HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: rosentha@bldrdoc.gov (Peter Rosenthal 303-497-5844)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria,alt.aquaria
Subject: Re: What are these?
Date: 1 Oct 92 16:42:05 GMT
Followup-To: rec.aquaria
Organization: National Institute of Standards and Technology

In article <1992Oct01.042400.118877@zeus.calpoly.edu> jmartine@zeus.calpoly.edu (Joe Martinez) writes:
>
>  This afternoon, as I was walking through campus, and saw a tree with an 
>indent in it, that was catching water from the sprinkler system. In this
>little mini-pond, there were tons of these little black worm-like things.
>They were about 1/4 of an inch long or so, and they were curled into a
>circle. when I disturbed the water, they "swam" down to the bottom, and
>resurfaced a few seconds later. 
>  Can someone tell me:
>
>a) What are they?
>b) Do they make good fish food?
>c) Could they cary parasites or other diseased into my tanks?
>d) Can they be cultured?
>
>Please answer ASAP, so that I can go get some if it's OK.

This is a pretty good description of mosquito pupae.  They are 
not recomended as fish food because at some relatively near
time in the future they will hatch into vile little buzzing
biting vampires.  If you can be sure that they all get 
eaten then go ahead by all means.  Mosquito larvae give you
a little more leeway than pupae and they are one of the 
best fish foods available.
	I have to admit though, the sight of a one inch killie
	fry swallowing a fat half-inch larva kind of makes
	me want to puke.

	When  I lived in palo alto I used to get lots of
	bloodworms and mosquito larvae in my daphnia tubs
	outside.  The fish did great, my neons spawned 
	every morning at 9:30 when the sun came through
	the window.

	This tab key seems to be permanent.

Peter Rosenthal



-- 
Peter Rosenthal       Email rosenthal@cmg.eeel.nist.gov

Xref: sparky rec.aquaria:7768 alt.aquaria:5178
From: rbennet1@neumann.une.edu.au (Robert Bennetts.)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria,alt.aquaria
Subject: [M] Invert Questions
Date: 4 Oct 92 12:36:56 GMT
Followup-To: poster


	Hi all...

	O.K. I have three questions about some of the invertebrates in my reef tank...

1.
	Today I bought a very pretty Nudibranch.  It is light blue, with yellow black and white stripes running up it's body, and yellow gills and eyes (they aren't really eyes but you know what I mean).
	Could anyone tell me the name of this fellow, and if so, what books are there about for identifying inverts and corals and other marine stuff.

2.
	I have a very nice piece of Tubastrea (Sunshine Coral) but it does not appear to be very happy, it is not showing it's pretty yellow petals much of the time.  I heard somewhere that it prefers to be in a not so brightly lit place, is this correct?

3.
	There are these things over here in Australia that are sold as 'Fluffies', on my recent trip to Heron Island on the great barrier reef, they had these in one of the tanks at the research station and they just had them labelled as Coralliomorphs --Not A Coral And Not An Anemone.
	Does anyone know any more about them, and if so, what are they, how do they feed, and any other interesting info you might have would be great.

	Thanks very much for any help you can offer for nay or all of these questions...

	Ross Bennetts...

		rbennet1@neumann.une.edu.au


Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
From: cliff@watson.ibm.com (cliff)
Subject: pH and ammonia indicators that stick on tank
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 20:53:39 GMT
Disclaimer: This posting represents the poster's views, not necessarily those of IBM
Organization: A

I've seen ads in the catalogs for pH indicators and ammonia indicators that
are like thin small cards that stick on to the inside of the tank and
give you a continuous readin of ph and ammonia levels.  They're very
cheap, and seem handy.  Can anyone tell me if there are any drawbacks or
problems with these?  Thanks, Cliff
From: rclark@alcor.concordia.ca (Richard Clark)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: Re: otocinclus (sp?) in trouble
Date: 5 Oct 92 04:32:59 GMT
Organization: Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec

George Booth writes: 
>I think there may be two kinds of ottos - we had one group we bought that
>seemed to like fish slime coats instead of algae.  If I remember right,
>they seemed to have a larger, darker tail spot than the kind we normally
>see.
 
