Reef aquarium Husbandry for the Beginner.

This article is designed specifically get the beginner on the right track maintaining a habitable environment suitable to maintaining healthy reef organisms. By no means is it to be considered a comprehensive manual. There are many very good books written about modern reef keeping techniques. We have put this information forward as we find many a beginner can become overwhelmed with information on water parameters. The confusion can lead to the beginner chasing less important problems while the animals suffer from some simple more important oversights. We keep this article short and sweet and only tackle the most necessary issues to keep you focused where you need to be before you run out and start buying the animals. Once you start your reef keeping experience there is much to learn. We strongly urge you to buy good quality recently released books by reputable authors the more you learn on how to improve your aquarium husbandry the better the results you will achieve.
We dont go into set ups or system designs here! Thats a whole topic in itself we. We expect you to have done the appropriate research and have a suitable aquarium up and running. Emergency. When in doubt .. Do an emergency water change as a first action. Most aquarium water quality issues can be solved or at least eased, buying some more time to find the root problem and implement the correction required. Urgent toxic conditions to the tanks inhabitants as Ammonia/nitrite spike, nitrate accumulation, tank crash, spawning events and decaying sponges etc releasing toxins can all be temporarily fixed by water changes. You do need to find the cause and prevent it from happening again. In such an emergency do frequent large water changes until water parameters nitrite and ammonia are in check water is clear and has no obvious odor. If there is something obviously dead smelly and polluting the water get it out of the tank or the water quality will again quickly deteriorate. Have sufficient Natural sea water (NSW) or substitute with artificial salt mix (ASM) to do these urgent water changes. Have a spare heater and aerator to prepare the water for use. NSW as delivered by many suppliers can introduce disease and parasites into the aquarium. The practice of storing this water for several weeks before use greatly minimizes any risk and leaves you with emergency reserves. Disease issues will not receive much benefit from a water change read on.. Quarantine. There is inevitability that sooner or latter every hobbyist will encounter a disease, parasite, pest or indeed even an unwanted predator. Diseases, parasites, pests and predators that may be relatively innocuous in the wild, can in the limited space of a captive aquarium become an overwhelming problem. Once you introduce a disease, parasite, pest or predator into the aquarium all of the aquariums inhabitants are put at risk. We strongly endorse use of a quarantine system at least then only the newly acquired specimen is at risk. Disease and parasite infliction is common in marine aquarium fish many fish may have only just arrived from the reef any disease or parasite may not be yet obvious or have had sufficient time to multiply enough to detect by casual observation, also techniques employed by some suppliers of marine animals (ie hypo salinity) may not cure but mask or hold in check these potential threats. Place the newly acquired fish into a separate smaller quarantine aquarium (Q tank). Observe newly acquired fishes for at least a few weeks in full strength sea water. Medication and treatment can then be conducted safely without putting the main display at risk. Many of the only effective fish treatments are harmful to invertebrates and cannot be used in the main display. Predators and pests come along for the ride as hitchhikers on marine specimens and live rock. Carefully check all new specimens identify any organisms you dont have a familiarity with research what they might eat in the aquarium. Ideally have a lighted Q tank so corals and other photosynthetic organisms can be observed for a while before moving into the main display. While they are in the Q tank try a few tricks to get some of the problem critters out. Listen for clicking sounds a tell tail sign you might have a mantis shrimp well known as problem predators in the main display and very difficult to get out.

