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(1st Salt
Water Aquarium!)
Below are listed a number of links that should answer most of the questions a new saltwater aquarist (or a person interested in taking on the hobby) would need to know/ask about techniques of the "art". While there are literally thousands of pages on the web covering these subjects, these links are ones that state them simply and most completely in a condensed way. They are the links I would recommed to anyone first starting out in the hobby.
(A "must" read!)
The Tao of Marine
Aquaria
Tips for Our Hobby and Life © 1997 Adam H. Whitlock Edited By Elizabeth M. Lukan 11/25/00 Knowing How to Set Up a Marine Aquarium, Adam Blundell M.S. Your First Reef aquarium: How to Create a Miniature Coral Reef System at Home. by J. Charles Delbeek B.Sc., B.Ed., M.Sc. About.com - Saltwater Aquariums 101 "Getting Started" FREE Email Course Thinking about setting up a saltwater aquarium? (melevsreef.com) An Introduction to the Marine Aquarium Hobby (Part 1) - Associated Content (Parrothead) An Introduction to the Marine Aquarium Hobby (Part 2) - Associated Content (Parrothead) "Getting Started" - Mike Paletta A List Of Good Beginner Fish Fish To Be Avoided - I Fish To Be Avoided - II Your Aquarium Cleanup Crew
by J. Charles Delbeek
"They are mysterious guests from an exotic world. Unlike anything else we keep in an aquarium, they represent the essence of the coral reefs that we try to duplicate in our living rooms. Our success at this effort depends greatly on how well we understand these unusual life forms. Unfortunately, for the average hobbyist, the increased availability of these animals is not matched by the information available concerning their biology and care. Too often, hobbyists know more about who manufactures their aquarium equipment than basic biological information, or proper identification of the animals they are striving to keep. And yet, without this information it is difficult to provide the optimum conditions that will allow them to grow and reproduce."
Answers to
Everything!
Learn to Live With It
Adam Blundell M.S.
"...As surprising as it may seem your tank will look ugly at first. This happens to all new marine aquariums as they cycle through their initial filtration phase. Your tank may go brown, and then green, and then red, and then just look junky. It happens. Consequently the one coral you really want to keep may not live. You may struggle to raise the prize fish you originally intended to acquire. It's okay; just learn to love whatever is working for you. Remember, not only is this a hobby, but we are keeping living ecosystems. Special efforts should be put forth to enjoy and appreciate what we are keeping, whatever it may be. It takes time and patience to turn a glass box full of rock into a beautiful, thriving reef tank..."  |
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03-19-2008 08:09
AM
(Cryptocaryon irritans)
 Marine "Ich" - ATJ's Marine Aquarium Site (Link provided by "gazog" - 3Reef) Cryptocaryon irritans, Part One of Five - By Terry Bartelme A Discussion of the Parasite and Treatment Options Part I, By Steven Pro Marine Ick - Treatment Options Available Part II - Steven Pro How to Identify & Prevent Saltwater Ich - LiveAqauria.com Saltwater Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans) - Drs. Foster and Smith Marine Ich, Cryptocaryoniasis - Webmedia.com More information on White spot Disease - Fishbase.org   |
  BY Steven Pro Aptasia Impressions By Morgan Lidster Inland Aquatics Guide to Controlling Aiptasia Anemones - Inland Aquatics By Bob Fenner Aiptasia, My Least Favorite Anemones in Captive Systems Terry Siegel Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine - Editorial: April 2007 |
Asterina Wega
Has been quite a while since I have had a outbreak of these...(which have been a plague in my tank since onset.) This AM (09 Nov 2007) - netted the following off glass. Have only seen one or two for quite a while, which I did not bother to pull out.  Apparently they are back with a vengeance. Have seen them come in "waves" before, and will have to go week or so, pulling them out daily to get population down. If this many on glass...God knows, how many are hanging out in and around LR. -- I can see a number of them, but cannot get to them without siphoning - which I do on water change days.
