A VERY SPECIAL CDAS RAFFLE

Thanks to our generous sponsor Canberra Marine, we'll be launching a special raffle at our December meeting
(Tuesday 17 December at the armonie !erman Club"#
The pri$e is an 80 litre Aquatopia Total Marine Starter Kit#
This complete marine starter kit includes%
&'( )lack *+uarium, ,rotein -kimmer, iological filtration .asily replaceable
media, /'w (.D (ighting /0''(12, Double cooling fan, 3ide feeding lid
-tand, heater and a 45'' 6oucher to spend at Canberra Marine to stock your new
display are also included#
That's o6er 47'' in a single, winner7take7all, pri$e#
8f you ha6e e6er been tempted to try marines, this is your chance#
-o don't rely on -anta for your 5'19 a+uarium needs# !et
your tickets as soon as you can#
Tickets are :ust 45 and the draw will take place on &
;ebruary at the CD*- Mega *uction# Tickets will only be
a6ailable at the December and <anuary CD*- meetings and
at the Mega *uction before the draw#
THE MEGA ACTI!" IS C!MI"G
=es> The first CD*- 8nc# M.!* *uction of 5'19 will be held on -aturday & ;ebruary 5'19#
Details are still being worked out, but the date and 6enue (armonie !erman Club, ?arrabundah, *CT" are locked
in#
There'll certainly be truck loads of fish, in6ertebrates, plants and a+uarium products a6ailable#
CD*- members should start considering what they'll be submitting
for auction#
*s in pre6ious M.!* *uctions, the club will purchase a wide range
of unusual and hard7to7get7items for the auction#
There will also be raffles (including the drawing of our @ery -pecial
Aaffle", gi6eaways and special offers on the day#
?on7members will be able to participate (in buying" by purchasing a
bidder's card or :oining CD*- on the day#
Come along and bring your friends and family# Make a day of it#
3e'll see you there#
STOP PRESS NEWS JUST IN.
As you all know, this is a huge topic and it is daunting for most people, new to the hobby or otherwise. I
figured Id put together a bit of writing and see if I can explain it as best as possible, because I feel it is
important for anyone who is just starting up or has been running a planted aquarium to understand what is
going on, why things happen and what you need to do about them. Hopefully, this is helpful to those who dont
quite get the intricacies of chemistry.
Just a note on the order of things included here I put it so that inexperienced people can start with the first
section first, it will explain the basics, the second section will explain the nitrogen cycle in detail, the third
section will be briefly on !"# and "xygen, the final section will be on plant nutrients. I guess it is ordered from
most known to least known and if you know a section, dont bother reading it, I ha$ent added anything ground
breaking or experimental, I simply recapped the basic chemistry in easy to grasp terms.
1. The Basics
%asic &lements in the planted aquarium include' Iron ()e*, +agnesium (+g*, %oron (%*, !opper (!u*,
+anganese (+n*, ,ulphur (,*, -itrogen (-*, Hydrogen (H*, "xygen ("*, !alcium (!a*, .otassium (/*, ,odium
(-a* ,.hosphorous (.* and of course !arbon (!*, I may ha$e missed a few which I will edit in later, but these
are the ones that I can think of as most important.
Ions' !harged form of an element or a compound (compounds being a series of elements bonded together in
a fixed ratio*. Ions can bond together to form Ionic !ompounds. 0here are two types of ions 1nions and
!ations.
Anion' 1 negati$ely charged ion, examples include -itrates (-"2'*, .hosphates (."3 2'*, -itrites (-"#'*
and ,ulphates (,"3 #'*, !arbonate (!"2 #'*
Cation' 1 .ositi$ely charged ion, normally a metal (1mmonium is an exception, there are others*, &xamples
include !a #4, )e 24 )e #4 (both iron, but differing oxidation states, will get to this momentarily*, +g #4, H4
(hydrogen is mostly thought of as a non metal, I am content to lea$e it this way as an exception to the rule*
and ammonium is -H34.
Compounds' 1 chemically bonded species consisting of multiple different elements, can be ionic (-a 4 !l ' *,
can be charged (,"3 #', -"2 '*, can be stable (H#", "#, !"#* .
Bonding 5 0here are multiple different types of bonding that go on in an aquarium, howe$er I will explain only
Ionic %onding. 0his is how ions come about. I will first use an example, elemental +agnesium isnt particularly
stable, it will react with most things (air, water, acid, your fishes poo*, it can howe$er stabilise itself by donating
its two electrons to another unstable compound, say sulphuric acid. 6ou will ne$er e$er e$er find +agnesium
in its pure form in the aquarium, (call me if you do, Id like to see it .*, howe$er you will find +agnesium
,ulphate in just about e$ery aquarium. 0his is a +agnesium cation bonded to a sulphate anion, it is stable and
will dissol$e in water due to being ionic (I can explain this more if someone wants, but this should be sufficient*
"/, with that out of the way, I will ha$e a crack at describing water parameters.
pH
pH is a measure of the acidity of the water. 1 pH of 7 is considered neutral. 1t this point, the acid causing H4
ions ha$e equal concentration to the base causing "H' ions. Hangon, what 8s an acid and a base9
1 substance is classed as acidic if it can ionise water by gi$ing water a H4 ion, which will form H2"4, this
howe$er does not mean that any substance containing hydrogen will turn your water into a bubbling pool of
acidic water, in fact most hydrogen containing substances are content to sit and do nothing. 0he compounds
you ha$e to worry about are called 1cids, and they as a general rule, will contain a hydrogen that isnt bonded
particularly well to the other part of the compound. &xamples include H#,"3, which is # H 4 molecules
bonded to an ,"3 #' anion. 0his will disassociate (break up, separate, run freeeeee* in water which is what
causes the water to become acidic, (this is what H4 ions in solution do, cause acidity*.
%ases, by definition accept a H4 ion from water,
ionising it to be "H'. !ommon bases include, -a"H.
0he -a 4 (sodium in case you ha$e forgotten* and the
"H' disassociate. 0he "H' reacts with a H4 ion in the
water to form H#". :hen there is more "H' ions in the
water than H4 ions, this is when you ha$e a basic pH.
(I may ha$e lied to you about the 8current definitions of bases and acids, but for our purposes, this is
acceptable*
"k, cool, so we know what bases and acids are now, but how do they affect us9
:ell;
6ou know when you measure the pH of your tank, you get a number. 0his number could mean anything.
1nything at all. %ut it doesnt. It relates to the concentration of H4 Ions in the water. :hy do we measure H4
ions and not "H', con$ention. 1 pH of 7 is considered neutral, the H4 ions ha$e an equal concentration to the
"H' ions, e$eryone is happy (fish too*. 1ny pH that is under 7 is considered to be acidic, H4 concentration is
greater than "H' concentration. 1ny pH that is o$er 7 is considered basic, "H' is greater than H4.
