That Fish Blog – Aquarium Advice and Information

Here at TFP we are rapidly approaching our annual spring sale event, This year marks our 35th anniversary. For those of you who have made the trip for past years events, you know what a fun and crazy sale it is. If you have never been to one of our anniversary sale events, then this should be your year to check it out. There are thousands of items on sale, some of them at unbelievable savings.

One of both ours, and our attendees, favorite parts of our sale events are the free seminars. This year we have a great cast of speakers for your enjoyment. We are proud to welcome back Anthony Calfo, Steven Pro and Jesse Rothacker, all of whom have been guest speakers for us in the past. This year we have a couple of new speakers, Chris Brightwell and Doug Dent.
Here is a little information about each speaker, and the topics of their seminar.

Anthony Calfo:
Aquarium Photography Tips (Sunday 2:30 p.m.)

For those of you who are not familiar with Anthony, you are in for a real treat. Anthony has an incredible amount of information and enthusiasm for the aquarium hobby, and he spends a great deal of his time sharing his knowledge and experiences with hobbyist around the world. Anthony has authored, or co-authored, several books, the most recent of which is his second edition of The Book of Coral Propagation. Anthony also publishes C the Journal, magazine for aquatic science, travel, and adventure.

Anthony’s seminar this year is about aquarium photography, in which he will share some of his tips and tricks that he has learned through the years. Aquarium photography is something that many people struggle with (myself included), this seminar will hopefully help make better photographers out of us all.

Steven Pro :
Greenhouse Coral Propagation Farm (Saturday 10:30 a.m.)
Responsible Reef Keeping (Sunday 1:30 p.m.)

Steven Pro, yes that is his real name, has over the last 15 years turned his love of the aquarium hobby into his livelihood. Steven has operated an aquarium sales and maintenance company in the Pittsburg area for many years, as well as held several interesting positions within the industry. Steven has held positions on the board of directors for the AMDA (the American Marinelife Dealers Association) and the Pittsburg Marine Aquarium Society (Hosts of MACNA XIX in 2007) For those of you who have visited the WetWebMedia.com website, you may also recognise him as a past member of the Wet Web Media crew.

Steven is performing two seminars for us this year. Saturday, Steven will chronicle his ongoing Coral Propagation greenhouse project. Over the last couple years Steven has been planning and building a Coral Farm, with the ultimate goal of large scale coral production for distribution. Steven is well into the project, and has already started to produce farmed coral.

Steven’s second seminar on Sunday will be on responsible reef keeping. This seminar will deal with issues that the worlds coral reefs are facing, and the impact that we as hobbyists have upon them. The discussion will involve focus on things that we as hobbyist can do to minimize our impact, and help ourselves at the same time.

Chris Brightwell :
Reef Aquarium Husbandry; Philosophies and Results. (Saturday 12:00 noon)

Chris Brightwell is a fellow graduate of Coastal Carolina University, and a rising name in the aquatics industry. Chris has authored numerous articles and books, including his latest book Marine Chemistry. In 2007 Chris launched a new company, Brightwell Aquatics, which offers a comprehensive line of water conditioners and supplement for Marine, Reef, and Freshwater aquariums.

Chris’s seminar will focus on the wide range of approaches and techniques that have been used in the maintenance of marine reef aquariums, and the theories behind these practices. Chris has done extensive research in the field of aquarium chemistry, both while working for Kent Marine in the past, and for product development and testing for Brightwell aquatics.

Doug Dent:
Aquarium Care Basics (Saturday 3:00 p.m.)

Doug has worked in the aquatics industry for over 30 years and is the V.P. of sales, and technical support for Ecological Laboratories, the manufacturer of Microbe Lift products. Doug is an expert in biological processes in aquatic environments.

Doug’s seminar will be about basic water chemistry, and biology, of aquariums and ponds. He will cover how the Microbe Lift products work, and how you can reduce your maintenance in both aquariums and ponds, where algae, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate come from, how to control, and how to cycle a pond or aquarium in 24 hours.

Jesse Rothaker :
Forgotten Friends Reptile Sanctuary (Saturday 1:30)

Jesse, is a herpetologist and founder of “Forgotten Friend” Reptile Sanctuary, a non-profit local reptile rescue based out of E-town. He gives hundreds of reptile shows and informational seminars to local groups and schools, and educates people on the responsibilities of being a good pet owner.

