Aquarium Recovery

Shown here is the aquarium at the old place. Strangely enough, it looks almost identical today. It's recovering very well since the move. It's been about 1 month so far.

The elegance coral, which we were most worried about, has grown, yet again. The thing is taking over!

I lost almost all the corralline algae upon the move. I've been religiously checking the calcium and alkalinity levels, both which needed a boost. In addition to using the liquid 2-part buffer (B-Ionic), I also like being able to control the two parameters individually with calcium blocks and an alkalinity powder. I am starting to see some corralline growth return.

I had to add my clean-up crew back again. I lost all my crabs and snails on the move. I added them into two small batches. Some have died off, and I think I've reached a saturation point.

Along the same lines as clean-up crew, I've been having some hair algae issues. Part of it is probably the stress of the move. Also, my temp has increased by a degree since the move (now at 81 degrees). Not to mention the increased humidity of living only a mile from the coast. The biggest reason is probably due to the death of my sea urchin. I've been hesitant to get a new one. For one, I like how my coral and rocks are arranged without having to glue everything down. Plus, I don't want to risk having one die again and "nuking" the whole tank. So in the meantime, I'm back to weekly water changes until everything settles. Not a big deal except I hate hauling tons of 5-gallon buckets of water down stairs. Ah, the joys of apartment living.

All-in-all, everything is good in aquarium land! Can't wait for a few more weeks to go by so I can move into phase 2--getting a new fish. Still trying to decide what to get. Maybe a wrasse...

Moving an Aquarium--No Small Feat

Recently, I moved to a new apartment. At first, I was devastated, thinking I would have to sell my aquarium, just over 1 year old. It was doing so awesome. Tearing it down would break my heart. Luckily, my fish guy, Mike, agreed to move it for a small fee. It was a lot of work but totally worth it!

--aquarium before the move, focusing on the elegance coral, my favorite part of the whole tank. The clownfish have taken up residence in it, and offer hours of endless entertainment.

--Mike begins to disassemble the aquarium. He bagged up all the livestock carefully, transporting them in a styrofoam cooler. He saved as much water as possible (although I had a huge batch (32 gallons) of freshly mixed salt water ready to go at the new place. He then takes apart all the equipment. With the help of a strong friend and our two trucks, we loaded up all the livestock and equipment. Time was of the essence. Luckily, I was only moving 30 minutes up the street.

--Mike takes apart the plumbing and the sump in the cabinet under the aquarium.

--My precious aquarium empty and up turned on the front lawn!

--Old aquarium water in several 5-gallon buckets, livestock and other equipment in front of the new apartment. We had to remove all the substrate (about 100 pounds) and live rock (another 75 pounds) in order to carry the aquarium down the stairs. Even still, it took the three of us all our might to lift it. I calculated the total weight of the aquarium, water, substrate, rock, and cabinet. It weighs about 2,000 lbs (1 ton). Sheesh!

--Mike setting up the aquarium in the new place. Make sure you have it exactly where you want it before adding water! Having an experienced aquarist was absolutely key. It made the process seamless. After setting the aquarium on its stand in the preferred location, Mike set up the plumbing. Then, the substrate and live rock was added back into the tank. Finally, the water was added back in.

--The tank is running (note how cloudy it is) and livestock are acclimating in bags on top. It was impossible to arrange the live rock exactly how it was before. We did the best we could. We arranged the coral next. Then, the fish were released.

--Finally, the canopy with the lights were set up.

The next day, the sea urchin had lost all its spines and was exuding a thick slime. One of the Banggai cardinalfish had popeye and was lethargic, close to death. The Scopas Tang had one popeye but was still eating. Frantically, I ditched the urchin, performed a large (50%) water change and performed several frequent feedings throughout the next several days. I lost the Banggai (R.I.P. Mr. Roper) but the tang recovered (yay, Toby!).

Little by little, the tank is recovering. I had to restock the macroalgae in the refugium and add all new snails and hermit crabs (most of them died in the move). Also, most of the coralline algae died. I'm performing weekly water changes for now to help the tank recover (and get on top of some nasty, green-hair algae). Thankfully, the worst is over. I will be testing water parameters regularly. The elegance coral, my most precious speciman, seems to be doing great. I also want to spike the refugium with more pods.

Keeping my fingers crossed....so far, so good.

http://www.reefs.org/library/article/j_meek.html
http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/saltwater/Ziegler_Moving1.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_4442880_move-salt-water-aquarium.html
http://www.algone.com/aquarium-articles/fish-health/moving-your-aquarium

1 Year Anniversary

We have a lot of catching up to do on the home aquarium start. The tank is officially a year old! It's definitely been a success but not without its share of ups and down. On the whole, the aquarium centers around an equilibrium that cannot be greatly disturbed for sustainability. Today, I'll go into the nitty gritty. Stay tuned for an exciting ride!

First, let's get the stats over with:

Temp 78-79.

pH 8.4

S.G. 1.025

Calcium 520 ppm

Alkalinity 5 dkH (used to be 7-8, although 8 was a fight)

(Why is my calcium good but alkalinity low?)

Ammonia 0

Nitrites 0

Nitrates ~5 ppm

Since Louie and Scooter both disappeared about a week ago, unfortunately, I decay the rise in nirates to increased decomposition. I've never recorded a nitrate concentration before. Returning to small weekly water changes for now will reduce nitrate levels and address the other issues as well (S.G., pH, Ca2+, alkalinity).

Routine Care:

Daily: feed fish, check water levels (fill automatic top-off--Note to Self--purchase larger ATO container!), check temp and lights.

Every 2 Days: clean skimmer cup

Weekly: Dose calcium and alkalinity. I dosed with 10 mL of B-Ionic Buffers 1 & 2 today to raise the calcium/alkalinity. This is generally needed about 1x/week. Water changes help too. Alternatively, there are these rad little blocks that you can put in your sump to raise calcium levels. They dissolve as needed and are supposed to be foolproof. However, there is some controversy out there on the "blocks". It is generally recommended to dose weekly.

Feed coral. My elegance coral is a pretty big eater. I sometimes only feed coral every other week since I feed my tank every day. Typically, I feed coral the day or two before a scheduled water change.

2x/Month: 20% water change. Alternatively, I change 10% weekly. Change filter sock upon water change. Remove ~1-5% of old refugium macroalgae to encourage growth Kill any prominent aiptasia

Monthly: More vigorous cleaning of tank during water change to remove algae. Replace activated carbon in media reactor. More vigorous cleaning of protein skimmer.

Bi-Annually: Change bulbs. Clean out powerheads and pumps. Check and clean all equipment.

Onto some sad news: Louie and Scooter in memorium. Both of these fish were my favorites. They were part of the original crew that were first introduced to the tank. Both grew and thrived over the last year. I had begun to take their boisterous, ever-constant presence for granted. When they disappeared, first Louie, then Scooter, it was very sudden, unexpected, and heartbreaking. I have no idea what happened, and I've been racking my brain.

