Showing posts with label Reef Aquarium. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reef Aquarium. Show all posts

2017-09-25

Coral REEFCare Tanks Aquarium

Specimen of Acanthastrea lordhowensis photogra...
Specimen of Acanthastrea lordhowensis
 (Photo credit: 
Wikipedia)
When shopping for fish, it might be tempting to pick the rare and fancy fish full of colors, and exotic looking shrimp or crustaceans. An aquarium full of marine life complete with a coral reef and aquatic plants is very appealing. After all, who wouldn't want to have an underwater paradise in their living room?  It may, not, however, be the best choice for a beginning hobbyist.

Coral reef aquariums require much more care than freshwater tanks or saltwater fish only tanks.  Freshwater fish are usually hardier than marine species and therefore a little more forgiving when it comes to water acclimation. It is recommended that only experienced fish keepers with a real commitment to the hobby attempt a coral reef aquarium.   A tank containing coral reef life may require several months of cycling before getting the water just right. The water in a coral reef tank must be regulated for lighting, temperature, and ph.  Start with tap water and then add a sea salt mix to the water.  This type of solution is available at most pet stores.

The salinity of the tank should be between 1.023 and 1.004.  The ideal temperature for a marine aquarium is between 75 and 79 degrees Fahrenheit.  It is also important to test the P.H. of the tank.  Ideal P.H. is somewhere between 8.3 and 8.4.  Test kits can be purchased online or at your local pet store.  The same store will also carry any solutions necessary to adjust the P. H. There is not much wiggle room when it comes to these specific starting points.  In order to avoid a costly mistake, it is important to be patient, watch the tank closely, and make sure that you don't introduce any marine life until the tank is absolutely ready.

Once the aquarium is ready, start with anemones and clownfish. They are the hardiest of reef species, and who wouldn't love to have Nemo swimming around in their living room?  Monitor the marine life closely.  Check the activity levels of the fish, and watch for stress.  Stress is the most common cause of sickness in fish.  Remember that these creatures may have come directly from the ocean, and it may take a while for them to get acclimated to their new home.  Another cause of stress in fish is overcrowding.  Make sure there allow about ten gallons of water per one inch of fish.  Account for the full grown size of the fish, not the size of fish when it is purchased.


The incubation period for most sickness in fish is about thirty days.  So after about a month, if all is well with the tank and the fish seem to be adjusting well, then it is okay to introduce some new marine life. A mandarin fish or a dwarf angelfish might round out the collection nicely, and they are fairly compatible clownfish.


Whenever adding new fish, choose the species carefully for compatibility.  The fish should be compatible with water specifics, but also make sure that their food source is compatible.  Always remember to be patient when adding new fish.  Give the existing tank members plenty of time to get adjusted before making additions to an aquarium. The best piece of advice is to do research.  Make sure that all new purchases will be suitable tank mates for the existing creatures.  With a little luck, and a lot of skill you will be on your way to having a reef aquarium that will impress any fishkeeper.



2017-08-30

REEF TANKS And What You Need To Know Before You Start One

A reef aquarium is vastly different from a fish only aquarium. Not only will you need different equipment, but you will need a whole different skill to create and maintain a successful reef tank. Although you can keep fish in your reef tank, the main focus of a reef tank is to display live coral. Introducing certain species of fish can help in maintaining the reef environment and special care should be taken when selecting the appropriate species to compliment the coral in your tank.

electrophoresis
Reef Tank - Photo by shesarii

Reef tanks are primarily filtered by the live rock through a natural process. This biologic filtration is usually supplemented by protein skimmers. Protein skimmers use what is called the foam fracture process to eliminate waste matter and filter the water. A combination of biological filtration and protein skimmers is very effective at keeping a reef tank in ideal condition.

Unlike fish only tanks, reef tanks require constant water movement. Different types of coral require different flow rates, but as a rule of thumb, a flow rate of 10x will be sufficient. What this means is that the flow rate needs to be 10 times the capacity of the tank (in gallons) per hour. It’s important that you adjust and fine tune the flow rates to the specific coral in your tank.

