Phosphorus (...) is an important element of organic matter, which all living organisms consist of. Animals absorb it from food and plants absorb its mineral form (phosphorus anions). Together with nitrogen and potassium phosphorus is ranked as macronutrient and makes 0.1 – 0.5% of the dry vegetable mass. Because it’s indispensable for the plants’ growth, most plants are capable of accumulating this chemical element. It proves to be irreplaceable in periods of phosphorus deficiency.
Aquarium titbits - Michał Pręgowski;
The reef wouldn’t exist without them? – The most recent research published in “Nature” magazine indicates that popular sea parrotfish (Scarus genus) are equally important for the reef ecosystems as lions and hyenas are for the savannah ecosystems.; Fish sleep and suffer from insomnia – It is widely believed that fish don’t sleep because they have no eyelids. However, experts in research on sleep from Stanford University in California proved that these animals are not only able to sleep but sometimes they also show symptoms of... insomnia.; Police intercepts arowanas – We live in a country of the dependence networks and most of us would prefer the police to solve down-to-earth, real problems effectively. Can we imagine a mass police interference aimed at protecting animals?
Temperament is more important than beauty. How to set a tank for loricariids? - Michał Pręgowski;
(...) Loricariids are not particularly interesting for most of the aquarium hobbyists. Some regard these fish as ugly, others get disappointed and disheartened when a newly purchased “algae eater” won’t eat algae at all. Only those, who crush the layer of stereotypes, are able to perceive loricariids as interesting and noteworthy animals.
Lake Malawi biotopes. Part I. Rocks - Mateusz Topolanek;
Despite the fact that owning a “biotope” tank recently became very fashionable, usually we don’t fully realise that most of us cut corners when faced with the challenge of setting such a tank. Choice of inhabitants for a tank mimicking given biotope is usually confined to plants and fish found on a continent in question, or in geographical region at best. (...) However, the issue is only seemingly simple. In this and next articles I would like to discuss the most typical and easily mimicked habitats in which fish live. I will discuss habitats of the third lake of Africa with regard to the size – Malawi.
How to prevent fin rot in your fish? - dr Hubert Zientek;
The disease is found in aquarium fish quite often. In its benign form it poses no threat to fish’s health and is easily cured. It is usually caused by some kind of strong stress factor. Acute form of the disease is much more difficult to cure, especially if fish organism was already infected by bacteria from Aeromonas, Pseudomonas, Flexibacter genera, fungi or other parasites at the same time. Fin rot may be one of the symptoms of other systemic diseases as well. Young specimens are particularly susceptible to the disease.
Decorative planted aquaria. Is the way leading to an underwater garden really that difficult? Part V. Starting a planted aquarium - Arkadiusz Siurda;
(...) Creating a planted aquarium is always based on choosing adequate plant species. Before you start planting the tank you have to know precisely how many plants you will need and what species will the aquascape consist of. Random planting additional specimen later on is a common mistake because they will grow in an unplanned way and destroy the whole decoration concept that was shaped when planning the aquascape. That is why you should choose plant species that you are familiar with or which requirements and “habits” you got to know while studying reliable resources.
Small aquarium - Marcin Szmel;
(...) Let’s start with defining the issue of a small tank itself. There are no practical limits, at least clearly defined ones. It may be due to the fact that you will regard small species tank differently than a small community tank. The difference in scale depends on the benchmark as well. The size achieved by a species you choose may serve as such a benchmark.
Fish ethology from the aquarium hobbyist’s point of view. Part I. Before the bathyscaph sets off. - Marcin Graczyk
What went wrong? - Wojciech Stańczak;
(...) After a relatively short time people that decided to set their first aquarium start to get more and more involved in all interactions governing all creatures living in their home water “basins”. Every aquarium hobbyist reaches the point in which he becomes an ecologist who asks himself “why”? Why my plants grow so poorly? Why my water gets cloudy? Why some fish gather in groups and other don’t? Why are they aggressive?
Chamaeleo calyptratus – chameleon for a start - Alicja Papiór, Szymon Najdora;
Chameleons arouse widespread fondness and fascination. It’s difficult to meet a person who is scared of, feels dislike for or disgust at a tortoise. Chameleons are equally well thought of. (...) Chameleons are regarded, not without a reason, to be lizards for experienced terrarium hobbyists. They are usually very delicate, susceptible to stress and difficult to breed. Many species have a serious problem to get adapted to living conditions in a terrarium. Veiled chameleon disobeys these rules – in practice all young animals were born in captivity and have no problems with acclimatisation in a terrarium.
Snails in freshwater tank - Magdalena Ryba;
Snails – one of the most popular inhabitants of freshwater aquaria and one of the first ones to be found in your tank. Many aquarium hobbyists persistently exterminate them and regard them as undesired. They are often accused of destroying the plants and messing the equipment with their eggs. Are they really so unwanted inhabitants of a tank? I will do my best to prove that the devil is not as black as he is painted.
"I" - Open Class - Andrzej Sieniawski;
(...) Currently an increased export of wild discus fish from the above mentioned colour variation is being noticed. The cause of this phenomenon may lay in the fact that it’s not so easy to catch big amounts of discus fish in the traditional regions in which they used to be found any more. Fish collectors who want to meet the exporters’ needs and execute the orders are forced to widen their search area all the time. Often they reach remote places. That’s where they find fish with untypical appearance.
22 Zachodniopomorska Wystawa Akwarystyczna - Andrzej Sieniawski;
In my opinion Szczeciński Klub Akwarystów (aquarium hobby club of the city of Szczecin) ”Molinezja” is the most active aquarium club in the northern part of Poland. (...) It has already celebrated the 29th anniversary of its existence and its members already get prepared for the pompous celebration of the 30th anniversary. Before they will have a chance to do so, they will have to make a note of organising 22nd aquarium exhibition of the Zachodniopomorskie region.
Fish and shoes - Adam Jędrzejczak;
No, I don’t mean shoes or any other clothing made of shark skin. I mean unusual coexistence of fish in their natural environment and shops that can be observed in one of the malls in Poznań.
Presentation of judging results of the seven best aquascapes and Polish projects awarded in The International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest 2007;
Invertebrate hobbyists’ meeting - Paweł Szewczak;
The invertebrate hobbyists’ meeting was held in the Fressnapf shop on September 29th, 2007. Fressnapf is a pet shop network in Germany and each of the shops specialises in something else.. The shop in question is located in Neckartenzlingen, ca. 20 km from Stuttgart and offers quite a big range of shrimps, crayfish, crabs and snails.