Sensational: Malawi E Biter

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WRONGLY ACCUSED?

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RICE PALACES Keep and breed the fascinating ricefish

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fish of ill-repute. Guilty as charged — or misunderstood?

SPECIAL REPORT

Our top picks from the AQUA show

DISCOVER THE

sensational

MALAWI E BITER

DOUBLE YOUR FUN Gorgeous marines to keep in pairs

US WHAT’S HOT ON THE GOLDFISH FRONT

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OASE HighLine Aquariums Pure design, no compromise The HighLine range of aquariums from OASE help make fish-keeping easy including contemporary design, hidden technology and reduced cleaning and maintenance. Filter technology is located in the cabinet which is hidden from view but still easily accessible. Modern, energy efficient LED lighting creates the right atmosphere while beautifully lighting your fish and encouraging plant growth. Quality and individual design - a new standard in Indoor Aquatics. Ɣ Available in three sizes - 200L, 300L & 400L Ɣ Available in three decors - glossy white, glossy anthracite and natural oak Ɣ Pull out shelf Ɣ Adjustable feet for stability Ɣ No handle doors For more information please visit www.oase-livingwater.com

Welcome Learn from the best

JEREMY GAY is a former PFK editor and now Evolution Aqua’s Business Development Manager. He spotlights the Malawi eyebiter cichlid on page 66.

DAVE WOLFENDEN is curator at the Blue Planet Aquarium in Cheshire Oaks. He offers some fascinating facts about Artemia on page 84.

NATHAN HILL is an aquatic journalist and PFK’s features editor. He profiles the amazing ricefish, checks out some top quality goldfish and has tips on buying used tanks. Pages 8, 51 & 84.

Like many things in life, fishkeeping is subject to trends. In recent years these have included LED lighting, wifi controllable hardware, Optiwhite glass aquariums and the incorporation of natural decor such as leaves into the aquascape. Discover some of the latest aquarium innovations in our report of the AQUA trade show (page 100). There are trends in the fish we keep, too — you only have to look at the current popularity of the Siamese fighter to see that. Other species have been best sellers for decades, and it’s easy to see why the small, dazzling and peaceful Neon tetra has stood the test of time for so long and is the ‘darling’ of community tank keepers everywhere. But what about those fish that continue to be popular despite the fact that they have a rather less sociable reputation? While Tiger barbs and Red-tailed black sharks are both stunning fish for example, they do carry an element of risk that they will turn your peaceful community set-up into a battle zone. But is this really ‘bad behaviour’ on the part of the fish — or does it come down to a lack of understanding of their needs? We investigate the ‘crimes’ of five known aquatic offenders and offer our verdict on each (see page 58). This issue of Practical Fishkeeping comes with a free 24-page beginner’s guide. If you are already an experienced hobbyist, why not pass it on to a friend or relative so that they can discover the joys of fishkeeping, too?

8 Discover the fascinating world of the ricefish.

38 Keep and breed the Flame tetra.

58 Five alleged mischief makers — guilty or not?

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GEORGE FARMER is a world-renowned aquascaper. He sets up a gorgeous low maintenance planted aquarium on page 46.

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Cover image: Foto Malawi Stan

ON THE COVER

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RICE PALACES The dainty ricefish are easy to keep, fascinating to breed and don’t need acres of space. Here’s what you need to know about these rock stars of the science world…

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TWO’S COMPANY

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GOLDFISH GALORE

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While many marine fish species are best kept singly to avoid conflict, there are some which do very well in pairs — and they may even breed for you! A visit to the UK’s leading goldfish supplier offered the perfect chance to showcase some of the country’s finest!

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THE USUAL SUSPECTS We spotlight five alleged ne’erdo-wells — are they truly the underwater version of the Kray twins, or just misunderstood?

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A FEAST FOR THE EYES

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NEW GEAR

Meet the Malawi eyebiter cichlid — a fish that’s guaranteed to attract attention, and not just because of its name. Our special report looks at some of the highlights from the AQUA 2017 trade show.

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YOUR FISH & TANKS

24 28

TANK COMMUNITY The place to share your fish, tanks and experiences.

ME AND MY TANK The ‘dark and atmospheric tanks of fishkeeper Mike Calnun.

NEWS & REVIEWS

16 106 6

FISHKEEPING NEWS We report from the penultimate Festival of Fishkeeping event, plus news of a UK Charity Fish Auction taking place in December.

SHOPTOUR This month we visit aquatic retailers in Dorset and Northamptonshire.

08 PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

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FISHKEEPING KNOW-HOW

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In association with

DIPLOMA

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FISH IN THE SHOPS Four non-community fish that need careful housing.

REKINDLING THE FLAME Gabor Horvath gets reaquainted with a first love.

FERNTASTIC This low maintenance aquascape uses mature plants to give it immediate impact. But you can achieve something similar with new plants if you’re prepared to wait for them to grow in.

CLAWS FOR THOUGHT The Panther crab is one of the few totally aquatic crabs available in the hobby — and it’s freshwater…

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AQUATIC SCHOOL In the fourth part of our Diploma series, we look at disease issues and how to tackle them.

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BUYING A USED TANK While we might all want to fill our homes with new, top end gear, our cash flow might have other ideas. Here’s some important advice on buying secondhand.

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THE FISHKEEPER’S EMERGENCY TOOLBOX

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EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT ARTEMIA

84

It pays to have a few essential items to hand for those sudden unexpected emergencies.

Artemia have featured in South Park, NASA has sent them into space, and they’re a great live food. Here’s our guide on getting the best out of these incredible crustaceans.

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PROBLEMS SOLVED

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FISHKEEPING ANSWERS

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Some of the world’s top experts answer your questions.

PLUS

44 82

16 www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

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DYED FISH CAMPAIGN What wrong with injected fish? Find out — and get your local retailer to sign up to our campaign against the selling of dyed fish.

TAILPIECE Nathan Hill tries to deal with his baying crowd of superfans.

FREE WITH THIS ISSUE 24-PAGE BEGINNERS’ GUIDE 7

Rice

Palaces

The dainty ricefish are easy to keep, fascinating to breed and don’t need acres of space. Here’s what you need to know about these rock stars of the science world…

MP&C PIEDNOIR, AQUAPRESS.COM

WORDS: NATHAN HILL

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PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Fish of the month

Daisy’s ricefish, Oryzias woworae.

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

NEIL HEPWORTH

Female ricefish carry their eggs around on their undersides. Some species deposit them on plants after fertilisation, but others carry them to maturity.

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here’s nothing quirkier than fish, and few fish quirkier than the Medaka. Medaka, Oryzias latipes, is an old acquaintance, being a species I kept in my early hobby years. Visually, I have clear memories. I’m maybe 14 years old, with a rickety all-glass Clearseal tank — the life blood of the hobby in the early ’90s, complete with dappled plastic hood and crude lights that were around 50% illumination, 50% impending fire risk — and my fish are dancing. One goldy-green female, faint orange highlights on her tail, is being embraced by a male. He hooks his dorsal fin over her body, as casual as old friends meeting in a pub, and shimmers and shakes. Underneath her, like a clump of transparent grapes, a bundle of eggs hangs from her body. Under the excess yellow of my entirely unsuitable light, this early morning encounter is cut short for me. I have to go to

school. On my return, there are no eggs left. A happy looking male seems plumper than usual, and even the female seems to have regained some of the weight she lost. This series of events repeats itself over coming weeks, always spawning in the morning, and always the eggs gone by the time I get home. I’m at that age where I want to keep everything. Within a couple of months, my Medaka had been traded in for something newer. To date, I’ve never had my successful spawn. The Medaka is one of 33 known species of Oryzias, collectively known as the ricefish. From the far east, they’re synonymous with rice paddies, which they call home. Or at least they were until invasive species arrived and started eating them. For a long time, unless a fishkeeper had interest in spawning them, there was little aquarium appeal. Ricefish would appear on import lists, but less so in retailer tanks,

where they would tend to sit unsold. And then Sulawesi happened. In 2007 Daisy Wowor, a carcinologist from Indonesia, no doubt looking for the crustaceans of her trade, came across a species that would change the ricefish’s fortunes. The fish now named in her honour, Daisy’s ricefish, Oryzias woworae, easily ranks as the catwalk model of Oryzias. You might not know it yet, but you really, really, want some in your life…

Fish of science While we often hear about Zebra danios being used in research, the Medaka is also busy behind the scenes, helping all sorts of technological and medical advances. It has a tiny genome, about half the size of the danio, and an outrageously fast turn-around time. A whole generation of Medaka can be cultured in as little as seven weeks, trumping the danio by a whole fortnight.

While a dedicated set-up would be perfect, Daisy’s ricefish will do just as well in a community tank.

Did

?

you know

NATUREPL

Oryzias were once thought to be Cyprinodontiformes, alongside killifish and pupfish. But they have since been moved to the family Adrianichthydae, within the order of Beloniformes. They have some curious cousins, like the Hemiramphid halfbeaks, the needlefish and even the famed Flying fish.

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PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Fish of the month Oryzias latipes with eggs.

MP&C PIEDNOIR, AQUAPRESS.COM

While some species are a little delicate, Medaka can withstand rough housing that would wipe out many a community tank. They’ll tolerate temperatures to extremes beyond most goldfish — down to 4°C and as high as 40°C, albeit briefly. They’re euryhaline — able to tolerate fresh and brackish water. They’re also easy to manipulate at a genetic level. From a research perspective, that means certain functions can be turned on and the fish exploited in toxicology tests — what better way to see that a lake has been contaminated than by a fish that changes colour when exposed to toxins? From a retail perspective, the receptiveness of the fish to transgenic mutation means that it’s also become a target of the ‘glowing’ gene. While not available (or legal) in the UK, overseas you might find them in tanks saturated with UV ‘blacklight’ and glowing

DAISY’S RICEFISH

MEDAKA/ JAPANESE RICEFISH

You’ll see these offered more than any other ricefish species, but expect to pay a hefty sum for them. Most images don’t do them justice. You need to see the pearlescent sheen and the iridescence of the blues in the flesh to really appreciate them.

Peaceful and tough, even if you’re just using them to fill out a community, I bet you anything you’ll grow really fond of these pretty fish. G Scientific name: Oryzias latipes (Orr-rit-zee-ass lat-ip-eez). G Size: To 3.2cm. G Origin: Japan, China, Vietnam and Korea. G Habitat: Take your pick. Marshes, streams, ponds, pools, rice paddies, in both fresh and brackish water. G Tank size: Minimum 45 x 25cm for a small shoal. G Water requirements: Neutral to slightly alkaline: 7.0 to 8.0pH, hardness over 10°H. G Temperature: 18 to 24°C. G Temperament: Peaceful, but small so may be eaten or intimidated by tank mates. G Feeding: Micropredators. Offer lots of bloodworm, Daphnia and Cyclops. Flake food is taken greedily. G Availability and price: Not so common for such an easy fish, priced from around £1.50.

G Scientific name: Oryzias woworae (Orr-it-zee-ass woah-war-ay). G Size: To 2.8cm. G Origin: Muna Island, Sulawesi. G Habitat: Clear stream over mud and leaf litter. G Tank size: Minimum 45 x 25cm for a small shoal. G Water requirements: Neutral to slightly acidic: 6.0 to 7.0pH, hardness 4 to 12°H. G Temperature: 23 to 27°C, ideally 25°C. G Temperament: Peaceful, but small so may be eaten or intimidated by tank mates. G Feeding: Micropredators. Offer lots of bloodworm, Daphnia and Cyclops. Flake food is taken greedily. G Availability and price: Embraced by many retailers as a good seller, you’ll find these at many stores around the UK, often priced in the £5 region. Tank volume

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Temp C 9 8 7 6

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artificial hues of green, pink or yellow. From the perspective of spawning, there’s pretty much nothing left to understand about the Medaka. Studies of its reproduction and development are so meticulous as to be comprehensive, with key events predictable to the second in some cases. We know, for example, that the micropile (the tiny hole present on fish eggs where sperm enters for fertilisation) seals exactly nine seconds after sperm enters. At one hour and five minutes, the first cell division occurs. Researchers have broken the entire spawning and development procedure into 39 timed stages, which you can find with a simple online search. Native to Japan, Medaka have been kept by the Japanese since the 1600s, which is where a lot of the fish’s natural tolerance probably came in handy. Time served is great, but it still doesn’t get over the fact that Medaka are pretty underwhelming to look at, so it was a big ask for ricefish to ever become popular. 2007 changed all that, thanks to Sulawesi, a curious, ‘leggy’ island that makes up a part of Indonesia. We’re talking a big island — the eleventh largest in the world — with a population over 18 million. From an evolutionary point of view, Sulawesi has been running riot for millions of years. As human encroachment goes, Sulawesi only picked up an infection of Homo sapiens around 30,000 years ago, but on a very small scale. Rather than deforest, industrialise, kill everything and introduce mass cultivation, the early indigenous peoples resigned themselves to cave painting and leaving the wilderness alone. In its isolation, Sulawesi turns up plenty of endemic species. There are birds and mammals that you won’t find elsewhere in the world — 62% of the mammals there are endemic. Free to diversify to Sulawesi’s niches, fish have followed suit, with 12 species of halfbeak endemic to the island, and at least 15 endemic Oryzias. Sulawesi is rich in ricefish. It hosts both the largest (the closely related Adrianichthys poptae — the ‘other’ ricefish

Females produce the eggs through the night and by dawn they’re swimming about with them attached to their undersides.

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ALL SEQUENCE: MP&C PIEDNOIR, AQUAPRESS.COM

NATUREPL

The Sulawesi upgrade

The males embrace the females, fertilising the eggs. She then chooses a leaf to deposit them on.

The embryos inside the eggs continue to develop...

Fish of the month Did

?

you know

The name Oryzias stems from Oryza, pronounced either orr-rit-zah, or orrright-zah depending on how Americanised you are. Oryza, as the botanists out there will have already identified, is the scientific name for rice…

On all fronts, ricefish are undemanding, so the only real choice is whether you want something cheap and easy to keep, or something brighter, more expensive and easy to keep.

...and they’re ready to hatch at around 9–12 days.

The fry can be fed on microworms and freshly hatched Artemia.

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NPL

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part of the same ‘woworae complex’. Like woworae, O. asinua was living alongside Nomorhamphus halfbeaks. Troublingly, it was already sharing its habitat with invasive species like Oreochromis cichlids and even Trichopodus trichopterus (Blue gourami). O. wolasi is sometimes sold as Oryzias sp. ‘Neon’ and looks very similar to woworae. The key difference is in the dorsal fin — that of O. wolasi has extended rays, leading to an elongate, pointed tip that woworae lacks. O woworae is also slightly more intense in colour, though in shop conditions with juvenile fish, this isn’t always apparent.

So how do you keep them? On all fronts, ricefish are undemanding, so the only real choice is whether you want

something cheap and easy to keep, or something brighter, more expensive and easy to keep. Starting with my old spawning nemesis, the Medaka, your layoput options are vast. Medaka are found in rice paddies, ponds, slow streams, canals, bogs, marshes, and even brackish lowlands — some researchers and hobbyists cite slightly salted water as better for culturing them, but you’ll do this at the expense of plants. If you’re going to explore the brackish path, you’ll need some marine salt. I’d be aiming for a salinity no greater than 8ppt (8 grams of salt per litre), but it’s a debateable area. The Medaka aren’t so fussed. If you’re a beginner, go freshwater. They’re from Japan, as well as Korea, China and Vietnam, so plants from any of those will fit, but you’re really missing a trick if you don’t consider a fake rice paddy. I say fake as rice is a bit rampant for aquaria, so the trick is to get a tank with a generous footprint (shallow and wide is good) and cover the base with sand, maybe a tiny bit of leaf litter (not enough to discolour the water or make things acidic) and all the grassy plants you get your hands on. Try lashings of Vallisneria at the back and sides, with the lower growing Blyxa japonica in the middle. Don’t use soft or acidic water! Medaka like a chemistry somewhere between 7.0–8.0pH, and seem happiest toward the higher end of that. Keep the hardness over 10°H. For temperature, don’t go to extremes, but don’t panic if you’ve no heater: 18–25°C is fine, with preference towards the lower end. You only need a small filter. A dinky internal canister set to slow flow rate will do, but an air driven foam filter would be optimal. The emphasis is on slow flow. I’ll be candid here — they’re pretty resilient to poor water quality, too. Bear in mind that for centuries the Japanese kept them successfully in little rice bowls, and you get the idea. For the records, to get an outbreak of disease in Medaka, you have to mess up real bad. Now I think of it, they could be the hardiest fish in the hobby right now. Or you could go in for Daisy’s ricefish, which is what any sensible aquarist looking for colour would do. Alas, if you want to go authentic, sourcing Sulawesi plants from the specific river that woworae comes from is near impossible, so you’ll need to pretend. PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

MP&C PIEDNOIR AQUAPRESS.COM

Close-up of a developing ricefish embryo.

Oryzias eversi.

ALAMY

genus) at 20cm, and the smallest, Oryzias asinua at just 2.7cm. It also houses the most coveted species of all — Daisy’s ricefish, Oryzias woworae. When woworae first appeared in the trade, few thought that they were ricefish at all, and fewer thought they were natural, such are the astounding colours. With a steel blue, pearlescent body, and fins dripping with brilliant red, the accusations flew thick and fast. ‘GM’ came the detractors. ‘Clearly hybrids’ said others, while citing specious stories of hormone enhancement from Czech Republic breeders. But the woworae is both real and natural, hailing from the Muna Island region of Sulawesi, an island off of an island, isolated from Sulawesi proper by seawater. There, they live in rivers with crystal clear waters as blue as azure skies. They were found in a freshwater stream, with only around 20% direct sunlight exposure, thick jungle canopy obscuring the rest. Over mud and leaf litter, and directly opposite a freshwater spring in a 4m deep blue hole, O. woworae were happily shoaling with Nomorhamphus halfbeaks. O. woworae gained its formal description in 2010. Within three years, ichthyologists were describing other finds. It turned out that this wasn’t the only Oryzias with pretty colours, and the bright O. asinua — notably small, with curious orange nostrils — and O. wolasi were waiting to be discovered. Although all from Sulawesi, there’s around 100km+ between each of the species, leading researchers to believe they’re all

Fish of the month

When woworae first appeared in the trade, few thought that they were rice fish at all, and fewer thought they were natural, such are the astounding colours.

Daisy’s ricefish hails from crystal clear streams in Sulawesi.

I’ve always found O. woworae to be an ‘all levels’ kind of fish, so plump for a deeper tank than you would for the Medaka. This isn’t essential, but you’ll see them at their best if you get something 45cm or so deep. As a substrate, sand or fine gravel works well, and a mixture of both even better. Anecdotally, it would seem that darker substrates lead to darker coloured fish. In the wild, the only vegetation found grows marginally, but it’s worth having some grassy plants at either the back or sides of the tank if you want to venture into breeding — and you really do want to venture into breeding. Unlike the Medaka, leaf litter can be abundant in a woworae tank, so browse for exotic botanicals, or collect leaves from local hardwood trees throughout Autumn. Just like keeping Medaka, a small, air-powered foam filter is the best choice. With Daisy’s ricefish the heater isn’t optional — keep them between 23 and 27°C at all times. They are also a little fussier with water chemistry. For one, don’t add salt — I’d even extend this to using salt in treatments. Second, keep them either at a neutral pH, or just slightly under. Acidic water is preferable to alkaline if you can’t www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

get conditions bang on 7.0pH. Keep hardness somewhere between 4 and 12°H. That’s about as tricky as it gets. Keep flows low, don’t go mad with lighting (a T5 tube will be ample), water change 15% of the tank weekly and your fish will be fine. Why not go the whole hog and track down some small, freshwater Nomorhamphus halfbeaks too? The only catch with O. woworae is the price. At around £5 a time, even a small group will soon add up. Either fish will make for a fun biotope, or just add them to a community tank — ricefish are easy going and totally peaceful.

Multiply your assets Or go for a breeding tank. Start with a trio of either species, a 45 x 25 x 25cm all glass tank with hood (no light), a small air-driven filter, and a big spawning mop or some expendable plants, and you’re all set. Breeding is, frankly, an absolute must, even if only to make up for my own failures. Ricefish belong to a tiny niche of egglayers that carry their eggs around with them, and it is fascinating to see. Some species, like O. eversi carry the eggs to maturity, a bit like a kind of prolapsed Guppy, while O. latipes and

O. woworae only carry their eggs for a few hours before depositing them on a leaf. Spawning always takes place at dawn. The females produce the eggs through the night and by sunrise they’ll have a dozen little globes attached to their undersides. The males embrace them, fertilising the eggs — in male O. latipes you might even be able to see the small quasi-gonopodium at the front of the anal fin. Think of a male Guppy with a miniaturised reproductive organ. Once fertilised, the female swims about, business as usual, until she eventually deposits them somewhere. To get ricefish in spawning condition, just feed them and provide the right water chemistry. They will soon produce under their own volition. Oryzias will eat their own offspring, so look at where the eggs have been deposited, and remove them. Place them into an egg tumbler (don’t touch the eggs, but carefully move the whole leaf/segment of spawning mop they’ve been place on) and sit back and wait for the next 9 to 12 days. Feeding the fry is as straightforward as offering some microworms and freshly hatched Artemia. Within a few days, they’re often ready to take finely powdered flake.

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FISHKEEPING NEWS Latest news and events from the world of aquatics. SPECIAL REPORT

Festival of Fishkeeping 2017 WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY: NATHAN HILL The weekend of October 7–8 saw the UK’s penultimate Festival of Fishkeeping at Hounslow, Middlesex. The show, directed annually by the Federation of British Aquarist societies, and now into its 31st consecutive year, acts as host to various members of numerous clubs, which come together to display the best of the best of UK show fish. Over two days, contest categories included the British Open, the Diamond Class Final, the Supreme Breeders Final, the Supreme Pairs final, and the crème-de-la-crème, the Supreme Championship Final. Winning this last category is ‘the’ coveted position for fish showers, and this year the prize went to Allan Finnegan for an outstanding Aulonocara maylandi. For those unfamiliar with fish showing, the initial layout might come as a surprise. After years of associating fish care with large, filtered aquaria, the sight of numerous small display tanks, completely barren and without any life support equipment can be unsettling to those outside of the ‘scene’. As always, it requires the newcomer to actually look at the fish on display to see that they are, contrary to what might be expected, far from showing any signs of stress. Your mind is put at some ease when you speak to the showers themselves and get a feel for the love and effort that has gone into conditioning the fish throughout the year. Most of those you meet at this level have admirable fish houses, and a significant amount of time and effort is put in to their livestock — the shows are a way of showing off these efforts. For those looking to pick up outrageous bargains, many of the pristine show fish were sold off after final judging on the Sunday afternoon. Specimens like the Sawbwa resplendens Asian Rummynose seen on the opposite page were snapped up for a mere £3

each. For collectors of unusual fish, Sunday afternoon became quite a harvest. As well as the traditional shows, the Festival hosted other attractions over the weekend. Set on an urban farm, the site is home to various semi-exotic animals and visitors were treated to unusual, non-fishy spectacles like owl flying. Reptiles were also displayed, for the more adventurous folks to investigate. From the perspective of those attendees with children, arts and crafts and play zones were present. This year also saw the first FBAS Betta Show, which was notably the largest (by numbers) of any category. Combined with the Betta displays provided on the day by LJB Aquatics, 2017 constituted what was easily the most Betta splendens oriented show to date. Flowerhorns played a large part of displays and sales on the day, again hosted by LJB, but for folks looking to buy, plenty was available. Elsewhere, surplus home-bred fish provided some serious bargains. High-tier Potamotrygon supplied by Freshwater Stingrays were a particular draw, in both buyers and casual admirers. All manner of fishkeeping paraphernalia, from mugs to aquarium filtration all made an appearance. Supporting companies included Rolf C Hagen, Simply Koi and Fish Science, with staff on hand to offer technical advice to hobbyists. Sadly, absent from the year’s event were one of the Koi displayers (and subsequently his Koi)

as well as Discus (usually a firm favourite), so the event was a little thinly spread compared to previous years. To repeat, this show is the penultimate Festival of Fishkeeping, so the last chance to attend one of these historic occasions and see what the fuss is about will be in Autumn 2018.

Flowerhorn cichlid.

Some outstanding Betta were on show.

First class fish were on display in the show section.

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PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Don’t miss the final ever show in 2018

Sawbwa resplendens. Allan Finnegan’s winning Aulonocara maylandi.

SHOW RESULTS

Winners of the Supreme Pairs title were these stunning Dwarf chain loaches.

It’s safe to say it was a successful weekend for Allan Finnegan (pictured left).

BRITISH OPEN CHAMPIONS 1st place – Aulonocara maylandi ‘Sulphur head Eccles Reef’ (92 points). Allan Finnegan 2nd place – Aulonocara jacobfreibergi (91 points). Allan Finnegan 3rd place – Neolamprologus leleupi (90 points). Allan Finnegan SUPREME CHAMPIONS 1st place – Aulonocara maylandi ‘Sulphur head Eccles Reef’ (92 points). Allan Finnegan 2nd place – Paraneetroplus argenteus. Tansie Harrison 3rd place – Sawbwa resplendens. Mollie Edwards DIAMOND CLASS 1st place – Otopharynx lithobates ‘Sulphur head’ (86 points). Allan Finnegan 2nd place – Phallichthys fairweatheri (85 points). Terry Hewitt 3rd place – Sawbwa resplendens (84 points). Roy Chapman SUPREME PAIRS 1st place – Ambastaia sidthimunki. Allan Finnegan 2nd place – Xiphophorus xiphidium. Terry Hewitt 3rd place – Nannostomus marginatus. Roy Chapman SUPREME BREEDERS 1st place – Xiphophorus milleri. Tims Edwards 2nd place – Sawbwa resplendens. Tims Edwards 3rd place – Brachyraphis rhabdophora. Allan Finnegan

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

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FISHKEEPING NEWS DIARY DATES

UK Charity Fish Auction

Sell fish, buy fish, and raise money for charity at a fabulous event in Leicester on Sunday, December 3. The 2017 UK Charity Fish Auction takes place at Braunstone & District WMC, Braunstone Close, Leicester, LE3 2GE. The aim is to raise lots of money for Macmillan Cancer Support and Cancer Research UK. Last year’s event raised more than £980 for Macmillan Cancer Research. Doors open at 9am and the first auction will be at 11am. Refreshments are available all day, with both hot and cold choices available. Entry costs just £2. If you want to sell fish at the event or require other details, check out the UK Charity Fish Auction facebook page, where a list of some of the amazing fish you’ll be able to bid on will also be posted nearer the time. O More info: www.facebook.com/ukfishauction/

S INDUSTRY NEW Keith Davenport (right) receives his award from Dr David Pool.

OATA hands out Lifetime Achievement Award Retired Chief Executive Keith Davenport has been recognised for his work in the aquatics industry by being awarded OATA’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Keith, who spent 25 years at the helm of OATA, was presented the award at the AQUA2017 show dinner by Dr David Pool. Keith was recruited at the beginning of the ’90s to help set up and run a new trade association, originally called OFI UK, to tackle a number of big issues facing the industry at that time. Renamed OATA in 1997, he took the organisation from strength to strength, raising standards and awareness over a quarter of a century. Before joining OATA, Keith established the first full time courses anywhere in the world covering ornamental fish husbandry, at Sparsholt Agriculture College and, while there, he also established the National Aquatic Training centre. Many of the students from these courses, and the predecessor YTS scheme he taught, still work in the industry and occupy senior positions within it.

G FISH SMUGGLIN

CLUB NEWS

ILFORD CLUB CLOSES AFTER MORE THAN 80 YEARS Ilford Aquarist’s and Pondkeepers Society will close its doors in December 2017. Ilford AS was formed in 1934 and except for a break due to World War II, it continued to be the largest society in the south-east. Vice President Ken Wrightson says: “This decision has been regretfully made due to numerous Committee and Club members moving away from the area, dwindling attendances and nobody being prepared to help keep the Society going. Only a few years ago we had regular attendances of 40+ people — guest speakers always remarked how good it was to speak to such a large audience. “I feel privileged to have been a member of Ilford AS, having shared experiences with good like-minded people over many years,” Ken continues. He adds that the remaining members are hoping to form a Study Group which would meet quarterly, so that the name of Ilford AS won’t be lost completely.

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Airport police in Manaus, Brazil, seized a huge number of Amazonian fish hidden inside three large suitcases, on October 14. They discovered a total of 672 fish, with seven species in all — a record number of species — including one threatened with extinction and two undescribed species. They included more than 300 Zebra plecs, Hypancistrus zebra, which are endemic to a small stretch of the Xingu River and under increasing threat of extinction due to the construction of the Belo Monte dam. The fish had been packed inside plastic bottles and bags. Many had bruising and some — including two stingrays — died. Two people were arrested as they attempted to travel to Tabatinga, on the triple border with Peru and Colombia, from where the fish would most likely have been taken over the border into Colombia. The pair — described as ‘mules’, similar to those used by drug smugglers — were charged with environmental crime and attempted smuggling.

Zebra plec, Hypancistrus zebra.

SHUTTERSTOCK

Pick up a bargain and support two worthy causes at the UK Charity Fish Auction.

Over 670 fish seized at airport in Brazil

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

The antisocial set!

This month we look at four non-community fish that you’ll need to house very carefully if you want to avoid carnage... WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY: NATHAN HILL

MANUEL’S PIRANHA There are piranha keepers, and there are alpha-tier piranha keepers. As a closet pirahna fan myself (I keep it all a bit low-key) this is a species I have long coveted, but even after some 35+ years as a fishkeeper, I’m still not confident I could house one successfully. Manuel’s piranha needs flawless water quality. As an aquarist, it would help if you were borderline neurotic about testing, and had a few vats of RO on standby in the event of an emergency. As well as impeccable water, you need to offer a good, varied diet. Manueli eats a certain amount of flesh — chunks of alternated oily and white fresh fish make a good start — and a degree of fruits and seeds too. Every week, I’d consider something like CE Essentials Naturekind food for the ‘green’ side of things.

A big tank is vital. Anecdotal reports suggest 45cm for S. manueli in captivity, while an unverified comment in a piranha book hints at a 61cm fish. Wow. In captivity you need to keep Manueli solo. They’re not gregarious by nature, and any other tank mate will be bitten or outright eaten. They also appreciate some flow, so get some circulation pumps running.  Scientific name: Serrasalmus manueli (Serr-ah-sal-muss man-well-eye).  Size: 45cm or more.  Origin: Amazon and Orinoco basins, South America.  Habitat: Deep, flowing rivers.  Aquarium size: Minimum 180 x 60cm footprint.  Water requirements: Close to neutral: 6.8 to 7.3pH, hardness below 12°H.

 Temperature: 24 to 28°C.  Temperament: Solitary species, will eat tank mates and attack hands.  Feeding: Feed only a few times a week with meaty foods such as prawn, cockle, mussel, white and oily fish. Also ensure some fruit and veg is offered.  Availability and cost: Rare and expensive, this fish was on sale at a bargain £175. Tank volume 0

pH

Temp C 9 8 7 6

30 28 26 24 22 20 18

648 l+

5

Seen at Wharf Aquatics, Pinxton.

20

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Fish in the shops Predators to handle with care!

“By interactive, I mean that the fish lunges at objects outside of the tank that happen to be moving...”

