The purpose of this site is to pass on experience and memories of aquarium and pond keeping over the years
See our Aquarium & Pond Magazines page for an archive of "Pet Fish Monthly" Magazines from the 1960`s & 1970`s
The "Aquarist & Pondkeeper" magazine ha been copied from 1938 up to the last issue in 2005 see Aquarium & Pond Magazines -Archive
The author of this site (Peter. F. Capon) has been into fishkeeping for over seventy years.
He has been a amateur aquarist much of this time, only becoming involved in the trade in 1976. In that year he was employed as manager for the Fins & Wings Fish concession in Selfridges in Oxford Street, London, W1. Soon after he joined the firm it was acquired by Armitage the manufacturer/wholesale firm. Originally he was a Chief Chemist for a subsidary to Shell UK, his chemical background has been important to his understanding of water chemistry being so important to successful fishkeeping.
Other positions held involved The Aquarium at Selfridges in London, "Sprinklers" in Shoeburyness Essex, Reefs in Grays Essex, the aquarium department of the Garden & Mower Centre in Basildon and a few years running my own shop Aqua World in the Southend area. Currently Aqua World is still running but not as a retail unit rather as a Maintenance company involved in Ponds and Aquaria, but it is slowly being run down - you never know the author has actually retired! Wonders will never cease he`s actually gone and retired!
In addition to still having a fish house the author is a member of Southend Leigh & District Aquarist Society http://southendaquarist.weebly.com and was a one time many moons ago a member of the original Chelmsford Aquarist Society in the 1950`s. In fact he claims to be the last member as he was the only member to turn up at the very last meeting and spent the last evening in conversation with the caretaker of the school in Melbourne Park. In addition we are now compiling an archive of Magazines both slick & Club based see aqua-worlduk.weebly.com where we have copies of magazines dating back to the 1890`s
The major part of my current business is concerned with maintaining garden ponds both large and small. Many are ideally sited whilst others are situated under trees and subject to heavy leaf falls. Several have invasive plants both in and outside the pool such as Reed Mace (Typha latifolia) with it's liner piercing roots and Bamboo with it`s equally liner damaging habit.
Many ponds are regularly visited by the Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) and have be covered with netting, surrounded by a low fence of sticks and fishing line, or protected with electronic scarers.
In the UK our fish are not subject to predation from Racoons and Turtles although some wild ponds have populations of the Red Eared Turtle that have been released when the Ninja turtle craze died down. There is, however, a new predator starting to attack our fishes, this is the Cormorant (Phalacrococorax carbo). Essentially this is a bird that preys on sea fishes but with the decline in fish numbers around our shores it is increasingly moving up the rivers in search of food. In the London area they have been reported roosting on old wooden piles as far up the River Thames as Fulham which is some 45 miles from the open sea. The cormorant doesn`t wade into the water to do his fishing but dive bombs the pond from above. The only way to protect your fish is with strong netting stretched across the water.
The successful come back of the Otter in many of our rivers means there is a "new" predator on the block. The Otter will travel overland for a considerable distance once they realise that an easy meal is to be had in our garden ponds.
Apart from the domestic cat other creatures have been known to take our fish in the UK. In the case of cats we generally think of the felines waving their paws in the water trying to snag our fish with their claws, - but I had a client whose cat used to jump in after a meal – so much for cats hating water! I once was asked to examine a koi that had a nasty wound on it`s side. Close inspection revealed the tell tale marks of rats teeth, the wound was so deep that the fish did not survive. A few of the larger birds in the UK will if given the chance take our fish, the Magpie (Pica pica) and the Crow (Corvus corvus) do ocassionally predate our pond fish. In addition it is not unknown for the beautiful Kingfisher (Alcedo attkis) to visit garden ponds.
Domestic dogs can cause trouble but not in taking the fish but more usually when attempting to drink pond water and losing their footing. Dogs claws can damage pond liners. On the subject of liner damage I had the case a Mole (Talpa europaea) apparently happily digging a tunnel hunting earth-worms that went straight through a pond liner below the water level. What happened to the mole is not recorded.
The major part of my current business is concerned with maintaining garden ponds both large and small. Many are ideally sited whilst others are situated under trees and subject to heavy leaf falls. Several have invasive plants both in and outside the pool such as Reed Mace (Typha latifolia) with it's liner piercing roots and Bamboo with it`s equal liner damaging habit.
