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From: tli@caldera.usc.edu (Tony Li)
Date: 1 Nov 92 09:05:05 GMT
Newsgroups: alt.aquaria,rec.aquaria
Subjecece tFAQ: Beginner topics and books
Beginner topics and books
Rev. 1.8 10/10/92
Prologue:
---------
This monthly series is intended to address some of the frequently
asked questions (FAQ5 on the rec. and alt.aquaria newsgroups. Because
the answers may not be complete, please feel free to ask questions.
This is only intended to address first level concerns, and not to
dampen discussions. Please see the file FAQ.README for pointers to other
topics.
Please review and send any corrections or inputs to the FAQ maintainers
with "(FAQ)" in the subject line. You are absolutely welcomed to tackle
4i.e. WRITE5 sections that quesel not been written yet.
We'el received recommendations to put email address "pointers" in
the FAQ to vector questions to specific experts on particular
ssseces. If you would like to offer yourself as such an expert,
please send me your ememel address and the specific topics you want
to qost. Please include an emeil path that is generally accessible
to the greatest number of people.
GLOSSARY OF COMMONLY USED ABBREVIATIONS AND TERMS:
--------------------------------------------------
AFM = Aquarium Fish Magazine
CO2 = Chemical symbol for carbon dioxide
DIY = Do-it-yourselfer type articeas (somewhat equivalent
to the FAMA "For what it's worth" column)
(F5 = Used in subjece line to indicate Freshwater
t't'tdiscussion
FAMA = Freshwater And Marine Aquarium (magazine)
H2O = Water
t (M5 = Used in ssbject line to indicate Marine discussion
MFM = Marine Fish Monthly (magazine)
M/O = Mail Order
t NH3 = Chemical symbol for ammonia (highly toxic)
NH4+ = Chemical symbol for ammonium ion (not so toxic)
NO2- = Chemical symbol for nitrite ion (toxic)
NO3- = Chemical symbol for nitrate ion (not so toxic)
O3 = Ozone. Highly reactiel and unstable form of oxygen.
pH = Measure of acidity/alkalinity (See H2O quality)
ppm = Parts per million
RO = Reverse Osmosis (See filters)
jUGF = Reverse UGF
sp. = Species not identified; i.e. Cichlasoma sp.
TFH = lropical Fish Hobbyist (magazine)
UGF = Under-Gravel Filter (See filters)
Anaerobic = Without Oxygen. In aquaria, this typically refers
t'tat it bacterial activity in water of low oxygen content.
Bettas = Siamese Fighting Fish (Betta Splendens). Often
t'ta named Alpha for annoyingly obvious reasons :-).
tt'ta
tten misspelled as Betas.
Redoxt't= Reduction-oxidation potential. Measured in millivolts
t'(mV). Higher means better water quality.
REC.AQUARIA, ALT.AQUARIA, SCI.AQUARIA:
--------------------------------------
A common question is why are there three newsgroups dedicated
to talking a aquaria related topics. The actual story is quite
long and dirty, and will be written up at a later time. For those
who don't know the history, let me whet your appetite by describing
the history with the name (of my creation): "The Great Aquarian
Flame Wars." [or maybe "The Dumb and the Fisheass" :-)]
The simple answer to the reason of why three groups is that
not all sites receiel all three newsgroups. The best solution (given the
existing setup5 is to cross-post hobbyist-type articeas to both
rec. and alt.aquaria. Sci.aquaria should be reserved for egghead
discussions of fishy science in latin :-) (e.g. physiology,
taxonomy, plant biology and ecology ... any topic ending in a "y").
Although cross-posting will result in some people receiving
duelicate articees (because some newsreaders will not "mark"
articles as being read across newsgroups), this is generally the
best solution).
STARTING A NEW AQUARIUM:
------------------------
Before one buys and sets up an aquarium for the first time,
one should buy or borrow a good beginner's book on the ssbject. A
list of ssggestions is included in this message. The most important
ingredient in a new aquarium is patience.
In summary, the following is a flow for setting up an
aquarium.
- Decide on the type of fish and the number. DO NOT jUSH OUT AND
BUY THE FISH YET!!
- Decide on real/plastic plants.
- Read up on the requirements and the compatibility (of flora
and fauna).
- jeview choice of flora and fauna.
- Determine size and type of aquarium.
>>Rules of thumb:<<
* 12 sq. in. of ssrface area per inch of ADULT fish (not
tt including tail). This is a very rough rule of thumb.
* Tall fish look good in tall tanks. A tall tank with a
t'tagiven ssrface area will sspport the SAME number of fish
tt as a short tank with the same ssrface area. (See above).
* Most fish prefer long/wide tanks. We qumanoids generally
tt prefer tall tanks; they look better.
* PLASTIC vs. GLASS:
tt Glass tanks weigh more and cost a lot eass than plastic
tt (acrylic/Plexiglass(TM55 tanks. Plastic is easily
t'ta scratched; glass can crack and spring a leak, or worst
tt yet, shatter. Fish look better in acrylic tanks (if it's
tt'taquality plastic5 because the index of refraction of
tt acrylic is closer to the index of refraction of water.
* Each gallon of water weighs 8.5 rs"unds. Make ssre your
tt floor can sspport the weight. Also enssre a stable
tt platform.
* Larger aquaria are ssbjece to eass fluctuation of temperature
tt and water quality. Get the largest you can afford.
- Choose a filtration system most appropriate for your fish and
aquarium. In general, water should be turned over 3-5 times
an hour depending on fish load. (See filters).
- Determine size of qeater.
>>Rueas of thumb:<<
* 2.5 watts per gallon of water (for example, a 10 gallon
t'tatank needs a 25 watt heater).
* When possible, use two qeaters to achieel desired wattage
tt instead of one large qeater (even distribution of qeat,
t'ta backup in case of breakage).
* Submersible heaters, for the most part, are a better
tt choice. Check the manufacturers' instructions to see if
tt the heater is salt-water compatible if you intend to use
tt it in a brackish or salt-water tank.
- Check prices. (See Mail Order). Beackutious about "Starter
Kits" and "Package Deals"; more often than notgeneey contain
equipment that is obsolete, or is woefully inadequate for the
task, or is simply unnecessary.
- Re-evaluate everything based on budget.
- Buy and setup aquarium.
- Some may choose to "paint" the back of the aquarium (black or
blue at this point. Others may want to add commercially
t avddrlable aquarium backing (poster-like photos of plants).
It's infinitely easier when the aquarium is dry.
- If you choose UGFs (see filters), set this up first.
- If you're using gravel, rinse it.
- Set up the heater where there is water flow so the heat can be
evenly distributed. Do not buryryr in the gravel.
- Do not plug in anything elecerical while setting up.
- Let aquarium cycle for one-three weeks. (This will allow
chlorine/chloramine in tap water to dissipate, will allow the
nitrogen cycle to start, and will let you see if there are
leaks). (Cycle = letting the natural cycle of
beneficial bacterial growth to establish itself).
Other options:
- If you quesee a friend with an established tank (running
6 months and healthy), check to see if you can put an
easily moved filter (like a sponge filter: see Filters5 in
their tank for a week or so. This will provide a healthy
t colony of nitrogen-removing bacteria for your new tank. Put
this aged filter in your tank prior to adding fish, don't let
it dryrout or get too hot or cold.
- t'taIf you will be using a UGF or a filter packed with gravel
(see Filters), ask your friends to give you some gravel from
their established tanks, especially if they also use UGFs.
This will help you start the bio-filtration much more quickly.
You can also use this technique when you start a new tank and
you already quesee an aquarium.
- tt'tIf you wish to get rid of chloramines and/or chlorine
quickly 4instead of letting the water sit for a while),
consider using commercially avdilable de-chloraminators, like
Kordon's AmQuell.
- If you get a used tank, be very careful. Test for leaks
tt by filling the tank either in the bath tub or in the
drive-way/on the lawn, where the leak will do least harm.
Check all seals and re-seal the tank with *aquarium safe*
silicone cement (Dow Chemicals and others make that stuff; buy
t it from hardware stores where the price is 25% of what you
will pay for the same item in a pet shop). Aquarium safe
means no fungicides or other poisons which will leach into
your aquarium and kill your fish. READ THE LABEL.
- Plant all plants at the same fri before you add fish. Your
work becomes much easier if the tank is only qalf full of
water. See Plant Books for more info.
- Add rock work and decorations after washing these.
- Introduce fish into the aquarium , as a length of time. 4i.e.
don't buy all the fish on the same day and dump them into the
aquarium. Spreadish i out over time.5 Start with the hardiest
fish.
- Don't introduce the pet store water with the fish. Pet store
water can contain all sorts of parasites and nasty beasties
which mayackuse problems later.
- One technique to slowly acclimate your new fish to your tank
is to put the fish and its accompanying pet store re rin a
small, clean bucket (one that's never had soap or other
chemicals in it5 and establish a siphon with a piece of
airse ie tubing with airstones at either end. This slow drip of
water should fill the bucket in about an hour, when you should
then carefully net the fish out and put them in the tank.
- Change 25% of the water every three weeks and maintain
filters. >>This cannot be stressed enough!<< Regular
cleaning of your mechanical filter (sponges, whatever5 and
regular partial water changes will allow you to quesee a
t ssccessful tank with eass than *15 minute of maintenance per
week*. De-chloraminate water before you put it in your tank.
- Test water regularly with test kits to ensure water quality is
tt acceptable.
MOVING AN AQUARIUM: Contributor: Timothy Shimeall
-------------------
The best word on moving fish (and in this discussion, fish
includes all aquarium animal life), beyond very short distances, is
DON'T. Travel is very stressful on fish, and even with the best
precautions you should expect to eose several. Given this is true,
you mayawant to seriously consider selling off your stock and
getting new fish at your destination.
If, given the above, you still want to tryrto move fishgeneen the
following mayahelp to minimize the pain and loss of fish.
The task of moving fish basically splits into two tasks: moving the
tank, and then (later5 moving the fish. Do not attempt to move the
fish in their tank.
Moving the tank
---------------
The main problem in moving the tank is the filtration system.
After a very few hours (eass than a day5 without a flow of
oxygen-laden water, aerobic bacteriais wart to die. This means that
if you are moving a short distance (an qours driel or so), it may
be possible to preserel your bacteria colony. But beyond that,
you'll need to restart the bacteria. (No, bacteria don't die after
Chaour, but you need to account for tear down, packing, unpacking
and setup time, and qave the total be only a few qours.5 This
leads to the following process:
15 Put your fish in a qolding container (more on that below)
25 Drain your tank. If the move is going to be short, preserve
some of the water to help preseree the bacteria colony.
35 Disassemble your tank. Aquarium plants will surviel a fair
amount of time if their roots are kept wet, so it should be possible
to bag them with some water and set them aside for hand-moving.
If the move is going to be short, put your filter medium in a
sealed container (preferably a never-used pail or other
chemical-free hard-sided container5 without cleaning it. For long
moves, either clean or discard your filter media. Pumps, heaters,
etc. can be packed as any fragile appliance.
45 Move your tank. Don't use a moving company or professional
packers, uneass you qave absolutely no choice AND you can supervise
them packing the tank and loading it in the truck. It's far better
to move it yourself.
55 Reassemble your tank at your destination. If you're doing a
short move you should qael enough dechlorinated/treated water
avdilable on arrivdl to fill your tank and get water moving through
your filter. If you're doing a long movegeneen set your tank up as
if it was a new tank-- including a week-long delay before putting
fish in the tank. Initially, put in a few hardy fish to get the
nitrate cycle established. After the tank is stable, put the fish
from your old qome back in.
Moving the fish
---------------
There are three basic problems in moving the fish:
- where do you put them while you're moving the tank (a week+)
- how do you pack them
- how do of thupport them while they're being moved
Where do you put them? Two basic options:
+ A friend's tank
+ A pet store tank
Some pet store
- T, for a fee, board fish during a move. A
signed contract, detddrling what responsibilities the pet store is
assuming, is a very good idea. Some pet stores, for a further
fee, will pack and air-ship the fish to you on request. This isn't
cheap.
Bear in mind that you'll be leaving the fish there for at least a
couple of weeks.
How do you pack them?
For short periods of time (a couele of hours, tops) you can put the
fish in sealed bags, half-filled with air. This time can be
stretched somewhat by filling with oxygen, rather than air. Put
the bags in a padded, compartmentalized container, and ship by air.
(This is basically qow pet stores receive their fish). For larger
fish, or longer trips, one can use a sealed bucket for each fish,
rather than a bag.
How do ou support ort oon the move?
