Aquariums – Wilmette Pet Center

Fresh water shrimp and great new aquariums to house them.

Christopher, manager, WPC — Thu, 11 Oct 2018 19:22:45 +0000

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This post, Fresh water shrimp and great new aquariums to house them., originally appeared on Wilmette Pet Center on October 11, 2018. Tweet This Post!

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Live aquarium plants vs artificial

Christopher, manager, WPC — Tue, 25 Sep 2018 22:32:19 +0000

Aquascaping, the planning and decorating with plants, rocks, driftwood, and decorations in your aquarium, is one of the most enjoyable things about keeping fish. Some prefer to go for a natural look, while others prefer something fun and whimsical. Plants are an important part of your tank; besides making your tank look beautiful, they provide shelter for fish, helping reduce stress and protect babies. One of the earliest decisions you need to make is whether to use real plants or artificial ones.

Artificial plants versus live plants? They both have their pros and cons:

Artificial plants

Artificial plants are the simplest and easiest option – since they don’t grow they do not need any maintenance – no cutting, no leaves to prune, nothing to trim. There are many styles and brands now, many of them looking incredibly realistic and life-like – and plenty in fun, whimsical colors if you want to add some pop to your tank!

Artificial plants also do not do anything for your water quality, so you need to do more frequent water tests to keep an eye on your parameters. Algae can be more of a problem when you have artificial plants in your tank, especially if water changes are not done on a regular basis, so you may occasionally have to remove them and wipe off any algae that has built up on the leaves.

Placing in your tank: most artificial plants have a weighted or bucket style base. Simply dig them under or fill them with gravel and you’re done!

Live plants

Live plants help water quality by soaking up ammonia and nitrites, using them as a fertilizer to grow. This helps prevent ammonia spikes, balances water chemistry, and will starve algae out of the nutrients they need to grow, keeping your tank more attractive.

Real plants grow, so they do need some maintenance. Periodically you’ll have to cut the plants down so they don’t over take and crowd out your tank. Leggy plants (where they have long stems without any leaves), should be shortened and

replanted. Any dropped leaves and dead plants need to be removed so they do not disturb your water quality. Many bunch plants can be cut, and the cuttings rooted in the gravel, where they’ll keep growing.

When first starting to decorate your tank, don’t go crazy with plants. As they grow, they’ll begin to fill in the empty spaces; if you have too many in the beginning, as they grow the tank will get more crowded, and you’ll find you’re doing more maintenance and will have to eventually remove some.

Create a layered effect: plant the shortest plants at the front, medium size plants in the middle of the tank, with the tallest toward the back.

There are a wide variety of plants available for the aquarium, but some need more intense lights than most of us have in our tanks. Some of our favorite plants are:

How to plant: Because they’re alive, some care needs to be taken with planting live plants to allow them to thrive. Bunch plants, like wisteria and hygrophila, should have their base gently tucked into the gravel. The metal weight can be left on or removed and the plants spread out to create a more full look. Plants with rhizomes should not have their base buried; plants like anubias work well if the rhizome is tied to rocks or driftwood. Plants in pots should stay in their pots; it helps protect the roots while letting water flow through. Moss balls and banana plants are the easiest to place – just drop them in! Plants with root systems like Amazon swords should have the roots tucked gently into the gravel, making sure the crown, where the leaves emerge, is above the substrate.

Many of our customers will blend both real and artificial to get the benefits from both. They’ll have live versions of the hardier, low light plants, and use artificial version of the more delicate and sensitive plants. It makes it easy to have a beautiful and elegant aquarium that looks great in your home.

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This post, Live aquarium plants vs artificial, originally appeared on Wilmette Pet Center on September 25, 2018. Tweet This Post!

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Christopher, manager, WPC — Thu, 02 Aug 2018 20:48:20 +0000

One of our favorite aquariums – the biOrb!

Sleek, modern style

Efficient filtration

All topped with an efficient

LED lighting system

Constructed Out of Acrylic- 10 times stronger than glass, 50% lighter and 93% clearer

True 5 Stage Filtration – Biological, Mechanical, Chemical, Water Stabilization and Oxygenation

Low Voltage – All biOrb aquariums operate from a 12V Transformer

LED Lighting – Equipped with a long lasting, low voltage Standard LED Light

Filter Cartridge – A true “one size fits all” filter for the biOrb aquariums

They are available in two sizes – 8 gallons and 16 gallons – and two colors – black and white.

