Marine Habitat Magazine Issue #6

Transcription

SAVE OUR REEFS – 5p from every magazine sold goes directly to marine conservation
RO vs
TAP WATER
Dr Nick Bryan dispels some myths about the
use of tap water in the marine aquarium
FINAL PART
BREEDING
FAILURES
TOP OF
THE ROCKS
£2.75
Issue 06
Nov-Dec 2011
Matt Pedersen wraps up the series
with the unfortunate failures of his
diverse breeding projects
Ever thought of stocking your very own anemone?
Tristan Lougher counts down those anemones that
may be ideal for your home aquarium
CLASS OF THE
WRASSE
Scott Michael looks at the
problems and benefits of having
the handy Cleaner Wrasse sweep
up around the home aquarium
ALSO INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Expert Advice Your Ultimate Species Guide by John Clipperton False Eye Secrets by John Dawes
Fragging Xenia by Jason Thresher Filtration Part 4 by Bob Goemans Gear Guide Shop Profiles
Hobbyist Profile by The Salty Box Aquarium Profile Paris by Iggy Tavares
WIN this complete JBL ProFlora CO 2 system – worth over £600!
001_Cover_MH006.indd 1
30/10/2011 19:19:43
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www.redseafish.com
30/10/2011 12:11:35
CONTENTS Issue 06 November/December
44 Gear Guide
4 Editorial Dave Pitt and Andy Gascoigne
Gear Guide Revealed section gives you a quick
rundown on loads of useful and interesting products.
Andy provides an update on his diving course
and a close is drawn to the first year of Marine
habitat magazine.
46 Gear Guide Revealed TMC
7 Breeding Failures Matt Pedersen
The last part of what has been a fantastically
informative and educational series, covering
every part of the breeding process. In part 6, Matt
takes the rare opportunity to shed some light on
the failure’s experienced along the way.
13 Expert Advice
November/December 2011
With our panel of experts at the ready, why not
send in your questions? In this issue they cover
issues about pH, additives, white sponges and
struggling inverts. If you have a question, please
send it to us.
Publisher
Fish Junkies Ltd., PO BOX 4838,
Sheffield S12 9DU
info@fish-junkies.co.uk
19 Cleaner Wrasse Scott Michael
In true Scott form, this article gives a very in
depth understanding of one of the most common
species found in hobbyist tanks to day.
Main cover image courtesy
of Tristan Lougher.
Issue 06
Editor-in-Chief (Joint)
Andy Gascoigne and Dave Pitt
Managing Editor
Dave Pitt
dave@fish-junkies.co.uk
Creative Director
Andy Gascoigne
andy@fish-junkies.co.uk
Web and Marketing Manager
Chris Arthur
marketing@fish-junkies.co.uk
Copy Editor
Lynda Glover
copyeditor@fish-junkies.co.uk
Circulation, Advertising and Finance
Dave Pitt (Circulation and Finance)
sales@fish-junkies.co.uk
Maria Grogan (Advertising)
advertising@fish-junkies.co.uk
This Issue’s Contributors
Bob Goemans, Jason Thresher,
Jenny Lowman, John Clipperton,
John Dawes, Levi Major,
Matt Pedersen, Maria Grogan,
Matthew Pentith, Nick Bryan,
Philippe Poppe, Tristan Lougher,
Scott Michael.
This time in Gear Guide we take a look at the TMC
V2O3Zone Ozone Generator.
48 Myth Busters - Tap Water
Dr Nick Bryan
Controversial this may be, but Nick gives us a
very interesting view on the use of tap water in a
marine aquarium.
50 Shop Profiles
25 Your Ultimate Species Guide
John Clipperton
In this issue’s Ultimate Species Guide, John
looks at the Regal Tang, Emerald Crab and
the Trumpet Coral.
In our support for the local fish shop (LFS), but also
to encourage them to support the hobbyists, our
unique shop profile section may just be of interest.
Don’t miss out on your £10 OFF voucher!
52 News Roundup
Get up to date with some of the latest news
from around the world, brought to you by
marinehabitatmagazine.com
55 Hobbyist Profile The Salty Box
In this issue, we feature the lovely Jenny Lowman,
or as many of you may know her on the forum,
Jennybugs. Jenny takes us through her home sea
zoo where the tanks most certainly rule the house.
31 Top of the Rocks – Anemone’s
Tristan Lougher
For many people the appeal of a sea anemone
hosting a pair of anemonefish might be the initial
attraction that tempts them into the hobby. For
issue 6, Tristan gives us his top 10 anemone’s,
including some that host and some that don’t.
58 Competition JBL
36 NEW False Eye Secrets John Dawes
Welcoming a brand new contributor, John will treat
you to some fascinating insights over the coming
issues. It would be safe to say that there’s more to
ocelli than meets the eye and in this issue, Johns kick
off his new column with some False Eye Secrets.
61 Aquarium Profile – Paris
38 Fragging – Xenia Jason Thresher
In this issue, there will be one very lucky winner. JBL
have very kindly provided their complete ProFlora
m1003 system, plus electrode (probe) and also
their pH-controller. Make sure you check out the
competition page for more details.
Iggy Tavares
Palais de la Porte Dorée, the Palace of the Golden
Gate in Paris, with architecture based on an
Art Deco model, was built for the Paris Colonial
Exhibition in 1931 and has had a Tropical Aquarium
from its inception. Iggy visits, and tells all.
Jason gives us the next step-by-step instalment of
how to go about fragging. This time its Pulsating
Xenia on the chopping board.
41 Filtration – Part 4 Bob Goemans
Bob brings this insightful series to a close. This
article as a whole really is a must read for every
hobbyist, and so if you’re only just joining us, it’s
worth sourcing back copies and reading this
whole piece.
SEE SUBSCRIPTIONS ON PAGE 60
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accuracy of all incoming content,
Fish Junkies Ltd. will not be held responsible for
any inaccuracies within supplied content.
All rights reserved. No part of Marine Habitat
may be reproduced in any way without prior
written consent from Fish Junkies Ltd. Copyright
2011 by Fish Junkies Ltd.
Printed in the UK by The Magazine Printing
Company using only paper from FSC/PEFC
suppliers www.magprint.co.uk
Registered Office:
Fish Junkies Ltd., Hart Shaw Building,
Europa Link, Sheffield Business Park,
Sheffield, South Yorkshire S9 1XU.
Company No: 7349873.
Registered in England & Wales
003_Contents_MH006.indd 2
RED SEA COMPETITON WINNERS
1st prize – Wahaj Mahmood, Leicester
Runners up – Darren Hutchinson, Barrow in Furness
Peter Biggs, Swindon
Scott Bendall-Jones, Leyland
-–3
30/10/2011 19:46:20
WEL C O M E TO
W
ell, it’s issue six and the last issue
of Marine Habitat’s first year as a
printed magazine publication... can
you believe it, we can’t!
A little over a year a go, we made the decision
to produce and launch a brand new magazine
knowing that it wasn’t going to be easy, and a
year down the line, it’s safe to say that that was an
understatement. Sourcing, organising, and pulling
together the content to fill all those pages is most
certainly a challenge, especially given that we had
never previously done anything of the sort, and we
both have to work full-time as well.
Throughout the first year we’ve really grown as a
publication, through two-page count increases, a
number of new sections, an ever-increasing number
of subscribers, support from stockists, interest and
buy-in from manufacturers, and generally a gain
in overall confidence and trust from everyone
exposed to the magazine.
Going forward is very exciting for us, because we
have so much planned that we know the readers
are going to love, and we cannot wait to start rolling
them out. Now is a great time to be involved with
Marine Habitat, because over the next year we
hope to take you on a journey with us, which will
make a difference to you
and the hobby in general,
and also, in a small way,
make a difference to the
conservation efforts that
we continue to support.
the board has been immensely positive, which
means that we’ve achieved our aim. We aren’t
looking for money or fame from this, what we want
most of all is to produce a resource that readers
enjoy and find helpful, and hopefully it will help to
grow the hobby over time.
DAVE: In each issue, you will no doubt have
noticed that we include a longer than average
editorial, and we do this to help try to connect
with you and provide an insight into the people
behind the magazine. We want to bring hobbyists
together, so we hope you enjoy our little stories and
adventures. Something we want to encourage
further is interaction from the readers; we want
to know what you think about the hobby, the
magazine, the website, your tank, your questions –
absolutely anything marine-related. You
can contact us directly via the contacts page
on the website, via email to:
info@marinehabitatmagazine.com or by post:
PO BOX 4838, Sheffield S12 9DU. If you’re setting up
a new tank and you’ve got 50 questions, then send
us them all; alternatively, if you’ve got something
more specialised that you are unsure about, give us
a challenge. Either way, we’ll do our best to source
the answers.
ANDY: As you may
remember, back in issue
3, for my birthday, I went
on a Try-Dive with my local
diving school. Since that
ANDY: The first year has
Try-Dive, I’ve been eager
most certainly not been
to get my hair wet and
without its downs; for
undertake a PADI course.
example, PCs breaking just
Immediately following
at the wrong time, being
my Try-Dive, I didn’t have
let down right at the last
much time to look into
minute, and the many,
diving because I was tied
many nights we’ve worked
up with preparing the next
SCUBA diving is quite easy to learn. Have faith in your
instructors and you’ll pass the course in no time at all!
through the early hours to
issue. Then, one day at
get the magazine finished
work I had a few bleeps
and printed on time. However, taking all this into
on the iPhone, and decided to check through my
account, we have both thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s
emails. There was one particular email that caught
been interesting, exciting, and a massive learning
my eye: ‘Groupon – Become a SCUBA Diver, only
curve, but most of all, it’s been ultimately satisfying
£99.’ I instantly opened up the email and saw
because the feedback we’ve received from across
straightaway that it wasn’t one of those ‘too good
to be true’ offers. I couldn’t send my missus a text
message quick enough to get her approval and
see if she wanted in, and, of course, she said yes.
The money was paid and a few days later we
drove up to the South Yorkshire Diving Academy in
Rotherham (www.divingacademy.co.uk). We were
greeted by Donna, who was to be our instructor for
the whole course. This initial visit was to introduce
ourselves and understand how the course works,
and book our theory test day – YES – theory test!
We were given a PADI pack, which consisted of a
diver manual, dive planner, diver’s log, and training
record, and some PADI promo stuff. We booked our
test date for August, which gave us about 3 weeks
to read the book and take in as much information
as possible. The manual consisted of around 260
pages, of which I had to read 180 pages. I must
admit, as far as tests go, I’m hopeless. It took me
three attempts to pass my driving theory, so I wasn’t
particularly looking forward to this test, because if
I didn’t pass it, then I couldn’t go any further in the
course. No pressure then!
The book was fairly easygoing, but still quite
intense on the brain. Each section had questions
to fill in as you went along, and then a main test
at the end of the sections. This made the learning
so much easier and helped it all sink in. There were
also a couple of DVDs to help with the learning,
but they were very basic and the book needed to
be read.
Armed with my newfound knowledge, it was
soon test day. Donna went through the sections
to make sure we fully understood them, and she
answered any questions we had. Then it was test
time, with a multiple choice-style test paper. The
questions were easy enough, but in true exam
style, they were a bit confusing, with many of the
questions having a number of correct answers.
We marked the questions ourselves, and spoke
up if we’d got one wrong. We could only get so
many wrong in each section, otherwise it would
mean a retest. I was one question off a retest, and
breathed a sigh of relief when the final question
was correct.
Next up – DRY SUIT! This was, how shall I say –
interesting. I felt like a vacuum-packed gimp ready
for a long night in! We needed these to keep us
warm and dry for the coming weeks when we
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Editorial - Marine Habitat
Although this is only a stock image of
someone SCUBA diving, it helps represent
the visual difficulties of the murky water
as were similar to this picture.
would do our final dive exams. So for now it was just
a fitting session for later use.
The following weekend came, and it was time
to jump in the local swimming pool to start the first
session of two. I felt really comfortable and raring
to go. It was quite weird and funny at the time,
because Donna (our dive instructor) went through
the whole session talking about what we were
going to do, and explaining the actions for when
we were underwater. Now, as you may or may not
know, you cannot talk underwater, and suddenly
we were chucked into a game of charades
while we were going through each skill; removing
the mask, clearing the mask, and finding an
alternate air source, etc. Everything is exaggerated
underwater because there’s no sound. Every time
we completed a task, we were congratulated with
handshakes, and Donna would sport a little dance
that you couldn’t help but laugh at.
The week after was our final training day, and
this time we had to get back into our gimp outfits
(dry suits). This time was totally different though,
as we had all the gear on and it made it quite
uncomfortable. I was literally sweating gallons
because of the warmth in the swimming baths,
combined with the fact I was all rubbered up.
In we went, and this time we learnt all the
‘dive buddy’ (PADI term for diving friend/partner)
techniques. This involved switching to a buddy’s
alternate air supply, emergency ascends, pulling
a tired diver, and so on. Then we had a nice swim
around the pool to try to master our buoyancy
control and flipper control. This all went fantastically
well, and we were feeling confident about the next
week’s final, which was to take place in a local
lake in Doncaster called The Blue Lagoon
(www.divebluelagoon.com).
On the final day, I did have a little bit of nerves,
probably because this time it was a lake and not
a controlled clean swimming pool. It was a lovely
place, specially made into a scuba training facility.
There were many underwater features for the more
advanced learners, such as a tank, artillery, aircraft
and boats. This time though, we were there to pass
the course and not so much for the sightseeing.
The weather didn’t seem too bad; the sun was
poking through the clouds, with a light wind pushing
the tide towards our corner of the lake. Suited and
booted, my girlfriend Jane, three instructors and I
made our way to the shore. We swam out to the
buoy where we were going to descend and start
the diving tasks that we had previously learned in
the swimming pool.
We descended to a platform 5m down and then
performed our skills; this was a test to show that we
could do it in deeper water. The water was very
murky, with visibility down to around 4m. This meant
we couldn’t really see anything.
Our first task was to clear our masks; we would let
water in and then clear it out whilst 5m underwater. I
did this and then it was Jane’s turn. The combination
of having my eyes closed, clearing my mask, and
the murky water meant that I couldn’t see much
to focus on, and my breathing became gasping
and I started to panic a little. Despite my efforts to
concentrate on my breathing and calm down, I
had to ascend to recompose myself.
This was a big blow to my confidence. I was
annoyed with myself because I had previously
done very well in the pool, easily completing all
the tasks with little effort. The instructors at this point
were brilliant; they helped calm me down and were
constantly reminding me why I wanted to dive.
They told me to imagine all the fish and corals out
there in their natural habitat, and at that moment
it all became crystal-clear. I gritted my teeth and
signalled the thumbs down to get back on the
bottom. From then on it was a walk in the park, and
I completed the rest of the skills without a problem.
We performed another dive an hour later, to
complete all our skills to pass the course. With some
air left in our tanks we did a 10-minute swim around
our area of the lake. We didn’t see any fish, but we
swam over the various up and down terrain, and it
was at that moment that I started really enjoying the
diving experience. Despite just seeing the mounds
of weed, I knew that in a coral-rich environment, this
could be some of the best sights of my life.
That concluded my dive training, and now as a
PADI qualified diver, I’m really looking forward to the
salty adventures that hopefully lie ahead. I’d better
get saving those pennies now!
DAVE: Now let’s have a look at this particular issue.
First and foremost, I am very pleased to welcome
a new contributor, John Dawes. We are launching
a new series of articles, in which John will discuss
a different subject matter each issue. In his first
instalment, he looks at the secrets behind false
fish eyes; however, you’ll have to wait to find out
what he’s got in store for further issues. John is
actually from Gibraltar, but now lives in Spain.
With over 25 years’ marine experience, he’s had
numerous aquaria along the way, and some of his
specialist areas include ecology, evolution, and
fish behaviour.
In addition, it’s the last of Matt’s fantastic,
detailed, and enlightening series on the subject of
breeding. Throughout the six issues to date, Matt
has taken us from the very beginning right through
to the raising of baby fish, and if breeding is ever
something you might consider doing, this whole
series is an absolute must-read. Although this feature
has come to an end, don’t panic, because Matt
isn’t going anywhere – he has much more in store
for the coming year.
ANDY: A quick note re the species profiles.
Remember that we feature these in every issue;
there are a minimum of three, but on occasions,
as in the last issue, we may give you a boost. These
are a fantastic resource for looking back on and are
well worth keeping. You have the option to keep the
printed version, but they are also all downloadable
in full from the website, and you don’t have to pay
or register, or even enter any information, to get
them. 2011 has provided you with 22 profiles, and
there are many more to come.
Finally, I want to mention the Expert Advice
section, which is a little bigger this time round. A
number of subjects are covered, including pH,
additives, white sponges, and struggling inverts.
DAVE: I have one last thing to tell you, and it
concerns the cover price. Obviously, for our first
year, this has been incredibly low, at only £2.75
per copy. As previously mentioned, this year has
seen an increase in page count, which not only
means higher printing costs, but also further cost of
content to fill the pages. With this in mind, we will be
increasing the cover price starting from issue 7. We
hope that you understand and support this decision.
From all of us behind the scenes at Fish Junkies
Ltd., publishers of Marine Habitat, thank you very
much for a fantastic first year! We couldn’t have
done it without you.
Dave
& Andy
-–5
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http://twitter.com/#!/OfficialNTLabs
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11/10/2011 00:07:04
FAILURE
Marine Breeder - Matt Pedersen
“If you’re
breeding
marine ﬁsh, it’s
inevitable!”
MATT PEDERSEN
Age: In my 30s
Hometown:
Chicago, IL, USA
Full-time occupation:
Interactive software
developer
Marine experience:
23yrs
Aquarium size: Multiple
aquaria totalling 300
US gallons
Favourite
fish: Too many to mention
coral: Hot Pink Birdsnest
(Seriatopora hystrix)
other: Nudibranch
(Elysia diomedia)
Specialist areas:
Marine fish breeding
Matt Pedersen concludes his final part to the breeding series
with the unfortunate failures he’s had. Even when everything
is done by the book, marine fish breeding can be one of the
most difficult endeavours you’ll face in the hobby.
T
here’s simply no way around it. Every
aquarist, no matter how experienced, will
fail now and again. However, many will
never admit to it. Problems and failures are all too
often met with a condescending response from
peers. I don’t believe many prominent aquarists
are inclined to talk about their utter catastrophes;
after all, what is the general public going to think
of some well-known aquarist who crashes his tank
or accidentally kills a bunch of fish? Publishers
would much rather devote the printed page to
stories about successes and breakthroughs, not
what didn’t work out.
This is an article I’ve wanted to write for some
time, an entire piece about what didn’t work. I
doubt you’ll see another story like this again very
soon, but thanks to the open-minded editors
of Marine Habitat, I’m finally able to share the
hard truths about being a marine fish breeder.
I will examine each of my personal failures, but
remember, many of these failures could one day
turn out to be simply necessary obstacles that
lead to another success story.
The Fathead or Sunburst Anthias
(Serranocirrhitus latus) did not
live up to its perceived aggressive
tendencies towards members of the
same species. Starting with a large
and one or two smaller specimens
could result in a compatible grouping,
and perhaps you could be the first to
spawn this species in captivity.
I must state that failure as a result of
irresponsible care by a negligent or reckless
aquarist is not acceptable. There is a great
burden of responsibility to thoroughly research
any project. Still, in the marine fish breeding world,
learning on the job is commonplace. Even with
the best planning, breeding efforts don’t always
work out the way you intend. A failure, regardless
of how it happened, is always a failure, but what’s
most important is to figure out why we failed,
and then share those hard-learned lessons with
our fellow aquarists. In this way, even a complete
tragedy offers some redeeming merit.
BREEDING PROJECTS, MINUS THE BREEDING PART
For me, the most frustrating breeding projects
have been the projects that never resulted in
a spawn. Even those aquarists with decades of
experience under their belts can become victim
to the most fundamental day-to-day issues such
as disease or aggression. When looking at this list,
I ask myself, “Surely I am better than this?”, but no,
these really were my mistakes and failures.
PEARLY JAWFISH
Pearly Jawfish, Opistignathos aurifrons, are
mouthbrooders that are very occasionally reared
in captivity. We still don’t know if you can reliably sex
this species or not, but here in the US, that doesn’t
matter because wild-collected pairs are available
from divers in Florida. The main stumbling block with
this species is a suggested short natural lifespan
and, as Martin Moe suspects, a strong seasonal
influence on breeding behaviour. I started with
a wild pair, and had the unfortunate experience
of having one of the pair jump fairly early in the
process. Of course, it bears mentioning that the
aquarium was completely covered, the fish being
found dried up on the surface of a sponge – the
only dry surface in the tank. I had the opportunity
to get a captive-bred specimen from Martin Moe’s
rebreeding of the species, only to have that fish
perform the same suicide as the predecessor. A
further attempt at repairing suggested that perhaps
I had two fish of the same sex!
FATHEAD ANTHIAS
The Fathead Anthias, Serranocirhittus latus, is a fish
that enthralls me. Being somewhere inbetween
the Hawkfish and the more typical Anthias, it was
safe to assume it would be haremic, but unlike
the typical Anthias (and more like a Hawkfish)
there isn’t any sexual dichromatism between
males and females. Given what I had read, it was
suggested that this species would be better kept
in a one-per-tank scenario unless a large tank was
provided. I purchased three fish, one larger and two
smaller, and despite the warnings of other authors,
I succeeded in establishing a trio in a 24-gallon
nanocube. The trio lasted about a year, until a
virulent disease struck one of the specimens. It
started as a few tufted scales, and within 24 hours
would spread to be a large red open sore. Shortly
thereafter, a dead fish would result. This disease
wound up killing all three specimens in the span of
a month or two, and as best as I’ve been able to
determine with the help of my peers, it was either
hemorrhagic septecimia, or the marine parasite
Uronema. Since the tank these fish resided in was
heavily fed and stocked, I can only assume that
disease was brought on by the aquarium equivalent
of a damp, warm, crowded room. In other words, I
probably needed to step up my water changes.
-–7
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BUTTERFLYFISH
When they showed up one day at 50% of their
normally very expensive asking price, the Masked,
Hooded, or Red Headed Butterflyfish, Chaetodon
larvatus, was just one of those fish I had to try.
After all, I had succeeded with Oxymonacanthus
longirostris. If I could keep one SPS eater alive,
why not another? Well it turned out that minced
squid was the go-to food for this species, and
within a couple weeks of introduction to a wellestablished reef tank, I had a pair that was looking
very optimistic. While there was some aggression,
it wasn’t as bad as I’d seen in other butterflyfish
species. But I paid a hefty price – on the theory
that these fish are sensitive and susceptible to
stress, they were not quarantined, but instead
placed straight into a reef tank. In the end, what
did these fish in was not starvation, but an outbreak
of Cryptcaryon (Marine Ich). I had to take every
last fish out of the reef tank and place it in a large
hospital tank for treatment with Cupramine (a
copper medication). The smaller of the pair didn’t
survive the initial outbreak, but the larger one did.
Eventually, I returned it to the reef, only to have
the larger one break out with Cryptocaryon again.
Back to a hospital treatment tank it went, but
the second time around I was travelling (I travel
for work occasionally, but also to go speak at
aquarium clubs. You can’t not go simply because
a fish is sick). I could not give the fish daily personal
care. It was on its deathbed by the time I returned
from my travels.
Most recently I attempted to establish a group
of the Auriga Butterflyfish (Chaetodon auriga). An
online vendor was offering five very small juvenile
specimens at a very inexpensive price, a deal
too good to pass up given that I already had an
order coming. Of course, the day before shipping,
only three of the small ones were still available,
but more had been collected. I asked the seller
to simply send the five smallest they had. What I
got was three juveniles, and two fish the size of my
hand. I was very lucky that I had some tank space
in a larger tank, as I had not expected such large
fish at all. The three juveniles went into a 24-gallon
tank, the two larger ones into a 37. I had hoped to
have a larger group that would spread aggression
around, but my three juveniles quickly became two
(I think the smallest got chased into an anemone
and became lunch) and the larger two were stuck
together as well. It didn’t happen on the first night,
but by evening on the second day, in both the
small and large pairs I observed significant amounts
of aggression, and any hope of having compatible
The Bristletail Filefish (Acreichthys
tomentosus) is now a well-known
eliminator of pest anemones and was
first successfully bred by Iris Bönig. A
great candidate for breeding because
its useful and wild specimens can
suffer from shipping stresses and seem
prone to bacterial infections.
The Hooded or Masked Butterflyfish
(Chaetodon larvatus) from the Red
Sea is a known coralivore in the wild,
and has a proven reputation for
impossibility in captivity. Ironically,
it wasn’t feeding that proved their
undoing - just good old-fashioned
Ich (Cryptocaryonosis).
pairs of similar-sized fish was lost. The aggression in
the small pair got to the point that I had to separate
the two fish, for both were starving despite being
heavily fed (too much energy being expended in
the aggression). The larger fish quarrelled constantly,
with one breaking out in Lymphocystis, and then
a couple of weeks’ later Ich reared its ugly head
again. While I am confident that I can restore all
four fish to good health, they represent a breeding
project I’ve already given up on due to the
aggression I’m seeing. I’ll be forced to find each fish
a new home now.
The above Butterflyfish experiences illustrate
the classic mistakes of impulse purchases
combined with overconfidence. Spur of the
moment, impulse projects, on deals that are
too good to pass up are a very, very bad idea,
even if you think you’re prepared for it. I’ve had
much better luck when truly planning ahead for
Butterflyfish. I could easily continue to talk about
three more species of Butterflies that are currently
‘non-spawned failures’ in one way or another
(Chaetodon collare, C. capistratus and C. striatus),
but I think I’d be repeating myself. There’s a
pattern to be seen here. Difficulty in feeding and
susceptibility to disease are already trademarks
of many Butterflyfish species, but based on my
collective experience, aggression within individuals
of the same species to the point of causing
death is a very real possibility in most species.
Of course, these difficulties are some of the very
same reasons why I look at these fish as my next
impossible frontier to overcome – and I haven’t
even alluded to the level of difficulty anticipated in
larval rearing.
FILEFISH
While I’m well known for my success in spawning
and rearing the expert-only Harlequin Filefish
(Oxymonacanthus longirostris), the Bristletail
Filefish, Acreitchtys tomentosus, is my bane.
For all my efforts with multiple pairs in multiple
tanks, I have simply never observed a spawning.
Establishing broodstock was difficult at first, as
this is another fish that seems prone to breaking
down after shipping. Make it past the initial stress
of shipping, and they’re usually pretty solid,
although multiple aspiring breeders have reported
broodstock problems with bacterial infections. In
the end, what did this species in for me was when
I was down to my last pair (lost some in the same
move from Chicago). It turned out that the pair
was two males, and when one got aggressive
and nippy, well, game over for everyone. I’m now
working with a pair of the rare, related Acriecthys
radiatus instead.
CLOWNFISH
There have been a few clownfish that wound
up being trouble. The first was the Blue Stripe
Clownfish, Amphiprion chrysopterus. These have
a deplorable track record in the chain of custody.
Of course, the one time I tried this species, I had
a pair of juveniles held in quarantine for weeks
before even being shipped to me. They arrived
in what appeared to be perfect condition, and
yet the pair of fish was dead within 30 minutes of
acclimation while all other fish acclimated without
incident. I have never tried again!
The related African Allardi Clownfish, A. allardi,
shares the awesome look of an adult Blue Stripe,
and has stunning babies to boot (baby Blue Stripes
are the very definition of ‘ugly ducklings’). Allardi
Clowns are prone to Brooklynella in the chain of
custody, but I’ve managed to avoid that. What I
haven’t managed to avoid is this clown’s extreme
susceptibility to Amyloodnium (Marine Velvet). In
all honesty, I have lost count of how many Allardi
I have purchased, kept for weeks or months, only
to have them break out with Amyloodinium and
die. Breakdowns always seem to happen when
these fish are placed in reef tanks. When keeping
this species in a barren QT or breeding-type setup,
8–007-011_Breeding_MH006.indd 3
31/10/2011 18:20:20
A sub-adult Allardi Clownfish
(Amphiprion allardi)
demonstrates the blue stripes
associated with the adult form.
