Sierra Saltwater Systems, Inc.

Podcast: MARS 05/2011: Dr. Timothy Hovanec: Pellets - Removing Nitrates and Phosphates

2011-05-24T20:49:00.001-07:00

Dr. Timothy Hovanec of Dr. Tim's Aquatics gave a very informative talk to the Marine Aquarist Roundtable of Sacramento (MARS) about polymer denitrifying and phosphate removal through biodegradable pellets for the groups monthly May meeting.

From Dr. Tim's Aquatics website, The President of DrTim's Aquatics is Dr. Timothy A. Hovanec who, for 17 years, was the Chief Science Officer of Aquaria Inc., the parent company of Marineland Aquarium Products, Aquarium Systems (Instant Ocean) and Perfecto Manufacturing.

Dr. Hovanec's groundbreaking research on nitrifying bacteria led to him discovering and developing BioSpiraÂ®.

Dr. Hovanec regularly speaks to pet store owners, distributors, and hobbyists on a diverse range of topics all with the goal of increasing knowledge exchange which can benefit everyone in the hobby.

After studying limnology at Uppsala University in Sweden, Dr. Hovanec graduated from San Diego State University with a B.S. in Biology and a M.S. in Biology.

Dr. Hovanec earned his Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he investigated the phylogenetics of nitrifying bacteria in aquaria and Mono Lake, California. Dr. Hovanec was the first to demonstrate that bacteria of the phylum Nitrospira were the active nitrite-oxidizing bacteria in aquatic systems such as aquaria. His work on nitrifying bacteria has lead to the discovery of many new species of nitrifying bacteria in freshwater and saltwater systems and the granting of several U.S. and foreign patents, with additional patents pending. He has also conducted much research on topics such as ammonia excretion and toxicity in aquatic organisms, bio-filtration systems design, and fish feed formulations. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Tim's Aquatics)

At Marineland, Dr. Hovanec was in charge of the biology, chemistry and microbial ecology laboratories that comprise Marineland Labs. He was also responsible for overseeing the quality control of such products as Instant OceanÂ® sea salt and BioSpiraÂ® nitrifying bacteria.

Dr. Hovanec has authored numerous scientific papers in aquatic microbial ecology, and in public aquaria and aquaculture fields, and he writes popular articles on tropical fish for several magazines. He has been an invited speaker and contributing author at several domestic and international conferences. He was the editor of SeaScopeÂ® magazine and is a member of many scientific organizations. His past positions include a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in the Philippines, university research assistant, biologist and manager at an intensive striped bass aquhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifaculture facility and consultant on various aquaculture projects.

Dr. Hovanec was the President of the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council, a Washington, D.C. based industry lobbying group, for 5 years and has been a member of the Board since 1992. Dr. Hovanec has also served at the Co-chair and Program Chair for Marine Ornamentals a combined government-private industry scientific conference that occurs every 2 years.

A BIG thank you to Dr, Tim for allowing me to post this recording for our
members that were unable to attend the meeting to hear his talk.

Here is the link to the Podcast. To download, use the VBR ZIP link on the left of the page, to listen simply push the play button below.

BAYMAC 2011: May 14th, 2011 - Mark Your Calendars!

2011-05-04T06:11:00.000-07:00

The Bay Area Marine Aquarium Conference (BAYMAC) is just less than 10 days away and things are looking like it will be another great Northern California conference.

The BAYMAC mission: Bring together Californian reef clubs and hobbyists, expose new people to reef keeping, expand reef keeping knowledge and promote the captive breeding of marine ornamentals.

The fourth annual conference will be held at Chabot College in Hayward, Calif. on Saturday, May 14, 2011 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. There will be over 30 exhibitors and vendors and three great speakers talking aquariums from 11:30-4:00. An awesome raffle and door prizes and best of all it's FREE!

Big thanks to the sponsors and their contributing efforts; Reef Nutrition, Kessil, Reef Hobbyist Magazine, ESV and Aquatic Collection.

The BAYMAC is hosted by local marine club Bay Area Reefers.

MARS: 03/2011: Mr. Ken S. Feldman: "Waste Not Want Not"

2011-03-23T20:35:00.000-07:00

Mr. Feldman is a professor of chemistry at Pennsylvania State University. His research interests in the area of organic synthesis focus on two diverse areas: the synthesis of natural product molecules, such as the secondary plant metabolites known as ellagitannins and gallotannins, and the de novo assembly of organic zeolites with long-range periodic three-dimensional order. Mr. Feldman arrived at Harvey Mudd as a graduate of Miami Beach Senior High School in Florida and earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry in 1984 from Stanford University.

Mr. Feldman spoke to the Marine Aquarist Roundtable of Sacramento (MARS) on March 18th, 2011 meeting about organic waste in our reef aquarium systems.

A BIG thank you to Ken for allowing me to post this recording for our members that were unable to attend the meeting to hear his talk.

Here is the link to the Podcast. To download, use the VBR ZIP link on the left of the page, to listen simply push the play button below.

Print reference materials for this talk can be found on the Advanced Aquarist archive.

Enjoy!

Atlantis Casino's French Angel (iPhone 4 Photo)

2010-12-13T19:16:00.000-08:00

In the aquarium for a little over two weeks now, the Atlantis' French Angelfish, Pomacanthus paru, (Belize), is doing great, eating everything offered and is being a model community fish in the 1300 gallon circular aquarium.

The French Angelfish is one of three very popular "large angels" among marine aquarium hobbyists. The other two being the Emperor Angelfish (Pomacanthus Imperator) and the Queen Angelfish (Holacanthus Ciliaris). These marine angelfish are widespread throughout the Caribbean and are commonly sighted by divers in that area. This is an expensive fish, small specimens usually retail for $80-$90 USD with large adults (Show quality) costing $200 and upwards. It is also sold fresh as human consumable food, particularly in Singapore and Thailand. Reports of ciguatera poisoning exist.

Here is a photo that I took of the French Angelfish in the wild at Bonaire's "Angel City" dive site....rightly named as seeing these beauties in the wild was an ease. Angel City has a maximum diving depth of around 80 ft and is suitable for all divers. The average visibility is 30-60 feet and access to the dive site is by shore. Also seen at this dive site was the difficult to find Longsnout Seahorse, plus many Blue Tangs, assorted Eels, Tarpon, Queen Angels, Rock Beauty's, Trumpet Fish, numerous Wrasses, Yellowtail Snappers, Porcupine Fish, Cowfish, Trunkfish, Spotted Drums, Filefish and the Flamingo Tongue Cowries. (Nothing like taking good notes after a dive!) Definitely one of my favorite dives ever! And one of my favorite aquarium fish I have ever placed.

If you are ever in the Reno/Tahoe area, go into the Atlantis Steakhouse and have a meal or a cocktail and check out this beautiful animal.

Reef-a-palooza 2010

2010-10-21T05:57:00.001-07:00

Last minute decision to attend this years Reefapalooza, Orange County Fairgrounds, October 23 & 24. Looking forward to hearing some great speakers and seeing many of my suppliers.

PODCAST: MARS 5/2010: Mr. Tony Vargas - Philippine Reefs & Captive Coral Care

2010-05-27T16:17:00.000-07:00

The Marine Aquarist Roundtable of Sacramento was fortunate to have Mr. Tony Vargas come in town and give a great talk about his experiences diving the Philippine Islands and keeping corals in captivity for their month of May general meeting. Mr. Vargas has been an avid aquarist since the age of seven. He started with freshwater fish and invertebrates. His introduction to saltwater began with under gravel filters in the 70's and became a coral-a-holic in the early 80's. Tony is among one of the first in this country to successfully keep and maintain Acropora alive in captivity long term, in the mid to late 80's.

Tony started to write articles on the husbandry of many different types of coral and reef fish. His articles have been published by several national publications, first here in the US, with a monthly column called "Feature Coral", than published overseas. He has been acknowledge in Carden Wallace textbook on Acropora (Staghorn Corals of the World), and many others.

Mr. Vargas is a successful SCUBA diver who spends his free time diving around the world observing many of these creatures in their natural environment. And, with his writing he has effectively communicate his experiences and observations. An accomplished photographer, with many dives in the Indo-Pacific and the Caribbean. Many magazines and catalogs seek after his photos across North America. A consultant and frequent lecturer he has traveled the States and Europe to express effectively his findings on corals and reef fish husbandry.

Mr. Vargas presentation will focus on the reefs of the Philippines and their amazing recovery. It will also emphasize the differences, on how some corals survive in their natural environment and how they should be kept in captivity.

A BIG thank you to Tony for allowing me to post this recording for our
members that were unable to attend the meeting to hear his talk.

Here is the link to the Podcast. To download, use the VBR ZIP link on the left of the page, to listen simply push the play button below.

Enjoy!

New Account: The Atlantis Steakhouse, Atlantis Casino; Reno, NV - 1100 Gallon Fish Only Aquarium

2010-05-08T13:13:00.000-07:00

Big thanks to my clients Tim & Tracy for their notice to me of the issues that were taking place with the Atlantis' recently renovated 1100 gallon aquarium. And an additional thanks to clients Chuck & Cindy for recommending Sierra Saltwater Systems to the owner of the casino.The aquarium has been in place for over twenty years, but the interior reef structure was recently replaced by Poseidon Construction out of Corona, CA. during a major restaurant renovation.

Unfortunately the aquarium currently is unable to house live animals due to improper return flow and low pH. Chris Wirth of Blue Planet Waterworks will be employed to rescue the situation by replacing the current 1.5" plumbing with three inch, adding an overflow skimmer box to remove surface detritus and improving with additional filtration needs.

Look for future posts on the improvements of this aquarium and the stocking in the weeks to come.

BAYMAC 2010: This Saturday, May 8th !

2010-05-02T19:12:00.000-07:00

The Bay Area Marine Aquarium Conference (BAYMAC) is all set to go off big time next Saturday, May 8th at Chabot College in Hayward, CA. The conference runs from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The event is going to include guest speakers, manufacturers, coral vendors and local aquarium clubs.

I go down to Los Angeles a couple times a year for these types of conferences, and to have this available at a relatively close destination for Northern California residents, is an incredible gift. And to make a great thing better, this conference is FREE! If you are serious about learning more about your aquarium, the latest new products or just to kick back and hear some experts talk knowledge, I'd recommend attending. Vendors setting up to share the latest in the aquarium hobby include; Reef Nutrition, IceCap, Inc., Warner Marine Research, Frag-a-Rack, Reef Builders, Reef Hobbyist Magazine, Marco Rocks, Reef Brite, Boston Aqua Farms, Neptune Systems, Lumenarc Lighting, Illuminarium, Inc., CPR Aquatic, Ecoxotic, Nano Customs, Karen Talbot Art, Sun Bright Lighting, Sustainable Aquatics and Acan Lighting.

Speakers include Richard Ross, Aquatic Biologist at the Steinhart Aquarium, topic title: "Are you sure that thing is true or did someone tell it to you?" - Skeptical Reefing - why it matters, why will it help you and why it's good for your animals! From 11:30 - 12:30. Second speaker will be Christine Williams, she is the head of the Industrial Marine Microbiology team for her division of a “very large international chemical company,” topic title is: "When Aquariums Attack! Bites, Stings, Cuts, and other unfortunate events...and what to do". From 12:40 - 1:40. The third speaker of the day will be Sanjay Joshi, in real life is a Professor of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering at Penn State University. His topic tile is: "LED Basics and Comparison to Other Lighting Technologies", from 1:50 - 2:50. The fourth and final speaker of the day is Joe Yaiullo. Joe is a marine scientist and built and runs the Atlantis Marine World Aquarium in Riverhead, NY. His topic is: "20,000 Gallons of Reef and its not just about the corals anymore" and runs from 3:00 - 4:00.

Now for what I think is the coolest part of this conference, the "Aquascape Contest"! Matt Wandell of the Steinhart Aquarium takes on Bay Area Reefers VP Jeremy Foster in an auquascaping showdown. With just one hour of time, the two will battle to see who can create the best live rock design based on water flow and aesthetics with pockets for Long Polyp Stony corals. The simplest tools will be given to the artists to complete their design in a Solana 34 gallon, they will include a hammer and a screwdriver or chisel, that's it. The winning grand prize will include bragging rights and a cookie.

To close the event there will be a fantastic raffle, with possibly a few cookies too! Prizes were donated from; Reef Nutrition, Neptune Systems, Instant Ocean, NextReef, Brightwell Aquatics, Marco Rocks, Mobile Aquatic, CPR Aquatic, Neptune Aquatics, Rod's Food, New Salmon Queen Sportfishing, Coral Magazine, Marineland, Hydor, Ecoxotic, Acan Lighting, Sunlight Supply and Reef Brite.

Go there!

Click on photos to see larger.

Marine Aquarium Expo; April 10 & 11th, OC Fair & Event Center, Costa Mesa

2010-04-04T16:39:00.000-07:00

I am looking forward to getting down to Los Angeles next weekend for the Marine Aquarium Expo and seeing some old friends/contacts and meeting some new. The Marine Aquarium Expo (MAX) is the largest consumer event for the marine aquarium hobby in North America. There will be over 100 booths in the 30,000 square foot showroom. And by looking at the list of exhibitors, it looks like there will be quite a few new companies displaying their goods. But also, there seems to be quite a few from the years past missing from the list.....

MARS 2/10: Rob Toonen - What Deep Reefs Tell Us About Keeping Corals

2010-02-21T11:35:00.000-08:00

Ex MARS member and University of California, Davis PhD Graduate Rob Toonen gave an in depth talk about coral reef research at the University of Hawaii Manoa with relations to reefkeeping to the Marine Aquarist Roundtable of Sacramento, February 19, 2010.

Rob is a Biologist/Assistant Researcher at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, Kane'ohe, HI where his current research focuses on the processes that influence dispersal and recruitment in coastal marine invertebrates, with a particular interest in the evolutionary consequences of larval developmental modes among marine invertebrates.
Rob is well known to the marine aquarium world via his numerous published articles in Aquarium Frontiers On-line and Advanced Aquarist magazine. He is also a frequent speaker at marine aquarium conferences and events.

Photographed with Mr. Toonen is MARS President Brian Prestwood (right).

Here is the link to the Podcast. To download, use the VBR ZIP link on the left of the page, to listen simply push the play button below.

Final Post For 2009: Jennifer's Reef Tank

2009-12-26T13:11:00.000-08:00

As far as size is concerned, Jennifer's aquarium in Glenbrook, NV is one of the smaller systems I maintain. But for the 70 gallons, it packs a ton of life. The combination of good flow, daily dosing of B-Ionic's Calcium and Alkalinity buffers and the feeding of Reef Nutrition's Arctic Pods, Phyto Feast, Roti Feast and Fuzzy Phytes creates a thriving environment.

The Physogyra Bubble Coral is a large polyp stony (LPS) coral and is also referred to as a Grape Coral, Small Bubble Coral, or Octobubble. Its genus name, Physogyra, comes from the Latin words physa (air bubble) and gyros (wide circle), which describes its retractable, circular, bubble-shaped polyps. Its polyps are white to tan or green and look like a cluster of grapes or balloons with pointed tips when open during the day.

Its behavior is aggressive and will use its long sweeper tentacles to sting corals that are placed in close proximity to it. It can also sting the reef aquarist who tries to handle it while its sweeper tentacles are out, so precautions should be taken when doing maintenance in the tank. The Physogyra Bubble Coral requires moderate lighting combined with low water movement within the aquarium. For continued good health, it will also require the addition of calcium, strontium, and other trace elements to the water.

One of the hardiest corals obtainable, the Green Open Brain Coral can thrive in a wide range of conditions. "Green Metallic" simply refers to brighter colored specimens, not a different species. Acclimates best in mild water flow and low to medium lighting, but can adapt to a wide variety of conditions. These corals can expand tremendously larger than their skeleton once well acclimated. An excellent coral for beginners, and admired by experts. I gave Jennifer this coral as a birthday gift over a year and a half ago and it has probably doubled in size. A pair of Ocellaris Clownfish have taken to it as a host.

Though these corals are mostly photosynthetic, they benefit from the occasional bit of raw table shrimp, frozen mysis shrimp or silversides once a week. The tentacles of the open brain coral are retracted during the day and during this time the mantle will go outside of the skeleton and looks much different than it does at night.

The second type of brain coral that is in Jennifer's aquarium is the Lobophyllia Brain Coral is a large polyp stony (LPS) coral often referred to as a Lobed, Colored, Carpet, Flat, or Open Brain Coral, Meat Coral, Modern Coral, or Large Flower Coral. It has fleshy polyps that hide its calcareous skeleton. It is found in a variety of textures and color forms. Some are smooth, while others are pimply, and look like carpet. Colors vary from bright red, green, orange, gray, tan, or brown.

Green Star Polyps are a favorite coral for beginners and advanced hobbyists alike. The waving polyps flowing in the current add movement and color to the aquarium.

Green Star Polyps are often noted to be good indicators of water quality, and flow. They react quite quickly to changes in water parameters by not opening. It is very important to make sure your pH and Alkalinity are balanced to encourage growth and color of this flashy, easy to keep coral.

The Fungia Plate Coral lives a solitary life atop the sand bed. It requires low to moderate water currents and moderate reef lighting for proper health. It is important that proper calcium and alkalinity levels are maintained. Place the Fungia Plate Coral on the sand bed along the bottom of the aquarium. Be careful when handling it to avoid damaging the delicate tissue on the underside. It does have short tentacles that can sting nearby corals so leave several inches between it and its neighbors. Be aware that it can move across the sand bed slowly.

The Hammer Coral is a large polyp stony (LPS) coral and often referred to as Euphyllia Hammer Coral or Anchor Coral. Its common names are derived from the appearance of its hammer-, or anchor-shaped tentacles. Its polyps are visible throughout the day and night and hide its skeletal base. It may be green, tan, or brown in color, with lime green or yellow tips on the ends of its tentacles that glow under actinic lighting.

Like the GSP's, Jennifer's Xenia Coral has grown rapidly since its introduction, to the point that they need to be manually removed on a monthly basis. Pulsating Xenia has sturdy stalks up to 3" long which are tan in color. The end of the stalk is covered with a crown of feathery polyps, each carried on a stem approximately 1"-2" long. The polyps open and close in an attractive pulsing or pumping motion. Groups of these stalks form colonies that can spread into large mats. Xenia is one of the few corals that actually smells bad when removed from the water.

Jennifer's Yellow Leather Coral has grown quite a bit since its placement at the highest point of the aquariums water level. Leather corals tend to be very hardy corals. They will sometimes withdraw their tentacles and get a waxy look to their surface for periods of time of up to a week or more. This is normal as the animal sloughs off a layer of skin. Very extended periods of withdrawal can indicate that the coral is not happy with its environment. The Skunk Cleaner Shrimps (along with a pair of Peppermint Shrimp) have taken home to the coral and live there full time. Cleaner shrimp are a great natural tool for Ich and other parasites on your fish. These shrimp will actually eat the parasites right off your fish, if the fish is willing to let the shrimp. Most medium to large size fish will allow this to take place and often seek out the shrimp for a little touch up

Zoanthids are an ultra-colorful, vibrant coral species that adds life and vigor to any reef aquarium. Jennifer has at least three different colors of the Zoanthid coral and are multiplying and thriving in her aquarium Zoanthid corals colonize, meaning they reproduce and stick together to form a "colony" of zoanthids. The best thing about them is they are easy to care for, are not very demanding, and are a fun and simple way to spice up a reef aquarium.

