NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT
features
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smart Design: the alligood 375G Reef Sandy and Ed Alligood are long time hobbyists who currently breed seahorses, Bang- gai Cardinalfish, and clownfish. See how intricate planning and smart design have resulted in an exceptional 375g reef from the front and back.
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wonderfuL wunderpus! Richard Ross is a biologist at the Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco. The captive breeding of cephalopods is still in its infancy, but new developments and discoveries provide reasons to be optimistic for the future.
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the quest for coral color – understanding coral bleaching Tessa Page is a master’s student in Dr. Stillman’s lab at the Romberg Tiburon Center, SFSU, studying marine environmental physiology. Understanding why and how corals bleach is critical to maintaining vivid coral color in captivity. Embark on your quest for color here.
first QUARTER 2013 | Volume 7 Copyright© 2013 Reef Hobbyist Magazine. All rights reserved. Reproduction in print or online, in part or in whole, is strictly prohibited.
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22 on the cover
up close: sweet virginia reef With over 15 years of experience in reefkeeping, Mike and Terry Lauderdale have built a 300 gallon dream reef in their home in Richmond, Virginia. Here, they share some up close images of the tank’s inhabitants and the equipment choices and reefing philosophy that went into making this tank a real showpiece. COVER IMAGE BY TERRY LAUDERDALE
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how to build your own ‘nothing from the ocean’ reef tank Patrick Bareiss is a hobbyist from San Francisco with over 15 years in the hobby. While many strive to include some captive bred/propagated livestock in their tanks, Patrick pushes the boundaries with this ALL captive bred/ propagated system and explains his concept, planning, and execution from start to finish.
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masna awards student academic scholarships Kevin Erickson is a Ph.D. candidate at CQ University Australia in marine ornamental biosecurity and the VP of MASNA. The MASNA Student Scholarship Award and its latest recipients are introduced here.
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a regal spawn – part 2 Darren Nancarrow is a fish breeder who provides ten species of clownfish to the Australian market. In this final installment, Darren brings us up to date on the progress of his remarkable Regal Tang breeding project and shares the hurdles that remain.
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sandy Alligood
Images by Michael chiapputo
Smart Design:
the alligood 375G reef
O
ur story begins with a 135 gallon, aggressive fish with live rock tank that belonged to my husband. After several snorkeling and diving trips on reefs in the Bahamas, Hawaii, Mexico, and the Florida Keys, my desire for a reef
aquarium grew. I decided to start my own reef tank, a 29 gallon cube. I quickly outgrew it and upgraded to a 120 gallon mixed reef 6 months later. That lasted 2 years at which time I convinced my husband to upgrade and combine the 135 gallon and 120 gallon into a single larger aquarium.
We eventually decided on a 375 gallon, in-wall reef aquarium and an 8' x 18' fish room to house the entire system. The project took 4 months to complete and we sought input from many sources as we attempted to cover all of our bases. We were able to build in features that save us time and solve many of the common issues we encountered as hobbyists. Below are some of the ideas incorporated into the build: ADDING A CONTROLLER - A controller was incorporated to manage pumps, feeding cycles, lights, RO/DI stirring, dosing, protein skimmer self-cleaning head, protein skimmer flushing, heaters, fans, and tank parameters. Remote access and alarms were also added. RETRACTABLE LIGHTING - We designed the lighting on a track system utilizing two racks. The racks slide from side to side, allowing easy access to the top of the tank. We used an allaluminum frame with aluminum rivets, and the electrical boxes are plastic. Stainless steel chains hold up the racks and are isolated
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with Teflon separators to eliminate electrolysis. We built in an SO flexible power cord for each rack, enabling the racks to retract completely away from the tank. The electrical connections can be disconnected at either end to allow for easy maintenance. Three fans are incorporated into each rack. One set of fans pushes, and the second set pulls the air for improved air flow; they are set to run only when the metal halides are on. Two boxes covered in FRP board were constructed for the metal halide ballast and a DC4. The box design hides the wires and provides a very clean look. MULTIPLE PLUMBING DRAINS - During our design phase, we decided to incorporate a protein skimmer with a self-cleaning head and an automatic drain. The RO/DI and protein skimmer waste lines are tied to the same drain, and the RO/DI waste water keeps that line clear. This design eliminates the manual process of dumping skimmate. This drain line is capped, and the RO/DI and protein skimmer waste lines were inserted into carefully fitted holes in the pipe to eliminate odors. A second drain is located on the opposite end of the tank and is used for water changes. A third drain was added to the center of the floor. The entire room is 4
inches below the main house, and the floor has a slight slope to the floor drain, eliminating any concerns with water on the floor. MULTIPLE WATER SUPPLIES - Water supplies were added for a utility sink, RO/DI system, and a protein skimmer on the show tank. Multiple times a day, the controller opens a solenoid valve that sends water to the protein skimmer collection cup. This is done at the same time the self-cleaning head is activated. This reduces the maintenance required for the skimmer and eliminates any odors. MULTIPLE ELECTRICAL ZONES - Due to the large number of electrical devices, three electrical zones were used. We tested each zone after installation to ensure proper load balance across the zones. Multiple outlets were added on every wall and also the ceiling. TANK STAND WITH A LEDGE FOR EASY ACCESS - The tank stand is incorporated into the existing wall for extra strength. We designed an extra 8 inches on the back of the stand to allow for a perch when accessing the top of the tank. You can walk from one end to the other, eliminating the need to stand on a step ladder while working.
The fish room and rear view of the tank.
IN-WALL WITH PICTURE FRAME OUTLINE - The tank is framed with hinged molding, making it accessible for feeding and maintenance from the front. The top portion of the frame has an 11¼" door attached with a stainless steel piano hinge; both sides are also independently hinged. DUAL REFUGIA - In our planning stages, we wanted redundancy wherever practical. There are two refugia connected together. Each refugium has its own return pump; when a pump requires service, the tank is still circulating via the second pump. Each refugium has three socks, adding to the mechanical filtration.
Dual refugia under the tank.
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USE OF FRP SIDING - We knew controlling the temperature and moisture in the room was going to be an issue. We used green board that is used in bathroom construction and covered the green board with fiber reinforced polymer board (FRP). FRP board is moisture and impact resistant so we applied it to every wall including the ceiling. It is easy to work with and extremely easy to clean. USE OF TRUE UNION VALVES - We knew from previous experience that struggling with poorly designed plumbing to do regular maintenance was not acceptable. Every pump is now connected with a true union valve. This enables us to remove any pump in less than one minute. Water change system and RO/DI.
