mygirlgames.com, Reef

Marine Aquarium
NEW reef SITE DESIGN Aquatic Solutions
ABOVE & RIGHT: Corals in one of my reef aquariums. 1. New, Large Colt Coral. 2.Leather, Colt, and Mushroom Corals. 3.Green Frogspawn Coral. 4.Mother Colony Finger Leather Coral & Smaller Propagated Finger Leather Coral.
Welcome to my reef aquarium information page. Posted is data on my thirty gallon aquarium setup as well as images, coral propagation, fish & coral care specifications. I've setup my aquarium to where it practically maintains itself aside from wiping the glass down, regular water changes, and salinity checks. It did take time to get the aquarium to this self maintained stage. One cannot expect to setup a very first saltwater aquarium without a lot of research, testing, and maintenance. As the reef thrives the owner becomes more accustom to the small changes that can throw it off balance. For instance, if my light timer gets interrupted and stays on for one hour longer than usual my tank is green in the morning or the day after from a macroalgae spawn. Some things are more sensitive than others. I've been an aquarist since I was big enough to carry a bucket of water for frequent water changes. In other words this is not my very first aquarium and should not be for anyone. I have had many years of experience in all aspects of aquarium keeping including fresh water and marine systems. I know most of the filtration and lighting varieties used in the trade. I have much knowledge on the type of species that I keep and those that I do not including habitatual, salinity, temperature, and lighting requirements of numerous corals, fish, and inverts as well as diet and behaviors. I have completed many hours of research. I never purchase unless I know the exact care specifications of the coral, fish, or invertebrate. utilising a silica based sand as an alternative to ocean dredging in order to replace & maintain washed out beaches May not be an environmentally wise decision. Tammy J. Keiffer 2007 Taking a closer look at the alternative, “glass sand” method instead of dredging from the ocean may not be the best solution as it does pose some risks. As an advanced reef aquarist, I have researched and tested different alternative methods. I support these methods in the aquarium trade in order to save our sensitive reefs from being farmed and destroyed. I have successfully turned concrete into live rock. I propagate corals and I only purchase fish species that have been bred in captivity. I have used man made glass sand in my reef tank for many years and it has turned to live sand. It’s the closest imitation to the real thing; however, it is not 100% safe. Under a microscope the sand is very jagged and not smooth as it appears to the human eye. This poses no threat to most fish; however, smaller sensitive fish and sand sifting species such as gobies, eels, small rays and small sharks cannot pass this sand through the gills safely. If swept into the ocean in abundant quantities or accumulated over time this could cause a larger issue than expected. The sand also contains high levels of silica's which have been known to cause unwanted algae/diatom outbreaks. It’s a controversial issue to rather or not the sand actually leaches these properties into the water. There have been studies on the topic and can be found all over the internet. In a closed system the results are always going to be more dramatic - due to the chemical properties of the sand - than the vast amount of water the ocean holds; however, this also makes us more aware of such dangers as we can monitor the changes more efficiently. If it is not used in abundance there may be no effect to ocean life when speaking of silicates. Any silicate leaching could do so safely but over time as the sand accumulates to large amounts the results may be the opposite to different ocean species. NOTE: All Images are from my reef aquarium that I took and are not to be used without my written permission. These methods have been very successful in my experience of coral propagation. I am in no way responsible if you lose corals using these instructions. If you are not an experienced aquarist I do not recommend that you keep a reef aquarium let alone try to separate corals through manual fragmentation. If you are local and want assistance email me; however, I expect free frags for my time. APRIL 2, 2008 The layout for the new reef site is 100% complete and the site is now being coded during my extra time. I recently made a couple of trips to Belpre Aquarium. I got a new Colt Coral (large image at the top of this page) which is beautiful and will be propagated to grow many more. It's awesome! Thanks, Brian for saving this one for me. I also left with a Kenya Tree frag which I will propagate as it grows larger. I setup a new mini 2.5 gallon reef a couple of weeks ago. (not for beginners) Some of the new frags are placed in it. My very large cluster of Pink Star Polyps were nearly wiped out from my display aquarium because of a nipping Coral Beauty Angelfish. Instead of trying to catch the fish (which would mean tearing down my reef aquarium as it is a very shy fish) I placed what was left in the mini reef and they are re-populating quickly.	INHABITANTS		EQUIPMENT & MAINTENANCE
