AquariaUSA

I second Reefmon's post! Are you out in the woods? hehe I sure do like Columbia, mostly everything is underground But I still flood the backroom at least once a week!

Hi guys, Sorry to hear about the contact issues :( However, I/we (AquariaUSA) will be bringing out a tank with some Caribbean livestock, ORA clams, and a few other things this weekend if all goes as planned. I will post a preliminary price list (what I can grab this weekend will come to the meeting). Prices should be pretty competitive, for we frequently compare to online providers, but do this as a favor to both WAMAS and CMAS from overstocks/basics. If DrMac was coming, we would prefer not to bring stuff out, for we appreciate all that retailers can do for aquarium clubs If you have any questions, please feel free to call or email us. Thanks, Rich

Todd, Will be in the area tomorrow early evening. If you can send me address once again, I can meet up with you. Thanks, Rich watson@aquariausa.com

Hi Todd, Call me and I can come pickup. Still have the big tank? Thanks, Rich 410-312-5232 704-904-2022

See if you can check out OceanRider.com's location. Not sure where it is, but they are the captive-bred seahorse retail leaders

Hi Aurora! They can be expensive, produce a bit more than most powerheads...but vendors not being able to keep them on the shelves? Where have you been looking? I know part of the shortage from time to time (according to three of their online wholesalers) is the ship time from Europe. Not trying to be facetious, but might be able to guide you in the right direction What size tank do you plan to use them on? On another note, the reefcentral article is written by Roger form Tunze (who sells the turbelles, may have been a better read if done by a less supporting cast) and the MSRP on the other competitor products are severely overpriced (sometimes double). Perhaps this is to justify the high price of the Turbelles (especially with the mention of the ATK line), but I think a better approach would be why they are better (which he does list somewhat). Some members locally have tried the SCWD on a closed loop to be more cost effective. I will do my best to bring one to the frag event on the 18th. Otherwise if you don't go the basic powerhead, SCWD, or SeaSwirl method and the income is disposable (or dedicated to certain products like Tunze's line) the Turbelles would make an excellent choice.

I love those plating Montiporas! Another easy one is Montipora hrisuta (Elkhorn), fish swimming by might frag this one. hehe ReefOtto, send me email where you are located again (lost emails when we transfered servers/hosts) and maybe we can hook up to trade. Frederick?

lol! Our kids right now are the two mastiffs, and our little streetcat that runs the show. I have a beautiful wife too! Just wish she would get a job, hehe. jk, she is finishing up in school, so a few more months then she can pay the house bills >>> THEN MORE MONEY FOR CORAL and SYSTEMS!!! woohoo

Cool Nathan! Nic pics, especially of the clam's mantle! I like the non-scale/polyp related family members as well! Just goes to show we are all not totally obsessed with our tanks

Looking for a certain species? Cheap is not always good, for shipping stress can be real nasty on some of the species available for trade. They may look great one day, and then brown jelly or something similar due to tissue stress the next. Definitely look for semi-inflated species, for they are a good indicator of little or no tissue tears, etc. Also be wary of unstable temp and lighting changes. Happy coral hunting You can also make the drive up to the Baltimore area to visit the stores. I know one should have some out of the 3-4.

Report Link Thanks Michael! Printing it now. I plan to be at the frag meeting now! Had to cancel our show in Charlotte due to torn ligaments on an ankle during indoor soccer game! (I know I am getting old, but we sponsor the team) hehe

"Move away from the publisher Mr. Paletta," Robie Sayan is next in line!!! Congrats Rob!

I always thought it was when the sun went down! hehe Call to make sure prior to making the drive

Where did you get em from?

I always thought the proper procedure for fragging these was the old "oops..I broke off another frag" method

Cool pics Jamie! At least you know how to get closeups, mine are so out of focus! hehe Let me know if you frag the purple monti

Everything I have read, heard, seen is nothing like it used to be (Flying Fish) before they were bought out by Drs F&S. They have pretty low pricing, only thing that gets me is how they word their acro packs (as if anyone can keep them).

Hi fellow WAMAS members Not sure if you guys were formally invited, but CMAS is going to be having a meeting this Sunday 7PM in Columbia, Maryland at the Howard County Bureau of Public Utilities. The main topic for the meeting will discuss the summer tank tours, a 1000 or so pictures, and descriptions about each system. Several members mentioned that they would be bringing frags (soft, lps, and sps), and we plan to bring a small tank with clams, rics, etc. Hope to see some of you guys there, and I know a few CMAS members plan to attend the WAMAS frag workshop on the 18th. Happy Coral Farming Directions can be found on the www.cmas-md.org website, anyone is more than welcome to attend.

