Planted Tank Care and Aquarium Problem Fixes

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 a group or housed with slow, long-finned fish like angelfish and bettas. The fix is simple. Keep them in a proper school of at least … Read more about Black Skirt Tetra Care: Tank Mates, Size, and the Fin-Nipping Truth

Quick answer: Scuds are small freshwater amphipods, usually 2 to 10 mm long, that look like tiny curled shrimp and swim fast on their sides. They’re harmless to adult fish, people and healthy plants, and most fish love eating them. In a community tank, scuds are a free cleanup crew and live food. In a shrimp or fry tank, they’re a nuisance, because they compete for food and can pick at baby shrimp, eggs and … Read more about Scuds in Aquariums: Good or Bad, and How to Control Them

Quick answer: Vinegar eels (Turbatrix aceti) are tiny, harmless nematodes that make one of the best and lowest-effort first foods for baby fish. They are smaller than microworms, they swim in the water column for days without fouling the tank, and a single culture runs for months with almost no maintenance. To set one up, fill a jar with equal parts raw apple cider vinegar and dechlorinated water, add a few apple slices and a … Read more about Vinegar Eels: How to Culture the Easiest Fry Food There Is

Quick answer: The scarlet badis (Dario dario) is a jewel of a nano fish, a tiny, fiery red-and-blue micropredator and one of the smallest fish in the hobby. It makes a stunning centerpiece for a small planted tank, but it comes with real catches. It usually refuses dry food and can quietly starve, so it needs small live or frozen foods. It is shy and easily out-competed, so it does best in a species-only tank … Read more about Scarlet Badis Care: Feeding, Tank Mates, and Why Yours Might Stop Eating

Quick answer: The rope fish (Erpetoichthys calabaricus), also called the reedfish, is a peaceful, prehistoric-looking freshwater fish that swims like a snake and is genuinely easy to care for. But it comes with three big catches most buyers miss. It is a world-class escape artist that needs a completely sealed lid, it is a slow, near-sighted predator that will eat any fish or shrimp small enough to swallow, and it grows to around 15 inches … Read more about Rope Fish Care: Tank Size, Tank Mates, and the Escape Problem

Quick answer: Bamboo shrimp (Atyopsis moluccensis), also called wood shrimp or fan shrimp, are peaceful freshwater filter feeders that grow to about 3 inches (7.5 cm) and live around 2 years. They need a mature tank of at least 20 gallons at 72 to 82 F, strong water flow and a raised perch where they can hold out their feathery fans to catch floating food. They’re hardy once settled, but they are not algae eaters. … Read more about Bamboo Shrimp Care: Feeding, Flow, Tank Size and Lifespan

Quick answer: The panda cory (Corydoras panda) is one of the most popular and adorable bottom-dwelling catfish, named for the black, panda-like patches over its eyes, on its dorsal fin, and at the base of its tail. It is small, peaceful, and social, and easy to keep in a group. Two things catch people out, though. Pandas like cooler water than most tropical fish, around the low 70s F, and they need fine sand rather … Read more about Panda Cory Care: Size, Tank Mates, Temperature, and Breeding

Vampire crabs (Geosesarma species) are tiny, colorful freshwater crabs from Southeast Asia with a body about 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide and a lifespan of around 2 to 3 years. They are not aquarium animals. They live mostly on land, so they need a paludarium that’s about 70 to 80 percent land and 20 to 30 percent shallow freshwater, with high humidity, a temperature of 72 to 82 F and a tight lid. No salt … Read more about Vampire Crab Care: Setup, Diet, Tank Mates and Are They Poisonous

The galaxy rasbora, also sold as the celestial pearl danio (Danio margaritatus), is a tiny nano fish from Myanmar that grows to about 1 inch, lives 3 to 5 years and does well in a planted 10 gallon or larger tank at 72 to 76 F. Keep at least 6, and 8 to 12 is better, with more females than males. They’re peaceful, shrimp-safe with adult shrimp, and hardy once settled. What most people get … Read more about Galaxy Rasbora (Celestial Pearl Danio): Care, Tank Mates and Breeding