Duckweeds----clearing up the misunderstanding

  Duckweed can sometimes being found in lake or ponds, covering the water surface densely and rapidly. Because of it's rapid growth that will cover up any water surface quickly, it had being accused as pest and many aquarist avoid keeping them in their tanks. In this article, we will clear up the misunderstanding and show you the brighter side of duckweed.

Benefit

  Duckweed is actually very beneficial plants and will prove to be useful in our aquarium keeping hobby. Duckweed provide shades for fish to hide under, this is extremely useful for outdoor tanks or ponds where the sun light shines directly into the fish tank or pond. Furthermore, duckweed is capable to reduce the excess nutrient load in the water by absorbing them, this can prevent algae bloom efficiently!

  Duckweed is rich in nutrient like protein and vitamin,  this make them a great food source for fish which are capable of eating them, for example gold fish and cichilds. Moreover, it can also be use to feed livestock like duck (hence the name duckweed) or chickens.


In Aquarium

  Now that you have a brand new impression of this amazing little plants, let's talk about how to keep them in an aquarium.

  The first thing you need to take care of is the rapid growth of the duckweed which will be a nuisance if not controlled properly. To control their growth, try limiting their living area by placing them in a plastic basket floating on top of the water. Or you can try using the betta barrack or in-water breeding tank/quarantine tank to place the duckweed. The whole concept is that controlling the duckweed population by limiting their growth space.

  Next, duckweed can easily being suck by strong filter or being toppled over by strong current, this will make them unable to grow or reproduce. You will not need to worry about this if you are placing them in a betta barrack or in-water breeding tank/quarantine tank.

  When your duckweed grow to a significant amount, try use them as food for your fish like carps, gold fish, cichilds and other plant-eating fish, this will provide your fish with extra nutrients and the fish probably will happily accept it.






We have duckweed in our stock,check the "our product" tab and contact us if interested.

Marimo Moss Ball

Marimo Moss Ball

A Gift from Mother Nature

What is Marimo?

Marimo is a Japanese word that consists of “ball” (mari; 毬) and “algae” (mo; 藻). It refers to the rare ball form of Aegagropila linnaei, a species of algae that could be found in limited numbers of lakes and seas in the Northern hemisphere. In the wild, Marimo’s spherical shape is gradually formed through A. linnaei’s rotation on sand caused by water flow (Sakai, 1991). Although up to 124 worldwide locations have been reported to be the habitat for Marimo (Boedeker et al, 2010a), Lake Akan in Japan and Lake Mývatn in Iceland are the only two places in which visible quantities still persist (UNESCO, 2011). Yet, collecting Marimo from these two locations is illegal; Lake Akan is a national park while Lake Mývatn is a nature reserve, and both have been included in The Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance. Furthermore, Marimo in Lake Akan has been declared as a National Treasure of Japan since 1921 (Yoshida, n.d.; Guiry, 2013) and it is also a protected species in Iceland since 2006 (Einarsson, 2008).Copy from Okeanos E Aquarium

Marimo in the Aquarium Trade

Most, if not all, Marimo sold in the market today are commercially farmed i.e. being grown vegetatively from fragments. A worldwide survey conducted by Boedeker et al (2010a) has concluded that all Marimo in the aquarium trade originated from Ukraine, and it is the same case for those sold in Japanese aquarium shops. Nonetheless, DNA sequence analyses such as that by Boedeker et al (2010b) have shown that all Marimo are of the same species regardless of their habitats, with Japan being the ancestral area.

Attractiveness of Marimo 

Marimo bear a certain likeness to the Earth in being green and round and in their need to rotate to receive light on all sides. In extremely rare occasion, they could develop white exterior (Marimo-web.org, n.d.). Due to their unique appearance, Marimo are popular as gifts. They symbolise eternal happiness, perpetual friendship, and everlasting love by virtue of their slow growth rate and long life span; studies by Acton (1916) and van den Hoek (1963) have indicated that Marimo grow by less than 1cm in diameter each year.

The tale Tragic Love Story of Senato and Manibe written by Aoki (1924) also helps to promote Marimo as a symbol of love. In the story, Senato, the daughter of Ainu tribe leader, secretly fell in love with Manibe of lower social standing. In one of their rendezvous, Manibe accidentally killed Senato’s formal fiancé who had attacked him. Resenting his action, Manibe threw himself into Lake Akan and Senato followed suit; their souls turned into a Marimo which represents fruitful conclusion of their love. Marimo have proven to be a unique and convenient gift item; it is even portrayed as a suitable souvenir from a trip to “Hell” in the anime The World God Only Knows: Tenri-Hen.

