Mar 15 2009
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Archive for the 'Freshwater' Category
Mar 15 2009
Filters: Compare and Choose the Right Canister Filter for Your Aquarium
Quiet, convenient canister filters are inconspicuously located under your aquarium (typically in the stand). Most canister filters are customizable, and can hold a large amount of media (mechanical, chemical, and biological) in varying combinations. Some examples are included in the table below. Because they are customizable, you have maximum flexibility in choosing the predominant type, and amount of media to achieve your desired end result.
- If your fish produce excessive amounts of waste, incorporate a large amount of mechanical media (filter pads of varying coarseness) to effectively remove waste from the water.
- If your fish require sparkling water with stable, consistent parameters, use larger amounts of chemical media (carbons and resins).
- If your fish consistently produce very high levels of ammonia, which require daily control, make biological media (such as ceramic rings and sponges) your predominant media. Continue Reading »
Nov 20 2008
Breeding RCS -Red Cherry Shrimp
I’ve seen a lot of people asking questions about cherry shrimp and breeding requirements, tank setup, water parameters, etc.
I thought I’d take a little time to talk about what has worked for me. I got into the hobby a little over a year ago and found this site and a few others and quickly became interested in freshwater shrimp. I bought my first batch of 10 cherry shrimp and 10 amano shrimp and rest is history. Continue Reading »
Oct 09 2008
Boraras brigittae is a stunning little fish.
boraras-brigttae
The rasbora genus Boraras is a small group of very small fish. None of them are over 1 1/4 inches in length at maximum size; and the redfin dwarf rasbora (Boraras brigittae) is one of the smallest members of the gigantic family Cyprinidae (the carps and minnows). They all are colorful, and each species is interesting in its own right. They make excellent members of either a dedicated species tank or a tiny fish community tank, and are perfect residents for one of the desktop aquaria that are so popular now. None of them will do well in community tanks with large or boisterous fish. In such situations, they spend all of their time hiding and trying to avoid being eaten.
Continue Reading »
Sep 22 2008
Pressurized C02 Injection Systems
Carbon Dioxide (C02) is a indispensible component for effective photosynthesis and plant growth. C02 is necessary when your lighting is above the standard 2.0 watts per gallon threshold. In lower lighting setups, supplementing C02 can only help plant growth and keep algae away.
Continue Reading »
Sep 15 2008
Carbon in the Planted Aquarium
Carbon is the backbone of all life. Every organic molecule of every living organism is predominantly carbon based. Given this simple fact, it becomes clear why carbon plays a pivotal role in the planted aquarium. Aquatic plants extract CO2 (carbon dioxide) from their environment and employ it in a process called photosynthesis. Photosynthesis combines CO2, water and light energy to produce simple carbohydrates and oxygen (O2). The first and simplest carbohydrate produced from photosynthesis is 3-phosphoglycerate. It is from this simple molecule that larger and more complex carbohydrates arise (by way of a variety of enzymatic processes).
Continue Reading »
Aug 20 2008
What Is Cycling A Planted Tank?
Ok, if you don’t know what I mean by Cycling a tank then stop right now and either get a basic aquarium book or do a Google search to find out what we are talking about. If you don’t understand what a Cycle is in a tank then you really should not be in the hobby.
The best way to cycle a planted tank is to do what is called a “silent cycle”. Here is the skinny on the “silent cycle”. Or if you wish and can find it there is a new product on the market called Bio-Spira by MarineLand that actually works. In the past any product that claimed to instantly cycle a tank was just so much snake oil. I have used Bio-Spira and it works as claimed. You may have used or read about the “fishless” cycling method. This method is a waste of time for a planted tank. It’s for fish tanks! Continue Reading »
Aug 20 2008
Test Kits
For a planted tank there are a few test kits that you really should have on hand. These are pH, kH, gH, nitrate, and phosphate. Don’t waste your money on iron test kits as they are very unreliable and not worth the money. Same goes for potassium test kits.
As far as what test kits work best. Well Lamotte are the best, but they run around $70 each. What I use is the Wardley’s mid-range pH test kit, the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals gH and kH, and the Red Sea nitrate and phosphate test kits. One of my Bit’s Of Wisdom is “Never test your test kit in your tank”. Now I’m going to tell you how to test your Nitrate test kit.
- Take 1000ml of water. Dissolve 6.5 grams of KNO3 in it.
- Take 1 gallon of water. Each ml of the above solution will add 1 ppm of NO3.
- Add 5 ml, test. Your test kit should show 5 ppm.
- Add 5 more ml, test. Your test kit should show 10 ppm
- Repeat through the range of your test kit.
Aug 10 2008
Planted Tank Lighting
Light energy is an essential ingredient to making a planted aquarium lush and green. It drives photosynthesis and the plant’s ability to consume nutrients from the water column. Without adequate light, plants won’t be able to grow properly.Planted aquariums require eight to ten hours of light, on average, to allow plants to metabolize the energy and complete their photosynthesis cycle.
The general rule of thumb for aquatic plants is that each tank needs at least 2.0 watts per gallon (wpg) in tanks that are greater than 20 gallons. Smaller tanks will need a little more wattage. For the beginning planted aquarist, I recommend you start with a lower wattage, i.e. around 2.0 wpg for eight to ten hours. Once you begin to understand the nutrient balance and plant growth that’s the time where you can experiment with increasing lighting. However, most times staying within this photoperiod range is more then adequate for plant growth. Continue Reading »
Aug 10 2008
Bristlenose Plecostomus
The Albino Bristlenose Pleco is a fish that is arguably an intriguing fish for the planted aquarium. I currently have an Albino Bristlenose Pleco in my 40 gallon planted tank and must say that it has become my favorite fish. Despite its size and appearance, it exhibits a peaceful nature and is quite animated in behaviour.
On a daily basis, I often see the rest of my fish in my 40 gallon constantly chase one another. The Kribensis female cichlid constantly chases the male Kribensis away and the male often goes into hiding to avoid being battered. My Siamese Algae Eater will often give the black skirt tetras chase. Fortunately, there are three black skirt tetras, so the Siamese Algae Eater finds that s/he is only able to chase one black skirt tetra at a time. It gives the other two a rest period until it is their turn to play “chase”. Among all this chaos and turmoil, the only fish that seems to keep to itself and not bother any other fish is my Albino Bristlenose Pleco. What is even more interesting is that I have yet to see the Albino Bristlenose Pleco become the target of attack by any other fish. Continue Reading »