INDEPENDENT TEMPERATURE CONTROL - We installed an independent cooling and heating system in the room so it could be set independently from the main part of the house. The system does a great job of maintaining the tank temperature; as a result, we do not use a chiller. We installed heaters in the refugia and a temperature controlled ceiling fan exhaust as precautions. LARGER, MORE EFFICIENT RO DESIGN - Our previous RO system would not work for the new, larger build so we installed two 65 gallon tanks and a 6-stage RO/DI system in the new fish room. One tank is used for fresh water top off, the second for water changes. We do a 65 gallon water change weekly. The new RO/DI system was also designed with the use of true union valves so that we could mix each tank individually, move water in either direction in the 65 gallon tanks, move water from either or both tanks to
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Echinophyllia.
the aquarium, and remove either tank for easy cleaning. A mixing pump is tied to the controller and is set to circulate the water multiple times a day. An additional line terminating in a Banjo fitting enables water changes in minutes. We use an ATO (Auto Top Off) system with the supply line plumbed to the over flow box to allow for better mixing prior to reaching the livestock. The ATO is connected to only one of the 65 gallon tanks. We never trust the float sensors 100%. When the RO/DI tank is full, we unplug the RO/DI system in case a senor fails. The RO/DI system is installed in a box covered in FRP board, and all of the wiring and plumbing is hidden inside. It is a cleaner look and can be removed from the wall as one unit.
Trachyphyllia.
Halichoeres iridis (Radiant Wrasse).
Borbonius Anthias.
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AQUARIUM PROFILE Display tank dimensions: 96"L x 36"W x 24"H Display tank volume: 375 gallons Refugium: (2) 50 gallons Controller: Neptune Systems Aqua Controller III Pro, (2) HD DC4’s, (2) DC8’s Skimmer: - Deltec AP902 - (2) feed water pumps (800 gph) with modified Eheim 1260 pinwheel (33w 120v with self-cleaning head) - Dimensions: 19.3" x 19.3" x 38.6" Water Movement: - (2) 1/3 hp Snapper pumps - (4) 6105 Tunze’s with 6095 controller - (2) 1" Sea Swirls Reactors: - GEO 8x18 calcium reactor with custom made 2nd reactor - Controlled by American Pinpoint pH controller with flow meter - Jumbo BRS GFO reactor RO: - 6-stage RO/DI unit Lighting: - (4) Lumen Bright large reflectors - (4) 400w CoralVue dimmable ballasts - (4) Ushio 20,000k bulb - (4) ReefBrite LEDs
Deltec AP902.
TANK MAINTENANCE - Weekly 60 gallon water change using Reef Crystals - Monthly calibration of all probes - New media added to the calcium reactor as needed
Ushio bulbs in Lumen Bright reflectors.
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Sanjay Photon Clownfish.
Acanthastrea bowerbanki.
Ecsenius midas (Midas Blenny).
Scolymia.
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LIVESTOCK - Borbonius Anthias - (1) male and (3) female Lyretail Anthias - Yellowtail Wrasse - Radiant Wrasse - Potter’s Wrasse - Naso Tang - Yellow Tang - (6) Green Chromis - Royal Gramma - (4) sea cucumbers - a very large cleanup crew Mated Pairs: - Ocellaris Clownfish - Black Ice Clownfish - Sanjay Photon Clownfish - Sanjay Midnight Photon Clownfish - (3) pairs Banggai Cardinal Fish
Right-side partial tank shot.
We support tank or captive bred livestock. We are currently breeding to help decrease the capture of wild caught Banggai Cardinal Fish. Our next breeding challenge will be Flame Angels and Orchid Dottybacks. Our reef tank is an SPS dominant tank; we have genera of Acropora, Montipora, Stylophora, Seriatopora, Echinophyllia, Trachyphyllia, Tubastrea, Lobophyllia, Acanthastrea, Blastomussa,
Euphyllia, and Scolymia. We also have blue and gold maxima clams. (Special thanks to Aquatic Pro Solutions, our local reef club, Northeast Florida Marine Aquarium Society, and Michael Chiapputo for his photography skills.)
Scolymia.
Montipora undata (Jedi Mind Trick).
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Richard ross
Wonderful
Wundperpus!
Wunderpus photogenicus.
T
he SF Bay Area is seeing a lot of hatching octopuses this year! The Steinhart Aquarium in the California Academy of Sciences, Roy Caldwell’s lab at UC Berkeley, and the Ross Lab in Alameda, California, have been working hard with several species of octopus and have managed to coax several females of different
species to brood eggs successfully through hatching. Reproduction in aquaria is always something to be enjoyed; there is nothing quite like the thrill of breeding an animal in our glass boxes. Hatching octopuses is particularly thrilling because not all octopus species are the same. Some octopuses, such as Wunderpus photogenicus (larvae shown above), hatch in spurts over several days to be discovered only by the very observant. Others, like Octopus vulgaris, hatch in an impossible to miss gush with thousands or even hundreds of thousands of tiny octopuses flowing upward from the egg mass towards the surface of the water. However, with the thrill, there is a twofold sadness that comes with the discovery of octopus eggs in aquaria. Most octopuses are semelparous, with females laying many small eggs, caring for them as they develop, and then dying soon after the eggs hatch. The appearance of eggs often signals that the end of the aquarist’s time with the octopus is near, and it usually isn’t pretty. When octopuses (and other cephalopods) die of natural causes, their deaths are usually preceded by senescence, where the animal loses control of their limbs as well as any will to live, and their flesh degrades. In some cases, scavenger animals like hermit crabs begin to eat the octopus while it is still alive, and the octopus doesn’t really do anything to stop it. In the case of a brooding female octopus, it seems that at least the birth of new babies softens the blow of the loss of their mother. Unfortunately, this is only the first sad part of discovering octopus eggs.
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Since most octopuses are semelparous and lay small eggs, the hatchling octopuses emerge from the eggs like many marine larval fish: very small, very fragile, and very difficult to feed in the restricted space of land-based tanks. These hatchlings are referred to as paralarvae, and in the wild, drift as part of the zooplankton, eating to their three hearts’ content until they metamorphose into proper adult forms and settle out of the water column. In aquaria, however, we haven’t yet made the breakthroughs that will make raising these tiny animals a universally successful endeavor. It is important and exciting to note that not all octopuses are semelparous. Recent work from Steinhart, UCB, and the Ross Lab shows that a few species, like Octopus chierchiae, are iteroparous,
meaning they lay, brood, and hatch several clutches of eggs without dying. Even more exciting, in the case of Octopus chierchiae, the eggs are larger and the hatchlings emerge much more developed than the paralarvae of their small-egged counterparts. This allows for easier success in raising them. It is hoped that these small, beautiful animals will be available as captive bred specimens in the next few years. There is even hope on the semelparous horizon. There have been one or two reported successes of octopus paralarvae being raised through metamorphosis. The level of understanding of how to successfully keep octopuses alive and healthy is expanding by leaps and bounds, and the number of people working with octopuses is on the rise. Most exciting, the myriad breakthroughs in the culturing of small live foods primarily for the raising of fish larvae may be directly applicable to the raising of octopuses. With all these advances and all the enthusiasm surrounding octopuses in general, perhaps soon, the sadness of the discovery of octopus eggs and the mother’s impending demise will be mitigated by the happiness of knowing her babies can be raised successfully.
