F Lowerhorns: Are You A Lover Or A Hater?

BEGINNER’S MARINE GUIDE INSIDE

The UK’s best-selling aqu

Are you a LOVER or a HATER?

PREPARING BOTANICALS GET THE MOST FROM YOUR LEAVES & PODS NOVEMBER 2018 £4.50

F lowerhorns

Lovable loaches The best Botia for snail control

All about Otocinclus Community safe algae-eating catfish

The doctor is in! Why you want the gorgeous Surgeonfish

LEOPARD BUSHFISH How to house the peaceful pred

The Cichlid Man Meet the reader with a unique collection

900S

1200S

1500S

1800S

600SCube

BioMaster External Filter Aquarium filter 250 - 600 L The BioMaster is an external filter for fresh water or marine aquariums from 250 to 600 litres in size. Available with or without an integrated adjustable heater, the BioMaster makes aquarium maintenance simple and efficient. Ɣ Supplied with integrated 900 - 1250 l/hr pump (15 - 22 watts) Ɣ EasyClean removable 45 ppi pre-filter for fast and simple cleaning Ɣ Main filter section contains fine and coarse grade foams and Hel-X biological media Ɣ 3+1 Year OASE Guarantee for added peace of mind For more information on the BioMaster and other OASE products from the Indoor range, please visit www.oase-livingwater.com.

Welcome

SUBSCRIBE TO

FOR JUST £3.50 A MONTH* See page 52 *When you choose the print option and pay by direct debit (minimum term 13 issues)

THE EXPERTS

STEVE BAKER

This issue Steve has been busy out on shop tours and testing gear but what he is really excited about are Botia loaches. Read all about them on page 12.

LEE NUTTALL We set the UK’s most prominent Central American cichlid enthusiast to task with a project in his comfort zone. Discover Blue eye cichlids on page 74.

NEALE MONKS Usually a familiar face on our FKA panel of experts, I managed to drag Neale away from answering questions to write about Otocinclus. Check it out on page 80.

TIM SMITH Ichthyologist Tim is back again this month to tackle an oddball that ends up in a lot of larger communties. Go explore the Leopard bushfish on page 32.

TRISTAN LOUGHER True to form, Tristan has delivered another outstanding marine feature this month. November is the turn of the Tangs, in all their glory. You’ll find them on page 86.

TAI STRIETMAN Tai’s living the dream studying fish in Brazil, but he took some time out this month to don his swimming goggles and go underwater. Find out more on page 46.

Stay in touch Email us at editorial@ practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

THERE WAS a time I could never have imagined seeing a Flowerhorn on the PFK front cover. Partly because I’m old enough to remember when they didn’t even exist, but hey. They’re contentious fish, for sure. Some folks will likely be outraged that I’ve given them a ‘platform’ by recognising them as a legitimate part of fishkeeping. Well, we can all bury our heads in the sand and pretend they’re not, but while we’re down there the Flowerhorn will still be doing the rounds and gaining popularity. With every week that passes, they appear in more social media groups, becoming more ‘normalised’ along the way. My job here is to hold a mirror up to the hobby, not to gesticulate about what I think is right or wrong (though that is also fun). Anyway, you can make up your own mind. Read the feature then tell me what you think of the fish after. Just don’t shoot the messenger.

Nathan Hill, Associate Editor Watch us on youtube.com/ user/practicalfishkeeping

ON THE COVER Flowerhorn cichlid. Photograph by bluehand, Shutterstock.

hich fish carries around a portable knife to slash its enemies with? Find out on page 86

Follow us at www.facebook. com/PFKmag/

WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK

5

Contents

NOVEMBER

32

46 INSPIRATION

08 12

22

HERE BE DRAGONS Are you up for a challenge? The grinning, sharp-toothed, Dragon moray will make a dramatic presence in your tank.

38

THE BEST OF THE BOTIA Bags of character, but less than half the size of the ubiquitous Clown loach, Botia species are far better suited to the average-sized home aquarium.

46

WHO ARE FLOWERHORNS? Love them or hate them, the Flowerhorns look here to stay. We dive into the underworld scene where the Frankenstein fish with the bizarre bulbous heads can fetch hundreds of pounds.

6

32

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

74

LOVING THE LEOPARD Marvel at the exotic spotted kitten of the Bushfish world – a stunning and stealthy predator

80

CURIOUS CAT

86

TANGTASTIC

Editor’s Pi k

Far more than an algae-eater, Otocinclus deserves a proper place in our affections – and our aquariums.

A PASSION FOR CICHL Meet young fishkeeper Max Pedley, whose cichlid succe stories give us a warm, fuzzy feeling inside, and hope for th future of our hobby.

RIVER RICHES Join Tai Streitman on location in Brazil, where he grabs his underwater camera and gets up close and personal with a multitude of species in their natural habitat.

Here’s a riot of colour for your reef tank – come to the tang

Nathan’s favourite article this issue – our reader interview with Max Pedley. PAGE 38

OL’ BLUE EYES Why Cryptoherus spilurus, the Blue-eyed cichlid, makes such an appealing addition to a community tank.

temper, but Nannacara taenia, the Striped dwarf cichlid, is a pleasure to keep and breed.

5

THINGS YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS ISSUE

2

Which type of kitchen crockery is best to use to spawn Flowerhorns.

1

How to prepare botanicals ready for your tank.

4 3

The ideal water conditions to grow Xenia from frags in your marine tank.

How to set up the perfect breeding environment for Apistogramma.

5

Everything you need to know about keeping the popular and colourful tangs.

64

12 bursting-at-the-seams aquatics stores in Essex.

NEWS & VIEWS

10 20

30

AQUATIC NEWS Studies into fish intelligence, cleaner shrimps’ healing hands, and an outbreak of the notifiable disease KHV.

GUIDE 108 GEAR Our pick of the latest products, including three aquarium lights tried and tested, plus a first look at a new Tetra starter tank and a simple bio filter.

ETHICAL DEBATE PFK associate editor Nathan Hill and staff writer Steve Baker go head to head over whether we should encourage hobbyists to breed fish at home.

GEAR & REVIEWS

100 ROADTRIP The PFK team visit three

Practical Fishkeeping delivered to your digital device PAGE 52

64

52

66

55

FISHKEEPING ANSWERS PFK’s crack team of aquatics experts are on hand to answer all your questions. This month: rehoming Hoplos, identifying a snail stowaway, growing Xenia, and feeding fish when you go on holiday, to name just a few.

KNOW-HOW: BUILD APISTOGRAMMA A HOME Pair these popular, much-loved dwarf cichlids with a biotope aquarium and you’ve a match made in heaven.

SUBSCRIBE TO PFK Enjoy Practical Fishkeeping from just £3.50 a month – and never miss an issue.

KNOW-HOW: PREPARING BOTANICALS Biotopes for beginners – how to cook leaves and seed pods and why adding them to a tank can benefit your fishes’ health.

REGULARS

LETTERS The joys of keeping healthy, happy fish, thoughts on tank decor, and a cautionary tale about buying fish mail order.

86

72

NEXT MONTH Learn all about Piranha, breed Wrestling halfbeaks, and the electric world of Elephantnose.

114 TAILPIECE Nathan worries we might be the last generation of fishkeepers, and wonders how young blood can be attracted to the hobby in a digital age.

WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK

7

FASCINATING FISH Dragon moray eel

Here be Dragons If you want a dramatic presence in your tank, this grinning, sharp-toothed eel is the business.

W

ITH THEIR mouth agape, moray eels can give off an unnerving air of menace. The constant opening and closing motion reveals an impressive array of teeth, and this is particularly applicable to one aquarium species, the Dragon moray, Enchelycore pardalis. The distinctive curved jawline, a trait of the Enchelycore genus, prevents them from fully closing their mouths, leaving them with a fixed toothy grin. Disturb one, the jaws spread and that smile switches to a roar. Rows of razorsharp teeth glint in the light as the eel rocks from side to side, displaying a clear warning – mess with me at your peril. In reality though, this apparent threat is usually directed towards tankmates. The open gape has no sinister meaning; rather the moray is simply forcing water over its gills to breathe using powerful muscles located in its gill cavity.

ALAMY

Dental differences When it comes to dentition, morays can be divided into two groups. Piscivores like the Dragon moray boast enlarged fangs, perfect for snatching fish from the water column, while others like the Snowflake moray, Echidna nebulosa, possess blunt, molar-like teeth ideally suited to crushing the shells of crustaceans. What makes a moray bite worse than most are the various toxins contained within the saliva and slime coat. Analysis of a Yellowmouth moray, Gymnothorax nudivomer, revealed a cocktail of crinotoxins 8

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

that lead i d i d bleedin Pseudom been de Moray instead their ac sense o to help locate p nostrils horn-lik enhanc appeal. ‘never b doesn’t stimula behavio betwee Conver specim weeks o perseve The D enables rockwo develop undulat swimm open. M are mo encoun with jus their he expose from th rocky h and wit being th region t line por detect p from vi pack a p be fixed prevent inadvertent demolition jobs. This ability to move through

Chris works in conservation research and regularly writes for aquarium publications.

your outlay through a breeding project, you’d be better off looking elsewhere. Juvenile morays have a transparent planktonic stage, known as leptocephalus, in which they drift in the ocean currents, undetected by predators, before dropping back onto the reef to undergo metamorphosis. If you’re in the market for a moray and have the large, mature system to match its needs, you’d be hard pushed to find a more dramatic candidate than the Dragon.

ALAMY

CHRIS SERGEANT

intricate spaces also makes them aquarium escape artists, so ensure you fit your tank with a secure lid. Locating a Dragon for the aquarium isn’t easy, and even if you do find one, it’s likely to command big bucks. Dressed in a technicolour coat of oranges, whites, browns and blacks, colouration heavily influences the price tag, with the most eclectic purported to be collected from the northern Japanese region of their Indo-Pacific home range. If you’re thinking of recouping

Latest news and events from the world of aquatics RESEARCH

Fish are brainier than many people think New studies suggest angelfish can assess food quantities, and wrasse recognise their own reflection

T

WO RECENT scientific studies into the cognitive abilities of fish have again shown what many fishkeepers already know – that they are far more sophisticated than most people give them credit for. The first study involved aquarium favourites angelfish, Pterophyllum scalare, and set out to see if they could ‘count’. Researchers offered the fish two or more small portions of the same food at the same time, and the angels usually went for the largest-sized portion. Interestingly the study also seemed to show the fish were ‘rounding off’, as when four or more portions of food were offered, they became less picky about which one they ate. Many vertebrates, including humans, show this ability where low numbers of something are counted or assessed exactly, but larger numbers are roughly estimated. Fascinatingly, both angelfish and humans seem to swap systems at around four. While this doesn’t show counting in the strict ‘One, two, three...’ sense, it does show fish are able to discriminate between food quantities, which would clearly be a evolutionary advantage. In a second study, Cleaner wrasse, Labroides dimidiatus, have joined a small group of mammals and birds found to be able to identify themselves in a mirror, suggesting a level of self-awareness previously

10

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Cleaner wrasse seem to be self aware.

SHUTTERSTOCK

NEWS

Aquatic News

Cleaner wrasse were first put in an aquarium witha mirror, which most soon attacked

FACT Removing ectoparasites helps unlock the cognitive abilities of the Cleaner wrasses’ clients too.

thought to be beyond fish. The wrasse were first put in an aquarium with a mirror, which most soon attacked, thinking a rival was in their territory. This aggression lessened over a few days, to be replaced by various other curious and odd swimming behaviours. The researchers then marked the fish with a small coloured gel spot on their head. At first the fish were left to recover and swim without the mirror in their tank, and no odd behaviour was noted. However, once the mirror was returned, all

the fish spent more time in front of it in positions where the spot was visible, as well as more time rubbing the spot against things in their environment. To try to rule out physical irritation being a factor in this behaviour, the scientists also ‘marked’ some fish with a colourless gel in the same way, and found their behaviour did not change when the mirror was reintroduced. While the findings are fascinating, it’s too early to assume these charming fish are self-aware in a manner similar to humans.

JEALOUS WOMAN BLEACHES FISH A woman who killed her ex-partner’s fish by pouring bleach into his aquarium after he had an affair has received an 18-week jail sentence, suspended for 12 months. The prosecution case was brought by the RSPCA. Serena Reynoldson, 35, was also ordered to pay costs of £300, a £115 victim surcharge, and has been banned indefinitely from keeping fish.

FISH ‘SKYDIVE’ TO RESTOCK USA LAKES Thousands of tiny trout have been dropped from a low-flying plane to restock hard-to-reach mountain lakes in Utah. Utah Division of Wildlife Resources claims the method is less stressful than using trucks, with 95% of the 1 to 3in-long fish surviving their skydive trauma.

WOUND HEALING

NEW AQUATICS STORE FOR SUFFOLK Fishkeepers in Suffolk now have a new store – Scope Aquatics in Tattingstone, near Ipswich. Boasting 78 tanks of tropical fish, Scope specialises in South and Central American cichlids with many fish on sale bred by the store’s owner. Find it inside Tattingstone Garden Centre, just off the A137 (postcode IP9 2LX). Tel: 07342 981775.

VIRUS

Dr Shrimp to coral 12 please.

SHUTTERSTOCK

KHV STRIKES LINCOLNSHIRE

Healing hands of cleaner shrimps In the first scientific study of its noted that for the first 24 hours kind, scientists have proved in the fish regulated the amount of laboratory conditions that Cleaner cleaning to the injured area. This shrimp help speed the healing corresponds with previous evidence process in injured fish. that this early period is vital for a The researchers studied the process called ‘re-epithelialisation’, behaviour and interactions of whereby the open wound is Skunk cleaner shrimp (Lysmata covered rapidly by a layer of cells. amboinensis) and Lyre-tail Anthias After this time, the fish allowed (Pseudanthias squamipinnis) to the shrimp to clean where it liked, see whether or not the shrimps’ and the shrimps’ actions helped cleaning behaviour improved reduce inflammation and redness, healing, and also to see whether which is thought to help prevent the shrimp ‘cheat’ and feed on infection by secondary pathogens their hosts’ mucus like viruses and bacteria. or aggravate the It’s hoped the shrimp injury further. may be able to be Using high MORE INFO employed as a definition green alternative to Read the paper ‘Cleaner cameras, the chemical treatments shrimp are true cleaners of team observed for cleaning injured fish’ in full at the interactions wounds and tinyurl.com/ybcqalha removing parasites of shrimp with 126 injured fish. They on farmed fish.

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS In the October issue feature ‘Saving the Reef’ we erroneously credited two images – a scuba diver and an artificial reef – to author Jonny Archer. The correct crediting of those images should have been to Yunaldi Yahya. We apologise for any confusion that has arisen from this oversight.

Diseased and dying fish in two Lincolnshire lakes have been confirmed as suffering from Koi herpesvirus, more commonly know as KHV. The first outbreak was confirmed by the Fish Health Inspectorate (FHI) at K’s Lakes near Skegness, with a second one at Locklands Lake a week later. As a result, all fishing activity has been cancelled for the time being. The virus affects all varieties of the Common carp, Cyprinus carpio, both wild and ornamental. Symptoms include gill lesions, with white or brown necrotic patches being typical, sunken eyes, rough patches on the skin and excessive mucus. Infected fish often become lethargic, have trouble swimming and remain near the surface longer than usual. In some populations death rates can be as high as 80% and fish that do recover and survive remain infectious for the rest of their lives. High water temperatures can trigger outbreaks with the disease most prevalent at 16-28°C. While there is no risk to human health, the disease is notifiable to the FHI and there are strict controls on the movement of fish from affected ponds and the correct disinfection of equipment.

STOLEN

Pond fish theft devastates villager An Essex pensioner has been left distraught after her pond was emptied overnight of almost all its goldfish. The ‘Braintree & Witham Times’ reported that the 80-year-old resident of Silver End, who didn’t want to be named, first became suspicious when she noticed that the pond water level was unusually low. When she went to check why, she found only a handful of the 100-plus fish remaining, and the filter blocked with sediment that she thinks was stirred up by the thieves as they netted the fish. Police have asked anyone who saw anything suspicious to contact them on 101.

WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 11

TROPICAL Botia loaches

12

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

THE BEST

Botia Don’t Clown around. Attractive, lively, characterful Botia loaches are far more suitable for your average-sized home aquarium.

FRANK TEIGLER

WORDS: STEVE BAKER

Note the rosy lips of Botia striata. WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 13

TROPICAL Botia loaches

W FAR RIGHT: You can see the reason for the Yo-Yo nickname.

FRANK TEIGLER

BELOW: Polka-dot loach, Botia kubotai.

HEN IT comes to loaches and home aquaria, the Clown loach is still a hugely popular seller in the UK, despite really being an unsuitable fish for all but the biggest tanks. If you don’t yet know yet why so many concerned hobbyists and responsible sellers are trying to stem the Clown’s long-term popularity, it’s purely down to size. If they grew to a maximum size of 10-15cm, they would be the perfect tropical aquarium inhabitant – colourful, bold, playful characters, not to mention helpful consumers of (pest) snails. Clown loach are communal, active, attractive shoaling fish that deserve to be admired, but they’re also very large for shoaling tank fish.

14

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

With a potential size of 30cm-plus, Top ten and an absolute minimum of five The kingdom of Botia became a fish needed in order to to offer them smaller place in 2004 when the confidence – and also give their genus was revised and previous viewer a chance of observing family members were moved into natural behaviour – it makes a new genera. Now the Botia genus suitable tank for Clowns far holds just 10 species, compared from suitable for most to the 67 members it held homes and budgets. The previously. Five of the 30-year or so lifespan current 10 are of these fish also regularly available Put aside some dirty tank means that you’d to the industry water with plant matter and a few be signing up and the other for as long a five turn up pest snails. You’ll soon have responsibility as sporadically. a larder of snails to having children. Botia aren’t tricky feed your Botia The funny thing is, fish to cater for, but none loaches. there are lots of quite are suited to very small closely related loaches that are tanks – the smallest species just as pretty and interesting as require a 1m-long tank at least, the Clown loach, but don’t have for a small group. the same issues of size and demand The substrate is one area you need on space. to get right. Just as with Corydoras Welcome, then, to the world of catfish, there’s a health risk if you Botia loaches… use any form of sharp gravel, and

We Recommend...

Tankmates

SHUTTERSTOCK

turfed up; this is common with the Yo-yo loach, Botia lohachata, and the Polka-dot loach, Botia kubotai where harbouring plants on wood like Anubias, Bucephalandra and Java fern is a good alternative. The other Botia family members are slightly smaller and tend not to dig destructively, especially with fine gravel (rather than sand), and in the presence of wood or rocks, so these species are much more suited to planted tanks.

Tight fit When thinking about tank decor, there are a couple of things to be wary of because these loaches have a real love of tight spaces. If there’s a small crevice made by your rock

NATHAN HILL

large-grade gravel is best avoided even if it’s smooth. Sand is the best option, but fine-grade, rounded gravel (like 0.5-2mm pea shingle) is perfectly acceptable. The reason for this is twofold. First, Botia loaches have very delicate barbels around their mouths. On sharp substrate they become sore and damaged; worse still, with sharp and dirty gravel they become infected and they can lose them all together – it’s almost like us losing our hands and our tongue. Second, they have a tendency to dig. This is easier to do in sand and can be encouraged by adding tunnels and tubes to the aquarium and part burying them. With some Botia this can lead to plants being

FRANK TEIGLER

Smaller Botia will happily mix with slightly sedate fish like Pearl gourami, pencilfish and Corydoras, or with faster-moving barbs, sharks and danios. Go for bigger, more robust fish when mixing with the larger Polka-dot and Queen loach. Barbs, Paradise fish and Panchax will generally work nicely.

Often, unwitting customers have bought Clown loach after asking, “How can I get rid of the snails in my tank?” And yes, Clowns do eat snails, but so do all the other fish mentioned in this article and they’re far more suitable for the job. In tanks smaller than 90cm, you can look to Assassin snails to help get rid of shelled pests too. Just remember that large populations of snails are only possible if the food is there for them, often from overfeeding or under-cleaning.

NATHAN HILL

Escargot no-go

WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 15

TROPICAL

Bright, sparse tanks don’t suit Botia. Offer them subdued light, plants for shade and lots of wood, tubes, good 15-20 minutes, or formation, a Botia ornaments or place it over a bowl of loach will squeeze itself rocks. in. For this reason, you need to use relatively smooth-sided rock; if they rub against abrasive lava rock, for instance, they’re likely to damage their skin. When it comes to wood – or moving and cleaning wood, to be precise – you also need to think about their hiding tendency. Removing wood from the tank and leaving it on a draining board or in the garden is highly likely to seal the fate of a Botia loach or two. They’re so good at getting ‘stuck in’ that you’re unlikely to see them, so you’ll probably give the wood a shake to make sure no one’s there. However, these fish have a trick – under each eye lies a serrated, retractable spine. This spine is quickly bought into play at any sign of danger and gives the fish a real stronghold for safety. So when it comes to moving wood, you need to either let it sit above the tank for a

16

A FISHKEEPING PRACTICAL

tank water for the same period, so any fish will drop into a watery environment rather than drying out in the wood. This switchblade-like spine can also play havoc when transporting Botia and other related loaches. First

off, with getting them out of the wood, then when they become caught up in the net, and finally, once in a bag they’re quite likely to push their way into the corner, pierce the bag and become stuck. So, when you buy these spiny loaches, you need to make sure the shop uses a round-bottomed bag.

ABOVE: Botia are happy in a set-up of wood, rocks and plants.

BELOW: Young fish can be tricky to identify.

FRANK TEIGLER

FRANK TEIGLER

Botia loaches

Active & attrac

FRANK TEIGLER

SHUTTERSTOCK

So, while there are aware of and avoid well worth the effo get in return is a gr active and attractiv bottom feeders tha more character an personality, in my than the most popu community bottom dwellers like Coryd Their playful beh sees them interacti fish further up in th column, sometime include themselves rainbowfish, barbs tetras. They’re wel in quite fast-flowin

ALAMY

The next thing to be wary of with Botia is their sensitivity to medications and nitrogenous waste. Many sources say this is attributed to their lack of scales; however, they do have small scales that are embedded into their skin. Many parasite medications have a warning about loaches, commonly stating that a half-dose should be used in tanks that contain them, but this is mostly an issue with copper and/or formaldehyde. The other area to watch is water quality, ammonia nitrite and nitrate. Botia aren’t the kind of fish to be introduced first to a new tank; they need to be added among the last fish, when your filter is well matured, with a healthy bacterial colony.

FACTFILE

FACTFILE

BURMESE LOACH

DWARF CHAIN LOACH

6Scientific name: Botia histrionica 6Pronunciation: Bow-tee-ah hiss-tree-on-ik-ah 6Size: 12cm 6Origin: India and Myanmar 6Habitat: Relatively slow-flowing river sections shaded by forest. High oxygen content with rocky and sandy substrate 6Tank size: 120x45x45cm for five fish 6Water requirements: 6.0-7.5 pH, 5-12°H 6Temperature: 22-27°C 6Temperament: Active, playful, peaceful and largely peaceful 6Feeding: Sinking pellets, wafers and algae wafers, frozen and livefoods 6Availability and cost: Quite common; from around £10

6Scientific name: Ambastaia sidthimunki 6Pronunciation: Am-bah-stay-ah sid-thi-monkey 6Size: 6cm 6Origin: Western Thailand and over the border into Myanmar 6Habitat: Rocky, clearwater streams and headwaters over rocks, wood and leaf litter 6Tank size: 80x30x30cm for five fish 6Water requirements: 6.0-7.8 pH, 2-13°H 6Temperature: 21-29°C 6Temperament: Active, playful and peaceful 6Feeding: Sinking pellets, wafers, and algae wafers, frozen and livefoods 6Availability and cost: Common; £9-£17

The Burmese loach lives alongside the Polka-dot loach in some natural habitats. It’s renowned as one of the most playful Botia and the species name histrionica even makes reference to this, with the Latin meaning ‘excessively dramatic or theatrical in style or character’. B. histrionica is also said to be the most active Botia during daylight hours as long as ample cover is provided. Young fish have dark vertical bars that turn into a mixture of dots and wavy bars in adult fish – during the transition they are easy to confuse with Yo-Yo-Loach.

An honourable mention is deserved for the Dwarf chain loach, Ambastaia sidthimunki, which was once included in the Botia family. This fish and Ambastaia nigrolineata are the smallest of this type of loach and A. sidthimunki is just as peaceful as its slightly larger cousins, so it’s a good choice for aquaria. The downside is the price. Often found at around £16, it makes for a dear shoal of five, but honestly, it’s well worth it. These fish are still playful, but maybe not quite as active during the day as several of the other species mentioned.

240 l+

70 l+

WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 17

TROPICAL Botia loaches

and less-active community fish such as Pearl gouramis and pencilfish, but will still settle well with slightly larger, faster-moving fish and flow. Feeding is similar for all Botia species – they’re omnivorous scavengers, consuming algae, dead plant matter, aquatic molluscs, crustaceans, worms and insects in the wild, so offer a wide range of foods in aquaria. Sinking pellets, sinking wafers and algae wafers are readily accepted as staple foods, but it’s worth mixing things up with fresh

greens such as courgette, cucumber, peppers and blanched spinach weekly. Also, feeding regular frozen Mysis shrimp, brineshrimp, Daphnia, bloodworm and chopped mussels will help encourage vitality and health, as well as providing a frenzied feeding show for the aquarist.

Family life Loaches form gregarious, matriarchal families with complex hierarchical social structures. Often, the dominant female will be larger than

SHUTTERSTOCK

Their playful behaviour sees them interacting with fish further up in the water column

FRANK TEIGLER

very active when settled and happy in a group, which means you should avoid mixing them with shy or particularly sedate species. I would avoid mixing any Botia with the likes of Discus, Chocolate gouramis and Wood cats and so on. I’ve also heard suggestions that they don’t mix well with Corydoras because of their hyperactivity clashing with the more relaxed nature of the Corys. However, I’ve known many fishkeepers who’ve kept them together with no issues. To be safe, I wouldn’t mix the slightly more boisterous Yo-Yo loach or Polkadot loach with Corys. As for Botia striata, B. histrionica and B. dario, they seem fine with corys

FACTFILE

FACTFILE POLKA-DOT LOACH

CANDY-STRIPE OR ZEBRA LOACH

6Scientific name: Botia kubotai 6Pronunciation: Bow-tee-ah koo-bow-tie 6Size: 12-15cm 6Origin: Found around the boarder of Thailand and Myanmar 6Habitat: Relatively slow-moving, clear headwaters, shaded by forest with fallen wood and leaf litter over gravel and sand substrates 6Tank size: 120x45x45cm for five fish 6Water requirements: 6.2-7.5 pH, 3-10°H 6Temperature: 22-27°C 6Temperament: Active, playful, sometimes boisterous 6Feeding: Omnivore – sinking pellets, wafers and algae wafers, frozen and livefoods 6Availability and cost: Quite common; around £10-£12

6Scientific name: Botia striata 6Pronunciation: Bow-tee-ah st-rye-ah-ta 6Size: 9cm 6Origin: India: Maharashtra and Western Ghats 6 Habitat: Quick-flowing, clear rivers with bedrock substrate and occasional gravel, sand and leaf litter 6Tank size: 100x45x30cm for five fish 6Water requirements: 6.2-7.5 pH, 3-12°H 6Temperature: 21-26°C 6Temperament: Active, playful and peaceful 6 Feeding: Omnivore – sinking pellets, wafers and algae wafers, frozen and livefoods 6Availability and cost: Common; from around £7

240 l+

The Polka-dot loach is a relative newcomer to the genus, described in 2004 when the genus saw Maurice Kottelat’s revision. Juvenile B. kubotai are easily confused with young B. histrionica as they both sport pale body colours with dark, wavy vertical bars. As they mature, the markings become far more obvious, splitting into a range of dots and stripes to break up the outline of the fish. Eventually the adult markings develop to display stretched out yellow dots and wider bars of black.

18

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

135 l+

Botia striata is a personal favourite of mine, with more distinctive markings than other family members and much finer stripes. Colours and even some detailing can be compared to B. kubotai but there’s no confusing the two species as they have very different markings. Considering the Candy loach’s size, behaviour and availability, this is the most suitable Botia for introducing to general community tanks, and also for planted tanks as they don’t tend to burrow and upset or damage plants.

FRANK TEIGLER

Sometimes they are restful, but usually not for long.

FRANK TEIGLER

SHUTTERSTOCK

males or oth females furth the hierarch the mood and activity of the group. Because of this family structure, it’s important to maintain a group of Botia in good numbers. Many are kept in threesomes but they should really be kept in groups of at least five – and ideally 10 or more. If kept individually, Botia loaches tend to become reclusive and sometimes even aggressive towards tankmates, particularly anything bearing a similarity. If kept in twos or threes, there’s a possibility that the subdominant individual will be harrassed to the point of starvation.

