Aquarium Care Guides
996 articles- Orange Sakura Shrimp Breeding Guide (Neocaridina davidi)Breeding the orange sakura shrimp, a Neocaridina davidi morph: sexing by the saddle, maturity at ~2 months, 20-30 eggs hatching as miniature
- Blue Dream Shrimp Breeding Guide (Neocaridina davidi)Breeding the blue dream shrimp, a Neocaridina davidi morph: sexing by the saddle, maturity at ~2 months, 20-30 eggs hatching as miniature sh
- Crystal Red Shrimp Breeding Guide (Caridina cantonensis)Breeding the crystal red shrimp Caridina cantonensis: sexing, soft acidic water, berried females, ~28-day incubation and young that hatch as
- Odessa Barb Breeding Guide (Pethia padamya)Breeding the Odessa barb Pethia padamya: sexing by the red flank band, mature-water spawning setup with egg barrier, and infusoria fry feedi
- Giant Gourami Breeding Guide (Osphronemus goramy)Breeding the giant gourami Osphronemus goramy: sexing by dorsal fin, plant-fibre nest building, male egg-guarding and rapid hatching, with f
- Neon Dwarf Rainbowfish Breeding Guide (Melanotaenia praecox)Breeding the neon dwarf rainbowfish Melanotaenia praecox: sexing by colour and body depth, mop spawning, daily egg collection and infusoria
- Hillstream Loach Breeding Guide (Sewellia lineolata)How to breed the reticulated hillstream loach Sewellia lineolata in a high-flow aquarium: sexing by tubercles, cool-water triggers, gravel e
- Clown Pleco Breeding GuidePanaqolus maccus is a cave spawner: the female lays 20-25 eggs in the male's narrow cave, eggs hatch in 5-6 days, and fry stay in the cave f
- Diamond Tetra Breeding GuideMoenkhausia pittieri scatters eggs over fine-leaved plants in soft acidic water; remove the adults, as eggs hatch in 24-36 hours and fry swi
- Mystery Snail Breeding GuidePomacea bridgesii lays pink egg clutches above the waterline; with a humid air gap the eggs hatch in 1-4 weeks into miniature snails.
- Nerite Snail Breeding GuideNerite snails lay white egg capsules in freshwater, but the larvae require brackish or saltwater to develop, so they essentially do not bree
- Denison Barb Breeding GuideHow Sahyadria denisonii reproduces: home spawning is rare and requires large groups in soft, acidic water; most stock is commercially hormon
- Breeding Sterbai CorydorasBreeding Corydoras sterbai: an egg-depositing catfish. Sexing the rounder female, a cool-water-change trigger, the T-position, eggs on the g
- Breeding Cockatoo Dwarf CichlidBreeding Apistogramma cacatuoides: a cave-spawning dwarf cichlid. Sexing the larger colourful male, harem setup with caves, female-tended eg
- Breeding KribensisBreeding Pelvicachromis pulcher: a cave-spawning dwarf cichlid. Sexing the purple-bellied female, pairing from a group, caves, ~300 eggs and
- Breeding Black Skirt TetraBreeding Gymnocorymbus ternetzi: a readily-bred egg-scattering tetra. Sexing, separate conditioning, a warm acidic spawning tank, fast-hatch
- Breeding Amano ShrimpHow to breed Caridina multidentata, an amphidromous shrimp whose larvae need brackish water: berried females, hatching, the saltwater larval
- Breeding Panda CorydorasHow to breed Corydoras panda: sexing, conditioning, the cool-water-change trigger, the T-position spawning, egg care and rearing the fry.
- Breeding Siamese Algae EaterBreeding Crossocheilus (Siamese algae eater) is not recorded in the hobby; traded fish are farmed with hormones. What sources actually repor
- Breeding OtocinclusHow to breed Otocinclus (Otocinclus vittatus): sexing, protein conditioning, a water-change trigger, T-position spawning, adhesive eggs and
- Breeding Kuhli LoachHow to breed Kuhli Loach (Pangio kuhlii): sexing by pectoral fins and ovaries, dense plant cover, greenish eggs among floating roots, and wh
- Breeding GoldfishHow to breed Goldfish (Carassius auratus): sexing by breeding tubercles, a temperature-driven spring spawn, adhesive eggs on plants, and fry
- Breeding Royal GrammaHow to breed Royal Gramma (Gramma loreto): hard-to-sex pairs, a male-built rock nest, filament-anchored eggs, male tending and rotifer-fed l
- Breeding ClownfishHow to breed Ocellaris Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris): protandrous pairing, eggs laid near the host, male egg-tending, and demanding rotif
- Reading Fish Food LabelsHow to interpret a fish food label: crude protein, fat, fibre, ash and moisture in the guaranteed analysis, plus the ingredient list and wha
- Crisp Fish FoodsCrisps are a dense dry fish food related to flakes, baked into thin pieces that float and then sink, suited to surface and mid-water feeders
- Tablet and Disc FoodsTablet and disc foods are compressed dry feeds that sink or stick to glass, used for targeted feeding of bottom dwellers, grazers and shy fi
- Spirulina Fish FoodsSpirulina is dried Arthrospira microalgae used in aquarium feeds as a high-protein, pigment-rich vegetable ingredient for herbivores.
