FREE

A Aquarium Systems A hth-wfactum d Instant &ern

Volume 1 1 1 Winter 1994 1

0 1994 Aquarium Systms, h, Mmtor, OH - htd m USA.

Mttek A m q ...contowed/TCTfffwy I

Often c o i ~ ~ ~ i ~ ~ a fed that ifwowifaaig Binprint it mustbe truebecausetruthja advertising n the law. lAiforomaBely, this B not always thecaw. Thefact is therearem agencies enforcing trulh-in-adve claims in the aquarium bade. It is too "a a ~ f Q r t h ~ F c d d T m d e ~

isnodirectreap~~eto in dm advertisement

anddecideiftheymakegenae.Ifyou are concerned about these claims I ask you toconsider xxne ofthe followingpoinQ.

Fnt, look c a d d y at the dairo that the was "itw+&nP and "adentifdy

A private laboratory was paid to

klaboratoryby (be-ufactuicr Enviroaroem wh. Truly independent test-

Exceptional Performers

ing labs nxh as die one run by Consumer Reportsobtaindoftheirsamplesdirectly from retail or other commercial oudets. They would never aHow one of the manu-

a *mF*bwhk dearpoas .tyoitampering. In addition, there is absolutely no evi-

dcnceofanyscientificvalidationofthesetest results. Scientific validation requires thai independent researchers review testing methods and replicate

dial the $15 far rev , the report IM not been subject to any bdqmdmt adentific acrudny. The to^^ diecompletercponorevenddaibofthe

methods. "IE,- ~ ~ ~ l x ~ eSstatement*like"rescascdwabelieve"or "sdcntwshnow,"efpeciaDyifthe-aounxsof sudiconunat~aremtdted.Wboarethese experts?Wahoulthttinfbnnaiioanoone canmikaninformeddedaon.

One adwillfberoent ., - mtheieriesstated that "vim& were uoted f o r d not lbu0d to be present in Reefcrystab*." The aster- *wfollowsrefers thereader toafootnote ~ ~ t a w a s ~ a t t h c "University ofMifouri, a V. S. Government

September, 1992, advertisements ftac Mamie stated that salts witfi

pfTxhictBnothbekd or that the

phoruslevefainthereponareinaccurate.

Thelistofinconsistenciesgoesonand on. What should the aquaria believe? One area thai can be easily evaluated is H. In t h e ~ - 1 5 " ' ~ ~ moat ofthe major\-* of tali mixes are s a i d to have an initial pH of 9.0 or higher when dissolved in deionized water. Only Marine Environment* and Ifao-Seai were found 10 be in the 8.2-8.4 range. Are these lev& typical of what you

Exceptional Performers

-. " WWM .- *. ^¥¥Wfli f Bi -1- "fW - read the Marine Environmem* advertise- me@mmdm.Openupanewbagof your favorite aah or any other brand you are interested in and diudve it in pure, frestt, ~ w ~ w ~ . M k f ~ ~ h o u r

2nd some dlhe other major brood* you will find pH levels far different from. thow p mted in the advertisements! Instant ~cean*hasalongtustwyofdissolvingtoa PH afa.1-s.8.

Therebamajordiscrepancybetween the $-IS"* Report values lor pH and those obtahed by anyone using the proper tea kit or a pH meter. If you can't tnot the $15- Reportnaihaonmchabaocm,howcan youpotanymintheotherresultsilldie report thai are not w eady evaluated?

You, the aquansi, mult look at each product you use and dedde ifii is suitable for p k l r ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ tainly important, but cnncally. You be the jX"2

be examined

We need to, Bfred! By: StaniffD.Brawn

Mod reports by of captive bqeffortsarebasedonangleinstanco with little to no controlled testing. CotDbuung infordon will allow compan- son of ercnt observations, to that the common factors a s d a s the anomaliescan be identified. Additionally, insignificant to m e aquarux mount toanothert swxess. differently. A computer database will ~ i d i comparisons mud) easier. Finally, developing a nttwoA of aquariste worfcng withthesameorsimilarspecieswillbevery lidDfid.

TheBreeder'sRegistryobjectiveswere developedcosave ihc future of the hobby and provide a focus for aquaiiflf interested mcapdwbreedtog.The-aiew:

Toencouragedosedsystemcaptive breedingofmarine

2 . ~ 0 c r e a t e a c e n t r a l i z e d ~ ~ -' source forbreedingmethodsand techniques, observations dspawning habits aod larval rearing for particu- hrapcdfttoffish,andproblemareas d t e d with propagation,

3. To develop a registry of acove breed- cis to encourage acquisition and exchange d-

The Breeder's R ia not a new concept. The number iu die database now is of what it could be, aquanstai*inbreeding+prapaf^- don of manne orga~umi is growing.

