Reef Hobbyist Magazine Q3 2009

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THIRD QUARTER 2009 | Volume 3

FRAGGING THE UNFRAGGABLE:

SCOLYMIA AUSTRALIS

Preparing To Leave Your Tank a must read if you’re going on vacation!

The Elusive Symphyllia Wilsoni

Thinking About Upgrading? tips for a smooth transition

RHM Sponsored IMAC West and Reef-A-Palooza event info inside!

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Features

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

RHM Staff President

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The Sensational Scolymia:

Peggy Nelson, owner of AllReef in Minnesota, teaches reef-keeping classes at her store and writes coral care articles on her website, www.all-reef.com. In this article, Peggy discusses S. australis and S. vitiensis, two of the more common Scolymias in the hobby.

Find out how this reef coach has been successful in keeping her Scolymias healthy and colorful.

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The Elusive Symphyllia

Wilsoni: Jennifer Wheeler

and Charles Keane are the proprietors of www.

Jendub.com and have been professionally propagating corals for over 5 years. Jake Adams is the founder of Coralidea.com and Fishidea.com. After reading this article, you will be able to identify and care for S. wilsoni if you are lucky enough to ever own one. Image by authors.

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Thinking About Upgrading? Tony Espiritu

is an avid reef hobbyist and a member of the Northern California Reef Society. Read about what went into Tony’s planning and thought process when he upgraded from a nano tank to a 55 gallon rimless.

Tony’s nano was previously featured in Vol. 2, issue 3: Junkitu’s Mushroom House. Image by author.

28 Preparing To Leave Your Tank: Richard Ross is a SF Bay Area coral farmer and cuttlefish breeder. If you’re planning on taking a vacation away from your tank this summer, read this article to get valuable tips on how to prepare your tank for your leave. Failing to prepare, is preparing to fail!

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FRAGGING THE UNFRAGGABLE: Scolymia australis

Craig Shimokusu is the Director of Promotions for the Northern California Reef Club and operates Salmon Queen, a charter fishing business in the SF Bay. In this article, Craig reveals what it takes to frag a coral previously thought unfraggable – Scolymia australis.

Image by Ian Iwane.

Join Us! RHM WANTS YOU! We’re constantly looking for the best writers and photographers to contribute to our free magazine.

We believe that free quality information is the key to helping our hobby advance. If you’d like to join us in our mission, please contact our editor Jim Adelberg via email: jim@rhmag.com.

Jim Adelberg

Art Director Tamara Sue

Graphics

David Tran

Advertising The A-Team

Special Thanks Greg Rothschild

www.gregrothschild.com

Ocean Pro Aquatics

Image by author.

comments or suggestions? comments@rhmag.com

Image by Greg Rothschild.

On The Cover

Harry Tung

Executive Editor

Come visit us online at www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com • • • • •

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Upcoming Reef Events *July 31 – August 2 IMAC West in Long Beach, Ca. (www.imacwest.com) September 6 Coral Farmers Market in Ontario, Ca. (www.ie-cfm.com) September 25 – 27 MACNA 21 in Atlantic City, NJ. (www.macnaxxi.com) *October 24 – 25 Reef A Palooza in Costa Mesa, Ca. (www.reefapalooza.org)

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CORAL The Sensational

Scolymia: An LPS Lover’s Delight

Article By Peggy Nelson Images By Peggy Nelson (unless otherwise noted)

IMAGE BY GREG ROTHSCHILD.

T

he amazing genus Scolymia is a delight for LPS lovers and provides some gorgeous centerpiece specimens for our reef aquaria.

This genus includes the following known species: australis, cubensis, lacera, vitiensis, and wellsi (J. Veron, Corals of the World, Vol. 3). Of these, S. australis and S. vitiensis are the most commonly collected for the aquarium trade. Common names for this coral include meat coral, disk coral, mushroom coral, doughnut coral, tooth coral, and button coral, and likely others that have been attached over the course of time. S. australis is usually smaller in size and less fleshy than S. vitiensis, with less pronounced septa (skeletal teeth around the mouth). Septa are not typically seen through the tissue on healthy scolymia specimens of either species.

This Scolymia shows the typical polyp form of S. vitiensis.

This is likely the orange morph of Scolymia cubensis.

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All Scolymia species are photosynthetic but are also quite capable of feasting on meaty foods. Feeding tentacles are typically extended at night and are located an inch to two inches from the mouth (in the center of the polyp). These corals will greedily feed on meaty foods such as Mysis shrimp, Silversides, Cyclop-Eeze (pods), and can also receive incidental feedings when fish are fed. Although usually nocturnal feeders, the coral’s feeding response can be stimulated during the day simply by the introduction of desirable foods. We feed all of our corals at least twice per week.

S. australis has been the rage in the hobby for approximately two years now, and if you’ve ever seen them, you’ll quickly understand why. The colors of S. australis are especially vibrant and can have streaks of almost every color imaginable.

This species displays various shades of reds, oranges, blues, purples, greens, yellows, maroons, and on and on. The first S. australis I recall seeing come into my store were dubbed the ‘Bleeding Apple Scolies’. These were an intense grass green color with splashes of deep red and/or orange layered throughout the tissue. Coral eye candy without a doubt!

These corals demand very high prices, but who can resist?

