Recent content by jldwoodsman

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Yep jetajockey pretty much covered it. If you're in the business of getting your fish to spawn then temperature definitely matters (along with a few other factors on occasion). I deal with fish from the Lake Michigan watershed and so these fish are accustomed to 70°F in the summer and around...

Yeah, natives imo are easier to keep and seem to be a lot hardier than the hardiest tropical fish I've kept. Darters, daces and sunfish are a good way to go.

This is an older thread but I thought I'd flesh out a good list of native fish sellers, you can be the judge of the best prices and variety: Sachs Systems Aquaculture - Sachs Systems Aquaculture Welcomes You! Zimmerman's Fish - Zimmerman's Fish - North American Native Fish Jonah's Aquarium -...

Here's what you want: Ammonia and Nitrite at 0 or very close to 0 and Nitrates should be rising higher (like in your 14 gallon). I can only guess that the ammonia or nitrite wasn't being converted quickly enough and it killed the fish. Sorry to hear about it but this page breaks it down for you...

The 14 gallon sounds like it should be ok without a water change. The 8 gallon I would change anywhere from 25% to 50% of the water before you add fish. You'll need to monitor the water and see how long it takes for the levels to get high like that and try to do regular water changes on a...

It sounds to me like that's the balance you want. Low ammonia and nitrites are a good thing. When you get to nitrates, I think that's the stopping point. The microorganisms have done their job and that's why you do your water changes to remove the excess. I think nitrates are the preferred state...

Cycling, from what I understand, means establishing the perfect balance of ammonia production and conversion. If I'm not mistaken ammonia and nitrites should be relatively low and accumulating nitrates are removed by regular water changes. Whenever you change your water you're theoretically...

Sorry I'm used to saying nitrogen fixation. The correct term is nitrification. It occurs when you have ammonium and certain microorganisms present in a given environment. These microorganisms utilize ammonia as an energy source and it's then converted into Nitrites and then Nitrates. When you...

Start Smart is bacteria. It's a bottle of super-concentrated bacteria. They're activated by water and function primarily for nitrogen fixation.

I swear by Start Smart. It really helps with clarity and parameter control for my freshwater tanks. The owner of the local fish shop I frequent orders it by the gallon and uses it to regulate his tanks. Edit: Although I cannot personally speak to its efficiency for saltwater tanks, I neglected...

Hello everyone, I joined Aquarium Advice to learn more about the more popular tropical aquarium keeping and also to share my experience with keeping North American native fishes in the home aquarium. I've worked for the government as a water quality biotechnician for the past two years and I...