Soon Be Back I Hope!

January 25, 2010

Unfortunately, in addition to the problems outlined earlier a further problem arose.

Sadly, our other grandmother fell over and broke a hip. She was admitted to hospital, had an operation and was discharged. She was unable to return home and is now in a care home where she appears to be settling in well.

Very sadly we lost the first grandmother.

All of this has meant that considerable time has been needed for family etc and dealing with two no longer needed homes.

Anyway, rough waters seem to be a little calmer now and I hope to be able to submit a few blogs as time passes and before long. I’ve tried to keep up with the comments and the forum.


Blog Traffic Exchange Related Posts Blog Traffic Exchange Related Websites

The Long Loud Silence

November 12, 2009

I thought I’d add my short piece to Peter’s words.

Since going on holiday for two weeks (in Arizona) all sorts have happened. As Peter has indicated, one of the two much loved grandmas has seriously deteriorated and now has to have 24 hour care. The time and work involved in making the necessary arrangements is quite amazing, though certainly not resented – grandma has given so much to my generation and particularly to my son Peter’s, and also to my grandchildren.

Things are ‘smoothing out’ now so life isn’t quite so hectic. I’ve managed to respond to comments on the blog and to entries on the forum.

My reef aquarium is doing well. I’ve just done a routine seawater change and the fish as usual attempted to obtain food by begging. The time sequence – that is the time periods that the aquarium receives for maintenance – has been completely out but it’s coming back on track.

As Peter says, we’ll start writing again soon. It’ll probably be me first as Peter is embroiled in projects and work considerations. I keep my fingers crossed for him.

So thanks for your patience.


Blog Traffic Exchange Related Posts Blog Traffic Exchange Related Websites

A Large Aquarium Re-Start

September 18, 2009

There are all sorts of aquarium sizes that are kept at home, though none as large as can be seen at a public aquarium as far as I know.

Successful small aquariums from the very small 10 gallons to the larger 50 gallons, fish only or reef, are very beautiful to look at as a whole, but their main impact is in the detail particularly with a reef. Even in a very small aquarium, provided it is a well aged system, there are growths of different algae, sometimes different corals popping up, existing corals spreading, miniature life such as tiny worms waving around looking for food and tiny shrimps foraging about particularly at night. At night small snails could appear then hide away again when dawn arrives. There’s often more.

With larger aquariums the impact is not just the beauty but the eye filling dimensions. I would guess that if asked a marine aquarist would normally advise that a larger aquarium would be on their shopping list ‘if only’. It cannot be denied that a fish only system with many fish and some of them larger species such as angels is a real spectacle. A properly designed and stocked reef system, well, that is truly something. It appears as if the reef has been sliced out of the wild and placed in the aquarium complete with life. It is true of course that any captive reef doesn’t have the diversity of Mother Nature’s own, but let’s not start nit picking. Again, close inspection should reveal all sorts of interesting items as in the previous paragraph but probably more so. Most viewers however wouldn’t be too concerned about small detail; the overall view would be the one to watch.

There is a large aquarium that is accepted as one of the best. It belongs to David Saxby and can certainly be described as large. Many marine aquarists are aware of it and have watched the video of the original aquarium, lovely as it was. Was? Yes, the aquarium has been stripped down and re-started so that the livestock could be altered. A new video has been produced that is very watchable and well made. There are some lovely fish to be seen, anthias and yellow tangs seems to be a favourite – watch out for the different coloured one. There’s also one of my favourite fish, the copperband butterfly.

As said the video is worth watching and is relaxing, so sit back and just enjoy. Here it is:


Blog Traffic Exchange Related Posts
  • ‘Big’ To The Marine Aquarist Most marine aquarists keep mixed reef aquariums, some of them are very small ‘nano’ systems and others could be six footers, large in the hobby...
  • What Is A Natural Reef Aquarium? This seems to be a bit of a nonsense. How can there be a natural reef aquarium? An aquarium is a container with seawater and...
  • The Feather Duster Worm Reef aquariums could be home to many life forms. One of these is the obvious, fish, in many aquariums these are small and inoffensive, and...
  • Stocking The Saltwater Aquarium - Part 1 In Part 1 a fish only aquarium will be covered. In Part 2 the reef aquarium will be looked at. It is assumed that the...
  • Aquarium Additives and Soft Corals 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...
Blog Traffic Exchange Related Websites

Marine Dragons

September 14, 2009

We’ve all heard of dragons haven’t we? When we were children we read or had read to us stories about dragons, big and fearsome creatures that were real monsters of the mind. They could fly and usually could breathe fire. Now we’re adults it’s all fantasy of course, a part of children’s stories or sci-fi movies. As often as not the dragons are the bad guys.

