Aquarium world

Indonesian shortfin eel

2008-09-23T01:33:00.007+07:00

Anguilla bicolor bicolor

Family: Order:	Anguillidae (Freshwater eels) Anguilliformes (eels and morays)
Class:	Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes)
FishBase name:	Indonesian shortfin eel
Max. size:	120 cm TL (male/unsexed; Ref. 48660); max. reported age: 20 years
Environment:	demersal; catadromous (Ref. 51243); freshwater; brackish; marine




Biology:	Migratory species which breeds in the ocean (Ref. 52331). Lives in fresh water areas as an adult, in estuaries and seas as young (Ref. 12693). Descends to the sea to spawn. Inhabits freshwater streams and pools, preferring marshy habitats (Ref. 41236). Found in rivers and creeks, commonly over rock bottoms and in deeper pools. Seldom occurs in large rivers (Ref. 6028). Restricted to lowland (coastal) reaches of river systems (Ref. 7248). Feeds on small fishes, crustaceans and mollusks. Reported to breed east of Madagascar; the south equatorial current probably carries the eel larvae and elvers towards the east coast of Africa where local coastal currents guide the elvers to suitable rivers which they invade and they stay there until sexually mature, when they return to their breeding grounds (Ref. 13337). Caught with various types of nets. Sometimes used in the aquarium trade (Ref. 6028).
Red List Status:	Not Evaluated (Ref. 57073)
Dangerous:	harmless

Data i take from http://www.fishbase.org

The Indonesian shortfin eel, Anguilla bicolor bicolor, is a subspecies of eel in the genus Anguilla of the family Anguillidae. It is found throughout the tropical coastal regions of the Indian ocean and western Pacific.

Showing the typical habits, diet and characteristics of the genus, this species grows to 1.2 m and can live for up to 20 years. Dorsal fin soft rays number 240–250, anal fin soft rays 200-220, Vertebrae between 105 and 109 in number. This fish is lighter underneath, being olive/blue-brown on top. It is easily confused with the Pacific shortfin eel, Anguilla obscura.

Snake Head or "Ikan Gabus , Betutu, Ikan malas"

2008-09-22T10:34:00.005+07:00

Common Snakehead

The Common Snakehead or Aruan is the most easily encountered of all Channa species. It is considered good eating and has medicinal value as a soup tonic; it is easily found in many Southeast Asian markets.

The species inhabits a variety of waterways including ponds, lakes, streams and drains. The dorsal side is brown in colour, the flanks have faint, slightly oblique bands, and the belly is white. Juveniles are more orange in colour. As with the Giant Snakehead Channa micropeltes, the juvenile fish are raised in a well protected underwater nest.

The species ranges throughout the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia and has been introduced into many waterways.

Channidae is a family of freshwater fish commonly known as snakeheads, and is native to Africa and Asia. There are two extant genera, Channa in Asia, and Parachanna in Africa, consisting of 30-35 species. These predatory fishes are distinguished by a long dorsal fin, small head with large head scales on top, large mouth and teeth. They have a physiological need to breathe atmospheric air, which they do with a suprabranchial organ: a primitive form of a labyrinth organ.

They are considered valuable food fish. Larger species like Channa striata, Channa maculata or Parachanna obscura are farmed in aquaculture. Snakeheads feed on plankton, aquatic insects, and mollusks when small. When adult, they mostly feed on other fish like carp, or frogs. In rare cases, small mammals such as rats are taken. The size of the snakehead species differs greatly. "Dwarf snakeheads" like Channa gachua grow to 10 inches (25 cm). Most snakeheads grow up to 2 or 3 ft. (60–100 cm). Only two species (Channa marulius and Channa micropeltes) can reach a length of more than 1 meter and a weight of more than 6 kg.

It is illegal to keep snakeheads as pets in thirteen states of the USA and other countries as they have become an invasive species due to irresponsible owners releasing them into the wild when they could/would no longer take care of them. If in an enclosed area they will try anything to escape. If in an aquarium they will charge at full force and tend to knock over the aquarium or shatter the glass.Channidae is also known as the the Northern Snakehead, or Channa Argus, and is native to Asia. There are 29 known Snakehead varieties.

The National Geographic Channel reported:

A Northern Snakehead reaches sexual maturity by age 2 or 3. Each spawning-age female can release up to 15,000 eggs at once. Snakeheads can mate as often as five times a year. This means in just two years, a single female can release up to 150,000 eggs...

'They can travel across land and live out of water for up to three days,' [says U.S. Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton].

[Snakeheads can breathe air unlike other fish as they] use a primitive lung above their gills... [or] 'air chambers'.

Out of the water Snakeheads rhythmically move their fins and muscular bodies back and forth: the fish equivalent of walking... It's a resourceful adaptation. [In their native Asia they must survive both wet and dry weather cycles like monsoons and droughts.]

When the Snakehead eats it is a thrust predator. It will eat its prey all at once, striking and ingesting it whole.

The Giant Snakehead, or Channa micropeltes, is native throughout Asia, and is the most aggressive Snakehead. They can grow to over 1.5 metres long. Adult Snakeheads force their hatchlings to breathe air by pushing them to the surface.

From 2002 to 2003, one Los Angeles supermarket was found to have sold approximately 25,000 dollars worth of illegal live Snakeheads which caused breakouts in local eco systems.

It has had recent sightings in Lincolnshire (UK) (which proved to be hoax) and in the U.S. National Geographic referred to it as "Fishzilla".

Prehistory and evolution

Channidae are well-represented in the fossil record and known from numerous specimens. Research indicates that snakeheads likely originated in the south Himalayan region (modern-day Pakistan) at least 50 million years ago, during the Early Eocene epoch. By 17 Ma, during the Early Miocene, Channidae had spread into western and central Eurasia, and by 8 Ma, during the late Tortonian, they could be found throughout Africa and East Asia. As Channidae are adapted to climates of high precipitation with mean temperatures of 20 °C (68 °F), their migrations into Europe and Asia correspond to the development of the Intertropical Convergence Zone, which increased air humidity, and the intensification of the East Asian monsoon, respectively. Both weather patterns emerged due to greater vertical growth of the Alps, Pyrenees, and Himalayas, which affected Eurasian climactic patterns.

Ecological concerns

Snakeheads can become invasive species and cause ecological damage because they are top-level predators, meaning that they have no natural enemies outside of their native environment. Not only can they breathe atmospheric air, but they can also survive on land for up to four days, provided they are wet, and are known to migrate on wet land to other bodies of water by wriggling with their body and fins.

Snakeheads became a national news topic in the US because of the appearance of northern snakeheads spawning in a Maryland pond in 2002.Northern snakeheads became permanently established in the Potomac River around 2004, and possibly established in Florida. Apparently non-established specimens have been found in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, New York, as well as Wawayanda, New York, two ponds outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania a pond in Massachusetts, and reservoirs in California and North Carolina.

They are prohibited in several other countries,like Australia, because their introduction to new ecosystems may displace indigenous species. Humans have been introducing snakeheads to non-indigenous waters for over 100 years. In parts of Asia and Africa, the snakehead is considered a valuable food fish and is produced in aquacultures. Due to this fact it was introduced either on purpose (fisheries motivation) or by ignorance (as was the case in Crofton).

Some examples of the introduction of snakeheads to non-indigeneous waters include:

Channa maculata was introduced to Madagascar and to Hawaii around the end of the 19th century. It can still be found there today.
Channa striata was introduced to islands east of the Wallace line by governmental programs in the later half of the 20th century. In Fiji, the introduction failed.
Channa asiatica, which is native to southern China, was introduced to Taiwan and to southern Japan. In this case the origin and reason of the introduction is unknown, but most probably due to human intervention.
Channa argus, which is native to northern China (Amur River), was introduced to Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan). It was introduced to Japan about 100 years ago due to fisheries motivations. Its introduction to Czechoslovakia by the government in the 1960s failed due to cold winters.

A comprehensive work on the dangers of the introduction of snakeheads to non-indigeneous waters is that of Prof. W. Courtenay.

Choose Fish for a Freshwater Aquarium

2008-09-13T22:54:00.002+07:00

Choosing the right inhabitants for your aquarium requires a bit more thought than simply matching their colors to your couch. Follow these simple steps to fish bliss.

Steps:
*. Determine the number of fish you can house by the size of your tank. A general rule of thumb is to allow 2 inches of fish per gallon of water.

*. Buy your fish from a reputable dealer who will back up his product. You want clean fish that won't get each other sick. A good sign that the seller knows what he's talking about is his show tank. Do the fish seem happy? Is it the way you imagine your tank looking when it's complete? If you see dead things floating in the tanks, look elsewhere.

*. Read about the fish you want. Some have particular needs, whether temperature, chemical, dietary, or compatibility-related.

*. Get school fish. Compatibility problems are minimal and it will be easy to see if any of the fish are behaving oddly (indicating illness). Try neons or cardinal tetras, Corydoras catfish, any of the small barbs, rasboras, loaches, or pearl and zebra danios.

*. Resist the urge to get one of everything you like, particularly with school fish.

*. Try a bristle-nose or clown plecostomus, or a pair of otocinclus catfish to help control the algae.

*. Raise killifish, which are excellent for a beginning aquarium, but difficult to find.

*. Ask your fish dealer about compatibility with other fish in your tank. Be careful of cichlids ' some grow quite large. Angelfish require tanks larger than 10 gallons. Stay away from Oscars, which tend to eat the other fish and are particularly messy.

*. Avoid the urge to impress people with a piranha. This shy fish has the unfortunate honor of eating many of those unhealthy goldfish. This is not only expensive, but unless you want to quarantine every feeder fish you buy, you're likely to have issues with disease and parasites. They are school fish but need to be well-fed or they will eat each other.

*. Think about Bala sharks, which are cool-looking non-sharks. They grow to more than 12 inches, however, so unless you're ready to accommodate that much fish, it's best to leave these alone.

*. Avoid catfish in general. They are nasty predators and tend to grow. And grow. And grow '

Tips:
Quarantine every new fish before you add it to your tank.

When you bring your new fish home, wrap the plastic bag that it's in in something opaque. The easiest way is to put it in a paper bag.

Be sure to introduce the fish to its new environment slowly. Equalize the water temperature by floating the bag in the tank. Add tank water periodically to the bag water.

Keep the lighting minimal for the first few days the fish is in its new home.

Be sure there are plenty of hiding places for your new fish.

Don't add more than four fish at a time; you don't want to cause a chemical imbalance in the tank.

Warnings:
Stay away from goldfish, which are not true tropical fish and require cooler temperatures than many other species. They also tend to have many health problems.

Knife fish are suspicious additions to your new tank. Look to this nocturnal predator when your other fish begin to disappear.

Tips from eHow Users:
Research your fish before you buy by Shelly H.
I am a beginner only 3 years in the hobby. I've had some expensive and disappointing experiences. Always research your fish. "Clown Knives" are a beautiful fish and seem very docile, but when the lights are out, "fish beware." They are nocturnal feeders.

This article i grab from www.tropicalfauna.info because i think is goods, so i catch this file.
credit to www.tropicalfauna.info/ . Thanks u.

Flow Chart KOI

2008-09-13T16:25:00.000+07:00

Gourami

2008-09-05T23:40:00.009+07:00

The gouramis or gouramies are a family, Osphronemidae, of freshwater perciform fishes. The fish are native to Asia, from Pakistan and India to the Malay Archipelago and north-easterly towards Korea.