ThcAaringat 5 a inftirmaoonfrom breeden been f d y pronded, wh3e several aidmdiak

Southwest Marine Conference 1994

Book R e v i h Marine

equipmcnl for selling up and maintaining a d marine aquarium. Dr. Spotte docs

concentrateon *-xd2Sz prefenTOgt0

Simple, cficcove equipment and p- dures are listed, with in-dtpA aqdanaoons of topics (hat are often misunderstood. The preferred method of filtration is based on the traditional undcrgravd filter system. Dr.

title and treatment tanlcs are mandatory pi- of equymeni. He explain** quar- aunne ,if c s d lbf all new specimen*, and how to &it,

Other chapters cover water qualily, animal selection, de& nutrition, (&-

cases, and aquarium maintenance. The e - nxty-four =Qk and many and white phum and diafiram&. Of

particular btcrest i a the last chapter,

Volume 11 Spring 1994

e n mparuig reef aquarium with the natural rw one difference is readily ¥ippan it the water around (he corals on the reef is in too1ist~nt motion, whereas he water in most tetftanks has barety any mowement at all. We need to pay marc attention to increasing water movement in reef tanks if we arc ever going to replicate the conditions on the reef. To some dik may seem jusi another expense in. the already expensive reef hobfay. HoweverL in comparison "with themst dwaifotheraipcctsofreefequip-

. (Irfflang and fattratkin, for example) ~>dtfe@sandal outlay for m a ~iga(tequa

waterBietioafaquitesmalland naurnis w e l l w & K . I n m ownxaakIhavehad ornajsAangwdlwahlitttewatermovernent,

moveioetrt triggered a real

corals.

Waier movement in the reef lank is mu^ for a amber of treasons. AdM uate WLWT movenient is necessary to

bring sufficient nuirienis, such as oxvgen, dace elemen& and calcium, to sessile inver- tebrates. Even in a lank id of nutrients the AniniaJlwiUfailtothriveandgrowifthereis DO way for the food to get to it. More impor- tant, however, is the a d ' s heed to have waste pfoducis removed- Corab, tspedaUy anall po ones, lack thft ability to move -& every farfromtheirsurface. If there K inadequate water movement, the ¥wast products will settle on or near the sur- face of (be coral and. bqpD to decay. This decaying waste will damage and eventually lollthecoral.

Water cnoveirayit is abc> important in the mini-reef because i t prevents detritus i~ccim)iitattt>ti. As many d p u have proba-

/Aly noticed, algae tend to demg the rockwoA b areas where detritus has accu- mutated. ITyou reduce these dead areas and

...iWstmseii w page 4

The family Labridat is a diverse group that contains many interesting and colorful members. Some wrasses, like the leopard wraaws ( ^ - I s c r o ~ h q a g o ~ the lined wrasses ( P s i u d ~ c h ~ h w j , the fairy wrasses F' W s b m ) , the pencil wra-sscs (Pswdijw ["" oiAr), and some fialichaera are well suited For the reef aquarium. 8m, of the over six hundred species in t l ~ i s fain- lly, few rival the beauty of ihe flasher wrasses (genus Paracheilvws}. The mem- here of this genus are not only strikingly colored, the also perform sensational behxvinral i iqdays, are hardy, y d are Ideal for the rwf aquarium, posing no threat to i t~rtelmtcs . Unfortunately, because oftheir small size and reclusive

beha& when housed with large or aggres- sive fish, these attractive wrasses are often overimk&d hi retail ShQpS. The purpose of tins article IS IO mak aquansts, in particular reef keepers, mow afware erf" these highly desirable wrasses.

The nus P'ashiaSmw is thought to contain at r east eight species, but because of

phicat variation and the possibility =me h m may klybid& the m c t number of species is not, kvwfn (Randall 1988, Kuiter 1992). The majority offlasher w r a w were oiiJy regally dtscovisred because they we small and live iu deep water. The first speaea, Pafacfw&ms ftAAÈ ftta, was described in 1955, while the second species, P.jfktmwteay, was not named until 1974 {Row-Esteve and Fmanoir l955, Alien 1974), Fourofthe six reinainuigspecfes were described in the 1% The cormnon name flakier wrasse was derived from the magnificent lateral &pays pcrforwed b\ the mdIes.Thftse displays tonsist of the creccitai of the large dorsal lib, changes in

... c o n t m d on page 2 431994 Aquarium Systems, Inc.. Mentor, OH - Primed in U.SA.

