Maidenhead Aquatics Topical Tips - January 2012

Happy New Year! It’s that time again and rather than resolve to join a gym or drink less, why not decide that this year you’ll do more water changes and buy a test kit? After all, keeping fish is easy – it’s just a case of keeping water…

Outdoors

• As you enjoy cosy winter nights, consider planning a new pond.
• Make sure garden birds have access to water for drinking and bathing
• Consider adding  a pond heater to ensure gas exchange in fish ponds

Indoors

• Don’t rush to stock new aquaria – if you got a tank for Christmas make sure it has time to mature and add fish gradually
• Buy a test kit, if you don’t have one. After all, knowledge is power
• Spend time watching your fish. Make time to observe and appreciate them for the finned marvels they are
• If you have a reef tank, book some time for a ‘night dive’ to see what comes out of your rockwork when you’re tucked up in bed.

What’s in store?

A number of our stores have added dedicated systems for shrimps, snails and other gems that tend to be overlooked in our main systems. Expect to find a few tasty treats for nano tanks or specialist fishes such as Killies.

Our Weybridge store has a lovely new facility for corals featuring a deep sand bed and some mouth-watering frags.

A recent visit to Cambridge saw some highlights in the form of well-established L number plecs. As well as this Adonis (Acanthicus adonis) which is going to grow into a very chunky monkey.

For lovers of temperate fishes, the beautiful Amur sucker (Sarcocheilichthys sinensis) is a seldom-seen treat for a large tank at room temperature. This fish was at our Guildford store but available to order at your favourite branch

I have a massive soft-spot for Corydoras catfish and these Fairy Corys (Corydoras atropersonatus) were looking great at our Taunton branch. Perfect shoaling fish for a peaceful community tank.

Selectively-bred forms of already handsome fish can be something that divides opinion but I have to say that I thought these Electric-blue Rams in our Bristol store were a star in a normally strong line-up of choice species.

It’s a numbers game

Fish are fairly predictable creatures and surprisingly theirs is often a world dominated by sex and violence which needs careful handling. One of the most significant aspects of this is knowing how many individuals to add to your aquarium. Too many people construct a ‘Noah’s Ark’ style of community in which each species is added as a pair, or even worse, singly. This can be a recipe for disaster as fish rarely fit this style of stocking and most of them think monogamy is a type of wood…

Discus of all kinds are shoaling fishes that separate from the group at breeding time

One of the most popular types of fish stocked as pairs are cichlids such as discus and angels. These fish are smart enough to have likes and dislikes and prefer to select their own mates. When two immature cichlids are placed together, the usual result is bullying with the weaker fish living in constant dread and becoming stunted. In the case of dwarf cichlids, easily sexed species can usually avoid one another until the female matures and the male realises that she’s not just a competitor for food and territory but even here the best approach is to buy a group. Male and female cichlids grow at different rates and males tend to be bigger from an early age, therefore adding six specimens of the same age but differing sizes should give the best chance of obtaining at least one pair if not more. Most stores are quite happy to accept returned surplus fish for credit if this is arranged before hand and they’ve not received a beating from their tankmates.

Forming what scientists describe as a ‘puppy pile’ there’s no denying that these Corydoras virginiae are social fish!

Another group of fish that don’t get the treatment they deserve are the armoured catfishes of the genus Corydoras. These whiskery socialites are as shoaling as tetras and are happiest when kept in groups that will constantly rummage around the base of the tank. With few exceptions, these are a ‘more the merrier’ type of fish and all of those blotches, bands and distinctive markings are badges that serve to hold the shoal together – if mixing these species, do try to get at least three or preferably five of each species.

 

Like the majority of community fish, these Whitecloud Mountain Minnows get happier as the numbers in the shoal get larger

Luckily most of the tetras, danios, livebearers, barbs etc are easy to satisfy and simply appreciate being kept in the largest numbers possible. Often the best approach with these fishes is to choose your favourite and forsake variety for quantity. As many of these fish will form mixed shoals, the best way to duplicate the impact that gives them so much appeal in the retailer’s tank is to avoid having more than three species. Try a big shoal of one type and you won’t be disappointed – you can always set up another tank if you fancy a shoal of something else!

Marine fish such as these Common Clowns are easy going despite a life time of having ‘Nemo!’ shouted at them and will change their sex to suit the situation

Marine fish are often thought of as an aggressive one to a tank fish, or even one blue, one red, one yellow etc. The fact is that they have a trick that makes them a lot easier to pair off than many freshwater fishes – they change sex. Admittedly, some of the most savage thugs often lack this ability but many of the more commonly encountered species start life as one gender and change depending on the social circumstances. The story of Nemo differs in a very significant way from reality in that dominant clownfish are always females and their loss leads to the highest ranking male changing into a girl! In this way clowns are always able to reproduce even if two individuals find themselves miles away from their nearest neighbours, the stronger of the two fish becomes female and hey presto, a breeding pair is born. This is why it’s best to choose two clowns that differ in size when selecting an unbonded pair.

Although this may seem unusual, the only odd thing about it is that it’s more often the other way around and dominant fish become male. A whole range of species can thus be manipulated by adding a range of sizes to build a group and fish such as wrasses and damsels can be put together based on a simple large = male, small = female rule. Whatever the case, equally sized fish are the most likely to fight as they can see that victory is more likely than when taking on a larger fish. The simple rule is to duplicate what happens in nature – small specimens settle out of the plankton and meet large established ones. Adding new, larger fish is much trickier and often ends in tears.

This Yellow Coral Goby would normally be brought a mate by the current and they would naturally become a breeding pair