That Fish Blog – Aquarium Advice and Information

Given the sad comedy of errors that have occurred on the BP Deep Water Horizon drilling operation in the Gulf of Mexico, a lot of people will have their collective fingers crossed this week, as the project for the permanent cap to the damaged well gets under way.  I don’t think that there is need to rehash all of the events leading up to this point, everyone directly affected by this disaster is fully aware of what has happened.  The New York times a great website detailing the repair efforts if you are interested. Read More »

Rules, rules, rules, why do we have to follow rules?  Well, for the most part, because they are for your own good.  Kind of like going to the dentist.   However, some rules should not last forever.  Sometimes they‘re no longer relevant, sometimes a better idea comes along, and sometimes they turn out to be bad ideas to begin with.  This is true in just about any facet of life, and aquarium keeping is no different.  I could rant about several rules that come to mind, but my rule of the moment is the old “Watts per gallon” rule when it comes to choosing lights for your aquarium, particularly live plant and reef aquariums, which require higher intensity lighting. Read More »

Some of the things that the scientific community is “discovering” are things that have been known for years by reef hobbyists.  I’ve been reading through some articles about recently published studies. A couple of them really got my attention as things that many hobbyist already know, just from keeping aquariums in their homes.

Distressing Damsels

Ask a long time reef aquarist about keeping damselfish in a reef aquarium…they will probably tell you that damsels are aggressive, and sometimes destructive to a reef aquarium community.  A study recently published on PLoSONE.org found that Threespot Damselfish are damaging coral reefs in their efforts to find new habitat.  Read More »

When in doubt, dip it. Whether you are a beginner, or veteran, reef aquarium keeper, your prized corals are susceptible to a wide range of pests, parasites and infections. Acropora Eating Flatworms (AEFW), Montipora Eating Nudibranchs (MENS), Zooanthid Eating Nudibranchs, snails and spiders, and pathogenic bacteria causing Rapid Tissue Necrosis (RTN) are far too common problems we face in the hobby. Wild harvested, farm raised, or even the coral you traded with a friend for, can potentially introduce some nasty little critters into your aquarium. Read More »

Dave here again, and I am thinking Spring!  Join us this weekend, May 15^th and 16^th, at our Lancaster, Pa retail store for our annual Spring Pond Sale Event.  Great deals, and a really nice selection of pond plants and fish will be on hand for the event.

When it comes to bargains on supplies, there are some really nice deals being offered: 40% off all OSI pond food; 20% off Seachem pond products; 20% off Tetra filters, pumps and lights. These and lots of other great products from some of our best manufacturers are on sale. And during your visit, don’t forget to check out the newest line – Pure Aquatic Pond Foods.

What I am really excited about for this pond season, is the great selection of Pond Fish and Koi that we have to offer this year.  For the first time, we are offering a new color of comet, the Apricot Comet.  These guys are not your typical red comet, they are creamy orange like an apricot, and their unique scale size makes them look smooth like one, too! Some really neat new fish to add to your mix.  Some of them even have translucent gill covers – the bright red of the gills underneath makes them look like they are blushing.

We also have a great selection of Koi here in the store.  We have nice Domestic Koi, in both standard and butterfly fin forms, in a range of colors and sizes.  For the more discerning pond keeper, we once again have a selection of Koi imported from Japan.  This year’s fish are primarily from Sakai of Hiroshima and Yoshida Fish Farms.  We have both standard fin and longfin Japanes Koi, color varieties include; Sanke, Showa, Utsuri, Ogon, Kujaku, Asagi/Shusui. Kumonryu, and many more.

All of our pond fish and plants will be 25% off all weekend, it is a great time to stock a new pond, or look for that special fish to add to your collection.

Until next blog,

Dave