News and Blogs

When placed in the aquarium, the holiday block gradually dissolves, releasing food particles (typically small pellets) into the water over a set period, typically ranging from a few days to a couple of weeks. If you're planning to use a holiday block or an automated feeder it's a good idea to test it in advance to ensure it suits your aquarium's needs.

Barnacles are essential for ocean ecosystems as they provide habitat for smaller marine life and help with water filtration. However, they can also be a nuisance for sailors due to their tendency to encrust boats and reduce their efficiency by increasing drag. 

In this regular build-up to pond season feature, we detail the best selling and most reliable pond products from last year to inform your purchases for 2025.

Here we detail which pond UV sterilizers proved the most popular and most reliable, based on our own 2024 data.

Atyopsis moluccensis, also known as the Bamboo shrimp, Wood Shrimp, Fan or Flower shrimp, is a freshwater shrimp native to southeast Asia. Due to their larger size when compared to cherry shrimp, they make a more suitable addition to community tanks.

A pond vacuum will help keep your pond clean, and ease the pressure on your pond filter. Pond vacuums are also handy for removing built-up sludge from non-filtered and wildlife ponds.

Above are listed the top 5 best pond vacuums and hoovers for 2025, based on Real Aquatics 2024 sales and reliability data from Real Aquatics outlets on eBay, Amazon and official websites.

Herein are listed the top 5 best aquarium external filters for 2025, based on Real Aquatics 2024 sales and reliability data from Real Aquatics outlets on eBay, Amazon and official websites.

The list consists of both external and hang-on filters only, and does not include variations such as internal filters and sponge filters - these are featured in separate awards.

A fibreglass pond will save you many hours over installing a pond using a pond liner. A fribreglass pond also comes with a lifetime guarantee, so (unlike pond liner) you are completely covered in the unlikely event of a leak. Here are some important things to consider when ordering a fibreglass pond.

Here at Real Aquatics we sell thousands of fibreglass ponds every year. As a new pond season dawns, many of you are wondering, how exactly do we get a fibreglass pond delivered to our home?

The numerous tiny pores in ceramic media provide an ideal surface area for beneficial bacteria to grow. These bacteria play a key role in the nitrogen cycle by converting harmful ammonia and nitrite into less toxic nitrate. This process helps to keep the aquarium's water chemistry balanced and safe for fish and other aquatic life.

Oyster shells provide a large surface area for beneficial bacteria to colonize. These bacteria help in breaking down harmful ammonia and nitrite into less toxic nitrate, which is essential for maintaining a healthy aquarium environment.