Knowledge Base: Aquatic Warehouse

How to Live a Long Life and Assure Your Animals are Protected Too!
The fun and excitement of owning a Fish, Coral or Planted aquarium can suddenly turn dire with the incorrect setup of the equipment. The most important aspect is the proper placement of a "ground fault interrupter" or GFCI. This is an inexpensive yet life-saving piece of equipment that can be found throughout your house, in bathroom and kitchen outlets.

Why do I need a GFCI?
Because in simple terms; your life just might depend on it! Your aquarium has all kinds of electrical devices touching water or near to it. The GFCI continually monitors electrical current and shuts off if there is a "live" ground. The live ground will possibly be you - but without the being "a-live" part.
If your system is not setup correctly due to maybe a faulty pump or heater, you can actually feel the stray voltage in the cuticles of your fingers or maybe on a cut if you are insulated with a non conductive floor or rubber shoes. This can be a tell tail sign that something is not right. (What ifs; wet floor, bare feet, alternating current traveling through bodies - you get the picture)
All new constructed homes by law must have GFCI‘s installed before occupancy for a reason.
More than likely there is not a GFCI within the circuit where your pride and joy Aquarium is located, but you can obtain a receptacle type if you‘re an electrician or lucky enough to know one. Or you can buy an in-line GFCI found in Aquarium, Pond or hardware stores. Just plug the in-line device between the outlet and the electrical power strip (more on this later).

Ground Your Aquarium, Not Yourself
The next thing to do is ground your aquarium. Grounding probes are inexpensive, sold in all quality aquarium or pond stores nationally and anyone can set this small piece of equipment into play. Your aquarium shop‘s sales team can easily show you how to install this.
Now, before we go any further - before you install a Grounding probe, install the GCFI first - then the Grounding Probe. Just the grounding probe by itself is actually more dangerous than not having one at all. If any other electronics or even furniture is carrying any stray voltage, the current will run through the body - "no bueno".

If Your Corals and Fish Could Talk
Having both a GCFI and a grounding probe is the best protection for you and your fish.
Your fish and corals will love this safe electrical setup as well. Stray electrical current (even trace amounts) have been documented causing adverse effects with the fish‘s lateral line sensing mechanism, and can cause deterioration of tissue in corals and fish, let alone the stress of being zapped 24 hours a day!

Power Strip Tease
Come on, we know how to use a power strip! Right? Well- Ok, but now that you have an Aquarium of your own, you tend to notice other tanks in doctors offices, your friends or where ever. Now, get a little nosy and take peek under the tank in the stand. We will bet that you will find a lot of power strips and all kinds of electrical just sitting on the bottom of the stand or dangling in mid air!
Because of gravity and Murphy‘s Law, water will find its way into just about anything we don‘t want it to be in, and as you know electricity and water don‘t mix - especially salt water.
This is an easy fix to complete. Most power strips have pre-drilled holes on the back of the strip. Just take a measurement of the pre-drilled slots (or zip tie into some screws and rap the ties around the power strip), use screws and place the power strip the only place it should be at; and that is under the tank on the inside face of the back horizontal 2" x 4" that the tank is sitting on. A few reasons for it going there; first, if there were a spill or an overflow, the water can not get into the power strip (the wall outlet yes, but a moment please). This will automatically make you have a "drip loop" before the outlet. Also it is easy to see what you have plugged in. This may be a bit too much detail but why not mark with tape what and where each outlet goes to and have your main pump plug on the far right or left (#1 placement) on the power strip. This is your hobby; make it better than anything else you have! Plus if anyone ever accuses you of being unorganized, show them the area under your tank and let them eat Carp!

Outlet Cover-The Last Line of Defense
This is the number one most overlooked area of the whole Aquarium setup and an easy one to fix. Any hardware store has these for a multitude of outlet styles. The best are made for outdoor applications and have a clear hard plastic cover with different outlet configurations included. You can do this without being an electrician (but do turn off the circuit breaker just in case you get wild with a screw driver). Use a lamp (in the "on position") to make sure you turned off the right circuit and just screw the new cover in place. Because the only way the power cord can come out of this device is by way of the bottom, you again are forced to have a drip loop. No Water - No Sparky!
Alrighty then, you have now put together a professional Aquarium System - at least electrically!