FACTFILE

FACTFILE

YO-YO LOACH

QUEEN LOACH

6Scientific name: Botia lohachata 6Pronunciation: Bow-tee-ah low-ah-chat-ah 6Size: 12cm 6Origin: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and India 6Habitat: Rocky creeks with gravely and sand substrates 6Tank size: 120x45x30cm for five fish 6Water requirements: 6.4-7.8 pH, 5-12°H 6Temperature: 24-29°C 6Temperament: Active, playful, sometimes boisterous 6Feeding: Omnivore – sinking pellets, wafers and algae wafers, frozen and livefoods 6Availability and cost: Common; from around £7

6Scientific name: Botia dario 6Pronunciation: Bow-tee-ah da-ree-oh 6Size: 12-15cm 6Origin: Northern India, Bangladesh and Bhutan 6 Habitat: Found in fast-flowing, clear mountain streams with rocky structures and bedrock substrate 6Tank size: 120x45x45cm for five fish 6Water requirements: 6.5-7.5 pH, 3-10°H 6Temperature: 23-26°C 6Temperament: Active, playful and peaceful 6Feeding: Omnivore – sinking pellets, wafers and algae wafers, frozen and livefoods 6Availability and cost: Quite common; around £9

160 l+

The most well-known Botia is B. lohachata. Once known as the Pakistani loach, now it’s mostly referred to as the Yo-Yo loach due to its juvenile patterning. The Yo-Yo has been in the hobby alongside Clown loach for several decades. It’s easy to confuse B. lohachata and B. almorhae; as juveniles they are easier to determine, but hectic dark markings on a whiteish/grey background in both adults make identification difficult. However, the two species will shoal together and are of similar size, so proper ID is not of great importance to the hobbyist.

240 l+

The Queen loach you’ll see in the shops is visually the closest match for Clown loaches – the stripes are bolder than the Candy loach and closer in colour than the Burmese loach. As with the others though, the immature fish from the shop will change in appearance as they mature. In this case, the golden bars will shrink until they’re ‘pin-stripe’ thin. This species is said to appreciate or need greater numbers for a community. Some advise 10 as a base group, while others who have kept just three say they’ve been active, healthy and non-aggressive.

WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 19

OPINION

NATHAN HILL & STEVE BAKER Part of the fun of fishkeeping is the joy of spawning your own livestock. But is it always good to bring so many young into the world? While it feels like the right thing to do, is it really?

H

ow do you view home breeding? Is it a good thing that helps out with conservation, or is it something surplus to requirements, populating the hobby and the industry with heaps of undesirable fish it never wanted or needed? SB: I’d say it has to be a bit of both and it all depends on the amount of thought the breeder has put in to sourcing, breeding and raising their fish. As a good example, just look at our reader visit this month (see page 38). Max Pedley has invested in wild-caught rare broodstock and made a real success of multiplying them for others to enjoy. On the other hand, a tank full of incestuous Jewel or Convict cichlids is rarely of use to anyone, comes around too often, and causes an ethical problem of what to do with them.

SB: I honestly don’t think it would hit the wild-caught sector. Just maybe, if British fish breeders went to town on breeding Cardinals, it would make an impact on sales of farmed Cardinals imported from Singapore to the UK. That could only be a good thing in my eyes as it could cut pollution from transportation and create industry at home. The fact that we find it harder to breed tropical fish as economically as any tropical country means I can’t see us pushing the boundaries by breeding rarer fish we’ve now collected from the wild, or even challenging the major producers of the most basic fish. NH: But my angle is that the current situation in South America is the lesser of two evils. Without the revenue gained from catching Cardinals, the locals would have to find money elsewhere – slash-and-burn forest clearance for crops, or the likes of gold-panning. These would be catastrophic. Regarding the costeffectiveness of breeding in the UK, I think it’s only a matter of time. Fossil fuels are getting more expensive, and with the high-end stuff like Zebra plecs, it’s now more cost-effective to breed these fish in the UK, than it is to wild import. I think more species will soon follow. But environmental concerns aside, how do you feel about the potential for messed-up bloodlines? If we cut to the chase, a decent understanding of genetics and inbreeding is essential to any successful breeding enterprise, and that’s not the easiest thing to grasp. And then again, there’s good money to be made from deliberately spawning hybrids – just look at the Flowerhorn piece on page 22. Assuming more and more people bred at home, and put those hybrid fish up for sale online, as is incredibly likely, what would be the hobby ramifications of that?

JACQUES PORTAL

Ideally, I’d like to see a new medication on the shelves, a fish-suitable contraceptive

NH: Yeah, but my question is, what is the wider impact of spawning fish at home? For example, I know that when it comes to wild-caught fish, there are some parts of the world where habitat conservation is intertwined with fish collection – species are caught and sold, and the revenue this generates is enough to stop destructive farming practices. Say, for example, hundreds of hobbyists found a really easy way to breed Cardinal tetras at home, and flooded the market with hundreds of thousands of them. Would that not risk stopping demand for wild-caught fish, in turn giving the collectors in South America no incentive to continue habitat conservation? Even if we could make the hobby selfsustaining, would that be the right thing to do?

NH: I think you have more confidence in legislation controlling hybrids and poorquality fish than I do. But yes, I quite agree that accidental fry are a problem that needs addressing. It might be a pleasant surprise for someone to find that the pair of Jewel cichlids they mistakenly bought for a community tank have just bred, but then there’s the issue of what to do with that couple-of-hundred fry. And there’s the extra whammy that a hobbyist doesn’t always value the urgency of culling runts and deformities – they feel bad about destroying substandard fry, and so the

result is a surge of bad fish being rehomed. With that in mind, should casual aquarists be actively looking to avoid breeding? In my own experiences, breeding fish was rewarding, but far from essential to my hobby. But then, my experience did help in my public aquarium days, when spawning for conservation.

NEIL HEPWORTH

SB: Even with a highly efficient breeding facility powered by solar and wind power, I can’t see the UK producing ‘trops’ more economically than a country that needs no heating or insulation, just mud ponds and good managment essentially. Moving on to genetics and the muddle that is hybrids, that worries me indeed. As far as amateur home breeders are concerned, I’d be just as worried about health issues going undetected, let alone genetic troubles. Look at the puppy farms; aside from all the genetic issues caused by irresponsible breeding, many puppies die from the viruses , infections or deficiencies they leave the puppy farm with, but new legislation is being brought in in an attempt to deal with this. On a business level, the new regulations should help quash the same issue arising with fish. I’m more worried about people that don’t aim to breed. Accidental fry tend to come from less-desirable fish or fish with little value, like common livebearers. The owners gave it no thought, so the breeding pair came from the same tank (often meaning they are siblings), and the fry were fed on crushed-up flake, so weren’t offered the nutrition needed to rear strong, healthy fish. As for hybrids, don’t get me started, but it’s just another area where humans do what they want to please themselves, and don’t consider what’s right for mother nature and the planet we rely on. On the other hand, there are some excellent fishbreeders with integrity in the UK.

SB: I’m sure you’re right. Most hobbyists aren’t breeding savvy and some might feel a sense of pride they raised a deformed fish – as if they’ve saved it, rather than realising the error of maintaining genetically weak fish. I suppose it doesn’t hurt if that fish is never bred from, but that’s a big ‘if’ in this situation. Should casual hobbyists actively avoid breeding? I think most will, given the choice. When selling common livebearers and known easy breeders like Jewel cichlids, I’ve always warned people about breeding issues – overstocking the tank, being unable to find homes for them etc – and most then want to avoid it by keeping male-only tanks or picking alternative species. But how many shop assistants give buyers all this information? Ideally I’d like to see a new medication on the shelves, a fish-suitable contraceptive. I think it would be a huge success with guppy, molly and platy keepers. It might even encourage me to keep Jewel cichlids again! NH: While a water-soluble contraceptive would be great for hobbyists, the obvious danger is that it would eventually end up being flushed into our waterways and affect native stocks. There are already strong links between the decline of our native frogs and the use of human oral contraceptives. As I recall, the link goes that as they are passed out through the body into the sewage system, then back into our rivers, they affect the tadpoles’ development, leading to a severely skewed sex ratio. I guess there are two important things for readers to take away here. First, there are consequences for breeding fish without any forethought. While conservation may be a great incentive, any aquarist who doesn’t understand genetics and inbreeding could cause more problems than solutions. And second, if a fish is that easy to breed, chances are the industry has plenty already.

Do you have an opinion on home breeding that you’d like to share, or perhaps a topic you would like to see discussed? If so, you can find us at www.facebook.com/pfkmag or email [email protected]

INSET: Cute, but what will you do with 200 baby Convicts?

SPECIES SHOWCASE Flowerhorn cichlid

Flowerhorns? Who are

It’s the most contentious cichlid in the world, with fans on one side and haters on the other. Meet the underground world of the Flowerhorn. WORDS: NATHAN HILL

prides itself on bloodline purity and conservation efforts. Mention the name in the wrong company and you’ll prompt a hostile response. The fish is a hybrid – though of exactly what is shrouded in mystery. There are six potential fish on the ingredients list: Redhead cichlids, Paraneetroplus synspilus; Red devils, Amphilophus labiatus; Red terrors, Cichlasoma festae; Midas cichlids, Amphilophus citrinellus; Trimacs, Cichlasoma trimaculatum; and a fish that is already hybridised – the Parrot cichlid (itself of not wholly certain origins). At a glance, they are easy to identify. They are squat but thickset, their colours outshine almost anything of natural origin, and they tend to have long and trailing fins, especially dorsal and anal. And then there’s the almost hydrocephalic head, an obvious and distorted nuchal hump that defines the breed. The feature is so prominent it has its own name – the kok – and it gives the fish much of its ‘spiritual’ value.

attitude. In some parts, they’re the new king of aquarium fish, in a way that would make you think that Discus are outdated and ugly. To their spiritual fans, a very real and sizeable phenomenon, the Flowerhorn is a symbol of luck, prized amongst advocates of feng shui – a type of Chinese geomancy. Around the world you’ll find Flowerhorn tanks positioned with guidance from feng shui compasses – luopan – in the hopes of bringing the owner wealth or improved career prospects. To aquarium purists, on the other hand, they are abominations. They are seen as mutts, a ‘Heinz 57 varieties’ approach to fish, and an affront to a hobby that

Origins & strains

SHUTTERSTOCK

T

RYING TO pin down a price on a Flowerhorn can be hard. Valuations can be whimsically plucked from the air by a breeder or trader, based on some nebulous quality. I’ve been researching them for weeks, and the nuances are hard to follow. What I do know is that much of the Flowerhorn scene carries with it a closely guarded, pseudo-underworld quality, where dealers can be so secretive that sometimes it takes effort to get them to tell you somethig as simple as how much a fish costs. What is a Flowerhorn? To their aquarist fans, Flowerhorns are personable pet fish, with intense colours, pronounced and exaggerated body shapes, and a giant head that’s choc-full of

The fish’s origins date back to the early 1990s, though it’s safe to say that some were bred beforehand, and probably more by accident than design. By ’94, Taiwanese breeders were mixing Red devils, Trimacs and Parrot cichlids to create the first

The huge ‘kok’ growths are associated with prosperity, luck and longevity within feng shui, making a bigger kok all the more prized.

A giant head that’s choc-full of attitude Above: caption, caption, caption WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 23

SPECIES SHOWCASE Flowerhorn cichlid

FACTFILE FLOWERHORN 6Scientific name: None, though often made an honorary Cichlasoma 6Pronunciation: Sick-lah-so-mah 6Origin: Created in Thailand, Taiwan and Malaysia initially 6Habitat: None, entirely man made 6Size: Varies according to strain. Average 15-25cm, some rare types reaching 30cm+ 6Tank size: 200 l minimum for one fish 6Water requirements: Prefers neutral to alkaline, hardish water; 7.0 to 8.0 pH, hardness 16°H or more 6Temperature: 26-30°C 6Feeding: Omnivore, with specialist dried diets available 6Availability and cost: Increasingly appearing in stores, most sales still online; prices starting from £15 for juveniles up to several hundred pounds for pedigree fish

200 l+ 24

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

doubt that, then just look up some of the many social media groups created in their honour. Almost every other post will be a ‘What type is this?’ thread, frequently followed by disputes in the comments section as each expert vies to pin down an exact name.

Keeping Flowerhorns at home Part of their popularity is their hardiness. As tough fish go, they possess a superheroic resilience – there are even rumours of fish being ‘lost’ in transit and turning up almost a month later at their destination, still alive in their bags.

The Kamfa type flowerhorn is frequently offered in UK stores.

SHUTTERSTOCK

strains – the Hua Luo Han, or simply ‘Flowerhorn’. These were the foundations of the strains to follow. If you’re hoping for a simple guide to who’s who in Flowerhorn circles, then I apologise. It just isn’t that straightforward. Flowerhorns are a bit like the dog world; while there are pedigrees, there are far more mutts. The difference with Flowerhorns is that every new cross is given a name of its own, as breeders try to establish fresh and lucrative strains. At the core you have seven breeds, or eight if you include an early Flowerhorn forerunner, the King Kong parrot fish. King Kongs are rare in the UK (I only saw my first one this month) and likely an unholy mix of Red devil and Parrot cichlid – think of a giant Parrot cichlid with a pronounced nuchal hump. The other seven, and the names you’ll see the most, are Kamfa (also called the Classic Kamfa), King Kamfa, Zhen Zhu, Golden Monkey (also Kamalau), Kamfamalau, Thai silk, and Fader (or Golden base). Don’t get too hung up on that core list. The scene has exploded, and from these fish hundreds of individual strains now exist, in every combination imaginable. If you

Regarding tankmates, it’s safest not to bother. Flowerhorns are just so aggressive that injuries or deaths are assured

SHUTTERSTOCK

traders is 55 US gallons, which equates to just over 200 litres though the be fish are found larger volume this – 600 litres is typical of a real ‘horn aficionado. Plenty of swimming space is needed to avoid obese fish, which they will become if left to a sedentary life with rich foods. In particular, development of the ‘kok’ is Head ornaments can be huge.

SHUTTERSTOCK

A tank for them can be as decorated or as sparse as you choose, and they seem unfazed either way. A typical set-up will be as barren as five panes of glass, a sturdy filter, heater and lighting. That’s it. There’s some argument that keeping them with substrates and decoration helps to increase the colours, though this is contested by some keepers who argue that as the fish are prone to damaging themselves on furnishings, an emptier tank is the safer option. Tank size is important, as they will not flourish in too small a set-up. The minimal size as touted by most

restricted in smaller set-ups. Based on the Flowerhorn’s genetic origins, you want to replicate something for slightly alkaline, slightly hardwater Central American cichlids, so aim for a pH between 7.5 and 8.0, with a hardness from 16°H upwards. For many of us in the UK, that will be close to our tapwater, but if you’re in a softwater area, consider either slow-buffering your water by using something like crushed cockleshell in a bag in the filter (or go really old school and have it as a substrate), or use an off-the-shelf RO remineral product. Frankly, though, if you want the fish at its best, start with RO water (you can usually buy this at your local aquatics store) and add a little extra remineral to it until you get the desired hardness. Don’t be shy of big water changes – 25% weekly should be the minimum, though 35% may be better. Note that specifications for water quality will vary depending on your

WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 25

SPECIES SHOWCASE Flowerhorn cichlid

source, and there’s no set consensus. Some keepers suggest you can go as low as 6.8pH, with a hardness below 10°H. Flowerhorns do like it hot, and while they survive just fine at 20-30°C, some keepers report the best results in the 28-30°C mark, though for peace of mind it would be worth speaking to your own dealer about the optimal conditions recommended. Trust me when I say every breeder has their ‘Goldilocks’ formula they will want to share – not too hot, not too cold, just right. Feeding a Flowerhorn is a total

ABOVE: Note the marking and shape differences between the female (left) and male.

Environmental Impact

SHUTTERSTOCK

Because Flowerhorns are bred for their desirable traits, substandard and sterile fish – of which there are many per spawn – are often discarded, and that all too often means into Asian waterways. Once released, they are aggressive and ravenous. Stomach content analyses of feral fish from Asian lakes reveal vast amounts of molluscs, fish and fish eggs, causing ecological pressure on native species.

Despite hybridisation, the cichlid shape is still pronounced. 26

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

minefield. A simple browse around the shops or online will turn up dozens of Flowerhorn-specific foods, and while some of these seem founded on sound principles – high levels of astaxanthin, for example, will dramatically boost colours – some are more ‘out there’. Most dietary confusion seems to stem around how to grow a large ‘kok’ on the head, with companies claiming that high protein formulae are the way forward. Given that the main constituents of the kok are fat and water, this is open to debate. As well as dry foods, Flowerhorns thrive on fresh, frozen and freezedried diets. Flowerhorn keepers like to make up their own ‘secret’

recipes, based around the likes of fresh prawn and shrimp (excellent for colour-enhancing carotenoids), fish pieces, beef heart, mussel, cockle and greenfoods. Interestingly, feral fish that have been caught from the wild and analysed for gut contents tend not to show any greenery in their stomachs. Still, those in tanks benefit from dry foods containing spirulina, so ensure some is added to the diet. Regarding tankmates, it’s safest not to bother. Flowerhorns are just so aggressive that injuries or deaths are practically assured. Even adding male and female Flowerhorns together requires planning and observation if violence is to be avoided.

Breeding Flowerhorns An unexpected angle to Flowerhorns is their fertility. Many crossbreeds are outright sterile, but this problem doesn’t blight the ‘horns, and with a little effort, a fertile couple will happily reproduce in the home setting. Males lag behind on fertility stakes, and you’ll need to try out many males in a spawning scenario before finding one that can produce viable milt. For females this is much less a problem. A cautionary note – the market is niche, and you’ll not make your fortune from Flowerhorns whether you can produce a unique strain or not. To spawn them, you’ll need a pair. At 10 months, when sexually mature, it’s usually only males with a kok, while females have a traditional cichlid head shape, with some exceptions. However, not all males develop pronounced koks either, so you may need to vent the fish (or ask someone competent to do it for you). Held upside down, the vent (just behind the anus) of a female will be rounded and up to the same size as the anal opening, while that of a male is smaller, slightly ‘V’ shaped and pointing towards the anal fin. Alas, it takes something of a trained eye to get the hang of this.

What’s in a Flowerhorn? While it is hard to pin down exactly which species are used to make Flowerhorns, the fish here have all been named as potential ‘ingredients’. To confuse things further, it’s unclear if these fish are cross bred to make a ‘protohybrid’ which is then crossed again until the breeder ends up with something Flowerhorn shaped. Given the markings, the Trimac cichlid seems an obvious addition, while the Red terror seems to have less of an influence on the final ‘product’.

Redhead cichlid Trimac

Paot cichlid Red teor

Spawning Introducing the male to the female takes time. Divide the male’s tank with a mesh divider (not glass, as you want smells to be able to transport across), and put the female on the other side, away from him. After three days, remove the divider to see how they behave together. If he’s aggressive, abort mission and put the divider back in, and try again after another three days. Keep this up for four or five times, but if he’s aggressive every time, you might want to concede defeat and try a different female. Spawning takes place on a rounded dish. Some breeders use clay dishes like those sold to go under household plant pots, but professional breeders report low

Midas cichlid

Red devil

27

SPECIES SHOWCASE Flowerhorn cichlid

Weird but True The head ornament is given a category based on its size and density.

Hard kok

Semi kok

Waterhead

28

success with these. By all accounts, the clay becomes a home for problematic bacteria, leading to egg deaths, and so commercial breeders tend to use plates instead. Lighting should be lowered through the spawning period, but not dark. An LED light set to 30-50% should do the job. Within 12 hours of spawning, you should be able to gauge egg fertility based on the colour, as the eggs will start to turn white if infertile after this time. Around 24 hours after spawning has taken place and the eggs laid, it’s usually worthwhile removing the parents to another tank. After 48 hours you should start to see tails appearing on the eggs. Complete hatching can take three days. You need do nothing for these first few days as the yolks will see the fry through, but after this, start

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

feeding with newly hatched (live) brineshrimp. They develop fast and need lots of food, with some breeders feeding up to 10 times daily. As they mature, move through larger and larger foods – after a couple of weeks they’ll be able to take Daphnia. But, as I’ve already said, shifting your Flowerhead fry could be tricky. Online there appear to be more sellers than buyers, and you’ll find that a lot of traditional retailers will think of them as monstrosities. You spawn at your own peril. As for pricing fish for sale, it seems to be a case of pick a number and hope. In my searches, I’ve seen starting rates of £15 for bland-looking fish, to well over £600 for attractive adults. The difference between them? Some were brighter with bigger heads. But I’ll confess; they didn’t look like £600 worth of difference to me.

Where in the house? If you’re practicing feng shui, you’ll want to house your fish accordingly. In keeping with a luopan compass, these positions will bring you… NORTH Increased career prospects

NORTH-WEST

NORTH-EAST Increased wealth prospects

EAST Increased family well-being prospects

Lines over the head are known as ‘worm pearls’.

SHUTTERSTOCK

WEST

SOUTH-WEST

SOUTH-EAST Increased wealth prospects SOUTH

SHUTTERSTOCK

Flowerhorn pair spawning over a clay plate.

SHUTTERSTOCK

Colour, bodyshape and attitude make for a popular fish.

WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 29

TANK COMMUNITY

Letters

Win

FISHSCIENCE AQUARIUM FOOD The writer of our Letter of the month will win a 250ml pot of their choice from this quality range of Fish Science food, which uses natural ingredients. Email: [email protected]

Your letters, your thoughts and your experiences shared. HAPPY FISH ARE WHAT MATTERS I’ve been catching up on my issues of PFK and have just read Jeremy Gay’s ‘Tailpiece’ column (Practical Fishkeeping, June 2018) and felt I had to email. I’ve been keeping fish on and off now for 35 years and have to say it is becoming a scientific art! My first fish was a goldfish I won at a fair when I was nine, and I kept him successfully for about 23 years with minimal fuss and equipment. I now have a modest 70 l tropical tank and after looking at all of the tanks in the magazines and online, I almost feel inadequate as I’m told I need to have natural environments and gin-clear water. I nearly became obsessed with having a beautiful tank, almost to the detriment of my fish. After sitting myself down and asking what I really wanted from my tank, I decided I would be more than happy with ammonia-free water and healthy fish. So, I may not have crystal clear water, but my fish are happy – and it’s my tank and I’m proud of it! Well done, Jeremy, for highlighting this as I was beginning to wonder whether it was all still worth it. And actually, of course, it is. Love the new-look magazine, especially the road trips. If you are ever in Durham, Fish Alive are well worth a visit. An honest local fish shop with a good stock of marines, and often all the fish you feature in your magazine. The staff are fab too, and always ready to help, even on the end of a phone. Carol Thackray, Co Durham

DECOR DISCUSSIONS I’ve just read your ‘Ethical debate’ piece in the September issue. Firstly, I love this section of the

30

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Leer of the Month TOP: It’s easy to obsess over a pretty looking tank. BELOW: Tank decoration is big business these days.

magazine. One of the recent pieces led to a debate between me and a friend about whether it was right to euthanase fish. He’s holds pro-life views, and it turns out that extends to fish too. His view was, if it’s still alive, it still has a chance. I couldn’t quite agree with him, but it provoked a wonderfully friendly, albeit passionate, discussion – all sparked by your piece. Anyway, to September’s debate on the subject of tank decor. As my partner always says about polarising views, the answer is probably somewhere in the middle… My community tank is home to

dark sand, a black background and plenty of plants. But it does have a couple of quirks that reflect my personality – a T. rex skeleton head ornament (which plants have grown into and my bristlenose uses as a hide), and a Lego diver, held on a baseplate buried into the sand. At first glance, the tank looks like a natural community tank. Only when you look closer do my interests peek through (to clarify, my favourite film is ‘Jurassic Park’). There’s also an opportunity, as ever, for education. When my nine-year-old daughter wanted to set up a micro tank, I made sure she did it properly. We researched appropriate fish, water conditions and so on for the tank, and the kind of things the fish would like. Eventually when she was offered the choice of ornaments, she chose natural over garish, claiming it would be better for this fish. With one exception... a small Sebastian ornament from ‘The Little Mermaid’. I think it’s important that when we keep fish (or indeed any animal), we

Write to us at Practical Fishkeeping, Bauer Media, Media House, Lynchwood Business Park, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire PE2 6EA Email us at editorial@ practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

WE ASKED... Hybrid fish – are you a fan of them or not?

Follow us at www.facebook. com/PFKmag

º YEAH, THEY’RE COOL. º NO WAY, NATURAL FOR ME! realise we are, in fact, playing God. And with great power comes great responsibility! It’s our moral duty to make sure the fish are healthy and happy, and that obviously benefits us too (mainly through our wallets). If that means providing a natural environment for them, then that’s what we should do. But I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having a sense of humour as we unleash our genesis-like potential. Leigh Austin, email

HOME DELIVERY Thank you for the ethical debate in the October issue of PFK on buying fish online. I have been debating with myself over whether or not to purchase fish over the internet. My problem with going to a store is that I don’t have a car, so it means persuading friends who aren’t really into the hobby to give up their time, or going by public transport and hoping the journey is not too strenuous for any fish I might buy. I wondered if you might consider doing a review of the mail order/ internet companies in a future article along the same lines as the road-trip series. It would mean actually buying some fish, of course, but this expense would be offset by your not paying for fuel. Martin Harrison, Warwick

requesting a replacement or refund. The dealer refused a refund because he said I had waited two days (untrue). He also blamed my tank water quality. I did a 30% water change and a water test two days before. I sent a photo showing the surviving fish feeding at the surface. He stated Discus are bottom feeders and were at the top due to bad water conditions and lack of an airstone! He also suggested I allowed the fish to jump out of the tank. He has threatened to blacklist me with other dealers. I include a photo of the three remaining healthy fish alongside my existing large Discus, which I’ve had for a number of years. Two of the Discus have poor colour, nothing like the vibrant colours on the website. I hope these will improve as they grow. The terms and conditions on the website state they do not guarantee live fish sent by post, stating this is ‘industry standard’, which is not true. So if buying fish by post, check the terms and conditions first. Better still, make the journey to a dealer’s premises and buy larger fish that have developed their final colours. The email exchanges between me and the dealer are akin to the Monty Python ‘dead parrot’ sketch. It was

YOU SAID... 20%

80% NATURAL WINS!

80%

also pointed out to me that my ‘existing large Discus’ was a Severum. David Webster, via email

BELOW: Buying fish by mail order isn’t always a smooth process.

DISAPPOINTING DISCUS I was interested to read your debate about buying fish mail order. I bought four small Discus from a prominent website. They arrived on Friday morning and were all alive. In the evening I noticed one had died. I emailed the dealer the next day,

NATHAN REPLIES: Well, that sounds like an unhelpful seller indeed! While livestock guarantees are a little vague, you’d do well to speak to either trading standards or Citizens Advice to see where you stand on a loss in such a short space of time. On the flipside, on this occasion the retailer is denied the usual course of action too – when a fish dies, a retailer will almost always request a water sample to test before a replacement will be given. In absence of that, I can see why they might be stand-offish. I’ll confess, this isn’t an angle I’d thought about during the original magazine discussion. Admittedly, when it comes to Discus suppliers, there are only a couple I trust unconditionally – Devotedly Discus in Polegate and Chen’s Discus in Doddington. Having seen fish from both, I can vouch for their outstanding condition.

STARTING WITH CLUE 5 GUESS THE FISH USING AS FEW CLUES AS POSSIBLE

5

Wild specimens of this fish escaped from captivity in North America in the 1960s and have been a feral problem there ever since. It’s a masterful escape artist – the challenge is to keep it tanked.

4

Adapted gills allow this fish to breathe atmospheric air. As long as the gills remain wet, it can survive for up to 31 hours out of water. It can even breathe through its skin.

3

It has a venomous sting located in its dorsal and pectoral spines. While small specimens and Asian types have a bee-like sting, some African varieties have been known to hospitalise people.

2

The fish grows to 30-45cm maximum in aquaria. Because it grows so quickly and feeds so ravenously, it’s become a prime choice for aquaculture and the majority are farmed for food.

1

In the wild it will often walk from one river to another, using its pectoral fins as anchors as the body twists from side to side. It’s an unusual catfish, being energetic even in daylight hours.

(Answer on Tailpiece, page 114) WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 31

SPECIES SHOWCASE Leopard bushfish

Loving the

LEOPAR

PHOTOS: FRANK TIEGLER / HIPPOCAMPUS BILDARCHIV

In its striking spotted coat, the exotic Leopard bushfish is a stunning and stealthy predator.

TIM SMITH An ichthyologist and oddball aquarist, Tim has been involved with fish for 15 years, from retail to academia.

