What is New Tank Syndrome?

New Tank Syndrome is something that every new fish tank has to go through. It really means that for the first few weeks your new fish produce waste faster than your new filter can clean it up. As a fish goes to the toilet it produces ammonia, as it breathes out it produces ammonia, if it eats too much it-well, you get the idea. Over time bacteria will grow in the sponge inside your filter and in your gravel that will consume that ammonia and turn it into something slightly less toxic and harmful, namely, nitrite (NO2). This, in turn, creates another food source for a different type of bacteria which will then grow to eat the nitrite and turn it into something less harmful still, nitrate (NO3). This whole process is what's known as The Nitrogen Cycle. In the wild this is taken care of by bacteria living in the gravel, sand and stones on the river bed as well as a constant supply of fresh water. In the tank they - and we - rely on the filter to grow the bacteria and keep the water moving.

Unfortunately the process of growing bacteria is a time-consuming one and this means that in the first few weeks - when the bacteria cultures are still to develop - conditions in a fish tank are as bad as they can be. Levels of ammonia (or more accurately ammonium) and nitrite can quickly reach toxic levels which, if left un-checked, can cause irreversible damage to the fish. Both ammonia and nitrite have a burning effect on the outside and the inside of a fish (remembering that the fish has to breathe it as well as swim in it). On the outside the slime coating of the fish - which is an integral part of its immune system - is burnt off leaving the fish open to infection. On the inside the lining of the gills are burnt as the fish breathes which in turn affects the rest of the internal organs and their functions. The slime coating will grow back once water conditions improve, however, damage to the gills etc. is very often permanent and terminal.

But now the good news...

• For as grim as all the above sounds, beating New Tank Syndrome is a simple process.
• The first thing you can do is small and frequent water changes - for the first few weeks you could change 5% twice weekly (say on a Wednesday and a Sunday) following the same procedures as a normal water change. This keeps all the nasty stuff diluted and with any luck this, in turn, keeps the problems (and fatalities) at bay.
• The second thing you can do is test your water. Once you have added your first fish you can watch The Nitrogen Cycle take place by testing for ammonia and nitrite. Levels of ammonia will rise, then fall as the levels of nitrite rise. Once the nitrite levels have disappeared you know that you have enough bacteria living in your filter to clean up after your fish. This would mean that it would be safe to add a few more fish.
• Thirdly, this means that the best advice you could ever take - as far as fishkeeping is concerned - is this: stock your tank slowly but surely. The fewer fish you add at any one time, the less of an impact you make on your water conditions-the less strain you put on your filter. You have months and years to get your tank looking the way you want it to. The better the water is, the better the fish will look-the better the plants will grow-the better your tank will look-the more jealous your family and friends will be when they come to visit!

What sort of tank maintenance do you recommend?

Like so many other aspects of fishkeeping, there are many different schools of thought when it comes to looking after your tank. What we would say is that there are no hard and fast rules - only guidelines and reasons. As we see it, looking after fish is best achieved by looking after the water: if you get the water right, the fish look after themselves. The way we do this is by changing about 10% of the water once a week. This way it does not have much of an impact on the fish's environment (and allows your tank to mature) but is enough to keep the water fresh and the waste levels safely diluted.

• All you need is two buckets that will only ever see fish water (no cleaning agents, detergents etc.), some water conditioner and, if possible, a gravel cleaner

We begin in the good old Blue Peter way of having some water already prepared.

• Almost fill one bucket (or any other suitable container) with cold tap water and add a dose of dechlorinator (such as Aqua+) then warm this with a kettle of boiled water. Try to avoid using water from the hot tap as all kinds of nasties can be found in the hot water tank. Leave this for an hour or two as this gives the dechlorination process time to work. If you're going to leave it for longer we would suggest you use an airstone or a small pump to keep the water moving.

Then, when you and your water are ready

• If necessary, switch off the heater (if you have one). Exposed heaters can crack if they switch themselves on.
• Before you remove any water from your tank, clean the glass and do any gardening required then, when you're finished, siphon your tank water into another container. A good way to do this is by using a gravel cleaner - you will be amazed at the amount of rubbish that can be hoovered from the tank. If you need to clean any filters or filter media, do it in this bucket of dirty old fish water: this way you do not lose any beneficial filter bacteria but you do lose the gunk.
• Gently pour the fresh water from your first container into your aquarium and switch your heater back on.
• Sit back and enjoy your nice clean tank.

How do I introduce new fish into my aquarium?

We recommend - and use - two methods when introducing new fish into a tank: the drip method and the dip method.

The Drip Method:

• You will need a fish bucket, a length of airline tubing (preferably with a flow rate adjuster tap on one end) and a way of holding the tubing in place (say a clothes peg or a seaweed clip).
• First, empty the fish and its water from the bag into the bucket - it can sometimes help to have the bucket at an angle. Using the clothes peg, clip one end of the airline into your tank and have the tap-end hanging into the bucket. Start a siphon through the tube and adjust it to a fast paced drip using the tap (if you don't have a tap just tie a knot in the airline). Keep this dripping at least until the water in the bucket has doubled, even more if you have the patience. This should take around half an hour, but, if it takes an hour or two, all the better. Then net the fish from the bucket and place it in your tank.

