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written by Don Spaeth on November 17th, 2011 | 
 180g All Male Peacock-Hap African Cichlid Aquarium6 Gallon Betta Tank6 Gallon Betta Tank
Over 20 ago when I started in the aquatics hobby (pre-digital camera days) there wasn’t a huge selection of foundations for a live coral aquarium. In fact, the selection was primarily bleached dead coral. It offered a very sterile environment for hobbyists with stark white crushed coral gravel and coral pieces.At the time, my room was created with a black and white theme- white walls, black futon sofa, black and white photographs including an over-sized black and white photograph of New York City.
Considering the decor selection available at the time, it was only fitting that my 75 gallon tank was decked out in the black and white motif as well. It was a black tank with a black stand and a black canopy. White gravel covered the bottom and bleached white coral filled the inside – had it been a living room, there would have been no red wine or grape juice allowed! The tank’s occupants were Continue reading »
written by Don Spaeth on October 15th, 2011 |
  You might be wondering what makes an aquarium interesting. While it’s true that you can’t hold, pet or interact with fish in the same way as most other pets, one of the most fantastic things that an aquarium can offer is true relaxation.
Did you know that studies going back to the 1980′s have shown that owning an aquarium can lower stress levels, reduce high blood pressure and help with insomnia? With that kind of affect I don’t understand why everyone wouldn’t want an aquarium. Every time I look at mine I discover something new: a branch forming on a coral or a creature emerging from the live rock, which sends me into a state of euphoria. I can look into my tank for hours and get lost in a world of color and tranquility. Before I know it, I’ve forgotten about anything that may have been troubling me. The stress really does melt away!
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written by Kenna Hurd on July 13th, 2011 |
 There is something very soothing about having a fish in your place of work or study – it helps quiet the mind and refresh the soul.
Petey, my beloved Betta, was a good fish. He was always there for me when I needed him. He would receive my first hello every morning and greet me every night when I got home. He was a faithful companion for half of my college career and got me through many late night study sessions.
Petey was on my mind ever since I started working at the PETCO National Support Center – I just knew that another desktop companion was in my near future. In March, I attended the Global Pet Expo in Orlando, FL and while I was shooting an array of product videos I spotted it Continue reading »
written by Daniel Sundin on September 2nd, 2010 |
 $1 per gallon tank sale When I say tanks what do you think of?
- Heavily armed vehicles of destruction?
- White cylinders that make propane grills work?
- Shirts with no sleeves that should not be worn by men (at least not by me)?
If you’re a pet person you probably think of aquariums, terrariums, vivariums, or any other “-iums” that involve glass rectangles and living things.
I fall firmly into the “-iums” camp. Sitting on my desk as I type this is a 40-gallon tank housing my corn snake Sammy as well as a 20-gallon freshwater community tank (featuring the star of the Snuggies for Fish article).
PETCO is currently running their extremely popular Continue reading »
written by Lee Yanni on May 24th, 2010 |
Max mugging for the camera
I wasn’t sure that I wanted to get clownfish. I’m not sure how to explain that, except that I usually like to take a different route from the typical pet owner. But then again, I know that there is a reason that the “typical” pet owner chooses the pets he/she chooses. [...]
written by Matthew Hickerson on May 19th, 2010 |
As someone who’s been in the Aquatics hobby for a long time, I’ve kept just about every type of aquarium. I’ve kept Bettas, community tanks, Discus, fish-only marine tanks, a couple reefs, a desktop nano planted tank, of course my cichlid tank is a favorite; so what to do now? I’ve kept so many high-end aquariums with all types of hard-to-keep fish, that I wanted to go “back to the basics” for my next one…
Goldfish. The fish that every kid starts with. Most of us can remember winning a goldfish at the fair and getting all excited to bring home your new pet. Mom throws it in a small glass bowl, and you toss in some flake food, right? Well, this isn’t the type of goldfish tank I’m talking about. Really, goldfish should never be kept in an unfiltered tank, and especially something as small as a glass bowl. Most people don’t realize that goldfish get BIG!! Even a 10 gallon tank will be quickly outgrown. They’re also one of the dirtiest fish around because of the amount of waste they produce.
So what size of tank did I want to set up? I had a 29 gallon BioCube sitting around and thought to myself, “why not put it to use?” For those of you not familiar with a BioCube, it’s a high-end tank, usually set up for a reef with corals, not goldfish. My next question was what decor do I want to use? Live plants and a couple cool pieces of driftwood? Well, this is a goldfish tank right? I’m going to use a big castle! And as long as I’m going with the castle why not put…
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written by Daniel Sundin on July 1st, 2009 |
 Don Spaeth Don Spaeth is PETCO’s Aquatic Magnent Store Manager.
Serene, tranquil, relaxed… these are all words that come to mind when I think of life under water.
As a 15-year family member of PETCO it is easy to fall in love with and want to bring home every animal under the sun, but my real passion is for aquatic life. I have been infatuated with aquatic life as long as I can remember, taking hours to walk through the aquatic exhibit at the zoo as a kid - which I see many kids do daily when they look at the aquariums at PETCO stores. I am currently the proud parent of Continue reading »
written by Matthew Hickerson on June 29th, 2009 |
 - 75g Freshwater
People around the office often refer to me as a “fish geek”. I take this as a compliment. When there’s a sick fish, or someone has a tank issue, I usually get a phone call. I’m also asked why I don’t have a tank in my cube, and usually I say it’s because I already have enough pets and 2 tanks at home.
As much as I’d like to invite everyone over to look at my fish, I don’t think my little house has the capacity. So I thought I’d show everyone a few pics of my tanks.
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