One of the most popular methods of creating water flow is by using power heads. They are simply small water pumps under the water that creates an underwater stream when you alternately switch them on an off. By using a wave timer, the pumps are synced to create a water flow. A newer method for creating and managing water flow is the use of submersible propeller pumps. Although they are more expensive, they use less power and can produce greater water flow compared to power heads.

Another important aspect of reef tanks is lighting. While fish only tanks use lighting primarily for display, a reef tank needs light to “feed” the coral. Since the coral uses photosynthesis to stay alive, lighting is the most important aspect of keeping your coral alive.

The lighting levels required for each type of coral varies widely. While some types of rock require very high levels of light, some only need low light levels. Special care should be taken when picking coral for your tank to ensure that the lighting of your tank is sufficient. As a general rule, 5 to 8 watts per gallon should be sufficient for the most common coral.


By WriteSmith - Articles Source: Reef Tanks And What You Need To Know Before You Start One



2017-08-15

SEA ANEMONE

Sea anemones are a very common offering in the marine aquarium trade. All types of species are brought in from carpet anemones, filter feeding tube anemones to rose bulb tip anemones.

English: Sea Anemones at California tideppols....
Sea Anemones at California tideppols.
Sea Anemones look as plants,
but they are animals and they are predators.
(Photo credit: 
Wikipedia)

While most people think they are corals, sea anemones are actually under the phylum Cnidaria, which strangely enough, includes the jellyfish. They do share a common trait with corals, however. Within their bodies are contained symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae which extract energy from light and feeds the sea anemone with their by-products.

Where they differ spectacularly from corals are their ability to move from location to location. This behavior is commonly seen in captivity where the sea anemone will move around the aquarium until it has found a suitable spot.

Unfortunately, this behavior is undesirable mainly because their tentacles contain stinging cells used to capture prey and as a defense mechanism. As they move around the aquarium, they may come into contact with and sting any corals that are present.

The sea anemone shares a symbiotic relationship with a number of creatures in the wild. The most famous of their hosts are the clown fish family. They also play host to damselfish, certain crabs and a variety of anemone shrimp that rely on it for protection from predators.

They are a tricky species to care for in a marine aquarium as they require strong water flow and very strong lighting to do well in the long run. Should they die, they literally begin to melt. Which can really foul up the water?





Unfortunately, the great number of these creatures end up dying in captivity due to improper conditions. This is a shame because in the wild they are known to reach a lifespan of a hundred years or more. Some experts have pointed out that they may not even die if conditions remain good.

The family of Sea Anemone also contains a number of pests. Among them, the infamous Aiptasia and Majano anemones. Unlike their prettier cousins, these pests thrive in captivity and can quickly take over the entire aquarium.




2017-08-09

Marine Aquarium Care - INVERTEBRATES Only

The care required for an invertebrate only tank is very similar to that of any other saltwater tank; however, the invertebrates are far less hardy than fish. It is recommended that you become skilled with a fish only tank before attempting an Invertebrate aquarium. Most Invertebrates require a specialized diet. Check with the supplier before purchasing and be sure that you are willing to make the commitment to have food delivered if necessary. There are two different types of invertebrates, tropical and cold water. Make sure that the type you are buying is compatible with its other tank mates.

DSC00294, Monterey Bay Aquarium, California
Reef Aquarium - Photo by jimg944 
A few examples of tropical invertebrates are tube worms, red hermit crabs, cleaner shrimp and the sea apple. All of this marine life is compatible in terms of water conditions. They require a water temperature between seventy-five and seventy-nine degrees Fahrenheit, a P.H. between 8.2 and 8.4 and a salinity content of 1.020-1.024. As you can see, there is very little wiggle room associated with these measurements. It is extremely important to check the levels daily, or the results could be costly. These invertebrates are not compatible, however, with their food source needs. Check with the supplier for compatibility before combining tropical invertebrates.