Hi Jamie! Reefmon's statement is perfect...solution to pollution is dillution...calfo says that a lot too! hehe Michael brought up an excellent point about types of corals kept in a system, and what prefers or requires better water quality...Most softie systems can go for much longer periods of time without a water change, and with infrequent trace element additions. Try this with SPS on several systems, I am sure you would start seeing a few bryopsis or derbesia blooms. Not all SPS would give the same result, but if you set up a controlled experiment I am sure this would be the outcome. Utilizing refugiums, scrubbers, highly productive skimmers, and clams helps to alleviate some water quality issues as well. Do you do them? Certainly (our tanks are closed systems) How often? Weekly, Every Two Weeks, Monthly How much water do you change? 10-20% at a time Do you mix up a lot of saltwater and store it somewhere? Make about 90-120+ gallons of RO/DI per day. Top off water uses KH and CA additives added separately. What do you store it in? Storing only RO/DI in 32 gallon Rubbermaid trashcans $8, Pre-made salt water does not sit more than 1 day. What is your method for getting the old water out of the aquarium, and the new water in? Pumps, float valves, switches. Finally, how is it working for you? It has worked for us for years, and for the clients we see on a weekly or every two week basis the results are estimated at about 80% better than those not on contract or that call us once in a blue moon for the tank "looks dirty" due to massive overfeeding. "The fish were hungry" lol Next month I will be experimenting with Salifert's Boron additive to see if there is a noticeable difference on coral growth/coloration (from same size frags~same lighting~same water except the Boron). Will try to post results Some salts claim B is in the salt mix, but so far nothing has shown (IO,RC,CS,TM) on the tests, except for a trace in Tropic Marin.

Hey Rebecca... If you don't mind traveling from Leesburg this Sunday, www.CMAS-MD.org is hosting a club meeting in Columbia, Maryland. If you want algaes, feel free to post on their site, or email me watson@aquariausa.com. What size is the refuge? Lighting? The meeting will cover this summers tank tours, with over a 1000 or so pics. We planned to have cds to give out to everyone, but waiting to find out if this will be possible. Lots of members have talked about bringing frags, and we will probably take some clams, rics, and other small things out.

You could also go the more expensive IceCap fan route that have heat sensors. You will hear a slight buz, but thats about it. We have used the radio shack fans for cutting costs, but they don't usually make more noise than the hum of a return pump

Andrey is on target with the ick issue! EVERY system does indeed have ick and a host of other parasites, bacteriums, etc. Stress causes the fish to contract it, and it is a pain in the arse to get rid of sometimes. Check out the recent article on BetaFlucan in AdvancedAquarist.com in strengthening fish immune systems (similar to garlic, but looks a bit more Rx). http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/sept2003/feature.htm UVs are great to have, although they will not keep your fish from contracting ick...they merely cleanse the water that passes through them. Be sure to use the UV prior to any refugium, or the pods will not make it to the main display. I am in the process of adding a few more UVs to the tanks here, just to prevent some excess pathogens from new coral (mainly Ricordea yuma) additions. As for naming fish...if you are superstitious, this may not be the best thing to do And always remember the lfs will always sell ya fish! This does not mean you have to buy each visit...coming home without baggies is sometimes a good thing

Glad to hear things turned out for the best! Titration kits can't always be perfect Remember to calibrate your pH meter on a regular basis.

Few suggestions on sterile quarantine below 1) If you buy a fish to go under quarantine prior to placing into your main exhibit...use the same water from the main exhibit to quarantine the fish. When you do the water change on the 65, siphon the water into the quarantine (20 gallon or larger). If hyposalinity is desired lower the salinity in the quarantine every 6-12 hours by .001 to .002 to be safe if fish is not too far gone. Maintaining water quality is an issue, but partial water changes should help here every 3-4 days. Idea is to try your best to keep the quarantine water parameters as close to the main tank as possible, for the end result places the specimen in the main tank (looking to lower stress as much as possible). 2) Equipment for quarantine: Tank, glass canopy, good submersible heater, powerhead (sponge attachment helps) and/or small power filter (w/o carbon). Few plastic plants or some sort of shelter. Skimmer would be great, for some meds require the use (Kent RxP, Rally, etc.) Try not to use substrate in a sterile quarantine environment, for most meds will bind to substrate, and you would have to throw out between uses. 3) Meds for quarantine (so many out there, but may be hard to find so listed the basics) Melafix, Maracyn2 SW, Maracyn SW, Paraguard, Nitrofuran, Beta Glucan (see Adv Aquarist article this month). etc. Forgo the use of copper as long as you can, for this IMO is just a stressful on most fish as the parasites are. 4) Quarantine process length should be determined per species (captive vs. wild), hardier species, etc. 5) Corals CAN bring in disease, especially Vibrio sp. and several bacteriums. This is something to consider as well. I have seen a few posts about Melafix curbing "brown jelly" and RTN although I have not personally experimented with it yet. Hard for me to believe though for it is an Aquarium pHarmaceuticals product sold at Petsmart, etc.

I have seen so many common name mispellings of the Bengaii, Bangaii, Kerderns, Kauderns, black & white thingimagigi cardinal urchin hiding fishy B-ionic can work just like the RAC and RB from Seachem. The main difference is that the B-ionic is in liquid form, and the RAC & RB are powdered to make fresh batches (with RO/DI). Not exactly the same chemicals (and sometimes hard to get the manufacturer to say exactly what each consists of) but works the same. Nilsen reactors can help a lot, and kalk over time does raise your KH, pH, and CA, but so does everything else with due time. Nilsen reactor just automates the process for ya! Make sure to work on your CA and KH at the same time to make the system a little more stable.