0he pH scale is logarithmic. 0his means that each number represents a concentration different to the
pre$ious by a factor of <=. )or instance, pH > is <= times more acidic than pH 7 (the H4 ions are <= times the
concentration*. pH ? is <== times more acidic than pH 7 (fish arent so happy anymore*. pH2 we are talking
pure $inegar (e$en people arent happy anymore*. pH @, <= times more basic than pH7 (most fish still happy*.
pH <=, <=== times more basic (woah, what the hell are you putting in your water*.
:hen you add acids to bases, they react, neutralising , to a degree. 1dding -a"H (strong base* to $inegar is
a little like peeing on a house fire, the resulting product will be a basic salt, I guarantee it. 1dding H!l (strong
acid* to -aH!"2(weak base* will lea$e you with an acid (carbonic acid H#!"2* and a salt (-a!l, table salt,
yum, kidding dont eat it, its mixed in with an acid*. (H!l 4 -aH!"2 'A -a!l 4 H#!"2*
How does this affect the aquarium. :ell, the pH in your aquarium is dependant on a number of things. Ill try
to explain some, but others will require a google search.
)irstly, sources of bases in your aquarium. 0hese include H!"2' (the hydrogen carbonate ion*, this is due to
dissol$ed minerals in your water like limestone (!a!"2 * which will react with carbon dioxide in water (which is
acidic, ill get to that I swear* to create the H!"2' ion. .lants also release the H!"2' ion when they are
photosynthesising, this is a product of consuming !"# (carbon dioxide* from the water column and releasing
oxygen. 0here are countless other sources of "H' ions in your aquarium, these include shells, certain gra$el,
certain rocks, fish excretions (-H2 is a base* and tap water (thanks ,ydney water*. 0hese arent a problem in
the aquarium, due to buffers (again, I will get onto that later* which pre$ent large pH changes.
1cids, 1cids are again, common in the aquarium. 0here are all kinds of organic acids that are present in the
aquarium, these are metabolites of fish waste, secretions from soil, peat juice (for lack of a better word*,
present in food, put out by decaying plants, the list goes on. 1s a general rule, any kind of decaying organic
matter will create some form of organic acid which could affect the pH of your aquarium. 1nother source of
acidity in the aquarium is dissol$ed !"#, (!"# 4 H#" 'A H#!"2, H#!"2 'A H4 4 H!"2'*. 1lso, some tap
waters are acidic.
"k, so why is pH so important for your fish and plants9 Barious aquatic chemical mechanisms change $astly
with differing pHs and the toxicity of certain metals and compounds changes with pH, what does this mean for
a balanced and safe aquarium9 -ot much, if youre aquarium is balanced dont stress, ha$ing a slightly acidic
or slightly basic pH isnt the end of the world.
If your pH is between > and @, I see no problems with keeping fish. 0here is normally no reason to adjust your
pH unless you are breeding specialist fish or are experienced. If your pH is a bit high, you can add peat to your
water, this will soften the water (coming up soon* and lower the pH by releasing Humic 1cids. If your pH is too
low, add crushed coral, shell grit, dolomite, etc ( a quick google search will tell you what is and isnt $iable*.
0he most important thing about pH is to pre$ent wild pH swings, a mildly acidic or basic tank wont hurt your
fish, but pH that changes continuously will stress them, will wreak ha$oc on your tank chemistry and will be a
massi$e pain. %asically, when you are testing for pH you are testing to see if it is li$eable for the fish, and you
are testing to see if it is changing with time. If it is changing, your tank is unbalanced and you ha$e to do
something to rectify it, whether it be plant more plants, take out that big bubbling rock, again a quick google
search can tell you exactly what needs to be done.
1s a general rule, dont use pH Cown, or pH Dp to adjust your water whene$er it is starting to shift, this is a
bad way to control pH and a good way to ha$e wild and random swinging pHs that will stress you and the fish
out, instead address the issue at the cause.
-aturally, in distilled water pH will swing quite rapidly for any number of reason, well, how do we pre$ent this9
0he answer is buffers. :hich is the next topic.
Buffers
%uffers rely on a chemical system called equilibrium. &qulibriums are reactions that will proceed both ways
based on the concentrations of the reactants and the products. 1n example of a common aquarium buffer is
the H!"2' system. +ost buffers rely on a weak acid (or weak base* and a salt of the acid. %icarbonate system
isnt an exception. It relies on a few equilibrium equations
!"# 4 H#" E'A H#!"2
H#!"2 E'A H4 4H!"2'
H!"2' E'A H4 4 !"2 #'
!a!"2 E'A !a4 4 !"2 #'
0he basis of this is that when you change one of the parts of the equilibrium, the others adjust so as to
minimiFe the change. :hat this means in a $ery basic sense is that if you were to add acid to a solution
buffered with !a!"2 and H#!"2, the pH change would be less than if you were to add it to an unbuffered
solution. 0his allows the pH in aquariums to remain fairly stable despite the constantly changing H4 and "H'
generated in the aquariums. 0his is handy, because during the day, plants generate H!"2' ions, but at night,
they release !"#, this !a!"2 buffer pre$ents wildly swinging pH from day to night. 0his is the most basic
buffer system in most aquariums, there are softwater aquariums with negligible amounts of !a!"2 dissol$ed
in them, these utiliFe a different buffer system normally comprised of humic and other organic acids, I wont go
into that because its a big side topic. Ciana :alstad has howe$er, if anybody is keen to get her book (I ha$e it,
it is excellent*.
%efore +o$ing on
.lease note, this is a thousand times more complex than I ha$e explained, so dont go adding straight
dolomite or lime or anything of the sort to pre$ent pH changes. 6ou will do more harm than good. !rushed
shells, limestone, that kind of thing, is more acceptable, but research before doing so.
:ell, you may be wondering, where does this !alcium !arbonate come from9
0his brings us to the next topic
Hardness
0here are two types of hardness, well, theres really not, let me try again, there are two measures of
hardness. Hardness is I guess a hypothetical thing. 0he water isnt physically hard. Its still a liquid. God Im
funny. -o9 "k; I will continue. 0he two measures are /H and GH. /H stands for !arbonate Hardness (or
/arbonate, If that will help you remember it* and GH stands for General Hardness.
I am going to rely a little on :ikipedia here for certain numbers and reactions, so bear with me.
!arbonate Hardness is a measure of the dissol$ed carbonate (!"2 #'* and (H!"2 ' * bicarbonate Ions in the
water. It is measured in ppm which is equi$alent to mgHI which isnt at all equi$alent to one d/H, the
con$ersion factor according to :ikipedia is one d/H is equi$alent to 8<7.@3@ milligrams of calcium carbonate
(!a!"2* per litre of water (<7.@3@ ppm*. !arbonate hardness due to being composed of +agnesium (+g*
and !alcium (!a* and other multi$alent (more than 4< charge* metals is expressed as if all the carbonates
came solely from calcium. ,imilarly, bicarbonates are expressed as if they were equi$alent concentration of
carbonates.
General Hardness is simply a measure of the concentration of multi$alent metals in a litre of water, it is again
expressed in a number equi$alent to all the metal concentrations coming solely from !a!"2. It is expressed in
ppm of !a #4 or dGH.