Used Aquariums: Buyer Beware - especially if its glass
by: Mike Hornsby

Buying or acquiring a used fish tank can save money but it also can be extremely costly.
For example, John Smith was planning to get an aquarium and narrowed his search down to two fish tanks, a brand new one for $200 or a used one for $50. He decided to save some $$$ and use the savings to buy more fish. After spending hours installing and setting up the fish tank in his living room, which he just had new carpets put in. John filled it and checked for leaks, everything seemed fine. Later on that night, John was awoken to a loud crash, when he went downstairs he found water everywhere, the glue holding the glass together gave out. The saltwater ruined his new carpet. What John did not know is the used tank was old and when it was moved weakened the seams causing the glue weaken.

When buying a used fish tank just because it holds water and doesn‘t leak doesn‘t mean its ok, it could be a disaster waiting to happen. Ask yourself are you willing to take the risk just to save some a little money? Remember that fish tank is holding A LOT of water and should be the strongest part of the system not something to try and save money on, you may regret it.

Discus and the Planted Aquarium
by: Justin Beaver

There are very few displays that can rival the elegance and color of a quality planted Discus aquarium. The gentle, regal Discus gliding through tall reeds of Valisneria or pecking through a sea of Dwarf Baby Tears for leftover food leaves quite an impression at first glance, and the intricate group dynamics and breeding habits of Discus keep aquarists intrigued for countless hours on end. For years Discus keeping has been shrouded in mystery, myths and misinformation, on top of the initially daunting task of maintaining a fully planted aquarium. In this article you will find that a planted aquarium and Discus keeping really do go hand in hand, and once that a few myths and imposing first glances are dispelled, you will see that a planted Discus aquarium can be maintained with ease when a simple maintenance routine is followed, just like any other aquatic environment.

First to rid ourselves of some misguided information.

Discus Myth #1: "Discus are hard to keep, they are shy, timid fish that are not 'hardy'."
This is the most common snippet I hear floating around the Discus section of the store. If the patron seems interested in these beautiful animals, I am always happy to address the topic and clarify for them what I am writing here. The truth is that Discus fish are very intelligent, interactive and amazing fish that are not any more difficult to keep than any other tropical fish! Let me clarify, these fish are not 'hard to keep', they are 'different to keep' than what we are accustomed to in a tropical fish. Discus fish are Amazonian fish, found in South America in some of the softest, most acidic and warmest waters in the world. This means that in order to keep Discus, we need to first mimic their environment. Luckily for us, many plants imported for planted aquaria are actually from this region as well! Valisneria, Java Ferns, Mosses and Cryptocorynes are very hardy plants that do not require high tech equipment and flourish in the planted Discus aquarium.

Listed below are the general requirements of a Discus tank:
Temperature: 80-85 F
pH: 6.5-6.8
gH (hardness): 100-200ppm (3-5 dKH)
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 20 ppm or less

What does this mean to us standing in front of our aquarium, making it ready for Discus? I have found that the easiest way to achieve perfect Discus water is to start with high quality water (hint: Not Tap!!). Generally this means Reverse Osmosis or better yet a De-Ionized water source. Starting with this water means we do not have to take toxins out of the water (Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, Phosphate etc...) nor do we have to remove sanitizers and other unwanted components (Chlorine, heavy metals etc...) commonly found in tap water. Secondarily a high quality water source will provide a VERY low hardness that generally cannot be reached with tap water (D.I.:0ppm, R.O.: 30-50ppm, San Diego Tap: 500-850ppm!!!). Reverse osmosis can be found at a neighborhood water store, and De-ionized water can be purchased from a supermarket, or a high quality Aquarist specialty store near you (Aquatic Warehouse has THE LOWEST price for D.I. water in San Diego at $.30 per gallon!).

Once we have a good source of water, a few aquatic products help us to nail down the specific chemistry we are looking for (Equilibrium for gH, Acid Buffer for pH, both from SeaChem). The temperature is adjusted by simply turning the setting up on our in tank heaters, for a planted Discus community aquarium, I recommend 80 F (Discus only with heat tolerant plants may benefit from 85 F). The final step is managing waste levels, which is maintained by a routine 10-25% water change with new, high quality water, once a week. This process continually removes high waste water and introduces new pure water. Once the water is in and adjusted, the maintenance on a Discus tank is very similar to any other freshwater aquarium (even easier with plants, which act as a natural filter!). Once Discus are given the water requirements they need, they are very loving and interactive tank mates that are heavy eaters and wonderful community tank mates, and are just as hardy as any other tropical fish.

