Aquatic Care

About Cherry Barb's

The Cherry Barb also known as Puntius Titteya is a species of Tropical Freshwater fish. Belonging to the Cyprinidae family.

Originating in Sri Lanka.

Features.

Approx. Size; 1.5-2"/3.8-5cm.

Origin; Sri Lanka 

Family; Cyprinidae Family 

Temperament; Peaceful.

Lighting; Low to Moderate. 

Water Condition.

Ideal PH; 6-7.5.

Ideal Temperature; 23-27°C.

Ideal Waterflow; Moderate.

Ease of Care;

Cherry Barbs are very easy to look after due to being peaceful. They can also tolerate water changes and also are not very prone to getting any diseases which helps beginners.

Diet.

Cherry Barbs are Omnivorous which means they like more live food like tiny shrimp and plant matter, but you can also use Tropical Flake Food these are all good for different nutriments which also help with the lifespan.

Compatibility.

The best tankmates to have for Cherry Barbs is Neon Tetra's and Cardinal Tetras as these are schooling groups of fish which is good for them to get along. These types of fish also have a variety of colours which makes the tank look very colourful.

Breeding/Sex.

Cherry Barbs are easier to breed than other types of fish as they spawn qquite often. they will usually lay eggs on rocks, substrate but mostly on plants as they do like a well planted tank. the can lay around 200-300 eggs.

Its fairly simple to sex Cherry Barbs when you know what your looking for. Females will have a more round body shape as well as being much closer to white and a shimmering green. Where as males will also be a much darker shade of red during mating season.

Lifespan.

On average Cherry Barbs will live around 4 years. However if maintained and looked after correctly they can live a maximum of 7 years.

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About Pristella Tetra's

Pristella Tetra's also known as known as Pristella Maxilaris Or X-Ray fish are a Tropical range of Freshwater Fish. Belonging to the Characidae Family like all Tetra's.

Originating in South America.

Features.

Approx. Size; 1.5-2"/3.8-5cm.

Origin; South America.

Family; Characidae Family.

Temperament; Peaceful and Social Nature.

Lighting; Moderate to Low Lighting.

Water Conditions.

Ideal Ph; 6.0-8.0

Ideal Temperature; 23-27°C.

Ideal Waterflow; Mild to Moderate.

Ease of Care.

Pristella Tetra's are one of the best fish for beginners due to their hardy and peaceful nature. It makes them one of the best starter fish.

Diet.

The main diet mostly consists of Tropical flake food or pellets but they're also known to eat insects in the wild and fallen fruit from trees. This means you can also feed them live food such as Bloodworm and Daphnia. This helps give them a change in nutriments which is good.

Compatibility.

Pristella Tetra's make amazing community fish so its best to put them with non-aggressive tank mates such as other Tetras, Mollies, Dwarf Gouramis and Guppies.

Breeding/Sex.

Pristella Tetra's are moderately easy to breed due to being egg layers. Female's can lay anywhere between 300-400 eggs.

When trying to tell the difference between sex like most fish it is always difficult. The main difference is the males will have have a more vibrant red stripe along their body. This is more visible in breeding season. So another way to help is male have larger dorsal fins.

Lifespan.

The average lifespan of Pristella Tetra's is 3-5 years proper care can help insure a heathier and longer life. 

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About Silver Tip Tetra's

Silver Tip Tetra's also known as Hasemania Nana are a Tropical range of freshwater fish. Belonging to the Characidae Family.

Originating in Brazil.

Features.

Approx. Size; 1.5-2"/3.8-5cm.

Origin; Brazil.

Family; Hasemania Nana

Temperament; Quiet and Peaceful 

Lighting; Moderate To High.

Water Conditions;

Ideal PH; 6-7.5.

Ideal Temperature; 24-28°C.

Waterflow; Moderate 

Ease of Care;

Silver TIps are relatively easy to raise and quite resilient.

Diet.

Silver Tips are Omnivores and adventurous so like a variety of food.

This can include fine Tropical Fish Flake, Live Food such as small worms, Bloodworm and Brine Shrimp as well as plants and algae.

Compatibility.

Silver Tips love peaceful and placid tankmates E.G. Gourami's, Corydoras Catfish, Rams and as well as other Tetra Breeds.

Breeding/Sex.

Breeding Silver Tips is relatively easy as long as the conditions are met.

Sexing Silver Tip can be quite challenging but the main way to tell a difference is male give of a more vibrant colours and in breeding season the show a slimmer body compared to females.

Lifespan.

The average lifespan of Silver Tip Tetras are between 3-5 years this will also help in a well maintained tank. 

