Thomas S. Heo gives the low down on live rock selection and Roni Talukdar fills you in on the Berlin method basics.

Editorial

Welcome to the January edition. Been a rather busy the last month, and the tank is almost ready to be filled. Finally you all cry!!!

Well, sorry to tell you this, but it is going to be a little longer :(. Everything is falling into place beautifully, except the money. There just isn't enough to go around. The problem is the cost of all the live rock, water and coral sand. I am going to solve that though, taking a working holiday to earn the money to finance this project early in February. What this means is the I have set the filling date to be the 24th of February, I'll just take another one of my holiday days from uni. I suppose people say good things are worth waiting for, well I certainly hope so in this case ;).

I have a little handy hint for those out there who need a guard for the waterpump intakes, especially those inside the tank for circulation. Hagen Aquaclear power heads have a Quick Filter attachment to turn it into a mechanical filter, and I suppose also a biological filter. All that has to be done is remove the filter medium contained inside, a type of white padding, and it is a great pre-filter. It is perfect in that it reduces the local flow velocity down to a point such that animals will not get trapped in the flow and will stop anemones from committing suicide, as they sometimes tend to. Additionally it is large enough to let smaller particles through and stops it from cloggingh regularly. These are going to be fitted to the end of the intakes for the 3 circulating pumps in the tank. Pictures will be posted as it is assembled to give more of an idea what I'm talking about, keep tuned to the DIY Plans for details.

The wave maker pump slow start that I was talking about in the last issue is probably a bit further away than first considered, these problems seem to keep jumping up. But I have not given up, and are still working on the problem.

If you have been following things around this site for a while you may have noticed that the background and font colours tend to alter a far bit. Sorry about that, but I'm trying to get a good balance on the site, so that things seem to have a continuity and the text is easy to read. Bear with me, as I think I have near reached the winning combination.

Thanks to Roni for his Berlin article and Tom for his on live rock selection. By the way, the Caretaker has nothing to do with the opinions/ideas presented in articles by other aquarists, especially Tom ;). Hope that you enjoy reading this months issue. And remember that in 2 issuse time OZ REEF will actually be up and running, touch wood :).

Welcome OZ REEF's New Residents

Many applications have been pouring in from many reef inhabitants to move into OZ REEF Marine Park. It has been difficult going through all of them to decide who gets to move in and who doesn't. A short list has been arrived at, and this will be extended and altered as more information and williness to move come to light. If any have been misnamed, then drop us a line and let me know.

• 1 x Synchiropus splendidus, Mandarin
• 2 x Valenciennea strigata, Yellowheaded Sleeper Goby
• 2 x Preminas biaculeatus, Maroon Clownfish
• 1 x Centropyge loriculus, Flame Angel
• 6+ x Chromis viridis, Green Chromis
• 2 x Lysmata amboinensis, Cleaner Shrimp
• 5+ x Calcinus californiensis, Red-Legged Hermit Crab
• 5+ x Cerithium strercusmuscarum, Cerith Snail
• 5+ x Nerita funiculata, Nerite Snail
• 2 x Tridacna sp., Clams
• 1 x Entacmaea quadricolor, Bubble/Maroon Anemone
• ? x Fungia sp., Mushroom Anemone
• ? x Clavulariidae sp., Star Polyps
• ? x Goniopora sp., Flowerpot Coral
• ? x Euphyllia sp., Hammer Coral
• ? x Favia sp., Closed Brain/Pineapple Coral
• ? x Turbinaria peltata, Plate Coral
• ? x Acropora sp., Staghorn Coral

Several anonymous 'threats' have been obtained from serveral parties calling themselves the Aiptasians, Mantinies and Brisworms, that they will move in whether cleared to or not. Steps are being take to ensure that these parties do not ruin it for the prespective residents.

Resident of the Month

Well, still lacking in water and live rock, little own some residents.

Dear Marther ReefKeeper

Marther has deicided to take another months holiday, until she has some letters to anwser.

Tom's Bit

by Thomas S. Heo.

