HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: dyson@sunfish.physics.uiowa.edu (Richard L. Dyson)
Subject: Re: [F] How to get rid of snails?
Keywords: snails fresh help
Reply-To: dyson@sunfish.Physics.UIowa.EDU
Organization: Department of Physics & Astronomy
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 14:10:57 GMT

In article <1992Dec15.195151.12991@cbfsb.cb.att.com>, jjd1@cbnewsg.cb.att.com (james.j.dutton) writes:
> In article <1992Dec15.154659.15964@cbnewsh.cb.att.com> shine@cbnewsh.cb.att.com (stephen.c.shine) writes:
> >>>>2) Boil your gravel. Be aware you will also kill your good bacteria therfore
> >>>>you will need to reintroduce fish slowly. This method does not
> >>>>always get rid of the snails. But it may be worth a try.
> >>>
> >>>Never tried boiling, but I've washed the gravel with diluted chlorox and
> >>>it sure killed everything.  Duh.  Be sure to rinse very thoroughly and use 
> >>>sodium thiosulfate afterwards.  You can also try alum.
> >> 
> >>If your suggesting he use chlorox in his tank may I suggest you pay for
> >
> >I was following-up to your valid recommendation #2 (boiling).  I would no
> >more put chlorox or alum in an "active" tank than you would boil the
> >same active tank.  Chlorox will kill everything, but it is easily
> >neutralized.  Why would I want to pay for anybody's new fish?
>  
> Because if you put diluted chlorox in a tank I proport that tank will
> be nothing but trouble as far as keeping fish alive. In twenty five
> years of keeping fish. Working at wholesalers and retail, breeding just
> about any fish thats breedable in a tank I have to say this sounds
> ludicrous. I don't claim to know it all but has anybody else ever treated
> their tanks with diluted chlorox???????????

        I have used a diluted laundry grade chlorox and water solution
(about 40-50% chlorox) on LOTS of occasions to rid my rocks of various
algae.  I have never noticed any ill effects.  I don't breed fish and
have usually only kept simple, small community tank (Wal-Mart kind) fish
in these tanks over the years.  I will point out that the tank I have
have done this treatment to in the past is now the happy home of a
medium sized (and growing!) Discus.  Notorius of being sensitive of
water conditions.

        I would have to say that the use of chlorox is not a recommended
standard procedure, but it MY experience it is not a death warrant.
Just be sure to use LOTS of fresh water rinse and add some chlorine
remover to the tank when you return the rock.  If you are trying to
sanitize the tank, I would try hard to get as little bleach as possible
on the silicon seals as it might get absorbed and be hard to rinse
off...

rick
-- 
Richard L. Dyson               INTERNET:  dyson@sunfish.Physics.UIowa.EDU
    We laugh heartily to see a  whole  flock of sheep jump because one
    did so;  might not one imagine that superior beings do the same by
    us, and for exactly the same reason?

                                                -- Grenville
From: mdkj@vax5.cit.cornell.edu
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: Re: (M)(F) Info about R/O filters?
Date: 17 Dec 92 18:33:18 EST
Distribution: rec
Organization: Cornell University

> 100% recommend you contact
> Spectrapure at 1-800-685-2783.  I have purchsed from them and
> find they have the best service as well as the best prices
> (that I could find) and high quality products.  Make sure you
> mention my name and the Internet - I'm trying to get the owner,
> who helped me install a 100% maintenance free water system, onto 
> the net and onto Compuserve - I'm sure he'd love to hear from 
> other *.aquaria types!

As an alternative, here's my story: I bought my TFC membrane 20g/day RO unit
from a Chicago discus breeder named Joe Gargas.  I paid $350, plus COD charges
($20?), which was much cheaper than anything else I could find at the
time.  I installed it under my sink, with a spigot on top.  I've had it for a
year and use it (mixed with tapwater) for all my water changes.  Gargas' phone
number is (708)331-1335.  

John Opsomer
Xref: sparky rec.aquaria:9606 alt.aquaria:6281
From: brian@picasso.icd.teradyne.com (Brian Hunter)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria,alt.aquaria
Subject: Re: Skimmer-only tanks (Was: Re: Are W/D trickle filters worth it?)
Date: 18 Dec 92 19:56:32 GMT
Organization: Teradyne, Inc. San Jose CA

In article <16DEC199213404056@venus.lerc.nasa.gov> fssmith@venus.lerc.nasa.gov (Greg Smith) writes:
>> Alex Parker (aparker@maine.maine.edu) wrote
>
>>>
>>** On this topic, can anyone specifically recommend a good brand/model
>
>Tunze makes a good venturi skimmer.  Most mass produced skimmers are too

Do you use it?  Does anyone (except Julian of course) actually use one
of these?  It is pricy at $400, does it really work a lot better or is
it just over priced.

