Cyriac St.Vil

Aquarium Expert

Cyriac St.Vil is an Aquarium Expert and the Director of Learning Through Nature based in Brooklyn, New York. With over 26 years of experience working with aquariums, Cyriac and the Learning Through Nature team have created aquariums in classrooms, lobbies, and dining halls for viewing and educational purposes. He has extensive knowledge of aquarium maintenance and care, making science fun, and building living habitats.

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Q&A Comments (4)

How do you connect a power head to an under gravel filter?
Make sure that your under gravel plates are properly placed at the bottom of the aquarium. Next, pick the gravel on top of the gravel filter plates—you have to have your under gravel filter tubes properly affixed to the preparations and on top of the gravel filter plates. At the top of the tubes that are connected to the filter plate are holes where the power head is usually affixed to and sits on the bottom of any power head that is readily available. They usually have a hole with a filter and mesh on the bottom so it can be properly set on top of the tube that connects to the underground. Make sure that there's no obstruction and that it sits pretty squarely on top of the tube. These power heads usually have suction cups connected to the back of them.
How do you get rid of cotton wool in fish?
Use either tetracycline or a treatment of Copper Power Green—these are two of the most potent medications when used for fish, and will usually cure your fish within 1-2 doses. Be sure to remove the carbon or activated charcoal from your filter while using this medication, since they'll remove the medication from the tank. Depending on the condition of the fish, dose it once or twice. After you've finished dosing the medication, do at least a 1/3 water change, replace the water, and then put your activated carbon or charcoal back into your filter to remove the rest of the medication.
Should you set up a quarantine tank for sick fish?
Setting up a hospital tank can be a good idea, but pulling a sick fish out of its natural environment can also be a death sentence. The best-case scenario is to underdose the main aquarium to make sure you can kill off any remnants of disease that may be possibly affecting the other fish. Do a proper water change on the aquarium, make sure that the filter media is clean, and troubleshoot the environment for any kind of excess waste and pollution. This gives the best chance for a fish to survive.
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Co-authored Articles (7)

How to

Treat Fish Diseases

Sometimes fish become victims of disease. Some fish diseases are easy to treat, where others are deadly. Many aquarists have a quarantine tank set up to acclimate new fish in order to quarantine them from the main displa...

How to

Cure Goldfish Ich

Goldfish ich (''Ichthyophthirius multifiliis'') is one of the most common fish parasite found in aquariums. Most aquarium owners will need to deal with goldfish ich at some point, and fast, as leaving ich untreated can k...

How to

Have a Happy Betta Fish

Does your betta fish look sad? Is he often resting at the bottom of his tank? Your fish might be bored or even sick. It is a popular belief that betta fish need little to no care, but this is not true. Here are some way...

How to

Install an Undergravel Filter (UGF)

Using an undergravel filter (UGF) is a tried and true method of filtering the water in a fish tank or aquarium. Undergravel filters work by pulling water and impurities downward through the gravel at the bottom of the ta...

How to

Grow Bioluminescent Algae at Home

Bioluminescence, which means "living light," occurs in fireflies, certain fungi and fish, and microorganisms like Dinoflagellates, a species of algae. Dinoflagellates in marine environments can multiply rapidly with th...

How to

Reduce Chlorine in an Aquarium

Chlorine is added to tap water to kill off harmful pathogens, but it’s not something you want in your aquarium. Any trace of chlorine in the tank water can throw off the pH and oxygen levels and make your fish sick—t...

How to

Control an Algae Bloom

Some trace levels of algae may be unavoidable in aquatic environments, though at small levels they are not necessarily a bad thing for your aquarium. However, depending on the type of algae and extent of growth, an algal...