Here we go again, Let's dive in!

Species only tank/fish.

What is that and what does it mean?

Simple, Species only are usually intended for highly or extremely aggressive fish, who, no matter what you do bully and consume (eat) their 'friends' (tank makes) When this happens it means that your fish needs to be with it's own kind and no you can't use a divider as that is unfair and takes away space from all of your fish even the active ones might become stressed and die.

Species only tank.

To prevent hybrids many breeders will setup and keep only specific strains (genes/lineage) of fish together or they focus and only keep that fish for example, platinum dumbo ear guppies, breeders will not mix them with 'mutt' guppies in order to keep the strain 'pure'

Canister filter setup:

I will not tell you what media to use, unless you are having extreme issues keeping your water clear, But, remember, 'Crystal Clear Water' does not always mean healthy stable water.

Have you done a pre-plugin check?

Is the gasket on correctly?

Did you secure the in/out hoses properly?

Did you lock the lid?

Is the UV (If you are using one) hooked up right?

Have you filled the canister filter up half way?

If you answered 'Yes' to those questions, check again just to make sure.

Next switch your 'in' valve on first and wait about 10 seconds, Now turn on your 'out' valve you should start hearing a sound akin to running water, that is a good sound, Last step, plug your canister filter and UV sterilizer on.

Congrats now you know how to preform checks, operate, and turn on a canister filter.

Bonus:

Did you know that if you have 45 gallon tank you can use a filter meant for 60 to 70 gallons?

See, there is no such thing as 'over filteration' (For larger tanks) The stronger the filter the better off you and your fish will be, So for a 60 gallon tank, it is perfectly acceptable to use a filter meant for 90 to 100 gallons, If I said this already I'm sorry, If you are using a canister filter, make sure that your ammonia pad is in the very bottom tray, the ammonia pad should be changed once every 1-2 months just to be safe, Remember an internal and HOB filter only offers carbon and often water clarification the latter usually being ineffective, Too thrive, all tanks need the following in their filters.

Chemical.

Mechanical.

and

Biological.

internals and HOBs (Even when modified) are usually not capable of providing the necessary filteration to your tank, 5, 10, and 15 gallon tanks are typically not equipped with the space to accommodate the in/out pipes of a canister filter, and no getting a cheap knock off brand off Amazon is not a wise decision as they are almost 100% of the time garbage, so if you've got a smaller tank don't worry about getting a canister filter.

That's all for now, Next time we will be discussing how to water-log drift wood, What is that white fungus on my drift wood!? and how to clean live plants BEFORE you put them into your tank.

Bye!

Doing this early, Let's dive in!

How to water log drift wood.

Now I'm sure you've been told to boil, soak and even pressure wash it, but what if I told you that there is an easier way?

Obviously you still need to wash it but let's say you've already done that, If your drift wood is too big to boil then this is your lucky day, With your drift wood washed, place it in your aquarium in the desired spot, use (WASHED) rocks or slate rocks to hold the drift wood down, avoid touching, jostling and bumping during water changes otherwise it might come lose and float up to the top.

How long will this take?

I can't say exactly how long this process will be but eventually you will be able to remove the rocks or slate rocks but it will take quite some time, all you can do is wait.

Gross! What is that white fungus looking stuff on my drift wood!?

Calm down and for the love of..don't touch it.

Why not?

Simple, if you have Otos they will eat and clean your drift wood, besides removing that fungus might cause it to back come but 10x worse than before, if you have Otos and they are not eating the white fungus, remove the drift wood and pressure wash it on the highest setting, just don't let it dry out, especially if it is already water logged, otherwise you will have to water log it all over again.

I bought/ordered live plants but they look not so great, What should I do?

Don't panic there is an easy fix to this, but if there are snails on the plants, be warned that this will kill them.

Start with:

x1 large sterile salad bowl.

2-3 ML of Hydrogen peroxide, per gallon.

Half way fill the bowl with water.

Now set one plant into the bowl and leave for 20 minutes.

How to get rid of snails and their eggs.

In a clean salad bowl, add 1-2 cups of warm water, add 1 cup of salt (I had good results using Kosher salt, though you can use aquarium salt instead)

Now let it sit for 20 minutes, Only do this after you've rinsed your plants prior to using the above method, remember to cut away any sickly, dead, or transparent looking leaves (Off with their heads!) Once your plants are done with their salt bath it is once again time to gently rinse them under the tap, once you've inspected them for any snails or eggs (Eggs look like white mucus) Now you can plant them into your aquarium.