Place weighted bait in the bottom of a jar and lean it at an angle against any new rocks overnight. Crabs that only have walking feet fall in and cannot get out. Place bait away from the specimens to see what comes out at night to eat; you may expect to find swimming crabs predatory snails, crustaceans, worms etc. Anything willing to eat meat needs to be identified it is of high concern! Nutrition. Feed regular small feeds of high quality food. Healthy fish fight disease naturally we stress this is important and over looked by many. Quality fresh food is important, we cant give you hard rules fresh algaes or meats shrimp fish etc may be required research your animals requirements and meet them it is the best way to prevent disease out breaks. Water quality. Poor water quality will stress, weaken fish and make them susceptible to disease. Basically dont scrimp on setting up your aquarium or over stock it. You will pay in $ losing stock if you do. Well maintained and set up aquariums receiving sufficient regular water changes are less work to look after. Poorly maintained and overstocked aquariums with insufficient filtration are problematic with frequent out breaks of disease, parasites and algae blooms. Disease. Early detection is critical in getting a good out come Most cures take time equally diseases take time to advance! The earlier the correct diagnosis is made and the right corrective action is applied the better the end result. Beginners do not have the ability to diagnose or treat sick fish without a lot of detailed research. Be willing to identify that you have a problem and ring your local reputable live fish shop (LFS), they deal with these issues every day and can help. Support LFS that supply quality fish it does cost them more to do so and in the long run costs you less. Typical disease symptoms include heavy breathing, abnormal behavior (ie not moving around or feeding), skin lesions, lumps, spots, dusty looking skin etc. Get some good detailed photographs of the animal concerned and make notes of the behavior. Email or take this information straight to the LFS. There are also traveling experts in the field of fish disease and diagnosis who come inspect and treat the fish for you. Choice of animals. Know what the animals needs are. Lighting feed etc it may well survive by eating the thing you bought the day before or it may require an item you cannot supply. If you see a animal at the LFS dont just by it on impulse ask what does it eat! I would never recommend you to buy a fish without asking the LFS to feed it for you in front of your eyes. Any LFS not willing to do this without very good reason walk out the door. Only select fish with clear eyes, clean skin and always with good body condition. Observe the fish from above the body should be as fat as the head the body gently tapering down to the tail. A fish shape showing emaciation from the head to the tail is in poor health and should not be purchased. Similarly corals and inverts should be in the best of health any tissue receding or damaged is symptomatic of an animal in declining health. Compatibility. The beginner needs to get good advice here. If you plan to place corals near each other ask the LFS for advice they learn by experience. Many corals will not tolerate others within reach. Resulting in one looser, RIP. If you plan to add fishes of similar species to highlight just a few of the problem childs.. Angelfish and Clownfish. Expect lethal confrontation within species and genus. It is a good idea to keep a list of the fishes within your aquarium. You can take the list of what you have and show the LFS before new additions. The LFS have to place fish on display in aquariums for you to choose from they know what will mix together. Suitability. Many wrasses may decimate reef invertebrates or surgeon fishes may quickly reach huge sizes. You need to understand what the fish you buy will need to eat and how big they get. Some fishes establish a territory on the reef and chase any fish that stray into the territory out of it. This helps us greatly when we are collecting the fishes in the wild our target may go to ground down a crevice in the reef. All we do is wait a few seconds for the resident damsel to realize the intrusion. The fish is quickly chased back out into the open. We strongly urge if you want a peaceful tank dont buy a damsel fish. Damselfish often will badger all new tank additions to death. Fish added post the damsels are chased away to hid in a far corner and are not even permitted to come out to feed freely. The stress of the situation quickly overcomes the new tank addition. Many a new comer may not understand that the new fish died from the stress and harassment only to try another with the same result. That cute little wiggly Panther grouper a few cm long will eat all your fishes within 18 months.

That beautiful bright purple tree coral (Dendronephthya) will starve to death without a constant supply of phytoplankton. That beautiful red starfish will eat all of your stony corals if left in the aquarium. Research / ask: How big does it grow to? What does it eat in the wild? A simple Google search of the scientific name can more often that not give you a wealth of information on the animals requirements. Water parameters. The aquarium water needs to be kept within certain parameters following is information on how to provide the parameters suitable for a general reef animal collection.