Not those of us deeply entrenched in the world of rare and unique LPS coral collecting! The other most commonly seen Scolymia in the hobby, S. vitiensis, is a fabulous coral in its own right. Its colors are typically less dramatic than S. australis, but S. vitiensis reveals a larger and fleshier polyp than S. australis and is equally as hardy. Colors on S. vitiensis typically range through the reds and greens, usually with contrasting colored centers around the mouth. They are not as demanding in price but are stunning additions to any reef tank none the less.

Caring for your Scolymia is not difficult. In our care, they are placed on a sandy substrate in low current where they seem most content and likely to expand to their fullest capacity.

These corals will adjust to many different lighting scenarios and can handle somewhat lower light levels than many of their large polyped counterparts. Be careful not to perch them on rock ledges where they are susceptible to falling face down on the substrate. Also, be aware that their tissue is capable of drooping over a ledge, unsupported by the skeleton.

Tissue hanging over a ledge is especially dangerous for S. vitiensis because of its capacity to inflate to five, six, or even seven inches, presenting a risk of the soft tissue tearing from the weight of the fleshy polyp pulling down and away from the septa. The safest placement is on the substrate.

This Scolymia is ready to eat!

IMAGE BY GREG ROTHSCHILD. The contrasting colors of Scolymia corals make them highly collectable.

IMAGE BY GREG ROTHSCHILD. Fleshy Scolymia corals should be placed on the sandbed to minimize the risk of falling or tearing.

In conclusion, we have found Scolymia are well suited to the reef aquarium if cared for properly and fed on a regular basis. These coral are truly sensational and will provide you with years of enjoyment. We highly recommend the genus Scolymia and give it a blue thumb’s up!

IMAGE BY GREG ROTHSCHILD.

CORAL

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FRAGGING

Fragging the Unfraggable: Scolymia australis Article By Craig Shimokusu Images By Ian Iwane, Joseph Lee & Craig Shimokusu

T

oday, fragging live corals has become almost as popular as collecting them. Whether you propagate coral for profit, to expand your own collection by trading, or simply to share through your local club, captive propagation brings benefits to all involved, wild reefs included. With the current availability of specialty tools, fragging rare and unique corals has now become a generally successful, rather than high-risk, enterprise.

The Dremel rotary tool has been invaluable to our hobby. But, for some sensitive corals, the trauma resulting from this method of cutting can be lethal. A case in point is the group of chalicetype corals. Not so many years ago, hobbyists could expect up to 50% frag mortality when fragging a sensitive chalice colony. This is because of the way the Dremel tool cuts, and the resultant transfer of heat to the soft tissue of the coral colony.

consistently found this tool to yield a high success rate for fragging from sensitive corals. Whereas a Dremel could yield a 50% or higher mortality rate on these species, the band saw yielded a 99% survival rate. Because of this, people began fragging many of the corals previously considered “unfraggable”.

I have always loved Scolymia australis for its vivid coloration, as well as its voracious appetite. Anyone who owns one has at one time or another stared in awe as its feeding tentacles greedily come out at night, consuming anything unfortunate enough to stray too close. This coral is definitely one of those previously considered “unfraggable”.

A little over a year ago, people began to experiment with wet diamond band saws (specifically the Inland DB 100). Though originally designed for use by jewelers and rock hounds, this tool has taken our hobby by storm. Wet band saws are specifically designed to cut rock without too much heat transfer. Word of mouth spread quickly across the on-line reef forums as hobbyists These beautiful corals were previously believed to be “unfraggable”.

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One day last month, my friend Ian and I decided to frag one out.

Ian had the band saw and I had the Scolymia, so I met up with him to perform the surgery. First on the list was to get some saltwater and povidone to use for a dip. We also needed a second bucket to rinse the frags. We first decided to cut the coral off of the rock it was attached to in order to make subsequent cutting of the actual polyp easier.

Once the coral was removed from the rock, we cut through the mouth horizontally along the mouth line. When the cut was complete, the pieces were dipped, placed in the rinse bucket, and then moved back into the tank. Almost immediately after going back in the tank, the polyp halves had re-inflated and looked great. The band saw made a smooth cut, not damaging any of the tissue.

By the end of the week, I felt the Scolymia was ready to take food.

The first time I fed the coral, it expelled its intestines and smothered the mysis shrimp, slowly bringing the whole mess back inside the

body of the polyp. It was an incredible sight and in only 30 minutes, the coral had completely consumed all the mysis.

At week two, the tissue of the coral was covering the opening at the side. Now, the animal’s entrails were confined to within its body.

At week three, the Scolymia had formed a new mouth. Strangely, this mouth formed at a 90-degree angle from the original mouth.

At this point, the coral was ready to eat. I spread mysis over its waiting tentacles and watched as it drew all the shrimp into its newly formed mouth.

Time will tell how long it will take for this Scolymia to regain its original round shape. As of this writing, the coral has grown a hard skeleton where the cut exposed its intestines. The tissue has developed over the exposed skeleton and it’s definitely on the road to recovery.

In this picture, a newly fragged Scolymia rests in a mild antiseptic dip.

This new Scolymia frag would appreciate some mysis shrimp.

Look closely and you can see the line of the cut.

This Scolymia is in the process of consuming some mysis shrimp.

A newly halved Scolymia polyp.

This Scolymia has healed well from a recent fragging.

