Coral20100304 DL

Smart Reefs
ENERGY-SAVING TECH & TACTICS

Feeding Anemones
Controlling pH
Fish: An Inside Look
THE REEF & MARI NE AQUARI UM MAGAZI NE
C1 Texterity.indd 1 2/18/10 4:28:33 PM
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2
LETTER FROM EUROPE by Daniel Knop

5
EDITORS PAGE by James M. Lawrence

6
LETTERS

8
REEF NEWS

18
RARITIES by Inken Krause
The Barred Spiny Basslet (Belonepterygion fasciolatum)

20
INTERVIEW: Ronald L. Shimek, Ph.D. Science and Climate
FEATURE ARTICLES

28
TOWARD THE GREENER REEF AQUARIUM
by Daniel Knop

36
SMART REEFS The trick is to make them thrive
with less energy and greater creativity
by Jake Adams

44
ENERGY COSTS
What are the expenses, energy-wise, to run an aquarium?
by Dr. Dieter Brockmann

52
SEA ANEMONE FEEDING
by Ronald L. Shimek, Ph.D.

60
FISH: AN INSIDE LOOK
by Matthew L. Wittenrich

72
MEASURING PH
What every marine aquarist should know
by Stephan Gohmann
AQUARIUM PORTRAIT

80
REEF IN TULIP LAND
The Dutch reef aquarium of Martin van ter Meij
by Ab Ras
DEPARTMENTS
87
SPECIES SPOTLIGHT:
The Tassled Scorpionsh by Daniel Knop

92
REEFKEEPING 101:
Acclimating sh and invertebrates
by Dr. Dieter Brockmann

96
CORALEXICON
Technical terms that appear in this issue

100
ADVANCED AQUATICS:
Big reef, big challenges by J. Charles Delbeek
102
ADVERTISER INDEX
104
REEF LIFE by Larry Tackett and Denise Nielsen Tackett
V O L U ME 7 N U MB E R 2
EDITOR & PUBLISHER | James M. Lawrence
INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHER | Matthias Schmidt
INTERNATIONAL EDITOR | Daniel Knop
SENIOR ADVISORY BOARD |
Dr. Gerald R. Allen, Christopher Brightwell,
Dr. Andrew W. Bruckner, J. Charles Delbeek,
Dr. Sylvia Earle, Svein A. Foss, Jay Hemdal,
Sanjay Joshi, Larry Jackson, Martin A. Moe,
Jr., Dr. John E. Randall, Julian Sprung, Dr.
Rob Toonen, Jeffrey A. Turner, Joseph Yaiullo
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS |
J. Charles Delbeek, Robert M. Fenner, Ed
Haag, Scott W. Michael, Alf Jacob Nilsen,
Ronald L. Shimek, Ph.D., Mary E. Sweeney,
Denise Nielsen Tackett, John H. Tullock, Tim
Wijgerde
PHOTOGRAPHERS |
Denise Nielsen Tackett, Larry Tackett, Vince
Suh, Matthew L. Wittenrich
TRANSLATOR | Mary Bailey
ART DIRECTOR | Linda Provost
ASSOCIATE EDITORS |
Bayley R. Lawrence, Janice Heilmann,
Eli Nadeau, Louise Watson
EDITORIAL & BUSINESS OFFICES
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CORAL
, The Reef & Marine Aquarium Magazine,

(ISSN:1556-5769) is published bimonthly in January,
March, May, July, September, and November by Reef
to Rainforest Media, LLC, 823 Ferry Road, PO Box 550,
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is a licensed edition of KORALLE Germany,

ISSN:1556-5769
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All rights reserved. Reproduction of any material from this
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COVER:
Refections on the surface of the 20,000-gallon (80,000-L)
reef at Atlantis Marine World, Riverside, New York.
Photo by Daniel Knop
BACKGROUND:
Tubastrea sp.
Photo by Daniel Knop
Aquarium P.v. Suijlekom
www. Cor a l Ma g a z i ne - US .com
1_Contents.indd 1 2/18/10 4:31:09 PM
2 CORAL
N
notes f rom DANI EL KNOP
owadays saving energy is more important
than ever. In this issue we are dealing ex-
tensively with the subject of the smarter
use of electricity in the marine aquarium
hobby. We intend not only to inform
you, dear Reader, but also to set changes
in motion that will make energy saving
in the hobby a more important consid-
eration to hobbyists, dealers, and above
all, manufacturers. We hope to awaken aquarists to the
benets of energy-saving products since only if there is
actual demand will manufacturers develop and market
them. If we are successful, it would not be the rst time
that CORAL has played a leading and innovative role.
You probably know without thinking approximately
how many gallons or liters of fuel your car uses per mile
or kilometer. But, hand on heart, how much electricity
does your aquarium use per gallon or liter of water? We
have calculated the per-gallon/liter usage in several
complete aquarium set-ups in this issueperhaps this
term will become established in the marine aquarium
hobby as a method of comparing the energy efciency of
systems. If you calculate the monthly per-liter usage for
your reef aquarium in kilowatt hours per gallon/liter per
month and put into practice some of our recommenda-
tions, you can start to optimize your system.
Perhaps the energy-saving debate will also inspire
some coral-reef aquarists to reconsider the beauty of soft
corals, which can be maintained with much less energy
usage than stony corals. Unfortunately over the last ten
years, their popularity has declined considerablyquite
wrongly in my opinion. Even after 25 years in this hobby,
I am still fascinated by the tiny scrap of a leather coral
that attaches itself to a rock, extends its polyps proudly
towards the light and turns into a magnicent Sarcophy-
ton specimen. My interest in it is no less than the most
expensive steel-blue Acropora echinata. My respect for a
little worm, a sponge, or a sea squirt is not an iota less
than for a rare, splendidly-colored angelsh gliding ma-
jestically across the aquarium. They are all living things;
they are all wonders of Nature.
The current enthusiasm for the reef aquarium
is based on the variety it offers. That has increased
enormously in the past ten years along with the
number of species available to us. In this issue
of CORAL we prole several uncommon marine
organisms that may tempt you to move beyond
the usual bread-and-butter animals. The rst
is a rarity, the Barred Spiny Basslet, Beloneptery-
gion fasciolatum, that we hope will catch the eye
of captive breeders in our audience. The Tasseled
Scorpionsh, Scorpaaenopsis oxycephalus, is easier
to nd and a truly fascinating species for anyone
who takes an interest in predators and camou-
age.
The same applies generally in our hobby. Even
in areas where we have long been condent in
our ability, there remain gaps in our knowledge.
One example is the pH value, a very important
subject in the marine aquarium hobby. What ex-
actly does the pH value tell us? Should it be mea-
sured electronically or are conventional drop-by-
drop reagent tests preferable? What is the effect
of electrode maintenance on the measurement? What
maintenance measures can be used to prolong the life of
the electrode? What happens if the pH-meter electrode
is positioned too deeply in the aquarium water? We will
look at these and many other questions in our two-part
article.
Happy reading!
LETTER
KORALLE editor-in-chief Daniel Knop selecting transparencies.
2_9 Let_Edit_Let.indd 2 2/18/10 4:32:15 PM
3 CORAL
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Of di sappeari ng gobi es and endangered coral s
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.
or some of us, a marine aquarium
is a bit like a magical porthole,
through which we can see not only
the spellbinding spectacle of exotic
aquatic life before our eyes but also
gain glimpses far beyond to the
tropical seas and reefs that are the
sources of our shes and corals.
We tend to assume that most
readers of this magazine share a strong in-
terest in knowing where our livestock comes
from and in the state of the reefs and lagoons
where marine animals are collected or mari-
cultured. When something happens in the
tropical source countries that could conceiv-
ably impact our ability to stock and keep a ma-
rine aquarium, most of us want to know.
Clearly, however, some in our audience
didnt want to hear the message about climate
change and coral reefs in Saving the Mothership by Dr.
Ove Hoegh-Guldberg in the last issue of CORAL. (See
Letters, page 8.) Some letter writers have made their at-
tacks personal, while others say that climate change is
not a relevant subject for an aquarium magazine.
In this issue, invertebrate zoologist Dr. Ronald L.
Shimek responds on behalf of science, scientists, and
science-minded aquarists regarding global warming in a
freewheeling essay (ViewPoint, page 20). Shimek points
out that global warming was not dreamed up in a clan-
destine meeting of rogue climatologists, but rather was
rst stumbled upon by farung eld biologists who start-
ed to note changes in wild plants and animals decades
ago. Slowly, the body of hard scientic evidence they
gathered became so large that a world-wide pattern of
climate-related changes in nature could not be ignored.
For those of us who have dived on or snorkled over
bleached, dead or dying coral reefs, it is exceptionally dif-
cult to hear climate change skeptics suggest that global
warming is not happening, is not related to human-
generated airborne pollution, or that it is nothing that
should concern us. Two seemingly unrelated items in
this issues Reef News (page 14) ought to bring the reali-
ties of the situation home, whatever our personal views
on the facts and controversies of climate science.
First, we sometimes nd the truth in the smallest
things, and Prof. David Bellwood has reported a disturb-
ing nding from the Great Barrier Reef: in large areas
that are seemingly recovering from the severe bleaching
events of 1998, the corals have rebounded, but the once-
abundant goby populations have not come back. These
sh may be tiny, but they are important, says Bellwood.
They make up almost half the life on the reef. They live
fast and die young, in vast numbers. Something is not
right if the fastest breeders of the reef are still missing.
More immediately ominous is another Reef News re-
port on a petition by an environmental law organization
based in Arizona for the U.S. government to list some
82 species of coral for protection under the Endangered
Species Act. If the Center for Biological Diversity gets
its way, many popular and commonly kept stony cor-
als would become illegal to harvest, buy, sell across state
lines, or propagate without a permit. We must not dis-
count these petitioners: they have a multimillion dollar
annual budget, a large staff of lawyers, and they claim
credit for getting the two species of Caribbean Acropora
listed as endangered in 2006.
As Dr. Shimek points out, predicting the future ef-
fects of climate change is far from an exact science. Un-
fortunately, it is all too easy to foresee the drastic effects
this petition would bring to native sherfolk, the marine
aquarium world, and the future of the corals themselves.
Perhaps the best place to conserve the genetic material of
corals and other reef animals during the difcult decades
ahead is alive and well in hundreds of thousands of reef
aquaria worldwide.
James M. Lawrence
Charlotte, Vermont
Green or Broadbanded Clown Goby,
Gobiodon histrio, lost 67 percent
of its local population after a 1998
bleaching event.
8 CORAL
correspondence f rom our readers
GLOBAL DRI BBLE
I rarely comment on the quality of articles in any maga-
zine, but have to do so in the case of Saving The Moth-
ership by Dr. Ove Hoegh-Guldberg that appeared in
Volume 7, Number 1. Such outright one-sided and far
left dribble is not in the best interest of our country, the
hobbyist, or of CORAL!
Printing such biased (expletive deleted) does noth-
ing to enhance our hobby, cor-
rect and/or at least help recog-
nize certain aspects in the wild
that need our attention. It only
fans the re narrow-minded en-
vironmentalists want to create to
keep themselves and their law-
yers with incoming paychecks.
In fact, its the reason I quit the
Sierra Club!
I personally dont want to
see CORAL become a platform
for those who are quite inept at
providing a balanced and hon-
est view of certain issues, such
as the so-called global warming
issue, where only 30 years ago we
were on the side of a pending ice
age!
Bob Goemans, Ph.D
Tucson, Arizona
FAREWELLS DEPT.
I came home today, and my new issue of CORAL was
in my mailbox...always a high point of the day. One of
the rst items I came across was a letter to the editor
by Morgan Lidster. I said to myself, just another global
warming denier, and instead of reading the magazine
from front cover to the back cover, I ipped to the article
on global warming.
And much to my chagrin, Mr. Lidster was abso-
lutely correct. This was an article that has no place in
your magazine. Not that I have any arguments with the
science surrounding global warmingI do not; global
warming is a fact. But rather, I object to the injection of
political ideology into a magazine on aquariums.
My primary voting issue is the environment. But if I
wanted political ideology I would read the Village Voice or
watch Fox News. I will not accept it in a hobby publica-
tion. It was completely irresponsible of you to publish
this article. I only have one way to vote however, and so
I do not plan to renew my subscription.
Dean Grant
Bentonville, AR
SCI ENCE AND EMOTI ON
With the issue of climate change, science has entered the
gladiatorial arena with religion and politics. Ove Hoegh-
Guldberg is one of the most re-
spected and accomplished coral
reef scientists active today, and
I greatly respect his work, his
analysis of the current situation,
and his prognosis for our coral
reefs.
He may not be right on all
the detailsactually I hope not
but he is working with facts that
are in evidence now, and if one
wishes to debunk his analysis,
then a contradictory analysis
with a factual basis is called for,
not emotional diatribes.
We aquarists have the ex-
perience, the animals, and the
facilities to actually manipulate
marine environments as to tem-
perature and pH and observe the
effects rst hand, and doing such
work may lead to interesting re-
sults and pathways to new ideas.
As in all pursuits of the truth of a matter, it is only
through experimentation, careful analysis, replication of
the work of others, and continuing renement of accept-
ed theory and hypothesis that science nds the truth
with the understanding, of course, that the truth
may change as more facts are discovered and proven.
Conviction based on emotion, unreason, and supersti-
tion on any side leads to, at best, a closed mind, and at
worst, war. Aquarists should be scientists and as such
should always work with facts, even apparently contra-
dictory facts, and base opinions on these facts and not
on politics.
Martin A. Moe, Jr.
Islamorada, Florida
Readers are invited to write the Editor:
Editors@CoralMagazine-US.com
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U.S. considers endangered species
protection for 82 stony coral species
A move to place more than 80 species of stony corals on
the Endangered Species list appears to be gaining traction
with the U.S. federal government. A petition from an Ar-
izona-based environmental group calls for protection of
8 Caribbean and Western Atlantic species, 9 corals in the
Hawaiian Islands, and 66 species from the Indo-Pacic.
The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS),
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-
tion (NOAA), and the Department of Commerce have
opened a 90-day nding period seeking to hear scientif-
ic and commercial information on whether a long list
of stony coral species would be given protection under
the Endangered Species Act.
The 83 species included in the original petition range
from four species of Acanthastrea, 22 species of Acropora,
3 species of Euphyllia, 8 species of Montipora, and 4 spe-
cies of Turbinaria. Among the corals on the list are such
commonly kept aquarium species as Euphyllia parancora,
Galaxea astreata, Pavona cactus, Turbinaria reniformis,
and many species of Acropora.
The move was initiated by the Center for Biologi-
cal Diversity, headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, a non-
prot dedicated to conservation. The Center
claims the petition, originally submitted Octo-
ber 20, 2009, was ignored until they threatened
to sue the National Marine Fisheries Service.
The announcement that the groups petition had
been accepted came February 10. Of the 83 original
coral species, 82 were found to have signicant enough
evidence of compromise to justify further status reviews.
The Fisheries Service ruled that there was not enough
evidence to consider a listing for the Western Atlantic
Ivory Tree Coral, Oculina varicosa.
This is a call to action, said Marshall Meyers, CEO
of the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) in
Washington. There may be some species that do need
protection, but to list all of these corals demands serious
science-based, credible studies demonstrating that each
of these species is endangered.
If listed, the corals would be banned from collec-
tion in U.S. waters, banned from import into the United
States; interstate shipment would become illegal. Captive
propagation would require a federal permit, and corals
could only be bought and sold within states. Effectively,
this would end the international trade in stony corals to
the United States, Meyers said in an exclusive interview
with CORAL Magazine.
I think many people have been taken by surprise
and dont yet know the implications. In addition to the
marine aquarium hobby, this could impact anyone who
f i ndi ngs and happeni ngs of note i n the mari ne worl d
NEWS
Described as endangered by the Center for
Biological Diversity are such common corals as
Acropera vermeyi and Euphyllia parancora.
10 CORAL
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12 CORAL
comes near a coral reef in U.S. waters, including boaters,
shermen, divers, and tour operators. Using the Endan-
gered Species Act in this way is part of a crusade, the
breadth of which we have never seen before.
Once a species is listed as endangered, sanctions are
levied against anyone who takes a specimen. Taking
is dened as harassing, harming, pursuing, hunting,
shooting, wounding, killing, trapping, capturing, col-
lecting, or any attempt to do these things to a member
of the endangered species. The petitioners believe that
they can use the Endangered Species Act to bring legal
action against entities emitting CO
2
and to force the
government to establish marine protected areas.
The status review is an important step forward in
protecting coral reefs, which scientists have warned may
be the rst worldwide ecosystem to collapse due to global
warming, says Miyoko Sakashita, oceans director at the
Center for Biological Diversity, based in San Francisco.
Endangered Species Act protection can provide a safety
net for corals on the brink of extinction.
The group says it has 255,000 members and online
activists, and in its tax ling for 2008 showed total rev-
enues of more than $9 million. Among its current cam-
paigns are efforts to save sea turtles, Beluga Whales, an-
cient Redwood Trees, and the Okinawa Dugong. Other
activities of CBD include the distribution of 100,000 free
condoms for endangered species, in hopes that human
population growth will be slowed. Handed out across the
country on Valentines Day, the slogan on
one of six different condom packets reads:
Wrap with care, save the polar bear.
Coral biologists have started to dis-
sect the groups petition, and John Bruno,
Ph.D., of the University of North Caroli-
na, writing on the Australian-based blog,
ClimateShifts.org, took particular note
of the assertions of loss of coral cover in
many areas that the petition uses to jus-
tify protecting stony corals. Bruno himself
did some of the studies cited by the peti-
tioners.
Now this, as they say here in Oz,
is some dodgy science.... Given what we
have have seen happening in the media
recently, e.g., the IPCC reports, scientists
should be really careful about the accu-
racy of their gloom-and-doom stories.
Some observers believe that, should
this petition be approved, it could pave
the way to a wholesale listing of all or
most stony corals and coral reef shes
under the Endangered Species Act.
Meyers asks that anyone in the COR-
AL audience who can help provide an in-
formed response to the petition contact
PIJAC. The deadline for responding to the
National Marine Fisheries Service is April
12, 2010.
For more information, or to weigh in
with your expertise, see the following:
Center for Biological Diversity (The
Petitioners)
The Finding (National Marine Fisheries
Service) and The List of Corals
Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC)
(Who Will Ofer Expert Testimony and
Information)
Climate Shifts.org (Coral biologist John Bruno,
PhD, starts to dissect the science cited in the
petition.)
James Lawrence
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13 CORAL
Internet sh poachers (Google assisted)
Koi fanciers in the British Isles are bracing for the re-
turn of spring and an anticipated re-emergence of sh
snatchers who last year pilfered a respectable fortune in
prize ornamental carp from outdoor ponds. Investiga-
tors are almost certain the only way the thieves could
have located the koi, in ponds well hidden from casual
passersby, was by use of Google Earth, which gives spy-
satellite capabilities to a new class of bio-terrorists.
Google Earth, the astonishing Internet service that
displays the entire planet in satellite photos, often with
breathtaking precision and accuracy of detail, is appar-
ently being used increasingly by sh
thieves for nefarious purposes. The
county of East Yorkshire in northern
England was the scene of a series of
thefts of Koi, in which many shes,
each with an individual value of sev-
eral hundred British pounds, were sto-
len last summer.
The ponds were not visible from
the outside of the propertiesonly the
owners knew of their existence. But
the ponds are readily visible on higher magnication
photos on Google Earth. Police said these photos may
have been the only way for the thieves to discover the
existence of the discretely hidden ponds.
A Google spokesman denied any culpability, arguing
that technology can never be held responsible for a crime
committed with its assistance. Hopefully the resolution
of the photos on Google Earth will not be increased to
such a degree that valuable angelshes in marine aquaria
can also be detected.
Daniel Knop
Internet: http://earth.google.com/
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aquarium of Pieter van Suijlekom.
10_17 Reef News.indd 13 2/18/10 4:35:38 PM
14 CORAL
The Mystery of the Disappearing Gobies
Even as marine scientists have been cautiously rejoicing
over the recovery of corals that had been through bleach-
ing events on the Great Barrier Reef in the late 1990s,
a new nding suggests that the almost unnoticed tiny
gobies that were once found everywhere in the niches of
the reef are not coming back.
From sizes of less than an inch to about 1.75 inches
(25-45mm) in length, the gobies (Family Gobiidae) are
so small and cryptic they often go unseen to the casual
visitorbut they make up almost half of all the sh life,
as measured by number of individuals, on the reef, says
ichthyologist Professor David R. Bellwood of the ARC
Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and James
Cook University.
These sh may be tiny, but they are very important.
They are telling us that the world has changed, and in
ways we do not understand. That we may not be able to
manage things as well as we hoped, he says.
In 1998 there was a major coral bleaching event
that affected some 40 per cent of corals across a huge
area of the reef. After some years, quite a lot of the coral
has recoveredand looks more or less as it once did.
30 GENERATI ONS WI TH NO RECOVERY
But the gobies have not come back. Something is not
right if the fastest breeders of the reef are still missing.
Overall, the coral sh fauna are still in a degraded state
after 30 generations. In a published paper several years
ago, the abundance of the Green or Broadbanded Clown
Goby, Gobiodon histrio, for example, had diminished 67
percent seven years after the bleaching event. (Bellwood,
et al. 2006.)
Prof. Bellwood has devoted almost 20 years to the
study of what many might imagine to be the least sig-
nicant of sh on the reef. He feels they may be far more
important than might appear, as indicators of the health
status of the Reef.
Gobies are among the Reefs most plentiful species.
They live fast and die young, in vast numbers. Many big
reef sh live ten years or more: a typical goby lasts just
100 days. Everything eats themthey are the Tim Tams
(chocolate bisquit snacks) of the Reef. For every ten that
wake up in the morning only nine go to sleep at night.
Studying something as small as gobies is not easy.
Usually it consists of encasing a coral bommie in a large
mosquito net, and then meticulously collecting anaes-
thetized shes. Comparisons of goby populations over
many years before and after bleaching, even in reefs with
apparently healthy coral, shown signs of major change.
Because their generations turn over so quickly, go-
bies provide a highly sensitive indicator of changes that
may be taking place, far more so than the longer-lived
species, like large shes or turtles.
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10_17 Reef News.indd 14 2/18/10 4:35:57 PM
15 CORAL
Normally gobies breed up quickly and replace their
numbers. But in many areas which have suffered from
the effects of coral bleaching and other impacts caused
by human activity, many are largely missing todaya sig-
nal that something is seriously wrong.
UNCERTAI N FUTURE FOR BLEACHED REEFS
Gobies divide up the ecological niches on the Reef very
nelythey tell us if the Reef system, as whole, is thriv-
ing or failing. Now, they are telling us that the foun-
dations of the Great Barrier Reef and other coral reefs
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Reef Safe
Eviota sp. goby on the Great Barrier Reef.
10_17 Reef News.indd 15 2/18/10 4:36:09 PM
16 CORAL
around the world are shifting in unexplained ways.
This may be a sign that coral reefs will never be the
same again, and that we should be planning for an un-
stable, uncertain future.
Bellwood says, Few if any disappeared, but many are
exceedingly rare in our sampling area. We have not lost
species but have tracked a major change in composition.
The equivalent of your house pets (cats, dogs, sh) being
replaced by rats, mice, and cockroachesyou still have
animals in the house just not the same sort.
The successful invaders include Chinese Damsel
(Neopomacentrus bankieri), crypto-benthic gobies in the
Genus Istigobius, and the Queensland Pygmy Goby (Evi-
ota queenslandica). These two species showed increases of
138% and 247%, respectively.
Bellwood says it is not yet possible to diagnose the
precise reasons for the loss of the gobies, but suspects
that reproductive success has diminished because of un-
known and difcult to measure chemical changes in the
reef itself.
ABSENCE OF GENETI C SETTLEMENT CUES
FOR LARVAE?
I suspect a comparable, but unrecorded, change in the
benthic composition has changed the settlement cues
and made the reef less attractive to the larvae of the orig-
inal inhabitants. The larvae of the species in the original
community are still not coming back in their original
numbers. (Editor: A settlement cue is a
signal to a drifting larval sh that this is
home and a good place to drop down
out of the water column. Settlement cues
for larval marine organisms are given off
by coral tissue, coralline algae, and other,
undocumented sources.)
What is shocking is that these shes
have such short lifespans that many gen-
erations are passing with no recovery.
These things live for only 100 days with
Eviota sigillata (Seven-gure Pigmy Goby)
having the world recordit only lives for
59 days, max.
Bellwood says that his team will be
doing annual checks on the status of the
gobies and their rank in the recovering
reefs. Im one of a handful of scientists
in the world working on goby ecology, and
we still know little more about them than
we did when Charles Darwin visited Aus-
tralia. But because of their vast numbers,
rapid growth rates and fast turnover, they
are a real powerhouse for the Reef, pro-
viding nutrition for a great many other
species directly or indirectly. If they dis-
appear from the system, it signals some-
thing is profoundly amiss.

