Reef Ramblings

A short video of the SICCE stand at this year’s Interzoo trade show, showing the breadth of the range of products on offer.

To see more of the range of SICCE products, go to: www.sicce.com

Tim Hayes, Midland Reefs, ©2010. Images, SICCE, ©2010

Italian pump manufacturer, SICCE, is pleased to announce that the marine aquarium specialist, Midland Reefs, has been appointed UK distributor for its product range in the UK.

Established for more than 35 years, SICCE designs and manufactures a broad range of water pumps for all areas of aquatics, from small water fountains pumps up to pond and drainage pumps.

The aquarium range includes extremely quiet recirculation pumps with low power consumption, stream pumps, internal and external filters, power head pumps, high-precision heaters, air pumps, CO2 systems, and aquarium lines for both beginners and the demanding aquarium enthusiast.

For fountains, there are extremely quiet pumps for both indoor and outdoor applications, along with submersible lamps.

The garden range includes internal filters for ponds, pressure filters, fountains, submersible lights, and flexible folding pond kits complete with pump.

Of particular interest to reef keepers are the extremely quiet Synchra Silent return pumps, the high output, high head Multi return pumps, and the stream style Voyager range.

The new range of SICCE products will be on display for the first time in the UK on the Midland Reefs - SICCE stand at the AQUA2010 trade show in Telford, 6^th - 7^th October.

For more details on SICCE products, please contact Midland Reefs.

Telephone: 01543 685599. Email: tim@midlandreefs.co.uk

Websites:

www.sicce.com

www.midlandreefs.co.uk

SAIA, the Sustainable Aquarium Industry Association, the European organisation for everybody interested in an ethical and sustainable Marine Aquarium Trade and Industry, has published a list of unsuitable and unsustainable fish species.

This document can be freely downloaded from the SAIA website.

This is a consultation document and SAIA welcomes feedback and discussion from all aquarists regarding the listed species.

The primary objective of the list is to raise awareness for a responsible, ethical, and sustainable hobby and trade by considering the difficulties in keeping certain organisms alive in captivity. The list identifies species where there in no justification for their being traded in volume.

In the first instance, the aim is to raise awareness in the average hobbyists who bear the disappointment and cost of choosing an unsuitable species.

For the industry the list should serve as guideline on what to avoid when placing an order, with the exception of where the listed species is requested by a buyer with either proven record of being capable to keep such specimens or for the purpose of breeding or research. Such buyers are not the average hobbyists.

SAIA would like to point out that the number of species listed as unsuitable or unsustainable is represents a small proportion of what is traded, so no significant loss to business and economy would result from adhering to this list, nor does it restrict the hobby significantly in the variety of species on offer.

The majority of the species concerned are available only from the wild, and it has to be questioned why such species, which do not survive for long in captivity or are threatened with extinction, should be traded. The intent of the list of unsuitable & unsustainable species is not to totally ban the listed species from trade, but rather to raise awareness and hence decrease the demand for such species.

Before reading the list I would suggest first reading the criteria for inclusion, reproduced below from the SAIA website, to enable the reason for listing to be put into perspective.

Note: where a family or genus is listed, the criteria in question relates to all members of that family or genus.

Criteria for unsuitability:

• Diet: Require a specialized diet that is difficult to duplicate in captivity e.g. coral polyps, sponges, tunicates, etc.
• Habitat: Require a specialized habitat which is very difficult to simulate (e.g. deep sand bed, depths of more than 10 meters)
• Aggressive: Extremely aggressive, have large territories in the wild, and are unsuitable for community aquariums. Note: aggression in fish is not anger but is due to territorial behaviour.
• Size: Grow too large for home aquariums, may require 4000 litres or more. It is not enough to merely provide a tank where the organism is well covered with water, an adequate habitat appropriate to the species requirements should also be provided.
• Stress: Those species that are sensitive and stress easily, do not transport well, and are susceptible to parasites and disease. This classification also includes species that only seem to survive in an aquarium when kept in large shoals and those that are collected from deep water, often improperly.
• Potentially harmful: information on venomous/harmful species will be provided shortly.