Discus Myth #2: "Discus fish do not tolerate high lights, so you can't keep Discus in a heavily planted tank."
This myth stems from a few decades ago when the only Discus one could acquire was wild caught, and thus not acclimated to a high intensity light source. Today we have many generations of captive bred, high color Discus that have never known anything but high output lighting! These fish are interactive and boisterous under any planted spectrum high intensity light. If you are interested however in importing wild Discus, then there should be a lengthy acclimation from a low light source to a higher light source in a fully planted aquarium, perhaps over a few weeks to months, depending on the Discus strain.

Planted Aquarium Myth #1: "Planted tanks are difficult to maintain, you get more algae and there is much more work involved."
These three here are usually the start and finish of the average aquarists interest in plants. Fortunately they are not correct and with the right setup and preparation, are quite the opposite of the truth! Plants are nature's filter, providing increased oxygen and uptake of wastes introduced into an aquarium by fish and leftover food. When a planted tank is properly designed, algae is often quite a bit less than its non-planted counterpart, because algae needs waste, and plants use it up! Also with a steady carbon source (Co2, liquid carbon sources etc.) the shift in nutrients is HEAVILY in the plants favor and algae becomes a non issue. Lastly, there is no more maintenance in a planted aquarium than in a common garden, and I highly recommend viewing the tank as an aquatic garden, as it will allow you to connect this new project with old knowledge in plant care.

What do plants need? Four things generally: Light, Nutrients, Clean Water and proper placement and pruning. Light is supplied by a number of different aquarium lights, in the daylight spectrums (6500-6700K, Pink) via Power compact, T5 High output or Metal Halide bulbs. This is the main source of plants energy, each plant having its own light level requirement. Secondly, nutrients are supplied to the tank via liquid or solid fertilizer additions to the aquarium. We recommend starting your planted aquarium with a "planting substrate" such as Eco-Complete or Fluorite, which contain a number of plant nutrients that release slowly over time to aid your plants. If you wish to add nutrients to your tank specifically, Nitrogen, Carbon, Potassium, Phosphorous and Iron are the four main nutrients most plants required. Nitrogen and Phosphorous are generally handled by fish waste, Carbon is introduced via Co2 or a 'liquid Carbon' additive, Potassium and Iron are delivered via liquid fertilizer. The clean water is handled by the same high quality water sources mentioned above, along with the proper water maintenance. Lastly each plant will have its own needs and requirements, which will determine where they should be planted and how they should be maintained.

Planted Aquarium Myth #2: "Planted tanks are too technical."
Planted aquariums can be tailored to your individual style and involvement level. I often tell people to "Keep this hobby as a hobby, as soon as it turns into a chore, its not enjoyable!" Planted aquariums can range from low light broadleaf aquascape to a lush forest of bright green and red frilled plants with lace leaf counterparts under a higher output light source. Size is also not an issue for a planted aquarium. The planted nano-tank craze is upon us! Many people are learning to enjoy the simplicity of a small (2-10 gallon) freshwater planted ecosystem, filled with interesting colored shrimp, gobies and other small wonders!

With these myths debunked and a bit of light shone on the world of planted Discus aquariums, you can easily enjoy an amazing underwater garden, filled with majestic Discus and lush plants. Almost all of the requirements of the planted aquarium translate directly to the needs of the Discus fish, a match made in heaven! Soon after setting up your own planted aquarium you too will appreciate the beauty of these amazing fish in a very natural environment. At Aquatic Warehouse we can help you to begin your aquatic journey, or help you to hone your aquatic plant or Discus keeping skills. We carry a wide variety of aquatic plants, Discus fish, substrates and every other planted aquarium necessity.

Getting to Know Cyano
by: Elizabeth Mitchell

Ah yes, the bane of every aquarist, from the humble goldfish tank to the advanced reef or freshwater Takashi Amano style planted aquarium. Even the most diligent hobbyist can suffer from an unsolicited outbreak. What is Cyanobacteria and how does it come to be? How can it be treated and prevented? Fortunately for you and I, Cyanobacteria can easily be avoided. With the proper care and discipline any aquarium can thrive without this nuisance.

Most aquarists have encountered it at one point in their hobby if not multiple times. This can often be the final straw that drives a hobbyist to call in professional help. Cyanobacteria is often mistaken for common algae, although that statement would be untrue because Cyanobacteria is both older (some believe 3.5 billion years!) and more abundant. Cyano is often credited for the drastic atmospheric transformation during the Achaean and Proterozoic eras that made our planet habitable to higher life forms. Cyanobacteria has a beneficial side that is often overlooked in the aquarium. Now hear me out before you write off one of natures wonders entirely.