"/, so the $erdict on hardness is that hardness acts as a buffer to pre$ent pH changes. Hardness howe$er,
does also ha$e the effect of increasing pH, the harder your water, the higher your pH. It also means that it is
incredibly difficult to lower your pH should you want to breed softwater species or grow specific plants. In order
to lower your pH you ha$e to adsorb the !a and the +g and the !arbonates out of the water first, this will
soften your water and lower the pH slightly. .lease note, softwater is more susceptible to water changes than
harder water. 1 good method of lowering pH is peat, which will also remo$e !a and +g ions from the water
and replace them with H4.
,o, thatJs basic water chemistry <=<. 6ay new 0opic .
2. The nitrogen cycle.
-itrogen is the most abundant element in our atmosphere, consisting of around 7=K of the air that we
breathe and li$e in. ,o, what makes nitrogen so important. :ell, -# (diatomic nitrogen, the form found in the
air* is possibly the most stable molecule around, it will not break down under most circumstances and it in its
elemental form wont react with most things unless pushed (and by pushed I mean hundreds of degrees and
thousands of pascals of pressure*. ,o, why is it so important in the aquarium9
:ell, because nitrogen is so inert, of course plants and bacteria ha$e found a way to break it down. -itrogen
is included in almost all biological molecules. 0his includes fish food.
,o, the fish eats the food. In its waste, it then excretes 1mmonia. )ish waste isnt the only source of
1mmonia, decaying plants and most decaying organic material will release ammonia. Lemember the
discussion on pH before and the particular line, pH changes how things work in the aquarium9 :ell, this is an
example of that. 1mmonia (-H#* is deadly to fish, it is also howe$er a weak base, which will react with H4 ions
to form 1mmonium (-H24* which isnt lethal to fish (it also isnt optimal, it is still in equilibrium with 1mmonia
and will more than happily re$ert at any gi$en time*. 0his reaction will only occur in acidic water howe$er, so
there needs to be another method of remo$ing ammonia from the water.
0his is where the nitrogen cycle enters, hopefully you$e all heard about cycling. :ait you ha$ent9 "k, let me
explain. 1mmonia is introduced into the water column by some type of fish waste, bacteria on all the hard
surfaces in the tank will process this ammonia, it will transform it into -itrites (-"#'* through oxidisation. 0his
bacteria isnt present in the tank unless it has been cycled correctly. 0his bacteria is also $ery important, like
your fish, and so shouldnt be treated with chlorine or excessi$e changes of pH and temperature.
0he bacteria ser$es to turn the deadly 1mmonia into -itrites, and this will allow the bacteria to flourish and
breed. ( %ecause this is processing the 1mmonia it will cause the 1mmonium to break up back into 1mmonia
and H4 to be processed* 1mmonia le$els in the aquarium go down, the number of bacteria stabiliFes and
$oila, your tank is cycled, ready to ha$e fish and work through more ammonia.
Hang on a sec; I mentioned -itrites, guess what, they are also toxic to your fish, I lied, your tank isnt
cycled. 1 second set of bacteria ha$e to be established and will process the -itrites by further oxidation into
-itrates. 0his bacteria like the original one will breed on all the hard porous surfaces of your tank.
Hard porous surfaces, some people like to think is a euphemism for filters. :hilst not wrong, it can also be
the minute and miniscule pores on your gra$el, the biofilm that forms on your rocks, the nooks and crannies of
the microscopic nature that form on your driftwood, the surface of your plants e$en the bodies of your fish.
&$en without a filter, (which I wouldnt attempt unless you were an expert*, the bacteria will breed and multiply.
,o we are left with these nitrates. Guess what, nitrates are non toxicM 616M ,ort of; -ot really; -o they
really arent. -itrates like all waste in the aquarium can build up to toxic le$els and kill your fish. 0his is why we
perform water changes. 0his is why people ad$ocate the use of plants.
0his is also where bioload comes in, if you ha$e too many fishHtoo much waste breaking downH or e$en too
many pooping snails, the bacteria wont be able to keep up with the load, there simply isnt enough of them and
your tank will quickly become an ammonia laden cess pit.
%efore I continue, I would like to add, -itrates are an excellent source of food for plants, they help the plant
grow and pro$ide a good way to remo$e the -itrates from the water column.
Plants also will process Ammonia directly, so in conunction with !acteria, will form an Ammonia
fighting super team.
". #$ygen and Car!on %io$ide
,o far we ha$e learnt that !arbon Cioxide will cause an aquarium to become acidic and that plants process it
to form H!"2'. 0his is true. .lants howe$er, also break up !arbon Cioxide molecules through a process
known as .hotosynthesis. 0his basically means that a plant will use energy from the sun (or the micro suns we
like to call !)Is, )luoros, I&Cs etc*, to break up !"# into ! and "#. 0his is beneficial for both the plants and
the fish. 0he !"# is toxic to fish at high concentrations. "# is essential for life, this seems a pretty good trade
off. It gets better though, the plants use the ! (!arbon* that they ha$e just scrubbed out of your water as a
building block for their growth. 0he energy they get from photosynthesis allows them to de$elop Glucose and
!ellulose .olymers out of the !arbon and to grow and make your aquarium beautiful.
%ioload features here as well, if the bioload on your tank is too high, the plants (or atmosphere in an
unplanted tank* wont be able to keep up enough dissol$ed oxygen for your fish to be happy and they will
slowly but surely get ill and die.
1lso, plants at night time as I mentioned earlier no longer photosynthesise, instead the release !"#, just like
fish and take in oxygen. +ajor problem if your tank is o$erstocked. +ajor problem if your tank is poorly
buffered and cant stand the .H changes due to the increase in !"# concentrations.
.lants cant just use carbon to fuel their growth howe$er, (imagine a large growing piece of graphite in your
aquarium, fun heyM*, they rely on other nutrients, such as the aforementioned -itrates and more. :hich leads
us to the next sectionM
&. Plant 'utrients
"k, this is going to take a while and this is going to be huge. ,o ill put out some basics first.
.lants need a $ariety of nutrients to grow. 0he basic building blocks for plants are -itrogen, .hosphorus,
.otassium, ,ulphur, !arbon and of course "xygen. 0hese are called the macronutrients. 0here are also
doFens, and I do mean doFens, of micro nutrients that plants need to grow well. Heres a few, !a, +g, +n, %,
)e, -a etc etc etc.
Ill do my best to explain.
)irstly, lets tackle algae. 1lgae is caused by imbalances of these nutrients in the water column. 1lgae is more
specialiFed than plants are (mostly due to the fact that there are o$er @=== species of true algaes alone*,
which means that basically, there is an algae for e$ery imbalance. 1lgae will compete with plants for the same
nutrients, and if the nutrients arent balanced, the algae will win. In a balanced aquarium, plants are better
suited to outcompete algae, and you will be rewarded with a clean and clear tank. -ow an example, If your
tank has far too much bioa$ailable nitrogen floating around, you can bet that there will be an algae bloom that
just lo$es to feed on nitrogen. 0oo much ,ilicates9 0he lo$ely brown diatom (which isnt e$en an algae* will
quickly coloniFe and in$ade your tank. :ell, why is this a problem9 0he algae is incredibly unsightly for a start.