FRAGGING

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Because of the success we had with the first Scolymia, I decided to photograph and document the step-by-step fragging of a Bleeding Apple Scolymia, one of the most highly desired Scolymia morphs available. The images show the step-by-step process we followed to try and ensure the best possible results. This specimen actually healed faster than the other scolymia in terms of forming a new mouth.

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Here is the Scolymia australis selected for this demonstration.

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Very little soft tissue or skeleton is removed during this method of fragging.

Cutting through the mouth of the Scolymia.

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Almost completely cut, this coral has suffered very little damage.

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The bandsaw blade makes a clean exit from the coral.

In conclusion, I feel that if this experiment is successful, and the coral can form a circle in a timely manner, it could change collection practices. Because of its popularity, I have seen a dramatic decrease in the size collected. This is the first sign of over harvesting. With more hobbyists fragging Scolymia in the future, maybe all Scolymia australis available to us at our LFS will someday be farmed.

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The Scolymia is now ready to be dipped and returned to its tank to recover.

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OPINION

A Small Fascination Article & Images By Jim Adelberg

Y

ou know me. Or at least someone like me. There’s one in every crowd.

I’m the guy with his nose pressed against the glass of every reef tank I look at. On dive trips, I’m the one hovering motionless, a foot off the bottom, till it’s time to go up. I’m not ashamed to admit that I have a fascination with the smaller animals and I believe this has helped me in my journey through our hobby.

This baby Trochus snail is less than 1⁄2 inch long.

It’s certainly easier for us to focus on big things. We are, after all, veritable giants compared to most life on this planet. But, it’s really the smallest among us (in tremendous quantity of course) that pull all the weight. As reef aquarists, we need to focus on both the macro and micro view simultaneously in order to succeed.

Perhaps the most obvious example of this split focus is in our attention to water quality parameters. Here, the difference of a few PARTS PER MILLION can have a dramatic impact on the health and overall display value of the corals in our tanks.

Keeping this split focus in mind also helps us celebrate our ‘small’ successes and that’s what this story is really all about.

I set up a 20 gallon Eclipse tank back in mid-2008 to test my hand at fulfilling someone else’s vision of the perfect display tank. My friend had always liked the look and behavior of Pom-Pom crabs and felt they would provide the right starting point for a ‘Dr. Seuss’ style display in which all animals would be improbably shaped, gaudily colored, display interesting movement or preferably all of the above. In keeping with the idea of breeding the Pom-Pom crabs, I removed the disposable cartridge from the Eclipse hood and ran the system with just the BIOwheel filter. After adding some Pom-Pom crabs, I began feeding the tank heavily on a daily basis with Cyclop-eeze. I then added 6 Blackfoot Trochus snails for algae control and this is when the story really got interesting.

This modified Eclipse tank became the Trochus nursery.

BELOW: Though still tiny, these baby Trochus clearly display the attractive purple banding characteristic of this species.

I’m used to seeing snails spawning in my reef tanks. With my lack of attention to algae cleaning, they always get plenty to eat and so I took the Trochus spawning event in this setup as merely an indication that they were happy, healthy and well fed. Prior to setting up this system, I had always run large skimmers and often had some sort of physical filtration in place as well (pads, socks, etc.). I believe that in these older systems, I had effectively skimmed or filtered out all the snail larvae (veligers). So, given my history of failure at breeding any of the larger, broadcast spawning snails, I was pleasantly surprised when I first saw a few, then dozens of baby Trochus!! I began daily feedings of dried seaweed at this point (in addition to the Cyclop-eeze) and within a few weeks, the baby snails were pinhead sized and very, very cute. Only at this time did I realize that there were upwards of 300 baby snails in this 20 gallon tank and so I began throwing them in my 165 gallon reef by

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the dozen. It seemed like as fast as I could move the larger ones into the bigger tank, the smaller ones in the nursery would grow to fill the available space! I had to start giving them away through my local club and to my local reefer friends.

The Blackfoot Trochus can be surprisingly prolific in captivity.

Luckily, Gresham Hendee was putting together BAYMAC 1 at that time and I arranged to put nearly 150 baby snails out for people to grab freely. This helped to thin out the nursery tank a bit and gave these captive raised babies a chance to establish themselves in the local community of reef hobbyists. Providing our captive animals an opportunity for reproductive success is certainly one of the most gratifying things we can do as hobbyists. And actually expanding the availability of captive raised livestock requires that we not only succeed as breeders but as distributors of these animals.

Now, a few months later, there has been another round of babies from the broodstock parents and the first sets of babies I moved into the big tank are full sized adults. Best of all, it appears that the combination of the Blackfoot Trochus and Asterina starfish that I have living in my big reef have eliminated the need to clean the front viewing pane of any algae. What a wonderful bonus!

The combination of Trochus snails and Asterina starfish are keeping this tank relatively free of algae.

Some may wonder, “Why all the excitement over breeding a boring snail?” I think we all recognize the critical role that scavengers, herbivores and detrivores play in our reef tanks. We also know that these humble animals are imported by the millions for us to “use” in our hobby. But consider this; in addition to the moral imperative to breed our own Clean Up Crew critters (those humble animals that provide the broad utilitarian base for the life in our reef tanks) is the reality that these animals tend to live near shore and their populations are often the first threatened by near-shore, man-made pollution.

