Planted Tank Care and Aquarium Problem Fixes

Golden honey gourami with long trailing feeler fins swimming in a planted freshwater aquarium

Honey Gourami Care: Size, Tank Mates, Breeding, and the Sunset Gourami Confusion

Quick answer: The honey gourami (Trichogaster chuna) is one of the best beginner centerpiece fish you can buy. It is small, peaceful, hardy, and a soft golden color, a single one is happy in a 10 gallon, it eats almost anything, and it gets along with most calm community fish. The one thing to sort out before you buy is the name game. Honey gouramis are constantly confused with dwarf gouramis and with thick-lipped gouramis … Read more about Honey Gourami Care: Size, Tank Mates, Breeding, and the Sunset Gourami Confusion

By Anum Saeed, ago
Set up 20 gallon long fish tank on a stand, planted with driftwood, aquatic plants, and community fish

20 Gallon Fish Tank Dimensions: Long, High, Extra High & Hex (Size Chart)

Quick answer: A standard 20 gallon fish tank comes in two main shapes: the 20 long, which measures 30 x 12 x 12 inches (76 x 30 x 30 cm), and the 20 high, which measures 24 x 12 x 16 inches (61 x 30 x 41 cm). Both hold about 20 US gallons (75.7 liters) and weigh roughly 200 to 225 pounds once filled with water, gravel and decor. For most fish, the 20 … Read more about 20 Gallon Fish Tank Dimensions: Long, High, Extra High & Hex (Size Chart)

By Anum Saeed, ago
Decorated freshwater aquarium with driftwood, a rock cave, live plants, and small fish

Fish Tank Decorations: The Complete Guide to a Safe, Good Looking Tank

Quick answer: Good fish tank decorations do two jobs at once. They make the tank look great, and they give your fish hiding spots, territory, and a sense of security that keeps them calm and healthy. The one rule that matters most is safety: only use decorations that are aquarium safe. Skip anything metal, painted, dyed, or made for another purpose, test rocks before adding them, and rinse or soak new pieces first. Get the … Read more about Fish Tank Decorations: The Complete Guide to a Safe, Good Looking Tank

By Anum Saeed, ago
Bristlenose pleco grazing algae off a rock in a planted freshwater aquarium

Algae Eater Fish: An Honest Guide to the Best Species for Your Tank

Quick answer: The best algae eater fish for most freshwater tanks are the otocinclus, the bristlenose pleco, and the true Siamese algae eater. For small tanks, shrimp and snails like Amano shrimp and nerite snails often do the job better than any fish. No algae eater keeps a tank clean on its own, though. Each one eats only certain kinds of algae, none of them fixes the cause, and two popular “cleaner” fish, the Chinese … Read more about Algae Eater Fish: An Honest Guide to the Best Species for Your Tank

By Anum Saeed, ago
Zebra nerite snail resting on aquarium glass with its trapdoor closed

Nerite Snail Not Moving: Dead, Sleeping, or Stuck Upside Down?

Quick answer: A nerite snail that hasn’t moved for a day or two is almost always fine. Nerites graze mostly at night and can sit in one spot for several days, and new snails often stay still for up to a week while they settle in. Check four things before you worry: is it still gripping the surface, is the trapdoor shut, is it upright, and does it smell? A snail that’s stuck on tight … Read more about Nerite Snail Not Moving: Dead, Sleeping, or Stuck Upside Down?

By Anum Saeed, ago
Bacopa monnieri aquarium moneywort compared with creeping Jenny garden groundcover

Moneywort Plant Care: How to Grow Bacopa monnieri in Your Aquarium

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 reaches about 12 inches tall, sometimes more. The one thing most listings leave out: moneywort is usually grown above water before it is sold, so … Read more about Moneywort Plant Care: How to Grow Bacopa monnieri in Your Aquarium

By Anum Saeed, ago
Java moss trimmed and dense compared with untrimmed moss going brown underneath Category: Plants That is twelve Aqua Planet articles now, all with featured images. Java moss is your biggest keyword yet at 9.9K US and KD 16, and the article has three of your own videos in it. One thing still open on it: the URL for the attach-with-thread video, so I can finalise that marked link. Java moss featured Image · WEBP  Java moss featured Image · PNG 

Java Moss Care Guide: How to Grow, Attach and Trim Taxiphyllum barbieri

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 tie or glue it in place and leave it. The one thing nobody warns you about is trimming. Left alone, it grows into a thick … Read more about Java Moss Care Guide: How to Grow, Attach and Trim Taxiphyllum barbieri

By Anum Saeed, ago
Dwarf sagittaria compared under high light and low light, showing it stays short or stretches tall

Dwarf Sagittaria Care: The Complete Guide (Sagittaria subulata)

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 from root tabs or an enriched substrate. The one thing most listings do not tell you: its height depends on light. Under strong light it … Read more about Dwarf Sagittaria Care: The Complete Guide (Sagittaria subulata)

By Anum Saeed, ago
Low light aquarium plants that need no CO2: Anubias, Java fern, Vallisneria and Java moss

Low Light Aquarium Plants: 12 That Thrive Without CO2

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 in return they tolerate basic lighting, imperfect maintenance and beginner mistakes. The most common reason these plants still die is not lighting, it is being … Read more about Low Light Aquarium Plants: 12 That Thrive Without CO2

By Anum Saeed, ago
Amano shrimp grazing on moss-covered driftwood in a planted aquarium

Amano Shrimp Care: Size, Diet, Breeding and the Caridina Japonica Name

Quick answer: The Amano shrimp (Caridina multidentata, sold for years as Caridina japonica) is one of the best algae-grazing shrimp you can add to a freshwater tank. It’s hardy, peaceful and bigger than most aquarium shrimp, around 1 to 2 inches, and it spends all day picking soft algae, biofilm and leftover food off plants and decor. Keep a small group in a mature, cycled tank of 10 gallons or more, feed them a little … Read more about Amano Shrimp Care: Size, Diet, Breeding and the Caridina Japonica Name

By Anum Saeed, ago