Gourami beh., rhizomous plants, asteroid nutrition...  - 03/11/2006
Hello!  I've got just a few questions for you that I've been collecting for a while now.
<Okay>
How do I get a plant with a rhizome, like Anubias nana, to attach and grow on a piece of bogwood?
<Best to find a bit of a notched area, tie the rhizome firmly to this with a bit of thread or light fishing line... it will adhere in time>
How do I test for water hardness?
<Mmm, most easily with a "aquarium" type colorimetric test kit... these are made... for GH, KH by many companies...>
Can you suggest some small plants to put in the front of the tank that will survive in hard water?
<Yes... there are members of the genus Sagittaria that are excellent here... and others... posted, labeled for use on WWM>
(this is a guess here, I'm just assuming my water is hard)
My dwarf (sunset?) Gourami has not been eating and is hiding in the corner
behind a piece of wood.  Now that I think of it I don't ever remember him (or her) eating in the month or two that I've had him.  I've tried both flake food and frozen brine shrimp.  Sometimes he comes out, but the other fish aren't picking on him, so I don't know why he hides (he did not hide right after I bought him, it's been recently).  Do you think he's sick, and if so with what and what should I do?
<Mmm, likely "just" normal behavior. Is a shy, retiring species... does best in a grouping (in large enough setting) of its species>
How do I know if my starfish is eating?  I don't feed him specifically but I've read on this site that I should.
<Depends on species. The best indication of health is active behavior... that the animal is moving about daily... Again, some species of Asteroids are predaceous... need to/eat large food items... others lean to being more detritivorous...>
I don't know what kind of starfish I have so are there any general foods that can be fed to any starfish?
<Unfortunately no>
I siphon the gravel in my freshwater tank for dirt, should I do this to the saltwater tank too?
<Likely so>
I'm thinking no, but is there anything I'm supposed to do to keep it clean besides a water change?
<... please see Marine Maintenance on WWM>
I've been trying to give my fish a varied diet, but all my snakeskin Gourami will eat is flake foods.  I've tried feeding him peas and brine shrimp but all he touches are flakes!  Is a varied diet strictly necessary?
<Not necessarily. There are some complete nutrition prepared foods on the market. The "Spectrum" brand is one of these>
Sorry I've got some many questions, but they've been on my mind a while.  
The people at my LFS aren't too helpful and books/internet articles don't answer everything.  Thanks for the help!
*Kim*
<Retain that open, inquisitive mind Kim... is valuable. Bob Fenner>

Anubias Growth 8/24/05
Hello crew,
<Hi Andrew,>
I bought an Anubias barteri var. nana yesterday for a good price. However, there are hard black bumps on the older, darker leaves. The newer leaves are a brighter green and have no growths. I've searched theKrib and your site, and found that this might be an algae, but I'm not sure what kind or how to treat it. I don't want to put it in my tank until I know it won't spread, but I don't mind what is already on the leaves. Any info would greatly be appreciated.
<I agree with not wanting to put this in your main tank until you have made a certain "diagnosis" - it's a good idea to quarantine new plants as well as fish and other livestock.  Good sign that the plant is producing new, bright green leaves; I'd slowly remove (depends on the size of the plant...you just don't want to cut off too many old leaves at the same time so as not to shock the plant) the leaves with the undesired algae growth - if you do it slowly enough, it will spur the plant on to produce newer leaves quicker.
Hope this helps!
Jorie>
Thanks,
Andrew

Re: some old conversation inquiry 20 Aug 2003 (Anubias supply)
Dear Bob,
<Vic>
I was browsing the net and stumbled over this discussion:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/AqBizSubWebIndex/bizaqpltfaqs.htm
Specifically - the "Re: searching still (Ralf, can you give me a
reference to Anubias there?)" thread regarding the "live
wood" startup business.
We are an aquatic plant supplier and I think we could
help Mr. Ted R. Judy with the anubias plants he needs
as we have very liberal restrictions on the volumes.
I tried to call the number at the bottom of the page
but it's no longer in service. Would you be so kind to
give me his e-mail address if you still have it or ask him
contact me?
<Wish I did have such good organization, tools... we don't retain addresses or I'd ask if it would be okay to send yours on... Will post your note in the hope/s he and others see it and will contact you. Thank you, Bob Fenner>
Thank you very much!
Sincerely Yours,
Vic.
AquariumGarden.com