I have never actually seen one of these only the adds.

>small for a big tank.  How is that for generalizations.  You can make your
>own if you feel so inclined.  

I have heard that the oceanic 6 or 8 inch does a good job.

Brian Hunter
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria,alt.aquaria
From: dphantom@triton.unm.edu (darlene an  92sep02 lawry)
Subject: Re: [F] How to get rid of snails?
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 92 00:30:46 GMT
Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
Distribution: usa
Keywords: snails fresh help

>        I would have to say that the use of chlorox is not a recommended
>standard procedure, but it MY experience it is not a death warrant.
>Just be sure to use LOTS of fresh water rinse and add some chlorine
>remover to the tank when you return the rock.  If you are trying to
>sanitize the tank, I would try hard to get as little bleach as possible
>on the silicon seals as it might get absorbed and be hard to rinse
>off...
>

My 2 cents:

Bleach/Chlorox/Chlorine:  if you can't smell it anymore, it's safe (yes, you can
use a diluted solution of it to disineftect a wide variety of disease
organisms).  Just make sure you thouroughly rinse the equipment first
(bleach is easily deactivated by organic matter), and rinse well until
there's no odor when you're done.  It's that easy.

also, it's corrusive to metals and nylon...so you can't use it to clean
everything.

             
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria,sci.aquaria
From: kncarp@nicsn1.monsanto.com (Kevin N. Carpenter)
Subject: Re: Blue-green 'algae' are DEAD!
Organization: Monsanto Company
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL3
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 15:12:40 GMT

: 
: To be more specific.  Bacteria do carry cards that identify them as
: grampositive or gramnegative etc...  However, this does not identify
: them as good or bad.  Yes, the effectiveness of an antibiotic varies
: depending on the construction of its target micro organism.  This
: does not alter the fact that *Maracyn* will kill your filter and
: Mardel's claim to the contrary does not make it so.
: 

It is my understanding that the nitrifing bacteria in a salt water
filter bed are gram negative and therefore are not significantly
effected by *Maracyn*.

: Don't believe me.  Dose an established, populated salt water tank
: with Maracyn as the instructions recommend and you will probably
: find a tank full of dead fish on the third day with amonia and or
: nitrite off the scale.  I have advised three people recently that
: have ignored my warnings against doing this.  *ALL* of the fish
: died.  "But the package said it was okay!", they cried.

I have been doing this on and off for several years in my salt water
tank to control red-slime algae.  I've never had a filter bed problem.
I do use a low dosage of 200mg/50g, rounded up (3 200mg tablets for my
135g tank).  I repeat the dosage for 7-10 days (depending upon supplies),
and find it provides effective control for 6-12 months.  Of course, I
pull as much red-slime out as possible before treatment, and vacumn the
dead and dying material out every day or two.  If you had a serious
infection and just allowed the dead material to rot, I'm sure you would
have an ammonia problem as you overloaded the bio-bed. 
: 
--
Kevin Carpenter       Internet:  kncarp@nicsn1.monsanto.com
Monsanto Company      Fidonet:   1:100/215.0 (home)
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.
Opinions expressed are those of the author, not the company he works for.
From: Steve.Kilbey%bbs@jptcs.com (Steve Kilbey)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: Pleco food
Date: 19 Dec 92 19:32:37 GMT
Reply-To: Steve.Kilbey%bbs@jptcs.com (Steve Kilbey)
X-Posting-Software: UniBoard 1.10a S/N 202921

I have heard (from here) that people feed their pleco's frozen spinach. When
I tried this, it hust floats. I believe mt pleco did eat some, however. I
saw him nibbling on it. The other fish tried it too. I am looking for other
methods of feeding him, or her. I have heard that cucumber and zuchinni can
be fed to pleco's. Any other help would be appreciated.