SHARP-NOSE PIRANHA Also known as Sanchez’s piranha (which technically it isn’t — it’s a Pirambeba), keepers of these fish frequently tell me how interactive they are. Of course, by interactive I mean that the fish lunges at objects outside of the tank that happen to be moving, but you get the idea. Sanchez is a stealth predator that likes to creep up on prey, going for fins and soft parts first. That’s not to say it won’t nail another fish outright, because it will. That’s what Piranha and Pirambeba do. Unlike more common Piranha types, this one can’t be kept in a shoal. It’s possible that someone out there has managed it, but Sanchez is in the habit of seeing anything in its tank as food. Like other Piranha, it comes from

South America (specifically Peru) where it likes to hide itself away in dense vegetation and wait for prey to pass by. That’s what you want to try to recreate in any tank you set up — lots of dense greenery in a layout with heavily shaded regions. Be real careful when it comes to cleaning. I’ve seen how these things get switched on by movement, and they could really cause an injury to the careless aquarist.  Scientific name: Serrasalmus sanchezi (Serr-ah-sal-muss san-chez-eye).  Size: To 15cm.  Origin: Peru, South America.  Habitat: Slow rivers and pools, amongst dense plants.  Aquarium size: Minimum 120 x 30cm.  Water requirements: Ideally slightly soft and acidic, but quite tolerant: 6.5 to

7.5pH, hardness below 16°H.  Temperature: 24 to 28°C.  Temperament: Solitary species, will eat tank mates and attack hands.  Feeding: Feed only a few times a week with meaty foods such as prawn, cockle, mussel, white and oily fish. Avoid terrestrial meats like beef or chicken.  Availability and cost: Not common at all, this fish was on sale for £79.95. Tank volume 0

pH

Temp C 9 8 7 6

30 28 26 24 22 20 18

108 l+

5

Seen at Wharf Aquatics, Pinxton www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

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GREEN ‘RESHA’ FEATHERFIN Here’s a juvenile fish that’ll look nothing like this when it’s an adult. When mature, it has a unique nose, which gives it the scientific name, with a pronounced conk that sticks out over the lips — males show this off more than females, and it develops best in the most territorial fish. In the wild, these fish will form a group of individuals around a metre or two above the bottom of their habitats, where they collectively forage. Like most Tanganyikan cichlids, the species is subject to huge variation on a geographic basis, and while you’ll see some types that develop into yellow adults, the Resha variant here grows into a grey-green adult. All Ophthalmotilapia

develop the most wonderful, extended ventral fins with bright ‘bulbs’ at the end, and the Resha is no exception. These are plankton feeders rather than aufwuchs grazers (though they’ll indulge from time to time) so plenty of free swimming foods should be offered — Daphnia wouldn’t be a bad idea. Spawning involves the building of a huge bower (think of a volcano shape constructed out of sand) which the male guards ferociously. G Scientific name: Ophthalmotilapia nasuta ‘Resha’ (Off-thal-mo-till-app-ee-ah nah-soo-ta). G Size: To around 20cm. G Origin: Endemic to Lake Tanganyika.

G Habitat: Over huge boulders with no vegetation. G Tank size: Minimum 120 x 30cm footprint. G Water requirements: Very hard and alkaline: 8.4 to 8.8pH, hardness above 30°H. G Temperature: Around 26°C. G Temperament: Aggressive, territorial G Feeding: Sinking pellets and granules, live and frozen Daphnia, Cyclops and bloodworm. Frozen Calanus. G Availability and price: Rare import, specialist retailers only. This fish were on sale at £18.95.

Tank volume 0

pH

Temp C 9 8 7 6

30 28 26 24 22 20 18

108 l+

5

Seen at Wharf Aquatics, Pinxton.

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PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Fish in the shops For hard water tanks only!

CYGNUS FAIRY CICHLID Anyone who has dabbled in Tanganyikan cichlids will have kept a Neolamprologus of some kind. For those that haven’t, here’s what you need to know. Neolamprologus are small and feisty. As in, I’ve seen videos of them attacking a diver’s face kind of feisty. They need a specialist tank, something big with real hard, alkaline water and a lot of rocks to swim amongst. Not little beach cobble type rocks, either. Get a 120cm tank and get big lumps in the 45cm long mark. The Cygnus fairy was, for a while, recognised as a variant of Neolamprologus falcicula, but cichlid guru Ad Konings (it’s pretty safe to defer to Ad for Tanganyikan cichlid data — it’s kind of his life’s work) considers them a

standalone species. While N. falcicula excavates homes for itself, the Cygnus inhabits existing cracks and narrow caves. Don’t get too excited about the stunning mottling over the face. That striking orange ‘birthmark’ colouring eventually pales off in adults, leading to a deep magenta/beige mix so familiar to the genus. Still lovely though. G Scientific name: Neolamprologus sp. ‘cygnus’ (Nee-oh-lam-pro-low-gus sig-nuss). G Size: To 8.1cm. G Origin: Southern Tanzanian shore of Lake Tanganyika. G Habitat: Rocky substrates and giant boulders. Lives in cracks and caves. G Tank size: Minimum 100 x 30cm footprint. G Water requirements: Very hard and

alkaline: 8.4 to 8.8pH, hardness 30°H+. G Temperature: 23 to 27°C. G Temperament: Territorial, aggressive. G Feeding: Sinking pellets and granules, live and frozen Daphnia, Cyclops and bloodworm. Frozen Calanus. G Availability and price: Unusual but not exactly rare. These fish were on sale at £9.95. Tank volume

0

pH

Temp C 9 8 7 6

30 28 26 24 22 20 18

90 l+

5

Seen at Wharf Aquatics, Pinxton.

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

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TANKCOMMUNITY The place to share your fish, tanks, letters and photos

FORUM Find the popular fishkeeping forum at http://forum.practical fishkeeping.co.uk.

Howlonghaveyou leftyourtank unchanged? Jeroen Wijnands

My aquarium has been running now for four years and 11 months. In that time, the planting has evolved but I have left the hardscape pretty much unchanged, and half the plants are the same. I just wondered how long other fishkeepers have left their set-ups unchanged for.

LukeBescoby About a month!

PaulFoley Two years.

Miranda Belcher

About two years for me on a couple of tanks... a couple of months probably for all the others!

Secret aquarist? My wife presented me with my second wedding anniversary present at the weekend and I thought I would take a moment to share it with you. I have enjoyed fishkeeping ever since my girlfriend at 17 (now my wife) bought me a 60 l community tank. I arrived home to find she had left school and with the help of her dad had completed the set-up with fish and all — without question it was the best present to date. Fast forward 12 years and we now have a house and of course a fish tank. I keep a 200 l Aqua Oak planted community tank in our hobby room. I take great enjoyment from it but as we all know, this hobby is addictive and I keep wanting more. On many occasions I have expressed my intrigue at the small shrimp varieties but in a community aquarium, breeding was rarely successful. And so, this weekend I arrived home and my wife had once

The ‘shrimpium’, bought and aquascaped by the talented Mrs McSpadden. again surprised me with a superb present. She had bought, aquascaped and set up, a nano aquarium just for shrimp — she

BobMehen

I tend to keep my stock for a long time, but fiddle with the decor every year or so, usually under the excuse of cleaning, but really because I like a change of view. Personally, I think you need to run most tanks for a couple of years to see them (and the fish) at their mature best.

Scott’s larger community tank.

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SCOTT McSPADDEN, EMAIL

The writer of each star letter will win a 250ml pot of their choice from this quality range of food, which uses natural ingredients. Email: editorial@practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

About 18 months on the big tank — although it’s just the plants that I’ve changed, the hardscape is the same. I’ve upgraded my aquarium recently and slightly changed the hardscape, but my stock has been more or less the same for the last 15 months.

calls it a ‘shrimpium’. I’ve attached a picture because I’m not just impressed with the sentiment but with the quality. I am in awe of the ’scape she created in the 10 l space and it far surpasses what I could have created. It’s easy on the eye and the hardscape and planting works superbly. A hidden talent it would seem. So, in summary, she buys me the tank that gets me hooked, a PFK subscription last year and now a first class shrimpium; I think she might be the secret hobbyist in the family!

Win FishScience aquarium food

NickyArthur

George Brown

+

STAR letter

JOIN THE PFK COMMUNITY

There are five different ways to get in touch with Practical Fishkeeping: Tweet, like us on Facebook, drop us an email, join the forum or simply send a good old-fashioned letter:

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TANKCOMMUNITY FROM FACEBOOK Responses to our question ‘What’s the most under-rated fish out there?’

SHUTTERSTOCK

Glowlight tetra.

Ben Pendell: Alotofthe smallercatfishseemtobeas hardasnails,andlastfor years!GuppiesandPlaties arebilledasbeginnerfish,but I’veyettogetmorethansix monthsfromaPlaty.They justseemtocatchany diseasegoing. Rebecca Bentley: Ithinkin termsofshoalingfish, rainbowsneedmorecredit! Japanesegoldfishdon’treally getasmuchattentionasthey deserveeither,probably becausepeoplerarelyever seethem.EventheRanchuin shopsareofChineseor Thaiorigin. Martin Payne: Yellow phantomtetra.Absolutely lovethem.Greatlittlefish. Inquisitiveandshoalwell.I have12inmytankwithsome Flametetra. Anke Mo: Glowlighttetra. Theyaresobeautifulina heavilyplantedtankand muchbettersuitedina smallerset-upthantheactive rasbora.

O Red dwarfs The Red Sakura shrimp is one of the brightest colour varieties of Cherry shrimp and makes a striking addition to any tank with suitably small tank mates. These ones are picking over an oak leaf in Emily Cook’s tank.

Leave the fish as nature intended

Theresa Fasching:

Trichopsispumila,forever myfavourite.Andnobody elseeverhasthem. Jacki Learmonth:

Microdevariokubotai(Neon greenrasbora)andBoraras urophthalmoides(Sparrow rasbora).Mostnanofishare under-rated. Cathy Crummay: Tilapia guinasana.Ilovethem. Darren Paul: Anytypeof cory. Christopher Fraser: Glass catfish. Vishaal Dalal: Badissp. Theyhavelotsofcharacter andareveasytokeep. Tessa Walsh: Greenneon tetra. They are so beautiful when a lot are kept together! Donnie Hutchins: White Cloud Mountain Minnow. www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

OKing of the whiptails

While many ‘plecs’ are lumbering, armoured tanks, the giant whiptails (Sturisoma sp.) are graceful, cryptic fish that make a wonderful addition to suitably peaceful aquariums. This magnificent specimen belongs to David Price.

I write in response to Adam Kennedy’s letter, published in the December issue of PFK. I am returning to fishkeeping after a lay-off of some 30-odd years. Walking around some of the retailers I am shocked at how the fish have changed. Why does man insist on having to modify what mother nature gave us? Some of the monstrosities that are available are hideous — what is wrong with fish as they should be in the wild? I can remember seeing wild caught Discus that looked so elegant and were truly King of the Aquarium. Now we have these blingy-coloured fish that only vaguely resemble their original wild caught cousins of yesteryear. What is the fascination with long finned fish? I know man has been messing about with Guppies ever since Noah was a boy, but why do we need long finned Zebra danios and the like? The advancements in equipment I can only applaud, but please leave the fish to look as they should do. Call me old fashioned but I much prefer fish as mother nature made them. Keep up the good work with the magazine, by the way.

JOHN WHITE, EMAIL OThe Key to a peaceful

cichlid

Keyhole cichlids, Cleithracara maronii, are peaceful, smaller cichlids that have remained popular for decades. This beautiful fish belongs to Jan Cremetti.

U

25

OFlying the flag with a smile

The Dwarf flag cichlid, Laetacara curviceps, is a lovely, underrated South American species also known as the Smiling cichlid due to the pattern around its mouth that makes it look happy! This group is settling into Tracey Parker’s aquarium.

CONTACT US Address Practical Fishkeeping, Bauer Media, Media House, Lynchwood, Peterborough, PE2 6EA Email: [email protected] If you or someone you know are aged between 16 and 24 and are interested in work experience opportunities at Practical Fishkeeping go to www.gothinkbig.co.uk

EDITORIAL Phone 01733 468000 Editor Karen Youngs Features Editor Nathan Hill Art Editor Katie Wilkinson Editorial Assistant Nicki Manning

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PRODUCTION Phone 01733 468000

OWho needs Neons?

Few fish can match the neon blue glow of Paracheirodon, but a mature Colombian tetra, Hyphessobrycon columbianus, will certainly give them a run for their money. This gorgeous fish belongs to Mike Longshaw.

Print Production Manager Richard Woolley Advertising Production Nicholas Greenwood Printed by Wyndeham Group in the UK Distributed by Frontline SUBSCRIPTIONS AND BACK ISSUES To ensure that you don’t miss an issue and for the best subscription offers visit www.greatmagazines.co.uk For subscription or back issue queries please contact CDS Global on Bauer@ subscription.co.uk Phone from the UK on 01858 438884. Phone from overseas on +44 (0)1858 438884

BAUER CONSUMER MEDIA Managing Director - Hobbies Nicola Bates Editorial Director June Smith-Sheppard Head of Digital Charlie Calton-Watson Group Direct Marketing Director Chris Gadsby Finance Director Lisa Hayden Group Finance Director Sarah Vickery Group Managing Director Rob Munro-Hall

OIf looks could kill...

While the Laetacara at the top of the page may have a smile on their faces, Michael Huthart’s Turquoise cichlid, Kronoheros umbriferus, looks far from happy having its photo taken!

O Going native The UK may be short on freshwater fish variety, but you can still put together a lovely little local biotope aquarium like Neil Barton has here, using Sticklebacks, Gasterosteus aculeatus, and Minnows, Phoxinus phoxinus.

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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. 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 e mail address for editorial complaints covered by the Editorial Complaints Policy is complaints@bauermedia. co.uk.

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

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TANKCOMMUNITY

Me & my

TANK

Mike describes his tanks as ‘dark and atmospheric’.

My current fish ● Fishkeeper: Mike Calnun. ● Age: 44. ● Occupation: IT salesman. ● Whereabouts? Manchester. ● Time in the hobby: Off and on, all

my life.

● Number of tanks? Six. The main one

is a 120 x 60 x 30cm/48 x 24 x 12in blackwater tank.

What attracted you to the hobby? Diversity mainly. Seeing all the fantastic blackwater tanks online re-kindled my interest and I haven’t looked back since.

How would you describe your tanks? Dark and atmospheric.

What’s your favourite fish?

PHOTOGRAPHY: MIKE CALNUN UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED

Harking back to my childhood, it was always the Red tailed shark. I’d really like to do a large biotope for one of these one day. They get a bad reputation due to the dross you see in many LFS tanks.

What’s the most challenging fish you have ever kept? That would be Mikrogeophagus ramirezi. I have had several pairs over the years. They can be fine one day, and the next they have jumped or are just plain old dead despite there having been no changes to water quality or conditions. They are still an enigma to me.

And the easiest? Cardinal tetras are bomb-proof. Being a northerner, our water is very soft and they seem to thrive. I’ve had my current 12 Cardinal tetras in five different aquariums

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● 12 Cardinal tetras, Paracheirodon axelrodi ● Six Corydoras loxozonus ● Pair of German blue Rams, Mikrogeophagus ramirezi ● 14 Otocinclus sp. ● Pair L199 Hypancistrus furunculus ● One L201 Hypancistrus sp. ● 12 Marbled hatchetfish, Carnegiella marthae ● Six Corydoras melini ● Six Corydoras trilineatus

Mike has found Ram cichlids particularly challenging.

over the last 18 months with no issues at all.

Do you have a favourite plant? Plants are so 1990s. Botanicals and leaves are the future. There are some fantastic seed pods available at Tannin Aquatics and Blackwater UK. I’m slowly working my way through the catalogue. Snapping Lampada pods are just awesome.

My advice for beginners To have any measure of success in the hobby, patience is key. Read a lot and only listen to recommended aquarists in online groups. There is a lot of misleading — and simply wrong — information posted online. Save money: Buy quality equipment. Cheaper stuff ends up getting replaced much sooner. I learned this the hard way. Save time: I’d suggest preparing water prior to changes, but otherwise time and nature are your friends here. Things I wish I’d known: That I’d eventually need a much bigger house. Ideally one with a massive cellar!

Hypancistrus furunculus. PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Like many fishkeepers, Mike is discovering the joys of leaves and seed pods...

...and so are his catfish.

My wish list...

NATHAN HILL

Ivanacara adoketa.

Dicrossus filamentosus.

ALAMY

Corydoras loxozonus.

Marbled hatchetfish.

PHOTOMAX

Corydoras trilineatus.

Which fish would you like to keep next? Checkerboard cichlids, Dicrossus filamentosus — very underrated fish and I’m all about dwarf cichlids at the moment. My ‘dream’ fish would be a pair of wild Ivanacara adoketa — simply stunning and one day, they will be mine.

What would be your dream aquarium? A massive blackwater river bank, with about 1000 Marbled hatchets and other South American delights, if space wasn’t an issue.

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

29

ALAMY

Mandarins spawn around dusk on natural reefs, with the event preceded by an elaborate courtship.

T ’S OMPANY

Marine

While many marine fish species are best kept singly to avoid conflict, there are some which do very well in pairs — and they may even breed for you! WORDS: TRISTAN LOUGHER

I

was fascinated in my youth, watching the courtship and breeding of tropical freshwater fish such as Kribensis and Dwarf gouramis in my community aquarium. The fact that my fish were sufficiently content in their surroundings to even consider breeding always felt like an achievement. In the marine aquarium just getting a pair of fish to live together can be challenge. After all, many saltwater fish are intolerant of tank mates with even remotely similar appearances let alone members of the same species, and there is a tendency in the marine hobby to have rather artificial scenarios where single individuals of a particular species and sex are stocked. While there’s nothing wrong with this approach, you could be missing out on some interesting behaviour and interaction. There are many species of marine fish that can be maintained in male-female pairs, but some require a little skill to determine the gender of an individual. The good news is that with a few notable exceptions the characteristics of those species listed here can be applied to the other members of their genus. Therefore, what applies to one swallow-tailed angelfish species for example, can be applied to all members of the genus Genicanthus. The species I’ve listed here have separate sexes that can be identified without too much trouble, although it always pays to observe interactions between individuals before purchase. Some of these fish begin their reproductive ‘careers’ as the opposite sex to which they might end their lives. In their natural environment this might mean that a dominant individual dies leaving a

niche to be filled into which the best placed individual of the opposite sex will move. We see this in anemonefish (Premnas and Amphiprion spp.) in which the dominant and larger individual is female, having changed from a male, and in haremic species such as anthias (Pseudanthias spp.) where females have a marked pecking order with the uppermost individual best placed to replace the male should he meet an untimely end. So, if we want to keep fish in pairs in a saltwater set-up, what are the options?

Some fish seem oblivious to the aquarist as they court and breed. Others may spawn regularly without you ever knowing.

Advantages of keeping fish in pairs Perhaps the most obvious reason for keeping a pair of a particular species is the hope that it will result in courtship and spawning and all that they involve. Sometimes this behaviour is obvious, particularly for groups of fish such as the anemonefish that are seemingly oblivious to intrusive eyes of aquarists as they court and breed. Others may spawn regularly in the aquarium without you ever knowing. Think of fish such as burrow-living gobies or crevice dwelling dottybacks and grammas

What is...? SEXUAL DIMORPHISM: Differences between males and females from the same species consisting of variations in shape, colour, size and structure. SEXUAL DICHROMATISM: Differences in colour between males and females of the same species.

and it is easy to see how they could evade even the most observant of aquarist’s eyes. But there are other reasons to keep a pair of fish, such as sexual dimorphism. Think of the enormous number of wrasse species available in the hobby and then also consider that the majority show marked differences between male and female individuals in terms of size and colour. Therefore, by stocking a single species one might get two different sized, differently coloured individuals that may also interact in highly interesting ways. There can also be benefits to the fish themselves in maintaining them in a more naturalistic way. They may settle more easily when introduced into a new aquarium because seeing members of their own species on a regular basis is the norm. Put simply, one fish might hide in the aquarium whereas two are on display practically all the time. Look at the diversity of species available and select those that are best suited to your

ALAMY

Bluethroat triggers can be kept in pairs in larger systems — and they’re reef safe, too.

32

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Marine Did

?

you know

Yasha gobies settle more quickly in the presence of an Alpheid pistol shrimp with which to share a burrow.

ALAMY

A ‘pair’ usually describes two individuals of reproductive age and opposite sexes, but there are some exceptions. In the hermaphroditic hamlets of the genus Hypoplectrus, both male and female reproductive organs are present and mature at the same time. This simultaneous hermaphroditism means that the fish can take it in turns to undertake each role; sperm production or egg development.

Potential issues Where there are marked differences in size between members of the opposite sex, you might find the larger individual intolerant of tank mates and occasionally aggressive towards its own species. This can result in lots of chasing and bickering at best and fatalities at worst. Research potential stock before purchase and take steps to mitigate any anticipated problems by stocking the fish in a sufficiently large aquarium or providing plenty of hiding places for smaller fish to take cover until things settle down. Pairs are not always easy to lay your hands on. In some high value species, such as the rarer fairy wrasse (Cirrhilabrus spp.), pairs are occasionally the only way you can purchase them (and usually at a premium). But in other species where only one sex is particularly colourful, it is these colourful specimens that are collected for export rather than the less desirable opposite sex. This can make trying to source a pair very frustrating, and it’s worth asking if your local retailer can put a request into their wholesalers to look out for the difficult-tofind individuals of a particular sex. It can be difficult to positively identify the females of those less colourful species when they are all remarkably similar in pattern and colour. This is particularly problematic in wrasse genera such as Cirrhilabrus fairy wrasse and Paracheilinus flasher wrasse, where males are brightly coloured and larger than the females, which are almost uniformly red, occasionally with a few thin stripes or bars of contrasting pigment. In such cases knowing a little about the origin of the fish concerned is useful, along with what fish arrived in the same shipment. www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

Girls will be boys — sometimes! Species in which both sexes are colourful are widely available, like the beautiful members of the wrasse genera Halichoeres and Macropharyngodon. These genera contain species that are protogynous hermaphrodites (functional females first then, if the opportunity arises, they become functional males). In some species from both genera differences between males and females in terms of colour and pattern can be striking with each beautiful in its own way. With these genera you also have the option of putting two female or juvenile specimens into the same aquarium and letting them sort themselves out; typically the larger individual will assert itself over the smaller and become male. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen, and the aquarist is occasionally left with two female individuals that seem content with their gender and not inclined to change…

Blue star leopard wrasse, Macropharyngodon bipartitus. The larger of two individuals will usually become male.

MP&C PIEDNOIR AQUAPRESS

individual aquarium. There are some notable examples given here that do not include some of the more obvious groups of fish such as damselfish (Pomacentridae), cardinalfish such as the Banggai cardinalfish, Pterapogon kauderni, and the obvious anemonefish (Amphiprion and Premnas spp.) and many more.

33

9 great fish to keep in pairs PSYCHEDELIC MANDARIN DRAGONET

One of the most iconic of the commonly available marine fish. Spawning takes place around dusk, preceded by elaborate courtship in which both sexes swim side by side, touching flanks upwards in the water column until, with a quick separation, sperm and eggs are released. This behaviour is repeated on a regular basis.

ANDREAS MARZ, CREATIVE COMMONS

O Scientific name: Synchiropus splendidus. OSize: Around 9cm. OOrigin: Tropical Indo-West Pacific from Ryuku Islands in the North to Australia. OAquarium size: Either keep a pair in a dedicated smallish aquarium (100 l maximum) to which you can add plenty of live and frozen food to ensure they find enough to eat, or provide a larger system with abundant, mature live rock and tank mates that won’t compete for the naturally occurring crustacean fauna that should become sustainable over time. Keeping two individuals means you will need plenty of this type of food. OTemperament: Usually peaceful but can behave aggressively towards members of the same sex or, occasionally towards similar species. OEase of keeping: Can be problematic due to issues surrounding feeding. OAvailability and cost: Males widely available; females less so. Putting two males together can result in the death of one, so ensure they are sexed correctly. Price £40–£50 each. Captive bred Mandarins may cost twice this but issues with feeding are often reduced.

CHERUB ANGELFISH

O Scientific name: Centropyge argi. O Size: Around 7.5cm. O Origin: Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico south in the Tropical Western Atlantic to French Guyana. O Aquarium size: 250 l will accommodate a pair given the provision of plentiful nooks and crannies. O Temperament: Cherubs are anything but angelic, particularly the males. They will dominate other Centropyge angelfish and possibly even kill them in more confined aquaria, so are best kept with small, streetwise fish that present little threat to them or their browsing areas, or with equally robust species such as tangs and surgeonfish. O Ease of keeping: Well settled individuals are hardy but check they are feeding well before purchase. Offer dried algae on a lettuce clip regularly. O Availability and cost: Sporadic but worth waiting for. Around £30–£40 per fish.

BRIAN GRATWICKE

SHUTTERSTOCK

CLEANER PIPEFISH

O Scientific name: Doryrhamphus excisus. O Size: Around 6.5cm. O Origin: A relatively enormous range from the Western Indian Ocean including the Persian Gulf to the Eastern Pacific. O Aquarium size: 60 l minimum for a pair provided that excellent water quality can be guaranteed. This species will handle a larger aquarium with more boisterous fish but it is likely to be more reclusive under these circumstances. O Temperament: Very peaceful towards other species but males are extremely intolerant of one another and this can result in the death of the weaker individual. O Ease of keeping: Success or failure with this fish centres almost entirely on the ability to get them to accept readily available foodstuffs. Live foods will almost always provoke a feeding response but many

The Cherub angelfish forms monogamous pairs and yet is, like all other members of the genus, a protogynous hermaphrodite meaning that it begins its reproductive life as a fem and then becomes male as circumstances allow. Males are larger than females and this really the only clue that aquarists have to the sex of individuals. Pairing them can be diffi but is not impossible and begins by selecting two individuals showing a significant size difference; space helps as individuals are able to get away from one another if necessary until one, most likely the larger individual, undergoes the transition from female to male.

34

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

ALAMY

Marine

ORCHID DOTTYBACK

individuals will take frozen brine shrimp and/or Mysis. Don’t be afraid of offering Mysis shrimp even though it can look almost as wide as the fish itself as these fish can take quite large particles of food — or simply snip the tails from them beforehand. OAvailability and cost: You may have to request a pair from your dealer but unsexed fish are frequently available in wholesaler’s systems. Price between £35–£50 per pair.

OScientific name: Pseudochromis fridmani. OSize: Around 6cm. OOrigin: Endemic to the Red Sea. OAquarium size: A pair can be housed in a 60 l system. In their natural reef environment, several individuals may be found per square metre. OTemperament: Usually peaceful but can bully smaller fish especially if they encroach on the territory of a male’s preferred spawning site. OEase of keeping: Easy and relatively undemanding. Captive bred specimens are available. OAvailability and cost: Good; expect to pay £40–£50 per specimen.

Sexing these pipefish is easy although it might mean very close observation with smaller specimens. Males have a series of bumps or nodules along the upper surface of their short snouts that are absent in the females. It can take a little time to get one’s eye and it certainly helps to have a group of individuals to compare. While it can prove difficult to breed, successful spawnings are apparent as the male carries the eggs in a pouch located on his underside.

Sexing Orchid dottybacks is, on paper at least, reasonably straightforward. Males display an elongate lower lobe to the tail fin absent in females. This difference can be observed in very small fish making the acquisition of pairs relatively simple. Kept as a pair, the Orchid dottyback will almost certainly reward you with regular spawnings although these may not be visible, merely inferred from the behaviour of the fish. Males guard a ‘nest’ — typically a hole or crevice into which he entices the female to lay her eggs. These form a small (1–1.5cm) diameter cluster which he guards until they hatch. During this time he is very unlikely to feed or be visible at all in the aquarium. Given that spawning can occur every 6–10 days he may be off display almost as much as he is out and about!

BLUETHROAT TRIGGERFISH

ALAMY

OScientific Name: Xanthichthys auromarginatus. OSize: To 23cm. OOrigin: Widespread in the tropical Indo-Pacific from East Africa to Hawaii. OAquarium size: 350 l minimum for a pair. OTemperament: Not an overly aggressive triggerfish species. OEase of keeping: Relatively easy. May be initially timid. OAvailability and cost: Good; around £55–£85 each depending on size.

The beautiful Xanthichthys are well-known for their marked sexual dichromatism and for being among the most reef safe of all triggerfish. The Bluethroat is the most commonly available and affordable species in the genus and may be purchased as pairs or as single individuals. As they are easy to sex with the male having the blue throat and yellow edge to dorsal and ventral fins, you can save a few pounds by making up your own pair. www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

35

CARPENTER’S FLASHER WRASSE

OScientific name: Paracheilinus carpenteri. OSize: To 7.5cm. OOrigin: Western Pacific including the collection hotspots of the Philippines and Indonesia. OAquarium size: 100 l minimum for a pair offer the female plenty of space to avoid the advances of the male should she need to. OTemperament: Males can be assertive and bossy. The extent to which this is a problem will depend on tank mates and the size of the aquarium but it rarely becomes too much of an issue. OEase of keeping: Quite an easy species provided it is feeding when purchased. A lid is compulsory for this jumper. OAvailability and cost: Males are almost always available as they are relatively inexpensive, colourful, reef safe and have a modest size potential. They will typically will set you back between £30–£50. Females can be trickier to find, are and tend to be less expensive.

O Scientific name: Stonogobiops yasha. O Size: Around 6cm. O Origin: Tropical Western Pacific. Frequently collected from Indonesia, particularly islands surrounding and including Bali but also ranging to the Great Barrier Reef and into the Central Pacific. O Aquarium size: 50 l upwards. O Temperament: Typically peaceful unless kept with a same-sex individual. Males will fight to the death unless the aquarist intervenes. O Ease of keeping: Easier when kept with a suitable species of Alpheid pistol shrimp with which it enjoys a symbiotic relationship; the shrimp builds a burrow in which both animals reside and the goby acts as the eyes of the near-blind crustacean. Newly imported individuals can show significant weight loss and be reluctant to feed but placed in a peaceful aquarium with a pistol shrimp and they soon settle and begin to accept food readily. Weight is regained easily. O Availability and cost: Sporadic; expect to pay £35–£45 per fish.

LABOUT’S FAIRY WRASSE O Scientific name: Cirrhilabrus laboutei. O Size: Around 12cm. O Origin: Great Barrier Reef, New Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands. O Aquarium size: A pair will need a system of 250 l minimum to afford both swimming space and the ability to avoid each other if necessary. O Temperament: A typical fairy wrasse that may be short-tempered with similar species or those occupying a similar niche in the aquarium. This seldom results in actual damage. O Ease of keeping: Relatively straightforward. Ensure a firmly fitting lid is on the aquarium to prevent these fish jumping. O Availability and cost: Reasonably good.

NEIL HEPWORTH

The Yasha goby is one of the few species of shrimp-goby that can be sexed easily. Although it is perfectly possible to maintain pairs of many other species only a handful show any degree of sexual dimorphism, so it’s a case of trial and error. The Yasha goby male has a red-edged black blob of pigment on the rear edge of its pelvic fins — these are the fins that are fused in many gobies and used as a prop to rest upon in shrimp gobies. Females lack any pigment in this area. Note that stressed males may display very little in the way of pigment in this area or a faded patch at best.

