Reef Hobbyist Magazine Q2 2011

second QUARTER 2011 | Volume 5

what makes corals colorful? a scientific introduction

Breeding and Inbreeding: Fancy Clownfish Catalaphyllia jardinei and more!

Reef Hobbyist Magazine is the proud sponsor of Reef-A-Palooza, October 22-23, in Costa Mesa, California, and MACNA 2011, September 11-13, in Des Moines, Iowa www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com

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features

second QUARTER 2011 | Volume 5 Copyright© 2011 Reef Hobbyist Magazine. All rights reserved.

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RHM Sponsored events

Hungry Polyps: Feeding Tubastrea and Dendrophyllia Adam Mullins is a co-owner of The Mystic Reef and a reef blogger. Many hobbyists have not been successful in keeping azooxanthellate corals.

In this article, Adam discusses a feeding regimen that he employs in his store to keep his azoox polyps multiplying.

(latest issues available at these events) • BAYMAC: May 14, Hayward, CA – thebaymac.com • FMAS Annual Frag Swap: May 14, Plantation, FL – fmas1955.org • Southeastern Reef Conference: July 9, Orlando, FL southeasternreefconference.com • MACNA 2011: September 9-11, Des Moines, IA – macna2011.com • Reef-A-Palooza: October 22-23, Costa Mesa, CA – reefapalooza.com

on the cover

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retail store support

What Makes Corals Colorful?

Knowing what your customers will want is the biggest factor in successful ordering and sales. Join our retail Store Support Program to find out in advance what new products will be advertised in Reef Hobbiyst Magazine so you will be stocked ahead of time. We can also connect you directly to the manufacturers to answer any questions you have regarding ordering, sales and product support. Email retailer@rhmag.com to join today!

a scientific introduction

Jonathon Stillman, Ph.D., is a marine biologist at the Romberg Tiburon Center and U.C. Berkeley. Colorful corals are a joy to look at, but the beautiful colors we see are the result of a complicated interplay of various factors.

In this article, Dr. Stillman explains how our corals can be so vividly colored, and what influences the colors of wild and captive corals. Image by Greg Rothschild.

WANT RHM IN YOUR STORE? Increase your sales with advertising support from Reef Hobbyist Magazine! The magazine helps you educate your customers even when they’re not in your store. Plus, we never publish online retailer ads! Contact one of our distributors below or email us at retailer@rhmag.com to get stocked.

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The “Ins and Outs” of AllIn-One Tanks Matthew Ward has been keeping AIO aquaria for three years, since the age of ten. In this article, Matthew analyzes the basic features of AIO tanks and offers valuable tips on choosing, stocking and maintaining a new AIO tank for ultimate success.

• A&M Aquatics – www.amaquatics.com • All Seas Marine – www.allseaslax.com • Exotic Reef Imports – www.exoticreefimports.com • Pacific Aqua Farms – www.pacificaquafarms.com • Quality Marine – www.qualitymarine.com • Reef Nutrition – www.reefnutrition.com • Segrest Farms – www.segrestfarms.com

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Breeding and Inbreeding: A Fascination with Fancy Clownfish Chelsey Kennedy is an experienced clownfish breeder specializing in high quality, popular varieties. In this article, Chelsey investigates many of the fancy clownfish strains and teaches readers how to spot some of the maladies that result from inbreeding.

If you’re interested in becoming a regional or national distributor, contact us at distribution@rhmag.com.

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RHM Staff

Studying Mesophotic Reefs Pim Bongaerts is a postdoctoral fellow at the Global Change Institute, University of Queensland.

In this article, Pim discusses understudied, deep-water reefs and why he’s researching the genetic connectivity between shallow and deep water corals.

Enter the RHM photo contest to win awesome prizes!

Find full access to RHM archives.

Download any issue in PDF for your PC or iPad. Sign up for a FREE online subscription.

Catalaphyllia jardinei Peggy Nelson is the owner of All Reef in Minnesota. In recent history, Catalaphyllia jardinei has proven to be a mysteriously difficult coral to keep in captivity.

However, Peggy discusses why now might be the right time to add one of these incredibly beautiful corals to your reef tank.

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LA Fishguys – The Making of a Reality Show Jim Stime, Jr. is the creator of the Jelliquarium and reality show LA Fishguys.

Find out how Jim started this online reality show that focuses on the servicing of aquaria and see what goes into making the series that has generated over two million video views to date.

President Harry Tung Executive Editor Jim Adelberg Director of Photography Greg Rothschild

Director of Art Tamara Sue Graphics David Tran Advertising@rhmag.com

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The Pacific Northwest Marine Aquarium Society A masna club spotlight The Pacific Northwest Marine Aquarium Society focuses on educating people in the responsible husbandry of marine organisms in captivity.

Here, their various community outreach and educational programs are showcased and explained.

coral Hungry Polyps: Feeding Tubastrea and Dendrophyllia Article & Images by Adam Mullins (except as noted)

“Are those easy to take care of?” people often ask about the awesome Tubastrea or Dendrophyllia polyps. When these animals are expanded, they are among the most attractive corals available, and are becoming quite popular in the reefkeeping hobby. Their popularity is proven by the enthusiastic responses these corals generate from customers. But let’s return to the question. For me, the answer is yes, I do consider them to be somewhat easy corals to take care of. But my answer to this question must be coupled with the answer to the other most common question that accompanies this group of corals: “Do I have to directly feed them?” This is the difference in care where many draw the line and label non-photosynthetic, or azooxanthellate, corals as hard to keep or for experts only. They are quite hardy and even somewhat tolerant of subpar water conditions, but they do require good water flow. They don’t need expensive lighting, and have been known to spawn rather easily in aquaria. While there are plenty of corals that do just fine with decent lighting only, azooxanthellate corals do require direct feeding.

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In this tank, as in the wild, Tubastrea enjoy growing under ledges.

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Well conditioned polyps ready to feed.

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Employing a water bottle shroud will keep the food in a confined area around your azooxanthellate corals. Image by Jason Wong.

Well fed, non-photosynthetic systems can encourage fascinating ornamental sponge growth.

Many people consider the nearly constant feedings required by these types of corals to be a chore. But, if you would like to try keeping these beautiful animals, there is still hope in automation.

Automated azooxanthellate reef systems can be a wonder to behold, and can delight the hobbyist with high stocking densities and just as much color as a photosynthetic reef display. This

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automation can take many different forms and can be as simple or as complex as needed to achieve your goals. I’ve seen everything from slow-drip phyto dosing from suspended soda bottles, all the way up to mini-fridges with computer controlled dosing pumps.

Whatever your goals are, it is likely that technology exists that will help you achieve them.

I feed my azooxanthellate tank three to five times throughout the day as part of the regular routine of feeding fish and corals in my store, which I feel leads to accelerated growth and more vigorous health for all the azooxanthellate animals. During these feedings, I shut off the return pump to keep the food in the display tank where it can be eaten. If you do not have the time to sit there and directly feed the polyps, or don’t like to turn off your return pump, employing a water bottle shroud that will keep the food in a confined area around your azooxanthellate corals is an effective alternative.

I like to feed a variety of foods to these corals. Included in my regimen is freeze-dried Cyclopeeze that’s been soaked in tank water for several minutes. Cyclopeeze does an excellent job of eliciting a feeding response from both Tubastrea and Dendrophyllia. I also feed mini-mysis to all the polyps, and P.E. mysis to the larger heads through a wide bore syringe throughout the day. I supplement their daily diet with Reef Nutrition’s Phyto Feast Live every other day.

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With consistent and proper feeding, I have watched my Tubastrea and Dendrophyllia polyps grow into bushy colonies that continue to encrust outwards. But keep in mind that while these corals can quickly grow and multiply when they’re in good health and provided with good water quality, they can also quickly recede when feedings decrease or become inconsistent, or water parameters are neglected.

The filtration I use for my azooxanthellate tank is adequate at best.

I use a small skimmer with a small refugium chamber in a modestsized sump. Typically, I’ve been a fan of macroalgae filled, lit refugia. For my azooxanthellate tank, I use a cryptic refugium. After inoculating the refugium with some sponge rocks, the sponges quickly grew to fill the ‘fuge, and a good population of pods has been established.