Mature Allardi are every bit as
dazzling as their cousins, the Blue
Stripe Clownfish (A. chrysopterus).
I’ve seemed to avoid Amyloodinum. I am more
determined than ever to breed this species, and
once again have a pair established. This time they
will stay in the barren QT setup and never leave.
I rest assured that my first batch of captive-bred
Allardis will probably far outnumber the many I’ve
lost, so as long as I’m able to accomplish that
goal, I’ll be on the good side of this species.
Another difficult clownfish species was the
Papua New Guinea Yellow-Chested Saddleback,
Amphiprion polymnus. I initially received two, only
to have them die from Brooklynella very quickly.
Later on, I managed to get a second pair of
smaller juveniles on a special order. These fared
far better – until the female killed the male without
warning. With exports from Papua New Guinea
having been offline for several months in 2011, I
had no prospects of finding a replacement mate,
so the lone fish was sold off.
MANY OTHER NONSTARTERS
It continues to go on like this. I paired up Firefish,
Nemateleotris magnifica, by observing the
behaviours and interactions within a group at a
shop for about an hour.
Had them for at least a
year or two, but never
saw eggs or encountered
babies. One of the pair
jumped, and there ends
that breeding project.
Yasha Hase Goby,
Stonogobiops yasha? Got
a pair, only to lose one right
away. The mate lived for a
few years but I never managed to bring myself to
repair the specimen.
Warpaint Gobies, Gobiodon atrangulatus, have
proven to be deplorable shippers. Out of the
eight I’ve obtained, six died within days of arrival. I
thought I finally had them nailed down, as I had a
compatible pair that was healthy, active and alert.
In just the last couple of days as I write this, I found
both of them dead, on the same day, without a
logical explanation. They shared a system with
dozens of other Clown Gobies, and they all remain
fine - a completely unexplained pair of deaths.
Of course, I’ve found that Clown Gobies in
general may not be the easily-paired bidirectionalhermaphrodites they’re cracked up to be; the
Black Clown Gobies, G. ceramensis, would like
nothing more than to kill each other. The same
could also be said for the two Citron Gobies,
G. cinctus, that I had, even though they very
clearly appear to be a male and a female. In my
fishroom, fish that don’t get along generally get
sold or given to other aquarists if I reach the point
of giving up due to no expectation of the situation
to change.
Several years back, I had three Royal Grammas,
Gramma loreto, exhibiting all the signs of prespawn behaviour with the male actively digging
and preparing a nest with branches of macro
algae. All it took was an Amyloodinum outbreak
(happened to be one of the several I experienced
with my aforementioned Allardi Clownfish), and
they were all dead in a couple days.
Disease also plagued my efforts with Chromis
retrofasciata. Again, I personally suspect them
to be sensitive shippers and perhaps prone to
disease – out of nine I’ve ordered, as well as a few
that have gone to friends, none lasted more than
a few weeks, and I’d say the vast majority didn’t
last more than a couple days. The culprit seems to
be my good ‘old nemesis Uronema. If I ever try this
species again, it will have to undergo prophylactic
treatments for this disease.
Early disease has even stalled my efforts with
trying to establish the Tailspot Blenny, Ecsenius
stigmatura. The male in the pair lasted a whopping
3 days, whereupon some crazy disease started
at his tail, progressed up his body, and in 24 hours
killed him. I can only assume this was some sort of
bacterial issue. The female remained 100% healthy.
I’ve tried Clearer Wrasses (Labroides dimidiatus)
but found that in small tanks (i.e. < 25 gallons),
aggression ensures you’ll never form a pair. If
you start with small, healthy Cleaner Wrasses,
I personally have had fair luck getting them
established in captivity (My oldest has lived for 5
years now, and I know other hobbyists may have
that record beat). More than one hobbyist has
spawned this species too. Aggression in mates is
simply something that can be tough to deal with in
small tanks, but having the appropriate mate sizes
is equally problematic.
The reputedly difficult Bicolor Angelfish,
Centropyge bicolor, didn’t give me any care
problems. I started with two small juveniles and
they settled into captivity immediately. However,
I suspect it was the fact that they were similarly
sized that helped ensure they would refuse to ever
commiserate as a pair. Introductions between
the two specimens were
always downright vicious. I
suspect if I had obtained a
third, much larger specimen,
and used a larger aquarium
than 25-gallons, I might
have been able to establish
a spawning trio without all
the aggression. But in the
end, the fish had to simply
be sold off. I didn’t have
the same problem with the
Flame Angelfish, Centropyge loricula. I had a pair
that was compatible for several weeks, but one
day, the smaller one just turned up dead. I am
truly stumped by this one as there was never any
observed aggression, however, I have never been
able to rule out murder, a similar situation to what
happened with my PNG Saddleback Clownfish.
If you haven’t had enough of the fish that
haven’t spawned, I think the ultimate bonehead,
completely my fault failure, was with my pair of
Linear Blennies, Ecsenius lineatus. I truly believe
they were spawning, as they would show colour
changes indicative of courtship, and were certainly
the epitome of healthy, happy fish. Of course,
among all the bad things that happened in my
arguably well-planned move from Chicago, I
simply accidentally crushed the female of the pair
with a live rock.
“The Black
Clown Gobies,
G. ceramensis,
would like nothing
more than to kill
each other”
THE MAIN CAUSES OF
BREEDING FAILURES
AND HEARTACHE
BROODSTOCK AGGRESSION
Marine fish are often fairly intolerant of members
of the same species, making the formation
of pairs or colonies a sometimes treacherous
proposition – be ready to intervene if aggression
goes beyond bluff and posturing. Many
marine fish lack obvious sexual dimorphism /
dichromatism, which further makes pairing simply
a gamble – are these two fish failing to get along
because they’re the same sex? Sometimes fish
must be carefully introduced, while other times
no amount of time and effort will make the two
fish get along. Even when things are going right,
you may still have a dominant fish turn on its
subordinate mate and kill it without warning after
months or even years of coexistence.
DISEASE
Even when you’re doing everything right, new
or sensitive broodstock always brings the risk of
disease. No doubt, the added stress of being
paired in close quarters may further elevate
disease risks, especially if pairs are quarrelling.
Do not skip quarantine and hospital tanks as a
breeder, and be sure to keep a supply of basic
medications on hand if you plan on having
many broodstock systems running. You never
know when having the right medication in a
timely fashion may make a difference.
JUMPING
Seriously, many marine fish are prone to
jumping anyways, but when you also factor in
the fish doing nightly spawning ascents, the
odds of fish finding their way out of tanks, even
covered tanks, rises dramatically. Cover, cover,
cover every little hole you can (and even then,
I’ve still had fish find ways to commit suicide
through jumping).
LARVAL REARING ISSUES
All too often, you beat the odds and get
spawns, only to fail at any one of the main
critical points along the way. With so many
external factors influencing larval successes,
we sometimes wonder how we ever rear
any marine fish in the first place! While the
vast majority of marine fish have never been
successfully reared, every year more and more
new species are done for the first time. In late
2011, among others, Dr. Matthew L. Wittenrich
just succeeded in spawning and rearing the
rare Lancer Dragonet, a species with initial first
feeding larvae only 1.1mm in length.
OPERATOR ERROR
Yes, the last cause of breeding failure is your
own stupidity and carelessness. I’m talking truly
boneheaded moves. Be it crushing perfectly
good fish with a piece of live rock or forgetting to
put a heater into a hatching tank and killing the
eggs (hey, I just did that this week), you will never
escape your own errors. Breeders come up with
all sorts of ways to idiot-proof things from their
own idiocy; everything from tying a string around
a finger or leaving something in the doorway
of the fishroom, to automating everything they
can do. In the end, you’ll figure out your most
common oversights and hopefully find a way
to compensate! So don’t be overly hard on
yourself – we all make mistakes and fail now and
again. Learn from it.
-–9
31/10/2011 18:20:22
While I already mentioned a couple, there
are many more ‘failures’ in my past and present
that may simply be unfinished stories. I’ve reestablished my Starki Damselfish (Chrysiptera
starkii) project and things appear to be going well,
having recently seen the current female with an
extended ovipositor, suggesting that maybe there
is spawning that is simply going undetected. Most
recently, I’ve succeeded in pairing the Rock Beauty
(Holocanthus tricolor), a fish many still believe
cannot be kept in captivity for the long term, but
also a genus of Angelfish that has proven to be
the most difficult to pair in captivity according
to John Coppolino. A pair of Harlequin Bass,
Serranus tigrinus, consisting of one fish I collected
myself, was shipped up with my first Rock Beauty
juveniles too, and I wait to see what comes from
these supposedly simultaneous hermaphrodites.
Numerous clownfish pairs are playing the waiting
game in my fishroom, including Fire Clowns
(Amphiprion ephippium), Vanuatu Pink Skunk
Clowns (A. perideriaon), Wide Banded Clownfish
(A. latezonatus), as well as the many Maroon
Pairs (Premnas biaculeatus) I am working with at
this point. Many who are unfamiliar with marine
fish breeding impatiently look at these projects
as failures, lacking the understanding that it takes
time, often years, for marine fish to reach maturity.
WELL, AT LEAST IT SPAWNED
Calling these next projects a failure or success
just depends on how you measure it. There are
many people out there who confuse ‘spawning
something’ with ‘breeding something’. In my
opinion, only when you’ve reared something from
a captively-spawned egg (from captive parents)
to a marketable size have you actually succeeded
at breeding. Getting marine fish to spawn is often
the easy part. So in my world, these are ‘failures’.
Accomplishments, yes, but nowhere near my
intended goal.
Being a former African Cichlid breeder,
mouthbrooders like the Cardinalfish grabbed my
attention when I started breeding marine fish.
Of course, most of the
Cardinals are far more
difficult than one might
expect. First, there was
Apogon margaritophorus,
the Lattice or Copper
Cardinalfish, which spawned
like crazy and simply burned
out after a while. I never got
a successful hatch, partially
because I was expecting
incubation periods of
weeks, not days. Later,
when I worked with Apogon
(Zoramia) leptacanthus, I
managed to collect larvae, and got these to 45
days post-hatch. Many folks will say I reared this fish
successfully – I don’t. But I came real close.
Ecsenius graveri, the Red Sea Mimic Blenny, is
a species I really beat myself up over because
the species hasn’t been available for years now. I
got lucky and obtained a pair by blindly ordering
two fish from an online vendor. I was even more
lucky to have them spawn twice, although both
times the eggs disappeared within 24 hours.
But the worst part is that the pair was given to
another hobbyist because they were eating my
wife’s corals. They didn’t die, they didn’t kill each
other, they simply wore out their welcome with my
spouse and were evicted. If only I had kept that
pair around somehow.
Pseudochromis cyanotaenia, the Blue Bar
Dottyback, is another species I came very close
with. I reared babies to 29 days post-hatch – very
near settlement. A single fish settled, but then
The Threadfin, Glass, Longspine or
Bluestreak Cardinalfish (Zoramia
(Apogon) leptacanthus) is a great
schooling fish that can suffer losses in the
chain of custody, and therefore makes a
great breeding project despite perceived
lower values. It is within reach of the
determined hobbyist.
disappeared. This project ended when the female
escaped the safety of her breeding cage where
she was normally conditioned between spawns the male killed her in an hour. Unable to find more
of this species, the male was sold off, but later
availability on a sibling species, Pseudochromis
coccinicaudua, the Orangetail Dottyback,
encouraged me to try again. Of course, ruthless
mate behaviour sabotaged my efforts not once,
but twice. After creating a male/female pair from
2 males, the female was introduced to the male,
who killed her almost instantly. Some months later,
a replacement female was located. After the
male dished out some pretty severe beatings,
the pair was separated. Upon reintroduction, the
new female apparently sought revenge on the
male for his abuse, and his guilt in murdering the
first female. In the ultimate example of what goes
around, comes around, the second female killed
the murderous male overnight.
The frustration with Dottybacks doesn’t end with
the Blue-Bar/Surge/Orangetail species complex.
Despite being readily available and downright
cheap, Pseudochromis
bitaeniatus (the Double
Stripe Dottyback) stole my
heart the first time I saw
it. I’ve gotten one larva to
settlement only to have it
vanish. This pair still spawns,
but I can’t seem to get
a good hatch. I always
seem to botch artificial
incubation, resulting in
dead eggs. Admittedly,
frustration has set in,
with spawns being more
sporadic and failure taking
its toll on my interest.
Elacatinus oceanops, the Neon Goby,
represents a project initially thwarted when a newlyimported wild-caught pair immediately broke out
with Ich – one perished in 24 hours, the other lived
for months. More recently, I established two pairs
from a group of seven wild-caught individuals.
At the time of writing, one pair has spawned, the
smallest specimen jumped when moved into a
new tank, and the larger fish in the second pair
died mysteriously, leaving me with five fish in total,
only two of which form a pair. The species became
my 24th to spawn, and if I’m lucky, it may finally
bring me into the double digits on successfully
reared species.
My work with dragonets is arguably what first
gained me notoriety among my peers. After
working out reliable husbandry protocols for
keeping dragonets on prepared foods in small
tanks, the effectiveness of these techniques
“This project ended
when the female
escaped the safety
of her breeding cage
where she was
normally conditioned
between spawns the male killed her in
an hour”
was proven with dozens, or even hundreds, of
documented spawns. Synchiropus splendidus, the
Green Mandarin, was the first species I worked with
and also the one I found the most success with. I
made it to between 10-14 days post-hatch, which
is near settlement, and perhaps if I had tried just a
little longer, I probably could have turned this into
a success story. The remaining dragonet species,
including Spotted Mandarinfish (Synchiropus
picturatus), Red Scooter Blenny (S. stellatus), and
the Scooter Blenny (S. ocellatus) were all fish
that I spawned and hatched as well, but never
managed to rear to settlement. In the end, the
biggest problem I’ve had with all my dragonets is
that sooner or later, someone ends up on the floor
during an over-enthusiastic late-night spawning
rise. Yes, even in what you think are well-covered
tanks, healthy, actively spawning dragonets are
extremely prone to jumping.
The Rusty Goby, Priolepis hipoliti, was a fish that
I only knew was spawning because I’d randomly
discover hatches while collecting Mandarin
eggs. The babies were significantly smaller than
those of the Greenbanded Goby (Elacatinus
multifaciatus) and I never managed to rear any. All
the Rusty Goby larvae would die within 24 hours of
collection. Of course, my broodstock pair was also
killed when I used a ‘reef-safe’ ich medication to
try to treat the same Amyloodinium outbreak that
also killed my Royal Grammas and a pair of Allardi
clownfish. I can say with some certainty that I have
never found a reef-safe parasite medication, but I
am convinced I’ve found a reef-safe medication
that will easily kill scaleless marine fish such as
10–007-011_Breeding_MH006.indd 5
31/10/2011 18:20:24
The Double Stripe Dottyback (Pseudochromis
bitaeniatus) has rapidly become one of my personal
favourites. While not gaudy like many more popular
marine fish, these guys paired up quickly and also
spawned quickly. While my experience is limited to
just the one pair, they are not nearly as aggressive
with each other as many other dottybacks can be.
these Gobies, and Mandarins.
Chromis viridis, the Green Chromis, was a
project I inherited from a fellow hobbyist who gave
me a very old, actively spawning trio (1m / 2f). The
best I’ve done is to get larvae to live 6 days post,
hatch. As old age apparently took the broodstock
one by one, I frankly lost interest in trying!
Neopomacentrus cf.
nemurus was a frustrating
project. I obtained these
fish as assorted damselfish,
and wound up with two
males and one female.
They were stunning little
damsels, small at maturity,
and were content to live
in relative peace in a
20-gallon aquarium full of
live rock. While not even out of quarantine, they
spawned but I failed to collect larvae. When I tried
to replace a spawning rock with a tile, it caused the
nest to be moved and I never saw it again. I was
really hoping to work with these fish, but I suspect
that I screwed up a dosage of copper to the
system when it broke out with Ich. I killed everything
in the tank, including this broodstock group.
The Orangeback Basslet, Serranus annularis, is
the reason I now also own a pair of Harlequin Bass
(the aforementioned S. tigrinus). I am convinced
that my Orangeback Basslets are spawning on a
regular basis, but I’ve only documented a single
spawn, one time via video, and I collected very
few eggs. This is a project I’m strongly interested in
completing, but given my current situation, I need
A female Mandarinfish (Synchiropus splendidus)
swollen with eggs on the afternoon before a
spawn. Dragonets like the Mandarin are at the
upper limits of what the home hobbyist can
potentially breed and rear successfully.
a better way to simply collect pelagic spawning
eggs on a daily basis, rather than having to sit and
watch and wait for a spawn to occur.
I’ll close out the group of ‘failures with the ability
to change’ with a species I’ve now kept for years.
The Pygmy Angelfish, or Cherubfish (Centropyge
argi) is one of those fish I simply loved as a kid.
Almost 20 years ago, when I
worked in a local fish shop, I
remember selling this species
to a routine client who came
in some weeks later to tell
me some exciting news – he
had spawned this species.
Of course, this was at a time
when the general wisdom
was that you could not, under
any circumstances, put two
angelfish specimens of the same species in a tank
together. And of course, I didn’t know this client
already had one when he bought the second
one from me. Even then, hobbyists were already
challenging the rules – no doubt this influenced
my own willingness to do the same from time
to time. So when it came to Centropyge argi,
I was well-armed with lots of readily available
information on how these fish lived, how they
formed male-dominated harems, and how you
might go about creating an angelfish harem.
Of course, unlike the 90-gallon reef tank from
20 years ago, I set out to do it in a 24-gallon
cube tank. The first time around, I obtained four
specimens during a winter sale from a local
shop. The shop had dozens on hand, and we
“I didn’t let that
failure stop me,
knowing full well
that it was disease,
not aggression,
which had caused
the first failure”
could literally place two fish in a specimen
container and instantly know whether they’d get
along or not. In no time, we had a compatible
group. What we didn’t know at the time was that
something sinister was brewing, and once again,
my suspected nemisis Uronema cropped up and
killed every last fish within a week of purchase.
I didn’t let that failure stop me, knowing full well
that it was disease, not aggression, which had
caused the first failure. I worked with one of my
favourite online suppliers of Caribbean reef fish,
who hand-picked me the one largest, and three
smallest specimens he had. Things went far better
and I had my first spawn within 2 weeks. The
Angelfish have now spawned daily, like clockwork,
every night for years. But I have never made it
past 5 days post-hatch with their larvae, and gave
up some years back. Of course, with the recent
introduction of multiple calanoid copepods
(including proven food sources for Indo-Pacific
Centropyge), this group of broodstock is now to
get another try before 2011 comes to a close. A
project that started years ago may still offer the
hope of a future success. MP
NEXT
UP
Matt will be taking a well-deserved break
to recuperate, returning in the March/April
2012 edition with some new articles. We’re
also inviting you, the reader, to submit your
breeding-related questions for possible
responses from Matt in future instalments of
our regular Expert Advice feature.
DON’T MISS EXTRA
ONLINE CONTENT!
Well this series really has been a massive
learning curve with loads of info thrown our way.
While we’ve tried to include as much content
as possible, we couldn’t fit it all in the mag. To
ensure you don’t miss out, we have put this extra
content together and made it freely available on
the website. We’ve included additional images,
supporting videos, and references for further
reading, for all six parts of the series. Why not
check it out!
Three Cherubfish or Pygmy Angelfish
(Centropyge argi) can coexist and
even spawn in a smaller aquarium.
Rearing the tiny offspring is another
matter, although late-breaking news
suggests that this species has just
been reared in captivity for the first
time by Dwarf Angelfish breeding
expert Reef Culture Technologies, led
by Frank Baensch, based in Hawaii.
-–11
31/10/2011 18:20:28
A REVOLUTION?
AUTOMATED WATER CHANGER
The AWC (Automated Water Changer) cuts out the
need for numerous containers, mixing pumps, manual
siphoning and all the mess that goes with it!
THE AWC SERVES 2 PURPOSES
• Helps pre-mix your salt water.
• Once mixed, the AWC will
slowly integrate the water
with your tank. After an
hour or so, simply throw
away the water and
your water change is
complete, hassle free!
GOING ON HOLIDAY?
Have you ever done a
water change whilst your
on holiday? Well now you
can! Simply pre-mix and set
the AWC to do 1 automated
change whilst your away.
18 litres
Available sizes
30 litres
50 litres
See the
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85 litres
www.reefloat.com
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT THE WEBSITE
Untitled-1.indd 4
30/10/2011 14:00:48
EXPERT
A D V I C E
I N
T H I S
I S S U E
Welcome to Expert Advice – in each issue we
invite a panel of the industry’s best experts to
answer your troubling questions, and give you
sound advice on how to tackle them.
14
15
16
17
A BIT ABOUT CRAIG
Craig has been an enthusiastic
aquatic hobbyist from an early
age. He worked in a local shop as
a fish house supervisor and then
went on to study a Fdsc in Marine
Aquaculture at Cornwall College in
Newquay, followed by a BSc (Hons)
in Applied Bioscience (Aquaculture)
at the University of Plymouth.
A BIT ABOUT LEVI
Levi Major is a UK-based
engineering geologist by trade,
but he also has over 21 years of
experience in marine fishkeeping.
Levi’s specialist areas are on the
technical side and include marine
chemistry, general reef mechanics
and gadgetry.
A BIT ABOUT TRISTAN
Tristan is an honours graduate in
Zoology and has worked in the
aquarium trade for almost 20
years. He has written almost 250
articles for a variety of aquarium
publications and has published
two of his very own aquarium
books in the UK.
A BIT ABOUT BOB
With 60+ years’ experience in the
aquarium hobby (40 specifically
for marines), Bob has pretty
much seen it all. He has written
extensively on the subject and
currently offers independent
aquarium consultancy services
while still fitting in extensive hobby
related travel.
TMC Expert Craig Timms gives
advice on how to monitor
pH levels and what it actually
means for the health of
your aquarium.
Levi Major gives advice to a
new marine hobbyist who asks
the question, ‘Do I need to
regularly dose additives?’
Tristan Lougher answers a
question about the hidden and
mysterious sponge like growth in
a reader’s tank.
Bob Goemans eases the
troubles for a worried hobbyist.
He offers a few reasons why
she may be losing her inverts.
™
GOT A QUESTION?
Our expert panel can help solve any queries you may have, so send in your questions to
Fish Junkies Ltd., PO BOX 4838, Sheffield S12 9DU, or alternatively email: info@fish-junkies.co.uk
-–13
013-017_ExpertAdvice_MH006.indd.indd 1
30/10/2011 19:09:05
™
www.tropicalmarinecentre.co.uk
I am new to marine fishkeeping and I’m trying to get my head around all the various
tests. I am finding it a little bit difficult to accurately test for pH with many of the test kits
available, but from what I can gather pH really is the crux of things. I am hoping if you
can help me understand i) what is pH, ii) is there an accurate method to continually
monitor pH, and iii) if the pH level changes, should I react immediately or might it correct
itself given a little time?
Thank you, Margaret Springfield, Lincoln.
Hello Margaret,
Generally speaking, pH is a measurement of
the concentration of hydrogen (H+) ions in
the water. A pH level of 7.0 is neutral. Anything
below this level is known as acidic and anything
over this is known as basic or alkaline. The pH
of the ocean varies, but in marine aquatics the
generally accepted level is between 8.0 and
8.4. Generally speaking, this level is attained by
the average sum of all the measurements taken
in the ocean. One very important thing to note
is that the pH scale is logarithmic, which means
that a pH measurement of 8.1 is 10 times more
acidic than 8.2. Therefore great care should be
taken when making any changes in pH because
large fluctuations in levels are dangerous for both
livestock and filter bacteria, and any adjustments
should be made slowly.
It is important to understand the relationship
between kH and pH. kH is a measurement of
the carbonate hardness - the total amount of
bicarbonates and carbonates in the aquarium
water. kH is measured in degrees of carbonate
hardness (dKH), which is also referred to as
alkalinity and is measured in milli-equivalents
per litre (Meq/l). dKH, Meq/l and ppm (parts
per million) are really just different scales of
measurement but are basically the same thing.
The carbonates and bicarbonates in the water
act as a buffer to pH. The biological processes in
the aquarium, such as the oxidization by nitrifying
bacteria and production of CO2 by aquatic
organisms, will acidify the water if there isn’t a
sufficient kH level. You should aim for a kH level of
between 6-12dkH. The higher the level, the more
buffering capacity you will have.
To control the kH in your aquarium you will
need to measure the calcium and magnesium
levels, aiming for a calcium level of 420ppm and
a magnesium level of 1300ppm. Remember,
stability is more important than hitting specific
figures. Calcium and magnesium have their own
relationship, and if they are out
of balance it will not be possible
to control the kH level - a typical
problem encountered by most
beginner marine aquarists. If
you try to alter one and not the
other, calcium will typically be
precipitated out of the water by
the chemical reaction, leaving
you with white traces all over your
tank and equipment. Calcium
and magnesium are used by
fish and invertebrates in their
day to day biological processes.
This is especially true for hard
corals, which will use calcium
and bicarbonates to create their
calcareous structures, potentially
causing the calcium and magnesium levels to
become out of balance. This imbalance then
affects the kH level, causing the pH to change.
If you use a high-quality salt mix and undertake
regular weekly 10-20% water changes, you will
be replenishing, in the correct quantities, all the
essential minerals and trace elements used in the
aquarium, thus controlling the pH, kH, calcium
and magnesium levels. While many good salt
products are available, I would recommend you
use either Tropic Marin Pro Reef or Tropic Marin
Bio Actif. These are laboratory-manufactured
pharmaceutical grade salts which have all 70 of
the trace elements found in the ocean added
in their correct proportions. A testament to this
product is that it is the only brand used, for the
last 40 years, by Tropical Marine Centre in its four
fish-holding facilities and
hatchery, where many
aquaculture world firsts
have been achieved.
If your aquarium
inhabitants, such as
growing hard corals, place
a higher demand on
the minerals, your weekly
water changes will not
replace all that have been
depleted. In this situation
you will have to monitor,
test and supplement the
various levels.
To constantly monitor
your aquarium’s pH level,
there are also products
available that offer this functionality, albeit they’re
more expensive than the standard test kit, for
example, the V2Control pH Monitor. This will
constantly monitor the pH and display the level
accurately on a screen. If you wish to raise the pH
you can add Tropic Marin Triple Buffer, which will
raise the pH, KH and other minerals required at
the same time.
Alternatively, if you prefer, you can use a good
test kit to check pH, as well as other parameters
such as alkalinity, calcium and magnesium. The
Salifert range is particularly recommended for
ease of use, speed, accuracy, range and price.
You can supplement your aquarium with
calcium and/or magnesium in many different
ways, but make sure any adjustments are
made slowly (over days and weeks). A weekly
dose could be divided into seven small daily
doses, which means you will steadily increase
the parameters rather than giving your
aquarium a sudden jolt. Never panic and make
a sudden change. If a test is out of its normal
parameter, test it again to make sure it isn’t a
test user error.
If there is a violent swing in pH, the damage
has been done so it’s time to start damage
control and check for the biological stressors
such as ammonia and nitrite, and then slowly
increase the calcium/magnesium/kH and
then pH.
I hope this helps, and I wish you
happy fishkeeping!
Craig Timms, TMC Bristol.
For further information about any
of TMC’s products, please go to
www.tropicalmarinecentre.co.uk
™
14–013-017_ExpertAdvice_MH006.indd.indd 2
30/10/2011 19:09:09
www.marinehabitatmagazine.com
Hello Panel, please help.
I am a total 100% novice when it comes to marine, in fact I’ve never even had a tank, but I
love the look of them and really want to give it a go. The problem I’m having is that as soon
as I start reading about it, there is just a mountain of information. From research done so
far, I feel I have a reasonable idea of the type of equipment I would need to get me going,
and obviously the feeding will depend on the inhabitants, but I’m more confused about the
additive side of things. There are thousands of products on the shelf, some specific ones and
some that do multiple things, so my question is this: what sorts of additives would I need to be
using, and how often?
Carl Johnson, Worksop.
