So It’s All Prepared, Now For Some Stock

It’s taken quite a while and there have been quite a lot of decisions to make. Before those decisions could be made research has been needed which probably meant the purchase of a good hobby book which in turn threw up a lot of questions. Thank goodness for the internet, a massive resource for information.

The decision on whether it will be a reef or fish only system has been made as well – of course it has, how else would the decisions on some of the equipment be made such as lights? So there the aquarium sits, full of seawater, all equipment running. The biological filter has been started and tests indicate all is ready. Seawater testing must continue through the stocking period and beyond of course. The new aquarist is nearly overcome by the desire to obtain livestock. Hold on a little longer though, the whole point of the system is to see healthy marine life so let’s not make a mistake with it.

Correct stocking means slow stocking with the correct species and this has to include consideration for further stocking later which means the first fish need to be compatible. There are fish available that are suitable for beginners and will not cause undue problems in the future. They are generally hardy and will forgive some novice errors which are often to do with seawater quality.

What if the system is to include a reef? The same thing applies: the corals need to be compatible and not a negative for the future and also be hardy (in marine terms). Though it is not absolutely necessary, it’s best to place corals in first and allow them to settle for a while so that they have the best quality seawater without the contaminating influence of fish. In addition corals usually arrive on a rock and this rock has to be fitted into the reef. This could raise the need to move or even remove rocks and new fish would be further stressed by this action. There are corals that are suitable for the beginner and could very well be enough for the future as they display beauty and interest together and individually. On the basis that corals are strictly best in first what is available?

The best corals to consider are those that are generally termed as ‘soft’. These corals come in various forms and there are many types. They provide a lovely reef scene and many sway in the seawater currents and make a lovely picture. The size of the aquarium needs to be considered to ensure individual coral types are suitable and also how many different types are required. Corals have a low impact on seawater quality, far less than fish, so that is one potential problem less. They should be firmly placed so they don’t fall later and have plenty of room for expansion. Corals should not be in direct line with a powerhead output. Some of the corals mentioned can be trimmed (‘fragged’) if they become too large, producing a new coral.

The first coral type is the finger coral (properly known as Sinularia sp and Lobophytum sp). As the name suggests they usually have a main stem attached to a rock with branches above which in turn carry smaller branches which hold the polyps. This is not always the case though, some are low level. One of these low level types is Sinularia dura which is possibly the hardiest of all but still lovely.

The toadstool corals (properly called Sarcophyton sp) have a thick stalk crowned by a flat head covered in extended polyps. They are quite unique in appearance and interesting to include.

Mushroom corals (properly known as Rhodactis sp and Discosoma sp) are a little similar to the toadstools but much lower. They are attached to rockwork by a short stalk and have a circular head. The head is usually of a rough appearance but not always. They usually form groups.

Button polyps (properly known as Zoanthus sp) are a grouping of polyps that appear similar to flowers in a vase. The heads are much smaller than the previous corals. They can spread and are usually constrained by the size of the rock(s) they can colonise. They are an excellent addition to a reef.

That’s a good start for corals so what about fish? They need to be compatible with corals and each other. Before a few fish species are considered let’s look at damsel fish. These are small, active, hardy and colourful. Some, even occasional dealers, still suggest them to ‘run in’ a new aquarium – this is wrong, maturation fluid should be used if required. Very important, damsel fish are generally territorial and aggressive. If they are placed in an aquarium first they will see the aquarium as their territory and could harass or attack later additions even those bigger than themselves. This could lead to the later fish being afraid to come for food resulting in poor health or death. So avoid damsel fish. If one must be had, introduce it to the aquarium last so that other fish are settled and ensure the other fish are sturdy and not easily picked on.

The first fish in this short starter list is the firefish (properly known as Nemateleotris sp). At first sight this fish species appears delicate but they are reasonably hardy and are best kept as a pair. They could grow to about 3”. Probably the best known firefish is Nemateleotris magnifica.

Another interestingly shaped and coloured fish is the bicolour blenny (properly called Ecsenius bicolor). This can also grow to about 3”. It moves from rock to rock and mainly stays in view, and could stop at a particular point for a while.

Now for the gorgeous royal gramma ( properly called Gramma loreto). This fish is a little larger and could grow to near 4”. It is beautifully coloured and a definite plus.