If you are interested in trying your hand at azooxanthellate corals, keep in mind that the acclimation of wild azooxanthellate corals can take some time, especially when trying to wean these corals onto a non-living diet. The healthier the coral is when you purchase it, the higher the chance of success you will have in acclimating it successfully to your own tank. It may take several days or even weeks before the polyps begin to emerge from newly purchased Tubastrea colonies. I have found that higher flow tends to help stubborn polyps begin to extend.

In conclusion, while they’re not for everybody, azooxanthellate corals represent a new and interesting direction for home reefkeeping if you are willing to do what it takes to satisfy their ravenous appetites!

A good variety of different meaty foods is appreciated by azooxanthellate polyps.

This polyp is situated so that it can easily gather food from nearby, briskly moving water.

A cryptic refugium helps filter the large amount of particulate food present in my azooxanthellate system.

These polyps are fully extended and ready to feed.

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coral

a scientific introduction Article by Jonathon Stillman, Ph.D. Images by Boun Khamnouane (except as noted)

Image by Greg Rothschild.

I

f you have been successful as a reef hobbyist, or if you just like to look at pictures of others’ tanks, you’ve probably noticed that corals have an amazing array of colors. Some corals have solid, uniform colors, while others have color gradients so smooth that they appear to have been painted by some microscopic artist with an airbrush. Just as we can stroll through an art museum with great joy looking at the pretty pictures without understanding the context behind those paintings, we can appreciate and enjoy the beautiful colors of corals without any further thought.

However, just like great masterpiece paintings, the colors we see in corals are the result of a complicated interplay of factors.

Understanding the rational basis behind what an artist painted enhances a viewer’s appreciation of the art. The same could be said for your corals – understanding what makes corals colorful may help you appreciate them all the more. In this article, I will explain some of what is known about what makes corals colorful.

The article is intended to be introductory and written at a basic level. For more advanced information, I have provided additional references (all freely accessible) for those readers who wish to learn more.

First, a little physics lesson, as we need to know something about the electromagnetic spectrum to understand color. This is the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation, or wavelengths of energy,

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that can propagate through space. What we perceive as light is only a small fraction of the total electromagnetic spectrum. We can detect other regions of the electromagnetic spectrum, such as the near infrared, as heat. The longest wavelength and lowest energy portions of the electromagnetic spectrum are radio waves, and as energy increases to microwaves and then infrared radiation, the wavelengths get shorter and the energy increases. The range of visible light begins with dark red colors, and that’s why the first visible light that hot objects radiate is red. Most of the radiation hot objects emit is in the infrared, but some is higher energy and we can detect it with our eyes. Visible light then proceeds through orange, yellow, green, blue and violet as energy increases.

Ultraviolet radiation has a shorter wavelength and higher energy, followed by x-ray and gamma radiation, whose energy we know to be damaging. The energy in these short wavelength regions of the electromagnetic spectrum can be absorbed by biomolecules such as DNA and proteins, and can damage them by breaking molecular bonds. This can convert the biomolecules into mutated forms that can sometimes have deleterious consequences such as causing diseases like cancer (the details of which are well understood, but I will not go into them here). While our atmosphere absorbs or blocks much of the higher-energy electromagnetic radiation that comes from the Sun and other stars, UV radiation is present on the surface of our planet and can penetrate into shallow water.

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These Bam Bam Zoanthids are pale orange with hardly any color highlights on the tentacles under daylight.

Under all blue LED’s, the orange is vivid and the tentacles have strong orange highlights.

This Green Palythoa Grandis is very pale and does not show any purple around the mouth under daylight.

Under all blue LED’s, the green color is very vivid and the purple around the mouth is more intense.

From microwave radiation through x-ray radiation, we can classify the temperature of objects at which radiation of particular wavelengths is maximized. This is how we have classified the Kelvin color temperature rating of lights used in reef aquaria. An Irish physicist named Sir William Thomson (also known as Lord Kelvin) determined that there is a lower limit to temperature, which he called “absolute zero,” or zero (0) K (K=Kelvin), the temperature at which all atomic motion ceases. (Zero K is equal to -273.15° Celsius and -459.67° Fahrenheit, brrr!) Infrared radiation is about 1,000-1,800K, visible light ranges from a low energy of about 1,800K to a high energy of about 20,000K, and UV radiation is even higher (for an object to radiate UV, it must be very, very hot). Thus, when we use a 20,000K bulb on our aquarium, we are providing a lot more highenergy electromagnetic radiation than when we use a 6,500K bulb.

We perceive light as color within a particular region of the electromagnetic spectrum for which the cone photoreceptors in the retinas of our eyes are tuned. The cone photoreceptors contain proteins called rhodopsin. Rhodopsin is a molecule formed from a compound “retinal” (also known as retinaldehyde or Vitamin A aldehyde) that is complexed within a protein called “opsin.”

The process of detecting light involves the retinal compound absorbing a photon, a unit of light energy, and in doing so making a conformational shift in the opsin protein that initiates a series

of signals to occur within the photoreceptor cell. (See Bianco reference for more information on how eyes work.) There is only one kind of retinal, but there are many different types of opsins, encoded by different genes. Most of us have opsins tuned to one of three wavelengths, each of which is most sensitive to photons within that wavelength of the electromagnetic spectrum. By tuned, I mean that the rhodopsin molecule absorbs the photons of that particular energy best. The rhodopsins in our eyes are tuned to red, green, or blue. If an individual is lacking a particular opsin gene, they may not be able to detect those corresponding photons, and colorblindness results. So, how we detect the colors of the corals in our tanks depends on our ability to detect electromagnetic energy in the visible spectrum that is radiating from our corals. But, how is it that corals have different color? At this point, you may be wondering to yourself, “Isn’t that what this article was supposed to be about?”

For all of the pigments that absorb light, we perceive their color as the light that is not absorbed, and is instead reflected back to our eyes. However, coral color is also dependent on fluorescence, a process by which compounds that have absorbed light emit light of a different wavelength. Fluorescence is based on the energy of electrons that orbit the nucleus of atoms. The electrons orbit in specific “shells” of energy at varying distances from the nucleus.

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This Candy Apple Palythoa is green around the mouth and mostly brown elsewhere under daylight.

These Valentine’s Day Massacre polyps are pale orange under daylight.

When atoms absorb light, the electrons can gain the energy of that light and in doing so are pushed into a higher energy shell.

However, the electrons are unstable in their higher energy shell and tend to return to their original orbit. In doing so they release much of the energy that they absorbed, and that energy is emitted as light. Because not all of the energy that was absorbed can be emitted, the emitted light is always at a lower energy than the light that was absorbed. We call that emitted light fluorescence. The emitted light is therefore “red-shifted” compared to the absorbed light (which is generally called the “excitation wavelength” in fluorescence parlance). Fluorescence is the reason our corals glow under actinic (= short wavelength) light; they give off light of a different wavelength.

Just like the pigments in our eyes absorb photons of a certain wavelength, so do the pigments in coral. Corals are communities of many members, including the Cnidarian coral animal (the host), the endosymbiotic dinoflagellate algae known as Symbiodinium or zooxanthellae, algae living in the skeleton beneath each coral polyp, and bacteria on the surface of the coral. A coral’s color is primarily the result of pigments in the Symbiodinium and the Cnidarian “host.” Some of those pigments function directly in either harnessing the energy of light or in protecting the coral from harmful wavelengths of light. Other pigments may have functions not directly associated with the absorbance of light.

Symbiodinium algae use photosynthesis to harness the energy of the sun in converting carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O) into carbohydrate, or sugar. The principal pigment of photosynthesis is chlorophyll, of which there are several types with the most common

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Don’t miss RHM sponsored Reef-A-Palooza in Costa Mesa, CA on October 22-23. (reefapalooza.com)

Under all blue LED’s, the pink and purple colors around the mouth are intense and vivid.

