Reef Builders -The Reef Aquarium Blog » Coral Reef

Study shows concensus, save the reefs

Brian Blank — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:26:24 +0000

Image courtesy of University of Hawaii at Manoa

An interesting bit of research by the University of Hawaii and Oregon State University show when it comes to polling tourists and recreational enthusiasts about the state of coral reefs, the concnesus is to do whatever is necessary to save the reefs. There is often a tangled web of controversy when it comes to the balance of what’s good for nature and the recreational”rights” of people but this study is showing the overwhelming majority feel these incredible and beautiful ecosystems need to be protected for the long term.Tourism is a big part of Hawaii’s economy with more than seven million people spending over $11 billion on the islands where the tropical water, beautiful reefs and huge array of tropical fish are a major draw. The researcher polled visitors to Hawaii’s coral reefs found that most visitors not only enjoy these areas but care about their future generally endorsing whatever amount of management is needed to protect them. According to Mark Needham, an assistant professor of forest ecosystems and society at OSU, “It was really quite astonishing, almost shocking how much people wanted this resource protected for its own sake…and if anything was to have a deleterious effect on reef ecosystems, they would want it stopped.” This is good news for the overall health and future of our reefs as the public attitude goes a long way towards long-term action.

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Study shows concensus, save the reefs

Study shows concensus, save the reefs

Petition targets 83 coral species for U.S. endangered species list protection

Brian Blank — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:08:20 +0000

The Center for Biological Diversity recently prepared and filed a scientific petition to have 83 coral species listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The petition, filed on October 20, 2009, looks to use the powers of the Endangered Species Act to protect these corals identified as most the most vulnerable in U.S. waters. Many of these corals have suffered greatly with over 30 percent loss in the last 30 years with increased ocean temperatures and CO2 levels contributing the danger of catastrophic and potentially unrecoverable mass bleaching. Recognizable corals available in the hobby include on the list are the ever-popular Flowerpot coral (Alveopora allingi), branching frogspawn (Euphyllia paradivisa), and 22 types of Acropora, to name a few. As hobbyists we often pay close attention to the promotion of propagated and tank-raised corals but the additional of these corals to the Endangered Species list could make it harder for the import of these specific corals from non U.S.-protected waters. This makes it even more important to do our part to keep these corals thriving within the hobby through education and promotion of coral propagation techniques. Will also be interesting to see what impact this may have on CITES legislation and other programs such as Indonesia’s coral quotas and Papau New Guinea’s SEASMART program. Complete list of all 83 corals listed on this petition after the break.

Acanthastrea brevis
Acanthastrea hemprichii
Acanthastrea ishigakiensis
Acanthastrea regularis
Acropora aculeus
Acropora acuminata
Acropora aspera
Acropora dendrum
Acropora donei
Acropora globiceps
Acropora horrida
Acropora jacquelineae
Acropora listeri
Acropora lokani
Acropora microclados
Acropora palmerae
Acropora paniculata
Acropora pharaonis
Acropora polystoma
Acropora retusa
Acropora rudis
Acropora speciosa
Acropora striata
Acropora tenella
Acropora vaughani
Acropora verweyi
Agaricia lamarcki
Alveopora allingi
Alveopora fenestrata
Alveopora verrilliana
Anacropora puertogalerae
Anacropora spinosa
Astreopora cucullata
Barabattoia laddi
Caulastrea echinulata
Cyphastrea agassizi
Cyphastrea ocellina
Dendrogyra cylindrus
Dichocoenia stokesii
Euphyllia cristata
Euphyllia paraancora
Euphyllia paradivisa
Galaxea astreata
Heliopora coerulea
Isopora crateriformis
Isopora cuneata
Leptoseris incrustans
Leptoseris yabei
Millepora foveolata
Millepora tuberosa
Montastraea annularis
Montastraea faveolata
Montastraea franksi
Montipora angulata
Montipora australiensis
Montipora calcarea
Montipora caliculata
Montipora dilatata
Montipora flabellata
Montipora lobulata
Montipora patula
Mycetophyllia ferox
Oculina varicosa
Pachyseris rugosa
Pavona bipartita
Pavona cactus
Pavona decussata
Pavona diffluens
Pavona venosa
Pectinia alcicornis
Physogyra lichtensteini
Pocillopora danae
Pocillopora elegans
Porites horizontalata
Porites napopora
Porites nigrescens
Porites pukoensis
Psammocora stellata
Seriatopora aculeata
Turbinaria mesenterina
Turbinaria peltata
Turbinaria reniformis
Turbinaria stellula