Cyanobacteria (in aquariums) only occur in closed environments where there is an overabundance of nutrients i.e. over feeding, too much light, poor filtration, fish overpopulation etc. In the closed aquaria, Cyanobacteria will consume and break down raw detritus into easily removable forms such as ammonia and nitrite. Also Cyanobacteria resides inside plants and some corals. However you may not recognize them because they go by different names. Chloroplasts are what plants use to convert sunlight and other nutrients into food, which is none other than our humble, all too familiar, Cyanobacteria repackaged inside plant cells.

Cyanobacteria is present in just about every aquarium system, but they are too small to observe. It is only when they form a colony that they become visible to the naked eye. Cyanobacteria can reproduce asexually, hence its apparent proliferation in the closed system. Cyano cares not where it lives. It has no worries (except us) and roams free to do as it pleases. It will occur in ANY aquarium fresh or saltwater. It will grow over gravel or sand. It will cover both natural rock or wood even your son‘s plastic pirate ship will not be spared the wrath of Cyanobacteria. It can look anywhere from a deep blue/green (hence the name cyano is of the Greek root kyanos meaning blue) to a rich Pinot Noir wine, coming from central California somewhere between the Santa Lucia highlands, Monterey and Gonzales County. I digress.

Cyano is easily identified by its velvety fickle behavior. It can be removed from the surface it clings to by waving your hands over it. It blankets the aquasquape like natures soft quilt. It quickly breaks apart in "sheets" and not a single algae eater will touch it! Now you may be asking "so what can I do to eliminate nature‘s art work?" Ah yes, the sheer irony of keeping an aquarium as a hobby. We take a vessel and fill it with water and animals of our choosing so that we may enjoy nature at its finest in our homes and offices. Yet despite attention to even the most minute detail, nature has a way of letting us know that despite our efforts we are not God. And our little living pictures of life aquatica will do as they please in spite of our direction or approval. Hence the topic at hand: Cyanobacteria.

Now, to eliminate this unsightly pest is quite easy and cheap. In fact you may even find yourself saving a few Georges by the time you are done treating. Like I mentioned earlier, without excess nutrients Cyanobacteria and other types of algae will find it very difficult to survive. The animals found in aquaria, even the photosynthetic ones probably do not need as much light, food or fertilizer as you are giving them. Six hours of light is plenty(in most cases). If you are away all day, then simply set a timer or manually turn on your lights at say five and turn them off at eleven pm. The amount of food your particular system requires is unique to you. However fine tuning feeding and supplement addition to just what is needed and no more is a skill that can only be acquired by careful observation of your system. If you are not sure about this stop by Aquatic Warehouse or any local fish store (LFS) and a technician will be happy to go over your individual needs. And of course water changes.

As a service technician, I have encountered many aquariums with this problem. By following the aforementioned steps I have been able to rid these systems of their affliction within three to four weeks. However there is the occasional stubborn system that requires a little more effort. Usually this means that the source of excess nutrients has been overlooked. Now we need to put on our detective hats and think like Arthur Conan Doyle. Is there a dead snail somewhere? Perhaps an unaccounted for fish? How long has it been since you changed your phosphate remover? Your carbon? What does your water quality look like? Are you using tap water? All of these are possible contributors to incubating our persistent slimy foe. Be sure to siphon out as much of it as you can. Does your system have a NRS (nitrogen reduction system)? If so (very carefully) check for tears in the netting. This can cause an imbalance of aerobic to anaerobic bacteria that can obviously wreak havoc on any system. Do you have a wet /dry sump or built-in filter? When was the last time you added beneficial bacteria? Do you have an undergravel filter? That could be adding to the problem as well.

If even all of these possibilities check out and you still have a problem then it is time to resort to [drum roll]the dreaded chemicals. Fortunately for you and I, they are quite effective. However as with all chemicals, follow the dosing directions exactly according to the packaging, this is very important. Since Cyanobacteria is a bacteria what better to treat it with than an antibacterial! Erythromycin is very effective. To date I have not encountered a strand of cyano that did not die off within six days of using this stuff. Now be sure to dose for the recommended seven to ten days before ending treatment even if your case of cyano is completely gone before then. Remember just like penicillin or any other antibiotic drug there is the potential for resistance to occur in your aquarium just like in your body. And who wants antibiotic resistant Cyanobacteria other than a terrorist?

After you are done with treatment, be sure to perform a 25% to 40% water change and dose heavily with beneficial bacteria less we risk secondary problems like infections to the fish or a mass die off because of the lack of beneficial nitro - bacter.

