SECOND QUARTER 2018 I VOLUME 12

BREEDING & REARING LYRETAIL ANTHIAS

HUNTING ZOA-EATING NUDIBRANCHS

SOFT FRAGGING GUIDE

REEF SPOTLIGHTS: MEXICO CITY REEF, SHROOM LAGOON & CUNHA REEF Reef Hobbyist Magazine 1

SECOND QUARTER 2018 | Volume 12 FEATURES Copyright © 2018 Reef Hobbyist Magazine. All rights reserved. MEXICO CITY REEF ANNOUNCEMENTS Andres Corral is a veteran reefkeeper 6 who believes that reef tanks are • Wish there was a freshwater magazine like RHM? Now there is! ambassadors for wild reefs, which many people rarely Hobbyist Magazine is now available for FREE in the best local stores get to see. Here, he shares his personal 250-gallon around the country and online at www.aquariumhobbyistmagazine.com! mixed . • Care to share your reefing, fragging, breeding, or husbandry success with the world? Email us your article ideas through the "Contact Us" tab on our THE INTERRUPTUS ANGEL: website. A CENTROPYGE CENTERPIECE 12 Colby Podkin-Johnson is an all-around fish nerd and the owner of Pacific Island Aquatics. Learn how RHM-SPONSORED EVENTS to choose and care for this coveted and beautiful pygmy • Reef-A-Palooza (FL): April 7–8, Orlando, FL – www.reefapaloozashow.net angelfish. • ReefSMART: April 21, Raleigh, NC – www.sustainablereef.com SHROOM LAGOON • LMAR Frag Swap: April 29, San Antonio, TX – www.maast.org Darwin Ngo is a co-founder of Legendary • Ladies Frag Swapping: May 12, Sturgis, MI – www.ladiesfragswapping.weebly.com 18 and lives in San Jose, CA. After • Florida Frag Swap: June 2, Hialeah, FL – www.flfragswap.com transitioning through a couple of different nanos, Darwin • Reef-A-Palooza (NY): June 23–24, Secaucus, NJ – www.reefapaloozashow.net finally found one that was just right. Share his love for a • Summer Charity Frag Swap: July 28, N. Canton, OH – www.oceanriftaquatics.com tank of different dimensions in this intriguing writeup. • MACNA 2018: September 7–9, Las Vegas, NV – www.macnaconference.org/2018/ – – A ZOA FREAK'S • Reef-A-Palooza (LA): October 6 7, Anaheim, CA www.reefapaloozashow.net NUDIBRANCH • Reef League: October 20, Jacksonville, FL – www.reefleague.com 24 HUNTING GUIDE Josue Matias is the moderator of Club Zoa on Reef2Reef. DIGITAL & HARD-COPY SUBSCRIPTIONS Josue will show you how to plan and execute your next zoa-eating nudibranch hunt in this detailed guide. Scan this QR code to register for your free digital subscription. You will receive an alert when a new issue is released and get full access to archives on our website. You can also sign up for a hard copy subscription for home delivery. 30 ON THE COVER BREEDING & REARING WANT RHM IN YOUR STORE? LYRETAIL ANTHIAS Increase your store's foot traffic by offering Reef Hobbyist Magazine to your Ramon Villaverde is a professional customers! We educate hobbyists on new products, husbandry techniques, and aquarist who has worked at the livestock. Plus, we never publish e-tailer ads! Contact one of our distributors Columbus Zoo and Aquarium for over below or email us through the "Contact Us" tab on our website to get stocked. 14 years. His latest success in marine breeding is with the ever-popular • All Seas Marine – www.allseaslax.com Lyretail Anthias. Learn what it takes to • Apet – www.apetinc.com breed this beautiful and about • DFW Aquarium Supply – www.dfwaquarium.com the challenges faced by the Columbus • FedkoPet – www.fedkopet.com Zoo team. • Exotic Reef Imports – www.exoticreefimports.com

Cover image by Stephan Kerkhofs • Pacific Aqua Farms – www.pacificaquafarms.com • Quality Marine – www.qualitymarine.com • Reef Nutrition – www.reefnutrition.com A GUIDE TO FRAGGING • Segrest Farms – www.segrestfarms.com SOFT CORALS 36 Michael Rice is the marketing director at Elite Reef in Denver, CO. New to fragging? Michael will VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE! walk you through your first attempt with these step-by- step instructions on four easy-to-frag soft corals. www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com Find full access to RHM archives. THE CUNHA REEF Download any issue in PDF for your computer or mobile device. Paulo Cunha is a new reef hobbyist from 44 Vila do Conde, Portugal. Passion, creativity, Sign up for a hard-copy subscription or FREE digital subscription. and a willingness to learn from good advice has allowed Find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/reefhobbyistmag Paulo to succeed with his very first reef. Share in his journey from non-aquarist to fully immersed reefkeeper. RHM STAFF PRODUCT REVIEW: VCA'S President Harry T. Tung Photography Advisor Sabine Penisson RANDOM FLOW GENERATOR Executive Editor Jim Adelberg Graphic Designer Dave Tran 50 Jim Adelberg is executive editor for RHM Proofreader S. Houghton Art Director Yoony Byun and breeds marine fish in his spare time. See how VCA's [email protected] mission of combining two essential concepts of water movement in one device holds up to Jim's test. COMMENTS OR SUGGESTIONS? Contact us on our website! DIGITAL & HARD-COPY SUBSCRIPTIONS ANDRES CORRAL MEXICO CITY REEF

BACKGROUND AND HISTORY The aquarium sits between the living room, bar, My parents had a when I was a kid. I can remember and TV room. that every once in a while, we would go after school to the local fish store to choose a new fish or plant for the tank. One day when I was 13, I finally got tired of hearing, "Oh sorry, that one is a marine fish. You can't have it in your tank," so I asked what I needed to do to set up a . The guy wisely handed me a book, and that's when it all started for me.

At that time, there was not much information available about how to keep marine or reef . Before the internet, the learning curve was different, and it was a slow process of learning, sometimes from experts you'd find along the way, sometimes from literature, and often from trial and error.

I have gone through various phases in the hobby. The first consisted of two fish-only aquariums and one FOWLR (fish only with ) with some inverts as a teen, followed by my first reef in college, and then another reef aquarium when I moved out of my parents' house. Later, I got married, and my wife and I began our first reef aquarium as newlyweds. As a family, we upgraded to a 400-gallon reef aquarium, and eventually, that brought me to start planning this 250-gallon reef tank 2 years ago.

