HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: fssmith@venus.lerc.nasa.gov (Greg Smith)
Subject: Re: Question about Frogs in FW Tank
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: NASA Lewis Research Center
Date: 31 Aug 1992 13:17 EDT  

In article <67287@hydra.gatech.EDU>, gt0963d@prism.gatech.EDU (Deeptendu Majumder) writes...
>I was at a local Aquarium store today and saw this FW
>tank with little frogs slip sliding around the tank floor.
>My question is can these frogs survive under water for
>extended period of time ? I am used to seeing frogs that
>stay near the edge of ponds and marshes, leading an
>amphibian lifestyle. The guy, i was talking to, said that
>these frogs come up to the surface every now and then.
>So, is it normal to have these frogs sitting at the 
>bottom of your FW tank ? or do you need special tanks ?

They can live with your fish if the fish are not small enough to be eaten.
They usually hang around on the tank bottom and only go to the surface for air
or to feed if the food is on the surface.  They are capable of feeding 
underwater.  I purchased 5 of them when I was in highschool.  The longest lived
one lasted about 12 years.

Greg Smith
Xref: sparky rec.aquaria:6819 alt.aquaria:4744
From: jartsu@vipu.hut.fi (Jartsu)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria,alt.aquaria
Subject: Re: [F] Setup for plants and fish
Date: 27 Aug 92 06:56:57 GMT
	<1992Aug26.161628.19094@kong.gsfc.nasa.gov>
	<BtLy2r.n2w@news.cso.uiuc.edu>
Reply-To: Jari.Lehto@hut.fi
Organization: Helsinki University of Technology, Finland

In article <BtLy2r.n2w@news.cso.uiuc.edu> ffujita@s.psych.uiuc.edu (Frank Fujita) writes:

> What type of plants do you suggest I keep with my goldfish?  Or should I
> "grow up" or should I get out of the hobby?

> Frank Fujita

Anything that has tough roots and hard leaves, and can tolerate a
little colder water. Goldfish tend to move gravel and munch leaves,
that's why these qualities are important. It is up to you what you can
find, there are quite many that fit. And because tough plants grow
slower, choose something already big enough.


--
* Jari Lehto     * Voice 90-387939    *   Email Jari.Lehto@hut.fi   *
* Tenavatie 19 A * Fax +358 0 8735916 * fwd -> s37837k@saha.hut.fi  *
* 00760 HELSINKI * "There is always room for music (Gospel & synth) *
* Finland	 * and for love & friendship. And of course Atari." *
From: booth@hplvec.LVLD.HP.COM (George Booth)
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1992 20:46:38 GMT
Subject: Re: Automated water changes
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Co., Loveland, CO
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria

Excellent system!  I only wish I had our tanks somewhere near the
water source and drain pipes.  And I wish the basement wasn't finished. 

Oh, well.  The ol' Python will continue to get it's weekly workout.

-------
George
From: shine@cbnewsh.cb.att.com (stephen.c.shine)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: Re: selling young
Date: 28 Aug 92 17:54:10 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: AT&T

In article <1992Aug28.160343.29574@cis.uab.edu> patton@phy.uab.edu writes:
>
>How does one go about selling fish to the local pet stores. Those of you who

Bag some up and take them around to a few stores.  Tell then you have X many
more of them back home that you'd like to sell.  The store probably won't
make any commitments to you about fish over the phone, without seeing them
a priori.  They prefer to deal in pretty big lots (e.g., a "tankfull") and
not in a handful.  Don't plan on making lots of money, as many fishstore
fish are raised by the thousands by REAL big commercial breeders, and the
store buys things like angelfish for $.25 each.  You may be asked to take
store credit instead of cash.  

All that said, don't let some asshole store manager rip you off, either.
Having an idea of how much you SHOULD get for your fish helps, but that
varies greatly across the country.

>having quite a bit of success breeding cichlids and would like to sell 
>the young. 

