Fintastic Studio

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One of the best things about the aquarium hobby is that there's always something new to learn.

The truth is, we're not experts. We're hobbyists just like you. We all started with zero knowledge, plenty of questions, and a curiosity to explore this amazing hobby. Everything we've learnt has come through reading, experimenting, observing, and learning from both our successes and our failures.

This section is where we share the knowledge and experience that has worked for us. You'll find practical fishkeeping tips, live food culture methods, product testing results, breeding techniques, DIY projects, and plenty of other ideas that we hope will make your own fishkeeping journey a little easier.

If something here helps you solve a problem, inspires you to try something new, or saves you from making the same mistakes we did, then we've achieved our goal.

This is what this hobby is all about—learning, sharing, and growing together.

Potassium Permanganate Baths – How We Use Them

Potassium permanganate (PP) has been used in the aquarium hobby for decades as an external treatment for parasites, bacteria and fungi. It is a valuable treatment when used correctly, but it is not something to use casually. Good preparation, accurate dosing, excellent water quality and constant observation are all essential for safe treatment

The method below is simply how we use PP at Fintastic Studio. It is not the only method available, nor is it intended to replace veterinary advice. Always research thoroughly before using PP and never leave fish unattended during treatment.

*Potassium permanganate can be purchased from King's plant barn under - Wallys Potassium Permanganate.

Vinegar Eel Culture Instruction

Vinegar eels are one of the easiest live foods to culture and are an excellent first food for small fish fry. They remain alive in freshwater for many hours, giving fry plenty of time to feed.

There are two different methods you can use to culture them. The traditional method is very reliable and requires minimal maintenance, while the High Density Vinegar Eel (HDVE) method produces much larger quantities but requires a little more care.

Daphnia Culture Instruction

Daphnia are small freshwater crustaceans that make an excellent live food for aquarium fish. They are highly nutritious and are especially useful for conditioning breeding fish and feeding growing fry.

There are many different methods for culturing daphnia. The following is the method that has given us the most consistent results after plenty of trial and error.

Microworm Culture Instruction

Microworms are an excellent first food for newly hatched fish fry. They are easy to culture at home and, with a little care, will provide a continuous supply of live food.

Fintastic Studio Beef Heart Recipe

Our homemade beef heart mix has been a staple food for growing discus and other carnivorous tropical fish. This recipe combines lean beef heart with quality fish foods and nutritional supplements to produce a highly palatable, protein-rich food that freezes well and is easy to portion.

Cycling Aquasoil Based Aquarium Using APT Balance – Our Trial Results

One of the characteristics of fresh APT Feast Aquasoil is that it releases a significant amount of ammonia when first submerged. In our test setup, 15 litres of APT Feast in a 125-litre aquarium produced an ammonia reading of around 20 ppm.

The combination of high ammonia, acidic water and very low carbonate hardness (kH) can make establishing the nitrogen cycle more challenging than in a typical aquarium. Beneficial nitrifying bacteria generally perform best in water with a higher pH and adequate carbonate hardness, so we wanted to see how APT Balance would perform under these conditions.