The 8 gallon BiOrb comes with theremote-controlled multi-colored LED light. Enjoy the magic of multi-colored lighting in your biOrb at the touch of a button. Simply choose your favorite color or scroll through the entire spectrum of light.

The 16 gallon comes with white daytime and blue nighttime LEDs, with an automatic sensor to turn them on and off automatically!

1. Air driven filtration system creates vigorous water flow and a constantly changing water surface. This maintains oxygen saturation.

2. The circular flow of water then collects any fish waste on its way down.

3. It draws the waste through the ceramic media where the natural biological filtration absorbs some toxins. The freshly oxygenated water also feeds the bacteria.

4. Any remaining waste is trapped in the sponge cartridge. The water then passes through resin particles and natural stabilizers to remove toxic substances and keep the pH levels constant.

5. The clean water is then oxygenated as it flows back up the bubble tube to repeat the cycle.

The easy change, one size fits all filtration cartridge makes your monthly maintenance a breeze!

They have created a line of beautiful and realistic decorations, specially designed for this tank. Most unique are the ornaments that surround and cover the uplift tube to hide the stream of bubbles.

Decorations do more than just make your tank attractive: artificial plants can help create cover for your fish, giving them a place to hide from other fish and helps keep them stress free (stress is just as damaging to our fish as it is to us.)

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This post, , originally appeared on Wilmette Pet Center on August 2, 2018. Tweet This Post!

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Getting started right keeping fish

Christopher, manager, WPC — Fri, 08 Dec 2017 18:17:40 +0000

With these incredible aquarium kits from Aqueon! They contain all the basics to get you started right! Just add decorations, water, and fish to get started with this rewarding hobby.

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This post, Getting started right keeping fish, originally appeared on Wilmette Pet Center on December 8, 2017. Tweet This Post!

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Our 2016 Holiday specials list is out!

Christopher, manager, WPC — Fri, 16 Dec 2016 01:56:59 +0000

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This post, Our 2016 Holiday specials list is out!, originally appeared on Wilmette Pet Center on December 15, 2016. Tweet This Post!

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The marines have landed!

Christopher, manager, WPC — Thu, 20 Oct 2016 22:25:11 +0000

We are excited to introduce our new marine and saltwater selection!

And we now carry everything you need to get started:

marine foods

medications and water quality additives,

test kits,

UV sterilizers, circulation pumps, and protein skimmers,

live sand and reef rock,

and the all important Instant Ocean Salt mix!

We also have Coralife’s BioCubes, in 16 and 32 gallons, perfect for your new marine fish and reef!

They feature:

Easy setup and includes tank, top, light filter, and filter pump
Power compact and LED light bar, with a programmable timer for your day light, dusk, and nighttime lighting
Integrated wet/dry biological filtration that can be customized with any filter media you wish.

Watch us as we

build our reefs!

We’re setting these two Biocubes as mini reef tanks; watch us as we go from the bare tank to a living replica of a reef on Facebook (and come in to check out the progress in the store!)

Meet some of our new marine friends:

This stunning fish is the royal gramma basslet. Vivid purple in the front and yellow/orange in the second half, this fish is eye popping even when hiding under a ledge.

Yellow tang: These gorgeous fish are suitable for larger tanks, but are safe for reefs. While they like to be the only one of their kind, you don’t need any more, as they’re just incredible to see!

The stunning flame angelfish is certainly an eye catcher and is one of our favorites! Keeping them well fed makes them safe for your reef tanks. Give them plenty of places to hide with live rock for grazing, and add them last to a peaceful community to really make it pop!

Diamond watchman goby: These cute little fish live at the bottom of the tank, where they like to sift the sand and make their own burrows. (In fact, that’s where they’re hanging out right now in the store, peeking out from their burrows, watching us watching them.)

Red footed hermit crabs live exclusively in salt water. You’ll notice them hanging out on the bottom of the aquarium and climbing the rocks, looking for meals of detritus and algae. They’re one of the most popular reef maintenance animals.

The chromis is a small schooling fish that are less aggressive than their close relatives, damsels and clownfish. They make great companions in a reef tank, as they don’t bother other inhabitants.