36

ALAMY

YASHA SHRIMP GOBY

ALAMY

Although actually a haremic species in which a dominant male may court and spawn with many females, pairs of this wrasse can work rather well in the aquarium. Males can be rather short-tempered with the female so provide space for them to avoid one another and plenty of holes and crevices in abundant rockwork for her to retreat into should he get too boisterous.

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Marine BELLUS ANGELFISH

O Scientific name: Genicanthus bellus. O Size: Around 12–15cm. O Origin: Moderately deep to deep water from Cocos Keeling Island in the Indian Ocean to the Western Pacific including the Philippines and other, more remote island chains. O Aquarium size: 350 l or more to offer decent swimming space for a pair. O Temperament: Generally very peaceful, particularly for angelfish. Females are more peaceful than males however and there should be plenty of space for both swimming and hiding for females and other pelagic tank mates as dominant males can be short tempered. O Ease of keeping: Acquiring healthy specimens is the key to success. This species is typically found in depths over 45m on exposed seaward reefs and over steep drop-offs. Some specimens refuse to feed whereas others can display buoyancy issues that result from being taken to the surface too quickly after collection. The good news is that healthy specimens usually thrive. O Availability and cost: Reasonably good. Females being smaller than the males are less expensive at around £65–£85. Males are likely to cost you £100+.

Swallowtailed angelfish show marked sexual dimorphism and distinct sexual dichromatism. Males are larger and, being a protogynous hermaphrodite, females may undergo a transition to males under the right circumstances. They may also change back which can make choosing a pair quite interesting, if not a little frustrating. Pairs are occasionally offered for sale but they are also easy to make up from individuals. Alternatively, you could attempt to form pairs or even harems by stocking two or more female specimens and allowing them to sort out amongst themselves which one will become male. These fish are reef safe additions for larger aquaria — the sometimesboisterous males may chase smaller fish meaning that space and plenty of refuges are required in the system. Otherwise they are generally uncomplicated fish to keep.

Females being smaller generally cost around £45; larger males £65–£99 depending on size and origin.

Male Bellus angelfish...

NEIL HEPWORTH

In many fairy wrasse species the males are brightly coloured, while females are more typically red or pink with a paler belly. So, here the separation of the sexes is solely down to the physical size of the fish, as males are substantially larger. For the many other species of fairy wrasse available in the hobby the problem in maintaining pairs can be acquiring the females as they are less frequently imported than the more colourful males. Exceptions do occur, and higher value species are often sold in pairs but interested aquarists need deep pockets to afford them. Have some patience and a good relationship with a dealer and they will often keep their eyes open for pairs.

NEIL HEPWORTH

...and this is the female.

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

37

REKINDLING MP & C PIEDNOIR, AQUAPRESS.COM

Gabor Horvath gets reaquainted with a first love and discovers that the fire is burning as strongly now as it was over 30 years ago.

Favourite fish Flame tetras are small, peaceful, colourful and affordable — what’s not to like?

THE FLAME

I

t’s often advised not to warm up a relationship with your ex, and especially not with your ‘first’ one. You can end up being disappointed (again), as your memories are often biased towards all those good things which happened a long time ago. Fortunately, my recently renewed relationship with a first flame proved a real success story. Although the effects of the past three decades were visible, their original prettiness and charm remained unchanged. But before anyone — including my wife — misunderstands me, I’m talking about a well-known, yet often overlooked little fish, the Flame tetra, Hyphessobrycon flammeus. These fish originate from the vicinity of Rio de Janeiro and began to appear in European fish tanks as early as the 1920s. Being very undemanding and tolerating unheated aquariums as low as 18°C/64°F, they quickly became firm favourites. Their small size (3.5cm/1.4in), peaceful nature and bright colours have also contributed to this success. They were (and still are) affordable, which really helped me to fall in love with them.

First encounter We need to travel back in time to the early 80s for the full story. Being a teenager I was hungry for success in every aspect of my life and saw competition in everyone and everywhere. This included the local aquarist club, which I was a member of back then. Having kept fish for more than eight years by that time, I considered myself a kind of expert (with five tanks), especially among my peers. Unfortunately, my breeding successes were limited to livebearers and cichlids. Although I managed to spawn Betta several times the lack of proper fry-food and Artemia eggs

clearly see the distinguishing broad black edge marking on his anal fin. The female also had some black on hers, but that of the male looked as if it had been drawn with a thick eye-liner.

meant I was unable to raise any fry. So, I was very keen to make some progress on the breeding front, especially since my good friend (and biggest rival) had succeeded in rearing a small shoal of Zebra danios. As I considered the danios too easy (well, it was obvious, if my friend had managed to breed them...) I wanted to up my game with a more difficult fish, and I set my eye on the tetras. After a consultation with the club’s president I acquired a pair of Flame tetras. I knew it would have been better to start with a small shoal, but my then very limited resources only allowed me to buy a pair, even at the relatively low price they had been sold at. However, as a bonus I also got a small pack of Artemia eggs, which were more valuable than gold to me at the time. Prior to getting the fish I read every bit of available information about Flame tetras (this wasn’t difficult as I only had one, albeit very comprehensive aquarist book), and set up a small, 20 l breeding tank for them. Because RO water was unknown back then and I lived in an industrial city where the rainwater was very dirty, I had no choice, but to fill up the tank with tapwater. I knew that the very hard (over 25°H) and alkaline (8.0pH) water was far from ideal, but I hoped for the best. The bottom of the tank was covered with glass marbles to provide some protection to the eggs I was hoping to see. A bunch of Java moss was also added as a hiding space and potential spawning media. I added the only heater I had next to the air-driven sponge filter. The newly purchased fish felt at home straight away and the much more slender male began to show his true colours to his attractively curvy companion. The rear half of his body turned into an almost uniform bright flame red, justifying the name given to them. He stretched his fins and I could

Spawning success I watched their joyful chase for a while, but then the lights were switched off and everyone retired for the night. I was up early next morning, when the first rays of the rising sun reached the spawning tank. In that beautiful morning light the pair began their ritual, meaning lots of chasing and colour flashing from the male’s side. Knowing that Flame tetra females can be temperamental and picky I was worried about the response. Fortunately, his lady also got into the mood and soon they were shaking side-by-side. The male held his partner close with a small hook on his anal fin and the pair sprinkled eggs and milt all over the decoration and the tank bottom.

40

ALAMY

GABOR HORVATH

Gabor’s breeding set-up. The mesh allows eggs to fall to the base of the tank where the parents can’t get to them.

Favourite fish The female (below) has a much rounder shape than the male.

GABOR HORVATH

After an hour or so they finished and the exhausted female retired behind the Java moss. I let them rest for a bit, then moved them to my community tank. Knowing that the developing eggs and the newborn fry are sensitive to light, I covered the sides of the tank with newspaper. I could hardly wait for them to hatch, and by the next morning the first babies had started to appear, hanging on the sides. To begin with there were only ten of them and I thought that the hard water had decimated the hatchlings. By the end of the day however, hundreds of tiny ‘prickles’ covered the glass and hung from the moss. It was soon time to set up the Artemia hatchery so there would be freshly hatched nauplii ready by the time the fry begin to hunt, which is usually three days after hatching. As I had never done this before, I was a bit anxious, but thanks to the good advice from the elders of the club the eggs hatched on time and the tetra fry didn’t have

Keep your Flames in groups of six or more for best results.

GABOR HORVATH

The much more slender male began to show his true colours to his attractively curvy companion. The rear half of his body turned an almost uniform bright flame red, really doing justice to these fishes’ common name.

Many characins can’t hold a candle to Flame tetras.

Favourite fish of just a few clumps of Liverwort (Monosolenium) and Java fern on bogwood. As these tetras prefer slightly cooler temperatures (20–24°C) their aquarium was placed on the bottom row of my fish house. They settled down very quickly and the males soon got heavily involved in vigorous sparring. It came as bit of a surprise, as I hadn’t experienced this during our earlier encounters. I guessed this was a more aggressive strain with a waspish nature — and it also explained why their fins had been slightly ragged when they arrived. Another possible reason was the change of environment, which may have woken up their mating instinct, because as soon as the males established their own territories the whole shoal began a breeding frenzy. There were flashing red bolts speeding around the aquarium and among all this chaos I could see clutching pairs disappearing into the dense vegetation everywhere. The orgy only lasted for about an hour, then the tired and hungry fish decided to have some caviar for supper and ate all the eggs. This time I didn’t mind, as I wasn’t planning to breed them until later. Because the fish repeated this feast — although with less vigour — almost every day, I decided to separate some of the females to preserve their eggs. For two weeks the girls had the best possible diet, with plenty of live and frozen bloodworm, Daphnia and Cyclops, as well as some top quality flakes. When they became plump with eggs a small breeding tank was prepared as a ‘honeymoon suite’. This set-up was very similar to the one I used 30-odd years ago, except for the plastic mesh which replaced the glass marbles as an egg protection device. Another difference was the much softer water. Although I could have used five or even more pairs for a high number of offspring, I only wanted a

GABOR HORVATH

Flame tetra fry are tiny but straightforward to raise if you have the right food on hand.

to starve. I had started them off with tiny amounts of squashed hard boiled egg-yolk and two days later introduced the brineshrimp nauplii. Despite their tiny size the youngsters went after the Artemia straight away and to my great satisfaction their bellies turned nice and orange, proof of a successful hunt. Flame tetra fry are known to be quite sensitive to water quality, so following the great start I did have some losses, but at the end I still managed to raise around 40 juveniles from that very first spawning. This success has greatly contributed to my development as an aquarist, and I will always be grateful to these tiny fish.

Flame rekindled After that initial excitement our ways separated and I didn’t kept Flame tetras for more than 30 years, partly due to my other interests and partly because they seemed to have disappeared from the shops. Recently, however, these fish have had a bit of a comeback and are available much more frequently in the shops. Unfortunately, due to the commercial breeding, which focuses more on quantity than quality, the best coloured specimens are still rare. So, when I was offered a shoal of bright red Flame tetras by a friend I took the opportunity to renew my relationship with these beauties. This time around I got a group of 12, so I prepared a 75cm tank for them using JBL Sansibar black sand as a substrate to bring out their colours. My silky smooth Welsh tapwater, with its 3-5°H and 7.1pH was perfect for them, so I could fill the tank up straight from the hose. The decor consisted

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

FISH FACTFILE

G Common name: Flame tetra. G Scientific name: Hyphessobrycon flammeus. G Size: 3.5cm/1.4in. G Origin: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. G Tank size: 60 x 30cm footprint; smaller is fine for breeding purposes. G Water requirements: Prefers soft and slightly acidic water, but adapts to most water conditions; 6–7.5pH, hardness ideally <10°H. G Temperature: 20–24°C. G Feeding: Takes the usual dried foods but should also be offered live or frozen Daphnia, bloodworm and Cyclops. G Availability and cost: Increasingly available. Expect to pay around £2.50. Tank volume 0

pH

Temp C 9 8 7 6

30 28 26 24 22 20 18

54 l+

5

While soft, acidic conditions are ideal, Flame tetras are adaptable when it comes to water chemistry.

GABOR HORVATH

The vigorous sparring between males explained why their fins had been slightly ragged on arrival.

handful, so I decided to go with a single pair only. Thanks to the experience I had gained over the decades, this time around more than 100 little Flames were the fruits of my work. The majority went to new owners, but some of them are still with me, happily sharing their tank with Red throat killies and Peacock gobies. I hope the Flame tetra will become popular again, as it’s a truly versatile and very undemanding little fish that makes an ideal first breeding project for aspiring fish breeders, and it’s one I’d strongly recommend. Who knows, maybe they will be your first love, too?

43

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The Microsorum pteropus ‘Trident’ ferns used for this aquarium had been growing in another set-up for 12 months beforehand.

FERNTASTIC! This low maintenance aquascape uses mature plants from an existing set-up to give it immediate impact. But you can achieve something similar with new plants if you’re prepared to wait for them to grow in.

WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY: GEORGE FARMER

W

hen I was contacted by Matt Amin from Amin Aquatics to assist with a large planted aquarium for one of his clients the brief was simple. “Can you create something that’s visually stunning and mature-looking right away?” asked Matt. “It also has to be low maintenance.” The client had already seen some photos of my previous aquascapes and wanted something similar to a 120cm/4ft nature aquarium I had at the time, consisting of mainly crypts and ferns. But getting that mature, grown-in look in a new set-up is virtually impossible — new plants never look their best and are often still in their emerged form (grown out of water) when you receive them from the supplier. A set-up like mine with slow growing plants would take several weeks at least to settle in

46

glass and minimal silicone. A bespoke and begin to look anything like mature. cabinet was hand built out of solid oak The answer was staring me in the face, and gloss black doors to give a literally. I was sat opposite my home tank and it was ready to have its final photo shoot luxury appearance. as keen to have as little kit for the International Aquati ow as possible so, rather Layout Contest (IAPLC). Af an going for my usual this I was planning on reference of clear filter stripping down the tank hoses and glass filter outlet ready for a new aquascape, Plan your and inlet, we decided to so I could re-use the plants aquascape and drill the tank and hard in the client’s tank. consider sketching out plumb the two external The set-up filters with inline heating, the design before CO2 and UV. Matt drilled Matt and I planned the planting. he tank himself and fitted a hardware, opting for a ck vinyl background to high-end set-up with a lot of he pipes. The filter outflow automation due to the client has adjustment so the best circulation being at home for long periods at a pattern could be applied after some time. An Aquascaper 1500 aquarium by experimenting. Evolution Aqua was chosen for its high Lighting was an important consideration. quality finish featuring 15mm Super White

TOP TIP

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Step by step Planting heavily from the outset with good quality plants will help prevent algae.

I’d had great results with Kessil LED units, and combined with the stainless steel lighting hanging kit, they suited the whole set-up really well. Because we were using low-light tolerant plants we only needed two units. These were controlled by the Kessil Spectral Controller set at 50% colour and 50% intensity for a photoperiod of eight hours. Liquid fertiliser was to be added using an auto-doser with JBL Ferrapol for micronutrients and JBL ProScape NPK for macronutrients. A UV unit was also fitted to help avoid single cell algae along with an auto top-up to keep the water level constant. Great care was taken over the interior of the cabinet to keep it neat and tidy and the hard plumbing looked great. A JBL pressurised CO2 kit with solenoid was fitted with the gas being injected via an inline diffuser fitted to one of the filter outlets. The CO2 was set to come on two hours prior to the lighting and off one hour before they went off. A remote-controlled LED strip was also fitted so you could easily see the equipment inside the cabinet.

Matt Amin adds a few finishing touches.

TOP TIP

Consider CO2 injection for the best results and dose a good quality liquid fertiliser to keep your plants well fed.

Aquascaping the tank The Microsorum pteropus ‘Trident’ ferns in my aquarium were almost 12 months old. They were attached to three large pieces of branchy driftwood that I knew would fit well into the client’s tank. I removed the ferns and attached wood and wrapped them in large plastic bags — if allowed to dry out Microsorum will quickly die. The removal of the mature crypts was a particularly messy task due to the huge root system. The crypts were again placed in plastic bags ready for their journey. www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

Despite the tank’s location in a room with lots of natural light, there has been no algae, thanks to high plant mass, good CO2 and regular feeding.

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I had already planned the aquascape in advance, going for a simple design consisting of two mounds of substrate for planting the crypts. In between and in the foreground a cosmetic sand d for decorative effect. Larg pieces of Mini Landscape Rock were placed between the soil and sand to act as Using just a few plant a physical barrier, as well as to add aesthetic species and one or two interest. Around 70kg of species of fish gives a rocks were used in total strong sense of design with some large stones and purpose to the to act as eye-catching focal points giving plenty aquascape. of height and interest. The crypts were simply plante each rear corner with the and attached ferns creating a bridge effect across the main length of the aquascape.

TOP TIP

Aquarium maintenance The first few weeks are the most important, The bespoke cabinet adds as this is when algae is most likely to strike. an element of luxury... We had an advantage as we were using mature plants with plenty of biomass. However, one big risk was the potential ‘melting’ of the crypts — they are well...and hides all known for shedding their leaves if there’s a the equipment sudden change in environment. This is from view. particularly common when buying a new plant that’s still in its emerged state and it struggles to adapt to its submerged (underwater) form. Thankfully we experienced virtually no melt and the crypts settled in fine. The tank’s location is in a large room with loads of natural light. I was a A commercial little concerned that this would lead soil substrate will to algae blooms but with the combination of high plant mass, give your plants the good CO2 levels and regular best possible start by fertiliser dosing I was hopeful that encouraging healthy the plants would use any excess light root growth. for growth, thus beating algae to it. I was reassured when I re-visited the tank a few weeks after initial installa Water change schedule to see just a small amount of soft brown Week one - 50% water change three times per week. algae which was easily removed, and Week two - 50% water change twice per week. typically only lasts a few weeks until the Week three onwards - 50% water change once per week. system fully matures.

TOP TIP

TANK SET-UP

 Aquarium - Evolution Aqua Aquascaper 1500, custom drilled with black background, 150 x 60 x 55cm (495 l/110 gal).  Cabinet - Custom built, solid oak with gloss black doors and built in LED lighting.  Lighting - Two Kessil A360we Tuna Sun with Kessil Spectral Controller and Evolution Aqua Lighting Hanging Kit.  Filtration and plumbing - 2 x JBL 1501e filters hard plumbed, JBL UV system, Hydro external inline heater 300W, TMC auto top-up using RO water.  Fertilisers - JBL Ferrapol and ProScape NPK, 20ml each dosed daily with TMC auto-doser.  Substrate - JBL Volcano Mineral (4 x 9 l bags), JBL ProScape Soil (Brown, 4 x 9 l bags), 15Kg JBL Sansibar White sand.  Hardscape - 70Kg Mini Landscape Rock, branchy driftwood.  Plants - Microsoroum pteropus ‘Trident’, various mature Cryptocoryne.  Livestock - 50 Neon tetra, 50 Cherry shrimp, 20 Otocinclus.

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The aquarium sets off the living space perfectly.

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Step by step

How the aquascape came together

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Two mounds of JBL Volcano Mineral are added to the left and right rear corners. This helps to bulk out the substrate and allow for oxygen penetration. It also helps to prevent the soil from levelling out over time. Two 9 l bags are added to each side. This product does cloud the water significantly so do consider rinsing it first.

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Rocks are added towards the front of the Volcano Mineral substrate. This defines the two areas and also acts as a barrier to prevent the soil from migrating to the front sand area. Around 70Kg of Mini Landscape Rocks are then positioned so that they look as natural as possible.

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The crypts are planted into each corner of the aquarium using large tweezers. These plants are already mature so the roots require trimming to allow for easier planting. This will also help to promote new root growth.

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The wood with the ferns attached is added. The ferns are sprayed regularly to prevent them drying out. A gap is left in the middle to help create a sense of depth with the sand running from the front to the rear. The ferns add instant maturity to the aquascape.

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Two 9 l bags of JBL ProScape Soil are added on top of the Volcano Mineral. This soil will promote healthy root growth, as well as help to soften the hard tapwater and buffer the pH at around 6.5. It doesn’t require pre-rinsing. The soil is soaked with a small layer of water to assist with the planting.

The aquarium is slowly filled with dechlorinated tapwater using a colander to help prevent soil disturbance. Then the equipment is switched on and checked to ensure it’s all functioning properly. The lights are set to eight hours a day.

The aquarium is home to a large group of Neons, along with Cherry shrimp and Oto catfish.

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Fancy goldfish

Goldfish A visit to the UK’s leading goldfish supplier offered the perfect chance to showcase some of the country’s finest! WORDS: NATHAN HILL AND ANDY GREEN PICTURES: NATHAN HILL

THANKS TO Andy Green of Star Fisheries in Surrey for all his help with putting this feature together. For more information on the fish pictured on the following pages contact Star Fisheries on 0208 915 0455 or visit www.starfisheries.co.uk

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f all the fish we see on sale, the humble Goldfish may be the one that has been subject most to human manipulation. There’s no fish that better polarises fishkeeper opinions. Purists consider them a step too far, seeing them as grotesque morphs. But for a huge and eager fanbase, the goldfish scene is enthralling, with aficionados happy to pay triple-figure sums (or more) for the finest specimens. We had the privilege of visiting Star Fisheries, to speak to Andy Green, the man behind the specialist UK trade in so many of these amazing variants, and who has forgotten more about them than most of us will ever learn. www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

MATT NACREOUS RANCHU A new colour variant on the Ranchu, and only recently available. The matt calico base colour of the body may also be sprinkled with a handful of individual metallic scales. Both varieties of colour and scale type are considered rare within goldfish circles. Of the various Ranchu available, this type is highly sought after.

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RED AND WHITE SHORT TAIL RYUKIN In recent years this fish has become one of the most popular fancy goldfish varieties in the UK. A very powerful swimmer through the water, the short body and short, stubby tail gives this fish its strength.When short tailed Ryukin grow large they are a majestic sight. Beyond red and white, they’re available in a variety of colours.

RED AND BLACK ORANDA With black markings set over the metallic red base (not the other way around), these fish are highly attractive Oranda variants. They come with various degrees of black on the body, but often when young the extent of the black coverage can change. They are normally highly prized if the black remains intact, with a good pattern when the fish reaches adult age.

HI-CAP TRI-COLOUR ORANDA The straight-up strawberry-cap hood growth on this variety of Oranda has become more prolific over the last few years. This unusual hi-cap combined with the three colours can be quite striking visually in appearance. Variations in colour intensity between the red, black and white can be seen as with most tri-colour metallic fish.

CHOCOLATE RANCHU Normally you see in this variety offered in metallic red or red and white, with types like the nacreous calico less available. This chocolate example is extremely rare, and you can see it is only a young fish despite its good size. Hood growth and development takes longer on this colour of Ranchu but it’s totally worth the wait for a striking adult.

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Fancy goldfish

JADE SEAL TRI-COLOUR ORANDA Take note of the clean, white cap on this tri-colour metallic Oranda — that cap makes this a very rare fish indeed. The white cap is referred to as the ‘Jade Seal’ and the pattern on the body of the fish — black and orange over a white base — combined with a great body shape make this another highly sought after Oranda.

CHOCOLATE POM POM One of the more unusual looking fancy goldfish, the pom poms just in front of the nose of the fish make this type stand out — this fish is an acquired taste. You can see variations in colour intensity of both chocolate and orange, and sometimes you may encounter chocolate based fish with orange pom poms — they look amazing!

MATT NACREOUS RANCHU The same variant as the fish on the first page of this gallery, a Ranchu is characterised by its absence of dorsal fin, smoothly curved back, the deep position of the tail and stubby fins when compared to other fancy goldfish types. Red and white Ranchu have historically been the most common types available, though the trend is shifting to a wider colour range.

TRI-COLOURED ORANDA A very popular ‘new generation’ colour of these lovely fish. Firm, intense colours and solid patterns are most desirable, although young fish may exhibit changes in colour intensity and pattern as they grow. Generally when the fish is older the colours tend to be fixed. Pristine examples can change hands for considerable sums of money.

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RED CAP BLACK ORANDA Orandas were the first fancy goldfish to possess a ‘wen’, or crown on top of the head. Interestingly, the ‘wen’ has its own set of categories, from the ‘goose’ head seen here, to the all encompassing ‘tiger’ head. Red cap goldfish usually have a silver body but are occasionally found in black as seen here. Stunning fish like this will never be popular in numbers as they are so hard to find and produce.

RED AND BLACK DRAGON EYE TELESCOPE The stunning colour and enlarged eyes make this a stand-out fish. Although at face value they look quite delicate, these fish are actually deceptively robust and very strong swimmers. The dragon eye Telescope (sometimes still referred to as a ‘Moor’) comes in a number of colours although the red and black makes for a great combination.

TRI-COLOUR ORANDA As well as being the first to have a crown, Orandas are also the largest of the fancy goldfish varieties, reaching up to 30cm when fully grown (if we cheat and include the tails). Orandas have a long history, first appearing in Japan (they actually originated in China) some time just before the year 1800, after which their popularity blossomed.

TOSAKIN A Japanese refined variety with a beautiful shaped tail and perfect for viewing the ‘Asian’ way — keepers in the Far East tend to appreciate their fish viewed from directly above, while we in the west have a penchant for looking at them side on. The attractive short body and long, fully curled tail means that this variety has already gained a fanbase in the UK.

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Fancy goldfish

“Pristine examples can change hands for considerable sums of money... TRI-COLOURED ORANDA This example has more solid block colours compared to the previous tri-colour, and although the solid block colours appear visually brighter the choice is down to personal preference. As well as strong bodily markings, this fish has nice colours running through the fins, which increases its desirability among collectors.

Caring for fancy goldfish O Temperature will have a huge effect on fish metabolism, with warmer conditions leading to greater food consumption and more waste being produced. O Ensure powerful and copious filtration. Large internal canisters are okay, but external filters heaving with coarse and fine foams and biomedia are even better. O As well as big filters, lots of swimming and growing space is a must. A tank of 120cm long should be the minimum for adults.

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

O Offer a varied and nutritious diet. Flakes and pellets are okay, but rely too heavily on them and you’ll get constipated fish. Occasional feeds of Daphnia are a must, as is plenty of fresh vegetable matter — squashed peas go down well! O Consider tank mates carefully. While not aggressive, goldfish have big mouths and will accidentally eat any fish small enough to fit in there. Also, some fish are too nippy to house alongside them, and will bite at the tempting, flowing fins of fancies.

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BRISTOL SHUBUNKIN A true British origin fish, the striking pearldrop tail makes this the most desirable Shubunkin. Still only produced in relatively small numbers in the UK, this magnificent looking single tail fish is ideal for both aquariums and garden ponds — although when viewed from the side can you really appreciate the splendor of that stunning tail.

GOLF BALL PEARLSCALE Harder to find than the longer tail version of the Pearlscale, this short round dumpy fish is full of character. They have been seen for sale in the UK with bodies as big as tennis balls! Due to the shape of the fish and the shorter finnage they tend to ‘waddle’ along rather than power through the water, although they make an interesting addition to unheated aquaria.

JIKIN Another refined fancy goldfish from Japan. This fish has the body of a single tail goldfish variety but has a smart, short twin flared-out tail. Elegant swimmers and a rare fish in the UK, hobbyists are sometimes confused between this fish and the Wakin — the Wakin tends to have sharper fin lobes, as opposed to the rounded lobes of the Jikin.

BLACK SCALED SHORT TAILED RYUKIN Some different colour variations are now available on the short tail Ryukin. You can see on this example that the colour is on the individual scales of the fish, almost looking as though they have been airbrushed on. This older fish is very likely to keep this attractive appearance now and as with all short tail Ryukins, they are powerful through the water.

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Fancy goldfish

RANCHU Ranchu from China and Thailand are generally bred to be seen from the side and fish from Japan are bred to be viewed from above. Outside of Japan the most famous Ranchu breeder in Europe is Andrew James and although many people view his fish from above they can appreciated from the side just as much.

PANDA BUTTERFLY MOOR Absolutely stunning fish in black and white, which is a rare combination in fancy goldfish. When you see a good example with a stark contrast, they are incredible. The lovely shape of the tail, which curls back under the rounded body, combined with the unique markings puts them a cut above the normal butterflies for most hobbyists.

RED BUTTERFLY MOOR One of the original colours in the Butterfly moors, and still regarded as one of the best. This older fish is a really nice example — the flared out tail, good body shape and large set eyes all add to the appeal and overall appearance of this butterfly. The soft edges of the fins are also particularly nice on this example.

KIN RIN NACREOUS BUTTERFLY MOOR The reflecting individual metallic scales on this new colour of Butterfly moor are not easily visible on this particular fish, but you can just see some on the stomach — Kin Rin refers to the reflective scales. The matt blues and blacks with some dashes of red are present, and this is a nice example of the new colours available to Butterfly moor keepers.

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THEUSUAL

We spotlight five alleged aquatic ne’er-do-wells — are they truly the underwater version of the Kray twins, or just misunderstood? WORDS: BOB MEHEN

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PFK POLICE DEPT. PUNTIGRUS TETRAZONA. AKA TIGER BARB, SUMATRA BARB.

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LAST KNOWN WILD RESIDENCE: Asia; Sumatra and Borneo. DESCRIPTION: Stripey – body marked with four bold, black vertical stripes interspersed with a pleasing golden orange. Fins – red. Some Tigers go incognito – ‘Moss Green’, ‘Platinum’, ‘Golden’ or ‘albino’ are just a few of their commercial disguises, but a Tiger cannot change its stripes and stays true to its ancestry. SIZE: Around 7cm/2.5in. CHARGES: Tiger barbs are nippy fish, never happier than when taking chunks of out their tank mates as well as each other. They seem to thrive on violent intimidation. First hand testimony from numerous sources back up these accusations.

the truth behind five of these alleged troublemakers to try and reach the facts behind the mythology — are they truly underwater Ronnie and Reggie Krays that will menace and intimidate — or are they simply misunderstood, ‘rough around the edges’ fish that with the right care can become model members of fishkeeping society? Don’t have nightmares... VERDICT: Here at PFK we have long been aware of the Tiger barb’s poor reputation. Ever popular, thanks to its eye-catching markings, it remains one of the most CRIME: commonly sold barb species. The simple truth is they can be all the CANNIBALISM things that people accuse them of BUT & VIOLENCE there are some big caveats to this statement. Pop a handful of Tigers into your community and before long you’ll have trouble. Fins will be nipped, tank mates will be harassed. That shoal of peaceful Corys you like so much? They’ll be badgered into a nervous huddle under any available cover. Those graceful gourami or stately Angels you bought as a centrepiece will be tattered and torn, each fin extension trimmed to perfection by the bellicose barbs... But wait! Don’t write off these lovely fish as dyed in the wool hooligans. They can be well behaved members of the community without the need for community service! Tiger barbs are inquisitive and social fish. Almost all the problems prescribed to them are easily remedied simply by keeping them in sufficient number. Think of small groups of them as bored, unruly youths left with nothing to do on a wet Wednesday in the holidays, without mobile phones to keep them occupied, but with a selection of fireworks and a box of matches nearby. Tiger barbs like to hang around in big groups, where everyone knows the Tiger barb rules. If you add them in number, (let’s start with a minimum of ten) then almost all of their time will be spent interacting with each other. In this large ‘gang’ their bolshy behaviour makes sense as they spar with each other for social dominance within the group. A quick nip from the ‘top dog’ (fish) shows the lesser barbs who’s boss and keeps things orderly. It really is a case of the more the merrier. With a large group of Tigers, many of their previous targets will be completely ignored. Don’t get too carried away and start adding trailing finned delicacies and it’s probably best to avoid other stripey fish of similar size — your resident Tigers won’t appreciate or understand tank mates wearing gang colours who don’t know the rules...

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ome fish come with baggage; a reputation for thuggery, belligerence or a general disregard for a peaceful aquarium. Somehow however, they still appear in the average fish shop week in, week out and remain popular, simultaneously ‘most wanted’ and ‘public enemy No.1’. This apparent disparity of opinion can be confusing, so here at Crimewatch PFK headquarters we’ve decided to delve deeper into

Community fish

PFK POLICE DEPT. YASUHIKOTAKIA MORLETI AKA SKUNK LOACH, SKUNK BOTIA, HORA’S LOACH.

