Reef Hobbyist Magazine Q4 2010

FOURTH QUARTER 2010 | Volume 4

coral Warfare!

what weapons do your corals pack?

A Nano LED Retrofit Pictorial 800 gallons of VIVID REEF RHM sponsored Reef-A-Palooza October 23-24, Costa Mesa, CA $5 off coupon inside!

www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com

features

6

a vivid 800 gallon show tank Dave Burr is a coral collector and the owner of Vivid Aquariums in Canoga Park, California. Ever dreamed of setting up a huge reef tank? See how Dave keeps his 800 gallon reef and its inhabitants healthy and

flourishing. Image by Greg Rothschild.

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seriatopora caliendrum: Another amazing birdsnesT Peggy Nelson, owner of All Reef in Minnesota, teaches reef-keeping classes and writes care requirement articles for various coral species.

Peggy’s spotlight on S. caliendrum describes the similarities and differences between this and other more popular Seriatopora corals, and its care requirements. Image by Stacy Drude.

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poriferans galore! Shayne Ballou is a self-proclaimed reef hobby addict pursuing a degree in Zoology at Michigan State University. You’ve probably seen them, but do you know what sponges are doing and eating in your reef habitat? Shayne discusses the physiology, feeding, reproduction, and care requirements of Poriferans.

Image by Jacob Preusakiewicz.

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the light at the end of the tunnel – my led saga Adam Mullins, co-owner of the Mystic Reef, is a professional reef aquarist and blogger. Have you been thinking about incorporating some LED lighting into your system? Adam offers a step-by-step pictorial of his nano LED retrofit. Image by author.

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the marine breeding initiative: advancing captive breeding Matt Pedersen, Chad Penney and Tal Sweet, council-members of the Marine Breeding Initiative, introduce a new marine breeder’s award program to promote the captive breeding of marine organisms.

Read about the program and learn how anyone can participate and contribute – beginners welcome! Image by Matt Wittenrich.

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strength in numbers: marine aquarium society of colorado Juan Muro has been a hobbyist for the better part of a decade and is the Vice President of the Marine Aquarium Society of Colorado. In this MASNA club spotlight, Juan shares how MASC is keeping its members at the forefront of the hobby. Image by Andrew Berry.

on the cover

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coral warfare

Richard Ross is a San Francisco Bay Area coral farmer and cuttlefish breeder. In this article, Rich highlights various ‘weapons of mass destruction’ employed by the beautiful corals we keep. Is your reef a potential battleground? Image by author.

fourth QUARTER 2010 | Volume 4 Copyright© 2010 Reef Hobbyist Magazine. All rights reserved.

ANNOUNCEMENTS • If you’re hosting a marine aquarium or reef event and would like copies of RHM for your attendees, email us at info@rhmag.com.

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• Reef Hobbyist Magazine is proud to be a sponsor of Reef-A-Palooza again this year. Our readers receive $5 off! (see next page) • Reef Hobbyist Magazine is proud to be a sponsor of Cincinnati Reefkeepers Society Frag Swap December 4. See details in the EVENTS section below.

• Congratulations to Jon Clements and O-R-C-A for an awesome MACNA 2010! RHM is extremely proud to be the media sponsor for MACNA and we look forward to a great MACNA 2011.

Upcoming Reef Events *Reef Hobbyist Magazine available at these events!

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WANT RHM IN YOUR STORE? If your store is interested in stocking RHM for your customers, email us at retailer@rhmag.com today! It’s fast, easy, and promotes the advancement of our hobby in your area!

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RHM Staff

SPECIAL THANKS

President Harry Tung Executive Editor Jim Adelberg Art Director Tamara Sue Graphics David Tran Advertising The A-Team

reeferscafe.com Greg Rothschild (gregrothschild.com)

Jon Clements Steve Allen & MASNA

comments or suggestions? comments@rhmag.com

show tank

a vivid W

hen I was twelve, my family took a trip to the Florida Keys where I snorkeled for the first time

800 gallon

show tank Article by Dave Burr Images by Greg Rothschild except as noted

6

in a coral reef park. I remember being amazed at

all the life under the sea and came home wanting a saltwater aquarium. Of course, due to the expense and responsibility, I did not get an aquarium until eight years later when I was twenty years old. It was then that I found a used, sixty gallon aquarium for sale at a local fish store in my college town of Wilmington, North Carolina. Unfortunately, it sat empty in my apartment for two more years.

Don’t miss RHM sponsored Reef-A-Palooza October 23-24 in Costa Mesa, California! (www.reefapalooza.org)

Once I graduated, I moved the tank to Atlanta, Georgia where I was finally able to set it up. I bought all the wrong equipment and made all the wrong choices. I basically bought a freshwater system for a saltwater tank, but I would not know that until much later. I made do, killed a lot of livestock, and wasted a lot of money. One year later, I moved the tank to Los Angeles. I actually transported all my livestock in a giant Rubbermaid container with a battery powered pump for two thousand miles in the back of my Ford Probe. Everything made it to my apartment in Los Angeles including a three inch stingray (which was later crushed by live rock during an unfortunate re-aquascaping incident).

every fish store in Los Angeles and eventually found a job at a local fish store near Los Angeles International Airport. This is where I learned how to design and construct marine aquariums. Some of what I learned was humbling. How could I have been so wrong?

Canister filters were out. Sump systems were in. I should have done more research!

My college degree is in Business Management; so naturally, I sold cars at CarMax and then phones at AT&T. In my free time, I visited

In 2006, one of my clients who had an 800 gallon aquarium decided to move to San Francisco. The new owner of the home

Three years later, I had accrued enough money to fund my new passion, Vivid Aquariums, a retail store in Canoga Park where I’ve made it my goal to participate in the new frontier of aqua-culturing live coral.

show tank

7

was willing to give me the 800 gallon system if we could move it.