How to take care of a Marimo?

Maintaining a Marimo is an easy task. Its low requirements make it perfect for busy owners. Marimo can thrive in room temperature up to 30 degree Celsius; it requires indirect sunlight or moderate amount of artificial light to carry out photosynthesis, therefore it should not be exposed under direct sunlight for extended period as this will kill the poor little plant. 

Marimo requires regular water changes of at least once every fortnight. For Marimo kept in sealed bottles, water changes of at least once a week are needed to replenish the air content. Nonetheless, Marimo is not to be placed under strong running water which might break it apart. In a nutshell, a suitable location and weekly water changes are what it takes to maintain a Marimo!

Common Q&A

1. What is the growth rate and life span of Marimo?

Marimo grow very slowly at around 5 mm in diameter per year. The world largest Marimo is said to be 95 cm in diameter and around 200 years old, although those that exceed 30 cm could easily break the official records (JNTO, n.d.; Marimo.xrea.jp, 2002).

2. Why are there air bubbles around my Marimo?

This is known as pearling and it shows that your Marimo are carrying out photosynthesis. 

3. Can I use tap water to keep my Marimo?

Yes, you can use water directly from the tap to keep your Marimo. Unlike fishes, Marimo will not die because of chlorinated water.

4. Do I need to feed my Marimo?

No. Marimo create their food through photosynthesis. 

5. Can I keep fishes with Marimo.

Yes. It is recommended that Marimo be kept together with small fishes and shrimps. The former would gobble any annoying mosquito larvae while the latter could help to clean any debris of food used to feed the fishes. Marimo would also act as a natural water filter that removes ammonia which is harmful to fishes. However, beware that your Marimo might end up as perfect greens for some species of fishes (e.g. goldfish)Copy from Okeanos E Aquarium
.

6. Why is my Marimo floating?
A Marimo might float due to a large amount of air bubbles trapped inside it. This often occurs after water changes. It will sink over time by itself or you could help by gently squeezing it underwater. 

7. Why is my Marimo growing unevenly?
During growth, Marimo in aquarium might develop uneven parts. In the wild, Marimo keeps its ball shape thanks to constant water flow, but there is no such flow that keeps it round in your container. You could gently rub your Marimo to maintain its ball shape if you feel like to do so.

8. Will Marimo get sick?
Yes. Marimo will get sick and even die if not given proper care. Remember to change their water weekly and avoid extended exposure under direct sunlight or extreme temperature. Sick Marimo will turn brown in colour. 

9. Can I keep my Marimo inside a sealed bottle?
 Yes. This could prevent mosquitos from laying eggs in the water. However, frequent water changes must be carried out to provide the Marimo with fresh water and air.

10. Will Marimo cause algae boom in my tank?
No. Rest assure that Marimo are not known to lead to any alga problem.
uarium

Bibliography

Acton, E. (1916). “On the structure and origin of “Cladophora balls.”” New Phytologist, Vol. 15, pp. 1-10.

Aoki, J. (1924). Legends and Love Stories of Ainu. Sapporo: Fukido Shobo.Copy from Okeanos E Aquarium

Boedeker, Christian; Eggert, Anja; Immers, Anne; and Smets, Erik. (2010a). “Global Decline of and Threats to Aegagropila linnaei, with Special Reference to the Lake Ball Habit.” BioScience, Vol. 60(3), pp. 187-198.

Boedeker, Christian; Eggert, Anja; Immers, Anne; and Wakana, Isamu. (2010b). “Biogeography of Aegagropila linnaei (Cladophorophyceae, Chlorophyta): a widespread freshwater alga with low effective dispersal potential shows a glacial imprint in its distribution.” Journal of Biogeography, Vol. 37, pp. 1491-1503.

Einarsson, Arni. (2008). “Marimo lake balls in Mývatn.” Nattura.info. Retrieved from nattura.info/2008/09/22/marimo-lake-balls-in-myvatn as at 19th October 2013.