Undescribed octopus paralarvae emerging from their eggs.
Wunderpus photogenicus paralarvae over an American dime (please note that the coin was under the container, not in the water with the animals).
The eye of the mother Octopus chierchiae watches as a hatchling prepares to emerge from its egg.
Octopus chierchiae eggs at different stages of development; some have turned inside the egg, meaning hatching is near.
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Tessa Page & JONATHON stillman
the quest for coral color: understanding coral bleaching
Image by Jason Sanders.
T
he vivid pink, fluorescent green, and other stunningly colored pigments produced by corals make reef aquaria beautiful, but a coral’s drab brown color may be the most important to its health. The phenomenon of coral losing their brown color and turning white is called coral bleaching. Bleached corals are not dead, but they are
weakened because they have lost an important energy source: their photosynthetic symbionts. Weakened, bleached corals are less able to grow and compete for space, fight off disease, and respond to other stressors. Sometimes, bleached corals regain symbionts and their color, but often, their weakened state leads to death. Coral bleaching is considered a global threat to coral reefs worldwide and is a glaring sign of unhealthy conditions in a reef aquarium. Understanding the how’s and why’s of coral bleaching may help reef hobbyists and coral reef conservation biologists alike and is an active area of research. Here, we provide some basic background on coral bleaching as well as some scientific research so that we can better understand and care for the corals in our aquariums. 16
CORAL AND THEIR SYMBIONTS Reef building corals are colonies of hundreds to thousands of individuals (polyps), each surrounded by a calcium carbonate skeleton. Corals feed by using their stinging cells (nematocysts) to immobilize and capture small prey. However, corals live in food-poor water and receive much of their energy from photosynthetic algae that live within their cells. The algae are endosymbiotic dinoflagellates, commonly called zooxanthellae with the taxonomic designation as genus Symbiodinium. Zooxanthellae are evolutionarily diverse, with many different clades (groups) that make up the genus Symbiodinium. Within a single coral, there can be millions of Symbiodinium, and they can be from one or more clades. Coral and Symbiodinium have a critical and intimate symbiotic, mutualistic relationship. The relationship between coral and Symbiodinium is said to be mutualistic because both partners receive benefits from one another via the exchange of nutrients (Stat, Morris et al. 2008). Symbiodinium lives within the cells of the coral animal and provides it with products of photosynthesis, which accounts for much of the coral’s energy. In addition to providing a place to live that is exposed to light, the coral provides Symbiodinium with compounds such as carbon dioxide and ammonium, both of which are necessary for algal photosynthesis and growth. Coral reefs are generally found in oligotrophic waters, meaning that the waters surrounding coral reefs are low in nutrients. Due to the oligotrophic tendencies of coral reef environments, the mutualistic relationship between coral and Symbiodinium is extremely important and is the main driving force behind the productivity of these ecosystems. Zooxanthellae are considered an endosymbiont because they reside within the cells of the coral animal. While there may be some vertical transmission of zooxanthellae from parent to offspring, most evidence suggests that corals acquire the symbionts after the juvenile corals have settled out of the plankton. Soon after settlement of a coral larvae (as the first polyp of what will be a growing colony), cells bring in the zooxanthellae from the environment via a process known as phagocytosis. Simply put, the coral cell membrane envelops the Symbiodinium and internalizes it, using the products of the symbiont’s photosynthesis. Symbiodinium will generally stay put within the cells of the coral unless the coral animal undergoes some sort of stress. With stress, an array of things can happen; but what is commonly seen is the whitening, or bleaching, of corals as the symbionts are expelled or digested.
Mushrooms such as this Ricordea yuma are also vulnerable to bleaching. Image by Ian Iwane.
The delicate hues on this Favites are easily bleached when it’s over illuminated. Image by Tessa Page.
Though bleaching of stony corals is more dramatic, soft corals are not immune to this problem. Image by Tessa Page.
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The vibrant colors of healthy coral are part of the appeal of our hobby. Image by Ian Iwane.
Both the cellular responses of the coral host and the symbiont may be involved in the bleaching outcome. BLEACHING PHENOMENON Coral bleaching was first observed in the 1940’s, and beginning in the 1980’s, the frequency of coral bleaching increased. However, it was not until the past 20 years that coral bleaching across reefs worldwide increased drastically. Mass coral bleaching in the past 20 years has typically been associated with episodes of elevated sea temperature. We are currently experiencing about a 2°C increase in sea temperatures per century (Meehl 2007) which is thought to be at least part of the cause for the increased occurrence of bleaching. Corals are physiologically sensitive and in nature live close to the limit of their capacity to deal with environmental change; this could be why we see mass bleaching events with only subtle changes in temperature. Small changes in water chemistry can also cause bleaching events in reef aquaria. Luckily, in the closed environments of our reef aquaria, we can control environmental variables and proactively prevent coral bleaching. An exciting area of research involves the diversity and ability of zooxanthellae to adapt to more strenuous environments. There
Large Acropora colonies are very dramatic when they bleach. Image by Tessa Page.
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This coral exhibits healthy coloration but could bleach quickly if stressed. Image by Ian Iwane.
has been speculation that some clades of zooxanthellae are better able to tolerate larger temperature fluctuations and warmer temperatures, and it is hoped that these clades will begin to dominate coral communities, making bleaching less likely. Those increased tolerances, however, may come with tradeoffs like slower photosynthetic rates, meaning that reefs would be more persistent but perhaps grow more slowly. One hypothesis, the “Adaptive Bleaching Hypothesis (ABH),� states that corals bleach purposefully during environmental shifts to remove the Symbiodinium from their tissues in order to replace them with Symbiodinium of a different clade that may be better suited to the new environment. While an abundance of evidence suggests that shifts in Symbiodinium genotypes correspond to environmental shifts in many groups of corals (e.g., Acroporids), that evidence is not a direct test of the ABH. While the ABH makes intuitive sense, it has not been supported by experimental evidence, leaving us to conclude that corals may be stuck with the symbionts that they acquire upon settlement from the plankton. After bleaching, corals may recover their symbiont populations; but more likely than not, it is from algal cell reproduction within the coral tissue rather than acquisition of new algal cells from the external environment.
Bleaching inhibits the ability of stony corals to build their skeletons. Image by Tessa Page.