All reef aquariums need some Finger Leathers! The term "Finger Leather" encompasses a wide variety of branching and lobed type Sinnularia and Lobphytum leather corals. Colors range from light tan to off white with a variety of "branching" shapes. The real appeal of these corals is their hardiness, fast growth and interesting shapes. Jennifer's coral spent close to a year after its arrival on a side of the aquarium which was receiving the most flow and was not opening its polyps. After the move to the opposite side, the coral has thrived and at least doubled in size. There are also more colorful types of finger leathers available. Most types do best in medium to bright lighting, and strong water movement., but can adapt to a wide variety of conditions. The basic "Finger Leather much more forgiving in terms of water quality, light and water flow than other similar more colorful varieties. They can do thrive in any well maintained reef aquarium

And finally Jennifer's Rose Bubble Tip Anemone. The Rose Anemone is a highly prized, pinkish-reddish color form of the Bubble Anemone Entacmaea quadricolor. This is one the hardiest species of anemones in the aquarium, and generally thrives in any well-maintained reef aquarium. Jennifer's anemone came from a clone that I have had for many years which I received in a trade from a Marine Aquarist Roundtable of Sacramento club member. It is photosynthetic and requires good lighting and medium to strong water movement, but usually adapts to a wide variety of situations. Does not require supplemental feeding. Will attach to most any substrate or rocks. Regular (and less expensive) Bubble Anemones are also available. One of most forgiving anemones available.

Jennifer's aquarium also contains three or four different colors of Ricordia Mushrooms from Idaho Aquaculture, Inc, a very nice Bali Green Slimer which has started to see some tremendous growth from the original one inch frag size. Also, a wonderful Hydnophora piece that also has grown well over the years.

And.....I haven't even mentioned her wide variety (and cleverly named) fish!

Remember, click on any photo to see in its full original size.

Coral Magazine: Nov/Dec - Butterflyfish

2009-11-01T12:19:00.000-08:00

I just received an email from Coral Magazine's Editor & Publisher James Lawrence previewing the content of the upcoming issue that I thought I would share with my clients and readers.

Look to the November/December 2009 issue of the world's leading reef magazine for must-read articles, glorious underwater photography, and fresh inspiration.

• Like their terrestrial namesakes, the butterflyfishes are strikingly beautiful and elegant with endlessly fascinating behaviors. The next issue of CORAL looks at the natural history of the Chaetodontidae, how to choose the best species for different types of marine aquariums, including SPS reefs, and how to maintain them for optimum health and color.

• Discover the amazing underwater fauna of Vietnam as Dr. Dieter Brockman dives in the South China Sea off Da Nang and finds an array of interesting fishes and vividly colorful corals thriving in unusual reef conditions.

• Take an in-depth look at the genus Montipora with a diversity of growth forms and colors that make them highly desirable subjects for stony coral enthusiasts.

• Dive with legendary Florida sea-life collector Ken Nedimyer, who is leading efforts to restore stony corals to barren South Florida reefs. Visit the home of Stephen Otto in Plauen, Germany, for a look under the hood of his intensely colorful stony coral reef system; check out the latest coral-reef news; and much more.

One thing that I am looking forward to reading is their opinion of the Klein Butterfly Fish in the reef aquarium. I have used this fish for years with great success to eradicate the aiptasia anemones. I consider the Klein a very hardy aquarium fish that accepts pretty much all foods and will behave well toward SPS corals and clams when fed properly.

I receive retail copies of Coral Magazine and its closest competitor Reef Life magazine and supply all my clients with complimentary copies.

MARS 10/09: Bob Fenner; The Pros and Cons of Hitchhikers in The Reef Aquarium

2009-10-19T14:52:00.000-07:00

Bob Fenner, author of "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist", returned to the Marine Aquarist Roundtable of Sacramento, (MARS), to speak on "The Pros and Cons of Hitchhikers in the Reef Aquarium", Friday, October 16th, 2009. With the influx of pizza and beer, Mr. Fenner provided his entertaining and intellectual knowledge on the subject. Photographed with Mr. Fenner (R) is MARS Vice President Kevin Cowan.

Bob has "lived" the science, hobby and business of aquatics in the Philippines, Japan and United States. All phases; collector, wholesale, jobber, retail, design, construction and maintenance. All levels; manager, owner, hatchery worker, retail clerk, and technician. Except for a stint teaching high school sciences for four years, he has worked all his life in the field of ornamental aquatics.

Academic experience includes eleven years of college, a couple of life science degrees and a teaching credential for chemistry, physics and biology. Published works include several studies on aquatic biological and chemical questions, and an extensive publishing and photographic background in the industry and hobby of aquatics. Have taught High School sciences and Marine Sciences and Aquariology courses at the State University, University of California levels. Bob has been an avid aquatic hobbyist since day one and is active in hobbyist and scientific organizations. He has served on numerous Boards, judged shows and given many programs.

Helped form and run (President) of the employee-owned corporation, Nature Etc., Inc. in San Diego, started in 1973; a turn-key operation in the field of ornamental aquatics, designing and building ponds, lakes, fountains and waterfalls (Aquatic Environments), designing, installing custom aquarium systems and maintenance (Aquatic Life Services), and operating retail outlets (Wet Pets).... currently does consulting, content provision to the trade, sciences and hobby of aquaristics.

One of Bob's current endeavors is providing advice to hobbyiests and professionals on his website, wetwebmedia.com.

Here is the link to the Podcast. To download, use the VBR ZIP link on the left of the page, to listen simply push the play button below.

Here is Bob's Power-Point presentaion in text format: The Pros & Cons of Hitchhikers in the Reef Aquarium, part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4.

MARS - 08/2009: Matt Wandell - California Academy of Sciences, Steinhart Aquarium

2009-09-12T09:31:00.000-07:00

Matt Wandell, Tropical Marine Fishes and Invertebrates, Aquatic Biologist at the California Academy of Sciences, Steinhart Aquarium, San Francisco, gave an in depth Power Point presentation to over 60 of the active MARS (Marine Aquarist Roundtable of Sacramento) members about the construction, husbandry and maintenance of the Philippine Coral Reef display. At a depth of 25 feet and holding 212,000 gallons of water, the Philippine Coral Reef is one of the deepest exhibits of live corals in the world. It houses a broad range of aquatic life from the coral reefs and mangroves of the Philippines, one of the most diverse reef systems in the world. These animals include delicate soft and hard corals, blacktip reef sharks, stingrays, and more than 2,000 colorful reef fish.

Here is a link to a nice interview with Matt Wandell by Reefs Magazine which includes many photographs: Reef Magazine Article

Here is the link to the Podcast. To download, use the VBR ZIP link on the left of the page, to listen simply push the play button below.

MARS: 2009 Fall Frag Swap

2009-08-29T13:47:00.000-07:00

MARS 2009 Annual Fall Frag Swap

Saturday, September 12, 2009
2719 K Street
Sacramento, Ca. 95816

CHECK IN starts at 10:00 a.m.

FRAG SWAPPING starts at 11:30 a.m.

To participate in swapping you must bring in 3 *qualifying frags.

$12.00 in ADVANCE: includes entrance, meal and frag picking wrist band.

$20.00 AT THE DOOR: includes entrance, meal and frag picking wrist band

$7.00 guests: includes entrance and meal only.

Children 12 and under: FREE with paid adult admission: includes entrance and meal only.

Children 12 and under swapping pay full price: includes entrance, meal and frag picking wrist band.

Please go to the MARS club website to learn more about the frag swap.

The propagation and aquaculture of corals is extremely important to the reef aquarium hobby and frag swaps such as this helps hobbyists receive and reproduce corals at a very fair cost. Not only does this help to preserve and limit what is harvested from natural reefs, but it also helps to create a more consumer friendly market. Propagating and aquaculturing corals is not only easy, but fun. Using a dremel tool, clipping shears, razor blade or a snap with your hands,fragging corals is a simple process. With the use of super glue, fishing line or bridal veil material, attaching a fragment of a coral to a piece of live rock rubble or mounting disk is a cinch. I currently have a few customers that have corals growing so rapidly that I need to cut them up a number of times a year. I pass on these frags to other clients or hobbyists at no charge.

I encourage all hobbyists to attend at least one frag swap a year to help prolong the life of our natural resources and to learn from more experienced collectors.

Advertising From The Archives

2009-07-08T08:38:00.000-07:00

I needed to put together a new customer packet yesterday and recalled this old 30 second television commercial that I had done back in 2005. It ran during a NBC home improvement show in Reno called "The Home Show". Pretty funny actually, considering how my business has grown!

Hungry Fish?

2009-06-21T08:46:00.001-07:00

I found this cool gadget today while surfing Marine Depot's blog. It allows you to add a background image, change the color of fish and the number of fish. You can also feed the fish by clicking on your left mouse button and the fish will swim over and eat the spot. Multiple clicks will add more food and make the fish go crazy after each spot. (Must be Reef Nutrition's Arctic Pods.) Please don't overfeed any display! You can add it as a screen saver on your computer if you'd like to customize it to your preferences HERE.

Kinda silly.

Not Too Happy: Wild Caught Banggai Cardinalfish

2009-06-18T08:13:00.000-07:00

I recently had a client ask me to restock his 875 gallon aquarium with some more Banggai Cardinalfish since he had lost a few that I added nearly four years ago. The half a dozen that I added were from Rian & Arlan at UC Davis. See THIS post here that I did about their captive breeding success. Unfortunately the couple no longer breed the specie. I spent good time looking for a new source of the captive reared fish and their are plenty of suppliers out there; Inland Aquatics, ORA, Blue Zoo Aquatics and Branham Aqua Farms to name a few. My clients aquarium hosts many larger species, an Emperor Angel, Niger Trigger and Powder Blue Tang and I have seen them harass smaller new fish. After being unable to secure a tank bred specie of a LARGE size I was forced to go with the wild caught fish. I spent a good time talking with a multitude of salespeople in Los Angeles in an attempt to secure a half a dozen healthy fish. So I purchased 24 fish, twelve from two different suppliers. In less than a week, I had lost all two dozen fish.

There are many articles on the web about boycotting the specie. This one located on the Microcosm™ Aquarium Explorer website sums up the problems with importing the wild caught fish the best. "The mortality rate of wild Banggais is horrible. It is not uncommon to lose entire shipments of wild fish, and the ones that survive long enough to sell seem to last only weeks. The reason is still a bit unclear, but crowding, stress and holding conditions are the primary concerns. Banggai Cardinals are imported in huge batches, and their immune systems are likely overrun by disease, possibly a newly identified virus."

With the latest Coral Magazine featuring the "Mouthbrooder" species, I can imagine that many local fish stores will have an influx of customers looking for the specie. I hope that store owners will look into purchasing the easily bred Banggai. The male holds the fertilized eggs in his mouth through full development, and releases them as juveniles. Banggai Cardinals have a spawn size of anywhere from 12-43 fry, which develop in the male's mouth for 20-24 days. They will spawn every 30 days and it is not uncommon to observe this in the home aquarium. The juveniles emerge ready to take newly hatched brine shrimp. For these reasons, this is a species many home aquarists have bred and reared.

I will be purchasing a dozen of these wonderful fish next week from one of the suppliers listed above and will quarantine the fish until they are large enough to stock. And who knows, maybe I will be lucky enough to have a fry.

Undersea Voyager Project : Study Findings Seminar

2009-06-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

Undersea Voyage Project President/CEO Scott Cassell gave a talk to a standing room only crowd of over 300 people (approximately 50 had to be turned away due to fire code regulations)at the Lake Tahoe Community College, South Lake Tahoe, CA, about his six week underwater study of Lake Tahoe and Fallen Leaf Lake. His topics included invasive species, earthquake faults, ancient trees, trash, river/lake interfaces.

My daughter's involvement with the project is mentioned in track number 17, "Volunteer - Youth Ambassador Acknowledgments, Will Kohnen". The time spent with the UVP was an excellent way for Madison to get involved with scientists, explorers and mentors of her future. She is not completed with the UVP, Scott Cassell has invited her to accompany the group with their studies of the kelp forests of the Channel Islands in Southern California and then diving with the Giant Humboldt Squid in the Sea of Cortez later this summer. The project will return to Lake Tahoe with a submersible that will bring explorers to the deepest part (over 1.600 feet) of the lake.

To listen to Scott Cassell's talk click the play button below.

To download the talk click HERE and use the links on the left of the Archive.org page.

U.V.P. - Last Week Photos

2009-05-23T15:50:00.000-07:00

Madi and Scott prepare for their first descent in the SeaMobile, Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe.

Sid drives the sub and deflates the ballasts.

It was "Youth Day" in Emerald Bay last Sunday, 5-17-09. Sid Loomis (L) and Madi Ordway (R) are the Undersea Voyager Projects Youth Ambassadors for the Lake Tahoe expeditions. The youths have learned how to drive and submerge the submarine, care for the vehicle and the use of the life support system with proper communication skills to bottomside.

Madi and Sid listen to Scott Cassell's interview on "Good Day Sacramento" at the Tahoe City Marina.

Mark S. Allen interviews Scott Cassell.

Madi and Sid get their 30 seconds of fame when they get interviewed for the "Good Day Sacramento" segment.

Madi and Sid do some post dive inspection work for a cut-in on "Good Day Sacramento".

Madi and Scott 30 feet deep in the Sea Mobile checking out the wrecks of Emerald Bay.

Madi and Scott in Emerald Bay. In 1969, Emerald Bay was recognized as a National Natural Landmark by the federal Department of the Interior. In 1994, California State Parks included the surrounding water of the bay as a part of the park, making Emerald Bay one of the first underwater parks of its type in the state, protecting the various wrecks and other items on the bay's bottom.

Madi shot this short video with the Flip camera from the inside of the Sea Mobile in Emerald Bay.

Madi, on the far right, scuba diving with the UVP. One thing she wanted to do was to hold on to the sub and let it tow her around.

Madi lowers the Sea Mobile for a dive in Incline Village, NV. (Notice the kid isn't wearing a hood, nor gloves.)

Click on any photo to see larger.

Reef Life: Vol. One, Number One - Now Available !

2009-05-18T19:37:00.000-07:00

I recall the way I felt in February 2004 reading then publisher Leng Sy's Coral magazine. Looking at the great photographs in awe and reading each and every article with the purpose of learning. It was a publication that the reef hobby desperately needed. I have every issue of Coral magazine and have enjoyed reading it immensely. Late last year Leng severed ties with the English translation of the German publication Koralle and ventured out with his own project, Reef Life. Today, Coral magazine is being published by James Lawrence and continues to thrive. Reef Life will definitely compete with Coral, but in my business and the way I use these publications as gifts to my clientele, they will compliment each other.

Today I received my clients copies of Reef Life and will start distributing tomorrow. Although I have yet to read a single article, my opinion is that this publication far surpasses the old Coral in photography and content. Leng kept his past editor Kathleen Wood and she has put together a fine list of contributing authors. Roger Steene, Hiroyuki Tanaka M.D., Scott W. Michael, John Hoover, Charles Delbeek, Tristan Lougher, James Fatherree and Jake Adams all have incredible articles in this first edition. If I were to have a single complaint, which really doesn't qualify as a complaint but rather an acknowledgment; Leng needs to find some more advertisers! With this being the first issue, I am sure sellers will be grinding to get their ads in next issue.

Great job to all that are affiliated with this new publication!

U.V.P. - Tahoe City

2009-05-05T06:23:00.000-07:00

The Undersea Voyager Project spent the past two rainy days on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe departing out of the Tahoe City Marina, Tahoe City, CA. Although the weather was poor the outings on "SeaMagine" were excellent. A real test of maneuvering the submarine in rough waters, with a die-hard crew. Unfortunately the submarine needed to stay within the vicinity of the marina due to time constraints and the weather. We were unable to go the distance to the Stateline Wall or the Dollar Point wall, two locations that I thought would be good. Although, Capt. Scott Cassell was very interested in seeing both locations. So hopefully as the weather betters, we'll have the opportunity to dive those sites. We traveled about a half mile off shore, directly in front of the Tahoe Tavern condos and found a nice hole in 65 feet of water that quickly went down to 125 feet. What was found? Well, a baseball cap, lots of crawdads, an old railroad train wheel, a bit of algae and trails of a sand dwelling worm. I'll have to research that worm! These are still preliminary dives and introduction of the vessel to local youth scientists. (The photo below was taken with an iPhone camera.)

The U.V.P. group will be in the Tahoe/Fallen Leaf Lake area for the month of May and now that the introduction of the sub to the Tahoe waters is over, it is now time to get down to work. Today the sub will be in Fallen Leaf Lake working with scientists from Scripps Institute of Oceanography. Tomorrow will be spent a half a day with the Scripps group again on Fallen Leaf Lake and then moving back to the Tahoe Keys and working with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency looking for invasive species.

I dove with my friend Jerry Burawski, High Camp Food & Beverage Manager, Squaw Valley (left) and unfortunately we were a bit too late getting in the water to join the SeaMagine on its descent. By the time we entered the water the submarine was already in 85 feet deep water. Our mistake. We're rookies at diving with submarines. I take that back, Madison and myself had the experience of seeing a tourist submarine come by when we were doing a drift dive on the Barcadera Reef, Aruba. We plan on joining the group again and do the Emerald Bay wreck dives that are located in 20-30 feet of water that will put us within site and swimming distance of the submarine at all times. Remarkably, I was not the least bit cold diving in the 45 degree water surface temperature. And when I got out, I pulled my wetsuit down to my waste and kept my upper body warm with multiple layered clothing.

I purchased a Flip Video Mino 720p HD Camera last week to add video to my blog. This thing is great! Although it only has a 4 GB hard drive which equals one hour of video, it is High Definition quality. No bigger than a standard cell phone, it's a great tool to have in the camera bag and use when I want to document something. The Flip comes with a simple to use software program for editing, making snapshot images and adding music to the video's an ease. It's just a fun camera to use and the quality is acceptable. I am not trying to make an IMAX movie here, that crew will be in the water next week with the UVP group.

(Click on any photo to see larger.)

U.V.P. - Press Conference & Maiden Tahoe Voyage

2009-05-01T21:44:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, April 30th, 2009 the Undersea Voyager Project officially got underway with their underwater studies of Lake Tahoe at the Tahoe Keys Marina, South Lake Tahoe, CA. A press conference was held which introduced the members of the UVP and the working team from the Tahoe area. The submersible "SeaMagine" did a short test descent after the introduction.

Listen to the audio of the press conference below, just push PLAY button. (A little windy at times, but very listenable.)

From L-R, Syd Loomis, South Lake Tahoe Student Ambassador, Scott Cassell, President/CEO of Undersea Voyager Project and Tahoe Regency Planning Agency Communications Director Julie Regan. A major portion of the press conference and the studies of which the Undersea Voyager Project are going to partake, include the invasive Quagga and Zebra mussels that have the possibility to invade Lake Tahoe. Quagga mussels were discovered in the US in Lake Mead, Nevada in 2007. The mussels originate from European waters. Quagga mussels have also been found in Lakes Mohave and Havasu in the Colorado River, and in the Colorado River Aqueduct System which serves Southern California. Surveys in August 2008 found Quagga in Lake Dixon and San Vicente Reservoirs in San Diego County. One Quagga Mussel can lay a million eggs and there is no eradication. Chris from the Tahoe Resource Conservation District inspects the SeaMagine. New this year on the lake, all public boat ramps will be manned with an inspector to perform a $35 dollar mussel inspection. In addition, all private boat ramps must have an inspector to check every boat that enters the lake. The fee would be a one time cost to someone who only boats in Lake Tahoe. Lake Tahoe does not have ANY Quagga mussels and strict inspection procedures and the cooperation of the people that use this gem will prevent their introduction.

The Undersea Voyager Project will study other invasive species that currently occupy the lake, the Asian Clam, Eurasian watermilfoil algae, Largemouth Bass, Black Crappie, Bluegill, Brown Bullhead Catfish and will be on the look out for the Goldfish (Tahoe Tessie too!). From the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit of the US Forest Service; "Please do not dump your goldfish into Lake Tahoe! Native to Asia, goldfish have been introduced worldwide due to their popularity as pond and aquarium fish. Releases, both intentional and unintentional, have meant that this species has formed wild populations in many locations. Goldfish impacts on the aquatic community include increasing turbidity, predation upon native fish, and helping to facilitate algal blooms. Goldfish are among the most destructive non-indigenous species in North America, primarily because of their diet of aquatic vegetation. They strip waters of oxygen-producing plants which increases water temperatures and destroys habitat for native juvenile fish. In addition, the feeding habits of goldfish stir up sediments, which leads to a decrease in water clarity and inhibits plant growth. If goldfish populations get large enough we will see a further decline in the shorezone clarity of Lake Tahoe."

Here is a video from the Arizona Game & Fish that dictates the proper procedure to eradicate the mussels from a boat.