That's all for now, Next time we will discuss how to clear up black water (Tannins) How to clean rocks (Not pebbles) and why some fish need larger tanks despite their size, Until next time, bye bye!

I'm baaack! Let's dive in.

How to clear up black water (Tannins)

If you don't have any live plants and just leaves, drift wood etc, You can add carbon to your filter which should help to clear it up, you can also try using Boyd Enterprises Chemi-Pure (This goes into your filter NOT YOUR WATER) How often should I change Chemi-Pure? Read the label it should be on there, if not, try changing it once a month.

How to 'boil' rocks for an aquarium.

What kind of lunatic BOILS rocks!? -_-

You don't boil rocks otherwise they might explode.

You can either soak them in warm water and aquarium salt or fill up the sink with hot water, draining and refilling when you need to (Soak them over night and do water tests until the tests come back with a safe reading, This goes with soaking them in aquarium salt as well)

But the fish only gets to 6 inches, why does it need a 200 gallon tank?

Here's why.

When a seemingly 'small' fish needs 200 gallons or more it is because they have boundless energy and if housed in a tiny aquarium not only is that fish at serious risk of injury but being kept in a small confined tank will eventually cause him/her to die, and that is entirely your fault, you wanted the fish but didn't take into account what they need in order to thrive.

Bonus:

Cichlids:

''Woah that fish is gorgeous! I gotta have it!''

6 months later~

''Ugh..Why is he still growing?''

That might be because he is a cichlid that you failed to do ANY research on, Some cichlids like Oscars, grow between 12 and 14 inches, Cichlids should not be kept by beginners unless said beginner has an experienced teacher guiding them properly.

Dwarf cichlid:

Dwarf cichlids unlike their much larger cousins can be kept in medium to large sized aquariums but should not be housed in an aquarium smaller than 20 gallons, Dwarf doesn't mean stupidly small tank, they are still cichlids no exceptions.

Okay that's all for this round, Next time we will be discussing what fish are appropriate (Live feeding) to be fed to your fish and what are not and why, How intelligent are fish? and Why is my fish hiding all the time? Bye bye for now!

Here we go again~ Let's dive in.

This topic is not for the faint of heart, Don't say I didn't warn you.

Feeder fish list (Not acceptable for your fish)

Goldfish

Mollies

Platies

Guppies

etc.

Here's why.

None of the mentioned fish above hold any nutritional value whatsoever, Feeding them to your larger predatory fish is just a waste and inhumane, those fish plus more pose a serious choking hazard, Yes your fish CAN choke to death on its prey and more often than naught there is nothing you can do about it or it is too late.

Here's what you can feed to your fish.

White Water Mountain Minnows (Pre-fed)

Small to medium sized lake/river fish (Legally caught and pre-fed)

There is one huge risk with live feeding, it's not just the choking hazard but you might be introducing parasites into your tank by deploying live feedings, Live fish are NOT a staple diet and should not be treated as such.

Moving on, How smart are fish?

You are in for a treat tonight, X amount of years ago I bought a betta fish fry, he was still transparent and had haunting black doll-like eyes, the back half of his body was black while the front was white, I named him Shockwave, when he got older the back half of his body turned blue and his eyes turned blue as well, but that's not what we're talking about..At an early age I taught him his name, eventually he would turn around anytime I said it, One day I said his name and I was standing near the side of the aquarium while he was on the other side, he heard his name and swam right up to me, So if that doesn't show you how intelligent fish are if given the chance then I don't know what would, You could probably even teach them to 'Spin' or 'Tunnel' if you have the patients for it, Fish are not easy to teach things too.

Why is my fish hiding constantly?

There are several reasons.

Your fish is being bullied.

Your fish is sick.

Dying.

Or..

Nocturnal.

Yes there are nocturnal fish meaning that you will never see them during the day, their masters at hiding even in plain sight, If you got a fish that you know is NOT nocturnal and is hiding regardless then it might be time to do every water test under the sun it could be your water, or a number of things.

Bonus:

This was brought to my attention recently when I was going over my notes the other night and I almost kicked myself for not dispelling this confusion sooner.

