FREE 24-PAGE BEGINNE

WRONGLY ACCUSED? RICE PALACES

5 fish of ill-repute.
Guilty as
charged — or
misunderstood?
Keep and breed
the fascinating
ricefish
Issue 1 January 18 £4.20

SPECIAL REPORT
Our top picks
from the
AQUA show
DISCOVER THE
sensational
MALAWI
E BITER
DOUBLE
YOUR FUN
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to keep in pairs
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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.
GEORGE FARMER is a
world-renowned
aquascaper. He sets up
a gorgeous low
maintenance planted
aquarium on page 46.
www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk
Like many things in life, fishkeeping is 8 Discover the fascinating
subject to trends. In recent years these have world of the ricefish.
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 38 Keep and breed the
the ‘darling’ of community tank keepers everywhere. Flame tetra.
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 58 Five alleged mischief
pass it on to a friend or relative so that they can discover the joys of makers — guilty or not?
fishkeeping, too?
Get more PFK!
Karen Youngs, editor
Like us on Facebook.com
Enjoy six months of
Follow us @PFKmagazine
Practical Fishkeeping
for just £19! Watch us on youtube.com/
user/practicalfishkeeping
See page 44
*when you choose the print option
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FORUM fishkeeping.co.uk
5
 ON THE COVER
nu
Cover image: Foto Malawi Stan

08 RICE PALACES
The dainty ricefish are easy to
30
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…

30 TWO’S COMPANY
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!

51 GOLDFISH GALORE
A visit to the UK’s leading
goldfish supplier offered the
perfect chance to showcase some
of the country’s finest!

58 THE USUAL SUSPECTS

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

66 A FEAST FOR THE EYES

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

100 NEW GEAR

Our special report looks at some
of the highlights from the AQUA
58
2017 trade show.

YOUR FISH & TANKS

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

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

NEWS & REVIEWS

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

106 SHOPTOUR

08
This month we visit aquatic
retailers in Dorset and
Northamptonshire.

6 PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING
 74
FISHKEEPING KNOW-HOW
72
20 FISH IN THE SHOPS
Four non-community fish that
need careful housing.

38
In association with
REKINDLING THE FLAME
Gabor Horvath gets reaquainted
with a first love.

46 FERNTASTIC
This low maintenance aquascape
uses mature plants to give it

DIPLOMA
immediate impact. But you can
achieve something similar with
new plants if you’re prepared to
wait for them to grow in.

72 CLAWS FOR THOUGHT

The Panther crab is one of the few 38
totally aquatic crabs available in
the hobby — and it’s freshwater…

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

84 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

84
buying secondhand.

86 THE FISHKEEPER’S
EMERGENCY TOOLBOX
It pays to have a few essential
items to hand for those sudden
unexpected emergencies.

96 EVERYTHING YOU WANTED

TO KNOW ABOUT ARTEMIA
Artemia have featured in South
Park, NASA has sent them into
space, and they’re a great live

51
food. Here’s our guide on getting
the best out of these incredible
crustaceans.

PROBLEMS SOLVED 96
89 FISHKEEPING ANSWERS
Some of the world’s top experts
answer your questions.

PLUS

44 SUBSCRIBE TO PFK!
Save money when you take out a
subscription to PFK.

82 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.

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

16 FREE WITH THIS ISSUE 24-PAGE BEGINNERS’ GUIDE

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk 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…
WORDS: NATHAN HILL
MP&C PIEDNOIR, AQUAPRESS.COM

8 PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING
 Fish of the month

Daisy’s ricefish,
Oryzias woworae.

Female ricefish carry their eggs around

on their undersides. Some species
deposit them on plants after fertilisation,

NEIL HEPWORTH
but others carry them to maturity.

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk 9
 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
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.
NATUREPL

10 PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING
 Fish of the month

While some species are a little delicate,

Medaka can withstand rough housing that Oryzias latipes
would wipe out many a community tank. with eggs.
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

MP&C PIEDNOIR, AQUAPRESS.COM

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 MEDAKA/
RICEFISH JAPANESE
You’ll see these offered more than any
other ricefish species, but expect to pay a
RICEFISH
hefty sum for them. Most images don’t Peaceful and tough, even if you’re just
do them justice. You need to see the using them to fill out a community, I bet
pearlescent sheen and the iridescence you anything you’ll grow really fond of
of the blues in the flesh to really these pretty fish.
appreciate them.
G Scientific name: Oryzias latipes
G Scientific name: Oryzias woworae (Orr-rit-zee-ass lat-ip-eez).
(Orr-it-zee-ass woah-war-ay). G Size: To 3.2cm.
G Size: To 2.8cm. G Origin: Japan, China, Vietnam and
G Origin: Muna Island, Sulawesi. Korea.
G Habitat: Clear stream over mud and leaf G Habitat: Take your pick. Marshes,
litter. streams, ponds, pools, rice paddies, in
G Tank size: Minimum 45 x 25cm for a both fresh and brackish water.
small shoal. G Tank size: Minimum 45 x 25cm for a
G Water requirements: Neutral to slightly small shoal.
acidic: 6.0 to 7.0pH, hardness 4 to 12°H. G Water requirements: Neutral to slightly
G Temperature: 23 to 27°C, ideally 25°C. alkaline: 7.0 to 8.0pH, hardness over
G Temperament: Peaceful, but small so 10°H.
may be eaten or intimidated by tank G Temperature: 18 to 24°C.
mates. G Temperament: Peaceful, but small so
G Feeding: Micropredators. Offer lots of may be eaten or intimidated by tank
bloodworm, Daphnia and Cyclops. Flake mates.
food is taken greedily. G Feeding: Micropredators. Offer lots of
G Availability and price: Embraced by bloodworm, Daphnia and Cyclops.
many retailers as a good seller, you’ll Flake food is taken greedily.
find these at many stores around the UK, G Availability and price: Not so common
often priced in the £5 region. for such an easy fish, priced from
around £1.50.
Tank volume Tank volume
0 0
pH Temp C pH Temp C
9
30
28
28 l+ 9
30
28
28 l+
8 26 8 26
24 24
7 22 7 22
20 20
6 18 6 18

5 5
ALAMY

ALAMY

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk
a 11
 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.
The Sulawesi upgrade
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
NATUREPL

the largest (the closely related

Adrianichthys poptae — the ‘other’ ricefish
ALL SEQUENCE: MP&C PIEDNOIR, AQUAPRESS.COM

Females produce the eggs through the night The males embrace the females, The embryos inside
and by dawn they’re swimming about with fertilising the eggs. She then the eggs continue
them attached to their undersides. chooses a leaf to deposit them on. to develop...

12
 Fish of the month

?
Did
you
know
The name Oryzias stems
from Oryza, pronounced
either orr-rit-zah, or orr-
right-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 The fry can be fed on microworms

around 9–12 days. and freshly hatched Artemia.

13
 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
Close-up of a developing
ricefish embryo.
NPL
14
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
Oryzias eversi.
ALAMY
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
MP&C PIEDNOIR AQUAPRESS.COM
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

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
Fish of the month
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.
15
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
First class fish were on
display in the show section.
16
each. For collectors of unusual fish, Sunday as well as Discus (usually a firm favourite), so
afternoon became quite a harvest. the event was a little thinly spread compared to
As well as the traditional shows, the Festival previous years.
hosted other attractions over the weekend. Set To repeat, this show is the penultimate Festival
on an urban farm, the site is home to various of Fishkeeping, so the last chance to attend one
semi-exotic animals and visitors were treated to of these historic occasions and see what the
unusual, non-fishy spectacles like owl flying. fuss is about will be in Autumn 2018.
Reptiles were also displayed, for the more
adventurous folks to investigate. From the
perspective of those attendees with children, Flowerhorn cichlid.
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)
Some outstanding
Betta were on show.
PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING
 Don’t miss
the final
ever show
in 2018

Sawbwa resplendens.

Allan Finnegan’s Winners of the Supreme Pairs

winning Aulonocara title were these stunning
maylandi. Dwarf chain loaches.

SHOW RESULTS 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 17
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/
Pick up a bargain and
support two worthy causes at
the UK Charity Fish Auction.
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.
18
INDUSTRY NEW
S
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
Over 670 fish seized at
airport in Brazil
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
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.
20
A big tank is vital. Anecdotal reports  Temperature: 24 to 28°C.
suggest 45cm for S. manueli in captivity,  Temperament: Solitary species, will eat
while an unverified comment in a piranha tank mates and attack hands.
book hints at a 61cm fish. Wow.  Feeding: Feed only a few times a week with
In captivity you need to keep Manueli solo. meaty foods such as prawn, cockle,
They’re not gregarious by nature, and any mussel, white and oily fish. Also ensure
other tank mate will be bitten or outright some fruit and veg is offered.
eaten. They also appreciate some flow, so get  Availability and cost: Rare and expensive,
some circulation pumps running. this fish was on sale at a bargain £175.
 Scientific name: Serrasalmus manueli Tank volume
(Serr-ah-sal-muss man-well-eye).
648 l+
0
pH Temp C
 Size: 45cm or more. 9
30
 Origin: Amazon and Orinoco basins, South
28
America. 8 26
 Habitat: Deep, flowing rivers. 24
7 22
 Aquarium size: Minimum 180 x 60cm 20
footprint. 6 18
 Water requirements: Close to neutral: 6.8
5
to 7.3pH, hardness below 12°H.
Seen at
Wharf
Aquatics,
Pinxton.
PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Predators
to handle
with care!
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
www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk
Fish in the shops
“By interactive, I mean that
the fish lunges at objects
outside of the tank that
happen to be moving...”
South America (specifically Peru) where it 7.5pH, hardness below 16°H.
likes to hide itself away in dense vegetation  Temperature: 24 to 28°C.
and wait for prey to pass by. That’s what  Temperament: Solitary species, will eat
you want to try to recreate in any tank you tank mates and attack hands.
set up — lots of dense greenery in a layout  Feeding: Feed only a few times a week
with heavily shaded regions. with meaty foods such as prawn, cockle,
Be real careful when it comes to cleaning. mussel, white and oily fish. Avoid
I’ve seen how these things get switched on terrestrial meats like beef or chicken.
by movement, and they could really cause  Availability and cost: Not common at all,
an injury to the careless aquarist. this fish was on sale for £79.95.
Tank volume
 Scientific name: Serrasalmus sanchezi 0
108 l+
pH Temp C
(Serr-ah-sal-muss san-chez-eye).
9
 Size: To 15cm. 30
28
 Origin: Peru, South America. 8 26
 Habitat: Slow rivers and pools, amongst 24
7 22
dense plants.
20
 Aquarium size: Minimum 120 x 30cm. 6 18
 Water requirements: Ideally slightly soft
and acidic, but quite tolerant: 6.5 to 5
Seen at
Wharf
Aquatics,
Pinxton
21
 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

108 l+
0
pH Temp C
9
30
28
8 26
24
7 22
20
6 18

Seen at
Wharf
Aquatics,
Pinxton.

