Quick answer: Echinopsis pachanoi, better known as the San Pedro cactus, is a fast, tall, blue-green columnar cactus from the Andes that’s surprisingly easy to grow. Give it full sun, a gritty fast-draining mix, deep watering only when the soil is completely dry, and protection from hard frost, and it Read more
Quick answer: The citronella plant you find at garden centers is a lemon-scented geranium (Pelargonium ‘Citrosa’), and it’s one of the easiest, best-smelling patio plants you can grow. It loves sun, hates wet roots, and grows into a bushy 2 to 4 foot plant in a single summer. The one Read more
Quick answer: Anubias is one of the toughest, most beginner-friendly aquarium plants there is, so hardy it is named after the Egyptian god of the dead and often called almost impossible to kill. But there is exactly one way people do kill it: burying the rhizome. Anubias grows from a Read more
Quick answer: Flame moss (Taxiphyllum sp. “Flame”) is the aquascaping moss that grows upward, in twisting, flame-like spires, instead of sprawling sideways like most mosses. That vertical, green-campfire look is why aquascapers love it, and it is an easy, low-tech plant: attach it to a rock or piece of wood, Read more
Quick answer: Hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum) is one of the toughest, fastest-growing, and most useful plants you can add to a tank. It has no roots, so you either float it or loosely anchor it, and it thrives in almost any conditions, from tropical tanks to unheated coldwater setups and ponds. Read more
Quick answer: The kissing gourami (Helostoma temminckii) is a large, hardy, distinctive fish famous for the lip-locking behavior that gives it its name. Here is the first thing to know: that kissing is not affection. It is a display of dominance and aggression, usually between males squaring off over territory. Read more
Quick answer: The green terror cichlid (Andinoacara rivulatus) is a stunning, big-personality South American cichlid, iridescent green and blue with orange-edged fins and a domed forehead on mature males. It is also, as the name warns, aggressive and territorial, and it grows to 8 to 12 inches, so it is Read more
Quick answer: Cycling a fish tank means growing the beneficial bacteria that turn toxic fish waste into something harmless, and you do it before adding any fish. The best and kindest way is a fishless cycle: set up the tank, add a source of ammonia (bottled ammonia or a pinch Read more
Quick answer: The black skirt tetra (Gymnocorymbus ternetzi) is a hardy, active, easy schooling fish and a classic beginner community tetra, with a tall silver-and-black body and flowing fins. It is mostly peaceful, but it comes with one honest catch: black skirts nip fins, especially when kept in too small Read more
Quick answer: Scuds are tiny freshwater amphipods, little comma-shaped crustaceans that look like miniature shrimp and dart around your substrate and plants. Here is the honest verdict: in most tanks they are a good thing, not a pest. They are a free cleanup crew that eats detritus and waste, and Read more