Cichla kelberi

After a few days, I finally got a picture of the Cichla kelberi, the latest addition in my collection.

Zebra Pleco or L46

If indeed the pair of zebras are in spawning mood, for purposes of documentation, I also need to put down the following:

At present, there are 3 mature and 2 juveniles in a 40 gallon Kotobuki planted tank with several other fishes (more than a 200 in all of different sizes, 0.5 inch to 3.5 inches). Filtration systems include 4 units of Liberty 2042 (hang-on-back, each unit is good for upto 50 gallons of water) and a Eheim pro3 (canister with pump rate of 600 liters per hour). All filtering units are filled with Siporax rings.

Water parameters: 28 to 29 degrees, pH 6.8 to 7.0, Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate are 0. Minimal water flow. Nitrates have been zero for a week with the addition of a 'drip system, previously readings ranged from 20 to 40.

Diet mainly live tubifex, Sera's welse-chips and frozen blood worms.

Zebra Plecos or L46

Second day stuck in the driftwood's cavity, picture shows the two zebra plecos. The one on top covers the one inside whenever I approach. Hopefully this will be a successful pair.

Potamotrygon schroederi update

While P-Noy was presenting the SONA on television, I took some pictures of the flower rays. Barely two months since they arrived, they have started to darken more showing the yellowish floral pattern and black base.

The flower rays are considered as one of the specials among the freshwater stingrays but also with the highest mortality rates (or deaths). It is rarely imported into the country and due its beautiful floral pattern, is sought-after. Do look into my previous post as there are 3 variants with some newer hybrids being sold as flower rays.

My French Bulldog Chi-Chi

I took him home because he was malnourished and the breeder's kennel conditions weren't too good. He'd grown since then with an attitude that can be best described as 'stubborn' and 'sutil' yet remain quite adorable. He is often mistaken as a cat and a day ago while driving home with Chi-Chi on my lap, a passing PLDT cab passenger actually screamed with 'ang ganda ng pusa mo.'

Biofiltration

So why is Oxygen important in your fish tank?

First and most important, your fish need oxygen just like we do to live. That should be simple enough.

To make it more interesting though, there are several reasons for the presence of oxygen aside from that needed by fishes in an aquarium. The nitrifying bacterial colonies or the so-called good bacteria requires oxygen to convert ammonia to nitrite and nitrite to nitrate. This is one of the reasons why trickle filters are quite popular nowadays as oxygenation is enhanced when used properly (more on this too soon).

Additionally, other unwanted dissolved organic substances are eliminated or transformed into lesser complicated ones (ok, less dangerous) in the presence of oxygen through a chemical process (simplified here).

Zebra pleco or L46

Yesterday, I was sharing with a friend who happens to be one of the very best fish hobbyist in the country about 3 adult zebra plecos occupying a cave of their own in my planted tank and of the probability that all are males - well what do I get instead?

Above picture may just be the answer. A second zebra pleco in the 'residence' of another. Will keep you updated on this as there are very few instances of zebra plecos being bred in the country at this time.

Biofiltration

Another concept that I am not about to leave out is Oxygen, more importantly, it's availability for your fishes and the nitrifying bacterial colonies. Availability is directly proportional to the air-water interface where most gas exchange occur. Increasing temperature and dissolved organic compounds will decrease the availability of Oxygen.

One can increase the availability of Oxygen in practice is to enlarge the air-water interface - aeration with the production of air bubbles (more bubbles means more surface area for the air-water interface), providing a larger surface area at the water level (rectangular fish tanks will have more than a square or round one) or increasing the rate of gas exchange by increasing the flow on the water surface.

More to follow....

Biofiltration

Now that I have shared a bit about Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate - it is important to come up with the issue of eliminating all these elements (or atleast decrease the amount that will accumulate) in a closed system (that's your aquarium). Besides regular partial water changes which I doubt anyone truly relishes this part of fish keeping - one needs a system to effect a near optimal environ for your fishes. The system is filtration, more specifically that of biological filtration. I wish I could add biochemical filtration but this could come later as I want to deal first with the more immediate concerns of anyone 'plunging' into the hobby. Filtration as I use the term in this section should be thought of as a functional whole rather than individual parts (mechanical, biological, chemical, etc.).

