Making Waves ~ Simulating the ocean wave in your reef tank! Great How-to!

As we reefers and aquarists have developed a better understanding of the processes occurring in our reef tanks, equipment has been developed that mimics some of the natural conditions. Unfortunately, one major aspect that is one of the most noticeable aspects of the natural reef --> water movement.

Natural water movement in the Ocean

This is unfortunate in that creating adequate water movement can be one of the relatively least expensive aspects of setting up a reef tank, and one of the most important. Proper water movement goes a long way toward helping a reef system thrive.

Why water movement is so important

Organisms present on the reef are accustomed to an environment with strong water movement. Anyone that has been out diving or snorkeling along a reef quickly realizes how difficult it is to remain in one spot due to the force of the water around him or her. This rapid and constant water movement has caused the life in the sea to develop physiologically to make use of the water moving around them. This is especially true of the sessile invertebrates, such as corals and clams, that we keep in our aquariums. These organisms have developed to make use of the currents bringing them such things as food, oxygen, and nutrients, as well as carrying away their waste products.
Most corals have little capacity for removing waste material from their surface. This is especially true of the small polyped stony corals, which owing to their relatively small amount of living tissue, do not waste their energy removing waste material, but rather depend on the water moving around their surface to clean them. When you look at the physiology of these corals closely, it can be seen that much of their body is designed for nutrient capture, while very little is designed for waste removal.
In addition to providing essential nutrients, and instrumental in waste removal, water movement also influences:

• Growth of corals
• The formation of new coral colonies
• Growth of problematic algae
• Fish health

Growth of corals

Changes in Size: Several authors have reported that new growth of Acropora is often spindly relative to the growth of the old colony when this colony is placed in less strongly moving water (Veron, 1986, Sprung, 1994). However, if the flow is increased, the corals may resume their original growth pattern, and the speed of growth may also increase if all other factors remain the same. This increased flow not only increases the thickness of the new growth, but the previously spindly growth may thicken as well. Author Dana Riddle has found that the growth rate of many stony corals could be increased dramatically by increasing the flow of water around them. Interestingly, his studies were contrary to the belief that lighting intensity determines growth, in that he found that strong water movement stimulated faster growth than increased light intensity.
Changes in Growth Pattern: Water movement may change the growth pattern of some corals. For example, Acropora palifera normally grows as thick, unbranched colonies on the portion of the reef where wave action is greatest (Veron, 1986). However, when placed in some reef tanks with less water movement, these corals begin to grow in a more branched manner similar to other Acropora species.

In my own tank, I have noticed that the optimum appearance of several corals only occurs when good water movement is present. Yellow Leather corals from Tonga (Sarcophyton elegans) only "polyp out" when the current across their cap is strong. If inadequate water movement is present, they seem to mucous over more frequently in an attempt to remove the detritus that settles on their surface, or they develop brown spots where this detritus settles. The Finger Leather corals (Sinularia sp.) tend to orient themselves so as to maximize their exposure to the current. When the current is proper these corals take on a fuzzy appearance, while when it is inadequate, they look barren and are almost devoid of fully extended polyps.
New colony formation
Xenia colonies grow much faster when the current adequately stimulates them, but their form also changes as a result of an increase in current. When water movement is low, the colony has only short polyps close to the stalk. However, as the water movement increases, the polyps extend out from the main body to the point that they are four times further out than when the current is low. The shorter polyped colony also reproduces at a much slower rate than does a long-polyped colony found in areas of high water movement. The only thing that I can attribute this to is that in the long polyped colony, the long polyps occasionally attach themselves some distance from the stalk and then break off. The polyp then grows into a new colony. Shorter polyps do not have the opportunity to attach far from the mother stalk, and as a result, new colonies do not form from this method. They rely exclusively on the stalk splitting in half to produce new colonies, and this takes longer.

