HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: laurence@cco.caltech.edu (Dustin Lee Laurence)
Subject: Re: [M] Cheap Calcium?
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1992 22:18:01 GMT

thk@sgi.com (Tom Kong) writes:

[...]

>I also add CaCl2 quite regularly.  I also have a falling KH problem.
>If I don't add any SeaBuffer, my KH will fall to 4 in a few days
>and remains stable at 4.  I have been slacking the last few weeks
>and didn't add SeaBuffer.  My corals looked pretty sick.  Upon
>checking KH and bumping it back to around 11, all my corals looked
>very happy within a couple of days.

>Is it true that CaCl2 drops KH?  I assume it can do so by

>	CaCl2 + Na2CO3 = CaCO3 + 2NaCl ? 

>and the calcium carbonate just precipitates out?  However, I
>don't see any cloudiness from precipitation, and I always
>add SeaBuffer and CaCl2 on different days of the week.

>/tom

Fine, but the source of calcium shouldn't make any difference.  The
reaction takes place in solution, so that the calcium is present as
free calcium ions which have no memory as to what compound they
were part of when they were added.

What is the calcium concentration in your water?  I think that the
problem with adding CaCl2 comes from adding too much, and not using
a calcium test to detect this.  There is little enough calcium in
a saturated solution of Ca(OH)2 that it's hard to overdose, while a
calcium chloride solution can be extremely concentrated.

For comparison, in my 55gal tank, it seems to take about 150ml to
raise the calcium concentration by 40ppm.

I'd get a calcium test and adjust your calcium additions accordingly.
(I've seen recommendations anywhere between 400ppm and 450ppm or more,
so use your favorite source).  There is a new test from a company
called something like Lifereef which is about $20/10 tests.  They are
supposed to make re-fills, but they are not out yet; they ought to be
far less.

On the other hand, I don't know how hard it is going to be to maintain
a high kH with a high calcium concentration.  In my 55gal, I've just
finished bringing up the calcium concentration with CaCl2.  I overshot
a bit, so I'm just letting it fall right now.  I see about 10ppm per
day loss, but I don't have many hard corals yet.

I add 1/8 tsp of Marine Buffer per day, and at my old calcium
concentration of 280ppm (as I found out when I bought the test), this
would maintain a nearly steady 18 dKH.  When the calcium peaked at
490ppm, the KH dropped over a few days to 14.  Now that the calcium
has dropped nearly to the 420ppm I intend to maintain, the KH has
risen to 15 KH and as of two days ago it was remaining steady.  I don't
mind adding this much a day, but keep in mind that the calcium and
carbonate demands in my aquarium are probably rather below average at
this point.


-- 
Dustin

laurence@alice.wonderland.caltech.edu
From: siri@otc.otca.oz (Siri Hewa)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: Info Re. Discus
Date: 7 Apr 92 22:52:50 GMT
Reply-To: siri@otc.research.otca.oz.au (Siri Hewa)
Organization: R&D, OTC Sydney, Australia

I got 55 gal tropical freshwater tank and so far I got 2 green and 2 brown
discus doing ok.
My question is I like to breed them as well(How?), and Is any one know what kind of
small fish you can mix with the discus and any good book re. them.  
Please e-mail or write to the net.

Siri Hewa.
OTC Research.
From: cs4gp6am@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca (Heide       BT)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: (F) Matt Grass?
Summary: Proper name of matt grass? is it a water plant
Keywords: matt grass
Date: 14 Apr 92 20:02:46 GMT
Followup-To: cs4gp6am@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca
Distribution: alt.aquaria, rec.aquaria
Organization: Department of Computer Science, McMaster University

I have a plant the local fish stores call "Matt Grass" but I haven't
been able to find it in any of the plant books I have. Does anybody
know it's scientific name?

Its about 5 - 6 inches tall, looks like a clump of grass woven together
at the roots. I've had it for about two months and it hasn't shown any
signs of growth at all. In fact, some of the leaves are starting to
turn a little yellow so I'm afraid I might be losing it. I've had this
plant in the past and it just broke up and died after a few months.

I have it in a 10 gallon freshwater tank with a 15 watt aquaglow 
florecent lamp for lighting. The temperature is about 74 F, 7 small
fish, fluval 1 filter, and I fertilize with florena(sp?) liquid trace
elements and iron tablets. I also have a hygro in the tank that is
doing quite well (a little to well in fact :-).

I am beginning to wonder if this is one of those land plants that are
sold as water plants by some aquarium stores.

Any help?