	Two Yellow Tailed Damsels Two Green Chromis One Four Striped Damsel One Coral Beauty Dwarf Angelfish A mated pair of Coral Banded Shrimp Cerith Snails Nassarius Snails Red Scarlet Hermit Crabs Blue Leg Hermit Crabs Three types of Macroalgae Several pounds of pink, purple, and maroon coralline encrusted live rock. NEW! Baby Sun Coral . Button Polyps Zooanthids Several types of Leather Corals Green Mushrooms Frogspawn Coral		High Output Lighting I have 220 watt power compact lighting which includes 4 /55 watt straight pin bulbs. 2 are 10,000 kelvin daylight reef bulbs and 2/ 10,000 kelvin half daylight and half moonlight 50 /50 reef bulbs. This makes a intense 7.3 watts on a per gallon ratio. I can keep any type of coral including clams with this setup. I have the lighting on a timer to operate in 10 hour cycles. This way the lights come on and off the same time daily and keeps a healthy balance
			Filtration I try to mimic the oceans natural environment as closely as possible. I do not use any means of chemical filtration except activated carbon which polishes the water and makes it crystal clear. I have a lot of live rock that does most of the filtration through the growth of biological bacteria. I have one powerhead for circulation with a foam filter to remove impurities, and three hanging power filters.
	Water Chemistry Specific Gravity: 1.023 Temperature: 78 Degrees Fahrenheit Ph: 8.1 to 8.4 Alkalinity: 6-8dkh Ammonia: Undetectable Nitrite, NO2: Undetectable Nitrate, NO3: 0.25ppm Phosphate, P04: 0.13 Calcium: 380-420ppm Magnesium: 1300ppm Iodine: 0.06 Strontium: 8-10ppm		Feeding I have an automatic feeder on the back of the tank that rotates through twice a day and feeds the fish marine flakes, krill, and shrimp pellets. Once to twice a week I feed fresh fish, clam, and crab to the bottom feeder varieties.
			Maintenance and Additives The salt that I use contains adequate levels of the additives that my reef requires such as calcium, strontium, iodine, and magnesium. Coralline algae is thriving so I do not add extra strontium or calcium. I don't have issues with low calcium, unbalanced water perimeters such as ammonia spikes or an unstable ph so I don't add anything. I do a fourth of water change every two weeks.

	DEALING WITH REEF AQUARIUM PESTS
	Majano Anemones do not bother anything in my aquarium. They seem to get to a less proportionate quantity than glass anemones. So if they are not over populating your tank, leave them. I have tried about every method to rid Glass Anemones such as injecting them with lemon juice, boiling hot water, scrubbing down the rock that contains these annoying critters, and injecting them with Calcium Hydroxide also known as Kalkwasser (lime water) with a syringe which can affect the calcium, magnesium, and alkalinity. The best solution is to cut down on feeding and let them decrease over time. I've never had coral deaths do to the irritation that these anemones supposedly pose a risk of creating. Star Polyps seem to be affected more so than other corals. The polyps do not come out near the anemone. I simply put the coral in my fragmentation container and carefully scrape the anemone off with a razor blade. This way decreases the chance of spreading more in the main tank. It's a fact the more you scrape these away in your main tank, the more rapid they spread. I've been informed that a well known concoction, Joe's Juice is a great way to eliminate the pests if they are out of control. Peppermint Shrimp sometimes eat them, but not at a fast rate. Bristle Worms, These worms hurt the fingers more than anything. If you have been stuck by a bristle you know that it feels like a cactus thorn. They have never done harm to my tank but every so often I catch them at feeding time by pulling the brillo algae that they reside in out of the tank and remove them from it. They also make a bristle worm catching device that is available at most pet stores. Many refer to Cynobacteria as a type of undesirable algae; however, it is really a form of bacteria that spreads as soon as the lights come on. It's ugly and can be time consuming to eliminate. Once it takes hold it grows as fast as you can rid your tank of it. It's a brown, green, blue, or maroon film that covers the substrate, corals, & rockwork of an