Could Louie, the yellow coris wrasse, have jumped from the tank? Perhaps, but I've searched everywhere, including the floors, overflow, filter sock, sump, refugium, and pumps. Plus, my dog didn't find anything, and there was never a smell. Unlikely. Could something have eaten them? What? I haven't seen anything, I don't have anything that would eat something that big (Louie) or slimy (Scooter, the scooter blenny, is covered in a thick film of mucous and generally distasteful to other carniovores) Could they have both starved to death? Also, unlikely because I watched them both eat constantly. They both loved Cylop-eze but they became omnivorous over time. Both loved picking at the live rock. Plus, I have a refugium. Could the refugium have crashed? I still see a healthy population of pods, so, again, unlikely. Could Louie have buried himeself in the sand? Not if he was healthy. He was big and active, quite used to swimming around, out front and center all day, and running the show. If he had become weak or ill, he would have buried himself in my (deep) sandbed to die.

Unfortunately, I will never know. All I can do is follow my procedure for tank care after unexpected death of a fish. Check all water parameters. Perform a 15-20% water change. Watch remaining fish carefully. (Note: Entire tank readings are normal and fish and coral look delightfully happy.) Wait at a least a month before adding any new inhabitants to allow tank to return to homeostasis.

I miss you guys, Louie and Scooter! Ironically, they used to "hang out" together. They are probably up in fish heaven right now, feasting off the live rock. Louie as a baby. So tiny!

Louie all grown up (about 2x the original size!), hovering over Scooter (also doubled in size). In addition, Scooter's colors darkened to a purple/brick-red.

Louie teasing Scooter, as he often did. They loved hanging out.

Scooter proudly showing his huge dorsal fin. So that's why they call you a "Peacock Dragonet"!

Current Inhabitants:

Fish

Pedro--bluejaw trigger (not as shy as he used to be; very friendly; I call him "the sherrif".)

Casey--pugnacious flameback dwarf angel who has decided my open brain coral is dessert. However, she doesn't touch any of my other corals. She's quite striking and her beauty has earned her the right to be a diva.

Felipe--royal gramma (shy but plucky)

Bonnie & Clyde--mated pair of captive-bred clowns (Oscellaris).

When they were babies, I couldn't tell which one was Bonnie but now, it's pretty obvious (the larger and more aggressive of the 2).

Toby--Scopas Tang (shy and great algae eater. A quiet beauty)

Earl--lawnmower blenny (great algae eater. colors have become more vivid and size has more than doubled since I first got him! He's quite a character, jumping around and banging his head against the rocks.)

Hazel--purple firefish (shy but starting to come out of her shell. She loves hanging out in "mushroom city", the more quiet, lower flow part of the city).

Mr. & Mrs. Roper--both actually are males; an unlikely pair of Bangaii cardinalfish. One became dominant, and they comfortably (albeit begrudgingly) coexist in the same tank.

Nahla--bluestreak cleaner wrasse. She's makes up for her smallish size with amazing speed and dexterity. She eats just about anything, and it shows in her rosy, round belly. Not shy at all, she enjoys hanging out with Pedro and pecking at my hand and arm when I clean the tank.

Inverts

Purple Collector Sea Urchin:

nocturnal and great algae eater. Some complain that these guys eat all their corralline algae. I have a ton of coralline algae since I first introduced him. Sure, he eats it but he also spreads it around and helps it grow. He does sometimes abscond with a coral frag that hasn't been securely fastened to the live rock.

3 Skunk Cleaner Shrimp:

The Merry Maids, Merry, Marie, and Marty. These guys are my favorites! They are quite tame, and jump all over my hand and arms when I'm cleaning the tank. They are great at cleaning up messes! In addition, they set up cleaning stations (Merry's Car Wash) and give Pedro, Toby, Cassie, and other fish vigorous scrubbings.

Coral

Mushrooms (all types and colors. They thrive in "Mushroom City", the low-flow, quiet corner of the tank. Back there, they are growing like weeds.)

Toadstool

Elegance Coral

Frogspawn

Zooanthids (various greens and reds. They prefer lower flow sections of the tank).

Button polyps (beautiful greens and reds, growing rapidly, it enjoys weekly feedings).

Pink zoanthid colony that thrives in a high-flow section of the tank where nothing else grows. Here it has tripled in size.

Daisy Polyps

Xenia (colony no longer pulsing but still healthy appearance and some (although slower) growth) Clove Polyps (Clavularia)

Leather Coral

Red Plate Coral (likes high flow, high light)

Now for the best part!

The pics:

1 year later: my aquarium

Right-hand side of aquarium (Bonnie & Clyde, Leather, Button Polyps, and Pink Zoanthid Colony shown here)

Pedro, the bluejaw trigger, hanging out in his favorite feeding spot.

Side view of aquarium. Bonnie & Clyde and Felipe say hello. Toby also present (Scopas Tang). Also shown, frogspawn, clove polyps, daisy polyps, and clam (front, center).

Casey, the flameback angel (left), and Mr. Roper, the Bangaii cardinal fish (right) make an appearance.

Elegance coral

View from left-hand side.

Button polyps!

Cassie popping to "haze" Hazel (hence the name) in Mushroom City. Toadstool on right-hand side.

Daisy polyps

Boo! (Mr. Roper)

The shrinking violet, Mrs. Roper, hiding under the elegance. Toadstool, zoanthids, and 'shrooms also visible.

Toby, showing off by clove polyps.

On a final note, look what I found in the aquarium! Tiny sea stars! I looked them up. They are Asterina Sea Stars. They are only 1/4" in diameter and most likely hitched on some live rock. They are considered omnivores and enjoy detritus, coralline algae, and in some cases, coral. They reproduce asexually. Keeping them is quite controversial. Some complain about attacks on coral or rampant proliferation. Others sing their praises as beneficial parts of the clean-up crew, hallmarks of good aquarium husbandry, and nutritious food for harlequin shrimp. Since I've only seen 2-3, and they seem to be helping, not hurting, thus far, I'm going to keep them and just watch them. They're pretty cool little guys!

Asterina Links:

http://www.3reef.com/forums/inverts/asterina-starfish-45802.html http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-06/ac/feature/index.php http://www.wetwebmedia.com/asterinafaqs.htm

Our Trip to the Atlanta Aquarium

http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/

Atlantic sea nettle jellyfish

On an impromptu trip to the east coast to visit family, we had the chance to see the George Aquarium in Atlanta, one of the world's largest aquariums. I had always heard cool things so I was stoked to check it out. I only had my crappy little camera phone (see pic above). It was amazing. Don't forget your (flash-free) camera!

We checked out the coral reefs first (Tropical Diver). I think we spent 10 minutes at the first tank just staring in awe at the teeming numbers of angelfish, butterflyfish, and anthias swimming actively about the reef in the first tank. We spent a long time gazing at the garden eels, japenese spider crabs, jellyfish and seahorses before nearly having our minds blown by a giant aquarium covering the entire wall and ceiling of a stadium-sized room (aerated by waved action). The next 20 minutes were spent identifying several species of tangs, surgeonfish, groupers, sweetlips, anthias, and several other amazing species of Indo-Pacific reef fish impossible to keep in the average home aquarium (including the largest, fattest mandarinfish I've ever seen). The only reason we finally dragged ourselves from the room was there was lots more to see. In addition, we were all sort of dizzy from sensory overload and needed a breather.

