(a work in progress...)
* No fish in this list because then the post would get too long...haha...and no saltwater tank related stuff sorry*
A
Acidity: lower than 7.0 on the pH scale.
Acrylic: some tanks are made of acrylic plastic; lightweight but scratches REALLY easily. No suggested for display aquariums.
Activated Carbon: you know those black rocks you see stuffed into filter cartridges? Once you rinse them in water, they'll sizzle. This is activated carbon - and it removes discoloration in water, harmful toxins as well as medicine and fertilizers. Remove new carbon when dosing chemicals or else it'll all be for nought. (haha, I never use the word "nought"....)
"Aha": What you say when you FINALLY solve your newest aquarium dilemma. (I know...lame joke)
Air Pump: a small, usually rectangular box that pumps air into the aquarium using electricity. You must connect the pump to an airline tubing and airstone. Really cheap to buy but can be quite noisy.
Airstone: a round stone that emits air bubbles underwater when connected to tubing and an electrical air pump. Disturbing the water surface with bubbles aids in gas in exchange, aka more oxygen.
Algae: it's a pest officially, but though you may be reluctant to call it so, it is a type of aquarium plant. Caused by excess nutrients and lighting. Appears as large patches of green/brown fuzz over tank glass, ornaments, gravel. Fish fry and catfish love to munch on soft algae. Or you can just scrape it off with an algae scrubber/wool pad and/or use algaecide. Conversely, you can buy algae tablets/wafers to feed to your catfish once they've eaten all the natural algae in the aquarium!
Alkalinity: Above 7.0 on the pH scale.
Amano: Some famous dude who crafts the most wicked aquascapes ever. Check it out - srsly. His designs are really detailed, artistic and legen - wait for it - dary. He holds aquarium design competitions and everything! :)
Amazon Swordplant: blade like broad leaves, almost like a vegetable
Ammonia (NH3): A toxin that results from too much fish poop, dead stuff or nutrients. Can be tested for using a chemical test kit. Even a tiny trace amount may kill fish. The higher your pH level & temperature, the more ammonia there is dissolved in the water. It spikes during beginning portion of the Nitrogen Cycle
Anarachis: leafy plant that many omnivorous/herbivorous fish will eat, grows tall under right circumstances. Caution: leaves may decay and scatter everywhere.
Anchor Worm: See flukes (anchor worms are parasites that may require you to physically remove them from fish's body with tweezers. Difficulty: 100/100. Ouch!)
Aqueon HOB filters: Good price. Very quiet. Biggest size filters a 75 gallon tank? Nice, sleek design.
AquaClear HOB filters: Little expensive. Quiet. High filtration capacity apparently. Clear plastic, design isn't super awesome, but it works well I hear.
Aquascaping: the art of landscaping underwater designs.
B
Bacterial Bloom: if you're just setting up a new aquarium and the water goes really cloudy, it may be due to a sudden spike in bacteria. This is a natural part of the nitrogen cycle and should disappear with 1-3 days.
Ballast: the little plastic cylindrical knob-like thinymabob that transforms regular electricity into a form that's usable by fluorescent bulbs - allowing the bulb to "shoot out" rays of light and energy everywhere.
Barbel: the little pairs of whiskers you see on catfish. They use 'em for smell and touch.
Biotope design: a natural form of aquascaping that mimics the fish's natural environment.
Bloodworms: High fat, low nutrient, "junk food" for fish. AKA Red Mosquito Larva. Comes in blister packs of 12 or more. Each cube yields about 100 of 'em. Defrost and serve. Usually you should dump uneaten portions instead of re-freezing them to prevent bacterial contamination.
Brackish water: water that is partly fresh, partly salty and partly muddy too. Some fish can only live in this type of "in-between" environment.
Breeder Tank: A tank set up for breeding purposes and fish fry. Functional but not intended to be beautiful or aesthetically pleasing.
