Innehållsförteckning för July 2022 från Practical Fishkeeping

ARGUABLY THE most popular catfishes are corydoradins — Corydoras, Aspidoras, Scleromystax. They're small, long-lived, sociable, easy to breed and a whole lot more. But as fantastic as Corydoras are, there are some other catfishes that have some of those qualities, and the mothcats are in that category — dwarves with a distinctly moth-like appearance. So, what are the mothcats? Well, that's not so straightforward to explain. Depending on which ichthyologist's work you follow they are a member of the Asian catfish family Sisoridae, or in their own family, called Erethistidae. I favour the latter. Erethistids are mostly easily distinguished from sisorids by having a long bony process along the lower side of the body, that extends well beyond the base of the pectoral fin. The name mothcats comes from an…

HABITAT Aitum angelfish Daniel is president of the International Society of Barbs. Tetras, Loaches and Catfish, and a profilic writer. IT'S ONE of the freshwater fishes you can truly call iconic, and nobody will argue with you, and during a recent expedition to Colombia, we encountered it numerous times at several locations. It was the topic to talk about between the expedition's participants, even when the fish itself wasn't present. The fish, of course, is the majestic altum angelfish, Pterophyllum altum. The first time we saw a shoal of angelfish was in the Atabapo. This mighty blackwater river stretching a length of 280km might not be the longest tributary of the Rio Orinoco, but it is the most popular and is known for the intense colours its natural surroundings can…

PFK: Hi David, huge thanks for taking time out to tell us about your magnificent tank. What sort of set-up are we looking at here? DN: It's an honour to share my aquarium in this great magazine! Well, first and foremost this is a biotope aquarium, and a biotope aquarium is a relatively close replica of an aquatic habitat — it's a way of imitating nature and trying to get as close to it as possible. This obviously affects the selection of fish, plants, substrate, hardscape, and so on. It is a little slice of nature, if you will, where the fish and the habitat is in focus. How long has it been up and running for? This setup has been running for almost a year now, with some changes…

PONDS Going natural Former PFK editor Jeremy is an author, freelance journalist and an ex-retailer with numerous industry awards. OUR AQUATIC addiction makes us nature lovers by default, but fishkeeping's eco-credentials are difficult to defend at times, with so much single-use plastic, air miles and energy consumption. So, if you want to help the planet's wildlife but aren't directly involved in endangered fish conservation there is another way. Build a wildlife pond. Building a wildlife pond is just about the most eco-friendly aquatic project you'll ever embark on. It's cheap, easy, doesn't use any electricity yet does huge amounts for wildlife, the environment and maybe even your wellbeing. Wildlife ponds are decorative, educational, and provide havens for both aquatic and terrestrial wildlife, be it flora or fauna, amphibian, bird, mammal…

MARINE Harlequin tuskfish Chris works in conservstion research and writes for multiple aquarium based publications. WHEN IT comes to a celebration of colour in the natural world, it's hard to look past a coral reef. These bustling metropolises of life, set over the backdrop of brightly-coloured coralline structures, are often bursting at the seams with bespoke marine life, each decked out in an array of hues and shades, seemingly attempting to outdo its neighbour in some battle of aesthetics. In terms of front-runners, numerous invertebrates put on a good show, whether that's the club-wielding peacock mantis, Odontodactylus scyllarus, resplendent in its green and reds, the flashing flesh of the disco clam, Ctenoides ales, the multitude of magnificently decorated nudibranchs, or the pulsating, psychedelic light show of a performing cuttlefish. From…

OCCASIONALLY, IN the recesses of oddball fish stores, you might come across a square-looking, silvery-green or red-hued fish that doesn't look quite like the rest. There's a good chance this will be Scatophagus argus, or the spotted scat. From the off, it should be noted that there are two ‘types’ of spotted scat. Scatophagus argus has a subspecies — Scatophagus argus arromaculatus, offered under the common name of red or ruby scat. Care for both S. argus and its subspecies is identical and outward appearance is the only discerning feature between the two. S. argus has endured, on and off, as a popular aquarium inhabitant for many decades in the aquarium hobby. This can largely be attributed to its relatively easy care (if some basic requirements are met) and interesting…

ALL-IN-ONE POND filters aren't new inventions, they've been around for quite some time now, but the increased interest in smallish garden ponds (a result of Covid) means that there is a surge in demand. It's good news for the manufacturers, as they can focus on developing new products or selling more of their established models. In this review I have included a wide range of all-in-one filters, from tried-and-tested ‘workhorse’ pumps to the latest developments. All in one basics Before going into details let's go through the basics of selecting the right equipment for you. All-in-one filters come in many shapes and configurations, but at first glance they may look like regular fountain pumps, albeit a bit bigger. A 2-in-l filter is basically a fountain with large volume of filter…