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James Michael
Sales Assistant
at
Fishkeeper Inverness
How long have you been a Maidenhead Aquatics team member?
3 Years, since 2019
How long have you been keeping fish?
3 Years, since 2019
What was your first aquarium and what fish did you keep in it?
My first aquarium was a little 22L cube tank, I had a pair of yellow honey gourami, some black phantom tetra and a couple of bamboo shrimp.
What species do you most enjoy keeping and why?
It’s tough to decide between my Electric Blue Jack Dempsey and my Silver Dollars. The Dempsey has a great character to him and it’s fascinating seeing his behaviours and colours, but the Silver Dollars are just so active and quite comical with their reactions and the look on their faces.
What pearl of wisdom would you give to first-time Fishkeepers?
Don’t give up, every fishkeeper has gone through tough times when keeping fish, things go wrong, but as long as we learn from our mistakes then that’s how we grow as fishkeepers.
What would be your dream aquarium?
A big wide aquarium to keep brackish fish in, especially archerfish, that is open top with lots of branches and plants out of the water, so when it comes to feeding the archerfish I could release insects to the plants and see the hunting style of the archerfish.
What’s your favourite aspect of work at Maidenhead Aquatics?
I get to work in a hobby I enjoy, not many people can say that. Also, I get to care for animals that I wouldn’t be able to house at home.
What question do customers ask you most often?
It’s a toss up between “how do I get rid of algae?” and “How do you know which guppy/platy/molly/swordtail is male and which is female?”
What’s your secret fishkeeping “top tip”?
Get a larger tank than you might think, fish need much more room than their size may suggest. Also, it means you can keep more fish or larger varieties, as well as reducing aggression from those slightly meaner tankmates.
How many aquariums do you currently keep at home, and what are these?
There are 3 at the moment, one is a planted South American tank, while the other 2 are actually holding tanks right now. I recently moved and I am waiting for nicer weather to move a 7ft tank from my garage to my living room where most of the fish in the holding tanks will go. Though I do have plans to have an Asian biotope, a Tanganyikan set up and a paludarium with nano species from Asia.
What’s the most unique species you’ve ever cared for at Maidenhead Aquatics?
A type of marine pipefish, I can’t quite remember which one in particular, but they are a cool animal. They’re related to the seahorse and look like a seahorse that isn’t curled up, but what makes them really interesting is that they don’t actually have a stomach, so they have to feed almost all the time.
What is it that first got you hooked on fishkeeping?
When I initially got my little 22L tank I thought it would be plenty for me, but I very quickly realised that there so many more types of fish that just would not survive in my little tank and within about 3 months I had already ordered a 200L Aqua Oak tank so I could keep more.
What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned since joining Maidenhead Aquatics?
There is honestly too much to write out here, I came in with very little knowledge of fish. Though learning that it is possible to acclimatise Mollys to marine tanks really impressed me.