Brine Shrimp: Teeny salty shrimp. You can buy a blister package of 24 and each frozen cube yields about 200 of 'em. Defrost the cube and feed 'em.
Bubble Nest: if you've got a betta fish or a gourami or something related to them, you know what I'm talkin' about. Bubble nests are exactly that: large bubbles fish will blow around plants or edges of tanks in preparation for mating. The males make 'em and then put their babies into the the nests to hatch. It's quite cute really.
C
Cabomba: fine-needled plant that grows in bunches, light green to dark red. Very soft looking and makes for a nice background plant. Very HIGH LIGHT required, or else the needles will shed like mad and ruin your display.
Carbon Dioxide (CO2): just like you and me, fish exhale CO2. Plants inhale CO2 during the day, and exhale CO2 at night. Sometimes plants can't get enough CO2 especially if its a heavily planted aquarium. In this case, you'll need to supplement CO2 using a DIY diffuser or buy it in cans. CO2 promotes plant growth, but too much will kill everything!
Carnivorous Fish: Meat? Where?
Copper: Trace amounts = good. Too much = death. Found in some medicines, copper pipes and some rocks. Can be tested using chemical test kit. Invertebrates and snails = very sensitive to this.
Constipation: If your fish has a bulging behind and hasn't pooped in a while, chances are, there's some clogging goin' on. Feed peas to add some "roughage"
Cellophane Plant
Characins:
Chill/Cold: Just like how you may catch the sniffles on a cold day, if you shock your fish with cold water or a drastically different water condition, their immune systems will suck and they'll get sick.
Community fish: fish that will get along with other species (but this varies depending on the fish's personality really - some "community fish" may grow large and hostile as they age!)
Crypt (plant)
Culling: Like euthanasia for fish who suffer from an incurable disease
Cyprinidae: a taxonomic classification denoting a family of "carp-like fish" i.e. goldfish, danios, barbs, rasboras, minnows etc.
D
Daphnia: Insect. Food. Yum.
Dragonfly Larva: food for some big fish, predators to other small fry
Declorinator: a chemical that removes chlorines and other chemicals making tap water safe for fish. This is essential to prevent chlorine/chloramine poisoning.
Dither Fish: really fast, manic fish that distract aggressive fish from smaller, slower, weaker fish. Aggressive fish will spend a lot of time chasing "dither fish" such as silver dollars or danios.
Driftwood: collect your own and soak it for a month or two, disinfect with salt and boil it, or buy it in stores. Looks really natural and your fish will love you for it. May dye your water brown as it leaches tannins.
Dropsy: Even the name sounds yucky. Fish's body becomes EXTREMELY bloated and scales protrude like a pine cone.
Duckweed: a weed to some, a nice surface aquatic plant for others. Teeny little "lily pads" that float on the surface. Breaks apart light so it isn't as intense (which may be good or bad). ABSOLUTELY UNSUITABLE FOR HOB FILTERS: any kind of filter that creates a "waterfall effect" will push the duckweed deep into the tank and it will then proceed to stick to EVERYTHING and ROT. Duckweed is a hit or miss - either looks awesome or is a total flop. Try it in a tank with an internal filter or undergravel filter.
E
Earthworm..dig in your garden, find one, chop it up and serve with a side of lettuce.
Egg: tiny round capsules that hold baby fish about to be hatched.
Eheim canister filter: one of the best canister filters out there. Contains a basket that you can load up with all sorts of goodies - carbon, filter floss, peat etc. So quiet, you could hear a pin drop. Top notch & durable.
F
Fairy Moss
Fake Plants: easy to maintain, but may look tacky...more expensive than live plants sometimes. Silk is better than plastic, which may be rough on fins.
Feeders: usually goldfish, fry, or plain guppies. Feeders are fed to other big fish like oscars, discus, eels or angelfish.
Filter: your fish's best friend
Fin Rot: pretty self-explanatory don't you think. Treat with antibacterial meds.