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Petition targets 83 coral species for U.S. endangered species list protection

Petition targets 83 coral species for U.S. endangered species list protection

Even reef fish like a good massage

Christine Williams — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:15:12 +0000

Nothing beats a good spa treatment to erase the tension of a tough week at work—the manicure, pedicure, massage…the works. Reef fishes (and not just the females) know how to benefit from a little pampering at stations manned by cleaner wrasses—the wrasses set up shop in a particular spot on the reef (or your tank), and soon the other fish know where to go to get a little TLC. We have always looked at the cleaning function and mutualism—the “patron” gets cleaned of parasites and the cleaner gets a good meal—as the sole purpose of the transaction. But is that all that goes on?

It turns out the answer is decidedly no. In addition to nibbling off parasites, it was noted that cleaner wrasses “massage” their clients—gently stroking them with their fins. They seemed to give extra attention to piscivorous fish (that might make a meal of the wrasse), and even more attention when the client was hungry. So the massage seems to pacify the client fish and make it less likely the wrasse gets eaten.

When researchers tested this in aquaria, they found something even more surprising: fish which have gotten the full massage treatment are less likely to be aggressive to ALL the other fish in the tank. Aquaria were set up with an assortment of fish, plus or minus cleaner wrasses, and observed. To illustrate the experiment, it’s convenient to think of a closed aquarium like high school; you have your football jock/bullies (here they used slingjaw wrasses), your, er, fish geek targets (fang blennies and two-tone wrasses), and everyone else. In normal conditions the slingjaws will bully the blennies. This happens often in our aquaria when bigger or more aggressive species are mixed with peaceful community fish—the jocks beat up the geeks. But, in tanks with cleaner wrasse stations, the bullies attacked only half as often. One might think that this was simply because the bullies were too busy getting cleaned, but the calming effect lasted even when the cleaning stopped. In fact, it seemed the longer and more thorough the massage aspect, the more docile the client fish was rendered.

Can reefkeepers exploit this natural mutualism? It would appear so in tanks large enough to provide sufficient food for the cleaner wrasse. One of the largest contributors to disease susceptibility and increased mortality in fish is stress. Adding a cleaner wrasse would create a “safe haven” for fishes to visit, and the fishes that get serviced leave not only feeling clean and sexy, but less aggressive. This benefits even the fish that do not get cleaned as the general tank atmosphere would be more peaceful. This benefits the wrasse as well—relaxed fish which are not as concerned with avoiding predators spend more time at cleaning stations, this giving the cleaner wrasse a better meal.

Cheney, K.L., Bshary, R., and Grutter, A.S. 2008. Cleaner fish cause predators to reduce aggression toward bystanders at cleaning stations. Behavioral Ecology 19(5) pp 1063-1067.

Photo credit: Nick Hobgood

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Even reef fish like a good massage

Even reef fish like a good massage

SEASMART building marine aquarium trade in Papua New Guinea the right way

Brian Blank — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:39:03 +0000

The SEASMART Program is coming together in Papua New Guinea (PNG) to create a new sustainable, environmentally conscious and profitable trade. The marine aquarium livestock collection trade has definitely had negative impacts on natural habitats of many tropical regions but untouched by the ornamental marine aquarium trade, PNG has remained one of the true last frontiers. SEASMART is a joint project by the PNG National Fisheries Authority (NFA) and social/environmental consultancy EcoEZ Inc, to build the marine aquarium trade in PNG to a sustainable and profitable level. This is the operation has already began shipping out PNG fish and claim that they will have CITES permits for PNG corals next year. Located off the northeastern coast of Australia and east of Indonesia, PNG has a relatively small population on the mainland and surrounding islands and the population has not had a huge negative impact on the surrounding reefs compared to other countries in the area. PNG touts a rich, biologically diverse reef surrounding with a greatest diversity of species of marine life than any other place in the world. We have already seen new and usual morphs of fish come from PNG including the mostly xanthic morph of the bicolor angelfish, Centropyge bicolor, and the lightning maroon clownfish. The marine aquarium trade offers one of the most profitable of all reef-related trades in the world and SEASMART is using training for collectors, fisheries, and holding and export facilities to provide non-destructive and ethical collection, transport and shipment of the livestock. It is great that this species-rich area is being developed the right way to provide the hobby with unique specimens with the emphasis on sustainability and environmental impact and restoration. We look forward to beautiful fish and corals coming from PNG to the market.