Hi Carl,
If I could be so bold to say, at this stage of your
hobby you are very likely not going to need any
additives over and above what can be achieved
by regular partial water changes, whereby
the majority of elements will be adequately
replaced. However, I will admit that the majority
of us have at some time stood in the LFS staring
at all the additives, wondering what it all means
and which ones we need! The very fact that all
the bottles portray the dire need your animals
have for iodine, calcium,
magnesium, strontium,
iron, and a whole plethora
of chemicals you’ve not
heard of since your last
chemistry lesson at school,
just leads to the confusion
that you, and so
many newcomers
and experienced
hobbyists experience.
It is impossible for me to give a definitive list
of things you will or will not need to replenish, as
I don’t know what stock you hope to care for, or
indeed your proposed maintenance regime. If
you were to undertake, for example, weekly 10%
water changes and were keeping soft corals and
a few LPS corals, then I would say no supplements
would be needed. However, if the water changes
were monthly and your display was dominated
by SPS corals, then you would be looking to add
calcium, magnesium, strontium, etc., to keep
these at peak growth and in perfect health.
The only advice I can give you at this point is
to invest in test kits, and allow the results of these
to dictate if you have deficiencies which need
rectifying by supplementation, again, taking your
water change regime into consideration. Another
word of advice would be to say that if you haven’t
correctly calibrated your refractometer, or are using
a hydrometer, you may not be running the system
at the right salinity to realise the full calcium and
magnesium levels of the salt, whereby you end up
replenish these elements and minerals, and
in all likelihood it will be calcium, alkalinity and
magnesium which make up the bulk of what
requires supplementing. Whilst there are a
multitude of products on the market, I find that a
two-part additive called C-Balance from Two Little
Fishies is a good all-rounder; it provides sufficient
supplementation of calcium, magnesium and
various other salts to maintain alkalinity, as well
as strontium, lithium, rubidium, zinc, copper and
iodide, etc. It should be noted, however, that even
with a simple two-part
additive, you need to test
the water for alkalinity,
especially in this case, as
the amount you add will
be dependent on
this parameter.
So, to summarise,
there is no way that I
can tell you what you
do and don’t need to
supplement because it will be dependent on
so many factors. It may well be the case that in
your early days of the hobby, you can maintain
the parameters with simple water changes at
the correct salinity, with a view to supplementing
as the system grows, along with your choice
of corals. But, of course, what and when can
only be dictated by your water tests, and your
observations of your pride and joy!
“The only advice I can give you at this
point is to invest in test kits, and allow
the results of these to dictate if you
have deficiencies which need rectifying
by supplementation, again, taking your
water change regime into consideration”
supplementing these ions when a slight increase in
the system’s salinity is all that’s needed.
I will concede that marine invertebrates, from
corals to crabs, as well as the fish themselves,
down to the lowly macro and calcareous algae,
consume many trace elements and minerals
in the aquarium. Various minerals and elements
must constantly be replenished because every
occupant of the aquarium is competing for these
elements and minerals.
As such, you may well experience a need to
Levi Major.
Don’t forget to check out our website for regular updates,
with the latest news, mini articles, interesting video links and
extended magazine articles: www.marinehabitatmagazine.com
-–15
30/10/2011 19:09:12
The other day, I was slightly rearranging my tank, and when I pulled
a largish rock away to move it, I found a significant amount of white
sponge-like stuff on the back. Can you help me understand what this
might be, and is it good or bad?
Dennis Dodd, Lancashire.
Dennis,
The chances are that if you found it on the
underside of a rock in your aquarium and it looks
like a sponge, then it actually is a sponge. Next
to the cnidarians – the taxonomic group that
contains the corals and anemones we maintain
in reef aquaria – sponges represent the next
largest group in terms of biomass on natural
coral reefs. There are around 7,000 species
currently known to science, and the majority of
these are saltwater in origin, although they are
not limited to tropical seas.
Sponges (Phylum Porifera), possess specialised
cells that pump water through the colony. Water
enters via inhalant siphons that tend to give the
colony a granular appearance in the majority of
species, and exits via larger exhalent pores called
osculae. There are exceptions; some sponges
can appear shiny in texture, particularly those
known as chicken liver sponges – commonly
found on specimen corals.
Some sponges take on low encrusting shapes,
whereas others are whip-like, columnar or tubular,
and can bore into hard calcium carbonate
surfaces such as coral skeletons and mollusc
shells. Shapes and colours can vary considerably,
from bright blues, oranges, yellows and reds, to
grey, white and translucent.
The vast majority of species that are offered for
sale as specimen pieces, or which occur through
accidental addition with living rock or coral base
rock (even the stony skeletons of specimen corals
may harbour a variety of sponge species), are
exclusively filter-feeding, relying on a variety of fine
edible particles for their nourishment. These may be
as small as bacteria, or as large as the fine detritus
typical of fish waste.
Different sponge species
may have different
preferences for the size
of particle that they
consume. However,
there are a number
of species that form
symbiotic relationships
with bacteria, and some
with photosynthetic
bacteria we know as
blue-green algae. One
such species, Collospongia auris, is a bluish-grey
species, shiny in appearance, which can overgrow
well-lit aquaria and even out-compete corals,
given the opportunity. Not all sponges enjoy strong
illumination – some positively shun it. Others do well
in well-lit aquaria, as long as nutrient levels are low
enough to prevent the growth of algae that can
foul sponges, which prevents them from being able
to feed and so they soon begin to die.
The second part of Dennis’ question asks
whether sponges are good or bad in an
aquarium. Well, unfortunately this is not a simple
question to answer. Those that are introduced
by accident and grow naturally in the home
reef system are, by and large, entirely harmless,
and may actually assist an aquarium in the
management of fine
detritus that otherwise
might accumulate
and cause problems
in terms of water
quality. However, as
the sponges thrive and
colonise the surfaces
of live rock, they have
the potential, at least
in theory, to compete
for substrate with the
bacteria that detoxify
harmful ammonia and nitrite. This is likely to be
less of a problem than colonisation by calcareous
algae reducing beneficial bacteria on the well-lit
rock surfaces.
Arguably the most problematic sponges in the
home aquaria are those with symbiotic algae,
such as the aforementioned C.auris, sometimes
known as ear sponges. They not only utilise the
bright light offered in most reef aquaria for growth,
but they are also capable of processing the
fine detritus generated naturally in most systems.
Their prodigious growth rates can cause them
to overshadow or overgrow less vigorous coral
species. Not everyone finds this intolerable, and
the sponge has a certain beauty to it that some
aquarists enjoy. As the saying goes: ‘One man’s
meat is another man’s poison’.
It is also worth mentioning that dead or dying
sponges are abundant on and in ‘uncured’ live
rock. These are the decomposing organic sources
that produce high levels of ammonia and nitrite
during the curing process.
In general, sponges that begin to grow and
thrive in the home aquarium should be welcomed,
as they increase the general biodiversity of the
system. As with any organism, rapid growth may
be problematic and indicate a photosynthetic
species of an excess of the fine particulate diets
that sponges enjoy. I have seen situations where
phytoplankton has been added regularly to a
system with few specimen animals that consume
these unicellular algae, where sponges have
grown quickly as a result. In such circumstances,
photosynthetic corals may be overgrown and
therefore lose their access to light and, to a lesser
extent, nutrients. Such issues are thankfully rare
and not insurmountable, but best prevented
through gradual increase of particulate diets once
fundamentals such as nutrient management and
control are mastered by the aquarist.
“sponges that begin
to grow and thrive in
the home aquarium
should be welcomed,
as they increase the
general biodiversity
of the system”
There are at least four sponges in this picture,
each with very different overall structures and
colours. They include boring forms, encrusting
species, and columnar and cup-shaped giants.
Tristan Lougher.
16–013-017_ExpertAdvice_MH006.indd.indd 4
30/10/2011 19:09:13
Hi, I have a successful nano tank, in which corals and fish thrive, however,
I seem to struggle with inverts. I’ve tried cleaner shrimps, emerald crabs,
and more recently a sea urchin, and unfortunately have lost them all for
unknown reasons. Could you offer any thoughts on any aspects of a tank
that may affect inverts more so than other inhabitants?
Many thanks, Susan Clayton, Skegness.
Dear Susan,
Nano tanks are popular for numerous
reasons, such as many come equipped
with the necessary associated equipment
required to become fully functional, e.g.
lights, heater, water pumps, and filters. Of
course, the overall costs are also far less than
for much larger systems, and even though
the size is small, the satisfaction they deliver
can be immense.
Notice that I said ‘can be’. That’s because
nano systems
contain far
less water than
larger systems,
and therefore
experience
water chemistry
changes faster
than what occurs
in larger systems.
To their benefit,
water changes
are far easier and
less expensive than those for larger systems,
and can almost entirely maintain proper water
chemistry when accomplished regularly. I
bring this up here since water chemistry is
the number one maintenance aspect for all
aquarists; however, even though you failed
to mention water parameters, the mention of
corals (corals are also invertebrates) and fish
doing well leads me to surmise that it’s within
most needed water parameters.
The second most important aspect in
aquatic animal-keeping is nutrition. It would
have been helpful if you had mentioned
the species presently in the tank, or more
information about the ones that failed, and
how everything is maintained. Nevertheless,
let’s discuss shrimp first; you are probably
talking about the common cleaner shrimp
such as the Scarlet Cleaner/White-striped/
Skunk Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis). This
beauty has two red longitudinal stripes
separated by a white stripe that terminates in
a white-blotched inverted ‘T’ on the tail fan. It
also has extremely long white antennae, and
seems to be sensitive to temperatures above
27°C, and as with all shrimp, the water’s
magnesium (Mg) level must be properly
maintained, e.g. about three times the
calcium level in a properly balanced (calcium
and alkalinity) environment. Keep in mind
that the moulting process will not complete
should the Mg be too low, and the animal will
be lost. Also, should the shrimp not have a
secure environment for the moulting process,
tank mates may consume the shrimp while it
is in this suspended process. As to its nutrition, I
have always found that shrimp will feed upon
the various foods fed into the aquarium, or
from the cleaning process if so utilised by the
species. Therefore, I would test the Mg, adjust if
necessary, and be sure there are secure hiding
places in the aquarium’s décor.
As for the Emerald Crab (Mithrax sculptus),
in my opinion, this is not a wise choice for a
small aquarium. In the wild (Western Atlantic
Ocean) they are found living on algae-covered
rocky coastlines; backwater areas where rock
surfaces and rubble are algae–covered, and
also in seagrass
beds. Therefore,
since their diet
appears to be
mainly algae,
they have
found their way
into the hobby
where they are
sold as algae
consumers. This
may be quite
true when very
small, yet as they grow larger (7.5-10cm), they
become consumers of small fishes or anything
“nano systems contain
far less water than larger
systems, and therefore
experience water
chemistry changes
faster than what occurs
in larger systems”
else they can get a claw on! Systems that are
lacking in algae put its other small creatures
in danger if this crab is in the same tank,
and since I don’t know the environmental
condition of your aquarium, I can only
surmise it didn’t have enough to eat.
In general, urchins are also consumers
of algae and coralline algae, in fact, large
consumers of algae! If not supplied a plentiful
supply, they will diminish in health and die.
Be aware that they also have a desire for
calcium carbonate, and therefore can be
given pieces of cuttlebone to graze on,
which may help satisfy this need and possibly
save some valuable coralline algae. Sinking
algae tablets/pellets may be a way to keep
them well fed.
I hope this helps, and I’ll leave you with this
advice – when requesting help in the future
for perplexing aquarium problems, always
provide the fullest details of the environment,
as the person answering your letter is similar
to a doctor/detective, and needs all the facts
to respond with good advice.
Bob Goemans.
Bob’s past nano tank, a Red Sea Max
30D, with poly-foamed walls and
bottom, so no sand was needed.
-–17
30/10/2011 19:09:17
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Untitled-1 1
30/10/2011 12:13:04
CLEANER
WRASSES
SUITABLE
FOR
THE
HOME
AQUARIUM?
SCOTT MICHAEL
Age: 49.
Hometown:
Lincoln, Nebraska USA.
Photojournalist. Also
involved in consulting for
an aquarium maintenance
business (Reef Tectonics).
Marine experience:
38yrs.
Aquarium size:
58 US gallon aquarium
at home. Also involved in
maintaining over 100 marine
and freshwater aquaria.
Favourite
fish: Wobbegongs,
Epaulette Sharks, Frogfishes
(aka anglerfishes),
Shrimp Gobbies.
coral: Euphyllia, Goniopora
and Alvepora spp.
other: Reef lobsters and
decapod shrimps.
Specialist areas:
Behaviour ecology of
Elasmobranches (sharks
and rays) and reef fishes.
Labroides dimidiatus
cleaning a fusilier.
Scott Michael returns in this issue to discuss
the problems and benefits of having a handy
Cleaner rummaging around the aquarium.
T
he first record of a wrasse in the
genus Labroides cleaning another fish
appeared in literature in 1940. In this
book, the author L. F. de Beaufort stated that:
“In the aquarium of Amsterdam I observed that
Labroides dimidiatus cleans the surrounding
of the mouth and the gill openings of large
fishes…”
It was 9 years later when the famous
ichthyologist J.L.B. Smith said of the Bluestreak
Cleaner Wrasse (L.dimidiatus): “Feeds on minute
organisms on rocks and has been observed to
nibble over the mouth parts and gill cover of
large rock-cods (groupers).” It wasn’t until 1955
that a more detailed description of Labroides
cleaning behaviour occurred in a paper written
by Dr John Randall (he later did a taxonomic
revision of the genus in 1958). Since those
original descriptions of the symbiosis that occurs
between Cleaner Wrasses and other fish clients,
scores of papers have been written about this
amazing relationship. I will summarise some of
this data in the article that follows, as well as
examine the dubious husbandry record of the
Labroides spp.
CLEANING BEHAVIOUR
The Cleaner Wrasse genus Labroides comprises
five very distinguishable species. The members
of this genus rely almost entirely on cleaning to
obtain nutrients as both juveniles and adults.
Cleaning behaviour is defined as a mutualistic
relationship that exists between certain parasitepicking fishes and their piscine neighbours (the
client or host species). So what are the benefits
to the cleaner and the client?
The most important prey of the Labroides
spp. are crustacean ectoparasites that attach
to the fish and feed on their body fluids
and tissue – namely gnathiid isopod larvae
and calagoid, lernaeid, and lichomolgid
copepods. The importance of each of these
two groups varies from one location to the
other. In locations where isopods are the
most common parasite on reef fishes, adult
Labroides selectively feed on larger gnathiids.
Of secondary importance in Cleaner Wrasses
diets are parasitic flatworms (e.g. Benedenia
spp). I should point out that the flatworms
may be more important in Cleaner diets
than currently recognised. Because they are
soft-bodied and hence digested more rapidly
than hard-bodied crustaceans, they would be
more difficult to find in Cleaner guts. All these
ectoparasites can certainly impact the fitness
of their host. Therefore, having them removed
by a Cleaner would have definite benefits.
-–19
019_022_CleanerWrasse_MH006.indd 2
29/10/2011 15:11:33
Cleaner Wrasses - Scott Michael
Cleaner Wrasses also feed on infected and
dead tissue from an injured client. A study on
Caribbean Cleaner Gobies (genus Elacatinus)
indicates that injured fishes may seek out cleaning
to aid in wound healing. In this study, it was shown
that wounded fishes, namely the Blue Tang
(Acanthurus coeruleus), spent more time seeking
out Cleaner services than healthy conspecifics.
These injuries were reported to heal quickly
because the gobies clean the wounds of infected
tissue. Although this same quantitative data does
not exist for Labroides-client interactions, there is no
doubt the cleaning services of the Labroides might
fulfil a similar function.
What is the benefit to the Cleaner Wrasses?
There are hundreds of small fishes, like the
Labroides, which feed on small crustacean prey,
but because these wrasses are able to utilise this
highly-specialised food resource, they decrease
the level of competition with their neighbours.
MUCOPHAGY
Here is where a confounding element enters
this otherwise nice, simple story. Not only do
the Labroides prey on ectoparasites, they also
feed heavily on the scales and mucus of their
clients. Consider the Hawaiian Cleaner Wrasse
(Labroides phthirophagus). This species can
ingest up to 2ml of host mucus during an hour of
cleaning. That is a lot of slime!
Food preference studies have been
conducted that indicate that Cleaners prefer
slime over ectoparasites. In one such study,
captive L. dimidiatus were
trained to take mashed prawns
and fish flakes from Plexiglas
plates. They were then offered
a choice of parrotfish mucus,
monogenean flatworms,
parasitic gnathiid isopod larvae,
and flour glue (the control) on
the plates, in equal amounts.
The wrasses fed most heavily on mucus and
monogeans, while gnathiids were eaten only
slightly more than the control. These findings are
very interesting when you consider that gnathiid
isopods are reported to be the most important
component in the diet of this population of
Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse (e.g. comprising 85%
of the diet of adult L. dimidiatus from Lizard
Island).
The amount of mucus consumed varies
between the Labroides spp. and from one
geographical area to the next. In part, mucus
ingestion is a function of parasite abundance. In
locations where crustacean ectoparasites are not
as common, clients spend less time posing, while
Labroides dimidiatus are
not afraid to get really
stuck in to find food.
Labrodies dimidiatus
FIJI form
Cleaners did more inspecting and were taking
more bites and ‘swipes’ at their clients. ‘Swiping’
is when the Labroides swims against the side of
the client with its jaws open and is a behaviour
thought to be associated with mucus ingestion.
Cleaner Wrasses tend to ingest more mucus
from fish that produce it in copious amounts.
mucophagy, and is considered to be a form
of parasitism. Fish mucus is rich in nutrients,
like nitrogen and carbon. It is a valuable
food resource to be sure. But by removing
this protective mucus, the Cleaner Wrasses
may harm their clients by making them more
susceptible to bacterial or protozoa infections.
Mucus also facilitates swimming
by reducing drag as the fish
moves through the water.
Removing it may increase a fish’s
energy expenditure. It would
then appear that if a Cleaner
engaged in too much mucus
feeding and harmed its clients,
there would be selective pressure
against frequenting cleaning stations, or at least
against visiting those Cleaners that included
more mucus than parasites in their diets.
“removing this protective mucus,
the Cleaner Wrasses may harm
their clients by making them
more susceptible to bacterial or
protozoa infections.”
For example, at Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef,
seven of the 10 species most often subjected to
swiping behaviour were wrasses and parrotfishes
– species that are known to produce heavy
mucus coatings. There are also interspecific
differences in the quality (e.g. caloric value) of
client mucus. For example, parrotfish mucus is
thought to be more nutrient-rich than surgeonfish
mucus. These factors apparently have some
role in determining if a Cleaner Wrasse selects
to clean one fish over another (e.g. parrotfishes
over surgeon), or if the Cleaner ingests mucus or
invests time and energy searching for parasites
on a particular client.
Feeding on another fish’s slime is known as
CLEANER WRASSES IN THE AQUARIUM
Most members of this genus are considered
difficult to maintain long-term in the home
aquarium. There may be one exception to
this – the Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse (Labroides
dimidiatus). Although we have long considered
it difficult to keep this species in North America
(where I’m from), the Europeans consider it a
good beginner’s fish! It is so popular there that
it is usually one of the top 10 species exported
to the European Union. The Europeans report
THE DAILY DIET OF A BLUESTREAK CLEANER WRASSE
Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) Statistics
A study of L. dimidiatus from the Great Barrier Reef illustrated how
amazing these little labrids are! They found that they spent most of their
daylight hours inspecting and ingesting parasites, as indicated by the
incredible data in the table below. (Adapted from Grutter [1996])
Labroides dimidiatus
cleaning another
happy customer.
Amount of time active each day
12.65 hours
Mean duration of inspecting hosts per day
256 minutes
Estimated number of fish inspected per day
2297 fish
Diet
99.7% gnathiid isopods
Number of parasites eaten per minute
4.8 parasites
Number of parasites eaten per day
1218 parasites
Number of parasites removed per inspection
0.5 parasites
Number of bites taken for every parasite eaten
6 bites
Time required for food to pass through the gut
3.7 hours
Percentage of total body weight consumed
7% per day
20–019_022_CleanerWrasse_MH006.indd 3
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A QUICK GUIDE TO THE LABROIDES
in male-female pairs. Juveniles are more site-specific,
occupying a similar habitat to young L. dimidiatus.
This species also has a broad geographical range,
occurring from the Society Islands to East Africa.
some encouraging longevity records as well. For
example, the Nancy Aquarium in France has
kept L. dimidiatus for over 11 years, while a life
span of over 6 years has been reported to me
by several European reef-keepers.
FEEDING ISSUES
The biggest problem with most of the Labroides
spp. involves feeding. With the exception of L.
dimidiatus, most species reject captive fare.
As a result, they rely totally on the ectoparasites
and slime present on their fish tank mates to
meet their nutritional needs. This may not be
as big a problem if you have a large tank that
has lots of potential clients; the Cleaner Wrasse
may be able to acquire enough nutrients by
grazing slime and the occasional parasite. But
if there is relatively little grazing surface (i.e. fish
bodies), then the Cleaner will not get enough
food to stay alive. As discussed earlier, not all
potential hosts are as valuable a food source
as others (i.e. those species that produce more
slime are more desirable). Therefore, the types
of fishes you keep with the Cleaner may also
impact its chances of survival. Those species of
Cleaner Wrasses (e.g. Hawaiian Cleaner Wrasse,
Labroides phithirophagus) that rely heavily on
fish slime as a nutrient source will usually perish in
quick order in most home aquariums.
The Bluestreak Cleaner will usually accept
foods like finely chopped shrimp, mysid shrimp,
frozen brine, freeze-dried tubifex worms, or even
frozen prepared foods and flake foods. One
way to induce a finicky Cleaner to feed is to
present it with a live or fresh mussel that has had
the valves forced open so they can pick at the
‘meat’ within.
Unfortunately for aquarists, Cleaner Wrasses
do not consume the most problematic
aquarium parasites – the protozoa and
dinoflagellates. Therefore, Cleaners are not
recommended as a means of biological control
for Cryptocaryon irritans or Amyloodinium
ocellatum outbreaks. But Cleaner Wrasses
will control another group of parasites that
frequently infect our fishes. It has been shown
that the cleaning behaviour of the Bluestreak
Cleaner Wrasse can reduce the number of the
monogenetic flatworms (Benedenia lolo) in
aquarium-held fishes. There is also evidence
that indicates these wrasses will pick off the cystphase of the flatworm (Paravortex sp.), which
is commonly referred to as black ich
Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus)
This is the most common and durable Cleaner
Wrasse. One reason this species may do slightly
better than its congeners is that it is more likely to
ingest other foods. This species attains a maximum
length of 11cm (4.3ins). The Bluestreak Cleaner
Wrasse is territorial and displays a haremic mating
system. The male defends a large area from
consexuals (i.e. members of the same sex) and
within his domain there are from three to six females
which are subordinate to him. The females form
a dominance hierarchy, with the largest female
being the most dominant, followed by the second
largest, and so on (this is referred to as a sizedependent linear dominance hierarchy). All the
Cleaner Wrasses are protogynous hermaphrodites,
meaning they start life as females and change
into males. When the male dies, the dominant,
or alpha, female begins acting like the male and
changes sex within 2-4 days. The female next in line
moves up a rung and replaces the alpha female.
There are no chromatic differences between the
sexes, but juvenile colour differs from that of the
adults. Apparently, this chromatic disparity prevents
larger individuals from beating up the youngsters.
It is interesting to note that if larger juveniles (over
3cm in length) are isolated from adults, they usually
take on the adult colour pattern in about 3 days’
time. If they are then exposed to adults again and
subsequently attacked by them, most will revert
back to the juvenile colouration in as little as 5
minutes! The advantage to being the colour pattern
of the adult is that these individuals attract more fish
in need of cleaning. Juveniles are typically solitary
and hang out under ledges and overhangs, where
they clean diurnal as well as nocturnal fish species.
Not only will these wrasses nip slime off your fish,
they will also pick at tridacnid clam mantles and
potentially cause their demise. This Cleaner Wrasse
is wide-ranging and occurs from the Society Islands
in the Pacific, to East Africa and the Red Sea.
Bicolor Cleaner Wrasse (Labroides bicolor)
This is the largest Cleaner Wrasse, attaining a
maximum length of 14cm (5.5ins). Like L. dimidiatus,
juveniles of this species are a different colour than the
adults, but this species is also sexually dichromatic.
Females are grey anteriorly, with a black stripe on the
side, and yellowish-white towards the tail area, with a
black line on the caudal fin. Males have a royal blue
head, are black anteriorly and yellow posteriorly, with
a crescent black line on the tail. Males also display at
least two geographical colour variants. One of these,
known as the Fiji form, has a broad yellowish-orange
section on the posterior part of the body. Unlike L.
dimidiatus, adult L. bicolor wander over a large area
looking for clients, and will swim well off the bottom
to clean schooling fish. For example, I observed a
large adult cleaning members of a school of Oriental
Sweetlips (Plectorhinchus orientalis) that were milling
about 2m over the reef. Adults are usually observed
Hawaiian Cleaner Wrasse (Labroides phthirophagus)
This species is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands
and attains 10cm (3.9ins) in length. Males and
females are identical in colour, while juveniles
are all black with a purple stripe on their back.
Youngsters adopt the adult colour when about
4cm (1.5ins) in length. The Hawaiian Cleaner
Wrasse is territorial and haremic, displaying
a social organisation similar to the Bluestreak
Cleaner. They are usually solitary, but occasionally
occur in pairs or even small groups (which
apparently consist of one male and several
females or juveniles). Adults occupy stable
cleaning stations, however, individuals may move
from one station to another. It feeds on parasitic
copepods and isopods, and may rely on host
mucus more than any other Cleaner Wrasse. In
the aquarium it is difficult to provide it with enough
host fish (i.e. mucus) to prevent starvation.
Breastspot Cleaner Wrasse (Labroides pectoralis)
This species is known only from the Western Pacific,
having been reported from Micronesia to the Great
Barrier Reef and Indonesia, and also Christmas
Island in the Indian Ocean. It is a smaller Cleaner,
attaining a length of just over 8cm (3.1ins). It gets
its name from the black spot at the base of the
pectoral fin. It is similar in behaviour to the Bluestreak
Cleaner Wrasse.
Redlip Cleaner Wrasse (Labroides rubrolabiatus)
This beautiful wrasse occurs from the Caroline to
Society Islands in southeast Oceania. It reaches
a maximum length of about 9cm (3.5ins). The
Redlip Cleaner Wrasse is often observed in pairs
near fore reef areas and sometimes associates
with L. dimidiatus. It has been observed
cleaning most fish that live on or near the reef,
from small herbivores to large carnivores, like
the Napoleon Wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus).
Limited stomach content data reveals that it
feeds heavily on isopods, but it probably also
consumes copepods. This species performs
a less exaggerated version of the undulating
dance display employed by L. dimidiatus. No
colour differences exist between the sexes, but
juveniles are bright blue with a black band in the
middle of the body.
-–21
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Labroides dimidiatus clean
a wide variety of fish that
possess parasites.
(aka Yellow Tang disease). They have also been
known to remove the cauliflower-like growths
produced by the virus Lymphocystis.
CLEANER DOWNSIDES
Adding a Cleaner Wrasse to a tank of fishes
has some downsides. There are some costs
associated with visiting a Cleaner Wrasse. The
Labroides feed on host mucus, scales, and skin,
especially when ectoparasites are in short supply.
Most of the parasites on the Cleaners’ bill-of-fare
are in short supply in the home aquarium, so the
captive Labroides will ingest larger quantities of
fish slime and scales in order to survive. Because
of a loss of its external protection, a ‘captive
client’ is likely to be
more susceptible to
bacterial infections
and infections
by protozoa and
dinoflagellate
parasites. It is only
logical that a
Cleaner is going
to be more of
a menace in a
smaller tank that
contains fewer
potential clients to feed off. Therefore, if you are
going to keep a Labroides, it would be wise to
house it in a larger tank with a relatively large fish
community. In a large tank it will also be easier
for potential clients to avoid the attentions of a
Cleaner Wrasse.
