Aquarium Filter

Picking the right aquarium filter is a very important process in owning your very own aquarium. Filters work by filtering out the toxins and wastes produced by the fish you keep. There are a few different filtration options to consider when picking out the one that is best suited for your aquarium. In this article I will be going over a few of the filtration designs that can work for your aquarium.

The first filter system type is the air driven internal filter. These filters are relatively weak and are best used to house fry or other very small fish. These filters provide mechanical, biological, and chemical filtration on some level, but not enough to house fish with a heavier bio load with. You can place this filter type right in the aquarium and allows for room around the tank.

Another great filter type is an internal power filter. Internal power filters can be placed completely underwater in the aquarium. These filters have the advantage of being compact like an air driven internal filter, but the strength and maneuverability of larger power filters. Internal power filters are normally placed toward the lower half of the aquarium to be most effective, it is recommended you pick a different filter if you have an aquarium over 20 gallons in size.

Canister filters are the heavy duty filters of the aquarium world. They provide excellent filtering for mechanical, biological, and chemical areas. This filter type can hold much more of a filter medium than other models, and is great for heavy duty loads in aquariums. You can use this filter type in South American and African cichlid tanks, or also other freshwater and saltwater aquariums. I highly recommend these filters, you may pay a little more but you definitely get your moneys worth out of this type.

Wet-dry filters are the absolute best filter you can purchase for biological filtration. Wet-dry filters are best used for fish only saltwater aquariums. This pump type gets its name from the way it works in its filtration method. The filter media in these pumps is exposed to air, and water while operating. This provides plenty of beneficial bacteria for your home aquarium. These bacteria process the waste in the aquarium that is produced by your fish. Wet/Dry filters are highly customizable and provide a great opportunity to set up your filter the exact way you want to. When you are using a Wet/Dry filter you are going to need a sump and a reservoir that holds other accessories to the pump. Some pumps include the sump and other equipment with it, but make sure you purchase all the equipment to have it functioning properly.

Well, I hope I was able to cast a bit of light on the different filtration systems available. As always, you should do a lot of research before you settle on a filter system. If you have any questions you cannot find the answers to on the internet, you can always speak to a friendly sales representative and they can guide you along.

Aquarium Plants

Keeping plants in the aquarium can require just as much patience and care as the fish in your aquarium. Keeping a planted aquarium will pose many new challenges for you to keep track of and manage. Many people chose fake plants for their aquarium, but they do not get the full experience out of these. In this article I will going through the various things you need to consider when picking out the proper plants for the aquarium.

The first thing you want to do, is find out what type of plants best simulate your fish’s natural habitat. Of course you could always mix it up as long as it will pose no harm to your plant or your fish. Many fish require plenty of plant cover in their natural habitat so it is good to provide it in the aquarium. You should also make sure to not add real plants to aquariums where the fish you are keeping tend to eat that plant type. You should also make sure to house any plants in an aquarium of at least 10 gallons in size. It is better to have an aquarium of 30 gallons, but for starting out 10 gallon should work just fine.

As far as lighting conditions for your planted aquarium, you should provide an adequate amount of lighting for the plants. You should make sure that you do not use lights that can cause additional heat to be transferred to your aquarium. Lighting arrangements can work out if there is plenty of plant cover for this fish to hide under, but you should also definitely take into account the fish’s own lighting needs. It is best to include plants and fish with similar lighting requirements to make adjusting the levels that much easier.

When you are putting plants in your planted aquarium, you should provide a suitable substrate for the plants to get their roots in. A substrate of at least 1-3mm in size is normally recommended, but you should check your plans specific needs to find out exactly what would be the best for it. Most planted aquariums are freshwater, so just be sure to properly condition and de-chlorinate the water so your plants aren’t damaged. Different species of plants have different water conditions so just make sure you know the exact water parameters to properly care for the plant.



I have tried to show you a couple of things to take into consideration when you are thinking out the details for your planted aquarium. I always recommend you take it a bit slow when starting out your planted aquarium. Haste definitely makes waste, and it is great to have a bit of patience. You can purchase your aquarium plants from many retailers all over the web, you can always ask a helpful sales representative if you have any problems or questions when selecting the plants. Thank you for taking the time to read this article, and I hope I was able to provide you with a bit of useful information. An informed decision on a planted aquarium is always the best kind.

