📖 Common Abbreviations in the Aquarium Hobby

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💧 Water Chemistry

• pH → Acidity/alkalinity of water ⚖️
• KH → Carbonate Hardness 🧱 (buffers pH, prevents swings)
• GH → General Hardness 💎 (minerals: calcium & magnesium)
• TDS → Total Dissolved Solids 🌡️ (measures overall dissolved content)
• NH₃/NH₄ → Ammonia ☠️ (toxic waste product)
• NO₂ → Nitrite ⚠️ (toxic, middle stage of nitrogen cycle)
• NO₃ → Nitrate 🌿 (end product, controlled with plants & water changes)
• PPM → Parts Per Million 📊 (measurement unit for tests)

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🔄 Nitrogen Cycle & Bacteria

• BB → Beneficial Bacteria 🦠 (live in filter & substrate)
• Cycle → Establishing nitrogen cycle ♻️ (breaking down fish waste safely)
• Fish-In Cycle → Cycling with live fish present 🐟
• Fishless Cycle → Cycling with bottled ammonia, no fish 🚫🐟
• Seeding → Adding media from an established tank 🌱 (to speed up cycling)

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🏪 Community & Stores

• LFS → Local Fish Store 🏬
• BAP → Breeder Award Program 🎖️ (used in aquarium clubs)
• RAOK → Random Act of Kindness 🎁 (common in hobbyist groups, giving away fish/equipment)
• WTT/WTS/WTTF → Want To Trade/Sell/Trade For 🔄💵

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🐠 Fish & Stocking Terms

• BN Pleco → Bristlenose Pleco 🐟
• RTBS → Red Tail Black Shark 🦈
• MTS →
  • Malaysian Trumpet Snails 🐌
  • OR “Multi-Tank Syndrome” 😅 (joking term for the addiction to more tanks)
• SA/CA/AF Cichlids → South American / Central American / African cichlids 🌍
• WCMM → White Cloud Mountain Minnow ❄️🐟
• OSCAR → Astronotus ocellatus (often shortened in forums) 🐠

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⚙️ Equipment & Filtration

• HOB → Hang-On-Back filter 🪝
• UGF → Undergravel Filter 🪨
• SUMP → External filter chamber 💧
• GPH → Gallons Per Hour ⏱️ (flow rate of pumps/filters)
• DIY → Do It Yourself 🔧 (custom aquarium builds)
• LED → Light Emitting Diode 💡 (modern aquarium lighting)
• ATO → Auto Top-Off 💦 (keeps water level stable, common in reef tanks)

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🌱 Planted Tank & Aquascaping

• CO₂ → Carbon Dioxide 🌬️ (boosts plant growth)
• EI → Estimative Index 📏 (popular dosing method for fertilizers)
• NPK → Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium 🧪 (macro nutrients for plants)
• HC → Hemianthus callitrichoides 🌿 (aka “Dwarf Baby Tears”)
• FTS → Full Tank Shot 📸 (aquascaping/photo sharing term)
• IWAGUMI → Minimalist aquascaping style with stones 🪨

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🧪 Health, Quarantine & Medications

• QT → Quarantine Tank 🚫🐠 (for new arrivals or sick fish)
• HT → Hospital Tank 🏥🐟
• ICH/WS → Ichthyophthirius multifiliis ❄️ (White Spot disease)
• GC → General Cure 💊 (API medication for parasites)
• FMG → Formalin + Malachite Green 🧪 (classic ich/fungal treatment)
• Epsom → Epsom Salt 🧂 (used for swelling/constipation)

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🕒 Maintenance & Hobby Slang

• W/C or WC → Water Change 💧
• FTS → Full Tank Shot 📸 (brag pic of your aquarium)
• BBA → Black Beard Algae 🦠
• LPS/SPS → Large-Polyp Stony / Small-Polyp Stony corals 🌊 (reef tanks)
• REEF SAFE → Marine fish/inverts safe for reef aquariums 🐚
• CUC → Clean-Up Crew 🦐🐌 (shrimp, snails, crabs that eat algae/detritus)

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✨ In short: Aquarium abbreviations cover everything from water chemistry (pH, KH, GH) to equipment (HOB, sump) to stocking terms (BN Pleco, RTBS) and even hobby slang (MTS = Multi-Tank Syndrome 😅).