What about those hobbyist who happen to have those pesky invertebrates that constantly hinder our efforts to quickly and easily solve these problems with chemicals i.e., corals, shrimp and live plants? No worries, you are in luck! There are several brands of treatment available that are erythromycin free. Two brands come to mind: Boyd Enterprise‘s Chemi Clean and Blue Life‘s Red Slime Control. I have used the former and found it quite effective. Sometimes it may take several doses. But again I emphasize that these should be a method of last resort. Follow the directions and be sure to dose with beneficial bacteria when the treatment is finished. Also I have lost a few more sensitive species of shrimp after treatment. Weighing the pros and cons, the shrimp (sorry little guys) it was a fair trade I was willing to make.

So every now and then we all get a little sloppy and lazy. The occasional Cyanobacteria outbreak will be no hindrance to the armed hobbyist. A few water changes, a little skimping on supplements and food and the cyano should be gone in no time. With the proper knowledge, we can be ready to face any challenge our aquatic worlds throw at us. Let cyano bother you no more. However the day that it crawls up your bathroom sink and eats your cat, you have much bigger problems.

"Micro-Shrimp" in the Aquarium Hobby
by: Sam Garcia

In recent years, one of the most fascinating additions to the specialty freshwater aquarium hobby has been Micro Shrimp of the genus Caridina and Neocaridina. The intricate patterns, interesting behavior and beautiful coloration of these tiny crustaceans make them a much appreciated group of animals for small aquaria. Although they are mostly diminutive in stature, these shrimp have had a strong following in the European, Japanese and other Asian markets for many years, with unusual variations and color morphs having been developed by the most dedicated hobbyists. North American natural tank enthusiasts have recently been importing species from places like India, Malaysia, Singapore and other exotic locales to share with fellow aquarists. Caring for most of the varieties is not too difficult so long as there is an understanding of their natural history. Recently, breeding has been accomplished quite regularly and with that, their availability has increased while they have become more affordable to the average collector. New and exciting species are turning up in the trade quite regularly and the availability of these is sporadic at best, so in some cases breeding is important to maintain their presence in the hobby.

Introduced to much of the aquarium world through the glossy pages of Takashi Amano‘s Nature Aquarium World book series, Algae Shrimp (Caridina japonica) were some of the first freshwater shrimp to be seen by many. Their active habit of picking up and consuming diatomaceous algae from the leaves of aquarium plants made them a popular addition to the planted aquarium scene. Preceded in the hobby by larger shrimp such as Flower Shrimp (Atya mollucensis), various types of Ghost Shrimp (Macrobrachius spp.) and many species of Freshwater Crayfishes (mainly Cherax spp. and Procambrus spp.), Algae Shrimp were unique in that they could be added to a delicately planted aquarium without destroying the layout or eating the foliage! Although most species are currently placed in the genus Neocaridina or Caridina, with more careful scientific dissemination, taxonomic revision is likely to occur in due time. In other words, the confusing Latin currently used to identify the genera will likely only become more confusing! For now, common names will suffice!

Following the introduction of Amano Shrimp, aquatics collectors responded to the shrimp craze by importing newer, more colorful and more intricately patterned species into the hobby. These included Red Cherry Shrimp with their intense saturated color, Crystal Red Bee Shrimp with alternating patterns of red and white, Pinocchio Shrimp with long red "beaks" and crystal clear bodies, and Zebra Shrimp with thin black banding, just to name a few. Some hobbyists have become so obsessed with the tiny denizens that they are the feature specimens in their planted showcases; Sometimes the only fauna in the display! Most of the species rarely exceed 1 inch in total length, while some of them are fully mature at about half that size! Still, their tiny bodies dancing and cavorting around delicate leaves in a well-designed aquarium are an unforgettable sight!