Reef fish tanks

Reef fish tanks are growing much more in popularity over recent years. Reef fish tanks require much more patience than just a basic fish tank setup. You have to take many factors into consideration when you are considering setting up your very own reef fish tank. You will have to select the types of corals and creatures you will be keeping in your reef fish tank. In this article, I will be going through a few things to consider when you are setting up your very own reef aquarium.

The first thing you want to do when setting up your reef fish tank, is to actually pick out your aquarium. Depending on the types of coral and fish you are going to be keeping, you are going to need a larger or smaller aquarium. It is a good rule of thumb to buy the largest sized aquarium that you can easily afford. Having a larger aquarium will allow you to house a variety of different animals if you so choose. Before you go out and purchase your aquarium, you need to figure out exactly where you are going to place the aquarium in your home. Aquariums can be extremely heavy, so make sure you place it where the floor is structurally sound, and in an area where you will not get too many disturbances in the temperature.

After you order your aquarium, you can start to take a look at the types of fish you are going to be putting in your fish tank. You should select species of fish that will get along well in the fish tank. There are many compatibility charts over the web that can give you a better idea which species would be best grouped together. After you pick out the fish you are going to be keeping in your fish tank, you can start to take a look at the corals. Some coral species are much more aggressive than others, so it is best to pick corals that will be compatible with the other inhabitants in your aquarium. As long as you pay close attention to your animals needs, you should have no problem at all keeping these creatures happy in your fish tank.

After you receive your fish and corals in the mail, you can start to acclimate them to your aquarium. You should be careful to take your time while putting them in the tank, making sure to leave plenty of time for your filter to pick up the slack. If you put too many fish in the tank in a short amount of time the levels of toxins can raise too quickly for your filter to adequately take care of and can pose harm. I hope you have found this article a bit helpful in your search to setup your reef fish tank. If you have any more questions, the web is a great tool to check around and get yourself informed of what you will be dealing with. If you cannot find the answers you need about your fish tank, you can always speak to a customer service rep to answer any more questions you may have.

Aquarium Crabs

Crabs can be an excellent addition to your home aquarium. They can be very entertaining pets, as well as great scavengers that can help to clean out uneaten food from your aquarium. Crabs will feed off of dead and dying organic matter, such as leftover food and dying plants in the aquarium. Some people just like to keep crabs in the aquarium because of their unique looks and the way they interact with the other aquarium inhabitants. In this article I will be going over a few of the things you will need to consider when keeping your own crabs in your aquarium.

Crabs come in many different shapes and sizes and certain crabs are suited for certain aquarium types. Make sure you do plenty of research when picking out the proper crabs for your aquarium. Some crabs can actually attack and eat some of the smaller fish in the aquarium, so make sure you do your homework before you make a costly mistake. As long as you pick your fish and crab species wisely you should have no problem at all when housing them together. Crabs are also sometimes escape artists, so make sure that you provide secure housing so you do not have a loose crab running around the house!

After you pick out the right crab for your aquarium, you will have to begin the acclimation process which I will go into detail about here. For this process you will need the following tools; a net, a plastic container, an empty clean bucket, a bucket of water the same condition and temperature as the aquarium water, and a thermometer. Also the lights in the room should be dimmed, and aquarium lighting cut out all together.

1. Gently open the bag and place the invertebrate into the empty bucket with the water from its shipping container.
2. Add a cup of aquarium water into the bucket.
3. Repeat step 2 for 45 minutes at 5 minute intervals.
4. Carefully remove the invertebrate from the bucket and place them into the aquarium. Making sure to place your new pet near the hiding places in the aquarium.
5. Remove the water from the placement bucket
6. Fill in any misplaced water in your aquarium with your conditioned water.
7. Keep aquarium lighting and room lights dim for at least 12 hours.

After you acclimate your new crabs to the aquarium, you can start to enjoy all that they offer to your aquarium dynamic. Most crabs are generally easy to care for and are low maintenance. You can supplement your crabs diet with bloodworms and brine shrimp. Owning crabs can be a wonderful thing as long as you know how to properly care for them. If you have any more questions that I did not cover in this article, the web is a great tool for research. If you are still having problems finding the answers, you can always speak to a helpful customer service representative to answer any more questions you have.