Aquarium Guides & Articles

After keeping guppies twice, an honest verdict — the harassment, the snail they killed, and why I keep them species-only.

Tiny, shimmering and adorable — but mean in their own way. What really happened with my Japan Blue trio and cherry shrimp.

Master the nitrogen cycle and prepare your tank before adding any fish.

A 5 cm juvenile becomes a 30 cm predator. Don't trust the size in the store — the 10 mis-sold species and how to actually research a fish.

Every size from 5 to 125 gallons — who each suits, what fish work, and what they weigh.

The most predictable, avoidable mistakes new aquarists make — and how to sidestep every one.

HOB, canister, sponge, internal — what each filter type does and which one your tank actually needs.

pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, GH, KH — what each one means and how to fix problems fast.

How often, how much, and exactly how to do water changes without stressing your fish.

What actually fits in 5 gallons (betta, shrimp, scarlet badis, pea puffer) — what doesn’t (schooling fish, goldfish, communities) — and the stocking combinations that genuinely work.

How to introduce new fish safely — drip acclimation, plop-and-drop, quarantine setup, acclimating shrimp, online orders, and the mistakes that kill new fish in week one.

Fifty of the most common nano fish questions answered on a single page — tank size, cycling, water changes, feeding, stocking, ich, breeding, and equipment.

Twelve common nano fish myths, debunked — from bettas in puddles to plecos cleaning tanks to water changes stressing fish. The truth, with the evidence.

Sponge, HOB, canister, internal, and undergravel filters compared — matching filter to tank size, fish type, turnover rate, media, and three budget tiers.

LED, fluorescent, T5, and T8 compared — PAR vs lux, low-tech vs high-tech, photoperiod, 6500K spectrum for plants, and timer recommendations.

Why a 20 gallon is easier than a 5, glass vs acrylic, kit vs separate parts, and where the tank should actually live.

Everything about 10 gallon tanks in one place - dimensions, real volume, what fish work, five stocking plans and setup essentials.

Sand, gravel, aquasoil, clay and mixed substrates compared - which bottom each fish and plant actually needs.

The honest comparison - cost, equipment, difficulty, livestock losses, and which one you should actually start with.

A day-by-day walkthrough - Day 1 equipment, Day 2 substrate and hardscape, Day 3 cycle start, through to first fish at Day 30.

Which fish genuinely suit a mature, heavily planted, lightly stocked tank without a filter — S/A/B tiers for 18 species, the invertebrate shortlist, and the rules that keep it safe.

Top nano fish, bettas, shrimp, and four complete stocking combinations for small tanks.

Choose compatible species, layer fish by water column, and build a harmonious community aquarium.

The hardiest, most forgiving freshwater fish for new aquarists — plus the species to avoid.

The best schooling fish for community tanks — tetras, rasboras, and danios with group-size requirements.

The best focal-point fish for freshwater tanks — from pearl gouramis to discus, across all experience levels.

Everything about keeping bettas healthy — tank size, water parameters, feeding, tankmates, and health.

Cherry shrimp, amano, caridina — care requirements, breeding tips, and tank setup for shrimp keepers.

Water requirements, feeding, tankmates — and the honest cost of keeping the most demanding freshwater fish.

The five food categories (dry, frozen, live, vegetable, specialty), feeding schedule, the 30-second rule, specialised diets, and what to avoid.

A printable chart — 20 species cross-referenced with ✓, ×, or !. The three compatibility rules and detailed pairing answers.

Building a peaceful multi-species 10 gallon - the four rules that make it work, three proven combinations, and what never to mix.

Why the inch-per-gallon rule fails, the bioload-and-behaviour method that replaces it, and real numbers for 10 gallon stocking.

The three rules of betta tank mates, the companions that genuinely work in 10 gallons, and the fish that will end in disaster.

A thriving cherry shrimp colony in 10 gallons - parameters, substrate, plants, feeding and breeding without any fish at all.

15 proven stocking combinations for 5, 10, 15, 20 and 40 gallon tanks - each with fish, numbers, bioload and shrimp-safety.

The complete shrimp hub - Cherry, Blue Pearl, Amano, Crystal Red and Bamboo compared, with parameters, grading and breeding.

Dwarf cichlids for small tanks - Apistogramma, rams, shell dwellers and kribensis: species, setup and stocking for 10-40 gallons.

Apistogramma species and strains, the 20 gallon setup they need, soft acidic water, harem structure and raising fry.

German blue vs Bolivian rams compared - warm soft water, tank setup, pairs, and the stability they need to thrive.

Neolamprologus multifasciatus - the smallest cichlid in the hobby. A 10 gallon shell bed, colony behaviour and breeding.

All 8 popular corydoras species compared - Sterbai, Panda, Julii, Bronze, Peppered, Albino, Pygmy and Skunk, plus shoaling and sand.

Breeding the three nano cichlid groups - Apistogramma cave spawning, ram pairs on flat stones, and shell dweller colonies.

The four spawning strategies - egg scatterers, cave spawners, bubblenesters and livebearers - and how to trigger each.

Nano fish that thrive with no heater at 16-22 C - white clouds, medaka, rosy barbs and the setups that suit them.

The nano side of feeding: particle size for tiny mouths, crushing and grading flake, target-feeding shy fish, and keeping shrimp fed when fish eat everything.

Why small volumes make cycling harder, fishless vs fish-in, bottled bacteria honesty, and reading your test kit correctly.

The biology behind every healthy tank - Nitrosomonas, Nitrospira, and how ammonia becomes plant food. Start here.