Click this link to see the first part (30 minutes) of a video produced by the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission with support from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on the "Don't Move A Mussel" campaign.

The children of Lake Tahoe School, Incline Village, NV made the trip over to The Keys to admire the submarine and learn about youth sciences. Scott Cassell has said repeatedly in many of his community talks last week about how important it is to engage children in the Undersea Voyager Project and the study of Sciences. There will be an Undersea Voyager Project Youth Day on May 17th at Obexer's Marina, Homewood,CA and all local children are invited to attend.

Will Kohnen, Owner and Designer/Builder of SeaMagine, Scott Cassell, President/CEO of U.V.P., and Peri Best, Public Relations Officer prepare for the descent.

Scott Cassel releases the air from the ballasts for SeaMagine's descent.

Note from Robert: For those of you that come to my website on a regular basis, I promise that I will get back on track with posts dedicated to my occupation and the aquarium trade. This project that is happening in Lake Tahoe is a very historical event to me and many in my community and I hope that my readers find it interesting. Monday will be our first dive with U.V.P. departing from the Tahoe City Marina and with the rain predicted, water surface temperatures at 45 degrees, I am quite certain that my daughter Madison will attempt to find a way to get into SeaMagine rather than diving. We were asked to come up with the dive location and I will suggest either the Stateline Wall which is composed of giant granite boulders stacked on top of each other, forming a wall. The Stateline Wall is located about 1300 feet west of the CalNeva Lodge in Crystal Bay, NV. The depth drops to over 800 feet with over 80 feet of visibility. Or possibly the wrecks at Emerald Bay which would put us in warmer surface (+2 degrees!) water and shallower diving. I also hope to get the crew over to the Glenbrook area where there is a large amount of construction debris in the lake from the 1800's logging industry that took place in the area.

(For those of you that are viewing this on my FaceBook page, please go to www.sierrasaltwatersystems.com to see all of the links in there entirety.)

Undersea Voyager Project: Lake Tahoe

2009-04-25T12:21:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to listen to Scott Cassel of the Undersea Voyager Project (UVP) talk about his 16 member teams plan to study the depths of Lake Tahoe during the month of May last night at the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences on the Sierra Nevada College campus in Incline Village, NV. His talk mainly consisted about his studies of the Giant Humboldt Squid that now occupies the waters from Alaska to South America devastating many consumable fishes including the Salmon population of Northern California. This would have been a fantastic talk for the members of my reef club MARS in Sacramento to hear.

Here is a video of a different presentation on Exploring Ocean Depths and The Undersea Voyager Project, including his studies on the Giant Squid. (EDIT: For some reason, this YouTube video will only play in the High Quality (HQ) mode. Please click on the "Play" button and then the HQ button to view video.)

The Undersea Voyager Project's mission statement is a non-profit organization established to circumnavigate and study the Earth's oceans (27,000 miles) at depths of 100–1,000 feet utilizing human piloted submersibles. The Project will advance and communicate scientific understanding of the oceans, their interrelationship with climate, and human impact on the marine environment to a global audience.

Their project in Lake Tahoe and Fallen Leaf Lake will include studying ancient rooted trees at depths of over 150 feet, they will transect Lake Tahoe, evaluate three tsunami-producing fault lines underneath the lake, study animal and plant life, explore historic shipwrecks and perform water quality evaluation. They will also study algae growth and the introduction of invasive bivalves. UVP will use specialized UV lights on the submersible to 'fluoresce' the algae for effective locating and mapping of their presence.

From the UVP website, "Our mission is to learn more about Lake Tahoe's health, so its beauty can be preserved for future generations," said UVP captain and CEO, Scott Cassell. "If we can't save Lake Tahoe, how can we save the world's oceans?"

What's really cool about this project for myself and daughter is that we have volunteered our diving knowledge of the lake and will assist two or three dives a week working with the crew. My daughter Madison, Sierra Saltwater Systems secretary, has applied to be a Student Ambassador for the project working with the UVP's public relations officer, Google Ocean and creating a Powerpoint presentation to report back to student classrooms. She would actually get go in the submersible!

Spirograph Scolymia

2009-04-20T20:42:00.000-07:00

While at the MAX show a couple of weeks ago I got the chance to spend a little time with Jake Adams of Reef Builders at the Zoanuts Scolymia coral display. The Scolymia Button Coral is a large polyp stony (LPS) coral and also referred to as the Doughnut Coral. It is a somewhat round, solitary coral, usually having a single oral opening present in the center, however, numerous openings have been present in some species. It is not an outwardly aggressive coral, but should be provided with plenty of space between itself and other corals because it can expand twice its size during the day. The Scolymia Button Coral is easy to maintain in the reef aquarium. It makes an excellent choice for both the beginner and advanced reef aquarist. It requires moderate lighting combined with moderate water movement within the reef aquarium. For continued good health, it will also require the addition of calcium, strontium, and other trace elements to the water. Its feeding tentacles appear during the evening and while exposed, will feed on meaty foods such as micro-plankton or brine shrimp.

Well, that's the overview of the specie. But what Zoanuts had on hand at their display was one of the most beautiful and sought after corals of the show, the Spirograph Scolymia. While it was only on display, today was the conclusion of its auction with Aquatic Auction. From the Aquatic Auction description; Spirograph Scolymia aka "The Holy Grail". This Scolymia by far cannot be graded with the current system that we have in place. You just thought the Bleeding Apples were hot...put your eyes around this. Many viewers got a sneak peak at the MAX event in Costa Mesa a few weeks back. Out of the many thousands of Scolymia australis we have viewed only one other that was this quality in coloration. So Bid and Win!! This Ungradable Scolymia measures approximately 3.25 inches by 3 inches when fully inflated!

Now a bit about photography. Although I have a BA degree in photography, my image above doesn't do this spectacular coral justice. The photo was taken on the last day of the three day Expo so the water had started to cloud. And although I believe I have pretty good Nikon digital camera equipment, I had to include a copy of Jake's image from his Reef Builders website in comparison. I did absolutely no image enhancing to my photo and Jake states the same on his website. The difference between my photo and Jake's is that he uses an underwater camera bag for his digital photography allowing him to get closer to his images and omit any reflections from the high intensity lighting.Although I have an underwater camera housing for a Canon digital point and shoot, I rarely use it in an aquarium. Guess I have some image taking to do.

And the Spirograph.....currently going for $1,195 with an hour left in the auction. Quick! Any of my clients want it? With my standard mark up, the piece will be guaranteed for thirty days.

EDIT: Final sell price was $1,205, retail value was listed at $1,399.

Remember, Click on any image on my website to see in its original size.

Marine aquarium Expo, Orange County Fairgrounds April 3-5, 2009

2009-03-15T20:20:00.000-07:00

With less than three weeks away, I am really looking forward to attending the Marine Aquarium Expo at the Orange County Fairgrounds, April 3-5. I attended the Expo last year and thoroughly enjoyed the weekend. With over 100 vendor booths in a 30,000 square foot showroom that includes retailers, coral farmers and manufacturers, there is something for everyone that attends. This year I am looking forward to seeing many of my Southern Californian suppliers and friends. Including Randy, Gresham and Jake with Reef Nutrition (Northern California), Leng from Eco Systems, Trevor with Bayside Aquarium Supply (Marine Depot) and Chris with RK2. I am also looking forward to hearing Bob Fenner, Marc Levenson, Eric Borneman, Tulio Dell Aquila, Joe Yaiullo and Adam Blundell's intriguing talks.

I am also looking forward to getting a couple of dives in at Hiesler Park in Laguna Beach.

Blue Planet Waterworks 375 Gallon Install

2009-03-03T19:17:00.000-08:00

Chris Wirth of Blue Planet Waterworks spent many hours over the weekend and yesterday installing a beautiful Acrylic & Glass Exhibits Starphire 375 gallon aquarium for Dr. Sean in the Tahoe Keys subdivision of South Lake Tahoe. We have gone through many changes with filtration, chiller and pump locations, but have come to a final design and things are going together well.The most unique device that is going to be used on this aquarium is the GHL Profilux II Elite controller. This controller is specially designed for high end aquatic systems, and has many more monitoring and control points than competing controllers.It also gives the ability to dial into the system from any internet access point to check on the system, receive alarms, view historic trends, or make adjustments.This controller has standard features of lighting timers, temperature control, water topoff, salinity monitoring, CO2 dosing, LAN access, pH, ORP, Cloudy day simulation, and a plethora of programming possibilities. It also controls various wave pumps, New LED light fixtures, 1-10V dimmable fluorescent lighting, dimmable metal halide, and the optional Moon / Flash stick for moon phase changes and simulated storms.With the 48" height of Sean's aquarium, a high flow turnover rate will be extremely critical. Blue Planet Waterworks has designed the aquarium to exact specifications to accomplish the task with a large overflow box, two inch bulkheads and two four-way closed loop Oceans Motions return. Underneath the staircase in Sean's home will be the filtration room. Although it will be a tight working environment, it will certainly suffice to contain all the necessary equipment to produce a beautiful showpiece.
The following equipment will be in this room; Heavy Duty ¾” x 2’ x 4’ Acrylic Sump, with refugium, T5 growth lights, de-aeration baffles, and level sensor mounts, Adjustable FRP baseplates for reservoirs, skimmer, and sump, Reeflo Marlin Return Pump, 58W Aqua Ultraviolet UV Sterilizer with wiper system, Reeflo Orca 250 Protein Skimmer,Phosphate Media Reactor, Carbon Media Reactor, Calcium Reactor, 75GPD RO/DI System, with TDS meter, test port, and pressure gauge, Automatic DI Topoff System with poly reservoir and anti TDS creep system, Plastic Rack Mount System for all filtration and reactors, 250 watt Heaters, x 3 with controller.

Many more photos to come as this project progresses.

(Click on photos to see larger.)

Bonaire Report #2: Longsnout Seahorse (Hippocampus reidi)

2009-02-21T21:00:00.000-08:00

Longsnout Seahorse (Hippocampus reidi); Finding a Seahorse can be a very challenging task. Diving with Bonaire's premier dive master Bas Noij, we were told that they could be found at the "***NOT GONNA SAY**** " dive site. Bas knew that "a" seahorse could be found at this site in the 20-25 foot depth, but couldn't guarantee that we would find it. After less than a minute I found it! What really baffles me about finding this animal, was that it was the only one in the area and Bas said that he has never seen a mate. What a boring life!

Only two species of Seahorses occur in the Caribbean, the Longsnout, Hippocampus reidi and Lined Seahorse, Hippocampus erectus. General information on the abundance of Longsnout Seahorse is lacking and the species has been categorized as data deficient indicating a need for further studies. The Lined Seahorse is currently listed by the IUCN as a vulnerable species. In 2007, three single individuals, H. reidi have been repeatedly sighted at three different shallow reef dive sites. Although seahorses nearly always occur in pairs and the home ranges for the species is rather small, as of yet no pairs have been sighted. The reefs are mixed habitat with corals, sea grass beds, and sponges present. Later habitats are often associated with seahorses. Previous longsnout seahorse sightings dating back to 1993 have over the years been inconsistent and restricted to only one of the sites. The recent frequent sightings and identification of a new reef site could indicate an increase in the local seahorse population size. Further studies are needed to estimate the local seahorse population size and habitat characteristics.

One of the most desired species in the aquarium trade, it is imported quite often. Long, thick snout, narrow body, and no spines or cirri. Can be found in a range of bold, bright colors and usually is covered with tiny black or white spots. May also have pale splotches on lateral surfaces. 16-19 dorsal rays and 11 body rings.

Bonaire Report #1: Flamingo Tongue Cowrie

2009-02-16T20:41:00.000-08:00

Flamingo Tongue Cowrie(Cyphoma gibbosum)

Cowries are a group of snails that are of great interest to shell collectors because of their beautiful designs. The shells are very polished and shiny and feature a wide range of colorful patterns. They are nocturnal and eat algae and dead animals. Some species will feed on both hard and soft corals. The flamingo tongue is not recommended for the aquarium, as it tends not to live long in captivity.

These cowries were photographed in about thirty feet of water at the Alice in Wonderland dive site. At times I came across literally hundreds of these on gorgonians, sponges, soft and hard corals.

Although beautiful, the cowries appear to me to be as destructive as the Crown of Thorn Starfish found in the Hawaiian Islands.

The waters of Bonaire are protected by the Marine Environment Ordinance, an Island Ordinance approved and passed by the Island Government of Bonaire in 1991 for the purpose of protecting the marine environment around Bonaire from the high water mark to the 60m depth contour. The Ordinance includes all provisions on the statute books for protecting the marine environment (protection of turtle nests and eggs, protection of corals from collection etc) and the exploitation of fish stocks (prohibition on spearfishing, restrictions on use of nets etc). It was revised in April 2001 to take into account the inclusion of the uninhabited island of Klein Bonaire under the management of the Bonaire National Marine Park. STINAPA Bonaire National Parks Foundation oversees both the Bonaire National Marine Park and Washington Slagbaai National Park.

So removal of these animals is strictly prohibited.

And...although the Flamingo Cowries are quite beautiful, I personally think the Pink Flamingo's on Bonaire are a bit more beautiful.One thing about Flamingo's though, which I did not know until I went to Bonaire, is that they are very difficult animals to photograph. They will run when spooked and have a have a very keen sense of danger from a far, which makes photographing them tough.

Future Post: Research in Aruba/Bonaire

2009-01-27T05:07:00.000-08:00

I am just now getting back into the swing of work after thirteen days of research in Aruba and Bonaire. I'll be posting lots of photos and info soon!

This photo of me was taken by my daughter (Sierra Saltwater Systems, Inc. Secretary) Madison at the Angel City dive site in Bonaire.

Click on photo to see large.

Coming Soon! : ReefLife Magazine

2008-12-29T07:34:00.001-08:00

I have been giving my clients copies of Coral Magazine's bimonthly issues since volume one, number one; February/March 2004; Seahorses. It has become a very valuable selling and learning tool for my company and customers. I was speaking with publisher Leng Sy at the Reef-a-Palooza event, Orange County Fair Grounds in September and informed him how much my customers enjoy receiving their copies and how my livestock sales inevitably go up when there is a "hot" cover story.

I was bit alarmed when I received the following letter from Leng in the mail a couple weeks ago.

Dear Valued Subscribers:

First of all, we'd like to thank you for your support for Coral magazine over the past five years. It is precisely the enthusiasm you have shown for what we hope has been a very high-quality publication that has led to our decision to sever ties with our German counterpart, Koralle. Instead, we are in the process of designing what we hope will be an even better magazine. To that end, the October/November 2008 issue was the last issue of Coral we will be publishing.

Our decision to cease producing Coral was not made lightly. However, we feel we can offer our readers higher-quality information in a more timely manner by taking control of our own publication.

As you will learn in the upcoming months, we will be providing readers with up-to-date information from world experts in the various disciplines that contribute to coral reef aquarium keeping, as well as details of the latest animals available to the trade. The first issue of ReefLife will be out on the stands in Spring 2009 and publication will continue on a bimonthly basis. Additionally, we will soon be launching the ReefLife web site, where we will be providing you with updates on the truly exciting content you can expect to find in the magazine.

The Coral Magazine web site will continue to be used as a site for purchasing back issues of Coral. For more details, go to the Back Issues page.

Again, we thank you for all your past support and hope you will continue on with us as we produce the best marine aquarium publication ever!

ReefLife Magazine

I am looking forward again, to volume one, number one of a new and exciting product from Leng Sy.

(Remember to click on any photo on my blog to see in its original size.)

The Posts That Didn't Happen: 2008

2008-12-19T20:45:00.000-08:00

These are the posts that I got started this year, but I never completed. Design/text issues are "as is". Enjoy!

1/25/08: Debbie's 120 (Video)

4/20/08: Steinhart Aquarium & Matt Wandell

5/23/08: Mysteri Wrasse

The Psuedochellinus mysterii is commonly known as the Mystery Wrasse or Five bar Wrasse. This fish gets its name as nothing much is known in detail about it as they are rarely collected. As the name signifies the Mystery Wrasse fish has a unique 5 lines on its attractive body. They share some resemblance with the behavior of 6 line wrasse fish. Most of the Mystery Wrasse fish has white bands running over its reddish maroon body. Its face has yellow, blue and purple outline that adds to the mystic beauty of this Mystery Wrasse fish. This wrasse fish has a unique, distinctly noticeable eyespot enveloped by bright yellow colour, on its green tail. This feature puts its predator into trouble as they get confused between the fish’s head and tail. To protect themselves from the predators, they are equipped with spiny fins. The Mystery Wrasse fish has thick lips and powerful jaws to crush its prey.

The Mystery Wrasse is a rare salt water fish that could be easily maintained. But very little is known about this fish as they live deep in the see. This hardy fish is of high demand in the pet fish market. This fish will bury itself into the sand bed when intimidated by predators. So, an ideal fish tank would require sand substrate or algae bed. The Mystery Wrasse fish is known for its reef compatibility and good appetite. This is a peace loving community fish. As they have a tendency to jump out of the tank while mating or when frightened the tank should be properly covered.

An ideal fish for the reef aquarium, this recently described species was collected for the trade long before it was described. Once thought to occur only in a few isolated areas, it has been recorded from Australia, Marshall Islands and other locations throughout the Indo-Pacific. Found only in deep water, further exploration will likely expand its range. Bold and hardy with a great appetite, The Five Bar Wrasse is ideal for the reef or fish only aquarium. Also known as "Mystery Wrasse" and "Tail Spot Wrasse".

The beautiful Mystery Wrasse, also known as the Whitebarred Wrasse, is distinctly different from the other lined wrasses. Rather than sporting the horizontal lines that this group of fish are recognized for, this wrasse has slender vertical white bars that get even thinner as it matures, sometimes even fading on the adult. Divers and scientists have been familiar with this wrasse for a couple of decades, but it is newer to the aquarium hobby than most of the wrasses. It was first described by Randall in 1999. Though not as much information has been gathered on this wrasse, comparing it to the other lined wrasses is a logical way of determining the husbandry of these very expensive and small wrasses.

The Mystery Wrasse has all the characteristics to make it a great addition to the marine aquarium. It is not only attractive, hardy, and easy to maintain, but is also compatible with many other species of fish and many types of invertebrates. Though small in size, they are also quite capable in competing for food and quite adept at munching on pyramidellid snails, bristleworms, and commensal flatworms. Mystery Wrasses are diurnal, which means they are active by day and sleep at night. They are very secretive in the wild, preferring dark areas of the reef. They do not bury themselves in the sand and will use a cocoon if they feel threatened when they sleep.

Though lined wrasses are a shy fish in the wild, once they become acclimated to the home aquarium they are quite boisterous. They are fine in a community setting but may become aggressive towards new fish added to their established territory. In general, it is best to keep lined wrasses with larger or more aggressive fish and to make a single lined wrasse the last addition to the aquarium. They do not co-habitat well with other lined wrasses.

8/29/08: Chicago: John G. Shedd Aquarium Visit

I had the opportunity to spend a half a day at the John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago a couple of weeks ago. The Shedd Aquarium was built in 1930 prior to Chicago's World Fair and is the largest indoor aquarium in the world and the home to over 1,500 species of fish and mammals. The half day there was in no way enough time for me to explore the entire facility. The architecture is very unique for the period that the building was built. John G. Shedd wanted as many details throughout the building to represent the ocean. Shedd Aquarium rises like a temple on the shore of Lake Michigan. A broad staircase leads to heavy bronze doors. The floor plan is traditional Greek. The foyer looks very Roman.

The Caribbean Reef display was built in 1971 on the site of Shedd’s very first exhibit, the tropical pool.

10/16/08: Birch Aquarium @ Scripps Institute of Oceanography
I made a quick trip down to San Diego last week (out of Los Angeles) to re-new my business membership at Birch Aquarium, UCSD's Scripps Institute of Oceanography. I have been to many public aquariums but find the Birch Aquarium one of my absolute favorites.

The aquarium was established in 1903 after the Marine Biological Association of San Diego was created to conduct marine research in the local waters of the Pacific Ocean. Its name was later changed to Scripps Institution of Oceanography to honor supporters Ellen Browning Scripps and E.W. Scripps, part of the Scripps family of newspaper pioneers. The founders built and maintained a small public aquarium and museum to communicate their discoveries to the world.