What should I look for in live rock?

"Pop Quiz, hot shot. You've got a choice between Fiji and Australian live rock. What do you do? What dooo you do?"

"Uhhh, become a bad actor, and, like, just get by on my looks?"

(An excerpt from the soon-to-be released Speed 3, Keanu takes a trip to the fish store. {In SDDS surround sound, filmed in 70mm-1mm per I.Q. point})

This is going to be the new movie coming out in the summer of the year after next, and it is going to be a hit! But, until we see some more of Mr. Reeves' awesome talent on the big screen, what do we do in the meantime when we go out to buy that rock that is the backbone of every successful captive reef that we try to keep with great success and fervor? We won't have a villain like Dennis Hopper guiding us through our rock selection process, so, how do we do it?

How does one go out and "buy rock"? You can't just go down to the market and say "okay, I'll have a small piece of the Tonga, and, um, for something different tonight, I'll take a quarter pound of that nice Fiji". You can't have it cut for you like you can with meat or poultry, but then again, you really shouldn't eat it either. So, what do you do? You're a new reefer, with a limited amount of money that you've got hidden away to get the whole thing started, so what do you do? How does one choose what type of rock to put into their brand new reef tank.

Here's a way. Go out with a name in mind, like..oh, I don't know, let's say "Chelle". Okay, so we've got the name in mind, and we go out to get some live rock. We want something nice, right? Most things named Chelle are nice, at least to look at, right? You don't want Chelle to be dense, 'cause dense rock is no good, as it takes up a lot of space and there isn't enough room inside for the good bacteria to colonize it. You want Chelle to be nice and light, not have too much hairy algae, and of course you don't want Chelle to have any bad things like crabs. You also want some nice coralline algae all over the rock, as this will help to fight that hair algae. How about shape and size? Well, I prefer to have rocks that are kind of small to medium in size, unless you are setting up a huge reef tank. I have found that this type of rock is the easiest to arrange, and looks the most natural when you stack them on top of each other. As far as shape, I like nice flat pieces, or almost flat, but of course the odd-shaped pieces are nice too. You do not want anything that looks like a ball or is very round, as these things do not look nice when stacked next to each other. Okay, so now, we know what we are looking for, and we go out in search of the right "Chelle". So, we look from store to store, thinking "no, that's more like a "Bertha", and not a "Chelle" ..too big and yucky, no coralline, and just plain UGLY!". So, we go from store to store, in search of Chelle. When we find the right type of Chelle, we will know it when we see it. You can kind of get the vibe from the rock.

I like Pacific Islands live rock, as these pieces seem to be the best as far as coverage with coralline over most of the rock, a good diversity of life (lots of little corals like Stylaster sp., bryozoans, et cetera), and the most porous (gives good surface area to volume ratio for nitrification and denitrification which drives our tanks to stay in check). There are 3 major types of Pacific Island rock, and I've tried all 3 of them (I've actually got a little of each in my reef tank): Fiji, Marshall Islands, and Tonga.

Fiji Islands Rock

Fiji Island rock is my favorite, and has the most Chelle value, or Chellosity, which is a measure of desirability (by the way, these words are made up, so don't go into a store and ask for good Chelle, or you'll get looks). It usually has a coverage of about 85% of the surface, where the bottoms are not covered with purple, pink, red, or maroon coralline in most cases, as no light gets there. There may be some green or white encrusting algaes, as it seems like these prefer low-light conditions, at least based on my observations. Besides the good coralline coverage, Fiji Rock tends to be the lightest of the three different Pacific Islands rock, and this is due to the fact that it is very porous. The more porous the rock, the more room there is for the bacteria to live in, which means that the biological filtration offered by the rock is increased (ie 2 bacteria can use up stuff better than 1 bacteria). Another advantage, which I don't really think is really that great an advantage (since the cheaper rock is offset by its being heavier), is the fact that you don't have to buy as much rock since the volume to weight ratio is very high (light pieces take up a lot of rock). To make this a little clearer, imagine a pillow that is 2'x2'x2', and let's say it weighs about ½ pound. Now, let's say we look at a piece of concrete, of the same dimensions, and weigh it. It would weigh much more, correct? It would take up the same amount of space, but weigh a lot more. Remember, rock is sold by the pound, so lower density can mean lower overall cost.

