Species Spotlight- Spotted Mandarin

It is easy to see why the spotted mandarin (Synchiropus picturatus) is sometimes referred to as the psychedelic mandarin.  It's incredible color combinations, small size, and availability make it a fairly common addition to the home aquarium, but it is also one of the species that often doesn't survive past a few weeks after bringing it home.  This isn't because they are disease prone or especially fragile, but rather due to inadequate human care.  In their native western pacific reef habitat, they spend their time continuously foraging for copepods, worms, and other inverts.  Though some individuals can successfully be weaned onto frozen foods, many won't and they are best kept by someone committed to ensuring a sufficient quantity of live copepods.  But if you do your research and provide proper care, this fish is an incredibly interesting addition to a reef system.  Their beauty and habit of "climbing" around the rocks and corals make them fascinating to watch for hours.  

Patio Pond Shell- By Sara H.

After a fair amount of shopping both online and at hardware stores and garden centers, I found quite a few different places to start with my new patio pond.  Most of the retail options were a little more expensive than I was hoping for and I didn't want to completely build something from scratch.  I opted to start with a simple molded plastic pond liner and fountain pump.  It will be smaller than I originally anticipated, but I've decided to start small to be sure I'm comfortable with the maintenance.  If so, I plan to add another larger pond on the opposite end of my patio.  I purchased a MacCourt 20 gallon polyethylene liner from Lowe's for under $20.  I placed it on the patio against the building wall.  I plan to either creatively cover the shell or build it in with a retaining wall creating a raised planting bed around the pond.  I've still got some decisions to make regarding my next steps, but I'll post pictures soon.  

New Patio Pond II

Choosing My Pond Type- By Sara H.

I've had some time to think about where to begin with my patio pond.  I originally planned to build the structure of the pond with pavers and liner (similar to pictured left), but found so many interesting options for prefabricated patio ponds.  I love this option (pictured right) by pond boss for sale on Amazon.com HERE.  I decided the look was a little more modern than I wanted.  Aquascape Inc. has many excellent options on their site.  I would like a look that is either more natural, or even a rustic container such as a livestock water trough or steel tub which was suggested by a follower.  I'm going to go with something simpler than building from scratch, but perhaps with a do it yourself element that won't be as costly as a pond purchased from a retailer.  I'll be shopping in the next two days.  I'm excited to get started and to share pictures.  Please visit us again soon.

New Patio Pond

Indoor/outdoor living is more popular now than ever, especially in Florida's climate.  Rare is the home that doesn't have some type of designated outdoor living space. Many people designate significant time and resources to making their outdoor spaces just as comfortable and aesthetically appealing as the inside.  In addition to staples such as comfortable outdoor furniture, pleasant landscaping, insect control, etc., aquascapes are a fantastic way to add interest to your outdoor design.  Even in an apartment or condo, often neglected patio space can be made much more inviting because of the ambient sound, aquatic foliage, and even animal life a patio pond adds.

Sara H. is one of our experienced marine aquarists that doesn't keep freshwater fish and has never had a pond.  She is planning a makeover for her condo's screened lanai and wants to include a water garden.  She's planning one very small table top container water garden, and a roughly 2x3x2 above ground water feature with aquatic plants, fish, and a small waterfall.  With the help of a Tampa Bay Aquatics' aquaculturist and suggestions from our readers, she plans to get started this weekend.  Please feel free to contact us at tampaaquatics@gmail.com and share your thoughts, tips, and pictures of your aquascapes. We look forward to hearing from you.  

Algae Control in the Reef Aquarium III-Green Algae Continued- Post 3

                

 When setting up a new reef environment, you will definitely encounter green filamentous algae of the order caulerpales including 45 genera and over 400 species.  They’ll typically begin to show up after a few weeks and thrive with good light and water flow.  If allowed to grow freely, they can easily cover the entire aquarium.  Aquarists used to think that this algae was a good sign of a healthy environment which we now

know is not correct; in fact the exact opposite is usually true.  Even though in small quantities they can be quite attractive, most aquarists believe that they should be avoided completely.  They thrive on nutrients that shouldn’t be present, can choke out corals, and when they die they release many compounds into the water that are toxic to fish and coral.  While they are present during the initial set up period, it is not

advisable to introduce any species that are particularly fragile, though it is the time to introduce herbivores that will help in its control.  Positioning the tank away from direct sunlight, adding kalkwasser during water changes (discussed later), keeping nutrient content as low as possible, and adding livestock that eat algae as a major food source are the best bets in controlling filamentous algae.  In the posts following the algae series we will discuss these types of livestock in depth.

