Fish 'N' Chips
A Monthly Marine Newsletter
October 1999 Issue

From Liz
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 10/12/99

As I write this I am actually on vacation which is why this issue is so small. I've been enjoying my hubby's time off and going here and there with our son, David. With all this running around, I didn't have time to research an article of my own. I'll make it up to you next month, promise!

New Logo! I just uploaded the brand new Fish 'N' Chips logo. Check it out everybody! Oh, and you'll notice that Fish & Chips is now Fish 'N' Chips. That's mostly because the search engines usually list me as "Fish ". And, I've decided to match my email and web addresses as well as the Mailing List name. It's better this way.

Site List Redesigned. For those of you who read Fish 'N' Chips online, on 9/27/99 I announced the Fish 'N' Chips Site List Redesign. It's so much easier to navigate now you won't believe the difference! The Site List section of the website is now framed and will be unavailable to those of you whose browsers do not support frames. Don't forget to submit your sites for the list!

Thanks! I would like to send a second round of thanks to the following individuals for their thoughtful donations of pictures to Fish 'N' Chips.

Free Graphics! You all remember my web design business, right? Well, my partner and I have done some site redesigning and have expanded our Free Graphics section, we even have a mailing list now so you can be notified of when we add graphics. Please go check it out - I've made a couple of complete button sets just for my fishie friends! Oh, and remember me if you or someone you know needs a web site! Check out High Aspirations, Inc. at http://www.highaspirationsinc.com.


Reef Tank Lighting
By Kim Gross
Edited By Elizabeth M. Lukan, 9/27/99

Reprinted from the
Treasure Valley Marine Aquarium Society News
January 1, 1999, Volume 2, Issue 1
Edited and published by Kim Gross of Jen's Saltwater Haven

When it comes to setting up a Mini-Reef Aquarium, one of the most important decisions to make is what type of lighting to use. Presently there are a limited number of types of lighting used for the Mini-Reef tanks. These include normal output (NO) florescent, high output (HO) florescent, very high output (VHO) florescent, Metal Halide (MH), Power Compact (PC), and natural lighting. All of these have their pros and cons. I will try to uncover the pros and cons of each of these in this article to help you make a better decision.

NO florescent or Normal Output florescent is what comes with most light hoods sold by your local fish store/local pet store. These are fine for fish only aquariums. For most Mini-Reef tanks they do not provide enough light to keep many of the popular corals alive. One of the many rules of thumb in this hobby is 3-5 watts of light power per gallon of water. So for your typical 55 gallon aquarium this shows you should have a minimum of 165 watts of lighting for a Mini-Reef aquarium. I would agree with this value, this would take four, four foot long bulbs for a total of 160 watts of lighting. This would allow you to keep most mushrooms, polyps, soft corals, and some of the large polyped stony corals such as the open brain corals, providing you do not place them to far from the lighting. You can purchase very nice dual tube florescent fixtures from your local fish store, or if you are not worried about how they look or have a full canopy to cover the fixtures you can purchase an affordable shop light fixture from you local home improvement store to hold the correct bulbs. Either way, try to keep the bulbs as close to the tank as possible to allow the maximum amount of light to get to the corals. The other thing to note with NO florescent is that you need to replace the bulbs every 6 months or so. After this length of time the output decreases and the spectrum of the bulb shifts to more red and orange which is not what you want for a reef tank.

HO florescent or High Output florescent is not very common any more. It has been replaced by the Very High Output or VHO florescent lighting. The difference between VHO and NO florescent is the watts per unit length of the tube. A NO 48" bulb puts out 40 watts of light energy, whereas the 48" VHO bulb puts out 110 watts - 2.5 times more power. Depending on where your purchase your bulbs, the VHO bulbs are only about 20% higher cost than NO bulbs. The expensive part of a VHO setup is the ballast required to operate the bulbs. VHO bulbs require a VHO ballast. The ballast could cost anywhere from around $50 for a normal ballast to $200 for a nice electronic ballast. VHO bulbs also need to be changed around every 6 months. The advantage of VHO over NO is that you need less bulbs. If we took that 55 gallon listed above, we could put 2 VHO bulbs on it for 220 watts of lighting, which would allow us to keep a larger variety of corals. If we put 4 VHO bulbs on the tank, we would have enough light energy to keep most corals alive.

