Water Colors Aquarium Gallery

The next couple of episodes will be about books! The internet is an irreplaceable resource for finding information about your aquarium, but there’s nothing like a book when you need to take a comprehensive look at a subject. Ben, Charles, and Amy discuss the impact that books have had on their freshwater hobby, and some recommendations for titles to look for.

The family Cichlidae is near and dear to all of our hearts at Water Colors. Almost every aquarium has room for a pair of these devoted parents. Their fascinating behaviors and outgoing personalities, often combined with spectacular color, are what draw us to cichlids. However, with these traits often comes aggression, large size, and plenty of other drama. In this episode: Ben, Amy, and Charles di...

We talked nano saltwater last week, this week we’re shifting over to freshwater! There are so many options for tanks that are 10 gallons and under but Ben, Amy, and Charles do their best to narrow it down to their top 5. Do you have a favorite nano fish? Let us know!

The big trend in aquariums right now is small. Nano aquariums are easier to fit into your life, typically require less time to maintain, and are often cheaper than larger tanks. But where does this trend fit into the marine side of the hobby? Many of us have heard “bigger is better” when it comes to reef tanks. Thankfully, in our experience, this isn’t always true. With some care...

In this episode, Ben sprung a surprise debate on us. What’s better, freshwater or saltwater? From the start it’s an impossible question, the disciplines are so different that comparing them seems fruitless. However Ben, Charles, and Amy try to tackle every angle a hobbyist may look at the issue. This includes species availability, time, difficulty, and cost.  While the conversation may...

In this episode: Ben, Amy, and Charles take a look at what it takes to get into planted aquariums for the first time as a freshwater aquarist. In this scenario, they talk about hypothetically what it takes to transition into planted tanks. They discuss a hypothetical scenario in which they are converting a non planted aquarium into a planted aquarium. This discussion covers plant choice, substrate...

We’re keeping the series going this week, but flipping the discussion over to the saltwater side of things! This episode covers a wide range of marine fish from the common and hardy, to the rare and particular. While Ben, Amy, and Charles do tend to get carried away designing dream systems, most of the fish and aquariums discussed in this episode could be achieved by the average aquarist.  Questio...

In the second part of this episode Ben, Amy, and Charles continue discussing aquariums designed around a freshwater fish. Confused? Listen to last week’s episode! What fish would you design a tank around? Let’s keep the conversation going. Send an email to podcast@watercolorsaquariumgallery.com, leave a comment, or send us a message on Facebook!

This discussion got away from us a little bit. We had to cut it off halfway through! We often approach setting up a new aquarium by determining what size we can fit and what we can afford, and don’t spend much time thinking about how to stock it until it’s already home. What would our aquariums be like if we took the opposite path? In this episode: Ben, Amy, and Charles discuss their i...

In this episode: Ben, Amy, and Charles share five freshwater fish that make them smile. These memorable fish are the reason so many of us keep and breed particular species, and in a lot of cases are what keep us in the aquarium hobby for so many years.

This is going to be a geeky one! Ben, Charles, and Amy discuss some of their favorite cichlids, the genus Apistogramma. While they do indulge themselves with some deep dives into taxonomy, most of the discussion is centered around a strong affection for these charismatic little fish and details on their care. Whether you are a planted aquarium enthusiast, a master breeder, or a collector of the ra...

In this episode: Ben, Charles, and Amy tackle some of the misconceptions they often hear around the shop. Some of these have spread like wildfire due to the popularity of Facebook groups and forums, and some have been going around since people started trying to keep fish tanks.  What misconceptions have you encountered, and which have you grown out of? Leave a comment below or head over to Faceboo...

In this episode: Ben, Charles, and Amy share stories about saltwater organisms that make them sad. This could be because keeping them is very difficult, or they had a heartbreaking experience with an individual. While we’d never say this kind of discussion is fun, commiserating over our experiences is how we lean the most!

Pests can make or break the success of an aquarium. In this episode Ben, Charles, and Amy discuss where pests come from in freshwater aquariums, how to get rid of them, and most importantly how to prevent them. Have a pest problem? This episode may help! Send in your questions or comments to podcast@watercolorsaquariumgallery.com and don’t forget to check us out on Facebook, Instagram, and Y...

You heard them talk about their dream saltwater fish in the last episode. Now Ben, Charles, and Amy are discussing their dream freshwater fish! Many of these are rare fish that they’ve never seen before, but some are fish that deserve a whole tank devoted to them. What’s your dream fish? Comment on our Facebook page or send an e-mail to podcast@watercolorsaquariumgallery.com

We just talked about our dream tanks. In the next couple of episodes we’ll be talking about our dream fish! This week it’s all about saltwater. A dream fish could be one you’ve always wanted to keep, or if you ask Charles sometimes it’s a fish you wish existed.  What’s your dream fish? Head over to the Water Colors Aquarium Gallery Facebook page to join the discussion...

This week our team got the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Alisha Davidson, an expert in non indigenous species and their spread. The discussion covers how an organism winds up on watch lists, and where to find the lists. Most importantly, this episode focuses on the impact the aquarium hobby has on wild waterways and the simple ways we can all reduce our responsibility. Questions for Dr. Davidso...

Ben, Charles, and Amy get a little personal in this edition of the Water Colors Aquarium Gallery Podcast. This week, they’re discussing their dream tanks and what it would take to achieve them. Some of these are nearly 1000 gallon reef systems, some are as small as 20 gallons. A dream tank could be the setup you’re investing in right now, or something you know you’ll never do but...

This week Ben, Charles, and Amy bring to the table their favorite fish that are easy to breed.  Whether you can “Just Add Water” or let the fish take care of each other, this list covers some of the best fish to start your breeding career off with success. Of course they can’t keep it to just five… Below is a list of the fish they selected for their lists, as well as a coup...

This week: Ben, Charles, and Amy discuss one of everyone’s favorite groups of fish. Sharks can be incredibly rewarding aquarium fish if chosen carefully. This episode covers what makes a shark acceptable for aquariums and the species recommended here at Water Colors. The book referenced in this episode is Aquarium Sharks and Rays by Scott Michael

Lighting can be one of the most overwhelming aquarium purchases. It’s difficult to know exactly what lights are best for an aquarium just by looking at the box, and lights are often the most expensive boxes you buy for the tank. In this episode: Ben, Charles, and Amy discuss how light spectrums and intensity are measured. They also offer up some recommendations for lighting based off of what...

In this episode, Ben, Charles, and Amy talk about their favorite aquarium products. These are the filters, lights, additives, tools and more that make our hobby that much easier and more successful.

Ben, Charles, and Amy return to form in another top five list week. This time they discuss the aquarium plants that they believe don’t get the attention they deserve. Whether they’re classics that can be used differently, a perfect alternative for a more common plant, or relatively unknown, there’s a plant in this episode for nearly every aquascape.

If you’re a regular customer at Water Colors, you probably have a love hate relationship with our quarantine procedures. Each of our saltwater fish is quarantined for at least four weeks and treated for any possible parasite. Our staff is dedicated to selling only the most healthy fish possible. We strongly believe that this is the way that every aquarium shop should be operating. The decisi...

If you’ve ever considered breeding fish for fun or profit, you have probably considered selling to other hobbyists or fish stores. If you’re an experienced breeder, you may have wondered what goes into the value of your fish, and why it’s so much different than what you see on store shelves. In this episode: Ben, Charles, and Amy get into some of the details of why fish cost what...