A client fish that gets nipped by a Labroides
may retaliate by chasing it off. This behaviour
is commonly seen in the aquarium and can
be problematic for the Cleaner, as certain
tank mates may persistently attack it anytime it
comes near. On rare occasions, an exasperated
fish may turn on the Cleaner and kill it. For
example, triggerfishes have been known to
dispatch an annoying Cleaner Wrasse. On the
other hand, Labroides will sometimes hound
less manoeuvrable species, such as puffers,
trunkfishes, and porcupinefishes, causing them
great duress. This pestering may even elicit an
Ostracion trunkfish to emit its deadly toxins and
wipe out a whole captive community. I have
even had particularly aggressive Cleaners
continually harass more mobile species. In
one case, I had a larger L. dimidiatus chase a
medium-sized Palette Surgeonfish (Paracanthurus
hepatus) until the latter started hiding incessantly.
(The Cleaner ended up damaging the cornea of
one eye due to excessive picking!) A confused
Cleaner might also persistently attempt to nip at
and chase fishes with small spots. In some cases,
it appears that the Cleaner is attempting to feed
on the parasite-like
markings. They have
been known to do
the same to tridacnid
clams – that is, nip at
spots and papillae on
the mantle of the clam.
The Bluestreak
Cleaner can also exhibit
agonistic behaviour
toward other labrids.
I have seen large
L.dimidiatus chase
smaller Fairy Wrasses (Cirrhilabrus spp.) and
Flashers (Paracheilinus spp.). They can be very
aggressive towards each other, so it is prudent
to keep only one Labroides per tank, or add
two individuals that vary greatly in size (they
are protogynous hermaphrodites, so smaller
individuals are likely to be juveniles or females,
while males tend to be larger).
While they are not suitable for all aquarium
venues, the Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse can be
a fascinating aquarium charge. Watching them
clean their aquarium neighbours can entertain
the interested aquarist for hours. However, in
most cases, the other Labroides spp. do not fare
well in captivity and are best avoided. Happy
fish-watching! SM
“Watching them
clean their aquarium
neighbours can
entertain the
interested aquarist
for hours”
Many fish seek regular
cleaning to ensure they’re
free from parasites.
22–019_022_CleanerWrasse_MH006.indd 5
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SAVE OUR REEFS – 5p from every magazine sold goes directly to marine conservation
!
fs
ee
r
r
ou
e
v
sa
s
t’
le
er
h
et
Tog
I
f you are a regular reader of Marine Habitat magazine, you
may be aware of our campaign to raise funds for marine
conservation, but if not, here is a little insight into what we are
doing and why.
Nearly 60 per cent of the world’s remaining reefs are at significant risk
of being lost in the next three decades! Amongst many other things,
this is due to pollution, climate change and poor fishing methods.
This is not a small issue, and not something that can be resolved
overnight, however, Marine Habitat magazine is striving to raise
awareness, and enable hobbyists to make a more informed
decision about their choices of livestock and their sources. We are
therefore raising funds for the organisations out there which are
working hard to conserve what we have.
HOW THIS AFFECTS YOU
If nothing is done about this global problem we will lose huge
amounts of the world’s sea life, resulting in a shortage of stock and
making the fish and corals you find in the shops hard to come by,
and consequently unaffordable. So this affects us all, which is why it
is so important to every fishkeeper. A perfect example of this is the
Yellow Tang, which is only collected from one location worldwide,
and if the government stop allowing fishing here, we will never see
another one in our hobby – one of the most iconic marine fish will
be gone forever!
WHAT WE ARE DOING ABOUT IT
Our pledge is to donate a minimum of 5p from every copy of
Marine Habitat magazine sold to a chosen marine conservation
organisation. While 5p may seem a small amount, collectively
across all magazines sold we hope this will equate to a
generous donation.
Through this approach, every reader who purchases a copy of
the magazine will, in a small way, be helping to secure the future
welfare of all natural marine life.
HOW OUR CONTRIBUTION WILL HELP
• Support towards the ongoing worldwide clean-up projects
to reduce pollution.
• Will provide better training for workers to improve fishing practices.
• Funding the essential environmental education programme in
schools to make children aware of the problems we face.
Together we can make a difference to maintain a sustainable
industry for many years to come.
Picture courtesy of David Burdick/
Marine Photobank.
067_SaveOurReefs.indd 1
21/08/2011 19:36:40
NEW TO MARINE HABITAT?
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30/10/2011 12:50:36
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Untitled-1.indd 3
30/10/2011 14:02:07
YOUR
ULTIMATE
SPECIES
GUIDE
In each issue we will provide thre
e or more in-depth
guides on marine species found
in the home aquarium.
Profiles will be full of facts, photos
and guidelines to
keep the species in tip-top conditi
on.
THIS TIME...
Regal Tang
Green Emerald
Candycane
WHY NOT?
Tear out these profiles and start
creating your own archive.
Each issue will have three
profiles which will be available
to download on our website
should you want to keep the
magazine intact.
025-029_SpeciesProfile_MH006.indd 1
29/10/2011 14:52:00
COMMON NAME/S:
Pacific Regal/Blue/Hippo/
Palette Tang
SCIENTIFIC NAME/S:
Paracanthurus hepatus
ORDER: Perciformes
FAMILY: Acanthuridae
GENUS: Paracanthurus
RANGE: Indo-Pacific
Paracanthurus hepatus
Written by John Clipperton
Regal Tangs are a popular choice amongst
hobbyists, but be warned, they can grow up to
30cm (11.8ins). Before buying, make sure you have
adequate space to keep this chappy happy!
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT: Although this species
has a wide distribution, occurring throughout
the waters of the Indo-Pacific oceans, it is
not regarded as a particularly common or
numerous species in any location. Instead, adult
fishes are usually observed fleetingly as solitary
specimens, in pairs, or in loose aggregations
that roam quickly across relatively shallow
reefs in search of feeding opportunities. Usually
found at depths ranging from 10-40m, they
are reported to favour seaward reefs with clear
waters, which are exposed to strong currents.
Juvenile specimens often occur in groups near
to Pocillopora eydouxi coral heads, in which they
retreat for safety. In terms of feeding, this species
is benthopelagic, meaning that it feeds on both
free-floating zooplankton, and grazes algae and
other organisms from hard substrates. Variants
from the Indian Ocean with yellow colouration
on the lower half of their bodies are offered in
the trade less frequently than the more common
variety, and may be named along the lines of
Yellow Belly Regal Tang.
CAPTIVE CARE: Thanks to their beautiful royal blue
colouration, Regal Tangs are one of the most
popular ornamental fish species. However, many
hobbyists fail to appreciate how quickly they may
grow and introduce them into tanks that are too
small. Ideally they require a tank of at least a
300-litre capacity when small, with substantially
larger tanks advised for adult-sized fish (which
can grow up to 30cm (11.8ins) and may live
for over 10 years!), or for groups. Lateral line
disease, fin erosion, ich, and other skin parasites
are a particular problem with this species, and
it is often stress leading from confinement that
can bring on these maladies. In addition, a
varied diet is vital to maintain health and intense
colouration, with the incorporation of meaty, as
well as green, foods of marine origin. Although
this species relies on grazing for nutrition less
than similar species, green foods should be on
offer almost constantly, and other foods should
be offered in small portions a few times a day
rather than in one large feeding. Be wary of
emaciated fishes when selecting at the fish shop.
These specimens should be avoided. Like other
members of the Acanthuridae family, this species
thrives when provided with brisk circulation, lots
of swimming space, and high oxygen levels in
captivity; indeed, this goes hand-in-hand with
their highly active nature. It is also wise to provide
hiding places, and be aware that this species
may ‘play dead’ by lying on the substrate if
stressed. Substrate flashing may be a similar
behaviour and doesn’t necessarily indicate
attempts to scrape away parasites.
Although not regarded as the most aggressive
tang species, take note that these fish are
armed with a razor-sharp spine at the base of
their caudal fin, which can inflict damage to
other fishes and aquarists alike! Actually they
may also use this spine, and their first few dorsal
spines, to deliver venom. In short, although
aggression is usually limited to posturing, care
should be taken when mixing with other fishes,
particularly other tangs. Such combinations
should be researched carefully before they are
attempted if conflict and injury is to be avoided.
Don’t forget, all our species profiles and more will be available to download from our website www.marinehabitatmagazine.com
29/10/2011 14:52:05
COMMON NAME/S:
Emerald/Green Clinging/
Jade/Mithrax Crab
SCIENTIFIC NAME/S:
Mithraculus scultpus
PHYLUM: Arthropoda
SUBPHYLUM: Crustacea
CLASS: Malacostraca
ORDER: Decapoda
INFRAORDER: Brachyura
FAMILY: Majidae
GENUS: Mithraculus
RANGE: Tropical Western
Atlantic
Mithraculus scultpus
Emerald Crabs can be a very entertaining addition
to a tank, as they are actively moving around
searching for food all the time.
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT: Emerald Crabs are
residents of Caribbean waters, specifically
occurring in areas such as rocky coastlines,
backwaters and seagrass beds where there are
a myriad of algae-covered surfaces for them
to graze upon. Growing to a few inches from
claw-tip to tip, they have a heavily armoured
carapace, and their claws have spoon-shaped
tips which they use for feeding on different forms
of algae (actually they may even consume
Bubble Algae [Valonia sp]). In their natural habitat
they are nocturnal creatures that shelter amongst
rubble and in caves during the day.
CAPTIVE CARE: Though billed by some retailers
as harmless herbivores, these crabs are actually
omnivorous, and large specimens particularly
may pose a threat to small fish and possibly other
organisms in the aquarium. They may also prove
to be a nuisance in certain setups by dislodging
surprisingly large rocks and walking over corals,
making them retract. They are proven in their
ability to clear nuisance algae though, and
therefore are perhaps most useful during the initial
green hair algae blooms, often encountered
when establishing a new tank. It may be wise to
move the crab to a sump after this, or trade it with
a store or fellow hobbyist. With regard to Valonia
sp. Bubble Algae, studies have shown that this
species is an effective consumer, particularly
when other food sources are limited (especially
pellet-type foods). Opinion seems divided on
the best size of crab to employ though, with
some sources recommending smaller crabs,
while others advise large ones. Due to the
potential predatory tendencies of large hungry
individuals, small ones may be a better option.
Females, which may be identified by their smooth
abdomen plates (which are interrupted by a
tower shape in males), are even suggested to be
better consumers. Whatever the case, it may be
wise to introduce the crab directly onto the worst
patches of algae, as for a while they are likely to
feed on whatever is close to them. The fact that
these crabs simply tear the bubbles apart, thus
releasing algal spores to settle in other areas, is
often overlooked, and unless effective filtration
and circulation is employed to remove these
spores before they settle, it may actually worsen
the problem long-term. Furthermore, desirable
coralline algae may also be consumed by these
crabs. Although nocturnal by nature, they can
be expected to be seen during the day in home
aquaria, especially when food is introduced!
Although tough by nature, they do need to shed
their exoskeletons periodically to allow for growth,
and during the period immediately after this
moulting, their soft new bodies are vulnerable
to predators. Correct levels of iodine are also
necessary to avoid problems at this time.
29/10/2011 14:52:10
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
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COMMON NAME/S: Trumpet,
Candycane, Bullseye Coral
SCIENTIFIC NAME/S:
Caulastrea spp.
PHYLUM: Cnidaria
CLASS: Anthazoa
ORDER: Scleractinia
FAMILY: Faviidae
GENUS: Caulastrea
RANGE: Indo-Pacific
Caulastrea spp.
NATURAL HABITAT: These species are found in
Australian waters, throughout the Great Barrier
Reef and Coral Sea, in addition to locations
around the Seychelles and Maldives, to Fiji
and Tonga. Trumpet Coral colonies are usually
found on relatively sheltered reef slopes, often
with sandy substrates. They are more common
in brightly lit shallows which may be subject to
surging water flow. In their natural habitat, they
are often found with their skeletons encrusted by
other organisms, such as sponges, molluscs and
other sessile invertebrates. Their phaceloid growthform (where the polyps are supported on stalks
that grow out from a shared base) makes such
colonisation by other organisms possible.
CAPTIVE CARE: Trumpet Corals come in a range
of different colours and colour combinations,
such as greens, pale blues and maroons. They
are hardy corals that make good candidates for
beginners; however, they should still be treated
with care, particularly with regard to acclimatising
them to strong lighting. Positioning them in a
semi-shaded area, particularly if powerful lighting
is used, would be prudent, at least to start with.
In captivity, as in nature, they seem to prefer
indirect, moderate currents, and they should be
given a few inches clearance around the colony
because they may damage, or be damaged
by, other corals. This also gives space for growth
that may be significant if the coral does well. At
night they often extend short feeding tentacles,
and will benefit from the occasional feeding of
small meaty foods such as brine shrimp, artemia
or cyclopeeze. Under ideal conditions, they can
grow quite rapidly, and it is relatively simple to
fragment these corals, simply by snapping a
stalk off the main colony (which often happens
accidentally anyway). These stalks can then
be attached to rock work and will grow into
completely new colonies. Actually, it’s always
worth trying to find such captive propagated
corals, particularly if you are just starting out.
Regarding polyp extension, colonies may exhibit
some variability in the amount they ‘puff up’ their
polyps. This can happen for several reasons, but
overall, heavily inflated polyps can be a symptom
that the coral is attempting to expose the
symbiotic zooxanthellae within its tissues to more
light. In such cases it may be wise to carefully
increase light exposure, unless regular feeding is
contributing to the coral’s nutritional requirements.
29/10/2011 14:52:15
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11:10
TRISTAN LOUGHER
Age: 39
Hometown:
Northwich, UK.
Zoologist.
Marine experience:
15yrs.
Aquarium size: None at
home; I’m responsible
for many aquaria at
Cheshire Waterlife.
Favourite
fish: Yellow Eye Tang
(Ctenochaetus strigosus).
coral: African Blue Coral
(Cespitularia).
other: Anything but
sea urchins.
Specialist areas:
Species knowledge.
A
N
E
M
O
N
E
S
In this issue’s Top Of The Rocks, Tristan Lougher takes a look at those
amazing alien-like creatures desired by most hobbyists, anemones.
Although beautiful, some do have significant problems. Tristan rounds
up his top 10 of the most suitable anemones for the home aquarium.
F
or many people, the appeal of a sea anemone
hosting a pair of anemonefish might be the initial
attraction that tempts them into the hobby. The
interaction between the animals is an amazing spectacle and
one that fulfils the desire of most aquarists to witness entirely
natural behaviour in the home aquarium. More of the hosting
qualities of the anemones later, for not all anemone species
available in the hobby will host anemonefish. Indeed there are
a few regularly available species that can be stocked purely
for their beauty alone, and one of these has only become
regularly available in the hobby very recently, despite being
known about for many years.
FACTORS INFLUENCING THE TOP 10
The Top 10 is a personal ranking and yet the factors influencing
my choices and their position within the list will be applicable
to most aquarists. Therefore those species achieving higher
rankings will be highly attractive, widely available, and relatively
straightforward, if not necessarily simple, to keep. It is worth
noting that anemones are demanding of excellent water
quality and those that contain zooxanthellae tend to require
strong illumination too. Together with water quality, water stability
is of paramount importance – fluctuations in temperature
and oxygen must be avoided. Other factors in play are the
maximum size potential for each species – for example, not
many aquaria can cope with a hosting carpet anemone
(Stichodactyla spp) at maximum expansion.
Perhaps the most important consideration is the provenance
and survivability of anemones. Farmed anemones are
increasing in availability in the hobby, being sourced from
suppliers in Indonesia and Vietnam, and these should always
be more desirable than wild-collected specimens. Hosting
anemones have significant ecological importance on
reefs, not least for the important role they have in protecting
juvenile and adult anemonefish, as well as other fish such as
damselfish and cardinalfish. Their removal on a commercial
scale will have an impact on the environment in the collection
area. Propagation of anemones in aquaria is also increasing
as success in keeping these animals increases. Some will
reproduce by fission – where the anemone divides into two
separate individuals called clones. When a captive anemone
begins to reproduce in this way it often continues to do so
indefinitely. The clones can be taken to dealers or exchanged
with other aquarists. Artificial propagation has been successfully
attempted with most hosting anemone species and many that
do not harbour anemonefish.
There is one notable omission from the Top 10. This is the
beautiful Magnificent Anemone (Heteractis magnifica).
Available in red and purple-based forms with blue, green,
red and purple tentacles, this anemone would appear to
be highly desirable for the home aquarium. Add to this the
fact that it is the preferred anemone of the occasionally
temperamental Common Clownfish and Percula Clownfish
(these two species can prove reluctant to ‘move into’ host
anemones. Occasionally this is due to the fact that captivebred specimens have been purchased, but also because
unsuitable anemone species are being offered as potential
hosts in the aquarium).
The problems with magnificent sea anemones include their
potent sting, wandering nature in the aquarium, and the fact
that as a species it does not ship well, leading to very poor
survival rates in captivity. Of course, exceptions do occur, and
I generally find that those specimens with more muted colours
tend to do much better than brilliantly coloured individuals. I
suspect this is due to the areas that they are collected from
and the light levels that are incident upon them. In general
these are shallow water anemones – seldom found in water
deeper than 5 metres. Incidentally, there is evidence that
magnificent anemones prefer fuller spectrum lighting of
high intensity to the higher Kelvin rating (10000-14000K) used
in most reef systems. I have seen some wonderful captive
H.magnifica under 4000 -6500 Kelvin 400W metal halides
where the aquarium setup and hardware was designed
exclusively for the requirements of the anemone, rather than
being a general reef system to which an anemone was
introduced. Regardless of this it is the fact that in the vast
majority of cases this anemone will not survive that leads to its
omission from the Top Ten.
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Top of the Rocks - Tristan Lougher
HOSTING ANEMONE SPECIES
Anemones that are known to be occupied by
anemonefish at some stage in the fish’s life
cycle are known as hosting species. Some will
harbour juvenile and adult fish, whereas others,
probably due to the small maximum size of the
invertebrate, will host only juveniles. There are 10
species of host anemone which are shown in the
chart to the right.
Identification of some host anemones to
species level can be tricky at best, especially
the three species of hosting carpet anemone
Genus Stichodactyla. There are other species
that share common names such as the two
commonly known as Malu Anemones in some
circles (Heteractis malu and H.crispa). Although
the general husbandry for host anemones is very
similar, such as the requirement for excellent
water quality and strong illumination, many similar
species will have specific demands that must
be considered before purchase. These may
include the overall maximum size (Stichodactyla
hosting species may range between 50cm for
one species to 100cm in others) or the species
of anemonefish commonly hosted. For example
of the two species of anemone commonly sold
as Malus H.malu only hosts Amphiprion clarkii
in the wild, whereas H.crispa hosts a number of
species, including the aquarium favourite Percula
clownfish (A.percula).
NON-HOSTING ANEMONE SPECIES
Anemonefishes are a group of fish limited to the
tropical and sub-tropical Indo-Pacific, being absent
from the tropical Atlantic. However, the genera of
anemone that contain host species in the former
range have representatives in the Caribbean/
tropical Atlantic. There are also relatively common
and very beautiful anemones that can do rather
well in the home aquarium. The majority of these
contain zooxanthellae like true hosting species,
and many act as hosts of other invertebrates such
as shrimp or crabs. With care (some species of
Periclimenes Shrimp are thought to be small-scale
predators of their host anemone) attractive displays
of anemones and their commensal organisms may
be made in the aquarium.
ANEMONE SELECTION FOR ANEMONEFISH
Where possible and practical, where an
anemone and anemonefish is to be kept,
it is good to offer a natural combination. In
other words, seeking to provide a species of
anemone used by an anemonefish in its natural
environment offers perhaps the best chance
of natural interactions in the aquarium. Clark’s
Anemonefish (Amphiprion clarkii) is the only
anemonefish known to use all 10 species of host
anemone but as previously mentioned, some
of the smaller host species may only be utilised
by juvenile fish. Maroon Anemonefish (Premnas
biaculeatus) are known to only occupy Bubble
Tip Anemones (Entacmaea quadricolor) in their
natural environment. Such is their affinity with their
host, I have seen these anemonefish swim into
the bags of acclimating anemones and tuck
themselves into their tentacles.
A little research should reveal the natural
anemone host, or hosts, for particular
anemonefish, and a choice may therefore be
made to select the most suitable host. Of course,
some anemonefish will move into almost any
species of anemone whether it is their natural
host or not. Some will even use surrogate hosts,
such as stony or leather corals or anemones that
do not usually harbour anemonefish. Whether
opting for a natural or surrogate host, priority
should be given to its requirements, with hardier
invertebrates being selected where possible.
10
Night Fire Anemone
Phyllodiscus semoni
First appearances may be deceiving, and this
is certainly the case with this species of Fire
Anemone. A beautiful zooxanthellate species
it is variable in colour, ranging from green
or brown to orange-red. It is the latter colour
morph that is most commonly imported for the
aquarium hobby. During daylight hours or when
the lights are on in the aquarium, it looks a little
like an encrusting soft coral such as Cladiella
sp, albeit in an attractive colouration. However,
at night, from the centre of this colourful furrylooking mass emerges a structure we recognise
as an anemone. Indeed it looks very much
like a large Glass-rose (Aiptasia sp) Anemone.
This is an extremely well-armed anemone with
the stinging cells (nematocysts) possessing a
potent protein toxin that causes blistering of
the skin and, in rare cases, renal failure. It must
therefore be treated with respect. The reason
I include it here is because it appears now
and then in wholesalers and on availability lists,
9
Image courtesy of
Guido & Philippe Poppe
ww.poppe-images.com
© 2011
and is actually quite robust in captivity – even
coexisting with sessile invertebrates in well-lit
reef aquaria. Therefore it enters at number 10
as a warning; the Night Fire Anemone may
be purchased in all innocence but extreme
care must be taken with it – use gloves when
acclimating it and when putting hands into the
aquarium preferably avoiding maintenance
of any sort when the central tentacle mass is
extended. Fortunately, the relatively high price of
£30-£50 may discourage impulse buys, but this
is a highly attractive animal and for experienced
aquarists might make a good specimen to
maintain in a system with no fish present. (These
anemones have been maintained with fish and
ornamental shrimp with few, if any issues, but
the potential for predation or serious damage to
free-living animals is very real.)
The Night Fire Anemone hosts the anemone
shrimp Periclimenes venustus, an occasional
import from the Philippines.
Hosting Carpet Anemones
Stichodactyla mertensii, Stichodactyla haddoni, Stichodactyla gigantea
Image courtesy of
ww.poppe-images.com
© 2011
Stichodactyla anemones are identified by their
short tentacles that resemble the pile on a
carpet, hence their common name. Available
in a number of colour morphs, including purple,
red and green, the three hosting species appear
with varying regularity in the trade and are often
purchased for their looks without realising the
potential issues that may arise in the aquarium.
Firstly, these are potentially large anemones
and even in modestly sized systems can grow
to half a metre or more across. Size would be
less of an issue if it wasn’t for the fact that Carpet
Anemones have very powerful stings. Many
anemones feel slightly sticky when the tentacles
are touched, which is the sensation of stinging
cells firing their specialised harpoon-like hairs
into the skin. Try this with a Carpet Anemone
and the density of stinging cells means that
you stick fast to the short tentacles. Fight this
too vigorously and you will contact surrounding
tentacles and become well and truly stuck.
Being a human, a bit of brute force will pull you
free, and yet a fish or ornamental shrimp may
not be so fortunate. Stock with extreme caution
unless in a anemone-specific aquarium with
suitable anemonefish.
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8
Pizza Anemone
Cryptodendrum adhaesivum
Image courtesy of
ww.poppe-images.com
© 2011
A fascinating anemone, imported sporadically for the aquarium
trade. It does not generally ship well and has a reputation for being
difficult to keep. However, well settled specimens offered good water
quality can prove long-lived. Superficially resembling members of
the Genus Stichodactyla, Pizza Anemones may be distinguished by
the presence of two different tentacle types. Surrounding the outer
1-2cm of the oral disc is a fringe of potent stinging tentacles, similar
in appearance to the carpet anemones. However, the inner portion
of the oral disc has finer, fur-like tentacles with far fewer stinging
cells. Pizza Anemones do not grow especially large (30cm diameter)
and only naturally host a single anemonefish species. However, they
are known to harbour anemone shrimp (Periclimenes spp) – the
‘pepperoni’ on the ‘pizza’. Opinions vary as to whether anemone
shrimp are commensal (therefore harmless) on their anemone hosts or
low-level predators that may nibble tentacles.
TEN HOSTING SPECIES
Anemone Common Name
Magnificent or Ritteri Anemone
Malu Anemone
Short Tentacle Sand/ Beaded Anemone
Leathery/ Long Tentacle Malu Anemone
Long Tentacle Sand Anemone
Pizza/ Mushroom Anemone
Haddon’s Carpet Anemone
Merten’s Carpet Anemone
Giant Carpet Anemone
Bubble Tip Anemone
Anemone Latin Name
Heteractis magnifica
Heteractis malu
Heteractis aurora
Heteractis crispa
Macrodactylus doreensis
Cryptodendrum adhaesivum
Stichodactyla haddoni
Stichodactyla mertensii
Stichodactyla gigantea
Entacmaea quadricolor
7
Beaded or Short Tentacle Sand Anemone
Heteractis aurora
Image courtesy of
ww.poppe-images.com
© 2011
The smallest of the anemone species that host anemonefish the Beaded
Anemone is often confused with the long-tentacle Sand Anemone
(Macrodactyla doreensis), despite not being particularly closely related
to it. The species are separated easily because the beaded anemone
possesses lateral extensions that can resemble beads or give them a
feathery appearance. Both species often possess a red base, which is
usually unseen in the natural environment because these are burrowing
species; they dig down into sand/gravel substrates, concealing the stem
of the animal entirely. The oral disc is then spread flat on the substrate.
This provides a large surface area for light and food capture but also acts
as a guard perimeter should danger threaten. If a tentacle is touched
suddenly the anemone quickly contracts and disappears into the burrow
dug by the muscular ‘foot’.
For the smaller H.aurora, around 8-10cm sand/gravel substrate is
necessary, otherwise the anemone rarely settles well. Regular (every 2-3
days) feedings with meaty diets are a must for this species.
6
Atlantic Anemone, Condy Anemone, Haitian
Anemone, Caribbean Giant Anemone
Condylactis gigantea
Caribbean tropical and subtropical anemones are commonly available in
the UK, and are amongst the least expensive of the zooxanthellate species.
It is available in a number of different colour morphs, with tentacles ranging
from brown to purple and base/foot from brown to yellow, to red to purple.
Condy Anemones grow to around 30cm across the tentacle disc in the
largest species, and despite being relatively cheap to buy, demand similar
lighting intensities to the more expensive Indo-Pacific host anemone species.
The energy obtained from lighting can be supplemented with regular small
feedings with meaty foods such as chopped or whole shellfish. When given
suitable lighting intensity, this is one of the hardier anemones for the home
aquarium and may be adopted by some species of anemonefish.
-–33
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5
Heteractis malu
Long Tentacle Sand Anemone,
Corkscrew, Red Base Anemone
Macrodactyla doreensis
Image courtesy of
ww.poppe-images.com
© 2011
Malu Anemones are commonly imported and are quite easy to identify
when you know what you are looking for. The key thing to look for is the
shape of the tentacles, which in the true Malu are vase-shaped with a
thin attachment to the oral disc, expanding along their length before
reducing again to a rounded tip that may be highlighted with a brilliant
purple, green or red tip. They more often than not have thin bands of
pigment around each tentacle and the density of tentacles looks rather
sparse. Commonly beige, grey or brown in colour, the most desirable
forms have some astounding colours on the tentacles and oral disc
ranging from metallic green to pink, purple and red, and sometimes
combinations of these. Confusion may occur between the true Malu and
specimens of H.crispa that possess short fattened tentacles.
Malu Anemones may be used as hosts by anemonefish other than the
Clarke’s Anemonefish (A.clarkii) in the home aquarium, but more often
than not this species should be purchased for looks alone. White or yellow
specimens should be avoided because these may be dyed artificially
and have lost their natural pigments, including their zooxanthellae,
probably as a result of stress. Such individuals may reacquire
zooxanthellae and survive if sufficient food is offered, and yet this process
can be avoided entirely by not buying in the first place.
