Common terms and abbreviations
- AB
- antibiotic
- ager, water
- see 'water conditioner'
- anubias
- slow-growing, hardy broad-leaved aquatic plant popular for betta tanks and bowls
- barracks, betta
- a system of multiple individual cells for housing male bettas
- BBS
- baby brine shrimp: hatched from the nauplii (cysts, eggs) of artemia & used for fry food
- BF
- butterfly (see Colour and Patterns)
- biofilter
- established colonies of beneficial bacteria in the aquarium which break down toxic waste products (see Nitrogen Cycle)
- BS
- brine shrimp: artemia, a small crustacean
- BW
- bloodworm
- cambo
- Cambodian (see Colour and Patterns)
- chloramine
- compound of chlorine and ammonia, found in tap water: not removed by ageing: toxic to fish
- conditioner, water
- chemical treatment to remove chlorine, chloramine & other substances toxic to fish
- CT
- crowntail (see Tail Types)
- cycle, nitrogen
- process of breaking down ammonia to nitrite, and nitrite to nitrate, by the successive action of beneficial bacteria strains (see Nitrogen Cycle)
- cycling, fishless
- process of establishing the nitrogen cycle in a new tank by adding a source of ammonia, before fish are introduced (see Fishless Cycling)
- DDRCT
- double-double ray crowntail (see Tail Types)
- dechlorinate
- neutralise chlorine through chemical treatment or ageing
- DRCT
- double ray crowntail (see Tail Types)
- DT
- double-tail (see Tail Types)
- elodea
- common floating or rooted aquatic plant widely used in aquariums
- fern, java
- popular hardy aquatic plant
- filter
- remove toxic waste products, impurities and particles from water through biological, chemical and/or mechanical means
- geno
- genotype: the specific genes carried by an individual that determine its physical traits
- HM
- halfmoon (see Tail Types)
- hornwort
- common floating or rooted aquatic plant widely used in aquariums
- IAL
- Indian almond leaf, the dry leaf of the Indian or tropical almond tree, Terminalia catappa
- irids
- iridescence: the outermost, iridescent layer of a betta's pigmentation
- ketapang
- Thai name for the Indian almond tree
- LFS
- local fish shop: an aquarium or pet shop
- meds
- medication/s
- MG
- mustard gas (see Colour and Patterns)
- moss, java
- aquatic plant often used in spawning tanks
- MW
- microworm: small worm cultured for fry food
- NH3
- ammonia: product of excretion & decomposition: extremely toxic to fish
- NO2
- nitrite: produced by breakdown of ammonia: very toxic to fish
- NO3
- nitrate: end product of nitrogen cycle, produced by breakdown of nitrite
- OHM
- over-halfmoon (see Tail Types)
- param/s
- parameter/s: the water qualities measured by standard test kits
- pH
- p(otential) H(ydrogen): measure of acidity/alkalinity
- pheno
- phenotype: what an individual looks like as a result of its genotype
- PK
- plakat: short-finned betta (see Tail Types)
- PP
- potassium permanganate: Condy's crystals
- ppm, ppt
- parts per million/thousand (see Conversions & Calculations)
- salt, aquarium
- pure common salt (NaCl) with no additives: rock salt
- salt, marine
- salt, minerals and trace elements approximating the composition of sea water: not the same as aquarium salt
- salt, table
- common salt for table use: usually has additives: not suitable for aquariums
- salt/s, Epsom
- hydrated magnesium sulphate (MgSO4): used to treat constipation and bloating: not the same as common salt
- SD
- superdelta (see Tail Types)
- ST
- single tail (see Tail Types)
- substrate
- gravel, sand, pebbles or other material used as base layer in an aquarium
- TC
- tetracycline: an antibiotic
- TS
- triple sulfa, tri-sulfa: an antibiotic
- temp
- temperature (see Conversions & Calculations)
- VE
- vinegar eel: small worm cultured in vinegar for fry food
- volume, water
- the amount of water a tank holds: capacity in litres/gallons (see Conversions & Calculations)
- VT
- veiltail (see Tail Types)
- water, age/ing
- allowing tap water to stand (with or without treatment) for a period before using
- water, distilled
- pure water that has been boiled & recondensed, removing all trace substances: not suitable for aquariums
- water, RO
- reverse-osmosis water, purified through a permeable membrane system: suitable for aquariums