32

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Leopard markings break up the bushfish’s outline. WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 33

SPECIES SHOWCASE Leopard bushfish

N

OTHING SAYS ‘Africa’ quite like a fish that adorns itself with leopard pattern. And no fish better suits this theme than the Leopard bushfish, Ctenopoma acutirostre, who’s practically begging to be added to your oddball African set-up. Although outwardly curious and cryptic-looking, the Leopard will fit in quite well among many other species of fish, so long as you follow a few simple rules. Just one among many species of Ctenopoma, this dappled denizen is probably the bushfish you’re most likely to stumble across at your local aquatics shop. And for good reason – most of the Leopard’s cousins are rather drab, even if they do bring a piece of personality to the table. Sadly for them, looks sell, leaving us with a relative abundance of this spotted kitten of the bushfish world. Novice oddball keepers could easily label the Leopard bushfish as a bit Leaf fish-like. For those unfamiliar with them, the South American Leaf fish, Monocirrhus polyacanthus, is a highly specialised predator that near-perfectly mimics a leaf for ambush purposes, much to the misfortune of the haplessly unaware fish in their surroundings.

Once settled, the personality of the Leopard bushfish really shines through.

FACTFILE LEOPARD BUSHFISH 6Scientific name: Ctenopoma acutirostre 6Origin: Througout the middle Congo and major tributaries in the Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Central African Republic 6Habitat: Slow-moving backwaters, tributaries and flooded forests, heavy leaf litter and overhanging foliage 6Size: 15cm 6Tank size: At least 120x30x30cm 6Water requirements: Soft water preferred, 5.0-7.5 pH, 2-12°H 6Temperature: 20-28°C 6Feeding: Mainly larger frozen foods – Krill, Mysis shrimp, prawns etc. Some may accept larger dried pellets 6Cost: Around £5 each

Ctenopoma means ‘comb-cover’, refering to the gill cover

34

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

108 l+

While occasionally available for Hide and seek aquaria, Leaf fish sometimes struggle You may need to squint into the to adapt to captivity, and very rarely dealer’s tank to find your Leopard lose their taste for live foods. Bushfish specimens, since on arrival It would seem that Leopard they’re forgivably shy. They’ll be bushfish have found a loophole in hiding behind or under whatever evolution’s copyright laws, doing a they can find, but can often be pretty good job of mimicking this spotted poking their heads around same leafy charade. And, the corner to see what’s going fortunately for all parties, on. You can expect similar they settle in aquaria far behaviour when you first better than their introduce them to their South American new home, so be an You might come across other counterparts, and accommodating Ctenopoma species for sale – happily take on host. Offer plenty they have similar care dead food to boot. of hiding places The real wow factor and keep the lighting requirements to the in both these species, to a minimum for the Leopard. though, are their first week or two so your protrusible mouths. In the Ctenopoma can find their fins. less-than-split second it takes to I’ve only seen a handful of engulf their prey, the jawbones of these fish reaching 15cm in aquaria, these fishes are extended outwards, with most hovering just below that. allowing the predators to strike Given their moderate size and from a little further away than their reserved nature, you needn’t fret prey could appreciate. Their poor about providing voluminous living victims have as little as a quarter of conditions. What’s important is a second to react. providing an enriching environment.

Protrusible mouth parts make the bushfish an excellent predator.

WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 35

SPECIES SHOWCASE

SHUTTERSTOCK

Leopard bushfish

Wild Leopard bushfish make their home among tangles of plants, woodwork and sunken leaves, with each new nook and cranny potentially offering refuge or a meal. Taking a page from nature’s book, try to create an environment that will let this curious fish explore a similarly elaborate environment. You’ll find yourself enjoying your inquisitive pet’s explorative activities and. as an added bonus, you’ll be more likely to see your bushfish in an environment where it knows it can comfortably retreat from the limelight if it wants to. Adding floating plants to provide surface cover will be a big confidence booster for your Leopards. Not only will it dim any excessive lighting from above, it will also help allay fear of predators striking from above the waterline. Make sure you leave some gaps, though. Ctenopoma are what we call obligate air-breathers, requiring surface-derived oxygen owing to their reduced gill surface area – an unfortunate consequence of them having that otherwise handy organ, the labyrinth.

CONGO Backwaters and flooded forest floors offer the perfect hunting grounds for the Leopard bushfish. Shallow waters minimise the chance of predation and overhanging foliage harbours many a tasty morsel.

Leopard fare To draw out the infamous ambush behaviour of your Leopard, you don’t have to go as far as offering live food, which I feel should be reserved for only the fussiest of feeders. Most Bushfish will treat nearly any food item entering the tank as a curious object, with a slow, cautious approach, followed by a rapid strike. But once comfy and settled, they’re remarkably cichlidlike in their demeanour, anxiously waiting at the surface of the tank when you approach. When choosing a diet for your pet, lean towards fish, shrimp and insect-based foods. Keep the portions large enough to grab their attention, but small enough to be taken in one go. You can try throwing in pellets on occasion, but more often than not they won’t tickle the tastebuds of our would-be predator. I prefer not to waste my dry foods on them, but if your fish will take dry food, be sure to mix up the diet with fresher foodstuffs as well. Bear in mind that Ctenopoma won’t pay much attention to smaller food

Calm or nervous? When spooked, a bushfish will darken its body, turning a rich mahogany colour.

As the fish calms, the base body colour becomes pale as milky tea with splotches.

The latin name acutirostre translates to ‘sharp snout’.

gapes often seen in other predators, items, and should your offering you absolutely cannot take the risk produce a fragmented mess, you’ll of adding any sort of fish smaller need someone on clean-up duties. Either simply net or siphon out what than the length of this ambush predator’s head. remains, or have a handy tankmate The same goes for invertebrates, on standby to do the dirty work. which will only serve as temporary Some smaller species of Synodontis, tankmates and nutritional or substrate-oriented cichlids such supplements for your Leopard. as Pelvicachromis are your better choices, but keep in mind that bossier species might have a little Leopard litters too much character for your As they hail from the same bushfish to handle. lineage as gouramis and An appropriate Bettas, like them filtration system Ctenopoma have a should be employed labyrinth organ. The Bushfish’s relatives to deal with the While this means Microctenopoma are just as high-protein diet of they exhibit the easy to care for, but have a your pets, but ensure same neat trick – much higher success the theme of any being able to take in rate in breeding. current produced is oxygen from above the more ‘sluggish backwater’ water’s surface – they differ than ‘jacuzzi torrent’. from their distant relatives in So long as you keep any boisterous that they don’t create a bubble nest. species out of the picture, there’s Nor is it apparent that they provide just one more rule to keep regarding any form of parental care. Ctenopoma housemates, and it’s an I say ‘apparent’ because, hey, the easy one to figure out given the aquarium world isn’t always fully Leopard’s predatory nature. Smaller clued up on every breeding mystery fish – especially cylindrically shaped the hobby has to offer. There isn’t species among the tetras, danios, much literature available concerning and barbs – will have an awful reproduction in the Ctenopoma night’s sleep if you attempt to keep genus as a whole, and doubly so for them alongside Ctenopoma. While the deeper-bodied clade the Bushfish don’t have the cavernous Leopard bushfish belongs to.

In the less-than-split second it takes to engulf their prey, the jawbones of these fishes are extended outwards, allowing the predators to strike From what is known, they are moderate to highly fecund fishes, scattering or depositing their eggs – most likely in a safe spot among dense vegetation – where they are left to develop. In the absence of parental care, it’s advisable to remove potentially hungry adults away from the eggs and resultant fry, which should be offered only the smallest of live foods. Leopards aren’t antisocial fish either. That’s not to say you’ll see a tightly bound school parading around your tank, but they’re definitely not averse to having some of their own kind around to form a loose group with. In theory, this should make it a little easier for them to pair up themselves, should any anabantid enthusiast out there take up the task of making parents out of these stunning-looking spotted predators. WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 37

READER TANK Interview / Max Pedley

MEET THE FISHKEEPEER ALL PHOTOS: NATHAN HILL

Name: Max Pedley Age: 20 Occupation: Aquatic store employee Time in hobby: Five years Favourite fish: Dwarf cichlids First fish bred: Zebra danio Fish you’d most like to keep: In dreamland, an Arapaima. In the real world, Apistogramma kullanderi.

38

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

A paion for CICHLIDS The future of fishkeeping looks bright with rising stars like reader Max Pedley around. WORDS: STEVE BAKER AND MAX PEDLEY

Apistogramma D25. WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 39

READER TANK Interview / Max Pedley

L

IKE QUITE a few non-technology-based hobbies, the average age of fishkeepers has been going up year after year, making many of us worry about what the future holds for our hobby and the industry. Thankfully there are some young shining stars out there to give us hope and confidence that fishkeeping will continue. Max Pedley is one of them; he’s fully immersed in the hobby, the community and the industry, and he thoroughly impressed us on our recent visit. When it comes to fishkeeping,

what could you do in an 8ft-square room sectioned off in a garage? Max has put it to very good use. He’s currently managing 50 tanks, and has many different species at various stages of breeding. That’s a lot going on in a small space! I could stand there and be entertained for hours (as long as I had a torch). Max is a fishkeeper and a fish breeder – not a biotope, aquascaping or plant-growing fan – and his considerable efforts go towards sourcing rarities, maintaining the right conditions, and breeding and growing on healthy young. We asked Max how his love of fish came about, what floats his boat, and what he might do next…

So Max, how did the world of fishkeeping first present itself to you? There’ve always been fish around me. Nothing too interesting, but there was always a goldfish tank until the age of 15 when I got my own tropical set-up and things took off pretty fast. What did that first set-up consist of ? It was a 3ft tank (still in use, currently in the fish room). It had black and white ‘chessboard’ gravel, a load of non-aquatic plants, and housed Tiger barbs and Black phantom tetra. It was a steep learning curve, but the tank was essentially a success as far as fish health went.

BELOW: Max’s current favourite – Apistogramma baenschi. OPPOSITE PAGE, RIGHT: A young Betta channoides feeds on microworms. OPPOSITE PAGE, BOTTOM: Max’s one planted aquarium, surrounded by

There are too many to choose a real favourite and it changes daily – currently it’s probably my Apistogramma baenschi

40

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Is there a particular fish (or group of fish) that grabbed your attention and sent your hobby in a certain direction? There was always something about the cichlids I saw in the shops – I particularly liked Haplochromis venustus. I looked into different cichlids, learned about dwarf types and that took over really. I’ve been mad about dwarf cichlids ever since. You’ve chosen to turn your hobby into a career (Max is employed in an aquatics store). How has that been working out and do you find you have as much drive to maintain your own aquariums after working with fish all day? It depends on the day. Some days I come home and all I want to do is feed around the fish house; other days I look forward to getting in there after work. Doing as much maintenance as I can on my days off work allows me to have the odd ‘day off’ at home when I need it. What are your duties at work and what does your average day involve? I get to focus on the livestock mostly, so I check health, feed, scrub algae, order livestock and, of course, sell fish and products. I enjoy it, I really love talking with other enthusiasts. How much time do you have to put into all of your tanks each week? I spend about an hour a day doing the basics – checking health, feeding and so on – then around five hours during my days off work so, in total, around 12 hours a week I’d say. The north of England seems to have a good fishkeeping club scene – do you get involved with any clubs or events? I attend as many different meets as possible. There are quite a few on weekday evenings, so fortunately, with me working weekends, that doesn’t get in the way too much. I’m actually considering setting up a club myself. You obviously have a love of rarer dwarf cichlids. What’s WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 41

READER TANK Interview / Max Pedley

your most prized species and how do you track down the more unusual ones? There are too many to choose a real favourite and it changes daily – currently it’s probably my Apistogramma baenschi. Working in the shop allows me to get hold of some less-seen breeds, plus the local community of fishkeepers keep each other up to date on which shop is stocking what, and who has bred what in the area. How do you provide the right water conditions for your selected species? The tapwater here is extremely soft; it comes out with KH of 0, a GH of 1 and a pH of 7.4. I have two water butts – one for tapwater that settles at a pH of 6.8; the other for RO so I can offer my cichlids and Betta zero hardness to encourage breeding. I also use botanicals to add acidity.

Where do you get your botanicals from? I’ve had some seed pods kindly donated from Fishman Aquatics to see how my dwarf cichlids react to them. (On our visit, there was an Apistogramma with young, all sitting in a Savu pod – Ed.) Most bits are collected locally though. Feeding must be an important consideration for you, with conditioning broodstock and rearing the young. What foods do you use? For normal feeding (not conditioning) I use both Tetra Prima granules and Tetra Colour Crisps quite regularly. For frozen foods, I use bloodworm, brineshrimp and Daphnia. I often use Tubifex to initiate spawning, and I grow my own whiteworms (also for conditioning) and microworms for feeding fry. An old shop rack is perfect for a fish room.

Taeniacara candidi.

Apistogramma cf. pertensis.

Where possible, I like the fry I produce to go to local hobbyists. Some go to work, where I can vet the buyers slightly. What do you do with the fry you produce? Where possible, I like them to go to local hobbyists, I try to avoid auctions as I want to be sure they are going to good homes. Some go to work, where I can vet the buyers slightly. What is your ultimate fantasy tank? An 8ft tank housing wild Discus, Altum angels and Geophagus. I would use silver sand, root wood, leaf litter and light it using spotlights to get that shaft of light breaking through the canopy effect. What’s your most prized or useful piece of equipment? My airpumps without a doubt. They are so important to run the room. I love air-driven filters too, nothing can go wrong with them, and they are excellent for breeding projects, rearing fry and for offering good aeration generally. What upsets you most about the hobby? A lack of research. It’s all so easy

to do nowadays, too – and it’s even at your fingertips when you’re at a shop. I also don’t like the other extreme – snobby fishkeepers that don’t help, but just point out inadequacies and bash lessexperienced keepers. Another thing is tankbusters. I’d like to see a licensing system or even a tax on big fish. What has been the most challenging fish you’ve kept? Ivanacara adoketa have proved tricky. I’m struggling to spawn them. And the easiest? Apistogramma sp. Gelbwangen ‘Yellow cheek’ – they bred after just one week. And Pseudocrenilabrus nicholsi who bred after two days! What projects have you got planned out for the future? I’m interested in trying a biotope set-up, maybe entering the International Biotope Contest with a North American tank for Blue shiners. It’s something I haven’t done before.

What’s the set-up? Max has an 8ft x 8ft fish house, sectioned off inside his parents’ garage. The fish house’s chipboard sides are insulated with roof insulation and bits of polystyrene scavenged from old fish transportation boxes. He heats the room with a space heater to 25°C, rather than heating each tank. This gives a warmer top half and cooler bottom half, so he sites his fish where the temperature suits them best. Two water butts are used for storing and warming tapwater and RO water. Apart from one tank that’s run by a Fluval FX6 external filter, all have air-powered filtration. Lighting the tanks is of little importance to Max. With a torch he can check their health and feed easily. When it comes to catching fish or cleaning tanks, he has several LED light units that can be moved into position when needed. The tanks are in a variety of sizes and dotted about here and there. Some are old shop units with the associated racking, while others sit on hardware-style racking systems.

WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 43

READER TANK Interview / Max Pedley

Moenkhausia agnesae. Real Apistogramma viejita.

Betta rutilans.

Bolivian Ram, Mikrogeophagus altispinosus.

Tanks are full of woody tangles and spawning mops.

Hyphesobrycon sp. Blue ribbon.

What’s in the tank ? 6paucisquamis 6borellii

FISH DWARF CICHLIDS Apistogramma: 6pantalone 6panduro 6cinilabra 6megaptera 6cf. hongsloi 6agassizii ‘Tefè’B 6baenschi 6D10 6njisseni 6sp. schwarzkehl 6erythrura 6bitaeniata ‘Tefè’ 6sp. ‘Gelbwangen’ A62 6allpahuayo ‘yellow’ 6mendezi 6gibbiceps 6atahualpa 6norberti 6iniridae 6cf. pertensis 6D25 6viejita 6luelingi 6bitaeniata ‘Rio nanay’ 6cf. agassizii 6elizabethae 6eremnopyge 6cf. ortegai 6sp. ‘Putzer’ 6sp. ‘Rautenband’ 6helkeri 6tucurui

B B

B

B B

Others: 6Dicrossus maculatus 6Taeniacara candidi 6Etroplus canarensis 6Ivanacara adoketa 6Wallaceochromis rubrolabiatus B 6Nanochromis transvestitus 6Nanochromis parilus 6Pseudocrenilabrus nicholsi 6Mikrogeophagus altispinosus 6Mikrogeophagus ramirezi (wild) 6Cleithracara maronii CATFISH Corydoras: 6metae 6CW023 6venezuelanus 6schreiben 6sterbai 6concolor

B B B B

B

LABYRINTH FISH Betta: 6channoides 6imbellis 6rutilans Others: 6Sphaerichthys osphromenoides 6Sphaerichthys vaillanti 6Trichogaster lalius CHARACINS Moenkhausia: 6costae 6agnesae 6sanctaefilomenae 6dichroura 6ceros 6collettii

B

Others: 6Entomocorus gameroi 6Centromochlus perugiae 6Tatia intermedia 6Tatia musaica 6Hemiloricaria eigenmanni B

Hemigrammus: 6filamentosus 6rhodostomus 6levis 6bellottii 6erythrozonus 6pulcher 6rodwayi 6boesemani 6sp. ‘Neon green’ 6rubrolineata

B B

B

6melanostichos 6robertsi 6roseus 6rosaceus 6erythrostigma 6elachys 6aghula 6bentosi 6herbertaxelrodi 6metae 6cf. metae 6cf. pulchripinnis

Others: 6Paracheirodon simulans 6Axelrodia riesei 6Nematobrycon palmeri 6Crenuchus spilurus 6Poecilocharax weitzmani 6Characidium sp. 6Neolebias trilineatus MISCELLANEOUS 6Microctenopoma ansorgii 6Channa sp. Fire & ice 6Geophagus tapajos 6Rachovia brevis 6Guppies 6Swordtails Key: B – Fish that Max currently has breeding.

Hyphesobrycon: 6sp. Blue ribbon

WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 45

HABITAT THE PANTANAL

Come with us to deepest Brazil, where aquarist Tai Streitman gets up close and personal with species in their natural habitat.

TAI STRIETMAN Formerly an aquarist at ZSL London Zoo, Tai is a freshwater habitat specialist. Biotope aquaria are his passion.

46

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

A large shoal of Tetragonopterus argenteus. WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 47

HABITAT THE PANTANAL

I BELOW: Serrapinnus kriegi swim through lily stems.

48

’M CURRENTLY studying in Brazil, and am lucky enough to be only a few hours drive from the Pantanal, one of the largest wetlands on the planet. The region contains savannahs, forests, swamps, rivers, lakes, saline pools – and so, so many mosquitoes. An invitation from wildlife filmmaker Mauricio Copetti to visit an ecolodge wasn’t something I was going to miss. The lodge sits among hundreds of hectares of forest and swamp, criss-crossed by streams that flood and submerge the surrounding landscape. Between March and June, the waters are relatively clear, stained a soft yellow by the leaf litter

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

that accumulates along the bottom, as well as from the millions of aquatic plants along the river banks. Rising and falling floodwaters result in diverse fauna and flora. During high water season, fish move into the flooded forest to feed on fruit, nuts, amphibians and insects. Washed into pools and streams by the rains, these feed countless fish, crustaceans and water birds. Plants such as the aquarium favourite Hydroctlye sp. are well adapted to this regime, growing immersed along the banks in the dry season, then booming in their submersed form during the floods, when they can take advantage of the nutrients flushed into the water from the forest.

In the dry season, many animals are forced to congregate near the bodies of water that haven’t dried up, where some take advantage of millions of trapped fish. Smaller fish often survive the drought, living in greatly reduced streams and forest pools and the number that can be found in one place is staggering.

Night manoueveres We arrived at Mauricio’s lodge as evening was beginning to fall, and after dinner, I grabbed my torches and ventured out to the riverbank. I shone my torch at the shallows and there, dotted around, about a foot apart, were dozens of juvenile Wolf-fish, Hoplias malabaricus,

Darter tetra, Characidium laterale, hover like hummingbirds.

NATHAN HILL

NATHAN HILL

Red-eye tetra were a real highlight.

stalking the hundreds of tetras who were trying to shelter in the margins. Turning the torch another way, it shone upon a group of freshwater needlefish, Potamorrhaphis eigenmanni, darting away. I crouched down and examined the bottom near the bank where a young Spotted sorubim, Pseudoplatystoma corruscans, was shuffling through the mud, trailed by a Striped Raphael catfish, Platydora armatulus. Among growths of Hornwort (Certaophyllum demersum) I saw Redbreast acara, Laetacara dorsigera, trying to hide among the stems and leaf litter while predatory Acestroryhnchus pantaneiro cruised above them. A shoal of Tetragonopterus argenteus raced up to the light, followed by Astyanax lacustris and the odd young piranha, Pygocentrus nattereri. As the light of the torch skimmed the deck, Ancistrus sp. fled into the dark water beneath, while Hypoptopoma sp. sat here and there, rasping on the wood.

Close examination Early next morning we headed back to the riverbank. In the light of day, the water was a warm, tannin-stained glow, with dozens of species visible. In the shallows, tetras swarmed in a multitude of shapes and colours. The most beautiful specimens of Rathbun’s tetra, Aphyocharax rathbuni, that I’ve ever seen darted before me. Their green was more golden than normal and I struggled to take my eyes off them. They were accompanied by

Aphyocharax dentatus, Serrapinnus kriegi, Moenkhausia dichroura and more, while Characidium laterale flitted like aquatic hummingbirds. At the surface, the needlefish were back, stalking the small tetras. At lower levels, hundreds of Serpae tetras, Hyphessobrycon eques, raced through the plants and leaf litter. Cichlids, including Cichlasoma dimerus and Pantanal eartheaters, Satanoperca pappaterra, foraged along the bottom, stiring up clouds of sediment that excited the other fish. Two Spot pike cichlids, Crenicichla lepidota and Crenicichla fasciata, cruised over the sand. I was surprised to see a pair of C. lepidota happily moving about with a C. semifasciata, at times their bodies touching. Crenicichla are usually very territorial and don’t even like members of their own species, yet here they were, a contented trio. Where the banks became steeper, larger species such as Acestrorhynchus pantaneiro, the Three-spot Leporinus, Leporinus friderici, and Crenicichla vittata moved slowly against the strong current. Pimelodella gracilis moved in small groups close to the bank, examining the subtrate for food. Towards the centre of the river, Brycon hilarii and young Prochilodus lineatus moved in large shoals, while

at lower depths, various Loricariidae, including Hypostomus soniae, and other armoured catfish clung to the rocks and sat in crevices. While the larger fish were mainly in the middle of the river, my main interest was in the smaller fish in the margins. It was there I spotted my first wild Red-eye tetra, Moenkhausia sanctaefilominae – a real highlight!

Messing about in boats We spent several hours drifting up the river in a small boat. The banks were choked with Water hyancinth, and in many places, dense stands of Ceratophyllum demersum clogged the margins. In the tropical sun, this plant grows huge, turning a deep, rich shade of red. Shoals of young Brycon hilarii and Prochilodus lineatus swam beneath in groups so big it took minutes before they passed. I spotted rays lying on sandbanks in the sun. We emerged into a ‘bahia’, where the river widened out and slowed, its surface covered with lily pads. At the margins, great banks of Water hyacinth provided habitat for waterbirds who called in alarm as our boat drifted into the wide bay. In this relatively calm part of the river, piranhas stalked between the lily stems, as schools of Moenkhausia dichroura darted about. WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 49

HABITAT THE PANTANAL

I spotted a number of Crenicichla lepidota and a Mesonauta festivus glide between the vegetation. Large Prochilodus foraged among the silt at the bottom, attracting the attention of smaller species.

Observing behaviour The largest C. vittata I’ve ever seen passed right beneath me and I followed it as it explored the rocks, logs and roots along the bank. Shoals of A. lacustris burst apart before me and A. pantaneiro stalked me closely, perhaps looking to catch any fish startled by my presence. I returned to the shallows and

spent some time watching a Pantanal eartheater glide across the substrate, halt abruptly, ingest a mouthful of dirt and flush it through his gills as he searched for food. He covered several metres in a moment and I was interested to observe a large Red-bellied piranha follow at a distance, then it too disturbed the substrate where the cichlid had been foraging. Perhaps it was hoping to uncover prey such as small rays? I got out of the water with a feeling of great contentment and walked over to the lagoon opposite the lodge. The lagoon is fed by a fast-flowing stream that emerges from a lake and

I was surprised to see a shoal of Oscars, Astronotus ocellatus, sitting in the flow. The group was made of up large adults and sub-adults and they appeared to be sunning themselves. They moved into the shallow edge of the stream, then turned on their sides. I know Oscars do this to move through very shallow water, but they weren’t going anywhere, just moving round and round in a lazy circle. As the Oscars roved through the shallows, small fish darted out of the way and I noticed several predatory Red wolf-fish, Erythrinus erythrinus, lying in wait nearby. These snakelike fish can be seen in the margins

Hoplias, the Wolf-fish, has vicious-looking teeth.

Rathbuns bloodfin, Aphyocharax rathbuni.

A Rusty plec, Hypostomus soniae, clings to rocks.

Serpae tetra, Hyphessobrycon eques, swims low down through the plants.

ALAMY

Water hyacinth line the riverbanks.

Lily pads shade aquatic life from the sun’s glare.

of the lagoons, often in pairs. They are highly social but, despite being quite small, they can be aggressive and inflict a painful bite. Like Hoplias sp. they’re also able to ‘walk’ across land for short distances in search of a new home should their pool dry up. Both the lake and lagoon are fed by the river and it was interesting to see how the different habitats, so close to each other, are home to very diverse species of fish, many of which you might encounter in a decent aquarium store back home. The number of species found in the river, occupying a range of ecological niches and requiring different resources, was astounding.

Home habitats I couldn’t help but feel a little envy that the waterways of my native Cambridgeshire are relatively barren in terms of species diversity. But I did resolve to try to find some local clearwater habitats once I’m back home and get into the water to film them (in my thermal wetsuit!). There’s nothing like seeing familiar species in their natural habitat. We all know what a Perch looks like, but wouldn’t you like to see how it behaves below the surface? With action/underwater cameras getting ever cheaper, there’s no reason to simply sit and look at photos of habitats from the other side of the

world and dream. The UK has some amazing aquatic habitats of its own, and if you can get an affordable wetsuit, the landowner’s permission and an underwater camera, why not go exploring? You could even stick a GoPro camera below the surface from the safety of the bank or a canoe. Have you ever got into the water and seen the beautiful gold sheen of Rudd basking in the sun, the startling red fins of Roach as they pass by in a silvery school, or Gudgeon glide over pebble substrates in droves? I haven’t. I know how these fish behave, but I’ve not yet explored our native waterways to observe them. An adventure worth pursuing, I think. WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 51

SUBSCRIBE

Subscribe to for only £3.50 a month* *when you choose the print option and pay by direct debit

To take advantage of this fantastic subscription offer all you have to do is:

CALL 01858 438884 quote JEAA

OPTION 1

OPTION 2

OPTION 3

PRINT

PRINT & DIGITAL

DIGITAL

£3.50 by direct debit every month

£3.95 by direct debit every month

£2.70 by direct debit every month

TERMS & CONDITIONS: Subscriptions will start with the next available issue. The minimum term is 13 issues. Prices quoted apply when you pay by direct debit every month. Alternative payment methods available – see website for details. Direct Debit will continue to be taken unless you tell us otherwise and you will not receive a renewal reminder. This offer closes 23 October 2018. This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Cost from landlines for 01 numbers per minute are (approximate) 2p to 10p. Cost from mobiles per minute (approximate) 10p to 40p. Costs vary depending on the geographical location in the UK. You may get free calls to some numbers as part of your call package – please check with your phone provider. Order lines open 8am-9.30pm (Mon-Fri), 8am-4pm (Sat). UK orders only. Overseas? please phone +44 1858 438828 for further details. Calls may be monitored or recorded for training purposes. For full terms and conditions please visit www.greatmagazines.co.uk/offer-terms-and-conditions

or visit www.greatmagazines.co.uk/PFK

MP&C PIEDNOIR AQUAPRESS

SUBSCRIBE TODAY AND BENEFIT FROM: 6Never missing an issue 6Free UK delivery or instant download to your digital device 6Save on shop prices

Subscribe every month and discover how Practical Fishkeeping remains the definitive one-stop shop for inspiration, species information, problem-solving and great-looking aquariums.