Again let me start with a few general concepts here on filtration.

There are many kinds of filtration and 'best' is a rather relative word, wherein a hobbyist will always find someone with claims of having the 'best' system (including myself) - but believe me when I say, to each his own here - what works for one particular fish species may not work for another given the same conditions, the same is true in terms of the experiences of different hobbyists using the same system. SO I will not make any claims on which is best, but how a system of filtration (in this case biological filtration) would work in relation to its primary function - that of eliminating the unwanted Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate in an enclosed system.

It is noteworthy, too, to state that there is no such thing as over-filtration. One can never approximate what nature can provide. Over-filtration just means more than enough the estimated requirement of a volume of water vis-a-vis that of a filtering unit. In most cases, in more common usage is all about the number of units one places in each fish tank and should never be taken seriously.

In both - do consider these keywords - reliability, convenience and cost-benefit ratio should precede cost when selecting what fits your needs most (more of the fishes' really). A lot still do put cost at the forefront but this prioritization makes it costlier in the long run.

To be continued.....

Nitrate

The last by-product is also the most difficult to remove despite claims to the contrary (plants [read http://www.aquabotanic.com/plants_and_biological_filtration.htm to find which plants prefer nitrates], denitrators). At lower levels and short term exposure, nitrate may not be such a problem. But prolonged exposure brings some dire consequences like organ damage, etc.

The only practical means to remove is to do regular partial water changes and even this will not totally eliminate nitrates. Again Nitra-Zorb may be used to prevent accumulation and one may try the intricacies of a denitrator.

Around a week ago, I added a 'drip' system (I will write on this soon) for several of my fish tanks and today when I finally took time off from a very hectic schedule - I got for the first time, again a FIRST in my 3 decades of being a hobbyist, zero nitrates in all the tanks where the 'drip' system were used.

Nitrite

This one definitely is something you do not like seeing in your water. Simply because it really can kill. I wrote earlier that it blocks Oxygen from being carried through the blood by some transformation in the hemoglobin structure. Other sources also claim that it may be directly toxic to the fish. Nothing much can be done except to do water change when it comes to nitrite levels in 'immature' or 'uncycled' tanks (it is a reminder of the importance of properly cycling your biofilter as it takes around 3 weeks to establish enough colonies of bacteria for nitrite to nitrate conversion, remember the bacterial reproduction takes 24 hours to form another cell plus the fact that ammonia to nitrite conversion is way faster than nitrite to nitrate conversion, so nitrite levels add up quite faster).

Just a quick preventive measure: Try a product called Nitra-Zorb by API (which is available locally) to reduce the 'risk.' Although Nitra-Zorb is rated for ammonia removal, the package insert do indicate that it does indeed remove nitrite and nitrate at a lesser degree. I have tried the product during start up (of some of my tanks in the past) several times and it did work.

Ammonia

The two pictures above are examples of Ammonia detectors (ok, I have all of them to detect/test for Ammonia).

I usually place Seachem's Ammonia Alert (second picture) in my overstocked aquariums for convenience - to continuously detect any changes (for upto a year) in the ammonia level in each tank and I find it quite sensitive. The cost is a bit prohibitive (but remember it last a year) and it may take around 15 minutes or more (if I remember it right) to level off after higher readings (and upon refilling the aquarium with fresh water during water changes).

An alternative are the API Ammonia Aquarium Strips (right most in first picture) for those who are a bit lazy like me. With 25 test strips, it cost less than half of Ammonia Alert. The most affordable are the test solutions.

So what does one do if these test kits are not available? Simple, just follow what I do most of the time, when in doubt, do 'water change.' Oftentimes, the 'intuition' that something is wrong is right especially if one is a keen observer specially of fish behavior.

