Disease!
July 24, 2009
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 course. Careful selection of fish is the initial way, being careful to ensure the selected ones are as ‘clean’ as they should be. Other intended livestock should also be carefully inspected.
A second line of defence is the quarantine tank where any disease can be treated and cured before it is introduced to the main display aquarium where it creates a threat to other livestock. Strangely, most marine aquarists do not make use of quarantine instead introducing their livestock direct. This is taking a chance as dealing with disease especially in a reef system could be difficult – difficult because copper, the number one treatment for certain diseases, is deadly to corals.
The question of disease and its treatment is wide and quite varied. Most marine books have a section on disease which can be of assistance.
Here are two videos which deal with the subject, they are good quality and actions are clearly explained. A large part of the videos deals with cleaning up the aquarium prior to medication. Obviously the instructions on the medication container must be properly followed relative to the net gallonage of the aquarium. Finally, as already mentioned copper should not be used in a reef system – if there is any doubt check the medication manufacturer’s instructions and suggestions.
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A Question About Algae
May 31, 2009
Algae could be the aquarist’s friend and at the same time an enemy, it all depends on what type it is. A question arose recently about algae and my immediate reaction was ‘Oh no, not again, algae!’’ In fact it wasn’t so bad.
The question came from a beginner aquarist who openly admitted that she didn’t have much experience. In fact, she had done precisely four routine seawater changes with her new aquarium. The aquarium, a fish only, was not overstocked, if anything it was understocked. She was a little fed up; the excitement of actually seeing some life in the aquarium after all the patient waiting when the system was being put together was being spoilt by the dreaded algae. I was unable to see the aquarium.
Basically she had done seawater changes and after each one she advised ‘red’ algae had gone bananas. That’s what she said; I don’t think it could have been quite as bad as that!
Many aquarists have problems with various types of algae, particularly when inexperienced and when the aquarium is in its early days. I was surprised that it was red algae causing the trouble. Usually it is green hair algae, or so-called slime algae or smear algae (a thin sheet that slowly covers rocks, sand etc). Slime algae can be ‘reddish’, very dark and appear red nearly black. Another type is diatoms that are usually more golden brown in colour.
Red algae can be calcareous and branching or encrusting, or have flexible ‘leaves’. These algae types are often sort after by aquarists as they are decorative. In the red algae family there are over 4000 types. The algae though had been identified as a problem and not decorative so it cleared these types away. So the algae in question had to be a problem type, but what? Green hair algae was obviously not the answer.
When an aquarium is first started up diatoms often appear. They could cover rocks, sand etc. The diatoms rely on silicates in the seawater – if the silicates go so do the diatoms. If they appear then die back, the silicates are used up. If they then re-appear at a routine seawater change, then more silicates have been introduced. The fresh water source could be suspect. Dry sea salt does not usually cause this type of problem.
Smear or slime algae is a bigger problem. It can be quite difficult to erase but this can be achieved. The presence of smear algae suggests excess nutrients in the seawater, even in a new aquarium. Also smear algae does not like strong currents – it often tends to appear in quiet areas of the aquarium, though just to be helpful it can appear in more turbulent areas.
10% of the net system gallonage is the guideline amount for routine seawater changes, until the actual needs of a particular aquarium are known. The changes being done were of this amount.
Possibilities would have to be narrowed down, so the first suggestion was that seawater tests should be done, that is, nitrate and phosphate. A request was made to test both the seawater in the aquarium and the new seawater made up for a routine change. Ideally, in the aquarium nitrate should be as low as 10ppm (parts per million) or less particularly for a reef aquarium, a fish only could be higher but should still have nitrate minimized. Phosphate should not be detected at all hopefully, but at least the level should not be more than 0.03ppm. If it is higher, say 0.10ppm, it is too high. In newly made up seawater there shouldn’t really be any presence of nitrate or phosphate. Nitrate and phosphate are known problem algae nutrients, thus the need for control.
It turned out that nitrate and phosphate were present and ‘a little too high’, levels were not given. The seawater destined for the routine change was also tested – the same for nitrate. Now then!
So on to the next possibility. This follows the clues given – the algae become more apparent after a routine seawater change and nitrate was present in the new seawater. A check was suggested of the freshwater being used.
