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KollerCraft Rapids Pro RP90 Aquarium Filter Review

FishChannel Moderator — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:10:34 GMT

The latest filter review.

http://www.fishchannel.com/products/kollercraft-rapids-pro-rp90-review.aspx

Fluval 206 Canister Filter Review

FishChannel Moderator — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 15:35:32 GMT

http://www.fishchannel.com/products/fluval206-canister-filter-review.aspx

Fluval Spec

Paris — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 20:23:47 GMT

Hello everyone!

After having such a positive experience with the Fluval Spec, I decided I would share with all of you in hopes that you will find some of this information helpful. I kind of talk a lot at first, if you're only interested in the Fluval Spec I suggest you skip a few paragraphs. Or go straight to the bottom for my condensed pros and cons list.

When I moved to my new one bedroom apartment for my second year of University, I had big plans for an aquarium. My summer vacation was spent planning exactly what products, fish, plants, and more that I would get. I had an entire list of Universal Price Codes so that I could be sure I was getting exactly what I wanted.

I finally got settled in and decided that it was time to go to the local PetSmart to pick up my tank and stand. At the time I hadn't realized that I had come down with mono and had a raging fever. I was absolutely delirious when I went into the store. Not thinking about the size of my apartment or car I picked out a beautiful 56 gallon Marineland tank and stand ensemble. I managed to just squeeze the tank into my backseat but couldn't fit the stand in anywhere. I had to call a taxi van to come get it. That should have been my first hint that maybe, just maybe, that tank was too large.

By the time the tank was home my fever had cooled and I was thinking clearly again. The mammoth stood in the corner of my living room and even though I was so excited to have it I realized that I needed something smaller.

I waited a number of weeks after the Marineland aquarium debacle to get a new, smaller tank (mainly because I was embarrassed about the scene that I had caused at PetSmart). After doing my research I became quite interested in the Fluval Spec 5 gallon aquarium. Other tanks that were in the running were:
Fluval EBI Nano Shrimp Habitat - 7.9 gallons
Fluval Edge - 6 gallons
Fluval Chi - 6.6 gallons
Fluval Flora - 7.9 gallons

So why did I choose the smallest of those tanks if I had originally wanted to have a big 56 gallon tank? Wouldn't it make sense to get the Fluval EBI or Flora since they had the largest capacity?

One of the greatest parts about the Fluval Spec is the over-sized biological filtration. This is something that all of the other aquariums were lacking. Their filtration systems were all small and barely large enough (in my opinion) for the size of the tanks that they were supporting. The filter size was definitely one of the top reasons why I chose the Fluval Spec. Another point about the filter is that it leaves the tank with a very unobstructed view. There are no tubes or distractions from the rest of the tank. I did run into a quick problem concerning the filter that I noticed on a few discussion boards other people had been having problems with as well. The submersible pump is very difficult to get inside... at first. There is a divider between the filter media and the pump and the space where the pump is supposed to go is almost the exact size of the pump. Also you need to take the cord into consideration because that is what was making it so difficult to get it into place. What I did was run the cord underneath the divider and have it come up and out the side where the filter media is. This allowed the extra space to get the pump down inside and when the pump would shift and not go down straight one little tug on the cord would even everything out. However: I do recommend that you consider what kind of fish you are going to keep in the tank before putting the pump in. The flow control is on the pump itself and it is very difficult to remove once it is inside. I have mine on full blast and it does process a lot of water.

In the section where the pump is submersed there is a lot of what I consider wasted space. It seems as though there is just empty water in this section of the filter. What I am planning on doing in the near future is to fill that empty space with Marineland Bio-Filter Balls. This way there is more space for the beneficial bacteria to grow. I also considered putting an airstone inside to increase the amount of dissolved oxygen in the tank but it seemed like an impractical place to put it. Many internet sources claim to place the heater inside this space so that it is hidden behind the frosted glass and out of view. I tried this myself; however, I don't think that the temperature is evenly distributed this way. For the short time that my heater was in there I didn't seem to have any problems with even temperature, but I still felt uncomfortable with it. Also, the suctions cups that hold the heater onto the glass would not stick well to the frosted glass. This may have just been because of the particular brand that I bought. Other internet reviews claim to not have problems with this. I would also suggest that you pick a fully submersible heater if you try this method because with the lid on there isn't much space for the top of the heater to protrude from the water line.

Speaking of the lid I didn't like it at all. In an unheated, unplanted tank I'm sure it works great, but for my purposes it just wasn't what I wanted. It makes it difficult to put a heater in, the small opening makes it difficult for light to get to the plants, and in my case my cat just loved to stick her arm inside. My solution? A cheap piece of plexiglass cut to size and with an opening for the heater. My cat can no longer get her paws inside and the light travels through more easily. One thing to note if making your own lid, make sure that there are places for the evaporation to escape or else the light will be slightly less. Not enough to make a huge difference, but as you will read later, for delicate plants this makes all the difference.