The researchers outgrew their modest laboratory in the boathouse of the Hotel del Coronado and moved to a small laboratory at La Jolla Cove in 1905. Several years later, the association purchased 174 acres at La Jolla Shores for $1,000 at a public auction from the city of San Diego. The first permanent building at the new site was constructed in 1910. Today, this building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1915, the first building devoted solely to an aquarium was built on the Scripps campus. The small, wooden structure contained 19 tanks ranging in size from 96 to 228 gallons. The oceanographic museum was located in a nearby building. The institution's name changed to Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 1925 to recognize the growing faculty's widened range of studies.

The Scripps Aquarium-Museum opened in 1951 and named to honor former institution director T. Wayland Vaughan. The three-story facility served the institution for more than 40 years. A ring of 18 tanks, the largest at 2,000 gallons, surrounded a central museum of glass exhibit cases displaying Scripps research projects. Within a month of its opening, visitors from all 48 states had signed the guest book.

In 1985, Stephen and Mary Birch Foundation kicked off a fund-raising effort for a new aquarium by donating $6 million. JCJ Architecture of San Diego was selected as the design architect and in 1992, the current $14 million Birch Aquarium at Scripps opened its doors. University of California San Diego donated the land.

Here are some of my favorite photos from my visit.

The Scripps Pier

The original, wooden Scripps Pier was built in 1915-16 and was 1,000 feet long. The new, reinforced-concrete pier, at a length of 1,084 feet, was built in 1988 alongside the original pier, which was then removed. Data about ocean conditions and plankton have been taken from off the Pier continuously since 1916 and provide an unparalleled source of information on the coastal Pacific Ocean. In the 1940s the aquarium curator fished from the old pier to catch specimens for display. Small boats can be launched from the far end of the pier for projects in the kelp beds and the Scripps and La Jolla submarine canyons. Ansel Adams Scripps Pier 1966

Seawater is pumped up from the end of the pier, then filtered and stored in holding tanks, providing a supply of fresh seawater to Scripps laboratories and aquariums, including the tanks in the Birch Aquarium at Scripps.

The rental price of the Scripps Pier is $15,000 per event.

10/05/08: The Conscientious Marin Aquarist - Revised & Updated Second Edition

Bob Fenner's "The Conscientious Marin Aquarist (CMA)" must be the atlas for keeping marine animals." From Amazon.com

10/25/08: Spawninig Kokanee: Taylor Creek, Lake Tahoe

Running from Fallen Leaf Lake to Kiva Beach at Lake Tahoe is Taylor Creek. What was once an ordinary alpine stream is now one of Lake Tahoe's most popular attractions. The entire area, from the profile chamber to Kiva Beach, is great for kids. The National Forest Service has created interpretive hiking trails throughout the meadow where the creek approaches Lake Tahoe. The Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit Visitors Center is located at the focus of these trails. The main attraction, however, is the stream profile chamber, which gives a glimpse into the alpine stream habitat. On the west side of Highway 89 the stream is a bit more rugged, but it is far from remote. Hiking along the creek there are numerous signs of human involvement, including Fallen Leaf Lake Campground. The biggest sign you'll find is the locks controlling the flow from Fallen Leaf Lake. The creek is the only spawning habitat for Tahoe's Kokanee Salmon, a landlocked version of the Sockeye. The fish are very successful here, to the point that the area is used to produce fry to stock other California lakes. Every year (beginning of October), the Forest Service plays host to the Kokanee Festival to educate and celebrate the spawning season.

Happy Holiday's: 2008 Is Over!

2008-12-15T22:04:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone has a safe and relaxing Holiday Season. 2008 has been a great year for me and I am very optimistic that 2009 will be even better.

Photos on my card, left to right:
1) Sea Nettles: Birch Aquarium, UCSD Srcipps Institute of Oceanography, San Diego, CA. Sea Nettles are found off the coastal waters from Alaska to Baja California.
2) That's me! Diving with Extended Horizon's on Maui. In my opinion, if you are going to Maui to dive, Ed and Extended Horizon's is the best dive op on the island.
3) Leafy Sea Dragon: John G. Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, IL, July, 2008. Found around southern and western Australia and generally remain in shallow, temperate waters. These guys cost a hefty penny if you want to keep such an exotic animal. They usually run in the 10K range and if any of my customers would care to keep one, yes my 30 day livestock guarantee would apply.
4) The Harlequin Shrimp. I did a recent post on the guys further down this page. I just think they are amazing creatures (and don't cost a one hunredth of what the Sea Dragons run).
5) This is "Gomez the Goby" feom Jennifer's 70 gallon reef tank, from Glenbrook, NV. Unfortunately Gomez checked out this year after a good three year stay. My daughter Madison, Sierra Saltwater Systems, Inc. secretary, put the hat on the little guy to add a little holiday cheer.

My next post will be my year ending "The Posts That Didn't Happen" thread. Unfortunately I get a lot of posts started and never complete. My guess is that I may have close to a half a dozen started that I never completed.

PODCAST: MARS 11/08 - Jake Adams; Fluid Dynamics For The Reef Aquarium

2008-11-22T23:51:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity to hear Jake Adams (coralidea & fishidea) present his college studies on the importance of flow in the aquarium for the third time last night at the Marine Aquarist Roundtable of Sacramento's November meeting. The other times I heard this talk was at MAX (Marine Aquarium Expo) and Reef-a-palooza, both at the Orange County Fairgrounds, 2008. And not to be too judgmental about the other location, it sure was nice to hear Jake's presentation in an environment that was not so loud and distracting.
There was a lot of buzz going around the MARS website and their Reef Central hosted forum about Jake's upcoming presentation and over 70 of the 115 club members showed up to listen to his wisdom. He really laid it down and presented qualified proof that aquarium flow is vitally important to the growth and success of a reef aquarium.

To hear Jake's talk click HERE and use the link in the player bar in the upper right.

To download and save to your computer, click HERE and use the links on the left of the archive.org page to save the zip file.

Here is a link to an Advanced Aquarist Online Magazine article that shows many of the graphs that Jake speaks about in this presentation.

Jake will be speaking again tomorrow, November 23, 2008 at the Bay Area Marine Aquarium Conference (BAYMAC) in San Jose, organized by Gresham Hendee.

Harlequin Shrimp: A Nuisance Controller

2008-11-05T20:44:00.000-08:00

Without a doubt the Harlequin Shrimp is one of the most fascinating animals available to reef enthusiasts. The Harlequin is also called the "Painted Dancing Shrimp". But what comes with such beauty is the all so common high maintenance requirements. The Harlequin Shrimp is a full time preyer. And the only thing they will eat are starfish. I recently purchased a pair of Harlequins to maintain a recent out burst of Asterinas rubens stars in the Barton Memorial Hospital's Family Physician Office reef tank. The Asterinas are a common nuisance in reef aquariums.

The Harlequin Shrimp like aquariums that are moderately lit. Dining on echinoderms, primarily starfish, it may also pick at urchins. Will eat most Linckia species, the Harlequin shrimp tends to leave Fromia sp. alone unless it is very hungry and it`s the only type of starfish in the tank. Keeping several starfish in the tank will enable a careful Harlequin shrimp to tend to it`s `herd` and only eat the starfish bit by bit. This enables the starfish to go free and heal as the Harlequin selects a different seastar.

North Tahoe AYSO: U14 Girls "Double Trouble Bubble"

2008-10-29T20:43:00.000-07:00

Coaches Justin Jelnek and Will Dawson, both from Truckee, CA, (neither one having a daughter on the team) had another fantastic year working with North Lake Tahoe's U14 "Double Trouble Bubble" girls team.
Will and Justin will have a short break until the snow flies and then they're back to coaching local youths at Squaw Valley USA's Ski Team Programs. This was my daughter Madison's final year playing AYSO soccer and ended her last game with a goal off of a penalty kick.This was Sierra Saltwater Systems fifth year sponsoring an AYSO team and I have done it all from coaching, refereeing and being involved with helping the youth girls of my area progress as teammates and reach personal and team goals.
But...I am not giving up now that Madison is done with AYSO and I have let a few parents with younger children know that I am available to sponsor their future teams. There is nothing quite like spending a sunny fall day watching kids having a blast running up and down the field and I plan on cheering any kid that gives 100 percent for a few more years! To the right is Madison celebrating with her friend Shelby Foster, this is what AYSO is all about. Madison is located in the center of the front row in the team photo.

Happy Mac: Pomacanthus maculosus

2008-10-18T20:15:00.000-07:00

It wasn't the first time, nor will it be the last.
What to do when a fish has outgrown a clients display?
I have run into this issue a number of times and to be honest, although it is a sad day to remove a fish, it is also a great sign of success. Today I relocated (donated) a beautiful prized Pomacanthus maculosus or Yellow Banded Angelfish from Peggy and Carl's 245 gallon aquarium in Crystal Bay, NV to the John Ascuaga's Nugget Trader Dick's 5,000 gallon restaurant display in Sparks, NV. This expensive, gorgeous & hardy fish hails from the Red Sea and is very disease resistant, accepting greedily all types of fresh and prepared foods, and gets along behaviorally with almost all other species. The Angelfish was simply too large at over 10 inches to live out its life in Peggy and Carl's five foot aquarium. With the Nugget's aquarium being over forty feet long the fish will have plenty of area to swim and with their diligent engineering department and Jack Ross, aquarium manager looking after the fish, it will be in great hands. The Nugget's aquarium currently house over a hundred different fish including a Flagfin, Queen, Coral Beauty, Flame and Passer Angelfish, Yellow, Naso, Sailfin, Blue Hippo, Purple and Unicorn Tangs, Threadfin Butterfly and a variety of Clownfish, Damsels, Rabbitfish and Chromis.

Remember, you can click on any photo on my blog to see the image in its original size.

Jake Adams: Fishidea

2008-10-17T06:23:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to spend a few minutes with Jake Adams at Reef-a-palooza, Orange County Fairgrounds, October 11 & 12, 2008, creator of Coralidea, a downloadable free coral identification guide to use with your PDA, iPhone or other digital device. He has just released a wonderful new addition to Coralidea with Fishidea. Fishidea is great for the hobbyist that is walking into a fish store without a particular purchase in mind. The digital reference will allow a perspective purchaser to find the difficulty of care, what an animal prefers to feed upon, coral and invert safety and other great references before they make a purchase.

Please support the companies that support Jake and allows him to make these great reference guides; Reef Nutrition, Fins Reef, Prodibio and Ecotech Marine.

From Jake's website:
10.8.8 It was about this time last year that we released the ground-breaking Coralidea free guide to corals. After a really long year of development and content production we are now very pleased to present you the Fishidea free guide to reef fish. With over 500 species including many rare and unusual species, the digital file is just at 15 Megabytes.

Whereas the Coralidea guide originally only provided a coral identification, the Fishidea guide includes Latin and common names, average maximum size in inches and centimeters as well as symbols to represent hardiness, food preference and fish, invertebrate and coral compatibility. There is a simple and intuitive english symbol legend in each fish chapter and we have also included a german translation of the symbol legend which was kindly provided to us by Rainer Schindwolf.

Download Fishidea HERE.

Download Coralidea HERE.

Jake Adams will be speaking to the Marine Aquarist Roundtable of Sacramento on November 21st with his presentation on the importance of water movement in the reef aquarium. Directions to the MARS meeting can be found HERE.

Break Time: Golfing With De At Montreux

2008-10-03T16:58:00.000-07:00

I usually have a half a day off every other Tuesday that is spent ordering dry goods, researching, billing, cleaning my shop or picking up a livestock delivery at air cargo in Reno. But after over two years of an open invitation from my client, former Major League Baseball player, DeWayne, I decided to take the day off and join him and couple of other friends for a round of golf at Montreux Golf and Country Club in Reno, NV.

Montreux is a Jack Nicklaus Signature Design Golf Course, a private, 18-hole masterpiece that Nicklaus himself designated as one of his top five designs. The private, gated community contains some of the grandest real estate in the Reno area.

Although I have removed an aquarium from a residence in Montreux, I am not fortunate enough to have a client in this neighborhood. But then again, that might be a good thing because the time spent on the golf course was very enjoyable and if I was coming into the neighborhood more often, I would need to find a way to work on my game!. De did mention that he would like to purchase a home in Montreux. Hmmmm....

The photo on the left is on hole number 17, 464 yards, Par 4, Montreux's signature hole. A dramatic tee shot from an elevated tee about 100 feet above the fairway. You must drive it as far as possible to use a short club to approach the very narrow green. The fairway is wider than it looks and is protected on the left by Galena Creek.

THAT WAS FUN! (now back to work)

EDIT: 10/7/08 Okay... I have had a couple of emails and snide remarks about my footwear. I do not golf in sandals! (Although I have been known to wear open open toed shoes to the grocery store in the middle of winter, as long as it is not wet out!) My most intelligent daughter gave me this pair of FootJoy golf shoes (yes, with spikes!) about ten years ago as a Fathers Day gift. They are the best shoes for golfing!

Click HERE for a link to De's tank when it was under construction back in late 2005. The remodel of his home took a very long time and the aquarium was filled in March of 2008 and is coming along nicely. (I think it may be time for an updated post.)

Reef-A-Palooza October 11 & 12, 2008

2008-08-31T10:20:00.000-07:00

I just made my reservations to attend the premier aquarium tradeshow in California, Reef-A-Palooza 2008. Reef-A-Palooza is now in its fifth year. I attended the second annual Southern California Marine Aquarium Society (SCMAS) sponsored event back when it was held in the backyard of one of their members home in 2005. I was then on the board for the Western Marine Conference 2006 in Sacramento and was exploring and networking for our conference.

I look forward to seeing and reconnecting with some of the suppliers and coral growers that I haven't seen in some time; Reef Nutrition, Eco-Systems Aquariums, Jelli-quariums, Your Reef, Coral Farmer's Market, Reef Hobbyist Magazine, Frag Farmer, Marine Depot (Bayside Aquarium Supply) and Anthony Calfo.

I recommend anyone that is either new to the reef keeping hobby, a seasoned veteran or a business person who may even have the slightest inclination to attend Reef-A-Palooza to do so. Whether you are a Southern California resident and are able to make it to Long Beach for a single day or an out of town attendee, I guarantee that you will leave with a wealth of knowledge and new contacts. I plan on spending a few days prior to the event on Catalina Island enjoying the Avalon Underwater Park.

From the Reef-A-Palooza website:

About Reef-A-Palooza:

Reef-A-Palooza (RAP) is an annual event promoted by the Southern California Marine Aquarium Society (SCMAS). Now in its fifth year, RAP can best be described as an indoor marketplace where sellers, exhibitors, and hobbyists of all types can buy, sell, trade, showcase their products to the marine hobbyist community. The main purpose of Reef-A-Palooza is to provide an enjoyable, positive atmosphere that is conducive to education and trade of both product and knowledge. As such, participating vendors range from large manufacturers, to retailers, to small livestock sellers, and participating hobbyists range from the beginner to the elite, rare-species coral farmer. It is the perfect venue to showcase new products in the marine aquarium industry as well as retail products for sale. We strive to rally a diverse range of participants into the one-day event so as to present the best value and interest to everyone involved. Considering our current bookings and the popularity of previous years, we expect 70+ vendors/exhibitors and well over 2,500 attendees this year!

Reef-A-Palooza provides the perfect venue for marine aquarium hobbyists to meet fellow enthusiasts, exchange information, and trade, and learn about new products. One of our main goals at Reef-A-Palooza, and within SCMAS, is to educate and enlighten the public with the latest knowledge in marine animal husbandry skills and environmental responsibility. For instance, SCMAS fully encourages the rapid advancement and allure of coral propagation as a viable alternative to wild harvest collection practices. As such, many of our booth vendors are local hobbyists who grow their own corals specifically to sell and trade at Reef-A-Palooza and similar events. SCMAS thoroughly encourages this type of “green commerce” for both the betterment and future of our hobby, as well as the resulting benefit to the marine environment.

Southern California is one of the most prolific areas in the world for the marine hobby in terms of retail, supply, and demographics. The density of marine aquarium hobbyists living within the greater LA and Orange County area is simply phenomenal! As such, we fully leverage this advantage by properly directing resources to proactively promote Reef-A-Palooza far in advance of the actual event. Significant effort is made to advertise the event effectively, such as posting abundant signs, distributing postcards, and providing other similar displays to various retail locations. Booth rates are extremely reasonable and affordable.

Reef-A-Palooza is focused mainly to cater to the vendor and hobbyist, rather than as an educational conference. As such, we tend to attract customers who come specifically for the purpose of buying and seeing all the different exhibitor’s booths and displays. Nonetheless, speakers, raffle drawings, and other entertainment are provided to help keep people around for most of the day, even after seeing all the booths. In addition, our promotional and marketing efforts are nearly guaranteed to attract high participation and attendance rates, and hence, heavy foot-traffic throughout the building. RAP 2008 is going to be HUGE this year due to the popularity of its venue (Orange County Fair & Exposition Center, Building #14) as well as the number of sellers, vendors, and manufacturers involved. We now have 18,000 square feet of indoor, climate-controlled space in which to make this event a resounding success. Now into its fifth year, Reef-A-Palooza has quickly gained the reputation as an event that is NOT to be missed!

Dr. Sean's 375 Gallon Reef

2008-07-19T09:01:00.000-07:00

I recently started a very exciting new project for Dr. Sean in the Tahoe Keys subdivision of South Lake Tahoe. Dr. Sean lost his home a few years back from an electrical fire, but is rebuilding a "Tahoe One-of-a-Kind" Balinese style showcase. Sean's home is being built by Greenwood Homes of Incline Village, NV.The project is being supervised by Claude Clifton, known as Greenwoods "go to guy". Claude thrives on taking on new projects and solving difficult tasks. Installing this aquarium which is going to weigh over six thousand pounds when filled, in my opinion, is going to be challenging and I am thrilled to have Claude and his easy going manner ready to supervise the delivery. Claude's supervisor, Pat Walker is the line of communication for this project making sure that everything is going smoothly.

The aquarium will be a 3/4" Starphire peninsula tank built by Acrylic & Glass Exhibits out of Houston & Dallas, Texas. With a low iron content, Starphire glass offers a truly clear view with increased brightness, clarity, and light transmittance. AGE owner Tom Hudson has gone through numerous phone calls and emails to get this project built to exact specifications.The aquarium is being built in the wall with one side in the entryway and the other behind a palapa style bar.The dimensions will be 60"x30"x48"with three 400 watt metal halide, supplemented with VHO actinic bulbs.

The designer/engineer behind this project is Chris Wirth of Blue Planet Waterworks.Chris has some great plans for this show tank with every possible bell and whistle that is available to today's hobbyist. The most unique device that is going to be used on this aquarium is the GHL Profilux II Elite controller. This controller is specially designed for high end aquatic systems, and has many more monitoring and control points than competing controllers. It also gives the ability to dial into the system from any internet access point to check on the system, receive alarms, view historic trends, or make adjustments.This controller has standard features of lighting timers, temperature control, water topoff, salinity monitoring, CO2 dosing, LAN access, pH, ORP, Cloudy day simulation, and a plethora of programming possibilities. It also controls various wave pumps, New LED light fixtures, 1-10V dimmable fluorescent lighting, dimmable metal halide, and the optional Moon / Flash stick for moon phase changes and simulated storms.With the 48" height of Sean's aquarium, a high flow turnover rate will be extremely critical. Blue Planet Waterworks has designed the aquarium to exact specifications to accomplish the task with a large overflow box, two inch bulkheads and a four-way closed loop Oceans Motions return. Underneath the staircase in Sean's home will be the filtration room. Although it will be a tight working environment, it will certainly suffice to contain all the necessary equipment to produce a beautiful showpiece. The following equipment will be in this room; Heavy Duty ¾” x 2’ x 4’ Acrylic Sump, with refugium, T5 growth lights, de-aeration baffles, and level sensor mounts, Adjustable FRP baseplates for reservoirs, skimmer, and sump, Reeflo Marlin Return Pump, 58W Aqua Ultraviolet UV Sterilizer with wiper system, Reeflo Orca 250 Protein Skimmer,Phosphate Media Reactor, Carbon Media Reactor, Calcium Reactor, 75GPD RO/DI System, with TDS meter, test port, and pressure gauge, Automatic DI Topoff System with poly reservoir and anti TDS creep system, Plastic Rack Mount System for all filtration and reactors, 250 watt Heaters, x 3 with controller.