. . - .&:-

ricd by the cmyui~ They are sometimes found with their relatives Ac Bury wrasse,

wraatca form a

c e d n parrotfidi it has been demonstrated thatdmdimesheatfapreventschemicalfig- oab t m being cmitied that might be attractive to noctunial predators (Winn and Baidacb 1959). However, some suggest that the mucus covering tcrvcs no purpose, *just therdtofcopiousabmcpro- ductxm that à normalty died into the water when the fish swim.

wcolor,tailsha andnumberdraysin the dorsal h fitey are loud pi similar habitats and generally the same behavioral patterns. Oflbcac six, is die roost :ajKfesx <v

requiring at aquariumtohbfdtwo

Thesettrawsadaplrea3^tocapdvi- Xhousedwithotherpeaceful

a r e b e s t k e p t i n d

aquarium, bill they must be introduced rimullaneoualy, whether the males are d the asaae or different qxch, I would not re- oinmcod kccpHie two males of the same

planJctoneatensuchasfiregdiqflaaher

These wrasse* are not a threat to h e - bram and for this reason they are welcome introductions to the invci-tebratc tank, FTaiherwrasstsqJendmottofdieirrimein the open water and icrvc a* 'Â¥dither Gsh, encouraging * small, shy 6d-i to spend moretunewheretheyareviubte.

all Hah that can swallow them, such as fiw- d tcorpianf~~h, and groupers. Flasher wrasses are partic.ulariy vulnerable to these species in smaller mm l l m z S d r 3

Ifthey- per- introducedtoatank,

they hide and never conw out to feed. If

2 L Since they feedonmaphktm and y pick at o

will not h i w b r - on live rock they

reef tank if they are fed proteinslammerwill

e build-up of dissolved organics that may result from this feeding regime. Avoid pvdmiug wrasses that show Çignsofemaciationskbasapinche aom-

^^a& or atnmhied dorsal miiscuiature. Although they can be infected with ich w = w - w , w ~ ~ t q susceptible to dm infection. As with newly acquired specimens they should be

uarantiood before they we added (o the L p l a Y & ~

Protein Ski ming Marine aquarium hohbyiltt, particu-

larty rwfaquansts, are increasingly turning to foam IradKRiahn, or what is more com- m d y d k d ~ ~ ~ a d u - able water treatmenriBethott When protein skiqmm are used properiythey perform two main functions, r e d of organic wade and aeration of the water.

The benefits of removing organic waste we obvious. Removing them quickly before they decompose will reduce the load of 'wastes m he water and and reduce the stress on the inhabitants. More and more hobbyists place Ahnmcra either directly in the aquarium or in-line ahead of any biolog- ical filter, allowing the skimmer to concen- trate the raw wastes.

Thesecond(unctionservedbyaaldm- merbaeration.Theprocessofacratbnis criticaltoallaquari- um& 4-Urns equipped with undeqmvel filters ore aerated by either the air lift tube or by surfacedisruptionif

were initially pro- moledassuper-aer- ators but many d+ did not live

of water thai pie neededfar(Seven,

not always a&- qualcly ventilated and the air becomes stagnan~resultingin

mer, however, b a very efficient k, and this aeration is beneficial ewn when no organic wastes are collected-Anaddedbcnef~wthattheaera- tion B performed in the skimmer, avoiding bubbles in the aquarium that contribute to

salt creep- TherearemanystylesofpfffldndSm-

nitreaviula)^ningnwfromsmallairdriven unitspricedurKfer(30,mtotnasivecotnmer- d towen that can cost thousands of dollars.

Protein Skimmers an, generally for use in marine aq- Although 9Z! fiwaonariwcan~~~ifl-mfrtahwater,itusually requires- organic toads (hat are i--systems,

There are a connnon.mBoon- ceptioos about the operation ofprotein ddm- mos. Foamproducool~isnotconstant,andis oftenararic.Surface-activecompoundsmust be present befcre bubbles will develop, and someothercompoundssuchas63sh the ddn can eliminate bubbles. A new aquarium

may i~[producemuchfoamfarseveralwtelts. Sometimes a skimmer may houis or

i i days with no build-up andthen smt- denly have a full collection chamber. Often this OCCUR after feeding certain food? or afler an animal dies in the aquarium, releasing organic material- Certain waier condhk>iu alm can have the same effect

Occasional production of large amounts of wet fasm is not a significant problCTp unlos the collection cup drains to a bucket beside the aquarium. In rare cases these buckets overflow when a skimmer is not adjusted properly, flooding the floor. The resulting water loss can cause a number of secondary problems, çuc as an empry sump that interrupt the filler system.