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brad Heide                              Department of Computer Science
cs4gp6am@maccs.dcss.mcmaster.ca         McMaster University
heide@SSCvax.CIS.McMaster.CA	        Ontario, Canada.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: oleg@Veritas.COM (Oleg Kiselev)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: Re: (FRESH) Need help sexing young H. erythrozonus (glowlight tetras)
Date: 9 Apr 92 07:03:02 GMT
Reply-To: oleg@veritas.com (Oleg Kiselev)
Organization: Palo Alto Killifish Loft
X-Disclaimer: I speak for myself only unless explicitly indicated otherwise

rclark@alcor.concordia.ca (Richard Clark) writes:
>Hi, 
>I'd like to find out how to tell the difference between male and
>female, ** 6 week old ** glowlight tetras (hemigrammus erythrozonus) -
>if it's possible.  I know there are tricks for sexing young guppies
>(strong light shows gravid spot), I was hoping there is one for these
>fish too.

Unfortunately, as far as I have been able to tell, there are no easy
ways to sex these fish until you can tell their shapes and colours apart.
Give them another month and, if they are as fast growing as flame tetras,
they should be easily sexable.

How did you spawn these fish?
-- 
"... i heard the droning / in the shrine
	     of the sea-monkey / palace of the brine ..." -- Pixies.
Oleg Kiselev                                             oleg@veritas.com
VERITAS Software                           ...!{apple|uunet}!veritas!oleg
From: awhj@vax5.cit.cornell.edu (Tom Fredericks)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: Re: Cannister Filters : Fluval vs. Eheim?
Date: 17 Apr 92 06:58:34 EDT
Distribution: rec
Organization: Cornell University

In article <1992Apr15.155528.14277@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>,
> I know fluval just changed colors (brown to grey, which I don't like!)

  Just for a second opinion - I think the color change is a great improvement.
The new color is much less noticable in the tank.  Those old orange-brown intake
and return hoses stand out so much and boy are they you-glee.  The new smoke-
grey hoses can hardly be seen.  

Just one more opinion.

 - Tom Fredericks
From: booth@hplvec.LVLD.HP.COM (George Booth)
Date: Tue, 7 Apr 1992 19:23:10 GMT
Subject: Note to Gordo Schwartz
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Co., Loveland, CO
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria

I can't get my mailer to get through to you.  You'll have to get the
PostScript SST story by FTP:

>> This is available for anon-ftp in
>>  info.mcs.anl.gov:/incoming/olson/fish/showTank.ps.Z
>> along with the fish gifs.
>> 
>> --bob
>> --
>>    Bob Olson   -*-   olson@mcs.anl.gov   -*-   Argonne National Laboratory

----------
George Booth
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
From: vortex@guardian (The Biologic Entity)
Subject: Re: Discus-ongoing
Organization: Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1992 04:18:43 GMT

Sorry to waste bandwidth.  Previous attempts at mail all bounced.


In article <1992Apr10.154549.4785@polari.com> weka@polari.com writes:
>I'm new to this system and noticed I missed a few discus
>articles...
>The pet shop people told me that cardinal tetras are from
>discus waters and get along with them quite well.???
>I have six discus now, one which is very blue-one and a half
>years old, one reddish-one year old and always sick, 4 babies.
>A rash of gill flukes came in somehow and killed three last year-the 
>reddish discus was treated with clout and now is overcome with
>bacteria (I had it checked out).  I have been treating with maricyn
>2 and now maricyn which perked up all the other fish but the reddish one 
>still shows fin rot, white around the face and hides when not eating.
>It used to be the most "sociable".  Any ideas?
>
>Andree Hurley     Weka@polari.uunet.UU.NET
>
>


Cardinals will get along fine with discus.  They also can get along well with angelfish (who actually prefer slightly less acid and slightly harder water, but
they are from the same region and will get along well enough).  As for your 
sick ones, I would keep up the treatments.  Are you treating them all in the 
same tank?  Maybe you should just treat the "red one" separately.  Keep treating all your fish until they are totally cured.  Try a up to an extra week more just to be sure.  As for the gill flukes; shame on you!  You should have done a 
much better job of quarantining.  If you didn't even bother, then there's no excuse (although, I should be one to talk, I don't quarantine either, but I will 
when I get discus because of their inherent "traits".  So don't take this one 
to heart, we all make mistakes.  I had my prized angel in ridiculously alkaline
water for a while!  Seems I couldn't be bothered to check the Ph.  He weathered
it well though).  Hope the red one survives, they really are beautiful fish.




