If Seawater Tests Are Fine But…

We are often going on about the quality of seawater and we believe quite rightly so. Seawater quality is the number one priority, no matter what type of aquarium it could be, fish only, coral only, or mixed reef.

Of course, even if seawater quality is correct there could still be problems. Fish need to receive the correct nutrition, and there needs to be a general lack of stress. There are more. However, as said, seawater quality is the number one and regular tests should be made.

Though it doesn’t affect a fish only aquarium anywhere near as much, lighting is number two on the list. This applies to a reef system whether corals only or mixed. This high priority for lighting is because of the needs of the corals. Within most corals are zooxanthallae, single celled algae which are essential to the corals’ wellbeing.

So there’s a problem with the corals? Seawater tests indicate nothing wrong? What could it be?

The link is to a text supplied by aquaristsonline.com which could be of interest in the above context.

http://www.thereeftank.com/blog/look-after-the-lighting/

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The Constituents Of Seawater

The seas and oceans cover the majority of the planet surface. Within those seas the wild reefs have grown and all of their needs are met, be that calcium or whatever. The life on the wild reef has had a very long time to adapt to the sea, which is considered to be stable.

Some of these life forms end up in the home marine aquarium. With the natural seas being so stable it follows that for success the conditions on the wild reef should be duplicated as near as possible, and conditions provided that successfully permit life to function and be healthy.

Seawater quality is the number one on the list of ‘must haves’ for success so it follows that the seawater used should be as close as possible in make-up to the natural kind. In much earlier days aquarists would obtain some constituents – not all of them by any means – from a chemist and mix up a brew. Livestock existed in this fairly well for a while but trouble usually appeared. Nowadays there are many high quality dry salt mixes available which the manufacturers state equals the natural type. Be that as it may, the appearance of these dry salt mixes has brought the successful maintenance of a marine system within the reach of every aspiring aquarist provided the interest in the hobby is maintained and the requisite maintenance is done.

Seawater is a mix of many things, some of them present in major amounts, others in trace amounts, and more with a very tiny presence. So for the benefit of anyone interested there follows a list of the make-up of seawater. There is clearly no requirement of any kind for an aquarist to know them but as said it may be of interest. It could also be of use for aquarists who wish to maintain natural levels of important parts such as calcium etc.

Major Elements. (All measurements in mg/l)

Chlorine	18880
Sodium	10770
Magnesium	1290
Sulphur	884
Calcium	412.1
Potassium	399
Bromine	67.3
Carbon	28
Nitrogen	15
Strontium	7.9
Boron	4.5
Silicon	2
Fluorine	1.3

Trace Elements. (All measurements in ug/l)

Lithium	180
Rubidium	120
Iodine	60
Phosphorus	60
Molybdenum	10
Zinc	4.9
Argon	4.3
Arsenic	3.7
Uranium	3.2
Vanadium	2.5
Aluminium	2
Barium	2
Iron	2
Nickel	1.7
Titanium	1
Copper	0.5
Cesium	0.4
Chromium	0.3
Antimony	0.24
Manganese	0.2
Krypton	0.2
Selenium	0.2
Neon	0.12
Cadmium	0.1
Wolfram	0.1
Cobalt	0.05
Germanium	0.05
Xenon	0.05
Silver	0.04
Gallium	0.03
Lead	0.03
Zirconium	0.03
Bismuth	0.02
Mercury	0.02
Niobium	0.01
Thallium	0.01
Thorium	0.01
Tin	0.01
Hafnium	0.007
Helium	0.0068
Beryllium	0.0056
Gold	0.004
Rhenium	0.004
Lanthanum	0.003
Neodymium	0.003
Tantalum	0.003
Yttrium	0.0013
Cerium	0.001
Dysprosium	0.0009
Erbium	0.0008
Ytterbium	0.0008
Gadolinium	0.0007
Praseodymium	0.0006
Scandium	0.0006
Holmium	0.0002
Lutetium	0.0002
Thorium	0.0002
Indium	0.0001
Terbium	0.0001
Samarium	0.00005
Europium	0.00001
Radium	0. 00000007
Protactinium	0. 00000005
Radon	0. 000000000006

Constituents with a tiny presence.