The next exhibit didn't help with the dizziness. In the Ocean Voyager section, we encountered an aquarium the size of several football fields. An octet of scuba divers enjoyed the view from the inside of the tank. We were mezmerized by happy groups of sting rays, skates, and manta rays, somersaulting on the surface. A few hammerheads, razor sharks, and sand sharks swam about with huge, protruding fangs, sending shivers down my back. Four enormous whale sharks the size of two school buses side-by-side peacefully swam in lazy laps. My mouth hung open for so long that my jaw ached. We left with cricks in our necks, eyes glued upwards, as we exited on a moving sidewalk through a long tunnel where we could watch the gi-normous fish swim above.

Finally, we moved onto the Coldwater Quest were we were oohed and aahed by 4 large, yet very adoreable beluga whales from the arctic waters of Russia and Greenland. There smiling faces and social butterfly personalities reminded me of dolphins. I also delighted in the African penguins, frolicking in the water and cuddling and preening in mated pairs. Maybe true love does exist afterall. One woman shook her keys for the penguins, who delightedly swam in frantic zig-zags, chasing the shiny object. She put her keys away, only to have the penguins jump to the water's surface, squack, and flap their wings, splashing water to beg for the keys again. They were hysterically entertaining and unbelievably adoreable.

Be sure to visit if you're in the neighborhood!

Help! Power Failure!

Last night at midnight, as I was typing away at the computer, the entire house suddenly went pitch black. The deafening silence buzzed in my ears. After Travis and I made sure no one was trying to break in, I realized it was a major SDG&E issue (not that anyone in customer service would admit it or even apologize). When I woke up this morning and the power was still not on, I panicked. Help!

After consulting with the local aquarium stores, I was informed that most fish and inverts will be okay as long as the power outage is 24 hours or less. The main problems are: sudden drop in temperature, depletion of oxygen from the water, and build-up of nitrates from waste (not to mention changes in pH as a result from oxygen depletion, the lights being out, nitrate build-up, etc.).

First, the temperature. Even on a hot day, because water is so good at cooling, the temperature will drop. My temp went from 78 degrees to 72 in 12 hours. I wrapped the entire system in blankets and a sleeping bag, paying extra careful attention to the top, where the aquarium loses most of its heat to ambient air.

Second, oxygen. For $11, I purchased a battery-operated air pump, connected it to the tubing and air stone and dropped it into the tank. For my tank, I used 3 (2 would have probably been fine). They also sell rechargeable, back-up air-pumps that only go on if there is a power outage (like if you're out of town). I picked up some of those as well.

Third, nitrates. Don't feed the fish. That helps prevent excess waste.

Finally, this experience has made me consider looking into a back-up generator for future problems. They can be pretty expensive; however, Home Depot rents them out by the day.

Power is back on and aquarium is running smoothly. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Tank Update

It's been awhile. The tank is now officially 8 months old. And I have to say that's it's been a success. I've had to fight with some algae problems and a few deaths but on the whole, it's been a very rewarding process.

Okay, first the bad news.

In the last 8 months, these were the losses the tank suffered:

• baby regal tang (ich)



• helfrichi firefish (ich)



• 2 royal grammas (1 got lost in a rock; the 2nd wasn't healthy to begin with)



• 2 shrimp (most likely eaten by my bluejaw trigger)



• red-headed goby (most likely eaten by bluejaw trigger)



• trimma goby (most likely eaten bluejaw trigger)



• (Note: At this point, I stopped putting very tiny specimens in the tank since Pedro (the bluejaw) thinks it's food for him)



• Linksys Starfish (don't ever buy these either unless you have a very large, stable tank)



• Flowerpot Coral (don't ever buy these; they last 3 months, tops)



• Featherduster Worm (lasted about 1 week, fled it's tube and was never seen again)



• Ornate Leopard Wrasse (this broke my heart; he was gorgeous and peaceful but eventually starved to death. I later learned this is common with this type of fish. Not good for beginners due to their specialized eating habits. Most likely, my tank just didn't have enough copepods on the live rock to sustain the poor guy.)

That seems like a long list! Live and learn. On the other hand, there's a lot of good news too. Here are the successes:

• Pair of clownfish (now sexually mature). I got Bonnie and Clyde as captive-bred juveniles. They are all grown up and the OGs of the tank.



• Pair of male Banggai Cardinalfish. I was hoping Mr. and Mr. Roper would be a Mr. and Mrs. but it was not to be. However, the tank is large enough that both are happy. The dominant one definitely chases the weaker guy around but the smaller one has lots of hiding places (particularly the Elegance Coral). I actually tried to net the smaller guy out and give him to a friend for a better life but that was a disaster. So they are here to stay.



• Yellow Coris Wrasse (Louie). He has at least doubled in size!



• Scooter Blenny (Scooter). He has also grown and often displays his peacock sailfin. He's my favorite fish. I thought he wouldn't survive since he feeds on copepods and I got him only a month or two after my tank was set up. However, I think the refugium has sustained him very well. In addition, he now feeds on whatever I put in the tank.



• Royal Gramma (Phillipe). 3rd times a charm! I always wanted one for the tank. Hardy, peaceful and beautiful, my tank just wasn't complete without it. I lost the first 2 to bad luck but Phillipe is here to stay.



• Lawnmower Blenny (Earl). He helps with my algae problem but is also fascinating to watch. He likes to eat by smashing his head violently against the rock to decimate the algae, attacking his food.



• Bluejaw Trigger (Pedro). I know I shouldn't have a trigger in my reef tank but of all the triggers, he's the most peaceful. Although he's my prime suspect in the disappearance of some of the smaller denizens, he gets along really well with everyone else. Plus, he's just awesome! One of my favorites.



• Flameback Angel (Casey). Another one I shouldn't have in the reef tank. I've spotted him nipping the open brain coral a few times but other than that, he leaves the coral alone. He's a punk though, chasing everyone around (especially anyone new). Most everyone else just ignores his pugnacious attitude.



• Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse (Nahla). She wasn't expected to survive in captivity. Often these guys are fussy eaters. However, she bucks the stereotypes. She's a voracious eater and quite spunky, often stealing shrimp right out of the Buejaw's mouth! She also loves cleaning everyone in the tank, including my arm when I'm doing housekeeping chores.



• Scopas Tang (Toby). A great algae eater with a unique shape, he's similar to the ever-popular Yellow Tang but much more peaceful and a better algae eater.



• Purple Firefish (Hazel). She's the newest addition to the tank. An easy keeper (eats meat), colorful and peaceful. She's getting hazed by everyone in the tank right now (hence the name) but seems to be settling in well, thanks to plenty of hiding places in the live rock.



