Aquarium Care Guides
996 articles- Black Spot Disease in Fish (Neascus and Other Larval Flukes)Black spots on pond or wild-caught fish are pigment cysts around larval flukes. The parasite needs a snail and a fish-eating bird, so it can
- In Which Order to Add Fish to an AquariumWhy fish are added in small batches so the biofilter can keep up, and why sources put hardy, peaceful fish first and territorial or aggressi
- Cycling a Tank With Fish Already In ItWhat to do when fish went into an uncycled tank: how often to test, partial water changes to keep ammonia and nitrite down, reduced feeding
- The First 30 Days of a New AquariumA week-by-week guide to the first month of a new aquarium: what to test, which changes are normal, when the first fish can go in and the mis
- Zeolite and Ion-Exchange Media in Aquariums: Ammonium, Regeneration and Selective ResinsHow zeolite exchanges ammonium, why salt regenerates it and why it fails in seawater, how nitrate- and phosphate-selective media work, and w
- Activated Carbon in Aquariums: What It Removes, Exhaustion and the HLLE DebateHow activated carbon adsorbs dissolved organics, dyes and medications, why it does not remove ammonia, nitrate or hardness, how it exhausts,
- Peat Filtration in Aquariums: Softening, Acidification and SustainabilityHow peat softens and acidifies aquarium water by cation exchange and humic acids, why its effect varies with alkalinity, the tannin side eff
- Tannins and Humic Substances in Aquarium WaterThe chemistry of tannins and humic substances from leaves, wood and peat, how they colour water, lower pH and absorb light, what research sa
- Silicates in the AquariumWhat dissolved silica is, where it enters aquarium water, why it fuels diatoms, how reverse osmosis and anion-exchange resins remove it, and
- Chlorine vs Chloramine in Tap WaterHow free chlorine and chloramine differ in tap water, why utilities use chloramine, why it does not gas off, and how dechlorination releases
- Softener-Treated Water in Aquariums: Ion Exchange ChemistryHousehold ion-exchange softeners swap calcium and magnesium for sodium or potassium. Why the result is not natural soft water, how it affect
- Well Water for Aquariums: Gases, Iron, Hardness and TestingGroundwater from private wells varies by site and season. How dissolved CO2, H2S and nitrogen, iron, manganese, hardness and farm nitrate af
- Rainwater for Aquariums: Chemistry, Contamination and StorageWhy rainwater is soft and slightly acidic, what roofs and gutters add to it, how to divert the first flush, store it and rebuild hardness, p
- Blackwater vs Clearwater vs Whitewater: Amazon River Types ComparedSioli's Amazon water types compared: origin, pH, conductivity, humic content, sediment and transparency, which fish live in each, and how th
- Betta Tank Requirements: Volume Evidence, Heat, Flow and CoverWhat welfare studies show about tank size and furnishings for Betta splendens, plus temperature, gentle flow, cover, air access, tankmates a
- Fry Grow-Out Tanks: Layout, Filtration, Density and SortingWhat research on larval and juvenile fish shows about grow-out tanks: barren vs structured tanks, sponge filters, water quality, stocking de
- Shell-Dweller Cichlid Tank: Sand, Shells and Tanganyika WaterSetting up a tank for Lake Tanganyika shell-dwelling lamprologine cichlids: sand depth, more shells than fish, hard alkaline water, colony b
- Pufferfish Tanks and Dental Care: Freshwater, Brackish and Marine PuffersFreshwater, brackish and marine pufferfish categories with tank sizes and salinity, continuously growing beaks and hard-shelled foods, trimm
- Fancy Goldfish Tank Requirements: Volume, Filtration, Temperature and BuoyancyBody types of fancy goldfish, how much water each fish needs, filtration and flow for a heavy waste load, unheated temperature range, swim-b
- Annual Killifish: Peat Incubation and Hatching of Diapause EggsHow Nothobranchius and Austrolebias eggs survive the dry season in three diapause stages, and how breeders dry peat, store it for months, we
- Outdoor Tubs and Patio Mini-PondsContainer water gardens with fish: vessel choice and weight, depth and shade, plant groups, medaka and White Cloud minnows, mosquito control
- Coldwater Native Fish Aquarium: Temperate Species Without a HeaterKeeping temperate native fishes in an unheated tank: darters, shiners, sticklebacks and sunfish, collection rules, the oxygen-versus-heat pr
- Hillstream River-Manifold Tank: Flow, Oxygen and BiofilmHow a unidirectional-flow hillstream aquarium is laid out: river manifold principle, oxygen and cool temperatures, smooth rock and algae as
- Zoonoses in the Aquarium HobbyInfections people can catch from aquarium fish, tank water, turtles and frogs: Mycobacterium marinum, Salmonella, Aeromonas, Streptococcus i