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MECHANISMS BEHIND CORAL BLEACHING Causative mechanisms of coral bleaching are an active area of study by scientists worldwide who are trying to understand why corals bleach. The hope is that this understanding will one day enable us to prevent or decrease bleaching. Clues as to what happens when corals bleach comes at the cellular and subcellular level. For example, bleaching corals were found to release intact endoderm cells (one of the primary tissue layers found in
all animals) that contained zooxanthellae. Endoderm cells exit the polyp and subsequently dissolve into the environment, releasing the zooxanthellae (Gates, Baghdasarian et al. 1992). Activation of specific genes is the first step of the cellular responses. In a study by Desalvo et al. in 2008, scientists looked at genes that were differentially expressed during partial and total bleaching in a reef building coral. They identified genes responsible for the ability of coral to deal with stressors and combat bleaching and also described how the expression of those genes is dependent on the general health of the coral. Examples of genes that changed due to bleaching are genes involved in protein synthesis, ion transport, and molecular chaperones, including heat shock proteins. Heat shock proteins play an important role in helping damaged or unfolded proteins after stress. These proteins are highly expressed within the tissue of an organism that has been stressed. Corals may expend significant amounts of energy to compensate for stress, and this overexertion is thought to lead to bleaching. Molecular studies provide scientists with the information needed to build cellular physiology models and draw conclusions as to why and how corals bleach. Molecular level data also provides conservation biologists with the ability to identify corals that have genetic variation in their genes that are important to survive bleaching, valuable information that could help preserve coral reefs during climactic change.
The brown pigment in this Galaxea coral may be the most important for its survival. Image by Tessa Page.
WHAT CAUSES CORAL BLEACHING? There are many environmental factors that contribute to coral bleaching, including changes in temperature and pH, oxidative stress (reduced oxygen availability or supersaturated oxygen), and photoinhibition (which causes reduced photosynthetic capacity). These and other factors vary naturally in reef ecosystems and may reach unhealthy extremes in home reef aquaria. In our home reefs, we try to control these environmental parameters. However, the only control for environmental variation in nature is thousands of years for Earth’s systems to reach a new equilibrium. Environmental factors that cause bleaching may have different physiological effects on corals. Ocean acidification, the lowering of ocean pH due to the absorption of atmospheric carbon dioxide, is a major threat to coral. Reduction in water pH makes it more difficult for corals to build calcium carbonate skeleton, but may also cause bleaching due to increased energy used by the corals to perform ionic regulation. Increasing temperature in coral reef ecosystems can increase cellular stress and make the expulsion of zooxanthellae more prominent. Increased temperature may also make corals more susceptible to disease. Reduced oxygen availability can be deleterious to coral as well; coral need ample amounts of oxygen to survive, just like many other organisms. With the declining health of our world’s oceans, it is expected that there will be reduced light availability due to increased amounts of nutrients or phytoplankton blooms. This could limit the amount of products of photosynthesis corals receive from their zooxanthellae. In your reef aquarium, you should take measures to prevent coral bleaching by monitoring your water chemistry, making sure your alkalinity remains constant, and ensuring that the pH never reaches values that are too acidic. You should also keep track of the temperature and make sure it isn’t too high or low for your coral and
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other organisms. Vigorous water flow is a good way to deliver oxygenated water throughout your tank, which is important for the health of your coral. If you can manage to keep all your parameters in check, your corals should remain healthy and beautifully colored in your reef aquarium for as long as your parameters remain stable.
References & Further Readings: Gates, R. D., G. Baghdasarian, et al. (1992). “Temperature Stress Causes Host Cell Detachment in Symbiotic Cnidarians: Implications for Coral Bleaching.” The Biological Bulletin182(3): 324-332. Hoegh-Guldberg, O. (1999). “Climate change, coral bleaching and the future of the world’s coral reefs.” Marine and Freshwater Research50(8): 839-866.
A brilliantly colored chalice coral in captivity. Image by Ian Iwane.
Meehl, G. A., et al (2007). “The physical science basis. contribution of working group I in the fourth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change.” Stat, M., E. Morris, et al. (2008). “Functional diversity in coral‚dinoflagellate symbiosis.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences105(27): 9256-9261. Reef Hobbyist Magazine
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mike lauderdale
images by Terry Lauderdale
up close:
Sweet Virginia Reef
A
quariums have been in our lives for many years;
later and with the move came the opportunity to upgrade
when Terry and I first met back in the 80’s, we
the aquarium! We built out a remote fish room in the new
were keeping both freshwater and marine tanks.
house and installed a 180 gallon SPS-dominated reef
While things have certainly changed since then, we are
tank. It was at this point that our hobby became more of a
still inspired and motivated by the same things: learning
lifestyle. Within 5 years or so, that familiar itch to upgrade
about captive systems and livestock, improving our
returned, and we started planning our current setup: the
techniques and husbandry, and meeting others who
300 gallon reef.
share our passion for the hobby. In the late 90’s, our son
As is the case with most dedicated aquarists, our journey has been marked with ups and downs. In 2003, we didn’t have enough redundancy in our design and had a power outage and small flood (of course when we were out of town!). In 2007, we got lazy with our QT procedures and ended up with a bad case of Acropora-Eating Flat Worms (AEFW) that wiped out many of our large SPS colonies. We were fortunate for many years to never experience a major leak until 2010 when our new 300 gallon tank blew out the bottom seal. That was a very trying period for us; there were times when we considered giving up and getting out of the hobby altogether. It was during those troubling months when our family, friends in the local reef club, and acquaintances from across the globe in the online forums provided the support and encouragement we needed to persevere.
