Aquarium plants come in three main forms - potted, bunched and invitro - and all should be prepared differently before planting. Potted plants have rootstock, usually grown in a rock wool base, and inside a slatted plastic pot. First, remove the plant from its plastic shipping packaging, then slide the plastic pot off and lie the plant on its side. Tease away the rock wool until the white pl...
Our pond fish are by their very nature coldwater, but although they can tolerate extended winter weather, it doesn’t mean to say it does them any good. As pond water cools the fish’s immune system becomes vulnerable, they eat less and stop growing, and any damage or infection takes a long time to repair. Koi keepers who show their fish want them to achieve maximum growth throughout s...
Yes, Autumn is a good time to build a pond because terrestrial vegetation is starting to die back yet the ground is moist, but not frozen, so easy to dig. Create a pond now and you’ll get to watch is develop and flourish right throughout spring and summer next year. It’ll be there for when frogs and newts spawn in early spring too. Mark it outUse a hosepipe, some rope or line mar...
The weather is definitely turning now, with more rainfall and lots of leaves. If you have one, open the drain valve on your filter to purge excess water from the pond. Leave at least a 4” gap from the surface and the edge of the pond so that it doesn’t overflow with the next lot of rainfall.Keep the pond cover net suspended tightly over the pond and not touching the water as if it does, ...
Feeding frequency depends on the type of fish you keep. As a general rule small fish should be fed little and often and larger ones can go longer between meals. Then it’s down to if they are herbivores or carnivores. Think of the Serengeti in Africa and the Zebra feed on grass all day long but the lions only make a kill every few days and with fish its the same.Algae is low in nutrients so...
Siamese fighters, or Betta, originate from the warm, fresh waters of Thailand, formerly Siam. Their two common names originate from the intolerance male fish have for each other, instantly causing fighting if placed in the same tank, and an abbreviation of their scientific name, Betta splendens. “Betta” means warrior, and the “splendens” part of their name means bright, illustrious or gli...
Facebook is filled with posts of newly built ponds and some serve as a great inspiration to others on how a pond can be achieved in a small space or on a budget. Its also filled with ponds that were built in error however and will suffer from a number of problems in the future. Here are some pointers that if you stick to you’ll be a problem-free new pond owner in no time.Make sure it’s la...
There are around a dozen species of fish which suit the UK climate year-round and are legal to be kept in our ponds. Of all of them, goldfish and goldfish varieties like shubunkins and Sarasa comets are the best for most ponds because they are cheap, hardy, colourful and don’t grow too large. If you have a large pond then Koi Carp and Golden Orfe are suitable too and will reward you with rapid ...
All tropical, coldwater and marine aquariums should be tested for Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate. We use these test kits to tell us if there are beneficial bacteria present in the system, if it’s converting fish waste into less harmful substances, and if the water is safe for our fish. We test the pH too, but its often less life-critical to fish than ammonia.The four most important tests can...
Autumn is upon us so its time to start thinking about preparing the pond for the colder months. Use a pond thermometer to monitor the water temperature as it will be different from the air temperature because it warms and cools more slowly. Stop feeding high protein growth feeds when the water temperature hits 15℃ and below, and from 15 -10℃ switch back to a staple diet. When the water t...