Fish Flakes: multi-colored dried flakes that absorb water quickly and fed as the predominant diet of most tropical fish. Easier to ingest for fish if you crush 'em up and sprinkle just below surface of water. Can be color-enhancing and may have extra vitamins your fish need.
Flukes: parasites that hang on your fish's body, from gills, mouth, or anus, needs meds asap.
Fluorescent lights
Fluval Canister Filters
Fry: baby fish
Fungus: cotton-y patches of slimy goop. Requires anti-fungal meds.
G
Glassworms: white mosquito larvae; can be fed as awesome fish treats!
Gonopodium: a male fish's sexual reproductive organ
Gravel: small pebbles that act as substrate for plants
Gravid: preggers
Gravid spot: a white or dark spot on females indicating their gender as well as their pregnancy.
Grindal worms: good for fry, can be cultured/grown at home
H
Heater: your fish's 2nd best friend.
Halogen lights: REALLY BRIGHT LIGHTS, awesome for planted aquariums.
Humpback Disease: the poor fish has a humped back, most likely born that way. No cure.
Hybrid Fish
Hydra: tiny dandelion seed-like creatures that may shock fry, and hangs in clumps on tank glass. Just wipe it away and make sure you feed less food.
I
Ich: fish disease indicated by tiny white spots all over fish's body; it makes fish really itchy, so they'll scratch themselves. High temperature & meds can cure it easily.
Infusoria: teeny microorganisms that you can't see. Can be fed to fry.
J
Java Fern: hardy, hardy, hardy. Spear-shaped leaves, attach to wood or rocks and the roots will cling to it until the 2 are inseparable.
Java Moss: Give it lots of light and it'll spread like wildfire. Attach to wood/rocks/deco or just let it float around. Awesome baby-saver - no fish can find a fry in a clump that dense!
K
K (Potassium): a mineral micronutrient commonly found in plant fertilizer. Aquatic plants require potassium in trace amounts in order to thrive.
KH/GH: measures the hardness of your water or how much Calcium is dissolved in it. Some fish prefer soft, others prefer hard water. Can be tested using chemicals. You can increase hardness by adding coral substrate or hard gravel. This may be necessary if you're keeping cichlids for example.
L
Labyrinth Organ: an organ that lets fish breathe oxygen directly from air
Livebearer: a fish that produces live, free swimming babies (i.e. guppies and platies)
Ludwigia: red, leafy plant, moderately easy to keep but needs lots of light.
Lyretail
M
Madagascar Lace Plant: translucent, leafy plant with a lace pattern that looks like rectangular holes; very delicate plant that enters "hibernation" and dies back for a few months periodically.
Magnum Canister Filter
Melafix: common preventative antibacterial medicine used to prevent mostly, but also treat a little bit common bacterial problems like fin rot, pop-eye, wounds, bleeding. Smells...natural. Contains tea tree oil. Safe for plants and inverts!
Methylene Blue: anti-fungus, anti-bacteria, anti-parasite. Very commonly used medicine. Will dye water blue. May damage plants, inverts, bacteria.
Microworms: good for fry, can be cultured/grown at home with oatmeal, yeast, water and heat.
Mosquito larvae: see Bloodworms/White worms
N
Nematode: aka flatworm parasite
Neutral: 7.0 on the pH scale. Not acidic or basic.
New Tank Syndrome: when your best intentions go awry - caused by trying to rush the nitrogen cycle and adding too many fish at once. Bacteria/toxins spike and kill fish. Remember, setting up a new tank from scratch takes LOTS OF PATIENCE and the nitrogen cycle could take 1-3 months to establish! Don't stock to you limit right away.
Nitrate: harmless end product of nitrogen cycle. Absorbed by plants and removed via water changes.
Nitrite: bacteria convert ammonia into nitrites in stage 2 of the nitrogen cycle. Nitrites can poison fish...luckily they are further converted into Nitrates (with an "a")
Nitrogen cycle: a cycle crucial to the survival of your fish. Read my nitrogen cycle post.
