AEFW, or Acro Eating FlatWorms, is the bane of every coral reefer’s existence.  Once in the tank, the treatments are not easy and most expect a 20-30% loss in coral, over and above what you have already lost to the pests.  Unlike redbugs which can be treated with a little interceptor in the display tank, the only way to treat AEFW (as far as I can tell), s to remove them fromt he tank and treat them in a separate tank.  And be sure that the main display tank is acropora free for 6 weeks.  That means, don’t leave any behind or it is food for the AEFW

So, what do you do when the corals are encrusted over the rocks?  I don’t know, but I am about to find out.  What I thought was alkalinity issues with my tank, turned out instead to be AEFW.

How could I possibly confuse the two?  Well, I had an alkalinity problem before and the corals started dying.  When an alkalinity swing causes coral to die, though, it starts at the tips.  This started at the base.

Not sure what the course of action is and I am open to suggestions.  In the meantime, here are some pictures from my tank!

AEFW Eggs on the base of my coral

AEFW Egg Cluster

Close-up of AEFW Eggs on SPS Coral

SPS Dying Due to AEFW

This is what the coral looks like with AEFW

A few months ago, a hobbyist from the West Coast joined our local (Philly) club and started asking about moving to the East Coast.  The plans for his move are now fully underway and he plans to arrive on the right coast in June.  In preparation of that move, our friend from the West Coast shipped over $10,000 worth of coral to me on Friday.  Now, remember, I have never met this guy.  He doesn’t know me from Adam.  But, he got to know us from our club.

So, I spent last Friday unpacking, acclimating and organizing over 100 frags and colonies plus 2 picasso clowns and 2 black ocellaris clowns.  I had help from a couple of club members and now we are starting to divvy up these corals around the club so that we have a fighting chance of keeping most of them alive until he is ready to take them back over the summer!

So, those not familiar with reefing and the clubs may be asking yourself many questions, much like my wife did.  Why would he do this without knowing you?  Why would I take these corals without knowing him?  Well, the answer is simple really.  Folks in this hobby help each other out.  We are trying to be custodians of the reefs in our own little way.  So, the goal is to ensure that his corals remain healthy and happy and that they grow enough that we can each have a little frag.  This means our tanks benefit, our wallets benefit and the reefs benefit because we are propogating coral without taking form the reefs.

So far, the corals look good.  We have lost a couple, as is normal with a mass shipment.  After all, that was 100 baggies of coral.  And the big box (there were 2 boxes) totally blew out in shipping!  Luckily, no bags broke.

Here are some shots of the coral from the receiving side!

For me, its been a constant battle to re-automate my tank once I futzed with it.  The tank was doing well.  I had a 30g sump and 30g fuge in the basement.  But I couldn’t leave things along and wanted more total water volume, so I replaced those two tanks with 3 stock tanks.  I now have a 40g refugium and a 40g sump and a 50g frag tank (though it is mostly empty right now. They are all stock tanks and they have added to the complexity of my set-up.

Rose Millepora after alkalinity swing

For one, I can’t get the ATO (auto top off) to work properly.  If I leave it plugged in, it ends up flooding my tank.  If I leave it unplugged I have to remember to go downstairs every night and add fresh water.  This is not optimum for any number of reasons, but most of all it means swings in salinity in the tank.

My other problem is my calcium reactor.  It was behaving badly for the last 6 months and I just couldn’t take it anymore.  It had been off for about a month and then I realized I wasn’t adding calcium and my alkalinity was low.  So, i dosed with a 2-part solution and actually overdosed.  So my alk went from 7 to 12 and my calcium went from 330 to 480.  BIG MISTAKE

These shots were taken under the actinics, but you get the point.  Several corals are STN (Slow tissue necrosis).  I finally broke down and invested in the reactor I should have bought originally – the GEO 618.  I also replaced my solenoid and finally got it hooked up to my ReefKeeper Elite last night.

ORA Red Planet after Alkalinity Swing

I have to tell you this thing was a piece of cake to set-up.  Some assembly required, yes.  But then it just works!  The biggest difference between this and the prior reactor (I think) is the feed pump.  My prior reactor, an AquaC RX-1, did not require a feed pump.  That was one of the main reasons for buying it.  That, and the customer service of AquaC is awesome.  But, not having a feed pump means that there is a leveling issue.  The reactor can’t be too far above the water level and or two far below.  It requires precise positioning.

The GEO doesn’t.  It can go wherever and it just works!  So, I am now in the process of dialing it in and hoping that the corals recover.

