***THIS IS A COMMUNITY ACCOUNT***



For those who love FISH!! Not to eat, to keep as pets and admire in the wild or in public aquaria. Marine, Freshwater, they all count here!! Note me to join in, all submissions welcome!

Click here: [link] to see all the latest fishie photos.
And click here: [link] for an external wiki site just for fishkeeping.



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I hope to have little competitions and challenges if people like the idea of this



Useful Information

[link] : Taking Fish Photos
[link] : Golden Rules of Fishkeeping
[link] : Betta Splenden Care
[link] : Goldfish Care
[link] : Keeping Nemo
[link] : Dyed Fish Campaign

There has been a horrific growing trend in the past few years, for fish stores to sell fish that have been artificially coloured or patterned. This needs to stop!

Not only to the fish look terrible, the processes used are terrible, and without any form of anesthesia. They are dipped into suffocating solutions, tattooed out of water or injected with dyes with needles that would be the equivalent of us being tattooed with a needle the thickness of a pencil. These colours never last and fade over time anyway, after making the fish more susceptable to illnesses and shortening their lifespan anyway.

Say NO to fish stores that stock these fish, boycott them, get them to sign up to Practical Fishkeeping's Dyed Fish Campaign. This campaign began in the UK and has now begun to spread worldwide!

Click here for the campaign: [link]
And click here for the Death by Dying site: [link]


Fish that are often seen to be dyed:
Blood Parrot Fish - these hybrids naturally only come in shades of orange, they do NOT naturally come in bright green, blue or purple!
Black Skirt Tetras - the white colour morph has been seen injected with dye and mis-labelled as a "fruit loop tetra".
Corydoras - not as common, but albino morphs have been seen injected with dye. there is a naturally occuring Orange Lazer Corys, these are not dyed.
Glassfish - these should be lacking in any colour whatsoever.

Generally any white morph of (mostly freshwater) large bodied fish can be targetted by ruthless people looking to make a quick buck. If it looks unnatural it probably is!

Glofish - these are NOT dyed, they are genetically modified danios.

Also be wary of other forms of fish mutilation, it has been seen in press from the far east, a new trend emerging, involving cutting off a fishes tail, no anesthsia and out of water, in the case of blood parrots, they're then sold with the "heart" label as a new trend. DO NOT BUY THESE!

If you're suspicious ask the fish store employees, and check on the internet before you buy anything!

Goldfish are quite possibly one of the most abused pets in the UK. They can be fantastic first pets, but the out-dated myths of their care means they're often left in terrible conditions to suffer and die long before their time.

Goldfish FAQ

1. Goldfish are classed in two catagories. Common and Fancy. Common are best kept in ponds, whereas fancies are selective-bred therefore more delicate, often having difficulty swimming, so would not survive in a pond and must be kept in a tank. Click this link: [link] It has a fantastic list with pictures of each type of goldfish currently available. The Common, Comet and Shubunkin would survive in a pond, the others are best kept in a tank.

2. They are coldwater fish and must never be kept at tropical temperatures. If kept at tropical temperatures their metabolism will increase leading to all sorts of health problems, and any tropical fish kept in with them will suffer from the increased ammonia created by the goldfishes waste.

3. So you want to keep a couple of goldfish in a little tank. Forget it. Goldfish need BIG tanks to thrive. Follow the rule of 20 US gallons for the first goldfish and 10 US gallons per fish thereafter and you'll be on the right track. So your 3 little goldfish will need at LEAST 40 US gallons of tank. And a long tank at that! They're lateral swimmers. Keeping them in tanks too small will mean they'll again suffer from ammonia poisoning, cramped conditions, you may think they're happy, but really they're not! They'll all suffer from growth problems.

4. Goldfish also poo, a LOT, therefore you must never skimp on filtration or tank cleaning. The tank MUST be cleaned at least once a week with a thorough gravel vacuum to hoover up all that poo. Aeration is also important, goldfish like a lot of oxygen in their water, so bubblers are recommended. Plants also add oxygen, but your goldfish WILL eat them.

5. Common Goldfish have the potential to reach 12"-14" long. Fancy Goldfish will reach 10"-12" long. Kept in the correct tank conditions anyhow. Goldfish are long living fish, the oldest on record is 42 years old. Their cousins the Koi Carp have japanese legends of them living over 200 years and passed down through human family generations. So when your goldfish dies after 2 weeks and is only 2" long, no this is not right.

6. Do not be tempted to buy sick looking fish in pet shops because you feel sorry for them. By the time they look sickly it may be too late to save them, and you'll be putting money in a fish stores pockets that doesn't care for it's fish properly, they'll just fill the space with another sickly fish. And never EVER endorse the fairground tradition of giving out goldfish as prizes.