Problematic algae

Most algal blooms result from excess nutrients being present. In reef tanks, these patches of algae usually are in spots where there is little to no water movement. As a result, detritus settles in these spots. That is why, if algae are plucked from these spots, a cloud of detritus is usually raised as well. In order to reduce this "algal oasis," it is necessary to get more water movement over these areas. Therefore, one of the goals of good water movement is to keep the detritus in suspension long enough so that much of it can be removed by the filtration system, or so that it can settle in the sump, where there is little light, and can be removed later.

In a study conducted at Eilat in the Red Sea, it was found that soft coral colonies located in areas where sedimentation did not occur due to strong water movement, grew three times faster than did colonies where sedimentation was a problem (National Geographic Explorer, TBS, May, 1993). This reaction to sedimentation has several applications in captive reef systems. If sedimentation is allowed to occur on stony corals, the result will be bleaching in those areas of the coral where the sediment remains. This bleached area often becomes a site where detritus settles and soon thereafter, problematic algae begin to grow. Therefore, strong water movement is essential not only for growth, but also to keep algae from becoming problematic. In soft corals, when detritus settles on them, spots develop under the detritus that rot or cause black spots on the colony which can eventually lead to the coral's demise.

 Fish health

Another often-overlooked aspect of water movement is its effect on fish health. If you look at the labels of many fish foods, you will find that one of the largest components is fat. This is an important component in nature in that fat is quickly converted into energy. This is great for fish in the wild, as these fish are, for the most part, very active and require large amounts of energy. If, however, fish are placed in an environment where they do not have to fight the current, the result can be the development of fatty deposits, and as a consequence, a shortened lifespan. Therefore, it is my opinion that strong water movement will also contribute to fish health and longevity as well.
Water movement flow patterns
There are three main types of water movement, each with very different characteristics:

• Laminar flow: Laminar flow is straight, unidirectional flow, like that produced from a powerhead, or at the latter stages of a wave whose energy has been channeled in one direction by the reef.
  
• Surge: Surge is similar, only on a larger scale. To an observer viewing a school of fish, surge is when the school remains in the same pocket of water, but due to surge, the pocket of water and the school of fish suddenly move six feet in one direction, and just as quickly move back.
  
• Turbulence: Turbulence is the random flow of water in multiple directions. Of the three flow patterns, turbulence is the most desirable and the most difficult to produce (Sprung, 1998).
  

Choosing equipment to produce water movement

Importance of a Powerhead for your reef

Powerheads

For most of us, the powerhead is a readily available means for introducing water movement into our tanks. Powerheads are relatively inexpensive and can produce varying amounts of water movement. Their main shortcoming is that they only produce laminar currents. These currents can not be aimed directly onto a coral, as the force is so great that it will cause the polyps to close, or in the worst case, may literally shear the tissue right off of the coral colony. Hagen, Aquarium Systems, and Azoo manufacture some of the standard powerheads. These are good standard powerheads and with a little ingenuity and some additional electronics, they can produce more than simply one direction flow.


Powersweep powerhead

An 'oscillating powerhead,' also called a 'powersweep powerhead' has recently come on the market. It allows water flow to be directed over a wider area so that the flow no longer is simply directed on one spot. This powerhead rotates so that the flow that it produces covers a much broader area. When several of these devices are hooked up, their patterns of flow can be set up so that they actually do produce a turbulence pattern similar to that found on a reef. These devices can be placed anywhere within the tank so their flow can be directed all over, including behind rocks, so the source of current can be hidden.  One thing I personally notice is that powersweeps tend to fail.  Eventually they will not "sweep".  Maintenance and replacement on this type of powerhead is eminent. 

Wavemakers

Another way to achieve proper water movement is with the use of a wavemaker, such as the SunSun JVP-201B 1585 GPH Dual Aquarium Circulation Pump Wavemaker Powerhead w/ Magnet Clamp Base. A wavemaker makes it possible to get closer to producing the desired effect by switching powerheads on and off on a random basis to try and mimic surge.

