Blog — water

9 Common Planted Aquarium Mistakes to Avoid

May 02 2019 4 Comments beginner fertilizer fish guest blog maintenance plants tips water

NINE COMMON PLANTED AQUARIUM MISTAKES TO AVOID Having trouble finding a good balance in your new tank? Can’t understand why your plants won’t take off, but algae is thriving? Setting up a successful planted tank is supposed to be fun, but it can be frustrating when things don’t turn out as planned. I made many errors when I set up my first few aquascapes back in 2015, and I see plenty of people facing similar challenges online. I hope that the following list of mistakes to avoid will help everything go more smoothly! In no particular order:   NOT ENOUGH WATER...

Understanding Water Parameters in your Planted Tank

Feb 19 2019 2 Comments beginner guest blog maintenance tips water

Understanding water parameters in the planted tankBy Chris A. Out of all the ingredients that go into a successful planted tank- lighting, filtration, substrate, fertilization hardscape among them - I would argue that the quality of the water used in the tank may be most important. Just like we couldn’t survive breathing toxic air, plants and livestock will have a difficult time thriving in subpar water. The way people talk about water parameters can be confusing, but an understanding of what makes “good water” in a planted tank is critical for maintaining a healthy aquascape. Here is my simple breakdown...