--------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 229 AQUARIUMS Ref: DC100019 Date: 07/31/96 From: RHONDA JORDAN Time: 02:23pm \/To: BO LAU (Read 3 times) Subj: live sand -> Here in Sacramento, I haven't found a dealer who sells live sand. It -> tough enough to buy live rock over here too!!! On your second sugges -> are you saying that to make live sand, all I need to do is mix some s -> sand with some gunk from my water and protein skimmer? Wow, if that' -> then I'd be able to make live sand by the ton! Do I have to add -> anything else to the sand besides the dirty water gunk? As far as ordering live rock & sand, have tried mail ordering it? There are alot of reputable companies (including mine ->shameless plug!) As far as making your own live sand, DO NOT use your skimmer gunk! This will cause problems! What type of substrate are you using now? If you have crushed coral, when you vaccum it very thorouly, you get a lot of gunk coming up. Mix this will the dry sand. Or an easy way, if you are using crushed coral, remove enough of it until you have about 1 inch or so, and then put a thin layer of dry sand on that. Leave it for about 2 weeks and add another layer. Gently mix the second layer with the first. Another way, it to mix whatever substrate you are using now in a seperate tank with dry sand, stir it about once a day. After about 2 weeks, it should all be cultured. It you mixed with crushed coral, but don't want the coral back in your tank, use a kitchen coliander and sort out the coral. (This is really easier than it may sound!) -> Thanks for the vote of confidence! :) I did read the article and am -> my 100g tank upon it. Since the only way for me to get aragonite is -> order it in the mail, I sort of cheated and used regular crushed cora -> the bottom 2 inch layer. For the top 2 inches, I was considering tha -> Weiss sand thing, since it would solve my problem with procuring live -> AND aragonite. How convenient! :) But I would need about 50lbs which -> about $140 including freight charges. But if your idea of making you -> live sand works then I'll be saving a lot of money! I guess I should have read the whole letter before replying. Since you already have the crushed coral, vacuum, vacuum, vacuum! Use the sludge to cultivate the dry sand and procede like I mentioned before. If you have any question, please let me know. Sometimes when typping an explantation, my mind thinks faster than my fingers type, so things don't always come across like I planned! hope to hear from you soon! ~R --- WILDMAIL!/WC v4.12 * Origin: The Steel Dog Cafe' Destin, FL *USR-V34* 904/654-9385 1:366/32.0) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 229 AQUARIUMS Ref: DC100020 Date: 07/31/96 From: RHONDA JORDAN Time: 02:26pm \/To: STAN SIMPSON (Read 3 times) Subj: Fish for 10 Gal. Tank Ummm...thanks for the advice but I didn't post a question about 10 gallon tanks, especially freshwater. I have all saltwater systems, ranging from 20 - 175 gallons. Sorry for any inconvience! Still would love to trade fish stories! :) ~R --- WILDMAIL!/WC v4.12 * Origin: The Steel Dog Cafe' Destin, FL *USR-V34* 904/654-9385 1:366/32.0) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 229 AQUARIUMS Ref: DC100021 Date: 07/31/96 From: DARREN HANSON Time: 07:15pm \/To: JOHN O'BECK (Read 3 times) Subj: DE-NITRATORS > Is the chemical pathway for handling nitrogen different in the Berlin > system than with a standard Wet Dry? That is, is the Nitrate > production > stage eliminated? Or is the overall pathway the same but just better > balanced? That is, NH3->NO2->NO3->N2 + 3O2? Same pathway, but the nitrates are produced on the rock right next to the denitrification bacteria (which are just a tiny bit deeper into the pores and thus in a low oxygen environment because the nitrifying bacteria have used up most of the oxygen) so the nitrates are reduced to nitrogen gas before they can even difuse away from the live rock! __ \/ dj --- FMail 0.96 * Origin: The Otter Limits (GSN) (1:203/172) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 229 AQUARIUMS Ref: DC100022 Date: 07/30/96 From: CHARLES BEAMS Time: 10:48am \/To: JOHN-PETER VAN ZELM (Read 3 times) Subj: anemone problems (1/4) Quotes are taken from a message written by John-peter to All on 07/23/96... JV> I recently got an anemone (one of the cheap ones with long fat JV>tentacles). It was doing fine for the longest time, but JV>now its seem not to be doing as well. After trying to keep anemones for a number of years, I researched the topic a bit and compiled the following information. This is a couple of years old, but it is still relevant. Anemones Compiled by Charles Beams Fidonet (1:2608/70) CompuServe: 72207,3514 America