Reef Keeping blog

July 2010 – Tank Of The Month Roundup

Robert — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:33:59 +0000

Here is a collection of some of the most stunning reefs voted as Tank Of The Month (TOTM) for various websites that I visit on a regular basis.

UltimateReef – Wayne (Cav)

: Juwel Vision 180 reef tank

Reefkeeping.com – Audrey Schnepel (teach)

: Audrey Schnepel’s Reef Aquarium

ReefCentral Nano TOTM – Pan_Natan

: nk Of The Month – Pan_Natan’s 35 Gallon NPS tank.

Nano-reef – Sandeep

: Sandeep’s 5.5 gallon pico reef

Captive reefs – Schminksbro

: Schminksbro’s SPS Garden

Leave a comment if you have any suggestions of websites that include a regular reef tank of the month feature, and I will include them in next months TOTM roundup.

Bubble Algae

Robert — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 10:00:34 +0000

Bubble algae is a form of pest algae, which can spread rapidly in a marine aquarium. It does not cause harm to fish or corals but can become a nuisance if not kept under control.

There are three effective methods for dealing with bubble algae in the reef aquarium:

Bubble algae (VentricariaVentricosa) Photo by kin0be

Physical removal: Can be easily removed manually by hand or syphoned out of the tank. Avoid bursting the algae bubble as they contain spores which will spread the algae to other parts of the aquarium.

Natural predation: Introducing a herbivorous orgasm that consumes bubble algae such as an emerald crab (Mithrax sculptus).

Denial of resources: Including nutrient removal and blocking the algae from light to prevent photosynthesis.

These methods are described in more detail in the following articles:

Bubble Algae Articles:

Bubble algae cluster (Valonia aegagropila) Photo by Sarah Faulwetter

‘Bubble Algae’ – Selected Descriptions, Controls and Comments: Gives good descriptions of the different types of bubble algae, including photographs for easy identification. Also provides appropriate solutions dealing with bubble algae in the reef aquarium.

Emerald crabs keep bubble algae under control: An article about the use of emerald crabs for dealing with problem bubble algae.

Bubble Algae – Valonia & Others: A well compiled list of resources about bubble algae.

Mantis Shrimp Video

Robert — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 09:38:22 +0000

A great video from TED2004 conference. Biologist Sheila Patek has studied the strike of mantis shrimp through footage captured at 20,000 frames per second. For more information, take a look at Sheila Patek’s profile on Ted talks.

Peacock mantis shrimp (Odontodactylus scyllarus) Photo by Waldo Nell

If you enjoy the video, you may also be interested in Patek’s publications based on her research with the peacock mantis shrimp:

Extreme impact and cavitation forces of a biological hammer: strike forces of the

peacock mantis shrimp Odontodactylus scyllarus

Linkage mechanics and power amplification of the mantis shrimp’s strike

Surgeonfish (Tangs)

Robert — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 22:25:37 +0000

Surgeonfish are one of the most popular saltwater fish in the hobby. The family includes around 80 species and a wide variety are often available in aquarium shops. Juveniles can be seen for sale from only 1″ in size but adults can grow to 6-15″ depending on the species.

Surgeonfish are herbivours and graze on algae throughout the day. In the wild, they travel in large shoals, often of mixed groups. In the aquarium environment, they require a large tank with lots of open swimming space. Different species of surgeonfish can be kept together with careful planning. They should be added to the tank in order of peacefulness, with the more aggressive species added last to prevent them from becoming territorial.

Kole Tang (Ctenochaetus strigosus) Photo by Carl C. Hansen

Here are some of my favourites:

Goldrim Tang (Acanthurus japonicus)

Naso Tang (Naso lituratus)

Powder Blue Tang (Acanthurus leucosternon)

Regal Tang (Paracanthurus hepatus)

Sailfin Tang (Zebrasoma desjardinii)

Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens)

Surgeonfish Articles:

Tang and Surgeonfish Family (Acanthuridae) Profile: A detailed profile of the tang and surgeonfish family including some good diet and feeding advice.

Hanauma Bay Hawaii surgeonfish: A look into the species of surgeonfish found in Hawaiian waters.

Surgeonfish / Tangs / Unicornfish / Doctorfish: Another thorough profile of the Acanthuridae family with more detailed sections on a number of surgeonfish species.

