Fish 'N' Chips
A Monthly Marine Newsletter
November 2004 Issue

Index

From Liz
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 10/26/04

Tank Showcases Needed: Please visit http://www.marinefiends.com/upload/upload.html to submit your tank photos and information.

Visit This Month's Subscriber's Tank Showcase: Steve and RoxAnn's 55 Gallon Reef is this month's Showcase and can be seen at http://www.marinefiends.com/showcases.html. To submit your tank photos, visit http://www.marinefiends.com/upload/upload.html.

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Doin' It Yourself!
Moonlight with Ease
By Mauro Bergamaschi
Edited By Elizabeth M. Lukan, 9/20/04

I always wanted to add to my tank a so called "moonlight," but I was scared about the retail price and I was not convinced by the DIY projects that involve very low watt blue bulbs (1w or 5w) powered by standard home power supply (220v in europe 120v in US). They are simply too hot and dangerous for me!

So I squeezed my brain and suddenly looking to my blue tooth pc connection set light I said: EUREKA (found in Classic Greek)!

First, go to a good electronic components store and buy a small high output LED (in Europe they cost less than $1 each), ask for the blue light ones (you actually want a soft blue moon shade over your precious corals) and do not forget to ask the shop assistant about the amount of power the LED is designed to operate with (usually 1,5 volt).

Then you have two options:

1. The best: buy in the same shop a multipower converter (these little things that come with several jacks in order to recharge or supply power to walkmans, handies, radios etc.) choose one with adjustable output, it will allow you to supply to your LED the exact amount of power it needs giving it longer life. Retail price about $6.
2. If you have one at home already, you can use an old handy power supply. In this case read first on the label the power output of the unit and buy a resistance big enough to absorb the excess power before it reaches the LED (ask the shop keeper about the correct size). Cost of the resistance is a few cents.

You are ready now. Simply connect the two poles (legs) of the LED to the multipower supply unit, the easiest way is to plug one of the "legs" of the LED into the jack hole and tape the other "leg" to the outer metal part of the jack (it is sufficient to tape it tight to have a good contact). If you are familiar with electronics works you can cut off the jack, peel the cable and solder the LED to the cable. In the case you chose option B you need to solder to one of the LED "legs" one of the resistance "legs" before doing the above procedure (in this way the power will reach first the resistance and then the LED).

A good piece of insulating tape will make your work water resistant.

Install the LED outside the tank where the salt water will not reach it (I recommend to tape it against the lateral glass sides, outside the tank, near the water line). Now simply plug the multipower unit into the power outlet and your LED will give you a soft blue moonlight.

You can keep the LED always on (it operates low tension and does not consume a lot) or you can switch it on only during the night using a standard timer. If you are a real coral freak you can build a real moon phase lamp using 4 LEDs and switch on/off them accordingly with moon phases (no LEDs on is new moon, 4 LEDs on is full moon, 1 LED is quarter moon and so on).

You can have a perfect moonlight using a small LED connected to a old handy recharge unit or a multipower converter (the ones that come with many plugs in order to attach CD players, walkmans, phones etc.), the latter has the advantage to allow you to adjust the power supply to the wattage of the LED giving it longer life.

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Caught In The Net
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 10/26/04

New Stuff Found

Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/):

• Volume III, Number X, October 2004 is now available.

SeaScope Magazine (http://www.marineland.com/news_seascope.asp):

• Volume 21, Issue 2, 2004 is now available.

ReefCon Aquarium Maintenance Software
ReefCon Pro is Aquarium Maintenance and Reference software that allows you to track an unlimited number of tanks. You can track tank health, water quality, livestock, and more. It offers full reporting and charting to monitor trends and help solve problems. The price runs $19.00 and up. A free version, ReefCon LT (formerly ReefCon 2000), is also available. You can find ReefCon software at http://www.infinitysoft.net/.

Permission for graphic use was granted by Infinity Software Support, the makers of ReefCon.

And on that note... ReefCon Pro and ReefCon LT reviews are welcome! To submit a review, visit http://www.marinefiends.com/submit.html.

