Reef Hobbyist Magazine Q4 2009

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FOURTH QUARTER 2009 | Volume 3

THE EXTRAORDINARY

ARCHOHELIA REDIVIVA Hot Nano Fish: The Flaming Prawn Goby The Flame Thrower Chalice!

SUBMIT A REEF KEEPING ARTICLE FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A $1000 AQUATIC LIFE HID LIGHT FIXTURE! PG.4 Don’t miss RHM sponsored Reef-A-Palooza October 24-25!!

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Eligibility: Contest is open to individuals who belong to a club or society registered with the Marine Aquarium Societies of North America (MASNA), legally residing in the 50 United States and the District of Columbia at the time of entry. Employees of Sponsors and their subsidiaries, and their immediate family members and/or those living in the same household are not eligible.

Judging Criteria: The “Discovered Author” Contest is a skill contest. Participants should write about topics related to reef aquaria.

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Deadline: All entries must be postmarked by December 31, 2009 and received no later than January 11, 2010. © COPYRIGHT 2009 AQUATICLIFE LLC., REEF HOBBYIST MAGAZINE, AND MASNA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Marine Aquarium Societies of North America

FEATURES

FOURTH QUARTER 2009 | Volume 3 Copyright© 2009 Reef Hobbyist Magazine. All rights reserved.

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NANO NUTS AND BOLTS Doug Clark is an active diver, marine hobbyist and marine biology student. Doug got his start in the hobby working at a LFS. Get Doug’s step by step advice on piecing together a nano-tank of your own.

Image by Jim Adelberg.

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HOT NANO FISH, Episode 1: THE FLAMING PRAWN GOBY Adam Mullins, co-owner of The Mystic Reef, is a professional reef aquarist and blogger. In this issue, Adam begins his series of “Hot Nano Fish” articles with a look at the fascinating Flaming Prawn Goby.

Image by author.

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LEARNING TO LOVE ALGAE: THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE BEAUTIFUL Sam Tran, a veteran SF Bay Area reefer, briefly discusses why you should add macroalgae to your reef. Image by Blake Thompson.

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TAKING THE PLUNGE: DIVING PATTAYA Harry T. Tung, Co-founder of RHM, shares his first dive experience and some of the many beautiful animals you can see while diving the reefs of Pattaya, Thailand. Image by Peter Waagensen.

ANNOUNCEMENTS • Submit an article for your chance to win a $1000 Aquatic Life HID Light Fixture – see details on opposite page!

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THE FLAME THROWER CHALICE Vince “kigs” Suh, an aquarist from New York, manages UniqueCorals.com and is a long standing council member of CoralPedia.com.

In this article, Vince shares the history of the amazing Flame Thrower Chalice. Image by author.

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PRODUCT REVIEW: HYDOR WAVEMAKER 4 Thinking about adding a wavemaker?

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COME VISIT US ONLINE AT www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com

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THE EXTRAORDINARY

ARCHOHELIA REDIVIVA Jason Wong has been keeping reef tanks for over a decade and is a member of Bay Area Reefers (Nor-Cal). In this species article, Jason highlights the extraordinary coral, Archohelia rediviva. Non-photosynthetic corals like this one are extremely rewarding for any reefer with the diligence and patience to care for them and this article will tell you how. Image by author.

• • • • •

Enter the RHM photo contest to win awesome prizes!

Find full access to RHM archives.

Check out our DTBC resource center. NEW! Watch reef related videos in our video library.

Find a store near you that carries RHM.

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

SPECIAL THANKS Greg Rothschild Lou Schiavo Michael Elliott Mermaids Dive Center Peter Waagensen

COMMENTS OR SUGGESTIONS? comments@rhmag.com

TANK TIPS & TRICKS

NANO

NUTS & BOLTS Article By Doug Clark

K

eeping an aquarium can be one of the most peaceful, yet exciting and educational hobbies around. Many of us just enjoy the elegance of a brilliant angelfish or school of tetras in our tanks. While the majority of us in the aquarium hobby deal solely with fish, nature has manifested an incredible array of aquatic species, many of them available to the properly equipped aquarist.

The tropical rainforests are often credited with being the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet, but many don’t know that coral reefs are extremely close in terms of biodiversity. Countless species bring life to the most beautiful habitats on the planet, and many long to bring a piece of this into their homes. Unfortunately, the prospect of keeping a marine aquarium has scared many people into staying in the freshwater section of their local shops. But interestingly enough, when people do make the transition to saltwater, they often become awestruck. Working in a fish shop for years, I can’t tell you how many times I have heard, “What the heck is that? Is that real?

Can that live in my tank?” This inquiry was often over reef critters, like corals, starfish or even anemones. Unfortunately, starting a reef tank has often been an expensive ordeal. But due to the evolution of the hobby by scientists and aquarists alike, smaller reef tanks often termed “nano-reefs” have been quickly gaining in popularity.

Species that were once ’impossible to keep in captivity‘ are now thriving in offices and homes around the world. This article will serve as a guide on how to set up a nano-reef properly to ensure that you too, may have some of nature’s prettiest creatures in your own home. We will first look at selecting the right equipment for your reef, then go through the process of setting everything up.

These are just a couple of sizes that nano tanks come in. Image by Nature Aquarium.

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Image by Jim Adelberg.

