Marine Aquariums – The Beginners Guide

For a while now we have had two ebooks (electronic books) available which were designed to assist the beginner with starting either a marine reef tank or a marine fish only aquarium.

We have had some great feedback in relation to these books and a lot of comments that we should make them available in printed format.

We thought long and hard about this and decided that we would do this.

For the past few months we have re-worked these ebooks into a single book, re-verified all the information, re-formatted the layout etc etc and now after all of these months it is now available.

The book is available in numerous online stores and over time will be added to any online store or offline store which wants to stock it. If it is not in display at an offline store they will be able to order it as we have assigned an ISBN (the barcode) to the book.

The book is called ‘Marine Aquariums – The Beginners Guide’ and it is a step-by-step guide to assist the beginner to this hobby from the very beginning to the very end where a successful aquarium will hopefully be theirs.

The book has been split into various sections which are as follows:

• Introduction
• Part 1 – What Everything Does
• Part 2 – Filtration
• Part 3 – Setting Up The Aquarium
• Part 4 – Ready To Stock
• Part 5 – Fish Diseases
• Part 6 – Taking Care Of Your Aquarium
• Closure

The book is 324 pages long and we both believe that it is very easy to understand, easy to follow and will hopefully be beneficial to various people.

Naturally we are very proud of what we have created and after all these months it is very strange to see it listed on various websites – with our names as authors next to it as well!

A couple of days ago we received the first copy of the book which for a bit of a joke we have signed!

Below are some pictures of the very first book as well as a picture of the proud authors.

As said we are very excited about this book. We have never had anything printed before and definately have never been authors but we hope that if people do decide to purchase it that they will both enjoy it and find it beneficial. If you or someone you know does decide to purchase it we would love to hear any feedback.

More information about the book can be found at Amazon.

Anyway here are the pictures.

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The Finger Leather Coral

‘Leather’ corals are generally hardy and suitable for the beginner and the more experienced. The Finger Leather Coral is of the soft variety and differently shaped to toadstools (Sarcophyton sp.) and cabbage (Sinularia dura) corals permitting a good attractive, varied and colourful display to be achieved.

Probably the most used common name is the one quoted but they are also regularly called colt corals. As said in other texts, common names are notoriously poor for identification and the proper name is Cladiella sp. There could be around 40 types under this heading. Here is one of them:

http://www.biopix.com/Photo.asp?PhotoId=40720&Photo=Colt-Coral,-Finger-Leather-Coral-(Cladiella-sp.)

Cladiella species are generally more similar to the usual mental image of a coral in that they are branched. The branches are usually fairly thick and quite short protruding from a short stalk which itself is thick. If the coral is touched it will usually be slimy as they have a heavy mucus coating.

The coral is, as corals go, undemanding. There isn’t a requirement for high powered lighting, an array of T5 tubes should suffice. Seawater flow is not particularly critical either, as fairly strong to moderate should be fine.

Coral cutting or ‘fragging’ is becoming more and more popular and quite rightly so. Cladiella sp. corals are good for cutting and should not present any problems. A clean cut to remove an appropriate ‘branch’ should be made and the branch gently fastened to a rock. It should attach and become a new coral to give to another aquarist or exchange at the LFS.

Just because the coral is hardy does not mean that seawater quality should not be at its highest as any coral, hardy or more difficult, will respond best in a quality environment. If kept by an experienced aquarist there should never be a problem, if kept by an inexperienced aquarist this type coral should survive most of the problems that beginners could generate.

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The Colt Coral

I need to state straight away that the title of ‘Colt Coral’ is a commonly used name and misleading. There are other coral species that are also called colt corals, so identity by the common name alone when ordering is likely to end up with the wrong type. The coral is also commonly known as the Finger Leather Coral, again as are other types.

To properly identify the coral it should be called Alcyonium species. There are perhaps around 30 types under the Alcyonium banner. They are soft corals.

When they are extended they can be feathery or with more clearly individual polyps. They are branched and the branches could be thick or fairly slim. Again, some of the species are encrusting and are not so clearly branched.  The branches extend from a main stalk which is usually thick and fairly squat. If the coral is touched it will feel slimy because of its heavy mucus coat. Some soft corals could grow to large proportions in the aquarium, but this species is sometimes smaller. It is possible to obtain the coral in brown, green, red, orange and yellow, though if the aquarist is after a particular colour a search and wait could be needed.