COMMON SPECIES SUBJECT TO INJECTION AND DIPPING

MP&C PIEDNOIR AQUAPRESS

6 Albino corydoras 6 Glass fish, Parambassis sp. 6 Parrot cichlids 6 Black widow tetra 6 Giant gourami

WHAT’S WRONG WITH INJECTED FISH? Fish can be artificially coloured in a couple of ways – Fish have their mucous layers stripped, before dunking in concentrated dyes stains them with artificially bright colours. 6 Fish are dyed all over including the gills, causing respiration issues. 6 Ink in the body can have serious effects on organ function. 6 Stripping away mucus leaves fish open to bacteria and parasites. Fish are stabbed with a needle, and dyes injected. They may have patterns or words tattooed on the body. 6 Against fish body sizes, needles are huge. Imagine your armbeing injected with a pencil for a comparison. 6 Injection sites are access points for infections. 6 Needles are not cleaned or sterilised, risking infection. 6 Chemical embolisms from injection can cause fatalities. 6 Injecting causes granulomas, tumours and cauliflower like growths. 6 The dyes cause inflammation of skin and muscle tissues. 6 Injecting requires rough handing which is highly stressful.

or

Are they legal? It IS illegal to dye a fish through dipping or injection in the UK, but NOT illegal to import or sell them. Almost all dyed fish are commercially produced in the far east, and imported directly.

What can you do? Ask if retailers have joined up to the Practical Fishkeeping Dyed Fish Campaign. Started in 1996, the campaign asks retailers to pledge not to sell any dyed fish. If you see some on sale, raise your concerns with store owners. Because dyed fish aren’t always advertised as such, staff may genuinely not know they are stocking them! Your voice can help make the difference!

ADVICE

Answers

Got a fishkeeping question? PFK’s crack team of aquatics experts are on hand to answer whatever you need to know... [email protected] THE EXPERTS

DR PETER BURGESS Is answering all your disease questions and offers consolation to a reader whose tank was mysteriously wiped out while they were away. Read Peter’s advice on causes and cleaning on page 56.

BOB MEHEN

TROPICAL

How big could my Parrot cichlid grow?

Win

The Question of the Month gets a Tetra goodie box!

Parrots may get big, but they aren’t too boisterous.

Is answering all your community questions and discusses breeding Pygmy corys on page 59, setting up a Congo biotope on page 60, and recommends some external filters to consider on page 63.

Is answering all your cichlid questions and looks at tanks and tankmates for a Parrot cichlid on page 55, and keeping Tiger barbs with Geophagus and other cichlid species on page 58.

NEALE MONKS Is answering all your freshwater questions and looks at whether a reader might have been mistakenly sold a male Betta splendens instead of a female, and identifies a stowaway snail on page 61.

DAVID WOLFENDEN Is answering all your marine fish questions, and discusses persuading Xenia to grow on page 57, and preparations to make for feeding fish and other reef creatures when you’re away on holiday on page 62.

I have recently adopted a Parrot cichlid. I have a community tank already, so am not a complete beginner, but I would like some advice please. The fish came to me in a 60x38x38cm tank but I’m worried that this is not big enough. At the moment he is about 8cm, but am I right in thinking they get a lot bigger than that? The tank has a Fluval U3 filter, which I believe is slightly bigger than the tank needs, but would an external filter be better and, if so, what would you recommend? Also, if I get a bigger tank, will I be able to keep anything with him or are these fish territorial? And will his body shape put him at a disadvantage when it comes to feeding? I just want to do the right thing for the little fella. LLOYD WALSH, EMAIL JEREMY SAYS: I’ve seen Parrot cichlids at exhibitions in China that were 30cm in length, although I would expect 20-25cm as a more realistic adult size. With this in mind I would recommend moving your fish to a tank of at least 120-150cm in length long term, and out

EXPERT AQUARIUM CARE WITH OUR DIGITAL WATER TEST APP, DOWNLOAD HERE:

of the one he’s in right now as it’s too small. There aren’t any bad external filters that I know of, so opt for a model by any of the major brands, and buy one that will be able to filter this fish’s eventual long-term home, so 120cm+, and with a maximum flow rate of 1200 lph. You can pre-mature the external filter by running it in tandem with the internal for four to six weeks while it matures, or by removing all the mature media from the internal filter and putting it inside the external. Parrot cichlids can be territorial, but generally they aren’t too bad. For non-cichlid tankmates, consider large rainbowfish species, big peaceful barb species like Clown barbs, and any plecos and medium to large-sized catfish species. For cichlid tankmates, similarly sized angelfish would work well, but avoid really territorial cichlid species like Midas cichlids or any Central American cichlid breeding pairs. Severums, Jewel cichlids and Jack Dempseys would be fine – again as long as they are similarly sized and the latter two species are not a breeding pair.

ALAMY

JEREMY GAY

❯

Every question we receive gets a reply from our experts. Include as much information as you can about your set-up. Photos are useful, too. 55

ADVICE

Answers Heavily stocked tanks can go down quickly.

With no one to net it out, its decomposing body would fuel a proliferation of bacteria HEALTH

TETRA PRIZE Morris wins a box of Tetra goodies: 100ml TetraMin and TetraPro Colour foods, Holiday Food, Pleco Algae Wafers, FunTips Tablets, 100ml SafeStart, EasyBalance and AquaSafe water treatments and Tetra Test 6 in 1.

56

EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR HEALTHY FISH

Should I sterilise my set-up after a fish wipe-out? What can I use to clean and sterilise my fish tank and equipment following a recent disaster? I went away on holiday for two weeks, and left my 150x75x45cm African cichlid set-up running with two auto feeders (with new batteries and checked and working OK for two days prior to leaving). On opening the front door on my return, the smell told me things were really bad. The tank was heavily stocked with mainly male haps and Aulonocara, Lake Victoria and Tanganyika cichlids. The only survivor seems to be a 30cm plec.

Most of the fish were floating on the surface. Apart from the awful smell, there was a thick and disgusting white scum on the surface and a heavy buildup of what looked like cooking lard on all rocks, plants, bogwood and glass. How should I proceed? Do I clean and disinfect everything, including the Eheim 2260 and a 2080 filters and media? Or should I only clean the tank and filters, and discard all rocks, wood, plants and filter media? I love the hobby and have kept fish for 25 years, but this has hit me really hard as it was a beautiful show tank.

Send your questions to: Fishkeeping Answers, Practical Fishkeeping Magazine, Media House, Lynchwood, Peterborough, PE2 6EA. Email us at [email protected]

Big plecs are tough fish when it comes to water quality.

MARINE

Question of the Month

NEIL HEPWORTH

from the water, and you say yourself the tank was ‘heavily stocked’. Even large tanks, such as yours, can creep up in temperature over a prolonged hot spell. One scenario is that one of your fish died, and with no one around to net it out, its decomposing body would fuel a rapid proliferation of bacteria that fed on its carcass. These bacteria, although not directly harmful to fish, will consume oxygen from the water, further reducing the dissolved oxygen levels in your tank. As oxygen levels fall, some fish will succumb to breathing problems, leading to more deaths and so-on, like some awful domino effect. It’s significant that the only survivor was your plec, as these catfishes have auxillary breathing systems that allow them to tolerate very low oxygen levels. All these dead fish will fuel not only a proliferation of bacteria but also aquatic moulds (aquatic fungi) and it is these various micro-organisms that are probably causing the white scum over the tank and decor. These bacteria and fungi will be present in low numbers in just about every healthy tank – they will only proliferate when there are high levels of organic material in the aquarium to feed on, such as lots of uneaten food, or dead fish. I suggest you thoroughly rinse the gravel and decor in clean buckets of I have no idea what happened while I water, maybe using some hot water if was away to cause this. required. In terms of the filter, replace MORRIS THOMPSON, EMAIL any filter media that you cannot clean thoroughly. Remember PETER RESPONDS: You have you are not dealing with my heartfelt sympathy; it disease-causing microbes must have been awful to so you don’t need to return home to find all worry about your precious fish Aquarium monitoring sterilising the dead in their tank. tank or decor. I’m 99% sure that systems are now available, Once you have the deaths are Seneye or webcam water cleaned and related to a water monitoring could help reassembled your quality issue, and not tank with its surviving an infectious disease. avoid disaster. plec, I would wait a couple We will never know the of weeks before adding just a sequence of events that led to couple of fish, and then very these fish deaths, but the hot slowly restock thereafter. weather we experienced this summer It’s a painful reminder to us all: the may have been instrumental – the biggest threat to our fish when we are higher the water temperature, the less away is not starvation, but a oxygen it can hold. The more fish you deterioration in water quality. have, the more oxygen they’ll consume

I have a small reef tank of around 100 l/22 gal and I can’t grow Xenia. Despite others calling it a weed, I find it just disappears within a week or two of adding it. I’ve tried with three separate frags. I’m succeeding with polyps and LPS corals plus Clavularia, but Xenia just won’t grow. Would it be worth getting a larger specimen rather than frags? I’d like to grow this if possible as I love the way it moves. KATE GARNER, EMAIL DAVE REPLIES: Some people have great success with Xenia (often too much!), while others have the same experience as you, but the factors responsible aren’t always that clear. However, experience Xenia don’t appear to actually feed shows that Xenia tends as they don’t have a functional to do best in less than gut; however, they can absorb pristine water, so if your organic and inorganic nitrates and phosphates nutrients directly from are very low (for example nitrates lower than 5ppm), the water. this could be a factor. Allelopathy (toxins from other corals) or direct aggression through stinging might also be to blame. Allelopathic chemicals can be dealt with to some extent through the use of activated carbon and water changes, and do make sure the Xenia is physically placed well away from other corals (especially LPS). Xenia prefer indirect current to brisk, direct flow, so position in areas of moderate water movement. They also like moderate lighting, so being in the upper to middle portion of the tank can help. They may also react poorly to lower pH, so try to maintain a stable pH of 8.2-8.3. Finally, some folks claim iodine is important for healthy Xenia. You can add iodine in the form of Lugol’s solution and this shouldn’t do any harm if done properly. It’s important to test before (and during) dosing to ensure you’re not adding too much; 0.06ppm is the level to aim for, which is similar to that of natural seawater. I hope this helps. Do remember Xenia can look incredible but also be quite invasive, so you may wish to try and keep it contained on dedicated rocky ‘islands’. This can be a useful technique for managing its growth and keeping it in check. ALAMY

ALAMY

Why can’t I get Xenia to grow?

❯ JOIN US ON FACEBOOK & PINTEREST: TETRA UK

57

ADVICE

Answers Tiger barbs need the right tankmates to avoid nipping issues.

MP&C PIEDNOIR AQUAPRESS

Tiger barbs have a reputation for being nippy but this is often because they are not kept in large enough groups (10 or more) to display proper social behaviour.

JEREMY SAYS: All Geophagus will be able to cope with the boisterous nature of Tiger barbs, but many Geophagus species develop those flowing dorsal and anal fin filaments that will literally be lost to the Tigers as they will nip them off. Geophagus brasiliensis, however, doesn’t have those and is hardy and robust, so it would make a great choice for your new set-up. Also from South America are the Acaras, with the Blue acara, Andinoacara pulcher, being suitable

58

Blue acara

MP&C PIEDNOIR AQUAPRESS

Cichlasoma portalegrense

NEIL HEPWORTH

I recently upgraded to a 450 l/100 gal tank. I moved three Clown loaches of approximately 13.5cm each and 12 Tiger barbs into it from one of my smaller tanks. I would now like to introduce some cichlids. I’m a fan of Geophagus species – however, I’m not sure how they will fare with the boisterous Tiger barbs! Can you please suggest a gregarious cichlid that will be able to stand up for itself, but won’t see the Tiger barbs as a tasty snack? AUGUSTA DOREY, EMAIL

MP&C PIEDNOIR AQUAPRESS

Which cichlids can I keep with my Tigers?

We recommend...

NEIL HEPWORTH

TROPICAL

Green terror

Severum

and widely available, but you could also opt for any Aequidens, like A. metae or A. diadema. True Cichlasoma portalegrense would be suitable, along with any of the Severums. Or what about Central American cichlids like the Blue-eyed cichlid, Cryptoheros spilurus

EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR HEALTHY FISH

(read all about them on page 74), or even dwarf pike cichlids? Tiger barbs are generally better behaved than they used to be as they continue to be line-bred. I watched some wild-caught Tigers recently that were real terrors!

Send your questions to: Fishkeeping Answers, Practical Fishkeeping Magazine, Media House, Lynchwood, Peterborough, PE2 6EA. Email us at [email protected]

TROPICAL

I have been attempting to breed my Corydoras pygmaeus for around six weeks. I have five left after my group of 10 was reduced by a bacterial infection, and I wish to bring their numbers back up the ‘natural’ way. I definitely have a mix of male and female. However, my observations as to how many of each swings back and forth depending on how much live food I’ve been giving them! They are currently in a 25 l/5.5 gal tank with a sponge filter, two ornaments for hiding, and a thin layer of sand. My method is to do daily 50% water changes, topping the tank back up with a mix of 50% RO water and 50% tapwater (which has a pH of around 7.5). But I’m getting no breeding behaviour at all and can only find conflicting opinions and advice online and at my local fish shop. What is your take on this? Also, should my Corys breed, will pond snails, Malaysian trumpet snails or Ramshorn snails eat the eggs? ANDY, EMAIL BOB MEHEN SAYS: Pygmy corys are lovely little fish. Due to their small size and popularity they make a great breeding project and it’s easy to find new homes for any extra youngsters. It sounds as though most of what you have done so far is a step in the right

ALAMY

How do I get my Corys breeding?

direction, and with a few small changes you may have more success. What is the pH of the water in your tank? The pH of 7.5 you mention is probably a little high, especially if you’re in a hard water area. Ideally you want soft, slightly acidic water with a pH of around 6.5. This might not sound like a big difference but the pH scale is logarithmic, so pH 6.5 is 10 times more acidic than pH 7.5. Like many Corydoras, it seems that C. pygmaeus spawns after rainfall in the wild, so dropping the temperature of the water you use for your water change by a few degrees from that in the tank, and increasing circulation (perhaps adding an extra airstone)

may help simulate this and trigger spawning. You also need to make sure you condition the fish well beforehand with a good selection of appropriately sized foods. Frozen foods like Daphnia and Cyclops help in my experience. Having more males than females is good too, as the extra competition stimulates them further. Most Corydoras will eat their own eggs so it’s best to remove the parents after spawning – this will also make it easier for you to provide the best conditions for the fry to thrive, as well as remove competition for food. I wouldn’t trust snails with the eggs either, so make sure there are none in the breeding tank.

Cool acidic water is whats needed for cory breeding.

TROPICAL

Will the window light cause me an algae problem?

ALAMY

I recently bought a 180 l/20 gal Juwel bow-fronted fish tank. Due to the position of the windows in my living room, the sunlight will catch a quarter of the tank in the evening. Will this cause an algae problem? Should I fit blinds to the window? PETER STACK, EMAIL BOB SAYS: Algae needs three key things to thrive: light, water and nutrients. Too much natural daylight can cause problems, so siting a tank away from direct sunshine is usually a good idea (although sometimes you get to see your fish in a literal ‘new light’ when they are bathed in sunshine). However, if you have plenty of plant growth in the tank then the algae often can’t compete for light or nutrients, so it won’t be a major issue, apart from perhaps on the front glass which is simple to remove with a soft sponge scourer. If this fails, then making sure you have a regular light period of six to eight hours and keeping the blinds drawn will help.

EXPERT AQUARIUM CARE WITH OUR DIGITAL WATER TEST APP, DOWNLOAD HERE:

59

ADVICE

Answers

TROPICAL

How do I set up a Congo biotope? Congo tetras make a great centrepiece.

NEIL HEPWORTH

MP&C PIEDNOIR AQUAPRESS

Synodontis mix well with Congo tetras.

I have 120x60x60cm tank that I would like to set up to keep Congo tetra. Please could you tell me how best to decorate it to replicate their natural habitat? What’s the best temperature and pH for these fish? Also what catfish would you recommend as tankmates? I only want those that come from the same sort of region please. How many Congos should I keep in a tank of this size and is there a ratio of males to females to aim for? The tank will have an external filter. JOOLS, EMAIL BOB MEHEN SAYS: Congo tetra, Phenacogrammus interruptus, are magnificent fish when mature so I can totally understand why you’d want to make them the centrepiece of your display. Information on their wild habitat

is sparse, but most sources point to adding branching wood alongside hardy African plant species such as Anubias and floating plants where possible. A sandy substrate with scattered larger gravel and stones usually makes a natural-looking base. However, most people report that these fish show their best colouration when housed with denser planting, so some compromise may be necessary unless you’re determined to follow as close a biotope as possible. I would start with a group of between 10 and 15 juvenile fish (mature fish are sometimes available but attract a premium price tag) and allow them to mature together — hopefully this should give you a good mix of males and females; 50:50 is about right, and you could always add a few more mature males later if

the ratio is unbalanced (I once bought a group of young Congos and they all turned out to be female). Despite their size (and quite fearsome dentition, if you look closely!), Congo tetras are peaceful fish, so this offers plenty of opportunity for tankmates, as long as they themselves aren’t overly aggressive. Catfish-wise then, Synodontis are the obvious choice, although the large adult size of many of the most attractive species, such as S. angelicus and S. decorus, probably discounts them from inclusion. However, the ever popular Upside-down catfish, S. nigriventris, and the lovely Pyjama catfish, S. flavitaeniatus, are both an excellent match in terms of size and temperament. A decent sized group of either would really add to your display.

TROPICAL

Will these fish be a risky addition to my tank? I have been offered a pair of Hoplo catfish by a friend who is closing down his aquarium. He tells me they’re totally peaceful, but I’m a bit worried as they are quite big fish and my tank contains some small Neons and danios. It’s a 90x38x38cm tank filtered with an external canister and decorated with bogwood and live plants. The substrate is very fine gravel. Other fish are four Peppered corys, five Lemon tetras and

60

an old male Kribensis. I’d like to take the catfish, but is my tank big enough, and will they get on with my other fish? SPIKE W, EMAIL BOB SAYS: Hoplos, Megalechis thoracata, are great community fish – hardy, easy to feed, peaceful, comical characters. They can worry some tankmates through their sheer energetic presence, especially when food is

EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR HEALTHY FISH

involved, but the fish you list as currently at home in your tank should be fine alongside them. Your tank is perhaps a little small for them though, as they have an adult size of around 15cm, so ideally need a bit more space than you currently have; 90cm is the absolute minimum length of tank I’d recommend for them, due to their bulky bodies in combination with their rather clumsy swimming style.

Send your questions to: Fishkeeping Answers, Practical Fishkeeping Magazine, Media House, Lynchwood, Peterborough, PE2 6EA. Email us at [email protected]

NEALE SAYS: It is very unlikely that you were mistakenly sold a male Fighter instead of a female. Male and female Fighters are kept entirely separate not long after they hatch, and the mass-produced longfin varieties you see in most shops are almost certainly going to be correctly identified as males and females anyway, simply because of the way they’re farmed and the striking differences in fin length and colouration. That said, the shortfin varieties of Betta splendens might be mistaken under some circumstances, especially now selective breeding has produced females with bright colours and longer fins. Here, behaviour is often taken as the best indicator, males tending to be much more aggressive towards rival males and non-receptive females. Females also have more rounded abdomens and often a clearly visible off-white genital papilla just in front of the anal fin. The equivalent structure on the males is rarely visible outside of spawning. In terms of colouration, the females often have paler bodies, even if their fins have plenty of colour, and two or three dark, longitudinal bands are frequently visible on the flanks. Male and female Betta splendens are otherwise similar in terms of shape and size, but males usually have

OPICAL

ease ID s snail owaway longer ventral fins and more obvious frills to their gill covers, used when making threat displays. The fact is that female Siamese fighting fish will often squabble. The differences in aggression between male and female fish is more often a difference of degree, rather than an absolute ‘one is, one isn’t’ sort of thing. So where males are aggressive, the females can be too – just not so much. You see this in many cichlids, halfbeaks and livebearers, where the males may well do a lot of the fighting, but the females are by no means completely passive, even towards one another. Some aquarists keep what they call sororities – aquaria stocked with several female Betta splendens. These work best when there’s a fair number kept together, so perhaps half a dozen or so in a 75 l tank would be a better bet than two or three in a tank half that size. The tank needs lots of surface area because Betta are air-breathing fish that create their territories in floating vegetation. That said, these sorority tanks are often a bit hit-and-miss in terms of success. Personally, I wouldn’t try one without having a ‘plan B’ in case things went wrong. It’s much easier to keep a single Betta female alongside dissimilar tank mates, for example Corydoras catfish. Betta eggs are laid in a floating bubblenest built and maintained by the male. Without the male guarding the eggs and ensuring the fry have easy access to air, there is virtually no chance of them surviving. It should be obvious if the male is building a nest, and if there’s no evidence of that, you can probably assume both fish are female.

Hoplos are quite large cats, but they’re super soft characters.

MP&C PIEDNOIR AQUAPRESS

My 30 l/6.5 gal ta contains two fema Siamese fighters, b together from the s supplier from the s tank. They usually but recently one ha compared to the ot constantly chasing We noticed that the smaller of the two began to develop a fatter belly and today has started to drop what we presume are eggs. We have separated her for now. Is the larger Fighter a male then, and are the eggs likely to hatch? DAVID JESSOP, EMAIL

ALAMY

Have I b by mist

ALAMY

TROPICAL

ht a piece of decor icrosorum attached for a temporary tank I have running. Later, I spotted this snail and would be grateful if you could identify it. There are two Assassin snails in the same tank too. ANNE DEMBOWSKI, EMAIL NEALE REPLIES: What you have there is a Tadpole snail, either a Physella or Physa species. These are small, air-breathing freshwater snails, closely related to the big Lymnaea snails often seen in garden ponds. Tadpole snails, or Bubble snails, are usually thought harmless. They feed mainly on algae, especially diatoms, and also on organic detritus scraped off solid surfaces. They might nibble on very tender plants, and will certainly go for dying leaves, but otherwise do little harm in planted tanks. As with any snail, if conditions are favourable, with lots of algae and uneaten fish food, they may multiply quickly and become a nuisance. Tadpole snails lay their eggs on the glass in jelly-like lumps a few millimetres across. Inexperienced aquarists may even mistake these for fish eggs! These lumps are easy to remove with an algae scraper. Your Assassin snails will try to eat the Tadpole snails given half a chance, but they do have an interesting defence. When harassed, they grip the substrate firmly and thrash their shells about, dislodging, or at least surprising, their predators!

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK & PINTEREST: TETRA UK

61

MARINE

I have a 45cm cube reef tank, set up about nine months. It has a nano skimmer and live rock filtration and I also use carbon and a Polyfilter. It is home to two Yellow coral gobies, plus a hermit crab and another very small stowaway crab I see from time to time. The tank contains Xenia and mushrooms. I’m going on holiday for 10 days in the autumn and I have no one to feed

the fish. They won’t touch any of the dried foods I’ve tried, so an auto feeder is out of the question. A shop about 20 miles up the road sells live rotifers in bags. If I buy a couple of bags of these and add them before I go away, will they last long enough for these fish to be OK? I don’t want to trust a neighbour as I had a bad

ALAMY

How do I feed these fish while I’m away?

Building up stocks of live foods is the way to keep these gobies fed.

ALAMY

ADVICE

Answers

62

EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR HEALTHY FISH

experience in the past with a tropical tank being badly overfed and this is such a small set-up that I would sooner not risk it. SI NICHOLLS, EMAIL DAVE SAYS: Your corals and crab will be fine for 10 days with no additional feeding, so I wouldn’t be concerned about them. However, this is definitely going to be pushing it for the gobies, so you’re right to be concerned about them. These little fish will start to starve after a few days of not feeding, and they lose condition rapidly. The tank should provide some natural zooplankton that they’ll eat without supplementary feeding, but almost certainly not enough to justify leaving them for more than five days without additional food. Blitzing the tank with live food before you go away is a good idea, and will probably be sufficient for four or five days (obviously depending on how much you add). Adding live rotifers would help in some way as any copepods present can use these as a food source. Live rotifers are very small indeed, however, so you’ll want something larger as food for the gobies. Copepod cultures will be the best bet as they’re much larger than rotifers, so speak to your local fish shop and ask if they can sort you out with some – ideally, both Tigriopus (‘Tiger pods’) and Tisbe; of these, Tigriopus are slightly larger. You might want to start adding copepods a week or two before going away to make sure you’re happy with the amounts and to get the system really seeded with them. Add them to the tank just before going away for sure, but I think it’s best to ask a trusted neighbour to check on the fish and add a further shot or two of copepods around day five or six. Copepods will survive for a long time if kept in the fridge – label up what you want your designated fish-sitter to add, and ask them to remove it from the fridge about half an hour before feeding and float the bags or bottles in the tank (this will help to prevent the copepods becoming shocked). They can then simply tip the contents into the tank. I don’t think you’ll have any problems with the tank being overfed in this way. It’s probably a good idea to also leave the number of your local fish shop with the neighbour if anything does need sorting while you’re away – just in case. I hope this helps. Have a good holiday!

Send your questions to: Fishkeeping Answers, Practical Fishkeeping Magazine, Media House, Lynchwood, Peterborough, PE2 6EA. Email us at [email protected]

TEMPERATE

What species of fish can I keep for mozzy control?

SHUTTERSTOCK

WCMM inhabit cold streams at altitude.

Paradise fish are hugely adaptable.

ALAMY

JEREMY REPLIES: You could keep White Cloud Mountain minnows, Paradise fish or both outdoors from late spring until the autumn, as long as water temperatures are above 15°C. As well as those, I’ve kept Variatus platies outside, and Zebra danios should be okay as long as temperatures exceed 17°C. Rosy barbs would also be fine at this temperature, and Hillstream loaches would positively enjoy large, algae-covered surfaces with water

movement from the fountain. Be aware of any pump inlets on the fountain as obviously these things aren’t really intended to keep fish. Cover any holes or exposed pump inlets by forcing sponge into them, and you’ll need some sort of filter medium (which again could be a sponge inside a fountain pump cage), and mature it, and test water in the normal way. As 70 l isn’t a huge volume of water I would opt for maybe five White Clouds, five Zebra danios and a pair of Paradise fish, and if you want them to be visible, opt for their gold or albino morphs. You must bring the fish inside once the temperatures begin to fall. The above species are all classed as temperate but will not last even a ‘mild’ UK winter outside, especially when the fountain will heat and cool very quickly with its shape, build material and water jets. Devices are available to monitor ponds and aquariums, and they can warn you about temperature fluctuations. For autumn and winter care, an indoor aquarium of the same volume would be fine. If you can, you could even move a mature filter sponge from the fountain to the aquarium to avoid any water quality blips.

Variatus platies are tolerant.

SHUTTERSTOCK

I would like to keep fish in an outdoor fountain in London next summer to help deal with mosquitoes. The fountain is a 70 l/ 16 gal Corten steel fountain with water lilies, and I can add whatever else would make the fish happy. It is in a south-facing, sunny, wind-protected part of the garden. I understand that fish such as guppies will only survive in warmer temperatures, and that they would need to be brought inside before frost and cold weather. What sort of fish would you recommend, and what sort of aquarium do you suggest for housing these fish indoors once the weather turns colder? CHRISTINA CURRY, EMAIL

TROPICAL

Which external filter is best for my tank?

BOB SAYS: In the vast majority of cases, external filters offer the best solution for filtering freshwater aquaria. They provide a large media capacity

that doesn’t affect the volume of the tank and can be discreetly hidden. As you say, there are dozens to choose from and they all work along the same lines; it usually comes down to a mixture of price, running costs, media capacity and personal preference. Top-end externals can cost hundreds of pounds, while some of the budget models are surprisingly cheap – but you do generally get what you pay for and cheaper models may suffer from brittle, flimsy plastic and power-hungry pumps. Look into their power consumption too, as they’ll be on 24/7 and over a year this can make a considerable difference in running costs which may mean your ‘bargain’ isn’t such a good one long term.

When buying an external power filter, be sure the model will fit in your cabinet.

JACQUES PORTAL

I’ve been told I would benefit from an external filter on my 125 l/28 gal tank. It’s something I’d never thought about, so I’m quite keen to buy one to reduce cleaning time. But I’ve heard many opinions on what’s good and what’s not. Could you please recommend two or three external filters that would work well with that size tank? I gather most people buy ones that are for use with bigger tanks so as to get better filtration. I just don’t know where to start! DIANNE, EMAIL

Personally, I’m a big fan of Fluval external filters and have used them since the mid-1980s. Currently I run an FX6 on my 220 l/49 gal tank and it’s a wonderful piece of kit but may be a bit too powerful for your tank. There’s a smaller model (the FX4), but unless you are keeping fish from fast-flowing rivers it may still be too powerful, so have a look at the Fluval 206 or 306 instead. These are rated for tanks up to 200 l/ 44 gal and 300 l/66 gal respectively. If you don’t fancy Fluval, then Eheim has a well-deserved reputation for making top-end externals, and the Ecco Pro range are solid performers with the Pro 200 or 300 being good fits for your tank, with low power consumption.

