Mysteriously Dying Plecos

If you're having a difficult time keeping your plecos alive then you may want to reevaluate some of the basic aspects of its care - like how much food it is receiving. While most plecos are sold as algae-eaters, some of them are very specific when it comes to the kind of algae they like to eat. Your fish tank can grow quite a few different species of algae, and since you pleco probably doesn't eat all of them it may be slowly starving to death. This also applies to snails and other algae-eating critters as well.

In order to prevent them from starving you should either A) have enough of the proper kind of algae for them to graze on, or B) supplement their diet with some sort of green vegetable. I personally like using shelled peas and zucchini. However, you can use just about any time of veggie to feed them - from broccoli to leafy greens. With a little bit of experimentation, you'll quickly find the food that your pleco or snail prefers - most of them love spinach leaves. With the exception of the leafy greens, I would recommend tossing the veggies in the microwave with some water for a few seconds so that they are easier to tear chunks out of.

While algae wafers are a viable alternative to fresh veggies, I really don't like using them. They tend to puff up and disintegrate long before the fish have finished eating, which leaves a nasty mess behind for you to clean up. However, if you like using them that's perfectly fine! Just remember to break an appropriately sized chunk off of the wafer to feed your fish - the whole thing is way too much.

One Water Change Every Month Isn't Enough

Just like us, your fish need food, water and oxygen to survive. However, there's one a huge difference (besides having opposable thumbs!) - we leave the toilet behind when we flush and walk out the bathroom door. Unfortunately for our finned friends a fish tank is very similar to a giant toilet - especially when you don't perform frequent water changes on it. The smaller their tank is, the more truth this holds because there is less water to dilute the toxins from their waste.

If you were to follow the advice from most of the large chain pet stores your fish would still be swimming around in their own sewage. "But I always do a monthly 20% water change," you say! Sadly, the recommended frequency, and quantity, that is touted by most pet store employees is completely off. By only taking out 10-25% of the water in your fish tank set up once a month, you are barely skimming the surface when it comes to all the toxic waste floating around in there. Think about it - your fish have had an entire month to eat and poop before you even pull out the siphon. No wonder so many people have fish problems!

The more water changes you do, the better the water quality in your fish tank - and subsequently, the healthier your fish will be. As long as you are performing them on a regular, frequent basis - and always using a quality tap water conditioner - your fish will thank you for the breath of fresh air. Large water changes will not shock your fish if they are frequent and regular, because at a frequent interval there isn't enough time for the water chemistry to radically change. Just make sure that the temperature is roughly the same, because a fluctuation in water temp will put them into shock.

Contrary to what the pet store employee may have told you, a water change larger than 20% will not kill off your bacteria colony. How could it? They don't colonize in the water column. Your bacteria is found on hard, porous surfaces - like the gravel and the filter pad. So if you're going to do a water change, don't wipe down the glass, change the filter pad, and extensively clean the gravel and/or decorations all in the same day.

Frequent, large water changes are one of the best things you can do for the health of your fish - it will also promote better color and faster growth. After all, a sick fish living in poor conditions isn't going to grow very quickly, and it certainly isn't going to show you its best colors! Find a water change schedule and routine that works for you, and stick with it. I personally like doing mine twice a week, around 50-70% of the water at a time.

What Pet Store Employees Won't Tell You

While most employees really are trying to do their best to help you, there are some that are just there for the money - after all, isn't that why most of us get a job in the first place? And sometimes, they may not even know that they're overlooking an important piece of information. Here are the top things that many pet store employees fail to tell you before you walk out the door.

1. All of our tanks are on the same system. While they might say, "Don't buy anything from that tank because those fish are sick," they probably won't mention that it really doesn't matter because all the tanks run off of the same filtration system - or that they just netted out a few fish with ick ten minutes before you walked in. This is one of the primary reasons you still need to quarantine new fish, no matter what. 
2. That goldfish can't live in a bowl. Goldfish get big - like larger than your hand big. None of those 10 gallon and under goldfish starter kits are suitable to house any of the varieties of goldies - even the 13 cent "feeders". A single fancy goldfish needs at least 30 gallons to live comfortably (although, a 30 still looks pretty crowded with one adult fancy, and you're still going to be doing really frequent water changes. Bigger is always better) 
3. I've never kept fish before. Many pet store employees at some of the larger chains don't actually have any hands-on experience, they've only read through a handbook. This is not the kind of fish tank advice that you want to follow, especially when it comes to serious matters, like medicating your fish.  
4. Don't add the bag water. You should never add the water from the bag that your fish came home it. Not only can you unknowingly spread disease and parasites, but you may also end up with a fish tank full of hundreds of baby snails. 
5. You have to wait longer than 24 hours to buy fish for a new tank. You can't buy a new tank, fill it with water, and then throw in a handful of fish if you expect them to live past their first day. Your tank needs at least a week to get a bacteria colony started - it takes 6-8 weeks for it to cycle. You shouldn't start adding fish until the first part of the cycle is done - wait until the ammonia stops spiking. 
6. Those fish aren't compatible. This is why it's important to do your own research before you buy a fish. Some fish will not get along, no matter what you do. Not all fish eat the same diet, need the same water temperature, or can even tolerate tank mates to begin with.