On-line: CBeams Internet: cbeams@dreamscape.com I have seen the subject of anemone keeping come up MANY times on the Fidonet aquarium echo, in the CompuServe Aquarium Forum and on the Internet as well. It has become a controversial topic as hobbyists debate whether anemones should be kept in the home aquarium at all, and if so, what conditions best lead to their survival. I shall try to address a few of these controversies and present some of the more mainstream thinking as it has appeared in the echoes. (Most of what follows applies to the Pacific and Indian Ocean anemones which make excellent hosts for anemonefish. Condylactus, Curlicue and tube anemones, found mostly in the Atlantic, are a little more hardy, but are accepted as hosts by anemonefish only on occasion.) SHOULD WE KEEP ANEMONES? Based on data collected from hobbyists and messages posted in the various electronic forums regarding the keeping of invertebrates, it quickly becomes evident that keeping anemones alive in the home aquarium is often a difficult task. First of all, and complicating the issue, is that anemones in the wild are very long-lived, and very short-lived in a captive environment as Joyce Wilkerson, a section leader in the CompuServe Aquarium forum points out: "Keeping a clownfish symbiont anemone is no easy task... Our symbiont anemones can expect a life span of 100-300 years on the reef and only months in captivity. As best we know a symbiont anemone reaches reproductive maturity at perhaps the age of 65 years or so. They are reproductively recluse animals that likely are not in infinite supply. Those big beautiful anemones we often see in the aquarium trade are perhaps already 150 years old." This raises the first real issue the hobbyist must face when deciding whether to purchase an anemone or not - can we really hope to keep anemones alive for a reasonable period of time - reasonable enough to warrant taking them from their home environment? We may be depleting the world's anemone population by selfishly harvesting them even though we are unable to sustain their lives for more than a few months after moving them into our aquariums. Late in the summer of 1994, Joyce conducted a survey of participants in the CompuServe Aquarium Forum as to their successes and failures in keeping anemones. In an exchange of messages following the posting of the results of the survey, she said to me, "The clownfish symbiont anemones are indeed difficult for even experienced hobbyists to keep - and for public aquariums to keep as well. According to my straw poll, one has less than a 10% chance of keeping a clownfish symbiont anemone more than 5% of the anemone's expected longevity in the wild. That's a 1 in 10 chance of keeping an animal in captivity for 5 years while the animal would have enjoyed perhaps 100-200 years in the ocean." Clearly the issue is a serious one. Responsible hobbyists must carefully weigh their desire to own an anemone against their ability to adequately provide for it. The following sections of this article speak to some of the other concerns regarding the maintenance of these unusual animals, the conditions which must be maintained if anemones are to have a chance to survive, at least for a reasonable period of time. Hobbyists unable to provide for these conditions should really consider hardier inverts, such as mushroom anemones. And, finally, a last word of caution from Joyce on buying an anemone, Until we know more about the husbandry requirements I do not recommend that they be purchased." REQUIREMENTS FOR KEEPING ANEMONES Despite the serious nature of the first issue, that of longevity, many people DO buy anemones for their home aquariums. The need to care for these delicate sea creatures carefully can NOT be overemphasized. This raises the second important issue - what ARE the requirements for keeping an anemone for at least a reasonable period of time.? My reading indicates that the following requirements, in addition to the requirements for a standard fish-only marine tank, are almost mandatory for a hobbyist to have any chance for success with the clownfish symbiont anemones... -Quality lighting: Up until Joyce posted the results of her survey, the thinking on lighting was as follows: On a 55-gallon aquarium, one needs at LEAST four (4) florescent tubes (40 watts each) - and 6 would be better. HO (high output) or VHO (Very High Output) florescents can provide for better light with fewer bulbs, but the cost of the hardware will increase geometrically. Within this combination should be some full-spectrum lighting and one or two blue-actinic bulbs. The ultimate system for lighting reef aquariums includes one or more metal halide lamps combined with one or two florescent