The most important lesson I learned with the 400-gallon tank was that my aquarium needed to be placed somewhere I could not only see it but be able to really enjoy it. The 400-gallon tank was located in the entryway of the house, so I looked at it every time I came and went, but neither I, my family, nor my guests were able to sit there and enjoy it. Based on that realization,

6 www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com we decided to redesign the first level of our house around the new needed to have three viewing sides. The height was planned for it aquarium. to be better appreciated when seated, but if you're standing, you can easily open the top and look at it from above. It took almost a year to design the new floor plan and the aquarium system itself. The main objective was to be able to enjoy it from I am also using a CO2 scrubber at the air inlet of the skimmer to try the TV room, living room, bar, and dining room. At the same time, to bring the pH up a little bit since the aquarium is fully enclosed I wanted to make the system aesthetically pleasing, not only the and located in the middle of the house. In the cold season, the CO2 display of the fish and corals but also the details of the stand and lighting so that they complemented the house perfectly.

SPECIFICATIONS

Display: ~48" × 43" × 30" Cabinet: custom : CaribSea Bermuda Pink Sand Rock: cured dry rock and old rock from the 400-gallon tank Salt: Instant Ocean with custom adjustments Circulation: (2) Maxspect Gyre Return Pump: (2) EcoTech Vectra M1 with battery backup Calcium Supply: Geo 618 reactor, Milwaukee pH controller, Avast Marine kalkwasser reactor, Milwaukee peristaltic pump Monitoring: Neptune Apex for pH, power, water level Skimmer: Deltec AP702 Heating: (2) titanium heaters Lighting: (4) RapidLED Corona, (1) DIY LED lamp (9 channels using CREE, SemiLED, and OSRAM LEDs powered by Meanwell drivers) PAR: ~420 just below surface, 100 at sandbed Overflow: Reef Synergy Shadow Mechanical Filtration: (3) filter socks : live rock and Chaetomorpha lit by DIY grow lights Auto Top-off: 2-liter system with float valve and optical sensors

THE AQUARIUM

The aquarium sits in the absolute center of the house as a central pillar surrounded by the areas we use the most as a family, so it

Reef Hobbyist Magazine 7 - Radioactive Candy Cane - Meteor Shower Cyphastrea - Acropora · Cali Tortuosa · Bonsai Acropora · Ice Tortuosa · Red Planet Acropora · Oregon Tortuosa · Bubble Gum Millepora · Staghorn (blue tip) · Acropora sp. (tabling) · Staghorn (purple) · Acropora nasuta · Green Slimer · Acropora valida · Pearlberry Acropora - Montipora · Montipora vietnamensis · Montipora confusa , skimmer, CO2 scrubber, and return pumps · Montipora digitata · Rainbow Montipora · Montipora capricornis · Superman Montipora accumulates quickly and the pH drops substantially, so I use the scrubber to counteract that effect. PARAMETERS

I have a 50-gallon quarantine tank in my home office set up as a Phosphate: 0.02–0.08 ppm KH: 11° permanent tank so I can closely observe new arrivals. Everything Nitrate: 2.5–5.0 ppm Potassium: 600–800 ppm goes through quarantine without exception. Magnesium: 1500 ppm Strontium: 10 mg/L Calcium: 450 ppm FISH HUSBANDRY - (4) Percula Clownfish - Mandarinfish (pair) - (4) Blue Streak Cardinalfish - Cleaner I try to keep things as simple and hands-off as possible. I want to - (2) Yellow Tangs - Neon Wrasse be able to enjoy the tank and not be a slave to it. From a strategy - Blue Tang - Flasher Wrasse standpoint, if it's not broken, I don't fix it. That includes dosing, - Purple Tang - Yellowtail Damselfish water changes, temperature adjustments, coral growth, etc. - Kole Tang - Swissguard Basslet - Randall's Goby I test for calcium, magnesium, KH, strontium, potassium, nitrate, and phosphate on a weekly basis. Sometimes I skip a week, and based on testing, I take corrective actions with individual additives or feeding adjustments to keep everything in line. I also - (2) Skunk Cleaner - turbo snails dose iron in the form of planted-tank fertilizer. I have found that the - Scarlet Shrimp - Blue-legged Hermits Chaetomorpha color and growth is a much better indicator of iron - Clown - Red-legged Hermits levels than any iron test kit out there.

CORALS Every aquarium is different. This tank tends to run low on nutrients, so to maintain a minimum level of nutrients and keep the corals - Christmas Favia - Hawkins Echinata from looking pale, I feed a lot to the fish and corals. - Bubble Coral - Nuclear Green Palys - Galaxea - various zoanthids Every time I pass by the tank, I throw in a generous amount of - Duncan - various mushrooms pellets and flakes. Additionally, at least three times a week, I feed

Kole Tang Purple Tang

8 www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com KH: 11° Potassium: 600–800 ppm Strontium: 10 mg/L

Reef Hobbyist Magazine 9 Bubble Gum Millepora Christmas Favia

Montipora confusa and Meteor Shower Cyphastrea Hawkins Echinata

10 www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com homemade frozen coral food containing oysters, shrimp, mussels, clams, nori, spirulina, sugar, and Blackworms; I feed it early in the morning with the lights still out and leave the filtration off for 30 minutes.

My corals have been growing at a very fast rate in this tank, especially the Cali Tortuosa that is heavily dominating the landscape. After the initial setup, I bought a fairly large frag pack that got glued into the tank and was left to grow. Today, almost all of these frags are medium-sized colonies with great coloration. As I said, I love a hands-off approach, so I have let the reef grow in and just observed the progress. Now, some corals are starting to reach neighboring corals, so I need to go in and rearrange things a little bit.

FUTURE PLANS

My plans for the future revolve around transforming this reef to a more diverse Acropora-dominated habitat. I also want to replace some large Cali Tortuosa Green Slimer and Stylophora sp. colonies with other types and colors of Acropora. As corals continue to grow, I find that the aquarium is As the years pass by and I continue to get more and more involved in the starting to get shadows in some areas, so I am sure I aquarium hobby and community, I look forward to great things to come for our will need to add some spotlights to target these dark hobby. We have to start considering more collection and commerce restrictions zones. I will also need to upgrade my calcium and for sure, but I am confident that those restrictions will help drive transformation carbonate supply system. Today, the calcium reactor in the hobby to a much more sustainable activity and perhaps even drive it and kalkwasser-dosing system are almost maxed out, more toward a protection and conservation effort ranging from education and so I am already looking for options on that upgrade. awareness to direct reef recovery. R

Reef Hobbyist Magazine 11 Female Interruptus Angelfish Female Interruptus

COLBY PODKIN-JOHNSON THE INTERRUPTUS ANGELFISH: CENTROPYGE

he illustrious Interruptus Angel (Centropyge interrupta), priced at a "modest" $1,600 or so. But don't let the price tag scare often called the Japanese Pygmy Angel, is the you away. These fish are well worth the expense! uncontested heavyweight of its and is highly coveted by aquarists. It is one of the most sought after NATURAL HISTORY pygmy angels due to its spectacular looks and stellar personality.T Moreover, it is one of the best bets when searching Interruptus Angels are found in central and southern Japan, as for a reef-safe dwarf angel. Reaching sizes of over 6 inches in well as the northwestern Hawaiian Islands. They live in habitats length and sporting iridescent blues on a base of burnt orange, ranging from coral reefs to volcanic boulder fields. In complex they are true show fish. Like many of the rarer angelfish, they habitats containing many crevices and overhangs, a single male follow the same inverse price structure, with the smallest juveniles Interruptus's territory may contain several females. However, in commanding prices of $2,400 or more and larger adults being more barren habitats, they are often found in pairs.

