Anita
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Posts posted by Anita
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One thing to consider with mosquito fish (Gambusia) is they have fallen out of favor for mosquito control because a) they do not eat many mosquitos and unfortunately, b) compete with other native fish species. Below is an excerpt from "Adverse Assessments of Gambusia affinis" published by the North American Native Fishes Association (NANFA):
QuoteImpact of Introduction: According to Courtenay and Meffe (1989), mosquitofish have had the greatest ecological impact by far of any of the introduced poeciliids. Although widely introduced as mosquito control agents, recent critical reviews of the world literature on mosquito control have not supported the view that Gambusia are particularly effective in reducing mosquito populations or in reducing the incidence of mosquito-borne diseases (Courtenay and Meffe 1989; Arthington and Lloyd 1989). Because of their aggressive and predatory behavior, mosquitofish may negatively affect populations of small fish through predation and competition (Myers 1967; Courtenay and Meffe 1989), and benefit mosquitos by decreasing competitive pressure from zoooplantion and predation pressure from predatory invertebrates (Blaustein and Karban 1990). In some habitats, introduced mosquitofish reportedly displaced select native fish species regarded as better or more efficient mosquito control agents (Danielsen 1968; Courtenay and Meffe 1989).
FWIW, I would regard the Illinois list you are reading with a bit of caution if you are trying to stick with truly native fish species. At a glance, the list of "approved species" includes several fish that I believe are NOT native to Illinois. I suspect this list combines native fish with fish having commercial or recreational value. For example, the list includes goldfish, which hardly seem to be a desirable species in the wild for any reason I can think of.
Notice that the list is titled "Aquatic Life Approved Species List" and defined as (bold text is mine):
"For the purposes of Section 20-90 of the Fish and Aquatic Life Code [515 ILCS 5/20-90], the Aquatic Life Approved Species List is established. The following aquatic life categories will be considered approved for aquaculture, transportation, stocking, importation and/or possession in the State of Illinois. Those species having special requirements are indicated by an asterisk (*)."So I guess it boils down to how strongly you feel about having native fish. For a more reliable list of non-native fishes that identifies exotics, as well as fish not native to Illinois (transplanted from other regions in North America), I suggest using the USGS database of Nonindigenous Aquatic Species. Here are the search results for Group: Fishes + State: Illinois + Sort By: Taxonomic Group.
Using the USGS database, I learned that the Northern Redbelly Dace (Chrosomus eos/Phoxinus eos) is native to waters north of (e.g., Wisconsin), but not actually in Illinois. "Native Range: Atlantic, Great Lakes, Hudson Bay, upper Mississippi, Missouri, and Peace-Mackenzie River drainages, from Nova Scotia west to Northwest Territories and British Columbia, south to northern Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Colorado (Page and Burr 1991)." The species guide includes a color-coded map.
You can also find a database for native fish at FishMap.org (hosted by NANFA). Using their interactive map, I clicked on the middle of Illinois state, which brought up a list of native and exotic fishes for the Mackinaw Watershed. You can also find information about keeping native fish at NANFA (via articles and their forum).
Haha, probably more information than you wanted to know about native fishes. 🤪
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On 4/12/2021 at 10:47 AM, Catfish_Lover_Jane said:
Self-washing gravel would be nice.
Ooo-o-o, like those self-cleaning kitty litter boxes! 🤩
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On 4/17/2021 at 10:48 AM, H.K.Luterman said:
So anyways, this little guy is an immature male humpback limia in my 29. All the other boys pick on him, so he usually stays by himself in the front of the tank. I guess because he doesn't shoal with everyone else, he's gotten pretty used to me and usually comes over to say hi. Eventually he'll mature and I probably won't be able to tell him apart from the others, but for now I call him Beavis.
What a cutie! 😁
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1 hour ago, H.K.Luterman said:
I hope Pooka is now satisfied that she is the Queen of Everything and will proceed to leave him alone. I'm keeping an eye on her. I do hope she behaves, since I really like how much room she has in the 75.
That goofy catfish sure has grown up! Hopefully everyone will get settled into their new community. 🥰
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Good timing! 😎
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On 4/11/2021 at 5:47 PM, H20CultureLabs said:
ありがとうございますア二タ先輩！こと立山知らなかった、今私はしります！これcrayfish名前の立山富山にです。
(Thank you very much Anita-senpai, I did not know about Kototateyama, but now I do! This crayfish is named for Mt. Tateyama in Toyama.)
あんたの幹事上手ですよ！私の幹事は上手じゃありません。
(Your kanji is skilled! I am not very skilled in Kanji)
So much fun to type some 日本語 in this forum!
初めまして @H20CultureLabs！敬語を良く分かりますね！でも、上下関係の事を困りましたね。アメリカの名前そのだけ下さい。
MicrosoftのIMEキーボードは漢字を上手に出来ます。日本語や英語で書道をまだ下手で書きます。どうぞ宜しくお願い致します。
[Nice to meet you @H20CultureLabs! You are so polite! But giving me a title is a little embarrassing. Please use my American name without the honorific.