Tank selection

Nano-reef tanks are generally 15 gallons or less, though commercial nano-reef tanks range up to about 30 gallons. When choosing your tank, there are a few things you may want to consider. Your tank will be made out of acrylic or glass. Acrylic is lighter, stronger, and actually looks clearer than glass. Unfortunately, it can be susceptible to scratches when carelessly moving rocks or scrubbing algae with a sandy scrub pad. Glass is not much heavier if the tank is smaller (10-15 gallons), and is more difficult to scratch, which is why some prefer it. Over time, glass tanks may leak however, so it is important if you are re-using a glass tank to check it for leaks by filling it outside.

Placement is very important, and a 25 gallon nano may be a bit big for a desktop, for example. It is important to choose a suitably sized tank for where you will set it up. It is also equally, if not more important to be sure that the furniture you put your tank on will be

The author’s 11 gallon acrylic cube. Image by author.

This is a typical 24 gallon all inclusive set-up.

Image by Nature Aquarium.

Win prizes by entering our photo contest at www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com!

able to handle the weight. Water weighs a little more than 8 lbs. per gallon, and remember, that doesn’t include the weight of the tank, sand, or rocks. It is also good to avoid placing tanks near windows as sunlight will increase algae growth and temperature fluctuations, which could mean disaster for a small tank.

Manufacturers in the hobby have also introduced us to many different styles of tanks. From boxes to bow fronts, cylinders to hexagons, there are plenty of styles to choose from. I recommend a tank that will have a large enough “footprint” so that you can have suitable room for aquascaping your reef. Many smaller tanks tend to be very slim, which makes it very tough to arrange your live rock in a way that recreates a three dimensional underwater scene.

The tank you see on the left is my 11 gallon acrylic cube. I chose it because it gives me enough room to create my rock structure, and its box shape gives me three large viewing sides. This was a must for me because I am always searching my rocks closely for signs of life.

Many aquarium shops will also stock a number of all inclusive setups complete with filtration and power compact lighting, which may be the better choice for some. This article will focus on piecing together a small reef tank, so if you are using an all inclusive style tank, the filtration section will not apply.

Lighting

Lighting is an extremely important aspect of setting up a reef aquarium, as it provides energy for many invertebrates to grow, much like a plant. For reef aquariums the general rule of thumb is 3 to 5 watts of light per gallon (e.g. 30 to 50 watts for a 10 gallon tank). I have found power compacts (pc’s) to work the best for small reef aquaria. You can easily find small pc light hoods for sale at your local fish shop, though you may be confused by the variety you will see. Bulbs come in different spectrums, that is, they give off different colors of light depending on which spectrum you choose. A ‘daylight bulb’ (which mimics sunlight) will work just fine, though a 50/50 bulb (half daylight, half blue actinic) will give your tank a nice blue tint to it, and often makes certain colors on fish and invertebrates jump out and appear to glow.

Normal output fluorescent bulbs also come in these spectrums, but do not put out as much light. They may not be suitable to keep some invertebrates that require more intense lighting. That said, there are still many fascinating marine invertebrates that will thrive

(PC) Fluorescent Light.

under normal fluorescents, so if you are using these, it is best to consult with your local fish shop for animals that will be best suited to your set-up.

Filtration

When looking for a filter, you may become overwhelmed by the number of different types of filters you see. There are several methods of filtering your water, but we will use mechanical filtration which essentially removes particles from your water column. Many of these filters will include biological filter media used to grow waste-eating bacteria, but I do not recommend using this because

T5 Fluorescent Light.

Clip-on Metal Halide Light.

Lighting choices should be made with your animals’ needs in mind. Images by Nature Aquarium.

TANK TIPS & TRICKS

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you’ll use rocks and sand to accomplish this instead. A small hangon-the-back mechanical filter should work, as long as it can filter your tank’s water volume at least seven times per hour. Filters are rated in gallons per hour (gph), so a 10 gallon tank would need at least a 70 gph filter, for example. It is alright to get a bigger filter as well, as long as it’s not overkill.

Protein skimmers are another type of filter that uses tiny air bubbles to remove waste that is dissolved in your water. They are a good idea if you have room in case something happens to your tank like a fish or coral dies before you notice it, in addition to providing another means of filtration. I have had nano-reefs before with and without protein skimmers and both have thrived. As long as you pay attention to your tank and maintain it properly, you should do just fine without a protein skimmer.

What’s black and white and red AND used all over ?

Two Little Fishies PhosBan® Reactor 150.

The original media reactor for aquariums up to 150 gallons

Inside the tank

We are recreating tropical reef conditions so you will need a heater to keep your critters happy. The 3 to 5 watt rule also applies here.

For a 10 gallon tank, 30 to 50 watts is perfect. There are a ton of heaters out there these days, so my only recommendation is getting one with a safety shut off. This will help you avoid cooking all of your fish if your heater malfunctions.

Substrates come in many shapes, sizes and types, from large shell pieces to very fine sand. Any substrate you will use for saltwater needs to be calcium-based to help maintain the proper pH of your water. For this reason, gravel and certain sands will be unsuitable to use in your tank so be sure to purchase a substrate sold specifically for saltwater use. Medium fine sand is a good choice because it allows for the growth of anaerobic bacteria that break down harmful waste released by the fish. Larger substrates allow water to move freely through the substrate bed and will not harbor these bacteria.

Finer substrates may get moved too easily by currents in your tank and could even ruin your filter. Very fine substrates are also very difficult to rinse during set-up, which is important if you don’t want milky water. “Live” substrates are another option and are sold at many shops as well and come ready to use. It is a perfect size,

A skimmer made for nano-reefs.

Image by Nature Aquarium.

