Saltwater Aquarium Tips - Tips on what to THINK about when Setting up your New Aquarium

Just got your new saltwater aquarium?  Here a 6 tips to getting your new saltwater aquarium off to the right start: 1. Choose your poison very carefully. What I mean is - with your saltwater aquarium do you want a friendly nice communal tank or do you want an aggressive tank.  No matter what size saltwater aquarium you have - you can do either if planned well. So think about the main fish & animals you like then make a list. Classify each animal by the following characteristics: Mature size potential, Food Choice, Schooling or Solitary, territorial or friendly,   Cold water species or warm water species, etc. Many people simply combine the items in such a way that the animals are doomed right from the start - this is heartbreaking for everyone and unfair for the animals. So think ahead when planning your saltwater aquarium.  Saltwater Aquarium setups can be categorized into three main types i.e. Fish Only (FO), Fish Only with Live Rock (FOWLR) and Reef Aquarium. Of these three, a reef aquarium is the most common as it resembles a real reef environment and allows you to keep various types of fishes, coral and invertebrates. 2. Choose your substrate - deep fine sand bed or shallow crushed coral. Either works fine - but a combo of both or a variation of either can cause problems. Here is a quick explanation: Deep fine sand bed houses Anaerobic bacteria (meaning in the presence of oxygen the bacteria will die). Therefore a deep sand bed (3-4" deep) consisting of fine sand will allow the bacteria a large surface area to grow and thrive yet also keeping water from flowing around the particles of sand located under the first inch of sand bed. Shallow crushed coral beds house Aerobic bacteria - these bacteria must have water to live as they are like fish in need of oxygen. The importance in this bacteria is that they eat nitrates - so by simply setting up the aquarium with this bacteria in mind at the beginning of the journey can automatically eliminate the issue with nitrates. ** remember - unlike a freshwater tank - if you have a deep sand bed - please do not siphon the sand - remember Anaerobic bacteria will die in the presence of water so siphoning the sand is a big NO-NO!! 3. Many people claim that a saltwater aquarium is harder than a freshwater aquarium. This is completely untrue. The main difference between saltwater and freshwater is the set up and equipment. If a saltwater tank is set up correctly from the start, it is far easier to care for long term. Getting the substrate correct, having live rock which also houses many different types of good bacteria and investing in a good protein skimmer are the 3 easiest things to do to be on the right path for a successful saltwater tank. 4. Once you start adding animals - plan your approach carefully. Since you have a list of animals you want to add to your saltwater aquarium - classify them as territorial or friendly. A great resource I use frequently is WetWebMedia.com - add the territorial fish LAST. 5. When thinking about saltwater corals - making your choices in the beginning can help avoid problems in the future. For example, acropora prefer pristine water and mushrooms prefer water with more nutrients. You can successfully keep both in the saltwater aquarium however it will require more attention to water changes, feeding and excess algae growth. When adding corals - think about your tank as real-estate. If your tank is 4' long then you basically have 12' of space to work with if we divide the space in sections from top to bottom as follows - high light, medium light and low light. By making a list of the corals you want and then classifying them as follows- you can determine before you make the first purchase a plan to follow and avoid the heartache of a new piece of coral failing to thrive. Here are some suggestions: Lighting: low, medium, high. Flow requirements: low, medium, high. Food choices, stinging - aggressive coral. Photosynthetic or non-photosynthetic. 6. Be aware: Some corals can overtake a tank. One such animal would be the mushroom.  They tend to love nitrates and while they do not lower the levels they thrive wonderfully in a /25pp, environment.  This may not be a problem if you never want to keep hard sensitive, slow growing corals. It may be a blessing to get a soft coral that you can encourage to grow on the back of the glass like a shag carpet - this makes everything easier if you never plan to add high dollar, slow growing corals. Remember, just like in real estate, location, location, location. So if you have a slow growing coral that needs high light in your saltwater aquarium and you add a fast growing coral that like high light - guess who wins. You can keep both in the same saltwater tank - but this will require committed approach to harvesting the fast growing coral weekly to avoid it growing over the slow growing corals. Original article Reef2Go - Used for informational purposes only and not for distribution for sale or profit without permissions.

The Wonderful World of Pulsing Xenia "pumping" Xenia Corals

Xenia Corals

 

The Wonderful World of Pulsing Xenia "pumping" Xenia Corals 

Click here for a Pulsing Xenia of your own!

Xenia corals are a beautiful and tranquil species of "soft" coral. The opening and closing of the polyps in a pulsing or pumping action is what gives this coral the constant look of gently flowing and waving in the water. In Xenia Corals, groups of stalks ending in these feathery polyps can spread into large mats, and pulsing xenia are quite popular amongst marine reef enthusiasts.

Lighting And Water Current

Xenia corals require an environment that includes moderate to strong lighting. Usually brighter is better for xenia corals living in a marine aquarium, although some success has been reported at lower light levels. They also require at least moderate water flow, as they are one of few corals that seem to do well right up against the strong output of a powerhead.

Description

Xenia corals have sturdy stalks up to 3" long, which are usually tan in color. The end of each stalk is covered with a crown of feather-like polyps, each carried on a 1"-2" stem. Those polyps pulsate open and closed in a pumping motion. Groups of these stalks form colonies that can grow into large mats.