22 PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING
 Fish in the shops

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
For hard
water tanks
only!
standalone species. While N. falcicula alkaline: 8.4 to 8.8pH, hardness 30°H+.
excavates homes for itself, the Cygnus G Temperature: 23 to 27°C.
inhabits existing cracks and narrow caves. G Temperament: Territorial, aggressive.
Don’t get too excited about the stunning G Feeding: Sinking pellets and granules, live
mottling over the face. That striking orange and frozen Daphnia, Cyclops and
‘birthmark’ colouring eventually pales off in bloodworm. Frozen Calanus.
adults, leading to a deep magenta/beige mix G Availability and price: Unusual but not
so familiar to the genus. Still lovely though. exactly rare. These fish were on sale at
£9.95.
G Scientific name: Neolamprologus sp.
‘cygnus’ (Nee-oh-lam-pro-low-gus 0
Tank volume
pH Temp C
sig-nuss).
G Size: To 8.1cm.
9
30
28
90 l+
G Origin: Southern Tanzanian shore of Lake 8 26
Tanganyika. 24
G Habitat: Rocky substrates and giant 7 22
20
boulders. Lives in cracks and caves. 6 18
G Tank size: Minimum 100 x 30cm footprint.
G Water requirements: Very hard and 5

Seen at
Wharf
Aquatics,
Pinxton.

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk 23
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!
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.
NickyArthur
About 18 months on
the big tank — although it’s
just the plants that I’ve
changed, the hardscape is
the same.
George Brown
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.
Practical Fishkeeping, Media House, Lynchwood, Peterborough, PE2 6EA
24
+
STAR
Secret letter
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
The ‘shrimpium’, bought and
many occasions I have
aquascaped by the talented
expressed my intrigue at the
Mrs McSpadden.
small shrimp varieties but in a
community aquarium, breeding again surprised me with a superb calls it a ‘shrimpium’. I’ve
was rarely successful. present. She had bought, attached a picture because I’m
And so, this weekend I arrived aquascaped and set up, a nano not just impressed with the
home and my wife had once aquarium just for shrimp — she 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
Scott’s larger community tank. hobbyist in the family!
SCOTT McSPADDEN, EMAIL
Win FishScience aquarium food
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
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:
 editorial@practicalfishkeeping.co.uk facebook.com. Search Practical Fishkeeping
twitter.com/PFKmagazine 
http://forum.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk
PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING
 TANKCOMMUNITY
FROM
FACEBOOK
Responses to our
question ‘What’s the
most under-rated fish
out there?’
Glowlight tetra.
SHUTTERSTOCK
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.
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
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
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.
OKing of the whiptails What is the fascination with long finned
While many ‘plecs’ are lumbering, armoured tanks, the fish? I know man has been messing about
giant whiptails (Sturisoma sp.) are graceful, cryptic fish that with Guppies ever since Noah was a boy,
make a wonderful addition to suitably peaceful aquariums. but why do we need long finned Zebra
This magnificent specimen belongs to David Price. 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.
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.
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.
26
CONTACT US
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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
● 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?
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?
PHOTOGRAPHY: MIKE CALNUN UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED
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
28
Mike describes his tanks as
‘dark and atmospheric’.
Mike has
found Ram
My current fish cichlids
● 12 Cardinal tetras, Paracheirodon particularly
challenging.
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
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...
Ivanacara
adoketa.

NATHAN HILL

Dicrossus
Corydoras loxozonus. filamentosus.
ALAMY

Marbled
hatchetfish.

Corydoras trilineatus.
PHOTOMAX

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

T ’S
OMPANY
ALAMY
 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 Some fish seem
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
32
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?
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.
oblivious to the
aquarist as they
court and breed.
Others may spawn
regularly without
you ever knowing.
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
Bluethroat triggers can be
kept in pairs in larger systems
— and they’re reef safe, too.
ALAMY
PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING
 Marine

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

individual aquarium. There are some

notable examples given here that do not
include some of the more obvious groups of
Girls will be boys — sometimes!
Species in which both sexes are colourful are widely available, like the beautiful
fish such as damselfish (Pomacentridae),
members of the wrasse genera Halichoeres and Macropharyngodon. These genera
cardinalfish such as the Banggai
contain species that are protogynous hermaphrodites (functional females first then, if
cardinalfish, Pterapogon kauderni, and the
the opportunity arises, they become functional males). In some species from both
obvious anemonefish (Amphiprion and
genera differences between males and females in terms of colour and pattern can be
Premnas spp.) and many more.
striking with each beautiful in its own way. With these genera you also have the option
Potential issues 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
Where there are marked differences in size
become male. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen, and the aquarist is
between members of the opposite sex, you
occasionally left with two female individuals that seem content with their gender and
might find the larger individual intolerant of
not inclined to change…
tank mates and occasionally aggressive
towards its own species. This can result in
lots of chasing and bickering at best and Blue star leopard wrasse,
fatalities at worst. Research potential stock Macropharyngodon bipartitus.
before purchase and take steps to mitigate The larger of two individuals
any anticipated problems by stocking the will usually become male.
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-to-
find 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
MP&C PIEDNOIR AQUAPRESS

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 33
 9 great fish to keep in pairs
PSYCHEDELIC MANDARIN DRAGONET
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.

ANDREAS MARZ, CREATIVE COMMONS

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.

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
SHUTTERSTOCK

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
CHERUB ANGELFISH
O Scientific name: Centropyge argi.
BRIAN GRATWICKE

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.

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
 Marine

ALAMY

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.
ORCHID DOTTYBACK
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
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.
ALAMY

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.

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.

YASHA SHRIMP GOBY

ALAMY
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. LABOUT’S FAIRY
O Aquarium size: 50 l upwards.
O Temperament: Typically peaceful unless kept with a same-sex individual. Males will fight
WRASSE
to the death unless the aquarist intervenes. O Scientific name: Cirrhilabrus laboutei.
O Ease of keeping: Easier when kept with a suitable species of Alpheid pistol shrimp with O Size: Around 12cm.
which it enjoys a symbiotic relationship; the shrimp builds a burrow in which both animals O Origin: Great Barrier Reef, New
reside and the goby acts as the eyes of the near-blind crustacean. Newly imported Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands.
individuals can show significant weight loss and be reluctant to feed but placed in a O Aquarium size: A pair will need a system
peaceful aquarium with a pistol shrimp and they soon settle and begin to accept food of 250 l minimum to afford both
readily. Weight is regained easily. swimming space and the ability to avoid
O Availability and cost: Sporadic; expect to pay £35–£45 per fish. each other if necessary.
O Temperament: A typical fairy wrasse that
The Yasha goby is one of the few species of shrimp-goby that can be sexed easily. may be short-tempered with similar
Although it is perfectly possible to maintain pairs of many other species only a handful species or those occupying a similar
show any degree of sexual dimorphism, so it’s a case of trial and error. The Yasha goby niche in the aquarium. This seldom
male has a red-edged black blob of pigment on the rear edge of its pelvic fins — these are results in actual damage.
the fins that are fused in many gobies and used as a prop to rest O Ease of keeping: Relatively
upon in shrimp gobies. Females lack any pigment in this straightforward. Ensure a firmly fitting
area. Note that stressed males may display very little in the lid is on the aquarium to prevent these
way of pigment in this area or a faded patch at best. fish jumping.
O Availability and cost: Reasonably good.
NEIL HEPWORTH

ALAMY

36 PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Females being smaller generally cost
around £45; larger males £65–£99
depending on size and origin.
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.
NEIL HEPWORTH
Have some patience and a good
relationship with a dealer and they will
often keep their eyes open for pairs.
NEIL HEPWORTH
www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk
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 sometimes-
boisterous 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.
Male Bellus angelfish...
...and this is the female.
37
 REKINDLING
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.
MP & C PIEDNOIR, AQUAPRESS.COM
 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
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.
GABOR HORVATH
40
meant I was unable to raise any fry. clearly see the distinguishing broad black
So, I was very keen to make some progress edge marking on his anal fin. The female
on the breeding front, especially since my also had some black on hers, but that of the
good friend (and biggest rival) had male looked as if it had been drawn with a
succeeded in rearing a small shoal of Zebra thick eye-liner.
danios. As I considered the danios too easy
(well, it was obvious, if my friend had Spawning success
managed to breed them...) I wanted to up my I watched their joyful chase for a while, but
game with a more difficult fish, and I set my then the lights were switched off and
eye on the tetras. everyone retired for the night. I was up early
After a consultation with the club’s next morning, when the first rays of the
president I acquired a pair of Flame tetras. I rising sun reached the spawning tank. In
knew it would have been better to start with that beautiful morning light the pair began
a small shoal, but my then very limited their ritual, meaning lots of chasing and
resources only allowed me to buy a pair, colour flashing from the male’s side.
even at the relatively low price they had Knowing that Flame tetra females can be
been sold at. However, as a bonus I also got a temperamental and picky I was worried
small pack of Artemia eggs, which were about the response. Fortunately, his lady
more valuable than gold to me at the time. also got into the mood and soon they were
Prior to getting the fish I read every bit of shaking side-by-side. The male held his
available information about Flame tetras partner close with a small hook on his anal
(this wasn’t difficult as I only had one, albeit fin and the pair sprinkled eggs and milt all
very comprehensive aquarist book), and set over the decoration and the tank bottom.
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
ALAMY
 Favourite fish

After an hour or so they finished and the

exhausted female retired behind the Java The female (below)
moss. I let them rest for a bit, then moved has a much rounder
them to my community tank. Knowing that shape than the male.
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
GABOR HORVATH

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.
 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.
GABOR HORVATH

Many characins
can’t hold a candle
to Flame tetras.

Flame tetra fry are tiny
but straightforward to
raise if you have the
right food on hand.
GABOR HORVATH
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
The vigorous
sparring between
males explained
why their fins had
been slightly
GABOR HORVATH
ragged on arrival.
www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk
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
While soft, acidic conditions
are ideal, Flame tetras are
adaptable when it comes to
water chemistry.
Favourite fish
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?
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
pH
0
Temp C
9
30
28
54 l+
8 26
24
7 22
20
6 18
5
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
and begin to look anything like mature. glass and minimal silicone. A bespoke
The answer was staring me in the face, cabinet was hand built out of solid oak
literally. I was sat opposite my home tank and gloss black doors to give a
and it was ready to have its final photo shoot luxury appearance.
for the International Aquati as keen to have as little kit
Layout Contest (IAPLC). Af ow as possible so, rather
this I was planning on an going for my usual
stripping down the tank
ready for a new aquascape,
TOP TIP reference of clear filter
hoses and glass filter outlet
Plan your
so I could re-use the plants and inlet, we decided to
in the client’s tank. aquascape and drill the tank and hard
consider sketching out plumb the two external
The set-up the design before filters with inline heating,
Matt and I planned the planting. CO2 and UV. Matt drilled
hardware, opting for a he tank himself and fitted a
high-end set-up with a lot of ck vinyl background to
automation due to the client he pipes. The filter outflow
being at home for long periods at a has adjustment so the best circulation
time. An Aquascaper 1500 aquarium by pattern could be applied after some
Evolution Aqua was chosen for its high experimenting.
quality finish featuring 15mm Super White Lighting was an important consideration.
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 Matt Amin adds a few
lighting hanging kit, they suited the whole finishing touches.
set-up really well. Because we were using
low-light tolerant plants we only needed
two units. These were controlled by the TOP TIP
Kessil Spectral Controller set at 50% Consider CO2
colour and 50% intensity for a photoperiod injection for the best
of eight hours. results and dose a good
Liquid fertiliser was to be added using an
auto-doser with JBL Ferrapol for quality liquid fertiliser
micronutrients and JBL ProScape NPK for to keep your plants
macronutrients. A UV unit was also fitted to well fed.
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.
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.
Despite the tank’s location in a room
The removal of the mature crypts was a
with lots of natural light, there has
particularly messy task due to the huge root
been no algae, thanks to high plant
system. The crypts were again placed in
mass, good CO2 and regular feeding.
plastic bags ready for their journey.

