TUNZE Energy Saving Project

Aquarium supply manufacturer Tunze recently posted a press release on their website touting their commitment to producing eco-friendly aquarium products.

The Tunze Energy Saving project is an initiative to create energy-saving, efficient components for aquarium hobbyists. With careful planning and meticulous design-work, Tunze promises to deliver innovative products that will improve your fish- or reef-keeping abilities as well as reduce your electric bill, thereby reducing consumption and benefiting good 'ol Mother Earth.

Keep your eyes and ears open for Energy Saving products to start rolling out from Tunze. For more information, click on the Tunze Energy Saving insignia in this post.

Q&A with Jake Adams of CORALidea

Jake Adams is a professional, practicing aquarist who has been an active participant in the national marine aquarium community for over 10 years. He has been educating aquarists of a wide range of marine aquarium topics through frequent articles, podcasts and presentations around the country. He recently founded www.coralidea.com which provides a free downloadable guide to coral identification for mobile devices and home computers. Jake has a Bachelor's Degree in Marine Science and he will be returning to graduate school to further pursue research in the field of coral reef ecology. (Bio Source: Sierra Saltwater Systems)

Marine Depot: Can you tell us a little about your background in the saltwater aquarium hobby?

Jake Adams: I have been keeping corals and reef tanks since 1996. My first job was at an aquarium store and I have worked and managed several marine aquarium stores in Denver and Atlanta since then. I received a Bachelor’s degree in Marine Science from the University of South Carolina and even there I managed a wetlab, where I designed, set-up and maintained aquarium systems tailored for specific research purposes. While in college I carried out an independent research project which showed that water flow is crucial in driving photosynthesis. Soon after graduating I worked with spawning coral in Puerto Rico and learned and developed techniques for handling coral larvae. I would say that my background in the aquarium hobby has one foot in the academic world so I try to bring scientific understanding to aquarium knowledge through frequent articles, podcasts and speaking at national and regional aquarium events. Currently my main focus is on developing CORALIDEA as a free digital media resource for identifying and learning about corals, clams and anemones.

MD: What inspired you to create Coralidea? What role do you see it playing for your average reefkeeper?

JA: Since I travel around to many reef events and visit many reef tanks I get to see many unique, rare and unusual specimens which I enjoy photographing as a natural extension of my passion for marine aquaria. I am also somewhat of a gadget head so I keep many pictures on my iPod and smartphone to show other reefers a particular coral when it comes up in conversation. I am also known as a stickler for proper identification and I often use the pictures on my iPod to settle an identification debate. I was literally driving down the road one day when it occurred to me that I had pictures of many different corals and that I should organize them into an ID guide for other people to use on their portable devices such as iPods and smartphones. One of the biggest advantages of the CORALIDEA guide is that the identification is all in Latin so the guide is useful no matter what language you speak. Since the media is in a digital format and useable on so many platforms like iPods, smartphones, computers, PDAs and more, I hope the identification landscape will become easier to learn for the average reefkeeper.

MD: So … what’s YOUR tank like? A quick breakdown of your system specs and livestock should do the trick!

JA: My big tank will either seem really interesting or really lame. It’s a 115 extra tall tank with the footprint of a 75 gallon tank which I primarily use for water flow research. This tank is used for creating wave harmonics using a pair of wireless Vortech pumps to produce long waves and standing waves to a dramatic effect; there is no rock or livestock, just freshwater. My other real tank is a 29 gallon, mixed reef with just about a little of everything coral-wise. Some of the notable livestock includes a wild Onyx true percula, a sunburst anemone, orange flower anemone, a gold coral banded shrimp, a weeping willow toadstool, a red Cycloseris, lots of brilliant zoanthids and a fuschia Neospongodes. The tank is run with a Vortech pump for flow (either oscillating or constant flow), a remora protein skimmer, an OmegaStar DE 150 watt pendant and a heating element controlled by a Medusa. You might say that this hardware is overkill for this type of tank but it allows me to leave the tank alone for a week or two at a time while I am traveling. I add a two-part solution, feed arcti-pods and roti-feast and I change a bucket of water out every 3-5 weeks. I keep it simple so my brother doesn’t have to do much to the tank while I am out of town. This video shows the wave tank with a standing wave or third harmonic wave and the 29 gallon with a long wave or second harmonic. I am really excited about my next reef aquarium which is will be an industry-supported aquarium to showcase what is possible with efficient design and inclusion of energy-saving technologies such as brushless motors, LED lights and thermo-electric chillers.

MD: If you were approached by someone interested in getting into the marine/reef aquarium hobby, what advice would you give them? Are there any misconceptions you would want to clear up? What sites or resources might you recommend to them?