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LAST KNOWN WILD RESIDENCE: Asia; Cambodia, Laos, Thailand. DESCRIPTION: Body – long and laterally compressed with a sloping head finishing with a whiskered, underslung mouth. Colour – a sandy brown with the namesake black/brown ‘skunk’ stripe running from the nose, along the back and down through the caudal peduncle. Fins – dorsal and deeply forked tail are a light yellow, often marked with dark spots, other fins a red/orange colour. Young fish often sport tiger striping to add to their attraction but this fades with age. SIZE: 10cm/4in. CHARGES: The Skunk loach lives up to its common name — it’s a real stinker! Often entering fishkeepers’ tanks under false pretences as a part of a pest control programme, they will soon become the pest themselves, running a campaign of violence and intimidation against all but the sturdiest tank mates.

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VERDICT: The Skunk is one of the most commonly seen Botiid loach species in the hobby. Their striking markings and bold, active behaviour and low price tag leads to many unwary hobbyists falling for their charms. They are also often marketed as a cure for nuisance snails. Once added to the average community aquarium they may well initially knock back your mollusc menace — newly imported fish are often underweight and hungry. But it usually won’t be long before they show their darker side. Fellow bottom dwellers such as Corydoras will appear harassed, uneasy and often sport torn and damaged fins. Trailing finned and slow moving mid-water fish will often suffer similar problems. In severe cases eyes may go missing! At the beginning the culprit may not be obvious, but closer observation will show the Skunk loach is almost certainly to blame. There are however, extenuating circumstances. Botiid loaches are well known for their love of company of their own kind — these are social fish. Too often they are sold singly or in pairs where they are unable to build a stable hierarchy, so behaviour that would be appropriate amongst a large crowd of Skunks spills over onto their unsuspecting tank mates. The nipping and chasing that would settle who’s who in the Skunks’ power structure becomes a blitzkrieg of violence against all and sundry. A large group (ten or more) should expend most of their efforts on bothering each other, but even so are not recommend for a normal community. These fish should really only be considered if they are the basis of your tank’s stock and other fish are chosen for their suitability for life alongside a tank full of ‘stinkers’!

CRIME: INTIMIDATING OTHER TANK MATES

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NEIL HEPWORTH

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VERDICT: There are few fish that carry with them the reputation for violence and disorder as the Red-tailed black shark, yet still remain popular. This is probably down to their unrivalled colouration. Truly PFK POLICE DEPT. black fish are few and far between and add to this their bright red tail and you have a fish of subtle beauty. The ‘shark’ moniker certainly helps EPALZEORHYNCHOS BICOLOR. raise their profile as well... AKA RED-TAILED BLACK SHARK, Even those who have bothered to do a little research before plunging into RTBS ownership will often be lulled into false sense of security RTBS, RED-TAIL SHARK-MINNOW when confronted by a dealer’s tank packed with dozens of tiny juveniles apparently getting on like a house on fire. Many will take the plunge and pop a shark (or from less scrupulous dealers, a brace of sharks) into cm their community. 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 It usually takes a couple of weeks for the trouble to start, but sooner or later one of the sharks will start looking a little tatty and grey. If not removed to safety two sharks will shortly afterwards become one. Now the reign of terror can really begin, with the remaining shark asserting its rights to tank dominion. Any similarly shaped fish will be chased around the tank, likewise fish with similar colouration will also get its attention. Bottom dwellers such as corys will get short shrift for daring to live on the substrate. These blustering chases seldom actually end in any physical violence, but in the confines of the average aquarium they can be unrelenting, meaning the increasingly exhausted target is unable to gain respite or food. However, this does not mean that the RTBS is a lost cause, it just means you need plan your tank around these magnificent moody fish. 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 First off they need space, so a tank with a footprint of around 120 x 30cm should be the minimum. Fill it with plenty of hidey holes; think LAST KNOWN WILD RESIDENCE: Asia; Thailand. roots, logs and caves. Lush planting will also help. All this decor will DESCRIPTION: Body – long, slender with an increasingly high back as help break lines of sight along the tank meaning once your RTBS has it matures and coloured an inky, velvet black. Fins – black, apart from found ‘home’ he can defend it, but crucially not see all the tank at once, namesake tail which is red or deep orange. High dorsal and forked tail so tank mates can find solace elsewhere. Out of sight, really is give it the ‘shark’ common name. Occasionally seen in albino out of mind. Only consider similarly robust tank mates, able form which while lacking the black, retains the red tail. to give as good as they get. The Tiger barbs mentioned SIZE: Up to 15cm/6in. earlier should be up to the job. Finally add your RTBS CHARGES: The Red-tailed black shark is a brutal tyrant last when all the other stock has settled in to avoid CRIME: who will chase and terrorise tank mates. It will claim problems with newcomers barging into its ‘manor’. the whole tank as its own and relentlessly harass any TERRORISM, You might even be lucky enough to get a happy, fish that bears a passing resemblance to itself. It has a HARASSMENT peaceful, community friendly RTBS — they do exist special hatred of fish sporting the colour red which it but are very much the exception. & RACISM considers its own personal livery.

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PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Community fish PFK POLICE DEPT. TRICHOPODUS TRICHOPTERUS AKA THREE-SPOT GOURAMI, BLUE GOURAMI, OPALINE GOURAMI, GOLD GOURAMI, SILVER GOURAMI.

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LAST KNOWN WILD RESIDENCE: Asia; Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam. DESCRIPTION: Body – deep and laterally compressed, marked with two spots, one in the middle and one near the tail. The namesake third spot is the eye which is typically red rimmed. Colour is normally a silver blue but they are also found without the spots and covered in deep blue bars (Opaline) or washed with a golden yellow. SIZE: 15cm/6in. CHARGES: The Three-spot gourami is prone to spousal abuse, usually by the male towards the female. Similarly the males are jealous and violent and will not tolerate competition for their chosen partner — other males will be beaten, battered and generally bothered if kept in close proximity.

VERDICT: In spite of its notoriety in fishkeeping circles as a bully and general trouble maker, the Three-spot gourami remains among the most commonly encountered species of gourami in the hobby. It’s possible that many people are fully aware of their thuggish tendencies but don’t realise that those glorious Golden gourami or eye-catching Opalines are simply well camouflaged Three-spots with all the problems these fish can present. The rumours about their behaviour aren’t just urban myth; Threespots can be downright nasty! Males are the usual culprits and will chase, bite and generally harass any female fish unlucky enough to be paired with them. Other males will soon feel the wrath of the dominant male and this attention can go well beyond chasing with the smaller fish usually getting a beating and this can soon lead to one less fish. It’s not just males though, as some females can be terrifyingly truculent. As with so many of these tank terrors young fish can appear fine, only showing their true colours once settled and mature. Luckily these fish aren’t so beyond the pale that they can’t be reintegrated into the community if a few simple techniques are employed. Firstly give them space; these are substantial fish compared to many community regulars and cramming them in a small tank is a sure fire route to trouble — 90 x 30cm base dimensions should be your starting point, but bigger groups will need bigger quarters. The males are generally more feisty than their female counterparts and usually have only one thing on their mind aside from food — convincing any females resident that they should try and make more gouramis! With this in mind and to give the females a chance of a little peace you should add females and males at a ratio of at least 2:1 and only consider more than one male in large tanks. Telling the sexes apart with immature fish can be tricky, but as they develop males get bigger and develop a tell-tale pointed dorsal fin. The classic tricks of breaking up lines of sight with decor and plants will also help. Floating plants are always popular and offer yet more in the way of cover. Avoid keeping these fish with similar sized or smaller gourami or their close relatives; Siamese fighters may have pugilistic history behind them but won’t stand a chance against the pit-bull nature of the average Three-spot. Plop them in with fast moving, robust midwater species like barbs or larger tetras and they shouldn’t be a problem. Bottom dwellers tend to be ignored, being seen as literally and figuratively beneath them.

CRIME: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Community fish PFK POLICE DEPT. GYRINOCHEILUS AYMONIERI. AKA SUCKING LOACH, ALGAE EATER, CHINESE ALGAE EATER, SIAMESE ALGAE EATER.

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LAST KNOWN WILD RESIDENCE: Asia; Cambodia, China, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam. DESCRIPTION: Body – long, tapering, thickening with age. Large, underslung sucker mouth. Colour – variable, from sandy brown, to sludge green on top, fading to a cream belly. Lateral line marked with a dark brown stripe. Younger specimens may sport a metallic bronze sheen. Also available in a golden (yellow) and albino form. SIZE: 30cm/12in. CHARGES: Entering community tanks under false pretences as a solution to nuisance algae, Sucking loaches (which aren’t even loaches!) show little long term interest in their newly assigned caretaker and groundsman role and take an overly proprietorial attitude toward their new residence, with particular ire reserved for any other bottom dwelling fish.

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VERDICT: Sucking loaches are certainly not stocked for their beauty – these are fish that even their own mothers would struggle to find attractive. Heavy set, largely brown with a rubbery suction cup for a mouth — even the more glamorous sounding ‘golden’ version is about as appealing as stocking a blanched parsnip in your aquarium. The reason so many shops stock them is they are cheap and have a reputation for loving nothing more than chowing down on all that algae that fishkeepers find such a chore to deal with themselves. They are called ‘algae eaters’ after all, so what could go wrong? The truth is the ‘sucking’ part of their common name is more appropriate as they really do ‘suck’ at algae eating! Very young, newly imported and hungry Sucking loaches may well have an initial go at your green glass and rockwork, but the simple fact is that there isn’t enough sustenance for a growing ‘loach’ in the available greenstuff and like a child given the choice between a plateful of healthy greens or a bag of chips with a side order of Haribos, there is only going to be one outcome. Sucking loaches will want (and need) extra feeding in the form of wafer and tablet food — they are not obligate algae eaters! If you don’t provide this they will either starve or decide the flat sides of any larger fish in the tank, such as Angelfish or gouramis, look in need of a clean with predictably disastrous results. All the while your algae will grow away unchecked, while your two-inch ‘algae eater’ will match this unchecked growth, burgeoning into a foot-long monster. Its monstrous size and lumpen looks will be matched with a bellicose nature that will brow-beat and bludgeon tank mates into submission. If you have spent time, money and effort aquascaping your tank then the Sucking loach will make it its life’s work to bulldoze the whole thing into a recreation of the CRIME: aftermath of a wet Glastonbury festival. IMPERSONATION None of this is really the fault of the Sucking loach of course — it’s just a & FALSE victim of misleading marketing. IDENTITY Nevertheless, if you want a peaceful, algae free community, then look elsewhere. On the other hand, if you want to keep an ugly, quarrelsome loner that will reduce your aquarium to rubble in a matter of days, then you’ve just found it.

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A FE FOR THE EYES!

Meet the Malawi eyebiter cichlid — a fish that’s guaranteed to attract attention, and not just because of its name.

WORDS: JEREMY GAY

FOTO MALAWI STAN

W

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orking as I do in marketing, I can see the sales potential in giving a fish a good name. The Malawi eyebiter has just such a name, attracting those who like to keep predatory fish while at the same time creeping-out those types of fishkeeper who don’t. The Malawi eyebiter, Dimidiochromis compressiceps, was given its common name in 1966, when Wickler found fish eyes in the stomach contents of wild caught fish. In his book, ‘Malawi Cichlids in their natural habitat’, cichlid guru Ad Konings references this event, while at the same time stating that such eye eating behaviour had never been observed in the lake — and he should know.

So, the eye-biting behaviour that gave this cichlid its name went down as a bit of an anomaly, and it’s certainly not the norm. I myself and other cichlid authors have also made that reference over the years and rejoiced in telling people that we, the informed, knew that they don’t actually eat eyes, so there was no need to worry when keeping them in captivity. Until I kept them again recently that is!

Special delivery We wanted some fish to fill up and test out a commercial filtration system where I work, and along with the stunning Thorichthys maculipinnis that I went on to keep and breed, my mate Mark McKinney at Clearly Aquatics came over, bringing with him several adult pairs of Dimidiochromis compressiceps. PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Cichlids

He opened the lid of the over-sized bucket as I peered over and exclaimed at the size. They were fully grown — the males a good 17.5cm/7in in length, mature, and in colour. And there were plenty of females too. From above I could see their shape in more detail. They are very laterally compressed as their name suggests, but what you don’t usually see is that these fish are tapered both at the back and the front too, making them javelin-like in top profile — perfect for lunging at prey. As we hadn’t expected the fish to be adult-sized, they were split into two systemised aquariums, one of which was 90cm/36in in length and the other 120cm/48in. Once installed, the fish fed well on whitebait, cockles, mussels, cichlid pellets and even Koi pellets. When they

were gorging themselves on the large, thawed-out whitebait, I could observe just how large and protrusible their mouths actually are. I wouldn’t trust a hungry compressiceps with any fish half its size or smaller…

Battle zone But with good condition came the inevitable fighting. The dominant male in each tank took a large territory by force, banishing all males and from females from it, admitting females by invitation only, and then expanding the no swim zone to the entire length of each tank to other males. With nowhere to go the inferior males got bitten over and over again until it was time to intervene. Even the females got fed-up and formed a hierarchy, with the smallest female getting snapped at and bitten, and not even allowed to feed, which made them smaller and darker in colour, so even more of a target to the

The colours of a mature male are incredible — and just look at the size of that mouth.

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others. I removed one casualty, looking as beaten up cichlids do — as though it had been rubbed up and down with a cheese grater. It was also missing an eye… But the one luxury I did have with commercial fish tank racking was other tanks, albeit small ones. I reluctantly went against my own advice and removed the aggressor instead of the victim. Within hours, after the resident raging bull had been removed, the next male had stepped up to the plate, taking his territory, and continuing the onslaught of aggression. This time I removed the victim, the worst looking female, followed over successive days by beaten up male, then beaten up female, until I had about ten tanks with one fish in each: five males and five females. Divided only by glass, the males now all became masters of their box-shaped worlds, colouring up and displaying to each other and to the females, which were in sight and smelling distance. Away from harm, the

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males became superb specimens, refracting both blue and green colours all over their bodies, with fire coloured crests on their dorsal fins, mirrored on the anal fins, and with lots and lots of dummy egg spots. As tanks needed to be given over to successive batches of the Thorichthys, I decided to reacquaint the five females with one another in the four footer, this time decorating the tank with lots of rocks, and strands of giant Vallisneria.

Feisty females This type of set-up would usually be perfectly fine for virtually any Malawi cichlid, as females aren’t territorial or aggressive, and have nothing to fight over — but not so for the five female compressiceps. The largest fish became dominant over all, chasing the other four into the cover and not wanting them to feed. Like poorly Discus, the smallest female turned very black in colour and looked very

As their scientific name suggests, these are very laterally compressed fish.

Cichlids

Eyebiters make a spectacular choice for a large, hardwater aquarium.

AD KONINGS

PHOTOMAX

A golden female with her brood of youngsters.

The males became superb specimens, refracting both blue and green colours all over their bodies, with fire coloured crests on their dorsal fins, mirrored on the anal fins, and with lots and lots of dummy egg-spots. sorry for herself. I made sure it was able to eat though, by feeding the others with so much whitebait that they literally couldn’t eat any more. Once their mouths were full this last fish could come out and get some food. Weekends came and went and one day I found I was now down to four females. The smallest, most beaten up female was again missing an eye. This really wasn’t what I wanted for these beautiful fish so I used my experience to set up a larger tank, this time a 150 x 60cm/5 x 2ft, set-up specially for them and decorated with a few rocks, lots of sandy areas and lots of now very long giant Vallisneria. I moved across the four females and the largest, most dominant male, adding him after the females had gone in. They looked great, gliding across the tank with great speed, while getting me thinking that they actually required even more room — in fact a 2.4m/8ft tank would have been ideal.

FOTO MALAWI STAN

Plants… or not? I posted a picture of the aquarium onto social media, but got heckled over my use of Vallisneria by one user. “Dimidiochromis compressiceps inhabits only rocks,” he stated, “and there are no plants”. I was pretty sure I had read every Konings book cover to cover, and even seen photographs of D. compressiceps over beds

of Vallisneria. The user linked a YouTube video of a bright yellow compressiceps swimming over rocks around Chizumulu island. I quoted Konings where he said that compressiceps were always associated with higher plants, apart from the yellow individuals at Chizumulu. But he wasn’t having it. Luckily Professor George Turner of Bangor University stepped in and confirmed of all the compressiceps that he had collected from the lake, they had all come from beds of Vallisneria. My F1 fish may even been the offspring of those that he had collected. My reputation intact, I carried on enjoying the tank.

Breeding behaviour In the 150cm/5ft aquarium the male would chase the females, but largely left them alone, building what would have been a circular bower in the sand had it had not been for the front wall of the tank. In true cichlid fashion he banked the sand up at the front to about 15cm/6in high, and over the next few days and weeks invited females over to spawn. But unusually no females were seen carrying either eggs or fry in their mouths, despite what should have been paradise for the one male and four females. I buffered the pH and hardness of the water, as soft acidic water can be a barrier for Malawi cichlids when it comes to breeding, but still nothing.

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Like this? Try this… Dimidiochromis strigatus is also quite commonly available, with similar, yet not quite so specialised body shape, more green colouration in males, and a large red patch behind the pectoral fin. These could be mistaken and even mis-sold as D. compressiceps, although once you have seen the real McCoy the difference is clear.

JEREMY GAY

The Eyebiter set-up at Evolution Aqua’s head office.

The male compressiceps on tank patrol.

Males have a classy, almost ‘expensive’ look about them.

AQUARIUM PHOTO.DK

Dimidiochromis strigatus.

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MP&C PIEDNOIR AQUAPRESS.COM

Was the male too old, I wondered — he was a big, mature fish of unknown age. He certainly went through the motions but nothing came of it. So, back he went into the stock tanks and this time I chose the smallest of the five, separated males. This fish was still large at 15cm/6in, but he looked younger and had a smaller head and less developed features. Within days he had done the business and my females were carrying. Compressiceps breed as all Haplochromine Malawi cichlids do. They are non-pair forming, maternal (female only) mouthbrooders, with mating lasting only seconds. The male clears the area of other fish and shimmies and shakes, low to the ground in a circular motion. The female comes over, joins his circular dance before dropping a large, beige egg on the sand. She does an about turn, and picks it up in her mouth, before going to pick the next one up. Though this time she gets the quivering curtain of eggs that is the male’s anal fin, complete with a row of dummy eggs, and PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Cichlids

JEREMY GAY

she gets sperm, instead of eggs. The process is repeated until she ends up with 30 or so now fertilised eggs in her mouth. Taking roughly a month from eggs to large, spittable fry, the female won’t feed during that time, and to the untrained eye doesn’t look out of the ordinary. It’s this mobile creche though, that is key to the Lake Malawi cichlids’ adaptive radiation — something that Professor George Turner is world champion on. So, what did I learn? That adults need large tanks, crowding works, but low numbers in small tanks doesn’t work, even with females. And that (in the case of mine, anyway) they do eat eyes. There were no other fish present in the tanks when it happened, and one of mine lost an eye before it was killed. To the aquarium fish lover, the males are stunning when in colour, and look

expensive, if that’s at all possible. The females, being silver, will just not be to the taste of many people although I still appreciate them, and they are essential for natural behaviour and of course breeding. The fry are large, easy to raise, and far more amiable towards each other, even while being grown on in smaller tanks. If you don’t create a species tank, both males and females could be mixed in Malawi ‘Hap’ tanks, with other, large predatory genera, although even then only one male Eyebiter will be best, and they won’t do well in the rough and tumble of the rocky, crowded mbuna tanks — except when it comes to devouring fry. But if you are looking for the perfect blend of hard water biotope fish, oddball, and potential breeding project, and you have a large tank spare, I would definitely give them a go.

Malawi eye biter

G Scientific name: Dimidiochromis compressiceps. G Size: To around 20cm/8in. G Origin: Lake Malawi, Africa. G Aquarium size: 150 x 60cm footprint would be the ideal minimum. G Water requirements: As with all Lake Malawi cichlids, hard alkaline water is essential. Aim for 8–8.5pH. G Temperature: 24–26°C. G Diet: Whitebait, cockles, mussels, cichlid pellets and similar. G Availability and cost: African cichlid specialists will either have this in stock or should be able to get it for you. Expect to pay around £15 each. 0

pH

Temp C 9

Don’t trust these fish with tank mates less than half their size...

8 7 6

30 28 26 24 22 20 18

540 l+

TOP TIP

Avoid hybrids like Orange Blotch (‘OB’) compressiceps. Albino forms look right in shape but don’t trust their ancestry — and why would you want a perfectly adapted visual hunter with poor vision and a pink body?

Female Dimidiochromis compressiceps.

SHUTTERSTOCK

FOTO MALAWI STAN

5

Claws forth

Meet the Panther crab. It’s one of the few totally aquatic crabs available in the hobby — and it’s a freshwater species, too… WORDS: SIMON CORDEY PHOTOGRAPHY: OLIVER MENGEDOHT, WWW.PANZERWELTEN.DE

TOP TIP

Never use copper treatments in tanks containing crabs or other invertebrates as it is lethal to them. 72

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Freshwater inverts

Housing your crab

M

any of us will remember searching in rock pools for various critters at some point in our childhood. During these expeditions if we found anything at, it would often be a crab. In my younger days I would go looking on the beaches during family holidays at Weymouth or Weston Super Mare and was overjoyed if I came across a crab. Oh, how I wanted to take it home and keep it as a pet! This would have been impossible for me back then — or at least very difficult —due to Mr Crab’s water requirements. But nowadays, even without a marine set-up, you can keep a crab at home. Many of us will have seen crabs on sale in aquatic shops, including the beautiful Red clawed crab, Sesarma bidens, or the Purple vampire crab, Geosesarma sp., and very tempting they are, too — but without the correct conditions, these guys don’t really do very well, requiring a brackish set-up, humidity and an out of water basking area. But there is an alternative — and it’s a stunner! The Panther crab is a 100% freshwater, totally aquatic crab. It’s also easy to keep, fun to own and long lived.

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

The Panther crab, Parathelphusa pantherina, originates from Sulawesi, Indonesia. These crabs reach a carapace size of around 7.5cm/3in or so and like their water with a pH anywhere from 7 to 8.4. Like crayfish, they prefer hard, alkaline water which greatly assists in the hardening of their shell, which they need for when they moult. Aim for a hardness of 10°H or more. Temperature wise they will be happy with anything from 22–26°C. A lifespan of 3–4 years is not uncommon for these crabs. Tank wise, the bigger the better, especially if you are housing them alongside other crabs as they like to have their own territory. Personally, I like to keep them singly in a 60 l tank — they will recognise their owner after a time, waving their claws to attract you over with food. Get too close and they will wave those same claws as a warning if you get too close. And boy, can they move... A standard gravel base with caves or tunnels from pipes, wood or rock are all ideal. If you want plants, use the artificial variety as real ones will be shredded and devoured. The most important thing to include is a tight fitting lid with no gaps. Panthers are nosey, inquisitive things and would like nothing more to than to go for a quick wander given the opportunity. These crabs will generally eat anything!

Mine enjoy earthworms, fish pellets or flake, along with bloodworm or vegetables.

Tank mates Generally, Panthers get on with their own kind providing they have enough room and they tend to do well in groups. You may get the odd squabble between individuals, but as long as there is plenty of space for them to run off, this shouldn’t be a problem. The worst injury is normally a lost leg and this will grow back over time anyway. Fishy tank mates should be considered very carefully, especially in smaller tanks, as the Panther will attack and devour anything it can get hold of, especially slower moving snack-sized fish that may be having a lights-out snooze. In a larger tank, medium sized fish will probably be safe — but then there is a risk of the crab becoming a tasty snack itself, especially at its most vulnerable time which is after moulting its external carapace.

Will Panther crabs breed? Breeding is only possible in very large tanks. The female release pheromones into the water to attract males. Unfortunately, this can cause males to kill one other (or even the female) in their frenzy, so a large tank to dilute the pheromones and offer plenty of escape for injured crabs is a must. And what will you do with hundreds of baby crabs once the female releases them from her abdomen?

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AQUATIC In association with

DIPLOMA

SCH

In the fourth part of our Diploma series, we look at the many disease issues that can face our fish, and how to tackle them. WORDS: NATHAN HILL

PART FOUR: DISEASE MANAGEMENT

O

ne day, most of us will all have to deal with a fish disease. In previous instalments, we looked at the many aspects of water, which we’ll be putting to use here in understanding disease causes. Understanding disease is essential if we are to avoid rash diagnoses and incorrect treatments. The wrong

treatment can be harmful, and you’ll rarely get a second chance to correct any mistakes. The single, most important message to take away from this section of the diploma is that the overwhelming majority of disease is preventable, and that prevention will always trump trying to cure a disease that has already broken out.

REGISTER NOW

DJPALME / CREATIVE COMMONS

at www.practicalfishkeeping. co.uk/diploma and at the end of the course we’ll send you a link to take the free online exam. Pass the exam to receive your Fishkeeping Diploma!

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Stress is a major trigger of whitespot. PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

In association with

Fishkeeping Diploma Part 4

NEIL HEPWORTH

used, causing further stress on the fish. Some illnesses (like slime disease) require a sample of mucus to be inspected for correct diagnosis. This involves performing a skin scrape — a coverslip is gently moved from head to tail on the fish to collect some mucus. The coverslip is then placed onto a slide and observed under a microscope. Small fish may be too delicate to scrape.

Stress Stress is a major factor of disease. When stressed, fish divert energy away from their immune systems, making them more susceptible to infectious diseases. Stress is almost always a precursor to infectious diseases like whitespot and finrot. Stress can be acute, or chronic. Acute stress, or shock, is the result of a sudden trauma. Poor handling (such as being dropped during capture), exposure to sudden noises (slamming doors, tank slapping), being captured and bagged for transport, being subject to sudden drastic changes in temperature or water chemistry, and exposure to concentrated toxins all cause acute stress. ] Signs of acute stress can include: loss of balance and orientation; immediate lethargy; escape responses, swimming rapidly around the tank or trying to jump out; hiding; intensity of or sudden loss of colour; and even outright death. Symptoms are apparent directly after the stressful incident and may wear off over time. Avoid acute stress with good handling and husbandry, and understanding of the water quality and chemistry needs of fish.

NEIL HEPWORTH

Types of disease On hearing the word disease, most of us think of infectious pandemics. But disease as a concept is much more complex. There are infectious diseases. These are the types of disease that involve an active pathogen or parasite — pathogens such as viruses, fungi or bacteria. There are also non-infectious diseases. These include inherited deformities, genetic abnormalities, physiological defects, dietary deficiencies and (most importantly of all) symptoms directly resulting from environmental problems. Most disease diagnosis in fish is visual. Fish may exhibit specific or non-specific signs of illness. Specific signs, or symptoms, are direct and unmistakable manifestations of the illness – such as the white spots during a white spot infestation. Non-specific signs are the behaviours and bodily changes that indicate a problem without directly revealing a specific illness. These include colour changes, swimming difficulty, failure to feed, shyness, clamped fins, scratching, rapid breathing and so on. When facing non-specific signs of illness, the priority of the aquarist is to investigate all of the environmental parameters of the tank, including: temperature, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, and hardness,. Any incorrect parameters can cause a range of non-specific signs. Under no circumstances should an aquarist treat fish without a diagnosis based on actual symptoms. Non-specific signs of illness can apply to a wide range of issues, and a treatment based upon these alone will often lead to the wrong medication being

Always acclimatise new fish slowly to avoid sudden changes in water chemistry.

] Chronic stress has many causes — most of them environmental. They can include: incorrect temperatures; elevated levels of ammonia, nitrite or nitrate; incorrect pH; excessively soft or hard water; excess noise in the room housing the aquarium; tapping of aquarium glass; lingering medications, such as excess salt; bullying or intimidation; lack of cover; sexual harassment from a potential mate; and toxins from outside the tank. Signs of chronic stress are hard to isolate. General malaise, weight loss, lack of colouration, poor growth, excess mucus production, ragged fins, nervous disposition, unusual swimming behaviour or the occasional outbreak of infectious disease and unexplained death can all be attributed to chronic stress issues. Avoiding chronic stress requires an understanding of the habitat and water requirements of individual fish species.

Soft, acidic water species like Rams won’t do well in hard, alkaline aquaria. www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

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The greatest causative factor of disease is improper water quality management. Some of this was covered in part two of the Diploma, but specific problems are recognised as follows: ] Ammonia poisoning — excess slime, gasping at the surface, dashing and trying to escape the tank, red patches on fins and body, and gasping at the surface. Typically, ammonia poisoning is an acute problem. ] Nitrite poisoning — red streaks in the fins and skin, gasping at the surface, excess slime, ‘browning’ of the gills, scratching against surfaces, trying to escape the tank, lethargy, and shimmying. Typically, nitrite poisoning is an acute problem. ] Nitrate poisoning — ‘yawning’, discolouring of the fish (especially black patches), fast breathing, lethargy, reduced appetite, gradual loss of condition, clamped fins. Typically, nitrate poisoning is a chronic problem, but may also be acute. ] Oxygen starvation (also called hypoxia) — obvious difficulty breathing, gasping at the surface, lack of co-ordination, loss of balance, death. Causes of oxygen starvation include: overcrowding; filter malfunction; lack of surface movement; lack of circulation; excess high temperature; exhaustion; physical gill damage (as caused by some medications); medication; pathogens on the gills; and night-time plant respiration. ] Carbon dioxide poisoning — gasping at the surface, flicking, sudden erratic movements, weight loss, unexplained death with kidney damage. Causes of carbon dioxide poisoning are linked to incorrect CO2 dosing. CO2 can have a chronic effect of causing kidney damage through calcification. ] Gas bubble disease/gas embolisms

— bubbles physically present in the skin of the fish, sometimes huge bubbles displacing the eye. Gas bubble disease is caused by: supersaturation of nitrogen from a faulty pump/filter connection. Rarely, it can be caused by adding excessively cold water during water changes. Sometimes, it may be pathogenic. ] Other types of poisoning — gasping, flicking, yawning, shaking, scratching, faded or intense colouring, rocking, excess mucus production, jumping from the tank, dashing, hiding, rapid breathing and death. Generic poisoning can be caused by any alien chemical inside or outside the tank. Typical culprits include cigarette smoke, air fresheners, perfume, soaps on hands, cooking fumes, paint, pesticides and residues in water change buckets.

Infectious diseases

PHOTOMAX

Environmental diseases

Caused by pathogens and parasites. Can transfer from one fish to another. Finrot needs prompt action Zoonotic diseases can to prevent it spreading into even transfer to the body. Bacterial humans or other diseases animals and need extra care when Single celled encountered. organisms that Fish can be reproduce subject to a through selfprimary or a division to form secondary colonies. Aquaria infection. Primary rely on certain infections arise bacteria species to when healthy fish convert down succumb to a pathogen aquarium wastes, but or parasite invasion. other bacteria can be Secondary infections arise pathogenic. Bacterial infections when a fish that is already damaged take a few common forms in aquaria, (physical injury, stress or already suffering and most are directly associated with acute from a primary infection) is attacked by an or chronic stress. opportunistic pathogen. Typical examples include bacteria entering the body ] Ulcers — caused by Aeromonas, through cuts. Pseudomonas, Vibrio, Mircobacterium and Flavobacterium genera of bacteria, present in aquarium water at most times. Overcrowding can lead Opportunistic pathogens that infect fish to environmental health suffering prior stress and/or injuries. issues for your fish. Signs: depressed, rounded wounds on the fish, usually red and with a white edge. Extreme cases may expose organs. Ulcers cause osmotic stress in the fish. Open wounds allow essential minerals to leave (or excessively enter) a fish’s body. Treatment: off the shelf broad range antibacterial medication (usually formalin based). 3g/l of salt will help. Extreme cases may require prescribed antibiotics added via food. Some antibacterial treatments can be applied direct to the fish and sealed in with a ‘wound sealer’.