Many gouramies have an elongated ray at the front of their pelvic fins. Many species show parental care: some are mouthbrooders, and others, like the Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens), build bubble nests. Currently, about 90 species are recognised, placed in 4 subfamilies and about 15 genera.

The name Polyacanthidae has also been used for this family. Some fish now classified as gouramies were previously placed in family Anabantidae. The subfamily Belontiinae was recently demoted from the family Belontiidae. As labyrinth fishes, gouramis have a lung-like labyrinth organ that allows them to gulp air and use atmospheric oxygen. This organ is a vital innovation for fishes that often inhabit warm, shallow, oxygen-poor water.

This article i grab from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gourami

A Treatise on DIY CO2 Systems for Freshwater-Planted Aquaria

2008-09-02T11:44:00.016+07:00

This article will attempt to cover all aspects of DIY CO₂ systems used on freshwater-planted aquaria. Insights intothe needs of aquatic plants in relation to CO₂, and how this relates to CO₂ injection methods, will be described.It will examine mechanical designs, and the biology of yeast relating to its ability andconditions by which it producescarbon dioxide. Formulas foryeast mixtures and somedetails on construction projects will also beprovided.

Plants and CO₂

Carbon isthe fundamental element thatall life on this planetis based. Plants are noexception. Since plants haveno way of getting totheir food sources, nutrients have to beobtained from their surrounding environment. Plants usemany macro and micronutrients, carbon dioxide (CO₂) being one of the primary macronutrients.In an aquariumthe limiting factors are most likelyto be (in order): light, CO₂, micronutrients(trace elements), and macronutrients. Microand macronutrients are usually supplied inadequate quantities by fish wasteand the addition of fertilizers.

Plantsuse a process known as photosynthesisto produce the carbohydrates they need for life.Photosynthesis requires light for energy and CO₂ to drive the chemical reactions.The process of photosynthesis requires aspecific light energy threshold. In otherwords, there is a point where light has reached aspecific intensity to start photosynthesis.If the light is not brightenough, photosynthesis will not occur.Beyond that threshold and upto some high light level,photosynthesis will run faster and faster. According toknown practice, whenlight levels exceed twowatts per gallon, supplementary CO₂ is required for mostaquariums.

Inour planted aquariums, CO₂ is present without it being added my mechanicalmeans. Fish respire CO₂ from their gills. Also in an aerated tank, CO₂ from the atmosphere isdissolved in the water.This effect is known as atmospheric equilibrium. In nature though, CO₂ levels are usually higherthan can be explained by animal respiration oratmospheric equilibrium, andaquatic plants have evolved to thishigher concentration of dissolved CO₂ in water. Carbon dioxide richgroundwater often feedsthe streams and natural CO₂ concentrations up to several hundredtimes atmospheric equilibrium are common.In general, aquatic plants like to see approximatelya concentration of 10-15ppm of dissolved CO₂ in their environment. CO₂ levels from atmospheric equilibrium are generally around 2-3ppm. (ppm stands forpart per million). As you can see, CO₂ injection is essentialfor vigorous plant growth,and even more so with higher light levels.

Asfar a fish are concerned,high concentrations, CO₂ can block the respiration of CO₂ from the fish gills and cause oxygen starvation.Since the gills depend on a CO₂ concentration differential between the levelsin the blood and the water to transfer gases, high levelsin the water will reduce the amount of CO₂ that can be transferred. Although differentreferences have wildly varying valuesfor toxic levels, a concentration of below 30ppmis definitely safe.

It is acommon misconception thatwater can holdonly so much dissolved gas and adding CO₂ will displace oxygen. This is not true.As a matter of fact, if enough CO₂ and light is present to enablevigorous photosynthesis, oxygen levelscan reach 120% of saturation. Evenat night, when the plants stop using CO₂ and start using oxygen, the oxygen levels willstay about the same as a typical non-plantedaquarium. So reports of people having fish at the surface gaspingfor air is not necessarily a result of high CO₂ levels, but instead a lackof oxygen in the water is probably theculprit.

Therelationship between light and CO₂ levels isimportant. The diagram at theright explains it conceptually. At low light and low CO₂ there is not muchenergy to play around with forup or down-regulationof the pools of Chlorophyllor enzymes containedin the plant. If wethen add a little more CO₂ to the system the plantcan afford to investless energy and resources in CO₂ uptake and thatleaves more energy foroptimizing the light utilization -Chlorophyll canbe produced without fatalconsequences forthe energy. Hence, althoughwe have not raised the light,the plant cannow utilize theavailable light moreefficiently. Exactly the same explanation can beused to explainwhy increasedlight can stimulategrowth even at very low CO2.
concentrations. With morelight available, less investment in the lightutilization systemis necessaryand the free energycan be investedinto a more efficient CO₂ uptake systemso that the CO₂, which is presentin the water, can bemore efficiently extracted.

Providing macroand micronutrientsto plants is easilydone withcommercially availablefertilizers.It is often amore difficult andexpensive task toprovide adequate light overthe plant aquarium.Both numerousfluorescent light andhalide lamps willproduce sufficient light ifsupplied with effective reflectors,but in deep aquaria (more than 20 inches) isvery difficultto offerenough lightto small light demandingforeground plants.Based on known experiments, I suggest commencing CO₂ addition before any other action is taken!I believe that even at very modest light intensities you will experience aconspicuous change in plant performance in your aquarium.The exact amount CO₂ may always be discussed but concentrationsfrom 10-15ppm will only improve plant growth. You will probablysee that plants, which were barely able tosurvive before now thrive in the presence of CO₂. These conclusions were derivedfrom work conducted by OlePedersen, Claus Christensen, and Troels Andersen.

Basics of DIY CO₂ Systems

Injection of CO₂ into a planted aquarium can be accomplished in several ways. There are commercialproducts available like the tabletsavailable form Bioplastand other manufacturers that use tabletsthat fizz like Alka-Seltzer,and metabolite products like SeachemExcel. While these provide carbon sourcesfor plants, they do not providea continuous injection of CO₂ into the aquarium. Anothermethod is a pressurized CO₂ system. This iscomprised of a tank of compressed CO₂ gas, a regulator, and needle valve. While thisis probably the best method available,it can be cost prohibitive. A nice compromiseis the DIYsystem.

The first step is creating a CO₂ generator, a renewable source of carbon dioxide.There many ways to generate carbon dioxide gas,but the simplest and safest method isa yeast generator. Yeast consumes sugar and oneof the byproducts of this is CO₂. How yeast does thisdepends upon the environmentthe yeast and sugar is placed in.The most common method is to place yeastand sugar in a solution withwater. This processis known as fermentation.

Next, you have to be able to collect the CO₂ and deliver it to the water in the tank. The yeast/sugar solutionis placed in an airtight container, whichhas a fitting that allows a tubeto be connected. This tube is thenrun to meet the water in some way.

At this pointsome efficient manner is needed to inject and dissolve the CO₂ gas into the water. This can be done by directly bubbling the CO₂ gas into the water, passive contact, diffusion, orforced reaction. These methods will bediscussed in more detail later.

These are theessential elements of a DIY CO₂ system: A CO₂ generator, tubing, and a water injection system.

Some examples of system designs

While onecan design a system that is very complex, this mightdefeat the cost effectiveness that warrants a DIY approach. Most ofthe designs offered here are done so as examples,and are designed with cost savings in mind, while at the same time offeringa high degree of good engineering practice and efficientperformance. Since yeast generators supplya limited and varied quantity of CO₂ gas, it is imperative that the designs used are efficient in theirability to deliver and dissolve whatever CO₂ is available overtime.

Basic schematic representation of a well-designed DIY CO₂ system is shown below.

Yeast Generator

Probably thecheapest and still the best vessel you can use fora yeast generator is the two-liter soda bottle. If you canfind one of those four-liter versions, that iseven better. There are several factors that make the soda bottle a goodchoice. First off, it is designed to hold asolution of water with dissolved CO₂ under pressure. Thisis important. The pressure that builds up ina yeast generator can be substantial. I would venture to say it is notlethal, but it certainly can make quite a messif it fails and sprays sugar water and yeast all over yourhouse.

The capand how to attach the tubing is another issue that hascreated much discussion.Most of these caps from soda bottlesare made from polyethylene. Polyethylene doesnot readily bond with most glue. So gluing the tubing in placeis not desirable. Leaks will occur, especially atthe bond joint. Furthermore, since we're dealing with gasses, the sealmust be airtight. The best all aroundsolution is some mechanical means to attach tubing. Some type ofbulkhead fitting is needed.

Gas Delivery (tubing)

Gettingthe gas to the tank water is the next consideration.Tubing should be selected based upon several factors. One ispressure retention, or the ability of tubing to retainits shape under pressure. As tubing is put under pressure, itshould not expand in relation to its diameter.Also the tubing will need to be inert; meaning not break downover time due to chemical reaction with the CO₂ gas internally or the air or water externally.This pretty much eliminates standard airline tubingused for fish tank aeration. Another consideration isflexibility.

A goodcandidate for this application is silicon tubing.It does not react with CO₂ as quickly, has good pressureretention characteristics and is veryflexible. There is also special tubing designed specifically for carrying CO₂ gas, and I would encourage spending the few extra dollarsneeded to use this. But silicon tubing willlast for several years, and is in keeping with the cost savings approach DIYimplies.

Itis also important that water isnot allowed to run back down theline by suction or siphoning. This problem iseasily remedied with the use of a check valve. Many check valves are available commercially.Several factors should be considered when selecting one.I would avoid choosing one made from metals.The caustic nature of CO₂ gas, the high water vapor content of the gas(which usually contain carbonic acid), will cause a metal check valve to fail.Therefore it is importantto choose a plastic valveor one designed specifically for CO₂ applications. In addition,for the same reasons,I recommend avoiding the useof any metal components in the entiresystem. In pressurized tank systems, thereis generally no liquids, or solids for thatmatter, to foul or corrodemetal components. So the use of metalcomponents is common in thesesystems. The same should not beassumed on a yeast based DIYsystem.

Getting the gas dissolved in the water

Thisis a topic that has received much attention onmessage boards, mailing list servers, andnewsgroups over the years. And Ithink rightfully so! Many methodshave been described on what the best way to dissolve the CO₂ gas into the tank water.This is the critical point in determiningthe effectiveness of aDIY system and the reason why many feel thattheir experience with DIY systems was a bad one. Since the amount of CO₂ available in a yeast system is limitedby biological production, it is important to get most,if not all, the CO₂ produced dissolved into the water. Skimp here, and you have wasted yourtime, not to mention CO₂ gas.

Thesimplest, and least effective, method is torun the tube into the tank and simply letthe gas bubble into thetank, or through an air stone.I do not recommend this method at all.Since most of the CO₂ gas simply rises to the surface andis lost.

Next,many have suggested placing this tube at theinlet of a canister filter and allowing theimpeller to munchup the gas. While it is effective in dissolvingthe gas, I do not like this method either, for tworeasons. First, the CO₂ bubbles can produce cavitations ofthe impellor, which couldcause it to vibrate, making noise andpossibly damage the mechanism.Second, some of the componentsin the impellor use rubber fittings,which could be broken down over time bythe high concentrations of CO₂ gas and carbonic acids present.