• 3 Skunk Cleaner Shrimp. (The Merry Maids). They molt about once a month and lay eggs constantly (they are hermaphrodites). They also clean everyone in the tank (including me!). They've grown quite large, no longer a bite-sized snack to tempt Pedro. Definitely a favorite.



• Purple Collector Urchin (Spike). He was added to help clean the algae from the tank. He does a great job although I do feed him seaweed every now and then. He can wreak havoc at night (he's nocturnal), carrying any coral that's not adhered with epoxy away on his back. I learned this the hard way.



• Clam (Libby). I never knew they came in such brilliant colors! She decided she wanted to stick herself onto the bottom of a rock with her foot. I had to rearrange the rocks a little for better viewing. She's pretty awesome. Eats phytoplankton.



• Elegance Coral. This has thrived despite all warnings against success in an aquarium setting. The largest resident of the tank and the most eye-catching.



• Xenia Coral. No longer pulsing or growing as rapidly as it once did, however, it still claims a large territory on the rock.



• Frogspawn. Easy keeper. Loves to eat.



• Open Brain Coral. Not thriving as much as I'd hoped. It might do better with more frequent feedings.



• Leather Coral. Has at least doubled in size.



• Daisy Polyps. Easy keepers, fast growing, not aggressive. A real joy after the flowerpot debacle.



• Various mushrooms. Has grown exponentially. Are very colorful and wonderful.



• Various zoanthids. They have been growing rather slowly but finally are growing and finally thriving.



• Plate coral. The first SPS I've introduced into the tank. Hasn't really taken off yet. I think my tank is definitely more of a softie tank. Just not enough light (and no interest in adding more light, based on temp issues and very high electric bill).



• Clove polyps (Clavularia). Very hardy. Looks like a cross between xenia and daisy polyps. Very cool!

The Heater Works! (Phew)

It's been unseasonably cold in San Diego. Great time to make sure your heater works. I turn my heat off at night. I woke up and went downstairs, shivering. It must have been 50 degrees. Turns out, I left the fireplace open with the flue open all night. It was ridiculously cold in the house. I immediately ran over to the aquarium, sure that all the denizens would be frozen into little cubes. I checked the thermometer: 78. Phew!!!

Don't forget to make sure your heater is working!

R.I.P. Flowerpot Coral

It happened so quickly! Here's a pic of this gorgeous, large coral from just last week. It did fantastic for about 3 months. I noticed a few polyps on the bottom that had started to retract the beginning of this week. A few days later, they were covered in gloopy, yellow, snotty, slime. Ewwww! The next day, the slime had grown to encompass half of the entire coral. In no time of all, it had transformed from "flowerpot" to "mucous ball". We were forced to pull it and say goodbye. I'm bummed but we kind of expected it. Flowerpot (Goniopora) coral has a very low success rate in the home aquarium (less than 10% make it past a year). http://www.dallura.com/reef/goniopora/goniopora.html

There's a huge, empty expanse of rock ready to be filled with something else. I'm leaning towards Daisy Polyps. They're hardy, easy to keep, and grow quickly. Plus, they're peaceful as well.

http://www.fish.com/item/daisy-polyps/LF703044/

I also really like Galaxy Coral but they have really aggressive sweeper tentacles. I don't want to accidentally kill neighboring coral!

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/reef/lg_stony/galaxy.php

Pictures! (As Promised)

As promised, here are some pics of our recent additions. As soon as I can get a good shot of the feather duster worm and plate coral, I'll put those up too.

Purple Pincushion Sea Urchin ("Spike"):
I absolutely love this guy. He's always crawling around and eating algae. He has thousands of little feet waving around between his spines. Very cool to watch!

Spike under the blue light. Note all the shells and rocks on his back (why he's sometimes called a "Collector" or "Pincushion" urchin).

Up the back wall to clean up algae! I never clean the back wall, allowing a little algae growth for my vegetarian critters. I also stuff a big kelp leaf in the rocks once in awhile. It breaks into little pieces and the fish go nuts.

Taking off with a clump of zoas (Lily). I quickly put the coral back. No coral was harmed in this photo. Spike sometimes gets a little "carried" away with his cleaning. Ha ha!

Scopas Tang ("Toby"):

He is sooo beautiful. I'm happy to have a tang in the tank again! I went with the Scopas tang since they are peaceful, smaller than other tangs, hardier than other tangs, and voracious algae eaters. They are similar to Yellow Tangs but less aggressive and a titch smaller.

Casey, our Flameback Angel, is hazing poor Toby, the new guy and low on the totem pole. Casey chases him around a lot at feeding time. It's not constant though and Casey tends to settle down aggression-wise with time (he used to pick on a lot of tankmates when first added; he's mellowed out over time). Luckily, Toby doesn't seemed too phased by Casey's bullying.

Toby is eating well--loves kelp and plankton. I've been trying to fatten him up; he's super skinny!

Toby, our Scopas Tang. I love the pale cream-brown, tiny stripes and white spots! Plus, his eyes can change color (from brown, shown here, to yellow). His fins are gorgeous too, like sails. Under the blue light, there's lots of blues and magentas that come out under the brown color. Who says this is a drab tang?

Casey bullying poor Toby.

Red-headed Goby ("Tiny Tim"):

Tiny, hardy, and reef-safe, I couldn't resist this little guy. This was a true test of how peaceful our tank is! He's less than an inch long and could easily be picked on or eaten by several of the fish in the tank. Not to fear, no one bothers Tiny Tim. He loves to hide in the rocks but is usually out front and center! He's not nearly as shy as I thought he would be. He grabs tiny pieces of meat floating by at feeding time.

Isn't he beautiful? Red head, yellow eyes, blue stripes, and see-through body, wow!

Tiny Tim darting in and out of rocks. He is sooooo cute!

Felipe (the Third), our Royal Gramma:

Surprisingly, we had bad luck with our first 2 royal grammas, despite their reputation for being very hardy. I think third time's a charm! We just love the royal gramma. He's hardy, peaceful, and strikingly colored. Felipe is always out and about, not nearly as shy as the others before him. Our tank just didn't feel complete without him.

Stay Tuned...

I have LOTS of pics coming soon. Stay tuned for pics of our recent additions:


1. Spike, the Sea Urchin

2. Feather Duster Worm

3. Tiny Tim, our adoreable, miniscule Red-Headed Goby

4. Kobe, our new Scopas Tang

5. Montipora Plate Coral (our first SPS addition!)

Our tank is doing really well. We've had some minor things here and there, but overall, everything is awesome.

1. Algae update:
It took a few weeks to see the reduction in (hair) algae growth after reducing the light and feedings. We're now feeding only once a day and the light period has been reduced to 8 for the days and 10 for the blues. However, combined with weekly 20% water changes, addition of a sea urchin and some more snails, and vigorous scrubbing with a toothbrush, I'm happy to report that I'm winning the battle. I'm hoping to be able to cut back to 20% bi-monthly changes in the next few months. Mostly because, weekly water changes are A LOT of work!