Microsoft’s IME keyboard is skillful at writing kanji. My handwriting is poor, in Japanese or English. Warm regards.]
琴立山 Kototateyama [Zither-like Standing Mountains]
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Quick update for what I have nicknamed our Forum Anniversary Member Articles Project.
Not too much to report except to let you all know that I am currently communicating with @Daniel @CorydorasEthan and @KaitieG on a plan for this anniversary event. 💡
I.e., silence on this thread does not mean nothing is happening! Like the proverbial duckling, we are madly paddling away below the water's calm surface. 🦆
In the meantime, you could help keep my inbox less cluttered by posting suggestions or questions in this thread. I am following the thread and will post my reply as soon as possible. BTW, I am in the midst of my busy season, working as an editor and announcing college sports events. So I will not be as present on the forum in general and may be a bit slower than usual to reply here.
If you are interested in helping with this project, then, please send me a PM! ✉️
Bye for now... 😎
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4 hours ago, TheDukeAnumber1 said:
Seems analogous to the "blog" section on the ACO website.
Maybe the articles section can/should be modeled after it? Anyways I like the idea.
I do too! It has been added to my organizational "Under Consideration" list. Thank you! 😁
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6 minutes ago, James Black said:
Just a question:
Will there be a thread with all the articles are all posted in? Or will there be a whole new topic?
Still figuring things out. 🤔 When I have a plan, I will let you all know!
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5 hours ago, Daniel said:
I am so excited by how much progress has already been made!
To streamline communication and planning @Anita has graciously volunteered to coordinate with @CorydorasEthan's assistance.
I look forward to seeing how this unfolds!
My goal is for us all to have fun with this. Please bear with me as I try to figure out how to best accomplish this! 🤓
In the meantime, if anyone is interested in helping out, please PM me and let me know what you would like to do. Thanks! 😎
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8 hours ago, Hobbit said:
This is great, @CorydorasEthan! I do want to add that I think this project is much bigger than NERM day—it’s something that will take a lot of time and thought, and is quite possibly something we want to keep doing for a long time. So don’t feel constrained by the holiday. If some article or articles come out that week, that’s great, but let the project take the space it needs. 👍
Haha, you read my mind! @CorydorasEthan and I are currently strategizing about how to keep this project a manageable size, since we are asking people to volunteer their time and efforts! Also, I want to do our best to include everyone who wants to contribute, because this is supposed to be a celebration of our online community. 🧑🤝🧑
I beg your patience as I get my thoughts organized. 😇
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5 hours ago, James Black said:
@KaitieG has volunteered to look over/ edit the articles before they are published in the CARE Forum Anniversary Thread.
I am super excited to see how this project will turn out.
@KaitieG Awesome! Send me a PM and let's chat about what you would be willing to do! 🥰
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34 minutes ago, Tamitha said:
There be babies here!
I know it’s just endlers but it’s my first ever fry and I’m really excited. Years of fish keeping in the past and now again in the past two years since I started up again I never expected fry as my water is just terrible.
Congrats! Have a virtual cigar...
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On 4/8/2021 at 12:09 PM, Hobbit said:
For a fish themed game, what if we did “guess the fish from the tiny picture?” So someone would crop a picture of a fish so it only shows one body part (like the eyeball or the dorsal fin or something) and then we have to guess what fish it is. I feel like @Colu would be really good at this game.
Or on the other end of the spectrum, how about an aquarium version of "Where's Waldo?"
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I second this recommendation. Scuds are detrivores and like shrimp and snails, eat biofilm and decaying matter. If scuds overpopulate to the point they start "outcompeting" the shrimp, you should start wondering what went wrong in the tank. 🤔
The problem with internet stories is that people are strongly motivated to post worst-case scenarios because it improves their social media "hit" scores. As long-time pet owner, former wildlife rehab worker, and current marketing pro, I find these stories particularly troublesome because I suspect the aquarium owner has a much larger problem; one that is putting the creatures in their care at risk.😣
Imagine locking a dog in a car for 6 hours on a 70-degree day. Then, releasing the dog, filming a YouTube video as it collapses from heat stroke, and claiming this breed is heat-intolerant?🥵
That seems to be happening with these sensationalist aquarium horror stories as well. Just my opinion, of course. 😁
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17 minutes ago, CorydorasEthan said:
I have also been asked by @Hobbit to make arrangements for the articles on Nerm Day/CARE Forum Anniversary Day (July 14). Those of you who want to are welcome to post your first articles during the course of that week. Just now I got some feedback from @Anita, who is more than willing to host this project as well.
Those of you who are interested in writing articles can either post here or contact me through personal messanger. I will need a group of nerms to help me! Anyway, thanks for reading!
@CorydorasEthanCheck your inbox for a PM. Thanks! 😎
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20 hours ago, CorydorasEthan said:
I am willing to host any of mine. Probably the debate one, and maybe one of the others. If I can, I will do the articles, but I may need someone more experienced to help check the information in them to see if it is accurate. The mockumentary one is up for grabs if anyone wants it. If not, I'll do it as well.
