Aquatic Acronyms - TLAs for Days!

[Minanora]

I use IME "in my experience" from time to time. That, and IMO "in my opinion".

Good idea compiling a list!

[Tanked]

Thinking that I limit myself just a handful of acronyms to avoid confusion and context issues, I rechecked the list and my notes.    I realized that I use them without thinking about it. TinFoil Barb, Jungle Valisneria, Italian Valineria, African Water Fern , to name a few that aren't on the list..  Then I fell down another RH.

[Choogie]

Didn’t see this one yet. 
PPI = Pores per inch, used in measuring coarseness of sponge filters

[Ken Burke]

BNP= bristle nose pleco

imo = in my opinion

MTS = multi tank syndrome 🤓 (see it there but worth saying again)

 

Btw great thread!  U win the Ken Burke best post of the week on a Monday 

[Jungle Fan]

And now to add to the confusion I've used MTS all these years for Malaysian Trumpet Snails.

I could easily see a newcomer looking at a post full of acronyms and posting "Can I buy a vowel, please?" in return. 

[Scott Stevenson]

BN or BNP - bushy nosed plecos

[freemoney]

NERM???

[Widgets]

On 3/30/2022 at 2:14 AM, freemoney said:

NERM???

This post explains it.

 

[drewzero1]

On 3/25/2022 at 7:03 AM, Jungle Fan said:

And now to add to the confusion I've used MTS all these years for Malaysian Trumpet Snails.

I could easily see a newcomer looking at a post full of acronyms and posting "Can I buy a vowel, please?" in return. 

You're not the only one! I saw MTS used to refer to the snails for several years before encountering the multi-tank variety, and it's taken a while to adjust to the apparently more common meaning. Context doesn't always help, as it's possible to suffer from either form (or both!) of MTS.

[Odd Duck]

On 3/30/2022 at 10:43 PM, drewzero1 said:

You're not the only one! I saw MTS used to refer to the snails for several years before encountering the multi-tank variety, and it's taken a while to adjust to the apparently more common meaning. Context doesn't always help, as it's possible to suffer from either form (or both!) of MTS.

It’s more common around here referring to the tank issue, but out there in the rest of the world, I see MTS more commonly referring to the snails.  It’s just us nerms that have chronic MTS with MTS.  😝 😆 😂 🤣 

[Jawjagrrl]

Came up in one of the St. Nermy's journals as an extension of MTS - AOMTS. Acute Onset Multiple Tank Syndrome seems increasingly common with people going from zero tanks to 10+ in less than a year.

[nabokovfan87]

On 3/27/2022 at 9:50 AM, Scott Stevenson said:

BN or BNP - bushy nosed plecos

I got so confused once when I saw this somewhere else. I literally never heard the term "bushy nose" and I kept trying to recall the term "bristlenose pleco"

[R Budds]

I see two not on the list for pipe measurements: ID (inside diameter) and OD (outside diameter).

[gjcarew]

Alright I got carried away and most of these are not acronyms, but I figure it can't hurt to have a little glossary if folks are confused about what all the weird plant people around here are talking about...

AR - Alternanthera reineckii 

Floaters - floating plants such as duckweeds (genus Lemna), red root floaters (Phyllanthus fluitans), and azolla species 

Crypts - genus Cryptocoryne

Carpet/ carpeting plant - plants that grow close to the substrate such as Micranthemum tweediei "Monte Carlo" and low growing Eleocharis species

CEC: Cation Exchange Capacity. The ability of a substrate to bind nutrients and make them available to the root zone of plants. 

Glosso - Glossostigma elatinoides

HC - Hemianthus callitrichoides "Cuba", a bright green carpet plant that usually requires CO2 injection

Val - genus Vallisneria

Dirted: Usually refers to a layer of topsoil that has been covered (or "capped") with an inert substrate.

Substrate: Gravel, sand, dirt... Anything that goes on the bottom of an aquarium.

Walstad: Refers to the Walstad Method. A method of keeping planted tanks generally with dirt substrates, no injected CO2, low bioload, a "siesta" photoperiod, and little to no filtration

Siesta: this is a split photoperiod, or turning aquarium lights on, then off, then on again over the period of a single day. Popularized by Diana Walstad, this supposedly allows CO2 levels to increase in the aquarium while the lights are off between photoperiods.

Dutch/ Dutch-style: A specific style of planted aquarium involving contrasting groups of healthy plants with little hardscape. While there are specific rules and competitions for Dutch-style aquariums, the phrase colloquially refers to any plant-dominant aquarium without hardscape

Iwagumi: An aquarium featuring only rocks and minimalist planting with only a few species of plant. Associated with large swathes of carpeting plants. 

Nature aquarium: A style popularized by Takashi Amano. Consists of trying to recreate a natural scene in an aquarium.

Diorama: An exaggerated representation of a landscape or scene presented in miniature. The scene is often meant to represent a terrestrial landscape such as jungles or mountains, rather than something underwater.

Hardscape: Natural aquarium decorations such as rocks and wood. Can also refer to the overall layout of rocks and wood in an aquarium.

Clown puke: derogatory term for brightly colored aquarium gravel often sold to beginner aquarists at chain stores. 

Micros - micronutrients

Macros - macronutrients

NPK - nitrogen, phophorous, potassium (or the anions nitrate and phosphate, and the cation potassium). The "macros"

pH drop: How much the pH of aquarium water drops while injecting CO2. Used with a pH/KH/CO2 chart to determine dissolved CO2 in an aquarium. Measured against degassed aquarium water in which CO2 is at background atmospheric levels.

[johnnyxxl]

On 3/9/2021 at 1:31 PM, Daniel said:

@TheDukeAnumber1 used IIRC this morning and I thought it might 'Internet Relay Chat' but that didn't make sense in the context, so I looked it up and and found that it means: 'If I remember correctly'.

I thought it still did.  I just figured it was a typo when I saw it.