Do I need carbon in my aquarium filter?Because activated carbon (and most chemical filtration) is disposable and cannot be reused, we like to save it for specific instances when we know there are pollutants or tannins that we wish to remove. If you are preparing for an aquarium photoshoot, you may choose to use carbon to ensure the water is extremely clear. However, most hobbyists do not use carbon on a daily basis because it gets depleted so quickly and the results may be temporary. For more information on filter media, read the ...
Are hydra bad for aquariums?Hydra are ambush hunters that like to eat microworms, insect larvae, and tiny crustaceans (e.g., cyclops, daphnia, scuds, and baby brine shrimp). In our experience, they are a natural part of the aquarium ecosystem and do not seem to greatly impact baby fish and shrimp populations. Adults are too big to be eaten, and fry have a strong flight response that causes them to jerk away from any stimulus, like a stinging tentacle. For more information, read our full article on How to Get Rid of Hydr...
Are hydra dangerous to humans?No, their stinging cells are too weak to affect humans. If you try to touch them, they quickly retract their tentacles and ball up to avoid predation from larger animals. For more information, read our full article on How to Get Rid of Hydra in Your Aquarium.
Why doesn't my four-way gang valve work?If you are using a gang valve or T-splitter to share one air pump with multiple devices, sometimes air does not travel down all of the outlets. One of two things could be happening. In the first case, your pump is not strong enough to push air into more than one outlet. In the second case, the air always chooses the path of least resistance, so you need to use air valves on each path to ensure that air reaches all the devices. Connect the air pump, gang valve, and air-driven devices (e.g....
Why doesn't my T airline splitter work?If you are using a T-splitter to share one air pump with two devices, sometimes air does not travel down one of the outlets. One of two things could be happening. In the first case, your pump is not strong enough to push air into more than one outlet. In the second case, the air always chooses the path of least resistance, so you need to install air valves (plastic or metal) on each path to ensure that air reaches all the devices. Connect the air pump, T splitter, and two air-driven devices...
What eats pest snails in aquarium?Pest snails are actually in high demand if you own a snail-eating fish because they provide a lot of essential nutrients and enrichment for the animal to display its natural hunting behavior. Almost all freshwater pufferfish – from the tiny pea puffer to the massive Mbu puffer – love to eat snails, and the crunchiness of the snail shells can help grind down puffer teeth and prevent them from getting too long. Many loaches – such as clown, zebra, yoyo, and dwarf chain loaches – can use their p...
Why doesn't Aqua Huna sell to customers in Washington state?Since Aquarium Co-Op does not sell live animals online, we have partnered with Aqua Huna as one of our preferred live fish vendors and receive a commission from them if you use our affiliate discount code "aquariumcoop" to save 5% on checkout. On the Frequently Asked Questions section of Aqua Huna's website, they state, "While we are based out of Washington, we are primarily a fish and shrimp wholesaler to local small businesses, and we will not compete with our wholesale cust...
How do I reduce the fast current from my aquarium filter?Some fish have long and flowy fins, are small in size, or originated from slow-moving waterways and aren’t built to handle torrents of water. Perpetually fighting against fast flow can cause your fish to get whipped around the tank, start hiding in shelters, and potentially develop illnesses from the constant stress. So, if you own a betta fish, goldfish, cherry shrimp, or other slow-swimming animal, consider implementing one of these techniques to reduce the current in your aquarium by readi...
Are pest snails bad for aquariums?Despite having the nickname of “pest snails,” they are actually quite useful in aquariums and are a natural part of the aquatic ecosystem. They eat algae, clean up uneaten fish food, break down fish waste, and help feed the snail eaters in your fish tank. These snails will not harm your live fish or plants, but they do keep your aquarium clean by consuming any dead animals or sickly leaves. For more information, read our full article on how to get rid of aquarium pest snails.
How do I control my aquarium snail population?Despite these many benefits of snails, some people do not like being overrun by so many snails that they start covering the glass and every surface in the fish tank. To keep your aquarium snail population under control, try one of these 5 proven methods covered in our article on how to get rid of aquarium pest snails.
How do you humanely kill a pest snail?Feed your extra snails to snail-eating fish (like puffers and loaches), give them to other hobbyists who own snail eaters, or crush them for a quick death. For more information, read our full article on how to get rid of aquarium pest snails.
Do I have to quarantine my first fish?If you are setting up your first tank, you can theoretically add new fish directly into the aquarium without setting up a separate quarantine tank since there are no existing animals to protect. One situation where you might want to use a separate hospital fish tank is if your aquarium is very large and the fish are small enough to go in a scaled-down quarantine setup. It will cost less money to dose medication in a smaller volume of water rather than an entire display tank. Another instance ...
Is it better to medicate the fish’s water or their food?Medicated fish food is a little tricky to manage. Sick fish often won’t eat very much (or at all) because they don’t feel well. Also, it can be hard to monitor how much medicated food each fish is getting, so some fish may be consuming too much medicine while others are consuming too little. If you are only treating one fish that is still eating well, then medicated food might be a viable option. If you are treating multiple animals, we recommend medications that dissolve in the water and tre...
When is the next sale at Aquarium Co-Op?Aquarium Co-Op no longer holds sales or special deals on holidays like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, or New Year's Eve. Instead, we choose to always offer our best prices up front while still providing rapid USPS Priority shipping, quick customer service response time, and tons of free educational content in our YouTube videos, blog articles, and online forum.
What should I use to treat sick fish if I can’t buy the quarantine med trio?We recommend using aquarium salt – a cheap and widely available “medicine” that is quite effective for broad-spectrum treatment of bacteria, fungus, and external parasites. However, it is not safe for aquatic plants, snails, and certain fish like anchor catfish. For more information, follow the dosage instructions in our aquarium salt article.
Do my neon tetras have neon tetra disease (NTD)?NTD is one of the most misdiagnosed diseases in the hobby. Just because a neon tetra is sick doesn’t automatically mean that it has neon tetra disease. If your tetra has white spots, it probably has ich. If your tetra has a white patch, it could be symptom of NTD, but it could also be a symptom of many other illnesses. NTD is fairly rare, so the white patch is more likely caused by a common bacterial or fungal infection. We recommend using the quarantine medication trio (which treats bacteria...
