Disease — causes, symptoms, diagnosis, intervention and prevention in aquarium fish; mortality without intervention: low.
- Constipation / Bloat: causes, symptoms and treatmentConstipation / Bloat — causes, symptoms, diagnosis, intervention and prevention in aquarium fish; mortality without intervention: low.
- Hole-in-the-Head / Lateral Line Erosion: causes, symptoms and treatmentHole-in-the-Head / Lateral Line Erosion — causes, symptoms, diagnosis, intervention and prevention in aquarium fish; mortality without inter
- Old Tank Syndrome: causes, symptoms and treatmentOld Tank Syndrome — causes, symptoms, diagnosis, intervention and prevention in aquarium fish; mortality without intervention: moderate.
- Heavy Metal Poisoning: causes, symptoms and treatmentHeavy Metal Poisoning — causes, symptoms, diagnosis, intervention and prevention in aquarium fish; mortality without intervention: very high
- Chlorine/Chloramine Poisoning: causes, symptoms and treatmentChlorine/Chloramine Poisoning — causes, symptoms, diagnosis, intervention and prevention in aquarium fish; mortality without intervention: v
- Temperature Shock: causes, symptoms and treatmentTemperature Shock — causes, symptoms, diagnosis, intervention and prevention in aquarium fish; mortality without intervention: moderate.
- pH Shock: causes, symptoms and treatmentpH Shock — causes, symptoms, diagnosis, intervention and prevention in aquarium fish; mortality without intervention: high.
- Hypoxia (Oxygen Deprivation): causes, symptoms and treatmentHypoxia (Oxygen Deprivation) — causes, symptoms, diagnosis, intervention and prevention in aquarium fish; mortality without intervention: ve
- CO2 Toxicity: causes, symptoms and treatmentCO2 Toxicity (Excess CO2 lowering blood pH and displacing oxygen) — etiology, symptoms, diagnosis, active-substance medication, recovery and
- Nitrate Stress (Old Tank Syndrome): causes, symptoms and treatmentNitrate Stress (Old Tank Syndrome) (Chronic NO3- accumulation >40-80 ppm) — etiology, symptoms, diagnosis, active-substance medication, reco
- Nitrite Poisoning (Brown Blood Disease): causes, symptoms and treatmentNitrite Poisoning (Brown Blood Disease) (NO2- accumulation oxidizing hemoglobin to methemoglobin) — etiology, symptoms, diagnosis, active-su
- Egg Fungus (Egg Saprolegnia): causes, symptoms and treatmentEgg Fungus (Egg Saprolegnia) (Saprolegnia / Achlya colonizing dead eggs) — etiology, symptoms, diagnosis, active-substance medication, recov
- Ichthyophonosis: causes, symptoms and treatmentIchthyophonosis (Ichthyophonus hoferi) — etiology, symptoms, diagnosis, active-substance medication, recovery and prevention; mortality with