Many ponds are regularly visited by the Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) and have be covered with netting, surrounded by a low fence of sticks and fishing line, or protected with electronic scarers.
In the UK our fish are not subject to predation from Racoons and Turtles although some wild ponds have populations of the Red Eared Turtle that have been released when the Ninja turtle craze died down. There is, however, a new predator starting to attack our fishes, this is the Cormorant (Phalacrococorax carbo). Essentially this is a bird that preys on sea fishes but with the decline in fish numbers around our shores it is increasingly moving up the rivers in search of food. In the London area they have been reported roosting on old wooden piles as far up the River Thames as Fulham which is some 45 miles from the open sea. The cormorant doesn`t wade into the water to do his fishing but dive bombs the pond from above. The only way to protect your fish is with strong netting stretched across the water.
One of Southend, Leigh and District Aquarist Society`s members had his large koi attacked and devoured by a fox. The predator tore through the netting covering the pond to get at the fish! The pond is now covered by a tougher metal mesh!
Many ponds are regularly visited by the Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) and have be covered with netting, surrounded by a low fence of sticks and fishing line, or protected with electronic scarers.
In the UK our fish are not subject to predation from Racoons and Turtles although some wild ponds have populations of the Red Eared Turtle that have been released when the Ninja turtle craze died down. There is, however, a new predator starting to attack our fishes, this is the Cormorant (Phalacrococorax carbo). Essentially this is a bird that preys on sea fishes but with the decline in fish numbers around our shores it is increasingly moving up the rivers in search of food. In the London area they have been reported roosting on old wooden piles as far up the River Thames as Fulham which is some 45 miles from the open sea. The cormorant doesn`t wade into the water to do his fishing but dive bombs the pond from above. The only way to protect your fish is with strong netting stretched across the water.
The successful come back of the Otter in many of our rivers means there is a "new" predator on the block. The Otter will travel overland for a considerable distance once they realise that an easy meal is to be had in our garden ponds.
Apart from the domestic cat other creatures have been known to take our fish in the UK. In the case of cats we generally think of the felines waving their paws in the water trying to snag our fish with their claws, - but I had a client whose cat used to jump in after a meal – so much for cats hating water! I once was asked to examine a koi that had a nasty wound on it`s side. Close inspection revealed the tell tale marks of rats teeth, the wound was so deep that the fish did not survive. A few of the larger birds in the UK will if given the chance take our fish, the Magpie (Pica pica) and the Crow (Corvus corvus) do ocassionally predate our pond fish. In addition it is not unknown for the beautiful Kingfisher (Alcedo attkis) to visit garden ponds.
Domestic dogs can cause trouble but not in taking the fish but more usually when attempting to drink pond water and losing their footing. Dogs claws can damage pond liners. On the subject of liner damage I had the case a Mole (Talpa europaea) apparently happily digging a tunnel hunting earth-worms that went straight through a pond liner below the water level. What happened to the mole is not recorded.
The major part of my current business is concerned with maintaining garden ponds both large and small. Many are ideally sited whilst others are situated under trees and subject to heavy leaf falls. Several have invasive plants both in and outside the pool such as Reed Mace (Typha latifolia) with it's liner piercing roots and Bamboo with it`s equal liner damaging habit.
Many ponds are regularly visited by the Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) and have be covered with netting, surrounded by a low fence of sticks and fishing line, or protected with electronic scarers.
In the UK our fish are not subject to predation from Racoons and Turtles although some wild ponds have populations of the Red Eared Turtle that have been released when the Ninja turtle craze died down. There is, however, a new predator starting to attack our fishes, this is the Cormorant (Phalacrococorax carbo). Essentially this is a bird that preys on sea fishes but with the decline in fish numbers around our shores it is increasingly moving up the rivers in search of food. In the London area they have been reported roosting on old wooden piles as far up the River Thames as Fulham which is some 45 miles from the open sea. The cormorant doesn`t wade into the water to do his fishing but dive bombs the pond from above. The only way to protect your fish is with strong netting stretched across the water.
One of Southend, Leigh and District Aquarist Society`s members had his large koi attacked and devoured by a fox. The predator tore through the netting covering the pond to get at the fish! The pond is now covered by a tougher metal mesh!