Two lessons here:

1. Pay attention to reviews and listen to others.
2. Don’t do anything fast.  If a parameter gets out of wack, bring it back slowly.  Yes, we all know this, but it bears repeating now and then.

The 2.6 million gallon aquarium at the Dubai Mall sprung a massive leak today.  It was so bad the floors were 3 inches deep in water and the mall had to be evacuated.

The aquarium holds 33,000 fish and 400 sharks and is a focal point for the mall, which sits in the shadow of the world’s tallest building.

The aquarium also features the world’s largest acrylic viewing panel.  The leak apparently started in a joint between two panels.

Official Dubai Aquarium Website

A friend of mine from the Delaware Valley Reef Club recently started his own blog on the hobby.  SaltwaterAquariumBlog.com, though new, is already proving to have a ton of great information.  Al has created the first several posts to be less about his tank and more about HOW-TO do things like Culture Phytoplankton or Picking the Right Set-up.

He also dedicates a post to each of the major categories of coral and details all the requirements and features of each.

One of the key differences of his blog versus others is that each blog post has 2 bonus components:

1. His personal tip on the topic (a nifty bit of insight)
2. Advanced Aquarist Note for those of us who are a bit more advanced

And, he does a very nice job linking posts to each other so you know where to go to next to find related information.

I recommend a read-through.

I should also note that Al was a god-send when I was trying to get my rotifer culture going and he gave me a ton of rotifers because I had so many crashes!  Thanks, Al!!!

For those of you located in the MidAtlantic area of the country (US), we are preparing for yet another major blizzard.  This has been a crazy winter for us int he Philly area.  Average snowfall in Philadelphia is 22 inches.  So far, we are just about 70″ and this next storm looks to be a major event as well.

One of the concerns with this storm is massive power outages because of the expected 50+ mph winds and the fact that this snow will be wetter and heavier and stick to power lines and trees causing them to buckle under the weight.

So, its not enough that I have to be concerned about heat for my family, but I have a fish tank too.  And, everybody knows about the significant investment that goes into a reef tank.  I would estimate I have over $10,000 in this tank in actual dollars and time and the size of my corals.

There are two main concerns when it comes to keeping a reef tank alive during an extended outage:

1. Water movement.  Stagnant water reduces oxygenation and will kill a tank quickly.
2. Temperature.  When the water gets below 72, bad things start to happen.

I have had a tank survive a power outage that dropped the temperature to 70 degrees.  But that was int he spring when the outside temperature was warmer and the power outage was limited to the tank itself (so the house remained warm) and the temperature swing was gradual.

What do you do when the power goes out?  I don’t have a generator.  And there is no way I can justify purchasing one for the tank and NOT for the family.  So any generator purchase would be in the $3000 range and there is no time to get that installed.  Besides, my neighbor has one and we will go over there if the need arises.  Plus, we have lots of family nearby.

So, back to the tank.  I placed an emergency order last night with Champion Lighting.  If you don’t know Champion, you should.  They are an excellent equipment provider and they are located in the Philly area.  (But, they provide equipment all over the country to many public aquariums and hobbyists as well).  Its one of my “Go To” places for equipment.  Garry over at Champion is a great guy and he is shipping me two battery backups for my Vortechs today so they arrive first thing tomorrow.  Hopefully, before the snow gets really bad.

So, flow is taken care of.  That means the water will stay oxygenated and the water will remain healthy for a lengthy period.  But, the temperature of the tank is a potential problem and I don’t have a good solution yet.  I looked into UPS systems last night (used for computer systems), but they can be expensive and heaters draw a lot of wattage.  A $200 UPS will last about an hour, maybe 2 with a 350w heater on it.

My backup plan is to run an extension cord form my neighbor’s house to the tank and plug in a single heater.

So, fingers crossed that we don’t lose power, and if we do, I hope its short lived.

Drs. Foster and Smith has a good article on power outages and your fish tank.  It talks about the implications after the power comes back on as well.  I problem I will deal with when and if I need to.

Have any suggestions on dealing with a power outage or horror stories form what you have experienced?  Let me know!

So, do you ever look at your tank at night?  I don’t mean in the evening after the metal halides have gone off and the actinics are still on.  I mean, about an hour after the last light has gone out.  There is a whole other world in your reef tank that many people never get to see.  If you are squeamish you may never put your hand in the tank again.  But, there are some really cool creatures in there that you never get to see in the daytime.  In fact, you might get to see that emerald crab that you put in last year and never saw again.  And, your corals, especially the LPS will look completely different.  It is quite fascinating.