Abetter but slower method is the use of what is called a CO₂ bell. Simply put, this is a hemispherical shapedvessel of some kind, inverted and the CO₂ is allowed to fill up inside. The contact area of the gasis increased and passivediffusion of the gas is increased.The drawback of this is if the surface area is nothigh enough, so that diffusion rate exceedsgas production, the bell will fill with gas andany additional bubbles will run out the side and travelup to the surface and be lost.While this is a draw back, many aqauristshave have had reasonable sucess using thismethod of gas diffusion. These arealso very simple toconstruct. Many have been constructedfrom cutting off the tops of one-litersoda bottles, petri dishes,cups, or any hemisphercal shaped object.I would recommend using amaterial or object that is transparent, to allowfor easy viewing.

Two versions of diffusers exist.One is device that increases the time the bubble isin contact with the water. Usually bypresenting the bubble with a long spiral courseit has to travel. In the image to the right isone example of this type of spiraldiffusion method, the Econo Aqualine500 available from AquaBotanic, andothers. The manufacturer claims,"The special construction allows a very high CO₂ diffusion rate and automatically removesany false gasses. The reactor issufficient for an aquarium up to125 Gallons". This unit is mountedon the inside of the aquarium.

Another diffuser typeis a glass diffuser. This is a devicethat increases the surface area of the CO₂ gas by reducing thesize of the bubbles substantially. Thisis a proven method and can be veryeffective in allowing all of your CO₂ gas to be dissolved. In the image to theleft is version of this type of diffuser madeby Aqua Design Amano Nature AquariumGoods, the company led by thelegendary aquatic artist Takashi Amano.The gas is fed into the tube atthe rear, brought down to the bottomand forced against theglass diffusser plate (the black line runningin the middle). This plate has thousands of poreswhich the gas passes through, and once it has done this,the bubbles released through the topof the unit are extremely tiny.This all glass unit is probably the very bestof its kind, and also very expensive since it ishandmade in Japan. Other manufacturersmake similar products. The onlydrawback of this method is thatthe plate, usually made of sintered glass,can clog and may need regular maintenance. Other than that singular drawback,this is a proven method of diffusion. The drawbacks of bothversions is that their mechanical sophisticationdo not allow themselves tobe easily homemade, and commerciallyproduced products would haveto be purchased. There are manycommercially available choices, ina wide range of prices, so findingone that works inyour budget would not be todifficult, if you decidedon going this route.

The best method,in my opinion, is the use of a forced reactor. A forcedreactor is one that can a largequantity of water to the gas.The previous methods are passive in this respect.In other words if circulation of the surroundingwater is poor, then the diffusion may slowdown due to super-staturation of the water immediatlyaround the diffuser. By forcing mass quantities of water tomeet the gas, via a pump, and mixing itthouroughy the gas is forced intothe water more quickly, and then circulated.In general a forced reactor iscomprised simply of a water pump and areaction chamber. Within the reactionchamber there is some coursemedia to help churn up the gas and water, andincrease contact time, as well as preventing bubbles of gasfrom escaping. This simplicity of designalso lends itself very well tothe DIY concept. The imageto the right shows one example of aDIY Forced Reactor. It is simply comprised of a powerheadwith prefilter, and gravel cleaning tube,a course filter pad, and an airstone.The cost to build this, if youwhere to buy all the parts,is inder $35US. More details onthis reactor, and other constructionprojects, will be given at the endof this article.

Additional Concepts and Designs

Sincewe are dealing with solids, liquidsand gasses under pressure, it mayalso be a good idea to incorporatesome features into a DIY systemthat improves both the reliability andsaftey. Emergency pressure release valvesand anti-clogging devices can be designed,built and utilized in thatend. The constructionsection of this article detailssome additional concepts and designs in theseareas.

More than you need to know about yeast.

Yeastie the Beastie!

Yeast is the primary ingredient in our DIY CO₂ generators. Common bakeryeasts are adequate for the needs of CO₂ generators. But of course, I haveto delve into the esoteric sideof things. Yeast is a livingorganism and optimal living conditionsgive it the best opportunity to do what we needit to do, I had to touch upon thisin this text. Also knowing there are as many strains of yeast as there aredifferent algae, I have to touch on that also.It is also good to understand the biological processesinvolved here, and I will discussthis firstly.

Theodor Schwann(1810-1882) named the yeast cells "Zuckerpilz"("sugar fungus"), which later became Saccharomyces,the genus that most yeast belongs to. Yeasts, that belong tothe kingdom Fungi, are classified as belonging toeither of two major types: buddingyeasts, named so because of thebuds formed at the cell divisions,and fission yeasts that are rod-shaped and growby elongation at their ends. Most yeast used is of the budding type.Although easily grown in culture media,each S. cerevisiae cell (the most common species for ourpurposes here) has a limited number ofbuddings of around 20. However, in a given culture onlyabout half of the cells will have given riseto new cells, and only rarelydoes a cell give rise to as much as 20new cells. Poisoning, mutations andheat are other factors that affectthe viability of yeasts.Towards the end of fermentation manyyeasts aggregate into clumps,a phenomenon known as flocculation. The process offlocculation is not completely understood,but it is believed to be mediated by bivalentions such magnesium, calcium or manganeseions.

Yeastsare probably the most researched organismsin microbiology. Entire scientific communitiesand disciplines have evolvedsurrounding this simple, single-cell fungi.If you want to blow your mind out one day, check out this link below.It is a list of researchers, their associatedlaboratories, and their research papers onthe singular species Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This yeast has the distinctionof not only being the one wegenerally use for our CO₂ generators,but also being the first organismto have its entire genome (DNA)completely mapped in 1996.

Yeast Labs and Research

Thisis only for the brave of heart! Good luck! A morepragmatic description of the biologyof yeast is given below.

BIOLOGY

YEAST:A living organism formed of onlyone cell. Each cell, which is a living being,of a spherical or ovoid form,is nothing but a tiny andsimplified fungus the size of whichdoes not exceed 6 to 8 thousandth ofmillimeter.

Yeast,like any living organism, lives thanks tothe presence of oxygen (aerobiosis); butit also has the remarkableability of being adaptable to an environmentdeprived of air (anaerobiosis).

To copewith its expenditure of energy, it can use different carbonsubstrates, mainly sugars:

Glucose is thebest favored food of Saccharomyces cerevisiae;

Saccharose isimmediately transformed into glucose and fructose by an enzyme whichyeast has released;

Maltose is themain endogenous substrate of French bread fermentation;it gets into the yeast cell thanks to a specificpermease to be split afterwards intotwo molecules of glucose by maltase.

Many othersugars are also utilized.

Aninteresting scientific work by Vern J. Elliotshows the utilization of sugars by yeast,and yields some insight intothis question. If you look at the chartbelow you will see growth ratesof yeast over time when fed by differentsugars.

Justto understand the chart, the reference ofthe test is as follows, (for you technicallyoriented folks out there)"... Plates (growth samples) wereincubated at 28ºC and growth was determined attime zero and at approximately 24-hintervals by measuring absorbance at 630 nmwith a microplate reader (Model ELx800UV,Bio-Tek Instruments,Winooski, VT)...".

Whilethis experiment tested some 250 different strainsof yeast, and the chart above shows thestrain labeled "isolate 59",a brief examination of the published paper shows thatnearly all the strains showed similarresults in terms of sucrose providingthe highest growth rates. Itcan be reasoned that the yeaststrains we use in our CO₂ systems would have similar results.

Sowhat does this mean. Essentially,using less yeast and more canesugar (sucrose), and allowing the yeast to grow and multiplywill assure a longer lasting CO₂ mixture.Conversly, CO₂ quantity measured over time is another issuemore related to use of specific mutantstrains of yeast than type of sugar.Longevity of the yeast culture, dueto toxic death, is also not related totype of sugar, but to alcohol levels.Acids play a much lesser role in this respectthan popular belief, by the way.(More on this later). So, useof sucrose seems to be a betterchoice, other factors not withstanding, than othersugars.

Theconditions of oxygenation of the environment generate two types ofmetabolism:

In AEROBIOSIS

Whenyeast is in presence of air, it produces,from sugar and oxygen, carbon dioxide, waterand a great amount of energy.It is the metabolic processof respiration. In these conditionsthe oxidation of glucose iscomplete:

Glucose + Oxygen —> Carbon dioxide + Water + Energy

Allthe biochemical energy potentially containedin glucose is freed. Thanks to thisenergy, yeast ensures its life.But it can also use it tosynthesize organically, that isto say start its growth andmultiply. It willthen have to find other nutritiveelements in its environment,mainly nitrogen.

In ANAEROBIOSIS

Whenthere is no oxygen available, yeast cannevertheless use sugars to producethe energy it needs to be maintained in life.Pasteur defined this metabolic processas being the fermentation process.Sugars are transformedinto carbon dioxide and alcohol.The glucose oxidation is incomplete:

Glucose —> Carbon dioxide + Alcohol + Energy

Thealcohol, which has been formed,still contains a great amount of energy.This constitutes only a part of the biochemicalenergy potentially present in glucosethat was freed (about20 times less than for respiration).It ensures a minimum level but doesnot enable yeast to multiplyrapidly.

ANAEROBIOSISis the process we use in our CO₂ generators, althoughAEROBIOSIS would be preferred.Aerobiosis is preferred because it producesless alcohol, which is toxic to yeast atelevated relative level. But aerobiosisis also impractical for reasons you will seelater.

"Godis Good" is the name which yeast was givenin the early days of fermentation.This is prior to the time whenLouis Pasteur, in the mid 1800's,discovered that, in fact there was actuallya single cell microscopicorganism responsible for the conversionof fermentable barley malt sugars intoalcohol, carbon dioxide, and flavorcompounds.

Asdescribed by Gay-Lussac at thebeginning of the nineteenth century, thechemical reaction of fermentation is asfollows;

C₆H₁₂O₆ + Saccharomycescerevisiae = 2C₂H₅OH + 2CO₂
(Sugar plusyeast yields alcohol and carbon dioxide)

Thetail end of the formula is the thing we're looking for… CO₂!!!

Beveragesincluding wine, fermented milk products,and mead from honey are some examples ofwhat developed fromspontaneous fermentation, whichis now understood and managed ina scientific manner. Many of theseorganisms were discovered more bychance, than by design. Other typesof yeast and bacteria arealso utilized in variousstyles of beer and brewing beer likebeverages.

Thefollowing is a description ofthe many strains of yeast thatare available for CO₂ generation. Some are commonly availableand inexpensive; some are harder toget and more expensive. Theadvantages and disadvantages of each type areexplained.

Bakers Yeast

Bakersyeast (or Dutch Process yeast) is widely available atnearly every supermarket. It isdried active yeast. I likethe term "mummy yeast" because it does seem to"rise" from the dead.Ouch! Bad pun, I know! Most of usknow bakers yeast, popularized by companieslike Fleishmann's. They manufacture little packetsor you can buy 4oz. jars. It comesin several variations. Regular bakersyeast in 7-gram packets is by farthe most common. Lately a newform known as "Bread Machine" yeasthas appeared. This yeast is moretolerant of higher temperatures found whenusing these new automated bread machinethingies. Both work wellin our application. The bread machine yeastsare available in 4 oz jars, which are more economical.Here are some detailed specifics on these types ofyeast:

Thefollowing information is typical for each type of bakers yeast,but may vary somewhat according to productand company:

Compressed Yeast (also called cake, wet, and fresh yeast)

Fleischmann'scompressed yeast is available in supermarkets in 0.6 oz cakes,and Red Star compressed yeast is available in somesupermarkets in 2 oz. cakes. It is foundin the dairy or deli case. Compressed yeastis available to commercialbakers from a variety of companies in 1and 2 pound packets. Compressed yeast has approximately30% solids and 70% moisture content.It is highly perishable and must bestored at a uniformly low temperature (about 40º F)to prevent excessive loss of activity or gassing.Compressed yeast generally has a shelf lifeof approximately two weeks from its makeor packaging date when kept at 73.3º F.(23ºC)

At32º-42º F. (0º - 5.5º C) compressedyeast loses approximately 10% ofits gassing power over a 4-week period.At 45º F (7.2º C) yeast willlose 3-4% of its activity per week. At 95º F (35º C), onehalf of the gassing power is lost in 3-4 days.Once yeast starts to deteriorate or loseits fermentative activity, it does so quickly,losing almost all of its activity (autolysis)bythe third week. It has,however, been shown that compressed yeastcan be successfully stored fortwo months at 30º F. (-1º C). When thisis done, good CO₂ production can be made fromyeast stored for two, but not three,months.