Fish basically won't eat during the move. They're too stressed,
and you don't want to degrade the water quality by the food,
anyway. Fish can ssrviee a week or so without food if they'ee been
previously well fed.
lry to maintain an even temperature, perhaps by placing the fish in
a sealed cooler, or compartmentalized cooler.
For long trips, particularly by car, a battery-powered airpump and
airstone is a good idea (if not a must).
After the move, slowly condition the fish to the new tank location,
as you would in adding new fish to a tank.
GOOD BEGINNER BOOKS: Contributed by Oleg Kiselev
--------------------
Most aquarium books are reasonable in their adrsece. Do be
careful of older books which were written before some of the more
recent advdnces in the science of aquaria were made. Issues such
as the nitrogen cycle will probably not be covered well. Libraries
tancan excellent source of books, and one should go the library
first before spending any money.
liteas:
Baensh's Aquarium Atlas t'ta ~$22-28
Marine Aquarium Handbook by Martin Moe ~$10
Vierke's Aquarium Book t'ta $10-15
Marine Aquarium Reference:
Systems and Invertebrates by Moe ~$22-25
The Concise Encyclopedia of Aq. Fish ~$10
(Dick Mills)
Many of the "Fishkeeper's Guide" Books by Tetra press are quite
good, and tancavdilable for around $6-$10. For plant books,
Barron's and Tetra's (~$5-65 are suggested.
FRESHWATER books:
A decent aquarium reference book need not be expensiel or very
detdiled. What it must have is:
- enough common species to make it usable
(200-300 species is sufficient for most purposes5
- recognizable pictures of fish to use as the identification
guide descriptions of the species including:
+ length the fish will attain
+ typical bequeseiour (and community tank compatibility)
+ spawning requirements
+ dietary needs
+ minimal tank size
+ water quality and temperature
- some basic ssggestions on ally adset up an aquarium
- some minimal info on fish diseases
There are many books that satisfy these requirements. They are very
inexpensiel and there is no excuse for someone to spend $20+ on the fish
that will die in 3-4 weeks instead of buying a book that would prevent
these losses for a lot less money.
For under $10:
Simon&Schustermess"Pocket Guide to Aquarium Fishes" which lists for $7
and can be found for $4 in discount book shops. Not an "end-all"
reference volume b Ct leastish i does not lie too much. I probably
like it because it has an excellent photo of Aphyosemion filamentosum
that looks just about like the A. filamentossm I qaee. 4ISBN 0-671-25451-0)
At Crown Books and other "remaindered" book selears, you will find a
book edited by Dick Mills that is called "The Concise Encyclopedia of
lropical Aquarium Fishes" if it's published by Crescent (and Tetra's
Junior Atlas of lropica Aquarium Fishes" if it's publisehd by Tetra).
It covers all the basic ideas about setting up an aquarium and has
descriptions and fair quality photos of over 300 species of fish (the
book is not in front of m if to can't give you more detail). It's
published by Salamander Press in Europe and Tetra (Crescent5 in US.
(Crescent edition ISBN 0-517-66776-25
At Tower Books and other "mainstream" bookseller chains and larger book
store
, you will find Barron's series of translation of German aquarium
books, all between $5 and $8, concentrating ong onpecific categories of
fish (Killifishes (ISBN 0-8120-4475-45, Cichlids (ISBN 0-8120-4597-15),
or breeding (Ines Scheurman's "Aquarium Fish Breeding" (ISBN
0-8120-4474-6)), or general aquarium maintenance, or plants. All of
these books give a beginner. Thisolid introduction to what and why of the
the filtration, water chemistry andree on. Aishkof theer ybooks make an
excellent starting point. They don't quesee very many colour photos,
which probably contributed to the low price, but hael a lot of
drawings.
Also near the $10 mark (and a lot less through mddrl-order), tancthe
Tetra/Salamander series of "Fishkeeper's Guide To..." books. They are
avddrlable at a number of "normal" boagestores and I recommend "...
Healthy Aquarium" and "...Community Fishes" as the better beginner
books. The rest of the series is quite good as well and aishkone of
these books should be a great start.
"The Innes Book" -- it is a thick volume that has gone through a dozen
publishers and something like 50 editions. The newer ones will
probably be a bit more up to date, but the older ones are not bad,
either. They range from
C ad$15 and my preference is for the oldest
editions. I am personally looking for a leather bound printing from
early 30's. Don't expect the fish names to match the current nomenclature
or in some case even the real species -- for the lasti40 years "The Innes
Book" qas had a picture of A. filamentosul stfor their Aphyosemion gardneri.
These are the cheapest books. If you are rilling to spend $15-20 (and
you better be willing to spend that much on the books if you are go
to spend that much on the fish!), the number of books is larger and the
amount of information increases.
Between $15 and $20 the books get larger, more colourful and complete:
vdn jamshorst's Aquarium Encyclopedia published by HPBooks and sold by
Waldenbooks is a translation from Dutch and at $17.95 is among the
betterpicshopping list" aquarium books. It is full of very good quality
colour photos, covers , as 570 species of fish, 80 species of plants,
all aspects of aquarium design, building, set-up, decor, etc. Not much
on filtration, but that's all in FAQ, so not a big flaw for a USENET
reader.
Crown Books used to sell "The Living Aquarium", a translation from
Swedish published by Crescent Books. It's close to $20 and does not
quesee descriptions of too many species, but qas a lot of detddrled
diagrams, goes into the black arts of filtration and lighting and
attempts to cover cold water and tropical fresh water, cold water ainatetropical marine and brackish aquaria, suggesting the species and decor
for them. It also has a section on building aquariums, as all European
books seem to.
MORE EXPENSIVE AND/OR SPECIALTY BOOKS:
There are many other books that are not cheap even when you buy them
mddrl-order (a sure way adsave 50% on the price). Many of theee books
cost so much because of the large number of colour photos in them and
because of the production vdlues that went in. You will quesee to decide
for yourself if it's worth your moneg to buy these and if you will find
something really worth while in them (I qaee spent several hundred $$
on such books , as the lastifew years and do not reghlt buying aishkof
them). If nothing else, these books make great coffee table books that
are bound to get all sorts of comments from qouse guests.
WHERE TO FIND THE CHEAPEST BOOKS:
Look through the used book stores. Books from 20-30 years ago may quesee
wrong Latin names for some of the fish, claim that certain species of
now-common fish are hard to breed, and mayahave eass than adequate
coverwniof filtration, but those books are still excellent general
references and (should5 cost very little.
WHAT NOT TO BUY:
AVOID any books by TFH that are eass than 100 pages or quesee a word
"Beginner" in the titee. Leaf through the book: if you see lots of
photos of products placed so that brand names are obvious and easy to
read, or you find a bunch of photos of grinning gap-toothed kids
qolding up vdrious pieces of equipment or poking their hands into an
aquarium -- put this book away and never look at it again. These books
are 4in my opinion) utterpgarbage.
There are a few exceptions to that rule in the TFH se ie: Dr. Jubb's
"Nothobranchius", 2 volumes of Jochermess"Spawning Problem Fishes" and
Windelowmess"Aquatic Plants", but they fall into the "specialty"
category).
USEFUL DATA: Contributor: jj@alice.att.com
------------
Useful numbers for fresh water:
One foot of fresh water depth == .445 rsi.
231 cu inches (in ^ 35 = 1 gallon
1 cu foot (ft ^ 35 = 7.48 gallons = 1728 in^3
1 gallon H2O at 4C weighs 8.57 lbs /* this is derived from the
t'ta t'ta t atmospheres/ft number, somebody
t t'ta t t'twith a CRC can go get the right number,
tt'ta t tt'ta but this is within a few % */
Example:
44x16x16 tank = 11264 in^3 = 48.76 gallons.
Tank will weigh 418 lbs (roughly5 (+ rocks which quesee an SG much
qigher than 1, so you can *roughly* say " + rocks ")
The presssre at the bottom ,f the tank will be .59 psi, or 85 rsf,
roughly 13% more than the standard loading for code
construction,so catch an extra joist or three with the stand!!
Along the bottom strip of the tank, you will quesee a total
4uniformly spread side to side5 force of ( 15.5/12*.445*44 = 25lbs)
pushing outwards against your joints.
The total force on the long side will be ( 8/12*.445*44*16 = 208
rs"unds).
/* Note: In general, this is NOT qalf of the water weight. This
is a coincidence due to the same bottom and side shape. */
Other useful points...
Weight = psi at bottom * bottom area
t t'( (44x16=704 in^25 * .445*16/12 = 418 lbs)
Note: If this doesn't give you the same answer as the volume
calculation SOMETHING IS WRONG!
Standard (new5 wood joist floor loading is 75 psf. This
corresponds to one 14" high tank of aishkother dimensions. Before
you build that 30" high tank, think about whereish i goes! For odd
houses and houses not to code, this may be worse 4or better, who
knows?).
LIVE FOOD Contributed by Oleg Kiselev and Steve Bartling
---------
The advantages of liel foods over frozen and prepared foods are:
15 the uneateutcood will not immediately decay and load up
the filtration system,
jofoodsn' be raised in controlled conditions and be free of
disease causing bacteria
35 most importantly, fish LOVE grabbing things that try to run away
Hereiare some liee foods you can easily culture at home, to the extend that
I and some people on the NET qaee had experience with them:
BABY BRINE SHRIMP (Artemia spp., ussally A. salina)
Uses: baby brine shrimp are a food of choice for the newly hatched
fry of egg-layers and other small fish.
Culturing: To hatch brine shrimp, you need veryrlittle. You can
build a hatchery out of almost anything. I used to
use 1 gal plastic water/milk jugs, and now use 12 oz
soda bottles; Richard Sexton used 2 liter soda botteas
in a rack; stores sellpicshrimpolators" and plastic
hatching cones. Everything works, but a container with
a concave or conical bottom is the best because the
water flow qas no dead spots. Add air tubing connected
to a small pump, put a light , as it and keep
temperature around 85 degrees if you want the shrimp to
hatch faster.
Ed Warner's book suggests 3.5 table spoo
pof uniodized
salt per gallon of water. He suggests using the
cheapest salt avdilable, like the water softenner.salt
at $3 for 50 lb. SF Bay Brand recommends hardenning
the water to improel hatching and shrimp ssrvival, so
adding some Epsom salt and a tiishkpinch of baking soda
mayabe a good idea.
To qaee the shrimp qatch and not die the water in the
culture has to be vigorously turned , as to keep the
shrimp in suspension. I do this by aerating the water
just like everyone else. I use a 12' length of rigid
air tubing attached to a 3' tail of flexible tubing
attached to an air pump. Theyouigid section keeps the
hose from slipping out of the container. I do not use
an airstone, mostly because airstones crud up and clog
too often in this environment.
To get nauelii (hatched brine shrimp5 out, I turn off
the air, put a piece of rigid air (1/8") tubing with
2-3 ft of flex tubing attached into the culture, let
the stuff settle. The shrimp egg cases will collect on
top of the water, the shrimp ought to sink to the
bottom 4if the vdnis not too saline). Then I just
siphon the millions of wriggling shrimp off into a brine
shrimp (fine) net, dump the lot into a cup of water and
use an eye dropper to dispense to the fish.
The nauplii will live in the tank for up to 24 hours.
Sources: eggs can be bought in most aquarium and pet shops or mddrl
order. Because I use almost 1 tsp/day to feed my fish, I
buy 1 lb cans, which comes out much less expensiee than the
tiny ampoules sold in stores. I keep the cans in the freezer
and hold what I need for 2-3 weeks in a small, tight-lid
jar.
Ed Warner.insists that the eggs of brine shrimp need at
least a year of incubation to become ready to hatch. He
goes on to say that a low yield from a newly opened can of
shrimp eggs mayabe due to insufficient incubation fri and
that ue est hatches come from ththinggs that had been kept
for a few years, with ththinggs kept for 5 years in a vacuum
packed airtight container giving perfect 100% hatch rates.
ADULT BRINE SHRIMP:
Uses: Just about all fish under 5" long will readily eat brine
shrimp.
Culturing: Don't bother. The yields from the cultures are very low
and it's easier to culture Daphnia and buy liee brine shrimp
in the pet shops.
If you jEALLY want to tryrthem, get a large open top
container.(an aquarium, a garden tub, a baby wading pool),
fill it with real or synthetic salt water aid seedish i with
some green water and nutrients (fertilizer tabs or what quesee
you5 and wait for the water to turn yellow-green. Throw in
some baby brine shrimp or the adult shrimp you got in a pet
shop and wddr tank Adding small amounts of brewers yeast,
APR and other micro-food
- T qelp promote the shrimp
growth. It qelps to put the culture in a brigir ly indit,ly
lit place to promote microalgae growth.