Unlike their tropical counter parts, cold water invertebrates are usually not sold in stores. They have to be collected from tide pools. It is important to make sure that these species are not on the endangered species list before removing them from their home. It is equally important to do research in order to verify that you are able to properly feed them and care for their very specific needs. Sea Anemones, prawns, shrimp, and starfishes are a few varieties that have been successfully maintained in an aquarium. They require a water temperature between fifty-four and fifty-nine degrees Fahrenheit, a P.H. between 8-8.4 and a salinity content of 1.024-1.025. Luckily they do eat the same food. They feed off of a diet of small pieces of raw fish, shrimp, squid, and mussels.

When keeping cold water invertebrates such as the species mention above, it is a good idea to keep a separate tank full of shrimp, mussels, and scallops to be used as a food source if you wish to use fresh rather than frozen foods.  Be careful when keeping shrimp, as all of the invertebrates listed above feed on shrimp, including shrimp themselves. It is unlikely, however, that a healthy live shrimp will be eaten whole by another shrimp or starfish. Invertebrates should be fed more frequently in smaller amounts than fish. Try to feed only an amount that can be consumed in the first thirty to sixty seconds.


When setting up an invertebrate tank remember to include live rock, because some invertebrates feed on the parasites that grow on the live rock. A substrate should also be included in this type of aquarium. It will provide a place for the crabs and shrimp to dig and bury themselves. A light should be included as well if you intend to keep anemones.



2017-07-14

Saltwater Aquarium Stories - My CARPET ANEMONE

Saying Goodbye to my Carpet Anemone!

I purchased the carpet anemone secondhand with my aquarium and it came with 3 clown fish that were hosting in it, it quickly became the prize of my saltwater aquarium. In the first month I found that the anemone would move around the aquarium until it found a comfortable position. This proved to be a nuisance as it would knock over various corals and in some cases sting some of my corals. I found myself repositioning corals on a weekly basis. I decided to not to add any new live stock until the anemone appeared to remain in the one location.

English: Clown fish taking safety in a Sea Ane...
Clown fish taking safety in a Sea Anenome.
(Photo credit: 
Wikipedia)
Over the first 6 months I noticed the carpet anemone growing further in size and although this looked amazing, it was quickly becoming a problem. Carpet anemones have a powerful sting (as I experienced first hand) and they are also very sticky. I am certain I lost a blue tang because it accidentally swam into the anemone. Most other variety of anemones such as the regular bubble tip to do not have the same level of stickiness as a carpet anemone which means fish can accidentally get stung however can quickly escape, unlike with the carpet anemone.


I made an executive decision to remove the anemone from my saltwater aquarium. This was difficult as it was the home for 3 clown fish and having this relationship between fish and anemone is never guaranteed. Nonetheless I wanted a coral rich saltwater aquarium which I just couldn't have with the carpet anemone. I would suggest that if you are thinking of keeping a carpet anemone that you base your saltwater aquarium around the anemone, this will provide a less stressful experience. They are truly remarkable creatures. In terms of feeding your carpet anemone, they eat almost anything you feed your fish. I would use a turkey baster to feed my fish brine shrimp and I would just squirt some towards the mouth of the anemone. Otherwise I know of people who have cut up some cooked prawns and used that. Just remember if you have clown fish that host in the carpet anemone, they actually provide food and you will find the anemone to be relatively self sufficient.

If you had the same problem as me and needed to remove the carpet anemone from your saltwater aquarium there are various methods. If it is stuck to the glass on the side or bottom of your aquarium, you are in luck. Put a non toxic plastic glove on and grab a credit card. Use the credit card to slide behind the base of the anemone's stem to remove it from the surface. If it is attached to a rock, you can try removing using the same method, however I found it much easier to just sacrifice the rock and try and replace it with another piece of live rock. My local fish store gave me $200 credit for the anemone above however if I wasn't as desperate to remove it from my saltwater aquarium as quickly as possible, I could have sold it privately with the clown fish for probably $500. I kept the clown fish and after a couple of weeks their stress levels decreased and they made a new home within the several caves and tunnels in my saltwater aquarium.

Later on I will discuss what happened with my bubble tip anemone's!



2017-05-22

CORALS and its habitat

Corals are a beautiful addition to any saltwater aquarium and they can also have beneficial effects on the miniature semi-ecosystem that exists in a well functioning aquarium.