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A hybrid hang-on-the-back filter/skimmer.

Image by Nature Aquarium.

Two Little Fishies Inc. 1007 Park Centre Blvd.

Miami Gardens, FL 33169 USA Phone 305 623 7695 Fax 305 623 7697 www.twolittlefishies.com

doesn’t need rinsing and comes pre-cultured with bacteria that help stabilize your water conditions. For a suitable bed of substrate, about a pound of substrate per gallon should suffice. It’s alright to add more if you like, but it is not usually a good idea to do any less than a pound per gallon.

“Live” rock is what is used to decorate your tank and is similar to “live” sand in that it also has bacteria to stabilize your tank. It also

A small heater that’s keeping a 24 gallon nano-reef warm.

Image by RHM.

A variety of substrates are suitable for a nanoreef. Images by Nature Aquarium.

Win prizes by entering our photo contest at www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com!

Set-up

What’s More?

Two Little Fishies PhosBan® Reactor 550.

The New media reactor for aquariums up to 600 gallons Our PhosBan Reactors are designed with the upflow principle to achieve the most efficient use of PhosBan® or other chemical filter media. By pushing water from the bottom upward through a dispersion plate, they force an even distribution of water through the media. Mount them on the back of the aquarium or below it. Each reactor includes a ball valve for regulating flow, and flexible connection fittings that rotate 180 degrees to allow a perfect custom fit to your installation.

The threaded lid design makes servicing quick and easy.

It is best to have all equipment ready in advance to make your setup go smoothly. This includes your water which may be purchased at your local fish store. If your tank is new or has been sitting around for a while, it is a good idea to rinse it out first to avoid any accidental contamination. We’ve already discussed placing your tank in a suitable area, but remember that you need to leave room behind the tank if you are going to use a hang–on-the-back filter. Once your tank is in position, the substrate may be rinsed, if necessary, and added to the tank. If you have the live rock already, that too may be placed inside but hold off on arranging it. Next, carefully add your water, avoiding splashes and spills around your tank, and be cautious of knocking rocks into the side of your tank.

It is a good idea to avoid filling the tank up all the way so it doesn’t overflow if you put your arm or some more rocks in the tank. The filter and heater can be put in place and the heater may be plugged in. It should be set somewhere between 76 and 80 degrees to create your tropical conditions. If the filter is a hang-on-the-back, it will need to be filled with water before plugging it in to get it to work. Next comes the aquascaping. Live rock is often seen piled up against the back of the tank, which can be nice, but can be somewhat boring. No two live rock pieces are shaped the same, and often one can find many unusual shapes that can be utilized to create caves, ledges or anything else you can think up. Just remember you will probably want to place corals on your rock at some point, so it’s a good idea to arrange them in a way that may make this easier down the road. When you have arranged your rocks, put on the lid, turn on the lights, and you’re looking at your own slice of the tropics!

comes with tons of surprises too. Pieces of coral reefs that break off are collected and sold with many of the animals still living inside the rock. A sharp eye can spot many tiny things like different crabs, clams, worms, even algae and corals that you might not notice right away. Many things die on the rock however, so when choosing pieces for your tank, it is best to smell the rock to avoid adding dying organisms to your tank. If a rock smells bad, it is best to avoid it. If it smells like the ocean or has no noticeable odor then it has been properly cured and should be able to go in your tank.

Smell your liverock when purchasing to ensure you’re not buying rock with dying or dead organisms attached. Image by Nature Aquarium.

The author’s completed nano-reef. Image by author.

TANK TIPS & TRICKS

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FISH Hot Nano Fish, Episode 1

THE FLAMING PRAWN GOBY Article & Images By Adam Mullins

I

f you’ve never heard of the Flaming Prawn Goby, Spikefin or Griessinger’s Goby, as it is also known, it’s completely understandable. At less than one inch long,

Discordipinna griessingeri often goes unnoticed by casual hobbyists seeking large, colorful, open water fish. Likewise, many retailers simply overlook this tiny fish when ordering new livestock. Due to their small size, it can be very difficult to display this fish in a retail setting without somehow losing it down an overflow or in some other mysterious way. Add to that the exorbitant price that these fish commanded for a long time, often times more than $170 for a 3⁄4 inch fish that would be lost in most displays, and it’s no surprise that they are still relatively obscure.

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Win prizes by entering our photo contest at www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com!

So why did I choose the Flaming Prawn Goby for my “Hot Nano Fish” series?

The first reason is that it is the perfect size for a nano tank. I have a 24 gallon display set up in my store that houses my Flaming Prawn Goby and it has become one of the most popular attractions we have. Additionally, these fish are very attractive, have an interesting “personality”, and are no longer extremely expensive.

Not surprisingly, there are a whole variety of interesting little nano gobies.

The Goby family, Gobiidae, is one of the largest of all fish families and encompasses greater than 2,000 species with more being discovered regularly.

It should come as no surprise then that many goby species end up in the aquarium trade. The fact that most are fairly small, very hardy fish with fascinating behaviors makes them even more appealing. Consider the Shrimp gobies, whose unique relationship with pistol shrimp is a favorite of marine aquarists, or Clown gobies, who have an affinity for hosting in all types of coral heads, or even the cryptic Circus gobies (Priolepsis nocturna), which are very shy but interesting, as they hang upside down beneath rockwork structures. And of course, don’t forget the Flaming Prawn Goby, hailing from mixed coral rubble and sand bottoms and ranging from the Red Sea to the Philippines, Indonesia, and the Marquesas Islands.