Power Compact bulbs are a variation of the VHO florescent bulbs. These have only been on the market for about a year. The variety of bulbs is very low compared to VHO or NO bulbs. In most wattages you are limited to a 7100k blue bulb and a 6700k daylight bulb. The cost of the bulbs is about 20% higher than the cost of a comparable VHO bulb. Again, these bulbs need special ballast's. The ballast's to run these bulbs vary from $15 a piece for 9 watt ballast's to over a hundred for the 96 watt bulbs. One advantage of PC over VHO is they take up less space. A 96 watt PC bulb is only 3 feet long, compared to a 110 watt VHO at 4 feet. Since these bulbs are still new there are no set change schedules. Some people say to change the bulbs every 6 months others say 9 months, and some say you can run the same bulb for over a year. Personally I would suggest running the same bulb for no more than 9 months, preferably changing every 6 months until more data is available.

Metal Halide (MH) bulbs are a type of a high intensity discharge (HID) bulb similar to the high pressure sodium and mercury vapor lights that are used for street lamps and parking lot lights. The biggest advantage for MH is wattage. You can obtain bulbs in 70, 150, 175, 250, and 400 watts that are fully suited to your reef tank. With this, you could put two 175 watt bulbs over that same 55 gallon tank and have 350 watts total. If you need more lighting you could put two 400 watt lights over this same area. Another great advantage of the MH bulb is that it is a point light source. This means the light comes from a single point, which causes a ripple effect in the water, very similar to what is observed in nature. Fluorescent and PC bulbs do not have this rippling effect. The disadvantages of MH are cost. The cost of a bulb appropriate to your reef tank varies from a low of $50 a piece to over $100 each. This cost is offset by the fact that you do not need to change the bulb as often as you do the different fluorescent bulbs. Most people suggest changing the bulb ever 12 to 18 months. There are some experiments going on to see exactly how much change there is in the output of the bulb over a 2 year timeframe. Another disadvantage to MH is heat. Since MH bulbs concentrate the light, they also concentrate the heat from the bulb in a small area. This can cause your tank to overheat, and may require extra fans mounted in your light fixture to remove the heat. MH bulbs also require a special ballast to operate the bulb, These ballasts vary in price from around $50 for a 175 watt ballast to around $75 for a 400 watt ballast. There are also more energy efficient electronic ballasts on the market now which claim to reduce heat and increase the output of the bulbs. These ballasts cost around $200. Another thing to note on MH bulbs especially is the color temp of the bulb. One way to describe the spectrum of the bulb is by stating the color temp of the bulb. The color temp is the theoretical temperature in degrees Kelvin that a black body would have to be heated to produce the same colors of light. As the black body is heated it starts to glow read then moves through to a white color on to a bluish color. A color temp of at least 5500K is suggested for a reef tank. This is very close to the color of light produced by the sun. The ocean though blocks out most of the red/orange and green colors out while allowing the blue and violet colors through the water. Because of this, many people feel it is an advantage to either supplement the 5500K bulbs with blue fluorescent bulbs or go to a higher color temp. Presently you can purchase 4300K (which can be found in most hardware stores, and is unsuited for reef tanks), 5500K, 6500K, 10000K, 14000K and 20000K bulbs. The 20000K bulbs are very blue.

The last type of lighting that is commonly used for reef tanks is natural sunlight. Natural sunlight has a couple of major advantages, it is free, and it does provide the correct spectrum and enough intensity to take care of most corals depending on your latitude. Here in the Treasure Valley (Note from ELukan: Treasure Valley is located in Idaho, USA) during the summer months you can keep any coral, the winter months may need artificial supplementation. The disadvantages to natural sunlight are it can heat the water very quickly and to very deadly temperatures for your livestock. Also, you have no control of the hours that it will illuminate your tank. Most people suggest 10-14 hours of illumination a day for your tank. During the summer this is easy to do, but during the winter you can not provide this length of illumination without some other lighting.