12 www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com Algae is an important part of the diet. A good way to train newly imported Interruptus Angels to eat algal sheets is by rubber banding some onto a small length of PVC. This species also seems to benefit from the ability to graze on diatom growth on the sandbed.

Young juveniles spend most of their time closely hugging the substrate, avoiding by remaining under cover and feeding primarily on diatoms and algae growing on the rocks. This habit makes them more difficult to catch, thereby increasing the price of smaller individuals.

One of the most fascinating aspects of Interruptus Angel behavior is their changing diets as they mature. Large specimens are often found high in the water column, selectively feeding on the feces of schooling zooplanktivores.

CARE REQUIREMENTS

When shopping for an Interruptus Angel, it is very important to seek out a healthy, robust specimen. Interruptus has a poor track record for long-term survival in captivity, so it is crucial to only purchase that have been properly quarantined and conditioned. Thankfully, many of the issues historically experienced with Interruptus Angels have been overcome through better collection methods and a more thorough understanding of their requirements. Success with this species is becoming more commonplace, and contrary to popular belief, the uber-expensive juveniles are not the only ones that can thrive long term in captivity. Provided they have been properly conditioned, larger specimens have proven quite adaptable to aquarium life.

Freshly imported Interruptus Angels often arrive with a heavy gill fluke infestation, in addition to a full intestinal parasite load.

Reef Hobbyist Magazine 13 14 www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com Capturing and moving the with an appropriate-sized vessel allows for close inspection while avoiding damage to the slime coat or skin.

Seeking an animal from a dealer who is familiar with proper quarantine procedures will go far in ensuring long-term success with this species. If you decide to pursue an Interruptus, be sure to examine the eyes for clarity and watch for any fin twitching, flashing, scratching, or any other possible indicators of an underlying parasitic infection. Additionally, watch the fish until you observe it defecate. The feces should not be long and stringy but should resemble loose and crumbly pellets. Healthy Interruptus Angels are very gregarious animals that will often charge to the front of the tank when they see a human approach. I have not decided if these fish are threatening me or begging for food! Even freshly imported specimens display extreme boldness and a reliable willingness to eat virtually any food offered. Any Interruptus Angel that hides in a corner, is lethargic, or refuses to eat is surely unwell and should be passed over.

Given the natural range of this species, it is likely wise to cycle their temperature annually. In their natural range, Interruptus Angels may experience temperature swings from low 60s (Fahrenheit) in the winter to mid 80s at the peak of summer. I have found maintaining Interruptus in the low to mid 70s works well. Having said that, I am aware of more than a dozen pairs of adult animals I have quarantined for clients that are happily living and spawning in reef tanks at typical reef tank temperatures.

Among all the factors that are likely critical to success, diet is one of the most crucial. Most of the problems experienced with these fish seem to be related to intestinal infections, likely bacterial. It seems probable that this is largely a dietary problem, with most of the animals experiencing bloat-like symptoms. While Interruptus Angels seem quite happy to eat just about anything offered, their diet should consist mainly of algae, supplemented with meaty foods. I have seen many instances of these angelfish being fed an improper diet, leading to fatty liver syndrome. I feed my pairs with sheets of algae two to three times daily, supplemented with a homemade seafood mix two to three times per week. This species can be prone to constipation, particularly when maintained on a pellet diet. If you do choose to feed pellets, I would suggest using a high-quality food and supplementing with frozen Mysis and

Reef Hobbyist Magazine 15 This specimen is a clear example of a male, displaying the characteristic electric blue dorsal and anal fins.

Artemia; the chitin in these foods will aid in moving food through horizontally at a slight angle and fully extending all his fins. He the digestive tract. then dives and soars about the tank in an attempt to impress the female, occasionally taking a break to quiver slightly or chase the BREEDING female around. If the female is receptive, she will join the male in the water column and they will begin mutually soaring and alternately If keeping one Interruptus Angel is a treat, keeping a pair is even chasing each other. As the dance progresses, if the female is ripe better. In fact, I feel these fish absolutely should be kept in pairs, with eggs, she and the male will begin nuzzling and chasing in as the spawning dance and mating sequence is truly a sight to earnest, finally culminating in a quick dash to the surface and behold. Having witnessed many pairs of angelfish spawn, I think the release of gametes. I have witnessed on many occasions an the Interruptus dance is among the most beautiful. I find that my abbreviated version of this dance in which the female engages, pairs begin spawning when the temperature approaches 72° F and seemingly half-heartedly, and produces no eggs. I suspect she is the daylight reaches 10 to 11 hours a day. I have had some pairs simply leading the male on in order to maintain her position in his spawning slightly earlier in the spring when the water was still a territory. little cooler. Most days, my pairs begin the spawning sequence just before lights out. Interestingly, I have a pair in a tank immediately CONCLUSION adjacent to a window, and on cloudy days, they will spawn a little bit earlier. I presume this is due to the darker evenings. If you are in the market for a centerpiece fish, the Interruptus Angel is an excellent choice. They are typically very reef-safe, brilliantly Most nights, the male will initiate courtship, though it can be colored, and not aggressive. Their rarity does mean you may have initiated by the female as well. It begins with the male blanching to search for a while, and the price tag can be somewhat daunting. in color, often turning a very subtle orange and flashing the bright However, a well-conditioned and happy Interruptus Angel (or pair) iridescent blue on the tips of his dorsal and anal fins. As he pales cruising around in a reef tank is a spectacular sight to behold and in color, the male will move into the water column, tilting his body well worth it for any serious collector. R 16 www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com

