Level 3: Normal

The Intermediate Aquarist

Welcome to mid-tier fishkeeping! Here, you’re ready to breed fish, create biotope tanks, and fine-tune your aquarium’s ecosystem.

Biotope & Species-Only Tanks

• Biotope Tank – replicate a natural habitat (e.g., Amazon, Lake Malawi, Southeast Asia)

• Species-Only Tank – focus on breeding or observing natural behavior

Examples:

• Shell dwellers (Lake Tanganyika)

• Apistogrammas (South America)

• Betta sororities (with care)

Breeding Basics

You can start breeding simple species like:

• Guppies – livebearers, very easy

• Corydoras – egg scatterers

• Kribensis – substrate spawners

• Cherry Shrimp – easy and rewarding

Set up a separate breeding tank:

• Use a sponge filter

• Add moss or caves

• Match water conditions to species’ needs

• Feed live or frozen foods for conditioning

Live Foods

Boost health and breeding success with:

• Brine shrimp (BBS)

• Microworms

• Daphnia

• Grindal worms

These are cheap to culture and fish love them.

Aquascaping

You can now dive into aquascaping:

• Hardscape – rocks, wood

• Layout styles – Iwagumi, jungle, Dutch

• Add fertilizers (liquid or root tabs)

• Consider CO2 injection (advanced topic)

Maintenance Upgrades

• Get auto timers for lights

• Use a Python water changer or DIY system

• Add a wave maker or air stone for circulation

Your fish are thriving, you’ve bred your first species, and your tank is now a living piece of art. Next up: going Advanced.