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About Balloon Mollies

Balloon Mollies also known as Poecilia Latipinna are a small freshwater Tropical fish belonging to Poeciliidae family which include livebearers such as Guppies.

Originating from Mexico and Central America.

Features.

Approx. Size; 2-2.5"/ 5-6.3cm.

Origin; Mexico and Central America.

Family; Poeciliidae Family

Temperament;  Peaceful.

Lighting; Moderate.

Water Conditions

Ideal Ph; 7- 8.5 

Ideal Temperature; 22-26°C

Waterflow; Low to Moderate.

Ease of Care

Easy to care for. Very good fish for beginners.

Diet

Balloon Mollies can have a variety of different things their main food will be tropical fish flake but to give a variety of nutriments they can have live food eg bloodworm, boiled vegetables like carrots or broccoli but would not recommend  doing this all the time.

Compatibility

To maintain a social behaviour its best to have peaceful and similar sized tank mates.

Breeding/Sex

Like other Livebearers they have a short breeding time of 3-5 weeks but because the male will constantly chase the female its best to keep a good ratio or male and females.

The best way to tell the difference Male Mollies have larger dorsal fins than females. The dorsal fin is the back fin. 

Lifespan

The average lifespan of balloon mollies is 3-5 years the quality of care will also help.

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About Plecostomus

Plecostomus also known as Loricariid Catfish is a Tropical freshwater fish belonging to the armored Catfish Family.

Originating from Tropical Northeastern South America. They naturally occur in Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago.

Features

Approx. Size; 15-24"/ 38-60cm.

Origin; South America/West Africa. 

Family; Loricariidae.

Temperament; Generally Peaceful.

Lighting; low to moderate.

Water Conditions

Ideal Ph; 6.5-7.8.

Ideal Temperature; 23-27°C.

Waterflow; Fast.

Ease of Care

Easy to look after. Do not have complex care needs.

Diet

Its best to provide Catfish/Plecostomus pellets, They can also have worms which are nutritious. They are also good because they sink to the bottom and Plecostomus's are bottom feeders.

Compatibility

When Plecostomus's reach maturity they simply cannot get on with other Plecostomus's but get on well with placid types of fish.

Breeding/Sex

Plecostomus's are not difficult to breed as long as the tank is large enough.

Plecostomus's are quite difficult to sex and even sometimes professional fish keepers get it wrong. 

Lifespan

On average Plecostomus's will live 10-15 years this is possible if they are being correctly fed and looked after.

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About Angelfish

Angelfish also known as Pterophyllum is a tropical range of freshwater fish.

Originating in the Amazon Basin, Orinoco Basin and various rivers in the Guiana Shield in Tropical South America.

They are commonly found in slow moving water as well as swamps.

features

Approx. Size ; 2-12"/5-30cm.

Origin; South America.

Family; Cichlid.

Temperament; peaceful but sometimes aggressive.

Lighting; 8-12hrs daily 

Ideal number together; 4-6 

water conditions 

Ideal ph; 6.8-7.8

Ideal Temperature; 24-28°C

Waterflow; Moderate

Ease of Care

Very easy. Angelfish are a very hardy type of fish and require little attention apart from regular water changes.

Diet

The main food recommended is flake or pellets. Live or Frozen Bloodworm or Brineshrimp is also excellent for their health. They also cucumber and small amounts of shredded lettuce to provide essential nutriments.

Compatibility

They are best kept with non-aggressive/peaceful species. Its best to stay away from smaller types of fish as well as fin nippers.

Breeding/Sex

Generally easy. As long as the necessary requirements are met.

Lifespan

On average they will live 8-10 years if the tank is well maintained 

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About Platys

The Platy is a very popular community aquarium fish. This lively species loves to swim around in groups which makes them stand out in a freshwater aquarium. This listing is for a mix of assorted platy species, and will include different patterns and colours drawn from our available stock. The photo is for illustration only - the colours and patterns supplied will be completely random, and may differ from those pictured.

Assorted male and females supplied. We can segregate on request subject to availability - please contact us prior to ordering.

Features
Approx. size: 1-2" / 2-5cm
Maximum size: 7cm
Origin: South America
Ideal number kept together: 3+

Water conditions
Our conditions: temp 22 °C, pH 7.5
Ideal pH: 7.0 – 8.5
Hardness: 15 – 35°H
Ideal temperature: 20 – 29 °C

Ease of care
Easy. Prolific breeders, very few specific requirements.

Diet
The food we recommend is tropical fish flake. They can occassionally have frozen or live food like daphnia.

Compatibility
A community aquarium of similar size with no long finned fish or fin nippers.

