Springtime Pondering

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 »

Fishkeeper Themes With Mixed Communities

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 »

Live vs. Artificial Plants in the Freshwater Aquarium

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 »

Lighting the Water Garden

As beautiful and appealing as your water garden appears in daylight, imagine what it would look like at night when lighted! Fountains and cascades take on a whole new aspect if lit at night, becoming vibrant displays of moving, glittering water while the glow of submerged lights can create eerily attractive pools of incandescent color… Read more »

Fall & Winter Pond Maintenance

Fall and winter are crucial times for the pondkeeper. As tropical plants begin to die and leaves from surrounding trees begin to fall, the pond accumulates nitrogenous waste material that adversely affects water quality and creates ideal conditions for preventable disease and parasite problems come springtime. The following routine maintenance should be performed before the… Read more »

Problems with Aquatic Plants

If you grow your aquarium plants at optimal light levels and the proper temperature, provide the proper pH and water hardness as well as supply them with all the needed nutrients you will probably never see plant diseases or deficiencies. Incorrect care is often the main cause of stunted growth and plant damage. Here I… Read more »