Marine Aquarium Council Update
Third Quarter 2004

• MAC Training Teams begin work in Palawan and Tawi Tawi:
  • MAC Training Teams began work in two new areas in the Philippines through a USAID-supported project called "Transforming the Marine Aquarium Trade" (TMAT).
  • Nine MAC trainers, an area manager, and three community organizers began training in August in Simunul, Tawai Tawi province. More than 200 people attended the project launch.
  • Eighteen MAC trainers, an area manager, and a community organizer began work at six sites on Cagayancillo island in the province of Palawan. More than 100 people attended the September 3rd launch.
  • Elsewhere in the Philippines, collectors and their communities in Marcilla, Northern Palawan, and Camotes, Cebu Province, are working steadily towards achieving compliance with the MAC Standards for their collection areas and operations.
• Collector training and management plans advance in Indonesia:
  • MAC staff, its partners, and Indonesian export companies are making progress preparing collectors and collection areas for MAC Certification in Indonesia, particularly in the Districts of Tejakula and Gerokgak, in Bali.
  • MAC Indonesia Country Director and senior staff of the Department of Marine Affairs and Fisheries held discussions on the draft collection area management plan (CAMP) for Tejakula.
  • Meetings on the CAMP were also held in the district's nine villages and documentation training for collector coordinators was held in August.
  • Ten collectors from Les and Tembok, Tejakula District conducted the first-ever net training for the collector's group in Pejarakan. 45 collectors attended the July event.
  • Six of the trainers from Tejakula also provided training to 25 fishermen from Sumber Kima.
  • Two members of the collectors group from Pejarakan received additional training from a leading export company in Jakarta. The collectors learned about screening, holding, and packing techniques at the exporter's facility at the company's expense. After the Jakarta training, the export company's owner visited Tejakula District to train 10 people from the local collectors' communities on screening and packing.
  • MAC and its partners are also actively working in Jakarta Province on the island of Java and Lampung Province on the island of Sumatra.
• MAC initiates dive safety training module for collectors:
  • MAC developed a health and safety diving component to the MAC training that collector's receive. Using trained dive instructors, MAC Indonesia is initiating a dive safety module using language and pictures that the divers can understand. The training is in its early days, but has so far been welcomed with great enthusiasm by the participants.
  • MAC Indonesia has introduced the collectors of one area in north Bali to the possibility of receiving treatment for decompression sickness in a hyperbaric chamber.
• MAC Pacific efforts continue in Fiji, Tonga, and Solomon Islands:
  • MAC is completing work with one company and beginning work with two other companies and their communities in Fiji to achieve compliance with MAC Standards.
  • MAC is also working with a range of stakeholders in Fiji on issues such as the sustainability of coral and live rock collection.
  • In July, MAC participated in a workshop on "Fiji's Non-detriment Finding Methodology for Extraction of and Trade in Marine Aquarium Species."
  • MAC collector trainer Chris Beta is working with three companies in Tonga, and CAMPs for Madou and Rarumana in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands will be initiated towards the last quarter of the year.
• Hawaii industry efforts advance in Kona:
  • MAC North America Coordinator Mark Schreffler is leading MAC's activities in Hawaii, with support from US NOAA, the Castle Foundation, and The Nature Conservancy.
  • MAC North America Coordinator Mark Schreffler met with a Kona exporter to facilitate that company's efforts to prepare its facility and collectors to become MAC Certified. The company is making progress on its documentation system and facility to meet MAC Certification requirements.
  • A number of other Hawaii collectors/exporters have signed the Statement of Commitment to work toward MAC Certification.
• Florida industry supports MAC:
  • About 15 Florida industry members attended a MAC Certification Seminar at the Florida Aquarium in Tampa on July 21. MAC North American Coordinator Mark Schreffler and Communications Director Sylvia Spalding conducted the session with assistance from Alan Heath of MAC Certified Venice Pet Center (Florida) and Rick Preuss of MAC Certified Preuss Animal House (Michigan).
  • While in Tampa, Schreffler and Spalding visited MAC Certified Venice Pet Center and MAC Certified Segrest Farms.
• MAC works with schools and teachers to educate future hobbyists:
  • MAC is increasingly engaging educators to inform young hobbyists and future hobbyists about marine aquarium trade issues and MAC Certification.
  • MAC has worked with the World Wildlife Fund, Ocean Futures Society, public aquariums and others to develop a MAC component in lesson plans and educational publications about coral reef ecosystems and the international trade in reef resources.
  • MAC has also partnered with Alexander Gould, the voice of Nemo in Finding Nemo, and Rolf C. Hagen Corp. to produce a five-minute informational video on the trade and MAC Certification that can be used in classrooms, public aquariums, and retail outlets.
  • The video and other resources for educators are available on CDs produced by MAC and by NOAA's Coral Conservation Program.
  • In July, the 400 marine science educators attending the National Marine Educators Association (NMEA) conference in Tampa, Florida, learned about MAC Certification at the MAC booth, through promotional materials distributed at the conference's Seafaire/Sea Swap and at a standing room only presentation given by MAC staff and MAC Certified retailer Rick Preuss.
• Interest in MAC Aquaculture Standard increases:
  • Comments on the fourth draft of the Standard were received from the 60-member MAC Mariculture and Aquaculture Management (MAM) Standards Advisory Group (SAG) over the past few months
  • MAC Certification Systems Director/Europe Director Peter Scott has incorporated these into draft Issue 5.
  • MAC will work with three Hawaii aquaculture companies to test the draft Standard and gauge its applicability and feasibility.
• The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC), a co-founder of MAC, has joined with federal agencies to help consumers prevent the release and escape of non-native plants and animals through Habitattitude(TM), a new public education and outreach effort. A new web site (http://www.habitattitude.net/) will help consumers to learn more about responsible behavior and how to prevent the spread of potential aquatic nuisance species.