The information arrived that the nitrate level in the freshwater was ‘high’. Maybe this was tap water, the most likely, or it could be local spring or well water, I don’t know. Nor was the actual level given. However, ‘high’ in this instance meant ‘too much’ and this seemed to be the problem that needed to be dealt with.
Tap water is not necessarily as pure as might be thought. In agricultural areas there could be excessive nitrate levels. There could also be heavy metals, pesticides, phosphate, chlorine, chloramines and so on. The water is made safe for human consumption; there are regulations as to how much of what is permitted.
The suggestion was made that fresh water should no longer be used from that source, and that a reverse osmosis (RO) unit should be obtained. The RO unit is a membrane that only permits pure water to pass, or nearly so. The purity is usually about 95 to 98%. It is important to have a unit that incorporates a carbon filter at the front end; this protects the membrane as chlorine is removed. Chlorine could damage the membrane. A sediment filter is often incorporated before the membrane as well. RO units come in various ‘gallons per day’ sizes, one needs to be picked that is suitable for the size of the routine seawater change. RO units are very reliable and only require the carbon filter etc changing from time to time in accordance with the manufacturer’s directions. They are not particularly expensive either.
It is worth using high quality fresh water obviously for the welfare of the livestock; also dry sea salt is not cheap. Dry sea salt manufacturers produce salt that is free of nitrate and phosphate – why spoil this with poor fresh water?
Much later on it was learned that an RO unit was in use and though nothing had happened for a while, in time the algae (‘slime’ I assume) started to reduce and the aquarium became clear of it.
This seems a good demonstration that the aquarium will reflect what it receives. Feed in algae nutrients and algae could appear. In this case all turned out well.
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My Lovely Algae
May 28, 2009
Algae to an aquarist often mean trouble. It is one of the continuing ‘don’t wants’ of the aquarium. Hair algae, slime algae, yuk, no thanks! Then there’s the algae that’s purposely grown in a sump to aid filtration, usually Caulerpa.
The algae referred to here is none of the ‘horribles’, or Caulerpa, but the ‘reefy’ encrusting algae that is welcome, by me anyway.
At first when the aquarium started I used to keep all four side glasses clean. A considerable time later I noticed that encrusting algae had taken hold in a back corner. A closer look showed that it seemed decorative and welcome, so the algae’s impending doom with a scraper was averted. One end of the aquarium was not cleaned at all; it was left to its own devices. The glass turned green, the usual stuff, but despite twitching with the urge to clean it off, it was left alone. Over a few weeks it gradually turned dark.
I thought about this for a while, and then increased the alkalinity of the seawater from 2.5 meq/L to 4.0 meq/L. The reason for this action was that it had been anecdotally reported that bad algae grew poorly with higher alkalinity, but encrusting decorative algae does better. Having done this I monitored the corals carefully but nothing untoward occurred.
As time progressed the glass that had been left turned into dark, medium and light green patches. It also developed lots of tiny white pimples on it. It looked great.
Having obtained reassurance by this ‘experiment’, I left the back glass alone and just kept the front and one end glass clean. This was probably going to happen anyway as the corals were larger and getting to some areas of the glass had become difficult. The algae continued to develop and then covered the stated glass panels completely. The aquarium looks really great with this natural decoration in place. The original blue of the back glass can no longer be seen.
The alkalinity level has been maintained at 4.0 meq/L for years and the encrusting algae do seem to appreciate it.
I did note that algae over an area of about 2 square inches had come away from the glass and fallen down; it could be seen on a rock. The glass where it had been was clean. The fallen alga was quite thick, about 1/8 of an inch, so I assumed it had simply lost adhesion, glass is hard and smooth. Sure enough, the clean area was soon being taken over and is now once again covered.
Something else I have noted is that tiny shrimps, similar to the ones that scurry over the rocks and sand at night, take refuge behind some areas of the algae. Close inspection shows that the algae appears to be slightly loose in place – I wonder if the beasties have burrowed their way in or simply taken advantage.
