Reef Hobbyist Magazine Q2 2008

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SECOND QUARTER 2008 | Volume 2

CONFESSIONS Of A Coral Addict pt. 1

Anniversary Edition

Living With The AEFW Plague

DON’T BREAK THE CHAIN

GARDEN EELS

Sneak Peek – MidWest FragFest, Rockford, Illinois

Help Prevent a Caulerpa Invasion!

If it gets into our coastal waters, this nonnative marine seaweed can smother native marine plant and animal life.

Caulerpa taxifolia is one of the nine saltwater aquarium Caulerpa species outlawed in California because of the threat it poses to the marine environment. In the Mediterranean Sea, Caulerpa has invaded over 30,000 acres of marine habitat since an accidental release from a public aquarium. In California, it took six years and cost $7 million to eradicate from two places where it was released into the wild.

When Caulerpa gets into our coastal waters, its rapid, dense growth can overwhelm and displace native marine life. Please help protect coastal waters: comply with the law and properly dispose of Caulerpa and other aquarium contents.

Photo: L. Gonzalez

What you can do to help protect our coastline from this aggressive invader: Do not use Caulerpa in your aquarium or refugium; use Chaetomorpha or other alternative.

Never dump Caulerpa , aquarium water, or other aquarium contents into waterways, storm drains, streets, or gutters (a 1-millimeter piece can start an infestation).

Properly dispose of aquarium water into your sewer system only (sink, toilet, shower).

Dispose of Caulerpa and attached materials by freezing them in a bag for 24 hours and then placing them in a trash container.

southern california caulerpa action team

Visit www.sccat.net for more information and pictures of the banned Caulerpa species.

Features

SECOND QUARTER 2008 | Volume 2

RHM Staff President

Harry Tung

Executive Editor

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Garden Eels ...

For Experts Only?: Matt Wandell has been an avid reef aquarium hobbyist for 8 years and is an aquatic biologist at The California Academy Of Sciences- Steinhart Aquarium.In this species spotlight, Matt describes the specialized care requirements of the beautiful garden eel, Heteroconger hassi. Above

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Don’t Break The Chain: Norman

Tom is the President of Bay Area Reefers, Northern California’s largest reefing community. Here, Norman presents BAR’s innovative, “pay it forward” coral propagation program.

Above Orange and Green

19

Jim Adelberg

Art Director Tamara Sue

Graphics

David Tran

Living With The AEFW

Advertising The A-Team

Plague: Richard Ross is a

Special Thanks

nationally known coral farmer and cuttlefish breeder.In this article, Richard shares some advice on management of Acro Eating Flatworm infestations. Above Flatworm image

Norman Tom Richard Ross Gresham Hendee Matt Wandell

by Jonathan Hale.

Tell us what you think: comments@rhmag.com

Acanthastrea image by Ian Iwane.

Copyright© 2008 Reef Hobbyist Magazine.

All rights reserved.

Garden Eel image by Richard Ross.

On The Cover

Come visit us online at www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com And see what we have to offer you!

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• • • • •

CONFESSIONS OF A CORAL ADDICT pt. 1

Jim Adelberg is an advanced hobbyist and industry professional from the San Francisco Bay Area.

In this series, Jim will share his infatuation with different species and highlight some specific care requirements.

Image above of feeding Acanthastrea bowerbanki by author.

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.

Read Reef Hobbyist Magazine online.

Ask our editor questions in the Q & A section.

Watch and submit videos in our video library.

Participate in our photo contests for cool reef prizes.

Communicate with other reefers and manufacturers on our forums.

Local Fish Stores

• Find out in advance what products will be advertised in the upcoming issue so you can be stocked up and ready.

• Receive specials and rebates from our advertisers.

• Drive more traffic to your store by listing in our national online store directory of RHM partners.

Email your store information to retailer@rhmag.com to take advantage of these services now.

Refill Are you a retailer looking to stock RHM for your customers? Contact one of our distributors! Hobbyists, ask your LFS to contact our distributors if they don’t carry RHM!

• Sea Dwelling Creatures – www.seadwelling.com • Pacific Aqua Farms – www.pacificaquafarms.com • Aquatic Specialties and Pets – 510-477-9683 • Sea Logic International Inc. – 510-780-0876

EELS Garden Eels ...

For

Experts

only?