aquarium. Undesirables thrive on light and excess nutrients. The solution is to feed less and purchase RO/ Reverse Osmosis water. Turning the lights out for a couple of days (do not do this) only damages sensitive corals that interrupts the normally balanced lighting cycle at which any aquarist should maintain. Chemicals are short term. I have noticed that my water contains different amounts of chemicals & additives from season to season. The type of algae that my aquarium grows depends on the time of year. Who knows what additives are in the water that "may" be adequate for us, but damaging to a closed aquarium system. I have yet to obtain a report from the water company during each season. Too much light will also grow Cyno depending on the light time cycle and intensity. I personally would not go over 10 hour cycles with any type of "reef" lighting which includes T5, Metal Halide, Power Compacts, and VHO's with an adequate watt per gallon ratio. Be intelligent about it and research watts per gallon ratio's verses light cycles. Use common sense. If you lack that and the ability to research do not set up a reef aquarium. I would suggest a fresh water aquarium to new hobbyists as fish only and reef aquariums are expensive to start, time consuming, & much more sensitive to changes + mistakes. Much more goes into the hobby than the satisfaction of viewing the beauty one offers. With that said, research and freshwater setups first unless you know someone who is available to assist you with every step or maintain the aquarium for you.
	PROPAGATION
	I want to make it clear that I never purchase any species of fish, corals, or invertebrates that are took directly from the ocean. I practice coral fragmentation and the growth of new corals from a mother colony instead of reef farmed ones. I do not support these businesses as they are destroying the coral reefs. The only live rock that I purchase is that with tank bred corals attached. I believe in alternative methods such as DIY reef rocks. The ones I have made are covered in coralline algae and full of life. I will post step by step instructions soon + images of the ones that are in my tank. I used the live rock that the corals are attached to in order to seed the rest. The same methods are used for reef reconstruction in the ocean and work great for the aquarium as long as they are cured correctly. If you plan to setup a reef aquarium I urge you to do the same. First of all, I never slice & dice any coral inside the main display aquarium. They slime and can be messy and toxic to other corals. I also recommend using eye wear to protect your eyes. You know what I'm talking about if you have ever cut a mushroom coral as they do squirt water and slime quite far. I transfer all corals that I propagate to a rectangular container that is deep enough to keep the corals submersed at all times. It also contains water from the display aquarium so the corals are not shocked from fluctuated water specifications such as salinity and temperature ranges. I retrieve the coral I wish to fragment by placing it in a submersed plastic cup or larger container. Then I transfer it to the fragging container. This way it never touches air. I always have a clean towel layed out beside the container with a new razor blade, a pair of sharp scissors, needle, thread, rubber bands, toothpicks, super glue, rock rubble, 1/4 inch deep cup bottoms, netting, protective eye wear, and non toxic rubber gloves.
	Mushroom Species Tools Needed 1.Razorblade 2.Thread 3.1/4 inch deep cut cup bottom 4. Substrate rubble 5.Netting 6. Rubber bands 7. Protective Eye Wear 8. Rubber Gloves		Mushrooms can be tricky to cut as they do close when disturbed. Put on gloves and also protective eye wear unless you want slime & water in your eyes. I always use a sharp razor blade to quickly separate these into four slices being sure to cut from center out and leaving the mouth/center disk attached to each piece. Once cut place these into a 1/4 deep plastic cup bottom that has aquarium water and a rubble substrate so the pieces can attach. Next, place netting over the cup and secure it with a rubber band. You can place these into your main tank. Allow at least two weeks for the mushrooms to take hold of the rubble. You can then super glue the rubble pieces with mushroom attached to a larger rock. I never use the super glue method directly on mushrooms because they will not stay attached. They get too irritated and slime the super glue off. The thread attachment concept seems too bother them too much as well and it is nearly impossible to get a needle through them without tearing them further. A much slower method is to wrap a rubber band or piece of thread around the mushroom that you want to separate and over time it will do so on its own.