2. Strangely Low Calcium and Alklanity Readings:
After our local go-to aquarium expert (Mike) said to start checking our calcium, I noticed it was low. It's always been on the low side anyway (calcium 420 ppm and alkalinity 8 dkH). I began adding the Bi-Ionic 2-part buffers to boost levels. Following the directions and adding conservatively (10 ml each for our 75 gallon tank), nothing happened. At the same time, our Elegance and Open Brain Corals began to look a little withered. I have been finding it necessary to add 40 ml each 3x a week to keep levels at 8 dkH and 440 ppm (calcium)! That's just absurd. Mike said I should be adding maybe 10 ml per week, if that. However, upon adding buffers, I noticed our coral perked up (the Elegance and Brain). I also saw an increase in coralline algae growth. The only thing we could think of is that we perhaps used distilled instead of RO water. We have been going to the grocery store and filling our buckets with the vending machine out front, instead of going to the LFS for RO. Maybe the Albertson's vending machine dispenses distilled? Back to the LFS for all our RO. No more second guessing.

3. Other Minor Happenings:
The Open Brain Coral appreciated being relocated to a lower flow area in the tank on the open substrate. It took some moving around in "mushroom city". Our low flow section of the tank is now densely populated; however, the Brain loves it. He blossomed, opened up, and expanded his tentacles almost immediately.

I replaced some of the old, nasty macroalgae in the refugium with fresh, new green stuff. Every week, I had been pulling some old out to allow room for new growth. This worked well for several months. Over the last several weeks, I noticed less growth of the macroalgae but unfortunately, rapid growth of the nasty, red microalgae. However, upon close inspection, I spotted a dense population of pods (they look like little bugs! Gross!). Not wanting to disturb them, I only removed a fraction of the old macroalgae before adding a ton of new. I think this was a good move. I now can safely say that it's good to replace the macroalgae with some new every 3 months or so.

I absolutely LOVE our automatic top-off dispenser. No more twice daily water top offs! Plus, it maintains a more stable salinity.

Our tank temperature dropped for the first time. Thank you cool fall weather! NOTE: Now that it's fall, don't forget to check to make sure your heaters are working! I was happy to see the little light indicator blink on our heater in the sump. Our temp is 78-79 for the first time (It was 80-81 over the summer). I can finally turn off the 3rd fan in the sump to save some energy (our other two are in the canopy by the lights and are temp regulated).

4. Tank Reports:
I'm happy to report that 2 out of 3 of our cleaner shrimp (the Merry Maids) are pregnant! Yes, they have millions of little eggs on their abdomens. Yay! That's a sure sign of a happy tank.

I've also spotted growth in our mushroom coral. I've been a little disappointed with the zoanthids. They're healthy but not growing as quickly as I expected.

The xenia is the one coral that's not doing so hot. Ever since moving around the rockwork (which caused the loss of our first Royal Gramma, Phillip) a few months ago, the xenia, which had been growing like a weed, suddenly stopped. However, it was still fully opened and pulsing. I could deal with that. Now, it's been wilting and pulsing very weakly. Maybe it has something to do with our odd water parameters (although xenia doesn't really care about alkalinity and calcium so much since it's a soft coral, there may be other trace elements it needs that the water is lacking which I haven't measured). I hope relying on the LFS RO water fixes this.

Stay tuned for pics!

Spike, our Purple Tuxedo Sea Urchin

The algae problem seems to be s.l.o.w.l.y. going away. I'm still doing the 20% weekly water changes (at which point I vigorously scrub all the algae away with a toothbrush and much elbow grease) but it seems like less and less algae re-emerges each week. I only feed the fish once a day now. They seem to have adjusted just fine. In addition, the lights come on later in the morning (I don't get to look at the tank until evening anyway) so the total light period is shorter. Less food and less light = less nutrients for algae to grow. In addition, I added a few more snails and...... (drumroll, please)

A sea urchin!
These guys are the ultimate janitors of the saltwater tank. They are omnivores and eat any debris and algae left gumming up the tank. In the wake of the sea urchin's path is a blinding white streak of clean rock. It looks like someone took an army knife and scraped the rock clean! I LOVE it! Sea urchins are the "canaries" of the saltwater aquarium. At the first sign of less-than-perfect water quality, they begin shedding spines. If your sea urchin looks sickly, it's time for a water change. STAT! Some can quickly outgrow the tank and become predatory so do some research before selecting a species (from what I've read, pencil urchins are not reef-safe while the ones with long spines live on reefs in the wild and do well in aquarium settings as well). In addition, they love ALL algae, including coralline algae that we all work so hard to grow. Keep in mind, you may need to supplement your urchin's diet with seaweed to keep him from eating you out of house and home.

Spike is a Purple Pincushion Urchin, also called a "tuxedo" or "collector" urchin, since it gathers debris on the tops of its spines as it plows over the rocks, walls, and substrate, looking for food. He is really fun to watch. He crawls over everything with thousands of little feet! I absolutely love this guy.

http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/aboutjanitors/a/aa052899_3.htm
http://www.peteducation.com/category.cfm?c=16+1910
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/invertebrates/echinoderm/Purpleseaurchin.shtml
http://tolweb.org/treehouses/?treehouse_id=4879

Tank Update

I've noticed more algae growth as of late. Sigh. Looking back at my notes, I think I'm feeding too much and the lights are on for too long. Plus, 20% weekly water changes are starting to take its toll on me. That's a lot of work!

Problem: Algae Growth
Solution: Feed less and reduce lighting period.
How:
The fish are used to getting fed once a day. I don't want anyone turning into Mr. Hyde and gorging on cleaner shrimp so I'm reducing slowly. First, I'm feeding them less, period. Second, I feed them just a pinch of some dried food in the a.m. This makes it easier to cut this out. The next step is to begin "forgetting" a.m. feedings. I'll skip every other day the first week, then every two days, the second week, etc. until I'm no longer feeding in the morning.

To reduce the lighting, I will also do it slowly so as not to shock the fish and coral. In addition, I want to shift the lights to turn on later in the day so they can stay on later at night (when I get to see them). I'm tired of not being able to look at my tank. Evenings are the only chance I get! To do this, first I'll begin by having the lights switch on 1 hour later in the morning. Right now, the blue lights are on 12 hours a day, and the white lights are on for 10. I am going to aim for 10 for the blue and 8 for the white (and if that doesn't work, then 8 and 6). My goal is to have the blue lights come on at 1:00 pm and then turn off at 11:00 pm (the whites would be on from 2-10). I have to shift slowly. Maybe by 1 hour a week until I get it right.

Other tactics to reduce algae would be to add a few more snails. Worst comes to worst, I can always drop in a sea urchin!

Postscript:
Phil didn't last very long (the new Royal Gramma). He was very small and very shy. Basically, he was too scared to eat. The other tankmates would feed, and he hid in his cave. He wasted away until one morning, I discovered a cleaner shrimp eating his carcass. Nothing left but a skeleton. Sad.