,econdly, the algae will contribute to your bioload (although during the day it will bubble off "#, at night, just
like plants, it is a good old fashioned !"# factory*. .lants help pre$ent imbalances in your water chemistry, as
does frequent water changes, a healthy feeding routine and if necessary specific fertiliFationHcarbonHlighting
control.
"/. "nto +acronutrients.
6oure probably asking yourself, what is the best way to get -itrogen for instance into the tank. :ell, im not
going to answer, there are doFens of ways and each tend to ha$e their merits. Ill explain #.
-atural planted tanks are a popular option with fishkeepers, these type of tanks rely on a soil based substrate
to pro$ide some +acro and most +icro nutrients to the plants. 0he other source of nutrient input to the tank is
fish food, which will contain again, most of the +acro nutrients that plants need. Cecaying organic matter in
the soil will pro$ide carbon, nitrates, phosphates and sulphates to the plants. 0his accounts for most of the
macro nutrients that a plant will need. 0his type of tank will e$entually deplete the soil, but for years, it will be a
plant growing ha$en. "nce the soil is depleted it can be replaced, it isnt particularly difficult. 6ou can also
supplement the soil with fertiliFers, more on that next. 1lso, it is important not to forget that plants do need
carbon to grow, the carbon can come from fish or it can be added, which again I will discuss next.
0he second type of tank is for lack of a better description, a fertiliFed tank. :here you rely on additional
fertiliFers in addition to fish waste and sometimes a soil based substrate. 0he fertiliFers that you add will supply
the plants with what they need in terms of macro and micro nutrients.
What type of fertilizer do I need?
%ig question. 0heres a lot of debate about this, so ill just keep it basic. 6ou need to pro$ide for the plants any
nitrates, phosphates and sulphates that they wont get from the fish food. If you are purchasing fertiliFer, this
will be premixed. If not, ill explain what you can do briefly.
:hen you are supplying for instance, .hosphorous, to the plants, you dont gi$e them the pure elemental
.hosphorous, this is a nasty substance that will start burning when reacted with water, not the kind of thing to
be playing with. ,o you need to gi$e it to the plants in a stable form. 0his stable form also has to be
bioa$ailable and soluble in water. 0hese bits of information gi$e us e$erything we need to go on to start mixing
up our own fertiliFers. ,ort of;
,table forms of the macronutrients include, /4, ."3 2', ,"3 #', -"2 ', !"#, just to name a few. -ow, we
still cant put these in the tank. 0hey simply dont exist (except !"#, that one does exist, causing climate
change and all that; yeah* . 0hese first ha$e to be produced from the elemental reactants. 0hey are then
reacted along a series of nasty steps and we arri$e at our final product, Ionic ,alts.
:hen adding macronutrients to the aquarium, they are added as ionic salts. 0he exact concentrations of
each fertiliFer I am not going to go into, if you arent capable of googling it, I wouldnt suggest making your own
fertiliser. (I see aquagreen.com.au ha$e an awesome range already mixed for you*. %ut if you are capable of
googling it, you will find recipes like .+CC and you will find measures of the optimal le$els for the indi$idual
nutrients in the water column.
,ome basic salts that are used for +acro-utrients and that are easily sourceable include
/-"2' ,ource of .otassium and -itrates, &bay it. 1lso, dont make the mistake I made and ask for it at
%unnings, its generally not sold at shops because it is an ingredient in explosi$es (this is why we cant ha$e
nice things* and they gi$e you dirty looks whilst explaining. 1lso, if you cant get a hold of it, it isnt the end of
the world, the nitrogen cycle will supply you with the -itrates and the .otassium is easily a$ailable elsewhere.
/#,"3 5 ,ource of ,ulphates and .otassium ' &bay it. 1lso sold at garden centres as sulphate of potash or
some crafty de$iation of that.
.hosphates 5 +ost people dont bother adding, fish poop, fish food and some rocks will do this for you,
.hosphates are $ery, $ery rarely the limiting factor in plant growth
0hese are all bioa$ailable and soluble forms of the macronutrients, which essentially means they will go right
where you want them, straight to the plants that need them the most (or to the algae that has become rampant
in your tank*.
-ow, micronutrients. +icronutrients are a little more difficult to add. :ithout them, your plants will ne$er grow,
your tank is essentially a wonderland where all the little algal spores can frolic and play.
+ost people will use a premixed micronutrient mix for most things, you are more than welcome to mix one
yourself, but terrestrial plant keepers ha$e done it for you, and they are pretty happy with the result.
0he premixed micronutrient trace mix will consist of most of the traceHmicronutrients you will need already
combined into an ionic salt form. .retty much ready to go into the aquarium. 0here are exceptions to this
though.
!alcium for instance, has a different concentration and different uses in the aquarium than it does in the
terrestrial en$ironment. !alcium along with +agnesium make up the hardness of the water, there are a
multitude of a$ailable compounds which will dose these two into the water. Infact, most people class !alcium
and +agnesium as macronutrients, howe$er I refrain from doing this as they do not make up a large portion
dry plant mass, and instead are present mainly in the water as buffers.
!a!"2 5 !rushed shell grit, crushed coral, Iimestone all being good sources 5 Garden ,upply, .et ,upply
,hops
!a,"3 5 Gypsum, good source of calcium 5 Garden ,upply
+g,"3 5 +agnesium ,ulphate, a good source of magnesium and sulphur 5 .harmacy, :oolies, Garden
,upply
!a+g(!"2*# 5 Colomite, Good source of +agnesium and !alcium and !arbonates, dissol$es slowly though'
Garden ,upply
0he other trace nutrients that are $ital for plant growth are %oron, Ninc, !opper, Iron, +olybdenum, !hloride
(no not chlorine, chloride* and +anganese. 0hese trace nutrients ha$e $arying le$els of success in Ionic ,alt
)orm, and it is often preferred to add them in a chelated form. 6ou can chelate your own using $arious
!helating agents, or you can buy them premixed. !helating basically makes the nutrients more bioa$ailable
and more stable, because certain metals, like )e (Iron* will react with water and quickly become insoluble. 0he
!helate keeps them in suspension where they can be used by plants. It also reduces the toxicity of certain
metal ions because they are no longer reacti$e and wont bond to sites they shouldnt in your fishes body.
"ften the limiting factor on aquatic plant growth is !"#, which means that your fish simply cant pro$ide
enough !"# for the plants to use up all the nutrients and as such, the plants will be out competed by algae,
this is a common case and will usually require reduction of nutrients, reduction of light or !"#
supplementation. 0his can take the form of !ompressed !"#, CI6 !"# and dissol$ed organic carbon
supplementation. Cissol$ed organic carbon supplementation are products like ,eachem )lourish excel, Cino
,pit (a$ailable from 1quagreen* and if you are into CI6, apparently Glutaraldehyde mixes can pro$ide plants
with carbon.
1 couple of short things.
+ixing your own fertiliser is for people that ha$e a better grasp of chemistry in the aquarium and ha$e test
kits that allow them to monitor the nutrient le$els.
