First Introduction - Fish Or Invertebrate

The majority of aquarists decide that the first introduction to their aquariums should be a fish yet does it need to be this way.

I fully understand why this happens and perhaps this is due to historic reasons where aquarists used hardy fish to assist in the cycling of their aquariums. Something which I am glad to say is not done anymore. Perhaps it is the movement and colour of the fish which draws the eye. There are many reasons as to why people choose a fish as the first inhabitant of their aquarium. It uis of course not up to me to sway their decision in any way but perhaps people believe that a fish has to be the first introduction.

On another note if the aquarium is a fish only aquarium then the aquarists will of course be introducing a fish first!

For the aquarist with a reef aquarium however there is another choice especially when live rock is used as the filtration but it does not matter what filtration is employed. Live rock even when matured correctly is not very sterile and therefore may carry opportunistic parasites. When a fish is caught in the dealers it is put under immense stress due to the catching, the bagging, the transport etc. When the fish is introduced to the aquarium its immune system may be lower than normal and in a reef tank filtered via live rock it may become prey to opportunistic parasites.

I appreciate that the above can happen at any time in the aquariums life however at the very start the aquarist is learning and if a fish is lost at the very start then this is sad for obvious reasons however the aquarist’s confidence in the aquarium and his/her own abilities and may give up the hobby.
There are certain fish which are more resilient than others however a lot of these fish - damselfish for example can become problematic later due to the aggressive nature and it is very hard to remove a fish from an aquarium with live rock in it!

Another method at the very start instead of fish is introducing hardy invertebrates.

By introducing hardy invertebrates first the aquarist will gain experience in acclimatisation techniques as well as stocking techniques. At the very start when the aquarist’s knowledge is low for want of a better word it is probably fair to say that a fair amount of tinkering will be employed. What I mean by this is that the aquarists hands will be in the aquarium a lot moving various corals around as well as the relevant water movement devices until they are satisfied that the conditions provided in the aquarium are suitable for the aquarium inhabitants.

If the decision is made to introduce invertebrates prior to fish then the aquarium, as with fish must be ready for the introduction of them. By this I mean that the nitrogen cycle has completed, there are no large algae outbreaks evident or they are under control and the water conditions are maintained in accordance with the recommended levels. For examples nitrates should be low as should phosphate levels. More than that the water conditions should not just be maintained they should be stable.

With the aquarist deciding to introduce invertebrates in the first instance the equipment purchased and installed should be capable of support the life in the aquarium. For example the lighting needs to be correct. This may sound basic but I hear of a lot of people trying to keep corals under lighting which to be honest is just not suitable for them.

At this point - actually a lot earlier the aquarist should know what corals, fish etc that they want to keep and should have based their purchases around this decision. At this point in the aquariums life you would not be looking at introducing an SPS coral like acropora etc as the aquarium is simply not ready for it.

At this point the corals you will be interested in purchasing are the ones which are not too expensive and do not have the colour of the majority of SPS corals. This is not to say that these corals are dull and colourless as they are far from it but when you compare prices you will see what I mean!

Speaking of purchase again I recommend that you build a relationship with a local dealer, another hobbyist or an online area (like Aquarists Online hint hint…) where you can go and ask advice as to what is suitable etc. Building a relationship with others is important as you can use their experience, their knowledge to your advantage o=plus you can learn a lot about the hobby and will hopefully not make expensive mistakes.

When selecting corals you are looking for corals which are suitable for the beginner. When looking you will probably see some exceptionally colourful species. I would probably stay away from these as there are some species which do not contain zooanthellae and require feeding for them to thrive. A good example of this is the sun coral. There are also other colourful ones which are probably for more advanced aquarists or aquarists who have had stable aquariums for a long period of time.

You have to remember that the aquarium is new and the water, rockwork, sand, glass, equipment etc all needs to age. You can always come back to these more colourful corals when your confidence has grown by maintaining a reef aquarium for a number of years.

In my opinion the list below details what I believe to be good ‘starter corals’ and are suitable for first introduction.

• Button Polyps
• Xenia
• Mushrooms
• Leather Corals
• Star Polyps

This does not mean that you should not introduce fish. I personally think that an aquarium with just corals in and no fish lacks movement however I think that perhaps more aquarists should introduce invertebrates prior to introducing fish to gain both confidence in themselves as well as giving the aquarium time to settle.

This of course also does not mean that you will not get problems when introducing fish at a later stage. You might but just remember to acclimatise them properly and use a quarantine tank.