It's important to remember that a pet store employee is just a regular person, and often doesn't know much more about your fish than you already do - especially if they are a new hire. In other words, don't treat them like an expert until they prove themselves to be one. Don't walk in ready to buy a fish, or other any other product for that matter, without doing your research - you'll save yourself from a lot of costly, yet easily avoided, mistakes by doing so.

On "Aged" Water and Dechlorinators

Unfortunately, a lot of pet store employees lead customers down the wrong path with some of the impractical advice that they give - and sometimes, aside from being ridiculous, it can be completely wrong and detrimental to your fish's health. For instance, I've met many aquarists that were still under the impression that transferring "aged" water to a new fish tank will cycle it.

This is very far from the truth. In fact, all you're really transferring is water heavily contaminated with toxins, like ammonia. In order to cycle a tank you need to allow the beneficial bacteria to establish a colony - this takes around 6-8 weeks, sometimes longer depending on the situation. However, instead of using aged water you can use aged filter media or gravel from an already established, healthy tank.

Additionally, many aquarists, both new and experienced, are unaware that "aging" water for 24-48  hours does not remove all of the harmful toxins anymore. You need a quality tap water conditioner, regardless of whether you have left the water out to age or not. Aging the water will not remove chloramines, or any of the heavy metals that are present - both of which can kill your fish.

A word of advice? Always keep in mind that merely working at a pet store does not make someone an expert. You should always come prepared with your own research, and at the very least, cross check the advice that you received from the pet store employee.

Elements of Good Filter

There are three major elements that every filter should have, especially if you're planning on keeping your fish around for a long time. After all, the filter is equivalent to the heart of your fish tank set up. It should be able to perform the three essential forms of filtration, which are:

1. Mechanical filtration. This takes out the chunks of fish poo and uneaten food before they can settle into the gravel to rot. 
2. Chemical filtration. This keeps the water from becoming foul smelling and discolored. 
3. Biological filtration. This is super important because it keeps the ammonia and nitrite levels from becoming toxic - your biological filter is made up of the beneficial bacteria in your fish tank (the bacteria you're trying to establish so that your tank is considered cycled). 

The best way to keep your fish healthy and alive for their full lifespan is to provide them with a source of clean, filtered water - poor water quality is the underlying culprit behind a lot of fish problems that new and experienced aquarists are faced with. I personally use AquaClear and Marineland filters on almost all of my fish tanks, with the exception of the larger ones that require canister filters. 

Think Twice Before Buying a Fish Tank Starter Kit

I'm really picky about the kind of filter that I'll buy - and I definitely won't recommend a brand that I haven't at least tried out before. I like to have a chance to fiddle with things so that I know how the different parts work before I feel comfortable talking about it with others. Anywho, while I was working in retail I noticed that a lot of people were either duped or pressured into making some of the worst purchases when it came to getting a new filter - or entire fish tank set up as it was in some cases.

For instance, those filters that come in the starter kits? Worthless. Save your money and get a real filter. It might cost more initially, but I promise you that you won't be replacing it within the year - most people ended up paying more replacing their crappy filter a couple of times than they would have paid for a quality one in the first place. Here are a few of the reasons why the filters in the start up kits aren't worth your time:

• You throw the filter pad out every couple of weeks - or at least you should be - which means there is no permanent surface for bacteria to colonize on. This is pretty important, because essentially you're throwing out a large chunk of your beneficial bacteria colony every time you toss it. Depending on the size of your tank, this can mean life or death for your fish if you mess up during a water change - especially weak or sensitive ones. 
• The motor often doesn't last very long, and the impeller jams really easily. 
• They're loud, even if the water line is where it should be. There's one brand in particular that makes me grit my teeth every time I have to set it up (I use it as a cheap filter for my quarantine tanks), and I definitely wouldn't call the sound of water running through it relaxing.

If you've already bought a sub-par filter, don't go throwing it out! If you can't return it, just add a better filter and keep the old one as a source of supplemental filtration - more never hurts. 

When the Tank Cracks Before Coffee

Unfortunately, I woke up to a cracked tank this morning. However, I knew this day would inevitably come - especially since the silicone protecting my floors was well over ten years old. In fact, it might have even lasted longer, I'm really not sure. I'm just thankful that I now live in a house that has tile floors, not carpet. I don't think I could have handled that without my morning coffee. Scratch that. I don't think I could have even handled that after several cups of coffee.

As it was, all we ended up having to do was transfer fish to the other established tank in the living room and vacuum up forty or so gallons of water up from the floor. I'm still not sure if there's water trapped under the stand of the other functional tank - and I'm definitely not going to drain and move it just so I can check. Maybe after coffee tomorrow. I'm glad it was only one of my 50's that took the hit this morning, and not one of my large fish tanks.

However, as frustrating as it was to wake up to the start of a lake in my living room this morning - especially when I definitely had better plans that didn't involve soaking up pools of water - it did serve as a good reminder not to keep anything valuable underneath a fish tank in the stand. Definitely no books, papers, or collectibles. But then again, that's not what a fish tank stands is for anyway. Thinking back, I always did joke about starting up a tank so that I could fish from the comfort of my own living room, wearing my GIR slippers - I guess an indoor lake works!

I'm sure that I'll see many more spills and cracks in the future. I'm just thankful that very little was ruined, the fish were compatible with the ones in the other tank, and I still got to have my morning cup of coffee - not to mention I'm pretty proud that I'm in a surprisingly light mood after watching one of my tanks empty its bowels all over my floor!