No homeowner wants to look out their window and see green or tea-colored water in their backyard pond, which is why creating a healthy low-maintenance ecosystem, is so important to any contractor who installs water features. The last thing you need during your busy season is a barrage of phone calls complaining about dirty pond… Read more »
The intestinal lining of all fish is very sensitive and does not tolerate cold food very well. To serve frozen food properly, we suggest you thaw it first before feeding it to your fish. The following is our procedure for feeding frozen food here at Fintastic. • Decide how much food you’re going to use… Read more »
Putting your pond to bed for winter doesn’t need to be an arduous process. Sure, it’s sad to say goodbye to your finned friends for a few months, but following a few simple tips will ensure that your fish joyfully greet you again in the spring. Remove leaves and debrisPutting a pond net over your… Read more »
Never clean anything with soap. Use only water. If anything has ever touched soap, throw it away. Avoid toxins introduced on your hands: hand lotion, gasoline or motor oil, tobacco. Always dechlorinate your tap water. Make sure new water is the same temperature as your old water. Filters need to run all the time. If… Read more »
Spring is an exciting time of the year, when trees begin to dress again, everywhere you look flowers are blooming, and best of all, your pond is waking up! It’s time to get outdoors and start shaping things up. This is your opportunity to check the reinforcement of the bank, and while you’re at it,… Read more »
Although general mixed communities remain the most popular freshwater aquaria, many fishkeepers are drawn to certain themes. African cichlids are perhaps the best-known “niche” within the aquarium hobby, but there are many others, and recently we’ve been expanding our selection to help you explore different kinds of fish communities. Here are a few directions you… Read more »
Disposable filter cartridges should be replaced monthly. Filters recirculate the same water over and over. Regardless of where particulates collect: the aquarium bottom or the filter, they will be broken down to produce ammonia. Monthly replacement will remove the particulate from the aquarium and keep flow rate from slowing down due to clogging. • Reusable… Read more »
There’s no doubt a well-maintained aquarium, delightfully aquascaped with live plants, is a beautiful sight. However the choice sometimes comes down to whether to keep the fish or the plants when these tankmates are not compatible. Many fish will either nibble your plants into raggedy eyesores or downright eat them up! Others are natural diggers,… Read more »
There are many challenges in fishkeeping. One of them is to successfully maintain fishes that grow reasonably large or are so active or territorial that they need a spacious aquarium tank in which to thrive. Like any other animal, fish need adequate accommodation, regular feeding, clean conditions, and appropriate exercise. In fact, you should always… Read more »
It’s always bad news when fish injure or kill each other in our tanks, or in our customers’ tanks. Understanding what’s going on may help prevent these incidents. The five motives for piscicide are predation, reproduction, territory, dominance and pathology. Predation is feeding behavior, and usually involves a large fish swallowing or biting a much… Read more »