Pond plants can go from mundane to spectacular and these Japanese Iris (Iris ensata ‘Cheesecake’) were definitely eye catching. One of the Dinner plate series, this is Cheesecake, although I’m led to believe they taste like normal iris. As with most pond plants, this is a hardy perennial that requires sunshine and wet feet to thrive. Flowering will be enhanced by the use of fertiliser balls or regular repotting to ensure optimal nutrition. These beauties were seen at our St Mellons store but you’ll see them in many of our pond sections.

 

 

Fish that eat blanket weed are always popular, and there’s no denying that these Albino grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon Idella) are keen to eat their greens. As well as algae, grass carp also eat aquatic plants and need a large, well-filtered pond, as they grow to a fair size. This all adds up to a fish that is ideal for the kind of pond you’d use for koi. These were seen at our Cardiff branch.

https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/fish/freshwater/pond-fish/grass-carp

 

These fish have been reclassified since this photo was taken, and the Twosaddle cory has now gone from being Corydoras weitzmani to Hoplisoma weitzmani. You’ll notice that all these new names group former Corydoras into more meaningful genera that share a body shape, with many of the most popular species in Hoplisoma now. Common names remain unaffected and the fish don’t care what you call them – keep them in a group over a sandy substrate alongside peaceful tankmates and they’ll reward you with years of perfect community service. These youngsters were seen at Fishkeeper Dunfermline.

https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/fish/freshwater/catfish/twosaddle-cory

 

 

It’s easy to forget that even the most domesticated of species has wild ancestors. Decades of selective breeding has taken the Ram (Mikrogeophagus ramirezi) from the hot savannah waters of its Orinoco homeland to conquer the world, albeit in electric blue, gold, longfin or balloon forms. Wild fish are rarely seen and they develop their beautiful colours when in spawning condition. These are the ancestral form that was domesticated in Germany and Asia, with the German line being particularly robust and colourful – not all aquarium Rams are of German origin though and the term is used rather too freely. These classic beauties were seen at our St Mellons store amongst a great selection of unusual South American dwarf cichlids.

https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/fish/freshwater/cichlids/ram

 

 

Some aquarium pets have been influential for decades and Oscars (Astronotus ocellatus) are almost legendary. Generations of keepers have kept these fish for their personalities and they make excellent pets for those with the dedication to provide large aquaria with good maintenance routines. Before large cichlids were familiar aquarium inhabitants, Oscars earned a reputation for aggression which isn’t that well deserved. They’re quite social fish that are happiest in large groups when they’re not thinking about breeding, like many of their Acara relatives. The fact that youngsters are so appealing and grow so quickly means that we often get rehomed adults which have sometimes endured small tanks and poor water quality along the way. Many stores end up with them in their reservoirs and these two at our Basingstoke store seem to have paired up.

https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/fish/freshwater/cichlids/oscar