By Matt Wandell Images By Richard Ross

M

any hobbyists only become familiar with garden eels after visiting them in their wild homes on a current swept, sandy seafloor in the South Pacific or Indian Oceans. A colony of hundreds of garden eels may appear to be a bed of seagrass waving in the current from afar, but this bed of “seagrass” will instantly disappear the moment a curious diver approaches. These shy slender eels live in sandy tunnels of their own making, and will only extend part of their body out to feed when there are no signs of danger nearby. Once they do venture out of their tunnels, a garden eel’s life consists of an almost endless search for small bits of planktonic food.

The aquarium industry regularly collects one species of garden eel - Heteroconger hassi. Also know as the Hass’ or Spotted Garden Eel, it is the most appropriate garden eel for a controlled aquarium environment at home. It is easily identified by the three large black patches on both sides of the head and back. The Spotted Garden Eel is found in colonies of several hundred to thousands of individuals on sandy areas all over the Indo-Pacific. Their range stretches west to the Red Sea and Africa, east to the Society Islands, north to Japan, and south to Australia. They are always found in sandy bottoms with at least 12” of sand, and usually below 15 meters depth.

So should you add one to your reef tank? The short answer: probably not. The vast majority of typical reef aquariums are simply not adequate environments for garden eels. Either they will lack a proper substrate depth, have too many aggressive fish, or will not offer the eels enough feeding opportunities to

6

really thrive. So are they really an “expert only” fish that should only be kept by public aquariums and scientific institutions?

The short answer: not at all. A hobbyist with the skills and patience to grow stony corals can keep garden eels in a carefully planned tank. Here I aim to present the unique captive husbandry challenges of these eels and outline the steps a dedicated hobbyist can take in order to keep them thriving.

Let’s start with the tank, because this is one of the most critical components of the garden eel environment. Keep in mind that you will be recreating a deep sandy seafloor, not a coral reef.

The tank should be tall enough to accommodate 8-10” of fine sand, but with a large enough surface area to accommodate several garden eels. Although garden eels are social fishes, they will defend their tunnel from nearby eels that represent competition for food or mates. In studies done in the wild, adult garden eels are found as close as 8” to each other. This is a reasonable number to try and match in the aquarium. A standard 90-gallon tall tank with a footprint of 48” by 18” and a height of 24” would be suitable for a dozen garden eels. A small patch of live rock can be visually appealing but keep in mind that any space devoted to live rock should be subtracted from any calculation of suitable surface area for the eels. The tank does not necessarily require a sump and attached refugium, but adding these would increase one’s chance of success. A productive refugium will offer more feeding opportunities to the eels, and a large sump will allow for a large skimmer and other filtration equipment to manage the water quality issues one will encounter. An internal overflow box is fine, but an external weir box will dedicate more surface area to the tank and is more aesthetically pleasing. In either case, overflow boxes should be adequately screened and topped to prevent wandering eels from escaping down the drain, and the tank itself should have a tight fitting lid or sealed canopy to prevent garden eels from becoming carpet jerky.

Enter the RHM photo contest at www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com and show off your photo skills!

Once we have a suitably sized tank, the next step is to aquascape. Fine aragonite sand should be used as a substrate. Garden eels create their tunnels by swimming into the sand backwards and using their hard tail tips like a drill bit. They will damage their tail if kept in coarse sand or rubble. Garden eels will not bury in sand less than their length in the wild, but in an aquarium a slightly shallower sandbed is suitable. 8-10” should be the bare minimum, but the deeper the better. Angling the sandbed up to one side of the tank and then forming a live rock mound of carefully selected pieces will create a very simple but pleasing visual effect. This bommie could then be highlighted with spotlights and populated with small peaceful fishes and corals.

Fish tankmates, if any at all, should be small and extremely passive. Small gobies, firefishes, dartfishes, wormfishes, and assessors will make fine garden eel tankmates and can be kept in small shoals. A small piece of flat live rock laid on the sand with a depression underneath will be adequate shelter for these fish. Any fish that will nip at or act aggressively towards other fish, such as pygmy angels, should be excluded from the tank. Large active fishes like tangs will cause the shy garden eels to hide most of the time. Aggressive sand sifting or digging species such as sleeper gobies, goatfishes, and jawfishes may disturb the eels’ burrows or fight with them.

Greedy feeders like wrasses will consume all available food

before the eels get a chance to feed. Feeding frequency is perhaps the most critical and difficult component of garden eel husbandry. Fortunately, garden eels are adept at recognizing just about anything that floats through the water as food, and they will readily consume a wide variety of food offered. Live enriched baby or adult Artemia may be needed to initiate feeding, after which any small food such as frozen copepods, frozen mysis shrimp, fish eggs, flake food, and finely chopped shrimp or clam should be offered frequently. The challenge is getting the food to each member of the group and doing it frequently and for a long time throughout the day. Ideally the eels should be offered food 3-4 times a day, with each feeding lasting several minutes at a time. A slow drip of newly hatched Artemia is ideal for this purpose. Keep in mind that garden eels feed on prey in the water column, so anything that hits the sand and stays there will usually be ignored.

