Mary asks…
speciality fish for tropical aquarium?
im looking at eventually having the following in my 63 litre aquarium are they all compatible?
small crabs, 7 medium neon tetra, red tailed shark, male siamese fighter, clown loach
Aquarium Lover answers:
Clown loaches reach a foot long and need much, much, much bigger tanks. They are also schooling fish that shouldn’t be kept alone. Anything less then a 100 gallon tank and a group of 4 is a substandard home for these guys.
Red tailed sharks can reach as large as 8 inches long, and are territorial – they also need a much, much bigger tank. Anything less then 50 gallons is asking for trouble with this guy.
There really are no crabs that will work. Brackish types need salty water, fresh types will die in a tank full of water because they need air. Also they will eat your fish.
The neons and the fighter will fit in perfectly, the problem is your other choices. Instead of those, look at getting a trio of corydora catfish and some small shrimp – they will fit your tank properly and still accomplish what you are looking for.
People will tell you that you can’t keep the betta with any other fish. They would be wrong. Just make sure you have lots of plants and cover in the tank, since bettas and the fish that do well with them like it that way best.
Carol asks…
Where can I find a black Canopy?
Hi there,
Today I bought a very nice black lacquered tank stand for a 55 gallon aquarium. I’m hoping to find a canopy that matches but haven’t had any luck finding one at the local specialty stores. Petsmart and Petco don’t have anything on their websites either.
Does anyone know where I can get my hands on one either online or in Missouri?
Aquarium Lover answers:
All-glass.com, aquariumguys.com, peteducation.com, bigalsonline.com, drfostersmith.com
Thomas asks…
About freshwater aquarium lighting…
I’m building my first aquarium and have help from an experienced friend, but he couldn’t tell me anything. What’s the difference between a T-5 Aquarium bulb from Home Depot and an overpriced T-5 from specialty companies?
I understand the difference in the different wavelengths produced by different lights and the types plants need, but what makes the pet store T-5s so expensive and, by advertising, better?
Oh yeah, thanks Ghost Shrimp Fan. I forgot that I should mention that I’m building a live planted aquarium. I’m trying to get high/cheap lighting because many of the plants I’m getting/have need a lot.
Thank you Mannerss…that is just what I was wondering about. I do have a varied bunch of plants growing and I want to organize my tank into what survives best in my setup. I do have an automated CO2 injection system and regular cheap lighting now, but I’ve got about 20 different species in one tank and I want light coverage that will keep them all healthy. Thanks!
Aquarium Lover answers:
The T-5s in aquarium stores typically employ rare-earth elements that get them a more even distribution of wavelengths across the full visible spectrum of light. This will allow for better luck when pairing the light with different plants. If I remember correctly, the premium brand “Current U.S.A.” has a good dossier on their webpage explaining things.
Most fluorescent lights sold in hardware stores employ inexpensive elements and do not produce a wide wavelength of light, but rather a few narrow spikes in red, green, and blue, which combine to look white to human eyes, but really are full of holes inbetween the peaks. If your particular species of plant has an affinity for an area that the light doesn’t produce, the plant will not thrive, despite high wattages. Its kinda like asking a person why they can’t read newsprint well with a black light on in the room.
Also, many brands sold for aquarium use filter the wavelengths that green algae thrive on, allowing a sloppy owner to stave off ugly looks.
When it comes to fish, a little sunlight, or a lot of the right spectrum of t5 lighting will allow them to produce the required vitamin d to stave off HLLE Disease. Generally, the smaller the fish, the less important the light is. For small fish, the light really doesn’t matter, but if you’re rocking $280 cherry flowerhorns who are vulnerable to this kind of disease that’s encouraged by poor lighting… Then the expensive lights are worth it.
In most cases, a full spectrum bulb from a hardware store will do just fine for an aquarium. Most of the time, freshwater keepers have a shortage of co2 for their plants, which causes negative effects way before wavelength of light becomes an issue. Most plants can utilize at least some of a full spectrum bulb.
If you want to do DIY lighting with hardware bulbs, there are light-obsessed individuals out there, who comparison shop hardware stores for value-minded full spectrum bulbs for aquarium use and keep online journals of their results. They get light meters, and actually record the wavelengths, peaks, k, cri, etc of the bulb with the devices & post comparisons on web pages. T5, is only emerging in popularity, so most of those websites can be found by doing t8 or t12 aquarium lighting searches on google.
Also… If you’re just looking at the $14 ones at the pet store… They’re not really different from a good hardware store one. After you get up around $35 a bulb is where you start to see a real difference in quality.
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