Xref: sparky rec.aquaria:3696 alt.aquaria:2945
From: IO20413@MAINE.MAINE.EDU
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria,alt.aquaria
Subject: Re: monster swordtail
Date: 3 Apr 92 22:30:21 GMT
 <1992Apr03.105328.14884@Veritas.COM>
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Maine System

Do you have swordtails that big?  I can not believe it, all sword tails that I
have seen are about 1 to 1.5 inches long, including mine.  What am I doing
wrong.  I am very succesful at breeding them, so I can not be all wrong, in
fact most of my swordtails I have raised from babies that I have breed.  I only
have some I got from other places so that there isn't any interbreeding.  Tell
me how to get them larger.  I have fairly hard water (exacts not known at momen
t).  My p.h. is about 6.5(maybe a little higher) and I have two 29 gallon tanks
and a ten gallon that I use for the fry.  Please give me some ideas.
From: CCPHIL@UMCVMB.MISSOURI.EDU (Phil Leith)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: Audubon article
Date: 6 Apr 92 15:32:53 GMT
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.9204061541.AA08060

Wow!  I've been reading this thread with much interest.  With all of
the coral reef in the world, I was having a hard time imagining that
we aquarists are having a serious impact on it... but I was listening.

I have thought often about subscribing to Audubon- being a fan of nature
and natural places and all, but now methinks not if the kind of reporting
we are going to get is going to be that irresponsible!

I'll be rethinking my Greenpeace support, too; especially if the recent
allegations can be backed up.

When was this article printed?  And if anyone out there who gets the magazine
sees any response by the magazine, I'd surely be interested!

!~~~~~~~~o~~~~~/~~~~~~~ Phil Leith, Meteorologist & Tropical Fish Hobbyist~~~~!
!        o    / \                                                             !
!         o /    \   /                                                        !
!          <  )   =-{         Bitnet     : CCPHIL@UMCVMB.BITNET               !
!           \    /   \        Internet   : CCPHIL@UMCVMB.MISSOURI.EDU         !
!             \ /                                                             !
!______________\______________________________________________________________!
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
From: AS.CCB@forsythe.stanford.edu (Christopher Bekins)
Subject: Re: poison zuccini?
Organization: Stanford University, California, USA
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1992 19:38:29 GMT

Eric Schweitzer writes:
> (fed zuccini to his fish...eveything died...)
> I assume the zuccini was poisoned (DDT in this country (USA)!

Eric's question raises an issue about which I am curious.  The
other day someone on the net mentioned something about the
Free Trade agreement with Mexico allowing them to ship tuna to
the U.S. even though their boats do not use the dolphin-safe
nets and fishing practices which are required by law in this
country.
Does Mexico still use DDT in its agriculture?
Does this mean that vegitables, etc. shipped in from Mexico can
have DDT contamination and there is nothing we can do about it?
Any facts about this available out there?
Any other news group where this thread is being pursued?
I know this thread is a bit tangential, but think of Eric's poor
fish!  Think about the last salad you ate....I'd like to know
the facts on this one, wouldn't you?
Any light shed on this will be appreciated.  Thanks.
Christopher
From: cse0135@uoft02.utoledo.edu
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: (M) Need Advice Starting
Date: 7 Apr 92 12:50:46 EST
Organization: University of Toledo, Computer Services
From: cse0135@uoft02.utoledo.edu
Newsgroups: alt.aquaria
Subject: (M) Need Advice Starting
Date: 7 Apr 92 12:44:55 EST
Organization: University of Toledo, Computer Services


 This is my first posting to this group and I'm asking a question
for a friend.  He currently has a 30 gallon freshwater tank which is
well established - he's had it for a couple of years. He's thinking
about converting it into a saltwater tank when the few fish he has left
die.  Unfortunately neither he nor I have had any experience with
saltwater aquaria.  Can anyone out there give me some advice? Your help
is most appreciated.


Xref: sparky rec.aquaria:3694 alt.aquaria:2941 sci.aquaria:788
From: fssmith@venus.lerc.nasa.gov (Greg Smith)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria,alt.aquaria,sci.aquaria
Subject: Re: Recent live-rock boom is out of control, according to article
Date: 6 Apr 92 19:02:00 GMT
Article-I.D.: venus.6APR199215020653
Organization: NASA Lewis Research Center
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