Poisonous vs Venomous

What's the difference?

Poisonous, poison is typically ingested (Through food, water, oxygen or via the pores on your skin)

Venomous, Venom is injected by, fangs, bulbs, stingers, spines, tentacles (Jellyfish) Some venoms are mild and very rarely require medical attention, unless you are allergic then seek medical attention immediately, other venoms like Hemotoxic, Cyotoxic, Neurotoxic Venom, Speaking of venom, pretty much, none of the venoms mentioned here, are anything like 'poison' though unlike poison, venom will either kill you right away or slow and very painfully, that's not saying that there are not poisons that can't kill you within a few minutes, but you should not mistake the two, I grew up watching and learning about venomous fish, and reptiles, I even studied poisons..yeah I was a weird kid/teenager..That's probably why a lot of the other kids were kinda scared of me lol

Venomous fish are typically found in salt water, but there are a very rare few freshwater fish who are mildly venomous, Corycats being one of them, their venom can't kill you but it can be pretty itchy, allergic reactions are rare and normally don't require a trip to the hospital, just an allergy pill, a cold compress and some seriously foul language.

Hasty you didn't say what poisons do what.

Are you completely out of your mind!?

I will not share that type of information on the internet, I was raised better than that, I won't even share it if I am messaged about it, poison is more readily available than venom is, I do not need something like that hanging over my head.

Oh wow that got kinda ranty huh? Sorry but I had a lot to say and all of it needed to be said, That's all for now, Next time we will be discussing nets and how to clean them properly, What causes your, lights, heater, filter UV sterilizer (If you are using UV) to fail my findings are surprising, and store bought goods you can feed to your fish as treats, That's all for now, Bye!

Oh I should probably just go on record here, the reason I studied/researched poison and venom during my..brathood is simple, Just like any highly intelligent kid, I went through the 'I wanna know as much as I possibly can about the world in which I inhabit', phase, What is and isn't dangerous and why, Yeah I kinda got bit by the nature/miss curious bug.

Until next time!

I will be back on Saturday.

Let's dive in.

How to clean aquarium nets.

Fill your sink up until the mesh of your net is completely submerged in the water, add as many nets as your sink can hold, make sure that the water is hot, once the sink is full enough add 1 capful of bleach and allow the nets to soak for an hour, once the hour is up, you will need to drain the sink, and begin running the mesh of the net under cold tap water until they no longer have that bleach like slimy feel to them, each net should be washed for 10 minutes, inside and out, you should probably clean your nets every 2 weeks, and soak them every month, Pat your nets dry with a clean tea towel or just a regular towel.

''I just plugged in my heater, lights, filter and UV and they are fried now, what happened!?''

Calm down, it might your electrical, if you are running on 110 volts and try to use anything that 220 volts it's going to fry or cause your entire place to short out, unfortunately I can't do anything about that other then to tell you to call an electrician or check the electrical output of the product before you buy it, otherwise you might be spending thousands or more.

Ever wonder if you can buy actual food for your fish from say Walmart? Well you can, I'm not talking about what they carry in the 'Pet section' of their store, no no no, You can feed your fish things like, Shrimp, Tilapia (If you have saltwater and freshwater puffers) Clams, Mussels, You can also try them on things like, Prawns (Frozen) Krill (These are probably not sold at your local Walmart etc) But another thing you can offer to your fish are mealworms though they should be freeze dried not live, Any of the 'store bought' foods mentioned above need to be washed first, you should offer these foods using aquascaping tweezers just in case your fish decide that what you are offering them is 'yucky' and don't want it.

That's all for now, Next time we are going to be diving into some medication products intended to be used by the intermediate to advanced hobbyist, these products should not be used by someone just starting out, plus a product that anyone can use and should be using, also ''You can [REDACTED] your fish!?'' Hmm..wonder what that might be? You'll find out next time. Bye!

I tried getting this out earlier but my dog was fussing over a lawn mower hours ago, it took me grooming and giving her a cookie to convince her that the lawn mower outside is not going anywhere near her backyard XD

Let's dive in!

The product I will be mentioning is NOT for beginners in the wrong hands it will kill everything in your tank, and I mean everything.

So your fish are not responding to any of the medications I have already brought up, Well there is something else you can try but like I said, this method if done wrong is deadly.