The best way to look at your aquarium at night is to use a small flashlight with a red LED or a maglight with a red filter on it.  But, I tend to use just a plain old mini maglight.  The problem with a regular flashlight, like I use, is that the light scares away the critters.  So, you have to look fast or the disappear right before your eyes!

Here is a small list of the things I have found in my tank at night:

• Bristleworms and tons of them.  Some are bigger than others and these are the things that made my wife squeal
• Chitons.  I have quite a few of these in there.  The pic to the right is the coolest one.  You have to look hard for these because some blend right in.  But, they can’t move too quickly either so you have a few seconds to get a look.
• Peanut Worms.  Peanut worms are very cool little worms.  You can watch them pull detritus off the rock and suck it right down their body
• My long lost emerald crabs, they always are out at night

This is also a good time to find out what might have been eating your zoanthids or fish.  Some of the nocturnal creatures are not nice.  I am sure you have all seen it already, but if not, this is the creepiest story ever!  And, to think, something like that may have hitchhiked in on your live rock and is just laying in wait!  You have to check it out.  I am not telling you any more.

The Worm Incident

Today, NanoReefBlog posted a entry “5 reasons why nano reefs are cool“.  And, while he is absolutely correct, here is my response, “5 Reasons why Nano Reefs are NOT cool”. 

5.  Manual Water Changes: Nano reefs are great, but they are typically self-contained systems.  Because of that, you typical can’t automate some of the more mundane activities or add on the necessary external components.  For example, when I had my 14g Biocube, I had no choice but to do manual water changes.  That meant, shutting off the pumps, siphoning out 2 gallons of water, then pouring another 2 gallons of water in.  Now, with my 125g system (300g total water volume), I simply, hit the standby button on my reefkeeper, turn 2 valves and voila!, instant 10% water change!  Total time for each?  10 minutes.

4.  Tang Police: Having a Nano Reef is cool to see your harlequin shrimp, sure.  But, the choices in fish are severely limited.  In fact, you can’t ever have an angelfish, tang, triggerfish, eel, or butterfly fish.  You are pretty much limited to the little guys.

3.  WOW Factor: Sure, Nano Reefs are CUTE, but they lack the WOW factor.  In fact, my tank is located in the living room int he front of my house and everyone in the neighborhood uses my house as a reference point.  “I am four doors down from the house with blue lights!”.  You can almost see my house form space because of the lights alone!  And, you can have so much diversity that there is always something to look at.

2.  Stability: Everyone knows that the ore water volume you have the more stable the system will be.  With a large reef tank, a little overdosing or phosphate spike may have no impact on the overall health of the system.  And, if you have a power outage, it takes longer for that much water to significantly change temperature.  But, with a Nano Reef, look out.  Temperature and salinity swings are violent and devastating and things change so quickly that they can be fine when you leave for work, and your tank could crash before you arrive home.  Bigger is better.

1.  The Gateway Drug: Herein likes the main problem with a Nano Reef.  It is a gateway drug.  It certainly was for me and many others.  You start out with a little 14g tank and that’s great!  But, you quickly realize that you have filled it up and then what?  Then you move to a 55 gallon tank.  And sell the smaller tank and all the accessories for 1/4 of what you paid.  Then the 55g isn’t big enough and you move to a 90 and so on a so forth until you have a tank that is 200+ gallons or your spouse has divorced you.

Bottom line.  If you are new to reefkeeping, go big or go home!  Don’t get a Nano Reef!  You will become addicted and it will lead to bigger and better tanks.  Just break down and go for the 280 gallon tank with Starphire glass now and save yourself the headache.  If you already have a big tank and are thinking about a Nano Reef for a species tank for seahorses or something, STOP!  Didn’t you learn the first time?  Just get another 280 gallon tank and then you can also add the pipefish and some more sea fans.

DISCLAIMER:  I am on Stage 3 of the never-ending cycle below! 

This picture illustrates the “Gateway Drug” problem and highlights how coral reefers succomb to the addiction, meeting in basements in secret to propagate and trade corals and hiding in their LFS waiting for the next shipment to arrive.

The Reefkeeper's Cycle of Addiction

The last post covered the local (to me) pet stores that have some saltwater fish, coral, etc.  This post is all about the LFS that is all about fish.  Again, there is information scattered all over the place about these stores.  So, hopefully this helps.  This list is a little more comprehensive for two reasons:  1.  There are not as many in the area and 2.  Because they are dedicated to fish, they tend to be worth a longer drive.