Salinity. You must replicate salt concentrations as found on the reef, 1025 measured at 26C. Measurement can be made by using either a hydrometer or a refractometer. You must have one of these. Hydrometers can be purchased for as little as $5. As water evaporates from your aquarium you must replace it with fresh water (top off water) to keep the salinity stable. Top off water must be free from contamination. Popular options are reverse osmosis filtration, distilled water and rain water. Often top off water is calcium enriched (Kalkwasser) We cover the make up process for Kalkwasser under the calcium heading. Temperature. Tropical reefs around the world vary in temperature seasonally. Most reefs Around Australia where our inverts and corals come from cycle through a temp 22 29C. At lower temperature ranges reef animals slow metabolism and growth rates slow, the water holds higher dissolve oxygen levels generally fishes are less stressed. Ideally keep your tank at 24-26C. The biggest problem we see most aquarists have with their aquariums is in summer the tank gets to warm. Without a chiller or constantly air-conditioned environment in summer your tank will quickly climb towards 30C. This is very bad corals will bleach fish stress and suffer disease. The aerobic activity within your sand bed and rock work can become anaerobic starting a cycle of decay leading to chain reaction causing a total wipe out of all your animals (tank crash). There is no set temperature at which a tank will crash high stock loads and poorly maintained sand systems lower the thresh hold point. Lightly stocked well aerated and managed aquariums can cope (albeit stressed) at 33C. More often anything over 30C is very dangerous and the tank is running a critical risk. More information can be found keeping your cool in summer. Nitrogen cycle. You need to understand what is going on unseen in your aquarium accumulation and transformation of Ammonia to Nitrite and finally Nitrate. Please read our article The Ammonia Cycle. Ammonia. Readings should be always be at 0 or at worst very near, 0.1in a reef aquarium. Detectable levels of ammonia indicate a problem, dead or dying matter in the aquarium decaying uneaten food or you filtration system is not functioning sufficiently and must be fixed. Ammonia is highly toxic to marine animals. For higher readings the first action required is a urgent 30 % or more water change if seriously high. Continue water changes until ammonia is brought to a safe level. Second action is improved filtration, skimming or addition of quality live rock. If the event is caused by die off remove any decaying matter. Nitrite. Readings should ideally be at 0. Low levels can be tolerated (0.3mg/ltr) but is symptomatic of a overstocked aquarium or in adequate filtration system. Elevated nitrite can also be indicating dead and decaying matter is in the aquarium. High levels of nitrite are toxic and require immediate corrective action of a water change followed by improvements to the filtration capacity. Nitrate. Nitrate being the least toxic higher levels can be tolerated 10 parts per million (PPM). Nitrate accumulates being the last product in the ammonia cycle. Removal from the aquarium must be periodically achieved. Typically this is done by a regular water change. A water change of 10-20% per month is recommended. Additional ways of further reducing nitrate are recommend when keeping sensitive marine invertebrates. Using a process known as denitrification anaerobic areas are created in a deep sand bed of 15cm depth. The anaerobic bacteria that develop under these conditions consume the nitrate. Though some marine animals benefit from the nutrition gained from low nitrate levels like clams and many other invertebrates like corals containing algae cells utilize the nitrate much like fertilizer. Too high a level will encourage unwanted algal blooms. Phosphate. Phosphate readings should be kept below 0.1PPM. Phosphate can be introduced by use of phosphate rich tap water during top off. If you have a phosphate problem then test your tap water to check the phosphate level. The juice from frozen fish feeds are rich in phosphate and should not be introduced to the aquarium. PH. Ph level target range is 8.0-8.5. Your readings will vary dependant on the time of day during hours of darkness aquariums typically drop to a lower PH. To raise a low PH the two most common methods employed are regular use of Kalkwasser and or in conjunction with dosing sodium carbonate (washing soda) PH should not normally require lowering in our marine aquariums but some circumstances can result in a high PH simple addition of a small amount of plain white vinegar can lower PH.

Calcium and Alkalinity (carbonate hardness). Calcium referring to the dissolved levels of calcium in PPM should be 380-450. Alkalinity (carbonate hardness) refers to the compounds that together raise the PH of our aquarium water it is commonly measured in DKH or in meq/L The recommended range being 8-13 DKH or 2.5-4.5meq/L. Both calcium and alkalinity are closely linked and should be adjusted in a balanced way or you will have difficulty in getting both within the acceptable range. Dont presume by elevating calcium (resulting in lower alkalinity) corals will grow at a faster rate both alkalinity and calcium are required in a balanced level for effective calcification. o Use of Kalkwasser (Kalk) for replacing evaporation replenishment is an excellent way of adding Calcium and alkalinity in a balanced way. Kalkwasser is made by dissolving 1 tea spoon of calcium hydroxide (Builders lime or hydrated lime will suffice) per liter of water. We dont recommend any addition of white vinegar to the solution many authors will recommend this will help with dissolution we understand that it is lethal even in small doses to clams. Mix the Kalk carefully avoiding inhalation or contact with the solution. The ingredients are caustic requiring safety equipment as goggles, gloves and dust mask. Let the solution settle for at least two hours then the un dissolved sediment will have settled you can siphon off the Kalkwasser ready for use. Do not put the sediment into the aquarium. The Kalkwasser is added to replace evaporated water to the system. Never add large enough amounts to create large swings in PH at once or near the specimens. Add small daily amounts in the sump or drip in the solution through a small diameter tube and valve system. Aquariums with a high demand for calcium will require additional measures. o Calcium and alkalinity can be added to the aquarium directly but this must be done separately from each other as mixing the two together results in reaction forming solid calcium carbonate. To add calcium to the aquarium use Calcium chloride. To raise alkalinity use a mix of 1 part sodium carbonate to 5 parts sodium bicarbonate. Using this method you will need to monitor for increases in salinity and perform a large periodic water change to bring the water chemistry back to a closer chemical composition of natural sea water as some imbalances will build with time. o Use of a calcium reactor in conjunction with Kalkwasser is a very effective method for aquariums with a high calcium demand. Magnesium. Magnesium is an important part of balancing the calcium and alkalinity equation. Maintain levels at 1300PPM. Magnesium is added with magnesium sulphate (Epson salts) Iodine. Iodine is beneficial to many marine invertebrates and has beneficial effects on the aquariums biological processes we recommend that it be dosed. Use a known strength solution and dose at recommended rates. Never over dose and if you have a problematic slime or diatomous algae reduce to a half dose until the problem is resolved. There are many name brand iodine supplements available.

