Dustin's Blog — Plants

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 If we had to pick the easiest category of aquarium plants to grow, it'd be this one. Floating aquatic plants grow quickly, they propagate quickly, they come together quickly, they don't need a lot of work...you don't even have to plant them since you can just toss them into your tank. It doesn't get much better than that. Not sure which one you want? Welcome to Floating Plants 101. The Do's and Don'ts of Floating Aquarium Plants DO: --Imitate nature when trying to grow them. Most of these grow on or close to the surface of...

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...

Read Time: 5 minutes Tips and Tricks for Tall and Vertical Aquariums: Pros/Cons, Aquascaping, Maintenance, and Stocking Tall tanks: you love 'em or hate 'em. There's no denying that seeing a bright column of water with fish swirling up and down and tall plants swaying makes you want one. But do they stand tall against criticism? Vertical tanks have unique challenges and advantages, and we'll give you the rundown.  Pros and Cons of Tall/Vertical Aquariums The most obvious pro? They look cool. Even if you know nothing about aquariums, if you see a big tank at eye level or higher, you're going to...

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...