blue actinics. Although some have been able to keep anemones with less lighting, this seems to be the best combination. In Joyce's survey, however, no clear pattern emerged with regard to lighting. In fact, a few respondents were keeping anemones alive (2 years or more) in lower light situations (less than 4 watts per gallon) by feeding them heavily - in one case, up to 65 teaspoons of food per month. Lighting may NOT be as important a factor for anemones as many have suggested in the past. Still, the hobbyist is cautioned not to take the issue of lighting too lightly as the experience of MANY hobbyists is that strong lighting is better. -High specific gravity and temperature: In the survey that Joyce conducted on CompuServe, all but one of the anemones kept for over 2 years were kept in tanks with a specific gravity of above 1.024 (1.025 was the most common) at 78 degrees Fahrenheit SG's as low as 1.022 seemed to doom all anemones to an aquarium life of only a few months. -Excellent water quality: Near-zero readings on all tests for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates are a must if you hope to keep anemones alive. Anemones are much more sensitive to nitrates than are fish. In order to achieve this zero nitrate reading, many hobbyists have resorted to the "Berlin method" of reef keeping which requires a large amount of "live rock", a bottom covered with "live sand", and a protein skimmer (foam fractionator). This can be another expensive part of the set-up process. Mark Hamilton, writing in the Fidonet Aquarium echo, noted that he'd had some success with keeping a Sebae anemone for over 4 years, but that in addition to using live sand, live rock and a protein skimmer, he also changes 10% to 20% of his water each week. Although some are successful in keeping an anemone alive in a tank with an undergravel filter, the experts frown upon it as the collection of detritus under the plates usually keeps the nitrate readings too high. As an aside on the water quality issue, the CompuServe survey showed that those having the greatest success with anemones are using tap water, not RO or distilled water. Those who've been able to keep anemones for two years or more have also found it important to keep the tank water topped off (keep SG as even as possible) and to keep calcium levels in the tank at somewhere around 450 ppm. A Kalkwasser drip seems to be the most popular way to keep calcium levels up, though some have succeeded with the use of liquid calcium additives, an easier way to increase calcium levels. Another additive that seems to make some difference with anemones that host the photosynthetic Zooxanthellae is iodine. This additive is available at better pet shops and might be considered if everything else seems to check out okay but the anemone continues to seem to diminish. -Compatible tank-mates: Anemones usually do best if they are the only anemone in the tank - they will often move around the tank and sting anything that gets in their way. This fighting will sometimes result in the death of one or both of the anemones. (Clearly, tank size plays an important part of you decision to have more than one - a 120-gallon tank might support 2 or 3, whereas a 30-gallon tank should probably have only one.) Also be careful of which fish are in the tank - triggerfish, for example, will eat anemones and kill them. Other messages I have read have reported that carpet anemones will often catch and eat fish that swim too close, with one of the most frequent victims being yellow tangs. Chuck Beams Fidonet - 1:2608/70 cbeams@future.dreamscape.com ___ * UniQWK #5290* 2 + 2 = 5, for sufficiently large values of 2. --- Maximus 2.01wb * Origin: The Hidey-Hole BBS, Pennellville, NY (315)668-8929 (1:2608/70) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 229 AQUARIUMS Ref: DC100023 Date: 07/30/96 From: CHARLES BEAMS Time: 10:53am \/To: JOHN-PETER VAN ZELM (Read 3 times) Subj: anemone problems (2/4) Conditions for keeping anemones (continued) -Water movement: Because anemones are filter feeders, it helps if there is something keeping the water in the tank in motion. Some hobbyists go so far as to try to recreate the wave action found in the ocean. Electronic devices can be purchased which alternate the flow of current between two or more power heads, thus creating a more natural ebb and flow of water much like that which moves water over the reefs. FEEDING ANEMONES What we feed, and how often, is another important issue in caring for anemones. Although some feed themselves, (more accurately - are fed by the Zooxanthellae or algae growing on their tentacles), nearly all will thrive even better if they are fed a few times each week. At least one writer, Richard