It is very important that you take your time planning what type of world you wish to maintain these beautiful aquatic animals in. |
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Our purpose is to promote the interest, keeping, study, and breeding of freshwater and marine life. Additionally, the exchange of ideas, meeting new people, conservation and distribution of information concerning aquatic life is our primary interest. |
ANDRE'S AQUARIUM CLUB
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THE AQUA NET
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| Plants by --Sharon
Merritt
I've currently have three planted tanks running: two 10 gallons and one 20gallon. I have so many plants flourishing that you wouldn't believe it. I use Flourite substrate with Flourish & Flourish Iron, as well as CO2 supplementation, and have about 3 watts of light per gallon. The plants you sent me took off and multiplied (especially the Java fern, of course) as well as the plants I received from my friend Dan Quackenbush (before he died). I have long since sold/given away cuttings and, on occasion, whole plants. Right now my tanks are pretty much "Amazon" tanks. Lots & lots of swords, from the big Rubin swords and Ruffle swords down to E. tennellus & E. quadricostatus, some Cabomba, and a few Anubias... The tank's animal inhabitants are quite happy. They include: a "herd" of Corydoras Metae that, except for the original trio, were born & raised right in my tanks. Right now I have about 2 dozen, distributed between the 3 tanks, but at one point I had close to 50. Sold them to the LFS for $4 a piece, and *they*sold them for $8! I also have a couple of Otocinclus in each tank.But my "show piece" fish are the show guppies I've been raising, with the help of the Pan Pacific Guppy Association. I've got a couple of strains of Japanese Blue & Red Glass that are just breathtaking. So, in addition to my planted tanks, I also have quite a few 2 gallon and 5 gallon tanks for the guppies...My apartment has become one big fishroom. ;-) --Sharon Merritt
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The key to any succesful aquarium
is the understanding that the most important animal in the aquarium is the
bacteria.
Aerobic bacteria and nitrosomonas, primarily present in the aquarium substrate (gravel) initiate the conversion of ammonia into nitrite through oxidation in order to gain energy. Nitrite levels then begin to rise and peak in the aquarium. Nitrites are also toxic to fish but roughly at a comparable rate of 10% compared to ammonia. Nitrite decreases the fishes ability to absorb oxygen from water. Levels of nitrite can actually suffocate a fish even in an oxygen rich aquarium. This increase in nitrite is natural and necessary and will diminish and decrease through the natural cycle. DO NOT TRY TO CONTROL IT! When the level of nitrite decreases to 0 ppm, the initial nitrogen cycle is completed and fish may again be added to the aquarium - but at a controlled and moderate rate. Elapsed time to this point - approximately 4 weeks for a freshwater tank and 6 weeks for a saltwater tank. It has been known to take up to four months for some marine tanks cycle. Do not add fish or inverts until the cycle is complete. A second group of bacteria, nitrobacters, continue to transform nitrite into a much less harmful substance, or nitrate. Nitrates, although relatively harmless and natural at low levels, will cause toxicity problems if allowed to build. Nitrate is a basic plant fertilizer and is also responsible for many algae problems. Nitrates can be controlled by routine, partial water changes. Water changes are the key to maintaining a well balanced and functioning aquarium. water changes should be performed at minimum of once per month equal to 25% of your aquarium water volume. You can elect to change your water bi-weekly. Then the water change should equal 25% of the aquarium water volume, respectively. I recommend that you also treat your water for chlorine and chloramine which are present in your tap water. I also recommend that you purchase a water quality test kit to monitor your levels of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. Read the information about the nitrogen cycle. UNDERSTAND it and you will be succesful with this hobby. Most important thing to knowNitrogen cycle Andre |
DON'T TAKE ANYTHING FOR GRANTED!! I am a recent member of yours and I find your aquarium sight the finest I have ever seen. You are in a league of your own- kind of like Michael Jordan or Wayne Gretzky. I have been a tropical fish hobbyist for about 50 years and I almost e-mailed you recently about a problem I was having regarding a host of sudden deaths among my various catfish.They were dying about the rate of one per week-and my other fish specimens were not looking too happy. But I solved the problem. The answer to my problem was lack of knowledge! Overconfidence in one's self and blandly assuming that all was well when it was not caused a series of events ( deadly ones at that). I am not to old to admit that I made 3 AMATEURISH MISTAKES. These admissions may help the next guy too. a) I had carelessly added some angelicus cats in my community tank and they became nocturnal predators. Also my cute little tinfoil barb became a 5 inch battering ram against the other fish. b) I had trouble keeping my water chemistry stable (PH, nitrates etc) and could not figure out what was happening. c) This is the BIG ONE! I discovered that the water temperature was hovering around a "cool" 92 (nine-two) degrees!!!! Both at the same time my heater had gone beserk and my floating thermometer was not reading it correctly. IT WAS STUCK AT 77 degrees. How did I discover this? By finally realizing that what my hands were telling me was the truth! The glass of my tank felt uncommonly warm if not hot! If it were not for my constant water changes I probably would have lost many more fish. Anyway, I bought a new heater and thermometer stabilized the temperature at 78 degrees, changed 40% of the water, said a fish prayer and the aquarium once again is stabilized and the fish are once again thriving. I am aware that I didn't go into too many details but just related the gist of my experience. The moral of this tale- DON'T TAKE ANYTHING FOR GRANTED!! Sincerely, Marty Lamia
LIME WATER I am currently experimenting with CaOH to supplement my 125 gallon reef system with calcium. I am currently using a drip system of 1 gallon RO water to two level teaspoons of CaOH after mixing and let stand for 2 hours prior to adding to my sump. Current Ca level 275 ppm and alkalinity of 8 KH. Typically , depending on degree of evaporation from the tank, I add about one gallon in 24 hours. The stock CaOH solution is about 750 ppm Ca and pH 13. Tank pH ranges from 8.0 at night to 8.3 during the day(I have a pH meter).