Have you tried doing a PP drip? -_- No not THAT pp..get your minds out of the septic tank.

PP stands for Potassium Permanganate

What is that?

It kills any external parasite with the exception of Ich (Won't work on it) diease and external fungus, You will still need to quarantine your fish, this stuff doesn't give you pass or a path around doing quarantine.

Add less than one gram of Potassium Permanganate to a bucket filled enough for your new fish with aquarium water (After completing the Quarantine period) Once the water and the PP are added you will notice that the water in your bucket has turned blue, Blue is good it means that the PP is active, Now use a long spoon, and stir until it turns dark purple or a dark purplish colour, (You can use tap water but make sure to add Seachem Prime before adding the fish, I do suggest using TWO buckets BEFORE starting this process) Now with your fish in the net (One at a time) You are going to hold the net with the fish still in it (DO NOT let the fish out of the net) inside your bucket of PP for no longer than 10 seconds, after that place your fish into another bucket (Obviously the bucket will have water and Prime or whatever you are using in it) Now repeat this until all of your new fish have had their dip, Let your fish in the bucket relax for about 1-2 minutes and then with a clean sterile net scoop your fish up and add them to your aquarium.

If you are noticing your fish are acting strange after the PP drip (Strange as in they are struggling with life or stressed out) You will need to add one capful of Hydrogen Peroxide to deactivate the PP and do a 90% water change, change all media and wash all of your decorations.

When will I notice if my fish are reacting poorly to the PP?

You will know, monitor and keep them on your radar, in other words, do not take your eyes off of them for about an hour or so.

I will say this, a PP drip/dip, is not the, be all, end all, cure all,

No, If your fish was in bad health prior this will not make him or her better, it will likely kill them.

I am NOT responsible if you deploy this method and it goes wrong, I warned you aptly so.

PP is the product meant for advanced to intermediate hobbyist.

What product can anyone use/should be using?

After every water change you should be adding these products (Products meaning that there are 2 of them) So you refilled your aquarium after your water change, Good, Now you should add one or one half of a capful of Seachem Stress Guard, once every 2-3 months add one capful of Seachem Paraguard, You should also add 1 capful of StressGuard in the event of a power outage, those are stressful as it is.

You can [REDACTED] your fish!?

Yes you can sex fish that are difficult to tell apart using the many months I have spent doing this research and I will say, it is still in the testing phase so it might not be as accurate now but soon I am hoping to further and simplify this method.

Since this fish is the most difficult I decided to start with them and then try move onto a difficult Saltwater fish.

Anywhoo, From my findings thus far, Males have a bump on their heads, their frontal/ventral fins are longer and they fork downward, Males have bigger bodies (Body mass) And their dorsal fins are taller and sit more forward than the female, Females have no bump on their heads but their heads should look kind of like a ski slope, their dorsal fins sit at a 90 degree angle, they have smaller bodies and their frontal/ventral fins range from short to long but they do not fork like the males do, Another thing to look for is their vents, the vents are almost impossible to spot and are only visible one week before they spawn, and even then you still probably won't be able to tell them apart unless you've been watching them constantly.

Males won't have a noticable bump on their head for a few years despite the fact that they mature at around 6-12 months.

I'm going by visual instead of by behavioral as males and females will behave like twins until males begin sparring or competing for territory or a female, Angelfish are not like guppies, they pick one mate and very rarely ever accept another one, so keep that in mind when buying pairs or groups of 6 or more.

That's all I've got for you for now, Next time we will be discussing small tanks and how to reduce (Somewhat) reduce those pesky fluctuations that all 10 gallon tanks are prone to doing, Ordering fish online, and debunking more myths.

Bonus!

Did you think I forgot?

In a recent study that I did/ have been doing, it is why I have been posting in the evening sometimes, I discovered that you can overdose an aquarium thus giving you false readings, Here are the right readings, when a new aquarium is done cycling you'll know if the test comes back under 40 ppm (parts per million) though 40ppm is ideal, I will try adding Nutrafin Cycle for 1-2 days, back off for a day, do a test and if it reads 0ppm then add more cycle, This method that I am trying is something I came up with on my own so I don't think you should try it until I have done more research into it, No this will not shorten the time it takes to cycle an aquarium I am simply doing this to test a theory of mine, It'll still take 2 months for your aquarium to cycle, If this works and I am right I will keep you updated, though the updates will be very slow coming so don't expect them in 2 months, it could take a full year or longer for it to yield any sort of result, good or bad.