I kept the aquarium and cabinetry but designed and built a whole new system for farming. This became our 800 gallon show tank.

Here’s a quick rundown of the system itself and the maintenance it receives. First off, this tank is 14 feet long, 3 feet front to back and only 30 inches tall. The surface area to volume ratio of a tank like this is pretty good, resulting in a high dissolved oxygen level for the corals. Of course, such a long tank needs lots of lights and we run 4X 1000-watt Ushio 20,000K and 5X 400-watt Radium 20,000K

show tank

9

bulbs over this system. Filtration is primarily biological with the use of three 150 gallon sumps and a 200 gallon refugium. The water flow is achieved with the use of three ½ horsepower pumps, one as a return from the sump and 2 pumps powering Ocean Motion 4 way oscillators for in-tank water movement. We use both a reactor loaded with calcium and magnesium media and manual dosing with Brightwell Aquatics products to keep our parameters in line.

Saltwater is made using NeoMarine Salt.

In an 800 gallon tank, there’s the opportunity to keep a lot of beautiful fish and that’s just what we’ve done! We have about 50 individual fish in this tank and my favorites include our Hawaiian Black Tang, Borbonius Anthias, and beautiful Mystery Wrasse.

Some of the other fish found in our show tank include a Powder Blue Tang, Sargassum Trigger, Sohal Tang, and a number of other brightly colored anthias and clownfish.

A total of nine metal halide lamps are used for this tank. Image by RHM.

Then there’s the coral! We’ve put over 200 different coral into this tank and they certainly grow at a quick rate. The mother colony of the Original Vivid Echino lives in this tank and has grown into a beefy 5" x 7" beauty. We also have a large Purple Monster colony and a 14" derasa clam that are among my favorites. Dozens of other rare corals call this tank home including the Vivid Rainbow Delight Acro mother colony and a Pectinia alcicornis.

This tank is fed daily with both high quality pellets and frozen food (mysis) and an assortment of algae is provided two to three times per week.

Hawaiian Black Tang

Borbonius Anthias

In terms of pest control, once you get to the point where you’re protecting a large collection of coral, you must actively take preventative measures against pests. We never put anything into this tank without an extensive dipping and observation process. In the past, we’ve had our fair share of experiences with the typical pests: acro-eating flatworms, red bugs, monti-eating nudis, we’ve dealt with them all. When we identify an infected specimen, we will pull out the colony (if possible), dip it, scrub off any remaining eggs, and re-quarantine until the pest has been eradicated.

And lastly, I’d like to share my three most important tips in keeping a healthy, thriving reef aquarium: high water-flow, high lighting, and stable water temperature and parameters. If you’re ever in town, please come by and check out our show tank!

Celebrity Chalices

10

Original Vivid Echino

Original Purple Monster

Read every past issue of RHM online for free at www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com.

This is one of three 150 gallon sumps. Image by RHM.

Mystery Wrasse

Sargassum Trigger

Riddler and Watermelon Chalices

Oregon Mummy Eye

show tank

11

coral

seriatopora caliendrum: another amazing birdsnest Article by Peggy Nelson

Seriatopora caliendrum. Image by Stacy Drude.

L

ately, I’ve been noticing that although the majority of people who keep SPS corals are very familiar with the beautiful Seriatopora hystrix coral, most are not familiar with the equally beautiful Seriatopora caliendrum (or its other closely related cousins S. guttatus, aculeata, stellata, and dentritica). All of these Seriatoporids fall into the “Birdsnest” category.

Seriatopora caliendrum is a magnificent coral that is somewhat similar to S. hystrix in structure, but its tips are very blunt and its branching patterns are farther apart and not as concentrated as S. hystrix. Caliendrum branches will, however, fuse with each other. This trait is common to S. hystrix and other Seriatopora species. S. caliendrum somewhat resembles Stylophora pistillata due to its larger branches and blunt tips, but they are two very distinct corals. The most common color morph we’ve seen in S. caliendrum is a golden colored branch with bright green polyps, occasionally revealing a bit of pink in the polyps as well. Also, S. caliendrum polyps appear “bushier” than those of S. hystrix. S. caliendrum makes a fascinating and beautiful display piece as it grows into a large maze of intertwined branches with beautiful polyps that cover the entire branch from base to tip. In the S. caliendrum image above and S. hystrix image below it, you can see the distinct differences between these two corals.

Seriatopora caliendrum is a relatively fast grower when presented with the right captive environment. Birdsnests are photosynthetic corals that prefer moderate to bright light and somewhat lower current levels than the majority of SPS corals. We are presently housing our S. caliendrum in a large frag system where it is situated

12

Seriatopora hystrix. Image by Greg Rothschild.

indirectly under high intensity LED lighting. A Tsunami wavemaker provides random current from three Maxijet 900’s, and in this setup, this coral’s vigorous growth is quickly making it one of our customers’ favorites. As is true for all corals, random current is preferred and wavemakers provide the perfect water flow with not only random flow but also brief periods of gentle or no flow. In the wild, S. caliendrum is typically found in more protected areas where these conditions are present. For best success with this coral, we recommend providing it with these conditions. Also keep in mind that this is an SPS coral and requires the necessary calcium and trace mineral supplementation to maintain its good health and growth rate. If you are keeping a mixed reef, regular (weekly) water changes with a good salt mix will be sufficient. If, however, you are keeping an SPS dominant reef, trace mineral supplementation is necessary.

