Acclimatising New Corals And Fish The Correct Way

The purpose of acclimatisation is simple - the water that the animal is packaged in may have a different temperature, pH and salinity than that of your aquarium. Aquatic life (especially corals and invertebrates) are very sensitive to minor changes in water parameters therefore acclimatisation is a requirement for success.

There are two ways which are recommended to acclimatise your new purchase to your aquarium. Neither of these should be rushed and should both be performed with the aquarium lights off. The lights should also remain off for a further 6 to 12 hours after the animal has been introduced to the quarantine tank, or the main display tank, whichever you are using.

Floating Bag Method

Before you commence ensure that the lights on your aquarium are turned off. Also ensure that the lights in the room where you will be unpacking the animal are turned down to a minimum. Bright lights will cause excessive stress to the animal.

• Float the bag whilst it is still sealed in the aquarium for a minimum of 15 minutes. Do not open the bag at this stage. This allows the water in the bag to slowly adjust to the temperature of your aquarium.
• Once a minimum of 15 minutes has passed open the bag as near to the top as possible and either attach this to the side of the aquarium, or create an air pocket in the top of the bag so that the bag will float.
• Once the bag is open add half an egg cup of your aquarium water to the bag and wait 5 - 10 minutes.
• After 5 - 10 minutes again add half an egg cup of your aquarium water to the bag and wait another 5 - 10 minutes.
• Continue with this process until the bag is full.
• Once the bag is full remove the bag from the water and discard at least half of the water from the bag.
• Re-float the bag in the water and repeat the steps of adding half an egg cup of your aquarium water to the bag again until the bag is full (Remember to wait 5 - 10 minutes between each water addition)
• Once the bag is full capture the fish using a proper aquatic net and release into the aquarium. Corals can be removed from the bag and placed in the aquarium. When some corals are touched they could produce a great deal of slime - this is nothing to worry about and is perfectly normal. However do not introduce any of the water into the aquarium. Invertebrates need to be released into the aquarium under the water.
• You should never allow them to be out of the water in air. To release invertebrates lower the bag into the aquarium and tease the animal out of the bag. Some of the water will escape into the aquarium, however attempt to keep this to a minimum.
• Discard the water in the shipping bag - never introduce the water from the shipping bag into your aquarium.

Leave the aquarium lights off for at least 6 - 12 hours after the introduction to allow your new purchases to become acclimatised to their new home.

Drip Method

The drip method of acclimatisation is normally used for more sensitive inhabitants, however more and more fish keepers are using this method for all livestock.

Before you commence with this method ensure that the lights on your aquarium are turned off. Also ensure that the lights in the room where you will be unpacking the fish are also turned down to a minimum. Bright lights will cause excessive stress to the fish.

• Float the bag whilst it is still sealed in the aquarium for a minimum of 15 minutes. Do not open the bag at this stage. This allows the water in the bag to slowly adjust to the temperature of your aquarium.
• Remove the bag from the aquarium and very carefully empty the contents of the bag into a marine safe receptacle (do not use too big a receptacle). Ensure that the animal is fully submerged. If the animal is an invertebrate do not allow it to come into contact with the air - they must remain submerged at all times.
• You will need to use some airline so that you can set up a drip line from your main aquarium to the receptacle.
• In your aquarium secure the airline tubing so that it cannot fall out. On the other end (the end which is in the receptacle) add an airline control valve (this will allow you to regulate the flow of water).
• With the tubing in your aquarium submerged and the other end in the bucket start the siphon by gently sucking on the airline tube. This will start the siphon and water will start to pass from your main aquarium to the bucket. As soon as water begins to flow adjust the valve so that you are getting between 2 to 5 drops per second.
• Now wait until the water in the receptacle doubles the initial amount, pause the siphon using the control valve, discard half of the water from the receptacle and start the siphon again using the control valve.
• Wait until the water doubles again and then stop or break the siphon. You are now ready to introduce your animal to the aquarium.
• If the animal is a fish then capture the fish using a proper aquatic net and release into the aquarium.
• If the animal is a coral then you can simply lift it out of the receptacle and place it into the aquarium.
• If the animal is an invertebrate then you will need to capture it under water and keep it under water until it is introduced into the aquarium. Try to retain as little as possible of the receptacle water when doing the transfer.
• Discard the water from the receptacle - never introduce the water into your aquarium (apart from that necessary for invertebrates).
• Leave the aquarium lights off for at least 6 - 12 hours after the introduction.

