tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-109264682011-12-13T22:56:04.425-05:00Fish-keeping, aquatic plants, nano tanks, biotopes, paludariums, exotic freshwater species, and much more!Josh Daynoreply@blogger.comBlogger1601100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-31716612902178486582010-06-27T18:24:00.004-05:002010-06-27T18:57:03.236-05:00

Today I accomplished my second successful dentistry on my neon puffer, or avocado puffer, or golden puffer, or Auriglobus modestus. The puffer "community" largely accepts this species as one of the few purely freshwater varieties in the hobby trade.Interesting note: apparently there is some concern and debate about use of clove oil on puffers for their dentistry as some hobbyists have reported

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-24898160199800602622010-06-20T10:55:00.003-05:002010-06-20T11:08:01.171-05:00

Sadly I must report some troubling news on the new green mandarin.After close observation over a 20 minute period, now that he's swimming freely front and center of the tank, it's clear he's taking mysis in his mouth, holding a good amount like a chipmunk holds pieces of nuts, then spitting out everything or most everything after a minute or two.Another alarming observation: his skinniness is not

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-29243502413144350732010-06-01T15:22:00.004-05:002010-06-01T15:26:25.949-05:00

Just a quick note. Last Friday I picked up a male mandarin and introduced him to my ten gallon FOWLR system that previously only held a clownfish. Skinny, had the tell-tale line in the abdomen and concave stomach, but had full cheeks and did not look emaciated--a good sign.Turns out he eats mysis. Confirmed, saw him snick up a whole frozen mysis shrimp then chew it.Mysis is much better

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-49857934395403855082010-05-23T18:29:00.002-05:002010-05-23T18:40:40.671-05:00

BP keeps shitting on the situation and playing spin and cover-up. They know they can't do jack shit and instead they piss on a fire already burning a building down, from high pressure hoses a safe distance away. Our federal govt does nothing while the moron son of Dr. Ron Paul comes to BP's defense, and that's the coverage the media focuses on over the weekend.Good news, I guess, is this

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-71758948614735238262010-05-21T23:09:00.003-05:002010-05-21T23:13:36.969-05:00

The BP oil "spill" in the gulf of Mexico makes the Exxon-Valdex tanker rupture look like a premature ejaculation. Yet the media doesn't even pay half as much attention as they did to Michael Jackson's funeral.The only real organized interstate boycott of BP is going on via facebook. Around 50 K members.I joined and did something I never did before on facebook. I suggested the very reasonable

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-6386324137339454742010-04-28T13:39:00.002-05:002010-04-28T14:15:03.223-05:00

Moving my blog off my own server into the blogspot network has forced me to do an update.Quickly, here's why I've been nonexistent over the last several months. There comes a time when every hobbyist looks at his hobby and shrugs. The shrugging becomes ignoring, doing maintenance only when absolutely required, and this breeds resentment. To quote Harvey Keitel in From Dusk to Dawn, "I don't care

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-62976488154905714322010-04-28T09:31:00.001-05:002010-04-28T09:33:16.492-05:00

This blog is now located at http://aquatichobbyist.blogspot.com/. You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here. For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to http://aquatichobbyist.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default.

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-82904317296187452422009-09-19T19:01:00.002-05:002009-09-19T19:18:48.198-05:00

Well, the metaphorical dust as well as the ich tomites have settled and died, and my 29 gallon is back in business, baby!First, the casualties:In the end, only 11 tetras survived. Four of my black neons and 7 neon tetras. All cardinas perished; in fact, they were the first to go, despite a demonstration of being quite hardy as only 1 out of 11 died prior to the outbreak. I moved the little guys

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-4157884630294967372009-09-07T10:49:00.003-05:002009-09-07T10:58:58.341-05:00

It's been an absolute disaster with this latest round of heat and salt treatment for a major and devastating ich outbreak in my tetra tank. I've lost half the fish.The two emperor tetras who infected the tank were the first to die. Then tetras started dropping like flies. I'm down to 7 or 8 neons -- all of the cardinals are dead -- and 5 black neons. My clown loach also didn't make it.This was an

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-54222709907324608202009-08-31T11:19:00.003-05:002009-08-31T11:29:12.284-05:00

After a... what, three year hiatus? Ich has struck one of my freshwater tanks. I purchased two emperor tetras 7-10 days ago and this morning I noticed one was swimming with clamped fins. A closer inspection revealed the tell-tale sign of ich, the white spots.The other occupants -- black neons and cardinal tetras, two danios, a blue gourami, and a clown loach -- are also infected and showing the

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-4669549610609115312009-07-13T12:02:00.002-05:002009-07-13T12:06:52.540-05:00

The two remaining danios survived the night. This morning I kept the room dark enough so that I could just barely see and captured the survivors, bringing them upstairs to my mixed 29 gallon.I'm out about 14 dollars but it was a learning experience. I'd been told and read numerous times that giant danios are viable dithers for moderately aggressive American cichlids like oscars, severums, etc.

