Reef Ramblings

Reef Fishes of the East Indies is a 3-volume set of books written and compiled by Gerald R Allen & Mark V. Erdmann.

Weighing in at just over 6.5 kg, Reef Fishes of the East Indies represents a mammoth undertaking. Comprising three hardbound volumes, packed together in a slipcase (10 cms in width!), this fantastic work covers the fishes of the ‘Coral Triangle’ in 1292 pages and 3,600 high quality colour photographs, many never before seen in print.

Embracing an area extending from the Andaman Sea to the Solomon Islands this is the only reference work to cover every known reef fish, making it the most comprehensive treatment of the region in a century. The East Indies encompasses a vast array of marine habitats and an unsurpassed marine biological diversity. Home to approximately 2,600 species of reef fishes occurring on coral reefs and nearby habitats the ‘Coral Triangle’ forms the basis of the reef aquarium hobby. The reef and related marine ecosystems of the region are the most bio diverse and economically valuable on the planet whilst, at the same time, amongst the most at risk with over 80% of its coral reefs being considered endangered.

The text provides up to date information on the classification, habitat, and distributional range of each species as well as an overall synopsis for each of the 120 families covered. Volume one includes descriptions of the regions that make up the East Indies along with a discussion of the zoogeography i.e. the geographic distribution of the species of the area. All useful information for the reef keeper aiming to put together a biotope aquarium.

Many of the featured species have not been previously recorded from the region, nor have their photographs appeared in print. Reef Fishes of the East Indies features the 2,631 known reef fishes of the ‘Coral Triangle’, including 25 species new to science.

To see samples of some of the photography, go to the Guardian, environment section.

Reef Fishes of the East Indies is an essential reference for advanced reef keepers, professional aquarists, biologists, naturalists, and scuba divers.   The book has been written to engender an appreciation of the region’s amazing biodiversity and the urgent need to conserve it for the benefit of future generations.

The book represents a milestone in the prolific careers of two dedicated marine biologists, Dr. Gerald R. Allen and Dr. Mark V. Erdmann, who have spent a combined total in excess of 60 years exploring and describing the fishes in the ‘heart’ of marine fish biodiversity.

Gerald R. Allen served as Senior Curator of Fishes at the Western Australian Museum in Perth and is an international authority on the classification of coral reef fishes. Since leaving the Museum in 1997, he has worked as a private consultant, primarily involved with coral reef fish surveys in Southeast Asia for Conservation International.

Mark V. Erdmann is senior advisor for Conservation International–Indonesia’s marine program, with a primary focus on managing CI’s marine conservation initiatives in the Bird’s Head Seascape in West Papua.

Published by Conservation International.

Available to special order from Midland Reefs (delivery 3 – 5 days). Price for the three-volume set is £ 204.99 including post and packing

For more about Gerald Allen, see Alert Diver Online, ‘A Magnum Opus of Tropical Reefs’

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

©2012

People often ask, “Is the Miracle Mud system proven?” or, “Does the Miracle Mud system really work?” The answer is a definite, “Yes!”

This brief article is intended to give you a glimpse at just a few of the successful reef aquaria around the world that run on EcoSystem Miracle Mud.

First off it has to be the reef belonging to Leng Sy, the inventor of the Miracle Mud system. These photos were taken a few years back when I visited EcoSystem in California. Leng referred to this as a ‘Soft coral and angelfishes’ display, remarkably it featured a pair of adult Emperor Angels, alongside a number of other exotic angelfish species.

The second aquarium using Miracle Mud is one of my own. I’ve included it because this is the aquarium where I experienced a soft coral reproducing through sexual reproduction. The species in question is a Briarium species, commonly referred to as ‘Star polyps’. Spawning has taken place irregularly over the years and on at least one occasion the planula larvae have successfully settled creating new corals.

Stay tuned to this station …

… this article will continue to be updated over the next day or two

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

EcoSystem Aquarium UK

©2012

MarinePure (previously known as ReefresH2O) – The Natural Choice for Fish Hobbyists.

Here are a few of the testimonials we’ve been receiving about MarinePure media. The first couple are from the US where this media has been around for a while longer than in the UK and EU.

“I currently maintain five 55-gallon tanks of Hawaiian fish, and in some of them MarinePure is the only method of filtration I use,” said John Dawe, fish hobbyist and past president of both the Marinelife Aquarium Society of Michigan (MASM) and Midwest Marine Conference, as well as a MarinePure customer for close to 10 years.