Criteria for being unsustainable:

• Rarity:  If it is difficult to find a species in the wild this may be an indicator of rarity. The minimum criterion is data deficiency on stock status. The industry does not want to stand accused of collecting a species to extinction.
• Destructive collection methods: collection of these species might lead to destruction of the habitat e.g. cyanide/drug use.
• Stock Status: the species is threatened in its population by other activities e.g. by catch of food fishery, habitat loss.
• Source: species being readily available from culture/breeding should not be taken and offered from the wild.

Some species might hit several categories and criteria, some only one. Nevertheless, species marked as unsuitable or unsustainable should not be demanded by or sold to the average hobbyist.

The list is not exhaustive, it is a work in progress, currently only covering fish species, which will be updated and extended, over time.

If you have any comments regarding this list please contact SAIA directly through the SAIA website. If you have any queries regarding SAIA in the UK, please feel free to contact me.

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

©2010

SAIA

©2010

Italian pump manufacturer SICCE has just launched a new range of Stream pumps in the UK. The range can be broadly divided into Voyager 1, Voyager 2, 3, & 4, and Voyager 7, 8, 9, & 10. All Voyager pumps come with a three-year guarantee.

Voyager 1

The smallest in the range is the Voyager 1. This has a flow rate adjustable between 1000 and 2300 l/h and is suitable for marine aquariums, nano reefs, and freshwater aquariums.

This pump includes a number of novel features:

• Mounting allows pump to be rotated through 360˚
• Volume of flow can be adjusted.
• Flow can be deflected at an angle.
• Deflector rotates producing a surge motion.
• Speed of surge can be adjusted.

As well as this all adding up to the ideal pump for the nano reef or smaller marine aquarium, SICCE also suggest that the Voyager 1 can be usefully employed in freshwater aquariums; thanks to the flow deflector and rotation system, it can raise detritus from the bottom of the tank, allowing the filter system to remove it from the water, contributing to a cleaner healthier aquarium. Indeed, this describes one of the best ways of utilising this pump in any aquarium, freshwater or saltwater.

The pump comes complete with a mounting featuring a combination of suction cups and magnets ensuring secure positioning on the glass (up to 15 mm thick).

Voyager 2, 3, & 4.

These 3 models range from 3.000 l/h, through 4.500 l/h, up to 6.000 l/h and include features such as:

• Regulation of the water flow’s power, creating flows of different intensity for soft and hard corals.
• Mounting allows pump to be rotated through 360˚
• Pump can be tilted upward and downward by up to 180°.
• Robust magnetic support, for glass up to 15mm thick, consents angle positioning.
• Possibly the quietest stream style pumps available.

The design of the pump mounting with its high degree of articulation and magnetic support offers great versatility in positioning with endless orientation possibilities. The versatility in movement and positioning makes it possible to hide it almost anywhere.

The rotation of the water flow regulator on the front of the pump allows you to adjust the flow according to the requirements of your corals.

The unique bidirectional design of the rotor ensures that everytime the pump starts it does so silently in the correct direction. The rotor and shaft of the Voyager are highly wear-resistant and virtually unbreakable.

See what influential US blog, Reef Builders, had so say about these pumps when they were introduced in the US: www.reefbuilders.com

Voyager 7, 8, 9, & 10.

The New Voyager HP or High Performance series builds upon the features and technology of Voyager models 1 through 4 but takes them to another level.

These four models produce, respectively 10,500 l/h, 12,000 l/h, 13,500 l/h and 15,000 l/h, features include:

• Regulation of the water flow’s power, creating flows of different intensity for soft and hard corals.
• Mounting allows pump to be rotated through 360˚
• Pump can be tilted upward and downward by up to 180°.
• Robust magnetic support, for glass up to 20 mm thick, consents angle positioning.
• Possibly the quietest stream style pumps available.
• High output with exceptional efficiency in l/h per watt.

The design of the pump mounting with its high degree of articulation and magnetic support offers great versatility in positioning with endless orientation possibilities. The versatility in movement and positioning makes it possible to hide it almost anywhere.

