Reefkeeping South Africa

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Marine Aquariums of South Africa

please help id local nudi

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 11:14pm CST by SteveZi

it is small, less than 1cm - any ideas?
Triggers in Reef systems???

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 10:00pm CST by Landu

Has anyone ever kept a picasso trigger in full reef system succesfully???
I know someone has kept a nigger trigger but looking to maby get a picasso...
Advise please.:yeahdude:
Should you be handling fish with your hands?

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 9:49pm CST by RiaanP

Ok, due to comments made. Let everybody voice there opinions here.

I will reserve mine until later.

Reef Builders | The Reef and Marine Aquarium Blog

Pseudanthias privitera captured on video schooling in the deep of Moorea

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 9:43pm CST by Jake Adams
Click here to view the embedded video.

Pseudanthias privitera is a stunning medium sized, slender species of deepwater anthias known mostly from the Cook Islands. Sometimes when gorgeous reef fish like these delicate privitera anthias are shipped halfway aroudn the world to aquarium hubs, their subtle beauty doesn’t exactly show. However in these in-situ videos of Pseudanthias privitera taken at 70 meters deep (230 feet) near Moorea shows how stunning the privitera anthias can be, especially in a small shoal. At this depth the Pseudanthias privitera is joined by familiar aquairum fish including watanabe angelfish, multicolor angelfish, helfrich’s firefish and the gorgeous earmuff wrasse, Halichoeres xanti. The video above is kind of slo-mo but the one after the break zooms to a really good money shot of Pseudanthias privitera.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Marine Aquariums of South Africa

Help with Lighting

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 9:37pm CST by Ares

I was wondering .
I am thinking of putting 20W t5 lights for the Moon blue and pink instead of 54W tubes.
Are the Blue and Pink lights only for the looks of the tank or do they provide anything important to the corals and other organisms .

Thanks
New Video: Crab Attack.m4v

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 9:28pm CST by BarryG

Crab Attack.m4v

Video: Crab Attack.m4v
Category: Competition
Uploader: BarryG
Quote:

Originally Posted by BarryG When hermits go mad....
Adee (reefbuilder)

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 8:51pm CST by jaquesdp08

Just want to Congratulate Adee on hes Reefbuilder.com Status he has achieved.. Well done mate.. You made South-Africa Proud:thumbup:
Most efficient sump design with filtration

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 8:48pm CST by rudeboy1

Hi All

I see that there are so many different sump designs with so many different methods of filtration.

What is the best design? How many compartments are required? What kind of filtration should it be?

Can someone please advise? I would like to add a sump to my tank but have no idea which would be the most efficient.

Thanx:yeahdude:
Red Sea Prizm Hangon Skimmer

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 8:32pm CST by rudeboy1

Hi All

I am looking to replace my Via-aqua protein skimmer with a Red Sea Prizm Skimmer.

Does anyone have one of them that they would like to sell or can you PM me from what LFS I can purchase it from?

And also what can I expect to pay for a prizm skimmer?

Thank you:thumbup:

Reef Builders | The Reef and Marine Aquarium Blog

Giant amphipods discovered near New Zealand at a depth of 7 km

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 7:48pm CST by Brian Blank
A giant amphipod measuring nearly a foot long is making the news circuit after being discovered near New Zealand at a depth of 7 kilometers. This was not an isolated occurrence as scientists were able to capture seven of these giants that measured in at 28 cm (around 11 in.) that are 10 times larger than your “normal” deap-sea amphipods and three times larger than your typical giant amphipods.

Ever so often a stray giant is found, like the giant isopod that made the Reddit rounds nearly two years ago, but this time the research team was able to film them in their own environment and capture multiple giant amphipods to study. Not to be outdone, there is one supergiant amphipod that got away that scientists estimate measured 34 cm (over 13 in.).

According to new reports, scientists with the university and New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research were hunting for deep-sea snailfish when a trap they were using made the unexpected catch of these giant amphipods.

These supergiant creatures were found around Hawaii in the 1970s and 80s but haven’t really been reported since. Being caught 7 km (around 4 miles) beneath the surface also marks the deepest point these supergiant amphipods were found. Check out the video below more more detail.

