In this post and in others coming up, I am going to be reviewing my favorite aquarium books, the ones I still use today.

When you are getting started with your first salt water fish tank, one of the most popular kinds of books to get is an fish ID book, to help identify and learn about the animals you want to keep and which ones are compatible with whom, etc..

When I got bit by the reef tank bug, this book wasn’t out yet, but now it is and you need this book if you are going to be keeping corals or saltwater invertebrates of any kind.

The book is called CORALS – A Quick Reference Guide by Julain Sprung.

It’s a really handy book to have close to your tank.  It’s great for quick identification and for learning more about the different kinds of corals and the conditions that best suit them.

It also can make a great Christmas or Hanuka present for your favorite reef-a-holic enthusiast.

Julian Sprung is one of my all-time favorite authors whom I chose to follow and learn from when I was just getting started and trying to figure this reed tank thing out.  He has always been very straight forward and all of his books are very thorough and well thought out to be as useful as possible.

I highly recommend any book by Julian Sprung.

Happy Fishes,

Warren

Technorati Tags: favorite aquarium books, Julian Sprung, reef tank, salt water fish tank, saltwater aquarium

I just posted another video on the blog in response to a great question I received from Charles, who is concerned about fading skin colors and some white spots.

Here’s the Charles’ question and my video response:

Ask your questions below the video. And remember that video questions get priority.

Happy Fishes,

Warren

Technorati Tags: disease, emperor angel, reef tank, sick emperor angel

I recently helped out on the installation of this custom 1,100-gallon moray eel reef tank.  It has a custom dedicated filtration room with floor drains, and holding systems – and wait until you see the filtration system for this system.  Oh yeah . . . and I brought my video camera with me.

Yep – that’s right – you heard me – a moray eel reef tank – what??

You’ve probably never hear of such a thing.  Well, you’re not alone.  Check it out and leave a comment telling me what you liked most.

Happy Fishes,

Warren

P.S.  So what do you think?  Leave a comment and tell me what you liked most.

Technorati Tags: custom aquarium, custom fish room, fish room, moray eel, reef tank

I was just walking past our 750-gallon reef tank the other day, when I spotted this – a mated pair of Bangaii Cardinals in the act of the mating. The female had the eggs in her mouth and was about to transfer them to the male. Check it out and leave a comment below.

Technorati Tags: Bangai Cardinal, Bangaii Cardinals mating, breeding bangai cardinals, Ocean Explorium, reef tank

In case you didn’t already know, I have been a recurring guest on the Under The Sea Radio Show, where we discuss different areas/topics of keeping salt water aquariums, reef tanks, fish-only tanks, etc..  And instead of me guessing what the topics should be for each episode, I’d like for you to tell me what you would like us to cover.  Tell me what your biggest frustrations and challenges are, and what your biggest question is related to keeping your reef tank or fish-only saltwater aquarium.

The people with the best questions and comments will have their question or topic featured on the radio show, so go ahead now and type in a comment and let me know what you would like our next interview to be about.

Some upcoming topics include:

“Fish Compatibility:  How To Choose The Right Saltwater Fish For Your Aquarium”

“Coral Compatibility:  How To Choose The Right Corals and Invertebrates For Your Saltwater Aquarium”

“Water Changes:  The Overlooked Magic Bullet and How To Do It Correctly”

“Lighting For Your Reef Tank:   How To Choose The Right Lighting Setup”

“Temperature Control:   How To Chill Your Tank and Still Make Your Mortgage Payment”

Get any ideas from this list?  Type in a comment and let me know.

Happy Fishes,

Warren

Technorati Tags: aquarium radio show, fish-only tank, reef tank, reef tank lighting, salt water aquarium, saltwater aquarium, temperature control, water changes

Over the years of installing and maintaining large custom reef tanks, I have seen my fare share of live rock.  And I always had a bad feeling whenever I brought in live rock that was collected from the wild, which was the norm.  Now there is a new aquacultured live rock that is amazing and it’s from one my absolute favorite fish/coral wholesalers.  And today I have a video to show you.

