Practical Fishkeeping May 2014

The must-have marine for

mature tanks

Mandarins

Jungle pond!Build this wooden pond

kit in a weekend

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Welcome

TRISTAN LOUGHER has worked in aquatic retail for 20 years and for more than 15 years selling marines. He has written books and taken part in research projects, including a Scottish loch and in Costa Rica. He is currently working at Cheshire Aquatics.

DAVE WOLFENDEN holds degrees in both zoology and botany. He has worked as a lecturer in aquatics at Reaseheath College in Cheshire and is now curator at the Blue Planet Aquarium near Ellesmere Port in Cheshire.

IVAN MIKOLJI is the founder and president of the Fish from Venezuela Foundation. He’s a fi eld explorer, wildlife investigator, photographer and documentary video maker who is committed to the preservation of aquatic fl ora and fauna and spends much time educating people on environmental impacts.

DR PETER BURGESS is a real doctor of fi sh diseases. Peter is a world authority and the one whose advice you should turn to if your fi sh ever become ill. He teaches, consults, has authored books and has contributed to Practical Fishkeeping for many years.

DAVE HULSE is a technical consultant for Tetra UK and has been involved in education and training for the aquatics industry for many years.

He has taught at colleges and is now based at the School of Life Sciences at Keele University in Staffordshire.

Jeremy

Join fi eld explorer Ivan Mikolji in the Venezuelan Amazon where he meets an old friend: the leaf fi sh.

This month’s experts

Jeremy Gay, Editor

For our full list of magazine contacts, please turn to page 31 How to get in touch

One of the things I’ve always loved about this magazine is its inspiration, and this month a little fi sh from South America called the leaf fi sh inspired me — see page 40. In a tale told by Venezuelan fi eld explorer Ivan Mikolji, a ‘brown thing’ stuck to his mask while he was

underwater trying to take a picture of a much larger fi sh. That brown thing turned out to be a cryptically camoufl aged leaf fi sh that had drifted over to Ivan’s face to predate the small tetras that were nibbling his ears!

I wish I could have been there and experienced it, but if you’re more armchair aquarist, then sit back and read it for yourself. You could even keep them, as they are fascinating as long as you don’t mind feeding them on live shrimp that is.

This issue of PFK is a really varied one: from predatory Arowana and stingrays at one reader’s house to psychedelic marine Mandarinfi sh, marines you can breed, cichlids from Lakes Malawi and Tanganyika and Central America, there’s something for everyone. We set up a pond for those sunny weekends on page 66, while product-reviewer Nathan Hill recommends the aquariums you should keep an eye out for in our Buyer’s Guide from page 74.

If you’re new to the hobby, why not add a bit of colour to your tropical community tank with a Dwarf gourami (page 6), learn what you can and can’t mix in our Aquatic School on page 93 and get green-fi ngered with our free aquascaping guide.Happy fi shkeeping!

EDITOR’SWELCOME

NATHAN HILL has kept fi sh since the age of four. Since those early days, he’s worked as public aquarist, store manager for a large aquarium chain and teacher of aquatics at Reaseheath College in Cheshire. This month he’s set up a Malawi cichlid tank — see page 60.

www.practicalfi shkeeping.co.uk

AD KONINGS is a diver and ichthyologist. He observes the behaviour of cichlid species in their natural habitat, and his books are defi nitive cichlid guides. If you ever keep Lake Malawi or Lake Tanganyika cichlids, he is the most important reference you’ll use.

JUAN MIGUEL ARTIGAS AZAS is an aquarist in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. He has loved fi sh, particularly Central American cichlids and Mexican, since he can remember and has kept fi sh in home aquariums for over 30 years. He is also creator and editor of the Cichlid Room Companion.

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Contents

52A focus on must-have Mandarins.

40Meet the sneaky leaf fi sh.

73Feast your eyes on our top 22 favourite tanks.

MAY 2014On sale: April 16 – May 13, 2014. Cover image: MP & C Piednoir; aquapress.com

12 TANK OF THE MONTH: DRAGON’S DEN Nathan Hill peeks inside a beast of a tank where a dragon-like Arowana is just one of the highlights.

26 TANK COMMUNITY Your photos, a reader with a passion for

West African cichlids and the chance to test your Central American cichlid ID skills.

30 YOUR MAIL Your views on all things aquatic.

58 GET THE NEXT THREE ISSUES OFPFK FOR JUST £5!Take out a subscription to Practical Fishkeeping and save over 50%.

06 FISH OF THE MONTH: GORGEOUS GOURAMIS ON THE COVERFor colour and easy breeding, the Dwarf gourami is one of the best!

32 THE SKY’S THE LIMIT The rare and elusive Theraps coeruleus has all-round appeal, offering challenges for aquarists, taxonomists and behaviourists alike says Juan Miguel Artigas Azas.

36 EARS TO THE GROUND With its super hearing, not much gets

past Dewindt’s featherfi n says Ad Konings.

40 MEET THE WATER CHAMELEONS Masters of disguise, the mysterious leaf

fi sh has a habit of sneaking up on you, as Ivan Mikolji discovers.

100 POND EQUIPMENT FROM HEISSNER WORTH OVER £500 ON THE COVER Your chance to win a Smartline pump, fi lter and UV set, plus a Profi -Pond Cleaner.

114 PARTING SHOT Beauty and the beast...

FISHKEEPINGNEWS

FISHKEEPINGREVIEWS

TANKCOMMUNITY FRESHWATERFISH

20 NEWSROUND Plant ban comes into force, cowfi sh

falls for Moshi Monster, cuddly Blobfi sh, giant aquarium breaks and a ‘sensational’ coral reef discovered.

24 PRODUCT NEWS The latest products to hit the

shelves including LEDs, treat foods, premium pond foods, fountain ponds and more.

73 BUYER’S GUIDE TO TANKS ON THE COVER PFK gets its hands on loads of new aquaria, so we felt it was time we shared some of our favourites to help you with your next purchase.

101 READERS’ TOP SHOPS The top aquatic shops as voted for by

PFK readers.

102 SHOPTOUR Taking a different tack this month, PFK

showcases one store that consistently ranks highly in readers’ polls.

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING4

FREE INSIDE16-PAGEAQUASCAPINGMAGAZINE

pond products worth over £500. Turn to page 100

WIN

93Set up the ultimate community tank.

12Peek inside Richard Ridgway’s beast of a tank.

6Add colour and grace with the gorgeous gourami.

46 BREED TO SUCCEED Kick-start a fascinating and rewarding

project with Dave Wolfenden’s fi sh breeding basics.

52 PSYCHEDELIC VISION ON THE COVER Crack their care needs and the beautiful Mandarin dragonet can be as trouble-free as they come, says Tristan Lougher.

81 YOUR PROBLEMS SOLVED Advice on swollen catfi sh, cycling tanks,

dealing with Hydra, poor plant growth, Weather loach biotopes, setting up tiny marine systems and much more.

93 STOCKING YOUR AQUARIUM Our exclusive learning section

for newcomers to the hobby looks at community tanks, compatible fi sh and stocking densities plus our A-Z of fi sh health spotlights the Ds.

PART THREE

STEP-BY-STEPPROJECTSMARINESCENE DON’TMISS!

FISHKEEPINGANSWERS

S C H O O LAquatic

60 A ROCKY START Nathan Hill’s African-themed tank

that’s easy to aquascape and can house a huge variety of fi sh.

66 A POND IN THE JUNGLE ON THE COVER

Jeremy Gay’s easy pond project looks good, won’t break the bank or your back and is great for fi sh!

www.practicalfi shkeeping.co.uk 5

For colourful additions and easy breeding, Dwarf gourami are one of the best!

Gorgeous gourami

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

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Gourami add colour and grace to the

community tank.

● Common name: Dwarf gourami.

● Scientifi c name: Trichogaster lalius.

● Pronunciation: Trick-Oh-Gas-Tur Lal-Lee-Us.● Origins: India, Bangladesh

and Pakistan.● Water chemistry:

6.0 to 8.0pH, 4 to 20°H. ● Temperature: 24-28°C/

75-82°F.● Feeding:

Flakes, live, frozen food.

● Fish maximum size:8.8cm/ 3.5" for males. Females slightly smaller.

● Fish typical size: 6cm/2.5" for males, 5cm/ 2" for females.

● Tank size: 60cm/24" up.● Décor: Plants, caves and

wood tangles. Floating plants especially.

● Diffi culty: Wild fi sh easy; farmed prone to disease issues.

● Lifespan: Four to fi ve years.

FISH & TANK FACTFILE

Few freshwater fi sh can claim to be as colourful as the Dwarf gourami. It is as though the dyes

from a Skittles factory leaked into the surrounding rivers and were sucked up, wholesale, by this single species.

Fish this beautiful are not usually so easy to keep. But their space requirements are negligible, their behaviour towards others civilised and their feeding demands slight.

Better still, they are easy to breed. Give them the facilities and they’ll be prodigious bearers of young.

With wide water tolerances, numerous colour variants and unique charm and habits, there are many, many worse fi sh a hobbyist could dabble with.

Little dietsDwarf gourami are conducive to most types of food in aquaria. Wild fi sh have a fondness for tiny crustaceans and insects, as well as worms and even a little

algae. In the home tank, fl akes, tiny pellets, frozen diets of bloodworm, Daphnia and Calanus are all game, as is the occasional portion of live food. The latter can be a great way to condition them into spawning.

Bring out the colourColour-enhancing foods are ideal to make them really stand out. Those with astaxanthin have been shown, especially in red morphs, to bring out the colours in an astonishing way.

Other benefi ts of feeding astaxanthin are health oriented. This ingredient is known to boost immune systems in fi sh, as well as colour, and studies have even found it increases liver function in Dwarf gourami.

As an added bonus, it turns out that females even prefer brighter fi sh that have had this in their diets. Much like humans who favour healthy, glowing skin tones, so fi sh also prefer their tanned alpha males.

6

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4 Unrivalled colours4 Easy to spawn4 Community friendly

3 reasons to be inspired

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

FISHOFTHEMONTH

7

Buying a healthy gourami is essential to avoid problems, not just in the short-term but potentially indefinitely. Get it right at the buying stage and you’ll have one of the most amazing fish there is. Get it wrong and you might never be able to have a second go.

Dwarf gourami can carry a disease that is unique to their species and as devastating to them as bird flu is to humans. The disease, Dwarf gourami iridovirus or DGIV for short, is not only untreatable but is also lethal in all circumstances. The current survival rate for infected fish is zero.

The symptoms are clear, at least in the advanced stages. Colours will fade and the fish will lose all appetite. Increasingly, it will become lethargic, spending more time lying dormant on the substrate or among plants. There may be swelling of the abdomen, combined with ‘knife back’ where the muscles of the body degrade. Lesions and sores appear on the fish. Death always follows.

Buy healthy fish

�

The Peacock variant, like the male shown here, is less commonly seen.

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PRaCtiCal fishKeePiNG

It’s unlikely you’ll ever come across wild Dwarf gourami in the trade, but if you do, you might want to set up a natural looking biotope tank for them.

Wild gourami inhabit the slowest flowing of tiny streams, as well as pools, lakes and rice paddies, where the water is black and the vegetation bounteous. a tank heaving with Cryptocorynes and floating ‘weeds’ like duckweed will make them right at home, and, with a little leaf litter over a sandy

substrate, your fish will be spawning in no time.

Most farmed types end up in community tanks, where they are able to blend in as long as there are adequate plants and hiding spaces. Without these, the fish will become shy. remember that when spawning they will become territorial and may try to politely ‘shoo’ other fish from the area. It is rare that this ever leads to any physical damage, but be watchful just in case.

BIOTOpE BaSIcS

Some studies indicate that up to a fifth of imported Dwarf gouramis could be infected, so pending the origins of your retailer’s fish, the odds could be high. Avoiding the illness is easy if your supplier is hot on quarantine and isolating diseased fish. If you frequent stores that have dead fish in their tanks, then you’re at a much higher risk. Buying a fish from a tank where any other fish is displaying symptoms is aquatic suicide.

Healthy fish should be plump but not bulging. Eyes should be as transparent as diamonds, without sheen or glaze. The muscle on the back of the fish should not be degraded, and under no circumstances should any fish have open sores. They should be active, not spending time lingering on the gravel.

Remember too that this applies to all fish in the tank, not just the ones you’re planning on buying. If a single gourami on sale looks under the weather, I’d advise eschewing them all, as it simply isn’t worth the risk.

aqu

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ess Dwarf gourami are

perfect matches for community tanks.

8

FISHOFTHEMONTH

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk 9

A male fi sh making a start on building a bubblenest.


Many aquarists make the mistake of purchasing multiple males to house together, wanting to make the most of brighter fi sh.

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FISHOFTHEMONTH

Males are always the more garish within a pair.

Females are more silvery and lack the male’s fi nery.

A typical Indian wild Dwarf gourami habitat.


Telling male fi sh from females is simple to the point that even non-fi shkeepers could easily spot the differences. Males, though slightly larger, also sport all the boldest of colours. With fl anks bursting with hues of red and/or blue, they stand miles apart from the smaller, silvery females.

Many aquarists make the mistake of purchasing multiple males to house together, wanting to make the most of brighter fi sh. Alas, this will lead to territorial disputes, especially as the fi sh get ready to nest, and having one dominant male can even mute the colours of others in the aquarium.

Bring on the babiesWhen ready to spawn, male Dwarf gourami will make a nest from bubbles, their own spit and bits of vegetation. During building, a male will keep a female at bay, but once complete, he will entice her in to take a look.

As she inspects the nest, he will display his fl anks to her, shimmying and becoming rigid. Eventually, she may accept his advances, in which case she starts to swim in circular motions underneath the nest. She’ll then ‘kiss’ the tail or fl ank of the male before the two lock together in ‘U’ bend horseshoe shapes.

Floating eggs are released and fertilised and the male gathers them up and places them into the nest. They will repeat this several times until up to 800 or so eggs are in the nest. Eventually, when all are laid, his patience snaps and he chases away the female (and as many other fi sh as he can).

Within 24 hours, the eggs will hatch out, and the tiny wrigglers are tended by the male, especially if they fall from the nest. He will pick them up and spit them back into it. Inexperienced males can get this stage wrong and eat the fry.

Usually his interest will wane at around three days, and the fry left to fend for themselves. At this time, you will want access to the tiniest of fry foods. Rotifers are good, though Interpet’s Liquifry No.1 is also handy to have. However, in the hustle and bustle of a cosmopolitan community, it’s unlikely the fry will reach this stage, being quaffed by opportunistic tank mates — if not the father! To have any success with spawning, a separate tank will be required into which the adults can be placed as necessary.

SEXING DWARFGOURAMI Male

Female

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RTH Nathan Hill peeks inside a beast of a tank where a

dragon-like Arowana is just one of the highlights.

Dragon’s den

FACTFILE● Owner: Richard Ridgway.

● Address: North London.

● Time in hobby: 34 years.

● No. of tanks: One.

● Favourite fi sh: Arowanas and Siamese tigerfi sh.

● Most paid for a fi sh: £1,600 (Arowana).

● Other fi sh kept: Uaru fernandezyepezi.

TANK OF THE MONTH

�Richard’s magnificent Asian

arowana is a sight to behold.


IIf you haven’t met Richard, then it’s possible at least that you’ve encountered his online forum alter-ego, T1karmann.

On entering his home, and as soon as I can free myself from underneath 30kg of amorous bulldog, I’m led through to Richard’s custom-built fish house/office conversion in the garden.

Outside, the tidy wooden shed gives little away about what lurks within, but opened up it reveals Richard’s 2.5 x 2 x 1m/8 x 6 x 3' leviathan of a tank, which had to be built on site, as it was too large to carry let alone to navigate through doors and hallways!

The aquarium lights are off as we arrive, though other artefacts in the room give clues about what we might be seeing inside it. Mounted on the back wall, a BMX with the race plate ‘P14’ hints at what the roving, dark discs swimming in the gloom will be.

We have come early in the day. Usually the lights are staggered, one elderly T8 Grolux bulb firing up at the rear at 2:30pm, followed by a sharper bank of T5 bulbs one hour later. Richard overrides them, turning the Grolux on and creating silhouettes of underwater giants as he does so. Coming in to view is one of the finest Arowana I’ve ever set eyes on, while lurking at the back sits the Perch-like shape of a huge Datnioides Tiger fish. I realise that far from the friction I’d anticipated, I’m in for a viewing treat for the day.

I can barely tear myself from his magnificent eight-foot tank, as Richard tells me what’s now patently obvious. “Arowanas are my passion,” he says. “The rays… that was me finding something to go with the aros.”

He started with ten Osteoglossum, but now there’s only one Arowana, a single Asian

l Tank: ND Aquatics 19mm glass with OptiWhite front.

l Temperature: 26-27°C/ 79-81°F, unless encouraging rays to spawn.

l Water: RO and HMA mix

continuous feed. Tank pH 6.8, Redox potential 300mv.

l Size: 2.4 x 1.8 x 0.9m/ 8 x 6 x 3'.

l Cost: The tank alone was £2,500.

richard’s taNK at a glaNce

The tank is wide enough for fish to vanish into the dark.

14

�

taNK of the moNth


”

“Owners are keen to keep them because of the luck they bring; it’s even said that an Arowana can deflect the death of its owner by dying itself.

Scleropages formosa, also known as the dragonfish — the large scales and wide pectoral fins supposedly resembling a dragon in flight. In China especially, the dragon is a symbol of good fortune and auspiciousness. Owners are keen to keep them because of the luck they bring; it’s even said that an Arowana can deflect the death of its owner by dying itself.

“I had black aros when the Asians weren’t allowed,” Richard says. “Then they finally became legal again.

“Someone got me a Banjar red. What a waste of time that was. Greens have shine, but the reds at best get an orange tail. An aquatic store got me a red tailed gold.”

Richard’s quick to tell me about the tricks of the Arowana trade: “Flick them in a bright white tank and they shine up. Then put them in a normal tank and they’ll colour down and look rubbish.”

I’m struck that his fish doesn’t have the ‘dropeye’ symptom that I’m so used to seeing. “I’ve never had an Arowana with dropeye,” he says. “I always feed live food. I never let them feed from the bottom. Nobody really knows what causes it though.”

Tiger talkThere’s more to Richard’s tank than just an amazing Arowana, and I’m keen to learn about the solitary Tiger fish Richard also keeps. “I had eight (Datnioides) pulcher,” he says.

D. pulcher are a rare fish, a protected species in their native Thailand and not a fish you’ll ever chance upon in a shop. It’s possible that all of those still in circulation in the UK are Richard’s old stock, and he can account for where most of his ended up.

The one he still owns has been back and forth. Richard paid £25 for it around eight years ago when

he was running a smaller 2m x 81 x 71cm/7' x 32 x 28" tank in the main house. “I sold it for £125, and then bought it back for £150,” says Richard. “After I sold him again, I eventually paid £550 to get him back because I missed him.” Since then he’s been offered — and has declined — £2,800 for the fish from a buyer in Sweden.

“They’re meant to be extinct in the wild now,” Richard reflects. “They’re illegal to export from Thailand. As far as I know, there are only four or five left in the UK. They don’t travel too well.”

I ask him what the appeal is with pulcher over other species. “They always stay that gold colour,” he replies. “They’re stable. Microlepis are strange under light, they go black or wash out completely. They’re unstable.”

Is there a secret to their care? “Keep different sizes in a group. Tigers don’t eat other tigers. If

you’re keeping (Datnioides) campbelli, then keep just one to a tank. They’re really aggressive.”

Sting in the taleTurning on the main lights, the full effect of the tank unleashes itself in glorious technicolour, as well as drawing my attention to Richard’s ‘nibbled’ decoration. The sides and rear of the tank are laid with a mosaic of Juwel polystyrene backing panels, all of which look the victims of grazing.

Richard informs me that it’s his stingrays that have a taste for the décor. “I had one ray getting really fat on it. I should have covered the backing with epoxy resin.”

Richard’s rays are as much a delicacy as his Tiger fish. He keeps Potamotrygon leopoldi variants, banned from export from their native Brazil under IBAMA regulations. The base of his tank is graced by Black diamond and

15

The base is dominated by Richard’s prowling P14 rays.

Tinfoil barbs are victims of gill cover biting by the rays.

The prize D. pulcher that Richard has been offered £2,800 for.


P14 types; the latter of which may be a species warranting its own classifi cation.

The rays are the reason the tank has the open plan that it does. Stingrays of this size would tear apart any plants and either uproot or harm themselves on décor. The other danger of having objects on the bottom of a ray set-up is the tendency to form dead spots —areas of slow fl ow where opportunistic pathogens can nestle.

Sick rays are a nightmare to treat.

They respond poorly to copper, as well as a whole heap of other common medications. And they can carry dormant gillworms that sit waiting for the fi sh’s immune system to compromise. Richard has had run-ins with these worms before, having to use tremazole to treat them. The treatment worked, but it was laborious. Post-tremazole care involves an 80% water change, which is quite something when you have over 4,091 l/900 gallons of water.

Luckily for Richard, much of his tank is automated. His tank is fed constantly by an infl ow of a mix of HMA and RO water, trickling in at a rate of around 200 gallons per day. His water supply runs through the HMA fi rst, after which some of the water goes directly to the tank, and the rest then runs through his two 150gpd RO units.

His sump has a built in overfl ow, so as the water level rises, it drains itself away. As the fresh supply fi lls the tank, old wastewater is pushed

out at the same time. This helps to keep the pH at a low level for the rays, as his usual supply straight from the tap runs at 8.5pH. With his mix, the tank sits at a typical 6.8 to 6.9pH.

16

TANK of The moNTh


“I’ve not had to do a manual water change in two years,’ he boasts. Given his physical situation, his tanks might be unmanageable if he had to do any lifting. A few years back, long-term illness cost him both of his legs. “When something like that happens, it hits you deep,” he says.

But, he laughs when we chat about the idea that Arowanas are ‘good luck’ fish. Reflecting on his own unfortunate life events, he jokes he should have kept more. “When I had seven of them my luck was firing!”

Maintenance is also kept to a minimum. Apart from wiping algae from the glass, Richard’s only concern is debris on the base of the tank, and seeing how the rays and tinfoil barbs automatically stir everything up for him, that doesn’t rank as a huge concern!

The only downside to his system is that in the event of long-term powercuts, the tank level tends to drop as it runs back into the sump, which then drains away. When power comes back on, Richard needs to be careful that the sump doesn’t run itself dry refilling the tank. However, in the event of a catastrophic power failure, Richard has a battery back-up in place involving a 240v inverter that constantly trickle-charges eight massive camping batteries. Should

his main power source go down, his batteries provide enough power to keep his tank running at half power — fuelling the essentials like filters and flow pumps — for some six hours at a time.

Richard’s ill health hasn’t stopped him from breeding his rays though, and he’s had numerous pups from all of them, averaging three or four litters from each. For that purpose, he has a connected tank rigged up high above the main one, fed by a 2,000lph pump, where he can rear the young on safely.

Water changes trigger his rays to spawn. “If I drop the temperature from 27 to 26°C/80 to 78°F, the rays will lay. They think it’s rainy season when there’s more food around and that starts them off.”

Timing is crucial to Richard’s success. He likes to trigger birthing around 90 to 120 days after conception, but too early is hazardous. “If they’re born with yolk sacs, they’re hard to rear,” he says. “Any pollutants in the water get absorbed by the sack.”

One large fish has a few bites on the sides of her disc, a common feature of breeding rays. Richard reassures me that it happens a lot, but the fish soon mend. “I had one before,” he says, “that went from completely chewed up to fully healed in three weeks.”

Rays rule For all the showiness of the Tiger and Arowana, it seems to be the rays that run this tank. I note the plainer looking Tinfoil barbs in it, and Richard tells me about the damage to their gills. “The stingrays cloak them and chew off the gill covers. They’re lucky to get out with their eyes. Rays don’t seem to kill for food, they kill for sport. They kill for fun. If the barb shoal is too big the rays jump on them. A shoal of six is about right.”

“Finding fish that work in the middle with the rays is hard,” says Richard. “I stick to what I know.” But there are advantages to the barbs, too.

“They’re the only fish I know that eat ray poo.” Richard insists. “It’s like cat poo, but when one ray goes, the barbs are on it like piranhas.”

As if called to perform, one of the rays soon passes waste in front of us, and true to Richard’s word, the barbs are on it, part eating and part stirring up the resulting mess for the filters to draw out.

I’m looking at a single Tiger catfish, Brachyplatystoma tigrinum, at the back of the tank as Richard fills me in about him. “The rays give him a hard time. His tail filament gets jumped on every now and then. They think it’s a worm.”

Asking about feeding, Richard tells me: “Pellets are the way to go.

A big set-up like this requires more than a standard canister filter, and Richard uses a sump system bigger than most people’s tanks that contains media more familiar to pondkeepers than aquarium fans.l 2m x 61 x 61cm/6 x 2 x 2' all glass sump.l Jap matting, no socks (chamber one).l Jap matting to the top, white polishing pad (chamber two).l 40 l/9 gal Eheim Ehfimech, Ehfisubstrat and Kaldness K2 (chamber three).l 2kw of heating from four 500w Aquamedic titanium heaters.l Weipro thermostat system connected to weirs.l 10,000lph return pump feeding four 25w Vecton UV sterilisers.l Cloverleaf fluidised bed sand filter fed by a bleed from a 15,000lph pump.l Aquatronica control system with leak detector, redox and pH meter, plus sump level sensor that texts Richard if there’s a problem.l Blagdon Koi Air 65 for airstones in tank and sump that helps to eliminate dead spots.

Why use UV?To see UV systems on tanks is rare. Richard uses his to keep pathogen counts low as a precautionary measure looking after his rays. Rays are rough lovers, with bites to the body discs being common. UV sterilisers help to reduce background levels of bacteria, helping to minimise the possibility of infections.

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“They grow faster with pellets. Feeding any food with a high salt content makes them fl ick. I’m not 100% sure that’s what it is, but they always seem to fl ick when I feed it.”

He makes up his own dry food mix for many of his fi sh, using 1kg of Hikari Massivore, 1.5kg of Cichlid Gold medium pellet, and 1kg of sturgeon pellets. A couple of big mugs full go in every day. The Tiger fi sh is particularly keen. “No matter how many times you feed him, he still catches you off-guard,” Richard says.

Frozen food gets used, namely lancefi sh and prawns. “They get pellets at lunchtime and prawns in the evening,” Richard tells me. “I buy about 20 bags at a time, and I always feed it to them still frozen. They like the feel of it that way. But you always get much slower growth with prawns.”

The Arowana gets an exclusively live offering of crickets, locusts, mealworms and waxworms. “Waxworms are full of calcium, so they make the scales thicker,” I’m told.

“And I don’t gut load the mealworms with carrots [carrot is a great source of beta-carotene, which helps to bring out red colours] because I fi nd it just kills them [the mealworms].”

Whatever diet Richard’s using, the fi sh look exceptional on it. Fish breed, and everything looks stress free — if in some cases a little battle-scarred. But he’s still critical of his stock. “The Arowana has PLJ [protruding lower jaw],” Richard says. Taking a look, I see that the bottom lip does thrust up a few millimetres above the head. It’s a negligible fl aw, but one Richard seems painfully aware of.

For aspiring keepers, Richard has a few pointers after years of experience. “Whatever tank you think is big enough,” he says, “it’s not.” He advises keepers with little ray experience to stick to smaller species, like Motoros. Giant species are a defi nite no-no. “Flowers and Tigers have no appeal. They just get too big.”

At the end of the visit, once again fi ghting my way past his dog and heading out to the street, I’m left with my mind chewing over Richard’s ambitions. “Everyone’s looking for the perfect Arowana,” he’d said, “but there’s no such thing.”

Perfect or not, his own fi sh doesn’t fall wide of the mark, and given the amazing set-up he owns, I wonder if he’s setting the bar too high. It all looks pretty ideal in there to me.

The custom-built fi sh room is an ideal place to relax.

Tinfoil barbs are one of few fi sh that work in the middle.

Richard’s fi sh cover different swimming levels.

TANK OF THE MONTH


What are King British Fish Treats?Delicious and nutritious, our treats are enriched with

vitamins, minerals and trace elements to keep fi sh

healthy and active.

What is Treats at 2?At 2pm, participating retailers stick a King British

Fish Treat tablet into their display tanks. The feeding

frenzy is fab. You can enjoy it at home too. Just stick

the tablet to the inside of your tank - it’s a great way

to get a close-up health-check of your fi sh.

Fancy winning a trip to a Sea Life Centre near you?

To be in with a chance, visit www.facebook.com/

KingBritish and upload a photo or video of your

own King British Fish Treat feeding frenzy.

Witness the feeding frenzy at

an aquatic retailer near you...

The fi sh go mad for it!!!

Healthy, Happy Fishwww.kingbritish.co.uk

FP_PRACFISH_405612KING.id1102547.pgs >>AdRocket<<

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Aquatic plant ban comes into force


A sales ban on some aquatic pond plants is effective from April, which will stop the

trade in fi ve invasive species.The Department for Environment,

Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) introduced the ban last year, giving traders until April 2014 to clear any stock. The ban means all retailers in England must stop selling the se plants or face a fi ne of up to £5,000 and/or up to six months in prison. Retailers have had a year to adjust to the ban.

The Ornamental Aquatic Trade Association’s chief executive Keith Davenport says: “These plants have

been identifi ed by DEFRA as posing a signifi cant risk when they escape into our native waterways, so we’d

also urge retailers to make sure they give proper advice to

Parrot’s feather, Myriophyllum aquaticum, is one of the fi ve plants banned from sale.

NEWSROUND Happenings from around the world of fi sh and fi shkeeping, brought to you by PFK’s roving reporters and researchers.

The poor old Blobfi sh may have been voted the world’s ugliest animal, but this soft and cuddly version is still incredibly cute.

The 60cm/24" plush toy is available from ThinkGeek and is described on its website as the ‘Grumpy Cat of the Sea’, which is ‘super soft and needs a hug’.

ThinkGeek says: “It seems unfair to vote Blobfi sh as ‘the world’s ugliest animal’ based on what they look like when we dredge them up from their natural habitat, over 2,000ft underwater. It doesn’t look like this at its proper depth. Plus, if the Blobfi sh took us down to its level, we wouldn’t just be ugly. We’d be dead.

“So we’re going to call this Blobfi sh, proper name Psychrolutes marcidus, ‘cute’. That’s the least we can do after pulling it up half a mile from its home and pointing and laughing at it. After all that, maybe it could use a little hug?”

The cuddly Blobfi sh costs $39.99 (around £24) plus postage and is available from www.thinkgeek.com

The poll to fi nd the world’s most visually unappealing animal was part of an online competition conducted by the Ugly Animal Preservation Society, which is dedicated to raising the profi le of some of the more aesthetically-challenged endangered creatures. The Blobfi sh won by almost 10,000 votes to beat the Kakapo (a fl ightless parrot from New Zealand), the Axolotl, which came third, and the rather interestingly named Scrotum frog, and will now become the offi cial mascot of the society.

Give the Blobfi sh a cuddle!

their customers on how to manage and dispose of these plants when they’re already in ponds. There’s information about careful composting of aquatic plants in Be Plant Wise leafl ets and point of sale information.

“It’s vital that our industry is seen to be acting responsibly across the UK when it comes to the ‘no release’ message because otherwise we’re likely to see yet more plant bans.

“We’ve already seen Water hyacinth come under fi re in recent House of Commons’ evidence sessions by the Environmental Audit Committee. This group of MPs is examining invasive species in the UK and we know that other pond plants — including Water hyacinth and Lagarosiphon — are coming under increased scrutiny. These plants are worth millions of pounds to the industry, so if we don’t want to lose these to the trade we need to be part of the solution — not viewed as the start of the problem.”● More info: www.ornamental fi sh.org/pond-season

The fi ve plants banned from sale by DEFRA are:● Water fern,

Azolla fi liculoides● Parrot’s feather,

Myriophyllum aquaticum● Floating pennywort,

Hydrocotyle ranunculoides● Australian swamp

stone crop/New Zealand pygmyweed, Crassula helmsii

● Water primrose, Ludwigia grandifl ora.

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IN BRIEF


SNAPPING TURTLE DUMPED A 35cm/14" Common snapping turtle was abandoned in a box by a road in Dartford, Kent, and is being cared for by a local charity.

Due to its ‘extremely aggressive’ nature, the turtle will remain in rescue for life — which could be 30 years or more.

IVF SHARK PUP BORN AT AQUARIUMA Brown banded bamboo shark born at Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium is not only the fi rst born in Australia via artifi cial insemination, but also the fi rst in the world born via live semen sample transported from one aquarium to another. The sample was collected at Mooloolaba.

BISHOP SPENDS £176,000 ON TANKGerman bishop Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, dubbed the ‘Bishop of Bling’, who resigned after details emerged over his extravagant spending, had forked out £176,000 on a lavish 2m-deep aquarium for Koi. Building costs at the Bishop of Limburg’s headquarters spiralled to over £26m.

