Tropical Fish Keeping UK

Have you just got a new tank and you've not got a clue what to do with it? Here's a little intro to start,    Check out our website tropicalfishkeeping.co.uk for more articles to help, and there is a video series on what to do starting on our YouTube channel Tropical Fish Keeping UK

Some questions that have been asked. IF you like this let me know and I'll make it a regular thing.   We have questions on plants not growing, fish not breeding and more. Got a question yourself. Head over to any of the social medias and ask.  For some of the plants I mentioned.  https://tropicalfishkeeping.co.uk/the-easy-planted-aquarium/    Sorry if i sound a bit breathless, allergies decided to exist, hopefully I can get them sorted soon. 

Join me as I ramble on about the link between humans and the pets we love.   

Let's carry on look at cichlids, this time moving to the Andes to look at Andinoacara. From Blue Acara to Green Terrors, these can be amazing species as pet fish, or a great breeding project. 

The advice that various AI platforms are pumping out is dangerously wrong, this is fine if it's just a random fact, but now when people are using this, and pushing it to treat animals, Fish especially. 

Deformed, diseased, and cheap. So many of the fish that are being sold, shouldn't be available at all. Let's stop thinking of this as a cheap hobby and start looking to pay more for our pets. 

Wnat to hear what is getting me very angry? Yes? Great here it is. Enjoy. 

Continuing our journey around South America looking at Cichlids, Today we join Alfred Russel Wallace in one of the most harrowing parts of his adventures, and then look at Pike cichlids, and one decent alternative. 

Let's leave the cold wet winter behind and head to the tropics, the Amazon River Basin to be exact, looking at the cichlids that occupy the reaches of the river, specifically the discus. Often thought to be the king of cichlids, or even fish, there is far more than you might think to those stunning fih. 

This rant is brought to you by frustration, so much that my darling assistance dog told me my blood pressure was off part way through. Listen to the rant. You'll understand.   The dog world has brought out a set of standards for dog breeding, and in this rant about that, I lay outr some standards we also should use. 

There seems to be a multitude of ways that your fish tank can if not kill you, at least do you a serious mischeif.   Let's have a quick run down of the main dangers and how you can avoid some of them. Please forgive me having a cold and sounding more stuffy than normally. Normal service should resume soon enough.  You can find out more info at www.tropicalfishkeeping.co.uk 

Not a rant, a ramble through my love of our wonderful hobby.    Don't forget to check out the website www.tropicalfishkeeping.co.uk   

The Don't Pet Me campaign has come out and seems to be saying that the fishkeeping hobby should be subjected to a positive list, and heavily restricted. It seems that we aren't capable of keeping fish without significant welfare issues. Join me for my thoughts on these ridiculous ideas, and even though many might think this is targeted at primates, and big cats, fish keeping is the area really at risk. 

Join me on a rant about the things that people say in the comments, and why so often they are just plain old wrong. 

Part two of looking at livebearers, looking not only just at Goodieds, but also the conservation projects around them. There's some diversions down different streams of thought, but I get there in the end. 

Livebearers are fascinating fish, from the humble Guppy that graces so many of our tanks, through to less well known species, but there's a lot more than meets the eye. Come and join me as I dive into the world of livebearers.   

Welcome back to the irregularly scheduled rants, this is a topic that gets me so angry, and I can see the issues that are facing the industry. But we as keepers can make choices, and even if that isn't the same choice that others make it will still matter to the fish you keep. 

Welcome back to the final part of the question, what are your parameters. This time we are looking at hardness and phosphates, and then that is it for analytical chemistry for a while.    So dive in and learn a little more. I'm aware we've done hardness in another episode, but it never hurts to revisit this topic. 

Continuing looking at the water tests that should be a regular part of your fish keeping, looking at nitrates and pH. For beginners and more experienced aquarist alike.    Nitrates are so often miunderstood, they're seen as being completely safe, but in fact they are deadly at higher concentrations. 

What are your parameters is a question I ask far too often. Most issues in fish keeping can be traced back to issues with our water, so when trying to help I will ask that question.  But what do I mean, what are I refering to when I ask that question? What is ammonia and why is it an issue, why do we want to know. Where does ammonia and nitrite come from, and what harm do they cause?   This is for those just starting out, and for more experienced aquarists, hopefully there will be something interesting for everyone.    Ruth McDonald has been keeping fish for over two decades now, and has been researching fish since her master thesis into what fish eat dead bodies took a turn into what fish like to eat. She's taught at university level, and has been running Tropical Fish Keeping UK for 10 years.