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Tags: Aquarium Filter, Care, Equipment, invertebrate, live-rock, nitrogen cycle

Can Decorative Sand Be Used For Filtration

This is a very good question which I was asked recently via email and I thought that I would detail it here for others to read and hopefully benefit from.

A lot of aquarists decide to put a small amount of decorative sand in the bottom of the aquarium to make it look more natural. This sand is normally something like coral sand, live sand etc.

Normally a small scattering is put in the aquarium - just enough to cover the bottom of the aquarium. At first the aquarium does look very natural however before long the sand starts to get clogged up with detritus, uneaten food and unless the aquarist cleans it then it can start to look very dirty.

Whilst looking into possible methods to keep it clean the aquarist may stumble upon a term called deep sand beds. After a small amount of research the aquarist may decide to ‘give it a go’ and after purchasing more of the sand installs it into the aquarium and believes that he/she now has a deep sand bed.

Wrong I am afraid and this is a deep sand bed which is probably destined to fail.

The reason for this is that the sand used in a deep sand bed has to have sand particles which are within a given size range. This is so that the animals which live in the sand are able to move the sand around. This is a term which is called turning the sand bed over. The animals will not magically appear. Some will migrate from the live rock if this is used in the aquarium, however the majority will need to be introduced by the aquarist. Not just once either the bed will need to be topped up from time to time. Once the bed has animals in there they then need feeding so that they can reproduce and increase the diversity in the sand bed. For this they need to be fed by placing some food directly onto the sand bed alternating where the food is placed. Other animals can also be purchased and introduced to the aquarium to assist in the cleaning up of the sand bed. These can be hermits, starfish etc but they have to be ones which will survive in a sand bed.

The other thing that is required is the actual depth of the sand bed. The sand bed needs to be a minimum of four inches in depth. Having a deep sand bed of at least this depth will create a bed which is low in oxygen at the bottom. When this happens this allows for the relevant bacteria to live which will assist in the filtration.

There are a large amount of aquarium stores now that sell sand which is designed for use in the the creation of a deep sand bed. There is a variety of colours to choose from however personally I prefer the natural ’sand’ looking colour!

A deep sand bed is a very powerful tool for filtration and is often underestimated. Combine a deep sand bed with live rock and you have an aquarium filtration system with a large amount of power. As long as it is properly setup and properly cared for.

In answer to the question - yes decorative sand can be used for filtration as long as the fundamentals of deep sand beds are understood.

Below are links to two articles we recently wrote on this subject:

The Deep Sand Bed - One Of The Most Effective Filtration Methods

Deep Sand Bed Construction

Feeding a Deep Sand Bed

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Tags: Aquarium Filter, Aquarium Filtration, deep-sand-bed, live-rock, plenum, Water Quality

What Is Natural Aquarium Filtration

There is one thing that I have learnt in all my years of keeping aquariums - do not underestimate nature!

It still amazes me today how powerful natural aquarium filtration actually is and how many ways there are to actually filter an aquarium or provide additional nutrient export by using the power of mother nature.

Nowadays whenever I am asked for my recommendation as to the best way to filter a marine aquarium I always mention natural filtration. In my opinion and this is purely my opinion live rock mixed with a remote deep sand bed has to be the ultimate natural based filtration available at this moment in time.

The prime advantage of using natural based filtration methods is its efficiency and the advantages that it gives to the aquarist.

A lot of people however have never heard of natural filtration never mind actually understand what it is.

So what is natural filtration?

Any filtration technique applied to an aquarium actually does have an element of nature in it - the bacteria however in a lot of occasions the container upon/in which the bacteria lives is not natural - it is manmade.

A good example of the above would be a canister filter. The bacteria is natural, however the holding device if you will has been manufactured.

Therefore a good way to explain natural filtration is that it is where the bacteria live in any area which has not been manufactured by man.

This is not a set rule however as there are exceptions to natural filtration. One of which would be using macro algae as a nutrient export tool.

Numerous natural filtration methods can be employed in the home aquarium. Some can be implemented for use as a primary filtration method whilst others can be utilised as an additional nutrient export tool.

As already stated natural filtration can be and is an exceptionally powerful tool. Think about the ocean - it is huge, however the natural filtration devices which are in use in the ocean are very similar to what we can use.

The rock structures on the coral reefs are similar to live rock filtration, grass beds are similar to a refugium/macro algae, mangrove swamps are a much larger scale of mangrove usage in the aquarium etc.

