Quick answer The best plants for a closed terrarium are humidity lovers: fittonia, mosses, ferns, peperomia, baby tears and small tropical foliage plants. The best plants for an open terrarium are the opposite: succulents, cacti, air plants and anything that wants dry air and good airflow. Getting this the wrong Read more
If your Pink Princess is pushing out plain green leaves and the pink seems to be disappearing, here is the short honest answer: it is almost always a light problem, and it is fixable going forward. But there is one hard truth most articles skip, so let me give it Read more
Quick answer: Moneywort (Bacopa monnieri) is one of the easiest stem plants you can grow. It has upright stems lined with small, bright green rounded leaves, it does not need CO2, and it grows in almost any tank with basic lighting. It sits best in the middle or background and Read more
Quick answer Java moss is one of the easiest aquarium plants there is. It grows in low light, needs no CO2 and no substrate, tolerates roughly 15 to 30°C (59 to 86°F) and a wide pH range, and attaches itself to wood and rock with rhizoids rather than roots. You Read more
Quick answer Dwarf sagittaria (Sagittaria subulata) is a hardy, grass-like aquarium plant that spreads by runners and grows well without CO2. It tolerates a wide range of conditions, roughly 20 to 28°C (68 to 82°F) and pH 5.0 to 8.0, and grows in sand or gravel provided it gets nutrients Read more
Quick answer The best low light aquarium plants are Anubias, Java fern, Bucephalandra, Java moss, Cryptocoryne, Amazon sword, Vallisneria, hornwort, Anacharis, water wisteria, guppy grass and floating plants like frogbit. None of them need CO2 injection. They grow more slowly than high tech plants, which is the trade off, and Read more
Quick answer Caridina japonica is the older scientific name for the shrimp now classified as Caridina multidentata, and known to most aquarists as the Amano shrimp. It is a freshwater shrimp native to Japan and Taiwan, reaching around 2 inches (5 cm), living roughly 2 to 3 years, and kept Read more
Quick answer The best aquarium fish for beginners are hardy freshwater species that are peaceful and forgiving of small mistakes while you learn. Most beginner tropical fish on this list fit a standard community tank. Zebra danios, guppies, platies, corydoras catfish, harlequin rasboras, ember tetras, cherry barbs, white cloud mountain Read more
Quick answer Caridina multidentata, better known as the Amano shrimp, is a hardy freshwater shrimp kept mainly for algae control. Adults reach around 2 inches (5 cm), live roughly 2 to 3 years, and do well in temperatures of about 18 to 27°C (65 to 80°F) with a pH near Read more
Quick answer Aquarium snail eggs are identified by their colour, shape, and where they are laid. A firm pink or cream clutch above the waterline is from a Mystery snail. Tiny white sesame-seed dots stuck to hard surfaces are Nerite snail eggs, and they will not hatch in freshwater. Clear Read more