AQUATECH

A publication of AquaTouch containing Tips & Techniques for being a successful Marine Aquarist...

AquaTips:

• Just like their soft coral counterparts, stony corals also can produce toxins used in chemical warfare.
  

• If you are ever cut or bitten while handling marine-life, make sure to properly clean and care for the wound.
  

• The average marine hobbyist does a 15-20% water change every 3 weeks.
  

• Tridacna clam owners... Atlantic Gobies such as Neon's & Gold Stripe's (when sexually mature) may try to nest inside the clam... killing it!
  

• Sweeper tentacles are used to ward off or protect the area surrounding the coral. Most possess a potent sting and can injure most anything it contacts. It is best to provide proper aquascaping, but if a sweeper is exceedingly long, it can be pinched off with your fingers and removed.

Fish Spotlight:

Golden Wrasse

If color is a prerequisite for your next fish purchase then this fish has it. The Halichoeres chrysus commonly called yellow coris or banana wrasse, gets its name from the bright, lemon yellow color throughout it's body. It comes from the Western Pacific and has a maximum size just under five inches. It is well suited for tanks 30 gallons and up. Small schools of 3-5 individuals can be placed in larger aquariums. The golden wrasse feeds on small meaty foods, including mysis shrimp, bloodworms, chopped clam and dried foods as well. Although it is a nice reef fish... be cautious of placing it with feather worms and small crabs, it may eat them. But as a side bonus... the golden wrasse will eat bristle worms and pyramidellid snails that prey on clams. This fish will bury in fine sand, so keep 2-3 inches of substrate.

Invert Spotlight:

Longspine Urchin

The longspine or hatpin urchin belongs to the genus Diadema. It has long, black spines and a black body. A bright orange orifice is located on top with the mouth underneath. Small to medium sizes are preferred as they can reach 8 inches. Longspine urchins feed by grazing on soft turf, filamentous and coraline algaes. In the wild they are most active at night. Once they have "cleaned-up" your tank, feed a dried algae pellet substitute 2-3 times a week. They are reef safe... as they maneuver, their spines do not puncture corals but bend at a joint at their bases. Some cardinal fish form commensile relationships, living in their spines for protection. The spines are venomous so use caution.

AquaTouch News:

AquaNews Spring '01

Product & Services update... If you are after live Brine Shrimp, we now have it available Fridays & weekends! Exciting new line of aquariums... All Glass & Oceanic tanks and stands are now available, including the glass quarter round corner tanks & bow-fronts too! Been looking for a single high-intensity lamp? Check out the Custom Sealife single lamp ballast with moisture-proof boot for the 65W or 96W lamps. Reef-keepers & breeders... now on weekends we have available ProMordial Stew, a zooplankton mix of live rotifers & artemia. Air-driven skimmer owners... we now stock quality Sanders wood stones for optimum bubble size. Book fans... check out the new Aquarium Corals by E.Borneman, we also have a new Seahorse & Pipefish book in as well!

Question of the Month:

Q: What is live plankton...is it needed?

A: Our oceans maintain a vary effective food chain. Portions of which saltwater hobbyists are familiar with. Bacteria eats ammonia, mandarin fish eats amphipods, anemones eats fish, etc... Today's reef & swim tanks with liverock contain a greater variety of life than previously kept. Much of the microscopic life and developing larger organisms can be limited by the quantity and types of foods they have to eat. The term plankton refers to free floating life, from bacteria to larger forms. Some just big enough to see with the unaided eye. The two primary groups of plankton are phytoplankton, a vegetable diet and zooplankton, a meat diet. Phytoplankton is available in living and preserved forms. The live cultures offer hobbyists a more nutritious choice. It has a varied particle size and a reasonable shelf life of up to 3 months refrigerated. Zooplankton is new to the hobby as a food supplement. Live cultures are most often composed of Rotifers and Artemia nauplii. Artemia are visible to the naked eye, the Rotifer are merely a speck. Unfortunately, live zooplankton does not have a shelf life and needs to be placed directly into the aquarium after purchase. Plankton benefits filter & suspension feeding lifeforms like sponges, clams, muscles, oysters, feather worms, barnacles and crinoids. Corals will utilize plankton directly and the unseen world of life associated with liverock and livesand will multiply and grow. It is also extremely nutritious for your copepod, amphipod & other populations. As with any additive, understand what it does and which ingredients it contains. Be wary of preserved or artificial plankton foods for the potential of increasing Phosphate and Nitrate.