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Tanks with live plants can be excellent additions to your home, bringing a touch of nature indoors. Learn how to take care of aquatic plants.
Updated on November 6th, 2025
Learn how to care for freshwater community fish, recommended diet & aquarium setup. Find the right food, supplies & equipment at your neighborhood Petco.
Updated on April 9th, 2026
Discover how to hardscape your aquarium here at Petco. Visit Petco and check out aquarium hardscape ideas, solutions and much more for your fish.
Updated on July 17th, 2026
Learn how to care for arid lizards, recommended diet & habitat setup. Find the right food, supplies & equipment at your neighborhood Petco.
Updated on April 9th, 2026

Small, AKA “Nano” tanks have grown in popularity over the past couple years and continue to gain momentum. Find out if a mini aquarium is right for you.
Updated on July 17th, 2026
You shouldn't need anti ich medication for your sliders. The water conditioner (anti chlorine) is always a good idea if you use water from a municipal source. My personal preference for water conditioners are AmQuel Plus, NovAqua and StressCoat. You can purchase them online or in the local pet store. Be sure the water is no deeper than twice the length of the shell. You can read more about slider care here: http://www.anapsid.org/reslider.html
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Actually this is a good idea! I would however, make sure that the water temperature is the same as in the already running tank, so the good bacteria in the filter do not die. But , yes you can definitely do this without having to wait.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Thanks for your question about Smaug, and thanks for the photo as well! I think that you have a good start to your set up, and that we can tweak a few items. First, your lighting situation appears adequate - I see a UVB light (please change this bulb every 4-6 months), a basking light, and a ceramic heat bulb. I would ensure that your temperatures are appropriate for this species, and that you are monitoring them using digital thermometers (I think that you see both a digital and analog thermometers currently) at the level of Smaug. Analog thermometers are inaccurate, so I don't recommend using them (also, they are high up on the sides of the enclosure, so they wouldn't be giving an accurate temperature read for Smaug). For the cage furniture that you have, I like that you have places for Smaug to climb and hide. However, I would recommend having a hide on both the warm side of the enclosure and the cool side so that Smaug has choices. Same for the climbing structures. I may have missed a food and water dish in the enclosure - I would recommend that both of these be shallow, and be large enough for Smaug's entire body to fit within them. I cannot tell what type of shavings that you have on the bottom of the enclosure, but the only wood shavings that I recommend are aspen shavings. If they are pine, these can be irritating to the respiratory system. I hope that gives you a place to start, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Some iron is necessary for a healthy aquarium, but too much can promote algae growth or impart an unsightly yellow or orange tinge to the water. Reverse osmosis (RO) filters are deal for removing mineral and heavy metals from water but they can be prohibitively expensive. Buying RO water from a local market or pet store is also a possibility but not economically feasible if you have a large tank. The best option may be a Polyfilter, which can be purchased in the local pet store or online. These filters will remove iron or other metals/chemicals and must be changed monthly or quarterly. You can also buy a water conditioner that will precipitate out some of the iron which can then be removed by mechanical filtration. An example of just one is Rid Metals (by Kordon). Follow label directions carefully, perform regular water changes and monitor iron levels with a home test kit or by submitting a water sample for testing.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Thanks for reaching out. Sound like you have a full house. 1. Birds will often bond together but continue to work with them in a quiet environ, offering treats to win and re-enforce trust. Toys, the radio or tv, can all assist with boredom. Setting up foraging toys so birds need to spend time looking for food. 2. There is no such thing as too big a cage. 3. Heating rocks are rarely approved for use, as they will eventually become faulty and get too hot, potentially damaging the animal. A heat lamp is recommended. 4. The bunny's litter box should be spot cleaned daily and full clean weekly. If you can smell it you waited too long. Good luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025