FishForums.com - View Single Post

**TheOldSalt** · 06-07-2005, 10:59 AM

# OFS - Online Fish Store.

# Old Tank Syndrome - Condition in which organic acids, excess nitrates, and other products accumulate in the aquarium, causing gradual decline in pH or a sudden pH crash. Caused by lack of proper maintenance of the aquarium including regular partial Water Changes.

# Omnivore - One that eats meaty foods and vegetable foods.

# Ovipositor - The reproductive organ through which a female fish deposits her eggs. In some fish this is always visible, as in the female Betta splendens where it appears as a small white bump at the base of the abdomen.

# PFS - Pool Filter Sand. Coarse-textured sand for use in aquariums housing digging and/or sifting fish. Heavy sand not prone to being taken up by filter intake like the lighter, fine-textured sands.

# pH - Measurement of the degree of acidity of water. pH 7 indicates neutral water. Less than 7 is Acidic, and more than 7 is Alkaline. See Water Parameters.

# PMDD - Poor Man's Dupla Drops. A do it yourself water column plant fertilizer intended to duplicate Dupla Plant 24, Daily Fertilizer.

# PPM - Parts per million.

# Paludarium - An aquarium that is set up with a dry land area as well as a water area.

# Papilla - A tube descending from the abdomen of male fish used to fertilize eggs. It is typically only visible during breeding. See Milt.

# Peat - Partially decomposed plant matter, mainly sphagnum moss. Used for storing Annual Killifish eggs in a moist state. You can also incubate non-Annuals on top of it. Also used as a Substrate layer for planted aquaria and as a Filter Medium. Softens water and reduces pH.

# Pectoral Fin - These fins are on the sides of the fish. They are often used for more precise maneuvering. In a few species they are used for propulsion.

# Pelvic Fin - Paired fins towards the underside of the fish. Vary in size and shape greatly. In anabantids often elongated. Appear to function as ‘brakes’ especially for species which move in a start/stop motion.

# Piscivore - One that eats other fish.

# Planted Tank - A freshwater aquarium in which a significant quantity of aquatic plants are growing. Plants may cover from say 30 to virtually 100 percent of the Substrate surface. The plants form an important part of the aquarium ecosystem. An aquarium with only a few plants is not considered a Planted Tank. In a Planted Tank, the fish remain the most important feature and the plants complement them. Compare Dutch Tank.

# Plec, Pleco - Common abbreviation loosely applied to many species of the Loricarid family of armored catfish and other similar fish, not just to the type species Hypostomus Plecostomus. Popular to the hobby. There is a myth that spelling out the name in full will result in the death of their fish, which is why on aquarium-related boards and sites they are sometimes referred to as pl*cos.

# Plenum - A space between the aquarium bottom and substrate, created by supporting the substrate above the bottom using UGF plates or some other support structure. Used to keep Nitrate levels low in a saltwater aquarium. Water and organic waste diffuses down into the plenum where the wastes concentrate. Nitrifying bacteria in the upper levels of the substrate use the oxygen and produce nitrate in the water as it moves down into the space. Denitrifying bacteria living in the oxygen-poor lower levels of the substrate slowly convert Nitrate into harmless nitrogen gas.

# Power Head - A small submersible electric pump. Often used in conjunction with Filter or UGJ systems.

# Protein Skimmer - Used in saltwater tanks to remove organic pollutants from the water before they break down. Also called Foam Fractionator. Produces tiny air bubbles which attract and hold pollutants, which are then deposited into a separate container.

# Quarantine Tank - A separate tank in which newly acquired fish are kept for some time to insure that they are not suffering from any disease before they are released into the main aquarium. Also used as a Hospital Tank.

# R/O Water - Water that has been purified through the process of reverse osmosis. Also referred to as RO water.

# Reactor - Dosing device which adds reagents to tank water. E.g. a CO2 reactor (of which there are many types) mixes CO2 (carbon dioxide) from a pressurized or DIY system into the tank water.

# Reef Aquarium - A saltwater aquarium featuring live corals to simulate a coral reef with a selection of Invert inhabitants. It may or may not include reef fish. Such aquariums place extremely high demands on lighting and water quality.

# Refractometer - An instrument used to measure salinity by refraction, the amount light deflects from a straight line through a medium.

# Refugium - A separate tank which shares water and filtration with the main aquarium. Used for growing Nitrate reducing Algae, raising live food, and isolating inhabitants from the main tank.

# Reverse UGF - A UGF system where the water is pumped up through the gravel bed rather than being drawn down. Theoretically.

# Rhizome - A plant organ which resembles a horizontal stem from which leaves grow. Anubias and Java Fern are common aquarium plants which grow from a rhizome. It is important that the rhizome lies on top of the substrate and is not buried within it as roots usually are, otherwise it will rot and the plant will die.