This unique feature allows the units to be mounted on the rear glass of the aquarium without sacrificing its directional range.

The removable front ring insert allows the water flow to be adjusted wide or narrow according to the requirements of your corals. The units have durable rotor, ceramic seats, and a ceramic shaft. This, combined with the electronic engineering of the motor, assures that the pump always starts in the correct direction without vibration or noise. . The magnetic supports prevents slippage, vibration, and wear on the glass

Safe for use with timers.

Model	Flow rate l/h	Watts	L/h per W
Voyager 1	2,300	6	383.3
Voyager 2	3,000	7	428.6
Voyager 3	4,500	10	450.0
Voyager 4	6,000	14	428.6
Voyager 7	10,600	17	623.5
Voyager 8	12,000	18	666.7
Voyager 9	13,500	24	562.5
Voyager 10	15,000	25	600.0

To see the available range go to Midland Reefs

Tim Hayes
Midland Reefs
©2010

The Indian government has effectively banned the reef aquarium hobby with the publication of a 72-page document entitled, Aquarium Fish Breeding and Marketing Rules.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests has drafted new rules pertaining to the breeding, selling and display of fish in aquariums in India. These rules appear to apply to all in the hobby and industry, retailers, aquarium keepers and anyone who keeps fish for public display (presumably meaning public aquariums). None of this applies to fish caught and sold for food.

The ministry stated ‘Breeding and selling of aquarium fish has become big business. In this process coral reefs have been damaged and many fish brought to near extinction. There is a tendency to regard fish as non-beings therefore they are sold as commodities, kept in unsuitable ways and in unsuitable places,’

Under the proposed rules, inspectors can visit anyone with an aquarium for regular checks with the aim of the rules being to ensure that people keeping or selling fish must have knowledge and a good understanding of the species-specific requirements of the animals.

I have no problem with the introduction of regulations aimed at improving the quality of life of the organisms kept in the industry and the hobby, hence my commitment to the Sustainable Aquatic Industry Association (SAIA), but the proposed Indian rules will effectively ban the reef aquarium hobby.

Item 9 states: No establishment may keep or sell corals. That, along with the list of prohibited species makes the outlook for reefkeeping in India very grim.

The regulations that have been suggested appear to be very mixed, some make perfect sense, some make no sense at all, while others may be difficult to comply with in India owing to the costs or technology involved. The prohibited species list is also mixed, many of the fishes listed I would also consider restricting in the EU to all but advanced aquarists, yet other species listed seem to be unnecessarily prohibited.

I would be interested to know the provenance of this list, are there local collection issues being addressed, are species included because they are venomous?

I find it particularly sad that that this is happening in India, a country where the hobby of reef keeping and marine aquariums is in its infancy.

This issues brought up by this document are exactly those that SAIA is trying to address in the EU. With SAIA we are endeavouring to produce a list of Best Practices put together by aquarists with hands on knowledge of the organisms, rather than see the hobby at the mercy of legislators and academics with no practical knowledge of aquatics.

I believe that it is in the best interests of marine aquarists throughout Europe to join in and support SAIA to prevent legislation of this sort being imposed on us by those outside of the industry and the hobby.

Click to see the full extent of the proposed Aquarium Fish Breeding and Marketing Rules.

Appendix A.

It is prohibited to keep or sell the following species:

(Note spelling is as per the draft document)