The Dip Method:

• Alternatively, float the unopened bag in your tank for 15-20 mins, which allows the temperature in the bag to adjust to the temperature in your tank. Then cut the knot off the bag and roll the top over a couple of times (this is called "collaring" and it helps the bag to float). Pour away 40-50% of the bag water and float the bag back in the aquarium. Add about a shot-glass worth of aquarium water to the bag and leave it for about five minutes. Do this at least three times over the next 15 minutes or until the water level in the bag has doubled. Then release the fish into its new home.

Really, the more gently the bag water is changed to your tank water the more gentle it is on the fish... how you achieve this is up to you and your imagination.

Many aquarists leave their lights off for that day allowing the fish time to adjust to its new surroundings in the relative peace and quiet of darkness. This is particularly recommended when introducing fish that have nocturnal tendencies such as catfish, bichirs or eels.

Another practice sometimes adopted by aquarists is to open the box in a dark room resisting the urge to hold the bag up to the light to inspect the new arrival. The fish will have been in pitch black for a good few hours and a sudden bright light can be a bit of a shock.

Feeding guide

Feeding is another important aspect to fishkeeping. Good nutrition (along with other factors) equals healthy fish; therefore, it is important to understand the species of fish being kept and their feeding requirements.

The easiest mistake to make is overfeeding, which in turn can lead to water pollution as well as overweight fish. Food which isn't utilised by your fish will lead to excess waste e.g. ammonia - nitrite - nitrate as it will pass through their system unused. Also anything uneaten (unless removed) will decompose increasing waste levels. A general rule of thumb is to feed enough to be consumed within a few minutes and don't be tempted to feed that little bit more because they still look hungry, they really do only have small stomachs. Again depending on the species being kept little and often is usually more beneficial than one large feed.

Just like us humans our pet fish enjoy a varied diet, although you may encounter certain species i.e. the notorious Oscar that will be finicky eaters if fed solely on one food from a young age. However there are always ways to get around this with the easiest being to keep them hungry for a few days and then introduce them to a new food. We would not however recommend this with a weak or sick fish. As the old adage goes "variety is the spice of life". The reason behind a varied feeding regime is to ensure a well balanced diet, which in turn results in a healthy fish that shows off its best colours.

Generally speaking fish fall into two sets of three categories.

• Herbivore, omnivore and carnivore.
• Surface, middle and bottom feeders.

Herbivore: This group of fish feed primarily on plant-matter, algae and phytoplankton as their digestive system is designed to cope best with this type of food. So although they will accept meaty foods as part of their diet their long intestinal tracts will not work as efficiently unless the amount of such food is kept to a minimum.

Omnivore: This group of fish enjoy a wide and varied diet consisting of both animal and vegetable matter. However bear in mind that like herbivores they tend to have an elongated intestinal tract, so multiple small feeds are often of most benefit.

Carnivore: Carnivores require animal protein; most carnivores can be classed either as insectivores or piscivores as in nature they would feed on insects and/or fish. They have a shorter intestinal tract than the other groups, commonly with a stomach that is capable of storing and partially digesting food.

Surface Feeder: This would include all fish that posses an upturned (superior) mouth, which is used to take up floating foods from the waters surface such as Guppies, Gouramis, Hatchetfish etc.

Middle Feeder: These fish have a (terminal) mouth located at the tip of their snouts designed to catch food in the water column. These would include species such as Snakeheads, Barbs, Cichlids etc.

Bottom Feeder: This group of fish have a downward pointing (inferior) mouth that is used to take food from the substrate. Included in this bracket would be Loach, Corydoras and Stingrays. With the exception of Stingray, these fish often have barbels that are used in the search for food.

Please ensure that fish on all levels receive adequate amounts of food as bottom dwellers tend to be overlooked as scavengers, with top and middle feeders consuming all the food before it reaches the substrate.

There are many different foods available on the market ranging from dried and frozen to live. As previously mentioned, a wide varied diet is of most benefit but please do your homework so as to provide the correct mix for the species being kept.

Dried Food Types:

• Flake Foods: Good quality flake food can be quite versatile, floating at first then gradually sinking which provides a meal at all levels.
• Granular Foods - Most granular foods sink relatively fast, which make them ideal for bottom dwellers, however there are some on the market which sink at different speeds making sure all residents have a meal.
• Pellet Foods - You will find pellet foods in both the floating type (designed for surface feeders) and sinking type (designed for bottom dwellers).
• Tablet Foods - Again tablet foods are aimed at feeding fish on all levels, they can dropped to the substrate for bottom dwellers and most can be attached to the glass to suit surface and middle feeders.
• Stick Foods - These can be useful for feeding larger fish such as Koi and Cichlids.