English: Soft corals from Komodo National Park
Soft corals from Komodo National Park
(Photo credit: 
Wikipedia)

Corals are living animals that are commonly called sessile invertebrates. What this means is that they are animals that don't have a backbone (like vertebrates do) and that they are generally stuck in one spot and can't move around like most animals can. Corals are usually attached to a rock. Corals consist of many individual polyps. The polyps may have an internal or an external skeleton that is made of calcium carbonate. Each polyp has an oral opening that leads to a gastrovascular tube. There is a lot of variety in the types of food eaten by coral polyps. For example, some corals feed by using their stinging tentacles to catch small fish. Other corals eat microscopic organisms, where as some coral polyps don't feed at all, and obtain all their nutrition from zooxanthellae  (a single-celled algae that lives within the coral).

Corals are more complicated to keep than many saltwater fish species, and can for instance require more intricate currents, powerful lighting and supreme water quality. Keeping the water temperature in the ideal range is therefore imperative when you keep corals in you aquarium. Reef building corals prefer quite shallow depths where the light penetration is good and will therefore usually grow at depths of less than 46 metres / 150 feet. The reef building corals require plenty of strong light since they form symbiotic relationship with photosynthetic algae. Other coral species can however survive without direct sunlight and live much deeper down in the ocean.

Corals should be thoroughly researched beforehand because of their often hefty price tag and demanding water, lighting and feeding requirements. The great part about live rock, aside from the biological importance of using it, is that you can use aquarium silicon sealant to shape the rocks into any type of design you desire. We now have a new term - "rockscaping". You can also use a drill to create small holes in the rock and use pvc pipes to hold them together to make columns or archways. The rockscaping possibilities are endless. Another thing you'll probably need to do is place the rock directly on the tank bottom and not on top of the sand. Sand burrowing species could get injured or worse if you place the rock on top of the sand.

Corals are very popular with aquarium enthusiasts.  Some of the most common corals are now being successfully kept and grown in a rapidly growing number of home aquariums. There are hundreds of species including soft corals, corallimorpharians (mushroom corals), gorgonians, zoanthids, large-polyp stony corals, and small-polyp stony corals.


For the beginner reef aquarium, there are a number of soft corals, that require less light and less than perfect water quality standards, than their hard coral cousins. These soft corals are the better candidates for converting to a fish only, or fish only with live rock aquarium tank to a reef tank with corals.

You can have coral in any sort of aquarium/fish tank i.e. fish only tanks, fish only with live rock tanks to a full reef tank.

Moving smoothly from tank to tank isn't really all that difficult. You need to move coral because believe it or not there can be turf wars in coral reef tanks. Corals on the reef compete for space. So do the corals in your aquarium. Corals are still deemed difficult for the average reef tank hobbyist but in my experience I have not found this to be true.

Corals are found all over the world, even around the poles. Reef building corals are however only found in warm subtropical and tropical waters. Reef building corals are present in the Indo-Pacific Ocean and the Western Atlantic. Their habitat is generally limited to the region between 30 degrees N and 30 degrees S latitudes. In the Indo-Pacific Ocean you will find reef building corals from the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, and eastwards in the Indian and Pacific Oceans all the way over to Panama and a few places in the Gulf of California. 

In the Western Atlantic corals are living outside Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Belize and around the Caribbean Islands, Bermuda and Bahamas. Reef building corals will only live where the water temperature is warm enough; 20-28 degrees celsius / 68-82 degrees fahrenheit.



2017-04-29

Setting up a REEF SALTWATER AQUARIUM

Saltwater enthusiast have developed a love affair with coral reefs. There is nothing they love better then to design, stock and maintain a saltwater aquarium that is teaming with coral.

For years only the most adventurous were brave enough to tackle the challenges proposed by a reef saltwater aquarium. Until recently coral reef was notoriously hard to maintain.

Times have changed. Now there are several varieties of coral that even the most novice saltwater aquarium owner can enjoy.
The key to successfully maintaining a reef saltwater aquarium is to have your saltwater reef aquarium properly set up.

