An Attached Quarantine Tank

Having a quarantine tank is generally accepted as ‘a good thing’. Strangely, the majority of marine aquarists don’t use one, instead throwing caution to the winds or at least relying on good luck. Perhaps they obtain their fish from sources where they are guaranteed to have been successfully quarantined.

Anyway, this isn’t about the merits of quarantine, this is about continuing usefulness.

Quarantine tanks don’t need to be large, just large enough to comfortably hold the largest fish that will occupy them. All the same, it is a little irritating to have an available space doing nothing – the tank sits there empty. The tank can of course be used as a hospital tank should the need arise, but this is hardly ever needed particularly if quarantine has been completed on carefully selected and compatible livestock.

An idea came up recently about a way of using a quarantine tank as part of an overall system so that it wouldn’t sit and ‘do nothing’.

The tank would be selected to ensure it could accommodate anything likely to go in it. It would then be connected into the main system permanently. Err, sorry, what was that again?

Instead of the quarantine tank sitting empty most of the time it would be connected to the main display system as a permanent feature. This gives the advantage that the system would hold more gallons of seawater. It would not be intended to be stocked with anything, just have seawater flowing through it. (Hmm, how long would that last I wonder, aquarists tend to fill empty spaces.)

The tank would be fed seawater that was circulating through the display aquarium and any sump. See the first problem? Of course you can, any problem in the tank would become an available problem throughout the system. Disease for example, the very thing that the quarantine tank is designed to prevent entering the main display.

The idea went on that this problem could be prevented by using a UV (ultraviolet) sterilizer. UV sterilizers (some call them filters) kill or severely damage unwanted organisms as they pass close to the UV light (they do the same to good organisms as well). The seawater exiting the quarantine tank would flow through the sterilizer and therefore anything unwanted would be dealt with. On the face of it this isn’t a bad idea.

The first problem is that the flow rate through the UV unit has to be correct. This is because in order for the UV unit to be effective organisms have to be exposed to the radiation for a long enough period. Therefore the flow rate would probably have to be slowed down.

The second problem is that good as a UV sterilizer is there isn’t a guarantee that all organisms passing though will be killed or sufficiently damaged. Most probably would be or the UV sterilizer wouldn’t exist – but there isn’t as said a surety that all will be properly dealt with. So the system as a whole would be at risk.

The next is not really a problem, more a discipline. The aquarist would need to ensure that the UV bulb, which has a specific life, was renewed well in time or its effectiveness would reduce.

So the basic idea is flawed. However, how about a small modification? How about placing a shut off valve on the outlet from the tank? This would require a complication which is another outlet for the seawater to go through the UV unit. This would be easily achieved by fitting in a correctly rated powerhead to run seawater through the UV unit and back again. Oh, there’d need to be a shut off valve on the inlet to the tank too or it would overflow. Things are getting a bit too complicated. With the shut-off valves at each end of the tank it is now independent of the system.

Many aquarists use a UV unit fulltime or part time or as necessary. Fine, there’s no problem there. Many aquarists don’t use them at all. It’s a choice. But the UV sterilizer is not an answer to the quarantine question.

The only way a permanently attached quarantine tank could work, as far as I can see, is to have stop valves on the seawater input and output. Therefore the tank could not be plumbed directly in line with the display aquarium and sump, it would have to have a direct feed to and from the seawater source which wouldn’t interfere with overall system circulation.

Under normal circumstances (that is, empty without livestock) the quarantine tank would be full of seawater flowing through it, which is an advantage to overall gallonage. If the time came to use it as a dedicated quarantine area, the first action would be to turn off the input and output valves to isolate the tank.

Another problem now arises and that is seawater circulation. Now that the tank is isolated there isn’t any circulation so there would need to be available a low powered powerhead to deal with this. The next problem is that the circulating seawater would cool down, so a small heater would be needed. Then, for the security of the quarantined fish, a suitable clay pot, for example, would be needed as a temporary home.

Light needs to be considered – is there enough light over the quarantine area? Would any need to be added for the comfort of the fish?

Once the quarantine period was over, before the inlet and output valves were opened, all the seawater in the quarantine area would need to be removed. Most could probably be siphoned out. It would be important to dry out the tank entirely particularly if any copper treatment had been used, and probably rinse the area out as well. Not particularly difficult, but another necessity and complication.

All of this leads to the thought that it would be better to stay with the unattached quarantine tank. They are usually small and can be put out of the way somewhere with the powerhead and heater inside.

Having an additional tank attached to the main system isn’t a bad idea, as said it increases gallonage. Also it could house further filtration or even special livestock of interest to the aquarist. There wouldn’t need to be inlet and outlet stop valves either!

There is one thing that must be said and this is that thinking ‘outside the box’ is one of the ways that the hobby progresses, so the aquarist who mused over this idea is to be congratulated – the idea is not practical when examined, but it is an idea.

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Conversions

Here are a few conversions which could be useful to someone, you never know. The ones shown are those that could be applicable to aquarists, maybe!

To find volume.

Multiply length by breadth by height. (If finding the water space volume of an aquarium it is more accurate to measure from the water level. It must also be remembered that volume will be taken up by rocks and sand.)
Cubic inches to cubic centimeters – multiply by 16.3871
Cubic feet to cubic meters – multiply by 0.0283
Cubic centimeters to cubic inches – multiply by 0.061
Cubic meters to cubic feet  multiply by 35.315

Converting Centigrade to Fahrenheit.

C                         F
24                        75.2
25                        77 (the temperature many aquarists use)
26                        78.8
27                        80.6

Length.

