Gatortailale

Update on web stuff: We are working on updating the BB software with a new version (which has most if not all of the features Andrey asked for) and hope have it up and functional by the January 17, 2003 meeting. We also are working on some site updates that we plan to release at the January 17 meeting. Update on webmaster(s) roles and who is doing what: 1. Webmaster - technical maven that operates the site. - Tom [Pez] 2. Web content/design - structural design of information presented by the site. - Nathan [Aquariareview] Thanks in advance to these guys for volunteering their time to the club.

Oceanic Seasalt Please forward to all your members. This includes a coupon for free product………. Dear Valued Marine Hobbyist, Today is the day that we are announcing to the world our long awaited “Top Secret” product, Oceanic Natural Sea Salt Mix. (A new “Micro-Site” link is attached for you to see all of these exciting new products) http://www.oceanicsystems.com/seasalt/ . We formed a team of top dealers from around the country and they created a “Wish list of product attributes” based on the deficiencies of current products found in their stores. This list was the corner-stone of our mission and includes: · Slow mixing product · Consistent quality from batch to batch · Wasted product due to high moisture · Poor package performance (damaged product) Our primary goal was to develop a formula that addresses these concerns. Our research efforts have yielded a BREAK-THROUGH formula resulting in a Patent pending manufacturing process, which generates a “Micro-Crystal.” These special “Micro-Crystals” not only mix incredibly fast, they also mix incredibly clear. In addition to the “Micro-Crystal” technology Oceanic Natural Sea Salt Mix offers the following attributes: § All Natural ingredients § Calcium and Natural Trace Elements § Triple tested and verified by an independent lab to ensure quality § “Batch” labeling on every box. Lastly, we addressed the PACKAGING opportunities and created a group of packages unequalled in today’s market. From a single use, 5-gallon stand up pouch to RESEALABLE multi-use larger sizes, Oceanic Natural Sea Salt mix will meet and exceed your requirements for a dependable quality sea salt mix. http://www.oceanicsystems.com/seasalt/ <<salt attachment.pdf>> Thank you for your continued support, Dan Engmark National Sales Manager dan@oceanicsystems.com http://www.oceanicsystems.com/seasalt/

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE!!!! SPECIAL CHRISTMAS SALE Order Wednesday Dec. 17-Friday Dec. 19. Our last day of shipping until after New Year is Friday Dec. 19. For mailing list subscribers only, order the 9 for $99 Ricordea package and get 2 more FREE, http://www.drmaccorals.com/sys-tmpl/newcarribeanricordea/ HUGE Savings on zooanthids and soft corals: http://www.drmaccorals.com/sys-tmpl/availabletoppicksoftcorals/ BIG BIG Savings on select corals on these pages: http://www.drmaccorals.com/sys-tmpl/scrapbook3/ http://www.drmaccorals.com/sys-tmpl/scrapbook2/ http://www.drmaccorals.com/sys-tmpl/scrapbook5/ http://www.drmaccorals.com/sys-tmpl/scrapbook7/ http://www.drmaccorals.com/sys-tmpl/scrapbook4/ For Mailing List Subscribers ONLY, order any 4 NANO Hard Coral colonies and get 2 Free: http://www.drmaccorals.com/sys-tmpl/scrapbook6/ FRAGS Mailing List Subscribers ONLY, order any 6 frags and get 3 FREE: http://www.drmaccorals.com/sys-tmpl/availablespscoralfrags/ CLAMS Lots of GREAT Clams Available, mailing list subscribers take 15% Off: http://www.drmaccorals.com/sys-tmpl/ultragradeclams/ To order please call Dr. Mac 443-614-1955 MUST mention discounts when ordering, discounts apply ONLY to orders placed Wednesday Dec. 17-Friday Dec. 19.