And we know historically that species tend to crash suddenly, once a ‘tipping point’ is reached. That threshold can be triggered by a single parameter or a combination of downward pressures but whatever the mechanism, when populations crash, they tend to crash hard.

Imagine a world without the humble wild snails and hermit crabs to help us maintain our reef tanks. I’d prefer not to think about that but it’s definitely a possibility the way we’re heading. So do yourself, our hobby and our wild reefs a favor and make the effort to breed some of these needed creatures yourself.

So I write this article to urge you to celebrate your small successes.

I still haven’t succeeded in creating my friend’s ‘dream tank’. Nor have I succeeded in breeding and raising Pom-Pom crabs. By these measures, I have failed, but the success I achieved with the humble Trochus snail has been one of the most rewarding of my time in the hobby.

As always, thank you for reading my piece and special thanks to Scott Clark, Truvu Aquariums, Johnny Rodriguez, and Seachem for sponsoring my tank.

OPINION

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CORAL

The Elusive Symphyllia

Wilsoni Article and Images By Jennifer Wheeler, Charles Keane & Jake Adams

I

t is a crisp, clear day on Australia’s western coast. The sun is shining over calm seas, creating ideal conditions for harvesting live coral. The divers are weary from the eighthour drive down the coast through desolate outback deserts, but the cool ocean breeze and the prospect of ideal diving conditions soon fills them with renewed vigor. Once the

boat has been launched, the course is set for a tiny reef outcropping that lies on the edge of the wild blue abyss. The divers have a chuckle as they suit up: “If the current gets you out here mate, the next stop is South America!” These intrepid divers are on a collecting expedition for one of the most sought after corals in the trade, a coral so rare in captivity that most reef hobbyists in the United States have never heard of it - Symphyllia Wilsoni.

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These 2 skeletons display the characteristic structures of Symphyllia Wilsoni.

Occurring exclusively on the southwest coast of Australia, Symphyllia Wilsoni were unavailable to hobbyists in the United States prior to the opening of Australian coral exports in early 2007. Even within Australia’s thriving domestic marine aquarium trade, very few specimens were available due to this coral’s isolated collection areas. The first few specimens of Symphyllia Wilsoni to be imported into the United States were frequently mistaken as Acanthastrea Lordhowensis due to the similarity of the two species.

These unusual looking corals baffled hobbyists on many popular online message boards for months, leading many to speculate about the possibility of a new, unidentified, Acanthastrea species.

In the summer of 2007, we received a large import shipment of Australian Acanthastrea Lordhowensis with two peculiar looking colonies. Both had a pleasant round shape with large oblong corallites. It was love at first sight and the two odd colonies were quickly added to our 120 gallon LPS dominated show tank. As the weeks went by, the pigmentation of the two pieces intensified dramatically and a rainbow of colors developed. Finding a proper species identification for the colonies became an obsession so we began speaking to many prominent reefers both in the U.S. and

Australia. After many weeks of good old-fashioned sleuthing, the general consensus pointed to the species Symphyllia Wilsoni. We were overjoyed that our two oddball pieces finally had an identity!

Information on Symphyllia Wilsoni is scarce; luckily the divers were kind enough to share some first hand information on the natural habitat of this species. Colonies are typically found in 25-40 feet (8-12 meters) of water on the bottom of flat, current-swept plains. The water flow in these areas is an indirect crosscurrent that can sometimes be quite strong, making collecting a challenge.

Growing as a solitary coral, colonies have been reported to reach greater than two feet in diameter in the wild. The colonies currently being imported for the marine aquarium trade range from golf ball sized, up to dinner plate sized (2-14 inches). During the summer months, water temperature where S. wilsoni is found can reach 90 degrees F and can drop to as low as 60 degrees F in the winter months, making this species extremely tolerant of a wide range of temperatures. While southwestern Australia is home to the highest population of Symphyllia Wilsoni, the species also occurs with less frequency in the waters to the north.

CORAL

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Reef Safe

Southern variant showing meandering corallites and pronounced ridges.

Northern variant showing fluffier, rounder shaped corallites.

Identifying Symphyllia Wilsoni can be challenging for even the most knowledgeable reefer. The highly variable morphology of this species contributes to its frequent misidentification. The general physical characteristics of Symphyllia Wilsoni are common to the entire species.

However, there are two main variants currently found in the trade. The southern variants of Symphyllia Wilsoni have meandering corallites with pronounced ridges and deep valleys. In addition, the colony shape of the southern variants is noticeably flat. The northern variants have a domed shape with a softer, fluffier appearance. The corallite shape can range from oblong to nearly circular, often giving them the appearance of an enlarged Acanthastrea Lordhowensis. Both variants occur in a seemingly endless variety of colors and patterns that make the species a truly stunning addition to any tank.

Caring for a Symphyllia Wilsoni in captivity is surprisingly easy. This species comes from a wide range of highly variable conditions, making it adaptable to a great variety of tank conditions. The average reef tank is maintained between 72 and 82 degrees Fahrenheit. These temperatures provide a comfortable median when compared to the extreme temperatures Symphyllia Wilsoni endures in the wild.