To use compressed yeast,soften it in tepid water.

Active Dry Yeast

Fleischmann,Red Star, and SAF active dry yeast areavailable in supermarkets in ¼ oz (7 g)packets and/or 4 oz (113.4 g) jars. Activedry yeast is available to commercial bakersfrom a variety of companies in 1and 2 pound, and 500 g packets. Italso is available in these sizes toconsumers at warehouse or club stores,and via mail order. Active dryyeast has approximately 92.0% solidsand 8.0% moisture content.It is advisable to store active dry yeastin a cool, dry place that does notexceed 80ºF.

Theshelf life of "active dry yeast" storedat room temperature is approximately 2years from its make date. Once opened,active dry yeast is best stored inan airtight container in the backof the refrigerator, whereit will retain its activity for approximately 4 months.To rehydrate active dry yeast, blend one-part yeastwith four parts lukewarm water, wait 10minutes, and stir. Depending uponthe particular product and company,lukewarm water ranges from 90º-115º F. Temperatureslower than 90º F and higher than115º F should be strictly avoided.

Instant Active Dry Yeast

Fleischmann,Red Star, and SAF instant active dryyeast is available in supermarketsin ¼ oz (7 g) packets and/or 4 oz (113.4 g) jars.The Fleischmann product is marketedas RapidRise, the Red Star product is marketedas QUICK.RISE, and the SAF product ismarketed as Gourmet Perfect Rise. Fleischmannalso markets an instant active dry yeastnamed Bread Machine Yeast. Instant activedry yeast is available to commercial bakers in 1and 2 pound, and 500 g packets. It also is availablein these sizes to consumers at warehouseor club stores, and via mail order.Instant active dry yeasthas 96.0% solids and 4.0% moisture content.It is advisable to store instantactive dry yeast in a cool,dry place that does not exceed 80ºF.

Theshelf life of instant yeast stored atroom temperature is approximately2 years from its make date. Once opened,instant active dry yeast can be storedin an airtight container in theback of the refrigerator, whereit will retain its activity for approximately4 months. To rehydrate instant active dry yeast, blendone-part yeast with five partslukewarm water, wait 10 minutes,and stir.

Itis worth noting that there isdisagreement among the yeast companiesas to whether or not activedry and instant active dry yeast shouldbe frozen, and if in doing so theshelf life of the yeast is prolonged.The most convincing argument against freezingis that under normal conditions, there are temperaturefluctuations in freezer units caused both byrepeated opening and closing of the freezerdoor and, in contemporary freezer models,by the self-defrosting (freeze and thaw)cycle. These temperaturefluctuations can cause damage to the yeast cellstructure.

One topicupon which there is agreement is that ifactive dry or instant active dry yeasthas been refrigerated, and is going to berehydrated in lukewarm water, it is bestto allow the portion of yeast to be used tocome to room temperature prior to blendingit with the lukewarm water. Otherwise,temperature shock might damage the yeastcells.

Unlikecompressed yeast, which disperses in cold waterwithout any problems, the temperature ofthe water during rehydration is important whenworking with dry yeast. When yeast isdried, the cell membrane becomes moreporous. During rehydration, the membrane recovers.However, in the process of rehydration, somecell constituents are dissolvedin the water used. The optimum water temperaturefor cell membrane restoration is 104º F.Warm water is effective in this process,because it leads to more rapid cellmembrane recovery. Cold water impedesthis process, because it slows membranerecovery and allows more cell constituents to leach out duringthe reconstitution process. The effect is not thatgreat between 70º and 100º F, but at lowertemperatures approximately one-quarterto one-half of soluble yeast cell constituentscan be lost. This leachingaction effects yeast activity in the followingmanner: Most yeast enzymes remain, but the solublechemicals are depleted, and it is thesechemicals that promote enzymeactivity.

Brewing Yeast

Theseare specific strains of yeast thatare used in the brewing of beer.There is a wide variety of brewersyeasts bred specifically for different typesof beer, and is what makes most brandstaste different by the way.It's not the "…clear mountain water" or "…the loving hands of thebrew master". It's the bugs they put in it!Use a different bug; get a different tastinglager or ale. Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Saccharomyces uvarum are the genus andspecies of ale, and lager yeast respectively.These are the primary types of yeast cultures, which producemost of the world's beers. The Aleyeast is a specialized strain of S. cerevisiae,which adapts better to higher alcohollevels.

Mostof these are live cultures in liquid form, and do not require the rehydration process used withdry yeasts.

Wine or Champagne Yeast

Theseare very specialized yeast strains that dodifferent things, like soften thewine's acidity or absorb tannins lightly.This is accomplished by the release ofenzymes specific to this strain of S. cerevisiae.In addition, they also can ferment at awide range of temperatures and can toleratethe highest alcohol and acidlevels, which is toxic to most yeast.This is an important point forour application.

Anotherbenefit side effect is that this yeast has atendency of settling towardsthe bottom of a culture, or itis said to be a bottom flocculent. Bakersand Ale yeasts are top flocculants,which is that gooey, tan head on thetop the sugar water you see when using bakersyeast. Champagne yeasts usuallydo not have this build up of yeastat the surface. Therefore they can help reducea common problem with DIY CO₂ systems, the cloggingof the airlines, and raw yeast gettingpumped into the tank.

Someof the best yeasts, discovered in my testing for our application,are sold under the brand names "PasteurChampagne" and "Eau de Vie", fromWyeast Labs, Inc. in Mt. Hood,Oregon.

Again,as with brewers yeast, most of these aresold as live cultures in liquid form,and do not require the rehydrationprocess used with dryyeasts.

What are theadvantages of the more esoteric yeast for DIY CO₂?

Rightoff, I will say that you can certainly use thecommon bakers yeast with great success. Itis more than adequate.But there are certain factors whereyou may want to optimize the performance ofyour system.

Onedownright frustrating thing about DIY CO₂is the maintenance and replenishmentof the mixture. You have to change yourmixture every 7-14 days, depending on howwell your particular formula works. Fourteendays seems to be the limit for most yeast mixtures in a two-liter bottlewhen using bakers yeast. This is due to thefact that the alcohollevels reach a point where it kills theyeast cells, even if it hasn't used upall the sugar. The general consensus hasbeen that it is the rise in acidlevels that kills off the yeast. Butthis is probably not true. One waythat has been proposed is toadd baking powder as a buffer tothe mixture to regulate the acids, butthis does little to effect the alcohol levels.Oddly it is not the acidsthat are problematic. Yeastcan generally deal with acidic levelsto a point, as you will seebelow.

Yeast Tolerance to Acidity

Yeastexhibits a considerable toleranceto extremes of pH, being able tomaintain an active fermentation in a5% glucose solution in the pH rangeof 2.4 to 7.4, but ceasing activityat pH 2.0 or pH 8.0. Foroptimum results, good practice dictatesthat the pH of the fermenting mediumbe maintained within therange of about 4.0 to 6. A dropof more than 50% in fermentative activityhas been observed at pH 3.5. More gradual declines in yeastactivity were encountered at higher pHlevels, with measurable effectsshowing up at pH values over6.0.

Theexplanation for the yeast's ability tomaintain a relatively constant activityover a 100-fold change inhydrogen ion concentration (pH 4 to 6)is found in the fact that the pHof the cell interior of the yeastremains quite constant at about pH 5.8,regardless of any relatively widepH variations in thefermenting medium. The enzymesinvolved in fermentation thusoperate in an optimum pH environment withinthe yeast cell that is largelyunaffected by external changes inpH.

Conversely,sodium ions are also toxic to yeast,so once the sodium biphosphate has beenbroken down by the acids, thefree sodium ions tend to kill off moreyeast cells. So this method is onlya transparent fix to the yeastkill-off. The logical alternativeis to find strains of yeast moreresistant to high alcohollevels, since alcohol appears to bethe true killer. The apparentregulation by buffering with bakingpowder is probably due to the issueof sodium slowing thereproduction process, therebyslowing the consumption of sugarby limiting the population of livingyeast cells. While this extend the life of themixture, it also reduces the CO₂ output overthe lifespan of the mixture. Thisis a result of reduced,or at least controlled, yeastcell population.

Brewersyeast is one step in the right direction.Strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae brewersyeast, commonly referred as Ale Yeast,is a good choice for this. It is moretolerant to higher alcohol levelsand should provide a longer lastingmixture; usually by about 4-6 dayslonger than the bakers yeast strain.It is also seems to be more tolerant of sodium.Using Ale Yeast in your mixturecan yield a longer lastingmixture.

ChampagneYeast is tolerant of the highest alcohol levels,and wider temperature ranges. Another side effectis that its metabolismseems to be in hyper-speed, producingnearly twice as much CO₂ as other strains. It alsoferments well at average room temperatures.This makes it the perfect yeast strain (and the most expensive) forour applications. I have had mixtureswith this strain, very carefullyprepared aseptically, last strongly fornearly 24 days.

Nowfor the downside. Costs are very high withthese esoteric yeasts. The cost is nearly3-5 times more expensive ascommon bakers yeast. Also, these yeastswork better if inoculated into yoursugar water when they are alive,which is the form they are purchasedin. This makes storing them difficult.The manufacturers makes these availableto home vintner's, and are preparedin much larger quantities than we would use.Anything left over last onlyfor a very short period,and is difficult to store and keepviable.

Finally,it should be noted that there isalso an inverse relation between the amountof yeast and fermentation time.Thus, a reduction in the amount of yeastwill result in longer fermentation times,while an increase in the amount ofyeast will shorten them. We'll talk aboutthis more in the section on mixtures.

Yeast is hardy, yeast is intolerant.

Nowthat's an oxymoron if I ever saw one.But that's the nature of the yeast.It can withstand drying, pounding,skimming, centrifugal forces, replicatesitself easily; yet in the wrong situationit will crash faster than a CO₂ injected tank with a 1dkH when themixture runs out. Opps…got ahead of myselfthere.

Oneof the most important issues to rememberwhen using yeast in fermentation iscleanliness. Yeast does not competewell against bacteria, so it isimportant to keep things as closeto sterile as possible.One excellent and simple wayto deal with this is asfollows.

Noteof Caution: Be very careful with this, since very bad burnscan be had here.

Thoroughlyrinse out your two-liter bottle withhot water; use no soap or detergent.Keep an extra bottle cap handy. Boilthe water you plan to use, and placethis extra cap in the water tosterilize it. Pour the boiling water(use a funnel) into your two-liter bottle. Whileit is still ripping hot, add your sugar,and use the cap you boiled clean, andcap the bottle tightly. Shake welluntil most of the sugar dissolves.This sterilizes the bottle, water, and the sugar.This is what they call an aseptic preparation.Do not uncap this until you letthe water cool to room temperatureand are ready to add theyeast.