Thanks Mr. Sprung for the tip!

[via CNN]

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Adee’s reef is a sunlight driven beast from South Africa

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 6:46pm CST by Joost de Vries
Although we spend hours covering the latest lighting fixtures here on Reef Builders, nothing really comes close to actual sunlight. Adee’s aquarium is a 1340 L (355 G) reef, measuring 2oocm x 1oo cm x 67cm (78in x 40in x 26in). The tank is illuminated exclusively by skylight during the summers, although a MH/T5 fixture is added during the winter simply for better coral colors. Adee noted measuring PAR levels of 350-450 during winter, and 750-850 during summer when using just skylights and ran the tank without supplemental lighting for a almost a year.

The Reef Inmates SPS 400w fixture with 3x Reeftek 10 000K 400w Metal Halide bulbs and 8x 39w of assorted Geisman actinic pure and Geisman aquablue+ T5′s actually shades the tank during the summer – 1500w of lighting is not exactly able to keep up with sunlight apparently. Beside the more natural look sunlight gives to the tank, the growth rate of this tank is absolutely mind blowing. Keep reading for full system details, a video, how much the corals actually grew in a 14 month period and simply a lot more pictures.

Biological filtration on this 355 gallon sunlight reef is provided by 500kg (1100lbs) of Liverock, a DSB with 500lbs of sand, a refugium with Chaeto, and a massive Algae Scrubber measuring 120 cm x 100cm (48in x 40in). Interestingly Abee also uses Aiptasia as a natural filtration in his refugium, yes you read that right aiptasia, a Copperband butterfly is used however to keep them in check in the display tank. Mechanical filtration is provided by two Reef Octopus Bubble Blaster 5000s Extreme skimmers, two canister filters with carbon, and 500ml Brightwells Phosphate Remover in a Phosban 150 reactor.

The tank is dosed a mixture of vinegar, sugar, and vodka, along with Lugols Iodine, Zeovit Amino Acids, MicrobeLift Special Blend (Bacteria), and Brightwells Potassium. A Reef Octopus 140 Kalk Stirrer and Reef Octopus CARX with Calcium and Magnesium media keep up with the massive Calcium and Magnesium demand. Flow is provided by several Tunze’s and SEIO’s. A nursery tank measuring 200cm x 120cm x 25cm (70in x 48in x 10in), with a volume of 600 liters (158 gallons) provides housing for the huge amount of coral fragments and corals that Adee can’t fit in the tank.

Adee’s reef houses around 30 anthias including a harem of Pseudanthias bimaculatus, a group of tangs, an assortment of angels, and several smaller fish. Although the selection of angels include a majestic angelfish, a sulfur angelfish, a flame angelfish, and a regal angelfish all known to be potential coral pickers, the massive colonies do not appear to be much affected. Be sure to check out Abee’s thread for additional info and pictures of this amazing sunlit reef tank.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Marine Aquariums of South Africa

Help Needed : Cyano!?!?!

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 6:20pm CST by Ari

Hey guys:thumbup:. Many of you probably don't even want to read this because you fed up of this topic. I'm really asking nicely, please read my story and give your opinion, advice or experience please :

I've got a 300L display with 100L sump.

2x Skimmers and 15cm DSB with cheato: A Dymax LS-20 (1200L/H) and A Reeftek TS-1 (1000L/H)

4 x 54W T5: (not sure what bulbs to put in. Ive got 2 pure actinics, 2 coral blues, 1 x 10000K,1 x 12000K and 2 blue/whites.)-advice which one does best coral growth??

Flow: 7000L/H pumps plus 3000L/H return

Stock: 2x clowns, 4x blue chromises, 1x foxface, 1x baby zebra sailfin, 1x rock blenny, shrimp and CUC.

Corals: rock of mushrooms :P

A couple of months ago when I got back from the holidays, my tank was filled with cyano. So each week I followed MASA's advise. I cleaned my skimmer cup daily and the neck of course and did wet skimming, I did 70L water changes each week and I siphoned everything eventually out last week. There was nothing to be seen in my sump and display. Now again this week it's starting to come out on my sand and rocks, but not very fast.