Make your own frozen fish food

Robert — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 14:11:59 +0000

Making your own mix of frozen foods can be a great way of providing your fish with a nutritious food that can be fed on a regular basis or used as a treat to add some variety to your fishes’ diet. This is something that I make myself and feed to my fish as a staple part of their diet. There are a number of different recipes for creating your own fish food mix but you can add, substitute or remove ingredients to customise the recipe to suit your particular needs.

Here are a few websites which provide a good basic recipe and some helpful instructions to make your own frozen mix:

http://www.melevsreef.com/food.html

http://www.reeftime.com/diy-reef-projects/diy-fish-food/frozen-reef-food-recipe/49.htm

http://home.comcast.net/~76fxe/food.htm

Coral Propagation Videos

Robert — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 13:18:55 +0000

Eric Borneman at Seven Seas Aquatics

Eric Borneman on Coral Fragging: A 70 minute demonstration of the different techniques that can be used for fragging stony and soft corals.

Geothermal Aquaculture Research Foundation (GARF)

GARF has some great information about coral propagation on their website. In particular, they have a number of short fragging ‘how to’ videos:

Xenia Propagation, Sarcophyton Propagation, Capnella Propagation, SPS Propagation

Youtube

There are some great coral propagation videos to be found on Youtube, here are just a few that I like:

Sarcophyton propagation

Acropora propagation

Easily fragging and mounting Zoanthids and Palythoas

Fragging and mounting an Acropora with coral shears

Xenia coral fragging

Coral maternity in Portugal

Coral propagation system

Dwarf Angelfish

Robert — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:19:04 +0000

Dwarf angels are a secretive species, often darting in and out of the rocks for shelter. They are highly desirable due to their bright colours. Their attractive patterns and mild temperament make them an ideal addition to many aquarium. Dwarf angelfish belong to the genus Centropyge, and generally do not exceed 6″ in size. They are omnivorous and will eat a variety of algae and small benthic invertebrates in their natural environment. In the reef aquarium, they should be kept well fed as some species have the tendency to nip at corals and sessile invertebrates. Reef compatibility can vary between individual fish. They will not tolerate the company of other dwarf angels unless they are a mated group or dissimilar colour and shape but they do make suitable tank mates for other fish.

Flame Angelfish (Centropyge loricula) Photo by Brian Gratwicke

Here are some of my favourites:

Cherub Pygmy Angelfish (Centropyge argi)

Coral Beauty Angelfish (Centropyge bispinosa)

Dusky Angelfish (Centropyge multispinis)

Golden Angelfish (Centropyge aurantia)

Flame Angelfish (Centropyge loricula)

Lemonpeel Angelfish (Centropyge flavissima)

Midnight Angelfish (Centropyge nox)

Potter’s Angelfish (Centropyge potteri)

Rusty Angelfish (Centropyge ferrugata)

Dwarf Angelfish Articles:

Perfect Little Angels, Genus Centropyge: A very informative three part look into the world of dwarf angels. Probably the most thorough article about the dwarf angel genus that I have found on the Web.

The African pygmy angelfish and three alternatives: An interesting article on the Practical Fishkeeping website describing the care, temperament and breeding of African pygmy angelfish. The article also briefly discusses some alternatives such as the coral beauty, multicolor angel and lemonpeel angel.

Reef Tank Safe Angelfish: A list of seven dwarf angel species considered to be reef safe with links to detailed fish profiles for each.

June 2010 – Tank Of The Month Roundup

Robert — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 16:07:49 +0000

Here is a collection of some of the most stunning reefs voted as Tank Of The Month (TOTM) for various websites that I visit on a regular basis.

UltimateReef – Paul (Ocean Corals)

: Ocean Corals Stunning Display Tank

Reefkeeping.com – Krzysztof Tryc

: Krzysztof Tryc’s 198-gallon mixed reef aquarium

ReefCentral Nano TOTM – FishLibrary

: FishLibrary’s 20 Gallon Mixed Reef

Nano-reef – uwwmatt

: uwwmatt’s 25 gallon nano reef

Atlanta reef club – Columbus Reef

: Columbus Reef’s beautiful mixed reef

Captive reefs – Vega15

: Vega15′s Gorgeous Mixed Reef

Leave a comment if you have any suggestions of websites that include a regular reef tank of the month feature, and I will include them in next months TOTM roundup.