Ifyou plan to use dry yeastyou should activate the culture first.As discussed previously,yeast needs to start in an aerobicenvironment first, so it can then readilyadapt to the anaerobic conditions inour little fermentation factory. Many folkswho omit this step believe they are creatingthis situation with just the actionof pouring the mixture into their bottle.But they also do not realize that muchof the yeast they use dies, because manyof the yeast cells could not completethe aerobic phase of its lifebefore the conditions change to anaerobic.This step insures all the yeast isalready aerobically active andworking before it is placed in thegenerator. The time it takes forthe generator to begin producing pressurized CO₂ is significantly reduced by thisfollowing step. Theseyeasts also need to be rehydratedproperly, as also previouslymentioned, so as to not damage theyeast cell walls.

Itake my measure of yeast, add a smallquantity of tepid water, 100º-115ºF, (not hot),and stir it up in alittle cup with a fork. Stir the mixtureuntil the yeast in no longer in clumps,but instead a smooth creamy tan liquid.Now here's the part everyone forgets, add afew pinches of sugar and vigorously mixthe yeast liquid up making lots of bubbles.You want to get oxygen in there toget the yeast going. Oncethis is done, let the mixture stand forabout ten minutes. Then takeyour funnel in hand, openthe aseptic bottle you prepared,and pour in your yeastculture.

Nowgranted this isn't a perfectly sterilemethod, but by reducing the chancesof bacteria getting in on the outset,the yeast mixture will prevailquicker and last that muchlonger.

Moreinformation about specific mixtures,formulas, and capacities of systems willbe given in the next section of thisarticle.

Authors Final Notes on Yeast

Inpreparing this article, I have conductedresearch into yeast and dove headfirst into the scientificdata available from researchers. To date I havenot been able find data on anyspecific strain mutated forits ability to produce CO₂ gas exclusively, while it appears there hasbeen some strains developed. Generally,mutant strains of yeast are selectivelybred for controlled production of by-productslike alcohol and carbon dioxide. Can yeasts beimproved for our purposes? Most likely work willcontinue on this process for aslong as there are chemists, and geneticistsinterested in yeasts. One of the moreinteresting new researchareas in this domain is the work onrecombinant-DNA technology asit pertains to the developmentof newer yeast strains. This work hasled to changes in formulation, ingredientsand processing conditions.Some of this work has led to new strains ofyeast that are more resistantto stress, producemore proteins, and more carbondioxide.

Some discussionexists on the genes in the HTX groupand the role they play in the cellutilizing glucose in various stages ofit life. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae,the Snf1/AMP-activated proteinkinese family is particularly importantfor the response to glucose deprivation,and this kinase regulates genomictranscription, metabolic activity,and developmental processes such asinvasive growth. These genetic researchresults show, in effect, thepotential for a mutant strain that islonger lasting since it could be designedto utilize less glucose, or requireless glucose to produce CO₂ in useful quantities for our purposeshere. If there is any other specificscientific data on this,I would be interested in seeingit.

Guidelines for Mixtures and Capacities

Itis important to understand that the yeast/sugar/watermixture is not a precise science.You will have to experimentto find what works bestfor your situation. I will give somesuggestions in this sectionon formula's based upon the scientificdata presented above and my ownpersonal experience.

Mixture Formulas

For two-liter bottles:

2 cupswater

2 cups Sucrose(cane sugar)

¼ teaspoonFleischmann's Active Dry Yeast

¼ cuptepid (ideally 104ºF) water

Theyeast should rehydrated first in the tepid water.The aseptic method mentioned previously shouldbe used.

Thisis the easiest formula, using the mostwidely available ingredients. This mixturecan last up to approximately 16days, if the aseptic method isused.

An improved formula is:

1½ cupsof water

2½ cupsSucrose

¼ teaspoon WyeastLabs, Eau de Vie vintners yeast

The aseptic methodmentioned previously should beused.

Thisis a more costly mixture. Sincethis yeast is a liquid live yeast, (refered toas pitchable) it doesnot need to be rehydrated. This yeastis more tolerant to higher alcohollevels, therefore thismixture can last up to approximately 22days. It also has a more consistantoutput of gas overtime.

Tips on Mixtures

Youshould experiment on your mixtures.Everybody has different water,with its own unique chemistry.And this influences the performanceof your mixture. So try slightmodifications of the yeast/sugar/waterratios till you find whatlasts the longest for yoursituation.

Thereis evidence that yeast mixtures lastlonger if you decrease the amount ofyeast, and conversely lastshorter periods if more yeast is used.Lower yeast also means less CO₂ produced per minute, but producemore consistantly over time. Higheryeast levels will cause aninitial higher burst of CO₂ production with agradually declining productionover time. Keep this in mind whileexperimenting.

Therealso has been some discussion onadding other nutrients to themixture to help the yeast growand multiply. This is an area I havenot researched directly, but may beof interest. Nitrogen seemsto be a nutrient that yeastutilizes. Unfortunately theresearch I have gleenedshowed that nitrogen isused by yeast only when itis in an aerobic environment, notthe anaerobic environment weare putting it in. I have not seen anydirect research that showedany nutrient other thansugars are used by yeast inanaerobiosis.

Speakingof aerobiosis, as shown before thisreaction only produces CO₂ and water as by-products. Alchoholis not produced. So why not justproduce an aerobic environment? Thiswould involve injecting oxygen (O₂) into the mixturechamber. Now onecould aerate the mixture to dothis, but of course this would be sent outinto the system that is supposed to dissolve only CO₂ gas. The problem isobviously a matter of either injecting anair mixture with elevated CO₂ levels into your tank, or choosing a pure CO₂ gas to be dissolved. Thelatter is what is prefered, andin fact essential for a CO₂ system to work froma practical concern. Sounfortunately we still will haveto deal with alcohol as aby-product, and deal with itaccordingly.

System Capacities

A good CO₂ system will provide enough gas to supply a givenamount of water to reach the idealized levelof 15ppm of dissolved CO₂. As a rule of thumb,each two-liter bottle will provideenough gas for up to 30 gallons of tank water,assuming you use anefficient method of mixing the gas and tankwater.

Itis important to rememberwhen using CO₂ injection in a freshwater plantedaquarium that doing so reduces thepH in the water.Some of the CO₂ dissociates and forms CarbonicAcid. This results in a lowering ofpH due to the addition, or moreaccurately put,the creation of acids in the tankwater. To prevent wide fluctuations inpH over the life of your mixtures it is importantto make sure the bufferingcapacity of your tank is highenough. This is determined bymeasuring the carbonate hardness ofyour tank water. This is referedto as your waters kH. A good kH for mostplanted tanks is around6dkH. This willensure your pH doesn't swingto abruptly over thelife span of yourmixture.

Interestingly,you can use this relationship ofcarbonate hardness and pH todetermine you CO₂ level in your tank. If youhave fresh and accurate test kits, one forpH and another for kH, youcan use the chart below todetermine your CO₂ levels

Chart derived by George Booth, rendered by Jeff Dietsch

Construction Projects

Okay,here's the fun part. Actually making a DIY CO₂ System of yourown. On average, a DIY CO₂ system for a 55 gallon tank,like the one depicted at the beginningof this article, would costabout $50 to make, complete!And that includes thesoda. Remember, that'sprobably about a quarter of the priceof a complete pressurized systemwith a diffuser of some kind.While the pressurized system is thebest way to accomplish CO₂ injection, the DIY method willprovide very excellent performance,costs substancially less money,and can be even fun to build if you're handy.There is nothing like thepride and satifaction ofknowing that you "DidIt Yourself"!

ThePerfect Two-Liter Bottle Generator

Whileusing a two-liter soda bottle for agenerator is not a newidea, one of the downfallsof most attempts hasbeen in connectingthe tubingto the bottlecap. Most capsare manufactured froma material known as polyethylene.It is used because it wears well, isresistant to bacterial growth,and is resistant to acids.It also has a excellent ability todeal with pressure. Inaddition to being a good candidate fora soda bottle cap, these same charecteristicsmake it ideal for our application.But unfortunately, polyethylene isalso difficult to bond with mostadhesives.

Mostinstructions for using soda bottles forgenerators advise drillinga small hole, and gluing the airlinein place. Thishas been the weak link in mostDIY generators. The poor bondingcapabilities of the cap alwayslead to seal failure, and consequent leaks.An improved way of dealing with this wouldbe to have some typeof mechanical seal, and a bulkhead typefitting for the tubing to connect to.This would be better engineeringpractice. To the left is a diagram showing the completed two-liter bottle generator with the bulkhead fitting in place.

Oneof my other hobbies is RC airplanes, specificallyjets! This little device is a nylon bulkheadfitting for enginefuel. It is designed for use withsilicon tubing just like the type weuse with CO₂ systems. It screws intightly into the hole in the two-literbottle cap, makes an airtight mechanical seal, and makes removing the tubing from the bottlea breeze when you change yourmixture.

Here is alink to a place where you can purchasethis online:

Tower Hobbies

It'smanufactured by Fourmost Products, Oregon,and sells for around $3.75US. If you havea very good hobbyshop nearby, you may be able to get itthere. You get two fittings in the package.I love these things;they made doing mixture changesand worn cap replacement abreeze!

Over Tolerance Pressure Release and Prevention Systems

Inyeast generator systems acommon frustration is cloggingof the air lines dueto flocculated yeast. Sometimesyeast will get trapped in the airlines and pressure can buildup to the point where youhave an explosive situation.It is not uncommon forthe cap to blow off, oneof the airlines blowingoff, or even one of thegenerator bottlesfailing. When this occurs, the usual result is smelly, sticky yeast solution gets blow great distances around your home. Yuck!

Onesolution is a simple Pressure ReleaseSystem. Essentially, all thisis some form of plug that willblow off when a certain amountof over pressure is developed inthe system. One type of this releasevalve is shown in the image to theright. This is comprised of a nylon airline tee,

andsome soft plastic or rubbercap. The part of the tee for the cap must have its barb carefullysanded off with emery cloth until itis smooth. It must be sanded down in such a way where thecap fits on snugly so as to not leak, butalso pop off if the pressurebuilds up high enough. This has to be donethru careful trial and error. I takea bottle of seltzer, put the specialcap on it for the generator and fit thetee on with the cap and the otherside of the tube blocked or plugged.I then shake the seltzer bottle till somepressure builds and up andobserve the point at which thecap blows off. It takes some time and patience to makeone these work right.If you sand down too much and the capis not snug enough it will blow to early,so you have to then start over with a newtee and test again. The whole process of makingone of these do-hickey's is a littlebit tweaky, so if do not havethe patience to sit down andcarefully craft one these I would recommendnot doing it. It will, if not made properly,work when you don't want it toand cause more trouble. Thisunit should be placed betweenwhat runs into the tank anda Gas Separator. Which leadme to the following...

