We have yet another Issue packed with almost 100 pages of beautifully written and illustrated articles and news:-
A PORTFOLIO OF GOLDFISH AT AQUARAMA 2009
By Dick Mills
THE GLORY OF GOLDFISH
By Karel Zahradka
MY ADVENTURES WITH ARCHOCENTRUS SAJICA
By Ian Fairweather
NOTES ON THE SPAWNING OF THE “BLACK PHANTOM” - ASPIDORAS SP. C035
By Allan James
ON BUYING PLANTS - PART 2
By Jeff Walmsley
DISNEY WORLD FOR AQUARISTS
By Dr. David Ford
YASUHIKOTAKIA SPLENDIDA
By Mark Duffill
IN THE COILS OF THE NAGA
By Richard Freeman
BARBUS HULSTAERTI - IT’S A MAN THING?
By Alan P. Vaissiere
PORTFOLIO - BARBUS HULSTAERTI
By Karel Zahradka
THE SILVER DOLLARS
By David Marshall
A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO GOODEIDS
By Dr. David Ford
MY EXPERIENCES IN KEEPING GOODEIDS
By Ivor Hilton
Disc form available in both Word 2000 and PDF formats. PDF format will transfer to e-books
We have yet another Issue packed with almost 100 pages of beautifully written and illustrated articles and news:-
GUPPIES - THE HOBBY AND THE BUSINESS
By Karel Zahradka
(this article contains contributions from 4 leading Eastern European guppy breeders and top showing people. Published for the first time in the English language it is THE definitive article on guppies)
APHANIUS - THE EURPOEAN KILLIFISH
By Matt Ford
INTRODUCING HEMICHROMIS ‘SPECIES’ MUANDA
By Bede Kerrigan
(First article on this new Jewel cichlid)
PLANTS - DAFT THINGS YOU READ - PART 1
By Jeff Walmsley
HERONS - A VERY DIFFERENT FISHKEEPING PROBLEM
By Dennis Godfrey
BLOODWORMS - NATURES GREAT GIFT TO FISH
By Majid Ali
THE WONDEROUS WORLD OF PUNTIOPLITES FALCIFER
By Andy Rushworth and David Marshall
AQUARIUM RE-VAMP FOR BRISTOL ZOO GARDENS
By the staff of Bristol Zoo Press Office
THE HEADSTANDER
By Dr. David Ford
A CHARACIN WITH BITE - LEPORINUS
By David Marshall
HEMIGRAMMUS SP. CF SILIMONI
By Karel Zahradka
(the first article on and photographs of a new characin specie)
THE BEAUTY OF THE GLENWHAN GARDENS
By David Marshall
SEA-GODS AND AMPHIBIANS FROM OUTER SPACE?
By Jonathan Downes
Disc form available in both Word 2000 and PDF formats. PDF format will transfer to e-books.
ASSESSMENT OF ARTISANAL FISHERIES IN THE PERUVIAN AMAZON
By Philip Gregor
Philip’s article covers, in great detail, the Authors recent work helping with freshwater conservation programmes in
THE RUMMY-NOSED TETRA
By David Marshall
David’s article starts with advice on how to tell the three characin species, that are available in the hobby as Rummy-nosed tetra, apart. He then goes on to cover the keeping and breeding of these wonderful little fish.
AN INTRODUCTION TO
By John Heaton
John opens his unique series of articles on the fish and other aquatic fauna of
THE RED DEVILS
By Dr. David Ford
Dr. Ford unravels the confusion surrounding the identity of the Red Devil Cichlids. This very interesting article takes us into the realm of Asian Parrot Cichlids. Dr. Ford’s account of keeping a Red Devil makes fascinating reading.
BREEDING TROPICAL FRESHWATER FISH - THE FIRST STEPS
By David Marshall
David puts a new angle onto the breeding of both egglaying and livebearing fish species. A brilliant starting point for readers who are thinking of breeding tropical freshwater fish for the first time.
ARTIFICIAL SPAWNING MOPS
By Paul Barrow
Paul’s step-by-step guide to making spawning mops shows readers how to make one of the most essential tools in the fish breeders locker.