EXPERT AQUARIUM CARE WITH OUR DIGITAL WATER TEST APP, DOWNLOAD HERE:

63

ADVICE

Know-how

So, you’ve caught wind of this ‘tint the world’ movement in aquatics, but how do you join in and get some botanicals into your tank? WORDS: STEVE BAKER

IOTOPES ARE What are the advantages? no new thing. Many leaves and seed pods have a Aquarists have been natural antiseptic quality, increasing recreating natural the disease resistance of your fish. habitats for many As they break down, botanicals years, but recently encourage the growth of biofilm the biotope scene and aufwuchs. This can be a real has become much bonus for those species that more active, or at least louder than specialise in eating this coating, before. One trend that’s boomed of such as Parotocinclus, shrimps and late is the use of botanicals and it’s hillstream loaches. Many young fry not just biotope nuts embracing will scavenge this microfauna it; it’s also those who generally from the surface of leaves too. like a more naturalistic If you are keeping fish look, or who recognise that naturally inhabit the health benefits forested areas, they for fish. will benefit from Start small and build up. The Cattappa the tannic and acids released will have an (Indian almond) humic acids effect on your water leaves have been that are leached parameters, especially commercially from the leaves available for quite and seed pods as in soft water some time, but now they slowly break down areas. there are lots of other in the water. Indian leaves and seedpods you can buy, plus a huge number Like the blackwater look? from South America too. There are You can easily make your own also plenty of British native leaves blackwater extract with a lengthy you can collect for use in your tank. second boil of most botanicals, If you’re buying botanicals from a then collecting the water reliable source, they will have been once it’s cooled. Personally, collected from areas of very low I find the best results are pollution and pesticide use. If achieved by using native you’re collecting native leaf litter, alder cones. After you’ve you should strive to do the same, collected your blackwater but there’s always the possibility of extract, keep in a wellcontamination. Here are the steps marked bottle in the fridge. you can take to safeguard your fish Sometimes you may and prepare your botanicals for use. experience a proliferation

B

Fish that inhabit forested areas will benefit from the tannic and humic acids that are leached from leaves and seed pods of biofilm build-up, which becomes furry and quite unsightly. This tends to be a phase that occurs regularly on new botanicals in a tank, or sometimes sporadically on a particular type of botanical. This build-up will die off eventually. Alternatively you can remove affected items and gently wipe or brush the excess away, then rinse the botanicals and replace in the tank. The aim is that the botanicals break down in the water. As they do, they release their goodness, but they don’t last forever. Some leaves will break down to nothing within four weeks, some take four months, while seed pods generally last considerably longer, even a couple of years. If you find the ‘skeleton’ of the leaf unsightly, you can either remove it before adding replacement leaves, or leave it there and build up a layer of leaf litter on top.

Botanicals we used: 6 Catappa leaves 6Oak leaves 6 Bamboo leaves 6 Casulo pods 6 Pequeno pods 6Carambola lixo 6 Alder cones

Cook up some blackwater botanicals

Buy a cheap saucepan, or set aside an old one specifically for preparing botanicals – it’s likely to help a little with domestic harmony. Add water and your botanicals to the saucepan, bring to the boil, then turn off the heat and let it sit for at least 30 minutes.

2

Strain the water, rinse the botanicals and replenish with fresh water, then leave to soak until the whole lot is fully waterlogged. Ideally add a bag of activated carbon to draw out any lingering pollution. Most leaves will sink overnight, seed pods may take a few days.

3

Discard the activated carbon, then drain and rinse the botanicals again before adding them to the bottom of your aquarium. If you’re not particularly keen on the blackwater look, you can soak the botanicals with the carbon for longer to draw out more of the tannins. WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 65

JACQUES PORTAL

1

ADVICE

Know-how

BUILD APISTOGRAMMA A HOME Combine these much-loved dwarf cichlids with the popular trend for biotopes and you can set up the ideal home Apistogramma species will adore. WORDS: STEVE BAKER

66

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

NEIL HEPWORTH

WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 67

ADVICE

Know-how

Biotope tank

LIGHTING Lights aren’t essential as these fish are happy in a dark tank, but you might want a small light so you can see their stunning colours and details, and you’ll definitely need a light if you’re keeping plants as well.

F

OR DECADES, Apistogramma have been loved by the fishkeeping community all over the world, but it If you want to use leaf litter, feels as if there’s an but don’t want the water staining upwards wave of that goes with it, just put apisto appreciation carbon in your filter right now – especially for the less-common species. to absorb the Also enjoying a boost in popularity at the colour. moment is the use of botanicals or leaf litter in aquaria and, particularly if you’re looking at setting up a biotope tank, this goes hand in hand with the keeping of dwarf cichlids. Not only do leaves and seed pods make the tank look and feel natural for Apistogramma, they also leach humic and tannic acids, have a background antiseptic quality, and build up a layer of biofilm – the first food of many fry. Fallen leaves accumulate in the steady moving forest streams of South America that Apistogramma species inhabit. The leaves cover the river bed, forming an ‘active’ substrate that’s busy with all sorts of bacteria and enzyme activity, it also hides higher lifeforms such as insect larvae, aquatic molluscs and crustaceans. At times of higher flow, sand can cover the settled leaves too, resulting in a substrate made up of layers of leaves and sand. Twigs and branches constantly fall from the canopy above. Once waterlogged and sunken, this arboreal waste makes ideal shelter and play areas for a family of small cichlids. With sand and leaf litter underneath the fallen wood, it’s easy for mature Apistogramma to excavate a cave if they can’t find a ready-made one in among the branches.

TANK For a single pair of Apistogramma, a tank as small as 45x30x30cm is suitable. To keep other species alongside them, something in the region of 60x38x38cm will suffice, depending on the tankmates.

SUBSTRATE Silica sand has a very natural look and Apistogramma species will burrow in it easily. Just be careful of it compacting and becoming anaerobic. To avoid this, run your fingers through the sand every time you do a water change.

What to feed? Apistogramma aren’t particularly fussy when it comes to feeding, but one thing they don’t take to is flake food. Granular or pellet foods are far more readily accepted, and ideally buy those made with bug ingredients for protein, rather than fish or fish derivatives. However, these dwarf cichlids will show better colour and vitality if they’re fed frozen or live foods regularly. FILTER Most types of filter will work (though not an undergravel filter, with having sand). Just use a relatively sedate turnover, something like three to five times the tank volume per hour. If the flow is too strong, aim it at the glass, or opt for a spray bar to help dissipate the flow.

JACQUES PORTAL

WOOD The most natural-looking wood will be a log of some sort. Applewood is a good option, but the fish will really be happy with anything that offers cover. Finer branches will give the fish confidence, while allowing you to still see them.

HEATING A basic heater with built-in thermostat is all that’s required. Nearly all Apistogramma will be happy at a temperature of 24-25°C. For some species this is towards the high end of their comfort range, for others it’s the cool end of their range.

Know-how ADVICE

What to feed?

Brding tank As far as a biotope set-up goes, that’s about all you need to know – sand on the base, covered by leaf litter with driftwood, logs and/or twiggy branches. If you want it that bit more authentic, you can use South American-specific botanicals, but native botanicals will offer the same feel without the cost. Equipment doesn’t need to be high-tech at all. You can use an air-driven filter, or an internal, hang-on or external power filter, but just don’t use anything too powerful. Apistos enjoy a rather sedate flow naturally, so it’s best to try to replicate that. Powerful lighting is best avoided, and no lights is fine as far as the fish are concerned. When it comes to water parameters, soft and acidic is the way forward for Apistogramma. It’s not essential to keep them healthy, but it is essential if you want to get them breeding. Soft and acidic isn’t such a simple affair if you live in a hardwater area, as it means producing your own reverse osmosis (RO) water, buying RO water from a local aquatics shop, or collecting and treating rainwater. For those in soft water areas, the simplicity of adding a dechlorinator may be all that’s needed.

NEIL HEPWORTH

Soft and acidic is the way forward for Apistogramma. It’s not essential to keep them healthy, but it is essential if you want to get them breeding

To bring the pair into breeding condition, feed high-quality live and frozen foods that provide the extra fats and proteins needed to produce eggs and milt. Try black mosquito larvae, Mysis shrimp, Daphnia, Tubifex or a home-made whiteworm culture. The fry will feed from their yolk sacs for the first few days. After that, provide home-bred microworms and live or frozen baby brineshrimp.

TANK A tank of 45x30x30cm is suitable so long as there’s a spare tank to move the female into after spawning. Otherwise use a 60x38x38cm tank so she has space to retreat if the male gets aggressive when caring for the young.

COVER Offer an area of cover for the female to go if the male becomes aggressive. Rather than a cave, it’s better if this is something she can swim through, as opposed to a place where she could get cornered and trapped if the male chases or follows her.

SUBSTRATE Many breeders will keep the bottom substrate free. This makes it far easier to keep a clean, hygienic tank, especially when the fry are on the move. On the other hand, adding leaf litter will encourage biofilm growth for the fry to feed on in the early days.

LIGHTING There’s no call for lights here. The Apistogramma pair will settle more quickly without lights, and turning them on and off could even disturb the happy couple – at just the wrong moment.

HEATING To encourage Apistogramma to spawn, raise the heat and simultaneously lower the water level to replicate the end of the dry season. Then, to imitate the coming of the wet season, turn the heating down and raise the water level with cool, soft water.

FILTER Ideally you’ll need an air-driven sponge or box filter – these are excellent for fry. A gentle, well-dispersed flow won’t suck up free-swimming fry plus, as a bonus, biofilm will collect and cover the sponge, offering a great feeding surface for the fry’s first meals.

AIRPUMP You’ll need an airpump to run the filter, but you could also run an airstone for more movement and aeration if required. If you’re siting the pump below the water level (for example, in the cabinet underneath), make sure you use a nonreturn valve.

JACQUES PORTAL

SPAWNING SITE Apistogramma are dedicated cave spawners so they’ll need something to spawn in, whether that’s a cave ornament, coconut shell, a piece of wood or a section of pipe. The pair will clean the surface in preparation and often lay eggs on the ceiling of the cave.

WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 71

NEXT MONTH In the December iue

On Sale

CONTACT US Practical Fishkeeping, Bauer Media, Media House, Lynchwood, Peterborough PE2 6EA Email: [email protected]

October 24th 2018

EDITORIAL Phone 01733 468000 Group Editor Ben Hawkins Associate Editor Nathan Hill Staff Writer Steve Baker Art Editor Katie Wilkinson Production Editor Gill Shaw Editorial Assistant Nicki Manning ADVERTISING Phone 01733 468000 Email [email protected] Group Commercial Director Iain Grundy Key Accounts Stephen Tanner Display Advertising Executive James Belding MARKETING Phone 01733 468000 Marketing Manager Holly Burdall Marketing Executive Amy Kirton Direct Marketing Manager Julie Spires Direct Marketing Executive Amy Dedman Direct Marketing Assistant Josh Gray Head of Newstrade Marketing Leon Benoiton Newstrade Marketing Manager Christina Dillon

PIRANHAS

PRODUCTION Phone 01733 468000 Print Production Manager Richard Woolley Advertising Production Mehnaz Murad Printing Wyndeham Heron Distribution Frontline

The truth about the tooth

SUBSCRIPTIONS AND BACK ISSUES To ensure that you don’t miss an issue and for the best subscription offers, visit greatmagazines.co.uk For subscription or back issue queries, please contact CDS Global: Email: [email protected] Phone from the UK: 01858 438884 Phone from overseas: +44 (0)1858 438884 BAUER CONSUMER MEDIA Managing Director Nicola Bates Editorial Director June Smith-Sheppard Head of Digital Charlie Calton-Watson Group Direct Marketing Director Kim Slaney Finance Director Lisa Hayden Group Managing Director Rob Munro-Hall CEO Paul Keenan Practical Fishkeeping magazine is published 13 times a year by Bauer Consumer Media Ltd, which is a company registered in England and Wales with company number 01176085, registered address Media House, Peterborough Business Park, Lynch Wood, Peterborough PE2 6EA. 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.

Regulars 6New gear tried & tested 6The latest Aquatic News 6Fishkeeping Answers 6Roadtrip

COMPLAINTS: Bauer Consumer Media Limited is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (www.ipso.co.uk) and endeavours to respond to and resolve your concerns quickly. Our Editorial Complaints Policy (including full details of how to contact us about editorial complaints and IPSO’s contact details) can be found at www.bauermediacomplaints.co.uk. Our email address for editorial complaints covered by the Editorial Complaints Policy is [email protected].

6The hidden world of ambush predators 6How to house Elephantnose mormyrids 6Keep and breed the Wrestling halfbeak 6How to identify the Rummey-nose tetra

SHUTTERSTOCK

Plus

WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 72

FISH FRENZY SATURDAY 6TH OCTOBER Come and join us for a FREE IXQÀOOHGGD\

& :H DUH KDYLQJ D MRLQW GD\ RI ÀVK\ FHOHEUDWLRQV DQG \RX DUH LQYLWHG DON’T MISS OUT ON THIS EVENT! IT WILL BE A GREAT DAY Free Guest

Speakers

Raffle Prizes

Trade Stands

EXCLU ON THE SIVE DA EVENT Y DISCOU NTS

Giveaways

Food and Drink

Barlows Aquatic Trading + Lancashire Discus Sales, Brisol Works, Mount Street, Accrington, Lancashire, BB5 0PJ. Tel: 01254 388815

www.barlows-aquarium-supplies.com www.lancashirediscussales.co.uk

Ol’ blue eyes There’s much debate about the scientific description of this South America cichlid, but he’s a blue-eyed boy when it comes to breeding in aquaria.

LEE NUTTALL Lee has kept Central Americans since the mid-80s and has a particular fascination with biotope aquaria.

74

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Blue-eyed cichlid in breeding colours.

WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 75

SPECIES SHOWCASE Blue-eyed cichlid

HE BLUE-EYED Blue-eyed boys Cryptoheros spilurus are great little cichlid, Cryptoheros fish to get into, especially if space spilurus, is found in and aquarium size is a factor. Adults rivers and lakes on the rarely reach 12cm in size and are Atlantic slope of regarded as mainly peaceful if kept Central America from in the correct aquarium conditions. the south eastern area I had the pleasure to keep and of the Yucatan spawn this species in 2012, and again peninsula, Mexico, Belize and Guatamala. Notable localities include earlier this year, when I was lucky enough to buy a pair after randomly Bladen River, Roaring Creek/ Blue calling in at my local fish shop. Creek in Belize, Lake Bacalar in Fortunately, a pair had already Mexico and Lake Izabal (type spawned in the shop’s locality) in Guatamala. holding tank, but if Habitats vary and the you’re buying a small fish is reported to group of fish, pairs prefer small creeks are easily sexed as and the shallow C. spilurus are reportedly females display a parts of clearwater cave spawners in the wild, dorsal blotch – even streams, lakes and but will open spawn on a in young fish. Males rivers. According to a piece of rock or grow larger with 2005 report, fish with driftwood. flowing, unpaired fins, a preference for sandy and older dominant males and rocky areas can be can develop a nuchal hump. found in high numbers in bulrush When setting up an aquarium, you areas around Lake Izabal. Due to the wide distribution range, don’t need to think big tanks. A single pair could successfully live and Cryptoheros spilurus is found living spawn in a 90x50x50cm aquarium. sympatrically with a range of In larger set-ups you could keep different cichlid species. In the Lake multiple pairs, and even different Izabal area alone you can find them milder species of cichlid, such as alongside Cincelichthys bocourti, Thorichthys meeki and Cribroheros Cribroheros robertsoni, Parachromis robertsoni. In bigger aquariums, they managuensis, Rocio spinosissima, do well with even larger Central Thorichthys aureus, Trichromis salvini American cichlids, but avoid big and Vieja maculicauda. In other predatory guapotes – like the Jaguar rivers, Thorichthys meeki and Petenia cichlid, for instance – because of the splendida are also neighbours.

T

Despite its colourful name, old Blue eyes isn’t an overly colourful cichlid, A sexually mature pair.

76

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

A perfect biotope set-up for these Central American cichlids.

but you’ll be guaranteed interesting behaviour and they’re bags of fun FACTFILE BLUE-EYED CICHLID 6Scientific name: Cryptoheros spilurus 6Pronunciation: Krip-toe-here-ross spill-yur-uss 6Size: Males 12cm maximum, females slightly smaller 6Origin: Rivers and lakes in the Atlantic slope of Central America in Mexico, Belize and Guatamala 6Habitat: Rocky, sandy lakes 6Tank size: 90x50x50cm 6Water requirements: Medium hard, slightly alkaline water; 7.0 to 8.0 pH, hardness 16°+ 6Temperature: 24-28°C 6Temperament: Relatively peaceful cichlids, apart from at spawning time 6Feeding: Vegetable matter, flake with Spirulina, pellets, prawns as a treat 6Availability and cost: Generally available, but be careful of fish mislabelled as sajica; around £6.50 each

NATHAN HILL

225 l+

possibility of the smaller C. spilurus becoming an expensive snack. You’d be surprised what a hungry guapote can fit in its mouth. When setting up a smaller aquarium, it’s a good idea to include little dither fish, such as livebearers. Decorate the tank using a sand and gravel mix substrate, and pop in some leaf litter as this encourages natural feeding behaviour when the fish turn over the leaves to forage for food particles. Add rocks and driftwood to provide cover and potential spawning sites. If you want to include some plants in your set-up, the most suitable would be Ceratophyllum demersum

(Hornwort) and Vallisneria. Plant these in small pots buried in the substrate, with pebbles protecting the roots in case of digging. Hornwort would probably do better if left entangled among submerged branches and left to spread across the surface, creating shady areas. In many Central American waterways, notably Lake Izabal, there’s an abundance of Hydrilla, an evasive species that is outcompeting other plants in the lake. At home you could substitute that with Egeria densa, as they look quite similar. It also works well as a floating plant, combined with Hornwort. Water quality is not so important WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 77

SPECIES SHOWCASE Blue-eyed cichlid

What’s in a name? Cryptoheros spilurus was first described as Heros spilurus by Albert Günther in 1862. The Cryptoheros genus came about later, originally diagnosed by Robert Allgayer in 2001, as opposed to the thencurrent genus of Archocentrus. According to the Cichlid Room Companion: “Allgayer established the species in Cryptoheros as more elongated than in Archocentrus, with six to 10 anal spines, a significantly smaller number than in species of the genus Archocentrus. The species in Cryptoheros are small, with males up to 12cm in total length. Females remain substantially smaller”. Several papers have since been put forward regarding the status of the group within the genus. A 2007 systematic revision of the species by

Breeding Blue-eyes Blue-eyed cichlids become sexually mature quite early on in their development. It’s not unheard of for females of only 4cm and males of 6cm to spawn, although my own fish were much larger before they started. 78

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

A suitable pair will circle each other, extending their unpaired fins and flaring gills. This pair-bonding behaviour can last a couple of days, sometimes without success, but once they have successfully bonded, they’ll begin to clear a suitable spawning site, such as a rock. In my experience, they seem to prefer to spawn at an angle, rather on than a smooth flat rock. A mature female usually deposits 200 or more eggs. She will fan the eggs, providing oxygen to ensure development, while the male defends the territory. Around day three, the eggs will hatch and the pair will remove the wrigglers to a nursery pit. By day seven or eight, the fry become free swimming, and the parents will defend their offspring from all comers. Both parents share the upbringing; while one will feed the fry, the other might chase away a potentially dangerous threat. If you plan to raise the young, only remove a small portion during the first spawn, at around week two. The fry can be raised on brineshrimp, infusoria and finely crushed Spirulina flake. Despite its colourful name, old Blue eyes isn’t an overly colourful cichlid, but you’ll be guaranteed interesting behaviour and they’re bags of fun to have around. Give them a try.

We Recommend...

Tankmates

The Firemouth cichlid, Thorichthys meeki, has a similar size, build and temperament to the Blue eye. Still, because of the sometimes feisty nature of these fish, they should only be housed together in large tanks of 150cm or more to avoid aggression – especially when spawning!

SHUTTERSTOCK

as C. spilurus are fairly adaptable. However, provide stable medium/ hard water, good filtration, water with a pH between 7.0 and 8.0, and a steady temperature of 26-28°C. Replace a portion of water, say 20%, twice weekly to encourage good growth rates and spawning activity. Feeding is fairly straightforward, as Blue eyes will accept most commercial and prepared foods, but try feeding sinking foods, as this encourages natural behaviour. It’s particularly interesting when the pair have fry as they stir up the sand in search of food particles, as well as foraging in the leaf litter. Temperament-wise, C. spilurus are very appealing. I wouldn’t regard them as troublesome cichlids within a community aquarium, but when kept in a small group, expect some conspecific aggression as hierarchy and spawning behaviour develops. In a large tank, this can be easily managed, but in smaller aquaria, once a pair has been established it’s best to remove surplus fish.

TOP: Given space, these cichlids mix well with others. RIGHT: Leaf litter encourages natural behaviour.

Juan Schmitter-Soto split the complex and erected the genus Amatitlania, separating Cryptoheros nigrofasciatus, the Convict cichlid, by highlighting three synapomorphies. Schmitter-Soto went on to separate C. nigrofasciatus into four separate species – Amatitlania nigrofasciata, A. kanna, A. coatepeque and A. siquia. One of these, A. coatepeque, was found to be a synonym and is now known as Amatitlania nigrofasciata. This leaves us with A. kanna and A. siquia. The latter could possibly be the currently undescribed Amatitlania sp. ‘Honduras red point’. At that time, Schmitter-Soto had also proposed splitting Cryptoheros spilurus by adding Cryptoheros chetumalensis and re-establishing Cryptoheros cutteri as valid taxa, as it was then regarded a synonym.

More recent works from 2016 by Rican et al. establishes both genera, but also moves five species from Cryptoheros to Amatitlania. This now leaves Cryptoheros represented by only three species – C. chetumalensis, C. cutteri and our all-important Blue-eyed boy, C. spilurus. Along with fin and jaw morphology, Cryptoheros can be separated from Amatitlania by unique bar patterns. Amatitlania females also display iridescent gold to copper-red scales on their sides and anterior flank.

Blue times two The splitting of C. spilurus into two different species is interesting. Prior to Schmitter-Soto, the red morph, now described as C. chetumalensis, was introduced in 2005 as Cryptoheros sp. ‘Red fin’. These were collected

from Rio Chahal, Guatamala, with the type locality of Arroyo Agua Dulce – a tributary of Rio Hondo at Sabidos in Quintana Roo, Mexico. The species’ red fins at both locations look different to the type locality C. spilurus, which hails from Lago Izabal, Guatemala. This variant has a subtle reddish colour, more so on the female’s dorsal fin, and may go by the name ‘Red fin spilurus’ in the trade. By contrast, the C. chetumalensis from Laguna Bacalar in Quintana Roo are paler, and similar to the type locality C. spilurus. More work needs to be done on the validity of species, as the current consensus is that C. chetumalensis is a regional variation. This doesn’t mean we should lump it in with C. spilurus, but instead appreciate its uniqueness and keep the bloodline pure.

WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 79

TROPICAL Otocinclus

Once marketed to hobbyists as simply an algae-eater, Otocinclus deserves a proper place in our affections – and in our tanks.

NEALE MONKS Neale is a longstanding aquatics author with a particular passion for brackish water species.

S

OONER OR later, all aquarists have to deal with algae, and among the most popular algae-eating fish are the small suckermouth catfish of the genus Otocinclus. On the one hand they certainly have a good appetite for green algae, and being rather small – most get to around 5cm in length – they are well-suited to life alongside other small fish such as tetras and minnows. But ‘Otos’ have a reputation for being difficult to keep alive for more than a few weeks, and if that wasn’t bad enough, some aquarists blame them for mysterious wounds on the sides of slow-moving fish such as angels. So what’s the truth about Otocinclus – and are they really worth keeping?

Llanos habitat Otocinclus come from South America, including Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Venezuela, but whereas many of the most popular South American fish come from the dark rainforest streams, Otos are more 80

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

associated with open habitats where aquatic plants grow most thickly. This is the renowned ‘llanos’ habitat, from which come a few other hobby staples, most notably the Ram cichlid, Mikrogeophagus ramirezi, where shallow, slowflowing streams are common. Such is the world of the Otocinclus, where large schools of these small catfish move from one thicket of plants to another, staying close to the surface where the green algae they feed on is most abundant. Not for them the deep, dark pools favoured by many of the more colourful tetras, nor the fast-flowing streams inhabited by the Bulldog plecs of the genus Chaetostoma. Translated into aquarium terms, what Otocinclus need is a shallow, brightly-lit tank with moderate but not turbulent water current, and when kept in conditions other than these, they can’t be expected to do well. For the most part Otos come from water that is soft, slightly acidic, and tends towards the cooler end of the tropical range, around 22-25˚C. They are quite adaptable with regard to water chemistry though,

WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 81

JIMMY REID

There’s a lot more to an Oto when you look closely.

TROPICAL Otocinclus

SHUTTERSTOCK

Shrimp and Otos share a similar diet.

and can live perfectly well in moderately hard water, even if they are less likely to breed successfully under such conditions.

Surface feeding Like many other suckermouth catfish, Otocinclus feed extensively on aufwuchs, the combination of algae and tiny invertebrates like rotifers that encrust the surfaces of submerged rocks and plants. Otocinclus are found in shallow, sunny streams precisely because that’s where the green algae they like to eat grows best. Some aquarists mistakenly assume Otos will be able to survive on just the algae they find in the aquarium and a few bits of leftover fish food,

FACTFILE COMMON OTTO Scientific name: Otocinclus 6 macrospilus 6Pronunciation: Oh-toe-sin-kluss mak-row-spill-us 6Origin: Peru, Colombia and Ecuador 6Size: 3.5cm 6Tank size: 45x30x30cm 6Water requirements: Soft water preferred, 5.5-7.5 pH, 1-12°H 6Temperature: 22-26°C 6Temperament: Very peaceful. Don’t mix with large fish 6Feeding: Largely herbivorous – algae wafers, aufwuchs, occasional frozen foods 6Availability and cost: Common, often mislabelled; from aound £3.50 each.

40 l+ 82

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

It’s the green algae they go for, and other types of algae will be ignored but when kept that way they eventually starve to death. Of course, they will eat some algae, but it’s the green algae they go for, and other types of algae, such as brush algae and diatoms, will be ignored. Indeed, the irony of keeping Otocinclus for algae control is that the algae they like to eat – green

algae – is the kind that only grows quickly in well-maintained, brightly lit tanks where fast-growing plants probably keep algae in check already. So, if you’re thinking about using Otocinclus primarily for algae control, the chances are your plan won’t work and your fish might very well end up starving to death.

BELOW: O. macrospilus has a small range compared to O. vittatus.

Otocinclus instinctively orient themselves headfirst in the water current, holding onto a solid surface with their suckermouth. This is called rheotaxis.

To avoid predators, some Otos mimic armoured cory species. By schooling alongside them, the Otocinclus blend in and avoid their own predators too.

JIMMY REID

O. cocama – the Zebra oto is a real gem.

Big cat Parotocinclus jumbo is a quite commonly seen catfish that looks like a scaled-up Otocinclus – adults reach around 7cm, so almost twice as big as the average Oto. It’s a mottled grey fish, and while it looks like an Otocinclus, it’s much more like a Corydoras in terms of behaviour and requirements. P. jumbo is more of an omnivore than an algaeeater, and prefers to stay close to the substrate, rather than among the plants. Kept in groups and offered a varied diet based around sinking algae wafers and small frozen invertebrates, it’s otherwise easy to keep.

FACTFILE COMMON OTTO 6Scientific name: Otocinclus vittatus 6Pronunciation: Oh-toe-sin-kluss vee-tat-us 6Origin: Widespread over South America east of the Andes 6Size: 3.5cm 6Tank size: 45x30x30cm 6Water requirements: Soft water preferred, 6.0-7.5 pH, 2-16°H 6Temperature: 20-25°C 6Temperament: Very peaceful, but don’t mix with large fish 6Feeding: Largely herbivorous – algae wafers, aufwuchs, occasional frozen foods 6Availability and cost: Very common; from around £3.50 each

Assorted Otos Scientists currently recognise 18 species of Otocinclus, though it’s likely there are a few others waiting to be formally described. Only a few are routinely traded, however, with Otocinclus cocama, the Zebra oto, being perhaps the most sought after. It has bold black and white bands all along its flanks and fins and reaches around 4-5cm in length. The black band on the trailing edge of the tail fin often has a distinctive W-shaped marking, making this species one of the easiest to identify. The most commonly seen Oto is probably the Brazilian species,

Otocinclus vittatus, although a Peruvian species, Otocinclus macrospilus, does look very similar and is also regularly imported. Both have light grey bodies with a thick black band running from nose to tail, but whereas this band is continuous on Otocinclus vittatus, on Otocinclus macrospilus it isn’t. Instead the band runs along the flank, then there’s a break, and then it resumes in the form of a large blotch on the base of the tail. Of course, it doesn’t make much difference which species you are offered because their requirements are identical to those of other

ABOVE: O. vittatus – note the solid black band from nose to tail.

