Fish Spotlight:
Golden Puffer 
The "yellow phase" Arothron meleagris is sometimes
confused with the Yellow Dogface Puffer, Arothron nigropunctatus. As juveniles, both are
dark in color, but the Golden Puffer lacks the distinct mask. Golden Puffers can make for
an interesting & beautiful addition to the community. Although not highly aggressive,
these fish consume large quantities of meaty foods like squid, muscle, cockle, silversides
and shrimp. Keep them with other fishes that can hold their own at feeding time. Another
concern is they can get big, so house them in a large glass aquarium with plenty of space.
Their pronounced teeth and strong jaws can easily scratch acrylic tanks. Multiple species
of pufferfish can be kept together provided they are purchased small and allowed to grow
up together.
Brain Corals
The Platygyra species gets this common name from its
similarity to the appearance of a human brain. In recent years, the term "brain
coral" has been applied to members of the family Faviidae, called closed brains, and
Trachyphylliidae, the open brains. 
Both types are good additions to the
reef aquarium. Provide at least moderate, indirect lighting with stronger light levels
preferred. Also, weekly feeding of frozen plankton is beneficial. The "closed
brain" corals can develop sweeper tentacles, so give them some space. Brain corals
benefit from Iodine levels at natural seawater. Remember to place in the sand or firmly
attach them to the rock structure. Any slight damage can cause them to decline.
AquaTouch News:
More New Products
We've got a few more new items to tell you about... AE Tech
(ETS) has several new models out. The Reef Devil III now is available in a hang on model.
Also the Reef Devil 750 can truly run a 300 gallon reef and is only 24 inches tall.
Two more "got to have" books. PocketExpert Guide to
Marine Fishes by Scott Michael, every fish has extensive information on aquarium keeping.
CORALS A Quick Reference Guide by Julian Sprung, excellent photographs and information on
all species of corals. Graphics showing placement, lighting, aggression, water flow &
hardiness. Even has phonetically spelled pronunciation!.
Q: Should I be concerned about my tanks with the Y2K stuff and Power Outages?
A: No one really knows for sure what is going to happen. We would like to think that
life will go on as usual... but there may be some problems. Loss of electricity will be
the most serious for your animals and can happen at any time not just the turn of the
millenium. If power stops for more than a few hours... animals can run out of oxygen (O2)
in non- circulated water. As we do, marine animals use O2 and exhale carbon dioxide (CO2).
When you have no water motion it is the same as us placing a large bag over our head. The
animals start to feel the effects of the lack of O2 as the concentration of CO2 builds up.
CO2 also binds with the saltwater to lower pH adding more stress to their environment.
So the easiest solution is to use a battery operated air pump for each tank. Of course
you should have a good supply of batteries for the pump too! If you are caught unprepared
you need to aggressively stimulate the water every 5-10 minutes to get the same effect.
With exterior biological filters you will need to splash water into them as well.
Tank temperature is a concern as it will slowly decline. If you have a gas or propane
stove you can heat tank water and pour evenly back into the tank... make sure to mix well.
You can use your gas grill for this... if you prepared and had full propane tanks! Use
minimal feedings as biological uptake is a concern. With a reef tank, light by opening all
window coverings including removing outdoor shade screens to reflect light to the
aquarium. Have plenty of RO water on hand as well as premixed saltwater too! If you use a
generator, run it outside as the fumes are dangerous to you and your animals. The key to
all this Y2K stuff is... make every effort to BEING PREPARED!
