Fish Lore Aquarium Blog

Anyone that has had an aquarium set up for any amount of time can tell you about algae.  Aquarium algae control is a popular topic on forums too.  So with that in mind I decided to write up something that would be helpful to aquarium newbies for controlling algae in their aquariums.  The article is kinda long but hopefully it touches on the many possible causes and sources of algae problems in your tank.  I was also kinda selfish in that I plan on linking to it when someone has an algae problem on the forum. (more…)

Just uploaded the April 2009 Fish Lore Aquarium Magazine.  Thanks to Platy Ben and Amanda for the articles and Au01st and Nick Goody for the member spotlights. (more…)

The March 2009 issue of the Fish Lore Aquarium Magazine has been uploaded for you to read.  This was a pretty big issue this month.  We had Fish Lore Member Spotlights on Choffman, Red1313, MeGustaUnaPez and SteveAngela.   A big thank you goes out to PFP and Tom with the freshwater fish profiles this month.  Also included are a couple of coral profiles and info on protein skimmers.   If reading about aquariums and fish is what you like, check out the magazine. (more…)

One of the pieces of equipment you might be interested in for your aquarium is a Reverse Osmosis / Deionization water filter.  These are sometimes simply called RO/DI units.  If you keep an aquarium that runs high output flourescent or metal halide lighting, like for a reef tank or a freshwater planted tank, you probably should know about these water purification devices.

Running high output lights can really spell trouble in an unbalanced tank loaded with nitrates, phosphates and other dissolved organics that can lead to algae blooms.  Starting with good source water out of the tap for water top-offs, water changes, and tank fillings can become a crucial component for your aquarium.  (more…)

The February 2009 Fish Lore Aquarium Magazine is now uploaded.  Special thanks to Alessa, CapeKate and PFP for writing articles this month and to Matt and Shaina for the member spotlights!  It was another fun issue to put together and hopefully you will find it a fun read.

Here are the links to the articles:

• Member Spotlight - Matt
• Member Spotlight - Shaina
• Betta Life - Chapter 5
• Fish Profile - Blood Red Parrot Cichlid
• Fish Profile - Sparkling Gourami
• Feeder Fish
• Equipment Review - Octopus 800s Hang On Back Protein Skimmer
• Forum Thread of the Month - Aquarium Abbreviations, Acronyms, Lingo, etc
• January 2009 Fish and Aquarium Photo Contest Winners

Just launched  a new aquarium fish video page that is loaded with helpful aquarium and fish care videos.  We will add more as time allows.  Check it out here: Aquarium Fish Videos.

The latest Fish Lore Aquarium Magazine is now online. There are a few profile articles, a couple of member spotlights, the photo contest winners, a fish quiz and a lighting equipment review. We made a change starting this month for the aquarium of the month and fish of the month photo contest winners. (more…)

Researching lighting for a reef tank can be bewildering at times.  How do you know which lights are good and which are crap?  Reviews of course.  The cash required for reef tank lights can be significant and you’ll want to research as much as possible to make sure you’re making the right decision.  Hopefully we can help you out if you’re looking into the Nova Extreme T5-HO lights.  You may also be interested in this setup if you’re wanting to keep a freshwater planted tank. (more…)

The latest magazine is now online if you’re looking for something to read.  We had a lot of member spotlights this month.  Pandora, Alessa, FishFolk and Annadvn were all spotlighted.  There were 3 new fish profiles in the past month and the first small polyped stoney coral profile on the Montipora capricornis. (more…)

This is a powerhead modification that is talked about quite frequently amongst saltwater hobbyists to help increase the flow rates in their aquariums.  This is actually one of the better and less expensive ways to get the water really moving in your reef tank or FOWLR. 

Be advised that if you have a sand substrate you may need to keep it higher in the tank because it really whips up the current in the tank.  There are several positive aspects of implementing this Maxi Jet mod.   If you’re interested in getting more out of your maxi jet powerheads (more…)

The September 2008 issue of the Fish Lore Aquarium Magazine is online.  We have another round of really good reads.  Two member spotlights, two freshwater profiles, as always the forum thread of the month and the photo contest winners.

This month we also added a “Betta of the Month” contest.  There was a really good turnout for it and it must have been hard to cast a vote in that contest with all those beautiful bettas.

Here are (more…)

The August issue is online now.  Alessa1235 wrote an article with tips for beginners on what to do to get the cycle started and what to do after you get it going.  There is a game review, some saltwater fish profiles, member spotlights on Andy and CoryD, winners of the photo (more…)

The June 2008 issue of the Fish Lore Online Aquarium Magazine is now online.  Thanks to the article authors this month: Tom, Sirdarksol and RB. Also thank you to the members that were spotlighted: MartinisMommy and MissMTS.  These articles and member spotlights are always interesting to read.  The photo contest (more…)

Today I added “categories” for Freshwater and Saltwater Fish Species in the fish picture photo gallery.  You can upload your pics if you’d like to show off your species!  I think this will be cool once we start getting some of the categories filled out with pics.   Couple of things: (more…)

A couple days late due to some scheduling issues on my part prevented me from pushing out the magazine this month on the 1st.  Lots of great stuff to read this month including member spotlights, forum thread of the month and some interesting articles.  Check (more…)

Just uploaded the latest Fish Lore Aquarium Magazine for April 2008.  We have more member spotlights, a book review, aquarium chiller review, an article on cyanobacteria and a freshwater and saltwater fish profile.  Here are (more…)

This week I read an interesting book on aquarium design.  I’m not the most creative person and any creative help I can get I’ll take.  If you’re looking for inspiration for an upcoming aquarium setup or redesign you may want to read this book first. 

(more…)

We recently added the Koi profile to the website.  This species, Cyprinus carpio, is recommended for the backyard pond or extremely large aquariums only.  They simply grow way too big for most home aquariums.  We get receive lots of correspondence from Fish Lore visitors and it’s worrisome how many are keeping koi in a fish tank.  Yeee-ikes!   (more…)