40 l+ Otocinclus, so if you have trouble identifying the ‘Common otos’ in your aquarium shop, don’t worry! A fourth species you might see on sale is Otocinclus flexilis, a species that very much resembles the Peppered cory, Corydoras paleatus, in both pattern and colouration. This is not coincidental: in the wild WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 83

TROPICAL Otocinclus

‘Giant’ cat Several Hypoptopoma species have been imported from time to time, although none are aquarium shop regulars. That’s a shame, because these are quite neat fish well worth keeping. Hypoptopoma gulare, for example, is known as the Giant Otocinclus, with an adult size of over 10cm. While many aspects of their care resemble those of typical Otocinclus, they differ in terms of reproduction. While Otocinclus simply scatter their eggs and hope for the best, male Hypoptopoma look after the eggs and fry, just like Ancistrus. This means the males can be quite territorial and aggressive, so while groups of Hypoptopoma work well in large enough tanks, do not overcrowd them.

TEETH Otocinclus have four sets of teeth for combing through algae to extract the aufwuchs within.

Otocinclus are peaceful, schooling fish and do not do well kept with aggressive fish

Peaceful community Whichever Oto you decide to keep, always remember that these are small, peaceful, schooling fish. They do not do well kept with aggressive or territorial fish. Buy a largish group – at least six specimens – so that they feel secure, and only keep them alongside other small, gentle fish. Tetras are great companions, but they also work well with Corydoras, whiptails, and other docile catfish that aren’t competing for the same food. Talking of tankmates, what about the stories of Otocinclus rasping at the mucus found on the flanks of

ABOVE: Otocinclus are great for cleaning small leaves.

BELOW: It’s amazing what a close-up shows.

The swimbladder of these cats has connections to the ears, and the swimbladder is used like a huge, internal sound detector.

ODONTODES Small, tooth-like bony scales cover the heads, and can get tangled when catching them in nets.

JIMMY REID

WHISKERS The sensory taste receptors of Otocinclus are small compared to other catfish.

Otocinclus will school alongside Peppered corys and thereby avoid its predators – a behaviour known to scientists as Batesian mimicry. It’s certainly worth keeping the two species together if you can because the Otos won’t harass the corys. Otocinclus vestitus is rarely seen, but may be familiar to some aquarists as the fish sold under a now obsolete name, Otocinclus arnoldi. It is very similar to Otocinclus vittatus in appearance, but comes from Peru, Paraguay and Bolivia, rather than Brazil. Otocinclus vestitus is a little unusual among Otos in preferring warmer water, 25-28˚C, which can make it a better choice for use alongside hothouse lovers such as Corydoras sterbai and Cardinal tetras.

84

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

large, slow-moving fish? Discus and angels seem to be favourite targets, but presumably anything slab-sided might be a target, such as gouramis. Now, while this sort of antisocial behaviour has certainly happened, it’s hard to tease out the cause and effect here. Were the angelfish and Discus already wounded somehow, and the Otocinclus merely feeding opportunistically? Or did the Otocinclus actually attack the big cichlids, taking advantage of its greater speed and agility when compared to the slower-moving cichlid tankmates? It’s very difficult to say, but the theory is that Otocinclus rarely, if ever, behave this way when properly fed. It’s the neglected, half-starved Otos that may turn their attention towards other fish.

The shallow streams of the llanos are not only sunny and plant-filled, but also have high oxygen levels. At a pinch, Otos can gulp air, using their specially modified swim bladder as a kind of lung, but in the longer term these catfish really do need clean, oxygen-rich water in order to do well. Don’t try to keep your Otocinclus in an overstocked tank with minimal water movement because they won’t thrive in these conditions. At the same time, don’t assume they’ll be happy in a hillstream biotope either – these are fish from slow-moving lowland creeks and rivers, not fast-flowing highland streams. Brisk filtration and moderate stocking are the keys to success, although it’s important to avoid very high temperatures too, as the warmer the water, the less oxygen it holds.

JIMMY REID

SHUTTERSTOCK

Why is oxygen important?

Otos are very social fish.

Note that Parotocinclus have adipose fins that standard Otocinclus lack.

FACTFILE PITBULL PLECO 6Scientific name: Parotocinclus jumbo 6Pronunciation: Par-oh-toe-sin-kluss jum-bow 6Origin: South America: Brazil 6Size: Known to grow up to 7cm or so 6Tank size: 60x30x30cm 6Water requirements: Soft water preferred, though will tolerate neutral to slightly alkaline; 6.5-7.5 pH, 5-15°H 6Temperature: 20-26°C 6Temperament: Very peaceful. Don’t mix with large fish 6Feeding: More omnivorous than true Otocinclus types. Feed plenty of sinking wafers and tablets as well as green foods 6Cost: Around £5 each

60 l+

WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 85

MARINE Tangs

TANGtastic For colour, beauty and sheer drama, there’s nothing quite like a tang.

AQUARIUM ARCHITECTURE

TRISTAN LOUGHER Tristan is an aquatic author who has worked on various research projects. His day job is at Cheshire Aquatics.

86

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Nothing matches the grace of tangs. WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 87

MARINE Tangs

Classification The Acanthuridae family contains more than 80 species belonging to six genera. Five of these – Acanthurus, Ctenochaetus, Naso, Paracanthurus and Zebrasoma – have species that are commonly available in the hobby.

Characteristics

Diet & feeding Most tang species are herbivorous, feeding on algae including macro, filamentous, calcareous, diatomaceous and even blue-green forms. Some are rather specific in the alga they consume, whereas others are more generalised herbivores. One genus, Ctenochaetus, the bristletooth tangs, have brush-like teeth that have evolved to effectively remove detritus and algal films from hard surfaces. Providing a diet of sufficient quality and quantity to reverse weight loss is essential during the important early days and weeks of aquarium life for a newly imported fish. Tangs often arrive looking very skinny and normal reef aquarium rations may not be sufficient. So the onus is on the aquarist to ensure the fish concerned receives enough calories not only to sustain it, but also to allow it to recover lost body mass Fortunately, for most species the provision of both particulate diets such as frozen brineshrimp and Mysis and dried seaweed on clips can allow these fish to gain weight quickly and keep it on.

Reef compatibility For the most part, tangs are considered reef safe, particularly when they are well fed. Rogues occur, however. I have experienced a Regal tang that actively consumed zoanthids and clam mantles, but such cases are rare. Usually, tangs are a positive influence in coral-rich aquaria because they perform a useful role in the prevention and control of nuisance algae.

ALAMY

Tangs and surgeonfish get their common name from the specialised scales located on the caudal peduncle that can inflict serious wounds due to their scalpel-like sharpness. These are used to threaten rivals, deployed in a defensive role, or used to deter other species from entering territories. The spines of some species, such as the Regal tang, Paracanthurus

hepatus, have been shown to be mildly venomous, but not all Acanthurids have been investigated and many are certainly not.

SHUTTERSTOCK

I

F THERE is a group of fish that aquarists consider to be compulsory additions to the marine aquarium, it’s the members of the family Acanthuridae. We know them collectively as tangs but they also go by the name surgeonfish or, for at least one genus, Unicornfish. Tangs are not only beautiful, they have the potential to be highly useful in many aquaria. What could be better than fish that not only look amazing, but also earn their keep?

88

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

ABOVE: Different-looking tangs can live together comfortably. BELOW LEFT: Naturally tangs live in large numbers.

Many Acanthurids suffer greatly when infested with protozoan parasites such as marine velvet (Amyloodinium) and marine white spot (Cryptocaryon). Although certain species seem particularly resistant to such infections, there are others for whom an outbreak should be expected – it might take days or weeks, but it’s coming. For species such as the Regal tang, P. hepatus, Yellow-eyed

tang, C. strigosus, and the Powder blue tang, Acanthurus leucosternon, precautions should ideally be taken before introduction. For me, UV sterilisers are essential for these species – perhaps for all tangs – as they help to lower the overall numbers of parasites and algae at the free-floating stage of their life cycle. Quarantining is useful, but having something working for you in the display tank is just as important in my opinion.

Territoriality Tangs are territorial. Some tangs are very territorial. Simultaneous introductions help to reduce territorial aggression between species that are likely to clash, though some species will dominate an aquarium eventually, regardless of how diminutive and apparently timid they appeared when first introduced. Draw up a stocking list and try to add the most territorially aggressive species last.

NEIL HEPWORTH

BELOW RIGHT: Yellow-eyed kole tangs are detritus eaters.

Disease

ALAMY

BELOW CENTRE: Indian Ocean or Desjardine tang.

WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 89

MARINE Tangs

Gem tang NEIL HEPWORTH

6Scientific name: Zebrasoma gemmatum 6Origin: Western Indian Ocean 6Maximum size: Around 22cm 6Cost: From around £1,000

An extremely solitary tang, this species will be highly territorial with its own – not that most people can afford one, let alone two! This fish is highly prized and incredibly rare to find on sale in the UK. When you do find one, note that £1,000 represents the lowest end of the price range.

Yeow sailfin tang

NEIL HEPWORTH

6Scientific name: Zebrasoma flavescens 6Origin: Hawaii and adjacent island chains in the Pacific 6Maximum size: Around 12cm average but 20cm is possible 6Cost: £65-85

For some, the Yellow tang is a compulsory addition to their aquarium, reflecting the iconic status of this species in the hobby. It is one of the smallest members of its genus and has a liking for algae that cause problems in marine aquaria. Its price has almost doubled over recent months due to collection issues in the Hawaiian Islands where its natural

Yeow-eyed tang or Kole tang A highly useful and attractive species, despite the dominant colouration being brown. It has risen in price over recent months due to its provenance, but remains worth every penny. Adding it to the tank at the same time as a Yellow sailfin tang affords complementary grazing behaviour from both these Hawaiian species, while reducing the risk of territorial aggression between them.

Powder blue tang 6Scientific name: Acanthurus leucosternon 6Origin: Indo-Pacific 6Maximum size: Around 15-25cm 6Cost: £30-85

NEIL HEPWORTH

ALAMY

6Scientific name: Ctenochaetus strigosus 6Origin: Endemic to Hawaii 6Maximum size: Around 12cm 6Cost: £65-85

90

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Its hard to think of a nicer-looking marine fish than the Powder blue tang. However, it’s the cause of much distress to aquarists, because it can prove too difficult to care for in the long term. Due to disease susceptibility and insufficient food intake, many don’t survive beyond their few few weeks in the aquarium. It’s a sad state, since most of them feed readily soon after importation. By taking the necessary steps to increase the chances of success with this species, aquarists can expect a robust and long-lived fish that will turn heads throughout its life.

Purple tang

SHUTTERSTOCK

6Scientific name: Zebrasoma xanthurum 6Origin: Red Sea and Persian Gulf 6 Maximum size: Around 20cm usual for larger aquaria. Wild specimens can achieve 35cm 6Cost: £100-200

Regal tang

Perhaps one of the most attractive of all tangs, this species has a reputation for bossing almost every aquarium into which it’s stocked. The time taken to reach dominance depends on the size at which they are introduced and the other species present. Eventually they become the most dominant fish – which is fine, provided you don’t subsequently wish to add any species that the Purple tang might take exception to.

SHUTTERSTOCK

6Scientific name: Paracanthurus hepatus 6Origin: Tropical Indo-West Pacific 6Maximum size: Around 30cm, but 15cm is more common 6Cost: £18-40

The iconic Regal tang is often encountered by aquarists when it’s very small – 1-2cm is not unheard of. Remarkably, given suitably benign tankmates, even such modestly sized specimens can thrive. Regal tangs have a reputation for being nervous fish, wedging themselves in aquarium decor at the first sign of trouble. This mirrors their natural behaviour, where coral heads and reef crevices are their refuges. Given time, most will settle and become confident – and develop enormous appetites.

Goldrim / Powder brown tang

SHUTTERSTOCK

6Scientific name: Acanthurus japonicus 6Origin: Indonesia and the Philippines 6Maximum size: Around 15-20cm 6Cost: £39-65

Differentiated from the similar A. nigricans by the presence of a red band in the latter portion of the dorsal fin, both of these species might be offered for sale as ‘Powder brown’ or ‘Goldrim’ tangs. UV sterilisation is highly recommended for this species, as is the selection of feeding individuals. Well-settled fish will deepen in colour, and the contrast between the dark brown body, and the gold, red and white of the fins and head, make this a truly stunning fish.

Blue spot unicorn tang

ALAMY

6Scientific name: Naso brevirostris 6Origin: Widespread tropical Indo-Pacific 6Maximum size: Around 25-45cm in aquaria 6Cost: £30-90

Given the size potential of this species, it’s rather strange that it can be found relatively commonly in the marine hobby. However, it seldom achieves anywhere near its wild maximum size (60cm) and is unusual-looking enough to attract many admirers. It’s an extremely robust fish and although it often appears initially shy, it becomes increasingly tame over time and will confidently feed from your fingertips when fully settled. The rostral spine is absent in juveniles under 15cm or so, and elongates as the fish grows. WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 91

MARINE Tangs

Chevron tang

ALAMY

6Scientific name: Ctenochaetus hawaiiensis 6Origin: Central Pacific to Hawaii 6Maximum size: Around 25cm 6Cost: £150-250

A stunning fish with a substantial colour change from juvenile to adult, Chevron tangs have always been expensive due to them never being abundant throughout their rather large natural range. They can be finicky feeders initially, and are prone to protozoan parasite infestations, but once the first few months of aquarium life have been successfully negotiated, this tang usually settles in beautifully.

Brown sailfin tang

SHUTTERSTOCK

6Scientific name: Zebrasoma scopas 6Origin: Widespread Indo-Pacific 6Maximum size: Around 12cm 6Cost: £18-40

It’s testament to the appeal of this species that it still has many fans in the hobby, despite being arguably the least remarkablelooking member of the genus Zebrasoma. It’s certainly available at more reasonable prices and usually ships very well. Look out for colour aberrations that can command very high prices, or the more reasonably priced yellow morph of the species that can make for an interesting inclusion to the aquarium.

Atlantic blue tang Small yellow juveniles of this species are hard to resist, such is their beauty. However, they demand robust tankmates due to their belligerent dispositions, which are exacerbated when they’re stocked into aquaria too small for them. To minimise territorial aggression, add them into existing aquaria as the last fish, In the right system, this is an attractive and hardy tang.

Achies tang 6Scientific name: Acanthurus achilles 6Origin: Oceania to Pacific Islands, including Hawaii 6Maximum size: Around 18-25cm 6Cost: £250-350

NEIL HEPWORTH

SHUTTERSTOCK

6Scientific name: Acanthurus coeruleus 6Origin: Western Atlantic into temperate waters 6Maximum size: Around 40cm maximum, but most are much smaller 6Cost: £30-55

92

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

A simply stunning species that will grace any aquaria but, like the Powder blue, it often suffers from parasitic problems and is frequently underweight when newly imported. Check that it’s feeding before purchase and, while it’s regaining weight, offer more food than you might usually provide to the aquarium. Keep a close eye on water quality. If any species is worth going the extra mile for, it’s this one.

Lipstick tang

SHUTTERSTOCK

6Scientific name: Naso elegans / lituratus 6Origin: Indian Ocean including Red Sea 6Maximum size: Around 30cm 6Cost: £35-100+

With its yellow dorsal fin, N. elegans is easy to distinguish from the black-finned Pacific species, N. lituratus. Husbandry for each is identical. Lipstick tangs are seldom aggressive towards tankmates and are often ignored by belligerent residents. Be aware of their size potential and ensure you offer a varied diet.

Indian Ocean sailfin tang

NEIL HEPWORTH

6Scientific name: Zebrasoma desjardinii 6Origin: Indian Ocean 6Maximum size: Around 30-40cm 6Cost: £18-85

A striking fish that is often bought as a coin-sized juvenile, with little regard for its size potential. Unlike some members of the genus, it doesn’t seem to be overly inhibited by the size of its aquarium, and it’s not unusual to see individuals as big as dinner plates in aquaria that look far too small for fish of this size. In the right system, this is a superb fish, robust and longlived, that feeds on practically anything with enthusiasm.

Clown tang One of a handful of members of the genus Acanthurus that’s sometimes available when very small – juveniles measuring 5-6cm or so. Although care should be taken that such fish are feeding, those that do often settle quickly, and prove to be very robust in the long term. The only real issue is that many individuals become very aggressive and will frequently harass the less sturdy fish in the aquarium.

Goldrush tang 6Scientific name: Ctenochaetus tominiensis 6Origin: Western Central Pacific 6Maximum size: Around 14cm 6Cost: £29-65

ALAMY

SHUTTERSTOCK

6Scientific name: Acanthurus lineatus 6Origin: Widespread tropical Indo-Pacific 6Maximum size: Around 25cm 6Cost: £18-40

An often hardier alternative to the Kole tang, the Goldrush is also less expensive and available at smaller sizes. It may be ignored by larger territorial residents. Goldrush tangs usually ship very well and feed readily in dealers’ aquaria. If they don’t, it may be a sign that something is wrong.

WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 93

SPECIES SHOWCASE Striped dwarf cichlid

Little fish

BIG ATTIT

While not easy to find, the small Striped dwarf cichlid is a delight to breed – just watch out for that fearsome temper! WORDS: JOHN RUNDLE

94

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

D

URING A visit last year to a local retailer, I came across a small dwarf cichlid that I hadn’t seen or bred for a long time. This was Nannacara taenia, the Striped dwarf cichlid. Of course, I couldn’t resist, so I bought five fish and took them home. Back in October 1968, on the cover of an American fishkeeping journal, was a picture of a beautiful female dwarf cichlid protecting her eggs, which were on a flat stone. Her dark chequerboard pattern told me that I had to breed this fish. The article in the magazine was written by a well-known aquarist of that time from Czechoslovakia called Rudolf Zukal and the fish was Nannacara anomala, the Golden dwarf cichlid. This was the start of my love for the fish from the genus Nannacara.

Meet the genus

Nannacara taenia – a peaceful dwarf

However, a book published in 2006 reassigned N. adoketa and N. bimaculata to the newly erected genus Ivanacara. When I checked, Ivanacara has not been recognised on FishBase, but it has by Catalog of Fishes. This can make it confusing for fishkeepers as the genus Nannacara for these species is still quite widely accepted. (Editor’s note: At PFK towers, we like to do a ‘best of three’ approach, cross referencing Catalog of Fishes, FishBase and Seriously Fish. Any name that we can find as currently valid in two or more of these three sources is accepted as up to date, so we uphold Ivanacara, with Nannacara as a synonym, as both Catalog of Fishes and Seriously Fish support this.) WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 95

NATHAN HILL

Nannacara is a small genus of dwarf cichlids endemic to South America but, like many of our fish, there is argument about their names. For a long time there were six recognised species, namely: 6Nannacara adoketa 6Nannacara anomala 6Nannacara aureocephalus 6Nannacara bimaculata 6Nannacara quadnispinae 6Nannacara taenia

SPECIES SHOWCASE Striped dwarf cichlid

Sexing the species

actually pick one out at the time. It’s not difficult to sex Nannacara My solution was to buy a group, so anomala. The males have distinctly I selected five to take home. pointed dorsal and anal fins, and the My five new fish were placed in a females more blunt, rounded ones. 75x30x30cm tank with a mono layer The females also show a broad, (a single-grain coating) of gravel, an wide, transverse dark band on the internal homemade filter, small clay body when not in breeding colour. flower pots and inverted clay plant It’s not so easy to sex N. taenia, dishes with openings cut in the side, though. When I was selecting and a short length of plastic pipe. mine, the males could be I added clumps of Java fern identified because they and the temperature was were displaying to 25°C. The water in my each other (always area is very soft If searching for Ivanacara a great way to with a pH of spot young about 7.0, and online, try both old and new names. cichlid males) has always been Some stores may have them and showing perfect for under Nannacara at a bright red dots in breeding dwarf bargain price. their bodies and fins. cichlids. While it’s Interestingly, these high possible to keep them in colours can disappear at the water that’s slightly hard, soft blink of an eye and then they water is best if you want to try look similar to females. breeding them. When fully grown, the males are After observing the fish in their the smaller fish, and females show a new home for three days it was clear secondary parallel line running I had males and females. Two fish laterally through the body, which is were already showing red dots on absent in the male. However, when their bodies and displaying to each the fish breed there is no doubt other with aggressive postures. which is the female as she shows the characteristic chequerboard pattern. Getting them spawning Nannacara are classed as a While I was sure that there were females in my dealer’s tank, I couldn’t moderately difficult dwarf cichlid to

Every so often she would dash over to the front glass to tell me she was boss, and that I should keep away

breed, due to their shy nature. But if the tank has the right enrichment (caves, plants and decor) for them to feel secure, the odds of success are in the fishkeeper’s favour. After a few days, a male had selected one of the females and in his best colours was seen trying to tempt her into an inverted plant pot. The next time I saw her she was just poking her head out of the small opening in the side of it. A sure sign she was guarding eggs was her boosted aggression – she would charge out to chase any of the other fish who came too close.

STEVE HALL

Nannacara taenia – female brood markings

96

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

ABOVE LEFT: An adolesent Nannacara anamola developing body colour.

seven days and As my fish house I could clearly see isn’t large I covered Many fish are subject to the tiny larvae the front of name changes regularly as the tank with taxonomists constantly seek developing a more elongated shape newspaper to give to clarify the relationships and the yolk sac her some privacy. between species. getting smaller. The eggs of By now the larvae had N. taenia hatch in become free swimming, and this is a about 48 hours and within three sight that never fails to remind me days, the female was hovering over why I breed fish. the top of the dish with a mass of The female could be seen with her tiny, dark, wriggling yolk sac larvae. Every so often she would dash over brood of tiny fry close to her – at times they would hide in the gravel, to the front glass to tell me she was then reappear when the female boss and that I should keep away. thought it was safe. This carried on for another

ABOVE RIGHT: A young male N. taenia with a hint of red in the dorsal fin.

FACTFILE

A pair of N. taenia (male below).

STRIPED DWARF CICHLID 6Scientific name: Nannacara taenia 6Pronunciation: Nan-a-car-ah tee-nee-ah-tah 6Size: 5cm 6Origin: Known only from an area of the Rio Tocantins basin, Brazil 6Habitat: Small streams that are densely planted 6Tank size: 60x30x30cm 6Water conditions: Soft and acidic to neutral, 6.0 to 7.0 pH, hardness below 10°H 6Temp: 23-28°C 6Temperament: Reserved until breeding, then aggressive 6Feeding: Will take dried and frozen foods: flakes, bloodworm, Daphnia and brineshrimp. 6Availability and cost: Quite a rare find; from around £4 per fish. We recently saw some of John’s own fish for sale at Maidenhead Aquatics @ Endsleigh

NATHAN HILL

54 l+

FRANK TIEGLER

While not a large fish, Nannacara taenia are strong fighters when guarding eggs or fry, and I’ve seen small brooding females of N. anomala taking on much larger species of fish and winning. It is worth noting that whenever I have bred Nannacara anomala, eggs were always deposited on an external flat surface, such as a stone, and I’d therefore assumed the female N. taenia would place them on top of the plant dish, not in a cave site. I made the decision to cautiously remove all the fish in the tank except the female with the eggs.

WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 97

SPECIES SHOWCASE Striped dwarf cichlid It’s difficult to sex young specimens.

Why does hard water affect spawning?

NATHAN HILL

Fish eggs have something called a micropyle, where sperm gains entry. In some softwater fish, the sperm of a male carries a calcium molecule that has a catalytic effect on the eggs as the sperm enters, causing the shell of the egg to harden and to seal the micropyle. In hard water, where calcium is present and freely available, the eggs can be triggered prematurely, meaning they cannot be fertilised.

Fattening the fry

98

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Ensure you have a culture of live food for your fry as soon as you see breeding behaviour. Don’t wait until later!

SHUTTERSTOCK

Mature N. anomala males display a stunning electric blue colour.

Ivanacara adoketa is a larger fish.

NATHAN HILL

You have to be extremely careful when breeding dwarf cichlids as they will eat their brood if they feel that the young are under threat. The trick is to avoid disturbing them too much. The young will take live brineshrimp nauplii as their first food once they’re free swimming. I fed newly hatched brineshrimp (sometimes called Artemia nauplii) in the morning, then live microworm in the evening. (See October’s issue of Practical Fishkeeping for a useful step-by-step guide to growing your own brineshrimp and microworm cultures). After three weeks, I removed the female, then caught the fry and moved them to a tank on their own. They were now feeding on crushed dry food, baby brineshrimp and Grindal worm, and at seven weeks old, were 2cm in length. The size of the brood was amazing for such a small fish – in all, I grew on 150 of the babies to young adults. I was so pleased to come across this not-often-found dwarf cichlid and, of course, be able to breed it. This meant I was able to pass on young N. taenia to friends from my local fish club, and I can hope they too will grow them on and have success in breeding them, helping to keep them available to the hobby for a long time. For fans of fish breeding or even just fish behaviour, these are beautiful little dwarf cichlids with an interesting spawning strategy, so do look out for them!

So I joined this new gym.

I love it.

walk1000miles.co.uk

Et>/E^Et>/E^Et>/E^ ULTRA HEATER A new generation of aquarium heaters distinguished by their impact-resistant plastic housing and high-precision electronic thermostats. t
%BNBHFSFTJTUBOU
IPVTJOH t
4VQFS
UIJO

*EFBM
GPS
OBOP
UBOLT t
1SFDJTF
FMFDUSPOJD
UIFSNPTUBU


$

t
"
IBOEZ
UXPTJEFE
IBOHFS t 'VMMZ FMFDUSPOJD  5IF UIFSNPTUBU DPOUBJOT OP failure-prone mechanical parts t 4BGF  #VJMUJO UIFSNBM TXJUDI t 5IF TFU BOE DVSSFOU UFNQFSBUVSFT BSF DMFBSMZ JOEJDBUFE

ULTRAMAX

6MUSB
)FBUFS
X


t
X


t
X

 X


t
X



hůƚƌĂŵĂdž ǀĂŝůĂďůĞ ƵŐ^ĞƉƚ

A technologically advanced canister ilter whose design is based on patented solutions that guarantee exceptional comfort of use, perfect water clarity and optimum water parameters even in the most EFNBOEJOH BRVBSJVNT 5IBOLT UP UIF CVJMUJO QSFöMUFS UIF UJNF CFUXFFO DBSUSJEHF DMFBOJOH JT HSFBUMZ JNQSPWFE 5IF GBDU UIBU UIF pre-ilter is placed inside the lid means that you can replace it without removing from the aquarium cabinet. t   X -) 5BOL 7PM t   X -) 5BOL 7PM t   X -) 5BOL 7PM 6MUSBNBY



t
6MUSBNBY


 6MUSBNBY




To shop online for click & collect into your nearest Aquael stockist or for ŚŽŵĞ ĚĞůŝǀĞƌLJ ƉůĞĂƐĞ ŐŽ ƚŽ ǁǁǁĂůŇƚĚĐŽƵŬďƌĂŶĚĂƋƵĂĞů

GEAR & REVIEWS

Ro

t

This month we take a trip down to the southern end of Essex to see three stores, all heavily stocked in their own unique ways. TOTAL JOURNEY TIME: 4 HRS 10 MINS. MILES: 215

Albino threadfin acara at Maidenhead Aquatics. 100 PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Visit 1

Maidenhead Aquatics @ Summerhi August 29th

FASCINATING FISH ALBINO THREADFIN ACARA The Theadfin acara isn’t a rare fish by any means, but we’ve never seen them available as albinos before. 6Scientific name: Acarichthys heckelii 6Origin: North Amazon basin: Peru, Colombia, Brazil and Guyana 6Habitat: Wide, lowland rivers with fallen wood, leaf litter and fine sand. Often ventures into flooded forests and savannahs during the wet season 6Size: Up to 20cm 6Temperature: 24-30°C 6Water: Unfussy – 6.0-7.8 pH, hardness 4-20°H 6Feeding: Unfussy mid-water omnivore – pellets, frozen and live foods. Variety is said to be the key to colourful specimens 6Temperament: Very peaceful for a largish fish. May eat fish of 2-3cm or less. Mix with other peaceful to semi-aggressive fish that suit the same conditions 6Price: £30

ALL PHOTOS: NATHAN HILL

NATHAN WRITES: This store is conveniently placed on a busy carriageway, and inside a garden centre. Just note that if you overshoot the entrance, it’s not a five-second job to turn round and come back. Off to the next junction you go, to come back past the store on the opposite side, then spin around at the next junction to try again. The store spreads in two directions – livestock to the left and dry goods to the right – and both sides are well stocked. In the dry goods section you’ll see a lot of familiar faces, including Ocean Free, MicrobeLift supplements, and Maidenhead exclusive tanks and cabinets. There’s roughly a 50/50 split between pond gear and aquarium equipment. In the other direction, along the side and rear walls there’s a line of tropical freshwater aquaria leading to temperate tanks, while up the middle you have indoor ponds and a bank of marines. The marine section has just been halved in size to make way for a dedicated softwater system.