Cosing indi$idual nutrients is e$en more difficult and should only be attempted by people that are certain they
know what they are doing and are able to test the nutrient le$els in the tank. 0here is a huge ad$antage in
doing this though, as you can change fertilisation based on the nutrient deficiency symptomsHtest results.
I dont know the ideal le$els for nutrients, these ha$e to be looked up on the forum or on Google as they will
$ary wildly for different types of plants, and mostly because I simply cant remember the standard
accepted $alues (to be honest, not e$en sure if there are any accepted $alues*.
1nd there it is, I think I got e$erything. I will be editing this in the future.
Hopefully this is helpful to someone. 1lso please, dont copy this to other forums, if I like the
forum enough I may post it there e$entually, but it took me o$er ? hours to write, so id like it to stay in the one
place. 1nd clearly, i did miss some parts, i will edit this in the future and make it a bit easier to read and a bit
more informati$e.
!heers,
!hris
,till needing more chemistry9 "f course you areM !heck out the article on Ammonia in the
freshwater aquarium in the +embers 1rticles ,ection of the the !C1, :eb ,ite
A newbie's guide to getting your feet wet with social media via the CDAS Facebook page.
If you have avoided Facebook (as I did for several
years), it may be time to reconsider. The CDAS
Facebook a!e is a !reat "ay to connect "ith fello"
club members and the broader a#uarium$keein!
community and to find out "hat%s haenin! at
CDAS.
And you really don%t have to tell everyone "hat you
had for dinner or ost a &selfie' every fe" minutes.
(ou don%t have to even share any ersonal
information at all if you don%t "ant to ) *ust start an
ordinary Facebook account (free), navi!ate to the
CDAS Facebook a!e and &+ike' the a!e.
To start your Facebook adventure, !o to
""".facebook.com. (ou%ll be invited to start an
account and fill in some basic information. (ou don%t
have to ut much here and you can elect not to share
your information ublicly (only "ith the &friends' you
select). ,nce you have done this, you have a
ersonal Facebook a!e "hich you can use (or not
use) as you like.
-se the search bar at the to of your a!e by tyin!
in relevant terms ) if you tye &Canberra A#uarium',
CDAS%s a!e "ill be in the dro$do"n list.
.hen you then visit CDAS on Facebook, you%ll see
a a!e that looks (somethin!) like the icture on the
ne/t a!e0 Send a fe" minutes !ettin! familiar "ith
the layout. &+ike' the a!e and feel free to leave a
messa!e in the &.rite somethin!...' bo/ to let others
kno" you have *oined.
If you select &1et notifications', you%ll receive an
email each time there%s a ne" ost on the site. That%s
not al"ays a !ood idea, esecially "hen there are a
do2en ne" osts each day. It%s robably better to *ust
bookmark the a!e and visit re!ularly or "henever
you feel like catchin! u.
(ou don%t have to be a CDAS member to articiate
in the Facebook a!e discussion. ,ften, "e%ll receive
comments or #uestions from eole in other arts of
the "orld. If you find somethin! you think others
"ould like to kno" about, share it via the Facebook
a!e.
What Else is There on Facebook?
,nce you have become comfortable usin! the
CDAS Facebook a!e, there%s a "ide, "ide "orld of
a#uarium$related Facebook a!es and !rous to
e/lore. T"o related a!es you should certainly visit
are the CDAS 3reeders A"ard !rou a!e, mana!ed
by CDAS, and the Canberra 4 Surroundin! Areas
Fish 5eeers !rou a!e "here you%ll find a lot of the
-sual Susects han!in! out and talkin! about
fish$keein! in !eneral. These are both !ood !rous
to *oin.
Further afield, there are lots of Australian and
international !rous "ith Facebook a!es. -se the
Facebook search bar to find secialist a!es on
toics such as killifish, catfish, African cichlids,
lanted a#uariums etc. 6oin those !rous you%d like
to stay in touch "ith.
7ost a#uarium businesses also have Facebook
a!es. (ou can kee u to date "ith ne" fish
shiments and e#uiment. 7any offer secial
discounts and cometitions for their Facebook
follo"ers. A!ain, search for the name of the business
you are interested in.
So, aart from teena!ers sharin! ictures of their
inaroriate behaviour, Facebook offers a "ide
ran!e of le!itimate and useful a!es for anyone
interested in a#uarium keein! ) or *ust about
anythin! else.
A fe" tis for the ne" user ) If you feel
over"helmed or flooded "ith useless information, cut
back and turn off notifications. (ou are fully in control
of the information flo" so use that control to set a
ace and volume you are hay "ith. If you are
havin! any trouble doin! that, *ust ask and eole "ill
be hay to share their o"n methods. Don%t ever feel
that you have to resond to every ost or #uestion. It
is a lar!e community and your involvement is entirely
otional.
Other social media and web sites
There%s a lot more to on$line a#uarium sites than
Facebook. (ou may refer the more sedate ace of
traditional "ebsites like CDAS%s o"n main site at
""".cdas.or!.au. CDAS also hosts a members%
forum at """.cdas.or!.au8hbb. If you refer a
more closed !rou, the forum may be for you.
CDAS also has a T"itter feed at
htts088t"itter.com8TheCDAS "here "e ost short
messa!es, links and udates. If you refer T"itter to
Facebook, subscribe to the feed and you%ll be ket
u$to$date.
,ther social media sites are full of interestin!
a#uarium information. (ou can search (outube,
9imeo, Flickr, 1oo!le:, Tumblr or any of the
hundreds of other social net"orkin! services for
a#uarium$related information.
7a*or a#uarium societies also have their o"n
"ebsites. The Australian and ;e" 1uinea Fish
Association (htt088""".an!fa.or!.au) and the
American 5illifish Association (htt088aka.or!8) are t"o
of my ersonal favorites. There are also urely
on$line communities oeratin! vibrant communities
throu!h forums and blo!s ) check out A#uarium+ife
(htt088""".a#uariumlife.com.au) ) and esecially the
forums there ) for an Australian e/amle.
The CDAS Facebook Page A bit complicated at first, but quickly learnable
These sites are also part of the CDAS social media family
ust a fe! of the many
Facebook groups on
specialist aquarium topics
On line and mailorder ordering of livestock can be a great way to get hold of fish, invertebrates or plants that
are otherwise rarely available locally through shops, local breeders or CDAS auctions. There can also be
some great bargains on-line. ut before you load up your shopping cart and press !pay now", it is worth
taking a few moments to consider whether this is the right thing to do. There are a few traps for the unwary.
Do you have the right accommodation for what you are ordering?
Those new #eruvian Altum Angels may be very tempting at $ust %&'( each, but where are you going to put
them when they arrive) *hat about +uarantine) Do you really want to mi, them immediately with your rare
-reen Discus) Are your water conditions right for your new arrivals).ust as when you visit the a+uarium
shop or a CDAS auction, DON'T BUY ON IMPUL!. #lan ahead and think it through.
I" your "u##$ier $ega$?