Anothermeans by which you can eliminate orreduce yeast build up in theairlines is by using a MechanicalGas Separator. Basically, this is abottle with an input andoutput fitting. The ideais to use this vessel to separatethe gas from solids and liquids usinggravity. This therefore prevents solidsfrom making their way up the tubingand clogging at some point. Theimage below this paragraphdepicts an example of a separatormade from (you got it) a 16oz.soda bottle. It is attachedwith nylon tie-wraps to the sideof a two-liter yeast generator bottle.Once again our special bulkheadfittings are used, only this timetwo are placed on the cap. Insidethe bottle, a length of rigid airline tubing is placed onto theinside of one of fittings. Thisis the the input of the separator.The other fitting remains unmodified.This is the output of the separator.The concept works like this;gas, liquids and solids come fromthe yeast generator and enterthe separator through the inputand into the bottle thru the rigidtubing. Any liquids and solids willfall, due to gravity, tothe bottom of the separator bottle.The gas, not being effectedby gravity but instead fromgas pressure, continues on through theoutput fitting and out to yourtank. The rigid tubingserves to provide a larger distancebetween the input and output toreduce the chance of blow by ofthe liquids and solids, if the pressure releasevalve blows. This also prevents solid material,like flocculated yeast cells, from cloggingyour airlines during normal operation. For besteffectivenes, theseparator should be placed asphysically close to the yeast generators aspossible.

Usingany or both of these saftey systemsinsures improved performance andreliability of your overall system.These two simple designs,if made properly, will provide assurancethat the most common problems inDIY systems, tube clogging and highpressure explosive failures, are substancially reduced,if not eliminated completely. Trythem!

DIY Powered CO₂ Forced Reactor

Thissection describes a DIY powered CO₂ reactor made from parts widelyavailable at nearly all LFS (local fish store)and online dealers. No special tools arerequired since all componentspush together, with the single exceptionof a drill bit. The cost of theentire device is under $35US completeand has a total count of 8 partsinclusively. The unit also doublesas a mechanical/biological spongefilter system, and could be the solefiltration for tanks up to 30 gallonsin volume.

Theimage to the right showsa drawing of the completedunit. The unit will work withDIY yeast systems, orthe more complex pressurized CO₂ systems commercially available.The primary purpose of this reactor is to allow CO_² tobe thoroughly dissolved intothe tank water. This is accomplishedby injecting the CO_² into the reactor, andkeeping it contained in achamber with a high flowrate of water. This is anactive system, which means itbrings water under pressure tothe CO² instead of simply allowingthe CO₂ to passively meet standing water,as in a diffusor with scintered glass or a bell.It also is much less prone toclogging like the aforementioneddiffusor. The systemprevents CO₂ bubbles from escaping thetank before being dissolved;meaning nearly all the CO₂ you inject getsdissolved.

Byhaving a large foam pad overthe inlet for the powerhead,instead of the usual inletbasket, the unit doubles asa foam filter. This alsoprevent clogging of the pumpimpeller and keeps the mesh pillowat the bottom of the reactorchamber clear from debris.If debris was allowed tocollect on this pillow, flowwould be impeded and the CO₂ would have a difficulttime getting into the reactordue to back pressure in thechamber. A check valveon the CO² line is therefore arequirement. I have determinedthat this foam filter wouldbe sufficient to supply allthe filtering needs in a heavily planted tank,with a moderate fish load,of up to 30 gallons.No other filtration would necessarily beneeded.

Thepump is a standard powerhead,a Maxi-Jet PH 600manufactured by Aquarium Systems. This unit sellson the web for about $14and is used to pump waterinto the reactor chamberand as the filter. Itdelivers a flow rate ofabout 160gph, which intheory would pump the waterof a 55 gallon tank twice everyhour through the reactor chamber.Most of the Maxi-Jet's suppliedaccessories are unused exceptthe suction cups usedto attach it tothe tank wall. The pumpitself will be used unmodifiedfor this application. TheMaxi-Jet 600 PH pump andpower head includes an innovativetriple-suction cup mount whichis sufficient to holdthe entire reactor in placeinside your tank. It is afully submersible powerhead andthe only items that need to befed out of the tank willbe the AC power cord for thepowerhead, and the CO₂ supply line.

Thedesign of this powerheadis of a very simple three piececonstruction. A simple twist ofthe inlet/outlet flange, and theimpeller simply pulls out forcleaning or replacement, ifnecessary. The unit also has,as an option, a basket and foamfilter which could be usedinstead of the foam filterI will recommend shortly. Thisfoam prefilter is not as large,nor will it supplythe amount of filtration asthe foam filter used in thisreactor design. Itcould however be used on tanks thatalready have a pre-existing filtrationsystem. Either way, a foam filterof some kind should be usedto prevent the powerhead, orespecially the chamber pillow, from cloggingwith debris. Since thefoam filter is on the top ofthe unit, it makes it easierto remove, rinse, andreattach. If the chamber pillowgets clogged, because aprefilter is not used, the entirereactor would have to be removedto gain access to thepillow, which is locatedat the bottom of the reactorchamber. In short, make sureyou use some kind of pre-filteron thisreactor.

Thefoam filter used in thisdesign is an Eheim prefilter thatwas supplied with my Eheim 2227 wet/dryfiltration system. The Eheim partnumber is 2615270. It is a cylindrical foamfilter that fit snuggly over 1/2" tubing. I cuta piece of tubing (againsupplied with my Eheim filter)approximately 2" in length. This slipssnugly over the inletpipe of the Maxi-jet powerhead.The foam prefilter is thenslid onto this tubing. That'sit!

Thenext item is the device for thereactor chamber itself. If youhaven't figured it out already, it'sa gravel cleaning tube. Thisspecific one is from thePython Products No-Spill waterchanger system. These tubes costabout $10US. This particularone is the 10" version. The tubeis a clear plastic and theflange at the top is asofter more pliable plastic. Takethis flange and remove itfrom the tube. On the top,halfway between the outer edgeand the hole for the tubing,drill a small hole to fit the rigid tubethat will be inserted for theairstone and the inlet of CO₂. This can be done bytwisting a drill bit betweenyour fingers. Makesure this hole is drilled perfectlyparallel to the clear plastic tube walls.The diameter of the hole will bedetermined by the particularrigid tubing you use. Makesure the hole is slightlysmaller than the outer diameterof the tubing chosen, soas to assure a very tight fit.More on thislater.

WhatI liked about this tube (andby the way, what gave me ideafor this reactor) is thefact that the flange on top isslightly conical. This is advantageousbecause any bubbles thatmay rise to the topof the reactor chamber are forcedback into the center andinto the flow of watercoming from the pump. Theinlet at the top also fitssnuggly over the outletof the Maxi-Jet 600's outlet tube,without the use of any adapters.It is soft and pliable enoughthat it will not be splitwhen pushed onto thepowerhead.

NextI found that if a fineairstone is used the efficiencyis increased. Ichose a Kordon Mist-Air Fine airstone,item #62503, whichI highly recommend in thisapplication. One of thethings I have found with airstonesin general when using them with CO₂, is that the acidic environmenttend to make airstones disintegratequickly. The Kordon Air-Mist stonesdo not exhibit this problem.Also the fine airstone producesvery small CO₂ bubbles. There is a mediumairstone from Kordon that produces bubblesthe same size in fresh water,but the added back pressure inthe fine stone helps in the regulationof yeast based DIY CO₂ generators. It sells forabout $3US.

These stonesare of a glass bead construction.If you use this airstonemake sure you get a stiff plastictube that fits over theairstem. The airstem has an outerdiameter of .195" and you must have atight fit. You probably canget ¼" rigid tubing fromyour LFS. You need about 4"in length. Once you getthis rigid tubing, drill the holein the Python tube flangeslightly smaller so the tubefit very snugly. I recommend youstart with very smalldrill bits and work your wayup in size until youget the right, tight fit.If you do this, you won'thave to resort to adhesiveslike silicon. In addition, do notattempt to use silicon or regularairline tubing. Once the pump is turned on,an airstone dangling from the endof a piece of soft airline will rattlearound inside the reactor andmake quite a racket. Go for the stiff, rigidtubing.

Next,in order to keep the CO₂ bubbles from blowingout of the reactor chamber, anEheim Filter Pillow. Thisparticular one was used inthe Eheim 2211 cannister filteras a course filter and a mediaseparator. The Eheim item number is26 1611 and it is available.It is a course, stretchable,nylon webbing tube rolled-up intoitself to form a pad. Takethis and insert it into the bottomof the gravel tube. Any materialthat is like course webbing will work,this was simply convenientfor me. Do not use a foam pad,unless you can see through iteasily. Foam pads will clog, mostly withnitrifying bacterial growth, which willinhibit out-flow of the reactor. Thismay lead to excessive back pressureproblems on the CO² supply, especially when yeast generators are used. So use something very course, and that fits snuggly into the reactor chamber.Otherwise, it may be blown out ofthe bottom of the tube. This Eheimpad works great if you can find it.I will give a list of onlinedealers who have it (and theother parts) in stock, as of thiswriting.

Lastly,it is recommended you use acheck valve on the CO₂ line leading to the reactor,especially if you use Yeast generators.Make sure you use plastic ones ortypes specifically madefor use with CO₂. If you don't they mayfail over time due to thecorrosive nature of carbondioxide.

Belowis an exploded view drawing of the Reactor. It givesyou a better idea, visually, of how it allgoes together.

Hereis a parts list and a list of onlineplaces that stock these products. Remember,many if not all of theseitems can probably be found at your LFS, aswell.

Manufacturer	Description	Item Number	Dealers
Eheim	Prefilter	2615270	That Fish Place Big Al's
Eheim	Tubing 16/22mm	4005940	That Fish Place Big Al's
Eheim	Course Pillow Pad	26 1611	Big Al's Do search under "2211"
Python Products	10" Gravel Tube	13-D	That Fish Place Big Al's Python Products
Aquarium Systems	Maxi-Jet PH	600	That Fish Place Big Al's
Kordon	Mist-Air fine airstone	62503	Big Al's

Conclusion

Using CO₂ in your planted freshwater aquarium willshow dramatic improvementin the health and growth of youraquatic plants. Understandingthat a yeast generated systemis again another "ecosystem in abottle", like our tanks, youcan provide the much needed CO₂ your plants need.By providing a heathy livingand growning evironment for the littlesingle sell creatures doing allthe work, you can have areliable source of carbondioxide.

Asthe famed aquarium artistTakashi Amano said, "We have toremember that we eitherlive in nature or not at all.Through building and maintainingbeautiful natural aquaria, peoplerelearn the intricate connections betweenforms of life: plants, fish, microorganisms andhumans. Riches and beauty come fromharmony, from balance. Aquaria are greatteachers of this truth." So rememberthis as you grow not onlyyour fish and plants, but alsothose small single cell microorganismsin that two-literbottle.

Ihope you enjoyed reading thisarticle as much as I had researching and writingit!

Take from http://www.qsl.net/w2wdx/aquaria/diyco2.html

Flow Chart CO2 in Aquascape

2008-09-02T11:09:00.005+07:00

The Part list:

(A) If the power head is placed into the tank a sponge prefilter can be used. They sell a sponge filter for turtle tanks that works great. You could also use a filter inlet tube attached to a legnth of hose and have the power head outside of the tank.
(B) Maxi-Jet 600 Power head. Comes with a bunch of useful parts. The tubing from the CO2 connects to the venturi adapter. Get the model that has the flow rate that you want.
(C) 10" Python gravel tube. I bought two and used both caps (D) and hoses (E) on one tube to make the reactor/canister.
(F) Good spot for a check valve
(G) Airline tubing
(H) I made a spray bar out of 1/2" PVC with an end cap and a elbow
(I) A lot of people have trouble with leaks. I use a rubber stopper. I drill a hose through it and push a piece of plastic airline pipe through, then I attatch the airline hose to the pipe. I still use this method with no leaks.
(J) Airline T
(K) 2 litre pop bottle
(L) Rubber stopper
(M) 20oz pop bottle this catches and yeast liquid so it doesn't enter your tank

Yeast recipe

Per 2 litre pop bottle

6 cups warm water
2 cups sugar
1/4 tsp. yeast
1/2 tablet of tums

The reactor/filter hanging on the back of the tank. At the bottom I have a sponge and on top of that some ceramic noodles. The CO2 enters the flow right before the gravel tube so it gets beat up by the water flow, the noodles, then through the sponge.