CLICK ON ANY PHOTO TO SEE LARGER>

2 X 16,000 Gallons = Scheels Sports, Sparks NV

2008-06-26T21:45:00.001-07:00

An exciting new project is happening in Sparks. NV with "The Largest All Sports Store In The World" at Scheels Sports. The aquariums are being built by ICM, an experienced design/build contractor with a proven record of excellence.

There will be two 16,000 gallon aquariums, one saltwater & one freshwater. These will be the largest aquariums in Northern Nevada.

Look for more posts about this exciting new addition to the Reno/Sparks area aquarium scene soon.

If you are an experienced aquarist and looking for a job, Scheels is looking for you.

Caulerpa Invasions

2008-05-10T09:48:00.000-07:00

Good algae, bad algae. As aquarists we sometimes battle nuisance algae in the aquarium. Diatoms, bryopsis, derbesia, valonia and cladophora's are all evasive algae. All of these algae can be difficult to control and can often be the make it or break cause for a new aquarist to continue with aquarium keeping.

But what about algae in our oceans? And worse yet, what about aquarists that have introduced aquarium algae to the ocean? It has happened and now there is a group dedicated to educating aquarists, divers, pet shop owners, boaters, anglers, harbor masters and port captains about protecting California's coastal marine life from the invasion of caulerpa seaweed.

Southern California Caulerpa Action Team, (sccat), is a committee designed to quickly and effectively respond to notifications of Caulerpa taxifolia in the Southern California area. They have efficiently eradicated two aquarium introduced invasions since 2000 in the Huntington Harbor and Agua Hedionda Lagoon south of Los Angeles.

California state law sites, it is illegal to possess, transport, transfer, release alive, import, or sell Caulerpa taxifolia, Caulerpa sertularioides, Caulerpa mexicana, Caulerpa ashmeadii, Caulerpa scalpelliformis, Caulerpa racemosa (and all varieties of C. racemosa), Caulerpa cupressoides, Caulerpa verticillata, Caulerpa floridana (California Fish and Game Code 2300).

If you are in California and have any of these Caulerpa's, please be sure to dispose of properly when removing them from your aquariums. When breaking down an aquarium with any Caulerpa in use, it is best to drain the water down a sink so it can be processed in a municipal water treatment plant. Bag and freeze Caulerpa for twenty-four hours to destroy.

Podcast: MARS 4/08; Steve Tyree - Reef Farmers

2008-04-27T08:53:00.000-07:00

Steve Tyree presented a talk to MARS (Marine Aquarist Roundtable of Sacramento) on Friday April 18th, 2008. Mr. Tyree is internationally known for his work relating to SPS species of corals and owns and operates Reeffarmers -a distribution site for captive farmed corals. Steve has been farming and distributing captive stony corals since 1993. Back then, the captive maintainance of reef building stony corals was still considered impossible by many. Today there are literally thousands of reef aquarist around the world that are not only maintaining these corals but they are successfully farming them. Over the years Steve has managed to acquire a large collection of rare and exotic corals.

Steve showed photos of some amazing coral pieces from the best collectors in the US. Including Eric Caamano of Frag Farmers, Greg Carroll and John Dakaan of Your Reef in Roseville, CA.

They all had some very unique and interesting names. Some of my favorites included Area 51, Pastel War and Peace, Blueberry Montipora, Strawberry Patch Montipora, Seasons Greetings Montipora, Red Hot Chili Pepper Digitata, Bazooka Joe Chalice, Bubble Gum Chalice and the Miami Hurricane Chalice.

Steve is bringing back the 2008 Bay Area Coral Farmers Market,Third Annual Event,
Sunday, May 11th, 2008, 10:30 AM to 4 PM, Hilton Newark/Fremont Hotel,39900 Balentine Dr., Newark, California 94560. From the Coral Farmers website: This 2008 Coral Farmers Market sanctioned event is the third annual event run by the Bay Area Coral Farmers Market company. Coral farming and exhibiting vendors will be selling or displaying their captive grown, cultured corals or reef related products to the public. We expect over 200 total attendees. Some of the best coral farming vendors from Southern California, the Bay Area, the states of Utah, Nevada and Arizona along with farmers from Sacramento will be setting up coral displays. Farmers include aquarists, retail reef shops, online coral shops and full scale coral farming enterprises. There will also be exhibitors present who will be demonstrating and selling their products. This SW-CFM event will also feature coral auctions, raffles and door prizes throughout the day. Reef aquarists new to the captive reef market can also expect to see a fine collection of easy to keep beginner corals. Aquarists and enthusiasts can attend this one-day event by purchasing a SouthWestern Coral Farmers Market day ticket online for ($15) up to one month prior to the event. Within 1 month of the event the online ticket price is ($25) per ticket. Tickets will also be sold at the door ($30) during the day of the event, but may be limited by occupancy restrictions. We are also encouraging our farmers to bring plently of farmed soft corals along with their usual excellent farmed stony corals.

Steve's presentation can be downloaded here. Use the links on the left of the page.

To listen, click the play button below.

Palytoxin

2008-04-19T08:08:00.000-07:00

I recently read an article, Aquarium Science: Palytoxin and You: How and Why to Avoid a Deadly Zoanthid Toxin, Tropical Fish Hobbyist, and have noticed quite a few hits to my website in search of information on this nuisance chemical found zoanthid corals, which are in most reef aquariums. Although the title of the article includes the wording "deadly", I have yet to hear of anyone dying from exposure to palytoxin.

I have a client in Zephyr Cove, NV that has many beautiful zoanthids. They have propagated quite a bit over the past three years and have taken over much of the rockwork. They look absolutely beautiful, but in turn, every two weeks after I service his aquarium I break out with a rash from the contact while cleaning his aquarium.

Palytoxin is the most toxic natural product known, it is estimated that the lethal dose for a human is less than five micrograms. Supplies are extremely limited as it is only found at low concentrations in the corals that do contain it, although this may change if a microbial source is found.

Although I have worn gloves, Coralife from Bayside Aquarium Supply (Marine Depot's wholesale division) while servicing aquariums, they are quite cumbersome and difficult to feel what I am touching while working. They are great to use when I receive a new case of live rock and I need to scrub off the decaying sponges and algae though.

The rash can be annoying for a couple of days after an outbreak, so I use a cortisone
cream. Okay, so I picked this product up one time when I was in Baja. But I know that it is 1%, the same as what one of my client's, a Doctor, gave me after my first exposure to the toxin.

I think that it is necessary to wear gloves in my line of work, but to be honest I haven't found the perfect pair. I have used these types of gloves,(photo off of an eBay ad) but they are a one time use and they only go up to my wrist.

It is really important to be careful while hands are in your aquarium. There are many occupants that can irritate your skin. Including sponges, gorgonians, hydroids and euphylias.

PODCAST: MAX (Marine Aquarium Expo) Bob Fenner 4/6/08 - 1:05:10

2008-04-13T21:56:00.000-07:00

This is the final Podcast recording from the Marine Aquarium Expo and it's a good one! Bob Fenner is an excellent speaker. The MAX talk he presented was on reducing negative captive cnidarian interactions. What the heck is that you say? Listen and you will learn in an entertaining way. His bio from the MAX page; Robert (Bob) Fenner is a content provider to the pet-fish (ornamental) aquatics hobby and trade, dive/travel adventure and underwater natural history genres; writing, photography and videography. Though retired since 1994, he continues to produce in this field as well as consult on aquaculture and public aquarium installations.

Bob has "lived" the science, hobby and business of aquatics in the Philippines, Japan and United States. All phases; collector, wholesale, jobber, retail, design, construction and maintenance. All levels; manager, owner, hatchery worker, retail clerk, technician. Except for a stint teaching high school sciences for four years, he has worked all his life in the field of ornamental aquatics.

Academic experience includes fifteen years of college, a couple of life science degrees and a teaching credential for chemistry, physics and biology. Published works include several studies on aquatic biological and chemical questions, and an extensive book and article publishing (helped author a few books, The Conscientious Marine Aquarist, Fishwatcher's Guide to the Tropical Marine Aquarium Fishes of the World, Natural Marine Aquariums Reef Invertebrates...) and photographic background in aquatic industry and hobby fields. Have taught High School sciences and Marine Sciences and Aquariology courses at the State University, University of California levels.

Bob has been an avid aquatic hobbyist since day one and is active in hobbyist and scientific organizations. He has served on numerous Boards, judged shows and given many programs.

Helped form and run (President) of the employee-owned corporation, Nature Etc., Inc. in San Diego, started in 1973; a turn-key operation in the field of ornamental aquatics, designing and building ponds, lakes, fountains and waterfalls (Aquatic Environments), designing, installing custom aquarium systems and maintenance (Aquatic Life Services), and operating retail outlets (Wet Pets).... currently does consulting, content provision to the trade, sciences and hobby of aquaristics.

To download his talk, click here and use the link on the left.

To listen, click the play button below.

Bob also runs Wet Web Media which contains a wealth of valuable information for the novice to the advance aquarist. Check it out!

PODCAST: MAX (Marine Aquarium Expo) Marc Levenson 4/6/08 - 1:33:37

2008-04-13T17:02:00.000-07:00

Marc Levenson, "Melev" on the web, gave an in depth talk on designing and building acrylic sumps. After his talk, I have a new found respect for the work that my acrylic fabricators do for me.

From the Marine Aquarium Expo speaker bio page; My real name is Marc Levenson, but online I'm known to many as melev. I've been in the hobby for about 10 years and my Percula clownfish (the first fish I bought) is still with me to this day. I run a website called www.melevsreef.com that is there to help hobbyists everywhere. My site started off as a single page many years ago, talking about my 29g, but then grew longer and longer. It was like a never-ending blog, until one day I started page 2 about a new project for my tank - a sump. Over time, the site grew to include additional topics of interest such as acrylic work, photography, solutions to pests, information about my tanks, lighting, feeding, and more. There is always something new being added as time permits. Now entire sections are themed so that you can stay in a particular line of thinking. I've even begun the task of translating some popular pages into other languages to reach more individuals globally.

I've been online for years, originally running a BBS called The Kingdom, run on an Atari STe back when high speed was a 2400 baud modem. That site was up for 7 years. More recently, I've been a part of a podcast for reefkeepers, www.reefcast.com which now has 25 different episodes available for download. Most of them are audio only in mp3 format but there are a few vidcasts mixed in for your viewing pleasure. We keep it casual, fun, and still cover a variety of topics to help you be successful reefkeepers.

I've been a fan of MACNA since 2002, been on the BOD for MASNA.org for over a year, then on the BOD for DFWMAS for at least 4 years. I've been the club president of DFWMAS for three of those years, working to keep the membership growing and provide interesting content both online and at our monthly meetings. I’ve also, written a few magazine articles, and was a contributing author to an e-book called Reefkeeping Basics. www.reefkeepingbasics.com

To download, click here.

Click below to listen.

PODCAST: MAX (Marine Aquarium Expo) Ike Eigenbrode 4/6/08 - 56:27

2008-04-13T15:52:00.000-07:00

Ike Eigenbrode did a fantastic talk on electrical usage in a reef aquarium. He really broke it down and I walked away with the need to figure out exactly how much it costs to run my shop.

From the MAX website; Ike Eigenbrode is currently the VP of Marketing at Current USA, Inc. of Vista, CA. A 17-year veteran in the aquarium industry, Ike has a B.S. degree in Biology from University of Central Florida and studied Aquaculture at the Florida Institute of Technology.

While in college, Ike worked at a tropical fish hatchery as a fish pathologist worked extensively on a large scale marine fish and invert holding system. He has taught classes on numerous subjects including aquaculture system design, aquaponics and water quality monitoring systems.

Ike is also an avid marine fish hobbyist and personally has a small scale coral fragging system.

Click here to download.

Click below to listen.

PODCAST: MAX (Marine Aquarium Expo) Mike Paletta 4/5/08 - 1:27:37

2008-04-10T09:01:00.000-07:00

Mikes topic: Factors Affecting the Coloration, Health & Growth of Captive Corals

From the MAX speakers Bio: Michael Paletta has been keeping marine tanks since 1980 and reef tanks since 1985. During the past 20 years he has written over 180 articles on marine fish and invertebrates in both the US and Europe. His first book “The Modern Marine Aquarium” is an attempt to simplify marine fish keeping for the beginning hobbyist while at the same time incorporating advances that have been made due to reef keeping. This book has sold over 140,000 copies. His second book “Ultimate Marine Aquariums” illustrates how far the hobby has come in the past 15 years. In this book are examples of just about every type of reef tank using different methodologies and technology. Michael has enjoyed speaking at over 120 marine societies and national conferences in North America, Canada, South America and Europe. Michael has appeared on both local and national radio shows to discuss the hobby and to help new hobbyists become successful. Currently Michael has 1,200 and 40- gallon reef tanks set up in his home. He has helped in the set up of over 200 tanks throughout the U.S, including several tanks over 4,000 gallons in capacity. Michael also acted as a consultant with the National Aquarium in Baltimore and the Pittsburgh Zoo Aquarium. Michael has B.S. from Dickinson College and a Master’s degree from Yale University. Michael has also been a technical consultant for several equipment manufacturers and online companies. Michael is currently employed in sales in the biotechnology field.

Link to download.

Click button to play.

PODCAST: MAX (Marine Aquarium Expo) Adam Blundell 4/5/08 - 27:07

2008-04-09T06:42:00.001-07:00

Adam Blundell, Reef Filtration.

(I only shot off two photos of Adam, unfortunately one with his eyes closed and this one with a young Nemo fan in the foreground.)

From the MAX page.

Adam Blundell M.S. works in Marine Ecology, and in Pathology for the University of Utah. He is also Director of The Aquatic & Terrestrial Research Team, a group which utilizes research projects to bring together hobbyists and scientists. His vision is to see this type of collaboration lead to further advancements in aquarium husbandry. While not in the lab he is a presidency member for one of the Nation's largest hobbyist clubs, the Wasatch Marine Aquarium Society www.utahreefs.com. Adam has earned a BS in Marine Biology and an MS in the Natural Resource and Health fields. Adam can be found at adamblundell@hotmail.com.

Here's the archive.org link

Or, click below to play.

PODCAST: MAX (Marine Aquarium Expo) Jake Adams 4/5/08 - 34:37

2008-04-09T06:12:00.000-07:00

This is the first of six recordings from the Marine Aquarium Expo, Orange County Fair, this past weekend. The speakers for this conference were set up outside, near the children's touch pool and the Orange County Airport is not too far from the venue. So there is a bit of background noise, but I consider the recordings information worthy enough to post. I have started posting the length of my recordings in the titles from here on out. Jake's talk was 34 minutes, 37 seconds.

This is Jake's bio taken from the MAX page. He spoke on the importance of flow in the aquarium.

Jake Adams is a professional, practicing aquarist who has been an active participant in the national marine aquarium community for over 10 years. He has been educating aquarists of a wide range of marine aquarium topics through frequent articles, podcasts and presentations around the country. He recently founded www.coralidea.com which provides a free downloadable guide to coral identification for mobile devices and home computers. Jake has a Bachelor's Degree in Marine Science and he will be returning to graduate school to further pursue research in the field of coral reef ecology.

Although aquarists may be developing a basic understanding on the properties of light, they are still very much in the dark when it comes to understanding water flow. This presentation will review some of the science on the interaction of water flow and corals. By applying the properties of moving fluids, it is possible to provide better and more relevant water flow for corals. By offering aquarists some background understanding of how water moves, I hope to encourage coral aquarists to re-evaluate water movement in their aquaria.

I have downloaded Jake's Coral I.D. information and consider it a useful source. I would recommend any hobbyist with an Ipod, PDA or cell phone to download it and bring it along to your local fish store when you go coral shopping.

To download, use this link and navigate on the left hand side of the archive.org page .

To play, click the play button below.

Podcast: MARS 3/08; Randy Reed - Reef Nutrition

2008-03-31T13:12:00.000-07:00

Marine Aquarist Roundtable of Sacramento was fortunate to have Randy Reed, owner and marine expert Gresham Hendee of Reef Nutrition speak to our club this month. Sierra Saltwater Systems has been using Randy's products for many years. I have tried other phytoplankton, but to be honest, Reef Nutrition's Phyto Feast and Phyto Feast Live are a superior product over any other phytoplankton that I have used. A simple eye dropper test under a microscope will prove it. Using Phyto Feast in a refugium with Chaetomorpha algae will not only feed the algae, but will also feed your Copepod population and their reproduction rate will multiple if used daily.

I use Reef Nutrition's Tigger Pods to seed a new aquarium and kick start a pod population. Tigger Pods are Tigriopus califoricus and they are live animals. They were originally collected from California tide pools which go through numerous water quality changes daily which make them perfect for the home aquarium. They are now reproduced at Reef Nutrition's farm.

Randy also introduced Reef Nutrition's newest product, "Fuzzy Phytes". Fuzzy Phytes are little balls of Red Acrochaetium algae that float in the water column. Tangs especially love them.

To download Randy's talk, use the download link on the left hand side of the Archive.org page. Click HERE to go to the Archive.org page.

To listen, click play below.

If you are not a client of mine, use the STORE LOCATOR to find a supplier near you.

Future 800 Gallon: Renown Medical Center

2008-03-08T20:23:00.000-08:00

Genesis Systems Inc., Graeagle CA, is currently fine tuning the design of Renown's Regional Medical Center's new 800 gallon display aquarium located in the lobby of the Tahoe Tower, 1155 Mill Street
Reno, NV. Renown, formerly Washoe Medical has undergone a major two and a half year reconstruction process.

Renown Health is a not-for-profit Nevada health network and a nationally recognized healthcare leader.

Renown Health is northern Nevada's largest healthcare network and includes four hospitals, eight Medical Groups, eight locations for X-Ray and Imaging, and much more.

Standing in the aquariums core is a photograph of the Genesis Systems built artificial and live reef owned by Tim & Tracy in the Arrow Creek sub-division, Reno, NV. I look forward to stocking and maintaining this aquarium soon.

Cerith Eggs

2008-02-29T16:58:00.000-08:00

These snails lay their eggs on rocks and glass in the same zig-zag pattern that they clean with. Most don't survive but you might get lucky and have one or two live. Otherwise, they'll make good food for fish and corals. The Cerith snail is a small scavenger with an elongated spiral shell that is usually black with tiny white dots covering the entire shell. One of the most ideal scavengers, detritus eaters, and algae eaters these snails are perfect for the reef aquarium, quickly devouring detritus, uneaten food, decaying organics, fish waste, and several types of nuisance algae. Cerith Snails will often bury themselves in the sand, which will help maintain adequate oxygen levels in the substrate.

Gomez the Goby; It's All In A Name

2008-02-10T21:32:00.000-08:00

There is a lot of love in my clients aquariums, so much so that many of the animals have their own very unique names. Some are understandable, yet at times when a client speaks of an animal by its given name, I am often confused.

Gomez, a Y Bar Shrimp Goby lives in Jennifer's 70 gallon reef tank in Glenbrook, NV.

Here is a list of some of my clients animals given names, common name and scientific names.

Gomez; Y Bar Shrimp Goby; Cryptocentrus fasciatus
Picaso; Painted Fairy Wrasse; Cirrhilabrus solarensis
Doc; Mimic Tang; Acanthurus pyroferus
Thermador; Purple Lobster; Enoplometopus daum
Scampi & Louie; Scarlet Skunk Shrimp; Lysmata amboinensis
#2; Black Sea Cucumber; Holothuria atra
Nemo; Um...Nemo? Clownfish; Amphiprion ocellaris
Blueman; Yellowtail Damsel; Chrysiptera parasema
Gumby; Blue Sea Star; Linckia laevigata
Legs; Banded Brittle Star; Ophiolepsis superba
Blue Suede; Emperor Angelfish; Pomacanthus imperator
Sponge Bob; Yellow Tang; Zebrasoma flavescens

Jennifer's 70 Gallon Reef (Click on the play button below to watch.)