SINKHOLE SWALLOWS PONDA 1m/40' sinkhole has swallowed almost all the water from the pond at Abney Hall Park in Stockport, Greater Manchester.

Some of the fi sh drained away, while others were left in a small pocket of water remaining in the centre of the pond.

A #handsoffmyhobby campaign has been launched to get freshwater and marine hobbyists to shout about why it is they love fi shkeeping.

The Ornamental Aquatic Trade Association (OATA) warns that popular tropical marine and freshwater fi sh, corals and invertebrates could be under threat if a European lobbying group for animals is successful in its #votes4animals lobbying campaign in the run-up to the European elections being held in May.

Eurogroup for Animals, which is based in Brussels, is asking MEPs to sign a pledge to work towards banning the import of wild caught animals, which could include all types of tropical marine and freshwater fi sh, corals and invertebrates.

The trade association, which will be lobbying Euro MPs in coming weeks to make sure they hear the other side of the argument, is calling on people power to help in its work by urging keen fi shkeepers to contact MEPs to urge them not to sign the pledge.

OATA chief executive Keith Davenport says: “Currently, many MEPs are signing up to a manifesto written by

Fluval has signed on as a sponsor of the Coral Restoration Foundation (CRF), commencing with a $5,000 donation.

CRF is a non-profi t conservation organisation dedicated to creating offshore nurseries and restoration programs for threatened coral species.

Staghorn coral has experienced a 98% decline in the last 30 years alone, with Elkhorn coral not far behind — declining 90% in

that same time. Thanks to generous donations

and dedicated volunteers, however, both species are now being grown in multiple offshore nurseries by the CRF, which has helped developed tens of thousands of corals and outplanted 4,000 Staghorn corals at over 20 reefs throughout the Florida Keys.

The Fluval range is manufactured by Rolf C. Hagen.A

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Fluval makes its fi rst donation to the Coral Restoration Foundation

Working to restore coral reefs in Florida.

Campaign aims to protect the future of your hobbyEurogroup for Animals.

“While we can all agree that everyone must be concerned about and protect animal welfare, this lobby group goes much further by asking all political groups to include a call to ‘ban the import of wild-caught animals and restrict the number of exotic species that can be imported and traded in the EU’ in their manifestos.

“Taken to its logical conclusion, this would mean if you want to keep tropical marine or freshwater fi sh, corals, soft corals or other invertebrates you might as well forget it. All of these are either wild-caught and/or exotic, which means they’re not native to the UK, so they would no longer be available to buy.

“Your hobby is under threat right now. If you love your tank, we want you to let MEPs know how you feel and tell them #handsoffmyhobby.”

What you can do to support OATA’s campaign:● Contact the MEPs who have already signed up to the Eurogroup for Animals’ manifesto to let them know how much you enjoy your hobby and ask why they support this document.● Contact any candidates for the European Parliament in your area to let them know about the

#handsoffourhobby campaign and why you support it.● You can fi nd the contact details of your local MEP at www.europarl.org.uk/en/home.html and the details of those MEPs who have signed up to the Eurogroup for Animals pledge are on OATA’s website.● Like the OATA Facebook page, follow them on Twitter or follow their LinkedIn page to fi nd out the

latest news on this campaign and share updates with your fi shkeeping friends in groups, forums and communities.● Use the #handsoffmyhobby hashtag on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ to share what you’d miss the most from your tank if any wild-caught animal ban came into effect.● More info: www.ornamental fi sh.org/hands-off-my-hobby

Popular fi sh could be under threat.

21

WEIRD STORY


A take-off from an air force base in Florida had to be aborted after the jet hit a fi sh!

The Gulfstream G-IV jet from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) hit what the crew thought was an osprey on the runway as it was about to take off. However, when MacDill Air Force Base wildlife manager Lindsey Garven went to search for the remains, she found a Sheepshead fi sh, Archosargus probatocephalus, measuring around 22.5cm/9" in length lying near the end of the runway.

DNA samples were taken from

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Take-off aborted as plane hits fi sh!

This was the fi rst recorded fi sh strike or ‘fi shnado’!

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A cowfi sh at Great Yarmouth Sea Life Centre in Norfolk appears to have taken a real shine to a plastic toy placed in her aquarium by staff.

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An enormous fi sh tank broke at a restaurant in Florida, sending water gushing out over the fl oor and dining tables.

The incident happened at Downtown Disney’s T-rex café restaurant in Orlando after a seam on the circular marine aquarium failed.

Quick-thinking staff took immediate action, rushing to the tank with nets and empty rubbish bins to save the fi sh and as much of the water as possible, while other employees cleared guests away from the area.

Diners at the dinosaur-themed

the jet and sent to the Smithsonian Identifi cation Laboratory in Washington, D.C, along with the specimen. It was later confi rmed that the DNA did indeed belong to the fi sh!

“At fi rst, we didn’t believe the test results,” NOAA pilot Lt. Cmdr. Nicholas Toth said in a report on the Air Mobility Command website. “There was no way we hit a fi sh during take-off. I mean, how does something like that happen?”

It’s thought that a bird, possibly a juvenile bald eagle, may have been eating the fi sh on the edge of the runway and as it saw the

jet approaching it fl ew off, having to drop its catch to avoid being hit by the plane itself.

This is the fi rst recorded ‘fi sh

strike’ in the history of NOAA at MacDill and is being referred to at the base as ‘fi shnado’. The plane wasn’t damaged.

Cowfi sh falls for spiky toyThe Moshi Monster toy was

put in the tank as part of a challenge for younger visitors to the Sea Life Centre to fi nd six Moshlings like Blurp the batty bubblefi sh hidden in different displays.

But staff hadn’t banked on Bess the cowfi sh falling for Blurp. “Perhaps it’s because it has spikes a little bit like her own horns,” says curator Christine Pitcher. “Whatever the reason, we think we’re going to have to leave Blurp in the tank so she doesn’t pine for her new friend.”

Moshi Monsters will be appearing at Great Yarmouth Sea Life Centre until May 5.

Giant aquarium breaks at Downtown Disney restaurant

The North East Aquatic Community (NEAC) holds its fi rst Open Show on April 27, 2014, in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. NEAC started life in 2010 as a forum for North East fi shkeepers and breeders.

Since then, it has grown to have a healthy member base from all around the UK and even a few members from the USA.

After meeting with a few members, it was decided to hold an auction to raise funds for forum running costs and to provide prizes for competitions held on the forum.

Due to the huge success of

these fi rst auctions in 2013, NEAC decided to make it its policy to raise money for charity and to choose a different charity each year.

Now NEAC has affi liated as a society with the FBAS and is holding its fi rst Open Show, with the aim to become the biggest and best of its kind in the North East and eventually one of the best in the country.

NEAC’s Open Show will be run to FBAS Rules and will be held at The Teams Club, Derwentwater Road, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, NE8 2SJ. For more information, visit neacaquatic.wix.com/neacaquatic.

Society to hold its fi rst show

A seam on a restaurant’s aquarium failed.

restaurant reported hearing a very loud noise before water began to pour from the tank. Diner Katie Wallace says: “We were sitting about 20 feet away.

“The people sitting at the table next to it did get wet…I don’t know how they could have avoided it.”

There were no reports of injuries and all the fi sh were saved, being placed into holding tanks until the tank could be repaired. The restaurant remained open as usual.

22

FISHKEEPINGNEWS


A coral reef discovered in the coastal waters of Iraq has excited scientists, as it had been thought unlikely that corals could settle in such an extreme environment.

Researchers from the Technical University of Freiberg, Germany, stumbled upon the 28km2 coral reef in the Arabian Gulf at the mouth of the Shatt Al-Arab (Euphrates and Tigris), while on training with colleagues from the University of Basrah, Iraq.

Although coral ecosystems occur in the coastal areas of most countries of the Arabian Gulf (Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates), no coral reefs were previously known in Iraq. Due to the high turbidity of the coastal waters through the tributaries of the Euphrates and Tigris, coral reefs could not be located using satellites.

“The discovery was a sensation for all of us,” says Prof. Hermann Ehrlich, Heisenberg professor for biomineralogie and extreme biomimetics. “Tropical coral reefs

Competition between large and small versions of the same cichlid in Lake Tanganyika could lead to them becoming two separate species in the future.

Telmatochromis temporalis consists of two ecomorphs (local varieties of a species whose appearance is determined by its ecological environment) that strongly differ in body size and the habitat in which they live. There is a big version of the fi sh that lives on the rocky shoreline, and a small version, which is roughly about half the size, that lives and breeds in accumulations of empty snail shells found on sand.

According to a study by Dr Martin Genner from Bristol’s School of Biological Sciences and colleagues, the bigger fi sh outcompete the smaller ones, driving them away from the preferred rocky habitats and into the neighbouring sand, where they fi nd shelter for themselves and their eggs in the snail shells.

Dr Genner says: “In effect, big and small fi sh use different habitats; and because of this habitat segregation, fi sh usually mate with individuals of similar size. There is virtually no genetic exchange between the large and small

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Sensational discovery of tropical coral reef in chilly, polluted waters

Competition breeds new species

are an extremely sensitive ecosystem, normally occurring in clear waters, where the temperature rarely falls below 20°C/68°F. Here, however, there are variations in temperature from 14-34°C/57-93°F.

Along with large temperature fl uctuations, the area is also characterised by high turbidity, high fl ow rates and large salinity fl uctuations during the year, and is often polluted with oil and loaded with sediment.

Visibility was low at just 90cm/3' or less, making studying the reef diffi cult for the team, but they found a fairly diverse ecosystem with a variety of hardy coral species and sponges.Four of the identifi ed coral groups in the reef (Platygyra, Porites, Goniastrea and Turbinaria) are among the most slow-growing species that are solid and robust enough to evolve and be able to survive under the harsh conditions.

Further studies are planned to better understand the coral

ecosystems in the specifi c climatic and environmental conditions. Against the background of global climate

change, researchers say this could provide valuable insights on how marine ecosystems can adapt to extreme conditions.

A variety of coral species have survived harsh environmental conditions.

bodied ectomorphs.” Speciation occurs when genetic

differences between groups of individuals accumulate over time. In the case of Telmatochromis, there are no obvious obstacles to the movement and interaction of individuals. But, the non-random mating between large and small bodied fi sh sets the stage for the evolutionary play.

Dr Genner says: “Our work provides experimental evidence that competition for space drives differential mating in cichlid fi sh and, in time, leads to the formation of new species. Nature has its ways from body size differences to the formation of new species. Clearly, size matters for Telmatochromis as well as for fi sh diversity.”

Competition for a limited resource such as food, space or shelter was one of Darwin’s mechanisms for the formation of new species.

“Our study is really one of the fi rst to clearly show the role competition plays in the origin of new species,” says study co-author Dr Lukas Rüber, from the Natural History Museum London.

Evidence points towards these cichlids becoming two separate species in the future.

The smaller fi sh lives and breeds in empty snail shells.

The bigger version that lives on the rocky shoreline.

23

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pRODUCTnews

PRODUCTOF THE

MONTH

Get the low-down on the latest fi shkeeping gear to hit the shelves.


The Hydra FiftyTwo will have many a reef tank owner drooling as it combines the best of LED colour and control with output, meaning that just one of these 30cm/12" long bad boys can light a whole 91 x 91 x91cm/36 x 36 x 36" cube tank on its own!

As its name suggests, the FiftyTwo has 52 LEDs in four clusters and seven separate colours. Each colour can be controlled or dimmed, and on full power the unit draws 135w of electricity. For those familiar with AI LED lights, the company claims the FiftyTwo to have the control of the Vega with the power of the Sol units, and it has both 80 degree and 50 degree optic options for those who want to penetrate deep tanks.Price: £595.99.More info: Visit www.theaquariumsolution.com or call 0208 5012492.

Available in goldfi sh, tropical and variety, King British Fish Treats are enriched with vitamins, minerals and trace elements to keep your aquarium fi sh healthy and active.

The little compressed discs of fi sh food can be stuck to the glass on the inside of your aquarium to attract fi sh. This could bring shy fi sh to the front of the tank and provide the perfect opportunity to health check your fi sh.

King British stockists will also be participating in feeding King British Fish Treats to their own fi sh. To witness the feeding

frenzy in action, head to your nearest aquatic retailer for 2pm when stores will pop a King British Fish Treat tablet into their display tanks.Price: from £2.49.More info: To fi nd where your nearest participating stockist is, call 01440 714700 or email [email protected].

This plastic, stick-on box goes inside the aquarium with the aim of holding four male Siamese fi ghters separate from each other, yet still allowing them to enjoy the water quality and warmth of the larger aquarium it resides in because of the slots that allow water fl ow.

Better than jars because of that function, at least Betta won’t die from cold or ammonia

poisoning, although the compartments are tiny. Aquatic stores may fi nd use for them in their stock tanks, although we feel because the compartments are so small, we wouldn’t recommend them for fi ghters, and the slots are too large to hold ornamental shrimp or livebearer fry. They could be useful for emerse riparium plants or mangroves perhaps...Price: £10.99.More info: www.aquadistri.com.

Hydra FiftyTwo LED marine light from Aqua Illumination

Fish treats from King British

Superfi sh Betta Box

24

fishkeepingnews


Two new treats are available in the form of tablets that stick on the aquarium glass, encouraging your fish to feed at the front of the aquarium where you can see them more easily.

The treats are available in two versions. FishScience Treats with Shrimp contain krill and shrimp meal, which fish find irresistible. FishScience Treats with Algae contain Spirulina and other vegetable ingredients, making them ideal for plant and algae-eating fish such as plecs, Malawi cichlids and livebearers.

Both treats contain natural colour enhancers such as spirulina and Chlorella algae, krill, paprika and carrot to enhance the fantastic colouration of your fish — naturally. And the natural theme is continued with the addition of garlic, beta-glucans and omega oils to promote the immune system.

The treats are available in a 9g trial sachet, which will allow you to try them and see just how much your fish enjoy them. FishScience foods are available from stockists throughout the UK.price: £4.25.More info: www.fishscience.co.uk or call 01489 890147.

Maidenhead Aquatics has launched a new range of premium pond foods. There are three varieties in this range, catering for all types of pond fish.

Premium Koi Pellets (1kg and 2kg) are highly digestible and formulated with prebiotics to help improve digestion. They contain spirulina to help to enhance the colours in Koi, along with Omega 3 and 6 to improve the general well-being of fish.

Premium floating Pond Sticks (420g and 750g) are for all varieties of coldwater fish. Formulated with prebiotics to help improve digestion, they

contain spirulina to help to enhance colours and Omega

3 and 6 to improve general well-being of fish.

Premium Sinking Pellets (1kg) are specifically

designed to be fed to sturgeon, Tench and other

bottom-feeding fish. They

The Velda Fountain Pond is a lightweight mini-pond with fountain pump and plant basket. It can be installed in your garden and on patios, as well as on a balcony or even indoors. It is available in two shapes and sizes.

Velda recommend planting with the following marginal plants: Japanese pipewort, Marsh-marigold, Arrowhead, Corkscrew rush and Iris. For potting, you are advised to use the plant basket. To keep the

water clear, they say add some Hornwort, water weed, Water lettuce or Water hyacinth to the mini-pond. Prices: Square patio pond with fountain pump and plant basket 55 x 55 x 32cm/22 x 22 x 13", £125.95 and 75 x 75 x 35cm/29 x 29 x 14", £157.42. Round patio pond with fountain pump and plant basket 55 x 32cm/22 x 13", £125.95 and 75 x 35cm/29 x 14", £157.42.More info: www.velda.com

Treat foods from FishScience

Fountain ponds from Velda Aqua Nutrition from Maidenhead

contain a mix of ingredients that are highly digestible and encourage good, efficient growth and a high energy level in fish.

The Aqua Nutrition Premium Range Pond Fish Foods are stocked at all Maidenhead Aquatics stores throughout the UK, as well as in its online store. Price: From £6.99.More info: Visit www.fishkeeper.co.uk

25


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Smile...Bathyaethiops breuseghemi, a seldom seen tetra species from the Democratic Republic of Congo, gives a toothy grin in this macro portrait by Victoria Lamb (forum name, VickyEl7).

Rhapsody in blueBruce Logie (forum name, Don Poisson) took this shot of his Malawi blue dolphin, Cyrtocara moorii, a beautifully coloured rift lake cichlid.

Pucker up!At fi rst glance, the Thick-lipped gourami, Trichogaster labiosa, can be mistaken for its relative the Dwarf gourami, but it’s a slightly larger, more robust fi sh as shown in this portrait by Stephen Lowton.

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tankcommunityShare your tank triumphs with us by sending your images to editorial@practicalfi shkeeping.co.uk, via the online forum or to the address on page 31.

26

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From the forum


Suitable aquarium-safe glue for slate?

Hamish writes:I want to make a

multi-plec hide out from slate for my 5 x L239s that will soon be arriving. Can anyone tell me if ordinary roofing slate is safe to use and also what sort of aquarium safe adhesive I can use to glue it together?

Replies:robwrightSlate is OK, but try

and soften the edges, as they can be sharp. I used slate blocks from a garden centre and broke it up in layers. For glue, get aquarium silicone.

HamishCheers, I’ll pick up

some of that sealant over the weekend. I work at a garden centre on Saturdays, so I’ll have a look at those blocks tomorrow. I might use the roof slate and chop up a block with my grinder and use the small block pieces as dividers.

adam88Another vote for

silicone. I use the Silicone XP stuff from Homebase. I doubt normal adhesives would work well. Ideally, you want something quite squishy to push the two pieces into.

HamishIs that silicone XP

stuff aquarium safe?

adam88I have used

significant amounts of it in mine with no issues. Silicone is pretty inert.

waterwatcherAs long as the

silicon does not have anti-fungal properties it should be fine.

Join the PFK online community at http://forum.practical fishkeeping.co.uk

Colourful slice of seaFleur and Mark Philips sent us this shot of their bustling 94 l/21 gal reef tank.

Snakes aliveThis Snakeskin barb, Puntius rhomboocellatus, a delightful soft water species, is owned by Alexander Clarke (forum name, aliclarke86).

Mother knows bestForum member Dean Higgins (forum name, deanhiggins2) captured this tranquil shot of one of his discus tending its clutch of eggs.

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FactFiLE● Fishkeeper: Simon morgan.

● Whereabouts: near Cambridge.

● Time in the hobby: 24 years.

● No. of tanks: Six.

Fish iD Quiz answers: 1. Convict cichlid, Amatitlania nigrofasciata 2. Pearlscale cichlid, Herichthys carpintis 3. Blackbelt cichlid, Vieja maculicauda4. Jack Dempsey, Rocio octofasciata 5. Jaguar cichlid, Parachromis managuensis


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Simon’s 4ft characin tank.

What fi rst attracted you to the hobby? Initially, it was the variety and colour, and then I discovered cichlids with interesting behaviour and/or breeding methods. the social interaction with other fi shkeepers is an added bonus.

How would you describe your tanks? messy attempts at biotopes that end up as breeding projects!

What are your favourite fi sh?the Guianacara dacrya look amazing at the moment, but West African cichlids in general are my real interest.

What would be your dream aquarium? A large West African rapids tank, with Steatocranus irvinei, elephant-nose fi sh, Synodontis cats and large African characins.

What piece of advice would you give newcomers to the hobby? be prepared to put time into this hobby and it will be rewarding.

What made you join the PFK online forum? to learn, to share and to help. I like being able to see what other

Simon’s current fi sh● Guianacara dacrya with fry● Sturisoma panamense● Hypancistrus sp. L201● Hypancistrus sp. L66● Nannacara taenia● Enigmatochromis lucanusi● Pelvicachromis silviae● Corydoras schwartzi● Lampeyes ● Cardinal, ember, Lemon,

Splashing and Pristella tetras.

Sturisoma panamense.

Apistogramma sp. ‘pebas’.

REaDER oF tHE montH

people are keeping and breeding. I am also a keen member of the british Cichlid Association and east Anglia Cichlid group, both of which are always happy to greet new members and hold events throughout the year.

28

Central American cichlids are often overlooked in favour of their more timid Southern relatives, but given suitable conditions, they are some of the most fascinating and colourful fish around. Can you identify these five?

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FISH QUIZiD

tankcommunity


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Cre

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Om

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, Cre

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Om

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. APF

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CC

Triglachromis otostigma.

A mix of tetras.

Aequidens metae.

29

Email us at editorial@practicalfi shkeeping.co.uk or write to the address on the opposite page. The writer of every ‘letter of the month’ will be sent a prize.

Join us on the Practical Fishkeeping magazine Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages for more chat.

Letter of the month

Your tweets and posts

From FacebookGeorge Everrett: Cleaned out my Blagdon Infi nity pool today to fi nd a community of fi sh I had no idea I had. Alongside fi ve young and very tame goldfi sh (Comet and Shubunkin included), I found a pair of vibrant Three-spined sticklebacks, ten plus minnows, half a dozen small fi sh that are defi nitely not minnows — possible yearling Roach, Dace or Grayling — and one proud and imperialistic Bullhead that sat on my hand and refused to budge. Aside from the goldfi sh, I have no idea how it all got there!Practical Fishkeeping Magazine: Now that is awesome, George. Are you keeping them?George Everrett: Defi nitely. The minnows are taking bloodworm from my fi ngers and the sticklebacks are in breeding colours — bright red belly and blue eye for the male, emerald green for the female. I’ll try to get some pictures up soon.Practical Fishkeeping Magazine: You get pictures up and I promise to spell your name right.George Everrett: I never realised how hard it was to get fi sh to hold still for a photo. Kudos to your photographers!

Practical Fishkeeping Magazine: You’ve earnt this George. Kudos!

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The recent article on snakeheads in PFK’s Spring issue prompted me to repeat the warnings about impulse purchases. The attached photograph shows Arthur. I bought him over 25 years ago when he was 10cm/4" long. I didn’t know what he was, but I did ask the owner of the store ‘how big will it grow?’.

‘Just depends on how much you feed it,’ was the reply. So I bought him and fed him on earthworms and fi sh and he

soon grew into a monster that needed a 120cm/4' tank on his own, as anything I put in with him he either ate or killed.

I work at a university, which is where Arthur ended up. I used to have to get some drops from the biology department to knock him out to clean the tank!

He has since passed away to that big aquarium in the sky. In the end, he was about 45-50cm/18-20" long and had a warning on his tank about putting your fi ngers

anywhere near him. Do your research before you buy!

Do you know what type of snakehead he was, by the way? I say ‘he’, but I’ve no idea really!Richard Hartley, email

Jeremy Gay says: It looks to us like Parachanna obscura, an African species. Adult examples of these aren’t very common in the UK. We echo your advice to fully research potential purchases, especially their size!

Snakehead grew into a monster!

Having recently returned to tropical fi shkeeping after 20 years, some things have not changed for the better. I have visited over ten retail outlets selling tropical fi sh, and nothing causes me more concern than seeing the beautiful Siamese fi ghting fi sh confi ned to a jam jar, and in most cases with no oxygen provided via an airstone: the very basic commodity.

I understand the need to keep them separate because if mixed they will fi ght to the death, but it is inhumane to confi ne this beautiful fi sh in such shoddy conditions. Remember how the noble goldfi sh was given away at fairgrounds in a plastic bag hanging on a hook? We

all knew the outcome: certain death for the poor fi sh.

As hobbyists, we have a duty to ensure as far as possible that our aquatic friends are treated with dignity and respect. I fi nd nothing respectful about keeping a fi sh in a jam jar.

My granddaughter was deeply upset when we went to a tropical fi sh dealer and she observed two Siamese fi ghting fi sh in a jam jar laying lifeless on their sides. When I challenged the owner, his reply was ‘oh, we have more coming into stock’!

Should we ban the importing of these fi sh or just provide them with acceptable living conditions? No dealer will ever get my money if I see that his/her fi sh are not properly looked after.Paul Checkley, Cheshire

Jeremy Gay says: Some fi ghters do receive poor welfare versus other tropical species. We favour a planted biotope every time!

A fi sh worth fi ghting for

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RIP Arthur, the Parachanna obscura who neededdrugs to control him!

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YOURMAIL

Treat fi ghters with respect, says Paul.

30

The Daddy of anemones!

A Takashi-inspired aquascape.

CONTACT USAddress Practical Fishkeeping,

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If you or someone you know are aged between 16 and 24 and are interested in work

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Practical Fishkeeping magazine is published 13 times a year by Bauer Consumer Media Ltd, registered address 1 Lincoln Court, Lincoln Road, Peterborough, PE1 2RF. Registered number 01176085. No part of the magazine may be reproduced in any form in whole or in part, without the prior permission of Bauer. All material published remains the copyright of Bauer, and we reserve the right to copy or edit any material submitted to the magazine without further consent. The submission of material (manuscripts or images etc.) to Bauer Media whether unsolicited or requested, is taken as permission to publish that material in the magazine, on the associated website, any apps or social media pages affiliated to the magazine, and any editions of the magazine published by our licensees elsewhere in the world. By submitting any material to us you are confirming that the material is your own original work or that you have permission from the copyright owner to use the material and to authorise Bauer to use it as described in this paragraph. You also promise that you have permission from anyone featured or referred to in the submitted material to it being used by Bauer. If Bauer receives a claim from a copyright owner or a person featured in any material you have sent us, we will inform that person that you have granted us permission to use the relevant material and you will be responsible for paying any amounts due to the copyright owner or featured person and/or for reimbursing Bauer for any losses it has suffered as a result. We accept no responsibility for unsolicited material which is lost or damaged in the post and we do not promise that we will be able to return any material to you. Finally, whilst we try to ensure accuracy of your material when we publish it, we cannot promise to do so. We do not accept any responsibility for any loss or damage, however caused, resulting from use of the material as described in this paragraph.

TANKCOMMUNITY


And the winners are…The winners of the March ten-prize bonanza competition are: Paul Huish, Somerset; Lewis Spencer, Kent; Paul Skinner, Birmingham; Keith

Bayley, West Midlands; Lawson George, Bristol; Adrian Brickley, Gwynedd; Anna Lake, West Sussex; Steven Sheils, Essex; Marley Couper, Lincs, and Peter Smith, Warrington. The winner of the April Superfi sh competition is Steven Philips of Greater Manchester.

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In the March 2014 issue of PFK I asked your experts a question about setting up a new Fluval Roma 90, entitled ‘Will this make a good beginner’s tank?’.

This photo shows the fi nished set-up. I did a full fi shless cycle and would now swear to doing one whenever setting up an aquarium. I didn’t need RO water, as the tannins and possibly iron in the plant fertiliser have lowered the pH to about 6.8.

Nitrate has been a steady 5-10ppm. I have ten Neon tetras, three Bronze Corydoras, two male Honey gouramis and a male Bristlenose.

I also have three Rabbit snails and three Cherry shrimp in the tank, alongside 12 Amano shrimp, which I got today to remove algae. All in all, it has been a success. Thank you for your advice. Joseph Brabin (11), email

Beginner’s set-up

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Successful aquascape fi rst time around!This is my fi rst attempt at an aquascape. I’ve been inspired by some of the articles in PFK over the last few months and have even bought some of Takashi Amano’s books. I’m really happy with how the tank came out.

This has been established for around fi ve months now. However, I cannot remember the name of the plant I used in the centre — can anyone

identify it? I wonder if it’s Bacopa…

Any advice or tips welcome! Matt Gudgeon, Portsmouth

Jeremy Gay says: Looking really good Matt, and it’s so satisfying when you grow in a successful carpet of plants for the fi rst time. The stem plant looks like Bacopa caroliniana. Put some choice rocks around that wood for a natural look.

New to marines after 25 years

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I thought you might like to see a few photos of my 90 l/20 gal nano marine tank. I have been keeping fi sh for over 25 years but only plucked up the courage to try saltwater six months ago.

It is stocked with two Common clowns, a Neon damsel, Cleaner shrimp, Peppermint shrimp and a sand sifting goby along with polyps, mushrooms, pulsing Xenia and the Daddy of anemones — it’s taking over the tank! I’ll need to invest in a much larger tank soon; if I can get around the better half that is. It won’t be easy though, as I

Jeremy Gay says: That’s what we’re here for Joseph, and what a great tank by the way! You’ve started off with a nice, suitable-sized tank there, suitable stocking and, most importantly, you did your research.

I can see future expert contributor potential right there, and please send us more photos as the tank matures and the fi sh thrive. Those corys could be your fi rst breeding project if you bought them as a sexed trio...

Research paid off with this new set-up.

already have a 120cm/48" Malawi tank set-up, a 60cm/24" coldwater tank and this marine tank. Wish me luck!

PFK is a great magazine by the way, written for the novice and experts alike and very informative. Simon Lunt, Liverpool

Jeremy Gay says: Always good to see an anemone doing well and clownfi sh using it. They really do benefi t each other and that special relationship and behaviour is missed when clowns aren’t offered their natural hosts.

31


The sky’s the limitThe rare and elusive Theraps coeruleus has all-round appeal, offering challenges for aquarists, taxonomists and behaviourists alike says Juan Miguel Artigas Azas.

Theraps coeruleus, with coeruleus meaning ‘like the sky’ in Latin in reference to the colour of

the females and also the breeding colour of parental fish, is a wonderful species. For behavioural researchers, it gives an excellent opportunity to study its interesting breeding tactics and colouration changes, which has never been done before as far as I know. For aquarists, it is a beautiful, lively and challenging fish with an interesting and intriguing behaviour. For taxonomists, the relationship of T. coeruleus with the closely related Theraps lentiginosus populations of Usumacinta and Grijalva rivers, different among themselves, provides grounds for thought. T. coeruleus is indeed one of the more shining jewels of the wonderful Mayan land.

The habitat of T. coeruleus is characterized by wide (more than 5m/16') mountain rivers of clear cool water, in a temperature ranging approximately between 20 and 27°C/68 to 81°F. The riverbeds are normally composed of boulders, rocks, gravel and sand, although some backwater areas of sunken leaf layers are also present.

T. coeruleus choose the moderately fast flows as preferred foraging areas, normally away from the very strong currents, and they only visit the slower flow areas in smaller numbers or during breeding. Hardly ever are they found in stagnant water.

Water transparency is often well over 10m/33', although normally the rivers that T. coeruleus inhabit are less than 3m/10' deep. Water is alkaline with pH measurements from 7.5-8.4, general hardness

ranges from 11-22°GH and KH from 7-28°.

Associated cichlid species, often found living alongside T.coeruleus, include Thorichthys socolofi, Chuco intermedium, Paratheraps bifasciatus, Rocio octofasciata, Paraneetroplus omonti and ‘Cichlasoma’ salvini. Other commonly associated fish species include Characinids Brycon guatemalensis and Astyanax mexicanus; Poecilids Poecilia mexicana, Priapella compressa, Xiphophorus helleri and Pseudoxiphophorus bimaculatus; Atherinidae Atherinella alvarezi and Pimelodidae Rhamdia laticauda, among others.

Traits and tastesT. coeruleus is a small, elongated, laterally compressed cichlid. They have a rounded head, a pointed

4 A chance to set up a river biotope

4 Great for hard water regions

4 Fascinating spawning activity


Theraps coeruleus was described from specimens collected at a tributary of Río Mizol-Ha at Francisco I. Madero, approximately 30km/19mi south of Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico.Theraps coeruleus is restricted to the middle zone of the Tulija river and its affluents in the Grijalva-Usumacinta river system in the state of Chiapas, Mexico, around 100m/328' over sea level.

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Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico.

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FRESHWATERCICHLIDS


snout and a rather small, slightly subterminal mouth located in the lower part of the head. Their lips are rather large, and teeth are easily visible on the jaws. Fins (except for the caudal) are short and rounded, and the caudal peduncle is long with a long subtruncated caudal fi n.

The basic colouration is beige, which is darker in the dorsal area and clear to white in the ventral area. Eight to ten black blotches line up in the middle part of the fl anks; these are distributed from the end part of the caudal peduncle to the opercula, with the middle one being the most conspicuous of them all, followed by the blotch at the caudal peduncle.

The blotches are the origin of black bars that surround the body dorsally. The fi rst three bars

FISH & TANK FACTFILE● Scientifi c name: Theraps coeruleus.● Pronunciation: Th-air-apps core-rule-ee-uss.● Fish size: Males up to 15cm/6"; females no larger than 10cm/4".● Lifespan: Ten years plus.● Colours: Beige, white, black and blue.● Tank size: 300-400 l/66-88 gal.● Water chemistry: Alkaline and moderately hard, 7.5-8.4pH, 10-20°H.● Temperature: 20-28°C/68-82°F● Feeding: Flakes, pellets, live and frozen crustaceans and insects.● Ease of keeping: Demanding.● Livestock availability: low. enquire at specialist retailers or cichlid groups/clubs.● Tank mates: larger swordtails, characins and pimelodid catfi sh.

originate in the anterior and upper part of the eye cavities, the fi rst one extending frontally to the tip of the upper lip. A less intense line of dark blotches is present in the dorsal part of the fl anks, the third and fi fth of those are fused together in what looks like a circular band surrounding the insertion of the dorsal fi n.