You will find all these foods formulated for herbivores, omnivores and carnivores in a variety of sizes to suit the smallest to the largest hungry mouth. As a rough guideline a tub of food should be used within 2-3 months of opening as its nutritional value deteriorates once opened. Try to gauge the size of pot depending on the amount of fish being kept.

Frozen + Freeze Dried Foods:

• Daphnia: Small crustacean (also known as water flea).
• Brineshrimp: Small crustacean (properly known as Artemia).
• Mysis: Small shrimp like creature.
• Krill: Shrimp.
• Bloodworm: Midge larvae (an all time fish favourite).
• Black Mosquito Larvae: Often used to condition fish for breeding or show.
• Glassworm: Insect Larvae
• Whiteworm: Feed occasionally as a treat due to their high fat content.
• Mussels: A good meaty food that can be bought whole or chopped.
• Cockles: Another meaty food that can be bought shelled or unshelled.
• Cyclops: Small zooplankton appreciated by small fish and corals alike.
• Plankton: Microscopic organisms that live in the water column making it the perfect coral food.

Frozen foods are available in a large range suiting all types of fish and inverts (although not all types of foods are suitable for all species of fish). They commonly come in a blister pack making it easier to feed without wastage. Freezing on its own only simply destroys parasites so some manufacturers utilise a small dose of gamma radiation to sterilize food ensuring that bacteria are also destroyed. It is for these reasons that once food has been thawed you should never refreeze; as the effect of sterilisation is rendered useless so only defrost enough for one feeding at a time.

Live Foods:

• Daphnia: Small crustacean (also known as water flea).
• Brineshrimp: Small crustacean (properly known as Artemia).
• Bloodworm: Midge larvae (an all time fish favourite).
• Glassworms: Insect Larvae, feed only to adult fish as glassworms may attack small fry.
• Earthworms: A meaty treat that can be chopped up to feed smaller fish (be sure to use from a source where no weed killers or garden chemicals have been used).
• Maggots: Can be fed as an occasional treat, again make sure to obtain from a reliable source.
• Cyclops: Do not feed to fry as they can attack and kill them.
• Plankton: Perfect for feeding corals, sponges and filter feeding invertebrates.

Feeding live food is an excellent way of providing a good amount of nutrition with the added bonus of stimulating natural feeding instincts, however, there is a risk of introducing pathogens and bacteria (tubifex in particular is well known for this). You could also culture your own live food at home if you have time to try something a bit different.

Koi Care

pH: 7-8
Size: 90-120cm TL
Family: Cyprinidae
Temp: 2-30C/35-85F (with an optimal temperature range of 20-25C/65-75F).

Koi can withstand temperatures at either end of the range but extremities are best avoided particularly over prolonged periods of time.

Koi are quite simply the pedigrees of the carp family, with each variation being selectively bred to produce specific colour patterns and scale forms. The word Koi is Japanese for Carp, Nishikigoi is Japanese for Jewelled Carp and this is what most people picture when thinking of Koi.

Koi have the ability to grow rapidly and require large roomy ponds with an efficient filtration system to match. To keep Koi successfully the pond should be at least 90-120cm deep and hold a minimum of 1000gal/4500litres, however bigger is always better. Regardless of size, please stock your pond slowly rather than buying all your fish at once. Also, don't be afraid to decorate your pond with rocks etc. However, plants aren't always successful as these fish are renowned for uprooting and eating them.

On the subject of eating, it is impossible to give an exact rule as to the amount of food required in one feed as this is governed by many factors, including the size and quantity of Koi as well as filter maturity and temperature. However, two small feeds would be more beneficial than one large feed as Koi have a simple gut that can only digest a limited amount of food at any one time. Therefore, the larger the feed the less nutritional absorption and more waste production, resulting in a heavier impact on filtration. As they are prone to being choosey if solely fed on one type of food Koi do best when fed a varied diet. Include different brands of prepared Koi pellets with the occasional treat of cockles, prawns, worms, sweetcorn and lettuce. Koi are poikilothermic, which means their body temperature varies with the temperature of its surroundings, which in turn affects their metabolism and how they utilise food. During spring Koi can be fed a high protein food, which is utilised by the body for growth and repair. Once temperatures reach 18C/65F through summer they can be moved onto a high protein colour and growth food. As temperatures begin to drop with the onset of winter you can change to a wheatgerm-based food that is easier to digest, however, stop feeding when temperatures drop below 10C/50F.

Whilst Koi have been bred to produce outstanding colour variations and scale formations this has led to a downside with them often being genetically weaker with a poorer immune system. However saying this in no way means that a pedigree Koi is unable to live a full and healthy life provided suitable surroundings and water quality are maintained. This is best achieved by carrying out small and regular water changes during which fallen leaves and debris can be removed with a net or pond vacuum.