We used to have dinosaurs of all sorts, flying, land and sea based ones. They could be small or large – how about that favourite of many, the Tyranosaurus rex?

There is a ‘dragon’ in the sea though it isn’t one really it’s a sea horse known as a ‘leafy dragon’. Not what the word ‘dragon’ really intended, nor was the word intended for those ladies who eat people for breakfast!

If you went to Romania what would you expect – hmm, how about Dracula, but no, that’s the wrong country.

So did they exist at all, dragons? The answer is a maybe – maybe? Have a look at the video and see what you think. Look at the shape, the wings…

Just imagine having a peaceful swim and one appeared, what would your reaction be?

Here’s the video, you’ll need to wait a few seconds for the advertisement to clear:

http://animal.discovery.com/videos/dragons-a-fantsay-made-real-aqua-dragon.html


Blog Traffic Exchange Related Posts
  • How to mix saltwater New seawater is going to be mixed many times in the future. Why not take a little extra trouble in the initial mix and save...
  • Life Span Of Tropical Marine Fish We look after our fish very well, don’t we. Whether it is a fish only aquarium or reef aquarium, a lot of thought goes into...
  • Disease! The very word can strike fear into any marine aquarist. Diseases, particularly ‘velvet’ and ‘white spot’ are real threats. The threat can be minimized of...
  • Let’s Go Clubbing! Receiving an invite like that normally means getting into something really comfortable and going to town to study the nightlife, usually through a glass of...
  • This Wonderful Hobby The marine reef aquarium gives the opportunity for aquarists to own and view something special. In the world of hobbies this must rate near the...
Blog Traffic Exchange Related Websites

What Is An Invertebrate?

September 11, 2009

Invertebrate

To avoid becoming a squishy heap on the ground humans have a skeleton. Quite a good invention really, not having a skeleton would cause quite a few difficult problems.

Humans aren’t alone with the possession of a skeleton of course; there are all sorts of life forms that have one too, how about the elephant or man’s best friend the dog as just two examples.

Skeletons are not essential to life however; there are creatures that don’t use one at all. As a non-scientist I can say that they use a different method to maintain their body shape, I’m not sure how a scientist would put it. For example a shrimp has a hard outer shell rather than an inner skeleton.

Vertebrates, those that have a skeleton, are vastly outnumbered in the world. It is estimated that vertebrates are around 3% of the life forms in the world. It follows that a massive 97% (I just had to demonstrate my mathematical abilities) are invertebrates.

There are land dwelling insects such as spiders and worms, examples of well known invertebrates. In the cold sea there are huge numbers of plankton, anemones, sponges etc. The warm seas contain many better known (to the marine aquarist) invertebrate species, including filter feeding worms, shrimps, corals and sometimes very large anemones. It is with some anemones of course that the representatives of the vertebrate/invertebrate world have combined forces to mutual advantage; these are the clown fish with their selected hosts. There are other examples of this life style.

Invertebrates are very adaptable as demonstrated by the discovery of volcanic activity deep in the sea well beyond the sun’s light. Scientists used to accept that life basically depends on the availability of light from the sun, an example of which is that plant life uses the sun’s light to photosynthesize and grow, and then the plant life is eaten by a herbivore from which energy is obtained. Herbivores are then the prey for carnivores. They all basically depend on the plants and the sun. This belief has been changed by the life found near this deep volcanic activity, including filter feeding worms, mollusks, bacteria and crabs which depend not on the sun’s light but on heat and chemicals.*

Anyway marine aquarists, or rather those who maintain a reef system, keep various types of invertebrate including shrimps, corals, sponges, anemones, filter feeding worms etc. These very interesting life forms only ask for a few things for success, including high quality seawater, for the majority of corals and some others sufficient light of the correct spectrum, space to grow and freedom from predation. It is usually important to place for example corals in a position where they receive sufficient seawater flow.

