Jellyfish
July 2, 2009
Jellyfish are usually recognized as those squishy things with trailing bits. There are few people with any in depth knowledge, particularly among aquarists. However, they are one of the oldest species in the seas and oceans.
Some jellyfish can be big, some small. Some have short stubby tentacles and others very long ones. Some can be dangerous, a fact well known to Australians.
Most contact with jellyfish is when a visit is made to a public aquarium where special tanks are often set up. Using specific lighting the jellyfish look really alien which attracts children in particular. My own local public aquarium uses actinic lighting to good effect.
Keeping jellyfish in a home aquarium is not unknown but very rare. Some, because of size and/or length of tentacles and/or danger are just unsuitable. Space is another problem, with a reef system there isn’t that much free seawater and a fish only system is usually fully stocked with, er, fish.
Nevertheless, jellyfish are fascinating creatures. The internet is a wonderful information resource and there’s a website that has as much information about jellyfish as anyone could want - species, food, predators, dangers and ‘what if you’re stung’ etc.
Have a look and learn something of these creatures from our seas and oceans:
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A Worrying Failure
June 23, 2009
Marine aquarists make use of varying types of equipment on their fish only or reef aquariums. This equipment is generally reliable nowadays but nevertheless any device has the potential to fail.
There are many canister filters in use for either mechanical or bio-filtration. Though live rock is the bio-filtration of choice for the modern aquarium, canisters are still in use by many for this essential task. There isn’t any reason why they shouldn’t be, though there are drawbacks.
Live rock is able, within reason, to deal with nitrate. In other words live rock should perform the full nitrogen cycle. This is the major drawback with canister filters, nitrate is the end product. This is because the bio-media within the canister is oxygen rich and there isn’t any need for oxygen to be obtained elsewhere. Nitrate reducing bacteria require an environment very low in oxygen which forces them to seek an oxygen supply elsewhere; nitrate is present so oxygen is taken from that which breaks the nitrate down. It follows that an aquarist using a canister filter needs to keep a closer eye on nitrate levels and carry out the requisite correctly sized seawater changes.
Another advantage of live rock is that there isn’t anything to break down, as opposed to a canister filter where there is an electric pump. As already said modern canisters are reliable though recommended models should be sought when purchasing, but what if a breakdown does occur?
Failure of the electric motor means that the whole function of the canister ceases as seawater flow stops completely. When an aquarist does routine maintenance the output from various devices is checked, an operation that takes hardly any time. However, it is more likely than not that a failure will occur at an inconvenient moment. Canister electrics are usually very quiet nowadays and there isn’t any indication of trouble apart from seawater output ceasing. So the first thing is to note the output anytime possible, such as at feeding time and when starting to simply observe and admire the aquarium. It only takes seconds.
A stopped canister filter should be switched off and then on again a couple of times, this sometimes frees up the motor. Don’t count on it though! If the motor does re-start then as soon as possible check the shaft and impellor for debris. However, before attempting to re-start by switching off and on note the comments in the following paragraphs.
Once the output from the canister is noted to have stopped there isn’t any way of knowing when it stopped. This is a worry because involved is the life support for the system, the bacteria. How are they faring?
It could be that the fish have been acting strangely and that is how the lack of seawater output was noticed. If this is the case then the failure occurred quite some time ago as there has been time for toxics to build up in the seawater. The first action is a seawater change, the size of which depends on the severity of the situation. If the fish are really obviously in trouble then 25% is not excessive, more if necessary, and the change should be done as soon as possible. The aquarist should be prepared to carry out a further change if necessary.
The aquarist should ensure that other equipment, namely the protein skimmer and seawater circulators, are working at maximum efficiency to ensure maximum oxygen intake and minimum bio loading (the skimmer should remove substances reducing the load on the bio-filter).
A regime of seawater testing should be introduced. Once the situation is under control the tests can be done once daily, but it is often better and more reassuring for the aquarist to do tests morning and evening. The tests are of course ammonia and nitrite. The only ongoing acceptable test result is ‘nil’ or perhaps more accurately ‘undetectable’.
If it is found that the canister filter electric motor has failed but the fish are not showing symptoms of distress then the failure is probably quite recent. Again, test the seawater and do a change if necessary.
In both cases, fish distressed or not, cease feeding until an effective bio-filter is back in operation.
The speed that toxics develop in the seawater depends to a large extent on the fish numbers present. Corals present a far lower bio-load.
