Postby HondaB20B » February 24th, 2013, 1:06 pm
More good reading
Salt water quality
Temperature 72°F to 80°F
Salinity 1.021 to 1.025 g/ml fish only, 1.023 to 1.026 g/ml corals
Nitrate Fish: < 50 mg/L, Corals: 0 to 10 mg/L
KH (Total Alkalinity) 8 to 14 dKH, Ideal = 10 dKH
Phosphate 0 to 0.03 mg/L
Ammonia 0 mg/L
Nitrite 0 mg/L
Calcium 380-500 mg/L
Magnesium 1200-1400 mg/L
pH 8 to 8.3
Water Replacement: Because of the gradual and significant evaporative water loss from an aquariums system, water must be added to maintain salinity at 1.024 g/ml. The water that is added should be filtered and not poured directly from any tap source. Municipal water treatment generally involves the addition of chlorine (Cl2(g)) and chloramine (NH2Cl(aq)) to destroy viruses and kill microbes. Tap water chlorine levels are usually at least 3 mg/L and chloramine levels are at least 1.0 mg/L. Chlorine levels greater than 0.002 mg/L are deleterious to marine life. In addition, tap water contains dissolved solids, dissolved minerals (including those from house plumbing tubing), phosphates, and other impurities. It is important that all of these be removed before adding tap water to a marine system. Also - tap water from the hot water plumbing should NEVER be purified for addition to a marine aquarium system. It has more dissolved metals than the cold water system, which will shorten the life of the purification system.
Reverse Osmosis: This purification system uses high water pressure to push water through a barrier that other solutes cannot pass. The cellulose acetate or polyamide polymer membranes of these systems have very small pore sizes (1.5 nanometers) that will reject dissolved substances but will allow water to pass. These systems produce water with substance removal rates of 90% to 99.5%. The only drawback of this system is the waste of water - the water that does not pass through the membrane containing concentrated solutes is discarded. Most reverse osmosis systems use pre-filters to remove dissolved solids and prolong the life of the purification membrane. They tend to be cheaper to operate and require less maintenance than other purification systems.
Deionization: This purification system uses resin beads impregnated with very small pores (2 to 5 nm). To make the beads deionize, they are exposed to either strong acids or strong bases to load them with hydrogen or hydroxide ions. The beads are loaded into a canister through which tap water is allowed to flow. As cations (positive ions) and anions (negative ions) of tap water flow between the beads, they exchange ions with them. The principal ions in tap water - calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, copper, lead, nitrate, bicarbonate, sulfate, chloride, and iodide - end up stuck on the bead surface. As the beads becomes saturated with tap water impurities, their pH and color change, indicating they should be recharged or replaced. Tap water passed through a deionization system can be up to 99.5% free of dissolved ions. Pre-filters may be needed to prolong the life of the resin beads. Carbon reactors may be needed to remove organic impurities.
Final Notes:
Tap water should not be used to replace evaporated salt water in an aquarium.
The most important aspect of aquarium salinity is stability. As water evaporates from an aquarium, salinity rises. Removal of saltwater, salt spray, and protein skimmers lower salinity. Barring leakage, evaporation exceeds salt spray in most systems and salinity gradually falls over time. Any and all adjustments must be made GRADUALLY. Saltwater fish can tolerate salinity that it not optimal, but what is often fatal is rapid salinity change. The addition of water or salt to an aquarium system should be done gradually to avoid wide fluctuations in salinity.
The nitrogen cycle
The Nitrogen Cycle describes the movement of nitrogen, a nonmetal element, through an ecosystem. Aquariums have their own unique issues with respect to this cycle. Nitrogen gas, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, and proteins are all part of the story. Ultimately, all organisms must get nitrogen from some source to build their proteins, ann activity central to life on earth. Bacteria and blue-green bacteria play key roles at critical points in the cycle.