One more word about the filter and then we can get into some of the fun discussions like aquascaping and fish stocking. The nozzle that pumps the water back into the aquarium is one of my favorite features. It has a goose neck so you can control the direction of water. For my purposes I wanted to ensure that there was a lot of dissolved oxygen in the water for my fish so I pointed it all the way up so that it would create maximum surface disturbance. It seems to work very well. Also, if you have a species that prefers slower moving water (such as a Betta) you can point it at the glass so there is no danger of your fish getting carried away by the current.

Harscape of the Fluval Spec

Don't waste too much space hardscaping. Get your substrate in and some rocks and/or driftwood. In my case I took three flat, grey rocks about the size of my palm and put one in the foreground on the far right and then put the other two one on top of the other at the far left in the back ground. In the middle I have a small, curvy piece of driftwood with lots of hiding spaces and holes. Remember that it is a small and very narrow aquarium. If you are planning on planting it so not waste too much space on the hardscape.

Aquascaping the Fluval Spec

Many aquarists argue over the LED lighting system and whether or not it is sufficient for growing plants. Most claim it to be in the low to moderate range of light. I chose to ignore the arguments and try for myself to see what type of plants would grow. I was determined to have Baby Dwarf Tears (HC), which is a moderate to mostly high light plant. With the removal of the stock lid, I have found that my tank appears brighter and more light is reaching my plants. For maximum light exposure I also remove my DIY lid while I am home to supervise my cat. Though my Dwarf Baby Tears are not growing quickly, they are still growing. They are a lovely bright green and taking their time to spread across the tank floor. Do not feel limited by the lighting as to what plants you can have. It may take a little extra work, which I will get into later, but it can be done!

Don't skimp on the essentials. Buy the Fluval Stratum or other great plant substrate. This is very important. You want to give your plants the best possible chance to thrive in your aquarium.

I considered a CO2 system, but I thought that for such a small aquarium (and the stocking of it that I will get into soon) it was unnecessary. In a tank so small liquid CO2 should suffice if stocking lightly. If stocking heavily with little plant life it is probably unnecessary, though I do still supplement mine for optimal plant growth because my tank has both lots of plants and lots of fish.

Make sure to dose the water with Seachem Flourite to ensure that your plants receive all of the essential nutrients required for them to grow.

The plants that I used to do the aquascape are:
- Anubias Lanceolota in the right corner background. This plant can get tall so I made sure to remove the tall pieces. I have this plant to hide my heater and it reaches all the way up to the surface. My Betta loves to hang out in it and even built a bubble nest inside the large leaves.
- Ludwigia Mullertii (small) in front of the Anubia Lanceolota to create a thick bushy forest-like appearance.
- Cryptocoryne Parva along 3/5 of the background (around the middle behind the driftwood). This is a great small plant usually used as a foreground plant. I spaced it out to draw the eye away from the cluster of plants on the far right and fill in the empty space in the middle.
- Hemianthus Callitrichoides currently spreading across the foreground.
- Aegagropila Linnaei are on top of two rocks and between those two rocks an driftwood. They are great, easy plants to take care of. They help with keeping the water conditions ideal.

I would like to add an Anubias Pygmy Nana in front of the Ludwigia Mullertii to hid the stems a little and add to the whole bushy, thick look that I have going.

Stocking the Fluval Spec

I am going to assume that everyone reading this has at least a basic understanding of the nitrogen cycle for simplicity. Overstocking your aquarium can be done but it is difficult to maintain. However, the one-inch-of-fish-per-gallon rule isn't a rule at all.

I began by planting my tank and allowing it to run for one week without any fish. I used Seachem Flourite and API CO2 Plant Booster to ensure that the plants were receiving sufficient nutrients.

Each day I also added the recommended dose of Seachem Stability. This product is amazing. It worked fantastically. I have read a lot of information from internet posters who claim that it "skips" the cycling process. I disagree with this statement. I believe that it gives your aquarium an extra boost so that when you add fish it is more ready for the bio-load than by simply adding fish. Also, when used in conjunction with Seachem Prime, the harmful ammonia is neutralized and made less toxic so you aren't exposing your fish to the dangers of ammonia poisoning. Though I used Seachem Stability and Prime to start my aquarium, and fully believe in its effectiveness I will always recommend the proper cycling technique and prefer the fish-less cycling technique to establish the aquarium.

I waited several weeks and allowed my plants to grow. With that out of the way, the first fish that I added was a Betta Splendens. I did partial water changes everyday and used Prime to treat the water before putting it into the tank and then put Stability directly into the filter where most of the bacteria live.

Why is a Betta a good choice for the Fluval Spec? Contrary to popular belief, Bettas do not do betta (sorry for the pun) in a bowl. They need filtration, heat, and room to swim. Also, because they are a labyrinth fish they are able to breathe air from the surface instead of relying solely on dissolved oxygen. In this case, if you are planning on housing one Betta, lower the filter nozzle and direct it toward the glass. Also, lower the pump's flow to the lowest possible setting. This will ensure no strong currents for your slow moving fish. Bettas prefer calm water. I also warn you that if your Betta is anything like mine he will fall in love with the filter nozzle and build it a bubble nest and court it all day--almost to the point of being obsessive compulsive about it.