Over time one or two additional patches of encrusting algae have come away and are growing back. Taking a photograph of the algae is difficult as corals tend to get in the way, however I did find one area that is reasonably open and used that. The patches on the left can be seen, in process of re-covering. Original algae can also be seen. Incidentally, the attached ‘leafy’ algae that can also be seen aren’t what I’m talking about, but are also very decorative. It is also very friendly in that if any does grow where it isn’t wanted the whole ‘leaf’ easily comes away for removal.
Algae can be the aquarist’s friend, adding a natural decorative background and increasing the overall attractiveness of the aquarium.
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Algae – Friend Or Foe?
April 28, 2009
Mention the word ‘algae’ to different marine aquarists and the reaction could be mainly one of two, a look of horror perhaps bordering on panic or a smile and a nod. It all depends.
To some aquarists algae is most definitely a foe. These aquarists are, in the main, novices who are gathering experience and have found out the hard way the consequences of over feeding, over stocking, or over lighting. There could even be a combination. One consequence is long hairy green stuff waving in the currents as though it is making fun of the suffering aquarist. Green filamentous algae can spread to such an extent it overgrows the whole aquarium! It seems to be hardy too, as even if the nutrient level is reduced the monstrous stuff seems to survive for quite a while. It takes the nutrients out of the seawater of course which is the only saving grace I can think of. No, there’s one more, which is that it is food for some fish. Nevertheless, it is not required in abundance.
Similarly, slime alga is a problem. This time it is like thin semi-solidified goo on surfaces which is capable of suffocating the life out of anything it covers, again definitely not required. Fortunately it can be siphoned out at routine seawater changes but tends to linger for a while.
So who smiles at algae? It has to be those aquarists who have control of their aquarium conditions. Seawater parameters are as they should be and not permitted to be anything else. Some of these aquarists use algae to combat other algae, which sounds like justice to me! For example, nitrate and phosphate are implicated in the growth of nuisance algae. The same nutrients are necessary to some decorative algae. So, take some decorative algae, such as the Caulerpa macro type, and grow it in reasonable quantity in favourable conditions. If the bad algae is being physically removed and the good algae is taking in nutrients and in favourable conditions, which will lose out? It is likely to be the bad algae. Many use the system and it is definitely helpful.
Have a look at the imported photo with this text. Is that some of the hairy stuff I see?
I’m going off track a little but remaining with algae. Here’s another positive for algae which could develop beyond the intended stated use in a few years. Hope it proves to be of huge benefit!
http://coast2coastam.net/?p=198
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How Can You Diagnose Fish Disease?
March 19, 2009
Reading marine aquarium potential disease pages in a book could be enough to make an aquarist’s hair stand on end! Various problems appear to be lurking ready to inflict doom on the unsuspecting livestock.
It doesn’t ever have to be a problem – disease that is. The advance in collection methods and aquarium husbandry has been high over the last decade and there must be many aquarists who have never faced disease problems. It must be said though that the problems could still strike. It has been stated many times that the major defence is with the aquarist, from the moment he/she goes into the LFS to the moment the fish is released in the display aquarium observation and proper procedures should be observed. Even if all is as it should be, there remains the possibility of problems.
The good news is that most diseases can be dealt with successfully nowadays if the disease can be attacked. The bad news is relevant to the latter part of the last sentence. For example, copper is a prime treatment of certain parasitic problems and copper is also deadly to invertebrates. So if the aquarist runs a reef system copper is not the choice treatment.
Observation of fish stock should be a daily occurrence. This is easily achieved as the aquarist will usually feed daily and the fish are easily seen. If one doesn’t come out to feed there isn’t a need to immediately think there is a problem, but a warning bell should ring. Next time, is the fish there? If not, what’s going on?
If fish are seen to be swimming strangely such as darting about, apparently unable to hold a normal position in the seawater, lethargic, breathing more quickly than usual, or rubbing (flicking) against rocks then the aquarist should first of all test the seawater. Do an ammonia and nitrite test, followed by a pH test. If all is normal and the seawater is of its usual high quality then move on. If there is something wrong with the seawater then deal with it – a larger than usual seawater change or changes will dilute any ammonia or nitrite presence. Make sure nothing has happened to damage the bio-filter, for example if a canister filter is in use they are driven by an electric motor which could have slowed or stopped. If the pH is low is the seawater circulation as it should be? If it isn’t then oxygen intake could have been affected. Fix the offending article such as a powerhead etc.