My water tests came out very good just salinity is 1.021 (not the problem obviously). I don't dose my tank at all.

So reefers.... PLEASE HELP ME OUT!! I really want to start geting corals but the cyano just looks ugly. What else is there?? Anything I must put in my tank or add?? Will it come out even more if I put in the 12000K light bulb or doesnt it matter and what lighting wil be the best for corals not algae??

Thanx so much in advance and everyone please comment. :)

Reef Builders | The Reef and Marine Aquarium Blog

Brand new and better videos of the one and only Lipogramma robinsi

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 6:15pm CST by Tea Yi Kai
Click here to view the embedded video.

We posted about the only captive Lipogramma robinsi in the world not too long ago, and then updated with a short video of it. The old video, nice as it may be, cannot compare to these brand new out of this world videos of the now comfortably settled fish. The tiny basslet is now conditioned and has improved in coloration.

The Robins basslet also seems much more relaxed – notice how it flits around the tank, and flares its fin at every pause, very Gramma like. The uber rare fish is also sharing its tank with a very tiny juvenile Prognathodes guyanensis, but the butterfly, as rare as it may be, is paling out in comparison next to the superstar basslet. Enjoy these two videos of the first and only L. robinsi to enter the market. Big thanks to BlueHarbor for the updates on this magnificent find.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Marine Aquariums of South Africa

Red sea ABC +

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 3:58pm CST by tyron

Hi Guys

I have recently bought red sea abc + on advice of store and am just wondering if anyone else has used this yet?I have been micing with RO on their advice but have seen that this is incorrect??

Also what would be a good daily dose to keep params constant/good.

Thanks
Tank back panel.

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 3:43pm CST by Chris Delport

I want to cover the back panel of my tank with crushed coral, what adhesive can I use.

I've seen coral being stripped off if secured with silicon, so I need something like a resin or so that is safe for the livestock and strong enough.
600L Chiller

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 2:54pm CST by Triton

Hey all,

Im at the stage now where i need a Chiller to keep my temp constant..
I am looking for a Chiller for a 600L marine setup..

Anyone got one for sale?

Reef Builders | The Reef and Marine Aquarium Blog

Digital Aquatics announces new SL2 version 2 module, addresses common complaints with updated model

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 2:51pm CST by Ryan Gripp
Digital Aquatics has been hammered lately about their older (System Lab 2) SL2 module. The module just didn’t work right, with incorrect readings with probes and what not. However, Digital Aquatics is set to release a new SL2 module that is expected to fix all those issues. What’s more, Digital Aquatics has decided to initiate a full warranty process. Meaning, if you have an older SL2 module, you’re allowed to return it for a new SL2 module as a replacement for no charge. Of course, with every update their are a few caveats, the biggest being “The new SL2v2 will require the new conductivity probe. Without a proper pairing, the unit and your readings will not be reliable or correct. Because this is so critical, we’ve changed the “jack” that we use on the probe, so that old probes will not work with new SL2s.” When will the new models ship? Digital Aquatics tells us “it looks like we’ll be about 8 weeks out due to longer than expected lead time on a couple of the new parts in the SL2 v2″.

via [Aquanerd] vs Digital Aquatics
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Advanced Aquarist's Online Magazine

Unboxing and quick review of Vertex's new magnet products

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 2:00pm CST by Leonard Ho

Click through to see the images.

Last month, Vertex Aquaristik (makers of high-end protein skimmers, LED lighting, and calcium reactors) started shipping out their latest product line comprised of three magnetic aquarium accessories: two cleaner magnets and a probe holder. (Read more about these products)

Advanced Aquarist received retail samples; Here are unboxing photos and our short reviews on Vertex's new magnetic accessories.

First up is the Vertex Sensor-Mag Titanium. This product is designed to hold up to three probes to your sump or aquarium glass/acrylic wall using three strong magnets per side. In fact, the magnets were impressively strong and more than capable of affixing the probe holder on walls as thick as 1/2" without twisting.