The Winter Meeting of The Washington Area Marine Aquarist Society (WAMAS) will be on Saturday January 17, 2003 from 2:00-5:00 p.m. in Vienna, VA (immediately outside Washington, DC) Our featured special guest speaker is Esther Peters, Ph.D. Esther will be giving a presentaion on coral diseases. Ester is a principal scientist with Tetra Tech, Inc., an adjunct scientist with Mote Marine Laboratory, and an adjunct biology professor at George Mason University. Along with Dr. Mac, lots of frag swapping, and a great raffle, this is sure to be a meeting NOT to miss! For further information on WAMAS and the Winter Meeting, visit our web site http://www.wamas.org/ Who: W.A.M.A.S. (Washington Area Marine Aquarium Society) When: January 17, 2003 (Saturday) Time: 2:00 P.M. - 5:00 P.M. (EST) Where: Knights of Columbus Vienna, Virginia Cost: Members - Free / Non-members - $6.00 [Annual Membership = $20 - Individual; $35 - Family] Agenda 2:00 - 2:30 Sign in and Socializing 2:30 - 3:00 Election results & State of the Club Address by President Michael Gerdes 3:00 - 3:30 Round robin introduction of all members and their systems 3:30 - 4:30 Esther Peters - Coral Diseases 4:30 - 5:00 Raffle 5:00 Adjourn Special guests - Ester Peters - Dr. Mac & Sons Corals Miscellaneous - Light refreshments, beer, and snacks will be provided. - Raffle prizes: coral frags; gift certificates; Directions: The hall is located at 214 Lawyers Road NW, Vienna, VA Here's a map from Mapquest The map link Please park across the street or in the Post Office parking lot. Snow Cancellation If the meeting needs to be cancelled due to the weather, the meeting will be rescheduled for the following weekend as long as the meeting hall and speaker are available. PLEASE check wamas website & BB forum page for latest news. Craig Kuhn WAMAS Membership Director

Connecting your wires - that should take another 8 months :p Can you use duct tape until the wires are connected? :D Just kidding. Nice work. Can't wait to see it in person. big dog

News article Glowing fish? When pigs fly, state says Fish and Game keeps ban on sales of gene-altered pets Mark Martin, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau Thursday, December 4, 2003 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sacramento -- A state commission on Wednesday denied a Texas company's plan to sell genetically altered, glow-in-the-dark fish in California pet stores, calling fluorescent fish an example of science gone wrong. The decision by the state Fish and Game Commission makes California the only state to ban GloFish, which will be available for aquariums in the rest of the country next month. Despite conclusions from several scientists that the new breed of fish posed little threat to the state's natural resources, three of four commissioners said genetically engineered pets are simply too scary to endorse. "At the end of the day, I don't think it's right to produce a new organism just to be a pet,'' said Commissioner Sam Schuchat. "What's next? A pig with wings?'' Schuchat said he consulted with his rabbi about the ethics of the genetic engineering before coming to his decision. The ban is the latest round in a continuing battle in California over genetically engineered fish, referred to as transgenic fish. It's a dispute that's only happening here: No other state in the country has rules like California's that prohibit modified fish. The federal government also has no guidelines. Austin, Texas-based Yorktown Technologies has spent the past two years tinkering with zebra- fish, common in a lot of fish tanks, to turn them into Glo- Fish. The fish are injected with either green or red fluorescent proteins; their spawn become intensely bright under a black light. The idea was first developed by a university in Singapore that is developing a fish that will glow in the dark if it encounters toxins. It's called an environmental monitoring fish. Over protests from environmentalists and commercial fishing groups, the company hoped to convince the commission Wednesday for an exemption to the state's ban on transgenic fish. It presented written testimony from scientists concluding that if a GloFish made its way from a tank to the wild, it would not survive and would not be toxic to predators. "These are tropical fish,'' said Ed Pert, chief of the fisheries branch of the state Department of Fish and Game, noting that zebrafish have been sold in California pet stores for 50 years and have never survived outside of homes. Pert and other state officials had recommended the commission allow the company to sell its product. Alan Blake, the company's president, told the commission he expected the GloFish to be a hot seller, noting it had made the front page of the New York Times and the cover of Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine. Afterward, Blake said he was disappointed the commission seemed to put personal preferences ahead of scientific evidence. "It's unfortunate that the consumers of California won't be able to make their own decisions,'' he said. The commission's decision is a big blow to the company. California consumers buy 25 million fish for aquariums every year and comprise more than 10 percent of the national market. Michael Flores, the lone commissioner to support the company's plan, noted anyone who wanted the fish will be able to acquire them in Arizona or Nevada. But environmentalists said the risk is too great that the altered fish could someday wreak havoc on the state's environment. Aquariums are the second biggest contributor to non-native fish species making their way into California streams and lakes. "Why should we take the risk for something so trivial as a pet,'' said Rebecca Spector, West Coast director of the nonprofit Center for Food Safety. And several commissioners said they saw no reason to OK a mutated fish that had no medical or research value. Earlier in the meeting, the commission did allow a permit to produce transgenic zebrafish that will be used for research. But commissioners warned that if they allowed red or green fish, more requests would likely come. "Welcome to the future,'' Schuchat said. "Here we are, playing with the genetic bases of life.'' E-mail the writer at markmartin@sfchronicle.com.