Culturing S. caliendrum is easy and, if given proper placement and care, frags will grow out quickly and do very well. We find it easier to frag larger pieces of this coral than S. hystrix because its branches are thicker and also farther apart, making it easier to get fragging tools between the branches. This birdsnest responds well to cutting and both parent colonies and frags seem to polyp out almost immediately once returned to the tank. This is a great coral for culturing!

Particulate feeding is of paramount importance for most corals, and we feed all of our SPS corals a variety of foods suitable for their

Don’t miss RHM sponsored Reef-A-Palooza October 23-24 in Costa Mesa, California! (www.reefapalooza.org)

A beautiful Ponape Birdsnest.

Image by Greg Rothschild.

Watermelon Birdsnest. Image by author.

S. caliendrum is easily propagated in captivity. Image by Jim Adelberg.

A typical S. Caliendrum. Image by author.

This Stylophora resembles S. caliendrum. Image by author.

small polyp size. Our favorites are Coral Frenzy, Reef Chili, H20 Life frozen coral food, and frozen Cyclopeeze, but we’re always open to trying other suitable foods to provide the greatest variety possible. Feed your corals! They’ll reward you with good health and incredible beauty for years to come.

In conclusion, Seriatopora caliendrum is an incredible coral that is well-suited to the reef aquarium and if cared for properly and fed on a regular basis should provide you with years of enjoyment. We highly recommend them and give them blue thumbs up!

Coral

13

sponges

Poriferans

galore!

Article by Shayne Ballou Images by Jacob Preusakiewicz except as noted

W

hile the ornamental reefkeeping spotlight will forever shine brightest on SPS and LPS corals, lurking in the crevices of most of our reef tanks is another fascinating invertebrate group. They have a life history far longer than the oldest corals and this ubiquitous group has developed specific adaptations which have allowed it to reach around 15,000 species total. The invert group in question? Sponges!

Sponges fall under the Domain of Eukaryota, in the Kingdom Animalia and the Phylum Porifera. They were some of the first multicellular organisms on the planet, and have survived more extinction events than most organisms existing today.

This species of sponge is photosynthetic and makes a great centerpiece in a reef tank.

This yellow sponge has a very open body structure. Image by Jim Adelberg.

The Ostia and Osculum are clearly visible on this gray encrusting sponge.

A community of sponges living under a piece of live rock. Image by Jim Adelberg.

These sponges will usually be found in the darkest areas of a tank. Image by Jim Adelberg.

Physiology Sponges have been around for over a billion years, giving them time to become very diverse with many different types of adaptations.

In this section, I would like to cover some basic sponge physiology consisting of body structure, feeding strategies, and breeding. The body structure of a sponge is incredibly simple and this is likely to be what has allowed them to thrive over the centuries. Sponge bodies are mostly made of two things or some combination of the two: spongin and spicules. Spongin is a modified collagen protein that feels soft to the touch; this is what gives the sponge its “spongy texture.� Spicules (the same thing corals use to build their skeletons) are hard and make up the fibrous part of the body.

Spicules are made from siliceous or calcareous materials and stack on top of one another, forming an intricate architecture of tangled spines and rays. This gives sponges their ability to grow upwards and form contorted body shapes.

14

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Feeding Sponge feeding has been unchanged for millions of years, and is often mislabeled as filter feeding. This term implies the use of a filter which is not the case for our poriferans. If you were to pick up a sponge, you would see many tiny holes dotting the sponge’s surface with a few larger holes in various locations. The small holes are called Ostia while the larger ones are called Osculum. The sponge pulls water in the Ostia and pushes water out the Osculum, and it is this pushing and pulling of water that leads to the correct name of their feeding, which is “suspension feeding.” If we were to insert a tiny camera into one of the Ostia, we could follow an intake canal that would end in a larger feeding chamber. Inside this chamber is where the actual feeding of the sponge takes place, and this is achieved by a cell called a Choanocyte. A Choanocyte is a specialized cell that lives strictly on the inside of the sponge. They have a long tentacle at the top and a feather-like collar around the base. The long tentacle sways back and forth in the water creating a current, which is responsible for the movement of water through the sponge. As the sponge moves water through itself, the featherlike collar at the base of the Choanocyte directs flow, causing tiny phytoplankton, zooplankton, bacteria and particulates to become trapped inside the sponge where they are then absorbed by the body. Considering this type of feeding does not imply the use of a filter and relies on suspended particulates in the water, it makes sense to call this type of feeding “suspension feeding.”

Reproduction Having been around for over a billion years, sponges have gotten pretty good at reproduction. I mean, what’s a billion years’ worth

of practice, right? Sponges can reproduce both sexually and asexually. Asexual reproduction in sponges may result in buds or branches that can break off to become another colony (easy fragging). Sponges reproducing sexually typically use a type of spawning called broadcast spawning. This is where the sponge releases gametes, or sex cells, into the water column which are then pulled into another sponge via the Ostia and subsequently fertilized. The early stages of development usually take place inside the parent sponge until the babies are released as planktonic larvae. The larvae eventually settle to the bottom where they metamorphose into a sessile sponge.

Keeping Sponges So, thinking of possibly keeping a Poriferan? If so, good for you! I will devote this section of the article to keeping sponges in a marine aquarium. Now that I have touched on the physiology of the sponge and its feeding and breeding strategies, I hope it will be easier to understand what it takes to keep sponges in an aquarium. Like any stocking decision, adding a sponge to your aquarium should be a planned decision and not an impulse decision. Prior to the acquisition of a sponge, it’s a good idea to make sure you have a tank that is sponge compatible. Some species of angelfish, starfish and triggers love to munch on sponges so be sure to choose fish that won’t hurt your sponge. Because sponges are highly tolerant of dissolved organics in the water, they are easy to keep for hobbyists of all levels. Once your tank is “sponge safe,” then it’s time to select a sponge. When purchasing a sponge, you must learn as much about it as possible. A few rare species of sponge even need light to perform photosynthesis in order to survive (usually bright blue or

sponges

15

purple sponges) but all are suspension feeders as described above.

