Explore every episode of the podcast Tropical Fish Keeping UK

Is fish keeping a healthy hobby, it's not like you get extra exercise, and does it lower stress? 

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With the publication of the RSPCA report, the shape of suffering, I thought I'd look over the report and give you my thoughts. Then I had to reduce the volume because I'd got so worked up. Can you spot where I editted out the swearwords? 

Oh and when I refer to parrots, or parrot cichlids, I mean Blood Parrots. 

 Fish are bred to very few standards for the most, and little concern about their short or long term welfare. I feel that this needs to change, and the best way is through our wallets. 

https://www.rspca.org.uk/documents/d/rspca/ec-report

Want to keep in touch?

Contact me at ruth@turtleandheronmedia.com or on social media. 

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TropicalFishKeepingUK

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A weird ramble through my overheated thoughts. 

Want to keep in touch?

Contact me at ruth@turtleandheronmedia.com or on social media. 

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TropicalFishKeepingUK

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Want to help out, reach out, or please join our Patreon 

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Or want to give a one of help 

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For more info www.tropicalfishkeeping.co.uk

The genetics of colours is an important part of fish keeping, but it's not that clear cut. 

Want to keep in touch?

Contact me at ruth@turtleandheronmedia.com or on social media. 

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TropicalFishKeepingUK

Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/fishkeeping.bsky.social

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Want to help out, reach out, or please join our Patreon 

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Or want to give a one of help 

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For more info www.tropicalfishkeeping.co.uk

Join me to answer some questions taken from our social media groups. 

Want to keep in touch 

Contact me at ruth@turtleandheronmedia.com or on social media. 

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TropicalFishKeepingUK

Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/fishkeeping.bsky.social

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tropicalfishkeepinguk/?hl=en

Sub Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/TropicalFishKeepingUK/

Want to help out, reach out, or please join our Patreon 

https://www.patreon.com/cw/tropicalfishkeepinguk

Or want to give a one of help 

https://buymeacoffee.com/tropicalfish

For more info www.tropicalfishkeeping.co.uk

I'm joined by special guest John Chitty to discuss the upcoming changes to how we classify fish, and what that means for the care we need to give them. 

 What are your thoughts on taking your fish to the vet? Can you see any issues? Contact me at ruth@turtleandheronmedia.com or on social media. 

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TropicalFishKeepingUK

Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/fishkeeping.bsky.social

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tropicalfishkeepinguk/?hl=en

Sub Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/TropicalFishKeepingUK/

Want to help out, reach out, or please join our Patreon 

https://www.patreon.com/cw/tropicalfishkeepinguk

Or want to give a one of help 

https://buymeacoffee.com/tropicalfish

For more info tropicalfishkeeping.co.uk 

Fish clubs are struggling, but why is that, and what do fish clubs need to do? 

It's the time of year to head off on your hols, but what to do about your fish? What if I told you this is one of the times of year that we see far more fish deaths, all linked to how you plan to feed your fish whilst you are away. 

After the recent meeting in London it'sclear there are some changeson the horizon..

Have you ever wondered about fish that are used in labs. I chat with Hannah Poppy Davies about her work with Zebra Danios in the lab setting at City St George's University of London, and the rehoming project that means if you have space in your tank you can apply to rehome some of their fish once their working days are over. 

https://www.citystgeorges.ac.uk/about/facilities/biological-research-facility/a-life-after-the-lab-rehoming-laboratory-zebrafish 

Anti pet keeping groups are quck to point out the issues with pet keeping, I think we as fish keepers need to look at our own issues, and see what we can do as the ones who love our animals. 

www.tropicalfishkeeping.co.uk 

Ptychochromis insolitus, also known as the Mangarahara cichlid or joba mena was thought to be extinct after the last female known female in captivity died, to make matters worse the only river they're known from had dried up. 

 But one zoo keeper Brian Zimmerman refused to accept they were gone, and launched a campaign to find more females. hoping that private keepers had some hidden in tanks, or tropical ponds, instead he was given clues to find a remnant population in the wild. 

I'm joined today by Asher Flatt, who is hoping to raise the money to bring this journey to bring a species back from extinction, his project A Fish Out Of Water will follow the journey of discovery, and the movement to protect this still rare species. 

Fish Out OF Water Kickstarter

https://youtu.be/8Lcw-O_yow0?si=qTtRx2XVrLalqWdb

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Dissolved oxygen doesn't sound important but it really is. 

It's world aqurium day, so let's take a little time to celebrate our hobby and all that makes it great. 

Carrying on looking at how the chemistry of the water in our fish tanks impacts our fish. 

For some reason we like to dye our fish weird colours. but is this a bit of harmless improvement. Of course not. 

Let's start learning some water chemistry. I've tried not to make it too complex, but as ever I'd love to hear your feedback. 

With fish shops shutting right and left, the obvious question is why. 

Mollys are wonderfull little fish, but how do we know what they need. the answer is, it's really difficult. 

The first paradise fish landed in European aquaria over 150 years ago. But there was something a bit differenent about these according to the people writing about them. Marketing gimmick, or something more mysterious? 

A few questions from the inbox and facebook group for this month. 

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tropicalfishkeeping.co.uk

Many species of fish live in groups, but are they shoaling, schooling, or just living together, and in our tanks do they need to be in groups? 

Head over to tropicalfishkeeping.co.uk to see what is going on now. 

Algae is one of the topics we see the most questions about, but there is far more than just being a nusiance, so here is a tiny toe dip into the topic. 

There is a lot of push back from people on social media about everything that I write. Which is normal, but it's getting worse, is it to the point that it's causing issues for people trying to learn what to do? 