Can you see how powerful this type of filtration can be. The ocean has been filtered this way for millions of years and it can and does work in the aquarium.
Although our aquarium are minute compared to the size of the worlds oceans the end result is the same - excellent water parameters.

There is a point which needs to be made however, the filtration has been termed as natural filtration simply because it is similar to what is used in nature or is the same as is used in nature but on a much smaller scale but there will always be an element of human involvement.

That’s right - the care and maintenance. As with all things in this hobby the correct care and maintenance techniques need to be applied and this is no different with natural aquarium filtration. Nature can again be involved in this area for example using hermit crabs, snails etc to keep the rocks/sand clean however there will always be a time where we need to get involved to keep it just right and running at optimum efficiency.

If you are just starting out in this hobby or already have an aquarium and are using man-made filtration then I really recommend that you at least consider natural based aquarium filtration. It is absolutely amazing how powerful it actually is.

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Tags: Aquarium Filter, Aquarium Filtration, deep-sand-bed, live-rock, mangrove, refugium

The Canister Filter - A Thing Of The Past Or Still Useful?

Technology marches on and there are quite a few devices that are available for use with a marine system. The canister filter is not new and has been with us for a considerable period.

Canister filters are made by quite a few manufacturers. They are usually shaped, err, like a canister, though there are models available that are square. As time has passed they have become very reliable.

A canister filter could be considered a closed circuit. Seawater is delivered to the unit down a flexible tube, passes through the canister media and is then returned to the aquarium through another flexible tube powered by a built-in pump. It is best if the intake and outlet are at opposite ends of the aquarium, though perhaps this is not so important nowadays when the high flow rates within the aquarium are considered. Nevertheless, it is best to keep the intake and outlet apart.

What can the canister be used for? Biological filtration is the first use that comes to mind. Though filtration this way has been superseded by live rock an aquarium can still be successful using a canister, and many aquarists still do. The cost of live rock is high, and so canisters find a use. They need to be filled with a good bio-media, and this media needs to be protected by efficient mechanical filtration, such as sponges and filter wool. The cleaner the bio-media is kept, that is, kept clear of sediment, the better. The canister needs to be sized to the size of the aquarium, and the manufacturer’s specifications will include recommendations. One point about these recommendations - the flow rate advised by some manufacturers is often with the canister empty, when it is filled with media it will be less. Consideration can be given to using two smaller canisters so there is a backup. The canisters can be serviced alternately.

Cleaning the mechanical media in the bio-filter is important otherwise the seawater flow will decrease. It is a good idea to clean this media after two weeks. It may be that it remains reasonably clean in which case increase the period to three weeks and so forth. Sometimes it is recommended that the filter should be cleaned when there is a noticeable reduction in the flow rate. This is not really acceptable because for this to happen the media will be very dirty. By cleaning and checking the condition of the mechanical media the aquarist can arrive at a reasonable service period. A watch should always be kept on flow rates even with more regular cleaning because of the importance of bio-filtration - a failure or reduction could result in serious consequences. In addition, the bio-media itself must never be washed in tap water as this will kill the bacteria. If cleaning is essential then seawater should be used, and this can be at a routine change using the old seawater. The media should be very gently stirred with the fingers under the seawater to remove dust and debris. It will never look ‘as new’ but this doesn’t matter.

If the filter is used for bio purposes then the seawater leaving the filter will be low in oxygen. This is because the bacteria that carry out the bio-filtration function are oxygen hungry. The oxygen can easily be replenished by releasing the returning seawater at the surface.

There is an important point with bio-filtration in a canister filter. This is that the ‘Nitrogen Cycle’ will arrive at nitrate and stop. The ‘Nitrogen Cycle’ is the process where bacteria convert ammonia to nitrite, then the nitrite to nitrate. A watch should be kept on nitrate levels, though this should be done in any marine system anyway.

If other means of bio-filtration are in use then the canister is not redundant. It can be used for purely mechanical purposes, that is trapping detritus that is in the seawater. In this case only mechanical filtration such as sponge and filter wool are in use, and these can be washed under the tap. If they are showing any deterioration they should be replaced. This of course also applies to the mechanical filtration within the bio-filter.

The canister can also be used for activated carbon and/or anti-phosphate media. These are put in after the mechanical filtration. Certain anti-phosphate media types with a very fine particle size are usually better in a fluidized reactor, as in a canister they could tend to clog. Cleaning the mechanical filtration area is the same as above, and a note should be made of when the activated carbon and/or anti-phosphate media are due for renewal.