Got questions about your reef? Come post it and get answers from other hobbyists and staff at www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com

7

Frequent feeding of small planktonic foods comes with drawbacks, of course. Water quality should be properly controlled with the use of a large protein skimmer, frequent water changes, or other such means. Another clear consequence of heavy feeding is the rapid proliferation of Aiptasia pest anemones. Any live rock added to the tank should be quarantined and carefully inspected for these pests, and any means to eradicate them from the tank or control them biologically should be used at the earliest opportunity.

Foods that sink quickly, such as frozen mysid shrimp, must be used carefully so as not to foul the tank. Any food that lands on the sand will be ignored by garden eels. To prevent this, a portion of the tank’s flow can be directed as a horizontal plane of current just above the sandbed. I prefer to use a horizontally mounted length of PVC pipe with a small slit cut along its length to accomplish this, and the flow through it can be regulated by a gate valve. Ideally the flow in the tank will flow in a large circular

loop, or gyre, that sweeps across the sandy bottom.

An enterprising hobbyist may wish to design a system to reverse the direction of mass flow on a tidal cycle to simulate the eels’ natural habitat.

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So can you keep corals in the same tank? I hesitate to say no, but it needlessly complicates matters. Besides the problematic nutrient issues associated with heavy feedings, corals take up valuable real estate that the garden eels need. Some corals are also capable of delivering nasty stings to the eels. The spotted garden eel is normally found in deeper water below 15 meters and so the high intensity lights necessary for most photosynthetic corals would be out of place. Although the eels will become accustomed to bright lighting, a dedicated hobbyist may choose to add small spotlights to focus on a small, carefully sculpted coral mound. Suitable non-stinging corals include almost all octocorals and corallimorphians. Low light tolerant macroalgaes such as Halimeda and Gracillaria will do well in a garden eel habitat. An advanced hobbyist may choose to try their hand at a non-photosynthetic gorgonian specimen or two, and a carefully planned garden eel tank may include the perfect flow and feeding requirements needed for these corals.

Ideally all garden eels should be added directly to the tank at the same time. Like moray eels, garden eels are naturally resistant to most of the parasitic diseases that afflict other bony fishes but a quarantine period of at least 3 weeks for any new additions should still be used. There is no need to construct tunnels for the garden eels, as they dig them out all on their own. An eel that lies on top of the sand or endlessly swims around the tank may be an indication of bullying, overcrowding, or poor water conditions.

For the dedicated hobbyist interested in a unique aquarium concept, a garden eel habitat makes a fascinating and visually pleasing display.

Enter the RHM photo contest at www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com and show off your photo skills!

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The MP20 is ideal for coral reef tanks under 70 gallons.

VISIT US AT THE MARINE AQUARIUM EXPO, BOOTH #B16. ®

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CORAL

CONFESSIONS of A Coral Addict

By Jim Adelberg Images By Author

pt.

1

W

elcome dear reader, to the first installment in my new series of articles. Here I will try to pass on some detailed care information on the spotlighted corals. These will all be corals I’ve kept and done well with over the years and these articles will be somewhat informal and written from a hobbyist perspective. I reserve the right to ramble a bit if I think it might be entertaining.

Part 1 - For The Love Of LPS

Large Polyp Stony (LPS) corals have long held a particular fascination for me. The incredible variety of shapes and sizes of LPS colonies and polyps is simply amazing. Add to that, the fact that LPS are generally hardy, pest free, fun to feed corals and the attraction grows. But it’s the colors of healthy LPS corals that really take my breath away. This effect is usually accompanied, in my case, by a profound desire to empty my wallet on the spot...imagine that!

Captive Care:

I put this coral in my 165 gallon, penducted gyre tank (see my previous article “The Search for Perfect Flow” in vol.

1, issue 3 for a full description of this system) and was immediately impressed with the great polyp extension during nighttime feeding.

Although I’ve kept many LPS over the years, and will be spotlighting some of them in future articles, I’m going to begin with my newest favorite, Acanthastrea bowerbanki.

I should say here that this species identification is my best guess, based on what I’ve been able to find in print about this coral.

During the early summer of 2007, in the midst of all theAussie micromussa and lordhowensis frenzy, some of these bowerbanki began to show up sporadically at my local wholesalers here in Northern California. The geographical distribution of this coral is Indo West Pacific so they may have come from a few different collection locations. Australia and Tonga are potential sources, as well as parts of Africa and the Philippines.

It was during the early summer of 2007, while I was shopping at a local wholesaler, that I literally had a cartoon moment. I walked by something, registered it unconsciously, kept walking and then did an immediate double take as my eyes widened and I picked my jaw up off the floor. Sitting in the tank was a singular jewel of a coral.

I immediately knew 2 things; that I’d never seen that species before in person, and that it would be expensive. I was right on both counts.

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I situated the piece midway between a 175 watt and 250 watt 20,000k bulb. There is quite a lot of space between my 2 reflectors so this is actually somewhat of a dark area.

One of the nicer attributes of many LPS is their fondness for lower intensity lighting. This makes many of them ideal for keeping under low wattage metal halide lighting and even strong fluorescent lighting. I have been hand feeding this Acanthastrea sporadically with the larger frozen mysis shrimp but based on the polyp size, I think it could handle pea-sized particles quite easily. I will be trying it on squid and clams next to see if it responds differently. Although I haven’t been testing my parameters all along, I adhere to a very solid 25% water change weekly. Recently I tested the tank and got the following results, which I believe are typical for my system.

Ammonia-0 Nitrites-0 Nitrates-0 Alkalinity-5 (working on bringing this up some) Calcium-420 Phosphates-0

Enter the RHM photo contest at www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com and show off your photo skills!

My tank is what I would call a high flow reef system and I did place the piece where it gets some wash from strong current.

Temperature has remained at 77-80 degrees, and specific gravity fluctuates between 1.023 and 1.025. While there has been some (~10-15%) growth in the actual polyp sizes, there are still only 3 polyps. The base color of the polyp has changed some, from a brilliant red with orange to a more golden orange, but the white contrasts are just as strong. I think this species should be fairly easy to maintain and culture, but it appears to be a slow growing coral compared to many other Acanthastrea.

If you want to talk about this coral, join me online at www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com Up next - Blastomussa wellsi!

If your local fish store doesn’t give away RHM already, ask them to contact our distributors on the table of contents!

11

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PEST CONTROL

C

hances are you’ve had some type of Caulerpa in your saltwater tank or refugium at one time or another. Prized by some aquarists and reviled by others, this group of macroalgae is common throughout the hobby, but it bears an ugly downside: a tremendously invasive growth pattern.

Caulerpa’s ability to strip excess nutrients from aquariums can be attractive to aquarists, but its prolific growth leads them either to discard the plant or routinely thin it.

Do You Have A

MONSTER In your Tank?

By The Southern California Caulerpa Action Team

This is where the problem lies. Releasing Caulerpa or aquarium water into gutters, storm drains or other waterways can cause a Caulerpa invasion in the wild. Caulerpa can quickly overcome native species, making it one of the most invasive plant groups in the world. California has banned nine species of Caulerpa, including Feather Caulerpa and Grape Caulerpa, and aquarium Caulerpa taxifolia is restricted nationwide as a Federal Noxious Weed.

In its natural environment, it grows in tropical waters, but the coldtolerant, fast-growing “aquarium strain” used in home aquariums can smother diverse native habitats and dramatically reduce biodiversity when it escapes into the wild. In 2000, Caulerpa taxifolia was discovered in two coastal California bays. California moved quickly to control the spread before the infestation could reach an uncontrollable magnitude, like that seen in the Mediterranean Sea. There, an inadvertent release from a public aquarium started out as a patch of about 1 square yard and proliferated to over 2 acres within five years. Today, the aggressive species blankets over 30,000 acres of seafloor and is too expansive to eradicate. Eradication efforts in California were successfully completed after six years at a cost of more than $7 million.

Many aquarists are finding that the same invasive tendencies these species have when they escape into the wild are causing problems in their tanks as well, such as smothering other tank species, releasing toxins into the water during reproductive events, and clogging water movement devices. The good news is there are suitable alternatives such as Chaetomorpha (Chaeto), Halimeda and Gracilaria.

A

B A | Caulerpa taxifolia can smother native seafloor when it escapes into the wild.

If you have Caulerpa in your system, properly dispose of it by freezing it and any attached materials in a bag for 24 hours and placing the bag in the trash. Dispose of aquarium water into a sink, toilet or shower, all of which lead to water treatment plants, not waterways. A 1-millimeter piece of Caulerpa escaping with aquarium water can start a new infestation.