The 8 second memory has long since been debunked, but are our fish actually smart? Or are we just giving them credit for knowing which container has the food? 

Diet is complex, important, easy to get right, impossible to get perfect. Come and listen to me try and summarise a huge topic in a few ideas and tips. 

Nature is important, but so is realism, it's impossible to have a true ecosystem in your tank without major inputs and outputs. Let's discuss how to make things more natural. 

Water changes, crucial and debated, but not in my opinion debatable. 

If you like what we do, please consider supporting us on Patreon 

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www.tropicalfishkeeping.co.uk 

We import most of the fish that are sold in shops, and there are issues with that. Join me as we dive into the reasons, and possible solutions. 

www.tropicalfishkeeping.co.uk 

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Have you just got a new tank and you've not got a clue what to do with it? Here's a little intro to start, 

Check out our website tropicalfishkeeping.co.uk for more articles to help, and there is a video series on what to do starting on our YouTube channel Tropical Fish Keeping UK

Some questions that have been asked. IF you like this let me know and I'll make it a regular thing. 

 We have questions on plants not growing, fish not breeding and more. Got a question yourself. Head over to any of the social medias and ask. 

For some of the plants I mentioned. 

https://tropicalfishkeeping.co.uk/the-easy-planted-aquarium/ 

Sorry if i sound a bit breathless, allergies decided to exist, hopefully I can get them sorted soon. 

Join me as I ramble on about the link between humans and the pets we love. 

Let's carry on look at cichlids, this time moving to the Andes to look at Andinoacara. From Blue Acara to Green Terrors, these can be amazing species as pet fish, or a great breeding project. 

The advice that various AI platforms are pumping out is dangerously wrong, this is fine if it's just a random fact, but now when people are using this, and pushing it to treat animals, Fish especially. 

Deformed, diseased, and cheap. So many of the fish that are being sold, shouldn't be available at all. Let's stop thinking of this as a cheap hobby and start looking to pay more for our pets. 

Wnat to hear what is getting me very angry? Yes? Great here it is. Enjoy. 

Continuing our journey around South America looking at Cichlids, Today we join Alfred Russel Wallace in one of the most harrowing parts of his adventures, and then look at Pike cichlids, and one decent alternative. 

Let's leave the cold wet winter behind and head to the tropics, the Amazon River Basin to be exact, looking at the cichlids that occupy the reaches of the river, specifically the discus. Often thought to be the king of cichlids, or even fish, there is far more than you might think to those stunning fih. 

Okay follow me on a journey into my favourtie fish, or group of fish. Cichlids. From Rift Lake Cichlids to South American, and all the rest. 

Apologies for the wrandom noises. I'm not feeling up to rerecording it, and I messed up a bit, I will do better next time. 

This rant is brought to you by frustration, so much that my darling assistance dog told me my blood pressure was off part way through. Listen to the rant. You'll understand. 

 The dog world has brought out a set of standards for dog breeding, and in this rant about that, I lay outr some standards we also should use. 

There seems to be a multitude of ways that your fish tank can if not kill you, at least do you a serious mischeif. 

 Let's have a quick run down of the main dangers and how you can avoid some of them. Please forgive me having a cold and sounding more stuffy than normally. Normal service should resume soon enough. 

You can find out more info at www.tropicalfishkeeping.co.uk 

Not a rant, a ramble through my love of our wonderful hobby. 

Don't forget to check out the website www.tropicalfishkeeping.co.uk 

The Don't Pet Me campaign has come out and seems to be saying that the fishkeeping hobby should be subjected to a positive list, and heavily restricted. It seems that we aren't capable of keeping fish without significant welfare issues. Join me for my thoughts on these ridiculous ideas, and even though many might think this is targeted at primates, and big cats, fish keeping is the area really at risk. 

Join me on a rant about the things that people say in the comments, and why so often they are just plain old wrong. 

Part two of looking at livebearers, looking not only just at Goodieds, but also the conservation projects around them. There's some diversions down different streams of thought, but I get there in the end. 

Livebearers are fascinating fish, from the humble Guppy that graces so many of our tanks, through to less well known species, but there's a lot more than meets the eye. Come and join me as I dive into the world of livebearers. 

Welcome back to the irregularly scheduled rants, this is a topic that gets me so angry, and I can see the issues that are facing the industry. But we as keepers can make choices, and even if that isn't the same choice that others make it will still matter to the fish you keep. 

Welcome back to the final part of the question, what are your parameters. This time we are looking at hardness and phosphates, and then that is it for analytical chemistry for a while. 

So dive in and learn a little more. I'm aware we've done hardness in another episode, but it never hurts to revisit this topic. 

Continuing looking at the water tests that should be a regular part of your fish keeping, looking at nitrates and pH. For beginners and more experienced aquarist alike. 

Nitrates are so often miunderstood, they're seen as being completely safe, but in fact they are deadly at higher concentrations. 

What are your parameters is a question I ask far too often. Most issues in fish keeping can be traced back to issues with our water, so when trying to help I will ask that question. 

But what do I mean, what are I refering to when I ask that question? What is ammonia and why is it an issue, why do we want to know. Where does ammonia and nitrite come from, and what harm do they cause? 

 This is for those just starting out, and for more experienced aquarists, hopefully there will be something interesting for everyone. 

Ruth McDonald has been keeping fish for over two decades now, and has been researching fish since her master thesis into what fish eat dead bodies took a turn into what fish like to eat. She's taught at university level, and has been running Tropical Fish Keeping UK for 10 years.