Eeek!  I could be in big trouble ...
 
A related message appeared on compuserve's fishnet forum recently, and
following George's example, I didn't get permission to repost either

 
#: 147009 S3/Freshwater Aquaria
    28-Sep-92  19:09:45
Sb: #Otocinclus sps.
Fm: Frank M Greco/STAFF 74660,2046
To:  75106,3257 (X)
 
Masaki: Otocinclus flexilis is from southern Brazil, and it mimics
Corydoras paleatus. This enables the Oto cat to easily paratisize
other fishes (including the Cory.) by stripping off the fishes body
mucus. It is also an avid plant eater (!). Grows to 50 mm SL. O.
vittatus IS on the list I sent to you, I just forgot to add it. Other
species, in addition to the ones already listed, include O. affinis,
O. arnoldi, O. bourguyi, O. cephalacanthus, O. depressicauda, O.
depressinotus, O. fimbriatus, O. francirochai, O. gibbosus, O.
hasemani, O. hoppei, O. laevior, O. leptochilus, O. leucofrenatus, O.
lophophanes, O. macrospilus, O. maculipinnis, O. mariae, O.
nigricauda, O. notatus, O. paulinus, O. perforatus, O. spectabilis, O.
tietensis, and O. vestitus. This info is from Catfishes of the World
by David Sands. Plenty of Oto cats out there. I wonder why we don't
see more of them in the hobby (poor shipping aside). Frank M.
Greco/STAFF
 

-- 
rick clark (rclark@alcor.concordia.ca) | Ban Handguns.
           (CIS 70272,3270)            |
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
From: jimh@ultra.com (Jim Hurley)
Subject: Re: Laterite -- Overdose?
Organization: Ultra Network Technologies
Distribution: rec
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 92 23:31:29 GMT


>In article <BvKF97.Enp@news.cso.uiuc.edu> ffujita@s.psych.uiuc.edu (Frank Fujita) writes:
>>some laterite, and didn't follow the directions on the label.  

[...]

>>Will the opacity go away shortly, or ever?


Well, I did follow the directions on the AP laterite, and I don't
have any undergravel flow, and I still got a lot of mud. The stuff 
dissolves so fast, that just about any time in the water will cause
a lot of red mud. In addition, any time you (re)plant in that area
you will stir up some more, but it won't be so bad.

In my tank, a 100g with trickle filter, the cloudiness lasted
about a week, at least several days. When it settled, everything
was covered with a fine red dust.

[And the cover claims boldly: 'Will not cloud water'].

As a point of comparison: I used the Dupla laterite in 7 other
tanks and none of them was cloudy more than a day, and repeated
plantings don't stir up any mud.
-- 
Jim Hurley --> jimh@ultra.com  ...!ames!ultra!jimh  (408) 922-0100
Ultra Network Technologies / 101 Daggett Drive / San Jose CA 95134
From: Alan_Schianni@mindlink.bc.ca (Alan Schianni)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: What is good sand?
Date: 27 Sep 92 20:04:45 GMT
Organization: MIND LINK! - British Columbia, Canada
Distribution: world

I'm starting another 20-g aquarium and was wondering if anyone knows what sand
is best.  My fish eat worms and in coarser sand it seems the worms get through,
never to be seen again.  I'm worried about contamination and the like.  Should
I get the finest possible sand, or will the worms still dig through.  Any
suggestions?


Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
From: ed@smos.com (Life at hard labor - but no ball and chain)
Subject: UGF/RUGF/Sponge Filter [M][FILTERING]
Organization: S-MOS, Inc
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 16:07:46 GMT



I have been considering  some options for changing my biological
filtering setup (UG) to something else. I had been

a) Tired/lazy of keeping gravel clean ( which may/maynot have been
     indicative of a more  underlying problem.

b) The RUGF advantages (keeping stuff from settling on the gravel so the
   external mechanical filter can clean it out) seemed promising

I was all set to buy 2 reverse flow power-heads at the store, when the
dealer (whom I've gotten some confidence in from past experience) 
talked me out of it.  He suggested hooking the existing powerheads
up to two  sponge filters, and removing (part-at-a-time) almost
all of the gravel.  Reasons:

1. The flow rate of the power-heads is diffused so much by the surface area of 
   the gravel bed that only the lightest stuff is going to be kept aloft.
   (ie Nothing nearly like the lift from a gravel wash tube)

2. The sponges are a  lot more efficient than the gravel, and can be
   more easily cleaned.


3. Gravel cleaning is a lot easier, because there is so much less of it



- In my setup, the sponges would be in the tank, so esthetically, it's not
  as pleasing. But, they  could be transferred to an external filtering 
  setup at some point.


To paraphrase a comment he made:

"Undergravel filters are becoming passe in marine/reef 
 aquariums. Personally, I would never set one up now
 with an undergravel filter.  Don't get me wrong,
 a few years ago they were indispensable, but with
 today's technology, you can do a lot better ...."


I was sold.  I'm in the process of switching over to the
sponges...

I'm curious if the aquaria wizards agree/disagree with
the above.


Thanks,

Ed
-- 
Ed Martinage
Research & Development Center
S-MOS Systems
(408)954-0120 x 3512
From: srs@oasis.icl.co.uk (Steve Strong)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: New tank suggestions
Date: 29 Sep 92 08:20:35 GMT
Organization: ICL, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 4SN, UK
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]

Hi,

I'm going back to University in one week, and I'm gonna have to leave
my two tanks at home, there's no way we could transport them, and no where
to put them if we could :-(

So, I'm thinking of getting a small (about 2 gallon) tank for my room
when I arrive. Anyone want to offer suggestions as to what to put in
it. I'm currently thinking about a reasonable amount of plants and some
assorted tetras.

Cheers,

Steve
-- 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve Strong - email srs@oasis.icl.co.uk      | Wasn't me. I didn't say that.
               voice 44 344 424842 extn 2279  | Definitely got the wrong guy.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Xref: sparky rec.aquaria:7642 alt.aquaria:5125
From: kao@duke.cs.duke.edu (Ming Kao)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria,alt.aquaria
Subject: Acrylic Tanks
Date: 29 Sep 92 00:14:39 GMT
Followup-To: poster
Organization: Duke University Computer Science Dept.; Durham, N.C.

I am thinking about buying a large acrylic tank. Do acrylic tanks
get scratched easily? 

--- Ming
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
From: cliff@watson.ibm.com (cliff)
Subject: Which to believe
Date: Mon, 05 Oct 1992 16:46:25 GMT
Disclaimer: This posting represents the poster's views, not necessarily those of IBM
Organization: A

I have one of those heaters which has a particular temperature value you
can set.  I set it to 75.  The LCD stick-on thermometer on the outside
of the tank reads 80.  Which of the two readings would be closer to the
truth?  

I would think that the LCD thermometer gives a value lower than the
actual water temperature -- probably some weighted average of the
room temperature and water temperature.  Is this right?  For a 
tank with very thick glass, would the LCD read much lower than the
tank water's true temperature?

Is there some forumula relating value read on LCD thermometer to 
variables such as air temperature, glass thickness, and true water
temperature?