Once you have chosen the sponge you like, it’s time to place the sponge in your tank. Most sponges that are not photosynthetic are light intolerant and prefer to be in a low light area of the tank.

However, if you do have one of these photosynthetic sponges, they should be kept under high light. Metal halide lighting seems to work well. Considering that sponges are suspension feeders, it is best to keep them in an area of the tank with moderate to low flow where they can have easy access to suspended food. Of course, they must be kept away from species that could possibly sting or damage them. Also, the location you choose for your sponge may determine its growth pattern and its shape, based on the water flow around its new home. Typically, sponges in high flow areas grow relatively short, are often rounded and tend to encrust more.

Sponges in lower flow areas typically exhibit a more branching and vertical morphology.

Sponges will suspension feed in your tank on their own. But, for optimal growth, it doesn’t hurt to add food to the water column.

Personally, I like the Reef Nutrition Phyto Feast. This is a planktonic food that not only feeds sponges but all suspension feeders in your tank as well as your live rock. Sponges usually grow slowly and AquaStikQtrPage.QXD:PhosBan Qtr Page.QXD 3/1/10algae 3:30 cannot move so it is important to make sure no nuisance

Stick with Sprung

Julian Sprung introduced AquaStik™ coralline red epoxy putty to the aquarium hobby more than 15 years ago. Since then aquarists all over the world have bonded with us. Now you can use our stone grey or coralline red epoxies, in 2 or 4 oz sizes.

Create amazing aquascapes with AquaStik and our CorAffix™ viscous cyanoacrylate, or attach frags to plugs with our CorAffix gel.

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Miami Gardens, FL 33169 USA www.twolittlefishies.com

This black sponge, growing on Fiji live rock, exhibits an interesting body shape.

This encrusted yellow sponge may be difficult to frag cleanly.

grow over the sponge, which would block its intake and expulsion of water. Once you have your sponge in the tank in a safe area, it’s time to sit back and watch it grow!

Fragging Sponges

PM Pageto 1learn to frag a sponge. Sponges are usually fragged very It’s time

easily and should be good practice for your cutting skills. Unlike most coral, sponges can be easily damaged by being out of the water. So before you grab your sponge and try to cut it, you’re going to need to take a few preliminary steps and prepare some materials. Items you should have on hand for a sponge fragging event include a new razor blade (rust free), coral clippers, fragging container, CorAffix or some other superglue gel for attaching coral, frag plug or small rock, safety glasses and your favorite music in the background. Now it’s time to begin. First, start off by removing a couple gallons of water from your tank and placing it into your fragging container. One to two gallons should be plenty. Remember that sponges dislike being out of the water so it’s best to quickly move the sponge from your tank to the fragging container. Ideally, all transfers and all of the fragging should be done underwater. Now that the sponge is ready to be fragged, it’s time to choose which part of the sponge you will be cutting. It’s best to be conservative when fragging anything for fear of damaging the main colony. I usually try to cut off an odd section that sticks out or branches away from the main colony. Before you make the incision, make sure the surface of the sponge is free from debris and you have removed any oil or dirt from the razor blade. Time for the incision!

Steadily and firmly push the razor into the sponge, trying to make the cleanest, straightest cut possible. Straight cuts may heal faster than jagged ones. If your sponge is encrusted, use coral clippers to break the base of rock so just the sponge is holding it together, and then cut the sponge with a razor. Now add a small bit of glue to your frag plug and quickly place your new sponge on the glue, holding it under water until the glue sets up. Once the glue has set up, move both sponges back to the main tank and enjoy!

For any questions or comments, please feel free to email me at Balloush@msu.edu.

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Don’t miss RHM sponsored Reef-A-Palooza October 23-24 in Costa Mesa, California! (www.reefapalooza.org)

Lighting

the light at the

end of the tunnel

my led saga Article & Images by Adam Mullins

“One of these days, I’m going to try that,”

I used to tell my customers when we would start discussing reef lighting for small tanks, and the custom LED retrofits they were building for their nano tanks. These ubiquitous little light emitters are in everything from flashlights to headlights, as well as a slew of home and accent lighting.

What we are most concerned with, at least within the context of this article, is the use of LEDs for lighting aquaria and growing coral.

The time was right for this tank to make the switch to LEDs.

The debate continues as to how well LEDs will grow corals compared to other lighting systems such as T5HOs or metal halides. At a large frag swap event, I spoke to an old farmer friend about LEDs and their benefits, especially at shows like these where power draw has always been an issue, only to be met with fierce defiance. He said that due to the law of conservation of energy, LEDs could never provide anywhere near the light energy of metal halides. I didn’t feel like mentioning the large amount of energy that is LOST by metal halide bulbs in the form of the extreme heat they produce. Or that many potential customers like the growth form and color exhibited by corals under LED lighting, as it would have made no difference. This article does not attempt to add any more fuel to that fire it’s only a matter of time before it’s extinguished altogether anyway. Instead, this article is meant to give a little inspiration, maybe kick-starting that DIY project you’ve been meaning to get around to.

LEDs have proven their relevance (the continually expanding lineup of fixtures as well as the many new LED lighting companies should prove that point), and are becoming more popular than ever. While LEDs started out as mostly inadequate moonlights for aquariums, they have grown ever more sophisticated and are now available to suit a wide range of lighting needs.

