Dustin's Blog — fish tank

Read Time: 7 minutes How to Keep Your Aquarium Safe in Power Outages, Natural Disasters, etc: Your Of-fish-al Aquarium Disaster Plan  We like to keep the good vibes flowing at Dustin's Fishtanks, but in light of hurricanes, climate that needs to eat a Snickers, and everyone's favorite upcoming winter weather, there's a topic more folks need awareness on: what to do when times aren't so sunny. It's rare to find a detailed disaster plan in place for most families, much less for aquariums.  If the power went out for a week right now, would you know what to do to...

Read Time: 4 minutes In the criminal justice system, aquatic plant people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the fish tank enthusiasts, who buy and love the plants; and the ecologists, who need therapy every time they see them. These are their stories.  One of the most overlooked topics for planted tank beginners is agriculture and fish/wildlife law. If the idea crosses their minds at all, the most common thought is, "It's available and I can buy it; therefore, it must be fair game." Technically, I can buy the pet red panda I've always wanted, but that doesn't mean I'm...

Read Time: 4 minutes If there's one thing everyone in the aquarium hobby might actually agree on, it's that aquascaped carpets look epic and we all secretly (or not so secretly) want one in our tanks. "How do I get my tank to look like that?" is one of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to carpeting plants. Unfortunately, a lot of people jump in head first, can't get a carpet established, and get discouraged without realizing where they went wrong. Carpets can definitely feel daunting, but they don't have to.  If you've ever asked the questions "How...

Read Time: 6 minutes What is a biotope tank? A biotope aquarium is basically an underwater snapshot. The goal is to replicate a specific environment via animals, plants, decor, etc. There are hundreds of ideas: Burmese rivers, Florida swamps, floodplains, African lakes…if there's an aquatic region you like, chances are you can replicate it in your tank (The cover photo is an Indian biotope).  An African Biotope Tank Pros and cons for biotope tanks? The most obvious pro is that natural tanks are gorgeous, but they also provide an environment in which your fish can express natural behaviors (a...

Read Time: 5 mins Usually, thinking of planted tanks conjures up images of fish, or maybe of aquascaped tanks with no animals at all. But there’s a whole other side to the aquarium hobby that might hook you the way it’s hooked me: amphibians and invertebrates. If you’re looking for a unique planted tank idea and/or want to know which plants to put with your non-fish companions, then look no further. Here, we’ll match tried-and-true aquarium plant species with tank inhabitants you might have overlooked. A leucistic axolotl in a planted tank Aquarium Plants for Axolotls I’ve seen several posts from...