Fish 'N'
Chips
A Monthly Marine
Newsletter
October 2004 Issue
Index
| From
Liz Setting Up A New Aquarium Caught In The Net |
Marine
News Chips...er...Tips Upcoming Events |
Prove
It!, a Bibliography Newsletter Disclaimer |
It's good to be back. Do you want to know why the long hiatus? We moved into our first house which took more than I ever thought. My business partner got married which meant I did the work of two for a long time. There's more but who wants the gory details...
Tank Showcases Needed: Now that I'm back to publishing issues, I need some showcase submissions. Please visit http://www.marinefiends.com/upload/upload.html to submit your tank photos and information.
Visit This Month's Subscriber's Tank Showcase: Ian Harris' 75 Gallon Stony Coral 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.
Setting Up A New
Aquarium
Take It Slow and Be
Successful
Edited By Elizabeth M. Lukan, 8/28/04
It's an all too common occurrence, a new aquarist gets this brilliant idea to rush out and buy a new aquarium, set it up, and go straight to adding fish. This new aquarist has a beautiful new aquarium for about a week and then it happens, the aquarium begins to cycle and the fish begin to die. Before long this aquarist is discouraged and has given up, packed up the aquarium, and now it's sitting in a closet waiting on warmer weather so it can be sold in garage sale. Sadly, all of this could have been avoided if they had just done a little bit of planning.
Since your reading this article, I'm going to assume that you are making the right decision and doing your homework before you rush into a new aquarium. The first thing you need to do is sit down with a pencil and paper and plan out what you want to achieve with this aquarium; will it be fresh or salt water, and what type of inhabitants do you want. Once you have determined that, you should get books and do research on the Internet to determine what is involved in caring for the particular type of aquarium that you are interested in. While you are doing this research, you should take note of any specific types of equipment that are mentioned as being important for a particular type of aquarium.
Once you have done some basic research on aquariums and specific types of fish (or invertebrates,) you can begin to visit local aquarium stores and obtain prices on the necessary equipment. You should find a dealer who is willing to spend time with you and help you to determine exactly what fits your needs. If the dealer only seems interested in your money and doesn't seem to care about getting you set up with an aquarium that suits your needs, move on to a different store that will be more helpful as you pursue your new hobby.
By now you should be forming a general idea of what equipment this new aquarium will require and what kind of budget it will take to set it up. When you are confident that you have decided what aquarium and equipment you need, you can begin purchasing them. Don't, however, buy fish for this new aquarium. After you set the aquarium up it will undergo a chemical cycle that can be very stressful and often deadly to the fish. Use a chemical test kit (can be purchased at any fish store) to determine when it is safe to purchase fish. As a rule of thumb for the marine aquarium, wait until ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels have fallen to zero before adding any fish. Once the chemicals in your aquarium have reached safe levels then proceed cautiously in adding fish. Start with more hardy fish, watch to insure their good health in the new aquarium, and then slowly proceed to more fragile fish.
As a new aquarist it will be hard to resist the urge to jump off into the hobby head first, but the reward will be well worth the wait. Do your homework first, proceed with caution, and then enjoy the rewards.
Good Luck.
Editor's Comments:
Editing was limited to spelling
and grammar corrections and putting into the Fish 'N' Chips format.
New Stuff Found
Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine (http://www.advancedaquarist.com/):
On AquaServe Aquarium Publications (http://www.aquaserve.com/):
On Reefs.org (http://www.reefs.org/):
SeaScope Magazine (http://www.marineland.com/news_seascope.asp):
Coral Magazine is the English version of Koralle. Koralle is a German magazine started by Daniel Knop in 1999. Coral Magazine is being distributed in the UK by Midland Reefs. For more information, visit http://www.coralmagazine.co.uk/. For US subscriptions and information, visit http://www.coralmagazine.com/.
I can no longer bring you news clips. The Environment News Service (ENS) that I used now requires payment to view the news articles. If you are interested in their service, visit http://www.ens-newswire.com/. I will try to find a replacement.
Recalls
Halcyon SCUBA Buoyancy Compensator (BC) Inflators are being recalled by the Halcyon Manufacturing, of High Springs, Florida, USA because the BC bladder can have a slow leak. This can cause buoyancy problems with divers and possibly decompression sickness. Stop using these immediately and contact Halcyon (http://www.halcyon.net/) for a free repair. Visit http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml04/04209.html for the press release and photos of the item.
Oceanic-brand Reliant Buoyancy Compensator (BC) Inflators and AERIS-brand AW3 BC Inflators are being recalled by the Pelagic Pressure Systems, of San Leandro, California, USA because the Power Inflator Buttons can stick causing uncontrolled inflation of the BC which may result in decompression sickness or an embolism. Stop these immediately and take them to any authorized Oceanic or AERIS dealer to get a free repair. Contact Pelagic via email at service@oceanicusa.com or info2@diveaeris.com. Visit http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml04/04210.html for the press release and photos of the items.
Chips...er...Tips
Attaching Coral
Cuttings
I don't know where this tip originated, but I've seen it on message boards, in articles, and generally all around the net which is why I've said it's by anonymous. I won't take credit for the idea, just writing it up because it's still a good tip.