Using a powerhead and a wavemaker may make it possible to not only produce laminar currents and surge, but also turbulence as well. To produce turbulence, it is necessary to direct the flow from the powerheads either directly onto each other, or so that at least part of the flow from one is going directly into the path of the other. By having the powerheads activated randomly, the flow from them will intersect, producing a random pattern of water movement. There will still be laminar currents and surge as the powerheads come on, but as these different flows collide from multiple powerheads, a more random pattern of water movement with swirls and microsurges closely resembling turbulence should occur.

BIG!!!  -->Using return flow: In addition to using powerheads to increase water flow within a tank, the return flow from a pump in the sump should also be used in all but the smallest tanks. This strong constant flow can be utilized in a number of ways. For those of you who desire the current in your tank to surge from side to side, like the surge on the reef, the flow from the pump needs to be split at a 'T' fitting. After this 'T' fitting, electronic ball valves can be inserted at either end of the 'T.' These electronic ball valves can be programmed using a microprocessor timer so that the flow passing through them will alternate from one valve to the next. The microprocessor allows you to adjust the time between surge changes. To achieve the surge effect, the outflows should be directed opposite each other across the length of the tank. This method is for anyone with an unlimited budget, as a single electronic ball valve costs over $200 each, and the microprocessor is another $50.

Adapted with permission from Delbeek, JC; Sprung, J. The Reef Aquarium Vol 1. Ricordea Publishing, Coconut Grove, FL, 1994.

An alternative to having the pump direct its water flow into the tank is to use a surge device that has come to be known as the 'Carlson' surge device, after Bruce Carlson. In this system, a large, tall reservoir is placed above the tank. Three quarters of the way up this reservoir, a large diameter pipe runs into it and back down to nearly the bottom. The pipe coming out of the reservoir bends down to meet the tank's surface through the use of two 45-degree fittings. This pipe extends a couple or so inches down below the surface of the tank. Inside this outer tube, a small diameter piece of hard tubing runs to the top of the tube and extends out of the bottom of the tube and up into the air. This system works by the use of gravity and the creation of a siphon. Water from the tank is pumped into the reservoir slowly via a powerhead. When the water reaches the top of the pipe inside the reservoir, it will start to flow out and down the outside tube. As this flow increases, a siphon will form and draw the water out of the tube until the level reaches the bottom of the inside tube, at which time, the siphon will be broken and the water flow out of the reservoir will stop and the next cycle will begin. The flow out of this system will depend on the size of the reservoir, the height of the reservoir above the tank, and the diameter of the pipe extending into the reservoir. In order to make certain that the siphon is broken, I also suggest putting a small notch at the bottom of the pipe inside the reservoir.
Dump buckets: The last method for adding surge and turbulence to a tank is to use a 'dump bucket.' However, there are several reasons why I do not recommend using this method. First, this system is mechanical, and almost everything that I have utilized that is mechanical breaks down over time. However, a bigger reason is that all of the dump buckets that I have seen to date, by their very nature, produce a lot of air bubbles. These air bubbles not only make viewing the tank difficult, but they also irritate the corals. For soft corals in particular, this irritation leads to them not extending their polyps, making them less visually appealing. Lastly, dump buckets always produce salt spray, which is not only an annoyance, but can also be dangerous if the salt is allowed to get near any electrical outlets. Therefore, any alternative to a dump bucket should be employed as a means for producing proper water movement.

Water Flow Diverter

A diverter is another means of creating an aquarium water movement. It is installed on the return of your main filtration and directs incoming water to two alternating outputs, creating the beneficial aquarium water movement.



Potential problem situations

More is not necessarily better

This article has addressed many the positive aspects of good water movement. However, if you are like me, you may think that if a little is good, more would be better. This is not necessarily true with water movement. More likely, you will find that there is a window for the intensity of water movement that is optimal for coral growth, and if you go above this, some corals may be adversely affected. In one of my own systems, when I first put two powerheads into my system, my corals opened beautifully. When I added two more powerheads, my corals did not open as much. Gradually, over time, they opened less and less. However, I was too bull-headed having already spent the money on two additional powerheads to accept the fact that the corals were doing better with less current. This was only remedied when a friend suggested that I reduce the current's strength so that my Leather corals would open. The moral of this story is you can tell better than anyone when your corals are doing well, and sometimes, this is the result of doing something less, and not more. Over time, the corals will adapt to whatever water movement is present. If it is too strong in a particular area, they will grow around that spot. This is particularly true with stony corals.