RIDDLE OF THE
By Dr. Karl Shuker
Dr. Shuker’s superbly written article, supported by artist drawn illustrations, investigates the possibility that an unknown lungfish has yet to be discovered in
RUNNING IN - PLEASE PASS (MATURING A PLANTED AQUARIUM)
By Jeff Walmsley
Part 13 of Jeff’s unique look at creating the perfectly planted aquarium. You will find no better articles on aquatic plants than these. Beautifully illustrated.
A REPORT ON THE FEDERATION OF BRITISH AQUATIC SOCIETIES FESTIVAL OF FISHKEEPING 2009
By Dick Mills
Dick looks back at the 2009
MY STORY OF BREEDING THE SAMURAI GOURAMI - AS TOLD IN PICTURES
By Karel Zahradka
Karel tells the story of how he collected his pair of Samurai gourami in the wild and then went on, not only to keep these fish succesfully but also to breed them as well. All told through superb photography.
GOURAMI CAPERS AT
By the
Will the arrival of a ‘new lady friend’ arouse the passion of the male Giant gourami at Bristol Zoo?. Lovely little article.
MY EXPERIENCES IN KEEPING AMECA SPLENDENS
By Gerry Hawksby
Gerry’s article is the ultimate guide to keeping Ameca splendens. Probably the most underrated viviparous livebearing specie in our hobby?
By Karel Zahradka
Karel uses his expertise in keeping the aquarium-bred Platys of Singapore to produce an excellent pictorial guide to a variety of commercially bred colour forms.
COMMUNITY ZONE
Photo's of the Peace Tree from an article about the Ryedale A.S. Pickering Parish Church Christmas Tree Festival report.
Keeps readers up-to-date with all the news from various Aquatic Societies, has the 2009 report from the Centre for Fortean Zoology and tells of new microscopic pond life discovered in
MAKING A MARK WITH PENCILFISH - PART 1
By Alan P. Vaissiere
The master Nannostomus breeder reveals his secrets. Information on keeping Nannostomus. Beautifully illustrated article.
THE STUDLAND SEAHORSE PROJECT
By Julie Hatcher
The Dorset Wildlife Trust are fighting hard to maintain local Seahorse populations.
LABYRINTHS FROM NORTH TO SOUTH - PART 2
By David Armitage
An exploration of labyrinth fish habitats in
ACUARIOS PUBLICOS
By Dr. David Ford
A look at the marine-based Public Aquariums of Barcelona and
THE MAN WHO PUT THE ROUGE IN BATON - PURDIN KOI FARM
By Nigel Craddock
Nigel tells us all about one of the World’s leading Koi producing farms and their plans for the future.
MY VIEWS ON AQUATIC SHOWS - A GRAND DAY OUT?
By Bernard O’Neill
Bernard puts forward his views on Open Shows and auctions in the
AN INTRODUCTION TO LORICARINS
By David Marshall
The author combines his experiances with Loricarins with a beautiful selection of photographs. Together they form the ultimate guide to Plecs and their relatives.
PLANTED AQUARIUM TANK
By Jeff Walmsley
Jeff continues his unique look at the world of planted aquaria.
A VISIT TO THE AQUAWORLD FISH FARM IN
By Karel Zahradka
A visual tour of the farm that produces many of the guppies, mollies and platys available in the
By Jonathan Downes
Jonathan’s unique eye-witness account of how he came to view the unknown creature(s) that live in a lake in
TIPS ON FISH STOCKING LEVELS & FILTRATION FOR THE FRESHWATER AQUARIUM
By Dr. David Ford
The ultimate guide to both of these subjects.
TROTTERS WORLD OF ANIMALS
By David Marshall
Sue and David visit one of the
AN INTRODUCTION TO
By John Heaton
World exclusive - John’s amazing illustrated article, probably the most comprehensive article on the cichlids of Lake Peten Itza ever to be published, sets the tone for another wonderful Issue.
BREEDING BADIS SPECIES ‘
By Ivor Hilton
World exclusive - Comprehensive illustrated article on the spawning of these amazing little fish. See how a female treats her male during spawning?
JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE TO GO BACK INTO THE WATER?