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-41953774167555733452009-07-12T19:48:00.002-05:002009-07-12T19:53:44.023-05:00

I tried some giant danios for my 180 gallon tank for dither fish. They're getting picked off like blondes in a slasher movie. From 8, which I bought two days ago, I'm down to 2.So note to self and note to other full grown oscar owners: giant danios are not fast not intelligent enough to evade consumption. They're expensive feeders.I was hoping my fish wouldn't have a taste for their smaller

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-50840001270550530182009-06-29T08:58:00.002-05:002009-06-29T09:00:01.990-05:00

A quick little update about my systems over at www.thereeftank.com's blog. You can read about what I'm up to now on the blog right here.- Josh

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-74557049400254496082009-06-08T15:26:00.003-05:002009-06-08T15:30:50.508-05:00

My oldest fish, a bala shark I purchased sometime in the spring of 2004, has been critically injured for reasons unknown. This morning I found him stuck to an aquaclear filter intake. The area behind his head is lacerated in what appears to be damage from the sharp filter screen. A healthy fish does not get caught in a filter so I don't know what happened; there are no signs of bites or damage

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-39851260838958164722009-06-05T15:55:00.002-05:002009-06-05T16:04:12.574-05:00

That's right, I'm in dire need of some suction cups for my canister filter intakes, outtakes, as well as my heaters.Suction cups harden over time. They harden even faster in water. Hard plastic becomes cracked or more malleable, no longer clamping along the filter tubes. In saltwater this happens even faster.I refuse to pay up to $2 for a suction cup. And I refuse to pay even more for the

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-69418731818413768612009-06-03T10:15:00.008-05:002009-06-04T14:15:19.976-05:00

It's been a year and a half since corporate Food Network shitcanned their hallmark cooking show, Emeril Live.Come back in time with me to December, 2007.We'd moved from our little basement level apartment with terraced gardens and a cozy deck in Asheville, NC and it was our first winter as homeowners. My wife Leah was 7 months pregnant. Our television and living area was in what's now our dining

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-13767246380940135562009-05-20T21:16:00.002-05:002009-05-20T21:32:58.257-05:00

Quick report, completely off topic:I haven't seen John Carpenter's The Thing, starring Kurt Russell, in more than ten years.But I have been playing the new Resident Evil incarnate games and I'm blown away by the fact I can't seem to find someone online writing about how Resident Evil 4 totally, blatantly, obviously ripped off The Thing.The job is blatant. Hell, you even get them re-mining their

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-74699882891861716952009-04-21T12:36:00.003-05:002009-04-21T12:40:59.245-05:00

Lost the seahorse a week ago.Incredible how she survived for so long. I still do not understand.What remains in the tank are five reef hermits, two of which are a dazzling bright crimson, two snails, and a chocolate chip star. Currently I'm feeding food pellets into the clam shell where I fed the seahorse every two days as well as manually feeding flakes to the starfish.I paid $70 for the

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-9371468937660130522009-03-31T10:06:00.003-05:002009-03-31T10:15:00.233-05:00

Has it been so long since my last post?Ok, seahorse. Believe it or not, she's still alive. I don't know if I believe it. She is still clearly unable to snick -- shoot out the trigger in her snout to take food -- but clearly something is keeping her alive. I feed almost a whole cube of mysis carefully basted into the corner of the tank, into the cup of an empty clam shell. I also feed refrigerated

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-59481842880064201412009-02-13T09:54:00.003-05:002009-02-13T10:01:21.095-05:00

It's been a bad month.I woke up yesterday morning and was feeding my seahorse via turkey baster, as usual. How seahorses feed is by sucking up and snapping their prey -- they have an internal muscle inside their snout that acts like a pipette that triggers the prey. She was unable to activate the trigger, even though she tried desperately to eat. She was simply nodding her head at the mysis.It

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-64314565165843735832009-02-04T09:31:00.003-05:002009-02-08T10:51:55.869-05:00

I have a guest blog entry over at The Reef Tank everyone should check out.It's the ongoing story of my 180 gallon ammonia problems, with the newest updates.You definitely don't want to miss it.Click here to read my entry.You can also see how cloudy the tank became when introducing the new ammonia culture after a near 90% water change that involved running tap water over every beneficial bacterial

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-40335613511755507332009-01-14T14:16:00.002-05:002009-01-14T14:31:54.144-05:00

Here's another set of comments from my friend and fellow reef aquarist, Joe Jaworski.Josh,IMHO, the way I would approach this problem is by process of elimination. - When did the problem start? What changed in the aquarium (more/less fish, decor, new equipment, change in husbandry, etc.) say +/- 3 weeks around the date when you first noticed the problem?- For bioload, do you believe that if you

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-14514178891703913052009-01-14T14:01:00.002-05:002009-01-14T14:12:10.990-05:00

I apologize for the long inactvity.Short version, 180's still arsed, as they say in parts of England/Ireland.I lost the smaller blood parrot too.Big oscar, now 12 inches from tip of tail to mouth, is the terror of the tank. Going to have to do something about the bastard.Ammonia on the up and up, as always.I'd like to now share some wonderful advice from a couple commenters. In the first comment

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-12805504880658353292008-11-10T17:34:00.002-05:002008-11-10T18:07:58.756-05:00

I've got an embarrassing admission.I've got an ammonia problem.And it's a BIG ammonia problem.One that's been going on for... oh, at least two or three months now.Ammonia spikes are the bane of the fish newb, so often their first big problem with fish keeping. As we all know ammonia spikes are the initial phase in the nitrogen cycle.They happen in every new fish tank.However, they are NOT