The product is called REAL REEF ROCK, and it is created by Fish Heads, Inc..  This is the wholesaler we get most of our corals, saltwater fish and invertebrates from.  These guys are awesome.  Not only has their animals been great quality (they never shipped us undersized or poor quality), but they have been wonderful to do business with as well – very reliable.  All around I’ve always felt lucky to do business with Fish Heads, Inc..

Here’s a video from Fish Heads, Inc. showing their new REAL REEF ROCK, along with an an explanation of what it is and how it is created.  Oh – and did I mention that this rock is cured?  Yes, that’s right – for the same price as wild-collected live rock (which needs to be cured), you can get aquacultured live rock that is already cured, and has no nasty hitch hikers to wory about (mantis shrimps, fire worms, rock crabs, etc..).  Here’s the video along with a link where you can buy REAL REEF ROCK:

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you’re in the market for some great live rock that is completely aquacultured and has no negative impact on wild coral reefs, then this is the stuff you want.  And they have it in nice big sizes too (as you can see in the video).

Here’s where you can buy REAL REEF ROCK now.

Happy Fishes (and live rock),

Warren Gibbons

Technorati Tags: aquacultured live rock, fish heads, fish-only tank, live rock, Real Reef Rock, reef tank, salt water aquarium

Today’s video is about getting you to send me your biggest question about keeping a salt water aquarium.

I shot it in front of one of the reef aquariums I designed, installed and maintain.  This one is a 900-gallon living

coral reef system at the Ocean where I am the Husbandry Curator.   Check it out and then enter your question below the video

under the comments.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Technorati Tags: living reef system, reef tank, salt water aquarium, saltwater aquarium

Here’s another great question I got today about combining multiple filtration methods

on one aquarium (a reef system).  Here’s the question and my answer:

QUESTION:  “Warren did I understand you to say that you like to use multiple filtration methods on one aquarium? Like aJaubert plenum with a deep sand bed in the display tank with a mud filter refugium in the sump with return water flowing thru a uv. This is exactly what I would like to do on my new 135 gal reef tank. What are your thoughts on this combo???”

ANSWER:  So, to answer your question about if I like using multiple filtration methods on one aquarium, my answer is no – and I’ll explain.

Do I think it’s a good idea to use a Jaubert plenum in your exhibit tank with a mud filter refugium in the sump, along with a UV?  Yes that could work well.

Overall, my philosophy is that while there are many different methods or filtration formats for a successful reef tank, you generally want to pick one and stick with it.  In other words, you don’t want to install an algae scrubber, with a protein skimmer along with a living sponge filtration system and a UV sterilizer and a trickle filter and live rock (I think you get the idea).  The different components that are used for one method may counteract other component from a different method.  And what you end up with is a mess that doesn’t work, and has chronic water quality problems.

For example, a UV sterilizer would kill off any water borne bacteria and phytoplankton and would thus partly starve a living sponge filter.  Or using an aggressive protein skimmer with a living sponge filter system would not work, as the protein skimmer would starve the live sponge of its food source.

Or another example would be the use of bioballs/trickle filter in combination with an algae scrubber.  The bioballs/trickle filter would add to the chronic nitrate levels that the algae scrubber or refugium is designed to reduce.

So, yes it’s OK to combine a Jaubert plenum in the exhibit tank with a refugium/mud filter in the sump, along with a UV sterilizer.  Just don’t go overboard trying to install every known form of filtration into your system.

I’ve seen a public aquariums do this with their 1,000 gallon reef tank (this was years ago) and the exhibit was a nightmare to operate – plus it didn’t look anywhere near as good as it should have at the time.

Also, with your Jaubert plenum, you may likely find that depending on how large your calcium/magnesium demand is, that you may need to supplement for calcium and magnesium (alkalinity too).

