Sorry, it looks like the EPA site is not ready. I tried using it by chemical name and nothing happened (even "arsenic" produced nothing). Also, I did not have the link in the link box. Please let me know if you are successful in getting any "hits". Here is a link that might be useful: link for above

As for feeling guilty, keeping fish is no different than a cat or dog. Most fish are farm raised. Very few are wild caught. "Most" fish sold now are hybrids and are a little more colorful than their wild cousins. Also, in a properly maintained and established tank, the fish usually outlive the wild ones. A far as low maintainance, it depends on your water chemistry and quality. Not meaning your tap water is safe to drink and has no bacteria, just pH,nutrients and hardness. For example tap water that is hard and higher in pH is going to be more work for the fish that require a more acidic environment, also the type of plants that will do well in it. This can be reversed for acidic water for the needs of hard water fish. Any way you can save alot of money by building your own tankstand. They usually cost as much as an aquarium kit. For live planted tanks with the "red" plants you like (my favorite also), you need a high amount of light. A few plants do well in the low light that is usually provided in "complete" kits. I can go on and on (I normally do), so I'll post a few sites for you that I found usefull. This first is all around the best IMO. P.S. Goldfish only become a problem if the tank and filtration isn't sufficient. A bowl is way too small for them. When they grow they emit more ammonia and poison them selfs. Also they can grow to 12"+, a min 30 gallon tank with good filtration will work great. Here is a link that might be useful: Best info IMO

sergnic - what part of Italy are you living in? Are you in the city or out in a rural area? I see mentioned in, "your page" that you are a botanist. I am very interested in more input from you concerning the types of figs grown in different parts of Italy. I have been there quite a few times. Many in the spring of the year when the figs where not ready to eat. I had to fill up on the Nespoli. My family has a farm in the Cilento, Campania area just south of Palinuro a sea coast town called Marina di Camerota, Italy. There are many different type of figs and other fruit growing there. This year we are planning a September trip. I should be able to get my fill of ripe figs during this seasion. I plan to ask what the names of the trees are take photos of them and also have a notebook to write down what my relatives tell me about the figs and other type fruit trees they are growing. My one uncle even has some sort of banana tree growing in his yard. How I wish I could take along home with me just small rooted trees of all sorts. Living in northeastern Pennsylvania Zone 5 makes it a bit rough but I still would like to try other trees I have seen growing there. I know other people using this forum would feel that way as welI. I have seen what some people have told me was a grape vine that they called a, "strawberry grape". Are you familiar with that type of fruit? I will be looking forward to whatever you can contribute concerning the questions I posed to you. Regards and thank you Tanti saluti Lou NE., PA

I agree with Joe; the extraordinarily good info and wonderful people here make every other website I've looked at seem boring; besides, the info in other places often tends to be redundant or (more troubling) wrong! (Even the much-loved Worms Eat My Garbage book has a fair amount of somewhat misleading info in it.) Reading this website regularly not only answers all your questions, but demonstrates quite decisively that there are lots and lots of perfectly successful ways to pursue this fun hobby; that so long as the basics are met, the details are quite flexible; and that you can tweak your set up to enhance your own personal goals from the system (whether it's worm breeding, compost-producing, waste recycling, or a combination of all three). And the absolute absence of flamers is so refreshing! We couldn't even get a good fight going over the dog poop issue! That said, I have found the photographs in other websites useful; especially since Cass stopped posting her pictures (where did you go, Cass?) we've had kind of a dearth of good close-ups, and they can be very helpful. Maybe we should try to start a Photo Gallery?