In article <1992Apr5.013632.4497@en.ecn.purdue.edu>, kho@en.ecn.purdue.edu (Ping Phing Kho) writes...
>In article <3APR199209071207@venus.lerc.nasa.gov> fssmith@venus.lerc.nasa.gov (Greg Smith) writes:
>>In article <1992Apr2.215456.12498@cs.ucla.edu>, jason@lanai.cs.ucla.edu (Jason Rosenberg) writes...
>>> 
>>>My point exactly.  I aim not to call mini-reef owners "raiders", but rather
>>>demonstrate that the sheer quantity of aquaists now in the market is reaching
>>>such large numbers that the impact is spiraling out of control.  The demand
>>>since 1987 for live rock has increased from virtually 0 to something like
>>>250,000 tons (I don't have the numbers here, I can get them when I go home).
>>
>>that is a a very large number.  At a hundred pounds per aquarist that amounts
>>to 5 million new reef aquarists per year.  If your number is correct we should
>>be able to run the world soon.
>>
>>Greg Smith
> 
>Ummh, I'd like to stay out of this, but the 250,000 tons of live rock that Greg
>mentioned is raw number.  Out of this many tons of rocks, we have no idea
>how many tons survive to get to us, the hobbyist.  Say it is 0.1%, then
>we end up with 5000 hobiyists (at 100 lbs/hobbyist).  Needless to say, these
>5000 hobbyists are not necessarily new hobbyists.  Say 75% of them are
>people who failed to create their dream aquaria before and keep trying, we are
>left with 25% of 5000 = 1250 new hobbyist/year.  Not a bad figure, but we
>can hardly run the world with this kind of number.
> 
>Like I said, I'd like to stay out of this, so please, no flames.

What planet are you from?  Use your noodle before making such comments.
Suppose you wanted to make money selling live rock.  If the .1 percent
of live rock that you SUPPOSE lives sells for $9.00 /lb in a pet shop
the supplier had to get less than .09 cents per lb for it including his
shipping costs of at least $1.00/lb.  Boy he must be about as intelligent
as people who dont know what they are talking about and decide to post anyway
and then ask not to get flamed.
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
From: jimh@ultra.com (Jim Hurley)
Subject: Re: Biological Filtration and water recycling
Organization: Ultra Network Technologies
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 92 19:13:51 GMT

In <9204081547.AA00945@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU> CCPHIL@UMCVMB.MISSOURI.EDU (Phil Leith) writes:

>Anyone out there know if there's a test to check and see if you do indeed
>have a healthy culture of the good, nitrifying bacteria in your tank?

If you see nitrates rising, no nitrites, and very low ammonia you're
OK. Once a tank gets established this is just taken care of for you,
unless you put in antibiotics or chemicals. 

[...]

>Does anyone reccomend periodically adding nitrifying bacteria "seed" mixes?

I don't think anyone here would recommend that. The bacteria will
regulate itself - more ammonia/nitrites->more food->more bacteria.
Adding more (without reason) is just a waste of money.

>Also, the article details the cycle ammonia --> nitrite --> nitrate, which
>I assume is the accomplished hobbyist's major reason for water changes.
>The nitrates build up.  Algae and other plants eat nitrates, no?

It's pretty complicated, but usually the preferred nitrogen source in
plants is the ammonium ion, which comes from waste in an acid environment.
By taking that in the plants reduce nitrates directly at the origin.
I don't think any plants take in nitrites, I'm not sure about
nitrates - water hyacinth, perhaps?

>Taking that into account, Ernesto may want to try keeping his old water in
>the sunshine to get it well algefied - on the sides - and/or try to grow
>fast growing aquatic plants such as duckweed in his old water, removing
>excess growth as necessary (thus removing nitrates and other organics
>the plants eat *with* them) and being careful not to get any duckweed
>back in his tanks.  I do like the duckweed idea since it would tend to
>keep algae growth down by shading it and prevent you from having to deal
>with pea soup.  Also, duckweed is easy enough to scoop up and toss.

But you wouldn't want to put any algae in the tank. This is getting a bit
more complicated all the time - approaching algae scrubbings dimensions, now.
It's far simpler just to go for the water changes and routine maintenance.

Wouldn't it be easier and more attractive, if you went this way, to
just put the plants in the tank and reduce water changes?

>NOTE: Duckweed is nasty to deal with in tanks.  It gets EVERYWHERE, and
>clogs filters.

I call it the plant equivalent of the snail.

>Are there any OTHER ways of removing nitrates from water so that old water
>can be used again?  Will the method I just outlined help significantly?

There's X-Nitrate and Nitrex, etc. But these are costly and might
add other chemicals. You need to replace them when the wear out.

>Will Aletha leave Darren?  Will Todd make up with Sandy?  Will Darren get his
>revenge on Todd?  And just who is this Sandy person, anyway?  Oops.  Sorry.