Technetium

Ruthenium

Rhodium

Palladium

Osmium

Iridium

Platinum

Astatine

Francium

Actinium

(Reference: ‘Baensch Marine Atlas’. Helmut Debelius & Hans A. Baensch)

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Equipment – The Refractometer

The refractometer is a very useful tool in the aquarists arsenal.

It is a very accurate device which is used to measure the amount of salt in the water i.e. the specific gravity.

A tool which is quite often used is the hydrometer however one of the downfalls of the hydrometers it that it must be regularly cleaned. Failure to do so means that false readings may be obtained. What quite often happens is that a reading is taken and then the water is simply poured back into the aquarium and the hydrometer (swing needle type in this example) is then placed back on the shelf ready for its next use.

What happens in this example is that the water dries however a small amount of salt is left behind. This salt is not visible to the naked eye however it is enough to make the needle heavy and therefore give you a false reading. Over time the readings get worse as the needle gets heavier and heavier and unknown to you the specific gravity in the aquarium is totally wrong.

With the refractometer readings are much more accurate. There still is maintenance to be performed which is basically where the refractometer is calibrated however this does not need to be done to the same type of frequency as of the hydrometer.

So how easy are they to use?

Very easy actually. Basically a small sample of water is taken, normally one to two drops of water. This is then placed onto the prism glass where it can be viewed through the eyepiece.

What happens when the water is placed onto the prism glass is that light is passed through the water. This light then bends and is focused on a scale which can be read through the eyepiece.

The scale is normally very easy to read but this does depend upon the manufacturer chosen.

In my opinion a refractometer is a fantastic purchase for the serious aquarist. They are very easy to use and allow for stability to be maintained which is one thing we aim for.

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My Diminutive Algae Scrubber

I had my glass aquarium built for me with a few additions inside. At the left end is a small triangular area which contains four pumps and also the intakes for canister filters, an anti-phosphate filter, a denitrator (not now in use), and a protein skimmer.

The skimmer is a hang-on type which fitted except that the outlet, which flows down a flat surface, was not long enough. Anyway, the supplied flat plate outlet wouldn’t go down into the aquarium as the side-strap got in the way.

“Hmm” I thought, engaging super Do It Yourself brain cell.

After doing a few measurements I went to the LFS and had some bits of glass cut to act as barriers to seawater. When these were supplied I siliconed them into place on the side brace on each side of the skimmer outlet and also behind it.

Then I obtained some rigid plastic and cut a piece of the correct length to reach the seawater after bending over the side strap. Easily done, however I was left with a length of straight plastic when I needed a bent one.

A piece of cardboard was obtained and bent to the angle required. Then I got my blow torch out (normally used for plumbing) and carefully heated the plastic at the bend point, with the plastic over the edge of a piece of thin metal. This was the part where I thought the plastic would be ruined. But no, keeping the flame of the burner away from the plastic I managed to bend it correctly. Now it was cup of coffee time – very pleased.

The old plate outlet was cut off leaving only a fairly short flat piece close to the skimmer, and the new plate was then glued to the remaining part. When the glue was fully set, the skimmer was switched on and everything worked, with the returning seawater going into the aquarium silently.

I realized that this run of seawater over the flat plate would be a good air/water interchange and so be useful in ensuring a good oxygen level. The original need though was just to get the seawater back into the aquarium properly and quietly.

The return plate sits close to the bank of fluorescent tubes, and what I hadn’t considered was algae. This began to develop on the plate and I managed to keep the plate clean for quite a while as part of normal maintenance.