Xref: sparky rec.aquaria:9475 alt.aquaria:6194
From: dominick@protocol.zycad.com (Dom Paniscotti)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria,alt.aquaria
Subject: Re: Skimmer-only tanks (Was: Re: Are W/D trickle filters worth it?)
Date: 15 Dec 1992 10:10:30 -0500
Organization: Protocol, a Division of ZYCAD Corporation
Distribution: world
Reply-To: dominick@protocol.zycad.com
NNTP-Posting-Host: hayaku.protocol.zycad.com


In article <Bz7vru.9In@optimla.aimla.com>, walter@optimla.aimla.com (Walter Hunt) writes:
|> 
|> In article <tom.724104252@dynamo.ecn.purdue.edu>, tom@dynamo.ecn.purdue.edu (Tom McCain) writes:
|> |> 01mbmccabe@leo.bsuvc.bsu.edu writes:
|> |> 
|> |> : anyway?  Surely theres a better way...no?
|> |> 
|> |> Well, maybe.  But it's really up to you.  You could make one, that
|> |> would save you money.  Or you could go with more of a "natural method"
|> |> and forgo the wet/dry.  This basically consist of a sump (10/20 gallon
|> |> tank), a *good* efficient protein skimmer and lots of high quality live
|> |> rock.  There is a good introductory article in the January 93 issue of
|> |> FAMA describing this method.  It may not be much cheaper to get
|> |> started, but in the long run it sure does amount to a lot less
|> |> maintenance.  I use this method myself although I do not have a sump.
|> |> I just use a skimmer that is rated for a 90 gallon tank.  My micro
|> |> reef is in a 16 gallon tank ....
|> |> 
|> |> --tom
|> |> --
|> |> 	    Tom McCain            tom@dynamo.ecn.purdue.edu
|> |> 
|> |> 
|> |>  Nudists are people who wear one-button suits.
|> 
|> 
|> 	Does this really work for other people? I tried to set up a 60G
|> mini-reef using only a prefilter and skimmer for filtration, and it just didn't
|> seem to be getting anywhere. The best I could say is that everything looked
|> "okay". I added a canister with some carbon and Chemi-Pure and now everyone
|> looks MUCH happier. Kind of threw a wrench into the skimmer-only theory for 
|> me . . .
|> 
|> 
|> 

Yes it works, I've seen it!
The pet store I go to has a 100+ gallon reef tank set up with
only a skimmer, and a "ton" of live rock. The tank is thriving.
He using a large verturi skimmer and probably more than 2 lbs
of live rock per gallon of water. I also know of several people in the
fish club I belong to who have stopped using their trickle filters
with good results. The theory is sound, get rid of as many nutrients
as you can before they get a chance to convert to ammonia->nitrite->nitrate.
Then whatever little nitrate you do have can be handled by the denitrification
processes that go on inside live rock.  This method has been employed in 
Europe for years (supposedly).

BTW, I wouldn't use Chemi-Pure in your reef tank since in leaches phosphates
into your water (that's what I've heard anyway). 

-- 
Dom Paniscotti                  internet: dominick@protocol.zycad.com
Protocol, a Division of ZYCAD   phone:    (201) 347-7900            
500 International Drive         fax:      (201) 347-0303        
Mt. Olive, NJ 07828
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria,sci.aquaria
From: anbo@wuee1.wustl.edu (Albrecht Jander)
Subject: Blue-green 'algae' are DEAD!
Organization: Washington University, St. Louis Mo.
Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1992 04:57:39 GMT

Not looking foreward to another long battle with blue-green algae in
my 50 gallon heavily planted tank, I tried the Maracyn treatment last
weak.  I didn't get the overnight results as other people have claimed,
but within two days all of the B.G. algae turned brown and looked quite
dead.  After a couple of additional days all of the dead algea collected
at the botom of the tank, and I was able to vacuum it out.  My plants
grew explosively now that they were freed of thier slimy covering.  In
fact, my tank looks better than ever before.  With the plants sucking 
up all of the nutrients, I hope the B.G. algae won't come back.
I didn't detect any significan changes in water chemistry after the 
treatment either, indicating that the bio-filtration was still working.
Wow, if only I had known it was that easy!!

For those of you that missed earlier posts,  Maracyn is the trade name
of an antibiotic, erithromycin, sold in fish stores to cure certain
bacterial infections.  Since blue green algae are actually photosynthetic
bacteria, they are also affected by Maracyn (not to be confused with
Maracyn II ).  