My Betta (Klaus) was so content in his new home that in less than a week he built a huge bubble nest in the right hand corner between the heater, Anubias Lanceolota and the intake of the filter. The filter will not suck down the bubble nest. He loves this corner and spends most of his days there tending to his nest and courting the filter nozzle.

The second resident that I added were shrimp. I began with five Ghost Shrimp and then also added an Amano Shrimp as well. The Ghost Shrimp are kind of ugly in comparison with the Amano Shrimp and I was worried that because of their clear color they would not stand out. However, on the dark Fluval Stratum substrate they stand out wonderfully. They are in there to add a little bit of interest and to clean up after my fussy Betta who will eat some food then spit the others out and swim back to the top to get more. They are great cleaners. The floor of my tank is spotless. They seem happy, they are molting and breeding. I don't have any algae problems but I suspect that with the added nutrients, long lighting periods and slightly over-stocked tank that I will notice a bit of algae growth eventually so I got the Amano Shrimp while my local pet store had some. They has one left, which was perfect because it is a small tank. I find the Amano shrimp much nicer looking and more active/interesting than the Ghost Shrimp.

Why is the Fluval Spec a great aquarium for Shrimp? It has a small size, soft filter intake and it is long, which gives them plenty of space to crawl around.

Next came the seven Neon Tetras. This is my first aquarium sin. I know that Neon Tetras should not be housed in anything less than 10 gallons at the minimum but I couldn't help myself. They were the perfect compliment to my red Betta who is now my center-piece fish. They swim around the middle away from the shrimp and the Betta and are very bright and happy. I planted the tank so that they had plenty of swimming space and plenty of plant cover. I also changed the filter nozzle so that there was a strong current for them to swim into (highly suggested). Instead of swimming back and forth through the areas with a low current they choose to swim toward the fast current and almost stay in place. The tank is great because in some areas the current is fast, which the Neon Tetras like but it is also slow in some areas like in front of the filter intake where my Betta likes to hang out.

I also added one Mystery Snail. I wanted Zebra Nerite Snails but they all suddenly died at the pet store. The Mystery Snail is another member of my algae fighting team. Again, I have not experienced any algae but I'd rather have a prevention in place before it becomes a problem.

As you can see, my 5 gallon tank is technically overstocked by many standards. It has fifteen residents but my parameters all remain ideal. I have a rigorous maintenance routine that I believe is the reason why my tank is successful

To sum up my aquarium residents:
- 1 Male Betta
- 5 Ghost Shrimp (could be more since they are happily breeding)
- 1 Amano Shrimp
- 1 Mystery Snail
- 7 Neon Tetras
* And the water parameters are all ideal.

Other possible fish include:
- White Cloud Mountain Minnows
- Guppies*
- Platies*
- Nerite Snails
- Assassin Snail**
- Endler's Livebearers*
- Other Shrimp varieties
- Killifish***
- Harlequin Rasboras****

The Fluvals Spec box also suggests fish like Tiger Barbs, Goldfish and Danios. Danios may be okay, though they can get to be a fair size. However, Tiger Barbs and Goldfish have too much mass to be in an aquarium this size.

* Watch out for livebearers as they have more mass, which results in more of a bioload. Also, if you have ever had Platies you know how much they poop.
**Assassin Snails will readily breed in a tank environment. Be prepared to deal with the offspring.
*** Killifish are great because they are so small; however, they have very short lifespans so don’t get too attached.
**** Harlequin Rasboras do better in a 10 gallon set up, similar to the Neon Tetras. Make sure that if you attempt this you give them a strong current to exercise in, lots of open spaces to swim (don’t get too crazy with the aquascape), and plenty of water changes to keep them happy.

The best fish for this setup is the White Cloud Mountain Minnow. Why? Because they can be kept in small aquariums with no heating so no modification to the lid is necessary.

Bettas are a close second, but require heaters.

Why My Stock Works

My tank is overstocked, I know. So why do my parameters remain ideal? Because I started with plants, allowed them to grow and thrive, used the proper additives to ensure the aquarium would be ready for residents and then added those residents slowly. Do not skip the cycling process with this tank.

With this many inhabitants my tank’s Bioload is at its maximum capacity. The wonderful oversized filter media allows for a slightly larger load. But Bioload isn’t the only thing to look at. The amount of dissolved oxygen in the water that allows your fish to breath is also very important.

Bettas have an organ called a labyrinth, which allows them to breath air directly from the surface. This means that they do not take as much oxygen from the aquarium’s other inhabitants. Kind of like the Betta, the Mystery Snail breaths air primarily from the surface. Therefore, it is in your aquarium without taking any oxygen.