DARWIN NGO

ey there reefers! Let's start with a little bit of my THE NUVO LAGOON 25: A FRESH START background in this hobby. My father introduced my siblings and me to aquariums at an early age. I ended up purchasing a Nuvo Lagoon 25 for its clean look, I ended up being the geekiest about fish, taking my reasonable price, and most importantly, its dimensions. I fell in love father's passion of and making it my with this tank the moment I saw it. It was unlike any other nano, own. I started reefing with a small NanoCube 12. In and with its extended length, it allowed me to create a pleasing Hthat small nano, I was only able to house a pair of black clowns two-island look, something I could never achieve with my previous and a small blenny. At the time, nanos were a new concept and tanks. It was also shallow, making it easy to fill up the vertical space most equipment was still geared toward larger tanks. I learned the and give the tank a filled-in look. I was able to reuse most of the benefits of weekly water changes and that stability was the key to a equipment from my previous tanks. However, I replaced my previous healthy reef. I also learned about some of the restrictions of a small LED lighting with T5s. I know it sounds odd to switch from LEDs tank, like only being able to keep a minimal number of fish and to T5s, but there's something about using long-proven technology having relatively few equipment choices. Eventually, I outgrew my that gives me some assurance of success. I also felt that there was NanoCube. A Solana 25 popped up at a good price, and my next something missing in the color rendition of LEDs, and I never got tank adventure began. A new and bigger tank meant a clean slate the look I wanted from my corals and fish. This change in lighting and, more importantly, more equipment options. turned out to be a good decision. My zoas that were the size of a pencil head soon became nearly dime sized. Mushrooms started to After only a few months with my Solana, I decided I needed a expand to cover the rock, and coral growth skyrocketed. The soft different tank since the back chambers of the Solana 25 were too look and even spread of the T5 lighting eliminated the shadowing small for my taste, and the tank itself was too tall and narrow to effect of the LEDs and made my reef tank look…well…more like a create the aquascape I wanted. But I decided to continue with reef. I also added some ReefBrite LEDs to bring back that actinic nano aquariums for two reasons. First, most of the equipment I "pop." I had the best of both worlds. had could be repurposed, saving me money. Second, if I couldn't succeed with a small aquarium, I didn't think I could necessarily do One of my past mistakes with the NanoCube and Solana was that better with a larger one. I had purchased corals based on how they looked individually.

18 www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com Full tank shot of the Nuvo Lagoon 25

After purchasing a coral and tanking it, I would soon realize it had the corals. Having a diverse cleanup crew also allowed me to keep no real place in the overall aquascape. The coral would either look nuisance algae in check. Additionally, adding these inverts made odd in the limited space I had left to mount it, or there was already my tank feel more like a small piece of the ocean, which was my a coral in the tank that was visually too similar. If I was to achieve my goal. goal of creating a proper reef, I had to change the way I purchased corals. After hardscaping my Nuvo, I took a photo of the rockwork and began planning out my vision for the tank. I would now look at any potential coral purchase and reflect on where it would be placed in my tank and what it would add in terms of the overall aesthetic.

Another lesson I learned from my past builds and years of reefkeeping was that it required my sustained, regular attention. I needed to choose my livestock and build my tank around a maintenance schedule that I could commit to. This revelation led me to focus on soft corals and a few LPS (large-polyped stonies) as my main livestock. If I chose to keep mostly soft corals, the depletion of major and trace elements in the tank would be minimized. Soft corals are also more forgiving when changes in water parameters occur. A few Euphyllia were chosen to create texture and add movement to the tank. A small Birdsnest frag was added as a canary to let me know when the tank needed attention. I aim for weekly water changes but sometimes stretch it to once every few weeks. Keeping low-maintenance corals was easily the best decision I made. It made the hobby enjoyable again rather than being a chore.

I also wanted to create diversity in my tank and keep more than just corals, so I added a Tridacna derasa clam, Coco Worms, and Rock Flower Anemones. I also added a variety of hermit and snails. I avoided shrimp because I've had issues in the past with them plucking food out of corals' mouths and ultimately injuring

Reef Hobbyist Magazine 19 For fish choices, I was limited in what I could keep since it was a nano. I knew I could only keep a few fish, so I splurged a bit. I was fortunate enough to secure two of my dream fish: a Candy Basslet and, more importantly, a baby Joculator Angelfish, the one fish I'd always wanted as a child. With these two fish forming the focus of the tank, I added two other fish that would occupy areas of the tank where the angel and basslet don't usually swim. I chose a Midas Blenny (which I love for its puppy-like personality) to hop along the rocks and a Yellow Coris Wrasse (which contributes to pest control) to swim through the nooks and crannies. With the addition of these fish, my tank had movement everywhere. That pretty much sums up how my tank got to where it is today. Listed below is my current equipment and livestock. Candy Basslet TANK SPECS

Display: Innovative Marine Nuvo Lagoon 25 Lighting: ATI 24" Dimmable SunPower (3 Blue Plus, 1 Coral Plus), (2) ReefBrite 24" XHO Blue LED Heater: Cobalt Neotherm 100 watt Circulation: Sicce 1.5 (return pump), (2) EcoTech MP10s, Innovative Marine Auqa Gadget Spin Stream Skimmer: Eshopps PSK-100H Filter Media: ChemiPure Blue, filter floss Back Chamber Filtration: (2) inTank filter floss holders, MarinePure Ceramic Biomedia Plate Back Chamber Refugium: inTank Fuge Basket, JBJ Nano-Glo 4-LED refugium light, chaeto Top-off: Tunze Osmolator Universal 3155 Dosing: Bubble Magus BM-T11, ESV B-Ionic Components (alk, ca, mag) Rock: Jestersix custom scape, Real Reef Rock

LIVESTOCK

FISH Joculator Angelfish - Joculator Angelfish (Centropyge joculator) Midas Blenny - Candy Basslet (Liopropoma carmabi) - Midas Blenny ( midas) - Yellow Coris Wrasse ()

SOFT CORALS - Rhodactis spp. - Discosoma spp. - various zoanthids - Ricordea florida

HARD CORALS - Blastomussa merletti - Echinopora spp. (chalices) - Scolymia sp. - Frogspawn (Euphyllia divisa) - Hammer (Euphyllia ancora)

20 www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com

Rock Flower Anemones Dendros

- Torches (Euphyllia glabrescens) - Cerith Snails (Cerithium sp.) - Dendros (Dendrophyllia sp.) - Banded Trochus Snails (Trochus sp.) - Walking Dendro (Heteropsammia cochlea) - Halloween Hermits (Ciliopagurus strigatus) - Blue Knuckle Hermits (Calcinus elegans) INVERTEBRATES - Blue Leg Hermits (Clibanarius tricolor) - Flower Anemones (Epicystis crucifer) - Scarlet Hermits (Paguristes cadenati) - Derasa Clam (Tridacna derasa) - Coco Worms (Protula bispiralis) WORDS OF WISDOM - Nassarius Snails (Nassarius sp.) - Fighting Conches (Strombus sp.) • Unlike some other hobbies, reefing involves keeping live animals, - Astrea Snails (Astraea tecta) which means constant attention all year round. Make sure that you

22 www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com Frankenstein Mushroom