A. Nava, writing to me on CompuServe, noted that the all-white Sebae he purchased a year-and-a-half ago did not really begin to thrive in his aquarium until the algae had reestablished itself and his Sebae had turned brown, with green tips. Still, since we are harboring our anemones in a closed system, they will seldom see the plankton and other small animals that normally keep them fed in the wild, so we must provide some additional food for them. The following message from William Spearman on Fidonet's aquarium echo, dated 9/8/94, speaks to his success in feeding. "I got my Sebae anemone about 3 years ago, a huge green carpet about 3 months ago, and two tubes (orange/purple) that I got Jan 94. I feed both the sebae and the carpet about once a week. Anemone fish feed them also when they find "leftovers" from feeding shrimp, squid, fish, etc. to other inhabitants. After feeding, it takes over a day before the sebae turns it's mouth inside out to eliminate it's waste. I have seen food get lodged in it's tentacles during this time before, but the anemone would make no attempt to close up on it and eat it. I put .5 ml of Selcon (straight limpids) in my reef tanks about 1/2 hour before lights out. This is not specifically an invert food, more of a vitamin; I don't know what effects (if any) it's had on my anemones, but, like I've said, I still have never had any problems with them." In the CompuServe survey, Joyce found that the hobbyists who were able to keep anemones successfully were feeding some of the following foods... Carpets and Bubble-tips - shrimp, fish, liquid invert food, smelt, brine shrimp, bloodworms, and mosquito larvae. Most rejected algae or green foods. Sebaes - Fish, plankton, shrimp, adult brine shrimp, smelt and bloodworms. Some ate whole shrimp, others did not. Sebaes seemed to do best if fed something every day. Ritteri - Ate shrimp and crustaceans, but would NOT eat fish and mollusks. Long tentacle - Mosquito larvae, clam, brine shrimp, feeder goldfish, commercial invert foods,and silversides. Some conflicting reports on shrimp and fish. Clearly, there are some conflicting stories - some fed every day, some fed twice a week, a few users even fed only once a month. In any event, don't be afraid to experiment to determine what best fits the needs of your anemone. Perhaps a varied diet would be best, just as with humans, for different foods may provide different nutrients. I have fed anemones by hand - wriggling a piece of shrimp in their tentacles until they grabbed onto it (this worked for a sebae and a Condylactus I had and the carpet I have now, but not for a tube anemone I have). I've observed a store employee feeding anemones using a turkey baster to blow about a teaspoon full of blood worms into the tentacles of carpet anemones, and the anemones swallowed it right down. I'm sure there are other systems for delivery of food - perhaps some of you could write me and I could include your success stories in the next editing of this article. One user on the FidoNet aquarium echo indicated that he controlled the size of his anemone with frequency of feeding. He'd feed every day for a while, until his anemone got to be a certain size, then cut back to twice a week until the anemone shrank a little. Chuck Beams Fidonet - 1:2608/70 cbeams@future.dreamscape.com ___ * UniQWK #5290* A fool and his money are my best friends. --- Maximus 2.01wb * Origin: The Hidey-Hole BBS, Pennellville, NY (315)668-8929 (1:2608/70) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 229 AQUARIUMS Ref: DC100024 Date: 07/30/96 From: CHARLES BEAMS Time: 11:03am \/To: JOHN-PETER VAN ZELM (Read 3 times) Subj: anemone problems (3/4) ADDITIONAL NOTES ABOUT ANEMONES In General: Try to buy the hardiest anemone you can find - very few of them should be bright white - nearly all types will have a better chance of surviving if they are populated by Zooxanthellae. Also be sure that the clerk in the store where you purchase the anemone is cautious in removing it from the tank - if the foot of the anemone is damaged, it will most likely never recover. From Marilyn Lewis, in a message on CompuServe...."The dealer should gently dislodge the animal, if necessary, and using an inverted shipping bag over one hand, lift the animal up, keeping it in the water. He should then gently shake it to insure that it deflates completely, and then, while still submerged slip this bag over the animal, collecting it and some water, at the same time. Thus allowing for the water to support the animal, and not having it get damaged. There are other similar methods to do this, but the main thing is to insure the Anemone is not removed from the buoyancy of the water. You must also use rather gentle techniques