Update: 2/11/08 I stopped by Creative Concepts in Truckee, CA today and discussed this thread with Lillian and she supplied me with a few additions to my list. To the left, is Regina a Green Bubble Coral. The Green Bubble Coral is a beautiful LPS coral that originates from the reefs of Fiji. It has a white-ridged hard skeleton that can be seen when the polyps are deflated. When inflated, the large fleshy polyps will cover the entire skeleton, and are neon green in color. Like many other LPS corals, they do have sweeper tentacles that can harm other corals within reach.

Regina; Green Bubble Coral; Plerogyra sinuosa
Tiny; Yellow Clown Goby; Gobiodon okinawae
Mailbox (from Blues Clues); Pin Cushion Urchin; Tripneustes gratilla
Celeste; Blue Sea Star; Linckia laevigata
Foreskin; Purple Tube Anemone; Ceriathus sp.

MARS Podcast: January 2008 - Kelly Jedlicki

2008-01-19T21:53:00.000-08:00

MARS (The Marine Aquarist Roundtable of Sacramento) was treated to a special presentation by Kelly Jedlicki (not my photo to the left) of Louisville, Kentucky last night on Fish Disease, Husbandry and Treatment.

I have decided to take on the role of providing the MARS members an audio podcast of each months speakers presentation, which I will also share with my customers or anyone that stumbles upon my website via a search engine. I am not taking on the Historian board position with the organization due to potential conflicts with my business, but rather just providing a service.

Kelly is a long-time aquarist and hobby contributor working in the medical profession with a very long of list of credentials. She brings her knowledge and empathy for all animals and life to the practice of aquariology. Areas of expertise include pathology, disease prevention and management, predatory marine fishes, elasmobranchs and seahorses. Her special love and study of pufferfishes earned her the moniker "puffer queen' by the highly respected reef photographer and writer Scott Michael. She applies her practical wisdom daily to an aquatic collection totaling around 3000 gallons of seawater. With seventeen years of industry experience, her accreditation includes elected board positions such as President and Vice president of the Louisville Marine Aquarium Society, which has successfully hosted three MACNAs, and Vice President of MASNA. Kelly has her own forum, “Disease, Health & Wellness, on forum.marinedepot.com. She has published articles on puffer husbandry, dentistry and cholelithiasis as well as shark husbandry. She has presented both nationally and internationally.

Double click on the PLAY button to hear her presentation.

If you would like to download the presentation the link is available here:

DOWNLOAD HERE

Use the links to the left on the archive.org site to download.

The 2007 Posts That Didn't Happen

2008-01-01T17:20:00.000-08:00

Here are a number of posts that I started, yet didn't complete last year. With my new high speed internet connection I am hoping to avoid getting new posts started and then not completing.

These posts are as far as I got in the text writing and design, so they are not complete. I just want to share them as they are.

If you have any questions about any particular images, shoot me a comment at the end of the post.

A Trip to ASAP and Pan Ocean
1/28/07
I recently spent a day whith Marshall Grattan, Pet Station, Truckee & South Lake Tahoe, at the only "real" two saltwater wholesalers in Northern California; Aquatic Specialties and Pets and Pan Ocean in Hayward.

Sales at ASAP up until earlier this month have been handled by Steve Robinson. Steve recently cut back his schedule to focus on getting his exporting business, Cortez Marine back in order in Baja, MX.

California Academy of Sciences
2/18/07
I spent a few hours last week at the California Academy of Sciences and the Steinhart Aquarium's temporary resting spot on Howard St (next door to Bucca di Beppo's) in San Francisco. The new aquarium will host the worlds largest reef aquarium filling up to 20,000 gallons. I have a few friends working/volunteering with the coral propagation operations to fill the new tank and all they can say is, "how awesome" it will be. Look for the aquarium to open in the fall of 2008. The Steinhart Aquarium is the oldest, continually operating aquarium in the United States.

Kelloggi tank raised Sea Horse.

Coral Propagation tanks. These tanks are growing the necessary corals to fill the new 20,000 gallon aquarium that is under construction.

Dive Hawaii
4/30/07

Ed Robinson's Diving Adventures, Ed Robinson has made a great business catering to travelers of Maui for over twenty three years and his mission statement of "Our reputation speaks for itself ... ask around." certainly holds true in my daughter Madison and my experience with his company. I contacted my good friend and divemaster of over twenty five years, Greg Harrs of Kona, HI, about dive operations on Maui and Robinson's operation was declared a must in his opinion. Greg is above with his son. Departing from the Kihei Launch at 6:30 AM, we dove Tako Flats at the Molokini Crater and as the crowds and the swell picked up the decsision to move inward to Wailea Point was made.

The Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles - Honu (pronounced hoe-new in Hawaii) All sea turtles in Hawaii are fully protected under state law in addition to the Federal Endangered Species Act. These laws prohibit harassing, harming, killing, or keeping sea turtles in captivity without a permit allowing these activities for research or educational purposes. Divers should be aware that riding turtles is illegal and puts these animals under stress. When returning from foreign countries, U.S. citizens may not enter the United States with any sea turtle products. Violators may receive penalties of up to one year in prison and a $20,000 fine.

Idaho Aquaculture
9/17/07

Idaho Aquaculture is now producing the best, most diverse and healthy stony and soft coral fragments in the aquarium industry. Idaho Aquaculture coral frags (fragments) are well encrusted to the base on which they are grown. Our corals are true hobbyist frags, designed to be grown-out in the home aquarium. They range in size from 1"-2" (small) or 2"- 4" (medium), and are mounted on 1/2" to 1" rock plugs. Idaho Aquaculture frags are truly aquacultured specimens, 6 or 7 generations removed from the original wild colonies. No tissue or skeleton of wild brood-stock corals remain.

Unlike wild caught corals, Idaho Aquaculture corals are all aquacultured. That is, they are raised under aquarium conditions with synthetic sea salt, and artificial lighting. Only a small percentage of sunlight is used to increase growth rates. Prior to distribution, all corals are fully acclimated to artificial lighting.

Avalon Dive Park & The 2007 Catalina Triathlon
11/10/07

Underwater Shots (In an Aquarium)
12/3/07

Reef Podcasts

2007-12-24T19:04:00.000-08:00

So I really don't want to admit it, but I feel like I have been out of the loop with the what's available on the internet lately. I do spend a lot of time checking out the "local" websites, Reef Central's MARS & Reef Monkey's Sierra Reefer's forums. They provide me with a wealth of information as to what is going on with the local scene, but these three websites provide some great listening info while driving between service jobs.

These Podcasts, listed in no particular order are available to subscrbe to and download on iTunes (as well as other avenues).

The three Podcasts include great interviews with some of the top authors & conference speakers, along with product, animal and supplement reviews.

Also included are video Podcasts of DIY's (design it yourself) projects, fragging demos, tank tours and video documentation of conference speakers. The three of these Podcasts are great learning tools and another avenue towards aquatic perfection.

Take a look at their websites, they include a wealth of information. And they are FUN!

reefvideos.com
talkingreef.com
120gallons.com

Happy Holidays!

2007-12-08T05:22:00.000-08:00

I spent a little time with my underwater camera to create this year's Holiday card for my clients and suppliers. The miniature "tree" ornaments came from minichristmas.com. The decorated coral is a Sierra Saltwater Systems propagated Montipora Digitata. I used Shutterfly to print the cards.

Montipora
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Montipora is a genus of coral in the phylum Cnidaria. Depending on the species and location, montipora may grow as plates or ridges, appearing to some as a bowl or flower. Undisturbed, the plates expand radially and may encrust over surrounding rocks, shells, or debris.

Biology
Like other corals, montipora corals are colonies of individuals, known as polyps, which are about 2 mm across and share tissue and a nerve net. The polyps can withdraw into the coral in response to movement or disturbance by possible predators, but slightly protrude when undisturbed. The polyps usually extend further at night to capture zooplankton from the water. These corals have zooxanthella, a symbiotic algae that lives in the corals' cells and produce energy for the animals through photosynthesis.

Habitat
Montipora genus corals are most common in shallow reef environments with bright sunlight and moderate wave motion. Small reef fishes, such as the hawkfish live near montipora colonies and perch on the ridges of the coral. Environmental destruction has led to a dwindling of populations of montipora, along with other coral species. Unlike Acropora corals, montiporas are more stress resistant, and not especially susceptible to coral bleaching when stressed.

In aquaria
Most montipora corals are brown, pink, or green but variants with bright colors or having a ridge color with a high contrast to the core color are more prized by aquarists. Captive propagation of montipora corals is widespread in the reefkeeping community. Able to endure varied conditions, montipora corals can be grown by enthusiasts without the use of metal halide lighting. In a well lit reef aquarium, finger-sized fragments can grow into basketball-sized colonies in 2 to 3 years.

Tim & Tracy's WYSISYG

2007-11-27T20:23:00.000-08:00

Here are a few shots of some corals I recently added to Tim & Tracy's 650 gallon mixed reef tank.

These were just quick snapshots for my client to get an idea of what I have in stock, "What You See Is What You Get". I sent Tim thirteen photos of various soft corals that I had in stock and he purchased all of them.

The Clavularia Clove Polyps are also commonly referred to as Eight Tentacle Polyps, or Encrusting Polyps. They are brown, tan, pink, green, or white in color and their polyps have the distinctive eight-leaved tentacles associated with all the members of this family. They are colonial animals with several individual polyps attached to a single piece of live rock and are often stung and damaged by other aggressive corals. Therefore, they need adequate space between themselves and other corals.

They are not difficult to maintain and require moderate lighting combined with moderate water movement. They require the addition of iodine and other trace elements to the water. They will grow rapidly in the established reef aquarium by encrusting over adjacent rock work or even other corals.

NOTE: This specie was being harassed by Tim & Tracy's Emperor Angel over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend and was removed today. While it is possible to keep many "impossible" species with the large Pomacanthus Angelfish, the Emperor most likely got a bit hungry and picked around a lot over the extended holiday when Tim & Tracy were on vacation. A well fed angel is a happy angel.

Sun Polyp Coral: Orange, Tubastrea, Tubastrea faulkneri, Commonly called Sun Coral or "Sun Polyp", this is not a "polyp", as in a type of "Zooanthid" or "Polyp Rock", rather, it is a hard coral. It is non photosynthetic and should be fed for successful long-term maintenance. Offer frozen brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, finely chopped shrimp, seafoods, etc. Has been known to thrive for years in public aquariums, but requires dedicated care. Requires good water movement and dim or indirect lighting. Preferably, place in shaded areas of the aquarium. Pieces run small, larger pieces are seldom available.

Note: This coral is thriving in Tim & Tracy's aquarium.

Xenia sp.; Pom Pom, Very popular among xenia species, it's very attractive . It does not grow as fast as some other xenias, but it has a nice white/pink color, another one of the premium strains of xenia. They grow best in medium to high lighting, and feed on phytoplankton (marine plankton) and reef supplements, such as iodine, iron, strontium and trace elements. Photosynthetic, no direct food required, but Phytoplankton does accelerate growth and color.

NOTE: These guys were pulsing big time today, looking great! Tim has been feeding a smorgasbord of my fresh/frozen food mixture and the Reed Mariculture Roti Feast, Phyto Feast and Artic Pods.

If you're a client checking out my page, please let me know if you would like to receive a WYSIWYG email of what I have in stock.

NACL WDR

2007-11-11T13:23:00.001-08:00

Anybody know what my plate means? When I first got my new van not too many people could come up with the chemical formula breakdown, NaCl, sodium chloride (salt) and the molecular compound H20 (water).

My plate frame is from Tropical Penguin Scuba in Reno where I maintain their three aquariums. Their showpiece fish is the football size porcupine pufferfish "Hootie". If you're a diver in the area, Kevin's store is the best in Northern Nevada and you probably already knew that. Or if you are just planning a vacation to Hawaii or the tropics, stop in and pick up some snorkeling gear. Do you really want to breath through a rental snorkel?

Visit their website at: tropicalpenguinscuba.com

I have taken a number of photos of "WYSIWYG" (what you see is what you get) corals for Tim & Tracy's aquarium this week and will try to post a few soon.

New Times

2007-10-26T07:43:00.000-07:00

It has been a good while since I have updated my blog. Due in part of my work schedule, but more importantly because of my "dial-up only availability" in my part of Lake Tahoe.

Well, things have changed! After living with dial up for over ten years, AT&T has arrived to my neighborhood! So...hopefully I will update more often, even if it is only a quick photo and a few words.

Here is a photo of my new 2007 Chevrolet Express van I purchased from Dave Smith Motors in Kellogg, Idaho. If anyone is thinking of buying an American made vehicle, I would recommend looking into this dealership. They saved me over $4000 compared to what the dealer in Reno was offering.

Tahoe Quarterly : Summer 2007

2007-06-29T16:11:00.000-07:00

The new issue of the Tahoe Quarterly hit the stores today and can be found in retail shops around the North Lake Tahoe, South Lake Tahoe, Truckee, Reno and Northern California area.

I ran into author Robert Frohlich at Spindleshanks restaurant, Tahoe Vista, last year, who I teamed up with years ago when I was the photographer at The Tahoe World newspaper in Tahoe City, and we caught with each others lives. When his editor at the Tahoe Quarterly suggested a piece about residential water features he recalled my unique business and wanted to interview me and learn more about saltwater aquariums.

Here is the portion of the article that pertains to me and Sierra Saltwater Systems.

This is a photo (by Vance Fox, courtesy of Genesis Systems) of Tim & Tracy's 650 gallon artificial/live reef tank in Arrowcreek, Reno, Nevada. The system was designed and installed by Genesis Systems. Currently the aquariun houses an Emperor Angel, Mimic Tang, Naso Tang, Powder Blue Tang, four Black & White Heniochus Butterfly fish, five tank raised Bangaii Cardinalfish, tank raised Fridmani Pseudochromis, White Stripe Maroon Clownfish, Sailfin Algae Blenny, Flame Angelfish, Orange Diamond Goby, twelve Green Chromis, Niger Triggerfish, a Solarensis Wrasse and that's just the fish!

I understand that these photos are much too small to read, but if you click on them, you can read the complete article in a full page.

540G Cardboard Creation

2007-05-28T22:13:00.000-07:00

It sure is nice when a customer can not only tell me what their vision of an aquarium in their home could be, but can show me. One of my current customers Kevin of Truckee recently purchased a new home in the Davis Lake area of Portola. To show me exactly what he was envisioning in his home he spent some time building this cardboard mock up. His new aquarium will contain 72L"x36W"x48T" of water volume, plus a ten inch overflow box, which will total 538 gallons.

Originally planned as an eight foot "island" aquarium, Kevin and his wife Linda opted for the six foot "peninsula" tank, which puts one side up against the wall and acts as a room divider. The filtration work will be completed by Chris Wirth of Blue Planet Waterworks of Vacaville, CA.

Circulation:
-System will have 2 main pumps.
-One pump will draw from the filtration sump and return through the rockwork in the tank at many angles to eliminate any dead spots in the live rock. With Chris' ingenuity and skills much of the flow will be returned to the aquarium through artificially made "live" rock.
-The second pump will draw from the tanks overflow box and return via an Oceansmotions 4Way valve and 4 Omni flex fully adjustable nozzles coming into the top of the tank. This will keep the tank thoroughly mixed, and avoid detritus settling on the bottom.

Filtration:
-Overflow weir screen will catch any large particles and keep any animals from getting into the pumps or filtration.
-Sump tank to accommodate filtration equipment and automation sensors
-Large protein skimmer with needle wheel air injection (extremely energy efficient), adjustable output, and automatic washdown system
-Refugium to hold live rock and macroalgae (Refugium lighting included) for nutrient scrubbing
-Deareation baffles and pump intake strainer to prevent microbubbles from being passed to the tank.
-Phosphate reactor for algae control
-Calcium reactor for trace element addition

All Blue Planet Waterworks equipment is built to last in the severe environments of a commercial setting. Plastic construction for corrosion proofing is used wherever possible without sacrificing strength. All electrical components utilize liquid-tight or drip proof connections if applicable. All piping shall be labeled and safely supported. All installations are performed with the aquarist and ease of service in mind. Chris builds all systems like he would build his own, and stands behind his work.

Pomacanthus imperator

2007-03-24T10:24:00.000-07:00

Tim & Tracy's Emperor Angelfish. In this magnificent fish there is an incredible color difference between the juvenile and adult specimens. Juveniles of this species have white concentric rings on a dark blue body. Adults have alternating blue and yellowish green lines on the body, a yellow tail a black eye mask and a black band around the pectoral fins. Transforming individuals (sometimes referred to as "teenagers", or "changing") are occasionally seen in the aquarium trade as well. Provide this species with plenty of unencumbered swimming rooms as well as several suitable places to take shelter when threatened. Do not keep juveniles together, or with any other juveniles of this genus that are similar in general color.

Purple Fungia

2007-03-18T11:57:00.000-07:00

One of the easier to maintain hard corals, Purple Fungia is one of the harder to find color forms. Fungia can thrive in a wide range of conditions. Acclimates best in low water flow and indirect lighting, they can adapt to a wide variety of conditions. Best placed on sand bottoms, rather than on rocks, as the tissue is easily damaged by rubbing against rocks. Fungia is nearly identical to the plate coral, but without tentacles.

Hippocampus kuda

2007-03-14T04:58:00.000-07:00

Hippocampus Kuda is huge by the standard of the most commonly seen seahorses. This incredible animal is tank bred and raised, and will reach a maximum size of approximately 12 inches tall when full grown. It is very important to provide a tank that is not only tall enough but also wide enough to provide enough space for the seahorse to move around comfortably. A minimum tank size of 55 gallons is recommended for the Kuda seahorses, for up to two. Seahorses are slow moving and peaceful animals that should only be kept with others of their own kind or with other peaceful animals. Tank mates such as Pipefish are ideal, but faster moving fish such as tangs and angels should be avoided. Some type of branchy decoration should be provided in the tank for the seahorse to latch on to with its tail so that it can be comfortable. These tank raised Kuda seahorses are used to feeding on frozen Mysis shrimp as well as some brine shrimp. Brine shrimp should be considered a treat, whereas the Mysis shrimp should be considered the daily food.

Book of Coral Propagation, Vol II

2007-03-03T20:23:00.000-08:00

The bible has images! Anthony Calfo's much referred to Book of Coral Propagation is in the process of being re-published and is now available for pre-order through his website www.readingtrees.com .

Anthony is not shy about sharing his knowledge through his experience in the propagation business, which is invaluable. His writing style is easy to read and enjoyable.

I recommend this book to any of my clients who are not afraid to get their hands wet, use a dremel tool or Xacto knife, a little super glue or fishing line and passing on a bit of their reef.

I recently pre-ordered the book through his website (he makes a bit more money if ordered through his website, rather than Amazon or the larger online aquarium suppliers) and he sent me this nice reply.

"Cheers Robert,

Thank you for your book pre-order and your continued support, my friend. I remember back in 2001 that you were one of the first folks to pre-order the first edition of this book!

I look forward to sharing this new edition with you very soon :)

As always, I pray that you enjoy the read and find great merit in the work.

With kind regards,

Anthony Calfo"

Happy Holidays & 2006 Wrap-Up

2006-12-19T23:14:00.000-08:00

As is seen with the lack of blog updates, work has increased the past couple of months due to the addition of 13 new clients in the year 2006. I look forward to a great 2007 maintaining and improving all of my clients aquariums. Thank you all!

edit, 12/31/06: Added an additional client, Jerry, Susanne and Family of Incline Village, NV, right before Christmas. I will be creating a 180 gallon reef aquarium in their living room with a LifeReef protein skimmer, sump, refugium, a My Reef Creations calcium reactor, IceCap 3 X 250 watt metal halide lighting with Ushio 10K bulbs, Fishbowl Innovations Moonlights.