Nitrogen gas (N2): Earth's nitrogen reservoir is the nitrogen gas in air, at almost 80% by volume. The only marine organisms that can use nitrogen gas in a chemical reaction are specific types of bacteria. These species of bacteria can convert nitrogen gas to ammonia, a process called nitrogen fixation. Two bacteria that have been studied are the planktonic Azotobacter and the benthic Clostridium. Thus, the aqueous nitrogen gas of seawater is inert but becomes active when it is converted to ammonia (highly poisonous) by bacteria.
Ammonia (NH3): Ammonia produced by nitrogen fixation in an aquarium is usually of negligible quantity compared to that produced by the metabolism of protein by animals and bacteria. Aqueous ammonia gas (NH3 (aq)) is the most toxic and dangerous of all the nitrogen cycle compounds. Most of the ammonia reacts with water to form ammonium ions (NH4 (aq)), rendering it less toxic. Some species of aerobic bacteria, Nitrosomonas, and Nitrosococcus (purple sulfur bacteria) found in marine sediment, are chemoautotrophic and consume ammonia (NH3/NH4+). Their oxidation of ammonia produces nitrite, NO2-. This process is the first step of nitrification, called nitrosification. Ammonia and nitrite levels should be or nearly be 0 in the seawater of an aquarium.
Nitrite (NO2-): Nitrite is metabolized by other nitrifying genera of bacteria: Nitrobacter (alpha proteobacteria), Nitrospina (delta proteobacteria), and Nitrococcus (gamma proteobacteria/purple sulfur bacteria). These aerobic bacteria oxidize the nitrite to nitrate. Nitrates are far less toxic than ammonia or nitrites. The conversion of nitrite (NO2-) to nitrate (NO3-) is the 2nd step of nitrification. While nitrite levels should be 0, nitrate levels in aquarium seawater can safely range from 0 to 10 mg/L for corals, up to 50 mg/L for fish.
Nitrates: (NO3-): The removal of nitrates from sea water is accomplished via uptake by algae or by anaerobic bacterial reduction of the nitrate to nitrogen gas. Under anaerobic conditions, bacteria such as Pseudomonas, Micrococcus, and Paracoccus convert nitrates to nitrogen gas, in a process called denitrification. These bacteria are facultative anaerobes, and can grow in the sand, where water flow is minimal and oxygen levels are low. They participate in the removal of nitrogen from the aquarium system, because the gases they produce from nitrate reduction escape to the atmosphere. Note: one of the products of denitrification is ammonia, which is then consumed by nitrifying bacteria. Also, denitrification can only occur under anaerobic conditions. Nitrates are also used by marine algae, both microscopic and macroscopic, to produce protein. Phytoplankton, coralline algae, Caulerpa, Ulva are only a few of the organisms that rely on nitrates for their source of nitrogen. The amount of nitrate available to these organisms directly determines their growth potential. Algae can be used to biologically control the nitrate levels in a marine aquarium.
Protein: Proteins make up the structural material that binds bodies together. Enzymes, the catalysts of chemical reactions, are also proteins. Excess protein produced by animals is metabolized to carbohydrate and ammonia is released as a waste product.
Inputs to the Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle: Animals digest food protein to make their own protein. They metabolize excess protein to produce other biochemicals, and release the waste product ammonia to the water around them. Foods high in protein, such as frozen Mysis or brine shrimp can add aquarium bioload. Decomposition of excess food by such bacteria as Bacillus adds ammonia to aquarium water. High levels of nitrosifying bacteria are needed to process the excess ammonia.
New Aquariums: If key species of the nitrogen cycle are absent from an aquarium, a chemical bottleneck will occur. Their component builds up in the water, possibly to toxic proportions. For example, if Nitrosomonas and Nitrosococcus are absent, ammonia will build up to toxic levels, but there would be little or no nitrate or nitrite in the aquarium system. Normally, a period of several weeks is required after initial setup before animals are introduced. This allows an aquarium system to grow the bacteria/algae necessary to complete the entire nitrogen cycle. Live rock and sand greatly accelerates the acclimation process. Once all bacterial "players" in the nitrogen cycle are present, nitrogen should cycle through the aquarium system and end up in the algae. Harvesting algae from the aquarium and consumption of algae by fish moves the nitrogen through the food chain.