Nardoa and
Asterina spp Sea Stars
 There is some controversy over the Asterina species sea stars, which can multiply to great numbers in reef aquariums. Most aquarists report no problems with them, but some claim that they eat SPS corals and make every effort to remove them. There are more than one species of Asterina and it's speculated that some species may be harmful. It's also speculated that the Asterina sea stars will consume SPS corals once they reach a certain density. I happened to put a Nardoa species sea star into a small reef aquarium that contains a large population of Asterina sea stars. I discovered that the Nardoa sea star regularly consumed the Asterina sea stars. The Nardoa sea star san be a good biological control for those aquarists that want to reduce their population of Asterina sea stars. GREG SCHIEMER 
Starfish: Considerations for the
Common (and Commonly
Misunderstood) Varieties
 Asterina sea stars have been accused, unfairly at times, for preying on coral tissue. While some individuals appear to eat some desirable reef invertebrates, the problem may be a simple matter of an opportunistic predator adapting to a change in the available, preferred foods (worms, algae). Returning to our example of the common, small Asterina species found in some reef tanks, these sea stars in recent years have suffered, unfairly I might add, the reputation of being risky or just plain un-safe in the reef. This is interesting because for many years prior to that, they were not only regarded as harmless, but beneficial! What happened? Did they all change their voter registrations overnight? No, the answer really is quite simple. It also explains why some other "controversial" reef invertebrates have contradictory reputations like Mithrax/Mithraculus crabs. Many such creatures are opportunistic feeders. While they favor one type of prey that is convenient or popular to us, like sand bed worms, brown diatoms or bubble algae, they will adapt to eating other food items following the reduction or absence of a preferred food item. Thus, the reef keeper with a persistent growth of microalgae in a garden reef display will likely have less trouble with misbehaving omnivores than another aquarist with an aggressively skimmed and scrubbed tank that supports little growth of the matter. In a phrase, the hungrier that a so-called "reef-safe" creature gets, the less "reef-safe" that creature becomes. In the case of Asterina, many years ago during the bare-bottomed, nutrient poor Berlin style era of reef keeping, reef husbandry with early protein skimmers and limited nutrient export processes was not as efficient as it is today; diatoms and other nutritious growths grew quickly in our tanks. And Asterina were not considered un-safe by hobbyists.
Anthony Calfo
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How an aquarium
‘cycles’
Call it cycling, nitrification, biological cycle, startup cycle, break-in cycle, or the nitrogen cycle. No matter what name you use, every newly set up aquarium goes through a process of establishing beneficial bacterial colonies. Older aquariums also go through periods during which the bacterial colonies fluctuate. Failure to understand this process is the largest contributing factor to the loss of fish. Learning what it is, and how to deal with critical periods during the nitrogen cycle, will greatly increase your chances of successful fish keeping. The Waste Problem Unlike nature, an aquarium is a closed environment. All the wastes excreted from the fish, uneaten food, and decaying plants, stay inside the tank. If nothing eliminated those wastes, your beautiful aquarium would turn into a cesspool in no time at all. Actually, for a short period of time, a new aquarium does become a toxic cesspool. The water may look clear, but don't be fooled, it's loaded with toxins. Sounds awful, doesn't it? Fortunately bacteria that are capable of converting wastes to safer by-products, begin growing in the tank as soon as fish are added. Unfortunately there aren't enough bacteria to eliminate all the toxins immediately, so for a period of several weeks to a month or more, your fish are at risk. However, you need not lose them. Armed with an understanding of how the nitrogen cycle works and knowing the proper steps to take, you can sail through the break-in cycle with very few problems. Stages of the Nitrogen Cycle There are three stages of the nitrogen cycle, each of which presents different challenges.  Initial stage: The cycle begins when fish are introduced to the aquarium. Their feces, urine, as well as any uneaten food, are quickly broken down into either ionized or unionized ammonia. The ionized form, Ammonium (NH4), is present if the pH is below 7, and is not toxic to fish. The unionized form, Ammonia (NH3), is is present if the pH is 7 or above, and is highly toxic to fish. Any amount of unionized Ammonia (NH3) is dangerous, however once the levels reach 2 ppm, the fish are in grave danger. Ammonia usually begins rising by the third day after introducing fish. Second stage: During this stage Nitrosomonas bacteria oxidize the ammonia, thus eliminating it. However, the by-product of ammonia oxidation is nitrite, which is also highly toxic to fish. Nitrites levels as low as low as 1 mg/l can be lethal to some fish. Nitrite usually begins rising by the end of the first week after introducing fish. Third stage: In the last stage of the cycle, Nitrobacter bacteria convert the nitrites into nitrates. Nitrates are not highly toxic to fish in low to moderate levels. Routine partial water changes will keep the nitrate levels within the safe range. Established tanks should be tested for nitrates every few months to ensure that levels are not becoming extremely high.
How
To Avoid Disaster
What To Do The key for success is testing the water for ammonia and nitrites, and taking action quickly when problems occur. To aid in tracking the status of your aquarium, links to charts for logging your tests can be found under the charts section of this page. Each chart shows the danger zones and offers steps to reduce toxins before they result in loss of your fish. Test for ammonia: Begin testing on day three after adding the fish, and continue every day until the ammonia begins to drop. After it begins to fall, continue testing every other day until the ammonia reaches zero. Using the chart provided, plot the ammonia levels. Should ammonia reach the danger zone, take steps as shown on the chart. If at any time fish show signs of distress, such as rapid breathing (gilling), clamped fins, erratic swimming, or hanging at the surface for air, take immediate action to lower the ammonia level. Test for nitrites: Begin testing one week after adding the fish. Continue testing every second or third day, until it reaches zero. Using the chart provided, plot the nitrite levels and take steps as shown on the chart if nitrite reaches the danger zone. If at any time fish show signs of distress, such as rapid breathing or hanging near the surface seemingly gasping for air, test for nitrite. If levels are elevated perform an immediate 25-50% water change and test daily until levels drop. What Not To Do Don't change the filter media - the beneficial bacteria are growing there. Don't disturb them until they have become well established. Don't overfeed the fish - when in doubt underfeed your fish. Remember that anything going into the tank will produce wastes one way or another. Don't try to alter the pH - the beneficial bacteria can be affected by changes in pH. Unless there is a serious problem with the pH, leave it alone during the startup cycle process.