Chris was finishing school and the internet was becoming broadly available. This combination led us to try our hand at setting up a reef aquarium. We did plenty of research and reading first which helped us to avoid some mistakes, and being a capable DIY’er was another big plus. We started big with a 125 gallon reef-ready system and kept a successful mixed reef for several years. Being empty nesters, we were looking for a new home a few years 22
SYSTEM PROFILE DISPLAY TANK - 300 gallon custom Marineland Deep Dimension glass tank (72"L x 36"W x 27"H) - Back-center 28”overflow box (14" x 7" x 26") with (4) 1" bottom-drilled bulkheads - Bottom glass euro-bracing (3" wide x 0.5” thick) - Bottom-drilled closed loop (2" intake bulkhead, (4) 1" outlet bulkheads) STAND - DIY 36" stand with 2x6 pine members - Integrated hardwood cabinetry and matching canopy SUMPS - 70 gallon custom shallow acrylic sump (48" x 24" x 14") - 150 gallon Rubbermaid stock vat sump with live rock
CALCIUM/ALKALINITY/MAGNESIUM DOSING - Geo 818 Calcium Reactor with PanWorld 40PX pump - Geo Kalkwasser Reactor with Maxi-Jet 600 - BRS 2-part magnesium dosed weekly
OTHER DOSING - Strontium: daily - Iodine: weekly - Ozone: as needed (Milwaukee ORP controller)
ATO/WATER CHANGE - Air, Water & Ice Typhoon III RO/DI unit - Reef Fanatic ATO level controller - DIY mixing station with 100 gallon freshwater & 100 gallon saltwater mixing vats
PROTEIN SKIMMERS - Super Reef Octopus 6000-SSS internal - Deltec AP851
HEATING/COOLING - (3) 300w titanium heaters with external thermostats and probes - 1/2 hp Tradewind inline chiller with circulation provided by Panworld 50px-x pump - Water temperature monitored and controlled by Neptune Apex
CARBON/PHOSPHATE FILTRATION - TLF Phosban 550 RX (GAC) - TLF Phosban 550 RX (GFO)
SYSTEM CONTROL - Neptune Systems Apex controller with (2) EB8’s and temperature and pH probes
REFUGIUM/PROPAGATION TANK - 50 gallon AGA
DRAINS/RETURN - (2) 1" Herbie-style submerged full-siphon drains - 1.5" Durso-style emergency open-channel drain - 2" main drain line to remote fish room - 1.5" secondary drain line to remote fish room - Iwaki MD70RLT primary return pump - 1" main return line to display tank
DISPLAY TANK CIRCULATION - Closed Loop: (1) 2" intake, (4) 1" outlets - OceansMotions 4-way - Reeflo Dart (3600gph) - Tunze 7095 Controller - (4) Tunze 6095 Turbelle nanostream pumps - (1) Tunze 6105 Turbelle stream
LIGHTING - Custom slide-out aluminum light rack - (3) Lumenmax Elite Reflectors - (3) Lumatek 400w dimmable electronic ballasts - (3) 400w 20,000k Radium bulbs - (2) VHO Super Actinics - (6) 12.5” Ecoxotic Royal Blue Stunner Strips w/reflectors (for dawn/dusk)
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LIGHTING SUMMARY & OBJECTIVES
Over the years, we have adapted our lighting approach. Contrary to what many believe is required for successful SPS growth, we now run a relatively brief photoperiod of intense (metal halide) lighting on a daily basis. We find that striking a balance between moderate coral growth and reduced energy consumption is best for our needs. A long period of intense lighting speeds
up metabolisms for undesirable as well as desirable organisms, and paying the utility bill to run the lights and then to pull the heat back out is such a waste. Our current photoperiod is pretty simple; we are looking to get a dawn/dusk period with 5 hours of “morning” followed by 6 hours of “full sun.” We have the timeframes skewed towards the evening hours so we can enjoy the display after work. PHOTOPERIOD 10:00 am LEDs on 11:00 am Actinics on, LEDs off 4:00 pm Halide #1 on 4:15 pm Halide #2 on 4:30 pm Halide #3 on, Actinics off 10:00 pm Actinics on, Halide #1 off 10:15 pm Halide #2 off 10:30 pm Halide #3 off 10:45 pm LEDs on 11:00 pm Actinics off 11:30 pm LEDs off
Pavona maldivensis.
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FILTRATION & WATER QUALITY SUMMARY OBJECTIVES
This is probably the most difficult and critical aspect of the reef tank. Maintaining rock-solid water quality is crucial to success with keeping SPS species, and we strive to do this without relying on a complicated regimen of dosing or non-natural additives. So not surprisingly, we use a lot of old-fashioned, simple things to maintain excellent water quality. We employ filter socks, a refugium, heavy protein skimming, and regular cleaning and water changes. For many years, we avoided the use of GFO, but with the growth of our fish population came the need to get the phosphates down. We use RowaPhos via a Two Little Fishies Phosban 550 which gets replaced every 2 months. We also run GAC via another Two Little Fishies Phosban 550 to polish the water on occasion. WATER PARAMETERS Temperature: 74.5F - 75.5F via Apex pH: 8.1 – 8.3 via Apex Specific gravity: 1.025 via refractometer NO3: undetectable via Salifert
Acropora nasuta.
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Ca: 450 via Salifert Alk: 9.5 via Hanna colorimeter Mg: 1350 via Salifert PO4: 0.02 via Hanna photometer Ammonia & Nitrites: undetectable via Salifert
ELECTRICAL DESIGN & CONSUMPTION SUMMARY
Genicanthus bellus.
Pygoplites diacanthus.
Many reef crashes come from electrical problems or lack of redundancy. An important part of our overall system design is to reduce single points of failure and improve electrical efficiency. Even simple, low-cost steps can be taken by every hobbyist to protect their livestock. As a start, we keep a few battery-powered air pumps on hand. We also run a battery-backup unit for our main return pump and skimmer. This is a worthwhile insurance policy against power outages that last for a few hours and can keep the system running while we get the gasoline generator online. We regularly examine our power utilization for our system and try to balance critical components across multiple circuit breakers and power strips. It always pays to routinely look at how things are hooked up and ask, “What is the worst that can happen?” POWER UTILIZATION Continuous power consumption is ~825 watts. Lighting adds about 1,300 watts for 6 hours per day (when the halides are on) and around 200 watts for the other 6 hours each day. When heating or cooling is required, the additional power usage is 700 watts or 560 watts, respectively. At our utility rates (which are quite affordable compared to some other areas – especially California!), it costs about $100 per month to run our system.
ORA Red Planet.
Acropora sarmentosa.
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TANK INHABITANTS FISH IN DISPLAY TANK (1) Regal Angel - Pygoplites diacanthus (2) Bellus Angels - Genicanthus bellus (1 male, 1 female) (1) Desjardini Tang - Zebrasoma desjardini (1) Kole Tang - Ctenochaetus strigosus (3) Lyretail Anthias - Pseudanthias squamipinnis (1 male, 2 females) (2) Blotched Anthias - Holanthias borbonius (2) False Percula Clownfish - Amphiprion ocellaris (1) Tomentosus Filefish - Acreichthys tomentosus (1) Lineatus Wrasse - Cirrhilabrus lineatus (2) Rhomboid Fairy Wrasse - Cirrhilabrus rhomboidalis (2 females) (3) Eightline Flasher Wrasse - Paracheilinus octotaenia (3 females) (2) Blue Star Leopard Wrasse - Macropharyngodon bipartitus (1 male, 1 female) (1) Kuiter’s Leopard Wrasse - Macropharyngodon kuiteri (1) African Cleaner Wrasse - Labroides dimidiatus (1) Earl’s Fairy Wrasse - Cirrhilabrus earlei (1) McCosker’s Flasher Wrasse - Paracheilinus mccoskeri (1) Neon Goby - Elacatinus oceanops (3) Blue Green Chromis - Chromis viridis
Macropharyngodon kuiteri.
Paracheilinus bellae.
FISH IN 50g REFUGIUM/PROPAGATION TANK (1) Bell’s Flasher Wrasse - Paracheilinus bellae (1) False Percula Clownfish - Amphiprion ocellaris (1) One Spot Foxface Rabbitfish - Siganus unimaculatus
Cirrhilabrus earlei.
Macropharyngodon bipartitus.
Paracheilinus mccoskeri.
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CORALS Acropora abrolhosensis Acropora granulosa Acropora hoeksemai Acropora hyacinthus Acropora macrostoma Acropora millepora Acropora nasuta Acropora prostrata Acropora rosaria Acropora sarmentosa Acropora secale Acropora solitaryensis Acropora spathulata Acropora tenuis Acropora tortuosa Acropora verweyi Acropora yongei
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Stylophora pistillata Montipora setosa Montipora undata Montipora sp. (various encrusting) Pocillopora damicornis Seriatopora hystrix Seriatopora guttatus Blastomussa wellsi Blastomussa merletti Acanthastrea lordhowensis Favia sp. Echinophyllia sp. Lobophyllia sp. Palythoa, Zooanthid, & Ricordea colonies.