Save $4 off orders of $40 or more! Coupon code SNOWFLAKES Expires 12/19/03

CafePress Holiday Promotion With the holiday season in full swing, here is an extra incentive to get your customers to shop in your store. Your customers can save $4 off their purchase of $50 or more! This coupon promotion expires November 30, 2003. Coupon code is: HLIDAYSHP4 Note: WAMAS does make a small amount of money off of the items purchased.

Need holiday gift ideas? Shop the WAMAS Store. WAMAS Store Below are samples of items available:

Thanks. Man am I jealous. Nice camera work. :ghostface: :D

Just flood the basement. M. will love that. :ghostface: Lee, support your local power company and install lots of MH lights. :D Lights - browse the boards, ebay and papers, always someone selling stuff. I'm not sure you need a skimmer if you do monthly water changes. Biggest challenge, IMO is top-off water system. If you can find a system for that you are set.

see my second post in this thread for vendor I purchased from. http://www.wamas.org/cgi-bin....diamond $75 each plus $11 shipping each.

Greetings fellow Pesciphiles! Thank you for all of the comments and requests we've been getting through the new website. If you still haven't checked it out, check it out! www.marinescene.com. There are some great tips on care and maintenance, and even a customer photo gallery. It is a great way to show off your pride and joy; we would love to see what you've done with your aquarium. Bring in, or send in, photos of your tank and we will make you world famous with our fabulous new site! What's New! For Halloween, treat yourself to a Halloween Hermit crab for your tank! These guys have orange and black striped legs, very scary. The coolest fish of the week is the new Chocolate Tang. He is a perfect specimen of an adult Mimic Tang. A fresh shipment of Tonga Ridge live rock came in on Tuesday. If you like odd-ball fish, you have to check out our new Tobacco bass. We have one in quarantine and we also added one to our Atlantic Reef display tank. Another good odd-ball to check out are the funny little cucumbers we received on Thursday. From Tuesday's shipment we added 50 new corals, many of which are in our show coral tank. Included in the shipment were a couple of Torch corals, a few nice Brain corals and an impressive Spaghetti Leather. What's on Sale! You know how important it is to provide a varied diet for your fish..., try out a new type of food. Frozen food is 10% off this weekend. Flower anemones are 15% off. Flower anemones are cool because they have low light requirements and help brighten up a low light reef. Another good addition to a low light reef are Mushrooms; Assorted Mushrooms are also 10% off. Did you know? Did you know you that you may be trapping nitrates in your tank? As you know high nitrate levels can stress and even kill inverts, corals, and fish. If you are struggling to get the nitrate level down in your aquarium make sure you have enough sand sifters. If your substrate is not being sifted sufficiently you may be trapping nitrates deep down under the sand bed! To help you in your sand sifting endeavor pick up some Nassarius snails, a Sand star or even a Tiger Tail cucumber. A "clean" sand bed will add to the efficiency of your biological filter, help prevent unwanted algae and look nicer. And don't forget to rinse those sponges! If you have some sort of pre-filter sponge or felt make sure you rinse it out regularly, a filthy sponge is a great place for nitrates to build up. Another good place for nitrates to hide is in your sump. Sometimes detritus can collect at the bottom of the sump. Next time you do a water change try cleaning out the sump to get out the excess mess. Do you know how high your nitrate level is? Enjoy your weekend, hope to see you soon! -Kristen Lau Senior Sales Associate The Marine Scene kristen@marinescene.com www.marinescene.com (703)689-2815

My impression was that Andy said we shoud NOT ban the collection and import of corals: mainly the people who collect them are dependent on the work and income. His point was rather, TEACH them to collect in a method that does not destroy the reefs, use nets to catch fish, and only collect stuff that will survive in aquaria long term. I thought his talk was awesome. If they want to ban anything, do it on the curio trade. No need to kill living corals just for skeleton. I agree aquaculture is a great thing to get coral frags. I have learned that it is enjoyable to take a frag and watch it grow. Now if we can just teach the collectors proper methods to collect stuff, we will really make a impact. C

supply and demand ??? Plus shipping costs have gone up some. Also, IMO there are more people in the hobby, more demanding aquacultured corals. Biggest thing I think driving prices is the market. Vendors list these high prices and people pay it to get the rare looking stuff. Color is everything, rare color = big money. Just my $.0000000000000002 Craig

Lowes -selecting generator

The club will provide corals of lots of kinds (sps, leather, xenia, polyp ect.) for people in attendance to make aquacultured frags. You do not have to bring any to trade. Some members or public may / can bring corals to trade or sell. We also have 2 vendors sell corals and inverts.