Re: searching still (Ralf, can you give me a reference to Anubias there?)
Hi Bob,
Thank you. I will send a note to Ralf.
<Good>
I have found a source for wood. In fact I may end up distributing the wood (rolling ideas collect lots of
moss it seems). 
<Well-stated>
I new wood supplier is starting operations here in the US. The pieces that that are bringing in are very nice. A lot more variety than the standard 'Swahala' or 'Wallaby' wood. They are looking for customers. Right now they are planning on selling direct to retailers. I think that they should be contacting wholesalers to move containers of wood.
<Am sure this has been well-considered... there are only a few factors to ponder here... the volume, price-point, net... going one way or t'other>
They agreed with me to the point of signing me on to help develop that market. The really nice part is
that I am getting the wood at a much lower cost than I thought that I would be. We will have the container sales proposal ready in a couple weeks.
<Am interested in your overall reflection... pls do retain our correspondence... write me/us back in a few to several months with "what you have experienced, learned">
I also found a source for plants out of Nigeria. The prices are very reasonable. I am still checking
references though. The only problem is that I will need to purchase plants 2500 at a time... more moss on the rolling idea, I guess I could be wholesaling bare-root anubias as well.
<Careful here my friend... do make sure you have "all your ducks in a row" with the issues of the FDA here and trusting the folks there...>
The Asian sources are trickling in. Most of them have the same issue though... they use Dolphin to tranship.
<Yes... hence my encouraging you to deal with them straightaway>
The prices are not as good as the African source, but I would not need to purchase the huge quantity. The African source has a much nicer variety though.
<Other problems, as you will find>
At the moment, the business plan has been pushed back one month due to the landing date of the wood.
<There is time, remember this>
However, if I use the African source for plants, I can tie twice the number of plants onto the wood for half the price that I was expecting to pay, effectively cutting production time in half. We are still on
track for saleable product in November/December.
<This year? Quick...>
How many pieces can I pencil you in for...;)
<A couple. Bob Fenner, with empty Eheim systems (well, they have water, substrate in them... and a bit of algae)>
Thanks again,

Re: searching still (Ralf, can you give me a reference to Anubias there?)
Thank you,
I will try to contact Dennerle and Tropica. Tissue
culture would add a considerable amount of time and
space to the operation. 
<Yes... but fun to do. And there was an outfit of all places in our home town of San Diego, California that was doing just this (up in Ramona)...>
There are a few plants that
growing my own would be a viable option, (Riccia,
Glossostigma), due to the fast growth and low space
requirements.
<Yes... or have we chatted re transshipping out of the orient? Do you have space for "recovering" such stock? Sunny Aquarium is a lead here... in Singapore... very reasonable cost per unit. Have you been to the international trade shows? Consider coming out to Aquarama next year... Bob Fenner>
Thanks again,

Re: searching still (Ralf, can you give me a reference to Anubias there?)
I shot an e-mail to Sunny. I think the 'no order is
too big or too small' is encouraging. The plants may
be the last piece of the puzzle. 
<Yes>
I have a target date
of no later than September 15 to have my first
production vat 'loaded', followed by filling a new vat
every 4 weeks. 
<May I ask, will you infuse CO2? What sort of fertilization do you intend to employ? Will you grow the plants in a substrate of your fashioning? Soil added to it? What sort of lighting, lighting regimen? Water depth or will you grow in just moist soil>
I am reasonably sure that I can
produce a saleable product in 8 weeks, assuming the
stock that I start with is in at least decent shape.
If all goes well, I will be wholesaling to a few
customers by November.
<Sounds good. Perhaps Cryptocorynes next...>
Your help is greatly appreciated. You mentioned that
your wife was looking into importing pieces from
Dennerle. I hope that when vat 'well done' she would
be interested in having a look at my product.
<I will cc her re here. Be chatting, Bob Fenner>
Thanks again,
Ted