And when you think that  they are not getting what they need when you have your powerheads off or when it is a down period from the wavemakers I found this article that was very interesting to me. 


Corals Eat By Stirring Up Turbulent Vortexes | IFLScience

Temperature increase

Most powerheads increase the temperature of the water by their method of being water-cooled. As a result, if a tank's temperature is showing an increase after the water movement is increased, the probable culprit is the powerheads. In this case, it may be necessary to either reduce the number of powerheads, or find more efficient models that do not heat the water so much. Otherwise, it may be necessary to add a chiller to the tank.

Salt spray

One last aspect of designing good water motion is to produce minimal salt spray. If your motion causes lots of bubbling and surface agitation, this will eventually lead to salt spray. This may not be problematic initially, but over time, a fine coating of salt will reduce the intensity of the lights and creep into everything around the tank. If it gets into anything electrical this can cause real problems, so keep this in mind once the system is up and running.


Electrical sources

If you plan to use a wavemaker in your reef aquarium, you will need a sufficient number of electrical outlets near the tank to accommodate multiple power cords. For safety purposes, use GFCI (ground-fault circuit-interrupter) outlets that are designed for safe operation in wet areas.

Conclusion

It is my belief that good water movement is essential for corals to really prosper. When designing good water movement in your system, do not make it too elaborate and always use reliable pumps and powerheads. Iwaki probably makes the most reliable and efficient water pumps on the market, so using them is a good place to start. My personal favorite is any of the mag's.  I use a mag 18 for my 125 gallon reef.  With a little planning, and some of the new equipment on the market, it is now quite easy to get water motion within your tank that mimics what occurs on the reef.

Got Hair? Hair Algae I mean.. how to keep it out of your tank and How to get RID of it!

Hair Algae on rock

Got Hair?  Hair Algae I mean..  how to keep it out of your tank and How to get RID of it!


Hair algae is a light green or green-gray type of algae that can become a nuisance in the aquarium. In a favorable environment, hair algae can grow really fast and an aquarium can therefore become filled with long, green “hairs” in no time. Even after a good manual scrub, the algae can be back within a few hours.

Hair algae are capable of growing attached to most types of surfaces, from stones and aquarium decorations to glass, equipment and plants. Hair algae might look unsightly in the eyes of the aquarist, but it has its own role to play in the ecosystem and quite a few organisms like to feed on hair algae. In the limited space that is an aquarium and with too few natural enemies and too few plants and other types of algae to compete with for light and nutrients, the hair algae can however become a problem not only for the aquarist but for the inhabitants as well.

The predominant nutrients that cause most of any algae issues are phosphate and nitrate. Go test your tank. Is phosphate reading zero? Nitrate probably is too...or at least very close. I bet they are! That's because you can only test the water column, and that dang HA is feeding off of it, and sucking it out of the water column so your test kits can't test for it. So don't be fooled!  The biggest reason for hair algae growth is poor water management.

Now, first thing first. Mow that HA down!!! Turn off all the pumps in your tank, get out your siphon hose (use just the hose not gravel vac end), get out your scissors, and give the HA the shortest brush cut you can, and be sure to suck all the loose bits out too, eh? If you simply kill the HA, and it dies in the tank it will release the phosphate it has been eating right back into your tank...and voila! More HA. You can safely to do a 50% water change if you have enough water on hand and you end up taking that much out while you're trimming the algae. While doing water changes use your siphon hose to get into all the nooks and crannies of your rock to suck out as much detritus as possible. Suck out any detritus that has settled on the sand bed as well without disturbing the sand bed and its beneficial bacteria.

Use a turkey baster to blow the detritus off your rocks once or twice a day while you're battling HA. If you have so much HA that you aren't done brush cutting it by the time you've sucked out 50% of the water, then fill the tank back up, and carry on again in a day or two. Make sure you aerate the fresh saltwater for 24 hours before you use it and always match temperature and salinity during water changes, especially large ones.