Other clues that will make one suspect some problems (read higher ammonia levels than usual) relate to the effects of ammonia on the fish nervous system and gill membranes. These include spasms (jerks for example), erratic movements and eventually losing their balance, swimming to the surface and sinking to the bottom later and dying. Another clue is water cloudiness, although this is often thought to be ammonia - it is actually the effect of increased in heterotrophic bacteria population which is due to the availability of ammonia in the water.

Long term effects of ammonia toxicity includes lesser growth rates, susceptibility to gill membrane bacterial infection, organ damage, and even abundant secretion of mucus.

It is important to note here that, there are differential effects of ammonia to different fish species, meaning, each fish species will have differing tolerance and toxicity will depend on this. In general though, one again should remember that ammonia is toxic even at very low levels and its presence only indicates that the biofiltration system isn't working properly or even inadequate. Addition of rock salt was found to effective in lowering the effects but is less than the degree afforded by calcium chloride.

The Nitrogen Cycle in Practice

Generally, water parameter testing isn't practice by the majority of fish keepers. And most do without them, successfully keeping their pets too. Despite the cost, I am a stickler for water parameter testing, as I consider a live fish more valuable than a dead one (and I do overcrowd my fish tanks).

So how does one apply knowledge of the nitrogen cycle into our daily chores in fishkeeping?

Nothing is sterile (or devoid of any living organism) when one starts. Anything you place into the tank, including water will have colonies of bacteria (and other microscopic organisms, too) and the nitrogen cycle should start as long as ammonia is present (it is 'food' or 'fuel' for the nitrifying bacteria).

The most important thing to do in starting a new tank is to increase the nitrifying bacteria population and to provide the 'food' or 'fuel' - and the most practical thing to do in the former is to make this initial population of 'good' bacteria is to increase their numbers. One may ask for some old filter material (or even in-tank substrate) from your local fish stores (but this brings in the risk of acquiring the unwanted organisms that can cause infections or diseases in your tank's occupants). An alternative is the utilization of bacterial preparations (like Sera's Nitrivec) but this entails additional cost and for some hobbyists, are unnecessary or even ineffective. Or add so-called 'starter' fish that will be the main source of ammonia. Just an additional fact, the nitrifying bacteria grow everywhere inside the tank where it is wet, including in the biofilm on the water surface, and all one needs is to provide the food or fuel for survival and population growth in the form of ammonia. Thus in fish-less cycling, ammonia (fertilizer) is added.

The Nitrogen Cycle

Here we see that, it takes roughly 6 weeks (against 4 weeks from some local online forum) to say that enough 'good' bacteria is present in the biofilter, taking into account the bacterial growth rate (e.g. 24 hours splitting for the second stage), etc to handle the ammonia produced by the fish tank's occupant(s).

Note that I wrote 'enough' to indicate that of population rather than 'mature' which would imply stability as it takes longer to mature the biofilter. In some online sources, give or take 6 months should be a good take off point assuming the following conditions are met: no sudden increases in 'bioload' from addition of new or more fishes, or decaying organic matters (excess feeding or uneaten food, poor filter media maintenance, die-offs, etc.) and, adequate oxygenation (which is an entire topic on its own that I will be dealing with in later posts). Suffice to say that oxygen is a necessity for both the fish and the bacteria as the bacteria do require the element to convert ammonia to the other by-products. Although there are other pathways, this is the major one.

Next I will be writing on this 'little' knowledge of nitrification into practical applications in the hobbyist's day to day situation.

The Nitrogen Cycle

Nitrite

The next product in the nitrogen cycle is also the most toxic as it can cause immediate blood changes that blocks the transport of oxygen through the body (at levels as low as 1.6 mg/L). Also exist in two forms, but in more acidic water the amount of the more toxic form (nitrous acid) is higher, in contrast to that of ammonia (lower pH is related with the less toxic form). In softer water, the same is true.