Re: searching still (Ralf, can you give me a reference to Anubias there?)
> <May I ask, will you infuse CO2?
yes
What sort of
> fertilization do you intend to
> employ?
Periodic broad spectrum fertilizer and daily iron.
Will you grow the plants in a substrate of
> your fashioning?
Directly on the wood pieces.
Soil
> added to it?
The vats will have a layer of Fluorite on the bottom.
Less damage to the liners if there is a substrate.
(The entire operation will be portable until it grows
large enough to move into a more permanent facility,
at which time I will invest in larger, more permanent
growing vats.) I am not sold on the idea that just
the presence of Fluorite will be of benefit is the
plants are not rotted in it, but putting it in from
the get go will make propagating other plants around
the wood easier if I decide to do that.
What sort of lighting, lighting
> regimen?
Nice thing about Anubias and ferns is that intensity
is not as important as specific light wavelengths that
will encourage faster growth. No need for super
bright halogens. There are plenty of good
fluorescents that will provide the desired
wavelengths.
Water depth
varies, but generally less than 10 inches above
leaves.
or will
> you grow in just moist soil>
no, I think that aquatic grown for aquariums is best.
<<Agreed>>
> <Sounds good. Perhaps Cryptocorynes next...>
For now, the niche is 'live wood'. I will stick to
Anubias and ferns for the time being. I will likely
propagate some 'mossy' wood with Riccia and/or
Glossostigma for the Amano enthusiasts.
<<Good plan>>
Tell me if you think the following logic is sound...
I intend for this to be a wholesale product. If I can
get the materials at desired prices (and they are
conservatively high), I believe I can sell these
pieces profitably at an average price of $25 - $30.
(Less for small pieces, more for larger). I envision
marketing a ten-pack that has a few small, a couple
large and about half medium pieces, all with good
plant growth, for $250. Air freight is the best way
to move them. These ten packs, including box
materials, should be less than 100 pounds. The local
airport is an America West hub, which has decent
freight charges. The suggested retail prices would be
$25 - $30 for a small piece, $40-$50 for the medium
pieces and $60 - $70 for the larger pieces. The idea
is that the retail price for size/number of the plants
and the retail value of the wood piece alone should be
close to the retail price of the propagated piece.
For example, a 12 inch (medium) piece of Swahala wood
(retail ~$18), plus 3 Anubias barteri with 5 - 8
leaves (retail ~$27 for all three) would be a total of
$45, but then the customer has to wait 2 - 3 months
(under optimal growing conditions) to create this
product.
<Mmm, I'd do a bit of local test marketing (perhaps a friendly local fish store) before having labels, ads made up>
I am hoping to capitalize on impatience...
<You already have two customers. Bob F>
Thanks... continuously,
Ted

Re: searching still (Ralf, can you give me a reference to Anubias there?)
Hello Bob,
I chatted with you last week about working towards
setting up a planted wood propagation business.
I am going nuts. I am having a very difficult time
locating import brokers, regardless of their size. I
have spoken with Dolphin, and they will not do
business with me since I would not be able to meet
their $1000 a week minimums.
<Mmm, this is a high regular minimum>
I look all over the web and find small retailers and
wholesalers who have managed to find their sources.
Whoever these sources are, they do not advertise
particularly well.
<Not a high volume or due to back stocking, profitable part of their businesses likely>
I have located a source of wood. I need to import the
plants. How does a company who is seeking to start
out in wholesale locate import sources for livestock?
<By doing about what you are doing... asking, calling, faxing, writing. Are you interested in tissue culture yourself? The big deal here is time... and secondarily space. Have you tried contacting Dennerle, Tropica? I would... and ask if they have a liaison in the U.S. (these come and go) that would sell you plant stock>
I have even tries the yellow page listings in the
major port of entry cities. Many import/export
brokers are listed, but the few I have managed to
contact do not broker live goods, nor know anyone who
does (at least not off the top of their head).
<A tough part of the biz... due mainly to the U.S. FDA, other agencies concerns principally re soil nematodes... their import avoidance>
If you can provide a hint or two, I would really
appreciate it.
Sincerely,
<Do contact Tropica and Dennerle... they will know who you can in turn to. Bob Fenner>
=====
Ted R. Judy
Dry Heat Enterprises
1298 S. Monterey St.
Gilbert, AZ 85233
(480)821-4934