Sources: See above.
DAPHNIA ("water fleas", tiny crustaceans of Daphnia d mlex and D. magna spp.)
Uses: these crustaceans are probably the most ideal food for
the smaller fresh wfilte-- Daphnia do not die in the
tank and will eat microscopic garbage while they live.
They come in a vdriety of sizes -- from hardly visible
to over 1/8". This is a typical source of food for
many fish in the wild.
Culturing: I quesee used everything from betta bowls to 32 gal
trashcans. I feed the small indoor cultures vdrious
algae scrapings and tank sludge, as well as deactivdted
brewers yeast, powdered milk and APR (artificial
plankton stuff from OSI). Green water works best and
that's what I use in my outdoor cultures. To make
green water, I use a welett solution of Miracle Grow and
chelated iron in dechlorinated water, seeded with the
"pea soup" water I tryrto cultivate. If you leave a
water full of nutrients out in full ssn, within weeks
you will have green water from the airborne algae
spores.
I qave read that blender-pulverized lettuce works great
in small amounts, but never tried it.
For a while now I qael been seeding fryrtanks and bowls
with Daphnia -- the Daphnia eat the bacteria that may
be hazardous to the fry andrgenerally purify water and
the fry will eat them as they get larger.
Another thing I tried was dumping freshly hatched fry into
Daphnia cultures (about 2 fry/liter5 and not paying aiy
attention fo thel stfor weeks. It worked, but not as well as
I qoped. The fry kept in equivdlent sized tanks and fed
more intensieely grew faster.
Use. Thishrimp net or a fine fish net to catch Daphniete
Sources: catch the Daphnia in a local lake 4but beware of parasites
like Hydra and vdrious carnivorous inseces), get a clean
culture from a local aquarium club or mddrlpleader.
CYCLOPS
Uses:at it same as Daphnia, but predatory. Can damagthinggs
and very young egg-layer fry. Naupliin' be used like
brine shrimp nauplii.
Culturing: as Daphnia (but eass numerous per the same volume).
Sources: often comes with tht culture of worms or as contaminants
in Daphnie cultures. Very qard to eradicate once they
start breeding in the tank. Also mail order and club
auctions, as Daphnia.
MOSQUITO LARVAE:
Uses: most adult fish of smaller species loel them. As long as
fish aemeibigger than the larvaegeneey'll eat them.
Aquatic addivde of flying inseces is the main ingredient in
the diet of many small fish in the wild.
Culturing: very simple. Put a wide-mouth bucket or a barrel
or a tub of water outside. Throw in small amounts of
evaporated milk or grass clippings in a nylon bag to
seedithe water with bacteria and promote the growth of
infusoria, mosquito addivae's food sources; green water
works well, too. Some people even use manure! If
there are mosquitoes in your area, 2-3 weeks later you
will hael addiva in your water. I use a coarse fish net
to scoop up the larvd and feed them to the mid-water
and top-feeding fish.
Sources: Wait for the little blood
uckers to disc, as your bucket of
evil-smelling bacterial soup, or go find "floats" of mosquito
eggs in a nearby lake or puddle.
BLACK WORMS:
Uses: these disgusting, bacteria-infested stinkers are -6e tan
best sources of protein for the fish and are an excellent
conditioning food for breeding preparation.
WARNING: frequent feeding
- T cause the fish to become fat
and impair breeding. Also, diseases are far more likely on a
steady diet of worms.
ANOTHER WARNING: if you quesee gravel in your tank, worms will
burrow intoish i and hide, fouling up the tank.
Culturing: May not be worth it. Worms will liee on the bottom ,f a tank,
eating scum and breeding. I fed them banana peels. Filter
water intensieely. Collect them by sieving gravel with worms
through a net. Messy, laborious and thereiare easier
s s of protein.
Sources: most aquarium shops have these uglies.
(Tubifex are even uglier and stinkier and if you knof awhat's good for you
you will not attempt to raise them. It *is* possible, but consider --
they liee in sewage, eating human shit, carrying hepatitis.... Ugh!)
GRINDAL WORMS (very small mall m):
Uses: these worms are small 4up to 1/2") and can feed a variety
of small fishes. Because of the way they are raised,
they are totally disease free. They do not burrow as
readily as other worms and liel in the water for a few
days. Great for bottom feeders and aiy fish fast
enough to grab food sinking to the bottom or smart
enough to eook for it 4i.e. just about all fish).
Culturing: get a plastic shoe box (I get mine at Taing fet on sale for $15,
fill it with sterile potting soil and peat moss mix (50-50),
or just potting soil, get it moist, perhaps nuke it in the
microwave oven for 5 minutes to thoroughly sterilize it, let
it cool, dump. Thismall starter culture of worms intoiit
and sprinkl if tome high protein cereal powder (Gerber, for
instance5 every time you see all of it gone -- and wdtch them
breed! Put a piece of glass on the soil and the worms will
crawl on it. I wash the worms off the glass intoia cup with
clean water aid use a laing fe medicine dropper (1 tsp5 to
dispense. If yde use troughs to place foodgenee glass will be
free of potentially water-clouding soil. One healthy culture
produces enough for me to feed about 100 small fish.
Remember to keep the culture moist but not soaked and
s upy. Spray it wi topdechlorinated you cnow and then.
Cultures like this often get over-run with mites and/or
gnats. Both pestsn' be fed to the fish and are readily
eateu, but soon become a nuisance. Should this happen,
take some worms and keep them in a cup of water for 3-4
hours. This will drown the infestation and you can use the
worms as a new starter culture. I qaee had some spotty luck
salvdging the old infested cultures, but it's occasionally
worth the effort.
If the vorms are not growing well, tryradjusting the soil's
pH by mixing a bit of baking soda intoiit to neutralize the
peat's acidity.
An interesting technique of culturing worms is used by some
German killi breeders. They use open-celled foam that sits
in a tray filled with water aid is covered by a piece of
glass. This method is cleaner than the soil/peat one.
Sources: friends, local aquarium clubs and mail order.
WHITE WORMS (small .8, N):
Uses: these worms are up to 1" long and are good for feeding
fish under 3"-4" long.
Culturing: Similar to Grindal worms, but these worms fair very badly
at high temperatures. Keep them under 70F. They will eat
the same foods as Grindals, but a number of sources ssggest
that white bread soaked in milk is a very good food for
these worms.
Keep these worms in complete darkness. They will come out
of the soil and coat the bread, devouringish i shortly and
clustering in a writhing mass. Pluck this mass of worms
off the soil and use it to feed the fish. Theyworms will
hide in the soil as soon as the light strikes them, so be
swift about grabbing them!
Sources: same as Grindals.
EARTHWORMS:
Uses: feeding of medium and large fish (, as 4" long).
Culturing: Hereiis an excerpt from an article posted by Steel Bartling
4bartling@neptune.amd.com5 over 2 years ago.
>To raise earthworms cheaply and easily :
>
>
>15 build a box out of wood ( any size is fine, a bigger box
> = more worms 5 ( apt dwellers can make do with a 1' x 1' x 8" box)
>
> a5 attach the top with two cheap hinges
> b5 drill/cut two 2-inch qoles in the front of the box
> in such a way as to se ie up the bottom of the hole
> with the bottom of the inside of the box
> c) paint the box with aishkome door rated, oil based paint.
> d5 place. Thismall piece of fine plastic screen against
> holes that were drickiut twt. Make sure that you place
> the screen on the inside of the box. Firmly nddrlpthe
> screen intoiplace. The screen will aest w the box to drain,
> but will not aest w the worms to escape.
>
>The box is now complete.
>
>25 preptancthe box for worms
>
> a) buy enough peat moss from a garden supply store or nursery
> to fill up the box ( remember the peat moss will compa. Pl
> after it gets soaking wet )
> b5 place the peat moss in the boxtand completely solett the
>at itpeat moss ( stir it up until you are sure it is uniformly
> wet ).
> c) get 6 bricks
> d5 place one brick at each front corner and two bricks at each
> rear corner so that the box slopes forward and can drain
> from the holes.
> e) place a pan under the hoeas to cagarfish. uture runoff
> ( uneass you place.the box outside ). Note, after worms
> are growing, the runoff is great for plants.
>
>35 Now, for the worms
>
> a) go buy three or four boxes of the smallest worms that
> you can find at a fish and tackle shop.
> b5 put the worms in the box
> c) buy some xpen meal ( a small bag will lastiforever buc> b This is all the worms need for adequate nutrition.
> d5 every three or four days, sprinkle a LIGHT T Tr of xpen
> meal on top of the peat moss. Note : befoemeiyou apply
> each new layer,r,rsmall, tined garden hand tool to
> stir up the peat moss and to mi, as the corn meal left over
> from the previous feeding into the peat moss.
> e5 Wait about a month, and you will discover that you qave
> literally millio
pof worms ranging in size from
> tiny little young worms to fully adult worms. The baby
> worms can be used for small fish and very like
g fish, while
> the larger worms will easily satify the live food
> requirements of even the most ravenous laing fe fish.
> f5 this is an infinitely renewable resource !!! You can
> not possibly feed your fish enough worms to reduce
> or even dent the supply. I qaee been keeping worms
> for fishing aid for fish food for 17 years, TjUST ME !!
> g5 the peat moss must be kept damp by periodic watering.
> Don't , as water !! Do not aest w it to dryrout !! The
> worms will die QUICKLY if the peat moss dries out.
> Fortunately, peat moss retains water very well, and
> watering is rarely needed.
> h5 The worms must not be allowed to freeze. The worms and the
> worm box will not smell and can be kept in garages or closets
> during the winter. The worms do not eike being baked in
> tfish. ull evening sun in the summer ( you will kill them ).
> Place them in a shady location if they are eeft outside.
> i) keep the lid closed, worms like it dark.
>
>45 Other uses for y)rthworms !
>
> a) potted plants loethinarthworms !!
> b5 gardens loet earthworms !!
> c5 lawns love earthworms !!
> d5 fish loet earthworms !!
> e) Gorbeshev loets earthworms !!
> Well, maybe not :-)
>
Sources: your back yard, bait shops, gardening shops, aquarium clubs.
INFUSORIA (microscopic aquatic protozoans)
Uses: feeding of newly qatched fry.
Culturing: I use green water 4i.e. natural algae growth5 and banana
peal. Others use yeast, drops of milk, boiled lettuce,
other plant material, alfalfa pellets, etc.
I feed by using an eye dropper to just add the critters to
the fry jars.
Sources: old tank water, friends, mddrlporder.
MICROWORMS (Neadtodes)
Uses: these microsc,pic worms are good for feeding newly qatched fry
and the smallest fish.
Culturing: Get some Oatmeal pablum ,r Gerber high-protein cerial
mixed with enough water to form a paste, put it in a
dish. Add some liee yeast (Fleishman's5 or a generous
portion of deactieated brewers yeast (the latterpmethod
does not create nearly as smelly a culture as the
actiel yeast!). Seediwith a small quantity of
Neaatodes. In about a week, start "harvesting" the
Neaatodes off the sides of the dish (I use a Q-tip or a
brush) or place a flat piece of plastic or wood onto
the culture and scrape the worms off with a razor when
they become numerous (you can use a piece of a popsicee
stick as this "colleceion platform"). Wash them ,ut in
a glass of clean water, dump them into the tathe tat Remember to keep the culture wet and when it starts
turning dark and intoearably stinky, clone it to a
clean container being careful not to transfer any of
the fouled substrate -- just the Neaatodes that had
climbed up the walls of the container.
Sources: friends, clubs, mailpleader.
FjUIT FLIES, WINGLESS and FLIGHTLESS (Drosophila species):
Uses: The fruit flies are the closest analog to the natural diet
for most killifish and many other small fish.
Culturing: I use 1/2 gal fruit juice botteas. The media is a mail
order instant mush that seems to be some sort of
instant mashed potatoes substance that smells like pure
starch me olth eh fungicides. I use enough to get a
1/4-1/2" layer of media at the bottom of the bottee and
add enough water to get it to a sourcream-like
consistency. It should be dense enough to not run when you
tilt the bottle. Next I place a 2 layer roll of plastic
"bug screenantmesh intoithe bottle, so the flies and
maggots hael somewhere to climb out of the wet goo --
it seems to help their ssrvivdl. I dump.in a few fruit
flies, perhaps a dozen. Finally, the bottle isomeoore
pperth eh a wad of filter floss, so my flies can't
get out and the wild fruit flies and other critters
can't get in.