With so many great goby species to choose from, it’s hard to choose just one which may be the reason I have collected all sorts whenever I get the chance.

But one of my favorites has to be the Flaming Prawn Goby. On closer inspection, one realizes it’s a very beautiful fish. In fact, it is one of the most dramatically colored fish available. With large “flaming” orange pectoral, dorsal, and tail fins, offset by a stark white background and a polka dotted face, what’s not to love about the way this little fish looks? As for size, these tiny fish are definitely suitable for all but the smallest pico tanks, measuring just 3⁄4 to one inch. I would recommend at least a mature 10 gallon tank or larger to be sure there are plenty of copepods and other micro-crustaceans for them to prey on. It’s even been suggested that they pair with pistol shrimps, but I have not yet witnessed that and I added a Candy stripe pistol (Alpheus randalli) at the same time.

So what about the price of this fish? Well, with recent advances in collection and handling techniques, as well as increased demand for the Flaming Prawn Goby, the price has dropped dramatically. It is not uncommon for our store to sell this fish for $45 to $65 depending on the time of year and availability. That still makes it one of the more expensive nano fish, but it’s a lot cheaper than it used to be. Luckily for hobbyists, it retails now for less than it has wholesaled for in the past.

So what are my husbandry recommendations for this fish? First of all, you’ll want to make sure it’s in a fairly comfortable environment in order to witness this species’ natural behavior. This means both an ample supply of hiding spots or bolt holes and a lack of any larger or more aggressive tank mates.

I house mine in a 24 gallon Aquapod with 2 ORA Stubby Clownfish, a small Cherub Angel, and a few other small gobies including Circus, Clown, Eviota, and the obscure Cinctus gobies, as well as a bluestripe pipefish. A mature system, rich in live copepods, grammarids and mysis will help this fish acclimate to captivity and ensure it has plenty of live food on which to prey.

Because these gobies are extremely small and highly cryptic during their first few weeks in a new environment, you may not even see them. This makes

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it difficult to ensure they’re feeding, which is why having a well established tank with plenty of copepods will help them to acclimate. If you are unsure if your tank has a good amount of copepods available, you can always inoculate it with some quality live sand or rock rubble from a local reefer or LFS. You can also add live copepods from companies such as Reef Nutrition.

Of course, add the copepods or sand well in advance of the gobies and exclude any predators, which would include most fishes, as they would not allow a good population to develop.

Feeding the tank with live phytoplankton will also help to make sure a healthy zooplankton population is established.

Though your new fish may be all but invisible, fear not, for these little fish are very robust and hardy. After adjusting to tank life, you will begin to notice them popping out more and more often. Once you learn their favorite spots, it becomes fairly easy to find them in the tank, and make sure they’re feeding. I feed my tank a varied

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diet of Cyclop-eeze, small Spectrum pellets, Reef Nutrition Rotifeast and Arcti-pods, as well as frozen mysis shrimp and Live Phyto-feast. It’s important to offer a good variety of small sized zooplankton type foods to simulate what they would naturally be feeding on in nature.

So you’re convinced, and want one for your tank but not sure how to get it? Any good local aquarium store should have access to this fish. However, it still may be hard to track down since many store owners and wholesalers are still unaware of this goby species. If your local fish store doesn’t have one in stock, ask the store owner if they can order one for you.

I’d love to hear anyone’s questions, comments, or suggestions for the “Hot Nano Fish” series! Please feel free to email me at themysticreef@hotmail.com.

Win prizes by entering our photo contest at www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com!

SizeDoes Matter.

The VorTech MP10.

The ideal pump for nano-reef aquariums.

An in-tank footprint so small, you have to see it to believe it.

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Elegantly discreet. Highly controllable. Up to 1,575 GPH. Changing how people think about ow in reef aquariums.

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TANK TIPS & TRICKS LEARNING TO LOVE ALGAE: The Good, The Bad, The Beautiful

Article By Sam Tran

W

Ornamental macroalgae can bring a whole new look to your reef. This is the ‘Red Grape’ algae, Botryocladia. Image by Blake Thompson.

Halymenia, or dragon’s tongue, is both decorative and a great food for tangs. Image by Phong Nguyen.

Lomentaria provides attractive color and a pleasing growth form.

Image by Sam Tran.

Macroalgae is probably the safest hitching post choice for seahorses.

Image by Blake Thompson.

Penicillus will do quite well in most reef tanks. Image by Phong Nguyen.

hat comes to mind when you hear the word algae? For most hobbyists, that word doesn’t invoke good thoughts. The majority of hobbyist experiences with algae are not pleasant because it can become a nuisance when it grows unchecked and takes hold of an aquarium. Considering the speed at which nuisance algae can overrun a tank, it’s understandable that many hobbyists get frustrated and eventually give up.

There are mainly 2 types of algae that grow in our reef tanks: microalgae and macroalgae. Microalgae are small, photosynthetic aquatic plants that require a microscope to be seen (think of phytoplankton). Macroalgae, on the other hand, are the opposite. They are large aquatic photosynthetic plants that can be seen without a microscope. Macroalgae come in many different colors including green, red, brown and blue. They are grouped into three categories: Red (Rhodophyta), Green (Chlorophyta), and Brown (Phaeophyta). Macroalgae are not only beautiful but have many uses in a marine aquarium. They are a natural food source for herbivorous fish, they facilitate nutrient export through direct harvest, and they provide a natural environment for fish.

