Keep tropical fish for any length of time and sooner or later you’ll be drawn to the salty side. There’s never been a better time to keep marines because of the experience, understanding, technology and availability, but is it possible to keep the tank that you already have and convert? The answer is yes, as long as you’re prepared to invest in some new equipment and stick to a new set of w...
Getting the right food for your fish can be critical to their well being. Feed the right food and you can enhance growth, colour and a well-fed, strong, healthy fish is naturally more resistant to disease. Here’s what you need to know about pond foods. SizeSmall fish should be fed small foods and large fish, large ones, so when selecting your fish food choose either small, medium o...
What is the volume of my pond?You need to know the volume of your pond for all sorts of reasons from knowing how much tap safe or treatment to add, to selecting the right pump, filter and UV.Measure your pond’s maximum length, width and depth in metres then multiply them to get the answer in cubic metres e.g 4x2x.75=6. There are 1000 litres in a cubic metre so that pond size will have ...
Green waterThe most common visual water problem, green water will peak when the hours of daylight are longest, and when the water is at its warmest, with lots of fish food going in.A short term fix is to add a Greenwater treatment, but best long term, and the only way to really beat it, is to fit an Ultra Violet Clarifier (UVC) to your pond pump and filter.Cloudy waterCloudy wate...
Ok, you’ve got a minimum of three weeks at home and you need something to do. Something to keep your mind occupied. Something to keep you exercised. Its time for that big pond project!Now you really do have the time to create the pond you always wanted, but it’s all about the planning. Let’s begin. PlacementThere are two trains of thought regarding pond placement. The first...
Livebearing fish are some of the most popular tropical aquarium fish of all time and include guppies, platies, mollies and swordtails.They are so-called because the females give birth to live young, instead of laying eggs like other fish. This is an effective survival strategy in the wild, as fry are born larger than those hatching from tiny eggs and more able to feed on a wider variety of fo...
Mastering water chemistry in a reef tank is just as key to success as using the right lighting. Maybe even more so. The chemistry of the earth’s oceans has remained unchanged for millions of years. Take a water sample from the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific oceans and their chemistry will all be very similar. Corals have evolved and adapted to those unchanging conditions, and change is s...
Spring is so nearly upon us. The days are getting lighter, daffodils are pushing up and the birds are singing. Now is the time to make your pond ready for spring and summer. InspectThe first thing to do is go out and look at the pond, and inspect it. Is the filter still running? Can you see any dead fish floating? Is the cover net still covering the pond or is it sagging in the water...
Buying pond fish should be one of the most pleasurable sides to owning a pond, but there are a few things to look out for:Time of yearOur climate is highly changeable with the seasons and UK pond water temperature can change from nearly zero Celsius to the mid-20s. This can play havoc with a pond fish’s metabolism and immunity, so they shouldn’t be moved, bought or sold at certain tim...
Container ponds are growing in popularity because of their ease of set up, the small space they take up and because if you get it right, they can look great too. Virtually anything can be used as a container pond and they can be placed anywhere from gardens to courtyards, patios, on decking, on balconies or in conservatories. Even indoors.What you’ll needFirst choose a suitable...