The Aquarist’s Edge [Weekly Aquarium Podcast]

Has your guppy looked ready to give birth for weeks, with still no fry in sight? In this episode Art explains why a pregnant guppy might not be giving birth. He covers gestation, stored sperm, the late-pregnancy signs to watch for, and how to tell a gravid female from one that’s bloated or ill. It’s for any fish keeper staring at a round guppy and wondering what to do next.

What would your fish say if they could send you a voice note? In this episode, a goldfish in a bowl, a betta in a vase, a nipped angelfish, a lonely neon and a few others write in to an aquarium agony aunt with the problems they face most often. It's a light-hearted look at the most common beginner aquarium mistakes, with honest, practical answers for new and experienced fish keepers alike.

Did you choose the stuff on the bottom of your tank by colour? Most of us did, but your substrate affects your water chemistry, your plants, and whether fish like corydoras and eartheaters can feed the way they're built to.

This episode compares gravel, sand, aqua soil, crushed coral, dirted tanks and bare-bottom tanks, matches each to the fish and shrimp that suit it, and works through some of the hobby's longest-running substrate debates.

Why did your first fish die within days of setting up the tank? It's called new tank syndrome, and it's just one of ten hard lessons this episode covers. Whether you're setting up your very first aquarium or you've been in the hobby for years, this one's built to catch something you didn't know you needed to hear.

💬 Join the conversation: What's the mistake you made early on in this hobby that you'd go back and fix if you could? Share your story in a review or find us on social media and tell us.

👍 If you enjoyed this episode, follow The Aquarist's Edge on your podcast app and share it with a fish keeper who may need to hear it.

☕ If this show has helped you in your fishkeeping journey, please consider supporting by buying me a coffee here: https://ko-fi.com/artsfishroom

🔍 Keywords: new tank syndrome, nitrogen cycle explained, beginner aquarium mistakes, overstocking a fish tank, dechlorinator tap water fish, zebra danio aggressive, dwarf gourami aggressive, best first fish tank size, freshwater aquarium mistakes, fishkeeping tips for beginners

Can you actually cross-breed aquarium fish, and would you even want to? This episode looks at where hybridisation really happens in the freshwater hobby, and what it means for the fish and the fishkeeper when it does.

Art works through the two groups where crossing is most common — livebearers like platies and swordtails, which will hybridise without any encouragement at all, and cichlids, where mbuna cross in mixed tanks and fish like flowerhorns and blood parrot cichlids exist purely because of deliberate breeding. He also covers the less-talked-about case of Corydoras catfish hybridising in mixed shoals, the genetics behind why some crosses produce healthy fry and others don't, and why hybrid cichlids are so often sterile.

If you've ever wondered whether your "tuxedo platy" is really a hybrid, or you're trying to keep a clean cichlid breeding line, this episode gives you the practical answers.

Topics include: livebearer hybrids, platy and swordtail crossing, mbuna hybridisation, flowerhorn and blood parrot cichlid origins, Corydoras hybrids, fish genetics and hybrid viability, hybrid sterility in cichlids, ethics of fish hybridisation, conservation risks, preventing accidental hybrids.

Enjoyed the episode? Please follow The Aquarist's Edge and leave a review to help more freshwater aquarists discover the show.

⭐ Enjoying the podcast? Please leave a review as it helps other fishkeepers find the show.

☕ Support the show by buying Art a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/artsfishroom

What a rookie error! This is a short apology to all those who happened to listen to the very raw unedited version of Series 3 Episode 31 earlier today...

Can you actually cross-breed aquarium fish, and would you even want to? This episode looks at where hybridisation really happens in the freshwater hobby, and what it means for the fish and the fishkeeper when it does.

Art works through the two groups where crossing is most common. He also covers the less-talked-about case of Corydoras catfish hybridising in mixed shoals, the genetics behind why some crosses produce healthy fry and others don't, and why hybrid cichlids are so often sterile.