when you get the anemone home as well. Gently pour the water and animal out of the bag, into a never washed with soap ( buy a new one and rinse it in tank water) food grade container, like Tupperware, (large enough for the Anemone, plus twice the volume of transport water) and let the animal slowly acclimate to your tank conditions by allowing for a slow drip from the tank into the container. We use a 1 drop/sec. flow rate. As the water level rises, remove some of the water and continue the drip. Allow the animal to remain in this water long enough to have removed and replaced the transport volume at least 2 times. This will allow the animal to slowly adjust to your tank parameters. After acclimation, deflate the anemone again, (This action can be induced by gently touching the animal, (you can do this with a plastic bag over your hand, or a new plastic spoon, and it will react by deflating). Once purged (of the dirty water from the transport), drain the water from the container and replace it all at once from the tank water, as it is now acclimated to it. the anemone can now be introduced into the tank. (It has been slowly acclimated to tank conditions, and has also been purged of it's dirty water from transport, into the Tupperware not the tank.) Slowly lower the Tupperware into the tank and once filled it can be positioned to an area safe to release the Anemone to. " A healthy anemone will generally attach itself to something solid in the aquarium within a few hours of being introduced. This does not mean it will stay still. Anemones will move around the tank looking for good water movement, good light and a quantity of food. Ritteri anemones seem to move about a good deal more often than other types, though carpets also seem to move about a great deal. Things I have read suggest that Sebae anemones tend to move less frequently. Anemones will also inflate and deflate themselves. Although this seems to frequently be related to feeding (they will deflate in order to expel their waste products), it can also be in response to danger or poor water conditions. If the anemones behavior is such that it is deflated more than it is inflated, or it continues to inflate and deflate several times a day, I would check water conditions and watch very carefully - your anemone could be stressed and/or dying. Never remove an anemone (or a coral, for that matter) from a tank because it appears to be dying. Their behavior can be quite strange at times and the few reported instances I've read of asexual reproduction have been preceded by a good deal of inflating and deflating just prior to the arrival of the new anemone. If the anemone does die, however, get it out of the tank as soon as possible, for they are decaying organic matter and will do your tank quite a bit of harm by polluting the water. Many have suggested removing them with a siphon or by rolling it over into a plastic cup. It will disintegrate on you as you try to pull it out, making the mess even bigger. Sebaes: Ben Holmes, writing on CompuServe on February 13, 1995 offered his thoughts: "Sebae anemones (_Heteractis crispa_) are definitely warm water animals. It will like temperatures in the 80-85 deg. F. and will be much "slower living" in colder temperatures. It will probably die if kept for any period below about 72 deg. F. This particular anemone prefers to eat fish, and it will need a fair bit of fish. Most Sebaes purchased from pet dealers tend to be white or whitish. If it stays white, it will likely die (white means the anemone's Zooxanthellae are missing). If it "greens up" or turns green-gray or tan it will likely live as long as it is well fed. They seem to like moderate currents as well. Carpets: From Phil Henderson on the alt.rec.aquarium usenet group on the internet comes the following information on carpet anemones: "Giant carpets (S. gigantium) (which they probably are) have short usually pointed tentacles that constantly vibrate or wave. The tentacles are not very densely packed and the oral disk can easily be seen. These anemones are collected from shallow water and need more light than you can probably give them unless you have a 400-watt metal halide. If you don't have this bright a light they will die. It may take 3-6 months but it will die. "Saddle carpets (S. haddoni) are a different story. They have short club like tentacles that are so densely packed that it is often hard to see though to the oral disk. These anemones can withstand moderate light levels (3 watts per gal. sometimes less), but have the nasty habit of eating non-clownfish, especially tangs, dwarf angels and gobies. I had a small saddle carpet in a tank with a cherub angel for over 4 years without any problem. Last week the cherub