A Peaceful State of Homeostasis

I need to upload some new pics. After the tragic loss of 3 fish, a shrimp, and a starfish, all within a week or two, for no apparent reason, the tank is finally returning to normal. We love eating breakfast by the tank. I drink my coffee while watching the fish eat. I've finally gotten into a routine of regular tank maintenance. It's still a lot of work but not as overwhelming as it used to be. Over the weekend, we even picked up a new shrimp and a new royal gramma to replace the ones we lost. The tank seems so much livelier with the new additions! Pics are coming soon.

Here's a list of tankmates:
1. Bluejaw Trigger (male)--Pedro (very cute, peaceful, shy little guy, although we suspect he may have had something to do with the loss of one of our cleaner shrimp after molting).
2. Phil--new Royal Gramma (after the loss of Phillip when I removed all the live rock in a futile attempt to catch a Banggai). He's so small! He loves the caves and nooks and crannies in the rocks. I hope he grows up to be nice and big!
3. 2 Banggai cardinalfish (both males; ugh). The Ropers (Mr. & Mrs. even though they're both guys). One is dominant and still chases the submissive one around but the tank is large enough and has enough hiding places that Mr. Roper doesn't get picked on too badly. These guys hide a lot and don't like the bright reef lighting.
4. 2 mated Clownfish (Oscellaris). Bonnie & Clyde. We got these guys as babies (captive-bred). They are the friendliest in the tank, and always come out to say "hi". If you open the canopy, you can hand-feed them! They are finally maturing into sexual differentiation. The male does a "shimmy" dance to entice the female. Bonnie mostly just chases Clyde around but I've seen her fiercely defend Clyde from more aggressive tankmates. No saltwater tank is complete without a pair of clowns!
5. Yellow Coris Wrasse. Louie. This fantastic guy is very flashy. He is a late sleeper and often goes to bed early as well (or when scared), which is in a secret hiding spot in the sand. When out and about, he loves to show off and is quite active. He likes to bounce off the live rock! He also picks at the rock for food all day long. He particularly likes to steal tidbits from Scooter (scooter blenny) just to annoy him.
6. Scooter Blenny (aptly named, Scooter). He's my favorite! This guy is very personable and especially hams it off for the camera. He makes it a point to hop over to me and say hello every time I'm tank-gazing. He hops on the live rocks all day long, picking at it like a hummingbird. I was afraid he wouldn't do well in my new system but we added a refugium, and since then, he's doubled in size! In addition, his colors have darkened and reddened into gorgeous spots. I would love to get him a female one day.
7. Lawnmower Blenny, Earl. This fat, happy little guy spends all day chomping away at algae. He always has a mildly grumpy look on his face. When we tank-gaze, he'll pause to peer at us curiously before aggressively attacking his next patch of algae.
8. Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse, Nahla. Although these guys often fare poorly in aquariums, we're keeping our fingers crossed. Nahla is fat and happy and verrrry friendly. She cleans all the fish in the tank, especially Pedro, Earl, and Scooter. She also eagerly attacks any meaty food I put into the tank. She has a nice fat belly on her. My favorite thing she does is to chase the rag when I wipe down the aquarium glass. She must think the rag is a big fish for her to clean!
9. Flameback Dwarf Angelfish, Casey. This guy is so brilliantly colored and renowned for algae eating. I took a chance on him, hoping he wouldn't pick at the coral. So far, so good. I keep him well-fed, and that seems to work well. He's definitely a pugnacious little fellow, however. He chases anyone away from his "territory" in the rocks but everyone else seems to just ignore him. With time, he's been settling down. Chill out, dude!

Coral and Other Inverts:
1. 3 Cleaner Shrimp, The Merry Maids (Mary, Melvin, and Melanie). I love these guys. They're pretty and are great at housecleaning. They even clean the fish! Plus, they lay eggs from time-to-time, feeding the fish! Actually, Melanie, our new addition, came in with thousands of little, tiny eggs attached to her legs. Way cool!
2. Various zooanthid frags (4 pieces)
3. Various mushrooms (all sorts of cool colors!). 4 pieces
4. Leather coral
5. Toadstool coral
6. Xenia (growing like a weed)
7. Elegance coral (so far doing great)
8. Frogspawn
9. Open Brain Coral (so cool)
10. Flowerpot Coral (so far, doing great)

We also have a number of snails and hermit crabs, the clean-up crew!

I measure tank stats monthly (although I check the temp, pH, salinity, calcium, and alkalinity weekly). Our water chemistry has been verrrry stable. Yea!
Temp: 81
pH: 8.5
Salinity: 1.024
Alkalinity: 8 dkH
Calcium: 400 ppm
Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates: 0 ppm
Phosphates: 0 ppm

Tank Maintenance:
Daily--Fish get fed 2x/day (a variety of meat, kelp, spirulina, and freeze-dried Copepods (Clyo-eeze), in the form of frozen, pellet, and flake food).
Empty skimmer cup.
Wipe algae off glass with magnet.
Check water levels in automatic top-off container.
Check to make sure light timers are working correctly.
Observe overall fish and coral behavior and health.

Bi-weekly--LPS corals and button polyps are fed with a turkey baster (meaty foods like mysis shrimp, crab meat, and oyster and prawn eggs). The elegance coral, brain coral, frogspawn and button polyps go nuts for it. Weird and wacky stuff to watch coral feed. I have to feed the fish right before so they don't steal the coral's food.

Weekly--20% water change (20 gallons). I'm trying to keep up on the algae growth in the tank so my water changes have been fairly aggressive as of late. Simultaneously, I thoroughly scrub the algae off the glass, substrate, rocks, and powerheads. I also change the filter sock and test any water parameters needed. Calcium and alkalinity buffers are added as needed.

Monthly--In addition to my weekly water change, I swap out the activated carbon in my media reactor. My cleaning is a little more vigorous, focusing on pumps, motors and other equipment. Thorough test of water chemistry is also done.

So far, this has worked well for me. I choose to feed my tank pretty heavily. It works so far because of superb filtration equipment and aggressive water changes. Another option would be to feed less, and change water less. But I like seeing fat, happy fish!

Seahorses at Birch Aquarium

Greg and I visited the Scripps Birch Aquarium (http://www.aquarium.ucsd.edu/) a few weeks ago. The trip made me hungry for a tour of the nation's greatest aquariums!

My favorite exhibit were the seahorses. I've never seen seahorses before. I didn't realize they came in so many shapes and sizes! They truly are magical wonders of the ocean.

Did you know?

Seahorses are the only species on Earth where the male carries the unborn young.

A seahorse can consume over 3,000 brine shrimp per day (they love copepods and mysis too).