Lighting in Aquascape Tank

2008-09-01T14:44:00.001+07:00

Light energy is an essential ingredient to making a planted aquarium lush and green. It drives photosynthesis and the plant’s ability to consume nutrients from the water column. Without adequate light, plants won’t be able to grow properly.Planted aquariums require eight to ten hours of light, on average, to allow plants to metabolize the energy and complete their photosynthesis cycle.

The general rule of thumb for aquatic plants is that each tank needs at least 2.0 watts per gallon (wpg) in tanks that are greater than 20 gallons. Smaller tanks will need a little more wattage. For the beginning planted aquarist, I recommend you start with a lower wattage, i.e. around 2.0 wpg for eight to ten hours. Once you begin to understand the nutrient balance and plant growth that’s the time where you can experiment with increasing lighting. However, most times staying within this photoperiod range is more then adequate for plant growth.

One of the best ways to avoid algae in a newly set up planted aquarium is to use minimal lighting for the first few weeks. By minimal lighting, I mean reducing the photoperiod to seven to eight hours, and, if possible, switching off one of your bulbs in your lighting fixtures. By doing this, you’ll give your newly planted plants time to adjust to your aquarium conditions. It’s like going out running for the first time. You wouldn’t want to start off on the track at full speed because you’ll know you’ll burn out after the first lap. Instead you’ll do a warm up lap and gradually work yourself up to top speed. The same goes with aquatic plants. Give them a chance to adjust to the new conditions and they will thrive in the long run.

If you don’t do this, algae will flourish off the overdriven and dying plant matter that may result when there is too much light, not enough plants, and excessive nutrients (from the lack of healthy plants consuming it). Allow your plants to grow gradually with the conditions and you’ll find algae will have a hard time infecting your tank.

Compact fluorescent lighting is the common main stay of aquarium lighting equipment. It offers an efficient and affordable lighting solution for most planted aquariums. T-5 High Output lamps are becoming more popular as the prices on the bulbs and its fixtures decline. T-5 High Output bulbs burn brighter and more intense then regular Compact Fluorescents. In deep aquariums (24 inches), T-5 High Output bulbs can penetrate deep into the water, where regular Compact Fluorescents could not. In a planted aquarium this aspect is very important when you’re trying to grow a compact foreground of Glossostigma elatinoides.

Equipment aside, remember that in order to have a healthy planted aquarium you don’t need tons of light, but you do want to have enough for your plants to grow efficiently.

With High light comes great responsibility. Sound like a catchy phrase from a comic book movie? Well, it’s true here, too. With more light (3.0+ wpg) you are essentially putting your plant’s metabolism into overdrive. Sure your plants may start growing faster initially, but without proportional high amounts of CO₂ and fertilizers, this rapid growth will reach its ugly climax. So when in doubt, go with less light (around 2.0 wpg) and keep the fertilizers and C02 in adequate, small levels. You’ll find the slower growth of the plants will make a much better aquascape than one you have to constantly trim to keep looking good.

Live Plants VS Plastic Plants in Aquarium

2008-08-31T19:10:00.004+07:00

Here I'll present some pros and cons to using either live or plastic plants. Great aquascapes can be achieved with either.

Let's start with live plants.

Pros:
1. Provides oxygen during daylight hours
2. Fin friendly; won't tear fins
3. Helps filter the water
4. Provides another food source for the fish
5. Grows
6. Helps keep algae in check

Cons:
1. Produces CO2 during nighttime hours
2. Grows - needs regular pruning

Now for plastic plants.

Pros:
1. Doesn't produce CO2
2. No pruning needed
3. Will always look the same, doesn't grow

Cons:
1. Doesn't produce O2
2. Just another surface for algae to grow on
3. Always looks the same, not dynamic
4. Not fin friendly, could possibly tear fins if fish gets too close
5. Doesn't filter water I will leave it at that.

Live plants do require a bit more maintenance and care than plastic plants. I've maintained tanks with all live plants and tanks with a mix and tanks with all plastic or silk plants.
From my fish observations, most fish (the ones that have been bred in captivity in tanks) don't really care one way or the other if the plants are real or not, they just like having something akin to their natural habitat as long as their water is kept in pristine condition. Some fish though really do care and will not do as well in a tank with no real plants.

Klasifikasi dan morfologi lobster air tawar (Cherax sp.)

2008-08-31T01:49:00.004+07:00

Seorang ahli bernama Patasik (2004) mengklasifikasikan Red claw kedalam :
Filum : Arthropoda;
Sub filum : Mandibulata;
Kelas : Crustacea;
Sub kelas : Malacostraca;
Seri : Eumalacostraca;
Super ordo : Eucarida;
Ordo : Decapoda;
Sub ordo : Reptantia;
Famili : Parastacidae;
Genus : Cherax;
Spesies : Cherax quadricarinatus.

Sedangkan Holthuis (1950) mengklasifikasikan Red claw kedalam :
Filum : Arthropoda;
Sub filum : Mandibulata;
Kelas : Crustacea;
Sub kelas : Malacostraca;
Super ordo : Eucarida;
Ordo : Decapoda;
Sub ordo : Reptantia;
Famili : Parastacidae;
Genus : Cherax;
Spesies : Cherax quadricarinatus.

Tubuh lobster terbagi dua bagian, yaitu bagian depan dan bagian belakang.

Bagian depan terdiri dari bagian kepala dan dada. Kedua bagian itu disebut chepaalotorax. Kepala udang ditutupi oleh cangkang kepala, yang disebut carapace. Kelopak kepala bagian depan disebut rostrum atau cucuk kepala. Bentuknya runcing dan bergerigi.

Kepala lobster terdiri dari enan ruas. Pada bagian itu terdapat beberapa organ lain. Sepasang mata berada pada ruas pertama. Kedua mata itu memiliki tangkai dan bisa bergerak. Pada ruas kedua dan ketiga terdapat sungut kecil, yang disebut antenula, dan sungut besar yang disebut antena.

Sedangkan pada ruang, keempat, kelima dan keenam terdapat rahang (mandibula), maxilla I dan maxilla II. Ketiga bagian ini berfungsi sebagai alat makan (Wiyanto dan Hartono, 2003). Organ lain yang ada pada bagian kepala adalah kaki jalan. Jumlahnya empat pasang, dengan ukuran kaki paling depan lebih besar.

Bagian belakang terdiri dari badan dan ekor. Kedua bagian itu disebut abdomen. Pada bagian atas abdomen ditutupi dengan enam buah kelopak. Sedangkan bagian bawahnya tidak tertutu, tetapi berisi kaki enam kaki renang. Ekor terdiri dari bagian tengah yang disebut telson, dan bagian samping yang disebut uropda.

Menurut Wiyanto dan Hartono (2003), ciri utama lobster air tawar jenis Red claw adalah kedua ujung capitnya berwarna merah. Untuk jantan warna merah muncul di bagian capit sebelah luar, sedangkan betina tidak seperti itu, tetapi terkadang dijumpai warna merah tersebut berada di bagian dalam.

Tanda lainnya hampir seluruh bagian tubuh didominasi, atau berwarna dasar warna biru laut yang berkilau, tetapi mulai dari bagian hingga ekor berwarna biru pekat dengan semburat kemerah-merahan, terutama tubuh bagian atas. Adapula terlihat dengan bintik putih kemerah-merahan. Sementara antara ruas kaki jalan berwarna merah. Kedua capit berwarna biru dan bagian pangkalnya dikelilingi warna merah, jika dilihat seperti cincin melingkar.

Sementara itu menurut Iskandar (2003), lobster air tawar merupakan hewan yang tidak memiliki tulang dalam (internal skeleton), tetapi seluruh tubuhnya terbungkus cangkang (ekternal skeleton). Lalu, bila dilihat bagian luar, lobster air tawar memiliki alat pelengkap, yaitu :

(1). Sepasang antena yang berfungsi sebagai perasa dan peraba terhadap pakan dan kondisi lingkungann.

(2) Sepasang antenula yang berfungsi sebagai alat penciuman, mulut dan sepasang capit (celiped) yang lebar dengan ukuran lebih panjang jika dibandingkan dengan ruas dasar capitnya.

(3) Enam ruas badan (abdomen) memipih, sedikit dengan lebar rata-rata hampir sama dengan lebar kepala.

(4) Ekor. Ekor terdiri dari ekor tengan (telson) memipih, sedikit lebar dan dilengkapi duri-duri halus yang muncul di semua bagian tepi ekor. Bagian ekor lainnya adalah dua pasang ekor samping (uropod) yang juga memipih.

(5) Enam pasang kaki renang (pleopod) yang berperan dalam melakukan gerakan renang. Disamping sebagai alat berenang, kaki induk pada betina digunakan sebagai alat untuk menambah oksigen dengan pergerakannya. Selain itu juga digunakan untuk membersihkan telur atau larva dari tumpukan kotoran yang terendap.
(6) Empat pasang kaki jalan.

Red claw merupakan jenis lobster air tawar yang mempunyai capit berwarna merah dan warna tubuhnya hijau kemerahan. Seluruh permukaan red claw memiliki duri-duri kecil berwarna putih. Telurnya berwarna kuning kemerahan (Setiawan, 2006).

english version http://www.efishbusiness.co.uk

Step by Step setting Aquascape

2008-08-24T03:13:00.002+07:00

setelah sebelumnya tahap persiapan untuk pembuatan aquascape, maka di lanjutkan tahap berikutnya yaitu mensetting aquascape

a. Letakkan Peat moss (optional) di bawah, tipis aja, asalkan bisa liat dasar aquariumnya). Pasang juga filter dan heater (kalau pake, di indo kan panas, biasanya nggak butuh)

b. Letakkan Laterite / substrate secara merata, 2-5 cm tebalnya.

c. Apabila menggunakan JBL Aquabasis / Laterite tanah merah, tutup dengan Gravel, paling tidak 3 cm. kalau tidak tertutup, akan mengundang algae.

d. Isi setengahnya dengan air yang sudah di diamkan. Letakkan piring kecil di atas gravel waktu menuang air, agar gravel tidak bertebaran kemana2.

e. Mulai Aquascaping anda, patokannya, tanaman kecil di depan, sedang di tengah dan besar di belakang. Tetapi semua ini terserah pada selera masing2

f. Penuhi dengan air.

g. Untuk planted tank tidak wajib di cycle, akan tetapi jangan banyak2 dulu ikannya.

h. Test Ph, Gh/Kh dan Nitrate. Ph bisa di atur dengan Co2 (jangan pake chemical, percuma, dan kadang malah mengundang algae). Gh dan Kh bisa diatur dengan Bicarbonate Soda (setengah sendok the cukup untuk menaikkan Kh 4 degree. Kita butuh paling tidak 4 Kh apabila menggunakan Co2)

i. Isi ikannya

j. Setelah seminggu, test lagi. Nitrate harus di bawah 12 mg, Kh sekitar4 sampe 12, Gh 4-10 dan ph sekitar 6.8 sampe 7

k. Jangan lupa di pangkas tanamannya, agar tidak mengurangi cahaya di dasar aquarium

l. Planted tank terus berkembang dan posting ini akan terus saya update apabila ada perubahan.

m. Selamat ber-Aquascaping!!

dalam bahasa ingris anda bisa mencoba ke site berikut ukap.org

Planted Tank Tutorial and general information

2008-08-23T15:00:00.021+07:00

Planted tank in a budget.