became anemone food. In my experience feeding them more doesn't help. I have lost several other fish to a larger saddle carpet in another tank. BTW, the small carpet has lived (but not grown much) for over 7 years at the bottom of a 30 gal. tall tank with only 60 watts of fluorescent light. These are not ideal conditions for this anemone and I wouldn't recommend such low light levels, but this one has survived." Chuck Beams Fidonet - 1:2608/70 cbeams@future.dreamscape.com ___ * UniQWK #5290* A KGB keyboard has no key! --- Maximus 2.01wb * Origin: The Hidey-Hole BBS, Pennellville, NY (315)668-8929 (1:2608/70) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 229 AQUARIUMS Ref: DC100025 Date: 07/30/96 From: CHARLES BEAMS Time: 01:42pm \/To: JOHN-PETER VAN ZELM (Read 3 times) Subj: anemone problems (4/4) Desiree Hudson, in a message posted on CompuServe noted, "My carpet engulfed a very large yellow tang, much to my surprise and dismay! I also watched him eat a little goby this morning, and who knows what else! I'm sure some of those fish that I had written off as MIA were also part of his diet! Nevertheless, I really like him, he's beautiful, and very hardy. He was one of the first marine organisms I bought about five years ago, when all I had was regular fluorescent bulbs. It's amazing that he survived through my learning period! And from Larry Jackson, on CompuServe: "Do you feed your carpet anemone? If not, consider doing it. It might be a little less prone to eating your fish if well fed. I feed mine a couple of silversides each week." There has been some speculative discussion (I'm not certain, but it might be Charles Delbeek who has suggested) that carpet anemones secrete some type of *seductive* release that attracts fish and causes them to succumb and become the carpet's meal. Ritteris: Ritteris like strong alternating currents and lots of light, and move until they find it. Bubble tips: Bubble anemones like to have the base in the dark and their tentacles in the light. Some people have had success by putting a very short section of PVC where they want the anemone to stay and place its base inside the pipe. Some writers suggest that bubble tips are the hardiest of the pacific anemones, but there does not seem to be unanimous agreement on this matter. ANEMONES AND ANEMONEFISH One major reason for keeping anemones is to watch the symbiotic relationship that develops between the anemone and an anemonefish, usually a clownfish. This truly is a fascinating relationship that develops in nature, but care must be taken in selecting the animals one puts in the home aquarium. Usually this relationship will occur between clownfish and the Pacific Ocean or Indo-Pacific varieties of anemones (Carpets, Sebaes, Ritteri, Bubble-tip, Malu, and others). You may wish to avoid tube anemones, rock anemones (Aiptasia) and Condylactus as these do not usually attract anemonefish. Jim Thurman had this to say about anemonefish on CompuServe, "Their 3 favorites are Carpets (aggressive and potent sting), Ritteri/Magnifica (better choice for a small community tank) or Bubble-Tip (also a good choice)." From Larry Jackson on CompuServe..."Most anemonefish, including the clown fish, will only take to anemones from their own native environment. Clown fish for example, will usually (but not always) stay away from Caribbean anemones such as the Condylactus (some times called by different names - Candy anemones, pink-tipped anemones, etc.) and tube anemones. These are usually the inexpensive anemones kept in the aquarium shops - quite often I've seen them for sale here for less than $5." One of the hardest things to accept about keeping anemones is that those inexpensive ($4 and $5 here) anemones are the hardiest, the easiest to come by and the easiest to feed. But, it is only an occasional anemonefish that will take up residence in these anemones. You are more likely to have luck getting your clownfish to accept mushroom anemones, green polyps or even some corals as a host, than the Atlantic anemones. Clearly, the current thinking on anemones is that they are difficult to keep. Some hobbyists have had some success - which we might define as keeping them alive for 5 years or more - with maintaining expensive, well-thought out reef aquariums. Hobbyists are urged NOT to undertake the task of keeping these intriguing animals until they have read and studied all they can, and then only with the knowledge that anemone keeping is a real commitment. P.S. to John-Peter: I hope this is of some help to you. Keeping marine fish and invertebrates successfully requires study and a commitment of time. Buy a decent book, or visit a local library, that identifies your anemone by type and gives you some