Author Archives: tuncali

About tuncali

I began keeping aquariums as early as I was nine years old. Since then, I kept many aquariums and lots of fish, plant and invertebrate species. My favorite fish family is of course cichlids with their fascinating behaviors. My relatively new area of interest is low-tech natural aquariums as almost self-sufficient ecosystems that are I think ideal models for sustainable life.

Wild form angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare)

Columbian angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare)

As a student in Turkey I was every time taken aback when I read in aquarium books and magazines that angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare) was one of the most popular aquarium fish. All the selective-bred angelfish races I saw in aquarium … Continue reading

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A pair of peacock bass (Cichla ocellaris) guarding their eggs in Bella Vista, Bolivia (video)

Male peacock bass (Cichla ocellaris) seen from the underwater camera

In January of 2007, I joined a three-week expedition in the Beni region of Bolivia which was organized by the Swiss biologist Robert Guggenbühl. It was rainy season in Bolivia. Water levels had risen 6 meters or more. A pair … Continue reading

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Biotope in my study, a low-tech natural aquarium

Bitope in my study. A low-tech natural aquarium

Like natural garden ponds this aquarium has no filter, no heater, no artificial light, no electrical equipment at all. It is a silent aquarium, a piece of real tranquility. It receives natural sunlight directly from the window. The temperature may … Continue reading

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Open source Web Content Management Systems: Why I chose Drupal

Bilyap Aquaristic

Last year (2008), I decided to migrate our somewhat antiquated Turkish aquarium site www.bilyap.com.tr onto a decent content management system, and started to investigate well-known open-source Content Management Systems (CMS) like Joomla!, WordPress and Drupal. I am a proficient programmer … Continue reading

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Renewable energy resources for beginners

Renewables in electricity production,  IEA 2004

You are maybe an economist, a financial analyst, or an engineer, or simply a layman interested in renewable energy. You think you need a solid overview but you don’t know where to start. I don’t know what’s the best way … Continue reading

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