Also, certain macroalgae species can help to anchor the substrate with their extensive ‘root’ systems. The most popular use for macroalgae however, is their nutrient exporting abilities. These plants absorb nutrients from the water as a food source. By doing this they compete with undesirable microalgae for nutrients and limit nuisance algae growth.

Macroalgae species grow in many different forms and many species are quite well behaved in a marine aquarium. Understanding how the different macroalgae types grow can be key to successfully incorporating them into your aquarium. Botryocladia, also known as Red Grape Kelp because of its red bubble bladders, is a very decorative and easy to grow macroalgae. Lomentaria, another red macroalgae, also grows in a mostly vertical orientation. Both these species are not considered invasive and will not attach themselves to liverock. Vertically growing macroalgae are often used as hitching posts in seahorse aquariums.

Penicillus, a macroalgae that is made up of large amounts of calcium, resembles a shaving brush and roots itself into the substrate. The Penicillus ‘roots’(technically ‘holdfasts’) are great at helping to anchor the substrate in high flow tanks.

Chaetomorpha is a very popular choice for nutrient export among reef hobbyists and is a free floating macroalgae. Its growth form resembles a ball of spaghetti.

Chaetomorpha is often grown in the sump or refugium and harvested to export nutrients.

Image by Jim Adelberg.

Uvaria macroalgae can bring a unique look to a tank’s aquascaping.

Image by Phong Nguyen.

It is sad that we do not see more of these beautiful macroalgae incorporated into marine aquariums. They add a beautiful color contrast to any aquarium environment. Hopefully, as the hobby advances, we will see them added to more aquariums in the future.

TANK TIPS & TRICKS

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CORAL the extraordinary

ARCHOHELIA REDIVIVA

Article & Images By Jason Wong

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rchohelia rediviva is a non-photosynthetic coral which has been collected off the coast of Australia. Much about this coral remains a mystery as it very rarely appears in the hobby. In fact, in the ten plus years that I’ve been keeping reef tanks, I’d never seen or heard of Archohelia rediviva nor any other corals in the Archohelia genus prior to this year. It seems hobbyists are not the only ones in the dark as scientists also can’t seem to agree on the proper name. The original scientific name, “Archohelia rediviva” (discovered by Wells and Alderslade in 1979) was later reclassified as “Petrophyllia rediviva”. Today, both names appear to be synonyms for each other. For simplicity, in this article I’ll simply be calling this coral “Archohelia”.

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The most similar corals in the hobby to Archohelia rediviva appear to be the branching Galaxea corals. Although also uncommon, retailers sometimes import colonies of Galaxea acrhelia and Galaxea horrescens. These corals belonging to the same family, Oculinidae, have somewhat similar looking corallites, and share the same branching skeletal structure.

Archohelia rediviva first appeared in the hobby after being imported from Eastern Australia in early April 2009. Only a handful of small colonies were collected and sold. The retailer maintained the coral for about three weeks prior to offering it for sale. During this time, it was kept in low light and fed lobster eggs and baby brine shrimp three to four times per week. I managed to acquire one of these colonies in May 2009. To my knowledge, only two other smaller colonies were sold after this initial offering. When the coral arrived, I was greeted with a very healthy, 3”x 3”x 3” branching colony. I didn’t dip the coral for fear of hurting it and instead did a very close visual inspection for any pests and then placed the coral in my tank.

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Archohelia rediviva is a very distinctive coral. Few corals (other than dead or bleached ones) exhibit a pure white or pure black coloration and the Archohelia has both. A stark white branching body contrasts with deep black bands around each corallite. The oral disks are a blue-gray color. The tentacles are clear with white specks, very reminiscent of some Rhizotrochus corals. The coral branches are medium bodied and not as prone to breaking as the related, thinner branched Galaxea corals.

This coral has proven to be a hardy and robust specimen. The tentacles open both during the day, and in the evening, but tend to be most extended in the early morning after a long period of darkness. It’s been kept on the bottom of a 170 gallon display tank in low-medium light under three 250 watt 20,000k metal halide bulbs. Water flow is also low to medium. Over the course of four months, I’ve suffered a few deviations in water chemistry in my tank, notably a temporary spike in salinity and a drop in alkalinity due to equipment failures. While other corals in my tank became irritated, the Archohelia didn’t seem to notice. Although I would certainly never advise on anything less than ideal parameters for this coral, it has proven to be less finicky than others that I have kept.

When it comes to care, Archohelia, like all non-photosynthetic corals, needs to be fed regularly. This coral in particular is a very voracious feeder. During the months that I have cared for it, I have been providing a combination of small frozen mysis shrimp, crushed flake food, decapsulated brine shrimp cysts, baby brine shrimp, enriched adult brine, small sinking pellets and Cyclopeeze. I’ve even given it the occasional treat of Japanese sushi tobiko (fish roe). I generally feed the coral a mixture of the above ingredients three times per week although the coral will accept up to two or three feedings a day.

Despite an apparent tolerance for poor water quality, failing to feed is a sure fire way to kill this coral. During a ten day

business trip, I was unable to provide regular feedings. Upon my return home, polyp extension was noticeably reduced and the coral heads appeared sunken in. Luckily, with resumed feedings, polyp extension was soon back to normal.

Although feeding must be done regularly, it is quite easy. Archohelia extends its polyps often and the feeding tentacles are very sticky.

I generally use a long stiff plastic tube attached to a turkey baster.