Tie Dye Mushroom plan your maintenance to be as simple as possible to allow for the busier times you'll have later in life. It's good to have a few tanks and photos to inspire you, but it's best to be realistic about what you can accomplish. • Join a local club and visit one of the reefing events in your area. If there isn't a local show, think about visiting one of the larger ones (MACNA or Reef-A-Palooza). Attending a huge convention that's dedicated to our hobby is mind-blowing. Being social is such a huge part of any hobby, and making friends who share your reefing passion will help keep you motivated. • Photograph your tank! As time goes by, you'll be able to reflect back on your tank's evolution and see what you've accomplished over the years. Seeing a photo of your tank in its prime will also help keep you motivated when your tank goes through harder times. By reflecting on your progress, you can see what you liked and disliked about your past choices, helping you move forward in a deliberate way. Photography also brings another aspect to this hobby, and taking photos of your reef can be just as enjoyable as viewing it. • Most importantly, have patience. Nothing comes fast in this hobby. Our hobby is unlike any other, with many challenges but also great rewards. • I'd like to say that it took only a year for my tank to look like this, but in hindsight, it's the culmination of nearly a decade of experiences. I hope you enjoyed my article and gained something new from my experiences. R Reef Hobbyist Magazine 23 JOSUE MATIAS A ZOA FREAK’S NUDIBRANCH HUNTING GUIDE

ello everyone…Joshporksandwich, zoa freak here. colonies, and regardless of how careful I am, some pests always A lot has happened since my last RHM article: I sneak into my system. There are pests that can irritate and sting went from five tanks to two, I killed all my zoanthids your zoanthids and keep them from thriving, and then there are through a mistake of my own, and finally, I removed pests that can destroy your zoanthids altogether. Some from this all of the tanks from my house and relocated them to latter group include fish, zoanthid-eating spiders, zoanthid-eating a shed in the back of my house. It's been a bumpy nudibranchs, Aiptasia, Mojanos, and hydroids. Hride, to say the least. In this article, I will discuss the zoanthid-eating nudibranch, the biggest nightmare that I've encountered since I got Of all the pests I've encountered over the years, the one that has my first tank in October 2011. But don't despair; I'll also discuss had the most devastating effect on my corals is the zoanthid- the protocol I used to eradicate these pests from my system. eating nudibranch. Zoanthid-eating nudibranchs start by chomping down on the skirt (or tentacles) of the zoanthid. This can cause Hobbyists always tell me that my zoanthids look amazing, and the zoanthid to get an infection and rot. If the zoanthid survives they think that everything in my system looks perfect, but I go the initial attack and doesn't become infected, the nudibranch through the same struggles that everyone else does. I buy many continues eating the zoanthid from the center out. There are lots of

24 www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com These zoa-eating nudibranchs reflect the fluorescent colors of the zoanthids they were eating. Nudibranch hunting kit treatments available, including chemical options, but none of them the kitchen drawer). Once you have all your equipment ready, you kill nudibranch eggs. The method that has worked best for me is must wait at least 2 hours after your lights have turned off to begin the most time consuming and unorthodox: physically hunting and your hunt. removing the nudibranchs and their eggs. When you are ready to begin the nudibranch hunt, point the To hunt nudibranchs, you will need to gather a few items. First, flashlight at one colony or section of your tank. You will see those you'll need a pair of orange shop glasses like the ones people use little suckers light up like fireflies. Nudibranchs have an amazing to look at corals. Second, you'll need a blue LED flashlight or a characteristic: they reflect the color of the zoanthid they're eating. blue LED that you can hold with one hand, like a Kessil 180. Third, So if they're eating a Scrambled-egg Zoa, they will glow bright you'll need a turkey baster (make sure not to use the one from yellow. If they eat a Radioactive Dragon-eye, they will glow bright

These R2R Princess Oxana zoas are missing tentacles, a sign that zoa-eating nudibranchs may be lurking.

Reef Hobbyist Magazine 25 The top circle shows a closed zoanthid that has been damaged by a nudibranch. The lower circle shows a tiny red spot, which is a baby nudibranch. green. To begin, squeeze all the air out of the dozens in one area, the easiest way to remove them is to take the coral out of the baster and insert the baster into the tank. Once water. If the zoanthid's polyps are still open, shake it a little and try to force the you see a nudibranch, point the tip of your baster polyps to close. At times, I've had to use my hands to force them closed (always use at it and suck it up. gloves and safety glasses when handling zoas). Rinse the zoanthids with sink water.

Start with the big ones first since they are the ones that lay the eggs. If you focus on the small ones first, the big ones might be laying dozens of egg spirals just in the short time you're hunting the small ones. Once all the big ones have been captured, move on to the medium ones. Since you are doing this with the lights off, the zoanthids will be closed. The only thing that will shine bright through your orange glasses should be the nudibranchs. Try not to spend too much time lighting one area or your zoanthids will start to open, making it harder to spot any remaining nudibranchs.

Once you have removed all the larger nudibranchs, it's time to hunt for the eggs and babies. Look closely at the closed polyps. If you see a bunch of shiny little spots on them, you are looking at baby nudibranchs. Proceed with the same process of sucking them all out. When you are dealing with These zoa-eating nudibranchs reflect the fluorescent colors of the zoanthids they were eating.

26 www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com Reef Hobbyist Magazine 27 Do not worry; the zoanthids should be safely closed and protected by their outer skin.

Once the babies are eliminated, the next target is the eggs. Note that the eggs will not glow, so you will need to look very closely for spiral patterns on the zoanthids. The best method for removing eggs on a zoanthid is to use a toothpick and gently scrape the eggs from the zoanthid's flesh. Inside the tank, you can use the same method, but use the baster to suck up any loose eggs that get scraped off. Besides manual removal, the other method I use is a natural one: fish. Over the years, I've This Bowser's tentacles just became a nudibranch's snack. tried many , and all my tanks have a mix of wrasses now. The best nudi-eating fish, in my opinion, are Six-line Wrasses (Pseudocheilinus hexataenia), Melanurus Wrasses (Halichoeres melanurus), Yellow Coris Wrasses (Halichoeres chrysus), and Twin Spot Wrasses (Coris aygula). While fish can be a great aid in helping control nudibranch outbreaks, fish alone will not eradicate this problem.

It takes weeks to really start seeing a difference. Once the nudibranchs seem to have disappeared, look to the corals to tell you if the problem has been completely eliminated. If you see a beautiful colony of zoanthids fully open with the exception of a few polyps, that's a sign that the problem persists. Also, look at the skirts of the zoanthids. If they're missing Nudibranch eggs do not glow, so you will need to look for a spiral pattern to identify eggs for removal. tentacles, that's another clear sign that nudibranchs are still present. And This JPS Infusion Rainbow has all of its tentacles intact, a sign of a healthy colony devoid of any pests. remember, the more time you spend hunting for nudibranchs, the quicker you will get rid of them.

