Glossary

water column

Conceptual column representing the vertical section of a water body from surface to substrate.

Used in 124 species profiles

dither fish
Fish or group of fish, typically inhabiting open water in the mid-to-upper water column, used by aquarists to reduce innate shyness in other species.
pelagic egg
Egg floating freely in the water column. Sometimes buoyant.
pelagic phase
Period of time during the life cycle spent floating freely in the water column, usually as a larval constituent of plankton. Relatively common in marine fishes but also typical of amphidromous and diadromous species.
substrate
A surface on which an organism lives, moves or is attached to; the base material of a water body; a benthic habitat. Also used in reference to base material when added to an aquarium.
ultraviolet steriliser
Used to kill bacteria in the water column by exposing it to ultraviolet light.
vertical migration
Movement within the vertical plane of a water column.