RE F E RE NCE S
From materials released by the ARC Centre of
Excellence, James Cook University, Townsville,
Australia.
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef
Studieshttp://www.coralcoe.org.au/
Bellwood DR, Hoey AS, Ackerman JL,
Depczynski M (2006) Coral bleaching, reef fsh
community phase shifts and the resilience of
coral reefs. Global Change Biology 12: 1587-
1594 pdf
Bellwood Lab http://www.coralcoe.org.au/
research/bellwoodlab/home%20page.htm
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10_17 Reef News.indd 16 2/18/10 4:36:20 PM
17 CORAL
Watch For
Something New!
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10_17 Reef News.indd 17 2/18/10 4:36:31 PM
18 CORAL
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by I NKEN KRAUSE
The Barred Spiny Basslet
Belonepterygion fasciolatum
They are rare, they are charming, and not infrequently
they are highly unusual! Although journalist Stefanie
Rosenkranz was referring to pandas and exceptional
kids, her observation describes the little pygmy basslet
Belonepterygion fasciolatum, perfectly. It is rare in the
aquarium trade, and when it does appear, it remains un-
noticed by most people, as it shuns the light and leads
a cryptic life away from the sight of predators, divers,
and aquarists. It can, however, charm us with both its
tiny sizethis little sh attains at most 2 inches (5 cm)
in lengthand its extremely circumspect, slightly wob-
bly, somewhat comical way of swimming. To the casual
observer, B. fasciolatum appears to be a dottyback, but
it lacks the size, condence, and boisterousness of the
genus Pseudochromis. With greatly elongated pectoral
ns on which these bottom-dwelling shes stand and
prominent dorsal lappets, popular names such as Red-
Banded High-Fin Dottyback and Marine Betta often
dene it. In is, in fact, a member of the Plesiopidae or
Longns, and is related to the Comet and assessors.
This little basslet should be enjoyed in the marine
aquarium hobby. Apart from the fact that in the aquari-
um it remains a rarity because of its reclusive lifestyle,
it is as easy to keep as its larger relatives. It is perfect
for a small species tank or nano aquarium of 10 gal-
lons [34-L] with copious hiding-places, and peaceful
companions. Scott Michael suggests keeping it under red
light or LED moonlights to allow more frequent sight-
ings. B. fasciolatum is not fussy when it comes to food.
This species is certainly no vegetarian, as evidenced by a
large mouth that even a grouper might envy. It should
not be trusted with small ornamental crustaceans such
as shrimps in the genera Thor and Periclimenes. Here, -
nally, with its dietary habits, ends the comparison with
the panda, whose only other connection with this sh is
the fact that both animals are rarely seen in the esh.
RE F E RE NCE S:
Debelius, H. & R. Kuiter. 2006. Atlas der Meeresfsche. Kosmos
Verlag, Stuttgart, Germany.
Michael, Scott W. 2004. Basslets, Dottybacks & Hawkfshes: Reef
Fishes Book 2. Microcosm/TFH, Neptune, NJ.
The Barred Spiny Basslet, Belonepterygion fasciolatum, is a tiny, cryptic predator, here seen at FF-Marineaquaristik, Wrist, Germany.

18_19 Rarities.indd 18 2/18/10 4:37:11 PM
19 CORAL
18_19 Rarities.indd 19 2/18/10 4:37:25 PM
20 CORAL
Possibly, the most telling phrase about the attitudes toward global warming is, I
dont believe in climate change or global warming. The words I dont believe be-
speak of a fundamental and deep misunderstanding of what Science is and, more
importantly, what scientic evidence is.
Unfortunately many people seem to have the impression that this thing called
Science is a body of opinion, or maybe facts, or just possibly, a set of guesses about
this or that. Some of these people will go farther and think that science is a body of
knowledge. In other words, these people make the mistake of thinking that Science,
the process used by scientists nd answers to questions, is Science, the information
held by scientists as truth.
This is a critical problem, as it puts Science on the same level as a school of
philosophical thought or a religion. As a result, a scientic explanation is perceived
as something to be believed in without question, rather than as an explanation of
observational evidence that is ever changing, something to be challenged and improved.
Given the state of modern education in our society, it is easy to imagine how such a mis-
conception occurs. After all, when a student takes a course in a science, for example, biology,
that student learns putative biologically-oriented information as facts, much as a bit of gospel
at Sunday school, to be accepted and recapitulated on demand and then either to be remem-
bered or forgotten at the students whim. It is a rare biology class where a student actually does
something that can actually be described as the science of biology. So, the student learns that
biology is a body of information, whereas actually biology is the way to applying the scientic
method to explore and try to answer a question that deals with living things.
It doesnt matter what it is called, Global Warming or World Wide Climate
Change, it does not exist, according to an increasingly vocal group of people.
It is a left-wing (communist) plot, or it is a right-wing (fascist) plot, or it is left-
wing fascist plot (by those whose dont know what fascism is), or or
These people have only one thing in common: they are dead wrong.
By now, the evidence of global climate change, scientifc and anecdotal, is
so overwhelming it is hard to understand how the contrarian viewpoint can
be held. It is a conundrum to behold a group of people vocally and fervently
opposed to the facts of global climate change, but perhaps some of
the reasons for their opposition will become clear as we look at the
science involved.
The author at
home in Wilsall,
Montana
Scientists dont implicitly believe in global warming; instead, they believe
that global warming is best explanation of the climate data gathered so far.
by RONALD SHI MEK, Ph. D.
Skeptics, Science & Climate Change
POINT
20_27 Viewpoint Shimek.indd 20 2/18/10 4:37:57 PM
21 CORAL
Science is not a collection of facts; it is a specic way of
forming an explanation of events based on testing known
factual evidence rather than on guesswork, myth, and in-
nuendo.
The processes involved in scientic investigation lead
to a unique way of knowing: one based on observation,
experimentation, and the analyses of data to form ideas
and explanations about the world. It is the only way of
human thinking that is based on tangible, physical evi-
dence. Additionally, it is a self-correcting process that
results in a continually changing data base where newly
gathered data may cause old ideas to be reevaluated. As
a result, errors are found and corrected resulting in a
continual reexamination of the topic and previously
gathered information as well as newly gathered data.
The difference between the public misconception of
science and the actuality of the process should be obvi-
ous. Scientists dont implicitly believe in global warming;
instead, they believe that global warming is the best ex-
planation of the climate data gathered so far. Although
by now it is very unlikely, it remains a possibility that
some new data will change the interpretation that the
climate is changing and that burning fossil fuels is the
cause. On the other hand, it is very likely that new data
will result in changes to the projected effects due to glob-
al warming. This is not surprising, as more is learned,
and as modeling becomes better, the projected effects
will become more accurate.
GLOBAL WARMI NG AS A GOOD EXAMPLE
OF SCI ENCE I N ACTI ON
Looking back over the last 50 years, or so, of the history
of the concept of global climate change shows the valid-
ity of the scientic method in determining what was oc-
curring and why. The rst effects of climate change were
noticed, primarily, by eld ecologists in the 1960s. There
were quite a number of widespread and disjunct reports
of changes in the timing of such things as the rst ow-
ering of plants, or the arrival of migratory birds. These
events interested a lot of people who undertook differ-
ing, and unconnected, projects examining small indi-
vidual questions about the changes. Initially, a scien- N
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Shiptracks or vapor trails from the exhausts of ocean-going
vessels and jets over the eastern Atlantic. Some scientists
suspect pollution-generated clouds may contribute to drought.
20_27 Viewpoint Shimek.indd 21 3/11/10 10:59:03 AM
22 CORAL
tist studying a particular problem, population, or place
thought that the changes he or she was were seeing were
unique. However, by the mid-1970s, it was evident that
something was happening that was causing changes in
nature throughout the world.
Meanwhile, it was known that the atmospheric car-
bon dioxide concentration was rising at a steady rate
and had been rising for at least 30 to 40 years, quite
possibly longer. As more data were accumulated, the
only reasonable way to explain the changes was that the
earths climate was changing.
This was very evident by the mid-1980s; however,
the magnitude and long-term effects of those chang-
es were far from understood. By this time, it was also
known that the most likely cause for many of the ob-
served ecological events was the change in atmospheric
carbon dioxide concentrations. The relative effects of at-
mospheric sulfate aerosols, atmospheric methane, and
other factors were unclear.
It had been known for a long time that changes in
the Earths orbit, as well as changes in the Suns output
affected the Earths climate, and the roles that those fac-
tors were having on the current biological events came
under scrutiny. By the mid-1990s, it had become obvious
that, although orbital and solar phenomena could de-
nitely cause climate changes, they werent responsible
for what was happening at this time. In fact, more re-
cent data have shown that if any climate changes were to
occur because of orbital perturbations at this time, it is
likely they would result in cooling rather than warming.
Verifying the existence of climate change and deter-
mining its cause or causes was and is a tremendously
important problem. As a result, a truly phenomenal
amount of research ranging from laboratory experi-
mentation to environmental observation coupled with
remarkably sophisticated analyses has been carried over
the last two or three decades, engaging literally thou-
sands of individuals, universities, and government agen-
cies all over the world, and from every relevant scientic
discipline.
Since the early 1990s the vast consensus of creden-
tialed climatologists has supported the interpretation
that: 1) the climate is changing, and 2) increasing at-
mospheric carbon dioxide is the primary cause.
THE WET UNDERBELLY OF CLI MATE CHANGE
Most ecologists also support these interpretations, with
marine biologists being in the forefront of the research
that is determining the effects of these changes. What
has been called the dirty wet underbelly of climate
change, is that serious effects are likely to be experi-
enced rst in those marine communities dependant
upon environmental conditions staying within specic
narrow limits. In other words, coral reefs are going to
take the hit rst.
Of all the types of amateurs to look at the effects of
global climate change, the ones who should be able to
understand it best are coral reef aquarists. If atmospheric
carbon dioxide increases, this in turn increases dissolved
oceanic CO
2
, and that lowers pH. Reef aquarists know,
far better than most people, the effects of changing the
pH of organisms living in saltwater. Home aquarists can
be scientists as well by easily performing some short-
term experiments in small tanks. They can lower the
pH of those tanks to, say 7.9, or raise the temperature
to 93F (34C) and maintain these parameters for a
few weeks. Note carefully the effects on the inhabitants.
And then, project what would happen to all coral reefs
under those conditions, which are where ocean condi-
tions could be heading.
The climate is changing, and it is evident that the
effects of that change have been acting on wildlife
since, at least, the mid-twentieth century and likely be-
fore that. Bird migration patterns are changing, owers
are blooming far earlier in the spring due to warming
weather, and most apropos to marine aquarium keepers,
corals are dying in droves. The Caribbean reef system is
the environmental poster child of climate change, but
other factors in that region certainly share the blame
with warming events. Nonetheless, every coral reef that
has been studied has problems. That climate change is
a primary cause of many of these problems is easily de- M
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
researchers recovering a deepsea mooring system used
to record changes in temperature, conductivity, and other
characteristics of Arctic Ocean waters.
23 CORAL
Plankton Farm
Over 15 years of studying the efects of refrigeration of live
phytoplankton has shown that species which can be stored
successfully are very rare. Live refrigerated storage requires
species which will become dormant, needing neither
nutrients nor light. Unfortunately, most of the species
used in commercial aquaculture do not survive
refrigerated storage.
Published research has shown that Isochrysis had 80-90% of
the cells decompose within 10 weeks. Pavlova had a 98% loss
in the same period. If these species along with others such as
Rhodomonas survived refrigerated storage, I would use them.
Several companies use the marketing points of these species
even though they do not survive.
A microscope is needed along with some knowledge
of phytoplankton to see what is in these products.
If people could really see what they are buying,
they would be shocked at the lack of living cells
in these products.
Do you need to buy a product to
add zooxanthellae?
Zooxanthellae are symbiotic dinofagellates that supply corals
with energy in the form of glucose. These dinofagellates are
growing within the coral and the excess is expelled into the
water column, so there are always zooxanthellae in the water
of your reef aquarium. There are people involved in raising
corals from spawns who inoculate juvenile corals with
zooxanthellae by running water from a reef aquarium through
the rearing tank. They do not need to buy or culture
zooxanthellae and neither do you.
1. Phytoplankton is concentrated using our
proprietary process which does not damage the
living cells.
2. Clean saltwater is added to double the volume of
the concentrated phytoplankton. This reduces the
amount of culture media to 50%.
3. Phytoplankton is concentrated for a second time.
4. Clean saltwater is added to double the volume of
the re-concentrated phytoplankton. This reduces
the amount of culture media to 25%.
5. Phytoplankton is concentrated for a 3rd time.
6. Clean saltwater is added to triple the volume of the
re-concentrated phytoplankton. This reduces the
amount of culture media to just 8.3%.
7. Phytoplankton is concentrated for the last time to
density of the product, which is at least 20 times
the density of un-concentrated phytoplankton.
The result is washed live phytoplankton
cells that will not cause any buildup of
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24 CORAL
monstrable. Climate skeptics are strangely silent on the
realities of coral reef declines in the last few decades.
DI SI NFORMATI ON AND DI SBELI EF
Some of the more interesting results of awareness of
climate change are the vocal outbursts of those who
say it isnt happening. These range from people who try
to discredit recent data by using older information in
statements like, Why should we believe these scientists
now when they said in the 1970s that an ice age was
imminent. For example, George Will asserts that Sci-
ence magazine (Dec. 10, 1976) warned about extensive
Northern Hemisphere glaciation, which he implied was
quite imminent. Well, the magazine didnt assert any-
thing, the quote was from a specic paper, and those
authors did make a comment about ice ages.
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Then NOW is the time to visit us!
At Pacific Aqua Farms we carry an incredibly large
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week. With collection and Aquaculture
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Global average land and ocean temperatures, starting in 1880,
as compiled by NASAs Goddard Institute. Graphs originally
prepared by Robert A. Rohde for the Global Warming Art Project.
This graph represents readings from 23 geologically stable tide
gauge sites from 1880 to 2000. Since 1900, average sea level rise
has been approximately 7.3 inches (18.5 cm).
25 CORAL
The two paragraphs from the article relevent to
Wills quote are quoted here:
Such forecasts must be qualied in two ways. First,
they apply only to the natural component of future
climatic trendsand not to anthropogenic effects such
as those due to the burning of fossil fuels. Second, they
describe only the long-term trends, because they are
linked to orbital variations with periods of 20,000
years and longer.
What the article showed, if it was actually read,
is that the scientic method works. Note the phrase,
First, they apply only to the natural component of fu-
ture climatic trendsand not to anthropogenic effects
such as those due to the burning of fossil fuels. This re-
ally says it all, given that the warm-
ing has been, is, and will be caused
by anthropogenic effects.
So, Will was right, they did warn
about an ice ageover the long term
of 20,000 years, specically exclud-
ing warming trends caused by hu-
mans. Well, even with our present
warming, we still may get an Ice Age
in 200 centuries.
THANK YOU FOR SMOKI NG
The disinformation spread by Will
and folks like him, is rather like the
disinformation spread by the tobacco
companies in the 1960s through the
1980s stating that, since the scientif-
ic studies involved with smoking and
health effects were not experimen-
tal, but instead correlative, that they
hadnt proved that smoking caused
cancer. In truth, that was true for
some of the studies, but correlative
research can prove things when it is
coupled with sufcient ancillary in-
formation and research lling in all
the causative blanks. The evidence,
of course, became overwhelming and
the tobacco rms nally capitulated.
Additionally, there are indeed
scientists who profess not to accept
the global warming scenarios. It is
worth it for the reader to examine
them to see who pays their bills and
who their employers are. Similarly, it
is well worth investigating their areas
of expertise. Obviously, not every sci-
entist can comment with any degree
of authority on all elds of science.
As an example, I consider myself
a reasonably well-trained inverte-
brate ecologist; I can comment quite
validly on a number questions and topics, including
some of the ecological aspects of global warming. How-
ever, if asked about the relative merits of the various
theoretical formulations regarding black holes, I could
respond, but you would be wise to listen skeptically.
CLI MATE VS. WEATHER
Then, there is the misconception of just exactly what is
this thing called climate, and how changes in climate
are manifested. There is a great deal of confusion about the
difference between weather and climate. Probably the easi-
est way to look at this is to address the weather of the
last couple of years in the good ol U.S. of A. The weather
over a lot of the country was cooler in the last few years
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26 CORAL
than it was during the rst couple of
years of this new century. This has
been interpreted by some people as ev-
idence that there is no climate change
occurring. Their argument goes, We
have had a colder than usual winter
this year, obviously they (the unde-
ned they making all of this up for
personal gain) are wrong about global
warning.
About all that statement really
shows is that the person uttering it
either doesnt know the difference
between weather and climate,
or that they are rmly ensconced on
the lower extreme of the Smarts Bell
Curve. In a nutshell, weather is what
is happening right now, climate is
what happens over the time scale of
several decades or more.
Climate may also be thought of as
the average of weather trends over a
long period, where weather extremes,
such as rainfall, temperatures, and
wind are averaged out. If the climate
is slowly getting warmer, the num-
ber of days with extremely cold tem-
peratures becomes, on the average,
fewer each year; however, the actual
extreme temperatures may still be as
cold. Eventually, there are so few cold
days that the chances of having a re-
ally cold snap become so close to zero
that it may be said that those cold
days are gone forever. However, that
will take decades to occur. Neverthe-
less, throughout that period, the aver-
age temperature will be rising.
CURI OUS
ABOUT GLOBAL WARMI NG?
There are quite a number of good web-
sites that deal with climate change,
and the spurious controversies
that surround it. Probably the best of
these is the RealClimate blog located
at http://www.realclimate.org/. Addi-
tionally, if there is a specic counter
argument that is of particular inter-
est, check out the RealClimate Wiki
to see where it goes wrong (e.g. How
to Talk to Global Warming Skeptic:
http://www.realclimate.org/wiki/
index.php?title=RC_Wiki. These two
sites together list hundreds of other
links to specic articles and discus-
sions of interest.
Finally, the huge body of evidence
supporting the reality of climate
change and the fact that it has been
and remains primarily being caused
by the burning of fossil fuels coupled
with the destruction of forests, re-
quires that anybody who seriously
proposes anything to the contrary also
be able to provide data and analyses
explaining how all of the other obser-
vational data and subsequent analyses
are wrong.
It is one thing to stridently pro-
pose that global warming isnt occur-
ring or that anthropogenic effects are
not the cause, but providing sufcient
evidence to support those allegations
is now effectively impossible. It seems
that ignorance and the inability to
understand the scientic method be-
come more apparent in the nay-sayers
as the body of evidence supporting the
rational explanation increases.
Is it possible to reverse any of the
scenarios about effects of climate
change? The trite answer is that we
will never know unless we try. How-
ever, there are a number of scientists
and other people who think this is
possible, although realistically it will
take a concerted effort, and the lon-
ger the effort is postponed the more
concerted and difcult it will have to
be. There are number of scientists on
the other side as well, people who feel
that a number of critical points have
already been reached, and that we
have passed the point of no return.
Who is right? Time will tell, but it
makes no sense to guratively throw
ones hands up and surrender to the
inevitable. If that inevitable does oc-
cur, and we have stopped all efforts to
reduce the magnitude of the climate
change, the subsequent disaster will
result in billions of human fatalities
and ecological changes that are be-
yond our powers to predict.
Ronald L. Shimek, Ph.D. is a marine
zoologist who has written numerous peer-
reviewed biological papers and taught biol-
ogy at the university level. He is the author
of The PocketExpert Guide to Marine
Invertebrates (Microcosm/TFH).
DONT PANIC
Two Little Fishies Inc.
www.twolittleshies.com
Because Hitchhikers may be
harmless or Mostly
Harmless, you dont need
Deep Thought to calculate
the Answer to the Ultimate
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corallimorphs, and
zoanthids. Its formula is
based on powerful plant
extracts, but it isnt harsh on
coral or anemone tissues
the way iodine-based dips
are. Use ReVive as a part of
acclimation to aquariums,
for rinsing prior to shipping,
and for rinsing newly
fragmented corals, such as
at coral farming facilities.
Know where your towel is?
20_27 Viewpoint Shimek.indd 26 3/11/10 11:00:45 AM
27 CORAL
TOWARD THE

