issue1frontcover.indd 1 04/12/2006 22:37:37 issue1frontinsidecover_p2.indd 1 04/12/2006 22:40:00 Ultramarine Issue 1 Dec 06/Jan 07 Ultramarine publications, Welcome 18 The Marlborough, 1a Cramner Street, Nottingham, NG3 4GH England t o U l t r a m a r i n e Tel: 0770 300 7640 www.ultramarinemagazine.com >The MD/Editor Keiran Hart [email protected] Hello! >Design, layout, illustration Well, it’s finally here! After months of hard Christopher Hart work and planning Ultramarine issue 1 is com- [email protected] plete. I have been a marine hobbyist for 4 years, currently owning a 180gal Reef Tank. (Pictured >Subsciptions/back issues below is my maroon Clownfish ‘Charlie’!) I also Ruth Ashton own a 100gal Freshwater Kribensis aquarium, [email protected] several lizards, a tarantula and a python! >Printers I hope in publishing this magazine I will con- Pensord Press Ltd, tinue to learn along with you; the readers, all Pontllanfraith, Keiran - Editor about this engaging hobby. Blackwood, Gwent, Ultramarine is essentially a two man band; NP12 2YA myself as the editor and my brother Chris deal- ing with the design of the magazine. Although >Writer/Photographer Credits we are a small team we have been supported all Tony Wu the way by a number of people we would like to Scott W. Michael personally thank: Alf J. Nilsen Bob Fenner The staff from Wharf Aquatics, especially James Fatherree Chris - Designer Tom Edgar- who has looked after my fish on Mark Strickland a number of occasions, Toma Habashi (Pen- Eric Borneman sord Press,) and all the contributors for their Clayton Smith fantastic work and words of encouragement. I Keiran Hart would also like to thank my family for being so Christopher Hart supportive; and last but not least my girlfriend- Ruth Ashton Ruth for putting up with me! Whilst every care is taken to ensure Until next time... accuracy of content, ULTRAMARINE publications will Keiran. not be held responsible for any inac- curacies within supplied articles. All rights reserved. No part of ULTRAMARINE magazine may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval sys- tem, transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or other- wise without prior written consent of the managing director. >Front cover image Tony Wu www.tony-wu.com ultramarine issue1 mastercopyuse1 1 04/12/2006 22:01:33 Contents issue 1 08. Your first Corals Eric Borneman—The first in a series of articles looking into the correct coral choices for beginner reef keepers 14. Trade News Ultramarine 16. Hobbyist Profile Ultramarine—We take a look at Keith Shaw’s 7ft reef in Oldham 20. Golden Wentletrap Snails Mark Strickland—Ever Seen a bungee jumping snail? 24. Keeping Coris Scott Michael—Scott Michael profiles the ‘big three’ members of the family. Coris Aygula, Coris Formosa and Coris Gaimard 30. Using ozone in marine aquaria Clayton Smith—The benefits and potential dangers of using ozone in a marine setup 34. Public Aquarium profile Ultramarine—We take a look at the National Sea Life Centre 38. Hawkfishes in the aquarium James Fatherree—James Fatherree profiles this popular species of aquarium fish 44. Unnatural selection Tony Wu—Why are some fish becoming so small? 08 24 ultramarine issue1 mastercopyuse2 2 04/12/2006 22:01:44 Contents issue 1 46. Q + A Ultramarine—Q + A with Bob Goemans 48. Breeding tropical marine fi sh Clayton Smith—The first article in a series explaining how to successfully rear juvenile fish. 54. Marine Forums Useful internet resources 56. Reef aquarium Ultramarine—Watch the ongoing progress of A Reef aquarium. 64. Pest Organisms On Live Rock Alf J nilsen—Alf Nilsen investigates the organisms which arrive on live rock 70. Moveable Feast! Mark Strickland—Mark Strickland encounters something strange on a dive… 72. Triggerfi sh of the Red Sea Bob Fenner— in-depth profile 78. We want your Photos! Ultramarine—submit your photos here 80. Subscriptions Ultramarine—Subscribe to Ultramarine magazine today! 16 56 38 ultramarine issue1 mastercopyuse3 3 04/12/2006 22:01:58 Contributors Alf Jacob Nilsen Alf Jacob Nilsen (born 1954) lives with his wife Lise at “Hidra”, a small island on the south-western coast of Norway. He is educated as a teacher from the Academy of Teaching in Stavanger and as a biolo- gist from the University of Bergen. He now works as a teacher in his local community. For many years Alf J. has taken an interest in coral reef biology and worked the coral reef aquarium. He has visited reef areas all around the world and has studied the natural coral reefs habitats up close. To- gether with his co-author, Svein A. Fosså, he has published a number of books dealing with the coral reef aquarium. He has given lectures in many countries and also written a lot of articles on the biology and techniques of reef biology and the coral reef aquarium. Alf