pointers on how to care for it. They are just too expensive and too delicate to buy them and watch them die in a matter of weeks or months. Chuck Chuck Beams Fidonet - 1:2608/70 cbeams@future.dreamscape.com ___ * UniQWK #5290* ))))) TAKE A MINUTE TO THANK YOUR SYSOP ((((( --- Maximus 2.01wb * Origin: The Hidey-Hole BBS, Pennellville, NY (315)668-8929 (1:2608/70) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 229 AQUARIUMS Ref: DC100026 Date: 07/30/96 From: LLOYD BOSTON Time: 05:55am \/To: TED CHRISTENSEN (Read 3 times) Subj: Pond Fish -> I like the idea of setting up an echo for ponds and pond fish -> is "rec.ponds" on the Net with an average of about 60 posts a day but -> should be room for something similar on Fidonet. I will check out rec.ponds, and look into the aspects of putting an internationl fido echo up. I am in the process of building a new pond now. It will be smaller than my big one and is located about five feet below it. It wil be about 3000 gallon, with a waterway from the large pond, I plan to pump water from the small pond to the large one, water will go over a 3 foot water fall and then back to the small pond through the water way. My filter and cooling system will be moved to the small pond. I have a Heating & AC company, and I took a 3 ton house ac unit and made a chiller, it lets me drop the water to 50 Deg. if i want it that low, the cooling cut my summer loss to zero so far this year, I keep the water at 72 in the daytime and the fish seem to be more active, instead of hidding in the deep holes,(about 5 feet in the center). Well time for work, hope to hear from many pond keepers in the near future, and even get some plant or fisdsh exchanges going, sort of like in Fido Seed Exchange. Lloyd Boston Sysop Riverside BBS --- HyperMail! v1.22 * Origin: Riverside BBS Node1 489-2019-Node2-489-1945-50,000+ File (1:2210/70) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 229 AQUARIUMS Ref: DC100027 Date: 07/31/96 From: SUSAN LEPRI Time: 09:40pm \/To: ALL (Read 3 times) Subj: Fish CD's ???? RE: Fish CD's ???? BY: Trevor Bates to Rob Barlow on Fri Jul 26 1996 08:34 pm > Hia Rob... > > I now have those files Fish_1.zip Fish_2.zip available for download from the > BBS :-) > See Ya > Trev 2:250/607 Crock's Corner BBS Tel +44(0)1253-291023 > > Does anyone have these files available locally? --- GEcho 1.11+ * Origin: The Isle of Isis...A New Paradise (203)888-0724 (1:141/620) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 229 AQUARIUMS Ref: DC100028 Date: 07/31/96 From: CHARLES MURRAY Time: 11:33am \/To: CHARLES MURRAY (Read 3 times) Subj: Re: stunning fish -=> Quoting Charles Murray to James Mcgrail <=- JM> CM> I had a friend once who said he used a electric train tranformer to JM> stun fi JM> CM> he used for feeders. Can some one tell me if this is a fact ? JM> JM> Why stun them? Unless your talking about stunning wild fish in a stream JM> or pond, to use as feeders. Many years ago I stunned bait fish, to use JM> fishing, using an old telephone crank. You see the cranks in old movies, JM> when someone signals the operator. JM> JM> They put out a much higher voltage then a train transformer and can give JM> you a big jolt but still only stun the fish for a few seconds. Just long JM> enough to net them. This is outlawed in most states, now a days. JM> JM> I don't trust catching wild fish for feeders, too big a chance to infest JM> your fish, unless you quarantine them for a few weeks and treat them ith JM> a general. JM> JM> --- ViaMAIL!/WC5 v1.00c JM> ! Origin: Xanth BBS - Wildcat - Sacramento CA 916-264-1826 1:203/996) JM> SEEN!BY: 270/101 280/1 362/112 241 304 701 914 923 396/1 3615/50 51 CM> He was using gold fish to feed other bigger tropical fish he had, CM> this was what I was talking about...they were all tank fish ! CM> What this guy told me and this was really a long time ago (kid stuff) is that he would drop the +\- leads from the transformer into the tank then turn up the voltage . if he set it to 10 mph the fish swam at 10 mph, at 20mph the swam 20mph. but if you got above 60mph they jumped out of the tank. He thought this was so keen, that he there after spent all his money on gold fish, just to stun them . Bet I'll catch flack over writing this ( a sick puppy) but at the time he was telling me it sounded funny...but then I'm not a fish ! ZOOOOOOOOOOM ! Outta here..... CM> - Pedit Ver 2.6 CM> Best Regards, CM> Charles Murray CM> Chattanooga,Tn., ! CM> -!- Have a good day. CM> ! Origin: The GOOD News BBS, Chattanooga TN, 423-698-0407 (1:362/112) ... ::::::::::::::::::::::::::WRABBETS:::::::::::::::::::::::: ... ___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12 --- Maximus 3.00 * Origin: La Villa Strangiato 2 (1:362/914)