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk 47
 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 TOP TIP
a physical barrier, as well Using just a few plant
as to add aesthetic species and one or two
interest. Around 70kg of species of fish gives a
rocks were used in total
with some large stones strong sense of design
to act as eye-catching and purpose to the
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.
Aquarium maintenance
The first few weeks are the most important,
as this is when algae is most likely to strike. The bespoke cabinet adds
We had an advantage as we were using an element of luxury...
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
TOP TIP
little concerned that this would lead A commercial
to algae blooms but with the soil substrate will
combination of high plant mass, give your plants the
good CO2 levels and regular best possible start by
fertiliser dosing I was hopeful that
the plants would use any excess light encouraging healthy
for growth, thus beating algae to it. I root growth.
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.

TANK SET-UP The aquarium sets off the

living space perfectly.
 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.

48 PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

How the aquascape came together
Two mounds of JBL Volcano Mineral are
1 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.
The crypts are planted into each corner
4 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.
www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk
Rocks are added towards the front
2 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.
The wood with the ferns attached is
5 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.
Step by step
Two 9 l bags of JBL ProScape Soil are
3 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
6 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.
49
 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

O
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.
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.

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk 51
 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.
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.
52
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.
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

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.
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.
www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk
Fancy goldfish
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!
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.
53
 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.
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.
54
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.
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.
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.

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk 55
 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.
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.
56
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.
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

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.
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.
www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk
Fancy goldfish
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.
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.
57
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
 Community fish

S
 S
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
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
PFK POLICE DEPT. markings, it remains one of the most
commonly sold barb species. CRIME:
PUNTIGRUS TETRAZONA. The simple truth is they can be all the CANNIBALISM
AKA TIGER BARB, SUMATRA BARB. 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
cm have trouble. Fins will be nipped, tank mates
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30
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
ALAMY

occupied, but with a selection of fireworks and a box of matches nearby.

8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30
Tiger barbs like to hang around in big groups, where everyone knows
LAST KNOWN WILD RESIDENCE: Asia; Sumatra and Borneo. the Tiger barb rules. If you add them in number, (let’s start with a
DESCRIPTION: Stripey – body marked with four bold, black vertical minimum of ten) then almost all of their time will be spent interacting
stripes interspersed with a pleasing golden orange. Fins – red. Some with each other. In this large ‘gang’ their bolshy behaviour makes sense
Tigers go incognito – ‘Moss Green’, ‘Platinum’, ‘Golden’ or ‘albino’ are as they spar with each other for social dominance within the group. A
just a few of their commercial disguises, but a Tiger cannot change its quick nip from the ‘top dog’ (fish) shows the lesser barbs who’s boss
stripes and stays true to its ancestry. and keeps things orderly. It really is a case of the more the merrier. With
SIZE: Around 7cm/2.5in. a large group of Tigers, many of their previous targets will be completely
CHARGES: Tiger barbs are nippy fish, never happier than when taking ignored. Don’t get too carried away and start adding trailing finned
chunks of out their tank mates as well as each other. They seem to delicacies and it’s probably best to avoid other stripey fish of similar
thrive on violent intimidation. First hand testimony from numerous size — your resident Tigers won’t appreciate or understand tank mates
sources back up these accusations. wearing gang colours who don’t know the rules...

ALAMY
 Community fish

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
PFK POLICE DEPT. charms. They are also often marketed as a cure for nuisance snails.
YASUHIKOTAKIA MORLETI Once added to the average community aquarium they may well
initially knock back your mollusc menace — newly imported fish are
AKA SKUNK LOACH, SKUNK BOTIA, often underweight and hungry. But it usually won’t be long before they
HORA’S LOACH. 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
cm
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30
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
ALAMY

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 basis of your tank’s stock and other fish are chosen for their suitability
for life alongside a tank full of ‘stinkers’!

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

ALAMY
but the sturdiest tank mates.

CRIME:
INTIMIDATING
OTHER TANK
MATES

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk 61
 VERDICT: There are few fish that carry with them the reputation for
violence and disorder as the Red-tailed black shark, yet still remain
PFK POLICE DEPT. popular. This is probably down to their unrivalled colouration. Truly
black fish are few and far between and add to this their bright red tail
EPALZEORHYNCHOS BICOLOR. and you have a fish of subtle beauty. The ‘shark’ moniker certainly helps
raise their profile as well...
AKA RED-TAILED BLACK SHARK, Even those who have bothered to do a little research before plunging
RTBS, RED-TAIL SHARK-MINNOW into RTBS ownership will often be lulled into false sense of security
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
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
cm
16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30
their community.
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
ALAMY

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 means you need plan your tank around these magnificent moody fish.
First off they need space, so a tank with a footprint of around 120 x
LAST KNOWN WILD RESIDENCE: Asia; Thailand. 30cm should be the minimum. Fill it with plenty of hidey holes; think
DESCRIPTION: Body – long, slender with an increasingly high back as roots, logs and caves. Lush planting will also help. All this decor will
it matures and coloured an inky, velvet black. Fins – black, apart from help break lines of sight along the tank meaning once your RTBS has
namesake tail which is red or deep orange. High dorsal and forked tail found ‘home’ he can defend it, but crucially not see all the tank at once,
give it the ‘shark’ common name. Occasionally seen in albino so tank mates can find solace elsewhere. Out of sight, really is
form which while lacking the black, retains the red tail. out of mind. Only consider similarly robust tank mates, able
SIZE: Up to 15cm/6in. to give as good as they get. The Tiger barbs mentioned
CHARGES: The Red-tailed black shark is a brutal tyrant earlier should be up to the job. Finally add your RTBS
who will chase and terrorise tank mates. It will claim CRIME: last when all the other stock has settled in to avoid
the whole tank as its own and relentlessly harass any problems with newcomers barging into its ‘manor’.
TERRORISM,
fish that bears a passing resemblance to itself. It has a You might even be lucky enough to get a happy,
special hatred of fish sporting the colour red which it HARASSMENT peaceful, community friendly RTBS — they do exist
considers its own personal livery. & RACISM but are very much the exception.

NEIL HEPWORTH

62 PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING
 Community fish

VERDICT: In spite of its notoriety in fishkeeping circles as a bully and

PFK POLICE DEPT. general trouble maker, the Three-spot gourami remains among the most
commonly encountered species of gourami in the hobby. It’s possible
TRICHOPODUS TRICHOPTERUS that many people are fully aware of their thuggish tendencies but don’t
realise that those glorious Golden gourami or eye-catching Opalines
AKA THREE-SPOT GOURAMI, BLUE are simply well camouflaged Three-spots with all the problems these
GOURAMI, OPALINE GOURAMI, GOLD fish can present.
The rumours about their behaviour aren’t just urban myth; Three-
GOURAMI, SILVER GOURAMI. spots can be downright nasty! Males are the usual culprits and will
chase, bite and generally harass any female fish unlucky enough to be
cm paired with them. Other males will soon feel the wrath of the dominant
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 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
ALAMY

and usually have only one thing on their mind aside from food —
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30
convincing any females resident that they should try and make more
LAST KNOWN WILD RESIDENCE: Asia; Cambodia, Indonesia, gouramis! With this in mind and to give the females a chance of a little
Myanmar, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam. peace you should add females and males at a ratio of at least 2:1 and
DESCRIPTION: Body – deep and laterally compressed, marked with only consider more than one male in large tanks. Telling the sexes apart
two spots, one in the middle and one near the tail. The namesake third with immature fish can be tricky, but as they develop males get bigger
spot is the eye which is typically red rimmed. Colour is normally a silver and develop a tell-tale pointed dorsal fin. The classic tricks of breaking
blue but they are also found without the spots and covered in deep blue up lines of sight with decor and plants will also help. Floating plants are
bars (Opaline) or washed with a golden yellow. always popular and offer yet more in the way of cover.
SIZE: 15cm/6in. Avoid keeping these fish with similar sized or smaller gourami or their
CHARGES: The Three-spot gourami is prone to spousal abuse, usually close relatives; Siamese fighters may have pugilistic history behind
by the male towards the female. Similarly the males are jealous and them but won’t stand a chance against the pit-bull nature of the average
violent and will not tolerate competition for their chosen partner — Three-spot. Plop them in with fast moving, robust midwater species like
other males will be beaten, battered and generally bothered if kept in barbs or larger tetras and they shouldn’t be a problem. Bottom dwellers
ALAMY

close proximity. tend to be ignored, being seen as literally and figuratively beneath them.

CRIME:
DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE
 Community fish

VERDICT: Sucking loaches are certainly not stocked for their beauty –
these are fish that even their own mothers would struggle to find
PFK POLICE DEPT. attractive. Heavy set, largely brown with a rubbery suction cup for a
GYRINOCHEILUS AYMONIERI. mouth — even the more glamorous sounding ‘golden’ version is about
as appealing as stocking a blanched parsnip in your aquarium.
AKA SUCKING LOACH, ALGAE EATER, The reason so many shops stock them is they are cheap and have a
CHINESE ALGAE EATER, reputation for loving nothing more than chowing down on all that algae
that fishkeepers find such a chore to deal with themselves. They are
SIAMESE ALGAE EATER. 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
cm
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 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
ALAMY

into a foot-long monster. Its monstrous size and lumpen looks will be
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 matched with a bellicose nature that will brow-beat and bludgeon tank
mates into submission.
LAST KNOWN WILD RESIDENCE: Asia; Cambodia, China, Laos, If you have spent time, money and effort
Thailand, Vietnam. aquascaping your tank then the Sucking
DESCRIPTION: Body – long, tapering, thickening with age. Large, loach will make it its life’s work to bulldoze
underslung sucker mouth. Colour – variable, from sandy brown, to the whole thing into a recreation of the CRIME:
sludge green on top, fading to a cream belly. Lateral line marked with a aftermath of a wet Glastonbury festival.
dark brown stripe. Younger specimens may sport a metallic bronze None of this is really the fault of the IMPERSONATION
sheen. Also available in a golden (yellow) and albino form. Sucking loach of course — it’s just a & FALSE
SIZE: 30cm/12in. victim of misleading marketing. IDENTITY
CHARGES: Entering community tanks under false pretences as a Nevertheless, if you want a peaceful, algae
solution to nuisance algae, Sucking loaches (which aren’t even loaches!) free community, then look elsewhere. On the
show little long term interest in their newly assigned caretaker and other hand, if you want to keep an ugly,
groundsman role and take an overly proprietorial attitude toward their quarrelsome loner that will reduce your
new residence, with particular ire reserved for any other bottom aquarium to rubble in a matter of days, then you’ve just
ALAMY

dwelling fish. found it.

