I’m afraid I’m not any kind of expert on import/export markets. All I can say is that the EU and US are good markets, which is pretty obvious.

Have a look on the internet for global import and export companies which deal with corals. One such one is http://www.tradeboss.com

All the best.
John´s last blog ..Jellyfish

I’m assuming we’re talking of bio filtration. In any case, the coarse and fine media would be the same whether the canister was used for bio or purely mechanical purposes.

The normal method of filtering mechanically in a canister is to use medium (sometimes calles ‘coarse’) and fine sponge pads. The medium pad(s) comes first followed by the fine. Some aquarists use a very coarse particle media as the first filtration bed, but personally I have found them unnecessary.

If the filtration is purely mechanical, then the canister can be filled with many sponge filter pads and also, if required, the last step can be another filtration media such as carbon.

If bio-filtration is required, what I did was place all of the mechanical filtration (ie sponge pads, medium and fine) before the bio-media. In this way the bio-media was generally clean even after 6 years of use. Of course, it is necessary to be sure there is enough bio-media to filter the load in the aquarium.

Particularly with a bio-filter, it is very important to regularly clean the sponge filter pads. It has been stated that they should be cleaned as soon as there is a reduction in seawater flow. In my opinion, this is not good enough. Cleaning should be regular enough to ensure the continuing proper water flow.

Cleaning the sponge pads can be done under tap water, squeezing them out until clean. Under no circumstances should a sponge pad be cleaned under tap water if that sponge is the bio-media, this would be disastrous.

There are other ways of mechanical filtering other than sponge but generally this is the most convenient and easy to maintain media.
John´s last blog ..Why Should Alkalinity Be Higher In The Aquarium?

You’re experience in keeping a freshwater aquarium will definitely assist. Personally, I would recommend going down a ‘normal’ route first of all to gain experience with keeping a marine system. It isn’t difficult but does have a few ‘do’s amd don’ts’ and guidelines.

Once this experience is there and you are able to maintain a high quality environment then horizons could beckon…

I don’t know the aquariums in the Richmond area (though I’ve recently had a holiday in the area with my wife). Let’s hope some one does. Or how about the local directory, then make a phone call or two?
John´s last blog ..The Royal Gramma

Are there any public aquariums relatively close to Richmond, Virginia, where (live) cuttlefish are kept? I would love to see and visit them, but keeping one is just not reasonable for me given my experience level (and that’s BEFORE consideration of how to actually obtain a healthy, minimally stressed one!!)

I have done an internet search and have not found much. Any information anyone here has would be much appreciated!

Jennifer

The bag theory would cause the fish a lot of stress. You have to catch him, and bring him out of the water, and take the time to swing and hit the object. The handling and him/her being out of water causes a lot of stress on the poor fish. And then if you don’t hit hard enough the first time…

The ice theory is alright, but still I wouldn’t do it myself. PLacing it on an ice tray still isn’t the best.

Try looking up others, about clove oil, the vodka method, or call your vet to help put him to sleep.

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