06-07-2005, 10:59 AM	#9
TheOldSalt Darth Ichthyos Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 4,250	# OFS - Online Fish Store. # Old Tank Syndrome - Condition in which organic acids, excess nitrates, and other products accumulate in the aquarium, causing gradual decline in pH or a sudden pH crash. Caused by lack of proper maintenance of the aquarium including regular partial Water Changes. # Omnivore - One that eats meaty foods and vegetable foods. # Ovipositor - The reproductive organ through which a female fish deposits her eggs. In some fish this is always visible, as in the female Betta splendens where it appears as a small white bump at the base of the abdomen. # PFS - Pool Filter Sand. Coarse-textured sand for use in aquariums housing digging and/or sifting fish. Heavy sand not prone to being taken up by filter intake like the lighter, fine-textured sands. # pH - Measurement of the degree of acidity of water. pH 7 indicates neutral water. Less than 7 is Acidic, and more than 7 is Alkaline. See Water Parameters. # PMDD - Poor Man's Dupla Drops. A do it yourself water column plant fertilizer intended to duplicate Dupla Plant 24, Daily Fertilizer. # PPM - Parts per million. # Paludarium - An aquarium that is set up with a dry land area as well as a water area. # Papilla - A tube descending from the abdomen of male fish used to fertilize eggs. It is typically only visible during breeding. See Milt. # Peat - Partially decomposed plant matter, mainly sphagnum moss. Used for storing Annual Killifish eggs in a moist state. You can also incubate non-Annuals on top of it. Also used as a Substrate layer for planted aquaria and as a Filter Medium. Softens water and reduces pH. # Pectoral Fin - These fins are on the sides of the fish. They are often used for more precise maneuvering. In a few species they are used for propulsion. # Pelvic Fin - Paired fins towards the underside of the fish. Vary in size and shape greatly. In anabantids often elongated. Appear to function as ‘brakes’ especially for species which move in a start/stop motion. # Piscivore - One that eats other fish. # Planted Tank - A freshwater aquarium in which a significant quantity of aquatic plants are growing. Plants may cover from say 30 to virtually 100 percent of the Substrate surface. The plants form an important part of the aquarium ecosystem. An aquarium with only a few plants is not considered a Planted Tank. In a Planted Tank, the fish remain the most important feature and the plants complement them. Compare Dutch Tank. # Plec, Pleco - Common abbreviation loosely applied to many species of the Loricarid family of armored catfish and other similar fish, not just to the type species Hypostomus Plecostomus. Popular to the hobby. There is a myth that spelling out the name in full will result in the death of their fish, which is why on aquarium-related boards and sites they are sometimes referred to as pl*cos. # Plenum - A space between the aquarium bottom and substrate, created by supporting the substrate above the bottom using UGF plates or some other support structure. Used to keep Nitrate levels low in a saltwater aquarium. Water and organic waste diffuses down into the plenum where the wastes concentrate. Nitrifying bacteria in the upper levels of the substrate use the oxygen and produce nitrate in the water as it moves down into the space. Denitrifying bacteria living in the oxygen-poor lower levels of the substrate slowly convert Nitrate into harmless nitrogen gas. # Power Head - A small submersible electric pump. Often used in conjunction with Filter or UGJ systems. # Protein Skimmer - Used in saltwater tanks to remove organic pollutants from the water before they break down. Also called Foam Fractionator. Produces tiny air bubbles which attract and hold pollutants, which are then deposited into a separate container. # Quarantine Tank - A separate tank in which newly acquired fish are kept for some time to insure that they are not suffering from any disease before they are released into the main aquarium. Also used as a Hospital Tank. # R/O Water - Water that has been purified through the process of reverse osmosis. Also referred to as RO water. # Reactor - Dosing device which adds reagents to tank water. E.g. a CO2 reactor (of which there are many types) mixes CO2 (carbon dioxide) from a pressurized or DIY system into the tank water. # Reef Aquarium - A saltwater aquarium featuring live corals to simulate a coral reef with a selection of Invert inhabitants. It may or may not include reef fish. Such aquariums place extremely high demands on lighting and water quality. # Refractometer - An instrument used to measure salinity by refraction, the amount light deflects from a straight line through a medium. # Refugium - A separate tank which shares water and filtration with the main aquarium. Used for growing Nitrate reducing Algae, raising live food, and isolating inhabitants from the main tank. # Reverse UGF - A UGF system where the water is pumped up through the gravel bed rather than being drawn down. Theoretically. # Rhizome - A plant organ which resembles a horizontal stem from which leaves grow. Anubias and Java Fern are common aquarium plants which grow from a rhizome. It is important that the rhizome lies on top of the substrate and is not buried within it as roots usually are, otherwise it will rot and the plant will die.