64 PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING
 is available at your
fingertips too!
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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
W
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,
FOTO MALAWI STAN
while at the same time stating that
such eye eating behaviour had never
been observed in the lake — and he
should know.
66
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

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
www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk
Cichlids
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.
67
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
68
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 As their scientific name
into the cover and not wanting them to feed. suggests, these are very
Like poorly Discus, the smallest female laterally compressed fish.
turned very black in colour and looked very

PHOTOMAX
Eyebiters make a
spectacular choice for a
large, hardwater aquarium. 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.
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
FOTO MALAWI STAN
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
Cichlids
A golden female with her
brood of youngsters.
AD KONINGS
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.
69
 The male compressiceps

JEREMY GAY
The Eyebiter set-up at
Evolution Aqua’s head office. on tank patrol.

Like this? Try this… Males have a classy,

almost ‘expensive’ look
Dimidiochromis strigatus is also quite commonly available, about them.
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.

Dimidiochromis
strigatus.
AQUARIUM PHOTO.DK

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
MP&C PIEDNOIR AQUAPRESS.COM

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

70 PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING
 Cichlids

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
JEREMY GAY
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,
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.

before it was killed. and potential breeding project, and you have Expect to pay around £15 each.
To the aquarium fish lover, the males are a large tank spare, I would definitely give
stunning when in colour, and look them a go. pH
0
Temp C
9
30
28
540 l+
8 26
Don’t trust these fish with 24
tank mates less than half 7 22
20
their size... 6 18

5
FOTO MALAWI STAN

SHUTTERSTOCK
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.
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

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
Housing your crab
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!
Freshwater inverts
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?
73
 AQUATIC
In association with

SCH
In the fourth part of our Diploma
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
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!
DJPALME / CREATIVE COMMONS

MISSED THE PREVIOUS PARTS?

Buy the October, November and
December issues at pfkmag.com with free
first class postage if you live in the UK! Stress is a major trigger
of whitespot.

74 PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

Fishkeeping Diploma Part 4
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
NEIL HEPWORTH
www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk
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
NEIL HEPWORTH
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.
In association with
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.
75
 Environmental diseases
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
ALAMY
76
— 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
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
humans or other
animals and need
extra care when
encountered.
Fish can be
subject to a
primary or a
secondary
infection. Primary
infections arise
when healthy fish
succumb to a pathogen
or parasite invasion.
Secondary infections arise
when a fish that is already damaged
(physical injury, stress or already suffering
from a primary infection) is attacked by an
opportunistic pathogen. Typical examples
include bacteria entering the body
through cuts.
Overcrowding can lead
to environmental health
issues for your fish.
PHOTOMAX
the body.
Bacterial
diseases
Single celled
organisms that
reproduce
through self-
division to form
colonies. Aquaria
rely on certain
bacteria species to
convert down
aquarium wastes, but
other bacteria can be
pathogenic. Bacterial infections
take a few common forms in aquaria,
and most are directly associated with acute
or chronic stress.
] Ulcers — caused by Aeromonas,
Pseudomonas, Vibrio, Mircobacterium
and Flavobacterium genera of bacteria,
present in aquarium water at most times.
Opportunistic pathogens that infect fish
suffering prior stress and/or injuries.
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’.
] 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.
PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING
 In association with

Fishkeeping Diploma Part 4

aquarium husbandry as well as generic
Ulcers are more common in conditions of chronic and acute stress. Poor
fish with injuries or those water quality is a particular culprit.
suffering from stress. 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.
] 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
MP&C PIEDNOIR AQUAPRESS
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

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
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
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.

Orfe with a nasty

fungal infection.

NEIL HEPWORTH

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk 77
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.
] 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.
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 Cyst begins to
250 and 2,000 divide.
infective stages.
78
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.
] 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.
Parasite
enlarged.
Mature parasite
leaves fish and
falls to the
substrate.
Reproductive stage
(cyst) on substrate.
This may also be found
attached to plants.
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
Whitespot affecting a
Tiger barb.
PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING
 In association with

Fishkeeping Diploma Part 4

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.

] 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
MYDIGITALLIFE/ CREATIVE COMMONS

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. Velvet can be
Treatment: turn aquarium lights off transported from
(Piscinoodinium derive some energy from tank to tank on
photosynthesis) and medicate with a course contaminated equipment.
of off the shelf antiparasite treatment
(malachite green, methylene blue, formalin touching each other, or sometimes through and secondary ulcers possible in
or copper sulphate based). 3 to 5g/l salt will water. Poor water quality and advanced cases.
help. Velvet disease has a complex life cycle, overcrowding are factors, as these parasites Treatment: correct diagnosis requires a
and treatment should last at least seven may be present at unnoticeable levels in skin scrape — mucus is taken from the fish
days to catch any released spores. even the healthiest aquarium. and looked at under a microscope,
Signs: flicking and scratching in the early indicating both the type and extent of the
] Slime disease — Caused by one (or more) stages, a grey or white sheen to the body as infection. Infections of Trichodina,
of several microscopic parasites, including mucus is produced to excess. Fish Chilodinella and Ichthyobodo may be treated
Trichodina, Chilodinella, Ichthyobodo eventually look slimy, with mucus with off the shelf medications (copper and
and Gyrodactylus. Transmitted via fish sloughing off. Fin erosion, rapid breathing formalin based). Treatment is often a single

Fish louse attached to

MP&C PIEDNOIR AQUAPRESS

the tail of a swordtail.

Only the female louse

ALAMY

attacks fish.

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk 79

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.
The typical pine cone
effect caused by dropsy is
evident on this gourami.
80
RADEK BEDNARCZUK
Hole in the head
affecting a Uaru.
] 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
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
PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING
 In association with

Fishkeeping Diploma Part 4

prolapsed eyes can be down to bacteria,
parasites, virus or fungus infection, as well This double-headed
as dietary and water quality issues. Often Arowana is the result of
occurs after physical injury to the eye. a birth defect.
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.

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

]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
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
NEIL HEPWORTH
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
— 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

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk 81
 COMMON SPECIES
MP & C PIEDNOIR, AQUAPRESS.COM

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

ARE THEY LEGAL?
in concentrated dyes stains them with artificially bright colours. It IS illegal to dye a fish through
dipping or injection in the UK, but
`Fish are dyed all over including the gills, causing respiration issues. NOT illegal to import or sell them.
Almost all dyed fish are commercially
`Ink in the body can have serious effects on organ function. produced in the far east, and
`Stripping away mucus leaves fish open to bacteria and parasites. imported directly.

INJECTING: Fish are stabbed with a needle, and dyes injected.

They may have patterns or words tattooed on the body. WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Ask if retailers have joined up to
the Practical Fishkeeping Dyed Fish
`Against fish body sizes, needles are huge. Imagine your arm being Campaign. Started in 1996, the
injected with a pencil for a comparison. campaign asks retailers to pledge not to
`Injection sites are access points for infections. sell any dyed fish.
If you see some on sale, raise your
`Needles are not cleaned or sterilised, risking infection. concerns with store owners. Because
`Chemical embolisms from injection can cause fatalities. dyed fish aren’t always advertised as
`Injecting causes granulomas, tumours and cauliflower like growths. such, staff may genuinely not know they
are stocking them!
`The dyes cause inflammation of skin and muscle tissues. Your voice can help make the difference!
`Injecting requires rough handing which is highly stressful.
 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

86 Fishkeepers’ emergency toolbox

It pays to have a few essential items to hand
for those sudden unexpected emergencies. 89 Fishkeeping Answers
Your aquatic problems solved
by our panel of experts.

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk 83
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
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.
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.
84
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.
SHUTTERSTOCK
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.
Don’t take on unwanted
tankbusters along with
a secondhand tank.
NEIL HEPWORTH
PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

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
Watch out for degraded or
damaged silicone sealant.
GABOR HORVATH
www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk
medications. If it is rigid and flaky, it could be
degrading and in need of replacement.
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.
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.
NEIL HEPWORTH
Basics
If the set-up comes with
fish, find out what they
are — they might not be an
ideal mix.
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.
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.
Don’t move ANYTHING
with water
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.
85
 Improve your Fishkeeping
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.
NEIL HEPWORTH

T fi e
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 to hand should some unforeseen emergency heaters, air pumps and lighting failing.
graduated from university was an exciting arise such as a broken or leaking tank, A consequence of failed life support
place. Among the fish tanks housing a range of breakdown in water quality or stressed fish. equipment will almost certainly be a drastic
species were cupboards full of everything deterioration in water quality, leading to
you’d need to deal with any fish emergency increased stress in your fish and a weakened
from flow regulators and air pumps to limitless Dealing with a broken or immune system. As well as spare equipment,
test kits, water treatments and medications. you should always keep test kits handy, and
For more experienced fishkeepers,
leaking tank use them as part of your maintenance regime.
maintaining a stock of these items is second The ultimate emergency for a fishkeeper is a When it comes to a shattered aquarium,
nature. However, for newcomers, it is very broken or leaking tank as this will affect fish there is little that can be done although having
beneficial to know what items you should have health as well as equipment such as filters, 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
Dave Hulse is Tetra’s Technical Consultant. He has 20 years of experience within the Tub-Trug might do the job. Pondkeepers will
aquatics industry, and has been involved in education and training for often use a knocked-down pool to hold fish
the last 15 years, having taught at both Sparsholt and Reaseheath temporarily if there is an emergency, or more
Colleges. He is currently based at the School of Life Sciences at Keele often during a major clean.
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 A breakdown in the
and rich background in aquatics, Dave brings
a wealth of experience to support Tetra and
water quality
its customers. Let’s imagine that our water quality tests
reveal a major horror in the tank; ammonia

86 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
Keep pump and filter
can help to further restore
impellers clean — and have a
water parameters.
spare impeller handy in case
If high ammonia and nitrite
of breakages.
levels were the issue, then a
dose of a filter bacteria culture,
such as Tetra SafeStart or Tetra Freshwater emergency kit checklist
Always have dechlorinator on
FilterActive, will help restore the
hand in case you need to do an
populations of nitrifiers. Should a situation arise, it’s important to have items ready in order
emergency water change.
to ensure fish wellbeing by responding quickly. If you’re unsure
about your aquarium or have questions about your fish or water,
Ensuring fish w your local retailer will always be happy to support you.

Followingn on from the O Tapwater conditioner (eg. Tetra AquaSafe)

deterioration
t of their O Broad spectrum antiparasite remedy
habitat, fish h will often be O Water test kits (eg. Tetra 6in1)
left with raised
e stress O Bucket
levels and lowered
we O Syphon
immunity which h can
c O Fish nets of a suitable size
leave them more O Pump impeller
susceptible to ill healthlth or O O-rings for canister filter
diseases. Should such an O Filter media (including activated carbon)
infectious disease strike, O Spare heater
the fish will often show
predictable symptoms.
Microscopic ectoparasites, such h as
a Activated
the skin and gill flukes, Costia and Trichodina,
Tric odin carbon.
cause intense irritation to the fish, leadingdin to
the production
duction of a thicker mucous coat whic wh ch
may cause the fi fishh 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 Make sure
with a dose of a broad spectrum that the net
antiparasite treatment. It is preferable to you buy is big
have this typ
type of ttreatment to hand as part of enough for
an emergency first aid kit k for your fish, your largest
and to know the circumstances es when
whe you fish.
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
followingg
a full and thorough appraisal of the water
quality values in your aqua h
will allow you to correct a s with
water parameterss befor eeding with
before proceeding
the treatment.