Besides those purists who absolutely refuse to use any drugs in their
aquariums, some people have raised concerns about the use of Maracyn:
1) It may destroy other usefull bacteria, particulary those in your
   biological filter responsible for decomposing amonia.
2) Antibiotics should not be used casually for fear producing resistant
   strains of whatever you are trying to eradicate.  Always use the full
   prescription of any antibiotic.
3) It doesn't really solve the problem of why you got the blue-green
   algae infestation in the first place.  But then, nobody seems to 
   really know what causes that, and what to do about it.
4) You may be a purist.  (or bacterial rights advocate)

Just reporting my success,  happy holidays,

Albrecht.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                        Peltier was a cool dude!!
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
From: greence@sage.cc.purdue.edu (Carrie E. Green)
Subject: Re: [F] A couple of things......
Organization: Purdue University Computing Center
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 20:50:09 GMT


As an aside, I heard that Monos can be converted gradually from freshwater to  
salt without a problem. Is this true? Are there any other fish which can do  
this? 

     Aren't monos BRACKISH water fish, and hence need salt?

                                                   ~Carrie


Newsgroups: rec.aquaria,alt.aquaria,sci.aquaria
From: daf@herky.cs.uiowa.edu (David Forsyth)
Subject: Nervous Festivums (F)
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 16:22:58 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA

I have what I think is a problem, but I'm not really sure.  I have four
juvenile (10-12 cm) Festivums in a fairly heavily planted 55 gallon tank
(can't help it, everyone seems to use gallons).  There are also two small
severums (10cm, 6cm), 4 lemon tetras, and some corydoras.

Problem: the festivums are extremely jittery and nervous; they are pale,
and their gill covers go pink (I think they're translucent) when I walk in
the room. They, the severums, and the corydoras all go rushing for cover
when I walk in the room.  If I sit quietly for a bit, the severums and 
corydoras come out and settle down, and eventually the festivums appear.

Food brings them out more quickly.

Someone posted earlier about severums acting as dither fish for festivums; 
in this case, it's as if the severums and corydoras are acting as jitter fish 
for the festivums.  I don't intend the severums to remain there much longer
but they're there till I get another tank up and going.  One of the festivums is 
showing vague signs of something that might be fin-rot (it might also just have 
been sparring with another - I'm not yet certain), so I'm sure they're unhappy.

No ammonia, no nitrite, rather more nitrate than I'd really like (60ppm on
a dry-tab test - is this high enough to be a problem in fresh water).  pH 7, gH 6.
I'd appreciate any help anyone could offer.

regards

daf
From: steveb@tivoli.UUCP (Steve Benz)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: Re: Ballasts (was: newsgroups)
Date: 13 Dec 92 22:09:31 GMT
Reply-To: steveb@tivoli.UUCP (Steve Benz)
Organization: Tivoli Systems Inc., Austin, TX

In article <2800252@hplvec.LVLD.HP.COM> booth@hplvec.LVLD.HP.COM (George Booth) writes:
>Urban myth, Consumer Reports, Aquarium Products (distributors of Triton)
>and personal experience indicate that *cheap* electronic ballasts will
>cause fluorescent lights to die prematurely...

Yes, but what, exactly, constitutes ``cheap?''  There are some ballasts
that say, specifically, that they're for shop-lights.  Others seem to be
intended for industrial & commercial lighting systems, and cost a little
more.  But when you're talking about $20+ tubes, I'd be willing to pay
a little more than the nominal $14 cost of a commercial ballast if I
had confidence that a more expensive ballast would signifigantly improve
bulb life and performance.

					- Steve
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria,sci.aquaria
From: sdebol@tsp.med.umn.edu (Steven Debol (Nelson))
Subject: Re: Blue-green 'algae' are DEAD!
Organization: University of Minnesota
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 15:02:40 GMT

In article <1992Dec16.215206.10496@bagend.uucp> jan@bagend.uucp (Jan Isley) writes:
>sdebol@htlv.med.umn.edu (Steven Debol (Nelson)) writes:
>>jan@bagend.uucp (Jan Isley) writes:
>>>Bacteria do not carry cards identifying them as usefull.  Antibiotics
>>>do not care, either, they try to kill them all.  If you think otherwise,
>>>you are simply incorrect.  This is not subject to debate, Maracyn and
>>>other antibiotics will kill your filter.
>>
>Okay, cringe away.  I meant what I said to be very general except
>for my specific claim that Mardel is guilty of false advertising.
>I still think what I said is correct.  What are you saying is not
>entirely true?  That antibiotics do not try to kill whatever little
>beasties they find?  Okay, they try to inhibit the growth of or to
>destroy microorganisms.  Better? :)
>
You seem a little defensive!  I was not flaming your statement--
just requesting that you avoid over-generalizations.  I also did
not say that antibiotics do not try to inhibit the growth of m
microorganisms--or try to kill whatever little beasties they find.
I simply stated that antibiotics are more specific for the 
microorganisms that they target than you implied--which is absolutely
correct.