7. There are very few fish that make good goldfish tankmates. Do not keep plecs with them (sucker mouth catfish), they're tropical fish and will suffer from ammonia problems spending a lot of time on the bottom of the tank with all your goldies poo. Also be aware goldfish have a habit of eating anything that will fit in their mouths, and the potential of choking on anything that doesn't (so barebottomed, sand or very large pebbles make for the best tank substrate, rather than gravel). There have been successes however with zebra danios, white cloud mountain minnows and large apple snails. Snails also poop a lot however, and a slacking danio or minnow could be inhaled by a large goldfish. Goldfish are best in species only tanks.

8. Feed goldfish a mixed diet. The fancier goldfish with short bodies are prone to swimbladder problems, so feeding them greens like cooked peas will help them digest their food and avoid constipation. Also let the food sink before the goldfish eat them, letting them gulp air can also lead to swimbladder problems.

The film "Finding Nemo" has reeked havoc throughout fish stores across the world, every kid wants their own Nemo. And there's a lot of dodgy advice about the care these cute little fish going around, and trying to copy the fish tank in the film, you'd end up with a lot of dead fish! This journal is to clear up the myths about this fish.

Common Names: Clownfish, Anemonefish
Family: Pomacentridae

Clownfish are warm-water marine fish in the same family as damselfish, but usually the two are separated into anemonefish (clownfish) and damselfish. They CANNOT be kept in freshwater or brackish. They are however a hardy fish, and an excellent fish for marine beginners. They will grow to between 3" to 5" in length.

The clownfish live in symbiosis with certain anemones. This means they live together and both the clownfish and the anemone benefiting from each others company. Clownfish can be kept in an aquarium with or without an anemone but if you decide to keep an anemone you should make sure its special needs are met.

Anemones kept incorrectly can nuke a tank if they die with their toxins, and some can grow very large and live for a very long time, they need very specific tank conditions. Only recommended for those with lots of marine experience.

Most fish in this family, Pomacentridae, can become territorial (aggressive) when they get older. Among the exceptions to this are the Green Chromis, the Blue reef chromis, and the Skunk Clown.

There are 27 (currently recognised) different types of clownfish varying in colour, they all have white stripes, from black through brilliant orange to a pale pink! Nemo was a Percula Clown. These different types tend to prefer specific types of anemone, lots of research must be done before picking a host.

Clownfish are among the few marine fish that can be bred in captivity in commercially-viable quantities at the time of this writing. Hobbyists are advised to purchase captive-born clownfish whenever possible.

An average set up for a pair of clownfish would consist of a spacious tank (over 20 US gallons is recommended, 30 US gallon is really the minimum, any smaller and keeping marine conditions stable becomes very hard work), and all other general marine bits and bobs, although large setups are now for sale with everything you need. They are not cheap however, expect to be spending in the late 100s, with monthly maintence bills on top of that. And don't plan any holidays!

Freshwater Equivalent?

I have heard stories of people being sold fish that kind of resemble clownfish, and have been told are clownfish, but live in freshwater. You were told lies. There are several "stripey" freshwater fish on the market, some more available than others. If you have a kid nagging you for a Nemo and you can't afford £1500 for the setup, consider alternatives below.

Clown Loach - Orange and Black stripes, and common in fish stores. However, be aware these guys grow big and live for a long time. They'll grow to about 12" in length, albeit very slowly, and like to be in groups, so once full size will really need something like a 7ft tank.

Platys - Livebearers very common and easily bred, you're missing the stripes but they do come in a very vibrant orange, these would be perfect for a beginner in fish keeping, they'd need a 10 US gallon tank but larger is better, and are best kept in 1 male to 3 female ratio. They give birth to live babies, and are very prolific!

Khuli Loach - A relative of the clown loach, these guys are stripy with very long snake like bodies. Like the clown loach, these like to be in groups but only grow to 3" to 5" in length. They prefer a sand substrate rather than gravel as they like to snuffle through it for food. They can be quite shy, the bigger the group, the bolder they'll be! Provide lots of hiding places.

Harlequin Rasbora - Small schooling fish with orange bodys and black towards the tail. These are fantastic little fish growing to a maximum of 2". They prefer to be in groups of 6+ and look great swimming around a planted tank together. They're excellent beginner fish in a peaceful community and would need to be in 20 US gallons plus ideally, dimly lit and lots of swimming space.

Heres a few pointers on taking good clear photos of live fish.
Based on a digital camera and fish in captivity, you will need the following:

1. Steady Hand
2. Fast shutter speed
3. NO flash
4. Bright light over the tank OR high ISO (very high may make the photo grainy)
5. Place the lens as close to the glass as possible, if it's a public aquarium, try and avoid the scratches on the acrylic/glass!
6. Make sure there are no windows/bright lights behind you reflecting off the glass.

some fish are more skittish than others, a flash will only reflect of the glass meaning you can't see the tank at all and scare shy fish into hiding.

if you have any tips on taking fish photos in the wild or anything to add to the above, comment here!