“MarinePure is exceptionally reliable, and so convenient to use as an almost instant biofiltration system.  I can literally take a conditioned piece from an existing tank and put it directly into a new tank of quarantined fish, or get a new piece of media ready in just a couple of days by seasoning it in an existing tank,” Dawe explained.  “I wouldn’t use any other biofiltration product.”

“As a long-time hobbyist who has also been in the coral propagation business, effective and reliable media for both filtration and coral growth is important from many aspects,” said Rick Smith, aquatic enthusiast and former fish and coral frag wholesaler.  “MarinePure is the closest product available to reef rock, offering exceptionally high porosity and making it much easier to bore propagation holes than when using concrete-based media.  Offering a neutral substrate with an ability to rapidly absorb up to 30 percent of their weight in micronutrient-rich salt water, MarinePure coral frag plugs promote instant coral adhesion and long-term, healthy growth.”“I’ve been using this product line for about a decade now, and currently maintain a 92-gallon reef tank that exclusively employs MarinePure biofiltration media.  With no need for water changes in more than three years, the tank is full of healthy, thriving corals thanks to MarinePure.”

In the short time that MarinePure products have been available in the UK they’ve proved an unqualified success in the shops where they’ve been tried out, particularly in the marine sector. Retailers using MarinePure products in their shop systems report unprecedented low nitrate levels.

Richard Sendel, owner of Tropical Paradise, Eastleigh, near Southampton placed four MarinePure Blocks in the sump of his 4,500 litre shop fish system which at the time was running at 100 ppm Nitrate, mainly because Richard makes sure his fishes get properly fed 3 times a day. Now, after 10 weeks, Richard is reporting an unprecedented Nitrate level of 2 ppm!

Steve Unwin of Mastin Moor Aquatics is using the Blocks in his fish system; Steve made the additional observation that since installing the blocks in the system, water parameters have become much more stable rather than fluctuating as the fish load varies over the course of the week (as fishes are sold and the system restocked).

Malc, proprietor of Aquatics World, Coventry, using a combination of  Spheres in a large trickle tower along with Blocks in the system, is finding negligible levels of Nitrate in his fish system.

From Switzerland Sascha Sonderegger of Nightsun Aquaristics emailed saying, “I tried a MarinePure block in my live rock tank and the result now is really good. I put it in to the tank on the 17th December with a nitrate around 100mg/l. When I put in new live rock, normally the NO3 will go up a little, this time the NO3 was 25mg/l after 10 days.”
We’ve had plenty more reports from aquarists, both retailers and hobbyists, having great success in reducing and controlling the nitrate levels within their systems. If you’ve got a MarinePure success story that you’d like to share, email me at tim@midlandreefs.co.uk or give me a call on 01543 685599, and I’ll publish your story here.

Tim Hayes
Midland Reefs
©2009 – 11

As there seems to be some confusion about the usage of MarinePure media I’ve decided to answer these concerns with the addition of a MarinePure FAQ section.

“How do you cut MarinePure blocks and plates?”

MarinePure is a very easy media to cut. The first time I cut a plate I used what I believe to be a tile saw. Further experimentation has shown that this media can be cut with a wide variety of saws, although I’d suggest using narrower bladed ones, such as tile saws or hacksaws, rather than wood saws.
Note: you don’t need to use a fancy diamond tipped ceramic saw to cut this media.

“Why is it recommended that MarinePure products should be rinsed to keep from clogging every few months and changed out every 12 – 24 months when, on the ReefresH2O website, it states that the media is non-clogging?”

The important thing to note here is the exact wording in the MarinePure literature:
“Maintenance:
Periodic backwashing or rinsing suggested every 3 months or as necessary
Replace material after 12 – 24 months or as necessary”

Please note the use of the words,  “or as necessary”.
This is to reflect the many different ways that the media could be used, both in freshwater and marine environments.

Broadly speaking, if the media is used in a flow-through application, such as the cartridges designed for use with the Marineland filters, then it is reasonable to expect some clogging to occur as the media is being used both as mechanical filtration and as biological filtration.
So, where the media is doing double duty we’d recommend periodically rinsing it in tank water.

If the media is being used in a passive application i.e. denitrification, it won’t have water being forced through so won’t be as liable to clogging. In a passive application, with a light flow of water traveling around the media, the movement of water through the media is facilitated by advection and diffusion processes, along with bioturbation efforts of micro-organisms living within the substrate.
In this application the media can, in effect, be self-cleaning. Any clogging that might start to occur will be cleaned up by a combination of the larger microorganisms moving through the substrate and by the migration of different species of bacteria to the clogged site. Think of it in terms of one man’s clogging being some micro-organisms idea of lunch!!