This allows me to target feed without actually putting my hands into the water. Since the Archohelia is located at the bottom of my tank, this is a very useful tool to ensure I don’t have to go swimming three times a week! The biggest challenge is harassment from tank mates. Because the coral captures so much food, it’s a prime target for poaching by my fish, shrimps, hermit crabs and serpent stars. To combat this, I’ve developed two techniques for feeding.

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Reef Safe

The first method is distraction. I first feed the fish mysis shrimp by dumping a portion into the tank with the pumps on. This fills the fish up and also serves the secondary purpose of extending the tentacles on all of my corals. Next I shut off the pumps and begin target feeding all of the corals on the opposite side of the tank from the Archohelia. This gets all of the slower moving critters like the serpent stars and hermits as far away from the coral as possible. Finally, I take a crushed up mixture of food and squirt it in a dense cloud all over the Archohelia, making sure to cover all of the branches. Any offending hermits or stars are batted away. After five minutes I turn the pumps back on. The tentacles are sticky enough that it has no problem finishing its meal with full flow on.

A second technique which I have recently started to use is a ‘feeding bell’ which covers the coral while it is being fed. I learned about this idea on a message board after reading about other hobbyists who employ the same method for “dendros” and sun corals. The idea is to construct a feeding bell out of a two liter soda bottle to form a barrier between the coral and any would-be poachers. This is

easily made by cutting off the bottom third of the bottle and adding weight to the “bell” to keep it sunk. One then places the bell over the coral to be fed and squirts food into the mouth of the bottle.

This allows the coral to feed undisturbed from scavengers. After the coral has finished feeding (usually 15 minutes or so) I remove the feeding bell with a string attached to the top.

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Due to its unique nature and rarity, Archohelia rediviva has been in extremely high demand both from hobbyists and stores. Unfortunately, it seems to be a very slow grower, making propagation difficult. Although the coral remains very healthy and has perhaps encrusted a bit more on the base, in four months I have not noticed any new branches or corallites formed. It’s too bad, because the coral is very easy to frag. Using bone shears, I cleanly snipped off two branches with 10+ heads each. The coral took well to the cutting and within an hour, both frags opened up and were ready to accept food. One frag was donated to a fellow reefer as part of the Bay Area Reefers “Don’t Break The Chain” captive propagation program. The other frag remains in my frag tank.

Archohelia rediviva has been a very rewarding coral to keep. For the right reef keeper with the time and patience to regularly target feed, Archohelia, along with other non-photosynthetic corals, offer a very unique addition to the display aquarium.

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WILD REEFS

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TAKING THE PLUNGE: Diving Pattaya Article By Harry Thomas Tung Images by Khem Kasemsri & Peter Waagensen

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fter four years of an increasing fascination with reef aquariums, my brother, an avid scuba diver living in Bangkok, Thailand, finally convinced me to get over my fear of being in the ocean and take the plunge into the underwater world.

It wasn’t easy for me to take him up on his offer to get me certified.

After nearly drowning as a young child in San Francisco’s Half Moon Bay, I was content to never venture past knee deep water ever again. But after months of convincing and constant emails filled with amazing reef pictures from his dives, I decided that it was time to put my fear behind me and see the animals I’m so fascinated by, in their own natural environment.

So I rallied up some friends, packed a couple of bags, and flew to Bangkok, Thailand where our adventure began. If you’ve never been to Bangkok, add it to your list of “must visit” places. Although there are more popular destinations to dive, I will argue that only in Thailand can you find such friendly hospitality, great food, and affordability in one place.

After arriving in Bangkok, we went straight to our classroom and confined water courses to prepare for open water diving. That evening, we set off on a two hour van ride to Pattaya, a beach town

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2 about 93 miles southeast of Bangkok on the eastern side of the Bay of Bangkok.

At sunrise, we made our way over to Mermaids Dive Center, the most prestigious dive and training center in Pattaya. We got acquainted with our instructors Seong, Becky, and Russell, got fitted for our gear, and boarded the dive boat en route to a small island named Koh Sak, just 10 kilometers west of Pattaya.

We did 2 dives each of the 2 days we were there, both at Koh Sak. The following pictures represent just a small glimpse of the beautiful animals we encountered and were able to photograph during our dives at this location. The water depth was generally between 10 and 30 feet.

1 There was a patch on one end of the island covered with anemones. It must have been a 20’ by 30’ area on the ocean floor with what looked like hundreds if not thousands of these beautiful anemones. Each one was spoken for by skunk clowns that kept popping out to see what we were up to.

2 This is a pair of Heniochus acuminatus, also know as Longfin Heniochus Bannerfish. This pair was spotted swimming among some huge sea fans. These heniochus were definitely some of the coolest fish that I saw during the dives.

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3 Scattered along the ocean floor were various acropora colonies.

Most of them were not extremely colorful by the base, but did have blue or purple tips. This colony was tiny compared to some of the larger colonies that spanned more than ten feet from end to end.

4 Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get a good shot of some of the large colonies of stags and other acropora. The huge acropora colony in this photograph was taken while diving in Derawan, Indonesia, and shows just how large colonies can grow in their natural environments with strong flow and minimally fluctuating parameters. Colonies like this one were common in Koh Sak as well.

5 It was a common sight to see a pair of butterfly fish roaming the ocean floor looking for some tasty acropora treats. I cringed every time I saw it, but in the natural reefs, you just can’t exclude SPSnipping fish like we can in our captive reefs!

6 Some of the most abundant corals in Koh Sak were Platygyra sp.

They were quite colorful and astonishing in size with colonies ranging from fist size to over 6 feet wide. The coral pictured is a very oddly shaped, super tall platygrya that is growing like a cactus plant.