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk
lfishkeepin
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Fishkeeping
Answers
Send your questions to
PFK and you’ll receive a TROPICAL A Betta requires a tank of
personalised reply from 25 l or more as a permanent
one of our top experts. residence.
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.

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.

GEORGE FARMER
is a world-renowned
aquascaper. He
Q. What’s the smallest tank size
co-founded the UK
Aquatic Plant Society
and now works as a
suitable for a Betta?
freelance aquatic
specialist. What is the minimum amount of water in their swimming space is limited, the water is
which a Betta should be kept? I am unlikely to become laden with ammonia and
NATHAN HILL
is PFK’s features editor.
wondering about the practices of pet stores other waste, unlike the cups. These small
He’s worked as a public who keep them in drinking cups. quarters are intended to allow shops to stock
aquarist, managed SHELLEY, EMAIL multiple Betta that they couldn’t in larger
a number of aquatic open display tanks or together for obvious

A
stores and has
lectured in aquatics.
If you research online on forums and reasons. They are not intended as examples of
websites, or ask at different shops, you long term husbandry.
JEREMY GAY will get a range of answers based on various Many people will argue that in the wild Betta
has kept fish most of ideas and theories. Personally, I would never inhabit small, muddy puddles of water or
his life. He’s managed
an award-winning
keep a Betta in anything smaller than 25 l murky paddy fields, however while this may
store and is a former volume, and this ideally would be a relatively have an element of truth to it, it shouldn’t be
PFK editor. He’s now shallow tank to give as much swimming space taken as best practice. The line bred fish we
Evolution Aqua’s for the volume as possible. see in the hobby are far removed from their
business development
manager.
Many retailers do still keep their Betta in tiny wild ancestors, and we as their custodians
cubic tanks, or even plastic drinking cups as should give them the best environment we
NEALE MONKS you mention. I’m not a fan of either practice, can, not settle for the minimum we can get
has kept fish for over especially the latter which for me is totally away with.
20 years. He has
Betta are inquisitive, entertaining fish with
SHUTTERSTOCK

authored a number of
unnecessary. The small tanks are often part of
fishkeeping books and a greater volume of water at least (as part of a real character — but they are unlikely to show
has a particular passion sumped, filtered bank) which means while any of this in a tea-cup! BOB MEHEN
for brackish species.
U
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

Expert aquarium care with our digital water test app, download here:
www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk 89
Fishkeeping Answers
COLDWATER

Q. What can I keep with my fancies?

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
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

A 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.
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.
JEREMY GAY

Cherry shrimp work Ghost shrimp will be fine

well in temperate with very small goldfish.
set-ups.

SHUTTERSTOCK
SHUTTERSTOCK

Nerite snail. The best tank mates

for fancy goldfish
are other fancies...
ALAMY

LETTER OF THE MONTH

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.
SHUTTERSTOCK

Everything you need for healthy fish

90 PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING
TROPICAL cloudiness you mention. It could initially
Cloudy water can be the result
have been a bacterial bloom and I suspect
of a bacterial bloom.
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

NEIL HEPWORTH
in mind that you would have needed enough
substrate for the plants to root into when
you had them originally) it might be worth

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
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
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

A 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 Ropefish will find a way out of
large (120 l) it was quite distinctly decorated, with a fine gravel the tank if they can.
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
NEIL HEPWORTH

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
U

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www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk 91
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 Guppies need hard water
accessories, almost two weeks ago we to do well.
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
JENNIFER AND KEITH BROOKS, EMAIL

A 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 Try to buy only male Platies —
unusual shape. Smaller tanks can be females are likely to be pregnant
harder to keep stable in terms of chemistry when you buy them and
and greatly restrict stocking choices and numbers can get out of hand.
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

NEIL HEPWORTH
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. Danios are highly active fish
You don’t mention the pH or hardness of and demand a large tank for
your water which is critical in choosing new their size.
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
SHUTTERSTOCK

you will upgrade your current tank or get a

second set-up to keep more of the species
you mention.
BOB MEHEN

Everything you need for healthy fish

92 PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING
 TROPICAL

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

Q.What do I need for Silver sharks?

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 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
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

A Silver sharks are massive, adults easily

reaching more than 30cm/12in given
the chance, and a group of five specimens
one of these might be inspiring!
Regardless, choose sturdy plant
species — Silver sharks are distinctly
glass walls of the tank. However, the Giant
danios should be safer, and the Black
collared catfish, Horabagrus nigricollaris
will require a fair amount of space — omnivorous, and enjoy eating soft-leaved should be fine, too. Given these catfish reach
something upwards of 800–1000 l, aquarium plants. 25–30cm/10–12in, they’re another reason for
especially if you’re planning on adding a Now, so far as the community goes, it’s a a really big aquarium.
variety of tank mates. mixed bag! Silver sharks are opportunistic NEALE MONKS
On the other hand, such a tank would look
magnificent and it would be well worth the
Black collared catfish,
effort if you are able to do it. Given the depth
Horabagrus nigricollaris.
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
AQUARIUMPHOTO.DK

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

Expert aquarium care with our digital water test app, download here:
www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk 93
 Fishkeeping Answers
MARINE
JAMES ST. JOHN, CREATIVE COMMONS
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.
IAN LIMBRICK, EMAIL
NATURE PL
Everything you need for healthy fish
94
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 phosphate-
adsorbing 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.
Gracilaria can get out of hand
in the aquarium.
Longspine
ALAMY
sea urchin.
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
PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

MARINE
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
Like other dragonets, Scooters
need copious amounts of
natural foods to do well.
SHUTTERSTOCK
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SHUTTERSTOCK
TROPICAL 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
Tetra UK
95
 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.
WORDS: DAVE WOLFENDEN
ALAMY

96 PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

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
Marine
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.
97
 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 newly-
hatched 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
TOP TIP
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.
DAVE WOLFENDEN
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 advantages. The decapsulation process
you’re going to be culturing Artemia, a helps to sterilise the cysts and reduce levels
suitable sieve with a mesh size of around of pathogens such as Vibrio bacteria and
150–200 microns is an essential piece of kit. viruses; the time to hatch is reduced as the
Drain the hatch into the sieve and wash it nauplii don’t have to break through the
out before feeding. tough corion, meaning their nutritional
Artemia cysts are graded according to value is increased as they save energy and
their percentage hatch rate. In general, the retain more reserves from the yolk sac.
higher the hatch rate, the more expensive Harvesting decapped Artemia simply
the cysts. You’ll pay top dollar for 90–95% entails running the entire hatch through a
grade brine shrimp. On balance, it’s worth it, sieve, rinsing and then enriching or feeding
however. Hatch rates are a guide to the out from the get-go.
proportion of cysts that will hatch under Decapsulating Artemia is an involved
optimal conditions — many aquarists are process, so unless you’re regularly using
disappointed with yields far below those large amounts, use the viable pre-
claimed, but this is often simply due to decapsulated cysts that are available. Bear
attempting to culture Artemia under less in mind that some manufacturers sell
than ideal conditions. Store cysts correctly, decapped cysts intended for use directly as
watch the salinity, pH and temperature, food, and which are not viable for hatching.
ensure sufficient aeration and provide
plenty of light and you can’t go wrong. Magnetised cysts
These cysts are specially coated with a
Decapsulated cysts magnetic material. They hatch as normal,
capsulated Artemia have but are harvested using a special vessel
d the hard, indigestible which contains magnets. The spent cysts
ter shell (or chorion) (and any unhatched ones) are attracted to
moved, which gives several the magnet and the clean hatch can then be
drained off, rinsed and used. Magnetised
Some decapped Artemia cysts are widely used in public aquariums
is not viable for hatching and aquaculture — the technique offers an
and is intended to be ingenious approach to ensuring the
used directly as a separation of cysts from the nauplii, and the
food source. dry cysts can be conveniently stored.
DAVE WOLFENDEN
Simple hatcheries are
Hatched cysts are buoyant. ideal for Artemia culture.
PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING
 Marine
Keep the cysts as dry as
possible after opening. Hatching magnetised cysts
What you will need
Magnetised A separator
brine shrimp beaker.
eggs.
DAVE WOLFENDEN

Enriching Artemia
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)
Hatch the Artemia as normal and Pass the hatch through a sieve.
such as the omega-3 fatty acid DHA
(Docosahexaenoic acid), proven to be
1 drain into a container. 2
essential for development of larval marine
fish. Deficiencies can lead to phenomena
JBL

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
Flush the hatch into the separator Pour the hatched nauplii into a
— these typically contain HUFAs as well as
vitamins and pigments. In general, these are 3 beaker, and allow the magnetised
cysts to stick to the bottom.
4 suitable container for feeding out,
enriching or growing on.
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.
Growing on Artemia
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
OCEAN NUTRITION

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 Spent and unhatched cysts are The cysts remain trapped on the
addition to live microalgae. 5 attracted to the magnet. 6 beaker’s magnetic base.

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk 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.
SIRASTUDIO
100
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. Over 100 exhibitors
Pond filter of choice was showed off their
Evolution Aqua’s EazyPod products at this year’s
UV Automatic. The EazyPod AQUA show.
is a self-contained filter heaving
with K1 media, with a built-in,
automated valve that going to romp home with Now, I’m not 100% sure that
periodically initiates a cleaning this award. the design is built with fish
cycle, flushing out waste to a Winning the aquarium and primarily in mind (even on
drain. To be fair, most of the EA furniture category was the Biopod’s website they only get a
pond filter gear is unrivalled in Biopod Aqua. Biopod had a passing mention as ‘aquatic
quality and innovation, so by stand I kept heading back to animals’). The whole thing is a
lashing an 18W UV to the side of when I got the chance, and I bit vague, in fact, on the fishy
one of these pods and releasing reckon it’s going to be the angle, and the devices are
of 2018 — seemingly aimed at amphibians
are going to 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
remy Gay
Evolution
Aqua (and
rmer PFK
ditor) with
award for
pond filter
e EazyPod
utomatic.