Under all blue LED’s, they are vivid red and less orange, with purple highlights around the mouths.

in algae being chlorophyll c. Chlorophyll absorbs light in the violetblue and in the yellow-red section of the visible wavelength, also termed photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). Portions of PAR not absorbed (principally green) are reflected off the coral, and this is why we perceive photosynthetic tissues (e.g., leaves) as green, or brownish-green in corals. Symbiodinium produce a number of other pigments that absorb light. These include some that absorb excess light energy that “escapes” from the chlorophyllcontaining photoreaction centers. Other pigments absorb in the UV region of the electromagnetic spectrum, and that can serve as a protective agent against the damaging consequences of UV radiation (by absorbing the light so that it cannot damage other biomolecules). And there are other pigments that may play a role in physiological processes not involving absorption of light, such as carotene pigments that can act as antioxidants and protect against the damaging effects of reactive oxygen. Reactive oxygen can “escape” from the compounds that hold it during the conversion between O2 and H2O in photosynthesis or respiration (see Venn et al. 2006 for further reading on Symbiodinium pigments).

A whole suite of pigments are produced by the Cnidarian hosts (the coral animal) that absorb light of particular wavelengths. These pigments are proteins encoded by genes in the Cnidarian genome, and many are fluorescent. Our understanding of Cnidarian fluorescent proteins (FPs) has been bolstered by the fact that one of these fluorescent proteins, Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP), first isolated from jellyfish, but known in many Cnidarians, has been of tremendous importance in biomedical laboratories. It is used to image the expression of genes within cells using a technique called confocal fluorescence microscopy. Because biologists desire to

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be able to visualize the concomitant expression of multiple genes, scientists have been searching for additional fluorescent proteins that have different colors than GFP. Genomics studies have revealed that the known genes for fluorescent proteins across families of Scleractinian corals fit into one of at least three major evolutionary lineages. For a much more detailed listing of the pigment proteins (both fluorescent and non-fluorescent) with additional technical information, I direct readers to excellent articles by Riddle (2009a-c) and Alieva et al. (2008). The physiological roles of coral FPs are not well understood, but expression of FP is correlated to physiological variation in some cases. For example, a recent study found that the fluorescence of coral larvae can be a determinant to their settlement responses when presented with crustose coralline algae (CCA is a settlement cue for many coral larvae), and concluded that individuals with red fluorescence coloration may disperse for longer distances (Kenkel et al. 2011).

There are four main groups of coral protein pigments, three main groups of FPs (cyan, green, and red) and one group of non-

fluorescent chromoproteins (CP) (purple-blue). The sequences of amino acids as well as the way in which the proteins are folded determine the color of the chromophore reaction center where light is absorbed and fluorescence occurs. Cyan Fluorescent Proteins (CFPs) possess the same chromophore as GFPs, but have evolved along a separate trajectory across coral species, suggesting that CFPs and GFPs have different physiological functions. GFPs are the most common of all pigments in corals, although there is great variation among GFP genes within a species. For example, Echinophyllia echinata possesses at least 3 GFP genes that absorb and emit light over a wavelength range of about 15 nm (497 to 512 nm excitation, and 510-524 nm emission; Alieva et al. 2008). Red Fluorescent Proteins (RFPs) come in two types: DsRed-type (named after Discosoma, from which it was first isolated) and Kaede-type (isolated from Trachyphyllia and named Kaede after the red ornamental Japanese maple leaf), and corals possess one of these two types. Kaede-type proteins are GFPs following synthesis, but after exposure to UV, they become RFPs. Thus, Cnidarians expressing Kaede-type proteins can fluoresce

This Red Planet Acropora frag is brownish-pink with white and brown tentacles under daylight.

Under all blue LED’s, the coral is deep purple.

This brain coral is brownish-green on the ridges and beige around the mouths under daylight.

Under all blue LED’s, the coral is a vivid bluish-green on the ridges and bluish-purple around the mouths.

This Bazooka Joe frag is pale salmon and green under daylight.

Under all blue LED’s, the coral shows beautiful purple and pink highlights.

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Don’t miss RHM sponsored MACNA 2011 in Des Moines, IA on September 9-11. (macna2011.com)

either green or red depending on how much UV the proteins have been exposed to (see Riddle 2009b). Several genes encoding yellow-fluorescent proteins have been identified in zoanthids and hydrozoans, and seem to be variants of the DsRed RFP family.

Purple-blue, non-fluorescent CPs reflect light anywhere from pink to dark blue in color depending on variation in amino acid sequence in the chromophore. For all of the FP and CP proteins, exposure to some light is necessary for the color to be expressed, but too much light absorption can result in damage to the weak chemical bonds that hold the three-dimensional structure of the protein in place, and alter the reflectance and/or fluorescence of the protein.

So, what makes corals colorful? There are at least three factors that act in combination:

1. The degree to which each type of pigment is produced within

2.

3.

regions of coral tissue, which is a determinant of the physiology of the coral in ways that we do not yet understand but that is almost certainly dependent on conditions that vary from one aquarium to the next.

The wavelengths (=energy) of light reaching each region of the coral, which is determined by the types of lights we use.

The cumulative exposure that corals have had to light of specific wavelengths, enough to induce the expression of pigment proteins but not so much that the pigment proteins have been damaged by over-exposure.

In the years to come we are likely to learn much more about the diversity of FP and CP proteins that are encoded by the genomes of corals, since these proteins have high value in the biotechnology industry. The 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was given to Osamu Shimomura, Martin Chalfie, and Rogier Tsien for their work in the discovery and development of GFP for use in cell imaging. Who knows, in your aquarium may be a coral expressing a new kind of pigment not yet known in the biotech world, and one that could be a valuable addition to the world of biology as well as the aesthetics and health of coral reefs!

Further Reading: Alieva, N.O., K.A. Konzen, S.F. Field, E. A. Meleshkevitch, M.E. Hunt, V. Beltran-Ramirez, D.J. Miller, J. Wiedenmann, A. Salih, and M.V. Matz. 2008. Diversity and evolution of coral fluorescent proteins.

PLoS ONE. 3(7): e2680. (http://www.plosone.org) Bianco, C. How Vision Works. (http://health.howstuffworks.com/human-body/systems/eye/eye.htm) Kenkel, C.D., M.R. Traylor, J. Wiedenmann, A. Salih, and M.V. Matz. 2011. Fluorescence of coral larvae predicts their settlement response to crustose coralline algae and reflects stress.

Proceedings of the Royal Society B. doi:10.1098/rspb.2010.2344.

Riddle, D. 2009a. How to Make Corals Colorful, Part One: New Information, With Particular Attention to Blue-Green Fluorescent Pigments. (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2009/1/aafeature1) Riddle, D. 2009b. How to Make Corals More Colorful, Part Two: New Information! Green Fluorescent Pigments, Pigment Clades, and Photoconversion from Green to Orange/Red. (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2009/2/aafeature1) Riddle, D. 2009c. How to Make Corals More Colorful Part 3 - New Information: Red Fluorescent Pigments: DsRed-type. (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2009/4/aafeature1/) Venn, A.A., M.A. Wilson, H.G. Trapido-Rosenthal, B.J. Keely, A.E. Douglas. 2006. The impact of coral bleaching on the pigment profile of the symbiotic alga, Symbiodinium. Plant, Cell and Environment 29: 2133-2142. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3040.2006.01587.x.

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tank tips & tricks

THE

“INS

OF ALL-IN-ONE TANKS Article & Images by Matthew Ward (except as noted)

The author, surrounded by the tanks he loves.

A

ll-in-one (AIO) tanks are very popular among reef hobbyists, especially beginners with a limited amount of space. I am 13 years old and I got my first AIO saltwater tank at age 10. I now have three tanks and all three are AIO. These tanks appealed to me the most when I started in the hobby because they came with everything needed to run a tank. In this article, I’ll explain the pros and cons of different AIO tank features, teach you how to properly set up and stock your AIO tank, and discuss the challenges of keeping these types of tanks.