Trace elements. There are many elements found in sea water some of the more important ones requiring special attention are mentioned above in our section on water parameters Iodine, Calcium and Magnesium. We recommend regular partial water changes to replenish trace elements. Strontium is considered by many to be beneficial in calcification and is recommended as an important element that should be supplemented. We can not confirm the benefits of the addition of strontium beyond what regular water changes afford. There are many products sold of various brews of this and that touted as miracle cures, magic coralline algae growth tonics etc. In many cases the major components of these products are indeed calcium, iodine, strontium and magnesium. Use of these products is likely to confuse your own calculations for maintaining the correct levels of these elements. Putting it in Practice. Q. Ok now we have discussed a multitude of water parameters how is this reef keeping lark simple? A. In a well set up and balanced and maintained aquarium many of the water parameters will stay within acceptable ranges. We emphasize it is very important.

Balanced aquariums.. Are in a state of equilibrium where the wastes produced by the in habitants (poo) is able to be processed by the available bacteria and detritivours living within the aquarium. These critters are numerous to mention worms, crustaceans, snails etc. most are introduced with good quality live rock and live sand. You can help increase the capacity of your aquarium to cope a larger volume of wastes by o Add some extras like brittle stars, janitor crabs, Cerith snails etc.

o
o o o

Creating good water flow throughout the aquarium. Giving all available surfaces the maximum availability to the water column leaving no detritus accumulating dead spots. Having adequate but not too much live rock, crowded live rock accumulates wastes. Removal of waists directly by protein skimming. Removal of waists directly by regular partial water changes.

The beginner should stock the aquarium lightly add more fish . Hence more food (poo) the harder it is to keep the system balanced. Test kits and monitoring equipment you will need to keep your reef animals healthy. These you will need when and why.

Thermometer. You need to be aware the temps are remaining consistently within range year round. Hydrometer / refractometer. Test frequently and correct any variations from standard sea water. Nitrite test kit. First sign of abnormal behavior of your inhabitants (Corals not opening or fish breathing heavy) always do a nitrite test first. This will tell you when things are not well with your filtration system and you are at critical risk of a tank crash. Elevated levels are indicating your filtration is failing this can be caused by elevated temps, over stocking, over feeding, dead animals within the aquarium etc, etc. Nitrate test kit. Periodically conduct a nitrate test. This indicates the overall balancing of your aquarium. Persistent high levels indicate over stocking, insufficient or infrequent water changes. Calcium and Kh test kits. You will need to conduct these tests frequently in the beginning till you get a handle on the consumption of these products within your aquarium and establish a schedule of additions to maintain adequate levels. There after conduct periodical checks that confirms that you are keeping pace correcting any discrepancies as you go. Your systems requirements will change over time animals grow new ones are added etc.

Thereafter if problems persist. Certainly purchase further test kits with time furthering your understanding of how all the chemistry is functioning within your own aquarium. Most LFS will offer a comprehensive evaluation of your water parameters we recommend you get the water evaluated periodically and review the results. This is specifically designed to get you started When you have been in this hobby for a while you will realize you are on a perpetual learning curve so many animals so many issues. Share any discoveries with your co hobbyists. Our knowledge is greatly based on such generous sharing from our customers, we still learn as much now each day as we did the day we started.

WWW.OCEANARIUM.COM.AU