Here’s a link, but remember there are different shapes and types, this is one of them:

http://www.biopix.dk/Species.asp?Language=la&Searchtext=Alcyonium%20digitatum&Catagory=LavereDyr

As with other corals under the ‘leather’ heading, this coral is hardy and suited to all aquarists. They can be showy and make a great display along with other types that have been described in other texts.

The coral should adapt to aquarium lighting well, and doesn’t demand powerful lighting such as metal halides. An array of T5 fluorescent tubes should suffice. Seawater flow is not critical either; a moderate to fairly strong one is acceptable. As with any soft coral, the flow should not be strong enough to obviously cause the coral ‘discomfort’, or the coral will not extend properly – resistance to flow rate depends to an extent on coral shape.

Alcyonium corals are easy to propagate or ‘frag’ to use the aquarist’s phraseology. When the removed part is fastened carefully to a rock it should soon attach and begin to grow.

This coral is hardy and suited to the beginner as it will resist most common beginner’s mistakes. At the same time it is an attractive addition to the aquarium.

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The Cabbage Coral

There are a good number of the so-called leather corals that are acceptable in a beginner’s aquarium and some are of sufficient interest, colour and/or impact to be present in experienced aquarist’s systems as well. Many (or most?) are hardy and are not over demanding of light and seawater flow conditions.

My current soft coral reef has been running for well over six years now and there are corals that have been present from the start. One type is the toadstool coral (Sarcophyton sp.) which has and is spreading with new babies popping up quite regularly and the major corals needing regular cutting.

Another coral is the cabbage, sometimes called the flat leather or flexible leather coral, though obtaining the desired coral by using one of these common names is very hit and miss. The proper name is Sinularia dura.

http://www.biopix.com/Photo.asp?PhotoId=40732&Photo=Cabbage-Leather-Coral-(Sinularia-dura)

The coral is made up of flexible ‘leaves’, and when these leaves are expanded they display attractive markings and deeply serrated edges. The form of the ‘leaves’ depends on the seawater flow, I had to cut the original colony in my reef and the ones in a strong flow are generally flat and undulating as described, but the ones in a low flow are more fluted and upright.

The coral is very forgiving as far as light intensity and seawater flow are concerned. The lights do not have to be powerful metal halide bulbs; they could be fluorescent T5’s. Seawater flow can be moderate to fairly strong; if the flow is very weak the expansion of the coral is much reduced. The coral is therefore a reasonable candidate for placing lower down on the reef with moderate flow.

If the coral is happy the aquarist can expect the colony to increase in size though this is not always rapid. A group of expanded and overlapping ‘leaves’ is really attractive and also different from branched or domed corals.

Attractive as they are there is one more immensely important attribute as far as beginners are concerned – they are very hardy. I think (without substantiating facts but going on my own experiences) that Sinularia dura must be one of the hardiest corals available. The often made mistakes of a beginner affecting seawater quality should not of course occur, but they should be tolerated.

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The Toadstool Coral

There are about 30+ toadstool coral types. Other common names could be leather coral or mushroom coral. They are all misleading though toadstool is, to me, the most descriptive of the common names. The proper name is Sarcophyton sp.

As far as the aquarist is concerned, they are very hardy in terms of corals. Many aquarists have been introduced to captive reef keeping with these corals and have gained confidence and experience with them. Some have moved on to more difficult corals but there are those who keep them as a matter of course.

The colours, which are more muted than those of some other corals, are usually off-white, cream or brown, though less common types are yellow/lemon.

The following link shows quite a few toadstools:

http://www.poppe-images.com/images/search_results.php?d=x&keyword_mh=Sarcophyton&page=1

In the aquarium they require proper reef lighting as they contain zooxanthellae, but having said this they do not require high powered lighting – fluorescent T5’s should be adequate. They also require at least moderately strong seawater flow as they need to rid themselves of mucus, though this current should not be over strong. In fact, from time to time a toadstool could be seen to be shedding ‘skin’ which could worry beginner aquarists, this however is nothing to worry about and quite normal. Sometimes the coral will shrink during the process and appear unhealthy, but once the process is over the coral expands and looks as good as or better than before. If a coral appears to be partly rotting or is discoloured, this can be checked by gently pressing the flesh which will crumble and break away. In this situation all is not lost as there will be parts of the coral that are solid and healthy, so all that is needed is a sharp craft knife or razor blade to cut out the bad part(s), being sure to cut on the side of the good flesh. All things being equal, that is environmental conditions are good, the coral should easily recover.