Keep in mind most stores won't touch them unless they can sell them 
immediately; they're not in the business of raising fry.

>patton@phy.uab.edu
-- 
Steve Shine
AT&T Bell Labs    (908)949-8517
att!hoqub!shine   att!cbnewsh!shine
My opinions, not my employers, not my fault, blah, blah, blah.
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
From: 110b18@physics.ucla.edu (Class 110B Student)
Subject: cuttlefish
Organization: UCLA Department of Physics
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 92 07:36:05 GMT

I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with cuttlefish. I've
never seen one in any store, and was curious as to if they are available,
and if they're hard to keep, etc.

Thanks in advance,
larry
(lkepko@igpp.ucla.edu)
From: joanm@moe.coe.uga.edu (Joan Maxfield UCNS)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: Bicarbonate question
Date: 25 Aug 92 23:31:13 GMT
Organization: College of Education, University of Georgia

Just a little question for the gurus!
After a major molly explosion I separated the females into thier own
tank and left the males in the community tank.  The molly tank is
filtered by a UGF only with frequent water changes.  The problen right
now is the pH.  I cannot get it above 6!  I was using Bullseye 7.0 but
kept hearing that it wasn't good for the tank and it cost an arm and a
leg!  So I switched to pH up/down. I have already used up half a
bottle of pH up over the last several weeks and haven't put a dent in
it.  Anyway I was thinking of using good old baking soda to up the pH
but have no idea how much to use.  Any suggestions?  The water from my
tap is right at 6.8- 7.0 so thats not the problem, I'm sure it's the
fish load.  I've also just stuck some philodendron cutting into the
water to try to help out the nitrite levels.  The tank is 10g.  Any
help or suggestions are appreciated!

Thanks,
Joan
From: jj@alice.att.com (jj, curmudgeonly clueless old white boy)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: Re: Automated water changes
Date: 26 Aug 92 15:34:40 GMT
Reply-To: jj@alice.UUCP (jj, curmudgeonly clueless old white boy)
Organization: NJ State Home for Bewildered Terminals

In article <1992Aug25.153637.29838@cs.brown.edu> jle@dam.brown.edu (Jon Elion) writes:
>This is a description of the automatic water changing system I installed on
>my heavily planted 90-gallon tank (soon to house discus).  Both the plants

It's an interesting system. I use a much simpler and cheaper one
for my discus tanks. (I have well water, no chlorine, and 
about the right chemistry, from the tap. No, I'm not complaining.)

I bought a bunch of "Raindrop" drip irrigation parts. These parts
run to about $20, aside from the timer I elected to buy.

I put overflows much like Jon has described in the tanks, and then
just ran low-pressure 1gph or two of them for large tanks drippers
to each tank.

1gph or 2gph gives a good water change ratio, with no sudden changes
in anything, temperature, chemestry, or anything else.  And without
expensive plumbing.

So far, so good.  Happy fish, happy plants, etc.

One tank has spent more than a year on the system, the other about
a year at this point.
-- 
 Bush    *Copyright alice!jj 1992, all rights reserved, except transmission
   vs       *by USENET and like facilities granted.      Said permission is
 Clinton  --    *granted only for complete copies that include this notice.
 Just Say !NO!       *Use on pay-for-read services specifically disallowed.
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
From: wkb@cbnews.cb.att.com (wm.keith.brummett)
Subject: Re: Bio-Chem Beads
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 17:29:54 GMT


    In article <1992Aug31.213804.20058@midway.uchicago.edu>,
    frank@invincible.bsd.uchicago.edu (& Esquivel) writes:
    > ...
    > Can anyone give me any information on Bio-Chem Beads made by Aquarium  
    > Pharmaceuticals Inc.?  They are supposed to be these bags of beads
    > that you put into an external power filter or canister filter.  Once
    > in place, a biological filter will grow in these beads and activate
    > the nitrogen cycle for added filtration.  Has anyone had any
    > experience with these?


