Tip of the Day – 12/13/2011

When starting up a brand new tank, avoid filling it with a massive clean up crew, a practice that has become far too commonplace nowadays. The aquarium is undergoing a cycle, and invertebrates are some of the most sensitive animals we put into our tanks. Not to mention, there’s a limited amount of food available for the hundreds of algae eaters you’ve just tossed in. Instead of going this route, introduce a few inverts at a time, making sure that the harmful ammonia and nitrites have been reduced to non-lethal concentrations. Also make sure to mix snails, hermits and so on. This will keep the invertebrate population diverse, which also reduces the risk that everything will be going after the same food source and eventually starving.