INVERTS (3) Sea cucumber (Holothuria sp.) (3) Scarlet Skunk Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis) (1) Yellow Coral Banded Shrimp (Stenopus scutellatus) (3) Fighting conch (Strombus alatus) Brittle stars (Ophiure protoreaster)
Nassarius snails Dwarf Cerith snails Nerite snails Astrea snails Red Legged hermit crabs Emerald crabs
FEEDING We feed our fish a mix of frozen Hikari foods (mysis, jumbo mysis, bloodworms, spirulina brine, and Mega Marine Angel), PE Mysis, Rogger’s Reef, Cyclopeeze, NLS pellets (1mm and 3mm sizes), and a variety of algae sheets. Our fish are fed three times per day. We also offer algae sheets on a Veggie-Mag clip every other day. We do not add coral food as we do not find it necessary due to the number of fish and the amount of feedings. Over the years, our plans and interests have shifted. Going from freshwater to marine, mixed reef to SPS, and now into large tanks has provided plenty of challenge and reward. I’m really into the corals, while Terry has a particular passion for fish. We make a great team working together on our system – we share the chores and maintenance, and that helps us enjoy a feeling of shared pride in the results. Our friends and family get a lot of enjoyment from the tank as well – our little nieces, nephews, and kids of our friends love to sit and watch all the underwater animals! It is that excitement in the children’s eyes that answers the question “Is all this work worth it?” You bet!
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Patrick Bareiss
How to set up your own ‘Nothing from the ocean’ reef tank Image by Anthony Young.
R
eef hobbyists fall in love with reef keeping for a variety of reasons. Some enjoy the sheer beauty that this hobby provides – the amazing
array of colors and shapes of the many corals, fishes, and invertebrates available. Others enjoy designing and assembling the equipment and parts necessary to maintain exotic marine life forms so far from the ocean. Still others like the collecting aspect of the hobby and the challenge in finding and caring for certain types of corals or fishes. After over a decade in the hobby, I’ve realized that the aspect that I enjoy most is the husbandry and care that reef tanks require and the growth of fishes and corals that are proof of my skills and labor. I like to joke with non-hobbyists that I am a farmer at heart and grow things underwater instead of in soil. 32
Soft corals like this green and orange clove polyp are some of the easiest corals to frag and grow. Image by Anthony Young.
This love of seeing showpiece corals grow from tiny frags and beautiful adult fish grow from shy juveniles is why for the last 7 years I have embarked on the challenge of creating a reef tank that uses nothing directly from the ocean and only things that have been aquacultured and grown by man. In this article, I discuss the challenges and experiences I have had as well as the resources available to other hobbyists who wish to create a similar reef tank.
PLANNING AND LIMITATIONS The beauty of our hobby is that it requires us to have unbelievable patience and that no matter how much time or effort we all put into our tanks, nature progresses at its own pace. Nowhere is this truer than in starting this type of reef tank. I learned that in order to strictly abide by the simple axiom of ‘nothing from the ocean,’ I would need many years of planning and waiting to reach my goal. Fish take time to mature. Corals take time to grow. And bare, lifeless rocks need time for all the algae, sponges, and micro fauna to make them their home. I also learned that the idea of having ‘nothing from the ocean’ had its limitations. If you go far enough back in time, everything comes from the ocean; aragonite sand and rock mined from prehistoric reefs were once underwater, and aquacultured fish and frags come from broodstock or mother colonies that were at one time or another taken from the wild. Given these limitations, when I planned my tank, I decided that I would try to use materials and creatures that were as far removed from the ocean as was practically possible. I will discuss the steps I took to accomplish this plan as well as other, less drastic steps that can be taken to accomplish essentially the same goal. LIVE SAND AND ROCK My first challenge was finding sand that hadn’t been dredged from the ocean floor. I found that getting a hold of non-ocean sand was actually pretty easy in that sand products labeled “aragonite”
After 4 years, the author’s ‘nothing from the ocean’ tank appears as diverse and robust as any other reef tank. Image by Anthony Young.
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actually come from fossilized prehistoric reefs that are now buried and often hundreds of miles away from the nearest ocean. The reef rock is mined using bulldozing equipment and the sand is often created simply by machines grinding down the rock into small particles. The rock is then bagged and shipped to wholesalers and local fish stores throughout the country. For my reef tank, I simply bought a few bags of aragonite and seeded it using a few cups of sand from three friends of mine who also had fish tanks. Not knowing if their sand was from the ocean or not, I made sure to pour their sand into the corners of my tank so that after 2 or 3 months of seeding my aragonite, I could scoop their sand out. To find calcium carbonate rock that wasn’t from the ocean, I looked on the internet and came across a few surprising solutions. The first solution involved making my own rock using the method that the late reef keeping pioneer Leroy Headlee and his wife Sally Jo pioneered through their website Garf.org. Mixing concrete and aragonite sand to create “aragacrete,” I molded my own rock in the shapes of boulders, arches, and hollowed-out caves. Since concrete is extremely alkaline and caustic, I had to let the rock sit and leach out for a period of 6 months in a large bucket that I placed under my house’s gutters before I could put the rock into a reef tank. The second solution I came across was to use calcium carbonate rock that had been mined from buried prehistoric reefs. Similar to the aragonite sand I got, I was able to get my LFS to order a pallet of rock called Marco Rocks that were shipped to them from a south Florida quarry. Additionally, to my surprise, I learned that 20,000 years ago, most of the state of Utah was underwater and one could find prehistoric reefs and dunes made of calcium carbonate in the middle of what is now desert. Having gathered enough GARF, Florida, and Utah rock, my next challenge was to properly seed all that rock so that my future aquarium would have all the algae, sponges, and other life forms that traditional live rock has. I turned to members of my local reef club (Bay Area Reefers) and local fish store for assistance, and they graciously allowed me to place some of my rock in their display tanks and refugia for 6 months. While I wish I could have left the rock in their tanks for longer, my patience was pushed to its limits, and I was very eager to finally assemble my rock and sand and begin adding fish and corals to my tank.
This orange yuma is an example of the rare coral gems that can sometimes be found in your local fish store or frag swap. Image by Anthony Young.