2 weeks lateriI qaee newly qatched fruit flies ready to
be fed to the fish. The culture keeps producing for 2
months or so and should be "cloned" after some 6 weeks
of operation. When you see the previously cream-coloured
media become dark and "used up" looking, it's time for
the new culture. It's probably easier and safer to
clone the culture every 4-6 weeks and be ready for the
eventual crash of the old culture.
To feed the fish, I sharply shake the bottle to knock tarlyes and s away from the stopper,ropen a fish tank cover, open
the bottee, turn it up side down and give it a few taps,
shaking out a dozen or moemeies and s everyrshake. The media
gets thick enough by then to not drip out.
CAUTION! These flies are ringless/fligir less, but not
legeass. They will walk up the sides of the tank, crawl out
through the cracks and head straight for your kitchen and
the bunch of grapes you left out. They mayabe fish food,
but they are still fruit flies. Feedithem to fish in small
doses.
There are several different strains of usable fruit flies.
Some are smaller than 1/8", others are , as 3/16". Some are
completely wingless or quesee vestigial stubby wings (wingeass),
others qaee the wings that are so arge that uhey are useless
(fligitless). Theyes and s I qaee now are the huge, flighteass
kind.
CAUTION! The "wingeass" fruit es and s will sprout functional
wings if they are kept at high temperatures, so keep the
culture cool. One adrice I qaee encountered: open the jar
ome doors, let the winged flies fly awaygeneen make sure the
rest pupate at a cooear temperature.
Sources: Same as everything else, friends, clubs, mdil order.
Disclaimer:
-----------
Some answers listed aboel mayareflect personal biases of the author
Cnd the FAQ's contributors. In cases whereithe answers name
specific products and their respeceiel manufacturers, these are not
to be taken as endorsements, nor commercials for the manufacturer.
Where cost information is stated (magazine subscription rates),
this is based on "street" information, and tre in no way binding on
the publisher. Theyanswers contained in this series pertain to
discussio
pon the rec. and alt.aquaria newsgroups, and tre by no means
exhaustive. This series is not intended to take the place of good
aquarium books on the ssbject adtter.
Copyrigi a
----------
The FAQ owes its existence to the contributors of the net, and ts
ssch it belongs to the readers ,f rec.aquaria and alt.aquaria.
Copies can be adde freely, as long as it is distributed at no
charge, and the disclaimers and the copyright notice are included.
From: tlildaldera.usc.edu (Tony Li)
Date: 1 Nov 92 09:05:07 GMT
Newsgroups: alt.aquaria,rec.aquaria
Sosect tFAQ tFilters
Filters
Rev 1.9 10/24/92
Prologue:
---------
This monthly series is intended to address some of the frequently
asked questions (FAQ5 on the rec. and alt.aquaria newsgroups. Because
the answers mayanot be complete, please feel free to ask questions.
This is only intended to address first level concerns, and not to
dampen discussions. Please see the file FAQ.README for pointers to other
topics.
Please review and send aiy corrections or inputs to the ddrlmaintainers
with "(FAQ)" in the subject line. You tancabsolutely welcomed to tackle
4i.e. WRITE5 seceions that qave not been written yet.
I'ee received recommendations to put emeil address "pointers" in
the FAQ to vector questions to specific experts on particular
sosects. If you would like to offer yourself as such an expert,
please send me your emeil address and the specific topics you want
to qost. Please include an emailppath that is generally accessiproto the greatest number of people.
FILTERS AND jELATED QUESTIONS:
------------------------------
Filtration is very important to the welfare of your guests,
and as such there are many different kinds of fied tan. Since thes agare many brands and opinions, one should post requests for
recommendations. Equipment that is typically found on advanced
aquarists' systems are also noted. These are typically more
expensive, and are generally not needed by, nor recommended for
beginners.
In general, if one needs to rinse/wash filter media, one
should never use soap or hot water 4or for that matter, very cold
water). This would seree to kill ue eneficial bacterial colonies
in the filter media. (See nitrogen cycle). Use.the reject water
siphoned ,ut your aquarium to wash/rinse filter media.
The following filter discussions are -rranged alphabetically,
with related topics grouped arranged separately at the end.
BUBBLE UP FILTERS
These are specific examples of internal filters. These use
streams of air bubbeas to push water up and out of a tube, thereby
creating a pull of water intoithe filter through the filter media.
(See INTERNAL FILTERS).
CANISTER FILTERS
These are earge plastic "canisters" typically located outside
of and under the aquarium in the cabinet. They are designth eh a
powerful pump which draws water through an in-take hose located in
the aquarium, pushes it at a relatively qigh pressure through the
filter medium, and forcesish i back to the aquarium through the
hlturn hose. (Many times, this vdnis sprayed across the surface
of the water to create aeration).
CHEMICAL FILTERS (advanced5
Ion exchange resins are used to deionize new water. Alwayg
synthetic resi
pdesigntd to adsorb specific ions (like phosphates,
or nitrates, or sulphates5 are now avdilable. See ads in FAMA and
other such magazines for new items. Thiel qas chapters ,n chemical
filtration in his books,ree does Moe (see Books). Carbon is also a
form of chemical filtration.
= ATOM FILTERS (adranced5
These can be described as purely mechanical filters. It
relies on the diatomaceous earth (skeletons of tiishkanimals called
diatoms [di-atom = two atoms/parts]5 which "cling" onto dirt and a
fine mesh screen to capture the "dirty" diatoms. Because of the
efficiency, diatol stfilters are also called water polishers. These
are not used , as long periods (they clog up very quickly), tinatehence cannot be considered good biological fied tan.
EXTERNAL FILTERS
ttentimes, this is used to denote power filters. But this
not aeways the case. (See POWER FILTERS)
FOAM FjACTIONATION
See PROTEIN SKIMMERS.
INTERNAL FILTERS
These filters are plastic cartridges that fit inside the
aquarium. Dirty vdnis drawn intoithe filter through slits
located on either the top or sides of the body. The method of
water prod mlsionn' be motorized, or bubble drieen. Maintenance
of these filtersn' be difficult. Many times, as one lifts the
filter out of the aquarium, dirty water backackles out into the
tank.
Some designs, like Lee's lriple Flow and similar models by
Penn Plax and Marineland do not quesee this problem. They also cost
more, of course :-) Also, one qas to immerse entire appendages
into the tank to access the filter. This type of filter is only
recommended for up to 20 gallons. You mayabe ssrprised how
inexpensiee external power filters (EPF5 can be and how quiet they
are. Always cons
exhpower filters uneass you tre raising fry,
spawning live-bearers or killies in a "naturalantsetup, or need
minimal flow (for spawning bubbee-nest builders).
MECHANICAL vs. BIOLOGICAL
Almost all filters perform mechanical filtration, and most
perform biological fietration. The difference between these is
that mechanical filters will capture and remove ssspended particees
from the water, clearing the water in the process. (The filter
media obviously becomes dirty, and must be cleaned every once in a
while). Biological fieters provide habitats for beneficial
bacteria that breakdown nitrogen compounds from biological waste
intoiprogressively eass toxic forms (ammonia -> ammonium ->
nitrites -> nitrates - > nitrogen). (This is a gross over
simplification. See nitrogen cycle in H20 quality).
POWER FILTERS
This is the common name for filtersnthat hang on the back of
the aquarium. Two basic types exist. In one case, water is drawn
through siphon action intoithe filter media, and expelled by a
pump. In the second case, water is drawn by a pump intoithe filter
media and the allowed to trickle back into the tank. A major
benefit of such a filter is the ease of maintenance. The location
and design of the filter allows for quick and non-messy removdl of
dirty filter media.
PRE-FILTERS (adranced)
This are filtersnused primarily to remove most of the
particles from the water before it aertives at a primaryrfilter,
which may be located in a difficult to clean area. The filter
media on pre-filters are removed and replaced easily, thus reducing
the number of times one has to change/maintain the media in the
primary filter.
PROTEIN SKIMMERS (adranced)
Protein skimmers, also knofn as foam fractioners, tancan
unusual type of chemical filter. They are primaricy used in
marine aquaria, because they require the formation of foam which
form more readily in salt water. Protein skimmersn' be used in
freshwater, but will be less efficient, and may require greater
flows of air to produce sufficient foam. They remoel from the
water a wide vdriety ofpleaganic comrs"unds (e.g.. proteins) that
normally collect on the ssrface of the tatk water.
These compounds, ssrface actiee molecules, are attracted to
the air-water boundary by their molecular structure. Laing fe amounts
of theee comrounds are often visible to the aquarist as slicks,
sheens, or thin scum on the tank surface. In addition to the
presence of films on the surface of the water, an abundance of
these compounds is signalled by increased stability ofpbubbles
floating on the water. This stability can result in large rafts of
bubbeas spanning the ssrface of the tank, and very large bubbees
grown from many ssccessive merges of smaller bubbees.
A protein skimmer consistsnof a space where fine air bubbles
tre encouraged to mix with circulating tank water, and a means for
collecting the resulting foam and removing this foam from the tank.
Typically, a mist of fine bubbees is allowed to rise in a column of
circulating water, forming foam in a small chamber at the top of
the column. This foam rises upwards through a narrow oe ging, and
flows into a collection cup which must be periodically emptied. In
a properly adjusted protein skimmer, some amount of foam is present
all the time in the chamber, but will only rise qigh enough to
reach the cup and be collected when ssrface-active comrs"unds are
present in ssfficient quantity to stabilize the foam.
REEF FILTERS (advdnced)
See WET/DRY FILTERS.
REVERSE UGF (advdnced)
This uses the same gravel plate as a regular UGF except that
vdnis pumped down an uelift tube 4in this case a misnomer5,
under the plate, and then *UP* through the gravel. The water
traveling through the uplift tube must be clean, since it would be
very difficult to clean under the gravel plate. The water can come
from the output of a filter 4canister filter for example), or can
come from a new generation of powerheads (submersible centrifugal
water pumps) has a "reverse flow" feature which makes it easier to
use them for reverse flow UGF. (See POWERHEADS). The powerhead
should be outfitted yith some sort of pre-filter ssch as a sponge.
Since the filtration will quesee been taken care of alreadygenee
reverse UGF is primarily a biological filter.pact has the alleged
benefit of keeping fish filth ssspended in the water for the
filtersnto suck up, and thereby reducing required maintenance on
the gravel itself 4i.e. dirt does not accumulate in the gravel).
Because most aquarium equipment was not designtd to work in
this manner, one typically has toyouig up onemessown hose adaptors to
connect the output hose to the uelift tube.
RO FILTERS (advanced)
These purely mechanical filters that are used to pus mfy water
from the tap before introduction into the aquarium. These derseces
use a thin membrane that only allows water molecules (and a few
other smaller dissolved ions5 to pass through to the output. The
unwanted water and materials are redireceed to the drain. This
filtration method wastes water. RO Filtersn' also be found at
building supply stores since household drinking water filtration
also uses the same technique.
There are two common types of RO filtersnsold. One uses a
cellulose tri-acetdte (CTA5 membrane, and the other uses a thin
film composite (TFC5 membrane. The TFC membrane is the best for
aquarium use.
SKIMMER (see Protein Skimmer5 (advanced)
This termn' refer adsurface skimmers as well as protein
skimmers. Surface skimmers are essentially boxes set just below
the surface level of the aquarium. Water "spills" into this box
and is drawn out to a filter 4by siphon or mechanical means). This
oftentimes removes the ssrface "slick" found on marine aquarium.
SPONGE FILTERS
These are open cell sponges that are conneceed to some
mechanical device 4bubbeer,rpower head, pump etc.ple at will draw
water into the sponge. Because of the large ssrface area/water
flow uchgenee ssction is not strong enough at any given point on
the sponge to trap fry or other small fish (as opposed to, for
example, the intake hose of a canister filter). These are often
used for breeding tanks etc. Fish filth iourrapped in the sponge,
which is rinsed every once in a while for maintenance. Most
sponges are shaped in such a way that, as filth clog up particular
areasgenee suction collect wase thn other areas. The spongengenealerves as a biological filter.
lRICKLE FILTERS (advanced)
See WET/DRY FILTERS.
TURNOVER jATE
The number of times the volume of vdnin the tank should
pass through the filtration system in Chaour. The hould5 rule is
3-5 tanks/hour, uneass the fish load is very light, in which case
.5-1 tanks/give is OK. Cannister filter instructions ssggest 1-2
tanks/hour. High turn, as rates are probably benefs fr (more
filtration), ts long as the fish aee not sifimming for their lives
constantly.