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-50736769943107871372008-11-05T11:02:00.004-05:002008-11-05T12:15:25.052-05:00

Hell yeah.First thing's fist. I owe my wife some money. Our Obama signs were not stolen nor messed with.Obama's victory is a victory over ignorance, anti-intellectualism, racism, christofascism, and reagonomics -- a reverse robin hood economic theory that if it would continue would ultimately create two classes, destroying the middle class and pushing everyone who's not in the wealthy 1% into an

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-68032926653214376392008-10-23T11:50:00.004-05:002008-10-23T12:05:06.536-05:00

We donated $20 more to the Obama campaign and got four yard signs, as well as a really cool poster. We stuck one at the curb by the mailbox at noon today. We plan to take it down each night.I don't think it will last six hours.Obama signs are being defaced/stolen en masse in our area of NC. Some people are reportedly receiving vicious threats as well.Any thefts/vandalism/ threats will be posted

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-9833180638226383232008-10-13T21:25:00.005-05:002008-10-13T21:53:30.385-05:00

The kind of people who make the U.S. look like Nazi Germany. You can see more of them at Palin rallies, chanting for their demigod and praying that the top man on the ticket will die so she can take power.Share this picture with everyone. Images often speak louder than words, especially during times like these.(picture source: http://www.brettmarty.com)

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-77172859330567280272008-09-19T16:49:00.002-05:002008-09-19T17:10:00.342-05:00

"Then one day, I say, 'Fuck fish.'" Chris Cooper, AdaptationIf the borrowing and bailing out of these conglomerates keep continuing, we're all going to be saying fuck fish... forget this luxury we call the fish hobby, we'll be lucky to be eating fish if hyper inflation sets in and the entire U.S. infrastructure drops out under the cloud of speculation Wall Street's built for itself over the last

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-68160480316622317892008-09-04T17:35:00.007-05:002008-09-05T12:36:49.712-05:00

I've done it before... I broke ranks with the fish folks and blogged about such controversial topics as Rachel Ray, the Sopranos, and probably another few wild cards I'm forgetting.But I'll bet the bank here and say this will take the lot.Here's the deal: I have a typical republican mindset. I am an avid 2nd amendment supporter. I have guns, of all types, and I have a lot of them. I hate

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-88873730870964849902008-08-26T14:09:00.002-05:002008-08-26T14:35:27.832-05:00

I've been neglecting this blog, and I'm ashamed to admit I haven't been as attentive to some of my tanks either.And I and my fish have paid the price.This blog entry will detail the importance of a regular maintenance schedule, but more importantly, I'll also talk about how key simple observation is for long-term tank health.My ten gallon reef system is doing quite well. I'll dedicate a future

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-21625551007765416652008-06-25T13:17:00.002-05:002008-06-25T13:21:34.783-05:00

The oscar's hole in the head (actually just erosion of the lateral line) is improving, I'm happy to report.The first couple days I saw no benefit with the Vitamin C powder. In fact, the holes got bigger and a smaller one began to develop further down one line.I did an ammonia test and learned I had a reading of .25 ppm.This was caused by a massive water change with water not fully conditioned

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-83802498669688551162008-06-18T14:09:00.002-05:002008-06-18T14:15:01.574-05:00

Hole in the Head disease, or HLLE (head and lateral-line erosion) is a common disease that strikes many large cichlids. Cichlids are South American freshwater fish such as oscars, angelfish, discus, and severums. You'd know an oscar if you saw one.Here's mine below, a red Oscar afflicted with a moderate case of hole in the head:As you can see, hole in the head isn't pretty.Fortunately, hole in

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-30768299526372196802008-06-06T10:49:00.003-05:002008-06-06T10:53:54.009-05:00

I don't know how, but my firemouth is still hanging in there. I haven't seen him actively eat anything in months. Unlike the other fish, he hasn't grown at all since I introduced him. I'm guessing he has internal parasites but it's impossible to say for sure.The other fish are doing swimmingly, so to speak. The oscars occasionally exhibit mating behavior and have picked out a nest. The severums

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-69850705764266443702008-04-22T11:21:00.003-05:002008-04-22T11:22:48.149-05:00

My harlequin shrimp had withdrawn itself (along with as much of the starfish as it could carry) to the bank of the tank beneath some coral rubble. This went on for about two days... then yesterday, while I was watching, I actually saw him break through his skin. The exoskeleton was a perfect, translucent replica. If only I had filmed it in time...Anyway, the shrimp's back to slowly eating away on

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-67860023320969350912008-04-13T08:59:00.001-05:002008-04-13T09:00:56.597-05:00

A letter I sent to Hagen co. in regards to their Aquaclear filter line...Dear Hagen and everyone in the repair department:A week ago my Aquaclear 110, after a routine cleaning, took on a motor problem I couldn't fix. I shipped the unit back to your company and in less than a week (amazingly prompt) the filter was returned, fixed, with a shiny new motor.You're a great, professional company and I

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-71488191281291842552008-03-19T14:09:00.004-05:002008-03-20T13:49:58.174-05:00

The above mpeg is a little taste of my new instructional video on setting up a nano. It's only a 3 gallon but everything I'm doing also applies to tanks up to 29 gallons. I'm going to be packaging the video with my nano guide, so if you haven't bought the guide while it's cheap at $12, now's the time!Onto today's topic...I've been keeping fish since 2004. Freshwater, a brief foray into

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-51821424055332143112008-03-18T15:16:00.002-05:002008-03-18T15:56:16.578-05:00

I've been up to a lot of things, once again.First and foremost, if you haven't snagged a copy of my detailed and engrossingly controversial book on starting your first nano tank, now's the time! I'm going to be affiliated with Clickbank soon and will be raising the price to 24 dollars. (I'm also making a DVD so you'll get video along with the book!)Grab a copy now while it's on the cheap -- $12!