Optimal placement in the home aquarium is on the sand bed or nestled into the lower rockwork on a flat platform to keep the edges from becoming buried in the sand. Water flow in the area should be low to moderate but the species can handle higher indirect flow as well. The sweeper tentacles are short, allowing aquarists to keep this species in close proximity to other corals. Symphyllia Wilsoni are sensitive to the toxins released by soft corals such as leathers. For this reason, the home aquarist should run activated carbon or house the different species in separate tanks.

CORAL

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Coloration on newly imported wild colonies often appears faded. Stress in shipping can cause the coral to expel zooxanthellae. Luckily, the colors soon return as the colonies acclimate to life in captivity. For optimal coloration, your light source should be 14,000k-20,000k to properly simulate the natural lighting at the depth where the species occurs. Recommended fixtures include power compact, metal halide, t5, LED and VHO, although care should be taken to not over light these corals for their first few months in captivity.

Symphyllia Wilsoni enjoys a variety of meaty foods and should be fed no less than twice per week but can be fed daily. It is a good idea to feed your reef a few hours after your tank lights turn off. This allows the corals in your tank to open and extend feeding tentacles. We have seen great results feeding with Reef Nutrition’s line of foods. On a typical day we turn off the skimmer for an hour and add a cocktail of Arcti-pods, Roti-feast, Oyster-feast and Phytofeast mixed in a cup of tank water to each system. By adding the food in a high flow area, it naturally broadcasts into the water column and showers down on the corals, allowing them to feed continuously for a period of time. Some reefers may choose to target feed their corals with a turkey baster. We generally discourage this practice as excessive clouds of food can irritate the coral, causing it to expel slime and expend energy needlessly.

Like many large polyp stony corals (LPS), Symphyllia Wilsoni needs additions of calcium, magnesium and alkalinity along with regular testing for these parameters. Testing once per week is typical. Once you establish how much of each supplement your corals are consuming, testing can be done less frequently. LPS thrive in nutrient rich water so minimal skimming is needed. Water changes can be made every 1-4 weeks and should be 10-30% of the total tank volume.

Propagation of this species in captivity by cutting colonies into fragments is a new trend.

We have experimented with fragmenting a few different colonies in the last year with varying results. After several tries to produce viable fragments, success has been limited. The mother colonies all eventually healed from the cutting process but the fragments often perish after a few months. The few surviving fragments in the trial run have healed from the cut but have not grown new tissue and have not begun to encrust. For this reason, it may be a good idea to hold off on fragging these corals until a more proven strategy is discovered.

This beautiful coral makes a hardy addition to a variety of reef tanks and provides a show stopping centerpiece for years to come. They are a true rarity with an estimated 500 or less colonies imported to the United States to date. Now that you have read this article, if you are lucky enough to find one, your success with Symphyllia Wilsoni should be exceptional.

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Don't miss RHM sponsored Reef-A-Palooza October 24 – 25. www.reefapalooza.org

The Leading Marine Wholesaler in the USA and Getting Better Every Day!

sea dwelling creatures

Located directly across the street from LAX Airport, Sea Dwelling Creatures is one of the largest Marine Holding Facilities in the USA. Dedicated to the Hobby and Environment, SDC wants to be your choice to supply you with amazing creatures. SDC services Retailers, Public Aquariums, and Educational Institutions Worldwide.

SDC maintains a major role in the Aquarium Industry and continues to supply the best livestock there is to offer. Our focus has been on Quality, Pricing and Variety to make sure we have provided our customers all the right tools you need to face the challenging economy. We hope more of you will join us in our efforts to make each and every business connected with us a successful one.

Working to Pioneer & help new collecting stations through key locations, such as Belize, Brazil, Fiji, Ghana, Hawaii, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Palau, Philippines, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Sumatra, Tarawa, Tonga, Red Sea, Vanuatu, Xmas Islands, and so many more....there is no telling where we will be importing from next!

Working very closely with our suppliers, and teaching them the proper handling and shipping techniques, has set Sea Dwelling Creatures and its suppliers above the rest of the industry.

SDC wants ALL of it’s customers to be extremely successful. Our knowledgeable staff can help you best acclimate, control diseases, maintain your aquarium systems, and provide YOUR customers with the healthiest animals possible. This is truly a team effort and we want to share our knowledge with you, and we want you to share your knowledge and experiences wish us.

Sea Dwelling Creatures owner’s and staff is comprised of Life-Long Hobbyist’s and Industry professionals. From using microscopes daily to feeding all livestock in an aggressive manner to best ensure a healthy product. SDC also works together with Universities to study the effects of shipping stress and related issues. SDC goes far and above any previous methods used in Aquarium Marine Industry. We raise our own live foods on site, and feed all our fish and inverts aggressively with over a dozen different types of foods. It’s true that food variety does make a huge difference!

Our website has been re-designed to provide daily updated pictures that EVERYONE can enjoy to see what’s in stock at our LAX Facility.

We have recently started a special section of our facility called, “The Furnace” section. Located in our photo gallery is where all of the most new and exciting items are placed. After 19 years since SDC’s inception, we are more excited today about our livestock than ever!

We hope that you can share our vision, and spread the word to your favorite local retailers that Sea Dwelling Creatures is where you want your livestock to come from. Feel free to go to our website, browse “The Furnace” and other photo galleries, and share in the enjoyment of what we are seeing on a daily basis.....it really is unbelievably FUN! Thank you to everyone who supports Sea Dwelling Creatures..... we truly appreciate all the positive feedback, and, of course the orders too!

