Water Colors Aquarium Gallery

To continue Killifish month, the Water Colors team is back to discuss mop-spawning killifish! This distinction is given to killifish species that breed in moss/plant mats, which aquarists often replicate with yarn “mops” that are easily removed and combed for eggs. They make excellent project fish and are incredibly adaptable to various temperatures and parameters. They can be kept in small tanks, making them the perfect fish for those with limited space. Did we mention that some of these species are, in our opinion, the most beautiful freshwater fish of all time? The hosts discuss their favorite species, care requirements, and personal experiences keeping mop-spawning killis.   To learn more about the upcoming Killifish Karnival/Tropical Magic event (3/29/2025 – 3/30/2025) visit: https://mas.fish/society-events/killifish-karnival/   Join the discussion on the Water Colors Aquarium Gallery Podcast Listeners Facebook group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/788428861825086/   Enjoying the show? Support the gallery by shopping aquarium plants, merch, equipment, and more! https://watercolorsaquariumgallery.com/   Looking for more content? Become a YouTube member for exclusive access to behind the scenes livestreams! https://www.youtube.com/@watercolorsaquariumgallery

To kick off killifish month, the Water Colors team is discussing biotope examples based around some of our favorite killifish! These examples focus on the native habitats of these killifish species. Some examples include specifics such as tank size, substrate, plants, decor, and other tankmates. We have biotope examples from all around the world, replicating lakes, rivers, vernal pools, and even rice paddies. Which biotope would you want to setup?     To learn more about the upcoming Killifish Karnival/Tropical Magic event (3/29/2025 – 3/30/2025) visit: https://mas.fish/society-events/killifish-karnival/   Join the discussion on the Water Colors Aquarium Gallery Podcast Listeners Facebook group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/788428861825086/   Enjoying the show? Support the gallery by shopping aquarium plants, merch, equipment, and more! https://watercolorsaquariumgallery.com/   Looking for more content? Become a YouTube member for exclusive access to behind the scenes livestreams! https://www.youtube.com/@watercolorsaquariumgallery   Biotopes/species mentioned in this episode: Lake Mai-Ndombe, Congo River Basin Poropanchax brichardi, nanochromis transvestitus Western Coastal India rice paddy Aplocheilus lineatus, danio rerio Sierra Leone Epiplatys annulatus, lagidesia roloffi Għadira Nature Reserve Aphanius fasciatus Mediterranean ‘oasis’ Paraphanius mento Zanzibar seasonal streams/pools Nothobranchius guentheri Ivindo River Drainage, Northern Gabon Diapteron fulgens, ‘barbus’ hulstaerti Courantyne River Laimosemion xiphidius Coastal Tanzania Vernal Pond Nothobranchius rubripinnis Buenos Aires Flooded Pasture, Argentina Argolebias nigripinnis Nyong River Watershed Fundulopanchax sjostedti

In this highly requested episode, the Water Colors team discusses mantis shrimp from the order stomatopoda. These organisms are some of the most fascinating, interactive, and beautiful pets you can keep in your home aquariums! We cover general care advice, species overviews, and even some fun first-hand stories. This topic is sure to get you interested in keeping a mantis shrimp of your own! Please see below for the link to ‘Roy L. Caldwell’s List of Stomatopods for the Aquarium,’ which was heavily referenced in this episode! For all species mentioned and more, visit: https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/arthropoda/crustacea/malacostraca/eumalacostraca/royslist/index.html   Join the discussion on the Water Colors Aquarium Gallery Podcast Listeners Facebook group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/788428861825086/   Enjoying the show? Support the gallery by shopping aquarium plants, merch, equipment, and more! https://watercolorsaquariumgallery.com/   Looking for more content? Become a YouTube member for exclusive access to behind the scenes livestreams! https://www.youtube.com/@watercolorsaquariumgallery

In this special episode, the Water Colors team is joined by representatives from Schrems West Michigan Trout Unlimited chapter (SWMTU). With the expertise of chapter president Nick Garlock and education coordinator Dave Helder, we discuss coldwater conservation and the Salmon in the Classroom (SIC) program. It’s no secret that we here at Water Colors have an appreciation for fish that goes far beyond aquariums. We recognize there is a significant overlap between sportsmen and aquarists, which leads us to discuss how Trout Unlimited’s conservation efforts relate to the aquarium industry. Special thanks to our friends at SWMTU for joining us on this episode! If you would like to support Trout Unlimited, you can visit the local chapter’s website at https://swmtu.org/ To learn more about Salmon in the Classroom, visit https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/education/educators/sic     Join the discussion on the Water Colors Aquarium Gallery Podcast Listeners Facebook group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/788428861825086/   Enjoying the show? Support the gallery by shopping aquarium plants, merch, equipment, and more! https://watercolorsaquariumgallery.com/   Looking for more content? Become a YouTube member for exclusive access to behind the scenes livestreams! https://www.youtube.com/@watercolorsaquariumgallery

In this episode, the Water Colors team is joined by invasive crayfish expert Dr. Brian Roth. Brian is a fish ecologist and faculty member at Michigan State University’s Department of Fish and Wildlife. His expertise helps us discuss the hazards of invasive crayfish, as well as the aquarium industry’s role in their introduction. Brian provides valuable insight into the management practices used to study and control these pesky invaders. To learn more about invasive crayfish and their impact on the Great Lakes ecosystems, visit https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/great-lakes-almanac-to-invasive-crayfish   Join the discussion on the Water Colors Aquarium Gallery Podcast Listeners Facebook group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/788428861825086/   Enjoying the show? Support the gallery by shopping aquarium plants, merch, equipment, and more! https://watercolorsaquariumgallery.com/   Looking for more content? Become a YouTube member for exclusive access to behind the scenes livestreams! https://www.youtube.com/@watercolorsaquariumgallery