T. coeruleus feeds in the fast fl owing areas or rivers with rocky and/or sandy beds, picking in the sand in rock pebble areas. Although I am not aware of stomach examinations, after having observed this fi sh underwater on multiple occasions, it seems apparent that they feed on invertebrates encrusted in the rocks, hiding in the crevices or below the rocks.

Individuals of all sizes group loosely together, swimming against

A pair of Theraps coeruleus guarding fry in Bascam

River, Tulija drainage.

A female Theraps coeruleus in normal colouration in

Tulija River, Mexico.

33


the current while searching for edibles among the rocks. During feeding, they exhibit little or no aggression among themselves or to other fi sh.

Unlike its sibling species T. lentiginosus, at least in my observations, they do not seem to turn around pebbles in search of hidden invertebrates, although further observations may be necessary to corroborate this.

Breeding coloursBreeding in T. coeruleus is one of the most fascinating acts of Central American cichlids. It is a fi sh that exhibits at least four colour morphs during their reproductive cycle.

The elaborate colour changes involved with breeding phases are unique, as well as its mating system. The more coloured females, with a beige base colour and a strong blue in the lower head, chest and belly, are the fi rst to take a step in colonising the breeding area. They look for zones of slower water fl ow and search for a cave that will become their nest. Holes in sunken tree trunks, separated from the bottom, are by far the most desirable places, as is apparent with the bigger, more aggressive females holding every available hole. In second place are caves formed naturally by rocks;

the caves sometimes have to be enlarged (in the adjacent substrate). On other occasions, caves are dug up from rocks below in the sand, on which they lay.

When females hold a territory, they become territorial and express this mood with a row of six to eight big contrasting white blotches longitudinally on their fl anks. The white blotches take the place of the normal black blotches that are seen in normal colouration.

The normal colouration of the female then intensifi es, and of particular prominence are two bigger black blotches ringed in blue on the middle part of the dorsal fi n.

Males of all sizes, normally greenish-yellow in base colouration with eight to ten black blotches in a longitudinal arrangement on the middle part of their fl anks, detect territorial females and parole by their territories. Females remain at the entrance of their caves and normally ignore passing males. Patrols can extend for hours.

A chosen male, always bigger than the female, is eventually courted back and both potential mates circle each other in the territory. After the pair is established, colouration changes for both individuals and they start chasing all intruders away. At this point, the name coeruleus becomes apparent, as both males

and females develop a fantastic sky blue colouration all over their bodies and fi ns, with just a black blotch visible on the middle of their fl anks.

The spawning surface is cleaned by both fi sh for eggs to be placed and fertilised. About 200 (depending on the size of the female) yellow ovoid eggs of approximately 2.1mm length per 1.7mm width are attached to the ceiling or walls of the spawning cave, and they are fanned by the female’s pectoral fi ns.

The female remains at the entrance or inside the spawning cave while the male patrols the immediate surrounding area. Eggs take about two days to hatch under aquarium conditions, and four days later, the little wrigglers, having consumed their heavy yolk sacs, become free swimming and venture outside the cave.

At this point another colouration change takes place on the parents; a black pattern appears on the sky blue base colour, with six incomplete bars going down from the top to the now black blotches found longitudinally on the middle part of their fl anks. A black ‘U’ is also formed just below the anterior base of the dorsal fi n.

Parents herd their babies in the moderately fast fl owing water. The babies forage on the surface of the rocks, presumably from small-encrusted larvae, detritus and aufwuchs.

When a perceived danger approaches, fry are quick to disappear below the surrounding rocks and just the parents remain apparently guarding nothing. After the danger is perceived to have disappeared, the fry start popping out from their hiding one-by-one. As there are no studies in this

Spot the differences between sexesFemales show two or three black blotches on the dorsal fi n.

Females have a much more intensive sky blue colouration in the ventral area and the lower part of the head.

Cheeks in males are yellow.

Fins are sprinkled with light blue dots. Unpaired fi ns have a red base with contrasting blue rays.

The black blotches on the dorsal fi ns of females are ringed in blue. The dorsal fi n has a red margin on the spines area.

Rio Mizol-Ha, a tributary of Tulija River in the tropical forest of Chiapas, habitat of Theraps coeruleus.

A Theraps coeruleus female guarding her fry in Bascam River, Tulija drainage.

34

FRESHWATERCICHLIDS


regard, it is hard to assess how long parents will guard their babies for, but juvenile fi sh of about 2cm/0.8" in length are seen wandering among the rocks, where they effi ciently take refuge in little crevices when danger approaches. When they reach about 4cm/2" in length, they are seen grouping with adults searching for food.

Keep your ownT. coeruleus is a beautiful cichlid with a moderately aggressive disposition, but it is by far not the easiest cichlid to keep and breed successfully. This fi sh is shy and if the conditions are not right, this shyness becomes so extreme and stressful that they don’t last very long. So, this fi sh requires a good assemblage of dither fi sh for its well-being, as well as proper lighting. A dark environment promotes shyness.

Dither fi sh are ignored, and just occasionally very small fi sh (livebearer fry) would be eaten. Caves and rocks are necessary in the aquarium. The minimum tank size I would recommend is 300 l/66 gal; I have kept mine in a 1.5m/5' 400 l/88 gal aquarium, which seems to be perfect for this fi sh. I am sure some people would be successful in smaller tanks, but

you can’t expect to see natural behaviour there.

When water conditions go wrong, T. coeruleus is prone to bacterial infections and eventual death. Of special consideration is the amount of dissolved oxygen and temperature. The fi sh suffer in the lack of the former and high value of the latter, as can be easily seen in rapid respiration rates.

It’s better to keep water chemistry close to natural conditions, with pH above 7 and hardness above 5°GH. Water temperature is important, and water that is too cold or too hot can easily damage the fi sh. A range of 20-28°C/68-83°F is accepted, where the middle range is preferred. Taking all this into consideration, colouration and behaviour are optimal.

Feeding is not a problem, as they would greedily accept whatever offered to them. To prevent digestion problems, I tend not to offer foods that are too protein-rich or fatty foods to my fi sh. Flake or frozen foods are accepted with no problem, and the fi sh can be kept long-term on this regime without any apparent problem.

I believe that if the fi sh are kept in the proper conditions, the main problem to solve in breeding them

is to overcome their natural shyness. Proper water conditions, dither fi sh, good lighting, abundant food and companions that are not too aggressive are the key. Companions that are more aggressive would stress T. coeruleus and prevent them from forming territories. If these conditions were met, the fi sh would most likely breed for us.

For a breeding cave, I fi nd that an inverted fl owerpot with an open base works very well. Once pairs form and breeding procedures start, things will normally go well, although the fi rst breeding

attempts by the fi sh usually result in failure.

Fry accept Brine shrimp as their fi rst food and they normally prosper in the community aquarium, many of them even reaching adulthood there. Of course, this happens if there are not effi cient fry predators in the tank and enough cover is provided.

Theraps coeruleus do better in a group of six or more individuals, Although they are not apparently aggressive, they actually are intraspecifi cally, although they’re rarely fatally aggressive, especially if space conditions are right.

A female Theraps coeruleus in breeding colour guarding her spawn in Tulija River.

Theraps coeruleus males in patrol, waiting for a female to pick a partner in Tulija River, Mexico.

35

Ears to the groundWith its super hearing, not much gets past Dewindt’s featherfi n says Ad Konings.

✔ Fascinating breeders✔ Interesting feeding antics✔ Unique yellow ventral fi ns

3 reasons you want one


Aulonocranus dewindti is found mostly in the coarse sand or gravel substrates of Lake Tanganyika, Africa, and usually at depths of less than fi ve metres.

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Lake Tanganyika

● Common name: Dewindt’s featherfi n.

● Scientifi c name: Aulonocranus dewindti.

● Pronunciation: Awe-Lon- Oh-Crane-Us Der-Win-Tie.

● Fish size: Males 13cm/5.1", females 10cm/4".

● Ease of keeping: Medium hard to hard, pending tank size.

● Temperament: Mildly aggressive. Best kept in a harem of females.

● Availability & cost: Rare, expect £15 plus each.

A. dewindti found in Cape Caramba, Ubwari

Peninsula, where the spiny part of the dorsal fi n is tipped with black.

FRESHWATERCICHLIDS

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Afew Tanganyikan fi sh genera share the name ‘featherfi n’ including Ophthalmotilapia,

Cyathopharynx, Cunningtonia and Aulonocranus. Males of all these species have characteristically elongate pelvic fi ns with striking yellow tips.

The genus Aulonocranus contains only one species: the 13cm/5" long A. dewindti (females sit smaller, rarely longer than 10cm/4"), which is the most common featherfi n of Lake Tanganyika. It was fi rst collected in 1898 in Moliro Bay by a Belgian expedition led by Lieutenant Lemaire. The species name dewindti honours the tragic and distinguished young geologist, Dr Jean de Windt, an expedition member who accidentally drowned in Lake Tanganyika.

A. dewindti differs from all other featherfi ns, and indeed from all other Tanganyika mouthbrooding sand-dwellers, in that it has extremely enlarged sensory pores in the head and lower jaw, giving rise to its Aulonocranus moniker that literally means ‘tube-skull’.

A. dewindti uses these pores to hunt insect larvae and crustaceans. The pores are similar to our human ears, which translate changes in air pressure of sound to the perception of hearing. The lateral line system in fi sh has more or less the same

function but the vibration travels in water instead of air. In addition, the lateral line system also gives the fi sh an idea of the shape of nearby objects. It is as if the fi sh can ‘feel’ the object from a distance.

All fi sh have this dual capability, but in the case of the Tanganyikan Aulonocranus (as well as the Malawian Aulonocara), the greatly enlarged pores enable it to hear or feel the tiniest of movements of small prey near the head. The Malawi species use their sensitive ‘ears’ for detecting invertebrates hiding in substrates; they literally listen to the sand, hovering motionless a few millimetres above it. However, I was never able to confi rm this type of behaviour in A. dewindti even though this species is very common. Food preference is ascertained by examining stomach contents of collected specimens, though this doesn’t hint at how the fi sh would use its super-ears obtaining it, if they use these for such purpose at all.

Observing A. dewindti at night, it’s clear that the species feeds on planktonic crustaceans. In Lake Tanganyika, huge numbers of shrimp come out to feed on phytoplankton at night, prompting several cichlid species to feed on these in the dark.

A. dewindti is one that uses its

FISH FACTFILE

A. dewindti loses its colour at night.

37


Males show little colour pattern variation, geographically speaking, but there is individual variation within populations. The only consistent geographic difference is found in the outer margin of the spiny part of the dorsal fi n in males: in most populations this is bright yellow, but it is black in the populations found along the Ubwari Peninsula and further north along the Congolese shores.

The dorsal fi n margin is also black in the populations along the opposite side of the lake in Burundi. Males at Nyanza Lac also

exhibit yellow-orange cheeks. Within populations, you fi nd

individuals with one or two black spots in the spiny part of the dorsal, both in male and female or males with a yellow/orange or bluish anal fi n. Males in some populations, such as at Cape Mpimbwe, have additional black spots on the soft dorsal fi n. Not all breeding males in each population look exactly the same, but it is not known whether these small differences have any effect on the female’s preference when looking for a mate.

Population variations

enhanced sensory system to detect prey in the subdued light. At night, the fi sh loses most of its dark colouration and appears pale. It fl oats in the water column listening to the minute movements of tiny shrimp hopping around.

When a shrimp is close to its mouth, it is quickly sucked inside. I have not seen A. dewindti cruising near the bottom in search of prey at night, so it seems that the density of planktonic crustaceans is suffi cient for the predator to wait till they hop within reach. Shrimp concentrations in Lake Tanganyika can be overwhelming, frequently forcing divers to dim torches.

By contrast, Lake Malawi’s water column is virtually void of invertebrate prey at night, and all cichlids are at rest.

Breeding insightTerritorial A. dewindti males form breeding colonies (leks) in which neighbouring males are 2 to 3m/7 to 10' apart. They construct small bowers, with a base diameter of about 30cm/12", with an inner bowl, the spawning pit, of about 15cm/6", which are usually built against a small rock or between two adjacent rocks. A. dewindti males sometimes carry pebbles from the surrounding area to decorate their spawning sites. Apart from ‘decoration’, which may serve as a point of mate recognition for breeding females, the pebbles help reinforce the structure, which may otherwise be vulnerable to wave damage. Males constructing bowers in water deeper than 3m/10' usually don’t use pebbles to mark or reinforce the structure, but bowers are regularly seen in areas with very coarse gravel.

Researchers studied two populations of A. dewindti at Kasakalawe and Kalambo in Zambia and found that males

A male from Cape Mpimbwe with black spots on its dorsal fi n.

have a breeding territory with an average diameter of 4-5m/13-16' and that the density of territorial males, depending on the structure of the habitat, was about fi ve to six per 100m2.

Female and non-territorial male density was much greater — at the time of the study about 35 individuals per 100m2 — making A.

dewindti the second most common cichlid species in the Kalambo study area with about 19% of the total fi sh counted over 400m2. The percentage of individuals at Kasakalawe was relatively much less because the habitat there consists mainly of small rocks and pebbles providing more shelter and living quarters for

smaller cichlids, and thwarting A. dewindti’s preference for football-size rocks for bower construction.

Territorial males entice females to their bowers leading them with strong undulating bodily movements. It is likely that the male releases pheromones while ‘waving’ back to his bower.

The male’s sweeping movements

It has extremely enlarged sensory pores in the head and lower jaw, giving rise to its Aulonocranus moniker that literally means ‘tube-skull’.

38

PFK

FRESHWATERCICHLIDS


propel any released scent in the direction of the trailing female so that she can confi rm his identity. With the female a few body lengths behind him, the excited male enters the spawning bowl and quickly releases some semen at the bottom. He immediately vacates the pit before the female arrives.

A. dewindti’s lower jaw is defi ned as prognathous

as it is longer than the top. Other featherfi n

species have terminal or retrognathous mouths.

The female starts depositing eggs, which she immediately picks up. She can repeat this several times before leaving the pit. The male never enters the pit while the female is laying eggs, instead positioning at the rim of the bower. As soon as the female leaves, he tries leading her back. The female may answer his courtship and repeat the cycle, but likelier she will visit additional males. Females can produce up to 35 eggs per clutch.

The eggs are probably fertilised in the spawning pit before the female collects them. Females neither nuzzle a male’s ventral region nor snap at his ventral fi ns. While the male hovers above the female when she is laying eggs, he may discharge his seminal fl uid at this time as well, but it is more likely that he has done so in the depression before the female started to lay eggs.

In addition to the fi erce inter-male competition, so-called sneaker males, fl oater males and pirates complicate the affair even more. These three spawning parasites take advantage of the males’ efforts in building and maintaining bowers.

Sneaker males have no territory and take advantage of the courting activities of the tenant male. They intervene at the moment of egg laying and release semen trying to fertilise eggs. Pirate males take over bowers of other males in which they spawn, abandoning them subsequently to be reoccupied by the original owner. Floater males wander about trying to occupy recently vacated bowers.

After spawning, mouthbrooding females gather in nursery schools and stay in the shallow water where they release their offspring, either simultaneously or into schools of other juvenile fi sh.

Males favour football-sized rocks for inclusion in their spawning sites.

Females hover about 50cm/20" above the substrate in very shallow water.

Pebbles are sometimes used to reinforce bowers.

A male building a bower without pebbles.

● Tank size: 120cm/48" minimum for a pair; multiples diffi cult unless space for bowers is allowed.

● Water chemistry: Hard, alkaline, 8.6 to 9.0pH, hardness 16°H or more.

● Temperature: 25-26°C/77-79°F.

● Plants: None, any greenery will be destroyed.

● Substrate: Fine sands, like silver sand or play pit sand.

● Décor: Ideally football-sized rounded boulders.

● Tank mates: With other Tanganyikan cichlids. Avoid multiple males.

TANK FACTFILE

39


Meet the water chameleonsMasters of disguise, the mysterious leaf fi sh has a habit of sneaking up on you, as Ivan Mikolji discovers.

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M. polyacanthus is a widespread species present in many South American countries from Bolivia up to the Orinoco River in southern Venezuela.

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South America.

I turn my head left and see hundreds of cardinal tetras shoaling on the riverbank. Small sections of my ears are

raw due to the many tetras, Copella and Anostomus, constantly biting and nibbling on them. Even though their teeth are small, the mass number can damage your skin after days of snorkelling.

Scouting the area, I spot a good looking, medium-sized Peacock bass, Cichla ocellaris, swimming towards me. He is far enough away to let me prepare for what could be an amazing picture. I take a deep long breath and sink towards the river bottom trying to stir as little debris as possible.

The Cichla gets closer as I lay

motionless, fi ve feet underwater. I try to anticipate its trajectory, fi ne tune the camera settings and start to locate him on my camera’s back screen. Twenty seconds have passed; I can hold my breath for about a minute, so everything is looking OK as long as the bass does not stop for a rest along the way.

✔ Awesome camoufl age✔ Small predators✔ Species tank project


40

The leaf fi sh can suck in its own body weight in food daily!

fish faCtfiLe● Common name: Amazon

leaf fi sh.● Scientifi c name:

Monocirrhus polyacanthus.● Pronunciation: Mon-oh-

sear-uss Pol-ee-ak-can-thus.● Size: Maximum 10cm/4".● Lifespan: Unknown. ● Ease of keeping: Very

diffi cult if not feeding.● Availability and cost:

Seasonal. Available from specialist stores from around £15 upwards.

● Temperament: Diehard predator. Non-community.


freshwaterhabitats

The Cichla keeps on swimming until he is two feet away, and then spots me. I snap the picture! I head up to the surface and a brown ‘thing’ is stuck to my mask. I smile. I know that it’s an Amazon leaf fi sh, that has come for the fi sh that are chomping on my ears, but to me, he is an old friend that has come to say, ‘Welcome to the Amazon!’.

I see Cardinal tetras, Flag cichlids and so many other fi sh species in the wild but it’s the leaf fi sh, Monocirrhus polyacanthus, that makes me really feel that Amazon spirit. This is a special fi sh that to me contains the jungle essence in its DNA. It’s secluded, strange, rare, magical, cool and mysterious, which are all words that describe a

superb tropical fi sh for an Amazon aquarium enthusiast.

The leaf fi sh biotopeDue to the vast geographical presence of the leaf fi sh, it inhabits many different types of aquatic biotopes. I have seen them in small, clear water habitats. I have never seen fl oating aquatic plants in their

41


Leaf fi sh live in the beds of slow-moving streams or near the surface of thickly planted banks.

Small tetras swim close but are unaware of its existance.

Journeys across open water are

hurried.

habitat, but that does not mean that they are not present in other locations. Habitats also change with the seasons, which adds diversity and fun challenges to any serious aquarist looking to reproduce or imitate them.

Going on my own observations of its physical characteristics, behaviour and habitat, to recreate the leaf fi sh biotope we need its original water parameters: under 5pH, KH less than 20mg/L (ppm), GH less than 10mg/L (ppm) and the temperature between 26 and 29°C/79 and 84°F.

The sections of the stream where

leaf fi sh are found are slow moving Amazon lotic ecosystems, so try to keep water movement to a minimum and defuse fi ltration output streams. The substrate should consist of white silica sand of between 0.6 and 1.2mm. I love this sand, as it is the one found in the wild. It is usually chemically inert and consequently, will not alter your water parameters.

Leaf fi sh have developed characteristics that enable them to mimic fallen dead leaves from the riparian vegetation, characterised by hydrophilic plants. They use their dead leaf crypsis both for

defence and for hunting their prey. They glide over the decaying leaf litter unobtrusively by gently moving their little transparent fi ns. It is incredible how they seem to fl y or drift from one place to another with no apparent movements of their fi ns.

The silica sand bottom should be topped with leaf litter. The size of the leaves should not exceed double the length of your leaf fi sh and they should be in the ochre colour range. It is hard to fi nd a green fallen tree leaf underwater in their habitat. Leaf fi sh are like water chameleons; I have seen

them in black, brown, brick red, orange and sometimes, bright yellow but do not place green leaves in the bottom of the aquarium. Trust me, he will not turn green!

Throughout the years of fi eld observation, I have seen leaf fi sh strictly residing on the riverbed and occasionally right beneath the water surface. They are not mid-water dwellers at all and actually seem to be benthic.

When seen on the surface, they take refuge under leaves that are half submerged in the water. These half submerged leaves probably not only serve them as refuge but also

42

The brown ‘thing’ is a leaf fish that has come for the fish that are chomping on my ears, but to me, he is an old

friend that has come to say, ‘Welcome to the Amazon!

“

”www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

freshwaterhabitats

to lay their eggs. They cross the rivers in two

altitudes and different cruising speeds. When they cross a stream at river surface cruising altitude, they are relatively fast to get to the other side.

Never showing erratic movements, they seem to flow with the current even if they are

going against the current. When they glide at ground level, they do it slower as if they were scanning the area for prey or predators.

In order to recreate the near surface area of the biotope, I would suggest any plant (ideally, Philodendron species) that can be kept in pots outside or with their roots in the same tankwater,

allowing the leaves to dip into the aquarium.

Strong light rarely penetrates the leaf fish habitat, and when it does, rays trickle in-between slight openings in the tree canopy above. Light rays can probably be simulated by placing a piece of cardboard, wood or dark plastic with a few small holes between the

top lights of the aquarium and the water surface. Do not overdo the light, it is not needed; use only as much is required to be able to see the fish. A great example of illumination would be a very romantic candlelit dinner.

Friend or foeThe leaf fish is an outrageous predator that swallows its prey whole. Because it is a slow swimming, slow moving fish, it relies on its mimicking shape, swimming position and camouflage to ambush its prey.

Once in range of a succulent,

43


unaware critter, it uses its protruding jaw to suck and trap its prey in its mouth cavity. The victim will never know what happened! The protruded jaw is hard to see when it strikes a victim because it is extremely fast, but he will also show it off regularly as this fi sh loves to ‘yawn’ many times a day.

The fi shes that live their lives near him, unaware of his existence, include small sized Hyphessobrycon, Pristella and small tetras such as Paracheirodon axelrodi. Some larger species like Satanoperca daemon are always bothering him as they move the leaves around to reach and sift the silica sand substrate below. The way it is usually found swimming vertically with its mouth down makes me wonder if benthic prey are easier for him to capture compared to pelagic swimmers, such as Cardinal tetras. If you think about it, bottom-dwelling critters cannot swim downward to escape.

With this concept in mind, we can plan the tank mates that can coexist or feed the leaf fi sh. I would add any inexpensive small freshwater shrimp such as Ghost shrimp. These crustaceans will keep the leaf litter clean and will be his prime food source.

If you add small fi sh, they will almost certainly be eaten, so you will want to avoid any tetras if they are small enough to be swallowed. If you want to keep fi sh out of his diet, buy any species of tetra that will not fi t in its mouth. I would suggest leaving the middle of the aquarium bare to keep larger

schooling tetras such as Hyphessobrycon that are big enough not to be swallowed but small enough that they won’t eat the shrimp.

In the breeding season, the leaf fi sh preys on fry from Apistogramma, Crenicichla or any other species that as adults are too big for him to swallow. Leaf fi sh prey on many fi sh that have not had the chance to mature and be able to reproduce.

Small crustaceans also become victims, but contrary to what most people think, freshwater invertebrates, including shrimp, are not extremely abundant in Amazon streams. However, they are present in the leaf litter and make up part of its raw bar menu. The impact of the leaf fi sh on the trophic cascade is quite uncertain to me, but for sure, they are a key species that keeps overpopulation of small fauna under control.

Young specimens are mostly found in thickly planted river banks, not in the leaf-littered river bed.

FRESHWATERHABITATS

THINK TANK● Tank size: 80 x 30 x 30cm/

30 x 12 x 12" minimum.● Water chemistry: Very soft

and acidic. Below 5.0pH; hardness lower than 1°GH and 1°KH.

● Temperature: 24-29°C/ 78-84°F.

● Plants: Philodendron externally, leaves submerged.

● Décor: Leaves!● Tank mates: Acid-loving fi sh

too big too eat.

Dark brown leaf fi sh are most common, with bright yellow the least common

adaptive colour.

Leaf fi sh are solitary species; specimens live a minimum of 2m/6' feet from each other.

44

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Breed to succeedKick-start a fascinating and rewarding project with Dave Wolfenden’s fi sh breeding basics.

You’ll obviously need at least a male and a female for a breeding project, although some

research into the fi sh’s mating habits should give an idea as to whether a more social system such as a harem (a male-dominated group of females) will produce the best results.

Some fi sh are easy to sex visually, thanks to secondary sexual characteristics, which can be either morphological (known as sexual dimorphism), differences in colouration (sexual dichromatism) or a combination

of both. Many species are impossible to visually sex, however, and in such cases, it may be necessary to maintain small groups and allow natural pairings to occur. The potential broodstock, once identifi ed, can then be removed to a dedicated breeding system or left where they are.

Nutrition of the broodstock is vital to get them into the right condition for spawning. Egg and sperm production are energetically costly, and a fi sh in poor condition is unlikely to reproduce or, at best, fecundity (i.e. the number of viable offspring produced) will be

compromised. Therefore, a good quality diet (preferably enriched) and regular feedings are essential. Heavy feeds can play havoc with water quality, so pay attention to fi ltration and water quality as optimal conditions are another must.

It’s also worth considering manipulating environmental parameters such as lighting for some species: many fi sh spawn at night on certain phases of the lunar cycle, and tweaking day length, allowing for slight adjustments to refl ect natural cycles, may be the trigger needed.

“”

Many fi sh spawn at night on certain phases of the lunar cycle, and tweaking day length may be the trigger needed.

Captive breeding can help endangered species like

the Banggai cardinal.

MARINEBREEDING

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Captive-bred stock can carry diseasesOne of the advantages of captive-bred marines is their lower exposure to parasites and other disease-causing agents than their wild counterparts. However, don’t assume that captive-bred stock is disease free.

It’s perfectly possible for captive-bred and raised specimens to carry parasites such as Brooklynella or Cryptocaryon (which cause so-called clownfish disease and white spot respectively), as well as being carriers of bacterial diseases such as mycobacteriosis (or fish TB), so treat them as you would any wild-caught fish in terms of quarantine and biosecurity. The myth that captive-bred fish are disease-free is just that — a myth.

The challengesWith so many advantages to captive-bred fish, why are the vast majority of fish in the ornamental trade wild-caught? It’s down to a combination of economics and the difficulties of closing the life cycle of the fish in practical terms.

From a financial point of view, collecting fish from the reef is cost-effective. There is relatively little outlay for basic collection equipment and the life support systems associated with holding at the collection site.

However, the reproductive habits of many reef fish pose technical challenges that require considerable investment in terms of time, expertise and money. While freshwater fishkeepers are spoilt for choice when it comes to captive-bred stock availability (just look at any importer’s list of Far East or Czech fish for confirmation), the fact is that most marines are extremely difficult to get breeding in the first place, and even if offspring can be produced, raising the babies of most species is demanding — to put it lightly.

Take surgeonfish or tangs as an example. Breeding them in captivity is hampered by actually achieving spawning to begin with: the adults of many species are aggressive and may be intolerant of conspecifics in the confined space of an aquarium, but it does happen.

The next challenge is collecting the fertilised eggs before they are swept away into the system’s filtration. Again, this is possible, but if this is achieved, the next stage is to rear the larvae; and this is the really difficult part. The larval stage of tangs lasts for several weeks; it’s

known as an acronurus, and their tiny size means tiny foods such as ciliates are needed. Nevertheless, even demanding groups such as tangs are showing the potential for becoming viable candidates for captive breeding thanks to the efforts of dedicated researchers.

Feeding offspringFeeding the offspring is often the most difficult aspect of marine fish culture. Live foods are a must, at least initially, and the quality of food has pronounced affects on offspring survival.

Numerous published studies from aquaculture literature have shown that unenriched Artemia, for example, may be readily accepted by many fish but their lifespan and growth rates may be much lower than if enriched Brine shrimp is used.

Density of food items is also vital. Baby marine fish observe a phenomenal ‘bite rate’ in the wild (this is the number of times prey is consumed in a given time), and to replicate this in captivity it’s important to ensure food is available in a sufficient quantity.

Add too little food and it’s dispersed such that the fish can’t see it and not enough is available to sustain them. Add too much, however, and the fish seem to get confused; they are unable to focus on a specific food item in their limited range of vision.

Some trial and error by dedicated breeders has revealed optimum food density values; for example, when raising clownfish, aim for around ten rotifers per ml of water. Careful observation of the fish, noting the frequency of feeding events, will allow for specific fine-tuning of food density.

The rearing systemDue to the dynamic conditions and efficient filtration of the typical reef tank, rearing offspring in the main aquarium isn’t going to be an option: you’ll need a dedicated system. A larval or fry rearing system doesn’t need to be too fancy, and a small glass aquarium with a heater, air pump, air line and minimal furnishings will do. Some fish are large enough for an air-driven sponge filter to be used from the get-go, but smaller babies (and their food) will be damaged even by such gentle filtration.

In this case, simply half fill the rearing tank with water from the parent tank, add the offspring, set

the heater and provide gentle aeration, ensuring the correct feed density. If managed carefully, water changes won’t be necessary, with regular additions of water from the main tank being sufficient to dilute any pollutants in the rearing tank; you’ll want to avoid carrying out any siphoning for the first week or so, but regular testing of ammonia and nitrite will inform you if this is necessary.

Once the rearing tank is full, the fish should have grown sufficiently to allow for water changing to safely take place, and when the fish are of a suitable size, an air-driven sponge filter (pre-matured in the parent system) can be installed.

Larval fish look nothing like their adult counterparts.

Differences between larvae and adults are vast.

4 Captive-bred fish reduce pressure on species sensitive to collection from the wild such as the Banggai cardinal, Pterapogon kauderni.

4 Captive stock is generally hardier in nature than wild-caught fish.

4 Captive stock is relatively easy to wean on to prepared diets.

4 Love them or hate them, the current crop of ‘designer’ colour morphs are thanks to selective breeding in captivity.

4 reasons to breed

48

LEARN THE BASICS WITH GOOD STARTER FISH

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mARINEBREEDING

GobiesSeveral goby species have been captive bred, and an ideal starter project would be one of the neon gobies, Elacatinus spp., from the Atlantic Ocean.

Maintaining small groups allows pairs to form and spawning to take place, usually on a secluded substrate (a small PVC

pipe ‘cave’ is ideal). The spawning substrate can be removed just before hatching and the fry can be relocated to a larval-rearing tank. The fry should be fed rotifers for the first 14 days, and after this period, Artemia nauplii can be introduced.

There are several starting points for budding marine breeders. Before moving on to more challenging fish such as Pygmy angels, consider learning the basics with one of these…

SeahorsesSeahorses are the focus of extensive captive-breeding efforts, and while seahorses generally require some experience for successful maintenance, those folk keeping them should certainly consider them as candidates for a breeding project. Sexing is straightforward and pairs easily established: look for the brood

The Banggai cardinalRenowned as being an ideal fish for captive breeding, is the wonderful Banggai cardinal, Pterapogon kauderni, from the Western Pacific. Sexing can be carried out on well-fed mature individuals: males have two small papillae around the vent, females have only one.

Alternatively, keep a group together; allow pairs to form and separate them out (successfully obtaining offspring in large groups is difficult due to aggression between conspecifics). The males are mouthbrooders, and the newly released fry will accept Artemia nauplii.

DottybacksThe Red Sea endemic Orchid dottyback, Pseudochromis fridmani, has been captive-bred for many years. Matings may happen in haremic groups in the reef aquarium, but pairs may be established in small systems of 100 l/22 gal or so. Dottybacks are protogynous

hermaphrodites, and the larger individual is the male.

Getting small individuals and allowing them to form pairs is the best bet. The male tends to the egg mass, and once hatched, the fry can be removed to a rearing system, with rotifers being necessary as a first food.

pouch denoting a male. Some seahorse fry (such as Hippocampus reidi) are pelagic and require dedicated kreisel systems to maintain them in constant circulation. Some other species are less demanding, with fry of the Lined seahorse, H. erectus, accepting Artemia nauplii from the start.

DamselsNumerous clownfish species have been captive bred, some extensively with specimens regularly available in the trade. They are substrate spawners, and spawning is easy enough to encourage by maintaining two small individuals together and allowing natural pairings to take place. The offspring should be provided with rotifers as a first feed.