Favites: Moon Coral (WYSIWYG)

2006-08-13T20:55:00.000-07:00

I have yet to do a "what you see, is what you get" type of livestock availability list on my blog, but some day I may. I was speaking to a client last week about an available space in her aquarium and she was thinking about a trachyphylliidae, open brain coral. I happened to have a very healthy moon coral, commonly called a closed brain coral, in stock for the past couple of weeks and with an email and a copy of these of photos, the piece was sold.

Moon corals, of the favite family, are some of the most common corals in the world. They are typically massive, domed or rounded shaped. Favites are often hardy corals and very well suited for captive care in a reef aquarium, tolerating a wide variety of lighting and flow conditions. Feeding tentacles emerge at night, the flesh typically remains expanded during the day, as in the photo above.

This coral is about 4 inches in diameter and 2 inches in height.

C...the Journal of Aquatic Science, Travel and Adventure

2006-08-10T22:44:00.000-07:00

For a man who spends endless hours at his computer conversing with literally thousands of hobbyists it's impressive he's able to find time to write and manage a new quarterly publication, C...the Journal of Aquatic Science, Travel and Adventure. Anthony's expertise can be found at Team Marine Depot's "Marine Systems and Husbandry" forum, Reef Frontiers "Reef Corals with Anthony Calfo" and his home pages at Wet Web Media and Anthony Calfo's Reading Trees.

Here's a quote from Anthony on the Marine Depot forum: "It's been a busy year as usual, but a blessing to have good work! I am very proud to announce the release of my latest project: C . . . the Journal of Aquatic Science Travel and Adventure. The image work is stunning and aimed to impress as well as educate... the construction quality of the magazine itself is of the highest - it's the same or better cover stock and body pages than your favorite perfect bound books! This journal is printed on 100# gloss laminated stock with thick 80# pages to hold all the ink from those beautiful pictures!"

If you are unfamiliar with the work of Anthony Calfo, the Book of Coral Propagation; Volume 1 (Volume 2 is in production) and Reef Invertebrates: Selection, Care and compatibility are available at his Reading Trees website.

Anthony has always been a huge supporter of local reef clubs including the Marine Aquarist Roundtable of Sacramento and the Western Marine Conference. This weekend he will be at the Southern California Marine Aquarium Society's "Reef-a-palooza" speaking on Black-Body Radiation, Lighting Technologies and their Spectrums. For a gentleman from Pennsylvania, he travels the world sharing his knowledge monthly.

If you are a fellow admirer of the sea, this journal is for you. If you are a client of mine, you may just start seeing this publication in your hands soon.

Catalina Diving & Snorkeling

2006-07-27T21:25:00.000-07:00

Two Harbors Campground An hour ferry ride from San Pedro to Two Harbors on Catalina Island brought my family to California paradise. Madison was on the island to attend a week long marine biology camp with Mountain and Sea. Jennifer and I spent three nights camping and two nights in Avalon. There are two main developed areas of Catalina Island, Avalon and Two Harbors. Avalon consists of two Safeways, dozens of hotels and restaurants, $40 dollar an hour electric golf cart rentals, Cold Stone Creamery and glass bottom boat rides. Two Harbors has a campground, a restaurant, bar and snack bar, dive shop/recreation rental business and twenty-five cent showers. The campground sits on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean at Catalina's Isthmus, just outside of the village of Two Harbors. The campground features 42 individual sites.

We were fortunate to have a fantastic campsite (#25) over looking the Pacific, looking back towards Los Angeles. Firewood was delivered daily to our site by the wonderful rangers at the campground. (Camping here would be very difficult without their tremendous help delivering necessities and all of our gear to and from the ferry.)

Snorkeling Two Harbors Unfortunately there are no dive operations in Two Harbors Monday-Wednesday, so we spent a lot of time snorkeling the area. Still a ton of sealife to see. A short kayak from Two Harbors brought us to the USC Marine Preserve at Big Fisherman's Point. The preserve had the most sea life to see of all the locations visited on the island. I think the animals knew that they were not going to be threatened. In addition to all the Garibaldi, Opaleye's and Kelp Bass, we were fortunate to see Thornback Rays, Shovelnose Guitarfish and Leopard Sharks. The only bad thing about the area was the difficult kayak into the head winds back to Two Harbors. Other great snorkel spots in the Two Harbors area include the Isthmus Cove, 4th of July Cove and Little Fisherman's Cove.

Octopus The octopus is the most intelligent of all the invertebrates. It is said that the octopus has the intelligence of a house cat, but I wouldn't want to insult the octopus. Similar to a rodent, it has the ability to travel through very small spaces and with keeping one in an aquarium, it must be totally sealed or the animal will escape. I transferred this photo to black and white simply because the octopus has the ability to camouflage to its surroundings, I thought the images contrast looked nicer in B&W. Octopus are fascinating creatures with which to interact underwater. Although close, intimate observation is an experience not to be missed, these are delicate creatures that can be easily damaged even to the point of death if grabbed. Although shy, they are quite curious, almost bold if they do not feel threatened and human interaction is not difficult if approached slowly. If threatened the octopus will ink the water in hope to dash away when its predator is lost in the cloud.

Adult Garibaldi The Garibaldi or Garibaldi damselfish (Hypsypops rubicundus) is a fish of the damselfish family that is native to the northern subtropical parts of the Pacific Ocean, ranging from Monterey Bay to Guadalupe Island, Baja California.Garibaldis are renowned for their brilliant orange color and grow up to 14 inches in length. They live at depths of up to 100 feet, usually in association with reefs and typically over rocky sea-bottoms. They feed mainly on invertebrates that they remove from the rocks. Adult Garibaldi maintain a home territory. The Garibaldi is the official "marine fish" of the state of California and has a protected status in California coastal waters. Juveniles bear electric blue spots to keep the highly territorial adults from constantly harassing them.

Opaleye's Opaleye primarily eat marine algae including feather boa kelp, giant kelp, sea lettuce, coralline algae, but also small tube dwelling worms, and red crabs. They form dense schools in shallower water where spawning takes place. The juveniles form schools of up to two dozen individuals.

Catalina Divers Supply Catalina Divers Supply is the oldest operating dive shop in the city of Avalon, opening in 1957. They offer boat diving from the Avalon Pier and shore dives from Avalon Underwater Park at Casino Point. I did two boat dives with Catalina Divers Supply. The Rock Quarry provided views of Giant Bat Rays, Garibaldi's, Catalina Goby's, Gorgonians, Eels, various Starfish, Sea Cucumbers, Treefish, Rockfish and Spiny Urchin. The second dive was at Alligator Rock/Italian Gardens. The highlight of this dive was the Giant Sea Bass. Giant Sea Bass were once a relatively common inhabitant of Southern California waters. Beginning in the late 1800's, the species supported both a commercial fishery taking hundreds of thousands of pounds annually, and a sport fishery that also landed hundreds of fish each year. Ron, Catalina Diver Supply's divemaster, called exactly where two of these bass were located from the boat. The two bass, well over six feet long and over 400 pounds, were gentle and calm to the divers observations. Also seen at this location in addition to the previous dive were Sea Hare's, Tube Anemones and Kelp Clingfish.

Warhol Bass So.....when my camera decides to go into an unknown mode underwater, this is what I get. This shot came from Lover's Cove near Avalon. Living in protected waters, these Kelp Bass were very comfortable with human interaction, (looking for a handout). Fish in Lovers Cove are quite spoiled. Many people snorkel with packaged food to feed the fish which I find appalling. These fish would actually bite at me. Not sure if they were angry at me for not providing them food or if they were looking to be first in line if I had something available for them.

No Television Needed: Debbie's Mermaid 100G

2006-07-24T21:59:00.000-07:00

I recently set up Debbie's new 100 gallon aquarium that she won at the Western Marine Conference in April. The aquarium was donated by Mermaid Aquarium of Fremont California. The eight bulb 36" T5 flourescent lighting illuminates the aquarium beautifully. Night time viewing is provided by the two bulb moonlight system from Fishbowl Innovations. The Moon Controller is a microcontroller based digital dimmer and moon cycle timer. It automatically varies the intensity of the connected moonlights over a 29.5 day period (the lunar month) to mimic the natural progression of the moon.

The showpiece of Debbie's aquarium, in my opinion, is the beautiful Montipora Capricornis. The Monti Cap was originated from Tim Plaza, Marine Aquarist Roundtable of Sacramento and has grown from a quarter sized frag. The colony is now over a foot and a half large.

This aquacultured coral is peaceful and can be placed in close proximity to other similar peaceful corals in the reef aquarium. Aquacultured Montiporas are one of the easier to maintain SPS corals and grow rapidly in the established reef aquarium. It requires medium lighting combined with a medium water movement within the aquarium. For continued good health, also requires the addition of calcium, strontium, and other trace elements to the water.

Spaghetti Worms

2006-07-20T21:11:00.000-07:00

The Spaghetti worm is a tube dwelling worm that is usually found burrowed in the sandbed with its numerous tentacles exposed to gather edible organic matter. These worms are very complex animals, and have a body that may be divided into three regions, a head, thorax, and abdomen. The head is for feeding and respiration, the thorax for moving, and the abdomen for the digestion. Although these animals can be found eating large carcasses of a fish or invert, they inevitably came across the dead animal and in no way could it kill a larger animal on their own.

Clowning Around

2006-07-05T21:36:00.000-07:00

The Yellow Clown Goby, Gobiodon sp. have a difficult time adjusting to captive care, since it is all too often that these fish arrive at our local fish stores emaciated, similarly to the Mandarin Goby. This is most likely due to the stressful transit period, which results in the fish not eating. Being a smaller fish, and having what appears to be a fairly quick metabolism, not many of these fish make it to the hobbyist tank without having been starved to some degree or another. To compound this problem, they regularly require live foods and special attention until accustomed to aquarium life. Frozen/thawed foods can be offered first or the Arcti-Pods from Reef Nutrition, but if they are not accepted, be prepared to offer live food. Although fish of the genus Gobiodon are coral dwellers, usually utilizing the genus Acropora, it is not absolutely necessary that Acropora be present in their tank. In the home aquarium Gobiodon sp. will often co-exist with other stony corals, or even soft corals, lacking more preferable options. In aquariums without sufficient coral growth, it is likely that the Gobiodon sp. will either hide within rockwork, or seek out any other hiding places it can find. Given this type of environment, it will not be comfortable, and most likely will not adapt well to captivity. Due to their obligate coral dwelling nature, they can easily be kept in small or nano reef aquariums.

Bay Area Coral Farmers Market

2006-06-28T23:06:00.000-07:00

Steve Tyree, Reef Farmers, brought a very successful Southern California event to Northern California last weekend, the Bay Area Coral Farmers Market. These events feature the retail distribution of farmed and cultured corals. Steve is already eying adding a third event to the rotation in 2007. Aquacultured corals are hardier than wild caught specimens because they have already adapted to tank life. Captive reproduction is the only means of sustaining this hobby. On every level from the wholesaler and collector to the local fish store (LFS) owner, to the service industry, to the hobbyist, captive propagated corals must be demanded.

Limited Edition Green Polyped Sunset Coral I purchased this limited edition frag from Steve Tyree and reeffarmers.com mainly due to its striking beauty, but also because of the uncertainty of its specie. Polyps are twice the size of average Montipora, they extend regularly during the day. When heavily stressed the corals living tissue will retract inside the skeleton and it can appear almost completely dead. This coral however will recover from heavy stress quickly and can even encrust quickly. It should eventually become a brilliantly colored staple of stony reefs. Polyp size leads one to suspect the coral to be either a Poritidae, Faviidae or one of the larger polyp sized Montiporas. This coral was originally found by Tong's Tropical Fish of Fountain Valley California. Hugo Zuniga (SNIPERSPS) spotted the coral at the reef shop and convinced Steve Tyree of Reeffarmers and Frank Burr of Tropical Reef Oasis into a trip to Tong's Tropical Fish. The three negotiated a purchase of a small section of this coral from Tong's. The coral was then cut into three even sections. Reeffarmers acquired one of the sections and is now distributing fragments on a limited edition basis. Reef Farmers price is currently $120 per small sized fragment. The monthly limited edition reservation schedule is booked until September 2008. I hope to be able to start fragging this piece by mid 2007 after allowing it to grow to a multiple fragable piece.

Green Birdsnest The Green Birdsnest coral is a beautiful species, originating from O.R.A and now from Ron Johncola of Reef Tec Designs and grows very thin intertwining branches. It's green coloration will grow darker in the aquarium with age. This is a relatively fast growing species, and because of its delicate branches, care should be taken in the placement of the coral in order to protect it from physical damage. The Green Birdsnest coral requires moderate lighting ranging from power compacts, VHO, T-5's up to the more intense metal halides. For continued good health, it will also require the addition of calcium, strontium, and other trace elements to the water. While it does not require additional food to maintain its health in the reef aquarium, it will feed on micro-plankton and foods designed for filter feeding invertebrates.

Sponsors/Vendors Golden Sponsors; Mermaid Aquarium, Reef Nutrition Vendors: reeffarmers.com, atlantisaquarium.net, fragfarmer.com, reefready.net, acoralsource.com, awexotics.com, reeftecdesigns.com, jendub.com, yourreef.com, diamondsinthereef.com, newalameda.com, elousa.com.

Casino Conversion

2006-06-14T21:04:00.000-07:00

Skyler Allingham of Genesis Systems International cleans a section of the artificial reef at John Ascuaga's Nugget, Sparks Nevada, Trader Dicks 6,000 gallon aquarium in preparation to hand paint coralline algae on the rockwork. I recommended GSI to Dennis Hegemann, Chief Engineer, to create the structures that wrap Interstate 80's three freeway supports that run straight through the center of the aquarium. The aquarium is undergoing a complete overhaul with glass replacement, the new artificial reef and filtration. Look for the aquarium to be filled and stocked in late July.

Deep Sand Beds and Refugiums

2006-05-17T20:54:00.000-07:00

Hiro Sushi's Six Inch Sand Bed. There has been a lot of discussions lately on the bulletin boards I frequent about whether aquarium's should be set up with a deep sand bed, shallow bed or bare bottom. I have always been a huge advocate of using as deep a sand bed as aesthetically possible, using Carib Sea AragaMax sugar sized sand. In addition to a deep sand bed, I also use a refugium, live rock, high flow in the water column, a protein skimmer and calcium reactor in reef tanks. This equipment and the proper stocking of animals make a fool proof system.

Java Sushi's Five Inch Sand Bed. Installation of a deep sand bed is one of the least expensive type of filtration, and requires minimal maintenance when paired with the proper animals to do the work. The Pacific Black Sea Cucumber is an excellent sand sifting animal that does not destroy a sand bed of life. In addition, the Orange Diamond Goby, large Nassarius Sand Snails and burrowing bristle and spaghetti worms help remove sediment. They are actively consuming diatoms and promotes oxygen penetration that allows them to live in the bed.

LifeReef Refugium. A deep sand bed occupies a large amount of viewing space in an aquarium. I prefer to use a minimum of a three inch sand bed in an aquarium and then a 6-8 inch sand bed in an auxiliary refugium. This LifeReef 40 gallon refugium with chaetomorpha algae has an 8 inch sand bed that keeps nitrates undetectable in a 180 gallon heavily stocked reef tank. I also employ the use of Leng Sy's EcoSystem Refugiums in some of the smaller systems I maintain.

My Commute

2006-05-03T22:35:00.000-07:00

I feel pretty lucky. Some days I laugh out loud when I think of city commuters. Many of my clients are 30-40 minutes away from my shop in Carnelian Bay and I am quite fortunate to see a lot of beautiful scenery along the way. Whether it's a sunset view from the east shore of Lake Tahoe, a blinding snow storm going over Mt. Rose Highway to Reno or the American Bald Eagle I recently saw hovering over the old rail-yard in Truckee, I always have a camera with me to capture the moment. The photo above is of Eagle Falls at Emerald Bay. I recently finished setting up three new aquariums in offices in South Lake Tahoe and Highway 89 just reopened after being closed most of the winter. With this year's snowpack, the falls are flowing at the highest rate I've ever seen. Today's gas prices are getting out of hand ($3.45 in Kings Beach today for regular unleaded), but with views like these, driving is priceless.

WMC Wrap Up

2006-04-24T05:24:00.000-07:00

Speaker Anthony Calfo gave a good review of the WMC in this Reef Central post: "Kudos to the committee and the attendees that made this conference truly a success! As one that has attended and helped to plan my share of such, I can honestly say it was a very fine job for your first (re-annual ) big event. It was a yeoman's chore that the committee pulled to coordinate a 3-day event with so many participants... and it appeared to run so very smoothly.

I am certain if/when you hold WMC again you will be rewarded with even greater success.

The other regional clubs/folks especially that missed this event truly missed a good time and really should not miss the next time around. It is so important that we show support for each other (sister societies) in the pursuit of our information gathering/sharing. The late night chat sessions with wise and wiley folks like that inimitable Bob Fenner are just icing on the cake."

Jelliquarium Jim Stime of Thousand Oaks, CA has found a creative niche in today's aquarium-keeping hobby with the introduction of his Jellyfish aquariums.The "midwater zone", the area of the ocean that no longer uses daylight to photosynthesize, contains the majority of the ocean's life and is where some of the most interesting animal life can be found. Jellyfish, which mainly live in this zone, are made up of 99% water and are found all over the world, in every ocean and even in freshwater. Jellyfish collection is a difficult task and permits are limited. Jelliquarium not only sells the systems that are required to keep these animals alive, but also provide the tank raised animal. The Jelliquarium, also known as a plankton Kreisel, is uniquely designed. Water flow is introduced by a method called laminar flow. This creates a gentle flow that keeps the jellyfish in suspension. This flat stream of water acts as a boundary against the edges of the tank and creates a water flow that helps to separate debris in a manner as to not draw the jellies into the filter system and to maintain the gelatinous organisms in suspension.

FragFarmer.com and YourReef.com Eric Caamano, left, of Frag Farmer dot com, (909)931-7977, made the trip from Southern California to take a break from the day to day business and relax with friends and colleagues. After years of working out of his home, John Daakan, right, of Roseville, recently opened Your Reef, (916)786-3474, his retail store to supplement his on line sales. These gentlemen undoubtedly sell some of the best corals in the United States and also donated a good number to the WMC raffle.

Max of Mermaid Aquarium from Fremont set up a very cool seamless aquarium full of Tonga SPS colonies, clams and LPS corals. Mermaid also donated the grand prize to the WMC raffle, a $3000 retail value 100 gallon aquarium with a cherry stand and canopy. My client Debbie from Truckee was the fortunate winner!

Reef Nutrition The talk around Randy, left, and Gresham's booth was all about their new product, so new it doesn't have a name and it has not yet been packaged. The product is super cool little red algae puffs for tang feeding. Whether they label it Tangy Treats, Tang Feast, or Tribbles, it is a hot product that will keep your herbivores fat and happy.

A copy of Sierra Saltwater System's ad created by Shelley Fallon, Fallon Multi Media, Kings Beach, (530)546-9393, that ran the in conference program.

Additional vendors attending the conference were CPR, Sunlight Supply, Coral Reef EcoSystems, Piscine Energetics, Reef Frontiers, Coral Magazine, Fishbowl Innovations, Tropical Reef Oasis, Walt Smith, Liquid Life, Reefs.org, Pacific Garden Supply, Catalina Aquarium, ROWA USA, SeaChem Labs, CaribSea, and DT's Plankton Farms.

Donators included, Clams Direct, Dainichi, Innovative Lighting Solutions, Island Marine Tropicals, Ocean Nutrition and TruVu.

WMC 2006 (Not My Photo)

2006-04-01T05:37:00.000-08:00

With just three weeks to go until the Western Marine Conference, I am really looking forward to the weekend of April 21-23.

The WMC has been on hiatus for the last five years. I and nine other members of the Marine Aquarist Roundtable of Sacramento have been working extremely hard for the past year and a half organizing what will undoubtly be the best marine aquatic conference this side of the Mississippi. With weekly meetings we have gathered some of the best speakers in the industry from Hawaii to Pennsylvania: Eric Borneman, Anthony Calfo, David Cripe, Bob Fenner, Sanjay Joshi, Scott Michaels, Mike Paletta, Adelaide Rhodes, Steve Robinson, Walt Smith, Leng Sy, and Rob Toonen.