For fish quality, the pond vats are the least impressive on variety, though stock is healthy and prices are pretty good – three 8-10in Koi on offer for £100, for example. The temperate tanks house some nice fancy goldfish strains, but there are plenty of danio and other temperate options if preferred. The marines are healthy but run of the mill. If you want a striking tang or pair of plump clowns, then great. If you want unusual, then it’s not really happening. Summerhill brands itself as a catfish specialist, and though stocking was light due to the timing

WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 101

GEAR & REVIEWS

Roadtrip: Eex AT A GLANCE MAIDENHEAD AQUATICS @ SUMMERHILL

Address Summerhill Garden Centre, Pipps Hill Road, North Billericay, Essex CM11 2UJ Telephone 01268 522259 Website fishkeeper.co.uk Number of tanks: 262 tropical, 27 marine, 9 coldwater, 9 ponds Parking Garden centre car park, easy

of our visit, there certainly were plenty of loricariids, from Planiloricaria to Pseudacanthicus, and heaps in between. I shouldn’t downplay the store’s commitment to cichlids either. Towards the rear, there’s a good selection of Geophagines, including some unusual albino strains. African Rift Valley fans will find plenty to pick from, while another bank of tanks sees a selection of some central American species. Oddities are here, but they’re not too heavily represented. Look out for the Glass knifefish, Eignemannia virescens, as well as the corking group of Ctenolucius Pike characins. There were a few larger fish – tankbusterlite, if you will – in the mix too. STEVE WRITES: The word that springs to mind here is ‘balanced’. As someone who’s previously worked in retail I know that basic, common community fish sell, and keep most shops open, no matter how enthusiastic the staff are to sell more specialist fish. Livebearers, tetras, Corydoras and so on fill the first few rows of tanks, then things get more and more interesting as

Rocket Gar, Ctenolucius hujeta.

102 PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

you move along. Hockeystick pencilfish (£4.50), Corydoras napoensis (£9.50) and Sailfin tetra (£4.50), lead to Slender hemiodus (£12.50), Glass knifefish (£10) and some 15cm Twig catfish (£20). Plecos are a strong feature, with Spotted cactus plecs (£80), Leopard frog plecs (£60), large Royal panaque (£120), Goldie plecs (£90) etc. The south American theme includes cichlids – few dwarf cichlids, but medium to large cichlids feature strongly with the likes of albino Threadfin acara (£30), Geophagus pellegrini (£35 per pair), Redneck severums (£12.50) and Chocolate cichlids (£20) all standing out. At the far end there’s a wall of Malawi cichlids, including Red-top trewavasae (£9.50), Haplochromis livingstonii (£9.50), Maylandia lombardoi (£9.50) and Aulonacara nyassae (£9.50). Then you get to Central American cichlids and unusual catfish including a mouthbrooding cat, Phyllonemus typus (£30). Then we’re back to common fish, with a good selection of gouramis and rainbowfish. Plants finish off the run, but our post-bank holiday timing meant there wasn’t a great selection on our visit.

Pond equipment and fish are offered, adequate enough to serve the majority of customer needs and wants. Unfortunately, pond plants aren’t offered as they conflict with the garden centre’s products. Marine livestock offers a bit of everything – reef-friendly fish, goodlooking inverts, corals of all levels and non-reef friendly fish. For freshwater tropical there’s plenty for the casual fishkeeper, aspiring aquarist and experienced hobbyist alike.

BOTTOM: Glass knifefish, Eigenmannia virescens.

FASCINATING FISH GLASS KNIFEFISH The Glass knifefish is a curiosity. They swim in swift-moving, deep water where plant waste builds up on the substrate and little light penetrates. They are scaleless and sensitive fish and produce electric signals to identify males from females. 6Scientific name: Eigenmannia virescens 6Origin: South America: Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guyana, Brazil and Bolivia 6Habitat: Ponds, creeks and flood plains 6Size: Male to 45cm, female to 20cm 6Temperature: 18-28°C 6Water: Soft and acidic 6.0-7.0 pH, 2-12°H 6Feeding: Rarely accept dried foods. Feed frozen or live black mosquito larvae, bloodworm, Mysis and brineshrimp 6Temperament: Peaceful, nocturnal and very shy. Mix only with sedate, peaceful tankmates and keep in groups of five or more 6Price: £10

WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 103

GEAR & REVIEWS

Roadtrip: Eex Visit 2 Creation Aquatics August 29th

NH: How to sum up Creation? The staff are amazing. The shop is bonkers. The livestock might have some customers walking out in protest. Still, Creation stands strong after over 30 years of trading. If there’s a problem with the livestock, the paying public don’t mind. So what’s up with the livestock? Legally, nothing at all. But look about and you’ll see dyed fish and tankbusters all over. Young Giant gourami appear in many tanks. Then there are the Red-tailed catfish. The Golden dorado. And so on. But I didn’t come here for the fish. I came for the dry goods, and oh my! WHAT a selection. Creation is huge on the secondhand market, with branded equipment at outstanding prices. Much of it isn’t boxed. Heaps of it is used, with watermarks. It probably won’t even have a price on it until you pop over and see store owner Mick. I left with three tanks, five

AT A GLANCE

Aluminium cat shark, Ariopsis seemanni.

CREATION AQUATICS

Address 238 London Road, Wickford, Essex SS12 0JX Telephone 01268 766553 Website creationaquatics. co.uk Number of tanks 38 tropical, 12 marine, 9 ponds Parking Garden centre car park, easy

104 PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

The first time we’ve seen King Kong parrotfish. books, wood, food, an air pump and other sundries for under £100. Since my last visit Creation has had a tidy up. Years back, I came with former editor Jeremy Gay on a buying trip and watched him climb over products to get to the other side of a pile, mountaineer style. Now there are coherent walkways. That said, if you’re in a wheelchair or have mobility problems, some parts of Creation will be a struggle to reach. There are some awesome nostalgia pieces to be had. There are discontinued tanks and cabinets at knock-down prices (all used) and even a small ‘museum’ of early-era aquatic equipment. Mick pulled down an immaculate copy of ‘Aquarist and Pondkeeper’ from 1965. If the price was right, he might even part with it. For old equipment spares, this is the place to go – there’s a metal rack coated in impellers. The selection of pond pump fittings is the largest I’ve ever seen. I’m confident even the most obscure ranges are tucked away somewhere. From my perspective, I could lose half a day just rooting about through piles of unlabelled goods, but I like to pretend that I don’t even know about the fish house.

SB: Oh my! Nathan wanted to show me Creation Aquatics for the first time, telling stories of nearly drowning in nostalgic products while being stared down by an 8ft tall velociraptor (what else). Creation is very entertaining to say the least. If you scowl at untidy shelves, or get upset about having to negotiate part-blocked walkways, I suggest you circumnavigate Creation. But if you like to look, rummage and find bargains and items of historic interest, then knock yourself out. The selection of used tanks is amazing on its own – not just decent five-year-old Juwel or Fluval tanks, but all kinds of sizes and shapes. If you can’t find a tank here that will fit into that awkward recess in the living room, then you’re not looking hard enough! I’m a huge fan of shops stocking spare parts – why buy a new filter when all you need is a replacement part? Often, you can’t find a spare and can’t be without a filter while you order one. Come to Creation and you are likely to find spares, used or new, for anything made this side of Saturn. What else seems out of this world is the ethics of the livestock selection. I wasn’t prepared for seeing quite so many fish that anger me – injected Glassfish, Balloon rams, goldfish housed with guppies, Elephantnoses mixed with Fairy cichlids… And then the tankbusters – Tilapia buttikoferi, Lemon barbs, Giant gouramis, Silver arowana (£30), Red-tail cats (£25) a 38cm Dorado (£150) and more. The number of tanks we’ve recorded here is quite misleading. While the numbers are right, the size of these tanks is maybe eight times the size of a typical retailer’s tank, with many around the 250 l mark. It’s the same for both trops and marines.

Creation is huge on the secondhand market, with branded equipment at outstanding prices

Visit 3

Swaows Aquatics Colchester August 29th NH: What is it with Essex and heavy stocking? Swallows embodies the aquatic supermarket feel, with row upon row of shelving for dry goods and a vast livestock area. Even the indoor pond section (let alone the expansive outside one) is bigger than some entire aquatics stores. Since my last visit several years ago, the marine section has shrunk a little, yet the selection doesn’t seem compromised for it. There are still heaps of bright corals, racks of frags, and a compressed fish section along one wall. I’ve always been a fan of the slightly unusual damselfish that Swallows braves to import. Swallows has an exciting tropical freshwater spread. Whether you’re after singular oddballs like a Fahaka pufferfish, or a shoal of rarities you’ll need a second mortgage for – the Blackberry silver dollars, Myleus schomburgkii at £200 each – your niche tastes are covered. My suspicion is that at least one of the

store’s livestock buyers has a South American fetish, reflected in the likes of superb angelfish. This place has the feel you get when you enter a store that’s been taken over by hardcore hobbyists. If you’re looking for run of the mill fish, they’re here too, but spruced up a little. Instead of ‘just’ tetra, there are cracking African varieties. Rather than just standard Ancistrus, there are attractive L-numbers dotted all over. Pick any family, in fact, and Swallows makes a real effort to keep the stocking varied. Africans are strong, with some impressive Frontosa variants, and heaps of in-vogue lamprologines and haplochromines. One addition I don’t recall from before (though I may be wrong) is the selection of rainforest-type plants. These would go nicely with the increasing trend for open-topped tanks with plants on wood over the water’s surface. On the dry goods side, pick a big name brand and it’s likely to be here. I spotted Fluval, Oase, JBL, King British, BiOrb, API, Hozelock, FishScience, Hydor, Arcadia,

Nile or Fahaka puffer, Tetraodon lineatus.

WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 105

GEAR & REVIEWS

Roadtrip: Eex Vitalis, Evolution Aqua and more. Despite Swallows being a great all-round supplier, this latest visit has made me flag it up as a ‘biotope resource’ for future projects. Bring a couple of polystyrene boxes with you when you visit, as chances are something will jump out at you. SB: This aquatics superstore covers nearly every aspect of the hobby, with a wide range of goods for each direction. It doesn’t really specialise in anything in particular, but by that I mean that standards are consistently high throughout. I know this shop (I live an hour away) for offering one of the best selections of Tanganyikan cichlids I’ve seen. The rift valley selection has decreased of late, but there are still 15 tanks of Tanganyikans and a substantial number of Malawis. It’s now offering more South American fish imported from Brazil and Columbia. The selection of community fish is big, with the usual favourites covered, plus some slightly leftfield choices, such as Panther danios (£1.35), Splash tetra (£2.25), Golden skiffia (£16.95 per pair) and Empire

gudgeon (£8.95). There are more specialist fish in the form of 5-6in Discus (£55), Guianacara geayi (£34.94), large Rio Nanay angels (£120 per pair), Metynnis fasciatus (£19.99) and some sensible oddballs including Polypterus endlicheri (£26.95), ‘A’ grade Flowerhorn (£250), and Platinum Senegal bichirs (£180), among others. The business has been at these premises for 13 years and the staffing is stable. Swallows also deals in reptiles, which sees some crossover with fishkeeping (and birds), but the fish side of things is far, far larger. Water gardening and ponds are well catered for. There’s a huge range of pond plants, plenty of preformed ponds and watercourses, water features and a wide variety of fish, including 16 vats dedicated to Japanese Koi, plus other pond fish and Israeli Koi. There’s plenty of salty action too. The marine selection caters for both reef and fish-only set-ups, and there were plenty of good-sized, strong and healthy looking specimens. Puffers and triggers feature highly including a big Golden puffer

(£495), Porcupine puffer (£75) and a Pineapple trigger (£150). Other fish-only livestock included larger angels such as the Scribbled angel (£189.95), several different Butterfly fish and many others. Reef-friendly fish included Bartlett’s anthias (£64.95) and Flame cardinals (£20), alongside damsels, clowns and hawkfish. You’ll also see a good selection of tanks for sale here and they aren’t the ones you see in every shop either. Cleair Aquariums feature heavily, alongside alternatively shaped Boyu tanks, a few smaller tanks by Aqua one, and a range of Biorbs. With all the excitement in the fish house and the outdoor pond area, I didn’t get chance to assess the dry goods closely, as time had flown by and Swallows was closing for the night. But I know from previous visits to this store that the stock of dry goods has never left me disappointed.

ABOVE: Rainbow goby, Stiphodon ornatus. LEFT: There’s a lovely selection of Japanese Koi.

AT A GLANCE SWALLOW AQUATICS@ COLCHESTER

Address Mill Race Garden Centre, New Road, Aldham, Colchester, Essex CO6 3QT Telephone 01206 242521 Website swallowaquatics. co.uk Number of tanks 268 tropical, 45 marine, 28 pond/Koi Parking Garden centre car park, easy

106 PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Great reasons to compare motor insurance with mustard.co.uk Reason number 6

Our Cheapest Price Guarantee*

Compare motor insurance quotes today and see if you can get covered for less

mustard.co.uk or call 0330 022 7406 Ŗ$_bvo@;ubv|o0;-|ou1_;-r;v|omѴbm;Ѵbh;=ouѴbh;1-uķ-moulo|ou0bh;bmvu-m1;to|; $_;]-u-m|;;omѴ-rrѴb;v|o-mm-ѴroѴb1b;v-m7|o|_;0-vb1roѴb1rub1;omѴ  $_bvo@;u; 1Ѵ7;v|;Ѵ;r_om;to|-ঞomv-m7omѴ-rrѴb;v|or;ul-m;m|u;vb7;m|vbm|_;&ķ; 1Ѵ7bm]|_;_-mm;ѴvѴ-m7v );u;v;u;|_;ub]_||ou;t;v|ruoo=o=ķ-m7-Ѵb7-|;ķ -Ѵ|;um-|;to|;v-v;ѴѴ-vruoo=o=|_;bm=oul-ঞomoruob7;7|oo0|-bm|_;to|;vŐ; ] 1oro=7ubbm]Ѵb1;m1;ouঞѴb|0bѴѴő0;=ou;ou]-u-m|;;bv_omou;7 lv|-u7 1o hbv -mrrobm|;7!;ru;v;m|-ঞ;o=(-v|(bvb0bѴb|blb|;7_b1_bv|_oubv;7-m7!;]Ѵ-|;70|_; bm-m1b-Ѵom71||_oub|

GEAR & REVIEWS

GEAR

FIRST LOOK

A starter aquarium, a new bio filter, and lighting units on test TETRA STARTER LINE LED 80L AQUARIUM RRP: £99.99 More info: tetra.net This 80-litre tank is the third in the series of Starter Line tanks produced by Tetra. It continues the relatively basic, robust and easy-to-use design of its predecessors, but offers more water volume than the 30 l and 54 l models previously available.

108 PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

The new 80 l tank shares the same footprint as the 54 l model. Both measure 60cm in length and 30cm in width, but with a 45cm height (51cm including the lid) the 80 l is 15cm taller, which allows for the extra water volume. The equipment

is suitably uprated with a 10-watt LED light, 75-watt heaterstat and a 7.5-watt filter providing a maximum flow of 600l/h. It all comes with a two-year warranty. The 75w heater is pre-set to 25°C and sits neatly into a chamber of the

filter housing, resulting in heated water exiting the filter that’s pushed around the tank. This method helps to prevent any cool pockets of water in the aquarium. The light is pretty punchy. It’s impressive how far 10w can go with LEDs but the spectrum is rather basic, providing a stark white light. This is perfectly good for viewing fish and growing undemanding plants, but if you struggle with getting plants to flourish you may need to invest in extra lighting. Looking at the EasyCrystal filter out of context, it’s a bulky looking thing. Roughly a third of the size is set aside to house the heater. But put it into a working tank and you might be surprised how easily it becomes visually insignificant with a few plants or hardscape in front of it. The filter has a replaceable carbon and floss cartridge (the tank includes two cartridges), which need to be replaced every four weeks, plus a high surface area board at the front as biological media. The flow is not pressurised from the pump, rather the water is pumped into the filter and exits

10 watts of LED produces a white light.

The chunky filter conceals the heater.

with gentle movement. The tank is constructed from 6mm float glass with black silicone work and a floating base. The lid is formed from sturdy moulded plastic and incorporates the lighting bracket, ventilation and a hinged access lid for daily feeding. Extras include two things you can’t do without – tap water conditioner (100ml, treats 200 litres), and fish food (20g), as well as the spare filter cartridge. Food and conditioner included!

ZISS BUBBLE BIO ZB-300 RRP: £26.99 More info: allpondsolutions.co.uk Here’s a simple but well put together bio filter produced by South Korean manufacturer Ziss Aqua. Along with other Ziss products, it’s being bought into the UK and sold by All Pond Solutions. The Bubble Bio ZB-300 is rated for use in tanks up to 300 l. In this size aquarium it will make a good additional filter for concentrating on processing ammonia and nitrite, but if used in a much smaller aquarium (up to 80 l) it might well be the only filter you’ll need, especially when keeping lowish levels of stock or when breeding. As it’s a bio filter, there’s no surprise it has limited mechanical filtration; however, a disc of coarse foam sits at the base of the filter (the inlet) to ensure the bio media doesn’t become blocked with particles. The bio media included is manufactured by Ziss itself, but you’d be forgiven for mistaking it for K1 micro. It’s of a very similar vein and works in the same way, with each piece knocking into the others as they tumble. This results in a self-cleaning media, while inside each piece a miniature refugium develops to house the life needed to deal with fish waste. Each plastic component is robust and well-made and although the colour looks a bit grim, in a working tank it’s an easy shade to disguise. You’ll need an airpump to run this, with the size depending on your usage and tank size. There’s no guide as to min/max flow rates unfortunately.

WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 109

❯

GEAR & REVIEWS

GEAR USED & ABUSED d LED

FLUVAL PLANT 3.0 LED Spec: 61-85cm 32w Tester: Steve Baker Duration: 5 weeks RRP: £199.99 More info: hagen.com

GREAT FOR... PLANTED TANKS AND ENHANCING COLOURS

This is exactly what I wanted. I have the older version (Fresh & Plant 2.0) which offers a very good spectrum and more than enough power, but it has no controllability, just an on/off/ blues switch. This new, improved model, however, has fully

Spec: 83.5-106.5cm 25w Tester: Steve Duration: 5 weeks RRP: £123 More info: hagen.com

GREAT FOR...MOST FRESHWATER TANKS.

I’ve had the older version of this and its ability was impressive. That unit was already quite controllable with a remote control to pick out the colour, power or weather setting, but now, with the Bluetooth app and the

110 PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

ompared

customisable dawn and dusk settings that ramp the lights up and down over whatever period you choose. Daytime (and night-time) spectrum settings use five colours (pink, blue, cold white, pure white and warm white) to get the desired effect. Even in a heavily planted paludarium, I had to throttle it back a fair old way. The surprise for me was the app. I don’t tend to embrace technology easily; other than social media this was the first app I’d installed on my phone and it’s been a breeze to use. It connects via Bluetooth, not WiFi, and I’ve found the connection faultless each time I’ve wanted to fiddle with the settings. Price-wise, I reckon £200 is ld b

with less. But the RRP isn’t necessarily the price you’ll pay; without searching too hard I’ve already seen this model at £150 which seems very good value to me! Oh, it’s also IP67 waterproof rated, so if you dunk it in the tank for 30 minutes or less, it’ll still be fine.

added controllability, this is an all-round better product. The app on this one is very similar to the Plant 3.0 but with four different colours to control rather than five (red, green, blue and white). The dawn/dusk periods are fully adjustable and there are imitation weather conditions. I’ve used this light on a nonplanted tank that’s 38cm deep, so I didn’t need the full capability and set each colour at around 60%. The transition from dusk to off is smother than many dearer units (the plant 3.0 included). There are plenty of options for mounting. You can rest it like a traditional luminare, fix it to T8 or T5 brackets, or use the retrofit brackets to fit it under a lid. Again,

Fluval have made it in compliance with IP67 waterproof rating, so a splash in the tank’s not a worry. I think the price is fine for a 90cm LED light with full adjustability, but it’ll be cheaper if you shop around – I quickly found it for £91.99.

VERDICT This suits high-energy planted tanks mostly, but can be dialled down to suit tanks of all kinds. Plus you’ll see some lovely enhanced colours in your fish!

EASE OF USE: FEATURES: VALUE: OVERALL:

   

VERDICT This is a good freshwater light for all but high-energy plant tanks, and with four fitting styles it’s likely to fit nearly all types of tank. It’s easy to use too.

EASE OF USE: FEATURES: VALUE: OVERALL:

   

INTERPET TRI-SPEC 2 Spec: 52-60cm 22w Tester: Steve Baker Duration: 5 weeks RRP: £124.99 + £32.99 More info: interpet.co.uk This light unit left me wanting, unfortunately. I’ve been using it with the additional app controller, but it’s quite a restrictive form of control. My biggest bugbear is with the blue diodes. You set the dusk time for the evening, but then there’s an auto setting that keeps the blue lighting on for a further three hours at the same power as the daytime setting, so you can view nocturnal activity. If this was in any other room I could probably just ignore it and carry on, but it was set up in my bedroom, and even 1% power in the blue diodes was enough to disturb my sleep. I contacted Interpet to confirm my options, and it was suggested I could either turn off the main light an hour after I got home from work, or turn the blues off permanently. I chose the latter, but the tank just looked strange. The app just needs an option to cancel the additional three hours, which seems a simple fix to me. The dawn/dusk settings only last 15 minutes each, with no option to adjust them. I found the app connectivity unreliable. At least four times I wanted to adjust the lighting but couldn’t connect, even with the

phone touching the app unit. After disconnecting the app cables and re-connecting, it generally worked. Next… I don’t like the size of the diodes. The fact that they’re bigger, fewer and further apart isn’t an issue with the white diodes, but it means the coloured diodes show a shaft of colour rather than one blended spectrum, and I wasn’t keen on the effect. In my tank it sits roughly 4cm above the water surface. Given more clearance, I’m sure it would blend much better. Fittings-wise this unit suits ‘furniture tanks’ with flap-style lids like Juwel tanks and Fluval’s Roma range. Retrofit brackets are included too, so you can screw it into a lid. It’s also IP67 waterproof rated.

VERDICT It’s good for power, but I’m not a fan of this unit. If it sat 20cm off the water, and wasn’t in a bedroom, I might be happier to use it.

EASE OF USE: FEATURES: VALUE: OVERALL:

   

ALFA KOI TREAT MIX First look: Steve Baker RRP: £6.29 More info: interpet.co.uk I’m sure you could hide these in someone’s breakfast cereal or dried fruit mix to give them a surprise. If you value your friendships though, maybe feed them to your fishy friends instead. As a summer treat, these petrified carcasses will help boost the growth of your Koi. They have a protein level of 56%, fats and oils 20%, crude fibre 4% and crude ash 7%. As well as Koi, these tasty snacks would also be happily devoured by larger cichlids like Oscars, Jack Dempseys and so on, or chunky catfish – any carnivore or omnivore with a big-enough mouth really. Just don’t feed too much at a time in aquariums, or they will produce an oily film on the water’s surface. Good price and a lovely treat for your fish. Very bouyant – they take a long while to absorb water.

14

The Aquatic Store Really does have it all! www.theaquaticstore.co.uk 01179 639120 28 North Street Bedminster Bristol BS3 1HW

QUAT SA I

CS

From plants to Cichlids, Stingrays to Snakeheads

LINC

LINCOLNSHIRE

BRISTOL

LINCOLNSHIRE Hanger1 • Strubby Airfield Woodthorpe • Nr Alford • LN13 0DD

01507 451000

EAST YORKSHIRE Hedon Road • Burstwick East Yorks • HU12 9HA

01482 898800

SOUTH YORKSHIRE Great North Rd Doncaster • DN10 6AB

01302 711639

To all our customers – thank you for your support with the PFK Awards LARGE SELECTION OF • Aquariums • Fibreglass ponds • Working Water Features • Waterfall Display • Pumps

HUGE SELECTION OF • Koi & Ornamental Pond Fish • Marine Fish & Invertebrates • Tropical & Fancy Cold Water Fish • Pond & Tropical Plants

lincsaquatics-lincolnshire

CAMBRIDGESHIRE

Come & feed our friendly fish • Discounted Pond Liners • Lighting • Food • Ro-Water • Tropical & MarineMix • Treatments All fish are packed to travel anywhere in the UK

lincsaquatics-eastyorkshire

lincsaquatics-southyorkshire

www.lincsaquatics.co.uk

CLASSIFIED To advertise here please call the sales team on 01733 366410

LONDON

Tropical Marine Cold Water Open 7 days a week 01954 214530 www.nuttyaboutpets.co.uk [email protected] 175 St Neots, Hardwick, Cambridge, CB23 7QJ

RS ONLY

RETA IL SHOPPE r all your Thank you fo 1967! support since 2 , London, E Green Road 77292444 0 220 Bethnal 5356 Fax: 02 Tel: 020 7739

KENT

G TIMES

AY: CLOSED ● TUES, WED & FRI 10.30-6.00 ● SAT 10.00-6.00 ● SUN 10.00-2.00

ww.wholesaletropicalsa qu

atics.co.uk

The Fish Bowl Ltd 133 Dawes Road, London. SW6 7EA

ABACUS AQUATICS

Tel: 020 7385 6005

Voted one of the Best shops in the UK for the last 6 years

www.thefishbowlltd.com email: [email protected]

Now open on Sundays

OFFICIAL JUWEL STOCKISTS PLUS SPARES

For more details about the shop and our opening hours please visit our website

www.abacus-aquatics.co.uk 168 Halfway Street, Sidcup, Kent, DA15 8DJ 020 8302 8000 / [email protected] COUNTY DURHAM

LEICESTERSHIRE

Retailer of the year North East The only true aquatic Superstore, with over 250 stock tanks specializing in community, rare and unusual cold water, tropical and marine fish inverts and corals. Largest range of aquariums, dry goods, frozen and live foods and Tropical plants.

Fish Alive

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE Huge range of livestock in more than 600 tanks! Special Event Weekend 29-30th Sept 2018 DISCOUNTS ON EVERYTHING!

www.wharfaquatics.co.uk

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

Aquatic and Pet Shop. Open 5 days a week 10am to 6pm. Closed all day Thursday and Sunday

“UK Top Aquatic Retailer 2001”

LANCASHIRE

Readers’poll

2017 ODDBALL RETAILER OF THE YEAR

Readers’poll

2017 CICHLID RETAILER OF THE YEAR

Tel: 01773 861255 Marine direct: 01773 811044 Reptile direct: 01773 811499 Open 7 Days - 65-67 Wharf Road, Pinxton, Notts. NG16 6LH (near M1 J28)

SCOTLAND

AQUATICS CENTRE Over 250 tanks stocked with Top Quality Fish and a Huge dry goods section!

Tel: 01772 623497 www.aquahome.co.uk

Within Avant Gardens, (Opposite Leyland Golf Club) Wigan Road, Leyland, PR25 5XW

House of Pisces ~ Scotland’s largest aquatic superstore by far Large selection of Tropicals, Marine, Corals and other livestock Quality Liverock always in stock

Call us (0116) 274 34 26 All major brands stocked | Pond equipment available

With over 1000 aquariums full of tropical, marine and cold water fish Huge range of aquariums, aquarium furniture and equipment at discount prices

Unit B/G, 207 Strathmartine Road, Dundee, Scotland, DD3 8PH

01382 832000 www.tropicalfish-scotland.com

www.clearwateraquatics.co.uk

Visit our website: www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

FOR SALE

INTERNET

FOR SALE Breeding Colony of LO46 Zebra Pleco’s, the group consists of 11 fish, 6 Breeding Wild Adults and 5 F1 sub-Adults. The Wild Adults were purchased from “Rare Aquatics”. Reluctantly selling due to house move. Buyer collects. (ISLE OF WIGHT).

P L A N T E D AQ UA R I U M S P E C I A L I S TS

www.aquariumgardens.co.uk 01480 450572 [email protected] NATIONWIDE DISTRIBUTORS

£1500 ono

AQUARIUM SAND

Tel: 07972 619337

7KHEHVWTXDOLW\VDQGVSHFLÀFDOO\ made for aquariums

DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR INTERNET

25kg sack

www.

.co.uk

T:01254 208245

EVERYTHING FOR THE AQUARIUM, PONDS AND REPTILES, TOP BRANDS AT ROCK BOTTOM PRICES.