Remember that it is very important to be patient. The acclimatisation period should take as long as needed.

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Tags: aquarium, Aquarium Maintenance, aquarium-livestock, Care, Corals, Fish, Invertebrates

Clownfish For Anemones

I recently did a short text on anemones. One of the reasons anemones are wanted by the aquarist is their relationship with an anemone. This relationship is remarkable and it is understandable why an aquarist would wish to duplicate this in an aquarium.

For the relationship to work it is obvious that aquarium conditions must be correct. Clownfish are generally hardy (in marine terms) and, if there are problems, it is usually the anemone that fails to thrive. It is important that the anemone is happy by providing the correct lighting, water movement and space (anemones can grow as I found out in the early days!).

Clownfish are lovely fish in their own right. They will live in an aquarium without an anemone, but if the aquarium is a reef with corals, they may well decide to make their home in, say, a mushroom coral (Sarcophyton sp) or similar. I’ve seen this occur in Peter’s aquarium and the coral didn’t seem to be affected by the clownfish’s presence at all. Then again, some clownfish do not make their home in a provided anemone, even if it is one of the preferred species. Why this is I’m not sure, but maybe it is because the clownfish were home bred and just don’t know what to do? Maybe!

It is best to house just one species of clownfish with an anemone, although it is known for different clownfish to co-exist. If they are mixed, aggression may occur and this is certainly not wanted. What is wanted is peace and harmony as far as possible. To be cautious, present the anemone with just two clownfish of the same species. Even the same species may show aggression if there are just too many, and of course the anemone will be none too keen either.

My favourite clownfish is the so called common clown (a bit of injustice there, fancy calling the little beauties common), the proper name is Amphiprion ocellaris. I kept one of these with an anemone for a couple of years. Unfortunately the anemone grew too large, so I took it to the retailers along with the clownfish. I asked the retailer to sell the anemone and the clownfish together, he later told me he had done that. I hope the two had a long life in a suitably sized aquarium.

So, after choosing the clownfish check which anemone is preferred, then make sure the aquarium is spacious enough.

With proper pre-purchase checks, proper water quality, lighting and feeding, the aquarist should be rewarded with one of nature’s amazing sights - clownfish in the security of a host anemone.

Below is a link to help choose the correct anemone and clownfish.

http://www.bestfish.com/tips/032698.html

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Tags: anemone, aquarium, clownfish, Fish, reef-tank, saltwater-aquarium

Fish Euthanasia

Not a pleasant subject, so why write about it? Only because many years ago I was faced with the problem of a very sick and obviously suffering fish and I couldn’t do anything about it, and couldn’t stand to see it go on. At the time those more experienced were unable to suggest the problem, but did advise on how the fish could be relieved of its misery. Thankfully I have never faced such a problem since and fingers crossed never will.

The aquarist who does all the proper things may never need to consider the subject. I feel reasonably certain that the majority of marine aquarists have never had such an awful decision to make.

The fish in question is in dire straits: it cannot breathe properly, swims in circles/upside down/up and down, bumps into things, doesn’t hide and colouration is faded. There can be several indicators. The aquarist is at a total loss to understand what the problem is, nothing fits the known diseases and ailments, and so what treatment can be given? The seawater parameters are correct, no problems. The incorrect treatment may cause more stress and suffering. Perhaps the aquarist has netted the fish out (this is easy - or was in my case - as the fish displays none of the natural instincts to hide) and put it into an isolation tank. In hope, a general anti-bacterial or copper treatment may have been tried, to no avail. Whatever the build up to the situation, it has arrived. I think aquarists would ’know’ the position.

So what to do? The fish is doomed and in severe distress. Compassion tells the aquarist to do something - there is usually only one thing to do, and that is to give the fish a quick and easier escape. How can this be done?

The only two ways I know are unsettling in themselves:

(a) Place the fish in a brown bag (I used brown as I couldn’t see the fish) and swing the bag and fish very hard against a solid surface. This will end the suffering instantly.

(b) Place the fish quickly in a small tray of ice, and leave until breathing ceases.

The second I personally am not too keen on. I’d rather have it over with quickly for the fish (and me).

Perhaps there are other and better ways of ending the suffering. If so, I’d like to know of them.