Everything in the tank seems healthy, including hard corals, with a great deal of coralline algae growth. The Calcium level climbs about 5-10 ppm per week. Is this the best supplementation approach or is there a better alternative in a system 9 months old( I just started monitoring the Ca level about 4 weeks ago). All other tank parameters including nitrates of 0, and non detectable phosphates, are normal. Any advice would be appreciated. I have not noticed any CaC03 precipitate in the sump to date. Thanks!
Steven Freeman
Are you interested in a healthy Aquarium environment? "The most important information about maintaining any aquarium, Freshwater or Marine"!
Clownfish are one of the easiest tropical marine aquarium fish to breed. Unlike many of the other tropical marine aquarium fish, clownfish regularly spawn in the marine aquarium. Furthermore clownfish have relatively large eggs and larvae which makes raising them a somewhat easier task as the larvae are able to eat easily cultured live foods.
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I HAVE MY NEW AQUARIUM PLANTS
IN QUARANTINE PRIOR TO ADDING THEM TO MY DISCUS TANK. I AM TRYING TO RID MYSELF OF THE SNAILS THAT CAME WITH THE PLANTS, PRIOR TO INTRODUCING THEM. I HAVE USED COPPER BASED ANTI SNAIL FORMULATIONS SUCH AS "HAD-A-SNAIL" AND "SNAIL-A-CIDE" BUT AT EVEN TWICE SUGGESTED DOSAGE AND MORE THAN A MONTH, SNAILS STILL PERSIST. I DON'T' WANT TO ADD SNAILS TO THE DISCUS TANK AS I'M AFRAID OF DISEASE. DO YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS PLEASE. THANKS, Bob Try using fish as a snail remover. Clown loaches are great at removing snails from an aquarium. Maybe put a few clown loaches in your quarantine tank. Also Geophagus Juarpari are good natural snail removers. Many Aquarists have kept clown loaches along with Discus and have had great success. Discus are from South America and Clown loaches are from S.E. Asia, but they both prefer softer lower Ph water qualities. "The Aquarium Doctor"
I recommend my special blend for all Exotic Fish, Fresh or Saltwater. @ $29.95 for a large 5 oz. container. ( I understand shipping is free in the USA.) Add $9.50 for shipping and handling, if out of USA You may use PayPal security to use your credit card.
send a check or a money order, Make all checks payable to William Richmond. to William Richmond, 290 Scottsdale Rd, Pleasant Hill, Ca. 94523 . Mail Order Form
If you have any questions contact me
here.
THE FISH STORE Recommended Products
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SPIRULINA
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WHAT IS SPECIFIC GRAVITY? |
SETTING UP THE SALTWATER AQUARIUM Although fish and other animals can be acclimated directly into an established system, a new aquarium must be conditioned first. Temperature and salinity must be constant, but more important is the biological filtration of wastes. Fish and invertebrates produce toxic waste products. Bacteria living in the gravel on the bottom convert these wastes in the form of toxic ammonia first to nitrite and then nitrate, which is more easily tolerated. A new fish will introduce this bacteria to the water from its body, but it will be a very slow start and only species that can tolerate higher levels of waste, such as crabs and damselfish, should be put in the tank for the first six weeks while the bacteria population is growing and converting wastes. After this point more delicate species may be introduced.
It is also possible to "seed" a new tank by taking some gravel from a healthy established tank that already has a large bacterial growth in it. This culture approach will lessen the time needed to condition the water, but relies on an existing saltwater aquarium. Whichever conditioning method you use remember that the bacteria need waste products to start the conversion cycle, so one or two hardy fish should be present from the beginning. Biological filtration can only handle so much; resist the temptation to overfill your aquarium. A good rule of thumb is to only add one inch of fish per one gallon of water. Every month or so some of the water from the tank (fifteen to twenty percent) must be replaced with new salt water in order to reduce the nitrate levels that eventually become toxic. To avoid thermal shock, the new water should be the same temperature as that which it replaces. If the water level decreases between changes due to evaporation, simply add enough aged tap water to make up the difference. The salt does not evaporate. |
AQUARIUM FISH, SETTING UP and maintaining, THE SALTWATER AQUARIUM
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