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SEASMART building marine aquarium trade in Papua New Guinea the right way

SEASMART building marine aquarium trade in Papua New Guinea the right way

Aqua C RX-1 Calcium Reactor

Ryan Gripp — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:48:51 +0000

Aqua C released the RX-1 Calcium reactor back in December 2007. Since then it has been getting mixed reviews, however we didn’t pick it up when it was released. Specs include: – 8.25″ x 9″ footprint, 16″ tall, Giant media chamber, Reverse flow, Recirculating CO2, pH probe holder, Eheim 1250 pump, JG fittings throughout., Sch. 80 PVC and unions throughout, Large union lid for quick and easy media addition, abdSMC valve for precise effluent control. Retails for $429.

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Aqua C RX-1 Calcium Reactor

Aqua C RX-1 Calcium Reactor

Euro Reef’s “other project”? Nano skimmer is a comin’

Ryan Gripp — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 18:57:15 +0000

Back in April we confirmed that Euro Reef was working on some sort of hang on the back protein skimmer. They said that they were basically putting that on the shelf for another project to be finished first. The other project apparently was the nano skimmer seen above. They also are in the beta phase right now and this should be available later this year. Rumor is price should hit retail between $60-$119.

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Euro Reef’s “other project”? Nano skimmer is a comin’

Euro Reef’s “other project”? Nano skimmer is a comin’

Preis Nano Starter kit for nano aquariums up to 17 gallons

Ryan Gripp — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:18:17 +0000

Preis released a nano starter kit which includes sea salt, gravel material, starter for bacterial colonization and minerals for nano aquariums of up to 65 litters (17 Gallons). No idea on price, but your most likely going to have to live in Germany or Europe to get this product. Another picture after the jump!

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Preis Nano Starter kit for nano aquariums up to 17 gallons

Preis Nano Starter kit for nano aquariums up to 17 gallons

Simple and effective guide on reef aquascaping

Ryan Gripp — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 11:32:23 +0000

I was walking down the aisle of a large discount retailer several years ago, I was in the aquatic section looking at anything they might have relating to my favorite hobby: saltwater. They of course did not, but that is besides the point.

So there I am strolling down the the aisle and I saw all the different attachments and little knick-knacks that you can buy for your freshwater tank. You no doubt have seen them I am sure, they are very hard to miss. Starting with the treasure chest with bubbles, or the pirate skull with bubbles and fake or even dead corals with bubbles. Basically anything with bubbles as an after effect. While these all have their place in a freshwater aquarium, they do not have any place in a reef aquarium.

Have you ever noticed that whenever you see a reef anywhere say like on a postcard or on TV you don’t see those annoying plastic knick-knacks that you see in freshwater aquariums? Reef aquariums are actually quite easy, you never have to spend money on a man-made object for a reef aquarium. They are all alive and growing feeding off the actions that you do to the tank. They reward you for good actions such as regular water changes, constant reef aquarium water parameters and the like. Reefs also reward you with their beauty.

An excellent example of a reef aquascaping design.

Suppose for a minute that all the reefs in the world were flat, all the corals and such were all on the ocean floor with no difference in height or angle. Sounds pretty boring right? Reefs look the most natural by correct aquascaping, which includes placement (height, angle, position to other rocks) of rocks (mainly), corals and return/overflow pipes. Out of all of these however, rock work is the most important.

Upon ordering live rock you most likely did what any reef builder does, put all your new live rock into your aquarium, stacking upon each other and most likely satisfied with the result. What your missing is the art of aquascaping, your reef could look in fact much better in terms of a natural reef and most humans prefer the look of a natural reef, say over a plastic themed one.

