King British Turtle and Terrapin Multi-Vit contains all the essential vitamins including; Vitamin A which promotes skin integrity and healing, helps to maintain immune function, and protects against skin problems, conjunctivitis and breathing difficulties; Vitamin B1, B2, B6 & B12 which enhance the ability to digest certain foods; Vitamin C which helps to maintain capillaries, bones, teeth, and aids in the absorption of iron; Vitamin D3 which is important in the formation, function, and health of normal bone, tooth, and shell structures. Too little vitamin D3 results in metabolic bone disease, soft shell and egg retention. Vitamin E is also included which acts primarily as an antioxidant, combating free radicals in the environment.

A 20ml bottle of King British Turtle and Terrapin Multi-Vit is competitively priced with an RRP of £3.49, and is launched to market complete with the new packaging re-design. The new packaging uses sharp photography to ensure that the product really stands out on the shelf whilst still reflecting what King British has always been about; providing easy to use, high quality products.

For more information on King British Turtle & Terrapin Multi-Vit or any other King British product please call our Customer Care Team on 01427 675663 or visit www.kingbritish.co.uk.

If a swimbladder problem already exists it is advised to use King British Revitaliser Tonic to treat the immediate problem and then start feeding….yes you’ve guessed it; King British Goldfish Sinking Pellets!

To find out more about the new product and to chat with likeminded fishkeepers and aquatic retailers we invite you to join the King British facebook page (www.facebook.com/kingbritish); a community of passionate fish keepers and King British experts await you! We have a great competition running at the moment.

For more information on King British Goldfish Sinking Pellets or any other King British product please call our Customer Care Team on 01427 675663 or visit www.kingbritish.co.uk

Why small granules? Discus have a relatively short digestive system for their size making it very easy to over feed them. Naturally Discus will eat ‘little and often’ throughout the day. King British Discus Granules help replicate their natural feeding behaviour in the wild.

Why do they sink? Discus are not a surface feeding fish. They prefer to take food from the middle of the water column or from the substrate. King British Discus Granules have been formulated to slowly sink through the water column.

What’s in it? Studies of the stomach contents of wild Discus reveal that they consume both animal and plant matter. King British Discus Granules contain both animal and plant protein as well as naturally occurring compounds to boost the immune system and enhance colours. It also contains the right balance of vitamins and minerals.

Anything else? King British Discus granules are made from high quality, natural ingredients. This makes them highly digestible, leaving very little waste and promoting good water quality.

King British has always been about; providing easy to use, high quality products for the family fishkeeper. Discus Granules is the latest in King British’s range of aquarium foods that has been designed, without compromise, to provide exceptional nutrition for ornamental fish.

King British is committed to providing fishkeepers with ongoing support throughout every step of their journey in the hobby. By  joining the King British Facebook page (www.facebook.com/kingbritish) you’ll become part of a community of passionate fishkeepers and aquatic retailers. You can ask any fishkeeping questions by posting on the wall. King British retailers and consumers have a wealth of knowledge and experience and we encourage everybody to join in the conversation. Sharing fish tales is part of what makes our hobby great! There’s also a competition or two on Facebook, and there’s a whopper coming up so head on over to the King British page now and click ‘like’!

For more information on King British Discus Granules or any other King British product please call the Customer Care Team on 01427 675663, visit www. kingbritish.co.uk or why not tweet at @KingBritishUK?

Red Panda Discus

Article Written By Aquatic Specialist: Gary Rolfe.

There are thousands of species of freshwater tropical fish in today’s aquarium hobby, but in my opinion, there has always been one that has stood alone. One species of fish that has become the icon of aquaculture, royalty of the fish world and king of the aquarium. The Discus.

Strictly speaking that is not 100% true, there are actually 3 species of Discus. All are very closely related, in fact they are all in the same genus, Symphysodon. Ichthyologists have agreed that we have Symphysodon aequifasciatus and Symphysodon discus, but there is still debate over the name of the third species. It may be Symphysodon tarzoo, or it may be Symphysodon haraldi, for the purpose of this article it doesn’t really matter. We’ll just use ‘Discus’ to cover all three species respectively.

Discus are native to the Amazon river in South America. There are many different biotopes within the Amazon system, Discus inhabit the lowland lakes, tributaries and floodplains. These are the areas of slow moving water and heavy vegetation. Heavy amounts of vegetation decaying in the water releases tanins and stains the water brown. This type of water is often referred to as blackwater.

Blackwater is naturally very soft and relatively acidic. Soft water by nature has a low mineral content. Minerals in the water neutralise acids, resisting change to the water’s pH, this is known as the water’s buffering capacity. Because of blackwater’s lower ability to buffer against pH changes, maintaining the correct water conditions for Discus in an aquarium has always been more of a challenge when compared to keeping harder water species. But with a combination of water softening technology and a relative acclimatisation of captive bred Discus to harder water, this challenge is now well within the grasp of most experienced fishkeepers.