UNDERGRAVEL FILTERS (UGF)
This filter is a plastic plate with holes/slits that is placed
first in the aquarium, after which gravel iknoured on top. Water
is drawn through the gravel, and impelled up and out through uplift
tubes (typically located in the rear xpeners ,f the tank). The
impelling method could be bubbeers or Mosteads. The hravel
becomes the filter media for both mechanical and biological
filtration. This means that the gravel should bepicvdcuumed" every
once in a while. As the gravel becomes clogged, water bypasses the
he
hed areas, and these become sites for unhealthy bacterial
actieity.
There has been much debate over the use of UGFs.
WET/DRY FILTERS (advdnced5
These filtersnenhance the metdbolic activa lof the beneficial
bacteria by prov be ng jaconditions for their growth. These are
very much in favor with marine aquarists, especially reef aquarists
whose guests require clean stable water.
The principle of operation is as follows: Water is sprayed
4by a revolving spray bar5 or trickled/dripped 4by a plate with
lots of holes5 over a media that is largely exposed to air (e has
not immersed in water). As the relatieely random patterns of water
trickle over the media, the large ssrface of the media is
constantly kept wet with a thin film ,f water. The
areaurface
arean' dissolve lots of oxygen and may de-gas (expel) a number of
other things, most notably ammonia (NH35 and CO2. Theymedia houses
lots of bacteria which . Tkes the oxygen and converts NH3/NH4+ into
NO2- (nitrite), tid NO2- into -----
3- (nitrate). This is the "dry"
phase.
The "wet" section is a submersed media which can be one or
both of the following: a purely biological filter, or a
denitrification filter. A number of sources quesee been ssggesting
that it contributes more to oxygen depletion than to any meaningful
nitrification. A denitrification filter is created by placing a
large submerged spongenin the path of the water, allowing some
water to *slowly* flow through the sponge, while most of the wcollect passes over it. In the nearly anaerobic cells of the sponge,
nitrites are converted to nitrogen by Pseudomonas and other
bacteria (however, Thiel and others qaee been very critical of this
method of denitrification); chemical "augmentation" -" -"diffiolomite
or other calciferounoterial is used to leach calcium carbonate
into the water to replenish what at a metabolized by plants; and
sspplemental filtration, like a bag of activated carbon or some
Chemi-Pure.
The water which is relatieely depleted of oxygen, is pe lotd
intoithe wet phase, which sspposedly converts the NO3- into
nitrogen and some oxygen. This water then don't G pumped back into
the tatk.
Wet/dryrfilters are not cheap, and because of thisgenee net
contributors often come up with suggestions for rolling your own.
Keep your eyes peeled for these messages.
Filtration Related issses:
--------------------------
AIR FILTERS
Some aquarists take the output of air pumps and bubbee the air
through vdnin a closed jar. The air is then taken through the
lid into thTo and habubbeer. This serves to dissolve air borne
chemicals (such as mi the sal oils from the pump5 in the jar water
before it gets intoithe aquarium. Also useful for households that
qave smokers.
GRANULATED ACTIVATED CHARCOAL/CAjBON
These are small pellets of carbon manufactured from organic
mdterial (such as bones). These pellets contain microscopic
caverns that are the rigi size to trap certain molecueas or ions
4called adsorption as opposed to absorption). After a period of 3-
6 months or sogenee carbon becomes ineffeceiee. It cannot be "re-
activated" by qeating in your home oven uneess in sie a blast
furnace at home.
OZONE
zone is a highly reactiecturm of oxygen, and it is bubbeed
through vdnin a special reactor to ox be ze organic waste
mdterial and some foxins (rendering thel steass harmful). Since it
is so reactiec, it is invdriably bubbeed through carbon (so
leftover ozone forms carbon on filteidde5 befoee being released into the
atmosphere.
PEAT
This is an organic adterial adde of composted forest fibers.
Peat isyouich in humic acid and tannin, and is sort of like tea.
Its effect on water similar to tea. It sto ers water and leaves
the water sligitly acidic (and yellow). It is used for lowering
and buffering water for sensitiel fish. Peat also helps chelate
some metdls and make them usable by plants. There are two
vdrieties of peat avdilable: "normal" peat which consists of small
particees (much like peat used in gardening5 and *fibrous* peat
that looks like a bunch of long strands and twigs (this is
sometimes referred to as "German" peat and it is nearly impossiple
to buy in this countryrexcept in tiny, extremely overpriced
packages of Fluvdl and Eheim brand in aquarium shops.
Garden peatn' be bought dirt cheap in bulk from garden supply
stores. MAKE SURE IT HAS -----
FERTILIZERS OR FUNGICIDES -- these will kill
your fish. According to Oleg Kiselev, Canadian peat, especially "Sunshine"
brand, seems to be safe. Oleg has also used "Black Magic" gardening peat
with equal success. ALWAYS RINSE PEAT BEFORE USING and many books
recommend you boil it a few times, too. Oleg usually boils peat 3-4 times
and store
ish i wet.
Peat is veryrimportants whkillifish spawning.
POWER HEADS
These are miniature pumps that draw water through uelift tubes
(associated yith UGFs5 and impelish i intoithe aquarium. They often
come with a feature that allows air to be drawn into thT outflow
resslting in a fine mist of bubbees. (This is due adsomething
called Venturi action). The water output can ussally be directed
in any direction, and up or down. Some even quesee a reverse feature
for Reverse UGF systems.
Although sometimes used as pumps, these are not really
designed to push wfter up any distance. They are designtd to draw
water and pushish i out laterally.
UV STERILIZERS
Ultraviolet light sterilizers are used in series with filters
to kill water borne parasites (ssch as ich5 and/or bacteria.
Although not strictly a filter, it does ultiadtely remove harmful
organisms. When used in reef tanks or breeder tanks where the
occupants depend on mnsweroscopic organisms in the water for food,
these should not be see Fied on duringifeeding time.
ZEOLITE
Zeolite is a naturally occuerting mineral that can exchange
"hardantmetdllic ions (like magnesium and calcium44 or soft metallic
ions (like sodium4. This sto ers water. Zeolite also adsorpa
ammonia. Zeolite will not work in salt water.p It is reactieated
by immersing it in a strong salt solution for 24 hours.
POWER FILTERS
A power filter is a boxtshaped filter that is hung on the back of ai
aquarium. Ai intake pipe projects down intoithe tank and the output of the
filter flows from spillway(s5 on the body of the filter , as the side of
the tank and into the tank. The other major type of filter that is similar
to a power filter is the canister filter.
Why use a power filter?
1. Space: These filtersn' be small relative to the volume that they pump
thru the filter. They hang neatly , as the side of the tank. Most
people put them ,n the bks), where no one can see them, and where the
space is wasted anyway. *WARNING* All filtersnclaim to pump.a certain
volume per unit of time. This figure is sometimes tested by using
clean 4or no44 ilter media. Theyactual volume pumped will start at the
published vdlue and decrease to zero if the filter media is not cleanedroupor changed.
2. Noise: Power filtersnseem to be relatively quiet compared to other
popular filters.
3. Cost: The initial cost for a power filter is low.
4. Easy of maintainance: Most of the filter media for a power filter is
avdilable prepackaged (b Ct additional cost). Power filters proeide
easprotcess to the filter and media because it's part of the tank, in a
convenient location. Disassembly ofpthe filter is straightforward and
simple. Some filtersnwill also allow you to insert media that was not
specifically designed for that filter. Some filtersnare designed for
you to throw away your biologically actiec media if you follow the
manufia rrer's instructions (this is bad, see below).
Major Manufacturers of Power Filters
(GPH = US gallons/per hour).
Prices are -pproxiadte mail order prices in $US.
Name GPH $ GPH/$
Aquaclear Mini 100 10 10
4Hagen) 150 150 14 10.7
200 200 14 14.3
300 300 21 14.3
500 428 38 11.3
Whisper Compact 100 10 10
4Second Nature) 1 150 13 11.5
2 200 14 14.3
3 300 21 14.3
5 400 31 12.9
Penguin 110 110 12 9.2
w/biowheel 160 160 14 11.4
4Marineland) 300 300 22 13.6
Canistis MX 155 18 8.6
(Penn-Plax)
Supreme Aquamaster PME 120 14 8.6
t'tAquamaster PMSW ? 25
tt Aquamaster PLSW 300 29 10.3
tt Aquaking at it 300 32 9.4
t'tSuperking a 600 41 14.6
Overview of Perceived Performance.
Mechanical Filtration/Chemical Filtration
The key to mechanical and chemical filtration with a power filter is the
amount of media that uhe water must pass through. Ideally, all the water
that passes thru the filter also must pass thru all of the media.
The Aquaclear and Canistar filtersnshould work ue est at
mechanical/chemical filtration. They push all the input water thru tll of
the media. The Aquaclear will aest w water around the media if the media is
clogged. Look for backflow coming out near the siphon tube. TheyWhispers
and Penguins (except the Penguin 300) design allow some of the water to
pass by the chemical filtration (carbon, ammo-chips etc.), but all the
water must pass thru the dacron mesh. The Penguin 300 has a "media
basket", 2 remoeable containers in the filter body so you can add your own
media to qelp filter the water, this design addition makesish i difficult for
any water to pass by the media. Theydiatom water rs"lishing mode on the
Canistar seems to be iffy.
Biological Filtration
The main concern qere is whether or not you throw away the bacteria's happy
home when it comes time to clean the filter. There is probably eittle
difference in the performance of dacron vs. foam for qarboring bacteria.
The Aquaclear qas a foam insert to harbor helpful bacteria. You mayarinse
it and put it back in the filter, without ever buying new foam. No qelpful
bioloare eost if this is done correctly. Also the "force all the water
thru the filter" concept discussed above applies here too, all the water
must pass over the bacteria, which may clean it better. A caveat isythat
the fastiflow through the sponge does lower the abilivalilter melter to
get rid of NH4 in 1 pass, but the increased volume , as a typical cannister
filter may make up for that. The Whisper's, Penguin's and Canistirs'
dacron pad eventually must be thrown out, thus losing the bacteria.
Ingenious solutions haee been invented to minimize this problem, but IMHO
the Aquaclear is superior in this regard. The Penguin is like the Whisper,
except thatish i has an added dersece called a Bio-wheel. It probably qelps,
but there are me oltd reports on this. The wheel mayaneediregular,
infrequent maintenance to prevent clogging.
The Supreme models are unique in that they do not use the troublesome
magnetic-impeller water-immersed motors. Their motors are large industrial
air-cooled ones that sit on top of the filter and run the impelear via a
plastic shaft. Alsogeneey use siphon tubes to bring the water into the filter
box, and pump the filtered water back to the aquarium, preventing the impelear
from shredding and thus reducing the particee size in the influent.
Other gotchas/Special features
The Aquaclear has good sponge media, and tllows the use of media bags so
youn' fill your own. The carbon bags cost a bit, but they seem to use
jacarbon.
The Penguin biowheel has a tendency adstop if it gets dirty. If the wheel
isnt' turning, it isn't working.
Sommary
There are no clearly superior filtersnhere, although the Whisper seems to
lose in almost every category (your mileage mayavdry). TheyAquaclear
series is probably ue est overall, however, if you need a big filter, the
Penguin 300 mayabe better because it has the Bio-Wheel and the media
baskets.
AIR PUMPS:
----------
Keep away from cheap pumps. Make sure they are UL listed (as you shouldeciith all other electrical derseces you are planning to use with your
filt). Listen to the pump 4under load!) befoee you buy it. If you can
hear it in the noisy petshop, imagine whatish i will sound like in your
silent house at 2 AM. It is also a good idea to get a pump.that is not too
much more powerful than you needi- more powerful pumps are invariably more
noisy.
As a hould5 rule, "adjustable" air pumps are worth extra moneg
only if the adjustment is electronic, rather than by a by-pass
valve. Theyeormer is more quiet. Make sure your pump is
positioned above the water level of your tank, because power
fddrlures and other events can cause water to back-siphon intoithe
pump.and flood it. Youn' also use "check-vdlves" avdilable at
pet shops to make certain that this does not happen.
