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The Journal

The Journal

Field notes from YoloLife: species we keep, tanks we build, and the routines that keep them healthy.

Choosing a centrepiece fish for a UAE community aquarium
Beginner2026.0810 min read

How to Choose a Centrepiece Fish for a Community Tank in the UAE

The centrepiece is the fish your tank is 'about'. Here is how to choose one that is a star and not a saboteur — sized for your tank,...

Selecting fish and invertebrates for a balanced community aquarium in UAE hard water
Beginner2026.0813 min read

How to Stock a Community Tank: A Step-by-Step Plan for a Balanced UAE Aquarium

A community tank is built to a plan, not accumulated one impulse at a time. Here is the order of operations — water, tank size, centrepiece, supporting cast...

Beginner2026.085 min read

Why Is My Fish Hiding? A Calm Checklist Before You Treat Anything

Fish hiding is often normal, but sudden or constant hiding can signal stress. Use this calm aquarium checklist before adding medicine or changing everything.

Dense low aquarium plants of the kind that give fry cover in a grow-out or breeding tank
How-To2026.0813 min read

Setting Up a Breeding and Grow-Out Tank in a Small UAE Flat: Sponge Filters, Fry Food and Keeping a Nursery Stable

If you want to raise a whole batch of fry rather than let nature thin them, a small dedicated tank does the job far better than a breeding...

A selection of small community aquarium fish including livebearer-type species suitable for a UAE home aquarium
Beginner2026.0815 min read

Your Fish Had Babies: What to Do When Guppies, Mollies and Platies Breed in the UAE

You did not plan to breed fish, but your livebearers did anyway. Here is what actually happens when guppies, mollies and platies have fry: why the parents eat...

Beginner2026.085 min read

Why Does My Aquarium Smell? What To Check Before You Add Chemicals

A calm, practical checklist for finding the source of a foul fish-tank smell before adding chemicals or overcleaning the filter.