A fish that most would recognise is the so called common clown (properly called Amphiprion ocellaris). These could grow to about 3”. This clownfish bears the colours that signal ‘marine’, it is very attractive. Two could be kept. These fish are being widely commercially and home bred. It’s reported that the aquarium bred ones are more hardy than the reef caught ones, so it’s a very good idea to obtain the aquarium bred type. On the wild reefs clownfish live with anemones but this should not be attempted by the beginner. Keeping an anemone is not as easy as might be thought as experience is required. Common clownfish – particularly the aquarium bred ones – should be quite happy without an anemone.

If the aquarium is ready for stocking that is all is operational and the biological filtration is ready, the suggested corals and fish (or some of them depending on the size of the aquarium) should give a colourful and interesting foundation. They are reasonably hardy and are able – within reason! – to tolerate small errors beginners are likely to make. If the aquarium is big enough further fish and/or corals can eventually be added after research has confirmed that they are fully compatible with existing stock.

There’s something missing from this text – pictures. If the aquarist types the proper name into a search engine then a whole host of choices will appear, including pictures and care.

The Longnosed Hawkfish

Of all the marine fishes that are available many are very beautiful, some are different and others are just individual. The longnose hawkfish is one of the latter and in addition it’s colourful. The proper name for the fish is Oxycirrhites typus.

The full length of the fish could be 5” ((13cm) though it is likely to be smaller in an aquarium. The system should be a reef as it is important that there are areas of rock and perhaps branching corals so that the hawkfish can ‘sit’. The aquarium does not need to be a large one – a three foot length is enough (though as with all fish the larger the better as it arguably becomes more ‘natural’). The fish is not a strong swimmer and tends to sit and watch for food before moving to a new position, so it follows that very strong seawater currents are not  liked. The only other demand the fish makes is good quality seawater which is the usual anyway.

Any fairly experienced aquarist looking round a marine shop on seeing this fish would feel cautious because of the long nose, in the same way as with say a copperband butterfly fish. However, unlike the potential for problems with feeding a copperband the hawkfish is not problematic. It will eat frozen fare such as chopped fish, mysis and brine shrimp and will also take suitable freeze dried offerings, plus flake food. The food the fish normally eats in the wild is very small crustaceans and even very small fish so this has to be born in mind to ensure  that an adequate diet is offered. Fortunately the diet generally ties in with many other fish type requirements. The fish is likely to eat any very small crustaceans it finds so a reef system could provide some. Larger invertebrates including corals are safe.

Another big plus for this fish in addition to it being peaceful is hardiness. The longnose hawkfish is hardy overall and with proper system maintenance should not be a cause for concern.

The longnose hawkfish is not always easily obtained and an aquarist who desires one could need to place a specific order with a dealer. Once the fish has settled into its new home it becomes a very interesting addition, the shape of the fish and the colouration being part of this. It’s very entertaining watching the fish perch on one of its resting points observing and hoping for food. Given time the fish will beg the aquarist for food, paddling to hold a position in the seawater – ‘come on then, I’m starving, get on with it, feed me!’

What Is An 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)

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How About An 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.

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The Marine Betta

There are so many fish that are attractive and tempt the aquarist, from small to moderate to large in size. Some are aggressive, some sensitive but are they suitable for the aquarium? The answer of course is mainly ‘yes’, with the addition that they all need to have their preferred environment provided.

One fish that is not as brightly coloured as some others, but is colourful and very attractive nevertheless, is the marine betta, as can be seen at the following link. Another common name for the fish is marine comet. The proper name is Calloplesiops altivelis.

http://www.ozanimals.com/Fish/Comet/Calloplesiops/altivelis.html

The beta is covered in dots and has large finnage which is where the common names probably come from. When the fins are extended they look spectacular. These fish are capable of growing to around 6¼” (circa 16cm) so they are not for the small aquarium, if they are to be comfortably housed a 36″ (circa 91.5cm) aquarium or thereabouts is recommended. Normally only one beta should be kept. Their tank mates should be selected carefully as they are fairly shy and not at their best when housed with bold, high action and/or aggressive fish, the companions should be of a similar size or smaller. It is also best not to overcrowd the fish, which is good practice in any aquarium anyway – a lower fish population is advantageous.

Having said companions should be smaller, care is again needed as the beta could predate on much smaller fish. It tends to ambush them from whatever area it has decided to hide in. Care also needs to be taken with smaller crustaceans as these will sometimes be eaten.

Once the fish has settled in feeding is not normally a problem, good quality frozen food is usually accepted and often so is freeze dried food. There will no doubt always be exceptions, but flake food is not particularly attractive to them. The aquarist needs to observe the fish in the aquarium at feeding time, as is the practice anyway, as the beta could lose out to faster and greedier fish it is necessary to ensure it has fed sufficiently.