Reef Aquarium

The first thing you'll want to find is a tank. Select the largest possible tank that you feel comfortable with. The greater the size of your tank, the greater the water mass encompassing the reef, and the more you will be able to duplicate the effects of the ocean. You can choose either the classic look of a glass aquarium or you can select an acrylic tank which gives you a larger variety of shapes and styles. Acrylic tanks are also more durable then glass tanks. Make sure that there is absolutely no copper anywhere in the tank. Copper has a lethal affect on coral.

Before adding the coral to your tank make sure that the temperature of your water stays consistent. The temperature should remain at 23-25 degrees Celsius (73-77 degrees Fahrenheit). Your coral will remain healthier in water that is always at the same temperature.

It is very important that your reef saltwater aquarium be properly filtered. The three types of filters are mechanical, biological, and chemical.

A mechanical filter is a filter made out of spun nylon floss. Mechanical filter trap and remove wasteful material and prevent your chemical and biological filters from becoming clogged. There are a variety of biological filters. Some use the tanks aquarium substrate as a part of the filtration system. The purpose of biological filters is to contain the biochemical properties and to break down waste products.



Chemical filters absorbs the ions of dissolved waste. Chemical filters are typically based on active carbon.

Many reef saltwater aquarium owners like to use other products such as Bioballs and Protein Skimmers to assist with their filtration system.

The PH level of a reef saltwater aquarium should hold steady at 8.2.

Coral reefs require a filtration system that circulates the tanks water. Moving water tends to be rich in oxygen and the currents carry food to the invertebrates living inside the  immobile coral. A submersible pump will do wonders to increase the water flow in a saltwater aquarium.

When you decide that it is time to stock your reef saltwater aquarium with fish you need to remember a few things before rushing out to your favorite fish store.

Bear in mind that just because a variety of fish lives in the ocean does not automatically mean that it's compatible with coral. Some fish eat the invertebrates that make the coral reef their home. Some fish produce waste that is toxic to the coral. Some fish, like Blow-fish, produce a toxin when they die that can kill every living organism in your aquarium.



2017-04-05

Different Types of SALTWATER AQUARIUMS

Saltwater aquariums should generally contain fewer fish than fresh water tanks, because the species tend to grow bigger in size. Marine species may be bred in a captive environment, or caught in the wild. Captive bred species are easier to care for and usually hardier than caught species. It generates a great amount of stress for a fish to be captured in the wild and then introduced into an aquarium environment. It is often difficult for them to figure out how to eat. Whenever possible, purchase your fish from a retailer that deals only with breeders or from the breeders themselves.  There are five different types of saltwater aquariums. 

Mandarinfish in aquarium-Muséum Liège (Belgium...
Mandarinfish in aquarium-Muséum Liège (Belgium) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The first type of saltwater aquarium is the fish only aquarium. This is probably the easiest to care for of the five types, simply because you are only dealing with one type of species. Amongst the saltwater fish there are both tropical and coldwater types. They can't be kept together for obvious reasons. The water temperatures vary greatly. Tropical fish are usually brighter in color, and therefore more appealing to aquarium lovers than the fish available in the cold water variety. Most people are somewhat familiar with a few tropical fish such as the Clownfish or the Angel fish. However, few people have heard of such cold water varieties as, the Shanny or the Tompot Blenny.

The second type of saltwater aquarium is the invertebrate only aquarium. These types of aquariums usually consist of shrimp, prawn, hermit crabs and perhaps even starfish or sea cucumbers. The third type is the fish and invertebrate saltwater aquarium. These are more difficult to maintain than either of the two categories separately. Certain invertebrates feed on certain fish, and the reverse is also true. Therefore, it is important to research the species carefully to ensure that you do not put predator and prey together in the same aquarium. Diseases can also spread more rapidly and are more difficult to prevent and cure in aquariums containing both invertebrates and fish species.