- Color-Enhancing Fish FoodsColor-enhancing foods supply carotenoid pigments such as astaxanthin and canthaxanthin, which fish cannot make themselves and must obtain fr
- Vegetable-Based Fish FoodsHerbivorous fish such as plecos, mbuna and silver dollars need plant matter and fiber, supplied through blanched vegetables, algae and spiru
- Gel Fish FoodGel food is a powder mixed with hot water that sets into a solid that holds its form underwater, suiting grazers and slow eaters without clo
- Frozen Fish FoodsFrozen foods preserve aquatic invertebrates such as bloodworms, brine shrimp, mysis and daphnia, offering a varied, pathogen-reduced alterna
- Freeze-Dried Fish FoodsFreeze-dried foods are dried invertebrates such as bloodworms, tubifex, and brine shrimp that store at room temperature and avoid live-food
- Algae and Sinking WafersWafers are slow-dissolving sinking discs made for bottom feeders and grazers, in herbivore (algae) and protein-rich versions.
- Pellet Fish FoodPellets are firm, compact dry fish foods available in floating and sinking forms and in many sizes to match the fish and tank level.
- Flake Fish FoodFlake food is a dry, surface-floating fish food made from a cooked, dried ingredient slurry, suited to top and mid-water feeders.
- Asian Peat Swamp Biotope Style GuideThis biotope recreates a Southeast Asian peat swamp with very acidic, tannin-stained blackwater, leaf litter and dense roots under dim light
- Convex / Mountain Composition Style GuideThe convex or mound composition builds a single central peak that slopes down to open sides, a monumental island layout regarded as the hard
- Concave / U-Shape Composition Style GuideThe concave or U-shape composition places hardscape and plants on both sides with an open low centre, drawing the eye into the depth of the
- Triangle Composition Style GuideThe triangular composition slopes hardscape and plants from high on one side down to an open low corner, a classic way to build depth and as
- Brackish Mangrove Biotope Style GuideA brackish mangrove biotope recreates a coastal estuary with mangrove trees, brackish water and salt-tolerant fauna such as archerfish over
- Saltwater Reef Lagoon Style GuideA reef lagoon recreates the calm, sheltered water behind a reef, with low flow, mostly soft corals and peaceful small fish over a sand bed.
- FOWLR Marine Tank Style GuideFOWLR (Fish Only With Live Rock) is a marine setup that keeps fish over live rock for filtration but no corals, allowing species not compati
- Saltwater Mixed Reef Style GuideA mixed reef combines soft corals, large-polyp and small-polyp stony corals on live rock, requiring stable parameters, strong flow and inten
- Wabi-Kusa Aquascaping Style GuideWabi-kusa is a minimalist Japanese style centred on a plant-and-substrate ball that carries emersed aquatic plants, partly submerged in an o
- Riparium Aquascaping Style GuideA riparium imitates a riparian area - the bank of a watercourse - with rooted marginal plants whose foliage grows above the water surface.
- Aquascaping Tool Sets: A GuideWhat the core aquascaping tools are - tweezers, scissors, and substrate spatulas - and how their straight and curved designs are used.
- 3D Aquarium Backgrounds: A GuideHow textured three-dimensional backgrounds create the illusion of depth, hide equipment, and add porous surface area inside an aquarium.
- Aquarium Stands: A GuideWhy a filled aquarium needs a purpose-built stand, how much water weighs, and what makes a support strong, level, and stable.
- Auto Top-Off (ATO) Systems: A GuideHow auto top-off systems replace evaporated freshwater to keep salinity and water level stable in marine and reef aquariums.