As soon as possible deal with the canister filter. At this point it is known that switching it on and off didn’t work! Ensure it is switched off and disconnect from the tubing. Check the impellor and shaft, there could have been a failure, if jammed the problem can usually be sorted out. If there is a breakage spares are usually available, obtain them by the fastest possible means even if it incurs extra cost. (Obtain the spares from the local fish shop if possible to avoid any delay.) Check that the input and output tubing is not blocked, this could occur over time.
If the electric motor itself has failed then a new canister filter should be obtained (or better two, see below). When the replacement device is available bio-media can be transferred and if required extra added. Until the new device arrives the bio-media already held should be kept within the aquarium seawater preferably in a high flow area so that at least some of the bacteria are retained. When the new canister is running there is a clear need for monitoring the seawater condition, as it will be similar to though not as extensive as maturing again. Seawater quality can be maintained by additional seawater changes, new seawater should be available at all times until the aquarist is sure all is well.
If the canister has been off for a long time do not re-start it and allow it to continue running. Disconnect and drain the internal seawater out completely. Refill and then start and run. This is because there is a danger that the seawater within the canister could be heavily contaminated. If the canister is likely to have been off for only a short period, just re-start. It is worthwhile carrying out daily seawater tests for a week in either case to ensure the bio-filter is effective. After re-start, feeding should be with considerable caution as the bio-filtration may well be weakened and need to re-build. Again, ensure that the protein skimmer and seawater circulation pumps are at maximum efficiency.
To largely avoid a problem such as described, unlikely as it usually is, when the system is designed it is a good idea to employ two canister filters. This will of course mean a little more cost, but the filters can be smaller. Instead of obtaining one which can handle the net gallonage of the system, obtain two. These together in total should handle the net gallonage, but it is a good idea to have both of them a little oversized. They can be routinely serviced alternatively so there isn’t any extra work generated. If the need for canister bio-filtration is removed in the future they are useful for mechanical or other types of filtration.
It is generally unlikely that a modern canister filter will fail, particularly if it is adequately routinely serviced. If it does fail the shaft/impellor could be affected by accumulated debris and/or calcareous buildup, or tube blockages could be present. Observation is the main preventative.
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It’s A Sunny Life
June 20, 2009
We marine aquarists are lucky in more than one way, and a part of this luck is that our aquariums are always sunny, no matter what Mother Nature has to say about it, wherever the aquarist may live.
Day in, day out on comes the lighting system and, surprise, the sun is shining and does so all the time until dusk when the actinics are on alone. Ok, there are some who have very advanced lighting systems (Led’s) which can simulate cloud cover but for most of us it’s a permanent clear sky.
Of course there are those aquarists who live permanently in a naturally sunny climate. There they are with a coral reef to dive on but then human nature being what it is they are not always completely happy.
A few years ago - cripes, as long as that! - my wife and I were in Barbados for a holiday and were in the process of hiring a car for sightseeing purposes. The garage proprietor was a friendly chatty type and the talk came round to reefs, I was asking which would be the best area for snorkeling. It turned out that he was a marine aquarist. How very widespread this hobby is! Sadly I never got to see his aquarium but he advised he obtained his fish (and corals?) from the reef. I mentioned I was surprised as he had a huge natural ‘aquarium’ to swim in, but he said it was wonderful to see the fish within his home.
When talking it turned out that what he really, really would like was a holiday such as we were having, two weeks or so away. ‘What - and you live in such a lovely sunny place’ was my response. He said he would love to take his family to England. England, very beautiful but well known for its cloudy days and rain.
It just goes to show that perspective depends on many things, one of them at least being what you haven’t got. So my ‘aquarists are lucky’ is probably down to the fact that there aren’t any coral reefs near me and the sun doesn’t always shine.
My soft coral reef continues to do really well. I do the required routine maintenance and spend time admiring the aquarium picture. I still have wars with those xxxxxx aiptasia anemones and have to admit that this is one area where I have not been successful, having failed to eliminate them. However, eliminating these aquatic weeds in a reef aquarium is just about impossible as there are so many nooks and crannies. I attack them periodically when they are small, the reason for doing it when they are small is that I understand (from reports on the internet) that aiptasia anemones are able to release ‘emergency spores’ when they are facing oblivion, as apparently they recognize they are under lethal attack. I don’t know if these reports are correct and scientifically supported. Anyway, if correct I assume small means a lower spore count. Periodic attacks also keep them well under control and prevents them spreading.
Now summer is well and truly with us I’ve tested my 12 inch electric fan, if temperatures raise unduly it will be used for cooling.
Talking about cooling, I’m sure there are a couple of beers in the ‘fridge….
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Public Aquariums
June 18, 2009
Most aquarists like to visit a public aquarium from time to time and once there are drawn to the marine areas. Usually the displays are excellent but not always, even the professionals can make mistakes or have mishaps.