The next type of saltwater aquarium is the coral reef aquarium. Reef aquariums can be tricky to maintain and must be thoroughly researched before attempted. The last category of saltwater aquariums is the specialty aquarium. An example of a specialty aquarium would be an aquarium full of sea horses. Sea horses should not be kept with any other type of fish or marine life, because they are timid and slow eaters. Their food source could easily be taken away by other tank mates. Seahorses prefer to swim vertically rather than horizontally, and should be placed in a tall tank.  An octopus and a shark or a ray are other examples of fish that require special needs and would fall into the category of specialty aquarium.  

Regardless of which type of saltwater aquarium is chosen, research is highly recommended before purchasing any marine life. Make sure you are willing to make the commitment required to care for a saltwater aquarium.



2017-03-03

Know the Star of the Sea - The STARFISH

Known for their unique physical appearances, the starfish is one of the electrifying inhabitants of the underwater world. They are also known as sea stars. Though they are inhabitants of the ocean, they are not exactly fish. Apart from their unique physical structures, what distinguishes them from normal fish is that starfish do not have backbones, which means they are invertebrates. Because of their hard surfaces, predators like otters, birds and other fish do not trace the starfish as their food sources.

English: Komodo National Park starfish
Komodo National Park starfish (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

According to marine biologists, there are over 2,000 species of starfish. Starfish are generally found in different types of marine habitants like coral reefs, rocky shores, sea grass and kelp beds. Some of them are even found thousands of feet below the sand.

While describing their physical appearances, the size of Starfish ranges between one to ten inches each. However, the smallest Starfish can be less than one-half of an inch and the largest can be more than three feet in size. Depending on the species, the lifespan of starfish may vary from two to 35 years. You can see starfish in various colors including red, brown, pink and orange.

Starfish may have five or more arms which appear emerging out of their body. However, the number of arms can get to be 50 in many cases. The bottom surfaces of their arm are covered by suckers which act like pinchers. With the help of tube-like organs, starfish can gradually creep across the ocean floor. They can expand them by pumping sea water into the tubes.

Like any other living species, Starfish do not have normal eyes. Instead, they have eyespots that may be found on their bodies. Using these eyespots, they can trace foods and sense the lights and shapes in an area. Their eyespots are located at the tip of each arm. Their food-tracing habits keep them grazing along the sea floor. Starfish are carnivores and they enjoy eating snails, oysters, clams, mollusks and more. You can also find some species that eat algae.

Like their unique physical structures, starfish are also known for their unique ways of consuming food. Their mouth is in the base of their body and they have throats that are extended to the stomach. While taking a grasp on its prey, a sea star can extend its stomach through its mouth. It can digest the food outside the body through special enzymes and then the digested food gradually gets into the stomach through the throat. Every tiny organism that is eaten will be swallowed whole.



While talking about their lifestyles, they generally prefer to keep a distance from other species. This makes them solitary creatures. However, you may find them in groups on occasion.

An interesting fact about their arms is that starfish are capable of reviving their lost arms. When they are threatened by predators, they leave their arms behind and form new ones. This is a special type of defense mechanism applied by this unique living creature. However, it may take a year for such a being to grow its arm back to a full length.

    By Carlos J Garcia
    Carlos J Garcia has written various supporting companion page articles for A Reading Place and if you would like to see the companion page to this one, please visit All About Starfish to see two related videos, a collection of photographs and more articles. If you would like to see a wonderful children's book, About Starfish on Amazon is a great choice.
    Article Source: EzineArticles


2017-01-27

Everything You Need To Know About LIVE ROCK

Every reef is built upon solid rock. It's not quite the same as the rock you might find in your backyard, however. Instead, it's rock that has literally grown in place as corals have lived and died. Over countless seasons the skeletons these corals leave behind accumulate and eventually fuse to become solid rock. But, solid as it may be, this rock is still fairly soft and so, quite commonly, pieces of it break free from the reef- most often during heavy storms. These broken bits of rock are what is collected and sold as live rock. The rock itself is no longer alive. However, it is teeming with life

110g as of 10/26/2009
Photo by Moto@Club4AG


This life offers all sorts of benefits to the aquarists from improving water quality to providing your fish and corals with a home away from home to being just plain gorgeous.