    I used to have a couple in the "bio-baskets" of a Penguin 300 external
    power filter.  I was not overly impressed.  The mesh bag seems (to me)
    to be too finely woven.  It traps dirt and such on it's surface,
    blocking the flow of water to the beads.  I'm sure the beads have
    googles of surface area, but I find ceramic noodles like Eheim's Efi-
    Mech(?) to be easier to use.  Perhaps deep in a trickle filter or
    canister, where the water's been thoroughly pre-filtered, these things
    would be a good idea, but I probably won't be buying any more of them.

    -- Keith

-- 
    | (614) 860-3187         Copyright (C) 1992, by       AT&T, Room 3B202 |
    | att!cblph!wkb  or,     W.K. Brummett and AT&T      6200 E. Broad St. |
    | wkb@cblph.att.com       All rights reserved.      Columbus, OH 43213 |
    `----------------------------------------------------------------------'
From: joanm@moe.coe.uga.edu (Joan Maxfield UCNS)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: Help! Swim Bladder Disease!
Date: 31 Aug 92 12:51:37 GMT
Organization: College of Education, University of Georgia


This morning I noticed one of my goldfish was having trouble getting
to the bottom of the tank.  I assume he (she/whatever) has swim
bladder disease.  It looks as though he is being pulled back up by his
tail.  I remember a post a month or so back detailing how to medicate
for this problem, if anyone still has it or knows how PLEASE e-mail
me.  The tank is 10g, pH 6.4 (but we are working on that!)  Also we
are in the process of moving them into a 30g.  Last night I
'exchanged' a few gallons of water between the two tanks to start
acclimating the fish to the new (cleaner!) water.  The water in the
30g was pH6.8, a little cooler than the 10g, and a little muddy ( the
gravel is from a Tennesee river bed and I rinsed a minimum of 4 times
but alas, it was still a little dirty)  
	What causes this problem?  Could I have started it by adding
different water?  What can I do to help it?  The fish (one of five) is
about 7 inches long and would be a major loss to us.  Help please!

Joan
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
From: frank@resolution (& Esquivel)
Subject: Re: Water changes
Organization: University of Chicago Computing Organizations
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 22:18:08 GMT

In article <1992Aug26.145438.26133@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>  
dhiggs@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (General Protection Fault) writes:
> 
> In article <ggawron.25.0@comm.mot.com> ggawron@comm.mot.com (Glenn  
Gawron) writ
> es:
> +Has anyone had any experience with the "PYTHON" water changer?
> +I'm thinking of getting one and would appreciate any advice.
> +Thanks
> +Glenn
> 

This would probably be the best money you spent.  I got mine about 6  
months ago.  Water changes could never have been easier and no mess to 
clean up.
Organization: Penn State University
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 11:54:39 EDT
From: <HCM100@psuvm.psu.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: Re: Gallons (was: Re: [F] Setup for plants and fish)

In article <2800204@hplvec.LVLD.HP.COM>, booth@hplvec.LVLD.HP.COM (George Booth)
says:

>In rec.aquaria, lenny@bmerh187.BNR.CA (Len DePalma) writes:


>    Why waste your time with that pathetic system, haven't you heard,
>    metric's the word!  Do us all (it's universal outside of the US and
>    Britain, isn't it?) a favour and use LITRES instead.
>                          ^^^^^^         ^^^^^^

>Geez, do *us* a favor and learn to spell :-)
>-------
>George

George, do us a favour and don't flame the guy for spelling.  For what it's
worth, *american* English spells many words differently than the rest of the
world.  Center, Centre.  Color, Colour.  Theater, Theatre.  Anyway, by now
regular net users should know that spelling is hardly a criteria for in-
telligence.  ;-)


| HANS C. MASING                   | A BAD ATTITUDE IS THE      |
| HCM100 @ PSUVM.PSU.EDU           | DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE     |
| MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS   | WAY I THINK AND THE WAY    |
| PENN STATE UNIVERSITY            | YOU THINK I SHOULD THINK.  |
From: ffujita@s.psych.uiuc.edu (Frank Fujita)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: Re: [M] Powerhead killed Damsel! Suggestions?
Date: 4 Sep 92 17:22:26 GMT
Article-I.D.: news.Bu2DLG.FI8
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana

>Mr.Coach (schwarz@esrican.uucp) wrote:
>: damsel had been sucked up into the intake of the powerhead.
>: How do I avoid this from happening in the future?