Thanks
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
From: krogers@javelin.sim.es.com (K. Rogers)
Subject: Re: Dynamic Aquaria by W.H. Adey
Reply-To: krogers@javelin.sim.es.com
Organization: Evans & Sutherland Computer Corp., Salt Lake City, Utah
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1992 16:29:42 GMT

tse@ra.nrl.navy.mil (Anthony Tse) writes:

>>I seem to be under the impression that Mr. Adey was rapidly discounted by
>>the industry in general and by people on the net. Am I right? If so, why?
>
>	I for one don't believe in algea scrubber.  As for why, some of us
>get to see his algea scrubber in action (Museun of Natural History in
>DC) and it's not a pretty sight.  If my tank look anything near as bad
>as his, I would have quite the hobby long ago.  However, do keep in mind
>that I don't think he is interest in a good looking tank, he's more
>interested in a scientific research on ecosystem.

Yeah, I've been perusing the his book as time's permitted and it's
clear from the outset that he's interested in mimicing real ecosystems
as closely as possible, not have a hodge-podge of inverts and fish
from around the world which look pretty in the living room.

He also has one major strike against his tanks in the Smithsonian: the
cooling of the building is more or less defunct.  You could tell from
his book (between the lines) he was really frustrated about it as his
tanks were getting regularly stressed in a bad way.  No mention was
made of using a seperate chilling unit.

One other thing from his book is they (at least were) use 3700-4200K
MH bulb @ 50-60% CRI.  This is not the best light to view things by...

At any rate, Anthony, I'd like a (reasonably) detailed description of
the Smithsonian tank some time.  What exactly bugged you about it so
much?  I'll probably never get to the DC area so I'll not be able to
see it myself.  In particular I'd be interested if the tank's in poor
shape because of the algae scrubber and other basic ideas he has or if
it's due to poor maintenance, the cooling problem, general lack of
funds which plague such institutions, etc.  I guess I'd have to see
several tanks set up along his lines for comparison to answer that
question.

If I won't get to DC I *really* won't get to Townsville to see the
Great Barrier Reef Park's 700,000 gallon tank using many of his
principles.  Nobody can complain about that tank as the corals spawn
synchronously in it just like in the ocean on the other side of the
wall.  Maybe Jamie could give us a short run down on that system some
day (time and interest permitting.)
-- 
Keith Rogers
krogers@javelin.sim.es.com
From: oleg@netcom.com (Oleg Kiselev)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: Re: Gold tetra info needed
Date: 29 Sep 92 21:10:34 GMT
Article-I.D.: netcom.mz+p7v+.oleg
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)

If it looks like a tetra (i.e. not a rasbora or a barb) then here is what
van Ramshorstsays about them.

This is either Cheirodon interruptus or, more likely, Hemigrammus armstrongi.

In article <1992Sep29.130936.29069@pixel.kodak.com> kcwong@ssd.kodak.com writes:
>Size:	  1/2" (still juvenile, probably grows to the size of a Neon tetra.

C.i. will get to a bit over 2", H.a. will get to less than 2".

>Shape:	  Like Glolight tetra, flat body.
>Behavior: Loose school.
>Origin:	  Unknown, the store guy said they come from overseas.

Duh.  C.i. is from Uruguay,  H.a. is from Guyana.

>Color:	  Whole body is gold like the gold foil in cigarette packs. Fins has no 
>	  visible coloration. Doesn't look like the fish is "painted", but
>	  who the hell knows nowaday!!
>Price:	  $0.99 each.

If the caudal is red tinted then it's H.a., if it has a grayish line along
the lateral line, then it may be C.i.

Get a dozen, throw them in a 20-30 gal tank with boiled fibre or garden peat 
on the bottom, some fine leaf plants near the bottom on one side of the tank
to give the fish a spawning site, lots of floating plants to subdue the
light strength.  If the fish  turn out to be aggerssive, then they are
probably a Cheirodon.  