Tentunya kita tau, kalo aquarium itu hobby yang sangat menguras waktu dan uang. Poin pertama, kalo nggak ada waktu, cari hobi lain aja deh, daripada mbunuhin ikan ama buang2 duit.

seperti di ambil dari fatwa Syaikh Ibnu Baz

Okeh, kalo kalian mau terus, gue mau bagi info tentang planted tank dan beberapa aspek kimiawi air.

Alat2 yang di butuhkan (detailnya akan di beberkan di bawah):
1. Aquarium dan air
2. Filter (kalo bisa yang canister)
3. Lampu Fluoro (Neon)
4. Gravel / Substrate (akan lebih detail di bawah)
5. CO2 setup
6. Trace mineral /pupuk
7. Tanaman
8. Test kits

penjelasan :

1. Aquarium dan air

Rencanakan anggaran anda. Yang paling menyita uang adalah Pencahayaan dan filter. Rencanakan ukuran tank anda sebaik2nya. Usahakan tempatnya yang strategis, misalnya nggak ada matahari langsung, deket ama pembuangan air supaya nggak capek ngangkat air. Make sure kalo meja atau cabinet yang anda pakai kuat. 1 liter air kurang lebih seberat 1 kg. Kalo 200 liter, 200 kilo. Jadi, jangan sembarangan pilih tempat.
Sebelum di isi air, cek kalo2 bocor. Jangan sekali2 mencuci aquarium dengan air sabun. Gunakan air garam hangat untuk membilas.
Pake ember yang khusus buat aquarium aja, jangan di campur buat nyuci baju juga. Usahakan ember ini ada tutupnya, jadi bisa untuk menyimpan alat2 buat ganti air juga.
Air yang akan anda gunakan HARUS di diamkan selama paling tidak 24 jam. Jangan ditutup, agar chlorines menguap. Apabila air ledeng mengandung Chloramines (lebih kuat daripada chlorine)harus didiamkan selama 48 jam atau lebih.
Lebih gampang sih menggunakan Water Ager. (tanya di toko ikan)

2. Filter

Untuk planted tank, filter memegang peranan penting saat tank mulai mature. Gunakan canister filter, agar nantinya aquascaping tidak terbatas oleh internal filter. Selain itu, penggunaan co2 akan lebih mudah dan ringkas.
Jangan mengarahkan output filter di permukaan air. Usahakan paling tidak 5 cm dibawah air. Intinya adalah mengurangi riak air. Ini sangat berhubungan dengan co2 dan akan di bahas di poin CO2 setup

3. Lampu
Tanaman menggunakan 3 unsur untuk photosynthesis,
yaitu cahaya, co2 dan pupuk (trace mineral,iron dsb). Cahaya yang di pakai di aquarium sangat menentukan suksesnya planted tank anda. Rumusnya begini:
Minimal cahaya yang kita pakai untuk tank 60 liter ke atas adalah 2 watt per gallon . 10 gallon kira2 40 liter, jadi kalo punya tank misalnya 60 galon (240 liter), butuh watt lampu neon minimal 120 watt. Lebih baik menggunakan lampu neon yang berwatt tinggi tapi sedikit daripada watt rendah tapi banyak. Maksudnya, lebih baik menggunakan 2 buah neon 60 watt daripada 6 buah neon 20 watt, karena intensitas cahaya sangat berbeda. Kalo rumus 2 watt per gallon (wpg) sudah di penuhi, maka jenis lampu neon yang anda pakai tidak berpengaruh banyak. Usahakan menggunakan neon tri phosphorus (triphos) yang mempunyai 5000 sampai 7000 derajat Kelvin ( liat di bungkusnya). Ini mendekati spectrum cahaya matahari. Gabungkan dengan neon khusus untuk tanaman (aqua-gro atau plant-gro) agar cahaya yang dihasilkan lebih lengkap spektrumnya. Asalkan bukan neon biasa dan bukan actinic fluoro atau lampu buat marine tank, biasanya cahaya sudah mencukupi.
(watt yang di pakai adalah watt lampu neon atau fluoro, bukan bohlam biasa)
Kalo ada uang lebih, pake aja Metal halide. Ini mahal biasanya, dan rumus 2 wpg tidak berpengaruh. Tapi ingat, lampu ini panasnya lumayan, jadi kalo bisa jangan terlalu dekat aquarium anda. Untuk neon, yang tinggal di jakarta bisa di beli di Kenari.

4. Tanaman butuh media untuk tumbuh.

Di planted tank, kita menggunakan gravel biasa (harus yang nggak mempengaruhi ph air, istilahnya INERT. Batu kapur, pasir laut dsb adalah pantangan utama di planted tank.) yang berukuran 2-3 mm (kira2 aja) dan substrate untuk nutrisi. Cara yang murah adalah menggunakan laterite atau tanah lempung yang mengandung zat besi yang anda gali sendiri. Biasanya tanah merah mengandung laterite cukup tinggi, akan tetapi lebih baik cari data mengenai kandungan laterite tanah di perpustakaan. (kampus Geologi pasti punya referensi tentang peta lokasi tanah laterite di indonesia).
Bagi yang di Indo, saya sarankan beli aja processed laterite / substrate yang dijual bebas. Biasanya merek Seachem , Dupla atau JBL Aquabasis. Ini mahal harganya, akan tetapi akan menjamin pertumbuhan tanaman anda.Untuk 10 galon bisanya membutuhkan sekitar 2-3 kilo. Kita juga membutuhkan Peat Moss (mengapa kita pake peat moss ini panjang penjelasannya, saya juga nggak yakin ini ada di indo), kalo nggak ada, ini optional. Untuk pure laterite seperti Seachem, tidak di butuhkan pasir / gravel tambahan. Tetapi apabila menggunakan JBL Aquabasis atau tanah merah, wajib di lapis dengan pasir setebal 3-4 cm. Gravel / Pasir yang biasa di gunakan di Indonesia adalah pasir silika.

5. CO2 setup
Walaupun di dunia ini co2 nggak ada habisnya, lain dengan di dalam air. Karena tanaman yang dipakai untuk planted tank sebagian besar adalah tanaman yang tidak tumbuh dalam air, malainkan di pinggir sungai atau danau (marsh plant), maka cara mereka manggunakan co2 sangat berbeda dengan di udara terbuka. Kita butuh menyuplai Co2. Yang saya gunakan adalah co2 ragi, yang penjelasannya saya post dengan bahasa inggris (abis, males nulisnya lagi, tenang aja, ini nggak mbajak kok). Pressurized co2 sangat mahal dan untuk pengisian juga harus ada yang bisa mengisi secara berkala (6- 12 bulan sekali). Tetapi ini adalah option yang terbaik. Dalam planted tank, aerator dan over-filtration tidak dibutuhkan, malah harus dihindari, agar kadar co2 tidak berkurang. Apabila co2 cukup, dan tanaman ber photosynthesis, maka kadar oksigen akan mencukupi dengan sendirinya.

Pada gambar disamping, adalah tabung CO2 Reaktor yang dibuat sendiri, atau "Doit Your Self".

Kalau ada anggarannya, pakai pressurized system, dengan silinder co2, regulator ( kalau anggarannya bener2 banyak, dengan tambahan automatic PH control). System ini lebih stabil, dan lebih maintenance free.

6. Trace mineral / pupuk

Trace mineral adalah pendukung photosythesis. Pendeknya, tanpa trace mineral, tanaman nggak akan berphotosynthesis dengan sempurna. Yang saya gunakan adalah Seachem Flourish (Ini asli bagus banget). Merek lain juga bisa digunakan, asalkan tidak mengandung Nitrate (No3) dan Phosphate. Kalau ikan cukup banyak, nitrate dan phosphate tidak di butuhkan. Zat besi tambahan dalam bentuk tablet akan di butuhkan setelah 6 – 7 bulan. (pastikan jenisnya yang chelated)

7. Tanaman.

Tanaman yang kita gunakan harus bervariasi antara yang tumbuh cepat dengan yang tumbuh lambat.
Juga dalam permulaan, hindari menggunakan tanaman berwarna merah atau merah tua/ coklat. Nanti kalau tanaman sudah tumbuh stabil, baru kita bisa menanam tanaman ini, sebab biasanya tanaman ini butuh perawatan extra (cahaya, dan kimiawi air yang stabil). Anda harus menggunakan tanaman yang marsh atau true aquatic, bukan yang hydroponic (misalnya purple waffle). Jangan pelit2 beli tanaman, lebih banyak lebih baik, agar mengurangi tumbuhnya algae.

8. Test kits

Pada gambar di samping adalah salah satu contoh PH Tester

Minimal yang kita butuhkan adalah Ph test, GH/KH test, Nitrate Test. Test lain boleh anda beli, tapi tidak usah beli Iron test (useless)

Pada Gambar di samping adalah salah satu contoh GH & KH Test kit.

Tahap berikutnya adalah tahap mempersiapkan dan mensetting aquascape.

Aquascape "Garden from under water"

2008-08-22T03:04:00.001+07:00

Aquascape adalah suatu hobie baru dalam kalangan para penggemar ikan hias. dalam aquascape ini bukan ikan yang menjadikan sebagai subject utama, dan justru ikanlah yang menjadi tampilan pembantu. Artis sebenarnya dalam Aquascape adalah "tanaman". loh kok bisa ?....
dalam memahami hobi "Aquascape" ini dibutuhkan beberapa kemampuan. dianataranya. kesabaran, pengetahuan tentang kimia air, cara hidup tanaman/biologi, jiwa seni dan ketelatenan.

kenapa saya bilang begitu, karena untuk hobi "Aquascape" ini seperti halnya merawat tanaman, hanya kalo di darat tanaman ini ditumbuhkan diatas tanah, dan pemberian air yang secukupnya, untuk aquascape tanaman di besarkan dalam aquarium yang diisi penuh dengan air.
saya menyukai alam rawa dikarenakan bentuknya atau habitatnya merupakan alam rawa, yang mengingatkanku pada alam atau lingkungan disekitarku ketika aku kecil.
dahulu di sekitarku masih banyak sawah, rawa-rawa, dan sungai-sungai kecil. saat ini disekitarku tempat tingalku telah penuh dengan rumah-rumah kontrakan.
untuk membuat Aquascape dibutuhukan minimal 1 buah Aquarium, pasir silika, air, pengasil CO2, dan filter untuk memfilter air.

Tentang cara mensetting atau membuat Aquascape akan saya berikan di blog selanjutnya.

Launching a new Blog

2008-08-22T02:41:00.002+07:00

Yesterday August, 21 i'm b'day, so this blog i dedicated to my self hehehehe......

Ok first, i wan to share about setting aquarium, aquascape, freshwater fish, underwater plant, or everithing all about aquairum lovers.

i hope i will continues update this blog, but sometimes i have weak, so i'm sory if i'm too long updtae this blog.

ok all, thanks u and enjoy

Ants