The current diversity of LED lighting options in the hobby is staggering. From spotlights, pendants, and retrofit units, to many different complete fixtures, some with such features as dusk/dawn simulation, there’s truly something

The “cool” look of LED lighting.

18

Read every past issue of RHM online for free at www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com.

for every application. Utilizing LED track lighting to add angled light from the front can produce a pleasing effect and intensify the colors of fish normally lit only from above. Maybe there’s a dark spot in the back of your tank or between those massive metal halide reflectors!

You could spotlight a certain coral colony for dramatic effect, or fine tune the color of your lighting spectrum until your corals are as fluorescent as possible and “POP.” Or you could be like me, just searching for an efficient, long term, attractive light source to replace the worn out PC’s on a nano-tank, with a taste for the adventure of trying something new.

As I said, I have had many conversations with customers about all this new LED technology as it was gaining ground, and how cool it would be to construct an LED replacement for the archaic PC technology over my nano display. About 2 years ago, there were some innovative reefers showing off their DIY handiwork online, with some pretty impressive results. It did not seem that hard, but the footwork that went into getting the necessary LEDs, heat sinks, and power supplies, mostly pieced together from various electrical suppliers, was more than I could handle at the time, and perhaps just a tad out of reach of my electrical skills. So the idea of a custom LED retrofit hood fell by the wayside.

Anyway, fast forward to the present and with the relative abundance of various LED units, now seemed like a good time to FINALLY realize my goal. I ended up choosing a few different components from an LED supplier because of their plug-n-play, modular design, which I felt was far easier than MacGyverin’ up my own heat sinks and mounting plates. I chose 2 different models: two 12 watt Panorama Modules, one of which was 8,000Kelvin/453nm day light, while the other was pure 453 actinic blue. In addition, I used a variety of daisy-chained 6 watt Stunner Strips to fine tune the color and effect I wanted and fill in any visible dark spots. I also chose to add an additional 8,000K/453nm, pure 453nm actinic blue, and lastly a solid 403nm ultraviolet after experimenting and seeing the intensity of color it created.

lighting

19

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Here’s how I did it: Aquapod hood comes stock with dual 32 watt power compact bulbs.

1.

Stock hood with plastic shroud removed.

I unplugged the existing hood with dual 32 watt power compact bulbs, and proceeded to remove the plastic shroud which protects the internal components.

(Although I was told the plastic shroud would be unnecessary since the Stunner Strips were sealed and waterproof, I chose to put mine back in place after final assembly.)

2. Next I removed the bulbs and began unscrewing the metal reflector. All it takes is the removal of a few screws to reveal the inner workings of most complex things, light fixtures notwithstanding.

3. Once the reflector was out of the way, the

“guts” were fairly visible. I snipped the wires and removed the ballast. My particular model was equipped with fans, and they were fairly simple to hook back up with moderate electrical know-how.

I left mine disconnected and the tank is no worse for wear. It experiences little to no heat swings in my air conditioned store, another benefit of LED over PC.

Stock wire connectors removed and saved for re-use later.

Wiring detail with switchbox cover removed.

Hood gutted, reflector and ballast removed.

4. On the hood I was working with, all wires went through a back switchbox which allowed independent control of each bulb and each fan, as well as two tiny moonlights. I still wanted to manually control each unit - the daylight, actinic blue, and three Stunner Strips, so I carefully removed the stock wire connectors that were attached to the switches to save for later. If you feel this may be out of your realm of electrical expertise, you can achieve the same effect by forgoing the switches and plugging the individual power cords into timers or an aquarium controller directly.

5. The next step probably required the most use of creativity. I laid the Panorama Modules out in the rough positions I wanted and began to figure out how I was going to secure them inside the plastic hood. I found some of the molded screw holes used to hold the old parts in place, and with some slight tweaking and slanting of the modules, I was able to mount them to the stock screw holes. The Stunner Strips were more straightforward to mount using 3M adhesive backing or small brackets. I am quite wary of adhesives as means to a permanent mounting solution, but this backing was very sticky, and coupled with the light weight of the strips, proved to be more than sufficient.

Rough layout of Panoramas and Stunner Strips.

lighting

21

6. I then cut the power wire for each module, routed it through the switchbox, and plugged it into one of the switches using the stock connections. Make sure all fittings are tight and secure, and use electrical tape as needed.

Detail of spliced wires with stock wire connector.

7. Once all the wires were connected and routed through to the back, I test fired the lights and made sure everything was working as planned, with no sparking or electrical shorts. After confirming that everything was in working order, I reattached the switchbox cover, as well as the clear plastic shroud, and reinstalled the hood.

Test firing the new lamps.

KWreactQtrPage.QXD:PhosBan Qtr Page.QXD

6/3/10

A Sprung reactor ?

Patent-pending design by Julian Sprung

The KW Reactor™300 from Two Little Fishies automatically makes saturated kalkwasser by mixing freshwater with calcium hydroxide in a reaction chamber.

Use with any 200 gph standard powerhead with 1/2 inch ID hose, and a timer or a level switch to deliver top-off water from a reservoir. Includes check valve and flexible fittings, all for a price that won’t make your head spin.

For optimal results, operate your KW Reactor with Two Little Fishies Kalkwasser mix, the highest purity, highest efficacy calcium hydroxide. Available in 1lb, 4lb, and 25lb sizes.

Two Little Fishies Inc. 1007 Park Centre Blvd.

Miami Gardens, FL 33169 USA www.twolittlefishies.com

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Of course the difference between power compact lighting and the new LEDs is as clear as night and day. Trying to photograph the change is a little trickier. The LEDs’ outputs are heavily weighted toward the blue end of the spectrum, making it especially challenging to get an accurate white balance to compare a before and after shot.