The best way to have happy, healthy zoanthids is to observe them daily. The sooner you spot a problem, the faster you can put a solution in place. If you have any further questions about this topic, you can contact me at Reef2Reef. Go to the zoanthids section and tag me in a post. I would like to thank Reef Hobbyist Magazine for allowing me yet another opportunity to share my experiences, and I hope that it helps you keep your sea flowers alive and happy. R 28 www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com

Stephan Kerkhofs 123RF Kerkhofs Stephan

BREEDING AND REARING LYRETAIL ANTHIAS AT THE COLUMBUS ZOO AND AQUARIUM RAMON VILLAVERDE

ne of my recent aquaculture achievements at I also cultured Apocyclops panamensis and Euterpina acutifrons, work has been the rearing of Lyretail Anthias two other species of copepods. These were added to the feeding (Pseudanthias squamipinnis). There were many regimen about a week after I started to feed with Parvocalanus. challenges in rearing these pelagic larvae, some of which included identifying and sourcing live foods, In order to raise enough live copepods, I needed to grow live algae. collecting eggs, setting up a rearing system, water I cultured over 30 gallons of algae, including Nannochloropsis sp., Oquality, and of course, all the time involved. Overcoming these and Rhodomonas sp., Isochrysis sp., and Tetraselmis sp. Each type of other challenges made the success of settling these colorful little algae has its own nutritional benefits, so I fed a variety of algae to fish very rewarding. the copepods to enrich them.

The first challenge in any aquaculture attempt of pelagic marine With live foods under control, the next challenge was collecting ornamentals is food. Having the right type and amount of food can pelagic eggs from an exhibit that has varying water levels. The be difficult. Many pelagic larvae hatch out underdeveloped and do exhibit is approximately 800 gallons with two Carlson surge devices. not eat for the first few days. Once they develop internal organs and The solution was to make a pelagic egg collector that floated on a functional mouth, the first food of choice is newly hatched copepod the surface and was tethered to the sides of the exhibit, keeping it nauplii. I cultured Parvocalanus crassirostris for their small nauplii. relatively stationary. I placed the egg collector in the system around

30 www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com Egg collector

Eggs and detritus before separation

Viable eggs floating at the surface

3:30 p.m. each day before leaving work. The next day, after doing some of my morning duties, I would harvest and clean up the eggs that were collected overnight.

The process of harvesting the eggs started with pulling the collector out of the exhibit. The eggs were then rinsed into a 250 micron sieve. There was usually other debris collected with the eggs, such as algae, amphipods, and detritus. Everything collected in the sieve was rinsed into a 250 ml beaker to begin the cleaning process. All the viable fertilized eggs floated to the surface while unwanted material sank down to the bottom of the

Reef Hobbyist Magazine 31 Top view of MOLAR tank, center drain, and air ring MOLAR system beaker. After about 10 minutes, the eggs pseudo-kreisels, cone tanks, and black round tanks. It's important to choose a design were decanted into another beaker and the that will keep the larvae from getting beaten up while also keeping them in suspension. unwanted material was rinsed down the Fortunately for me, I was able to participate in a larval workshop several years ago hosted drain. The eggs were then sterilized with a 1 by New England Aquarium and Roger Williams University. Every participant's organization percent iodine solution using 1 ml iodine/1 was given an aquaculture starter kit (MOLAR system) specifically designed to raise L of water. The eggs stayed in this iodine larval fish. The MOdular LArval Rearing system's main feature is the design of the tank's bath for 10 minutes to kill any remaining adjustable water flow and drainage screens. The larval tanks are black round tubs (BRT) unwanted amphipods, ciliates, algae, and made of fiberglass. The drain is a specially made micron screen with an air ring around bacteria. After the eggs were sterilized, they it. The screen screws into a central bulkhead on the bottom of the tank. The air ring is were poured into a screen and rinsed with adjustable from zero to high airflow. The air creates a circular water pattern around the clean saltwater before being placed into central drain, helping to keep the delicate larvae suspended in the water, as well as keeping their rearing tank. the larvae off the drainage screen.

Rearing the Larvae There are lots of different theories and methods around larval rearing. The ultimate goal is to raise as many healthy fish as one can in the easiest way possible. I will not cover every There are several tank designs to choose method, but truthfully, I used a combination of methods that work for me. I will highlight from for larval rearing, such as kreisels, some of these processes from eggs to newly settled fish.

Zero days post hatch 18–19 days post hatch

10–12 days post hatch

32 www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com Reef Hobbyist Magazine 33 20–21 days post hatch

25–26 days post hatch 32–33 days post hatch

In the grow-out tanks, I monitor four main parameters: water the screen. Needless to say, air adjustment was one of the daily quality, air flow, food supply, and water turbidity. These all affect tasks, and it needed to be monitored carefully. the larvae's health and behavior, so it is not always easy to pinpoint which one is having what specific effect. It's a learning process Providing the right amount of food also required careful monitoring. and can only be accomplished with daily observation and fine Too little food and larval competition for food compromised the adjustments. health and development of the larvae. Too much food and the larvae got stressed from bumping into the pods. I like to co- Water quality is important for any aquarium system. Fish larvae, culture copepods with the fish larvae. With the right balance, though, are less forgiving than adult animals. When the eggs were the copepods supplied enough offspring to feed the fish larvae placed into the rearing system, I tried to closely match the salinity and maintain the nauplii population in the larval tank. Additional and temperature to the water they came from. Ammonia and nitrite copepods still needed to be added as the larvae grew and required levels were kept below 0.1 mg/L, pH around 8–8.1, temperature more food. As mentioned above, I started with Parvocalanus around 79–81° F, and salinity at 34–36 ppt. Waste and biological copepods, and a few weeks into the rearing process, I added processes decrease the oxygen exchange across the surface of Apocyclops and Euterpina copepods. I varied between adding the water by creating an oily film on the surface. This film needed adults and nauplii or just nauplii depending on the amount of each to be removed manually. I did this by laying sheets of paper towels in the larval tanks. on the surface and moving them across the surface to attach to the film. Turbidity was monitored daily and adjusted by doing algae drips into the tanks. I added algae by placing a reservoir of algae above Air was supplied to the larval tanks with a ring-shaped air diffuser the larval tank and gravity feeding it into the tank. Algae provided around the central drainage screen. The air ring helped keep oxygen food for the copepods to keep them enriched and also helped calm levels stable and kept the larvae suspended in the water column. the fish. Some researchers also think that some turbidity helps with The amount of airflow varied from low to high depending on the eye development and prey capture in the larval fish. behavior of the larvae. I kept the airflow low during hatching and the first few days of development when the larvae were more sensitive There is still a lot to learn and improve in rearing these colorful to disturbances. If the larvae were lying on the bottom, the air was fish. The immediate challenges I face are increasing egg collection increased to keep them suspended in the water. As the larvae amounts and increasing larval survival. Both will come with more became stronger and better swimmers, the airflow was increased, trial and error as my efforts continue. It's an exciting time in marine but if they were being tumbled around too much, it was decreased. fishkeeping as we learn to breed and raise more species every year. A benefit of the air supply surrounding the central drainage screen I'm proud that the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium can be a leader was that it helped keep larvae and food from getting sucked onto in these efforts. R 34 www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com