The shrimp get their oxygen from the water, but they are so small that it isn’t even noticeable. This leaves the Neon Tetras. They do require dissolved oxygen and in their home region the dissolved oxygen is provided by the turbulent rivers. This is why you see Neon Tetras swimming in strong currents—they love it! This is also why my tank works because the filter nozzle allows me to create lots of surface disturbance and water currents. Please note that Bettas like slow-moving water; however, by the intake of my filter (of all places) there seems to be a very slow-moving current where he likes to hang out. Also, my tall, broad-leafed plants are in that corner and give him a place to rest.

The plants in the tank also provide oxygen. Do not assume that by having plants you are giving your fish adequate oxygen. At night plants stop producing oxygen and begin absorbing it. If you notice your fish swimming near the top of the tank at lights out you need to provide more dissolved oxygen. If they are happily swimming around the middle to lower regions you have sufficient levels. Bettas are exempt from this because they prefer the top regions of the tank. Also, if you can see teeny tiny bubbles in your water (especially if they are being pushed down by the filter nozzle) you probably have sufficient amounts of dissolved oxygen. In my tank, I have plenty. My fish are happy and never gasping for air.

Lots of plants are another key factor to my tank’s success. I heavily planted my tank. The more plants that I introduce with the beneficial bacteria on their surfaces the better and their water-quality enhancing powers are unbelievable. I think back to the days when I had an aquarium without live plants and trust me, it makes a huge difference in appearance and water quality.

My tank works because I haven’t skimped on anything. I got the best substrate, all the best additives etc. For a small tank you oddly either have to go big or go home. Don’t waste your time by not getting all of the good products. I love the Seachem products and swear by them. They have made all the difference in my aquarium.

The shrimp are fantastic cleaners. My Betta isn’t the smartest, or fastest fish in the world so when he misses his pellets (even if I feed them one-by-one) the shrimp are waiting greedily to get their fill.

I modified things so that they worked for me. Like the lid. It didn’t do what I wanted so I threw it out and made something that worked for me. I need to give this aquarium the best possible chances.

Typically six Neon Tetras is the minimum that you should keep in a group so I decided to get seven just to make them that much comfier and to avoid any fin nippiness since they tend to be happier in a larger group. They only nipped at my Betta’s tail once and that was the night that they came home from the local fish store and I’m assuming that is because they were probably hungry and those long red fins just looked so delicious. Now that they are being fed on a regular schedule I have no problems with them nipping.

The overstocked tank helps to add CO2 to the water. It is unlikely that the fish in your aquarium will provide enough CO2 to sustain your plants. Unless you have a lot of fish and very little plant life supplementation is required. Either you can get a CO2 system (there is a great mini system by Fluval that I looked at getting), make a DIY CO2 system, or provide liquid CO2. All seem to work well. I recommend a CO2 system if you tank is heavily planted because liquid supplementation is hard to dose for such a small aquarium and it can become very expensive after a while.

To Sum Up

Pros:
1. The filtration system is amazing. If you go through the cycling process correctly your tank will have plenty of beneficial bacteria to support the aquatic life.
2. Along with the filter, the filter nozzle is great. You can choose the direction of flow, which is much different than the waterfall effect that most hang on the back filters have. I like that I can make a lot of surface disturbance to increase the dissolved oxygen in my tank.
3. The filtration system is hidden behind frosted glass so that it does not obstruct your view of the tank.
4. The LED lighting system is much better than I expected. I didn’t think I would be able to grow Dwarf Baby Tears (HC), but they are happily growing. I will admit that they are growing slightly more upward, which is typical of lower lighting system, but they are also spreading width-wise so they may just require more pruning.
5. The lighting system also provides a nighttime option that is a neat feature to have.
6. Great for small species of fish. It is a very long tank for its small capacity, which provides plenty of swimming room for your fish.
7. It is compact and looks great almost anywhere.
8. Maintenance is extremely easy. I just take two 2 liter ice cream bucket worth of water out each day and replace it. I’m putting a little more effort into it because I stocked heavily and quickly so weekly changes will probably be good for you if you stock lightly and slowly.

Cons:
1. There is no heater included. Not only that but there is no place to put a heater. Some people have had success with putting the heater in where the pump is but I had a hard time getting the suction cups to stick to the frosted glass. Also, the way the lid is doesn’t allow for the top of the heater to be exposed so if you do it this way you will either have to find a submersible heater, take off the lid, or make a DIY lid like I did.
2. Speaking about the lid, it’s terrible and cheap. The plastic isn’t clear so the light doesn’t get through it as well. If you don’t have a planted or heated tank and you do not have a cat, then the lid is fine.
3. When initially putting in the pump put the cord through the bottom of the compartment that holds the filter media. This way there is no harsh bend and your pump isn’t wedged in quite as tightly. Oh, and unless there is some trick that I haven’t figured out yet don’t expect to get your pump back out. It’s in there good. Make sure to adjust the flow rate before you put it in.
4. The compartment where the pump is seems to be just a lot of dad space. This is why I would like to get some Marineland Bio-Balls to add more surface area for bacteria to grow.

Petco Stories

cscBiology — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 11:46:44 GMT

Hey everyone!

Just wanted to say that the Petco in my town is AWESOME! awhile back they barely had any display tanks or coral or live rock or even a very good selection of saltwater fish but that has all changed.