>To be more specific.  Bacteria do carry cards that identify them as
>grampositive or gramnegative etc...  However, this does not identify
>them as good or bad. 

If you want to be this way about it... Bacteria DON'T carry cards
that identify them as gram(+) or gram(-)--they ARE gram(+) or gram(-).

 Yes, the effectiveness of an antibiotic varies
>depending on the construction of its target micro organism.  This
>does not alter the fact that *Maracyn* will kill your filter and
>Mardel's claim to the contrary does not make it so.
>
>Don't believe me.  Dose an established, populated salt water tank
>with Maracyn as the instructions recommend and you will probably
>find a tank full of dead fish on the third day with amonia and or
>nitrite off the scale.  I have advised three people recently that
>have ignored my warnings against doing this.  *ALL* of the fish
>died.  "But the package said it was okay!", they cried.
>
I think you need to re-read my reply to your original post.  If
you did you would find that I agreed with you.  I have not used
Mardel products and I made no claim that what you stated was
wrong.  Again, I was rebutting your generalized statement 
concerning antibiotics.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve Debol                       "The fear is all in your head,
Dept. of Microbiology              soldier, but don't get the idea
University of Minnesota            it's psychological." 
sdebol@lenti.med.umn.edu                        --Frank Burns
------------------------------------------------------------------

Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
From: oleg@netcom.com (Oleg Kiselev)
Subject: Re: fresh -> marine. Will bio filtration still work?
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 12:42:09 GMT

In article <1992Dec10.144720.413@bmerh85.bnr.ca> rivan@bnr.ca writes:
>still work? Has anyone done this and measured water quality?

Spotte's book [SP1970] says that the filter bed can adjust to gradual
changes in salinity, but not sudden fluctuations.  Rapid changes kill
many bacteria and the metablosm of the survivors is temporarily
repressed.  In most situations complete adaptation takes several days.

---
SP1970	Stephen Spotte, "Fish and Invertebrate Culture", Wiley&Sons, 1970
-- 
Oleg Kiselev at home			...use the header to find the path
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
From: tse@ra.nrl.navy.mil (Anthony Tse)
Subject: Re: (m)hair algae removal
Organization: Naval Research Lab, Washington, DC
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 01:33:20 GMT

In article <BzF7Jv.Cxq@news.cso.uiuc.edu> Igor Livshits <igorl@uiuc.edu> writes:
>I have had the same problem in the first few months of my reef setup.  I
>tried snail and tangs and angels to no avail.  BUT, I got a few black
>spiny urchins.  My algae problem disappeared within a month (I don't have
>a single strand) and the urchins tripled in size.  I sold them back at a
>profit and got a small one just to keep things in check.  As icing, they
>are neat animals for your reef anyway.
>
>It's a win-win situation.

	Ahhh, doesn't your spiny urchin chew up all your coralline algae?

-Anthony
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
From: pprior@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Paul A Prior)
Subject: Re: What do you do when you leave your aquarium for a month?
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1992 14:32:03 GMT

In article <1992Dec12.002407.8641@cognet.ucla.edu> tmark@cognet.ucla.edu (Terence Mark) writes:
>I have a couple of rainbow fish, a gourami, a raphael cat,
>and a pleco (I think, a venezuelan dwarf).

Well, you should have someone come by every day or every other day
and feed the tank.  Important if they are not fish people that you 
-premeasure- the food into baggies.  Otherwise they will ALWAYS 
overfeed the tank and kill everything! <G>

Alternatively you can get autofeeders that would probably make it
almost a month.


-- 
--------pprior@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu----(614) 621-8240----------------
Paul A. Prior    Ban anchors, not reef tanks    Nuke Gay Whales for Jesus  
3rd year medical student		        
The Ohio State U. College of Medicine   Tobacco Kills- Please don't smoke!
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
From: jle@cfm.brown.edu (Jon Elion)
Subject: (F) Gammarus (live food)
Originator: jle@rufus
Organization: Brown University / Cardiac Image Processing Lab
Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1992 02:10:36 GMT

Anyone have any experience keeping Gamamarus?  A type of fresh-water
shrimp, looks similar to brine shrimp.  Supposedly easy to culture as
a live food.  What temperature is recommended?  How did they fare??