What has been surprising is watching the corals adapt to the new lighting. Some of the Ricordea and Acans have begun to fluoresce and color up nicely. Some appear almost pastel in color, which may be a sign of too much light and subsequent bleaching.

Many viewers comment on the “high def” new look of the LED lit tank, and it’s an observation I’ve also made when viewing tanks lit

by LED lights. Clear water helps, but there seems to be an added crispness from LED lighting that is very attractive.

I’ve had quite a few customers create their own custom LED retrofit after viewing my handiwork on the Aquapod and witnessing the results. Glitter lines are just one visual benefit of LED over traditional fluorescent lighting. Vivid colors suddenly become visible or enhanced. This phenomenon is not too hard to replicate with a balanced T5HO lighting set-up but can be challenging and costprohibitive on smaller tanks, especially if bulb costs are taken into consideration.

It seems like new LED lighting technology is becoming available every day, and it’s interesting to see pioneering reefers incorporating them into their displays. In the short time it took to write this article, even more LED options are available that seemingly eclipse my first generation DIY hood. Your local fish store may now be offering retrofit “bricks” as well, making the conversion even less

Don’t miss RHM sponsored Reef-A-Palooza October 23-24 in Costa Mesa, California! (www.reefapalooza.org)

Shot of tank lit by old PC bulbs.

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6/3/10

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Have you got us in the palm of your hand yet ?

The same tank lit with the new LED arrays.

Two Little Fishies MagFoxÂŽ is another patent-pending invention from aquarium expert Julian Sprung. It scrubs aquarium hoses, pipes, and siphon tubes to remove algal films, encrusting invertebrates, or other coatings. Simply insert the inner part in one end of the tube and just use your hand to move the circular outer piece to any position. Powerful neodymium magnets and an abrasive pad on the inner piece make it easy to scrub away anything that obstructs water flow, so you can maintain optimal perfomance of all your filters, and eliminate unsightly algal growths in the plumbing. Use it even when the filters are running!

Two Little Fishies Inc. 1007 Park Centre Blvd.

Miami Gardens, FL 33169 USA www.twolittlefishies.com

LED lighting reveals subtle colors in previously brown specimens.

painful. Hobbyists should be able to replicate my results for around $150-$250, depending on how many modules are used.

If your nano has been neglected, bring it back to life with a fresh new light setup. It could prove to be a valuable experience for future endeavors.

lighting

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captive breeding the marine breeding initiative: advancing captive breeding Article by Matt Pedersen, Chad Penney and Tal Sweet

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here are many pressures on today’s tropical reef environments. The practice of captive breeding can reduce the need for wild-caught aquarium specimens, and supporting captive breeding efforts is one way that we, as hobbyists, retailers, and wholesalers, can help. In recent years, while there have been many breakthroughs that have helped make captive breeding easier for the average hobbyist, much of this information has been difficult to find and understand.

In late 2009, several board members of the Marinelife Aquarium Society of Michigan (MASM) embarked on a mission to create what is now the Marine Breeding Initiative (MBI). The MBI was created as a tool to encourage the marine aquarium community to become involved in the captive breeding of ornamental marine organisms.

The MBI, designed with the help of leading marine breeding experts Matt Pedersen and Matt Wittenrich, is a standardized database and award system that can be easily adopted by aquarium societies and website owners to promote captive breeding amongst their members. The adoption of a standardized format fosters friendly competition, encouraging innovation and discovery.

For anyone who’s familiar with freshwater aquarium clubs, the MBI can be succinctly described as a Breeder’s Award Program (BAP). The problem with freshwater BAPs is that they are different in every club. Not so with the MBI. The MBI offers a standardized model that uses a central database to share information between all MBI participating organizations.

This broad effort will reward and encourage new hobbyists to begin breeding, and existing breeders to tackle more difficult species and try new techniques. The intention is to roll out the MBI to all saltwater organizations as a UNIFIED BAP. This means the following:

#1.

Breeders’ points and ranks remain tied to the individual breeders if they should move from one club to another. No starting over at the bottom if you move halfway across the country.

#2. Each MBI participant can decide which organization they are

“playing for.” If someone is a member of a half dozen clubs and

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Captive bred Neon Dottybacks. Image by Matt Wittenrich.

This batch of captive bred Sgt. Majors was the result of 3 years of dedicated work! Image by Matt Wittenrich.

organizations, they can choose which organization to designate as their home. Once points are attributed to an organization, they are associated with that organization thereafter. Think of it like being a baseball player. A baseball player has lifetime stats, but at any one time, plays for a particular team, accumulating points for that team as well. We assume that individuals will most often “play” for their home club, provided it’s a MBI participating club.

#3. The net result: inter-club competition! The MBI system allows any local club to compete with any other club around the world. As we all know, the simple spirit of competition can be a tremendously motivating force.

The MBI program, again departing from the standard freshwater BAP model, awards points for milestones (events) within a breeding project. This is done with the understanding that not every project is a success, but there is still merit in recording and sharing failures or partial successes. Breeding events are separated into four categories: Spawn, Hatch, Settlement, and 60 Days Postsettlement. Once a breeder has achieved one of these milestones, a report can then be filed in the MBI reporting system. Points are awarded to the breeder after the report has been approved by three members of the MBI Council. Points are awarded only once per event, per species, per breeder. This encourages successful breeders to continually work with new and different species.

Species are grouped in four categories by difficulty and points are awarded accordingly.

As an individual participant, the first step in getting involved with this captive breeding program is to register with the MBI and create a Breeder’s Journal at the participating website of your choosing.

