Aquarium Systems Manufacturer of Instant Ocean* A i Volume 13

Winter 1996

' - . ;,-- . - f e d . .

The Typical Fish-Only Marine System

few specien, such as the zebra moray ( ( . ~ t r n i ~ ~ u ~ f w s & w ) ~ rarely erne* from the reef a[ any time. When aqu--ping your aquarium you should provide shelter sites that arc large enoush 10 conceal the eel's en& I d y . Thà is especially true for cch like the zebra moray lhal is dmmi ahvays found dffp ill iwfcrevice's.

You can constrwt a coral head out ofl iw rocks or iir~ificial corals, wmr fpecics will adapt to using lengths of W C lnpc as a refup. Moray's arc good at marranging aquarium &or and toppling inlsfalile pieces of livr nick m- cnrd, so make sure your reef stmcuirr is stable H I I ~

does mil rail and crush your eel. EStora.Ate: TBw are sexcral a w u epms, such w HoMFasT" etxiy stick, thai can Ac mrrf to rrmenf mi stnutuw ~ a a f l w sqfllr.

Morays can be kept in reef aquaria. although most species will cat small Ibh and ornamental cmsiaccans. Larger specici way knock live rock and coral oil"tk recftitnicmrc. One advantage to placing an erl in your reef tank is that by moving behind and between the live rock it will hdp to stir up some of~he (letritus thai collects in these bidden areas,

Moray etk belong to the family Muraeiiniat, which is coinpriitd of 1 3 gciicra and approximalely 200 species- These cds arc characterized by a lack of ral and pelvic h, d gill opeai~qp =a b n y cow, md~inoutbswitlinumertitttteeth. Insome morays there are (iepressiblc teeth in the rniACe of the t~ipw jaw, white .all morays have tube-& noarils that can be simple or bilobed in structure. Moray? drnfla always have their

. Althoughthistoofathreatening, ititsimpythewaytheseawwahwpk. I n open T h e mouth rcma'h ?pea as they pump water over the gills with tlWffilBWieal mllseulaturc. Moray! range in s k from 20 centimeter (8 inch) dwarfs t@ 3.0 meter (13 foot) gianu.

fira marine fidKnIy IT you havcn't much (bought ta what you're up to with a saltwatersmvm,now'tthetimetodo*o. ~ ~ d ~ a m r i n e t a n k m f a r ~ ~ ~ ~ Ã § i n v o l v e d d i a n m q A y b u y i n g t h e

Coaaderadonmwatlead begiven to

atpcdficfishinmind "mutt"haw(br ayatcm? You can

Bvestodt &n around that arcyouadamantabouthavingaw~

fUsh thai are: red, some yellow, and some blue? Whatever you arc traeway~ochtxwthef lookingfor1 hryourlyaem. (here inamodd

caxtuwaiatIwgt4

The vw (OMoricy of moray ipedei occur on cord rcc&, but can also be (bund on rocky iee6 in temperate watcn. The activity pattern* of morays vary iron) one lo the next.

ring the day but come out at night lo probe reef holes and crevices for tiiddei~ rey. Other* ache hunt andmoveaboutintheopenduringtheday. A

RÈoÇIBdritouAftoftKlkfci ~hemiway'ssootofsmeltanditsbead

and body structure niaLe h a lo* eofviy of animals thai live in [be reef. It can detect injured or areMcd fish that have taken sbdw in

01996 Aquarium Systems, Inc., Mentor, OH - Primed in U.SA.

hate h n &t moray can I C C ~ I in h e m m m k AcavcorWC pjpwhhnmerms ~mray h d pmmcijng h it is an a m m e + t W ! ~ o ~ a ~ a d d e d ~ o a tank h a t already mntains a well established individual will bz & a d a d bitten by the resident, q x c d y Kthey arc both &of

. ,

MEGA r"-DI I

FiL TRA TION ~nuuui , I a Protein Remover - Eliminates oroteins in the  enclosed in r n i c r c i - m o f t h i ~ ~ ~ ~ " > - - - aquarium. it reduces the fate of nitrate and phosphate pouches buitd-up and improves pH stability / great for use In freshwater Aquarium Purifier - Enhances biological filtration and saltwater aauarlums 11 improves water ciari~y, removes ~oxic k a v y metals cm in freshwater, removes dissolved organic pollutants. conventional welldry, power, and removes color and odors or canister filter Protein Remover - Combines the best -

properties of Protein hemover and Aquarium Purifier It eliminates proteins and reduces ttie rate of nitrate. phosphate, and organic build-up

Copper Ramover - Removes All types of copper including chelated and complexed forms and will not affect t h ~ hiologi ' 'iltet

k A q u a r i u m H p (rpJfr ,,,,,, tsv twluI,m Systems 8141 Tyk ' t Blbd -Men!o- OH 44C60 USA

216 255 1997 - 1 300.822- 1 130 Fax 2 -6.255 8SS4

m

Upcoming Conferences There ore two major marine aquarium coaftreocm deduled fç 1996, awl it

~ m ~ t e s t w m n k i n g ~ t e a u e d .

