Infinity Pools for Fish

I like the look of these Zero Edge Aquariums, but I'm not sure I'd want one. I think I'd need more space than I currently have. Maybe in my next house.

Teach Your Fish to do Tricks!

I will let this article speak for itself: http://www.underwatertimes.com/news.php?article_id=98435710261

I am stunned.

Nano? You ain't seen nothin' yet

A couple of weeks ago I was searching for some information about Dwarf Baby Tears (Hemianthus Callitrichoides) and found myself cruising around Aquahobby.com when I stumbled upon some of the loveliest little setups I have ever seen. They were created by Rony Suzuki and Fabio Yoshida and can be found here: http://www.aquahobby.com/tanks/e_tank0603.php. I was astounded by how gorgeous they were, and what unbelievable sizes, as well.

It's actually very simple to create a "palmtop aquarium," as they're named in the article. Most small glass containers will do for the tank(that seems like an odd word to use for such tiny aquariums). A little Laterite or Eco-Complete for the substrate, one or two small plants, or even a small carpet of Dwarf Baby Tears, Riccia or a moss, some water and you are done. You may even get away with adding a shrimp of some kind for the slightly larger palmtop or a snail for the small ones.

If there is anyone out there trying this, I'd love to see what you've done so far.

Interesting Sites

I ran across this site the other day; http://swisstropicals.com/, and was very impressed by Dr. Stephan Tanner's fish list. He has some great varieties for sale, things you really don't stumble upon every day. One of my favorites is the Tippecanoe Darter, a small North American fish native to areas from Pennsylvania down to Tennessee. This is not a fish often found for sale. Here in Pennsylvania it's endangered, so no scooping them out of local waters is allowed. Same thing goes in Indiana, I believe. In Ohio you need to submit a written request to the chief of the division of wildlife. Dr. Tanner seems like a responsible adult, so I'll assume he followed the regulations. I would think that the darters would be a good fit for aquariums. I think I'll do a little research and look into keeping some in the near future.

Swiss Tropicals also has a nice variety of odd loaches and other fish you don't hear about every day. I particularly like Acanthocobitis zonalternans. It's a lovely little loach. I think I'll write to Dr. Tanner to see if he'll be attending the GPASI Spring Auction here in Pittsburgh. I'd like to see some of his fish in person. The auction is on April 27th, if you're interested.

Here's a link to the GPASI February Newsletter: http://gpasi.org/feb08fin.pdf , lots of info in there about upcoming events and a nice article about the Rainbow Shiner.

Hello Aquaddicts!

I am very disappointed today, because it snowed mightily yesterday and I had to miss the February meeting of the Greater Pittsburgh Aquarium Society. They had a good lineup of plant related topics and I was hoping to find some Dwarf Chain Loaches and Otos in the auction phase of the meeting. I also wanted to join, since I haven't done that yet. I am having some serious issues with algae and snails in my 20 long planted tank and need the help that active munchers can provide. I am more than a little worried about how the loaches will treat the Cherry Shrimp, but it's a chance I'm willing to take. Normal measures are not doing the trick, and since I have the shrimp I can't use any chemical treatments on the snails. I would be quite wary of that anyway since I'm not really a fan of chemical treatments.

The tank does not look nearly as orderly as it does in the picture. Some of the plants have died, the Ludwigia has become a bit of a forest and, of course, the algae and snail problems are visible. It still looks pretty good, certainly better than it did before I added the 65W Coralife Aqualight and the CO2 system that I bought at Elmer's Aquarium. I cannot believe how fast the plants grow! It's so very cool to see, and the fish seem happier than ever. Once I add the new fish then I hope to concentrate a little more on the other tanks. They could use it, that's for sure.