There is another use for the canister. If a small canister set up as a bio-filter is kept running on the display aquarium, or better the sump as connection is easier and the intakes/outlets will not be seen, then a permanently ready bio-filtration unit will be at hand. This is useful for those aquarists who have wisely used a small aquarium for quarantine purposes. This could be required again for quarantine of a new arrival, or as a hospital area for a fish with a problem. There isn’t a need to keep this aquarium full of seawater, but if required it can be filled and the bio-filter is ready.

So the canister filter is not out of date. Modern types are very reliable and much easier to service than the older models, which could be fiddly. Having a canister in the system could certainly be useful.

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Tags: Aquarium Filter, Aquarium Filtration, deep-sand-bed, Equipment, live-rock, plenum

Aquarium Filter Media - Is There Such A Thing As The Best One

The function of the filtration is to ensure that the relevant nutrients in the water are processed. These nutrients occur due to the inhabitants being kept in a closed environment - the aquarium.

Of course life in the ocean also creates waste yet the ocean is so vast that the waste/nutrients are controlled. Look at the oceans filtration - huge sumps, loads of live rock, the biggest deep sand beds ever, mangrove swamps etc.

In our aquariums fish and food are the biggest problems. As soon as you add fish to the aquarium there is a requirement for you to feed it. The trouble is the majority of aquarists unfortunately overfeed. Not on purpose I hasten to add feeding is a pleasurable time and as aquarists we all want to ensure that our fish are well fed.

Fish being fish though will just eat. This is a natural response and is primarily because they do not know when their next meal will come, therefore the gorge.

This causes the problem. There is a lot of food which does not get eaten and starts to decay, other food is passed through the fish’s digestive system either un-digested or partially digested as they ate to much, normal faeces plus urine.

Unless this waste is broken down and processed by the aquariums filtration system then before long the fish will be living in a nutrient loaded soup.

Not nice as I am sure you will agree.

This is why it is so important that a good filtration system is implemented. There are various types of filtration which can be utilised in the aquarium some of which are listed below:

• Canister Filter
• Internal Filter
• Fluidised Filter
• Plenum
• Deep Sand Bed
• Live Rock

In the above examples there are some of these which require filter media. Filter media can be many things - sponge, ceramic rings, plastic balls etc, however it can also be sand or even rock. For example the filter media used in a deep sand bed is the sand itself and the filter media used in live rock is rock.

There are a lot of people who see filter media as being something which is man-made which is added to the aquarium. It is of my opinion that filter media is anything where the required bacteria can function.

Any type of filter media can and will work. The issue is not about where the bacteria live it is how the filtration itself is maintained and how efficient the filtration is.

A good example of this is a sponge filter media. When the filter media is working efficiently the sponge will be clean and not clogged in any way, however over time the sponge if not maintained correctly will become clogged and the efficiency of the filtration will decline.

Another example would be live rock. If the live rock is not kept clean by either manual methods or by the introduction of a natural clean up crew then the filtration may not work at a level of efficiency which is could do if it was clean.

I do admit that there are some filtration media which does allow for more nutrients to be converted. The majority of filtration media finishes at the creation of nitrate. A deep sand bed, live rock or the two combined when maintained correctly will allow for the processing of nitrate as well.

Maybe the article should have been titled ‘Aquarium Filter Media - Which is The Most Efficient’ as it is of my opinion that there is no such thing as the best filter media…just the most efficient.

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Tags: Aquarium Filter, Aquarium Filtration, Aquarium Maintenance, Care, deep-sand-bed, filter media, live-rock, plenum

Save Money and Have Fun By Making Your Own Live Rock

Live rock is a wonderful bio-filtration media. The shapes of the individual rocks are attractive and very useful in the construction of an ‘open’ reef structure. There is a disadvantage however, and that is cost.

Though different types of live rock vary in weight, this weight causes transportation to be expensive. In addition, the rock is usually transported uncured, and further cost is added for the curing process (curing is where organisms that are dead are dying are cleared from the live rock so that pollution will not occur).

Another downside to live rock is the collection itself. Hopefully collection is done responsibly and only rubble and other loose rock is collected, and nothing is prised from the reef itself. There are companies that are creating live rock in the wild by leaving non-reef rocks in the sea near a wild reef until the rock is seeded. This has to be applauded, but the cost of transportation is still there.