My local public aquarium made a very basic mistake which was pointed out to them. In a large reef display they put a large number of damsel fish which looked very impressive at first. I say ‘at first’ because the numbers diminished quite rapidly. This was because they also introduced two rather large lionfish. Now, we all know what lionfish are likely to have for lunch don’t we. They did! Before all the small fish disappeared the lionfish were removed and now have their own smaller display aquarium.
Anyway, public aquariums are the place to see some excellent display aquariums in which creatures too large for a home system are kept. In addition there are often some reef systems on display which usually draw quite a few ‘oohs’.
The London public aquarium has various displays and the attached short video is one of them. At the beginning of the video is a water motion section, the movement presumably generated by some hefty timed pumps. Don’t worry about the colour, the video changes quickly.
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Large Aquarium!
June 5, 2009
Marine aquarists who have a successful system, no matter what the type, fish only or mixed reef, are mainly satisfied. A successful marine system can be stunning to see and this applies not only to aquarists who know ‘what goes on’ but to the uninitiated as well.
Big aquariums are not unusual nowadays. By big I mean really big. Most people have seen them, you know, the ones with the odd black tipped reef shark cruising about! They’re in public aquariums of course.
Home aquariums, though not on the scale as in the last paragraph, can also be big. Myself, I see ‘big’ as 6ft x 2ft x 2ft, but this size is not uncommon. Nowadays it goes considerably beyond that.
The link is to a video featuring an aquarium more than twice the length of the above. The measurements of the display aquarium are 13ft x 3ft x 2.5ft. Linked to the main aquarium are two others, a sump and a refugium. The sump measures 6ft x 5ft x 2ft, and the refugium 5ft x 1.5ft x 1.5ft. Some size system!
I’m too lazy to work out the seawater gallonage, but routine seawater change time must be quite something, somewhat more than a 5 gallon bucket!
There’s a lot of fish to be seen and some of them are quite big, however with an attached sump and refugium of those sizes the seawater quality should be high.
Many aquarists idly dream about a larger system, but the owner of this one didn’t mess about.
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Maintain And Watch
June 4, 2009
What kind of an aquarist are you? Are you a ‘hands-in’ tinkerer or a watcher, or perhaps a mixture of the two?
There’s nothing wrong with tinkering as long as it’s within reason. Constantly changing the reef for example is not going to do a lot for the security of the fish. There’s often an improvement that can be made, usually small. The early months in the life of an aquarium is when most tinkering is likely to occur.
Me, I’m a watcher. That’s not to say that I don’t tinker on occasion, but it isn’t very often. It is necessary to deal with the overgrowth of corals and the like or the display quality would begin to deteriorate because of changed and reduced seawater currents, and also the loss of light to lower corals. Normal routine maintenance often requires ‘hands-in’ for various reasons, usually powerhead intakes that have debris present.
What the living captive reef needs is stability of seawater parameters, lighting quality and time to develop. Seawater parameters are easy, routine checks confirm the situation. Lighting just needs a little maintenance and changes of bulb and/or tubes from time to time.
On the wild reef, barring storms and disasters, sometimes man-made, there isn’t any over-interference, there is stability of habitat.
My soft coral aquarium has been running for 6½ years. I do regular maintenance once weekly, so hands go in the seawater then if necessary. Apart from that the reef is left alone though it is of course monitored.
Closely looking at the visible reef rocks it can be seen that they are covered with various marine growths. On the surface is much coralline, though to be truthful there isn’t much rock surface to be seen. In addition are many, many short hard growths that look like sticks, about 1 inch long and 1/8 inch thick. At first I thought they might be small tube worms or anyway some kind of worm, but despite close observation I have not seen any evidence of any type of worm. I’ve tried reference books to no avail, also the internet. Being honest I’m not too bothered about identification as they are clearly not malignant and interesting enough.
On the underside of rocks when viewed at night (it seems easier to see them then) are lots of tiny tubeworms. This time they are clearly tubeworms as the tiny feathery heads can be seen, not the same shape as the big showy ones but a small fan about ½ inch or so in diameter, usually considerably smaller. I find these tube worms in my canister filter as well, during maintenance I do my best to protect them but a good few meet their doom.
When cleaning the canister filter I always have to rescue tiny shrimps, about ½ an inch long. They usually float on the seawater surface apparently trapped by the meniscus. I return them unharmed to the display aquarium, avoiding the attention of the fish. If the shrimps in the canister filter sink they are lost, I can’t retrieve them. There are growths that appear in the canister filter that are repeatedly destroyed during maintenance, though they re-appear. I have been unable to identify them.