What the hell, if you have the space, why not give them a try?  Especially
at that price.
-- 
Oleg Kiselev at home			...use the header to find the path
From: jj@alice.att.com (jj, all-around curmudgeon)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: Re: Newbie, to the list and to aquariums
Date: 28 Sep 92 19:50:15 GMT
Article-I.D.: alice.23742
Reply-To: jj@alice.UUCP (jj, all-around curmudgeon)
Organization: NJ State Home for Bewildered Terminals

In article <1992Sep27.121744.2159@drycas.club.cc.cmu.edu>, shazam@drycas.club.cc.cmu.edu writes:
 
> Well, when I said I felt silly for being here, I meant because
> everyone here seemed to have much much larger tanks they were asking about
> AND most of the questions seemed to be about saltwater tanks.  I
So what?  MOst of us are fresh-water aquarists.  Ask away.

> thought perhaps those who owned warm water tropical tanks just
> had not said much since I have been reading this list.
Or perhaps we just weren't arguing about anything at the minute.
That does happen, even on nutnoise.

> I am new to NEWS, and just did not notice that this was not of
> the hobbyist nature.
What wasn't of the "hobbyist nature"?  Rec.aquaria seems rather
exactly configured to the hobbyist, to me.  Sci.aquaria has
a more constrained charter, but this article is appearing in
rec.aquaria.

> I have been informed however, rather abruptly I might add,
> that this list is of the scientific nature, and not that of the 
> aquarium hobbyist. 
Excuse me?  Which list are we talking about, who said it, and
why did they say it.  This newsgroup is "rec.aquaria" and has
been used for hobby-related discussions, albiet at mostly a
scientific level, for several years.   There are FAQ files
that address beginner questions, and that are posted once a month
to both rec.aquaria and sci.aquaria.

In addition, beginner freshwater questions are often asked and
discussed here.

I don't quite understand who or what offered the objection.

> I am sorry if my posting rattled anyone else's cage! *laugh*
> I will not let it happen again!  *smile*
Good, don't let them rattle YOU again.
It's not you. We all were beginners once.
-- 
Extremism *Copyright alice!jj 1992, all rights reserved, except transmission
   in the    *by USENET and like facilities granted.      Said permission is
  defense of     *granted only for complete copies that include this notice.
 liberty is no vice.  *Use on pay-for-read services specifically disallowed.
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
From: cburns@ucs.indiana.edu (Chris Burns)
Subject: Re: PLECO.NET.CURSE
Followup-To: rec.aquaria
Organization: Indiana University
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 14:09:03 GMT


Stuff deleted


> For real?  Actually there's a strange phenomenon that whenever someone mentions
> their pleco here on the net...within 24 hours that pleco will meet its maker
> through some bizarre twist of fate.
> 
> I've personally have this happen to me twice.  I had just bought two plecos (a
> clown pleco, and a "butterfly" pleco) and I asked for info on caring for them
> by posting a message here.....and the next morning they were freshly dead!  The
> water was perfect...not a thing wrong with the other fish in the tank either. 
> The plecos just up and died!
> 
> Ever since then though, I've had fantastic luck and I've totally avoided the
> curse.  I've had this clown pleco (in a 10g) for over 15 months.  I've got a
> "rhino pleco" in another 10g tank (with baby bettas to keep it company) that
> I've had for two months or so.  And I've got a mango pleco (cost me $80!) that
> I've managed to keep alive for 2 weeks now.
> 

> --Dennis

I think your fantastic luck may be coming to a rapid end (you called 3 fish
pl...s in that last paragraph.  I'd get one of those charms quickly...

Chris
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
From: johnmc@btree.uucp (John McCaffrey)
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 92 22:14:42 GMT
Organization: Brooktree Corporation
Subject: [M] Removing Copper
Distribution: na



I've got a 40 gal marine fish-only aquarium that I want to convert into
a reef tank.  The problem is that about a year and a half ago, I used
copper to medicate for Oodinium and I understand that it's very
difficult to get out entirely.  I realize now that that was not too
bright but we'll just have to chalk that up to experience.