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-48369741531647099132008-02-05T14:29:00.000-05:002008-02-06T12:41:27.863-05:00

I recently saw a fantastic stock of flowerhorns at an Asheville fish store. Small at two and a half inches, their coloring was already much more remarkable and defined than their natural blue acara, firemouth, and severum counterparts. I'd only seen flowerhorns full grown and in magazines so it was nice seeing them in person.So what is this cool sounding fish called a flowerhorn?It's a hybrid

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-20998146809223208222007-10-30T11:09:00.000-05:002007-10-30T11:28:54.753-05:00

About a month ago I bought a large chunk of driftwood. Even screwed into a marble base, it was too bulky to sink. I soaked it for a month, boiled it for a few hours, but it still wouldn't sink. The piece is solid all the way through, and I probably could have soaked the thing for a year and it would still float.I didn't want to take it off its base and screw it to a heavier piece of slate as I

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-82589025862307401522007-10-26T15:03:00.000-05:002007-10-26T15:04:52.007-05:00

joshday.com

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-11443091920684177292007-10-24T17:45:00.000-05:002007-10-24T17:46:29.454-05:00

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-14804055884332153622007-10-24T09:56:00.000-05:002007-10-24T10:05:40.452-05:00

You Too Can Keep a Beautiful Saltwater Reef Tank for Less than $300.Dear fish keeper,How many times have you dreamed about having a saltwater aquarium?Let me tell you my story.I've been keeping freshwater tropical fish for years. Every time I'd visit a fish store, I'd wander into the saltwater section and examine every tank, look at every bright fish and piece of coral. I wish I had the

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-31330314404446899412007-06-11T10:51:00.000-05:002007-06-11T11:12:43.410-05:00

The finale of the Sopranos series aired last night. Just some thoughts on the last scene.First of all, it's very clear that the show jumped the shark years ago. Arguably at some point midway through season 3 when HBO demanded more seasons than what Chase had plotted out, but certainly in the lackluster, sloppy, meandering season 4. Like Junior's dementia, it was an ugly, gradual decline,

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-5633086804970666962007-06-11T10:36:00.000-05:002007-06-11T10:41:34.796-05:00

I posted the following on a popular Internet fish forum:Well, it's over, guys. About a week ago I discovered the mandarin behind the tank. He had jumped out and was very much gone. Most likely he had jumped out the night before as I had investigated the tank in the morning and had not found him (a common occurrence in the past and it didn't worry me until I didn't see him in the afternoon when I

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-15369566489236881202007-03-20T12:56:00.000-05:002007-04-06T10:03:05.789-05:00

Well, I've started stocking.The setting is...3 terracotta pots3 pieces of driftwood, w/ more possibly coming (each representing cross-continental driftwood chunks)Silk-leaved plant on a long plastic chain purchased at a craft storePlaysand substrateThe stage management:The biggest aquaclearThe Wal-mart Emperor stripped for mechnical filtration onlyThe XP42 250 watt heatersAnd finally, the players

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-56466819493875022552007-03-09T14:17:00.000-05:002007-03-09T14:18:55.340-05:00

Well, I've gone way off topic before, so why not do it again?This little guy was born Sunday February 25 at 7:30 pm... here he is videoed at a week old.Baby JamesAdd to My Profile | More VideosYou can imagine how crushing it was to lose the ray several days after his birth.- Josh

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-23378080399741292632007-03-09T13:49:00.000-05:002007-03-09T14:12:58.325-05:00

Here is an excellent article on fishless cycling that sums up almost everthing... note it contradicts something in the prior articles I linked about urine, but such is the hobby. I tend to believe the earlier article about urine as the author got into the hows and whys; this one just tells you not to do it without any explanation at all.When someone tells me don't, I want to know why. Especially

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-36468253147630243102007-03-07T10:44:00.000-05:002007-03-08T22:05:37.328-05:00

With the tank empty, its water parameters unstable, its nitrogen cycle haywire, fishless cycling is the only way to proceed. In fact, it's what I should have done in the beginning, but that ray wouldn't have stayed in the store forever; AND I was 90% sure the tank would cycle with all the biorings and media I shoved into its two filters. As moving media has worked in the past for me (from a

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-38380247905203024972007-03-05T12:06:00.000-05:002007-03-05T12:16:42.189-05:00

I lost the ray.At about 8 PM the evening after the last post I noticed the ray stuck in the corner, as if his reverse was no longer working. I shifted him away and saw the worst: the death curl. The ends of the disc curl upward, indicating nerve damage. Once the death curl hits death is imminent.He lived for 24 more hours before I euthanized him in a styrofoam container with clove oil.The reason

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-14938057921289485702007-03-03T09:57:00.000-05:002007-03-03T10:08:23.740-05:00

Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in...The ray tank has clouded up again and ammonia levels are measuring, 8 days after I used Sera Toxivec to control the nitrite appearance. Water started to cloud two days ago and ammonia only appeared yesterday.There are two causes that I can ascertain:1. Overfeeding and slacking on bi-weekly and often tri-weekly 20-25% water changes.2. Toxivec

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-55365107680988103402007-02-23T11:17:00.000-05:002007-02-23T11:23:19.175-05:00

I have some new readings which have led me to draw a different conclusion.Unlike most Americanized scientific "research" of today where the researchers are paid by Pfizer and Merck for their conclusion before they even assemble the study, I try to be a bit more old school when it comes to experiments. By old school I mean unbiased, thorough, and unmotivated by greed or preset opinion, utilizing a

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-25007976861222536402007-02-23T10:46:00.000-05:002007-02-23T10:51:31.125-05:00

Putting it nicely.A nitrite reading of approximately .15-.25 appeared yesterday. I'm doing a 1/5 water change right now. It appears this sera stuff is about as useful as Cycle.I poured out about half a gallon of the tank water, dropped in some toxivec, then tested for nitrites. Same results as the untreated water in the tank. This may mean one of two things. One, it simply changes the nitrite

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-81963089122322411992007-02-19T14:08:00.000-05:002007-02-19T14:12:49.881-05:00

Four days post-toxivec no ammonia and no nitrite. Nitrates steadily rising, which is a very good thing.I'm going to do an experiment soon involving a small tank, with filter, and a fishless cycle to see how well this product really works.On another note, I recently learned my redneck little town doesn't have a bait shop, which was difficult to believe. However, like so many redneck little towns

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-82598145641739505842007-02-15T12:28:00.000-05:002007-02-15T13:02:31.819-05:00

Nitrates are steadily building, up to 20 now, so there is and has been established bacteria in the tank. Unfortunately, ammonia is still traceable, though far below the .5 ppm at which it was reading earlier. The ray is very active and always on the search for food. Quite easy to feed by hand and this seems his preferred way of eating as he always comes to the top of the tank and sticks his mouth

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-49836549628235085282007-02-06T11:26:00.000-05:002007-02-06T11:49:59.849-05:00

I've had the ray for ten days now. Good news is he is vibrant and healthy and readily (as well as enthusiastically) eating earthworms, frozen bloodworms, and cut-up jumbo shrimp I bought from the grocery store. By far the shrimp is his favorite food.Bad news is I believe I'm going through a mini-cycle. Four days ago a trace amount of ammonia (a varying degree of .5 ppm) showed up after a water

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-52033094841528052712007-01-28T12:28:00.000-05:002007-01-30T14:43:22.574-05:00

I picked up the ray yesterday. It's a Dasyatis sabina, which is actually a marine ray with some... complications. Their range stretches from Chesapeake Bay in the summer to central America, along the coastlines and in brackish estuaries. This species can navigate in marine water, brackish water, and full freshwater.There is also a variant of the species which spends its entire life in freshwater,

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-27115465545968064982007-01-26T16:01:00.000-05:002007-01-30T09:48:37.644-05:00

I've been wanting to keep a freshwater ray for more than two years now. In fact, when I got serious about fish keeping with my first community ten gallon, I looked at FW ray keeping to be the pinnacle of my hobbyist's journey. I started reading about rays and talking to other hobbyists (lfs employees, people online) while I went through the basic problems of all beginners... ammonia and nitrite

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-26268797369953838442007-01-25T11:55:00.000-05:002007-01-25T11:57:44.176-05:00

Some random pics for now, including some shots of the fish room itself.

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-374978833518785382007-01-22T13:52:00.000-05:002007-01-22T14:00:36.217-05:00

I ordered my super tank I've been planning and dreaming about in one way or another for two years.Originally I was sold on the 155 gallon bow front, but a local retailer gave me a much better deal on a larger 180 gallon tank. It's standard, and several inches higher (something I was trying to avoid), but I couldn't pass up on the 25 extra gallons.A standard 180 gallon tank is 24 x 24 x 72 ". I

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-81221203123692127312007-01-02T13:29:00.000-05:002007-01-02T13:35:35.161-05:00

I'd like to give the whole story of my mandarin chronicles and also a few recent pictures for people visiting who've read my article in TFH.First, check out the in-depth journal I created that begins when I cooked up this scheme in summer 2005 and follows my progress. I've also blogged about the mandarin several times. Check out my archives for more mandarin stories.And below are some recent

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1167591234798456152006-12-31T13:49:00.000-05:002006-12-31T13:53:54.806-05:00

I received a couple magazines from Tropical Fish Hobbyist yesterday with my featured article. Be sure to pick up a copy when it hits the stands in a week or so. It's the February issue with a seahorse on the cover. My mandarin article is even showcased on the cover with the title "Mandarin in a nano?"It's been very exciting and I was ecstatic with how well my photographs came out. I hope to write

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1165333359517398362006-12-05T10:28:00.000-05:002006-12-05T10:42:39.570-05:00

On Sunday I broke down the algae-ridden ten gallon in the office here. Took the plants and synthetic coral out the night before, scrubbed them, then hung them to dry. Seemed to do the trick pretty nicely at getting the slime off, which was thick as a toxic syrup. Disgusting shit. It had covered almost every inch of the tank and cleaning the gravel was a major chore. Had to refill the tank several

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1164911986338944642006-11-30T13:34:00.000-05:002006-12-30T22:46:05.926-05:00

Today I thought I'd share several high res digital photos of the mandarin. I can safely say these are the best shots I've ever taken of the mandarin.Unfortunately, due to their size, they will take forever to load if you're on dial-up.