ALAMY

] Fin rot — caused by the same bacteria as in ulcers, through different entry points. Signs: erosion of tissue between one or more fin rays, often with a white edge. Fin rays and spines often left intact.

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PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

In association with

Fishkeeping Diploma Part 4 aquarium husbandry as well as generic conditions of chronic and acute stress. Poor water quality is a particular culprit. Signs: white/grey lips, cottony tufts around and on the mouth, shimmying, reluctance to feed, red patches on the body, grey patches over the head and gills. Treatment: formaldehyde or phenoxyethanol based bacterial medications may help, along with 3g/l salt. Severe infections require antibiotics.

MP&C PIEDNOIR AQUAPRESS

Ulcers are more common in fish with injuries or those suffering from stress.

Treatment: off the shelf medicines containing phenoxyethanol. 3g/l salt will help. If the bacteria reach the body, the disease escalates rapidly, and treatment as for ulcers will be needed. ] Cotton mouth/Columnaris — caused by Flavobacterium columnare bacteria. Outbreaks are linked directly to poor

] Fish TB/Wasting disease — caused by Mycobacterium marinum and M. fortuitum on infected fish. Chronic stress from poor husbandry and poor water quality will trigger outbreaks. Cannibalism and infected faeces transmit the disease. Signs: emaciation, pale colours and general poor health. External diagnosis difficult, as internal organs are infected. Dissection of dead fish will expose white nodules in the body. Treatment: strong antibiotics may rarely have some effect. Salt and off-the-shelf medicines ineffective. Fish TB is a zoonotic illness that can potentially transfer to humans through cuts in the skin.

Fungal diseases Fungi are ever present in aquaria as spores, and are opportunistic. Most fungal infections in fish are external but there are rare instances of internal infections. ] Cotton wool disease — caused by

Achyla and Saprolegnia fungi. Poor water quality, poor hygiene, chronic stress and injury are all factors in an outbreak. Often follows diseases such as ulcers or fin rot. Signs: obvious patches of white fluff, usually where the fish has been injured. Patches may turn green or brown over time. Spreads from damaged flesh to healthy flesh, degrading it by sending hyphae down to digest living tissue. Treatment: rectify all predisposing factors, dose aquarium with off the shelf, phenoxyethanol based medicine. 3 to 5g/l salt will inhibit spread of fungus.

Viral diseases Relatively rare in aquaria, viral infections pose a particular problem as they cannot be treated. Viruses ‘hijack’ living cells to create more viruses. Sometimes, invaded cells become so large that the infection becomes visible as lumps on the body. Internal virus infections are hard to diagnose without specialist equipment. As well as the diseases listed below, viruses may be implicated in some tumours, as well as dropsy outbreaks. ] Lymphocystis — caused by Lymphocystis or similar viruses. Chronic stress appears to be an underlying cause, though the condition is often synonymous with fish that have been injected with artificial dyes. The virus may spread via injuries, though cannibalism of dead fish may be a factor.

NEIL HEPWORTH

Orfe with a nasty fungal infection.

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Signs: small pink or white-grey lumps that can grow large and ‘cauliflower’ like. Infected fish may appear unbothered. In extreme cases, they may lose condition and refuse to feed, eventually dying. Treatment: not possible.

that require a microscope to diagnose, to huge crustaceans that cling to the fish. Parasites can have complex life cycles, and some even have multiple hosts at different stages of their lives. Because of these, treatment can be prolonged.

] Dwarf gourami iridovirus — caused by a yet to be identified iridovirus, the disease attacks Dwarf gouramis, as well as Betta splendens, and possibly Angelfish and Ram cichlids, amongst others. Signs: (in dwarf gouramis) emaciation, loss of appetite, reduced colours, belly bloating, open sores and death. Treatment: not possible and the underlying factors not clearly understood.

] White spot — caused by the protozoan Ichthyopthirius multifilis. Stress appears a major trigger. Ammonia and nitrite poisoning causes outbreaks. Scaleless and small-scaled fish more prone. Sudden drops in temperature act as a trigger. Usually occurs when new fish are added to a tank, one of which is carrying. Fish exposed to whitespot in the past may develop immunity to some strains, meaning that not all fish in a tank become infected. Signs: obvious presence of small white spots on skin and fins, like tiny paint droplets. Fish in early stage infection may scratch and flick. Excess slime production. Tattered fins. Treatment: off-the-shelf medication (usually malachite green, methylene blue, formalin or copper sulphate based). NOTE: Some fish are susceptible to whitespot medication. Always read instructions before dosing. 3g/l salt will help. The parasite’s life cycle involves several stages, of which only one will respond to treatment.

Parasitic infections Biologically more complex than viruses, fungi or bacteria, parasites make up a huge chunk of the infectious disease problem in fish. Parasites frequently arrive in to a tank via the addition of new fish. Unlike bacteria and fungus, many parasite outbreaks are primary infections that may not require fish to be stressed to take hold. Endoparasites are those that live inside the fish and may be hard to diagnose. Ectoparasites live on the outside of the fish, and can range from single celled organisms

Whitespot life cycle Parasitic feeding/growing stage between skin of fish

Infective stage swims in the water in search of a fish to infect.

Cyst releases between 250 and 2,000 infective stages.

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On the fish, the trophont (the feeding, parasitic stage) is beneath the fish’s skin and cannot be treated. When mature, the parasite leaves the fish and falls to the substrate (leaving wounds susceptible to secondary fungal or bacterial infections). On the substrate, the spot becomes a tomont, and begins to divide into up to 2000 new white spot protozoans. The spot then releases theronts in to the water. The theront is the stage of the life cycle where the white spot looks for a host, and it is this stage that responds to treatment. Because medicine will only treat the theront stage, repeated doses are needed. Even if the fish looks free of spots, tomonts in the substrate will be producing more theronts. Daily gravel cleaning during a white spot infestation will help to remove the dividing cysts on the substrate. Increasing the temperature (where possible) by a couple of degrees centigrade will speed up the life cycle, making treatment faster. ] Guppy disease — caused by the protozoan Tetrahymena. Mainly affects Guppies, but can manifest on other species, like Angelfish and Betta. Transmits directly from fish to fish, through water. Signs: listlessness, rapid breathing, difficulty swimming, erosion of the fins or body. Unlike fin rot, the tail will disintegrate along with rays and spines. Bright colours may turn

Parasite enlarged.

Mature parasite leaves fish and falls to the substrate.

Cyst begins to divide.

Reproductive stage (cyst) on substrate. This may also be found attached to plants.

Whitespot affecting a Tiger barb. PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

In association with

Fishkeeping Diploma Part 4

] Velvet disease — caused by the protozoan Piscinoodinium. Poor water quality may be a factor. Introduced on infected fish, but also transported on contaminated nets, plants and decor. A particular problem for fry. Signs: a ‘dusting’ of gold all over the fins and body, excess mucus production, lethargy, rapid breathing, flicking and scratching, and loss of balance. Scales may appear ‘lifted’ from the body. Can be difficult to see on some fish. Treatment: turn aquarium lights off (Piscinoodinium derive some energy from photosynthesis) and medicate with a course of off the shelf antiparasite treatment (malachite green, methylene blue, formalin or copper sulphate based). 3 to 5g/l salt will help. Velvet disease has a complex life cycle, and treatment should last at least seven days to catch any released spores.

Velvet can be transported from tank to tank on contaminated equipment.

touching each other, or sometimes through water. Poor water quality and overcrowding are factors, as these parasites may be present at unnoticeable levels in even the healthiest aquarium. Signs: flicking and scratching in the early stages, a grey or white sheen to the body as mucus is produced to excess. Fish eventually look slimy, with mucus sloughing off. Fin erosion, rapid breathing

ALAMY

MP&C PIEDNOIR AQUAPRESS

] Slime disease — Caused by one (or more) of several microscopic parasites, including Trichodina, Chilodinella, Ichthyobodo and Gyrodactylus. Transmitted via fish

MYDIGITALLIFE/ CREATIVE COMMONS

white at affected areas. Spread is fast, and mortalities happen quickly. Scales may appear ‘lifted’ from the body. Treatment: advanced cases require dipping the fish in Potassium permanganate or Chloramine T, followed with an off the shelf, broad range antiparasite medicine (malachite green, methylene blue, formalin or copper sulphate based). 3–5g/l salt will help.

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and secondary ulcers possible in advanced cases. Treatment: correct diagnosis requires a skin scrape — mucus is taken from the fish and looked at under a microscope, indicating both the type and extent of the infection. Infections of Trichodina, Chilodinella and Ichthyobodo may be treated with off the shelf medications (copper and formalin based). Treatment is often a single

Fish louse attached to the tail of a swordtail.

Only the female louse attacks fish.

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dose, followed by a follow up second dose after one week if the first fails. Infections of Gyrodactylus require treatments containing Levamisole or Praziquantel. Avoid using salt, which increases mucus production, and can in some cases actively promote numbers of parasites. ] Camallanus — caused by the nematode worm Camallanus cotti. Can be introduced in live foods, but also by fish eating infected faeces. Wild caught fish that haven’t been quarantined properly are a common cause. Signs: emaciation, but the disease is most obvious as thin, red worms protruding from the anus of an infected fish. Treatment: medicated food (using fenbendazole wormer) or dosing of the aquarium with levamisole, found in a couple of off the shelf medicines. Regular gravel cleaning during an infection will help remove contaminated faeces.

] Fish louse — caused by Argulus crustaceans. Transmission is direct, from fish to fish, or from eggs that the Argulus lay in the tank which hatch into tiny larvae. Argulus only attach to a host to feed, then drop off and reproduce. Only females attack fish. Introduced via infected fish, or contaminated nets and decoration. Signs: visible to the naked eye as a large 5 to 10mm green disc that clings to the fish’s body. Affected fish may have puncture wound injuries and secondary infections. Treatment: remove the adult parasites with tweezers in a heavy infestation. Follow up with a course of insecticidal treatment such as Diflubenzuron (found in some off the shelf treatments). Also, remove any eggs, visible as white ‘strands’ on rocks and glass. Antibacterial treatments may be needed for secondary infections. 3g/l salt will help. ] Hole in the head — an illness found

RADEK BEDNARCZUK

Hole in the head affecting a Uaru.

mainly within cichlids, and can be either a parasitic infestation of Spironucleus, Octomitus and Hexamita, or a symptom caused by an unknown cause. Poor water quality can be a factor, as can poor diet and stray voltage. Secondary bacteria may be involved. Exact mechanism of the illness not well understood. The parasite primarily infects the gut of affected fish. Signs: white ‘pits’ in the head that may expand down the lateral line and may exude white slime. Faeces may turn white, fish become emaciated and refuse to feed. Treatment: requires metronidazole which needs to be obtained under prescription. Some off the shelf medicines may have some effect in the early stages of infection.

Diseases with multiple causes Some disease symptoms can be caused by several different pathogens, or none at all. This makes diagnosis extremely difficult, and often guesswork is involved in treating. ] Dropsy — retention of fluid in the body, caused through physical injury, pathogenic, parasitic, viral or bacterial infestation, poor water quality and chronic stress. Signs: bodily swelling until the fish’s scales start to distend, making it look like a pine cone. The swelling may just be around the internal organs, or it may be the entire fish. Treatment: broad range antibacterial medication, though this won’t work against dropsy caused by non-bacterial factors. 3g/l salt may help with osmotic stress. Move infected fish to a separate tank, as the cause may be transmittable. Where treatment is ineffective, euthanasia may be needed. ] Pop eye — also called Exophthalmus, this condition of distended or even

PHOTOMAX

The typical pine cone effect caused by dropsy is evident on this gourami.

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PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

In association with

Fishkeeping Diploma Part 4 prolapsed eyes can be down to bacteria, parasites, virus or fungus infection, as well as dietary and water quality issues. Often occurs after physical injury to the eye. Signs: gross distention or even prolapse of the eye, possibly with clouding. May be found in tandem with dropsy. Treatment: hard without knowing the underlying cause, but a broad range antibacterial medicine is advised, as is 3g/l salt where possible.

This double-headed Arowana is the result of a birth defect.

Nutritional diseases

]Fatty liver — caused by feeding fish excessively fatty foods, especially terrestrial foods such as mammal and bird flesh. Signs: outwardly limited. Fish condition may deteriorate rapidly, and the fish may die. Post mortem examination is required to reveal the problem. Treatment isn’t an option, but the problem can be avoided by providing the correct diet. ]Vitamin deficiencies — rare with today’s modern foods, but can happen where fish are given stale or incorrect diets. Signs: poor colouring, pop-eye (vitamins A and E), poor growth, kinked spines, bloating, deformities, blindness, fin erosion and bleeding (vitamin C). Treatment: requires the correct diet to be offered to fish with immediate effect. Deformities will be irreversible. ]Intestinal blockage/constipation — incorrect foods can build up in the guts and intestines of fish. Signs: long, unbroken faeces from the fish, bloating around the stomach, loss of balance as gas builds up in the digestive system. Treatment: correct the diet, but also offer food with some indigestible content — Daphnia and Cyclops are good. Epsom salts added to food or used as a bath may help to flush fish through.

Genetic and physiological diseases Some diseases are the result of inherited traits or the natural process of ageing. While these are diseases that cannot be treated, knowing their existence helps avoid misdiagnosis with other disease types. ]Birth deformities — often caused by

NEIL HEPWORTH

Incorrect feeding can lead to illness, causing premature fish deaths or deformities.

Birth deformities are often caused by inbreeding, rearing eggs in poor conditions, or vitamin deficiencies. inbreeding, rearing eggs in poor conditions, or vitamin deficiencies, these may or may not be problematic or fatal. Signs: any deformity you can think of, from extra or missing fins, to conjoined fish. Treatment: none, but prevention by choosing good stock and performing good husbandry will reduce incidences. ]Old age/senility — inevitable in all living organisms, and untreatable. Knowing the lifespan of your fish will help diagnosis. Some species may be elderly within 12 months, while others may take decades to reach old age. Signs: loss of balance, lethargy, blindness, emaciation, loss of condition, or sudden onset of most diseases listed on these pages. ]Treatment: none.

Zoonoses Diseases that can transfer to humans are a risk for any aquarist. Zoonotic infections enter the human body usually via ingestion or broken skin. Zoonotic disease risk can be reduced by good aquarium protocols. When working inside tanks, protect broken skin with waterproof gloves. After working on any aquarium, or touching any fish, the aquarist should

immediately wash their hands with soap and water, and, if there is any concern of zoonotic infections present, a hand sanitising gel should also be used. ANY unusual symptoms, including fevers, nausea, skin inflammation, sores or raised bumps on the skin that appear after working on aquaria should be discussed with your doctor.

Disposing of dead fish Fish should never be flushed down a toilet. Nor should a dead fish ever be fed to another fish — this is how diseases spread. Even burying fish in the garden risks bodies being dug up and eaten by wildlife — a particular problem if zoonoses are involved. Sealing fish in polythene bags and disposing of them as domestic waste is the sensible option. Your retailer may have facilities to have fish taken away and incinerate destroying pathogens was carry and this is far the bes option in the few sites that is availabl

HOW YOU CAN GAIN YOUR DIPLOMA Go to www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/diploma and register for the free online exam now. You will then be sent a link to take the exam at the end of the five-month course (there will be a paper copy option for readers without online access). If you pass the exam, you will receive your very own Fishkeeping Diploma, to show that you have successfully completed the course, and which is yours to display on the wall near your aquarium, hang in your fish house

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

— or keep somewhere safe where you can take it out and just look at it from time to time. Open to UK residents only. The Fishkeeping Diploma is not a qualification and should not be confused with the type of diploma presented by colleges, universities and other educational establishments. The Fishkeeping Diploma is awarded by PFK in association with Fluval. For more info on Fluval, visit www.fluvalaquatics.com/uk

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MP & C PIEDNOIR, AQUAPRESS.COM

COMMON SPECIES SUBJECT TO INJECTION AND DIPPING O Albino corydoras O Glass fish, Parambassis sp. O Parrot cichlids O Black widow tetra O Giant gourami

WHAT’S WRONG WITH INJECTED FISH? Fish can be artificially coloured in a couple of ways – Dipping or Injecting

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

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!

Improve your Fishkeeping Practical advice and great ideas to ensure you get the most from your hobby.

84 d tank While we might all want to fill our homes with the newest, top end gear, our cash flow might have other ideas. Here’s our advice on buying secondhand.

Fishkeeping Answers

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Fishkeepers’ emergency toolbox It pays to have a few essential items to hand for those sudden unexpected emergencies.

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Fishkeeping Answers Your aquatic problems solved by our panel of experts.

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Improve your Fishkeeping

Buying a used tank

While we might all want to fill our homes with the newest, top end gear, and artisanal tanks and cabinets, our cash flow might have other ideas. Here’s some important advice on buying secondhand. WORDS: NATHAN HILL

Know your rights! Buying from a private seller is very different to buying from a retailer. Private sellers don’t have an obligation to tell you about any defects or faults, while retailers (even those trading used goods) do. If you buy from a private seller, and your item breaks a week later, you might have no comeback at all. A retailer is obliged to sell you something fit for purpose, and of satisfactory quality (though that last bit is very open to translation). A private seller has to provide an item that is, at the least, as described. If you buy a Hagen aquarium, get it home and then find out it’s actually a different brand with a Hagen sticker over the top, then you’re entitled to a refund.

Ask to see it running If you’re buying a used complete set-up, ask to see pictures of it when it was running. Did it look good when it was set up? If it looked filthy and the owners struggled to maintain it, then possibly they had the wrong equipment selection — and you’re about to buy a lot of substandard or incorrect gear!

Do you really want fish? Silly question, I know. But do you want someone else’s fish? A lot of set-ups on offer come ‘complete with fish’, which often means they can’t offload or sell the fish separately. Don’t be surprised if you turn up to collect and find that the centrepiece of the set-up is some kind of hulking tankbuster that’s eaten all its tank mates and still has a lot of growing to do. Find out EXACTLY what fish are in the tank. Note also that if you need to move a tank with fish, things just got a lot more difficult…

Fill it up outside Anecdotally speaking, tanks seem likelier to burst after they’ve been sat empty for a while between uses. Don’t trust any secondhand purchase right off the bat. When you get your aquarium home, take it somewhere out of the way and fill it up where it can’t damage your furniture and carpet. Also, leave it filled for a few days to check that it’s not going to spring any leaks — or worse!

Avoid obscure brands I’ve nothing against lesser known names. Some of them make really good tanks, right up until the point something goes wrong and you need to source spare parts. Fish tanks are made all around the world, and if you buy up some rare Korean import, then you might struggle finding a new impeller at short notice.

SHUTTERSTOCK

The secondhand market for fishkeeping equipment is alive and well, but not always for the right reasons. While bargains are to be had, there’s also plenty of scope for the unwary aquarist to get their fingers burnt.

NEIL HEPWORTH

Don’t take on unwanted tankbusters along with a secondhand tank.

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PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Basics If the set-up comes with fish, find out what they are — they might not be an ideal mix.

medications. If it is rigid and flaky, it could be degrading and in need of replacement.

Check that glass If you’re buying a tank, look long and hard at the extent of scratches, and make sure you get close up to inspect before you buy. You can’t exactly polish out a deep scratch up the middle of the front pane, and that scratch might not be obvious when you’re buying on the strength of a grainy, slightly out of focus mobile phone camera. While you’re at it, have a good look at the silicone. Sealant that has been ravaged by algae scrapers or chewed away by suckermouth cats (they do that, you know?) might not have much integrity left. Silicone should have a degree of ‘squishy’ about it, and it should be either black, or slightly off white/clear. If it’s green or blue, it might be stained by

Ditch the decor If the tank comes with heaps of porous rocks and wood — I’d bin it all off. Decor like this can absorb anything that has been added to the tank, including medications. That chunk of Tufa rock could be heaving with copper based medicine, just waiting to take out your beloved invertebrates.

Watch that pump and filter running! Even if you turn up to collect and it’s all bagged up ready to travel, ask to see the filter running in a bucket of water or something. Get the seller to show you exactly how the thing opens up, and specifically ask to see the impeller and the impeller well. If the impeller or the well has obvious wear and tear, then that filter is likely on the way out. Fight your corner and haggle.

A wet heater is a bad heater There’s an awful lot of broken heaters out there, going unnoticed. Have a look at what

Some rockwork can absorb copper medications, so bin it if in doubt.

Don’t move ANYTHING with water

NEIL HEPWORTH

GABOR HORVATH

Watch out for degraded or damaged silicone sealant.

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you’re being offered, and check in particular for any signs of condensation inside it. If there’s a misting of fluid inside, or a few droplets of moisture, then you don’t want it – reject it and get some money knocked off the package so that you can buy a new one.

If you’ve turned up to buy the tank and it still has a few inches of water in the bottom, don’t touch it until it is fully drained. Carrying a tank with even a couple of jugs of water inside it is asking for trouble, and all that sloshing is going to be outrageous wear and tear on the silicone seals.

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Improve your Fishkeeping

NEIL HEPWORTH

Things don’t always run as smoothly as we’d like, and keeping a few key items to hand will help you deal with problems quickly.

T e

fi e rgency

ox

It pays to have a few essential items to hand for those sudden unexpected emergencies, explains Tetra’s Dave Hulse. WORDS: DAVE HULSE, TECHNICAL CONSULTANT AT TETRA

The laboratory in which I worked when I first graduated from university was an exciting place. Among the fish tanks housing a range of species were cupboards full of everything you’d need to deal with any fish emergency from flow regulators and air pumps to limitless test kits, water treatments and medications. For more experienced fishkeepers, maintaining a stock of these items is second nature. However, for newcomers, it is very beneficial to know what items you should have

to hand should some unforeseen emergency arise such as a broken or leaking tank, breakdown in water quality or stressed fish.

Dealing with a broken or leaking tank The ultimate emergency for a fishkeeper is a broken or leaking tank as this will affect fish health as well as equipment such as filters,

Dave Hulse is Tetra’s Technical Consultant. He has 20 years of experience within the aquatics industry, and has been involved in education and training for the last 15 years, having taught at both Sparsholt and Reaseheath Colleges. He is currently based at the School of Life Sciences at Keele University where he turns his hand to other subjects in the biological sciences — although he usually manages to crowbar a piscatorial reference in at some point! With such a varied and rich background in aquatics, Dave brings a wealth of experience to support Tetra and its customers.

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heaters, air pumps and lighting failing. A consequence of failed life support equipment will almost certainly be a drastic deterioration in water quality, leading to increased stress in your fish and a weakened immune system. As well as spare equipment, you should always keep test kits handy, and use them as part of your maintenance regime. When it comes to a shattered aquarium, there is little that can be done although having a spare tank to hold the fish in an emergency can be useful — used tanks are widely available and can be handy, otherwise a clean Tub-Trug might do the job. Pondkeepers will often use a knocked-down pool to hold fish temporarily if there is an emergency, or more often during a major clean.

A breakdown in the water quality Let’s imagine that our water quality tests reveal a major horror in the tank; ammonia

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

i levels are off the chart or there are dangerously low pH and KH levels, for example. The most likely course of corrective action in these instances would be a significant water change, which is why our emergency kit must include a good stock of tapwater conditioner, to neutralise any harsh chlorine from the tapwater that may be residual, making a drastic water change a lot easier. For marine fishkeepers, a partial water change means making up a batch of synthetic saltwater; a process that should really take 24 hours. A stock of synthetic saltwater should be kept as part of your emergency kit for a quicker water replacement. Following a partial water change to correct the water quality, adding some activated carbon to the filter can help to further restore water parameters. If high ammonia and nitrite levels were the issue, then a dose of a filter bacteria culture, such as Tetra SafeStart or Tetra Always have dechlorinator on FilterActive, will help restore the hand in case you need to do an populations of nitrifiers.

emergency water change.

Ensuring fish w Following n on from the deterioration t of their habitat, fish h will often be left with raised e stress levels and lowered we immunity which h can c leave them more susceptible to ill health lth or diseases. Should such an infectious disease strike, the fish will often show predictable symptoms. Microscopic ectoparasites, such h as a the skin and gill flukes, Costia and Trichodina, Tric odin cause intense irritation to the fish, leading din to the production duction of a thicker mucous coat whic wh ch may cause the fi fish h to become lethargic and d gasp at the water surface. surfac With an Ichthyophthirius infect ction, n white w spots can develop all over the skin k and fins fins. These parasites can usually be controlled cont with a dose of a broad spectrum antiparasite treatment. It is preferable to have this typ type of ttreatment to hand as part of an emergency first aid kit k for your fish, and to know the circumstances es when whe you would need to use it, than to panic a buy a treatment in the hope it will cure your ou sick fishes. Only use a disease treatment ment followi following g a full and thorough appraisal of the water quality values in your aqua h will allow you to correct a s with eeding with water parameterss befor before proceeding the treatment.

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk lfishkeepin

Keep pump and filter impellers clean — and have a spare impeller handy in case of breakages.

Freshwater emergency kit checklist Should a situation arise, it’s important to have items ready in order to ensure fish wellbeing by responding quickly. If you’re unsure about your aquarium or have questions about your fish or water, your local retailer will always be happy to support you. O Tapwater conditioner (eg. Tetra AquaSafe) O Broad spectrum antiparasite remedy O Water test kits (eg. Tetra 6in1) O Bucket O Syphon O Fish nets of a suitable size O Pump impeller O O-rings for canister filter O Filter media (including activated carbon) O Spare heater

Activated carbon.

Make sure that the net you buy is big enough for your largest fish.

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Fishkeeping Answers Send your questions to PFK and you’ll receive a personalised reply from one of our top experts. Remember to include as much information as you can about your set-up — a photo is useful too. There’s a box of goodies from Tetra for the letter of the month.

TROPICAL

A Betta requires a tank of 25 l or more as a permanent residence.

OUR TEAM OF EXPERTS TRISTAN LOUGHER works in aquatic retail and has sold marines for 15 years. He has written books and taken part in research projects. Tristan works at Cheshire Waterlife. BOB MEHEN has been keeping fish since the 1970s and has a particular passion for catfish. He helps to moderate the PFK website forum and excels at advising and guiding new keepers.

NATHAN HILL is PFK’s features editor. He’s worked as a public aquarist, managed a number of aquatic stores and has lectured in aquatics. JEREMY GAY has kept fish most of his life. He’s managed an award-winning store and is a former PFK editor. He’s now Evolution Aqua’s business development manager. NEALE MONKS has kept fish for over 20 years. He has authored a number of fishkeeping books and has a particular passion for brackish species.

What is the minimum amount of water in which a Betta should be kept? I am wondering about the practices of pet stores who keep them in drinking cups. SHELLEY, EMAIL

A

If you research online on forums and websites, or ask at different shops, you will get a range of answers based on various ideas and theories. Personally, I would never keep a Betta in anything smaller than 25 l volume, and this ideally would be a relatively shallow tank to give as much swimming space for the volume as possible. Many retailers do still keep their Betta in tiny cubic tanks, or even plastic drinking cups as you mention. I’m not a fan of either practice, especially the latter which for me is totally unnecessary. The small tanks are often part of a greater volume of water at least (as part of a sumped, filtered bank) which means while

their swimming space is limited, the water is unlikely to become laden with ammonia and other waste, unlike the cups. These small quarters are intended to allow shops to stock multiple Betta that they couldn’t in larger open display tanks or together for obvious reasons. They are not intended as examples of long term husbandry. Many people will argue that in the wild Betta inhabit small, muddy puddles of water or murky paddy fields, however while this may have an element of truth to it, it shouldn’t be taken as best practice. The line bred fish we see in the hobby are far removed from their wild ancestors, and we as their custodians should give them the best environment we can, not settle for the minimum we can get away with. Betta are inquisitive, entertaining fish with real character — but they are unlikely to show any of this in a tea-cup! BOB MEHEN

SHUTTERSTOCK

Q. What’s the smallest tank size suitable for a Betta?

GEORGE FARMER is a world-renowned aquascaper. He co-founded the UK Aquatic Plant Society and now works as a freelance aquatic specialist.

Send your questions to us at: Fishkeeping Answers, Practical Fishkeeping Magazine, Media House, Lynchwood, Peterborough, PE2 6EA, or email them to us on questions@practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

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Fishkeeping Answers COLDWATER

Q. What can I keep with my fancies? Ramshorn snails would be OK, as are Giant pond snails, Tadpole snails and Nerite snails. Apple snails are now banned, and avoid freshwater mussels as they starve to death in aquaria. The only oddities I would recommend would be fishy ones, not invertebrates. Variatus platies are OK with small fancies, as are Zebra and Leopard danios. White Cloud Mountain minnows are fine when the fancies are small too, but I’d never add White Clouds or danios to a goldfish tank where the fish are 12.5cm/5in plus. To be honest, the best tank mates for fancies are other fancies. But if you removed the fancies or set up another unheated tank, you could open up a whole world of suitable, small, temperate fish and invertebrates which would rival even a tropical set-up.

I would like some advice on what other little critters I can keep with my Calico fantails and Orandas. They are quite small at the moment, but I know they grow big. I have two Peppered corys with them and they all get on fine. Is it possible to keep Ghost shrimp with fancy goldfish? VIRGINIA AINSWORTH, EMAIL

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I’ve kept shrimp with baby fancy goldfish, and Cherry shrimp do suit temperate, unheated tanks well, but as soon as your fish reach upwards of 5–7.5cm/2–3in body length they will try to eat the shrimp. The Cherry shrimp will then hide inside the decor and won’t eat all the algae. Amano shrimp are larger and will tolerate unheated indoor tanks, as will Ghost shrimp, but as your goldfish grow, even they will be on the menu.

JEREMY GAY

SHUTTERSTOCK

SHUTTERSTOCK

Ghost shrimp will be fine with very small goldfish.

Cherry shrimp work well in temperate set-ups.

The best tank mates for fancy goldfish are other fancies...

ALAMY

Nerite snail.

LETTER OF THE MONTH

SHUTTERSTOCK

Virginia 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.

Everything you need for healthy fish 90

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

TROPICAL

NEIL HEPWORTH

Cloudy water can be the result of a bacterial bloom.