Protein Skimmers: Protein skimmers benefit an aquarium by removing dissolved organic substances from water, including proteins. This prevents the proteins from being metabolized to carbohydrate and ammonia by bacteria, which could toxify an aquarium.
Final Notes:
All new marine aquarium systems must be allowed to "cycle" for at least 2 weeks and possibly "seeded" with live rock and live sand to accelerate the growth of nitrogen cycling bacteria. During this time there should be no animals in the aquarium. After two weeks, only a few animals at a time should be added with days between additions. This will allow the aquarium populations of nitrogen cycling species to grow to the necessary levels required to keep nitrogen compounds at minimal levels.
Refugium biological filtration systems with live rock and gravel beds increase the populations of nitrogen cycling bacteria and will likely increase the carrying capacity of any marine system. The more rock and gravel surface present, the greater the habitat for nitrogen cycling bacteria to grow. Denitrification will require anaerobic conditions, which a deep gravel bed in a refugium provides.
Quality test kits should be used weekly to determine the status of a marine system nitrogen cycle, including ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.
One of the simplest means of remediating unacceptable ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate levels is regular water changes with purified (not tap) water.
In summary:
Aerobic processes add nitrates to the system (nitrification).
Anaerobic processes (denitrification) and aerobic algae (nitrate uptake) remove nitrates from the system.
Filters and media must balance aerobic and anaerobic+uptake processes to properly process nitrogen in a marine system. There must be aerobic and anaerobic regions in an aquarium for these processes to occur. Live rock and sand is currently believed to be the best system for both of these to occur.
Maintenance
Maintenance is the foundation of a great aquarium system. It requires a schedule and small blocks of time. If an aquarium system was thoughtfully prepared, set up, and stocked, less time is required to maintain it than the time required to maintain a pet dog! There are things that should be checked daily, that take seconds to minutes at most. Other conditions should be checked and remediated weekly, monthly, or even annually. A journal or log book helps immensely to keep track of what has been done and what needs to be done.
Daily
Feed and check animals: Some animals will need to be fed more than once per day and others may need a once daily feeding. A refugium that cultivates copepods and amphipods can benefit a system and an owner by lowering the amount of time spent feeding. Check if all fish appear healthy and are behaving normally.
Check conditions: All aquariums should at least have a thermometer to find temperature. There are sophisticated aquarium monitoring systems that can report pH, hardness, salinity, and more. Some can even transmit information to an owner via the internet. The more conditions checked daily, the less likelihood of negative surprises.
Check water flow - Pumps should be checked audibly for water flow. Reduced water flow must be investigated and remediated.
Empty skimmer - Aquariums with a high bioload of dissolved organic material will require daily skimmer cleaning. The more animals in the aquarium, the more cleanings the skimmer will require.
Top off water: If a system is tightly closed without much water churning, evaporation may be minimal. Such systems may need filling only once per week. Systems with sump waterfalls will likely require topping more often when in really dry air conditions. Obviously, clean filtered water should be used, not salt water.
Clean glass: Especially in new systems, algae that grows over the front glass should be scraped away. Magnetic glass cleaners are great for this job. Accumulated algae that is allowed to grow on the glass for longer periods of time if tougher to scrape off.
Weekly
Water quality testing and intervention: Water conditions that should be tested weekly in a reef system include: salinity, pH, alkalinity. If the system is new, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, calcium, magnesium, phosphate should be checked.
Check filtration material: The filtration screens and filler must be checked and cleaned or replaced as needed. This is important to help maintain flow and oxygenation in the aquarium system.