Life

Live rock is home to all sorts of wonderful and beneficial lifeforms. Probably the most obvious is coralline algae. Good quality live rock will be covered in the stuff giving it a pink to purple coloration. Unlike most algae this is one you actually want in your tank. It's an encrusting type of algae that leaves behind a calcareous skeleton much like coral- hence the name. In fact this algae contributes a fair amount to building the reef rock itself and can actually fuse rocks together over a long enough time in your tank. So why would you want this algae? For one, it's beautiful. Purple is the most common color followed by pink.

However, it also comes in lots of other colors including red, green, blue, and yellow. Besides the looks the other benefit is that it can out compete the less than desirable algae. Coralline algae will encrust over the bare rock leaving nuisance algae nowhere to grab hold.

There's a lot more than just coralline algae living on, and in, live rock, though. It abounds with all sorts of tiny shrimps, crabs, worms, sponges, snails, and other interesting sea creatures. All together the wide variety of critters found on and in live rock can begin to build an actual food chain within your tank- ending with your fish and corals getting a healthy source of live food.

Filtration

Beyond the looks and the free meals live rock actually also serves a very important role in filtration. As it is incredibly porous it provides loads and loads of surface area to grow beneficial bacteria. A healthy and strong biological filter is extremely important in marine aquarium setups and live rock offers the perfect solution. Indeed in a marine tank the bulk of the biological filtration can actually be handled by a sufficient amount of live rock. Of course supplementing it with other sources doesn't hurt either.

Natural Beauty

The last important reason to use live rock is purely for aesthetics, both for you and for your fish. When keeping fish in captivity one of the goals should be to provide them with an environment that feels like home. There's no better way to accomplish that than to provide them with what is essentially a literal chunk of their natural habitat. Reef fish spend their entire lives in close proximity to the rock that forms the reef's foundation and rely heavily on it for food and shelter. It's an integral part of their lives. When keeping a marine tank the goal of most aquarists is to achieve something resembling nature and live rock fits the bill quite nicely.

So, when you go shopping for live rock for the first time you may be a bit lost on what you should get. Even with something as simple sounding as rock there are quite a few options. The options relate mostly to where the rock originates from as well as how much work has been put into getting it ready for your tank prior to your purchase.

Cured Or Uncured

When live rock is collected and shipped it is typically packed in bags with a minimal amount of water- really only enough to keep the rock moist. As a result when it arrives at its destination a large percentage of what was alive when it was collected has died. As you can imagine this makes it less than suitable for placement into your tank. The process of cleaning the rock up and getting it ready for entry into your tank is known as curing. The basic idea is to place the rock into a bare bones setup and let the die-off happen. The rock is regularly cleaned and eventually stabilizes and the life begins to regrow at which point it's ready for the main display.



So when you shop for live rock you are likely to see both cured and uncured rock for sale. Knowing what curing is, these names are pretty straightforward. Do note that cured rock can only be placed straight into an established tank if it is purchased locally, though. Any shipped rock, cured or otherwise, will experience die-off and so will need to be recured. The process will be much quicker with rock that was cured before shipping, however, and if you can get cured rock from a local store it can go straight into your tank.

So, why would you want to buy uncured rock? Cost. Uncured rock is much cheaper. The downside is of course that you need to do the curing yourself. It's not a difficult process, although it does take a few weeks and can be a bit messy. As a side note uncured rock can also be quite interesting. You truly never know what will emerge from the rock as the process proceeds.

Types Of Live Rock

There are a few types of rock as well that you are likely to encounter when you begin shopping. For the most part the difference between the types refers to the location from which they were collected but there are a few other categories to look out for.

Base Rock

When live rock starts to accumulate in the sand surrounding the reef some of it naturally ends up on the bottom of the pile. This rock has essentially the same structure as normal live rock and is loaded with beneficial bacteria just the same, but is more or less bare on the surface. This of course makes it rather bland to look at, but on the plus side it is cheap. So why would you want it? Well, when you start piling up the live rock in your tank you're likely to need some pieces to form the foundation. Using base rock for this means less of your beautiful top quality rock has to get buried.

