With spring well and truly in the air, pond sections are starting to buzz. Display ponds are appearing and this year we’re focusing on wildlife in many of our stores, as well as the fishes which are always the stars of the show. It’s not all about the great outdoors though, and some very exciting captive-bred marine fish are causing a stir, as well as some nicely settled tropical fishes following a busy winter season of imports. 

The team at our Fishkeeper Dundee store https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/storefinder/fishkeeper-dundee/  have been busy creating a beautiful new display pond and although these sorts of things are always a work in progress with lots of opportunities to tweak and add to, it will hopefully offer some inspiration to our pond fishkeepers looking to develop their current ponds or those looking to create a new pond for this year.  

The frame was simply built from recycled 4x1 wooden battons with an internal frame for support.  A false raised wooden floor was built and then 12" of soil was added to allow for betting plants such as Scarlet Lobelia https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/pond-plant-lobelia-queen-victoria-scarlet-lobelia , Golden Creeping Jenny https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/pond-plant-lysimachia-nummularia-aurea-golden-creeping-jenny  golden rush, Orange Peel Plant https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/pond-plant-houttuynia-cordata-variegata-variegated-orange-peel-plant , marigolds etc.

They used an Oase PE1000 pond complimented with an Oase watercourse (fgrs 21A) ran with an Oase Eco 2500E pond pump.  For filtration, they used an Oase Biosmart 7000 https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/oase-biosmart-filter-pump-sets-with-uvc  and for power, they used a Blagdon powersafe box https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/blagdon%20powersafe%20easy%20to%20install%20garden%20electrics%20switch%20box  for ease of turning off equipment for maintenance.

The new pond is home to 6 goldfish, water lilies, mares tail and waterchestnut for the added surface coverage to prevent algae growth.

A few larger garden shrubs were used to partially hide the watercourse and filtration, provided by Dobbies.

Fishkeeper Dundee Pond

For those of your who have more of an indoor fishkeeping passion, if you are looking for an L Number plec - our Reefkeeper Moss End store has an amazing selection in right now.

One of the most popular of the catfish groups, Loricariids have achieved cult status since the rise of the ‘L numbers’ where new species were being imported far faster than they could be scientifically described. Prior to this, new plecs were catalogued in a conventional way, and this is the reason these old established fishes have binomial names but no L number.

From a basic body form, Loricariids have diversified to exploit a range of niches. Twig catfish do exactly what their name implies and mimic waterlogged woody debris in fast water, whereas the chunky Adonis plec grows too large and spiny for most predators and is far more carnivorous. 

They might have started their aquarium career as algae-munching cleaners, but they soon became the focus of a lot of attention as more glamorous species were imported. Sadly, some of them are threatened with habitat loss in the wild thanks to a limited distribution that makes them vulnerable. Luckily a growing number are now being bred in aquaria.

Despite their cult following, a good many of these fishes will happily pay their rent by eating algae and their range of sizes and shapes means that there’s a suitable species for large or small setups.

Find out more about https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/catalogsearch/result/?q=Plec

 

At our Polhill store, https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/storefinder/polhill/ Assistant manager Ewan Reekie will be running the London Marathon on October 2nd 2022 in aid of Leukaemia Care.

If any of our customers would like to make a donation to support this amazing cause and help him reach his target it would be really appreciated.

Here is the link to his GivePenny page to make a donation.

https://givepenny.com/ewanreekie_leukaemia_care_london_marathon_2022 

 

For reefkeeping enthusiasts,  we now have the all-new ReefMat available in our stores stocking Red Sea products (please contact your local store for availability information) –- a plug and play, fully automated, smart fleece roller filter that keeps the aquarium water crystal clear for weeks at a time.

Designed with the hobbyist in mind, the ReefMat features an easy mat replacement system that allows you to switch rolls without having to remove the filter from the sump, or even turn off the pumps!

ReefMat includes a fail-proof solid-state level sensor and an unprecedented smart drive unit that controls and monitors the exact length of the used mat. ReefMat is Wi-Fi connected to Red Sea’s ReefBeat smart aquarium eco-system and sends notifications before the mat needs replacing if it gets torn or runs out, and even provides you with a daily usage log.