It is worthwhile noting that all marine aquariums, big or small, fish only or reef, depend on invertebrates for their health and life. The bio-filtration system, whether this is live rock or canister filters, contains bacteria that deal with the toxins ammonia and nitrite. Without these bacteria the life in the aquarium would die. With live rock, further bacteria should be able to deal with the sometimes troublesome nitrate.

Those aquarists who make use of natural live rock could discover that they have invertebrate life forms in their aquariums that they didn’t import themselves or at least not intentionally. Some such as filter feeding worms could be welcome. Others such as the Aiptasia anemone are not welcome. The Mantis shrimp is another, though in this case it is worth keeping but needs re-housing to an area where problems won’t arise.

Invertebrates provide the aquarist with a chance to create a living reef at home, be this large or small, though compared to Mother Nature’s creations all home reefs are miniscule. Nevertheless, a successful home reef is wonderful to see.

(* Reference: Marine Invertebrates. Martyn Haywood & Sue Wells)


Blog Traffic Exchange Related Posts
  • Can Natural Aquarium Lighting Work? The wild coral reefs sit under the sun and do well. Everything is correct - spectrum, intensity, photoperiod and the dawn/dusk sequence. Could the aquarist...
  • Night Time Is Just As Important As Day Time Most (perhaps all?) life runs to a light and dark rhythm. Humans certainly do, we need our sleep. Life on the wild reef isn’t an...
  • The Essential Bacterial Service There is one area in the aquarium no matter if it is fish only aquarium or a reef aquarium that the aquarist must have. If...
  • How To Convert A Freshwater Aquarium To A Saltwater Aquarium This is not an attempt to lay down railway lines for a converting aquarist to religiously follow, but hopefully a thought provoker that indicates some...
  • It Takes Time Any experienced aquarist can understand why a newcomer to the hobby really wants to see some livestock in their aquarium, because those aquarists have been...
Blog Traffic Exchange Related Websites

Goldfish And Marine Aquariums

September 8, 2009

Gold Fish

I’ve been involved with aquariums for 40 years or more and no, I’m not going to try advising the secret of keeping goldfish in salt water! What I’m going to do is remember, if I may.

Over 40 years ago I had nothing to do with fish. What did I do with my time I wonder – well, I had two children, Michael and Peter. As is normal we ended up one day at a fair and yes, there was a goldfish stall, throw a hoop or something similar. My boys must have been good shots because we ended up with a couple of goldfish, the common variety, in a plastic bag. They had instantly joined the family and so a small plastic aquarium was obtained on the same day. Once home into the aquarium they went. Michael and Peter were overjoyed. It must have been at least a whole week before they lost interest!

So there they were, these two goldfish, in their small aquarium on a shelf. For a while nothing changed and then I added some gravel as it didn’t look natural. A while later I added a couple of plastic plants. Now things were so much better. The fish seemed to enjoy nosing about in the gravel. Guess who was in charge of cleaning and it wasn’t Michael or Peter!

Then I decided – and this I reckon is where I became doomed to my fate – the fish would be happier in a bigger aquarium, so they got one 24″ long. It came off the shelf and stood on a more solid work surface in the kitchen.

Then I decided it would be better to have tropical fish (the addiction was getting a grip). I kept standard tropicals for a while and still used plastic plants. The fish were fine.

Then I saw my first marines, this would be quite a while later, about 5 years after the first goldfish appeared. They were in a pet shop and I learned they were damsels. What colours, wow! I didn’t buy damsels once the decision had been made to keep marines; I obtained two common clowns (Amphiprion ocellaris). These were kept in a slightly larger aquarium, 30″, which sat in the same place as had the 24″.

Since that time I’ve travelled down the road in the same way that so many others have. That first small marine aquarium which was fish only became larger and as time passed contained a variety of fish. All were reasonably successful and I don’t recall any serious problems except one. This was with a juvenile emperor angel (Pomacanthus imperator) about 3″ or so in length. It was so lovely I was quite awestruck. It seemed very happy in a 4 ft aquarium which had a reef and several soft corals. Then one day I found it lying upright against the front glass. Close observation showed it was breathing quite heavily and I suspected white spot or velvet, two serious diseases with marines. As the fish wasn’t moving I was able to inspect it with a magnifying glass but couldn’t see anything. Seawater testing indicated all parameters as being fully acceptable. Strangely, no other fish displayed any symptoms. Eventually the fish died and it affected me considerably, feeling quite guilty of losing a fish that had been taken from the wild and had died in my care. I was not as experienced as I am now of course, and currently I would have investigated further.

