Tisbury Aquatic Services

19/06/2023

24/03/2022

It's Fishy Friday again and for the second week running I'm a day early. I can't help being a busy boy on Fridays.

This week I am featuring Fresh Water Shrimps, and that's for a reason. I know someone who lost all their shrimps very quickly so I went round to check the water for them. It was ok. The problem I noticed was the aquarium was really clean, that of course means they had nothing to eat. so always ensure you feed your shrimp people, and stick a few moss balls in. Any how here we go.

Tropical aquarium shrimp are easy to care for as long as the correct water parameters are met. Shrimp can be very sensitive to water quality and any changes in the conditions can lead to fatalities. This being said, it is probably a good idea to keep shrimp in slightly larger tanks that are not subject to steep changes in a short amount of time. Your ideal tank will need to be free of ammonia and very low nitrite/ nitrate levels, will have medium to low light, plenty of shelters, and the temperature will need to be kept stable – for many breeds, this will be between 24 – 26 °C.
They are not very big creatures, some of the largest only reaching 7cm at full maturity. Despite their little stature, they do well in quite big busy tanks. They thrive in a full environment because they are natural scavengers. They feed themselves off uneaten fish food, algae and bacteria that grow throughout the aquarium. The more fish and plants in the fish tank, the more food sources your shrimp will have! It is also a good idea to add a standard flake food or algae pellet to their diet to ensure they are getting all the nutrients that they need.
If you plan to have crusteceans in your community fish tank, be sure to have a soft substrate at the bottom so that they can safely burrow for food. They also need plenty of hiding places - provide them plenty of live plants and wood so that they can hide out when they need to. Having places available for them to take cover will actually boost their confidence around the tank and you will in turn, see more of them.
The most important care tip is to avoid copper and excess calcium in the water. Both calcium and copper are toxic to most aquarium invertebrates like tropical shrimp, so avoid any medications and treatments with copper traces and avoid using calcium-rich rocks, substrates and plant fertilisers.
Shrimp are great for tropical community fish tanks because they will not pester the fish that you already have in your aquarium – they will happily live amongst them and eat the food that they leave behind. As with any species you wish to keep in your aquaria, research before purchase is absolutely essential. Although they have a generally peaceful nature, there are always exceptions. Size is typically the largest concern when adding them to your fish tank.
Avoid adding smaller crustacean species to a tank with large, boisterous and/or carnivorous shrimp – fish such as cichlids, angelfish and barbs; these larger fish will mistake the little shrimp for food. Some good tank-mates are danios, guppies, tetras, rasboras and other small community fish or shrimp.
Fish are not always the sole predators in a tank. If the shrimp species you keep is larger than the fish, omnivorous species have been known to catch fish if they are slow enough.

17/03/2022

It's Fishy Friday.

The Humble Guppy.
Guppies (Poecilia reticulata) are one of the most popular fish in the aquarium hobby because of their brilliant colors, lively personalities, and ease of breeding. In this care guide, we answer your most frequently asked questions about this simple yet beautiful species.
Guppies grow to an average of 2 inches long, so the smallest tank size we recommend is a 5-gallon aquarium for a trio of guppies. But given how quickly they reproduce, a 10- or 20-gallon aquarium would be more appropriate in the long run. If you plan on breeding them, start with a ratio of one male for every two to three females, and provide lots of cover (such as live aquarium plants) for the babies to hide in. Plus, use gentle filtration like a sponge filter so that the tiny fry won’t get sucked up.
Like many livebearers, guppies enjoy pH levels at 7.0 or greater. They also like hard water with good amounts of calcium, magnesium, and other essential minerals. If you live off well water with high pH, you’re going to become one of the best guppy breeders ever. However, if your water is naturally soft, add Wonder Shell to your aquarium, and it will help raise your water hardness and add minerals to the tank.
An aquarium heater is recommended to keep the water warmer at 76 to 78°F, since these new lines of fancy guppies are not as resilient as the original species found in the wild. At this temperature range, your guppies should have an average life span of two to three years. If you raise the heat to 82°F, the fish will grow faster and make more babies – but they’ll only live for 18 months. If you lower the temperature to 72°F instead, their life span may increase to 3.5 years or longer, but they’ll take forever to reach adulthood and may only have babies every six months.
Guppies are pros at begging for food, so owners often overfeed them, which can lead to constipation and other health issues. Feed adult guppies once or twice a day, as much as they can eat in one minute. If you are raising fry, you can increase the feedings to three to five times a day, but make sure that each meal is much smaller in amount so that you won’t foul the water with excess food. Guppies are not picky eaters and will even graze on algae growing inside the aquarium. We like to give ours a wide variety of foods, such as bloodworms, brine shrimp, flake foods, pellets, and Easy Fry and Small Fish Food.