I only have a little experience with Jaubert plenum systems, but did research them aggressively years ago when they began to become popular.  What are you hearing/learning about their effectiveness?

Leave a comment here and let me know what filtration method you are using and what your experience has been.

And keep the questions coming!

Technorati Tags: bioballs, Jaubert, mud system, plenum, reef tank, refugium, salt water aquarium, saltwater aquarium, U.V. sterilizer

I received a great question and thought I would share it with you along with my answer.

So here’s the question:  What do you think is the simplest system to use for a reef tank?

I think I will make a video answer to this question and post it on the blog for others, because

keeping things simple is one of the most important things to learn in reef keeping, and yet also one

of the most challenging to accomplish.  Again, great question.

Here’s my answer:
As for what is the simplest system for a reef tank, I would have to say it depends on three factors:
1) the size of the tank, how heavily it is stocked with small-polyped stony corals (SPS);
2) how much time (work) you want to spend per week maintaining it; and
3) how much effort you are willing to put into setting it up (installation)

So, of course, I am biased.  I like larger systems that maximize stocking density and diversity of all kinds of corals and fishes.  And I like to take my time setting it up so that it is as easy as possible to maintain (I’m lazy) and so that it is designed to prevent problems (this last one is one of my greatest talents).

If you are just getting started and your tank is less than 200 gallons, and not heavily stocked yet, you can get away with just doing water changes.  A good quality reef salt will help maintain your pH, alkalinity, calcium, magnesium and all other levels, by simply doing frequent water changes.  If water changes is your only method of maintaining water quality, then you will want to do roughly 50% or more per month, done weekly.  So, for example, if you have a 100-gallon system, and you are doing 50% water change per month, then you could do one water change per week of 12.5 gallons.  Thus after four weeks, you will have changed 50% of the system’s water.  The down side to this approach is that you will go through more salt (higher cost) and it requires weekly water changes (more time).  We maintained a 250-gallon reef tank (all soft corals) for many years with great success, using this approach.  Because this system had great water movement and high flow rates (10x system volume/hr) and strong lighting (3 x 400w HQI metal halides 10,000K), strong protein skimming (ETS1400), stable water temperature (chiller), and it grew soft corals like crazy.  It was very simple.

The Jaubert method is OK as long as your sand bed is deep enough and that you use a fine enough substrate, and as long as it can keep up with the calcium/magnesium demand of the corals in the system.  I would say that the Jaubert method is best suited for systems that are not heavily stocked with fast-growing stony corals.  Systems that are heavily stocked with the faster-growing small-polyped stony corals (SPS corals) will need a more aggressive dosing approach than the passive Jaubert method.

Another very simple way to help maintain calcium, magnesium, and alkalinity is by use of a fluidized bed sand filter that is filled with aragonite sand (0.5-2.0mm particle size I recommend Carribsea’s “Sea Floor Special Grade Reef Sand”).  It is very cheap and very low maintenance and will help to maintain calcium, magnesium, and alkalinity.  You will need to refill (top off) the fluidized sand filter about every 4-6 months as the substrate will dissolve over time.  This is also a very efficient biological filter.  Depending on the size of the fluidized sand filter (the bigger the better – you cannot over size it), this method is best suited for a higher stocking density of corals than with the method of just doing water changes.

Another very simple method is to use one of the liquid two-part products administered with a two-part dossier (usually also sold by the manufacturer of the liquid 2-part product).  We have used the B-Ionic product (by ESV) with great success, along with their liquid 2-part dossier.

So when considering what is the simplest method for keeping or setting up a reef tank, remember the following factors:

1) the size of the tank, how heavily it is stocked with small-polyped stony corals (SPS);
2) how much time (work) you want to spend per week maintaining it; and
3) how much effort you are willing to put into setting it up (installation)

If you have a method you love for it’s simplicity, we’d love to hear about it.  Post a comment and let us know what is working for you to keep things simple.