Until next time, Bye!

Let's dive in!

Fluctuations:

Don't you just hate those?

I have a 10 gallon tank (For now) so I feel your pain to those of you with 10 gallon tanks and under.

Here is the product that I use in my internal filter (I put it in the back every week) Aqueon Pure Live Beneficial Bacteria and Enzymes, For every 10 gallons add 2 of the balls either directly to your aquarium, Got a clean up crew? No problem simply add them to your HOB or internal filter, If you add them to your aquarium and notice that they have expanded and are free floating, don't panic, that's normal and they are supposed to do that, DO NOT scoop them out they will dissolve over time, if you suck them up in your siphon, no worries just add new ones after each water change, they work just fine with or without carbon, On the package it says to add one but just add 2 because just like HOBs and Internal filters you'll want to go up a size, so a filter meant for 20 gallons is perfect for a 10 gallon tank, adding two of the Aqueon balls won't hurt plus you can't overdose them anyway, When I used them they made my water quality about 40x better than what it was before, you can order them on Amazon and Ebay you might even find them at your LFS and if you do find them, Order 2 packs of the 12 count so that it lasts a bit longer.

Ordering fish online:

Should you do it?

Yes and No.

If you are ordering from a 'website' a 'youtuber' used you are going to get screwed, Why? Because the place they more than likely ordered from is shady as shit, Beware of websites that offer 'mystery' boxes that is a red flag, They could send you something illegal to own or an endangered/invasive species, Didn't think about that one did you? Only order from websites who you can easily contact via email or phone, though email is ideal so you can ask to see swim videos of your desired fish, if they won't provide them, move on and find another website, Another thing you can do is ask the staff at your LFS to custom/special order the fish in for you (You will still need to pay for the fish, obviously)

So when a website for ordering live fish claims to have x amount of years of experience but their 'About' page is vague as fuck they are more than likely lying to draw in suckers..I mean clients, Moral of this post? Contact BEFORE you buy, don't let them give you 'videos' with music over them either, that is not a good sign and it can mean that your fish is coming from a place with poor filteration.

More myths:

Ugh..These are getting old..fast..-_-

Let's start with the fish who has been given a nasty rep.

Piranha, They NOT what movies, TV and lame..main stream media have made them up to be, first off they are not going to attack and devour you on sight, no they don't frenzy when they sense or detect blood in the water, They are actually an extremely skittish and shy fish, they'd rather get away from you than waste the energy it would take to turn you into brackish water soup.

How do you explain the attacks?

What attacks? ..Oh you mean the 'attacks for no reason' Riiiight those actually happened for a reason, Just like Sharks, Piranha are attracted to splashing and fast/erractic movements, unlike Sharks they don't take what it is called a 'sample' bite, they will nip but they're likely not going to kill you unless they are spawning then you need to stay away, When people own Piranha they do it to look 'cool' or 'tough' and will do things to make them unnaturally aggressive and reactive which is unfair to the fish, if they become too stressed they turn on one another and rip their school apart and kill/eat each other as well, they will do this in the wild but cannibalism is not uncommon in the wild or the hobby, What's next?

...Oh yeah that one

''Fish don't have teeth''

For fuck sake.

Yes they do, How else do you think they eat? Have you tossed a bloow worm cube into a tank with say 6-12 Discus? Well if you are quiet you will hear them biting and chewing their food, it is an interesting sound, I know because my LFS let me help them feed the fish and I got to feed their 8 Discus, their so fascinating to watch, Piranha are interesting to watch too, they might not be pretty like Discus but they tend to envoke curiosity, I know when I first saw them I couldn't stop looking and asking questions lol

Is there more?

Yes.

....Ugggghhhhh!

What it is?

...And your sure?

-Sigh.-

''Fish can live in a bottle''

Why did I leave my lab..I should've just stayed indoors..

NO fish can't live in 'bottles' And no DIY is going to contest that, Honestly, DO NOT DIY this is fish keeping NOT wood/metal working, What the fuck is wrong with you!?