A ludicrously easy species to breed and a superb first breeding project is the Spiny chromis, Acanthochromis polyacanthus, a damsel from the Western Pacific reaching some 12cm/5". These fish breed readily in captivity, so keep a group together and they will spawn unless you’re doing something really wrong! The eggs are laid on the substrate and the newly hatched young are large enough to feed on Artemia. These fish aren’t to everyone’s taste: being territorial, they can be bullies, and they’re not the most dazzling fish, although some of the colour morphs are quite attractive.

49

PFK

GROW yOuR OWN LIVE FOODS

FuRTHER READING

Plankton Culture Manual (6th Edition, 2008) by Frank H. Hoff and Terry W. Snell, published by Florida Aqua Farms, is for any breeder wishing to culture live foods.

The Marine Ornamental Fish and Invertebrate Breeders Forum at www.marinebreeder.org/forums/ is an excellent resource for those who want to breed marine fish.

Culture an assortment of

phytoplankton to feed your

rotifers.

Rotifers are an invaluable

first food.

Hatching Brine shrimp

couldn’t be easier.


mARINEBREEDING

Artemia or Brine shrimpAvailable as dormant cysts, these invertebrates are larger than rotifers and are used once the offspring reach a suitable size. Some species will even take Artemia as a first food.

Hatching couldn’t be easier. Add cysts to bubbling salt water, heat to around 24°C/75°F, illuminate and they will hatch within 24 hours. Newly hatched Artemia (known as nauplii) have a yolk sac that is quickly used up and their nutritional value diminishes rapidly, with levels of HUFAs (highly unsaturated fatty acids) unsuitable for fish culture. Therefore, they should be enriched with a lipid-based

preparation a few hours after hatching prior to feeding out.

The protective cyst is indigestible to fish and can cause gut blockage; therefore, it’s important to either use decapsulated Artemia or carefully harvest the newly-hatched nauplii by shining a light in the middle of the culture vessel and siphoning them off (the nauplii are positively phototaxic).

A new development in Artemia culture is the use of magnetised cysts. The cysts are coated with a substance that means they hatch as normal but they can be separated from the shrimp with a magnet. This makes obtaining a ‘clean’ batch of Artemia a cinch.

RotifersRotifers are tiny (up to 1mm long and just visible to the naked eye) animals that have proven to be invaluable as a first food for many marine fish. Surprisingly, given the readiness with which many species accept them and the prevalence of them in marine fish breeding circles, they don’t appear to be a natural food for wild fish to any significant degree. However, they are just the right size for many newly hatched fish and can be readily cultured, although they need to be managed carefully.

Rotifers are generally available as large ‘L-Strain’, Brachionus plicatilis, or smaller ‘S-Strain’, B. rotundiformis, with super small ‘SS strain’ being used in tropical mariculture for very small larval fish. L-Strain rotifers are perfect for the commonly cultured marine fish. Starter cultures of rotifers are available, as either ‘resting’ cysts that live but in a state of ‘suspended animation’, or as free-swimming cultures.

Add the starter culture to an appropriate vessel of salt water (cleaned plastic bottles are ideal), aerate gently and add food. If using phyto, some form of lighting is a good idea to maintain the algae, but this isn’t necessary if using a liquid feed such as Roti-Rich.

The key to successful rotifer culture is maintaining just the right amount of food in the culture vessel: too much will foul the water, whereas too little will starve the rotifers causing a population crash and resulting in remaining rotifers entering a dormant encysted stage. Aim to have a constant green tint in the water if using phyto and a slight cloudiness to the water if using Roti-Rich. When the water is clear, the rotifers will start to starve and this needs to be avoided.

With well-maintained cultures, daily harvesting of rotifers is possible, ensuring a continuous supply of food.

PhytoplanktonPhyto comprises many species of microscopic, free-floating algae. They’re used as a feed for zooplankton such as rotifers (prepared rotifer feeds are available as an alternative).

Culturing phyto is easy: you’ll need a small initial amount of phyto (either use a ‘phyto disc’ — a petri dish with a thin layer of algal cells — or a bottled starter culture), a vessel in which to maintain it (a conical

or tubular flask is ideal), a source of light and a fertiliser (such as Guillard’s F/2).

Add the culture to sterile saltwater, which has been microwaved and allowed to cool, add the fertiliser and allow it to multiply, aerating the culture constantly. After a week or so, the culture should have reached a suitable density for harvesting half of it; this can then be used as food in its own right or to start another culture batch.

If you’re going to breed marine fish, you’ll need to culture your own live foods. Get your cultures up and running well in advance of any anticipated spawning, as some foods can take time to establish. The main ones to start with are phytoplankton, rotifers and Artemia.

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Avoid cross-contaminationIf culturing several kinds of live food, take steps to ensure that cross-contamination from one organism to the next won’t cause losses. For example, a single rotifer can trash a phyto culture, so aim to physically separate cultures and devise maintenance and feeding protocols to prevent contamination.

It’s a good idea to maintain more than one culture of phyto and/or rotifers if opting to culture these. Not only does this mean more food is available, but it acts as insurance in case of one of the cultures crashing.

50

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fish faCTfiLel Common name:

Mandarin dragonet. l Scientifi c name:

Synchiropus splendidus.l Pronunciation: Sink-eye-

rope-uss splen-deed-uss.l Size: To 7cm/3".l Lifespan: Five years plus. l Temperament: Fiery

among its own kind.l Ease of keeping: Easy if

accepting food.l Availability and cost:

Easy to fi nd, around £25.

Crack their care needs and the beautiful Mandarin dragonet can be as trouble-free as they come, says Tristan Lougher.

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The Mandarin dragonet with its irresistible blend of green, blue and golden-red in a psychedelic pattern, is one of

the most sought-after of all species for the marine aquarium. Keep a pair successfully and you will be rewarded with regular courtship and spawning behaviour. However, it’s also well-known for presenting diffi culties to aquarists.

There are two ways in which to keep a Mandarin dragonet successfully. The fi rst is to buy in haste and spend considerable amounts of time and money in attempting to feed it or hoping that there will be enough natural food available to sustain it.

The second is to stock it into an aquarium that is sympathetic to its needs. One where natural populations of the foods it likes to eat abound and will be maintained over time. My own experience is that when mandarins are stocked into the latter system and their condition monitored regularly, they are about as trouble-free as it is possible for a fi sh to be. Mandarins are anything but impossible to care for in the long-term, but nor are their requirements to be taken lightly. Crack these before buying one and you can enjoy one of the most beautiful of all marine fi sh for years to come.

Psychedelicvision

52

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marinefish


Mandarins are at home in shallow, sunlit and often

clear water.

The Mandarin frequents quiet inshore reefs and lagoons, where sand and silt can accumulate and patches of coral and rock abound, in the tropical Western Pacifi c from southern Japan to Australia.

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Western Pacifi c

53


Mandarins usually prefer sheltered lagoons in the

Western Pacifi c.

Mandarins peck at food with their tube-like mouths

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in The WiLD

Mandarin populations are usually spread out; males are territorial and will react with displays to their same-sex neighbours. If this doesn’t see them off, then chasing and even biting might be employed. Around mating sites, small mixed-sex aggregations can be found. Males compete for mating rites. Successful males may have more than one female in their territory depending on how attractive he is.

Feed with careMandarins are easy, provided they receive suffi cient nutritious food. These are slow and methodical, even precise feeders. Their tube-like mouth pecks tiny crustaceans and other almost-microscopic organisms from the substrate.

In the context of an aquarium, this presents two problems: will they accept substitute diets such as frozen zooplankton (brine shrimp, Mysis, copepods) and if they do, will you be able to make suffi cient amounts available to them, as these fi sh do not tend to swim into open water to compete for food with their boisterous tank-mates?

Food often has to be right in front of them before they feed, and even then, it might only be consumed after a thorough inspection by the fi sh. In an aquarium context, unless housed in a species or very peaceful aquarium, the Mandarin dragonet is unlikely to have the luxury of time or an overabundance of frozen diets upon which to feed.

Buy healthy fi shLack of suitable food also presents an issue with regard to specimen selection. Many individuals that refuse to feed will show dramatic weight loss and can appear discoloured — bright green individuals sound desirable but are likely to be specimens showing signs of distress with the natural body colour being a deeper, almost bottle green. Pale patches on the

skin and excess mucus secretion are also signs of ailing fi sh and such individuals should be avoided.

The areas of the body to check on Mandarins are the underside just behind the pectoral fi ns, which is the region beneath which the stomach is located. Starving individuals will appear hollow in this region.

The other area to check is the fl anks of the fi sh. This is where the larger muscles of the fi sh are located: the ones that drive the tail from side-to-side when fl eeing potential aggressors. Starving individuals will lose condition in these areas, and this is no more apparent than when viewing a fi sh head-on. If the fl anks appear hollowed and there are defi ned sharp angles between the lateral line and dorsal fi ns, then you are looking at a hungry fi sh.

If the lines are softer, rounded and plump, then the fi sh is in good condition. Be aware that recently imported specimens may be the plumpest fi sh and yet might not be the best option for aquarists who

should check their feeding preferences before buying.

Despite the apparent fussiness of Mandarins with regard to their diet, many specimens will feed on frozen diets such as Brine shrimp and even small Mysis shrimp, and these should be sought out in preference to non-feeding individuals. Although it can be diffi cult to get food down to Mandarins in the aquarium — and that’s assuming that they are visible at the time rather than hunting down their prey in the various nooks and crannies of the rockwork — the main advantage of acquiring a feeding individual is that it is likely to be in better physical condition than one that has been starved since collection.

It is certainly possible to reverse weight loss in Mandarins by placing them in systems with abundant live rock and few, if any, competitors for the microfauna, but it can be very diffi cult to tell when an individual has become too far gone to recover.

In summary, plump, healthy

specimens that accept frozen diets are available with regularity in the hobby, and it is precisely these that should be sought out wherever possible. However, there is another potential consideration. Mandarins are one of a handful of popular marine fi sh that can be purchased at their full-grown size. Larger individuals will demand greater amounts of naturally occurring food in the aquarium, which is likely to mean more live rock and, even though a fully grown individual might be perfectly happy in the space afforded by a smaller aquarium, its pressure on the copepod

54

marinefish


l Tank size: 100 l/22 gal plus with mixed fish and coral reefs. l Temperature: 25-28°C/ 77-84°F.l Water chemistry: SG 1.021 to 1.025, 8.1 to 8.4pH.l Filtration: Along the live rock and protein skimmer templates. Refuges both in-tank and out where algae are present. The greater the diversity of substrates, then the greater the diversity of animals for food.l Equipment: Most will thrive in typical reef tank conditions, but don’t be surprised if they don’t venture in the areas of

high water turbulence. l Lighting: Mandarins thrive under bog-standard marine aquarium lighting but a lighting routine — a set photoperiod of, say, 12 hours daylight with an hour of dawn and dusk either side of this and where mature individuals are present — can result in beautiful spiralling courtship dances that ultimately result in spawning. l Aquascaping: Areas of loose live rock rubble in brightly lit areas can increase the time they spend on display, as they love to hunt down their food here.

Think Tank

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population might demand a significantly larger system.

There is also a good ethical reason for selecting smaller individuals: when a choice occurs, female Mandarins will usually choose to spawn with larger male Mandarins. When these large males are removed from the population, females are forced to spawn with smaller, less experienced males whose naivety in the field of courtship can lead to protracted courtship and spawning runs, which, in turn, increase their chances of being predated. This increases the pressure on the population of

Mandarins in a given location and can seriously imperil its chances of survival. If in doubt, select a smaller individual.

Available but scarce in the UK hobby, captive-bred Mandarins are an excellent choice for those aquarists worried about whether an individual is feeding or not before purchase; these fish have been raised on frozen or even pellet diets and accept them willingly. Usually much smaller than their wild-caught counterparts, they are a wonderful choice for the potential Mandarin keeper and more than justify their price tag.

Tank matesIt is thought that the beautiful colouration of the Mandarin serves to advertise the distastefulness of the fish. Some speculate that this unpalatability is afforded by noxious mucus secreted by the fish.

What is certainly true is that most species of fish leave Mandarins alone, meaning that they can be stocked with many other popular reef-compatible favourites. Avoid predatory species such as frogfish and scorpionfish, however, as the latter are known to predate Mandarins and, distasteful though they may be to predatory species of fish, Mandarins will not relish being half-chewed and spat out by a fish discovering their distastefulness for the first time. Incompatibility may not be an issue, but choosing tank mates that will not compete for the naturally occurring food is.

Avoid other species of dragonet unless the aquarium is large enough to contain the live rock that will sustain sufficient benthic invertebrates. Where you need to resort to target feeding the Mandarin on live diets, the presence of aggressive feeders such as Dwarf angelfish, tangs and similar may not be useful.

For me, one of the most suitable tank mates for the Mandarin dragonet is another Mandarin of the same species but opposite sex. Male Mandarins have an elongate first dorsal ray absent in the females. Be careful when pairing them, as some males will lose this fin, or at least it will be rather short, and two males will not tolerate each other.

Good husbandryThere are some who advocate the addition of copepod cultures to aquaria containing Mandarins. This strategy is a relatively recent

development and reflects the availability of ‘pod cultures in the hobby. While such measures can be useful for aquarists, one should always be careful about developing a dependency on food sources that may not be easily obtained. Perhaps a greater consideration is that if the Mandarin is stocked into a suitable system in the first place, then supplementing their diet with ‘pods is entirely unnecessary.

Most live rock based aquaria will have good populations of the benthic invertebrates upon which the Mandarin feeds. However, these often need time to stabilise and so it is often recommended that aquarists wait around six months for this to happen. Most systems will not be left fallow in this time and the stocking of other fish and invertebrates often occurs.

As detritus levels increase, so too do the numbers of detritivores such as certain species of amphipod, isopod and copepod, and it is these animals upon which the Mandarin feeds. So, the waiting period before introducing a Mandarin is very useful in this respect and reduces the chance of the fish being introduced and devastating the ‘pod population before the latter has a chance to become established.

It is very important to monitor the condition of the Mandarin in the aquarium on a regular basis. They might have been plump and healthy once but are they now? Have they seriously depleted populations of certain animals in the aquarium? It can be useful to ‘reinvigorate’ the populations of the microfauna in the aquarium by swapping out pieces of live rock: remove some pieces that have become smothered with calcareous algae and replace them with freshly cured alternatives.

Mandarins spend much

of their time scouring the substrate for

tiny prey items.

View a fish head-on to check it has plump lines and is in good condition.

55

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DIGITAL


A rocky start

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stEP-BY-stEP PROJECt 1: CREatE a MaLaWI MastERPIECE

tankstEP-BY-stEP

As you can see, the finished article is an easy

tank to aquascape!

We’ve got two step-by-step guides for you this month, kicking off with Nathan Hill’s African-themed tank that’s easy to aquascape and can house a huge variety of fish.


Pseudotropheus socolofi is a common blue mbuna that used to be sold as P. pindani.

Make parallelus the only Melanochromis due to

aggression. This is a female.

Metriaclima pulpican used to be called Pseudotropheus sp.’Kingsizei’ and is always imported from the Czech Republic as Cynotilapia afra ‘white top’.

Constructing an African tank used to be something of a rite of passage for many

aquarists, at a time when marines were too expensive to consider as a fi rst or even second tank. African fi sh were often regarded as either a springboard to more specialised things or a leaner alternative to the wallet-draining antics of reefkeeping.

The last decade has seen growth in affordable, accessible marine

aquaria, and the corollary for that has been the decline of African fi sh. And that’s a real shame because as colourful, characterful genera go, there’s little to compare. Marines have gotten cheaper, yes, but pound for pound, you’ll still get more pizazz from the likes of Labidochromis caeruleus than you will from a Domino damselfi sh.

The few African tanks I come across tend to be split between being ultra-accurate or mind-

bendingly wide of the mark. The fi rst camp tends to be found on specialist forums or as lifelong devotees that caught the African cichlid bug many moons back. The second tend to be well wishers who’ve misinterpreted the data, often from obsolete books and just as obsolete websites and think that the concept of an African tank can include all and sundry, even non-African fi sh!

Unfortunately, some aquarists,

either through ignorance or ill advice, will try to blend together fi sh with wildly different water requirements and temperaments and sit back tutting as the ensuing catastrophe unveils itself.

This month, I’ve revisited the increasingly archaic art of African keeping to try to correct some of the myths and mistakes that seem so commonplace.

Why Malawi?Lake Malawi, in the Rift valley region of Eastern Africa, is a taxonomic melting pot. The lake itself is vast, way bigger than anything you or I might usually put into the lake category. At a glance, we’d be likelier to call it a landlocked sea, just minus the salt, and size-wise it’s not far off from making that claim.

Lake Malawi is the ninth largest in the world. Its surface area is just shy of 30,000km2, giving it a footprint almost as big as Belgium and larger than Armenia. When a lake is bigger than whole countries, you know it means business.

Like the other Rift Valley lakes, Malawi is the result of millions of years of tectonic action: a tear in the ground where the Earth is being physically pulled apart by underground forces. Somewhere along the line, these lakes fi lled with water, and along with that water came a handful of cichlid ancestors.

In their new home, these cichlids

62


tankstEP-BY-stEP

Malawi caves fast become real estate for fi sh.

Pseudotropheus socolofi . — territorial mbuna must be crowded to prevent hyperdominance.

Metriaclima lombardoi (front) are dominant species. Add them last to avoid early territorial aggression from males.

Metriaclima estherae ‘OB’ female.

got to work reproducing and fi lling every niche there is. Subsequently, if you go diving in Malawi, you’ll fi nd a little of everything. You’ll fi nd the bovine-like herbivores, grazing huge patches of algae. Where herbivores live, so predators proliferate, and numerous fi sh-eaters sprang up to keep populations in check. There are even fi sh that specialise in feeding just on the scales (lepidophages) or eyes of others. Some have bulbous lips to extract insects from crevices. Others work on a basic form of sonar, detecting the stirrings of organisms beneath the substrate.

Unlike the rainforests of the Congo, the lakes of East Africa are

often devoid of plant growth. There are patches here and there, but the majority of Malawi belongs to algae: thick, rich coatings of algae over rocks, bristling with tiny organisms that live among it all. Such a nutritious bounty is taken greedily by many species, and here, a Malawi tank can be unique from others: in order to thrive, you actually need copious algae growth inside it.

So, what we have so far is a tank that needs no plants and can house many different fi sh — over 800 species are currently recorded living in the Rift lakes.

Regarding decoration, all that is needed is rock, but it’s surprising

how many people get this single aspect wrong. Often, to save money, budding aquarists will go in for rounded cobbles or river stones. That’s great, but not exactly natural, at least not for the majority of the lake. River rocks, by their nature, tend to be eroded and rounded, whereas the static water of the lakes doesn’t always present the same wear and tear.

Malawi rocks are frequently huge and surprisingly squared. Think of a fi lled quarry and the sort of geology you’d meet and you might not be far from the mark. Sure, there are some regions of Malawi where water enters, for example, that do have rounded stones, but

FIsHLIst

Maidenhead Aquatics @Crowland supplied the fi sh. Call them on 01733 211825 or go to their website www.fi shkeeper.co.uk

We opted for a mix of:● Metriaclima lombardoi x 2● Melanochromis parallelus x 3● Pseudotropheus acei x 6● Labidochromis caeruleus x 6● Metriaclima pulpican x 1● Metriaclima estherae ‘red’ x 3● M. estherae ‘OB’ x 3● P. socolofi x 3.

63

Avoid rocks that have ‘veins’ running through them that could indicate the presence of metals.

“”


these are a fractional minority.For our tank, we went to Baytree

garden centre in Spalding, where we knew that many large and unusual rocks are found. What we found had no name aside ‘large rockery rock’ but it had just the sedimentary, slightly soft quality we wanted. For a project of your own, simply avoid rocks that have ‘veins’ running through them that could indicate the presence of metals, and for the best part, you won’t go wrong.

Just remember to buy lots of them! It’s surprising how quickly a tank gobbles up hardscape for African fi sh, and this really is one of those rare cases where I would say that you’ll struggle to overdo it. Even if there were more rock than water, the fi sh would likely adore it. Now that’s an easy tank to aquascape, right?

But is it hard?African lake tanks aren’t for those who live in soft water areas, unless you want to spend all your disposable income in supplements.

Malawi has naturally hard and alkaline water, famously so among aquarists, and a typical pH value for a biotope will be somewhere

between 7.8 and 8.5pH (lower where the water runs in) and a KH value will be 10° or more. For many UK dwellers, this is ideal, as plenty of us have glorifi ed liquid chalk pouring from our taps, and many will fi nd that no further tweaking is required to keep things nice and alkaline.

For those with more neutral water, the addition of ocean rock or some other limestone-based rock will help to increase hardness and subsequently push the pH up. For those running slightly short still, Tropic Marin Pro-Cichlid mineral powder (or one of the equivalents) can be used to give the hardness that all essential boost.

This is the key reason why so many other fi sh are unsuited to being put into Malawi tanks, despite amateur aquarists’ resolve to try them. Not many fi sh will tolerate such levels of hardness, lacking the physiological mechanisms to cope, and will succumb to osmotic woes. Bristlenose Ancistrus are a common example of a non-African species placed in a Malawi tank, the keeper often oblivious to the long-term harm wreaked upon the hapless fi sh.

The sardine tin tankThe beauty of Malawi cichlids for the keeper is that you’re obliged to keep lots of them. It’s no exaggeration to say that the tank needs to be stocked right up to capacity in order to work, and the reason behind this is the rampant aggression and territorial natures of the fi sh.

Malawi cichlids are protective of their feeding and breeding patches. Rocks with bounteous algae and predator-denying caves are real estate to them, and they will fi ght to the deaths to retain it. Scraps in any African tank are commonplace.

Keeping just a few Malawi cichlids in a tank will lead to the dominant fi sh almost always killing the subordinate ones. There’s a pecking order down the ranks, with the biggest fi sh chasing away the second biggest, and then the second biggest chasing away the third biggest and so on down the line. In a lightly stocked tank, such disputes lead to exhausted and stressed individuals.

To keep aggression minimal, the fi sh need to be packed in tighter than London subway commuters. In this way, it becomes near impossible for any fi sh to

sHOPPInGLIst

● AquaOne Evo 120 tank and cabinet, £944.98 (price includes additional gear such as lighting that wasn’t needed for this set-up)

● Kessil A150W Amazon Sun 32w LED, £230 (optional)

● Boyu DGN-460 Thermo Canister fi lter, £134.99

● AquaOne 300w heater, £25.49

● Interpet glass thermometer, £1.99

● Rockery stones x 14, £55.86

● 25kg play pit sand, £5● Egg crate 121 x 61cm/

48 x 24", £33.50● Total cost: £1372.82.

continually police its territory from encroachers, as well as making it diffi cult to heap all aggression onto one unfortunate fi sh. Instead, bickering is spread equally through the crowd and no one fi sh gets more than itsfair share of fi ghting.

Young Labidochromis rival marine fi sh colours.

64


1 The tank is completely cleaned and dried before use. All equipment is removed, ready to be added back to it later.

3 Smaller pieces of egg crates are stacked in the region where I want extra height and support. Some rocks are perilously heavy!

5 The rock levels are gradually built up at the backs and sides, adding plenty of flat crevices for the fish to hide in.

7 The tank is slowly filled and despite the best efforts at cleaning, the sand still releases much cloudiness. The filter will remove this.

2 A long piece of egg crate is cut to fit the majority of the base. This stops the weight of the rocks pressing directly on the glass.

4 The heaviest base rocks are added carefully to ensure the base will hold. This job requires the hands of two people.

6 With the rocks in, the washed play pit sand is added and extra depth placed in regions where it is expected to fall into the egg crate.

8 The tank is filled to the top and the combined external heater/filter rigged up behind it. It is left for two days to clear before adding fish.

tankstEP-BY-stEP

Create a Malawi cichlid tank in 8 EASY STEPS

65

A pond in the jungleJeremy Gay’s easy pond project looks good, won’t break the bank or your back and it’s great for fi sh too!

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Ihad an area set aside in my garden that I thought needed a water feature of some sort. It was overgrown

(in a good way) with bamboo,

Fatsia and tropical-looking palms, so it was quite jungle-like. I measured up and reckoned I had a space available of about six feet square...

PROJECT 2: TRANSFORM OUTDOOR SPACES

BEFORE

POND STEP-BY-STEP

“

”

I’ve always been a fan of simple raised ponds made from

sleepers because they’re practical and look great in the garden.


If you want to overwinter fi sh safely in the UK, you need a water depth of at least two feet so that predetermined my water depth, as I was to be building from the ground up.

I found lovely pond potential in a company called WoodBlocX, manufacturers of a kind of chunky wooden Lego that you can use to build raised beds, planters, decking bases as well as ponds.

I’ve always been a fan of simple raised ponds made from sleepers, as they’re both practical and look great in the garden, and WoodBlocX seemed the next step on from that: a chunky wooden pond in kit form. Because they’re Lego-like, you can go for any size or shape that you want, and for large projects or ponds with seats or planters around the outside, you can even go for a double skin: two wooden walls connect together for

Laying foundations more strength. I just have to have water in the

garden (and fi sh) and this seemed a pretty trouble-free way of achieving it. I ordered a 1875 x 1875 x 650mm kit, which, shortly after, was delivered straight to my house on a pallet.

Being the fi ltration nut that I am, I will eventually end up at the very least with a decent solids-handling pump and a really gutsy biological fi lter like an Easy Pod or even a bottom drain and gravity-fed system! WoodblocX could in theory accommodate a bolt-on fi lter housing to go behind the pond and mask a large fi lter.

If you can imagine it and it uses straight lines, they can probably build it.

The perfect linerSquare, raised ponds are classed as formal versus the ground level, kidney bean shaped wildlife ponds

Existing bamboo offers the perfect backdrop with no need for extra greenery.

WoodBlocX are delivered swiftly and straight to your door.

Building from the ground up and adding quality underlay.

Box-weld liners ensure a perfect fi t.

that would be classed as informal. I’ve dealt with a lot of pond liners in my time, so when it comes to one for my own fi sh in my own garden, I make sure I get a good one. I spoke to Ruth Low at Gordon Low Products and settled on a SealEco EPDM - a good, thick, quality pond liner.

To make my formal pond nice and neat, however, I went one step further and ordered a box-weld liner: a sheet of rubber cut to size and sealed up in the corners to make an open-topped box shape. This would ensure a perfect fi t inside my wooden pond with no folds and no extra liner to cut off. These are defi nitely the way forward and I’ll never go back.

Box-weld can also come with a fl ange (lip), which then overhangs the sides of the pond and you can cover that with stone copings or in this case, the wooden copings that come as part of the WoodBlocX kit.

Invest in some quality underlay to go down fi rst and bingo! You have the perfect liner pond.

Bamboo backdropThere is a risk to lined ponds of invasive bamboo roots, but I solved this early on by cutting over a spade’s depth of vertical channel in the soil between the pond and the plants and then sliding in some wooden sheets. Check it every few months to make sure it’s doing its job of blocking those roots.

Apart from the roots, though, the bamboo does offer something superb: a backdrop to my wooden pond. It would also offer cover and shading and be imposing enough for me to not even need extra greenery in the pond by way of marginal plants: so, no shelves, or pots on bricks were necessary.

Overall, I’m very pleased with the results and the pond looks very smart indeed.

68

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STocking fiSh and planTS


pond STep-by-STep

Turn the page for our step-by-step guide

Shopping liSTl WoodBlocX kit, £377.22l Gordon Low pond liner, £175l Gordon Low Underlay, £55l Superfish pump: Pond Flow Eco

2000, £39.99l Interpet FreshStart

250ml, £6.79l Evolution Aqua Pure Pond

Bomb, £14.95Total Price: £668.95

Additional items:l Hammerl Spirit levell String

uSeful conTacTS l WoodblocX:

www.woodblocx.co.ukl Gordon Low:

www.gordonlowproducts.co.ukl Superfish:

www.aquadistri.coml Interpet:

www.interpet.co.ukl Evolution Aqua:

www.evolutionaqua.com

With internal dimensions of 1800 x 1800 x 600mm/71 x 71 x 24", this pond holds 1944 litres at its maximum or 428 gallons. This will provide an adequate home for up to about a dozen goldfish or goldfish varieties like shubunkins and comets. Although it could hold small Koi or Orfe short-term, they will quickly outgrow it so I’ll aim for an eventual stocking of three Canary yellow goldfish, three orange Common goldfish, three red and white Sarasa comets and three shubunkins. I’m in no rush, so I’ll start by stocking a lot less.

For plants, I add a dozen bunches of Elodea oxygenating plants, a Water hawthorn and a small water lily.

The low stocking, shade from the bamboo and water plants will all help to prevent the dreaded blanketweed. A pump, filter and UV clarifier are necessary for converting fish waste and clearing green water.

If you’re worried about things falling in or fish being pulled out by predators, a pond cover net is easy to install on a raised pond such as this one.

The pond will provide a suitable home for around

12 goldfish including these shubunkins.

Elodea is an easy-to-grow oxygenating plant.

Red and white Sarasa comets are attractive and hardy.

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69

1Clear the area of weeds and routes, and make sure it’s level. An uneven base will ruin a formal pond, as water will always find a level

and highlight that the position of the pond is wonky.

5With the outer walls built to the required height, use a spirit level and pieces of slate to make sure the pond is as level as

it can be.

9Hammer down the wooden copings, sandwiching the liner into the pond frame. Once held in place, and checking that you’re happy with

the whole project, trim the liner so that it’s invisible from the outside.

2Using string, measure and peg down the area where the pond is to be built. Put some weed-retaining fabric down over the whole area,

as the more underlay you have under the lined pond, the better.

6Underlay goes down next in readiness for the liner. If liner isn’t box-welded, you’ll need to deal with folds and creases in the

corners as best you can.

10 I install a simple 2000lph fountain pump with bell jet attachment. This can be tee’d off to run a small filter, or ideally, you run a

separate, solids-handling pump connected to a filter if adding fish.

Create your own pond in 12 EASY STEPS


3 The first layer of WoodBlocX goes down following the instructions. Where you put the long bits, short bits and black plastic connecting

pegs is all strategic and key to the success of the whole build.

7Unfold the box-weld liner. As it’s built to size, it should fit perfectly. The overlap on the top is called the flange. Liners are

at their most flexible on warm summer days.

11 Buy some pond dechlorinator and filter starter and add them to the freshly filled pond. Run the fountain pump 24/7 to aid

dechlorination. Pond plants can also be added at this stage.

4 Layers two and three go down, which isn’t easy considering you have to smack them down with a hammer and the base is just soft soil; you

need a level and lots of tweaking to get it right.

8Fill the pond using the weight of the water to push the liner into the inner walls. Once it has 10cm/4" of water inside, stretch the liner as

far as you can over the pond walls to make it really drum-tight and neat.

12It may take the best part of a day to build and fill but the result is well worth it! The WoodBloX look great in front of

a wall of jungle plants.


POND steP-by-steP

PFK

71


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Tank buyer’s guideTechnical writer Nathan Hill gets his hands on a lot of new aquaria here at PFK, and with his trade experience there’s very little he hasn’t played with down the line. Here he shares some of his favourites to help you make your next purchase.

Poor: ★★★★★

Average: ★★★★★

Good: ★★★★★

Very good: ★★★★★

Excellent: ★★★★★

STAR RATING KEY

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BESTPICO TANK

The smaller the tank, the bigger the market and manufacturers of pico tanks know that. Loosely defi ned as anything under 30 l/7 gal, many of these aquaria are too small for all but the tiniest of fi sh, and some are only suited to shrimp. Be wary of any pico model that comes with pictures of marines or goldfi sh on the packaging, because these miniscule volumes are far from suitable for their long-term care.