REEF AQUARIUM
28 CORAL
article and photos by DANIEL KNOP
28_33 Energy Saving 1.indd 28 2/18/10 4:39:57 PM
TOWARD THE

REEF AQUARIUM
29 CORAL
Saving energy is nothing less than the talk of
the world, and becoming greener is a preoccupation of our times.
Cars, washing machines, refrigerators, televisions, homes, schools, and
ofcestoday there are few things that we buy or use without concern
for their energy consumption. But it was not always thus. Let us take
a look back into the history of the reef aquarium hobby, to roughly a
quarter of a century ago, and the year 1984. The average reef aquarium
then had a volume of maybe 55 to 100 gallons (200 to 400 L) and
housed soft coralsspecimens of the hardy Colt Corals (Litophyton
spp.), for example, competing for habitat with mushroom anemones
(Discosoma spp.) and Toadstool leather corals (Sarcophyton spp.).
Encrusting anemones like this
Zoanthus sociatus can easily hold
their own against any stony coral in
terms of splendid coloration.
Surprisingly the beauty and
fascination of soft corals appear
totally to elude many coral-reef
aquarists, as nowadays their
popularity is very limited.
30 CORAL
The amount of light demanded by such a reef aquarium was still
fairly moderate; as a rule only four fat T12 or T8 uorescent tubes were
installed, sometimes ve or six. Metal halide (HQI) lamps were un-
common and typically consumed only 175 or 250 watts. A 400-watt
lamp was a rarity. Protein skimming was achieved using an air-driven
limewood wooden diffuser and used little electrical energya small
diaphragm air-pump sufced. However, an enormous amount of en-
ergy was needed to produce water circulation. Hot-running motors
above the tank with submersible shafts reaching into the water were
sometimes used for water movement. With under-the-tank sumps and
wet-dry lters, water was moved back up to display aquariums using
external supply pumps with motor bearings that sometimes ran in oil
I still remember adventures with leaking housings. And the energy
efciency of such pumps was somewhere between fair and atrocious.
Submersible pumps with motors fully encased in synthetic resin were
not yet on the market.
At the end of the 1980s I constructedfor my own aquariasub-
mersible current pumps using condenser motors from a mail-order
supplier, acrylic housings, and plastic model ship propellers. These
pumps moved the water vertically upwards (an approach known in Eu-
rope as the Lowak pump system). The throughput of these devices was
about ten times that of typical pumps of the day, but consumed the
same amount of electricity. Back then saving electricity was of little im-
portance to hobbyists. Soon afterwards affordable submersible pumps,
with the motor encased in synthetic resin, appeared on the market.
Their output per kilowatt was only a fraction of my Lowak system and
they were inexpensivethe market was not yet primed for an energy-
saving pump.
The overall water circulation used in the coral-reef aquarium back
then was modest compared to a modern stony-coral aquarium, and
turned over water in the aquarium about ve times an hour. And be-
cause reef tanks were usually considerably smaller than today, the over-
all electricity consumption for circulating water was also fairly modest.
AMPI NG UP
Much has changed since those innocent times. More than 25 years
have passed and we have progressed from rst attempts to propagate
soft corals to the successful propagation in home aquariums of stony
corals from fragments. Nowadays the average marine aquarist knows
much more about corals and coral reefs than in the 1980s. Not only
can we maintain and grow stony corals and display their amazing col-
oration, but we can propagate them in large quantities.
However, to achieve this, energy consumption of our coral-reef
aquariums has amped up dramatically. An aquarium with vigorously
growing small-polyp stony corals (SPS) consumes decidedly more elec-
tricity now than a soft-coral tank of comparable size did in the earlier
days of reefkeeping. Instead of a 70-gallon (265-L) soft-coral aquarium
with a few uorescent lights and a circulation turnover of 600 gallons
(2,300 L) per hour, nowadays we are maintaining 200-gallon (760-L)
stony-coral tanks with three 400-watt HQI metal halide lamps and a
circulation rate of 8,000 gallons (30,000 L) per hour. There is prob-
ably a heavy-duty protein skimmer, using far more electricity than the
equivalent device installed 25 years ago. And no doubt theres an un-
der-tank sump pumping water around the clock to the main aquarium.
Perhaps there is a calcium reactor, chemical ltration devices, or even a
chiller installed to carry away excess heat from the pumps in summer.
31 CORAL
An outstanding soft-coral
dominated reef can be maintained
at a fraction of the cost of a full-
blown stony coral system.
32 CORAL
We are keeping reef organisms as never before, but things are not as
simple and low-powered as they once were.
Environmental awareness has grown in parallel fashion. As the in-
terest in reef aquaria and exotic marine corals and invertebrates explod-
ed, it was possible to purchase large, wild-harvested Tridacna clams and
melon-sized colonies of stony corals chiseled off the reef. Nowadays we
are aware of the endangered status of wild Tridacnid clams, and taking
large, wild colonies of stony coral endangers the reef. Over the past
two decades, we have seen marine aquarium keepers become better in-
formed about the sources of their livestock, and we see an ever-growing
number of marine aquarists who try hard to conduct their hobby so
that natural habitats are not damaged. The belief that we must support
sustainable harvests of marine shes and other livestock is growing
both in the aquarium hobby and in the source countries where coral
reef resources need better protection and management.
ENERGY REALI TI ES
Similarly, we are much more attuned to the energy consumption of
our aquarium systems. Long gone are the days when we could mount a
bank of high-wattage metal halide lamps over a reef aquarium and not
give a second thought to the power costs. As energy-awareness slowly
increases among the population at large, we reefkeepers must look for
better-designed equipment and better-engineered systems that do not
have staggering effects on our monthly power bills. Fortunately, ener-
gy-saving technology is increasingly available and we can expect that
better equipment will lead to a signicant drop in electrical power con-
sumption by marine aquariums. It cant happen soon enough in places
where energy has become very expensive. In Europe, there are critics
in the general publicthat is, non-aquaristswho question the energy
consumed by marine aquariums. More often, however, the scrutiny of
our aquatic energy usage starts close to home with the aquarists other
half, who may start to question the rising costs of all those bright
lights and industrial-strength external water circulation pumps.
Sadly, we have heard of marine aquarists giving up the hobby to
lower their electrical bills and maintain peace in their households. This
should not be necessaryany aquarist who needs to reduce their energy
expenses can continue to keep a beautiful, captivating marine aquar-
ium. They might have to rethink approaches and make adjustments,
shift to smarter techniques or less energy-demanding types of livestock.
But a cost-conscious coral-reef aquarium is not only achievable, but
easily created.
Many aquarists are not the least bit fazed by their power bills and
do not question the outlay of money spent on keeping their systems
running properly; it is likely that most of us consider the energy costs
of maintaining a thriving reef aquarium absolutely worth the price. But
few of us are immune to budgetary pressures, and accomplishing what
we do with less expense will only grow in importance in the coming
years.
While some of these adaptations are being forced upon us by a
changing world and shifting world economics, we can expect excit-
ing times ahead. Energy-efcient technology is rushing to the market,
and we reefkeepers can only benet as it becomes more affordable and
more widely available. CORAL will do its part in reporting on these new
developments and providing news and ideas for making the marine
aquarium smarter, less expensive to maintain, and more realistic
than ever dreamed possible.
33 CORAL
34 CORAL
or the last two decades, we have been obsessed with
keeping a successful reef tank by providing every
last little thing that corals, shes, and other reef
organisms might need to survive and grow: more
light, more water ow, more additives, more food, more
everything.
Although keeping a reef tank was once limited by
available technology, today there are many equipment
choices and approaches that can be ne-tuned to achieve
the best environment for corals and other animals. But,
no matter how deep our pockets, most of us are becom-
ing much more energy conscious and looking for ways to
trim the power costs of running our reef aquariums.
There are many, many ways to be more energy-
efcient when setting up a marine aquarium, but the
lights and pumps consume signicantly more energy
and resources than all the rest of the reeng equipment
combined. Proper selection, sizing and use of lighting
and water-moving devices can go a long way towards
making your reef more successful and less costly. Any-
one can spend a small fortune on the latest and greatest
overpowered pumps and overdriven lights, but it takes
a smarter and more focused approacheven a little bit
of styleto use as little material and energy as possible
while still achieving the same success. The end result is
a reef aquarium system that not only costs less to set up
and operate but comes with bragging rights and a deep
sense of satisfaction.
LI GHTI NG
Whether you are using good old normal output uores-
cent tubes, new T5 bulbs, or the Holy Grail of lamps,
Plasma Arc LIFI (light delity), there are several factors
to consider to get the most out of your lighting while
reducing your costs and electricity consumption. Pho-
toperiod, color temperatures, and reectors all need to
be carefully chosen to squeeze out the maximum benet
from high-performance reef lighting. While there are
some tricks that work to increase efciency for all light-
ing types, each type of light technology has unique ways
of maximizing performance.
Just as our local sh stores may be operating with
fewer sales people, cutting hours from the photoperiod
of our reef aquarium lighting is the easiest and most ob-
vious way to reduce energy consumption and extend the
life of the lamps.
The length of a day averages about 12 hours in the
tropicscorals might receive useful light for eight hours
a day. But the average reef aquarist has main lights on at
full power for an average of ten to twelve hours a day
running the reef lights for considerably longer than cor-
als need stems from our desire to grow them faster.
article by JAKE ADAMS
We know how to make them thrive. Now, the trick is
to do it with less energy and greater creativity.
Reefs
34_43 Smart Reefs.indd 34 2/18/10 4:46:32 PM
If you can be happy with a display that keeps good-
looking corals and grows less algae, by all means run the
main lights for just six to eight hours. If your lighting
system is comprised of multiple bulbs and different types
of lighting, there is little reason to run the whole array
for the entire photoperiod. Using timers or controllers,
point sources of light like metal halides can be turned
on and off from one tank to the other to simulate the
passage of the sun across the sky. Fluorescents that span
the length of the tank can be timed so that the intensity
of the light is ratcheted up to peak during mid-day and
then eased back down as the day wanes. Although for
a decade it has been technically possible to dim halides
and uorescents, this trick is still an exotic and expen-
sive feature in the reef lighting world.
TWI LI GHT & SPECTRAL SENSE
The sacrice of daytime viewing can be balanced by in-
creasing the duration of your twi-lights. Instead of
running hundreds of watts of metal halide lighting for
10 to 12 hours a day, the aquarist could run them for
8 to 10 hours and then extend aquarium viewing with
4-6 hours of twilighting using only 5-50 watts, perhaps
with efcient T5, power compact, or LED lights. With so
many more choices for dawn and dusk and moon light-
ing of reef tanks, it is now much easier for the hobby-
ist to reduce the photoperiod of the main lights without
giving up time spent enjoying the tank. Accent lights
and moonlights can help you view unique and interest-
ing behavior from your corals and sh that you would
not normally witness with strong lights. Twilighting your
reef aquarium not only saves energy, but you just might
make a habit of sitting down to view it at a particular
time of night to witness regular spawning of your reef
sh, many of which turn to full courtship mode when
the sun is setting.
Although I like colorful corals as much as the next
reefer, the hobby overall has literally gone off the deep
end in terms of pushing the acceptable color tempera-
ture of reef lighting.
While over-blued reef lighting may bring out a whole
lot of cheap uorescent colors, its also not as effective
35 CORAL
M
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High-output propeller pumps are bringing
both energy savings and greater success with
corals and fshes that thrive on the powerful water
motion. Note surface of this 30-gallon tank being
run with a single VorTech MP10 nano pump.
Tank by Tim Marks.
34_43 Smart Reefs.indd 35 2/19/10 9:44:40 AM
as a balanced color spectrum at driving photosynthesis.
Why do you think shallow-water Acroporas look so ri-
diculously colorful? Having a warmer-colored light sys-
tem can reduce the need for more powerful congura-
tions: on a good day, an average 250-watt 20,000K lamp
with blue-white light is putting out about as much PAR
(Photosynthetically Active Radiation) as a good-quality
150-watt, 10,000K halide bulb with a warmer look, and
denitely less than a full-spectrum 150-watt 6,500K
Iwasaki. The latter can deliver healthy, colorful corals
while drawing 40% less electricity.
I used to run an eight-foot SPS (small-polyp stony
coral) system solely with Iwasaki lamps, and the cor-
als looked nothing like what you would expect from
the normal captive-grown fare; Acropora colonies grew
so tight they were hard to frag, colors were as vibrant
as freshly collected specimens and the pink Pocillopora
and Stylophora were just too bright for words. Without a
balanced representation of lighting in the red/yellow/or-
ange spectrum, you will be missing these exact colors, as
well as rich red, pink, and purple hues. In falling for the
cool-blue look, weve been cheating ourselves by exclud-
ing longer wavelengths from a healthier regime of more
balanced light. The best part of it is that you can get away
with less power to the lights simply by using more 6,500-
10,000K full-spectrum warmer-colored light and rela-
tively less 12,000-20,000K actinic and blue-colored light
sources. We now have easy access to new lighting prod-
ucts that can help ne tune and intensify your lighting
color. New, well-designed xtures combine HQI/metal
halide lights with T5s and moonlight LEDS, all indepen-
dently switchable.
The last few years have seen myriad
innovations in reef aquarium lighting.
One of the rst new products that comes
to mind is the TwinArc metal halide
lamp from Reefbrite Lighting. This metal
halide lamp comes in 250 W and 400 W
mogul base bulbs, but instead of having
a single inner envelope, it has two en-
velopes which take turns ring. You can
either get the TwinArc in a single color
conguration with both envelopes in
10K or 20K or you can get the Twinarc
with one envelope that is 10K and the
other that is 20K. Since the TwinArc is
about the same price as normal metal
halide bulbs, either you get a lamp that can last twice
as long as a regular halide bulb or you can buy a bulb
that offers more PAR-superior 10,000K lighting for part
of the day and more colorful 20,000K lighting for other
portions of the day.
REFLECTORS
There once was a time when we were nave enough to slap
a halide lamp right under a at piece of painted metal or
eight T5 lamps in a common reector, but those times
are long gone. Any new lighting product that doesnt in-
clude a good reector for each bulb is an insult to our
intelligence. Most bulbs emit light in a circle of 360 de-
grees, meaning that at least half of the light is directed
T
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36 CORAL
Nano refector from Giesemann combines HQI
and T5 lighting in an energy-sparing design.
T5 refector for a larger tank, right, can satisfy
the needs of many soft and LPS corals at a
fraction of the energy cost of metal halides.
High-efciency refectors are now available for all types of
aquarium lighting and are an excellent investment for saving
money and getting more light down into the tank.
T
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away from the tank. A well-designed reector system is
critical in directing stray light onto the corals where you
want it, and off the glass where you dont.
LEDs pose a whole set of new challenges. LEDs can
use reectors or lenses, or for very shallow tanks, the
primary optic that usually comes with them is sufcient.
Lighting reef tanks with LEDs is still an emerging art
form, and I hesitate to say which type of light-directing
method is best in this instance. We have lots to learn
about LEDS but its clear, at least, that you should not
use narrow lenses for shallow tanks or try lighting a deep
reef with bare LEDs.
If you are investing in new lighting, be sure to inves-
tigate the reectors used. Some deliver much more light
to your corals, day in and day out, with no additional ex-
pense after the initial investment. If you are considering
downsizing your metal halides, a simultaneous switch to
superior new reectors can be a very important part of
the conversion.
T5 TACTI CS & LED PROMI SES
Along the same line of ne-tuning your lighting com-
ponents to get the best of both color spectrum and in-
tensity, using LEDs for supplemental actinic lighting has
come a long way. LEDs have been very efcient in the
blue spectrum for many years now, but in the last year
we have seen high-quality blue and royal blue LEDs show
up in strip light units that are very easy to add to existing
set-ups. A four-foot (1.2 m) strip of LED actinic supple-
mentation might cost $250 and consume 24 watts of
power, but it should last a solid four to ve years. That
actinic LED striplight will be every bit as bright as a 54W
T5 lamp that consumes twice as much power and re-
quires frequent replacement. The choices get more com-
plex all the time.
While we are on the subject of T5s, there are a few
maintenance tricks you can do to get the most out them.
In my opinion, overdriving T5 uorescent lamps is a re-
ally bad idea because they are intended to run at normal
or high output, intensities that produce only a reason-
able amount of heat and wear. Overdriving T5 lamps to
very high output level causes them to run at tempera-
tures that are less efcient in light output, and the extra
heat can shorten the usable lamp life to as little as six
months. A high-quality T5 xture will have active venting
of the air around the lamps so that air intakes and outlets
must be free of dust for maximum airow. Also, most T5
ballasts do not drive the lamps symmetrically so there is
always a little bit more current directed
at one end of the bulb than the other. As
part of your regular maintenance rou-
tine, ip the orientation of your T5 bulbs
every couple of months. By reversing
them periodically your bulbs dont wear
out prematurely because one end is being
driven harder than the other.
Fluorescent bulbs of all types and
metal halide lighting are still the work-
horses for most reefkeepers, but some
observers believe they can see their ob-
solescence drawing ever closer with the
steady progress of solid state LED and
plasma arc LIFI lighting. Almost weekly
we are seeing new LED lights for reef
37 CORAL
LED lighting options for aquarists are coming
from all directions, some mostly decorative
but others starting to pack enough power to
grow stony corals.
38 CORAL
J
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aquarium use that are brighter and cheaper than last
weeks model. Discussing the merits of LED lighting
alone is well beyond the scope of this article but with
the currently available LED reef lights, any tank that is
20 gallons or less could certainly be running LEDs, while
tanks from 25 to 75 gallons are excellent candidates for
using them.
Although LED lights may not yet be cost-effective for
use on very large reef tanks that are more than two feet
deep or three feet long, another new lighting technology
is just now evolving to ll that niche. Soon the reef hob-
by should have a radical new option with the Sea shine
from Stray Light Optical Technologies, a production-
level light using the Plasma Arc LIFI light . The Seashine
uses a quartz pill of halide gases called an emitter that is
similar to the inner envelope of a halide lamp but has no
contacts. Instead of heating halide gases with electrical
current, the LIFI light uses focused radio frequency waves
to heat the gases to 6,000 degrees Kelvin which turns the
halides to plasma.
The plasma emits an enormous amount of light and
since 6,000K is the same temperature as the surface of
the sun, the color rendition of the Seashine is much
closer to natural daylight than most other lights. It also
is very efcient: a 260-watt system with a 250-watt light
emitter puts out signicantly more light than a 400-watt
metal halide. Although it costs start at about $1,000
for a full xture, the life of the emitter is expected to be
about 5-6 years; replacement of this component should
cost between $50 to $150. Needless to say, with LED and
LIFI lighting technology still in their infancies, we can
expect very exciting and efcient advancements in reef
aquarium lighting as these two technologies mature.
WATER FLOW
Aquarium lighting comes to mind rst when we are
looking to place blame for an aquariums power con-
sumption. However, because water pumps usually run
all the time, they can consume as much or more energy
than the lights. The confusion of pressure versus ow-
rated, ow-in-the-tank versus ow-through-the-tank
and turnover rate versus ow speed are all factors which
can lead to less-than-ideal performance of the critical
water pumping and water ow systems.
Additionally, it is important to invest in quality wa-
ter-pumping devices and to maintain and service your
water ow equipment, because failures can result in sig-
nicant replacement costs. Of even greater danger is the
potential for the tank to crash if critical circulation and
aeration of an aquarium is unavailable due to mechani-
cal failure or power outage.
There is a huge variety of water pumps available for
various applications; their suitability for aquarium use is
all over the map. More so than other equipment, water
pumping and water ow devices are often mismatched
in the reef aquarium. Some water ow products are great
for aquarium use because they were designed to run
continuously, but nothing says FAIL like a spa pump
used in an aquarium. There is a reason that spa pumps
can ow up to 3,000 gallons per hour yet often cost less
than $100: they consume up to twice the energy of a
continuous-use pump, will add a great deal of heat to
the water, are equipped with freshwater-level corrosion
resistance and their bearing surfaces are designed for in-
termittent use. There seems to be an inverse relationship
between the cost of a water pump and how much heat
it adds to the tank: the cheaper the pump, the more it
warms the water relative to the amount of actual water
ow it produces. Buying a quality, well-sized water pump
is much easier and cheaper than buying and running a
chiller down the road. If you think of the water pump as
the ventricle of your aquariums heart, youll appreciate
that installing a quality ow device is the best insurance
policy to safeguard your aquarium.
BI OFOULI NG CAUTI ON
You can purchase the best pump on the market but if
you never take care to clean it, you are asking for trouble.
Besides contending with extremely corrosive sea water,
ow devices used to pump reef water have to withstand
biofouling and encrusting organisms and mineral build-
up from all the calcium and carbonate in the water.
Furthermore, clogged pipes and intake strainers work
against the performance of your water pumpkeeping
them clean is the most important thing you can do to
keep pumps running their best and reducing their work-
load so they last as long as possible.
If you are worried about the intakes and strainers get-
ting clogged, try installing a larger strainer. A common
mistake that beginners make is to service their equipment
The Next Big Thing in lighting? Plasma arc lighting is said to ofer
energy efciency, high PAR values, and long-lasting emitters. A
home aquarium model is debuting under the Seashine brand.
39 CORAL
after six months of use to nd only a minor accumula-
tion of biolm and surmise that water pumps dont get
very dirty. However, a reef aquarium is likely to produce
more biofouling featherdusters and vermetid snails as it
ages and the reef community matures. Protein skimmer
pumps, ow pumps and return pumps should regularly
be completely disassembled for visual inspection of the
moving parts. Needle-wheel impellers are particularly