Common Name	Scientific Name	Common Name	Scientific Name
Butterfly Fish
Copperband Butterfly	Chelmon rostratus	Marginalis Butterfly	chelmon marginalis
Larvatus Butterfly	chaetodon larvatus	Saddle Butterfly	chaetodon ehippium
Myer’s Butterfly	chaetodon myeri	Pearlscale Butterfly	chaetodon xanthurus
Mertensil Butterfly	chaetodon mertensii	Falcula Butterfly	chaetodon falcula
Black Back Butterfly	chaetodon melannotus	Blue Spot Butterfly	chaetodon plebius
Blue Stripe Butterfly	chaetodon fremblii	Burgessi Butterfly	chaetodon burgessi
Dot-Dash Butterfly	chaetodon punctatofasciatus	Double Saddly	chaetodon ulietensis
Falicifer Butterfly	chaetodon falicifer	Foureye Butterfly	chaetodon capistratus
Fourspot Butterfly	chaetodon quadrimaculatus	Coradion Butterfly	coradion altivlis
Goldenstripe Butterfly	chaetodon aureofasciatus	Gunther’s Butterfly	chaetodon guentheri
Latticed Butterfly	chaettodon rafflesi	Lined Butterfly	chaetodon lineolatus
Melon Butterfly	chaetodon trifasciatus	Mitratus Butterfly	chaetodon mitratns
Mulleri Butterfly	chelmon mulleri	Ocellated Butterfly	parachaetodon ocellatus
Ornate Butterfly	chaetodon ornatissimus	Painter Reef Butterfly	chaetodon sedentarius
Pakistan Butterfly	chaetodon collare	Paucifasciatus	Chaetodon paucifasciatus
Raccoon Butterfly	chaetodon lunula	Rainfordi Butterfly	chaetodon rainfordi
Reticulated Butterfly	chaetodon reticulates	Semion Butterfly	chaetodon semeion
Speculum Butterfly	chaetodon speculum	Spot-fin Butterfly	chaetodon ocellatus
Spot-Tail Butterfly	chaetodon ocellicaudus	Spotted Butterfly	chaetodon guttatissimus
Teardrop Butterfly	chaetodon unimaculatus	Triangle Butterfly	chaetodon baronessa
Truncates Butterfly	chelmonops truncates	Yellowhead Butterfly	chaetodon xanthocephalus
Yollownose Butterfly	chaetodon flavirostrus	Moorish idol	zanclus canescens
Branded butterflyfish	chaetodon striatus	Atlantic long-nosed butterflyfish	chaetodon aculeatus
Angel Fish
Heraldi Angel	centropyge heraldi	Flame Angel	centropyge loriculus
Lemonpeel Angel	Centropyge flavissimus	Bicolor Angel	centropyge bicolor
Multi-color Angelfish	centropyge multicolor	Golden Aangelfish	centropyge aurantia
Shepardi Angel	centropyge shepardi	Passer Angel	holocanthus passer
Rock Beauty Angel	holocanthus tricolor	Clarion Angel	holocanthus clarionensis
Conspiculatus Angel	chaetofontoplus	Conspiculatus	apolemichthys
Goldflak Angelfish	Xanthopunctatus	Flagfin Angel	apolemichthys trimaculatus
Regal Angelfish	Pyogplites diacanthus	Emperor Angelfish	Pomacanthus imperator
Filefish and Triggers
Orange-spot Filefish	Oxynonacanthus longirostris	Undulate Triggerfish	Balistapus undulates
Queen Triggerfish	Balistes vetula
Clownfish, Damsels, Chromis, Pseudochromis
Red Saddle Clownfish	Amphiprion ephippium	Amphiprion latezonatus	Latezonatus Clownfish
White Cap Clownfish	Amphiprion leucokranos	Maroon Clownfish	Premnas biaculeatus
Jewel Damsel	Microspathodon chrysurus	Neon Velvet Damsel	Paraglyphidodon oxyodan
Garibaldi damselfish	Hypsypops rubicundus
Batfish:
Pinnatus Batfish	Platax pinnatus	Tiera Batfish	Platax tiera
Eels
Ribbon Eels	Rhinomuraena quaesita	Ghost Ribbon Eel	Uropterygius concolor