(10 millimeters = 1 centimeter)
(1 inch = 2.5 centimeters)
Inches to millimeters – multiply by 25.4
Feet to meters – multiply by 0.3048
Millimeters to inches – multiply by 0.0394
Meters to feet – multiply by 3.2808

Area.

To find area multiply length by width.
Square inches to square centimeters – multiply by 6.4516
Square feet to square meters – multiply by 0.0929
Square centimeters to square inches – multiply by 0.155
Square meters to square feet – multiply by 10.764

Capacity.

UK fluid ounces to liters – multiply by 0.0284
US fluid ounces to liters – multiply by 0.0296
UK pints to liters – multiply by 0.5682
US pints to liters – multiply by 0.4732
UK gallons to liters – multiply by 4.546
US gallons to liters – multiply by 3.7854
Liters to UK fluid ounces – multiply by 35.1961
Liters to US fluid ounces – multiply by 33.8150
Liters to UK pints – multiply by 1.7598
Liters to US pints – multiply by 2.1134
Liters to UK gallons – multiply by 0.2199
Liters to US gallons – multiply by 0.2642

Weight.

Ounces to grams – multiply by 28.3495
Pounds to kilograms – multiply by 0.4536
Grams to ounces – multiply by 0.0353
Kilograms to pounds – multiply by 2.2046

(Reference: The Chambers Dictionary)

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The Powder Blue Surgeon

This surgeonfish is commonly called the powder blue though the proper name is Acanthurus leucosternon.

The fish is very attractive but should not be found in just any aquarium. For example, it would be wrong and cruel to have one in my reef as the aquarium is too small, and in addition the reef takes up too much of the free seawater space available for swimming making that too small. Many would say the fish should not be kept in an aquarium of less than 5ft (circa 152.5cm) by 2ft (circa 61cm) by 2ft. Subject to the fish load and the available swimming space it could be reasonable to bring the length of the aquarium down to 4ft (circa 122cm). Again the rockwork should leave plenty of swimming space for the fish. There is a further point and that is that in all aquariums the growth potential must be considered. When purchased the fish is likely to be fairly small but, in the wild at least, it has the potential to grow to about 12 inches (circa 30.5cm). It can be seen why larger aquariums are best for this fish.

To keep the fish healthy and happy it is important that seawater is kept at high quality, which is a requirement for any system anyway. Also as in any system, it is important to ensure the seawater is as oxygen rich as possible. This is done by ensuring that seawater movement is optimum so that air/water interfaces are fully efficient.

Only one powder blue should be kept in an aquarium as they could be, and usually are, aggressive and territorial. Further, the fish could take exception to any other surgeon fish present in the aquarium particularly another blue one (of any shade). The fish may even take exception to any other largish blue fish, surgeon or not. It has also been advised that butterflies could be attacked.

So it sounds as if the powder blue is a fish to be avoided. Not really, there are many aquarists who have found keeping one has not caused unfortunate problems. Environment and selection of suitable tank mates is very important, and it could be a good idea to introduce the powder blue to the tank as one of the final additions.

Initial selection of the fish is very important, as it is with all livestock. Time should be taken to ensure the fish is in good health with nothing present that could cause any questions to arise.

Feeding does not present any problems at all. The fish will readily accept the general fare that is offered most other fishes, such as de-frozen food and flake. However, in the wild they feed nearly entirely on algae and so it follows that in captivity algae should be available. In most aquariums the natural algae growth will be insufficient and therefore commercial produce is required. This could be in the form of dried Nori algae, for example, which comes in sheets. The sheet can be reduced in size if necessary and hung in the aquarium on a lettuce clip for the fish to eat. Any uneaten or loose Nori should not be left too long but removed and replaced with fresh. It is likely that if the sheet remains fixed in place it will be eaten, especially if there are other algae eaters present. The aquarist can soon judge the correct amount needed.

There are some marine fish that clearly let the aquarist know how they are feeling by their colouration and the powder blue is one of them. If the fish is a fairly deep blue and the head black then the fish is fine and happy. If the blue has turned pale and the usually black head grayish then the fish is off-colour (sorry, pun not intended! I should have said not well). Check for correct diet and enough of it, seawater quality and any sign of disease. In a high quality environment the fish is reasonably trouble free.

Assuming that the powder blue is not exposed to disease problems and is homed in a suitable situation it adds movement, shape and colour to the aquarist’s collection. Longevity should be good too.

The link provides some pictures of the powder blue, placing the mouse pointer on a picture enlarges it:

http://www.whatsthatfish.com/fish/396

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A Worrying Failure

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

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

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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Just Relax!

The marine hobby is very relaxing most of the time. There could be times when it is stressful for the aquarist, for instance when a fish is in trouble or there is some other serious problem. This stress could also occur when nuisance algae invade and the battle to get rid of it seems to never end. It does eventually end of course, with the aquarist the victor.

As said though, most of the time it is relaxing, a great antidote for those with stressful lives, getting up in the morning, breakfast, travel to work, trains full and/or late, or roads packed and vehicles moving at a snail’s pace. It is even relaxing for those who are already relaxed because they’re retired, for example, and have the time to do the things they actually want to do.

Maintaining the system is a chore sometimes, but for the most part is an enjoyable part of the hobby and also relaxing.

There is nothing more relaxing though than sitting down and just watching the aquarium, seeing healthy, colourful fish and corals in the captive environment the aquarist created.

On this occasion there isn’t any talk of the importance of seawater quality or lighting or anything else. This time let’s just watch.

The attached is a video of a fish only aquarium, with good music. It’s worth a little time. The video music ends quite abruptly, it would have been better to have gently faded out, but at least it’ll wake anyone dozing off!

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