MBI Breeders’ Journals use a standardized layout for data that contains the core information for each breeding project. The breeder records this information, starting with information regarding the broodstock, continuing through the spawning, hatching, and rearing of the offspring as the project progresses. While most freshwater club BAPs require donations of live offspring as proof of success, the MBI requires photographic documentation for each level of the breeding project, which can be updated over time.

As MBI participants accumulate breeding successes (completing and documenting all 4 breeding events), they move up in rank within the MBI system. A breeder’s ranking provides an at-a-

Enter the RHM Photo Contest to win cool prizes at www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com!

mission of the Marine Breeding Initiative:

1 2 3 4 5

To encourage captive breeding of ornamental fish and invertebrates.

Do you want a Veggie Clip that doesn’t Suck?

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To share knowledge of captive breeding techniques.

To enable more people to participate in captive breeding.

To recognize outstanding achievements in the captive breeding of marine ornamental fish and invertebrates.

Two Little Fishies VeggieMag doesn’t need a suction cup because it’s held in place by powerful neodymium magnets.

Position it at any level in the aquarium and retrieve it without getting your hands wet. What’s more, it floats, so it won’t get lost in the aquarium.

To create a pool of information for hobbyists and professionals to use in the breeding of established and untried species.

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To reduce reliance on wild caught animals for the marine aquarium trade by supporting captive breeding and sustainable collection.

A batch of clowns at the house of MBI Council Member Edgar Diaz. Image by Tal Sweet.

Bragging rights go to Tal Sweet and the Marinelife Aquarium Society of Michigan for this batch of Picasso Clownfish. Image by Tal Sweet.

Patent-pending design by Julian Sprung for:

Two Little Fishies Inc. www.twolittlefishies.com

glance gauge of breeding experience and success (and offers a bit of bragging rights). Through the point and ranking model, the MBI is designed to promote well-rounded breeding practices as well as encourage beginner breeders by acknowledging progress even if initial success is hard to come by. The highest rank available is that of “Grand Master Breeder,” which possibly only one or two people in the world currently qualify for!

As of July 2010, the MBI includes 120 approved reports for 32 different species by 14 registered breeders from around the country.

Currently, the top five breeders are Matt Pedersen, Tal Sweet, Joe Thompson, Kevin Kramer and Debra Berlin. Also of note is Kevin Kramer who, at age 15, is the youngest breeder in the program.

Kevin was awarded the Youngest Breeder Award at the Marine Breeder’s Workshop last March.

An Orchid Dottyback at two months post-settlement. Image by Tal Sweet.

In addition to being an online resource and BAP for marine breeders, the MBI hosted the Marine Breeder’s Workshop in March of this year – possibly a “first of its kind” event dedicated exclusively to marine ornamental culture at the hobbyist level. The 2010 workshop included presentations by Matt Pedersen and Matt Wittenrich, as well as a personal Q&A session afterward. The workshop was attended by over 40 people from around the country. The first round of breeder awards was also given out at this year’s workshop.

Another area of focus for the MBI is the search for new “first foods” for larval stage fish and invertebrates. Phytoplankton and rotifers have been the default first food sources for marine ornamental

Juvenile Comets bred by Matt Wittenrich. Image by Matt Wittenrich.

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larvae but they aren’t effective for all species. Working to culture new foods such as various copepods and different types of phytoplankton for better larval enrichment and growth are high priorities for the breeding community. The MBI Council is currently developing a culture reporting mechanism to encourage the ongoing search for new and different foods - a mission critical activity directly tied to being a marine breeder. The culturing of food organisms is an additional way in which a breeder can obtain points and ranking within the MBI program.

Innovations in larval collection and rearing methods are also encouraged. Anything that will help make captive breeding easier and more effective in the long run is of great importance. As part of the MBI scoring and ranking system, there is even an “X Prize” element reserved for recognizing outstanding achievements not necessarily directly tied to breeding successes with an individual species.

Utilizing the internet and modern software techniques, the MBI seeks to bring a world-class, 21st century Marine Breeder’s Award Program to clubs and websites wherever they are found.

The MBI database grows as more people get involved by creating journals and submitting event reports. Anyone interested in captive breeding can easily search the MBI database to find information regarding species that MBI members are working with. This data is presented in a standardized, no-nonsense format with additional information being available through references to the breeder’s original journal entries. Using the MBI program will make captive breeding information more accessible to everyone as well as make the captive breeding process easier to understand for the beginning marine breeder.

With the help of the MBI program and breeders from around the world, captive marine breeding will become increasingly successful.

There is nothing more exciting in this hobby than seeing your first clownfish eggs hatch or a male Banggai Cardinal Fish release his fully developed young. With increasing economic pressure on the marine aquarium industry and not-for-profit R&D resources focused almost exclusively on food-fish culture, it largely falls to the community of hobbyists to make innovations in marine ornamental breeding. The MBI offers the motivation of friendly competition, an incentive structure through bragging rights, and a road map for hobbyists, clubs and sites to enter the exciting and challenging hobby of propagating marine ornamentals at home.

To learn how your club or website can join the MBI Program, please contact: webmaster@MBIsite.org and visit the MBI online at http://www.MBIsite.org.

GET WITH THE PROGRAM! Reef Hobbyist Magazine is proud to announce that we will be forming a team to compete in the MBI program. If you’re interested in joining our team, log onto www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com for details or email us at teamrhm@rhmag.com.

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This ‘lightning’ patterned Maroon Clownfish has helped to attract attention to captive marine breeding efforts. Image by Matt Perderson.