AIO tanks have come a long way since I started keeping saltwater tanks three years ago. At that time, most AIO tanks had enclosed hoods and power compact lighting. Nowadays there are a lot more options. Some AIO tanks have stronger lighting like metal halide or LEDs, and a few of those with metal halide lighting don’t even have enclosed hoods. If you want to have strong metal halide lighting on your AIO tank and don’t want your water to overheat on a hot

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summer day, then it might be a good idea to get an AIO tank with no hood. My newest tank, the BioCube 29 HQI, has a 150-watt metal halide lamp that produces a lot of heat like any other metal halide does. The BioCube 29 HQI however, comes with a glass cover over the tank instead of a hood, and the lighting is nearly one foot above the tank in a clamp-on fixture. Because it is mounted so far above the tank, the metal halide lamp doesn’t raise the water temperature and my tank stays at 78 degrees Fahrenheit day and night.

Another important aspect of different AIO tank design is water flow.

Different water flow is needed depending on what types of corals you want to keep in the tank. If you want to keep LPS (large polyp stony) corals and zoanthids, you might not need as much flow as would be required with SPS (small polyp stony) corals. A good way to add flow to your AIO tank is by upgrading the return pump to one that puts out more gallons per hour, or by adding powerheads in areas of lower flow. Most corals don’t like to have a strong current aimed straight at them, so try to aim your flow over the top or off to the side of the corals.

The selection and setup of your AIO tank should be based on what livestock you plan to keep. For instance, if you want to keep a

Don’t miss RHM sponsored Reef-A-Palooza in Costa Mesa, CA on October 22-23. (reefapalooza.com)

Many AIO tanks have enclosed hoods and power compact lighting.

Clamp-on metal halide lighting without a hood provides bright lighting without overheating AIO tanks.

jawfish, or another goby that burrows in the sand bed, you will need a deeper sand bed than if you just want to keep a pair of clownfish.

Remember, there isn’t an overall best AIO tank design, so you should look around at all of your options to see which will provide the best habitat for the animals you want to keep.

After adding live rock, water, and sand to your new tank, it is critical that you let it cycle. The amount of time needed to cycle a tank is different for every situation. For all of the AIO tanks I’ve kept, it’s taken about a month to cycle (my tanks were between 10 and 35 gallons). I start my tanks with live rock and live sand so that there are more bacteria in the new environment which helps them cycle more quickly. If you start your tank with dry sand or artificial rocks, it may take longer to cycle since there are initially fewer bacteria in the tank. While your tank cycles, you should test the water at least once per week to monitor your parameters. Once the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels are at or very close to zero, you can start adding livestock to the tank. Even if your tank finishes cycling very quickly, you should still wait until the tank has been running for at least one month before adding any livestock to ensure that the tank is truly finished cycling and safe for creatures.

Once the initial cycle is complete, it is time to stock your tank. There can be a lot of mistakes made when first stocking tanks. Always do research on the animals you want to keep before purchasing to ensure that your tank can provide enough space, light and water flow for those animals. When I first began in the hobby, my local fish store told me that a carpet anemone would do fine in my nano tank. I went home that day and asked a question on a reef forum about carpet anemones to make sure one would do well in my tank. I found out that they could get over three feet in diameter, or about nine times the size of my current tank! After this experience, I decided that it was always necessary to do lots of research before buying.

Zoanthids are a good choice for moderate flow, AIO tanks.

Many species of blennies will thrive in small AIO tanks. Image by G. Rothschild.

Frogspawn and other Euphylliids are well suited to medium light and flow, AIO tanks.

tank tips & tricks

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Again, keep in mind that there isn’t one AIO tank that’s best for everything. You should have an idea of what you want to keep before purchasing your tank. For example, if you want an AIO tank with pipefish or seahorses and a lot of macro algae, then you won’t need a very bright light or a very strong pump. On the other hand, if you want an AIO tank to keep a pair of clowns, an anemone, and a bunch of SPS, then you might need a tank with a stronger light (i.e. metal halide) and stronger pumps.

Overstocking a tank is a big issue for newer hobbyists who haven’t been well informed, but it can be prevented. The problems I see most are people having either too many fish or a fish that is too big for their tank.

I’ve looked at far too many pictures of AIO nano tanks that include one, or even multiple full-grown tangs.

Juvenile tangs are a popular choice A variety of zoanthids makes a colorful display.

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Don’t miss RHM sponsored MACNA 2011 in Des Moines, IA on September 9-11. (macna2011.com)

when stocking aquariums, but should not be put in any tank under 50 gallons. You should always stock your tank as if all of the fish are full-grown and are as aggressive as their species can get. If you have a fish that can get aggressive, and it feels overcrowded, it is more likely to harm or even kill another fish that comes too close to its territory. A common fish that can get very aggressive are clownfish, especially if they are part of a pair relationship. My spawning pair of Black Ocellaris is extremely aggressive. They ripped apart my two feather dusters and are suspects in the mysterious disappearance of my Banggai cardinalfish. They consider about two-thirds of the tank to be their territory and will attack anything that bothers them.

Aside from the challenges of properly setting up and stocking an AIO tank, there are other difficulties in keeping a smaller tank of any type. One main challenge is keeping stable water parameters. The smaller your tank, the harder it is to keep your parameters stable.

I personally like to check my parameters once per week. I also do a quick inspection of my tank every day to make sure none of my livestock is acting strange. If there is something abnormal, I check my water parameters immediately. Another important thing to check in your AIO tank is the water level. As water evaporates, the salinity will rise. I like to add RO (reverse osmosis) water to my tank every two or three days so that the water level in the filter chamber stays the same. This will prevent large salinity swings and will keep your tank happier.

Depending on the area where you live, the weather might affect your tank temperature. Where I live, the temperature can drop to below freezing in the winter and rise to above 100°F in the summer.

Be sure to purchase a reliable heater or chiller if your tank is not in a temperature controlled room. My smallest AIO tank has nearly crashed twice because of huge temperature swings in the summer. This has taught me to check the temperature of my tanks every day.

Whether it’s the small amount of space they occupy or the all-in-one package, AIO tanks are trendy and fit the lifestyle of many marine hobbyists. Even though they pose challenges, they are rewarding and are great for both the novice and experienced aquarist.

The author’s spawning pair of Black Ocellaris.

tank tips & tricks

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captive breeding

Breeding and Inbreeding: A Fascination with Fancy Clownfish Article & Images by Chelsey Kennedy (except as noted)

F

or as long as humans have been domesticating wild animals, we have been breeding them to produce or enhance certain traits. While this is more evident in dogs and cats, marine aquarium fish, specifically clownfish, are no exception to this selection process. In the last few years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of clownfish color and pattern variations available to hobbyists. In this article, I will explore some of the varieties of clownfish currently available and some that are works in progress, as well as some deformities and abnormalities that can result from such highly selective breeding pressures.

Sanjay’s Black Photon. Photo by Sanjay Joshi.

new strains of Maroon, clarkii, and bicinctus are also starting to be seen with extra barring or spots. Below, I’ve made an attempt to produce a fairly comprehensive list of the ocellaris and percula varieties available, though by the time this article is in press, another morph will likely be unveiled. Variations with an asterisk beside them have been found in nature, though perhaps not in large numbers.

Please note that there are different degrees of expression with these varieties, so the presence of barring or patterning may vary. The degrees of expression are usually indicated by “grades.”

Amphiprion ocellaris:

The pinched head deformity is very obvious on this clownfish.

Of all the different species of clownfish available to the hobbyist, A. ocellaris and A. percula are the most likely to reproduce in the home aquaria, and therefore have produced the greatest number of selectively bred strains. Hybridization between these two species has also produced a few new color and pattern morphs for avid aquarists. While not as common as the fancy strains of “Nemo,”

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*Black/Darwin – standard ocellaris markings, but the base color is black instead of orange.

Midnight – black ocellaris lacking any white bars.

Naked – orange ocellaris lacking any white bars.

Albino – pale orange ocellaris with red eyes (albinism).

Chocolate/Black Lace – result of a black x orange ocellaris cross, basically a muddy color of orange/brown, not usually produced as they are not sought after.

Snowflake – orange ocellaris with jagged, extra wide bars that may or may not connect.

