Did you know keeping gold fish in a bowl is illegal in Monza, Italy? We didn’t know until we meet Rajendra Kumar GG fondly knows as Raj amongst more than 600 members of his group A-s-k, who explained to us that the size of the bowl is torture for fish. Raj, 52, a coffee planter and an electronics engineer by profession is a technical aquarist since the 1960s. He has 15 tanks and a small pond where he breeds many varieties of fish. He was a member of an international group but many tips discussed there were not relevant to him as the filters, tanks discussed in the group were not available in India. He started his own group to share links and information amongst members of Aquarium Society of Karnataka. Soon he started receiving enquiries from other parts of India and eventually he opened his group under strict moderation for all the hobbyists who care for their fish and aqua plants.

A-s-k is a great source of information on maintaining a healthy aqua environment for the tank at your home; be it filter, lighting, fish food, plantation or any other factor. According to Raj, fish starts dying in the initial 2 hours of their purchase if one doesn’t take proper care of them. Even the local shop-keepers of fish tanks don’t have adequate information on all the technical aspects. Many members join the group when their fish are dying so the moment one joins the group, one receives a note for immediate actions for one’s fish tank along with Raj’s phone number .

We met Raj in Bangalore over a cup of coffee and got to know some interesting facts. Most common reason for fish dying in the tank is ammonia. When the fish are fed, they digest the food and excrete waste into the water. The nitrogenous element in the waste breaks down to ammonia, which becomes toxic for the fish in less than a day and fish starts to die. To avoid this, one has to establish nitrogen cycle in the tank. This cycle converts ammonia to Nitrite and finally to Nitrate, which is less poisonous and can be absorbed by the plants and algae in the tank. Bacteria that help in speeding up this nitrogen cycle can be raised on the filters of tank. Raj helps his group members personally making those filters ready for his member’s tank.

To know more about fish tanks and aqua plants, join the Yahoo! Group A-s-k . If you want to share an interesting story of your Yahoo! Group, please send it to us at groups@yahoo-inc.com Stay tuned for our next coverage.

Thanks!
Shefali
Yahoo! Groups India Community Manager