Can I put YOU in a bottle and tell all of my/your family and friends that you are happy and loving it in there? Unfortunately I can't there are laws in place that prevent me from doing so, otherwise I would.

Are we done now?

Yes.

FINALLY!

...

Bonus.

If you have live plants and can't use carbon for the obvious reasons, Try using Zeolite by Fluval, don't use the Carbon mix unless you want to ruin your plants.

That's all I got for you for now.

Until next time!

I won't have anything more for you until June 7th The 2nd of June is my birthday so I will be hiding until then, Bye!

Yeah I know I'm 1 day late, Let's dive in!

Here is something I have been meaning to bring up since it seems to be happening a lot.

So as you probably know, ordering EVERYTHING for our fish online is on the rise, but so are bad sellers, So if the reviews seem a little to good to be true and you order it, Check the expiration date, some like to refill old bottles, if that is the case, toss out the bottle and demand your refund you are after all within your right, I have done that a good number of times on Amazon though I did leave a 5 star review to let others know not to buy from that seller.

Aquarium dimensions:

Did you notice something?

I have, Aquariums (today) are lacking in width, meaning that they are not as wide as they should be, which makes aquarium shopping tricky, at least I have found it difficult to find the right aquarium, Is there a way around it? Boy you sure like the 'easy way' huh? There isn't really a 'Cost effective' way around this issue other than getting an aquarium custom made but that can cost too much honestly.

'What is that clear stuff that looks like swirls in my tank?'

Oh that, yeah that's not good, it means that your gravel needs to be replaced, it is leeching chemicals that will eventually poison your water and kill your fish, Unfortunately there is no way to slow this down or even stop it, I have tried, it usually starts with a Beard Algae bloom in your filter and then it gets progressively worse from there, So remove your fish, unplug everything, drain the tank and gut it, When I say 'gut it' I mean clean it completely out, scrub with bleach (Once the tank is drained and cleared of gravel) You will need to scrub it with bleach until you no longer see any pebbles, Wash it out with water, if you have an extendable shower head it will make the job easier, Once the aquarium is clean, go rinse your new gravel thoroughly under luke warm water, Mixing it under the water is a great idea, Last few steps, Add the freshly washed gravel to your aquarium and begin refilling it, once full spread the gravel around with a gravel spatula, Next you will need to add one measured table spoon of Seachem Safe, and one capfu of Seachem Stability, Add Seachem Safe to your holding/hospital tank or to the bucket while you re-acclimate your fish it'll help them with stress but just for good measure, Add one capful of Seachem Stressguard after they have been re-added to the tank, lastly, turn the lights off after you've plugged everything back in, Again this should help with any stress.

Bonus:

''My aquarium is super old and it's been sitting in the basement for years, I wanna use it again but I'm not sure that it will hold water, What should I do?''

You will need to re-seal it on all sides, it should be noted that it takes 48 hours (Three days) for the glue to dry, you will probably have to apply the glue more than once, yes you even have to apply it the seams on the bottom as well even if they don't need it, To test it (Once it is completely dry) add small amounts of water every 1-2 hours but keep an eye on it for leaks.

That's all I've got for now, Until next time, Bye!

I will be keeping this short and sweet tonight since I am watching Arrow, Let's dive in!

My quick fixes for when the handles on glass lids fail.

Around 4 days ago I was about to feed my pleco when the plastic handle popped off (What a piece of junk!) Luckily I had an idea, So I went into my closet and pulled out my Aqueon aquarium sealant (Glue) I added a small amount and the next day it was dry and now it doesn't seem to be lose or anything, it feels like it is stuck there for good, So for small fixes you can try that but don't go overboard otherwise the glue could get inside your aquarium and possibly kill your fish.

'Wobbly' aquarium stand/cabinet, Now I haven't tried this but you can try adding a rubber running mat under it, hopefully that will stabilize it.

When to re-seal your aquarium and why?

Just like all things, aquariums age, eventually somethings gonna give and it will be a watery mess there is just no way around it, When your aquarium is older than 10 years you should consider re-sealing it just to be on the safe side 'What about my aquarium water?' You can try to store it in a bucket or buckets with an air stone and an internal filter until your aquarium is ready for water and fish again, Though I have never stored aquarium water before so I'm not sure how effective it'll be, But it's at least worth a shot.