The fourth annual Western Marine Coofereace 1996 will be hosted by the Saltwater Enthusiasts Association of Ae Bay Area (SEABAY) on May 31 to June 2, 1996 at the Holiday Inn Golden Gateway, San Francisco. Scheduled speakers include Dr. John Veron, Dr. Kenneth Yates, Dr. Bevdy D~tcm,Jutian Spuing, Peier W i , Mike Patctta, Scott Michael, Richard Pyle, and Lorry a&on- R tration is (75.00 and the Saturday Banquet is 125.00. Write to SEABAY, P.O. Box 5005, % eda, CA 945414505, or contact Rod at (51 0) 538-9496, G r a Cook on CompuServe at 80541.2520, or e-mail Steve Shv~ctsoff ¥"S at ca .corn.

The Marine A q d o t n Conference ç North America (MAGNA) VIII will be held October 11-13, 1996-at the Double Tree Hotel -Airport in Kansas City, Missouri. It has an

Vst of speakers: Dr. Bnice Cwlson, Dr. Bob BudA-incier, Dr. Daphne Fauiin, Ron Schmik, Mark Wails, Dick Pcrrin, Dr. Mariin Atkinion, Julian Sp

Alf N h , and %Jackson. For more informa tion cornact Lane Craig at Brolhers PC&, (f 358-6005,fax(816) 2103,orBobHixonCompuServeat7316+.2117.

On- --both of these conferences are a most for any serious hobbyist. Each +p ideaterrificwayJbrnewaq

' * t o r n e e t t h e l e u d e n i n t k a q ~

Wat is Mega Mete* Protein

By ram& proteinaceom m a t d a n d aBowingactivatedcarbonoricavengerrcgiiwto remove the other organic compounds, the biological filler can concentnue on nmmb+ug anmwoia from yow Gah. Became protern are remowt before being broken down, the

, -productioitofnitraleandphorohate~reduced and Acoreaflic load aa a whole k reduced.

Mega Media* Protein Remover can be med in aquariums with foam 6icoona(orÃ

(pi-otein ikmmierf). Many of the & p m e k , ~ d k ~ 5 byMega tdia*faotrinVLaaaam,andthetwo canbeusedtogether,althoughinmanycam(be skimmer mil slow down or cease coticcuoa of wastes because they have already been adsorbed by Mqa Media* Protein Remover.

Phosphate and nitrate are not removed by this product; however their rate of b the water can be reduced by the rE% proiemaceous materials before they are converted to phosphate wad mtratt. Lower levehoforganic <Sa can help the r n --for hlerotrn hie bacteria that with the

& bacteria, or ~ g o o d w bacteria, thai ai the baat ofthe bulpgieai*.

In coocluuol), Mega Media* Protein Rcnwvcr provides an alternative to protein aldmmen, and u more effective than other fimilarchcoucalfitoadonnoduct&J

- b f W ~ k + ~ f i d l . Many d &(mpkhd tht h d h M mwkb ~ ~ , a n d I h a w ~ m h m a & - b t o k . !hm

-- What i f d m c m n o ~ d ~

h t ~ f ~ d ~ s t r n n ~ Tmd-the t e t e & h a l l d & h ~ ~ h a n ~ +

Aquarium Systems We create your best solutions

I Volume 13 Spring 1996

JclMesz Phantoms of the Deep

They possess no brain, heart, or real eyes. and llaw misled for millions of year*, longer than the dinosaurs. They sire efficient hunters, can attack, can defend themselves and can some01m IdU a human in Ifss than five minuip-i. No, they aren't shark [hey are Jellyfish, and these are just sonic of the tidbits that visitors team when thy visit the National Aquarium in Baltimore's newest exhibit "Jellies; Phantom of [he Deep", a 15 tauk exhibit housing seven different species of jellyfish from all over the world.

Jellyfish are Cnidarians, having sea ancmoues and corals as their close'it relalives.