Black Ice/S’more – Snowflake x black ocellaris cross, dark orange/ brown with snowflake markings.

Wyoming White – orange ocellaris that is predominantly white.

Fins and face are the standard orange, but the body is white.

Can be distinguished from a very white Snowflake because the borders are smooth on a Wyoming White and jagged on a heavily marked Snowflake.

Don’t miss RHM sponsored Reef-A-Palooza in Costa Mesa, CA on October 22-23. (reefapalooza.com)

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

TM

Snowflakes breeding under the author’s care.

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.

Fancy White/Capped – orange ocellaris with extra barring. Bars may or may not connect and may appear similar to a Picasso, but this fish is an ocellaris, not a percula.

Amphiprion percula:

*Onyx – percula with black between the first-second and second third bars. The dorsal and pectoral fins may or may not be black. Some hobbyists believe that black between the first second bars only, can indicate an Onyx percula. *Picasso – percula with extra barring. Bars may or may not connect. The black markings outlining the white on the fish may get wider as the fish matures, leading to a fish similar to an Onyx with extra white. Picassos with extreme white may be referred to as “Snowcassos.” These are not Picasso x Snowflake hybrids.

Platinum – percula with an excessive amount of white. The body of the fish is white, with orange fins and an orange face. As these fish mature, an Onyx influence may cause blackening of the fins.

A. percula x A. ocellaris hybrids:

Snow Onyx – hybrid between a Snowflake ocellaris and an Onyx percula. These fish have wide bars that may or may not connect with a thick black outline. The edges of the excessive white are generally smoother than those of a Snowflake ocellaris.

Sanjay’s Black Photon – hybrid between a black ocellaris and an Onyx percula. These fish are primarily black with black fins or thick black outlines on those fins that are orange (usually pectoral and anal). The nose and belly are frequently orange.

As long as hobbyists continue to be excited by the opportunity to purchase new varieties, breeders will actively seek to produce distinctive new morphs of clownfish. In addition to the further development of aberrant Maroons, clarkiis, and bicinctus, new colors and patterns of the staple ocellaris and percula species are likely to surface. Among those could be black Snowflake ocellaris (which several breeders are actively working on), naked Onyx percula, and potentially black versions of the Wyoming White and Fancy White ocellaris.

Patent-pending design by Julian Sprung for:

Two Little Fishies Inc. www.twolittlefishies.com

However, these new exciting morphs will likely have the same troubling side effects of inbreeding and narrowed gene pool that come with the development of any fancy, domesticated animal strain. These side effects are not clownfish-exclusive; purebred dog owners, for example, may experience breed specific maladies sometime in their dog’s life due to the same selective breeding pressures.

Several deformities and general abnormalities occur in the specialty clownfish morphs, including bulldog face, underbite, pinched head, flared gills, clamped fins, and general poor proportions and deportment.

While the majority of these issues are no more than aesthetic preferences, there are problems with fertility too.

Fish with an underbite look “grumpy.”

captive breeding

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Common Deformities

Underbite – A fish with an underbite has a “grumpy” look.

Bulldog face – This can best be described as a clownfish with a smushed in face, similar to a bulldog. A fish with a bulldog face will frequently have an underbite as well.

Pinched head – One of the most difficult defects to describe, fish with pinched heads look like their heads, starting just before the dorsal fin, have been pinched and are distinctly narrower than they should be.

Another example of the pinched head defect.

Flared gills – Sometimes caused by bad genetics or poor water quality early in life, flared gills can be described as gill plates that flare out, sometimes as much as 90 degrees from the side of the fish. In extreme cases, the gill plates may not adequately cover the gills, making the fish more susceptible to potentially fatal gill injuries. Depending on the cause and severity, these fish sometimes “grow out” of the flaring and it may become less noticeable. On the other hand, however, the flaring could become significantly worse as the fish matures.

While the defects listed above may just affect the aesthetics of the fish, the following fertility defects affect the ability and efficiency of reproduction.

Fertility Defects

Low fertilization/lack of fertilization – A relatively common problem with domesticated animals that have been selectively bred, clownfish included, is low fertilization or lack of fertilization altogether. Since fertilization occurs via the male, this problem could potentially be circumvented by pairing a specialty morph to a normal male clownfish, but to the best of my knowledge, this has not been studied in detail. In most cases, the decreased fertility of the male is not due to decreased sperm output, but instead due to morphologically abnormal sperm.

Small clutch size – Strictly a female issue, small clutch size can be due to inbreeding, as well as the frequently smaller adult size of the designer clownfish morphs. A smaller fish lays a smaller clutch of eggs, so instead of a six inch female orange ocellaris laying a 750 egg nest, breeders frequently end up with a three and one-half inch designer clownfish laying a 450 egg nest.

While this doesn’t affect the fish’s ability to reproduce, it does

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Don’t miss RHM sponsored MACNA 2011 in Des Moines, IA on September 9-11. (macna2011.com)

affect the number of offspring produced, which is counterproductive to the goal of reproduction - expanding the gene pool.

Weaker offspring – Another common side effect of inbreeding is that the offspring of specialty clownfish seem to be more susceptible to just about every problem possibly related to rearing babies, including temperature swings, salinity swings and water quality issues. This has been well documented, and though the actual cause can only be speculated, it is thought that these issues are related to decreased physiological function overall. For those offspring that do make it to maturity, a higher percentage of them require culling for the aforementioned deformities.

Bulldog-faced clowns are one result of intensive inbreeding.

As more varieties of clownfish enter the market, it is especially important for breeders to do their duty as producers and provide high quality, healthy fish to excited hobbyists. To accomplish this goal, breeders should try not to breed specialty x specialty pairs.

Even though this may produce a higher percentage of Snowflakes (for example), the quality of the babies produced would be better if a Snowflake x orange ocellaris pair was used as broodstock instead.

It is also the responsibility of the breeder to choose broodstock that do not have any deformities or abnormalities, as these issues may be passed on to offspring.

There’s a big difference between choosing fish for your own personal enjoyment and using them as broodstock. It’s the responsibility of the producer to sell quality fish and cull those that aren’t, and A nice Snowflake ocellaris. it’s the responsibility of the consumer to keep an eye out for poor quality fish. It is my hope that this article will help hobbyists recognize some of the deformities associated with selective breeding and perhaps allow us all to better understand the reasons behind the higher prices of those hot new morphs hitting the market!

captive breeding

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wild reefs

Studying Mesophotic Reefs

Sponsored by

Article & Images by Pim Bongaerts, M.SC.

M

esophotic Coral Ecosystems (MCEs) are coraldominated communities that occur in the deepest half of the photic zone (30 m to >150 m). These deep reefs are currently understudied due to their secluded existence.

Understanding these ecosystems, and specifically their supportive role in the maintenance of shallow water reefs, is vital to establishing future reef management strategies.

lacking on mesophotic reefs, where plenty of bare substrate is usually available. This seems to be linked to the slow growth rates of mesophotic corals and the reduced abundance of macro algae such as Halimeda, Lobophora and Dictyota spp. Besides corals, other taxa that are less dependent or independent in regards to light can be abundant in these habitats as well, such as gorgonians, crinoids, hydrocorals and sponges.

Despite the extreme low-light conditions, mesophotic communities harbor corals that live in symbiosis with zooxanthellae (genus Symbiodinium) and are therefore still dependent on light for their energy requirements. As the red, orange, yellow and green wavelengths of the sun rapidly attenuate with depth, the light available to mesophotic corals is not only low, but also limited to the blue spectrum (450-500nm). Therefore, even though mesophotic coral communities are usually characterized by deep autumn (brown-red) colors, they appear completely blue when observed underwater (see photographs). Strategies of corals to cope with the paucity of light include specialized (such as plateand fan-shaped) morphologies that optimize light capture and association with particular (low-light adapted) genetic strains of symbiotic algae. Additionally, these deep reef corals might benefit from nutrient–rich oceanic water that in some areas is pushed onto the shelf due to tidal forces.

As with the coral community, the mesophotic fish community comprises a combination of depth-generalist and deep-specialist species. The diversity of the fish community associated with mesophotic habitats is strongly correlated with live coral cover, and more importantly the amount of relief provided by the substrate.