Marshall Islands Rock

It seems like all of the Marshall Islands rock I have seen is kind of boring to look at. It is usually one color, purple. This makes the rock look almost fake, in my opinion. I don't like how everything is so uniform-looking. I must admit that there are pieces of Fiji in my tank that is all one color, but it looks much nicer since there are also a few splashes of green thrown in, and the pink coralline usually has little white dots that I don't know what they are, but they make the rock look very interesting. Marshall tends to be very uniform. Another thing about Marshall Islands rock is that it doesn't have as much macroalgae growth on it as the Fiji rock. There does seem to be a bit more than with Tonga, but not as good as the Fiji.

As for the density, it feels heavier than Fiji Islands, so that is another reason to not give it as much Chellosity as the Fiji Island rock. I have also had 2 hitchhiker true crabs come in on the Marshall Islands rock, but this is only my experience, and people do get bad things coming in on all rock.

Tonga Islands Rock

Tonga rock is very nice to look at if you have a large tank setup, but most of us don't have tanks large enough for us to be able to show Tonga rock off properly. I think one should have a reef tank of at least 100 U.S. gallons to really be able to work effectively with Tonga Branch. It is nice, as it is not like the other two types of rock in that the branch rock is exactly that, branched! It looks like branches from a tree, and when stacked properly, it makes a very interesting display. You will usually find suppliers who sell the branch to also carry the Tonga shelf rock, which can be used with the branch to make overhangs to place corals on. Also, another advantage to branch is that it creates much more open flow throughout the tank, and so you will get similar benefits as with very porous Fiji rock.

As for the type of coralline it has on it, it tends to be the very bright colors. The Tonga rock in my tank is bright pink, bright purple, and bright lavender. It is pretty heavy compared to the other two types, but since you don't need as much of it, it kind of evens out. There is absolutely nothing living on it besides the calcareous encrusting algaes on my rock, not even a little piece of halimeda! It was effective, however, to give my tank a little unique look to it by having a couple of pieces used as interesting overhangs.

Chelleness Ratings

This table will chart various ratings based on my own opinions.

5 is very good, and total Chellenation, and 1 is not to good, and no Chelle-like qualities at all, in other words, it is unChelle.

*these are just my opinions*

So, how much do we need of this stuff?

Well, it really depends on which type you get, but the general rule of thumb is to get about 1 pound per gallon for Pacific Islands rock, and 2 pounds per gallon for cheap rock such as Mexican rock. Just remember, you are looking for the stuff that has the most Chelle value, and of course, you can name your rock whatever you want. One other thing about the Pacific Islands rock is that if you like to have the tank a little more densely stacked with rock, you can bump up to about 1.5 lb./ U.S. gal., which in my opinion would give a bit of a more "natural look".

A visual indicator of how much rock to get is also by the visual volume that the rocks take up in the tank. The recommended value is about 2/3 the visual volume of the tank to give you the proper amount to be able to support enough biological filtration in most reef tanks. You can get more than the recommended amount without doing harm to the tank, but remember that a lot of corals come on big pieces of rock, so leave room for them!

Final Words

Well, I have heard that Australian rock is also very nice, but in the U.S., there is only one supplier that I have seen for it. The prices aren't bad, but Fiji seems to be the hot item right now. It is the Chelle (now used to mean epitome) of rocks. These are just my thoughts on the stuff, and of course you can buy cheaper rock like Gulf of Mexico rock, but remember, it is best to do it right the first time, especially something like live rock. You do not want to have to take the rock out of your tank and redo everything. Trust me, you do not want to do this, but if you do, then are you are a big ol' poo-poo doody head.

The End

Bye.

Special Feature

by Roni Talukdar.

