Practical Fishkeeping March 2025

THE MARCH ISSUE is here, and it is another cracker! While aquascaping is not always at the forefront of my brain, it has been since I read Tom’s brilliant guide to contests. I am sure I will not be the only one feeling inspired to get creative this month. Perhaps, after seeing the brilliant colours and textures of the various Ludwigia species George shares on pages 66-70, you may even dedicate a patch of your next aquarium to these fantastic plants. Don’t worry though, it is not all aquascaping and plants, salty folk have some great articles to enjoy too. New contributor, Marijke Puts, explores whether or not crabs can be trusted in your reef tanks while Jeremy talks all things sumps. If that’s still not enough to satisfy your…

Fancy being featured in the next issue of Practical Fishkeeping Magazine? Showcase your work and share your photographs with the Fishkeeping community – if you have a tank you’re proud of, we want to see it. For a chance to be included, simply send us your tank photos with a little bit of information about you and your tank. This month’s Tank of the Month will receive an Aquadip care package!* Submit yours to us via email at editorial@practicalfishkeeping.co.uk or visit our website here: practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/gallery. WIN AN AQUADIP CARE PACKAGE • AQUADIP Liquid Filter Medium - 500 ml • AQUADIP Plant Food+ - 500 ml • AQUADIP Liquid Carbon - 500 ml • AQUADIP H2O Maker - 500 ml • Plus AQUADIP Aquascaping Towel TANK OF THE MONTH - PIERS WARREN…

EVERYONE KNOWS THAT fishes breed by laying eggs. Children learn it at nursery and unless they grow up/live with a fishkeeper or become aquarists themselves this belief stays with them in their whole life. Therefore, when people hear about livebearer fishes their surprise and disbelief is fully understandable, because how on earth could a fish give birth? Those more in the know would answer that it’s because following the internal fertilisation the eggs – instead of being laid or spread externally - they develop and hatch in the mother’s body, allowing a fully functional fry to emerge. It’s correct, but only a fraction of even those who are familiar with livebearers know that this is only part of the truth. Some species do more for their babies than just simply…

I’M BY NO means an experienced contest aquascaper, with this being my third time entering the IAPLC (International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest) after first getting into aquascaping 9 years ago (and fishkeeping many years before that), so please do not take this as gospel. This is purely my take on the aspects I find most important for a successful contest layout. After taking my first step into the realm of contest aquascaping, I had one goal: achieve a top 100 ranking. I knew it would take time, but as long as I improved every step of the way I knew I was on the right path. Contest aquascaping is definitely a marathon not a sprint and there’s a reason many top aquascapers are also some of the most experienced. For…

FEW OF THE creatures available at our local fish stores are as controversial as crabs. “Never trust a crab- any crab!”, I’ve heard aquarists say. I can’t blame them! These crustaceans are often sold as being reef-safe, leading to the assumption that they’ll do well in the average reef tank. This is partially true, and as we’ll see, a few crabs do actually deserve this seal of approval. Others are more unpredictable: although they can indeed spend months or even years getting along swimmingly with their tankmates, sometimes a switch just seems to flick in their little brains, causing them to go rogue. To crab, or not to crab? Let’s find out whether these pincered crustaceans make the right choice for your tank. What does "reef-safe" mean, anyway? Although most…

Email: questions@practicalfishkeeping.co.uk WIN! Our Question of the Month letter will receive a Tetra goodie bundle worth up to £100* THE EXPERTS DR PETER BURGESS Peter is our disease expert. Send questions his way if you have pathogen problems. BOB MEHEN Bob is a master of fishkeeping general knowledge and community tanks. JEREMY GAY Jeremy is more than adept when it comes to cichlids, goldfish and marine species. GEORGE FARMER George is a world renowned aquascaper, photographer and author. MAX PEDLEY Max is like a living, breathing search engine. Cichlids are his speciality. NEALE MONKS Neale is the man for your technical queries. He loves brackish fish, too. TAI STRIETMAN Freshwater biologist Tai has studied habitats all around the world and is our biotope expert. TROPICAL What can I keep alongside…