Discus are perfectly adapted to their natural environment. Like the more common Angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare) Discus have a laterally compressed body shape, hence their common name. Why would this be beneficial to the Discus? Well, every year during the wet season, the Amazon’s water level rises significantly causing it to break it’s banks and flood the surrounding forest. The discus’ thin shape allows it to slip and glide through the mass of tangled roots and branches as the Amazon’s fish inhabit the flooded forest. This seasonal environment reveals exciting new foraging grounds for the grazing Discus.

Tangled roots in an Amazon tributary

Discus are omnivorous fish, the stomach contents of wild caught Discus have been examined by ichthyologists, revealing both plant and animal matter. Their digestive system is relatively short for their size suggesting that they pick at small food items, but on a regular basis. Their feeding behaviour in the aquarium has also confirmed this and experienced Discus keepers will feed their Discus small items, such as granules, at least 2-3 times per day. This allows Discus to fully digest their food with minimal waste and none of the health problems associated with over-feeding.

A wild Discus’ natural prey consist of small crustaceans, worms and even small fish, even though they are not the most adept predators in the river! It’s hard to say whether they are actively eating plants or if they are just ingested as a result of grazing on invertebrates, but the nutrition gained from these plants should also play a part in their aquarium diet. Luckily, granules high in both animal and plant protein, specifically engineered to meet the nutritional needs of Discus are now available.

Discus are a member of the Cichlidae family, the cichlids. Cichlids are renowned amongst freshwater fish for their excellent parental care. Discus are no different, in fact they take parental care one stage further and have a rather unusual method for raising their babies. Before the eggs hatch, the parents will attentively fan the eggs with oxygen rich water and guard them from predators. Once hatched the Discus parents will start producing a nourishing mucus through their skin that the babies will feed on for a few weeks. This mucus has been compared to mammalian milk as it has been shown to contain valuable antibodies that boost their babies’ immune systems.

I’ve always been a believer in understanding the origins of your pet fish in order to give them the best environment possible. This is never truer than with Discus, create the right physiological conditions and provide a good quality diet and you can achieve something special within the fishkeeping hobby. You can keep the king of aquarium, the Discus.

The advert has been designed to capture the enjoyment that fish-keeping brings to families, whilst reinforcing the fact that when King British products are used you will have healthier, happier fish and lovely clean water. Amy Hepworth, Marketing Manager at King British commented “What we have portrayed within the advert is the passion King British has for being part of the delight, fascination and magic that fish-keeping brings. The advert captures what King British is all about – manufacturing products to suit the needs of the family fish-keeper.”

Within the advert it highlights the newly launched, naturally brilliant, super premium fish foods. These new products are revolutionary to the industry – they are 100% natural. Included in the new natural range are the following popular King British lines: Goldfish Flake Food, Tropical Fish Flake Food, Cichlid Flake Food, Marine Food, Tropical Fish Food Mix.

Amy Hepworth continued “The advert will continue to drive consumer awareness for the super premium fish care brand. Direct sampling at Gardeners World will reinforce this – 5000 fish keepers will the chance to try the Natural Fish Flake for themselves. Not only that but King British have jointly sponsored a TV programme with OATA that concentrates on raising awareness of the importance of responsible fish care.” All this activity demonstrates that King British is committed to maintaining its market leading position, whilst at the same time continuing to provide excellent nutrition and the best quality products that customers have come to expect.

The TV programme is to be aired on the 12^th July at 7.30pm on Sky 201 and will be repeated on 17^th July at 6.00pm.

For more information on the King British Product Range please call the Customer Care Team on 01440 715700

King British has taken out all artificial colours, flavours and preservatives, in a move to rid fish foods of synthetically manufactured ingredients, replacing them with naturally-sourced products. Synthetic colourings are becoming increasingly unpopular with the general public, and awareness of the problems casued by synthetic materials has increased in recent years. Many synthetic colourings have already been banned for use in human foods and other pet foods, and we, at King British, wanted to lead the way in the Aquatics market.  Synthetic colourings have been replaced with natural Beetroot, Tumeric and Paprika. Other natural colours were already used in King British flake foods, including nutritious Spirulina algae.

Coupled with stylish new artwork for the foods, King British is demonstrating that they are the market leaders when it comes to developing products, whilst at the same time keeping the excellent nutrition and best quality ingredients that our fish keepers have come to expect. Feeding trials have shown that the natural colourings have absolutely no adverse effects on the palatability of the foods – in fact, fish love the foods now more than ever! You don’t need synthetic colourants to have vibrant, colourful fish, just excellent nutrition, as provided by King British flake.

But King British doesn’t stop there; in addition to this revolutionary improvement in the indoor flake food range, King British Pond Food packaging has received a revitalising facelift and a new addition – King British Pond Flake Food.

