Dustin's Blog — blog

Read Time: 5 minutes In light of the history and traditions that come with the holiday season, welcome to the first part of our Aquarium History Series!  Folks from all backgrounds have been enthralled with fish for centuries. Here's a snapshot of the first fish tank people and the journey that got all of us aquarium addicts where we are now. First Fishkeepers These guys had very different fishkeeping goals than we do (I assume - maybe you're into cichlid fish sandwiches; I dont know). While we agonize over whether we actually want duckweed or where to put the infamous...

Read Time: 6 minutes 7 Tips and Tricks for Keeping an Aquarium with a Cat The only cat rival as iconic as the mouse is the fish.  Can you keep a fish tank with a cat? Absolutely. You just have to outsmart the cat first (sometimes easier said than done) and understand a little bit about cat behavior.  Cats are obligate carnivores: they have to have meat and protein to thrive. Though hunting instincts differ from cat to cat, they all share a relatively strong prey drive that causes them to chase and track down food (even if they already have food in their...

Read Time: 6 minutes How to Convert from Plastic Plants to Live Plants in an Aquarium Welcome to the second part of your guide to setting up an epic planted tank! Part 1 gave you the low down on starting a planted tank from scratch. This post will be for folks who realized how awesome aquariums were before they knew planted ones were a thing. We'll give you all the tips and tricks you need to convert an existing, non-planted setup to a tank with plants so nice you'll throw your plastic ones out.  It's easier than you think. Getting...

Read Time: 12 minutes How to set up a planted tank, tips and tricks for beginners, and freshwater aquarium plant recommendations  This is the start of a two-part series, so buckle up, fish tank people. In part one (this post), we'll help you start a planted tank from scratch. In part two, we'll tell you how to put live aquarium plants in an existing, non-planted tank and convert it to something amazing. Those of you who have an empty tank and want to get some plants going, this post is for you. Here's how to do it:    Step 1: Answer Some Questions, Decide What You Want,...

Read Time: 9 mins AKA: More Than You Ever Wanted to Know About Algae and Then SomeAlgae and pond/aquarium hobbyists have been at war for centuries. It's not always the ultimate opponent like many people think, but it can be a royal pain if it takes hold. Fortunately, we have an analgesic (an-algae-sic?) with the info in this article. We'll cover why and how algae takes over your tanks and ponds, types of algae, and treating/preventing excess algae.  Why Algae Can Cause Such a Headache First off, understand that algae is kind of a plant, kind of not, so you have to...