Jesse’s seminar will be a reptile show featuring all this stuff, along with a bunch of reptiles, including many Jesse and Forgotten Friend has rescued. His website is forgottenfriend.org.

I hope that this information has peeked your interest, and you will come to our anniversary sale to see this great group of speakers

Until next blog

Dave

In the interest of science, Dave asked me to post some biology/aquatics breakthroughs recently discovered here at That Fish Place. We hope that the information provided allows other aquarists and scientists to continue what we’ve started.
Thanks, Melissa

It all started with our recent shipment of Blue-Tipped Acropora, Acropora sp. For those readers not familiar with coral, this is one of the most easily recognizable, most beautiful corals in the aquatics trade. Unlike most corals in the trade, these were asexually reproduced and shipped here from a local coral greenhouse. Upon arrival, we began our normal quarantine process; placing the frags in an aquarium containing conditions identical to the display tank they would eventually inhabit. Remarkably, right from the beginning we started noticing differences in this batch…. click here to read the rest of the story and view pictures.

I would like to welcome Patty Little back the That Fish Blog, with some more information on planting your plants in your water garden. This article focuses on things that you can do in a natural pond to include water plants that are appropriate for long term success

Welcome Patty

It is probably easy to say that the majority of ornamental backyard water features are manufactured, or lined with manufactured material that forms a contained barrier between introduced plants and the soil beneath and surrounding the pond. Planting a small pre-formed or lined pond is an easier task than deciding on and implementing plants appropriate for a mud bottomed water feature. The possibilities are huge with lined ponds, as any plant can be somewhat easily maintained and controlled by simply lifting out the containers or pots. Though the possibilites are abounding, let’s consider the difficulties presented to those who are trying to waterscape or maintain a large or natural mud bottom pond.

Plants lend aesthetic beauty to any landscape, and when it comes to planting aquatic areas, they are also invaluable for the work they perform in cleaning and processing pollutants from the area. Plants produce oxygen, and remove nitrates and other accumulated compounds in the water to maintain a healthy source for fish and other wildlife. With large areas to populate, many people may not hesitate to introduce certain we’ll known plants to their natural water area without considering the consequences, which may be detrimental to the area.

When considering plant additions to mud bottom ponds two types of plants I would discourage are cattails and hardy water lilies. These plants, even if planted in containers, are highly invasive, and once introduced establish quickly. Once they have a grip on the soil, they will become extremely difficult to remove completely. Lilies can cover the surface of a large pong within a few years, and cattails will spread to cover vast areas of the water’s edge. Though both of these plants are very ornamental and do provide benefits to the pond ecosystem, they are not condusive to a well-manicured waterscape in the long run. Even planted in containers, they seem to find a way to intrude in outside soil.

If you are trying to accomplish a neat waterscape in a mud bottom pond, pay close attention to the hardiness and average max size of the plants you are considering. Some rushes, grasses, creepers, and irises have a very compact and non-invasive growth habit that can be maintained and controlled even if planted in the soil of the water’s edge. Tropical plants planted on the edge may be collected in the fall, and re-planted in the spring if they are out of their hardiness zone, leftover streamers will perish, thus being environmentally controlled. If lilies are definately part of your scheme, consider placing potted lilies on platforms above the mud bottom, and be sure to monitor the tubers each year, pruning or dividing them so they are not allowed to break out of the container. These steps may minimize the possibility of invasion. Tropical lilies are the other safe bet.

Water gardening can be absolutely infatuating, particularly if presented with a large natural canvas. With proper care and consideration, a mud bottom pond can be kept as tidy and beautiful as smaller lined ponds, to please wildlife and people alike for generations.

I hope that you enjoyed Patty’s Article

Untill next blog

Dave

I just read this article and thought I’d pass it along to you. It’s about an Australian Lungfish named Grandad that’s lived in the John G. Shedd Aquarium for 75 years, making it the oldest aquarium fish in captivity. As That Pet Place is the World’s Largest Pet Store, we’ve gotta’ support these Guinness-worthy fish achievements. Now I have heard many a “fish tale” about certain species living for years in various conditions, obviously pond koi come to mind, but I’d love to hear any fish records. Take a look for yourself. This article and picture were originally posted by the Daily Herald in Chicago. The image is taken from there. “The Oldest Aquarium Fish in the World Celebrates 75 Years”

Until Next Time,

Dave