prone to trapping small debris between the needles.
Placing all the water-safe parts in a short acid bath or a
prolonged vinegar bath can remove a buildup of calcium
carbonate which may be barely visible. Youll be surprised
how quietly water pumps can run and how long they last
when they are given a little bit of preventative mainte-
nance. (Important note: Never do this kind of mainte-
nance within a week of going out of townjust dont!)
DI VI SI ON OF PUMP LABOR
At this point in the discussion of water pumps it is im-
portant to discuss the difference between water ow
within an aquarium and water ow through it. These two
types of water movement required for a healthy reef tank
should be operated as separate systems because they have
different goals and metrics, and require different types of
equipment.
First and foremost, water ow within an aquarium
drives the photosynthesis and respiration of corals. The
very important tasks of mixing the water, ridding the
corals and reef organisms of waste and keeping waste in
suspension are important functions but they are second-
ary to providing ow of a proper speed to keep corals
alive. Working in concert with in-tank
water ow is the water that ows into
the aquarium from a sump or lter. In
a nano reef tank, in-tank and through-
tank ows may be one and the same,
but for larger reef aquariums these are
best provided by different devices.
Water owing from the display tank
to its sump or lter system needs to be
moving at a particular rate. If the vol-
ume of your display tank is processed
through the lter system four times an
hour, it will be processed almost one
hundred times per day. Except for a very
lthy sh aquarium, I think is almost
wasteful to turnover the volume of the
average reef tank more than 100 times
per day. Some applications may require
more frequent turnover, but once you
uncouple the ow within an aquarium from the ow
through it, this turnover rate is more than enough to
feed your lter system, including particulate lter, skim-
mer, and chemical reactors. Larger reef aquariums can
get away with even less; two turnovers per hour can be
enough, provided there is good water movement within
the display tank. An aquarium using main system pumps
that provide more than four turnovers per hour will be
that much louder, will use that much more power, and
the extra energy will turn into excess heat.
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Big waves from small propellor pumps are
now possible with sophicated controllers
that sync the timing and volume of water
moved, as in this VorTech MP10 on a
30-gallon (114-L) reef. Tank by Patrick Clasen.
Deltecs Eco Cooler will cool a large aquarium for much less than the
cost of conventional chillers by use of evaporation, with moist air
from the fans vented outside.
34_43 Smart Reefs.indd 39 2/19/10 9:44:26 AM
40 CORAL
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I N- TANK MOTI ON
Water motion inside a reef tank needs to be a particular
ow speed, which is not necessarily random or chaotic.
As the speed of water ow increases, so does the turbu-
lence which allows for gas exchange in corals and sessile
reef animals and bacteria. For any tank up to six feet
long, the only real consideration for water ow within
the tank should be some form of propeller water pump.
Propeller pumps are widely available, affordable and use
signicantly less energy while producing
much more relevant water ow for reef life.
Unless you have some eight-to-twelve-
year-old top-loading pumps that still work
well, there is just no excuse to still use plain
powerheads for water ow within a reef
tank. Aquariums larger than six feet or 500
gallons can still opt to use large propeller
water pumps, but at this size a closed loop
system will pay off in the long run even
with the amount of work required to drill
and plumb it. Regardless of whether you
use propeller pumps or a closed loop for the
ow within a reef tank, strategic placement
of outlets can help you get the most momentum out of
your water ow.
The gyre ow method is all about increasing water
movement within an aquarium while using less energy
and fewer water-moving devices. If you can push a large
volume of water in one direction, it will move in unison,
building up inertia and momentum that can be encour-
aged to move like a conveyor belt through the entire reef
tank. Instead of having a legion of individual pumps pro-
The object of a reefkeepers afections: healthy,
colorful corals: we know how to do it, now can we
do it smarter and with less fnancial outlay to the
power utilities?
41 CORAL
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Taking Control
The increasing sophistication and greater affordability
of digital electronic components is spawning a new
generation of monitors and controllers for aquarists.
The choice is yours: individual monitors and control-
lers for different functions or one of the whole-tank
digital controllers that can run everything from a single
central unitperhaps not much bigger than an iPod.
It is now possible to run many functions of a ma-
rine aquarium on autopilot, using monitors and
controllers to maintain desirable levels of tem-
perature, pH, ORP, salinity, and dissolved oxy-
gen, while having precision control of lighting
and water movement.
Lighting controls can yield signicant eco-
nomic savings by paring down the time high-
powered metal halides are on and making better
use of energy-efcient T5s, LEDs, and other low-
wattage or long-life bulbs.
The better, newer lighting xtures have sepa-
rate controls for the various lights being run, to
allow the aquarist to custom-manage all phases
of the daily light cycle.
Sophisticated temperature controllers can
now manage water temperature by rst switch-
ing on fans if temperatures rise, then activating
a chiller and/or dimming the lights if needed to
get temperatures back within bounds.
Salinity can be maintained within the desired pa-
rameters by using automatic water top up devices of
many types, the best of which add water in very small
increments to avoid sudden uctuations of salt con-
tent. Similarly, pH can be monitored and controlled
with a unit that injects CO
2
into the water if the pH
rises too high. Some controllers will shut down CO
2
injection into calcium reactors if the tank pH drops
too low.
ORP can be metered and ozone injected when
called for by a variety of devices from many manu-
facturers.
Water motion is now controllable as never imag-
ined, with choices that switch individual current
pumps or that manage and synchronize multiple
pumps for gyre ow and other realistic effects. Some
aquarists reduce currents somewhat during nighttime
hours to save energy, although you may wish to ex-
periment with this approach. Most good water motion
controllers have Feeding Mode switches to power
down when rations are added to the tanka smart
measure to avoid having all those enriched, nutritious
or live rations ushed into the lter system.
DI GI TAL SEASONS & MONSOONS
In addition to reining in energy use, digital controllers
can now mimic daily dawn and dusk periods, lunar
cycles (monthly simulations with daily changes from
new moon to full moon), and even seasonal changes
in day length and water temperature. The latter are
of special interest to hobbyists intent on stimulating
spawning events of reef shes and/or corals.
Storm Mode or its equivalent is becoming more
commonly available on water motion controllers and
is designed to stir everything up. This, too, can provide
seasonal replications of chaotic whole tank turbulence.
This can help clear detritus out of hidden niches as
well as getting some animals into a reproductive mood
(perhaps timed to coincide with changes of salinity,
temperature, and day length).
WI PEOUT PREVENTI ON
Of increasing interest to many reefkeepers with price-
less (in all ways) collections of corals and shes, are
gadgets that prevent or send up an immediate alarm
when the most common wipeout problems arise: wa-
ter too warm or too cold, sudden shifts of pH (a symp-
tom of various possible problems), low oxygen, water
on the oor, and power failures.
Many will sound an audible alarm, but the most
eye-catching ones these days are units that send an
email alarm to your computer addresses or cell phone.
Its not the TXT message you want just as youre board-
ing a plane or turning off the lights in your hotel room,
but its why we all want a reef emergency backup buddy
on calljust for such heartstopping occasions.
42 CORAL
ducing chaotic, inconsistent ow throughout the tank,
gyre ow uses less equipment to produce better and more
consistent water movement in the aquarium. One of the
best ways to encourage gyre motion is to place ow out-
lets near the water surface, pointed so they move water
from one end of the tank to the other. In my opinion, the
surface layer is the best place for ow outlets because it
has the least amount of resistance due to a lack of fric-
tion from the tank walls, the decoration and the corals.
As the surface layer of moving water builds up on one end
of the reef it will sink and displace the water in front of
it and then ow back along the bottom in the opposite
direction.
If your reefscape is more a peninsular-shaped design,
gyre ow can be achieved by encouraging water to ow
around your reef pinnacle or bommie structure. The key
is to get half of your water-ow devices to move water
in one direction alternating with the other half to move
water in the opposite direction. (The new generation of
pump controllers can accomplish this with ease.) Gyre
ow also helps to produce laminar ow that aids in mea-
suring water ow. By inserting some relatively light ake
food or small pellets into the gyre stream, you can time
how long it takes for a particle to travel a certain dis-
tance. Voila! You have a concrete measurement of your
water ow in a clearly understandable metric of inches
or centimeters per second.
LOWER COSTS, SMALLER FOOTPRI NTS
It isnt my intent to turn this article into a buying guide
for aquarium products, but honestly, the biggest waste
of energy and resource with a reef tank comes from im-
proper sizing and near-sighted thrift purchases of aquar-
ium lights and water pumps.
Sometimes the buyer may not be informed of the best
return on investment and simply overdo it. There are, of
course, many other efciency gains to be had when plan-
ning a reef aquarium system: build a smaller and nicer
tank, select the proper protein skimmer, use activated
carbon, choose additives wisely and just apply a little bit
of good old-fashioned common sense to your reef tank
and help you save time and money.
Weve spent the better part of the last ten years try-
ing to make reef aquarium equipment brighter and more
powerful, and now I think weve got the hang of this
reeng thing. Its about time we start reining in the re-
source and energy footprints of the reef aquarium. Do-
ing so will reduce the cost of reeng, making it accessible
for a wider audience, and will improve the image of the
marine aquarium hobby and reduce of the amount of
criticism concerning our real or perceived impact on
wild reefs.
Jake Adams writes for www.Reefbuilders.com and other publi-
cations. He lives in Golden, Colorado.
43 CORAL
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by DR. DIETER BROCKMANN
What are the
expenses, energy-wise,
to run an aquarium?
The maintenance
of stony corals and
large, current-loving
surgeonfshes in a
deep aquarium is
particularly energy-
consuming, but
worth it for many
aquarists.
Costs
any households around the world are facing rising energy costs and static or decreasing in-
comes. So it is no wonder that consumers are debating the subject of energy saving. Anyone
who maintains a vivariumand in particular the marine aquaristmust address this subject,
since a reef aquarium tted with high-wattage equipment can be of the larger sources of en-
ergy consumption in the household. Serious efforts are being made by the industry to reduce
the electricity consumption of the aquarium as a whole. Current pumps are a good example of
this--their energy consumption has gradually decreased while water circulation in gallons or li-
ters per hour has increased, in some cases dramatically. Initial steps have also been taken to
reduce energy used by lighting systems, the greatest source of electricity consumption in a reef
aquarium. The key to this is using more efcient bulbs of all types (ourescent, power
compact, metal halide, LED, and others) now coming into the market.
ENERGY- SAVI NG MUST NEVER HARM LI VESTOCK!
I must stress one very important point dear to my heart right from the start: energy saving in the
aquarium hobby is good, but must never lead to suffering of the creatures we keep! Or to put it
another way: the livestock we keep determines the equipment and energy required.
It is fundamentally wrong to keep zooxanthellate corals, which obtain their daily nutrient
requirement from the photosynthetic products of their zooxanthellae, in an aquarium with
inadequate lighting since the animals will quite simply starve to death. Another example: on
the reef, Acanthurus surgeonshes live in areas of strong current and in the aquarium require
signicant water movement for their well-being. Suitably powerful current pumps are necessary.
To try to get by with cheap, outmoded little powerheads would be folly.
One way to control energy costs is to budget the amount you can spend on electricity and select
livestock to t that budget. It is possible to save on energy costs by selecting particular occupants.
For example, leather, gorgonia, and soft corals, zoanthids and mushroom anemonespopular in
reef aquaria of the 1970s and 1980scan generally be kept under signicantly less powerful light-
ing than zooxanthellate stony corals and they are just as interesting.
44_51 Energy 3.indd 44 2/18/10 4:49:05 PM
45 CORAL
44_51 Energy 3.indd 45 2/18/10 4:49:17 PM
46 CORAL
HOW MUCH ENERGY
DOES A REEF AQUARI UM USE?
I will answer this question using a hypothetical aquari-
um set up for zooxanthellate stony corals. Dimensions
of this aquarium will be 55 x 24 x 27.5 inches (140 x 60
x 70 cm, L x B x D) and a net water content of a bit more
than 150 gallons (580 L). There is no separate sump, so
there is no need for pumps to return the water to the
main aquarium. For this imaginary tank we will look at
a basic set of equipment and a fully loaded version.
The basic version will include all the equipment required
for the smooth running of the aquarium while the high-
er-tech system will have additional equipment to make
the aquarists life easier and produce specic effects.
A BASI C CORAL- REEF AQUARI UM
Lighting: Two 250-watt metal halide/HQIs with a run-
ning time of 9 hours a day, and two 54-watt T5s with
a running time of 10 hours a day. But that is only the
consumption of the lamps themselves. The ballasts will,
of course, use electricity too, but the precise amount var-
ies. Some manufacturers of electronic ballasts for HQI
lamps quote a rating of a maximum 10 watts per hour.
Consumption by conventional electromagnetic ballasts
Equipment Consumption Daily running Total daily Total monthly
(watts/hour) time (hours) usage (kWh) (30 days)
usage (kWh)
for a BASIC aquarium
Lighting 5.88 176.40
(2 x 250W HQI 520* 9
and
2 x 54W T5) 120* 10
Current pump 22 24 0.53 15.90
Protein 28 24 0.67 20.10
Skimmer
4 time switches 8 24 0.192 5.76
for add-ons to for a FULLY LOADED aquarium
Calcium reactor 28 24 0.67 20.10
T5 lamps 60 10 0.6 18.00
Moonlight 2 12 0.024 0.72
2 current pumps
28 14
0.392 11.76
14 W apiece
4 (additional) 8 24 0.192 5.76
time switches
External flter 15 24 0.36 10.80
* Including consumption by an electronic controller; the lamps are controlled individually by time switches.
These pumps are controlled by time switches to come on separately, with overlap but no periods without
current. These twin pumps replace the single current pump in the BASIC aquarium, so substitute usage
gures accordingly in your calculations.
Use this chart
to calculate
your energy
costs. Ask your
local energy
supplier for
the cost per
kilowatt-hour
(kWh) in your
area and
multiply that
fgure times
the usage
per day or
per month to
calculate your
cost per piece
of equipment.
The 2010
U.S. national
average is
approximately
10 cents per
kWh.
44_51 Energy 3.indd 46 2/18/10 4:49:29 PM
47 CORAL
is signicantly higher. Manufacturer data for electronic
ballasts for T5 lights suggest 57 watts. To calculate the
energy cost for each HQI lamp with an individual elec-
tronic ballast, we will use 260 watts. For each T5 lamp
switched individually, we will use 60 watts.
Current pump: Tunze Stream 6125, 3,166 gallons
(12,000 L) per hour, 22 watts, running 24 hours a day.
External protein skimmer: Around 28 watts depend-
ing on the model, running time 24 hours a day.
Heating: For this size tank, a heater capacity of 200
watts is recommended in very cold rooms. Since the
heaters rarely come on in my aquaria, I wont include
electricity consumption in my calculations.
Time switches to regulate the lighting: Consump-
tion data vary between 1 and 2 watts depending on the
manufacturer. In our example, we will assume 2 watts
per time switch running time 24 hours a day.
Some aquarists may (and do) throw up their hands
in horror at this dearth of equipment, but additional
devices really arent necessary. I actually run my own
aquariaand very successfully, toousing just this ba-
sic conguration. The daily and monthly electricity con-
sumption and costs are shown in the table on page 46.
Different electricity suppliers in different regions,
states, provinces, and countries charge dramatically dif-
ferent prices per kilowatt hour (kWh). Simply plug in
your own rate, as stated on your monthly electrical bill,
to get your monthly costs.
Figure 1a shows the percentage monthly electricity
consumption of individual items of equipment. Figures
1b and 1c show the percentage electricity consumption
of the aquarium relative to a household of three and
show that a basic coral-reef aquarium can represent up
to 25% of monthly electricity consumption.The lighting
system consumes the most at around 20%, followed by
current pumps, skimmer, and switches (negligible).
THE FULLY LOADED AQUARI UM
In this case a number of pieces of equipment have been
added to the basic coral reef aquarium described above to
facilitate the maintenance of zooxanthellate stony cor-
als. These are:
Lighting
Current Pump
Protein Skimmer
Time switches
Aquarium Equipment Total
Other Household Appliances
Lighting
Current Pump
Protein Skimmer
Time switches
Household
Fig 1a.
BASIC MARINE AQUARIUM
Percentage monthly electricity
usage (in kWh), of diferent
components of a simple system.
Fig 1b.
HOUSEHOLD SHARE
usage (in kWh), total energy
used by a basic aquarium vs
other appliances for a household
of three.
Fig 1c.
COMPONENTS
usage (in kWh), basic aquarium
equipment vs other appliances
for a household of three.
44_51 Energy 3.indd 47 2/18/10 4:49:40 PM
48 CORAL
Calcium reactor: The calcium reactor provides stony
corals with calcium ions and carbonates by using circu-
latory pumps that consume between 1065 watts de-
pending on type and size. In the case of our hypothetical
153-gallon (560-liter) aquarium the pumps will con-
sume 28 watts per hour, 24 hours a day. Calcium ions
and carbonates are indispensable in the maintenance of
fast-growing small-polyp stony corals. Lime water is gen-
erally not adequate for this purpose (Brockmann 2008).
Additional lighting: Additional lighting is used to pro-
duce better color rendition in stony corals. Consumption
is 60 watts, running time 10 hours a day. (These lights are
for aesthetic purposes, and can be omitted if necessary.)
Moonlight: This is where we enjoy the benets of LED
lights. Consumption is 2 watts, running time 12 hours
a day. (Moonlights have proved particularly valuable in
aquaria with nervous shes. They are not absolutely es-
sential, but consume so little electricity that moonlight
gures minimally in terms of overall cost.)
Twin current pumps: The Tunze Stream 6125 cur-
rent pump is replaced by two Tunze pumps with a lower
turnover (for example, Tunze Stream 6085, turnover
rate 2111 gallons (8,000 L) per hour; 14 watts apiece) in
order to produce variable current conditions. Running
time for each pump is around 14 hours a day. (The use of
two current pumps serves to create more natural condi-
tions. A second current pump is not essential as long as
the circulation provided by a single pump is adequate.)
Timer switches: Ive added four extra timer switch-
es to control the two current pumps, the additional T5
lamps, and the moonlight; 2 watts per time switch, run-
ning time 24 hours a day. (These timersor a controller
are absolutely essential. Their electricity consumption is
inconsequentially small, as shown by Figure 2c.)
Adsorber flter: External lter for ltration over
phosphate adsorber and activated carbon; pump rated at
15 watts, running time 24 hours a day. (In my view an
external lter is essential for a coral-reef aquarium. It is a
Aquarium total
Household
Lighting
Protein Skimmer
Timer switches (basic equipment)
Calcium reactor
Extra T5 lamps
Moonlight
Current pumps
Extra timer switches
External flter
Household Total
Lighting
Protein Skimmer
Timer switches (basic equipment)
Calcium reactor
Extra T5 lamps
Moonlight
Current pumps
Extra timer switches
External flter
Fig 2a.
usage (in kWh), fully loaded
reef aquarium.
Fig 2b.
usage (in kWh), lfully loaded reef
aquarium and household of three.
Fig 2c.
usage (in kWh), fully loaded
reef aquarium and household
of three.
44_51 Energy 3.indd 48 2/18/10 4:49:50 PM
49 CORAL
very simple and efcient method of getting a phosphate
problem, among other things, rapidly under control.)
(Brockmann 2008)
This list can be supplemented with more equipment,
such as dosing pumps, a UV sterilizer, a cooling system to
control high water temperatures, supplementary ltra-
tion (a denitrication lter, for example), an aquarium
computer, electronic meters, etc., etc., etc. We wont in-
clude these here. See the information box toward the end
of this article to easily calculate the energy consumption
of your aquarium.
Figures 2a and 2b and Diagram 1 show that when the
basic aquarium is tted with the extra equipment listed
above, electricity consumption in a household of three
increases by around 6%more than 25% of monthly
household electricity (Figure 2b).
As in the basic aquarium, lighting consumes the
most, followed by the protein skimmer (Figure 2a). At
the other end of the scale are the time switches and the
moonlight, whose electricity consumption is negligible.
It is interesting to note that the use of two lower-rated
current pumps and appropriate switching can produce a
slight decrease in electricity consumption (see table page
tk). But, as stated earlier, savings should never be to the
Additional equipment
Basic aquarium
Household
Comparison
of electricity
consumption (in
kWh per month) of a
reef aquarium with
basic equipment
(left-hand bar)
and additional
equipment (right-
hand bar). For tank
size and equipment
see text.
Electricity consumption
(in kWh per day) of a
reef aquarium lighting
system based on tank
length. The blue bar
(tank size 79 x 24 x
27.5 inches (200 x 60
x 70 cm)) represents 2
HQI lamps of 250 watts
apiece and 2 T5 tubes of
80 watts apiece; the red
bar (tank size 39 x 24 x
27.5 inches (100 x 60 x 70
cm)) with one HQI lamp
of 250 watts and 2 T5
tubes of 39 watts apiece.
The running time of the
HQI lamps is 9 hours,
that of the T5 tubes 10
hours.
Basic aquarium Fully loaded aquarium
79-inch (200-cm) aquarium 39-inch (100-cm) aquarium
k
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Diagram 2
Diagram 1
44_51 Energy 3.indd 49 2/18/10 4:50:03 PM
50 CORAL
detriment of the corals. Too little current or periods with
no current at all are just as harmful to zooxanthellate
corals as inadequate lighting.
I NDI RECT COSTS
So far we have discussed only the electricity consump-
tion and costs relating directly to the aquarium itself.
There are, however, a range of indirect costs that need
to be considered. Many aquarists store frozen food in a
freezer so this electricity cost might be included, espe-
cially if a dedicated sh-food refrigerator/freezer is used.
Other indirect costs include water usage, which may not
directly relate to the topic of electricity consumption, but
should not be ignored, especially with large partial water
changes that require a reverse-osmosis unit. Some newer
technology, such as Poly-Bio-Marines Kold-Ster-il unit,
puries tapwater in a three-canister lter system that
produces no waste water.
HOW ACCURATE ARE THE DATA?
Wattages of equipment can usually be found on the de-
vices themselves or in instructions for use. It is difcult
to calculate exact consumption data for lamps because
of the electricity consumption of the ballasts.
This brings us inevitably to the question of just how
to measure the exact electricity consumption of an
aquarium. If the do-it-yourself method of calculating
data is not precise enough, a separate electricity meter
can be installed to monitor the aquarium. A dedicated
electricity meter requires a separate domestic electrical
circuit for the aquarium. The majority of households will
not have one, and the installation may be expensive.
WHERE CAN SAVI NGS REASONABLY
BE MADE?
Because lighting represents by far the greatest energy con-
sumption for a coral-reef aquarium, the size of the tank
Component Wattage Run Time Cost per Cost Cost Cost
Rating per Day kWh per Day per Month per Year
LIGHTING
400W Metal Halide Lamp 400 12 $0.10 $0.48 $14.40 $172.80