		MUSHROOMs
	Pink & Green Star Polyps Tools Needed 1.Razorblade 2.Thread or rubber band		These are a matting type of coral and can be cut/peeled from the rock with a razorblade just like an orange is peeled from its rhine. Secure the mat on a rock with thread or a rubber band. Most of the time these corals spread fast and easily by placing them near another rock in the current without the need for cutting.
		star polyps
	Finger Leather Corals Tools Needed 1. Sharp Scissors 2.Needle 3. Thread 4.Rock Rubble		These are very simple to slice and can basically be cut into any form; however, they will look much better if you cut them from the branches ending point. The mother colony will heal much faster as well. Do not cut too many at one time which will decrease the chance that the mother colony heals. With sharp scissors I cut one medium sized finger stalk quickly or the mother colony will shrivel when disturbed making it more difficult to propagate. I then slice that piece into several at the end of each finger stalk. I then take a needle + thread and I push it through the coral. I then tie it to a piece of rock rubble. Once placed in the main display aquarium, it will attach to the rock within two weeks then I remove the thread.
		Finger Leather
	Toadstool Leather Coral Tools Needed 1.Razorblade 2.Super glue 4.Rock Rubble		The first method is to cut the top from these corals while leaving a portion of the base for attachment purposes. The remaining base will grow a new cap. The second way is to cut the cap off and slice it into four pieces. You can use any of the attachment varieties for both methods of fragmentation. Toothpicks, Super glue, Needle & Thread, or cup bottom with rubble. Most of the time I glue these pieces onto rocks. It's fast and they seem to stay attached well.
		toadstool leather coral
	Frogspawn Tools Needed 1. Hacksaw		Branching Frogspawn Corals can be cut with a sharp/clean hacksaw at the end of each branch. Be sure to leave enough skeleton to position the coral between rocks in the aquarium or place it upright in the substrate. Mine seems to thrive there. It depends on the lighting setup. Be very gentle when handling these as they will tear easily. Always handle at the end and never toward the head of the coral. Keep these corals submersed in water at all times. When I take this type out of my aquarium I always place them into a submersed cup and then transfer them to the container for cutting. Cut these gently and slowly or they will splinter and break where you don't want them to.
		frogspawn
	Pulsing Xenia Tools Needed 1. Scissors 2. Toothpicks 3. Rock Rubble		These corals seem to do very well when I have fragmented them. I slice the coral with scissors where the branch sections and then slide a toothpick through the base. I place the toothpick in a small rocks crevice and fill it with super glue for extra support. The xenia will then attach and spread on the rock as it grows.
		pulsing xenia
	Button Polyps & Zooanthids Tools Needed 1. Protective Eye Wear 2. Gloves 3. Razorblade 4. 1/4 cup bottom & rubble for small polyps or 5. Needle & thread or super glue for large polyps		Make sure you research the type of Button Polyp or Zooanthid species that you purchase as some can be very toxic to animals and humans. Always wear gloves when cutting these and protective eye wear.ALWAYS!I simply slice the top off of these with a razorblade and place them in a 1/4 cup bottom as I would mushrooms. Sometimes these will hold with super glue and if they are large enough they can be tied with needle and thread. If they are small use the cup bottom/ ruble attachment method. If they are larger use super glue to attach to rubble or use thread and needle to tie to a rock.
Global Warming: The Negative Effects on the Worlds Oceans new site design		BUTTON POLYPS & ZOOANTHIDS
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