I hope this helps to better explain your options when trying to light your reef tank. If you have any questions on this, please feel free to give me a call or email me.

Kim Gross
KGross@jensalt.com
208-463-052

Editor's Comments:
The Treasure Valley Marine Aquarium Society News is the baby of Kim Gross of Jen's Saltwater Haven. The complete issue can be found on the Jen's Saltwater Haven website ( http://www.jensalt.com). The article above was reprinted here with Kim's permission. Editing was limited to re-working the html to the Fish 'N' Chips format and correcting a few spelling and grammar errors.


KNOP Hang On Venturi Skimmer
- A Hobbyist Skimmer Review -
Edited By Elizabeth M. Lukan, 9/25/99

Knop HOB General Information:
All ratings are 1 through 10 (10 being the best or yes, 1 being the worst or no). The items in parentheses are only given as a more detailed explanation and to give you an idea of what was meant by the category. Permission to publish these reviews was obtained through a clause in the survey. See the end of this article for review, survey, and article credits.

Construction Quality (Acrylic thickness, polish, glue job, etc.):
Score: 9

Aesthetic Quality (Does it look good, etc.):
Score: 5

Performance (Does it keep your water clean, must you adjust it all the time, etc.):
Score: 9

Foaming (Does it do it consistently, is it nice and thick, is it dark, etc.):
Score: 8

Ease Of Installation:
Score: 10

Would you buy it again?:
Comments: Yes

Knop HOB Electrical Efficiency (Does the pump it uses work well, etc.):
Score: 9

Plankton Level (Do you have a lot, etc.):
Score: Unknown

Overall Value (Did you get what you paid for, etc.):
Score: 10

Overall Satisfaction (Do you like it, etc.):
Score: 10

Comments:
Paid $145 plus shipping from Premium Aquatics. I love it. It's the first skimmer I've owned and am using it on my 46 gallon tank of cycling RAW Savaii rock. At first, I had to empty the collection cup twice a day, but the skimmate was a little light. It's very easy to adjust and now I empty it once every two days with a cup of dark brownish green sludge. It uses a Rio 800 HP with rejuvenating venturi. The unit is a little unsightly in the tank, as the Rio hang into the tank as does a large bubble-trap box, but the thing works great.

Review, Survey, and Article Credits:
Review by Anonymous.

Knop HOB

Survey created and hosted by Ian McDonald (IANsSnakes@aol.com)      The Survey is closed.

Ian would like to extend his thanks to Chris Paris (aka Cap) and Steve Wolfe (aka NerveGas) for all their assistance in getting the survey going.

Editor's Comments:
Editing was limited to spelling corrections and some grammar (capitalizing the beginning of a sentence, adding a period at the end, etc.). No other editing was done, what you read was exactly what was sent to Ian by the reviewer.

The skimmer was also reviewed by another hobbyist in the March 1999 issue of Fish 'N' Chips. The following information dates from then. The KNOP Hang On Venturi Skimmer is a product of KNOP and Daniel Knop. KNOP maintains two websites, http://www.knop.de and http://www.knop-usa.com but I was unable to find any information on this particular skimmer on either site. I was able to gather general product information from online vendors selling the skimmer and if you would like to know more about it, I would recommend you go to those types of sites as well. My local fish store did not carry the skimmer, and neither did two other stores in my area, so I was unable to obtain a local price. I was, however, able to find it on three websites with prices ranging from $145 to $149 US Dollars. Those sites were: AquaDirect by AquaLink (http://www.aquadirect.com), Reefers (http://www.acropora.com), and Marine Depot (www.marinedepot.com).

Photo Credits:
The first (filename knoppa.gif) picture was obtained at the Premium Aquatics website (www.premiumaquatics.com). Thanks to Jason Frey for granting permission for it's use here. Permission was obtained with the March 1999 issue.