T12 V-HO Fluorescent 48 110 12 $0.10 $0.13 $3.90 $46.80

T12 STD Fluorescent 48 40 12 $0.10 $0.05 $1.50 $18.00

T5 HO Lamp 48-inches 54 12 $0.10 $0.06 $1.80 $21.60

LED (4 x 12 Modules) 48 12 $0.10 $0.06 $1.80 $21.60
WATER PUMPS External
1/3 HP System Water Pump 529 24 $0.10 $1.27 $38.10 $457.20

1/30 HP System Water Pump 173 24 $0.10 $0.42 $12.60 $151.20
WATER PUMPS Submersible
Propellor Pump Nano 10 24 $0.10 $0.02 $0.60 $7.20

Propellor Pump Medium 15 24 $0.10 $0.04 $1.20 $14.40

Propellor Pump Large 24 24 $0.10 $0.06 $1.80 $21.60
References: LED: 4 Panorama LED Retrot Modules, 12 LEDs each. External Pumps-1/3 HP External Pump: Little Giant TE-5.5-
MDQ-SC; 1/30 HP External Pump: Little Giant 2-MDQX-SC; Propeller Pump Nano: VorTech MP 10; Propeller Pump Medium:
VorTech MP 40; Propeller Pump Large: VorTech MP40.
44_51 Energy 3.indd 50 2/18/10 4:50:23 PM
51 CORAL
is critical to saving energy. A reef aquarium measuring
79 x 24 x 27.5 inches (200 x 60 x 70 cm), populated by
small-polyp stony corals requires two metal halide/HQI
lamps rated at 250 watts each and two T5 tubes at 80
watts each. If the aquarium is only 39 inches (1 m) long,
the electricity consumption of lighting is halved by using
one HQI at 250 watts and two T5s at 39 watts each.
The depth of the aquarium also plays a signicant
role. If the depth of the water is 31.5 inches (80 cm),
then HQI lamps rated at 250 to 400 watts will be re-
quired which will lead to an increase in electricity con-
sumption of 58%. (Again, much depends on the type of
corals being kept. Corals with large, eshy polyps that
do well lower in the aquarium do not demand
the same intensity of lighting as shallow-wa-
ter Acropora species, for example.) But if the
depth of the aquarium is 20 inches (50 cm),
HQI lamps rated at 150 watts can be used. I
personally nd reef aquaria at this depth too
shallow the corals grow very rapidly to the
waters surface and then need to be regular-
ly pruned. Such tanks look overpopulated
quickly; I recommend a tank depth of at least
24 inches (60 cm).
So what happens if we replace the HQI
lamps completely with T5 tubes? In our 39-
inch (1 m) aquarium, at least four to six T5
tubes at 39 watts each would be required if we
want to keep and propagate small-polyp stony
corals successfully. The resulting energy saving
would be some 23%. Whether or not light-
ing using six T5 uorescent lamps of 39 watts
apiece is adequate in the long term for mainte-
nance of all species of small-polyp stony corals
is not known. This depends on a number of
other factors including the siting of the corals
in the aquarium, and it may be necessary to
increase the lighting by one or two T5 tubes.
In my view, the most important factors for
energy saving relate to tank size, livestock to be
maintained, and their lighting requirements.
It is possible to replace items of equipment
by doing their jobs manually. Although more
time consuming, the calcium reactor, for ex-
ample, can be substituted by manual additions
of calcium chloride and sodium bicarbon-
ate solutions (see Balling 2002, Brockmann
2008) that essentially have the same effect but
require no electricity consumption.
In addition, monitoring of physical and
chemical water parameters (for example, tem-
perature, pH, and salinity measured in terms
of conductivity) do not necessarily have to be
done electronically. We can turn instead to
the classic thermometer, hydrometer, and re-
agent tests, which in the majority of cases, are
sufciently precise for the marine aquarium hobby and
use no electricity.
Decisions surrounding energy use and ways to save it
rest with the individual aquarist. But it is important that
any savings not be to the detriment of the creatures
maintained.
RE F E RE NCE S
Balling, H.-W. 2002. Die Balling-Methode
Calciumhydrogencarbonat-Zufuhr. KORALLE 14: 7275.
Brockmann, D. 2008. Das Meerwasser-Aquarium: Von der
Planung bis zur erfolgreichen Pfege. Natur and Tier - Verlag,
Mnster, Germany.
Hints
for calculating electricity
consumption and electricity costs
for aquarium equipment.
ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION: In order to calculate the electric-
ity consumption of a piece of equipment we need to know
its wattage (rating in watts = W). This will usually be found
on the equipment itself or in the accompanying instructions
for use. We also need the daily running time (in hours = h).
Using wattage and running time, we can calculate the daily
consumption (in watts per hour = Wh) using the following
formula: Wattage (W) times running time (h) = electricity
consumption (Wh).
Electricity consumption is usually measured in kilowatt hours
(1,000 watts per hour = kWh). In order to convert to these
units we divide the result above by 1,000. Using the above
formula to calculate the daily electricity consumption of a
wavemaking pump with an average wattage of 25 watts and a
running time of 10 hours a day, looks like this: 25 watts x 10
hours = 250 Wh divided by 1,000 or 0.25 kWh per day.
ELECTRICITY COSTS: In order to calculate the electricity costs we
need our electricity suppliers price per kilowatt hour. This
should include both the basic charge and taxes. The electricity
price per kWh can be found on your electricity bill. For our
example we will assume that a kWh costs 10 cents, approxi-
mately the US national average. Using this additional infor-
mation we can now calculate the daily electricity cost for the
currents pump by multiplying the kWh gure (0.25) with the
electricity price per kWh (.10) x 10 hours:
0.25 kWh x $0.10 cost/kWh = $.025 per day (2.5 cents)
To calculate the monthly electricity costs, this gure is simply
multiplied by the number of days in the month. For example,
in January (31 days) the electricity cost would be:
$.025/day x 31 days = $.775 (78 cents per month)
(The cost of running one 25w propeller pump per month.)
44_51 Energy 3.indd 51 2/18/10 4:50:33 PM
52 CORAL
T
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by RONALD L. SHIMEK, Ph.D.
52_61 Anemone Feeding.indd 52 2/18/10 4:52:01 PM
Large anemones have mouths
capable of swallowing whole
prey items of signifcant size.
Unidentifed anemone, North
Sulawesi, Indonesia.
It seems like a simple question: what should I feed my new anemo-
ne? Unfortunately, the diet of tropical sea anemones is not exactly
known. But research on sea anemones that thrive in temperate
waters may give us clues as to what to feed the new creature in
your reef tank.
In the shallow waters off the west coast of North America is
the Oregonian Biomeone of the most biologically diverse marine
ecosystems on the planet; it is arguably as diverse as some coral
reef areas. The region is home to well over 50 species of large sea
anemones, including one I believe is the largest known, Urticina
columbianamore massive than large Indo-Pacic host anemones.
Researchers working in the Oregonian Biome have discovered the
feeding preferences for a number of local anemones: Urticina co-
lumbiana eats jellyshes while its cousin, U. piscivora, consumes
sh and U. grebelnyi prefers sea urchins and dislodged compound
tunicates. Another large anemone in the area, Cribrinopsis fernaldi,
eats swimming scallops, while the sizable Metridium farcimen con-
sumes small plankton; the intertidal species, Anthopleura elegantis-
sima, specializes on settling barnacle larvae in the spring, but also
will eat other plankton. Its larger congener, A. xanthogrammica,
eats mussels dislodged from the intertidal areas above it. Most spe-
cies, with some exceptions including Metridium farcimen, will of-
ten eat other things in the wild or if offered an alternative in the
aquarium.
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54 CORAL
Anemone Shrimp
(Periclimenes tosaensis
aka P. holthuisi) on night-
feeding anemone, possibly
Phyllodiscus sp.
Bleached tentacles of
Bubbletip Anemone
(Entacmaea quadricolor).
Urticina piscivora, the Tealia or Fish-eating Anemone,
is one of the very large eastern Pacifc species, found
from Mexico north to Alaska.
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55 CORAL
Magnifcent Sea Anemones
(Heteractia magnifca) on current-
swept reef in the Maldives. This
species fares poorly in captivity.
In contrast, virtually nothing is known about the
natural diets of tropical anemones. This may be partially
based on two misconceptions: the clear waters of the
coral reef must mean that food items are rare or the pres-
ence of zooxanthellae in tissue means that food is not
necessary. But a major reason for the lack of data is the
relative scarcity of anemones. Many coral reefs have (or
had if they have been harvested for the aquarium trade)
host anemones which are typically not as abundant nor
as diverse as anemones in temperate regions so research-
ers may have not opted to examine them. Additionally,
host anemones are often very large and have an array
of symbionts surrounding them which make laboratory
and eld work difcult. For whatever reason, there has
been relatively little work done on them.
NEW WI NDOW ON TROPI CAL SPECI ES
The recent use of a small zooxanthellate anemone has
opened a new window into tropical sea anemone biolo-
gy. Scientists have discovered that an anemone
that seems to be found in many, perhaps all,
coral reef aquaria is a species (or perhaps two)
of Aiptasia. Called variously A. pallida, or A. pul-
chella, these familiar animals are actually great
research species. They are small to moderately
sized, so they can be kept in laboratory situa-
tions without sh or crustacean symbionts like
host anemones, and it is not an environmen-
tal problem to collect a few hundred thousand.
And they are almost impossible to kill and ex-
tremely fecund both advantages to the experi-
mentalist. Finally, and more importantly, they
appear to be a good physiological model for all
tropical anemones. It is likely we will have a lot
more anemone information in the future.
FOOD BASI CS
ALL cells (animal, plant, algal, bacterial, fun-
gal) require two major, and distinctly different,
food typesenergy foods and structural foods.
Energy foods are necessary to perform tasks,
while structural foods are the raw materials of
growth. Both types are processed very differ-
ently by cells and are essential for the survival
of the organism.
ENERGY FOODS
Energy foods, carbohydrates (starches, sugars)
and lipids (fats) in humans and sea anemones
are essentially identical. Research has shown
that sea anemones have the necessary digestive
enzymes to break down both fats and carbohy-
drates into their nal sugar components. Although the
most commonly discussed sugar is glucose, or grape
sugar, there are a lot of other sugars found in any given
cell which are generally convertible to glucose. Reactions
involving glucose, then, are the standard to discuss.
Sugars have one important special property: they
can be made by photosynthesis by plants or plant-like
organisms. Using the electromagnetic energy found in
sunlight, these organisms can take a few molecules of
carbon dioxide and water and, by a process that seems
almost magical, bind them together to form a glucose
molecule. In the process, oxygen molecules are liberated
as waste. The important thing to remember is that the
light energy used to make the glucose molecule remains
in it as the chemical energy necessary to hold the mol-
ecule together. Making glucose takes a LOT of energy, so
56 CORAL
Left: Pink Anemonefsh (Amphiprion perideraion)
wallow in a Magnifcent Sea Anemone (Heteractis
magnifca).
Right: Any protein in a storm: Stomphia didemon eating a
seabird feather. Molted feathers are made of keratin, a protein.
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if glucose is later disassembled in some manner, all of
that energy is released, and may be recovered and used
by the animal to perform tasks.
While other metabolic reactions use sugars to make
mucus, fats, starches, or, in some animals, a structural
material called chitin, the fundamental use for sugar is
to provide energy through its breakdown to carbon di-
oxide and water. When energy is needed, the synthetic
process is reversed; sugars are combined with oxygen
and, in a complex set of reactions, are broken down to
carbon dioxide and water, in the process liberating the
stored energy. In the cell, this energy is not released as
light. Instead, the solar energy used to bind the glucose
together has been transformed, and is chemically har-
vested. It is used to build copies of a special small chem-
ical product which, in turn, can be utilized to release its
energy on demand. This process of breaking down sugar
to produce energy is referred to as respiration, and as
oxygen is necessary for the process to be complete it is
called aerobic respiration. Exactly the same amount of
energy and the same types and amounts of byproducts
are liberated in the cell as would be liberated in a re
burning the same amount of sugar. Aerobic respiration
provides the sea anemone with the energy it needs for
everything it does, and is one reason why sea anemones
need to have well-aerated water owing around them.
STRUCTURAL FOODS
Animals also need to acquire and process structural foods,
the raw materials used to construct tissues, repair dam-
age, and make gametes. The primary types of structural
foods are proteins, or the protein sub-units called amino
acids, and minerals, such as calcium carbonate. Although
many marine animals can absorb dissolved minerals out
of the water, most also obtain minerals from digestion
of prey organisms. Some, but by no means all, marine
animals can also absorb from the water some nitrogen-
containing products, often ammonium ions.
Referring to all foods by these two categories is a bit
of a simplicationfew foods are either purely struc-
tural or energy. Nonetheless, the two food categories
are fundamentally different and foods of one category
cannot be converted to the other. For example, the only
chemical elements comprising sugars and fats are car-
57 CORAL
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bon, hydrogen and oxygen while the critical chemical
element found in proteins is nitrogen. Although many
other chemicals may be found in proteins, the essential
backbone of every protein molecule is nitrogen.
With the exception of the plankton-eating species, at
rst it appears that anemones are eating foods that are
almost wholly structural foods. But that is not the case.
Animals eating mussels and scallops, for example, receive
a sizable component of energy foods from the plankton
that the mussels and scallops have eaten as well as mu-
cus which can be broken down into sugars and protein.
Additionally, all predators will break down any fats in
their prey, such as egg yolk in the gonads, directly into
energy foods, so they are getting a well balanced diet.
PRACTI CAL ASPECTS OF SEA ANEMONE
NUTRI TI ON
As with most animals that are kept in aquaria, sea anem-
ones can tell the aquarist a lot about their care by their
behavior and responses to their environment. Unfortu-
nately, since these are very simply-constructed animals,
their repertoire of behaviors is smallit can be hard to
determine what behavioral responses are to a particular
problem since the same response may be given to vastly
different problems. In most cases, time is of the essence
so it is necessary to quickly deduce and correct problems
before the animal dies. Unfortunately, the most severe
responses, such as refusal to attach or eversion of the
gut, generally means that the animal is already dying
or the conditions in the aquarium are sufciently bad
that the animal will die in a short time. Other responses
that indicate improper conditions, including inadequate
feeding, are continual movement, periodic detachment,
or retreat into the rockwork.
Newly purchased sea anemones are often stressed,
almost to the point of death, by the transport and distri-
bution chain. They often dont have much in the way of
reserves to sustain them through their acclimation to a
new situation. Even animals that have been in an aquar-
ium for some time may be in a precarious state because
of inadequacies in their care.
What are the conditions of proper care of the tropi-
cal sea anemone? Optimum physical conditions are a
temperature of 82F to 84F (27C29C) and a salin-
ity of 35 PSU to 36 PSU. Colder temperatures stress the
animals as much as warmer ones do; an animal kept at
77F (25C) has a metabolic rate that is only about half
of the optimum and will not be able to metabolize fast
enough to correct problems. Additionally, the aquarium
systems water has to be well-ltered and well-aerated,
and the animal properly illuminated.
Finally, the animal must have a proper habitat; for
example, while Heteractis magna lives fully exposed in
high current conditions, Entacmaea quadricolor does not.
It typically lives with its column buried out of sight in
a crevice or cave with only the tentacles or tentacle tips
showing. The latter species will not do well in buffeting
currents, no matter what other care it is given. Addition-
ally, overly-intense illumination will cause it to retreat
into the rockwork where it will perish. Consequently, the
aquarist must determine the proper microhabitat prior to
A commensal Anemone Shrimp (Periclimenes magnifcus) near
the sand-ringed mouth of its host Sand Anemone.
59 CORAL
obtaining the critter.
Once the optimum conditions are met, proper feed-
ing is the most important factor in the care of these
animals. But to date their natural diet has not been sat-
isfactorily determined. Fortunately, the animals are not
too particular, and many different foods are acceptable.
It is often necessary to try several different foods and
see which ones the animals will ingest and which are
rejected. Try whole or diced sh of marine origin (avoid
freshwater sh, such as feeder goldsh), whole shrimp,
squid or clam meat, and articial foods, such as pellets
or well-thawed cubed frozen foods. If a food is rejected
repeatedly, dont waste more time on it. Place the food
on the oral disk; if necessary reduce the currents in the
tank to ensure the animal has a chance to grab it. If the
food is acceptable, the animal will respond by capturing
60 CORAL
and taking it in. If possible, feed entire animals, not just
muscle eshthe anemone needs and can digest the ad-
ditional nutrients in the viscera and skeletons.
Unless the anemone is quite small, it is necessary to
specically feed it to ensure that it eats enough food. Al-
though in nature animals can survive on the particulate
matter in the water, it is typically far greater than is ever
found in aquaria. Aquarium anemones will certainly ben-
et from brine shrimp, mysids, or extraneous foods from
sh, but such foods in aquaria are generally present in
insufcient amounts for anything but a periodic snack.
The amount of food needed will vary with the spe-
cies and the size of the animal but is often quite a large
amount. As an example, a mature Stichodactyla haddoni I
once had was fed about one or two heaping tablespoons
of diced lance sh or cut-up smelt every other day or so.
Anemones rid themselves of excess or indigestible food
as feces after a few hours. Defecated material should be
removed as soon as it is noticed. It might be a long time
between these events. In the seven or eight years I had
that S. haddoni, to the best of my knowledge it defecated
only twice although it completely consumed everything
offered it. As an example, it captured a 4-inch (10 cm)
long raccoon buttery sh that I put in to eat Aiptasia.
The entire buttery sh was eaten, no remains were ever
egested, and the animal ate its normal mass of food the
next day. Burp!
Fecal material is indigestible food, but it is not waste.
If it is not removed it will foul the tank since bacteria
and other animals will eat it, but it wont kill them out-
right. The actual waste material is ammonium ion, often
called ammonia by aquarists. As most aquarists know,
true biological wastes such as ammonium ion are highly
poisonous. Typically, the amount of ammonium released
by a healthy zooxanthellate anemone is unnoticed and
undetected without special testing apparatus, even if the
animal is well-fed. The hosts zooxanthellae will general-
ly absorb all of the nitrogenous waste and convert it into
some algal proteins or byproducts and recycle it back to
their host. Feeding a healthy zooxanthellate anemone is
effectively a waste-free process.
The best measure of sufcient feeding is growth or re-
production of fully mature animals. If the aquarist wants
their anemone to remain small, it should initially be fed
enough to grow until it reaches a size where more food is
required for it to grow further. Do not increase the food
volume at this point, and the animal, although small, will
remain healthy. Care needs to be exercised so the animal
doesnt slowly start to shrink, as this may indicate that a
problem such as competition with another animal, is in-
terfering with the anemone. In such a case, the food
will need to be increased.
Ronald L. Shimek, Ph.D. is the author of A PocketExpert
Guide: Marine Invertebrates (Microcosm/TFH Professional Se-
ries, 2004).
61 CORAL
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62_71 Fish_an Inside Look.indd 62 2/18/10 4:54:29 PM
article & images
by MATTHEW L. WITTENRICH
63 CORAL
The shes are easily the most diverse of earths vertebrate
animal groups with some 31,000 species documented and
new ones discovered every year. Living in nearly all aquatic
habitats and feeding on virtually every available food type,
shes have evolved into an astonishing array of body forms,
mouth types, color patterns, sensory abilities, reproductive
modes, and locomotor behaviors that allow them to thrive in
an ever-changing uid environment. It is easy to appreciate
64 CORAL
this diversity of form and function simply by glancing at an aquarium lled with
coral-reef shes, but to truly appreciate the evolutionary advancements of shes
and their overwhelming diversity one must look deeperto the skeleton.
EVOLVI NG SKELETONS
Evolution and natural selection are powerful forces that helped shape the overall
morphology and function of present-day shes to thrive in a variety of well de-
ned niches. A key feature of evolution is the acquisition of new morphologies
through selective pressures. The skeleton is the building block on which every-
thing else is constructed.
The skeleton is an amazing portrait of life. Simply by looking at the bones of
the body (axial skeleton) and the skull, many assumptions can be made as to how
a sh lives in its environment. The skeleton is a major tool of taxonomists who
classify shes and determine their origin. Of all the functions that shes perform,
it is perhaps the roles of swimming and feeding that are responsible for such exag-
gerated diversity. To understand how a sh lives in its environment, how it feeds,
and how it swims one must rst understand the skeleton.
The size of individual bones limits the size of muscles that can attach to them,
which in turn determines feeding habitats and locomotor abilities. The number
of bones creates or limits movements of the head and body. Articulation points
The Tarpon (Megalops atlanticus)
exhibits a superior (upward
facing) mouth that is capable
of explosive feeding strikes
that creates enormous suction
pressure. The premaxilla is fused
to the neurocranium; suction
pressure is not facilitated by jaw
protrusion, as it is in Lionfsh
or Grouper. Instead, the hyoid,
opercular, and suspensorium
bones create extreme lateral
expansion of the buccal, or
mouth, cavity, that is, in part,
facilitated by head elevation.
The cleithrum is well developed
to provide an anchoring point
for muscles.
Premaxilla
Maxilla
Supramaxilla
Dentary
Articular
Urohyal
Basihyal
Ceratohyal
Frontal
Neurocranium
Hyomandibular
Parasphenoid
Postemporal
Supracleithrum
Opercle
Cleithrum
Vertebrae
Metapterygoid
Quadrate
Entopterygoid
Epihyal
Branchiostegal rays
Interhyal
Symplectic
Coracoid
Pleural ribs
Radials
Ptergiophore
65 CORAL
between bones allow dynamic movement and potentially allow a sh to explore
new behaviors that may lead to diversication.
While there are numerous ways to study the architecture of a sh skeleton,
clearing and staining creates an unusual and sometimes quite beautiful image of
the details beneath the skin. When preparing specimens to study and to make
these images, I use a variety of chemical baths to dehydrate the body, bleach heavy
body pigmentation and digest the protein and body tissue leaving only an outline
of the sh and its skeleton. Differential stains then dye the bones red or pink and
the cartilage blue. The process can provide an entirely new appreciation for the
anatomy of a sh.
TELEOSTSTHE BONY FI SHES
No group of vertebrates alive today rivals the morphological, functional, and eco-
logical diversity of teleost shes. Teleosts, the so-called bony shes, arose during
the Triassic period and now include over 20,000 species. Nearly half of all living
vertebrates are teleosts and virtually all aquarium shes and commercially- and
recreationally-important gamesh are included in this group.
A major evolutionary advancement of most bony shes is a protrusible jaw
and increased cranial movement. The teleost skull is highly complex and com-
posed of over 20 independently moveable elements. The sh skull contains more
SKULL
Articular
Basihyal
Branchiostegal rays
Dentary
Ceratohyal
Entopterygoid
Epihyal
Frontal
Hyoid
Hyomandibular
Interhyal
Maxilla
Meckels cartilage
Metapterygoid
Nasal
Neurocranium
Opercle
Parasphenoid
Postemporal
Premaxilla
Preopercle
Quadrate
Supramaxilla
Symplectic
Urohyal
AXIAL SKELETON
Fin rays
Hemal spines
Intramuscular bones
Lepidotrichia
Neural spines
Pleural ribs
Ptergiophore
Radials
Vertebra
PECTORAL GIRDLE
Basiptergia
Cleithrum
Coracoid
Supracleithrum
CAUDAL SKELETON
Epurals
Fin rays
Hypurals
Urostyle
Neural spines
Intramuscular bones
Hemal spines
Ptergiophore
Radials
Epurals
Urostyle
Fin rays
Fin rays Hypurals
Fin rays
66 CORAL
bones and moving parts than most any other vertebratean architectural marvel
that has allowed ingenious adaptations for foraging on just about any food in the
aquatic environment.
THREE WAYS TO FEED
For the past several years much of my own research has centered on the develop-
ment of bones in larval and juvenile shes and how they use these bones to feed.
The complexity of cranial structures in adult shes can be overwhelmingthere
are dozens of bones in the skull designed to create both explosive predatory feed-
ing strikes and delicate suction to lift a morsel of food from the seaoor. Numer-
ous moving parts in the skull of sh require complex interactions of muscles and
ligaments that vary signicantly across phylogenetic or evolutionary histories and
ecological habit. The placement and shape of bones helps us understand how sh
feed and how these feeding behaviors were shaped across evolutionary time.
Three main feeding methods are used by adult shes: suction, ram, and ma-
nipulation. By far the most common type is suction feeding, though most shes
incorporate elements of all three into their feeding style. Suction feeding involves
rapid expansion of the buccal cavity that draws water and prey into the mouth.
Swordspine Snook (Centropomus
ensiferus) are well equipped
for suction feeding. Lateral
expansion of the buccal cavity
is combined with premaxillary
protrusion to create signifcant
negative pressure that draws in
fast moving prey. The hypurals
of the caudal skeleton are also
fused to form strong plates
that support fast, powerful
swimming.
Hypurals
Hemal spines
Ptergiophore
Ptergiophore
Pleural ribs
Coracoid
Cleithrum
Articular
Articular
Urohyal
Ceratohyal
Maxilla
Premaxilla
Maxilla
Premaxilla
Nasal
Postemporal
Parasphenoid
Quadrate
Dentary
Dentary
Branchiostegal rays
Epihyal
Neural spines
Epurals
Urostyle
Lepidotrichia
67 CORAL
In true suction feeding, the predator need not move but engages the prey from a
xed position with a rapid burst of suction. This seemingly uid motion is driven
by complex linkages and interactions of bones and muscles in the head. The sus-
pensorium, which includes mainly the hyomandibular, quadrate, palatine and
pterygoid bones, expands laterally. The head is elevated upwards which activates
muscles that rotate the opercular bones out and up. Contraction of muscles in
the throat then pull the hyoid apparatus down, back and outwards, which helps
swing the lower jaw open. The lower jaw swivels from the quadrate/articular joint.
The cliethrum provides an anchoring point for many of the muscles involved in
feeding and complex movement of the head.
Jaw protrusion is common in derived lineages of shes and was a paramount
adaptation for suction feeding. Protrusible jaws have many advantages that de-
crease the predator-to-prey distance, add to the velocity of prey capture momen-
tum, and enhance the tunnel used for suction feeding. Premaxillary protrusion
is achieved in several different ways. The most common involves a ligamentous
linkage of the maxilla to the lower jaw. As the lower jaw is depressed, the maxilla
rotates and engages the premaxilla and forces it forward. In many species such
as tarpon and anchovy (see photos), the premaxilla is immobile and does not
The Bay Anchovy (Anchoa
mitchelli) is a ram feeder that
opens its giant, sieve-like maw
and gathers plankton on its
fne gill rakers. Mouth-opening
is rather simple in this species.
The upper jaw is rather immobile,
but the lower jaw is capable
of extreme depression from
muscular and hyoid control.
The mouth also expands
laterally to create a large
surface area.
Intramuscular bones
Hypurals
Hemal spines
Fin rays
Ptergiophore
Pleural ribs
Neurocranium
Maxilla
Dentary
Hyoid
Branchiostegal rays
Cleithrum
Neural spines
Ptergiophore
68 CORAL
Dasyatis sabina, the Atlantic
Stingray, is composed almost
entirely of cartilage. This newborn
retains its umbilical. Skates
and rays are highly modifed to
benthic life. The large pectoral
fns provide the main propulsion,
while the pelvic fns of this and
many other species are used to
punt or hop along the substrate.
Much of the body is composed
of fn rays. The visceral cavity
contains the vital organs of the
animal and the head region
contains sensory organs,
gill chambers and
associated spiracles.
contribute to suction feeding. Jaw protrusion is a remarkable process that has
evolved to some truly mind-blowing adaptations. The Slingjaw Wrasse (Epibulus
insidiator) can shoot its jaw forward nearly half its body length. Jaw protrusion in
this extreme case is driven by novel bone to bone linkages.
Ram feeding shes overtake their prey while swimming. The prey often re-
main stationary, while the predator overtakes them. The Barracuda is a classic
ram feeder that overtakes and slashes its prey with no suction pressure. Anchovies
and other planktivores are also ram feeders. Instead of engulng piscine prey with
lightning speed, they open enormous basket-like mouths and swim forward in
the water column collecting tiny bits of algae and zooplankton on their gill raker
nets. The mouth of an anchovy is quite simple. The premaxilla is immobile, the
hyoid swings ventrally and the suspensorium expands to create a great maw that
engulfs plankton.
Manipulation is used by many reef shes to scrape, grasp, and pry attached
organisms from benthic substrates. Many shes such as surgeonshes and rabbit-
shes scrape algae from hard surfaces, while some wrasses pry ophurioid starsh
from under rocks. This type of feeding often involves complex movements of the
anterior jaws and dentition patterns that help grip difcult prey.
I NNUMERABLE WAYS TO SWI M
The way a sh swims is determined by the extreme density of the surrounding
uid environment and reected in its body shape. Water is 800 times denser than
air. Its ability to hold oxygen is 95% less than air, making locomotion energeti-
Pectoral fn
Spiracles
Umbilical
Gill chambers
Visceral cavity
Pelvic girdle
Pelvic fn
69 CORAL
The Lesser Electric Ray
(Narcine brasiliensis) is an
astonishing animal capable of
generating 56 volts of electricity
from a pair of electric organs.
These organs constitute a mesh-
like grid of electrocytes that
cumulatively produce electric
discharges. Capable of punting
across the seafoor with strong
pelvic fns, the electric ray also
has well developed caudal, dorsal,
and pectoral fns that are capable
of fast swimming bursts. The
pectoral girdle is well developed
to support muscles and rapid
movement. Cartilagenous fshes
are well known for their highly
advanced electroreception
system, a series of ampullae and
water canals that detect odors
and weak electric felds.
cally and physiologically costly. Locomotor morphology has evolved to decrease
drag in this dense environment. About 12 different swimming types have been
identied among shes and are linked to body shape, feeding habits, and general
ecology. The propulsion system can range from the oscillation of dorsal and anal
ns as seen in triggersh and lesh to the pectoral sculling of puffers and the
paddling of wrasses to whole body undulations of eels and the undulation of the
caudal n or posterior portion of the body as seen in most bony shes. Muscles
that drive propulsion are generally anchored to the vertebra. Hemal and nueral
spines provide attachment of the epaxial and hypaxial muscles that typically drive
caudal undulations.
The ns of sh are used for maneuvering and come in a wide range of shapes,
sizes and body orientation. Dorsal and anal spine movements are driven by inter-
actions between the ptergiophores and axial muscles. Radials act as articulation
points between the n rays and the body.
The caudal (tail) skeleton is a complex of bones that varies widely across taxo-
nomic lineages. It has become quite specialized in many groups. Early in larval
development the notochord is straight as an arrow with no associated n rays.
Flexion occurs when the tip of the notochord exes dorsally. Terminal vertebrae
strengthen the propulsion system. The last vertebrae is known as the urostyle and
displays a characteristic upswing. Below the urostyle are hypurals, plate-like sup-
port structures that are often fused. Above the urostyle are epurals and uroneurals
that similarly help support and articulate the system.
Pectoral fn
Pectoral girdle
Electric organs
Spiracles
Electroreception system
Pelvic fn
Dorsal fn rays
Caudal fn rays
70 CORAL
In the end, the mind-boggling diversity of shes contrib-
utes to our innate passion to understand them better.
From the cartilagenous sharks and rays with skeletons
that lack true bone, to the modern teleosts that offer a
surprising complexity of skeletal linkages, shes are an
incredible study. The sh skeleton is a thing of intricate
beauty that inspires curiosity to ask more questions
and search for answers.
SPECIAL THANKS: To Dr. Jon Shenkers Fish Biology lab at Flor-
ida Institute of Technology and Jason Boucher for providing access
to cleared and stained specimens.
Matthew L. Wittenrich is working on his doctorate in larval
sh physiology at Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL.
He is the author of The Complete Illustrated Breeders Guide to
Marine Aquarium Fishes (Microcosm/TFH, 2007).
The Moorish Idol (Zanclus
cornutus) feeds primarily
by manipulation. Extreme
dentition and fne motor
control allow this species to
graze and scrape intricate
rocky substrates.
Teleost fshes exhibit an
enormous diversity of body
forms and mouth structures.
The Silver Jenny (Eucinostomus
gula) exhibits extreme jaw
protrusion that it uses to
probe sandy substrates in
search of worms and small
crustaceans.
Articular
Articular
Urostyle
Hypurals
Hypurals
Premaxilla
Premaxilla
Maxilla
Maxilla
Dentary
Dentary
Basiptergia
Post cleithrum
Basiptergia
Pleural ribs
Cleithrum
Fin rays
Nasal
Quadrate
Quadrate
Hemal spines
Neural spines
Neural spines
Ptergiophore
Neurocranium
Parasphenoid
Ptergiophore
Ptergiophore
Cleithrum
Supracleithrum
Opercle
Preopercle
71 CORAL

117 Neverslnk St. (Lorane)
Reading, PA 19606-3732
Phone 610-404-1400
Fax 610-404-1487
www.poly-bio-marlne.com
POLY-BIO-MARINE, INC. ~ EST. 1976
72 CORAL
pH
MEASURING
72_79 Measuring pH.indd 72 2/18/10 4:57:02 PM
73 CORAL
ou dont need to be a chem-
ist in order to be familiar with
the terms acid and base.
As marine aquarists, we are
aware that carbon dioxide
(CO
2
) dissolves in water to form
an acid (carbonic acid) or that lime
water, with its high pH, is basic or
alkaline. However, an exact deni-
tion for the term pH will be dif-
cult for the majority of people since
a negative base-10 logarithm of
the hydrogen-ion concentration is
not the sort of thing generally en-
countered in everyday speech.
So let us take a somewhat sim-
plied look at the matter. But rst
an aside: Since I am professionally involved with the de-
velopment department of Aqua Medic, I have used their
products exclusively to illustrate this article. This is not
intended as a recommendation. The information in this
article applies to corresponding products from other man-
ufacturers.
Many chemical substances release ions when dissolved
specically anions and cations. Acids release hydrogen cat-
ions, bases or alkalis release hydroxide anions. Water splits
into both hydrogen cations and hydroxide anions so is, so
to speak, both acid and alkaline. If an acid is added to wa-
ter the concentration of hydrogen cations increases, while
the addition of a base will increase the quantity of hydrox-
ide anions. If identical quantities of these types of ions are
present, the water is neutral.
Although the pH value is simply a concentration da-
tum, it differs from other quantitative data. We are famil-
iar with nitrate content, for example. Based on a scale that
starts at zero, it is low at 5 mg/L and high at 100 mg/L.
But pH value is differentthe scale goes from 0 to 14
with a neutral of 7. (There are no units.) This is because
zero concentration does not exist for pH value. As already
mentioned, there are hydrogen cations even in pure water.
The pH scale can be considered a laboratory beam balance,
with seven spheres on one side and seven cubes on the oth-
er. There must always be 14 in total. If one of the spheres
is removed, the scale-pan will rise, and in order to have a
total of 14 again the same quantity of cubes must be added
to the other side. If the cubes represent hydrogen cations
or acids, then in this case the amount of acidity would
increase and the indicator on the scales would move in the
direction of lower pH. The addition of alkalis would have
the reverse effect, and we would get a higher pH reading.
So much for the theory. Let us look at pH in practice.
In the aquarium hobby the pH value is a useful and im-
portant water parameter. The pH of a marine tank usu-
ally uctuates between 7.5 and 8.5. A value of 8.28.3 is
regarded as ideal. The pH of freshly prepared sea water is
What
every
marine
aquarist
should
know
by
STEPHAN
GOHMANN
D
.

K
N
O
P
,

A
Q
U
A
R
I
U
M

O
F

P
.

V
.

S
U
I
J
L
E
K
O
M
S
.

G
O
H
M
A
N
N
initially lower, but when aerated for a few hours rises to
8.0 or slightly higher.
Fluctuations can occur in the aquarium over the
course of the day. During the daytime, when the light
is on and photosynthesis is taking place, the pH value
rises as CO
2
is consumed by plants and zooxanthellae.
During the dark phase, the pH value drops, sometimes
to as low as 7.5, because the metabolic processes of the
livestock and algae and the lack of photosynthesis effect
an increase in the concentration of CO
2
in the water.
These inherent uctuations mean that to establish the
pH value, measurements should be taken more than
once a day. I measure it in the morning before the light
comes on, at midday, and in the evening when the tank
is in darkness again. In this way the daily cycle is estab-
lished.
MEASURI NG I NDI CATORS
pH can be measured by either of two methodsusing so-
called color indicators or electronically. Color indicators
are economical and simple to use. The most basic ones
show only that a solution lies above or below a particular
pH value. This is not helpful for marine aquarists. One
with several indicators and different reaction points is
necessary. An indicator for sea water, for example, will
measure the pH between 7.5 and 9.0 in 0.2 increments.
Color indicators use reagents in a dropper bottle.
Manufacturers advise that the bottle be held vertically
for a uniform drop size, but this is harder than it sounds
since many bottles release drops spontaneously and it
is hard to eyeball their size as they zip by. Fortunately,
smaller drops have little effect on the precision of the
reading. (It is quite different when measuring carbon-
ate hardness, for example, since the number and size of
drops are important for accuracy.)
pH measurement by this method is fairly straightfor-
ward except for completely demineralized or reverse-os-
mosis water. Since reagents are acids or alkalis, they may
inuence the pH value of completely unbuffered water. I
have not had a serious problem of this kind.
ELECTRONI C PH MEASUREMENT
The drop method has some disadvantages: the time it
takes to test the water, the cost if numerous measure-
ments are required and the precision of readings in in-
crements of .2.
A good and properly calibrated electronic pH meter
does considerably more than the drop method, but it
costs more to buy and run. And it requires calibration,
cleaning, and relling uids; the material used in the
measuring probe breaks down with use. But more of that
later; let us rst look at the principles behind electronic
measurement.
Example of a
liquid reagent pH
test kit.
74 CORAL
pH measurement takes place at
the pink-colored glass tip.
The rubber cap prevents the electrode from
drying out. The crystalline potassium chloride
precipitate is not a sign of poor quality.
The pH meter consists of a probe that sends a signal
to a measuring device that then indicates pH value. Both
must be calibrated to function correctly. The probe is a
glass or plastic shaft with a glass tip where the measuring
process occurs. Depending on the pH value of the solu-
tion to be tested, hydrogen cations, the ions that actually
dictate the pH value, migrate from the probe into the
solution or vice versa. Because hydrogen cations have a
positive charge, a specic electrical potentialthat is, a
voltageexists between the constant inner surface of the
electrode and the pH-dependant outside. For the whole
thing to function, the tip of the pH probe must be moist
so it should be soaked for a day in a potassium chloride
solution or tapwater if it dries out. There is a potassium
chloride solution in the protective cap of the probe that
sometimes crystallizes. This doesnt effect the longevity
of the probe nor indicate a lack of quality. If a probe is
not intended to be used for a long time, it should be
sealed before storing it.
In order to function, the probe requires a reference
electrode, which has its own, constant potential. The dif-
ference between the two electrodes can be measured and
converted to a pH value. A silver/silver-chloride elec-
trode has proved effective and simple to use as the ref-
erence electrode. Working with two probes is, however,
inconvenient and impractical, and so ingenious minds
have devised a single-unit measuring process in which
the reference electrode is built into the pH probe. Al-
though we usually talk about a pH-measuring electrode
in the aquarium hobby, in reality there are two electrodes
working together.
Incorrect treatment of the electronic probe can short-
en its life. Use care when administering medications and
solutions that signicantly color the aquarium water.
Some substances will damage a pH probe. If in doubt,
remove the probe from the tank during treatments. If
continual measurement of the pH is essential and the
probe stays in the tank, the failure of the pH electrode
is possible. If a replacement probe is needed, make sure
that it is not the aquarium stores old stockboth the
glass and the electode change over time even if unused.
GLASS ELECTRODES
pH probes can be made from glass or plastic. Completely
glass ones are considerably more delicate, but, because
they are transparent, it is easy to see when the potassium
chloride solution needs to be topped up.
Every pH probe has a diaphragm for the reference
electrode that allows it to stay in contact with the water.
The electrodes silver chloride can either be incorporated
into the diaphragm itself or contained in the potassi-
um chloride solution. You will need to know how your
The colored rubber sleeve shows that this probe has been
damaged by chemicals.
This dry-stored probe shows how the electrolyte has leaked
from inside the pH electrode. This also happens continually
while the probe is immersed in water. Hence the electrolyte
needs to be topped up from time to time.
Disassembled measuring probe
the electrode has been removed and can be seen above right.
75 CORAL
S
.

G
O
H
M
A
N
N
76 CORAL
T
O
P
:

D
.

K
N
O
P
.

A
Q
U
A
R
I
U
M

O
F

P
.

V
.

S
U
I
J
L
E
K
O
M
;

B
O
T
T
O
M
:

S
.

G
O
H
M
A
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N
electrode is manufactured so that the correct potassium
choloride solution can be used to rell the probe.
A small quantity of the electrolyte in the probe
continuously diffuses through the diaphragm into the
aquarium but has no effect on the aquarium occupants.
The electrolyte level in the probe sinks over time and
should be immersed only a few centimeters so that the
diaphragm is under water. If the uid level in the probe
is lower than that of the surrounding water, the water
will penetrate and irreparably damage the electrode.
Relling the probe can be done fairly easily using a
syringe and hypodermic needle. First, uncover the pro-
tective sleeve of the rell opening, invert the glass probe
and suck out the old potassium chloride solution with
the syringe. Rell the probe with fresh electrolyte by re-
versing the process. If air bubbles occur, gently shake the
probe like a clinical thermometer.
GEL- FI LLED ELECTRODES
Gel-lled probes have less problems than other types
because they can be completely immersed in water and
used under pressure, in calcium reactors, for example.
Their lifespan is shorter than that of properly main-
tained glass probes.
Delicate fsheshere
Pseudanthias ventralis
require stable and proper
pH levels.
This pH electrode
is being kept afoat
using a piece of
styrofoam sheet.
77 CORAL
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78 CORAL
Because many aquarists neither check the probes of their pH meters regu-
larly nor maintain them in any way, the majority will be best served by cheap
gel-lled plastic probes. How long a pH-electrode will remain serviceable
depends on maintenance and cleaning, and, of course, on the water being
monitored. If the chemistry of the water is harmful to electrodes then the
best maintenance in the world will be to no avail. Cleaning lime- or algae-
coatings from a glass membrane with a toothbrush will shorten its lifespan
too. Vigorous mechanical friction can damage it.
In practice, lime deposits on a glass probe or diaphragm can be removed
using special cleaning solutions usually containing hydrochloric acid or vin-
egar. A cleaning solution containing hydrouoric acid is extremely dangerous
and should be used only by laboratory personnel since it can dissolve the glass
of a probe immersed in it for longer than one to two minutes. It is possible
to use hydrouoric acid solutions to revive pH probes that are very slow to
respond to hydrochloric-based cleaners, as it will etch away the top layer of
the glass. The probe is then soaked in potassium chloride solution to recover
from the punishment. Warning: this is not a process for the amateur to at-
tempt! We aquarists can dissolve away lime deposits with dilute hydrochloric
acid or soaking in vinegar, then rinse the glass membrane with water, and dry
it by careful dabbing with paper towels.
It is best to site the probe in the aquarium so that it is in darkness: no
light means no algae growth. Sumps in under-tank cabinets are ideal for this.
Here, though, there is a danger that the probe will be left high and dry if the
water level drops or if it is immersed too deeply. In order to prevent these
problems the probe can be pushed through a piece of styrofoam so it
oats in the water. Be careful that it doesnt capsize.
Emptying and reflling an
electrolyte-flled glass probe
using a hypodermic syringe.
S
.

G
O
H
M
A
N
N
Disassembled, gel-flled pH probe.
The second part of this article will deal with the calibration of pH
electrodes and basic mistakes that can invalidate the pH reading.
In addition pH uctuations in the aquarium and pH regula-
tory systems will be discussed.
Its back
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This is the book that launched
hundreds of thousands of
aquarists into the marine
aquarium hobby, surehandedly
guiding them as they set up
their frst marine aquariums
and moved into reefkeeping
and breeding. Written by
Martin A. Moe, Jr.a pioneer
of breeding marine aquarium
fshes and invertebratesthis
book makes accessible more
than 40 years of saltwater
aquarium experience.
A Microcosm/TFH Professional Series Book
www.MicrocosmAquariumExplorer.com
Look for it wherever
fne aquarium books
are sold.
79 CORAL
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for a list of stores that carry
the nanno 1 and nanno 9.
80_85 Aquarium Portrait.indd 80 2/18/10 5:00:08 PM
here is nothing like it in the rest of the aquarium
world. The Landelijke Huiskeuring, a ercely competi-
tive national aquarium-hobby event in the Nether-
lands, where the judges are known to visit competitors
homes, scrutinizing the aquascaping aesthetics, the
health of the shes and corals, the biological bal-
ance of the aquarium, and the overall design of the
system. To win is the equivalent of an Olympic feat.
Martin van ter Meij has won it twice.
As with many aquarists, Martins fascination
with the marine underwater started in childhood.
He has been involved in the hobby for more than 30
years. Frequent excursions to the aquarium-hobby
shops of Amsterdam led him to make a profession
out of his hobby, and nowadays he runs his own small
business called Aqua Care and helps other people plan,
set up, and maintain their aquaria. At a time when the
breeding of coral shes was not nearly as widespread as it
the aquarium of Martin van ter Meij
reef in tulip land
T
A
L
L
:

A
.

R
A
S
Front view of the 145-gallon (550-L) Dutch aquarium.
81 CORAL
aquarium portrait | AB RAS
The stony corals include numerous rarities, for example
Micromussa amakusensis.
82 CORAL
is today, he created a sensation by successfully breeding
the anemone sh, Amphiprion ocellaris. Martin appears
to have a lucky instinct for successful rearing and feed-
ing techniquesone of his home-reared anemone shes
lived to the Biblical age of 21 years.
THE AQUARI UM
Martins current aquarium set-up consists of an ap-
proximately 145 gallon (550 L) main
aquarium connected to a smaller tank
that is used to quarantine or isolate live-
stock, a system that requires particularly
careful monitoring. Although it may be
used for the acclimatization of new sh-
es, in reality it is more than a quarantine
aquarium. The two Amphiprion and their
sea anemone lived in it for a long time.
In classic fashion, the equipment tank
was originally housed in the cabinet be-
neath the main aquarium, but now it is
situated in an adjoining room. The reef
is constructed almost exclusively from
live rock, and thanks to the depth of the
aquarium, it was easy for Martin to create
an attractive reef; he doesnt like random
piles of rock. The current pumps dont
circulate water behind the rockwork; in-
stead Martin from time to time stirs up
any accumulated sediment and siphons
off the detritus in order to prevent the
build-up of nutrients.
LI VESTOCK
Many rst visitors to Martins aquarium,
especially the uninitiated, ask, Where are
the shes? since it looks as if there are
none. But the closer they look the more
Clockwise from lower left: Zebrasoma scopas in its splendid
juvenile coloration. Innumerable tiny fshes populate the
reefhere Elacatinus puncticulatus on Favia pallida. A pair of
the rare and extremely timid Yellow-Banded Possum Wrasse,
Wetmorella nigropinnata.
83 CORAL
84 CORAL
of them they discover. Large shes are almost completely
absent, but tiny gobies, pipeshes, and many other fasci-
nating organisms populate the corals.
The corals, by contrast, attract the attention of the
onlooker immediately: the variety of colors and forms
of splendid stony coralsnot only the typical reef-build-
ers such as Acropora and Montiporabut also numer-
ous large-polyp stony corals. The largest shes are two
juvenile algae-feeders, Siganus guttatus and Zebrasoma
scopas, that make themselves useful by virtue of their di-
etary preference. As a responsible aquarist Martin plans
to move them to a larger aquarium when they outgrow
their current accommodation.

HOLI DAYS AND OTHER PROBLEMS
It is always a risk for the owner of an aquarium at vaca-
tion time to leave its maintenance to an inexperienced
substitute. While Martin was on holiday a disaster befell
his aquarium. For an unexplained reason, the carbonate
hardness dropped dramatically, followed by an invasive
plague of algae. While the majority of the corals survived,
many died. Home again, he wrestled the water chemistry
back under control but the algae stubbornly held on, es-
pecially a particularly obstinate red thread alga. American
colleagues pointed Martin in the direction of the turbo
snail Turbo uctuosa, a secret weapon in the battle against
this pestilential alga. The snail wasnt easy to obtain, but
eventually he acquired 30 specimens from Germany. And
lo and behold, the plague of algae was history.
Anthelia has likewise developed into a plague. As hap-
pens in the tanks of many other aquarists, it is quite sim-
ply thriving too well, and beautiful though this soft coral
may be, it is now impinging on other species, stinging
them and preventing them from growing.
If Martin is asked about his recipe for success in
the marine aquarium hobby, he emphasizes the need for
self-discipline, to avoid constantly tinkering with the
aquarium!
I would like to thank Martin for his hospitality
and wish him all the best for the future!
SIZE, VOLUME: 51 x 27.5 x 21.5 inches (130 x 70 x 55
cm), 145 gallons (550 L); total volume with equip-
ment section and quarantine tank around 237 gallons
(900 L).
STONY CORALS: Acropora, Acanthastrea, Blastomussa,
Caulastrea, Favia, Goniopora, Micromussa, Montipora,
Pavona, Pocillopora, Stylophora, Seriatopora, Turbinaria.
SOFT CORALS AND OTHER CNIDARIANS: Anthelia, Clavularia,
Discosoma, Zoanthus.
FISHES: Elacatinus puncticulatus, Doryrhamphus melano-
pleura, Eviota cf. bifasciata, Siganus guttatus, Trimma
cana, T. necopina, T. rubromaculatus, Wetmorella ni-
gropinnata, Zebrasoma scopas.
LIGHTING: 2 x 250-watt HQI (10,000 K) and 2 x T8 blue
lights (Osram 67).
WATER MOVEMENT: two current pumps at 923 gallons
(3,500 L) each per hour; return via 633 gallons (2,400
L) per hour Eheim pump.
WATER MANAGEMENT: H & S protein skimmer, Titan 1500
cooler (Aqua Medic), H & S kalk reactor.
MINERALS, MAINTENANCE: 13-gallon (50-L) partial water
change every 14 days, formerly using Reef Crystals salt,
currently salt from Korallenzucht.de; once a year there
is a large water change (80%) using North Sea water;
supplementary magnesium (Tropic Marin) and amino
acids (Grotech).
WATER PARAMETERS: temperature: 79F (26C); cal-
cium: 430 mg/l; magnesium: 1,380 mg/l; nitrate: not
detectable; phosphate: not detectable; carbonate hard-
ness: 10dKH; pH: 8.3.
OWNER: Martin van ter Meij, Netherlands.
AQUARIUM Details
It may look chaotic, but it works:
the sump and water conditioning
gear in the adjoining room.
85 CORAL
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86_91 Scorpionfish 2.indd 86 2/18/10 5:02:07 PM
87 CORAL
species spotlight | DANIEL KNOP
Scorpaenopsis oxycephala
Phylum: Chordata (chordate animals)
Class: Osteichthys (bony shes)
Order: Scorpaeniformes
(scorpionsh-like shes)
Family: Scorpaenidae (scorpionshes)
Genus and species: Scorpaenopsis oxycephala
(Bleeker, 1849)
the
Tasseled

Scorpionsh
The Tasseled Scorpionfsh (Scorpaenopsis
oxycephala) perches on a coral in typical
lurking mode.
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OVERVI EW
One of the most attractive and ornately camou-
aged of its clan, the Tasseled Scorpionsh is a
fascinating candidate for a species tank, a preda-
tor community of large shes, or a reef without
the small shes or ornamental shrimps and crabs
that are its natural prey in the wild. It is one of
the bolder scorpionshes available to aquarists
and usually remains in full view, rather than hid-
ing in the rockwork. This is a sh with venomous
spines and must be handled and kept with respect
because of its ability to inict painful wounds.
DESCRI PTI ON
The Tasseled Scorpionsh attains a body length
of 14 inches (36 cm). As its name suggests, its
body is covered in tassel-like appendages of skin
that serve to break up its outline. This camouage
is reinforced by its spotted color pattern which it
can match to the color of the substrate it is rest-
ing on. The dorsal-, ventral-, and anal-n rays can
Tasseled Scorpionfsh (Scorpaenopsis oxycephala).
88 CORAL
89 CORAL
Immobile and lying in wait for prey, the scorpionfsh refuses to blow its cover, even for a white Synaptula
sea cucumber that has wandered onto its face.
Scorpaenopsis oxycephala is often found on the sandy bottom. This perfectly healthy individual leans on
its side against a car tire on an artifcial reef.
90 CORAL
deliver venomous stings. While the sh uses its venom
exclusively for defensive purposesusually simply by
erecting the n raysits effective camouage dramati-
cally increases the risk of injury to the unwary.
DI STRI BUTI ON
The Tasseled Scorpionsh occurs in the western Indian
Ocean (Red Sea, East and South Africa), north to Tai-
wan, Guam, and Palau; the southern boundary of its dis-
tribution is the Philippines. Numerous similar, endemic
species are known (for example, S. cirrhosa, S. barbata, S.
papuensis), but identifying them is problematical, espe-
cially from their highly changeable exterior colorations.

HABI TAT
This relatively common species inhabits reefs and rocky
substrates, lagoons and drop-offs, from the shallows
down to 825 feet (250 m) of depth.
BEHAVI OR, FEEDI NG
This predator is invariably encountered in lurking mode,
resting completely in the open on the sandy bottom, the
hard substrate of the reef, or on cor-
als. The large eyes keep the surround-
ing area under constant surveillance,
and it lurks, totally motionless, waiting
for unwary small shes to come within
striking distance, when they are sucked
in and swallowed.
AQUARI UM MAI NTENANCE
This scorpionsh belongs in a commu-
nity of bigger, self-sufcient sh and
crustacean tankmates that are not in
danger of being swallowed whole. Al-
though its maximum size can be im-
pressive, it is a rather sedentary sh
and does not require a huge tank. Scott
Michael suggests that a small speci-
men can be kept in a 30-gallon (114-L)
species tank but may need more room
eventually.
It is generally possible to keep this
species with other scorpionshes, but
never smaller shes or crustaceans
that will be regarded as irresistible prey.
Scorpionshes are sometimes difcult
to persuade to feed at rst, as they are
reluctant to take dead food (for ex-
ample, pieces of sh or shrimps). Try
feeder mollies, cardinalshes, or glass
shrimp; once acclimated, the Tasseled
Scorpionsh is easy to maintain.
According to Michael, scorpionsh-
es will tend to blanch out when kept
in overly intense lighting or pure white
substrates. Muted lighting is important,
as this sh feels uncomfortable in very
bright light. Colorful substrates, includ-
ing red and pink encrusted live rock and
coral rubble can also help bring out
its full pigmentation.
RE F E RE NCE S
Michael, Scott W. (2001) Reef Fishes Book 1.
Microcosm/TFH, Neptune, New Jersey.
Internet: http://flaman.ifm-geomar.de
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92 CORAL
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f or novi ces i n the mari ne aquari um hobbyDR. DI ETER BROCKMANN
T
he correct acclimation of shes and invertebrates
to new aquarium conditions is important to their
well-being and survival. Acclimation is the slow ad-
justment of newly-purchased livestock from water
conditions in the dealers tank and transportation
bag to those in the home aquarium. Salinity (Brock-
mann 2009), temperature of the water, pH value and
concentrations of certain chemical compounds play an
important role.
OSMOTI C PRESSURE
Slow acclimation is important because of the difference
in salinity between the water in the dealers tank and
transportation water and our own aquarium water. The
key term here is osmotic pressure. All marine organisms
continually exchange water and salts from their cells and
the surrounding water (for details see Foss & Nilsen
2001). This can be active (using energy) or passive. In
order to equalize osmotic pressure, water with a lower
salt concentration ows into one with a higher salt con-
centration. To remain healthy, organisms in our aquari-
um maintain a constant osmotic pressure in their cells.
So what does this signify for new arrivals?
If the salinity of the transportation water is lower
than the salinity of our aquarium water, water molecules
from the cells of the organism ow into the surrounding
water to equalize the osmotic pressure. In other words,
the organism loses some of its internal water.
If, by contrast, the salinity of the transportation wa-
ter is higher than that of our aquarium water, water mol-
ecules will ow from the surrounding water into the cells
of the organism, again to equalize the osmotic pressure.
The result is an increase in soft tissue volume, which in
the case of organisms with hard outer casings (crusta-
ceans, echinoderms), can lead very rapidly to death by
suffocation.
An organism removed from the transportation bag
and placed in the aquarium without proper acclimation
can suffer from osmotic shock which may be fatal. While
small-polyp stony corals exhibit little reaction, shrimps
acclimation
fish and invertebratesthe correct way to do it.
Thin tubing for
equalizing water
Clamp for regulating
drip rate
Maximum water level
after equalizing
Minimum water level
before equalizing
Main aquarium
Outer bucket
Transportation container
The Drip Method
Aquarium water is drip-fed using a
fexible airline tube from the main
aquarium into the transportation
container (usually a plastic bag),
placed in a bucket for stability. The
bucket must be lower than the
surface of the aquarium water so
that the water fows through the
tube. The drip rate (about 60-80
drops per minute) is controlled
by a clamp. The minimum water
level in the bag before and the
maximum water level after drip-
feeding are shown. In order to
avoid unnecessary stress on the
fsh, cover the bucket and bag with
a towel so it is in darkness.
92_95 Reefkeeping 101 Acclimating.indd 92 2/18/10 5:03:51 PM
93 CORAL
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and hermit crabs become lethargic, lose limbs, and may
die. Echinoderms such as starshes and sea urchins re-
act dramatically, too. But if the organism is slowly accli-
mated while still in the transportation bag, it can safely
balance osmotic exchange processes.
THE DRI P METHOD
The drip method of introducing aquarium water into the
transportation bag drop by drop with exible airline tube
is the simplest and best way to equalize water parameters.
Drip rate is regulated by a clamp tted to the tubing.
Essentially the procedure is as follows: once you have
arrived home with the new acquisition, discard most
of the transportation water. Invertebrates must remain
completely covered by water and shes able to swim up-
right in the transportation bag. Keep the animal in its
original bag. Place the bag in an empty bucket and us-
ing silicone air tubing, drip water from the aquarium
into it at a rate of about 60-80 drops per minute. Dark-
ness reduces the stress to shes and shrimps, so cover
the bucket with a towel (there is no need to cover sessile
invertebrates.)
Drip aquarium water into the bag so that the original
water volume is roughly tripled. The entire equalization
process should take around 2 to 3 hours. After a quick
check to see that the water temperature in the bag and
the aquarium are about the same, transfer the organism
into the tank, with system lights off. If the temperature
difference is more than 3.5-7F (2-4C), oat or sus-
pend the bag in the aquarium for a while.
I NTRODUCI NG I NVERTEBRATES
Invertebrates must be removed from the bag under water
in the aquarium, as many sponges, starshes, and sea
urchins, for example, can be seriously damaged by direct
contact with the air. To transfer a sessile invertebrate,
hold the bag beneath the surface of the aquarium water
with one hand and carefully remove the creature with
the other and move it to the desired spot. This sounds
more difcult than it actually isjust be careful not
to squash corals or let them tumble off the rocky sub-
strate. Non-sessile invertebrates can be tipped out of the
bag under water near the substrate. When introducing
shrimps, turn off the current pumps so that the new-
comers arent swept around the aquarium, and can retire
in peace into the dcor. Shrimps drifting around in the
water will awaken the interest of many shes, and may
promptly vanish into the stomach of a tank resident .
I NTRODUCI NG FI SHES
The transfer of shes can be faster but is
slightly more involved, since transporta-
tion water should not be tipped into the
aquarium, particularly in the case of reef
aquaria. Residues of medications in the
transportation water can cause disas-
trous consequences. I carefully remove
the sh from the bag with a net, and
then transfer it to the aquarium after ac-
climation to the new water parameters.
QUARANTI NE OR NOT?
Quarantine makes sense only if an op-
timally-run and fully-equipped second
aquarium is available. In principle, quar-
antining new arrivals prevents the intro-
duction of diseases or parasites into the
aquarium. A disease that appears in new
shes as a result of transportation stress
can be treated in a separate quarantine
tank and parasites on corals detected
and eliminated. The quarantine period
must last for at least three weeks. Water
parameters and equipment in the quar-
antine tank must equal those in the main
The drip method in use. Note that the tube
is fxed in place at its upper end to avoid
accidents.
94 CORAL
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aquarium. A small, bare quarantine
tank causes stress in shes they will
remain timid and hard to persuade to
feed. If the tank is too dark, the accli-
mation of zooxanthellate corals will be
unsuccessful and they will waste away
and die.
In my view quarantining corals
can make sense to detect and elimi-
nate parasites. But in the case of shes
it isnt always successful, as even long
quarantine periods do not prevent an
outbreak of disease when the sh is
moved again. The stress of a move can
lead to the appearance of disease such
as Oodinium in delicate surgeonshes
(Acanthurus and Paracanthurus). An
aquarist must decide whether to quar-
antine new purchases or not. I feel
it is essential to buy livestock from a
dealer you trust, and observe them in
the store for a long time before buying.
Fishes should be feeding properly. If
necessary ask your dealer to dem-
onstrate this.
RE F E RE NCE S
Brockmann, D. 2008. Das Meerwasser-
Aquarium: Von der Planung bis zur
erfolgreichen Pfege. Natur und Tier Verlag,
Mnster, Germany.
2009. Salzdichte messenWie geht das?
KORALLE 58: 6871.
Foss, S. A. & A. J. Nilsen (2001):
Korallenrif-Aquarium, vol. 1. Birgit
Schmettkamp Verlag, Bornheim, Germany.
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Before livestock is introduced to
the aquarium, the temperature
must be equalized by suspending
the transportation bag in the
aquarium.
95 CORAL
96 CORAL
Axial skeleton: bones of the head and main
body of a vertebrate.
benthic: related to the seafoor; bottom-
dwelling.
bleaching event: weather-related incident
on a coral reef, in which warmer- or cooler-
than-average water temperatures for a period
of days or weeks cause corals and other
zooxanthellate animals to lose their symbiotic
algae, leaving their tissues colorless. Death of
the animals may follow, although recovery is
possible.
buccal: pertaining to the mouth or oral cavity
of an animal.
caudal: pertaining to the tail of an animal.
coral bommie: a distinct mound or isolated
piece of reef located in a lagoon or apart
from a reef; a distinct cluster or pinnacle of
coral forming an isolated microhabitat.
cnidarians: stinging-celled animals that
use nematocycts for food capture, ofence,
and defense. The Phylum Cnidaria includes
anemones, corals, hydroids, jellyfshes, box
jellies, sea wasps, sea pens, and others.
dentary: in fshes, the lower jaw, support-
ing the teeth.
dorsal: pertaining to the back of an animal.
Elasmobranchs: fshes with a cartilaginous
skeleton without bones, such as sharks and
rays.
Hypurals: bones that support the caudal fn
rays in bony fshes.
maxilla: in fshes, the upper jaw, supporting
the teeth.
pectoral: pertaining to the chest or breast.
pH: a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a
solution, commonly measured on a scale of 0
to 14. Pure fresh water measures 7 (neutral),
with lower measures indicating acidity and
higher numbers more alkaline solutions.
rays: in anatomy, the structural ribs in the
fns of bony fsh. Rays can be either spiny or
soft.
ventral: pertaining to the abdominal or
underside of an animal.
settlement cues: chemical signals that trig-
ger larval fshes, corals, echinoderms, and
other life forms to drop out of the water col-
umn to develop on appropriate benthic reef
substrates. Some sea anemones, for instance,
need the presence of coralline algae to settle
out of the plankton.
Teleosts: bony fshes.
Techni cal terms that
appear i n arti cl es i n thi s i ssue lexicon|
REEF LIFE page 104
Fiji Islands
Reef with vibrant soft corals (Dendronephthyta sp.) and
and huge swarms of Lyretail Anthias (Pseudanthias
squamipinnis) feed on plankton in the current.
Image by Denise Nielsen Tackett , author, with Larry
Tackett, of REEF LIFE, Natural History and Behaviors of
Marine Fishes and Invertebrates (Microcosm/TFH, 2002
PhytoPlan
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phytoplankton in a dry powder form. The spray dried intact cells arent live, but
when re-hydrated they are a microencapsulated source of color-enhancing
beta carotene and astaxanthin pigments, vitamins, amino acids and essential
fatty acids. Ideal food for lter feeding invertebrates, such as soft corals,
anemones, feather duster worms, clams, sponges, and sea cucumbers.
PhytoPlan is also a great supplement to enrich the nutritional value of dry sh
foods. Soak dried sh foods briey in a mix of 1/4 teaspoon of PhytoPlan with
two tablespoons of water. PhytoPlan is also a great food for raising live brine
shrimp, or it can be used to enhance their nutritional value immediately prior
to feeding themto shes.
Source of vitamins, pigments, amino acids, & essential fatty acids.
For lter-feeding invertebrates.
For enhancing the nutritional value of sh foods.
For feeding live brine shrimp and enhancing their nutritional value.
PhytoPlan and ZoPlan: Planktonic Foods for Filter Feeding Marine Invertebrates.
Two Little Fishies
ZoPlan
Advanced Zooplankton Diet is a blend of dried crustaceans and

other sea creatures in a size range that makes it an ideal food for marine
invertebrates such as soft and stony corals, gorgonians, seafans,
anemones, cerianthids, zoanthids, hydrozoans, clams, and other lter
feeders. Also a food for shes that feed on zooplankton.
Source of vitamins, pigments, amino acids, and essential fatty acids.
Particles sizes from less than 10 microns to more than 250 microns.
For lter-feeding invertebrates.
For zooplankton-eating shes.
Low moisture means concentrated nutritional value.
Long Shelf life.
Zooxanthellate corals that feed on zooplankton can calcify more than 50%
faster. Ahermatypic corals and other lter feeders depend on zooplankton to
meet their metabolic needs, but also obtain some nutrition from dissolved
or particulate organic matter (MarineSnow
), and phytoplankton.
Feed them our plankton and watch them grow!
F E E D U S !
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97 CORAL
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98 CORAL
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and destination
marine retail stores
CANOGA PARK CALI FORNI A
Vivid Aquariums
21126 Vanowen St.
Canoga Park, CA 91303
San Fernando Valley (LA County)
www.vividaquariums.com
800-993-0979
Come visit us. Youll love us!
Come visit us. Youll love us!
DUBLI N CALI FORNI A
Aquarium Concepts
6920 Amador Plaza Road
Dublin, CA 94568
Tel. 925-829-0583
www.aquariumconceptsinc.com
With over 25,000 gallons of aquariums, we are one of the largest aquarium stores
in the state. Unmatched selections of fsh, corals, invertebrates, equipment.
MI LPI TAS CALI FORNI A
Premier marine reef designer and custom aquarium specialist with a huge selec-
tion of corals and reef livestock. System installation & maintenance.
Aquatic Gallery Services
1370 Minnis Circle
Milpitas, CA 95035-
Tel. 408-263-1800 Fax. 408-263-1805
www.aquaticgalleryservices.com
MI LPI TAS CALI FORNI A
Aquatop USA
1851 Mc Carthy Blvd.
Milpitas, CA 93035
408-859-7409
www.aquatopusa.com
We specialize in shark collection and export. Ofering sharks, rays, and shark
tankmates from 3 collecting stations. Shark tank design and manufacture.
STI LLWATER MI NNESOTA
All-Reef
14375 60th Street No.
Stillwater, MN 55082
Tel. 651-439-1744
www.all-reef.com
Unsurpassed quality in saltwater fsh, corals, clams, inverts, and fully-cured live
rock! Classic WYSIWYG. Education/conservation/propagation. Overnight shipping
nationwide. Visit us in-store or online and see what sets us apart!
TERRE HAUTE I NDI ANA
Inland Aquatics
10 Ohio Street
Terre Haute, IN
(812) 232-9000
www.inlandaquatics.com
Largest selection of cultured marines on the planet!
40,000 gallon facility open to the public Tuesday Through Sunday
PARKVI LLE MARYLAND
Exotic Aquatics
8870 Waltham Woods Rd.
Parkville, MD 21234
Tel. 410-668-1200
www.exoticaquatics.com
Our full-line aquarium store has everything you need to succeed with your marine
environment. Healthy fsh, corals, and more. Since 1998.
BUFFALO NEW YORK
A Reef Creation
4700 Genesee Street Suite #112
Cheektowaga, NY 14225
Tel. 716.565.0700
www.aReefCreation.com
Stunning corals, fshes, clams, inverts, live rock, reef equipment and dry goods.
Conveniently located near the airport in Bufalo Airborne Business Park.
BRI DGEVI EW I LLI NOI S
Long Reach Aquarium Tools Coral Propagation Tools Aquarium Tool Kits
Fish Dissection Set Fragging Kit
Tamsco Precision Instruments
7633 West 100th Place
Bridgeview, IL 60455
Phone: 708-430-7777 www.tamsco.biz
A Q U A R I U M P R O D U C T S W H O L E S A L E O N L Y
MARI NA CALI FORNI A
Picture Perfect
Marine Systems
266 Reservation Road
Marina, CA 93933
Tel. 831-384-8584
www.pictureperfectmarinesystems.com
Monterey Countys fnest collection of marine specimens and supplies.
We specialize in tank-raised and net-caught marine animals.
98_99 Retail Sources + 1/2 ad.indd 98 2/18/10 5:06:08 PM
99 CORAL 99 CORAL
ROCHESTER NEW YORK
Caribbean Forest has provided the best in saltwater aquarium livestock, hard
goods and maintenance since 1994. Our entire staf are reefkeeping experts.
Caribbean Forest
24 Bursen Street
Rochester, NY 14609
Tel. 585-342-5510 Fax 585-544-1828
www.caribbeanforest.com
TOLEDO OHI O
TRI L BY TROPI C AL S
Saltwater Fish Live Rock Corals
4853 Monroe Street
Toledo, OH 43623
Tel. 419-472-9707 Fax 419-472-9373
www.TrilbyTropicals.com
Independently owned with great livestock and all the leading brands for
successful reefkeeping: Tropic Marin, Carib Sea, Seachem, Eheim, Sera, and more.
SOUTH BURLI NGTON VERMONT
The Pet Advantage
350 Dorset Street
So. Burlington, VT 05403
Tel. 802-860-1714
www.thepetadvantage.com
Northern New Englands destination marine aquarium store with
fshes, corals, invertebrates, live rock, reefkeeping equipment and supplies.
RI CHMOND VI RGI NI A
Com
e in
and
PA
SS O
U
T
!
FishWorld
11634 A Busy Street
Richmond, VA 23236
Tel. 804-379-2466
www.fshworldric.com
We pack every inch of our store with the most oddball and cherry-picked stuf,
so it can be overwhelming! Full line of Tunze or Corlavue products in stock.
YOUR TOWN YOUR STATE
Put your store on every readers map. CORAL
reaches the largest, most enthusiastic audience
of reefkeepers and serious marine aquarium hobbyists in the country.
Your Store Here
To place an ad, please contact:
ROGER PARO
roger.paro@coralmagazine-us.com
Tel. 800-ASK-ROGR
NEW YORK NEW YORK
http://manhattanaquariums.com
522 West 37th Street
Phone: 212-594-2272
New York, NY 10018
Need a dose of nature in New York? Visit our dream aquarium
store with unique displays and hand-picked corals & fshes.
Manhattan Aquariums
98_99 Retail Sources + 1/2 ad.indd 99 2/18/10 5:06:23 PM
100 CORAL
ater quality can mean many things to
many people. For some it is the appear-
ance of the water: if it is cloudy or tinged
with color, they assume the water quality
is poor. And, if the water is crystal clear and
colorless, then the water must be good. Un-
fortunately, this is not really true.
Water that is cloudy or colored can actually have
excellent water quality and water that is clear could be
terrible. Having made more than 400 dives in both the
Pacic and Atlantic, I can tell you that very few, if any,
reefs would pass the water quality test if it were based
solely on clarity and water color. Its time we differenti-
ated between water quality and water chemistry.
Water quality should be used to describe the actual
water chemistry. Basic parameters such as ammonia, ni-
trite, nitrate, pH, and temperature have been measured
for decades. It was not until we started keeping live cor-
als that other parameters such as calcium, alkalinity,
phosphate, strontium, iodide and now dissolved organic
carbon (DOC) were added to the list of measurements.
Water clarity in most home aquariums is usually very
goodit takes a major problem for the water to look hazy
and difcult to see through. This is solely a function of
the viewing distance since at most we are looking through
a few centimeters of water. But if you look through sev-
eral meters of that same water you will see
that the water is not really clear.
This is the curse of large displays such as
the 200,000-gallon reef display at the new
Steinhart Aquarium at Golden Gate Park in
San Francisco where I work. The maximum
viewing distance is about 30 feet (9 m), and
any particulates in the water cause a drop
in visibility. With over 2,000 sh and 1,000
pieces of coral, it is easy to understand that
there could be water clarity issues. I dont
think we really need to have gin-clear water
since this is what most wild reefs look like.
Diving in the tank, I nd that it is very
clear, except when looking horizontally
over a long distancenot unlike a real reef.
This is not to say that it might not be an
issue since we are not completely sure what
is contributing to this reduction in water
clarity. It could be calcium carbonate nes
from the calcium reactors, excess calcium
hydroxide, detritus suspended by water mo-
tion or dust and other sediments coming
from the public viewing space above the
tank. Only ltering the water over a ne
lter disc and examining the residue will answer that
questionmaybe.
WATER SHADES & DOC
Water color has also been an issue. Over the months of
operation, the water has gone from clear light blue to
a greenish/yellow tint. This was discussed in a previous
CORAL column on ozone (November/December 2009).
Since we started running ozone in December 2009, the
W
advanced aquatics | J. CHARLES DELBEEK
Close-up view of the side window showing a collection of LPS
corals taken February 2, 2010.
Big Reef,
100_103 Advanced Aquatics.indd 100 2/18/10 5:07:03 PM
101 CORAL
J
.

C
H
A
R
L
E
S

D
E
L
B
E
E
K
Ramping up ozone treatments
have improved water clarity and
quality in the Steinhart Aquariums
200,000-gallon Philippine Coral Reef.
(Compare to image in the November/
December CORAL, page 92.)
Big Challenges
102 CORAL
A Reef Creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
www.aReefCreation.com
A & M Aquatics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
www.amaquatics.com
All-Reef . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
www.all-reef.com
Aqua Craft Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3, 4, 5
www.aquacraft.net
Aquatic Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
www.aquaticlife.com
Aqua Medic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86, 91
www.aqua-medic.com
Aquarium Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
www.aquariumconceptsinc.com
Aquatic Gallery Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
http://www.aquaticgalleryservices.com/
Aquatic Pixels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
www.aquaticpixels.net
Aquatop USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
www.aquatopusa.com
Aqua Vim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
www.aquavim.com
Boyd Enterprises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .inside back cover
www.chemipure.com
Breeders Registry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
www.BreedersRegistry.org
Brightwell Aquatics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19, 61
www.brightwellaquatics.com
Caribbean Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
www.caribbeanforest.com
CaribSea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
www.caribsea.com
CoralMorphologic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
www.coralmorphologic.com
CPR Aquatics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
www.cprusa.com
C-Quest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
www.c-questfarms.com
Digital Aquatics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
www.DigitalAquatics.com
DTs Plankton Farm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
www.dtplankton.com
Ecological Laboratories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
www.microbelift.com
EcoTech Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
www.ecotechmarine.com
Exotic Aquatics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
www.exoticaquatics.com
FishWorld . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
www.fshworldric.com
Giesemann . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inside front cover
www.giesemann.de
Hydor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
www.hydorkoralia.com
H2O Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
www.h20lifefoods.com
IMAC West . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
www.imacwest.com
Inland Aquatics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
www.inlandaquatics.com
Jelliquarium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
www.jelliquarium.com
LFS Locator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
www.lfslocator.com
Loc-Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
www.ModularHose.com
Manhattan Aquariums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
http://manhattanaquariums.com
Magnavore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
www.magnavore.com
Milwaukee Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
www.milwaukeetesters.com
Ocean Nutrition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14, 103
www.oceannutrition.com
Ocean Critters Ranch (OCR) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
www.oceancrittersranch.com
Pacifc Aqua Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
www.pacifcaquafarms.com
The Pet Advantage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
www.thepetadvantage.com
Picture Perfect Marine Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
www.pictureperfectmarinesystems.com
Poly-Bio-Marine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
www.poly-bio-marine.com
ReefBuilders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
www.reefbuilders.com
Reef Aquaria Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
www.reefaquariadesign.com
San Francisco Bay Brand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12, 25
www.sfbb.com
Sicce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
http://sicceus.com
Stray Light Optical Techologies, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
www.straylightoptical.com
Tamsco Precision Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
www.tamsco.biz
Trident Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
www.freewebs.com/tridentpets/saltwater.htm
Trilby Tropicals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
www.TrilbyTropicals.com
Tropic Marin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . back cover
www.tropic-marin.com
Two Little Fishies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26, 94, 96
www.twolittlefshies.com
Unique Corals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
www.uniquecorals.com
Ushio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
www.ushio.com
Vivid Aquariums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
www.vividaquariums.com
Wallet Pen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
www.THEwalletpen.com
ZooMed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
www.zoomed.com
A
D
V
E
R
T
I
S
E
R

I
n
d
e
x
For a CORAL Media Kit or other information, please contact:
James Lawrence, Publisher 802.425.6100
James.Lawrence@CoralMagazine-US.com
103 CORAL
change has been dramatic. Within four days of starting
ozone treatment, the water became a light blue. It does
not take much ozone to break down water-coloring com-
pounds. We have been measuring for dissolved organic
carbon (DOC) for several months now. Using the Hach
UV254 method in conjunction with a spectrophotom-
eter, in less than two months we have seen a gradual and
steady decrease in DOC levels from a high of 2.4 ppm to
less than 1.2 ppm. The levels continue to drop and our
goal is to bring the exhibit more in line with natural reef
levels at less than 0.6 ppm.
Increasing the oxidation-reduction potential (ORP)
in the exhibit has proceeded very slowly. At present we
are still working to balance ozone injection into both
protein skimmers and to increase the ozone injection
rate to the optimum amount. Since the system is also
supplying ozone to several other exhibits that are slow-
ly being brought on line, it is currently only running 8
hours a day and not on weekends. Once ozone is on 24
hours a day, the exhibit ORP will likely begin to increase;
it is currently 280 mV.
Calcium and alkalinity levels have remained within
normal ranges: above 400 mg/L calcium and above 3.0
meq/L for alkalinity. These levels are a reection of the
large amount of concrete used in the construction of
the system, which is probably leaching calcium and car-
bonates. There are also six Schuran calcium reactors but
these have been ofine for the most part; when they are
not running we do not see much of a drop in calcium
or alkalinity. Magnesium levels were consistently below
1,200 mg/L; we recently boosted this to 1,320 mg/L.
BI OLOAD CONSEQUENCES
With more than 2,000 sh and hundreds of coralsnot
to mention four daily feedings of ake food, pellet food,
frozen mysis, Cyclop-eez, prawns, Mazuri gel diet etc.it
should be no surprise that nutrient levels have increased.
Nitrate (NO
3
) levels have slowly climbed since we rst
started stocking the exhibit in May of 2008 and now are
at about 12 ppmnot too bad and presently not a major
concern.
Orthophosphate (PO
4
) levels are, however, another
story since they have slowly climbed from a low of less
than 0.05 ppm to a current level of 0.21 ppm. A daily
addition of a calcium hydroxide slurry has helped to slow
this trend but other measures need to be implementeda
granular ferric oxide (GFO) reactor along with activated
carbon will most likely be installed in the near future.
It is also likely that lanthanum chloride will be used to
bring the level down as low as possible before the
GFO is brought online.
In the next issue we will take a look at how an exhibit of this size
was stocked with sh and corals over a period of four months.
PreservingLifeandBeautyThroughNutrition PreservingLifeandBeautyThroughNutrition PreservingLifeandBeautyThroughNutrition
OCEAN NUTRITION AMERICAS
Web: www.oceannutrition.com Tel: 801-956-0662
Unique solutions for your Reef Nutrition
Freshly hatched Baby
Brine Shrimp ready for use
Micro-encapsulated formulated
food with probiotic bacteria
High quality slow sinking
pellet food for marine fsh
Ocean Nutrition foods are innovative solutions that are the very best in reef nutrition. They are the most complete, most natural and most nutritious foods available
to the hobby. The requirements of animals kept in a reef environment are very particular, and there are special requirements for the size and specifc density of the
food. Therefore Ocean Nutrition has developed three innovative products: Instant Baby Brine Shrimp, Nano Reef Coral Food and nano Reef Coral Food.
T
K
104 CORAL
reef life | DENISE NIELSEN TACKETT
104 Reef Life.indd 104 2/18/10 5:08:16 PM
Boyds products for
marine and fresh
water environments
Making water pure and sh healthier
for over 50 years.
Youll enjoy healthier sh and a more maintenance-free aquarium when you use Boyds time-tested aquar-
ist products. From ultra-nutritious sh food, to fast acting bacteria and algae removers, youre getting the
absolute best products available.
Count on Boyd to keep your marine and fresh water aquariums sparkling clean and wonderfully healthy.
For more information, call us:
(305) 651-2496 ext. 105
Boyd Enterprises, Inc.
1670 N.E. 205 Terrace
Miami FL 33179
www.chemipure.com
BIO-ACTIF
Marine Salt
BIO-CALCIUM
ACTIF
PRO-CORAL A
-
ELEMENTS
PRO-CORAL K
+
ELEMENTS
Mandarinsh in the aquarium.
As full of vitality as on the coral reef,
thanks to the BIO-ACTIF SYSTEM.
More colors, more variety,
more vitality
The new BIO-ACTIF SYSTEM line of
products from Tropic Marin represents
a decisive step towards a more natu-
ral approach in the marine aquarium.
It works quite simply: a small number
of naturally occurring long chain ma-
rine polymers, made from the purest
raw materials, stimulate the continual
breakdown and utilization of nutrients in
natural processes. The result is stable
and near-natural conditions for all life-
forms in the marine aquarium. For you
this means less monitoring, less interfe-
rence, and ultimately, less effort,
The results speak for themselves: the
water is crystal clear, the corals are
more open, the tissue of the leather
and stony corals is strong and healthy.
The BIO-ACTIF SYSTEM also ensures
an effective protective mucus coating
on sh, which demonstrate their health
and well-being through
more active mating be-
haviors.
BIO-ACTIF: the rst
natural life solution for
the aquarium. Innovative,
proven, Tropic Marin.
www.tropic-marin.com.
REEF- ACTIF
BOOST
the BEAUTY

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Smart Reefs

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