Pacific Live Rock

Typically you will see Pacific rock sold under the name of the island it hails from- most commonly Fiji live rock. You may also occasionally see rock from Tonga, the Marshall Islands, or Indonesia. The rocks from different locations can have different appearances that can be great for achieving just the right look in your tank. Tonga live rock, for example, is often very branch-like. Pacific rock is generally the best quality as it is very porous and often loaded with all sorts of interesting creatures and heavily encrusted with coralline algae. When shopping for live rock this is most commonly what you will see.



Caribbean Live Rock

Also sometimes labeled as Atlantic or Gulf rock, or after one of the various islands in the region, Caribbean live rock comes from, well, the Caribbean. Quality can vary quite a bit from the different locations, but in general Caribbean live rock is more lackluster in appearance and often a bit on the heavy side. The price usually reflects this, although it's not actually that common to even see it for sale anymore.
Aqua Cultured Live Rock

The aqua culturing process for live rock works a little different than it does for fish or corals, which is done fully in captivity. The process for live rock actually takes place in the sea. Terrestrially mined rock, usually limestone or something similar, is deposited on the sea floor and left to be colonized for a year or more. This is a more eco-friendly option compared to harvested natural rock but the drawback is the quality. The majority of aqua cultured rock comes from the Caribbean so much like natural Caribbean rock it lacks the diversity you see in Pacific rock. Furthermore, it lacks much of the complex shapes you see in natural rock. Finally, depending on the type rock that was used it may be very heavy and rather non-porous.

So, how much rock do you need? Around 1 to 2 pounds per gallon usually does the trick. However, as a natural product, the density can vary quite a bit and so it may take more or less to achieve the desired look you're going for. The shape of your aquarium may affect how much rock you need as well.

The creatures of the reef are tightly woven community- reliant on one another for their very survival. And while recreating the diversity and bounty of the ocean within the confines of a small glass box situated in your living room is nigh impossible, it is always the goal. Live rock delivers an entire community of mircoorganisms to your aquarium and brings it closer to being a true ecosystem than any other method. Likewise, there's no better way to recreate the visual aesthetics of the reef than to use what is essentially actual pieces of reef. It's like having your own little spice of the ocean to admire.




2017-01-12

The REEF AQUARIUM With Low Magnesium - What Can Happen?

After checking the usual, Salinity, Nitrate and Phosphates. You should be checking Magnesium, Alkalinity and Calcium. These three parameters are very important when keeping short polyp stony,and long polyp stony hard corals, SPS and LPS respectively.

Gorgonian polyps. Photographed in the reef aqu...
Gorgonian polyps. Photographed in the reef aquarium of aquarist Mike Giangrasso.
(Photo credit: 
Wikipedia)

So what effects will low magnesium have on your reef aquarium?

You will find it very difficult to maintain high alkalinity and calcium levels if magnesium is low.

Corals will slow in growth and will cause some corals such as Duncans and torch corals to recede, and in some cases die. You may as many other reefers do, think you have something unseen and/or unheard of eating your corals, because branching heads or receding one by one. Don't get fooled by this, it more likely be the case of the weakest dies first as normally the case in nature. Confirm this by checking the level of Magnesium in your aquarium or even better have a list of checks to be carried out on set days.

So what should you do?

If you haven't already, go out and invest in a magnesium test kit and confirm that magnesium levels are low. Then simply use a buffer such as Seachem Magnesium buffer. Be sure to follow the instructions and don't overdose. Like everything in this hobby, do it very slowly. You will most definitely notice an improvement in a matter of days in the appearance of your corals.



As soon as you have adjusted your magnesium level to between 1200ppm and 1400ppm you should then work out the consumption rate of magnesium from your aquarium. This is simply done by checking magnesium over two to three days. For example check Monday and then Wednesday, if your Magnesium as dropped by 30ppm then it is safe to say that your aquarium is consuming 10ppm per day. At this low level in this example i would say it would be safe to adjust once every five days. If consumption is higher i would try and dose daily or every other day.

This is a simple guide and technology advances and chemical advances offer procedures such as dosing pumps and balling lite, these methods can be learnt with experience into this amazing hobby.



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