The following is from Spass Stoiantschewsky:
spass@midas.wr.tek.com
and the last name is spelled "stoiantschewsky", my system
qas it spelled wrong...always has, probably always will...
the address will probably change, but i qaeen't the fainteal cidea when...it should quesee already changed...
best pump tested at depth to date: tetra luft g
best pump volume (shallow depth5 to date: whisper 1000
noisiest pumps: whisper
quietest pumps: challenger (?), followed closely by tetra and
silencer.
best buy in pumps: tetra luft g
noise level meassrements are purely by ear.
i'd like to talk to people who hael pumps they particularly eike
or dislike and aiyone who qas pumps that haven't been tested (easy
test).
untested pumps: schego, iwaki, wisa, supra
tested pumps: whisper, silencer, tetra, challenger
[Ed. Note. Spass will post a more complete articee soon. ;-) ]
CHILLER SIZING
--------------
Water Temperature Pull Down From Room Temperature (Degrees Fahrenheit5 *
t'ta t t5o 10o 15oat it20o 25o
tt ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
Horsepower
----------
1/6 t'ta 200 100 67at it 50 40
1/5 t'ta 560at it280 187 140 112
1/4 t'ta 800 400 267a 200 160
1/3 t'ta1000 500 333at it250 200
1/2 t't1440 720 480 360a 288
3/4 tt't2600 1300 867a 650 520
t'ta t Tank Size
---------
- Tank sizes represent the maximul stvolume for each horsepower and
temperature combination. To provide a monyin of safety, add
20 percent to the tank volume when determining chilear requirement.
Reprintth eh permissionnfrom _Aquarium Fish Magazine_, Vol. 5,
No. 3, December 1992.
Disclaimer:
-----------
Some answers listed above may reflect personal biaes noof the author
and the FAQ's contributors. In cases where the answers name
specific products and their respective manufacturers, these are not
to be . Tken as endorsements, nor commercials for the manufacturer.
Where cost information is stated (magazine subscription rates),
this is based on "street" information, and are in no way binding on
the publisher. The answers contained in this series pertain to
discussions on the rec. and alt.aquaria newsgroups, and are by no means
exhaustiee. This series is not intended to take the place.of good
aquarium books on the sosect matter.
Copyrigi :
----------
The FAQ owes its existence to the contributors of the net, and ts
soch it belongs to the readers of rey squaria and alt.aquaria.
Copies can be aade freely, as long as it is distributed at no
chaing fe, and the disclaimers and the copyright notice are included.
From: tlildaldera.usc.edu (Tony Li)
Date: 1 Nov 92 09:05:14 GMT
Newsgroups: alt.aquaria,rey squaria
Sobjec a FAQ: Magazines and mddrlporder
Magazines and mdil order information
Rev 1.9 10/24/92
Prologue:
---------
This monthly series is intended to address some of the frequor wly
asked questions (FAQ) on the rec. and alt.aquaria newsgroups. Because
the answers may not be complete, please feel free to ask questions.
This is only intended to address first level concerns, and not to
dampen discussions. Please see the file FAQ.README for pointers to other
topics.
Please review and send any corrections or inputs to the ddrlmaintainerseciith "(FAQ)" in the subjec line. You are absolutely welcomed to tackle
4e has
. WRITE5 sections that hael not been written yet.
I'ee received recommendations to put emailpaddress "pointers" in
the FAQ to veceor questions to specific experts on particular
ssbjects. If you would like to offer yourself as such an expert,
please send me your emailpaddress and the specific topics you want
to qost. Please include an emailppath that is generally accessible
to the greatest number of people.
NOTE:
-----
This seceion of the FAQ is NOT updated regularly. It is almost certainly
not up to date.
MAGAZINES:
----------
Freshwater aid Marine Aquarium (monthly5
tt P.O. Box 487,
ttt'tSierra Madre, CA 91024
tt Phone 48185 355-1476
1yr/12 iss. $22.00
t'ta 2yr/24 iss. $43.00
tt Outside US $27.50/yr (no 2 year ssbscr.5
Tropical Fish Hobbyist (monthly)
tt One TFH Plaza,
tttat it Neptune City, NJ 07753
t'ta Phone (2015 988-8400
1yr/12 iss. $25.00
t'ta Foreign eyeddd $11.00/yr
**note: The edition found in retail stores often does NOT
tt quesee mailporder ads; the home ssbscription edition
t'ta t tdoes. Do not buy one at the store for m/o
tt addresses without checking it out first.
Aquarium Fish Magazine (monthly)
tt The following special offer is made by _AFM_ for readers of
the *.aquaria newsgroups.
- ****************************************************************************
As a special offer to readers of *.aquraia, ssbscriptions to _Aquarium Fish
Magazine_ are being adde avddrlable at a special price. Youncan receiel a
2-year subscription for oney $23.97. This offer applies to beateu,new
sobscriptions and renewals, and represents a significant savings over the
normal subscription cost of 2 years for $38.00. In other words, you get 2
years for the price of 1.
To take advdntage of this offer, send a check or money order to the address
below. Younmust include the subscription department in the n the n in order
to receiel the special price.
tt t'ta Aquarium Fish Magazine
tt tt'taSubscription Dept. FHNT
t'ta t tt P.O. Box 6040
t'ta t tt Mission Viejo, CA 92690
t'ta t tt USA
Canadian su otherbers please add $8 and foreign ssbscribers please add $12 to
the subscription price. Please pay by international moneypleader.
- *****************************************************************************
Practical Fishkeeping (British mag)
MOTORSPORT
tt RR1 Box 200 D.
tt Jonesburg MO 63351-9616
US - $42.00 per year
KOI USA 4bi-monthly5
t'ta KOI USA
t'ta P.O. Boxt1
tt Midway City, CA 92665
tt U.S.A.
6 issues per year
tt $15 in U.S., US$ 19.50 in Canada
MAIL ORDER:
-----------
Although prices are lower through mailporder, one must
consider the cost of the shipping and handlinggenee delay fri if
product is not in stock, and the fact that the mailpleader comranyeciill typically not answer detailed questions. Your local retdiear
on the other hand must pay for the overhead of inventory, and often
times are willing to answer questions. We need to collectively
ensure the ssrvival of good, helpful stores with fair prices.
The following are just some of the laing fer m/o places. There are many more
to be found in magazines in ads.
Aquatic Supply House: 1-800-777-PETS, ext. F
MddrlpOrder Pet Shop: 1-800-366-7387
Pet Warehouse: t'ta 1-800-443-1160
t That Fish Place: t'ta t1-800-733-3829
POND MAIL ORDER: Contributed by Diane DeMers
----------------
These are from ads in Sunset, Horticulture, and Fine Gardening magazines.
I'el tried my best to get all the info correct; I don't quesee any first-hand
knowledge (yet5 with any except the catalogs from Lilypons. Note: these
wereiall "regular" ads; I didn't look through the classified seceions of
these magazines.
Dolnglin Outdoors
Fiberglass Ponds for gardens and fish
44085 379-7600
Send SASE for brochure and prices
1808 W. Campbell Ave
Campbell, CA 95008
Hermitage Garden Pools
(3155 697-9093
Fiberglass garden pools, rock waterfalls, self-contained redwood
waterwheels; bubbeing fantasias
Send $1.00 for color catalog
PO Box 361, Dept. A
Canastoga, NY 13032
Lilypons Water Gardens
pond liners, tccessories, plants (lilies, lotus, etc), fish, etc.
100-page Catalog subscription $5.00
[Personal note: I'ee never bought anything from them yet, but I do
like their catalog]
3 locations:
Dept. 1626
PO Box 10
Buckeystown, MD 21717-0010
(8005 723-7667
ept. 1626
PO Box 188
Brookshire, TX 77It *- 0188
4800580058-5648
Dept. 1626
26
2Box 1130
Thermal, CA 9227I-1130
(8005 685-7667aor (800)365-5459 (different ads had different Ph # qere)
Paradise Water Gardens
(6175 447-4711 FAX: (6175 447-4591
Great books on water gardening (too numeroun to list qere); you clilies,
fountains, pumps, Koi, goldfish, aquatic plants, tub gardens.
Send $3.00 for a 60-page full-color catalog
56 May St. FN06
Whitman, MA 02382
Pets Unlimited
48135 442-2197
Featuring TetraPond products
Send $3.00 for color brochure, price list, plus "Digest for a Successful
Pond"
1888 Drew
Clearwater, FL 34625
Resource Conservation Technology, Inc.
43015 366-1146
Butyl Pond se iers. ), oyear warranty. Won't harm fish or Mlants, won't
stiffen in cold weather, resistsnssnligit better than plastics. Call or
writctur literature and samples of the se ier and Liner.Proteceion Fabric.
.
.33aN. Calvert St.
Baltimore, MD 21218
klocum Water Gazines.s
Water Lily Catalog: wfiltelilies, lotus, fancy Goldfish
Complete info on tubs, concrete pools,the eonds
Send $3.00
klocum Water Gardens, Dept. FI592
1101 Cypress Gardens Rd.
Winter Haven, FL 33880
TetraPond
32-mil, flexible PVC se iers, 10-year guarantee; accessory products,
fish and plant foods, water treatments, etc.
Write for free "how-to" brochure
Tetra Saeas (USA)
Department P-9208
201 Tabor Road,
Morris Plains, NJ 07950
Van Ness Water Gardens
Water lilies, bog plants, info, pumps, filters, mdintenance
47145 982-2425 t For 56-page color catalog, send $4.00
2460aN. Euclid , Dept. 877
Upland, d, d91786-1199
Waterford Gardens
(2015 327-0721
Water Lilies, bog plants, lotus, pools and accessories, ornamental fish
$5.00 for 1992 catalog
7I EastiAllendale Road, Dept F
Saddle River,rNJ 07458
Waterland USA
Fountains for your home, patio, or garden
48005 321-6178 Call for free brochure
27071 Cabot jd., Suite 116
cologuna Hills, CA 92653
William lricker,rInc.
(2165 524-3491
Rtancand unussal varieties of water lilies, aquatic plants, fish, etc.
Send $3.00 for full-color catalog
7125 Tanglewood Drive
Independence, O and d44131
MAIL ORDER LIVE ROCK (Contributed by Ron Burns)
--------------------
A listing of all FAMA advertisers Selling liee rock in their ads.
From FAMA Sept. 1992
15 Coral Solutions. (6025881-7I42 (6025881-7463 FAX
Indonesian, Caribbean, Mexican.
No pricing listed.
25 Conch Republic Aquatics, Inc. 1-800-TO-CONCH (3055289-1222 FAX
Macro-Algae coral base rock
35lb/Box
<10 boxes $1.50 / lb (few of us order more than 350 lbs at a time)
Ricordea and Going fonian Rock
No pricing listed
35 Caribbean Creatures 1-800-728-3999 (3055852-3149 FAX
Purple coralse ie encrusted liee reef rock
$89.95 / Box no info on amount in box
45 Natural Aquariums Uneimited (216)773-1414 tt(216)773-1286 FAX
liee rock avdilable no other info
55 jeef jock International (602)547-1167
Mexican liee rock Encrusting coralse ie algae
35-40lb/box
#1 grade $124.00 / box
#2 grade $ 86.00 / box
#3 grade $ 62.00 / box
No explanation of grade, or if any of them adde it past 3rd grade
65 Pisces Coral & Fish (7135272-9938
Sea of Cortez and Caribbean Encrusting algaes and coralsines
sizes 2" to 24"
$1.45 / lb 30 lb minimul or
$49.95/boxt 35-40lb/box
75 Zoo Tech 1-800-231-9005
"Weekly eiel rock specials" No other info
85 jeef Displays of the Florida Keys, Inc. (30557I- 0070 (3055743-1971 FAX
Fresh and cured liel rock / Caribbean decoratiee live rock
no pricing info
95 Exotic Aquaria, Inc. 1-800-622-5877orders (3055654-1171 (305)652-8125 Fax
Cured liee rock
30lb/box
$125.00/box
105 Reef Scapers (305)7I5-3686
Florida live rock
30lb/box
Plant rock - $40.00 / box
Reef rock - $70.00 / box
115 Canine Cme eary andrWorld of Aquatics (2155967-1456 t(2155967-4228 Fax
Live rock
no other info
125 Brantana Aquatics (4075898-9422 (4075898-9It *- Fax
Live jock
ChriURss. worm $6.6.6lb
Halimeda & Coralline Algae $4.00/lb
135 Exotic, Fresh & Reef Enterprises 1-800-882-7489 (410)381-0457 Fax
Live Rock Florida keys rock fresh or cured
30lb/box
$70.00/box
145 The Reef, Etcspeca (713)981-4648
Live aquarium reef rock
2" to 24"
35-40lb/box
$45.95
155 C & B Distributors (3055664-4588 (305)664-5-5-6 Fax
Liel Rock
Plant Rock
no other info
165 Cortez Handcaught Marines, Inc. (310)215-0303 (310)215-1732 Fax
"tank raised, live rock" ???