If you want to go the expensive and easy way buy a Hagen (for the
aquaclear powerhead) filter.  It has a black plastic case, and a dacron
filter sleeve.  Then, don't put the sleeve in the case, and you have a
damsel protector.

If you want to go the ingenious cheap way follow the advice of a
previous poster.  The aquaclear thingies cost $8 at a fish store and $5
mail order (prox), they are new, so you might have to look for them.

Frank Fujita
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria,alt.aquaria
From: erik@marge.phys.washington.edu (Erik D. Olson)
Subject: Re: Lighting: Why spend big $?
Organization: Cosmic Ray Labratory, University of Washington
Date: Sun, 30 Aug 1992 22:21:01 GMT

In article <16460@ucdavis.ucdavis.edu> putzolu@toadflax.cs.ucdavis.edu (David Putzolu) writes:

>Since I'm converting my marine tank to a semi/full (we'll see)
>reef setup, I naturally am getting better lighting for it. Looking
>through the two mail order catalogs I have (TFP & MOPS) I've noticed
>EXORBITANT prices for lighting.
>TFP: Ballast for two 40 watt bulbs: 22.95
>MOPS: Generic Double Strip 48" Hood (w/o bulbs): 82.49
>TFP: Dual Light Strip: 99.95
>MOPS: 48" Fluorescent Fixture Kit (w/o bulb, hood): 26.35 per light.

>I was looking at this stuff and my girlfriend wandered over and said,
>"Hey, I can get a cheapo metal generic dual 48" fluorescent 40W fixture
>for $12 at the hardware store!"
>If I can put a couple of these in a wood hood that I make, why should
>I bother with the above prices? Is there something about the above that is
>particularly worth it?

That's right, you can use shoplite fixtures (which we can find here in 
Seattle for $8!) or whatever you wish.  I think a good portion of net people 
have gone this route, and I know that's what lots of fish stores do for 
their display tanks (end-to-end 6 foot tubes over zillions of 10 gallon 
tanks).   I have heard the shoplites have inferior ballasts in some 
cases, like they don't give full output or die young, etc.  On the other 
hand, those "conversion kits" they sell for fishtanks are nothing but a 
ballast, a switch, the endsockets, and a cheap strip of plastic that 
falls apart easily.  Here is what I have done in the last 2 years:

One of my tanks has 3 24 inch "bright life" sticks, costing $10 a 
pop, screwed into the top of a custom oak hood.  Total cost about $60 (
including the oak).  The "sticks" have a switch, ballast and starter all 
built in.

Two of my tanks have the fluorescent end-holders ($2 a pair) screwed right 
into the top with the wires partially exposed and tacked on the hood with 
wire staples.  For these, the ballasts ($3.99 ea) are also screwed directly 
into the hood.  Some of the end-holders had starter sockets built in, but 
some did not (requiring me to kludge some sort of holder for them).  I think 
this is the most inexpensive way to do this.  However, it can also be the 
most ugly-looking.  Cost about $6 per "fixture" plus wires, plug(s) and 
switch (if needed).

  My lone 4 foot tank uses the sub-minimum approach of a shop light fixture 
draped directly over the top.  Total cost $8 for the fixture (2 bulbs).  
Maybe I'll paint the outside black some day to match the tank.

 Now, keep in mind I'm not keeping marine tanks, which makes it more tricky 
for you with salt creep and all.  You could get waterproof endcaps & 
clips mail-order & buy ballasts at the hardware store for a low-cost setup.  
I think my next tank will be like that.