by Leonard Ho |
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Ways to Prevent and Remove Infestations Remove them by hand using tweezers or a net when you see them. Buy a bristleworm trap, or make your own. Use a baited nylon stocking. Introduce a natural predator of these worms into the aquarium, such as a Dottyback, Wrasse of the Halichoeres family, Bird Wrasse (Gomphosus varius), Maori Wrasse (Cheilinus oxycephalus), Sunset Wrasse (Thalassoma lutescens), Coral Banded Shrimp (Stenopus hispidus) or Arrow Crab (Stenorhynchus setrcornis). Severe Infestation Solution Although this problem is not likely to occur if the worms are removed when found, if your aquarium is overwhelmed by a severe bad type, or even a beneficial type bristleworms infestation, such as with those of the Eurythoe genus, you can quickly reduce the population by cleaning up the substrate and rocks. Here is what you can do. Only remove small portions of the aquarium substrate at a time and either: Spread it out on a plastic sheet, then sieve through the media by hand and pick the worms out using tweezers. Place the substrate in a plastic container partially filled with saltwater, and stir it around. The worms should come up from the media each time this is done and be in the water portion of the container where they can be scooped out. A fine meshed fish net works well for this. Remove the rocks one at a time and follow the rock cleaning procedure outlined under the "Preventative Measures" section above. Tip: It is advised to always wear a pair of gloves of some kind when dealing with Fireworms to avoid coming into contact with their stinging bristles. Tip: Whenever working with live substrate media and rocks in the open air, it is best to keep it moist, which can be done by using a spray bottle filled with saltwater to dampen it.
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Bristle Worm Stings Of the many species of worms, the bristleworm is one of the most dangerous. Bristleworms are elongated segmented worms. Each segment contains a pair of bristles. Although bristleworms are not aggressive, they bite when handled, and the bristles can penetrate skin (sting). Use heavy gloves if handling is necessary. Their coloration (see Image 2) is variable. Bristleworms are often found under rocks and corals in tropical areas throughout the world. # Bristleworm Sting Overview # Bristleworm Sting Symptoms # Bristleworm Sting Treatment # When to Seek Medical Care # For More Information # Web Links # Multimedia 
 (The only good bristleworm is one that is a future meal for one of my wrasses... 
)Bad Type Bristle Worm Control Bristleworm Trap and How to Use Them
Various type of home made models can be made. The difference has mostly to do with their size. You may want to start off with a small model and if that does not seem to work, upgrade to a larger one. Since you will be using very inexpensive materials (actually mostly food jars) the cost of changing is just about zero. Another manner in which to change and see if you can trap the animals you want out of the aquarium, is to change the food stuff you place inside the container that is used as the trap. That often is better than making an new trap. Sometimes the type of food has a great deal to do with whether or not worms and other animals will enter the trap you set up. If you have observed your aquarium at night, which you should have done, and know the approximate location (hiding space) of the worm(s), that is where you should place the trap, or at least as close to that area as you can. If there are different areas, you would want to move the trap around as you keep catching worms. Note that besides bristle worms you may have noticed that your tank contains a Mantis Shrimp. The method used to catch it is the same as the one described for the worms. The only difference may be that you need to enlarge the holes in the container you use as a trap, to match the size of the shrimp you need to catch. To make the trap, use a small plastic food container that has a lid. The container should be opaque not transparent. You do not want the animal you want to catch to be able to see the food inside. You want it to have to crawl to the top of the container and then in the container to get to the food. The smell of the food is what should attract it and make it do so. When the right kind of food is used, the animal will. What to put in the Trap for best Results? The choice of foods I recommend you place in the traps are: Shrimp meat (cooked) Scallop meat (raw) Fish roe (raw) Mussel meat (raw) Clam meat (raw) Pieces of edible fish such as fish for human consumption (raw) All these items are bought at a fish market, not at a pet store You can, of course, place several kinds of food in the container (trap). I do not favor brine shrimp. They do not seem to attract the worms and shrimp or other animals you want to get out of the tank. Frozen fish foods, bought at pet stores, do not seem to produce too good results either. What I am referring to is the commercially available frozen foods that you use to feed your fish. Stick with the ones listed above and your chances for success will be greatly enhanced. All fish markets carry that kind of food stuff. Fish roe may be a little harder to get but you can order it and ask the owner to keep it for you rather than throw it away, which is what they often do. The size of the pieces of food that you place inside the trap need to be "small" but not minuscule. Too large pieces of food do not produce the result you and I are looking for. You can cut the fish food you use up (whichever of the above you use) with a knife, or put it in a blender and chop it up. Do not make the pieces too small either (no mush please). When using a blender, set it so the breaking up does not go as far as making a paste of the food. When using a blender, a milky watery solution usually develops at the same time. Do not use it. It is laden with phosphates and will pollute your aquarium's water. You will then have to spend money to clean up the water before green filamentous and/or slimy algae start growing. Don't add pollutants to the tank that you later need to spend money on removing. You can avoid doing so by not adding the liquid. Place a small amount of food in the container and make sure it remains at the bottom. By small I mean pea size to two pea