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Assembling live rock and sand in this fashion is very time consuming and requires a great deal of patience and dedication. For aquarists wishing to accomplish similar results in much less time, there are a number of alternatives out there. First, there are a variety of companies that sell synthetic live rock that is similar to the GARF live rock I made. Similar to the rock I gathered, these alternatives will need to be seeded in order to truly be “live.” A second solution is to buy aquacultured live rock. This is rock that has been mined from quarries, placed in the ocean so it can be seeded with numerous aquatic life forms, and then harvested after a period of time. This rock is usually shipped out of Florida. While this type of rock would technically be from the ocean, it nevertheless provides a very attractive middle ground and is an easy alternative to asking reef friends and local fish stores to seed your rock. TANK BRED FISH After having seeded my live rock and sand and allowing my tank to fully cycle, I was finally able to add fish, corals and invertebrates to the tank. This proved to be a much more manageable and enjoyable endeavor, but one that provided its own problems and challenges. First, I made the decision that in order to remain true to having ‘nothing from the ocean,’ I would only have tank bred fish instead of tank raised fish in my tank. Tank bred fish are fish that have never been in the ocean. Their parents may have been caught in the wild, but they have been born and raised in captivity. Tank raised fish, on the other hand, have been caught in the wild as juveniles and raised in captivity for a period of time and then sold to aquarists. The definition of what is considered a tank raised fish varies between companies selling these animals. Ideally, the younger these fish are when caught and the longer they are raised in captivity, the better. While there is a great deal of debate about the benefits of each type of fish and which is preferable (a discussion beyond the scope of this article), they each have their own unique benefits. Generally, tank bred fish have almost no direct impact on wild reefs, are less aggressive with each other, and are less likely to nip at corals and invertebrates in your tank than wild fish. Tank raised fish are found in greater variety than tank bred fish and may provide much needed funds to local collectors who are then incentivized to protect and properly manage their reefs.
A captive bred Mandarin Dragonet. Image by Anthony Young.
The Yellow Watchman Goby fares much better over a fine sand substrate. Image by Anthony Young.
This purple chalice sponge is easily fragged and grows readily under a variety of lighting conditions. Image by Anthony Young.
There are a variety of ways to get tank raised fish. The easiest way I found was to ask my LFS to place an order with a breeder. For my tank, I was able to quickly and easily get tank bred clownfishes, blennies, dottybacks, gobies, dragonettes, angelfishes, and assessors this way. Another source I used for finding tank bred fish was to connect with other hobbyists who were breeding fish and other reef animals in their basements and garages. Unbelievably, many of the breeders I connected with gave me their livestock for free and only asked that I pay for the shipping! INVERTEBRATES AND CORALS Finding a wide variety of reef invertebrates to put into my tank was much more difficult than finding fish. There are simply not very many invertebrates that are tank bred. Additionally, many invertebrates are maricultured instead of aquacultured in captivity, meaning that they are cultivated in their natural habitats. Oyster farming is an example of mariculture – small oysters called spats are placed on oyster beds, racks, or cages and raised in the ocean. This made them incompatible with the tank’s concept. That being said, some of the easiest tank bred invertebrates to find at your LFS are tridacnid clams. Various companies have facilities that raise ornamental derasa, maxima, squamosa, and other tridacnid clams in long, outdoor troughs. These clams are spawned and raised exclusively in these tanks and are never cultivated directly in the ocean, even though nearby ocean water is often continuously pumped through these tanks.
Four year old, captive bred Tridacna derasa clams in the author’s tank. Image by Kimberly Irish.
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Given proper husbandry and care, slow growing corals like this Mystic Grape Favia can grow into large sized colonies from a single polyp frag. Image by Anthony Young.
Other invertebrates that I was able to find commercially bred were peppermint shrimps, sea urchins, abalones, anemones and snails. Additionally, while I did not put any of them into my tank due to compatibility concerns, I was also able to find in limited quantities some cephalopods such as cuttlefish. Finding captive propagated coral was much easier than finding invertebrates, primarily due to the wide variety of sources for frags. Since everything in our hobby comes from the ocean if one goes back far enough, I decided that I would only include second generation frags or later. Second generation frags are frags that had been taken from mother colonies who themselves originated as frags. I thought that if I didn’t have this requirement, I could just take a frag of any wild colony that came into my local fish store, thereby defeating the whole purpose of my tank. I was able to get about 25% of my coral frags from my trusted local fish store which sells frags that other aquarists bring in. The vast majority of my corals, however, came from friends and members of my local reef club. Through trades, frag swaps, and my reef club’s revolutionary Don’t Break The Chain (DBTC) program, I was able to get almost every coral I ever wanted! DIFFICULTIES AND BENEFITS As I’ve explained above, putting a ‘nothing from the ocean’ tank together has its own unique obstacles and challenges. One of the major obstacles is that no matter how hard I search or try, there are some things which I simply cannot at the moment have in my tank. There are a great number of animals (like tangs, wrasses, cleaner shrimps) that have not yet been commercially tank bred. Finding enough algae grazers has also been a real ongoing problem. Likewise, there are some corals that are simply not easily fragged and propagated that I would love to have but can’t – like Scolymia and Wellsophyllia, for instance. Whereas over 95% of the freshwater ornamental fishes that you find in local fish stores are tank bred, the marine aquaculture industry has barely scratched the surface. Research and technology are improving every year in marine aquaculture, and breakthroughs in breeding and rearing (often with help from hobbyists themselves) are occurring continuously. It is my hope that in the not too distant future, the availability of tank bred marine animals will match those of the freshwater industry and those wishing to replicate what I have done can do so much more easily. Reef Hobbyist Magazine
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One of the best things I have learned in creating my unique reef tank is that our hobby is filled with tons of friendly, selfless, and extremely helpful people. From giving me corals and fish to allowing me to place my rock in their tanks for seeding, numerous people helped me create the beautiful tank I have today. In fact, I’ve found that putting a tank like this together has forced me to get out there and meet, interact, and connect with many fellow reef enthusiasts, something that I may not have done if I hadn’t taken this journey.
This beautiful Elegance Coral has been propagated, traded, and sold among reef hobbyists for over 25 years. Image by Anthony Young.
This acro started as a 2nd generation frag. Image by Kimberly Irish.
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kevin erickson
Masna awards student academic scholarships
Bobby Ortiz with an adult Hawaiian Brown Ray at Sea Life Park, Hawaii.
“The aquarium hobby instills in us an appreciation for the marine environment and its organisms. We learn and share with others at home, online, and at club meetings, and in doing so, spread our passion for the hobby.” – Zachary Ostroff, 2012 – 2013 MASNA Graduate Student Scholarship winner.