---
Erik D. Olson				erik@marge.phys.washington.edu
UW Cosmic Ray Laboratory		     olson@phys.washington.edu

       "This is the spawning of the cage and aquarium" - TMBG
From: lavonius@kruuna.Helsinki.FI (Ville Lavonius)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: Deteriorating plants (reprise)
Date: 26 Aug 92 20:02:19 GMT
Organization: Vidal Sassoon's Mosh&Go

I know - it's ugly to insist, but so far no-one has responded and I've thought
about the thing myself and come to new conclusions. So if you happen to have
any ideas, please say something.
<I'm not even sure whether my original message even took off from the local
newsfeed>

All plants with non-fine leaves have recently taken to shriveling up
and deteriorating. The edges of the leaves curl up under the leaf, and the
leaf quickly discolors and shrivels until it rots/melts (in the case of
crypts).
         _____________
        /             \    From the side.
        \_           _/

The affected plants include crypts (3 species) and Hydrocotyle (no idea what's
it called in English). Also my Java Fern had been in so bad a condition that
I threw it away (The leaves didn't form up right and were full of holes), but
I figured that it could be just its' age, the salesman claimed it was 'ancient'
when I bought it two years ago.
The total plant load isn't very high: 20 Limnophilas (most of them quite small)
those crypts, and 5 Hydroctotyles and finally two small Java Fern bunches
that exhibit the 'holey disease'.

Specs:
250 l community tank, 
Lighted by a single 80 W Mercury Vapor,
Filtration by an external Eheim cannister, filled with ehfifix and Leca-
  gravel; and an internal filter. Together they pump (according to adverts)
  800-900 l/h.
Heavy aeration (two pumps).
No CO2 fertilization.
pH 7.0, kH 3, Nitrites < 0.1 ppm, Nitrates ~20 ppm.
20 % water change weekly, FloraPride/PlantaMin used like the instructions
  say.

Fish: 4 Flag Cichlids, 7 mollies, 4 kerri tetras, 3 hoplos, 2 bristlenoses,
  2 humbug cats, 4 siamese algae eaters (Epalzeorhynchuses), one related
  barb (probably a Garra species) and one banjo cat.

The nitrates were on the high side in June, but after I cleaned the bottom and started to get regular with water changes it has stayed bearable. 

What is wrong and what should I do to remedy it ?
-------------------------------------------------

- Is the light powerful enough ?
- Should I really get a proper CO2 pumper (I don't want to run my aquarium just
  for fancy plants) ?
- Is the Leca-gravel safe as a filter medium (it's something like very light
  gravel made from clay) ?

The New idea, a $800 question:

- Is the excessive aeration killing ALL CO2 in the tank, aided by the very 
light fish load (don't produce much carbon dioxide).

- Should I take off both air pumps, or just run them at night (I'm quite fond
of those bubble streams ;-)

And a bonus question:

- Are my nitrates too high, books are very vague (or even silent) when it
comes to exact measurements.

Respond by e-mail or followup here. I'll summarize in the former case.

Thanks in advance.
--
Ville Lavonius	        University of Helsinki, Dept. of Computer Science
lavonius@cc.helsinki.fi : I'm the son of a gun and the gun of a son
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
From: cburns@ucs.indiana.edu (chris burns)
Subject: Re: Hypothesis to Explain Problems with Rams
Followup-To: rec.aquaria
Organization: Indiana University
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 01:20:24 GMT

In article <59833@mimsy.umd.edu>, biow@cs.umd.edu (chris biow) wrote:

[stuff deleted]

> Anybody else with Rams had the same experience? Maybe we should ask to see
> Rams eat before buying them.
>  

Here's an idea from someone in the business.  I think that what you are
seeing may be caused by the poor handling of wild rams.  It is unfortunate
but true that many of the fish being sold in stores are more cheaply
imported than commercially raised.  Delicate species such as rams can be
permanently damaged en route to the states.  There are farmers in Florida
producing rams, but not many.  They tend to concentrate on the longfin and
gold mutants of the fish.  Those cannot be imported from the wild.

