The October issue of Practical Fishkeeping is on sale now.
In addition to the usual great articles on fish, you'll find the second of our free pull-out magazines on keeping reptiles and amphibians.
The last issue went down well with readers - even those who weren't reptile fans - and the latest one is even better. We've also got a great offer for new and existing subscribers, so read on to find out more.
Focus on loaches: Think of loaches. Think of clowns. Yet that ignores many other suitable candidates that can enrich your hobby, as Emma Turner explains. What killed my corys? How many of us have purchased a group of Corydoras only to find that they have all died in the bag on the way home. Ian Fuller explains what may have happened.
Get into fishkeeping: Breeding may be straightforward for fish that deliver live young, but youngsters may need some early protection from their parents, as Dr Neale Monks explains. How to feed your fish: How fish feed, what to feed and how to feed them properly. Get it right and your fish will thrive. A fresh approach to reefs: Can you create a reef tank with freshwater inhabitants? Sort of. Dr Neale Monks shows how it can be done.
Buyer's guide to systemised marine aquariums: The marine aquarium hobby is going through a revolution and Jeremy Gay looks at aquaria that make it even easier to keep marine fish and invertebrates. Pond party: Want a pond but don't fancy digging it yourself? Throw a pond-digging party. Katie Wilkinson reports. First Sight: Our focus on new aquarium and pond products. Readers' Top Shops: These are the top aquatic retailers as voted by you, the readers of Practical Fishkeeping in our 2008 readers' poll.
Interesting Imports: Matt Clarke looks at some of the new, unusual and rarely seen fish that have recently appeared on sale at specialist shops. Made to measure: Continuing his series on suiting to size, Phil Hunt looks at what fish and invertebrates to sensibly include in larger tanks. Corals on a plate: Fungiid corals are solitary creatures that don't build reefs - but they can move pretty fast and uphill too. Bob Goemans finds them fascinating.
Ultimate enthusiast: It's not often a reef hobbyist already featured in this Great Reef Tanks series is revisited, but Mick Burns was worth the return trip, reports Les Holliday. Great planted tanks: Steven Chong draws his inspiration directly from nature. George Farmer interviews this talented Japanese aquascaper.
Bringing matters to a head: It is impossible to be involved with cichlids without realising that some have raised areas on their foreheads. But there is more to this than meets the eye, as Mary Bailey explains. Fishkeeping made easy: Jeremy Gay's shows how to set up a simple aquarium using a Juwel tank as his canvas. Bleher's biotopes: Heiko Bleher's first series in 2007 created so much interest that he has returned to explain how he set up his latest creations.
Cool cichlids: Radek Bednarczuk on two species of coolwater eartheaters from South America. Ask the experts: Tips, advice and the answers to your questions plus a glossary of fishkeeping terms. Stuff you need to know about the Buenos Aires tetra: If breeding conditions are right, the once fashionable Buenos Aires tetra doesn't hang about long to get amorous, as John Rundle discovers.
Free air pump when you subscribeSubscribe to Practical Fishkeeping and get your choice of the following free gifts:
Rena air pump 100 (suitable for tanks up to 100 l/22 gal), RSP 20.75.
Rena air pump 200 (suitable for tanks up to 200 l/44 gal), RSP 26.50.
Air pumps have loads of uses - they are ideal to power small bubble-up foam filters in quarantine tanks and also in breeding or fry tanks where you want some type of filtration but nothing strong enough to pull eggs or fry into the filter.
They can be used to power tank ornaments and air stones to provide oxygen for your fish. Or connect them to a box filter which is filled with media such as carbon or Polyfilter to remove undesirable pollutants from your water.
You can subscribe to Practical Fishkeeping magazine at the Great Magazines website.
The October 2008 issue of Practical Fishkeeping is on sale from September 3 to September 30.