Sometimes you end up with a fish before you have a cycled tank. It might be an impulse purchase, a rescue, a tank crash, or an unexpected gift. In an ideal world, every aquarium would be fully cycled before fish are added. That will always be the most stable, ethical, and low-risk approach. But when that is not possible, there is a safer way to add fish to a brand-new, uncycled aquarium the same day  without exposing them to raw ammonia and nitrite. This approach is called th

Feeding mistakes are by far the most common and most damaging errors beginner betta fish keepers make . Many people assume there is a simple rule like “feed a few pellets per day,” but betta nutrition is far more nuanced than that. Between portion sizing, bloating, picky eaters, conflicting online advice, and persistent myths, it is incredibly easy to get feeding wrong. Unfortunately, poor feeding habits can lead to buoyancy issues, chronic health problems, and even a shorten

Ask 20 different fish keepers what you can stock in a 5-gallon aquarium and you will probably get 20 different answers. Some may even judge you with a multi-paragraph Reddit post explaining why anything under a 10-gallon tank should not even be considered. The reality is that stocking a 5-gallon tank is one of the most debated topics in the aquarium hobby. This is largely because 5-gallon tanks are often the entry point for new fish keepers who want to do more research than s

Disclaimer: This article is based on my own personal research and experience. I am not a licensed veterinarian, and this is not professional advice. This article will go through all the questions and topics below that a fish keeper may have about swim bladder disease: What is a swim bladder? What is swim bladder disease? What fish are prone to swim bladder disease? What causes swim bladder disease in fish? Signs of swim bladder disease Is swim bladder disease contagious? Is s