Practical Fishkeeping August 2023

NO REST for the wicked, eh? Except, that is, my own spurring on to action has been a delight. After far too much faffing with interior decoration, I can finally start to stock up a gallery of tanks again, and that's what I've been commanded to do—with the caveat that I use each to put together instructional guides (and videos) on how to set them up. This month I've got the ball rolling with an Apistogramma set-up I've wanted to do for a while (but became something of a fluster as my originally intended tank for them was cracked). Watch this space for a whole range of unboxing videos and tutorials to follow. As for this month's bit of quirk, I implore you to check out Neale Monks’ introduction to…

SPECIES SHOWCASE Emperor tetra AS MAINSTREAM FISH go, the emperor tetras could be up there as the most majestic. Eye catching and alluring, it's little surprise that they hold as much appeal to newcomers as they do to long-established aquarists. The difference, of course, is that the old guard generally know how to get the best out of them, but that needn't be a guarded secret. What we might call the ‘true’ emperor tetras belong to the genus Nematobrycon, and there are two species, both originating in Colombia—the widespread but common emperor tetra, Nematobrycon palmeri, and the pricier but more indulgent rainbow emperor tetra, Nematobrycon lacortei. Historically it was thought that there was a third member of the genus, Nematobrycon amphiloxus, but this turned out to be the same fish…

STEP-BY-STEP Apistogramma So, you've fallen in love with Apistogramma. I can't blame you, they're charming little fish with colour and personality in equal measure. But if you're new to the hobby (or new to Apistogramma) it's important to know that they're not the kind of fish you can just sling into any old community and hope for the best. That's not to say that they're hard to keep, but it does depend on the species. And there are a lot of them. Formally described species (those that have a valid scientific name) number around 90, but there are at least another hundred sat in the wings awaiting proper identification. It stands to reason some are easier to keep than others, and at the easiesttokeep end of the spectrum reside the…

MARINE Nano set-up SETTING UP A new tank is always a challenge. You must make sure that every parameter is spot on before introducing any livestock. You do frequent water tests and make adjustments if and when necessary. Having a tank at home means that you can check it at least once a day and you also know what goes into the tank, putting you in control over the whole process. Setting up an aquarium in a communal space brings extra challenges. You can't check the tank daily and there could be unexpected complications. In one of my recent outsourced projects an overly enthusiastic cleaner—an employee who was new to the job and was told to make sure that every light was switched off before she left the building—decided to…

IT WOULD NOT be unfair to say that aquarists generally dislike snails. They view them as unwanted pests, as likely to destroy their plants as they are to breed uncontrollably until they outnumber the fish a hundred to one. While some species certainly can cause problems, there are other species that have a lot more going for them. Snails are generally hardy animals, easy to feed, and in their own way, quite attractive. They don't pose any threat to fish, except perhaps as eggs, and a few are reliable algae-eaters that can be usefully employed in that role. What follows is a survey of some of the snail species available. A few have specific needs, and one or two are, it has to be admitted, voracious plant-eaters. Others are strict…

SPECIES SHOWCASE Black chin livebearer IF TASKED WITH coming up with a brackish livebearer, the average aquarist would be forgiven for thinking the options are limited to the common molly, Poecilia sphenops, or their congeners, the sailfin and giant sailfin mollies, respectively Poecilia velifera and P. latipinna. I know I did when planning the stocking for my first brackish system, but didn't feel my tank—at just over 60cm—was large enough for the latter two, and I wanted something less common than the aquarium strains of poecilids that are the bread and butter of LFS everywhere. Enter Girardinus metallicus. Never heard of it? No surprise; unlike the arguably freakish, garish guppies, ‘endlers’, and swordtails massproduced in Asian farms for shops, Girardinus lack the admittedly remarkable, bright colours and diversity of form…