As published in Aqua News September/October 1997
A Publication of the Minnesota Aquarium Society
Recently the Greater Seattle Aquarium Society collected aquarium tips from its members. They were having a contest for the best tip offered from their membership. Having been asked to be a judge, I had the honor of contemplating nearly 30 tips.
I began by reading through the list. Many tips were tried and true. Some were novel. On that first read, I would have been surprised to learn what tip I eventually chose as the best. But as I evaluated its virtues, I grew convinced that it was "number one." This tip is easy to do, inexpensive, and very beneficial to aquarists; yet very few of us do it. For the time being, I would like to dub it as "the most important tip an Aquarist can take."
Good Tips
What provides value in a tip? Certainly, aquarists want a technique that improves on an old idea, saves time, is more efficient, or costs less. Even better yet is if it solves a problem. Here are some of the tips that I considered.
(#12) Bend a net's handle so that when the rectangle completely touches the glass, the handle is bent back and out of the way. Because the net is now able to make a better seal, the chance of fish escaping is reduced.
(#20) Hang black towels below and in front of an aquarium. This looks much better than the clutter that often accumulates below a tank. Besides, every aquarist needs to have towel nearby for emergencies.
(#28) Use a towel as a background for the tank. They are inexpensive and come in various sizes, colors, and patterns. As a background they hide electrical cords and airline tubing. If water is spilled, they will absorb water spills and not discolor from it.
(#22) Add water to a tank by using a powerhead and appropriate hose. The assumption is that one does not want to pour water from a bucket because the rush of water can disturb the fish and disrupt the aquascaping.
(#27) To control snails, put some algae tablets on or inside a container (plate, wide-mouth bottle) and set on the tank's floor. After a day you remove the container which should hold a good percentage of your tank's snails. Repeat as needed. This method may not eradicate snails, but it provides a natural means to control their numbers without using chemicals.
(#11) Use siphoned aquarium water for watering house plants. Amen. The water provides natural fertilizers in nitrates. I can testify that fish water equals or outperforms purchased plant fertilizers. This technique can win points with a spouse who doesn't fully appreciate all the aquariums.
(#14) Someone discussed the technique of using two-liter Coke bottles as a brine shrimp hatchery. In short, the two-liter bottle is tipped upside down and an airline is connected to the cap. Air is forced into the bottle to keep the water in motion. When it's time to harvest the shrimp, the air is disconnected and within minutes the baby brine are gathered toward the bottom with the eggs' shells adrift at the top. At this point the airline is used as a siphon to harvest the brine shrimp.
(#13) Select and buy rocks from a quarry. I believe in beautifying our tanks and the quarry offers an incredible selection of sizes, shapes and often color and pattern. I once picked up a great rock at a landscaping store for fifty cents! Then for that matter, why not just go to a river and hunt for free rocks.
(#18) Place a grid object in a tank to estimate a fish's size. When the fish stands still count the grid length of the fish. The suggestion called for plastic egg-carton grid (as used in fluorescent light fixtures). Aquarists often need to estimate the size of their fish. The fish are usually afraid or uncooperative when I put a ruler to the front of the glass. Estimating is not an easy thing. The use of a grid is simple and novel. It solves a problem, not just offers a better solution.
These suggestions meet the stated criteria of improving on an old idea or solving a problem, but the most important tip should not be fettered to just one aspect or task of the hobby. A superior tip should somehow be closely connected to the essential goal of an aquarist: keeping a thriving aquarium that centers on fish and plants.
The Envelope Please
So what tip was the winner of the contest? What tip am I nominating in this article as "the most important tip an aquarist can take"?
The envelope please.
The winner is ... "Keep a journal."
[silence]
Let's try again: "Keep a journal."
[silence and puzzled looks]
So you are not impressed? I guess I'll have to make a case for this one.
Most of the other tips that I read solves a problem or made an aquarist's task easier or more efficient. But this one stands out because it can make an aquarist a better aquarist. It allows the aquarist to identify what works and what doesn't.
If you have been in the hobby for some time, you have seen tanks flourish and then ebb. Have you charted the water quality, tank occupants, lighting, etc. to see what changed? Perhaps if you had, you would that the downturn occurred when the water changes became less frequent, or the pH made a steady move in some direction. Perhaps it came after the numerous cichlid fry reached one inch, suggesting that the bio-load exceeded some level.
Perhaps your plants were doing well but now dropped off. Did the change occur a certain number of months after a florescent bulb had been installed (indicating a drop in its intensity)? Perhaps the horticultural success came when you were using a certain fertilizer. Perhaps some introduced fish has been eating at the new growth or the pH took a dive. Do you have the records to verify what changed? If you did, you could become a better aquarist.
