I guess I can give my two penn'oth too.
Hi, I have a bunch more questions for you experienced fish keepers.
1) How to clean the substrate of a planted tank without disrupting the plants? What about when plants get really dense?
Generally the plants will handle any nitrogen created by any waste, so I would suggest gtrying to gently get what is unsightly, and on top of the plants and ignore anything at the substrate if covered
2) Is there a rule of thumb for how many gallons per hour you need your filter to turn over?
I have heard the number of 10*volume bandied about in the past... I don't believe it though, it might have about as much technical standing as not using the word 'pleco' as all the ones you own will die... I'd suggest remembering that there's a difference between turnover and the speed of the current... different methods of filtration will work better with different flow rates, just be sure that your water is as clean as you want it, and you fill current flow needs of any livestock you have...
Also beware of any dead spots in your aquarium too... having flow everywhere will stop there being spots where waste will accumulate
3) Tips for what to do for your fish during a power outage (such as during a severe storm)?
If you are expecting a storm, or there is a storm, try to be lighter that usual on your feeding.. less feeding = less ammonia building up.
Wrap tanks to keep in the heat if you can, unplug lights if they will be covered.
use battery operated air pumps to aerate the water and get a little current in the water (If not s[ecific aquarium ones, walmart will sell them in the fishing section)
If you use canister filters, where the water in them is not exposed to air, watch for anaerobic conditions to develop, after a couple or so hours of losing power to them, think about unplugging them so they don't flood the floor, and opening them so any built up gases can escape to the room vs. the aquarium
4) Opinions on items to keep on hand for a "first aid kit"?
A test kit and a python.
Clean water will never cause problems (Unless you are lax with water chnges in the first place) and a test kit will let you know if anything is out of whack.. otherwise, know where you can get meds in an emergency (know hours and stuff too) I wouldn't keep them on hand unless I had good reason (selling/importing fish for example)
Quarantining and buying from somewhere you trust will go a long way vs. needing to treat at all.
5) Some sources say it's good to add aquarium salt to freshwater tanks to help keep your fish healthy. Do you agree? Would that be contraindicated for invertebrates or some species of fish?
I wouldn't... I have heard it with regard to some wild-caught livebearers, but I really don't see a need... And I'm not interested enough to study more to see if there would be any benefit.
6) What are your favorite online/national chain sources for supplies/equipment, fish, and plants?
Amazon can be pretty cheap... and use camelcamelcamel for price alerts, or google shopping.. at least for dry goods.
Maybe 90% of our current livestock has come from invertebrates by msjinkzd (
http://msjinkzd.com), Lots have plants have come from our local aquarium plant group (
http://www.njagc.net/wp/) And I'm also a big fan of in-vitro plants (especially from Tropica or Dennerle)
7) Is there some way to find out whether a seller sources their fish ethically and treats them humanely? (Other than what you can observe in person of the conditions the fish are living in at store?)
Look around when they receive shipments to see who their styrofoam boxes come from.. See if they have any flyers for organizations that help with this sort of thing. anythign regarding captive breeding. I'm personally a fan of all the work Segrest Farms do in this respect, their involvement with legislation, and things such as project Piaba.
You can talk to them, see if they have any quarantine procedures before selling fish, see if each tank is filtered separately or if it's a central water system, see what food they use.
Test them, ask about buying a 10g tank, bag of gravel and 6 oscars in one go... see if they ask about your setup or just want to make a sale.
But really, personal recommendations for places, and just educating yourself... get involved, maybe join an aquarium society, attend a large fish event, ask questions.
Take a weekend day, and just drive around as many fish stores as you can in a day... see what is out there for you. Given time you will work out where is best for what you want.
hope that all helps.