Change water: Siphoning off water and replacing it with fresh-mixed saltwater is very important to the maintenance of water quality. Most water quality issues can be avoided by following this simple rule - change 5% to 10% of the water weekly. Always use filtered water - either RO or DI - to mix the new saltwater.
Clean glass and hood: By wiping the good and glass, and some of the underside of the hood, you can avoid salt buildup which gets more difficult to remove the longer it is present on the surface.
Monthly
Change water while siphoning debris: If weekly water changes were not performed (vacation or other issues) then change 10% to 20% of the water with fresh mixed saltwater. Again use RO or DI water as the source for the new salt mix. Try to siphon water from the bottom of the aquarium to pick up debris that has accumulated.
Perform a "deep" cleaning of the filter system: Clean and siphon as much organic material from the sump or refugium areas where it should not be and remove it from the system. This goes a long way to maintaining a high quality marine water system.
Inspect lights, pumps, heater: Check that the bulb connections are not rusted and that pumps and heater are still functioning normally. Visually inspect all pumps, hoses, cords, and overflows to ensure that nothing is awry. If a pump has a water-cooling feature, be sure that the conduit tube is open. Check heaters to be sure they were not moved and cracked. If the heater is glass, look carefully into it and check for condensation which is an obvious sign of leakage. Be sure that all hose fittings are tight and not leaking. Check air stones in skimmers to ensure they are still working. Visually inspect the entire system.
Long Term
Be prepared to replace bulbs. Have replacement bulbs ready and on-hand so that a burned-out bulb can be replaced immediately.
Change some substrate: Remove some substrate in the sump or aquarium and replace with new materials. The live rock in the sump does deteriorate over time and may need some replacement.
Check plumbing: Check plastics - hoses and tubes - and be prepared to replace them as needed. Plastic plumbing is inexpensive and does not last forever. PVC piping is very long-lasting but vinyl and thin plastic hose is not. Check all fittings for leakage.
Check pumps, especially impellers and shafts, when filters are being cleaned to ensure they are not near failure. Visually inspect the entire system and remediate issues as required.
Diet
Diet is the food that is consumed by an animal. Marine animals are categorized into 3 groups: Herbivores (those that eat algae), Carnivores (those that eat other animals), and Omnivores (those that eat both plants and animals). In reality, nearly all marine fish are omnivores. Carnivores consume some plant material, often accidentally, as they hunt for herbivores. Herbivores often eat small animals as they consume algae. These small "accidental" foods are very important to the long term health of any marine organism. Providing a balanced diet in the marine aquarium must pay attention to this fact.
Herbivore Foods Carnivore Foods Omnivore Foods
Spirulina, Caulerpa, Gracilaria, Ulva, Sargassum, Kelp/Nori (Porphyra, Palmaria), plaster-of-Paris feeding blocks with embedded green foods, garden greens (sparingly), Mysis shrimp, Brine shrimp (Artemia), Copepods. Mysis shrimp, Brine shrimp (Artemia), Copepods, Amphipods, feeder fish (occasional), earthworms (occasional), white worms, tubificid worms, mealworms, bloodworms, Spirulina, Kelp/Nori (Porphyra, Palmaria). Spirulina, Kelp/Nori (Porphyra, Palmaria), Sargassum,Mysis shrimp, Brine shrimp (Artemia), Copepods, Amphipods, etc.
Foods: Foods available to the marine aquarist fall into several categories: Live Algae, Live Animal Foods, Frozen Foods, Dry Foods, Table Foods, and Home-Made Meals.
Live Algae: There are several species of algae that are available to the marine aquarist as a food source for fish. They are all good sources of vitamins, EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), and trace minerals.
Caulerpa includes a number of species of algae that are suitable as food. It has been banned in California because of its invasiveness in coastal waters.
Gracilaria is a stringy red algae that is very nutritious.
Ulva is a green algae that grows in large wrinkled sheets, which can be torn and fed to herbivores.
Sargassum is a species of brown algae that is very nutritious.