Finding a good import broker
Hello Mr. Fenner,
I operate a small aquatic product business out of my
home. It keeps me busy, but is not overly productive
yet. I am ready to take a step up, however. I am
having a difficult time locating a dependable import
broker who can assist me in obtaining the livestock I
need (specifically plants) to get my business to grow.
<What sorts of plant species, volume of organisms are you interested in?>
To this point I have been using wholesalers, and now
I want to join their ranks. Can you suggest a place
to look for an experienced import broker? 
<Yes>
I have
spent literally days on the web searching with no
real success. I am also looking to find the companies
who are importing Swahala driftwood...
<Contact Steve Lundblad of Dolphin International re this material, and its import... The container sizes imported are VERY large... You will likely want to buy this from/through a more mid-size jobber>
The wholesalers
are getting it from someone, but I cannot figure out
who it is. I appreciate your web site. Thank you for
your intellectual and experiential generosity.
Sincerely,
Ted Judy
Dry Heat Enterprises
Gilbert, AZ
<Be chatting, Bob Fenner>

Re: finding a good import broker
> <What sorts of plant species, volume of organisms
> are you interested in?>
> I propagate Anubias and other plants onto
driftwood.
<Ahhh! Neat! Of all coincidences, my wife is considering importing Dennerle Products into the U.S... have you seen their Anubias, planted and mounted? Nice.>
> <Contact Steve Lundblad of Dolphin International re
> this material, and its
> import... The container sizes imported are VERY
> large... You will likely
> want to buy this from/through a more mid-size
> jobber>
Steve works for Dolphin now!? 
<Mmm, we may be speaking of different folks here. Steve Lundblad owns Dolphin... in Los Angeles and Miami... the single largest importer/distributor of mainly freshwater livestock on the planet>
I have known Steve for
years, but obviously not well enough to know what he
is doing besides Cichlid Exchange.
Thank you for your help.
Ted R Judy
Dry Heat Enterprises
<Let's keep chatting till I can help direct you. Bob Fenner>

Re: finding a good import broker
What were the chances that there are two Steve Lundblad's in the fish trade? The Steve I know is
going to find my question quite odd... I e-mailed him after hearing from you. Do you think that I can get
in ouch with Dolphin's Steve through their web site?
<Better to phone: http://www.dolphin-int.com/contact.html>
I am not familiar with Dennerle, but I will look them up. 
<You should know them: They do on a massive scale what I think you are doing, want to do. Please see the Aquatic Plant Links on WetWebMedia.com>
I have a price on various Anubias sp. in lots through a wholesaler that will make the venture get
off the ground. I really want to market the product wholesale, however, and to do that as profitably as we need I will need to find jobber sources. The wood is the most expensive component. I am prepared to purchase wood in 100 piece+ lots, but I need to be able to get it consistently. 
<This is a tiny amount... cargo or half cargo containers are about the best route if you can use, afford this amount (many thousands of pieces)>
As in any propagation venture, time is an issue. So is speculation. 
<Yes, well-stated>
I want to set up the product batches so that I will have lots of at least 100 pieces available to ship on at least a monthly basis. If I can get this off the ground, I would be interested in seeing how I can compete with a company like this Dennerle... My product will at least be domestic.
<This will (aquarium plants, make that real freshwater aquariums) be a reality someday soon. Stick with your plans, dreams. Bob Fenner>
Thanks again,
Ted Judy
Dry Heat Enterprises

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