For the fish to settle well the aquarium must be furnished with rockwork, be this live rock or otherwise. The rockwork needs to be arranged so that there are one or two caves, preferably several, that are large enough for the fish to hide in and watch the outside world from.

A very bright halide lit reef aquarium is not ideal for the beta as it prefers moderate light – a reef that houses soft corals and is lit by fluorescents would be better, as would the lesser lit fish only system. The fish could become accustomed more or less to brighter light but in this circumstance is likely to hide away for longer periods. The natural habit of the fish is to hide away during the day, but in the lower lit aquarium the fish should be seen more often for longer periods.

When the fish is first introduced to the aquarium it is likely to hideaway for quite a period, most fish hideaway at first but the beta’s period could be longer. The fish should start to appear when ‘dusk’ occurs (that is, main lights off and actinics only on before lights out) or maybe it could be ‘dawn’. Whatever, it should settle provided it feels secure and the environment is of high quality and then be seen more.

The only defence the fish has (to my knowledge) is that when it feels threatened it will put its head into the rocks and leave only the tail and rear body showing. The markings on the rear end seem to be similar to a moray eel, and any potential aggressor will consider twice before mixing with those.

This lovely and interesting fish will be excellent for the aquarium provided its tank mates are suitable, the lighting isn’t too bright, there are suitable hiding places and the seawater is of high quality. The aquarist could need to search a little before a fish is located.

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Enough Light? Must Be

Watching a marine aquarium is a great pleasure and probably one of the major reasons why so many keep them. With a reef system sometimes a new arrival is seen to appear, or a species of coral that is already present appears somewhere else.

On a few occasions I’ve noticed arrivals that must have come in with coral rock, such as a very dark and tiny crab that was very timid and only appeared at ‘dusk’. Its presence was shown by an exploratory claw appearing out of a crevice. The crab hasn’t been seen for a long time and no doubt has gone.

Corals too can appear when new live or coral rock is introduced. In this case the coral type is already present in the aquarium with a fairly large colony, and the new appearance is in a completely separate part of the aquarium.

As far as I can tell, the main colony is a Rhodactis species (the purchase was made years ago and the dealer didn’t have a clue). Rhodactis are also commonly known as hairy mushrooms and mushroom anemones. I think it could possibly be Rhodactis indosinensis – but is this correct as most grow larger than my specimens? Maybe they are Discosoma species. The colony is receiving plenty of light as it is half way up the reef (about half way up the aquarium depth). The new one, however, is not; it is right down at the bottom. The aquarium is 24″ deep (21.5″ from lights to coral). Further, this new growth is at the end of the aquarium and is partly shadowed by another coral.

Is my lighting system powerful? No is the answer, it’s a fluorescent array of five tubes, three marine whites and two marine blues (actinic). They’re not even T5’s, they’re T8’s. The reef is furnished with soft corals and they are perfectly happy but I had to wonder at the growth of this new one. The blues will penetrate well but even so….

The original colony is in an ideal spot apart from seawater flow which is a bit too vigorous, they prefer weak flow. However, I’ve left things as they are as the mushrooms are clearly healthy and open well, though not to as large an extent as with lower seawater flow.

The new one is the reverse; it’s in an area of slow flow. However, as said, I wondered about the light. It has been slowly growing for about 8 months now and has reached a size of 3″ across, which, because of the slow seawater flow, is full expansion. However, though I believed the slow growth must be because of light, or at least the lack of it, it seems this could be wrong. Looking at one of the references available to me * it seems that though light is no doubt an influencing factor it isn’t that important, as strong lighting is not required by Rhodactis species though they will tolerate it. Discosoma species prefer in many cases reduced light.

How did the new growth appear? It is possible it’s by natural detachment, but in this case is more likely to be my error. From time to time I have to get out the trusty and sharp scissors and reduce the colony to prevent interference with other species. Part of this is catching the detached parts. These corals are easy to ‘frag’ so if a small part escaped my attention and lodged it is more than likely to grow.

So there we are – what started as a general belief followed up by some simple research has turned my notion upside down. Goes to show how important basic research is. As far as identifying the species, I’d need a marine biologist and I bet there’d be uncertainty even then.

(*Reference: Aquarium Corals. Eric H. Borneman)

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Ouch! Know Your Enemy

Last week I was helping my neighbour move a broken up concrete garage base to make way for a new one. Because the lumps of concrete were pretty rough I wore protective gloves.