4
3
Malu Anemone, Short Tentacle
Malu, Sebae Anemone
The Long Tentacle Sand Anemone is a beautiful invertebrate with a wide
variety of stunning colour/pattern morphs that guarantee its popularity
with aquarists. For the best result, this digging anemone should have a
substantial depth of substrate in which to extend its base, and plenty of
room around it to accommodate the tentacle expansion. Purple and
red oral discs are particularly spectacular, but green, brown and grey
combinations are also beautiful, and some may be highlighted with thin
radiating white stripes.
The spread of the tentacles in this species can be large – up to 50cm
has been reported, and yet most are smaller, with around 20-30cm
being average. The general consensus amongst aquarists is that where
space allows and a suitable substrate depth can be provided, this is
one of the hardier first-host anemone species.
Long Tentacle Malu Anemone,
Leathery Sea Anemone, Crispa Anemone
Images courtesy of
ww.poppe-images.com
© 2011
Heteractis crispa
Possessing long, gently tapering tentacles that
usually end in a colourful purple or pink tip, the
Leathery Sea Anemone is a potentially large species
measuring 40cm or more across the tentacles when
fully grown and settled. Specimens should possess
slightly tacky tentacles and be attached to the
substrate before purchase. They do not attach as
strongly as certain other anemones, and I prefer to
place them in well-lit areas of the aquarium directly
beneath the lighting, albeit at the border of substrate
and rockwork. Some will attach to the rocks in this
area, whereas others will push through the substrate
and attach to the aquarium glass beneath. These
anemones appear to enjoy good flow, but it may
be necessary to reduce the amount of flow until the
anemone attaches itself to the substrate.
Well-settled specimens are usually brown, greenbrown or grey in colour, and it is not unusual for
specimens to eject some of their photosynthetic
pigments during shipping. Therefore regular,
even daily, offerings of food may be necessary
to supplement their energy until zooxanthellae
numbers recover, which is why it is important to
ensure that the tentacles have a stinging response
(i.e. are tacky) so they can hold onto food and
direct it to the mouth.
Image courtesy of
ww.poppe-images.com
© 2011
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2
Maxi Mini Anemone
Stichodactyla tapetum
First published in 1998, Svein Fossa and Alf Nilsen’s
The Modern Coral Reef Aquarium Volume 2
discussed a little-known anemone occasionally
encountered on tropical Indo-Pacific reefs.
The authors suggested that they would “not be
surprised at all, if, one day Stichodactyla tapetum
appears on offer, together with live rock.” Well, it
took over 10 years but it eventually arrived in regular
numbers, and on the face of it, it was well worth the
wait. However, there would appear to be at least
two species, or possibly variants, sold with different
maximum sizes. Compared with their hosting
congeners, these are tiny anemones peaking
at around 15cm diameter. Named Maxi Mini or
Mini Carpet Anemones in the trade they have a
large natural range throughout the tropical Indopacific, but it would appear that they are being
farmed in good numbers in Vietnam. Although a
Small Carpet Anemone would have its admirers,
even with a subdued palette of colours the Maxi
Mini can be one of the most stunningly coloured
invertebrates in a home aquarium.
With pigments ranging from red to orange, to
1
yellow to fluorescent green, and often combinations
of all four, it is not surprising that since good numbers
of these anemones became available they have
taken the hobby by storm, despite the relatively high
asking prices of certain colour morphs.
Placing these anemones is a case of trial and
error, although they do appear to prefer rock
substrates to sandy ones. They may be reluctant
to expand directly under very bright illumination
straightaway, although this can depend on the
intensity and colour temperature of light being
used. Once settled they expand beautifully,
showing off their remarkable colours and
patterning. They can be fed 1-2 times per week,
although often manage to capture food intended
for fish where offered. Their sting does not appear
to be as bad as their larger relatives, and the
fact that they are much smaller must mean they
represent less of a threat to fish. However, care
should be taken with small fish such as gobies.
This reason, and the fact that they do not naturally
host anemonefish, just about keeps this fantastic
anemone from the top spot.
Bubble Tip Anemone
Entacmaea quadricolor
Number one could only have been the Bubble
Tip Anemone. Considered the hardiest of
the host anemones and known to be utilised
by many species of anemonefish including
exclusively by the Maroon Anemonefish (Premnas
biaculeatus) and happily used by members of
the A.ephippium and A.clarkii complexes. This
is a species of anemone that has been widely
available and commonly
kept in marine aquaria for a
number of years. However,
over recent years we have
seen the increasing number
of specimens harvested
and /or farmed in shallow
waters. It has been known
for some time that different
ecotypes (Ecotype definition:
a group of organisms within
a species that are adapted
to different environmental conditions and
therefore differ from one another in structure and
physiology) of the bubble anemone exist. The
commonest form seen in the hobby is a shallow
water variant of usually small size (relative to
the maximum size potential of the species) with
large Bubble Tips. These may be found singly,
in groups, or in large aggregations formed by
asexual reproduction. Specimens from deeper
water may or may not have bubble tips and
are usually solitary. Such individuals will often
push their flexible foot deep into rock crevices, a
phenomenon repeated in the home aquarium.
Bubble Tip Anemones are found in a number of
different reef zones from very shallow to depths of
up to 40m. There are several colour phases and
a high variation in patterning in this species, with
some being rather stunning to behold, particularly
red forms which are found in both ecotypes.
E.quadricolor anemones that form bubble
tips in the aquarium of a dealer may not do so
in the home aquarium, and vice versa. Light
intensity seems to influence bubble tip formation,
but it may also be determined by the presence
or absence of anemonefish under certain
conditions. Bubble Tip Anemones without the
swollen tips to their tentacles may be confused
with other anemones such as certain colour
forms of Heteractis magnifica. However, the tips
of the tentacles of E.quadricolor, regardless of
whether they have ‘bubbles’ or not, always taper
to a point whereas those
of H.magnifica have a
rounded ending.
In general, the shallow
water ecotypes make
better choices for the
aquarium, and these
are widely available in
the hobby. Better still are
the daughter clones that
arise from the asexual
reproduction of aquarium
specimens, as these have not had to endure
the rigours of collection and shipping. Although
strong light intensity is linked with success with the
majority of bubble anemone individuals, whether
shallow water or solitary ecotypes, there are
exceptions. I am aware of one long-term captive
variant that almost certainly belongs to the
shallow water ecotype that thrives under strong
metal halide lighting, and also the relatively
weak light offered by a pair of T8 fluorescents,
reproducing rapidly under each contrasting light.
Bubble Anemones are renowned for their
wandering behaviour in the aquarium, and this
can cause problems because they upset lightly
attached coral specimens, or even sting them
directly as they come into contact with them. This
behaviour is probably influenced by a number of
factors; the search for suitable light intensity, the
search for a suitable rock crevice to push their
long flexible foot and stem into, and possibly,
where oxygen levels are lower than desired, to
position themselves close to the water outflow
from a flow or return pump.
CONCLUSION
The Top 10 often throws up some unusual
specimens that may be considered for the home
aquarium. For this issue the choice is somewhat
limited, due to the relatively few species of
anemone available for the home marine aquarium.
I didn’t want to focus simply on the species that are
known to host anemonefish as the three species
in the top 10 don’t actually offer much to the
aquarist; not least their outstanding beauty. The top
10 contains some facts that may help an aquarist
decide whether a particular anemone is suitable for
them to keep in their aquarium, but is by no means
definitive. Researching a potential acquisition is
always important, but particularly so in the case
of anemones because there are a number of
potential problems that an unhappy anemone
can cause to aquarists and their livestock. Taken a
stage further, the last thing a hobbyist wants to deal
with is a rapidly decomposing anemone that has
died, perhaps due to poor husbandry, unsuitable
conditions offered in the aquarium, or because of
the stresses of collection and shipping. With care,
however, the dream of recreating the relationship
of anemonefish and host is very possible and
enormously rewarding. TL
NEXT TIME
In issue 3, Tristan gave us a run-down of his top
10 Large Polyp Stony (LPS) corals. In the next
issue, issue 7, he will be treating us his top 10
Small Polyp Stony (SPS) corals. It is commonly
recognised that SPS corals require more light,
more flow, and better water parameters than LSP
corals and as such, are also acknowledged as
being more difficult to keep. It is probably fair to
say that SPS corals are not ideal for the beginner
however most certainly offer an absolutely
stunning range of shape, growth rate and most
impressive colour. We hope you are looking
forward to next issue’s top 20 as much as us.
-–35
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False Eye Secrets - John Dawes
JOHN DAWES
Age: 66
Hometown: Gibraltar (now
living in Spain).
International consultant,
author, editor.
Marine experience: Over
25 years.
Aquarium size: Have had
numerous aquaria, but
owing to my travelling
schedule, I now have a
number of ponds.
Favourite
fish: In no specific order;
Tomato Clown, Leafy
Seadragon, Pinecone Fish,
Twinspot Wrasse, Cleaner
Wrasse, Yellow Tang, Addis
Butterfly, Emperor Angel,
Banggai Cardinalfish,
Red Lionfish… plus
numerous others!
other: All forms of shore life
Specialist areas: Marine
life in nature, ecology,
evolution, fish behaviour,
conservation, the
ornamental aquatic industry.
The Copperband Butterfly
(Chelmon rostratus) has
both a hidden eye and
an ocellus located well
away from the real eye.
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False Eye Secrets - John Dawes
JOHN DAWES
FALSE EYE SECRETS
In this issue we welcome on board John Dawes to
start his new series offering a wide range of interesting
topics, each bringing you some factual information.
This time John explains the secrets of the false eyes.
attackers grip the prey by the head and then
manoeuvre it so that it can be swallowed
head first. This results in the fin spines of the
prey being folded out of harm’s way as it is
being swallowed, minimising the risk of injury to
the predator.
W
elcome to a brand new series
consisting of one-page insights
into the marvellous world of
marine creatures. Over time, I will feature a
wide range of topics, from false eyes in fish,
to gut-vomiting sea cucumbers – and a great
deal more in between.
Sometimes the column will be dedicated to
an item of hot news, while at other times it will
focus on less time-sensitive, but nonetheless
interesting, aspects of the lives of the marines
we keep in our aquaria, or those that roam the
coastal and open waters of our planet.
I hope you enjoy the offerings. For my part,
I’m absolutely delighted to join the Marine
Habitat team and to contribute to this great
magazine on a regular basis.
with the width of the band, bordered by lightcoloured areas in front and behind, which
match the colour of the head.
Other species do not have a band, but their
eyes are surrounded by large dark patches.
Whatever the arrangement, the end result is
the same; the eye is hidden from view, helping
protect it from attack. Many butterflies go a
stage further and have one or more eye spots
on the body, on the dorsal fin, or at the base
of the tail, i.e. the caudal peduncle.
False eyes are said to help draw attackers
away from the real eyes of the fish to less vital
parts of its body. Therefore, if a butterflyfish
is injured in an attack, it is more likely to be
injured in the region of the ocellus than in the
region of the real eye. Thus it will be able to
regenerate the damaged tissues, whereas
FALSE EYE SECRETS
it would not be able to regenerate a lost or
It would be safe to say that there’s more to
badly damaged real eye.
ocelli than meets the eye. Ocelli (singular:
Another less often-quoted advantage that
ocellus) are also known as eye spots or false
may be enjoyed by species with false eyes
eyes, and are a feature
near the back of the body
exhibited by many
involves escape behaviour.
fish species, both
If a predator decides to
freshwater and marine,
launch an attack, it may
as well as non-fish
aim just in front of its target
species, including
to make allowance for the
butterflies (of the flying
victim’s forward-directed
kind!) and moths.
escape dash. But if what
In many fish species,
the predator interprets
ocelli are found in
as the eye is actually an
combination with
ocellus located at the back
hidden eyes, i.e.
end of the prey’s body,
true eyes that are
and the predator aims
In the Lattice Butterfly (Chaetodon rafflesii), the eye
camouflaged in some
just in front of its target, it
is hidden within a black vertical head band.
way that makes them
is actually aiming behind
difficult, or at least, less
it, with the intended victim
easy to see. Many butterflyfish, for example,
dashing off in the opposite direction when the
have a dark band running from the top of the
attack is launched!
head through the eye and down to the chin.
This tendency to aim an initial attack at the
This band is often narrower than the eye itself,
head is adopted by many of those predators
and where this is the case, the iris of the eye
which don’t possess large enough mouths
has a dark or coloured section that coincides
to swallow their prey in a single gulp. These
Recent studies suggest that eyespots, at least some in
damsels (these are Talbot’s Damsels [Chrysiptera talboti]),
may have more to do with intra-specific interactions than
anti-predator protection.
All this makes good biological sense,
doesn’t it? However, a paper published
in 2008 casts doubt on these traditional
interpretations. In a mark-recapture study
of newly-metamorphosed Ambon Damsels
(Pomacentrus amboinensis), it was discovered
that none of the juveniles recaptured after
one month had any bite marks on their
ocelli. Further, other associated evidence,
such as larger eyespots in wild-captured
juveniles, as compared to juveniles reared in a
predator-free environment, seems to indicate
that eyespots may be more important in
interactions between juveniles and adults of
this species than in anti-predator protection.
Another possible function being suggested
for eyespots is that they might act to
intimidate potential predators at night,
when the bearer of the eyespots is hiding. In
addition, it is being suggested that predators
may learn to associate eyespots with
unpalatability in butterflyfishes.
If more evidence of this kind comes to
light, especially as it relates to other species
besides P. amboinensis, we may well have to
rethink how we approach and interpret this
fascinating subject. JD
-–37
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M
any people have a love/hate
relationship with xenia. For people
wanting to keep xenia, it often will
not grow, and for people not wanting it, it usually
grows like a weed! It really is the Marmite of the
coral world but can be an excellent addition to
the marine aquarium, adding lots of very visual
movement that not all corals have to offer.
Xenia are a little bit of a mystery in the hobby,
with many questions about them still awaiting
answers. Strangely, even established colonies have
been known to deteriorate for no apparent reason,
so learning how to frag these corals is worthwhile to
ensure longevity in the marine aquarium.
JASON THRESHER
Age: 35.
Hometown:
Bookham, Surrey, UK.
Occupation:
IT manager; owner of
Reef Culture.
KEEPING XENIA ALIVE
While no one really knows why xenia colonies
crash, there are a few things you can do to keep
this mesmerising coral healthy in your tank.
Marine experience:
18 years.
Tank size:
24g D-D Nano Cube.
• Although xenia are photosynthetic, they seem to
do better in nutrient-rich water and grow better
in tanks without a skimmer
• You need moderate to high flow in the tank to
keep the xenia happy. The water flow induces
the pulsating action of the corals
• Lighting is also important. Although xenia can be
kept successfully at lower light levels, for long-term
survival in the aquarium you want medium to
high lighting
• Regular pruning seems to promote good growth
and health
• Many people that have success with xenia
recommend adding iodine to the tank
Favourite
fish: gobies and blennies.
coral: zoanthids.
and palythoa!
other: Pistol Shrimp.
Specialist areas:
coral propagation.
TOOLS OF THE TRADE
SCISSORS: We will be using the scissors to cut the
branches off the xenia. Please note: slim-bladed
scissors work much better than the large-bladed
scissors used to cut paper. You can also use a
scalpel, but it is a little more difficult.
FRAG PLUG OR LIVE ROCK RUBBLE: The xenia will be
attached to these items.
TOOTHPICK AND AN ELASTIC BAND: These items
will be used to attach the new xenia frag to the
live rock.
CONTAINERS: As always, it is useful to have a
couple of containers to house the corals before
and after fragging.
I will be demonstrating a different fragging
technique in this issue, but the same method that
was used in the mushroom article (glass ramekin,
elastic band, and meshing) could be used with
xenia. It is actually my preferred method for
fragging xenia, but knowing multiple techniques
always allows you to adapt to whatever equipment
you might have at hand.
FRAGGING
X E N I A
SCIENTIFIC NAMES: Xenia sp.
COMMON NAME: Pom Pom Xenia, Pulsating Xenia, Pulse Coral
In this issue Jason Thresher will be sticking the knife into the ever-popular
Pulsating Xenia. Join him as he talks you through the basics of fragging xenia
and the care needed for a successful frag.
HOW TO FRAG XENIA
The easiest way to frag xenia is when it is still in
the tank. This way the xenia will be inflated to
its full size, making the placements of the cuts
much easier. It also allows you to identify which
branches are best suited to fragging, because
they will all be extended.
If you are using a scalpel it is best to frag the xenia
out of the water. You should place the coral on a
solid surface where you can safely make the cut.
When you have identified a healthy branch of
xenia, simply cut it from the mother colony. My tip
for this stage is as follows: Do not cut the coral flush
to the main body of the coral. You want to leave a
little ‘stalk’ that will recover and grow into another
fragable branch. By cutting the coral flush, there
is a high possibility that the wound will heal flush,
38–038-039_FraggingXenia_MH006.indd 1
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Fragging Xenia - Jason Thresher
resulting in one less branch to frag in the future.
Once you have cut a few frags off the colony, you
now need to attach them to the live rock. Working
with xenia is a little tricky because it is so slimy, so the
next step might take a little trial and error. Take the
wooden toothpick and push it through the base of
the frag as though you are making a skewer. This is
actually easier said than done, so I have come up
with an easier way to achieve this! Use some form
of foam or polystyrene and lay the xenia on it. This
prevents the xenia sliding around, but also allows you
to push the toothpick through the actual polystyrene,
so there aren’t the problems you would have if the
surface was solid.
Once you have skewered the frag, use the
rubber band to attach the toothpick to the live
rock or plug. It should attach itself to the live rock
within 3 weeks. You can then remove the elastic
band and pull the toothpick out. The little hole that
is left will heal within a few days.
Some people use an elastic band to directly hold
the xenia onto the rock. This method yields poorer
results because the elastic band often sits too tightly
and often causes tissue necrosis on the frag.
Once you have attached all the xenia to the live
rock, return it to the tank. Place it in a medium flow
so that it can be encouraged to start pulsing.
POST FRAGGING CARE
It is normal for the xenia to sulk for a day or two.
Keep an eye on the frags and if anything dies or
looks unhealthy, remove it from the tank.
As with most soft corals, xenia thrive in
nutrient-rich water. While they technically are
photosynthetic, I find that some target-fed food
does induce the pulsating action that is needed
for a healthy frag. I have read where some people
say that xenia do not feed on suspended particles,
but my experience has been different. My xenia go
into pulsing overdrive when I feed the tank.
I also recommend running carbon to absorb
any excess organic waste that might be produced
by the recovering xenia.
FRAGGING
X E N I A
STEP 1
Here you can see the various tools used to frag the xenia.
Remember to have all the equipment close to hand to ensure
you’re not skittering around trying to remember where you last
put the elastic bands.
STEP 3
Neatly cut a branch from the colony using sharp scissors.
Place the frags into the container of water until stage 4. Ideally
you want to cut frags that are about 3-4ins long, as this will
give you a good surface to skewer when the frags shrivel up.
STEP 2
First find a suitable colony with a decent number of
branches to frag. Xenia are quite hardy corals when it
comes to fragging and don’t mind being out of the water
for extended periods of time.
STEP 4
Now the tricky part; lay the frags on the sponge (polystyrene
works well too) and push the toothpick through the base of the
frag and into the sponge. Don’t worry if the xenia frags shrivel
up after you have cut them from the colony. This is normal.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Your xenia fragging endeavours should have a
high success rate. They are an easy coral to frag
and have unbelievable recovering abilities.
They are the perfect coral to practice on and
will help you to hone your skills for the more difficult
corals to follow! JT
Xenia is possibly the easiest coral to frag.
Hobbyists regularly accidentally frag them
when moving. If you’re new to fragging,
then this coral is a sure winner.
STEP 5
You will now need the rubber bands and some live rock
rubble or frag plugs. Fasten the toothpick to the live rock
by tying it down with the rubber band and return the
mounted frag to the tank.
STEP 6
After about 3 weeks the xenia will have attached to the rock.
You can now remove the rubber bands and slowly pull out the
toothpick with a gentle twisting motion. The remaining hole
should heal over within the next couple of weeks.
Did you have a go at fragging xienia?
If so, then let us know how you got on:
editor@fish-junkies.co.uk
-–39
038-039_FraggingXenia_MH006.indd 2
30/10/2011 11:31:47
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Untitled-1 2
30/10/2011 12:17:44
PART 4
Filtration Demystified - Bob Goemans
BOB GOEMANS
Age: 75.
Hometown:
Tucson, Arizona (USA), and
Bahia de Kino (Mexico).
Marine aquarium
consultant, public speaker,
and writer/author.
Marine experience:
40 years
Aquarium size:
Due to traveling
requirements, I maintain
two 30 gallon nano
systems, one at each
home, and also continue to
consult and help maintain
many client systems.
Favourite
fish: Enchelycore pardalis
(Dragon Moray).
coral: Acropora youngei
(Bali Green Stony Coral).
other: Basically all inverts.
Specialist areas:
Providing an educational
marine aquarium website
at www.saltcorner.com
DID YOU KNOW?
Bacteria using metabolism to ‘transform’
matter/elements/compounds into
energy for reproduction and/or other
forms of elements or compounds,
are at the frontline when it comes to
maintaining a healthy and ‘balanced’
aquarium environment. How well they
function is dependent upon your
knowledge of their existence and
requirements, as system environmental
changes are a result of their functions,
and this is what this four-part article has
all been about!
Bob brings his four-part filtration series to a close. This
time he discusses the close connections of infauna and
phosphate relating to the mechanics of the sand bed.
Could this be the answer to a balanced aquarium system?
A
s discussed in the last issue, the
differences between biological
filtration processes in plenum systems
and those from sandbeds used directly on the
aquarium bottom were not only quite astonishing,
they provided a pathway to obtaining true
equilibrium/balance in closed systems. But space
to write about our research into phosphate, a
subject that also interests almost all aquarists,
especially reef aquarists, and that of the impact
of infauna was not available. Here, I’ll add
those thoughts and try to summarise previous
discussions as space allows.
As to phosphate, most hobbyists know it
comes about mainly
from the foods fed
and/or the quality of
tap water used for
evaporation makeup or water changes,
and that excessive
amounts, e.g.
>0.015mg/l, interferes
with coral growth and
encourages algae
growth. Therefore,
phosphate-removing
media/reactors are
important in closed
systems. Beyond that,
it’s been said that
anaerobic areas, where obligate anaerobic
heterotrophs reside, accumulate phosphate.
Actually, the word ‘accumulate’ is somewhat
incorrect. Yes, these bacteria are inefficient
and produce copious amounts of phosphate.
However, the anaerobic area with its lower pH
and redox is a fairly efficient user of the oxygen
electrons tied to the phosphorous element. This
results in the phosphate being reduced back
to phosphorus.
That’s a good point for deep beds on the
aquarium bottom, as most of its substrate is in
a truly anaerobic condition (<.5mg/l oxygen).
It could also then be said that phosphate
accumulates in the bed in the more aerobic/
anoxic zones, however, that’s also not 100%
accurate. In those areas it’s mostly bound to
calcium where it’s quite stable because it’s very
easy in those zones to maintain its electrical
charge balance because of the surrounding
diffusion of oxygen. Therefore, phosphate is usually
not available for uptake in substrates unless directly
associated with reducing conditions.
Of course, the above relates to the bacteria
that inhabit the bed, but in all fairness, there
is also another aspect to consider, and that
would be the impact of infauna on those
various microbial processes. Whether worms or
crustaceans, they depend on oxygen to live
and have to link with the bulk water interface/
boundary, whereas microbes do not. Therefore,
their tunneling effect can have positive and
negative effects on the efficiency of various
microbial processes. If phosphate is liberated
to the bulk water,
it’s in the form of
orthophosphate,
something not
registered on aquarium
phosphate test kits,
and which can easily
cause algae blooms if
in excess.
As to what size
and type tunnelling
creature would add
or subtract benefits
from the microbial
processes is something
not quantifiable in
aquaria. Therefore,
in my opinion, they are a wild card because no
one can say how many or what type of infauna
species is needed (or actually supply them),
and that they would behave as hoped for and
create a more balanced condition. Keep in mind
infauna also ingest sources of phosphate and
produce phosphate-laden wastes. Nevertheless,
they are more movers of the compound than
users. In my opinion, bacteria are predictable,
infauna are not!
As for a summation, if you’ve read the first
three instalments, it should now be clear that
biological filtration, i.e. bacteria using metabolism
to transform matter/elements/compounds into
energy for reproduction, and/or other forms of
elements or compounds, are at the frontline when
it comes to maintaining a healthy and balanced
aquarium environment. In fact, that quest for
such an environment may have unknowingly
begun in 1950 with the first UGF called the
“If phosphate is
liberated to the bulk
water, it’s in the form
of orthophosphate,
something not
registered on aquarium
phosphate test kits,
and which can easily
cause algae blooms if
in excess”
-–41
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A reef aquarium using
a very fine layer of
white sand area.
French Invisible Filter, moved on in the mid’80s with the introduction of trickle filters, and
then later on to systems based on live rock
and improved equipment. Nevertheless, and
somewhat unfortunately, the understanding of
the associated microbes and their pathways
in aquariums did not take a big leap forward
until almost the mid-’90s, when there was major
research by Sam Gamble and me into the anoxic
sediment denitrification method conceived by
Dr Jean Jaubert, the results of which were quite
amazing and set the record straight as to what
biological processes were really happening
in several different-style sandbed systems, This
resulted in giving aquarists an informed choice
on what may better suit their desired system goals
when it came to biological filtration.
As to that research, it importantly showed
among other things, that there were two forms
of denitrification. One occurred where .5 to
2.0mg/l of oxygen existed, the anoxic zone
where facultative anaerobic heterotrophs
reduced nitrate back to nitrogen gas (called
dissimilatory denitrification), and in a zone where
less oxygen existed,
more properly called
the anaerobic zone,
obligate anaerobic
heterotrophs existed
and reduced nitrate
back to ammonium
no further (called
the ammonification
process). As previously
explained, in plenumequipped beds,
almost the entire
bed remained in a
very efficient anoxic
condition, but this
was not the case in
sandbeds placed
directly on the
aquarium bottom.
In those situations, for example, using the
common grain size of between 2-4mm and
placed at a depth of 5cm (2ins), the first 1.25cm
(.5ins) of depth houses the aerobic autotrophs
that provide the reduction of inorganic ammonia
to finally that of nitrate. Just below this area/
zone there’s a level of facultative anaerobic
heterotrophs, let’s say another 1.25cm (.5ins) in
depth, reducing some of the incoming nitrate to
gaseous nitrogen, which sometimes appears as
bubbles rising in the sand. Below that, probably
the remaining 2.5cm (1ins) depending upon
how clean the sand is, the bed consists of
obligate anaerobic heterotrophs reducing the
remaining incoming nitrate to ammonium no
further. Ammonium produced in this area is either
recycled back to nitrite and nitrate, then back to
ammonium (again and again), and some of it
may leach upwards into the bulk water, providing
exactly the nutrient needed for improved algae
growth. Unfortunately, we aquarists are unable to
test for ammonium, but can often see its result
in various forms of green algae growing on the
substrate surface or elsewhere in the aquarium. If
so, some are wondering at that time what causes
this growth, as possibly their bulk water nitrates
may be fairly low. Keep in mind that ammonium
is the primary algae nutrient. A much deeper bed
would simply have a far greater anaerobic area.
Let’s now keep the same depth bed, but
reduce its grain size to something like mud.
We now have aerobic
autotrophs and
facultative anaerobic
heterotrophs inhabiting
possibly only the
upper millimetre, with
the remaining depth
containing the obligate
anaerobic heterotrophs.
A wonderful arrangement
if one’s desire is to
propagate algae, such
as in the current mudtype refugia.