I noticed that the algae developing was not the green and hairy stuff but much darker, wiry and short. So I stopped cleaning it to see what developed.

The algae developed all over the slope of the plate and as said was the short dark wiry type often called turf algae. I kept a very close eye on it but it didn’t get out of control. In fact, once it had got to 1/4″ or thereabouts it didn’t get any longer. There wasn’t any die-back either. The alga hasn’t entered the aquarium area at all.

The photo I’ve taken is rather ‘blue’ probably because it was taken directly beneath the fluorescent tubes which include actinic types.

The aquarium has been running for a bit over six years and the skimmer the same. There has never been a problem generated by the algae on the skimmer return plate.

I do seawater tests for nitrate and phosphate, and these are usually done monthly. The tests indicate zero, though of course with hobby test kits it is better to say ‘undetected’ as the kits are not of a scientific standard. The algae on the skimmer outlet plate must be finding nutrients of some sort to survive, so perhaps there is a very low presence of nitrate and/or phosphate. The seawater flow is clearly to its liking and there must be a high oxygen presence.

Algae scrubbers are a well known method of nutrient control. The modern type is the sump which is planted with Caulerpa macro algae. They are bigger than my little algae covered plate!

I never intended to have an ‘algae scrubber’, but have now got one of sorts. It is very small but nevertheless will be doing something towards maintaining seawater quality.

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Aquarium Care Is Important

There is a common saying which goes ‘good things take time yet bad things happen quickly’.

This is a saying which is very true in the aquarium hobby.

An important aspect of the aquarium hobby is performing the correct care and maintenance. This aspect is also quite often the first part which aquarists start to slip on.

At first they are very passionate about caring for the aquarium and its inhabitants, however over time for various reasons they start to slip on what was once a strict regime.

Not all aquarists are like this, there are many, many people who are exceptionally diligent in this area.

Failure to perform the correct care will at first appear not be impacting the aquarium however behind the scenes thing may slowly be starting to decline. Aquarium equipment may slowly start to fail, lighting may become inefficient, the protein skimmer may not be as efficient, the various filtration areas may not function to the best of their ability and many more areas which at first you will not notice.

Over time this will slowly start to get worse and it could happen at a pace where you may not notice it. Perhaps not even until something goes drastically wrong for example nitrate readings rapidly increasing, coral colour loss, equipment failure and perhaps even fish/coral loss.

At this point the aquarist faces a decision point. These are sort the aquarium out and return it to its former glory or give up on the hobby.

A lot of people actually do choose option number two. In my opinion this is down to one of two things. The first being that they liked the idea of keeping colourful corals and fish and do not like the idea of having to look after them. The second is a lack of knowledge as to what they need to maintain and why.

I personally believe that a lot of people head down this path as they enter the ‘I’ll do it later’ area i.e. they put off various aspects until the week after. Again this could be down to various reasons, however let’s face it how many of these people actually do perform it later. Some will I’m sure however also I am sure that a lot of people wont.

From this point the decline begins.

Caring for an aquarium in my opinion is not that hard work as long as you know why you are doing these tasks and how it is beneficial to the aquarium environment.

Effectively this does depend upon what stage your aquarium is at. If the aquarium is new then there will be some aspects which you will perform now but will not perform later when the aquarium is more mature. Some examples of these tests are ammonia and nitrite water tests. Once the nitrogen cycle has completed then you will not need to perform these tests unless you believe that there may be problems in the aquarium system.

Later when the aquarium is more mature there are various areas which you will need to test and check on a regular basis.

These are various water tests to ensure that the water parameters are the best that they can be, the protein skimmer will need to be emptied and cleaned, various equipment like the water pumps, heaters etc will need to be checked for failures, the glass will need to be cleaned and the fish/corals will need to be visually observed.

To be honest if you set yourself a regime and allocate a little bit of time per week then it does not interfere with your social life and you can be happy in the knowledge that your little aquatic world is in the best condition it can be.