NATHAN HILL
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
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
www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk
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
The Biopod will
be more suited to
amphibians than fish.
One of the curiosities
of the show was this
‘freshwater Trevally’.
price point (retailing around the following for some time (I
£20 mark). reviewed most of their early
The marine equipment range a few years ago) as they
category was taken by ITC specialise in freeze dried insects
Aquatics for its ALR1 Algae and other foods that are
Light Reactor, and rightly so. otherwise hard to get hold of.
While not the cheapest design Made up of a mix of insect meal,
out there (retail is just shy of crustacean and plant meal, and
£200), the ALR1 takes algae
culture to a whole new level.
with a hint of garlic to assist
appetite and digestion, I look
Traditionally, Chaetomorpha
algae is used in aquarium sumps
forward to trialling this food in
the near future
to help strip out nit
phosphates, but the Ziss Aqua’s Fish
usually haphazard a
oblige you to put a lo
and Shrimp
Breeding Box.
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
SIRASTUDIO
accessories catego
Corydoras Sticks
company that I’ve b
PFKNewGear
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.
The OASE stand at
AQUA 2017.
102
Left: ALR1 Algae Light
Reactor from ITC Aquatics.
Below: Natures Grub
Corydoras Sticks.
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,
Albino Glossolepis
NATHAN HILL
rainbow fish on the
Neil Hardy stand.
PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING
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
‘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
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,
Clarisea Gen 2 Smart
Roll filter from D&D.
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
103
PFKNewGear
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
I get the feeling that the nano
bubble has burst. Companies
are concentrating again on
mid to larger aquaria, and the
associated equipment .
104
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
NATHAN HILL
100cm+ fish knocking about…
So, how was it?
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
NATHAN HILL
‘in’ again after
the nano boom.
Red Starfish makes
acrylic exciting.
My immediate impression aquascapes from plant sellers,
was that the marine side of the but this year there were only
industry has reached a plateau, plant cascades offered by the
or possibly even started to major providers, and the stands
decline. For a long spell, R&D felt dry-oriented. It seemed like
budgets for marine gear seemed the emphasis on greenery was
to be huge — companies were ‘business as usual, just less of it’,
churning out innovative, and which somewhat reflects a
ultra-expensive LEDs like recent rant I had where I stated
biscuits off of a factory how retailers have failed to
conveyor. Systemised marine embrace the planting side of
set-ups were the in thing, aquaria properly.
historically speaking. But this Across all areas, however,
year, companies had started to manufacturers and suppliers
embrace more in the way of appeared way more upbeat than
affordable acrylic gadgets over in previous years, suggesting
high-tier electronics. I’m things haven’t become the doom
inclined to wonder whether the and gloom that some (myself
market is now fractured (after included) have been predicting
all, a lot of small companies did for the last five years or so. The
spring up to have a slice of the only glum faces I saw were some
lucrative marine pie), or retailers who, I think, are
whether the home aquarist isn’t struggling to adapt to the ever
embracing marines on a level shifting UK aquatics trade.
that was anticipated.
For the pond gear side, I felt JBL’s new
that the polarisation between BioNitratEx media.
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
PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING
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P Shoptour
This month takes us to shops in Dorset and Northamptonshire.
WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY: GEORGE FARMER
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
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
Towcester
Wimborne
gouramis on our trip. All livestock
was in excellent health and Blackwater set-up.
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.
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 White metallic
understandably limited. I was crowntail Betta.
surprised to see only bunched
plants available in the wet system
but tissue-cultured plants were
also in stock.
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
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
Betta and inverts will find plenty
shrimp system. to interest them.

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.
What is it?
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.
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.
Low points
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.
The store also
Verdict Fish selection is
stocks reptiles. freshwater only.
This is a well-run and clean shop
in an attractive surrounding,
making it an appealing retailer
with something to suit most Glass catfish.
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.

High points
Being a new store, the shop Star rating
looks great with new systems Tropical fish 11111
and an impressive layout. The Discus NS
pond vats outside contained a Cichlids 11111
large variety of healthy Israeli Oddballs 11111
and English Koi with some Indoor plants 11111
impressive pond plants and Pond plants 11111
hardscape materials, which Koi 11111
provided a great first Pond fish 11111
impression. Fancies 11111
Tropical fish selection Indoor coldwater 11111
consisted of mostly bread and Marine fish NS
butter species, all of which are Marine inverts NS
kept in regular mains water. Indoor dry 11111
Exceptions were a stunning Pond dry 11111
L200 plec and some beautiful Freshwater inverts 11111
mature Angelfish. Labelling 11111
All of the fish were healthy and

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 There’s an impressive
– £2.95 outdoor section here.

STAR RATING: Excellent 11111 Good 11111 Average 11111 Below average 11111 Poor 11111 Out of season OS Not stocked NS

108 PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

 Skunk cory.
The XL Angelfish were
particularly tempting.

Rummy nose tetra.

Betta fans are Smaller Angelfish.

well-catered for.

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk 109
TOP of the
SHOPS!
Northern
Ireland
THE ROLL OF HONOUR
Retailer of the Year
Lincs Aquatics, Alford, Lincs.
Runner up: Charterhouse Republic
Aquatics, London
of Ireland
Online Retailer of the
Year
AllPond Solutions
Runner up: Charterhouse Aquatics
Small Retailer of the Year
Octopus 8 Aquatics, Brough, East Yorkshire
Runner up: Aqua Design Aquatics,
Skegness
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.
Discus Retailer of the Year
DL Discus, Co. Durham
Runner up: Devotedly Discus, East Sussex
Plant retailer of the Year
Emperor Tropicals, Plymouth, Devon
Runner up: Seahorse Aquariums, Dublin
Pond retailer of the Year
Lincs Aquatics, Alford, Lincs.
Runner up: Seahorse Aquariums, Dublin
Oddball Retailer of the Year
Wharf Aquatics, Pinxton, Notts.
Runner up: Tank Terror Aquatics,
Cornwall
Top shops
Scotland
North
East
TOP 40
North (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)
West Abacus Aquatics, Kent
Yorkshire &
Humberside Aqua Design Aquatics, Skegness
Aquahome, Leyland, Lancs.
East Aqualife, Leyland, Lancs.
Midlands Aquatic Finatic, North Yorkshire
East
Wales West
Bow Aquatics, Devon
Midlands Carrick Aquatics, Co Monaghan
Charterhouse Aquatics, London
London Clearly Aquatics, Co. Down
Crowder’s Aquatics, Hampshire
South South Cuddra Aquatics, St. Austell, Cornwall
West East
Discovery Aquatics, Dundee
DL Discus, Co. Durham
Emperor Tropicals, Plymouth, Devon
Shrimp Retailer of the Year Ferrybridge Aquatics, Wakefield
Seahorse Aquariums, Dublin FishCove Aquatics, Wimborne, Dorset
Runner up: Wharf Aquatics, Pinxton, Notts. Fishkeeper Braehead
Fishkeeper Coatbridge
Fishkeeper Inverness
REGIONAL H2O Habitat, Surrey
South east Innovation Aquatics, Southampton
Maidenhead Aquatics @ Windsor Lanchester Aquatics, Co. Durham
Runner up: Crowder’s Aquatics, Hampshire Lincs Aquatics, Alford, Lincs
Maidenhead Aquatics @ Mere Park
South west Maidenhead Aquatics @ Shirley
Emperor Tropicals, Devon Maidenhead Aquatics @ Wenvoe
Runner up: The Aquatic Store, Bristol Maidenhead Aquatics @ Windsor
New Concept Aquatics, Bonnybridge
Wales Octopus 8, Brough, East Yorkshire
Maidenhead Aquatics @ Wenvoe Pier Aquatics, Wigan, Lancs
Runner up: Maidenhead Aquatics @ Real Reefs, Gloucs.
Cardiff Riverside Aquaria, West Lothian
Seahorse Aquariums, Dublin
London Sweet Knowle Aquatics, Warks.
Charterhouse Aquatics, London Tank Terror Aquatics, Cornwall
Runner up: Wholesale Tropicals, London The Aquatic Store, Bristol
The Waterzoo, Peterborough
East Midlands TriMar, Cornwall
Lincs Aquatics, Alford, Lincs. Wharf Aquatics, Pinxton, Notts.
Runner up: Wharf Aquatics, Pinxton, Notts. Wholesale Tropicals, London
North east
DL Discus, Co. Durham North West
Runner up: Lanchester Aquatics, Co. Aquahome Aquatic Centre, Lancs.
Durham Runner up: Pier Aquatics, Wigan
Scotland East
Discovery Aquatics, Dundee The Waterzoo, Peterborough
Runner up: Fishkeeper Inverness Runner up: Amwell Aquatics, Soham
Republic of Ireland Yorks and Humber
Seahorse Aquariums, Dublin Octopus 8, Brough, East Yorkshire
Runner up: Carrick Aquatics, Co. Runner up: Ferrybridge Aquatics,
Monaghan Wakefield
Northern Ireland West Midlands
Clearly Aquatics, Co. Down Maidenhead Aquatics @ Mere Park
Runner up: Exotic Aquatics, Belfast Runner up: Maidenhead Aquatics @
Shirley
 NEXTMONTH
in the ebruary issue of

On sale December 20th 2017

PHANTOMS WITHOUT MENACE

Our fish of the month are the friendly Phantom tetras
ALAMY

MAGIC
CARPETS
Discover the big, READER’S REEF
GEORGE FARMER

bold, colourful We visit a spectacular hanging

carpet anemones. aquarium in Amsterdam.
ALAMY

HOW TO KEEP SARDINES

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

GOING DOWN THE RIVER

NEIL HEPWORTH

Great ideas for river-themed set-ups, advice

on getting the flow right and what to keep.

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

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Tailpiece

NAOMI BRAISBY
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
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 Just a few of the
new products at this
SIRASTUDIO

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.
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
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?
year’s AQUA show.
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.

114 PRACTICAL FISHKEEPING

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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!

Nathan Hill

CONTENTS
NEIL HEPWORTH

4 WHERE TO START
With tens of thousands of fish in the world,
living in thousands of different habitats, you’ll
you might like to add some plants. Follow this
essential advice…

never be stuck for ideas. But where should you

look as a beginner? 1620 FISH TO GET YOU STARTED
Researching which fish you can have is
great fun. But with so much choice available it CONTACT US

8 WHAT DO YOU NEED?

Setting up a tank requires a few choice
pieces of hardware. Here’s what to consider
can be tricky to get the right balance in a new
community. Here’s are some safer bets…
Practical Fishkeeping
Bauer Media,
Media House, Lynchwood,
when putting together your shopping list.
20 KEEP THINGS TIDY
The routine tasks you’ll need to do to
Peterborough, PE2 6EA.
Email: editorial@

10 HOW THE FILTER WORKS

What you need to know about the filter
keep your tank and your fish looking their best. practicalfishkee ing.co.uk
Tel. 01733 468000
— the most essential part of any tank
22 FEEDING TIME!
Feeding your fish offers an ideal

14 TOP TIPS FOR GROWING PLANTS

As part of your aquarium’s decoration,
opportunity to interact and really enjoy them.
Keep them healthy by offering the right food!