The most dangerous compound in your tank - what NH3 and NH4+ are, where ammonia comes from, and how to fix a spike fast.

The second toxic stage of the cycle - why nitrite poisons blood, why new tanks spike, and the salt trick that saves fish.

The end product of the cycle - far less toxic, but the reason your water changes exist. Sources, readings and plant uptake.

The logarithmic scale that decides whether ammonia is toxic and whether your fish can breathe - swings, stability and KH.

Calcium and magnesium - the minerals fish use for osmoregulation and shrimp need for molting. Testing and adjusting.

Your water's pH defence system - what buffering means, why KH crashes kill tanks, and when to raise or lower it.

One number that captures everything dissolved in your water - what TDS meters measure, and why shrimp keepers live by it.

What's actually in tap water, what RO strips out, when you need it (shrimp, soft-water fish), and mixing it safely.

Liquid reagent kits vs strips vs digital meters - what to actually buy, and the two tests every tank owner needs.

The humane way to start a tank - dose pure ammonia, test daily, wait out the nitrite spike, then add all your fish at once.

Build a thriving planted aquarium without CO₂ or expensive equipment using the Walstad method.

Choose the right light for fish-only, planted, or reef tanks — spectrum, intensity, and schedules explained.

Beginner-proof plants that grow without CO₂ — including the four we grow in every low-tech tank.

A low-maintenance planted bowl ecosystem on Walstad principles — built from a real working bowl.

The truth about peace lily vases — why the standard setup harms bettas and how to do it properly.

Recreate a West African river — driftwood, botanicals, and the fish that genuinely belong together.

Golden ratio, substrate sloping, plant selection by zone, hardscape, negative space, and three layout templates: Iwagumi, Nature, and Jungle.

Setup, cleaning, air-pump sizing — and why sponge filters run every breeding tank in our fishroom.

Media types, cleaning schedules, flow rate, and the expensive mistakes that shorten filter life.

A full canister filter from a 5-litre bucket — parts list, step-by-step build, and leak-proofing.

Step-by-step technique, cleaning frequency, sand substrates — and why you should never deep-vacuum a soil tank.

Identify ich, fin rot, velvet, and more — with symptoms, causes, and step-by-step treatment.

Daily (5 min), weekly (30 min), monthly (2 hr), and quarterly tasks — printable schedule and the ‘never clean everything at once’ rule.

Echinodorus bleheri - root feeding, root tabs, why new swords melt, and the melt-then-grow pattern to expect.

The indestructible epiphyte - attaching it to wood and rock, why burying the rhizome kills it, and algae on slow leaves.

Microsorum pteropus - tying it to hardscape, black spots and plantlets on leaves, and why it fails in new tanks.

Taxiphyllum barbieri - the best carpeting plant for shrimp tanks, attaching it to anything, and keeping it tidy.

Crypt melt explained, the species to start with (wendtii, parva, spiralis), and why patience wins with crypts.

The fastest-growing plant in the hobby - nitrate export, no roots to plant, and why every tank should try it.

Planting, trimming and propagating stem plants - the cut-and-replant technique that turns one bunch into a hedge.

How to manage, contain and eradicate duckweed - why it explodes, and the containers that keep it in one place.

Seven floaters compared - frogbit, Salvinia, red root floaters and more, with light-shading and nitrate benefits.

The 20 best plants for 5-20 gallon tanks - foreground, midground, epiphytes and floaters that fit small spaces.

A planted 10 gallon with soil under sand - the Walstad layers, plant picks, light and livestock that suit it.

The Walstad method scaled down - organic soil, sand cap, root-feeders, and the stocking that keeps it balanced.

Single-outlet, dual-outlet and battery backup air pumps compared - noise, depth rating, and what aeration actually does.

The 3-5W per gallon rule done right, a size chart by tank, redundancy, and where a heater should sit in the tank.

Low-tech, planted and high-output lights compared - PAR, spectrum, and matching light to the plants you keep.

Compact, standard and high-flow canisters compared - flow rates, media capacity, and when a canister is overkill.

Practical kit for 5-20 gallon tanks - sponge filters, small HOBs, 50W heaters, lights and the gear to skip.

The 5-minute daily check, 30-minute weekly change, 2-hour monthly reset - a realistic schedule for small tanks.

The parasite lifecycle that makes ich stubborn - heat plus salt, medication options, and quarantine that actually works.

Diagnosing bacterial fin rot, water-quality first aid, the salt protocol, and when antibiotics are genuinely needed.

Fungal (Saprolegnia) vs bacterial (columnaris) - how to tell them apart, salt baths, and the water fixes behind both.

The six diseases that hit nano fish hardest - ich, neon tetra disease, fin rot, dropsy, swim bladder and velvet.

Bacterial bloom, dust, or green - read the cloud, find the cause, and the patience that fixes most of it.

The algae bloom that turns water to pea soup - light blackout, UV sterilizers, and starving the euglena out.

The brown film every new tank grows - why silicates and the new-tank phase cause it, and otocinclus as the cleanup crew.

Nutrient imbalance and excess light feeding hair algae - the manual removal protocol and the balance that stops it.

The six algae types that hit nano tanks - brown, green spot, hair, black beard, green dust and cyanobacteria, each with a fix.

Gasping at the surface - low oxygen, ammonia, gill damage or heat. The emergency order of operations that saves fish.

No-warning deaths - the diagnosis checklist: ammonia, temperature shock, toxins, disease, and what to test first.

Multiple female bettas in one tank — the 20 gal minimum, simultaneous introduction, the first week, signs of stress, and what to do when it fails.