Live Animal Foods include:
Brine Shrimp (Artemia sp.) - newly hatched forms are very nutritious for small fish, and often important to the acclimation of mandarins and gobies. Newly hatched brine shrimp (under 48 hours age) are very high in nutrition at about 70% protein and 18% lipid. They should not be fed continuously to fish. Adult brine shrimp have low nutritional value unless they were fed an enriched diet.
Grass/Ghost Shrimp - Palaemon sp. shrimp can be collected and fed to aquarium fish. They can be preloaded with nutrition algae such as Spirulina and then fed to fish.
Copepods range in size from less than a millimeter to about a centimeter in length. They are crustaceans that form an important link between algae and many of the ocean's smaller carnivores. They can be cultivated in refugiums or bought. Available forms include "Arcti-Pods&auot;, "Reef Plankton", and "Tigger Pods".
Amphipods are small crustaceans with a different body structure than copepods, being more shrimp-like. Gammarus is a common amphipod that is often transported with live rock or macroalgae. They feed on detritus and algae in a refugium or aquarium.
Feeder Fish are used to feed large carnivorous fish like lionfishes and rockfishes. Marine feeder fish are expensive and usually not offered as food. Freshwater feeder fish include mollies and mosquito fish. Goldfish are not suitable as marine fish food because they will lead to the development of liver problems in the predators that consume them.
Earthworms (Lumbricus) provide an excellent food source for marine fish. They should not be collected from areas exposed to pesticides and fertilizers. They can be shredded for smaller fish or fed whole to larger species. They are easily raised in plastic shoe box containers with potting soil and bran or oatmeal for food.
White worms (Enchytraeus sp.) are smaller than earthworms, reaching only about 2 cm. in length. They are nutritious but should only be fed sparingly because they are high in fat. They can be raised in plastic shoe box containers with potting soil and bran or oat meal for food.
Tubificid Worms include Tubifex sp. (red) and Lumbriculus sp. (black) worms that are very high in protein. Blackworms are usually cleaner than red worms because of black worms are usually cultured. They die quickly in saltwater so use a small clear bowl to lower them into the water and allow fish to eat them before they are swept away.
Mealworms are larvae of the beetle Tenebrio molitor and are easy to raise and feed to some predatory fish. They can be raised in plastic shoe boxes with whole oatmeal or wheat bran with a potato slice for food and moisture.
Frozen Foods include algae, worms, shrimp, and shellfish, among others. The freezing process alters the chemistry of the food somewhat, and vitamins C and E do decline over time. Vitamin supplements can counteract this. Defrosting the frozen food in water often causes the food to break up into bits often so small that fish cannot consume them. Furthermore, vitamins and minerals in the frozen food leach into the surrounding water and become unavailable to the fish. The excess uneaten organic material only adds to the chemical load in the aquarium water. Frozen foods are best allowed to thaw on a plastic surface and then placed directly into the aquarium for feeding.
Frozen Mysis shrimp is an excellent food source that is lacking only in pigment. Mysis are muscular freshwater shrimp that are high in protein and naturally occurring fatty acids. Since they are freshwater they should not be fed exclusively to fish. They should be thawed in a minimal amount of saltwater and then fed directly to fish to avoid fragmentation and the loss of nutrients from the shrimp.
Dry foods are processed versions of algae, shrimp, shellfish, and other foodstuffs. They have the advantage of a long shelf life. Dry foods are often lacking in some pigments and vitamins that live whole foods contain. Dry foods come in many forms, from flake to blocks, and include everything from algae to worms.
Flakes and Pellets are produced by a variety of companies and can contain a wide range of materials, from shrimp to algae. Different companies include different ingredients to produce different results in fish. Some have extra vitamins and minerals to enhance color. Others have higher protein to stimulate growth. Some types float for top feeders and other sink for bottom feeders. It is important to consider this when purchasing a dry food for a specific fish.