Soft Coral

On I went in the hobby and eventually graduated to a full blown reef aquarium. The first one was built into a wall like a picture, with a sump (a 30″ aquarium). The aquarium became larger (I filled in the hole in the wall) until, calamity, we moved house. This was 10 years ago.

An aquarium was inevitable though, the one I have now is smaller than that at the previous address because of the space available. Peter kindly purchased it for me, and I made the cabinet and hood and fitted all the bits and pieces.

It’s a soft coral reef which has been running for 7 years (I know this as I keep a notebook). I love soft corals, the pastel colours and the way some of them sway in the seawater currents. It’s lit by a bank of three marine white fluorescent tubes, and two blue (actinic) tubes. The tubes are timed for a ‘dawn’ and ‘dusk’ sequence, in the morning the blues come on first then the whites, and vice versa when they go off. Seawater movement is created by two powerheads, arranged to produce the necessary random chaotic flow type. The bio-filtration was by two Eheim Ecco canister filters containing sintered glass, this could seem a bit backward to some but it worked well. Any nitrate presence was dealt with by a home made hang-on sulphur based denitrator and routine seawater changes.

The reef is constructed of inert dead rock with the name ‘Grotto Rock’, I don’t know why as it wasn’t from any grotto. The rock is very porous which is good for bacteria populations. It was excellent for the purpose with its various shapes, and many caves and crevices were formed. The reef sits on a plastic grate about 1¼” or so above the base glass. Another powerhead pumps seawater under the reef (below the grate) through a multi-dispersal pipe, which has successfully kept the underside more or less clean and of course has kept the lower regions oxygenated and prevented temperature stratification. Once the reef had been constructed the net gallonage of the system was 43.

I also constructed a hang-on anti-phosphate filter filled with a well known media, and this has operated from the beginning.

There is also a hang-on protein skimmer, a Red Sea ‘Prism’. This isn’t the world’s best skimmer but it does a sufficiently efficient job probably because of the low fish load. There could be some DOM (dissolved organic matter) that could have been removed, but perhaps it is helping to feed the corals. Let’s not get into that as it’s another subject.

Apart from various corals there are only two fish, a Flame Angel (Centropyge loriculus) and a Fijian Damsel (Chrysiptera cyanea). I believe that with reef systems it is better to under stock than fully stock (although there is nothing really wrong with the latter if done properly and growth is taken into account). This is because of seawater as it is easier to maintain at high quality with less fish. It’s a matter of personal opinion and taste. Routine seawater changes are still completed.

I have a very small DSB (deep sand bed) which is not large enough to have any particular impact on the aquarium; it was constructed purely out of interest. It is successful and, particularly at night, numerous tiny life forms can be seen. In the main aquarium quite a large number of snails are seen at night, and fortunately they are not the troublesome variety.

The canister filters are still running though the media has been removed. This happened a good while ago because I suspected the dead rock had changed to live. The rock, with all the growths on it, looks very similar to the live variety. I began to wonder about the rock as there wasn’t ever a trace of nitrate when the seawater was tested. Admittedly there was a denitrator but was it that efficient? Also of course routine seawater changes were being done.

To check I stopped the denitrator. Over three months of testing there wasn’t a trace of nitrate so the denitrator wasn’t changing anything. It remains switched off though it hasn’t been removed (I’m maybe too lazy!). Then I tested the seawater before a routine change, still no trace of nitrate. Then I left the seawater unchanged for three weeks, still no trace. So I began to remove the bio-media from the canisters, one was emptied entirely, and then the system was left for two weeks. There wasn’t a trace of ammonia, nitrite or nitrate at weekly testing. Then I removed ½ of the bio-media from the other canister, still no change. Now the final media was removed, though this made me nervous there wasn’t any change whatsoever. The rock had become ‘live’.