I set myself an hour on a Sunday evening when Josh has gone to bed. Sometime I do it earlier in the day before he has gone to be if he wants to help me do it.

In this time I first check all the water parameters and record the results, after this I clean the glass followed by a visual check of all the required equipment. If my little notepad states that I need to either replace or check an item which is only done every so often then this is completed – this could be lighting, calcium reactor media, activated carbon etc. Once this is done I then empty the skimmer and give it a really good clean.

Once all of this is done then I sit back and quietly watch the fish and the corals. I check each fish one at a time and ensure that they appear to be well fed and have no visible damage. I then move onto the corals and give them a good check. As a final point of inspection I check for any ‘clean up crew’ which may have become stuck or is upside down.

Once everything is done then I simply sit back and enjoy my little slice of the ocean.

For me I find the care of my aquarium quite easy. The reason for this is that I do not skip things. I have a weekly plan which I follow and if everything is acceptable then it does not take long at all. I know that if I skip any then problems are going to occur and I will regret it later – something I don’t want to happen.

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The Seahorse – Should You Put One In A Reef Aquarium

Seahorses come in different types and they are all endearing, interesting and super to keep. In the wild they are, unfortunately, under intense pressure from collection. They are gathered by the millions; some are for the aquarium hobby but most are for alleged medicinal purposes or dried souvenirs.

It isn’t all bad news though, I’m pleased to say. There have been a lot of successes with breeding seahorses, and quite a number for sale are from these efforts. Anyone contemplating keeping the creatures should attempt to source these home-bred or commercial versions.

A mixed reef aquarium, that is one containing fish and corals, is going to be competitive at feeding time. Once the food goes into the water the fish are at it with gusto. Seahorses are not quick enough to compete and will not get enough of the food. They particularly like frozen brine shrimp, or better live. So do the fish of course so it is going to be gone before the seahorses have eaten. Seahorses like food that is close at hand so they can eat easily, they’re not going to get that opportunity with other competitive fish present. The only fish that seahorses should be housed with are pipefish, which are not so competitive that the seahorses lose their chance to eat.

So a standard reef aquarium is unsuitable. Perhaps a seahorse can be placed in a coral only reef. In view of the lack of fish and what has already been said, this would seem to be fine. Unfortunately once again, it isn’t. Seahorses are slow, and they cannot deal with strong and swirling seawater currents. What is one of the important needs in a coral reef aquarium? That’s right, strong and swirling seawater currents. These currents are needed for the sake of the corals to keep them healthy. Some corals need less than others, but the need is still there. The currents will also most likely move the food around too rapidly for the seahorses. So, despite the lack of fish, the coral only reef is not a good home for the seahorse.

So where can seahorses be kept? The answer is in a species aquarium, where the seahorses can be accompanied by pipefish if desired and the habitat can be tailored to them. The aquarium need not be large. Seahorses often occupy ‘grassy’ areas and this can be duplicated. Live rock can be placed in the aquarium with a decorative sand bed to create a pleasing picture, and the macro algae Caulerpa can be grown. The Caulerpa will need sufficient lighting which can be provided, if the aquarium is not too deep, by white and actinic fluorescents, the actinic blue being mainly for a ‘dawn/dusk’ cycle. If the Caulerpa growth is successful it will need to be carefully harvested from time to time.

Having live rock in the aquarium will provide bio-filtration, and the bio-load will not be large. Having Caulerpa in the aquarium will have the same effect as an aquarist with a standard reef placing it in a sump: nitrates and phosphates will be used by the algae as nutrients.

Seawater movement should be gentle. A small powerhead or two can be placed in the rear corners of the aquarium, and there should be enough current to make the Caulerpa sway about very gently, like long grass in a light summer breeze.

Feeding can be by frozen shrimp, brine and mysis. Live brine shrimp can be used if available and from a good source. The food will be available to the seahorses without undue competition.