Last but not least,
let’s simply take a bed
of very fine sugar-size
sand grains. I’ve often
seen it recommended
that this is the sand grain size to use because
there are more grains, therefore more areas for
microbes to colonise. It’s true there are more
microbes, but that’s of no value for the closed
system. Keep in mind that very fine grains pack
together very tightly, thereby greatly reducing
porewater volume. Anoxic conditions would then
be restricted to an extremely shallow zone in this
“Ammonium produced
in this area is either
recycled back to
nitrite and nitrate, then
back to ammonium
(again and again), and
some of it may leach
upwards into the bulk
water, providing exactly
the nutrient needed for
improved algae growth”
Here is my very colourful office nano, equipped with a very
shallow bed of crushed coral.
type of sand, e.g. just below an upper shallow
depth oxic area. Therefore, more valuable
processes are greatly reduced because there are
simply less suitable areas for them to colonise.
That leaves the remainder of the bed depth for
assimilatory denitrification. Basically it’s more
bacteria but not the right volumes of the right
classes of bacteria.
Furthermore, hydrogen sulphide is a very
real possibility in finer grain/mud-type beds.
Nevertheless, if not disturbed and allowed to
enter the bulk water, it generally presents no
hazard to animals in the aquarium. However,
in swamps/muddy environments, methane is
another poisonous gas and it bubbles upwards
on its own. Could this happen in aquaria using
a mud-like substrate? I doubt it very much, but
I did come by one disastrous happening that
could have been its fault. That occurred about a
year ago when an aquarist contacted me and
said he’d found all his fishes dead one morning.
He had a large mud system refugium that was
almost 2 years old, no poisonous animals in the
aquarium, and his husbandry skills in general
were very good. We discussed the possibility,
however, we couldn’t prove that methane was
the cause of the deaths. He removed his mud
42–041-043_FiltrationPart4_MH006.indd 3
30/10/2011 19:17:16
system, and while doing so found areas having
large areas of gas bubbles in the bed, but was
not sure whether they were hydrogen sulphide
(H2SO4) or methane. Nevertheless, he did say
he didn’t detect the normal rotten egg odour
associated with H2SO4, and since methane does
not smell, really wondered about this happening.
I must add, I’ve not heard of one other similar
happening over the past, therefore, very possibly
something else may have caused his loss and I
must give mud systems a clear bill of health as to
methane problems at this point in time.
Also, in each of the above discussed beds,
add the situations involving the important enzyme
nitrogenase and the electrical charges that
accompany various substances/matter in the
aquarium, as described in the last issue, and then
decide for yourself what form of sandbed is right
for your planned system.
Looking back, I can say I’ve learned a lot
about different-style biological filtration aspects,
especially where aquarium sandbeds are
involved. Some of it has resulted in eye-opening
details. So what lessons have I learned? First and
foremost, I believe aquarists can be successful
with any type of system if it’s planned correctly
and the required husbandry is provided.
Biological filtering devices, e.g. UGF, trickle filters,
and sponge filters, to name a few, all have
positive attributes if properly matched with the
goals of the desired system and properly cared
for. Nevertheless, it’s easier said than done in
this world of always thinking there’s room for one
more pretty specimen! Exceed the limits of what
your form of biological filtration can provide and
system balance is soon lost, and the struggles
to regain it are extremely difficult, often quite
expensive, and many times simply impossible to
rectify without losses of livestock.
Now armed with the information provided in
the past articles, I often look back and wonder if
aquarists have miscalculated the value of some
types of sandbeds, and/or the use of excessive
amounts of live rock, which, depending upon the
porosity, basically contains the same microbial
processes. In fact, those who say utilise deep
beds and lots of live rocks because it will help
A sump plenum attached
to my reef system.
lower nitrate accumulations are only somewhat
a coating of coralline on the bottom. As for the
correct. As you can see from past discussions,
other smaller system in Hong Kong, it also began
there’s much more to it, as it may have a far
to have some coralline developing on the bottom
greater impact on system health than the narrow
in only 3 months. Both aquarists reported far less
viewpoint on nitrate reduction.
system maintenance, thriving corals, and no
As for those expounding on the benefits of
unwanted algae growths as time passed. As you
infauna and meiofauna, they are good additions
can see, my 320-gallon reef system setup in 1985
to the benthic scene, however, a hit-or-miss
went that way and was very successful, however,
benefit when compared to the overall benefit
the first comment I always received was about
provided by a large anoxic zone containing
the lack of a substrate!
energy-efficient bacteria. Yes, infauna aid with the
Yes, aesthetics come into play where most
mixing and grazing of detritus, which in turn helps
aquarists are concerned, because they want
supply microbes some nutrients/energy, but they
a natural-looking environment with a white
also expel wastes, and bacteria must process that
sandy lagoon-like bottom area. That’s quite
also. As to the value of infauna, I can calculate
understandable, and for those who go down
the zones where efficient or inefficient bacteria
this road I highly recommend a shallow bed
reside, but I can’t give marching orders to infauna
directly on the bottom of the aquarium. It should
to carefully and
be limited to about
evenly traverse
2.5-5cm (1-2ins)
the depths of
and utilise a grain
my sandbeds
size in the range of
(bioturbation).
about 2-5mm. Or
However, that is
simply use a very
not to say they
shallow sprinkling
provide no value
of sand. Moreover,
at all, yet in my
this recommended
opinion, should
grain size is small
be considered a
enough to prevent
marginal benefit
most detritus from
when compared
finding its way down
to that of highly
into the bed and
efficient bacteria.
accumulating.
Finally, maybe
Detritus will mostly
a sandless/barestay on its surface
This reef system was set up with a plenum directly on the bottom,
bottom tank might and thrived exceptionally well until it was necessary to break it down,
and can be
because everything in the aquarium outgrew the available space!
be of interest;
easily siphoned,
I’ve had the
vacuumed, or
opportunity to work with two aquarists in different
used by surface detritus grazers.
countries where they chose to go with bare
The Jaubert method, especially when
bottom reef systems. They wanted to easily stir up
constructed in an interconnecting tank where
any settling detritus with a jet of water and use
it’s easy to maintain, possibly a sump, as used
some of it as a foodstuff for their corals, or simply
in my 180-gallon system, is another possibility to
siphon out collecting deposits. Both encouraged
consider. Then again, I’ve used a plenum directly
coralline algae to cover the aquarium bottom
in a past 125-gallon system and my corals
by carefully monitoring calcium and alkalinity.
outgrew the aquarium in record time!
From what I understand, one of the aquariums, a
Hopefully, the past discussions on sandbed
600-gallon system in Australia, quickly developed
biological processes has helped some realise
that if a closed system (aka aquarium), no matter
what its physical size (home or public aquarium),
contained more anoxic than anaerobic areas,
as defined here in these articles, its bulk water
may possibly contain far less nitrogen-laden
products. In fact, it should be evident by this time
that the denitrification path in an anoxic area is
of far greater value than the denitrification path in
anaerobic areas, as defined in this article. Since
the volume of area accomplishing nitrification
is usually fixed in closed systems, it’s wise, in
my opinion, to concentrate on how to enlarge
the volume of anoxic zones (again, defined in
this article) and reduce those associated with
anaerobic zones.
Keep in mind that if an aquarist attempts to stuff
6lb of waste/bioload into a 5lb bag, he or she will
no doubt have to resort to high-tech equipment
to process the excesses. Hopefully you have
found the information presented here useful, and
even though a plenum-type system may not be
desired, the results of years of testing have, without
a doubt, broadened our understanding of the
term ‘filtration’. What you do with the information
presented here is up to you, but for sure, you can,
if desired, move your aquarium system towards a
more microbial balanced environment. BG
EDITORS’ COMMENTS: Well, that’s the end of Bob’s four-part feature and judging by all the
comments and letters we have had, this has been a very enjoyable learning curve. Let
us know what you thought of Bob’s final part at editor@marinehabitatmagazine.com
-–43
041-043_FiltrationPart4_MH006.indd 4
30/10/2011 19:17:18
1. NT Labs - Live Bacteria (50ml)
RRP: £6.99
MORE INFO: www.ntlabs.co.uk
You may think fishkeeping is about fish, but actually it’s about
bacteria. NT Labs Marine Live Filter Bacteria is a concentrated
blend of nitrifying bacteria formulated to start a biological filter
instantly, in marine aquariums. All too often new hobbyists set up
their marine tank, and immediately make their first mistake; they
add fish. The fish then produce waste in the form of ammonia,
but there is nothing to break down this waste because the good
bacterium hasn’t established itself. This product can be used to
help prevent the common cause of fish deaths from new tank
syndrome. It contains a blend of bacteria specifically adapted
to the marine environment, allowing them to begin the process
of nitrification (breakdown of fish waste) as soon as they are
added to the aquarium.
This product has a dose rate of 10 drops per 10 litres, i.e. 10ml
per 200 litres. It is sold in a volume of 50ml.
1
2. AquarioGest Saltwater - Reef Aquarium Software
RRP: from £48
MORE INFO: reef.aquariogest.net
The secret of a successful marine aquarium is to record and
track the tank life. No doubt you have got bits of paper, perhaps
a pad, or even spreadsheet on the go to keep track of tank
costs, water stats, maintenance schedules and so on. Well why
not consider bringing your tank documentation into the 21st
century and invest in some software specifically designed to
make all this much easier, and provide a central place to store
all your tank-related information.
The AquarioGest software simplifies the whole maintenance
process. It is available as a live version, CD-Rom version, or Live
+ CD-Rom, and each allows you to easily manage all data for
your aquariums, keep track of all your fish events, maintain your
corals and inverts, track water changes and additives, schedule
maintenance tasks, record all events in a real log book, log
breeding’s and not to mention you can also manage all your
tank expenses and incomes.
2
3. Red Sea - Coral Pro and Red Sea Salts (22kg)
RRP: £89.99 and £74.99
MORE INFO: www.redseafish.com
Unlike the natural reef environment, which has an immeasurable
reservoir of all 57 elements, a reef aquarium is an artificial
environment that is constantly affected by coral growth and
other ongoing biological processes.
These innovative salt formulas are designed to meet the
needs of today`s advanced hobbyists. There are two salts
available in the range, Coral Pro and Red Sea salts. Both are
formulated for use with RO water, and both use the same raw
materials, including the unique sodium chloride harvested from
the Red Sea Reef, and each has optimally balanced ratios
between the foundation elements.
3
“These innovative salt formulas
are designed to meet the needs of
today`s advanced hobbyists”
Coral Pro Salt contains elevated levels of foundation
elements set for accelerated coral growth, while Red Sea Salt
contains natural levels set for mature aquariums and enhanced
coral colouration.
For a short but interesting video on how this product is
produced, visit the website above.
44–044-045_GearGuide_MH006.indd 1
30/10/2011 19:24:39
4. D-D The Aquarium Solution - Reverse
Osmosis (RO) Booster
4
RRP: £59.99
MORE INFO: www.theaquariumsolution.com
For those of you who produce your own RO water, this product
will really help efficiency. Suitable for any brand of RO Unit,
this pump will significantly increase the volume of water from
your unit. Generally, RO units will run at about 50% of their
stated membrane capacity because the temperature of the
water is never 25C and this is what the test is based on. Also,
the pressure is never as high as the standard. By boosting the
pressure with one of these units, you tend to get the full stated
membrane volume - summer or winter. The increased pressure
also improves the quality of the water through the membrane.
5. Food4Fish Firstbite LPS Coral Food (15g)
RRP: £6.99
5
MORE INFO: www.food4fish.co.uk
Recently launched to market along with its counterparts in the
same range, this particular coral food is designed specifically
for LPS corals. Where the SPS coral version has a very fine
particular size, this is made up of a blend of larger particle for
LPS corals and it goes through a unique production process,
during which at no point do the ingredients rise above a
temperature of 40°C. This ensures that the ingredients do not
lose valuable nutrients and fatty acid profiles that are essential
to the health and vitality of marine life. The production process
also seals the food with a special coating, so no nutrients
drain into your aquarium and therefore excellent water quality
will be maintained. This food has been found to be irresistible
to large polyp stony corals, but soft corals, fish and inverts are
also highly attracted to this blend of foods.
Available in 15g aluminium can complete with feeding
equipment and instructions.
6. Tristan Lougher - What Invertebrate?
RRP: £12.99
MORE INFO: www.amazon.co.uk
ISBN: 978-1842861790
6
Published as part of Interpret’s range of What guide books. This
208-page book makes it quick and easy to access species
details via single page profiles, and advice in the guide is
bang up to date, helping hobbyists make the right buying
decision with confidence. The variety of marine invertebrates
available for the aquatic hobby is vast, and increasing
every year. The success rate in maintaining invertebrates in
captivity keeps rising with an increasing understanding of how
these creatures live in the wild and the development of lifesupport systems that closely replicate the complex conditions
found on a coral reef. Successful breeding and farming of
invertebrates such as hard corals has reduced the impact
of taking them from their endangered habitat in the tropical
oceans. So how do you choose which invertebrates to feature
in your display aquarium? This book dispels any confusion
by presenting a selection of suitable species in logical
categories, such as soft corals, hard corals, anemones,
polychaete worms, shrimps, crabs and starfish - complete with
full details of their compatibility and ongoing care.
7. Alteco - Epo Putty (100g)
RRP: £4.70
7
MORE INFO: www.epoputty.co.uk
Epo Putty is a clay-type two-part epoxy adhesive, and is fairly
new to the UK market, but has been used very successfully
by hobbyists in Asia and the US. Epo Putty is a two-part epoxy
putty that when mixed in equal amounts cures to a rock-hard
solid adhesive. Corals remain fixed to live rock, in fact the
rock structures themselves remain solid if they have been
constructed and fixed together using Epo Putty.
It is easy to mix, it cures underwater (inc saltwater) as well
as in the dry, and importantly, it DOES NOT remove oxygen
from the water column in order to cure underwater. It
doesn’t shrink after cure and, of course, it is aquarium safe.
Epo Putty can be an easy alternative to drilling rocks and
using acrylic rods to support their weight. True anti-gravity
structures can be held together with ease. It doesn’t cloud
the water when used underwater and it does not stop the
skimmer performing, nor does it make it over-foam.
This product is available in 50g, 100g or 500g packs.
For a demo video on how this product works, visit the
website above.
-–45
044-045_GearGuide_MH006.indd 2
30/10/2011 19:24:50
GEARGUIDE
GEARGUIDE
Gear Guide Revealed - TMC
Quick look
Manufacturer
TMC
Product
V²O³Zone Ozone Generator
What is it?
An Aquarium Steriliser
Price
RRP: £149.99
Availability
Available at most
good retailers
Further Info
tropicalmarinecentre.co.uk
PREVENTION IS THE CURE
Ozone has been used since the 1800s as a means of cleaning
water for human consumption and is now extensively used in
both home/public aquariums and fish-breeding systems. So let’s
take a look at the TMC V²O³Zone Ozone Generator.
Ozone (O3), is a triatomic allotrope consisting of
three oxygen atoms. Ozone sterilisers can be used
to prevent and eliminate saltwater ich infestations
in saltwater or reef tank systems, as well as help rid
aquariums of other water-borne diseases such as
fungal, viral, and even algae blooms.
Some of the key benefits identified are:
• Ozone is more effective than many other water
agents, breaking down fish waste products
and allowing them to be removed/skimmed
more easily
• Ozone dissolves more readily in water than
oxygen and then oxidises waste products,
thereby raising the beneficial Redox/ORP level
in the aquarium system. Higher ORP levels will also
suppress and reduce the risk of parasitic bacterial
and fungal infections
• Ozone will typically produce clearer water,
removing yellowing compounds and enhancing
the vivid and contrasting colours of your fish,
corals and plants.
While there are some reported fears such as the
possible poisoning of livestock, they are largely
unfounded and can be avoided easily through
the use of a protein skimmer. The benefits of
Ozone far outweigh the dangers, assuming it is
used correctly and inline with the manufacturer’s
instructions. However, it is important that ozone
is not introduced directly into the aquarium
system, and only used with a compatible skimmer
whereby it can dissipate before returning to the
main water column. Not only should it be used
with a protein skimmer, but it actually improves the
skimming process.
There is, of course, always more than one way
to skin a cat, for example, you could choose to
dose, or use an ultraviolet steriliser, but there are few
alternatives quite as effective as an ozone system.
“Ozone sterilisers
can be used
to prevent and
eliminate saltwater
ich infestations”
Let’s take a look at exactly what this particular
ozoniser does. The TMC V²O³Zone Ozone
Generator will:
• Raise oxidising levels (ORP) which helps to break
down harmful waste products produced by fish,
removing yellowing compounds and creating
crystal-clear water
• Suppress parasite, bacterial and fungal activity,
providing a healthier environment for livestock
in aquaria
• Improve skimmer efficiency by converting fish
waste into more easily removable by-products
Some of the features of this unit include:
• Programmable for 25-250mg/hr ozone using soft
start PWM technology
• Unique high purity ceramic ozone cell design
with microprocessor-controlled fan cooling for
highly efficient and reliable operation;
• Inbuilt timer for 1-10 hours ozone generation in
consecutive 12-hour periods
• Splash-proof keyboard and LED front panel;
• LED bar display for both the programmed ozone
concentration and timer period
• Blinking LED indication that ozone output is active;
• It is suitable for marine and freshwater aquariums
from 25-2500 litres
A few tips on using the generator
• Brackets are provided to attach the unit either flat
on a horizontal surface or vertically on a wall
• Make sure the unit is not positioned such that
water could siphon from the skimmer back
through the tubing to the unit
• Where possible, use the unit with a skimmer that
sucks air via a venture device because it creates
a vacuum. This way, the ozone is far less likely to
leak out
• It is also recommended that the water leaving the
skimmer passes through an activated carbon filter
before re-entering the main aquarium
• Finally, you should avoid allowing the water that
leaves the skimmer to pass directly into a
biological filter, as it is sensitive to low levels
of ozone
The specification of this product is as follows:
• Ozone max output: 250mg per hour
• Ambient operating temperature: 5 to 40°C
• Power requirement: 11 watts at max ozone output
• Max air flow: 10 litres per minute
46–046_GGR-TMC_MH006.indd 1
30/10/2011 11:28:17
Untitled-1.indd 5
30/10/2011 14:07:48
somewhat distor ted over
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t eventually transform
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r
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d out the real truths and bust
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sle
mi
into
to dig deeper.
the myths, we asked our experts
Age: 27.
Hometown:
Liverpool, UK.
This month in Myth-Buster,
Dr Nick Bryan dispels some
myths about the use of tap
water in the aquarium.
Research; my primary
interest is prediction of
the immune response to
implantable devices.
Marine experience:
12yrs.
M
y previous instalments discussed
a number of myths surrounding
aquarium disease management,
with the goal of breaking down a few of the
fundamentals in the treatment and prevention
of aquatic disease, and how a thorough
understanding of the task at hand can help you
formulate a more targeted approach to achieving
a healthy tank. Thus far, my contributions have
been factual, however, in this instance I would like
to instil a bit of debate focusing on a few of the
myths surrounding the stealthy drain in our annual
aquatic budgets, which is reverse osmosis (RO)
water production.
In this article I would like to discuss the myth that
tap water is not safe in any instance for saltwater
aquaria, and hopefully demonstrate that some
marine aquaria can be run and maintained
perfectly well based on potable tap water, and that
perhaps the vast amount of grey water created as
a result of RO production can be avoided.
In this hobby we regularly follow the lead of
our predecessors, without question of why we’re
using a particular method or practice. We all fall
foul of it, and I completely include myself in that;
it’s easy. However, times do change and new
opinions need to be sought, based on hobbyist
first-hand experiences, rather than decades-old
DR NICK BRYAN
Aquarium size:
Sumped 3x2x18
(Approx 300L).
Favourite
fish: Addis Butterfly,
Crosshatch Trigger, Yellow
Tang, Ventralis Anthias,
Epaulette Shark.
coral: Acanthophyllia,
Trachyphyllia.
other: Harlequin Shrimp.
Duncanopsammia axifuga growing well in tap water
with a TDS of approximately 90ppm.
data that we’re now in a position to re-establish.
You see this all the time, and the most topical
one, I feel, of the last 12 months (I’m digressing
here, but go with it for the time being!) surrounds
Moorish Idols. These fish seem to be back in
vogue, and every time you read an Internet forum
where a potential purchaser does the correct duty
of asking the opinion of others before purchase,
they’re always met with the same response: ‘Avoid
these, they’re impossible to keep.’ This stems
from decades, literally decades-old information,
from when import and collection practices
were much less considerate to the welfare of
livestock and this diva of a fish didn’t really fare
well under these conditions. Nowadays these
“hopefully my Idol ramble made the
point that in this hobby it’s very easy
to Chinese whisper your way into what
sounds like an informed opinion”
Here is my Trachyphyllia having now lived in tap water for approximately 3 years.
Specialist areas:
Aquatic chemistry and
molecular biology.
guys are brought in with a bit more TLC; they’re
a perfectly keepable fish for anyone who has a
couple of lines on their aquatic CV about getting
slightly finicky fish settled into their aquarium.
The advisors in this instance are regurgitating the
decades-old information without consideration
that revolutions in the hobby have occurred
since the 1980s. Digression over; hopefully my
Idol ramble made the point that in this hobby
it’s very easy to Chinese whisper your way into
what sounds like an informed opinion. However,
there really isn’t any substitute for first-hand
successes and failures and imparting these
experiences, both positive and negative, to your
marine colleagues. This is what I’ll try to do here
concerning tap water.
So, what are the potential problems with tap
water that may have a direct consequence on
our livestock?
Firstly, water treatments; most commonly
the form of halogens and halogenated stuff,
so chlorine and chloramines mainly. These are
added to drinking water to neutralise pathogens,
which may be detrimental to human health.
Is it possible that they could negatively affect
our aquaria? Chlorine and its derivatives are
included in tap water to kill off bacteria, so it
would be reasonable to assume they may have
the same antimicrobial effect in our systems. The
good news is that it’s relatively easy to remove.
Most simply, chlorine itself is a volatile gas. If you
leave a vessel of water with a pump and there
is plenty of surface agitation, the chlorine will
make its way out of the solution quite rapidly –
chloramines, however, will not. There are plenty
of dechlorinators on the market that can be
safely added as a precursor to a salt mix. These
are usually sulphur-containing compounds
(hence the trademark smell), which mop up the
chlorine into something molecularly not a million
48–056_057_Mythbusters_MH006.indd 1
30/10/2011 19:10:56
Myth-Buster - Dr Nick Bryan
miles away from table salt. Chloramine chemically
is a bit more challenging to remove, however,
there are plenty of products on the market to
deal with this if you seek out a bottle which
specifically states that it removes chloramines.
But it is possible, without thorough consideration
for the consequences of the interaction of
chloramines with commercial dechlorinators, to
end up with ammonia as a by-product. To avoid
this, test your water preparation for this the first
time you use a dechlorinator, to make sure that
the manufacturers have calculated this in their
design, and included an additional preparation to
neutralise any residual ammonia.
While on the subject of halogenation of drinking
water, it’s worth raising the point of fluoridation. The
addition of fluoride to drinking water is something
that certain councils in the UK have adopted in a
bid to do their bit to help the nation’s increasing
rates of tooth decay. Additions of fluoride to tap
water are sporadic across the UK; check with your
local water authority as to whether it is a practice
they are undertaking. There is a lot of controversy
over this from a human health perspective, let
alone fish. Personally, I don’t live in an area where
drinking water is subject to fluoridation, and I
probably should have confessed to this earlier,
but I do use tap water in my systems. Would I
still do it if I lived in an area which did administer
fluoride? Absolutely – in a small closed system, in
the spirit of developing a first-hand experience
of its suitability rather than writing it off based on
media spin.
So, halogens out of the way, the next worry is
organic pollutants, which may make it into our
potable water as safe for human consumption,
but may cause inappropriate bacterial/algal
balances in aquariums, namely nitrate, phosphate
and silicate. It is possible that these compounds
could end up in your aquarium through the tap
water supply. The most straightforward way to
avoid this is to test the water before adding it to
your aquarium. It’s amazing how many people
spend fantastic amounts of time and money in
the balance of your salt mix? This can go both
obtaining the correct balances and molecular
ways; the one to pay particular attention to is
intricacies once the water is in the tank, without
carbonate. Remember, more often than not, salt
knowing anything of note about its parameters
blends are engineered with RO in mind. They will
before it goes in. A wise aquarist once used
be designed, or certainly quality controlled in the
the phrase, ‘If you look after the water, the
case of desalinated salts, to mix with a carbonate
inhabitants will look after themselves.’ That phrase
hardness of 8-10dkH, for example. However, if
is now commonplace and is still very much the
you are mixing this salt, not using RO but with a
case. Test the water before it goes in; check
starting solution of tap water with a carbonate
for nitrates, phosphates and silicates in the tap
hardness of perhaps 3-5dkH in a hard water area,
water. At the end of the day, if these are present
then this is an additive to the desired kH of your
at values you’re not happy with, then don’t use
salt mix. The values will be skewed, and this will
it. There isn’t much you can do about it (with the
knock on the equilibrium between carbonate and
exception of phosphate, which is straightforward
calcium, and so your
to remove using
parameters become
your favourite
less than optimal
proprietary
before you’ve even
phosphate
added it to the tank.
remover).
Although I’m quite an
However, based
advocate of trying
on the limitations
tap water in marine
of aquatic test
systems, this is one
kits, if you have
of the times when it
never tried this,
becomes flawed. I’m
don’t be too
not sure if drinking
surprised if the
water is ever so hard
tap water is
that it could destroy
reading exactly
the equilibrium so
the same as your
that it affects things
RO output.
like hardy soft and
Also, just a note
large polyped stony
about this current
corals, but for the
school of thought
Acanthophyllia deshayesiana living in Nick’s very own tap water system. dedicated SPS
that every
system, where every
dissolved organic
millimole of calcium is accounted for, perhaps
is immeasurable. There is absolutely nothing wrong
tap water isn’t for you. Again, as with nitrate and
with a couple of ppm of nitrate. It’s not going to
phosphate, test it; test the tap water, and see
turn your system green, and it’s not going to zap
what you make of it before investing in the
your corals brown. Tap water with 5ppm nitrate, or
RO gear.
the cost of generating RO to get this out? It’s tap
Lastly, the issue of heavy metals, copper and
water for me, every time.
iron mainly, and to a lesser extent, additional
Next we come onto magnesium, calcium
metals such as lead. The details of concentrations
and carbonate. These are present in tap water,
of all these elements are available as free
and the question you have to ask yourself is
information from your water suppliers. A simple
this: will the concentrations be enough to skew
phone call should get you an email with all this
data. It varies from source to source. Often these
are naturally occurring elements dissolved from
rocks, soils and sediments into the water’s source,
and are not removed as part of the treatment
process if they fall below European drinking water
standards. Needless to say, copper can be tested
using a standard aquarium test kit (in my first
article I discussed some of the pitfalls to bear in
mind when choosing a copper test).
So there we have it – tap water busted. With
a small amount of consideration for the aspects
of water treatment and water constituents that
have the potential to damage our inhabitants, we
can potentially alleviate the time and expense
associated with RO water production. Have a think
about it. It won’t be for everyone; there will be
instances in the UK where water really doesn’t fall
within acceptable boundaries for use in aquaria,
but there are plenty of homes where the RO units
can be replaced with water directly from the
mains supply, with no negative consequences to
the inhabitants.
This isn’t taking a step backwards. The way
that household water is delivered, and the
standards which potable water needs to meet,
have changed since the days when the rumours
surrounding its negative effects began to
circulate. Have a think about it, do some tests,
and formulate your own opinion.
Enjoy your fish. NB
-–49
056_057_Mythbusters_MH006.indd 2
30/10/2011 19:11:19
Shop Profile - Marine Habitat
2
1
3
In this issue...
Calico Aquatics
In each issue we will be scouring the UK
to bring you three fantastic LFS profiles. In
addition, each will offer an unmissable £10 off
voucher when spending over £50 on livestock.
The time to stock up is NOW!
1
Cumbria
Christal Clear Waters
2
East Yorkshire
Tropical Paradise
3
Hampshire
CALICO AQUATICS
ADDRESS: Greenacres, Plumpton, Penrith,
Cumbria, CA11 9PF
TELEPHONE: 01768 894366
EMAIL: help@calicoaquatics.co.uk
WEBSITE: www.calicoaquatics.co.uk
OPENING TIMES: Mon-Sat – 10:00-17:30;
Sun – 11:00-16:00
Calico has been running as a marine aquatic shop
for 14 years, specialising in everything marine.