The second (filename knopr1.jpg) and third (filename knopr.jpg) pictures were obtained from the Reefers website (www.acropora.com). Thanks to Brian K. Griffin for granting permission for their use here. Permission was obtained with the March 1999 issue.


A Little Skimmer Feedback
By Jeffrey Ferris 9/21/99
Edited By Elizabeth M. Lukan, 10/12/99

Hi there. This may be redundant to you as it is about an article in your May of 99 issue. If it is, please pardon me. I have just recently discovered your site and am happy to say I'm enjoying it very much. Now on to my point - In this issue, there is an article on the Turbo Flotor 1000 protein skimmer. You mention websites as to where it can be found and purchased, Marine Depot etc. Another very good source that I do almost all my fish shopping from is That Pet Place/That Fish Place. They can be reached online at - http://www.thatpetplace.com. You also mentioned that you did not have a site for the manufacturer. The Turbo Flotor 1000 is made by Aqua Medic, but is distributed by Red sea fish pHarm ltd., their website is http://www.redseafish.com. They may be able to give more info on this skimmer, which by the way for the large tank reefers among us is available in 4 sizes for tanks up to 2500 gallons!!!! Just thought I might do my part to pass some information along. Thank you for your time, and the website for all us fishy people out here.

Sincerely, Jeff

Editor's Comments:
Thanks to Jeff for his kind words and the permission to reprint his email. Editing was limited to grammar and spelling corrections and activating the links to the websites Jeff mentioned. I hope those of you interested in the Turbo Flotor find Jeff's information helpful.


What's Up @ ReefsUK
- http://www.reefsuk.org -
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 9/27/99

9/19/99 - A new article, Breeding Pterapogon kauderrni (Banggai Cardinals) by Rennie Bowe contains excellent information on breeding Banggai Cardinals. This was done in a standard reef tank which proves what can be done if we put our minds to it. The article can be found by selecting the "Captive Breeding" link and then selecting the "Articles" link.

9/19/99 - A new article, Propagation Notes by Andrew Baker has been added to the ReefsUK site. This article contains notes on his success at propagating different species of corals, including Acropora. The article can be accessed by selecting the "Coral Propagation" link and then selecting the "Articles" link.

9/19/99 - ReefsUK is being featured in the September issue of PFK magazine. Check out page 78! PFK is one of, if not the, biggest UK aquaria magazine. ReefsUK sent out thanks to PFK and Les Holliday.

9/23/99 - ReefsUK and Sea Life Centre Aquarium are joining together to set up what is believed to be the very first reef display tank with only propagated corals and captive-bred livestock. Derek Scales is running the project for ReefsUK and keeps everyone up to date with writings in the ReefsUK Mailing List. Here's the latest info: After only a month, a 3 foot tank has been built into the wall at Sea Life. They await some equipment, but by 9/25, the tank will hopefully be full of D/I water with the filter in and maturing and a reef constructed of ocean rock in place and the lighting units and tubes in position. The tank should be ready by the middle of October. Two definite sources of soft corals, polyps, and mushroom rocks have already been determined. And, more interested hobbyists are joining ReefsUK all the time. Questions regarding the The Sea Life Centre Project can be directed to Derek at Post@ReefsUK.org.

9/26/99 - A nation-wide database of hobbyists who are breeding marine fish or propagating corals is being established on the ReefsUK Website. This will provide a large list of corals and fish that can be successfully propagated or bred for other hobbyists to attempt as well as allow hobbyists to exchange/swap/donate captive raised livestock. An individual entry on the website would look something like the following. Note that no personal information is displayed. ReefsUK acts as a go between until both parties consent to releasing contact details.

Derek Scales
North Yorkshire		 Finger Coral - Lobophytum sp.
Mushroom Corals - Actinidiscus sp.		 Free to ReefsUK projects
Swap with other hobbyists


ReefsUK needs the following information emailed to dascales@aol.com for your database entry:

To join the ReefsUK Mailing List, send an email to Mark T. Taber at post@reefsuk.org.

