Aquarium Equipment
LED Aquarium Lighting – Energy Efficient and Cost Effective
Aug 5th
While LED lighting is still relatively new to aquariums, practical applications of new LED fixtures have shown the effectiveness of this technology for growing plants and corals. But what about cost? It’s common knowledge that LED’s use much less energy than metal halides or compact fluorescents, but did you ever consider their overall longevity and cost advantages they also offer? Well, let’s take a look at the numbers to see how popular lighting types stack up.
Consider this: More >
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Loading ...Ecoxotic Panorama and Stunner LED Get an Upgrade
Jul 29th
More power, more colors, more sizes, more flexibility. The next generation of Panorama and Stunner LED’s from Ecoxotic simply gives you more. The new Panorama Pro units are a completely new design of the popular LED lights, and offer more power (19watts vs. 12watts), linkability, 5 color choices, and a really cool remote control RGB unit. More >
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Dipping Plants to Eliminate Snails
Jul 20th
Outbreaks of nuisance snails are one of the most common problems encountered in planted aquariums. Though much maligned, snails are perfectly normal in tanks with live plants and can even help with algae control. The problems occur when the snails reproduce and become out of control. Throughout our blog posts, we’ve gone over a number of methods of controlling snails through predators and removal methods, but as with any problems, the problem can be avoided with preventative measures.
A common way of cutting down snail populations is to dip new plants, killing snails and snail eggs before they enter your aquarium. We have here a few different “recipes” for these dips. Keep in mind that while these have been used successfully by many aquarists, sensitive plants may still be damaged. You can try your chosen method on one plant before using it on all of your new plants. These are also all solutions that are to be utilized in a separate bucket, tub or sink – NOT in the aquarium! More >
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Electrolysis and “Salt Creep” in Aquariums
Jul 15th
“Salt Creep” is a very common issue in any aquarium, although it is seen most in saltwater systems. As water evaporates, it leaves behind any minerals and particles suspended in it. Most of the time, we see this as a salty crust on the top of a saltwater aquarium, but freshwater tanks with a high mineral content (high hardness) can have some “creep” as well. Some creep is completely normal in any system, especially higher temperatures, but if you are noticing that the crust builds up quickly or seems out of control? This could be a symptom of Electrolysis – the separation of ions using an electrical current. More >
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Hiding Spots for Aquarium Fish – A Word of Caution
Jul 12th
The other day I was doing one of my daily walk-throughs and looking for a particular fish, but simply couldn’t find it. Mind you, this was not some tiny little goby or tetra that could almost literally disappear, this was a rather large, Spotted Royal Pleco, Panaque cf. nigrolineatus (L330). This particular Royal Pleco is something around 8 inches long. How in the world do you lose an 8 inch pleco? Check out the pic to the right and you’ll see. More >
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