Banded Snake Eel	Myrichthys colubrinus	Leopard Snake Eel	Myrichthys maculosus
All Other so-called snake Eels		Garden Eel	Taenioconger hassi
Wrasses
Christmas wrasses	Halochoeres species	Anampses wrasses	Anampses species
Leopard wrasse	Macropharyngodon	Meleagris
All other Macropharyngodon wrasses
Orange-line wrassen	Stethojulis balteata	Most Pencil wrasses	Hologymnosus species
Laboute Fairy wrasse	Cirrhilabrus labouti	All cleaner (labroids and other spesies) wrasses
False Cleaner wrasse	Aspidontus taeniatus	Lunare wrasse	Thalassoma lunare
Blennies, Dragonettes and Gobies
Mandarin Dragonette	Pterosynchiropus splendidus	Target Dragonette	Synchiropus picturatus
Scooter Dragonette	Synchiropus species
Parrot Fish
Parrotfish	Scarus species	Parrotfish	Cetoscarus species
Parrotfish	Cirrhilabrus species
Anthias (Fairy Basslets)
Creole Anthias	Paranthias species	Blue Diamond Anthias
Hawaiian Anthias	Miroabrichthys bicolor	Purple Queen Anthias	Mirolabrichthys tuka
Queen tiger Anthias	mirolabrichthys imeldae	Female Squareback	pseudanthias pleurataenia
Basslets, Groupers, Grunts (sweetlips)
Clown sweetlips	plectorhincus chaetonoides	Macolor Niger Grunt	macolor niger
oriental Sweetlips	plectorhinchus lineatus	striped Sweetlips	plectorhinchus diagrammus
Tangs
Achilles tang	Acanthurus Achilles	Powder Blue Tang	Acanthurus teucosternon
Powder Brown Tang	Acanthurus japonicus	Clown Tang	Acanthurus lineatus
Chevron Tang	ctenochaetus hawaiiensis	Shoal Tang	Acanthurus shoal
Lionfish, Anglers and Scorpionfish
Fu Manchu Lionfish	Dendrochirus biocellaus	Zebra Dwarf Lionfish	Dendrachirus zebra
Volitan (Peacock)lion	Pterois volitans	Antennata Lionfish	Pterois antennata
Radiate Lionfish	Pterois radiate	Fuzzy Dwarf Lionfish	Dendrochirus brachypterus
Sphex Lionfish	Pterois sphex	Miles Lionfish	Pterois miles
Stonefish	Syanceia species	Sculpins	Scorpaenopsis species
Leaffish	Taenianotus tricanthus	Rhino scorpionfish	Rhinopias frondosa
Angler Fish	Antennarius species	Threadfin Anglerfish	Nemanthias carberryi
Sea Goblins	Prionotus carolinus
Seahorses and pipefish:
Seahorses	Hippocampus species	Sea Dragon	Phycodurus eques
Sea Dragon	Phyllopteryx taeniolatus	Pipefish	Corythoichthys species
Pipefish	Doryrhamphus species	Pipefish	Syngnathoides species
Trumpetfish species	Aulostomus species
Sharks, skates and Rays
All sharks, skates and Rays	Remora		Echeneis nancrates
Boxfish and Cowfish (Trunk fish):
Blue Boxfish	Ostracion melegris (male)	Black Boxfish	Ostracion melegris (female)
Scribbled Boxfish	Ostracion solorensis (male0	Scribbled Boxfish	Ostracion solorenses (female)
Other fish Species
Shrimp(Razor)fish	Seoliscurs strigatus	Pinecone Fish	Cleidopus gloriamaris
Pinecone fish	Cleidopus japonicus	Flashlight fish	Photoblepharon palperbratus
Barracuda	Sphyraena barracuda
Cephalopods
All Octopus species	Octopus species	Blue-Ring Octopus	Hapalochlaena lunulata
All Squid species	loligo and sepioteuthis sp.	All cuttlefish species	epia and sepioloidea sp.
All Nautilus species	Nautilus and Argonauta sp.		s
Other Invertebrates
Flower Sea Urchins		Indian Cone snails
Mantis shrimp		Jellyfish

