Warning Quarantine in Progress

Owning a reef aquarium can be similar to being a doomsday prepper. You need to have RO/DI water available at any second. You basically start to develop gills with the amount of saltwater around your apartment. There are piles of various equipment all around. After investing innumerable hours researching and maintaining the tank, you are ready for any circumstance that may jeopardize your prized possession. My girlfriend sometimes needs reminds me that there are other things than the tank.

So you want to add something new to the tank? 

Well make sure you quarantine.

Every forum, club, or LFS tell you that it is super important to quarantine (QT) a fish. Some even say to do it to new corals. Most people don't though, and there are horror stories of thousands of dollars of hard earned money literally being flushed down the toilet from disease.

With corals it is best to QT for a week or two. This is usually done in order to determine whether there are any bad hitchhikers coming in on it.  One way around QTing corals is to use a coral dip. This usually has an iodine component that will either kill hitchhikers or cause them leave the coral for better water.

What about fish?

With fish we are talking about other issues.

Lots of fish diseases have medication that fight/cure them. The problem is that most, if not all, medications will do bad things to your corals and your invertebrates. Shrimp, snails, and stars are all super sensitive to metal based medications. These treatments also get absorbed into the live rock. This makes it impossible to use this rock again in the future.

So what is the solution?

Quarantine all new fish, for a minimum of two weeks, in a separate bare-bones tank. The fish should be watched closely for two weeks. If there are no issues, the fish is ready to be moved to the DT. If a disease is noticed treatment can start immediately. After treatment let the fish remain in the QT for two weeks of disease free time. This will make sure that no disease enters the DT.

When not in use the QT tank can be stored empty. Using the same equipment - you can turn the QT into a hospital tank to treat injured/sick fish from the DT. 

So what makes up a QT tank?

• Small tank - mine is a 10 gallon
• Heater - maintain the QT at the same temperature as the DT
• Powerhead - allow water flow and surface agitation to keep oxygen in the system
• Light - especially important if you are QTing corals
• Hang-On Filter - use a filter pad that has been in your DT system to obtain beneficial bacteria
• PVC Elbow - allows a place for fish to hide

This is a cheap and easy thing to set-up. I got most of the equipment at the store for ~$50.

Awww.... What a QT!

Are there additional benefits to using a QT?

Yes! One: It is filled with water from the DT. This allows the fish to acclimate to the conditions that you use in your tank. Two: It allows an environment where the fish is able to eat without competition. This allows it to get used to the types of food you feed your tank, and allows you to make sure the fish is eating. With no substrate on the bottom, it is also easy to clean up uneaten food particles. Three: It allows the fish time to get used to your presence in and around the tank, and to your feeding and maintenance routine.

Done using the QT, now what?

• Throw out the filter media, 
• clean all equipment with bleach, 
• let equipment dry, and store. 

Following these steps will allow for the QT to be ready for the next time you need it.

Now that we do not need to worry about a full-on tank apocalypse, we can start deciding the first QT inhabitants...

Details on these fish to come!

And these additions as well:

The Convicts

Foiled Again

Like five prison convicts - four dressed in their stripes and the final one still covered in blood - these buggers were ready to leave the confines of their cell, and be acclimated to life with the general public.

With aquarium inhabitants, this is much easier than convicts (just an assumption though - not having tried to rehabilitate convicts before). It's a simple process really; they are chosen from their holding cell (tank) at the LFS, cuffed for their own protection (double-bagged and placed in a cooler to keep temperature), transported (transported), rehabilitated (acclimated to the environment using the same drip process described in Quit Clowning Around), and finally released to general population (freedom into the larger DT).

So who are the offenders?

• The Three Wise Men (Banggai Cardinalfish) - criminal masterminds always teamed-up
• The Bandit (Banded Coral Shrimp) - locked-up for scavenging loads of food
• Blood Bath (Blood/Fire Shrimp) - known offender of killing parasites on fish

The new inhabitants have been in the tank for about a week now. 

Jack, Jim, and Johnnie are still quite shy and skittish, but they are eating well. Their presence has added a lot more movement to the DT. They stay in close proximity of one-another, and their swimming style is totally different than the clownfish tail-wag swimming style. The cardinal fish swim in short, fast bursts in all areas of the tank.

Banggai/Kaudem's Cardinalfish (3):

Pterapogon Kauderni

Care level: Easy

Diet: Carnivore

Origin: Indonesia 

Temperament: Semi-aggressive

Max Size: 3”

Notes: These fish are being harvested from the wild at such an alarming rate that they are close to being added to the endangered species list. Luckily, these are some of the easiest species of fish to be bred in captivity. They are extremely aggressive toward other cardinal fish, but if introduced together they can be paced as small groups. These fish tend to swim together, which is attractive for aquarium enthusiast who are looking for "schooling" or "shoaling" fish. They can reproduce in home aquariums; the male holds the eggs in his mouth during the whole gestation period. Once hatched though the fry (offspring) need to be moved to a separate tank or they will be eaten.


Multiple shrimp in a small aquarium is usually a risk, and an aggressive shrimp may killing others. In a larger aquarium, having multiple species of shrimp is fine, provided they have enough room for their own area, and plenty of hiding spots. Being that I have a rather large aquarium, and that I love the movement of Pierre (Skunk Cleaner Shrimp), I decided to add a couple more of these scavengers.

Banded Coral Shrimp (1):

Stenopus hispidus

Care level: Easy

Diet: Carnivore

Origin: Caribbean / Hawaii / Indonesia / Sri Lanka 

Temperament: Peaceful

Max Size: 2 1/2"

Notes: This shrimp struts with its pinchers out in front of it, giving it the nickname "Boxing Shrimp." They are highly active and though scavenge in the wild, they will readily accept food during tank feeding time. They are aggressive toward other banded coral shrimp, and can pinch a fish in the act of defending its territory.

Blood Red Fire Shrimp (1):

Lysmata debelius

Care level: Easy

Diet: Carnivore

Origin: Indonesia / Sri Lanka 

Temperament: Peaceful

Max Size: 2"

Notes: This shrimp is a cleaner shrimp, and thus, sets up a cleaning station. At this station the shrimp will clean the dead cells and parasites from fish. It will also scavenge the substrate for left over food. It's not very active and typically stays in a cave environment.


Since the new additions, both the Blood Shrimp and the Skunk Cleaner Shrimp have been trying to chase down the Three Wise Men to offer their cleaning services. This happens every time the fish swim by with no avail. Hopefully when everyone feels more comfortable, I can post a video of the cleaning.

"Come on! Let me clean you!"

The two sets of fish I have already added are considered generally hardy and disease resistant. This is not the case for all of the fish I want to add. In order to spare the tank any future disease, I will be quarantining all newcomers. More about the quarantine process in a future post.

Let There Be Light!

Ever want to control the sun?

I know I do living in the Northeast this time of year! I can just imagine, on a brisk winter day, typing in a computer code, and WHAM! more sun.

Well, guess what! I have the power (over my aquarium, anyways).

Throwing around the word Reef (when talking about an aquarium) means that there has been a lot of thought put into light decisions.

Why?

Well corals, as well as some additional animals (such as clams), are photosynthetic. They need the right type of light in order, not only to flourish, but to live. While some corals have the ability to catch food on their tentacles, they receive most of their energy and nutrients from light. This occurs with the help of the symbiotic and photosynthetic algae called zooxanthellae. Zooxanthellae live within the "flesh" of the coral, and are also the main component of the color the coral exhibits. Naturally "wild" corals require sunlight through clear and shallow water.

So to move these animals into a confined tank, we must provide pristine water and high quality light.

Water is easy as long as you perform your partial water changes (PWC) and have a good protein skimmer.

So let's take a look at the lighting system possibilities:

Fluorescent, Normal Output / Compact  Lights - Good for Fish Only With Live Rock (FOWLR) tanks. Fish do not need much light, and amping up your light in this type of environment can cause issues with algae growth.

Fluorescent, Very High Output / T5 High Output Lights - Still acceptable for FOWLR, but these lights will also allow the growth of some soft corals (depending on depth).

Metal Halides: MH -  The classic choice for most reef keeping enthusiast. These produce a lot of directed light under their specified location. All types of corals can grow under these lights. They produce a high photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) value - a value that is used to determine the strength of light at a specific depth of water.

The negatives of Metal Halides:

• They run very hot and can heat up the aquarium water.
• They burn out quickly and need to be replaced ~ 6 months for optimal lighting
• They use lots of electricity and have a high monthly electricity cost

Light-Emitting Diode: LED - Traditionally used in aquariums as blue "moonlights", these light fixtures are now being used by reef aquarium enthusiasts for all of their coral needs. These are energy efficient and produce little heat. LEDs also provide as much or more PAR than MH.

The negatives of LEDs:

• They are the most expensive purchase option
• They are relatively new, and reef aquarium purist are not convinced they work as well as MH

I decided to go with a full programmable LED unit. It has 48 bulbs that are 3 Watt CREE LED bulbs. The unit contains 16 Clear White Full Spectrum Bulbs (10,000-20,000K), 16 Actinic Bulbs 420-460 nm (a popular wavelength and "bulb type" that is beneficial for coral growth, and 16 Blue Moonlights 453 nm.

Each type of light it programable for both time of day they are on and intensity they are running. The moonlights also run on a 28 day lunar cycle. This cycle breaks the year up into four, 7 day, segments. Each one of the segments changes the intensity of the moonlights.

Daylight

Night Time

These lights have a Par of ~500 at 24" of saltwater depth. This should be more than plenty for all types of corals - from softies --> LPS --> SPS - as well as clams! I can't wait to fill my tank with all of these animals.

What are the different types of corals I'll put under my LEDs? You'll find out soon... next up, coral varieties!

The Devil Made Me Do It

It is so easy to get caught up filling up your reef aquarium. Little voices in your head start saying, "More Vince... more... one more piece."

This post is about the Temptations of Vince.

Was it the shrooms that made me pull the trigger? Was the devil's hand pushing me into the purchase? Well, both actually.

I wanted to add more beginner corals. So, I logged onto my favorite forum - www.aquariumadvice.com  (AA) - asked some questions, read some previous posts, and made a list of possibilities.

I wanted quality items delivered to my door (only because this was the fastest way to feed my craving). Based on my continuous research, for the past two months, the best rated site for this is LiveAquaria. So on Wednesday evening, I placed the an order for delivery on Friday, and less than 24 hours from packaging in California, they arrived at my door.

Broken Candy Cane Coral

One of the corals came completely broken. As soon as I saw it, I was completely heartbroken. I called up LiveAquaria, and told them what I received. With great customer service, and without any hassle, they refunded me half the cost immediately. As with any of their products they offer a "14-day Guarantee", and I was told that if at any point during that period if I was unhappy, they would refund the rest of the money.

Acclimation was immediately under way: first floating in their bags, then temperature-controlled drip acclimation to triple the volume of water in the shipment, and finally a coral dip to remove unwanted hitchhikers before placement into the display tank (DT). In order to keep corals, you must remember - the devil is in the details.

Taking a Dip - In Coral Rx - to Remove Pests

While this long process was occurring, I went online to figure out my options for the broken coral. I posted an image of the debris on AA, and members agreed that everything still looked "alive". My options were to leave the pieces separate around my DT or to epoxy them to a piece of live rock rubble. Thanks to my handy and creative girlfriend, we did both.

Here are the profiles of my new additions (I also got a new type of snail):

When First Added (No Lights)

Purple Cauliflower Colt Coral:

Klyxum sp.

Care level: Easy
Type: Soft

Lighting: Moderate to High
Waterflow: Medium to Strong

Origin: Indonesia 

Temperament: Semi-Aggressive

Notes: Most of this coral's nourishment come from the symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae dinoflagellates (a type of algae), which also give the coral its color. Diet can be supplemented with plankton. They will attack other corals within reach so care must be made to keep separate from other species.

The Next Morning

When First Added (No Lights)

Green Toadstool Mushroom Leather Coral:

Sarcophyton sp.

Care level: Easy
Type: Soft

Lighting: Moderate to High
Waterflow: Medium

Origin: Indonesia (Aqua Cultured/Maricultured)

Temperament: Peaceful

Notes: Most of this coral's nourishment come from the symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae dinoflagellates (a type of algae), which also give the coral its color. Diet can be supplemented with plankton.

The Next Morning

Limp and Lifeless When FIrst Arrived

Devil's Hand Leather Coral, Yellow:

Lobophytum sp.
Care level: Easy

Type: Soft

Lighting: Moderate to High
Waterflow: Medium to Strong

Origin: Indonesia (Aqua Cultured)

Temperament: Peaceful

Notes: Most of this coral's nourishment come from the symbiotic relationship with zooxanthellae dinoflagellates (a type of algae), which also give the coral its color. Diet can be supplemented with plankton.

No Longer Flaccid the Next Morning 

When First Added (No Lights)

Candy Cane Coral:

Caulastrea furcata
Care level: Easy

Type: LPS

Lighting: Moderate
Waterflow: Medium

Origin: Fiji

Temperament: Peaceful

Notes: Has short sweeper tentacles that come out in the twilight. When these are extend the coral can grab supplemental feeding of brine shrimp or plankton.

Newly Structured on a Piece of LR (Thanks Tasha)

There are four major classifications of corals (arranged from easiest to most difficult to keep): Soft/Leather Corals, Large Polyp Stony (LPS), Short Polyp Stony (SPS), and Non-photosyntetic (NPS) Corals. The Softs, LPS, and SPS need increasingly stronger lights as you get into the more difficult species, as well as higher levels of calcium and magnesium. NPS require feeding rather than receiving  nutrients photosynthetically from the symbiotic zooxanthellae like other corals. 

Getting corals used to an aquarium is a slow process. When first added to the aquarium the lights should remain off while the corals acclimate to the water quality and flow. They also need time to gradually adjust to the light intensity. This can be accomplished by both dimming the lights and placing the coral on the sand bed, furthest from the light source. If the coral is going to be moved to a higher location in the tank, the process should be a slow increase in height until the coral reaches its final placement.

As more life gets added to the tank, it is important to keep adding to the CUC in order to keep both algae and waste at bay. Variety in a CUC is also important, so I decided to add another type of snail to the union. 

Nerite Snail (2):

Nerita sp.

Care level: Easy

Diet: Herbivore

Origin: Pacific

Temperament: Peaceful

Max Size: 1”

Notes: Remains small and rarely knocks over rocks or coral. Will feed off of the LR, but can also be seen eating film algae from the aquarium glass walls.

So the devil had his hand in this, but I think it was the right decision.

Next time we will discuss lighting!

Quit Clowning Around

There comes a time when every budding aquarium artist gets to add some real movement to his tank. That time, for me, was Saturday.

I was so excited that I could barely sleep. I stood outside in the frigid weather for 20 minutes before the store opened. I chose wisely, asked a lot of questions, and parroted the responses to my girlfriend multiple times.

I brought them immediately to the tank and, using a drip acclimation method, I acclimated my purchases to my tanks conditions. To drip acclimate, one must slowly drip water from a hose to the livestock's temporary container. The rate should allow for the volume to triple in 45 minutes. My mom and stepdad were lucky enough to be here to witness the move to the new home.

I'm sure you are wondering, "What did you get?". Well here is my starting lineup:

Ocellaris Clownfish (2):

Amphiprion ocellaris

Care level:          Easy

Diet:                    Omnivore

Origin:                Fiji/Tonga 

Temperament:   Peaceful

Max Size:           3 ½”

Notes:                Should be kept either singularly, or in pairs – only if started before sexual maturity. Clownfish are sequential hermaphrodites – starting as males and then maturing into females. When a hierarchy is established, the most dominant fish becomes the female. Once decidedly female the fish cannot become male again. Clownfish in the wild have a symbiotic relationship with anemones. The same relationship is possible within the reef aquarium environment.

Eli and Peyton Swimming Across the Tank

Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp (1):

Lysmata amboinensis

Care level:          Easy

Diet:                    Carnivore

Origin:                Sri Lanka

Temperament:   Peaceful

Max Size:           2”

Notes:                These creatures choose a location in the tank and set up “shop”. They are tank scavengers, but also have a beneficial relationship with fish in the aquarium. In this relationship the Skunk Shrimp will clean dead scales and parasites from the entire fish (including the inside of the mouth.)

Pierre Garçon Hanging Upside-down in his "shop"

Super Tonga Nassarius Snail (4):

Nassarius distortus

Care level:          Easy

Diet:                    Carnivore/Omnivore

Origin:                Tonga

Temperament:   Peaceful

Max Size:           1”

Notes:                These snails spend a lot of time buried in the sand. They use a siphon tube to breathe when the are buried. Their diet consists of shifting through the sand looking for detritus. This also helps in oxygenation of the sand bed. Some aquarium keepers liken them to zombies rising from the grave.

Astraea Turbo Snail (4):

Astraea tecta

Care level:          Easy

Diet:                    Herbivore

Origin:                Caribbean

Temperament:   Peaceful

Max Size:           1”

Notes:                These snails eat nuisance algae, including the difficult to control hair algae. If knocked over this snail has a difficult time righting itself, and can drown without intervention to be up-righted.

Mexican Turbo Snail (1):

Turbo fluctuosa

Care level:          Easy

Diet:                    Herbivore

Origin:                Mexico

Temperament:   Peaceful

Max Size:           2”

Notes:                Prefer large areas for grazing and lots of places to hide. They require calcium from the water to build their shells. Aquarium owners complain that they knock over rocks and coral due to their large size.

Green Metallic Mushroom Coral:

Actinodiscus malaccensis

Care level:          Easy/Moderate

Diet:                    Carnivore

Origin:                Dutch East Indies

Temperament:   Semi-aggressive

Notes:                The coral obtains its nutrition from symbiotic algae, zooxanthellae, that dwells within their tissues. They can be a aggressive and attack other corals in vicinity with toxins.

Neon Green Under the Moonlight

Red Metallic Mushroom Coral:

Actinodiscus cardinalis

Care level:          Easy/Moderate

Diet:                    Carnivore

Origin:                Dutch East Indies

Temperament:   Semi-aggressive

Notes:                The coral obtains its nutrition from symbiotic algae, zooxanthellae, that dwells within their tissues. They can be a aggressive and attack other corals in vicinity with toxins.

Nighttime at the Club!

Did you catch the theme?

My girlfriend suggested naming all of the fish after quarterbacks, and the supporting cast after utility players. We decided to name the Brittle Star Polamalu - currently looking for suggestions for the Serpent Star. Leave a name in the comments - who knows maybe you will be the one who gets to name him!

The tank is doing well - still stable after a few days. The original occupants are doing fine as well. This is an image of one of the Blue Leg Hermit switching homes. Thanks for noticing Mom!

Tried it on for fit, and decided to move in.