Remember to visit the MAC website at http://www.aquariumcouncil.org/ for more information and to subscribe to the newsletter.

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Marine News
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 10/05/04

Last month I told you that I could no longer use the Environment News Service (ENS) (http://www.ens-newswire.com/) for my marine news snippets because they now require payment to view the news articles and that I would be searching for a replacement. Well, my search has been fruitless and I am still unable to bring you the latest marine related news. I've found several potential replacements: Capitol Reports / Environmental News Link (http://www.caprep.com/); Conservation International (http://www.conservation.org/xp/news/); E-WIRE (http://www.ewire.com/); and Environmental News Network (http://www.enn.com/). I contacted all of them over the last month and not even one was good enough to bother to reply. If anyone out there has any other places I could try, please contact me.

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Chips...er...Tips
The Turkey Baster #3
By Kari Yanskey 7/22/03
Edited By Elizabeth M. Lukan, 9/20/04

The common turkey baster - greatest reef tank invention yet! Here are some tips I didn't see you cover:

• Use to squirt concentrated additives (like concentrated phytoplankton and kalkwasser) into the input of a powerhead, which helps diffuse it through the tank, and with kalkwasser chops up any undissolved chunks that could burn corals on contact.
• Blow detritus out of corals and rockwork (you won't believe how much can come out of a tiny hole in the rock!).
• Suck up small quantities of sand fauna for inoculating another tank or sharing with friends.
• Suck up and rid tank of free-floating aiptasia or ones that have come loose after being injected with concentrated kalkwasser solution.
• Spot feeding: I feed my reef tanks frozen food, dissolved in a small amount of tank water. I squirt it on the non-photosynthetic corals, highly carnivorous corals and anemones. The fish readily get any food floating loose and the corals and anemones get a chance at the food before the fish get it all.

Editor's Comments:
Editing was limited to spelling and grammar corrections and putting into the Fish 'N' Chips format.

To Submit Your Tip: Visit http://www.marinefiends.com/submit.html.

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Upcoming Events
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 10/28/04

To Submit Your Event: Visit http://www.marinefiends.com/submit.html.

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