O
Oxygen: you need it to survive...so do the fish. Gas exchange can be improved with an airstone.
P
Parasites: internal or external, won't necessarily kill your fish, but will definitely weaken their immune systems, making them susceptible to other diseases. May be visible, in which case you need to pluck 'em off with tweezers (don't ask me how?!) and treat with anti-parasite meds.
pH scale: a scale running from 0-14. Neutral water is 7.0, below 7.0 is acidic, higher than 7.0 is basic. Chemical pH test kits can help you identify the pH based on the color of the water after you add the reagent. Certain fish have specific pH requirements. pH also affects ammonia levels.
Pimafix: works similarly to Melafix. Treats fungal and bacterial infections. Safe for fish, inverts, bacteria, plants.
Plankton: tiny organisms that fish will eat, found in saltwater
Pop-Eye Disease: ugly bacterial infection requires anti-bacterial meds.
Pygmy Chain Sword Plant
Q
Quarantine Tank: a separate tank with individual heater, filter, cave for sick/new fish. Usually 5-10 gallons will suffice, bigger if you have big fish.
R
Reverse Osmosis Water (RO water):
S
Salvinia (frogbits): they look like small lily pads (size of your fingertips)
Salinity: how salty the water is =P
Sand: very very fine particles that act as smooth substrate for plants and fish.
Shock: how your fish feels about your new pink sweater...just kidding. Shock is when fish get sick due to sudden fluctuations in water conditions/temperatures, usually when you're transporting them.
Show-quality Fish: expensive, rare, beautiful fish bred for special color strains and competitions
Snails: pains in the butt
Stand: you need a very sturdy stand to support your tank, which can weigh up to several hundred pounds when filled with water, substrate, fish, decorations etc!!
Swim Bladder: a little lump near the rear end of a fish that allows fish to swim properly and remain buoyant.
T
Tank: your pets' home: glass or acrylic. Varies from 1-200 gallons+
Temperature: tropical fish require temperatures of 23-28 C aka 73-82 F
Thermometer: check readings to make sure your fish are swimming at a comfy temperature
Top Fin: a brand developed by PetSmart, cheap products, usually not that great quality.
Tuberculosis: incurable disease- if your fish gets this, you will need to cull him/her to put them out of their misery. Very long lasting, traumatic, painful disease! =(
Tubifex worms: freeze-dried worms that will make your fish grow fat. Don't overfeed!!
U
Undergravel Filter: a grate that sits under the gravel... it houses beneficial bacteria but requires air lines and an air pump to operate.
V
Vallisnaria: hardy grass-like background plant, med lighting, proprogates naturally without your interference.Grows really tall under the right circumstances.
Veil Tail: See my future post on tail shapes
Velvet Disease: small gold specks on your fish's body, requires antibacterial meds.
W
Wafers: Sinking pellets of food for bottom feeders such as catfish, loaches, shrimp, snails, plecos etc. Yumm!
Water: H20. Fish need it. You need it too!
Water changes: something you should be doing at least once every 1-2 weeks. Save yourself time - buy a gravel vacuum so you can remove water and waste at the same time.
Water conditioner: removes harmful chloramines and chlorine from regular tap water.
White Spot Disease: see ICH
White worms: yummy fish treats
X
xx: how your fish's eyes look after they've passed away (I'm struggling here okay? It's tough finding terms that start with "x")
xxx: the label on a bottle of poison you should never use near your fish tank. Even diffused particles in the air can find their way into the tank...
Y
"Yay!": What I'll say when my blog has reached 200 views.
Yellow water: an indicator of excess rotting plants/nutrients/bacteria/algae
Z
ZZZ: what your fish do at night...
Briefly referred to:
"The Dell Encyclopedia of Tropical Fish" by T.W. Julian
Aquarium Wiki: "http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/Main_Page"
No comments:
Post a Comment