Bernard Dupont Bernard

MICHAEL RICE A GUIDE TO FRAGGING SOFT CORALS

oral fragging is one of the most amazing aspects Toadstool leathers are among the most popular of these corals, of this hobby, giving us the ability to reproduce rare and their unique shape lends itself to a specific technique for reef animals in our care and make our hobby more fragging colonies while still maintaining their natural form afterward. sustainable in the process. There are many species To accomplish this, I like to perform what I call a "halo" cut. that require specialized tools and skills to frag, but there are also some that can be easily propagated I begin every soft coral fragging session with a new, sharp razor Cusing tools commonly found around the house. Leather corals, blade to be sure no potential infections are spread between corals. Xenia, green star polyps, and clove polyps are among the very Many other tools commonly found around the house can also be easiest, and for this article, I would like to show you how to start used, but be sure to clean them thoroughly before and after use. fragging these easygoing softies. These corals can be cut up into nearly any sized pieces, with fragments taken from nearly any part First, I place the toadstool leather colony upside down on a of the animal, and these will eventually grow to be full colonies smooth surface so that I can easily cut a strip from around the themselves. entire perimeter of the top. The width of the cut strip depends on

36 www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com 1. Place the colony upside down 2. Cut a strip from around the perimeter

3. Separate the newly cut strip 4. Cut the strip into smaller sections

5. The cut pieces become the final frags for mounting the overall size of the mother colony and how much I would like to trim it down, but the goal is to leave the colony circular and naturally round on top. After this strip is separated, I cut it into smaller sections that become the final frags. Be sure to leave your frags at least an inch wide to make it easier to mount them later.

Mounting leather coral frags is the tricky part since they won't usually stay attached with coral glue. For this process, I use rubber bands, mesh netting, or a needle and thread.

To attach leather frags with rubber bands, I simply place a frag on a small rock and loosely wrap rubber bands around it. I shoot for at least two wraps across each frag to keep it stable while it's healing.

Reef Hobbyist Magazine 37 (Rubber Band Method) Place a frag on the mount and loosely wrap the rubber band around frag and mount

Two leather frags fully attached to their bases Wrap the frag twice to be sure it's secure

Using netting is very similar. I place a pre-cut piece of netting With all three techniques, the key is to attach the frags firmly over the frag and rock and use rubber bands on the edges of the without pinching them too tightly. Leather corals are very soft, and netting to ensure that the frag stays under the net. Netting the frags any tight binding against their flesh will quickly cut through, leaving probably results in the fastest healing due to how stable it keeps two loose pieces of coral and one lonely rock. Toadstool leathers the frags while they attach to the mount underneath. will usually grow onto their mounts in 1 or 2 weeks but may take months to fully regain their toadstool shape. While they're healing, Threading is also a very easy technique in which I use a needle leather frags will benefit from being placed in a lower-flow area of and thread to secure the frag to its mount. I run several strands of the aquarium to allow them to fully attach to their mounts. thread through the base of a fresh frag and tie it around a mount, typically a small rock. Frags attached with thread often attach a little Xenia is another easy-to-frag soft coral that can be cut and attached slower than other methods. in the same ways as leather corals. Nearly any cutting tool can be

(Netting Method) Wrap the frag and mount with pre-cut netting Secure one side with a loosely tied rubber band Secure the other side with another rubber band

38 www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com Reef Hobbyist Magazine 39 Green star polyp is soft coral that, in most cases, is extremely easy to frag. Often, colonies can be cleanly peeled off live rock in large sections. Sometimes, more in-depth work is required to break the mat and polyps free from the rock.

I begin cutting green star polyps by attempting to pry under the edges of the colony. This can be done using a razor blade or nearly any kind of fine tool, such as a flat-head screwdriver or chisel. Sometimes, the mat will begin pulling off the rock easily, making it simple to pull as much or as little as wanted. Once the mat is separated from the rock, I cut or tear it into smaller sections to suit

A small colony of Xenia used, but my personal favorite is a pair of small scissors. Stalks can be cut from the colony at nearly any point and are easily attached to small rocks using loose rubber bands, netting, or thread. Loose attachment is key here as well, or you will end up with Xenia bits floating around your aquarium. Frags will usually be fully attached in (Needle and Thread Method) 1 week and will continue growing vigorously while healing. Be sure Secure thread to mount and pierce frag to place frags in a low-flow area while waiting for them to attach to prevent them from slipping free of their new mounts.

Wrap around mount and pierce frag again

Continue to pierce and wrap until secure

40 www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com Reef Hobbyist Magazine 41 A small colony of green star polyps

my needs. Green star polyps are easy to frag and easy to attach with super glue, which forms a strong bond to the back of the mats. I place each frag on a small rock with the edges glued down as much as possible to allow it to begin to encrust quickly.

For colonies that refuse to be easily peeled from the rock, the tools I reach for most often are a hammer and chisel. Small sections of the rock can be broken away from underneath the polyps while leaving the bulk of the rock intact. The key is to chisel down into the rock to a shallow depth and then angle the chisel to run parallel with the coral's surface. This will shear off sections of polyps with rock underneath and results in frags that are already securely attached to their bases. These frags can be left on the small pieces of rock they break off with or glued to larger rocks if desired.

Clove polyps are the final coral that I would like to cover here, and they're one of my favorites to frag. They look like flowers and, coincidentally, can be plucked from the rock almost exactly like flowers. To pull them off the rock, I hold their stalks loosely between my fingers as close to the rock as possible and pull gently. They grow along runners that extend across the rock, so once the polyps come loose, they can be slowly and gently pulled off the rock along with their runners. You'll soon learn to pull off as little or as much as you want. Then, runner and polyp sections can be divided into desired sizes using a razor blade, and these are easily attached to small rocks or plugs using coral glue. Individual clove polyps without runners are difficult or impossible to get to grow, so be sure to include some runner on each frag. Clove polyps can also

42 www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com which point I'll cut them as close to the coral surface as possible and wait for them to be consumed by new growth. Netting can sometimes be a little trickier to remove if the frags grow through it, but with most soft corals, the netting will quickly disappear inside of the coral's flesh if the netting can't be cut away.