Breeding/ Sex
Easy. They are live bearers so will spawn extremely quickly and young.

Life Span
Assorted platies can live for 1-2 years in perfect conditions.

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About Albino Corydoras Catfish

The Albino Corydoras catfish is a very peaceful bottom-feeding schooling fish that is compatible with most popular peaceful community aquarium fish species.

Corydoras thrive in well-oxygenated planted aquariums with plenty of shady areas amongst driftwood and rocks. The presence of mid-swimming fish will help to encourage the Albino Cory out more often. Corydoras have the ability to breathe air intestinally, so a gap should be left between the water surface and the fish tank hood/lid to allow the Cory to come up to the surface and take air in. It is perfectly normal for Albino Corydoras to do this many times a day.

Are Albino Corys a shoaling fish?
Corydoras are small catfish which is quite happy on its own but even happier in a group of corydoras, and will shoal in numbers. Albino Corys will typically exhibit shoaling or schooling behaviour in groups of six or more, swimming together fluidly upward and down the aquarium.

Will Albino Corys clean my tank?
As a small bottom feeder, the albino corydoras catfish is an extremely efficient cleaner. It will scavenge the leftovers that have sunk to the bottom, cleaning up after messier fish that feed at the surface and midlevel of the tank. However, Albino Corys do not clear algae from aquarium glass and should not be confused with algae-eating species like plecos (suckerfish!)

Features
Approx. supplied size: 1" / 2-3cm (small)
Maximum size: 2.5" / 6cm
Origin: South America
Temperament: Peaceful
Lighting requirement: Low
Ideal number kept together: 6+

Water conditions
Our conditions: pH 7.5, temp 25°C
Ideal pH: 7.0–8.0
Water flow: low to moderate
Ideal temperature: 22-25°C

Ease of care
Moderate. Albino Corydoras are a peaceful catfish, but do require absolute optimal water conditions to thrive.

Compatibility
Albino Corydoras are compatible with virtually all non-predatory and community fish.

Diet
Feed sinking catfish pellets and algae wafer. Will also happily eat bloodworm and brine shrimp (frozen is fine)

Breeding
Egg layers. Mature females are larger and appear fuller when viewed from above. Bred in captivity, breeding is possible at lower temperatures, but eggs can be prone to fungus. Eggs typically hatch within 5 days.

Life Span
Albino Corydoras Cory Catfish can live 3-5 years in perfect conditions.

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About Bronze Corydoras Catfish

The Bronze Corydoras catfish is a very peaceful bottom-feeding schooling fish that is compatible with most popular peaceful community aquarium fish species.

Bronze Corydoras thrive in well-oxygenated planted aquariums with plenty of shady areas amongst driftwood and rocks. The presence of mid-swimming fish will help to encourage the Bronze Cory out more often. Corydoras have the ability to breathe air intestinally, so a gap should be left between the water surface and the fish tank hood/lid to allow the Cory to come up to the surface and take air in. It is perfectly normal for Bronze Corydoras to do this many times a day.

Are Bronze Corys a shoaling fish?
Corydoras are small catfish which is quite happy on its own but even happier in a group of corydoras, and will shoal in numbers. Bronze Corys will typically exhibit shoaling or schooling behaviour in groups of six or more, swimming together fluidly upward and down the aquarium.

Will Bronze Corys clean my tank?
As a small bottom feeder, the albino corydoras catfish is an extremely efficient cleaner. It will scavenge the leftovers that have sunk to the bottom, cleaning up after messier fish that feed at the surface and midlevel of the tank. However, Bronze Corys do not clear algae from aquarium glass and should not be confused with algae-eating species like plecos (suckerfish!)

Features
Approx. supplied size: 1" / 2-3cm (small)
Maximum size: 2.5" / 6cm
Origin: South America
Temperament: Peaceful
Lighting requirement: Low
Ideal number kept together: 6+

Water conditions
Our conditions: pH 7.5, temp 25°C
Ideal pH: 7.0–8.0
Water flow: low to moderate
Ideal temperature: 22-25°C

Ease of care
Moderate. Bronze Corydoras are a peaceful catfish, but do require absolute optimal water conditions to thrive.

Compatibility
Bronze Corydoras are compatible with virtually all non-predatory and community fish.

Diet
Feed sinking catfish pellets and algae wafer. Will also happily eat bloodworm and brine shrimp (frozen is fine)

Breeding
Egg layers. Mature females are larger and appear fuller when viewed from above. Bred in captivity, breeding is possible at lower temperatures, but eggs can be prone to fungus. Eggs typically hatch within 5 days.

Life Span
Bronze Corydoras Cory Catfish can live 3-5 years in perfect conditions.

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