Algae Control in the Reef Aquarium III-Green Algae Continued- Post 2

In the order dasycladales, there are several types that often appear on live rock but rarely last long. 

 In the order siphonocladales, there are two that are notable in reef aquariums; valonia and ventricaria.  These are the green “bubble algae.”  The bubble form isn’t because the algae produces air bubbles like others, but is the form of the algae itself.  

Some find these species unsightly, and others decorative and interesting.  The cause for concern is how quickly growing they are and how difficult they can be to eradicate.  They can easily outgrow neighboring corals.  Though not in all cases, they are also often found when there are too many nutrients in the environment which is a second cause for concern. 

Manual removal, and the deprivation of needed nutrients are the most effective methods of elimination as they are likely to resist being eradicated by herbivores.  There can be concern for rupturing them during removal, as they will release more spores into the environment causing further outbreak.  It is worth being careful to attempt avoiding rupture, but the risk is necessary as the spores will be released anyway if they aren’t removed at all.  After manual removal of the large vesicles, herbivores will help to prevent new growth.  

Algae Control in the Reef Aquarium III- Green Algae- Post 1

ulva

Chlorophyta, green algae, are the largest and most diverse group with approximately 15% of the over 7,000 known species being marine.  As such, we’ll mention only a small number of specific species.  Many types are a nuisance while some can be considered decorative and are purposefully cultivated.

enteromorpha

                     

Of the order ulotrichales, ulvas and enteromorphas commonly appear in the reef tank with live rock. While they are interesting looking and can thrive in a tank with biological filtration and little skimming, similarly to brown algae, they won’t be seen long other than during the break in period unless there are more nutrients than there should be in the tank environment.  

Algae Control in the Reef Aquarium II- Brown Algae Continued

Also of the Heterokontophyta, there is the class Phaeophycaea, multicellular brown algae including over 1500 species, almost all of which are marine.  They exist in a wide variety of sizes and forms.  Some species can grow to several meters.  While they are an interesting, sometimes beautiful, and important part of marine ecosystems (some are even harvested for human consumption) as they require substantial amounts of nutrients to thrive (iodine, nitrogen, phosphorus) they also shouldn’t be seen in a reef aquarium beyond the initial set up period.

Algae Control in the Reef Aquarium- I- Brown Algae

There are two classes of heterokontophyta that are often referred to as brown algae.  The first is class bacillariophycaea (the second, phaeophycaea will be discussed later.) These single celled diatoms are usually seen when a tank is first cycling within the first couple of weeks or so.  They reproduce extremely quickly; it is possible to thoroughly clean your aquarium in the morning only to find it completely covered again by night.  



This is a normal occurrence and not something to be particularly concerned about or frankly even bother with trying to control at first.  Luckily this fairly unattractive specimen can be easily managed and doesn’t usually last long after the initial cycling period.



The amount of silicates in your water (this can vary depending on the source of your water) will determine how much you will see.  The diatoms need to consume silicate in order to grow.  If you can avoid adding new silicates to the aquarium, the growth will discontinue and they will eventually disappear.  Kalkwasser (limewater) is a popular calcium supplement used to maintain a high pH in the reef tank.  Using this when replacing evaporated water can quickly control the growth of diatoms (more discussions about kalkwasser later.)  A large infestation of diatoms usually results in a large amount of waste being emitted into the water by the algae.  It isn’t advisable to introduce livestock into the environment until it is under control.  Common methods of filtration (protein skimming, carbon, ozone, etc.) will reduce their ability to reproduce and their waste.  While it’s likely to always find a certain amount of diatoms in any aquarium if you look for them, in small quantities they aren’t harmful.   

Series- Algae Control in the Reef Aquarium- Introduction

As several of our contributors are in the process of building new reef habitats, we'll begin with sharing related topics.  One of the more common encounters in a new aquarium environment is an unidentified or unwanted algae bloom.  Over the next week we'll discuss algae control related topics including cultivating beneficial algae. Over time this series will continue to develop in detail as algae and its control are among the most in depth and common reef discussions to be had, especially in reference to nuisance algae.  Additionally, not only are some algae beneficial, if not essential, they can significantly contribute to the natural feel in a well-designed reef.  Please check back for our first post and feel free to submit questions and comments.