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Aquarium Blog
Fish care guides, planted tank advice, shrimp keeping tips, and news from the AquaLots team. Whether you're a first-time fishkeeper or an experienced aquarist, our guides cover tropical fish care, breeding, water chemistry, planted tanks, invertebrates, and more. Learn how to set up your first aquarium, which species work best together, how to breed neocaridina shrimp, what L-number plecos need to thrive, and how to get the most from the AquaLots marketplace — from writing listings that sell to finding the best deals at auction.
8 April 2026
Best Plecos for a Community Tank (And What Most Guides Get Wrong)
Not all plecos belong in a community tank. We break down the best species by size, temperament and tank requirements — so you pick the right one first time.
8 April 2026
L-Number Plecos: Complete Species Guide with Rarity Ratings
A complete guide to L-number plecos — what the numbering system means, the most popular species, rarity ratings, care requirements, and how to find them.
7 April 2026
Flowerhorn Cichlid Care Guide: Setup, Feeding and Breeding
Few fish inspire as much devotion — or as much misunderstanding — as the flowerhorn. This guide covers what it actually takes to keep one well, from tank setup through to breeding.
7 April 2026
Zebra Pleco (L046) Care Guide: Tank Setup, Feeding and Breeding
The zebra pleco is one of the most beautiful freshwater fish in existence and one of the most misunderstood. This is the guide that gets the details right.
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7 April 2026
How to Cycle an Aquarium: The Complete Nitrogen Cycle Guide
New tank syndrome kills more fish than disease, aggression, and poor diet combined. Understanding the nitrogen cycle before you add your first fish isn't optional — it's the foundation of everything else in fishkeeping.
6 April 2026
Dwarf Cichlid Guide: Dwarf Cichlid Guide: Best Apistogramma Species for Your Tank
Apistogramma are some of the most beautiful and behaviourally complex fish available in the hobby. At two to three inches they deliver everything cichlids are known for — colour, personality, breeding behaviour — in a package that works in a 20-gallon tank.
6 April 2026
Freshwater Shrimp Care Guide: Neocaridina and Caridina for Beginners
Freshwater shrimp are one of the fastest-growing segments of the aquarium hobby — and for good reason. They're fascinating to watch, genuinely useful in planted tanks, breed readily, and come in an extraordinary range of colours. Here's everything you need to get started.
5 April 2026
Livebearer Fish Guide: Guppies, Mollies, Platies and Swordtails
Livebearers are the fish most people start with — and for good reason. They're hardy, colourful, and give birth to live young without any special intervention. Here's the complete guide to keeping them properly.
5 April 2026
Best Aquarium Plants for Beginners: 10 Species That Actually Survive
Most aquarium plant guides recommend species that need CO2 injection, high-powered lighting, and regular fertilisation. This one doesn't. These are the plants that thrive under normal conditions.
5 April 2026
Aquarium Equipment Guide: What You Actually Need (And What You Don't)
Walk into any aquarium shop and you'll find shelves of equipment ranging from genuinely essential to completely unnecessary. This guide cuts through the marketing and tells you what actually matters.
4 April 2026
How to Package and Ship Live Fish Safely: The Complete Guide
Shipping live fish successfully comes down to preparation, the right materials, and understanding what the fish will experience between your tank and the buyer's door. Get it right and it's straightforward. Get it wrong and you're dealing with DOA claims and unhappy buyers. Here's what you need to know.
4 April 2026
Bristlenose Pleco Care Guide: The Best Algae Eater for Any Tank
The bristlenose pleco is one of the most useful and underappreciated fish in the hobby. It does what it says on the tin — eats algae, stays small, and minds its own business. Here's everything you need to know to keep one well.
3 April 2026
Kribensis Cichlid Care Guide: The Perfect Community Cichlid
The kribensis is everything a community cichlid should be — small, colourful, behaviorally fascinating, and manageable for a keeper who does their homework. Here's how to keep them properly.
3 April 2026
How Online Fish Auctions Work — A Buyer's Guide
New to online fish auctions? This guide covers everything — how bidding works, proxy bids, what to look for in a listing, delivery tips and how to get the best deals on AquaLots
2 April 2026
Common Aquarium Fish Diseases: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment Guide
A complete guide to the most common aquarium fish diseases — white spot, fin rot, velvet, dropsy, flukes and more. How to spot them early and treat them effectively.
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2 April 2026
How to Write a Fish Listing That Actually Sells
Learn how to write a fish listing that gets views, attracts bids and sells fast on AquaLots — titles, photos, descriptions, pricing and how to get onto the homepage.
1 April 2026
How to Make Money from Fish Keeping
Find out how UK fish keepers are generating real income from breeding shrimp, plecos, discus and more — and how to sell your surplus stock on AquaLots.
1 April 2026
Axolotl Care Guide UK: Tank Setup, Feeding, Water Temperature and More
The complete UK axolotl care guide — tank size, water temperature, cooling in summer, substrate, feeding, health, and what you need to know before buying one.
31 March 2026
Aquarium Snails UK: The Complete Guide to Species, Care and Where to Buy
The complete UK guide to aquarium snails — nerites, mystery snails, assassin snails, ramshorns and rabbit snails. Care, breeding, and where to find quality stock.
31 March 2026
Neocaridina Shrimp Colour Morphs, Grades and Colony Building
You've read the basics. Now this is the guide for anyone who wants to go further — understanding what separates a painted fire red from a sakura, why UK tap water is quietly one of the best in the world for Neocaridina, how moulting works and when it goes wrong, and how to build a colony that produces sellable shrimp rather than just more shrimp.
30 March 2026
Guppy Fish Care and Breeding Guide
The complete UK guppy guide — fancy strains, tail types, line breeding, raising fry, and how to sell quality surplus fish from a productive home colony.
29 March 2026
How to Rehome Aquarium Fish in the UK
Looking to rehome aquarium fish in the UK? Discover your options — from local fish shops to online marketplaces — and why AquaLots is the easiest, fairest way to find your fish a new home.
29 March 2026
Fancy Goldfish Care Guide UK: Tank Setup, Varieties and Common Mistakes
Fancy goldfish live 15 years in the right setup. UK guide to tank size, filtration, varieties from oranda to ranchu, feeding, and why bowls kill fish
28 March 2026
Malawi Cichlid Care Guide UK: Mbuna, Peacocks, Haps and Tank Setup
Mbuna, peacocks or haps — which Malawi cichlid is right for you? UK guide covering tank setup, hard water advantage, aggression management and species profiles
27 March 2026
Betta Fish Care Guide UK: Tank Setup, Water Parameters and Common Mistakes
Betta fish are the most purchased aquarium fish in UK pet shops — and among the most frequently kept in conditions that shorten their lives. This guide covers what bettas actually need, not what the packaging on a 5-litre starter kit suggests.
27 March 2026
UK Tap Water and Your Aquarium
More fishkeeping problems in the UK trace back to tap water than any other single cause. Not bad luck, not equipment failure — water chemistry that nobody told you about when you bought your fish. This guide explains what actually comes out of UK taps by region, why it matters for every fish in your tank, and what to do about it.
26 March 2026
Best Fish for Hard Water UK
Hard UK tap water is an advantage, not a problem. The complete guide to fish that thrive in high pH and GH — Malawi cichlids, livebearers, rainbowfish and more.
26 March 2026
Discus Breeding Guide
The complete discus breeding guide — pair formation, RO water setup for UK keepers, spawning cones, egg care, the discus milk fry feeding mechanism, and raising juveniles to sale size