Back to care guides
Kevin — Editor & Site Owner
Written by
Kevin
Editor & Site Owner · 15+ years in the hobby
Kevin is the editor and owner of Tropical Fish Co. He has kept freshwater tropical tanks for more than 15 years — starting with a single 60-litre planted tank and now running a rack of species tanks across his home and the shop. Every care guide on this site is written or reviewed by Kevin from first-hand experience, cross-checked against peer-reviewed sources, FishBase, and the hobby's most trusted references.
Freshwater tropicalPlanted tanksLivebearersCichlidsUK water chemistry
Blog posts by Kevin
- How to Acclimate New Fish (UK Drip Method Guide)Proper acclimation is the difference between healthy new fish and dead ones in 48 hours. The process: float the sealed bag 20-30 minutes to match temperature, drip-acclimate over 30-60 minutes to match water chemistry, then net fish (NEVER pour the bag water) into the tank. Total time: about an hour. Skip it and even hardy species can die from osmotic shock; do it properly and even sensitive shrimp transition without losses.
- Angelfish Tank Mates: What Works in a Community Tank (UK Guide)Angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare) suit large community tanks (200L+) with peaceful tank mates that don't fin-nip or get eaten. Best matches: corydoras, bristlenose pleco, larger tetras, peaceful gouramis, kuhli loaches. Avoid: neon tetras (eaten as adults), tiger barbs (fin-nip), bettas (fight).
- Aquarium Algae Control: The UK Aquarist's Complete GuideAquarium algae has 4 root causes: too much light, too many nutrients, not enough plants, no clean-up crew. Fix the cause + add the right algae eaters (amano shrimp, otocinclus, bristlenose pleco, nerite snails) and the tank stays clean for months.