Allow your coral cuttings to attach to something on their own and avoid dealing with toothpicks, rubber bands, glue, etc. Mount a breeding trap onto your tank (the kind with lots of holes for circulation) and put in plenty of small pieces of live rock. Place your cuttings inside and allow them to attach themselves.
To Submit Your Tip: Visit http://www.marinefiends.com/submit.html.
| Event | Start Date / Time | End Date / Time | Location | Event Details, Notes, and For More Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jellyfish Survey 2004 | now | unknown | Marine Conservation Society: http://www.mcsuk.org/Turtles/mtcp/jellyfish.htm | |
| Lighting Survey | now | unknown | Reefs.org: http://www.reefs.org/ | |
| Marine Aquarist Profile Survey | now | unknown | Reefs.org: http://www.reefs.org/ | |
| Overflows Survey | now | unknown | Reefs.org: http://www.reefs.org/ | |
| RIO Aquarium Pump Failures Survey | now | unknown | Reefs.org: http://www.reefs.org/ | |
| Salinity Survey | now | unknown | Reefs.org: http://www.reefs.org/ | |
| Salt Mix Survey | now | unknown | Reefs.org: http://www.reefs.org/ | |
| Sandbed Survey | now | unknown | Reefs.org: http://www.reefs.org/ | |
| Temperature Survey | now | unknown | Reefs.org: http://www.reefs.org/ | |
| A CoastNET Conference | Oct. 6, 2004 | SOAS University of London | Marine Conservation Society: http://www.mcsuk.org/action/mcsevents.htm | |
| Backer's 38th Annual Pet Industry Christmas Trade Show & Educational Conference | Oct. 8, 2004 | Oct. 10, 2004 | Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, Chicago, IL, USA | http://www.hhbacker.com/ |
| MASLAC Meeting: Refugia Roundtable headed by David Roman Daniels; Speaker Mark Lamont on Invertebrates from the Sea of Cortez | Oct. 9, 2004 6:30pm | Denny's Restaurant, 3060 San Fernando Rd, LA, CA, USA | Marine Aquarium Society of Los Angeles County: http://www.maslac.org/ | |
| 7th Instant Ocean Seminar | Oct. 10, 2004 | Gilbert Murray Hall, Leicester University, Manor Road,Leicester, UK | http://www.underworldproducts.co.uk/seminar.htm | |
| MASLAC Meeting: Tour "Fish Heads" Propagation and Coral holding facility and discount purchases | Oct. 16, 2004 6:30pm | Denny's Restaurant, 3060 San Fernando Rd, LA, CA, USA | Marine Aquarium Society of Los Angeles County: http://www.maslac.org/ | |
| MASLAC Meeting: Fall Tank Tour | Oct. 23, 2004 6:30pm | Denny's Restaurant, 3060 San Fernando Rd, LA, CA, USA | Marine Aquarium Society of Los Angeles County: http://www.maslac.org/ | |
| Sea Monsters Weekend: A Halloween Celebration "Extreme Prehistoric" | Oct. 30, 2004 | Oct. 31, 2004 | New York Aquarium, Brooklyn, NY, USA | http://www.nyaquarium.com/ |
| Marine Life Talks: Leatherback latest - Jon Houghton | Nov. 4, 2004 | Southampton Oceanography Centre | Marine Conservation Society: http://www.mcsuk.org/action/mcsevents.htm | |
| MCS Annual Conference Cardiff University | Nov. 13, 2004 | Marine Conservation Society: http://www.mcsuk.org/action/mcsevents.htm | ||
| MASLAC Meeting: Annual Fall Frag Swap; Speaker Mike Paletta on Propagating Coral and Coral Coloration Factors | Nov. 13, 2004 6:30pm | Denny's Restaurant, 3060 San Fernando Rd, LA, CA, USA | Marine Aquarium Society of Los Angeles County: http://www.maslac.org/ | |
| Marine Life Talks: Stunning marine life images - Alex Mustard | Dec. 2, 2004 | Southampton Oceanography Centre | Marine Conservation Society: http://www.mcsuk.org/action/mcsevents.htm | |
| 6th International Aquarium Congress | Dec. 5, 2004 | Dec. 10, 2004 | Monterey, California, USA | http://www.iac2004.org/ |
| Backer's 17th Annual Pet Industry Spring Trade Show & Educational Conference | Apr. 1, 2005 | Apr. 3, 2005 | The New Atlantic City Convention Center, Atlantic City, NJ, USA | http://www.hhbacker.com/ |
| International Coral Reefs Conference of Paris (CIRCoP 2005) | Apr. 2, 2005 | Apr. 3, 2005 | Congres Center of the City of Sciences of La Villette, Paris, France | http://www.circop.com/ |
| IMAC 2005 | June 24, 2005 | June 26, 2005 | Chicago, Illinois, USA | http://www.theimac.org/ |
| MACNA XVII | Sept. 16, 2005 | Sept. 18, 2005 | Washington DC, USA | http://www.macnaxvii.com/ |
To Submit Your Event: Visit http://www.marinefiends.com/submit.html.
Article: Marine News
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