Dustin's Blog — Aquarium Tip and Tricks

Narration on Aeration

Posted by Augusta Hosmer on

FAQ's and troubleshooting for aquarium air pumps, air stones, oxygen-producing plants, etc. Read Time: ~10 mins What is dissolved oxygen, anyway, and why do aquarium people keep talking about it?  Brace yourselves for a super technical definition.Dissolved oxygen (DO)...is the amount of atmospheric oxygen dissolved in the water. It's mostly introduced through water surface movement, so a white water rapid will typically have more dissolved oxygen than a still swamp. Why does dissolved oxygen matter in aquariums? Simply put, because your animals and plants need to breathe. It's a common aquarium myth that fish pull oxygen from water molecules when...

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15 Aquarium Myths Busted

Posted by Augusta Hosmer on

Read Time: 8 mins 1. Fish grow to the size of their tanks If you pay attention to nothing else in this article, please understand: this is not how it works. It doesn't work for reptiles or amphibians, either. It doesn't work with any living thing. Imagine if we tried this with other animals."No, we keep our Great Dane in a kennel. He's going to stay the size of a Shi Tzu.""I live in half of a studio apartment. I'm going to stay under 5'3 and my friend who lives in a 3 bedroom is going to be in the NBA."...

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Fishtank Fertilizer FAQ

Posted by Augusta Hosmer on

Read Time: 7 mins Welcome back to part 146,225,453 of aquarium concepts companies like to make complicated for absolutely no reason! You're starting a planted tank and you realize, "Oh, hey, my plants look good now, but I bet they'd look amazing if I fertilized them." You Google aquarium fertilizers and are blasted with dozens of products, ads, and advice forums and none of them say the same thing. Don't worry. Choosing and using aquarium ferts is a lot easier than it looks - and you may not even need them. Here, we'll answer some of the most commonly asked...

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Aquarium Science Series 3: Plant Nutrients

Posted by Augusta Hosmer on

Read Time: 6 mins Welcome back to part three of our Aquarium Science Series! This is a big one for planted tank enthusiasts: what nutrients do aquarium plants need and why? There are a whopping 17 essential nutrients for plant growth, but we'll make it easy. Be on the lookout for a second half to this where we'll show you how and when to fertilize and supplement with these nutrients (and also the amazing way nutrients flow through plants). Some Clarified Definitions Nutrients- in botany, these are chemicals that helps a plant live, grow, and reproduce. Feel like this term...

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Sword of a Big Deal: How to Keep Echinodorous

Posted by Augusta Hosmer on

Read Time: 5 mins Looking for info on easy aquarium plants with a ton of variety for any part of your tank? You've come to the right place. Here, we'll break down the Echinodorous genus of plants, highlight some epic sword species, and give you tips and tricks for keeping your swords looking sharp. (Scroll to the bottom for a quick reference guide for how to care for Amazon swords!) About Amazon Swords They're called "Amazon" swords because of how prevalent they are in the Amazonian regions of South America, but these plants are native throughout the Western hemisphere. How they...

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