Eheim Aquastyle 16 £96.95The Aquastyle is smart but a little restrictive at 28cm/11" tall, 24cm\9" front to back, and 24cm/9" side to side. Light and fi lter are included but are a little obtrusive and not open to relocation. They are what they are. Our own experiences found that the fi lter had a mind of its own at maintenance time, but we could overlook that as a one-off glitch.Pros: Tiny aquascapes.Cons: Too small for fi sh.Star rating: HHHHH

Superfi sh Aqua 40 £44.95Slightly bow fronted, with a 25 l/10" capacity and dimensions of 29 x 27 x 37cm/12 x 11 x 15" tall, this is one of the best-selling nano tanks available, and at the price it’s easy to see why. The fi lter is easy to clean, and the fl ush lid ensures no livestock can jump out. The only annoyance is when it comes to changing the light tubes! Filter is included, but a tiny heater needs adding if you fancy trops.Pros: Complete package.Cons: Awkward to tweak.Star rating: HHHHH

Dennerle 10 l nano cube £22.95 We’re big fans of glass and nothing else, and if you like to do your own thing too (perhaps you already have equipment from another project), then you’ll love the smartness of the Dennerle nano cubes at 20 x 20 x 25cm/8 x 8 x 10"; a beautiful shape for aquascaping or breeding, or even one-off biotopes.Pros: Blank canvas.Cons: Limited water volume.Star rating HHHHH

Fluval Spec 19 £89.99An unusual slip of a thing, this thin nano tank became a PFK staffer favourite when we played with it. The narrow by long dimensions — 43.5cm/17" long by just 16cm/6" wide — lends itself to many more creative designs than initially suspected. Filtration is over and above the requirements for the volume and not just hidden, but integrated as part of the minimalist, modern design. This is a tank that performs on many levels, and if you just add a 25w heater, it’s one with realistic swimming space for some tiny fi sh.Pros: So innovative!Cons: Condensation tray/hood doesn’t quite sit right.Star rating: HHHHH

Pico tanks


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BESTVALUE

MARINE

TMC Microhabitat 15 £109.99Even though it’s just 15 l/3 gal of marine water, the Microhabitat has to be one of the best value pico tanks around. Heater, protein skimmer, lighting, filter media, pumps, hosing and more are included with this acrylic tank. There’s no more cost effective way of embarking on your first reef set-up. A huge thumbs up from us! Pros: So much for just over £100!Cons: Only big enough for inverts.Star rating: HHHHH

Betta nano cube £59.99At 20 x 20 x 20cm/8 x 8 x 8" and with a volume of just 8 l/ 2 gal, this is one of the smaller picos on the market. Some consider the name to be misleading because the tank is too tiny for actual Betta fish, or any fish for that matter, but it’s still a smart, complete kit that we’ve previously put to good use as a cracking little shrimp set-up.Pros: Ideal for the home or work tabletop.Cons: Restricted space for layout.Star rating: HHHHH

Just one step up from the pico, nanos fall in to a catchment of between 30 and 60 l/6.5 and 13 gal. With the extra volume, some but not all become viable homes for smaller fish, but all of them definitely offer more scope for aquascapes or ‘serious’ layouts without having to smash up the piggy banks.

Dennerle Scapers tank £239.99It’s a big price tag, but you’re getting a lot for your money with this package. Dennerle knows its stuff when it comes to plants, and they’ve designed this tank with optimal growth in mind. The pitch here is for the budding aquascaper, and so the lights — compact fluorescent T5s —and the water flow through the medium of a punchy external filter are tailored to suit. Dennerle even includes the right planting substrate (more important than you might think) as well as liquid plant foods. Then there’s that deliciously curve-edged tank, which has just the right proportions to get creatively green fingered. Just add a small heater and a CO2 unit and you’ve the hardware to aquascape just like the professionals for a fraction of the cost.Pros: Comprehensive hardware. Cons: Lid has ample gaps for fish to leap.Star rating: HHHHH

TMC is the king of the micro marine habitat. Its 30 l/7 gal acrylic offering does everything

its pico model does and more. The skimmer is still there, along with a

lovely ‘deck’ of filter media, heater and punchy LED lights. For the

money, you’ll struggle to find anything else that lets you keep the

wealth of corals that this design does, and barring the most delicate species, everything is game. What’s more, you can start to consider some of the tiny gobies or dragonets available, making it possible to have a tabletop mini reef with fish. Imagine that...Pros: Value for money excellence.Cons: Skimmer temperamental.Star rating: HHHHH

AquaMedic Yasha £319.95You’ll need to look for these, as they’re the best tank that you can’t find on sale anywhere. When we first got our test model, the design and especially the huge flow pump included, just blew us away. Not everyone agrees about the looks and how you feel about it is a matter of taste. The odd ‘headstone’ acrylic divider does wonders at concealing the colossal protein skimmer, and combined with a little quality live rock (not included) and the fabulously bright LED lights (included), We think that almost any coral is within the tank’s remit. Just be careful during maintenance, as fish will sit in the hole where the pump lives, meeting a grizzly end when you fire everything back up.Pros: Astonishing coral-care performance.Cons: No lid, lights prone to corrosion.Star rating HHHHH

Nano tanks

TMC Microhabitat 30 £249.99


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TMC Signature 60x45x30 Optiwhite £156.95 Maybe the most versatile lump out there; this tank (24 x 18 x 12") was originally designed for aquascapers but turns out to be the perfect dimensions for a host of biotopes too. The shallow but wide dimensions offer a lot more freedom that you’d fi rst imagine, and unhindered by a hood, the potential for easy maintenance and access is fi rst rate. Price refers to just the glass. Any extras like cabinets, lighting, heating etc, all need to be added.Pros: A creative dream tank. Cons: OptiWhite glass means higher visibility scratchesStar rating HHHHH

Fluval Fresh F-60 £429.99For a worry-free kit that has everything you need, look no further. One of Fluval’s long-standing external canisters heads up fi ltration, and a trusted heater takes care of temperatures. Best of all, the base is predrilled with connections in and out for the fi lter, so there are no trailing hoses. LED lighting comes as standard, you get attachable arms to hang the light from, the tops and bottoms are frosted and the cabinet is sturdier than a nuclear bomb bunker.Pros: As complete as you could want.Cons: It might be too tall for some.Star rating HHHHH

Juwel Rekord 600 £109.95 Real back-to-basic, fl y-by-wire fi shkeeping from Juwel, with a kit that comes perilously close to being budget but still pulls it off. Don’t expect fancy trimmings, as you’ll get the basic fi lter, 50w heater and a T8 light tube built in to the hood. That said you’re getting a fair volume of water with equipment for a price comparable to one of the fancier pico tanks. It’s still the easiest tank for an amateur to keep before upgrading.Pros: Maybe the best value there is.Cons: Starting to look quite archaic.Star rating HHHHH

ADA Cube Garden 60-P £149.99A thing of beauty, the 60 x 30 x 36cm/24 x 12 x 14" perfectly constructed ADA ranges are aquascaper-focused, aesthetic works of art in their own right. If you

want the stunning matching cabinet, add another £340, but for the competitive aquascaper wanting the optimal look or to work professionally, there’s no option but this. Pros: Maybe the most precision-made tank that’s out there.Cons: So expensive for just glass!Star rating HHHHH

BESTFOR

AQUASCAPERS

BESTFOR

BEGINNERS

Small tanksA good compromise between cost and increased potential, small tanks retain a prominent place in the hobby. Defi ned here as tanks between the 60 to100 l/13 to 22 gal ranges, they make for realistic communities, biotopes and some of the most startling of aquascapes.

EDITOR’S CHOICE

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Eheim Scubacube 125 £469.95Cubic in design with 50cm/20" panes and a 125 l/28 gal volume, the Scubacube has a love/hate relationship. Modern minimalists tend to adore its clean appearance but baulk at the old fashioned T8 light tubes, while traditionalists lament its sharp lines. Loved or hated, it’s a head-turner that isn’t an awkward size to maintain. It only comes with the tank and light, though, so fi ltration and other gubbins you want to add are extra.Pros: Looks amazing in modern homes.Cons: Too futuristic to blend in with traditional furniture.Star rating HHHHH

The classic sizes for those aquarists wanting a good, comprehensive community are those in the 100 l/22 gal plus category. At these sizes, water stability becomes forgiving for more delicate species and aquarists can start to widen their prospective selections. Running costs can become more of an issue, especially when lashing extra gear onto systems for marine upgrades, for example. Lots of reefkeepers start their hobbies in this size range.

Red Sea Max C-130 £899 Lots of marine keepers fl ocked to the early Red Sea Max tanks, and despite some teething troubles with overheating light canopies when fans had failed, they still stand out as the nicest all-in-one set-ups you can buy. Off the shelf, you get all the hardware you need, taking the guesswork out of marine keeping. Even the most fl edgling aquarist can, with a little reading up, succeed with a demanding reef in this tank. Give it time to really bed in, and you’ll never want to give it up.Pros: All elements work in harmony.Cons: Relies heavily on cooling fans.Star rating HHHHH

Aqua Oak 110cm Wine Rack from Maidenhead Aquatics £649.99The fact that most of us don’t live in minimalist, futuristic fl ats means that there’ll always be a market for tanks like this. As a piece of furniture, it’s smart and sassy. As a tank, at 110cm/ 43", it’s well proportioned. There’s plenty of space in the cabinet to hide a fi lter, and for ruggedness, this is probably one of the few tanks that’ll still be standing 50 years from now. Add your own equipment and get stuck in.Pros: A timeless design for older homes.Cons: Struggles to accommodate newer LED lighting designs.Star rating HHHHH

AquaOne AquaStyle 620T £421.47Quite a long-standing design, the 620T, standing at 72cm/29" tall and with smart curved edges is somewhere between traditional and modern and suits both kinds of home. The genius of the kit is the built-in integrated fi ltration that runs along the top of the tank, pulling water up through a pump at one end and pouring it back in the other. This makes any fi lter maintenance a doddle, and if in a rush, you could even do some chores while everything was still running.Pros: Lovely sense of height.Cons: Ugly branding in the middle of the hood.Star rating HHHHH

BESTFOR

MARINEBEGINNERS

Medium tanks

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Increasingly, the largest aquaria seem to be steering towards the marine market, where reefkeepers crave large volumes and the most stable conditions. In order to optimise volume without making oversized footprints, some manufacturers have opted for space-saving measures in the form of unorthodox shapes. Big cubes with 200 l/44 gal plus capacities are now more common than ever.

AquaOne AquaReef 275 Cube £1231.98Dedicated for marine use, AquaOne has thought out its design for this kit, incorporating a sump with hardware (including the all essential protein skimmer) and T5 lighting up top making a reef tank that just stays inside the sensible price boundaries. Sumps are outstanding at allowing the owner to add more gear as seen fit, so anything that can be lashed on to improve is feasible here.Pros: Non-corrosive building materials.Cons: Non-LED means expensive light replacements.Star rating HHHHH

Red Sea Max S-650 £4,200At 161cm/63" long, this is the undisputed Daddy of marine aquaria and boasts more features than I could hope to list here. A ‘plug in and play’ system including a built-in cable tidy and organised electrics means that everything is kept smart. Ten T5 tubes in an easy-to-lift luminaire provide all the lighting any coral could crave. Beefy flow pumps hooked up to an integrated filter provide adequate currents, while the huge C-Skim protein skimmer hauls out wastes. It even has a built-in top-up system from a freshwater reservoir. We’ve yet to see one of these tanks anywhere that didn’t look the absolute business.Pros: Goes beyond complete and into luxury.Cons: Pray you’ll never need to move it.Star rating HHHHH

Juwel Trigon 350 £1,390The choice of corner tank for aquarists everywhere, these 350 l/77 gal beasts don’t come across as imposing as their volumes might suggest. The filter, Juwel’s own design, sits at the back corner where it’s out of the way, but… unless you have the arms of an alien, it’s hard to reach! Four T5 lights sit on removable rails, making maintenance and access to the tank easy enough, and as long as you can get your head around the distorted view from the curved front, then you’ll love it!Pros: Fits where others don’t.Cons: Some people will struggle with filter access.Star rating HHHHH

BESTFOR

DEDICATEDREEFERS

Large tanks Buyer FAQsl What’s the deal with OptiWhite?OptiWhite glass is an innovative material that has a very low iron content. Because of this, it lacks the green tint that other glass usually has.

There are some myths that because it has low iron it is somehow weaker and scratches easier. This is false, but what you will note with OptiWhite is that any scratches will show up more than they might in a standard tank.

OptiWhite is the choice of aquascapers and those who use their tanks for photography purposes. With a high transparency, it’s becoming increasingly popular and ever more affordable.

l Curved or straight?Bow-fronted and curved tanks are popular, but not to everyone’s tastes. Once filled, the curvature leads to unusual refraction of light, which some find novel and others, a headache.

With tight curves, consider how you’re going to clean the tank, as many traditional methods such as razor blades or magnets won’t work. For a truly exotic design, you’ll often need to concoct an equally exotic cleaning regime.

l Acrylic or glass?Most of the tanks here are made of glass, though a few are acrylic. Be cautious when cleaning any acrylic tank, as all it takes is a grain of sand in an algae pad and you have an ineradicable scratch that will spoil your enjoyment of it.

In fact, you’ll even want a special, soft algae pad for acrylic, as most that are made for glass will be too coarse.

On the flipside, acrylic is way tougher than glass and a safer option for a household with boisterous pets or young and inquisitive children.

As a final bonus, provided scratches aren’t too deep, they can even be rubbed out of acrylic.

l New or second-hand?Big savings can be made on second-hand tanks, but is it worth the worry? Old tanks may have limited life left in the silicone seals, and if they start to leak, you’ll need to strip them to fix them.

If the former keeper has been using medications, you might also find that the silicone edges are discoloured and ugly, and no amount of cleaning will budge this.

New tanks will come with a warranty at least, and if one breaks, floods the house, ruins electrics and destroys flooring, at least you’ll be in a position for recompense. You’ll be lucky to get anything like that with a ‘sold as seen’ used kit.

l Open or closed?Open-topped tanks are gaining popularity but aren’t for everyone. If you keep fish that are prone to jumping, you’ll want to avoid them. You’ll also experience higher levels of evaporation that will need to be addressed, and this can in turn lead to extra moisture in the room housing the tank.

Aesthetically, there’s an appeal to open tanks that makes them worthwhile, but if you’re the kind of aquarist that doesn’t like to keep your tank spotless at all times, then you might soon tire of it!

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PFK

biOrb 30 £89.99 The tank that rewrote fishkeeping, but despite being innovative and user friendly, it still finds many enemies. The rounded shape has been accused of being able to start fires through light magnification, as well as stress the fish, though both of these claims need backing up. In the meantime, the filtration copes surprisingly well, and if you can avoid scratching it, the chances are you’ll join the biOrb club and never come back, just like thousands of other happy owners. Don’t put goldfish in it and you’ll avoid upsetting anyone.Pros: Fills the goldfish bowl gap.Cons: Expensive to run and not a good size for actual goldfish in the long run.Star rating HHHHH

Fluval Edge 23l £139.99 How can I talk of lifestyle tanks without invoking the grandest of them all? The Fluval Edge reshaped the nano market, and as long as you can navigate around the small porthole entrance on top to maintain it (and opt for fish that needn’t breach the surface to breathe), then you’ll have a system that has viewers in awe. We’ve seen these in so

many guises on our tours, including as tiny reef set-ups, biotopes for single species, rearing tanks, breeding tanks and even fully functioning communities. Despite the small dimensions, the filter copes well and provides stable conditions.Pros: Nothing else like it.Cons: Tiny access hole.Star rating HHHHH

BESTLIFESTYLE

TANK

jOINT wINNERS!

Tank know-howLifestyle tanksl Don’t forget polystyrene!All it takes is a single grain of sand underneath a tank or a tiny bow in a cabinet and the whole thing can break when you fill it up.

Some tanks come armed with what’s called a floating base. A floating base is where the tank is raised onto a lip or ledge, so that the bottom pane of glass doesn’t come into direct contact with a surface.

In absence of a floating base, you’ll want some kind of absorbing material to level out any inconsistencies, and traditionally polystyrene ceiling tiles were used for this. Nowadays, you can buy custom-cut or cut-to-measure base mats from companies like Clearseal.

You’ll often find that if you don’t use a base mat and the tank breaks, then warranty will not cover the damage.

l Brace yourselfSmaller tanks will often be advertised as ‘braceless’. This means that they have no lip around the inside of the top of the tank and also lack any strips of glass bracing one side to the other. Braceless tanks are common if the aquarium is open-topped and obstructions unwanted, but the payoff for removing braces in larger tanks is that the glass thickness — and subsequently price — can increase considerably.

l Calculate the weightFilled tanks are heavy, so make sure your flooring is strong enough to cope. Once you have the weight of the tank, cabinet and any decoration you’ll be using, you’ll need to add the weight of the water. One litre of water is one kilogram, so a 150 litre tank will need an extra 150kg factored in when deciding where to put it.

l Tall is not for allUpright column tanks haven’t made our list for two reasons. The first is pragmatic, because any tank that is deeper than a human arm is long is by definition going to be awkward to clean and maintain. The second is due to fish welfare. Upright tanks have a huge volume of water compared to a tiny surface area — the essential point at which gas exchange occurs. Because of this skewed ratio, it is usually difficult or impossible to supply adequate oxygen for both fish and filtration, and flow can be a nightmare.

Besides which, exactly how many fish spend their time swimming up and down instead of lengthways through bodies of water?

l Always knock off 10%Tank note that water volumes aren’t always as straightforward as reading a number from the tank’s stats. Sometimes manufacturers quote the gross volume. This isn’t the same as the net volume, which is what’s inside it when filled.

The other thing to remember is that once you’ve got the volume, you need to account for displacement by gravel and hardscape. Usually this equates to around 10% of the tank’s total volume, but in a nano tank with lots of rock. you might need to increase that.

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FishkeepingAnswers

EMAIL YOUR PROBLEMS TO [email protected]

Why is my catfish so bloated?Q I have been given a

four-year-old Bronze cory from a friend who kept her in fairly poor conditions. She’s been in a quarantine tank for a few weeks, but I’ve noticed that she has become very bloated around her abdomen. I don’t think she has dropsy because she’s had it for some time.

Her underside has also become very white and at least twice now she’s laid eggs, even though she’s been on her own for a while.

Nitrite, nitrate and ammonia are all zero, pH is around eight but the GH is quite high. Can you possibly tell me what’s wrong with her and how to treat her?Emyr Rees, email

Bronze corys, Corydoras aeneus, are one of the hardiest and most adaptable Corydoras species available, which is why it’s so popular in the hobby. Despite this, the chemistry you mention — hard and alkaline — is right at the very top of what they will tolerate. This in itself could be reason enough for the bloating, especially if the fi sh was moved from a tank where the chemistry was considerably different.

Freshwater fi sh have a higher concentration of salts and minerals in their body than the water they swim in and need to constantly produce large amounts of dilute urine to prevent water being drawn into their cells: a process known as osmoregulation.

A sudden change of chemistry could overwhelm the fi sh’s ability to do this, causing osmotic shock, which could cause the swelling you note. However, I would have expected this to cause death or other symptoms of stress.

Dropsy is another possible cause

of bloating but can be hard to diagnose in scaleless fi sh such as Corydoras, as the typical ‘pine-coning’ of scales will not be evident. It’s more of a symptom than a disease and is caused by fl uid build-up in the body cavity, with liver problems, bacterial infections and parasites being some of the potential triggers. Affected fi sh will often have problems with swimming and balance as well as a general deterioration of health and disinterest in food. You don’t report this.

The fact that she is laying eggs is probably a good sign. Female corys can become very rotund when fi lled with eggs and ready to spawn and a change of water temperature or chemistry can trigger this. The

classic method of inducing spawning is to keep the fi sh in a slightly warmer than usual tank and don’t do any water changes for a couple of weeks. Then, you carry out a large water change with water a few degrees cooler. This simulates the end of the dry season and the coming of rains, which is often the breeding time.

It may be that the change from the ‘fairly poor conditions’ in your friend’s tank to the clean, hard and alkaline conditions in yours has stimulated egg production, but in the absence of a male, the female is holding onto the eggs longer. If she is otherwise healthy and eating, well then why not consider adding a male and starting a breeding project? Bob Mehen

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Bronze corys are the hardiest of the species.


OUR EXPERTS TROPICAL

NEALE MONKShas been a fi shkeeper for more than 20 years and has a background that involves both

marine biology and zoology. He is the author of a number of fi shkeeping books and writes continuously. Neale has a particular passion for brackish species.

GEORGE FARMERa world renowned aquascaper, George is the AquaGro brand manager for

the Tropical Marine Centre. He is also a founder member of the UK Aquatic Plant Society and says he loves creating clean and modern nature aquariums.

BOB MEHENhas been keeping fi sh since the 1970s and has a particular passion for all things catfi sh

oriented. He helps to moderate the Practical Fishkeeping magazine website forum and excels at advising and guiding newer keepers.

DAVE WOLFENDENholds degrees in both zoology and botany. He has lectured in aquatics

at Reaseheath College in Cheshire and is now curator at the Blue Planet Aquarium at Cheshire Oaks.

NATHAN HILLhas a diverse history of fi shkeeping, during which he has worked as a public aquarist, a manager

of numerous stores and lecturer on the subject at Reaseheath College in Cheshire. His background in philosophy makes him well equipped to cover ethical issues.

FOR ADVICENo.1

We’re proud to have the world’s best experts on hand to help you

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A fi sh-less cycle will reduce the risk to tank inhabitants

such as danios.


Q I have recently set up a new 64 l/14 gal planted

tank with a Fluval U2 fi lter and airpump. I was advised by my local store to do a fi sh-in cycle with fi ve Zebra danios. I was told to just leave the tank to cycle without any water changes.

Three months later, the fi sh are doing well and are not showing any signs of disease or stress, but my tank has still not cycled. I have been regularly testing the water with an API liquid test kit, and ammonia is always around 1-2ppm, nitrite 0 and nitrate 0.

I use Tetra Aquasafe every time I top up the water and have been adding Tetra Safestart to try to kick-start the cycle. I started off feeding the danios every other day, but now it is daily (as much as they eat in a few minutes). What am I doing wrong? Sarah Crawford, email

Q I have a tank of 100 l/22 gal with various

barbs, danios and two Synodontis catfi sh. I carry out a 10% water change every three to four days and just refi ll the tank with fresh tapwater. I’ve been told I shouldn’t do this, but my fi sh are all

happy and healthy so it doesn’t seem like I’m doing anything wrong. Please could you advise?Christopher Sands, email

Yes, you can add tapwater to the aquarium directly, but you should add dechlorinator fi rst. The key

thing is to add enough for the whole aquarium, not the amount of water being changed. So, if your aquarium measures 100 l/22 gal, you add enough dechlorinator for 100 l/22 gal of water, not the 10 l/2.2 (10%) you’ve changed. If you fi nd yourself changing a

lot of water, you may opt to use pond dechlorinator instead. It’s more concentrated than aquarium dechlorinator, so while a bit more expensive per bottle, it’s better value over the long-term (just be careful to measure it out carefully).Neale Monks

Why won’t my tank cycle?

What’s wrong with my water changes?

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Dechlorinator.

Sadly, the advice you have been given by your local store is common but poor, both in terms of fi sh welfare as well as in how easily you will be able to manage your tank’s cycle.

Fish-in cycles really should be consigned to the history books alongside goldfi sh bowls.

You simply have no way of controlling the levels of ammonia present, and this has the effect that cycling can take far longer than it does if you add the ammonia in a measured way. To do this, the tank has to be empty of fi sh. Ammonia and nitrite, the next stage of the cycling process, are extremely toxic to them, even at low levels; so, you are now in a catch-22 situation. However, if you decide to continue with your current method, then there are a few things that may help the cycle progress. You don’t mention the pH or KH of the

water. The actions of the bacteria will eventually cause the KH to drop and with this the pH, and often quite suddenly if you have soft water. This can stall the cycle.

You can boost KH and stabilise the pH by the addition of sodium bicarbonate, but again, with fi sh in the tank this will add another cause of stress and discomfort for the unfortunate danios if not handled with extreme care. Yo-yoing water chemistry is never a good thing when fi sh are present in the tank.

You say you’ve not carried out any water changes in the three months since the tank was set up, so a gentler way of achieving this would be daily water changes of around 25%. This will of course mean a dilution of the ammonia you want for the bacteria: the catch-22 situation again!

Basically, there is not much you

can do if you carry on with the fi sh-in cycle except wait and hope they survive the process in an increasingly toxic soup of their own waste. Eventually you’ll have suffi cient ammonia for the bacteria to build up in great enough numbers to move things along. An ammonia level of 2ppm is what I’d recommend using during a fi shless cycle, and it appears your tank may be close to reaching this after three months; at this rate, it could take you the same time again to complete the process.

My advice would be to return the danios and continue the process in the classic ‘fi shless’ way. Once this is complete, you can add your fi sh, safe in the knowledge that you have prepared their new home in the best possible way and reduced the risk to them to the absolute minimum. Bob Mehen

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FishkeepingAnswers

Q Is it normal for fi sh to rub against rocks?

No, it’s not normal. Flicking, or fl ashing as it’s known, is a sign of either poor water chemistry or quality, or a high burden of parasites. Test the water, as even the parasites are encouraged when conditions are bad for the fi sh.

Q Do bloodworms turn into mosquitos?

Not mosquitos per se, but if they manage to develop in the tank, they’ll emerge as troublesome midges. Don’t overfeed with them and you should be fi ne.

Q Do medicines damage gills?

An overdose of medicines certainly can, and formalin overdose in particular will lead to clubbing of the gills, lowering the fi sh’s ability to draw oxygen.Nathan Hill


QUICK QUESTIONS

Q I have a 40 x 20 x 20/16 x 8 x 8" 34 l/7.5 gal aquarium

containing three male and three female guppies. Could I add any more fi sh to this set-up?Charlie Bunn, email

Unfortunately, at 34 l/7.5 gal your guppy tank is only just big enough for the guppies you already have. Given their other common name of ‘millions fi sh’ and the fact that you have males and females in there already, I wouldn’t

recommend adding any more stock to this tank because I suspect you

will already have more fi sh in there than you

started with!Bob Mehen

Q I have two tanks. One is a planted Aquastyle

620T with two Sailfi n mollies, fi ve Harlequin rasboras, fi ve Black neon tetras, two Platies, four Amano shrimp and some Assassin snails. I also have a planted Aquastart 320 with one Sailfi n molly, six Neon tetras, a Glowlight and Nerite snails.

The Glowlight was the last remaining fi sh in a friend’s tank that was being shut down. The single molly is in the small tank, as it was bullying one of the mollies in the larger aquarium.

The Glowlight spends most of its time hiding. Would it be better off in the bigger tank with tetras of its own size? I don’t think the small tank would take any more fi sh or I would consider buying more Glowlights to keep it company.

I feel the small tank is a bit cramped for the molly. If I was to buy it a mate, is it likely to stop bullying the other two in the larger tank if I moved it again? Samantha, email

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Guppies aka millions fi sh are one of the most prolifi c on the planet!

Can I add more guppies?

How can I ensure harmony?

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Keep a single male molly with two or

more females.The Aquastyle 620T holds around 130 l/29 gal before displacement by décor etc. and the Aquastart 320, around 28 litres/6.2 gal, which restricts stock choices considerably. You don’t say whether or not you have acidic or alkaline, hard or soft water, which will to a large extent make some of the decisions for you.

There are two species of fi sh sold under the name Sailfi n molly. One is Poecilia latipinna, males of which grow to around 12.5cm/5" and females a couple of centimetres smaller. The other is P. velifera, and males can reach 15cm/6", females 17.5cm/7". P. velifera will be too big even for your larger tank, while P. latipinna will probably be OK in the larger tank, but defi nitely not in the smaller one.

Both species are best kept in groups of a single male with two or more females to prevent fi ghting among males and the females becoming stressed by the male’s constant amorous attentions! Both also require hard, alkaline conditions to thrive long-term. The only fi sh from your list likely to do well in similar conditions are the platies. Both the snails will also appreciate hard

water, but clearly, you can’t keep the predatory Assassins with the Nerites. The Amano shrimp are more adaptable to a wider range of chemistry as long as there are no sudden changes.

The remaining stock are all fi sh that come from soft, acidic and often ‘black-water’ conditions, and while commercial breeding has made them more adaptable than their wild ancestors, this is still what I’d recommend you aim for.

As you can see, these two groups of stock need very different conditions for their long-term care, so sadly it’s not simply a case of fi tting the fi sh into the different tanks based on size and temperament. The larger tank would make a lovely home for all the soft water species, and this

would also give you room to add more Glowlights, which should help make the lone specimen more settled. The small tank is around the bottom limit of what I would recommend keeping fi sh in size-wise, and the current stock (minus the molly) would be about its limit.

Basically, you are left with a decision to make as to which fi sh to keep and which to rehome based largely around your water chemistry. If you have soft, acidic water, then neither tank is suitable for the mollies. If you have hard, alkaline water, the larger tank may suffi ce but this would mean fi nding new homes for the acid loving fi sh. Bob Mehen

83

TROPICAL

Q Where do my Kuhli loaches go?

Unless they’re being eaten, my guess is they’re hiding in the sand or they’ve found the tiniest crevice in a rock or piece of wood. I’ll bet that if you ever strip that tank you’ll fi nd them all again.

Q Should lights go on and off gradually?

If you can arrange that, your fi sh will be grateful for it. They have eyes that react to light more slowly than us, so a sudden change (especially from dark to light) will shock them.

Q Will catfi sh bother discus?

Most will keep out of their way, but there are reports that some small suckermouths like Otocinclus will graze on the fl anks of the fi sh, eating the mucus of the discus.

Q Will Siamese fi ghters die in a

Fluval Edge tank?Given that they need to breathe air and that the top of an Edge only has a small opening, most people like to avoid Betta in them. Not that everyone who has tried has failed, but if in doubt, consider different fi sh instead.Nathan Hill


QUICKQUESTIONS

Q I recently converted to a Tanganyikan tank and

bought some Lamprologus ocellatus. I have been so taken with them, I’ve bought a breeding tank and provided some large escargot snail shells.

However, I’d like to create more of a biotope by providing the actual snails and shells from the lake. I understand these snails are Neothauma tanganyicense. Do you know if this species can be purchased live, and if so, from where? Would they make good additions to the aquarium? Thomas Briault, email

Neothauma shells are only occasionally offered for sale in the UK. If you’re a member of a cichlid club like the British Cichlid

Q I have an outbreak of Hydra in my freshwater shrimp tank. Is

there a fi sh that will eradicate them but that won’t eat the shrimp? The tank is at 21°C/70°F but it could be raised slowly to 25°C/77°F if required.Stephen Martin, email

Some gouramis eat them, but that’s a bit of a hit-and-miss approach, and once the Hydra are gone, you’re stuck with a gourami you might not want!

Physical removal is another option, especially if you scrape them off the glass while syphoning them away at the same time. Objects like rocks can be removed and cleaned under a running tap.

Finally, there’s the option of using salt. Running the aquarium with a salinity of 5g/litre will effectively kill off Hydra, but

that’s more salt than some fi sh will tolerate, particularly soft water species (hard water species generally tolerate this sort of salinity just fi ne, at least for the necessary week or two).

Those are your options, really. Hydra are notoriously diffi cult to eliminate from an aquarium once established, short of stripping the tank down and cleaning everything. If all you have are shrimp, I’d probably go with the salt option, but that assumes you have one of the hardier varieties like Cherry shrimp. You might need to be more circumspect when it comes to the more delicate varieties.

At the very least, raise salinity gradually across a couple of days, and check that the shrimp are responding well to each addition of salty water.Neale Monks

Salt is your best bet for killing Hydra in a shrimp tank.

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Lamprologus ocellatus live in

empty snail shells.

Can I get these snails in the UK? Association, then one way to get hold of these shells is by asking around at club meetings or on their forums. Failing that, there are a few places that sell them such as Airfi sh.de and AfricanAquatic.com. Expect to pay around £1 per shell, plus postage.

Some traders catering to those interested in conchology (shell collecting) have them on sale too, but expect to pay a premium for these, as they’ll be better quality specimens, usually sold singly rather than in bulk.

As for the live snails, I’ve never seen them on sale in the UK. I’m not sure they’d be terribly interesting pets since the adults at least live partially buried in the sediment, fi ltering the water for tiny organisms. So, they don’t move about a lot and wouldn’t be

much use as algae-eaters or scavengers. It’d also be a challenge to keep them properly fed, though marine aquarists keep fi lter-feeding animals alive using a variety of different foods and methods.

In the wild, these snails are mostly seen in huge aggregations of empty shells mixed with living snails, neither of which is moving around much. The snails defend themselves primarily by sealing their shells up with a solid trapdoor called an operculum, though there are many fi sh, particularly Synodontis catfi sh that still prey on them. A stack of empty shells won’t look very different from the groups of living snails in the wild, particularly once the shell-dwelling cichlids have moved the sand around a bit!Neale Monks

84

FishkeepingAnswers

At breeding time, Jewel cichlids will

try to kill other fi sh.

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Is my tank suited to Jewels?

Q I’ve seen some Jewel cichlids at my local shop

but I am unable to tell if they are Hemichromis bimaculatus or H. guttatus. They have two spots on the body and another near the tail.

I’m looking to keep a pair in my 125 l/28 gal Congo river biotope, which has lots of wood and plants. As they are diffi cult to sex until mature, I am assuming buying four to six juveniles is the way forward until a pair is formed.

Current tank mates are four Synodontis nigriventris and 14 Norman’s lampeyes. I also have a pair of Kribs that I intend to swap for the Jewel cichlids. James Canning, email

There are three species that get sold under this name: Hemichromis bimaculatus, H. lifalili and H. guttatus. Of these, H. lifalili and H. guttatus normally have just two black spots on the fl anks. Oddly enough, though the second part of the H. bimaculatus name means ‘two spots’, it actually has three: the third being on the base of the tail, so chances these fi sh are H. bimaculatus. My only reservation here is that there’s actually quite a bit of variation among all three species, and on


Q I have a Fluval Roma 240 in which I would like to

keep Monos in a brackish species set-up. How hard are they to keep and how many can I keep in this tank? Do they need full strength seawater when they get older?James Hepworth, email

Monos, Monodactylus argenteus, are not especially diffi cult to keep but they get fairly big at 12-15cm/5-6" and are very active. So, a fairly big aquarium is necessary, and though you might keep three to four specimens in 240 l/50 gal, a larger aquarium would be a defi nite plus. Either way, they appreciate an aquarium without too much clutter so they can swim about freely. Use a large fi lter to ensure plenty of current and oxygen.