Guiry, M. D. in Guiry, M. D. and Guiry, G. M. (2013). “Aegagropila linnaei Kützing.” AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland. Retrieved from www.algaebase.org/search/species/detail/?species_id=59094 as at 19th October 2013.

JNTO (Japan National Tourism Organization). (n.d.). "Marimo Matsuri." Retrieved from www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/spot/festival/marimo.html as at 19th October 2013.

Marimo-web.org. (n.d.). “Marimo in Japan; Marimo Worldwide.” Retrieved from www.marimo-web.org/japan_world.html (website in Japanese) as at 19th October 2013.

Marimo.xrea.jp. (2002). "Year-End Plan." Retrieved from marimo.xrea.jp/corner/marimo2002.html (website in Japanese) as at 19th October 2013.

Sakai, Y. (1991). Science of Aegagropilas. Sapporo: Hokkaido University Press.

Author: Neoh Jia En Okeanos E Aquarium

UNESCO. (2011). “Mývatn and Laxá.” Retrieved from whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5586/ as at 19th October 2013.

van de Hoek, C. (1963). Revision of the European Species of Cladophora. E. J. Brill.

Yoshida, Tadao. (n.d.). “Marimo.” Japan Integrated Biodiversity Information System. Retrieved from www.biodic.go.jp/cgi-db/gen/rdb_g2000_sy2.RDB_DETAIL?code=B0015&rank=&search_str=%a5%de%a5%ea%a5%e2&start_row=1&gaku_n=&bunrui=% (website in Japanese) as at 19th October 2013.

Get your marimo today! Visit "Our product" tab and place your order! 

The wild caught unidentified shrimp!

Our team expedition into the forest streams of Penang's forest have led us to discover a few native species, most of them were easily identified by our team's members and through the internet. Yet, there are still a few species that we are not sure of its identity.

  This shrimps as you see on the photo were caught quit often when we roll over rocks or water plants in the streams, it's brown and a bit transparent body colour reminds us on ghost shrimps that can easily be found on the fish store. But, this specimen have darker colouration compare to the ghost shrimp with almost totally transparent body. Next, it has longer, larger pincer compare to the ghost shrimps that has very tiny pincer. Furthermore, this wild caught specimen is more aggressive and territorial than any ghost shrimp we have seen so far.


  According to one of our team's member who has keep them in his tank for some time, he found out that they eat a lot more than ghost shrimps and will fight aggressively among one and other, often losing one or two pincer when two of them fights. Their eating habit also makes them a perfect scavengers in a community tanks.


  Until now, we still can't determine the real identity of this shrimps, the three factors listed above rules the option of ghost shrimp outs. Some say they were native malayan shrimps and some says they were wild grass shrimp, we will be happy if any of you can identify them.

We have caught quite a lot of them in the native streams of Penang forest, we will like to share them with the rest of the hobbyist to try out this interesting little creature, so we are selling them cheaply for RM0.50 each. Check the "our product" page for more information.



Identity reveal! read about them on our latest post at http://eaquarium.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-wild-caught-shrimp-reveling-identity.html

Penang Betta, the fighting fish that won't fight

Penang Betta, also known as Betta pugnax, is a native species of Penang, Malaysia, and some other Southeast Asian countries. It can be found in forest streams with fast flowing water and moderate vegetation cover. Most Penang Betta's found in the market are from the wild as there are not many breeders who breed them.

In Aquarium

Penang Betta has a light brown coloration. Some might be striped and have darker coloration. As the title implies, Penang Betta's are not as aggressive as the Siamese fighting fish (a.k.a. Betta splendens). They can be kept in shoals (i.e. with other Penang Betta's) in large enough tanks. Penang Betta's can be kept in community tanks as well, although small fishes might find themselves fit into Penang Betta's large mouth.

Spawning

The most interesting part of Penang Betta is its special spawning strategy. This Betta species is among the few mouth-brooding fishes; males will keep eggs in their mouth for around two weeks until they hatch into healthy Betta fry. During this period, Penang Betta is very aggressive and territorial as it will attack any fish that wanders near. Each batch of hatchlings will consist of around 30 to 60 fry. Once released from their father's mouth, the fry will be big enough to feed on brine shrimps.

Penang Betta is a must-try local species for serious Betta lovers and collectors. Its unique spawning behavior is fun to be observed. We currently have some Penang Betta's in stock. Please check "Our Products" page for more details!