If you've ever wondered whether your "tuxedo platy" is really a hybrid, or you're trying to keep a clean cichlid breeding line, this episode gives you the practical answers.

Topics include: livebearer hybrids, platy and swordtail crossing, mbuna hybridisation, flowerhorn and blood parrot cichlid origins, Corydoras hybrids, fish genetics and hybrid viability, hybrid sterility in cichlids, ethics of fish hybridisation, conservation risks, preventing accidental hybrids.

Enjoyed the episode? Please follow The Aquarist's Edge and leave a review to help more freshwater aquarists discover the show.

⭐ Enjoying the podcast? Please leave a review as it helps other fishkeepers find the show.

☕ Support the show by buying Art a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/artsfishroom

Can you actually grow plants in a tank with no heater? In this episode of The Aquarist's Edge, Art breaks down why coldwater and goldfish tanks developed such a bad reputation for plants and which ones genuinely thrive in them.

He works through the tough, unappetising options that survive both cold water and grazing fish, the "sacrificial" plants worth growing on purpose so goldfish have something to eat that isn't your centrepiece, and the lighting, substrate, and CO2 basics that actually determine whether any of it grows. Along the way there are practical, do-it-this-week tips.

If you keep goldfish, White Clouds, or any unheated community tank and have been told plants just aren't for you, this episode will change how you plan your next aquascape.

Enjoyed the episode? Please follow The Aquarist's Edge and leave a review to help more freshwater aquarists discover the show.

⭐ Enjoying the podcast? Please leave a review as it helps other fishkeepers find the show.

☕ Support the show by buying Art a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/artsfishroom

Can better colour really be trained into a fish, or is it mostly down to luck and genetics? In this episode of The Aquarist's Edge, Art breaks down what actually drives fish colouration, from diet and water quality to lighting, substrate, and social grouping.

He looks at where colour genuinely comes from, why carotenoid-rich foods matter for reds and oranges, how chronic stress quietly dulls even healthy fish, and why factors like substrate tone and shoal size can visibly change how a fish displays. The episode also sets realistic expectations, since genetics ultimately sets the ceiling no amount of good care can raise.

If you're chasing more vibrant fish, wondering why your tank doesn't look as colourful as you'd hoped, or just curious what's actually happening beneath the surface, this episode will help you separate what you can influence from what you can't.

Topics include: fish colour, colour-enhancing fish food, carotenoids in fish diet, fish stress and colouration, aquarium lighting for colour, substrate and fish colour, shoaling fish behaviour, fish genetics, freshwater fish care, and realistic fishkeeping expectations.

Enjoyed the episode? Please follow The Aquarist's Edge and leave a review to help more freshwater aquarists discover the show.

⭐ Enjoying the podcast? Please leave a review as it helps other fishkeepers find the show.

☕ Support the show by buying Art a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/artsfishroom

Is fishkeeping really an accessible hobby, or is it more demanding than it first appears? In this episode of The Aquarist’s Edge, Art looks at the true cost of freshwater fishkeeping, the space and time an aquarium requires, the physical demands of maintenance, and the knowledge beginners need before getting started.

He also explores how aquarium care can be made easier and more inclusive without compromising fish welfare. From choosing manageable aquarium sizes and simplifying maintenance to avoiding information overload and understanding the nitrogen cycle, this episode offers practical advice for beginners and experienced aquarists alike.

If you are considering your first freshwater aquarium, working with a limited budget or space, or looking for ways to make fishkeeping easier to maintain, this episode will help you build an aquarium that fits your life while still meeting the needs of your fish.

Topics include: beginner fishkeeping, affordable aquarium setups, aquarium maintenance, fish welfare, aquarium costs, small aquariums, accessible fishkeeping, nitrogen cycle basics, freshwater aquarium care, and responsible fishkeeping.

Enjoyed the episode? Please follow The Aquarist’s Edge and leave a review to help more freshwater aquarists discover the show.

⭐ Enjoying the podcast? Please leave a review as it helps other fishkeepers find the show. 

☕ Support the show by buying Art a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/artsfishroom