/ots of people will offer or advertise to send fish, invertebrates, a+uarium plants or live food to you through
the post or via courier. Apart from blatantly false and misleading claims 0scams1 the main thing you have to
be alert to is overseas operators. IT I ILL!%&L TO IMPO'T LI(IN% T)IN% INTO &UT'&LI& (I&
M&IL. 2mporting fish, plants and other livestock into Australia is tightly regulated 0thank goodness1 and using
a supplier outside of Australia, including through ebay, will not only mean you loose your money, it also
means your order will either be destroyed by Customs or 3uarantine authorities before you see it 45 you
may be prosecuted for a criminal offense if it does get through. Don6t do it. 7ot even once. 8ou may also find
that non-living a+uarium items, like food, driftwood and some water treatments, are also illegal to import. 8ou
are pretty safe with e+uipment purchases 0but buyer beware, for lots of reasons1.
Doe" your "u##$ier *now what they are doing?
4nce you are sure you can properly house your purchases and your supplier is in Australia, the supplier6s
e,perience and practices are the things that make the most difference to the success of your order . uying
from an established and specialist mailorder business like A+uagreen 0a CDAS sponsor1 is very different from
buying from an individual on an on-line forum or from an interstate a+uarium shop who says they can ship but
has no obvious track record. 9ish and invertebrates do travel 4:, most of the time ; after all, <(= of what
we see in a+uarium shops has already traveled a long way to get there.
ut there are a few basic protocols that every seller should follow>
The livestock should be shipped as fast as possible after they are
removed from their normal accommodation. 8ou don6t want them
sitting around in bags at a wholesaler6s warehouse or at an airport for
any longer than is absolutely necessary.
All good mailorder suppliers offer e,press shipping and try to get your
purchases to you within ?@ to AB hours. The good ones will starve the fish or inverts for ?@ hours before they
ship. This helps ensure there aren6t e,cessive waste products accumulating in the bag during shipment.
Cost suppliers will use Australia #ost6s !live animal" service for shipping which guarantees priority handling
through the transport chain and special treatment from package handlers. A few will use courier companies
that they know and trust. 7ever order from anyone who puts their livestock in the normal post ; even if it is
!priority paid" or !registered post". 7ot only is this a very bad thing for the livestock, it i" a$"o i$$ega$.
Pac*ing i" +u"t a" im#ortant a" the way thing" are "ent,
A styrofoam container is mandatory and fish should be double bagged. ags should normally contain only
enough water to keep the fish comfortable ; about a +uarter full is good. The air 0or pure o,ygen1 in the
bag is as important as the water. The sytrofoam container should be tightly packed without putting too much
pressure on the bags, by using half-inflated empty bags or newspaper or some other material to stop things
moving around too much.
The shipper must include a heat pack or cold pack, depending on the season.
These are special sachets of chemicals that help maintain a constant and
appropriate temperature inside the bo,. DON'T L!T &NYON! )IP
LI(!TO-. TO -&NB!''& /IT)OUT T!MP!'&TU'! -ONT'OL. *e live
an an environment characterised by e,tremes of temperature and even a
styrofoam bo, cannot keep its internal temperature stable for more than about
&( hours. 5emember that the bo, will be in the hold of an aircraft for several
hours and probably in the back of a truck for several more.
9inally, the bo, should be taped shut and $a0e$ed a" 1Live 2i"h3,
Buying 2i"h 'etai$ and &rranging hi##ing Your"e$f
26m addicted to visiting a+uarium shops wherever 2 travel. *hile 2 try to follow my own advice and
avoid impulse buying 02 even have a little mantra 2 recite before entering shop away from home -"
don6t buy fish, don6t buy fish...."1, there are times when, well, you know how it is. 2f 2 absolutely
must buy livestock and 26m driving back to Canberra, 26ll arrange to pick them up on the day 26m
traveling home and tell the shop keeper what 2 plan to do, including how long it will take to get my
purchases home. 26ll ask them to use large bags, to double bag and also re+uest a styrofoam bo,
and lid. 26ll purchase 0or have with me1 an a+uarium thermometer so 2 can check the temperature
in the bo, at points on my return $ourney. 26ll put the bo, on the back seat of the car, covered with a
towel to keep the sun off and keep the aircon set to the mid-?(s.
2f 26m flying, there are some airline rules to observe. 3A7TAS are pretty good about shipping live
animals 02 don6t know about the other domestic airlines1 but they can be a bit inconsistent about
passengers traveling with a bo, of fish as normal luggage. The safest way is do a formal live
animal shipment and to lodge a form with them the day before travel ; it6s on their website at
http>DDwww.+antas.com.auD+freightD+feDanimal-bookingDglobalDenD and you can fill it in and lodge
on-line.
Again, 26d pick up my purchases, with the bo, packed and taped securely, on my day of travel,
leaving enough time to drop them off at the cargo depot. Esually, they6ll travel on the same plane
as you are booked on but sometimes you might need to pick them up from a later flight.
Cost mailorder shippers will give you an estimated date and time of arrival, or, better still, a tracking number
for your parcel. Cost also ship early in the week to avoid live shipments sitting around over a weekend. 2t is
a really good idea to have the package delivered to somewhere where it can be dealt with straight away ;
don6t risk having live fish left at your front door until you get home from work or school.
2f there6s unlikely to someone home when the package is delivered, ask a neighbour or friend if they can take
delivery and keep it inside out of the sun or cold. 4r, even better, use the CDAS 9orums to see if others want
to participate in a !-roup uy" from your preferred supplier. Someone will need to volunteer to take delivery
and at least float the bags in one of their tanks until you can pick up your order.
*hen you do get your fish home, inspect them in the bag to see that all have arrived alive. At this stage, 2
would normally test the temperature and pF of the water in the bag to see how big a difference the fish are
likely to e,perience when they get into their new home. Take special care to acclimatise them to your tank
water, using your normal method to e+ualise temperature and e,change water 0or use the !bucket and drip"
method to avoid introducing the transport water to your tanks1.
:eep an eye on your new stock for a few hours to see that nothing is terribly wrong. 2f you are using a
+uarantine tank, give them at least a couple of weeks to show any signs of disease.
The Buc*et and Dri# Method of &cc$imati"ing 2i"h
Esually, 26d float a bag of new fish in their new tank for twenty minutes before slowly e,changing
about A(mls of water every few minutes to allow both temperature and pF to e+ualise. The
alternative method is to empty the
new bag, water and fish, into a
bucket or container 0&1 and set up a
slow drip of water from their new
tank via a siphon 0?1. A piece of
airline tubing with a plastic valve
allowing a drop per second is ideal.
4nce the depth of water in the
bucket has doubled or tripled, you
can check temperature and pF 00A1,
net the fish into the new tank 0@1
and throw the water in the bucket
away. This method avoids
introducing any of the shipping
water into your tank.
/hat ha##en" when "omething goe" wrong?
9ish can arrive dead or badly distressed, bags can burst or your parcel might get lost. 8ou might also find
you didn6t get what you thought you ordered or the fishDplants are clearly not of !merchantable +uality". 2f
there is something obviously wrong with your shipment, first take photos and then try to rescue what you can.