Now the PEtco by me has a huge reef display a fantastic frag tank and are in the middle of setting up a 72G as a plant only tank! There selection of corals is amazing (sure the price is a bit high) but along with all the changes they made the selection of fish has greatly imporoved.

Plus the man that takes care of all the saltwater does a great job and knows what he is doing. There is another associate there that is never around and always makes me feel like he is looking down on me but I try to not go when he is there. There was a third employee awile ago that has come back who also knows his stuff when it comes to the biology behind it and there was another female associate that was also really good but has since been promoted to a lead.

Is there anyone else that has a Petco by them that they feel has been increasing in thier stock and knowledge of aquatics lately?? Or do you have a story that is not so positive??

I wanna hear them all!

silk or plastic plants

bernardg — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 09:53:03 GMT

looking for info on silk really;had plastic but water or salt or whatever eats

them after a while; then they get stuck in filtration

Aquarium fish Inernatinal ends

pitselos — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 16:26:37 GMT

I just started a subscription to AFI and with my first issue they stopped publishing. I would be getting a dog mag instead!.. Why take the subscription at all? The current issue has all the subscription cards, etc. They wont refund my money either. I liked the mag, but should get a fair settlement.

Perry's Aquatic Centre

burdettdonna — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 09:52:38 GMT

The one stop shop for quality corals, inverts, plants, plankton, tanks, lighting, filters, feeds and our famous FREE Water Test Service!

Visit Lincoln Aquarium.

Marineland Eclipse II hood

spritestyle — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 11:24:54 GMT

My experience with this hood has not been a great one. Being a noob, I thought that having an all in one system for the aquarium was the greatest idea ever! Oh, how wrong I was...I digress, anyway needless to say it was not the best thing to do. For starter I have to say that I love the look of the hood. It's clean and everything is hidden away. One month after owning the hood, the light started to wig out. I thought that maybe I've had a bad bulb, so went and purchased two new one (this is after having replaced the original bulbs because it just look too dark). A couple of weeks after installing the bulbs, the lights did not work at all! Called the place of purchased and was able to get it replaced, but in the meantime I had to have light for my plants!

This experience scared me into retro fitting new equipments for my tank, with and HOB filter, and LED lights. I'm now hood free and feeling less scared, since I can replace each parts as needed.

Has anyone else had this problem?

Heater Controllers

Rebel1970 — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 14:54:54 GMT

OK What is a good controller? I have heard that JBL is a good one, but what do I know? Any thoughts?

Arizona Aquatic Gardens

pitselos — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 16:32:42 GMT

The worst. Live stock arrived missing, dead or dying, won't return emalis or honor refund policy. Not only expensive, but they charge ann enormous rate for postage without even telling me before hand and getting the ok. It cost more.

very memorable pet store experience >.<

lilcherna — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 21:00:21 GMT

ooohhhmyyygooodness. this is going to be long, just as a warning...
So, yesterday, I went to petsupermarket to pick up some fish food and some cories "if they were still there." They were. and, as I was patiently waiting for some service, there was a man and his daughter asking what to feed their "Siamese fighting fish." I kind of sensed there would be some trouble just based on that question and the synonym he used for betta. So I eavesdropped, as always lol. The employee, kudos for her honesty, told the man that she wasnt really sure, she was new, it wasnt her department, etc, i'll go find someone who can help you. She also told the man that people sometimes feed them goldfish flakes. ...what? the first thing that popped into my mind was that goldfish were pretty herbi/omnivorous whereas bettas are pretty carnivorous. when she left to get someone, I turned around and told the man that there is food specially made for bettas and he held up a package and said his fish wasnt eating them, to which i recommended dried bloodworms saying that they shouldnt be used as a complete diet though. then he asked if more could be kept together, i said its not a good idea, def. dont keep two males together, "how can you tell?", "well..." and went off talking about betta compatibility. he asked me if i worked there x) and then said i should. then told the poor employee about all my help and how i should work there >.< that was kind of the start of the oohhhhmyyygoodnesss-ness. then i needed my fish... i probaby should have come back when a new girl was not working. cory cats. theyre speedy little guys. first problem, she wasnt sure what i wanted. i didnt really want to complicate things by saying "those false-bandit cories" 1, they were labeled "assrtd. cories" and 2, i didnt really think that would do any good anyways. so i said, those three catfish. the only three fish that could possibly resemble a catfish in the whole tank of black mollies. ...she nets me a pleco. thanks, but no thanks. so i point out the fish again. so, when she finally knows what shes going after, it isnt long until every sword plant along the back of the tank is unrooted and floating. so she takes those out of the tank. im was also a little baffled about how much gravel she was netting. then the thing that shocked me was, when she finally had a fish flopping above the gravel in the net, even when the fish was already in the little container she still poured in all the gravel! i was just......idontevenknow. then i suggested she used two nets and she did. well, that only meant twice as much gravel. but she reassured me that she would take out the gravel. thanks, i feel so much better now -_- ... so it took about 15 mins until there was about 3 inches of gravel, 3 cories, and 3 black molly fry in the container. ya know... i used to ask if i could get some of the fry sometimes and they would say, well if it ends up in the bag, its yours. i never thought that was possible.... now i know... Luckily and surprisingly, my cories are doing very well along with the 3 new fry (just what i need >.< theyre in my 29 gallon for now. but, i have never seen such a struggle to net fish! it was memorable, indeed. Unfortunately, however, it did change my whole perspective of that store. because, even the lady at the register was new and she had trouble too. i mean, its understandable. but, dont they go through training?? i think bagging fish properly and efficiently should be part of that training and not restricted to the fish department person, especially if youre going to send the new kid over there to fill in because no one is working in that area at the moment.
sorry its a little long. i know no one else would get it, so i had to tell you guys x)
feel free to share any of your pet store experiences, good or bad