I have one worm that lives at the top of the reef. It was not there when the aquarium started but appeared a year or so later, or that’s when I noticed the small tube anyway. The tube is now around 2 inches long maybe a little more, and around 3/8 of an inch in diameter. It is definitely a worm as it can be seen at the mouth of the tube, though it doesn’t come out. It is not a feather duster. What it does to feed itself is trail a sticky thin thread in the seawater current, when food becomes attached to the thread it winds it in and consumes it. At feeding time when brine or mysis shrimp are on the menu the thread looks like one of those commercial fisherman’s long hooked lines with a good catch. I’ve again been unable to determine what the worm properly is, so it’s called ‘Fisherworm’. Very technical!
Things appear in areas of the aquarium where they are not expected. Button polyps appeared well down the reef, not put there by me. I have ‘transplanted’ the odd few button polyps and they have developed into healthy groups. A coral or two appears out of the rocks, sometimes they thrive but often they disappear again. Strange creatures wander about mainly noticed at night; one in particular looks like a leading candidate for an alien movie. I’ve no idea what it properly is. There isn’t any damage on the reef in any part so it isn’t one of those unwanted pests.
One of the most beautiful appearances is a calcareous type alga that’s growing on the glass quite high up. Fortunately it’s not one of the viewing glasses that I clean. It is a whitish growth that is very similar to snowflakes joined together. The first time I noticed it the size was about ½ inch or so across, which increased to around 2 inches. Then it fell off and disintegrated. However, I note that it is back and growing, this time it is a little lower down and, hopefully, will remain attached.
There are many life forms that use my captive reef as home. I introduced the fish and major corals. Others have just appeared. Well, ‘just appeared’ cannot be correct can it!
When I set up the aquarium I didn’t use any live rock at all, but inert porous rock. Over a lengthy period this rock has become live, permitting me to close down the canister filter used for bio-filtration (I still run it but there isn’t any bio-media inside, it’s purely for surface agitation and additional seawater). The inert rock was interspaced with rocks attached to purchased corals. It is these coral rocks that must have been the entrance avenue for the life that has appeared. Coral rock is live rock after all.
So, I’m a watcher. Things appear and disappear, grow slowly or quickly. Little life forms scurry about, fish cruise quietly always ready for more food, corals sway in the currents, ‘dawn’ and ‘dusk’ come and go. I try and leave it alone.
Diminutive as it is, it’s a real living reef.
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The Banggai Cardinal At Risk?
June 2, 2009
The Banggai Cardinal, properly called Pterapogon kauderni, is a fairly new fish for the salt water aquarium. The fish in the aquarium is fairly sedentary, but has lovely colouring, with black vertical striping on a silver body and a long forked tail, again silver/black. It has become popular for obvious reasons.
A while ago it seemed likely that supplies of this fish from the wild would dry up because it appeared that the wild fish was under threat. Not a happy situation if correct.
The ‘under threat’ problem arose because it is believed that around 700,000 of these fish are collected for the aquarium trade each year. When the total estimated population in the wild is considered the cause for concern becomes obvious, this number is 2,000,000, so most would agree that the collection ratio is high. The fish only come from one small part of the Pacific Ocean so there is considerable collection concentration. The fish are mouth brooders (like freshwater cichlids) so perhaps the ratio of successful births to adulthood is high. However, whether that is the case or not, the fish only raise a few fish at a time so the ‘threat’ isn’t reduced. Open spawning fish produce huge amounts of eggs, and others such as clownfish produce far more fry. So the danger of insufficient natural replacement seemed real.
CITES became involved and the situation was under discussion. It very much looked as though a CITES ban on the importation of the fish would occur, if this ban appeared all imports into the US and EU would be prohibited.
Supply would be reduced to aquarists breeding the fish (a not impossible task) and commercial breeding which is being done, though limited.
However, as CITES ban did not occur. A considerable amount of discussion and agreed cooperation has avoided this. The government of the area has undertaken to strictly manage the situation, which includes training of local collectors and control of the numbers of fish collected relative to the estimated wild population. Aquarium trade groups and monitoring authorities have also undertaken to be involved. CITES had declared the fish as ‘at risk’ without further current action.
It seems likely that the number of these fish being exported from the collection area will or has reduced. This could have an effect on price, but who is going to complain in a circumstance such as this? Home bred fish but mainly commercially bred ones should counteract any fish scarcity to an extent.
Combined discussion and action seems to have produced a sensible outcome, the fish are being protected and at the same time interested parties such as aquarists and collectors have not been locked out.
The link shows a picture of the fish and some breeding information:
http://www.geocities.com/capecanaveral/hangar/6279/RaiseBanggaiCardinal.html
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