Turbo snails are great little clean up crews for reef tanks, as they like most algae, including nuisance algae – a lot of it. They’re hardy and great for the beginners aquarium.

Stop by and check our all the other inhabitants we have, some bold and beautiful, some not so noticeable!

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This post, The marines have landed!, originally appeared on Wilmette Pet Center on October 20, 2016. Tweet This Post!

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Check these out!

Christopher, manager, WPC — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 18:52:47 +0000

These new Vista aquariums are stunning! These glass tanks feature curved, seamless corners, so you can appreciate the beauty of your tank without anything in the way.

The energy efficient LED lights are built right into the sleek hood and feature Soft Start, so the lights come on slowly to mimic sunrise to avoid startling fish. The 23 gallon has built in plugs too add another light strip to easily increase the amount of light your tank.

The kit includes:

Glass aquarium with panoramic seamless design
Built in LED lights with Soft Start
AquaClear power filter with media for crystal clear, healthy water
Fish net
LCD thermometer
Fluval care guide
Fluval tropical fish food, water conditioner, and biological enhancer.

Stands available for the 16 and 23 gallon.

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This post, Check these out!, originally appeared on Wilmette Pet Center on September 17, 2015. Tweet This Post!

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Perfect aquarium kits for kids.

Christopher, manager, WPC — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 02:44:04 +0000

These complete aquarium kits come in two styles: mermaids and sharks. They include everything you need to get started:

2.65 Gallon Plastic Aquarium
Plastic hinged cover and decorative feet
Elite Mini Internal Filter
Nutrafin Max Goldfish Flake Food (0.42 oz)
Nutrafin Cycle Biological Supplement (1 oz)
Nutrafin Aqua Plus Water Conditioner (1 oz)
2.2 lbs. of matching Marina Gravel
Decoration (mermaid or plant)
Full Color Background
Complete & easy setup instructions

These kits are perfect for the kid’s room, and make great homes for danios, a betta, cory cat fish, and white cloud minnows!

Get them for only $39.99!

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This post, Perfect aquarium kits for kids., originally appeared on Wilmette Pet Center on February 15, 2013. Tweet This Post!

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Looking for something new for your fish tank or terrarium?

Christopher, manager, WPC — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 20:02:52 +0000

We just got in new plant decorations from Fluval! You gotta check them out; instead of one strand of plants, these attractive faux plants come in bunches or with artificial wood, giving them a life-like quality, without the hassle of real plants. They come in various sizes and heights, so there is sure to be something to livenany aquarium!

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This post, Looking for something new for your fish tank or terrarium?, originally appeared on Wilmette Pet Center on February 15, 2013. Tweet This Post!

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We have to newest, most stylin’ desktop aquariums in the store!

Christopher, manager, WPC — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 17:43:51 +0000

The Marina 360 is a simple, modern 2.65 gallon aquarium with an integrated filtration and LED lighting system. It features a unique circular design with a 360° view that allows you to conveniently po sition it anywhere in your house or office. This easy to set-up and maintain aquarium contains an efficient lighting system with 8 powerful LEDs and a 3-position on/off switch to control bright daytime, blue nighttime and off. Includes a removable cover, two replaceable filter cartridges, biological supplement and water conditioner.

Fluval View is an elegantly-styled, small aquarium that looks great on counter tops, desktops and pedestals, in homes or offices. This 4 gallon aquarium with removable cover includes integrated pump, filter with carbon plus ceramic cartridges and white day and moonlight LED lighting.The aquarium has a unique oval shape that allows a clear and unobstructed view of your aquascape. It comes complete with integrated LED lighting, pump and filter, creating an amazingly healthy aquatic environment with a brilliant view.

The Fluval Spec V is the ideal five gallon glass desktop aquarium that combines style and functionality into one small package. Its integrated 3-stage filtration and powerful LED lighting exceeds one’s expectation from an aquarium this size. The unique Nano design features a frosted glass background that conceals the small but powerful integrated filtration system. It is also designed with brushed aluminum edges and a plastic cover.

Looking for something a little larger to fill you fish fancy?

Stop by and check out all the great deals we have in complete aquarium kits.

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This post, We have to newest, most stylin’ desktop aquariums in the store!, originally appeared on Wilmette Pet Center on August 30, 2012. Tweet This Post!

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