I’ll repeat what has already been stated - the aquarist may well never have this situation. Even if a fish is sick, hopefully the problem can be identified and appropriate medication applied. Our fish are remarkably resilient. The journey from the wild reef to the aquarist’s aquarium demonstrates that.

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Tags: Fish, marine-aquarium, marine-fish, saltwater-aquarium, saltwater-fish

Good Starter Fish For The Saltwater Aquarium

Once all the research, planning and waiting is complete and the aquarium is full of water and has finally finished cycling you will finally be ready to introduce your first fish.

It is important to ensure that you make the right choice though as there are some fish which are suitable to be added at this stage and there are fish which are not.

Do you know what you are looking for in the selection of your first fish?

Firstly and foremost the fish you choose must be relatively hardy. The reason for this is that the saltwater aquarium is new and the water will not be completely stable. Another reason is that as aquarists we all make mistakes at one time or another and with having a hardy fish they are more forgiving to these mistakes.

You will probably have an idea as to the type of fish you would like to keep in your aquarium therefore it is imperative that this fish you choose now will be compatible with future tank mates. If you added an aggressive fish for example at the start then whenever you decided to add a new fish there would be fighting in the aquarium. Not what you want at this stage really is it.

Which fish are good fish to start with?

Below is a list of what I believe to be good starter fish for a saltwater aquarium. They are all relatively hardy, peaceful and none of them have special feeding requirements.

• Clownfish
• Orchid Dottyback
• Royal Gramma
• Blenny
• Chromis
• Firefish

Lets have a look at each of these in a little more detail :

Clownfish

The clownfish to me is a fantastic little fish. The way it swims, the way it lives in corals etc and especially the colours - a great addition to any aquarium. They are also one of the most popular starter fish. They are quite hardy and are very well suited to captive life in an aquarium.

You can keep these singularly or you can keep them in pairs. When kept in pairs the most dominant fish sometimes will turn into a female and the two may even end up breeding.

There is a mis-belief that clown fish must be kept with an anemone. This simply is not the case. Clownfish will be more than happy in an aquarium without one. Anenomes are quite hard to keep and at this stage of the aquariums life the aquarium is not yet ready for one, possibly neither are you.

There are various species of clownfish, however the best ones to start with are :

• Common clown (Amphiprion ocellaris)
• Black and white clown (Amphiprion ocellaris)
• Percula clown (Amphiprion percula)

Clownfish can be purchased tank bred and if this is an available option it is recommended that you follow this option.

Orchid Dottyback

The orchid dottyback (Fridmani pseudochromis) is a relatively peaceful fish which grows to around 3-4 inches in length. The good thing about the orchid dottyback is that they can be purchased tank bred.

One thing to be noted is that you should not mix this fish with other fish of the same shape (ie the royal gramma below) or with other dottybacks.

Once the fish has become accustomed to life in your aquarium it will become quite bold and swim happily around the aquarium.

Royal Gramma

Royal grammas (Gramma Loreto) are a peaceful fish with the exception of their own kind and are very colourful fish with the colours changing from purple to yellow along the fish’s body.

There are other fish which can easily be confused with the Royal Gramma as they look very similar so ensure that it actually is a Royal Gramma prior to purchasing it.

Blenny

There are a couple of blennies which in my opinion make good additions to the aquarium as starter fish and there are the Midas Blenny (Ecsenius midas) and the Bicolour Blenny (Ecsenius bicolor).

These are both fantastic to watch. They both like to either rest on a ledge or find a hole and simply watch the world go by.

Chromis

Chromis (Chromis viridis) are great to add to an aquarium. They are relatively hardy and if you have a larger aquarium then you can add a small group. They normally come in two colours (blue and green).

One of the good things about chromis is that they do not grow to be that large. They normally do not grow larger than 2 inches in length.

Firefish

The normal firefish (Nemateleotris magnifica) and then purple firefish (Nemateleotris decora) are great starter fish to add to the aquarium. Both of these are very colourful fish which grow to a maximum size of about 4 inches.

The firefish has a large dorsal fin which it uses to lock itself into a hole in the rocks which is normally down at the bottom. This hole is where the fish retires to when the lights go out but it also uses it when it becomes startled. These fish are prone to jumping when startled therefore you need to take care to prevent this.

Unless you can locate an established pair I would recommend that these are kept singularly.

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Tags: aquarium-fish, Fish, home-aquarium, marine-fish, saltwater-aquarium