J. also takes an interest in nature photography and runs the photo agency Bioquatic Photo (www.biophoto.net). His photographic works spans from photographing the universe through telescopes to the macro-life of the marine aquarium seen through a microscope. Scott W. Michael Born in Fremont, Nebraska, Scott W. Michael studied marine biology at the undergraduate and gradu- ate levels at the University of Nebraska. He is an internationally recognized writer, underwater pho- tographer, and marine biology researcher specializing in reef fishes. He has been involved in research projects on sharks, rays, frogfishes, and the behaviour of reef fishes. Mr. Michael has served as a scientific consultant for National Geographic Explorer, the Discovery Channel, and French educational television. He is also a partner in a massive web site project, www.coralrealm.com Eric Borneman Eric Borneman is a Ph.D. candidate supported by an NSF fellowship in the Department of Biology and Biochemistry at the University of Houston. Eric’s primary research area is in the field of apoptosis and stress-related factors in coral disease. Eric received the “Aquarist of the Year” award by the Marine Aquarium Societies of North America in 2002 for contributions to the field of coral husbandry, and has written two books on the subject, including the acclaimed book, Aquarium Corals. Eric is also involved in aquarium trade sustainability issues, sexual and asexual coral culture for research, diseases and reproduction in captive corals, and is currently conducting coral disease research at the Texas Flower Garden Banks. He hosts the new Corals and Coral Reefs Forum, an advanced coral husbandry forum at Marine Depot, having hosted six similar forums over 15 years, and is a science editor of ReefKeeping magazine and Reef Hobbyist Online. Eric has contributed hundreds of articles to both the scientific and the international reefkeeping communities and has lectured worldwide on the subject of coral husbandry. He has been diving and photographing coral reefs of the world since 1978. Robert Fenner Bob has “lived” the science, hobby and business of aquatics in the Philippines, Japan and United States. All phases: collector, wholesale, jobber, retail, design, construction and maintenance. All levels: man- ager, owner, hatchery work, retail clerk, technician. Published works include several studies on aquatic biological and chemical questions, and an extensive publishing and photographic background in the industry and hobby of aquatics in general. 06 | ULTRAMARINE ultramarine issue1 mastercopyuse4 4 04/12/2006 22:02:00 Tony wu Tony’s images have received international awards in Japan, Europe and the US, and his writing appears regularly in publications worldwide. His first book, Silent Symphony, received the award for “Best Book of the Year” at the 28th annual Antibes Festival of Marine Images in France. Tony actively promotes marine conservation issues, and among other achievements, organised efforts that led to the removal of sharkfin soup from the in-flight menus of two national airlines in Southeast Asia. He believes that edu- cation is the key to change, and adopts a cooperate non confrontational approach. James Fatherree James Fatherree has been an aquarium hobbyist since childhood, has been keeping marine aquariums for well over a decade, and has spent many days diving in Florida, Hawaii, the Bahamas, Japan and Indonesia. He also managed a large retail aquarium store, owned and operated an aquarium design, installation, and maintenance business for several years, and spent a summer working as a diver/collec- tor/slave for an aquarium livestock wholesaler in Florida. James has also published well over 100 arti- cles and 1,000 photographs in various aquarium magazines in the U.S. and Europe, and has written and illustrated five books on the topics of reef organisms and marine aquariums, too. If you’d like to know more about the author, visit his homepage at www.fatherree.com/james. Clayton Smith I started keeping fish 24 years ago and corals and inverts 17 years ago. I have been lucky enough to study zoology and marine biology at Liverpool University and to work at public aquariums both in Aus- tralia and the UK as well as studying coral reefs first hand in the Philippines. I am now endeavouring to use this knowledge and experience to bring you the UK’s first dedicated marine aquaculture business, Reefworks. For more information on reefworks visit the website: www.reefworks.co.uk Mark Strickland Growing up in Florida, Mark Strickland’s life-long interest in the sea has included over 10,000 dives and careers as an ocean lifeguard, boat captain, and diving instructor. His passion for underwater pho- tography has led him to many of the world’s best diving areas, including Thailand, where he spent 17 