Q. Why has my tank gone cloudy? I have an established tank that has been running for six years now. However, I’ve recently experienced a problem with cloudy water — it looks as though there are minute particles in it. For the last six years I have cleaned the tank every two weeks but around six weeks ago I started to clean tank every week . After three weeks of having cloudy water I got rid of my real plants because I

thought that they might be the problem. But the water is still cloudy. The only other thing I can think of that could be the problem is the gravel substrate, which has been in the tank for the whole six years. Any ideas, please? MARTIN BARRY, EMAIL

A

The change in your long established routine may well have caused the

cloudiness you mention. It could initially have been a bacterial bloom and I suspect removing the live plants has not helped as it will have disturbed the substrate and its bacterial population, as well as removing the plants’ capacity to use the waste produced by the fish. You don’t mention which type of filter you are using (internal, external etc.) but it may be worth adding some fine filter wool to the filter and changing it regularly to remove any fine floating particles — just be careful it doesn’t clog up and block completely. It is unlikely that the gravel itself is causing the cloudiness directly — after six years it seems doubtful that it is chemically adding to the problem as some gravels can if they include stone that dissolves in water. However, if your gravel bed is deep (bearing in mind that you would have needed enough substrate for the plants to root into when you had them originally) it might be worth carefully syphoning off around 50% of the substrate, if it is fine enough to be sucked up a syphon tube without blocking it, or removing it by hand which will help make keeping it clean easier. A dirty, recently disturbed substrate may have released nutrients that bacteria in the water column are taking advantage of. Keep up the weekly water changes and give your tank a chance to settle down again after the recent changes and I suspect the cloudiness will go. BOB MEHEN

TROPICAL

Q. How do I set up for breeding Ropefish? I am attempting to breed the Ropefish, Erpetoichthys calabaricus. I remember reading an article about the limited successes of Ralf Britz and Ritva Roesler, which was very helpful, but I’d like to find out more about the water parameters and set-up they used. I’m leaning toward a paludarium style system with heavily planted slow moving to standing water with land options floating. I would love more information if possible, please. HAYLEY COX, EMAIL

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dramatic a change in environmental conditions. But I would make the water a bit cooler than the tank, to beef up the impression of heavy rain, which is likely important when we’re talking about fish adapted to the seasonal conditions typical of West Africa. The idea of keeping them in a paludarium set-up is a good one, but bear in mind they are notorious escape artists! Half-filling a deep tank works well with Ropefish however, as they can’t propel themselves more than about two-thirds their body length above the waterline. NEALE MONKS

I wrote to the original author, Ralf Britz, and asked him about this, and he was able to offer up some extra details that you and other readers might find useful. Although the tank wasn’t particularly large (120 l) it was quite distinctly decorated, with a fine gravel substrate that was almost entirely covered with Java moss. A few pots and rocks were provided for hiding places. The aquarium temperature was allowed to vary across the year, down to 20°C in winter and up to 27˚C in summer. He reports that water conductivity varied between 100 to 800 microsiemens, or in more familiar terms, very soft to hard, while pH varied between 6.5 and 7.5. While you might try to replicate one particular point within that range of water chemistry values, the variation is interesting, and adding some deionised water to replicate heavy rainfall might be a spawning trigger worth investigating. If it was me, I’d change no more than 25% the tank this way, so the fish weren’t exposed to too

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NEIL HEPWORTH

Ropefish will find a way out of the tank if they can.

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Fishkeeping Answers TROPICAL

Q.What can we keep in this tank? My wife recently bought a 35 l Biorb fish tank and after stocking it with various accessories, almost two weeks ago we bought our first fish — four Platies — on the advice of our shop. We’re now looking to add some more fish over a period of time, but we’ve received conflicting information about what to get. Among the species we’re considering (but not all at the same time and in small quantities) are Danios, Guppies, Corydoras catfish, Mollies and Neon tetras. Any advice on the above, or alternative small species would be welcome.

SHUTTERSTOCK

Guppies need hard water to do well.

JENNIFER AND KEITH BROOKS, EMAIL

A

NEIL HEPWORTH

Try to buy only male Platies — females are likely to be pregnant when you buy them and numbers can get out of hand.

Danios are highly active fish and demand a large tank for their size.

BOB MEHEN

SHUTTERSTOCK

There is a lot of conflicting advice around, so it’s understandable that you may be a little confused. The Biorb 35 is certainly an attractive looking tank, but does have a few drawbacks due to its unusual shape. Smaller tanks can be harder to keep stable in terms of chemistry and greatly restrict stocking choices and 35 l is around half the volume I’d personally recommend a newcomer to have for their first aquarium. The Platies you already have are a reasonable choice for the tank, but a little larger than ideal — there is also their ability to reproduce prolifically in a short space of time to take into consideration. If you have females you will almost certainly have pregnant females, and therefore more Platies that could soon leave your tank overstocked without the addition of further fish! The basic 1cm to 2 l/1in per gal rule of stocking for small fish means your tank could feasibly hold around 17.5cm of fish. Given that Platies can grow to around 5cm then you can see you may have a problem. You don’t mention the pH or hardness of your water which is critical in choosing new stock — some of the fish you suggest are hard water, alkaline loving species while others do best in softer, acidic conditions. Of the fish you list, the Mollies and Guppies get too big and require hard water, while the tetras and Corydoras catfish prefer soft, acidic conditions. The Danios sit somewhere in the middle, but are far too fast swimming and active for such a small tank. Basically, my advice would be to add no more fish to the tank, just enjoy the ones you have for the time being — perhaps the fishkeeping bug will really bite and you will upgrade your current tank or get a second set-up to keep more of the species you mention.

Everything you need for healthy fish 92

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Silver sharks are easily spooked, so watch what you keep with them.

Q.What do I need for Silver sharks? a bit less demanding than plants that keep their foliage closer to the substrate. I’m thinking that the various Crinum species, such as C. thaianum and C. calamistratum, would look especially good here, but you could just as easily use Vallisneria species. A lot of public aquarium use these grassy plants for deep display tanks, so a visit to one of these might be inspiring! Regardless, choose sturdy plant species — Silver sharks are distinctly omnivorous, and enjoy eating soft-leaved aquarium plants. Now, so far as the community goes, it’s a mixed bag! Silver sharks are opportunistic

I am planning to have an Asian tank with five Silver sharks, 15 Tiger barbs, eight Giant danios and four Black collared catfish. First of all, will it work, and secondly, what size tank would I need and what decor? KYLE SPENDIFF-SMITH, EMAIL

A

NEALE MONKS

Black collared catfish, Horabagrus nigricollaris.

AQUARIUMPHOTO.DK

Silver sharks are massive, adults easily reaching more than 30cm/12in given the chance, and a group of five specimens will require a fair amount of space — something upwards of 800–1000 l, especially if you’re planning on adding a variety of tank mates. On the other hand, such a tank would look magnificent and it would be well worth the effort if you are able to do it. Given the depth you’d probably have, getting plants to grow well would be a challenge due to the lighting levels required although large epiphytes such as Java fern and Anubias would work really nicely, being easily removed (on their rocks or bogwood roots) whenever you needed to do maintenance. Removable rocks and bogwood roots is the way to go with big, messy fish so you can give the substrate a thorough clean, otherwise organic waste such as faeces and leftover food will decay in the gravel, diminishing water quality. Plants with long, tall leaves might also be

predators, but they’re also rather nervous and easily spooked, so the Tiger barbs are going to be a bit of a wildcard here. They may be fine, being deep-bodied enough to be overlooked as prey, but they might not be, and conversely, their nippiness might cause them to harass the Silver sharks, causing them to jump into the hood or against the glass walls of the tank. However, the Giant danios should be safer, and the Black collared catfish, Horabagrus nigricollaris should be fine, too. Given these catfish reach 25–30cm/10–12in, they’re another reason for a really big aquarium.

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Fishkeeping Answers

Q. How do I stop this rampant seaweed growth? I have a 250 l marine tank. Over the last eight weeks or so it has slowly been taken over by a red seaweed that has been positively identified as Gracilaria. It covers about 75% of my live rock. Whenever I ‘prune’ it, it just grows back. I’ve spoken to local aquatic shops for advice. One suggested a Longspine sea urchin but my tank is too small. They both also recommended getting one of the smaller bristletooth tangs to eat it. The problem is, I have a Coral beauty and I’m worried that the angel and tang wouldn’t get on. The tank contains two Common clowns, a Canary wrasse, Coral beauty, Chalk goby, two Cleaner shrimp, Sand sifting starfish, Collector urchin and several Blue legged hermits. The sg is 1.025, 8pH, nitrate 10, KH10 and phosphate 0.025. Can you please recommend anything that would eat the algae, as I would rather use something natural than chemical.

NATURE PL

IAN LIMBRICK, EMAIL

Gracilaria can get out of hand in the aquarium.

A

Gracilaria is lovely, but it can grow rampantly under the right conditions (lots of light and nutrients. Macroalgae can dominate at various stages of the aquarium’s life, even well after the tank is established, so this could be a temporary event and you might find it’ll die off spontaneously in time. Even so, while your nitrates are pretty low and the phosphate isn’t astronomical, I’d suggest that the first approach would be to try and get these down a little — in particular the phosphate. Try running some phosphateadsorbing media with the aim of reducing levels to 0.015. At the same time, continue with manual removal to export as much algal biomass as possible (this will also assist with nutrient export, further reducing nitrate and phosphate levels). It’s worth checking the skimmer is working optimally — check the water and air flow is sufficient for the skimmer to pull out as many organics as possible from the water. Additional nutrient export can be achieved through increasing water movement and maximising

Yellow-eyed bristletooth tang, Ctenochaetus strigosus.

Longspine sea urchin.

ALAMY

JAMES ST. JOHN, CREATIVE COMMONS

MARINE

the efficiency of mechanical filtration. Also consider whether to cut back on feeding to help with getting nutrient levels down. Another factor worth investigating is lighting. Many folks find that reducing the photoperiod by a couple of hours a day does the trick. Check if any bulbs or tubes need replacing, as changes in the output of lighting over time can be a factor encouraging nuisance algae. Ultimately, if you cut off the algae’s nutrient supply and limit the available lighting, you’ll have an impact on its growth. As far as biological control goes, you’re right that Longspine sea urchins get very large, so it’s probably best to give them a miss. There is a fantastic sea hare known as Dolabella auricularia which can be a superb algae-muncher but they will need supplementary feeding once they’ve cleared the tank. Tangs and rabbitfishes are the obvious candidates in terms of fish. While it’s risky, it is possible that adding a bristletooth may not be a problem if it’s introduced to the resident angel. But on balance, the best option is to remove the problem at source through a reduction of nutrients and possibly an altered lighting regime. DAVE WOLFENDEN

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PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

TROPICAL

Q. Will this set-up suit a dragonet? Please could you tell me whether it would be feasible to keep any of the dragonets (Mandarins or Scooters) as a sole fish in a 60 l set-up with live rock and mushrooms and zoas? I intend to mature it for several months before I add the fish. I may stock a single shrimp — probably a Peppermint — and maybe a Turbo snail, but that’s it. Will there be enough for the dragonet to eat and can I convert it to frozen foods? JONATHAN LINLEY, EMAIL

A

Dragonets are amazing fish, but they are demanding. As you’re aware, they need a well-established mature system with a live sand bed and live rock capable of supplying ample populations of benthic copepods to sustain them. This is really crucial to their care, and whilst they can be trained to accept enriched frozen feeds they don’t fare very well in the long term without sufficient live food. You would be amazed at how much food these little fish can snaffle, and the bottom line is that a tank of 60 l is very unlikely to provide sufficient zooplankton for long-term health. Ideally, you’re looking at 200 l or so for maintaining one dragonet. In small systems, dragonets tend to clear out the copepod populations very quickly, reducing it to such a level that it’s no longer capable of being self-sustaining. Once the copepod population crashes, the dragonet risks starvation. It’s theoretically possible to keep adding copepods to the tank to maintain the food supply, but in practical terms this is a big commitment — as well as being potentially expensive. As an alternative, why not consider one of the Stonogobiops species of gobies? As far as I’m concerned, the lovely S. yasha gives many dragonets a run for their money in terms of looks. These are gorgeous little fish which top out at a mere 5cm or so and they’re not finicky feeders, accepting a range of frozen foods. This makes this an ideal species for the small, peaceful nano. Even better, you could pair one with a pistol shrimp Alpheus randalli for a natural symbiotic partnership? If you’re going to create a goby/shrimp partnership, provide a deep mixed rubble and sand substrate for the shrimp to burrow in. Apart from that, this would not be a demanding pair of animals to keep, and it would be great fun. DAVE WOLFENDEN

SHUTTERSTOCK

Like other dragonets, Scooters need copious amounts of natural foods to do well.

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Neons prefer slightly cooler temperatures, but they’re definitely not ‘coldwater’.

Q. What should I do with this sole Neon? I have a tank that holds about 56 l. When it was first set up some time ago, it was a freshwater tropical system, however over the years the fish numbers have dwindled. At some point, when there were just two Neon tetras left, the heater broke — I didn’t realise at the time, and as the fish were doing fine in the colder water, I decided not to replace the heater. Now there is just the one Neon tetra left, which as you can imagine, is a bit boring (and probably very lonely for the fish). Do I move the tetra to another smaller tank so that I can start a saltwater system in the 56 l set-up? I haven’t done so as he has been doing really well and I don’t want to disturb or shock him. EIBHILIN O’REARDON, EMAIL

A

While a single Neon tetra might do okay in a smaller tank than your 56 l system, it’s hard to recommend that given these are sociable fish that do best in groups of six or more. On the other hand, if you’re dead-set on using this tank for a marine project, investing in more freshwater fish doesn’t make much sense. Rehoming fish isn’t easy, but a good approach is to get in touch with a local aquarium club either online, or via social media websites such as Facebook. In any event, the people who belong to these clubs are usually dedicated hobbyists who will know responsible fishkeepers in the neighbourhood who’ll be able to find your fish a good home. This is probably a better approach than relying on aquarium shops to take in unwanted fish. While many shops will do this, it’ll be much less certain that your Neon will find its way into a mature, stable aquarium with peaceful tank mates. A brief word about your Neon’s apparent ‘adaptation’ to coldwater conditions. Neon tetras are low-end tropicals, meaning that their preferred water temperature is between 22–25˚C. This means that, during summer at least, an unheated aquarium in a warm, sunny room may well be perfectly adequate because the lights provide enough heat to warm the tank up during the day. While the tank cools down when the lights are off, water cools down slowly, and provided the water doesn’t drop below, say, 18˚C, low-end tropicals might actually experience precisely this sort of temperature change in the wild, so no harm is done. During the winter your central heating may provide further buffering against chilling, and it’s my experience that in tanks set up for low-end tropicals the heater hardly ever comes on. But your Neon tetra remains a tropical fish, albeit a low-end one, and prolonged exposure to low temperatures (anything below 18˚C) will kill them, either directly or by making them more susceptible to disease. On the other hand, keeping Neons warmer than they should be is quite possibly a reason why many people struggle to keep them alive for more than a few months. In standard communities with middling to high temperatures, aquarists are probably better off keeping Cardinal tetras, which do indeed like a bit of warmth, 24–28˚C being ideal. NEALE MONKS

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MARINE

EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT

Artemia are a g; they’ve featured in South Park, NASA has sen into space, and they’re a great live food. Here’s our guide to how to get the best out of these incredible crustaceans.

ALAMY

WORDS: DAVE WOLFENDEN

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PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Marine

A

rtemia (known to many of us as brine shrimp) belong to a group of arthropods known as fairy shrimps. These ancient crustaceans are often found in extreme habitats, including hypersaline lakes and can withstand punishing conditions, including the ability to enter ‘suspended animation’ for years if necessary. The North American Artemia fransiscana is the species traditionally used in the aquarium trade. A. franciscana is considered to be a superspecies, with separate strains in various locations (which may in the future be identified as subspecies or even distinct species in their own right). Commercially, the strains from Utah’s Great Salt Lake (GSL) and California’s Bay Area (including San Francisco Bay) are of particular interest. These differ in both size and nutritional profile. GSL nauplii (the newly-hatched stage) are slightly larger in size than Bay Area nauplii, although these tend to contain higher levels of HUFAs (highly unsaturated fatty acids) making them potentially more nutritious. Research has shown that nutritional profiles can vary within strains of A. franciscana from year to year. This appears to be related to factors such as food availability, and inland areas appear to be more stable in this regard. Bay Area Artemia, for example, are particularly vulnerable to variations in phytoplankton availability which influences the annual nutritional profile of the population. In contrast, GSL Artemia experience more stable conditions from year to year, resulting in a more consistent nutritional make-up. In reality, Artemia is not a particularly natural food for marine fish and it’s deficient in many essential fatty acids otherwise found in zooplankton such as copepods. But it can be enriched before feeding it out www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

to boost its nutritional to prevent any potential issues. The life cycle of Artemia can change depending on environmental factors. Females can produce developing eggs or free-swimming larvae when conditions such as temperature, salinity and food availability are optimal. If conditions are harsh, they switch to producing dormant, encysted eggs which have a tough protective outer coating known as a chorion. This occurs when salinity rises and the food supply dwindles. In this state, the offspring can ride out the tough times until things improve — ideal in habitats with often wildly shifting conditions. Effectively, these encysted offspring are in a state of suspended animation. This is thanks to a sugar known as trehalose, which acts as a form of glassy scaffolding during periods of dormancy, maintaining the structures of proteins and other cellular components during dehydration. Known as cryptobiosis (meaning ‘hidden life’), this adaptation allows dormant Artemia cysts to remain viable for many years (perhaps over two decades) under dry conditions.

Culturing Artemia Hatching Artemia from cysts is easy, requiring simple equipment. Inexpensive conical hatcheries are commercially available, although an inverted plastic bottle can be used as a hatching vessel (conical vessels are preferred as they help to prevent dead spots and keep the cysts in suspension). To hatch cysts, place them in your chosen vessel in full-strength (around 35 parts per thousand) saltwater. The cysts should be vigorously aerated (open-ended airline is ideal). Hatch time and rate is influenced by temperature and light. For the fastest hatching, maintain them at around 28°C, and constant lighting is important.

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Light stimulates the production of an enzyme which converts the egg’s trehalose store into glycerol. This allows water to be drawn into the egg’s membrane and hatching commences; in the absence of light, trehalose conversion is compromised and hatch rates reduced. The pH also appears to influence hatch rate, which is reduced at below 8.0pH — ideally, you’re looking for 9.0pH. A standard artificial salt mix should deliver a pH 8.2–8.4, which is perfectly fine. If pH is on the low side, a little sodium bicarbonate added to the hatch water can help to give it a boost, but nudging much higher than this can compromise hatching and even kill the Artemia. Hatches should take around 24 hours, and then they can be harvested and fed out immediately or grown on. It’s important to try and harvest just the nauplii, and leave behind the cysts. Cysts can foul the aquarium, and become lodged in the guts of fish fry and suspension-feeding invertebrates, causing serious — perhaps fatal — problems. Decapsulating cysts removes this problem entirely, and magnetised cysts offer a clever solution, but with undecapsulated cysts, separation of the nauplii from the cysts can be achieved by exploiting the tendency of the newlyhatched Artemia to gravitate towards light (known as phototaxis). Once the Artemia have hatched, turn off the aeration, and cover the upper part of the hatchery to darken it. Shine a bright light near the bottom; after a few minutes, the nauplii should congregate at th t point, whereas unhatched cysts and debris will sink to the bottom; hatched cysts float to the top. Syphon off a many nauplii as possible, being careful to avoid sucking up cysts or debris. The hatch water can contain very high levels of ammonia and nitrite, so

Keep it clean! Bacterial films can build up in the hatchery vessel and any equipment in contact with the hatching water, so clean everything after each use. Avoid scratching the hatchery as this can create sites where bacteria can thrive. Periodic bleaching (use unscented bleach), followed by neutralisation with sodium thiosulphate can help to keep everything in tip-top condition. Artemia cysts can harbour viruses and bacteria such as Vibrio. Observing good hygiene means these shouldn’t become an issue, but in aquaculture, disinfectants are commonly used in the hatchery water. One such product, Sanocare ACE, is based on tea tree oil, and this has been shown to give good results in terms of bacterial suppression and improved hatching and water quality.

never introduce it into the aquarium. If you’re going to be culturing Artemia, a suitable sieve with a mesh size of around 150–200 microns is an essential piece of kit. Drain the hatch into the sieve and wash it out before feeding. Artemia cysts are graded according to their percentage hatch rate. In general, the higher the hatch rate, the more expensive the cysts. You’ll pay top dollar for 90–95% grade brine shrimp. On balance, it’s worth it, however. Hatch rates are a guide to the proportion of cysts that will hatch under optimal conditions — many aquarists are disappointed with yields far below those claimed, but this is often simply due to attempting to culture Artemia under less than ideal conditions. Store cysts correctly, watch the salinity, pH and temperature, ensure sufficient aeration and provide plenty of light and you can’t go wrong.

advantages. The decapsulation process helps to sterilise the cysts and reduce levels of pathogens such as Vibrio bacteria and viruses; the time to hatch is reduced as the nauplii don’t have to break through the tough corion, meaning their nutritional value is increased as they save energy and retain more reserves from the yolk sac. Harvesting decapped Artemia simply entails running the entire hatch through a sieve, rinsing and then enriching or feeding out from the get-go. Decapsulating Artemia is an involved process, so unless you’re regularly using large amounts, use the viable predecapsulated cysts that are available. Bear in mind that some manufacturers sell decapped cysts intended for use directly as food, and which are not viable for hatching.

Magnetised cysts These cysts are specially coated with a magnetic material. They hatch as normal, but are harvested using a special vessel which contains magnets. The spent cysts (and any unhatched ones) are attracted to the magnet and the clean hatch can then be drained off, rinsed and used. Magnetised cysts are widely used in public aquariums and aquaculture — the technique offers an ingenious approach to ensuring the separation of cysts from the nauplii, and the dry cysts can be conveniently stored.

Decapsulated cysts capsulated Artemia have d the hard, indigestible ter shell (or chorion) moved, which gives several Some decapped Artemia is not viable for hatching and is intended to be used directly as a food source.

TOP TIP

Hatched cysts are buoyant.

DAVE WOLFENDEN

DAVE WOLFENDEN

Store cysts in the fridge in the short term; if they’re not going to be used for several months, they can be kept in the freezer. Simple hatcheries are ideal for Artemia culture. PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Marine

Hatching magnetised cysts

Keep the cysts as dry as possible after opening.

What you will need A separator beaker.

DAVE WOLFENDEN

Magnetised brine shrimp eggs.

Enriching Artemia

Hatch the Artemia as normal and drain into a container.

Pass the hatch through a sieve.

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Flush the hatch into the separator beaker, and allow the magnetised cysts to stick to the bottom.

Pour the hatched nauplii into a suitable container for feeding out, enriching or growing on.

JBL

Newly-hatched instar I Artemia nauplii can be reasonably nutritious due to the presence of the yolk sac, but the nutrient content declines rapidly once hatching has occurred and the yolk sac is absorbed. In any case, Artemia nauplii should be enriched if they’re to be used as first food for marine fish. This is because they contain low levels of highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs) such as the omega-3 fatty acid DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid), proven to be essential for development of larval marine fish. Deficiencies can lead to phenomena such as sudden death syndrome. Instar I Artemia lack mouthparts and therefore don’t feed, meaning gut-loading is impossible — early enrichment relies upon coating (encapsulating) the nauplii in lipid-based HUFA enrichment media. After 12 hours or so at 28°C, the nauplii metamorphose into instar II, which have functional mouthparts and a gut. At this stage, they can be reliably gut loaded by ingesting microglobules of HUFA preparations, Spirulina powder or microalgae such as Nannochloropsis. Many brands of Artemia enrichment are available — these typically contain HUFAs as well as vitamins and pigments. In general, these are emulsified and used to soak the Artemia before feeding out. Techniques vary, so follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Use Artemia immediately after enriching, as once it has been enriched, its nutritional value decreases rapidly once it is starved.

3

4

In ideal conditions, Artemia can reach adult size in around two weeks, but it’s a labour intensive process. It can be hard to maintain water quality and hygiene while ensuring there’s sufficient food. Batch culture is the best approach. Regular water changes and syphoning of debris are essential. A variety of foods can be used including yeast, Spirulina and commercial liquid feeds, in addition to live microalgae. www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

OCEAN NUTRITION

Growing on Artemia

Spent and unhatched cysts are attracted to the magnet.

5

The cysts remain trapped on the beaker’s magnetic base.

6

99

PFKNewGear

The latest products arriving in a shop near you soon... SHOW REPORT

AQUA Telford 2017 showcase If you’re in the industry — retailer, wholesaler and so on — then you’ll already know what the AQUA Telford show is. If not, then AQUA Telford is a bi-annual, trade-only event over two days, open to the folks mentioned above, in which manufacturers, importers and wholesalers display their wares and compete with each other for next year’s pre-orders. As a journalist, this means I get to see the newest products showcased first hand, and I’m able to grill the makers and designers right there in front of me, in real time. Or I would, if I wasn’t getting grabbed by well-wishers every ten seconds. This year was a battle for me to even cover half of what was on show. On the plus side, I did get to waltz up to a lot of stalls, wave my arm majestically like a monarch over my property, and say ‘send it all to me for review’. So, I have plenty of new products lined up. First up, from the pe of AQUA Telford’s jud panel, a few products w selected as category w — the best in their clas all that was available. Blagdon’s mains free Liberty pond oxygenator.

For pond pumps, the judges’ choice was the Blagdon Liberty Pond Oxygenator from Blagdon/Interpet. The pump in question is an airpump that runs on solar power, but with a backup lithium battery. The idea is that the pump runs and charges using sunlight throughout the day, then switches to battery power alone for the night. With a flow rate of 60 lph, two outlets, and coming supplied with airline and airstone, chances are that this’ll be a big product in the summer. Pond filter of choice was Evolution Aqua’s EazyPod UV Automatic. The EazyPod is a self-contained filter heaving with K1 media, with a built-in, automated valve that periodically initiates a cleaning cycle, flushing out waste to a drain. To be fair, most of the EA pond filter gear is unrivalled in quality and innovation, so by lashing an 18W UV to the side of one of these pods and releasing

Over 100 exhibitors showed off their products at this year’s AQUA show.

going to romp home with this award. Winning the aquarium and furniture category was the Biopod Aqua. Biopod had a stand I kept heading back to when I got the chance, and I reckon it’s going to be the of 2018 — are going to

Now, I’m not 100% sure that the design is built with fish primarily in mind (even on Biopod’s website they only get a passing mention as ‘aquatic animals’). The whole thing is a bit vague, in fact, on the fishy angle, and the devices are seemingly aimed at amphibians and plants instead (which look r, if I’m ay, the ith air and D lighting, ction and ity. It’s y I’ll be project at hwater ipment, winner s the Ziss qua BL-2

SIRASTUDIO

remy Gay Evolution Aqua (and rmer PFK ditor) with award for pond filter e EazyPod utomatic.

100

NATHAN HILL

One of the curiosities of the show was this ‘freshwater Trevally’.

emerge in recent years. The BL-2 Breeder is a continuation of the same theme — a perfectly crafted piece of acrylic to house fish fry or gravid parents, with airline accessories and circulation, at a reasonable

Biopod was a stand I kept heading back to when I got the chance, and I reckon this will to be the Marmite product of 2018 — lovers and haters are going to take sides here.

SIRASTUDIO

The Biopod will be more suited to amphibians than fish. www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

price point (retailing around the £20 mark). The marine equipment category was taken by ITC Aquatics for its ALR1 Algae Light Reactor, and rightly so. While not the cheapest design out there (retail is just shy of £200), the ALR1 takes algae culture to a whole new level. Traditionally, Chaetomorpha algae is used in aquarium sumps to help strip out nit phosphates, but the usually haphazard a oblige you to put a lo grow the algae) righ don’t want it (next t activity of filters an reactors, where bac light). The ARL1 is tube ringed on all si LEDs for algae grow sealed in an opaque stick some Chaeto i some flow through t rigging it up to a pum return feed. Report the ALR1 include ra redox potential, pH and stripping of CO by fish and corals. T only consume 16W too. Wow. Natures Grub to place in the food ca accessories catego Corydoras Sticks company that I’ve b

following for some time (I reviewed most of their early range a few years ago) as they specialise in freeze dried insects and other foods that are otherwise hard to get hold of. Made up of a mix of insect meal, crustacean and plant meal, and with a hint of garlic to assist appetite and digestion, I look forward to trialling this food in the near future Ziss Aqua’s Fish and Shrimp Breeding Box.

SIRASTUDIO

Breeding Box, which comes as no surprise to me. Readers may recall my rave reviews of the Ziss Aqua Egg Tumblers some months ago, where I essentially proclaimed Ziss Aqua to be one of the most important brands to

PFKNewGear Left: ALR1 Algae Light Reactor from ITC Aquatics. Below: Natures Grub Corydoras Sticks.

Category winners aside, what excited me this year? Unusually, given how much the hobby has been overwhelmed by LEDs the last few years, the Aquamai LRM Pro light caught my eye. The LRM is the first venture into LED from the company that owns Hydor (those of the venerated flow pumps). I’ll be reviewing this light in the near future, but the key features to note are the controllability, the approach to cooling, the suspending cable and the potential for interchangeable trim.

NATHAN HILL

The OASE stand at AQUA 2017.

This year marked a proliferation of roll filter designs, but the standout model for me was the Clarisea Gen 2 Smart Roll from D&D. I got close up to early designs of this recently while visiting David Saxby (who has been tweaking the model). Roll filters are the bees’ knees for removing tiny particulates, using a fine, thin screen that water passes through over a large surface area. The theoretical downside there is that the media will quickly clog, but in this case that’s kind of the point. As the system traps waste, the aquarist routinely rolls fresh media into the interface area. When the entire roll is eventually used up,

102

Albino Glossolepis rainbow fish on the Neil Hardy stand. PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

kits to date, have branched in to a marine master test, containing 40 tests each of carbonate hardness, calcium, magnesium, nitrate and phosphate. If it’s as good as the freshwater kits they make, then this’ll be a really affordable, precision kit. Prodibio, ever innovating, have a simple piece of kit in the form of their Dose’n Drop kit. If you’ve never seen Prodibio stuff, it’s a selection of (really well engineered) additives in the form of ampules, which you crack open and add as advised on the packaging. But this new approach allows for a drip feed over several days (up to 15) in the form of big vials in a holder that you can place on to a sump. The drip rate is controlled by hand, and currently the kit includes BioDigest (bacteria) and Bioptim (bacterial nutrients to sustain them). I’m really interested to see where this range goes next, especially if they look at doing something similar for plants. Speaking of plants, Seneye has released new variants of the classic Seneye monitor,

‘bioplastic’ (I originally thought it was starch based, but I got shot down for suggesting this). Long story short, bacteria utilise the plastic as a food source as they convert nitrates into nitrogen gas. I cannot wait to get my hands on this stuff, as I have a particularly dirty tank planned and will be in a good position to put it to the test. JBL also caught my interest with the first (to my knowledge) dedicated planaria trap. Planaria have been more of an issue since the shrimp market took hold (the two seem inextricable). Traditional medicines have led to issues with deformed shrimps, or just outright deaths, and this tubular device (a lot like a miniature bristleworm trap) offers a way to bait and remove planaria without resorting to chemicals. Colombo, makers of one of my favourite freshwater test

SIRASTUDIO

you simply buy another. I was pleasantly surprised to see that old favourites Eheim have been working away off of my radar for the last year. As well as launching some new tank and cabinet designs, including a new nano marine package (I’ve got one coming soon), they also boast a new range of circulation pumps (in three sizes) as well as LED strip lights, pre-set heaters, and even some tank cleaning sundries. Of these, I’m most thrilled about the circulation pumps — remember that it was Eheim that first discovered back in ’63 the potential of the magnetic impeller in aquaria, so I’m hoping for big things on these. JBL has jumped on the freshwater nitrate-reducing media market with BioNitratEx. This media, while it looks just like any other biomedia, is actually made of a

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

including one for plants. Designed to read CO2 content in the water, and still working on the principal of uploading and recording all information on an ongoing basis, the aquascaper will be able to track exactly when CO2 might be fluctuating in their tank and resolve it (fluctuations of CO2 are implicated as a major cause of algae). The other variant is a coral Seneye, which reads alkalinity (at the expense of the old NH3 reading) as well as pH, temperature and light. If the price doesn’t shift too much, then that’ll be one hell of a score for marine keepers. Newcomers (to the UK) Fritz Aquatics have a few promising looking products, including a ‘small batch’ production of salt. The claim is that because Fritz uses a uniform particle size, there’s less layering out of trace elements (marine keepers will be aware of the need to roll their salt buckets prior to use to mix things up). Smaller batches also mean greater uniformity in the distribution of trace elements, meaning that there’s increased

Clarisea Gen 2 Smart Roll filter from D&D.

