Definitions

Alkaline is a term that’s used to describe the water’s pH. When it’s high, the water is said to be alkaline, when it’s low, it’s said to be acidic.

Nitrite is the second stage of the nitrogen cycle in your aquarium. It usually occurs after ammonia is converted by bacteria to nitrite. More specifically, when ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) oxidizes ammonia.

Nitrate, commonly confused with nitrite, is the last step in the nitrogen cycle of your fish tank. It is the least toxic of the bunch (ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate), but it can still be toxic – even if it is at high levels.

What Is A Carotenoid? A carotenoid is a class of fat-soluble pigments (meaning the pigments dissolve in or with fat and can’t be dissolved or degraded by water.) They’re mainly thought of as yellow,

Genes are, essentially, the blueprint of the way something looks, grows, behaves, and interacts with it’s surroundings – among other things.

Phenotypes are influenced by both the genotype as well as the environment and can change with age, care, stress, or other factors outside of genetics.

Zoonotic, also called zoonosis or zoonoses, are diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites that can spread between animals and humans.

As fun as it sounds to be responsible for giving fish scientific names, there is a strict set of rules for giving scientific names to living creatures, AKA: nomenclature.

Ostracods are a name given to a large family of crustaceans – a whopping 8,000 recognized species, making them the most successful group of crustaceans.