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

©2010

Reef Scientific Calanoid Copepods

The highest quality frozen natural marine zooplankton available anywhere!

High Nutritional Value!

High in protein, in omega3, Phospholipids, DHA & EPA, and Astaxanthin.

Although other companies market the calanoid copepod, Calanus finmarchicus, the nutritional quality of these is poor owing to the presence of autolytic enzymes that degrade fatty acids and proteins after freezing. With Reef Scientific Calanoid Copepods, these autolytic enzymes have been deactivated, consequently extending the storage time of the food from as little as one month to in excess of a year with no loss of nutritional value!

Non-polluting!

100% clean. Needs no pre-rinsing before use. The product is pasteurized for bio-security and sealed, using natural components from crustaceans, minimizing nutrient leakage in the reef aquarium. Can be thawed and kept in the refrigerator for up to 14 days.

Suitable for all saltwater and freshwater fish, corals, and crustaceans.

Originally developed in Norway as an initial feed for larval and juvenile stages of marine aquaculture species, it has since proven valuable for ornamental aquarium species. Trials have shown them to be particularly useful in larvaculture since almost all larvae of fish or crustaceans have high nutritional demands during their early stages of development,

This range of marine zooplankton is produced in land-locked bays in Northern Norway and, characteristically of high latitude calanoid copepods, are rich in phospholipids, essential fatty acids and proteins along with the caratanoid Astaxanthin. The fatty acid, DHA, is only produced in marine algae and is accumulated in zooplankton as they graze in a process of natural enrichment.

Although it’s not widely known, there is a problem associated with the preservation of zooplankton through freezing without the degradation of fatty acids and proteins. Zooplankton contains large amounts of autolytic enzymes that continue to degrade their fatty acids and proteins post mortem. These enzymes remain active when zooplankton is frozen; consequently, the maximum storage life is one month before valuable Phospholipids in the zooplankton become degraded.

Our Norwegian partners have succeeded in deactivating the autolytic enzymes present in the zooplankton; consequently, the storage time of the food has been extended to more than one year without loss of nutrients.

Furthermore, they have developed a method of coating the zooplankton with an ultra thin membrane derived from natural components of crustaceans that prohibits nutrient leakage from the food particles. This results in a frozen food of very high nutritional quality that will not pollute the aquarium by leaching nutrients into the water.

Size Range.

The food ranges in particle size from 2mm down to 0.1 mm. Currently only the 2mm size is generally available, although if you are a breeder please talk to us about the smaller size fractions. With the exception of the 2 mm zooplankton, C. finmarchicus, a number of different species are present in each sizing, providing a rich variety of different nutritional profiles. The smaller size fractions of our feed can be used to substitute the use of live feed such as rotifers and artemia. These are available, in small volumes, in the following size fractions 65-80, 80-150, and 150-200 µm, covering the size range of rotifers.

Although other companies market calanoid copepods, specifically Calanus finmarchicus, the nutritional quality of these is poor, as the autolytic enzymes have not been deactivated.

Aquarium

Aquarium shops in Norway trialing the product have been unambiguously positive. After 2-4 weeks feeding, all fish species responded with stronger and more intense coloration. Wild caught fish, fed with this food when first received, had a higher survival rate.

Clownfishes

The smaller-size food particles have a documented positive effect on fish and crustacean larvae.

In co-feeding experiments, clownfish have shown 100% higher growth compared to a diet solely with enriched rotifers and artemia. Survival has increased by 50%.

Norwegian ornamental fish breeder, Thomas Engels, has done extensive testing of the product and has substituted the artemia feeding period of clownfishes by 2-3 weeks using this product, finding it be the best food he’s ever used.

Dr. Ike Olivotto at the university of Ancona, Italy, is shortly to publish a paper showing this food to be superior to live feeds such as rotifers and artemia. His research involved comparing two groups of clownfish larvae, one group fed a standard rotifer/Artemia nauplii, diet, the other fed a combination of rotifers/copepod nauplii and Artemia nauplii/copepodites-copepods.

Analysing gene expression in clownfishes, growth promoting factors increased by 2.5 times, whilst growth-inhibiting factors (myostatin) decreased by 5 times. His research showed 100% higher weight along with 30% length increase in clownfishes 10 days post hatching, compared to fish given a diet consisting of enriched rotifers and Artemia. 15 days post hatching, larvae fed with the copepod enhanced diet had a 62% survival rate compared to larvae fed a conventional rotifer/Artemia nauplii diet with a 41% survival rate.