Do Monos need marine conditions?

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Monos can be kept in brackish or marine water.

top of that, hybridisation is very common, and hybrids often show characteristics intermediate between the two parent species.

Sexing Jewel cichlids is indeed very diffi cult. Some aquarists can spot slight differences, such as the males having more pointed fi ns and more blue speckles on their heads, fl anks and tail fi ns, while females may be a bit more rotund in body shape; but these tricks aren’t entirely reliable. So yes, keeping a group and letting them

pair off naturally is a good way forward. That said, these fi sh pair off at a notoriously small size, and you may well fi nd pairs in your local retailer’s aquarium!

They are poor community fi sh — opportunistically predatory and highly territorial— so the Lampeyes will become expensive live food. Singletons can sometimes work with active mid-water fi sh like medium to large barbs and characins, provided they have plenty of swimming

space, but I fear your aquarium will be a bit small for that. Similarly, if you have enough hiding places Synodontis catfi sh can coexist with them, but again, your tank might not have the space.

A mated pair of Jewel cichlids may try to kill everything else in the tank once they begin spawning. Your 125/28 gal tank could work fi ne for a pair, or until that happens, a group of juveniles, but that’s about it. Neale Monks

The salinity issue can be dispensed with easily. Pretty much anything from moderately brackish through to fully marine conditions will do; in other words, you’ll fi nd they do well across a specifi c gravity range from 1.005 to 1.025, so set the salinity according to whatever tank mates you’re keeping them with. They must have hard, alkaline conditions though. If necessary, use some calcareous media, such as crushed coral, in the aquarium substrate or placed within a media bag inside the fi lter.

Monos thrive on good quality fl ake and pellet foods as well as frozen foods like krill and bloodworms. When bringing them home, get your retailer to bag them separately and ideally top the bags off with oxygen: Monos don’t travel well and can sometimes be aggressive towards one another.

Once home, be gentle with them. Keep the tank lights dim so they settle in faster. Stressed Monos turn grey, but given peace and quiet, they recover very quickly.

Social behaviour is unpredictable. Technically they’re schooling fi sh, but in aquaria, small groups often end up being riven by infi ghting, with one or two specimens pushing the

others about. One trick you might try is adding something big but dumb to keep the Monos on their toes, encouraging them to school together nicely. Scats work a treat, being a bit bigger than Monos, but so focused on food they blunder around the aquarium forcing the Monos to keep moving. Neale Monks

85

Split Hemianthus “Cuba” into as many portions as possible before planting.

Plants

Q Do plants consume ammonia

or ammonium?The majority of plants consume ammonium in preference to ammonia, which is why some planted tanks can succeed in conditions too acidic for biological bacteria. Below 6.5pH, nitrifying bacteria struggle, but at this low level ammonium is abundant, making for a plant feast.

Q Can I have successful plants without

carbon dioxide?You can, and many do. One alternative to carbon dioxide is liquid carbon, such as Easycarbo, containing glutaraldehyde. Others use low energy tanks without CO2, such as with the Walstad method. Carbon is great for fast growth, but plenty have magnificent tanks without it.

Q Do I need to wash off the gel with

in-vitro plants?I would, yes. If the plants have been tossed in transit, you might find they’re covered with it, and anything containing nutrients is another potential source of algae. To my knowledge, the gel is harmless to fish.

Q Can I dose salt in my planted tank?

I recommend that you don’t. Most plants have a low salt tolerance, and though your dose rate will vary depending what you’re treating, even slight levels will send some species crashing. Keep salt out.

Q Do I need to trim my roots back?

With any new, pot bound plants, roots should be trimmed back before you position anything. Any damaged or dead roots can end up decomposing under the substrate, out of view but still upsetting water quality.

You’ll also find it easier to put plants into substrate without balls of roots pushing them back out.Nathan Hill

PRaCtICal FIsHKEEPInG

QuickQuestions

Strategically placed décor can hide ugly stems.

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Why do my stem plants have bare bottoms?

Q I have lots of Rotala rotundifolia in my 90 l/20

gal aquarium. I’ve been pruning it regularly on an almost weekly basis, but the lower portions are looking very ugly and are losing all of their leaves, leaving bare stems.

What’s your advice?Terry Evans, email

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How do I plant with success?

QWhat is the best way to plant a pot of

Hemianthus callitrichoides “Cuba”? I have seen several different methods and I’m unsure which to use.

Is there one that gives more chance of success because I am really struggling to grow this plant properly.James Taylor, email

i get more questions about Hemianthus “cuba” than any other plant species! it is a very

plants, as the bottom portions are shaded from light and levels of circulation are often lower at these areas of the aquarium.

However, it is more of an aesthetic issue than a health issue, as long as the growing tips of the stems are healthy.

A common technique is to plant groups of stems behind décor or shorter plants, as these hide the lower, uglier parts of the stems.

You could also replant the pruned stems, but longer-term these will look the same with the ugly lower portions. Only in set-ups with very high lighting and excellent circulation and CO2 distribution will the lower portions of most stem plants look as healthy as the upper portions, especially in the longer-term.George Farmer

popular carpeting plant but seems to stump many hobbyists.

Planting technique is one of several factors that need addressing. Personally, i like to split the pot into as many portions as possible and painstakingly insert each plantlet into wet substrate using fine tweezers. this process can take several hours but it is far more economical than splitting a pot into just a few clumps. i would also suggest that more splitting gives more chance for

success as each plantlet has access to the circulated water. this is not so with a bigger plant clump.

other issues that need looking at are co2 or liquid carbon addition, good circulation and nutrient dosing. Bottom-dwelling fish and some shrimp may hinder the plant’s progress, as they tend to uproot the plants with their delicate root structure.

also consider the dry-start method (dsM). this allows the plant’s root structure to become established prior to filling with water. simply plant into wet soil and cover the tank with cling film. after a few weeks the plant will send out new runners and it’s possible to establish a full carpet this way. however, you will need to ensure that your aquarium is suitable for plant growth once it’s flooded. the plant will have an emersed to submersed transitional phase where it will struggle unless growing conditions are ideal, especially co2 levels.George Farmer

86

FishkeepingAnswers


Poorly plants are an algae magnet.

Q I have a Juwel Rio 180 aquarium with the

supplied T5 lighting and reflectors. I have also retro-fitted some extra lighting via LED strips.

Plant growth has been excellent up until now but recently it has started to slow down with the appearance of stunted and pale leaves, especially on the Hygrophila polysperma.

I am using a combination of Easylife Easycarbo and Profito and dosing according to the instructions. Algae growth is minimal but I am worried about why my plants aren’t growing so well.

I’ve been told not to dose more fertilisers by staff at my

Why have my plants stopped growing?

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should I change from gravel to soil?

Q I am thinking about changing my gravel

substrate to an enriched soil-type. What are the advantages? I’ve read that some will produce ammonia so what is the advice for my livestock during the changeover?Karl Turner, email

Active or enriched soils provide several benefits. They usually buffer the pH at around 6 to 6.5 and can reduce hardness. This makes them suitable for most plant-friendly fish and shrimp.

They also have a high cation exchange capacity, which means they can take in nutrients from the water making them available

to the plant roots. Some have a higher initial nutrient content than others, and it’s these that will produce more ammonia after installation.

If you have a mature filter, aren’t stocked heavily with fish, have softer water already with CO2 injection and good plant growth, then you may be OK to put your fish in a set-up with new soil.

However, it is still a risk so test the water after a day or so before adding your livestock. After installing a soil substrate large frequent water changes are recommended to dilute any ammonia, as this will also trigger algae. If there’s any doubt then the safest bet is to rehome your livestock for two to three weeks until ammonia is undetectable.George Farmer

Anubias is an easy-to-grow starter plant.

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Why do they continue to die?

Q I’m really struggling to grow plants in my

community aquarium, and they seem to just die over a period of a few weeks no

matter what I try to do. Any advice that might result

in some success would be very welcome! Trevor Wilce, email

Unfortunately, you don’t give me any details of your tank size, stock, maintenance regime and the plants you’re trying to grow. However, there are common reasons for failure to grow plants in the aquarium.

Too much lighting will cause algae, especially with not enough CO2 and other nutrients. Too little will not grow plants. Aim for around 0.5w per litre of T5 equivalent. If you’re using CO2, aim for 20-30ppm consistently during photoperiod. Dose a comprehensive liquid fertiliser every day with an eight hour photoperiod maximum.

Change at least one third of the tank water every week. Clean the filter monthly. Perform water changes after any in-tank work.Aim for ten times the tank’s

volume per hour using a good filter(s). For example, a 120 l/26 gal aquarium should have a 1,200 l/264 gal per hour filter.

Don’t overstock your tank with fish. They lead to algae due to a constant (often undetectable) background level of ammonia that triggers algae. Less is more in a well-planted tank.

Only choose plants suitable for your needs. Choose easy, low maintenance to start such as ferns, crypts, Anubias and easy stems. These don’t require CO2 injection but do grow better with it, as with all plants. Also, ensure that the plants you are buying really are true aquatic plants, as some of those sold by the trade are not. These species won’t survive in the aquarium long-term.George Farmer

local shop as they tell me this will cause algae. Please help.Jeff Lindsey, email

This sounds like a classic case of nutrient deficiency, and your plants are literally starving.

Please ignore the advice from your local retailer. It is almost impossible to overdose a healthy

planted aquarium in terms of triggering algae, as the plants exhibit luxury uptake and use more than they need. It is more possible to trigger algae by under-supplying nutrients, as poorly plants are a very effective algae magnet.

Consider splitting your weekly dose into seven daily portions and

doubling that quantity. Your lighting is rather high for you not to be using CO2 injection, so consider adding that instead or in addition to your liquid carbon dosing.

Don’t overdose the liquid carbon fertiliser as the product can be toxic in large quantities.George Farmer

87

MARINE

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What fi sh can I add to a nano tank?


Xenia is a hardy coral.

Q I would like to add a fi sh to my 30 l/7 gal nano tank if the system

allows it. Is there anything that stays small enough to be suitable for my system? Also, do I need a protein skimmer in such a small tank?Jim Jackson, email

To be brutally honest, 30 l/7 gal is really too small for anything but the tiniest fi sh. I’d suggest that it’s not big enough for anything except very small fi sh benthic fi sh, such as the Elacatinus cleaner gobies. You would be far better scaling up to 100 l/22 gal or so if you want to keep some fi sh.

It’s possible to run a nano reef without a skimmer, but it’s highly recommended to use one. Even a small air-driven skimmer, if correctly set up and regularly maintained, will remove a signifi cant proportion of the waste products that can contribute to poor water quality. Employing a skimmer will make it much easier to maintain a stable system with less water changes required. Personally, I wouldn’t contemplate running a nano without one. Many of the ‘plug and play’ systems from companies such as TMC and Aqua Medic have built-in skimmers and are less hassle than constructing a system from scratch.Dave Wolfenden

How do I set up my downsized aquarium?

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Elacatinus cleaner gobies are suitable

for small reef tanks.

Q I kept a reef tank pretty successfully about 12 years

ago and that was a fi ve-footer. Now I want to go down a 40 l/9 gal route, so very different indeed! Also, my old system was run on an external fi lter rather than live rock so things have changed a bit.

My aim is to keep maybe some mushroom polyps, Xenia and live rock. Maybe also a couple of Sexy shrimp and a hermit.

If you can help me, what I’d like to know is the following: how long do I leave the live rock in the tank before I add corals, how long do I then wait before I add the shrimp/crab and is there a limit to the numbers of shrimp/crabs I can keep in such a system?Arthur Dobson, Hants

If you’ve already had some experience of keeping marines, then you’ll have the skills necessary to maintain a nano. While these small tanks can be quite a challenge for beginners due to their less-forgiving nature, you should fi nd it pretty straightforward.

As you’ve suggested, one of the main changes in reef aquarium management over the last few years is the reliance on live rock for ‘natural’ biological fi ltration. This is rather than trickle fi lters and other methods that have been demonstrated to contribute to elevated nitrate. You really do just need live rock and a skimmer for a successful basic reef.

Firstly, mix up your salt water in a food-safe container, let it age for at least 24 hours, and then add it to the tank. Once the water is up to temperature, add the live rock (you’ll need around 1kg/2lb of rock

per 10 l/46 gal of water) and any substrate that you’ll be using (some of the so-called ‘live sands’ that are packed damp are worth looking into).

Buy the best quality live rock you can, and ensure that it’s fully cured (or cycled) by your retailer. This helps to ensure that any die-off following transport has been taken care of.

Even so, there may be slight issues with water quality following the addition of the rock. Sometimes, you’re good to go and stock can be added straight away. However, it’s good practice to test ammonia, nitrite and nitrate for some time prior to adding any animals — just in case.

If ammonia and nitrite are undetectable for around a week after the rock and substrate are added, then you can start adding

the crab — something along the lines of a Scarlet reef hermit, Paguristes cadenati, or a Blue-legged hermit, Clibanarius tricolour, is ideal as they are small and effi cient.

Don’t add too many, however. Only one per 25 l/5.5 gal is recommended. Provide a few empty shells for the hermit to move into when it grows, and supplement the diet with small meaty items every now and then. Also consider a few of the smaller brittle stars (ophiuroids) as clean-up crew: they tend to be quite cryptic but are very effective scavengers and detritivores.

The mushrooms and Xenia can then be added; keep monitoring water quality and add one or two colonies at a time. In all, these sessile inverts are good choices, as they will contribute very little to

the loading on the system and they’re very hardy.

Sexy shrimp, Thor amboinensis, would be a great choice of mobile invert for a small nano and these can be added at any time.

Try and obtain a pair (they can be sexed: males are smaller than females and have an unbroken mark across the abdomen), but even small groups of several shrimp can be kept. Target feed the shrimp every other day with meaty foods or even small pellets presented with tweezers.

Remember that in very small tanks such as these tiny little nano systems, salinity can increase rapidly thanks to evaporation, so measure salinity regularly and perform small top-ups with RO as necessary. Dave Wolfenden

88

FishkeepingAnswers

�www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

Q I was recommended a Peppermint shrimp to

eat Aiptasia by my local aquatic retailer. However, since adding a specimen to my tank three weeks ago, he never seems to come out and I still have loads of Aiptasia. Any advice please?Jonathan Bradshaw, email

We have to assume you have purchased one of the species of Peppermint shrimp that is known to consume Aiptasia anemones as not all species sold as Peppermints will. Those that do include the ‘true’ Peppermint, Lysmata wurdemanni, and the Black-tailed peppermint, Lysmata boggessi. Differences between species can be subtle.

I prefer to stock Peppermint shrimp ideally before fish and

Can I introduce another tang?

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Adding a Kole tang could help

reduce territoriality.

Q I have a 120 x 38 x 38cm/48 x 15 x 15" reef

tank, which contains a pair of Common clowns, four Chromis and a Yellow tang. Inverts are mainly soft corals. The tang has been in the tank for about three months and I’d quite like to add a second. Is this doable or will they fight?

If another Yellow tang isn’t possible, please could you recommend another surgeonfish I could keep with him? The tank has been set up for nine months.Justin Henderson, email

Ideally, two Yellow tangs should be stocked simultaneously if territoriality is to be avoided; it’s not impossible to do a staggered introduction, but in smaller systems such as yours, it might be best to look for an alternative species. You could try a small individual of the Brown sailfin tang, Zebrasoma scopas, but for diversity and in order to stock something that will complement the sailfin, the combination of Bristletooth tangs with the Yellow tang, or indeed any Zebrasoma spp. tangs, is hard to resist.

The members of the genus Ctenochaetus have a few things going for them. Firstly, they feed on different types of algae to the

Why won’t this shrimp come out?

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Stock several Peppermint shrimp

for confidence.

Zebrasoma tangs, favouring thin film and mat types rather than the leafy seaweeds favoured by the latter. Bristletooths will even consume detritus and sometimes the faecal material of other fish, which can help in the maintenance of a cleaner aquarium.

There is also a variety of different sizes available that might give you the opportunity to introduce a specimen that is significantly larger or smaller than your Yellow

tang (I suspect in your sized aquarium that smaller might be preferable), which should help reduce the territorial response from your tang when the new fish is added.

Perhaps the most familiar are the two species known as yellow-eyes: the Hawaiian yellow eye or Kole tang, C. strigosus, and C. truncatus from the Indian Ocean that has pearly-white spots over the body instead of the stripes of its Hawaiian

counterpart. A relatively new kid on the block is the Goldrush tang, C. tominiensis, which is noteworthy for the very hardy 2-3cm/0.8-1.2" specimens that are regularly available in the hobby.

Bristletooth tangs might not be as colourful as the Yellow tang, but they immediately endear themselves to aquarists with their hard work and enigmatic good looks. Tristan Lougher

other free-living invertebrates are added to the aquarium, as they will usually become more confident than they do when fish are already present. I also usually stock more than one individual, as a single specimen can be even more reclusive than groups can be when stocked into busy aquaria.

However, all is not necessarily lost. Often Peppermints can take time to settle and often remain in a small territory in the aquarium. If you know where this is, then you might initially notice that after a period of apparent idleness the Peppermint has cleared the anemones from this area. Reports of initial lack of impact followed by an apparent sudden reduction in the number of nuisance anemones are fairly common, so it might be that your shrimp is gleaning a living from other life present

on the rockwork or uneaten fish food.

Peppermints are, like other members of the genus Lysmata, opportunists and won’t turn down an easy meal, so occasionally withholding food from the

aquarium for a day can turn the shrimp on to the anemones. Bear in mind their appetites and confidence increase with age and size, so there is still time for your shrimp to fulfil his purpose.Tristan Lougher

89

COLDWATER


QI have been told that goldfi sh can get gravel

stuck in their mouths. Is this true, and if so, what type of gravel would be best for the substrate or should I use sand?Derek Sands, email

Goldfi sh, like many fi sh, seem to experience their world to a large extent with the aid of their mouths, which is not surprising given their lack of hands! As any goldfi sh keeper will confi rm, they are greedy, often inquisitive fi sh that will soon check out any new object in the tank, and if they can fi t it in their mouth, then they’ll probably try.

They will also spend considerable amounts of time ‘grubbing around’ like the aquatic pigs they are in search of anything edible they may have missed. This digging and sifting behaviour means that they can get things such as gravel stuck in their mouths,

especially some of the fancy varieties that can have deformed or constricted jaw structures. As a result, substrate choice is important, and I would only recommend fi ne gravel or sand.

Luckily, there is a large selection of these available in a range of colours to suit most tastes. Sizes of gravel large enough not to fi t in the

mouth of a goldfi sh may look attractive, but they will not allow the fi sh to dig around and will trap fi sh waste and uneaten food between them.

As goldfi sh will make a meal of most plants, then whatever substrate you choose only needs to be a couple of centimetres deep: just enough to cover the glass and

What size substrate is best?

allow the fi sh to have a nice dig around. If you want to keep live plants with them, then try some hardy species like Anubias and Java fern, which as well as being unpalatable, also need to be attached to décor not buried in the substrate, so they can’t be dug up by your goldfi sh.Bob Mehen

Q I would like to set up a biotope aquarium for

Weather loaches, as I love these little character fi sh. They remind me a lot of my childhood when we used to keep them with goldfi sh in a plastic tank.

Please could you advise me on the best way to go about such a project, and how many would I be able to keep in a group?Gary Edwards, Stoke-on-Trent

Weather loaches, Misgurnus anguillicaudatus, are from East Asia. They naturally inhabit ponds and slow-moving streams where the water is dark, silty and often thick with leaf-litter and decaying wood, and, consequently, rather oxygen-poor, whereas many of the loaches we keep, such as Clown and Hillstream loaches, come from oxygen-rich streams and rivers. Indeed, one of the reasons that Weather loaches have become such hobby staples is their tolerance for less than perfect environmental conditions.

Weather Loaches are intensely sociable animals. Three specimens would be the absolute minimum but otherwise the more the better!

The ideal biotope aquarium would have a sandy substrate since these loaches feed primarily by sifting the substrate to extract small morsels of food, such as tiny invertebrates like worms and crustaceans. Decorate primarily with bogwood roots to create the dark, tannin-stained appearance of the swampy waters they would naturally inhabit. The more cluttered the tank, the more at home these loaches will feel.

The addition of leaf-litter would be a plus. Catappa leaves would be nice, but beech or oak leaves can work too; just be sure to get ones from trees well away from sources of pollution. Floating plants such as Duckweed, Lemna spp., and Hornwort, Ceratophyllum demersum, would nicely recreate the sort of vegetation you’d expect to fi nd in such places.

Given their adult size (over 20 cm/8" is common for aquarium

specimens), the aquarium should be fairly big: upwards of 180 l/40 gal. Filtration needs to be reasonably robust since these fi sh are quite big and messy, but you don’t want too much current. Any appropriate canister or internal fi lter would do the job nicely.

As these fi sh are notorious escape artists, you must minimise openings around the tank and in the hood, possibly using fi lter wool

to block any holes big enough for a loach to slither through.

Heating is unnecessary in centrally heated rooms, and lighting should be kept to the minimum required for any live plants used. If you aren’t bothering with live plants, a single GroLux tube would provide just the right sort of dim but warm lighting that these fi sh thrive under.Neale Monks

How do I set up for Weather loaches?

Fine gravel or sand is best for goldfi sh.

Loaches are quite the escape artists!

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FishkeepingAnswers

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Q Are Black ruby barbs really coldwater?

I’d argue not, no. Pethia nigrofasciata does come from a wide range of temperatures, but the lowest of these is 20°C/68°F even if only temporary. I’d only add them to a dedicated tropical set-up and not to an unheated system.

Q Is the Parrot’s feather in my tank

now illegal to own?Myriophyllum aquaticum isn’t illegal to own, but it is now illegal to trade in the UK. If you already have some and don’t allow it to get into native waterways, then you’re not doing anything illegal.

Q I hear that Rainbow shiners are

short-lived. Is this true?Notropis chrosomus shiners are indeed short-lived fish, and adults will reach an average of about one year and a maximum of around two. There’s little incentive to buy large, old adults!

Q Is there any harm using angling

maggots to feed my goldfish and Koi?As a rare treat, you could offer them, but maggots are incredibly high in fats and can fast lead to obese fish. Stringently avoid those maggots coloured with dyes.

Q Can I create an aquascape in a cold

water aquarium?You certainly can, and applying the high-energy methods of tropical aquascapes will lead to rampant growth.

If using oxygenators like Elodea, you might need to recalculate the dose rates of fertilisers, given the colossal growth spurts these plants can have.

Q Can I do a native brackish tank?

If you like Mullet, and only until they get too big, then yes. There’s not a great selection of UK fish for brackish set-ups though.Nathan Hill


QuickQuestions

QMy friend recently gave me a male Paradise fish

as her other specimen was fighting with him. I have a 40 l/9 gal coldwater tank and I was wondering how many, and what other species of fish I could get. I have a highly planted tank and my Paradise fish is happy. I have had him for about eight weeks now.Harriet Reece (11), email

Paradise fish, Macropodus opercularis, were one of the first ‘tropical’ fish species to be successfully kept in aquaria. This is probably due to their hardy nature (they are labyrinthfish and can breathe air) and the fact that they’re not strictly tropical, being happy in cooler conditions that many other species would suffer in.

Anywhere between 15°C/59°F and 30°C/86°F is possible, but they tend to be healthiest and display the best colouration around 20°C/68°F. Depending on how warm the room you keep the tank in is, it can sometimes be worth adding a small heater to make sure the tank doesn’t get too cold in winter; in most centrally heated houses, the heater will hardly ever be on but is there just in case.

As your friend found out, they can become aggressive, especially the males, and are best kept singly or in mixed pairs. A full grown male can reach up to 10cm/4" with females slightly smaller. Your tank décor sounds ideally suited to his needs, as they appreciate plenty of plants for shelter and, while a little small, your tank is just about big enough for a single

Paradise fish. Make sure you have a

tight-fitting lid, as they can sometimes jump; adding floating plants can help prevent this as well. The most obvious choice of tank mate would be a female Paradise fish but sadly, your tank is not big enough to allow them the space they would need. It is also too cramped for other common companion fish such as Zebra danios, Odessa or Rosy barbs, which need more swimming space due to their active nature. I really think your Paradise fish will be best kept alone where you can lavish all your attention on him. Kept like this he should display fantastic colouration but won’t be able to bully any tank mates.Bob Mehen

What can I keep with a male Paradise fish?

QIs it possible to keep a group of Zebra danios

alongside my goldfish?Lauren, email

I wouldn’t recommend it. Zebra danios, Danio rerio, are one of the toughest fish available, which is why they are the victims of so much poor practice; a case in point being their use for ‘fish-in cycles’. While their needs overlap those of goldfish in terms of temperature and chemistry, this is more to do with the adaptability of the two fish rather than a requirement for similar conditions.

Goldfish, depending on the variety, can grow well in excess of 30cm/12" at which size they might well consider danios a tempting snack. Some may report success in keeping the two species together without predation, but generally, if

a fish can fit another fish in its mouth, sooner or later it will try so why take the risk?

Danios also appreciate more water movement than goldfish, especially fancy goldfish varieties that can struggle with more than a gentle flow. As I would only recommend singletail goldfish varieties for ponds or very large aquaria, (180 x 60 x 60cm/ 6 x 2 x 2' or bigger), then this needs to be considered.

The danios will also appreciate plenty of real plants that will bring out their best colouration. The goldfish will appreciate this as well, but largely as an ‘all you can eat’ salad bar! The best companions for goldfish are other goldfish if you have sufficient space, as they are sociable fish. Danios deserve to be given the best conditions possible and this is not likely to happen if kept with goldfish.Bob Mehen

Is it OK to keep danios with goldfish?

The hardy Paradise fish was one of the first

tropical species to be kept successfully in aquaria.

Real plants will help to bring out colouration in danios.

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91

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�

welcome to your free fi shkeeping course!MODULE THREE: Stocking your aquarium

● Grasp the concept of a community aquarium

● Brush up on compatible species

● Master stocking densities

Aquatic School author Dave Hulse is a technical consultant for Tetra UK and has been involved in education and training for the aquatics industry for many years. He has taught

at Sparsholt College in Hampshire and Reaseheath College in Cheshire and is now based at the School of Life Sciences at Keele University in Staffordshire.

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miSSeD laST monTh’S

iSSue?order your copy now or read previous lessons at


What is meant by the term community?

leSSon one

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In ecology, a community is one of several levels of biological organisation: a hierarchy that runs from the molecular, through the cell and organ to the level of the individual organism.

A group of organisms that are able to interbreed producing viable offspring are known as a species, and a collection of species drawn from the same physical space are known as a population. Thus, a community is an assemblage of populations (i.e. many different species) inhabiting a common environment. The ecological hierarchy continues upward from community to the ecosystem, which takes into account the non-living components of the community’s habitat such as climate, topography, water availability and soil conditions. The community could then be thought of as the living components of an ecosystem.

The populations in ecological communities interact with each other in a variety of ways: predation and herbivory are the most notable examples. However,

the role of the decomposers, carrion feeders, parasites and mutualists are also vital in the community, helping to recycle nutrients and tease out genetically weaker members of populations. The role each organism has to play in the community is known as a ‘niche’, and it is this term that is of particular use when applying the defi nition of community to a tank.

In the tankThe tank is the clearly defi ned physical space; it is likely to contain several different groups of species (or populations), and each of these will have a different role in the community, i.e. their own niche in the tank.

Some population interactions are clearly unfavourable in the tank: excessive carnivory or

herbivory by one population is an unstable community and will soon lead to a rather uninteresting tank! Rather, the aquarium community needs to consist of populations whose niches do not detrimentally impact other populations, unless the population is of troublesome organisms such as algae or snails like the Malayan livebearer, Melanoides tuberculata.

Community fi sh share similarities that enable them

to live in harmony.


Brush up on compatible species

leSSon Two

Community candidatesAs we saw in last month’s article, different fi sh have different environmental requirements, so when selecting populations for your community: ✔ DO choose species that have the same water chemistry and temperature preferences.✔ DO take into account adult sizes.✘ DON’T mix hard water and soft water fi sh.✘ DON’T expect tropical species to tolerate temperatures seen in goldfi sh tanks.✘ DON’T believe the old myth that fi sh only grow to the size of the tank.✘ DON’T choose fi sh that are obligate carnivores, which are wholly unsuitable to the community aquarium; most grow to a size too large for the standard home aquarium.

Community no nosFeeding habits and adult sizes are the most obvious factors that can make a fi sh unsuitable for a community aquarium; however, there may be other reasons to consider. Certain species may exhibit a behaviour that is undesirable in the tank; for example, they can be so timid or have compromised mobility that they cannot assert themselves in the community and often lose out at feeding time to their tank mates.

Some classic tropical freshwater fi sh can cause problems in the community through their excessive breeding, and breeding time can bring out aggressive behaviours in otherwise peaceful community fi sh.

Geophagus cichlids These substrate shifters from South

America (the genus name translates literally as earth-eater)can disturb the roots of aquatic plants and can lead to frequent clogging of sponges in the aquarium’s fi lter.

SeahorsesThere are few fi sh more evocative of the marine environment than the seahorse, which makes them a

highly desirable addition to the marine tank. Though highly threatened in the wild, there are some seahorse species that are sustainably captive-bred, ensuring that ethically sourced specimens can reach aquatic stores.

Problems arise when these delicate fi sh are kept with other small reef-dwellers. The seahorse relies on rapid undulations of its small dorsal fi n to allow it to drift close to small midwater food items. These are then rapidly sucked into their tiny mouth. If seahorses are the only fi sh population in the tank, then there is no competition for food. If a more traditionally shaped fi sh is kept in the tank with them, then it hoovers up all the delicious food before these dainty, poor swimmers get a look in. Hence, seahorses must only be kept with their own kind in a marine aquarium. Other tank occupants must not be midwater swimmers with whom they must compete.

Livebearing fi sh Those such as guppies, mollies, swordtails and platies soon commence breeding once established in the tank.

The females can give birth to between 30 and 70 young at a time with multiple batches possible after a single mating. The young grow fast and are reproductively active at an early age, making the livebearer population too dominant in the community. These livebearers are a common addition to most freshwater community aquaria; population control is usually brought about by other fi sh in the tank preying on newly hatched fry.

Shark catfi shThey have a great name, they have an attractive silvery/blue colouration and are very active in the tank. A deeper investigation reveal it to be a member of the Pangasid family of catfi sh (not a type of shark!), a voracious

Redtail catfi shThe Redtail catfi sh, Phractocephalus hemioliopterus, is a stunning looking catfi sh with an insatiable appetite and the potential to grow to a tankbusting size.

GouramiesTankbusting size is not only seen in carnivorous fi shes: the herbivorous Giant gouramy, Osphronemus goramy, can occasionally be seen for sale as a juvenile in aquatic stores. As an adult it will reach sizes of 75cm/30". Sold alongside other gouramies such as the Pearl, Blue or Honey gouramy, which are ideal small community fi sh, one could easily be mistaken for assuming this species was equally as suitable.

Beware The TanKBuSTerS

Geophagus cichlids will clog sponges and

disturb plant roots.

Giant gouramie, Osphronemus goramy.

Redtail catfi sh.

Livebearers like the Platy may overrun the community tank.

Pangasisus catfi sh.

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carnivore that can grow to more than 1m/39" in length. In the wild, these fi sh prefer to live in shoals. Solitary fi sh tend to be panicked by any movement in or near the tank leading them to charge potentially injuring themselves.

94

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Angelfish This freshwater fish is a graceful occupant of many community tanks; however, when males in a shoal are competing to breed, they can be very aggressive. Once paired, mother and father will forcefully defend their spawning site against all tank mates.

Off limitsIt is worth also considering that some ideal community aquarium fish are no longer available to UK fishkeepers. The Topmouth gudgeon, Pseudorasbora parva, is such an example; it was sold in the aquatic trade many years ago as the Clicker barb. The fish escaped from aquaria and became established in the supply chain of coarse fish, from where it got into lakes and rivers. Here it outcompetes native stocks and has been implicated in the spread of an exotic parasitic disease of salmon and trout.

The Topmouth gudgeon is capable of breeding twice in a single year; a small founder population will soon explode to the detriment of the remaining native fish. The Environment Agency for England and Wales takes the threat from this fish so seriously that if a population is discovered in a lake or river, the native fish fauna are manually removed and piscicidal (fish-killing) chemicals added to the water to remove any traces of Topmouth gudgeon. The agency responds in such a way to numerous incidences of infestation annually.