size maximum. Do not put more and if you do not catch bristle worms in the first 48 hours replace the food with fresh one. If you do not, the food will start to decay and pollute the water. As a matter of rule, the food should be changed every 48 hours at least. Changing it more frequently is fine of course. How to fabricate the trap: Use a kitchen type container or a used food container made out of plastic. Make sure you have lid for the container. The container needs to be opaque. I have outlined this before. After you have added the food to the trap, lower the container in the water and let it fill with water. Place it in the area where you think the bristle worm or whatever else you need to trap resides or hides. Before doing this though you need to prepare the trap: In the lid make an X shaped cut with a razor blade. The size of the X should be just smaller than the thickness of the worm, or Mantis shrimp, or whatever else you are trying to catch. Gauge the thickness carefully as the size of the opening in the lid needs to be slightly smaller than the size of the animal you are trying to trap. This is probably the only difficult part in the whole process. Remember that worms can make themselves real thin. Push the four pieces of plastic that are loose as a result of the X cut inwards, at about a 45 degree angle. You can do this with your fingers or a tool. They should remain in that position. This is important (see below). This allows the animal you want to trap to get in easily, but makes it hard for the animal to get back out. As it tries to get out, the pieces you pushed in will want to come back up as a result of the pressure the animal exerts on them. That is what makes it hard for the animal to get back out of the trap. Now all you need is patience. Remember that you may not catch anything the first day and that you need to persevere. Keep at it and you will catch what you are after even if it takes longer than you expected. The key is not to give up. If the container/trap you use is not working -meaning if you do not catch anything- change the food you put place in it and make the cut in the lid either smaller or larger, depending on what you are trying to catch. Sometimes the cut is too large and the worm or other animal gets back out, sometimes it is too small and the animal cannot get in. Adjust the size of the cut and eventually you will catch what you are after. Introduction to Bristle Worms Checking for Bristle Worms Trapping for Bristle Worms and other Undesirables What to put in the Trap. Go Get Them!!!  |
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(Anthony Calfo)
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Water Exchanges By Anthony Calfo
(Webmedia.com)
"Do not underestimate the need for superb water clarity. The expense of buying and operating specialized reef lights can be considerable... and discolored water reduces the penetration of light in to the aquarium..." In the present state of the hobby, maintaining a successful reef aquarium can be rather easy. With a reasonable, if not comparatively modest, investment of time and money, anyone can enjoy a healthy display of hardy and beautiful reef creatures. Yet after enough time spent in the hobby with a successful tank, you might still see other extraordinary tanks that make you wonder, “What are they doing different?” And you might hear stories of challenging species living many years beyond the norm in systems that seem to be the same as your in hardware and husbandry. But is the difference simply luck or good fortune? Almost certainly not - especially in the case of species longevity, which requires deliberate effort and consistent husbandry that stands the test of time. To sum it up in a word, the difference is finesse. Uniquely successful aquarists tend to have an arsenal of good habits that is thoughtful, tidy, and appears to be not very different than the norm, yet cumulatively sets them apart distinctly from the masses. In this article series, I intend to cover some key tips and tricks to better reef-keeping techniques that will quickly and noticeably improve the success of your aquarium. I often like to refer to such tidbits as “things you though you knew.” Many suggested improvements will not surprise you, and most I expect will make good sense and perhaps be familiar. But it’s easy to otherwise forget such good habits and get into a routine that becomes a bad rut. Indeed, we all tend to lead busy lives. However, skipping a monthly water change, for example (that might only take 30 minutes or so), seems to be quite remiss when companion dogs and cats require far more daily maintenance and attention. Do keep it all in perspective and be diligent about putting in extra effort for good aquarium husbandry, particularly when it requires so very little time. It will pay dividends in happiness for you and better health for your aquarium. The first and single-most stimulating thing you can do for aquarium vigor is to improve water quality; do more frequent water changes. It is completely lost on me why so many aquarists resist doing regular and hearty water exchanges. The benefits are quickly apparent, the cost of doing it is rather inexpensive, and the cost of not doing it is equally motivating (poor livestock health or premature death). In the US, the old rule of thumb is to exchange approximately 20 - 25% of the system water per month. Yet this guideline was established decades ago with aquariums that were necessarily understocked for the limitations of technology at the time, and an inability to keep many animals per tank. A four feet, or one meter, long aquarium in the 1970’s or 1980’s could only house, for example, a Zebrasoma tang, pair of clownfish, some damsels and perhaps a small wrasse… presuming the undergravel or box filters were maintained well! To think of the coarse media used for bio-filtration (sintered glass, crushed dolomite, non-carbonate gravel, etc.) is no wonder why tanks had to be stocked lightly. As such, modest water change schedules were tolerable for the typically lighter bio-loads. In today’s aquariums, however, the amount of biomass banked in live rock and live substrates (sponge, algae, worms, bivalves), plus the increased availability and use of fishes is far greater than decades past by a scale of magnitude. Thus, antiquated rules of thumb on water change