In this episode, the Water Colors team discusses plants that grow on structures, such as hardscape elements, as opposed to those that root directly in substrate. Classifying these types of plants can be tricky! We have most commonly used the term epiphyte, but it turns out this is more of a hobbyist classification rather than a scientific one. Rheophytes, epiphytes, microphytes, macrophytes, lithophytes – the list goes on and on! These terms all describe plant growth on different mediums, therefore, using one term to describe them all is inaccurate. Join us as we attempt to breakdown this terminology and make the classification of plants more confusing than ever! In the words of one of our listeners, “We don’t talk about ‘-phyte’ club!”   Join the discussion on the Water Colors Aquarium Gallery Podcast Listeners Facebook group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/788428861825086/   Enjoying the show? Support the gallery by shopping aquarium plants, merch, equipment, and more! https://watercolorsaquariumgallery.com/   Looking for more content? Become a YouTube member for exclusive access to behind the scenes livestreams! https://www.youtube.com/@watercolorsaquariumgallery   Species mentioned in this episode: Bucephalandra ‘Kedagang’ Bucephalandra ‘Ultramafica’ Bucephalandra ‘Catherine’ Bolbitis heudelotii Fissidens fontanus Narrow leaf java fern, ‘microsorm pteropus’ Hygrophila pinnatafida Dicranopygium sp. ‘Guna Yala’ Anubias barteri nana ‘petite’ Anubias hastifolia Anubias frazeri Anubias afzelii Süßwassertang

For our 200th episode of the WCAG podcast, we are celebrating with a Listener Questions special! (This is part 2, please listen to the previous episode to catch part 1 of our Listener Questions Special!) In this format, the Water Colors team blindly answers listener-submitted questions read off by the editor. We have some incredible listeners with a broad range of experience levels and varying interests. As a result, we always end up with some fun, thought-provoking, and sometimes controversial questions! These ‘Listener Questions’ episodes are recorded live, with a free stream available on YouTube for your enjoyment. All other episodes are also recorded live, but the livestreams are typically only accessible to our YouTube members. If you enjoy this content, consider joining our membership!   Join the discussion on the Water Colors Aquarium Gallery Podcast Listeners Facebook group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/788428861825086/   Enjoying the show? Support the gallery by shopping aquarium plants, merch, equipment, and more! https://watercolorsaquariumgallery.com/   Looking for more content? Become a YouTube member for exclusive access to behind the scenes livestreams! https://www.youtube.com/@watercolorsaquariumgallery

For our 200th episode of the WCAG podcast, we are celebrating with a Listener Questions special! In this format, the Water Colors team blindly answers listener-submitted questions read off by the editor. We have some incredible listeners with a broad range of experience levels and varying interests. As a result, we always end up with some fun, thought-provoking, and sometimes controversial questions! These ‘Listener Questions’ episodes are recorded live, with a free stream available on YouTube for your enjoyment. All other episodes are also recorded live, but the livestreams are typically only accessible to our YouTube members. If you enjoy this content, consider joining our membership!   Join the discussion on the Water Colors Aquarium Gallery Podcast Listeners Facebook group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/788428861825086/   Enjoying the show? Support the gallery by shopping aquarium plants, merch, equipment, and more! https://watercolorsaquariumgallery.com/   Looking for more content? Become a YouTube member for exclusive access to behind the scenes livestreams! https://www.youtube.com/@watercolorsaquariumgallery

We often encounter hobbyists who are furiously trying to adjust their pH, GH, or dKH based on something they read online. In this episode, we hope to dispel some myths about chasing parameters, and breakdown when and why you should make adjustments! Fish are surprisingly adaptable to varying conditions. Often, the fluctuations that come with chasing certain parameters can be more detrimental to your livestock than simply allowing them to adjust to your current conditions. With the help of our studio audience, let’s dive into some freshwater chemistry 101!   Join the discussion on the Water Colors Aquarium Gallery Podcast Listeners Facebook group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/788428861825086/   Enjoying the show? Support the gallery by shopping aquarium plants, merch, equipment, and more! https://watercolorsaquariumgallery.com/   Looking for more content? Become a YouTube member for exclusive access to behind the scenes livestreams! https://www.youtube.com/@watercolorsaquariumgallery

The term “SPS” Corals, or small polyp stony corals, is a hobbyist distinction used to help differentiate care requirements of coral species in the reef keeping hobby. It’s a completely arbitrary label that has no scientific basis, but is very useful when discussing how to care for similar coral species. In this episode, Ben and Calder discuss many varieties of SPS corals, including species overviews, care requirements, and even a little myth-busting. Everyone can grow SPS corals with a little research and preparation, even YOU!   Join the discussion on the Water Colors Aquarium Gallery Podcast Listeners Facebook group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/788428861825086/   Enjoying the show? Support the gallery by shopping aquarium plants, merch, equipment, and more! https://watercolorsaquariumgallery.com/   Looking for more content? Become a YouTube member for exclusive access to behind the scenes livestreams! https://www.youtube.com/@watercolorsaquariumgallery