By Jonathan Downes
Climatic change is bringing many species of non-native aquatic creatures to
ARE THE NATURALLY OCCURING MARINE CREATURES FOUND AROUND THE
By Richard White,
World exclusive - In the wake of climatic change and exploitation of certain species Richard voices his fear for the future of many of the
OUR
By Nicky Hoar, on behalf of Dorset Wildlife Trust Press Office
Nicky explains how the DWT are taking measures to protect the native marine creatures in their area of the
A FIRST VISIT TO THE LAKE DISTRICT COASTAL AQUARIUM, MARYPORT
By Paul Barrow
World exclusive - The LDCA is home to probably the best collection of native marine species in the U.K. Paul looks at the wonderful exhibits in detail.
BETTA PUGNAX
By David Marshall
David takes a look at his favourite labyrinth fish. Beautiful spawning sequence photographs taken by K.A. Webb
WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONSTRUCT A POND IN SEVEN DAYS?
By Dr. David Ford
When Dr. Ford was given 7 days to construct a new pond he found many ways to complete the work in time. Each step is well illustrated to form a comprehensive guide to pond building.
DRAGONS OF THE DEEP
By Richard Freeman
World exclusive - Reports of sea dragons may originate in ancient texts but continue to be made into the present day. Fascinating reading.
By Jonathan Downes
Jonathan looks at two colour forms of Ram cichlid.
MAKING A MARK WITH PENCILFISH - PART 2
By Alan P. Vaissiere
Alan continues our mini-series on Pencilfish with some excellent information on the breeding of various Nannostomus species
AMAZING ANCISTRUS
By David Marshall
World exclusive - At the TAG office we would be thoroughly amazed if any of our readers could find a more lavishly illustrated article on the breeding of Bristlenose catfish.
BAMBOO IN THE AQUARIUM
By Majid Ali
Majid tells us how to prepare bamboo for use in the freshwater aquarium.
WHEN TRUTH IS STRANGER THAN FICTION – FISH WHICH FALL FROM THE SKY
By Jonathan Downes
A truly amazing look at the facts behind 'fish falls'
THE
By Dr. David Ford
Dr. Ford visits the largest aquarium in the World.
BREEDING THE CHERRY BARB
By Mick Marks
A brilliant guide to spawning this very popular cyprinid.
MAKING A MARK WITH PENCILFISH PART 3 - NANNOSTOMUS BECKFORDI
By Ivor Hilton
Ivor recalls his breeding experiences with the Golden Pencilfish.
THE SWAN MUSSEL
By Majid Ali
Everything you need to know about keeping Swan Mussels in aquaria.
THE BRUIN SKREEUBER - SYNODONTIS ZAMBEZENSIS
By David Marshall
David recalls his research into a catfish with a very mixed personality.
PELVICACHROMIS TAENIATUS ‘MOLIWE’
By Ian Fairweather
Ian tells us about the joy and problems of breeding these amazing cichlids.
PANAQUE ‘SPECIES’ BRUNO
By David Marshall
David looks at the three loricarins that are sold under this name.
THE MONSTER OF PEMBROKE DOCK
By Richard Freeman
What strange creature made an appearance in Pembroke Dock?
THE
By David Marshall
All you need to know about keeping and breeding these popular labyrinth fish
LABYRINTHS FROM NORTH TO SOUTH – EXPLORATIONS OF ANABANTOID HABITATS. PART 3 –
By David Armitage
Which labyrinth fish is found in
MORE NEWS FROM ‘
By Nicky Hoar, on behalf of The Dorset Wildlife Trust
More project news from The DWT.
THE WINTER POND
By Dr. David Ford
With winter approaching Dr. Ford explains how to protect both your pond and its precious fish during the winter months. Beautifully illustrated.
THE VIETNAMESE CARDINAL MINNOW
By Ivor Hilton
Ivor explains how he spawned this newly available member of the White Cloud group. Excellent illustrations help guide the reader through the correct steps to take in order to spawn these fish themselves.
FARLOWELLA VITTATA - THE TWIG CATFISH
By Mark Walters
If you have ever considered trying to breed a member of the Farlowella genus then Mark’s article is a ‘must read’. Superbly illustrated with photographs of spawning parents, eggs and fry etc.