The Sea Dwelling Creatures Staff and Crew

Supplying the widest range of Marine Livestock to the Industry for over 19 years!

5515 W. 104th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90045 | tel 310.676.9697 | facsimile 310.676.9699 | site seadwelling.com

TANK TIPS & TRICKS

Thinking About

Upgrading?

How I went from a Nano to a Big Boy Tank Article & Images By Tony “Junkitu” Espiritu

T

he explosion of the nano aquarium industry has dispelled many of the myths that we all grew up with regarding the difficulty of keeping marine aquariums. Companies like Current USA and JBJ have made entry-level reef keeping easier and more affordable. Today, what used to be a specialized pursuit reserved only for the expert aquarist or the wealthy collector has become a hobby that people from all walks of life and experiences have come to enjoy.

The small size of the nano was very appealing because it made maintenance and water changes very manageable. Unfortunately, small reef tanks run out of room for livestock quickly and it wasn’t long until I was bitten with the upgrade bug. Like many of the other nano reefers that I’ve come to know during my three years in this hobby, I began to dream about starting a larger tank where I could keep the fish and coral that I wanted to add to my little office tank but didn’t have the room to.

I started my first nano reef a little over 3 years ago thanks to a friend at work who had been keeping saltwater tanks for years.

He told me about the new all-in-one (AIO) systems that come with everything you need and offered to help me get started. I’d always wanted to try my hand at keeping a marine aquarium so I went online and read everything I could about keeping a nano reef. Not being a ‘do it yourself’ guy, I decided to go with an AIO system and bought a 24 gallon Aquapod the next day for my office at work.

I decided to create a softie-dominated reef since it was my first attempt at keeping a saltwater tank and it’s worked out well for me.

Keeping this little tank in my office has been a fantastic experience and it’s really improved my quality of life at work.

A year ago, I decided to take the plunge and upgrade to an Elos System 70. It’s a rimless 55 gallon FLOAT (starphire) glass tank with black silicone seals and a 10 gallon sump with a 5 gallon ATO reservoir.

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TANK SPECS Main Display: 55 gallon, 29.52” L x 22.44” W x 19.7” H Light Fixture: Current USA Outer Orbit w/ T5’s Ballast: IceCap 250W Electronic Lamps: Geissman 1x 250W Megachrome Blue HQI and 4 x Giessman 24W T5 Protein Skimmer: Elos NS 500 including Eheim 1250 pump

Don't miss RHM sponsored Reef-A-Palooza October 24 – 25. www.reefapalooza.org

Return Pump: Eheim 1260 ATO Pump: Elos Osmocontroller II Cooling System: Current USA Prime Chiller 1/10 hp Circulation: 2 x EcoTech Marine Vortech MP40W pumps Controller: Premium Aquatics Lighthouse Controller LIVESTOCK Blotchy Anthias ORA Misbar Ocellaris Clown Pair Swallowtail Angel Sunburst Anthias Geometric Hawk ORA Hi-Fin Cardinal Fire Shrimp

Peppermint Shrimp Pom-Pom Crab Pair 4 Maxima Clams ORA Derasa Clam SPS, including 18 varieties of Montipora LPS Zoanthids and Palythoas

The author's 24-gallon tank.

Here are some of the considerations that went into my decision making process in setting up this tank. I hope they’re helpful to folks out there who are wrestling with the upgrade decision.

1. Should I upgrade or start another tank?

Keeping a larger tank at my office was simply not feasible. I decided to keep my office tank and start a new one at home with very different livestock than my nano. This would allow me to keep two very different looking tanks with very different livestock. It also allowed me to have a tank to enjoy in both places.

2. How big should the tank be?

As much as I wanted to go REALLY BIG with this second tank, I didn’t want to get in over my head. After keeping my nano for two years, I felt like I had a decent maintenance routine. I decided to stick to a tank that I could maintain with the same routine as my nano. With the 55 gallon tank, I can easily do a weekly 10 gallon water change, which represents 15% of the water volume. I also didn’t want to have to add a calcium reactor to my system so I had to keep the tank size small enough to maintain with manual dosing and still allow me to keep SPS and clams.

Giant clams may require larger sized tanks in captivity.

3. What shape should the tank be?

This is obviously largely driven by personal preference. At first, I really wanted a 2’ cube. I really like wider tanks that allow for deeper aquascapes. Many folks like longer tanks so they can see their fish swimming longer stretches, but I enjoy creating caves and arches with my rockwork and a deeper tank is a must for that kind of effect.

4. What should the tank be made of, acrylic or glass?

Glass is harder to scratch than acrylic but is also more expensive.

My personal preference is glass since I think it’s easier to keep clean. I’ve only had two saltwater tanks and both of them have been glass.

Watching small corals grow into full colonies is only possible in larger tanks.

TANK TIPS & TRICKS

25

The vivid colors of Tridacnid clams are best viewed from above.

Maintaining rich colors on coral requires careful attention to lighting.

Current USA Outer Orbit fixture with a 250 Watt HQI and 96 Watts of T5 actinic supplementation. The next important consideration for lighting is color. Personally, I prefer a blue colored bulb for my tank so I chose a 20,000K Megachrome Blue metal halide lamp, which really brings out the colors of the corals when combined with the T5 actinic supplemental lighting.