To convert the tank to reef, I intend to move all the fish into my other
fish-only tank (55 gal), do a 100% water change and begin adding live
rock.  My concern is about the copper that may have leeched into the
plexiglass or into the bioballs or DLS material.  The copper used was
"Copper Safe."  After the medication, I did a 75% water change followed
by 25-30% water changes every month (approximately 13 changes to date).

How can I recover from this?


Tank info:
  40 Gal TruVu Plexiglass tank
  Wet/Dry Filter (includes DLS, bioballs, X-Phosphate, X-Nitrate, Chemi-pure
    and Protein Skimmer)
  Light Canopy (not yet purchased) will probably include 1 Metal Halide
    and two Actinic flourescents  (Side note: Can I get away with just 
    some VHO "Daylight" flourescents and an Actinic or two?  There sure 
    would be alot less heat to deal with.)


John McCaffrey                          Internet: btree!johnmc@ucsd.edu 
Brooktree Corporation                   UUCP: ...ucsd!btree!johnmc
San Diego, CA
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: Re: [F]Angel fish question.
From: cctr128@cantua.canterbury.ac.nz (Mr K Osborn)
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1992 05:38:18 GMT
Organization: University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]

Joe Martinez (jmartine@zeus.calpoly.edu) wrote:

: The store that I bought it at says that there is some sort of "Angel fish
: disease" that is killing off most of the angel fish population, and that

I was talking to a local store owner and commented that you no longer
see black or marble angles.  He said that in Singapore disease has wiped
out most of the angel population there ( we import most of our fish from
singapore ).  So maybe it's spreading.  Anyone able to provide any real
postitive info about it ?

: their angels are all bred in the store, from disease-free fish, and no
: angels from outside are allowed in the store.

This maybe soon be the only way to get angels.  Definately quarintein any
new fish before adding them to exsisting populations.

Be seeing you,
Kelwyn.
_________

He said that's alright babe,
I love you too.
But we were Tangled Up In Blue.
       - Bob Dylan
From: oleg@netcom.com (Oleg Kiselev)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria
Subject: Re: (F) Maintaining Bio-Filtration With Whisper
Date: 5 Oct 92 02:47:06 GMT
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)

In article <1992Oct4.231115.24599@col.hp.com> dsavard@col.hp.com (Don Savard) writes:
>Or is there another way
>to maintain the bacteria colony (without using one of those
>big ugly sponge filters, my tank is too small).

Use a nylon mesh baggie with a few Bio-Stars or a bunch of Bio-Beads or a
few Bio-Balls or some bio-bale as a permanent bacterial culture which will
reseed the new filter pad.  If Whispers have media baskets like Penguins do,
use that instead of a baggie and use whatever bio-media will fit in, even
something as mundane as pea-sized gravel.
-- 
Oleg Kiselev at home			...use the header to find the path
Xref: sparky rec.aquaria:7752 alt.aquaria:5167
From: larisa@tcville.edsg.hac.com (Larisa Stephan)
Newsgroups: rec.aquaria,alt.aquaria
Subject: [M] Initial cycling with inverts only
Date: 2 Oct 92 17:30:10 GMT
Reply-To: larisa@tcville.edsg.hac.com
Organization: Hughes Aircraft Co. EOS, El Segundo, CA

Hi.  I am considering finally setting up a temperate marine tank.  Due to space
considerations I was thinking of a 10 - 20g. (40 - 80l) tank with basic
fluorescent hood.

I thought some nice snails and a hermit crab or shrimp would be attractive along
with some genuine local live rock.  But here's the kicker:  I don't think I'll
have the space for fish!  OK, in the 20g. option maybe one fish.  Most local fish
I can think of just get too big for this proposed tank size.

So, how do I cycle in my brand-new tank without any fish?  Can a few cubic
centimeters of snail initialize the biofilter without being killed in the process?

Any comments about this topic or opinions on my plan are welcome via net or e-mail.

-- Larisa
larisa@tcville.edsg.hac.com | stephan@hac2arpa.hac.com