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Many aquarist’s have been bit by the red bug, or the monti nudibranches or flatworms etc etc. In this article I will explain a few ways to prevent these mishaps.
Disease in the aquarium is one of the main fears of aquarists. Once the presence of a disease is known the aquarist’s stress level shoots up and quite understandably so – at the worst there could be a full aquarium wipe-out.
I intend looking at two fish problems. These two problems are probably the most feared by marine aquarists. Those who keep a fish only aquarium could sweat a little less, but the owner of a reef aquarium can have real trouble.
Food is required by all life for energy and general health. Lots of food of the wrong type may provide some energy but the contents will not supply the general needs of the life form. So it is important to feed the life in the marine aquarium the correct type of foods and at the same time not overfeed
The aquarist has a responsibility in his/her aquarium to maintain stable water conditions, and this applies for fish only systems and also particularly for reef systems. The stability referred to here is the continuing maintenance of appropriate levels of pH, alkalinity, calcium and the like, and also the maintenance of appropriately low levels of phosphate and nitrate. What must also be included in water parameter stability is the aquarium temperature.
The salinity of the marine aquarium is one of the major parameters that must be routinely checked. Salinity can change because of evaporation, and it is important to keep it stable. Daily top-ups of the water to a pre-determined level is an easy way, or using an auto top-up device.
The reef aquarium with hard corals (SPS) is the desire of many an aquarist. The sight of pictures on the internet and in books only serves to increase that desire. With modern aquaria and equipment, plus the knowledge gained over recent years, this desire can be met, and more easily than some suspect.
Keeping a seawater aquarium nowadays is a generally straightforward affair. Provided the design and setting up is satisfactory and the aquarist does the necessary periodic maintenance properly, the aquarium will give pleasure for a long period.
Aquarists keeping cold water systems very often employ chillers (coolers) to prevent the seawater warming up excessively. Warm water systems that are in naturally warm areas may well need to do the same to prevent overheating.
The marine reef aquarist carries out routine changes to maintain the necessary high quality of the seawater. The life within the aquarium makes demands on the seawater and the aquarist needs to ensure that there is sufficient quantity to meet those demands.
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Amino Acids are quickly becoming one of the most popular additives to any serious reef keeper’s arsenal. There are many different reasons why they are being used and many why I suggest everyone should use them.
Many aquarist’s have been bit by the red bug, or the monti nudibranches or flatworms etc etc. In this article I will explain a few ways to prevent these mishaps.
As an aquarium professional I would like to discuss the pressure our hobby as put on the worlds reefs and what we can do to minimize damage. First and foremost we must promote responsible reef keeping by learning and researching these wild animals we wish to care for out of their natural environment. Management through collector and consumer education as well as captive farming and aquaculture we can make this hobby sustainable.
The seas and oceans cover the majority of the planet surface. Within those seas the wild reefs have grown and all of their needs are met, be that calcium or whatever
Most marine systems are set up to house tropical livestock, which means that attention has to be given to maintaining a moderately high seawater temperature
…..I need a very basic list of needs for the basic marine system There are a lot of individual items about setting up a marine aquarium in the blog and article areas on this website, but nevertheless flicking around locating topics for a beginner who has little idea of the basics could be confusing. So an ‘in a nutshell’ list could be of help. We’re told it will be anyway, so here goes! Remember this is basic. At the end I’ve put article locations which could be of use.
Whatever type of marine system is kept lighting is important. With a fish only aquarium the fish need a day cycle and of course need to see where they are going.
Disease in the aquarium is one of the main fears of aquarists. Once the presence of a disease is known the aquarist’s stress level shoots up and quite understandably so – at the worst there could be a full aquarium wipe-out.
These lovely and strange life forms are very endearing and become a household pet very easily. Children in particular seem to be fascinated by them. The care of seahorses is not to be undertaken lightly. They need very similar maintenance to a fish only marine system, so the requirement to carry out maintenance regularly needs to be accepted.
There is understandably great fascination with some anemones, mainly because of their well known association with clownfish. Seeing these colourful little fish nestling in among what are normally dangerous tentacles is amazing.
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There is a variety of equipment to assist in the maintenance of a marine aquarium. Some are essential such as the heater/thermostat, others are supportive for example the auto top-up system. The calcium reactor is often supportive, but in some circumstances it can be argued that it is essential.
The canister filter has been in use for decades. Freshwater aquarists were the first to make use of them and they still do. Then along came the marine aquarium and the canister filter was employed to support those to. Canister filters have been around for so long that they are now very dependable and failures are rare.
Using mangroves as a type of filtration in a salt water system was started by Julian Sprung several years ago. He planted a mangrove into one of his aquariums just to see what would happen and to his surprise it actually started to grow and flourish. An article was produced by Julian Sprung detailing the benefits of utilising mangroves in an aquarium and many aquarists started to utilise mangroves as an additional form of nutrient export.
Whilst doing your research (which if you have not gathered by now is very important!) you will have probably heard of a term called the ‘Berlin Method’ but do you actually know what it is and what it means?
Filtration is at the heart of the aquarium system. It is essential for the well being of the livestock. Modern filtration systems usually involve live rock perhaps with a deep sand bed (DSB). The trend is towards more natural filtration, and often macro algae such as Caulerpa is used to assist in mopping up nutrients such as phosphate and nitrate. Filtration is assisted with an efficient protein skimmer.
Fresh water is used constantly by the marine aquarist, first when the aquarium is initially filled and then for ongoing routine water changes. Of course, an appropriate amount of dry salt mix is added. Fresh water is also used for evaporation top-ups. On the face of it using tap water seems reasonable - but is it?
The seas and oceans cover the majority of the planet surface. Within those seas the wild reefs have grown and all of their needs are met, be that calcium or whatever
This is a question which I get asked quite a lot. I have my own personal preference but in reality it is down to you as an aquarist to make your own decision based upon your personal preferences. I suppose really it depends upon whether the aquarium has water in it or not.
A refugium can be made from many things in the aquarium but for the concept of this article we shall classify a refugium as an area which contains a sand covering and macro algae being grown. This type of refugium allows for two things to be completed : 1. A safe refuge for for animals to populate without fear of predation. 2. Excess nutrients to be removed by the macro algae growing.
Aquarium filtration is at the very heart of the aquarium. Without it fish waste, uneaten food etc cannot be processed and with the aquarium being a closed environment before long the aquarium inhabitants are going to suffer. An aquarium cannot function without filtration. There are various ways to implement a filtration system to the aquarium one of which is the bio ball. But are they any good - do they work?