Thanks.

Warren Gibbons

Technorati Tags: calcium, Dosing, Jaubert, liquid 2-part, magnesium, reef tank, small-polyped stony corals, water changes

If you ask most people what words come to mind when they think of saltwater aquariums, most of them will eventually mention “complicated”, “difficult”, or “a lot of work”. And – yes – saltwater aquariums ARE inherently complicated. BUT, they don’t have to be difficult or overwhelming or “a lot of work”. What if it were simple, easy and fun? What if it could be this way for you?

Well, I am here to tell you it can be. I don’t like to toot my own horn, but if there is one thing I am good at, it is taking things that are inherently complex and making them simple. In fact, if you are going to be both successful at saltwater aquariums AND have fun doing it, you must learn to keep it simple or simplify.

When people ask me what does it take to make a great saltwater aquarium I tell them that it is as simple as this:

1. If you put stuff in, you have to take stuff out – otherwise you end up with pollution.  Another way of saying it is that in order to prevent accumulation of bad stuff (nitrates, phosphates, organics, detritus, waste, etc.)  you need to always be removing it.  There are many ways to accomplish this, such as:  water changes; activated carbon, protein skimmer, refugium w/ macro-algae, water changes, phosphate-removing media, etc..
2. Stop and just stare at your tank regularly – few skills are more crucial to a successful saltwater aquarium than observation.  Observation is absolutely foundational to your success.  And the good thing is it is really easy to do.  Just stand and stare, and do it on a regular basis.  You will learn more, discover more, prevent more problems and come up with more solutions by just getting quiet and still and just watching your tank.
3. Become a learning and reading maniac and ask lots of questions.  Learn as much as you can about the animals you are keeping and have a strong sense of wonder – Whether it is animals or filtration equipment, it is vitally important that you learn as much as you can about them.  Let’s face it, this part takes a while, and yet there is no way around it, unless you are going to hire someone to take care of your tank for you, which may be an option for you.  You will need to learn about their life history, ecology, husbandry requirements and compatibility with other potential tank mates.  And filtration equipment or life support equipment must be understood in order to select the right one and to operate it properly.  So read as much as you can (books, magazines, online forums, blogs), join a local saltwater aquarium hobby club, attend seminars, workshops and lectures, and above all be open-minded.  Know you can never know everything, and be willing to be contributed to.  Be willing for the other guy to know more than you, so that you can learn something new (this alone has taken me very far).
4. Be consistent and keep a routine – There is no beating around the bush.  Saltwater aquariums require consistent routine care, and if you skimp on your consistency or miss a day or a week here and there, it can come back to bite you.  Tropical coral reef thrive with consistent conditions,  and your saltwater aquarium is no different.  You must be regular and consistent with your saltwater aquarium maintenance routine.  I have seen amazing tanks whose only difference from mediocre ones was that their routine was amazingly thorough and consistent.  The bottom line is that saltwater aquariums need regular attention.
5. Prevention, Prevention, Prevention – The saying “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is alive and well with keeping saltwater aquariums.  To the degree that you focus on preventing problems with your saltwater aquarium, you will be more successful.  This is an area I have been forced to become very good at as the owner of Gibbons Aquaria, Inc., a high-end custom saltwater aquarium design/installation/management company.  With multiple customers and multiple tanks (most of which are more than several hundred gallons) my business and my customers cannot afford too many problems.  And to be frank, saltwater aquariums require good problem solving skills.  Even if you are wildly successful, you will still have your share of surprises, such as mechanical failures, leaks, disease outbreaks, animal aggression/mortality, etc..  All of these unpleasant things are going to happen to you eventually, no matter how good you are.  The key is to prevent, minimize and respond to them so that they don’t cause big problems for you.  In other words, if a pump stops working and you don’t even know it, you can lose your entire tank.  Or even if you notice in time that the pump has stopped working but you don’t have a spare, you are in trouble.  So prevent problems in the first place.  Minimize them when they do happen.  And then set yourself up with some kind of monitoring system to notify you so that you can respond when they do happen.