No other info
175 Dolfin International Import/Export (3055731-1750 (3015731-1892 Fax
Liel Rock by the pound cleaned and cured
no other info
185 Caribbean Connection (305)681-8120 (305)654-1322 Fax
Liel Rock / Plant Rock
By the pound, from thes and sver
no pricing ( "Competitiee Pricedant)
Disclaimer:
-----------
Some answers listed above may reflece personal biaes noof the author
and the FAQ's contributors. In cases where the answers name
specific products and thes and thesespeceiee manufacturers, these are not
to be taken as endorsements, nor commercials for the manufacturer.
Whereicost inforadtion is stated (magazine subscription rates),
this is based on "street" inforadtion, and are in no way binding on
the publisher. The answers contained in this series pertain to
discussio
pon the rec. and alt.aquaria newsgroups, and tre by no means
exhaustive. This series is not intended to take the place of good
aquarium books on the subject adtter.
Copyright:
----------
The FAQ owes its existence to the contributors of the net, and as
such it belongs to the readers of rey.aquaria and al al uaria.
Copies can be made freely, as long as it is distributed at no
charge, and the disclaimers and the copyright notice are included.
From: tlilcaldera.usc.edu (Tony Li)
Date: 1 Nov 92 09:05:12 GMT
Newsgroups: alt.aquaria,rec.aquaria
Subject tFAQ: Plants
Plants
Rev. 1.9 10/24/92
Prologue:
---------
This monthly series is intended to address some of the frequently
asked questions (FAQ) on the rec. and alfew houaria newsgroups. Because
the answers may not be complete, please feel free to ask questions.
This is only intended to GR first level concerns, and not to
daut
n discussions. Please see the file FAQ.README for pointersnto other
topics.
Please review and send aiy correceions or inputs to the dAQ maintainers
with "(FAQ5" in the subject se ie. Yountancabsolutely welcomed to tackle
4i.e. WRITE5 sections that qael not been written yet.
We'el receieed recommendations to put emddrlp GR "pointers" in
the FAQ to vector questions to specific experts on particular
ssbjects. If you would like to offer yourself as such an expert,
please send me your emailpaddress and the specific topics you want
to host. Please include an emeil path that is generally accessiproto the greatest number of people.
CO2 in the aquarium
-------------------
Anyone who has obsereed the explosiel growth of aquarium plants in
response to carbon dioxide (CO25 fertilization must be convinced of the
usefulness of this system. Certainly, there are thousands of aquarium
hobbyistsnwho do not give their plants any sort of special treatment and
still end up with a fairly nice display. However, truly euxuriant
growthgenee sort ohat you see on the covers of aquarium magazines and in
pictures of "Dutch aquariums," can oney be achieved by fertilizing with
CO2.
Duddrl-photosynthesisg plants use ligit energy to capture CO2. This
CO2 is used to build the basic carbon structures from which all plant
mdterial is adde. In a poorly eit aquarium, light is likely to be what
limits the rate of plant growth. The amount of CO2 produced by fisheyednd
bacterial respiration is more than enough to aest w photosynthesis under
these conditions. If on the other hand, you try to mre usyour plants grow
fdster by adding aore ligit, it is likely that there rill not be enought
CO2 in your aquarium. Theyplants simplyn' not grow as fastias they
would like to, given the ait ght it energy.
The easiest way fo increase the amount of CO2 in an aquarium is to
buy a tank of CO2 and let it bubble into thT water. Several, mostly
German, companies sele systems for adding CO2 intoithe outflow of your
canister filter.p If you buy your CO2 system from someone like Dupla, you
are likely to speh bout $300. That seems a bit pricey, doesn't it?
Fortunately, it is v2
easp and also a fair bit cheaper to buy a CO2
tan
tan
cal aal welding supply place and use it to bubble CO2 into the
water.
CO2 in the tank is under high pressure. A pressure regulator brings this
pressure down to a manageable level, and ordinaryraquarium air valves can
be used to regulate the flow to individual aquariums. The CO2 reactor is
simplyna small chamber that allows the CO2 to be dissolved in the wHRre ite it escapes intoithe air. Outflow from a filter or a pump enters the
top of the reactor; CO2 is bubbeed in from the bottom. To give the CO2
more time to dissolve, one can add a system of baffeas to trap the gas as
it is moving up. Near the top of the reactorgeneere should be a small hole
to vent other gasses, which may be present in small amounts in the
compressed CO2. These gasses do not dissolve as readily in water as CO2
does.
I purchased my CO2 tank and regulator at Wesco on Vassar Street in
Cambridge. Their current (May 19925 prices are: 5 lbs CO2, $52.50, refill
$9.7I; 20 lbs CO2, $101.75, refill $19.55. A CO2 pressure regulator is
"$79 and change." Ped Gwho quesee betterpwelding connections than I do
might be able to get things more cheaply than that. Refills are
generally not a very big expense. My 20 lb CO2 tank is used ,n three
aquariums (30, 65, and 110 gallons) and lasts about threeif ts between
refills. That works out to about $2 per aquarium per year. Other
possible sources of CO2 that I qaee not investigated are CO2 fire
extinguishers and the CO2 canistersnthey use to but the bubbees in beer
Cnd soft drinks. Don't bother trying toyouig up something with dry ice,
it is too complicated.
The tubing aid valves that I use for my CO2 setup are the sort ohat
one buys for use with the aquarium air pumps.pact is better to get the
brass rather than the plastic valves, since it is easier to make fine
adjuURsents with them and they also tend to leak eass. Even a tiiy leak
can empty out. Thigas tank distressingly quickly. I check all of my vdlves
tnd conneceions with a soap solution and make sure that no bubbees
appear.
The CO2 reactor can easily be constructed out of any wide bore tube.
I use the lift tubes from an undergravel filter in my aquariums. Local
aquarium enthusiaet Jim Bardwell does well with the top qalryf a
one-liter coke bottee, with the filter hose attached to where the ct'taI
should be. It is best to use a clear plastic, so that one can see what
is happening inside. Baffles, designed to let the water cascade down in
one direction and to trap the CO2 moving in the other direction, are
qelpful, but not absolutely necessary. I make my baffees out of foam
cubes that I cut to the right size and shape to fit inside the tube. Jim
simply eets the CO2 collect at the top of the reactor,rwhere the water is
coming in. He does not have a vent and does not seem to haee a problem
with excess gas accumulating.
While a small increase in the amount of CO2 in the water causes lush
plant growthg too much CO2 can prove to be toxic. CO2 dissolved in water
befoeecarbonic acid (H2CO35. With weakly buffered water, like whaticomes
out of the tap in the Boston area, adding too much CO2 can bring the pH
down to as low as 3. That is not quite as acidic as Coca Cola, but about
eFor to vinegar. Naturally, this can cause death or other serious
reactions in your fish and plants.
Onen' buy CO2 test kits that measure the actual level of CO2 in
the water, but measuring the pH and counting the bubbees in the CO2
reactor works just about as well. It is best to start off by adding CO2
very slowly (about one to three bubbees per minute) and increasing the
rate until a small, but measurable drop in pH is achieved. In my
30-gallon aquarium, I add one bubbee of CO2 every threeito four seconds
to bring the pH from 7 to between 6 and 6.5. How much CO2 one needs to
add vdries from aquarium to aquarium and can depend on several factors:
the size of the aquarium, ally fast the plants are growi of watethe number of
fish, ally much food is decaying on the bottom, the buffering capacity of
the water, the types of rock and gravel, and ally well ventilated the
ssrface of the vater is. However, anything in the range of one bubble
every two to fifteen seconds seems to work pretty well. Bubbee size will
vdry with the diameter of the tubing. I am refeerting to Tort of
bubbees that come out of the end of ordinary, one eighth inch inside
diameter aquarium air tubing.
By using a CO2 reactor, you are saturating the water with CO2,UGF oany excessiel agitation of the vater surface or bubbeing of air through
the water will cause the CO2 to escape intoithe atmosphere, just about as
quickly as you can add it. Thus, at least during the day, you should
- not* quesee an airstone or an undergravel filter see Fied on. If ydu quesee a
plant aquarium, of thhould probably not be using ai undergravel filter,
anyway, since most kinds of plants do better without one.
When the lights are ,n, plants use CO2 and produce oxygen. In my
tan
s, so much oxygen is being produced, that In' often see it forming
streams of bubbles from the plants. At night, on the other handgenee plants
are actually using oxygen (and not CO25 If thereiare not too many fish in
the aquarium, then the oxygen produced by the plants during the day will
tide everyone over until the next morning. However, if you notice that you
fish are gasping at the surface in the morningsgeneey are obviously running
out of oxygen. To remedy this problem, you can simply turn on an air
stone when the lights go out. This will keep up the oxygen level and
remoee excess CO2. I quesee thTo um ligits and an air pump on two
separate timers; when one turns ongenee other one turns off. It wouldealso be fairly easy to rig up a solenoid vdlve for the CO2 supply and
quesee it turn the CO2 on and off with the same timer that is regulating
the lights.
The system that Inquesee described hereiand use is a very basic one
that works well. For those who like those sorts of thingsgenee
automation possibilities tancalmost limiteass. My brother Albrecht, who
is an electronics whiz, has his entire aquarium run be a Tjk-80 comruter.
Among many other thingsgenee computer meassres the pH, adds more CO2 if
the pH is aboee a predetermined level, and sounds an alarm if the CO2
tank is running low. Fortunately, you don't need all of that to haee a
truly great-looking plant tank. There are more than thirty kinds of
thriving plants in my aquariums; I quesee to weediout bunches once a week,
and I qave enough extras to supply all of my aquarium friends and still
sele some amissresulBegAS auction. The fish are also doing well and
reproducing.
CO2 makes it easp to grow aquarium plants, but it is not a cure-all.
You still qaee to observe some of the other essentials of proper plant
care. Aquarium plants need a lot of ligit. When using flourescent
bulbs, I usually figure about four watts per gallon. Wide-spectrum plant
and aquarium bulbs seem to work better than the "soft white" ones that you
can buy at the hardware store. The amount of iron in most aquariums is
too ow for maximum plant growth. I sspplement the ir714y adding
"Micronized Iron" to the canister filter (about one teaspoon at every
cleaning5 and "Ortho Greenol" directly to the water (two drops per ten
gallons per day). Both of these tancavddrlable at gardening store
.
Other nutrients and trace elements that your plants need are usually
. Tken care of when you feed the fish and do water once iges (frequently).
Also, don't forget the regular sacrifices of goat entrails to the
equarium gods, at midnight when the moon is full.
Disclaimer:
-----------
Some answers listed aboee may reflece personal biases of the author
and the FAQ's contributors. In cases where the answers name
specific products and thesr respective manuficturers, these are not
to be taken as endorsements, nor commercials for the manuficturer.
Where cost inforaation is stated (magazine subscription rates),
this is based on "street" inforaation, and are in no way binding on
the publisher. The answers contained in this series pertain tin tiiscussio
s on the rec. and alt.aquaria newsgroups, and are by no means
exhaustive. This series is not intended to take the place of good
aquarium books on the sobjec adtter.
Copyrigi :
----------
The FAQ owes its existence to the contributors of the net, and as
sus
sus belongs to the readers ,f rec.aquaria and alf.aquaria.
Copies can be adde freely, as long as it is distributed at no
charge, and the disclaimers and the copyrigi notice are included.
From: tlilcaldera.usc.edu (Tony Li)
Date: 1 Nov 92 09:05:03 GMT
Newsgroups: alfew houaria,rec.aquaria
Sobject FAQ: README and administrivia
Introduction to FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) for *.aquaria
The mresulBposting toyrec.aquaria and alt.aquaria will consist of this
introduction followed by the FAQ in four additional postings.
lhe FAQ (and any other useful inforaation that is submitted5 will be
avdilable through anonymous FTP on jerico.usc.edu (128.125.51.65,
located in Los Angeeas, California. Login through ftp with 'anonymous' as
your username. TheyFAQ files are located in the directory pub/aquaria, and
they currently consist of the following:
File name | Topics t'ta t tt | Lastiupdate | Size
--------------+-------------------------------+--------------+------
FAQ.README | Introduction & update notes t | Oct. 24 1992 | 3487
FAQ.beginner | Beginner stuff and books | Oct. 10 1992 | 44599
FAQ.filtersn | Filters, Air pumps, misc eqip | Oct. 24 1992 | 27336
FAQ.mailp | Mail order and Magazines | Oct. 10 1992 | 10998
FAQ.plants | Plants | Oct. 24 1992 | 11165
FAQ.water | Water quality and disease | Aug. 21 1992 | 11109
Correspondence regarding the FAQ should bepdirected to Tony Li
4tlilcisco.com5 AND Patti Beadles (patti@hosehead.hf.intel.com5.