Calico have top class filtration facilities split
into two separate systems; The fish only system
consists of fluidised sand bed filters, trickle
towers, protein skimmers, ozone injectors and
UV sterilisers filtering 30,000 litres of water. The
other system is filtered by two tonnes of live rock,
protein skimmers and a fluidised reactor. They
also have a well-established 5 metre display tank
– well worth a visit in its own right! It was installed
over 8 years ago and contains established corals
and a great variety of reef fish. This aquarium is
now the main feature of our new café, which
serves a great range of hot and cold food
including all day breakfast, baguettes, burgers,
homemade cakes & scones, and a great value
afternoon tea for only £6.50.
Martin, Chris & Ian are always on hand to
offer honest, well researched advice, both to
novice fish keepers and experts regardless to the
amount of money they have to spend or the size
of system they own.
Martin can arrange the design and build of
any system to your exact requirements at a very
competitive price. He will even help install your
system and help get you up and running.
Calico stock up to a ton of living rock,
(originating from Indonesia) in a variety of shapes
and sizes. Order online or by telephone for next
day delivery.
50–050-051_ShopProfile_MH006.indd 1
MARINE HABITAT SHOP PROFILE DEAL VOUCHER
GET £10 OFF WHEN YOU SPEND OVER £50 ON LIVESTOCK
Marine Habitat magazine is working together with Calico
Aquatics to bring you this fantastic deal. Use this voucher
to receive £10 off when you spend over £50 on livestock.
Full name:
Address:
Postcode:
Telephone:
SAVE
£10!
Mobile:
Email:
TERMS & CONDITIONS: Voucher can only be used once and MUST be filled in. Only one voucher can be used per
transaction. Voucher cannot be used in conjunction with other offers and cannot be exchanged for cash. Original
voucher must accompany purchases. Vouchers valid until 31st December 2011. Counterfeit vouchers will not be
accepted. Compensation in respect of lost, stolen or damaged vouchers will not be issued.
For any problems with this voucher, please contact the store or email info@fish-junkies.co.uk
DON’T FORGET TO CHECK OUR EVER-GROWING LFS DATABASE AT WWW.MARINEHABITATMAGAZINE.COM/LFS
22/11/2011 00:10:42
Shop Profile - Marine Habitat
CHRISTAL CLEAR WATERS
ADDRESS: Skirlaugh Garden & Aquatic Centre, Hall
Road, Skirlaugh HU11 5AH
TELEPHONE: 01964 562413
EMAIL: christal.clearwaters@yahoo.co.uk
WEBSITE: christalclearwaters.webs.com
OPENING TIMES: Mon-Fri – 9:30-17:00;
Sat 9:00-17:00; Sun – 10:30-16:30
Christal Clear Waters is a franchisee of Skirlaugh
Garden & Aquatic Center based in East
Yorkshire. This shop offers a fantastic and varied
range of products, covering not only marine but
also tropical, coldwater and reptile.
On the marine front, in addition to the many
mainstream brands like Seachem, Red Sea,
Tetra and so on, they are also stockists of some
more specialised brands such as Epo-Putty and
Reef Float.
This shop offers not only rows of tanks housing
stunning livestock but also multiple feature reef
tanks(display only) and two large specialised
coral tanks displaying the most vibrant, healthy
and exciting corals.
Although the website is still under
construction, you will find a link on there to a
video tour around the store which will give you
a better idea of the size and range of products
and livestock offered.
Christal Clear Waters pride themselves
on quality service, which includes expert
advice and excellent after sales. You will find
competitive prices and quality livestock.
Marine Habitat magazine is working together with Christal Clear
Waters to bring you this fantastic deal. Use this voucher
Full name:
Address:
Postcode:
Telephone:
SAVE
£10!
Mobile:
Email:
TROPICAL PARADISE AQUATICS
ADDRESS: Unit 4, Boyatt Wood Shopping centre,
Eastleigh, Hampshire SO50 4QP
TELEPHONE: 02380 612996
WEBSITE: www.tropicalparadiseaquatics.com
OPENING TIMES: Mon-Sat – 9:00-17:30
Sun – 10:00-16:00
Tropical Paradise Aquatics is a family run
business which has been trading for over
10 years in the Boyatt Wood store.
You will always be made welcome by
the very experienced and friendly staff.
They stock a huge range of aquatic
food and accessories and you can find
one of the biggest selections of marine
fishes, corals and inverts in the South of
England. Tropical Paradise also stocks a
superb selection of tropical fishes and
plants including many unusual species.
The store maintains 6000 litres worth of
marine fish tanks, 3000 litres worth of live
corals and inverts tanks, and another 3000
litres worth of tropical and fancy goldfish
tanks. The store has over 500 corals in stock
at any one time. Tropical Paradise also
supplies good quality live fish food and 2500
litres worth of live rock holding capacity.
In addition to a wonderful store which
you can wonder in and see all the livestock
in its full glory, Tropical Paradise Aquatics
also offers an online shopping facility.
Marine Habitat magazine is working together with Tropical
Paradise Aquatics to bring you this fantastic deal. Use this voucher
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-–51
22/11/2011 00:10:55
NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD THAT MATTERS TO YOU
EVOLUTIONARY MYSTERIES OF ANCIENT SEAS
Aquarist Tom Prakash with
a megalodon shark tooth
and for comparison, the
tooth of a black-tipped
reef shark.
WINNERS OF THE BRITISH WILDLIFE
PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS 2011
Now in its third year, the acclaimed BWPA competition has
created another stunning showcase of British wildlife.
The winning image of a jellyfish was captured by
Richard Shucksmith. His photo was taken at Sula Sgeir
(meaning Gannet Rock), a small uninhabited Scottish
island, 41 miles north of Lewis. The inhospitable area is
home to exposed islands sustaining an astounding variety
of marine life. The remoteness of these islands, as well
as the challenge that comes with visiting them, makes
Richard’s incredible photo all the more special.
Greg Armfield, photography and film manager from
WWF, said, “A truly beautiful shot of a jellyfish that perfectly
captures its iridescent colours and magical qualities. All
the more remarkable that it exists in UK waters. Fantastic!”
Competition judge Paul Wilkinson, head of Living
Landscape for The Wildlife Trusts, said, “We are delighted
to see how many people from around the UK were inspired
by the competition to explore nature in their local area.
This year’s entries reflected a real passion, and affection,
for local wildlife. This competition is a special opportunity
to give the natural world that surrounds us the recognition,
and reverence, it deserves.”
Competition
For more detailed information about the competition,
including how to enter, list of categories, shooting tips, and
terms and conditions, please visit the competition website:
www.bwpawards.co.uk
Exhibition
BWPA are delighted that a year-long touring exhibition of
around 70 images will travel throughout England, Scotland
and Wales. Full details of the nationwide tour are available
at: www.bwpawards.org/page/exhibitions.
52–052-054_NewsRoundup_MH006.indd 1
Scientists are to study tiny particles trapped
inside shark teeth, in a bid to unravel
evolutionary mysteries of ancient seas.
The project could cast light on the reasons
behind sudden surges of evolution, and
perhaps help explain sudden mass
extinctions like the mysterious disappearance
of the 60-foot prehistoric megalodon shark
1.6 million years ago, after ruling the world’s
oceans for 14 million years.
A team from the University of Birmingham
has enlisted the aid of Sea Life centres
in the UK and Europe to help with the first
phase of their research, which will be to
analyse teeth discarded by the sharks in
Sea Life ocean tanks.
“By examining oxygen isotopes in
the teeth, the scientists can tell what
temperature the water was that the shark
lived in,” said Birmingham Sea Life curator
Graham Burrows. “They want to prove this
with as many different teeth from as many
different shark species from our displays
as they can, and then go on to study
fossil teeth,” he added. “Knowing what
temperature the sea was in the periods
that the teeth come from can help explain
prehistoric changes in life in our oceans.”
The research is being led by Dr Ivan
Sansom, the University’s senior lecturer in
Palaeobiology. “Other work in the field has
suggested that cooling waters were a factor
in driving major evolutionary changes whilst
warming waters led to extinctions. With the
current evidence for warming oceans,
the evidence from the past suggests we
are going to see a major extinction in
our oceans. Reconstructing past climate
systems, using evidence such as that we
hope to find in shark teeth, may help us
understand what happened in the past, and
what may happen in the future.”
The mighty megalodon was a close
relative of the modern great white shark, but
its vast size enabled it to prey on creatures
as large as whales. Scientists speculate that
cooling seas were what caused them to die
out, but Dr Sansom’s research could offer
more evidence on the mystery.
The initial research (funded by the EU’s
Marie Curie Fellowship scheme), involving
teeth collected from the bed of Sea Life
centre ocean tanks, will take 2 years to
complete. While Dr Sansom’s work could
help in forecasting climatic impact on the
oceans, Sea Life centres will focus more
on man’s impact, and in particular on
the world’s shark species, when they host
activities in support of European Shark Week.
Tens of millions of sharks are killed annually
as by-catches, or to provide fins for shark
fin soup.
Many species are already teetering on
the brink of oblivion, and the Shark Weeks
will feature a host of activities highlighting
their plight, and be seeking to persuade
visitors of the need to protect rather than
persecute sharks.
SHIPWRECK EXPERTS STRIKE SILVER!
In a fantastic exploration adventure,
shipwreck explorers have uncovered
7,000,000 ounces of silver, worth
£600,000, according to the valuation at
the time. That is £132m at today’s prices.
Odyssey Marine Exploration located
the wreck of the SS Gairsoppa in
international waters, around 300 miles off
the coast of Ireland. After being sunk by
Germans in February 1941, whilst leaving
India with its cargo, the boat had low fuel
supplies and became separated from
the rest of its convoy. The Germans then
torpedoed it, and only one of the 32
crew survived.
The wreck is now 4,700m (2.92 miles)
below the surface, with video and
photo footage of the Gairsoppa being
obtained by the team after sending a
remotely operated vehicle to the wreck.
Neil Cunningham Dobson, Odyssey’s
principal marine archaeologist, said:
“Even though records indicate that the
lifeboats were launched before the
ship sank, sadly, most of her crew did
not survive the long journey to shore. By
finding this shipwreck and telling the story
of its loss, we pay tribute to the brave
merchant sailors who lost their lives.”
The contract to recover the wreck was
awarded to Odyssey by the government
in 2010. As part of the deal, the
company will retain 80% of the value of
the silver recovered.
FOR ALL THE LATEST NEWS STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX SIGN UP
30/10/2011 18:53:07
FO
UP
FOR MORE NEWS GO TO
WWW.MARINEHABITATMAGAZINE.COM
BUSINESS IS GOING SWIMMINGLY FOR FISH FOODS EXPERT
A substantial expansion of its product range,
prestigious contracts extended and increased
in number, and new export markets entered,
have meant extra positions created at New Era,
the world-leading Doncaster-based fish nutrition
specialist in pioneering fish foods for the home
aquarist and commercial aquarium.
New Era has appointed Andy Mallory as the
company’s first international marketing coordinator, and Joann Kelly as sales administrator.
Having run his own marketing agency, and
been responsible for several local companies’
marketing operation, 34-year-old Balby-born Andy
is now applying his proven experience to handling
all aspects of New Era’s marketing activity.
This includes high-profile aquatic exhibitions
and conferences in the UK and overseas, POS
display, corporate literature, packaging and
website design, advertising, and working with the
company’s PR consultant.
Thirty-seven-year-old Joann, who was also born
locally, a self-employed office administrator after
many years in similar roles, now deals with product
orders from first received through to the delivery
of the right products, in the right quantity, and on
time. With the company’s expansion into other
parts of the world, many overseas deliveries are
shipped daily, generating excessive paperwork,
which is also Joann’s responsibility.
Andy said: “Both Joann and I are thoroughly
enjoying the exciting challenges and immense
satisfaction of being part of an enthusiastic,
capable team, which makes New Era such a
progressive and ground-breaking company.”
New Era now supplies more than 60 public
aquaria in the UK, Europe, Australia, North America
and New Zealand, and has signed 15 new
contracts across Europe, Australia and the UAE. In
addition, 25 more distributors have been appointed
throughout Europe, the UAE, North America, the Far
East, South East Asia and South Africa.
THANK YOU HARRY RAMSDEN’S
More good news on the Icelandic whaling front –
Harry Ramsden’s, the UK’s best-loved fish and chip
shop, supports the campaign. They have joined
Findus, the major UK supermarkets, and many
award-winning fish and chip shops in the assurance
that they will not buy fish linked to whaling.
HUMAN EFFECTS ON CORAL
DECLINE GETS MESSY
A recent issue of the online journal PLos ONE has
discovered that faecal matter from humans can
now be added to the long list of problems causing
the decline of corals in our seas. Along with global
warming and acidification in our oceans, it seems
there is another dilemma to add to the problem.
UNI STUDENT ON AQUACULTURE
FOR CONSERVATION
A TIPPING POINT FOR ICELANDIC WHALING?
After more than a quarter
of a million protests
were sent by supporters
of WDCS and partner
organisations, President
Obama recently issued a
strongly worded statement
that fires a warning shot
across Iceland’s bows if its
fin whaling does not stop
for good.
Although the President did not go as far
as had hoped by imposing trade sanctions
on Iceland, he directed his administration to
review its diplomatic relationship with Iceland,
potentially including cancelling meetings with
Icelandic officials and withdrawing funding for
NEWS IN BRIEF
joint projects in the Arctic.
Iceland did not undertake any fin whaling
this summer, blaming reduced markets in
Japan following the tsunami in March, but it
has given no indication that it intends to stop
killing endangered fin whales. If Iceland resumes
fin whaling, President Obama has sought an
immediate report from his officials, suggesting
that the door remains open for punitive
economic measures against Iceland by the US
in the future.
Months of effort have paid off. The petition
and messages of support reached the
President’s desk and he took it seriously. There is
an optimistic feeling that strong action by the US
will help bring an end to this cruel and archaic
industry in Iceland.
Bournemouth University student Sean Graham,
of the department of Conservation Ecology, has
created a research project entitled ‘Aquaculture
for Conservation’, in an effort to reduce the fishing
pressure on heavily exploited marine species, and
to place greater reliance on fish species that are
sustainably farmed.
FIDDLER CRABS KEEPING COOL
Dr Zachary Darnell and assistant professor
Pablo Munguia from the University of Texas, US,
discovered that fiddler crabs with their giant claws
still intact were able to cool themselves more
rapidly than those without, which demonstrates
that the claw helps control temperature, as well as
attracting female species… very cool Mr Fiddler!
DOLPHIN DIES IN ZOO SHOW
A freak accident at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago,
USA, saw bottlenose dolphin Nea lose her life after
a collision with another dolphin. The 4-year-old
dolphin was in the training pool when staff heard
a strange noise and found her unconscious;
resuscitation attempts failed.
BEACHED WHALE FOUND ASHORE IN YORKSHIRE
Staff at the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust have commented on a 33ft beached
whale found dead 800 metres inshore in the Humber Estuary in Skeffling,
East Yorkshire.
“It is sad. It was in shallow water of about 4ft-5.25ft, making contact
with the bottom,” said Andy Gibson. “This was about 800m offshore. When
it gets in that situation, it rolls onto its side and it can cover its blowhole.”
“Sometimes whales come into shallow water looking for food and
get stuck,” added Kirsten Smith, North Seas manager at Yorkshire Wildlife
Trust. “With the high tide, the whale probably got carried up onto the salt
marsh, got pushed back further inshore, and then got stuck when the
tide went out.”
Marine experts have been left baffled and are ‘95% sure’ the whale
is a female from the rare Sei species – only three of which have been
found stranded on the British coast in the last 20 years.
In September this year, a fin whale washed up dead near Spurn Point,
North East Lincolnshire, after getting stranded at Immingham. Yorkshire
Wildlife Trust has seen a rise in whale sightings over the last year, but staff
are unable to explain the increase in the North Sea.
FOR OUR NEWSLETTER WWW.MARINEHABITATMAGAZINE.COM
052-054_NewsRoundup_MH006.indd 2
-–53
30/10/2011 18:53:12
FOR MORE NEWS GO TO
WWW.MARINEHABITATMAGAZINE.COM
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AN EXTRAORDINARY LIFE FORM IN AQUARIUMS
JBL’s research team has been sent rare pictures and a few questions which are
of interest to all aquarium keepers. Fungi or moulds as the cause of diseases
are not exactly popular among aquarium keepers. However, there are also
rare species of fungi or moulds that are harmless and have a very unique way
of life: The slime moulds or slime fungi (Eumycetozoa).
Slime moulds possess features of both fungi and animals. Despite their
name, they do not belong to the fungi or moulds, and instead, represent
a separate line of development in evolution. The common features of
the slime moulds comprise amoeboid locomotion (plasmodium), which
can sometimes be rather fast, and transformation of the plasmodium into
spore-bearing fruiting bodies. They feed on litter (detritus) in the aquarium by
engulfing the food particles and then ingesting them (phagocytosis).
Of approx. 1,200 recognised species, only a very few can live aquatically,
i.e. underwater on a permanent basis. The genus didymium, which may be
rare in aquariums with different species, is one of these groups. Species of
didymium live outdoors on hydrangeas among other places, so they are not
found exclusively underwater.
In an aquarium, they tend to live on the bottom where the aquarium
keeper doesn’t notice them. They do occasionally come out of the
underground though, spreading over rocks, roots and aquatic plants in the
form of white mesh networks. In this phase they can reach speeds of up to
several centimetres per hour, so they can appear in different places and then
disappear again quickly. Combating them with remedies such as JBL Fungol
or other treatments against fungal diseases has no effect.
They are harmless to plants and fish, so they do not pose any threat. If you
wish to remove them from your tank, the only option is to disinfect the tank
completely with JBL Desinfekt, and replace or disinfect all the furnishings, since
they exhibit enormously high growth rates and can regenerate from the tiniest
of fragments.
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54–052-054_NewsRoundup_MH006.indd 3
30/10/2011 18:53:24
JENNY LOWMAN
Age: 45.
Hometown:
London.
Occupation:
NHS cancer treatment
technician.
Marine experience:
4 years.
Tank size:
155L (one of four running
marine tanks).
Tank start date:
June 2009.
ONE TANK IS
Favourite
fish: All pufferfish.
coral: Acans and my
stunning Red and
Green Trachy.
other: My sand conches,
Hootie and Blowfish.
NEVER ENOUGH!
In this issue we feature the lovely Jenny Lowman, or as many of you
may know her on the forums, Jennybugs. Jenny takes us through her
home sea zoo (she’s literally devoted most of her house to our fishy
friends), and explains why she loves marines so much.
I
am most commonly known as Jennybugs, and
I have a problem – I love setting up fish tanks!
I’ve been converted to all things salty for 4
years now, and I surprised myself with how much it
appealed to me.
My fishkeeping hobby had a bumpy start (like
many of my age group, maybe), when at the
tender age of 7 I won a common goldfish at
the local fair; it was kept in a plastic ‘tank’ with
rainbow gravel, a bridge, some pondweed, and
had weekly 100% water changes straight from
the tap. ‘Alex’ lived for 8 years, and I didn’t get
another tank until the start of 2007.
I got my first tropical tank, a biOrb 30 (don’t
you dare laugh!), and with it came a surprising
amount of flaming in the form of insults (from
the fishkeeping forums), all aimed at my lovely
round little tank. These warriors soon quietened
down when my tank matured and flourished,
and thus more tanks with (and without) corners
started to appear.
I soon realised my passion for pufferfish and
fancy goldfish, and branched out from two tanks
to four – then five (who can resist the gaze of
Dwarf Puffers and smiley Figure 8 Puffers?), six,
seven and eight (but bettas are SO stunning!),
then nine (well, I’ve never tried shell-dwelling
cichlids before), ten, eleven and twelve! Yes – 12
running tanks. Many of these were nano tanks,
and as you can imagine, I didn’t need table
lamps because there were tanks in nearly every
room I used in the house – good on the electric
because many of them had LED units! Anyway,
I lost a few bettas over the next year, and that’s
when I decided to cut down on the number of
tanks and start reading up on marine fishkeeping,
or more precisely, corals and critters, as that was
what fascinated me at the time.
A year later (I like my research), I felt ready
to take the plunge. I decided to go for a plug
’n’ play tank to start with, which I could modify
to run simply but effectively, and I went for a
DD24-gallon nanocube. I wanted a tank that
would grow into a nice little reef, which looked
interesting and full of colour when you first looked
at it, and then as you looked more, you’d notice
a few small fish in the rockwork, and some critters
crawling about to add a different dimension.
The setting up and running of the tank was
surprisingly smooth. I got good advice from
experienced keepers on many different forums (I
happily joined Chris and the gang when The Salty
Box was born), and I found a couple of great LFS in
Epping and Cambridge that I still use regularly.
My corals flourished and I got to try out a good
mix of SPS, LPS, soft corals, and small fish and
critters. I soon learnt that some shops will tell you
anything to sell you an expensive coral – “Well
we’ve never seen sweeper tentacles that long on
one of them before!” – and that’s how I got to love
doing my own research prior to any purchases.
Eight months on (having sworn I’d never
upgrade because I loved my nanocube so
much), I didn’t count on Fluval making a simply
stunning range of tanks like the Osaka! I picked
the 155L, purely because of the cost and space
limitations, and I fell in love immediately. It’s such
a nice tank, even though the curved corners
can be a pain to clean, but maintenance-wise
it doesn’t take much to look after it. I took to this
tank very happily after the initial feelings of ‘what
am I going to fill it with?’I added a nice Deltec
MCE600 skimmer, along with an Arcadia Overtank
Luminaire for 4x24W T5 bulbs. I decided to try to
concentrate on keeping small rock-bound fish
and further my experience in LPS corals because
they’re my passion. I wanted to keep the tank
nice and basic, so had no thoughts of adding
a sump or suchlike, and I relied on my skimmer
and weekly 10-15% water changes to keep
things tiptop with mid-weekly RO top-ups, where
necessary, by hand.
The tank blossomed in its simplicity, and I was
happy. Soon it got to the stage where I was running
out of room to squeeze in more corals, and sadly,
heart problems hit me and kept me quiet for
some time, but I managed, with the help of my
wonderfully patient partner Darren, to keep up the
maintenance of weekly water changes without
causing me too much trouble health-wise.
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Hobbyist Profile - Jenny Lowman
In association with
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30/10/2011 19:04:29
Hobbyist Profile - Jenny Lowman
In association with
TANK SIZE
155L (34 imperial gallons)
LIGHTING
Arcadia Luminaire 4x24w T5 — Korallen
Zucht Coralight Super Blue x2, Fiji Purple
x1, Coralight New Gen 14000K x1.
PHOTO PERIOD
1 hour moonlight LEDS, 1 hour 2x24W
blue and purple, 9 hours 4x24W full, 1
hour 2x24W blue and purple, 1 hour
moonlight LEDS.
SUMP
No thank you.
AQUARIUM FLOW
1x Korallia 3 and 1x Korallia 1 circulation
pumps, plus a Fluval 305 external filter.
HEATING AND COOLING
Fluval M150 mirrored heater, Azoo
twin cooling fans, both running on an
ATC 800+.
Blastomusa, Acanthastreas, turbinara.
soft
Ricordeas, mushrooms, zoanthids,
Cabbage Leather.
AQUARIUM FILTRATION
Live rock, in the external filter I run
Seachem Purigen, Aqua-CARB
Carbon, Ultra Phos phosphate remover,
Seachem de-Nitrate nitrate remover,
filter floss changed weekly.
FISH
Tank-bred Percula Clownfish, Royal
Gramma, Pygmy Possum Wrasse, Pink
Scooter Blenny, a pair of Watchman
Gobies, Green Coral Goby, Leopard
Toby Puffer, three Blue Eyed Cardinals.
CORALS
SPS
Red and green Plating Montipora.
LPS
Yellow Tipped Torch, Single Cell
Cream Frogspawn, Red and Green
Ultra Trachyphillia, Green Scholymia,
Australian Duncans, Red and Green
OTHER LIVESTOCK
Black Brittle Starfish, two Sand Conches,
Tuxedo Urchin, Red Leg and Green
Dwarf Hermit Crabs, Giant Mexican
Turbo Snails.
After a somewhat alarming operation, where
I had to be awake for 5 hours while cardiologists
probed and electrified parts of my heart, I came
out the other side bruised and battered, but
otherwise well, and as a ‘glad you’re better’ present
from Darren, along came a marine nano tank in the
shape of the then-new Fluval Edge, and I couldn’t
wait to get stuck in!
Once again, it was a simple affair (as are all my
tanks) with a couple of small fish, and I was hoping
it would be filled with sexy shrimp and pompom
crabs. I got the latter and only one sexy shrimp at
the time, and it flowed along really well, until one
weekend when I was away overnight and a small
snail crawled up over the HOB. It made its
way not up the filter intake but the outflow,
and into the impellor area of the filter. It
jammed it completely, thus stopping the
flow of water, which was crucial to the
oxygenation of the tank.
I lost both my small fish (a great little
barnacle blenny and a fattening-up scooter
blenny) and all the critters, which up until
then had been doing very well. I decided
to turn it into a coldwater marine tank after
I was given some beadlet anemones.
Having researched them, it seemed only
natural to turn the Edge into a coldwater
beadlet tank, and it stayed that way until I moved
them all to an AquaEl 25L bowl, which is still going
strong. I couldn’t leave the Edge empty for long
though, and soon became attracted to mini maxi
or a blob of DD paste, or a mix of
frozen foods, such as enriched brine
shrimp, mysis shrimp, krill, lobster eggs
once a day (evening), nori for the
conches every few days, a nightly feed
of phytoplankton every night at the end
of the moonlight phase.
TANK STATS
Salinity: 1.025
Calcium: 440ppm
DKH: 12dKH
pH: 8.3
Phosphate: 0
Nitrate: 0
Magnesium: 1350ppm
Lighting: 4x24W T5s
FEEDING REGIME
A pinch of New Era Aegis marine food,
nems. I set the tank back up and left it to do its thing
with rock and sand from my other tanks, and I had a
word with my favourite shops to see if they had mini
maxis in stock or could get some in for me. I now
have five lovely anemones in the tank, with some of
their symbiotic shrimp and a few zoas. I’ve recently
added a troupe of sexy shrimp, and a small squat
lobster spends its days hiding away from me in the
rockwork. It’s a pleasure to look at but still a pain to
clean, although I have no plans to shut it down. I
must get round to suspending the T5 light unit from
the ceiling above it though – the tins of chopped
tomatoes it is standing on at the moment don’t
really do the tank justice!
was attacking my softies, so it had to go.
Did it work? I should say so! My tank, some 6
months later, has really picked up, and is finally
getting somewhere along the route to its former
glory. I certainly won’t contemplate keeping any
xenia in my tanks again, no matter how attractive it
may look. I’ve now managed to start restocking the
tank with my much-loved LPS corals. Most of them
are in the form of frags, but I am a patient thing,
and I’m happy to enjoy watching them blossom
and grow into nice healthy specimens again. The
only change I have made to the tank this time
round is no skimmer. I am relying solely on water
changes at present, and it’s working well. I may go
back to a skimmer at some point when the
tank is near fully stocked again, but for now
I am enjoying the peace and quiet, so to
speak. I also want to get a nice Reefloat Auto
Top-Up for this tank, as the one on my Vision is
doing a sterling job, and it saves me having
to check the tank so frequently for salinity.
So, what’s next? Funnily enough, it’s
another Edge tank (another present out of
the blue from Darren), which was going to be
used as a nursery for Sepia Bandensis (Dwarf
Cuttlefish). I was lucky enough to be given
a trio of these baby Dwarf Cuttlefish, and
they were being fed up and were dwelling
in a breeding net in my Vision tank. I was totally
excited about these little creatures, but sadly they
didn’t survive past 4 weeks of keeping them. I was
devastated to lose the three little lives, and won’t
be entertaining the thought of keeping them again.
That leaves me with a running but empty Edge tank,
in which I’d like to put something interesting that is
different but hardy. Watch the forum for updates!
How many tanks is that now? Oh, just 10; five
of them are marines (2x 23L, 25L, 155L, 180L),
one fancy goldfish 180L-tank, one Figure 8 Puffer
tank (125L), one Congo Puffer tank (125L), one
Dwarf Puffer tank (45L), and one modestly small
community Tetra tank (65L). The Osaka is still very
much a work in progress, and my other tanks just
seem to keep evolving with each coral or fish or
critter I add.
I have constantly pruned fingers and permanent
salt creep round my nostrils, but I am happy and
(thankfully) so are my fish. If you ask me, it’s Darren
who deserves a prize for the most tolerant person I
know. Mind you, we work well together. Ask anyone
who knows him and they’ll tell you how many car
engine parts I have to climb over to get to my tanks.
I’m not bothered too much really. The house is no
show house, but everything in it is happy! JL
“How many tanks is that
now? Oh, just 10; five of them
are marines, one fancy
goldfish 180L-tank, one Figure
8 Puffer tank, one Congo
Puffer tank, one Dwarf Puffer
tank, and one modestly small
community Tetra tank”
JENNY’S TIP
There is one simple and easy bit of advice
I try to impart to other fishkeepers, no
matter what side of the hobby they are in,
and it’s my motto – slowly, slowly, happy
tanky. It may not be much fun or very
exciting, but strangely enough, it works.
My love of puffers has now extended into
my marine tanks, and I got the urge badly and
purchased two Toby Puffers (a Valentini and a
Leopardi) for my nice Akva Stabil tall tank, along with
various other fish and some soft corals. That’s now
turned into a Juwel Vision 180, and has once again
remained simple, as in one skimmer and an auto
top-up unit and weekly water changes. It’s mainly
full of different leather corals and it’s a piece of
cake to look after. The Valentini Toby is in this tank,
and my Leopard Toby is in the Osaka, after having
been chased about too much by the Valentini.
My Osaka started to suffer after my op, and I
thought at first that it was something I was doing
wrong. Slowly but surely all the LPS corals started
dropping heads, or just shrinking before my eyes,
and with parameters as stable as always, I was at
a loss to explain the troubles. I was on the edge
of stripping it all down and going FOWLR after my
softies started shrinking too, however, one coral was
going great guns, and it was one I loved at the
time – silver-tipped pulsing xenia. Darren kept saying
I should cut it back, and I kept saying it was the only
thing growing, and as it was ‘harmless’, I was happy
to let it grow. How wrong was I? Darren did a small
bit of research, and it seemed a strong likelihood
that the xenia might be sending out toxic warfare
and going nuclear on the other corals in its bid for
total tank domination. Immediately I got to work,
ripping out all the xenia I could see. I thought it had
killed off so many of my beautiful LPS corals and
EDITORS’ NOTE: Thanks Jenny, for a wonderful
insight into your fishkeeping passion. Marine Habitat
wishes you all the best in the future, and good
health to go with that.
-–57
055-058_HobbyistsProfile_MH006.indd 4
30/10/2011 19:04:30
Competition - JBL
STABILISE YOUR pH ONCE AND FOR ALL!
During photosynthesis, corals use up CO2; during respite,
corals release CO2. As CO2 increases, pH declines.
Understand, monitor and maintain CO2 levels in your
aquarium to achieve stability and enable corals to thrive.
THE CARBON CYCLE
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a naturally occurring
chemical compound; at standard temperature
and pressure it is a gas. Photosynthesis is a
chemical process that converts carbon dioxide into
organic compounds, using energy from sunlight.
The conversion of carbon dioxide into organic
compounds using photosynthesis is also known
as the carbon cycle. However, in darkness (i.e. at
night), photosynthesis cannot occur.
CONTROLLING pH LEVELS
Respiring corals release CO2 into the water,
while during photosynthesis they use up CO2. By
continuously adding carbon dioxide to water, it can
be used as a means of controlling pH levels. As CO2
increases, pH declines, and visa versa. It is common
for pH levels in aquaria to increase during the hours
of sunlight, however, CO2 can be added into the
water to keep the pH level from rising, therefore
creating a more stable environment.
CONTROLLING CALCIUM CARBONATE
In reef aquaria, CO2 is also commonly used in
calcium reactors to temporarily lower the pH of
water being passed over calcium carbonate. This is
in order to allow the calcium carbonate to dissolve
into the water more freely where it is used by some
corals to build their skeletons.
ONE MASSIVE PRIZE!
Marine Habitat are pleased to offer this interesting
and exciting prize, provided by JBL. There really
will be one very lucky winner this time round – but
that one winner will receive one hell of a prize! The
following is included:
• A complete JBL ProFlora m1003 CO2 system
which incorporates:
- 2kg CO2 cylinder with stand
- pressure reducer
- CO2 diffuser JBL Taifun 430mm
- 2mCO2 special hose
- CO2 check valve
- KH Test
- pH control instrument (JBL ProFlora pH Control)
which automatically regulates CO2 supply and
adjusts to the selected pH level (incl. calibration
solution but not pH electrode!)
And to complete the setup, the pH electrode, which
is normally excluded from the JBL ProFlora m1003
CO2 system, has been added as an extra:
• JBL ProFlora pH probe
- A sturdy, laboratory-quality gel electrode
- with BNC plug to fit many systems
MORE ABOUT THE JBL PROFLORA CO2 SYSTEM
This revolutionary system meets all the wishes of
aquarium enthusiasts and the specialist trade:
1. A CO2 system which can be converted from
disposable cylinders (u-system) to refillable
cylinders (m-system) in just seconds. So, in the
holiday season, aquarium enthusiasts can quickly
set up disposable reserve cylinders for whoever is
WHAT’S UP FOR GRABS
One very lucky winner will
receive one massive prize.
A complete JBL ProFlora CO2
looking after their aquarium while they are away.
2. Extendable CO2 diffuser JBL Taifun: whenever
more CO2 is needed, whether due to denser
planting, a larger aquarium, or because a lower
pH level is required, the JBL Taifun can be easily
extended at very little cost. So there’s simply no
need to buy a new, bigger diffuser.
3. Complete solution: liquid fertiliser (JBL Ferropol)
and daily fertiliser (JBL Ferropol 24) are included.
4. New pressure regulator JBL ProFlora u001/m001:
in addition to the new feature that this pressure
regulator now fits disposable as well as refillable
cylinders (only dismantle or remove one locking
nut), the preset operating pressure can also now
be adjusted if required. A brochure is available
to accompany the new JBL ProFlora CO2 system,
with illustrations and answers to all questions on the
subject of fertilisers/CO2. In developing this system,
JBL has succeeded in making the subject of CO2
fertilising a whole lot simpler and more professional!
system (which incorporates
the JBL ProFlora pH Control)
and JBL ProFlora pH-probe.
WO RT H OV ER £6 00 !
To win this fantastic prize, just answer this question;
The conversion of carbon dioxide into organic compounds is
usually called photosynthesis, but what is its other name?
A) Carbon Recycling
B) Carbon Cycle
Name:
Daytime delivery address:
Postcode:
Telephone no:
Mobile:
Email:
Competition closing date: 23/12/2011
C) Carbon Changing
Please complete this entry form
and post to:
Fish Junkies Ltd.,
JBL Competition,
PO BOX 4838,
Sheffield S12 9DU,
England.
Please photocopy this page to avoid
spoiling the magazine.
Winners will be notified in writing. Once
notified please allow 28 days for the
delivery of your prize.
If you do not wish to receive further
information from Marine Habitat or its
associates, please tick here
58–064_JBLComp_MH006.indd 1
30/10/2011 11:05:29
Untitled-1 1
11/10/2011 00:38:39
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60–060_SubsOffer_MH006.indd 1
30/10/2011 19:25:42
I G GY TAVA R E S
Age: 62.
Hometown:
London.
Scientist.
Marine experience:
7yrs.
Aquarium size:
None at the moment.
Favourite
fish: Powder Blue Tang
(Acanthurus leucosternon).
coral: Elegance Coral
(Catalaphyllia jardenei).
other: Blood Red Fire Shrimp
(Lysmata debelius).
Specialist areas:
Photography.
Aquarium
de la Porte Dorée
P��i�
Iggy Tavares returns for his next aquarium profile, with a trip
across the Channel to Paris. With 300,000 litres to look at,
find out how Iggy rated this fascinating aquarium.
P
alais de la Porte Dorée, the Palace of the
Golden Gate in Paris, with architecture
based on an Art Deco model, was
built for the Paris Colonial Exhibition in 1931 and
has had a tropical aquarium from its inception.
Although a succession of museums in the palace,
such as the Musée de la France d’Outre-mer,
and the Musée des Arts Africains et Océaniens,
have come and gone, fortunately, the tropical
aquarium that occupies the large basement of the
palace has stayed. In the early days it housed the
aquatic wildlife collected from the far-flung French
colonies, benefiting from the contributions of the
governors, who always brought back some fish on
their return to Paris. A star attraction in 1948 was
crocodiles brought in from Dakar, Senegal.
The aquarium underwent its first maintenance
overhaul in 1960, but the work to modernise the
aquarium to what is present today started in 1985,
when the current director of Aquarium de la Porte
Dorée, Mr Michel Hignette, was appointed from
Monaco Aquarium. While preserving the original
architecture and the historical aspect of the
place, Mr Hignette set about renovations of the
aquarium in stages that included a centralised
seawater processing plant with UV sterilisation and
heating. Moreover, the concrete aquariums were
replaced with polyester resin reinforced aquariums
that had built-in individual filtration systems. Similar
improvements were made to the freshwater tanks.
These technical changes, which brought about
a massive improvement in water quality, now
permitted the keeping of a whole range of aquatic
animals in good health, with few losses.
Today, this beautifully presented public
aquarium, which occupies two large halls, has
a great selection of marine aquariums, as well
as a freshwater aquarium with a sprinkling of
brackish water biotopes; it also features some 80
aquariums with a total volume of some 300,000
litres. The marine and freshwater aquariums are
intermingled; the tanks at this facility are grouped
to illustrate specific themes. Both marine and
freshwater setups are beautifully presented, but in
this photo feature article I will concentrate on the
marine biotopes. The marine aquariums are found
in Section C and Section I.
I knew I was in for a treat as I descended the
stairs to the basement and came upon the first
marine presentation halfway down the stairs. My
first view was of corals all the way to the water
surface, with fish fleeting around, giving me a
bird’s eye view of the reef that was created to
represent the Great Barrier Reef. With a volume
of 1,600 litres (L200xH200xW40cm), there is
plenty of room for a great selection of soft corals
(Anthellia, Xenia and Sinularia species, among
others) and hard corals (Acropora, Euphyllia,
Pectinia and Turbinaria species, among others).
This feature is also well stocked with fish that
include Copperband Butterflyfish (Chelmon
rostratus), Regal Tang (Paracanthurus hepatus),
Magnificent Rabbitfish (Siganus magnificus), Red
Sea Sailfin Tang (Zebrasoma desjardinii), and a
nice school of Yellow Chromis (Chromis analis).
Other inhabitants include plenty of Blood Red
Shrimp (Lysmata debelius) and a Giant Clam
(Tridacna maxima). Although it does suffer large
temperature variations between summer and
winter because of its location, it has been working
well and is a delight to observe from above, as
well as from the sides.
The first marine aquarium in the basement hall is
a small jellyfish display containing some Common
Jellyfish (Aurelia aurita), whose numbers are
topped up from time to time. The blue lighting and
the peculiar swimming of the jellyfish make for a
surreal display.
The first large marine aquarium (6,000 litres,
290x80x100cm) is devoted to soft corals. Though
most of the corals in this display are, for the most
part, various shades of brown, nevertheless it is
fantastic display, crammed full with a wealth of
species that include Lobophytum, Cladiella and
Sinularia, as well as a few colourful species from
Dendronephthya, Siphonogorgia and Clavularia.
Other species include Anthelia and Xenia
that sway in the water current. Colonial corals
are represented by species from Zooanthus,
Palythoa and Parazooanthus, but there are
a good number of mushrooms too, which
included some from Ricordia. At first glance
there seemed to be few fish around, but a more
detailed look found loads of fish in and around
the corals, such as Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma
flavescens), Sohal Tang (Acanthurus sohal),
Palette Surgeonfish (Paracanthurus hepatus),
Longnosed Butterfly (Forcipiger flavissimus), Uspi
Rabbitfish (Signanus uspi) and Saddled Butterfly
(Chaetodon ephippium). Smaller fish included
Goldie Anthias (Pseudanthias squamipinnis),
Skunk Clown (Amphipirion perideraion), Pyjama
Cardinalfish (Sphaeramia nematoptera), Blue
Eyed Cardinalfish (Apogon leptacanthus),
Elegant Firefish (Nemateleotris decora) and a
Dottyback (Pseudochromis sp.) all making for a
great display.
-–61
061_064_ParisAquarium_MH006.indd 1
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Aquarium de la Porte Dorée, Paris - Iggy Tavares
The large hard corals aquarium (6,000 litres,
290x80x100cm) is a fairly recently setup, and given
that SPS corals are much slower growing, it has
some way to go yet before it fills out with coral.
The one coral of good size is a ruffle ridge green
coral (Turbinaria species). To help the hard corals
(Acropora, Euphyllia, Pectinia, Turbinaria and more)
to grow, the tank is being provided with high-quality
lighting, high calcium, and good water flow. The
small number of fish in the hard coral aquarium
include Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens),
Goldeye Tang (Ctenochaetus strigosus) Striped
Surgeonfish (Acanthus lineatus), Foxface (Siganus
vulpinus) and Green Chromis (Chromis viridis).
The next six smaller marine aquariums in Section
C, all beautifully laid out, contained many small
species of fish to show the marine biodiversity, while
others focused on associations between marine
creatures, such as symbiosis between corals and
unicellular algae, between fish and anemones, and
even associations between fish and fish (Cleaner
Wrasse). The clownfish aquarium contained
five pairs of Clowns (Amphiprion ocellaris) in an
aquarium filled with various colourful mushrooms,
including Ricordea species, Green Tip Frogspawn
(Euphyllia sp.) and Bubble Coral (Plerogyra sinuosa).
Nonetheless, at least one pair was caring for eggs.
The other small aquarium that I liked had many
Banggai Cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni) and
was also nicely furnished, principally with soft corals,
but also with green tip frogspawn (Euphyllia sp.). It
also contained a large magnificent Sea Anemone
(Heteractis magnifica) that the pair of Clownfish
(Amphiprion ocellaris) steered well clear of.
On entering the second hall, I could see that I
was going to be in for a treat; there were larger,
spectacular marine displays arranged in groups.
Aquarium sizes varied from small (l,000-litre) tanks
to mid-sized (3,000 litres), with the biggest ones
being 8,000 litres. The first 3,000-litre aquarium
(L300xH90xW110cm) had a great display of plate
corals (e.g. Montipora species, Turbinaria sp.), as
well as other hard corals (e.g. Brain Corals, Favia
species) that was home to a large number of Blue
Damselfish (Chrysiptera cyanea) and a few Neon
Velvet Damsels (Neoglyphidodon oxydon) for a
lively colourful setup. More sombre fish included
Palette Surgeonfish (Paracanthurus hepatus) and
some Brown Tang (Zebrasoma scopas) that went
about their own business and were oblivious of
the damsels.
Next, in the smaller Caribbean tank (1,000
litres, L120xH90xW90cm), I enjoyed the antics of
the dancing Yellowhead Jawfish (Opistognathus
aurifrons), which kept standing up in the water to
attract my attention. This was a tank of small fish
where I also spotted a Blackcap Basslet (Gramma
melacara), Cherub Angelfish (Centropyge argi)
and some Blue Reef Chromis (Chromis cyanea).
There was a lot of live rock in this aquarium, which
was adorned with some soft and hard corals, such
as a large clump of red mushrooms, finger leather
corals, blue sponge, and also some hard corals.
Others included sea fans (Gorgonia sp.), as well
as a large clump of evergreen starburst polyps
(Briareum sp.)
My heart skipped several beats when I saw
the beautiful juvenile Zebra Shark (Stegostoma
fasciatum) that was actively swimming in its
8,000-litre (L250xH120xW260cm) aquarium. Zebra
Sharks are a species of carpet shark that are largely
nocturnal in nature, spending most of the day
resting on the sea floor and hunting for molluscs
and crabs during the night, but fortunately this
captive Zebra Shark had adapted to daytime
swimming. A juvenile Napoleon Wrasse (Cheilinus
undulates) cruised the waters of this tank, which
was completed by a shoal of extra-large active
Sergeant Major Damsels (Abudefduf saxatilis). The
A Longnose Butterfly
looking full of life and
happily grazing.
This sm
Aquar
more
Lyreta
other
The Shark Aquarium that
included two shark species
was a major attraction for
the visiting children.
62–061_064_ParisAquarium_MH006.indd 2
30/10/2011 17:47:22
This small Red Sea
Aquarium featured
more than two dozen
Lyretail Anthias among
other fish species.
This Jawfish in the
Caribbean tank stayed
in the water column
watching the visitors go by.
This Yellowbar Angelfish
was king of the aquarium
but did not trouble the
anthias in the aquarium.
furnishings of this tank consisted of bare live rock.
The aquarium appeared to be large enough for the
moment to house the 120cm shark and the juvenile
Napoleon Wrasse.
The Scorpionfish display (3,000 litres) was
dominated by a pillar of rock that rises all the way
to the water surface, and was adorned by various
colourful mushrooms; colonial corals such as
Zoanthus and Protopalythoa species, among others.
This aquarium housed Pacific Red Lionfish (Pterois
volitans), Radiata Lionfish (Pterois radiate), and Fuzzy
Dwarf Lionfish (Dendrochirus brachypterus), some of
which were hard to see.
The ‘In the Wake of Sharks’ aquarium display
was set up for the special month-long exhibition
in February 2011, to discover the fascinating
world of sharks and rays, and it includes a mix of
live fish, images and films, as well as mounted
specimens and extraordinary fossil specimens,
which, sadly, I missed. The large show tank (4,000
litres, 300x70x190cm) contains a selection of smaller
sharks, such as Bamboo Sharks (Chiloscyllium
plagiosum), and Ribbontail Stingrays (Taeniura
lymma), among others.
The Red Sea tank (3,000 litres) was a delight;
it was a blaze of colour because of the large
number of healthy-looking and active Sea
Goldie (Pseudanthias squamipinnis) that stayed
in the water column. Other fish included a large
Yellowbar Angelfish (Pomacanthus maculosus), a
Regal Angelfish (Pygoplites diacanthus), Golden
Butterflyfish (Chaetodon semilarvatus), Yellowtail
Tang (Zebrasoma xanthurum), Bluestripe Cleaner
Wrasses (Labroides dimidiatus), and Candy Stripe
Hogfish (Bodianus opercularis). The aquarium
was well stocked with a diversity of corals, from
Montipora to Acropora, as well as Favia and
much more.
The next large 8,000-litre aquarium has a large
diversity of species and includes a beautiful blue
undefined unicorn fish that has not yet developed its
horn, pufferfish, Barred Thicklip Wrasse (Hemigymnus
sexfasciatus ), some Stripey (Microcanthus strigatus),
Magnificent Rabbitfish (Siganus magnificus) and a
Queensland Yellowtail Angelfish (Chaetodontoplus
meredithi). Many Blue Damsels (Chrysiptera cyanea)
and a shoal of orange Moluccan Cardinalfish
(Apogon monospilus) were among the smaller fish,
all making for an interesting display. Apart from the
rockwork along the back and sides of the aquarium,
a broad-based pillar near the front of the aquarium
rises all the way to the water surface. Hence this
aquarium has a wealth of colourful corals such as
Seriatopora, Montipora, Caulastrea, Blastomussa,
Echinopora, Euphyllia, Pocillopora and Turbinaria.
The adjoining smaller display (1,000 litres) was
similar to what a marine hobbyist might have at
home. It held a wealth of species that included
a Regal Angelfish (Pygoplites diacanthus), Bellus
Angelfish (Genicanthus bellus), Merten’s Butterflyfish
(Chaetodon mertensii), Porcupine Puffer (Diodon
holacanthus), Virgate Rabbitfish (Siganus virgatus),
Palette Surgeonfish (Paracanthus hepatus) and
Brown Tang (Zebrasoma scopas). There were also
several pairs of Common Clownfish (Amphiprion
ocellaris) and Talbot’s Damselfish (Chrysiptera
talboti). Corals included plate corals (Montipora),
several species of sea fans, green mushrooms,
elephant ears, and an anemone that was home to
some clowns.
The Hawaiian tank, although just 1,000 litres, was
a real beauty containing several bowl-shaped,
multi-layered Montipora, and hard corals such
as the Slipper Coral (Polyphillia talpina), as well
as several different Zoanthus species. It was also
filled with eye-catching fish such as Yellow Tangs
(Zebrasoma flavescens), Fourspot Butterflyfish,
(Chaetodontidae capistratus), Flame Angel
(Centropyge loricula), and the difficult to maintain
Longnose Butterflyfish (Forcipiger flavissimus), which
was entirely healthy in this tank. Smaller fish included
several Blue-eyed Cardinals (Apogon compressus)
and a couple of Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse
(Labroides dimidiatus).
The large shark tank (8,000 litres, 250x120x260cm)
surprisingly contained two species, a Blacktip
Shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus) and a Horn
Shark (Heterodontus francisci); these were young
fish, at around 70cm each, but nonetheless were
interesting and impressive, and swimming actively.
The Blacktip Shark was very active indeed, utilising
both top and bottom levels, while the Horn Shark
was content with the lower levels of the aquarium,
where the Honeycomb Stingray (Himantura uarnak)
also resides. A rather large Whitemargin Unicornfish
(Naso annulatus) and some Pakistani Butterflyfish
(Chaetodon collare) also graced the aquarium. This
aquarium has a central mound of rocks carrying
a range of corals, home to Dusky Anemonefish
(Amphiprion melanopus), and was used as a base
by Blue Chromis (Chromis cyanea) and Humbug
Dacylus (Dascyllus aruanus).
The final marine tank was the Red Sea display
(3,000 litres), and it has a large rock pile at the front,
which was loaded with growing corals that included
leather finger corals, mushrooms, colonial types,
brain coral (Favia sp.), as well as Montipora and
Acropora species. Larger fish included a Powder
Blue Tang (Acanthurus leucosternon), Green Bird
Wrasse (Gomphosus caeruleus), Goldeneye Tang
(Ctenochaetus strigosus), Foxface Lo (Siganus
vulpinus), Naso Tang (Naso lituratus) and Arabian
Angelfish (Pomacanthus asfur). A shoal of mediumsized Banggai Cardinalfish (Pterapogon kauderni)
hugged the outlines of the rock, while a large
Orange-lined Triggerfish (Balistapus undulates) hid
among the rocks.
The sharks are fed, with frozen food daily
(mussels, shrimps, little fishes), but twice a week the
aquarium receives fresh fish (mainly mackerel and
trout) that goes mainly to the large fishes and the
sharks. The other marine fishes are fed daily
-–63
061_064_ParisAquarium_MH006.indd 3
30/10/2011 17:47:30
The Soft Coral Aquarium
filled with various species
of thriving coral provided
cover for many fish.
too, with the same frozen foods chopped up, but
also with live artemia nauplii and adult artemia,
seaweeds (nori, wakame), and sometimes
earthworms to start difficult stingrays feeding. There
is a lot of daily preparation in chopping up and
making the right mix and amount to feed to the
animals in each aquarium.
In the marine system, water quality is maintained
using classic systems based on biological and
mechanical filters (sand filters) and skimmers.
Additionally, each tank has its own individual built-in
filtration unit, which enables an aquarium to be
isolated from the rest of the installation whenever
necessary, which is not very often. The water
quality is tested every day, because it is a closed
system where water could deteriorate very quickly,
although thankfully, everything has been stable
for a long time. Saltwater is prepared by mixing
artificial proprietary salt with reverse osmosis water.
Evaporation is a problem, and the marine system
is topped up daily with RO purified water. The tanks
are siphoned occasionally to remove collecting
detritus, with some partial water changes. There are
also very regular additions of strontium, iodine and
calcium to keep the corals growing strongly.
There is, of course, a lot more to the Aquarium
de la Porte Dorée than just the marine sections,
which also have some outstanding freshwater and
brackish water display aquariums. The aquarium
houses around 5,000 animals and 300 species,
with new animals being brought in through
exchanges with other public aquariums, purchases
and donations. The various exhibits are grouped
together into nine sections and cover various
aspects, such as primitive fish, reproduction, electric
fish, cyprinid fish from Asia, African lake cichlids,
South American fish, including piranha and discus,
and a large enclosure for crocodiles and turtles.
FRESHWATER
In the freshwater section, where there are 24
large aquaria, a wonderful display to look out for
is the large two-panelled aquarium decorated
with logs and rock slabs. It houses a shoal of
Florida Gar (Lepisosteus
platyrhincus) and a few
ADDRESS: 293 AVENUE DAUMESNIL, 75012, PARIS
WEBSITE: WWW.AQUARIUM-PORTEDOREE.FR
TELEPHONE: 0153 59 58 60
PRICE: ADULTS €4.50, OAP €3.00 CHILDREN €1.50, FAMILY €6.00
OPENING TIMES: TUES-FRI 10A.M.-5:15P.M; WEEKENDS 10A.M.-7P.M.
TRAVEL: MÉTRO – PORTE DORÉE (LINE 8), OR BUS – 46 OR PC2
This beautiful aquarium filled
with colourful corals and
beautiful damselfish.
freshwater Garfish (Xenentodon cancila), some
Silver Arowana (Osteoglossum bicirrhosum) and
large black Doras Catfish (Pseudodoras niger),
which are living quite comfortably together with
some stingrays.
The electric fish sector hosts an actively swimming
African Electric Catfish (Malapterurus electricus),
which is capable of delivering a 400-volt charge,
in a nice display in a mid-sized nicely planted tank.
On the other hand, African Knife Fish (Gymnarchus
niloticus) and Elephant Nose Fish (Gnathonemus
petersi) housed in separate displays can only
generate weak electric fields for electro-location.
There are several cichlid displays, including a
West African stream full of branching roots inhabited
by small cichlids, while a large display decorated
with fallen logs and rocks has larger African tilapia
cichlids. The Rift Valley lakes are represented
by a rocky habitat tank full of colourful Malawi
mbuna, while the Tanganyikan biotope tank has
lots of crevices to accommodate the slimmer
Judidochromis and other similar species. A large
feature aquarium houses a splendid collection of
the larger Central American cichlids, including
Red Devils (Amphilophus labiatus), Jaguar
Cichlid (Parachromis managuensis),
Pantano Cichlid (Herichthys pearsei) and
Silver Cichlid (Vieja argentea), among
others. Discus are also featured in
another display.
Other large aquariums feature
shoals of Giraffe Catfish, shoals
of large Red Bellied Piranhas
(Pygocentrus natteri), and many more.
There are also a couple of dozen small,
beautifully aquascaped freshwater
aquariums showcasing various small
groups of fish. A large central area in the
second hall holds Nile Crocodile and turtles.
IN CONCLUSION
Aquarium de la Porte Dorée is open from Tuesday
through to Sunday, but is closed on Mondays.
In addition to going around alone, it offers
specific tours for schools (shapes and colours,
variety of animals and environments), college
level (biodiversity or evolution and classification)
and adults (lifestyles of tropical fish, biodiversity
protection or adaptation to aquatic life) that can
include lectures, workshops, or specific itineraries
and activities, and usually takes approximately 90
minutes. Entry to Aquarium de la Porte Dorée is
just €4.50 for adults or €6.00 for a family, and it is
definitely well worth a visit. IT
The Hawaiian Aquarium
housed a nice collection of
hard corals and colourful
butterfly and angel fish.
42–061_064_ParisAquarium_MH006.indd 4
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: I would like to thank Michel
Hignette, director of Aquarium de la Porte Dorée,
and Déodat Manchon, aquarist and information
correspondent, for their help in providing the
necessary information.
30/10/2011 17:47:37
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Untitled-1 1
11/10/2011 00:39:50
Untitled-1 1
30/10/2011 12:23:54

Marine Habitat Magazine Issue #6

Transcription

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