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1164053144602802662006-11-20T14:58:00.000-05:002006-11-20T15:05:44.616-05:00

A couple weeks ago the betta I've had for several months was found floating. I have the worst luck with bettas. The longest I've kept one alive is for six months, maybe seven, and I've kept them in a range of conditions. In a ten gallon solo and community (heated). In a 3 gallon solo (heated). In unheated vases with bidaily water changes. And I always seem to get the same results: death.Bettas

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1159981804953133972006-10-04T12:02:00.000-05:002006-10-04T12:10:05.000-05:00

I'd been having a very nasty algae problem with the puffer tank, even before the tank had puffers.A nasty brown smude covered every surface, from the synthetic coral to the artificial plants and filter intake. I thought it was the crushed coral I employed as the substrate but a week ago I removed it and replaced it with black gravel and the algae grew back.I guess the next step is break down the

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1158610100470226852006-09-18T14:53:00.000-05:002006-09-18T15:49:09.790-05:00

Here are the first couple shots of my puffer pair.Above is the female.And the ultaviolent, bastard little male.They look different but are the same species.And a shot of their ten gallon tank. Five glowlight tetras are in there too to hopefully distract the more aggressive male from tearing up the female. The majority of plants are plastic hanging vines made for arrangements I bought from

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1158162647996800882006-09-13T10:44:00.000-05:002006-09-19T13:04:20.303-05:00

Finally, my local fish store notified me that they expect to get in a shipment of red eye puffers today. I've been looking for these rare freshwater puffers for some time now and am looking forward to picking up a male and female pair.Carinotetraodon irrubesco is the scientific name of these fish and they are one of the few true freshwater puffers available in the hobby. Unlike other puffer fish,

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1155576230646223662006-08-14T12:20:00.000-05:002006-08-14T12:23:50.833-05:00

Moving is a stressful period regardless of the circumstances. However, moving can really be something to dread if you're a marine hobbyist, especially if you have multiple tanks with delicate fish and corals. Whether you're moving cross-country or only a few blocks away, draining your tanks, transporting your fish and livestock, and safely securing your empty aquariums in the moving truck are

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1155153477656851042006-08-09T14:52:00.000-05:002006-08-09T14:57:57.666-05:00

Well... it's been a while, hasn't it?We have been living comfortably in our new house for about three weeks now. Aside from the usual new home problems (not to mention a totally worthless home warranty policy that's a license to steal from new home owners), everything is going pretty well and we're finally settled in.I am very pleased to report all tanks and all livestock survived the move. And

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1151949665127133472006-07-03T12:56:00.000-05:002007-06-11T13:23:24.815-05:00

Well, I've finally put up my 4 part article on nano reefs. This has appeared in several places on the Internet and has helped a lot of fish hobbyists break the hurdle of venturing into saltwater.I'm sure you've seen saltwater fish and corals on the "expensive" side of your LFS. Haven't you always wanted to try marine? But then you hear how hard it is, or how much it all costs, and how it's good

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1151614734254806002006-06-29T15:53:00.000-05:002006-06-29T15:58:54.273-05:00

Did a relatively large water change on the ten gallon nano. Over the last two months one of the best macro algaes has sprouted up... halimeda algae, which is calciferous and actually makes up the sand base of some Caribbean reefs. This is very desirable and I've yanked out about a fourth of my chaeto to let the halimeda grow and hopefully get starve out the goddamn spiny bryopsis and green slimy

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1150812219857050462006-06-20T09:03:00.000-05:002006-06-24T10:50:20.696-05:00

Going to do some major water changes today on the 29 and 55 gallons. Also, I still need to empty out and clean the ten gallon ex-puffer tank.Everything is looking okay thankfully. After the string of discus losses it's nice to not have to worry about losing a fish suddenly.- Joshjoshday.com

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1150565227784907742006-06-17T11:51:00.000-05:002006-06-17T12:31:51.636-05:00

Once again, I have dropped the ball with the blog and haven't updated. And a lot of things have transpired in the tanks...First, the bad news.I am sans discus. After coming back from a vacation in Pensacola FL and New Orleans, my discus all took a horrible turn. I had to put the little female down first (she was stuck to the canister filter intake but still alive) and then a couple weeks later,

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1146685316867643302006-05-03T14:28:00.000-05:002006-05-03T14:41:56.886-05:00

Some news... I'm fairly positive the blue crayfish was made into lunch either by the larger brown female or the oscar. And that's a $20.oo lunch for a fish, mind you. Can't say I didn't know that there was a strong possibility this would happen, though. I found pieces of the shell at the bottom of the tank but it appeared to be exoskeleton. However, the live blue cray is MIA, and the brown has

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1144690377275686702006-04-10T12:30:00.000-05:002006-04-10T12:32:57.293-05:00

Here's a pic of my emerald star, currently living in the vase. As you can see it's very small and its tentacles were mauled off in the store's tank.- Josh Dayhttp://joshday.com

