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…)

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

This is regarding a review on the Ocotopus HB 800s Hang On protein skimmer.  I am always interested in reading about the latest and greatest when it comes to aquarium equipment, especiall protein skimmers.  I feel that protein skimmers (for saltwater tanks) are one of the most important tools we can use other than regular partial water changes to keep the aquarium water at optimum levels.  

Whenever I come across a post or article on a new skimmer I always read it with interest, hoping to find the next great skimmer.  I had been hearing repeatedly how good the Octopus line of skimmers perform and was very interested in checking one of them out.   I was also interested in picking up a deltec 600 but couldn’t find one online or locally for a decent price.  Those deltecs are expensive!  Too expensive if you ask me…

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The latest Fish Lore Aquarium Magazine is now up.  Here are the links to the articles:

January 2009 Fish Magazine
Member Spotlight - Isis
Member Spotlight - Nemo Addict
Member Spotlight - Mathas
Fish Profile - Figure 8 Puffer
Coral Profile - Ricordia Florida
Coral Profile - Frogspawn Coral
New Aquarium Game - FishCo
New Page - Aquarium Fish Videos
Forum Thread of the Month - DIY Spawning Net for Egg Robbers
December 2008 Fish and Aquarium Photo Contest Winners

Thanks,
Mike

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…)

There is a new aquarium game out called Fishco.  The premise is very similar to Fish Tycoon and if you’ve played Fish Tycoon you will be up to speed in no time.  This game improves on many of the facets of gameplay though and is worth checking out.  If you are interested in (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.  We have fish care profiles, member spotlights, the forum thread of the month, the photo contest winners and more!  To (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…)

There is a new coral profile up on the site on the Small Polyped Stoney coral named Montipora Capricornis.  There are several different color varieties available and this could also be considered a good first SPS coral to start out with if you’ve never kept SPS corals before.  That is, if your tank parameters and equipment are in line with what is required for keeping this coral. (more…)

I wrote a new article that talks about some of the more commonly described areas and zones on the coral reefs.  Since the plan is to have more coral profiles on the website it makes sense to have an article describing these areas since the location in which corals are normally found can lend some insight into their captive care requirements. 

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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…)

We’ve signed up with Big Fish Games to start putting some of the fish and aquarium games on the main website.  The latest one we reviewed is “Jenny’s Fish Shop”.  This is a really fun game that the entire family can play.  Sure, it’s not really a fish shop simulation but it’s still quite fun.  (more…)

The Naso Tang needs a large tank to adequately care for them given their potential size of a whopping 18 inches, likely not that big in the aquarium but this is still a big fish. (more…)

One of the largest of the saltwater butterfly fish is the Lined Butterflyfish, Chaetodon lineolatus. They can get up to 12 inches or so and need at least a 150 gallon aquarium.  Take your time acclimating them and keep them out of reef tanks otherwise you risk losing some of your prized corals.  (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…)

There is now a profile on the Eibli Angelfish.  This is one of the bigger dwarf angels with the potential to get up to 6 inches. They are sometimes found on the reef amongst C. vrolikii at depths of 1 to 30 meters. 

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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…)

Have you ever had to deal with green bubble algae in your saltwater aquarium?  We have and it’s not fun.  Just wrote an article on what to do and how to deal with this algae without pulling what’s left of your hair out.  

There are several different varieties of this bubble algae and we talk about the most common one - Ventricaria ventricosa.  Hope it helps you deal with this algae.  If you have a tip on dealing with this algae post it on the article page and we’ll add it!  Read the article here: Green Bubble Algae.

We’ve always thought it would be a cool idea to have our favorite fish species printed on a t-shirt and now it’s possible!  We’ve hooked up with zazzle.com to have these shirts printed.  You can totally customize all of these shirts to your liking.  Change the shirt color, shirt style and even change the image size and plug in your own text! 

If you’re interested, check it out here: FishLore T-shirts. We’ll be adding new fish species for the t-shirt designs frequently, so check back often. Have fun!

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. 

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We just launched a new auction and classifieds system for FishLore members.  You can create your own ads and set them up to be in either auction, classified, or wanted format.

For example, if you want to sell an item using the bidding system you’d select “auction” when setting up the ad.  If you want to sell an item with a fixed price you’d select the “fixed price” ad type.  You can also post ads for items wanted.  (more…)

There had been some talk about coming up with some new member names for the fish forum.  We have been using the default names that come with the software since the beginning.   So we came up with 6 different groups of names for the members to vote on and they decided that they liked the following: (more…)

New article for those freshwater hobbyists out there that are interested in setting up a saltwater aquarium but weren’t sure if they were ready for the task.  We try to keep it simple and easy to understand.  Differences in setup, costs, equipment and aquarium maintenance are discussed.  Check it out: Freshwater vs. Saltwater Aquarium

Since the vacation days are upon us, I wrote a new article on what to do with your fish and aquarium(s) while you’re on vacation.  Is it possible for your fish to go that long without food?  What should you do before your leave?  Is there a list of things to give a fish sitter?  You betcha - check out the article here: Going on vacation - what to do with your fish