The Spawning of a Bubble Tip

Spawning Bubble Tip Anemone

One night I noticed that the demo tank from The Reef Aquarium DVD, A Set Up and Maintenance Guide had very cloudy water. Upon looking further, I saw that one of the Bubble Tip Anemones was spawning, sending out a milky white substance into the tank water. It almost looked like it was smoking. I quickly checked

Spawning Bubble Tip

the parameters of the water: Ph, Nitrite, Nitrate, Amonia,

Phosphate and dkh. Everything was in a good range. The Nitrite and Amonia were each zero, Nitrate was one, Ph was 8.3, dkh was 8 and Phospahte was zero.  The fish were swimming around happily and there seemed to be no ill effects other than the cloudy water.

The demo tank from The Reef Aquarium DVD, A Set Up & Maintenance Guide is a large tank, 210 gallons with a 35 gallon sump. This is a perfect example why sometimes it is easier to keep a large tank than a small tank. When an amemome spawns,

clowdy water from spawning

it uses a lot of oxygen in the water. I have heard stories of the fish being killed in a small tank because of lack of oxygen. If you have a small tank, I recommend an immediate water change. However, in our large tank, we could easily handle the spawning just by the size of the tank. Also, we run ozone into the tank, thus increasing the oxygen in the tank.

spawning

After the spawning the Bubble Tip Anemone was noticeably smaller and a little shriveled. However, the next day he was at full size and the tank looked fine. Also by then, the protein skimmer had pulled out all the milkiness from the water.

Our experience at the New Jersey 2008 Frag Swap

Frag Swap 2008

The concept of a frag swap is fantastic. Members and guests exchange information and hear experts speak about corals and coral propagation. Reefers can take corals that they have grown in their own tanks and trade them. These exchanges not only help the hobbyist, but also are very green for the environment as wild corals are not removed from their environment.

Looking forward to Frag Swap 2008 in Secaucus, New Jersey, my oldest son and I packed up a Styrofoam container with 7 beautiful Australian Acathastrea frags and went to see what we could get. When we arrived, we found the entrance well manned and well organized.

Frag Swap corals for sale

When we first got in we were asked by a fellow reefer “what do you got?” We opened up our container and started showing our corals to each other. Then, two workers helping to organize the swap came up to us.

“You really shouldn’t do that here,” said the people working at the Swap.

“Well, where is the trading area?” I asked.

“There is none” replied the man in purple.

“Isn’t this a frag swap?” I asked. The worker replied, “All these vendors paid $200 a table, and they are selling corals, so we really don’t want the other people competing right in front of them.”

Trying to be on my best behavior in front of my older son, I calmly pointed out that if this was the case the event should be called a ”Frag Buy” instead of a Frag Swap. Also we paid $30 to get in the door, and although it was not $200, it should afford us some rights to do what the event advertises.

Drawing for prizes

This encounter did not hinder us from trading. We were able to get some beautiful Acroproa, pink Stylophora and green Favia. What we found really interesting, is that most of the trading we did was with people who had the booths!

The action on the floor

The speaker that we heard had some very interesting points about breading corals being a more efficient way to propogate corals than fragging. The raffle was a great concept, with many chances to win many useful products. Even the lunch was good: it was next door so you didn’t have to waist time leaving the hotel.

corals and clams

All in all, it was a great show and we look forward to going back next year. However, I hope the New Jersey Reefers Society adheres to their charter stated in their pamphlet of “To provide a forum for sharing resources and information among local aquarium enthusiasts”  instead of being turned by the all mighty dollar.

What coral grows like crazy?

Montipora Cup Coral

Montipora Cup Coral is a great coral for the beginner and intermediate reefer. This red/orange specimen started in the demo tank when it was smaller than the size of the nail on my little finger – smaller than a dime! Now, after about 11 months in the demo tank, this Red/orange Montipora Cup Coral, also referred to to as Montipora Plate Coral has grow tremendously. This specimen is now about 7 inches around and four inches high. We have found it happiest with bright light and moderate water movement. Montiporas are SPS or a Small Polyp Stony Coral and love lots of calcium. As people who have watched The Reef Aquarium DVD, A Set Up & Maintenance Guide know that we use a calcium reactor to keep our calcium levels close to 450. Although recently our corals and clams have been growing so well that we are beginning to dose with calcium a little to bring up our calcium levels.

small montipora

Be careful that your Monipora does not get too big! We have seen them in a friends tank grow to over two feet in circumference! Usually when the get that big in captivity, there ends begin to turn color and the whole coral starts to die. Although magnificent when they get big, we recommend pruning because once they get over 2 feet, they can go down hill very quickly. Monipora come in many colors, from green, to purple, bright red, bright orange are just a few of the colors you can choose from for your under water garden. We highly recommend them as they are beautiful, fairly hearty, not aggressive and they are fun to watch them grow.

A Stinging Loss

The coral on the right is a Galaxia and the coral on the left is an Acropora. This used to be a beautiful Acro which I had grown for about a year from a small two inch single branch frag. Then, one morning , I noticed a small part of the Acro was white. I resolved myself to keep an eye on it when I got back home from work. After I came home at night, the white area had grown. I did the usual water test and everything was in the normal range. All the other corals looked healthy and the fish were as strong as ever. I called Bob, our expert from The Reef Aquarium DVD, A Set Up & Maintenance Guide.

“Are there other corals near it?” Bob asked

“Yes, there is a large Colt Coral on one side” I replied.

“That wouldn’t do anything, Colt Corals are not aggressive” said Bob. “Anything else”

“Yes, on the other side is a Galaxia”.

Bingo! That was it, Bob told me. “Galaxia’s are one of the most aggressive corals. They have long stinger tenticles and do most of their damage at night to other corals. ” It happened that it turned white first at the part closest to the Galaxia.

Since it was mostly white by now Bob told me to pull it out as a dead coral is a green algea magnet.

I was really quite amazed that after a year of living next to each other that the Galaxia decided to kill the Acropora. There was plenty of food and light for both, and both had grown over the year. It must have been both were getting too big for the space and the more aggressive coral decided to show who was king of the hill.

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A Collectors Collection

A Collection To NoticeWithout a doubt, Richard Badits has the most amazing private collection of corals I have ever seen.

With a main 200 gallon and three 75 gallon for stocking, his private collection focusing on Acans from Australia is so impressive that finding words to describe its beauty will only pale in comparison to the amazing corals themselves. He keeps very few fish in his stocking tanks and has well over 350 different specimens of corals. Many of the corals in The Reef Aquarium DVD, A Set Up And Maintenance Guide were from Richard’s collection.

I have also never seen someone feed corals as much as Richard, five days a week. By so much feeding, his corals grow quickly, with amazingly beautiful colors. He uses T-5 Florescence’s as well as metal halides.

There is a price to this high color and fast growth: water changes. Richard changes his water three times a week. While this might be too much work for many reefers, the collection itself leaves any reefer lucky enough to see it awed by its scope and beauty.