For more information on the revolutionary King British Natural Flake Food or King British Pond Food Range please call the Customer Care Team on 01440 715700

Everyone knows that one of the best things you can do for wildlife in the garden is to put in a pond. But amazingly nobody really knows what you need to do to make a great wildlife garden pond.  What’s the best size and depth? How important is really clean water? What should the edges be like? Is there enough shallow water? There are lots of myths about making ponds in garden – now we want to try to get to the real truth.

By taking part in the Big Pond Dip, you are helping Pond Conservation to find out what is living in garden and school ponds, to start answering some of these questions.

The information gathered will help to explain how good garden ponds are for wildlife. It will also help address what types of pond support the most animal life. So stop reading and start dipping!

For more information about the project and how to get involved visit: www.pondconservation.org.uk/bigponddip

Here at King British we are very proud to announce the launch of the new King British website, especially designed with the fish keeper in mind. The website provides essential product information, a no-need-to-think dose calculator for all relevant King British products, a handy little store locator, an ask the expert feature – where their truly is a fish expert ready and waiting for your enquiry! Not to mention a competition to win a years supply of fish food and the chance to sign up to the King British Shoal of Friends newsletter. Stop reading this and get surfing the King British website! The fish health page is a favourite!

6-in-1 Test Strips

The King British 6 in 1 Water Test Strips really DO measure ALL the essential water quality parameters in Tropical and Coldwater aquariums, including AMMONIA. Each unit contains twenty five 5-in-1 test strips to test for pH, GH, KH, Nitrite and Nitrate, plus twenty five separate strips which test the ammonia level in the aquarium. In total each unit contains 150 tests! The King British 6 in 1 Water Test Strips are absolutely essential for making sure that the aquarium is a healthy environment for fish. Ammonia and nitrite are the biggest water quality problems that most fish keepers tend to suffer from, so early and frequent testing is essential. Even low ammonia can kill fish so weekly testing is highly recommended. The easy to use design of the strip means no need for complicated test tubes and you have the results within minutes so no waiting around! A handy little leaflet is enclosed in the pack providing advice on how to prevent or improve the water quality.

pH Plus and pH Minus

King British pH Plus and King British pH Minus are designed to easily adjust the pH of the aquarium water if required. The King British pH Plus allows gentle and gradual pH increases to bring it up to a more suitable level. This can be used in tropical, coldwater and marine aquariums. It is ideal for use with Lake Malawi cichlids and Lake Tanganyikan cichlids. In tap water regions where the soil is calcium-poor, the water tends to have a low pH and KH. In circumstances such as these King British pH Plus is ideal as it increases the pH of the water.

King British pH Minus works the opposite way to King British pH Plus as it allows fish keepers to gently and gradually lower the pH of the aquarium water to a more suitable level. Tap water in areas where the bedrock is mineral-rich (such as the East of the UK) may not provide suitable conditions for certain types of aquarium fish, including Discus and other Amazonian species. King British pH Minus allows the pH of the water to be lowered, creating better water conditions for ornamental fish that prefer soft water or slightly acidic conditions.

Water Purifier

The final product is the King British Water Purifier, which is an essential weekly water purifier that provides an easy and convenient way to keep the filter and aquarium water healthy. Each unit contains six tubes of concentrated nitrifying bacteria and bacillus. The King British Water Purifier does three things; it replenishes the filter with live nitrifying bacteria and bacillus, it removes harmful ammonia and nitrite and it keeps the nitrogen cycle going. Just one tube will treat up to 100 litres! Simply remove the lid and pour the contents into the filter – it really is that simple! No need for measuring caps or pipettes.

For further information on the King British product range please telephone 01427 810231.

Amongst the products to be showcased is the recently launched King British 6 in 1 Test Strips. The King British 6 in 1 Test Strips really DO measure ALL the essential water quality parameters in Tropical and Coldwater aquariums, including AMMONIA. Each unit contains twenty five 5-in-1 test strips to test for pH, GH, KH, Nitrite and Nitrate, plus twenty five separate strips which test the ammonia level in the aquarium. In total each unit contains 150 tests! The King British 6 in 1 Test Strips are absolutely essential for making sure that the aquarium is a healthy environment for fish. Ammonia and nitrite are the biggest water quality problems that most fish keepers tend to suffer from, so early and frequent testing is essential. Even low ammonia can kill fish so weekly testing is highly recommended. The easy to use design of the strip means no need for complicated test tubes and you have the results within minutes so no waiting around!

Representatives from the King British Sales and Marketing teams will be available on the stand to provide knowledgeable assistance to visitors and explain the many reasons why King British products remains the number one choice for retailers and fish keepers when it comes to superior quality products and excellent service.

For further information on the entire King British product range please visit the product pages of the King British website or call the Customer Care Team on 01440 715700.