Keep up on regular weekly water changes (10-25%). Give that HA a good brush cut every time you do a water change, and suck out all the detritus from the rocks and on the sand. If you're repetitively finding lots of detritus you need to rearrange your power heads, replace them with bigger power heads, or add another power head. Half the point of power heads if to keep the detritus from settling. Your filter/skimmer can't get the detritus if it's settled on your rocks or sand bed. Make sure there are no dead spots in your circulation for detritus to settle.

Blue Dot Sea Hare LOVES to eat Hair Algae!

If you want to use algae eaters to control the algae, make sure that you pick suitable species. To begin with, the species must be suitable for your particular aquarium. Many algae eaters are forced to live in aquariums with an unsuitable pH-level, temperature, tank mates and so on, because the aquarist is only interested in their algae eating ability and does not care about the fishes/invertebrates and their well being. Secondly, get algae eaters that love to eat hair algae. Many algae eating species are not very fond of hair algae and some might even decide to devour you live plants and leave the hair algae alone. Last but not least, most algae eating species prefer young and fresh algae, so you should be prepared to remove the old hair algae manually. 

Oh...you're making fresh saltwater? Where are you getting your water from? The tap? Yikes (but not a huge No No depending what is in your tap water)! Could be full of phosphate! The grocery store or water store? Check their inline TDS meter before buying, and be sure it is at least 5 ppm or less. Test your source water for phosphate and nitrate. If you're already buying from the grocery store, then you need to look at buying an RO unit. By the way, 1 ppm of phosphate is A LOT for a reef tank.

The best option for a reef tank is to use a 4 stage (or better) RO/DI unit. When buying a RO/DI system buy a hand held or inline digital TDS meter and calibration fluid at the same time. Buy sodium chloride or potassium chloride calibration fluid that is similar to the TDS of your tap water ie 342 ppm. Distilled water is not suitable as calibration fluid. Use your TDS meter every time you use the RO/DI system. Your TDS should be zero. Not 1 ppm, not 2 ppm. ZERO. The first time it pops up to 1 you need to replace some cartridges, but that's a different subject!

Buying an RO/DI not feasible? Save your pennies...in my opinion, not having an RO/DI unit is like not putting salt into your reef. It just doesn't work too well. Shop around, you can usually find them for $150-200, or keep your eye open for a used system for $100 or so! I found one on Craigslist for a STEAL!  Just remember you may need to replace all the membranes ($$$) when you buy a used one, so a good deal can be not so good real quick!

What's the calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium at in your reef? Calcium should be 380-440 ppm, alkalinity 7-12 dKH, magnesium ~1350 ppm. These numbers are for 1.024-6 specific gravity. Low or unstable alkalinity encourages algae growth, as does low magnesium. And Calcium? Without calcium your corals and decorative coralline algae won't grow very well. Coralline algae helps to prevent nuisance algae growths. Be sure to test your water change water before you add it to the tank and add calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium if it needs it. Test your water change water at the proper salinity too, eh?

Ok, I think we have the water figured out. Now, what are YOU unintentionally doing to compromise the success of your reef? Is your tank overstocked? Most peoples' tanks are. Oh, and you're probably overfeeding. Or using poor feeding methods. Every time you feed your fish you are adding phosphate to your tank, so you want to minimize this as much as possible obviously! Cut your feeding back to HALF the amount, but be sure to feed once a day, no less, no more. Fish need to be fed everyday, their digestive systems are too small to get fed less, but cut down the amount you're giving them by half. They won't notice.

When you feed, don't just dump it all in and walk away. Add a little bit, then a bit more as they eat up the first bit. Make sure you never dump enough in there that it hits the sand. It should never hit the sand. If it does you're feeding too much. Have a Jawfish or Goby that doesn't come up for feedings? Use a turkey baster or some such thing to get the food directly down to him. He'll get used to it, but try not to show the other fish what you're doing with that turkey baster because they're a pain in the butt if they start following it down.