Seawater quality needs to be tested routinely as in a normal marine system and routine seawater changes undertaken.

In a tailored system such as this, the seahorses should be happy and healthy, not being faced with excessive competition and seawater currents, just eating the available food with their tails wrapped around a strand of Caulerpa.

Who knows, all things being equal the aquarist may have the good fortune to see baby seahorses, this time born from the father.

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Water Salinity

Everyone who goes to the seaside for a day out or a holiday and has a paddle or a swim knows that a mouthful of water is salty. This saltiness is important, and the level of it.

Livestock that comes from the wild reefs is used to stability, and this stability requirement also applies in the aquarium.

The measurement of salinity in professional circles is usually in parts per thousand (ppt). In the marine aquarium hobby the measurement commonly used is specific gravity (SG). This is easily and quickly measured by the use of a hydrometer. Hydrometers are specifically made for the hobby and are easily obtained.

The SG scale that is of interest to the marine aquarist is from 1.022 to 1.025. For special reasons aquarists have run at a higher or lower SG than the scale given, but this will not be gone into here.

The initial consideration is the aquarium system itself: is it a fish only aquarium or a reef aquarium? If it is a fish only aquarium then running the SG at 1.022 is reported to be advantageous. This is because the fish are not physically ‘stressed’ as much as they would be at a higher SG – the outer surface of the fish body permits the passage of water (osmosis) and the fish automatically has to work to compensate for this. The lower SG reduces this process somewhat. In addition, it is reported that certain fish skin parasites do not do so well at the lower SG, and anything that makes life more difficult for a parasite is welcome. The lower SG also means that there is less dry salt required for routine seawater changes, meaning costs are lower, though this is not a priority consideration.

For the reef aquarium (no fish) and the mixed aquarium, it is probably better to run at an SG of 1.024 (or 1.025). This is primarily for the corals, as reports have indicated that they do not do so well at a lower SG. This applies to both soft and hard corals. My soft coral reef has been running at 1.024 for years.

If the corals are known to have come from the Red Sea, where the salinity is higher, it will probably be better to have the SG at 1.025 at least to begin with, or even 1.026.

There isn’t a reason why the higher Red Sea SG cannot be lowered carefully, but this must be done slowly. A sudden reduction in SG is not good. Reducing the SG from 1.025 to 1.024 could be done over a fortnight or more. Corals have evolved over a very long time and must be watched for any adverse reaction. An SG lower than 1.024 is not recommended for a reef aquarium.

Of course, when discussing the suitability of corals and SG, two things come to mind. The first is that perhaps the coral has been home propagated. If so, it will already be acclimated to a normal aquarium environment. The seawater SG is easily discovered by a simple enquiry. Second, a coral imported from the wild reef will usually be seen in a dealer’s display tank. Is the coral open and extended, looking beautiful? If so, what is the dealer’s SG? How long has it been in the tank?

It is not likely that the seawater in the dealer’s display tank and that in the aquarist’s aquarium will be matched, there could be differences in pH, temperature, SG, alkalinity etc. Therefore it is of great importance that the introduction of livestock – of any type – to the aquarist’s seawater is done properly and over an extended amount of time. This will allow at least some adjustment to be made. Livestock is very resilient given the chance, despite the fact it comes for the most part from a very stable environment, the wild reef.

Once livestock is in the aquarium and settled, it is important that the SG continues to be stable. First, routine seawater changes should be at the same SG and the same temperature. Second, any evaporation from the seawater needs to be topped up. Seawater should not be used for these top-ups, but fresh water, preferably reverse osmosis water. This is because the salt does not evaporate, and if seawater were to be used then the SG would slowly get higher as more salt is being added. Topping up can be automated for a large aquarium if desired, or done manually once a day for smaller ones.

There are some basic and important parameters that need to be monitored and kept stable, and salinity is one of them. A check with a hydrometer is recommended at least weekly.

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