Jellyfish belong to one of two claws: the Scypbozoans, or true jellies, and the Hydromans, or hydroids. There are thousands of known species, but h e reproductive biolofrv and captive husbandry of these animals are .ireas that -we have jut recently started to understand. We have found jellyfish to be elegant, delicate, and oftentimes magical creatures that deserve more than the bad reputation given them by beach-goers. How do we take care dan animal rha( drifts with the currents, is 95% water, and feeds on plankton? We started with Iota of patience, enthusiasm, and vohmtxers.

Certain compnenrs of" our exhibit came from the New England Aquarium, at did most ofthe jellies thai were bred there for our use. We increased the sue of the exhibit by five tanks, i~iduding an overhead bubble tank thai gives an underside view of moon jellies, When it was dint to send the animals to us, they were barged in much the same fashion as ISA are, but without any oxygen or air in the bags. Air in h e bags wukt gel churned up in transport, creatingsmall bubbles in the water. T h e bubbles could then get trapped under the bells ofthe jellies, ultimately killing them. The jellies were driven down 10

Baldmore- Eight species of jellyfish arc on display:

umbrella jellies (Evitiniu iwi'uws), lion's mane jellies (Cyanea capilhia), east mast sea iiettlfci (ChTframa qtthq~&ha), moon jellies (Aweliu auri/a), elegant jellies (Timejvnrwsa.}, west coast jellies (Chqsawa jwwcms), fried egg jellies 'fPfwwfloftfora camtscfmSKa), and die upside-down jdty (Cassw~pea .taniflciwm). We house the alumals in two main qstems: cold wter (50'F/ 10'C) and warm water (73'F/23'C) A third system is also

?HWG Aquarium Systems, Inc., Mentor, OH - Printed in U.S.A-

i of the deep

warm, but the water is bra&&. Thi* tank containsthecastcoastnettles.

Except for temperature, the two main lystcms have the same xt-up. Water come* froniamainriservwthroughaseriesof10and 20 micron -and then a heat exdtangatndm uhravKitnuerih -BecwMe the tank* have low flow rates, a some water to the reservoir T"" er it passes through biological filler media. T h e rest is

r distributed to the dkphy tanks. Each +lay tank ha* hi own control valw wd water dittribuuon manifold. Thi* combination in critical to prevent destruction otjetliei. Because jelliesmovewbtncrcyofthe watcrcurrentt, the i&ab&tb&dx) that t h e m m o v e

to adapt it for me with hai been refined by the andbywIn-ca~ss,waterenteringthelank flow across a screen where water ads tht. tank. Thetrickofmaintainingihekmkbistoadjust Ac watervdodtyso Acanimabdott'tgetlba

Afterleaving water returns

Proper" - " ~ 7

.hydrometer *ftii mnecd for &tftcdodt'&

-w CanGoall have little middle ground in

t k quality when they arrive at a Ãhop They areusuallyeitherfaeahhyandhawtyorcancd and feeble. For reference, they are much like dMi>M)G)hianddxxttd bechased uting the- idecaOD criteria. Look clwcly at the group on di@y.Theyshouldbeinalooseclwterand >nn of your presence. Don't choose (be one done in the corner of the tank. Examine the body of each fish carefully, cipedaBy the places where the un aired Bus meet the body. Avoid any indidshowing rign* of infccno~. 1f you

wishtocolLectyourown+mem,youwillbe

hyy to know that cardinah are much k to w cctlhaamanyothermarine&Theyarc

wa of hiding into a carefully net. Take care not to snag the --

.Oanlinak hide in the netherworld of

I*, andcorabbydav, searching ihe bottom for ood at night- Provide a large darit ihelicrcd

with one opening for the bcs~ display of K ~ s h . ~ a r e a n u - t e d ~ of the redm population. Sçveni hundred ipecici are very numerous in the wM, but are not commonly encountered became of then- nocturnal habiu. Many form close associations with ' withinifaespinytbdtcr orutduni,Tnan,andothcra.