aquaclear 30

bettacrazy — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 17:59:17 GMT

the aquaclear 30 is by far the best filter I have ever owned. it keeps the water crystal clear, and I never see debris floating around in the tank. I would highly recommend this filter to anybody with a 20 or 30 gallon aqaurium! this is relativly cheap for a filter in my experience.

Hikari Algae Wafers

FattFishy — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 20:33:09 GMT

Category: Food and Nutrition

Brand: Hikari

Name: Hikari Algae Wafers

Product Description: Offers complete and balanced nutrition for superior growth and improved health. Contains higher levels of spirulina and vegetable matter plecostomus and other algae eaters prefer. The uniquely shaped disc won't dissolve readily or cloud aquarium water. The "original algae wafer" - Easy and convenient to use. Rich in necessary vitamins and nutrients, including stabilized vitamin C to reduce stress and stress related disease.

Ingredients: White fish meal, dehydrated alfalfa meal, wheat flour, wheat-germ meal, alpha starch, dried seaweed meal, fish oil, krill meal,dried bakery product, brewer's dried yeast, spirulina, enzyme, astaxanthin, garlic, monosodium glutamate, vitamins and minerals including stabilized vitamin C.

Guaranteed Analysis:
Crude Protein: mins. 32%
Crude Fat: min. 4.0%
Crude Fiber: max. 5.0%
Moisture: max. 10%
Crude Ash: max. 12%
Phosphorus min. 0.7%

Price:

Don't know... will look up.

Personal Analysis:

Overall, it's a great product. The algae wafer has the unique shape for sucker fish to easily suck up the wafer. The size it comes in is a bit big, so I usually have to break it somehow.

Sick fish at pet stores

urofan — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 14:55:50 GMT

How often do you see sick fish at pet stores?

Brine shrimp hatchery dish

ninkasi27 — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 07:56:16 GMT

I recently purchased a brine shrimp hatchery dish from brineshrimpdirect.com and am so thoroughly impressed by it that I had to post something here. This thing is amazing. No airation necessary, no heat necessary and no added light necessary. Best of all, no bubbling mason jars on your kitchen counter necessary!!!. All you have to do is fill the dish with salt water (chlorine removed and PH raised, if necessary) and add eggs. THAT'S IT!!! In less than 24 hours, I had tons of baby brine to feed to my hungry fry. It's clean and best of all discrete. I keep mine right in my kitchen and no one even notices it. I've also found that it's not necessary to completely discard the water before starting the next cycle. I'm currently on my 4th cycle with the same treated water. I simply suck out any shell casings and crud that has accumulated and top the water off before adding more eggs. In addition, this is not the first time I've made purchases from brine shrimp direct. They carry flake, frozen, pastes, nutritional additives, pellets, brine shrimp eggs of varying hatch rates, rotifers and lots of equipment. Their customer service is exceptional and shipping is fast. They are a wonderful resource for fish people and deserve to be supported. Give them a try. You won't be disappointed!

Fluval Ebi warning!

ninkasi27 — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 12:54:40 GMT

I was totally in love with my Fluval Ebi. It was doing great after being set up for one year. My plants looked great and my shrimp were thriving. Everything changed last night when I decided to do a water change. The entire background piece that came "permanently" attached to the back wall of the tank disconnected from the glass and floated to the top of the water, uprooting almost every plant with it. I am now left with a murky, muddy mess and a total salvage job to deal with. Luckily the shrimp seem fine, but I can kiss a year's worth of plant growth goodbye. Not cool.