Having written of ‘cutting’, it should be mentioned that Sarcophyton sp. are very easy to propagate. One of the easiest ways is to cut the head off, ensuring that the head has some stalk. The cut head is attached to a rock or placed in a crevice and it will re-attach and grow again. The stalk that has been left will develop a new head complete with polyps. Now there are two! There are ways of obtaining more than one additional coral by multi-cutting.

If toadstools are happy in the aquarium they should spread, babies appearing on adjacent reef rock. It is also possible for them to grow large with a diameter up to perhaps 24″ over a period of some years. As previously mentioned the coral is easy to cut so if they do become too large it isn’t a problem.

If the aquarist keeps clownfish and not a suitable anemone it could be that the clownfish adopt the toadstool. If this occurs the clownfish could upset the toadstool which could close. In bad cases the toadstool might eventually die.

Sarcophyton sp. though not stunningly coloured have a visual impact and enhance a reef. They are easy to care for and should survive a few of the common mistakes that beginners make, usually to do with seawater quality. They do of course have their limits, and seawater quality should always be at its best.

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The Blue Coral

This coral falls into the ‘soft coral’ group, an octocoral, but it is a little strange for that grouping. This is because it is a reef building coral.

The coral is also a little misleading to the eye with its common name. It would be very understandable if an aquarist with a particular desire for a blue coral was looking for a coral that was actually blue! It isn’t. The external colour is a green tinged grey or brown and the polyps off-white. If the underside of the attached coral could be seen, then the blue would be also. If the skeleton is broken then again the blue would be seen. In other words the blue is internal. Another way of identifying this apparently hard coral is to note that there aren’t any corallites on the coral surface. Corallites are those circular areas that usually occur on a hard coral’s surface that contain the polyp.

Break an octocoral, surely they’re soft? This one isn’t, it could be mistaken for a hard coral. The link gives some pictures.

http://www.poppe-images.com/images/search_results.php?keyword_mh=Heliopora+coerulea&x=73&y=8

The common name as shown is blue coral, and they are also sometimes called the ridge coral. The proper name is Heliopora coerulea.

The coral is best placed in strong seawater movement and also under strong lighting, though it should be happy with medium movement and light as it is reasonably tolerant. The coral is also reasonably hardy, a word that pleases aquarists. It also has quite a fast growth rate, and could be ‘fragged’ should the aquarist wish.

The coral is common in the wild and there isn’t any current threat to it from collection.

This coral is a good addition to a well maintained reef aquarium and shouldn’t pose any particular problems. The coral is reported* to prefer warmer temperatures, between 80 and 84 deg F, so the aquarist who has obtained one could need to increase the seawater temperature slowly.

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

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Is There A ‘Best Size’ Aquarium To Start With

This is probably something which most beginners to this hobby ask themselves and it is a very valid question. A lot of people recommend that beginners start with the largest aquarium which they can both afford and fit into the designated area.

This is very good advice however it can also be confusing as well as off-putting. People sometimes look at the large aquariums as well as the required equipment, see the cost and then are put off.

The reason that a lot of people recommend a large aquarium to start with is due to the fact that it is easier to maintain water quality in an aquarium with more water volume. The way I explain this to people is in relation to a cup of coffee!

In a cup of coffee if you put a spoon full of sugar in there it will taste quite sweet however if the coffee was in a bucket then the coffee would not taste as sweet – if you could taste it at all.

The same is with an aquarium where nutrients such as nitrate and phosphate is the sugar.

So am I different or do I recommend the same.

Actually I am different – I recommend that people start with an aquarium size which is correct for them and their budget. If a new aquarists budget will not stretch to a 100 gallon aquarium then get a smaller one which is within budget. As long as it is known and understood that water quality is slightly harder to maintain in a smaller aquarium then why not get a smaller aquarium. It is better to get a smaller aquarium in my opinion than not get one at all.

If you are a beginner and do get a smaller aquarium then you will need to be vigilant with your feeding, your stocking levels, your water top ups as well as your water testing. As time progresses your self confidence and knowledge in the hobby will increase and this will make it easier.

Smaller aquariums in my opinion can actually be more interesting than the larger ones. In a small aquarium as you are not able to put as many corals, fish etc in as you can with the larger aquariums you can watch and study the aquarium inhabitants more closely. It also has the added benefit that the required equipment will not cost you as much.

As time progresses you may wish to invest in a larger aquarium or you may wish to downsize and go nano – or even pico however at the beginning, as said any aquarium is a ‘best size’ aquarium to start with as long as it is known that smaller aquariums require more careful management.

On a final note – when I say small aquarium I do not mean an aquarium which is very small – I would not recommend that any beginner start with an aquarium which has a water voluem which is less than 20 gallons.

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