Zach Ostroff and Bobby Ortiz with the 2012 – 2013 MASNA Scholarship Committee.
is Zachary Ostroff. Zach is a full time Zach Ostroff at a Caribbean staghorn Masters of Marine ‘line’ farm site. Biology candidate at Nova Southeastern Now in its fifth year, the Marine Aquarium Societies of North University’s OceanoAmerica’s (MASNA) Student Scholarship program has to date graphic Center in provided $15,000 in funding for undergraduate and graduate Florida, where he Bobby Ortiz and Zach Ostroff with MACNA 2012 banquet keynote speaker Jean-Michel Cousteau. college students to pursue their degrees in a marine science conducts his rediscipline. From just a handful of applicants a few years ago to search on the susover 100 applicants in the 2012 – 2013 season, the MASNA Student pended ‘line’ nursery farming of the threatened Caribbean staghorn Scholarships have grown to be competitive, prestigious awards. coral, Acropora cervicornis. Zach currently keeps a 29 gallon mixed reef and a 120 gallon soft coral/LPS system. Applications for the awards are judged based on the applicant’s enrollment in a marine science undergraduate/graduate degree Both recipients were in attendance at MACNA 2012 in Dallas, program, a G.P.A. of 2.5 or greater, and their proven contributions Texas, where they were presented with their $2,500 scholarships and demonstrated commitment to the marine aquarium hobby. at the Saturday night conference banquet. Both Bobby and Zach were able to meet with MACThis year, with sponsorships from Doctors Foster and Smith, NA banquet keynote speaker, 2012 – 2013 MASNA LiveAquaria, and EcoTech Marine, MASNA was able to award Jean-Michel Cousteau, after SCHOLARSHIP SELECTION both a $2,500 undergraduate student scholarship and a $2,500 the banquet and presentaCOMMITTEE graduate student scholarship, provide all expense paid trips for tions, where they discussed both winners to MACNA 2012 in Dallas, Texas, and provide each their awards. Steven Pro, MASNA President Kevin Erickson, MASNA recipient with a VorTech MP10 pump from EcoTech Marine. Vice President MASNA, the MASNA ScholarAdam Blundell, MASNA It is with great pleasure that MASNA can announce this year’s ship Committee, Doctors Fos Director at Large MASNA Student Scholarship recipients: ter and Smith, LiveAquaria, Amanda Cox, MASNA Secretary Dr. Sanjay Joshi, Professor of and EcoTech Marine would Industrial and Manufacturing The 2012 – 2013 MASNA Undergraduate Student Scholarship like to congratulate Bobby Engineering, Penn State University winner is Roberto (Bobby) Ortiz. Bobby is a full time marine biology and Zach on their awards. We Dr. Matt Wittenrich, Marine undergraduate at Hawaii Pacific University in Hawaii, where he are proud to call them MASNA Biologist, University of Florida’s is focusing on marine vertebrate zoology. Bobby currently keeps Student Scholarship recipients Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory Paula Branshaw Carlson, Director a 400 gallon fish breeding system with an outdoor refugium and wish them all the best in of Husbandry at The Dallas where he breeds local Hawaiian fish. He plans to continue his their future endeavors. World Aquarium studies and specialize in tropical aquaculture or marine vertebrate Kevin Kohen, Director of LiveAquaria veterinary science. For more information about Patrick Clasen, Director of Finance at EcoTech Marine MASNA and its programs, The 2012 – 2013 MASNA Graduate Student Scholarship winner head over to MASNA.org. Reef Hobbyist Magazine
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Darren nancarrow
A regal spawn Part 2
paracanthurus hepatus
Prolarvae at approx. 40 hours post spawn.
Editor’s note: readers will recall that in part 1, Darren chronicled the acquisition of his pair of Regal Tangs and the realization that they had adapted their natural spawning rise to allow them to successfully spawn in his 120 gallon tank. Eventually, he was able to collect fertile eggs and part 1 ended with pictures and videos of a live Regal Tang prolarvae inside an egg at 30 hours post spawn. 50 HOURS POST SPAWN At about 50 hours post spawn, the prolarvae hatched from the eggs. There were approximately 15 to 20 prolarvae, all around 2mm long and actively swimming in the container.
Prolarvae at approx. 37 hours post spawn.
Given their size and transparent nature, catching the prolarvae or even seeing them was difficult. Development of the prolarvae in the first 3 to 4 days involved growing eyes, a mouth, digestive tract, and cloaca, none of which were present at hatch. At around this time, I started to offer a mixture of first foods. I introduced a slow bubbling airline to create a small amount of water circulation to keep the first foods alive. This included wild caught plankton, SS rotifers, copepod nauplii, and a mixture of algae species to maintain food for the zooplankton. As the fish developed, the spine became easier to see and looked like a string of three or four white baubles. Once this development was complete, the prolarvae had become larvae. Unfortunately, the larvae did not survive long past this initial stage. Success in development of the larvae has been slow, and so far, I have not been able to identify first foods that are suitable for long term culturing of the larvae. I have experimented using a mixture of wild plankton and the above listed food items in different combinations but have only been able to keep the larvae alive up to 37 days post hatch. With the longer periods, however, minimal development and growth occurs after about day 7, and the larvae are very susceptible to shock. Simply attempting to collect them in a pipette to photograph causes their death. My take on the low growth rate is that the first foods being offered are enough to keep the larvae alive but not nutritious enough for them to develop and grow.
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Prolarvae at approx. 45 hours post spawn.
Prolarvae at approx. 70 hours post spawn.
Prolarvae at approx. 96 hours post spawn.
HARVESTING PLANKTON The progress with wild plankton has been good, but the effort involved is significant. It requires trips to the ocean every 2 to 3 days, wading out in the water in the dark of night with a torch, and collecting 40 to 60 liters of seawater once there is a significant build-up of possible food items. The collected water is then passed through a 50µm and 20µm sieve. Live items that pass through the 50µm sieve but are caught in the 20µm sieve are then backwashed into a storage container and taken home to feed to the larvae. My experience so far suggests that wild caught plankton from the summer (Australian summer) is a critical component. I will need to repeat the trials with wild caught plankton later in the year in an attempt to make more progress in identifying useful food items. Once this has been done, I can attempt to culture and enrich these food items to allow for better larval growth. In the last few months, I have been given the loan of a microscope to assist in the identification of possible food items. This has helped enormously and will play a significant role moving forward. WHAT HAS BEEN ACHIEVED? My assessment of the success of this endeavor so far is positive, with two spawning females and a single male producing fertile eggs almost every day. The addition of the second female that has joined in on the spawning is an exciting development. This suggests that given the right conditions (food, adequate housing, etc.), these fish will spawn without the need for more than normal hobbyist aquarium conditions.
I have confirmed that the 50 hour incubation period varies with temperature and light. Temperature stability is also critical to proper egg development; too cold and the larvae emerge deformed, too hot and ciliates take over and feast on the eggs. The fertility rate of collected eggs started out quite low. However, this may have had more to do with infertile eggs being easier to find than the actual fertility rate. Over time, this has improved with both females, but the smaller female does have a lower hatch rate and smaller eggs than the larger female. The collection method of eggs does seem to have an impact on their viability. If I pass the water collected from the tank through a 75µm sieve or use the sieve as a net to collect the eggs, a large number of the eggs fail to develop. Simply collecting a container full of eggs and water, however, results in very good success with some batches producing hatch rates as high as 95%. WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? In the next year, I am hoping to be able to put more effort into expanding my breeding trials. The goal of the project is to be able to make headway with the following: • Acquiring additional broodstock and breeding tanks • Implementing better (automated) egg collection processes • Identifying initial food and food enrichment items To track the progress with my Regal Tang breeding project, comment on the progress, or help support my efforts, please visit the project’s Facebook page or follow my breeding journal at Marine Breeding Initiative.
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