Don’t miss RHM sponsored Reef-A-Palooza October 23-24 in Costa Mesa, California! (www.reefapalooza.org)

MASna clubs strength in numbers:

marine aquarium society of colorado A

Club Spotlight

Article by Juan Muro

The Yellowhead Jawfish is one of the fish being bred in captivity.

Image by Andrew Berry.

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he Marine Aquarium Society of Colorado (MASC) is a nonprofit reef club founded in 2007. We are dedicated to the endorsement, education, and fellowship of marine aquarium hobbyists with a focus on developing awareness of marine ecosystems and their preservation through captive propagation.

Our goal is to deepen hobbyists’ knowledge, increasing the longevity and well being of the creatures in our care. We accomplish this mission through monthly meetings, coral frag swaps, and educational events.

In May 2010, we held our fourth annual ReefEd, an education conference.

Each year, we try to bring in different speakers that represent the best that our hobby has to offer. With captive breeding at the forefront of this hobby, this year’s ReefEd focused mainly on captive sexual propagation.

Matt Pedersen gave presentations on marine fish breeding in general and his success breeding the Harlequin Filefish. He was most impressed by the captive bred species available at this event and later went on to write, “Invertebrate breeding was well represented at ReefEd,” and “I can’t recall that I’ve ever seen captive bred invertebrates offered for sale at a frag swap.” Eric Borneman spoke on sexual propagation of corals and our local expert Jon Garnett gave a special presentation for the new hobbyists. Previous speakers have included Bob Fenner, Christine Williams, Scott Fellman, Frank Marini, Marc Levenson, and many others.

ReefEd will continue to educate reef hobbyists on many topics in the future, teaching conservation and preservation, and the club will support the members in acting on this knowledge.

Always looking for new ways to conserve our natural resources, we started a DBTC (Don’t Break the Chain) program in which we teach about coral propagation and captive breeding. Made famous by Bay Area Reefers (BAR), the DBTC program has members freely giving away a frag with the understanding that the recipient will frag two more pieces and pass them on to other hobbyists. We have broadened this program into a yearly meeting in which members attend and swap corals that will become part of the DBTC program. Our first DBTC meeting this year was a huge success! With 150 different corals to choose from, every attendee ended up taking home a variety of species. For more information, check us out at www.marinecolorado.org.

Captive bred columbellid snail larvae. Image by Andrew Berry.

Berghia nudibranch mating. Image by Andrew Berry.

MASC’s most recent frag swap. Image by Chad Wohlers.

MASna clubs

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coral

coral warfare Article & Images by Richard Ross

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s your tank stabilizes and matures, you should begin to leave a bunch of common problems in the dust. Hair algae outbreaks, problematic hitchhikers, and various forms of coral tissue recession are based on water parameter fluctuations and should all become unpleasant memories, leaving space for a newer, happier problem: coral warfare!

Real estate on a coral reef is at a premium, and our home tanks are no different. As a coral grows, it begins to battle in various ways to protect its current territory and also expand and colonize adjacent areas. The tenacity of coral to expand its territory actually helps drive the development of wild reefs. Generally, in captive reefs, this coral competition turns advanced hobbyists into aquatic bonsai artists, clipping a coral here or there, or strategically placing some reef rubble in the path on an encrusting onslaught. The arsenal of weapons that corals can employ to expand their territory is impressive and breaks down into four basic categories:

This Rhizotrochus has stung and killed the Montipora colony below it.

Fast Growth

Branching SPS and some plating corals (Echinophyllia, M. capricornis) can grow above and over other corals, effectively robbing them of the light they need to survive. Many species of coral can also encrust up and over neighbors, smothering them directly.

Mesenterial Filaments

Corals like Acanthastrea and Hydnophora can extrude digestive organs to battle nearby corals. This attack kills the neighboring coral by digesting it, gaining an energy/nutrition bonus along with a new area to colonize. This type of coral warfare can be fast and devastating.

This Cyphastrea has won the coral war by completely overgrowing some Balanophyllia.

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Read every past issue of RHM online for free at www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com.

In this photo, you can clearly see the “DMZ� between a fast growing Acropora and a large Entacmaea anemone.

Here, a Montipora is growing up, over and around the branches of a neighboring Seriatopora.

A Montipora battling a Millepora for dominance.

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Stinging/Sweeper Tentacles

Species like Plerogyra, Euphyllia and Galaxea can produce extremely long tentacles loaded with nematocysts that can sting the life out of their neighbors. Sweeper tentacles aren’t the only worry, as feeding tentacles on LPS like Catalaphyllia, Rhizotrochus, and Duncanopsammia can also sting nearby corals.

Allelopathy

These various Turbinaria are scrolling for supremacy.

Using chemicals to inhibit the growth of other species or other individuals of the same species is a time honored tradition. Corals like Sarcophyton, Sinularia and Xenia can release toxic compounds like sarcophine and terpenoids into the water to inhibit the growth of nearby corals. These compounds can be particularly problematic for neighboring SPS corals.

There are various strategies for addressing coral warfare in a reef tank. First of all, identify each coral’s arsenal. If it has long sweeper tentacles, you will need to leave sufficient “buffer space” to protect its more delicate coral neighbors. If your coral is a “fast growing shader,” you probably don’t want to place light loving corals underneath it where they will eventually be shaded. If you have brought home a chemical warfare specialist, water changes and carbon might be very important in keeping toxic chemicals at “safe” levels.

In this mature tank, a forest of SPS compete for flow, light and space.

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For more information, please see The Reef Aquarium Vols 1, 2 and 3 by Charles Delbeek and Julian Sprung, Ricordea Publishing.

Don’t miss RHM sponsored Reef-A-Palooza October 23-24 in Costa Mesa, California! (www.reefapalooza.org)