When considering aquascaping you should have two things in mind: pleasing to your eyes and comfort to the animals (including corals, fish and inverts). How can this be done? Simple. Think of them as yourself…would you like that rock placed there? Is that coral to close to the intake overflow? Does it look good?

Aquascaping steps and strategies

When you have those two things in mind, its time to move onto the first step. Any good reef has a very good foundation. With a proper foundation you can do advanced rock work with ledges, vallies, and different shelfs. In addition to these new techniques inverts such as the large turbo snail and other marine animals won’t knock your rockwork down, which could very easily injure another animal and create more work for yourself.

How do you create a good foundation? Base rock is the most popular in forming a nice reef foundation. It can easily be bought much less than standard live rock costs and it is very easy to form and break off pieces to form your foundation. You can also use drills and a hammer to get a nice solid foundation.

Arch Design Technique

Most fish actually like to swim under rock arches. These arches are actually very easy to create, by means of either drilling the live rock to allow for zip ties, or using epoxy putty and forging the rocks together to form an arch. Notice the example a simple arch is achieved, however in time corals will grow and the effect will be much more intense and pleasing to the eye.

An example of an arch design technique for rock work.

Color Design Technique
Another area that is often overlooked is placement of color. With this aquscaping technique you have two options, you can either place contrasting colors next to each other, or place corals that look similar in color. In the example photograph the reef builder has used the contrasting color technique to create a very pleasing reef to the eye.

Notice how your eye is focused in on the center coral then widens out.

Dual Masses Design Technique
One technique that is fairly easy to accomplish is the dual masses. Basically it involves two or more stacks of rocks, with a stable foundation. There should be ample space for fish or inverts to swim or flow through the crevice that is created. You can design the masses to be as high as you want, however keep in mind that inverts who climb over the rocks do not get burned by your rock placement.

In recap we have discussed several different techniques of aquascaping which will all make your tank look like a natural reef. Hopefully this guide has given you some insight into aquascaping design and layout.

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Simple and effective guide on reef aquascaping

Simple and effective guide on reef aquascaping

Euro Reef’s prototype CS300E protein skimmer is extremely quiet

Ryan Gripp — Tue, 20 May 2008 13:42:25 +0000

Take a gander at Euro Reef’s new CS300E protein skimmer. Hear anything? Yeah, we thought it was pretty quiet too. No word on when we will expect to see this go retail, but we have our fingers crossed.

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Euro Reef’s prototype CS300E protein skimmer is extremely quiet

Euro Reef’s prototype CS300E protein skimmer is extremely quiet

Marine scientists find millions of tiny starfish inhabiting undersea volcano

Ryan Gripp — Tue, 20 May 2008 13:37:12 +0000

Marine scientists surveying a large undersea mountain chain were amazed to find millions of tiny starfish swirling their arms to capture food in the undersea current. About 19 scientists studied the biology and geology of eight Macquarie Ridge sea mounts. These sea mounts are part of a string of underwater volcanoes that stretch 875 miles from New Zealand toward Antarctica. Marine biologist Ashely Rowden said: “It was unique in that it hasn’t been found on the tops of sea mounts before … (and) it was over a relatively large area” of about 60 square miles. The starfish are about 0.4 inch across, with arms about 2 inches long. Fewer than 200 of the world’s estimated 100,000 sea mounts that rise more than a half a mile above the sea floor have been studied in any detail.

Read

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Marine scientists find millions of tiny starfish inhabiting undersea volcano

Marine scientists find millions of tiny starfish inhabiting undersea volcano

Reef Builders -The Reef Aquarium Blog » Coral Reef

Study shows concensus, save the reefs

Related Posts

Petition targets 83 coral species for U.S. endangered species list protection

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Even reef fish like a good massage

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SEASMART building marine aquarium trade in Papua New Guinea the right way

Related Posts

Aqua C RX-1 Calcium Reactor

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Euro Reef’s “other project”? Nano skimmer is a comin’

Related Posts

Preis Nano Starter kit for nano aquariums up to 17 gallons

Other items you might enjoy:

Simple and effective guide on reef aquascaping

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Euro Reef’s prototype CS300E protein skimmer is extremely quiet

Other items you might enjoy:

Marine scientists find millions of tiny starfish inhabiting undersea volcano

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