A p o g o n ~ ! ~ are about ax tolerant of aquarium c o o d i m ax daiBçel6fa l&a t f&rky

not very-de- A rihy

>78'F(2 to26'Qi*6ifformosiiBeciei, X--**d t e m p e r a t u r e * z m

has of tile and other odd -4% and tteady qxdficBavilyck to 1.025iaadvised.Tbewhhseemableto tohiaicasmallamountofnitrate,butlildeorno ammonia or n i u k -

Tttcst Gdi & generally not territorial, In

-7 in-

Nrtrteà Apogpnicb are predators of very +d

fid) atld mobile iiwrtebrates, p m q d y ciwacexta. Livebearera, ihmop, and other

ScaScope* i< publisher) quarterly for free dislribu~ion &mu& h a ] aquarium (irakr'i. Dealers act rcccivin~ copifi of ScaSropc* for dBtribunon w their rustomcni should Cidl AquarMim Systems, Inc. to he added I O ~ maTq list. Telephone: 1-800-822-1 I'M. Aquat-is15 idtereqled in recrivi~ig topics tiirccliy should send their name and aMw,,, . Joq with S2.0U (S4,OUforeign ronntrir'i'

'

h a n d l i n ~ f o u r issues) a Aquarium Systems, I)

Bivd., himtw, OH +* Address rnmnirnts. ~ULX&IL\ a to T h ~ r n ~ i A 1 ' m k Fdiinr

in - i h Rock Culture

Recently meinben of the Geothermal Aquacukwe R d Foundation

rocb*toberoaiieioble they munbinedecorative orgamgni aliadied lo t+. When we evaluated thereefmailetwedeterminedthatarockwith ihrcc to (even dutinct organha wa* the m o ~ dearable.WlieBbare~rodtmsplMxdin

We have round that dry bale- rode thai hai notbeenwedinanaquariumusuallywortsbeu, Suchrockkfreedanysurfacebidogicalfihnthat (earn to repel new cut- and adhesive .Sonic

the cutting m W r w m

forfuturegrowthofihecuttmgLCleandieauriaoc a in lap water. When (be

d l q u i d &ic at m& attochmem*netopqamthexurCice.Allowhto

into the rock to m o v e a thin dice of basetiaue

for anal] fragmentsbfffit^dlpotyp<ionycoral*aachai PsaSofma,flmtu,andc&Atrefma,am<tag

die center skeleton is attached at Others. Lint, ~ a t e r Only limit www down onto the base. rodi.

An alternative method, developed by Mark Barnes, involve) attaching snull colonies of

and zoanthkb. After a piece ha* itonapaperlewd.Carefully

cuontfaadah(odryrorteaiecoud&i'lacethe

Tim June he 81h h?i.nrf~o~ C d R( be held in Panam

aquarists to meet the goals outlined above. The is a long list of

' ' '

t-indiridw iiittrea should contiicl th more informalJon:

Inierna~ional Coral Reeflnitiau S w n F. Drake, Co-coordinata OES/ETC, Root" 4 ~ 5 220 1 C Street.^

&ing this technology, in combination with the 1 oceaoculturedfiverockthatshouldbeavailable toon, will make it d b l e to *et up wonderful

81h International Coral lt June 24-29, 1,-

- - organized by 1

Panama and I diiluornian'ri Institute. For cont Manager, S3 Q A

0948, U S 0

! Delaware S11

Berkeley, CA 94710.1

Dr. John Ogden, Florida Institute ot l.~ccaiiography 8'10 First Street S. St. Petersbq FL 33701 USA Annual Society membership

subscriptions 10 the scientific journal Coral Rci (4 issues) and the popular journal Rix't EncouBti (2 issues) is LSS60.00 &I ihe USA. &I sub't~ription rquest tv IS- Subscription;' I

Bux 1897. L i t < ~ ~ r i i c ~ , KS iiGM4.8897, US. Ce1.t" a-

R vntflC.L ' . b ac tivities,'ki daiabase that

aquarium with wide

pqpon(hitand<xherrnethod*dattaching to live rode, contact LeRoy-Hewflee at

Ge- Aqua* - Foundation, Inc., 133 1 Warm S Avenue, Bone, ID 83712, tdcplmm fl~4-6163. A

FREE-

<

A Aquarium Systems Volume 13

We create your best solutions Summer 1996 2 --

How to Build a Powerful Surge Device

WftcB we began keeping acropond corals in 1985, we believed it would be necessary to provide ÈBEniflean turbulence in the water to simulate the coral*' natural environment. Recent research ha* indicated that iurbuleni water is indeed vital to the health of these corals as it greatly Faditatex the diffusion of nuttienu and wastes in and out of the corals. The problem for UI wa* how to develop a device that provided a strong but periodic bMarge, was inexpensive, and in- of all would be maintenancc-fiee. Dump buckets are noiorfously troubliaome, req constant adjustment and repairs. Power 7 cad* are Btnwafly too small for big aquariums, and generally unsuitable for use outdoors. Larger pump* provide the waessary output but a continuous flow of water a not good for the cor iuiddoefnottimulatenaturalconditwiu ofperiodic surge. The best dcrign to meet our triteriawaxanautomaticsiphondevicewhich has proven to be reliable and effective, and Is inexpensive to build and to operate. Delbeek and Sprung (1994) published a diagram of (MIT

(urge device, but I have received many requestsformoredeuuk,boiceibepu^icatioo ~ ~ U ~ ~ J P C D O ~ L

B& proceeding, I mun acknowledge the advice of Dave Powd at the Momerev Bav ~quariuro.~henwefintccms~fen-dbuilding one of these devices in 1985, Dave gave me a verbaldescriptionofasimilarsystemthatbe installed at the Strinhan Aquarium. Many puwaquariunuusesurge-havariety of applications but we were probably the first to emptey me with fivinrcorals.

TheaocompanyingdiagramJHustratcaa 150gallonqnamm(#4).AlittleGiant3MD pump (#6) draws water from the aquarium

a 3/4- W C pipe (#5) and deliver* it n pbxiic banci which is the surge

the2" diameter FVC siphon pipe (#2) M a h

With the opening of marine collection in the Red Sea, many organisma have become readily available which were previously too eqemw for the average aquarut. It wat jua a few year; back that a p 1c tang ( fhrasww xmikufw,,goldenbuit~~fly^aiirio^il~a^^), asfur angel ( rw& a&), or blue moon iingelCsh ( h a t & mocuhwi) would coat a few hundred dollars each. Such IS no longer the case. In May of this year I saw purpk tangs from the Red Sea sold for about the same price as flow tangs from Hawaii. TTiu is a result of an increase in the number of Red Sea collecting siaiions and the development of

uate transport from them to livestock whoicsal en. This situation is- a real boon for aquarists, providing increased availability of many hardy and beaudTuI fish.

Many Juh that have poor mrwal rates in captivity, such as the regal angel (PW>Plit<a * j and die powder-blue tang (AamtSsirw

lacostenwn), do ~ d l y better when the socdroeiu are collected from the Red Sea.

Such ia Ac case with the lyrctail grouper, Variola l d . This beauty is found from the western Indo-Padfic to the Indian Ocean; but the healthiit and most colorful specimen* come from the Red Sea.

There are several groups of fish in thc family Serrmklae, the basses. True basses have three spines on the giB cover, or opcreuluin, one main qine with a lesser spine above and below. They also have complete and continuous lateral lines. Their pelvic (ins bear one tow. vine and live fofi rays, and therearethreeanalfinfpme&Thefeareswq <an3aghiousg^llwfmofU,ausuaBy2+~B ventbrae.

There arc &OBO three to fifteen subTanulies of scrraaids, depending on the iaxononac sysim CTapfoycd, OMnpriiedof64 genera and 449 Some notable member; ate true bafsei and groupcw, hatofeu, fancy bassita, coneys, t u b marine betias, and foap&h. Moa are marine and are found worldwide in tropical to temperate teas,

01 9% Aquarium Systems, Inc., Mentor, OH - Primed in U.S.A

allowing the w a ~ levrf io ihc upper surgetank io r k a bit higher mid thus sian the siphon. Also a foiooth bend at the top of the option,

tanglebendsasdwwninthe

At other time* the siphoo won't start no mailer how high the water level is in the upper reservoir. We rcawncd that ihil is due to air trapped in the discharge siphon which hfu> no where to go because the lower end of the pip it atway* under water. To overcome problem,weinstalleda 1"FVCair-ventpipe #3] at a point on the ifiphonjust above the k igbw waitr levd in the aquarium (at pcuitioa # 1 0). 'But this air vent may also prevent the siphon + from uarting and therefore a moAamannrequired10doseiiatthecritical

~~ Unfonunaidy, once the siphon nans the

air vent quickly reopens and wda m air like a venturi.TheairAadwydh-thetankmay be disturbing to aquanrts who don't want bubbles in their ' This can be lodndl>ynioniiifà ffcIip^Jvc chedc-vahtcrotheairvcf~~buttherewilt always be yomt air and bubbtes (fecfaanred

Theaurating~undwhenthesiphonflartsand the sucking sound when it stops can be very disturbingÑdefinitel not recommended.Fw the bedroom if you want a good nights deqrf

rv e have a 200 gallon surge lank fitted with a 6" diameter PVC siphon coiutantly Euedbya l~bppumpthatddRwsapcrtwrfiil wgc of water to our ouidoor 7,000 gallon "Edge of the Re# exhibit. Ths device hai been in continuous operation 1986 and haa required virtually no maintenance except

for pump repain. Allofouroutdoorculture(ankiarefined

*35gallonsurgetank(atin(hediagram), while our indoor 390 gallon exhibit tank is operated by a 0.5 hp pump which Hfti water over6'toa55gallonaurgewokthatdeliver*a powerfuljetofwatereverythreeminutaviaa 3" FVC frohon pipe.

Wilfred Fong of the San Francisco Aquarium Society reccnily built one of these devices for his iionn; aquarium after vsidog the Waikikl Aquarium. His sunfe tank h much muller(about ID@om)bu~itidUproducesa goodlurgcofwatertohisreefaquarium.

Our ncwtsi exhibit will have two t a n k , both operated from a single pump akd each delivering surge to different poinu in the

aquarium. One surge tank will be 55 gallons and the other 35 gallons so that the periodicity of the output of the tuw tanks will vary, Occasionally they win both discharge simultaneously creating significant churning of water in the exhibit. To handle the combined output of the two tanks we will adda 150gallonsumpatthesamelevelasthe &bit aquarium connected by a 19" long x 2" high overflow dot to allow the excess water to Sew from the exhibit tank to adjacent mmp wkre it will be pumped up to the surge twks (similar to the diagram in Dclbttk and Sprung, pg. 170).

Once you build one of theà tank* and learn its idiosyncmcies you will find it a very useful device for a variety of situations requiring a strong b u ~ periodic mrgr of water. Best of all, once you get it started, it will run forever. &

SeaSxope* was created to prea-nt short, infirmaliw anides orintercsl to marine aquaria. Topics may include water che*tiuStry, nutrition, mariculnire, system d ~ * behavior, and fish health. A& lions are welcomed. They ihould deal with pertinent topic; and an- ~ubject to editorial reviews that in out opinion are necessary. Paymenu will be made at existing ra<a and will cover d ^uthor'srightstotbematerialsubmitted.

inierwtcd in receiving copies ihould send iheir name md addre'ss,

Dr. Bruce Carbon Dr. Daphne Fautin GeraidHeslinea ,

Xck Perrin k. Ron Shirnek ulian Sprung 3r. John V a n siiii.A-Ab,'Ji - .- . I f a d Watts . . . -. . - . . . . . . - . For more information rail (B1f

248-1345 1 . fax (8 16) 358-2 103, or coniai http://mirtech.coni/ticinac/intlrx.html

for theIntCTnadBBriSocietyforRwtSwfta (ISRS);diePnoideatofdieR ubkd - , d ~ ~ r w % m , ManyoftheopeningapMkersmokeh S p a n j a h d h attendees were provided with ~ ~ . A d ~ p d c k d m ~ loranexhibitiondli*d)tioiMldanc&

The symposium call for papers received a large response from f~carchcrs, scientkm, apd students. Over &00 abarads were afceivcd. b t a t i o n was by subject matter, eleven papere being amdiancousty presentedduringmwtofthesympoinuin.Each presenter wai allotted only twenty minutes to present.& orher paper and answer qucfUoltf. Plefctly presentadom were g i d ' twotoihrectimttpcrdayandwcfclongeriHp to one hour. The scheduling of talk* made it impossible to hear everything and often the audience at faced with the decision of which presentation to attend- Poster preieniatmiu offered a less h& schedule and were

tofajuniorhighadmAscienceCair, although these presentation were typically .mm much more polished and pdcroooal. The advwmge of this type of presentation is that

. R e e f ~ o n ~ ~ à ‡ e m >  £ t t à ‡ m i à NoNitrate.-NoPhwphates- ' à ˆ ^ ~ ~ l u r n l o d i d e C o n c e n t r a t e No Silicates

Calcium Chloride Concentrate. Strontium Measuring device included

E veryone wants to watch his reef tank evolve Into a picture perfect display. But research shows that some essential elements are depleted from the closed environment of a reef aquarium. The beautiful, delicate planes and anlmais that live in these aquariums need a continuous simply of dements to thrive.

Concentrate, Trace Element Concentrate, and Caldum Hydroxide Kalkwasser Mix. A spoon for accurate measurement Is Included and the liquid concentrate bottles have a handy built-in pour spout.

Each package contains an invitation which offers a free membership in Aquatldubm. an organization establtohad to facilitate the exchange of information among reef aquarium hobbyists. This membership entitles you to many special benefits.

k A q u a r i u m Systems We create your best soluti'ims

8 141 Tyler Blvd. Mentor, OH 44060 U.S.A Tel: 2 1 6-255- 1997 Toll Free I -800-822- I 1 00

Fax: 2 16-255-8994 Internet: http://www.aquarHJm-systems.com

ihc paper fa displayed, rather than the author havingtocondenuethie~iotQa wemty minute preseniation.Tbs itiiaAwitageM-ftai the author is aiju. fS^Sw, in aawSamx, so

meat in Latin Anitrica to the InteroadonaL

qxndieigalgoodpan of its rime in fall &w in

dttiraUefpcwsmitaownright withsimilar

oftheBon^Biquaicorslightlyrnmdedi Everyindividual PanabiI've*eeninthe

trade has been between 100 and 200 millimeters (4 and 8 inches) io length. Smaller Cd) are the most desirable (or an aquarium. These fbh and all other basses should be transferred from tank to tank liitle as posabte. They become leç! tolerant of c h q as they grow-

Lyretaik spend most of (heir time in devicesofthelcd". Rfovktepknty ofcamad

or ewer. hEzf are vwy loknuit dJclarivdy poor water quality. Fdtration should be adequate to handfe die large tanks and oceaaonal large waftct usually associated with bftMe&Anyitablttieinperanircm therangefor tropical Gab is acceptable. Although many aq* maintain their systems at an artificially low alcdfic gravicy(1.018-1.023) to

aquarium q-3 feed tparingty m d infitflueiuly,1È6(~r^bmc-timn~weekiUliEt some of it^ smaller

reladgoiiJn-4e area, oad the feredu>tuiit aid oo~iwi oeudal*Ofaewcollectorsthen~.A

FREE" .A

Volume 13 Ac M lanum Systems ,,Y >; , We create your best sohrtions -, - + + ,.+* 4 Fall 1996

-

61996 Aquarium Sutems, Inc., Mentor, OH - Printed in U S A

Kalkwaaer tanks to zero over the fint month, It rebounded slightly each wAend after two davswithoutcalciumhvdroxideadifidoiis.The

m For the Tnagi'tCMm level in an uarmro

from the natural sea water% of

To precipitate such an amount of pure raagncwim carbonate would m p h about 50 mq/I allalini Craig Bingnun, communication, \ 996). The naiural sea water stare at 2.5 meqA

Although some mqphm &ay be lent in this manner, it would not be so S K n i l i i an amount. he only alternative that remains D (hat the original sea salt mix \ v a ~ very low in nnacnoium-

Two possibleexp- emerge for th loss of alkalinity without an mereaae m the level ofcalcium,

Tobeginwith, thew~era'nycr-saturatcd with calcium through (he daily addhioas of Ka&wasscr. With acady addition of calcium to a lolulion already tawraud, caldum carbonate falls out of wimioa. This m u l ~ in a tau of c booateionx.ThoeKMÃ conbe*Gro

buffets,orviathemuchitowcr aunoq>herk eartà dioxide (o and caAoaatCt Thus the huficr B

depleted. TheIjnHtiagfactorto t h n d b the

avail-ability of suitable surf- for cryitai formation, that is, e x p o d calcium carbonate d a m On new gravel there is abundant surface area for the deposition of calcium carbonate.Spone(1992) baa M a t

wherebicwthegravelgrains.Thereisa limited number of exposed çuiubl surfiuxs, sod addurn of calcium can coombuie to the

' oftenfoundmolderatabUshed iupeifa- reef aquaria. Here (he calcium level may approach 500 nag/1 and buffer level may exceed (he 2.5 mcqt1 found in nuural sea water.

During the course of ibis experiment it became apparent that the b e s of calcium, inagnciaum, and carbonate iolubilitu-s and the effrcutheyhaveuponeachotherin~waur were quite complicated and warranid further invotigaiioa. Several important questuw were reioed. How doe; magnesium conccoirauoa affectcalciumxifubtHlyinlaltwaicr?Istherea limit to how much calcium can be dissolved in çaltwate while SOU maintaining adequate carbonale Icvds? Ifw, what is (he I d ?

We felt that, rather than relying on theoretical chemical calculations, we h u t d find die answers to these oils in the latwratory. To that end weà r& anel m two more cxperimenu. The first ad- the contention lhat magnesium coocentrabnq lower thaa natural sea water can adversely affect calcium solubility, making it d i f fd t to raise calcium lmb in majmesiunuicTtoen~ teawater. In the second cxpcrimeal, which will bereportedin PwtU ofthi*article,wedecided to compare the two moa common types of

with rock from an oM reef aquarium. None were found in other itecdoas or even in the &withiheaduftà .TwopOU&ktefuo leerthis couldbe thelackof chmtxror,morelikely,die Pmb dial t h e d had + "- of --L- 1

Aquarium for potitive idenrifi-catioo, I hope thatcomeatleastwillicacbaduhfEse.

I at Wenern Kentucky University. thankstoSwan,Tom,andOweat the CT"Â

Vandcrbilt Cell hugbq Laboratory far hdpmdiaimglbeehoiveperfectpictwc. r

MAONESIUM 1

saltwater aquarium, read thisNOW.

'he ocean is tlic most stable environment on the planet. For millions of years the proportions of lajor dements such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, sodium, and chlorine have remained riativcly conmt . In an aquarium some elements ma be depleted, because unlike ocean water, quarium water is not replenished by rides, waves, an c r currents like in the ocean. Plants and limals in aquariums struggle to ad t to variable environment. Using a salt that contains variable ~imbmations of clcnicnrs can cause hi nher stress and mav contribute to animal mortality. If the d u c t dificrs markedly from namd sea water or varies significantly from package to package, it 'ill unnecessarily contribute to instability of the environment.

dl synthetic sea salts are not the same or example, the following graphs show levels of magnesium and potassium found in Instant ) c m and Codif? salts As you review the data, keep in mind thmh sn~mtl~cr rhc h c . thc wre conshent h e v- m p&+agg

iraph 1 Shows that magnesium levels in ~ o r d i k salt varied signifi~m~ from ykage to ackagc and were far below natural sea water levels. The manufacturer Coratife salt reports ,359 pni magnesium in their ad " l'urcly Scientific" but teas& samples ranged to 59% below n&cturer's reported levels when mixed according to imtrwtbrn.

iraph 2. Instant ~ c e a n s a l t was more consistent as shown by the smoother line and much more ke natural sea wat . Gra h 3 shows similar widely fluctuating levels ofpotassium among

of ~oratifcsalt . Graph 4 shows the levels of potassium reported for Instant Ocean . loocc the steady graph line.

Tic tests clearly showed that Instant Oceansalt consistently the proper levels of major m p n t s . Coratifc salt showed ai gctopackageandasubsianriaj efiaency of magnesium as comp

hcmical chan cs in the aquarium due to fitter activity and nutrient uptake are inevitable. Why se a product t 6 at creates unnecessary variations due to manufacturing inconsistencies? choose

a product that helps you maintain the stability that your aquarium needs to assure the optimum conditions to reduce fish loss.

Choose Instant Ocean salt. You will be a more successful aquarist. We appreciate your confidence and so will your aquarium.

m ~ ~ i ~ . I t a h ~ ~ t o ~ an H m m t h t ~ a n d t o ~ c c ~ d &n ha the tank. The tempm4urc of the m k ~ ~ ~ a d n i I y ~ d ~ @ 7 ~ w 7 m ( ! 2 4 q h a m i u c ~ ~ m & ~ via d ~ t o v d m . h h e p t ozone ww ~ ~ l l y a k k d b m y ~ ~ ~ , ~

-lhhYhbhemu ahqppmnage t h e ~ w m w E i c a w into direct mtx4 4th the mmnc. 1 am c m d y m i n g a u d t t h t i s d m p d u c c 5 0 ~ p r h 0 ~ t o k i I l ~ h ~ * ~ w u l d l x --x

~ ~ ~ I a I m a d d ~ ~ e b b e m k m t h c h o p d k n c h

+mg 1x34) rn hdw mdum the the n m h d W & g ~ Jhing t J & i d h I ~ l O ~ d 5 % L & ' a w c addeddai ly tomy44l@nd T h e d q B m M m d t h c b ~ k h ~ + i m o m y s u m p h r ~ ~ a r i s ~ t p i n a b d b b w s t e r d q m y d o n c d s m d c - n t h e ~ b m ~ ~ ~ ~ d l e ~

o f ~ s k . C d m h a m p k d i n fw l O O r 2 0 ~ u m Tlmm

~ d o m t d e m l e ~ ~ d , ~ a a A m p w ~ d A . m i ~ a 5 d â ‚ ¬ R d q w u ap&, receive the dmtm bath, ~ e ~ ~ m ~ ~ k ~ ~

clip b ' t seen1 10 haw any dku

d ~ a ~ is m rlagt!lcnt the tk d m y a d

~ ~ y i f t h ~ n ~ ~ ~ i t t h c ~ e t m c h ~ ~ n r e m t f m & e &