This red Coco worm will only thrive in high quality water which is much easier to maintain in a larger system.

5. Should I build a custom tank or buy a pre-packaged system?

I’m not a DIY guy so I wanted to find a system that came with everything I needed. Elos makes an excellent product and it comes with just about everything you need to get going. I also really like the rimless design. I have several clams and it was important for me to have an open top tank that looked good and would allow me to check out the Tridacnids from above. This system is not cheap so prepare yourself for sticker shock, but the quality and workmanship of this tank is top notch.

6. What lighting should I choose?

The lighting you choose really depends on what you’re planning to keep in your tank. After spending the last couple years cultivating a soft coral dominated nano, I wanted to try my hand at SPS in my new tank. Hard corals require a lot of light so I went with a

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7. How much flow will I need?

Again, stocking choices were a big consideration for this decision.

Since most SPS thrive in reef crest environments that have a lot of turbulent and random flow, I couldn’t resist fitting out this tank with the powerful Eco Tech Marine Vortech MP40W pump. In fact, I liked this pump so much I bought two of them. These pumps come with several stock programs and can be synchronized via a built in wireless controller. They have all the features and functions that you’d ever want but will definitely take a bite out of your budget.

8. Should I or shouldn’t I? Ultimately, this is the question that it always comes down to. My only advice: Just do it...you know you want to.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Special thanks to Jim (bookfish) for giving me the opportunity to share my tank and experiences in this article. You can read more about my tank and the upgrade experiences of other Northern California reef keepers at www.norcalreefclub.org.

Enter the RHM photo contest at www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com!

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Formulated from natural seawater chemistry.

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It’s more than an aquarium. It’s an obsession.TM

TANK TIPS & TRICKS

Preparing To

Leave Your Tank Article and Images By Richard Ross

F

or many reef hobbyists, the idea of leaving their tank for even just a weekend fills them with dread, while the idea of going on vacation for one, two or even three weeks induces a semi catatonic state. However, summer vacations and holiday excursions with family are, for many, a necessary part of life. You will likely be leaving your reef tank alone or in someone else’s care for long periods of time. This article will look at some strategies for safely leaving your reef

BECOME FRIENDS WITH THE WORST CASE SCENARIO Before a three week trip, my wife gave me what I feel was some of the best advice ever regarding my reef; assume everything is going to die. Once you come to grips with the idea that you may come home from your trip to ‘coral soup’, enjoying your vacation actually becomes easier because you worry less about the potential disaster.

I know it sounds counterintuitive, but instead of worrying that the worst will happen, you have already accepted that the worst could happen and you can relax. Since you know that you may come home to disaster, it makes sense to prepare for disaster by making sure many people have frags of all the corals you hold dear. That way, if the worst really does happen, you can at least get back frags of your treasured corals.

Naturally, this needs to be done well in advance of your vacation to ensure that the corals have successfully transitioned to their new environments. That said, the goal here is to prevent bad things from happening, so let’s talk about that.

No one wants to return home to this, so be prepared!

tank while you enjoy your time away.

PLAN IN ADVANCE This is THE major piece of advice I give regarding vacations away from your tank. Don’t expect to prep the tank for your two week trip the day before you leave. That is the recipe for a very bad outcome. If you take only one thing away from this article, I hope it’s the idea of taking the necessary time to plan in advance for your tank’s safety during your trip.

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Don't miss RHM sponsored IMAC West July 31 – August 2. www.imacwest.com

HOUSE SITTER, TANK SITTER OR MAINTENANCE COMPANY Having a house sitter stay while you are gone provides some peace of mind. The tank is getting checked daily, fed daily and most importantly, there is someone who can leave you voice or email messages about the status of the tank. It really is very nice to finally get to email while away, and see a message that all is well.

If your house sitter is unfamiliar with reef keeping, have them over for dinner a week or so before you are leaving to give them a walk through of your system. You may consider lending them a good book on reef keeping.

If you can’t get a house sitter, have a fellow reef club member tank sit for you. They can check on the tank every other day or so and give you all the updates you need. The extra benefit here is that they know what they are doing, so if something goes wrong, they should know how to fix it.

While having friends watch your system is fine, there is something about paying someone that can make it easier to ask them to do menial tasks like water tests and water changes. You can hire a tank maintenance service to check on your tank a few times while you are away, as well as do any of the ‘heavy lifting’ regular maintenance that needs to be done like cleaning filters and water changes.

I personally like a combination of all three. Someone stays at the house, reefing friends drop by every few days (and are ‘on call’ if the house sitter has a problem), and a maintenance service comes by weekly to check on everything.

ADVANCE PLANNING Do a system wide maintenance at least three weeks before you leave. When you tweak your system, there are sure to be glitches that may not be immediately noticeable or that you’re used to compensating for – under-tightened clamps, pumps that fail to restart, dosing pump malfunctions, etc. Since it is your system, you are in the best position to correct these potential problems. For instance, seeing that something looks wrong, hearing pumps that sound ‘different’, or noticing that timers or top off systems aren’t working properly are all issues that should be addressed before you turn your system over to someone else’s care. I recommend a three week lead time for this process because the closer you get to actually going on your trip, the more distracted you become, so three weeks should give you plenty of time to still have brain power to focus on your reef.

Clean your return pumps/closed loop pumps both inside and out.