The marine vendor marketplace boasts over two dozen exhibitors who will be displaying their goods. Some vendors plan to premiere new products at the show.

The giant raffle features a 130 gallon aquarium with stand and canopy, plus smaller aquariums, over 50 coral colonies, a ton of frags, a variety of light fixtures, skimmers, pumps, and lots of dry goods. Everyone who buys raffle tickets should be going home with something!

If you are serious about your aquarium, the $130 investment will be the best you ever made. A few of my clients plan to attend.

The last day to register online is April 15. Walk up registration is available.

Home Style : Reefkeeping

2006-03-24T06:20:00.000-08:00

The Spring quarter issue of Home Style magazine, which is circulated as an insert in six Lake Tahoe, Truckee and Carson City newspapers, features an article by Mike Paletta on reefkeeping. Paletta is a speaker at the Western Marine Conference, being held in Sacramento, Calif. on April 21 through 23. If the accompanying photo looks familiar, it was first shown here in October 2005 and was taken in The Home Show Design Center's reef tank and was used on my Christmas card.

Getting started in keeping marine fish and invertebrates can be a very daunting task, especially if you are discoursed from doing so by misinformation. Many shops and individuals initially tell new hobbyists that keeping a successful marine tank, especially one containing corals and other invertebrates as well as fish, is impossible and they should not even try. This may have been the case twenty years ago, but fortunately, in the past decade or so, keeping marine invertebrates and fish successfully over the long term has become much easier. In addition, as long as a few things are done before getting started in the hobby, the chances for success are greatly increased as well.The first step is to read as much as possible. There are now several good introductory books on the market including The New Marine Aquarium and The Conscientious Aquarist that lay out everything a new hobbyist needs to do and plan for in order to achieve success.These books provide an excellent framework from which to start.The rules and general design laid out in these books should be followed by anyone getting started in the hobby. One of the ways by which new hobbyists get into trouble is by listening to too many sources of information and then try to incorporate all of these different opinions into their system. It is much better to follow a relatively simple plan to start and then, as success comes, add to it.

In this regard it is also a good idea to try and find a mentor to help you along the way.This can be someone whose tank you have seen, someone you have met on the internet, or even someone whose work you have read. Most advanced hobbyists are willing to help new hobbyists as long as the new hobbyist shows a willingness to learn and put the time into being successful. In terms of time, this is one of the other crucial aspects of reefkeeping that needs to be fully understood if success is to be achieved. First, the initial set up, curing and establishment of the tank is going to take time. So plan on spending a fair amount of time getting your tank established. Fortunately once a tank is set up successfully it really does not take that much time to maintain it.The other aspect of time that needs to be taken into account is that patience is absolutely essential in order to be successful.A number of years ago I made the statement that nothing good ever happens fast in a reef tank, only bad things happen fast. By this I mean that a tank will not be fully established with fullgrown corals, a complete fish population and perfectly working equipment overnight. It will take at least a year for a tank to really be fully established.Even then, a tank will still be in its infancy. The basic principles behind the establishment of a successful reef tank are actually quite simple: good water quality, proper lighting, strong water motion, and proper stocking.There are myriad ways to achieve these conditions, with no single way being perfect. For this reason there are many ways to set up a tank and be successful.The crucial thing is to find a methodology that is successful and follow it.Also, most successful hobbyists are meticulous in terms of knowing the details of their tank and in following up quickly when things start to go even a little wrong. Patience and attention to detail are what separate very successful hobbyists from those that have constant problems so keep this in mind. Cost is also not necessarily the determining factor for success or failure. Setting up a reef tank is relatively expensive. However when done properly, over the long term the cost is manageable as it should not be necessary to have to replace fish, coral or live rock in that in a stable successful system these inhabitants can live happily for decades. Right now reef tanks are the fastest growing segment of fishkeeping so this in itself should be evidence that things are getting easier and people are more successful in this hobby than ever.

Mike Paletta is the author of The New Marine Aquarium and Ultimate Marine Aquariums. He has been in the hobby for over 15 years and has written numerous articles for Aquarium Fish Magazine, Tropical Fish Hobbyist and Aquarium Frontiers.

Sierra Saltwater Systems is dedicated to providing the highest quality aquariums and services available. Locally owned and operated by professional aquarist Robert Ordway, Sierra Saltwater Systems works with designers, contractors and you to create beautiful marine environments for residential and commercial applications. An aquarium store on wheels, they offer healthy, net-caught livestock selected from around the world, hand picked and propagated corals, fresh food and supplements, top of the line dry goods and emergency service.

Visit the display aquarium at the Home Show Design Center, 780 Smithridge Drive, Ste. 300, Reno, NV, or call 530-386-1768

Snorkeling/Diving Kauai

2006-03-03T23:53:00.000-08:00

I spent last week on Kauai with my wife and daughter where we had a great time snorkeling, scuba diving, hiking and kayaking. But, it was also the rainiest weather the island had seen in the past couple of years. It actually rained over 20 inches in a twenty-four hour period! Good thing we weren't there to golf and we had a good laugh when we heard of pipes freezing in Tahoe. Eighty degree weather and rain was not too bad, and when we were underwater it didn't bother us.

Fantasea CP4 Pro- Before we left home I purchased a Fantasea CP4 Pro underwater camera housing for my "point and shoot" Nikon 4300. It took a few snorkels to find the best settings for the camera, but overall I was pretty happy with the results. I will be buying an auxiliary flash for the camera to help eliminate the "scattering" that can be seen in some of the photos. The underwater camera also came in hand when we were kayaking.

Hideaways Beach, Princeville, Kauai- Just before the entrance to the Princeville Hotel on the north shore is a wonderful secluded beach called Hideaways. A somewhat steep descent (120 foot) with the top half being steps and a handrail, turned to a muddy and slippery rope hike to the beach. When we arrived we were welcomed by nobody except a breaching grey whale and her pup. A beautiful snorkel location with a great fish community and an occasional sea turtle.

Black Sea Cucumber at Ke'e Beach- Madison shows off one of the many foot long black sea cucumbers that we saw at Ke'e Beach. Ke'e is the farthest that you can travel by car on the north side of Kauai. The black sea cucumber is a wonderful aquarium animal that I have used for years to help promote a clean sand bed.

Seasport Divers, Poipu- www.seasportdivers.com 1-800-685-5889; Madison and I enjoyed a fantastic day with Kyle McDonald and Captain Hans aboard the Anela Kai. We did the PADI Discover Diving Program. Kyle made our first dives relaxing and safe. Seasport Divers is a multiple Rodale's Readers Choice Awards Winner. They were voted #1 on Kauai, and #5 in the Pacific and Indian oceans, and also rated as one of the 10 Best Dive Operators in the US, with a straight "A" rating. The experience that we shared with Seasport will definitely lead us on to certification and future dives with their company.

Madison shined through her pool dive and emergency training and with a little time adjusting her ears to the pressure of diving she showed no fear or trepidation in the open water. Our first dive was Stonehouse 30 to 65 feet, great site for novice to advanced divers. Named after a house that was destroyed by hurricane Iniki. You can still see some remnants of coral encrusted lawn furniture that was deposited at this dive site. Pennant and milletseed butterflies, frogfish, yellow margin moray eels, pincushion urchins and others can be found at this site. The second dive was Sheraton Caverns: The Signature dive site of Kauai. 20 to 65 feet, beginner to advanced divers, a must dive! Sheraton Caverns is on the south shore of Kauai just west of Poipu. Ancient blown-out lava tubes now consisting of gorgeous archways and overhangs is also the home to many Hawaiian Green Sea Turtles. Large whitemouth moray eels, conger eels, octopus, frogfish, spiny and slipper lobsters, shrimp, and a variety of Hawaiian reef fish all reside at this dive site. It's a dive we won't soon forget!

During our dive at the Sheraton Coves I came across this Crown of Thorns Starfish. The starfish is known to be destroying the coral population on the Great Barrier Reef. I recently watched a stunning program on the Science Channel, Predators of the Great Barrier Reef, that showed the destruction these animals create. The program will repeat a number of times March 9th - 11th, 2006. Set your TiVo's! The Crown of Thorns can spawn 65 million eggs in a single season. Here is a link to a story related to the increase of the specie in Hawaiian waters. Starfish Reef Predator Poses New Threat

The Greasy Grouper- Trying to photograph fast moving fish proved to be a bit difficult at times with my Nikon 4300, but this guy sat and posed for me for a number of photos. The Greasy Grouper prefers clear water areas on coral reefs, juveniles have been seen from reef flats and in tide pools where the adults are usually found in deeper waters. It can be found around the Indo Pacific, Red Sea, eastern African coast south to Durban to Ryukyo Islands, northern Australia to New Caledonia. The Greasy Grouper feeds mainly on fishes, crustaceans and cephalopods.

Sea Turtle at Anini Beach Park- While snorkeling at Anini Beach park we came across many Green Sea Turtles. All sea turtles are fully protected under both the federal Endangered Species Act and under Hawaii state law. These laws prohibit hunting, injuring or harassing sea turtles or holding them in captivity without first obtaining a special permit for research or educational purposes. Swimmers and divers should be aware that riding sea turtles is illegal as it puts the animals under unnecessary stress. Fines for violating these laws protecting turtles can be as high as $100,000 and may even include some time in prison. We kept a safe distance from the turtles, but this turtle didn't seem to mind Madison checking it out from above.

Princeville Hotel Tide Pools- We stayed a portion of our vacation in Princeville which has some of the best tide pools on the North Shore. We saw many urchins, gobies, butterfly fish, damsels, crabs and sea cucumbers. In the background of this photo is Bali Hai. Clever photography turned the peak into the mystical island Bali Hai in the movie South Pacific. In ancient times men would climb the 1,600 foot peak carrying spears. When it got dark, they would light the spears and hurl them toward the ocean below. The spears were designed to leave a fire trail behind, and the light show was immensely popular.

Sea Grapes?

2006-01-26T18:18:00.000-08:00

Valonia or bubble algae is certainly rated high on the nuisance scale to the knowledgeable aquarist. Yet commonly found to be attractive to the novice. Valonia is said to be the largest single cell organism in the world. Unfortunately with the right conditions this species will multiply at an alarming rate and quickly overrun an aquarium. A critical aspect of controlling Valonia in a system is controlling the amount of free nutrients in the system (proper skimming). Valonia under normal circumstances should remain under control with the occasional bubble here and there. In high nutrient systems this algae will take advantage of the opportunity to reproduce. Removal of the algae is quite simple if you wait for it to grow to a large size with a simple twist and a pull.

Sky Blue Echinopora

2006-01-19T22:55:00.000-08:00

This sky blue Echinopora came from Steve Robinson and my visit to ASAP, Hayward, CA. The echinopora is commonly collected in shallow turbulant current, under bright light. Although they are quite abundant in the wild, the echinopora is somewhat unseen in the hobby. Fragmentation of a mother colony is beginning in captivity with successful results.

New Year's Eve Power Outage, 60 Hours

2006-01-05T22:15:00.000-08:00

Before

After

Future Purchase

Simply the Best

2005-12-11T20:40:00.000-08:00

With the end of the year approaching, I want to give thanks to the company's that supply me throughout the year. I get people from around the world looking at my blog on a daily basis. Many people come looking for information regarding the companies that I purchase from.

The people that represent these companies are professionals in customer service and they are why I continue to purchase from them. These are listed in no particular order.

Princeton Huang and Steve Ruebens of Innovative Lighting Solutions have grown their aquarium lighting business into a major supplier in the year that I have been buying from them. From their website and eBay sales to the support that they have given to local reef clubs, Innovative Lighting Solutions are doing it right! Innovative Lighting Solutions is located in Palo Alto, CA. Look for the their exhibit at the Western Marine Conference 2006 in Sacramento.

Jeff Turcheck owner of LifeReef Filter Systems, Morrison, CO, celebrates his 21st year in business supplying the hobbyist with expertly designed and expertly fabricated aquarium products in 2005. If you are interested in Jeff creating a fool-proof working system, contact him well in advance of your needs, he usually has some items in stock but production times can run 6-8 weeks.

Leng Sy owner of EcoSystem Aquarium provides unique products that simply work. I use Fish Solutions and the Garlic Elixir in all of my clients' prepared fish food. A client had an angelfish, tang and butterfly that were affected with the hole in the head disease and lateral line disease, knowing that the diseases can be attributed to copper use, stray electrical current in the water or from vitamin C deficiency, and are curable, I discontinued the use of copper, added a grounding probe and started using Leng's Fish Solution. All fish have regained their tissue and are healthy. Leng will be a speaker and EcoSystem will be an exhibitor at the Western Marine Conference.

Mark Hanson owner of Algae Free from Madison, WI, makes absolutely the finest aquarium cleaning magnets in the industry. Mark created a custom made magnet for me earlier this year for a very thick acrylic aquarium. You can find his products for sale through many of the on-line suppliers.

Once my product leaves one of my many wholesalers in the Los Angeles airport area it is in the hands of Southwest Air Cargo. I have heard plenty of horror stories about air cargo issues, but Ron & Jamie at Reno's hub take great attention to my deliveries. The employee's in Reno care for the health of my animals, always ready to call me upon arrival (if I am not there waiting!) but also doing their best to place my cargo in a stable environment. And...They love my Leonberger Monty!

Reef NutritionÃƒƒ‚™ Marine Live Feeds are produced by Reed Mariculture, the world's largest producer of marine microalgae concentrates for aquaculture. Randy Reed, co-owner of Reed Mariculture/Reef Nutrition recently spoke to the Marine Aquarist Roundtable of Sacramento (MARS) and introduced some of their new products. I am now stocking Tigger Pods (Jumbo sized copepods), Macro Feast (Red Gracilaria), Roti-Feast (Marine Rotifers and eggs) and Phyto Feast Live (Concentrated Microalgae). Reef Nutrition's Phyto Feast Live in my opinion is the best micro algae for the aquarium hobbyist. There are other's available, but none as concentrate as Reef Nutrition's. Reed Mariculture also supply algal feeds and zooplankton to universities, marine ornamental growers, and over 500 fish, shrimp, and shellfish hatcheries in 67 countries around the world. Randy Reed will also be a speaker and Reef Nutrition will be an exhibitor at the WMC 2006.

I subscribe to Coral Magazine for many of my clients. Valerie Tann, Publisher's Assistant, has diligently seen to my subscriptions allowing my customers not to miss an issue. Coral Magazine is the best aquarium publication for saltwater enthusiasts. Coral is entering their third year of publication and has stressed many of their articles on the preservation of the marine environments.

Eric Caamano, owner of Frag Farmer dot com and Central Aquarium located in Upland, CA, has been more than a supplier of some of the best coral pieces coming out of Los Angeles, but also a friend. Eric has always been available to chat and give advise not only about my business but in support of the Western Marine Conference. If you're a hobbyist and came across my site in a search for Frag Farmer, I highly recommend that you subscribe to his newsletter for up to date inventory lists. Frag Farmer will also exhibit at the Western Marine Conference.

4200 pounds of Carib-Sea Aragamax Sand came from John, Sales Rep., and Custom Aquatics this year. Custom Aquatics has been a supporter of MARS through a number of group buys, including purchases of bulk carbon, TDS meters and refractometers. Customer service has been the pinnacle of Custom Aquatic since its inception. They have always and will always emphasize the customer.

Genesis Systems International, Plumas, CA, have the capabilities to provide the most complete naturalistic ecosystem solutions for private residences and commercial properties. From design through project completion, they work to make your dreams a reality. GSI specialize in aquarium construction, along with naturalistic ponds & waterfalls, planted terrariums, aviaries and custom reptile & amphibian habitats. Jon Valdez, Owner and Brian Hayes, Engineer, are working with me in making D's aquarium a perfect piece of art. They also have a 650 gallon room divider aquarium in progress in Arrow Creek, Reno, NV.

There are a few people that I don't have logos or website links to that have been instrumental in the growth of my business. Shelley Fallon and Fallon Multi Media, Kings Beach, CA, has been doing all of my marketing from the onset. With my photography and advertising background, working with me could have been difficult. But, Shelley completed all of our projects with ease and perfection. I look forward to doing more work with Shelley. Soon!

Chris Wirth, Blue Planet Water Works, Vacaville, CA, has just started the construction for DeWayne's filtration system in Incline Village, NV. With Chris' knowledge and craftmanship, this aquarium is going to be incredible.

Bayside Aquarium Supply is Marine Depot's wholesale division located in Anaheim, CA. Greg, Sales Manager, supplies me with ESV's B-Ionic Calcium/Alkalinity Buffer's. Some of my customers have termed ESV's product as "liquid gold" because of the excellent results with coralline growth.

Happy Holidays and I look forward to another great year in 2006.

Mickey's Milestone

2005-12-05T23:42:00.000-08:00

The town of Truckee is losing a great asset this week when Mike Mickey and his mother Rose Mary close up their over 20 year old business, Mickey's Pet Stop & Laundermutt. With the loss of Bill Mickey, Rose Mary's husband, and various other challenges, the time has come to close.

I met Mike over 15 years ago while he was still in high school and running the Tahoe City store. Mike would do hands on presentations to teach local school children about the many animals he kept. It was then that I rekindled my childhood interest in fishkeeping.

Mickey's has sold thousands of fish, reptiles and soft furry animals over the years. The Laundermutt has cleaned and trimmed many Tahoe-Truckee dogs and has sold what must be more than a million pounds of quality dog food. It was on many an occasion I overheard parents telling their children they were at the Truckee zoo.

Mike has big plans for the future. As a Reno resident, he plans to continue to use his retail knowledge and open the best aquarium store in the area.

Mickey's has supported my business for many years and I look forward to seeing Mike's plans come to fruition and continuing our excellent business relation/friendship.

DeWayne's 225 (Under Construction)

2005-11-22T18:23:00.000-08:00

I have a great project under construction for a new client, DeWayne in Incline Village, NV. "D" has been working vigorously on his beautiful home with woodwork restoration, a home theatre complete with a three wall mural and a new 225 gallon reef tank. The aquarium will be located near his entry way/staircase and pool table.

I am working with Genesis Systems International and Brian Hayes, Engineer, for the construction of the acrylic aquarium and aluminum stand. GSI constructs natural environments for the animals of the world in Graeagle, CA., about an hour north of Truckee.

The filtration will be constructed by Chris Wirth, Vacaville, CA owner of Blue Planet Water Works. Chris worked as an engineer for San Franciso's Pier 39 Aquarium of the Bay for five years before going out on his own. His knowledge for proper reef filtration and his creative acrylic construction will make D's aquarium a museum quality showpiece unsurpassed by none in the Tahoe area. Chris will be constructing the sump/refugium including a RO/DI water top off reservoir equipped with an electronic float switch, protein skimmer, phosban reactor, calcium reactor and the 4-way Ocean Motions surge device. (Below is the original drawing, the aquarium size has since increased on the top side to 48 inches.)

Ricardo and Miguel Contreras of Contreras Finish Carpentry, Carson City, NV, will construct and finish the canopy and stand skins to match D's existing cabinetry. The Contreras Brothers have been working in the Northern Nevada and Lake Tahoe Area producing fine quality finish work for a number of years.(Here is a photo of the work they did for my clients Chuck and Cindy. They not only did the aquarium woodwork, but the faux finishing, lacquering and painting throughout the entire home.)

I will be adding many more photos and information on the construction of D's aquarium in the weeks to come. I plan to have water in the aquarium by early February, pending construction.

North Lake Tahoe AYSO: Yellow Lightning Bolts

2005-10-26T05:08:00.000-07:00

Sierra Saltwater Systems sponsored this girls under twelve soccer team coached by DeeDee Driller. DeeDee did a fantastic job coaching the girls and improvement was noted every week. DeeDee is also the North Tahoe AYSO Allstar Team coach. She will then have a few weeks off before she starts coaching childrens ski programs at Squaw Valley USA. Sponsoring a team is a great way to give back to the community and support local youth. Sierra Saltwater Systems also donated and maintains a 55 gallon aquarium located in the Bluth Learning Center at the Boys and Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe in Kings Beach. My daughter Madison is located in the front row, second player on the left.