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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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is certainly an
option.