See The Reef Aquarium vol. 3 by Delbeek and Sprung for more on advection.

“if this was used as a base material under live rock then wouldn’t that make it a bit difficult to rinse and wouldn’t it have detritus constantly settling upon it and clogging the surface of it?”

In this application, where MarinePure plates are used directly on the base of the aquarium, there is no necessity for rinsing the media. As mentioned in the previous FAQ, bioturbation and mobile populations of bacteria will keep the plates from clogging. The same will hold true where plates are used vertically against the back or side walls of the aquarium.

“Wouldn’t worms and other micro-organisms find it difficult to burrow through the ceramic material of MarinePure ?”

The highly porous structure of MarinePure and it’s extensive network of interconnected pores and channels, with sizes ranging from 0.5µm to 500µm, provides homes for many varieties of micro-organisms as well as bacteria species. Expect to see many species of worms, molluscs, micro-crustaceans, algae, and more, taking up residence within the structure of any MarinePure product used in a passive or denitrification application.

“What’s the best way of using MarinePure in an external power filter?”

This depends on what your aim is:

If you just want nitrification in a freshwater set up, use as you would any other media, occasionally rinsing the media in tank water.

If you are after nitrification make sure to use mechanical pre-filter media, sponge or filter floss (remembering to rinse it weekly and replace as necessary) before the MarinePure media. Ideally restrict the flow of water through the filter to enhance denitrification.
Note: flow restriction should take place on the inlet side of the filter to prevent pressurization and the associated danger of leakage.

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If you have any further queries about MarinePure media, or any other aspect of reef aquaria please feel free to contact me.

Tim Hayes
Midland Reefs
©2009 – 2011

MarinePure was originally launched in the UK in 2008 under the name ReefresH2O.  The product was taken over by Cermedia in 2010.

There’s been quite a buzz about the MarinePure media since we debuted it at the UK trade industry show, GLEE, back in September 2008. With the recent review of the media in Marine World magazine this buzz has turned into an avalanche of enquiries and purchases, consequently I thought it was about time I put together some information about the product and the best way to utilise it.

MarinePure brings you a better way to keep your aquarium water clean through the use of Cell-Pore™ technology. With more surface area than other bio-media products, it gives beneficial bacteria more room to grow and enhance your aquarium’s capacity for biological filtration.
Its non-clogging, interconnected pore structure provides an efficient home for biofilms of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria to grow. Water is able to pass through quickly and easily, providing contact with both types of bacteria.
It mimics nature, providing the perfect balance of biological filtration, one of the most important factors in the health of your aquarium.
Importantly for marine systems, working in just the same way as natural products such as live rock,

Biological Filtration.

Any closed environment accumulates waste from inhabitants, decomposing plants, uneaten food and other organic matter. An effective biological system uses beneficial bacteria to break down waste before it can become toxic to the aquarium’s inhabitants. These bacteria grow on surfaces as thin biofilms and need the right environment, depending on whether they are aerobic or anaerobic, to thrive – ReefresH2O provides those surfaces in both environments.
Aerobic bacteria change toxic ammonia to nitrites, and then into nitrates.
Anaerobic (denitrifying) bacteria change nitrates into free nitrogen gas and water.
The greater the surface area available for these two types of bacteria, the better the bioremediation of the aquarium system, since the total biomass produced is spread much thinner over all of this area, any tendency to clog is reduced.
Again, important for marine systems given the common problem of high levels of nitrates as a result of overstocking or of insufficient capacity for denitrification.

Products and Applications.

Currently MarinePure is available in a number of different forms:

• 1- 1/2” diameter spheres
• 8” x 8” x 1” plates
• 8” x 8” x 1” blocks

5/8” diameter spheres. Not in the MarinePure range. Limited quantities remain.

These small spheres are best suited to facilitating nitrification in freshwater aquaria, both tropical and coldwater.
Limited application in reef aquaria except as a substrate to provide a habitat for micro crustacea such as Gammarids.

Reported to have some utility when added to the rear compartment of nano aquaria such as the  JBJ and D&D nano cubes.

Originally 1-1/4” diameter spheres – MarinePure now comes as 1-1/2″ spheres, increasing both surface area and capacity for de-nitrification.

These spheres are the same size as conventional bio-balls but have many times the surface area. Ideal for use in trickle towers where their fantastic surface area will facilitate extremely efficient nitrification. Aside from surface area these spheres bring an additional advantage in this application, in the event of a power failure their ability to retain moisture means that the bacteria will remain alive for a far longer time than would be the case when using plastic bio-balls. The water adsorption of MarinePure is such that it holds its own weight in water even after hours after draining.

