Advice

When you select fish for your tank, be sure to reject any that:

• cannot swim effortlessly or maintain a steady position in the water,
• have a very thin cross section or a hollow belly,
• have folded-down, split or frayed fins,
• have obvious pimples, spots, wounds or other body damage,
• are not eating regularly (ask your dealer about their eating habits),
• have not been quarantined, or come from a dubious source,
• are of an extreme size (small or large) compared to the rest of the fish in your selection (they might get eaten or eat your other fish),
• are very expensive - unless you are sure you can keep them successfully as they might need special conditions in which to live.

Some thoughts on designing planted aquaria.

Many purist fishkeepers design tanks around an ecological area, for example, the Amazon Basin . This ensures that your plants' requirements for water hardness, pH level and light intensity will be the same. Take a more eclectic approach as we do in terrestrial garden design and we become free to select plants for their colour and form rather than geographical origins. Whatever your scheme, there is a wide choice of plants available. Many plants are very easy to grow and even the cultivation of the more difficult species is made easier with specialist equipment such as undergravel heaters and carbon dioxide diffusers. Use floating plants like Riccia fluitans to frame the top of the aquarium. Low-growing foreground plant species such as dwarf Crytocorynes carpet the base. While the long stemmed plants species Cabomba and Bacopa are ideal in the background. Striking specimen plants like the Echinodorus species should be used singly throughout the design.

Advice for the novice fishkeeper.

The tank you buy will probably be your biggest single cost. It is genuinely best to get the largest tank you can afford and accommodate a larger volume of water makes for a more stable ecosystem. Think about where you want to site the tank, somewhere not too noisy, no direct sunlight (which may cause unsightly algae), and somewhere you can comfortably sit and watch. Remember that water is very heavy, so any tank over 40 litres should be put on a dedicated stand or very sturdy furniture. Fish tanks these days come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and finishes, and many come as conveniently complete packages incorporating matching stand/hood, filter, lights and heater. Most beginners will find one of these packages as the best way to go

• Tidy up marginal plants after the first frosts.
• Over winter non-hardy floaters indoors in water-filled containers.
• aterlilies contained in tubs & containers can be lifted and stored in a frost-free place.
• Remove pond pump, clean and store over winter.
• Install a pond heater in place of the pump.
• In early autumn, feed fish a high-protein food (wheat germ) to boost their reserves for winter.
• Cover the pond with a net to keep fallen leaves out of the pond.
• Leave the net in place until spring to help protect from cats and herons! Put some    sections of drain pipe in the pond to give fish a hiding place from predators.
• If you are not going to use a pond heater, get a pond vent ready for icy conditions. It is vital to make a hole in the ice to allow toxic gases to escape.

• Remove your pond heater and service the pond pump ready for the coming season. Clean the filter thoroughly, if you have one, and add a good dose of filter bacteria.
• A build up of debris in your pond may make the water appear a black/blue colour. If this is the case consider a 50% water change. Refill the pond slowly or using a spray to dissipate the chlorine. Remember to use a suitable water treatment designed to remove chlorine.
• As the water warms and the hours of sunlight increase, consider using barley straw in the pond.
• Divide over-crowded waterlilies in the early spring.
• It's also time to divide marginals or pot them on to a larger size aquatic basket. Don't overlook corms produced by marginal plants like Alisma when you do your spring tidy. It's easy to throw them out by mistake!
• Marigolds ( Caltha palustris) are the first marginals to flower. As well as our native Marsh Marigold, several other varieties are available.
• As the water warms up, start using aquatic plant fertilisers. Don't fertilise waterlilies too early as they require warmer water to utilise the nutrients properly.
• Remove last season's plant debris from the bog garden. Fork it over and mulch. Choose Primulas for spring interest.
• As the fish become active, feed them with wheat germ feed. When the water temperature exceeds 10C, you can use regular pond fish feeds.
• Frogs and toads will begin spawning. So if you don't want to disturb them, get your spring clean done early!