Spirulina is a blue green bacteria that is freeze dried to be fed to humans or fish. It is high in pigment and vitamins and is an excellent food for marine fish.
Porphyra and Palmaria seaweeds, known as Kelp and Nori, are excellent sources of vitamins, minerals, and lipids for fish. They can be bought from Oriental food stores and world wide web companies. Green seems to be the best for fish. Kelp and Nori are available as sheets, strips, or flakes.
Feeding blocks containing algae in a plaster-of-Paris cement allow fish to graze on algae as the plaster dissolves. The plaster adds calcium to the aquarium so it is harmless.
Freeze-Dried Foods include algae, worms, and shrimp. Their moisture content is removed very quickly under high pressure with a vacuum system and their nutrition remains high right up to feeding time. Freeze-dried foods are good at absorbing vitamin, mineral, and lipid supplements. Freeze-dried copepods maybe the best all-around food for marine fish with 50% protein, 35% lipids, 12% carbohydrate and carotenoid pigments. Freeze-dried krill (Euphausia) is also high in protein, fatty acids, carotenoid pigments, and vitamins. They should not be fed exclusively to fish to avoid a condition known as "lockjaw". Freeze-dried bloodworms (Chironomus) are actually insect larvae (midges). Because they are not marine, they are great for an occasional meal only.
Table Foods include vegetables and shellfish. Vegetables from the garden should only be used sparingly as marine fish food. Better types include romaine lettuce, peas, spinach, and broccoli. These should only be used sparingly because they are high in cellulose and can cause bloating in fish. All of the garden food types are high in nitrates and some contain oxalic acid (spinach) so they must be used with caution. Seafoods such as shellfish and fish are excellent sources of protein and fat for marine fish. Fresh shellfish, opened and exposed, are irresistible to some picky fish species.
Home-Made Meals can be prepared from seafood items bought at a grocery deli. Squid, shrimp, clams, scallops, mussels, and crab are good. Haddock and flounder are good fish. Avoid oily foods that help spoil aquarium water. Always use marine organisms for the food. Cut the pieces into bite-size portions for your fish and then roll them in aluminum foil or place in very small (drug-type) ziploc bags for future feedings.
Health
Marine fish and invertebrate animal health are associated with the proper environmental conditions, good diet, and the absence of parasites that cause disease.
Environment:
The marine aquarium environment is likely the most important minute-to-minute factor that determines the health of a marine organism. The table below summarizes the basic water chemistry of a healthy marine aquarium:
Temperature 72°F to 80°F Salinity 1.021 to 1.025 g/ml fish only, 1.023 to 1.026 g/ml corals
Nitrate Fish: < 50 mg/L, Corals: 0 to 10 mg/L KH (Total Alkalinity) 8 to 14 dKH, Ideal = 10 dKH
Phosphate 0 to 0.03 mg/L Ammonia 0 mg/L
Nitrite 0 mg/L Calcium 380-500 mg/L
Magnesium 1200-1400 mg/L pH 8 to 8.3
There are other trace minerals that are needed by organisms, ranging from iron to iodine. See the water quality section for more information.
Diet:
Diet is an important factor that determines the health of a marine organism. Diet cannot be satisfied by a single food source, even for herbivores.
Herbivores of the sea, from lawnmower blennies to naso tangs, do feed on high quantities of algae material. But, along with their algae, comes a multitude of copepods and unicellular protozoans that were on or associated with the algae. These small animals are an important part of their food chain, and provide much needed protein supplementation in an otherwise low protein diet.
Carnivores are not exclusive feeders on animals, which are low in certain vitamins and antioxidants. While many fish are zooplankton feeders, they also feed on unicellular algae that are in the water column. This is a significant part of their diet and an important source of vitamins. The digestive tracts of the copepods, shrimp, and plankton they eat also contain algae material that is beneficial to the carnivores health. The digestive tracts of processed and frozen shrimp are often devoid of food, and benefit the carnivores that eat them less.