SOME REMINISCENCES OF HOW LARGE AQUARIUM FISH ARRIVED INTO OUR HOBBY
By Gerry Hawksby
Gerry recalls how large tropical freshwater fish first arrived into our hobby, how a friend managed to catch a gigantic anabantoid for showing purposes and warns of the hidden danger in keeping Oscar cichlids
RED-TAILED CATFISH RESCUE
By Richard Holland
Richard, who works for Sheffield Fish Rescue, recalls the day he had to rescue two large catfish. Anyone thinking of purchasing a large catfish is advised to read Richard’s article before proceeding.
THE GIANT GOURAMI - AN EXTRAORDINARY ANABANTOID?
By David Marshall
David presents one of the most comprehensive, and lavishly illustrated, articles on ‘a true giant of the aquarium hobby’ to be published in an aquarium magazine.
VICTORIAN FISHKEEPING
By Jonathan Downes
Jonathan’s research has uncovered some amazing facts as to how the aquarium hobby began. A ‘must read’ for all with an interest in the history of fishkeeping.
THE AQUARIUM AT THE
By David Marshall
David and Sue were amazed by the native and tropical marine exhibits they found at one of
INTRODUCING APISTOGRAMMA ‘SPECIES’ ROTFLECKEN (RED-FLECKED)
By Ian Fairweather
Ian sheds new light onto the debate about the true identity of this beautiful Dwarf cichlid.
DO YOU KNOW OF THE HARTLAND POINT SEA-SERPENT?
Question asked by Jonathan Downes
Jonathan is searching for information on one of the
SOME TIPS ON DECORATIONS FOR THE FRESHWATER AQUARIUM
By Majid Ali
A well-written and beautifully illustrated guide to the various décor that can be used to enhance the look of the home aquarium.
MORE NEWS FROM ‘
By Nicky Hoar, on behalf of Dorset Wildlife Trust Press Office
Those hard working folk at the Dorset Wildlife Trust up-date readers on the progress of various native marine and freshwater conservation projects.
MORE NEWS FROM ‘
By Nicky Hoar on behalf of Dorset WT
See how the DWT are using new satellite technology to map the sea floor. Amazing still photographs.
THE FORGOTTEN CHARACINS OF
By David Marshall
Often overlooked for their South American cousins the characins found in
TIGERFISH IN
By Korrie Broos
You will never have the chance to read such a wonderful natural history article on Tigerfish as this one is. Superbly illustrated it covers all of the major Tigerfish populations in
AN ENGLISH POND IN
By Dr. David Ford
Dr. Ford continues his series on ponds with a very different article.
THE BRACKISH AQUARIUM
By David Marshall
Here we have what we believe to be the most comprehensive guide to starting a brackish aquarium ever published in an aquarium magazine. Superbly illustrated it covers both the setting-up of and fish to consider for such an aquarium.
BEGINNERS GUIDE TO MOLLIES
By Dr. David Ford
The most iconic brackish water livebearing fish is covered in great detail.
THE AQUATIC ATTRACTIONS OF GT.
By David Marshall
Within a few minutes walk of each other are three excellent tourist attractions that give great insight into the aquatic world.
ANCISTRUS CLARO
By David Marshall
How to care for one of the most beautiful loricarins in the aquarium hobby.
AQUATIC ATTRACTIONS AT
By David Marshall
The grounds of Bristol Zoo are a paradise for fishkeepers. This superbly illustrated article will help the reader to plan a future visit well in advance
AQUA 2010
By Dr. David Ford
A beautifully illustrated report on the
FROZEN FOODS
By Majid Ali
This lovely article explains how to use frozen foods for fish in a responsible manner.
IS NESSIE A GIANT EEL?
By Jonathan Downes
Could Giant eels be responsible for many of the
Please note that, due to the high number of MB involved in bringing you the very best production possible, the Editorial team have taken the decision to make Issue 19 available in the disc format only. E-mail format subscribers were informed and will receive their Issue on disc this time around.
MY EXPERIENCES IN KEEPING AND BREEDING MONOCIRRHUS POLYACANTHUS - THE SOUTH AMERICAN LEAF FISH
By Phil Blackburn
Phil’s excellent article is illustrated with close to 30 beautiful photographs that graphically illustrate what we believe to be the first full spawning sequence of Monocirrhus polyacanthus ever to be published in an aquarium magazine.
