Top 10 Easy Aquarium Plants for Beginners Planted aquariums are very popular nowadays because of their natural beauty and amazing ability to consume the toxic nitrogen compounds produced by fish waste. However, many beginners excitedly try and then fail to keep their green foliage from turning brown. After more than a decade of keeping, propagating, and now selling aquarium plants, we’ve thoroughly vetted out our list of top 10 easy aquarium plants that can stand up to a beating and won’t break the bank. 1. Marimo Moss Ball Known ...

How to Properly Clean Your Fish Tank When people find out you keep fish, they probably imagine a crusty, algae-coated tank where you can barely see anything swimming inside. But with just a few easy steps, you can keep your aquarium looking like a beautiful work of art. Follow along as we share our top tips for cleaning your fish tank like a pro. Before You Get Started… There are several frequently answered questions we often hear from beginners, so let’s address those first: How often do you need to clean a fish tank? Some peop...

Aquarium Salt: When and How to Use It Properly Should aquarium salt be used in freshwater tanks? Some people recommend dosing it all the time to provide fish with essential electrolytes, while others say it’s mostly used for treating diseases. After years of testing with hundreds of fish, we’ve witnessed the true power of salt. Sodium chloride (NaCl) is one of the best, all-encompassing “medications” on the market that’s effective against bacteria, fungus, and external parasites. We love it because it’s cheap, readily available in all cou...

How to Set up a Beautiful Betta Fish Tank Congratulations on getting your new betta fish! Betta splendens is one of the most stunning, beginner-friendly fish out there, so of course he needs to have a beautiful aquarium to match. Check out our recommended shopping list and setup tips to give your new betta the warm welcome he deserves. Betta Checklist: Everything Your New Fish Needs Before setting up your betta fish’s new home, let’s go shopping for the necessary components. All of these items can be easily found at your local pet st...

How to Choose the Right Aquarium Heater One of the most common questions we get is, “Does my aquarium need a heater?” Well, most fish are cold-blooded animals that rely on the surrounding waters to regulate their body temperature, and most freshwater pet fish are tropical species that enjoy balmy temperatures around 78-80°F. So, if you usually keep your home cooler than that, then the answer is yes. Now it’s true that the majority of aquarium fish can tolerate cooler temperatures than recommended because in nature, the environment ...

How to Get Started with Aquarium Plants Aquarium plants are an amazing addition to nearly any fish tank. Not only are they beautiful and natural-looking, but they also help greatly with biological filtration and create a comfortable environment for your fish. However, many people are afraid to try them because growing plants underwater is such unfamiliar territory. Not to worry – here are our top four tried-and-true tips for getting started with your first aquarium plants! Tip #1: Use a Good Fertilizer Easy Green all-in-one fertil...

Air Stones: The Secret Weapon Every Aquarium Needs Having enough oxygen in your aquarium is one of those things people often take for granted, but it’s so vital to your fish’s health. How can you make sure your fish is getting enough air? Typically, the most obvious signs of oxygen deprivation in fish include lots of resting at the bottom of the tank, a lack of appetite, and rapidly moving gills. In a worst-case scenario, your fish may start gasping for air at the surface of the water, which means it’s definitely time to take action! The firs...

5 Quick and Easy Steps for Treating Fin Rot What do you do if your fish’s fins and tail are looking ragged or discolored? It may be a bacterial disease called fin rot. This illness is simple enough to treat but can lead to other serious complications if left unchecked, so follow our five easy steps for curing fin rot. How Do I Know If My Fish Has Fin Rot? Fin rot is commonly found in aquarium fish such as betta fish and goldfish. The symptoms can vary based on how long the fish has been affected: Stage 1: The fins and/or tail start s...

Care Guide for Cory Catfish – The Perfect Community Bottom Dweller Looking for a peaceful beginner fish with tons of personality? Look no further! The cory catfish, or Corydoras catfish, is one of the most popular community fish because they’re so happy-go-lucky, easy to breed, and helpful as a clean-up crew. In this care guide, we answer some of the most frequently asked questions about this adorable bottom dweller. What are Corydoras? This genus of South American catfish includes more than 160 species, with several hundred more that are waiting to be class...

Banana Plant – An Unusual Aquarium Plant for Beginners Have you ever seen this bizarre plant at your local pet store that looks like it’s growing a bunch of baby bananas? Say hello to the aquatic banana plant, also known as the banana lily or Nymphoides aquatica. This species is native to slow-moving waters in the southeastern United States and is quite popular as a beginner-friendly, low light plant. Nymphoides aquatica with banana-like tubers How to Plant Your Banana Plant Introducing a new banana lily to your fish tank is very simple. First, ...

10 Best Top-Dwelling Fish for Your Aquarium Bottom dwellers are quite popular because they cruise around the bottom of the fish tank and clean up any food scraps from the ground. To balance out your aquarium, try adding some top-dwelling fish that will feed from the surface and fill the upper third of your fish tank. 1. Brown Pencilfish A cheap and easy surface dweller to start off our list is Nannostomus eques, also known as the hockeystick or diptail pencilfish. Their common names came from their slanted swimming style in which the h...

How Many Fish Can I Put in a Fish Tank? One of the most common but hardest questions we get is “How many fish can I put in a 10-gallon tank? What about a 20-gallon tank? 55 gallons?” As you may guess, there is an infinite number of possible fish combinations for each aquarium size that we could recommend. To simplify things, let’s first understand the three factors that will most impact your fish stocking levels and then discuss our general guidelines for introducing the right number of fish to your aquarium. #1 Waste Load If you a...

10 Best Cory Catfish You Have to Try Corydoras catfish are one of our favorite bottom dwellers because of their peaceful personality, useful cleaning abilities, and adorable appearance. There are hundreds of species of cory catfish that all have different sizes, prices, looks, preferred water parameters, and more. To help narrow down your options, here are our top 10 favorite corys (in no particular order) that we can’t live without. 1. Sterbai cory (Corydoras sterbai) In terms of popularity, this is the cory that everyone gr...

What is Mulm or Detritus in Aquariums? Is there a brown or black substance that seems to collect like dust bunnies all over the floor of your fish tank? This dirt-like material goes by many names – such as mulm, detritus, and debris – and it’s a naturally occurring part of healthy aquariums. Keep reading as we dissect what mulm is made of, whether you should remove it, and how to minimize its appearance. What Is Mulm? Mulm starts off as fish poop, plant leaves, leftover fish food, and other organic materials that are decomposing i...

5 Easy Plants for Goldfish Aquariums Goldfish are notorious for munching on or digging up aquatic plants, which is a shame because live plants are both beautiful and beneficial, capable of consuming the toxic chemicals produced by fish waste. Thankfully, we’ve found several plant species that are not only easy to care for but also hardy enough to stand up to your goldfish’s curious nibbling. 1. Crinum calamistratum This slow-growing bulb plant is known for its long, crinkly leaves that can grow up to 4 feet (1.2 m) long. Like g...

How to Use Root Tabs to Fertilize Aquarium Plants Is your live aquatic plant not growing or losing leaves, even though you’re giving it plenty of light and liquid fertilizer? Most aquarium plants can absorb nutrients from both the water and the substrate (e.g., gravel, sand, or aquatic soil), but some species prefer one method over the other. If your plant is a “root feeder” that favors consuming from its roots, then we need to give it a nutrient-rich substrate or ground-based fertilizers called root tabs. What Are Root Tabs? Root tabs are d...