Refill and clean your calcium reactor and CO2 tank. Soak any float switches in vinegar to make sure they have nothing built up on them that might cause them to stick open or closed. Clean your overflow teeth and any strainers or filter material. Clean and calibrate any controllers or probes. Harvest your macroalgae. Clean your lights.

Clean and charge any reactors. Stock up on food for your animals.

Have a reservoir of saltwater on hand, circulating, heated, and ready to use in case an emergency water change is needed.

NanoMag1/4RHM.qxd:Layout 1 2/19/09 2:37 PM Page 1

Does size matter to you?

The quality of the house sitter, tank sitter and maintenance company is important. You want to find quality, detail oriented people who you trust to pay attention and do the right things while you are gone. A bad house/tank sitter can ruin your trip because you will be worried they are not keeping up your tank properly. Remember the part about planning in advance? It’s critical here. Find people you trust to help while you are gone. Do this a month or more before you plan on leaving.

I think it is our job to make our systems as stable, as easy to understand, and as easy to maintain as possible for the people we are trusting to care for them while we are gone. Anything you can do to make their lives easier will not only help them (and thus your tank) if something goes wrong, but will make them feel good about helping you again in the future. Write up a brief description of your system and what regular maintenance is required while you’re gone. Tape a copy, with emergency phone numbers in big bold text, to the tank. While you are at it, post a copy of that list (maybe minus the phone numbers) on your personal website or on your reef club’s local forum so the information is easy for people to find.

Let everyone in your reef club know you are leaving, and give the people taking care of your tank your access to the reef club forum so they can sign on and ask any questions they may have.

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TANK TIPS & TRICKS

29

Do not add any new equipment or livestock to your system for at least a month before you will be leaving. We have all had the experience of adding a new pump, powerhead or top off system to a tank, with the installation going smoothly and quickly only to find a week or two later something goes horribly, horribly wrong. So, add it and troubleshoot it way in advance of your departure. This is especially true for livestock additions where aggression or disease issues may not be apparent until after you’re already gone.

Have spares of critical equipment; return pump, water motion devices, heaters, light bulbs etc... so if something important breaks, the people watching your tank can swap it out. If your return pump is hard plumbed, make sure the back up pump has all the proper fittings to make it fast and easy to put in place.

Simulate a power outage to see what will actually happen to your tank in an emergency situation. Turn off all power to your system.

Did the sump overflow? Did the water level in the tank drop too far, exposing corals to the air? Then, restore power and make sure everything starts back up properly. If there are any issues in the simulation, you can fix them if possible or at the very least, let the people who are going to be taking care of your tank know what to be on the lookout for in case the power goes off.

LABEL EVERYTHING If you haven’t done this already, get to it. Trouble shooting your system over the phone or via email becomes much easier if the person looking at your system can identify all of your equipment easily. Label every piece of equipment with easy to read labels.

Label every cord with cord labels. Even better, use and label a “dj power panel” (which is basically a strip plug with switches for each outlet) so whoever is working on your tank can simply flip a switch instead of hunting for a plug. Label all your timers and controllers.

Label the location of all GFCI’s (Ground Fault Circuit interruptors) so if they trip, the people taking care of your system can find and reset them. While you are at it, drawing up a schematic of your system can also be very helpful in an emergency for someone unfamiliar with your specific system.

PREPARE ANY FROZEN FOOD/ADD AN AUTOMATIC FEEDER Using deli containers or plastic bags, prepare and portion out any frozen foods. With a marker, write “please feed on (enter date here)”.

This way, you know your reef is being fed the way you want it to be fed and it makes things easier for the person feeding your tank.

Also, a number of plastic “daily pill” holders, marked with dates, make it easy to prepare a series of different daily feedings. If you feed flake or pellets, add an auto feeder to the system (again, allow at least a month for troubleshooting!). It seems to me that this is precisely what technology is for – ease and peace of mind.

AUTOMATE Automation is a polarizing idea in our hobby – some people love it, some hate it. Either way, few can deny the utility of automation when the owner of the system is away. So, consider automating where

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you can, for the time you are away. Lights can be on timers. Reliable auto top off (dual float switches!) with a large reservoir of make up water should be available. Install auto feeders as mentioned above.

Add a calcium reactor, or if you are dosing 2-part Calcium and Alkalinity supplements or Kalkwasser, install a dosing pump. Add a chiller and/or a fan triggered by temperature controllers to help deal with the possibility of the tank over heating.

If the power does go out, the dissolved oxygen levels in your tank water can quickly be depleted, stressing or even killing your animals.

Battery operated air pumps that turn on in the event of a power outage are cheap, reliable and easy to install. Many of the popular water motion devices now have optional battery backups, so look into those. You can also go old school and add a small powerhead near the surface, plugged into a UPS (uninterruptable power supply) that will power the pump when the main power goes out.

Each of these examples of automation could be an article in itself, so please do some research as to what the current best methods of implementation may be before going forward. And again, install any automation at least 4 weeks before you leave on your trip to be sure it is functioning properly! Have a great trip!

Clearly written labels on a dj power panel takes the guesswork out of troubleshooting.

Autofeeders can be very convenient but must be installed and used carefully.

Dual stage controllers will prevent heaters and chillers from running simultaneously.

Don't miss RHM sponsored Reef-A-Palooza October 24 – 25. www.reefapalooza.org

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