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So, while doing research on the hobby and getting familiar with the various common fish people keep you run across a lot of sites with a min. tank size for a fish and I'd like to understand a bit more on how those numbers are arrived at. After much consideration, it seems like it (should)...

Despite soaking the piece for a number of days prior some of the tannins reminded. What is a good way to remove the discoloration? Can I run a carbon filter to catch them, or are water changes the only way? What about those tank cleaning products, like Tidy Tank? No, I don't have a filter on...

So I have a new tank that I'm getting all cleaned and ready to start cycling, so in preparation I bought a water test kit (vials and solutions, not strips) and I found the pH of my faucet water is 8.0 straight from the tap. Most of the fish I'm interested in keeping have a range between 7.0...

I'd like to get people's opinions on stocking a new 46g tank (36x15x20h) I'm thinking about getting. This is my first tank so any opinions on my choices is appreciated. 5 - Boeseman's Rainbow Fish (2m + 3f) 4 - Kulhi Loaches 3 - Bamboo Shrimp I was originally trying to squeeze in some cardinal...

Are live plants difficult enough that I should avoid them on my first tank? I'm intimidated by them and wanted to know people's thoughts on how difficult they are in addition to starting a new hobby. Anyone do live plants on their first tanks?

I have a nice piece of obsidian rock that I'd like to put in my next tank. Is there a guide or procedure to getting something ready to be put in an aquarium? Common sense makes me think that for a rock you really only need to clean it (no detergents or lingering chemicals) and sanitize it (via...

I'm looking to start a freshwater tank (29g-38g) and was wondering what people liked for colorful bottom feeders? I'm thinking I'll have black sand or gravel substrate so some pops of color would be nice. It would be nice if these guys would clean up algae too. Thanks.

I'm not interested in support man-made fish coloration, but I like the looks of the Painted Platy. Are those colors man made? They look natural, but other fish with "Painted" in their name are man-made. Thanks!

Reading on the Boesemani Rainbow I've learned they need room to swim. One site said 48" minimum, another said >30". My question: is there a good rule-of-thumb for a fishes body length vs. the length of the tank? Like 10x or 15x? Or does this vary too much on the specie? I've seen Barbs in...

The first rule of fish club is to do your research, so like a good budding aquarist I've been trying to read up on all the fishes I am interested in. Unfortunately, there is a lot of contradictory information out there. I've read for a specific specie that they school, and I've read that most...

Given the natural cycle of an aquarium, ammonia>nitrites>nitrates, the only way to remove nitrates from your "system" is to do a water change, correct? Does that mean that a water change would really only resupplies trace minerals and buffers to the water at that point (not that those aren't...

I've been reading everything I can get my hands on while trying to mentally build my first tank. Not even really thinking about stocking, just working on making sure I get the right parts or kit to make sure I have a solid habit. There are many rules-of-thumb that I've come across. I...