That's all I've got for now, Posts will be slower until I finish watching Arrow (NO spoilers please) Until next time, Bye!

Here we go again, Let's dive in!

Algae scrapers.

Razor vs Sponge.

Which one is better?

Slow you're roll, The Algae blade is obviously not the smartest choice, if you are shaky or do not have a steady hand they can scratch and even fray the silicone seal if it gets too close, I personally hate them especially if they are dropped inside the aquarium, retrieving them can be a nightmare.

Razor blade:

Oh I know you are NOT using razor blades to scrape away algae, That is so dangerous, Here are some safer if not better options than actual razor blades, Otos, Chinese Algae eaters, Dwarf Corydora's, Amano shrimp, Nerite snail, Mystery Snail, Guppies will occasionally nibble on algae, Siamese Algae eater, Here are a list of larger algae eaters, Twig Catfish, Whiptail Catfish, Water Melon Pleco (The Water Melon Pleco needs 100- 300 gallons they are huge) Anytime you buy or setup a 'cleanup crew' in your tank be sure to supplement their diet with greens like, Zucchini Must be boiled for 20 minutes, drained and then added to a bowl of cool or luke warm dechlorinated water, You can also try boiled broccoli, Cucumber, and Lettuce (DO NOT use iceberg lettuce it is unsafe for your catfish and plecos to eat, and no they cannot eat carrots, Carrots are not good for them either, Also supplement with frozen bloodworms they will gobble those down as well.

Sponge algae scraper:

Be careful buying these, some are for a specific algae and others are for normal algae, Mine has a long handle, squared head and a flat black sponge on it, the head can be rotated up or down, I think the brand is Marina I'll check and if I'm wrong I will update this when I get around to checking, Suffice it to say sponges are better they won't scratch your glass, compromise the arcylic seal/silicone seal, when they get old just toss them out and replace them with a new one to prevent fibers from breaking off and floating freely in your tank water.

Debunking more myths:

Ugh..These myths are one day going to be the death of me -_-

'It's okay to house fish in bins, DIY!'

...No it's not, Have you ever heard of PETA? Yeah housing fish in bins, tubs and plastic/PVC containers is actually abusive, you are doing more harm than good, the listed items above are for, Food, Kids toys, Dog/Cat/Bird toys, Household items, Tools, Screws, Nuts, Bolts, Drill bits, Maybe climbing, or sky diving gear, OR your riding gear, Gloves, tops, breeches, Helmets/hats etc, Yeah they are not for fish, It's okay if you did not know, but if you did it knowingly hopefully you will take steps to correct it, Indoor/outdoor ponds are the exception since indoor ponds are typically made with those black rubber trough things, Outdoor ponds are usually dug, lined etc, You thought I was going to go into the full detail of how outdoor ponds are dug didn't you? No way lol My fingers would fall off if I tried to type all of that out.

One more myth, It's all I can stand:

'I keep my aquariums on the floor, the fish totally love it!'

-__- Do you know what an earth quake is? How about a house fire?

It is unbelievably dangerous to have an aquarium on your floor, also I believe it to be unethical for many reasons, the big one being that floors age, when they age so too does their structure, they can 'bubble' sink, crack, chip, vein, split and splinter, and once an aquarium is unbalanced (uneven pressure) it will begin to crack, if the pressure is to great your aquarium could collapse, and if is on the floor, well, it is going to do way more water damage than what it would normally do, if there is an earth quake or a fire you could trip and fall over it during your escape, if you get glass in your legs, claves, feet or lodged in your arms or hands you might not be able to get out due to the pain, After reading this I really hope you take your aquarium off of the floor and onto a stand, cabinet or make a stand/cabinet or get one made for you if it is in the budget.

Bonus:

As you all probably know, the world has gone to Hell and is throwing a nasty party on all of us, because of this LFS are short staffed, But, did you know you might be able to help? No you won't get paid for it but kindness/a good deed should not require payment, Offer to help with things, like, 'Do you need help stocking shelves?' or 'Can I help you feed the fish/animals?' When I was a kid I would go to my local pet/fish store and helped the owner and staff feed and care for the animals, I even fed the reptiles my grandparents always knew where to find me too XD Just make sure to get permission from the owner or manager, and if they say 'No' don't feel bad at least you offered.

That's all I've got for you for now, Until next time, Bye!