schedules are dubious if even useful. Regardless of what decade one keeps fishes in, however, heavy bio-loads simply require more aggressive processing of organics. While we still cannot quantitatively assay all undesirable elements of aged aquarium water (and remove them) while measuring and supplementing all known (missing) desirable elements (or the rate at which they are removed), we can still keep an even keel on water quality by dilution. It’s an old adage, but, “The Solution to Pollution is Dilution.” Live by these words and you will enjoy greater success in the hobby! Regular and frequent water exchanges dilute known and unknown “nasties” while replenishing known and unknown desirable elements to aquarium water. "Quality filters and nutrient export products like protein skimmers can relieve some of the burden on water quality. But none can wholly replace the need for regular water changes..." The size of water change needed per tank varies not only on bio-load, but on several prominent aspects of husbandry, all focusing on nutrient export. More aggressive protein skimming, carbon and chemical filter media use, and vegetable or animal filtration (filter feeders and macroalgae refugiums, e.g..) can alleviate some of the burden on water quality and reduce some of the need for larger water changes. But we cannot avoid water exchanges altogether. Do consider that even with a 50% monthly water change, 50% of the undesirables, and depleted desirables, are still left behind. And those unfavorable “halves” accumulate and amplify month after month. This is the impetus, in fact, for aquarists with smaller marine aquaria to do 50%+ water changes weekly. They are largely spared the need for protein skimmers, dependence on heavy chemical filter media use/exchanges, and the alchemy of estimating how much of which magic elixirs (supplements) must be added. Best of all, it is all done at a very modest expense of mere tens of dollars per year in extra synthetic sea salt. Although it may sound remarkable at first to do such large water changes, it is not unnatural by any stretch of the imagination. Is there any better example of the power of dilution than the ocean itself? If you spend any time at all on living reef, you will be astounded to see how much water is exchanged in a moment: millions of gallons of water in flux within sight. Add to that the fact that so many popular reef creatures are intertidal, and we have a good argument to start with for the tolerance of reef creatures to hearty water changes. There comes a point, admittedly, where large water changes are not cost-effective in light of the alternatives (supplementation and aggressive skimming, ozone, carbon use, etc.). Larger aquaria themselves by nature are more dilute for their volume (generally less weight of fish per gallon of water) than smaller tanks where overfeeding and overstocking will concentrate in and cripple water quality faster. So instead of doing 50% or larger exchanges, you might only need 10 – 20% weekly water exchanges. This is, in fact, what I recommend most folks start with, and ramp up if needed. The point of the matter all is that smaller and more frequent water changes are better than doing the task monthly or less often. "Frozen foods are some of the most nutritious fare to offer reef fish and invertebrates. But take care to feed these foods properly! Always drain and discard the thawed pack juice, otherwise it accumulates and can be considerable fuel for nuisance organisms to grow from. " Under the best of circumstances, water quality in the aquarium after one month typically strays unfavorably downward in pH. It certainly increases in dissolved organics. Water clarity from discoloration becomes darker, however inconspicuous that might be to the naked eye during casual daily inspection. In heavily stocked reef displays – allelopathic compounds (chemical warfare) between corals, plants and algae amplify. Phosphorous and nitrogenous compounds inevitably accumulate too. The list of challenges to water quality goes on. Now instead of allowing these dynamics to crescendo before reducing them abruptly with a large monthly (or less often) water change, the smaller, more frequent water changes will dull the peaks and valleys of such swings in water quality to minimize the stress on the tanks inhabitants. You don’t even have to do larger total (volume) amounts of water exchange on tanks with a light bioload. Instead of doing, say, 20% per month on a lightly stocked large display… you might do 5% per week. Monitor aspects of water quality in the interim to insure that the modest exchanges are enough though (look to see that nitrates are not increasing for starters). Informal experiments have been done to compare if larger monthly water exchanges were better for water quality on testable parameters like nitrate than smaller weekly exchanges. In such trials where the same total volume was exchanged either way, the larger monthly water changes actually had a slight edge on the smaller weekly events. What the statistics do not reflect, however, is the stress of exposing livestock to greater extremes of water quality for longer periods of time by monthly water changes. Greater studies on allelopathic competition in time will undoubtedly, in my opinion, underscore the need for better attention to water quality in marine aquaria. It reminds me of the mantra that good and bad things alike should happen slowly in aquaria; small, frequent water changes support this wisdom. Water quality issues not only affect livestock directly, but play a role in hardware applications as well. It’s no secret that lighting issues are some of the most actively discussed and hotly contested topics in the aquarium hobby. How ironic is it then to see aquarists spend many hundreds of dollars on lighting hardware and operation (replacement lamps, electricity, etc.), only to ignore the fact that poor water clarity (color) is severely handicapping the delivery of quality light to photosynthetic reef corals and invertebrates?!? Please don’t just take my word for it though; take the time to notice the difference in color between new synthetic seawater versus aged water from the tank when compared side by side in clean white plastic buckets. To make matters worse, the difference need not be great to have a significant effect (reduction) of light in