Is there a Haze in your tank's water? Your Tank is Telling You Something

Here's a good topic to discuss, especially since it's been just over a week since Christmas, where many may have set up a brand new tank.

It's about time for newly established tanks to begin to show signs of the going on's within the water habitat. Water cloudiness is often the biggest indicator of how established your tank is.

The two main types of cloudiness in the water boils down to color... a pale milky color or a greenish tinge, both speak volumes as to the conditions in the habitat. For ADF's, one is of more significant concern than the other.
A whiteish colored haze in the water is indicative of excessive ammonia. While ADF's can tolerate ammonia far more than gilled fish, too much is too much and the tank's water needs a partial replacement to dilute the ammonia, but not a total replacement.

The reason for a partial replacement is to give the tanks bio-filter of anaerobic nitrifying bacteria some ammonia to digest. For the bacteria to filter properly it needs ammonia to kickstart it's growth. Over time, as the bacteria culture increases, it's capacity to digest ammonia will increase accordingly. The white haze will eventually go away as the bacteria culture increases, and with it, the need to do partial water changes as well. Once the culture reaches it's peak development, it will stabilize the level of ammonia that's present in the water. There is always some ammonia present, but it's continuously being digested by the bacteria.

The other haze... the greenish tinge..., indicates something altogether different. It indicates the tank has a very efficient bio-filter with plenty of active bacteria, all digesting the waste ammonia & producing nitrates. The greenish haze is microscopic algae cells, A fast-growing invasive plant, living off the nitrates being produced. A greenish tint is a indicator of good health, it's unsightly, but still it shows that the tanks bio-filter is doing it's job. And there's a simple way to get rid of the algae bloom. Simply darken the water in the tank.

Algae is a plant that lives on three things... nitrates, water & UV light. Take away one of those three, Algae cannot grow. Since the tank will have nitrates & water, the solution is to limit the amount of daylight or any light that has UV. Without Ultraviolet, the algae cannot grow. 

But to handle excessive Nitrates, there still needs to be some plant life in the tank. Otherwise the level of nitrites will be overwhelming and harmful. So plant some aquatic, shade tolerant plants to do the job. Once the tank has plants to consume the nitrates, the water will clear right up.

Here's lookin' at you kid...

Over & over, we get comments in emails and on our facebook page, about how captivating these African Dwarf Frogs are. Everyone enjoys how these little frogs seem to stand up and watch the goings on outside their EcoAquarium, or even swim to the surface to see what's going on. It's common for someone to comment that "...my frogs come over to the side of the tank and watch me...".

While we'd love to say that these frogs have the smarts to recognize their owners, we can't, we know better.  Frogs are, like most amphibians, a creature that relies more on instinct & less on self-awareness. On a practical level, lets shed light on what is happening for real when your frogs come over and investigate whats happening over on your side of the EcoAquarium.

In nature, the water world of the African Dwarf Frog is a shallow rain forest swamp. If you have ever been around a swamp, one of the first things you'd notice is how murky the water is. The "turbidity", or the cloudiness of the water, is due to the high amounts of algae and tannins, the byproduct of decomposing plant matter. It is a world where the ability to see clearly is less as important than it is to determine light & dark. A world these frogs are well accustomed to.

An African Dwarf Frog doesn't see things like you & me. Instead of sharp eyesight, the frogs sees shapes, colors, darkness & light. It sees enough to sense movement. Smear a pair of dark glasses with a lot of Vaseline, you'd get the idea of what your frogs see in it's swamp water home.

On the other hand, the world of the EcoAquarium, the water is a lot cleaner and more clear than a rain forest swamp, and the world outside is a world full of light, shapes & colors, & MOVEMENT. Sitting on your desk or counter, your frogs are always on the lookout for movement. To them it means food or foe... something to eat, or something that may eat them. That's why when you come up to the EcoAquarium, you'll likely see your frog scamper behind something...reacting to some big shape moving nearby. But most of the time you'll glance over at the EcoAquarium and see them standing up watching the big world outside.

But why do they sometimes swim to the surface when you come over to the tank, often during feeding time? While for the most part, our frogs rely on instinct, they do learn, they learn when something appears over the tank, food sometimes magically appears.

Personally, do my frogs recognize me? I don't know. I think they do, or at least sense that the big moving shape out there is about to rain down some food pellets their way.

Coming to Stores EVERYWHERE!