6. Be like a boyscout and be prepared – Preventing problems is one thing (and it’s absolutely huge), and being prepared for problems is different.  If you can afford it, keep spares of as many critical life support components as possible (pumps, light bulbs for reef tanks, heater, etc.).  Also, part of being prepared is making sure you know that problems are going to happen and design your aquarium setup to accommodate them.  An example of this would be to make sure system fails “safe” in the event of a power failure.  This means that your sump will not overflow or your system is capable of starting back up without you needing to be there when the power comes back on.  Another example is to have your aquarium notify you of key life support failures when they happen by using a monitoring system (I love the Sensaphone 400 and Sensaphone 800).
7. Become a critical thinker and ask lots of “why” and “how” questions – It is vitally important that as you learn, that you actually understand what you are learning and why the thing you are learning is so.  The opposite of this is like kids in school who just want the teacher to tell them what’s going to be on the exam.  Just learning the answer won’t help you if you don’t actually understand why it is the answer.  In fact, this failed approach leads to more problems whereby you are mystified and confused, but now with even more problems that you don’t understand.
8. Move lots of water – Proper water circulation can be almost magical in its beneficial impact on a saltwater aquarium.  Here are some of the benefits of proper water circulation:  helps keep detritus and other waste up in the water column so that it can be removed by filters; helps increase oxygen levels and reduce carbon dioxide, brings nutrients to corals and invertebrates, provides ideal respiration for all animals and plants, acts as a treadmill for fish to get exercise, allows for better density of coral skeletons,  helps create more natural coral growth forms, increased coral growth rate, etc..
9. Lighting:  The proper quantity and quality of light – Simply put, you need enough of the right type of light.  One rule of thumb for reef aquariums with photosynthetic corals is to use 2.5-4 watts of lighting per gallon of aquarium.  So if your tank is 70 gallons and you want to keep stony corals, you will want to be at the upper end – at 4 watts per gallon.  So if we do the math:  4 watts x 70 gallons = 280 watts of  lighting.  A fish-only aquarium only requires enough lighting for aesthetic benefit -  about 1/4 of the wattage per gallon.
10. Build it fail-safe – It is one thing for bad things to happen with your saltwater aquarium.  But what if something bad happened (like a power failure) but no bad consequences came of it.  This is what happens when you design and build your aquarium’s life support system to fail safe.  For example, the aquariums I install and maintain can easily accommodate power failure, pump failure, leaks, overheating/cooling, and unwanted changes in water levels.  All of these can happen without any negative consequences to the tank and its inhabitants, because it was built to fail safe.
11. Water quality rules:  If you don’t have good water quality, nothing else you do will matter - Test the following water quality parameters once a week and graph your results so you can track trends over time (pH, salinity, alkalinity, calcium, magnesium, nitrates, and phosphates).
12. Disease is always present, so use a ultraviolet sterilizer - Since there is always disease in every aquarium all the time, use an ultraviolet sterilizer (U.V. sterilizer) to help prevent an outbreak.  Your fish and corals can live happily with a chronic low level of parasites, as can we humans.  But when stress levels increase in your aquarium (for whatever reason), disease can spread quickly and is difficult to get back under control once an outbreak occurs.  Thus, a U.V. sterilizer prevents such a thing from happening and in my opinion is mandatory as part of your saltwater aquarium’s life support system
13. Prevent stress and you will significantly lessen the occurrence of disease, aggression and deaths.  Just like in humans, stress is accumulative – even for fish and corals and other invertebrates.

Technorati Tags: aquarium lighting, easy aquarium, reef tank, saltwater aquarium, saltwater aquariums, U.V. sterilizer, ultraviolet sterilizer, water movement, Water Quality