Tropical Fish Keeping UK

There seems to be a multitude of ways that your fish tank can if not kill you, at least do you a serious mischeif.

Let's have a quick run down of the main dangers and how you can avoid some of them. Please forgive me having a cold and sounding more stuffy than normally. Normal service should resume soon enough.

You can find out more info at www.tropicalfishkeeping.co.uk

Not a rant, a ramble through my love of our wonderful hobby.

Don't forget to check out the website www.tropicalfishkeeping.co.uk

The Don't Pet Me campaign has come out and seems to be saying that the fishkeeping hobby should be subjected to a positive list, and heavily restricted. It seems that we aren't capable of keeping fish without significant welfare issues. Join me for my thoughts on these ridiculous ideas, and even though many might think this is targeted at primates, and big cats, fish keeping is the area really at risk.

Join me on a rant about the things that people say in the comments, and why so often they are just plain old wrong.

Part two of looking at livebearers, looking not only just at Goodieds, but also the conservation projects around them. There's some diversions down different streams of thought, but I get there in the end.

Livebearers are fascinating fish, from the humble Guppy that graces so many of our tanks, through to less well known species, but there's a lot more than meets the eye. Come and join me as I dive into the world of livebearers.

Welcome back to the irregularly scheduled rants, this is a topic that gets me so angry, and I can see the issues that are facing the industry. But we as keepers can make choices, and even if that isn't the same choice that others make it will still matter to the fish you keep.

Welcome back to the final part of the question, what are your parameters. This time we are looking at hardness and phosphates, and then that is it for analytical chemistry for a while.

So dive in and learn a little more. I'm aware we've done hardness in another episode, but it never hurts to revisit this topic.

Continuing looking at the water tests that should be a regular part of your fish keeping, looking at nitrates and pH. For beginners and more experienced aquarist alike.

Nitrates are so often miunderstood, they're seen as being completely safe, but in fact they are deadly at higher concentrations.

What are your parameters is a question I ask far too often. Most issues in fish keeping can be traced back to issues with our water, so when trying to help I will ask that question.

But what do I mean, what are I refering to when I ask that question? What is ammonia and why is it an issue, why do we want to know. Where does ammonia and nitrite come from, and what harm do they cause?

This is for those just starting out, and for more experienced aquarists, hopefully there will be something interesting for everyone.

Ruth McDonald has been keeping fish for over two decades now, and has been researching fish since her master thesis into what fish eat dead bodies took a turn into what fish like to eat. She's taught at university level, and has been running Tropical Fish Keeping UK for 10 years.