PART 2:  PHILLY AQUARIUM STORES

• That Pet Place (Lancaster, PA) – So That Pet Place/That Fish Place is not strictly an aquarium store, but since they are (arguably) one of the three largest online goods providers and their aquarium section is bigger than all three of the prior post’s stores combined, I thought they deserved to be here.  And, they are a bit outside the Philly area.  but a one hour drive out to Lancaster is worth it.  Whether you need a new skimmer, lights, or a whole new tank, that Pet Place has it all and more!  However, most of their goods are not considered “high-end”.  What I mean is you will find Current Lighting fixtures, but not the new Geissmann.  But, their supply of dry goods and equipment is more than adequate, I would argue, in fact, that it is the best in the country for a retail location.  And, they have a massive fish room.  At any given time, they probably have about 2 tons of live rock and over 200 fish and 200 corals!  Your wouldn’t know that form their online store because, quite honestly, their live fish/coral online storefront is pathetic.  But they are worth a drive for sure!  The only reason they don’t get a 5/5 on SPS is because they lack the ORA corals and some of the higher end stuff.  WEBSITE
  • FISH:  5/5
  • INVERTS:  5/5
  • SPS:  4/5
  • LPS: 5/5
  • SOFTIES:  4/5
  • SUPPLIES:  5/5
• Captain Nemo’s (Norristown, PA) – Captain Nemo’s is located about 5 minutes north of where the Blue Route and PA Turnpike intersect.  I had such high hopes for this store.  After all, they have a 5000 gallon circular saltwater tank in the middle of the store.  But, the place has been hit or miss and recently, more miss than hit!  Their saltwater fish selection is good if you get there when they arrive, but they are usually picked clean by the end of a weekend.  Their dry goods and equipment is severely lacking considering they are only an aquarium store and their prices are out of control.  Their inverts are way over priced ($18.99 for an emerald crab?)  In addition, their coral, which at one time was beautiful and reasonably priced, is now looking like it is an afterthought and most corals are browning out, or dying and still priced about 40% higher than the market.  In short, I don’t make the trip there any more.  I have found better, albeit smaller stores that I would rather give my money to.  The ratings below reflect their pricing more than anything else.  WEBSITE
  • FISH:  4/5
  • INVERTS: 3/5
  • SPS:  3/5
  • LPS:  3/5
  • SOFTIES: 2/5
  • SUPPLIES:  2/5
• East Coast Aquatics (Ridley Park, PA) – East Coast Aquatics (ECA) is located down by the Philly Airport and deals exclusively in the aquarium and fish business.  No bunny rabbits here.  And, its a fantastic store for the most part.  Its not huge, but they have a decent selection of fish and coral and they will order anything you want.  One thing that is interesting about their coral is that their green SPS seem to do really really well in their tanks.  I wonder why they are the nicest?   Matt runs the place and is hugely helpful.  Their supplies are adequate and they are worth the trip for sure.  I don’t think i would rate them higher than The Frazer Zoo in general for coral, but each store has its own forte.  All in all, if you are in the Philly area, this store is worth a visit to.  WEBSITE
  • FISH:  4/5
  • INVERTS:  4/5
  • SPS:  3/5
  • LPS: 3/5
  • SOFTIES:  3/5
  • SUPPLIES:  3/5
• Aquarium Center (Clementon, NJ) – Jumping the bridge into Jersey is Aquarium Center in Celementon.  For some reason, they don’t get a lot of play in the Delaware Valley Reef Club, but the few times I was there I liked the place.  For one, they don’t frag their corals into miniscule pieces.  Most are actual colonies.  Two they have a wide selection of fish and their dry goods and equipment is not bad either.  Their focus is mostly on fish, so you won’t find tanks loaded with coral, but you will find some nice fish that you won’t find in other stores typically.  I would estimate that they have close to 50 tanks of saltwater fish.  WEBSITE
  • FISH:  5/5
  • INVERTS:  4/5
  • SPS:  2/5
  • LPS: 2/5
  • SOFTIES:  2/5
  • SUPPLIES:  3/5
• The Hidden Reef (Levittown, PA) – Up into Bucks County, you have the Hidden Reef.  It is a massive store!  And, though its parking lot once looked like a Beirut street, it is now freshly paved.  The Hidden reef has a huge selection of saltwater supplies and dry goods.  Again, no Geissmann lights, but they have just about everything.  And they even have a decent plumbing section and a bunch of used goods as well (mostly lighting).  They have a ton of saltwater tanks and you can find many a not-so-common fish there.  I really like their anthias tanks and they always have some fish that are show sized.  their coral selection is large but mostly LPS and softies.  They have some SPS for sure, but they typically don’t look that hot.  You might be able to get a bargain on a browned-out SPS now and then.  They have an entire aisle of tanks for inverts.  Really rivals That Fish Place for fish and inverts!  I do like to stop there whenever I am in Bucks County.  WEBSITE
  • FISH:  5/5
  • INVERTS:  5/5
  • SPS:  3/5
  • LPS:  4/5
  • SOFTIES:  4/5
  • SUPPLIES:  4/5
• The Fish Factory (Bristol, PA) – The Fish Factory is literally down the street from The Hidden Reef in Bucks County (about a mile maximum).  They have recently been re-doing their saltwater and coral section so its hard to give them an accurate grade.  But, I found them to be hit or miss as well.  One of the best parts of the Fish Factory is their huge selection of used goods.  If you need something used, like a reactor, skimmer, wet/dry, etc, you can usually find something there.  their supplies are pretty decent, nothing high-end.   I wouldn’t go out of my way to go there, but if you are going to the Hidden Reef you should go there too.   WEBSITE
  • FISH:  3/5
  • INVERTS:  3/5
  • SPS:  3/5
  • LPS:  3/5
  • SOFTIES:  3/5
  • SUPPLIES:  4/5