Greetings and Salutations! We are happy to announce that the treatment in our quarantine system is finally over. The recovered fish are now healthy and available for sale. With all of the available space in our tanks we were able to place quite a large fish order. Come on in and see our new fish! What's new! We received a trade in of Fiji live rock (completely cured), extra large Nassarius snails, and a few fish. Be sure to check out these sand sifting Nassarius snails, they are a good size. From our captive bred shipment we now have Fighting conchs, various sizes of Maxima clams, Neon Arabian Dottybacks, Neon Gobies, Black Percula Clownfish, and various other clownfish. Don't let the name fool you, Fighting Conchs do not fight, they help sift the sand and contribute to your clean up crew. And something we don't normally carry, Trochus snails. Trochus snails have been known to eat red slime and brown diatom algae. We also special ordered some Acropora, Frogspawn and Torch corals, these beauties will go fast so get your dibs in quickly. When you're in this weekend you might notice the beautiful stained glass window art we have for sale. These pieces were hand made by a local artist and a favorite customer. The theme of this art is of course fish, but the artist can custom design any theme to your wishes. What's on Sale It's a Coral extravaganza! Select grade corals are still on sale for 10% off. Buy two for 15% off, three or more for 20% off. Premium grade corals are 10% off two, 15% off three or more. With the purchase of any Premium or show coral, get 10% off any one coral food supplement of your choice. The coral foods we carry are: Sweetwater Zooplankton, DT's phytoplankton, Golden Pearls, Cyclop-eeze, Zooplex and Phytoplex. For all of our customers who are new to the hobby or just thirsting for more info, our entire library of informative books will all be 10% off. Did you know? Did you know that it is beneficial to have a hospital (or quarantine) tank available? When a fish has a parasite or infection, medication will most likely be needed to cure it. There are a lot of reef-safe medications available, yet for those non-reef-safe meds, a hospital tank is the best to use. All you would need for a hospital tank is a 10-gallon or larger tank, live rock, and some powerheads which are all available here. Happy fish keeping! -Kristen Lau Senior Sales Associate The Marine Scene (703

ALL CORALS 30% OFF! VHO bulbs - 4'- 2 for $49.00 6' - 2 for $69.00 Fresh DT's Phytoplankton Arrives Friday ESV B-Ionic 2 Gallon Concentrate- $29.99 ea or 2 for $48.00 ESV Kalkwasser 25lb. Bucket $99.00

Krish, Not sure I follow your question, but the meeting is open to the public. If you are a WAMAS Member in good standing (paid your $20 annual membership fee) you get in the meeting. - Public at large can pay the $6 door fee. If you decide in down the road you like the club, you can pay the $14 dollar difference for your annual membership if you pay the difference before or at the next meeting. If you are talking corals to frag and bringing water, you are welcome to bring what you want to share. Craig

We will have at least one Refractometer at the meeting and some distilled water on hand - and there will be lots of salt water with all the tanks for the frag meeting - so bring your test device and calibrate it. I know from my own personal experience in the past, I had a swing-arm hygrometer that was off by a few hundredths from what the refractometer read for my salinity. [it read 1.019 and refractometer read 1.024] Thus, when I raised my salanity up using swing-arm, I actually had too much salt in system. HTH Craig

FYI: Anyone new to the hobby, The frag workshop WAMAS is hosting on 10/18/03 (saturday) will be a great workshop for you to get hands-on experience & learn how to frag corals, and it is a good source for you to start your own collection of aquacultured corals. We will have all types of corals (sps, leather, shrooms, zooanthids, polyps) from light demanding ones to low light ones that you can make a aquacultured frag. Hope to see you there. All supplies will be provided and coral frags included in admission; while supplies last. The Officers & Members of WAMAS

I don't want to pick on people, but this forum - new to hobby- is for questions related to that. In my opinion, I think you should have posted this question under general discussion section, or the DIY section which would be the best area since buying acrylic is used for DIY Projects. topic moved. admin.

I don't want to pick on people, but this forum - new to hobby- is for questions related to that. In my opinion, I think you should have posted this question under general discussion section, or the DIY section which would be the best area since buying acrylic is used for DIY Projects. topic moved. admin.

I know we will have at least 50 gallons brought by the officers, if not more. We will also have some small tanks set up with heaters & power heads. If a few more folks can bring some, that would be awesome. Craig