They are fairly defenseless and poor swimmers, preferring to hide among grasses and seaweed near reef beds (which they cling to with their tails).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seahorse

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/sea-horse/

The Medicine Cabinet

Here's a brief overview of what to stock in your fish medicine cabinet and how to use it, should your fish become sick:

Cupramine (copper medicine)
What it Treats:
Ectoparasites like Marine Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans), Marine Velvet (Amyloodinium ocellatum), and Gill Flukes.
How To Use It:
Use 1 ml (stock is 10,000 mg/l) per 10.5 gallons for final concentration of 0.5 mg/l
Add once and leave for 14 days
Use a test kit (from same manufacturer) to measure copper levels
Therapeutic at 0.2 mg/l and toxic at 0.8 mg/l
Advantages:
Cupramine is safer than other copper medications (copper sulfate, chloride, citrate). It's less toxic to fish and also does not precipitate out of solution. There's no risk of fluctuating copper levels. In addition, it's more effective than chelated copper meds.
Notes:
Removable with carbon (this is why you always remove your carbon filter before adding meds; to remove meds at end of treatment, just put the filter back)
Do not add more unless test copper concentration with test kit (from same manufacturer)
Do not use with any other medications (reducing agents, like formalin, increase copper concentrations to toxic levels)
Links:
http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/Cupramine.html

Formalin (37% formaldehyde)
What it Treats:
Parasitic infections, particularly hard-to-treat Brooklynella (Clownfish Disease)
How To Use It:
Use as a bath
1 ml of 37% solution per gallon water
Make sure temp below 80, pH 8.0-8.4, and vigorous aeration with airpump included.
Treat 45 minutes 1x/day for 3-5 days
Notes:
Formalin is pretty toxic (it's a carcinogen; wear gloves). In addition, it sucks oxygen out of the water. Temperature and pH affect formalin toxicity (above 80 degrees, it takes out even more oxygen). Be sure to use vigorous aeration. Methylene blue is often used in conjunction (it helps the fish get more oxygen).
Links:
http://www.reefland.com/forum/marine-fish-care-health-disease-treatment/25290-formalin-treatment-marine-fishes.html
http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/ichparasiticdiseases/ht/treatbrooklynel.htm

Methylene Blue
What it Treats:
Fungus and some external protozoans like ich
How To Use It:
add 1 tsp of 2.3% solution per every 10 gallons (3 ppm final concentration) in QT for 3-5 days; only one application is needed
use water change plus carbon filter to eliminate methylene blue at end of treatment
Notes:
Methylene Blue is an oxygen transporter for fish, increasing ease of respiration (great in conjunction with formalin since formalin compromises oxygen)
Can be used in conjunction with some medications (check manufacturer's instructions carefully)
Not effective bacterial infections, flukes, or brookynella
Removed by AmQuel at high concentrations
Links:
http://www.novalek.com/kordon/methylene_blue/index.htm

Malachite Green
What it Treats:
Treats ich, fungus, and other external parasites (gill flukes)
How To Use It:
use 1 tsp per 10 gallons
as a bath: 1-2 mg/l for 10 min or 0.5 mg/l for 1 hr
Notes:
Often used in conjunction with formalin
This is toxic stuff! Use caution.

De-Wormer (Praziquantel)
What it Treats:
Tapeworms, roundworms and other internal parasites
How To Use It:
Can use as a bath (1 tsp per gallon) in QT for 5-7 days
Often mixed with food
Links:
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/fish-diseases-treatments/37765-de-worming-marine-fish-super-pooper-snooper.html


Antibiotics
What it Treats:
Bacterial infections (pop-eye, bladder infection, fin rot, etc.)
How To Use It:
Add to QT water per manufacturer's instructions and/or food
Notes:
Start with broad spectrum antibiotics, ones that kill both gram-negative and positive bacteria.
These include:
Neomycin
Chloramphenicol
Nitrofurazone based products
Skin absorbed kanamycin sulfate based antibiotics (Kanacyn/K-Mycin)
Try a product like Spectrogram (Aquatronics) or Maracyn One, followed by Marcyn Two.
Other Antibiotics:
Tetracycline
Sulfathiazole
Metronizazole (treats protozoan and anaerobic bacterial infections in fish as well as dinoflagellate infections)

Note: Many of these chemicals are toxic to humans. Please wear gloves and handle carefully.

Links:
http://www.reefland.com/forum/marine-fish-care-health-disease-treatment/18893-stocking-marine-fish-medicine-cabinet.html
https://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/pic/article.cfm?N=2004&aid=1338

Primer on Common Marine Fish Illnesses

We've gone over how to do a freshwater dip and how to set up a hospital tank. But what about the meat and potatoes? What does a sick fish look like? What diseases do fish get, and how do we get rid of them?

A sick fish displays obvious changes in normal behavior. Erratic swimming patterns, listless behavior, lying on its side, dull or pale color, loss of appetite, rapid breathing, and white, fluffy patches on skin, gills, or body, all of these are signs of a sick fish. The earlier you spot the symptoms, the better a chance you have of successfully treating and healing your fish!

Why do fish get sick?
Stress. Simple as that. Stress weakens the immune system making the fish more susceptible to disease. Stress comes in many forms including:
1. Shipping and transport.
2. Introduction to a new tank.
3. Poor water quality or sudden changes in water parameters (salinity, pH, temperature, calcium, alkalinity, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates).
4. Poor nutrition (not feeding enough or the right kind of food).
5. Boistorous, aggressive tankmates.
6. Poor enivronment, e.g. tank too small to meet space requirements of fish.

Common Fish Illnesses:

PARASITIC:
1. Cryptocaryon irritans (Ich)

This is an obligate parasite (meaning it cannot survive without its host) with a complex life cycle often introduced from new fish, coral, or live rock. ) (It's actually a ciliated protozoan). Tangs and surgeonfish are particularly susceptible. Death can result in a few days.

Symptoms first appear as tiny, white specks on the fins, body, and gills (like salt). The fish may itch against rocks and substrate (called "flashing"). As the infection advances, the gills are compromised, and breathing is impaired, causing rapid breathing and listless behavior. Secondary bacterial infections also often occur. Some parasitic copepods can produce identical symptoms.

Although a very common disease in saltwater aquariums, it is easily treated if caught early. In addition, a cured fish often develops an immunity to recurrent infections. Hyposalinity for 4 weeks in a hospital tank is the best treatment. Other treatments such as formalin and copper are also effective but they are pretty toxic to the fish and must be used judiciously.
Ich Links:
http://www.chucksaddiction.com/ich.html
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/nov2003/mini1.htm
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-08/sp/index.php
http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/ichparasiticdiseases/a/aa_cryptocaryon.htm

2. Marine Velvet (Amyloodinium ocellatum).
Symptoms are similar to ich but instead of punctate white spots, the fish has more of a white powder covering its body, almost like its been dipped in powdered sugar. Caused by a parasitic algae (actually a dinoflagellate). Symptoms start off with labored breathing. Powdered spots occur later. Because it attacks the gills first, marine velvet is more serious than ich. By the time you see it, it may be too late. In addition to powdered spots and labored breathing, swimming may also be erratic. Fish may also rub against rocks and gravel. Death can occur within two days of symptoms. Hyposalinity is not effective for this parasite. Cholorquine diphosphate (also used to treat malaria!) is a good treatment (5-10 mg/l for 10 days). Metronizazole will also treat dinoflagellate infections. Copper, formalin, and freshwater dips are also common treatments. As always, these chemicals are toxic invertebrates, micro-/macro-algae, and nitrifying bacteria.