Mesophotic reefs with great relief and many crevices usually support a relatively higher fish diversity consisting of both smaller and larger fish species, while flatter areas dominated by plating corals usually only harbor smaller fish species. Due to the reduced abundance of macro algae, there are generally few herbivorous fish species, and most species seem to be (zoo)planktivores. In the past decade, a large number of deep-specialist fish species, only occurring in the mesophotic zone and beyond, have been discovered (e.g.

Chromos abyssus) by ichthyologist Dr. Richard Pyle.

Mesophotic reefs harbor a variety of coral species, some of which can also be found in shallower waters (i.e. depth-generalist species) and others unique to these deep reef habitats (i.e. deepspecialist species). Most coral species in mesophotic habitats are plating and/or encrusting species, belonging to genera such as Agaricia and Montastraea in the Caribbean, and Leptoseris and Montipora in the Indo-Pacific. Nonetheless, branching species are found as well, such as Madracis formosa in the Caribbean and several species of Acropora in the Indo-Pacific. The strong competition for space observed on shallow water reefs is often

Compared to shallow water reefs, extremely little is known about mesophotic coral ecosystems. This is largely due to the logistical complexity of studying these deep reef ecosystems, as they lie beyond traditional SCUBA diving limits. However, this relative inaccessibility is now being overcome through advances in diving technology and underwater robotics. For example, the narcotic effect of nitrogen, experienced when breathing compressed air at depths in excess of 30 m, can now be eliminated through the use of helium-based diving gases. In addition, longer dive times and more effective decompression are possible through the use of closedcircuit rebreathers, which recycle (by removing CO2 and adding O2) exhaled breathing gas. Developments in underwater robotics

The plating, zooxanthellate coral Agaricia grahamae on a Caribbean reef (~60 m / 200 ft. depth) under ambient light (left) and visualized using a strobe light (right).

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Diver collecting zooxanthellate coral specimens (Agaricia spp.) from a mesophotic reef for genetic research (~60 m depth).

Don’t miss RHM sponsored Reef-A-Palooza in Costa Mesa, CA on October 22-23. (reefapalooza.com)

have led to smaller-sized and more economic survey vehicles, which make Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs – tethered) and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs – untethered) more readily available to scientists.

With these exciting advances it is expected that over the coming decade we will achieve a better understanding of the community structure and ecology of these vastly unexplored coral habitats.

These insights may be crucial, as mesophotic reefs could function as important refugia during disturbances in shallow reef areas.

In particular, species that occur at both shallow and mesophotic depths (i.e. depth-generalist species) may be able to seek refuge in mesophotic habitats and contribute to recovery through recruitment on the shallow reef after disturbance. In my research, I attempt to address this refugium potential of deep reefs, by studying the genetics of scleractinian corals and the associated zooxanthellae in

the mesophotic zone. More specifically, I am interested in the genetic similarity between shallow and deep coral (and zooxanthellae) populations and the question whether shallow and deep coral communities are connected through the exchange of larvae. With this research, and that of many others, I hope to address the importance of these interesting, yet understudied ecosystems as coral reefs enter a century of unprecedented human disturbance.

References Bongaerts P, Ridgway T, Sampayo EM, Hoegh-Guldberg O (2010) Assessing the ‘deep reef refugia’ hypothesis: focus on Caribbean reefs.

Kahng SE, Garcia-Sais JR, Spalding HL, Brokovich E, Wagner D, Weil E, Hinderstein L, Toonen RJ (2010) Community ecology of mesophotic coral reef ecosystems.

Pyle RL, Earle JL, Greene BD (2008) Five new species of the damselfish genus Chromis Perciformes : Labroidei : Pomacentridae) from deep coral reefs in the tropical western Pacific.

Zootaxa 1671: 3–31.

Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems: a resource database for science in the mesophotic realm. http://www.mesophotic.org.

A yellow tube sponge (Aplysina fistularia) with small coral colonies at the base (Madracis formosa and Agaricia grahamae) (left) and a pair of French angelfish (Pomacanthus paru) on a mesophotic reef in the Caribbean at a depth of approximately 60 m (right).

wild reefs

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coral

Elegans coral come in a wide variety of color morphs.

It is not uncommon for clownfish to host in an Elegans coral.

It appears that healthy Elegans coral are now being imported from multiple collection areas.

Catalaphyllia jardinei (Family Caryophylliidae) An Incredible, Yet Controversial, Gem from the Sea Article by Peggy Nelson Images by Greg Rothschild (except as noted)

M

y species spotlight selection for this installment is a coral whose collection for our captive environments has been controversial for many, many years. This amazingly beautiful coral is Catalaphyllia jardinei, commonly known as the Elegans coral. It is widespread from the Indo-Pacific, the northern waters of Australia, the southern waters of Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, and other areas as well. It is a photosynthetic LPS (largepolyped stony) coral with a large, fleshy, tentacled polyp that can inflate to an incredible size. Yet the tissue can retract almost completely into the skeleton. It has a cone-shaped base with a flabello-meandroid skeleton and sharp septa that can easily tear the soft tissue if the coral is handled when fully inflated or improperly placed in the aquarium. In the wild, Catalaphyllia reside in the turbid waters of seagrass beds where there is very little water movement. In aquaria, hobbyists should always place this coral facing directly upright on a soft, sandy substrate and not in the rockwork where the weight of the inflated tissue may pull down and cause tearing against the sharp septa. Elegans coral thrive in medium to bright light and very little water movement! Color morphs vary from brown to green to bright fluorescent green with purple striations in the tissue, and pink, purple, and even orange-tipped tentacles!

If one were to solicit opinions today from both professionals and hobbyists in the marine aquarium communities as to whether this coral should continue to be collected, opinions would likely be vastly conflicting. Catalaphyllia, a monotypic (single species) coral, is distinct and easily identifiable, and is highly sought after by many reef aquarists. In my early days as a hobbyist almost 22 years ago, I can recall this coral being considered one of the easiest and hardiest corals to keep in captivity. It was often compared to Trachyphyllia (Open Brain coral) for care requirements and ease of maintenance. As time went on,

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A lovely Australian, purple-tipped Catalaphyllia.

Image by author.

it became a more difficult coral to keep alive in captivity, which stimulated discussion amongst professionals and hobbyists alike as to the reason for the decline in health of this beautiful coral when kept in a captive environment. Some believed that climate changes and much warmer waters were compromising the wild Catalaphyllia stock, while some believed there was a bacterial issue causing their demise. Others believed it was poor collection, holding, and shipping practices. Although I am not a marine biologist and don’t profess to have that academic background, my research and experience over time led me to believe that the problem was bacterial. This is based on reports of hobbyists having healthy Catalaphyllia in their systems for long periods of time, purchasing an additional piece and quarantining it for a considerable period of time, and then losing all of their Catalaphyllia soon after the newest piece was added to the display system. I further believe that the collection, holding, and shipping practices contributed to the poor

Don’t miss RHM sponsored MACNA 2011 in Des Moines, IA on September 9-11. (macna2011.com)

survival rate of this coral. That said, as a hobbyist at that time, I declined to purchase Catalaphyllia with the hope that collection would cease until the problems had been understood and resolved.

Many years have now passed, and in my seven years as a marine retailer, I had not purchased Catalaphyllia jardinei for all of the above-referenced reasons. However, with the relatively recent commencement of collection and import of Elegans to the U.S. from Australia, there has been a vast improvement in the health of available specimens of this coral. Because I have an excellent Australian vendor, I decided to bring in some Catalaphyllia, and I have been extremely pleased with the results. These coral have adapted nicely to the captive environment and are thriving in our well-established displays and holding systems. The colors are magnificent, their tissue is firmly intact, and the tentacles are robust! These Australian coral inflate to a fantastic size and are as impressive as any Elegans coral I’ve ever seen. I’ve not yet tried any specimens from other geographical areas, but it is my understanding that Elegans are coming in healthy now from Indonesia as well as Australia. I’ve not seen much discussion as to the probable reasons for this vast improvement in health, but I suspect improved collection, holding, and shipping practices have all played major roles. If you’re familiar with Australian corals, you already know that they are some of the healthiest specimens

available. I also intend to give the Indonesian specimens a fair shake and compare them to the Aussies. If what I have heard and am reading is accurate regarding the Indo specimens, they too, are a good choice for appropriate captive environments.