Compared to ammonia to nitrite conversion (through oxidation or reduction), nitrite to nitrate conversion takes a longer time as the bacteria (nitrospira) divides more slowly (24 hours to double the population). Thus commonly, it takes 3 weeks and longer to establish enough population of the nitrospira to convert nitrite to the least critical nitrate. At all times, the nitrite level should be maintained below 0.1 ppm or 1 mg/L.

Nitrate, the final by-product of nitrification, although less toxic than the two earlier by-products should be maintained below 50 ppm as it can stress the fish and lessen the resistance to diseases. Despite the popularity of using aquatic plants to remove nitrate from the tank, a more recent study provided evidence that most aquatic plants preferentially use ammonia than nitrate. The only means to lower nitrate levels is through regular partial water changes.

In all these processes, it is important to note that oxygen is a requirement. Both stages are also light-sensitive (more so with nitrospira).

To be cont'd...

The Nitrogen Cycle

So I already dealt with an overview of the nitrogen cycle, the next step is to know of the different chemicals and bacteria involved in the two-stage process that is important in a closed system like an aquarium.

Ammonia

The fish excretes ammonia through the gill membranes (primarily the source of most ammonia in a fish tank) and additional levels are contributed by decomposition of waste materials (poop, leftovers, dead bacterial colonies for example) by heterotrophic bacteria. Ammonia exist in two forms (the more toxic ammonia [NH3, also known as free ammonia] and ammonium [NH4]) and most test kits will provide the sum of both forms (typically called total ammonia). At lower pH (acidic) range, more of the total ammonia exist in the less-toxic ammonium thus provides for a relative safer environment. Ammonia levels should always be maintained below 0.1 ppm (parts per million or 0.1 mg/L. In an established aquarium, there should be no ammonia as this is easily converted into nitrite (which should also be zero although it takes more time to convert into nitrate by nitrospira).

Ammonia is dangerous for your fish (it could kill and these are the things to watch out for: spasms, spinning in small circles and laying at the bottom of the tank. Other signs include increased mucus production, bleeding gills, darkening, gasping and increase respiration as ammonia destroys the gill membranes impeding gas exchange.

It is usually associated with the so-called 'new tank syndrome.' Ammonia is expected to rise and peak within 3 to 5 days of starting a new set up and should be zero at the minimum on the 10th day if the cycling is done properly.

The Nitrogen Cycle

Since we know where ammonia comes from (protein by-product and is excreted mainly through gill membranes and waste that is decomposed by other microscopic organisms), then we could start talking about the nitrogen cycle. It is again, I need to reiterate this, a recycling process of the nitrogen.

The nitrogen cycle is simply not as simple as presented in most online source pertaining to fish keeping. It involves a multitude of pathways (or processes) which are often not put into detail. The typical presentation is that of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate as a non-reversible 2 processes, one followed by the other....

Ammonia, which will impede oxygen exchange in the gill membranes, once present in the water is converted to nitrite by a population of bacteria. Nitrite which is more toxic (related with oxygen transport in fish blood) than ammonia is then converted by another group of bacteria into nitrate (ill effects takes a longer time to manifest, in short it won't kill your fish immediately unless the levels are really high).

The two processes is a means of simplifying the 'cycle' but the finer details one needs to know here is how long it takes to achieve the conversion of the substances involved and how fast the two groups of bacteria to populate the filter media.

In reality, it is reversible in a sense that there are other pathways that can convert the nitrate back to ammonia but that will not be our main concern here, we are after all sticking to the basics.

To be continued.....

Still on Water Changes

Before I write further on water changes, let me tackle some basic concepts of the nitrogen cycle as I get quite a few inquiries on the topic. So let me try to simplify it in a way that it can be applied by the hobbyist in dealing with a new aquarium and/or maintaining an old one as I believe information that is known will only serve its purpose if it is applied and again, silly as it may sound, I do not see this in most discussions and even reading materials.