So overall the seawater is the first suspect and it will not take much time to confirm this one way or another. If there isn’t a problem with the seawater then attention returns to the fish.
Correct disease identification is very important. It will not be of much use applying medication if it is the wrong sort. Also, applying a wide range of medications in the hope that one of them will do the trick is not a good idea; it will cause additional stress to the fish and probably exacerbate the situation. The aquarist should carefully observe the fish and try to see if there is anything unusual about them. There could be cloudy eyes, torn fins or little white/grey dots on the fish etc.
Identification of potential diseases of fish is a large and detailed subject and not suitable for this text. As has been said before there isn’t any need for an aquarist to be a scientist or engineer, but there is a requirement for the basics to be understood.
One of these basics is to be prepared, like a good scout. So what there should be, along with the test kits etc is a good marine aquarium book. Usually it isn’t a great deal of help going on the internet as to obtain relevant information the disease identity needs to be known. Asking for assistance and advice on a forum is good normally but in this case there is likely to be more than one identity suggestion as some disease indications are relevant to more than one problem, and in addition time is passing. Some problems need reasonably speedy action.
Picking a suitable book is easy as content can be ascertained in advance. The bonus is that there will be a lot of information relevant to the marine hobby other than diseases, so the aquarist will have a source of information literally at his/her finger tips.
So basically the routine is:
Observation – should be the habit daily.
Seawater – is the quality as it should be? Test and find out.
Identification = the most difficult. Having a good book which contains a diseases section is the best way forward. It will also detail suggested remedies.
On this website (aquaristsonline.com) are texts which are relevant to fish diseases:
Click on ‘Articles’ (top of page) then click at left hand side on ‘Aquarium Care’. Then click the article ‘Controlling Fish Tank Diseases.’
Again on ‘Articles’ and again under ‘Aquarium Care’, click on ‘An Aquaristic Nightmare.’
Click on ‘Blog’ (top of page). Then click on ‘Livestock’ then on ‘Fish’. Scroll down, there are some relevant to disease.
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Planarians
January 17, 2009
Planarians are otherwise known as flatworms. They can be fairly colourful and a few in the aquarium could be accepted by the aquarist as another life form on the captive reef to create more interest.
Unfortunately this is not so. Flatworms can definitely be placed in the ‘pest’ category. Some are parasites on specific organisms such as corals and others, strangely enough and like many corals, have zooxanthellae within their bodies*. If the flatworms are coral parasites then it will soon become apparent what is being attacked. The parasitical types do not usually have any colour, in other words they are transparent, and can therefore be difficult to spot.
If the flatworms are the free living types, the ones with zooxanthellae, then they will be coloured a shade of red. They are properly called Convolutriluba. Probably because of their need for light, as with corals, they are more likely to thrive in a reef aquarium with its bright lighting.
Red flatworms can be seen anywhere in the aquarium, on the viewing glasses and rocks etc. Fish are generally not interested in them as food, though it is reported that the mandarin fish (Synchiropus splendidus) will eat them. Perhaps the psychedelic fish (Synchiropus picturatus) will as well, but this is a guess. They are both beautiful fish.
If the aquarist notices just a few flatworms then a mandarin fish could be released to clear them up. There is an important point to be made about this, quite apart from checking general compatibility of the mandarin with other stock before introduction. First, the mandarin will have sufficient food for a while as the flatworms can breed at a high rate. There will also be other life on the reef which is on the mandarin’s menu, such as tiny shrimps. However, this food will disappear if, as hoped, the mandarin does its job. To the aquarist’s dismay, many mandarins and sychedelic fish die months after introduction because of a lack of food. So they should only be released into a reef aquarium that has been up and running for around 18 months or preferably longer. In addition the reef should be constructed of live rock, which hopefully will mean that there will be plenty of minute reef life for the fish to hunt. A look at the reef at night will usually indicate the abundance of tiny creatures.
There is a sea slug that will prey on flatworms, and this is called Chelidonura varians. It is quite beautiful but where can the slugs be obtained? It is worth a check with the local retailer or a phone call to a large internet supplier, but it is likely that they cannot obtain them. However, some aquarists have got hold of them – a query on a busy internet forum may be of use. Of course the usual problem raises its head – what does the slug eat when all the flatworms have gone?