Maintenance of a protein Aimmer b important. Empty the ikinuner dan h hull ~m~ -%2

, the bubbles get bigger, and the efficiency ofthtskfaamerdropt off.

TheVia-ja?"pmehdEhintterisone optionforhobbyistswhohaveaaaSItorncdh urn aiied aquanunia (20- 70 gallons). It coin- binesaTurbo-Venturi airinjectionsystem with a counter-current reaction chamber, and itfhmade t h e y + n ~ T h e ~ ~ ~ e t * d d r o - merbcompetitivempricewnbsmallerair drivenuniathatrequireanairpi~iipandfm quca air stone replacement h can be e d o n i a o w n o r i t c a n b e u s e d t o s poweAead<~anundetgraveltilter.

The-Jcfproteinshimmeris~ piemsetupandoperate, but twoimportant requirementsnivalbefutfilled. First, theair tube must be instaHtd property, replacing diesnaildogintheflowadjustmentitem. Thispoailisnotedin'ljle butifoftenowriooiaiti ISSd.= shouldbea@v~dtoabout50 how.Atthisrate,twhbtei shouldfflilhetoo Counter-cur- rent tube but few bubbles should escape from the bot- torn.AhJgber flow rate will Hush bubbles and organic wastes out the bottom of the

pry bubbles 00' produced fed cup on the booom d (be shaft, inside the Useapinorneedletodeanthecentershah

hole and the four small side holes. Replace the red ca and the is ready a in to produce the fine bubblesnecessary or dl% dent skimming.

r Because of cost reductions and recent

irnprovem.enw in design (he advantages of protein sknnmcrs are now within the means of moa marine aquarists. A

B e h e chmghg mtcr movement patums h hcr rceCaquarium we need to

A few words trc--I some of 1 our ~- - - - 5sfied 2 custon- 2rs

I Manufactwer of Instant U e a M

Treatment of

Cyf^mywvrilfM(whileqxx<&eaçc)b common dfod pmmm palate (hat can be inadvencntty introduced into marine aquae through infected f i or conununaied inofganic material. Most marine rÈ are niiccptibic to infection,viablewwhilespotson thedan,and will succumb 10 infection unleu the pdtu are

FREE

Volume 1 1 i Summer 1994

w

MonacoAq& Revisited

Lw (all ScaScopc pnacntcd Dr. Jean Jauben'g mclhodi lor redliecpi in an article oiled "Red Sea R ~ M Q O C O ~ ~ I H in Monaco". In May of ihuyearwehadtklrieanuçofqpaidingadayatth Cktanapphiu Muneum of hi- with Dr. J a n h and Dr. Nadia Ounu), aquarium director.

Dr.- ¥currentl hmnghneOoni<m coralgrowlh.Inthepattlewyou*hehescquippfd and mlled a very imprctrivc laboratory. Hi; picnwd ¥qiuriun water purification method if merely a d d in hi* d. Dr. Ou- and her Mid up and mainlain exhibit aquariunis G n g Dr. Jauben's mhods, priming them and ihr hufbandry ttchniqurs invohrd w m r y . I n

01994 Aquarium Syltctw, Inf., Mttt~u. OH - ti& ill U.SA

AduriaFlow- telescopic siphon -tubeMsHyadiuststo variou*depths,andwaterflow is regulated by a - top-mountedc-

area for lupport of

f truÑ. cflftrkki6 llllTdliofi 13Mparate

As wslw passes through ttw Ilk, fromum thÈtebrtctrapsMMwwtepiKcto ttechanlChmim Because~ftheiwofutlonaryi %=ss=, functionsam

Italian*

Captive Spawning and Re* of the

Theccmfrima:iibmigw*14,15,

j ~Cfcrc l iUt t i , Fill--

*2d&m6xua+lka216 33-5347. Make p u nscn-atiote now. Yoa won'twant tomil) thkmivene.

!

SeaScopc* was created to procn~ short, informative articles of intcrca to marine aquarists. Topics may include water chemistry, twatnlion, inariciilmr~, systmn doigt~, ecology, behavior, awl fish bcallh.

i shoulddealwithpertinentwps-sandare subject to editorial reviews thai in our cpinien are nectasary. Payments wW madeatcxutingratesdwillcmm

i 1 aiiEh<x'çr^)n*~~ihematerialmbminm

-- ~ratea , Editor.

f i I Aquarium Systems 3 Manufacfurer of instant OasM

Volume 11 Fall 1994

Welcome to the New

ID recent years there have been numerous *nuroduciions of \Â¥anou mh" filtration devveS for me by aquariurnhobbyots .Moatwc~c variations of the t d t lilten introduced from E approximately ten years ago. Thciic so- callcd"\w/dry~ 1 ' ~ t c n ori-rcd imp& 7- ity tor nitniKaiioa, and, in some cases, provided (he i t y o f d e n i atnd.