When you feed frozen food, all that juice is like a phosphate drink! Thaw frozen food in a little cup with RO water or tank water (not tap water). Once it has thawed pour the water down the drain before feeding. You don't want that thawed food juice in your tank. I use a tea strainer, works like a charm and cheap too.

So you have heard about those TLF PhosBan reactors I bet? Go get one. Period. You'll thank me later. Now, you gotta be careful. If you suck too much phosphate out too quickly you will shock your corals, and they just may bleach on you. So, get yourself some good phosphate removing media (Bulk Reef Supply HC GFO, RowaPhos, etc)...be sure to get a media that is reddish brown, NOT white. The reddish brown stuff is often referred to as GFO (granular ferric oxide).

We're gonna be safe and assume there is a lot of phosphate in your water, so add about 1 mL GFO per gallon of water in your reef. In 3 weeks add another 1 mL/gal to the existing media. In another 3 weeks (6 weeks total) dispose of all the old media. Refill with 2 mL of fresh GFO per gallon and let it run for 6 weeks. Dispose of old GFO and refill with 3 mL GFO per gallon and let that run for 6 weeks. Usually 3 mL GFO per gallon is a good maintenance amount, but some people use significantly more. You will learn when you have to change it out because you will start to see some algae growing usually on the front glass is the first sign, and adjust the amount of GFO you use so that you can change it every 4-6 weeks.

Be sure to rinse all new GFO in RO/DI water until it runs clear. Alternatively, you can put it in the reactor without rinsing and catch the first gallon or so of dirty water that comes out when you plug it in. Don't let that dirty water get into your reef! GFO in reator = good, GFO in tank = bad. Adjust the reactor so that the very top bit of the GFO is "boiling" very gently, just a bit of movement. The more contact time the better it works.

Ok, so maybe you have a big refugium? Well, get off your butt, and fill that fuge with chaeto instead of rubble and sand! Bare bottom is fine or a little bit of both.  Use a powerhead to make the chaeto roll in the water. The chaeto needs to roll freely for best results. Trim it when it gets too snug to roll. Light the crap out of it (try some clip on lamps with household spiral compact fluorescent bulbs around 55-6500K), and pray to your god for that chaeto to absorb all the phosphate from your water!!! .

Now...those lights of yours. When's the last time you changed the bulbs? As a bulb ages the color spectrum changes. It goes from a bluer color to a redder color. Algae LOVES red. So, replace MH bulbs every 12 months, T5 8-12 months, VHO 12 months, PC 6 months. If you're running low Kelvin bulbs like 6500K or 10,000K try using bluer bulbs like 13,000-20,000K. The length of photoperiod doesn't affect HA very much, so don't worry about that too much, but typically your main lighting (MH or the full T5 fixture) will run for 6-8 hours per day with supplemental lighting (blues or actinics) running 12-14 hours per day.  I am personally a huge fan of LED lights.  They are by far better than anything I have used and depending on what you have in your tank better than Metal Halides.  I have a 3 part post coming soon on LED lights...

To help this battle along I've got another idea. Boiling water. The age old friend. I mean who doesn't like some nice hot water? HA doesn't! Get that water boiling strong, grab a syringe, suck some boiling water up, run to your tank quickly, and spray a good jet of boiling water right in the midst of your HA. Be careful not to spray any of your corals...they don't like boiling water either. Don't use a turkey baster because the water will spray back out (will do that with some syringes too so be careful!). To be successful you HAVE to get that boiling water right in the forest of HA QUICKLY. Oh, and be sure to siphon all the dead crap out the next day. Better yet, give your HA a brush cut before you boiling water it.

Ok, you've tried everything...it's been a few months, and you're still brush cutting that HA. Now it's time for the big guns. If you have the Bryopsis type of HA (it's feathery unlike Derbesia which is grassy or like a green cotton ball), then this will work. If you have Derbesia, this won't work. Get yourself some Kent brand liquid magnesium. The Kent brand works best. It's cheap, don't worry. Pump up your magnesium to 1600 ppm. Don't worry it won't hurt the critters or the corals (not in my experience anyway, but I take no blame for you trying this...do at your own risk!!). Pump it up by no more than 100 ppm in a 24 hour period. You see...HA doesn't like magnesium to be all high like that n stuff. So, this could help you out. Once the HA goes away, just quit dosing it, and carry on with your regular water changes. The magnesium will slowly drop back down to where it should be.

