That Fish Blog – Aquarium Advice and Information

Hi, this is Ahmad. I have worked in customer service and periodically on the sales floor at That Fish Place for more than 10 years. I have received countless questions from customers over the years, but questions on lighting lamp bases and Compact Fluorescent pin configuration are very frequent. Some while ago, Dave provided insights on the meaning of Kelvin ratings, which is also a source of confusion for lighting customers. This blog aims to answer some questions with concern to pin arrangement on Compact Fluorescent Lamps. Read More »

Hello everyone! I often write about odd freshwater fish. This blog I wanted to write about another personal favorite, the Dwarf Malabar Puffer, also called the Pea or Pygmy Puffer.

Dwarf Malabar Puffers, Carinotetraodon travancoricus, are cute little bundles of energy that come from the inland waters of Southern India, where they can be found in slow moving rivers amongst dense vegetation. These pea-sized puffers are a dwarf species that only grow to about 1.25 inches in length. They are colorful little fish with a body that is a deep golden hue. They are splotched with dark blue, black, or green spots. Males will often develop a dark stripe along their belly, especially when they want to show off or court a female.  Read More »

If you have a saltwater tank, there is a good possibility that you’ve had some experience with the pest anemone, Aiptasia. Aiptasia can seem to spring from live rock or new corals from nowhere, quickly becoming an unsightly “weed” all over the tank. But despite their prolific nature and the possibility of damage to coral colonies from their stings, eradication may not be your only solution.

I noticed that around the overflows of some of the holding tanks the Aiptasia anemones seemed to gather. Only a small amount of Aiptasia appeared within the tanks, on walls and rocks. Intrigued, I decided to research this in Anthony Calfo’s book, Book of Coral Propagation. He revealed an interesting use for the pest anemone.   Read More »

Hello, Jason here. Every day I find a customer seeking a colorful fish that they can put in their reef tank. The decision can be difficult because so many of the fish are far from reef safe and many fish will pick at (if not devour) corals. One fish to consider for your reef is the Chalk Bass (Serranus tortugarum). This Caribbean fish occupies rubble and sand bottoms from South Florida to to the Bahamas. Read More »

That’s an interesting title right? What is there about setting up a beginner African Cichlid tank in your mid-20s that differs from setting one up at age 47 for example? Well, based on some of the responses to my questions from the cichlid gurus I’m surrounded by (check out some of Jose’s articles here, here and here: this guy’s enthusiasm for these fish is totally contagious both on paper and in real life) I have a different take on my tank’s setup and what I want from it, than other folks, and I’m going to talk about that here.<!–more–>

First a little background. My name is Matt R, and I work in the marketing department at TFP/TPP. Prior to working here, my fish experience maxed out with a few freshwater angels, and the obligatory carnival goldfish once in awhile (may they RIP). I recently bought my first house, and, in addition to wanting to try something new to expand my knowledge, I wanted something cool for my place. So here are my top 5 reasons why this setup works best for me.

1. Quick Reward

I’m from the video game generation. I grew up on Mario and I play Call of Duty. From everything I’ve seen and observed of fish, Cichlids give the best chance to see something cool quickly. I’m not going to sit there and watch my tank for 20 minutes at a time, but I can check out my Ngara and Taiwan Reef and figure out who’s dominant, who’s ready to breed, and who’s so stressed they’re going to have to “leave the island”. It’s like a reality TV show in an aquarium, each episode 5 minutes.

2.  Upside – More Bang for the Buck

Ok, so I’m a big baseball fan, and I play in Rotisserie leagues. Anyone who knows anything about this knows that players with upside and little investment are the ticket to victory, and this carries over for me with my Cichlid tank.  With Cichlids, you get the insane color options of saltwater fish and reef tanks, but without having to add salt, run a skimmer, or invest in High Output lighting. It’s easier on my budget.

3. Many are Mouth Brooders

Seriously…they keep their kids in their mouths? Maybe I’m kind of nerdy, but that’s a pretty cool thing to watch. Have you seen this in action, or on the Planet Earth series? It deserves to be on anyone’s top 5 list for a Cichlid tank.

4. You can be lazy (Kind of)

I love my tank, but I’d be lying if I said I focused a lot of time and energy to it all the time.  I’m legally required to endorse water changes, water testing and gravel vacs, and I do them regularly..but…well…sometimes I may not be right on schedule. Based on my own experiences, and from what I’ve heard from the experts here, Cichilds are pretty darn resilient…which leads me to reason number 5

5. Cichlids are tough

They are. It’s a fact of life when you evolve in an isolated lake. Though they may live in a community, it’s a dynamic, angry, restless community..and…call me dark..but that’s somehow appealing to me. In a cichlid tank, you have to live with the reality that turf wars are an everyday threat. Nothing against them, but you’re not going to get that intensity with a cory cat and danios (sorry Craig).

Thanks for reading. 

If you have any comments or questions, I’d love to hear them below, or just say @MattR on our Facebook page .