The camera zooms in on beautiful waving hands of Xenia, rhythmically pulsing in the current, trying to grab invisible nutrients from the water. As the frame shifts, a clam, open and soaking up the light, rewards the camera with beautiful blue and green colors. A curious pair of percula clownfish swim towards the camera, curious about the intruder from the outer world and hopeful for the feeding that comes occasionally from the camera bearer. A sudden movement leads to a frantic dash for cover in the protective, engulfing tentacles of a Ritteri anemone. After gaining some courage, the pairs ventures forth again.

These are some of the sights I am rewarded with when I look into my aquarium. A microcosm of life, resplendent in its color and vibrance, flourishes far from the ocean. Many people see reef tanks and believe that they are too hard or too expensive to keep and never try to keep a reef. Others jump in and buy beautiful specimens without worrying enough. A proper balance between these two philosophies, however, usually leads to success.

For the beginning reefkeeper, I offer a few suggestions. Before buying any equipment, read everything you can get your hands on. Talk to other reefkeepers and learn what works for them. If you can find someone locally whose tank you like, ask for their help. One of the nicest things about reefkeepers is that they are usually more than willing to help novices because they remember what it was like to begin without help. Having someone who can look at your tank and help diagnose problems and solutions is the best resource you can have. When you finally begin purchasing your hardware, make sure to only buy what you need. You don't need ozone generators, UV sterilizers, denitrifying filters, and the whole assortment of reef paraphernalia present on the market to succeed in this hobby.

I believe in and advocate the use of the Berlin method of reefkeeping. People have success with other methods but I've found that the Berlin method offers the most natural, effective means to keeping a reef currently known. The Berlin style of reefkeeping was initially popularized through the work of several German aquarists and derives its name from the city of Berlin, which was the locus for this news style of reefkeeping. Departing greatly from traditional methods of filtration, the Berlin method advocates using living rock as the primary biological filter. Combined with strong lighting, turbulent water motion, and protein skimming, this method has allowed aquarists to keep specimens previously thought impossible to maintain and to even propagate many corals. A few bits of advice concerning the Berlin style:

1) Invest is a good protein skimmer. I like the venturi models, but counter-current skimmers work well provided you perform the necessary maintainance. When purchasing a skimmer, avoid skimping as this (combined with your live rock) is the most important component of your filtration. Look for a skimmer with a wide, tall reaction chamber which is completely filled with small bubbles.

2) Find a type of live rock you like and buy it. I generally prefer Fiji and Tonga branch but each type of rock has its positive and negative features. Try to purchase rock that thrives under the same conditions as your tank i.e. Florida rock contain s many sponges and low-light coralline algaes and would be ideal for a lower light tank.

3) Insure good water motion in your tank with the strategic placement of powerheads and the utilization of surge devices and/or wavemakers. Create an open reef structure from your live rock to insure good water movement throughout the tank. If possible, keep the rock structure elevated over the bottom of the tank i.e. plac e large rocks on top of small rocks to allow good water motion under the reef.

4) When you choose lighting for your system, try to decide what type of reef you plan to keep. Will it be primarily soft corals or hard corals? Do you plan on keeping primarily photosynthetic corals (Acropora sp. Euphyllia sp., etc.)or deep water non -photosynthetic specimens (Dendronephthia sp., Tubastrea sp., etc.)? Once you have decided on what you plan to keep, tailor your lighting around the specimens. There are a myriad of options available and it is beyond the scope of this article to discuss them all.

Well, hopefully this will help you get started. I need some help for future topics for columns. If you have any ideas and/or any questions, feel free to mail me.

You Wouldn't Believe It!

Sorry, nothing to put here yet.

Bereavement Notices

Tom H. mentioned on a Aqualink discussion group posting that the reason all my fish were dying was there was no water in the tank. Good one Tom, ya nong!!! Do you really think that I would forget to put water into the tank? The real reason, I worked out later, was that even though I was putting water in the tank it was flowing straight out again ;). Suppose thats what happens when the tank is standing on its end ;).

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