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There are temperature controllers like this one that can be used alongside an adjustable, thermostatically controlled heater for an extra layer of security. The heater can be set a couple degrees higher than the controller, so if the controller fails in the ON position, the heater's thermostat...

That aquarium will be plenty strong, mate! Over here in the states, the 'floating bottom' style of construction has been the predominant type for quite some time. The lack of braces isn't an issue as long as the tank is supposed to be that way (if it originally had bracing and it's been removed...

I cut the thumb off a nitrile glove, works well as a finger condom for shaking up test vials sans the leaky lids. If you are both a cheapskate and a frequent tester, you can use your syringe or dropper to scale your tests, getting more per bottle. For example, if the instructions call for 10...

Best practice can vary depending on the specific model you've got, whether you're using air or a pump, and whether you're using the inline airline coupler.. you should be able to split the filter body roughly in half (see photo), allowing you to easily slip the sponge off. These filters can have...

There isn't any way to successfully keep that collection of fish in that size aquarium. If you want to keep the africans, they will need a much larger aquarium and many more fish added to spread aggression around (somewhre around 10 more fish in a 55 gallon or larger). Corydoras are not...

I thought my experience with Swordtails would apply simply because they are so closely related to Platies, I wasn't trying to imply they might be Swordtails. Though it's all pretty muddled anyways, commercially available Swordtails and Platies have probably been hybridized in their not too...

I have seen some behavior like this in female Swordtails that were kept in a situation without access to a mate. In one instance, a male Ram (also with no access to a mate) would chase one Swordtail around, showing signs of trying to breed. She would respond by turning perpendicular in front of...

I've never owned an Eheim canister, but the first thing I would try is to clean the impeller and the impeller well (the area the impeller sits in). I would also make sure the impeller was securely seated when putting it back in, some motor assemblies allow for the impeller to piston in the well...

Some people that work with the same strain for considerable time can sex them accurately by the shape of their body (mostly the head). For most people, the only accurate way to sex them is to wait for them to reach sexual maturity and have a look at their naughty bits when they are preparing to...

Good info above, just one addition. Assuming you will be using cheap dimensional lumber, use 2x6 for your rails. This will allow you to leave out a vertical brace on the forward rail, a 2x4 in the same situation would probably deflect.

Organisms will respond differently to different types of lighting, but that does not mean you have to spend the extra coin to buy bulbs labeled for aquariums. Switching to a different $3 bulb (perhaps one labeled 6700K or daylight) may provide the same results as purchasing another $12 Coralife...

Are you sure the motor is really dead? If you let enough gunk build up in the impeller well, the filter will not restart after being turned off. Take any media out of the filter and place it in your aquarium. You can place the old media inside your new filter with some new media. Over time some...

Looks like it is being used to hold down a piece of squash. I do the same with shrimp forks.

I purchased mine on aquabid from someone here in California, there seemed to be 3-5 different sources on there at the time. The grindals live in coir bedding, inside sandwich size plastic containers, maybe 6" square and 2" tall with plenty of small holes in the lid so they can breathe. They're...

Check out the Tetraodon suvattii "Arrowhead puffer". They can be very sedentary, so it may not fit your idea of interesting to watch, though.

I culture grindal worms and red worms. I was considering white worms, I decided against trying them because I read they required cool temperatures. During the summer it gets up to 90* indoors and I did not want to dedicate a small fridge to keeping them. Both the red and grindal worms are quite...

I've never been able to find something off the shelf that works very well. I take a piece of aquaclear sponge or nylon scrubber, tie it to one end of a length of monofilament line. I then tie a couple nuts or some other kind of weight to the other end. Pull through your tubing a few times and...

I decided on what colors I liked best by trying different options. I use latex paint which is quite easy to remove. Nearly every time I break down a 10 or 20 gallon quarantine tank I peel off the old color and try something new. My favorites so far are a deep reddish brown, an almost black grey...

When you add tap water to your aquarium do you see tiny bubbles showing up in the tank afterward? If your tap water is saturated with CO2, you may see a rise in pH as the CO2 is released from the water. You could try testing some tap water that has been agitated well, see if it has a higher pH...

I've used aquaclear sponges as outflow baffles with good results. These sponges are a rather coarse open cell foam, so too much restriction wasn't a problem. I was using less powerful HOBs, though, rated in the 200GPH range.

A glass 150 will be somewhere around 325-350 pounds totally bare.

There are two factors you should consider when thinking about stocking levels. First is the workload you are willing to undertake to maintain this aquarium. With the fish mentioned above as adults, that aquarium might need one or two 5-10 gallon water changes per week. For someone that's only...

Use suction cups with the little clips on 'em for holding airline, looks like you're already using some on the rear glass. I can't think of any reason not to.

New Life Spectrum, every fish eats it daily.

I'd try giving the background a nice bend over a dowel or something so it's a gentle bend, then using your oil or whatever you're using to help it stick it down. It'll never be perfect dry.