Two other fish species that were formerly common in the aquarium trade, the Pumpkinseed, Lepomis gibbosus, and the Bitterling, Rhodeus sericeus, can also cause similar problems, though not to the extent of the Topmouth gugdeon. All three of these fish species cannot now legally be kept unless the keeper has obtained a licence from Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) as part of the Import of

Live Fish Act (ILFA). Anyone selling them in aquatic stores or keeping them in domestic aquaria without a licence can face prosecution and fines up to £2,500. Licences would not be granted for keeping these fish for purely ornamental purposes; in fact, the only reason that a licence would now be granted is to allow formal scientific research into methods of eradication of these non-native species from our waters.

Vital additionsSome community species have a vital niche in the aquarium, comprising what is known as the ‘clean-up crew’. These are a collection of fish and invertebrates whose feeding habits make them useful consumers of troublesome pest species and small fragments of food missed by the fish.

Freshwater cleanersFlying fox, Epalzeorhynchos kalopterus, Crossocheilus or Gyrinocheilus species feed on hair algae that grows in the larger tanks. Smaller aquaria should try a small shoal of Otocinclus catfish.

Amano shrimp are also excellent algae eaters, though they should not be housed with any fish large enough to eat them!

Bottom feeders such as Corydoras catfishes or loaches will keep the substrate of the tank clean by picking out small items of missed fish food. These fish cannot be left merely to feed on the scraps left by the fish in the upper layers of the tank, they should also be offered a rapidly sinking tablet of food formulated to their nutritional needs.

Reef cleanersRed and blue-legged hermit crabs, sea urchins and various snail species can all help to control algae. Cleaner shrimp and wrasse remove the parasites from the skin of the fish, and substrate-sifting gobies help to keep the sand clean.

Whatever fish you choose, ensure you take into account adult sizes and don’t believe the old myth that fish only grow to the size of the tank.

The ulTimaTe communiTy TanK

For some fishkeepers, having a selection of fish, plants and invertebrates that will happily coexist is not enough: the community has to be geographically accurate. The standard community aquarium relies on a cosmopolitan range of fish drawn from South America, Africa and large parts of tropical Asia, and the Indian subcontinent.

For the purist, Asiatic Zebra danios kept with Amazonian Angelfish is not acceptable,

even though both fish could have been spawned and reared in adjacent tanks in Halifax!

Enter then, the world of the biotope aquarium where not only must all fish species be drawn from the same geographical location, but local plant species must be used and water chemistry conditions are adjusted to create a slice of life elsewhere on the planet in your living room. Practical fishkeeping features many inspirational biotope aquaria.

The Siamese algae-eater feeds

on hair algae.

Angelfish can be aggressive

when breeding.

The biotope aquarium must be geographically accurate.

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See page 60 for our malawi SeT-up

95

Master stocking densities

leSSon Three

When planning a community aquarium, we should consider not only the interspecies compatibility, but also the total numbers of fi sh in the tank; this introduces the concept of stocking density.

There are many ways to express the maximum number of fi sh that can be kept in an aquarium. Fish farmers work with a biomass of fi sh in kg per cubic meter of water; this expression is of little use when working with mixed species aquaria containing fi sh on uncertain mass! Hence, a convenient expression is required to simply work out exactly how many fi sh you can keep in a tank of known volume. Counts of fi sh will not work, as different species can be so variable in size; hence, using body length removes size differences between species.

Different aquarium types have different stocking densities, shown in the table (right). If these are exceeded, then it is likely that there

will be an accumulation of toxic waste products, a reduced level of dissolved oxygen in the tank and a greater incidence of disease. Stocking densities should always be worked out using assumed adult sizes of the fi sh.

Aquarium type Stocking Density

Tropical freshwater 1cm fi sh body length* per litre of water

Temperate freshwater 1cm fi sh body length* per 2 litres of water

Tropical marine 1cm fi sh body length* per 4 litres of water

puT your KnowleDge To The TeST

Now, it’s over to you. Complete the homework task below and fi nd out how you did in the next issue of PFK.

1 Below is a list of species that might be found in UK

aquatic shops that would NOT be suitable for a 60 l/13 gal freshwater tropical community aquarium that contains live plants. Can you fi nd out why each species is not suitable; there may be more than one reason!a. Oscar, Astronotus occelatusb. Pictus catfi sh,

Pimelodus pictusc. Silver dollar, Metynnis argenteusd. African tiger fi sh, Hydrocynus vittatuse. Hi-fi n loach, Myxocyprinus asiaticusf. Suckermouth catfi sh, Hypostomus plecostomus.

2 Clean-up crew: what species can perform the following:

a. A fi sh to eat hair algaeb. A fi sh to eat pest snailsc. A crustacean to eat hair algae in a marine tankd. Any species to eat pest Aiptasia anemone in a marine tank.

3 Name four fi sh and two plant species suitable for the

following biotope aquaria:a. Amazonian fl ooded forestb. Lake Malawi Mbuna shallowsc. Southeast Asian rainforest river.

4 Calculate the stocking densities of tropical

freshwater, temperate freshwater and tropical marine fi sh for a a 60 l/13 gal aquarium:

5 For the 60 l/13 gal aquarium, select a range of tropical

freshwater community species

(fi sh and invertebrates). The community as a whole should fulfi l the following: a. All fi sh adult sizes less than 10cm/4"b. Any shoaling species are kept in groups of fi ve as a minimumc. Some members of clean-up crew to control algaed. Some bottom-feeding speciese. No species that will damage live aquatic plantsf. No species that will eat any fi sh or invertebrate tank mates, (except pest species).

* When measuring fi sh body length, the tail fi n can be discounted.

Mbuna live in the shallows of Lake Malawi.

Use assumed adult sizes, not their juvenile

sizes when in shops.

Can you name species suitable for a fl ooded Amazonian rainforest biotope?

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Discover what hardware is needed to run your tank and how to set it up, plus test your knowledge and the answers to this month’s homework.

1 Which is the odd one out in terms of aquarium

water requirements?List 1● Neon tetra,

Paracheirodon innesi● Tiger barb, Puntius tetrazona✔ Goldfi sh, Carassius auratus

(temperate fi sh, the others are tropical)

● Bronze Corydoras, Corydoras aeneus.

List 2● White cloud mountain

minnow, Tanichthys albonubes● Goldfi sh, Carassius auratus✔ Elephantnose fi sh,

Gnathonemus petersii (tropical fi sh, the others are temperate)

● Weather loach, Misgurnus anguillicaudatus.

List 3● Yellow tang,

Zebrasoma fl avescens✔ Discus fi sh, Symphysodon

discus (Freshwater tropical fi sh, the others are tropical marine)

● Coral beauty, Centropyge bispinosa

● Raccoon butterfl yfi sh, Chaetodon lunula.

List 4● Flame angelfi sh,

Centropyge loricula● Koran angelfi sh,

Pomacanthus semicirculatus✔ Deep angelfi sh, Pterophyllum

altum (This illustrates the confusion caused by common names of fi shes: even though the name

implies the fi sh is a marine species like all the others, it is actually a tropical freshwater fi sh from the Amazon

● Conspicuous angelfi sh, Chaetodontoplus conspicillatus.

2Consider the advantages and disadvantages of taking

water from the sea to fi ll and maintain your marine aquarium.Firstly, natural seawater is free and there is a rather a lot of it! For coastal aquarists, this is a potential source of marine aquarium water. Many of the older coastal public aquaria rely on natural seawater for their marine exhibits. The processing of the seawater that these facilities have to undertake hint at the potential problems caused by the use of natural seawater in marine aquaria. Incoming water is passed through sand fi lters to remove suspended solids and then ozonised and passed through an ultraviolet steriliser to remove any pathogens from the water that could harm the livestock.

Natural seawater may also contain trace pollutants such as PCBs or mercury. Water extracted near towns is likely to be rich in nitrates and phosphates, which will encourage troublesome algae in the tank.

3Visit the website of your water provider or request a

paper water report and fi nd out the average water hardness fi gure for your supply. What units are used to express this water hardness fi gure? There are many ways to express

water hardness: one method is a comparison with a known concentration of calcium carbonate. Thus, a water supply could have hardness equivalent to that of a solution of 10mg/l CaCO3. Alternatively, the value could be expressed in degrees of hardness; one German degree of hardness (written as °dH), is equivalent to the hardness conferred by 17.9mg/l CaCO3. Hence, a water supply with a hardness value of 5°dH has a hardness equivalent to 89.5mg/l CaCO3. A rough map of water hardness fi gures for the England and Wales can be seen at: dwi.defra.gov.uk/

consumers/advice-leafl ets/hardness_map.pdf

4 Is your water too hard, too soft or just right for

keeping the following fi sh?● Fancy goldfi sh — moderately

soft to hard (5-19°dH)● Dwarf cichlids — soft to hard

(0 to 19°dH)● Guppies, swordtails, mollies

and platies — slightly hard to hard (9 to 19°dH)

● African Malawi cichlids — slightly hard to hard (9 to 19°dH)

● Tetras, rasboras and danios - Moderately soft - hard (5 to 19°dH)

5 List some advantages and disadvantages to placing an aquarium in:

Advantages Disadvantages

Kitchen ● Focal point of the house, many people are likely to see the tank

● Cooking and cleaning fumes can contaminate the tank

Bedroom ● Relaxing watching fi sh at night

● May be suitable for an older child’s bedroom

● Noise from pumps/fi lters may keep you awake and prevent sleep

Lounge ● Relaxing space to sit and observe fi sh

● Quieter room of house?

● Noise from the speakers/television may stress fi sh

Conservatory ● Another relaxing space to enjoy your fi sh

● Excessive sunlight may encourage algae Tank temperature fluctuations

The goldfi sh is a temperate fi sh needing moderately

soft to hard water.

Discus are a freshwater tropical fi sh.

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Aquatic snails are carriers of

eye fl ukes.

A to Z of fish healthKnow how to tackle health problems with this guide from dr Peter burgess. this month he spotlights the ds including deformities and dropsy.

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Darting behaviourShort bursts of fast swimming, often uncoordinated such that the fi sh may bump into objects. This abnormal behaviour may be in response to a sudden disturbance or rapid change in water parameters (e.g. exposure to very low pH). It can also be associated with severe skin parasite infections, certain forms of poisoning and neurological damage.


Dactylogyrus (gill fl ukes)These are tiny (0.2 - 1mm long) maggot-shaped parasites that live on the gills of freshwater aquarium and pond fi sh, particularly carp and other cyprinids.

These fl ukes are egg-layers. Armed with sharp hooks for attachment, Dactylogyrus are able to crawl over the gills and wander onto surrounding skin.

A few fl ukes may cause no serious harm, but heavy infestations can result in extensive gill damage, with the added risk of secondary bacterial infections. Badly affected fi sh display breathing diffi culties (fast gill beats, surface gasping) that can be fatal if untreated. Conclusive diagnosis requires microscopic examination of a sample of gill tissue for the presence of fl ukes.

Treat the aquarium or pond with a suitable wormer such as praziquantel, fl ubendazole or mebendazole (see earlier A-Z entry: Antihelmintics). The fl ukes’ eggs are resistant to chemical attack, hence repeat treatments are recommended to destroy any newly hatched larvae.

These usually arise from feeding poor quality or inappropriate diets, notably: diets that lack one or more essential nutrients (e.g. vitamin or essential amino acid); diets that are nutritionally imbalanced (contain the wrong proportions of nutrients); diets that contain excessive or unsuitable ingredients (e.g. foods containing animal fats, risking liver disease) and dry foods (e.g. pellets, fl ake) that have become damp and ‘mouldy’ (some moulds produce harmful toxins – afl atoxins – that can kill fi sh). Of course, even the best quality foods will be useless if the fi sh will not, or cannot, eat them; for example,

DiplostomumThis is known as the eye fl uke, a type of digenean fl atworm. Uncommon, it is more often seen in pond fi sh than aquarium fi sh. Diplostomum fl ukes must complete each life cycle by passing through three different hosts: a fi sh-eating bird, then an aquatic snail and then a fi sh.

Upon penetrating a fi sh, the larval fl uke enters the blood and migrates to the eye, causing clouding of the lens (cataract) and impaired vision. There is no cure. The fl uke-blinded fi sh can often rely on other senses to navigate and feed, but it is kinder to put down any fi sh that is struggling to fi nd enough food. Under aquarium (and most ornamental pond) conditions, infected fi sh present no risk to others, as these fl ukes can only continue their life cycle if the fi sh happens to be eaten by a bird.

some fi sh refuse to eat dry foods or the food particle size might be too big to swallow (something to bear in mind when raising fry or feeding small fi sh).

Dietary diseases are typically slow to manifest (sometimes many weeks) and cause a variety of symptoms depending on the particular nutrients involved. Outward signs include poor growth/stunting, spinal curvature and skin bruises, cataracts, and swelling of the gills — these symptoms being non-diagnostic, having many other possible causes (e.g. bacterial infections). Linking disease to a poor diet is therefore diffi cult.

Nutritional problems can largely be avoided by taking a few

simple precautions:l Check before buying fi sh

whether they have specifi c dietary requirements (e.g. some fi sh will only eat live foods) — can you meet these needs? l Feed a quality brand of

fi sh food and avoid unlabelled products.l Store opened pots of dry food

under cool, dry conditions. Never feed fl ake or pellet foods that feel damp to the touch.l Check use-by dates (look for

the date stamp on the pack/pot) and do not feed beyond this date.l Never feed cheese, biscuits,

burgers or red meats to fi sh!

Diet-related diseases

Never feed dry foods that are damp or mouldy.

98

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A rainbowfish displaying a spinal deformity.

A swollen belly and protuding eyes

are symptoms of abdominal dropsy.

Pete

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s

Treat Ergasilus, avoid eye diseases, egg-binding, emaciation, Epistylis explained and more. NEXT MONTH


Deformities in fish are fairly common, examples being: missing or curled gill covers, curved backbones, missing fins and misshapen heads.

The underlying causes are diverse and include: genetic diseases, heavy metal toxicity (particularly during early stages — egg, fry — of development) and adverse water conditions such as low oxygen levels (again, particularly during the egg or fry stages). It is quite normal for a small percentage of fry within a brood to exhibit deformities, but when the numbers are high

(say, over 5%), some sort of genetic or environmental problem should be suspected.

Normally-shaped fish may develop deformities later in life, perhaps due to chronic disease (e.g. mycobacterial infections cause spinal curvature), old age (senile fish are more prone to spinal deformities) or a large tumour mass. Where deformities occur very suddenly — for example, where a fish is normal one day but exhibits a deformity the next — then some sort of physical injury or attack by other fish are the most likely causes.

Digenean flukesA major group of parasitic flatworms. Fish-parasitic representatives include the eye-flukes (e.g. Diplostomum) and blood flukes (Sanguinicola). Digeneans are mostly endoparasites and generally cause less harm than the monogenean gill and skin flukes. They often cause no obvious symptoms and may easily go undetected.

Digeneans have complex life cycles involving two or more different types of host, and most species have to spend part of their lives within a suitable mollusc host (e.g. water snail). Eliminating molluscs from the aquarium or pond (often easier said than done!) will break the fluke’s life cycle and prevent transmission to other fish. There are no reliable treatments to eliminate endoparasitic digeneans from infected fish.

Many diseases of aquarium and pond fish are treatable using commercial remedies from your aquatics store. Below are ten tips to help you improve the chances of a successful cure:l Act promptly! The sooner you begin

treatment, the better chances your fish has of recovering.l Try and identify which disease is causing

the problem so you can select an effective remedy. If in doubt, consult a textbook (see A–Z entry: Books on Fish Health) and/or your aquatics dealer.l Ensure you buy enough remedy

to complete the full course of treatment (some treatments may need to be repeated several times to effect a cure). l Check the manufacturer’s instructions

regarding any toxicity to sensitive fish or invertebrates (e.g. shrimp).l Get the dosage right. Calculate the

volume of the aquarium (or pond) to accurately work out the amount of treatment required. l Never overdose and do not use more

than one treatment at a time, unless professionally advised to do so. Combination treatments can cause more harm than good. l Rather than pour neat treatment

directly into the tank, part dilute it first in at least ten times its volume of aquarium/pond water. This avoids fish coming into direct contact with neat treatment, which could be harmful in its undiluted state (some fish will swim towards anything that’s added to the tank in the hope it might be food!). l Observe your fish for any adverse

reactions to the treatment such as sudden darting, gasping etc. In which case, perform a largish water change or remove the fish and seek advice.l Always complete the full course of

treatment, even if disease signs have disappeared early on.l Keep good records of the treatment(s)

used, dosage and success rate. Such information could prove invaluable should the disease ever crop up again.

DropsyA disease symptom caused by an abnormal accumulation of fluid within the abdomen and/or within the skin. With abdominal dropsy, the belly region swells up, often considerably. Where the skin is affected, the normally flat scales stick outwards, giving rise to a pinecone effect. One or both eyes may protrude (pop-eye).

Dropsy is generally linked to a malfunction of the fish’s osmoregulatory (salt-water balance) system, which can be caused by a disease of the gills, kidneys or other organs involved in osmoregulation. Certain bacterial and viral infections may lead to dropsy, including the SVC (Spring Viraemia of Carp) virus of koi.

Dropsy is hard to treat: by the time the swelling is noticed, serious damage may have already occurred. Where bacterial dropsy is suspected, antibiotics offer the best hope. SVC and other types of viral dropsy are untreatable.

Disease treatments

Deformities

99

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a Smartline pump, fi lter and UV set, PLUS a Profi -Pond Cleaner FROM HEISSNER

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■ By entering this competition you agree that Bauer Consumer Media (publishers of Practical Fishkeeping magazine) can keep you up-to-date by email and free mobile messaging with fantastic offers and promotions. ■ We promise that you can unsubscribe at any time if you don’t fi nd them interesting, and you’ll only get messages about things that we’ve chosen especially for you from ourselves and our network of great partners whose products and services we think you’ll enjoy.■ For our privacy policy please go to www.practicalfi shkeeping.co.uk.

Terms and conditions Photocopies will be accepted, but only one entry per envelope will be entered. Open to UK residents only. Closing date for entries is May 13, 2014. The prizewinner will be notifi ed by post. No prizes can be returned or cash alternative given and no correspondence will be entered into by the promoter. The promoter accepts no responsibility for resultant loss or damage to person’s properties (other than death or personal injury due to negligence of the promoters or their agents) as a result of these prizes being awarded. Prizes will be despatched 28 days after the closing date. We reserve the right to feature the names, photographs and locations of the winners.

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Address

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Tel. no.

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Question: The Heissner Profi -Pond Cleaner F1 lifts mud particles up to what size from your pond fl oor?Answer: (Please tick one)a) 4mm ■ b) 25mm ■ c) 10,000mm ■

To be in with a chance of winning the Smartline pump, fi lter and UV set and the Profi -Pond Cleaner, simply answer the question below, tick which of the three models you would like to win and post this form to us at Practical Fishkeeping magazine, Heissner Competition, PO Box 57, Coates, Peterborough PE7 2FF by May 13, 2014.

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Heissner says its Smartline pressure fi lter set (RRP £299) contains everything you need as a starter kit for your pond. It comes with a

fi lter, media, 5000l/hr pump, integrated UVC clarifi er and 4m of hose and connectors.

It is suitable for up to 5,000 l/1,100 gal ponds with fi sh, or up to 10,000 l/2,200 gal ponds without fi sh. The powerful ECO pump delivers dirt up to a 4mm grain-size up to the fi lter, which has been designed to enable quick cleaning with a simple to use one-hand handle backwashing feature. For peace of mind, a fi ve-year guarantee is included.

The Heissner Profi -Pond Cleaner F1 (RRP £299) lifts mud and sediment particles up to 25mm in size from your pond fl oor. It comes complete with four nozzle attachments suitable for sludge, foliage, algae and surface cleaning.

Operated by a simple switch on the handle, the Profi -Pond cleaner sucks the dirt and debris from the pond and collects it in the fi lter basket, letting the fi ltered water return straight back to the pond. When you’ve fi nished vacuuming, simply remove the fi lter basket and empty it. This powerful yet quiet system with a fi ve-year guarantee is the simple way to thoroughly clean your pond.

For more information visit www.heissner.de/en

For easy cleaning, the Profi -Pond

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starter set.


Scotland

Wales East

London

Northern Ireland North

West

NorthEast

East Midlands

West Midlands

South EastSouth

West

Yorkshire & Humberside

top 40 shops

l Retailer of the year Emperor Tropicals Runner-up The Coral Cave Aquatic Centre

l Small retailer of the year The Trop Shop Runner-up Woodford Aquatics

l Cichlid retailer of the year Wildwoods Water Gardens Runner-up The Trop Shop

l Catfish retailer of the year Pier Aquatics Runner-up Rare Aquatics

l Oddball retailer of the year Wharf Aquatics Runner-up Wildwoods Water Gardens

l Discus retailer of the year Devotedly Discus Runner-up Maidenhead Aquatics, Edinburgh

l Marine retailer of the year The Abyss Aquatic Warehouse Runner-up H2O Aquatics

l Aquatic plant retailer of the year The Green Machine Runner-up Emperor Tropicals

l Freshwater shrimp retailer of the year Sharnbrook Shrimp Runners-up Woodford Aquatics; The Aquatic Store; and Emperor Tropicals

l Pond and Water Gardening retailer of the year The Japanese Koi Company Runner-up Emperor Tropicals

l Scotland retailer of the year Fishkeeper Glasgow Runner-up Fishkeeper Edinburgh

l Northern Ireland retailer of the year Exotic Aquatics Runner-up No runner-up

l Republic of Ireland retailer of the year Seahorse Aquariums Runner-up Aquatic Village

l North-east retailer of the year Paddock Farm Runner-up Durham Discus

l North-west retailer of the year Aquahome Aquatic Centre Runner-up Rare Aquatics

l Yorks and Humber retailer of the year Ferrybridge Aquatics Runner-up Punchard Discus

l East Midlands retailer of the year Wharf Aquatics Runner-up Maidenhead Aquatics, Rutland

l West Midlands retailer of the year Maidenhead Aquatics, Shirley Runners-up A & D Aquatic and Garden Centre; MG Marines; and Sweet Knowle Aquatics

l East retailer of the year The Coral Cave Aquatic Centre Runner-up Amwell Aquatics, Soham

l Wales retailer of the year The Green Machine Runner-up Aquabatic

l South-east retailer of the year Abacus Aquatics Runner-up Maidenhead Aquatics, Ramsgate

l South-west retailer of the year Emperor Tropicals Runners-up The Aquatic Store and Trimar

l London retailer of the year The Aquatic Design Centre Runner-up Woodford Aquatics

l Online retailer of the year Charterhouse Aquatics Runner-up Seapets

l Club of the year Ilford and District A.S. Runner-up Leinster Fish Keeping Society

l Tropical Product of the year Fluval FX6 Runner-up Seachem Prime

l Marine Product of the year TMC AquaRay LED lighting Runners-up Bubble Magus protein skimmers (J&K); AquaReef aquariums (Aqua One); Gyractor (Arcadia); and Seachem Reef Fusion (ALF)

l Pond Product of the year Pure Pond Bomb (Evolution Aqua) Runner-up Green Go (Kockney Koi)

l Manufacturer of the year Rolf C. Hagen Runner-up Seachem

Roll of honour

Those with the highest number ofvotes across all the categories:1 A & D Aquatic and Garden Centre, Oldbury, West Mids.2 Abacus Aquatics, Kent.3 Abyss Aquatic Warehouse, Stockport, Manchester.4 Amwell Aquatics, Soham, Cambs.5 Aquabatic, Cardiff, Wales.6 Aquahome Aquatic Centre, Wigan, Greater Manchester.7 Aquatic Village,Co. Dublin, Ireland.8 Charterhouse Aquatics, Enfield, London.9 Devotedly Discus, Polegate, East Sussex.10 Emperor Tropicals, Plymouth, Devon.11 Exotic Aquatics, Belfast, Northern Ireland.12 Ferrybridge Aquatics, Knottingley, West Yorkshire.13 Fishkeeper Edinburgh, Scotland.14 Fishkeeper Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, Scotland.15 H2O Aquatics, Brentwood, Essex.16 Maidenhead Aquatics Ramsgate, Kent.17 Maidenhead Aquatics Rutland, Oakham, Leics.18 Maidenhead Aquatics Shirley, Solihull, West Midlands.19 MG Marines, Dudley, West Midlands.20 Oasis Aquarium, Salford, Greater Manchester.21 Paddock Farm, Darlington, Durham.22 Pier Aquatics, Wigan, Lancs.23 Punchard Discus, Great Harwood, Lancs.24 Rare Aquatics, Crewe, Cheshire East.25 Real Reefs, Cheltenham, Gloucs.26 Seahorse Aquariums, Ballymount, Co. Dublin, Ireland.27 Seapets, Colchester, Essex.28 Sharnbrook Shrimp, Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire.29 Sweet Knowle Aquatics, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warks.30 The Aquatic Design Centre, London.31 The Aquatic Store, Bristol.32 The Coral Cave Aquatic Centre, Hardwick, Cambs.33 The Green Machine, Wrexham, North Wales.34 The Japanese Koi Company, Henlow, Bedfordshire.35 The Trop Shop, Grays, Essex.36 Trimar, Camborne, Cornwall.37 Wharf Aquatics, Pinxton, Nottinghamshire.38 Wholesale Tropicals, London.39 Wildwoods Water Gardens, London.40 Woodford Aquatics, London.

PFK

Here is a reminder of who won your votes in the 2013 PFK Readers’ Poll. Find out how your favourite retailer fared...

FIshKEEpINGREVIEWs

Readers’top shops

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk 101

GLOUCESTERSHIRE

Member of OATA — the Ornamental Aquatic Trade Association

Member of the PFK anti-dyed fi sh campaign

Member of the Big Fish Campaign

GLOUCESTERSHIRE

ShoptourExcellent OOOOOVery good OOOOOGood OOOOOAverage OOOOOBelow average OOOOOOut of season OSNot stocked NS

Spacious and stocked, Aquajardin is a relaxing shopping experience.

Taking a different tack this month, PFK showcases a store that consistently ranks highly in readers’ polls. We head down for an unhurried snoop about.

KEY

STAR RATINGS

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ALL

WHAT WE LIKE

IN DEPTH

● L239 Blue panaque £40● Neon blue rasbora £2.99● Mascara barb £21.99● Clown tang £35● Assorted large Oranda £35● Stendker red discus £34.99● Male Betta £14.99● L200 Green phantom

plec £44.99● Large (really large)

Japonica shrimp £2.99● Garra ceylonensis £4.99● Zamora woodcat £8.99

Aquajardin GloucesterAddress: Aquajardin Limited, Blooms Garden Centre, Bath Road, Haresfi eld, Gloucestershire, GL10 3DP.Telephone: 01452 724341.Opening hours: Mon-Sat 9:30am-5:30pm; Sun 10:30am-4:30pm.Tanks: 112 tropical, 20 marine, 21 coldwater, ten plant, 30 quarantine and 18 pond.

What we thinkThe fi rst impression you get when walking in to Aquajardin’s Gloucester branch is not that of an aquatic store, and that’s meant in the nicest way. The site feels too fresh and too devoid of stained carpets, splashes or even the resident moisture that hangs in many shops’ air to be a traditional fi sh retailer.

The second impression relates to the immaculate displays and presentation. From the offset, the shop’s intention is to be smart, modern and airy, and it succeeds in spectacular style. Nothing anywhere is allowed to be scruffy or out of place. With high levels of organisation, stock is lined, spaced

and faced, and it’s a challenge to fi nd any tank on sale that hasn’t been decorated in one way or another, be it fi lled or dry. It’s immediately obvious what the appeal is and why the Aquajardin stores do so well.

Aquascapes are visual draws, and Aquajardin knows this. More than that, they are blessed with the likes of store manager Ed Franklin and others who have both the green-fi ngered touch and the enthusiasm to make such tanks work. The fi rst tank to see, far from being a typically crowd-pleasing assemblage of marine staples or


wow-factor stingrays, is a delightful and large aquascape, heaving with some of the most spectacular Angelfi sh, plump Cardinals and huge Amano shrimp. From the word go, it is an explosive adventure of mosses, Hydrocotyle and Rotala.

Other aquascapes feature, and Aquajardin has chosen to use a medley of typical tanks that you, us or any other everyday aquarist might own, such as small to middling Juwel aquaria. What’s more, they make these tanks work, and well, showing that such set-ups needn’t be the domain of

just the wealthy with money to splash on the latest glassware and CO2 designs. Anyone can do what Aquajardin does, and that’s kind of the point.

The planting side of the hobby is integral to Aquajardin’s interests, and it stands to reason that the plant offering, as well as the supporting hardware and aggregates, is high. We saw no less than ten dedicated sale tanks for plants, glowing green under the collective abundance of Tropica plants on sale. At the time of visiting, the selection had taken something of a hammering, but

102

One of the pristine display angelfi sh.

A Citron goby gets right at home among the numerous corals.

A Red Sea Max makes an astounding display.

STAR RATING

Tropical fi sh ....................OOOOODiscus ................................OOOOOCatfi sh ..............................OOOOOCichlids ................................OOOOOOddballs ..........................OOOOOIndoor plants .................OOOOOPond plants ....................OOOOOKoi .........................................OOOOOPond fi sh ............................OOOOOFancies ..............................OOOOOIndoor coldwater .........OOOOOMarine fi sh .....................OOOOOMarine inverts ...............OOOOOIndoor dry .......................OOOOOPond dry ..........................OOOOOFreshwater inverts ......OOOOOLabelling ..........................OOOOO


FISHKEEPINGREVIEWS

despite this, it still remains one of the largest and most varied we’ve seen in a long while. Between the submerged pots, mosses and 1-2-Grow selection, there was little that was left out.

Planting hardware is as advanced or as simple as you might want it. Stocked ranges go all the way up to ADA calibre, and whether you want glassware, CO2 regulators or a bottle of the most basic ferts, they either carry it or can get it.

Marines also take something of a front seat, and we challenge anyone not to be bowled over by the spectacular Red Sea Max reef

display. Once again leading by example, the staff show what can be done with the very products they stock and are almost in danger of making it look too easy to do.

The marine livestock offering isn’t huge in itself, at just 20 tanks of mixed fi sh and inverts, but what is there is all worthy of praise. There are no fl eshless coral skeletons on show, any emaciated fi sh or even stray, sneaky Aiptasia clinging to the undersides of rocks.

There’s stronger commitment to inverts than fi sh, though neither area is really lacking. You’ll struggle

if you’re looking for classic giants like Volitans lions or big Sweetlips, but if you fancy smaller and colourful fi sh, then there’s plenty to browse.

The corals are a mix of hard and soft varieties, so whether you’re still fi nding your reef feet or are more seasoned and looking for a unique stony coral, you’ll likely come up trumps with something. We can’t reiterate enough how clean and healthy the corals were, and as long as Aquajardin maintains that high standard, we will continue to be impressed.

As something of a surprise,

103


compared to the quality of the dry, plant and marine stock, the tropical fi sh offering seems a tad toothless. That’s not to say the fi sh are unhealthy, because they’re of astounding quality. Even fi sh we’re used to seeing emaciated on our travels, like many of the tiny rasbora species, had plump bellies and vibrant markings. Or at least we think they did, as there’s something unusual about the lighting used in the fi sh house; perhaps the tubes are set further back on the tanks than most, and when combined with the bare bases, we found it hard to view many fi sh in real detail. They always seemed a bit shadow-side-forward to us.

The range itself picks up with a few interesting fi sh, like the plump and ready Mascara barbs. It steers clear of unnecessary tank busters, but it does seem quite light given the 100-plus tanks on show. If you’re after extremes of oddities, rare cichlids or unusual catfi sh breeding projects, then expect to leave empty handed. But, if you’re after healthy, community-compatible species that are disease free, well fed and agreeably priced, you’ll want to go on something of a trolley dash.

Though the behind the scenes regions are off show for the public, we can vouch that they are impressively capable. Huge, integrated fi lters incorporating fl uidised beds of sand, banks upon banks of UV and so much more keep on top of water quality. There’s also a quarantine system that can be rigged or isolated from the main systems as needed, allowing any newcomers time to settle and adapt to the water conditions without the bustle of a busy retail environment. It is all well thought through.

What did surprise is that despite being out of public sight, the same level of detail and tidiness as afforded to the show sections of the store are employed. If doors were left open, it might even be hard to tell where one ended and the other began.

Any store is only as good as the staff that support it and it’s no exaggeration to say that Aquajardin has something of a dream team of well-seasoned aquarists, the sheer enthusiasm of which is sometimes hard to fi nd in some other stores. Morale is high, something we also noted when we visited the Southampton branch some years back, and this in turn seems to

drive all employees. Even on lunch breaks, we found staff jumping straight on to computers to look up — you guessed it — even more fi sh. Get talking to anyone here and it’s obvious that this is more than just a job. Between the team, there are specialisations in every area: one member sublime with marines, another expert on all things foliage and so on. Eagerness radiates from all.