11/03/2022

Its Fishy Friday.....

The Ram Cichlid (Microgeophagus Ramirezi) is a popular aquarium fish because of its colorful appearance. However, it is not an easy fish for beginners.
The Ram reacts very sensitive to germs and easily gets stick. Weekly water changes (1/3 - 1/4 of volume) should be routine. Unfortunately it is very susceptible to stress and even a change in water levels can lead to health issues. A common disease as result of sub optimal keeping conditions is the hole in the head disease.
The aquarium should be densely planted providing enough hiding places. Excellent hidings can be assembled with driftwood or large stones. Since the Ram Cichlid is a district builder, roots and stones also form natural territorial boundaries. The substrate should ideally be sand or at least fine gravel.
The males of the Ram Cichlid are slightly more colored and larger than the females. Another distinguishing feature of the males is the longer second ray of the dorsal fin. Depending on the breed, the female belly is often red colored.
For spawning soft water is necessary (GH

04/03/2022

Fishy Friday.

This is your weekly Fishy Fact File, and as I said last week it’s the:

Amazon Theme Aquarium.

In a sentence “this is too big a subject for one Friday”, so I will restrict it to my own experience with my own setup I had many years ago. If you want it as authentic as possible look up the plants you want in advance. I always used Tropica in the past, they have a huge range and easily available. I have put photos of a few ideas. I like to Aquascape in layers and fill the aquarium. In doing so it may cost a bit, but it’s worth it. You can space them and let them grow out.

In my aquarium I had 3 main fish varieties, Cardinal Tetras, Rummy Nose Tetras, and Black Phantom Tetras, and I had 15 plus of each variety as these are real shoaling fish. Then constructing my aquarium I used bog wood in the main design, but then I fixed a piece to the right hand side of the glass, with Plants and moss attached. It really looked spectacular as the Phantom Tetras used this as there resting place. It made it all the more real.

This was really my starting point. I then had to get my cleaners, and feature fish stock. Much of the fun in building an aquarium is to create a piece of nature, so research the fish and plants from that region and try to stick with it.

We are in a very good time of fish keeping with all the knowledge that has been gained over the last 40-50 years. Most of what we buy now are captive breed and will not interfere with nature.

Next week The Dwarf Ram Cichlid.

27/02/2022

Just came back from seeing Sophie at Maidenhead Aquatics in Wilton. They have some amazing South American fish, which by some coincidence is the subject of next weeks Fishy Friday Fact File. Saw some really good size Rummy-Nose Tetras. They had a boat load of new plants too.

26/02/2022

Fishy Friday.

This is your weekly Fishy Fact File. Yes I know it’s Saturday, its my first one and I’m a day late already. Oh well.

Otocinclus Affinis.

If you are keeping a planted aquarium, these are a must.
There are seventeen species of Otocinclus, often called Otos, and they are one of the best algae eaters you can have in a community tank. They can grow to be about 1 1/2 – 2 inches when fully mature. Be aware that in the wild the shoal in there thousands and are known to be a social fish, keep at least 6 in your tank – 10-15 would be better for a tank of 150Lts or more. Obviously the bigger the aquarium the more you have, after all they are doing your work for you. One point to remember, don’t introduce them into new tanks as there is no food for them unless you feed algae wafers.

Next week The Amazon Tank.

25/02/2022

Tisbury Aquatic Services. We can Deep Clean, Service, & Maintain your Aquarium. Fancy a New Look, or an Aquascape. call me on 07791 415 220.

18/02/2022

Hi everyone, let's get this show in the road.
Do you have a fish tank that you would like to become an Aquarium. Look no further. I can Deep Clean , and Re-Build your Aquarium to become your new piece of furniture. The first step as always is to make first contact.