Keeping shrimp is not extremely difficult as long as a few simple guidelines are followed. First of all, the conditions from where they are naturally found or where they were bred should be closely duplicated. For most species, a fairly neutral to slightly lower pH and hardness should suffice. Secondly, Ammonia and nitrite cannot be present in ANY amount or shrimp will suffer! Stable temperatures between 75-78 degrees Fahrenheit suit most. Oxygen is vital to their health and vigor so a well planted aquarium is ideal for long-term health. If CO2 is used, it should be done so carefully and turned off at night to prevent oxygen depletion. Plants that most shrimp prefer, such as the various Mosses, Rotala, Cryptoryne, Riccia and Pelea are just a few of the species that may be commonly available at better specialty stores. Tanks do not need to be large, in fact, they can be downright tiny! Shrimp can tolerate moderate water movement despite their small size however filter intakes must be diffused with open-cell foam to prevent them from suffering an early exit from their aquatic paradise! Substrate should not be too large. Sand in a grain size up to 1/8" is best as the smaller shrimp will often get stuck between larger gravel pieces. Many aquarists are now using preconditioned soil pellets as a sole substrate instead of using it under the gravel as it originally was intended. Décor is useful in designing a good display. Malaysian Wood, Antler Ghost Wood, or coated artificial vines are used to build volume and act as perching surfaces and stones such as Pagoda Rock or Lace Rock can anchor the layout. Feeding is relatively simple as they will take a variety of prepared foods such as sinking pellets or broken up algae wafers. They usually supplement their feeding by actively picking up algae waste from the top of the substrate.

One of the most important considerations when keeping shrimp is the selection of tank mates. Small fish are the obvious companions, but even some of these may add the leggy creatures to their menu! Small Rasboras (Rasbora spp., Microrasbora spp. and Boraras spp.), Cardinal Tetras (Paracheirodon axelrodi), Licorice Gouramis (Parosphremenos spp.), Scarlet Badis (Dario Dario), Dwarf Suckermouth Catfish (Otocinclus spp.), and Guppies (Poecilia reticulata) are just some of the varieties of fish that will complement shrimp. Of course, the best thing is to ask a knowledgeable salesperson at a specialty store about compatibility!

Without warning, the shrimp population in your aquarium may expand on its own! Red Cherry Shrimp (Neocaridina denticulata sinensis) are perhaps the easiest of the shrimp to breed under normal conditions. Females carry eggs beneath their abdomen (tail section) and are said to be "in berry" when holding these eggs. After the juveniles hatch, the mother will brood them until they are able to swim off into the greenery. By two months of age, most Micro Shrimp will be mature enough to breed. Other easy to breed sspecies include the Black Algae Shrimp (Neocaridina spp.), the Lime Green Shrimp (Neocaridina spp.), and the various forms of Bee Shrimp (Neocaridina spp.). I know, they all have the same Latin name until that scientific revision is finished! Other shrimp may breed with some attention to detail and isolation from most fish but a few, like the Amano Shrimp (Caridina japonica), may only breed if conditions are slightly brackish. If you are not willing to invest patient time and hard-earned money then maybe it is best to leave the breeding up to the experts and just enjoy the shrimp that you own! Otherwise, the challenge is yours!

In recent times, spectacular shrimp from Sulawesi have appeared on the market. These gems are brilliantly colored and boldly marked! Some sport fluorescent white dots on maroon bodies and long antennae. Others have blue-spotted tails and live symbiotically with freshwater sponges in only a single lake! These do, unfortunately, command a high price because of their limited availability. It is important for advanced aquarists to study and breed these species so that they can remain in the trade and become more affordable. Sharing information with others about personal successes is vital to determining the husbandry practices of each species for future reference.

Fairly new to the hobby, Micro Shrimp are gaining a quick rise in popularity because of the relative ease of caring for them and the small amount of space required to keep them. Almost anyone can own, raise and possibly even breed dainty Micro Shrimp! TCN

Bibliography
Petshrimp. Mustafa Ucozler-USA (2007)
Tropical Fish & Aquaplants Catalog. Seibidi Mook-Japan (2007)

African Cichlids - The Obvious Choice
by: Derek Grove

For the past few decades African Cichlids, more specifically Cichlid Fishes of the Great African Rift Lakes , have been an integral part of the aquarium hobby. They are easy to keep and maintain in captivity. Most aquarium shops have a dedicated section for these fish. Some shops even focus on them as their main selections. It wasn‘t always this way though. Before pioneering fish collectors such as Stuart Grant, Laif Demason, and Pierre Brichard began exploring the waters of Lakes Tanganyika and Malawi during the 1960s and 1970s discovering hundreds of colorful species, these fish were virtually unknown to the aquarium world! Because many were shipped out of Africa and proved very easy to breed, they soon became available to many aquarists!.

In general, African Cichlids have many attributes that make them a practical choice for the low maintenance hobbyist. They have a high tolerance for hard water and higher pH levels as it similarly replicates the alkaline conditions of their native habitats. The concentrated level of Calcium and Magnesium Salts in the Rift Lakes contribute to this environmental anomaly. Tap water in many locales has similar properties and thus very little must be done to condition their water, except for dechlorinating it!.