When we visited the pond section was in the process of being reinstated after a cold and wet winter, but what was visible was already promising. The section was slightly smaller than expected, but put to good use. There’s plenty of hardware both inside and out, from budget gear to top-end OASE bits, but don’t expect to see too many massive Koi on sale. The sale vats cater for a pond fi ller to intermediate size market, with 14 smaller (220 l/48 gal) and four larger (3,400 l/ 748 gal) vats.

Despite the overhaul, pond plants were already in full momentum and much like the planting inside the store, what sits outside is tremendous quality.

Verdict This is a store that understands exactly what the lifestyle customer wants. A range of stock suggests that Aquajardin’s audience is more the smart family that want a prize display than the dedicated hobbyist making hardwood frame fi sh houses at the base of the garden. But ultimately, there’s something available for both camps and everyone in-between. Once again, we concede to being blown away by the high calibre that is the Aquajardin and especially its staff, and we think you will too.

The fi sh house just seems a little less bright than some.

A happy team makes for a vibrant store.

It’s rare to fi nd tanks this striking, let alone in a store!

104

PFK


FISHKEEPINGREVIEWS

Aquajardin’s aquascaper extraordinaire, Ed Franklin, put together this tank, wanting to create a soft-looking display using just wood as hardscape. At the time of writing, it’s been running for 20 months and caught our eye immediately. Here’s how it runs…

Equipment● Photoperiod: The tank receives 8.5 hours of light a day, staggered with a half hour on and off phase during which just one Arcadia Plant Pro 24w tube runs.● CO2 dosage: Two bubbles per second via atomiser. Drop checker used to check gas levels and kept at 30mg/l. A timed solenoid valve turns the gas off and on in morning and evening.● Fertiliser dosage: Four pumps of Tropica Specialised daily at 4.5ml per pump.● Maintenance regime: Filter cleaned every third week; poly pad changed weekly. Carbon sponges (a standard Juwel medium) absent.

PRODUCT LIST

● Juwel Rio 125 white: £349● Extra T5 light bar and

starter: £55● Juwel light refl ectors x 3: £33● Hydor Koralia 900lph fl ow

pump: £30● JBL U402 CO2 system £179● Vista atomic diffusor £10● Tropica Plant Growth substrate 2.5 l x 2: £24● Natural quartz gravel 1.2mm

x 25kg: £20● Tropica Specialised fertiliser

300ml: £12● Hardscape: around £100-

£200 pending plants used. TOTAL: around £912.

Plants:● Anubias barteri var. nana

‘Petite’ ● Eleocharis sp. ‘mini’● Hydrocotyle tripartita● Pogostemon erectus● Staurogyne repens● Vesicularia dubyana

‘Christmas’ Hardscape:● Tropical driftwood and Redmoor wood.

TANK OF CHOICE – Juwel Rio 125 planted aquascape*Water changes weekly, minimum 25 l/6 gal and replaced with remineralised RO water. Substrate siphoned at same time to remove debris. Plants shaped and trimmed once weekly.

*Ed doesn’t name his aquascapes.

Water parameters● pH 6.5● KH 4°● C02 approx. 30mg/l (monitored by drop checker)● Temp 24°C/75°F● NO3 15-20mg/l● P04 .5-10mg/l

Closer up reveals the extent of the moss.

105

Live fish foodHigh quality live fish food: Enriched brine shrimp, Nauplii, Daphnia, Glassworm, Small Bloodworm, Large Bloodworm and Tubifex. Packed in bags, ready to sell.

Frozen fish food

Aquatic plantsMore than 175 different species of aquatic plants available bred by our own nursery. Sold in 5cm pots and leaded bunches. Many Echinodorus, Anubias and Cryptocoryne species are available as mother plants too. Floating pond plants like water hyacinths and water lettuce are in season. Including JUMBO sizes.We also offer beautiful plants on bogwood and plants on coconut!

Dry foodOur dry food range consists of 45 different foods for goldfish, tropicals and marines and turtles. Specialized breeding granules, general tropical flakes but also fish treats suchs as shrimps and bloodworm. Go try it now!

Award winner!Renewed packaging making our high quality food cubes even better! Full color blisters with round corners and smallcubes in 35 different flavours including colour-coded feeding guide. 500 gram and 1000 gram packaging also available and in stock.

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Phone: +31 412 - 639 618Fax: +31 412 - 623 [email protected]

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Britain’s best-selling fi shkeeping magazine

On sale May 14

● Product reviews ● More of your questions answered ● Another great competition

AQUASCAPINGTakashi Amano on how barbs and rasboras can complement a planted aquarium.

READER’S PONDKeith Holmes from the Koi Water Barn visits an avid Koi keeper’s modestly sized garden pond.

RAINBOWBRITE Nathan Hill creates a home for rainbowfi sh in the new Seavision cubic aquarium.

MARINESTristan Lougher on how you can conquer the Copperband butterfl yfi sh.

PLUS

MASTER FILTRATIONFundamental fi shkeeping advice from the experts plus a buyer’s guide to internal and external fi lters.

FISH OF THE MONTHClown loach — colourful community character or tiger-striped tank buster?

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TIMPERLEY AQUATICS WATERGARDEN & PET CENTRETIMPERLEY AQUATICS WATERGARDEN & PET CENTRE

190-194 Stockport Road, Timperley, Altrincham. WA15 7UA. Tel: 0161 904 0724WWW.TIMPERLEYAQUATICS.CO.UK

WWW.ThEUKPETShOP.CO.UK THE COMPLETE AQUATIC CENTRE-

web prices in-store

Specialists in Marine Fish And corals

70 Church Rd, Ashley, Market Drayton,Shrops. Threeshiresaquatics.com

CHESHIRE

* 5 awards this year from PFK readers.* An independent shop run with passion!* 120 tanks of top quality tropical fish.* 20 tanks of Malawis and Americans.* 20 tanks of Oddballs from Stingrays to Snakeheads.* Leading brands like JBL, Ehiem, Hagen stocked.

28 North Street Bedminster Bristol BS3 1HW

THE AQUATIC STORE DEFINITELY DIFFERENT

WWW.THEAQUATICSTORE.CO.UK 01179639120

Tel: 01642 285513ENQUIRIES: [email protected]

URL: www.absoluteaquatics.co.uk

ABSOLUTE AQUATICS IS A SMALL FAMILY RUN BUSINESS

TROPICAL MARINEAND COLDWATER

144 HIGH ST. REDCAR. TS10 3DHOPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK LATE THURS

46 Rookery Road, Wyboston, Bedfordshire MK44 3AXavenuefi [email protected]: 01480 215408 Fax: 01480 211557

Avenue Fisheries Ltd

At Avenue we like to think that we can build a pond to enhance any garden or

location, and having built ponds ranging from just 800 gallons

to over 300,000 gallons in the last 20 years.

We offer a full design and construction service for both koi

and ornamental ponds with fi ltration and landscaping to suit.

THE CORAL CAVE AQUATIC CENTRE

“FOR A TOTAL FISH EXPERIENCE”

www.coralcave.co.uk 01954 212004

175 St.Neots Rd, Hardwick Cambridge CB23 7QJ

“smell the inspiration not the f sh”

H Voted PFK East retailer of the year & UK runner up

H Tropical

H Cold water

H Marines & invertebrates

H Huge aquarium showroom

H Superb dry good selection

We specialise in the import and supply of South American tropical fi sh & freshwater invertebrates along with a good selection of oddballs & specimen fi sh.

Massive selection of L Number plecos, Corydoras catfi sh,

Apistogrammas and Discus

Rare AquaticsUnit 7 Atec Court, Lancaster Fields, CREWE, Cheshire. CW1 6FF

Open 10 am - 5pm, 10am - 4pm on Sundays

Tel: 01270 589006 www.rareaquatics.co.uk

PFK’S CATFISH RETAILER OFTHE YEAR!

COME AND VISIT PFK’S NUMBER 1 NORTH WEST RETAILERColdwater, Marine and Tropical Fish. Large Range of Rift Valley Cichlids, Discus, PlecsNew Stock Arriving Every Week. Aquariums, Accessories, R.O. Water

THE GARDEN CENTRE, BALTERLEY GREEN ROAD, BALTERLEY (B5500), CREWE, CW2 5QF

Tel: 01270 820073 www.a-zaquatics.com

BRISTOL

CAMBRIDGESHIRE

BEDFORDSHIRE

COUNTY DURHAM

OS Aquatics

Quality Tropicals - Discus - Marines Sea Horses and Unusual Imports

CITES Approved Live Rock - Specialists for Top Grade XL FanciesTo see our latest arrivals visit our website:

www.OSAquatics.co.uk(Near Wool Station), 3a Woolbridge Business Centre,

East Burton Rd, Wool, Dorset, BH20 6HE

Tel: 01929 405563

OSAquatics

Seahorses

aquatic specialists,specialising in marine

fish and coral(01223) 413243

www.cambridgecoraltech.com160 Blinco Grove, Cambridge , CB1 7TT

Open 7 days a week

AQUATOR FISH & REPTILESEST 1998

FOR FRIENDLY SERVICE AND EXPERT ADVICE VISIT US – YOU WON’T BE DISAPPOINTED

WE STOCK MARINE FISH, INVERTS AND CORALS TROPICAL FISH INCLUDING DISCUS AND RIFT LAKE CICHLIDS

119 Hele Road, Torquay, Devon TQ2 7PX01803 323253 www.aquator.co.uk

GILBERTSwww.gilbertspets.co.uk

Comprehensive range of fish and accessoriesYOUR FRIENDLY LOCAL AQUATIC SHOP

The Precinct, St Mary Church,Torquay. 01803 329149

TROPICALFISH

We have the largest selection of coldwater and tropical fish on display in the North of England with over 250 stock tanks. Opening soon the new Marine systems in February 2013 with 27 new stock tanks for fish and

inverts and a 300 litre coral table with both soft and hard corals.

Fish Alive

Opening hours weekdays 10.00 - 18.00, Saturdays 10.00 - 17.00, Sundays 10.00 - 16.00, Closed on Wednesdays

Units 10 & 11, Dragonville Retail Park, Durham DH1 2YB Phone and fax: 0191 3843590

HERTFORDSHIRE

DORSET

To advertise here,

please call 01733 468895

DEVON

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when responding to adverts

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Water World LimitedChester High Road, Neston, South Wirral CH64 8TFTelephone 0151 336 3616

www.waterworlddirect.com

Large Selection of Koi CarpGoldfish, Tropical & Marine Fish

go mobile withour

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InfInIte AquAtIcs• Cold Water • tropiCal • Marine

Specialists in l-number plecos, rift lake Cichlids, Bettas

01708 6308115 Rainham Road, Rainham, Essex RM13 8SP

www.facebook.com/infiniteaquaticsUnder new management

Premier Pet and Aquatic Centre Fish And AquAtiCs exPerts

Ponds • Pumps • Waterfalls • Filters • Fish • Plants

Full range of stock online also! Hillier Garden Centre, Winchester, Romsey Road, Winchester, Hampshire SO22 5DN

MON - SAT 9.00 am - 5.30 pm, SUN - 10.00 am - 4.00 pm

shop.premierpetandaquatics.com 01962 856753

WIDE RANGE OF AQUARIUM AND POND PRODUCTS FOR EVERY SITUATIONTropical, coldwater and marine livestock

Worcester Aquatic Centre, The Nurseries, Droitwich Road, Worcester WR3 8TETel: 01905 453460

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 10.00am - 5.30pm. Sundays and Bank Holidays 10.00am - 4.00pm

Worcester Aquatic Centre

ESSEX

GLOUCESTERSHIRE

HAMPSHIRE

CHESHIRE

Tropical, Coldwater & Marine Livestock and Accessories

Marines Now In StockVariety Of Fish

Coral and PlantsFish and Reptile Live and

Frozen FoodLive Rock

R.O & Salted R.OAquariums

Call: 0151 6789401

[email protected] Greasby Rd, Wirral, Cheshire CH49 2PG

ÒUK Top Aquatic Retailer 2001Ó

Large Selection of Tropicals, Marine, Corals and other livestock

Quality Liverock Always in Stock

Pond Wet & Dry filters

All Major Brands Stocked | 8ft Reef Display | Updated Website

EPPING STORE

Happy Grow Nursery

High Road, Thornwood

Epping CM16 6LX

01992 570880

SOHAM STORE

Northfi eld Business Park

Northfi eld Road, Soham

Ely CB7 5UE

01353 724046

Opening Hours9.00-17.30 Mon-Sat, 10.30-16.30 Sun

www.amwellaquatics.co.uk

A leading aquatics supplier in the east of

England with over 25 years of experience. We

have two superstores both containing a huge

range of tropical, marine, coldwater fi sh, and

handpicked koi. We have an extensive range

of tanks, cabinets, all pond accessories, and

aquarium plants. We offer tank installation, fi sh

club membership and professional advice.

Under Constant

Veterinary sUperVision2A North Avenue, Coalville, Leicestershire. LE67 3QX

01530 814449www.coalvilleaquatics.com

[email protected] Coalville Aquatics (on Facebook)

Coalville Aq uAt ic s ARUNDEL AVIARIES

& FISHERIES313 – 315 Arundel Street, Portsmouth.

Tel: 02392 820047Tropical, reptiles, amphibians, marines etc. Also cage birds. Good selection of accessories

Open Mon-Sat 9am-5.30pm. Wed Closed Established over 75 years

For All YourTropical Marine

& Coldwaterwww.leicesteraquatics.com

Leicester Aquatics0116 2709 610

Tropical, Coldwater,Pond & Marine FishAquariums & Equipment

5 Alma Works, Cavendish Street, Ashton-Under-Lyne, Lancashire.OL6 7QL. Tel 0161 330 5553

Web: www.staraquatics.co.uk

MERSEYSIDE

LEICESTERSHIRE

LEICESTERSHIRE

LANCASHIRE

ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT FISHKEEPING? DO YOU HAVE PRACTICAL ADVICE TO SHARE?

WELL NOW YOU CAN SHOUT ABOUT!You can share your knowledge and help inspire

budding fsh keepers and experts alike.

All you need to do is contact Sean Treagus to fnd out more -

Tel: 01733 366399 l Email: [email protected]

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We are one of the largest suppliers of tropical, marine

and cold water fi sh and reptiles in the north east.

Blaydon Industrial Park, Chainbridge Road, Blaydon-on-Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE21 5AB

Tel: 0191 499 0333Email: [email protected]

Over 20 years experience • Tropical, Marine and Coldwater Fish • Reptiles

Easy acces off M25, J24/25. Theobalds Park Road, Crews Hill, Enfield, Middx. EN2 9BP

Tel: 0208 366 0243www.wildwoods.co.ukO P E N 7 D A Y S A W E E K

www.tropicalfishfinder.co.ukFish by mail order!

All the varietiesyou’d expect

and a great many moreyou wouldn’t!

69-71 Lower Richmond Road, Mortlake, London. SW14 7HJTelephone: 0208 876 5463

Email: [email protected]

Opening Hours: Mondays Closed,Tuesday to Saturday 9.30am to 6.00pm,

Sunday 10.00am to 4.00pm

Specialist in Tropical, Marine, Coldwater and Pond Fish, plus Accessories

WE ORDER MADE TO MEASURE FISH TANKS AND SUMPSALL MAJOR BRANDS STOCKED.

We Stock new TMC, LED Lights and now in Stock

TROPICALS AND MARINES

OPENING TIMES● MON, TUES, WED, FRI 10.30am-6pm.● THURS 10.30am-2pm. ● SAT 9.30am-6pm.

● SUN 9.30am-1.30pm● OPEN ALL BANK HOLIDAYS 10.30am-2.30pmNO MAIL ORDER ON DRY GOODS. FISH DELIVERIES AVAILABLEVIEW OUR ENTIRE TROPICAL FISH STOCK ATwww.wholesaletropicalsaquatics.co.uk

RETAIL SHOPPERS ONLY

220 Bethnal Green Road, London, E2

Tel: 020 77395356 Fax: 020 77292444

Aquatic World

ANY FISH, REPTILE OR PRODUCT AVAILABLE TO ORDER Follow us on Twitter and Facebook

Open 7 days a week - late night Thursday until 8p.m. 94c Crwys Road Cathays, Cardiff CF24 4NQ (Entrance on Monthermer Rd)

www.aquaticworlduk.com Tel: 029 20 34 29 55

l Tropical, marine, cold water & pond ¿sh

l Huge range of aquariums (any shape & size). Cabinet furniture

l Wide choice of food, equipment, plants, medication & accessories

l Caring & friendly advice from a family business

l Est 15 Years l Pond equipment & remedies

Special offerS every

Sunday

Unit 2, Link Trade Park,Penarth Road,

Cardiff, CF11 8TQ

Tel: 029 20710792www.aquabatic.com

Discus & South American specialists - Everything for the planted tank - Dedicated freshwater invert system 20+ different L numbers in stock - Wide selection of dry goods and aquascaping materials

Bespoke design installation and maintenance service available

Business hours: Tues-Sat 10:30am - 5:30pm, Sun 10:30am - 4:30pm, Closed Mondays

• Marine • Tropical • Coldwater • Reef • Invertabrates • Discus

Aquatic Amphibians • Turtles • Aquariums • Pond Pumps

Filters • Cleaning Equipment • Food • Treatments

EXPERT ADVICE • DESIGN • INSTALLATION & ONGOING MAINTENANCE SERVICE AVAILABLE

Latest Stock on Facebook & Our YouTube Channel

FREE WATER TESTING & FOOD SAMPLESQueensway Industrial Estate, Kingsway, Fforestfach. SA5 4DT

(0117992) 444882255 wwwww.aqquaaticsupppliieswwalees.ccomm

Store open

7 days a

week

SWANSEA’S LARGEST

INDEPENDENT AQUATIC SHOP

Tel: 01773 861255 Marine direct: 01773 811044 Reptile direct: 01773 81149965-67 Wharf Road, Pinxton, Notts. NG16 6LH (near M1 J28)

TROPICAL - MARINE - POND & COLDWATER - REPTILESSix-time winner of top UK aquatic retailer

www.wharfaquatics.co.uk

Huge selection of livestock & dry goods

LTD

THE

Largest retail shop in Central London minutes from Oxford Circus

Fully stocked with marine fish and invertebrates, Tropical and coldwater

fish, large range of cichlids including Africans, South Americans and discus.

We do all sorts of freshwater and marine nano tanks and everything to go with them.

Quality equipment from all leading manufacturers

DELTEC, AQUAMEDIC, JUWEL, EHEIM, AQUAONE

Aquarium design manufacture, installation, and maintenance.107-111 Great Portland Street,

London W1W 6QGTel: 020 7580 6764

www.aquaticdesign.co.uk

Nemo’s WorldMarine – Tropical – Freshwater

All available stock online right now!

Live plants and coral in store also…

15/17 Comely Green Place,

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

0131 468 2585

[email protected]

www.nemoaquatics.co.ukOpen everyday 10am – 6pm

Woodford Aquatics

WE DO FSIH DFIFERETNLY

115/117 Maybank Road,

South Woodford • London • E18 1EJ

Telephone: 0208 505 6444 www.woodfordaquatics.co.uk

Established 1973

Air conditioned109 New Road, Porthcawl CF36 5DD

Tel: 01656 784646

Established 1973

55 John Street, Porthcawl, CF36 3AY

Tel: 01656 784646

We are an Aquatics Shop located in the heart of Norfolk and sell a variety of goods such as marine fi sh - corals -

invertebrates. We take great pride in our large stock of healthy species. We also stock a wide range of tropical fi sh and dry

goods such as Red Sea - D & D/ TMC and many more.

Telephone: 01953 883239

LONDON

MIDDLESEX

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

NORFOLK

SCOTLAND

TYNE & WEAR

WALES

WARWICKSHIRE

To advertise here,

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House of Pisces Superstore

Scotland’s largest aquatic centre

1,000 aquariums full of

tropical fi sh, marine

fi sh, coldwater fi sh

and plants, with over

30,000 in stock.

With over

500 large

quarantine tanks for all

our newly imported fi sh.

Huge range of aquariums

and equipment at

discount prices.

207 Strathmartine Road, Dundee, DD3 8PH

01382 832000www.tropicalfi sh-scotland.com

Like our Facebook page: House of Pisces

• 18PFKawardsinthelast4years

• 4timesbestsmallshopinCountry

• NewawardbestshopinYorksandLincs.

11-13 High Street, Ferrybridge, Knottingley,

WestYorkshire WF11 8NQ

www.ferrybridge-aquatics.co.uk Tel: 01977 678016

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday - 10am until 5pm

Friday - 10am until 7pm - OPEN LATE

Sunday - 10am until 4pm.Wednesday - closed

STOCKIST OF 500 SPECIES OF TROPICAL FISH

ALSO NOW STOCKING MARINE FISH

As described by PFK

Ferrybridge Aquatics - Pride of the North

www.huttonaquaticproducts.co.uk

For all your aquatic spares www.AquaSpares.co.uk

Box welded pond liners

www.BoxWelded.com

Tel: 01384 877150 • www.prestwoodpetzone.com

One of the largest aquatic centres in the Midlands.

WÕhampton Rd (A449), Prestwood, Near Stourbridge, West Midlands. DY7 5AFMon-Fri 9am - 6pm • Sat & Sun 10am - 5pm

• Tropical fi sh: community and Oddball species, Discus, Tanganykans

& planted aquariums.

• Koi, Goldfi sh, Orfe and pond plants.

• Pumps, fi lters, food, specialist equipment, and free expert advice.

• Great choice of Reptiles, Amphibians & Spiders.

11, Hillside Court, Barbot Hall Industrial Estate, Rotherham Sth Yorks. S61 4RP

01709 366776 Open 7 days a week Free parkingwww.aquapet4fish.co.uk

AQUAPETOver 100 tanks filled with Freshwater Tropical & Coldwater Fish & Koi.

Aquariums, accessories & food. Pond Equipment etc.

10% OFF FISH PURCHASES OF

£10 OR OVER IN A SINGLE

TRANSACTION ON

PRODUCTION OF THIS ADVERT.

(Only one voucher per customer)

FOR ALL YOUR ONLINE AQUATIC NEEDS GO TO

www.acresaquatics.co.uk

DISCUSTANKS A LOT Queen’s Courtyard, Sunny Bar,

Doncaster DN1 1LY

Tel: 01302 343778Email: [email protected]

Stocking Punchard Discus, Tropical

Coldwater ½sh and reptile

WILTSHIRE WEST MIDLANDS WORCESTER

YORKSHIRE

SCOTLAND

ACCESSORIES & PARTS

ACCESSORIES & PARTS

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all your aquatic needs under one roof!

Lincs Aquatics

Celebrating

25 years in business!

• Working Water Features

• Waterfall Display

• Ro-Water

• Tropical & Marine Mix

LARGE SELECTION OF

friendly help • expert advice • delivery service

01302 711639

Great North Rd • Doncaster DN10 6AB

South Yorkshire Aquatics

• open 7 days a week

LINCOLNSHIRE

HOBBY FISH

Tel: 01908 543210

hobbyfish.co.uk

Towcester Road (A5)

Old Stratford

Milton Keynes

MK19 6BD

Aquarium, Pond & Reptile SpecialistsTROPICALS•MARINE•COLDWATER

POND•KOI•AQUATIC PLANTS•REPTILES

LARGE SELECTION OF NANO LIVESTOCK

YOUR “ONE STOP SHOP” AQUATICS & PET PRODUCTS WHOLESALER

We offer an extensive range of wholesale pond and aquarium livestock, plants, feeds, treatments, rocks, sands, gravels & accessories – at discounted prices, plus FREE delivery via our dedicated van fleet to

most of England, Wales and Southern Scotland for a low minimum order of only £100 plus VAT.To obtain a copy of our current price list, full colour catalogue and details of our current special offers or

to discuss the matter further, please call Kate on 01246 415275 between the hours of 9am and 4pm.If you prefer, feel free to e-mail us on and [email protected] or fax us on 01246 290486 for a reply by return.

www.aquarist-classifieds.co.uk

Premium AquariumDriftwood

www.mrmanzanita.co.uk

House of Pisces ~ ScotlandÕs largest aquatic superstoreUnit B/G, 207 Strathmartine Rd, Dundee, Angus DD3 8PH

Huge array of Aquarium and Pond products!!!

01382 832000 www.tropicalfish-scotland.comTropical, Coldwater, Pond, Marine and Invertebrates

Tel: 01908 543210 Email: [email protected]

AQUARIUM DISPLAY RACKING

Kits from£338

Economically priced. Extrusions, flat pack self assembly kits, or complete onsite installations. Custom sizes and vivarium versions available. See multitier.co.uk

Multitier Aquarium Systemsby HOBBY FISH

Swimfi x Ltdwww.swimfi x.co.uk info@swimfi x.co.uk

Pumps • Hydroair - Argonaut & AG • Astral - Victoria Plus, Sena, Nautilus • Waterco - Aquamite, Supastream • Pentair - Sta-Rite, Intellifl o • Speck - Badu, Top S

Pipe & Fittings • Imperial Sizes 1/2" - 6" Dia • Metric Sizes 12mm-315mm Dia • Ball Valves, slide valves etc.

Filters • Triton side mount Filters • Tagelus top mount Filters • Glass Media for top performance

01626 333516

Quality Discus & DiscusGoodies At The Lowest PricesNationwide Discus Delivery Service Available

NEW!!

Discus World Book, A Complete Manual

For The Discus Keeper

TEL: 07976 200454Web site: www.plymouthdiscus.co.uk

2nd

EDITION

Tropical, marine and

cold water foods, water

treatments, artifi cial plants,

medications and fi lter media

Sales to UK and Europe

www.tethysaquatics.co.uk

Fish Treatment Ltd.www.fish-treatment.co.uk

The simple solution for skin flukes, gill flukes & tapewormsEasy and effective

Fluke-SolveTM

Freshwater Shrimp Specialist:

Shrimp, TMC Products, Lighting, Tanks, CO2, Filters, Tropica Plants, Bespoke Tanks, RO Water

Shrimp & Mosura trade enquiries welcome. Tel: 01933 317 107

www.sharnbrookshrimp.co.uk3 West Street, Rushden, Northamptonshire NN10 0RT

AQUARIUM DIRECTORY AQUASCAPING

DISCUS

INTERNET

MISCELLANOUS

INTERNET

SHRIMP WHOLESALERS

WHOLESALERS

WEB DIRECTORY

Don’t miss thenext issue of

On sale 14th May

If your looking for some great independent advice regarding key specialist areas

Independent advIceadvertising feature

ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT FISHKEEPING? DO YOU HAVE PRACTICAL ADVICE TO SHARE?

WELL NOW YOU CAN SHOUT ABOUT!You can share your knowledge and help inspire

budding fsh keepers and experts alike.All you need to do is contact Sean Treagus to fnd out more -

Tel: 01733 366399 l Email: [email protected]

Feeding Malawi Cichlids

In the wild these f sh are constantly feeding on aufswuch, which is a combination of algae, inverts and grit. Because it is not very nutritious and has a moisture content of 90%, the cichlids need to be eating lots of it. The f sh keeper feeds the f sh on f ake and pellet that has a moisture content of about 7%. The f sh don’t know this and will consume the dried food as if it was the food that they get in the wild. Consequently they are getting overfed resulting in oversize f sh and a worst case scenario of bloating. We feed our f sh 4 times a week on f ake and pellet. The remaining 3 days the f sh will browse on algae that is found on the rocks and glass. It also promotes natural grazing behaviour, which has the added benef t of keeping their teeth short, which in turn results in less damage to other f sh when battles break out. It is important that algae is present so algae pebbles can be provided. Simply put some old tank water into a tray as old water will have nutrients in or you could add plant fertiliser to it. Then put some pebbles in the tray making sure they are covered in water. Place the tray outside in the sun and 2 weeks later you have algae covered stones. Also if you put some f ake in an ice cube tray f ll with water and freeze, will provide high moisture content food.

Natural World Pet & Aquatic Superstore, 1181 Melton Road, Syston, Leicester. LE7 2JT

Tel: 0116 260 2001 ● Facebook: NaturalWorld-MalawiCichlidsuk ● www.naturalworldpets.co.ukRetail & Trade Welcome

Here at Porton Garden Aquatic & Pets our aquatic department is packed full of everything you could need or want for your aquarium and fsh needs. Whether you’re looking at setting up your frst fsh tank or are looking to create an eye-catching reef tank, we have knowledgeable staf on hand to help and advise you.

Our vast fsh house has nearly 200 tropical tanks, over 100 marine & invert tanks and 18 indoor cold-water tanks, all flled with a huge variety of fsh & live plants, So you can be sure to fnd the right species to bring your aquarium to life.

We also have on display over 50 show aquariums flled with fsh and ideas to inspire you to create your perfect aquarium.

Our store has all the equipment you could need to create your perfect aquarium, from flters and foods, to treatments and décor, With all the leading brand products at great prices, you’ll fnd all you need to keep your aquarium in great condition.

For all your aquarium needs come to Porton Garden Aquatic & Pets, one of the largest independent aquatics suppliers in the south.

Don’t forget we are available ONLINE too…!

Porton Garden Aquatic & Pets, Porton, Salisbury, Wilts. SP40LA

Tel: 01980 611116 l Email: [email protected] l Web: www.portonaquapet.co.uk

Looking for a one stop shop?Oasis Aquarium Ltd has more than 30 years’ experience supplying aquariums, equipment and livestock to 1000s of satisfed customers. At Oasis we are committed to give customers both the advice and the reassurance of how to create, manage a stable aquatic environment. Using tried and tested products from reliable manufacturer’s we pride ourselves on our knowledge and expertease in applying these products to create the environment required to keep these animals in a well managed stable environment. With aquatic technology now moving at a faster pace than ever keeping tropical and saltwater fsh and corals has become far easier than ever before. From nano type aquariums as small as 30lt with integrated lighting and fltration it is now possible to have a small perfectly formed reef aquarium with little maintainance and servicing required, however if your aspirations are higher we custom build aquariums and flter systems to suit all budgets.

Once you have chosen the type of aquarium you require with or without assistance from our knowledgable staf, eventually you will need to stock your aquarium,with a large selections of coldwater,tropical,marine fsh, and one of the very best selec-tions of LPS,SPS and Soft coral and invertebrates we are confdent you will walk away as another very satisfed customer.As voted Marine retailer of the year by PFK.

Please pay us a visit at our website www.oasisaquarium.co.uk or see us on Facebook.com/oasisaquariumltd

GETTING STARTED WITH A DISCUS AQUARIUMAt Blaydon Exotics we keep and sell a vast array of Cold,Tropical and Marine Fish but today we have decided to talk a little bit about Discus. There are many debates

over how to keep discus ie; Tap Water or RO, what to feed your discus and how often to do water changes, The list goes on....

With that being said here is how we personally feel best to keep a healthy Discus tank and get the best out of your f sh.

First and most important step is making sure your aquarium is cycled, Meaning that the benef cial bacteria is established in your f ltration. A good product on the

market to get you going is Special Blend made by Microbe Lift, This is a bottle of bacteria to kick start your tank, Another big factor in keeping Discus is the Tempera-

ture compared To the average community f sh tempretures, temps of around 84f to 86f works well, Discus need that extra bit feed, Personally I feed 4 times per

day with a mixture of beef heart, Artemia, Tetra Discus mix among a few others, Discus also prefer more acidic water, I try and keep my water at a Ph of around 6.5,

Discus will happily live in higher Ph but for them to thrive 6.5 Ph is what I f nd works best.To achieve a lower Ph I f nd the most natural way is to introduce some Bog

Wood, This naturally lowers your Ph without the use of chemicals. The use of RO water, a lot of Discus keepers use RO water and RO water only, I f nd alternating

water changes from de-chlorinated tap water to RO water is best, Reason being younger Discus need the minerals found in tap water to aid in there development.

This is just an insight to how I believe to attain a healthy Discus Aquarium.

Blaydon Exotics, Blaydon Industrial Park, Chainbridge Road, Blaydon-on-Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE21 5AB

Tel: 0191 499 0333 ● Email: [email protected] ● Web: www.blaydonexoticsuk.co.uk

BLAYDON

Exotics

BLAYDON

Exotics


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Beauty and the beastThis extraordinary photograph shows a snakehead, possibly Channa striata, leaping out of the water in an attempt to snack on a butterfl y perched above. It proves that a more insectivorous diet would be ideal if keeping this species, while also serving as a warning of what releasing a non-native snakehead species into the wrong environment could do to native fauna — both below and above the water!

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Practical Fishkeeping May 2014

Lifestyle

Transcript of Practical Fishkeeping May 2014