Without warning a pain similar I suppose to having a red hot needle stuck into me occurred on the inner wrist. The pain didn’t last long, about a second, so it wasn’t severe. The only word I uttered was ‘Ouch!’ I saw the wasp leave, somehow or other it had got caught between my wrist and the glove. Over a couple of days my wrist did swell to an extent, but there wasn’t a problem though the itching was an annoyance.

When it happened I tried to recall the standard remedy. I knew that a wasp and bee had opposite sting make-up, one being alkaline and the other acid. Should I dose the sting spot with milk or vinegar? I wasn’t sure so I did both.

Later I found that a bee sting is acid, so milk would be appropriate, and a wasp sting is alkaline, so vinegar would be appropriate. Pretty straightforward really and seldom a real problem unless the person involved is likely to severely adversely react and/or is stung many times.

Australians often take a bottle of vinegar to the beach in case of stings. There are some nasty life forms that could make their presence felt. Another way if vinegar isn’t present is to use urine so I’m told (so perhaps those few beers on the beach could help in more ways than one!).

Vinegar, milk and urine are not the correct medications for all venomous stings and bites etc.

Marine aquariums are to be found in many places around the world. In the US and EU they are very numerous. Considering livestock, there’s a few that could cause problems.

In the sea there are some dangerous creatures and some of these find their way into aquariums. For example the blue ringed octopus is kept by a few aquarists. This little octopus, properly called Hapalochlaena maculosa, is around the size of a golf ball and is attractive, though the rings only turn blue when it is about to attack or as a warning to another life form considered too close. The size makes it a possibility for inclusion in a suitable aquarium. However, it has a deadly bite because it injects toxin.

Another dangerous creature is the stonefish (one type is Synaneichthyes verrucosus). I have seen a stonefish for sale, though only once, but why anyone would want to keep one I don’t know. The fish is sedentary, sitting still waiting for prey. They look very like a rock. On the back of the fish are 13 grooved spines which inject toxin if they penetrate the skin, somewhat like hypodermic needles. The intensity of pain and subsequent problems is subject to an extent on the number of spines that penetrated the skin. The pain is stated to be excruciating.
 
A problem caused by a blue ringed octopus or a stonefish needs immediate medical attention or death could occur. There are other dangerous creatures in addition to the two mentioned.

Most of us marine aquarists don’t keep such life forms. There are a similar few that are kept but are not as dangerous perhaps, but dangerous nonetheless.

One such fish, and well known, is the common lionfish, properly called Pterois volitans. There are other types but the common lionfish is the most readily available. The body markings are quite striking and the finnage beautiful. In the aquarium they need careful selection of companions or the companions could be eaten! The fins are the problem to the aquarist; they are able to inject venom that causes great pain.

Another well known and commonly kept fish is the foxface, properly called Lo vulpinus. These fish are also colourful and are a ‘different’ addition to the aquarium because of their head shape, though why they should be called foxface I don’t know. The danger with these fish again lies with the venomous fin spines which are capable of injecting venom which could take a long time to heal.

Another commonly kept life form is not a fish this time, but a coral. It’s very innocuous looking and kept in very many aquariums from beginner to advanced. It is quite tolerant and is usually able to resist some errors made by beginning aquarists. They are the zoanthids or button polyps which come in various polyp sizes and colours, normally covering the upper surfaces of a rock. Who would think there could be any danger from these? The danger comes from the species Palythoa, Protopalythoa and related species. Many aquarists handle zoanthids without any problem – in fact, problems from handling are rare. The fact is that the mucus of these zoanthids contains a neurotoxin which could be very dangerous or deadly to the aquarist. It is known that some tribes used to dip their spears in the mucus for use in battle and hunting*. So when one of these polyp groups is to be handled at the very least the aquarist should be sure there aren’t any cuts and abrasions on the skin. Wearing suitable gloves would be better.

The aquarium inhabitants mentioned above aren’t the only potential dangers that could appear. What is necessary is that the aquarist knows the potential problem(s) that could be introduced with newly purchased livestock to ensure he or she is happy with the situation. More important the knowledge should ensure the aquarist takes precautions and exercises caution when carrying out maintenance etc. The knowledge about livestock comes from some simple pre-purchase research.

In addition it is necessary, like a good scout, to be prepared. So as the potential problem is known the aquarist can find out from the internet or other sources what course of action should be taken should a mishap occur. Obviously medical assistance could be required, but it is important to be able to take initial action, if any, to help control the problem before medical help is available. It is also important to be able to advise the medics what it is that has happened, for example a puncture from X fish that is known to carry venom. At the extreme it could save your life.

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