7 These colorful Christmas Tree Worms were spread throughout the entire island’s reef. The colorful worms were thriving here and could be found just about everywhere I looked.

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8 One of the more interesting fish I saw during the dive was this Ostracion cubicus, also known by its common name Yellow Boxfish. With tiny little fins, they really look like floating boxes with eyes.

9 This last picture shows some really large sea fans that were common around Koh Sak. They had a very nice range of colors with some being orange, yellow, red, and purple as well. Some of these sea fans grew 4 to 5 feet tall.

After taking the plunge, I now urge everyone who is interested in a reef aquarium, or owns a reef aquarium, to explore a natural, wild reef and experience all the wonders of this unique ecosystem. You will develop a new appreciation for the animals you love to watch and care for and hopefully, your experience will motivate you to promote captive propagation and any other effort that goes to preserving our world’s wild reefs.

I would like to thank Peter Waagensen, Daniel Tung, and Mermaids Dive Center for giving me one of the most memorable experiences of my life, and opening a new door for me in my journey as a reef hobbyist.

As much as I can attempt to describe the experience, I will never be able to fully convey to you how amazing it is to hover above a 6 foot brain coral, turn the corner and swim past a 4 foot sea turtle, and float a couple feet away from a school of thousands of chromis. The only way to understand is to experience it yourself.

Aside from the huge coral colonies and diverse fish species, what really amazed me were the strong, random water currents sweeping the reef. I could feel jets of water moving in every direction imaginable. And just seeing how much water was actually around me, I began to understand the importance of strong flow and high frequency water changes if I was going to really try to reproduce my pets’ natural environment in the ocean.

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CORAL

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FLAME THROWER

CHALICE Article By Vince Suh

Image by Vince Suh.

W

ithin the last six months, there has been an enormous surge in demand for corals of the genus Echinophyllia. Many of the Echinophyllia sp. that are introduced to the hobby are often tagged with the scientifically meaningless name “chalice”, but this genus is well worth individual acclaim.

Recently, about the same time the Australian Acanthastrea lordhowensis trend was starting to die down, a new trend was brewing inside the world of chalices.

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Four color chalice by Vince Suh.

Bazooka Joe by Lou Schiavo.

Golden Age Chalice by Vince Suh.

Emerald Mummy Eye Chalice by Vince Suh.

This new trend was a puzzling phenomenon to many old school hobbyists. Many of the longtime, strict SPS keepers were converting their tanks into chalice or LPS dominated reefs. Chalice collecting is not something new to the hobby; it has always had a small but steady group of followers that were able to notice the true beauty of these animals well before the latest craze began. For years, the majority of the reefing community ignored Echinophyllias or was too busy chasing after the latest trend of the time. Granted, certain “classic” aquacultured pieces always demanded and retained high market value even several years back, but most of the wild pieces were largely ignored. Observing the amount of species and color variations of Echinophyllia corals being imported now, it is exciting to acknowledge how far we have come in this hobby. The specimens that were imported in the past were admittedly beautiful, but pale when compared to the rainbow colors exhibited in Echinophyllia imported today. This new level of chalice ‘obsession’ slowly began

to amplify near the end of the Australian shipments craze and fully exploded in 2008 and 2009.

So which chalice fueled the craze the most during and throughout the trend? It almost seemed as if nearly every new chalice was considered “rare” and they were being called “Limited Edition” right out of the import box. Surely, many of the new pieces deserved such status though one can also say that the majority of people involved were just riding the trend wave for financial gains. Amongst the piles after piles of chalice corals that were brought into the states, some of them truly were exceptional. The advantage of this craze was that hobbyists were able to benefit significantly from the importers’ response to the huge demand for chalices. Wholesalers began to bring in amazing specimens with color patterns that were once thought unimaginable. One of these truly unique pieces that stood out from the rest was the Flame Thrower chalice.

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Appropriately named, the Flame Thrower chalice is a fiery red chalice that develops a bright neon orange rim. The mouths exhibit glowing yellow corallites surrounded by varying patterns of vertical white stripes. The growth rates are reported to be relatively slow to moderate, depending on the system this coral is placed in. The alluring factor of the Flame Thrower chalice was that it was truly ahead of its time, unique and different from many of the other chalices that were flooding the market. It also had the advantage of being in the care of a responsible hobbyist that allowed the specimen to fully acclimate to a captive environment over a prolonged period of time.

Flame Thrower by Vince Suh.

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The original colony was purchased by an Indiana hobbyist, Katrina Cupp, back in October of 2006. She acquired it through Jeremy at Premium Aquatics in a transship order from Kupang, Indonesia.

Initially, she kept the colony in her 90 gallon reef under 2x250W metal halides for approximately a year before switching over to a 6-bulb T5 Tek Light Fixture. Under her T5 bulbs, Katrina was able to witness the Flame Thrower chalice flourish and reach its true and maximum potential when it began to develop an orange rim.

In 2008, Katrina downgraded her 90 gallon reef into a Solana 34 gallon, keeping only her favorite pieces. The Flame Thrower chalice Win prizes by entering our photo contest at www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com!

The original Flame Thrower colony by Katrina Cupp.

Flame Thrower frag by Katrina Cupp.

Flame Thrower in Katrina Cupp’s Solana by Katrina Cupp.

The collectible Tri-color Superman Chalice by Vince Suh.

was placed in the top third of the tank while sitting directly under 150W metal halides. However, she soon realized that the colony was too big for her Solana 34 gallon and was stinging the corals around it. In February, faced with such limited space, Katrina decided to frag up the colony into approximately twelve pieces that had three to four eyes each.