There is a way that hobbyists can get around the high cost of natural live rock and that is to make it themselves. There are two ways to do this.

The first way involves the purchase of live rock from the retailer. However, the quantity is ¼ to ½ of what would have been purchased if the aquarium were to be furnished with all natural live rock. When the live rock goes into the aquarium, the shortfall is made up with inert porous ordinary rock. Given time, this inert rock will become live - bacteria will take up residence and other marine life will also do the same. It is a very satisfying process but is slow and that certain virtue is required - patience. 6 months plus is the time scale being looked at. If the aquarist is to use live rock as the sole bio-filtration method, for a period care is needed to make sure there is sufficient bio capacity for the livestock. It could be that if the aquarist is concerned about the size of the bio load a canister filter could be incorporated to assist for a while. When the canister filter becomes redundant it can be used for mechanical filtration.

The second way is to make the rocks themselves. This is not as difficult, or perhaps as silly, as it could sound. For this method a link is provided so that the idea can be investigated:

http://www.garf.org

When at the website, expand the ‘How To Pages’ on the left hand side list (click on the + sign). Then click on ‘Aragonite’ or ‘Aragocrete’. A list will appear and a selection can be made.

It would really be good to view a healthy, vibrant fully stocked captive reef and be able to say ‘I made that, entirely, A to Z.’

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Tags: Aquarium Filter, Aquarium Filtration, DIY, live-rock, reef-tank, saltwater-aquarium

The Fun Begins - Aquascaping

It can seem endless waiting for the aquarium to ‘happen.’ All the equipment to research and obtain never mind the mounting cost that always seems to be more than estimated. Nevertheless, the aquarist knows when the really exciting time is close as thoughts of aquarium interior design arise.

It may be a fish only system that is being considered, or a full-blown captive reef. Whatever, there are some considerations that must be applied, and other aspects can be the aquarist’s free hand.

The aquarist needs to decide, or maybe already has, what type of rock is to be used. Is it going to be live rock, or will it be porous and inert rock? Whichever, the aquarist needs to ensure that there is sufficient rock to complete the structure in mind. In addition, if live rock is to be used then there must be sufficient of high enough quality to ensure the filtration of the aquarium will be adequate.

Seawater flow in the aquarium is very important. Good movement ensures that there is good gas exchange at air/water interfaces. Flow throughout the rock formation is important as oxygenated seawater is available everywhere and the chance of stagnant areas is minimised. It also means, in the case of live rock, that the beneficial bacteria can inhabit more rock areas thus increasing available filtration (subject to available nutrients). So the first item to be kept in mind is that the rocks should not be tightly packed but more of a loose formation, though of course they need to be stable. Naturally obtained rocks are usually very random in shape and this is of help - it would be difficult to pack them closely together.

Another point to be kept in mind is that livestock need a home where they can feel secure. For example, fish need somewhere to retire for the night. It is a good idea to try and build in a cave or two as construction proceeds. As already said, it is likely that the rocks themselves, being randomly shaped, will create crevices and channels.

It is great fun creating a rock formation or reef. Of course, the aquarist with a nano aquarium will have less scope than someone with a much larger one. The small aquarium may take very few pieces of rock, but it can be surprising just how many formation variations can be tried with those few rocks. The larger aquarium can have a formation much more like a reef (whether a captive reef is intended or not), and the very large aquarium provides the freedom to really be creative.

Quite a few aquarists create a reef which is well constructed and interesting. These reefs go from one side of the aquarium to the other, and their top and front surfaces are generally straight. There’s nothing wrong with that, and if the aquarist wants that kind of construction then fine, so be it. However, these reef types have been likened to a greengrocer’s shop with the vegetables (corals) laid out. If the aquarium is fairly large, that is not a nano, why not slope the reef from one side to another, or run it flat and then let it drop away before it gets to the other end? In a large enough aquarium, the formation could start high, drop down lower in the middle then climb up again at the other end. The centre could pull back from the front glass to give some swimming space. In a larger aquarium, a central but offset pinnacle could be used, with a decorative sand bed around it. Or there could be two pinnacles, again with decorative sand around the bottom. As said, it depends on the size of the aquarium, but there is scope for imagination whatever the size might be.

The aquarist is going to look at his/her creation a lot in the future, so time spent in the initial construction of the reef is time well spent. Anyway, as said, its fun!

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Tags: Aquarium Filter, Aquarium Filtration, Aquarium Maintenance, Care, Equipment, live-rock

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