As already stated these red flatworms breed at a high rate. Just a few on the rocks can soon cover the rocks, then the rocks and glass, then the rocks, glass and substrate, then the rocks, glass, substrate and corals. Yes, they can be that bad! Anything living that is covered by them will perish in time by asphyxiation.
It isn’t any use introducing the fish mentioned above if the aquarium is in the described state, the fish will only be able to deal with some flatworms and the fish’s capacity will be outstripped completely. Though there have been one or two reports of flatworms suddenly dying out without interference from the aquarist (why they died out is not known), with a large population it is much more likely that to save the reef the aquarist is going to have to apply chemicals.
There is another danger too. Just to add insult to injury, when flatworm populations die they release toxins which can kill any fish present in a short time, a few hours. It is reported that invertebrates are also killed by the toxins. Thanks!
So if the aquarist is going to use chemicals to kill the flatworms then, subject to the instructions supplied by the manufacturer, the protein skimmer should be at peak efficiency and activated carbon should be used, discarded and a new batch used again, all immediately after the treatment. Also any mechanical filter(s) should be carefully cleaned. In addition, a supply of new seawater should be ready, and the amount should be sufficient to carry out a seawater change of 25% or even higher, and the aquarist should be prepared to do another very shortly after if any signs of distress are noticed.
Let’s finish on a happy note! In all the years (decades, good grief!) that I have been keeping fish and corals I have never faced a flatworm problem. This could be good luck of course, and so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
(*Reference: Marine Atlas. Helmut Debelius & Hans A. Baensch)
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Algae I Didn’t Know Was There!
January 4, 2009
Today (Sunday) is maintenance day when closer attention is given to the aquarium. During the week it is feeding and when needed a manual water top up. Anyway, as said, maintenance.
Maintenance was carried out as usual without any problems. I noticed a coral (a toadstool) was loose and breaking away from its anchor point. So when the partial seawater change had been completed – the last task in the maintenance – I turned my attention to the coral.
It was simple removing it from the rock. The reason it had become loose was because new corals were growing from it and the new ones used the same anchor point. This meant that the seawater currents had more to affect causing more of a strain. I got out a cocktail stick and positioned the coral in a location where it could spread more easily though still in the same area.
As I bent to complete the re-positioning I noted a group of new toadstools that were growing. Great! Then I noticed at the rear of the aquarium on the rockwork some algae commonly called ‘sailor’s eyeballs’. The proper name for these is Ventricaria ventricosa. These are thought to be maybe the largest single-celled organism on the planet. Each cell is filled with carbon monoxide, a toxic gas* – this doesn’t normally cause trouble though. The cells are also filled with a large number of spores. After sufficient growth the cell bursts and these spores are released – not wanted!
I wasn’t alarmed as I have dealt with these little perishers on and off for a long time. They are quite attractive really, but it is the extent they can spread that is the problem. It was when I noticed the spread that immediate action was required; there must have been 100 or more of them growing. I hadn’t noticed them until I had to lean over the aquarium at an unusual angle to fix the coral.
So off I went to get my very sophisticated anti-blob kit – a length of silicone airline fastened to a short length of rigid airline. After emptying the old seawater from the bucket I commenced siphoning. The algae are destroyed one by one by pressing the end of the rigid airline on them until they burst. Any spores are hopefully drawn into the siphon tube by the seawater flow. This destruction process becomes more efficient with practice. I can achieve quite a speed as, as said, I have been having small skirmishes with them for a long time. It took about ten to fifteen minutes and the job was done.
They will be back of course as there isn’t a way that all of them will be removed, there are so many nooks and crannies in a reef aquarium. The majority will have been destroyed though.
The event reminded me to check from time to time areas of the aquarium that are hidden from a normal viewing angle.
What a shame it is a nuisance though. The appearance of the algae is said to be a good sign as it will only prosper in excellent seawater conditions*, that is, seawater lacking in phosphate and nitrate. Also, as stated, it is quite decorative.
Below is a link to enable identification of the algae. The images can be clicked on to enlarge them.
(Reference: Baench Marine Atlas. Helmut Debelius & Hans A. Baensch)
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