There are bits of information all over the internet and in local clubs on what the best local fish stores are in the area.  I thought I would take few minutes to talk about SOME of these stores so you know where to go for what and what stores to generally avoid.  These are the stores that I hit in my travels.  There are others.  Either they are too far out of my way or not worth the trip and so…not reviewed here.

PART 1:  CHESTER COUNTY PET STORES WITH SALTWATER

• Frazer Zoo (Frazer, PA) – The Frazer Zoo is located in Chester County, PA.  The fish room is run by Mike, who is a very knowledgeable reefkeeper and will not let you make a bad purchase decision.  Mike will spent quality time helping you make the right purchase decisions or even just talk to you about your current set-up and help you diagnose any problems you may be having.  His specialty is in corals.  His frag tanks always induce drooling from me.  From many unique and rare zoanthids to the hottest SPS and LPS, the Frazer Zoo rivals any LFS.  But, as far as fish are concerned, they tow a hard line.  They only order fish from ORA (and get some clowns from local breeders).  SO, don’t expect rows of wrasses or anything like that.  Mike will custom order any coral you want and even ORA Fish.  His orders arrive on Thursdays typically.  Their dry goods section is small and only useful if you live nearby and need something quick.  Otherwise, the selection is rather small in comparison to other stores.  (NOTE:  The Frazer Zoo also carries other pets and some people are critical of their dog cages, so be warned).
  • FISH:  1/5
  • INVERTS:  2/5
  • SPS: 5/5
  • LPS: 3/5
  • SOFTIES: 5/5
  • SUPPLIES:  2/5
• Pickering Valley Farm & Feed (Exton, PA) – PV is located in Exton, PA and is a real farm & feed store that includes a small fish room.  They have a single aisle with some fish supplies, but its only the basics.  They get the standard saltwater fish and soft corals, but they stay away from most LPS and all SPS.  Their fish orders arrive on Tuesdays.  Sue runs the fish room and she is generally knowledgeable.  This is the store closest to me, so I buy my frozen food here.  Their fish range from clowns (they even get a picasso or the like in every once in a while), all the way up to an occasional eel, lionfish or trigger.  Their tanks could use some better maintenance but the fish are typically healthy. Unhealthy fish are usually quarantined and she won’t sell them to you.
  • FISH: 3/5
  • INVERTS: 3/5
  • SPS:  0/5
  • LPS: 1/5
  • SOFTIES: 1/5
  • SUPPLIES:  1/5
• Diane’s Pets (Pottstown, PA) – Diane’s is located on the southern outskirts of Pottstown on Rt. 100.  They are a standard pet store, but they do have a row of saltwater fish and minimal corals.  Like Pickering Valley Farm & Feed, they typically get the standard saltwater fish, but every once in a while they get in something nice and usually with a decent price tag.   They do not carry any SPS, but they do have a few LPS and SPS.  One thing they seem to stock well is inverts (snails and crabs) and their prices are always rock bottom.  Their dry goods is lacking, but if you need something quick and you are local, you can check there first.
  • FISH:  3/5
  • INVERTS: 4/5
  • SPS: 0/5
  • LPS:  1/5
  • SOFTIES:  1/5
  • SUPPLIES: 1/5

Next up, the Local stores who are “fish only”