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1143736542791987242006-03-30T11:29:00.000-05:002006-03-30T11:35:42.856-05:00

Since I replaced the tacky white and red gravel in my planted tank with crushed coral, and the plants with java fern and jungle val, I've been having algae from hell. This could be due to the higher alkalinity from the crushed coral, which buffers the water 7.6.Occupant of the tank is one figure 8 puffer.I've tried blackouts, lowering the light to 4 hours a day, 50% water changes every other day,

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1142350060661203902006-03-14T10:19:00.000-05:002006-03-14T10:27:40.676-05:00

Lot of goings-ons in the crayfish arena lately. That's the blue male above and below, one shot taken with flash and the other without. The brown female recently molted and we actually got to see it happen. She was on her back and snapped out of the shed skin like throwing off a jacket. Then the blue one grabbed the skin and took it to his den in the wood. Both craws ate it and it was gone in one

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1141747653429400122006-03-07T10:26:00.000-05:002006-03-07T11:23:12.266-05:00

Ok, I'm going to take a break from fish today and talk about Food Network. Mainly the shows and people I absolutely hate on Food Network. So get ready for some expletives and off-color remarks.My wife and I went without cable, and basically all of TV, for more than half a year. We finally gave in after Netflix didn't turn out to be as great as it sounded and picked up digital cable.Food TV is a

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1141595371899613232006-03-05T16:38:00.000-05:002006-03-05T16:49:31.913-05:00

I have a lot to update.My wife has started her own tank, inititally for goldfish, which is a 29 gallon. Ultimately she decided on an oscar. Yes, this is a cardinal sin... omigod you're putting an oscar in something less than 55 gallons (or 70) omigod omigod... but here's the interesting thing about the 29 gallon we have. I don't know if this is standard for most models, but it's as wide as my 55

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1139347722558161032006-02-07T16:26:00.000-05:002006-02-07T16:28:42.570-05:00

Here's a nice little shot of my blue mushroom colony rock, in the back lefthand corner of my ten gallon reef tank.- Josh Dayhttp://joshday.com

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1139251280496492432006-02-06T13:40:00.000-05:002006-02-06T13:41:20.520-05:00

A new development...Joe, the president of my local reef club, makes up a special frozen omnivore food recipe in the food processor. He gave me a bunch of frozen cubes during our latest trade the other day. The stuff is a lot of shrimp, krill, squid, selcon, some plant life, etc. and gelatin for thickness all blended together and frozen.I dropped in a piece and the clown (named "Spit" by my wife

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1138222575448625142006-01-25T15:51:00.000-05:002006-01-25T15:56:15.466-05:00

No, not Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums, but the kind of crash that happens if a piece of live rock falls.Woke up this morning to see my tonga branch on its side... and my crocea clam hanging by its byssal threads. I managed to erect the rock back to its standing position, but it came at a great cost... the flame scallop had attached to the fallen tonga rock and I was forced to pry it

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1137520680682513522006-01-17T12:26:00.000-05:002006-01-22T20:45:54.890-05:00

I'm trying my hand at puffers again, and so far, this one is doing much better. He eats ghost shrimp and freeze dried shrimp, and there doesn't seem to be any sign of internal parasites. However, he's come down with a nasty case of ich. Good thing he's the only fish in the vase... though it's not like anything else could survive longer than 5 minutes.I'm keeping the vase heated through the winter

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1136693387112204992006-01-07T23:06:00.000-05:002006-01-07T23:16:26.626-05:00

2006, green mandarin in a ten gallon nano still A-OKNothing new to report. This is good, of course, but I have some future plans in the works for the mandarin as well as this whole project...I may be moving soon to an actual house. I'd like to upgrade the tank to a 20 gallon long and add an HOB refugium chocked full of chaeto, scrubber pads, and small pieces of live rock, while keeping a healthy

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1135356051467572412005-12-23T11:38:00.000-05:002005-12-23T11:40:51.493-05:00

Well, I finally found some 5/8" tubing that will fit my gravel vac. 24 feet of it, long enough to drain from the tank all the way outside to the garden. This proved to work okay, though the suction isn't great, and you have to start over if the syphon gets above water.The godddamned faucet hookup is a real problem. I need to find a proper clamp to secure the tubing to the sink adaptor, otherwise

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1135104775562545942005-12-20T13:41:00.000-05:002005-12-20T13:52:55.573-05:00

I got 25 feet of clear tubing and a faucet adaptor at Lowe's to make water changing in the 55 gallon significantly easier.Pythons can be expensive. Making a hose to hook into your faucet to refill the tank without a bucket brigade is a midway alternative. It's not as good as a Python because you can't drain directly into your sink with the same hose (unless you buy a water bed adapator), but it

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1134683948691452432005-12-15T16:54:00.000-05:002005-12-15T16:59:08.693-05:00

I fed some Tetra colorbits (the pink granules with discus on the bottle) to the 55 gallon tank and sure enough, the two new discus accepted them happily. The old discus would never touch em... he's a wild caught brown, and the only thing he'll eat is bloodworms and occasionally a bite of flake, as long as it's enriched in garlic.Before I did another water change, i checked for nitrates... under 5

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1134660841361451352005-12-15T10:10:00.000-05:002005-12-15T16:54:16.340-05:00