Will we ever see the FAQ?

>!~~~~~~~~o~~~~~/~~~~~~~ Phil Leith, Meteorologist & Tropical Fish Hobbyist~~~~!
-- 
Jim Hurley --> jimh@ultra.com  ...!ames!ultra!jimh  (408) 922-0100
Ultra Network Technologies / 101 Daggett Drive / San Jose CA 95134
From: frazier@oahu.cs.ucla.edu (Greg Frazier)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: Re: Biological Filtration
Date: 16 Apr 92 16:32:01 GMT
Organization: UCLA, Computer Science Department

tech@cs.ucf.edu (Tony Travaglini) writes:

>In article <1992Apr14.065358.16778@Veritas.COM> oleg@veritas.com (Oleg Kiselev) writes:
>>
>>Skimmers do not do very much to directly remove ammonia.  Some degassing is
>>possible, but that's not what the skimmers' primary task is.  They foam up
>>dissolved organic carbons (proteins, organic acids, etc.) before these 
>>substances get broken down to ammonia.  
>>

>Say what? Can this be true. I have read quite a few books on this
>subject and in every case ammonia was described as the first step in
>the process. You don't have a reference that describes this in more
>detail do you? I would love to read more about this.

This has been one of the strangest threads I've seen on
this group.  Protein skimmers are not biological filters.
They have *nothing* to do with the nitrogen cycle.  They
are a chemical filter which removes large organic molecules
from the water, along with microscopic solids.  They do it
by supplying large amounts of air/water boundaries.  The
large molecules are captured at the boundary and brought to
the surface of the skimmer as foam.

People talk about protein skimmers in relation to ammonia/
nitrates because the large organic compouns (amino acids and
fatty acids) are eventually consumed/broken down by bacteria
and/or other micro-organisms and turned into ammonia, which
is oxidized to nitrites and then to nitrates in the nitrogen
cycle - a protein skimmer will remove the organics before they
rot.

Now about 20 people will post correcting the details of what
I've said above, since I learned it all here on the net.
-- 


Greg Frazier	frazier@CS.UCLA.EDU	!{ucbvax,rutgers}!ucla-cs!frazier
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
From: frazier@oahu.cs.ucla.edu (Greg Frazier)
Subject: Re: injury or disease?
Organization: UCLA, Computer Science Department
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 92 16:57:23 GMT

maxfield@athena.cs.uga.edu (Joan C. Maxfield) writes:
>like someone punched him in the mouth!  From the left he looks fine
>but on the right his little jaw hangs open.

Sounds like one of the other platys bit him in the mouth.
A common cichlid thing to do, I don't know diddly about
platys.  The other male was not necessarily the culprit -
he could have been bothering the fem and got the what-for.
Your concerns are correct, i.e. will he become diseased,
can he still feed.  You may want to add some salt to the
water (if you don't already) to help prevent fungus
infection.  You also may want to isolate him, either with
a tank partition or putting him into a separate tank.  I
don't know how vicious platys are, but many fish will
pick on a weaker fish of the same species.
-- 


Greg Frazier	frazier@CS.UCLA.EDU	!{ucbvax,rutgers}!ucla-cs!frazier
From: perry@cbmvax.commodore.com (Perry Weinthal - Test Eng)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: Re: Cure for fish-hungry powerhead?
Date: 15 Apr 92 15:09:47 GMT
Reply-To: perry@cbmvax.commodore.com (Perry Weinthal - Test Eng)
Organization: Commodore, West Chester, PA

In article <1992Apr13.145539.6239@ERA.COM> feit@ERA.COM (Mark Feit) writes:
>I'm using an AquaClear 405 powerhead to run the RUGF in my 30, and
>have recently been losing my Hets in the intake vent.  Every so often
>I go away for the weekend and come home to discover that another of
>the little devils has been sucked in.
>
>Has anybody managed to find a way to keep the fish away without
>blocking the intake?  I've tried turning the intake to odd angles
>where the fish would be less likely to wander, but to no avail.  I
>also thought about a small cage of some sort of screening, but steel
>would rust and I haven't found a plastic substitute that will work.  I
>figure if the little fellas can be kept about 2" away, they'll be
>okay.
>
>: Mark A. Feit, Software Engineer : Internet: feit@era.com          :

   How about taking a 35mm film container covering the open end
 with plastic window screen and drilling/cutting the closed end
 to fit your power head intake.  You could even perforate the
 side of the film container with "small" holes so that side
 flow occurs JIC a fish / critter does get stuck.

  Perry Weinthal       perry@cbmvax.commodore.com
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria