Reef Hobbyist Magazine Q2 2010

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SECOND QUARTER 2010 | Volume 4

CARPET ANEMONES: BIG, BEAUTIFUL, AND DEADLY SURGICAL CLONING of The Bubble Tip Anemone

CARPET BUYER’S GUIDE Plastic Polyp Propagation Bank Your Corals!

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FEATURES

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CARPET ANEMONES: BIG, BEAUTIFUL, AND DEADLY Mike Maddox has nearly twenty years of experience in the hobby and owns Captive Aquatics, an aquarium design, service, and consultation company. Are you ready to care for a carpet anemone? Figure it out with Mike. Image by Greg Rothschild.

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BANK YOUR CORALS! Richard Ross is a SF Bay Area coral farmer and cuttlefish breeder. Rich offers valuable coral back-up advice that helped him rebuild his 150-gallon reef quickly after his system crashed while on vacation. Image by author.

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SURGICAL CLONING OF THE BUBBLE TIP ANEMONE Jason “Eight” Wong, a reef and anemone enthusiast from the SF Bay Area, shares his experience with manual propagation of bubble tip anemones and shows you how you can propagate them too. Image by author.

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PLASTIC POLYP PROPAGATION Jim Adelberg is Executive Editor of RHM and an owner of Green Marine, an exclusively captive propagated retail store in Berkeley, CA. This article is a follow-up to Jim’s previous article, “An Acrylic System”. Learn how to propagate zoanthids using acrylic rods in this pictorial. Image by Eric Do.

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SHUTINY’S CARPET ANEMONE BUYER’S GUIDE Shu Tin Stirlen has been a dedicated reef enthusiast since 2000. Her wealth of anemone experience makes this buyer’s guide a must read for those considering these beautiful animals. Image by Richard Ross.

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CONTEST WINNER: THE RESPONSIBLE MARINE AQUARIST Sarah L. Mangondaya, a member of Marine Aquarists Association of South Texas, is the winner of the RHM article writing contest co-sponsored by MASNA and Aquatic Life.

Read the article that took 1st place and a $1,000+ Aquatic Life Lighting System. Image

by Jarda Malek.

Cover image by Greg Rothschild.

COMMENTS OR SUGGESTIONS? comments@rhmag.com

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

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ANEMONES CARPET ANEMONES:

BIG, BEAUTIFUL AND DEADLY

Greg Rothschild

Article & Images by Mike Maddox except as noted

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nemones of the genus Stichodactyla, otherwise known as carpet anemones, are fascinating creatures, and highly sought after by hobbyists. However, carpet anemones are very challenging to maintain in the home aquarium, and few hobbyists are able to attain long term success. After caring for carpet anemones over the last several years, I’d like to offer my insight into these fascinating and beautiful anemones, and try to point out why aquarists so often fail to maintain these animals in the long (and short) term, and better prepare you for success.

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Are you willing to care for a large carpet anemone?

Carpet anemones should not be purchased by the inexperienced aquarist! Carpet anemones need very large, stable systems, preferably biotope systems specifically for the carpet anemone. A minimum of 125 gallons (larger is always better) will be required for all large Stichodactyla, as these monster anemones can grow up to a meter in diameter! Equal to their size is their appetite; carpet anemones are deceptive but effective predators, stinging and killing anything that gets too close to their sticky tentacles. Most fish will fall prey to a carpet anemone at some point or another (possibly even clownfish), so they are not tankmate friendly. There are some species that live in symbiosis with carpet anemones and make potentially suitable tankmates, as I will discuss. I can also offer anecdotal evidence of an allelopathic or a similar (negative) effect a carpet anemone will have on another anemone of the same or differing species.

Carpet anemones often elude the success of even the experienced reef aquarist. One of the common mistakes more experienced aquarists make is adding a carpet anemone to a ‘garden-reef’ type

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aquarium. As I will discuss later in this article, carpet anemones and the sessile coral species kept by aquarists usually do not hail from the same area on a reef, and should be housed together only with caution, if at all. For optimum chance of success in years to come, I recommend all carpet anemones be kept in a dedicated ‘species’ aquarium specifically for the anemone, and not in a ‘garden-type’ reef aquarium.

Carpet anemones are motile and aggressive, and mixing these animals with sessile corals will not end in long term success for either animal. Carpet anemones require a serious commitment as they have an incredibly long natural lifespan, and are not an ideal choice for everyone. Please carefully consider all of the above before purchasing a carpet anemone.

The natural history of the large carpet anemones It is important for hobbyists to be aware of the natural history of the animals they plan to keep, especially carpet anemones, as they have different requirements than the corals and other invertebrates commonly housed by reef aquarists. Understanding the life history of carpet anemones will better prepare you for their housing and will improve your chances of success with this difficult genus. I will discuss the natural history of the three large carpet anemone species that the marine aquarist is most likely to encounter in the hobby.

Stichodactyla haddoni.

S. haddoni, Haddon’s or a ‘Haddoni’ carpet anemone, is the most commonly imported and readily available of the large carpet anemones, and can be identified by its thick central column with large pedal disc, very short, stubby tentacles and tentacle-free oral area, and attains a diameter of about 60 cm. Contrary to the popular belief that this species lives “on a reef”, S. haddoni resides in the sand flats on the outskirts of reefs, where it consumes any and all animal matter that comes in contact with its tentacles.

When threatened, Haddon’s anemone can pull itself completely beneath the sand, in an effort to escape predators. In the home aquarium, S. haddoni will need a sand bed of at least four, and preferably six inches, as it is unnatural and uncommon for this species to be content attached to a rocky substrate. Haddon’s carpet anemone is very sticky and will instantly and aggressively grab on to almost anything it touches. It also has a very strong sting. Most animals that come in contact with the tentacles of Haddon’s anemone will stick to the anemone and be killed by its nematocysts in a few seconds to a few minutes. Be careful when handling this species, because sensitive individuals may develop an itchy rash if the anemone makes contact with bare skin.

Haddon’s carpet anemone occurs in several color variations: green, tan, red, and blue with green and tan being the most commonly seen.

Greg Rothschild

Stichodactyla haddoni Range: East African coast to Madagascar, Australia, Red Sea, Southern Japan

Stichodactyla gigantea.

S. gigantea, or the gigantic carpet anemone, is rarely imported, grows very large (up to a meter in diameter!), has a thin central column, and has slightly longer tentacles that give this anemone a “furry” appearance. S. gigantea resides in the shallow intertidal sand flats, where it is an opportunistic predator and scavenger, consuming animal matter, fish and invertebrates washed in and out with the tide. Like S. haddoni, the gigantic carpet anemone will need a deep sand bed in the home aquarium, though in contrast, cannot pull itself completely beneath the sand. While the gigantic carpet anemone is not as sticky or aggressive as Haddon’s carpet anemone, it is still a predator, and will sting and consume anything brushing by its tentacles. While all large carpet anemone species need intense lighting, the gigantic carpet anemone will require the most intense. The gigantic carpet anemone occurs in blue, red, green, purple, and pink color morphs.

Stichodactyla gigantea.

ANEMONES

Greg Rothschild

Stichodactyla gigantea Range: Red Sea, Japan, Micronesia, Fiji

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S. mertensii, or Merten’s carpet anemone, is the rarest of the carpet anemones, and is seldom seen in the ornamental aquatics trade.

Merten’s carpet anemone is the only species of the large carpet anemones that is naturally found attached to rocky substrates, usually in deeper water than S. haddoni and S. gigantea, and can be identified by its flattened, ‘rock-hugging’ appearance, short tentacles, verrucae (small finger like projections) on its small pedal disc, and is the only species that has a naturally occurring white (non-bleached) color variation. Merten’s carpet anemone occurs in the aforementioned white color morph, as well as green, tan, and purple.

Caring for large carpet anemones in the home aquarium If you are still interested in keeping one of these beautiful carpet anemones in your home despite the challenges, here is where the fun begins! Remember, prior experience with marine invertebrates is a must before success with one of these giants can be had, and this article assumes that you are already well versed in the care of captive marine invertebrates.

The System Carpet anemones need a large, stable, and established marine aquarium. They should not be subjected to parameter changes in their environment, as they will not be tolerated and will result in the death of the anemone. Water parameters and temperature should remain rock steady at all times in order for long term success to be had. Do not simply put together a new marine system and expect success! A 125 gallon or larger aquarium is highly recommended, and preferably one that has been running six months at the bare minimum. As previously mentioned, a sufficiently deep sand bed will need to be present if you are interested in either S. haddoni or S. gigantea. Random, turbulent water flow will need to be present in sufficient turnover volume to lightly ‘ruffle’ the edges of the anemone. Anything else (especially laminar streams) is likely to be excessive. ‘Powerhead’ type pumps should not be used in marine systems containing anemones, as the animal can and will be killed by the pump intake. All overflow and other similar areas should have their intakes covered with a sponge to prevent damage should the anemone go wandering around the aquarium!

Lighting All three species of large carpet anemones need intense lighting.

VHO, T5, or metal halide lighting will be a necessity, depending upon the depth of the aquarium. S. haddoni and S. mertensii are more adaptable to variations in light intensity than is S. gigantea.

Feeding Carpet anemones are voracious eaters, and all species should be fed weekly to bi-weekly, depending upon the health and size of the animal and the lighting conditions in the aquarium. Carpet anemones should be fed raw, minced meaty seafood items (shrimp, shellfish, fish, and krill to name a few, attained from your

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A symbiotic clownfish makes an ideal tankmate for a carpet anemone.

Greg Rothschild

Stichodactyla mertensii Range: Malaysia, Indonesia, Southern Japan, East African Coast to Australia

2/25/10

local grocery store), chopped to about 5mm in size. Anemones do not have the capacity to “think” and will grab and attempt to ingest any meaty item that is fed to them. Do not mistake this as a reason to feed large pieces or whole animals (shrimp, fish) to your anemone. Large pieces will usually be regurgitated later and can possibly injure the animal internally. A healthy animal should be fed approximately once a week, preferably with food soaked in a

ANEMONES

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Clownfish Species

S. haddoni

S. gigantea

Amphiprion akallopisos A. akindynos

S. mertensii

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A. latifasciatus

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A. leucokranos

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A. polymnus

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A. rubrocinctus

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A. xanthurus

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vitamin supplement and Selcon. More frequent feedings will result in an increased growth rate.

Tankmates I highly recommend carpet anemones be kept in a species specific display aquarium. Carpet anemones will eventually kill passive fish, and large or aggressive fish (like puffers and triggerfish) may destroy the anemone. Very few tankmates are recommended for carpet anemones besides symbiotic clownfish or anemone shrimp.

Above is a clownfish compatibility chart for the three anemone species discussed.

An uncommon but interesting tankmate would be the Periclimenes species of anemone shrimp, which live in a symbiotic relationship with anemones for protection. These small (3-6cm) shrimp host in anemones in much the same fashion as clownfish, although they are much less common in the hobby. Anemone shrimp make fascinating symbiotic additions to an aquarium dedicated to a carpet anemone in lieu of the more common clownfish and anemone pair.

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In an environment that is host to a carpet anemone where the “lessis-more” mentality holds strong in terms of tankmates, symbiotic animals can add beautiful aquatic variance in an aquarium otherwise devoid of movement.

Choosing a healthy carpet anemone Now it’s time for the exciting part: buying your first carpet anemone!

This is an incredibly critical part of achieving success in the captive care of carpet anemones. An inexperienced aquarist has virtually no chance of saving an unhealthy specimen (even an advanced aquarist would have difficulties!) so choose a healthy specimen.

If you are buying a carpet anemone from a local fish store, have the dealer hold the animal for at least an entire week. Carpet anemones have difficulty tolerating changes in their environment, and buying a carpet anemone that was recently acclimated and then moving it two days later will most likely lead to the death of the animal. When inspecting an anemone, the most important thing to look for is a closed ‘mouth’ (oral cavity). An open or gaping oral cavity, or expended internal organs are all signs of stress, and these animals should not be purchased. Determine how the anemone reacts to food touching its tentacles. Healthy carpet anemones are very sticky, and will ‘grab’ the food and react by folding around the food item and moving it towards their oral cavity. If the anemone isn’t sticky or does not react to food, it is probably stressed, and should be left in the dealer’s aquarium for the time being.

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Regardless of where you make your purchase, avoid white (bleached) animals with a passion (excepting S. mertensii) because these animals have expelled their endosymbiotic zooxanthellae alga due to stress and will likely perish. Remember, starting out with a healthy animal is paramount to your success!

Carpet anemones are fascinating and beautiful animals, but the decision to purchase one should not be made lightly. Carpet anemones are difficult to care for, and have a miserable mortality rate of over 90% in the first year in captivity. If you are not dedicated to maintaining a carpet anemone, or if you do not have a dedicated system specifically for a carpet anemone, do not purchase one. If you are one of the few aquarists dedicated enough to go the ‘extra mile’ and make a serious effort to successfully house one of these amazing anemones, you will be rewarded with a unique display of nature in your aquarium!

References: Wet Web Media [http://www.wetwebmedia.com] Accessed 14 March 2009.

Stichodactyla haddoni carpet anemone and an anemone shrimp.

(From Advanced Aquarist Online with permission of Reefs.Org)

ANEMONES

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TANK TIPS & TRICKS editorial:

BANK YOUR

CORALS! Article & Images by Richard Ross

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eef hobbyists can spend years growing and filling out a collection of unique corals.

Given the time and money involved, it seems crazy not to have some kind of insurance, some kind of coral ‘bank’ to draw corals from for when your tank crashes for any of the billion reasons that tanks crash. This idea of banking coral may also go beyond the understandably self-serving quest to restock a tank, as it seems there is almost always legislation looming on the horizon that could shut down or severely limit coral imports and exports. Banking your corals benefits the entire reef keeping community by helping to ensure that various strains of coral are propagated in captivity and available to hobbyists.

This birdsnest colony was grown from a frag reacquired after the tank crashed.

I still have the tort pictured here because I backed it up early.

I have had a lot of firsthand experience with coral banking. Last December, I did three things wrong at the same time with my home reef which resulted in a Kalkwasser overdose. I lost 98% of my SPS corals. It turns out a pH of 10.5 is bad for SPS! (you can read the full, gruesome story in the fall 2009 issue of Reefs magazine available at www.manhattanreefs.com) Like all such events, this was horrible and a major pain to deal with, but there was one silver lining that kept flashing through my mind while removing buckets of dead coral from my tank – most of my corals could be easily replaced because they had been backed up in other hobbyists’ systems.

There are many ways to approach the creation of a coral bank.

Some are more robust than others and some are easier to access than others. In the end, I think the important part about coral banking is to start doing it immediately because you never know when Murphy is going to visit your system. In this article, we’ll look at some of the various methods of banking corals.

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I personally collected this tenuis in Tonga and would have lost it except it was backed up with friends.

RHM sponsored Midwest Marine Conference is May 21-23 in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. www.midwestmarineconf.org

Vendors

I know there are a lot of vendors selling corals, and vendors can be thought of as a coral bank; if you have a tank crash, simply re-buy the corals you want to replace. This can work well with some of the vendors who are more into culturing coral strains, but not all of them are, which means the coral you want to replace may not be available when you want it. Also, the reality is that vendors come and go, which can limit the availability of a specific coral. We are seeing more vendors look at long term sales and availability as a business model, and hopefully that trend will catch on and expand.

There are also a growing number of suppliers whose business is to propagate and make available corals over the long term. If you have a good relationship with a vendor, make sure they know the coral bank idea is a two way street. Vendors lose corals or have system crashes from time to time and are just as pleased as any of us when they can easily replace a lost, treasured coral strain.

A group of friends

A coral bank can be as simple as a group of friends selling or trading corals back and forth. I started banking my corals years ago among a group of local reefers and it was a fulfilling way to spread corals around and hopefully get them back if there was a problem.

However, I don’t think a small group of friends trading corals is a

large enough pool of coral, nor a robust enough system of backing up corals in the long run. That said, an informal group of friends as a coral bank is way better than nothing, and can be maximized by splitting corals among the group at the time of purchase.

Reef Clubs

Reef clubs offer a variety of ways to bank your corals. My local club, Bay Area Reefers (BAR), grew out of a group of friends as mentioned above which meant that, at the very least, the size of the informal coral bank got bigger. The online-forum based communication that most reef clubs utilize is a great way to organize trades, and to appeal to a larger audience when you are looking to replace corals.

Club meetings are ideal events to trade corals for backup as are the popular coral fragging events. In short, reef clubs are set up to facilitate coral banking. Some clubs put on frag swap meets where people sell and trade corals. My local club does a frag swap where the frags are actually swapped – no sales. The corals are all brought to the event in reusable containers (no bags), and put out on tables.

The people who bring corals are assigned to a picking group and then the groups take turns picking coral until there are no corals left to pick. These kinds of events can serve as a de facto coral bank because they accomplish the major goal of coral banking spreading the corals around.

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TANK TIPS & TRICKS

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Organized back up – “Don’t Break the Chain”

Bay Area Reefers’ frag swaps were going well, but we were always trying to find ways to encourage generosity and ways to get people motivated to bring lots of quality corals to the event without worrying about what they were going to get in return. One of the successful motivators was the idea of banking corals, and it just made sense for people to spread the wealth of corals around in case they ever needed replacements. At the same time, it was felt that a more organized program would be helpful in banking coral strains. The idea of a ‘pay it forward’ propagation program was suggested – you do something nice for someone now (give them coral), and in the future someone will do something nice for you (give you coral) – and the Don’t Break the Chain (DBTC) program was born. The idea behind the program was very simple – people start chains for particular corals, and they determine the ‘rules’ that govern who gets the coral. This means very little administration is needed to coordinate the program. The rules can be basically anything, but almost every chain we have has a form of the following ‘If I lose my colony of this coral, you agree to give me the next available frag’. The pros and cons of the DBTC program were covered on page 14 of RHM’s Second Quarter 2008, Volume 2 issue (www. reefhobbyistmagazine.com), so I won’t go into details here except to say the program is a massive success, and more to the point, plenty of tanks have been at least partially restocked through the program. One of the best things about DBTC is that records of each transaction are kept by software, so if you lose a coral, it’s very easy to find someone else who has it.

for me to feel comfortable fragging them. Some were going to be fragged when I got around to it. Sadly, those corals are now gone, and may never be replaced. If only I had bothered to cut them when I was thinking about it, I would have them again today.

Doesn’t this hurt local reef stores?

When BAR started the DBTC program, some people were worried that all of the organized giving away of corals would negatively impact local reef stores’ sales. In my experience, this seems to be an empty worry and it seems that these kinds of programs don’t negatively impact sales, and may actually serve to increase excitement around the hobby in general. It is also gratifying to see local vendors taking part in the DBTC program and frag swaps.

I hope this article has convinced you to do some type of coral banking because it’s good for you, the corals, and ultimately, the hobby as a whole. One final thought - in my experience, coral banking is most successful if people are generous about it; the more coral we give away, the more likely people will give us coral when we need it. So, get banking!

Beyond the local

Living in California, earthquakes are always at the back of reef keepers’ minds. In regards to coral banking, the worry is that a decent sized earthquake could literally crash not only my tank, but the tanks of everyone local that has the same coral strains. I am lucky enough to travel around the US to reef keeping events and when I do, I usually bring corals for my hosts and usually end up going home with corals from my hosts, which is a great way to extend a local coral bank network.

The DBTC program has started to reach out to sister clubs as well, offering the Interclub DBTC where clubs send boxes of frags to each other which then get distributed to the members as an extended coral bank. This can come in handy not just in the aftermath of some larger emergency, but also for specific reef keeping emergencies like the fast proliferation of a particular coral pest in a region. Red bugs, Monti-Eating Nudibranchs and Acro-Eating Flatworms have all done damage to local captive populations of corals and it would have been great to know that those prized corals were still thriving on the other side of the country.

This acro was never backed up. Consequently, when it was lost, it was lost.

I think the Interclub DBTC is a great program, not just for the practical considerations of coral banking, but because of ‘cross pollination’ of ideas between clubs – it is amazing how differently two different groups of people can find different solutions to similar issues.

Don’t be lazy

Before my tank crash, I had a couple of corals that I hadn’t spread around. Some were collected by me and hadn’t grown out enough

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Almost every SPS in my tank had to be re-grown from backed up frags. Here is the tank 1 year post-crash, as nice as ever!

RHM sponsored MACNA 2010 is September 3-5 in Orlando, Florida. www.macna2010.com

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CAPTIVE PROPAGATION

SURGICAL CLONING of The Bubble Tip Anemone Article & Images by Jason Wong except as noted

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ntacmaea quadricolor, commonly known as bubble tip anemones, are often on the shortlist of aquarium owners’ ‘must haves’ of invertebrates.

Bubble tip anemones come in a variety of colors and color combinations (green, red/rose, pink, orange, yellow, white, flame tip, etc.) and, when paired with a clownfish or two, are one of the most delightful and memorable aquarium images for hobbyists and nonhobbyists alike.

Bubble tip anemones normally propagate on their own in home aquaria by splitting themselves in half when the specimen has achieved an adequate size. Although it’s difficult to identify the exact causes that induce self propagation, certain factors seem to encourage a split, specifically stress. Many aquarists have noticed that after performing large water changes or when introducing a mature specimen into a new tank, an individual anemone may split into two clones. In my own experience, I have observed that rapid environmental changes do tend to induce splits.

At work, I have a 15-gallon aquarium which does not receive the same amount of diligence and care as my home display. There’s no sump, no aquarium controller, no auto top-off and only a hangon-the-back skimmer. Due to my busy work schedule, I often let the water level in the aquarium drop three to four inches over the course of a week. When the water level gets too low, I take my gallon jugs to the water cooler, fill them up and dump them all back into the tank at once. This process of evaporation and top-off results in a .02 to .03 salinity swing each week as well as a temporary change in temperature of a few degrees. While I certainly do not advocate emulating my ‘lazy man’s approach to office tank husbandry’, I have noticed that this little 15-gallon tank is a bubble tip anemone producing factory. From a single individual rose anemone introduced a year and a half ago, I have produced

16

The iconic image of a clownfish in an anemone.

The 170-gallon display tank.

RHM sponsored Midwest Marine Conference is May 21-23 in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. www.midwestmarineconf.org

Greg Rothschild

Unlike other clownfish-hosting anemone species, bubble tip anemones tend to be fairly hardy in captivity and are quite suitable for most intermediate and advanced hobbyists with appropriate aquarium setups. Once established, they have been known to survive extreme physical abuse such as botched removal attempts from live rock. These animals often survive even when the impatient aquarist has torn or damaged the specimen. Ouch!

Only healthy, robust anemones should be manually propagated.

over 20 clones. Clones of the same individual reproduce much more slowly (about 1/5 the rate) in my more established and stable 170-gallon display tank.

A more direct propagation method that can be performed by the skilled and daring aquarist is the manual division of bubble tip anemones. As mentioned before, E. quadricolor is a relatively hardy anemone species and many aquarists have successfully propagated these anemones by cutting them with a pair of sharp scissors, a scalpel or a razor blade. But before everyone goes out and starts chopping up their anemones, I want to stress that the process is certainly not fool proof, and should only be attempted by aquarists who have a good handle on their tank parameters, have healthy and established specimens to cut, and can provide an appropriate healing environment for the split halves.

There are three primary areas of concern when attempting manual propagation of E. quadricolor. The ďŹ rst is proper selection and preparation of the anemone to be divided. The second is the cutting itself. The last is reintroduction of the clones into the aquarium and the healing process.

CAPTIVE PROPAGATION

17

Selection and Preparation It is important to choose an anemone that is sufficiently large enough to be cut, and healthy enough to survive the process.

I like to choose anemones that are at least four inches across and have been established in the system for at least six months.

I ensure that the individual has sticky tentacles, feeds well and opens during the day. Once I have selected an individual, I refrain from feeding the anemone for several days to allow it to clear out its stomach. The most difficult step of this process is removing the anemone from the live rock.

Many techniques exist to remove anemones from live rock.

These include using a blunt object such as one’s fingernail to gently peel them off the rock, pointing a powerhead near the anemone’s foot and shading the rock that an anemone is on in order to get it to move from its entrenched position. The technique that I have had the most success with is using a rounded pair of tweezers to gently scrape and pry the foot away from the rock. Once you have a decent amount of the foot lifted, you can gently lift and pull away the remainder of the anemone. It is critical to go slowly and be very patient.

You definitely want to avoid tearing the foot and wounding the animal prior to surgery.

Once the anemone has been successfully removed from the rockwork, I place the individual in a floating or clipped basket near the top of the tank. The edges of the basket are kept above the waterline so that the anemone can’t escape. I then give the individual a week’s rest in the basket to heal from any wounds or stress incurred during the removal process and to ensure that it is in optimal condition for the cutting.

Cutting Cutting is probably the easiest of the propagation steps, although it is certainly not for the squeamish. I personally prefer to use a clean kitchen cutting board and a simple straight edge razor. Others use sharp scissors or scalpels, but whatever tool is used, the goal is to achieve a clean, straight cut that minimizes any unnecessary damage to the animal.

I start by preparing my workspace. First, lay down a large rag towel because the anemone will lose a lot of fluid during this process. Find a clean razor and place a fresh bowl of tank water to the side. Make sure that you have two separate floating or clipped baskets ready to house the new clones upon their return to the aquarium.

Next, remove the animal from the holding basket and place it on the cutting board. Part the tentacles away from the center of the animal and try to visualize a clean straight line through the mouth. When cutting, you want to try to avoid catching any tentacles with your blade. Once I have my cutting line

18

RHM sponsored MACNA 2010 is September 3-5 in Orlando, Florida. www.macna2010.com

visualized, I start from the center of the anemone and cut outwards, pressing the razor blade down through the anemone and cutting to the outside edge. I then repeat the same process for the other radius. You may find it easier to start from one outside edge and cut straight through in one stroke. Try to ignore the anemone’s screams during this process (just kidding!).

The result is two halves of the anemone, split neatly down the center. Place both halves into the bowl of tank water that you had prepared and rinse off any excess slime or bits of flesh. Finally, return the halves to the two separate baskets in the aquarium.

RBTA placed on cutting board.

Spread the tentacles away from the cut line.

Prepare your materials. In this case, baskets for healing, a towel, cutting board and razor blade.

Make a clean cut straight through the anemone’s mouth.

CAPTIVE PROPAGATION

19

Healing This last stage is the most critical one for the anemones’ survival. Once you return the anemones to their baskets in the tank, you need to ensure that the aquarium environment is not only optimized to ensure rapid recovery for the split anemone halves, but also that your aquarium can handle the additional stress to the water quality. Split anemones may shed nematocysts, guts, fluid, toxins, etc. These are not only risks to the cut halves, but can also pose problems to other delicate corals or fish in your tank. Once the two halves are back in the aquarium, I do a few things to maintain good water quality: 1. I ensure that adequate flow is reaching the split anemones. Without proper flow, the wounds can become infected and lead to the death of one or both halves.

I make sure to use baskets with large holes that allow good flow and point a gentle powerhead at or near the baskets.

2. I run fresh carbon in my filter system to help remove toxins from the water column.

3. I increase my water change regimen.

4. I refrain from introducing any more new specimens or fish to keep parameters as balanced and stable as possible.

Day 1: Rose BTA clone placed in a basket for healing.

Note basket edges above the waterline to prevent escape.

Day 1 (8 hours later): Anemone clones have already opened up.

Day 3: Wounds still visible, but anemones are healing.

Day 5: The anemones are almost completely healed.

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Having cut many anemones, I’ve noticed that some specimens seem to heal more quickly than others. All of my RBTAs and the purple base green tipped anemone that I have cut seem to fully heal within two weeks. Within a week of being cut, most individuals have already developed a mouth and will accept food. On an orange flame tip anemone that I cut, however, I noticed that the healing time was three or four times as long and there were moments when I was worried about whether or not one of the halves would survive. I am not sure if this is a characteristic of the individual anemone or if there were other contributing factors in the environment. It is theorized that cutting different anemones within the same system can lead to problems with allelopathy and chemical warfare between healing and established individuals. Although I haven’t been able to confirm exactly why some individuals take better to cutting than others, it’s probably best to not cut too many individuals in sequence and to provide adequate time and space between cuttings to allow your aquarium to regain its water quality. Also, it should go without saying that you should be comfortable or at least emotionally prepared to lose the anemone that you cut!

Hopefully, this article has helped to illuminate one successful approach to E. quadricolor propagation. Although not without its risks, successful anemone farming can help supply our hobby with more captive sourced specimens and reduce collection from the wild, allowing more hobbyists to enjoy the beauty and delight of keeping bubble tip anemones.

RHM sponsored Midwest Marine Conference is May 21-23 in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. www.midwestmarineconf.org

FRAGGING

PLASTIC POLYP Propagation

Article by Jim Adelberg Images by Eric Do except as noted

Freshly mounted zoanthid frags on acrylic rods.

Pink zoanthids often arrive on sponge-laced rock.

Jim Adelberg

Before I begin discussing the specifics of this propagation method, I’d like to take a second to thank all of our readers. It’s the support of the hobbyist community that makes producing Reef Hobbyist Magazine such a fun and rewarding experience. The amount of positive feedback and interesting questions I received in response to my last article on acrylic rod farming was quite a nice surprise thank you all! And that level of interest in a very farming-specific topic told me clearly that the hobby of coral farming has really come into its own.

In the previous article, I mentioned that acrylic rod propagation worked well for zoanthids as well as SPS and since there were a few inquiries about this method, I thought I’d share some techniques and ideas. As always, feel free to use any, all or none of the following or adapt it to suit your own needs.

I mentioned that there were a few inquiries regarding this technique, and there were, but it was a second event that really spurred me to write this piece up. And like every good zoanthid story there will be lots of slime!

I recently acquired a colony of blue zoas from an importer with the intention of farming out the morph. My preferred method of farming zoas is to leave them alone as much as possible and let them grow until something MUST be done. They are pretty, but are certainly some of the slimiest of all the creatures we farm. Leaving these blue zoas in place was not possible because the substrate they were growing on was some sort of soft, compacted, clay-like mud that I couldn’t risk having in my tank. As I was fragging the colony down to 1, 2 and 3 polyp frags, it occurred to me that a lot of zoas could be saved if people removed them from questionable substrate as soon as possible or at least at the first sign of trouble. I also considered the second valid reason this technique is particularly worthwhile for zoas; if you have a morph of very high value (whatever that means to you) this technique yields the fastest growth, from the smallest frags, of any method I’ve tried. Single polyp frags are quite viable with this technique.

So without further delay, let’s frag and farm some zoas! As with any fragging session, setting up your workspace in advance, with everything needed within arm’s reach, is the best way to go.

I either use a surface that is dedicated to fragging or I lay down some sort of slime protection for the work surface. For this method of propagating zoanthids it’s important that the superglue gel be A single polyp zoa frag.

FRAGGING

21

Change the water often throughout the fragging process.

The first cut is often done with shears instead of scissors.

A single polyp frag moments after gluing.

A notched blade will keep the zoanthids from slipping away during cutting.

Cutting down the larger piece of a colony.

nearly fully ‘set up’ before affixing polyps so I usually get the rods glued up, then move on to the actual fragging. Another difference between this method and others is that by cutting colonies down to their smallest components (individual polyps) we encourage the maximum production of slime. This means that multiple changes of water from the display tank will be needed to keep the polyps from sliming themselves to death as you do your work. This could also be accomplished with multiple containers of water from the display tank but I find that for temperature control issues, it’s often better to get fresh water directly from the tank. Besides, sitting water degasses and it may be important to keep the polyps well oxygenated, though this is purely speculative.

Unless I had to harvest individual polyps themselves, I’m now left with a group of polyps connected by basal mat tissue or stolons.

The next step of cutting the group down to individual small frags can be done with a scalpel, a razor or scissors. Because of the tendency for tight polyped colonies with thick mats to ‘jump’ out the end of regular scissors, I use scissors with a notch at the end that grabs the tissue and holds it in place while the blades cut.

From this point forward you should all be wearing your high fashion protective goggles. And keep a separate clean, dry towel around in case a polyp gets off a good slime shot to your face. Lastly, don’t frag zoas if you have any open cuts on your hands.

If your superglue has set perfectly, you can now glue each piece to the tip of a rod. If the glue is too wet, you may end up trying to balance a rounded, slimy polyp on top of a wet, flat surface.

Fun! But when it all goes right, even a single polyp frag is quite achievable.

I like to start by fragging off a chunk of the colony (if possible) underwater in the main display tank. The small amount of toxins and slime from a single cut is usually not something I would worry about in any but the smallest systems. If I can’t do this easily in the tank, then I remove the colony and do what I have to. This might involve peeling the colony’s mat tissue, breaking the rock, or individually digging the polyps out of their substrate with a knife or screwdriver.

22

And now it’s just a process of continuing to cut the zoanthids down to the desired frag size, changing water frequently. It’s usually a messy affair and I like to have plenty of towels at hand. Once you have all the frags cut, take a few out and blot them dry on a towel.

One other important note - to keep the superglue from wicking up the polyp, place the newly glued frag into the holding container upside down. This ensures that any wet superglue will run up the rod, rather than onto the polyp.

I’d like to encourage people to write to me if they have thoughts on this method or especially if they have a better way of fragging zoas.

We’re all learning this together, and that’s what makes it fun!

RHM sponsored MACNA 2010 is September 3-5 in Orlando, Florida. www.macna2010.com

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Zoanthid Fragging Pictorial

Place the frag in the water upside down or dribble water over it while it’s upright. Either will keep the glue off the polyp.

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1.

Prepare and protect your workspace in advance.

2.

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5.

The superglue gel should be almost dry when you apply the zoa polyps.

6.

The first cut is made under water in the main tank.

Pat the polyp dry with a towel and press it gently onto the glue.

3.

7.

Allow plenty of time for the superglue to ‘set up’, maybe 10 minutes or more.

4.

A notched pair of scissors makes quick work of cutting a colony down to frags.

After gluing, immerse the frag upside down so the glue doesn’t run up the polyp.

8.

Newly created zoanthid frags resting in a deli container.

FRAGGING

23

ANEMONES

CARPET ANEMONE

Article & Images by Shu Tin Stirlen except as noted

Buyer’s Guide

T

Richard Ross

Shutiny’s

here are at least six known species of carpet anemones in the genus Stichodactyla, but only two of these are commonly available in local aquarium stores: Stichodactyla gigantea and Stichodactyla haddoni. A third species, Stichodactyla mertensii is only occasionally available. I have kept five of the species in the past, but currently I have four species that include the three largest in this genus: S. mertensii, S. haddoni, and S. gigantea. I also keep the mini carpet anemone S. tapetum which we will discuss in a later article.

24

RHM sponsored Midwest Marine Conference is May 21-23 in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. www.midwestmarineconf.org

A healthy S. mertensii.

A healthy S. haddoni.

A few tips for evaluating an anemone before purchasing When I am looking at an anemone, there are 4 P’s that I keep in mind:

A healthy S. gigantea.

S. mertensii is the largest species in this genus, and I have one that is almost 4 feet wide. S. mertensii is the least demanding of the three large sea anemones in this genus even though it is an immense animal.

It tolerates transport stresses well, and adjusts to the captive environment with great ease. I believe captive propagation of this genus is only likely in the species S. mertensii. S. mertensii has distinctive orange/purplish verrucae throughout the entire trunk and foot.

S. gigantea and S. haddoni are very similar in their sizes, but they have significant differences in their care requirements and long term survival rates. S. gigantea has a rather poor long term survival rate in home reefs. It appears to be more susceptible to stress during the transport and transition processes than the mertensii and haddoni. A healthy gigantea has long and thick tentacles, and its upper column has purple/bluish verrucae. Its trunk and foot are generally similar in color to the oral disc.

S. haddoni has a whitish or cream colored column with a few barely visible verrucae beneath its oral disc. The verrucae (when visible) are the same color as the trunk of the anemone. S. haddoni has strong nematocysts and is quite often a fish eater. This is especially so in smaller tanks or in tanks which are crowded with rocks and corals.

1. Posture. A healthy anemone should be able to maintain its posture, oral disc folds, and the contour of its body above the substrate. A floppy anemone is a sick anemone.

2. Position/protrusion of the oral opening. An anemone has no skeletal structure. It is essentially a “sack full of water” that adheres to rock or sand to maintain its position and posture. In my view, the internal organelles are filled with liquids, via unknown mechanisms that maintain the pressure gradients.

These allow the anemone to process/transfer food, water, and expel wastes.

If the system is damaged the osmotic pressure dynamics are altered, and the mouth will have difficulty maintaining its normal position. A protruded or edematous siphonoglyph with a gaping mouth is an indication of an unhealthy anemone in almost every case.

3. Photosynthetic ability. These anemones are highly dependent on photosynthesis for their nutritional needs. A bleached anemone (which otherwise appears healthy) may recover, regaining its color, but it will be an uphill battle for any animal from this genus. I suspect some may have developed specialized proteins to facilitate nutrient transport/cellular respiration. In a home reef, the needed bio-specifics may be absent, therefore, making the recovery difficult if not impossible. Even without an infection or severe injury, the majority of bleached carpet anemones will slowly decrease their body mass leading eventually to death.

4. Poop. An anemone’s waste tells me a lot about the state of its health. A healthy anemone’s waste consists of clear mucus, combined with by-products of its metabolic processes. Newly imported anemones are often seen expelling symbiotic algae and some will recover when the new environment and food source requirements are met. But, a release of dark brown zooxanthellate symbiotic algae is indicative of disease and/or injury. It could be that during the long and dark shipping process, large populations of algae had died off or were deemed unnecessary and were therefore expelled. If an anemone continues to expel its symbiotic algae, accompanied by deflation and re-inflation, the outcome of its fate will be certain death.

ANEMONES

25

This unhealthy S. mertensii has edematus and white spots.

The gaping mouths of this S. haddoni and the one above are commonly signs of poor health.

This unhealthy S. mertensii exhibits an enlarged siphonoglyph.

This is a sick S. gigantea.

Summary These are a group of highly demanding marine animals, and unlike most stony corals, they can not be fragged to ensure prosperity. In most cases, they will require metal halide lighting, proper circulation, appropriate temperature range, water quality control, and an aquarium that is large enough to accommodate its needs in order for them to thrive and survive. A considerable amount of both monetary and temporal investments will be required to keep them thriving in aquariums. A mature adult S. mertensii will need an aquarium that is 150g or more.

A newly collected large/mature mertensii is accustomed to certain metabolic needs. Therefore, nutrient acquisition and consumption (via tentacle surface area) are compromised. I had a green S. mertensii in a 4’x5’x5’ sump section for over a year and it was expanding to about 2.5 feet though it never seemed very happy. But, when I added it to the large main display tank, its size expanded to almost 3.5 feet right away.

Then two months ago, I returned it to the smaller 4’x5’x5’ section of the sump again, and it has now decreased to about 2.5 feet. It again looks rather unhappy although it is getting about the same amount of light and circulation and is in the same system.

A mature system is also very important if one wants to keep these anemones. A tank that is less than a year old should not house anemones of this genus or other demanding species such as H. magnifica. In the most fragile species, S. gigantea, a dedicated tank may provide a better chance of it adjusting/transitioning to the captive environment; however, it is my opinion that certain subspecies of S. gigantea should not be collected for the consumer market. These animals have lived a very long time in the ocean, and the thought of taking them from the sea just to end up in an aquarium that is unsuited for their survival is troubling.

26

RHM sponsored MACNA 2010 is September 3-5 in Orlando, Florida. www.macna2010.com

ARTICLE CONTEST The Responsible

Introduction

Marine Aquarist

Approximately 2 million hobbyists worldwide keep saltwater aquariums. Of these, 800,000 reside in America. To support our hobby, more than 1,400 species of tropical fish are collected each year for the aquarium trade in Europe and the United States(1). With such a significant impact on coral reefs, there is a dilemma between the desire to enjoy the aesthetics and educational benefits of marine aquarium ownership, and the need to reduce any unnecessary harm to aquatic species and fragile ecosystems(2) . With these concerns in mind, how does one achieve responsible marine aquarium ownership?

Article By Sarah L. Mangondaya

Paul Mantaring

Coral Reefs Threatened

Sarah Mangondaya

The dilemma exists between a hobbyist’s desire for the aesthetics and educational benefit from keeping a marine aquarium and desire to reduce the unnecessary harm to aquatic species and fragile ecosystems.

Marine Industry

Will R.

Paul Mantaring

Figure 1. Locations of tropical coral reefs.

Figure 2. An indicator of high levels of stress imposed on coral reefs - “bleaching”.

Coral reefs cover approximately one percent of the Earth’s surface, but they provide a home for more than twenty-five percent of all marine life, at one lifestage or another (see figure 1) (1). In addition, these ecosystems assist in supporting fisheries, serve as nurseries for many species, draw tourists, and shield shorelines from storm surges. There is also a growing interest in the pharmaceutical potential of the world’s reef-dwelling creatures. Unfortunately, degradation of these ecosystems has increased over time due to an increased level of CO2 in the atmosphere, warmer temperatures in the ocean, and human intervention. An indicator of the negative effects of these changes on the health of coral reefs is “bleaching” (see Figure 2). When corals experience high levels of stress, they expel the symbiotic photosynthetic organisms that give them color (3). One of the most significant mass-bleaching events was observed in 1998, which left an estimated sixteen percent of the world’s coral reefs severely damaged (4). A study conducted in 2004 estimated that since the 1950s, twenty percent of all reefs have been destroyed, and an additional twenty-four percent of reefs are in danger (5). While no known species have been completely extinguished by wild-collection, the methods that the industry employs to provide various species are not without consequence (6). Marine aquarium hobbyists have an ethical responsibility to care for the living creatures they keep. This hobby should not be summarized as a simple relationship between viewer and tank inhabitants. Rather, this hobby is a relationship between caretaker and marine life in a carefully established marine environment (7).

To reduce the impact that this hobby may have on these fragile ecosystems, hobbyists can take several actions: promote the responsible collection and handling of marine species in the marine industry, make conscientious purchases when stocking aquariums, strive to reduce mortality in the home aquarium, support organizations that promote ethical harvesting practices, and increase public education and awareness.

The collection process itself involves different methods which have varying impact on the health of coral reefs. Some collectors in Indonesia and the Philippines, two sources that provide the

ARTICLE CONTEST

27

majority of aquarium fish, squirt cyanide into coral crevices. This chemical stuns fish, making collection easier. However, this poison also kills nearby animals, including corals. A large percentage of cyanide-captured fish die soon after being collected. If fish are captured using such chemicals or are overstocked in inadequate holding containers, they are exposed to a high degree of stress that directly affects their survivability and overall health (8). Hobbyists should be aware of the collection and handling of tank inhabitants made available to them. Some considerations are whether relative importers use the appropriate handling and storage facilities, and do they work with organizations to ensure the humane capture of aquatic life? Individuals should also be aware if these species are monitored by the Fish and Wildlife Service and have the proper CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) permits that ensure that they are being harvested properly and legally. In addition, are suppliers and importers concerned with, and taking measures to, reduce fish mortality in every area of the industry? While all these questions should be answered to a customer’s satisfaction before fish, coral, or invertebrate species are purchased, obtaining such information may be difficult without extensive research (2). Fortunately, there are more practical ways that a hobbyist may positively impact the marine industry.

Conscientious Purchases

Individuals should be encouraged to make conscientious purchases when stocking their aquariums. By making informed decisions, a buyer may influence the marine industry to focus on reduced mortality, improved harvesting methods and regulation, and the preservation of coral reefs. Before making purchases, hobbyists should make sure that they have the knowledge and resources to

properly care for the species that they are interested in keeping.

While some individuals choose to only purchase captive-raised species, most hobbyists want to have some species that are wildcaught. Currently, less than ten percent of marine ornamental aquarium species are available from captive-raised sources (2).

Reef Protection International, an organization that seeks to educate consumers on how to help conserve coral reefs, offers a free Reef Fish Guide. The guide identifies fish that are available as captive-bred specimens or whose collection from the wild does not severely affect the wild populations or the coral reefs where they reside. This guide also names species that shouldn’t be purchased because they tend to fare poorly in captivity because their populations are declining or because the methods used to collect them harm reefs (see Figure 3). The Reef Fish Guide may be accessed from Reef Protection International’s website, www.reefprotect.org (1). Hobbyists should promote businesses that strive to educate customers on the requirements of various species and the keys to successful aquarium keeping (9).

Livestock Sources

Should a species be available as captive-bred, aquarists should consider this option whenever possible to support the efforts of breeders and hatcheries. Captive-bred specimens tend to be hardier, adjust more quickly to new aquarium conditions, and are less susceptible to infection and disease.

Captive-bred fish are easier to feed and many eat prepared foods such as flakes and pellets. They also tend to have a reduced level of aggression and territoriality and are easier to breed in home aquariums. Many wild-caught fish have difficulty adjusting to living in

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28

RHM sponsored Midwest Marine Conference is May 21-23 in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. www.midwestmarineconf.org

Paul Mantaring

Paul Mantaring

Figure 3. Although the Green Mandarin (Synchiropus splendidus) can live in certain marine aquariums, they have poor survivability in captivity because its environment must be well established with a robust population of copepods.

Figure 4. GARF Purple Bonsai Acropora is one coral that is being aquacultured by the Geothermal Aquaculture Research Foundation (GARF).

a limited volume, clear-sided environment. Some may even damage themselves by repeatedly striking the sides of the aquarium.

may also result in fragments that have a difficult time adjusting to new lighting, which often results in coloration changes. However, careful farming of fragments does help alleviate the demand placed on corals harvested from the ocean (11). By encouraging businesses to offer captive bred and aquacultured choices, hobbyists can reduce their hobby’s negative impact on coral reefs (2).

Wild corals are accustomed to competing for space and light and have evolved strong stinging and potent poisoning strategies for survival. Captive-produced specimens may be more tolerant toward neighboring sedentary invertebrates. They may also lower your risk of introducing pathogens into your reef aquarium since specimens are not exposed to as many parasites and infectious disease agents as those in the wild. Captive raised broodstock is more stable, healthy, and likely to survive the rigors of breeding, rearing in the case of fish, and fragmenting with corals (10).

It is also important to note that aquacultured corals are some of the hardiest, fastest growing, and beautiful species in the industry (see Figure 4). These corals provide hobbyists with the opportunity to develop a mature-looking reef aquarium in a relatively short amount of time, while reducing the negative impact on coral reefs (2).

Coral fragments may also be a sound alternative to wild-harvested corals. However, most fragments are harvested from wild colonies on coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific and South Pacific Oceans. These fragments may be damaged at the base where they have been broken from a mother colony. If these fragments are not allowed sufficient time to heal, the damaged area is exposed to excessive amounts of harmful bacteria. This exposure can lead to infections and disease, such as Rapid Tissue Necrosis. Also, some species and varieties imported today are not suitable for most home aquariums. This is due to either their poor survival rate in shipping or slow growth in home aquariums. This method of fragmentation

Global Level, Public Awareness, and Education

On a global level, hobbyists should promote organizations that protect saltwater ecosystems (DFS). Organizations such as Marine Aquarium Societies of North America (MASNA), Marine Aquarium Council (MAC), Reef Check, International Marinelife Alliance (IMA), World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) promote change in various countries where the species in our hobby are harvested. Some hobbyists, marine dealers, and private individuals are accepting donations for the purchase and supply of netting material for distribution to collectors in Indonesia and the Philippines (12). In addition, hobbyists should promote public awareness regarding the educational value of their tanks.

Conclusion

By promoting the best collection, handling, and management of all species through conscientious purchasing, encouraging businesses to offer captive-bred and aquacultured choices, supporting organizations that protect saltwater ecosystems, promoting the educational value of tanks, and increasing public awareness, hobbyists can reduce our negative impacts on coral reefs.

References (1) Lipske, M. (2006). Fill an aquarium without emptying the sea. National Wildlife, 45(1), 16-17.

(2) Drs Foster & Smith Educational Staff. (2009d). Ethical aquarium ownership. Retrieved from http://www.liveaquaria.com/PIC/article.cfm?aid=124 (3) Bischof, B. (2007). Coral reefs: indicators, threats, and conservation resources. Environment 49(10), 3-5.

(4) Gilligan, J. (2009). Finding lord howe’s nemo. Australian Geographic, (96), 64-71.

(5) Mulhall, M. (2009). Saving the rainforests of the sea: an analysis of international efforts to conserve coral reefs. Duke Environmental Law & Policy Forum 19(2), 321-351.

(6) Fenner, R. M. (2009). Aquacultured corals and marine fishes for aquariums. Retrieved from http://www.liveaquaria.com/PIC/article.cfm?aid=121 (7) Drs Foster & Smith Educational Staff. (2009c). Clownfish care. Retrieved from http://www.liveaquaria.com/PIC/article.cfm?aid=126 (8) Kohen, K. (2009a). An inside look at the marine fish industry: How improper handling affects you and the environment. Retrieved from http://www.liveaquaria.com/PIC/article.cfm?aid=116 (9) Kohen, K. (2009b). An inside look at the marine fish industry: What LiveAquaria.com is doing. Retrieved from http://www.liveaquaria.com/PIC/article.cfm?aid=119 (10) Drs Foster & Smith Educational Staff. (2009a). About our aquacultured corals. Retrieved from http://www.liveaquaria.com/PIC/article.cfm?aid=24 (11) Drs Foster & Smith Educational Staff. (2009e). How to Propogate Coral Frags at Home. Retrieved from http://www.liveaquaria.com/PIC/article.cfm?aid=196 (12) Drs Foster & Smith Educational Staff. (2009b). An inside look at the marine fish industry: What You Can Do. Retrieved from http://www.liveaquaria.com/PIC/article.cfm?aid=118 (13) Smyth, C., Meadows, J., & Jackson, E. (April 2006). Habitat Australia, 34(2), 12-13.

ARTICLE CONTEST

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