Hardiness

As far as hardiness is concerned, xenia corals pose an interesting case. While some hobbyists cannot keep this type of coral alive, other hobbyists report that they are almost like a fast growing "weed" coral. Although there are guidelines that can be followed as to xenia care in the home aquarium, no one seems to fully understand what will guarantee the success of this type of xenia corals on the reef.

  Aggressiveness And Feeding

Xenia corals have an extremely low aggression level. They do not possess any apparent stinging capability, but they do tend to grow over and shadow other corals if allowed. Xenia corals are photosynthetic and do not accept any known foods if offered in the aquarium. It is believed that they can absorb some nutrients directly from the water. Xenia may do better in tanks that are not frequently skimmed.

Found this great video showing the pulsing movements of a Xenia compliments of Michael Rice:

Corals Reproduction

Xenia corals reproduce in the tank by attaching its stalk against adjacent surfaces and splitting into two colonies. With this phenomenon, the colonies tend to "walk" in the direction that the water movement bends their stalks. They can usually be coaxed to grow up the back glass of an aquarium.

Click here for a Pulsing Xenia of your own!

Open Brain Surgery Anyone? oops! I mean Open Brain Coral!

Click here to add an Open Brain Coral to your Tank!

Quick Facts :: Open Brain Coral Care Level: Moderate Waterflow: Medium Placement: Bottom Lighting: Medium to High Temperament: Semi-aggressive Color Form: Green, Red, Pink, Brown Supplements: Calcium, Strontium, Trace Elements Water Conditions: 72-78� F, dKH 8-12, sg 1.020-1.025, pH 8.1-8.4 Origin: Indo-Pacific Family: Trachyphylliidae Species: LPS Hard Corals Category: LPS Hard Corals
Open Brain Coral Aquarium Care, Lighting Requirements and Feeding Information The Open Brain Coral is a Large Polyp Stony (LPS) coral, sometimes referred to as the Pacific Rose Coral, or Wellsophyllia/Trachyphyllia Brain Coral. They are not connected to the substrate and can be easily collected from the reef when mature. They are often found in varying shades of metallic green and are characterized by their irregular round shape, deep impressions and fused walls with numerous folds. Originally these species were identified as Wellsophyllia corals being separate from Trachyphyllia corals. This distinction is less commonly used now, and the Wellsophyllia Brain Coral is often referred to now as a Trachyphyllia radiata coral, thus making the two interchangeable. All of their characteristics including feeding, lighting and water movement requirements are identical. Wellsophyllia/Trachyphyllia Brain Corals do best in a well established reef aquarium that incorporates moderate to strong lighting and a moderate water current within the aquarium, along with the addition of calcium, strontium, and other trace elements to the water. These corals prefer to be placed on a sandy substrate, with plenty of space between it and other corals, as it is sensitive to stings from its neighbors. It is advisable to locate these corals someplace on the reef that will keep them well separated from all neighbors and even provide some extra space to roam. Wellsophyllia/Trachyphyllia Brain Corals utilize the symbiotic algae zooxanthellae from which it receives the majority of its nutrition through photosynthesis. They also benefit from occasional feedings of meaty items, like shrimp, clam and squid. They should only be offered food when the tentacles are fully expanded, which is typically during the night time hours. An In Depth look:   Brain Coral Care Beginner and experienced reef enthusiasts alike will choose to keep brain coral in their home tanks and aquariums, as brain coral care is generally simple and adaptive to many environments. Overall, the nature of the brain coral is extremely hardy, which makes brain coral care less restrictive and time consuming than other types of coral. In The Reef Aquarium The ideal parameters for brain coral care include clean water conditions, moderate lighting and water flow, sufficient space between other specimens in the tank, and including trace elements such as calcium and strontium periodically in the water. The exact color of the brain coral may determine the strength of lighting used in the tank- keep this in mind for overall brain coral care. Setting the temperature in the artificial tank will also help keep the brain coral care in optimal health- the water temperature should fall between 75 and 84 degrees. Substrate Since brain coral is a sand dwelling organism, having a tank that is lined with sand, gravel or a mud filled bottom is a crucial element of brain coral care. If brain coral care does not include a substrate lined tank, the brain coral will not be able to use their extended flesh to propel themselves towards optimal lighting and water conditions. Because brain coral does utilize a defense mechanism of stinging rays, adequate brain coral care will depend on having its own established place in the tank so the coral doesnt sting nearby creatures. Care And Diet Because brain coral contains photosynthetic algae in its tissue, brain coral care does not depend on supplemental feedings. However, brain coral care can include filter feeding food (that is used for invertebrates) in addition to various micro plankton, fish flesh, shellfish or crustaceans. If your brain coral care does include supplemental feedings, the coral should be fed no more than twice a week- and only when the brain coral is open (usually at night). Propagating Specimens Part of brain coral care does include the option of cultivating the coral in a home aquarium or reef tank. Because the brain coral reproduce asexually through fragmentation in the wild, the process can be mimicked during brain coral care in an artificial environment. Overall Health You should be vigilant about maintaining your corals- proper brain coral care includes making regular assessments of the corals health. Warning signs to look for when doing brain coral care assessments include bleaching, tissue becoming detached from the corals skeletal system, and the how regularly the polyps extend, in addition to how much they extend. Most likely you will need to adjust the water quality of the tank if these things are found during overall brain coral care. Another possibility is aggression from a neighboring specimen which may threaten develop of the brain coral.

Click here to add an Open Brain Coral to your Tank!