the water. A tinge of color can reduce the penetration of light at depth dramatically. For clarifying issues like this, the use of a lux or PAR meter for measurements of light is, well…. illuminating (pardon the pun)! If you cannot afford such instruments, look to the local aquarium club; many reef clubs will hold a small fundraiser where each member contributes a few dollars for the group to purchase and share a light meter (decent models can be bought for $150-300, typically… Apogee brand has been popular with aquarists). The benefits of using a PAR meter are many. photo caption: "Even with monthly partial water exchanges, aquarium water can become noticeably discolored. Even a slight discoloration significantly reduces the penetration of light at depth! Photo by Anthony Calfo" Beyond the measure of useful light (to photosynthetic creatures), a light meter can give a revealing indication as to when lamps have exceeded their useful lifespan. With a baseline measurement of new bulbs, you can track the degradation of light quality over time. It really is surprising to see how so many lamps lose considerable PAR value after as little as 10 months (hence the oft-cited “yearly” lamp replacement recommendations). Another great use for such meters is to take readings in the tank for corals that are being sold or traded. Similarly, known readings from coral suppliers will help you find optimal places in your tank for new specimens. The stress of acclimation to such new light is reduced by such efforts. You can also get a concise appreciation for how significant even a small amount of dust, salt creep or debris on lamps, lenses or canopies can be. With regards for how expensive electricity is too, it’s a money saving lesson that also improves the amount and quality of light that reaches precious reef creatures. While the purchase of a light meter is a not-insignificant expense, the savings on operational expense and lighting hardware alone may recoup the cost in the short term. And for the value of typical reef systems overall… it is a small investment that provides invaluable benefits to the care of photosynthetic livestock. In closing, some words should be said about doing a “proper” water change. Mixing up synthetic seawater is very easy and safe for doing large water changes if you follow some simple guidelines. As with all incoming water, whether for evaporation top-off or salted for exchanges, be sure to aerate and slowly warm new water for at least one day in advance. Using untreated tap water can be bad for several reasons. First of all, the dissolved oxygen coming out of mains is low in dissolved oxygen, which can be quite a shock for aquarium livestock. All tap water needs to be aerated to reach equilibrium or saturation with the atmosphere of the room that the aquarium is kept in. It also needs to be heated slowly over hours or a couple of days to match the system’s temperature. It can be dangerous to heat water quickly and use it right afterwards in the aquarium! When pouring oxygen-poor hot water into oxygen-rich cool water, there is the risk of driving oxygen off/out of solution and even causing oxygen/air embolisms in fishes much like divers that get “the bends” from nitrogen. It should also go without saying that the salinity of new water should be adjusted to match the salinity of aged/out-going water. While plastic hydrometers are handy and durable, please keep an extra hydrometer made of glass or a refractometer on hand to check the accuracy of plastic handheld hydrometers periodically. And finally, you should not underestimate the caustic nature of newly mixed seawater. Chemical reactions in dissolving synthetic sea salt mixes take time to complete. To temper the harshness of newly mixed seawater as well as insure thorough dissolution, mix freshly salted water for some hours up to one day in advance of use in the aquarium. Follow these suggestions and you will be on your way to finessing your own successful marine aquarium! with kind regards, Anthony Calfo - March 2005
Some good points to keep in mind
from Anthony Calfo, re: water
changes
The following is an extract from, Water Changes/Ex-changes, by Anthony Calfo  "... As with all incoming water, whether for evaporation top-off or salted for exchanges, be sure to aerate and slowly warm new water for at least one day in advance. Using untreated tap water can be bad for several reasons. First of all, the dissolved oxygen coming out of mains is low in dissolved oxygen, which can be quite a shock for aquarium livestock. All tap water needs to be aerated to reach equilibrium or saturation with the atmosphere of the room that the aquarium is kept in. It also needs to be heated slowly over hours or a couple of days to match the system’s temperature. It can be dangerous to heat water quickly and use it right afterwards in the aquarium! When pouring oxygen-poor hot water into oxygen-rich cool water, there is the risk of driving oxygen off/out of solution and even causing oxygen/air embolisms in fishes much like divers that get “the bends” from nitrogen. It should also go without saying that the salinity of new water should be adjusted to match the salinity of aged/out-going water. While plastic hydrometers are handy and durable, please keep an extra hydrometer made of glass or a refractometer on hand to check the accuracy of plastic handheld hydrometers periodically. And finally, you should not underestimate the caustic nature of newly mixed seawater. Chemical reactions in dissolving synthetic sea salt mixes take time to complete. To temper the harshness of newly mixed seawater as well as insure thorough dissolution, mix freshly salted water for some hours up to one day in advance of use in the aquarium..." Synopsis: Aerate incoming water. Age for at least a few hours. Make sure temp and salinity same as outcoming water. Make sure to crosscheck salinity reading with more then one hydrometer...or better yet get a refractomer. (Better yet, measure exact amount of salt mix needed for a given volumn of water. --- if over time more or less mix needed to reach desired salinity...measuring source may be whacky) Do often. “The Solution to Pollution is Dilution.” (Anthony Calfo) FYI 
PS: (overlooked) - Always
test salinity level of exchange
water at aqauarium tank
tempertature before using....can
be way off what you want
otherwise...