As the rock was porous the bacteria that deal with the toxins ammonia and nitrite established themselves on and in it, followed deeper inside by the bacteria that are able to deal with nitrate. The canisters had become redundant, though they still run to cause agitation at the seawater surface. The rock dwelling bacteria are clearly dealing with any toxins that are produced.

There’s a large amount that I’ve missed out about the journey from goldfish to a reef as there would be with other marine aquarists who have followed the same or a similar route.

The marine hobby has provided a little insight into the world of the wild reefs. I’ve had the good fortune to snorkel on many reefs in various areas and what a pleasure it was.

As time has progressed I’ve become more and more involved in the whys and wherefores of this and that. Now that experience has accumulated, looking back to the very early days with marines I have to smile and consider it was certainly worthwhile. Learning continues. I’ve found the marine hobby to be educational and it develops the discipline of patience. It’s also entertaining and fun.


Blog Traffic Exchange Related Posts Blog Traffic Exchange Related Websites

How About An Apple?

September 5, 2009

Sea Apple

Most marine aquarists are only too happy to have something different in their aquariums, as long as that something fits in with the current population.

The apple being talked of here is the Sea Apple which is definitely different! As can be seen it’s colourful too. An aquarist who has one will usually be fascinated by ‘the thing in the corner’. The Sea Apple has been available to aquarists for many years. I feel that the beginner aquarist should let experience build before keeping one, as a pure guess say about a year, or at least until the common general husbandry mistakes are no longer made and seawater quality is consistently high. This is important as will be seen.

‘Sea Apple’ is the common name; the proper one is Pseudocolochirus axiologus. They need the usual correct introduction to the aquarium, that is, acclimatization, and should not be exposed to air. They need to be handled gently but this of course is the same for all livestock.

The Sea Apple does not require reef lighting as it is not a coral but a species of sea cucumber. This can of course be confusing, the common name talks of ‘apple’ yet the species is ‘cucumber’. (This seems to happen from time to time, such as the Foxface fish (Lo vulpinus) that belongs to the rabbitfish family.) The Sea Apple is usually able to grow to about 4″ (circa 10cm) though there are larger species that grow to about 6″ (circa 15.25cm) or more though these are not so readily available and are more expensive.

The Sea Apple is able to move slowly around the aquarium and will do so until it is happy with its position, and this depends a lot on seawater flow. The flow doesn’t need to be very strong but moderate to brisk. This is because from the top centre a crown of feathery tentacles will appear and too strong a flow could cause problems. As said, the Sea Apple will make its choice and the final place could be a viewing glass, a corner, a rock or even the tube from a tubeworm. The aquarist has his or her preference for position, so keep those fingers crossed. The final position is likely to be between half way and the top of the aquarium. Once the Sea Apple has come to rest it should be left in peace unless the position is causing trouble to other livestock or presents a danger to the Sea Apple itself. It should not be irritated by the aquarist; this could be a real problem as will be seen.

The tentacles are used for feeding and are extended into the seawater column for this purpose. Fine particulate matter is captured and, one by one, the tentacles are passed into the mouth for removal of any food and then withdrawn, it’s a bit like a human sucking food off the fingers. This is a fairly slow process and is fascinating to observe.

The Sea Apple is quite hardy in a high quality environment and can live a long time. Many do fail though and this is to do with feeding, or rather the lack of it. In most aquariums there is insufficient suitable fine particulate matter in the seawater and therefore the Sea Apple doesn’t get enough to eat. This causes it to slowly shrink until it dies. Target feeding is needed, the frequency of which is best twice a day or more if the need is observed. There are plenty of commercial fine foods available that are suitable. All that is needed is for this food to be squirted into the seawater with a suitable instrument a little upstream from the Sea Apple when it has the tentacles extended, the food will then drift over them. If the seawater current is too high causing the food to pass too quickly, turning off the pumps for a short period will not do any harm. Any of the fine food that is not taken will drift off and could well be captured by corals.

Overall I would suggest that a reef system is the best aquarium for the Sea Apple to be introduced into. The reason is that there is a greater likelihood that there will not be any fish present that could nip at the tentacles, though this is not always the case. If the Sea Apple is excessively harassed then serious trouble could occur.