Contact the supplier, by phone if possible, as soon as you can and e,plain the problem. 2f the bo, was
damaged, the transport company or the supplier may give you a refund or replacement order. Some of the
better suppliers will replace the order if you didn6t contribute to the problem 0say by leaving the bo, in the sun
for half the day or $ust tipping the bag of fish into a new tank with acclimatisation1. 4thers, sadly, take a less
generous approach and will $ust say !bad luck" and point you to a disclaimer buried deep in their website. 2t6s
up to you whether you deal with these characters again. The fact is, some people, even some well-known
a+uarium businesses, don6t do the whole +uality-control and shipment thing very well at all and have a pretty
caviler attitude to customer service once the dollars are in the till.
P$ant" )ave I""ue" Too
*hile buying a+uarium plants on-line doesn6t have +uite the
same set of issues you get with fish 02 wouldn6t insist on a
heatDcold pack or overnight shipping, for instance1 there6s
an e,tra dimension to consider ; snails and algae. The
best method 2 know for avoiding bringing in nasties on new
plants is to give them two !dips" - one in a solution of
#otassium #ermanganate 0!Condy6s Crystals"1 - at a few
grains per litre, and one in dilute household bleach at about
a cap-full in a litre of water 0you can also use Fydrogen
#ero,ide instead of household bleach1. -ive the new
plants about &( minutes in each bath and then rinse
thoroughly in tank or tap water at around ?' degrees. This
is not &((= bug proof, but snails, snail eggs and most
forms of algae will be killed. This protocol should probably
by used on any a+uarium plant you are introducing to your
home set up ; not $ust for those you get through the post.
Do your re"earch 0efore you order
Apart from making sure that what you are buying is appropriate for your tanks and skill level, there are few
things you do to help ensure you are dealing with a good supplier. 2f their website has a feedback page,
that6s a good place to look for other customer6s e,periences. Secondly !google" the business name and see
if there are other reviews on-line. /ook specifically for recent comments about their shipment record. 2f you
can6t convince yourself that they are good people to deal with, ask for others6 e,periences on an on-line forum
; such as the CDAS forum or A+uarium/ife. 5ead between the lines. #eople are reluctant to !bag" a
business, particularly one that might be good in other areas. Some businesses also go out of their way to
prevent bad reviews being posted on-line.
/astly, ask the supplier some +uestions directly. 2f it is not obvious from their catalogue or website, email or
call them and ask about their shipment methods ; do they use the official !live animal" method through
Australia #ost or a courier) *ill you get a tracking number) Fow do they pack the bo,, do they use a
heatDcold pad) *hat is their policy on D4A 0Dead 4n Arrival1)
ome On4$ine u##$ier" /ith a %ood Trac* 'ecord
2 hesitate to recommend any business in this area because ownership, staff and policies can change at any
time, but if 2 was asked right now to recommend on-line a+uarium livestock suppliers, 26d give two of them five
stars>
&5uagreen ; a CDAS sponsor in the 7orthern Territory. Dave *ilson, the owner, collects, breed and grows
his own stock of 0mostly1 native fish and a+uatic plants. Fe also carries a small range of !dry goods". 9or
me, Dave6s shipments have never failed to arrive in great condition and he is a !model" shipper that 2 wish
more suppliers would copy.
-o0urg &5uarium ; is a 2- retail a+uarium shop in Celbourne and they do mailorder through their website.
They have a good range and their prices are good and, more importantly, they pack and ship like
professionals. They are always easy to deal with by phone or email too.
2 would also recommend Liver#oo$ -ree* &5uarium" for a+uatic plants. *hile the shipping protocols for
plants can be a bit more rela,ed than those for animals, these guys do a good $ob.
There are several others that 2 know have a good reputation with other club members but which 2 haven6t yet
dealt with personally. These include econd Nature &5uarium in 4range 7S*, who have a very tempting
catalogue.
That6s a pretty small list and 26m not going to put in writing what 2 think of a few others who have let me 0and
several doGen fish1 down badly. /et6s $ust say that if 26d done the research 26ve advocated above, 2 would
never have ordered from them in the first placeH 2f in doubt, ask on the CDAS forums.
40 So many marine fish come from real forces, shuffled a bit. (5,5)
44 A generic black band performs only this side of Wallaces line
45 Specifically, a !utch crypto"authority sounds gone
4# $arry says her blue eyes ga%e her a&ay as a generic fake muggle.
4' (ommon )otia is painted fool (5,5)
4* +i%e a shine to !iannes poem &ith lo& &attage illuminator.(5,*,5)
4, -i.ing nice soil &ill hold the tank together
5/ Shaken, ca%itated element se%en absorbs and deodorises.(,,#)
50 (ommon submarine &eapon, the American &ay, has back&ard facing point1 (',4)
54 -ore specifically, articulate the name of a popular small li%ebearer
55 )iblical neotropicals generically ha%e fins like lea%es.
5# -ath sin hue remi. is bright green and sometimes tiny in foreground
, but only generically speaking
5' 2oor slum gal3 tangy little things like shells
4 Super hot mi.up nurtures, generically, from )urundi to 4an5ibar
, 6he Skippers boat but commonly small.
/7 8alerie, ill &ith a common %irus, likes these better than eheims
/0 9i%e must mi. &ith specific :uiet flag from +uyana.
/, Sounds like the badest little chameleon since !ario
70 (ommonly, these little ephemerals sound like murderers.
74 ; am la& from old <yassa
7# 2recious but common and sounds a bit like a cold fish
7' 2orcine1 -oi1 )ut ;m =ust a such a cute little %ersion of 9inn
from +lee.(5,4)
7* >ittle catfish makes scary odor.
7, -i. rift roe for smallest food.
00 Scars unit deli%ers generic nasal bush
0# Sir ?ee%e -oss so mi.ed up, makes pure &ater by
membrane magic (',')
0* @ye"spot commonly says no to mi.ed up orcas
0, With all that shaking going on, it nets tetra (',4)
Aquarium Cryptic #1
A(?ASS
Here's something to keep you busy over the Xmas-New Year break
70 +enerically, the king of fish starts like music, asks &hy is it so and ends
as a mafia leader.
75 (ommon but periodically noble little tetra
00 >olB A bag moll dropped >anas first to make green &ater.(5,5)
0/ -i.ed up hideous corn for a group of Ama5onian plants
07 !orsal &it turns on its tail
00 -i. a snail li%er for eel grass, t&isty or straight
04 (onfused airman ate sail for &ant of salty little latin shrimp (',#)
05 Asian pugalists are generically sound bet&een good and best
0' (ommonly, you can find fish and &riting instruments in nanos.
4/ fa%oritism to&ards (anberras first uni, %egetable prospers on log
47 6his masons no nutB confused1 Sure, but generically hes a 2isces &ith
a graphite stylus
40 !a%es first, dropped by a drag :ueen, confused, sponsored (!AS.
50 (ommonly an a"framed road %ehicle for green, blue and other coloured
siblings
57 +ood golly miss, youre so common
/ Strangle a moan, but hes a pioneer for scapers
7 Ade in a big asian desert, became familiar &ith a bumble bee
0 A :uacking little plant in the &rong place.
5 ;n short, put your filter on the outside rear, or a sto%e top.