IMAGE BY ANTE ZULIEVIK.

B | An infestation of Grape Caulerpa in the Mediterranean Sea (Croatia).

IMAGE BY ANTE ZULIEVIK.

The U.S. Government estimates that invasive species such as Caulerpa cost our nation’s economy $123 billion annually. Please do your part to prevent new infestations of this invasive species.

Visit www.sccat.net to learn more and see pictures of banned and alternative species.

C | Improper disposal of aquarium water, plants, or animals can introduce invasive species into the wild.

C RHM sponsored West Frag coming to Rockford, May 2008 – www.midwestfragfest.com Looking forMid a reef club in Fest your is area?

Search online at Illinois www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com today!

13

CORAL PROPAGATION

Don’t Break

The

One reef clubʼs continuing adventure in Pay It Forward coral propagation

Chain!

By Norman Tom Images By Eric Do and Ian Iwane

B

ay Area Reefers (BAR) is a Northern California nonprofit reef hobbyists’ organization. Its mission is to promote, foster, and encourage education and appreciation for the ethical husbandry and propagation of marine life.

To that end BAR, like many reef clubs, sponsors educational lectures, online discussion forums, coral frag swaps and other hands-on reef related activities.

After one of BAR’s large regional frag swaps, a few members tossed around some ideas about a Pay It Forward coral propagation activity. “What if instead of just swapping frags with 300 people, we passed out frags with the understanding that when a frag grows big enough, it would be given away freely to someone else?” “What if we kept track of each generation of giving, as well as who has a particular coral?” “What if everybody continued the forward propagation so that 3 frags turn into 9 frags that turn into 27?” “Wouldn’t it be good if we really could put a spotlight on captive propagation and sharing?” Thus began “Don’t Break the Chain!”(DBTC), one of BAR’s most active and exciting programs.

Currently entering its third year, DBTC offers close to 250 different first generation items for Pay It Forward propagation.

BAR members make use of their online forum to announce the availability of items to be shared. Each first generation offering initiates a new propagation chain. As successive frag generations become available, members post back to the original announcement or chain to invite the next group of reef farmers to participate. The program offers everything from sponges to snails to macro-algae, and of course all types of coral from common to Auction Edition to beyond rare. Some DBTC items already have returned as 3rd and 4th generation offerings. BAR’s DBTC forum has over 4400 messages and is currently the second most active forum on our website, coming in just behind our general reef discussion forum.

One might think that organizing such an ambitious program would require an enormous effort. Someone would have to make a set of rules. How would we decide who would get which items? Should it be first come first served? What kinds of corals can be in the program? What if someone gets a free coral and doesn’t share it? What if the same person has their hand out over and over?

Rather than try to work out every detail in advance, club members decided just to go ahead with a loosely structured program. The core concept remained as Pay It Forward. Each donor was free to establish any rules or prerequisites beyond

14

that basic idea as he or she saw fit. This flexibility allowed the program to reflect the collective wishes of all its participants.

One early DBTC offering reads as follows: “Leng Sy cap I can make 2 frags of my Leng Sy cap. I got it as a frag at the July ‘05 BAR swap on my 4th round pick. I think I was letter G or something like that.

This frag came from SandDollar/Rich, who got it from Mike Paletta, who got it from Leng Sy. I’d promised one of the frags to someone a while back, so I’ll have one more to give away.

Who do I want to get this frag?

- you are a BAR, MARS, SEABAY, CVR etc member.

- you will post frags of your own cool(whatever that mean to you) coral on this forum for propping.

- you are good with SPS. - you agree to frag the LS to at least 2 others for free before trading etc.

- you can pick it up from me at a BAR meeting or in Alameda.

Enter the RHM photo contest at www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com and show off your photo skills!

Are you attached to your corals?

You should be, because they’re not only beautiful, they’re precious. That’s why you have to give them a secure attachment too. Two Little Fishies, Inc. has the tools you need to easily secure them, because bonding with corals promotes a long-term relationship.

AquaStik™ 2oz Red Coralline and 4oz Stone Grey are underwater epoxy putty sticks that have clay-like consistency for easy attachment of coral “frags,” gorgonians, and other items where there is a mechanical connection that can be filled and secured by it, like concrete around a post.

CorAffix™ is an ethyl cyanoacrylate bonding compound with viscosity similar to honey. Use it for attaching stony corals, gorgonians, and other sessile invertebrates in natural positions on live rock. Use in combination with AquaStik™ to attach larger coral heads, or for attaching cultured coral “frags” to bases. 2oz bottle CorAffix™ Gel is an ethyl cyanoacrylate bonding compound with a thick gel consistency. It is very easy to use for attaching frags of stony corals, zoanthids, and some soft corals to plugs or bases. 20 gram tube All work on dry, damp, or wet surfaces, cure underwater, and are non-toxic to fish, plants and invertebrates.

Two Little Fishies Advanced Aquarium Solutions Two Little Fishies, Inc. 1007 Park Centre Blvd. Miami Gardens, FL 33169 U.S.A. Tel (305) 661.7742 www.twolittlefishies.com

- and preferably can post growth pictures of the cap to this thread periodically.

I’ll figure some way to pick a name. If your name doesn’t get picked, maybe you can get one of the next batch/ generation of frags?

This frag started out under 2x250 10k AB for about 3 months before I switched to 2x250 14k Hamilton. It’s at the top of the tank right now.

The purple edge doesn’t show well under 14k, but is very intense under more yellow/white light.

Another donor posts: “Calfo pulsing Sinularia I’ll make 1 or 2 of these frags depending on demand. You must have 3 prior contributions to the DBTC program to qualify.

You must pick up at my place in Alameda where there may be other corals available at that time.

This is to encourage people to put corals into the program instead of private trades/sales and to get some of my stuff which can’t be acquired any other way!

First 1 or 2 people to reply.”

This isn’t the best picture, but you get the idea. It’s much brighter in person!

Targeted tank parameters: Alk 3.45 meq Ca 430 ppm Mg 1350 ppm pH 8.3 s.g. 1.025 temp 79”

Eddie’s Purple Montser – one of many rare corals available through BAR’s DBTC program

Got questions about your reef? Come post it and get answers from other hobbyists and staff at www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com

15

One DBTC fan writes: “I’m new to this forum, but i find that the interaction between two fellow propagators with a common vision brings a warm sense of fellowship amongst members. Since I’ve discovered DBTC, it’s made me look at some prized pieces of mine as a opportunity to meet a rare group of individuals that trust BAR members, new and old, to care for priceless pieces as if they were the last on earth, then pass them on to the next. I’ve heard of people trading frags, but this program certainly is in a league of its own.”

DBTC has grown and morphed over time, becoming what its participants want it to be. For the club, the ongoing interaction provided by the program has been a community building activity, with supportive members sharing coral parenting advice along with their frags. With each frag offered, participants propagate not only a precious living coral, but also a spirit of generosity, support, and giving. With each successive generation of corals propagated, the entire club celebrates in congratulating the successful coral caretaker.

Over the last 2 years, the number of offerings has grown to the point that BAR’s more computer savvy members have volunteered to develop a web based tracking system, yet another positive result reflecting the DBTC spirit.

For BAR, the DBTC adventure continues. From the early beginnings with just an idea and a handful of frag offerings, the program has evolved additional variants, all of which have been member generated.

And for some, simpler is better!

“ORA Indo Purple tip stag I have two frags of ORA Purple tip stag, one is very well encrusted the other I just cut. They’re available at the meeting on Sat. (my first DBTC yeah!!!)”

While some might view DBTC simply as a means to obtain free corals, the intent of the program is to support the club mission by spreading coral species throughout the region, increasing diversity, providing opportunities to educate, encouraging captive propagation, and hopefully lessening the impact on wild reefs.

DBTC has provided an alternative to large and sometimes impersonal frag swap events where the excitement can be more about the getting than the giving. The ongoing interaction and the Pay It Forward philosophy of the program have generated camaraderie and good will for participants through a kind of coral karma.

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Today we have “DBTC: Colony Edition”, where members propagate and pass forward entire coral colonies.

We have “DBTC: X-treme Edition”, a version generously offering the hobby’s most sought after corals including: exotic acans and micromussas, Tyree LE Purple Monster, AE Montipora setosa, Darth Maul chalice, AE Sunburst Favia, and even some “unnamed” ultra rare corals.

Currently we are about to launch “DBTC: Inter-Club Edition”, where BAR will take Pay It Forward coral propagation to the next level, sharing the program and philosophy nationally with other reef hobbyist clubs.

Where will it go from there?