Aquaculture

A Norwegian lobster hatchery, Norsk Hummer AS, trialing the 500-700µm frozen food, found that the survival rate of lobster larvae during the three weeks prior to settlement, increased to approximately 15% from less than 1%! This increased survival rate was evident even when the lobster eggs were of poor quality.

In the UK, after an initial trial, the National Lobster Hatchery are now using the 2.0mm Calanus finmarchicus as part of their raising protocol.

The food is currently being trialed on newly hatched cod larvae with further testing on growth and survival planned for other species such as halibut, turbot and cleaner fish.

Midland Reefs, Unit 10 Mount Rd. Trading Estate,

Burntwood. Staffordshire, WS7 0AJ. UK.

Tel: +44 (0) 1543 685599

Zooplankton Technical Data.

Table 1. Size and Species

Size	Species
2 mm	Calanus finmarchicus	Food for adult planktivores and other fishes.
700-1000 µm
5-700 µm	Calanoid copepods Temora longicornis, Acartia clausi and Centropages hamatus. Additionally includes smaller quantities of the calanoid copepods Pseudocalanus spp., Paracalanus spp., Microcalanus spp. and early copepodites of C. finmarchicus	Food for smaller planktivores and juveniles
4-500 µm	T. longicornis, along with early copepodites of A. clausi, C. hamatus, Pseudocalanus spp., Paracalanus spp. Adult Microcalanus spp, and the cyclopoid copepod Oithona similis
3-400 µm	T. longicornis copepod nauplii Early copepodites of all calanoid copepods mentioned above,	Equivalent in size to 2 day old enriched artemia.
2-300 µm	Very young copepodit stages and nauplii of various copepod species. Additionally includes 2-5% bivalvia and gastropod larvae and 2-3% single celled Phytoplankton as Coscinodiscus spp. and Ceratium spp.	Equivalent in size to newly hatched artemia.
150-200 µm		Equivalent in size to rotifers
80-150 µm		Equivalent in size to rotifers
65-80 µm		Equivalent in size to rotifers

Table 2.

Fatty acid profile (mg/g dry weight and % of total fatty acids) of the 2 mm size fraction of copepods.

Fatty acid profile may vary depending on season, locality, and plankton species grazed.

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

©2010

There’s unsettling news this week about a Canadian LFS that seems to have been a victim of sabotage.

The recently opened Indoor Jungle, located at 1285 Kennedy Road, Scarborough, Ontario, is Canada’s largest exotic fish and reptile store.

The storeowners suspect vandalism after hundreds of fish died after bleach or a bleach like substance was poured into the centralised water system. The first indication that something was wrong was when customers alerted store employees to a strong smell of bleach coming from the tanks but by the time they reached the wall of 70 tanks, hundreds of fish were dead or dying.

Fish including small Bamboo Sharks, Queen Angelfish, and Black Lionfish along with hundreds of rare shrimps were among the 700 animals killed, along with corals imported from Australia, Indonesia, Singapore and the Caribbean.

Co-owner Adam Gharavi said he’s certain it wasn’t an equipment malfunction and believes that a chemical was poured into the centralised system servicing 400 tanks holding more than 5,000 fish. He said the vandal, who attacked on Wednesday afternoon, went for the store’s most expensive fish and 200 pieces of rare coral.

“We know whoever did this had some knowledge of how fish tanks work and what the fish need to survive,” Gharavi said. The cost of the incident is estimated to be tens of thousands of dollars.

Inland Jungle is one of about a dozen fish stores along Kennedy Rd. between Steeles Ave. E. and Eglinton Ave. E. Stores have happily coexisted here for years in the knowledge that the more different stores you have in the area, the more people come, to everyone’s benefit.

A Toronto police detective has been assigned to investigate the scene, and on Thursday morning, yellow police tape was seen to close off the wall lined with tanks filled with dead fish.

Tim Hayes

Midland Reefs

©2010