Freshwater Aquarium/Expert Profile

Expertise

I have kept between 4-8 aquariums at a time for over 7 years. I can answer most questions on freshwater tropical fish and goldfish, if I am provided with sufficient data! Pond questions, brackish questions and planted tank questions are not my expertise so I will probably refer you to other websites and/or forums if you ask me these. You can also find me on the Wet Web Media forum - check out the Freshwater Fish section, where I am a moderator.

Experience in the area

I keep a few freshwater tanks: a 55 gallon community tank featuring kribensis and tetras, a 29 gallon subtropical tank with Odessa barbs and corydoras, another 29 gallon tank with two black moors, two 10 gallon tanks with small rasboras and tetras, shrimps and snails. NOTE: All bettas need heated, filtered tanks. Most betta ailments are environmental. A 5 gallon acrylic tank with hood and filter is readily available from pet stores, and with the addition of a heater (coupled with good husbandry) this setup will keep a betta healthy for life.

Publications

WetWebMedia.com and http://bb.wetwebmedia.com

Education/Credentials

I read Tropical Fish Hobbyist, Practical Fishkeeping and Aquarium Fish International. I've read many aquarium books cover to cover, and encourage you to do the same!

What do you like about this subject?

Keeping freshwater tropical fish is virtually maintenance free once a tank is established and the filter mature. An hour a week for water changes and filter maintenance, along with daily feeding, is all that's usually required. The first few months are the hardest...it takes 6 months for a tank to fully cycle from brand new.

What do you still hope to achieve/learn in this field?

I hope to educate folks about the joys of freshwater fishkeeping, and help them realize that apart from the initial investment of equipment, keeping freshwater fish doesn't have to be expensive. Just give your fish ample filtration and clean water, and a diet that is right for them...success is practically guaranteed!

Something interesting about this subject that others may not know:

Livebearers and goldfish need a "green" diet (algae and vegetable based) and hard, alkaline water. In spite of being considered "easy" fish - they will not do well unless these special needs are met.

Something controversial or provocative about this subject

Activated carbon is unnecessary in most freshwater tanks. Most of the time you can skip chemical filtration. My tanks use only mechanical (sponges) and biological (ceramic) media and do fine - water changes can replace carbon usage. Also, with few exceptions, freshwater fish do NOT need aquarium salt added...and that $3 carton of aquarium salt is the same as kosher/sea salt from the grocery store.