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Duh. I'm embarrassed I didn't think of that. It was the first question under the Prime FAQ's, so they must get asked it a lot. Maybe I just didn't think they'd have an FAQ on "does your product stink to high heaven?"

I've only used Tetra Aqua-safe before now, but a coworker gave me a stack of aquarium stuff she doesn't use anymore and it included an unopened bottle of Prime of unknown vintage. (She switched her aquaria to well water, so didn't need the treatment any more.) Anyway, this stuff reeks! Just...

I'll try to keep the background brief - I got a new filter for my aquarium at home for Christmas, and decided I'd use the old filter on a "new," small office aquarium. For the new aquarium, I purchased a used 18 gallon extra tall I found at a local fish store, and over the holidays, built a...

What kind/model of filtration have you added? Are you still running the old filter? How did you "wash" the filters? If by swapping filters you may have removed a good deal of your nitrifying bacteria, the algae may be growing in response to heightened levels of nitrogen sources. When...

Don't worry about losing too much bacteria with a Bio-bag change. Go ahead and swap it out. I am a little surprised that you're getting a back-up after only a month, though. You must have a lot in that aquarium. The bio-foam comes after the bio-bag because its purpose is biological...

Furthermore, the filters are not removing detritus from your aquarium - they're merely collecting it in one place until you clean it out. Disregarding issues of overcrowding, you will still need extremely frequent water changes and filter cleanings to keep the nitrates under control.

You better decide where you want that coffee table before you fill it, because it's staying there! Most folks I know like to be able to shift their coffee table around a bit.

This would be highly illegal here in FL, and I suspect in most, if not all, states. It's cruel to the fish - I don't know if your aunt is also in Nebraska, but a Pacu will not survive there, and non-native species unbalance the entire aquatic eco-system wherever they are released.

I think there are few aquaria outside of the large public facilities that can properly house Pacus. A coworker told me they had friends with Pacus in their pond, but I think you'd still need an unusually big and deep pond to keep them happy. (And I doubt you can keep them outdoors in North...

I got a Current USA Satellite with a moonlight for Christmas. I didn't want the moonlight because I was growing marine invertebrates - my aquarium is freshwater - but I am trying to maintain a proper tropical 12 hour lighting period for the benefit of the fish. The lights turn on about the...

I doubt that is unusual for a cover. I don't know what you mean by a wire one, but I recently bought a glass top that would fit a 10 gallon (actually have it on an 18 extra tall), and it is $8.50 from even the mail order companies. It cost twice as much at the LFS's. Note that 10 gallon...

If I had a 125, I'd probably get an Oscar and a small school of Silver Dollars. (I've read that that mix should get along, but I would research it some more before forging ahead.). Or if I lived in a state that trusted its citizens, maybe Piranhas. Or just get a larger school of Silver...

Why do think the Penguin cartridges are worthless? They are effective, are designed to work with the filter so that the flow rate is properly maintained, and fit in a manner to ensure no water bypass. If the cost is the problem, get them in multipacks from one of the on-line sellers.. I...

I will add that that 2W/gal of fluorescent lighting doesn't even begin to approach the intensity of sunlight. It's probably difficult to approximate sunlight with even the high intensity discharge bulbs. The fish will adjust. Also, the human eye doesn't respond to light in a linear fashion...

I find that a layer of diatoms starting can appear like a white smudge from certain angles in the right lighting. Mainly if I'm looking at them from the outside of the glass surface they're on. They will wipe off easily, if it is, and they will actually be brown.

What's wrong with your tap water now that you want to switch to R/O? R/O can be beneficial, for example, if your tap water is too hard for the fish you're keeping. In that case, you can mix some of your hard tap water with the R/O water to achieve the desired hardness, but you need to know...

That's a lot of fish for a 55 gallon. Some will even say that a 55 is not big enough for one Oscar.

You should monitor the water daily for ammonia and nitrites with a test kit. Liquid kits like from from Aquarium Pharmaceuticals are best. The instructions should tell you what levels to keep these compounds below. If they exceed the limits, you need to perform water changes until they're...

If you're not running your Magnum with the Biowheel, I believe you can adjust your filter output to agitate the surface of the water. This is where the gas exchange takes place. But I suspect the problem is more of a problem of ammonia and/or nitrite levels than dissolved oxygen.

I just keep a log in Excel. I have columns for different parameters for when I test them and a "notes" column for indicating when I've added fish, changes to equipment, etc.