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk 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
The ‘classic’ aquarium, and the one we’re likely to remember from chances are your retailer will be using the same water supply as you,
our childhoods. The community tank is a ‘pick ‘n’ mix’ approach to so will be in a strong position to advise here.
fishkeeping that allows you to house different species from different When setting up a community, the only tricky part is selecting
habitats all together in one set-up. fish that live harmoniously together. Some fish grow large,
Community tanks are easily the most popular tanks in the UK, some are predatory, while others may have particular temperature
and a great way of finding your feet before moving on to something or water chemistry requirements. But then again, this is also the fun
more specialised. A community usually requires no special part of a community tank, and I guarantee you’ll spend weeks at a
consideration beyond using your local tapwater, and discussing time reading and watching videos about all the possible species you
with your retailer about which fish would best suit your set-up — can keep!
NEIL HEPWORTH
 Beginners’ guide

?
Coldwater goldfish aquarium
To this day, goldfish are popular starter fish, Did
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
you
know
quickly), and are best suited to either ponds
or very large aquaria. Goldfish live for
Still, if you want to keep them, they are
rewarding, personable fish. You’d benefit many decades in
from living in a hard water area to keep the right conditions,
them happy, but in a worst case scenario you meaning you’ll have
can buy additives to fix this. plenty of time to
You’ll need a big, powerful filter to cope
enjoy them!
with the mess they make, and a tank of at
least 100cm long for juvenile fish
(upgrading as they eventually outgrow it).

GEORGE FARMER
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
Did
could be for you. You’ll need some
equipment above and beyond a standard
tank — carbon dioxide injection is often
you
know
used, as is fertilisation, plus you’ll need
plant friendly substrates and lighting.
You’ll also need to invest some time Aquascapes are
NEIL HEPWORTH

trimming and pruning, otherwise your hugely popular in

artwork will soon turn feral. countries where
‘Scaping has a huge and relatively
underground following, but if you’re people don’t have
interested, look in to some of the specialist access to gardens.
clubs and forums that cater to this niche.
Marine aquaria
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
NEIL HEPWORTH

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.

Betta homes
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
JACQUES PORTAL

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.

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk 5
 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
Did
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 know
habitats where the water is hyper-acidic,
or where conditions vary seasonally, are The Amazon, Congo,
best left until you’ve built up some
experience. and Mekong river basins
are among the most
diverse habitats in the
world when it comes to

NEIL HEPWORTH
freshwater fish.

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
NATHAN HILL

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.

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
GEORGE FARMER
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

be created by adding supplements to the tank. And they need lots to watch, and if conditions are right they will even spawn in
and lots of rocks to mark out their territories. the aquarium, with fish carrying around eggs and young in
Malawi cichlids are the pugilists of the fish world. They are their mouths!

6 YOUR FIRST AQUARIUM

 NOW
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WH
YOU NEE
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 CABINET – use an aquarium TOP TIP
held together by silicone sealer. designated design, as this will Use a spirit level to ensure
When buying new, it is likely that be made to cope with the
the aquarium will come with a intense, ongoing weight of the
the tank and cabinet are
hood, light or both. Some modern tank. Even a smallish set-up completely level. If it’s out by
tanks are open-topped, which is with rocks, gravel and water even a fraction, this will become
great if you opt for fish that do not can weigh well over a hundred obvious once the aquarium is
jump. Although it may not seem kilos. The cabinet should be
filled with water.
obvious, the bigger the tank you water resistant to stop
buy, the easier your first construction materials from
experience at fishkeeping will be. swelling. Note that a chest of
As a beginner, aim for something drawers or domestic table will
60 x 30 x 30cm as a minimum, if be highly unlikely to cope with
you want an easy ride. the weight of a tank.

BASE MAT – some aquaria have SUBSTRATE – gravel is easy

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.
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
HEATER – most thermostatically most freshwater tanks. If you’re unsure, stick
controlled heaters sit inside the tank and are to resin ornaments such as artificial wood.
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 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
GRAVEL CLEANER/
maintenance in the tank.
SYPHON – looking like
tube with a length of ho
attached, this piece of
equipment will be getti
PLUS YOU’LL
used every week or two
ALSO NEED.....
choose a good one that
SMALL NET – to scoop out uneaten food.
you’re comfy using.
OUR-WAY PLUG ADAPTOR – a lot of power
TEST KITS – some retailers will test your
points are needed to run all the aquarium electrics! If
water for you, but at the very least you want to
you can invest in a waterproof design then great — or
own some dip test strips that check for
consider an aquarium switchbox to keep things tidy. Label
ammonia, nitrite and pH. These will be
your plugs to make it easier at maintenance time!
essential when setting up the tank.
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 THERMOMETER – don’t trust a heater to
decrease intensity, or perform by its settings alone. A thermometer
even change colours. placed at the opposite end of the tank to the
heater will give you extra peace of mind.

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk 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 and these bacteria consume raw fish waste and sparkling. Of the three components,
swimming around in its own and turn it into something less harmful. chemical filters are the ones to worry about
sewage. Confined to a glass box, They’re delicate bacteria, and slow to grow, the least. Biological filters are where the
and with no way of getting out to so you need to be really careful how you action is...
use a lavatory, everything your fish does treat them. Clean the filter the wrong way,
ends up in the water alongside it. Imagine or expose these bacteria to the wrong How can I get them wrong?
being locked in a box with no toilet, and chemicals, and they’ll die — and if they die, The usual way a person messes up their
you’ll get the idea. your fish will soon follow! filter is through improper cleaning. The
Your aquarium filter takes this sewage and Chemical filters — these essential thing is to always use old
turns it into something much less harmful. polish up the tank. They aquarium water in a bucket for
Without a filter, your fish would eventually remove specific any maintenance chores.
poison themselves on their own wastes, or chemicals from the The reason for this is that
at the very least they’d become really ill with water, such as those the chlorine in tapwater
diseases like white spot and fin rot (these that cause yellow will kill the bacteria that
problems almost always come back to discolouring, and help live in filters. Remember,
poor filtration). to keep things clean the bacteria are the
What kinds of filter are there?
For freshwater aquaria, most filters are
canister designs that sit inside or outside of Water is
pulled
the tank. There may be a filter built in to the Bacteria
through
hood, or your tank may have a weir at the within the the grilles
back, which is where the filter lives. Most filter media
filters are relatively quiet running, some of the filter
consume the and travels
need hoses to connect them to the tank,
fish waste and through the
some have controllable flow rates and even
choices of return spout. But all of them convert it into filter media.
require some kind of maintenance. less harmful
nitrate. The
How do they work? clean water
Inside a filter you’ll have one or more of is returned to
three components. the aquarium.
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 YOUR FIRST AQUARIUM

 Beginners’ guide

biggest cause of aquarium fish deaths.

Regular impeller The way to establish your filter is to add
maintenance will keep artificial fish waste to it, and the way to do
pumps and filters this is by adding ammonia. Now ammonia
running smoothly. 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,

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
Wise up on water
oxygen quickly.
Using excessive salt or medication is
another surefire way of knocking out the WASTE
filter bacteria. If you ever need to treat for FROM FISH
anything, make sure you always stick rigidly FOOD AND
to the dosage advised. UNEATEN
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 AMMONIA
convert the fish sewage. You need to NH3/ NH4
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 DECOMPOSING PLANT
bacteria develop. It’s a common prob AND ANIMAL MATTER
called ‘new tank syndrome’ and it’s the PROCESSED BY
NITRATE IS USED NITROSOMONAS
BY PLANTS AND BACTERIA
Without a filter, ALSO DILUTED
your fish would BY WATER CHANGES

eventually poison NITRITE

themselves on NO2
their own wastes,
or at the very least NITRATE
NO3
become really ill. PROCESSED BY
NITROBACTER
BACTERIA
www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk 11
 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 External filters enable
thankfully there is another species of you to add more media and
bacteria that develops in the filter, which of different types, but the
converts nitrite into nitrate — and nitrate is maintenance is more complicated.
much less harmful.
What is nitrate? accumulate in the aquarium water. it becomes increasingly alkaline. Many fish
Nitrate is the chemical formed at the end While some nitrate will be used by plants have a window of tolerance, coping with a
process of filtration. Nitrate is not and algae as a food source, levels of nitrate range of pH values, but some have specific
converted by any normal should be kept under control by carrying demands. Malawi cichlids, for example, like
filter bacteria and will out regular weekly or a pH up around 8.2 — enough to kill off
fortnightly partial many acid loving species — and certainly
water changes. won’t do well at a pH much below 8.
In a community aquarium, most of the
What is pH? popular fish we keep will be happy with pH
Measuring whether the somewhere around neutral.
water in your aquarium is As a beginner, you ideally want to aim for a
acidic or alkaline is done pH value somewhere between 6.8 and 7.8
according to pH. for most of the species you’ll be keeping.
The pH scale (pictured Luckily, this suits most of the tapwater
below) runs from around the UK.
0 to 14, and right in the If your pH is at the more extreme end of
middle at 7.0pH, the tank is the scale — above 8.0 or below 6.0, you’ll
considered neutral — neither need to chat to your retailer to find out what
acid nor alkaline. is causing it. Rocks and other decoration
At below 7.0pH, water becomes can sometimes have a dangerous effect on
increasingly acidic, while above 7.0pH, pH, for example.
Bacterial
supplements can
help in maturing a

THE pH SCALE
new filter.

ACIDIC 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…
1Aquarium plants vs.
houseplants
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.
long as these plants receive
some light and nutrients,
they will grow (albeit slowly).
Bunched plants are often
multiple cuttings clumped
together with a metal alloy
weight to hold them down.
4Feeding plants
Plants will need some
nutrients to grow. Two
Unwrap the weight from
the plants, separate them,
and plant each cutting
staples you should have to individually.
hand are an all-round plant
food (such as The Aquascaper
plant food) and a form of liquid
carbon (such as EasyCarbo). As a
6What about
snails?
Snails come in as either adults or
newcomer, you might hear mention of eggs — check the undersides of
carbon dioxide, but unless you’re prepared leaves for a clear jelly and remove it before
to splash out on a high quality, controllable adding plants to tanks.
injection device, I’d steer clear — incorrect
carbon dioxide dosing can be dangerous.
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
5Pots or bunches?
Potted plants come with their roots
packed in a mineral wool. You can plant the
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
pots directly in to your substrate, but will pollute the tank!
eventually the plant will become pot bound.

3 Plants on wood and rocks

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
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.
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.

14 YOUR FIRST AQUARIUM

20 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 are some safer bets…

NEIL HEPWORTH
Guppy, Poecilia reticulata Neon tetra, Paracheirodon innesi
The ultimate in colour, try keeping two or three females to The original community stunner, keep Neons in groups of six or
every male. Males have longer fins, smaller bodies and more for their wellbeing. They like their water slightly cooler than
boosted colours, but also look at the shape of the anal fin most, so don’t keep them with hot-house flowers like Ram cichlids.
— males have a fin modified in to a tube, for reproduction!  Size: To 4cm.
 Size: Males to 3.5cm, females to 7cm.  Water: Soft and acidic, 5.0 to 7.0pH.
 Water: Slightly hard and alkaline, 7.0 to 8.0pH.  Temperature: 20 to 26°C.
 Temperature: 20 to 27°C.  Feeding: Flakes, live and frozen Daphnia and Cyclops.
SHUTTERSTOCK

 Feeding: Flakes, live and frozen Daphnia and bloodworm..  Price: Start at £1.50 each.
 Price: Start around £2.50 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!
 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.
NEIL HEPWORTH

Dwarf gourami, Trichogaster lalius

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!
 Size: To around 8.5cm.
 Water: Slightly soft and acidic to just above neutral, 6.0 to 7.8pH.
SHUTTERSTOCK

 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.