£29.99

includes P&P

Ring 01254 388815 to order

www.barlows-aquarium-supplies.com UK MAINLAND ONLY

HUGE SELECTION OF GOODS, FROM ALL MAJOR BRANDS LOYALTY POINTS SCHEME

FINANCE AVAILABLE ON ALL ORDERS OVER £300.

Barlows Aquatic Trading AQUARIUM MANUFACTURERS..supplying direct to the public at trade prices

FRIENDLY AND PROFESSIONAL ADVICE 1000’S OF PRODUCTS IN STOCK FOR IMMEDIATE DESPATCH FREE NEXT DAY DELIVERY ON ORDERS OVER £50!

fb.com/completeaquaticsuk @completeaquatic pinterest.com/aquaticsuk

 HiVcYVgY h^oZh [gdb hidX` BVYZidbZVhjgZ ;^aigVi^dcheZX^Va^hih###hjbeh!l^Zgh!XdbWh! e^eZ! ejbeh ZiX#### C:L##EaZXdÆdliVc`h!WgZZY^c\XjWZh di]Zg h^oZh A^`Zjh dc ;gZZXdchjaiVi^dcVcYYZh^\c FAC EBO

OK Ring: 01254 388815 www.barlows-aquarium-supplies.com e mail: [email protected]

or call in and see us at: Brisol Works, Mount St., Accrington, Lancs BB50PJ

DID YOU KNOW?

MISCELLANOUS

WHOLESALERS

Fluke-Solve TM

The simple solution for skin flukes, gill flukes & tapeworms Easy and effective SIMPLY RIP TIP AND STIR

Fish Treatment Ltd. www.fish-treatment.co.uk

AQUASCAPE FISH IMPORTS Tropical & Coldwater Live Fish Wholesalers Unusuals inc Rays, Turtles, Crabs, Shrimps, Lobsters

DAILY NATIONWIDE DELIVERIES CALL NOW FOR FREE monthly TRADE lists 8QLTXH ¿VK ODEHOOLQJ V\VWHP Tel: 0121 331 1212 Fax: 0121 331 1414 ZZZDTXDVFDSHFRXN ZZZ¿VKODEHOVFRXN [email protected]

To advertise please contact James Belding on 01733 366410

You can now buy single issues of practical fishkeeping magazine online with

FREE POSTAGE

More details at magsdirect.co.uk

To advertise here please call the sales team on 01733 366410

5 STAR RATED SERVICE AND AFTER SALES

OPINION

NATHAN HILL Young blood is vital if this hobby is going to continue. But can we attract it, and what forces out there are working against us? Could we be the last in a long line of fishkeepers?

A while back, Maidenhead Aquatics started its Fishkeeper Fry programme, which was little short of genius. The programme introduced kids of primary school age to aquaria, using instructional videos and hands-on application of an

Are filmmakers trying to make us feel guilty?

114 PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

ALAMY

Youth woes

Winning it back

aquarium in their schools to get them associated with how to keep fish. We definitely need something like that, as young fishkeepers are a dying breed. When I speak to industry heads about this, they’re quick to blame the mobile phone culture, and I guess that does have some influence. People quip how expensive fishkeeping is, while paying out £40 a month just for a handset that’ll be obsolete in two years. Many phones cost more than you’d pay for a full ADA luxury tank complete with plants and fish. We’re being outcompeted by tech. How we view pets has changed, too. Or rather, the way young people view pets has changed. There’s been a shift in perception that the over-30s might struggle to notice, but it’s there. The new ethos seems to go along the lines that everything humans do is wrong (you’ll notice an awful lot of guilt just for being alive with young folks now), while everything that happens naturally is good or right.

The problem we face as a hobby is getting the message across that fishkeeping can be good for the world. That’s a tough sell, what with the world trying so hard to prove us wrong. It’s doubtful that the folks rightfully trying to stop us dumping plastics in the oceans are going to let up their hearts and minds campaigns any time soon, and as long as they do that, so people will vicariously feel increasingly bad about their impact on the aquatic world. I sometimes wonder if documentaries have hindered the hobby, too. I’ve noticed a trend in documentaries to assign personalities to the animals being shown. No longer is a piranha ‘just’ a piranha when it’s on TV. It’s an entity with hopes and dreams, emotions and feelings. It’s almost as though making the viewer feel sympathy for the subject is the new goal of the documentary maker. This relentless anthropomorphism leaves us increasingly emotionally attached to fish in the wild. And the more we see of them, the more familiar we become with them, the more we can feel guilt for our ‘intrusion’ upon their lives. Try to picture being young and growing up with this stuff when your mind is still formative. And, of course, there’s the age-old problem. To young people, fishkeeping just ain’t cool. I daresay that if you’re 40-plus, like me, you couldn’t care less if someone called you a nerd. I positively revel in it these days. But then I’m not 15, trying to fit in with an increasingly judgemental peer group and hoping to get my first girlfriend. With all that against us, is it so surprising that it’s hard to get newcomers to the hobby?

Guess the fish answer from page 31: Walking catfish, Clarias batrachus

A

RE WE going to be the last generation of fishkeepers? I sure hope not, but recently I’ve come to wonder if we’ll be the last to carry a torch for this fascinating hobby. For one, I keep seeing retailer after retailer going under, and as much the old guard as the bright-eyed newcomers building a store on dreams and ambition. Don’t get me wrong, some guys are doing great out there. But the stores going under aren’t necessarily bad. There are some great concepts biting the dust. They’re just not getting new custom.

Nathan Hill is Practical Fishkeeping magazine’s associate editor, biotope fancier, aquascape dabbler and part-time amateur skateboarder.

3P]L ÄZO MVVK We offer a variety of live fish food. Each pack has the product name printed on the front and on the back you will find the EAN barcode for fast, efficient in-store handling. Everything is packed in the Netherlands to ensure fresh, top quality products the whole year round. We can offer the following live products: Enriched Brine shrimp, Copepods, Daphnia, Glassworm, Mysis, Nauplii, Bloodworm large, Bloodworm small, River shrimps and Tubifex. Most of these items are available in BULK too.

HX\H[PJWSHU[Z

KY` MVVK

-YVaLUÄZOMVVK

LHZ`SPML WYVK\J[Z

175+ different species of plants. Available potted and bunched. Also a range of mosses, plants on bogwood and on coconut!

45 different foods for goldfish, tropicals and marines and turtles. Available in 100ml, 250ml and 1000ml pots.

Award winning 100 gram blisters in 35 different flavours. 500 and 1000 gram packaging also available and in stock!

Distributor of Easy-Life products. Famous for EasyCarbo and ProFito and more plant fertilisers and water treatments.

3P]L ÄZO MVVK -YVaLU ÄZO MVVK • +Y` MVVK • 9LW[PSL MVVK (X\H[PJ WSHU[Z • 7VUK WSHU[Z • ,HZ`3PMLWYVK\J[Z 0031 412 - 639 618 0031 412 - 623 052 [email protected]

www.aquadip.com ®

The best quality from Holland! Weekly deliveries to the UK for more than 17 years.

Con tac to f t us you ind sto r loca ck i st! l

Create a living work of art in any home space with a Roma Aquarium Save up to £223.99 in our fantastic Roma Aquarium Sale [[[εWLOIITIVGSYOVSQE

BUY N INSTOR OW E ONLIN OR E

Roma 90 RRP £365.98 Sale Price £233.99 Saving £131.99

Roma 125 RRP £446.98 Sale Price £294.99 Saving £151.99

Roma 200 RRP £538.98 Sale Price £355.99 Saving £182.99

We have over 160 stores throughout the UK, staffed by Õ`Ài`Ãv«>ÃÃ>Ìi>`Üi`}i>LiwÃii«iÀð Find a store near you today or visit ƂUJMGGRGTEQWM

Roma 240 RRP £702.98 Sale Price £478.99 Saving £223.99

YOUR FREE GUIDE TO STARTING A MARINE AQUARIUM

Marine Beginner’s Guide BUYER’S GUIDE

15

SAFE CHOICES

What to look for when purchasing livestock

Friendly fish and accessible inverts for your first aquarium

CHOOSING YOUR TANK Big or small, corals or fish? We help you decide!

HARDWARE ESSENTIALS All the equipment you need explained

LIVE ROCK How it keeps your aquarium clean

HOW TO KEEP A MARINE AQUARIUM!

MARINE GUIDE

Welcome

S

O YOU fancy a marine tank? You’re not alone. Marine aquaria are the fastest-growing area of fishkeeping – and for good reason. The fish are colourful, the corals unique, and much of the life is quite unlike anything you find in freshwater. But it isn’t as simple as buying a tank and plonking ‘Nemo’ and his friends straight in. Saltwater is a fickle chemical, and there’s much that can go wrong in a marine set-up. We’ve put together a basic guide overseeing some of the key areas that a newcomer needs to know about. From hardware essentials to feeding a coral, we hope you’ll find something in these pages that will help you on your journey to becoming a ‘salty’ fishkeeper.

Good luck!

CONTENTS

04 06 08

TYPES OF MARINE TANK Nano, fish-only, soft coral reef or hard – what kind of aquarium do you want to create?

ESSENTIAL HARDWARE From pumps to test kits, lighting to heating, here’s the vital gear every fishkeeper will need.

ROCKS OR FILTERS? Filtration is essential, but how does live rock compare to traditional biological filters, and how do you go about cycling your tank?

10

BUYING & ADDING YOUR LIVESTOCK

14

15 CHOICES FOR YOUR FIRST TANK

How to buy fish, what to look out for, and 10 top tips for acclimatising your new purchases.

Our pick of the 15 best fish, inverts and corals for marine beginners.

Nathan, Associate editor, PFK WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK

3

Marine tanks are marine tanks, right? Well, no. From the start you need to choose whether you want big or small, and which kinds of creatures you’d like to keep.

Y

OUR MARINE options are roughly spread along the lines of ‘reef tank’ or ‘fish only’. As a newcomer, a reef tank might be the one you have in mind – a colourful array of corals, shrimps, snails and fish, over a well-designed layout of rocks and sand. But it’s also quite a difficult tank to set up and maintain. Alternatively, a fish-only set-up is just that – an aquarium with a handful of pretty marine fish swimming about, but without live corals and other invertebrates. Fish-only tanks are the easier of the types to keep, but without corals decorating the layout, they’re the less colourful option.

Nano tank These are small set-ups in the region of 100 litres or less – sometimes as little as 30 litres. They usually come as a complete package of tank and essential hardware, giving you a ‘plug-in-and-play’ package that you don’t have to think about too much. A word of caution. Because of their small water volumes, nano tanks are among the most difficult to maintain successfully. While they can seem excellent value for money, you could easily set yourself up for a fall if you don’t have much aquarium experience. Also remember that being small, most nano set-ups are y one or two or crabs – and you want a ank, it may not p curiosity, here you can ose yourself in he antics of a Dancing shrimp lambering ver rock, a ano tank ould be ideal. ET-UP COST: OW TO MID UNNING OST: LOW

SHUTTERSTOCK

MARINE GUIDE

TYPES OF M

Fish-only tank This type of tank was the staple in the early days of marine fishkeeping, when coral care wasn’t understood, and when hardware for successful aquaria simply hadn’t been invented. One benefit of this type of tank is that you can keep fish that would otherwise destroy a reef set-up. Many fish feed on corals or other invertebrates, and would make short work of a beautiful layout. Nowadays, many folks who keep fish-only set-ups are interested in larger trophy fish, such as huge angelfish and puffers. These bigger fish have heaps of character and become real pets, but the offset is that they need a lot of space to live in. Most modern fish-only tanks are referred to as ‘fish only with live rock’, or FOWLR, which will make sense when you reach the pages of this supplement on rocks and filtering. SET-UP COST: LOW TO MID RUNNING COST: LOW TO MID

NEIL HEPWORTH

ARINE TANK

The first type of reef tank is the easier of the two. So-called ‘soft’ corals lack the rigid calcium skeletons of ‘hard’ (or stony) corals, which actually makes them less demanding. While larger soft corals are sometimes quite brown and bland in colour, there’s a whole galaxy of smaller soft coral colonies like button polyps and mushrooms that can rival many hard coral tanks. A soft coral tank is considerably harder to run than a fish-only set-up as it requires much more attention to water quality – the amount of pollutants that the tank builds up. There’s also the requirement for supplements to keep the corals healthy and happy, plus the additional work of feeding your corals.

SHUTTERSTOCK

SET-UP COST: MID TO HIGH RUNNING COST: MID

SHUTTERSTOCK

Reef tank – ‘soft’ corals

Reef tank – ‘hard’ corals Hard or stony corals represent the highest tier of marine keeping and as a new starter you would do well to avoid this type of tank as your first attempt. While stunning beyond compare, the most visually arresting of these tanks have often been chemically manipulated in ways far beyond the capabilities of marine beginners, running ‘ultra low nutrient’ content so that corals are left on the verge of starvation to make their colours pop. The price of running such a tank, including the multitude of supplements needed, can run to thousands upon thousands of pounds annually. This type of reef set-up looks spectacular, but it’s highly aspirational and should remain so until you’ve really honed the fishkeeping craft. SET-UP COST: HIGH RUNNING COST: VERY HIGH WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK

5

MARINE GUIDE

ESSENTIAL HARDWARE

In order to run a successful marine tank, a few key pieces of hardware are essential Here’s what you’ll need Circulation pum Flow is vital, especially w are concerned. Without cannot feed properly an excrete their wastes. Pumps should be sized the tank you have – ther no extra economy of sc involved in buying too large a pump for your aquarium. Indeed, it ma turn out to upset corals and kill them off. For extra effect, pump connected to a wave-ma with alternate flows from other in order to create forth washing motion.

Hydrometer or refractometer

Test kit Absolutely essential. At a bare minimum you want tests for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, as well as pH. These will tell you whether your tank is safe, and if any adjustments in water management are needed. Don’t be daunted by test kits – most of them are no very user-friendly, with easy to read instructions. Test usually involves adding water to a test tube, mixing reagents from one or two bottles and comparing to a colour chart. They are quick to perform and make th difference between success and failure. Note that in a stony coral reef tank, the level of testi may be so advanced as to require sending samples to lab for a full analysis. However, for a beginner with a coral tank, a good selection of liquid tests will suffice.

6

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Given a choice between a hydrometer and a refractometer (pictured below), the latter is generally more accurate, but both of these devices are designed to measure the amount of salt in your aquarium water. Marine fish need to be kept within a very narrow range of salinity, which equates to roughly 35g of salt per litre of water. Regular monitoring will allow you to see whether natural evaporation has made the water in your tank especially salty. If it has, you can dilute it as necessary until it’s within the acceptable range again. A hydrometer or refractometer is also a vital piece of equipment when it comes to doing your regular partial water changes.

Tank This can be made of either glass or acrylic. Acrylic is tougher, and a safer bet if you have children or pets in the house, but it does scratch more easily. Glass aquaria come in either plain or ‘low iron’ (sometimes called optiwhite, or high-clarity) construction. Some tanks have lids, others are open-topped. Note that open-topped tanks increase the risk of fish jumping out (and of things falling in), as well as increase the rate of evaporation, but tanks with a built-in hood may be restrictive on lighting options.

Lights Aquarium ligh correct spect growing cora and come in t types – fluore and light-emi diode (LED). Fluorescen are the cheap option to buy but have relat running costs wattages and the need to replace light tubes regularly. LED lights are more expensive, but are far more cost effective in the long run, and most have a lifespan that runs into tens of thousands of

Cabinet

you to dim and brighten them, change colours and spectrums to suit particular corals, even to the point of replicating natural sunlight (including cloud cover) over the course of a 24-hour cycle.

tein skimmer

This must be aquarium suitable. Cheap MDF cabinets from generic furniture suppliers may be too weak, and are also prone to swelling and degrading if they get wet. Always use a designated aquarium cabinet where possible. Note that one litre of water weighs 1kg, so a 120-litre tank, combined with glass and rocks, may weigh well over 150kg – far beyond the capacity of your average bedside dressing table.

newcomers are baffled by in skimmers, but they’re ally quite simple devices. ein skimmers use the power and erties of tiny bubbles (which are mely sticky to proteins) to ct a froth of protein foam in a hat sits on top of the skimmer. e beauty of this is that in ving proteins (which are made f amino acids), the skimmer is ving lots of the waste that has otential to turn into ammonia page 8 for more on this) before had chance to become onia. In turn, that puts a great on biological filtration, ning cleaner water and fewer r changes. otein skimmers can be fiddly to with and do require regular tments to keep working at their but once you get the hang of , they’re no trickier than any r piece of aquarium equipment.

WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK

7

While that might not sound a fair comparison, rocks and filters in the tank can do pretty much the same thing – one perhaps better than the other!

F

ISH PRODUCE waste, just as we do, in the form of urine and faeces. They also excrete waste into the water directly out of their gills. In the closed environment of an aquarium, that waste has nowhere to go, so it builds up to toxic levels, poisoning the inhabitants. The main type of aquarium filtration to deal with waste is biological filtration. This method utilises bacteria that use fish waste as a food source, turning it into something less harmful. In the first instance, fish produce ammonia. Uneaten food and other decomposing matter also contribute to the build-up of ammonia. And ammonia is deadly, even at the lowest levels. Biological filters act as a home for bacteria that convert this lethal ammonia into lessharmful nitrite, and eventually into nitrate. These bacteria are really slow to develop. It can take weeks or months to develop a colony of them sufficiently large to deal with the waste in even a moderate-sized tank. So, the bacteria need to be in place and coping before any livestock is added to the tank. This is done through either the addition of live rock, or through the maturation of biological filters, such as external canister or sump filters. One annoying offshoot of biological filtration is that it can only convert waste so far – usually to nitrate – and this chemical still needs to be controlled through regular water changes.

Live rock Live rock is the ‘go to’ filter medium for the modern marine tank. Live rock is formed from old, dead coral skeletons, and naturally occurs abundantly around reefs. Here, it behaves as a biological filter for the sea, housing the necessary bacteria required to convert wastes. By harvesting this rock, aquarists can bring ‘filters’ straight from the sea and into their tanks. While expensive – even cheap live rock will set you back double figures per kg – it’s considered by far the best way to maintain water quality in a marine tank. 8

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

As a bonus, live rock goes above and beyond the activity of standard biological filtration. Because the rock is so porous, the bacteria penetrate deep inside it, meaning additional types of bacteria can occur. Among these are bacteria who will even use nitrate as a food source, converting it into harmless nitrogen gas. As an extra bonus, live rock also comes with a bounty of other life forms covering it! Alongside colourful algae (especially the gorgeous, purple encrusting types), live rock can come with tiny polyps, corals, shrimps, crabs, sponges and more. Unfortunately, that also means you sometimes have a nuisance creature turn up as well, such as a predatory Mantis shrimp, or a coral-eating worm but, on the whole, most live rock is safe. When buying live rock, make sure you only buy ‘cured’ live rock. After collection and transit, live rock turns foul for a short while and requires soaking and maturation to flush out any nasties within it – this is the curing process. While cheap, uncured live rock is available, if you add this to your tank it will almost certainly cause extreme water quality issues. Always ask if it’s cured BEFORE you buy!

Biological canister filtration You’ll be familiar with biological filters if you’ve ever kept freshwater fish. They’re the canisters that sit inside or outside an aquarium, contain different types of media, and need regular cleaning and maintenance. In marine tanks, canister filters have

Above: Biological supplements kick start filtration. Left: A typical canister filter.

JACQUES PORTAL

MARINE GUIDE

ROCKS OR FILTERS?

SHUTTERSTOCK

While cycling is a long-winded process, adding biological supplements can help. These liquids and tablets contain colonies of live bacteria that settle in the filter. Some claim to be able to mature a tank instantaneously, but it’s best to take such claims with a pinch of salt. During the cycling period, test the water regularly to assess how much pollution is being converted, and therefore how the bacteria are developing. There are helpful calculators online where you can upload your test results. They’ll then tell you how much more ammonia to add until your tank is finally ‘mature’ and safe for fish.

Above: Live rock brings a reef tank to full glory. Below: Fresh live rock is rich with life and colour.

NEIL HEPWORTH

largely been made redundant by super-efficient live rock, but some people do still like to use them – particularly those with fish-only systems. The main drawback with a canister-type filter in a marine tank is that it doesn’t have the ability of live rock to convert nitrates into nitrogen (unless expensive supplementary filters are added). This means it’s more difficult to control nitrates, and will require very frequent water changes to dilute the nitrates back down. Canister filters can also become dirty, so the media inside them becomes smothered and loses efficiency. In the event of a failure of the pump, the bacteria inside may starve or suffocate, leading to the filter ‘crashing’ and being unable to convert toxic wastes. Biological filters also need to be cycled (see below) before fish can be added to the tank. This is time-consuming and frustrating in a way that live rock just isn’t.

What is cycling? Cycling is the act of taking a filter without any bacteria and colonising it with enough bacteria to cope with the waste that will eventually be produced by fish. The main way of cycling a filter involves adding liquid ammonia to simulate fish waste over a long period, providing the bacteria with a food source to grow on. Because the tank will be highly toxic with ammonia throughout this period, fish and corals cannot be added. WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK

9

NATHAN HILL

MARINE GUIDE

Find a reputable dealer for your fish.

BUYING & ADDING YOUR LIVESTOCK Buying fish is a real delight, and your store should be able to

T

AKE ALONG details of your tank. Include your pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels, as well as the temperature and a list of what livestock you already have. At least one staff member should be able to tell you exactly what conditions each and every fish on sale needs to keep it healthy. Never buy a fish that you or the store know nothing about. Ask what the fish are feeding on.

10

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Don’t be shy about asking to see them eating if you have any doubts, and don’t buy fish that refuse to feed. Investigate the sale tanks hard. If any fish in there are sick, dead or dying, don’t purchase from that tank. Once you’ve bought your fish, keep them in their insulated, dark packaging for the journey home. Don’t keep taking them out to check on them – you’ll only stress them out. Remember, a good store will ask you lots of questions to ensure that they sell you the right fish.

Sun corals need target feeding.

SHUTTERSTOCK

answer all of your queries. But it also helps to do your homework so you know what you’re looking for before you visit.

Anthias needs lots of small feeds.

10 STEPS TO ACCLIMATISING

1 2

Transfer your fish or corals into a clean bucket.

Use a length of airline to start syphoning water from the tank.

3

Use a clamp or valve to slow the flow to around two drops per second.

4

Allow the water from the aquarium to mix with the contents of the bucket.

5

6

Use a refractometer to measure the salt levels in both the tank and the bucket. Use a thermometer to do the same with temperatures.

7

When tank and bucket are equal on both salt level and temperature, move your livestock out of the bucket.

8

Use a net to move fish, but use a jug or a cup to move invertebrates like corals or anemones. Air exposure can cause them problems.

9

Keep the lights off in the tank for at least an hour while the newcomers settle in.

10

Look for any signs of damage or bullying from, or towards, the new additions in the days following introduction

XXXXXXXXXX

Cover the bucket with a lid so it’s dark inside. This helps to calm the fish and also stops them jumping out.

A balanced diet for everyone In order to keep your livestock at its best, you’ll need to offer appropriate, high-quality meals. And it’s not just fish that need their daily rations – corals need consideration too!

Feeding your fish Specialist marine flakes will suffice for many fish. These contain a good balance of different ingredients that provide a nutritionally complete diet. Offer food more regularly for plankton feeders. Species like Anthias may need four or five small meals a day just to survive. Live Artemia is relished by most marine fish, but irradiated frozen Artemia offers a safer alternative. Feed a frozen diet at least twice a week. Frozen foods in general are excelllent, but be sure to mix it up. Enriched Artemia and Mysis should be staples in your freezer, but also look at krill, chopped squid and green foods. Many fish enjoy seaweed and various vegetables. Attach some to the glass with a feeding clip, and let the fish graze at their leisure. Turn down any pumps while feeding to give the fish a chance to eat. Some pumps even have a ‘feeding’ setting for exactly this. Any uneaten food should be removed with a net after a few minutes.

filter from the water. When feeding corals, turn off the protein skimmer for a short while, as it may inadvertantly remove the food from the water. Always follow the dosage instructions on the pack closely, even if it doesn’t look as if much food is going in. Giving too much coral food will play havoc with your water quality. Prepare to ‘target feed’ some types of coral. This involves loading a pipette or syringe with food and squirting a small amount directly at the corals. Cleaning crew, such as hermit crabs or snails, will also need feeding as they won’t be able to to survive by relying on scraps and leftovers. Offer small morsels of meaty food like brineshrimp.

Feeding your inverts Some types of coral need to be fed a finely powdered or liquid food that they

Food clips will let grazing fish eat through the day. WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 11

VECTRA SMART RETURN PUMP EcoTech Marine has set new standards for equipment in saltwater aquariums. The Vectra is no exception. The world’s smartest return pump can be run on a schedule, wirelessly give you updates on the operation and be automatically

Your Marine Specialists Visit your local Aquatics store for great advice and fish that really catch your eye

R E D R O T S R I F F F O 10% Marine ish from TMC Wide range of tropicals Coldwater and pond fish Website Fish2yourdoor.com or trimaraquaria.com

AQUALUSH SWINDON’S PREMIER AQUATICS CENTRE

NEVER MISS AN ISSUE! e nsp ra on and expert advice delivered straight to your ipad every month with a digital subscription to Practical Fishkeeping magazine

• Extensive selection of marine, tropical, and reptile products, live food and electrical goods • 40 Marine Tanks • 10 Tropical Tanks • Large Coral Bays • Invertebrate Tanks • Tropical Plant Tanks & much more!! UNIT 36 BSS HOUSE, CHENEY MANOR IND. EST. SWINDON,WILTSHIRE, SN2 2PJ

www.aqua-lush.co.uk • 01793 484230 www.facebook.com/aqualushswindon

MARINE GUIDE

NEIL HEPWORTH

NEIL HEPWORTH

NEIL HEPWORTH

15

CHOICES FOR YOUR FIRST TANK

Firefish

Size: 11cm/4.2in, males smaller Tank size: 100 l/22 gal minimum Temperament: Peaceful Reef compatible? Yes

Size: Up to 2.5cm/1in Tank size: 15 l/3.3 gal minimum Temperament: Peaceful Reef compatible? Yes

Size: To 7.5cm/3in Tank size: 40 l/9 gal or bigger Temperament: Peaceful Reef compatible? Yes

ALAMY

NEIL HEPWORTH

Astraea turbo snail

NEIL HEPWORTH

Common clownfish

Bicolor blenny

Green chromis

Royal gramma

Size: Up to 10cm/4in Tank size: 100 l/22 gal minimum Temperament: Peaceful Reef compatible? Yes

Size: Up to 10cm/4in Tank size: 100 l/22 gal minimum Temperament: Peaceful Reef compatible? Yes

Size: Up to 7.5cm/3in Tank size: 100 l/22 gal minimum Temperament: Usually peaceful Reef compatible? Yes

14

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

NEIL HEPWORTH

SHUTTERSTOCK

PHOTOMAX

Mushroom rock

Size: Up to 7.5cm/3in Tank size: 100 l/22 gal minimum Temperament: Territorial and semi-aggressive Reef compatible? Yes

Size: N/A Tank size: 15 l/3.3 gal minimum Temperament: Aggressive grower Reef compatible? Yes. An easy and very desirable choice

Size: N/A Tank size: 15 l/3.3 gal minimum Temperament: Semi-aggressive Reef compatible? Yes. An excellent choice

ALAMY

NEIL HEPWORTH

Zoanthus polyp/Zoa

NEIL HEPWORTH

Neon blue goby

Green star polyps

Size: Up to 7.5cm/3in Tank size: 100 l/22 gal minimum Temperament: Semi-aggressive Reef compatible? Yes

Size: 5cm/2in Tank size: 30 l/7 gal or bigger Temperament: Peaceful Reef compatible? Yes

Size: N/A Tank size: 15 l/3.3 gal minimum Temperament: Peaceful Reef compatible? Yes. Very desirable

ALAMY

SHUTTERSTOCK

Sixline wrasse

NEIL HEPWORTH

NEIL HEPWORTH

Bicolor dottyback

Cleaner shrimp

Yellow tail blue damsel

Blue-legged hermit crabs

Size: 5cm/2in Tank size: 15 l/3.3 gal minimum Temperament: Peaceful Reef compatible? Yes

Size: Up to 7.5cm/3in Tank size: 100 l/22 gal minimum Temperament: Semi-aggressive Reef compatible? Yes

Size: Up to 2.5cm/1in Tank size: 15 l/3.3 gal minimum Temperament: Peaceful Reef compatible? Yes WWW.PRACTICALFISHKEEPING.CO.UK 15

At the

forefront of modern reef keeping Deltec Technical Equipment

AquaIllumination LED Lighting H2Ocean Reef Salt

Polyplab Coral Foods & Additves

ROWAphos Phosphate Remover

Jumpguard Aquarium Covers ClariSea Fleece Filters

D-D Reef-Pro Aquariums