Editor's Comments:
Information in this section covers the latest happenings at Mark T. Taber's ReefsUK Web Site. Mark has given me permission to publish any information from his mailing list that I feel would be of interest to Fish 'N' Chips subscribers. So, the above, although reworded by me, should be credited to Mark. The dates in bold coincide with Mark's mailings and are provided as a reference.


Caught In The Net
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 10/12/99

New Articles On #reefs

Dana Riddle and Andy Asmussen's
Photosynthesis/Irradiance (P/I) Curves and Why They Are Important to ReefKeepers
http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog/d_riddle_090599.html

Due to connection difficulties Dana was disconnected at the conclusion of the tank before the Q&A session began and was unable to reconnect. But the questions were forwarded and the replies by Dana have been included at the end of the log.

John Meek's Suggestions on Moving a Reef Tank
help http://www.reefs.org/library/article/j_meek.html

If you are going to have to move your reef tank, then the new article by John Meek, Suggestions on Moving a Reef Tank, will certainly be of some help.

Coral Frag Trading Post Joins #reefs
http://www.reefs.org/ or direct at http://www.reefs.org/cftp/

On 10/5/99, the Coral Frag Trading Post ceased to be a separate entity and was incorporated into #reefs. This will hopefully bring new and exciting talks about coral propagation to the #reefs IRC channel and will continue the tradition of web based coral trading.

#reefs Discussion Board Updated
http://www.reefs.org/cgi-bin/Ultimate.cgi

The #reefs Discussion Board now contains the following Forums, all of which are fully searchable and there is access to all the previous posts made on the board.


This Month's Selection From The Fish 'N' Chips Site List

Informational & Educational Sites
Critter (fish, coral, invert) Information

The above list matches a portion of the site list maintained on the Fish 'N' Chips Website as of the date of this publication. What you see above is what was listed as on their site by the submitter. The date that follows in parenthesis is the date submitted to the list. For the complete up-to-date list, check out the Fish 'N' Chips Website at http://www.marinefiends.com/ (address updated 4/15/00).

Site Submission and Updating: To submit your site for inclusion in the Fish 'N' Chips newsletter and website based Site List, please go to the Fish 'N' Chips website at http://www.marinefiends.com/ (address updated 4/15/00) and complete the Site Submission Form. Please do NOT send any site submission or update requests via email - I will not process them. Of course, emails are welcome if you are having trouble submitting the form or if your browser doesn't support forms.


Chips...er...Tips
The Turkey Baster By Elizabeth M. Lukan 10/16/99

Some uses for that wonderfully versatile Turkey Baster... but not all - I'm sure

To Submit Your Tip: Send your tip via email to FishNChips@mail.com (address updated 4/26/00) with a subject of Tip Submission (information updated 4/26/00: coding replaces need for subject notation) and I'll publish it in an upcoming issue of Fish 'N' Chips. I'll write it up for you or you can do it yourself if you are so inclined. Make sure you let me know if I can include your name and email address or if you'd rather go anonymous.


Upcoming Events
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 10/12/99

October 1999

Date and Time: Sunday, October 17th at 9pm Eastern (New York, USA) on #reefs
Info: What is a trace element, and why should you care about them? with Dr. Craig Bingman. This talk will be a reprise of the first third of Craig's talk at MACNA XI.
Access: See http://www.reefs.org/times.html for the times around the world and http://www.reefs.org/access/ on how to connect to #reefs.

To Submit Your Event: Send your event and all the specifics (date, time, location, pricing, contact info, etc.) via email to FishNChips@mail.com (address updated 4/26/00) with a subject of Event Submission (information updated 4/26/00: coding replaces need for subject notation) and I'll publish it in all issues of Fish 'N' Chips prior to the event.


Prove It!
By Elizabeth M. Lukan 9/25/99

AquaDirect by AquaLink, http://www.aquadirect.com

KNOP, http://www.knop.de and http://www.knop-usa.com

Marine Depot, http://www.marinedepot.com

Premium Aquatics, http://www.premiumaquatics.com

Reefers, http://www.acropora.com


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