A more advanced approach to algae control is to use a nutrient reduction system like ZEOvit, Fauna Marin, Prodibio, etc. If you decide to use these systems, according to the manufacturers you should not use GFO. Zeovit suggests you can use Coral Snow and ZEObak on their own to help with cyano outbreaks, but according to CanReefers this method isn't very effective. You would have better results using the full nutrient reduction systems.

A new product on the market is BioPellets available in several different brands. I have personally used these, and I have read many mixed reviews. I'm not sold on this product yet, but await to see what future reviews it will get.  I mix biopellets and some carbon for clearer water column and interchange this mixture with the phosban in my phosban reactor. 

If it's persistent after all this, then maybe you need to consider "cooking" your live rock (see link below). It is definitely possible that your live rock is leaching phosphate and/or nitrate from die off at some point in its life, and the easiest way to battle that is to remove it all and cook it. This is extreme - last resort sort of thing though. Btw, cooking does not involve the stove!

Obama to Establish the Worlds Largest Ocean Reserve in the Pacific

“We’ve already shown that when we work together, we can protect our oceans for future generations.  So let’s redouble our efforts.  Let’s make sure that years from now we can look our children in the eye and tell them that, yes, we did our part, we took action, and we led the way toward a safer, more stable world.”

President Barack Obama, June 17, 2014

The Palmyra Atoll, a tiny National Wildlife Refuge 960 miles south of Honolulu is one of the territories receiving attention in President Obama's new environmental policies.

Robert J. Shallenberger/The Nature Conservancy/AP

Obama to Establish the World’s Largest Ocean Reserve in the Pacific On January 6, 2009, President George W. Bush established the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument under the Antiquities Act of 1906. Incorporating nearly 86,888 miles within its boundaries, the monument covers nearly 50 nautical miles, including several pacific reefs within its reach. No surprise here, but Thursday September 25, 2014, President Barack Obama went about his preferred method and completely went over Congress to expand the monument to nearly 6 times its size – or about 490,000 miles.





The above photo shows the size of the original monument, and a visual of what the expansion would look like is featured below. This expansion will ban commercial fishing and deep sea mining within the set borders – including the tiny state of Kiribati around the Pheonix Islands. That specific region will be protected within 158,000 square miles, or roughly the size of the state of California. The seas around four of those islands, Howland and Baker islands, Palmyra atoll and Kingman Reef, are excluded from the expansion due to protests from Hawaii-based tuna fleets and will be open to fishing. So what’s the goal here? Here’s a word from the White House on the matter: “Expanding the monument will more fully protect the deep coral reefs, seamounts, and marine ecosystems unique to this part of the world, which are also among the most vulnerable areas to the impacts of climate change and ocean acidification.” “We have very few places left in the ocean that are still near pristine and it is very important to protect them,” said Enrique Sala, explorer-in-residence for National Geographic. “These marine protected areas are very important for the ocean. The reason why we are going to get more countries to do them is because the whole biosphere, including the fish, need to be able to regenerate,” she said. “If everyone is just fishing, fishing, fishing, there is no space for that to occur.”, explains Catherine Novelli, undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment. It’s not clear how the expansion will effect collection of reef species within the aquarium trade – Has anyone read anything about this? My biggest question is what is going to be done to clean up the garbage patch? While we are protecting this area (yes it is indeed a very good start) who is protecting the area from the ever spreading pacific garbage patch?



 Read more about the whole plan at The Guardian.

Also be sure to check out the official fact sheet on the expansion over at www.whitehouse.gov. Or Click here Obama's Plan Fact Sheet for Protecting Our Oceans

The Independants take on his speech  Obama's edited speech on Saving our Oceans