Omnivores feed at multiple food chain levels and so naturally require both algae and animals to feed upon. They are more likely to easily acclimate to aquarium life because of their varied dietary preferences.
See the diet section for more information.
Disease:
Diseases can occur in marine aquaria despite the greatest preventive measures. An unhealthy or diseased state can be brought on by parasites, viruses, bacteria, environment, and even intervention procedures themselves. It is VERY important to have a 10 gallon aquarium with lid, heater, and powerhead to serve as a quarantine tank. New additions should always be sent to quarantine and observed for AT LEAST several days before introduction to the show aquarium.
Parasites that attach marine organisms include worms, copepods, isopods, protozoa and more. They are generally introduced to an aquarium by the addition of new stock. They can spread rapidly and kill resident fish quickly, so treatments must be rapid. Solutions of copper, malachite green, formalin, chloroquine, and more.
There are a number of gram negative bacterial species that attack marine fish, and they generally reside in the aquarium as part of the plankton or attached to the rock or sand bed particles. They will generally not cause disease until a fish is already stressed. Most parasitic infestations are accompanied by bacterial infection. The parasite was often introduced while the bacteria were already present. There are a few bacteria, such as Mycobacterium, that are not part of the normal flora of an aquarium. Therapies generally require antibiotics, including kanamycin (which is absorbed well by fish) and Furanace® (nitrofurazone - not absorbed by fish), and many others.
Viruses attack fish and are very difficult to identify. They cannot be directly observed or cultured. There are few drug therapies that directly combat viruses. Generally, if water quality is improved and diet is enhanced, fish may overcome a viral infection on their own.
Environmental factors can lead to the diseased state. High levels of nitrate or ammonia are destructive to the gills of a fish, leading to labored breathing and even death. Salinity, water hardness, pH, and temperature, and more all affect the health of a marine system. Collection techniques can lead to swim bladder and gas issues within the tissues of a fish. Excess copper or other trace minerals can be toxic to invertebrates. Any and all factors in the marine environment should be suspect when disease strikes.
Interventions themselves can cause problems. Overfeeding and antibiotic use can lead to high levels of nitrates and ammonia, which must be remediated. All drugs have side effects, and the side effects must be addressed while a fish is isolated in a quarantine tank.
Desease
Marine fish diseases are often difficult to diagnose. The parasites that cause disease are usually far too small to see with the naked eye. Most marine fish caught on reefs have some type of parasite in or on their body. They bring the parasites with them into the fish store, and then on to a home aquarium. Thankfully, many of these parasites cannot reproduce in the aquarium and do not cause lethal disease. The few that do are listed below
Marine fish ailments can be caused by such agents as viruses, bacteria, protists, fungi, worms, crustaceans, and environmental factors. The following is a brief list of some of the causative agents of marine fish maladies:
Disease Parasites
Protozoan:
Flagellates (diplomonads):
Hexamita and Spironucleus vortens are associated with Hole in the Head Disease
Ciliates:
Cryptocaryon irritans is associated with Saltwater Ich
Brooklynella hostilis is associated with Brooklynellosis
Uronema marinum is associated with Uronemosis
Dinoflagellates:
Amyloodinium ocellatum is associated with Marine Velvet Disease
Sporozoans:
Glugea heraldi (microsporidian) is associated with Seahorse Disease
Myxobolus cerebralis (myxsporidian) is associated with Whirling Disease
Bacteria:
Pseudomonas, Aeromonas, Edwardsiella, Vibrio, Cytophaga are all gram negatives associated with fin rot, lesion, and skin hemorrhage
Cytophaga is associated with White Skin Patch Disease
Mycobacterium is associated with Piscine Tuberculosis
Pseudomonas and Corynebacterium are associated with Swollen Abdomen and Raised Scales Diseases
Fungi:
Saprolegnia is associated with external fungal infections (controversial relationship - Saprolegnia is a freshwater parasite)
Ichthyophonus hoferi is associated with internal fungal infections
Virus:
Iridoviruses are associated with Lymphocystis or Nodule Disease
Animal Parasites
Worms
Ichthyophaga, Paravortex and others are associated with Black Spot Disease or Tang Turbellarian
Fluke Families Dactylogryidae and Genus Benedenia are associated with Fluke Infestations in Fishes
Crustaceans: Isopods and Copepods
Isopods: External skin parasites, resembling roly-polies, on fish
Copepods: Embedded skin parasites beneath the skin of a fish
Environmental Causes of Disease:
Gas Bubble Disease is associated with fish that have been:
Collected at depths over 30 feet and rapidly brought to the surface
Exposed to water that is supersaturated with gas
Head and Lateral Line Erosion is associated with a variety of factors, including malnutrition, poor water quality, pathogens, stray voltage, activated carbon, copper, and other things.