Wild Creations has got the Goods... ready for store shelves nation wide!  The popular self-contained bio-system aquarium is now available in a "Dry-Goods" packaging concept. Now stores can stock a EcoAquarium™ Kit with a redeemable coupon for the "Live Goods", which are fulfilled separately from the Wild Creations website.
Answering the call from stores wishing to stock the popular aquatic product, but not having to contend with the need to stock live frogs & plants, Wild Creations developed the dry goods packaging to meet that need. "It's a working winner..." says Pete Gasca, Wild Creations CEO, "...since we ship live plants & animals nationwide already, we can offer an attractive product with a indefinite shelf life."
The EcoAquarium™ Kit includes a Tank and Lid, along with decorative rocks & gravel, plastic tank base, food and complete instructions. Also included will be a redeemable coupon for ordering the Live Frogs, Living Gravel™ & Lucky Bamboo which completes the EcoAquarium™. After purchase, customers may order the live goods online.
Look for the EcoAquarium™Kit making it into stores this fall.
ATTN:STORE OWNERS Interested? Let us know...send us a email asking for more info at sales@wildcreations.com

Get to know your frog...

This holiday season, someone somewhere is getting a gift of an EcoAquarium(TM). If you have received one, you may now be searching out more information about your desktop eco-system and it's web-footed inhabitant. Here's some info about our star of the show...Hymenochirus Curtipes, the African Dwarf Frog.

African Dwarf Frogs (ADF) are originally native to the rain forest swamps & wetlands of West Africa, but due to man's development of the land in the region, it's natural habitat has virtually all been erased.

Today, ours, and all African dwarf frogs sold in pet stores, are farm-raised under controlled conditions.

African dwarf frog, (ADF) natural habitat is shallow pools & puddles of low oxygen, stagnant water. The cold-blooded amphibian is fully aquatic but have lungs instead of gills, perfect for life in still shallow water with little or no dissolved oxygen. The African dwarf frog sense of smell exceeds it's vision. The frog evolved into a creature suited for turbid, muddy water of a shallow pool or swamp, where it would inhabit a sandy muddy bottom seeking food. In an aquarium, African dwarf frogs do not require much light and prefer close confined spaces free of predators.

An African dwarf frogs lifespan in captivity is on average 2 to 3 years but has been known to exceed 8 to 10 years. In nature, its greatest concern was to avoid being eaten, but not in an EcoAquarium(TM). With no threat of predators, and cared for properly, a African Dwarf Frog can flourish much longer than they would in the wild. The African dwarf frog has been a popular species of frog for aquariums due to it's minimal needs.

The size of the EcoAquarium(TM) is a perfect fit. The depth of the water closely mimics the African dwarf frogs natural habitat. You will see them often swim to the top for a breath of air and the small size of the aquariums gives them a easy, short trip to the surface.

As a general rule, our EcoAquarium Frogs are all male. By keeping things like a men's club, the complications of breeding, and competition is eliminated.(just like real-life) Without females around, male dwarf frogs co-exist happily with it's mates. Place a EcoAquarium next to a TV with a football game on & your frogs would be in frog heaven.

The frogs will shed their skin on occasion, making them appear “mossy” during the process. This is normal. The discarded skin will become part of the ecosystem food chain and does not need to be removed.

It is very easy to maintain a healthy EcoAqrarium(TM) environment. First & foremost, we always suggest using bottled spring water at room temperature for perodic water changes, as well as to clean anything you may put in your EcoAquarium(TM). We recommend avoiding putting your fingers in the water since doing so can introduce chemicals and pathogens that can affect the bio-system. It's wise to wash hands with bottled spring water before and after doing any maintenance to your tank.

Your EcoAquarium(TM) does not need direct sunlight. African Dwarf Frogs evolved in dark muddy water, and loves its nightlife. Also, the lucky bamboo plant in the aquarium is an aquatic undergrowth plant that thrives in full shade. Keeping everything away from direct sunlight also helps maintain a stable water temperature.

Remember, your African dwarf frog is fully aquatic and spends it's entire life in water. Keeping the lid of your EcoAquarium(TM) in place keeps frogs from getting out, or other uninvited guests (like the Cat) from getting inside.

African dwarf frogs are not big eaters. Our recommended weekly feeding is four pellets of our frog food per frog, per week. Of any problems associated with care & upkeep, over-feeding is the biggest culprit. Best rule of thumb... a little bit goes a long way. By the way, other 4-legged family members may LOVE the taste & smell of frog food too, so keep your frog food in a safe place away from prying paws.

African dwarf frogs have personalities. You may notice they anticipate feeding times, or develop a routine of hanging out in a particular place in its home at a particularly time each day. All African dwarf frogs like to do a "Zen" pose, where they stand motionless... and you may hear them sing at night. They'll grow on you.

You can find more information online about Mr. Hymenochirus Curtipes, especially on our website. Feel free to study up, and always remember we're happy to answer questions and offer advice. Give us a call if you wish, our frog experts are always ready to leap (pardon the pun) to your aid.