@CorydorasEthan If it would help, I would be happy to tackle the Articles project. I am a freelance writer/editor (see "About" in my member profile), so I have done this sort of thing. Or if you prefer to be in charge, I could support whatever you need. 🤓
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32 minutes ago, Jungle Fan said:
First time ever I actually had one of their $25 coupons of any purchase over $100 when I could use it, and it also happened to be on closeout and reduced by $87, woohoo, jackpot.
The stars were in alignment today. Did you buy a lottery ticket? 😁
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On 4/4/2021 at 4:28 PM, Jungle Fan said:
To my embarrassment I have to admit I'm still very German in that regard. Cable flags although not made in Germany, yet a solution that could have easily come from there. LOL😄
I have no idea what you mean, hahaha! 😆
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In other words, not only is he named after a Sumo wrestler, he eats like one! 😁
Tateyama → 立山 [standing mountain]
Kototateyama → 琴立山 [zither(-like) standing mountain*]
*Does not translate easily, so my best estimate.
お見事！[Splendidly done!]
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15 hours ago, KaitieG said:
You're right--that's a really big nitrite spike. I think a couple of 50% water changes over the next couple days might be a good idea to get that number down a little, and I wouldn't do anything with the filter media--including rinsing it. Just let those bacteria grow in there for now 🙂 The good news is that it sounds like you're well on your way to getting through your cycle--you clearly have bacteria in there that are producing nitrate; they just have to catch up!
Here's what I would personally do--you can obviously change this to suit your schedule/needs/etc
1. Do a 50% water change as soon as it's manageable for you and treat with Prime
2. After an hour or two, test and see if you can get a clear Nitrite reading that doesn't max out the test (let us know just to satisfy our curiosity!!).
3. Do another 50% water change the next day and treat with Prime
4. Betcha can guess--check your parameters after an hour or so to see where you're at
5. Continue the pattern until nitrites are in the 1ish range. Then personally, I'd treat with Prime daily until they disappear and do water changes as needed when/if they start climbing above about that level.
If you can get through this part of the tank setup process, the good news is that it generally gets easier from here! 🙂
I second this recommendation. Don't worry about Easy Green or any other fertilizers right now. Your plants will be fine without nitrates for days, weeks even. Yes, it is a total pain in the you-know-what doing water changes. But prolonged exposure to high nitrite levels could poison your fish. Learn from my mistake. → To save my snails from my stupidity, I did four 50% water changes in two days (2/day for 2 days). And I still ended up losing one after just 3 days. 😫 And that culprit was the LESS toxic nitrate. So... 🤓
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1 hour ago, Mark Knutson said:
I have been keeping fish and plants in our well water here for 7 years. Until recently my plants either die or don't grow in my aquariums or pond. I have started to mix distilled water into my aquariums and my plants have started to grow better. The trouble is my pond holds too much water to try mixing distilled water in it. I believe my well water has a high ph and is very hard. Anybody have any ideas how I can treat my pond water so I can grow plants in my pond also? Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me. Mark
A Reverse Osmosis (R.O.) system would remove all minerals from your well water. Depending on how handy you are, one of the cheapest solutions would be building a solar still that produces distilled water. There are lots of DIY plans around. There are also solar still kits.
Please note, I have not personally used any of these and I am not endorsing these particular links. Just trying to give you some ideas to get started. 😎 You will need to figure out how much water you need, so you can buy or build a big enough system.
Before you invest a bunch of time and money, however, I suggest you test your water to make sure that hardness is the cause of the problem. Unfortunately, well water can become contaminated with agricultural, construction, mining, or industrial runoff. In some places in the Western United States, the salt (NaCl) concentration increases as more and more water gets drawn out of the ground for farming.
Tateyama → 
Several General Tubbing Questions
in General Discussion
Posted
Does the fountain need to float? The problem with most floating solar fountains is their GPH is severely restricted by the solar collector panel size—most of them produce less than 4W power. And of course, the floating fountain will block sunlight from reaching your plants. Eg., an 8" diameter floating fountain would take up almost 1/3 the width of a 26" diameter half-whisky barrel.
Are you trying to keep the water oxygenated? I use a stationery solar fountain wired to a solar collector panel (20W, 360GPH) that sits on the ground. (With a little DIY, the panel could be mounted on a post.) Having the panel outside the pond alleviates the problem of the solar cells getting covered up by gunk, aka, algae/plants. The fountain and pump sit at the bottom of the pond, leaving most of the water surface open for sunlight and gas exchange. In addition to providing aeration, the fountain output is part of a trickle sump, so I need the output to stay in one place. You can downgrade/upgrade the pump GPH with a smaller/larger solar panel.
BTW, @CalmedByFish posed the question, "Pond without electricity?" and got a number of suggestions. My reply includes details of my summer pond setup with solar fountain.