EcoBio-Block

Cgoldies123 — Tue, 03 May 2011 05:18:04 GMT

i just noticed these advertised on the main fishchannel.com page, and i've been looking at the website for them, they are really interesting. i was just wondering if anyone on here has actually tried them?

here is the website address for anyone wondering what they are http://www.onedersave.com/

Aquarium Heaters

Rebel1970 — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 18:20:51 GMT

Anone got the straight skinny on a good heater? All I read, it sounds like a crap shoot. I don't mind paying for a good heater if it is worth it, but I hate paying good money for a $3.00 heater that lasts 3 weeks.
Any suggestions will be highly appreciated. I am setting up a 75 gallon fresh water community tank.
Thanks in advance

my experience of REALLY bad service

DaisyMay — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 08:25:45 GMT

So yesterday I walked into Petsmart to go buy some new fish. I was amazed at how many fish they had there. All of the fish looked healthy...but not happy. Anyways, when the lady was bagging my fish (she bagged 5 fish in one bag with very little water, 1 gold gourami, and 4 flame tetras) she just kept spinning the bag to put the rubber band on! She also held the fish out of the water for a good amount of time. That part always happens and it bothers me...then I went to the checkout. OH BOY now this made me SOOOOO mad! The lady who wrote the numbers on the bag for the checkout people had the wrong numbers written down. So then the checkout person walked to the back of the store with my fish...she just swung the poor fish's bag with the movement of her arms. Gosh, the fish were all having mini heart attacks it seems. When she finally got back with my fish they were all so pale! Then when I got home I acclimated them and put them into my tank. One of the fish I bought was dead. I am soooo not happy with the service. NOT going back there again! The Petco around where I live is not good either...that's a whole other story...

"Crazy Lady"

trumpet103 — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 21:31:51 GMT

So at the pets store i usually go to, theres this one employee i always avoid but they are ALWAYS there. She always manages to make sure she thuroughly tames the fish by smashing it in every way she can. and best of all, when she has the fish in the container, she is sure to drain it slowly into the bag so the fish can stick onto the side of the container. Conveniently, she has really long finger nails that she can scrape the fish into the bag with If i want a more delicate fish, i make sure i come back later when i see her. She also questions my tank everytime and insists on knowing what the tank mates are. I needed a single black widow tetra, and because it was a schooling fish, she refused to get it in the container because it will "languish and die" (ha you showed me woman). So i lied and said it was for my oscar to eat. I like to have my fun with her.

And at this one pet store that opened up the street, a new employee offered me their job because they had no clue how to get a plant out of the tank. it was potted and she asked me if i wanted to get it out. well she marked it wrong anyway, so i got the by one get one deal and got myself an additional 7 dollar plant for 3 dollars. I like newbees. I am pretty sure she quit after i asked to get my water tested because i had to walk her through it and i haven't seen her in their since.

AquaticLife Fixture - Missing 4 Frame Mounts?

johnlandon009 — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 19:23:08 GMT

I finally received my 36" AquaticLife Dual T5HO Fixture in the mail.

But it looks like I am missing the 4 frame mounts. The packaging states it is included.

I repacked the fixture in the box and it has a very snugg fit. No room for any additional parts.

Am I overlooking something here? Are the frame mounts inside the fixture?

Hikari Brine Shrimp

DebbieSwagger — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 07:31:28 GMT

I had picked it up to try it out, and my fish go crazy for it.

Filters

JohnandJen — Tue, 11 May 2010 19:05:22 GMT

I am looking to replace my filters in my 55 gallon and my 37 gallon with something better. Right now I just have the filters that hang on the back of the aquarium and sit inside the tank. Dont get me wrong, they work fine, but I am interested in the cannister filters. I know there are different ones with different prices, but is there one that is better than others? What do yaw'll think?

Sarge

DO NOT BUY FROM AQUATRADERS!! Aquatraders review

Tullstone — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 12:53:59 GMT

The company is horrible. Their staff is also very rude and demeaning.

I bought a light fixture from them and they did not tell me that they failed to process my credit card for 2 WEEKS!! When I called, they yelled at me and hung up on me without ever offering to help with the situation. Then I asked for a refund and they refused to answer my emails or calls for over a week until I had to report them to my bank!

Trust me, buy from some where else!!

marineland heater recall service

princessotfu — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 09:05:45 GMT

I know it's not really a product per se,

But I did want to give a hearty thumbs-up to Marineland for their swift and pleasant service with the heater recall.
My lab had 4 of the recalled heaters (we use almost exclusively marineland products), and when I called they were very helpful. The box came within a week, and when it was opened, we found 6 replacement heaters instead of the 4 we sent them!

A note for anyone else that has them: If you have the Stealth Pro heaters, I recommend you send them pack as soon as possible. This seems to be the line they are most particularly worried about and the majority of the heater incidents have been with these particular ones.

They also send you the new Visi-therm heaters to replace the old Stealth heaters, I can say I like them a lot better anyway.

Fluval Edge Review

CravingBlue — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 07:21:42 GMT

I purchased one of these about a week ago. The glass seams are incredibly clean, which makes it look really elegant and high end. The base and everything looks good even though it's made of plastic. The filter does an adequate job but you definately won't be able to skimp on water changes if you keep any fish that isn't super clean. The lights look very pretty when they're turned on but a tank thermometer is a must! My lights were on for just a few hours and heated my water to above 80 degrees. There is no way these should be left on for any length of time. You can actually slide the tank right out of the base, so this is not a good idea if you have children. It could easily crash with just a small nudge if you accidentally bump it. I have yet to see how I'm going to get a syphon started given the small opening at the top, but once it's going it should be fairly easy to clean. Overall, this is a beautiful tank for adults.