103

ingredient consistency from box to box. One range I couldn’t keep away from was the Red Starfish line-up. If it’s acrylic, and a bit of a novelty, they’ve got it. Though not as advanced as the Ziss Aqua range, their breeding traps are well crafted and well thought through. But there’s more — feeding tubes, feeding pipettes, coral viewing cylinders, a non-electronic top-up device for tanks, skimmers, and all sorts. On the livestock side, Neil Hardy had some unusual tetra available, along with albino Glossolepis rainbows, and a typically nice new range of African bits (Rift lakes and riverine jungle). But the standout fish had to be the ‘freshwater Trevally’ swimming about happily with Peacock

bass. I’m still trying to get a formal identification, and for what it’s worth this fish will be destined to a public aquarium over a home aquarist’s tank, but the likeliest explanation is that it’s a species that’s temporarily freshwater tolerant and has found itself landlocked in a lake by a storm and/or flood. Whatever the explanation, it was really odd to see this thing swimming about in a totally freshwater tank (it was, I tasted it). Just don’t expect to see them on sale soon — I’m pretty sure the trade currently has enough 100cm+ fish knocking about…

So, how was it?

NATHAN HILL

PFKNewGear

Every year I’m asked what the ‘mood’ of the show was, and so this year, rather than tell everyone when they ask, I’ll just air my feelings publicly.

Larger aquaria seem to be back ‘in’ again after the nano boom.

104

NATHAN HILL

I get the feeling that the nano bubble has burst. Companies are concentrating again on mid to larger aquaria, and the associated equipment .

Red Starfish makes acrylic exciting.

My immediate impression was that the marine side of the industry has reached a plateau, or possibly even started to decline. For a long spell, R&D budgets for marine gear seemed to be huge — companies were churning out innovative, and ultra-expensive LEDs like biscuits off of a factory conveyor. Systemised marine set-ups were the in thing, historically speaking. But this year, companies had started to embrace more in the way of affordable acrylic gadgets over high-tier electronics. I’m inclined to wonder whether the market is now fractured (after all, a lot of small companies did spring up to have a slice of the lucrative marine pie), or whether the home aquarist isn’t embracing marines on a level that was anticipated. For the pond gear side, I felt that the polarisation between high end and mediocre gear has widened further. The likes of Evolution Aqua have the high-end gear market cornered, while some companies resign themselves to scrapping it out over the price of economy lines. In the freshwater aquarium world, I get the feeling that the nano bubble has now burst. Companies are concentrating again on the mid to larger aquaria, and the associated equipment— which I have to say is great news, because I’ve run out of stocking ideas for 30 l tanks now. I think the companies that stuck their eggs in the shrimp and nanoscape basket have failed to see enough of a return to warrant following up with newer products. The aquarium plant side of things was underwhelming. Usually I get blown away by

aquascapes from plant sellers, but this year there were only plant cascades offered by the major providers, and the stands felt dry-oriented. It seemed like the emphasis on greenery was ‘business as usual, just less of it’, which somewhat reflects a recent rant I had where I stated how retailers have failed to embrace the planting side of aquaria properly. Across all areas, however, manufacturers and suppliers appeared way more upbeat than in previous years, suggesting things haven’t become the doom and gloom that some (myself included) have been predicting for the last five years or so. The only glum faces I saw were some retailers who, I think, are struggling to adapt to the ever shifting UK aquatics trade. JBL’s new BioNitratEx media.

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

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P

Shoptour Towcester

This month takes us to shops in Dorset and Northamptonshire. WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY: GEORGE FARMER

Wimborne

Fishcove Aquatics Address: Oaks Garden Centre, Queen Anne Dr, Wimborne, Bournemouth BH21 3BA. Tel: 01202 883065. Website: www.fishcove.co.uk Opening hours: Mon closed; Tues to Fri 9.30am–5pm; Sat 9am-5pm; Sun 10am–4pm.

What is it? Fishcove Aquatics is a relatively new retail shop in Dorset that opened its doors in December 2015. It’s a small premises of just 250 square feet and it’s run by husband and wife team, Duncan and Aimie Jones. Fishcove Aquatics stocks a wide variety of tropical species (no marines or goldfish).

High points Despite its small size the shop stocks a surprisingly large variety of freshwater tropical livestock ranging from bread and butter community tropicals to some very interesting oddballs, which included freshwater pipefish and Frail

gouramis on our trip. All livestock was in excellent health and holding tanks well-maintained. A nice touch was a dedicated shrimp and Siamese fighter rack containing a huge range of livestock including some rarely seen Caridina dennerli shrimp from Sulawesi. The shop gave a real family-friendly vibe and at the time of visit there were plenty of customers, most of whom were obviously regulars. The shop’s labelling for livestock was among the best I’ve seen.

Blackwater set-up.

Low points The shop did feel a little cramped at busier times but I understand the owners are already looking at expanding any time soon. With such small shelf space for dry goods the selection was understandably limited. I was surprised to see only bunched plants available in the wet system but tissue-cultured plants were also in stock.

White metallic crowntail Betta.

Verdict A tiny shop with big impact! Great quality and interesting livestock, a couple of lovely display ’scapes and a really friendly atmosphere — this is a gem of a store. The passionate and forward thinking nature of Duncan and Aimie was apparent. It’s no wonder they achieved Top 40 in the recent PFK Readers’ Poll. Well worth a visit!

Star rating Duncan and Aimie of Fishcove Aquatics.

What stood out: G White metallic crowntail Betta – £14 G Crystal red shrimp (Grade A) – £5 G Dwarf pipefish – £9.95 G Blue dwarf gourami – £3 G Cherry shrimp – £3 G Chocolate gourami – £4 G Butterfly Betta – £22

STAR RATING: Excellent 11111 106

Tropical fish 11111 Discus NS Cichlids 11111 Catfish 11111 Oddballs 11111 Indoor plants 11111 Pond plants summer only Koi NS Pond fish NS Fancies NS Indoor coldwater NS Marine fish NS Marine inverts NS Indoor dry 11111 Pond dry 11111 Freshwater inverts 11111 Labelling 11111

Crystal red shrimp.

Good 11111 Average 11111 Below average 11111 Poor 11111 Out of season OS Not stocked NS

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Blue dwarf gourami.

There’s a good range of tissue cultured plants.

Chocolate gourami.

Freshwater pipefish.

Fans of freshwater inverts will find plenty to interest them.

Betta and shrimp system.

Space has been used well in this small store.

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

107

PFKShoptour Northampton Reptile and Fish Centre Address: The Bell Plantation, Watling St, Towcester, NN12 6GX. Tel: 01327 350088. Website: www.reptilecentre.com Opening hours: Mon– Sat 9am–5.30pm; Sun 10.30am– 4.30pm.

well-fed, with very clean accommodation. Aquarium plants were fresh and plentiful at the time of our visit with an impressive 90cm/36in high-end aquascape situated adjacent to the plants.

What is it?

If you’re an oddball, Discus or African cichlid enthusiast then you may be disappointed. I would have also liked to have seen a larger selection of shrimp to complement the great selection of plants and other aquascaping goods.

Northampton Reptile and Fish Centre is a new shop that opened in April 2017. Owners Lois and Antony Hook already ran a successful reptile-only shop and decided to expand into aquatics by opening another store in Towcester (this new store also stocks reptiles). The shop is situated in the attractive grounds of a high-end garden centre and you’re greeted with a large selection of pond livestock and plants before entering the shop. This is a medium-sized store measuring 1,600 square feet, of which around two thirds are dedicated to freshwater only aquatics.

High points

Being a new store, the shop looks great with new systems and an impressive layout. The pond vats outside contained a large variety of healthy Israeli and English Koi with some impressive pond plants and hardscape materials, which provided a great first impression. Tropical fish selection consisted of mostly bread and butter species, all of which are kept in regular mains water. Exceptions were a stunning L200 plec and some beautiful mature Angelfish. All of the fish were healthy and

Low points

Verdict

This is a well-run and clean shop in an attractive surrounding, making it an appealing retailer with something to suit most tastes. While it does not stock a huge variety of livestock, the fish on sale were good quality at a reasonable price. The reptile section provides extra interest for most. Well worth a visit.

The store also stocks reptiles.

Fish selection is freshwater only.

Glass catfish.

Star rating

Tropical fish 11111 Discus NS Cichlids 11111 Oddballs 11111 Indoor plants 11111 Pond plants 11111 Koi 11111 Pond fish 11111 Fancies 11111 Indoor coldwater 11111 Marine fish NS Marine inverts NS Indoor dry 11111 Pond dry 11111 Freshwater inverts 11111 Labelling 11111

What stood out: G Thai glass catfish – £4.50 G L200 green phantom plec – £59.95 G Skunk Corydoras – £4.50 G Angelfish – £12.50 G Siamese fighters – £9.95 to £19.95 G Golden pencilfish – £1.95 G Lampeye – £1.50 G Rummynose tetra – £2.95

STAR RATING: Excellent 11111 108

There’s an impressive outdoor section here.

Good 11111 Average 11111 Below average 11111 Poor 11111 Out of season OS Not stocked NS

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Skunk cory.

The XL Angelfish were particularly tempting.

Rummy nose tetra.

Betta fans are well-catered for.

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

Smaller Angelfish.

109

TOP of the SHOPS!

Top shops

Scotland

North East Northern Ireland

THE ROLL OF HONOUR Retailer of the Year Lincs Aquatics, Alford, Lincs. Runner up: Charterhouse Aquatics, London

TOP 40 (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)

North West

Yorkshire & Humberside

Republic of Ireland

East Midlands Wales

Online Retailer of the Year

East

London

AllPond Solutions Runner up: Charterhouse Aquatics

South West

Small Retailer of the Year Octopus 8 Aquatics, Brough, East Yorkshire Runner up: Aqua Design Aquatics, Skegness

West Midlands South East

Shrimp Retailer of the Year Seahorse Aquariums, Dublin Runner up: Wharf Aquatics, Pinxton, Notts.

REGIONAL South east Maidenhead Aquatics @ Windsor Runner up: Crowder’s Aquatics, Hampshire

South west Emperor Tropicals, Devon Runner up: The Aquatic Store, Bristol

TOP SPECIALISTS Marine Retailer of the Year Lincs Aquatics Runner up: Seahorse Aquariums, Dublin

Cichlid Retailer of the Year Wharf Aquatics, Pinxton, Notts. Runner up: Seahorse Aquariums, Dublin

Catfish retailer of the Year Seahorse Aquariums, Dublin Runner up: Wharf Aquatics, Pinxton, Notts.

Wales Maidenhead Aquatics @ Wenvoe Runner up: Maidenhead Aquatics @ Cardiff

London Charterhouse Aquatics, London Runner up: Wholesale Tropicals, London

East Midlands Lincs Aquatics, Alford, Lincs. Runner up: Wharf Aquatics, Pinxton, Notts.

Abacus Aquatics, Kent Aqua Design Aquatics, Skegness Aquahome, Leyland, Lancs. Aqualife, Leyland, Lancs. Aquatic Finatic, North Yorkshire Bow Aquatics, Devon Carrick Aquatics, Co Monaghan Charterhouse Aquatics, London Clearly Aquatics, Co. Down Crowder’s Aquatics, Hampshire Cuddra Aquatics, St. Austell, Cornwall Discovery Aquatics, Dundee DL Discus, Co. Durham Emperor Tropicals, Plymouth, Devon Ferrybridge Aquatics, Wakefield FishCove Aquatics, Wimborne, Dorset Fishkeeper Braehead Fishkeeper Coatbridge Fishkeeper Inverness H2O Habitat, Surrey Innovation Aquatics, Southampton Lanchester Aquatics, Co. Durham Lincs Aquatics, Alford, Lincs Maidenhead Aquatics @ Mere Park Maidenhead Aquatics @ Shirley Maidenhead Aquatics @ Wenvoe Maidenhead Aquatics @ Windsor New Concept Aquatics, Bonnybridge Octopus 8, Brough, East Yorkshire Pier Aquatics, Wigan, Lancs Real Reefs, Gloucs. Riverside Aquaria, West Lothian Seahorse Aquariums, Dublin Sweet Knowle Aquatics, Warks. Tank Terror Aquatics, Cornwall The Aquatic Store, Bristol The Waterzoo, Peterborough TriMar, Cornwall Wharf Aquatics, Pinxton, Notts. Wholesale Tropicals, London

North east DL Discus, Co. Durham Runner up: Lanchester Aquatics, Co. Durham

North West

DL Discus, Co. Durham Runner up: Devotedly Discus, East Sussex

Plant retailer of the Year

Scotland

East

Emperor Tropicals, Plymouth, Devon Runner up: Seahorse Aquariums, Dublin

Discovery Aquatics, Dundee Runner up: Fishkeeper Inverness

The Waterzoo, Peterborough Runner up: Amwell Aquatics, Soham

Pond retailer of the Year

Republic of Ireland

Yorks and Humber

Lincs Aquatics, Alford, Lincs. Runner up: Seahorse Aquariums, Dublin

Seahorse Aquariums, Dublin Runner up: Carrick Aquatics, Co. Monaghan

Octopus 8, Brough, East Yorkshire Runner up: Ferrybridge Aquatics, Wakefield

Northern Ireland

West Midlands

Clearly Aquatics, Co. Down Runner up: Exotic Aquatics, Belfast

Maidenhead Aquatics @ Mere Park Runner up: Maidenhead Aquatics @ Shirley

Discus Retailer of the Year

Aquahome Aquatic Centre, Lancs. Runner up: Pier Aquatics, Wigan

Oddball Retailer of the Year Wharf Aquatics, Pinxton, Notts. Runner up: Tank Terror Aquatics, Cornwall

NEXTMONTH in the ebruary issue of

On sale December 20th 2017

PHANTOMS WITHOUT MENACE ALAMY

Our fish of the month are the friendly Phantom tetras

Discover the big, bold, colourful carpet anemones.

GEORGE FARMER

ALAMY

MAGIC CARPETS

READER’S REEF We visit a spectacular hanging aquarium in Amsterdam.

HOW TO KEEP SARDINES

GOING DOWN THE RIVER Great ideas for river-themed set-ups, advice on getting the flow right and what to keep.

MP&C PIEDNOIR , AQUAPRESS.COM

NEIL HEPWORTH

No, not the kind that come in tomato sauce — we’re talking Cyprichromis sardine cichlids. Find out what you need for these Tanganyikan schoolers.

Plus

O Freshwater breeding heroes O New fish in the shops O Air pumps on test O Inspirational aquariums O The latest gear reviewed

111

PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

BRISTOL

LONDON

From plants to Cichlids, Stingrays to Snakeheads

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

14

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

To advertise please contact James Belding on 01733 468410

www.leicesteraquatics.com

Leicester Aquatics

email: thefi[email protected]

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

RS ONLY RETA IL SHOPPE

G TIMES

r all your Thank you fo 1967! e support sinc

AY: CLOSED ● TUES, WED & FRI 10.30-6.00 ● SAT 10.00-6.00 ● SUN 10.00-2.0 0

, London, E2 l Green Road 0 77292444 220 Bethna 02 5356 Fax: Tel: 020 7739

KENT

ABACUS AQUATICS Voted one of the Best shops in the UK for the last 6 years For more details about the shop and our opening hours please visit our website

ics.co.uk

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE Readers’poll

2017 ODDBALL RETAILER OF THE YEAR

Readers’poll

Six-time winner of top UK aquatic retailer

2017

www.wharfaquatics.co.uk

CICHLID RETAILER OF THE YEAR

Tel: 01773 861255 Marine direct: 01773 811044 Reptile direct: 01773 811499

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

LANCASHIRE

ww.wholesaletropicalsaq uat

Huge range of livestock in more than 600 tanks! TROPICAL - MARINE - POND & COLDWATER - REPTILES

Now open on Sundays

Open 7 Days - 65-67 Wharf Road, Pinxton, Notts. NG16 6LH (near M1 J28)

SCOTLAND

House of Pisces ~ Scotland’s largest aquatic superstore by far 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

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

Here at DKP we specialise in producing bespoke fibreglass fish tanks for the discerning customer who wants the BEST for their fish. The DKP product range includes Filters, Bakki’s and Tanks 400, 450, 900 & 1500 gallons in rectangular with 700 & 800 gallons in circular but any bespoke size can be catered for including viewing windows.

Tel: 01772 623497 www.aquahome.co.uk

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NAOMI BRAISBY

Tailpiece with Nathan Hill

“

Then there are those uncomfortable moments when faces I’ve never seen before come up to me and ask ‘are you Nathan Hill?’ as I scramble into a defensive position and brace myself for a slap.

”

I

’ve got a total love/hate relationship with trade shows. Actually, now I think about it, it’s more of an excitement/frustration relationship with trade shows. Probably at about a 30:70 ratio, too. While I was at this year’s AQUA trade show in Telford, I had a bit of an open snort at one point, one of those unintentional sinus-rippers that comes out when you hear something preposterous. Long story short, I got called a celebrity, and more than once. Yeah, I’m still laughing at that one too. Anyone in my social circles would know that, a) I’m not, and b) I can think of nothing more abhorrent. Besides, if I’m a celeb, where’s my paycheque?

Perfect for radio

A reflection of the hobby The industry is consumer led. You buy things, manufacturers look at what’s selling, and then give you more of what (they think) you want. That means that trade shows like this are a reflection of what’s been going on in the hobby. What does that tell me? For one, you’re not interested in plants as much as I previously thought. Plant displays have receded. Two

114

Just a few of the new products at this year’s AQUA show.

SIRASTUDIO

I am, unfortunately, easily recognisable. I’ve got one of those faces that’s perfect for radio. Except it doesn’t go on a radio. It gets plastered on the inside cover, and in the top corner of here every four weeks. And that, dear reader, is an extreme disadvantage whilst trying to navigate the many stands of a trade show. To be sure, I love interacting. I like to think I’ve made a fair few friends in my decades in the industry. Even those I left stranded on burning bridges seem to have time to badger me about something. Then there are those uncomfortable moments when faces I’ve never seen before come over and ask ‘are you Nathan Hill?’ as I scramble into a defensive position and brace myself for a slap. This year I was at the show for two days, as photographer and journo. I didn’t get one side of one page of A5 scrawled in notes, and took maybe a dozen photos, tops. From what I could gain from my momentary glances at stands between conversations was that the industry is doing… okay. Ish. Which suggests to me that the hobby is doing okay. Ish.

years ago, at the last AQUA, it was like a jungle. This year it was as if someone had sprayed Agent Orange beforehand. I see you’ve all started plumping for nicer tanks and cabinets. Without naming names, in former years, some of the furniture I witnessed was vile — to my tastes, anyway. Hideous finishes, poor assembly, and no aesthetic longevity, the designs of old seem rightly consigned to the crate of failures. Good riddance, too. A multitude of pouches, tubs, bottles and vials on the marine supplement front tells me an apothecary mentality to reefkeeping is strong. Given the reduction in marine hardware, perhaps reefers are shifting to a new paradigm where chemistry, not technology, is the future of good corals. I strongly felt a lack of presence — once again — in freshwater innovations. A lot of what was new was in the ‘pocket money’ category. A fiver here, a tenner there, but nothing that would revolutionise the hobby. Which leads me to think that the freshwater aquarists out there are the genre that want the easiest ride. Or perhaps you’re just doing things more ‘naturally’ than ever. Why resort to a chemical soup in a tank when a decent air-powered foam filter and a bed of leaf litter will do, huh?

Or I could be entirely wrong. There might have been tonnes of other stuff about, but I was too busy fighting a desperate rearguard action against endless waves of wellwishers to get out and see it.

Baying crowds of superfans In seriousness, it was lovely catching up with each and every one of you I saw each day. But for AQUA 2019, I swear I’m going to invest in one of those camouflage suits that the alien in Predator chips about in. Maybe I’ll even turn it off for five seconds while I’m on a podium, just to send a jolt of hysteria through my baying crowds of superfans. Then I’ll turn it back on and sneak off in the ensuing pandemonium, sit down with a cup of tea and take a half hour out to open up that new canister filter and have a really good grommet about in its inner workings. Failing that, I’ll embrace my ‘celebrity’ status and insist on selfies with everyone, which I’ll charge £10 a time for. Straight up, I need the money. I’ve got a lot of fish I want to buy… Nathan Hill is Practical Fishkeeping’s features editor, Hollywood A-lister, renowned socialite, trademarked amateur skating aquarist who is likely to be 2018’s Time Magazine man of the year, or something.

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Beginners’ guide

WELCOME

You’re just starting your first aquarium, huh? I am so jealous of you right now! There’s so much to see, so much to do, and the possibilities are endless. My own journey into fishkeeping started over 35 years ago — I’ve owned dozens of tanks, kept hundreds of different species, and I’ve still barely scraped the surface. Fishkeeping involves learning a handful of basics, but from there you can innovate and explore to your heart’s content. You can visit the habitats of the world, vicariously through your aquaria. If you fancy it, you can help with conservation, by breeding rare and unusual species. And if the bug really bites, you might find yourself one day becoming an expert in your field. Many have done just that! This guide exists to equip you with some of the core information essential to making a success of your first aquarium. But also, I hope it inspires you, triggers some curiosity, and sends you on the path to a long and successful future oin fishkeeping! Enjoy!

NEIL HEPWORTH

Nathan Hill

CONTENTS 4 WHERE TO START

With tens of thousands of fish in the world, living in thousands of different habitats, you’ll never be stuck for ideas. But where should you look as a beginner?

8

WHAT DO YOU NEED?

Setting up a tank requires a few choice pieces of hardware. Here’s what to consider when putting together your shopping list.

10

HOW THE FILTER WORKS

14

TOP TIPS FOR GROWING PLANTS

What you need to know about the filter — the most essential part of any tank As part of your aquarium’s decoration,

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

you might like to add some plants. Follow this essential advice…

1620 FISH TO GET YOU STARTED

Researching which fish you can have is great fun. But with so much choice available it can be tricky to get the right balance in a new community. Here’s are some safer bets…

20 KEEP THINGS TIDY

The routine tasks you’ll need to do to keep your tank and your fish looking their best.

22 FEEDING TIME!

CONTACT US Practical Fishkeeping Bauer Media, Media House, Lynchwood, Peterborough, PE2 6EA. Email: editorial@ practicalfishkee ing.co.uk Tel. 01733 468000

Feeding your fish offers an ideal opportunity to interact and really enjoy them. Keep them healthy by offering the right food!

3

WHERE TO START?

Fishkeeping is vast. With tens of thousands of fish in the world, living in thousands of different habitats, you’ll never be stuck for ideas. But where should you look as a beginner? Here are a few options to consider... Community tank

NEIL HEPWORTH

The ‘classic’ aquarium, and the one we’re likely to remember from our childhoods. The community tank is a ‘pick ‘n’ mix’ approach to fishkeeping that allows you to house different species from different habitats all together in one set-up. Community tanks are easily the most popular tanks in the UK, and a great way of finding your feet before moving on to something more specialised. A community usually requires no special consideration beyond using your local tapwater, and discussing with your retailer about which fish would best suit your set-up —

chances are your retailer will be using the same water supply as you, so will be in a strong position to advise here. When setting up a community, the only tricky part is selecting fish that live harmoniously together. Some fish grow large, some are predatory, while others may have particular temperature or water chemistry requirements. But then again, this is also the fun part of a community tank, and I guarantee you’ll spend weeks at a time reading and watching videos about all the possible species you can keep!

Beginners’ guide To this day, goldfish are popular starter fish, but the reality is that they’re not good in small set-ups (even when young). They can be messy, they grow very large (and very quickly), and are best suited to either ponds or very large aquaria. Still, if you want to keep them, they are rewarding, personable fish. You’d benefit from living in a hard water area to keep them happy, but in a worst case scenario you can buy additives to fix this. You’ll need a big, powerful filter to cope with the mess they make, and a tank of at least 100cm long for juvenile fish (upgrading as they eventually outgrow it).

Did

?

you know

Goldfish live for many decades in the right conditions, meaning you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy them!

Planted aquascapes Aquascapes are the aesthetic cutting edge of aquaria, with less emphasis on fish and more on the plants. They’re something of an acquired taste — many traditional fishkeepers don’t ‘get’ aquascapes at all. If you want a tank that’s going to wow the neighbours and impress even non-fishkeepers, and if you have a good budget, then these could be for you. You’ll need some equipment above and beyond a standard tank — carbon dioxide injection is often used, as is fertilisation, plus you’ll need plant friendly substrates and lighting. Aquascapes are You’ll also need to invest some time trimming and pruning, otherwise your hugely popular in artwork will soon turn feral. countries where ‘Scaping has a huge and relatively people don’t have underground following, but if you’re access to gardens. interested, look in to some of the specialist clubs and forums that cater to this niche.

Did

?

NEIL HEPWORTH

you know

Marines are the creme-de-la-creme for many, but as a newcomer you’ll need to be exceptionally switched on and have a good background of chemistry if you want to get one right. Saltwater tanks are gorgeous, but much more sensitive and much more expensive than freshwater layouts. There’s more equipment involved, and a greater focus on water chemistry. Corals can attack each other, fish can poison their tank mates, and the methods of filtration often require an in-depth knowledge and grounding in aquarium husbandry. That’s not to say the first time aquarist can’t get a marine tank right. Many do, and they look lovely. But many more don’t, and it can be an expensive and tragic learning curve that leads to sick or even dead fish. Our advice is to start with freshwater and progress later down the line.

NEIL HEPWORTH

Marine aquaria

JACQUES PORTAL

Betta homes

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

The fastest growing area of fishkeeping this last decade has been the Siamese fighting fish, or Betta. Breeders have developed strains with long, flowing fins and an exuberance of colour, and a hungry audience has gobbled them up. Part of the appeal of Betta is that they don’t need a huge tank — something just 45cm long will be more than ample for an adult. You can make that tank as natural or artificially decorated as you like and the fish won’t mind. Filtration only needs to be light, and they are relatively unfussy about water chemistry. On the downside, Betta should be kept alone. Tank mates can nip their flowing fins, and other Betta will always be beaten to death (this is why they are called fighting fish). But because they are so stunning, they work perfectly as a standalone fish in a tank, and there’s good reason that many Betta keepers will have multiple tanks (often dozens) each containing a single, different type. When you see one in the flesh, you’ll understand the appeal.

5

GEORGE FARMER

Coldwater goldfish aquarium

Beginners’ guide Biotope set-ups Biotopes aim to perfectly recreate a specific habitat. That means the biotope keeper will research the plants, fish, water chemistry, even the substrate type and what kind of leaves fall into the water, so that they can make a perfect replica at home. While often looking like muddy puddles of leaves and debris, the fish that live in biotope tanks are often unrivalled in quality. They may have greater colours than community-kept counterparts, they may spawn more readily, or they may simply show off behaviours you won’t see elsewhere. While rewarding, biotopes will require a lot of research from you before you set them up. Some tanks are pretty straightforward to put together — Corydoras catfish over sandy substrates with leaves, for example — but some of the more extreme habitats where the water is hyper-acidic, or where conditions vary seasonally, are The Amazon, Congo, best left until you’ve built up some and Mekong river basins experience.

Did

?

you know

NEIL HEPWORTH

are among the most diverse habitats in the world when it comes to freshwater fish.

NATHAN HILL

Nano tanks Nano tanks (very small tanks of 30 l capacity or less) are readily available, although they are less popular than they were a few years ago. Nano tanks allow you to keep fish even if you’re stuck for space, and some delightful small displays can be put together by those with a creative streak. While nano tanks are small, their requirements are not. Far from becoming less work, these tiny tanks need more labour hours per litre than larger ones, and that’s because small volumes of water become unstable (think about which is more dangerous — a drop of pollution in a swimming pool, or a drop of pollution in a teacup). Even though these tanks are very affordable, don’t think of them as the easiest starting point. You’ll likely experience more success starting with a tank of 150 l capacity, than one of 15 l.

GEORGE FARMER

Lake Malawi tank For some folks, the tranquility of a community tank just doesn’t do it. They prefer fish with a bit of rough and tumble, and to cater for that we have the lake cichlids of Africa. Malawi fish have a few requirements. They need a big tank, of 120cm long or more. They need very hard, alkaline water, which can be created by adding supplements to the tank. And they need lots and lots of rocks to mark out their territories. Malawi cichlids are the pugilists of the fish world. They are

6

fiercely aggressive towards intruders, and in aquaria they are usually packed in tightly to keep squabbling and bullying to a minimum. But they are also intensely coloured fish — a Malawi tank is often considered the closest you can get to a marine aquarium without adding salt. Their interactions are fascinating to watch, and if conditions are right they will even spawn in the aquarium, with fish carrying around eggs and young in their mouths! YOUR FIRST AQUARIUM

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Setting up a tank requires a few choice pieces of hardware. Take note of the following when putting together your aquarium shopping list.

AQUARIUM – five panes of glass held together by silicone sealer. When buying new, it is likely that the aquarium will come with a hood, light or both. Some modern tanks are open-topped, which is great if you opt for fish that do not jump. Although it may not seem obvious, the bigger the tank you buy, the easier your first experience at fishkeeping will be. As a beginner, aim for something 60 x 30 x 30cm as a minimum, if you want an easy ride.

CABINET – use an aquarium designated design, as this will be made to cope with the intense, ongoing weight of the tank. Even a smallish set-up with rocks, gravel and water can weigh well over a hundred kilos. The cabinet should be water resistant to stop construction materials from swelling. Note that a chest of drawers or domestic table will be highly unlikely to cope with the weight of a tank. BASE MAT – some aquaria have what’s called a floating base. Look at how the tank sits on your cabinet. If the bottom pane presses directly on the surface of the cabinet, you will want some sort of base mat, so that the tank doesn’t crack from any unevenness. If the bottom pane is lifted slightly by a frame, this mat won’t be needed.

HEATER – most thermostatically controlled heaters sit inside the tank and are either pre-set to a particular temperature, or have buttons or dials that allow you to set your own temperature. Heaters come in a range of wattage options for different sized tanks. For extra peace of mind, consider a heater guard to protect it from breakages.

8

TOP TIP

Use a spirit level to ensure the tank and cabinet are completely level. If it’s out by even a fraction, this will become obvious once the aquarium is filled with water.

SUBSTRATE – gravel is easy to clean but is a terrible medium for plants. By contrast, fine sands are difficult to clean but preferred by many fish (especially catfish) and plants. Avoid anything that can affect water chemistry — calcium based substrates like coral gravel are unsuitable for most freshwater layouts.

DECORATION – natural wood needs to be aquarium safe (hardwoods) and soaked prior to use. Wood can contain acids that discolour water and alter chemistry. Rocks containing limestone or heavy metals are of no use in most freshwater tanks. If you’re unsure, stick to resin ornaments such as artificial wood.