A REPORT ON THE F.B.A.S. FESTIVAL OF FISHKEEPING 2010
By Dr. David Ford
A comprehensive, and well illustrated, review of Hayling Island 2010
THE AQUARIUM AT MADRID ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS
By Dr. David Ford
Dr. Ford takes us on a comprehensive tour of one of the European mainland’s leading tropical marine public aquariums.
CORYDORAS SIMILIS - THE ‘SMUDGE SPOT’ CORYDORAS
By Ivor Hilton
Ivor presents a comprehensive guide to the keeping and breeding of one of the most beautiful Corydoras available in the aquarium hobby.
FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD - FISH FEEDING STRATEGIES
By Jonathan Downes and Richard Freeman
An amazing look at how various species of fish use a wide variety of tactics in order to obtain food.
THE USE OF WOOL CAVES IN AQUARIA
By Bede Kerrigan
Bede tells us about a new use for wool in freshwater aquaria
FISH TALES - ON THE TRAIL OF TRUNKO
By Dr. Karl Shuker
What was the strange creature that washed up on the South African coastline? Dr. Shuker has researched ‘Trunko’ for many years and puts forward his theories in this amazing, and beautifully illustrated, article
A BEAR ON THE BEACH?
By Jonathan Downes
Jonathan traces non-Zoo Polar bear sightings in the
MORE NEWS FROM ‘
By Nicky Hoar, on behalf of Dorset Wildlife Trust
Those hard working folk at the DWT have much to tell us about their latest aquatic conservation projects.
LESSER KNOWN LIVEBEARERS
By David Marshall
A comprehensive look at the world of livebearing fish. Ideal starting point for those wishing to begin with livebearers and for experienced aquarists’ looking for something a little different for their aquaria
ADVENTURES WITH POECILIIDAE
By Max Blake
Max looks at members of the genus Limia and their close relatives
ASPISTOR QUADRISCUTIS - THE BRESSOU SEA CATFISH
By David Marshall
With the help of his friend Jackie Goulder the Author was able to study a remarkable catfish not often seen in aquaria
OUR EXPERIENCES IN KEEPING AND BREEDING THE HORNET TILAPIA
By Norman & Avril Banks
The aquatic history of the keeping of and the breeding of the Hornet Tilapia is all explained in this well illustrated article
DRAPED IN DRIFTWOOD
By David Marshall
We believe this well illustrated article to be the most comprehensive beginners guide to the South American Driftwood catfishes ever published in an aquarium magazine.
FISH TALES - THE
By Dr. Karl Shuker
Did a recent television programme finally solve the cryptid mystery of the ‘unknown’ aquatic creatures which live in more than one Alaskan lake?
MORE NEWS FROM ‘
By Nicky Hoar, on behalf of Dorset Wildlife Trust
The conservation of Undulate rays is put under the spotlight plus much more
SYNODONTIS DEFENSIVE MECHANISMS
By Andy Washington and David Marshall
Two of our regular contributors combine their knowledge as we look at the ways in which these amazing African catfish defend themselves in both the wild and in aquaria.
THE CORRECT WAY TO CARE FOR
By Richard Freeman
All you need to known about the captive care of
THE MYSTERY OF THE TORPEDO BARBS?
By Mark Duffill, Andy Rushworth and David Marshall
When three of our regular contributors talked of putting together an article on the Torpedo barbs the Editorial team suggested that they pool their knowledge. The result is an amazing piece of work
WHEN TRUTH IS STRANGER THAN FICTION - THE GULPER EEL
By Jonathan Downes
The ‘recent’ discovery of this amazing eel fascinated the World. We are proud to be the first aquatic magazine to publish a full-scale article on the Gulper eel.
NOTHING GETS IN THE WAY OF A POND BUILDING PROJECT
By Dr. David Ford
Is it possible to build a pond on sloping ground? The Author answers this question in spectacular fashion.
NATURE KNOWS BEST IN YOUR GARDEN POND - OR HOW TO COPE WITH A COMMON FROG INVASION?
By Sarah Williams, on behalf of Dorset Wildlife Trust
With Common frogs in the
WATER FEATURES AT THE
By David Marshall
A beautifully illustrated article which explains just why these Gardens are well worth a visit
XIPHOPHORUS PYGMAEUS GOLD
By Ivor Hilton
Our series on livebearing fish continues with a comprehensive look at the most popular small Swordtail in the aquarium hobby