(...) Lake Victoria is located in eastern part of Africa and is subject to territorial administration by Kenya (6% of the basin), Tanzania (49%) and Uganda (45%). When compared to lakes such as Tanganyika or Malawi it is relatively shallow (maximal depth is 69 metres), dotted with numerous islands and its coastal line is varied. The water in the lake is cloudy (water transparency up to 1 metre) and water temperature ranges between 23 and 29°C. Nile is the main river flowing into it.
Discus fish diseases caused by bacteria and other unicellular organisms - Jerzy Antychowicz;
Discus fish suffer from non-specific bacterial infections and flagellate infestations of digestive tract and skin relatively often. Troubles can also be caused by the ciliates swimming freely in the aquarium water. (...) Bacteria that are present in every tank may cause inter alia fin rot in fish with immunodeficiency. Due to the lytic (dissolving) function of bacterial enzymes fins start to disintegrate. The illness starts at the fin ends and spreads to the whole fin afterwards.
Aquarium titbits - Michał Pręgowski;
White... is not white at all – Experienced aquarium hobbyists know well that not all water types are the same. Just in South America three types of water have been observed – fish live not only in the transparent and clear water (clearwater) but also in dark water (blackwater) and whitish one (whitewater).
Fish can get prematurely born either – When a child is prematurely born people are usually justifiably worried about its health. Fortunately modern medicine allows for helping children that were born prematurely, much earlier than in their ninth month. It doesn’t concern fish though – we deal with premature births here either but very young fish very rarely manage to survive.
Mouthbrooders are good listeners – Portugal researchers are convinced that males and females of cobalt blue cichlid (Pseudotropheus zebra) and related species are able to recognize each other not only visually but also... aurally.
"Biologia Raf Koralowych" (biology of coral reefs) conference in Warsaw that took place on October, 13th – 14th, 2007. Part II - dr Grzegorz Soszka;
Dr Anna Abraszewska from University of Lodz took us to the realm of fairytale and dreams of the long voyage to tropical seas and oceans. The doctor’s lecture was entitled „Asmore, Cocos (Kelling) and Suworow – oceanic oases lying on the track of Maria yacht”. „Oceanic sailing that took many months – we spent long days, even weeks away from the land – resulted in specific emotions being evoked when land appeared on the horizon.” That’s how Dr Abraszewska commented on her cruise around the world on Maria yacht commanded by the captain Ludomir Mączka.
Plants in garden ponds – practical advice - dr Hubert Zientek;
Plants kept in garden ponds can be divided to hydrophytes, floating plants, submerged plants, hygrophytes and plants growing on the basin’s banks (bulrush). Their complementation, proper choice of species and varieties as well as the proper care are an art in itself. Below I will present a number of practical aspects relating to the significance and rules of choosing, planting and fertilizing plants in garden ponds.
Malawi. Step two: we deepen our experience - Wojciech Sierakowski;
Aquarium hobbyist that begins his adventure with Lake Malawi mouthbrooders either will promptly understand that these fish are not meant for him or will get fascinated by them and let them overwhelm his aquarium realm for years. Personally, I have quickly learnt that I will not let anything separate me from these beautiful cichlids. Their unquestionable attractiveness is not the only thing that fascinates me – I got deeply interested in their behaviour. In earlier issues of „Nasze Akwarium” I tried to present the subject of mouthbrooders as comprehensively as possible in such a way that it would be useful for beginners in the hobby. (...) These cichlids make an impression that any tank would be too small for them. It is both due to the species variety and specific requirements of those fish that can be challenging even for the passionate of a species tanks.
Tiny black spheres on my snake or few words on acari - Witold Borkowski;
When one has kept many species of reptiles and amphibians for years, one can realize that terrarium hobby means not only keeping animals in terrarium but also facing their parasites and diseases. One of the most common terrarium problems are acari (Acarina) – small ectoparasites from Arachnida class. Almost 250 species of those small „bugs” parasitizing on reptiles have been discovered.
Study of the tarantula and scorpion species. Part 4. Grammostola rosea, Euthlus truculentus - inhabitants of Andean steppes - Sebastian Żmudzki;
During millions of years of evolution American continents became a home of majority of tarantula species. They are found on area spreading from northern part of the United States, covering equatorial part of South America and reaching Patagonia. They live in diversified environments: deserts, different types of forest (ranging from savannah forests to tropical ones), they have also adapted to mountain environments. (...) Chile and Argentina is a particularly interesting area. The fringe of the continent is washed by the cold oceanic currents that are not in favour with cloud forming and precipitation.
Methods of selective breeding of Crystal Red shrimps - Michał Paczkowski;
Few years ago the first dwarf shrimps appeared in Poland and quickly became very popular among aquarists. As time went by new species and variations were imported. Caridina cf. Cantonensis „Crystal Red” was one of such species. This beautiful shrimp was selectively bred by the Japanese breeder Hisagasu Suzuki in 1996 and for all that time it has made a remarkable career. Nowadays numerous new variations have been created in the result of the breeders’ tenacious work.
Neolamprologus prochilus (Bailey & Stewart, 1977) - Magdalena and Przemysław Mirek;
Neolamprologus prochilus is one of the most rarely kept and worst described representatives of Lamprologini tribe. Information to be found in books, magazines and Internet are scarce. It’s time to change it...
Wetland at home – plants - dr. inż Aleksandra Kwaśniak;
One of the most difficult aspects of building the paludarium is choosing the appropriate terrestrial and marsh plants. I have noticed that aquarium hobbyists, despite the fact that they possess a wide knowledge on fish, invertebrates and aquatic animals, seem somewhat lost in the realm of terrestrial plants. That is why I have decided to acquaint the readers with the relatively easily available and untroublesome species.
Pufferfish in action – the techniques of gaining food - Zbigniew Strzeleck;
Pufferfish should in many respects be regarded as an extraordinary and interesting fish. Everyday contact with these fish enables extremely interesting observation that sometime leads to hilarious or even puzzling conclusions. By observing a pufferfish (like Tetraodon nigroviridis, T. fluviatilis, T. lineatus) in an aquarium one can find out that the fish spends most of the time searching for food near the bottom of the aquarium and in all the nooks and crannies. There’s nothing odd about it – most of the species from this family are very active fish, who almost incessantly are in motion.
Dreamnight at the zoo - Rafał Rusnak;
“Dreamnight at the zoo” is an international campaign organized by zoological gardens, which aims at helping disabled and chronically ill children. This year WTA (aquarium hobbyists association of the city of Wrocław) have prepared numerous attractions for the guests that came to the zoo on this special evening as well.
Results of XXVth Międynarodowy Konkurs Hodowców Gupika (international guppy breeders contest) GUPPY'2008
On May 1st – 3rd, 2008 the XXVth Międynarodowy Konkurs Hodowców Gupika (international guppy breeders contest) GUPPY'2008 and Mistrzostwa Europy Hodowców Par Gupika (European championship of guppy pairs breeders) took place.
Zoofestiwal - Kraków 2008