	I have had good rams and bad rams.  The bad rams died the same slow death
that is described.  The good rams ate very well for a long time.  It is not
very often that any fish that are caught in the wild for export get fed. 
They will often go 10 to 14 days without food at all, plus the added stress
of the shipping.  My theory is that by the time the fish reach the retail
store they are internally emaciated to a point of no return. Good rams
probably come from those few farmers that do raise regular rams, or get
them as a regular biproduct of raising the mutants.

Ted(on cb's account)
Xref: sparky rec.aquaria:6865 alt.aquaria:4772
From: marka@SSD.CSD.HARRIS.COM (Mark Ashley)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria,alt.aquaria
Subject: Re: Hurricane Andrews Damage
Date: 27 Aug 92 20:25:36 GMT
Followup-To: rec.aquaria
Organization: Harris Computers Systems Division, Fort Lauderdale,FL

In article <1844@celia.UUCP> celia!steve@usc.edu (Steve Tyree) writes:
> Anyone living in the Southern Florida area care to estimate the amount
>of devastation this hurricane has done to the underwater marine aquatic
>life. How many coral reefs damaged ? 

At least one artificial reef (a sunken ship) moved 200 feet.
Lots of torn corals drifting. The water is still murky from 
all the stirred-up ocean bottom. Scientists will do more
studies when the water clears up. All these according to the
local paper. I haven't been to the beach, myself. Brine shrimp
is unavailable because the farm(s) is(are) in the Keys. 8-(

But I can't worry about brine shrimp when 250k people are 
homeless.



-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mark Ashley                        |DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed
marka@gcx1.ssd.csd.harris.com      |here are my own; they do not
..!uunet!gcx1!marka               |reflect the opinion or policies
                                   |of Harris Corporation.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
From: cburns@ucs.indiana.edu (chris burns)
Subject: Re: Orandas freak out when I turn on light
Followup-To: rec.aquaria
Organization: Indiana University
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 00:19:22 GMT

In article <1992Aug30.142213.6353@iscsvax.uni.edu>,
dutkowsk5111@iscsvax.uni.edu wrote:
> 
> Hello,
>   I just bought a top with a flourescent (sp?) light in it for my 20 L 
> tank.  I have some large Orandas in there and they seem to go nuts whenever I
> turn it on.  I have it off now and they act normal.  What gives??
> -Dave

Dave,

You should check for any voltage leaks in your tank.  If you're using
salts, sometimes hoods will emit stray voltage into your tank and the salts
will cause the fish to feel it.  It can be checked with any voltmeter.

Ted (on cb account).
From: ron@minnow.sp.unisys.com (Ron Burns)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: [M][R]  Reef aquarium lighting...  Ultralux 6500
Date: 2 Sep 92 21:30:52 GMT
Reply-To: ron@minnow.UUCP (Ron Burns)
Organization: Unisys Corporation

In my search for components for the 100 gallon reef, I just called DLS
Aquatics.  These are the folks with the two full page ads in FAMA for the
ULTRALUX 6500.
 The man I spoke with made the following statements:

	1. Standard MH bulds have an strong yellow cast to them.
	2. Actincs help to mask the problem.
	3. These new bulbs don't have the problem, and need no actinics,
		producing a "cleaner" light.
	4. The 6500 K's are so superior that when the guy who owns Hamilton's
		saw them demo'ed, he sent a cashier's check for 100 bulbs.
	5. He predicts they will displace the standard MH within a year.
	6. The price for one 250W bulb, ballast and cord is $197.78.
	7. The bulb uses a ballast unlike any other in aquaruim industry.
	7. A 72" , 3 x 250W canopy with everything is $923.00.

Comments, anyone?
-Ron

-- 
Ron Burns              
Unisys Corporation                                      ...!rosevax!minnow!ron
Phone:(612)635-6927                           minnow%ron@rosevax.rosemount.com
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria