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.

CUC - Another Aquarium Abbreviation (I Love Alliteration)

The new background for the tank -
Taken from a wreck we dove in Aruba!
Thanks for the idea Beth!

Ever leave a football game well after the players have left the field, or a concert 20 minutes after the encore?

It is always a huge mess - cups, spills, wrappers - everywhere. The next show is only two hours away? No problem - we have a clean-up crew.

The Clean-Up Crew (CUC) is the aquarium version of a union. These guys work relentlessly to make sure that your DT is ready for the next viewing. Your nieces and nephews are in next weekend and they loved "Finding Nemo"  - no worries the CUC is on it.

The CUC is usually the first addition to the aquarium after the rock has cured. These guys prep the system for livestock and take care of that end-of-cycle diatom bloom.

Getting them acclimated was the first step. The LFS suggested I use the "floating bag" method of acclimation, in which you float the livestock bag in the DT. First, let the temperature equalize over a 30 minute period. Next, add 1/4 cup of your system water to the bag 3 times with 15 minutes intervals between each addition. This is all completed while the bag remains floating in the DT water.

Now without further ado - 

The supporting cast in the aquarium, listed in order of first appearance:

Dwarf Blue-legged Hermit Crabs (22):

Clibanarius tricolor

Care level:           Easy

Diet:                    Omnivore/Detritivore

Origin:                Caribbean 

Temperament:     Peaceful

Max Size:             1"

Notes:                  Needs Extra Shells to Grow into

Purpose:              Great addition to reef aquarium, Eat Algae, and Aerate tank by shifting sand

Red Banded Trochus Snail (6):

Trochidae Trochus sp.

Care level:           Easy

Diet:                    Herbivore

Origin:                Indonesia 

Temperament:     Peaceful

Max Size:             1"

Notes:                  Needs stable levels of Calcium; Easily breed in aquarium

Purpose:              Great addition to reef aquarium, Eat Algae growth on all surfaces of the aquarium including glass

Other livestock added to the tank with today's purchase - some might even call them "The Stars" of the show:

Serpent Starfish (1):

Ophiolepsis superba

Care level:           Easy

Diet:                    Carnivore

Origin:                Caribbean, Asia, Fiji

Temperament:     Peaceful

Max Size:             1' 2"

Notes:                  Nocturnal

Purpose:              Not really a part of the CUC, but will help shift sand

Brittle Starfish (1):

Ophiocoma sp.

Care level:           Moderate

Diet:                    Carnivore

Origin:                Caribbean 

Temperament:     Semi-aggressive 

Max Size:             10"

Notes:                  Nocturnal

Purpose:              Not really a part of the CUC, but will help shift sand

Coralline Algae:

Corallinales

This is a red algae - seen as very beneficial to the aquarium. It is hard, calcareous, and purple in color. They can be used as a food source for sea urchins. A strong healthy aquarium, with  stability, will grow coralline (as long as it has been seeded in some form).

While at the LFS, my girlfriend pointed out that I should get a peice of live rock "with that beneficial purple stuff on it." I spoke with the guy at the store and he said he could just break me off a bunch from his coral tank. I crushed it up some large chips he gave me, and added it to the tank.

The tank is currently extremely active - can barely keep my eyes off of it. In a week or so - maybe some fish. Until then....

Cheers!

The tank with new inhabitants and background that adds depth!

Hitchhiking to the Newest Rock Formation

There is something magical and exciting about throwing out your thumb, getting picked up by a stranger,  and getting to your destination. To me, the magic is the experience. And as long as the person is not a serial killer, it is one of those moments that helps you grow. If you have never hitchhiked - I don't recommend it, it could be dangerous - but at least watch a movie where someone gives it a go.

In the aquarium world, we get hitchhikers. Either innocent bystanders that are a pleasant surprise, or beast of destruction that could wreck havoc over everything you created.

This is one of those stories where the names have been omitted, not because I want to protect the innocent, but because we don't exactly know what it is.... but we will get to that shortly.

It all started on an afternoon about two weeks ago. Most of the tank equipment arrived. The rock was curing nicely in the RubberMaid, and I attached the equipment to the plumbing. It was time to move the rock into the display to finish the curing process. Luckily enough for me, my old roommate from college happened to be in from Philly. Somehow I convinced him to lend a hand.

Once they were in the Display Tank (DT) curing - there was no stopping me. I had to fill the whole tank and get it running. There was also a need to get 40 lbs LS and ~30 lbs more LR from a LFS.

So I filled it about 3/4 full, added the new rock and sand, topped off the water, and then watched the sand settle (like watching paint dry to the aquarium enthusiast.)

Two days later the sand was all settled. My girlfriend was getting interested and wanted to help aquascape (landscaping underwater). Needless to say, I was super excited to come home and get started. 

We kept a couple of rules in mind: fish need swim-throughs and areas to hide, water flow needs to be maintained, and everything needs to be stable to support coral and fish. We tackled the task, and are now happy with our results.

But what does this have to do with hitchhiking? Well like any good movie, the best action always comes at the end of the story.

And then there it was. Early one morning I did the dramatic movie-zoom-in....

What the hell hitchhiked into my tank on that LR from the LFS? Is it good or bad?

So I posted the images to 4 forums and got a variety of responses (everyone is an expert when it comes to reefing)....

Majano - a pest anemone that will over take your tank - Kill it immediately

Zoanthid - coral-like colonizing animal that can release palyotoxin that can destroy the tank - You may want to kill it

Button Polyp - A coral that colonizes - can look bland or pretty - Keep it and see what you think

This is what one commenter posted of what his turned into (Thanks to Freak1456 on www.aquariumadvice.com):

I decided to keep it for now. So here is to hoping that it turns into the pictures above and not some B-rated horror flick. 

Also co-staring in the film as hitchhikers that make it Hitchhiker #1 - Spionid Worms and Hitchhiker #2  - Bristle Worms (both also playing the role of a beneficial scavenger role):

Things are happening! Water levels are getting to the right chemistry! And soon - very soon - we'll have some exciting new members of the aquarium! 

Stick with me folks - this is going to get very interesting.

ATO - Hope You Know Your Greek Alphabet!

Alpha Tau Omega - Us fraternity guys - we never forget the whole Greek alphabet.

I, on the other hand, was in TKE at Penn State. Ohh the memories - some of the best friends and greatest times were had living in the house.

If you are like me... my first thought when I read "ATO" was... BEER! My second thought, however, was that fish likely don't enjoy beer as much as frat guys do, and ATO must refer to something else... (Though, I am sure you can build a kick-ass funnel out of all the equipment I needed to purchase for this tank.)

Unlike Fraters, fish/corals/inverts love consistency. And one of the biggest issues when it comes to consistency has to deal with salinity. As water evaporates in the local environment of the aquarium, the salt stays in solution. This causes the salinity level to raise, which stresses your livestock. So how do we stop this stress from occurring?

An ATO (Automatic Top Off) system combats the issue of evaporation. With the use of a simple float switch (or two in my case) we can control a pump to increase water levels after evaporation by adding fresh RODI water.

Float Switch with Safety Float

Why RODI? Same question I asked! The salinity level rises as pure water is evaporated off (the salt stays in solution - science is pretty cool). This is why we need to replace it with pure, clean, fresh water.

A suggestion for the entrepreneurs out there - figure out a way to automatically maintain the internal water level in college students and you will be a billionaire. You could actually drink like a fish, and no hangover!

So back to the switch... The bottom switch has a float that is set to be floating just above the ideal water level. When the water level drops due to evaporation, the float drops, hits the switch, and turns on the pump. Once the water level returns to the set point, the float switch lifts off the switch and the pump turns off.

I mentioned that my unit has two switches: the float switch I described, and a safety float. The safety float must be resting on its switch in order for the pump to turn on. If it is floating, it will turn off the pump. Why is it there, you ask? Well, if a snail or something blocks the float switch from floating, the safety float will make sure the system doesn't overflow.

If you are like me, or any fraternity guy I know, you have to take the car for a test drive before you buy it... if you know what I mean. Well the same thing for any toy I buy. I tested the float switch with a lamp. Here is how it went:

Float Switches not connected to the bracket.

This Simulates when the water is too low-
the float falls to the bottom and turns on the lamp (pump)

This simulates when the water level lifts the float off of the switch-
This turns the lamp (pump) off

The top float needs to be in the down position
when the bottom float relays that it needs water,
in order to keep the pump on

It the top float is floating - even when the bottom float signals that more water in needed
The pump will not turn on

All of these actions are pretty simple to understand when you start to play with it. The pump plugs into the switch and the switch plugs into the outlet. This is how it looks under my tank:

The green covered container houses the fresh water. The pump utilizes the yellow tubing to get water from the container to the pump section of the sump. The piece of PVC is used so that the yellow tubing remains above the water line of the green topped container while returning water to the sump. You remember what happens if the tubing is below the water line in the storage container if you read my last post. (Hint - it starts siphoning!)

So an ATO works just like any beer funnel at a frat party - if there is room for more liquid, it fills it to the brim. Fortunately, an ATO fills to the perfect level - funnels typically take you too far!

Well my beer level could use a top-off, so I am going to crack one open. Hope you enjoyed today's lesson.

It's A Me..... Mario!

My Halloween costume circa 2006.

Or Luigi anyways:

One of my first jobs ever was installing septic systems - both new and old. Pretty shitty, all pun intended.

The best summary of what I learned from that job would be: "Shit rolls down hill."

This basic principle holds true for plumbing aquariums as well as septic tanks. However, one thing I did not learn too much about, while on the clock, concerns siphoning. If you already understand siphoning skip ahead 4 paragraphs. If not, let me share some knowledge.

A siphon is essentially a U-shaped tube that allows liquid to flow "uphill" without use of a pump. The force is generated by the falling of the liquid, as gravity pulls it from a higher reservoir to a lower one. A siphon is formed by creating a vacuum in the tube to start the liquid flowing.

A siphon will continue to flow until one of the following happens:

• the liquids in both containers reach an equal level,
• air enters the system and breaks the vacuum (by either an empty container or the liquid level going below the depth of the siphon tube,
• and/or the use of a mechanical blockage in the form of a check valve.

Siphoning is one of the basics that you need to understand in order to develop your plumbing design. Now we know - and remember "knowledge is power."

Note that I am a Photoshop beginner so forgive the following amateur schematic of the flow/plumbing design of my aquarium. Remember, nothing is to scale and this is as artsy as I get.

This may look complicated, but truthfully it's not too bad. The arrows represent the flow of water. There are two outflows from the tank - one into the Cryptic Refugium and one into the Sump. There are two returns/inflows - one from each area.

Let's go through each of the lines independently.

• The Sump Line
• Water leaves the Display Tank (DT) via a siphon in the overflow box.
• The water flows down the line - past a ball valve and a union.
• The ball valve uses a ball to change the diameter of the pipe to adjust flow rates
• A union is used to connect two pieces of pipe - in my case it is to allow ease of removal of specific parts.
• It flows over a spill tube into a filter sock and into the first chamber of the sump.
• The water flows into the second chamber containing the protein skimmer (more about protein skimmers in another post).
• From the skimmer, the water flows over a baffle to remove micro bubbles and into the third chamber, which contains the return pump.
• The pump returns the water through a line that contains an additional union and a ball valve as well as a check valve.
• The check valve restricts the flow of water to only one direction - this way if the pump turns off, an unwanted siphon does not occur.
• From here the line splits in two and returns the water from the sump into two different areas of the DT.

• The Cryptic Refugium Line
• Water leaves the DT via a siphon
• Passes through a line that contains a ball valve
• It is returned via a pump in the canister
• Passes through a line that contains a ball valve and a check valve

Now for some actual images:

First you have to Prime it.... Prime it... Prime it..

Then you have to glue it... 

The water is in my tank and the plumbing is holding up - we are almost there. Once the rock and sand cure - It is time for a fish or two. Wooohooo!

Before the fish though, look forward to a follow up on the cure, a discussion on a protein skimmer, and a cryptic/benthic refugium. For now I have to go save the Princess before my stereotypical, red clad, egotistical brother gets all the credit. If you see Yoshi tell him he owes me $10.

Ciao