The Bay Area Reefers website is at: www.bareefers.org

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FLATWORMS Living With The

AEFW PLAGUE

By Richard Ross

This Acropora valida shows the ‘bite marks’ that are a tell tale sign of Acro Eating Flatworms

IMAGE BY MARC LEVENSON

On an Acropora that has been left to dry for a few minutes, Acro Eating Flatworms become easily visible

IMAGE BY GRESHAM HENDEE

A

cro Eating Flatworms (AEFW) are terrible, evil, vicious, icky things. They can kill your Acropora corals, they are difficult to find, and treating them in a captive reef has long meant tearing down the entire tank. There is no intank treatment for AEFW. The traditional method for eradicating them involves pulling all acroporid corals out of the show tank for a regimen of dips while, leaving the display aquarium Acropora free for as long as it takes to totally eradicate the flatworms from the system. As for the infected corals, disposal was the most surefire way to get rid of the pests. Another approach involves fragging the infected corals and throwing away the bases where the eggs are generally laid. Dipping chemicals are available, but they can be harsh and can sometimes harm corals if not used carefully.

My first AEFW infestation occurred in 2006. I pulled out every Acropora from my tank. I dipped my corals, waited, then dipped them some more. The process did seem to rid my tank of AEFW, but I also lost some irreplaceable corals and reduced others to mere nubs. It was a heavy price to pay, but the pests went away.

Since I understood the necessity of dipping and quarantining new corals, I thought my tank would be safe from re-infection.

Two years later, in January 2008, I noticed that one of my Acropora colonies was looking odd. Interestingly enough, this colony was the survivor of the previous battle with AEFW. The coral’s color was fading, but not bleaching, and looked like a photo being digitally desaturated. The colony was still easily removable, and I pulled it out of the tank and dipped it. It was a horror-movie moment...the bottom of the container was littered with AEFW. I pulled up two other colonies and was nauseated to discover the same results. I have no idea where the AEFW came from. Perhaps they snuck in through my quarantine procedures, or I simply didn’t get them all in my previous treatments. Either way, the evil creatures were back.

Acro Eating Flatworms and a US dime for scale

I was devastated for about an hour. It had taken my tank over a year to recover from the last infestation, and now I was going to have to tear down my tank again. That thought was enough to lead me to consider abandoning the hobby altogether. Then my brain reasserted itself. This time, I decided not to tear down the tank I had worked so hard to create. This time I was going to try living with AEFW.

IMAGE BY JONATHAN HALE

RHM sponsored Mid West Frag Fest is coming to Rockford, Illinois May 2008 – www.midwestfragfest.com

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I knew from my friends at Bay Area Reefers and Manhattan Reefs that having AEFW is not the ‘death sentence’ it was 2 years ago. In fact, the method for living with acro eating flatworms is perversely easy, considering the heartache this pest has caused – all you need are some fish and a turkey baster.

The goal is to get the flatworms off the corals and into the water column. With a turkey baster, blast the coral with tank water from various angles using light to medium blasts from the baster.

Repeated blasts quickly dislodge the AEFW from the corals’ branches, allowing them to float in the water where fish snap them up. Some people even use a small power head, which works well, although there is concern about damaging the corals’ tissue with such a strong jet of water.

The first few weeks I tried blowing AEFW off my Acropora, I found tons of them. A few quick squirts in the same place (rather than one long powerful squirt) yielded a cloud of worms. Quickly, the fish in the tank learned that the baster in the tank meant snack time. In my aquarium, I have seen chromis, lubbocks wrasse, flame wrasse, yellow ‘coris’ wrasse, neon dottybacks and skunk clowns chase and eat free floating AEFW. After the initial week of basting the corals, the AEFW population began to vanish. At 5 or 6 weeks after deciding to live with AEFW, I haven’t been able to find any individuals at all in my bi-weekly basting. I am not sure if this method has eradicated these pests, although it may be possible. I am, however, thrilled at the prospect of not having to tear down my tank again.

The only drawback so far to living with AEFW is that I do have to tell people I am trading with, that my tank is infected. It’s a little odd, and some people have a negative reaction. But to my surprise, I’ve discovered most don’t care all that much; they assume every coral they get is infected with something and act accordingly. At a recent frag swap, I labeled my corals as ‘Possible AEFW in tank’ and yet all of them got quickly picked from the swap tables.

Meanwhile, my Acropora corals are experiencing good color and growth. Even the colonies that were fading are recovering nicely.

So far, living with AEFW has been far less costly than tearing down my tank again.

How To Avoid AEFW At this stage in the hobby, more and more pests seem to be taking advantage of aquaria free from whatever keeps them in check in the wild. Thus, it makes sense to assume that any new coral, wild or captive grown, is infected with something. A good dipping regimen for new specimens is a bare minimum, and a quarantine system is even better.

