This will be an ongoing section updated regularly to help advise and assist you with questions I'm asked the most. 

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How many fish can I have in my aquarium tank?

It depends. On the size and shape of the tank and the sizes of the fish. The most often stated general rule of thumb is 1 inch of fish per gallon of water. However, take into consideration the future adult size of your fish when computing the total inches of fish you can have, not their current size when stocking the tank.

A  more logical rule to follow is  1 inch of fish per 2 or 3 gallons of water. The bottom line is to avoid the temptation to overcrowd your tank. If you do overcrowd the tank you will need to perform maintenance more often and you risk the health of the fish. While I am on this topic, certain fish do better in certain sizes and shapes and tanks. For instance, a Discus  needs a long horizontal tank because the are river fish in the wild. Discus will not do well in a taller vertical tank.  Many other such variables are key considerations depending upon your overall goals with your tank and fish selections.

Can I use tap water to fill my tank?

Probably, yes.  First test the tap water for chlorine and/or chloramine. Most likely you will have these chemicals in your water and you will need to remove or neutralize them before adding water to your tank. I sell lots of various additives that will make the water safe.  The single most important issue in preventative medicine for pet fish is water quality.

How often should I change the aquarium water?

That brings us back to the size of the tank and the number of fish you have and the quality of your filtration system. In lightly stocked tanks, I would recommend changing 10-20 percent of the water  and  vacuuming every other week. Heavier stocked tanks will need larger (30% or more) weekly water changes and gravel vacuuming. If your water keeps testing bad consistently, you may have an overcrowded tank or you may be overfeeding your fish and it will need more frequent cleaning. Overcrowding =  more work!

Overfeeding is the most common mistake fish owners make. In nature fish eat whenever they are hungry and food is available. If food sources are plentiful, they will eat several times a day.

On the other hand, if food sources are scarce, they might go for days between meals. For this reason, fish are very opportunistic and will eat whenever they have a chance.

Frequency will vary based on the type of fish. In general most fish do quite well on one feeding per day. However, some owners prefer to feed their fish twice a day. Regardless of one or two feedings, the key is to keep the feedings very small. Only give an amount of food that the fish can eat in 2 minutes or less.

Can I leave my aquarium lights on 24 hours?

Your fish need some "down time" just like you do. In a lake or ocean, they get sun during the day and it's dark at night!  They need this period without lights. A good photoperiod (time the lights are on) is around 10 hours per day. Plus, excessive lighting can bring on algae issues.

What should my aquarium temperature be set at?

Water temperature depends on the fish in question. Different species require different temperatures. Generally speaking, for tropical fish a good temperature range would be anywhere from 74 °F to 78 °F. Research the fish you're interested in keeping before buying since some have different temperature requirements. For instance, the freshwater Discus fish requires higher temperatures than most tropical fish. Discus do best in water about 82 °F.