seasons as Cruise Director / Photo-Pro on the live-aboard vessels “M/V Fantasea” and “Ocean Rover”. Strickland now resides in California, where he is trying to adjust to cold water diving. An avid marine naturalist, Mark has discovered several nudibranch species, including one named for his wife Suzanne, Reticulidia suzanneae, and his own namesake, Halgerda stricklandi. Mark is represented by several stock photo agencies including his own, Oceanic Impressions (www.oceanic-impressions.com) Bob Goemans Bob has been in the aquarium hobby for over fifty years and set up his first marine aquarium in 1956. As a member of the Jamaica, New York Aquarium Society he was the first in the USA to own and use an undergravel filter and has collected some of his own aquarium specimens from the Caribbean to the South China Sea. Bob became a well-known author when writing for Marine Fish Monthly for over fourteen years and presently has monthly columns and/or various articles in Freshwater And Marine Aquariums, Tropical Fish Hobbyist, and Practical Fishkeeping and Marine World in the U.K. He’s an independent aquarium supporter often appearing at aquarium shop openings, question and answer sessions, aquarium society meetings, symposiums, school events and even on TV and has established one of the most popular ma- rine aquarist websites in the world (www.saltcorner.com). Dec 06-Jan 07 | 07 ultramarine issue1 mastercopyuse5 5 04/12/2006 22:02:04 Your first Corals Choose wisely or you could regret it! The first purchase of corals for a new When Is The Aquarium Ready For biological and chemical changes are oc- reef aquarium is an exciting time. Corals? curring. Algae, sponges, worms, crusta- There are hundreds of species that are all ceans, echinoderms, bivalves, and other beautiful in their own right, each practi- Tank maturity seems to be a source of organisms will be dying and decompos- cally begging to be displayed as the first much confusion. Contrary to what is ing. Many of these are actually within coral in a new tank. A new aquarist then commonly believed, told or written, an the rock and cannot be seen. This is the faces the daunting challenge of deciding aquarium that has completed the initial time when the existing bacteria are able which of the many choices will be the “nitrogen cycle” so that hobby test kits to grow to levels that are capable of using right ones for their aquarium. Choices of- read “zero” for ammonia and nitrite, are nitrogen from waste and decomposition ten hinge on a number of factors, includ- neither mature nor stable. They are not within the normal “cycling” time of a ing price, availability, and beauty. Hope- really even at a stage where it is safe to few weeks to a month or so. The growth fully, another factor enters the aquarist’s add fish or invertebrates, regardless of rates of bacteria are such that if left un- mind; will the coral survive? the fact that the water itself is not toxic checked, the tank would be packed full with ammonia or nitrite. of bacteria with no room for water. That Ironically, perhaps, the survival of the means something is killing or eating bac- coral, in turn, depends on a number Assuming that a reef aquarium has live teria, or that bacteria are dying. of other factors, and the survival and rock present and was not established us- subsequent growth of these initial corals ing existing rock from a tank, it is either It is also important to realize that when may paradoxically limit or hinder future relatively free of anything alive from a tank has constant decomposition hap- choices of corals that the aquarist makes the shipping and “curing” process, or it pening at a rate high enough to spike as the tank ages and as the aquarist gains has some living organisms and a whole ammonia off the scale of a test kit, there more experience. For these reasons, it lot plant and animal life dying or about is a lot of bacteria food; far more than is important to choose wisely from the to die. From the moment the substrates will be present when the initial decom- beginning. are added to a new aquarium, dynamic position slows. In other words, the more 08 | ULTRAMARINE ultramarine issue1 mastercopyuse6 6 04/12/2006 22:02:06 Your first Corals Pa r t 1 By Eric Borneman All images ©Eric Borneman bacteria food, the more bacteria present not detected by hobby test kits and so it and the less bacteria food, the less bac- is important to wait many months after teria present. In a new tank that has ammonia and nitrite tests read “zero” just begun to test “zero” for ammonia in order to limit the mortality of fishes, and nitrite, bacterial growth may have corals and other invertebrates during caught up with the level of nitrogen being the very unstable initial phases of a new produced, but things are still dying; the aquarium. Algal successions