The operative word to begin with is 'recycle.' It is a process of moving one particular form of element - nitrogen which is part of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate - to another form so that other organisms could use it (like ammonia, nitrites, nitrate) to the final end-product (surprise, surprise - back to nitrogen) so that it can be reused, thus the terms I use is 'recycle.' That is nature at work, nothing is wasted as nitrogen is part of the basic elements of life (specifically of proteins - building blocks of life) and as such is needed by any living organism.

One organism takes in proteins and excrete it in another form. But as per nature's design, nothing is wasted thus the waste produced by one is actually 'food' for another, whose own excreta will also be consumed or utilized by another until nitrogen is released back in nature from which plants take it up and start the process again. Recycling indeed was never new, it has been there all along.

Now, fish excretes what it eats. What it excretes remains within a closed system (that is what an aquarium is until you do water change). The waste then is decomposed by another set of organisms that produces ammonia and this is where all the problems start. Ammonia. One more fine detail and quite important too, fish do excrete ammonia, most of them through their gill membranes - so one needs no poop to have ammonia in your aquarium because the gill membranes releases most of it. Thus when one encounters high ammonia levels, fish gill membranes are the first to be affected. Gas exchange is impaired and that could really make it dangerous for the fish.

Melnor Time-A-Matic

The Melnor Time-A-Matic

Water Changes Woes

I am finally working on making my life easier as a hobbyist or to make it more appropriate, even 'more convenient' in keeping fishes. Not that I am complaining really as I still rely on my present filtration set-up (think Eheim pro3/pro3es and several liters of Siporax, Substrat Pro and even Aquaclay) to maintain the different fish tanks. But despite the top-of-the-line equipment and filter media - one can never avoid regular water changes for two reasons:

1. Reduce the nitrate level (and other substances) as it can never be totally eliminated from a 'closed system' not even with aquatic plants - most of which have preference for ammonia from a recent study and which is contrary to the popular notion. I haven't worked with denitrators so I can not say much of its effects at the moment.

2. Accumulation of organic by-products like ammonia make water acidic as time passes as buffering properties of freshwater is used up to neutralize the acids. Water changes also increases the buffering capacity and replaces consumed minerals.

So what is there to do?

Water changes are time consuming (and laborious) especially if you are dealing with overcrowded tanks and big volumes of water. As I wrote earlier, even the best filtration systems can only do so much - for example, an Eheim filter provides reliability (translated as peace of mind), convenience (best for those who got not much time) and (electrical) cost efficiency while Siporax which is made of sintered glass compared to an ordinary ceramic ring have an surface area upto 30x for beneficial bacteria (1 liter of Siporax is roughly equivalent upto 34 liters of an ordinary one) - thus we are talking space here. In the long run, using both Eheim and Siporax leads to greater cost-benefit ratio.

The first solution I depended on is to do 'overfiltration' which is really ironic as there is really no such thing in a closed system but from my experience, this atleast made the frequency of equipment maintenance and water changes less often. At the minimum 6 months for maintenance (change of filter wool) upto a year and water changes atleast once weekly or every two weeks.

Another adaptation is to set up a system for easier water drainage and refilling but this kept me waiting too as my inline dechlorinator (with a 1 micron prefilter and activated carbon blocks) but was still time-consuming and accidental overflows are common especially when one is multi-tasking.

All these years, I followed the above solutions and have been trying out ideas how to make it more efficient (and convenient). Fortunately, a week or two earlier, after a heavy downpour and caught in the flooded streets again, I spend a little time in a nearby hardware store chain and to my surprise, they were selling a Melnor water timer. Yes, you read that right - I wrote 'water timer.' It is one of those things that can make life easier for the hobbyist especially those who do ponds or at the minimum 50 to 100 gallons of water changes. The manual water timer basically shuts itself off after delivering the amount of water one picks from the dial. Now that is a big leap towards having more time and should be worry-free refilling of the pond.

Potamotrygon schroederi Update

It has been two busy weeks and finally got time off from all the pet chores and work, so here's an update on the P. shcroederi or more popularly known as the flower ray. The base color has started to darken in both (picture above taken while doing pond maintenance today).