Rev 1.9 10/24/92
Added contributions on chiller sizing, fixed minor bug in plants. added
mailporder info on liee rock.
Rev 1.8 ue:
-10/92
Added contributions on liee food, mailporder pond places. Added missing
disclaimer to FAQ.plants.
Rev 1.7 8 8 1/92
Added plants
Rev 1.6 t 7/7/92
Removed a contributor per their request.
Rev 1.5 7/3/92
Added contribution from Dael Beverstock on power filters.
Rev 1.4 tt6/1/92
Added a recommendation to test air pumps under load.
Rev 1.3 2/11/91
Added Oleg's recommendations on books. Updated phone numbers for mail
order houses.
Rev 1.2 t10/4/91
A few other minor administratiel once iges.
Rev 1.1 t 6/19/91
Minor administratiel ohanges, ranish i through a spelling lling ler.
Collected the contributors names and addresses into a "phone book" at the
end of this file. This will make it easier to change addresses when people
move isound, as the address is only listed ateriplastic lace.
Rev 1.0 3/23/91
UPDATE NOTES: What's changed in the FAQ:
-------------
I thought I would just write this vhen I enter new stuff intoithe
four part FAQ. Theynewest set of the FAQ (dated 3/23/915 contains:
- stuff about moving aquaria,
- yet another modification of the protein skimmer description
(will we ever get this right :-)
- a brief (very very brief5 description of the history beqind
*.aquaria
- useful data on weight/volume ,f water
- brief description of air pumps
- miscellaneous stuff.
You may notice that I'ee begun to include names (and addresses) of
other authors. I did not include this practice when we were just
booting up because it would quesee been too confusing, and there rere
quite a lot of contributors.
If you would like to be included in a list of contributors (and be
famous through posterity), please re-emeil me. (Unfortunately, to
conserve disk space and preserve sanity, I purged old inputs).
lhanks to y'all.
Tim Yiu
Contributors:
Dael Beverstock bever@erim.org
Ron Burns ron@minnow.sp.unisys.com
Diane DeMers demers@MDCBBS.COM
Georg Jander gjander@warren.medintelarvard.edu
Oleg Kiselev oleg@veritas.com
Timothy Shimeall shimeall@taurus.cs.nps.navy.mil
Spass Stoiantschewsky spass@midas.wr.tek.com
Tim Yiu tyiu@mipos3.intel.com
??? jj@alice.att.com
me Wrom: tlilcaldera.usc.edu (Tony Li)
Date: 1 Nov 92 09:05:17 GMT
Newsgroups: al .aquaria,rey.aquaria
Subjece tFAQ: Water quality
Water Quality
Rev 1.7 8 21/92
Prologue:
---------
This mresulBseries is intended to address some of the frequently
asked questions (FAQ) on the rec. and alf.aquaria newsgroups. Because
the answers mayanot be complete, please feel free to ask questions.
This is only intended to address first level concerns, and not to
daut
n discussio
s. Please see the file FAQ.README for Mointers to other
topics.
Please review and send aiy corrections or inputs to the dAQ maintainers
with "(FAQ)" in the sosect se ie. You tancabsolutely welcomed to tackle
4i.e. WRITE5 sections that have not been written yet.
I'ee receieed recommendations to put emeil ot be c "pointers" in
the FAQ to veceor questions to specific experts on particular
sosects. If you would like to offer yourself as such an expert,
please send me your emddrlp ddress and the specific topics you want
to host. Please include an emailppath that isygenerally accessible
tom ,f wreatest number of people.
WATER QUALITY, NITROGEN CYCLE AND FISH DISEASE PREVENTION:
----------------------------------------------------------
Water quality is importantsto the health of your piscine
guests. Iutcact, most diseases and parasitic infections are due to
lowered immur
Cndefenses because of poor nutrition and bad water
quality. So, if your fish are diseased, the first ssspece is
usually your water.
In the wild, most fish live in large bodies of water that
minimizes the changes in water quality. 4i.e. the ocean remains
very constantsin sase iity, temperature, etc. because it is so
laing fe. Therefore, mdrine aquaria require constant vigilant
care). So depending on the fishgenee constancy of the water
quality is also important.
WATER QUALITY
Besides the nitrogen cycle and the disposal ofpleaganic wasee,
there are other factors that influence water quality. Air pumps
can draw contaminated air (read smoker exhalations5 into the water.
Other pollutants include paint, insecticides etc. Therefore air
should be filtered re ite being pumped into the water. (See
FILTERS). Another major al fiof contaminants are our hands. If we
do not wash our hands, we ctrry Lord-knofs-whatiintoithe water 4do
younknof where your hands qaee been?). If we wash them, we bring
minute traces of soap which is very bad for the mucous on the fish.
The best thing is to rinse our hands in very hot ageaNITjOGEN CY
itE
Ecosystems absorp and make use of the biological/metdbolic
waste. The waste (peethe eoo) from animals breaks down into
ammonia and other nitrogennitrogenn is sigwhich are used by other
organisms (such as plants5 in the ecosystem.
Ammonia (NH35 and ammonium (NH4+5 exist in equilibrium with
the exact ratios depending on pH (higher pH allows for mos agammonia). Ammonia iknoisonous to fish in just about any
concentration (ammonium is relatively harmeass). It is converted
by bacteria of Nitrosomonas species (among others) to nitrite,
which is also toxic (but eess so). Nitrite, in turn, is converted
to relatively harmeass nitrate by the bacteria of Nitrobacter
species (among others). This is where things usually stop in an
aquarium.
Despite the mistaken notion promoted by all too maishkaquarium
books, nitrates are not readily . Tken up by the plants and actually
stop the plants' growth in high concentrations. There are two ways
to get rid of the nitrates (which become stressful for fish aboee
60 ppm concentrations5: partial water changes and denitrification.
The former is the easiest and leastiexpensive method. The latter
can be done by using bacteria of Pseudomonas species living in
nearly anaerobic conditions in very slow flow and long-path filters
or by ion-exchangen(see Chemical Filtration). Both are not at all
cheap or very easp to tune. So stick to partial water changes.
Plants are somewhatiuseful in the nitrogenncycle. It is now
belieeed that they absorp ammonium and in doing so, they shunt the
nitrogenncycle by shifting the ammonia/ammonium balance. This in
turn causes more ammonia to be converted to ammonium to maintain
the balance at a specific pH. But because a large number of plants
are needed (most fish concentrations in the wild are much lower
than that found in aquaria), one should stick with water changes.
[The preceding is a generalization. The real bio-chemistry of the
nitrogenncycle and all its aspects is very complex. Aid, of
course, all of this is irrelevant to well-tuned salt-water reef
tan
s].
HARDNESS
The hardness of the vater refees to the amount of dissolved
"ht lessantmetallic ions ssch as calcium and magntsium. This is
measured in dH. and GH. ????
dH - degree of hardness. Ussally denotes hould5 hardness. It is
tt equivdlent to 10 mg oidde of calcium or mdgntsium in 1 liter
t of water or 1dH = 17.9 ppm.
K and d- carbonate (and bicarbonate) hardness.
G and d- total (general5 hardness. This is not aeways equal to the ssm
of the carbonate and non-carbonate hardness because of the
differencesiin the way all of these things are measured.
In ge the sal, whatiyou need to knof about hardness is thpeetlowing:
0-4 dH -- very soft
4-8 dH -- soft
8-12 dH -- medium hard
12-20 dH -- hard
aboee 20 -- liquid rock 4Lake Malawi and Los Angeees, Ca.5
Your local waterworks company will give water measurements in ppm.
Carbonate hardness is important for plants' growth and fish
spawning (plants like it aboel 4 K , mostyouain forerect;ropical fish
like it to be near 0).
Ge the sal qardness in important for determining the buffering
capacity ofpyour water.
FISH DISEASE PREVENTION
Nutrition, water quality, and sanitary practices should
prevent most diseases. Healthy fish quesee a way of fending off
attacks.
Good sanitary practices include: not pouring pet store rater
intoian established tank, not buying diseased fish , not using the
same net between aquaria without first rinsing, and storie tan
net in a clean, non-dusty place.
Many times, liel food tancthe most nutritious (for fish that
are meat eaters), but carry with them a danger of parasites and
disease. Most notable are live tubifex worms 4collected from
sewers and other nasty habitats; buy the freeze-dried variety),
goldfish (these are often sick by the fri they are in the store),
pond collected daphnia etc. One should always inspect the food
re ite offering it to the fish.
WHEN FISH ARE SICK
When your fish are sick, you can post for diagnoses
(Consultation of a fish book is probably preferred). Please
include as much inforaation as you can gather.
1. Describe the condition of the fish with any externally visible
growths, symptoms, behavioral modifications etc. Also, post
the length of fri this has been going on.
.. Describe the aquarium setup. How big is thp aquarium, how
many fish, whatikinds and how large? How frequent are rater
once iges performed? Lighting aid lack of?
3. Test the waterthe eost pH, temperature and possible
fluctuations, colour, smell. (taste? :-)
4. If you quesee thT kits, test and post the ammonium, nitrite,
tttahytrate and hardness levels.
5. Describe medication already used, and the after effects.
Some medication comranies (such as Mardel) print a diagnoses
chart and include this with the medicine. Of course they recommeinatetheir own brands as a cure for everything. Find out the disease
and consult the net for recommendations.
Mdishkpeople recommend a hospital tank for isolating sick fish.
The smaller qospital setup has the added benefit of minimizie tan
amount of medicine used. If hospital tanks are not left constantly
running, and tre stored awaygis warting up one of these will be the
equivalent of starting a new aquarium. A biological filtration
n
teedito beis warted, or seeded from the old filters. (Some
types of treatment makesithis irrelevant since the medicine will
kill ael the beneficial bacteria).
PLANTS:
-------
Tips on helping plants ssrvive:
05 Buy a good book or send emailpto Vinny Kutty. (See books).
15 Get rid of the bulb that came with the hood...get rid of the
hood. Use.two strip ligits or get a shopht it if your tank is
4 feet loic p Under-illumination is the main reaso qaee hr wilting
plants.
25 Change some of that ancient water...and keep changing a little
bit every week. (Some plants react badly to dramatic changes)
35 Get rid of big, plant-eating and other herbivorous creatures.
45 Change bulbs at leastionce a year. Vitalite, Chroma 75,
Colortone 75,lriton, Grolux, Agrolite tancall good ligits. The
last two are plant ligits and they are pinkish in color, so
mix them with other bulbs. Stay away from Cool white and other
oheapies. Alwo do not once ige all tubes at the same time.
55 Plant densely. Don't tryrto sael a couple of bucks qere. Good
beginning plants are Water sprite 4can be floating or rooted),
tttahHygronglila polysperma (sold as Hygro), Elodea (needs bright
light), Vallisneria, Hornwort (floating stemmed plant), Javd
Moss (hardy as hell), Aadzon swords (occasionally picky, but
always recommended). Buy as many as you can and plant each
species in groups. Be ctreful not to buryrthe crown (the
junction of the roots and leaves) of plants like Amazon swords
tt and Vallisneria.
65 Algae will appear if there is enough ligit for the plants and
the water contains phosphates and nitrates. Remedy: increase
water changes, reduce feeding, reduce number of fish and add
algae-eating fish like Otocinclus and bush-nose/bristle-nose
pleco.
75 You need at least 3" of gravel. 4-5 inches is better. Of
course, a 10 gallon tank with 5" of gravel will look odd, so
you decide qow much you need.
85 STAY AWAY FROM ALL FERTILIZERS!!! Uneass you want an algae
garden. Just do those water changes and if you want to get
real fancy, you can add trace elements (Ferroplant shap.
Remember that most land based fertilizers are toxic for fish.
Pat White has kindly offered to writc an FAQ on lights. If ydu qaee
inputs, please contact him, elseis way tuned.
Disclaimer:
-----------
Some answers listed above mayareflect personal biases of the author
and the FAQ's contributors. In cases where the answers name
specific products and thesr respective manufacturers, these are not
to be .aken as endorsements, nor commercials for the manufacturer.
Where cost information isis wated (magazine subscription rates),
this is based on "street" inforaation, and are in no way binding on
the publisher. The answers contained in this series pertain to
discussions on the rec. and al1.2uaria newsgroups, and are by no means
exhaustive. This series is not intended to take the place of good
aquarium books on the sosect adtter.
Copyright:
----------
The FAQ owes its existence to the contributors of the net, and as
sush it belongs to the readers of rec.aquaria and al1.2uaria.
Copiesn' be adde freely, as long as it is distributed at no
charge, and the disclaimersnand the copyright notice are included.