- Aquarium Leak and Flood Emergency GuideWhat to do when an aquarium leaks or floods a room: electrical safety first, lowering the water, holding fish, reseal or replace, drying out
- Aquariums Around Children and PetsHome-safety measures for aquariums with young children, cats and dogs: drowning and tip-over risk, lids, chemical and battery storage, hand
- Keeping an Aquarium Cool in a HeatwaveWhy warm water holds less oxygen, how fans, evaporation, reduced lighting and frozen bottles can lower tank temperature, their limits, and h
- Aquarium Electrical Safety: GFCI/RCD Protection and Drip LoopsHow ground faults and leakage current arise around aquariums, how GFCIs and RCDs work and at what currents they trip, why drip loops matter,
- Aquarium Weight and Floor LoadingHow to estimate the weight of a filled aquarium from water density, how it compares with building-code floor live loads, and why heavy tanks
- Aquarium Glass Thickness and Glass vs AcrylicThe physics behind aquarium panel loads: hydrostatic pressure, why depth matters more than length, safety factors, and how float, tempered a
- CITES and Protected Aquarium SpeciesHow CITES Appendices I, II and III work, which aquarium animals are listed (Asian arowana, seahorses, zebra pleco, stony corals, giant clams
- Never Release Aquarium Fish: Invasive Species and the LawWhy releasing aquarium animals and plants causes invasions, documented cases such as lionfish, snakeheads, plecos and Caulerpa, the main law
- Small-Scale Home and Backyard RASWhat extension sources say about scaled-down recirculating systems: a two-barrel loop, start-up, species named for small systems, power and
- Disease and Biosecurity in Recirculating SystemsHow pathogens spread and persist in a recirculating loop, how stock, water and people are screened, how systems are disinfected between batc
- RAS Effluent and Sludge ManagementWhere waste streams in a recirculating system come from, how much nitrogen and sludge leave a farm, how sludge is thickened and reused, and
- RAS Monitoring, Alarms and Power BackupHow fast oxygen and water quality collapse when a RAS loses power or flow, which parameters extension and FAO sources say to watch, and how
- Feed Loading and Stocking Density in RASWhy daily feed is the variable that sizes every RAS component, what stocking densities studies report per species and stage, where welfare l
- Hydrogen Sulfide Risk in RAS and Saltwater SystemsWhere hydrogen sulfide forms in recirculating systems, why saline water raises the risk, what published studies report on its toxicity to fi
- Off-Flavor in RAS: Geosmin, MIB and DepurationEarthy and musty off-flavor in recirculating aquaculture: geosmin and MIB, the microbes that make them, what prevention studies found, and h
- Nitrate Accumulation and Denitrification in RASWhy nitrate builds up in low-exchange recirculating systems, what levels sources link to effects on fish, how water exchange limits it and h
- Alkalinity and pH Management in RASHow nitrification and CO2 push pH down in recirculating systems, how much alkalinity is lost, how sodium bicarbonate and other bases replace
- UV Disinfection in RAS: Dose, Transmittance, Placement and Lamp AgeingHow UV-C disinfection works in recirculating aquaculture: the dose concept in mJ/cm², published doses for pathogens, the effect of turbidity
- Ozone in RAS: Water Polishing, Residual Toxicity and ORP ControlWhat ozone does in recirculating aquaculture: fine solids, colour and nitrite, residual oxidant toxicity to fish, ORP as a control signal, a
- Oxygenation in RAS: Aeration, Pure Oxygen and Gas SupersaturationHow recirculating aquaculture systems meet the oxygen demand created by feed: air versus pure oxygen, contactor categories, gas bubble disea
- CO2 Accumulation and Degassing in RASWhere carbon dioxide in recirculating aquaculture comes from, which concentrations sources treat as harmful, how stripping columns and aerat
- Nitrification Microbiology in RAS BiofiltersWhich microbes oxidize ammonia and nitrite in aquaculture biofilters, how much oxygen and alkalinity they consume, how pH and temperature af
- RAS Biofilters: Types, Media Surface Area and SizingHow trickling, moving bed, fluidized sand and floating bead biofilters for recirculating aquaculture differ, and how each is sized from the
- RAS Culture Tank Hydraulics and Dual-Drain TanksHow circular RAS tanks clean themselves, how Cornell-type dual drains split flow between bottom and sidewall outlets, and how exchange time,
- RAS Solids Removal: Settlers, Screens, Bead Filters and Foam FractionationSolids classes in recirculating aquaculture, how settlers, swirl separators, radial-flow settlers, microscreens, bead filters and foam fract
- RAS Design: Unit Processes and Loop LayoutHow a recirculating aquaculture loop is ordered, how water reuse is measured, where makeup water fits, and how every unit process is sized f