Safety is very important when fragging corals from your aquarium, as many of them contain powerful toxins that can injure or even kill humans or pets. Always be sure to wear gloves and eye protection to keep the random squirts of coral juice out of sensitive areas while you're working on them. Also, be sure to A small colony of clove polyps cover any open wounds you may have. take some time to fully attach and should be watched closely since their runners Leather corals, Xenia, green star polyps, and clove easily break loose from glue. These should definitely be placed in a low-flow area polyps may be the easiest corals out there to frag, to heal. but the truth is, they're just a gateway to the world of manual coral propagation. Mastering the skills it For all types of coral fragging, I like to finish with a dipping solution to help takes to help them multiply is a great foundation for minimize the risk of infection. For soft corals, I use an iodine dip with enough moving toward species that you would like to frag in iodine added to tank water to turn the water a light amber shade. After all cuts the future, and each frag you create is one less coral are complete and the frags are mounted, they are placed in this solution for about that will need to be taken from the wild. Fragging truly 10 minutes before going back into the aquarium. is the future of the reefing hobby, so get started today with some easy ones and do your part. There's no As your frags heal, you'll likely notice how quickly they begin to swallow your better way to start than with a small stock of easy- rubber bands, thread, and netting. Once the frags are fully attached, rubber to-cut soft corals. Perfect these techniques and you bands and thread can be cut, and the loose ends will usually pull through the frags may find that fragging becomes your new hobby easily, leaving a natural look. Occasionally, they will get caught inside a coral at within the hobby. R

Reef Hobbyist Magazine 43 PAULO CUNHA THE CUNHA REEF

44 www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com First day of Cunha Reef Cunha Reef after 5 months

y journey in the reef hobby started on December For the first year, my reef tank was maintained with Fauna Marin 15, 2015. Unlike many reefers, I'd never had a tank Balling and Color Elements. But soon, I realized it wasn't enough. before, fresh or salt water. I had been viewing reef My mentor, Paulo, was already using Aquaforest products in his tanks on YouTube and was following ReefSpot, a reef tank with excellent results and suggested the same solution for tank that belonged to Paulo Oliveira, an aquarium me. I started introducing Aquaforest Amino Mix, Build, Energy, and shop owner in Portugal. I hoped someday to have Vitality into my system. Now, in addition to those, I dose Kalium, Msomething similar. Strontium, and Iodum, too. I keep nutrients under control with Pro Bio S, Chaetomorpha algae, and a weekly 20 percent water I was lucky enough to meet Paulo at a reef tank lover's luncheon change with natural sea water. where someone introduced us. Seeing my chance, I took the opportunity to talk to him about my aspirations. Without even As the reef progressed, I continued following Paulo's advice, and knowing me, he offered his help right away. after 2 years, I feel that my reef has finally graduated into the ranks of Portugal's beautiful reef tanks (in my humble opinion). Two weeks later, he embarked on a 200 km journey to my house to help me start creating my dream reef. At that point, I still didn't have a clue about aquariums. This is how Cunha Reef began.

SPECIFICATIONS

Dimensions: ~60" × 30" × 25" Lighting: ATI 8 × 80-watt T5s Circulation: (2) EcoTech VorTech MP40wQD Return Pump: Jebao DCT 2000 Dosing Pump: Pacific Sun Kore 5th Skimmer: Royal Exclusiv Dual Cone with RD3 Speedy pump

Achilles Tang

Reef Hobbyist Magazine 45 Lieutenant Tang Ruby Longfin Fairy Wrasse

Acropora millepora Acropora millepora

Stylophora pistillata Strawberry Shortcake (Acropora)

46 www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com Reef Hobbyist Magazine 47 Montipora spp.

Side view of the tank after 8 months

48 www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com Rainbow zoanthids Turbinaria sp.

Initially, the idea for my display was to have only some LPS (large- Today, my reef has healthy fish and corals growing more and more polyped stony) corals and a few fish, but then the excitement took beautiful every day. I have no idea how many Acropora I own, over, and I started to introduce a few easy SPS (small-polyped because at first, I simply added every coral I liked. Now, I think stony) corals. I gradually switched from easy-maintenance corals differently and choose the rarest and most difficult corals to keep, to some harder ones, and currently, I am able to put nearly any type so I think you can tell I've quickly grown to be picky. of coral in my tank due to the stability of my system. I attribute my system's stability to consistent weekly water testing; I never forget Recently, I remodeled my tank's layout to allow space for the because I don't want any unpleasant surprises. unusual corals I'm still buying, and I hope I can keep my tank looking as beautiful as ever. The same thing happened with my fish. I started off with a few easy ones, like Acanthurus tennenti and Acanthurus pyroferus, but my This hobby has been very satisfying for me. I was fortunate to have ambition got the best of me. I began looking for the greatest of a mentor who offered great advice, and I had access to quality all fish, an Achilles Tang. One day, Paulo located a specimen and equipment and products, all of which made my first attempt at called to ask if I still wanted one. I immediately told him yes. reefkeeping a real success. R

Reef Hobbyist Magazine 49 PRODUCT REVIEW: JIM ADELBERG VCA'S RANDOM FLOW GENERATOR very once in a while, we here at the magazine see I chose to test my sample unit in a 30-gallon cube with a somewhat a product hit the market that we find intriguing. underpowered return where I'd been experiencing some dead spots that We ask for a test unit and put it through its paces were encouraging cyano growth. This is a tank full of breeding basslets, to be able to report back to our readers on and the amount of food I was feeding them was causing heavy nutrient products they may find useful. When one of our loads despite the twice weekly water changes. In short, this would be staff came across the Random Flow Generator a hard test for the unit. The nozzle itself was pleasantly small in the ½" Efrom Vivid Creative Aquatics and brought it to my attention, I version, and I wondered if it would make a difference. I was pleasantly was definitely intrigued. As a confirmed reef addict, I consider surprised by the unit's acceleration of a fairly weak return and even more myself a bit of a geek, and I love all the high technology pleased as the days went by. It quickly became clear that this item was associated with this hobby. But there's also something really starting to clear some of the cyano that had been growing and was neat about simple, economical, and humble products that, even creating enough sweeping flow to flush detritus out from under the through good attention to design, address basic needs in an rockwork. innovative way. That's the case with this item, and I'm happy to recommend it unconditionally. Overall, I would say this product performs very well considering its humble design and The Random Flow Generator is both an eductor and a flow economical retail price. My next experiment randomizer. This means that the nozzle both entrains water with the Random Flow Generator is to see from the tank (increasing your return pump's water-return how it will improve the powerheads I use velocity) and simultaneously randomizes the flow pattern in my salt water mixing barrel. I expect that returned to the tank. And it does all of this with no moving I will be able to mix salt water far quicker parts! I am a salty old skeptic, and while I have used and than with just the powerheads or even with benefitted from eductors in my older tanks, I haven't always just educted powerheads. But that'll have to appreciated the high velocity-centered return, which can wait until I order another one, as my first unit heavily buffet a coral in one location while another coral, has earned a permanent place in my basslet mere inches away, gets almost no flow. This product makes breeding tank. The Vivid Creative Aquatics the benefits of an educted return much more usable by Random Flow Generator should be available randomizing the direction of the powerful jet of water and at your favorite local reef shop soon, and I spreading it over a much larger area. encourage you to try one out for yourself. R 50 www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com

52 www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com