I know there are stores that recommend Catalaphyllia to beginner aquarists, but I would suggest that this coral should be left to more experienced hobbyists who are familiar with its care and who have healthy, well-established reef systems which this coral prefers.

Elegans coral should not be placed in a newly set up aquarium that has not had time to establish itself. As responsible hobbyists and retailers, we should all be doing our homework on each and every animal we bring into our care to be certain we are knowledgeable and equipped to provide everything they need to thrive. That said, we give this coral a “blue thumbs up” for those experienced reef aquarists who are capable of giving Catalaphyllia jardinei a healthy and appropriate environment. And, we also acknowledge the knowledgeable retailers who understand the needs of this coral, provide for them, and can properly advise their customers on necessary care requirements.

Happy reefing, and thank you to all who do your part to properly care for and protect these precious gifts from the sea through conscientious reefkeeping and education!

coral

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entertainment

The Making of a Reality Show Article & Images by Jim Stime, Jr.

Job security, LA Fishguys style!

W

hen I moved back to Los Angeles in 1979, my dad said, “If you want to live at home, you need to sign up for school at the local community college.”

Of course I took classes I was interested in: Television, Radio, Electronics, Theatre Arts and Older Beginner Piano. At the end of the first year, I had earned a third class radio permit and was working the evening shift as a transmitter-engineer at the college radio station. I did everything except speak on-air.

It was around this time, while working on two school plays, that I was bitten by the “theatre bug” so badly that I dropped the Television and Piano classes. That summer, I started working at a local equity theatre. Equity means something like they don’t have to pay you, but other than being “found” sitting on a stool in a malt shop, that’s how one works their way into Hollywood. It’s all about being in the right place at the right time.

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I spent the next two years working in that equity theatre and doing some short term work at the NBC and CBS studios. One day, I was driving down Melrose Boulevard and spotted a number of friends in front of a small Hollywood theatre. As I looked closer, I saw that my friends were carrying picket signs. They were on strike. It occurred to me at that point that this was not a career path with a lot of stability.

Twenty years later, after working for a water vending machine company, a major aquarium products company, and then as an aquarium service manager for a local tropical fish shop, I found myself owning my own aquarium service business. It was also around this time that I designed and began selling a free standing jellyfish tank called the Jelliquarium. One day, I was setting up one of these jellyfish tanks on the set of MTV’s The Hills in the apartment of characters Heidi and Spencer. Spencer and I seemed to hit it off and I mentioned that I was going to be setting up another tank, a really fancy cylindrical aquarium. Spencer, being a media savvy fellow, suggested that we video tape the set-up of the tank.

I assumed that with his connection to MTV, he was a good judge of engaging television. Well, Spencer did not come through that weekend but once again, I had been bitten by that theatrical bug and decided I could film the installation myself; I just needed a camera. Back in the 80’s and 90’s, I considered myself a tech savvy person. I had worked with radio, reel to reel and cassettes, and here I was buying a digital video camera. As I recall, it was a basic, seven hundred dollar, hand held video camera. The next day was the installation of the tank.

Over the last 18 years of aquarium maintenance, I have taken care of a few tanks that belong to famous “Hollywood” type people. I have serviced tanks for Tommy Lee and Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue

Don’t miss RHM sponsored Reef-A-Palooza in Costa Mesa, CA on October 22-23. (reefapalooza.com)

The author discusses jellyfish feeding in a segment from episode 84.

This shot, from episode one, shows the installation of power compact lighting over the large, cylindrical tank.

and Pamela Anderson of Baywatch. One of my customers was the writer of Gladiator, David Franzoni, who advised me to film as much footage as possible as you never know what will be needed as the story unfolds. Spencer had also suggested filming daily, everything and all the time. So there I was, ready to set up the most expensive aquarium I have ever installed and trying to film it at the same time!

I decided I needed to concentrate on the aquarium setup and asked my brother to film the installation. Most reality shows use a “jiggly” camera style and many of the shots are hand held. Most of the time, I asked him to follow me around while I told him what to shoot, but some shots were done with a tripod.

“The home is fantastic,” and with that introduction, I began episode one of LA Fishguys. Perched at the top of a long, gated, winding driveway, the house is a multi-level mansion with a curved, sweeping, grand stairway. The tank is cylindrical, about 45 inches in diameter and 66 inches tall. It sits on a metal stand and custom cabinetry surrounded by a uniquely shaped bar, and is designed to appear to be the support for the upper floor. Placed inside the tank is a full height, colorful, artificial coral reef sculpture. Aside from a couple of silly goofs involving bulkheads, the only set back was a leaking circulation water pump. Otherwise, the installation went off without incident and was completed in two days.

I already had a name for the show even before I started filming.

Most of my aquarium service customers referred to me as the “aquarium guy” or the “fish guy,” just as they would refer to the “pool guy.” I can still recall, after opening the front door, some would holler, “Honey, the fish guy’s here!” The LA part obviously refers to Los Angeles which is much sexier and more recognizable than

entertainment

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Thousand Oaks (where I’m located), and also gives me a larger scope of storytelling potential.

In addition to the aquarium setup, my video stories also involve some music and a host to guide you through the story. The first version of episode one was accompanied by all my favorite musical hits, including music from AC/DC, Motley Crue and Van Halen.

It was at this point that Spencer suggested uploading my work to You Tube. This sounded like great exposure but I could see that the copyrighted musical accompaniment was going to be a problem. If you have ever looked into what is required to legally use copyrighted music, you will find that it is not easy and can become very expensive. Enter Mr. Frank Gari of Gari Communications.

Frank was a singer and songwriter, similar to Frankie Avalon back in the 50’s, and he happened to own a music business. Frank has a large library of music and loaned me a CD full of cool sounding instrumental music tracks. I felt that the music was a big part of the show and in return, Frank became Executive Producer of the show and receives full credit for his contribution.

and is a seahorse tank service customer of mine (episode 10). At times in our conversations, she would get excited and I could hear Bart; it came from inside her very naturally. I thought about Nancy’s example and finally ended up coming back to my own natural voice for the voice-overs.

I think it was Bob Fenner who pointed out a phrase I had used repeatedly in some of the episodes: “keep moving forward.” It was never intended to be the inspirational mantra it’s become.

Actually, it comes from my own personal lack of confidence issues and helps me take those leaps of faith I sometimes need to push myself harder. Somehow, I had unintentionally put more of myself into the show than planned. In addition to becoming the motto of the show, it appears as though it has had a positive effect on

I am the narrator for LA Fishguys and this was a challenge for me.

The reason I never spoke on the radio back in college was that I did not know what to say. I figured that the show’s narrative required a “character” so that I could fall back on the character to always have something to say. As a result, I played around with a few different personas. My original version sounded like some goofy British guy (no insult intended to goofy British guys). I remember the first time I met Nancy Cartwright; she does the voice of Bart Simpson,

This tank, from episode one, features a large, artificial reef sculpture.

Episode two featured the installation of a curved check-in counter tank at a dental office.

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Don’t miss RHM sponsored MACNA 2011 in Des Moines, IA on September 9-11. (macna2011.com)

many viewers as well. I have received numerous messages from people quoting it. As the show has developed, that perspective has become the foundation of the show’s attitude, which I translate to “it’s all positive.” While the show is about all facets of the business, and nothing is hidden, I just don’t see negativity as being an appropriate message.

True reality shows have no script, with everything done on the fly, and LA Fishguys is no different. The setup or servicing of the tank only serves as the basic plot. Sometimes I decide to speak to the camera directly and other times I just film something and plan on a voice-over later. Usually, it comes down to my comfort level on that day and what I feel the scene itself requires in terms of narration.