The problem that a Sea Apple could cause is very serious. If it is excessively harassed and stressed a toxin could be released that could, and likely will, kill the other livestock. Not a pleasant thought. That is why the Sea Apple should not be harassed excessively by the aquarist and its tank mates should be suitable. In addition it would be a good cautionary measure to protect the intakes of circulation pumps etc so that the Sea Apple cannot be accidentally damaged, this should be done before introduction.

Having said that, the Sea Apple should be a good introduction to a suitable high quality environment provided the aquarist has reasonable experience and feeding is given suitable attention.


Blog Traffic Exchange Related Posts
  • The Essential Bacterial Service There is one area in the aquarium no matter if it is fish only aquarium or a reef aquarium that the aquarist must have. If...
  • Sea Hares Many reef aquarists who have some experience in maintaining their aquariums that is maintaining seawater quality at a high level are constantly on the lookout...
  • It’s All Done. That’s It Then It can take quite a time setting up a marine aquarium system. There’s the initial thought of ‘What do I want to keep, a captive...
  • The Blue Coral This coral falls into the ‘soft coral’ group, an octocoral, but it is a little strange for that grouping. This is because it is a...
  • The Mantis Shrimp Mantis shrimps are not the shrimps normally chosen by a marine aquarist to live in their display aquarium, and for good reason. They are very...
Blog Traffic Exchange Related Websites
  • The Best Foods For Men My favorite magazine is Men’s Health Magazine. Men’s Health has the best writers. It also has the best combination of fitness and non-fitness related information....
  • Rice is Nice..And Cheap! This is a guest post by Pamela Grundy, writer for Personal Finance Analyst. Personal Finance Analyst is an online community of bloggers dedicated to taking...
  • Avoiding Dangers in the Kitchen pt 1 Now is the perfect time to give your kitchen a good healthy inspection. There could be all kinds of hidden pitfalls and nasty foods that...
  • Feeding Animals Stumbled across this as I was researching more about nutrition and a vegetarian diet as my sister insists a person cannot go without meat. I'm...
  • Save Time, Money and Space in Over 80 Ways If you're looking for handy gadgets, tools and various items that can save you time, money or space (or all three!) this list of more...

Next Page »

order viagra onlines

cialis cheap fast

buy viagra search find free

viagra by mail order

buy viagra canada

buy viagra order viagra

buy viagra online 35008

buy viagra and overseas

buy viagra no prescription

buy cheap viagra in uk

buy cialis today

buy kamagra viagra india

buy viagra phentermine meridia adipex xenical

buy generic viagra buy

overnight delivery cheap cialis

buy generic cialis uk

viagra online order viagra

buy cialis re

gay men buy cialis

buy viagra professional

cheap viagra sales

buy cialis dreampharmaceuticalscom online

cialis cheap visa

cheap cialis generic

where to buy viagra in canada

viagra and cialis cheap

buy cialis online buy cialis online

easy buy viagra

find viagra cheap overnight mail

buy viagra online 35008 buy

dirt cheap viagra

order cialis online a href

cheap generic viagra no script

target google viagra order cheap

buy viagra online canadian

generic viagra buy online

canada viagra buy

buy viagra ups

buy online cialis

search results viagra buy online

buy viagra online alternative viagra

name cheap viagra

find search viagra buy free

buy viagra onli

cheap buy viagra

cheap viagra walmart

order viagra viagra

where can i order generic viagra

viagra buy online

buy viagra meds online

buy taladafil viagra

buy cialis online pharmacy online

buy viagra cialis

cheap cialis si

buy viagra pill online

order viagra online a href

cialis buy cheap online

buy viagra price drugs on

caverta cheap cialis generic viagra

viagra buy pharmacy iframe

buy cialis online 20mg

cheap impotence drug generic cialis delivery

buy cialis online dream pharmaceutical

buy cialis without prescription

generic viagra buy

russia buy viagra

buy viagra in canada

buy cialis inur order

warning buy viagra now

search results buy cialis generic online

cialis soft tabs cheap

generic cialis order softtabs online

buy cialis softtabs

buy viagra the best quality pills

viagra order onlinr

buy viagra in el paso texas

order cialis now

buy cialis overseas

itc exclusion order cialis

cheap viagra online

levitra buy levitra online viagra