Marine Velvet Links:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-07/sp/feature/index.php

http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/general.cfm?general_pagesid=83
http://www.aboutfishonline.com/articles/marinevelvet.html

3. Black Ich (Turbellarian)

Also called Tang or Surgeonfish disease because it is often seen on Yellow Tangs. Like ich but black spots instead of white. This disease is actually caused by turbellarian flatworms from Paravortex genus. This disease is not as quick-killing as Ich or Marine Velvet but needs to be treated to prevent secondary bacterial infections from occuring. Treat with freshwater dip followed by formalin bath and recovery in QT tank.

Black Ich Links:
http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/compldiagnodisease/a/aa041701.htm

4. Brooklynella (Clownfish Disease)Worst of the parasites. Often seen in wild-caught clownfish. This is a cilliated protozoan that can reproduce asexually, spreading much faster than Ich or Marine Velvet. Attacks gills first, which makes breathing difficult. First symptoms include rapid/labored breathing, thick, excess mucous secretion, color dulling. Lethargy, loss of appetite, cloudy eyes also occurs. Toxins secreted from protozoa cause open ulcers gills and skin. Death can occur in 12 hours if not treated immediately. Remove to QT tank and perform daily baths in formalin. Other treatments, like hyposalinity, freshwater dips, or copper, are not effective.
Brookynella Links:
http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/compldiagnodisease/a/aa041701.htm
http://www.chucksaddiction.com/brookynella.html
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_6/volume_6_1/brooklynella.htmme_6_1/brooklynella.htm http://www.fishvet.com/Brooklynella.htm

BACTERIAL INFECTIONS:

Most, if not all, occur as secondary infections due to another infection, poor water quality, wounds from aggression, or some other form of immune-weakening stress. Sensitive fish such as angelfish and butterflyfish are most susceptible. The type of bacteria that cause fish illnesses varies widely from Pseudomonas, to Vibrio, as well as Mycobacteria. General symptoms include bloody patches or streaks, skin ulcers, lethargy, dull color, loss of appetite, bloated belly, swollen eye (popeye), cloudy eyes, rapid breathing, or disintegrated fins (fin rot). Without treatment, fish will eventually die from infection. The best treatment is to remove fish and treat in QT with low salinity (1.012; eases stress of fish while preventing secondary parasitic infections) and wide-spectrum antibiotics (food and water). Gel Tec is an antibiotic in food form and Maracyn 2, a sulfa drug that fights gram-negative bacteria, is also a good choice. Erythomycin is also commonly used. As with all illnesses, be sure to perform frequent water changes to manually remove the bacteria from the sick fish's environment.

General Links on Bacterial Infections in Marine Fish:

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=16+2160&aid=584
http://www.aquaworldaquarium.com/Articles/TonyGriffitts/treating_marine_fish_for_bacterial_Diseases.htm http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/compldiagnodisease/a/aa042801.htm

1. Fin Rot

Tattered, infected fins often secondary to a wound caused by nipping or fighting. Poor water quality exacerbates infection. Common bacteria that cause fin rot include: Aeromonas, Pseudomonas, and Flexibacter. Treat with antibiotics, as indicated above. http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/disease/tailfinrot.php

2. Popeye/Cloudy Eye

Cloudy or swollen eye which often results from infection after eye is scrathed. With frequent water changes and good water quality, infection often goes away on its own. 10% oral Baytril (enrofloxacin) is a recommended treatment in QT.
http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/compldiagnodisease/a/aa053001.htm

3. Vibriosis

This is one of the more aggressive bacterial infections, killing in as few as 5 days. Symptoms often include red spots or streaks on bottom of fish that can ulcerate and bleed. Other symptoms also include lethargy and loss of appetite. This bacteria attacks the GI tract. Treat as with all bacterial infections (isolate fish in QT and treat with antibiotics followed by a big water change in main tank).
http://www.helium.com/items/1655919-aquarium-fish-vibriosis-causes-and-treatment
http://theaquariumwiki.com/Vibriosis

4. Fish Tuberculosis

Use extreme caution as the aquarist can be infected. This infection is caused by a Mycobacteria. Symptoms include loss of appetite, lethargy, pale, ulcers, emaciation, and overall poor health. Treat in QT with erythromycin.
http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/management/Keefer_FishTB.html
http://www.petfish.net/kb/entry/170/
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/disease/tbc.php

VIRAL DISEASES:

Lymphocystis:

I covered this extensively in a previous post. Basically, it causes red or white cauliflower-like lumps on the fins and body of the fish. There is no known cure (just like the common cold) but symptoms are mild, and infection often goes away on its own with time. Use methods to boost the fish's immune system. Frequent, small feedings of rich food and ensure the water quality is pristine.
http://reefaquariumtrials.blogspot.com/2010/09/help-sick-fish-lymphocystis.html

Flukes and Parasitic Copepods:

Other things that can plague your fish include parasitic flukes and parasitic copepods. Symptoms will be similar to ich (white specks, itching against rocks, excess mucous, etc.). These parasites interfere with the fish's breathing (by destroying the gill tissue). Treat with a potassium permanganate bath (10 mg/L for 20-30 minutes).
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/disease/flukes.php

Parasitic Internal Worms:

Often caused by roundworms, tapeworms, or flukes, most fish have some type of worm infestation by the time they reach your aquarium. De-worming ( praziquantel, for instance) in a QT is highly recommended. General symptoms include dull color and slow wasting away despite increased appetite as well as the classic long stringy white poop that is often seen hanging from the fish.
http://www.algone.com/aquarium-articles/fish-health/aquarium-worms

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/fish-diseases-treatments/37765-de-worming-marine-fish-super-pooper-snooper.html

Other Diseases:

Head and Lateral Line Erosion (HLLE) Disease:

This mysterious disease most commonly afflicts tangs and surgeonfish. It's cause is unknown, and there is no cure. Symptoms include discoloration and pitting of the head and lateral line. Basically, the skin or gills around this area begins to disintegrate and waste away. Poor nutrition or poor water quality is thought to contribute to causing this disease. This disease doesn't otherwise negatively affect the fish at first but, over time, can worsen and cause listlessness and lethargy in the afflicted fish.
http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/headlledisease/a/aa040901.htm

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/disease/HITH-HLLE.php

Links:
http://www.chucksaddiction.com/disease.html
http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/disease/sw/
http://www.aqua-fish.net/saltwater/?marine-fish-disease
http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/compldiagnodisease/a/diseasetrouble.htm
http://www.saltwater-aquarium-online-guide.com/fish-diseases-and-treatments.htmlases-and-treatments.html
http://www.tropicalfishexpert.co.uk/SaltwaterFishDisease.html
http://www.fishlore.com/Disease_Saltwater.htm
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2007/6/fish
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/infectio.htm