YOUR FIRST AQUARIUM

Beginners’ guide FILTER – absolutely essential for all kinds of fishkeeping, the filter may come in one of several designs. Internal filters can be unsightly, but are cheap to run and easy to work with. External filters (far left) sit outside the tank and connect through a series of hoses. These are bigger and better than internal filters (centre) but cost more and require laborious maintenance. Some tanks even come with built in filters incorporated into the hood or back (below). When buying a filter, opt for one that is slightly overpowered for the tank, rather than underpowered, and remember that bigger brand names are often easier to get spares for than a cheaper, obscure design. ALGAE SCAPERS – hand held, on the end of a stick, or magnetic designs that stick to the glass, algae wiping is an essential chore. Choose a design that suits you best, as you’ll be using it lots!

WATER CONDITIONERS – something that removes chlorine from tapwater will be needed for ongoing maintenance in the tank.

GRAVEL CLEANER/ SYPHON – looking like tube with a length of ho attached, this piece of equipment will be getti used every week or two choose a good one that you’re comfy using.

PLUS YOU’LL ALSO NEED..... SMALL NET – to scoop out uneaten food. TEST KITS – some retailers will test your water for you, but at the very least you want to own some dip test strips that check for ammonia, nitrite and pH. These will be essential when setting up the tank.

OUR-WAY PLUG ADAPTOR – a lot of power points are needed to run all the aquarium electrics! If you can invest in a waterproof design then great — or consider an aquarium switchbox to keep things tidy. Label your plugs to make it easier at maintenance time! BUCKET – buy a 15 l or so, hardwearing bucket for cleaning, and don’t use it for anything else but the tank! Buckets used for jobs like car washing will be contaminated with harmful residues that could kill your fish.

LIGHTING – fluorescent tubes are cheaper to buy initially, while LED lights are more economical to run and have considerably longer lifespans. LED lights may also come with the option of controllability, allowing you to increase and decrease intensity, or even change colours.

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

THERMOMETER – don’t trust a heater to perform by its settings alone. A thermometer placed at the opposite end of the tank to the heater will give you extra peace of mind.

9

HOW A FILTER WORKS

The most essential part of any tank is the filter, and understanding how it works is vital if you’re going to get this right!

L

ong story short, your fish is swimming around in its own sewage. Confined to a glass box, and with no way of getting out to use a lavatory, everything your fish does ends up in the water alongside it. Imagine being locked in a box with no toilet, and you’ll get the idea. Your aquarium filter takes this sewage and turns it into something much less harmful. Without a filter, your fish would eventually poison themselves on their own wastes, or at the very least they’d become really ill with diseases like white spot and fin rot (these problems almost always come back to poor filtration).

and these bacteria consume raw fish waste and turn it into something less harmful. They’re delicate bacteria, and slow to grow, so you need to be really careful how you treat them. Clean the filter the wrong way, or expose these bacteria to the wrong chemicals, and they’ll die — and if they die, your fish will soon follow! Chemical filters — these polish up the tank. They remove specific chemicals from the water, such as those that cause yellow discolouring, and help to keep things clean

and sparkling. Of the three components, chemical filters are the ones to worry about the least. Biological filters are where the action is...

How can I get them wrong? The usual way a person messes up their filter is through improper cleaning. The essential thing is to always use old aquarium water in a bucket for any maintenance chores. The reason for this is that the chlorine in tapwater will kill the bacteria that live in filters. Remember, the bacteria are the

What kinds of filter are there? For freshwater aquaria, most filters are canister designs that sit inside or outside of the tank. There may be a filter built in to the hood, or your tank may have a weir at the back, which is where the filter lives. Most filters are relatively quiet running, some need hoses to connect them to the tank, some have controllable flow rates and even choices of return spout. But all of them require some kind of maintenance.

How do they work? Inside a filter you’ll have one or more of three components. Mechanical filters — think foam blocks. A mechanical filter sifts out the floating, solid wastes. Because of this, mechanical filters clog easily and will need regular cleaning. Biological filters — these are the sewage farm component of the filter. The media involved may look like grey hoops, or Sticklebricks, or even just chunks of gravel. A biological filter’s role is to house bacteria,

10

Bacteria within the filter media consume the fish waste and convert it into less harmful nitrate. The clean water is returned to the aquarium.

Water is pulled through the grilles of the filter and travels through the filter media.

YOUR FIRST AQUARIUM

Beginners’ guide biggest cause of aquarium fish deaths. The way to establish your filter is to add artificial fish waste to it, and the way to do this is by adding ammonia. Now ammonia isn’t nice stuff, and you’ll need to handle it with care, but the idea is that you buy some ammonia and ammonia and nitrite test kits, and then using an online calculator you input some tank details and simply follow the instructions from there. The calculator will tell you when to test, how much ammonia to add and when, and by reading the results of the test kits you’ll be able to tell when the tank is safe to start adding fish. In a nutshell, if there’s ammonia or nitrite present in the water then this indicates that you don’t have enough bacteria yet — give it time, keep dosing the ammonia, and eventually you’ll get there. All of this is what we call fishless cycling,

Regular impeller maintenance will keep pumps and filters running smoothly.

ones doing all the work and making that fish sewage safe. Another mistake is to leave the filter switched off for too long — never turn it off at night, for example! When the filter is off, the bacteria run out of food and oxygen quickly. Using excessive salt or medication is another surefire way of knocking out the filter bacteria. If you ever need to treat for anything, make sure you always stick rigidly to the dosage advised.

Wise up on water WASTE FROM FISH AND UNEATEN FOOD

FOOD

Can anything else go wrong? Most ‘broken’ filters aren’t actually broken at all! Instead, fishkeepers fail to clean the impeller — the moving heart of the filter — and so it eventually fouls and seizes up. Whenever you do aquarium maintenance, always be sure to have a look at the impeller and give it a quick rinse if needed.

How do I make my filters ‘fish ready’? When you buy a new tank and filter, won’t have any of the bacteria you n convert the fish sewage. You need to those bacteria, and I’m sorry to say t take a few weeks to do this properly. If you rush in to stocking your tank fish, what will happen is that the fish will reach lethal levels long before th bacteria develop. It’s a common prob called ‘new tank syndrome’ and it’s the

Without a filter, your fish would eventually poison themselves on their own wastes, or at the very least become really ill. www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

AMMONIA NH3/ NH4

DECOMPOSING PLANT AND ANIMAL MATTER NITRATE IS USED BY PLANTS AND ALSO DILUTED BY WATER CHANGES

PROCESSED BY NITROSOMONAS BACTERIA

NITRITE NO2 NITRATE NO3 PROCESSED BY NITROBACTER BACTERIA

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Beginners’ guide and is the safest way to establish your filters before adding fish.

What is ammonia? Ammonia comes from raw fish waste. They excrete it from their gills as well as in their urine, and it’s what their faeces and any uneaten food breaks down in to. It’s also highly toxic and can kill fish at miniscule levels by burning their gills and skin. There’s an interplay between ammonia and pH (see below), so the important thing to remember is that in warmer, alkaline water (such as that of a marine aquarium or a Malawi cichlid set-up), ammonia becomes considerably more dangerous.

What is nitrite? Nitrite is a chemical that the friendly bacteria in your filter convert ammonia into. Unfortunately, like ammonia, nitrite is also lethal at low doses, but thankfully there is another species of bacteria that develops in the filter, which converts nitrite into nitrate — and nitrate is much less harmful.

What is nitrate? Nitrate is the chemical formed at the end process of filtration. Nitrate is not converted by any normal filter bacteria and will

External filters enable you to add more media and of different types, but the maintenance is more complicated.

accumulate in the aquarium water. While some nitrate will be used by plants and algae as a food source, levels of nitrate should be kept under control by carrying out regular weekly or fortnightly partial water changes.

What is pH?

Bacterial supplements can help in maturing a new filter.

ACIDIC

Measuring whether the water in your aquarium is acidic or alkaline is done according to pH. The pH scale (pictured below) runs from 0 to 14, and right in the middle at 7.0pH, the tank is considered neutral — neither acid nor alkaline. At below 7.0pH, water becomes increasingly acidic, while above 7.0pH,

it becomes increasingly alkaline. Many fish have a window of tolerance, coping with a range of pH values, but some have specific demands. Malawi cichlids, for example, like a pH up around 8.2 — enough to kill off many acid loving species — and certainly won’t do well at a pH much below 8. In a community aquarium, most of the popular fish we keep will be happy with pH somewhere around neutral. As a beginner, you ideally want to aim for a pH value somewhere between 6.8 and 7.8 for most of the species you’ll be keeping. Luckily, this suits most of the tapwater around the UK. If your pH is at the more extreme end of the scale — above 8.0 or below 6.0, you’ll need to chat to your retailer to find out what is causing it. Rocks and other decoration can sometimes have a dangerous effect on pH, for example.

THE pH SCALE NEUTRAL

ALKALINE

pH 12

YOUR FIRST AQUARIUM

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Beginners’ guide

As part of your aquarium’s decoration, you might like to add some plants. If you want to get them right, follow this essential advice… plants vs. houseplants 1Aquarium A lot of ‘aquatic’ plants on sale are actually just water-resistant houseplants, like Dracaena and Fittonia species. These will eventually drown — no amount of feeding or care will increase their submerged lifespans. An old (and far from flawless) rule of thumb is to lift a prospective plant out of water. If it wilts and struggles to hold its own weight, it will be a true aquatic plant. If it remains rigid and upright, there’s a good chance it could be a houseplant.

2The right substrate

Gravel is bad for most plants. Sand is better, but trickier to keep clean. For the lushest plant growth, a planting substrate is best, but many of these contain nutrients that leach out, and can severely delay the maturation of a tank, so check with your retailer before purchase.

Plants on wood and rocks

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Plants like Java fern and Anubias are a blessing for new aquarists. They require no substrate, only a piece of wood or rock to cling to. Many can be bought already attached to decoration (for a premium). As

Bunched plants are often multiple cuttings clumped together with a metal alloy weight to hold them down. Unwrap the weight from the plants, separate them, and plant each cutting individually.

long as these plants receive some light and nutrients, they will grow (albeit slowly).

4Feeding plants

Plants will need some nutrients to grow. Two staples you should have to hand are an all-round plant food (such as The Aquascaper plant food) and a form of liquid carbon (such as EasyCarbo). As a newcomer, you might hear mention of carbon dioxide, but unless you’re prepared to splash out on a high quality, controllable injection device, I’d steer clear — incorrect carbon dioxide dosing can be dangerous.

5Pots or bunches?

Potted plants come with their roots packed in a mineral wool. You can plant the pots directly in to your substrate, but eventually the plant will become pot bound. It is better to remove the plants from their pots early on, rinse away the wool from the roots and position plants directly in to your substrate. Use a pair of long tweezers to do this (you can buy plant-specific tweezers) and be careful when cleaning near those plants for the first week or two.

about snails? 6What Snails come in as either adults or eggs — check the undersides of leaves for a clear jelly and remove it before adding plants to tanks. Snails tend to proliferate in dirty tanks, and where plants are weak and dying, so if numbers start to take off, it means you need to have a bit of a clean-up. Consider using a snail trap to catch the excess. Avoid using snail poisons, as all those little dead bodies will pollute the tank!

7Trimming

As your plants grow, you’ll need to cut them back. Purchase some aquascaping scissors for the job, or buy some extra sharp manicure scissors. Cut off any browning leaves or leaves with holes, and remove them with a net.

Snails and their eggs can come in on plants, but numbers only get out of hand in dirty tanks.

Java fern grows on wood or rocks and is very easy to look after.

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YOUR FIRST AQUARIUM

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FISH TO GET YOU STARTED

NEIL HEPWORTH

Researching which fish you can have is great fun, but with so much choice available it can be tricky to get the right balance in a new community. Here are some safer bets…

Neon tetra, Paracheirodon innesi

The ultimate in colour, try keeping two or three females to every male. Males have longer fins, smaller bodies and boosted colours, but also look at the shape of the anal fin — males have a fin modified in to a tube, for reproduction!

The original community stunner, keep Neons in groups of six or more for their wellbeing. They like their water slightly cooler than most, so don’t keep them with hot-house flowers like Ram cichlids.

 Size: Males to 3.5cm, females to 7cm.  Water: Slightly hard and alkaline, 7.0 to 8.0pH.  Temperature: 20 to 27°C.  Feeding: Flakes, live and frozen Daphnia and bloodworm..  Price: Start around £2.50 each.

SHUTTERSTOCK

Guppy, Poecilia reticulata

 Size: To 4cm.  Water: Soft and acidic, 5.0 to 7.0pH.  Temperature: 20 to 26°C.  Feeding: Flakes, live and frozen Daphnia and Cyclops.  Price: Start at £1.50 each.

Angelfish, Pterophyllum scalare Small angels are community fish, but beware when they age, and especially if they start to spawn. They become hostile when breeding, and are partial to eating tiny fish once they grow large enough. Need a tall tank!

NEIL HEPWORTH

 Size: To around 15cm (taller than it is long).  Water: Acid to alkaline, slightly soft to slightly hard, 6.0 to 7.8pH.  Temperature: 24 to 30°C.  Feeding: Slow sinking pellets and flake food, live and frozen Daphnia and bloodworm.  Price: Start around £4 for young fish.

Dwarf gourami, Trichogaster lalius  Size: To around 8.5cm.  Water: Slightly soft and acidic to just above neutral, 6.0 to 7.8pH.  Temperature: 25 to 28°C.  Feeding: Floating flakes and pellets, live and frozen Daphnia.  Price: Usually sold as pairs, starting around £8.50 a pair.

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SHUTTERSTOCK

Farmed varieties come in stark blue or red colours, even in the females that were traditionally silver and bland. Note how the fish ‘taste’ around using their long, whispy pelvic fins. Fascinating!

Harlequin rasbora, Trigonostigma heteromorpha

Platy, Xiphophorus maculatus

One of the toughest little rasboras out there, and real pretty to boot. Keep shoals of six or more, and use colour enhancing flake foods to bring out the delightful orange markings. Definitely improves with age, too!

The ultimate hardy livebearer, few community starter tanks are complete without a brace of colourful Platies. Sex them by looking at the anal fins on the underside — males have a fin developed into a tube, while females have normal anal fins.

● Size: To 5cm. ● Water: Soft and acidic to slightly hard, 5.0 to 7.6pH. ● Temperature: 22 to 26°C. ● Feeding: Flakes, pellets, live and frozen Daphnia and bloodworm. ● Price: Starts around £2 each.

NEIL HEPWORTH

NEIL HEPWORTH

● Size: Males to 4cm, females to 6cm. ● Water: Neutral to hard and alkaline, 7.0 to 8.1pH. ● Temperature: 18 to 26°C. ● Feeding: Flakes, spirulina flakes and greenfoods. Fresh leaves and fruit. ● Price: Start at £2 each.

Gold barb, Barbodes semifasciolatus

Dwarf oto, Otocinclus vittatus

Barbs sometimes get a bad image as fin nippers, but the majority are peaceful and ideal community fish. Gold barbs keep themselves to themselves, and develop the most stunning adult colours. Offer a few bushy plants as cover.

Ideal for smaller tanks, these tiny, if fickle, catfish are great at nibbling algae from the leaves of wide leafed plants. Sensitive to water quality, so definitely one for the slightly more advanced newcomer, but well worth the extra effort.

● Size: To 7cm. ● Water: Soft acidic to quite hard and alkaline, 6.0 to 8.0pH. ● Temperature: 18 to 25°C. ● Feeding: Flakes, pellets, live and frozen Daphnia and bloodworm. ● Price: Start at around £3.50 each.

● Size: To 3.5cm. ● Water: Soft acidic to slightly over neutral, 6.0 to 7.4pH. ● Temperature: 20 to 25°C. ● Feeding: Algae wafers and tablets, fresh greens and fruit. ● Price: Start around £2.50 each.

Bristlenose, Ancistrus cf. cirrhosus

A glass ‘cleaner’ that won’t grow too big, Ancistrus need a good supply of algae and green foods to keep their bellies bulging — hollow bellies soon spell disaster. Provide caves, and look for a ‘beard’ around the nose of growing males.

ALAMY

NEIL HEPWORTH

NEIL HEPWORTH

Beginners’ guide

● Size: To 12.5cm. ● Water: Soft acidic to relatively hard, 5.8 to 7.8pH. ● Temperature: 21 to 27°C. ● Feeding: Algae tablets and wafers, fresh greens, fruit, algae. ● Price: Starting around £5 each.

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Kuhli loach, Pangio kuhlii

Pygmy puffer, Carinotetraodon travancoricus 100% adorable, but equipped with a powerful and sharp beak that can ravage tank mates if housed in the wrong place. Best kept in a planted tank, and will need feeding with snails to help keep the beak short. ● Size: To 3.5cm. ● Water: Hard and alkaline, 7.5 to 8.4pH. ● Temperature: 22 to 28°C. ● Feeding: Live and frozen Daphnia, bloodworm and lots of live snails! ● Price: Start around £4.50.

Dwarf pencilfish, Nannostomus marginatus A lot more complex than it first appears, there’s gold, red, black stripes and all sorts going on in pencilfish. They can be prone to whitespot, so keep a close eye. Benefit from a tank with hiding places and floating plants.

● Size: 7.5 to 12cm. ● Water: Soft and acidic, 5.5 to 6.8pH. ● Temperature: 24 to 30°C. ● Feeding: Live and frozen bloodworm, Daphnia and Cyclops, sinking pellets. ● Price: Start around £3 each.

X-ray tetra, Pristella maxillaris Not as see-through as the name alludes, the X-ray is a uniquely pretty fish with a good balance of pleasant understated colours and laid-back attitude. A shoal will eventually fragment and split up, but they seem happy with this. ● Size: To 5cm. ● Water: Slightly soft and acidic to slightly hard and alkaline, 6.0 to 7.8pH. ● Temperature: 24 to 28°C. ● Feeding: Flakes, pellets, live and frozen Daphnia and bloodworm. ● Price: Start around £1.50 each.

NEIL HEPWORTH

ALAMY

Worm-shaped, small and mostly hidden away, a little group of Kuhli loaches is a treat in a planted tank with lots of hiding places. You won’t see them often, but when you do, you’ll be overjoyed. Don’t forget to feed them!

NEIL HEPWORTH

● Size: To 3.5cm. ● Water: Soft and acidic, 5.8 to 7.2pH. ● Temperature: 24 to 26°C. ● Feeding: Small flakes, live and frozen Cyclops. ● Price: Start around £3.95 each.

Dwarf rainbowfish, Melanotaenia praecox Most rainbows get too large for the everyday community, but the bright blue dwarf is a star in a mixed tank. Better in a tank with plants, which will help bring out the colours, pay attention to them in the mornings, when they display.

Zebra danio, Danio rerio

White Cloud Mountain minnow, Tanichthys albonubes

One of the most resilient starter fish there is, females will get larger and plumper. Spend much of their time at the surface of the tank, erratic and constant swimmers. Prefers water to be slightly cooler than most.

Peaceful, colourful, but fares better in a tank with a lower temperature (making it a good tank mate to Neon tetra). Keep in a shoal, and don’t be shy to have a little flow through the tank — they like swimming in currents. ● Size: To 4cm. ● Water: Slightly soft acidic, to slightly hard and alkaline, 6.0 to 8.0pH. ● Temperature: 18 to 22°C. ● Feeding: Flakes, live and frozen Daphnia and Cyclops. ● Price: Start around £1.50 each.

SHUTTERSTOCK

● Size: To 4cm. ● Water: Slightly soft acidic, to slightly hard and alkaline, 6.0 to 8.0pH. ● Temperature: 18 to 24°C. ● Feeding: Flakes, live and frozen Daphnia and Cyclops. ● Price: Start around £1.50 each.

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YOUR FIRST AQUARIUM

SHUTTERSTOCK

NEIL HEPWORTH

● Size: To 7.5cm. ● Water: Neutral to slightly hard and alkaline, 6.8 to 8.0pH. ● Temperature: 22 to 27°C. ● Feeding: Slow sinking flakes and pellets, live and frozen Daphnia. ● Price: Start around £5 each.

ALAMY

Beginners’ guide

Kribensis, Pelvicachromis pulcher Always buy in pairs, ensure plenty of caves, and expect a little aggro if they spawn, but otherwise these are peaceful, colourful cichlids that live near the substrate. They become more confident when housed alongside surface dwelling, small fish like Danios. G Size: Between 7.5 to 10cm. G Water: Soft and acidic to slightly hard and alkaline, 5.0 to 7.8pH. G Temperature: 23 to 26°C. G Feeding: Flakes, live and frozen Daphnia and bloodworm. G Price: Starting around £7.50 for a pair.

SHUTTERSTOCK

Female Kribensis (left) and the male below.

Siamese fighting fish, Betta splendens SHUTTERSTOCK

You need to be real careful what you put these with. Those stunning fins will be shredded by any nippy tank mates, so fighters are best housed solo. If two males meet, they’ll fight to the death. The males also beat up females.

NOT a cleaner fish in any sense, these catfish require well maintained tanks with tidy substrates, and plenty of good food — not the scraps and leftovers from others. Often sold in trios, but get on much better in shoals of six or more. G Size: Males around 5cm, females to around 7.5cm. G Water: Soft acidic to hard and alkaline, 6.0 to 7.8pH. G Temperature: 24 to 28°C. G Feeding: Sinking pellets and tablets, live and frozen Daphnia and bloodworm. G Price: Starting around £2.50 each.

SHUTTERSTOCK

Bronze cory, Corydoras aeneus

G Size: To 6.5cm, plus long fins. G Water: Slightly soft and acidic to slightly hard and alkaline, 6.0 to 7.8pH. G Temperature: 24 to 30°C. G Feeding: Floating flakes and pellets, live and frozen Daphnia. G Price: Start around £5, but £35 upwards not uncommon for good ones.

Hatchetfish, Carnegiella strigata Surface dwelling, peaceful, but prone to whitespot, hatchets are odd shaped fish you’ll want to keep a close eye on. You’ll need a good fitting hood, as these fish can fly, and when spooked they’ll launch themselves across the room.

NEIL HEPWORTH

NEIL HEPWORTH

G Size: To 3.5cm. G Water: Soft acidic, to slightly hard and alkaline, 5.0 to 7.8pH. G Temperature: 24 to 28°C. G Feeding: Surface floating flakes, pellets, live and freeze dried insects. G Price: Starting around £4 each.

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

19

KEEP THINGS TIDY!

With your tank in place, you’ll need to get in to the habit of carrying out some routine tasks to keep it looking its best.

Gravel cleaning

Algae magnet.

Any muck down in the gravel will be hidden out of sight, decomposing and turning water dirty. You can get it back out in the following ways... O Nets: Directly after a feed (especially if you overfeed by accident) get in the tank with a small, fine net and remove any large uneaten flakes. O Battery powered/air powered hoover: Used as an alternative to a net, the hoover sucks up and recycles water, trapping any waste through a fine mesh. A lot easier than using a net! O Syphon powered gravel cleaner: The best method of gravel cleaning, and should be tied in with a water change. The trick is to learn how to kink the hose to control flow rate. Master this and yo able to suck gravel up, c and drop it back down without draining the whole tank!

Algae wiping Algae is inevitable wherever you have light and water. Address it early before it becomes a deep-seated problem.

TOP TIP You might get told that certain suckermouth catfish are great for keeping the tank clean. Truth is, they’re not. At best, suckermouth cats may graze on a small patch of glass, but the only one keeping things clean is you.

O Hand held pads: Yo can buy coarse pads for or softer ones for acrylic. Be careful not to trap anything (like gravel) between the pad and the glass as you’ll scratch it. Also, be cautious of contacting fish — especially those with sharp spines!

Use a gravel cleaner to remove muck from the substrate.

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O Magnetic scrapers: The magnet with the soft, felt pad goes outside the tank, the coarse magnet goes inside the tank. Magnets can struggle to get close to the bottom without picking up sand or gravel. Floating models make life a lot easier if the two halves ever come apart.

rapers: May be hand on a stick, and often rporate a blade to slice gae away from the lass. Be careful around tank edges where the blade may cut through the silicone seal and avoid on plastic tanks as it will scratch them.

Water changing

u can change water ly or fortnightly, but o go longer. Waste will build up, which can be toxic to fish. The best way to remove water is with a gravel cleaner, as you can kill two birds with one stone. A good syphon will have a self-start mechanism which may involve bobbing the device up and down, or manually squeezing a hand-held pump. In the absence of one of these, do NOT suck on the hose to start water flowing. Instead, fill the gravel cleaner and the hose with water, place your thumb over the end of the hose, and carry it to the tank. With the gravel cleaning end submerged, and the hose YOUR FIRST AQUARIUM

Beginners’ guide

TOP TIP Keep any old water you’ve drained from the tank and use it to clean filter media. Afterwards, it is an excellent source of nutrients for watering house plants!

safe to say that carbon in a tank is exhausted after around the six-week mark. Note that carbon will be exhausted extra fast in tanks where medication has been used (note that because it adsorbs medications, carbon always needs to come out before treating your tank for any health problems).

Always add dechlorinator to tapwater before using it in your aquarium.

outlet in a bucket below the tank, remove your thumb and the syphon will start. If water changing weekly, aim for around a 15% change. Fortnightly, aim to change 25%. Don’t change more than 33% of the water at once as it can shock the fish and filters. The replacement water needs to be the right temperature and pH. If using tapwater, mix it in a bucket with some hot water from a kettle (don’t use the hot tap — heavy metals may be an issue over time). Use a glass thermometer to get within 1°C of the tank temperature. Add dechlorinator to the bucket the water is in, and give it a minute to deactivate any chlorine from the tapwater. It’s a lot easier to add the new water a jug at a time rather than lifting the whole bucket. Some retailers sell ‘return pumps’ that go in a bucket and push water back up to the tank via a length of hose.

O Foams: Foams will be the first element in a filter to block as they trap out solid waste. Some foams become biological (they develop bacteria that keep aquariums safe) and these bacteria need to be cherished. Always clean foam media in old tank water, not under a tap (which will kill the bacteria). Eventually, the foam will need replacing — if you can squeeze it in your hand and it doesn’t spring back to its original shape, it needs changing. In filters with multiple foams, just change one foam at a time.

Cleaning filters

O Carbon pouches: These don’t need cleaning, but they will need replacing. It’s

The filter also needs regular maintenance.

O Impeller: This is the moving part inside your pump that pushes the water through. This will also need cleaning. Try doing it every time you clean the filters, as good practice. The impeller ISN’T covered under your pump warranty against failure to clean it. If your pump packs up because of a dirty impeller, you’ve no right to a refund or replacement. Keep it clean. O Hoses: External hoses will eventually build up a layer of grime and algae. Every few months, consider getting down them with some pipe brushes (your retailer will have some tucked away on sale somewhere) and flush through with cold water. Don’t be tempted to clean your pipes with boiling water — it’s dangerous.

HOW TO CLEAN YOUR FILTER MEDIA

O Biological hoops: Leave these alone until they get visibly dirty. Using a bucket of aquarium water, place the biological media into a net, and shake it about in the water as though frying chips in an old-fashioned fryer. When the worst of the waste comes off, the media is clean enough. Give the foam media a squeeze in a bucket of old tank water — don’t clean it under the tap.

4 more routine jobs COUNT THE FISH: Fish grow and fish breed. Eventually, you might find your tank becomes overstocked. If your tank gets dirty way too quickly, or if you struggle to maintain water quality, chances are you need to offload some fish to friends or a retailer. CLEAN THE LIGHTS: Eventually they will get covered in splashed water residue, and this can cause a gradual overheat. Turn the lights off and wipe them every couple of weeks.

WATER TESTING: Don’t avoid water testing. As daunting as it sounds, a test for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH is actually really easy. In some cases, you can do it with a simple dip strip. Your retailer will be happy to discuss any readings you have, and if you’re really intimidated by it, the retailer may even test a sample of your water for a small fee. CHECK THE FISH: Look at skin and fins. Are there spots that weren’t there before? Have fins become torn or haggard? Are the fish slimier than usual? Are there any red streaks on them? Are they gasping, or are they less or more active than normal? Check out any unusual behaviour i di t l ith t t t!

Biological media like ceramic hoops just needs a rinse in old tank water to remove the worst of the muck.

If you use activated carbon it will need to be replaced every six weeks or so. www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk

21

Beginners’ guide

FEEDING TIME! Flakes are great all-round foods, and suited to the small to medium mouths of most community species. Some contain health boosters or colour enhancers, too. Flakes are sprinkled directly on the surface of the tank. Aim to feed as much as your fish can eat inside of two minutes. Beyond that, you’ll just get fat fish and a messy tank! Flakes are ideal for surface and midwater swimmers, but are slow to sink, so of little use to fish at the bottom, like catfish.

Tablets and wafers Dense, fast-sinking foods like tablets or wafers can be targeted to fish on the bottom. Select the type of tablet your fish needs. Ingredients can be meaty, with lots of insect or fish meal, and are aimed at omnivore and carnivore fish. ‘Green’ tablets and wafers can be rich in vegetable matter, so better suited to herbivorous fish.

Pellets Either floating or sinking, pellets are usually made from similar ingredients as flakes, but in a denser package. Be careful not to add pellets too large for fish’s mouths.

Grazers Blocks of food that attach to the side of the

tank via a sucker, or sit on the bottom, these give fish an opportunity to nibble at food throughout the day. Excellent if you have a tank with greedy fish that outcompete tank mates for flake foods — all the fish can graze at the same rate on these!

Freeze dried foods Dehydrated insects, worms and crustaceans that often have quite a low protein content (meaning they’re not very messy), but can take a long time to sink in a tank. You can even get freeze dried snails for pufferfish!

Frozen foods Nutritious but a little messy, frozen bloodworm, Daphnia, Artemia and Cyclops is great for meat-eating tetras, barbs and cichlids, while frozen greenfoods can be great for herbivore fish.

NEIL HEPWORTH

A piece of courgette, held down with a plant weight, will be superb for Bristlenose catfish to graze on. A fresh pea, squashed between your fingers, will be nibbled at by certain catfish, tetra and barbs.

Storing your food

Once seen as a disease risk, most live food nowadays is carefully cultured and low risk. Pour the live food through a net and rinse quickly with tapwater to flush any bacteria or parasites away.

Dried foods like flakes, tablets and pellets need to be stored in airtight containers, and out of direct light. Avoid using clear tubs, as light can damage the vitamin content. When you buy new food, use a permanent marker to note when it was opened on the underside. After six months, bin any that is left over and buy fresh.

Fresh food

When to feed

Omnivores will benefit from the addition of some fresh fruit and veg from time to time.

In an ideal world, a typical community tank will get two or three small feeds a day, and this is fine for those fish active dur the day. Catfish and When feeding, don’t other nocturnal put wet fingers in to the species may food tubs. If flakes and not come out pellets get damp, they to feed while can turn mouldy, and lights are still potentially toxic for on, so tablets and other your fish. sinking foods may need to be added just after lights out. Always remember to remove any leftovers by morning. Try to keep feeding at the same times daily, so that your fish get in to a routine. This means they’ll be ready to eat, and subsequently there will be less waste produced from leftovers.

Live foods

Lots of fish will enjoy the occasional offering of fresh veg.

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Grazing foods can be stuck to the tank glass.

NEIL HEPWORTH

Flake foods

JACQUES PORTAL

Feeding your fish offers a great opportunity to interact and really enjoy them. Keep your fish healthy by offering the right foods to the right species!

TOP TIP

YOUR FIRST AQUARIUM

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