“Cycling” A New Freshwater Aquarium
By
Denny |
November 22, 2010 @
10:35 pm |
1 comment
One of the most common questions asked at fish stores is “I just bought an aquarium, and now what?”.
For most people just starting an aquarium, the “…now what?” means “what fish can I put in my aquarium today?”. The correct answer is “none today”, and is generally not what the customer wants to hear. Following this advice will result in a much more satisfactory result, however.
This process of starting the aquarium is often referred to as “cycling”, which is the introduction into an aquarium of various types of bacteria which utilize the ammonia and nitrite (both toxic to fish) produced by fish waste. This process is accomplished by reducing ammonia and nitrite to nitrate, which is not toxic to fish. This process (cycling) takes an average of 30 days after the introduction of the fish. It can take as little as 21 days, or as long as 60 days without any apparent reason for the differences.
Vinegar Eels
By
Denny |
November 22, 2010 @
10:28 pm |
1 comment
Vinegar Eels Container
Vinegar eels are extremely easy to culture.
I use a quart to half gallon container with no aeration and a 50/50 mix of water and apple vinegar. The apples are cut up and put into the liquid, and then the starter culture of vinegar eels is added. The apples float for several days, and unless you look really close you won’t see much indication of a viable culture for 2-4 weeks.
Microworms/Walterworms/Banana Worms
By
Denny |
November 22, 2010 @
10:26 pm |
No comment
Microworms
Microworms/Walterworms/Banana Worms are another of my favorite live foods.
There are several methods which can be used, and most will work very well. I have had the best success using instant potato for the culture medium. There are many other ingredients that will work, but I had the least amount of mold problems with this medium.
I’ve used small tupperware containers up to large plastic shoe boxes with good success. Which works best for you will be determined by how many worms you need.
Brine Shrimp Hatcher
By
Denny |
November 22, 2010 @
10:21 pm |
No comment
Brine Shrimp Hatcher
The hatching of brine shrimp eggs is a pretty common method of feeding small fry after they’ve hatched.