Katrina offered the first frags of the Flame Thrower chalice at $75 each during her local frag swap meeting. She was able to sell one and trade away two of the frags, one of which went to Matt at “Blue Planet Corals” who coined the name ‘Flame Thrower’. Shortly after, Katrina was able to sell four more frags locally, including two to a hobbyist named pwoller who traded one of the frags to Mike at “The Captive Reef.” She then traded three or four frags to another hobbyist named coralfarm123 for high end zoanthid frags and a blue and red Acanthastrea colony. Afterwards, Katrina soon discovered that her chalice had built quite a name for itself while selling for almost $299 per eye amongst the online communities. She kept a single large frag for herself and was able to recover another frag that she traded away for drygoods in the past. The bigger frag was then sold to Matt at “Blue Planet Corals” in January of 2009.

The Flame Thrower chalice continued to grow in popularity within the group of hobbyists collecting chalices. The world soon saw its peak of demand when a small “mini-colony” was sold for over $1,000 on an eBay auction in January of 2009 by coralfarm123.

The Flame Thrower chalice is still considered one of the key pieces to own and the waitlist for a small fragment of this piece continues to grow. Its overall value has leveled out somewhat from its $1000 days though it still fetches as much as $350 per “eye” or mouth.

It is easily understandable how this chalice fever caught on so easily and rapidly. They come in many different color variations and for the most part, are very resilient. Just looking at the Flame Thrower chalice alone, one can easily fall in love with the entire genus. Within a short period of time between 2008 and 2009, hobbyists saw a tremendous amount of new “morphs” enter the hobby and finally, the crazy pricing has begun to level out. As a long time collector of chalices, it is my personal hope that these creatures continue being celebrated for their beauty and avoid facing neglect after their inflated monetary values decrease.

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EQUIPMENT REVIEW HYDOR WAVEMAKER 4 & controllable Koralias Review & Images By Jim Adelberg

A new day is dawning in our reef tanks, one of more natural flow.

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efore I begin this equipment review, I’d like to take a step back and say something about the changing concept of proper water flow in our hobby. It’s really only in the last few years that reef keepers have recognized the need for more natural water flow paradigms in our tanks and thankfully Hydor and a few other manufacturers are stepping up to meet this need.

So what exactly is a natural water flow paradigm? It would seem like a simple question but once you stop and consider some of the variables involved, it can get very complicated. Aside from velocity, there is periodicity and variability to be considered. There is another consideration as well, relating to the onset and decline of flow. How fast do you want the flow to ramp up to full speed and then (after the desired interval) return to zero before cycling up again? Finally, will the flow be the same over a 24 hour period or will it change (once, twice, more?). A good understanding and careful application of these critical aspects of water flow will allow you to create water movement in your tank that delivers the maximum benefit to your coral. Be forewarned however, that the world of high-flow, computer controlled wavemakers is not for the low budget reefer.

It may look like a lot of boxes but this system is quite ‘plug and play’.

A few feet of extra cord would have been very beneficial.

Hydor sent me their Wavemaker 4 for review coupled with 2 Koralia 5’s and 2 Koralia 7’s. This was based on my tank dimensions of 72”x24”x20” and I must say that I’m quite satisfied with the total volume of water these pumps move. The Koralia 5 runs at between 2 and 8 watts to give a flow rate of 600-1,900 gallons per hour (gph). The Koralia 7 runs between 5 and 19 watts to produce 900-3,100 gph. This means that for a maximum of 54 watts of power, I’m getting all the flow I could want in a 6foot tank.

Before I move on to talk about the controller for this system, I want to point out the only serious criticism I have of this setup. The cords which are supplied with the controllable Koralias are only about 7 or 8 feet long.

Given that one is required to put an anti-interference loop in these cords, there just isn’t enough extra cord to snake it up a six foot tank’s corners unless you have the controller centered on the tank. Hydor advises not putting the controller on the actual tank but on a 6 foot tank you almost have to and I imagine that an 8 foot tank would have to be done this way.

So now we come to the real star of the system: the Wavemaker 4. I found this controller to be the most intuitive piece of equipment I’ve used in years. The display and control panel is clearly marked and 6 buttons do everything. Perhaps my favorite feature is the continuous LCD graphic readout for each pump. Not only are there 9 presets for the 4 channels, but any preset can be the starting point for a custom program built to your liking. You can then schedule programs to occur at different points in a 24 hour period. The controller also has a fish feeding mode which can be activated automatically or manually.

In summary, I feel that this system is a strong contender in the advanced wavemaker market and would recommend it strongly for tanks up to 5 feet in length.

If you manufacture a reef aquarium product and you’d like it to be considered for review, please contact us here at the magazine (jim@rhmag.com).

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A pair of Koralia propeller pumps at work.

The LCD display is extremely intuitive.

The preset programs are: Steady - slow and fast speed settings for continuous pump operation.

Sequential - here you can choose between instantaneous pump start and stop or smooth pump start and stop.

The pumps turn on and off one after the other with no overlap.

Synchronized - again you can choose between instant or smooth settings. All pumps turn on and off at the same time.

Alternate - pumps are joined in pairs and pairs operate alternately. Smooth and instant options.

Additive - pumps come on one at a time till all are running, then turn off in the same order. Smooth or instant settings.

All reviews are unbiased personal opinions and written without manufacturer input. – Jim Adelberg

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