Thanks to Disney’s Finding Nemo franchise the Dory name tag will stick with Regal tangs forevermore. Also known as Hippo tangs or Pacific Blue tangs, Paracanthurus hepatus are tropical saltwater fish that belong to the Surgeonfish family and come from coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific.In the wild, they can grow to 30cm/12” long, although most don’t exceed 20cm/8” in length in captivity...
Here’s the scenario. You look in your tank and find that one of your fish is dead. But is it dead or is it sleeping? How do you tell if a fish is dead? And how do you dispose of a dead fish? Aquatic shop workers are constantly told by their customers that one of their fish is dead when most of the time it’s just a catfish doing what catfish do - sitting motionless on the bottom of th...
There are three main types of filter media - mechanical, biological and chemical. All are designed to do a specific job and they can be used in isolation or in combination. Mechanical filtrationMechanical filtration traps particles that pass through it and clears the water. It’s the most basic form of filtration and the one that most people can actually see working as it can turn d...
Here are some tips and pointers to look out for with your pond this August:Thin your oxygenatorsOxygenating plants like Elodea and Hornwort have been growing rampantly throughout summer and will need thinning out. Reduce the clump to no more than ⅓ of the pond’s surface area by removing the old, darker stems and retaining the fresh green ones. Lay the foliage at the edge of the pond f...
Juwel are one of the easiest aquariums to set up and are virtually plug and play. They’ve sold over one million aquariums worldwide and have proven results across the decades. Key to the Juwel aquarium system is the built-in filter. The filter uses mechanical, biological and chemical media in combination to clean water and break down fish waste, without the hassle of setting up an external filt...
LED lighting provides control and adjustability, economical running costs, cool running and a small, compact form factor. Because of all of the above attributes its the most popular type of lighting for reef tanks. It does differ in controllability, brightness and spectrum depending on make and model though, and how it fits to the tank. And all LED lighting is not the same. Retrofit LED ...
Angelfish are iconic marine fish and most people with marines want to keep them. They are some of the most beautiful reef fish but they aren’t without their issues and there are several rules to keeping them. How many types of angelfish are there?Angelfish can be broadly grouped into two types - dwarf angels and large angels. Dwarf angels include the Flame, Coral Beauty, Bicolor, L...
Check that it is plugged in and switched on. If it is, go to the fusebox and check that your outdoor electricals circuit is switched on and hasn’t tripped. Next check the filter. Is the filter clogged up with dirt and algae, blocking the pump? If it is clean the filter and replace sponges if necessary. Check the sponge What type of pump is it? Does it have a prefilter sponge insid...
The pH or a marine aquarium should be in the range of 8.1-8.4. The pH of the ocean is approximately 8.3 and if you can pH up to 8.3 and hold it there, great, but most salt mixes mix to about pH 8.1. What’s important with pH is that it doesn’t fluctuate on a daily basis and is stable. A reef tank with a permanent pH of 8 is better than one that goes up to 8.4 and down to 8 in a day. Radical ch...
Barbs are a large group of tropical and temperate freshwater fish. They come from Africa and Asia and range in size from just a few cm in length to several feet long. The most famous barb is the Tiger barb, and its managed to single-handedly tar all barbs with the same fin nipping brush.Tiger barbs can nip fins although its more frequent in wild caught fish, hungry fish and fish that aren’...