Quote:
BTW One more thing to add/or at least emphasize to above... Always know close approximation for how much salt to use for a given salinity in a given volume of water. ie. 12 cups salt for 30 gallons of water, 2.2 cups for five gallons... Not doing so, caused me a major disaster (one of several )
when just starting out...Is only way to provide check against misreading hydrometer or refractometer...unless you have a couple of different ones and use both to test every time water mixed... I keep hand made chart out in garage that I made up over time that shows me how much mix to use, almost to the teaspoon for different amounts of exchange water I want to make - also at water temp mixing at. (I try to be consistent.) Over time and when confidence established, just about eliminates need for Hydrometer/Refractometer for mixing water...  Easy to do if using specific size containers, salt mix bucket, plastic garbage pail, etc. ---just right down exact amount of salt used each time and note down on paper hanging on wall...just remember it all goes out the window if you change brand/type salt mix... FWIW Scott
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is certainly an
option.
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The only sand that can be safely used from Home Depot is what used to be called "Southdown" now called YardrightOldcastle, it is argonite beach sand, and is same stuff LFS's sell for much more $$$ --- unfortunately it is not carried by most of the Home Depot outlets. You might be lucky. You could always request a special order. See: YardRight/OldCastle Tropical Play Sand  Description From the YardRight website: Tropical Play Sand from the Caribbean is sterilized and silica-free. From the Caribbean our Tropical Play Sand from YardRight™ Select is all-natural product from the Caribbean. It has a bright white color and a pure, soft feel. It's screened, sterilized and safe for kids. Aragonite Sand SKU # 578-819 UPC # 0-210026-16865-5 Model # 420-100 You could also try to order online here. Even with shipping, you save bundles of money if you needed a couple of bags or more. Order online here: Just Phish --- Available: Offline: HomeDepot stores Available at the following stores: MI Lansing (936 S Waverly Rd Lansing, MI 48917) Home De Pot ssells 50lb bags for $6.99. NY Home Depot Newburgh, NY. Zipcode 12550 PA East Liberty, Pa. (400 North Highland Ave.) Home De Pot $3.84 plus 7% sales tax Year round in 50# bags Name is South Down Tropical Sand. I haven't tried it yet Mt Gravat Pet City $8.50 + gst AUD All Year. $8.50 for 10kg's of silver sand is very cheap. North Fayette Twp. , Pa. (on route 22 towards Pittsburgh Airport, by WalMart) Home De Pot $3.84 plus 7% sales tax Year round in 50# bags The name is South Down Carribean Sand. Perrysville, Pa. (112 Ben Avon Heights Rd.) Home De Pot $3.84 plus 7% sales tax Year round in 50# bags The name is South Down Tropical Sand. Wilkensburg Twp., Pa. (3550 William Penn Highway) Home De Pot $3.84 plus 7% sales tax Year round in 50# bags The name is South Down Carribean Sand. RI Warwick RI (e-mail niccikatie@yahoo.com if you'd like directions) Home Depot around $5.00 for a 50lb bag(including RI sales tax) It was sold out the first time I went in(early summer) but was there in ample supply by July. I absolutely LOVE this sand and am SOOO happy I found it! WI Home Depot 4550 Verona Rd. Madison, WI 53711 (60 
276-7922Comments: YardRight Tropical Play Sand is an aragonite sand. It is not mined and does not contain silica dust like many playsands do. Many playsands are made from crushed rock which is mined and filled with impurities that should not be in any crabitat. Many playsands contain crystalline silica, also known as quartz. Exposure to crystalline silica dust can cause lung diseases such as silicosis. Crystalline silica is a colorless mineral, also called quartz. It is an ingredient in sand and flint, which are used in making glass, cement, and concrete. While the playsand you find in ToysRUs and other places is a lot less expensive this is one case where quality of a product far outweighs the cost. |
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The Problem of Coral Reefs