African Cichlids are beautiful fish! Many species are spectacularly colored and some have shimmering iridescence that might rival the marine reef fishes! Blue is a prevalent color among the families and bright red/orange is not uncommon either! A few have striking fins and geometric body shapes that make them stand out in a crowd. Mostly, however, it is their endearing puppy-like antics and eagerness to feed that attracts hobbyists to this group of fish. They seem to always be hungry and follow their keepers‘ actions around the front viewing panel of the aquarium..

African Cichlids are classified by the lakes they are from: Lake Malawi, Lake Tanganyika, and Lake Victoria . Primarily, most species are found only in their respective lakes and are said to be endemic to those regions.

The most commonly available in the hobby, Lake Malawi Cichlids are divided into several groups: Mbuna, "The Rock Dwellers" and Utaka, "The Sand Dwellers". Mbuna can be very aggressive in an aquarium but fortunately, their competitiveness can be diffused by "Overcrowding" the fish. Aquarists must match the mechanical and biological filtration to the density of the fish in the tank. Utaka are usually referred to as Haps and Peacocks. Haps, short for Haplochromides (All species were formally assigned to one supergenus!) tend to grow larger than Mbuna but seem to be less destructive with their tankmates. Peacocks are mostly from the genus Aulonocara but some hobbyists include Lethrinops under that title as well. They tend to be more delicate and in a grudge match of equally-sized specimens, they usually lose out in the battle with Mbuna or Haps. Caution must be taken to choose compatible tankmates.

Lake Tanganyika has a less structured division because there are so many genera present in the lake. Some of the more recognizable groups are the Lamprologus and the Tropheus. Lamprologus is further subdivided into several groups: Shell Cichlids (Lamprologus), Butterfly Cichlids (Neolamprologus), Crevice Cichlids (Altolamprologus) and Wolf Cichlids (Lepidiolamprologus). Tropheus are similar to Mbuna in behavior but have clearly distinct differences in body shape. Also well-known are the large Cyphotilapia frontosa, boldly marked with black and white with blue highlights, and Cyprichromis that appear to resemble schooling baitfish rather than cichlids! Some sand-dwelling cichlids in this lake are very goby-like and have very interesting sifting behavior while others have long trailing fins used in courtship displays.

Lake Victoria has many beautiful species but unfortunately, most of them are endangered and facing extinction from the introduction of the highly predatory and massive Nile Perch (Lates niloticus) and through polluting of their habitats. In the past few decades, several dozen species went unrecorded and are presumed extinct. Only a handful of varieties remain in the trade but of these, the Rainbow Hap (Astatotilapia obliquidens) and the Flameback Hap (Astatotilapia nyereri) are the only well-known species.

Today, many species of African Cichlids are bred in captivity. A great number of species are mouth brooders, incubating their eggs in the bucchal cavity (expandable pouch in the mouth) until they hatch and continuing to herd the young back in until they are too large to fit. Others are nest spawners, extremely territorial and protective parents of their eggs and young. In most cases, males are far more colorful than their female counterparts. The business of reproduction can wreak havoc on the ranking order of a show tank and it is recommended that intentional breeding be avoided in such cases. Those with intent to produce offspring should separate species into suitable breeding pairs or groups in their own species tanks.

Starting out with African Cichlids is a wonderful way to explore the world of fish keeping. The diversity of this group of fishes and their intriguing behavior creates an excellent learning opportunity! Aside from creating a fascinating aquarium display, the ease of maintaining these fish makes for a positive introduction to the hobby!

How many fish can I have?
by: Kevin Resnick

This is definitely a top question within the aquarium hobby. It is also a place where people are often misled; after all, it isn‘t exactly the easiest question to answer since no two aquariums are identical. It is not the goal of this article to directly answer that question but rather to provide you with the information needed in order to answer that question yourself. Please keep in mind that I am only answering that question of how many fish you can safely have in terms of waste; I will not be discussing fish compatibility, or the specifics to different types of tanks.

The amount of fish you can have in your aquarium has to do with managing waste in terms of "waste in" and "waste out." Waste-in for example are things like food, organic waste, fertilizer, organic supplements, sugars, lipids, etc.; anything with a protein. Vitamins and minerals have a small amount of organics in them depending on what type of supplement it is. These proteins, "waste-in" eventually breaks down into nitrogen (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate) phosphates and silicate compound.