If used in a low flow application where they are not subject to a flow of heavily aerated water these spheres will facilitate de-nitrification as their interior region will become anaerobic.

Keep a handful or so of these spheres in your sump and you have an instant filter available for adding to a quarantine tank for new fishes or for use with a hospital tank when medication is required that would be deleterious to live rock.

A single bacterially live sphere added to a shipping bag will make for a safer way of moving livestock. Although do be aware of the importance of using a bag of sufficient size to ensure the fish isn’t forced into contact with the media. May not be suitable in this application for use with some substrate dwelling fishes.

Originally 9” x 9” x 1” plates – MarinePure comes as 8″ x 8″ x 1″ owing to improved manufacturing technology.

The 9” x 9” x 1” plates are very versatile.  When placed in a high flow area of oxygenated (aerated) water, these plates will provide an excellent substrate for the nitrification of ammonia and nitrite.  In addition, these highly versatile plates (like their larger counter parts, the 9” x 9” x 4” blocks) will facilitate passive de-nitrification. For the best de-nitrification, place these plates in an area of gentle to low water flow, keep them out of the flow of heavily aerated water and do not use in a position where water would flow rapidly through the plate.

Suggested usage:
Use in place of a sand or gravel substrate on the base of the aquarium. If you’re nervous about placing live rock directly on the glass the plates will spread the load at the same time as providing de-nitrification. For aesthetics I’d suggest using a sacrificial layer of sand, just a thin scattering to cover the plates, which can then be periodically syphoned out along with accumulated detritus.

The plates are very easy to cut, I’ve used what I believe to be a tile saw for this job, and can be used in a similar way to egg crate to create ledges and shelves for supporting rockwork. If desired small holes can be drilled through the plates to enable structures to be tied together using nylon electrical cable ties.

“Top Tip – use black cable ties in preference to white or coloured cable ones as they seem to be more resistant to UV hence last much longer.”

Using plates vertically against the back or sides of the reef aquarium provides you with a great substrate for corals to grow on, this way you can get away from seeing all that glass and have corals growing all the way to the water line without having to build a water displacing rock wall.

Originally 9” x 9” x 4” blocks – MarinePure comes as 8″ x 8″ x 4″ owing to improved manufacturing technology.

The blocks are the most efficient way of facilitating de-nitrification. Simply place in an area of your sump where the block is subject to a gentle to low water flow. Make sure to keep it out of the flow of heavily aerated water and avoid any position where water would be forced to flow through the block too quickly. A slow, consistent flow of nitrate laden water through these blocks allows sufficient time to create the ideal anaerobic environment necessary for de-nitrification to take place and for waste products (nitrogen gas and carbon dioxide) to be efficiently carried away.

Depending on the size of your aquarium, the quantity, and size of your fishes, and the amount of food you feed, multiple blocks can be used to control the nitrate level of your water. Some customers in the States have seen as much as a 2 gram reduction in nitrate-nitrogen levels per block per day when used in this “passive” format.

Coral frag plugs. Not in the MarinePure range. Limited quantities remain.

Like the rest of the product range, the frag plugs are made of the same foamed ceramic material, but at a slightly higher density. This means that, when mounting a coral frag to grow-on, you have the advantage that it can adsorb nutrients from the aquarium water in a the same way it would in the natural reef environment. When a frag starts growing onto the plug from it’s initial point of glued attachment (we recommend Reef Gel for this job) the porous nature of the substrate results in faster plating out than is seen when using a non-porous material, especially plastic or concrete plugs.

The improved growth is mainly due to the porosity of the frag plug allowing nutrition to reach the growing base of the coral.

Unlike coral plugs bonded with conventional Portland cement, there’s no danger of experiencing a high pH spike when using MarinePure frag plugs. MarinePure propagation plugs arrive sterile from the ceramic firing process and are ready to use without any post cure or conditioning.

For technical data about the MarinePure range please download the data sheet as a PDF:

MarinePure Technical Data Sheet

MarinePure with Cell-Pore™ technology offers aquarists many advantages:

10-100 x more surface area per cubic inch than any other biomedia.

Mimics biological filtration found in nature without harvesting live rock.

Compatible with existing filtration systems.

Smaller material & equipment footprint.

Far less maintenance than with other manmade methods of de-nitrification.

Less time spent cleaning your aquatic environment.

Can result in fewer water changes being required.

Works in coldwater and tropical applications, in freshwater & marine aquariums, and in ponds.

Tim Hayes
Midland Reefs
©2009 – 2011