There are many benefits to having live plants in your aquarium. They provide a more natural habitat for the fish, eliminate toxins, and provide a haven for small or timid fish. Converting to live plants is not as hard as you might think.

If you'd like to know what to do, and pitfalls to watch out for, this journal is a good start. Written by a new aquarium owner who decided to make the switch from plastic to live plants, the journal has lots of great tips. She documented every step of her journey, complete with photos and commentaries from your Guide, and Don Matakis, an expert plant grower.

Photo © Don Matakis

Not so long ago it wasn't easy to find Black-Banded Leporinus for sale in your LFS. Now many shops carry them, but they are usually young and fairly small, like the one my sister fell in love with and took home.

Little did she know the cute little fish that resembled a little bumblebee would outgrow the tank. Before you take home a Black-Banded Leporinus do your homework, or you might be in for an unwelcome surprise.

Have you kept a Black-Banded Leporinus? If so, share your experiences about care, habitat, feeding and breeding of Black-Banded Leporinus. Your knowledge could help other owners.

Photo © Shirlie L Sharpe

This new Yo Yo Loach owner is having trouble with his fish. Can you offer suggestions to help?

"I have recently acquired originally two Pakistani loaches. I found when I put them in the tank for the first two weeks they swam around getting used to the tank and other fish (5 small mainganos, 4bristlenose catfish and 4 kuhli loaches) they then began to hide and I went searching for them.I thenbought 4 more which were smaller in size hoping to entice them out but that didn't work as all they want to do is hide in the small space behind the filter even though there are plenty of hiding spaces such as caves ornaments and plants. Water pH is 7.5 and had a water change a couple of days before buying the last lot. The original two died today. What do you suggest?"

Photo © Barbara Brooks

If you want to take on a new and interesting challenge, consider raising some Killifish. They are fascinating fish that are fun to hatch and raise. Although you may not see them often in pet shops, if you do a little research you can mail order Killifish eggs and raise them yourself. Scott Davis, a well respected expert on Killies, was kind enough to answer a reader question about that very topic.

Photo © Laurie Fletcher