Malnutrition is associated with a diet lacking in protein and vitamins
Swim Bladder Disorders are associated with fish brought to the surface too rapidly from deep reefs
Iatrogenic Problems are associated with side effects from medications, such as ammonia build up in a hospital tank due to the death of nitrogen fixing bacteria.
Design
Building a marine aquarium system is almost like beginning a mini-degree program in marine biology. Anyone who is fascinated by marine organisms and their natural histories is thinking like a biologist. Building a marine system is behaving like a biologist. An aquarium provides a fascinating way to explore the incredible world of marine biology. Many people interested in freshwater aquaria eventually build a marine system because of the new world of opportunities it offers. There are many different species of corals that have not even been described or named. Some end up in aquaria and are studied by a hobbyist before they are named by a biologist!
Consider the type of marine aquarium you want to build. Before you think about tanks, stands, and hoods, consider what you imagine you want to care for.
You can build an invertebrate- only system that contains corals, sponges, mollusks, worms, and echinoderms, and crustaceans. For some, these systems are fascinating studies in marine biology.
Fish-only systems are the easiest marine system to care for. The vast arrays of colors, sizes, shapes, and behaviors available to the home aquarist are dazzling. Fish have personalities that many invertebrates cannot display. They often "recognize" their owners and are quite entertaining to watch, especially at feeding time.
Reef systems generally contain invertebrates and fish. These are the systems that most home aquarists want to build. These systems maximize the numbers of different organisms that can be studied in a single system.
Whatever you decide to build, research the species you will be housing before you buy them. Be sure that you have not picked a fish because of its color or shape only. Each species of marine life has its own natural history story. Know the story before you add it to your system.
Some things to consider regarding fish:
Some fish are peaceful while others are aggressive. Many "peaceful" fish are aggressive with their own species while unaggressive with other species. Some fish are aggressive with nearly everything!!
Some fish prefer to live solitary lives and others want to school among their own species.
Some fish have difficult dietary requirements and may feed only on coral polyps. Other fish will accept flake food. Most will accept frozen shrimp products.
Some fish require large spaces or hiding places or high water flow.
Large fish require more space than smaller ones. Some 5 inch fish require more space than other 8 inch fish because of swimming behaviors.
Invertebrates like corals also have their own unique preferences:
Water flow has a large impact on corals. Some require high and others much less. Find out what you need. Linear or turbulent water flow is very hard to produce in cylindrical tank designs.
Lighting is very important for corals. Corals and some mollusks have algae within their cells that produce some or all of their food requirements. The algae require light for photosynthesis, and they provide some of the foodstuffs they make for their hosts.
Some invertebrates require far more space than others. Small basket stars use huge amounts of space to capture their food. Some start small and grow to quite large size.
Whatever you consider, the important thing to do is to visit your local saltwater fish store and talk to someone there. Look at what's available. Use a great text or the world wide web to research the natural history of the organisms that perk your interest. You will be far more satisfied at the end result when you are prepared to build a system that matches your interest.
lol
how fake corals could look so cool like that