are com- levels read zero because there are enough mon, with blooms of cyanobacteria often bacteria present to keep up with the ni- followed by blooms of turf or “hair” trogen being released by the decomposi- algae. Once these blooms have subsided, tion. It does not necessarily mean things the tank is becoming more stable, and are finished decomposing or that ammo- then it is time to plan the first coral ac- nia and nitrite are not being produced. quisitions. A greater problem arises in that during Initial Stocking of a Reef Aquarium the time when plants and animals are dy- ing and decomposing, they are releasing My advice on starting the stocking proc- more than ammonia. Many of the algae, ess of a new aquarium is to plan the habi- sponges, microbes and invertebrates tat desired and then to find the animals contain toxic metabolites, natural anti- and corals that are found in that habitat. biotic compounds, and other substances It is important to learn about the tiny that are sometimes toxic to things we area of the reef that an aquarium is set want alive, and sometimes to things we up to recreate, and to recognize that it is don’t want alive. These compounds are not possible to recreate a whole coral reef ultramarine issue1 mastercopyuse7 7 04/12/2006 22:02:09 A colony of zoanthids is isolated on a single rock surrounded by sand. Allelopathic competition has allowed the also rapidly reproducing blue mushrooms (Discosoma sp.) to invade the zoanthid colony. in one tank. First, the aquarist must pur- Choosing The First Corals are difficult to impossible to maintain chase the equipment required to emulate even by advanced aquarists, and all too that environment. Then, the appropriate All too often, a new aquarist is tempted often they are also the most colourful types and amounts of substrate (sand, by many beautiful corals. Trepidly, the and tempting to the uninitiated. For ex- rubble, rock) are added, and then long aquarist may learn or be told to choose ample, the commonly imported carna- after “the tank water tests fine,” fish and “hardy” species as their first corals. tion corals of the genus dendronephthya corals are added. First, herbivores should Among these are many of the soft corals is a very poor choice for almost any be added to check algae growth and wa- (Table 1), corallimorphs (mushrooms) aquarist. It is therefore important to ter quality should be maintained. Then, and zoanthids. It is often the case that know which of the soft corals are indeed some of the invertebrate and coral species new aquarists want to start with soft cor- easy to maintain, and which are not. appropriate to the habitat, or niche, rep- als and later move towards a tank with Yet, even with those that are indeed easy licated by the tank can be added. These hard corals after proving their metal with to maintain, there are numerous caveats species help create the environment the easy species. Sometimes, aquarists as to why they might not be good first itself, and also photosynthesize, add bio- also erroneously believe that there are corals for the aquarium. diversity, stabilize nutrients, and perform categories of hard corals loosely termed normal ecological roles. Finally, fish “LPS” and “SPS” corals, acronyms for Many soft corals are known for their can be added because at this point they large- and small-polyped stony corals. production of potent toxins, or second- will have a reef as their new home. They Unfortunately, misapplication of termi- ary metabolites, that serve a variety of will have a stable tank with real reef-like nology and grave misinformation occurs functions to the corals. Among them habitat, but this stocking method is quite at this stage. is the chemical defence of space, also contrary to what is normally done; that called alellopathy. Soft corals are not is, fish are usually added as soon as there In terms of the soft corals, there is a potent stinging animals and they depend is no detectable ammonia or nitrite and great variation in the group with some on chemicals for defence, usually to the then corals and invertebrates are added species being very easy to maintain (the detriment of other species. Some of the later. This outdated line of thought re- family Alcyoniidae, some members of compounds are extremely toxic, even garding stocking might have been appro- the family Nephtheidae, some members to humans. This trait also applies to priate in marine fish-only aquariums, but of the family Xeniidae, and some mem- the zoanthids and corallimorphs. If an it is distinctly wrong for reef aquariums bers of the Scleraxonia group). However, aquarist stocks the tank with corals that that emulate ecosystems. within these same groups are species that produce these compounds, it may im- 10 | ULTRAMARINE ultramarine issue1 mastercopyuse8 8 04/12/2006 22:02:14