Once the filming for an episode is complete, I download the video

to a computer I use specifically for videos. I use Pinnacle Studio 12 Ultimate to edit and have a simple karaoke microphone that I use for voice-overs. I usually do four passes through a video to edit the show. The initial rough edit involves chopping the film clips down and forming the visual story. The second pass is to add voice-overs and transitions. The third pass is to add graphics and the fourth is to monitor audio levels. All of the completed videos are then saved as MPEG2 files and uploaded to You Tube. I later convert the MPEG2 files into what are called Flash (FLV) files which are then uploaded to the LA Fishguys web site. Flash is a format that most web browsers can play without having to download special programs or deal with numerous versions of internet web browsers.

The first 35 shows include the set up (and subsequent removal and repair) of the cylindrical tank, jellyfish tanks, seahorse tanks, the installation and servicing of two different curved tanks, and a couple of large rectangular tanks built into walls. But it’s about more than the aquariums, and also chronicles some business challenges such as dealing with customers, small claims court and the fish wholesalers.

As of January 1, 2011, LA Fishguys has 92 episodes on You Tube totaling 196 individual videos, with 5,186 subscribers and just over two million total videos viewed to date. So, as LA Fishguys approaches its 100th Episode, the question is, where does it go from here? Wherever it is, you can count on the fact that it will “keep moving forward.”

This shot, from episode one, shows the cylindrical tank finally filled with water after the second day of installation.

Episode two also featured the aquascaping of the tall, narrow tank.

entertainment

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MASNA clubs

The Pacific Northwest

Marine Aquarium Society Article & Images by PNWMAS

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Club Spotlight

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he Pacific Northwest Marine Aquarium Society (PNWMAS) is a not-for-profit organization that provides resources to marine aquarium enthusiasts in Oregon and Southwest Washington. We sponsor meetings, lectures, online discussions, and a website (www.pnwmas.org) to connect local hobbyists with each other and currently have over one hundred members. PNWMAS supports many educational and conservation organizations dedicated to the improvement of coral reef environments, but the main focus of the club is to educate people in the responsible husbandry of marine organisms in captivity.

To further our club’s goal of education, PNWMAS has started a “Tanks For Teachers” program which helps local schools set up marine aquariums in classrooms to educate students about this fragile environment. It all started with Roger Stephen, a teacher and PNWMAS member, who started using marine tank organisms in his Biology/Science classes. It became such a hit with his students that other teachers started asking for his help and study plans. He brought the idea to the club and we now have six tanks placed in schools for the benefit of teachers and students. All of these tanks were set up by our club members with donations from local fish stores, sponsors, and club members.

PNWMAS also supports a coral sharing program similar to the DBTC (Don’t Break The Chain) program that has been such a hit with so many other clubs. We call it “Share the Love.” In this program, a member will put up a coral frag and any interested member can post “Share the Love,” and then a member will be chosen from all those that entered. The only catch is if you win, you are responsible for offering up the next frag! It has become a great way to share corals and create backups of the shared corals in multiple tanks.

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Teaching respect for marine environments is a cornerstone of PNWMAS.

Our membership includes several hobbyists that actively breed marine fish and invertebrates. Some of these hobbyists are also members of the Marine Breeding Initiative (www.mbisite.org). Their participation in the MBI helps to develop a database with other enthusiasts from all over the world to share their experiences and knowledge of breeding marine organisms. One breeder, David Durr, has successfully bred eleven different species of marine fish.

In May 2007, a friend gave David a clutch of Ocellaris clownfish eggs and he began raising the clownfish in a few tanks in his family room. David’s curiosity quickly grew and within five months, he had expanded to eleven tanks. In February 2008, David’s’ existing tanks, plus a second system, were moved out to a small building often referred to as the “Clown House.” By September 2010, the Clown House underwent another expansion to accommodate a third system. In its current state, the Clown House consists of an eleven-tank broodstock system as well as two sixteen-tank growout systems and is currently home to approximately 2,500 fish. David has donated multiple pairs of clownfish to teachers in the “Tanks For Teachers” program including a pair of Platinum clowns for a classroom display project. Whenever possible, David delivers the fish personally and spends time with the students sharing all aspects of the breeding process from spawning, through larval rearing, food cultures, and growout. This allows David to interact with the students and share something with them in a way that is not typical in either the marine ornamental industry or the classroom. The Clown House currently supplies many of the local fish stores with captive bred Picasso, Platinum, Ocellaris, Black & White Ocellaris, True Percula, Cinnamon, Clarkii, and Tomato clownfish. Once a year, David hosts the local PNWMAS meeting and opens the Clown House up to all members that would like to attend. David admirably represents the PNWMAS focus

Don’t miss RHM sponsored Reef-A-Palooza in Costa Mesa, CA on October 22-23. (reefapalooza.com)

A tank of fancy clownfish in the Clown House.

which has always been to share information and educate others whenever possible.

The Tridacna Breeding Initiative is an experiment to successfully spawn and rear Tridacna maxima clams in a captive marine aquarium environment. PNWMAS member Roy Seine began experimenting with this in the early 1990’s. He succeeded in spawning three Tridacna maxima clams with both sperm and eggs produced. The broodstock clam sizes ranged from seven to twelve inches in size.

The two smaller clams functioned as males, producing sperm, while the larger clam functioned as a female, producing eggs. (All clams start as hermaphrodites, and can later develop into simultaneous hermaphrodites.) The clams were stress-induced into spawning during the summer when they were taken outside and laid on their sides on a concrete driveway for thirty minutes in 80 degree weather. The clams were then brought back inside and set in a Rubbermaid tub with water at a temperature of 82 degrees. After fifteen minutes, the clams started to spawn by releasing sperm and eggs into the water for fifteen to twenty minutes.

Once the clams had spawned, they were returned to the main system. The tub with the sperm and eggs was aerated with an air stone and kept dark for two weeks. A week later, the tub was checked for spat with none detected. Also during this time, 10% water changes were done daily on the spat tank and the water was kept within normal reef tank parameters. After talking to Bob Fenner, Roy was advised to add a chemical attractant (a suntan lotion with PABA Esters) to the water to encourage the spat to settle out.

MagFoxRHMqtrpg.QXD:PhosBan Qtr Page.QXD The Clown House growout system.

6/3/10

1:28 PM

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

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

The spawning process was repeated the next summer with the

MASNA clubs

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WINNERS

Photo Contest Current Topic:

“Euphyllias” 1

2

Luis Gonzalez

3

Nick Cardona

TLF

Koralia

1

2

Alex B. Hatt

Reef Nutrition

Next Topic:

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PRIZES

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Submit original photographs of your magnificent Chalice corals for a chance to win awesome prizes!

PhosBan Reactor 550, HydroCarbon & PhosBan

For rules, details, and entry, go to www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com.

addition of black flooring tiles in the bottom of the tub coated with suntan lotion. Twenty-eight spat successfully settled out and began to develop shells. Shell development reached two to three millimeters, and then slowed, ultimately resulting in the loss of all the juvenile clams. Roy suspected it was due to insufficient food supply as fine foods like phytoplankton were not added. After taking a break, Roy recently started the experiment again with club member Alex Grassi. They are currently looking for maxima broodstock and we are looking forward to following their progress.

While the members of the PNWMAS have a variety of experience, interests, and resources in the marine aquarium hobby, there is a common thread amongst all of the members: their love of the hobby, interest in education, and desire to further conservation of the marine species they love. Our club actively welcomes new members and searches for opportunities to engage in community outreach to share the message of propagation and conservation, both inside and outside of the hobbyist community. We encourage

Koralia 4

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Roti Feast, Arcti Pods & Phyto Feast Live

To sponsor a RHM Photo Contest, email an inquiry to info@rhmag.com.

you to visit the PNWMAS website (www.pnwmas.org) to see what we are up to next and hopefully we can inspire you to learn more and fully enjoy our marine aquarium hobby.

Strength in numbers! A clutch of juvenile A. ocellaris.

Spawning begins for broodstock T. maxima. Spawning giant clams produce impressive clouds of eggs and sperm.

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Don’t miss RHM sponsored MACNA 2011 in Des Moines, IA on September 9-11. (macna2011.com)