ZooMed Betta Therm- Betta Bowl Heater - 7.5w

Faraday — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 13:08:41 GMT

Has anyone used a ZooMed Betta Therm- Betta Bowl Heater - 7.5w?
results?

Rena XP4 Reviews

Flowerhorn45 — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 17:57:00 GMT

Has anyone used Rena's XP4 canister filters? I bought one and about to use it when my new aquarium is delivered, but the reviews that I have seen on the internet are all bad? Did I make the wrong choice in buying an XP4 filter for a freshwater aquarium (150 gallon - S. American cichlids)? Thanks.

Microbe Lift

bmalit — Wed, 04 May 2011 16:23:18 GMT

Has anyone ever heard of the products Microbe-Lift: Nite-Out II and Microbe-Lift: Special Blend? Apparently it cycles tanks in a week or so. I'm wondering if anyone else has used this product. There's an ad of it right here in last year's Aquarium USA magazine (which I love so much ) and apparently, you add in the fish and the plants first, then you add in the products, and you convert all this ammonia into nitrites, nitrates, and then nitrogen gas. Anyone know if this product works?

Fluval U Series

Starrfish — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 06:09:57 GMT

The Filter in My 20G Freshwater Aquarium is getting old and will soon need replacing. I was looking at replacing it with one of the Fluval U series, and underwater filter. In particular the U2, which is meant for 15-30Gs. Has anyone had experience with this particular filter? Or do you recommend something else? i have a Fluval heater and am quite pleased with it.

Now my aquarium has a few requirements, one being its a planted tank with fish. second do to the design of the tank and stand i have less than an inch between the wall and the back of the tank, just enough for wires. now the architecture of my tank and stand can't move or change so the filter has to be internal and fit in the tank

Thanks for your opinions

fish pet store.

mikey63 — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 18:20:12 GMT

I went to my nearest pet store(pet-smart) & there fish Dept. was rather small,plant were in bad shape. But, they had a sale on White-clouds & neon-Tetras... Got 4 of each, In a week 2 of each died! Should I find another store?
My 1st. test. What do you think?
Nitrate-NO3 -- 15
Nitrite-NO2-- 3.0
Hardness-- 75
Chlorine-- 0
Alkalinity-- 80
Ph.-- 7.2

CaribSea Instant Aquarium Torpedo Beach Gravel

mikey63 — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 11:31:27 GMT

CaribSea Instant Aquarium Torpedo Beach Gravel

Q; Is this a laterite substitute,& can I mix it with my gravel?

Vita-chem

goldie81 — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 14:28:55 GMT

I just recently purchased vita-chem and I was wondering if anyone has ever used it and if so what were the results of the use.

I bought it as a supplement for my fish but don't know if it's worth opening or I should just return it back.

Thanks everyone!

Seachem Prime question

Robd — Sat, 15 May 2010 08:38:44 GMT

I was using Tetra Safe Start but went to a lfs that didn't have it. The owner sold me Seachem Prime instead said it is a better buy. Im sure its good stuff, my concern is that it does not mention neutralizing heavy metals as does Safe Start. I know i some times have a red tint to my water I think its iron. Should I use something for metals?

safestart instead of cycling

white cloud — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 10:00:59 GMT

have read that safestart is an alternative to using fish to cycle tank anybody got some ideas about that

Fish reviews!

plecodiscus — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 12:08:27 GMT

Post reviews!

include temperament, max size, preferred pH range, temperature range, diet, special needs (if any),and any comments/why you like or dislike the fish.

eclipse 12g replacement bulbs?

pufferfan — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 17:25:59 GMT

After wondering for the longest time why every plant I put in my 12 eclipse tank has died(even java moss), I looked at the bulb and it said it was only 13 watts. I had always just assumed it was approximately 2 watts per gallon like the other eclipse tanks I have owned, but it isn't. Does anyone know where I can get a 24w or higher fluorescent bulb that is 6 inches? (kind of pathetic only 1/3 of the hood's length is devoted to the light fixture.)

Thanks.

Top Fin Aquariums

jsmith11618 — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:28:14 GMT

I bought a 29 gallon Top Fin aquarium a few months back from Petsmart. Top Fin is their in house brand.

The aquarium is of equal quality to the name brand aquariums out there, and is apparently made by one of the well known companies and just re-branded for Petsmart.

I bought it for 2 reasons, 1 it was cheaper then Hagen 29 gallon, and 2 it comes with a lifetime warranty where the Hagen only had a 90 day warranty.

gravel quality

Sam fish — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 18:08:03 GMT

in my tank i have red gravel and i have had it up since x-mas of 09 and now the some of the gravel has the red off before i would use gravel from walmart and it did that but i am using a more hi quality and it still dose it

Eheim

cooltow1 — Fri, 22 May 2009 16:00:57 GMT

Weigh in on Eheim ECCO vs Classic,Your options please. I have come to the point were I have to replace a couple of filters. I have used Eheim Classic in the past.

Rick