# An ya bikeB !one first or tears before bedtime.
' -ama ; no cycle properly and no& ; ha%e bad chemicalB
* !ark continental is s:uashed :uite specifically
/0 6reat -r <osy @mu, shaking &ell, most commonly by smearing
lipstick o%er his face (5,4,5)
// +o nudge a nati%e, but commonly more &idespread.
/4 (olourful tenor has aussie chocolate mustacheB(/4,#)
/5 lo& eel tricycle for a common =aundiced shocking African(*,#)
/# (hop, chopB 6aking off from 2anama or glo&ing in the deep sea.
/' ?ich drab 9renchman ga%e his name to a princess.
/* ?oll the stone in )ata%ia to a%oid common plant (4,4)
7/ At least one of these is a cuckoo but most are =ust in%erted " and
ha%e the same teeth.
77 2et &ith so confused a disease is actually a parasite (5,4)
!AW<
!o&nload a printable %ersion at cdas.org.auCmainCdo&nloadsCA:uarium(ryptic/.pdf
Here are two of our favorite tropical fish the Clown Loach and the Dwarf Gourami.
Can you colour them and answer the quiz questions about each one?
Where did the fish your aquarium come from? It's actually one of those questions that could have more than one right
answer.
Maybe your fish came from an aquarium shop or a club auction but where did they come from before
that? Maybe from a fish breeder? Maybe from a business that brought them to Australia from a fish
farm in another country? ut what about before that?
!very fish you "eep in your aquarium# or those fishes' ancestors# come from a cree" or a river or a la"e
or a coral reef $if you have marine fish% somewhere in the world. &his is true even for fancy fish# li"e
those bubble'eyed goldfish or veil'tailed guppies that have been bred for many years $or even centuries%
in fish tan"s and ponds and now don't loo" a lot li"e their great'great'great grand parents. (inding out where in the
world your fish originally came from can be fun and interesting# but you might need a good boo" or the internet. )ou
could go searching the world yourself# but you would need a hat and a lot of lunch money. &ry not to get lost and loo"
out for crocodiles*
+et's grab a map of the world $here's a nice one% and choose a few fish to start our research we'll stic" with some
favorite freshwater tropical fish for now ' the ,ebrafish# the Angelfish and the -lown +oach . &he only other thing we'll
need is a good aquarium fish boo" or an encyclopedia. We'll start our research on'line by using Wi"ipedia.
.o to Wi"ipedia. In the top right of the page is a search bo/. +et's type 01ebrafish2 and clic"
on the little search icon $the magnifying glass%.
)ou should be ta"en directly to page about the 1ebrafish which has a first paragraph that
starts3
0&he zebrafish $Danio rerio% is a tropical freshwater fish belonging to the minnow
family 4...2
&hat's what we want* &here really is only one type of
1ebrafish and it's scientific name is Danio rerio. $If you
need to brush up on what scientific names are all about#
you could read the article on this website called Scientific
Names or why fishkeepers sometimes sound like
they are from Mars but not now* We're in the middle something important.%
&he ne/t sentence in that first Wi"ipedia paragraph also starts with something we
need to "now for our research ' 05ative to the 6imalayan region 4..2. 78# now you
may already "now where the 06imalayan region2 is but let's say we don't "now. If
you loo" at the 0-ontents2 bo/ on the Wi"ipedia page $9ust below that first
paragraph%# you'll see that the second item in the list is called 0:istribution2 ' that
should tell us more about where the 1ebrafish comes from. -lic" on 0:istribution2.
And right there at the start of the paragraph is what we've been hunting for3
0&he 1ebrafish is native to the streams of the southeastern 6imalayan
region# and is found in parts of India# ;a"istan# angladesh# 5epal#
and urma.2
Woo6oo* -hec" on your map where India is $its the triangle shaped country to the 5orth'west of Australia. &he
06imalayan region2 runs right across the top of India and the countries ne/t door ;a"istan to the west# 5epal to the
north and angladesh and urma to the east.
&hat was easy and now you "now where 1ebrafish come from.
+et's try another one Angelfish.
)ou can use the search bo/ at the top of the 1ebrafish Wi"ipedia page. <ust type in 0angelfish2 and clic" the icon to
search. :o it now.
7h dear* We haven't got an 0Angelfish2 page li"e we did for the 1ebrafish# we've got a long list of dot points that starts
with the words 0Angelfish may refer to32
Why did that happen? Well# it's because the word 0angelfish2 is used for a few different different things# not 9ust our
freshwater aquarium angelfish. +oo" at this list. &here are several fish called angelfish and even a 0a short'lived
=cottish alternative roc" band2# whatever that is.
I thin" we can be pretty sure that the angelfish we want is the first one on the list '
0(reshwater angelfish# tropical cichlids of the genus ;terophyllum2. If you have an
aquarium boo" handy# 9ust chec" that the scientific name for our aquarium angelfish
starts with the word 0;terophyllum2 $which is pronounced 0terra'fill'um2# by the
way%. -lic" on 0;teraphyllum2 anyway.
We get ta"en to a page for 0;teraphyllum2 which starts with the words3
Pterophyllum is a small genus of freshwater fish from the family
-ichlidae "nown to most aquarists as >angelfish>.2
78# there's a few words there that might be new to you# but you get the idea. What
that sentence tells us is that there is group $0genus2% of cichlids $0family -ichlidae2%
that fish"eepers call 0angelfish2. =ounds li"e this is what we are loo"ing for and the
picture over on the right side of the page certainly is the right fish. ut the ne/t
sentence is the one we want3
0All Pterophyllum species originate from the Ama1on ?iver#
7rinoco ?iver and !ssequibo ?iver basins in tropical =outh
America.0
(ind =outh America on your map. &hose rivers are ?!A++) I. and fill up most of the northern half of =outh America.
=o that's two fish we "now about. &ry the ne/t one yourself start by
typing 0clown loach2 in the search bo/.
6ow did you go? :id you find out that the clown loach comes from
Indonesia $which is 9ust near Australia on your map%. Were you able to
find the two islands it is found on?
-ongratulations* )ou are now a qualified 9unior 0iogeographer2 ' which
is the name for a scientist who studies how animals and plants are
spread around the world.
)ou could do a few more try finding out where your own aquarium fish come from.
Maybe you can also find some boo"s or other websites that tal" about where fish come from. 7r get a map and put
some stic"y notes on it and write down the names of fish that come from different countries. (ish biogeography can be
a good topic for a school pro9ect too.
Did You Know
;eople have been "eeping and studying fish for a long# long time. &he scientific study of fish is called
0Ichthyology2 and a scientist who studies fish is an 0Ichthyologist2.
Many aquarium fish are still caught in the wild by fish collectors. =ometimes this can be a problem if they catch
too many and don't leave enough to breed.
A lot of fish are now bred and raised on fish farms. &his industry is called 07rnamental Aquaculture2. 6ere's a
diagram of all the steps involved.
Many new species of fish are discovered every year by e/plorers.