16
 Beginners’ guide

NEIL HEPWORTH
Harlequin rasbora, Trigonostigma heteromorpha Platy, Xiphophorus maculatus

NEIL HEPWORTH
One of the toughest little rasboras out there, and real pretty to boot. Keep The ultimate hardy livebearer, few community starter tanks
shoals of six or more, and use colour enhancing flake foods to bring out are complete without a brace of colourful Platies. Sex them by
the delightful orange markings. Definitely improves with age, too! looking at the anal fins on the underside — males have a fin
● Size: To 5cm. developed into a tube, while females have normal anal fins.
● Water: Soft and acidic to slightly hard, 5.0 to 7.6pH. ● Size: Males to 4cm, females to 6cm.
● Temperature: 22 to 26°C. ● Water: Neutral to hard and alkaline, 7.0 to 8.1pH.
● Feeding: Flakes, pellets, live and frozen Daphnia and bloodworm. ● Temperature: 18 to 26°C.
● Price: Starts around £2 each. ● Feeding: Flakes, spirulina flakes and greenfoods.
Fresh leaves and fruit.
● Price: Start at £2 each.

NEIL HEPWORTH
NEIL HEPWORTH

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.
● 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.
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 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.
● 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.
ALAMY

● Price: Starting around £5 each.

17
 Kuhli loach, Pangio kuhlii
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!
● 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.

ALAMY
● Price: Start around £3 each.

Pygmy puffer, Carinotetraodon travancoricus

100% adorable, but equipped with a powerful and sharp beak that can X-ray tetra, Pristella maxillaris
ravage tank mates if housed in the wrong place. Best kept in a planted Not as see-through as the name alludes, the X-ray is a uniquely
tank, and will need feeding with snails to help keep the beak short. pretty fish with a good balance of pleasant understated colours and
● Size: To 3.5cm. laid-back attitude. A shoal will eventually fragment and split up, but
● Water: Hard and alkaline, 7.5 to 8.4pH. they seem happy with this.
● Temperature: 22 to 28°C. ● Size: To 5cm.
● Feeding: Live and frozen Daphnia, bloodworm and lots of live snails! ● Water: Slightly soft and acidic to
● Price: Start around £4.50. slightly hard and alkaline, 6.0 to
7.8pH.
● Temperature: 24 to 28°C.

NEIL HEPWORTH
● Feeding: Flakes, pellets, live and
Dwarf pencilfish, Nannostomus marginatus frozen Daphnia and bloodworm.
A lot more complex than it first appears, there’s gold, red, black ● Price: Start around £1.50 each.
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: 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.

NEIL HEPWORTH
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.
● Size: To 7.5cm.
NEIL HEPWORTH

● 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.

Zebra danio, Danio rerio

White Cloud Mountain minnow, Tanichthys albonubes One of the most resilient starter fish there is,
Peaceful, colourful, but fares better in a tank with a lower temperature (making it a females will get larger and plumper. Spend
good tank mate to Neon tetra). Keep in a shoal, and don’t be shy to have a little flow much of their time at the surface of the tank,
through the tank — they like swimming in currents. erratic and constant swimmers. Prefers
● Size: To 4cm. water to be slightly cooler than most.
● Water: Slightly soft acidic, to slightly hard and alkaline, 6.0 to 8.0pH. ● Size: To 4cm.
● Temperature: 18 to 22°C. ● Water: Slightly soft acidic, to slightly hard
● Feeding: Flakes, live and frozen Daphnia and Cyclops. and alkaline, 6.0 to 8.0pH.
● Price: Start around £1.50 each. ● Temperature: 18 to 24°C.
SHUTTERSTOCK

● Feeding: Flakes, live and frozen Daphnia

and Cyclops.
● Price: Start around £1.50 each.
SHUTTERSTOCK

18 YOUR FIRST AQUARIUM

 Beginners’ guide

ALAMY
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.

Female Kribensis (left)

SHUTTERSTOCK

and the male below.

Siamese fighting fish, Betta splendens

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
SHUTTERSTOCK

the death. The males also beat up females.

G Size: To 6.5cm, plus long fins.
G Water: Slightly soft and acidic to slightly hard and alkaline,
6.0 to 7.8pH.
Bronze cory, Corydoras aeneus G Temperature: 24 to 30°C.
NOT a cleaner fish in any sense, these catfish require well G Feeding: Floating flakes and pellets, live and frozen Daphnia.
SHUTTERSTOCK

maintained tanks with tidy substrates, and plenty of good food — G Price: Start around £5, but £35 upwards not uncommon for
not the scraps and leftovers from others. Often sold in trios, but get good ones.
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. Hatchetfish, Carnegiella strigata
G Feeding: Sinking pellets and tablets, live and frozen Daphnia Surface dwelling, peaceful, but prone to whitespot, hatchets are odd
and bloodworm. shaped fish you’ll want to keep a close eye on. You’ll need a good
G Price: Starting around £2.50 each. fitting hood, as these fish can fly, and when spooked they’ll launch
themselves across the room.
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.
NEIL HEPWORTH

NEIL HEPWORTH

www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk 19
KEEP
THINGS With your tank in
place, you’ll need
to get in to the

TIDY!
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 rapers: May be hand
able to suck gravel up, c on a stick, and often
and drop it back down
without draining the TOP TIP rporate a blade to slice
gae away from the
whole tank! You might get told lass. Be careful around
that certain suckermouth tank edges where the
Algae wiping blade may cut
catfish are great for keeping through the silicone
Algae is inevitable
wherever you have the tank clean. Truth is, they’re seal and avoid on
light and water. not. At best, suckermouth cats plastic tanks as it will
Address it early may graze on a small patch scratch them.
before it becomes a of glass, but the only one
deep-seated problem. Water changing
keeping things clean u can change water
O Hand held pads: Yo is you. ly or fortnightly, but
can buy coarse pads for o go longer. Waste will
or softer ones for acrylic. Be build up, which can be toxic to fish.
careful not to trap anything (like gravel) The best way to remove water is with a
between the pad and the glass as you’ll gravel cleaner, as you can kill two birds with
scratch it. Also, be cautious of contacting one stone. A good syphon will have a
fish — especially those with sharp spines! self-start mechanism which may involve
bobbing the device up and down, or
O Magnetic scrapers: The magnet with manually squeezing a hand-held pump. In
the soft, felt pad goes outside the tank, the the absence of one of these, do NOT suck on
coarse magnet goes inside the tank. the hose to start water flowing. Instead, fill
Magnets can struggle to get close to the the gravel cleaner and the hose with water,
Use a gravel cleaner
bottom without picking up sand or gravel. place your thumb over the end of the hose,
to remove muck
Floating models make life a lot easier if the and carry it to the tank. With the gravel
from the substrate.
two halves ever come apart. cleaning end submerged, and the hose

20 YOUR FIRST AQUARIUM


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!
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.
Cleaning filters
The filter also needs regular maintenance.
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.
www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk
Beginners’ guide
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).
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
Always add dechlorinator to impeller, you’ve no right to a refund or
tapwater before using it in replacement. Keep it clean.
your aquarium.
O Hoses: External hoses will eventually
O Foams: Foams will be the first element in build up a layer of grime and algae. Every
a filter to block as they trap out solid waste. few months, consider getting down them
Some foams become biological (they with some pipe brushes (your retailer will
develop bacteria that keep aquariums safe) have some tucked away on sale somewhere)
and these bacteria need to be cherished. and flush through with cold water. Don’t be
Always clean foam media in old tank water, tempted to clean your pipes with boiling
not under a tap (which will kill the bacteria). water — it’s dangerous.
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 HOW TO CLEAN YOUR
needs changing. In filters with multiple FILTER MEDIA
foams, just change one foam at a time.
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.
O Carbon pouches: These don’t need
cleaning, but they will need replacing. It’s Give the foam media a squeeze in
a bucket of old tank water — don’t
clean it under the tap.
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.
Biological media like ceramic hoops
CHECK THE FISH: Look at skin and fins. just needs a rinse in old tank water
Are there spots that weren’t there before? to remove the worst of the muck.
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!
If you use activated carbon it will
need to be replaced every six weeks
or so.
21
 Beginners’ guide

FEEDING TIME!
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!
Flake foods tank via a sucker, or sit on the bottom, these
JACQUES PORTAL

Grazing foods
Flakes are great all-round foods, and suited give fish an opportunity to nibble at food
can be stuck to
to the small to medium mouths of most throughout the day. Excellent if you have a
the tank glass.
community species. Some contain health tank with greedy fish that outcompete tank
boosters or colour enhancers, too. mates for flake foods — all the fish can
Flakes are sprinkled directly on graze at the same rate on these!
the surface of the tank. Aim to
feed as much as your fish can Freeze dried foods
eat inside of two minutes. Dehydrated insects, worms
Beyond that, you’ll just get and crustaceans that
fat fish and a messy tank! often have quite a low

NEIL HEPWORTH
Flakes are ideal for protein content (meaning
surface and midwater they’re not very messy),
swimmers, but are slow to but can take a long time to
sink, so of little use to fish sink in a tank. You can
at the bottom, like catfish. even get freeze dried snails A piece of courgette, held down with a
for pufferfish! plant weight, will be superb for
Tablets and wafers Bristlenose catfish to graze on. A fresh
Dense, fast-sinking foods like Frozen foods pea, squashed between your fingers,
tablets or wafers can be targeted to fish on Nutritious but a little messy, frozen will be nibbled at by certain catfish, tetra
the bottom. Select the type of tablet your bloodworm, Daphnia, Artemia and Cyclops and barbs.
fish needs. Ingredients can be meaty, with is great for meat-eating tetras, barbs and
lots of insect or fish meal, and are aimed at cichlids, while frozen greenfoods can be Storing your food
omnivore and carnivore fish. ‘Green’ tablets great for herbivore fish. Dried foods like flakes, tablets and pellets
and wafers can be rich in vegetable matter, need to be stored in airtight containers, and
so better suited to herbivorous fish. Live foods out of direct light. Avoid using clear tubs, as
Once seen as a disease risk, most live food light can damage the vitamin content.
Pellets nowadays is carefully cultured and low risk. When you buy new food, use a permanent
Either floating or sinking, pellets are usually Pour the live food through a net and rinse marker to note when it was opened on the
made from similar ingredients as flakes, but quickly with tapwater to flush any bacteria underside. After six months, bin any that is
in a denser package. Be careful not to add or parasites away. left over and buy fresh.
pellets too large for fish’s mouths.
Fresh food When to feed
Grazers Omnivores will benefit from the addition of In an ideal world, a typical community
Blocks of food that attach to the side of the some fresh fruit and veg from time to time. tank will get two or three small feeds a day,
and this is fine
for those
Lots of fish will enjoy the fish active dur
occasional offering of fresh veg. the day.
Catfish and
TOP TIP
other When feeding, don’t
nocturnal put wet fingers in to the
species may food tubs. If flakes and
not come out
pellets get damp, they
to feed while
lights are still can turn mouldy, and
on, so tablets potentially toxic for
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.
NEIL HEPWORTH

This means they’ll be ready to eat, and

subsequently there will be less waste
produced from leftovers.

22 YOUR FIRST AQUARIUM

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Fishkeeping

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