We found the 13mm/0.5" diameter circular probe holes snug but able to accommodate popular probes available to hobbyists such as those made by Pinpoint. The titanium screw downs worked as expected and were smooth to operate. If you're using Pinpoint probes, you can even opt to remove the screws entirely because the holes are a near perfect fit for these probes (the top black "cap" of the probe is larger in diameter than the hole and will prevent it from slipping all the way through).

For under $25, the Vertex Sensor-Mag Titanium represents a very attractive accessory from both a price and visual point of view.

Next up are Vertex's two new magnet cleaners, the Cleaner-Mag Simplex and Cleaner-Mag Duplex. These small magnets are designed for small aquariums and are extremely well made and attractive, reminding us of aquarium jewelry.

The magnets are impressively strong despite their small sizes. They held very firmly yet glided smoothly when used on 1/8 and 3/16" glass or acrylic commonly found on small aquariums. Both magnets had enough power to provide a solid grip on walls as thick as 1/4" thick, with the Duplex's dual magnets naturally being the stronger of the two magnet cleaners. We were able to "jump" corners with no problems, although it should be noted the wet half will sink if separated.

We found the Simplex's cleaning surface too small for practical application in anything but 'pico' aquariums (<5 gallon), while the larger Duplex is a much more capable cleaner magnet that should tackle the job for tanks up to 20 gallons. The magnet is strong enough to clean much larger tanks but the cleaning surface is the limiting factor.

Here are the two magnets alongside a ball point pen for size comparison.

Overall, Vertex's new magnetic aquarium accessories are produced (and packaged) with the fit and finish aquarists have come to expect from this high-end German manufacturer. The Sensor-Mag Titanium greatly impressed us with its functionality and form; It is arguably the most attractive probe holder on the market and one of the most affordable too. The cleaner magnets may not be the most cost effective or practical algae magnets available (especially the Simplex model), but it's hard to deny their sex appeal.
Blogger Week at Reef Threads

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 2:00pm CST by Shane Graber
Click through to see the images.

On this particular podcast, we all weighed in about our blogs and discussed what it is like blogging about the reefkeeping hobby in general. We covered subjects such as:
- Our approaches to content
- How much time we spend blogging and digging through material per day
- New things that are going on at our respective sites
- Hobby trends - new things we are seeing and where we think the hobby is heading
- Our thoughts on regulation and sustainability
- Our best / funniest / strangest / coolest post that we have recently published
- Where our hobby is heading in the next 10 years.
Head over to ReefThreads.com and give it a listen. While you're at it, download a couple additional episodes as well. Gary and Christine really do an excellent job covering the reefkeeping hobby on a weekly basis and I highly recommend this podcast to people I talk to in the reefkeeping hobby.

This was my first official podcast and I thoroughly enjoyed my time talking with everyone and hope we can do this again sometime soon!

Marine Aquariums of South Africa

Breeding Clowns

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 1:15pm CST by lancehall123

Hi Guys,

I need to see if I can find some Rotifers for my baby clowns. I am quite new to the whole clowns spawning etc and I would like to try an attempt to raise these clowns as a hobby.

I have looked at previous posts on the forum and can see that there is some really useful information here. Thanks for that!

Please can you let me know where I can get these Rotifers from?

Thanks,
Lance

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Reefkeeping South Africa

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Recent items

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 11:14pm CST by SteveZi

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 10:00pm CST by Landu

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 9:49pm CST by RiaanP

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 9:43pm CST by Jake Adams

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 9:37pm CST by Ares

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 9:28pm CST by BarryG

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 8:51pm CST by jaquesdp08

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 8:48pm CST by rudeboy1

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 8:32pm CST by rudeboy1

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 7:48pm CST by Brian Blank

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 6:46pm CST by Joost de Vries

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 6:20pm CST by Ari

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 6:15pm CST by Tea Yi Kai

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 3:58pm CST by tyron

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 3:43pm CST by Chris Delport

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 2:54pm CST by Triton

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 2:51pm CST by Ryan Gripp

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 2:00pm CST by Leonard Ho

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 2:00pm CST by Shane Graber

Posted: February 6th, 2012, 1:15pm CST by lancehall123