Chemical dips can help to eradicate pests before they enter your main system. A good general dip for new corals, recommended

by Bay Area Reefers, is Povidone Iodine. The strength of the dip varies with different kinds of coral, and general dipping guidelines are as follows:

Acro Eating Flatworm egg masses typically are laid on bare coral skeleton on the underside of Acropora branches IMAGE BY JONATHAN HALE

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Acropora: 3ml/liter 25 min.

Montipora: 2ml/liter 10-15 min.

Zoanthids: 3-4ml/liter 25 min.

LPS: 3ml/liter 25 min.

Soft Corals: 3ml/liter 25 min.

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Flatworm and Acropora

Close up of the ‘bite marks’ left on Acropora by Acro Eating Flatworms

IMAGE BY JONATHAN HALE

After the dip, the pests should be stunned enough to blow right off the coral with a turkey baster, or by swishing in the dipping container. A final inspection for any eggs or pests, and their removal if necessary, and the coral is ready to be rinsed in clean tank water and then moved into quarantine. There are also commercial products available that people have had success with – follow the manufactures recommendations for dips with these products.

Quarantine in conjunction with dipping is the best way to go. I have a 20 gallon tank with a sandbed, 150 watt DE DIY fixture, skimmer and HOB filter for circulation located in the stand under my show tank so it’s ready to go anytime I get something new.

After dipping, observe the new corals in quarantine for 3 or more weeks, treating as necessary until you are sure any and all pests have been controlled. Then, you can move them to your show tank secure that you have done your best to prevent your tank from becoming infested with evil beasties.

Of course, since no regimen is foolproof, another important skill to have is...

Identifying AEFW In Your Tank AEFW are flatworms that appear to feed only on Acropora coral, ingesting the corals’ zooxanthellae. It is speculated that this allows the flatworms to blend in perfectly with the flesh of the coral. However, it may simply be the case that they are masters of transparency. Either way, it is virtually impossible to spot them on a coral in the water of an aquarium. Taking the coral out of the water

IMAGE BY JONATHAN HALE

for a few minutes makes detection easier. As the coral dries, the flatworms become readily apparent. However, removing the coral may be difficult or impossible, and letting it dry for more than a few minutes may stress and damage the coral.

An easier way to spot them in a tank is to find what some people call ‘bite marks’ on otherwise healthy looking Acropora, which occur mostly on the trunks and undersides of the coral.

Sometimes the ‘bite marks’ aren’t visible until after the AEFW have been removed from the coral via dipping or blowing the AEFW off with a baster.

If You Don’t Want To Live With Them...

If you want to eradicate the AEFW from an infected tank, you probably need to remove all the Acropora so you can treat the corals. This will allow the flatworms to die off while there are no Acropora in the tank for them to eat. Unfortunately, there are differing estimates about how long AEFW can survive without Acropora to eat and how long it takes their eggs to hatch. I would play it safe and leave them out of the tank for at least a month which still doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get them all.

You can treat the corals in a quarantine tank with the dips above or with other medications. Levamisole, sold as a pig dewormer by vets and farm supply stores, or Aquarium Products’ FlukeTabs seem to be popular options. However, there is conflicting information on dosage and length of treatment. If you are interested in these solutions, please ask your local fish store or check online reefing communities for the most up-to-date recommendations.

If your local fish store doesn’t give away RHM already, ask them to contact our distributors on the table of contents!

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NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

EVENTS

Sneak Peek Midwest FragFest (MWFF) sponsored by Reef Hobbyist Magazine Where: The Clock Tower Resort - located at 7801 East State Street, Rockford, Illinois 61108. www.clocktowerresort.com

When: Saturday, May 3rd 9am to 5pm Sunday, May 4th 9am to 3pm

Admission: $10 for trade show & frag swap pass ($1 discount per canned food donation, up to $5 off). $20 for basic 1 day event pass, includes above plus admission to speakers. Please go online for more information - banquet and full event passes available!

Midwest FragFest, now in its second year, has become the Midwest’s premier coral conference. FragFest 2008 offers a complete weekend packed with 9 speakers you don’t want to miss including a fragging demo by Steven Pro, over 100 fish, coral and equipment exhibitors, and a HUGE raffle, loaded with amazing prizes. Thank you to all the major contributors who have helped to make this event possible for hobbyists in the Midwest – CaribSea, Reef Nutrition, and Oceanic. A portion of the proceeds from MWFF will be donated to reef conservation efforts and another portion given back to the community.

www.midwestfragfest.com

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