Do black worms cause deaths? Maybe a better question is, "Does anybody have any recorded evidence that fish fed black worms have a markedly higher fatality rate?" I doubt anyone has been keeping records to verify one way or another. Too bad.
If you have ever had success spawning a difficult species, wouldn't you want to record the conditions so that you would have a better chance to repeat your breeding success with this or a similar species? Our BAP forms (Breeder Award Program) request the basics: pH, dH, temperature, size of tank, lighting, filtration, conditioning foods, and description of tank set up. These questions are asked because these factors often contribute to the success of a breeding attempt.
Some of my past spawning articles were aided greatly because I recorded at least basic information. I remember using my daily notes to detail the development of Harrilson Pencilfish fry. For another species I was able to compare repetitive spawning attempts.
In the classic book Spawning Problem Fishes, author Willy Jocher presents impressive spawning data. Jocher spawned nine pairs of Neon Tetras, each pair six times, and each time in progressively harder water. That totals 54 carefully documented spawns! While the ideal condition of 0.9 dH and 5.5 pH produced a range of 219 to 274 fry per spawn, the numbers would drop as the dH climbed. At a dH of 4, the average yield was less than a dozen. The author also recorded 18 Cardinal Tetra spawns. His results established that captive bred specimens spawn twice as frequently and have 4 to 5 times as many fry as do wild-caught specimens.
Jocher demonstrates not just interesting spawning results. Jocher demonstrates the value that journaling offers the breeder. Journaling allows a breeder to become a better breeder.
Getting Started
So now you probably agree that keeping a journal is a good thing. That won't help you unless you actually start keeping one. Don't let your good intentions fade away.
[1] Determine what information will be helpful.
What criteria do you need to track and how often should you monitor? Do not bite off more than you can chew. Aside from spawning tanks, a weekly (or at least monthly) monitor can be informative. I recommend weekly because one can maintain a regular schedule better by sticking to a particular day of the week.
If you have just a few fully decorated tanks, you may want to log more details than if you have a bank of dozens of tanks. Regardless, start with the basic essentials: pH, dH, temperature, and dates and amount of water changes. If you keep plants, you may want to record lighting amounts and the dates of bulb replacements.
If you want to keep a BAP journal, you will want to include information on the conditioning of the fish (types and frequency of foods), the behavior of the fish in the spawning tank, estimated egg counts (if any), and at least a frequent report of the egg/fry development.
[2] Determine what it takes.
You will need the chemicals or devices to monitor pH, dH, and temperature. You will also need to determine how you will record the information. Some aquarists are tempted to go "high-tech' by buying some software which will record the readings. I think it's much easier to use a notebook at least to initially enter the data. Once I monitor some readings, I'd rather scratch down the data in a portable book rather than go to my computer, boot up the software and enter the numbers. The advantage of a software is that one can use it to organize the information. But I still prefer to initially enter it on paper and later enter the data to computer after all the readings are taken.
[3] Take the first step.
First, if you don't have the means to monitor pH, dH, temperature, and whatever else (like nitrates), go out and get the supplies. Buy a special notebook and designate it exclusively for aquarium journaling. This is the first step. If you don't do this, your intentions will never become reality. If you put it off for next week, you are being serious enough. Get the supplies in the next couple of days while you are still motivated.
Next, monitor all the readings and develop your own scheme for writing in your journal. Each person will have his or her own preferences, so find yours. (don't wait to set up some aquarium software. Start now with the notebook.)
Lastly. do something to make you remember to repeat your journaling during a certain day of each week. Maybe you can hang up a conspicuous sign or calendar in your fishroom and mark off each day as you finish your work. (Or you can be like me and write an article about it. Since everyone will expect you to do it, you'd better not forget!)
Record Failures Too
Thomas Edison was looking for a filament in his attempt to invent a light bulb. He had hundreds of failed experiments, each trying a different metal. Someone once asked him if he was getting disappointed with so many failures. The inventor responded, "No." With each failure, he learned of one more alloy that would not work.
Record your failures. While we want to replicate our successes, we need to understand what thins lead to failure and then avoid them. Recorded failures allow us to confirm that certain criteria is essential in obtaining success. Recorded accounts of failures and of successes help us to determine the boundary between the two.
Take The Steps
You can buy more tanks and expensive equipment. You can use premium foods and fertilizers. You can centralize your air supply. Undoubtedly, your fishroom will benefit. But what are you going to do to improve your fishkeeping? If you want to do on thing that will make you a better aquarist, take the steps to keeping a journal.
Back to the "best tip" contest held by the Greater Seattle Aquarium Society. The other judges liked the "journaling" tip, too. It won.
