That Fish Blog – Aquarium Advice and Information

Every generation grew up with their alternative pets – ant farms, Sea Monkeys, pet rocks, Tamagochi’s, Furbies – but there are still others out there that are just waiting to lure in the next generation. One of my favorites of these is one that, in my opinion, doesn’t get nearly the attention it deserves; they are MUCH cooler than the brine shrimp known as Sea Monkeys, at the very least! So what are these new little pets you can put under the Christmas tree instead of a pony or a puppy? Try Triops, aka “Sea Monsters”! Read More »

Sometimes shopping for that special someone can be rough, especially if your special someone’s favorite past time is aquarium keeping. You may not know what they already have or what they need, or what they use on a regular basis. Here are a few suggestions sure to please the budding fish lovers or seasoned aquarium keepers of the family.

Let’s get the obvious choice out of the way. You could play it safe with a TFP gift card. Purchase the card for any amount and allow the recipient to spend at his or her leisure.

Maybe you have a child that has expressed an interest in keeping fish, or you have a friend who may not have the time for a real tank, but would enjoy a low maintenance pet. A betta set-up may be the perfect gift solution! With several new and attractive bowl habitats available, setup is quick, easy, and fun.  The Tetra Waterfall Globe is an excellent option, and it includes simple filtration and LED lighting. Elive Betta Bowl Planters are unique setups that combine betta enclosures with live plants!  Top off the gift by taking the recipient out to pick out a beautiful, easy to care for betta and maybe some decor to adorn their new bowl.

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Over the past few weeks, there have been lots of great news stories about aquariums, fish and the ocean – too many to each get their own blog! Some are funny, some amazing, some sad. Here is a run-down of some of my favorites from the aquatic sphere.

Beluga to Reunite with Mariachi Band

This is one of the older stories, from the ancient history of August, but I am in love with the video that sparked it. A mariachi band was playing for a wedding at the Mystic Aquarium back in July and had a jam session with the aquarium’s resident Beluga, Juno. The aquarium reunited the band with its new fan at a cocktail party. The party is long gone, but that adorable video is still around! Read More »

If you have a healthy, well-established aquarium and happy fish, there is a good possibility that you may be blessed with batches of eggs or baby fish from time to time.  A common question our customers pose is “What do I have to do for them?” That’s a question that can have several different answers. As with most things aquarium, the first things to consider are your set up and the fish in concern.

Nature’s Course

The most passive answer is “do nothing”. It may not be the answer you want to hear, but depending on your situation, it may be the best one. Some fish are naturally attentive parents. They may actively defend and even nurture the fry their brood. As long as the threats within the tank are minimal (few if any predators, low flow, ect.) and the small fish have plenty of cover, they will have a chance.  A few of of the offspring may survive to maturity, but most will disappear, just as it happens in the wild. Read More »

We recently upgraded the lighting on our large cylinder display tank in our Lancaster, PA retail store.  Out with the old technology and in with the new.  We said good-bye to the power hungry,  ceiling mounted, heat producing 400W Metal Halide fixture, and installed a sleek, energy efficient, high output 50W LED Cannon LED pendant light — WOW what a difference!  The compact size of the Ecoxotic Cannon does not distract from the display and it provides incredible brightness and shimmering light into the aquarium.

The Ecoxotic 50 Watt Cannon Pendant uses state of the art Multi-Chip LED technology, which allows incredible lumen output in a small package.  Even though the light is only 50 Watts, the Cannon pendant easily illuminates this four foot deep, four foot diameter acrylic cylinder . These fixtures are also incredibly energy efficient, which can lead to big savings over time.

With the help of our friend Ike at Ecoxotic, we chose the 12,000K 50 Watt Cannon for this aquarium, but Ecoxotic has several other options to choose from.  Also available in the 50 Watt model is a 453nm actinic blue pendant. The 50 Watt versions have built in drivers, and are ready to be wired out of the box.  For those of you who need more light output for a serious display or coral farm, Ecoxotic also makes an even more powerful 100W version of the cannon, also available in 12000K and 453nm blue. The 100 Watt cannons use a remote driver (sold separately), swivel bracket mount and standard and dimmable versions are available.  Don’t let the 50 and 100 Watt ratings fool you, these are really powerful lights not intended for nano tanks and other smaller set-ups.

If you visit the store, check the new fixture out for yourself to see the amazing effect it has on the display.

Thanks,

Dave