thuan@garnet.berkeley.edu (Thuan Nguyen) (01/18/90)
----- The following is a brief summary of the materials that appeared in the February 1990 issue of Aquarium Fish Magazine, now available at the newstands. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- MAILBOX: Readers detect and correct errors in articles from previous issues. -- Relationship of ammonium/ammonia ratio to pH. Fish can tolerate much more ammonia than reported in Dec 1989 article. -- Fish room air supply and electrical connections. CICHCLID FORUM: Questions/Answers about the following: -- Firemouths -- Driftwood and Discus -- Apistogramma breeding behavior -- African Cichlid Community Tank CATFISH IN DEPTH: Q/A about the following: -- Setting up a tank for Synodontis -- Breeding Synodontis FRESHWATER Q & A: -- Swim-bladder problems -- Native fish -- Old tanks: how long do they remain habitable? AQUARIST'S LIBRARY: "In Search of Pond Books" Lee Finley recommends 5 books about ponds for beginners. He also lists sources for aquarium books, including out of print ones. GETTING THE MOST FROM YOUR FISH ROOM: Info on infusoria, homemade fishfood recipe, tank decoration. REEF AQUARIUMS: FILTRATION A brief intro to mechanical & biological filtration, followed by a review of current trickle filter technology and what new buyers should look for. [The January issue of FAMA also has an article on choosing the right trickle filter. --Ed.] HOW TO SUCCEED AT BREEDING BETTAS Lots of tips on how to successfully spawn bettas from an expert breeder. A few things were new to me, like the fact that the finnage of the female parent is the main determinant of the appearance of the finnage of all the F1 offsprings. HATCHING BRINE SHRIMP Yet another "how to" article on hatching shrimp. A ZEBRA OF A DIFFERENT COLOR An interesting discussion about the fact that not all the "color morphs" of Pseudotropheus zebra are actually of the P. zebra species. They may look alike, but they don't interbreed in nature. PARASITES IN YOUR AQUARIUM All you need to know about fish parasites. AGGRESSION AMONG FISH IN A MARINE AQUARIUM This article applies to freshwater fish as well. The author gives some basic info on the reasons for aggression and how to minimize the damage by choosing the correct species, landscaping the aquarium, and introducing the least aggressive fish first. FISH FOOD OF CHOICE: DAPHNIA How to cultivate Daphnia. SALTWATER Q & A: -- Trace elements -- Damsels compatibility -- Lionfish-eating eel -- Algae PONDS & POND FISH: -- Increasing dissolved oxygen -- Annoyingly metric (This may humor the scientists among us) -- Koi barbels AQUARIUM ONLINE: -- Changing tank gravel