"Waste-out" means simply that, waste that has to come out through filtration or water changes and if it builds up it will eventually reach a maximum which we will call "capping point." There are several warning signs that occur in your aquarium, algae blooms, yellow water, and a bad smell.

So how do you know where you stand? You can conduct an easy test to see. If you test your nitrates right before your water change you can easily catch your tank at its highest "waste-out" ratio. Then all you need to do is consult an expert on whether this level is high, low or average for your particular type of tank. I also recommend paying close attention to how much each fish is being fed, and if there is any food not being eaten. Often times people will over feed for the current stock. This isn‘t just unhealthy for the fish, it will make it harder for you to add more fish in the future and it will put it will put more strain on you having to constantly remove waste.

What can I do to increase my waste out?

There are a couple of things that can be done, or set up, that will make getting waste out of your tank more efficient. Obviously the first and probably most common thing you can do is a water change. I would never place any type of filtration over a good water change, it always reigns supreme. However, in saltwater tanks you have skimmers that directly pull waste out of the water column, they are ineffective in freshwater tanks, but are primarily the backbone of any saltwater system. If you don‘t have one, add one. For both fresh and saltwater, there are various ways to set up anaerobic (water lacking oxygen) zones where bacteria can be grown to convert nitrate into nitrogeneous gases. A deep sand or mud bed is a simple and effective means of nitrate removal. Another method involves an apparatus with a long coiled tube through which water is pumped slow enough to be deoxygenated by aerobic bacteria in the first couple of feet creating an anaerobic environment in the remaining several feet of tubing. Unfortunately, since the colony of anaerobic bacteria are in a linear sequence. The sugars they require for energy in order to separate and utilize the oxygen in NO3 are depleted and limit the colony size. As a consequence, you must supply the bacteria with a sugar source, like Vodka. Yet another method utilized a sulfur based media to extract nitrates. I would consider these methods advanced. One last way which is currently very popular, and definitely a way that I can say is very fun and effective, is using either plants, algae or animals which consume waste out of the water, using it for themselves. This method has proven both very effective in removing waste and it is also beneficial to the tank in other ways such as increasing the amount of dissolved oxygen, growing live food for the tank which promotes a higher waste in, waste out, ration and maintaining a good balance of naturally occurring trace elements that help with stability. There are endless ways to go about this subject, and although some ways may be better than others, it is always good to keep an open mind. After all, who knows what we will find out in the years to come?

My tank -

So how is this applied to my tank? Well every tank and every hobbyist has different habits of removing waste. Generally, if you test the tanks nitrogen right before a water change it will be at its peak. These readings should be based on your tanks inhabitants, we will strive for the lowest nitrates and a neutral ph (fresh water). Remember, thinking is above and beyond simply surviving. I could probably survive in a sewer, but I‘d rather not.

Feeding-

Every fish needs its own amount and type of food. This food that you add to the tank will be turned into waste, which is high in concentration and can be toxic to fish. So in order to keep fish alive we must find a balance between food going in and waste coming out. As long as the balance is, everything will remain healthy. If you have too much food going in and you don‘t do enough to remove waste, the waste your tank produced will become toxic. If you are removing waste faster than you are adding food, you will either have an extremely clean tank or you can add more food and/or fish if you would like.

By food and waste we are really talking about the same thing, since one turns into the other. Waste is a form of inorganic nitrogen (ammonia, nitrate, nitrate) phosphate and silicate , which were once components to organic molecules in the food. By waste out we are talking mostly about water changes, since most standard filtration will not remove large amounts of waste, but rather convert into nitrate which is only beneficial in that it is the least toxic form of nitrogen.

The amounts of food added to the tank is the tricky part. If the amount of food added can increase without raising the amount of waste to a toxic level, then more food can be added and in turn the fish that will consume it. If a person wanted to increase the amount of waste removed, then more food can be added and in turn more fish to consume it.

Just so that you aren‘t reading this thinking one inch per gallon the whole time, I would like to say that putting a sixty inch bass in a sixty gallon planted aquarium is, for more reason than one, not going to work. Furthermore, twenty cardinal tetras and twenty otocinclus in the same tank, all at 1 ½ inches, is most likely going to be shy of full capacity.

We like to add food to 2 parts or sections of the aquarium during a feeding. This enables all of the fish, or the least aggressive inhabitants to get enough to eat. Remember- any food floating at the top, in the middle or sitting on the bottom after 2 - 3 minutes is too much food! This is the amount as a basis for most fish tanks. This feeding amount is with the consideration of adequate filtration and timely water changes.