*advantage! providafby. thk new n- miion of fibers were o h outwexbed by weir W&E a d high COSL In reality ik inodcrnU fillers piwid to be useful to a relatively anal] immbCT of aquarium hob- Usually only the most dedicated d q h , with hwy valuable

- utilizetrodnkmalwei/drytrickleStera. Throughout the period of '-/ and rdmemeni of tee "itchno-=;

interest* of the vw majority &aquarium hobby' isa have been largely overlooked. It n often fbrgomn that, even e y , man aristt have relatively rirnpfc coiiecooni of animalsad

for purification ofaquarium water. PB, andfnoaffliflrdyuponiradiiionaltyps~ riltcra

The most uarium filters in America are u n d e Q i tcre and external

loully dominate ihc market lor aquarium Qua- lion ID America, and in sheer numbcfs the quanUUe! told each year are perhaps thousands ortimw g r ~ ~ e r than ihe quantiiKit of the more expensive fillers. Their p advantages arc 7 caseofuseandaflcii'dabkcost et,inEpittdihe huge rnarkc~, these [radiiiod fitters have been enentiaDyunchaiiged lor m t y years.

Undergravel niters consis1 d a perioraicd plate that is positioned in the bottom or ilic aquarium lank, hcn covered ivih gravel or another deconirive medium. Water is circulated

Spawning and Rearing the Blackcap basslet (Gramma melacara) fnasAiUtiou. C-Qwst Ysr., &&BL Jtoft RKO

a r e o u u i d e a n d m u m a b n g e a , v ~ r e not covered, but then a 55% ihadedo(h ww addedtom'dwn theamountd(l ight.~od cial light was wed, so the phoioperiod wai iht tune aa in nature. A h no ftipoldnentary heçt ingorroofingwaidThetonpcratui'evaried &ommlo94¡Fduringihccouraeofttu;year with~muchai30degrcavarianceh24hoiBç We are not rcwunn~~cting fuch a large day/T nnince. We only my that il did occur in our alcbery and the fish were able to cope with it.

Our lyitemif alemi^kuedone,usingnai- uml *ea water with about a 10% daily water exchange.

Thepi was around 8.3 and tht saHn-

By Part* per ~ ~ ~ ~ s = d (specific gravityoCl.019), coBa(terably lrcshJef than the opentea.Anunoma,imme,wdoitnuevfcrevny tow.

Thebreedingpainwerefeddumpedlkm

afewmonth*onthis<Bia,Acfmaksappealed

P We sacrificed one inonttily ta determine coiididooddu(enixle*.AhnoalallcotUMuied

qres in aft advanced stage of dcvdopnicnl.

01994 Aquarium Syacii~, Inc., Mentor, OH - Printed in U S A

n rot necessary hr the mftniic MmlSUL

During the 1980'5, reef tanb without vel on the bottom became popular in the f? nited Stales. Hobbyists were conctrncd about

dcvaiednutnentlevelsandibtbuiktupdwattc materials in die gravel. For die sxk6 of appear- ancc, I wa* full interested m uiing wme son of sutacate. This brief note is a summarization of my observations of ievcral reef lank scums, A

d q ion can be found in my column t Corner in Marine Fsh Mon~hly.

yearly trialswithsilicasandandcakare- ous mvel in the 19Ws resulted in lower nhrale

WaSnotwhicvttL Aftv reading a brief" review of Dr. Jean

icreco and a finer mob + material wu uied asaasupport.Thefirstkhhycrwasarnix of silica sand and 2-3 mitb'meter (nun) Siporax* beads.Thmwascoveredbyafecond~reenand

The value of the dead space bdow the land has not been fully cxpiained. However, a atlwcqucnt test wilh c a l m grad and no 3pace,iuingthexuaeanimals,reckedmnifines ofhairalgaeand'rt-afmfuccasfii.

For more inTommiion on my work with N a i d Nurate Reduction contact me th S e a S c t i P e a r ~ m y & d t ~ - n 3 October a@ November ame* of Marine ~ a ^ ^ / 1 Monthly- A

The Southern Calif& Marine Aquarium Society wifl k t their 3rd dtaariaeconference.Itisscheduled fortune 14 to 15,1995 hi the Red Lion Inn in Cotta Mew, California. Advance