Magazine

Week 6 has now finished for most schools for the Fishkeeper Fry 2025 programme. Schools are working hard to look after their aquariums and the fish.

We are now past the halfway point of the programme, with most schools having completed Week 5 last week. Schools continue to share their fantastic work with us and proudly showcase their Fishkeepers of the Week.

It may be chilly but spring is in the air and we’re preparing for the upcoming pond season. Traditionally Easter sees the start of things and we’ll spend the next weeks making sure that our fish are ready to face the British weather head on. 

Fishkeeper Fry week 4 is now over for our participating schools. It's been an exciting week with the addition of more fish.

Fishkeeper Fry week 3  is over for most of our participating schools. It has been exciting to see all of the work and the development of the tanks.

Week 2 is now complete for most schools. This week, the schools have been showing what they have been up to.

A close relative of the Green barb (Barbodes semifasciolatus) these Snyder’s barbs (B. snyderi) are a rarely seen Taiwanese native, perfect for unheated aquaria although more likely to appeal to the dedicated cypriniphile with a taste for the unusual.

Fishkeeper Fry week one is now complete for the majority of the participating schools. But what have they been up to in week one?

Founded in 2008, LINI (which translates to 'line' or 'connection' in Indonesian) is a dedicated non-profit organisation committed to promoting sustainable community development in Indonesia. With a passionate team of professionals at its helm, LINI stands out as one of the few organisations focused on community-based marine conservation, specifically aimed at fostering sustainable fisheries. 

In 2020, schools across the country participated in an incredible Fishkeeping programme, and their enthusiasm and dedication truly shone. Every school brought its best efforts to teaching students the joy and responsibility of fishkeeping, resulting in a rewarding experience for all involved.

The programme tasked schools with weekly challenges, ranging from setting up aquariums and safely introducing fish to the tank to testing water

Testing aquarium or pond water is both a critical and essential step in maintaining a healthy, thriving aquatic environment. It allows hobbyists to monitor and maintain the water parameters necessary for the well-being of all fish, plants, and other inhabitants within. Check out our handy guide that explains why the health of your aquarium or pond water means everything to the health and wellbeing of your fish.

Our exclusive Fishkeeper app is the perfect tool to help you record and monitor your pond or aquarium water health. This short article shows you step-by-step how to set up your profile on the app and where you can start recording and tracking the water parameters that are important to your set-up.

As aquarium hobbyists advance, understanding water quality and testing for nitrogenous wastes like Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate becomes crucial for the health of aquatic pets. While many fish species can adapt to varying water conditions, inappropriate chemistry can cause issues, especially for more delicate species. 

With an almost tartan colour pattern that blends with the finely branching corals on which it often perches, the Long-nosed hawkfish (Oxycirrhites typus) is a popular choice for reef aquaria. 

A familiar ally in the fight against algae in our aquaria, the Amano shrimp (Caridina multidentata) has a complex lifecycle that has meant captive breeding took a while to crack. 

Check out our last delivery times before Christmas and stores and online operating hours and Customer Service availability over the festive period.

It may be getting colder outside but that suits Orfe (Leucisus idus) whether they’re Golden or Blue. They love the higher oxygen levels that go hand in hand with cooler water and are easier to transport as well. 

Having been bred into a large number of colour and finnage forms, the aquarium lines of Bristlenose catfish (Ancistrus sp.) are perfect algae eating community residents for all but the smallest aquaria.

As the weather cools and focus shifts indoors, the ‘trop season’ is upon us. Since the last one there’s been some changes to the names of things with Corydoras catfish and now it seems tetras being reclassified. Predictably, it takes suppliers a while to catch up with these name changes and many people will be pleased to hear that common names are pretty much unaffected.

Traditionally there’s a number of species that are bred and sold to us with the wrong names and have been for years, many

Yellow tangs (Zebrasoma flavescens) have joined the roster of rare and expensive marines in the last few years and it’s great to see a chunky and fin-perfect specimen like this one at Scotsdale. Their availability might have changed dramatically, but caring for this fish hasn’t – especially since captive bred specimens now dominate the trade.