Shows / Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
Ben, owner of Water Colors Aquarium Gallery in Grand Rapids, MI is joined by his store managers Amy and Charles to discuss the aquarium hobby.
Episodes
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
51. Debate: South America vs Africa
Freshwater aquarium fish come from all over the world. Most long term hobbyists tend to drift toward one continent or the other to specialize in, and their…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
50. Adventures in Acclimation – From Coral to Coral Beauty
Improper acclimation is by far the most common reason that saltwater fish die soon after going home. If you skip the drip, you risk shocking your fish…
Water Colors Aquarium Gallery49. Five Reasons to Hate Plecos
Plecos, or catfish of the family Loricariidae, are a group of fish that can promote some pretty strong feelings in hobbyists. Whether you’re still bitter…
Water Colors Aquarium Gallery48. Our Top Five Coolest Human Produced Fish
We’ve talked about genetically modified fish in this podcast before, not always in the most positive light. In this episode: Ben, Charles, and Amy flip…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
47. Our Top Five Saltwater Nano Fish
Nano tanks have blown up in popularity over the last few years, for good reason. A nano saltwater aquarium can be a more budget friendly option for the entry…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
46. Interview: Saltwater Wholesale and Collection with Bill Backus from A&M Aquatics
A&M Aquatics is a marine livestock importer/wholesaler located in Michigan. If you live in the midwest, there’s a good chance you’ve seen their…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
45. Five Perfect Freshwater Fish Pairings
Sometimes selecting fish for your aquarium can seem like a daunting task. You want fish that get along, look beautiful together, and fill your tank with a…
Water Colors Aquarium Gallery44. Interview: Captive Breeding and Sustainability with Jake Phillips from Biota Aquariums
Biota Aquariums is one of the world leaders in captive bred saltwater fish, producing and wholesaling an amazing array of livestock including large food fish…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
43. Aquarium Books Part 2: Saltwater
In the second part of this introduction to our aquarium books: Ben, Charles, and Amy discuss their favorite reads on the saltwater side of the hobby.
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
42. Seasonal Tub Ponds
Summer is the season for getting outside and enjoying the weather while it lasts, but that doesn’t mean you need to leave your indoor hobbies entirely…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
41. Our Top 5 Egg Scatterers
Breeding fish is one of the most rewarding aspects of the aquarium hobby. Taking something we love and making more of it for others to enjoy is often what…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
40. Aquarium Books Part 1: Freshwater
The next couple of episodes will be about books! The internet is an irreplaceable resource for finding information about your aquarium, but there’s…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
39. Our Five Least Favorite Cichlids
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…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
38. Our Top Five Freshwater Nano Fish
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…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
37. Nano Reefs
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…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
36. Freshwater vs. Saltwater
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…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
35. Getting Started with Planted Aquariums
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…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
34. Three Tanks Designed around a Saltwater Fish
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…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
33. Three Tanks Designed Around a Freshwater Fish – PART 2
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…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
32. Three Tanks Designed Around a Freshwater Fish – PART 1
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…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
31. Five Freshwater Fish that Make us Smile
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…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
30. Amazing Apistogramma
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…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
29. Our Top Five Aquarium Myths
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…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
28. Five Marine Creatures That Make Us Sad
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…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
27. Pest Control: Algae and Snails
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…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
26. Our Five Dream Freshwater Fish
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…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
25. Our Five Dream Saltwater Fish
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…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
24. Invasive Species with Dr. Alisha Davidson
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…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
23. Our Dream Tanks
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…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
22. Our Top 5 Easy Breeders
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…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
21. Sharks in Aquariums
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…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
20. Aquarium Lighting: How and What to Choose
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…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
19. The Products We Can’t Live Without
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…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
18. Our Top Five Underrated Aquarium Plants
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…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
17. Trade Secrets: How Water Colors Quarantines EVERY Saltwater Fish
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…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
16. What is a Fish Worth? Breeding, Buying, and Selling
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…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
15. Bettas
Bettas may be the most beloved group of fish on the planet. If you’re listening to this episode, chances are you’ve kept one if not many in your…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
14. Filtration: How It Works and Our Favorite Products
Ben, Charles, and Amy discuss the broad subject of filtration. They explain the three types of filtration and why you need them, the nitrogen cycle, what a…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
13. Wild Caught vs Captive Bred
In this episode: Ben, Charles, and Amy have a conversation on a hotly debated subject in the aquarium hobby. Should we be buying wild caught, captive bred…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
12. Intro to Killifish
In this episode: Ben gets the opportunity to geek out on one of his favorite groups of fish. Killifish are some of the most diverse and adaptable organisms on…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
11. How to Find Good Information
It’s easier than ever to find information, but how do we know who to trust? In the misinformation age, it can be difficult to differentiate fact from…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
10. Saltwater Angelfish
In this episode: Ben, Charles, and Amy discuss the most majestic and one of the most misunderstood groups of saltwater fish. Angelfish come in all sizes and if…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
9. Genetically Modified Fish
In this week’s episode of the Water Colors Aquarium Gallery Podcast: Ben, Charles, and Amy discuss one of the more controversial subjects in the aquarium…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
8. Saltwater Clean up Crew
This episode is a good one for anyone considering a saltwater setup. Ben, Charles, and Amy discuss the subject of the saltwater cleanup crew. A clean up crew…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
7. How to Start an Aquarium
In this episode, Ben, Charles, and Amy attempt to answer the huge question: “How do I start an aquarium?” In the process, they discuss their best…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
6. Our Top Five Underrated Saltwater Fish
Another Top Five list from Water Colors. Ben, Charles, and Amy discuss their top five underrated saltwater fish. Whether they’ll fit in any reef or…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
5. Five Saltwater Fish You Won’t See at Water Colors
This time Ben, Charles, and Amy talk about the saltwater fish they hope never to see at Water Colors. There’s some debate over why a fish doesn’t…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
4. All About Clownfish
In this episode of the Water Colors Aquarium Gallery Podcast, Charles gets to flex his research muscles. He, Ben, and Amy share what they know about clownfish…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
3. Testing: When, Why, and How
In this episode Ben, Charles, and Amy tackle the tricky subject of testing. This may seem like a dry subject, but it illustrates the difference in their…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
2. Our Top Five Underrated Freshwater Fish
In this episode: Ben, Charles, and Amy made lists of the 5 aquarium fish that don’t get enough love. These are the fish we’re really excited to…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
1. Five Freshwater Fish You Won’t See at Water Colors
In this episode Ben, Charles, and Amy brought to the table five types of freshwater fish that you’re not likely to see in our shop. Let us know what you…
- Water Colors Aquarium Gallery
Water Colors Aquarium Gallery Podcast Introduction
Welcome to the Water Colors Aquarium Gallery Podcast! In this podcast we’ll be discussing everything aquariums: fish we love and fish we don’t…