I've been neglecting this blog. It's been nearly a month since my last post. And a lot has transpired, especially in the last week.First, the mandarin. Still going strong. He's plumper than ever and he's growing, exceeding two inches now. I have not seen him eat Formula 1 yet, but he gets excited when some is poured in. But he's still wolfing down roe like a mofo.I've found the yellow dye comes

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1132775144659252262005-11-23T14:42:00.000-05:002005-11-23T14:45:44.683-05:00

I'm hereby done with dwarf puffers.Two have died on me. They eat nothing. Flake, formula 1, mysis, brine, bloodworms, no interest. The second one died in two days.So I say to hell with the little spinal bifida puffers.In other news, my oto in the ten gallon died and one in the 55 gallon too. Algae is starting to speckle the 55 gallon so I need to get a couple more for the big tank. The survivor

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1131645834176787452005-11-10T12:54:00.000-05:002005-11-10T13:03:54.213-05:00

Here are some recent photos of my mandarin, still doing great in the ten gallon after four months. And still eating roe, cyclo, and copepods.And below are some pics of my green star polyps and relatively new crocea clam.Here is a shot of my 1 gallon reef vase from above.All photos taken by Dick Reed, AMAS club member.- Jhttp://joshday.com

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1130435367421852502005-10-27T12:45:00.000-05:002005-10-27T12:49:27.436-05:00

I added two little frags of pink zoanthids to my vase a few days back. This resulted in tipping my shell frag of GSP, as well as taking out my powerhead to clean it. The flow was too strong for the polyps, and on the lowest setting, the vase wasn't getting enough current.So I hatched a pretty good idea, if I say so myself...Took out the powerhead and used some Holdfast bonding putty to create an

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1130292909447881462005-10-25T21:14:00.000-05:002005-10-27T12:03:16.460-05:00

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/10/25/iraq.soldier.story.ap/index.htmlI will never vote Republican again. In the past, I've had my slips, voting for some local state representatives and other NC officials, even that asshole "Chainsaw" Charlie himself. But never again. I don't care how much I like the individual candidate... I don't care if my wife ran as a Republican, or my greyhound, or Jesus Christ

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1129997135535692152005-10-22T10:56:00.000-05:002005-10-22T11:16:13.270-05:00

Here are some pictures of my flame scallop.And the maxima, positioned properly upright, above it. When I uprighted the clam, it had already attached part of itself to the rock, so I had to use a seashell to wedge it as I didn't want to break off its byssal foot. Clams that are harvested in the wild are often doomed because they've been yanked from their rock.Care for Tridacnid clams such as these

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1129494582031947122005-10-16T15:28:00.000-05:002005-10-16T15:29:42.040-05:00

That's the new addition to the ten gallon, a crocea clam. I also have a flame scallop I bought a couple weeks ago, but the picture didn't turn out. I'll get one later.- Joshhttp://joshday.com

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1129132053857819412005-10-12T10:42:00.000-05:002005-10-12T11:07:21.853-05:00

As promised, here are some pics of the vase. I apologize for the tardiness in putting them up.I have three patches of corals: a beautiful hillock of green star polyps, a canyon of ugly and worthless green star polyps I probably couldn't even give away, and a seashell of brown zoanthids: three polyps with a fourth just starting to bud.See how ugly that small group of GSP is when compared to the

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1128466703381386362005-10-04T17:45:00.000-05:002005-10-04T18:01:19.906-05:00

Wow, October already, and it's been A WHILE since I blogged.Let's see... the glofish are doing ok in their vase, I had a helluva nitrate problem in my 55 gallon but I'm bring it back under 20 with frequent water changes, my nano tank is still having some problems but not as bad as before (GSP is back with a force and growing like wild, zoas still rough), and my pico vase is doing fine. In fact, I

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1126889671217655882005-09-16T11:46:00.000-05:002005-09-16T11:54:31.223-05:00

Bought a glofish a couple days ago for one of my desk vases. The glofish is a genetic creation, a neon bright zebra danio that glows in the dark. The fish was created by splicing its genes with the genome of a fluorescing jellyfish. At night, under a black light, the fish resembles a pink glowstick.Obviously, there is some serious controversy surrounding this "franken-fish." What I found

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1126733443226343942005-09-14T16:30:00.000-05:002005-09-14T16:30:43.236-05:00

I've updated on the mandarin. Please see here.Joshhttp://joshday.com

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1126544181747542612005-09-12T11:51:00.000-05:002005-09-12T11:56:21.756-05:00

I lost one of my sexy shrimp the other day for the reef vase during a molt. A bristle worm attacked the shrimp and began to eat it from the inside-out while it was trying to breek free from its old skeleton. The worm, other shrimp, and crab made short order of the body; which was good cause i had no desire to take out all the rock to get it.Bought the last two shrimp at the store, bringing the

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10926468.post-1125955515793501312005-09-05T14:41:00.000-05:002005-09-12T12:03:33.883-05:00

I haven't blogged in a while. It hasn't been due to nothing happening in my aquatic spectrum--on the contrary, I currently have two little sexy shrimp in my reef vase, I've shut down the frog tank and moved the frogs to the 3 gallon eclipse system in the bathroom, and my ten gallon reef tank is having a cyano problem only now, through large water changes, I believe I'm getting under control.I'm

Josh Daynoreply@blogger.com0