Just a short observation and inner speculation... Standing on the edge, twisted branch breaks way colors, explode beneath gray water a man walks to me and says; "We cannot build here, they say that Mangroves are in our way." what a shame, he's shaking his dark head A cell in me jumps up to agree, for what a joy to erect a cabin, some structure upon this paradise by the sea... I gaze at the coral reef hidden under sunlit waves 'a single touch-a piece dies,' the divers caution yet I recall reaching for it like gold, a Midas touch will destroy even a tiny pink branch of its brittle beauty "Am I a victim of my own grasping?" I ask this stranger, so angry that his own reaching hand has been slapped by the rules, "Like Butterfly wings, I touch without thinking," I tell him. I touch without thinking-and the insect crumbles never belonging to me, yet I continue to swipe these delicate gifts, fancied only as possesions, rather than settling for a satisfied gaze, I'll never tame beauty with touch nor taste How could it be that the whole world does not belong to me? "We don't want the world," the stranger argues, "Only this small piece, a tiny parcel. Is it too much to ask for? A new home by the sea?" "The Mangroves should stay," I say. the man's face churns red, "Oh, one of those," he huffs, his arms unfolding in a circle, as if to hug a tree I watch, realizing I'm one of him, but only in soiled spirit when I used to want everything my own way, though I try to understand this sudden cleansing of my soul I need to walk backward a while, hovering too long on two legs, is a stature certain to be self-absorbing The winds have turned me inside-out I still like improvement-but more naturally Must we fight nature with such aggressive fists, a fighting pose that will certainly turn back on us in the shape of a sword? You know better than I what the sea needs, I whisper alone in the dark The knotted limbs of the old Mangroves are no longer mere shadows to me, they bow politely to sundown, like sleepy sheperds, gently guarding all this ocean against so many two-legged wolves. Chrissy K. McVay |
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I am the oldest coral reef
I see all, I know all I watch time fly over the years. I grow, I live, I give life to others. They come with chemicals and waste Taking, destroying, killing. People of earth Why do you do these things? I give you fish I give you life You kill the monk seal, the green sea turtle, the fish of the sea What have we done to you? We try to warn you But all you do is nothing. I know what will happen in the end and in the beginning. You people do not understand. We will not last. I will not stand for this and yet I can do nothing to stop you For I am only the oldest coral reef. by Tyler Sumner 6th grade, Volcano School
THE CORAL CUTTER
Coral propagation is a real delight Sometimes it keeps me up half the night I used to think they were so fragile But now they seem to be much more agile Slice 'em and dice 'em Drop 'em on the floor The really good ones can even take more A run to the grocery store while they sit on the table Put them back in the tank and they still seem stable Don't tell the tree huggers just what I do My methods and follies they really might rue Making coral cuttings doesn't seem much like a chore Or at least it's one that I wouldn't deplore by Tom Miller |
"OmarD"
(Scott Davis)
Maj, US Army (RET)
Silverdale, WA
3Reef is my
internet/forum home. I love the
discussion between responsible
and experienced reef keepers.
While I frequently visit other
forums and occasionally post on
them. Nothing compares to 3Reef.
About self: Live in
Silverdale, Wa - a ferry boat
ride away from Seattle. Is town
I grew up in. Am a retired US
Army aviator. Spent 20+ years
flying helicopters in "exotic"
places around the world.
Currently unemployed. Am married
to a beautiful Palestinian which
I met at during "Desert Storm."
Have two gorgeous daughters,
Sarah (15), Mariam (14). My
favorite hobbies are Reef
Keeping (of course), travel &
diving. In last few years my
only diving experiences have
been in Bali, Indonesia, which I
have been back to 4 times. And
am ready to return again, at any
time, when $ allow it. My tank
helps keeping me sane between
times of actually being in
water.
AG "125" AquaC EV 180, 30
gal sump, "SCWD", 80 lbs LR,
CoralSeaLife "Moonlite"
Hood, PFO 250W HQI
Mini-Pendant (XM HQI 10000k
bulb), Battery powered air
pump backup, Generator.
12 Gallon NanoCube
OmarD's Home Reef
"...nothing good ever
happens fast in a reef tank,
only bad things happen fast..."
- MIKE PALLETTA -
Contact:
Scott Davis
12207 Crossridge
NW
Silverdale, Wa. 98383
Email:
omard1@tscnet.com
Home Aquarium Page:
http://homepages.tscnet.com/omard1/aquarium.htm
"Om"
"Reef on"