JA: The biggest misconception people have about reef tanks is that lighting is the most important parameter. The well meaning hobbyist then blast their tanks with too much light for too long leading to problems in the form of nuisance algae and unhealthy corals. Water flow is the factor that drives the light and dark reactions and I would love to see people invest a lot more attention to the water motion within their aquarium. A common response I get from the DSB crowd is that more flow will blow away their precious oolitic sand which leads me to the next big common misconception about reef tanks: sand is not a natural part of most of the reef zones that our corals come from. I am not denying the obvious ecological benefits that a sand bed provides for a reef tank but I believe that this effect is best harnessed in an area which is remote from the main aquarium such as in a sump or dedicated refugium.

Probably the best resource for reef noobs is their local aquarium clubs. Most clubs will have some old salt members who can help them to learn more about their area of interest and point them in the right direction for specific information. There are a lot of old aquarium books on the shelves these days so try to pick one or two that have been published within the last five years. Also, make sure to use some critical thinking when you read anything in an open forum such as the internet.

MD: Are you participating in any forthcoming events we should know about?

JA: As I mentioned earlier, I am very active in the national marine aquarium community and I will be speaking at several upcoming events. I will be in Manhattan April 27^th for their frag swap. The following weekend, May 3-4^th, I will be in Rockford Illinois for the Rockford FragFest. In late May I will be speaking at IMAC in Chicago and finally in September I will be doing a workshop at MACNA XX in my old stomping ground of Atlanta. The talks will be on Atlantic stony corals or on the importance of water flow in reef aquariums. Please visit the event websites for more information.

MD: What’s next for you, personally and professionally? How do you see Coralidea fitting into the hobby? What are the next steps for Coralidea? How can hobbyists support Coralidea?

JA: In addition to developing the low-energy reef I mentioned earlier, I am in the process of working on FISHIDEA as a guide to reef fish identification and as a companion to CORALIDEA. Like the coral guide, the fish guide will also be a free download and supported by sponsors. We reefers don’t carry our books around but we do carry our phones and mobile devices. I hope that CORALIDEA and the related guides will eventually become one of the standards we use to identify our reef animals. Although I have no misconceptions that all of the IDs are correct, the guide will eventually include an archive of changes made to the guide so that we will all be able to track our shifting understanding on the proper identification of certain species.

CORALIDEA is currently a balanced operation which I spend a lot of time and energy developing. Hobbyists can support CORALIDEA by submitting images for use in the guide, either fish, corals, clams or anemones. Additionally, since the guide is still a very new concept I really need feed-back on how the guide works for you on your device and what can be done to make it better. Furthermore, I would love to tailor the guide for optimum performance on a range of platforms but I can only afford one new device every six months or so. There is a (seldom-used) Paypal donation button on the website for the development fund. If you would like to see increased functionality in the guide please consider making a donation with comments as to what device or functionality you would like to see added to the CORALIDEA guide. All submissions and Paypal donations can be sent to corallite at gmail dot com.

MD: Quick, name your top 5 favorite corals (starting stopwatch). Go!

JA: Disc corals Fungia and Cycloseris are first on the list. They have such a neat reproductive strategy and they are one of the few corals you can call a pet because you are looking at the same polyp year after year. We all love Acros but one I like in particular is Acropora abrotanoides. ‘Abros’ have such a thick branching pattern that they make a really majestic staghorn colony, quite different from your typical green slimmer, but they require very fast water flow to grow well. As a group I really like Pavona species and the related Caribbean counterpart Agaricia. Both of these coral genera have very interesting growth forms and intricate skeletal detail which is unique and extremely rewarding to photograph. Stylocoeniella is kind of a weirdo coral which I think I was the first to identify among boulder-shaped Porites. I remember the funny looks I used to get when identifying this coral to old-salts but now it is not uncommon to see several different species properly identified and available for sale. I like Stylocoeniella because it is a primitive cryptic coral which takes a true aficionado to appreciate. The skeleton is very hard, a lot more like marble than limestone and this coral will release brooded larvae in the aquarium much like Pocillopora species. Another weirdo which is infrequently imported from the Solomon Islands is Australogyra zelli. This species has a branching pattern which is unique amongst larger polyped Faviids. A. zelli is a often a poor shipper so it is not available for sale very often. This majestic species was on the cover of Veron’s first major coral ID book, Corals of Australia and the Indo-Pacific. Like the ‘Abro’ I mentioned before, the thick branches of A. zelli also need a lot of water flow to survive.

Controllable Koralias now In Stock

You may remember that header graphic from our Best New Products from the Global Pet Expo post back in March.

Well, I've got good news: the controllable koralias are now in stock! Woo-hoo!

You can now pick up the Controllable Hydor Koralia 1, 2, 3, 4, Nano and the Wavemaker 2-Way Controller at our online store.

And, if you do, be sure to write a product review to let us—and your peers—know how you liked them and how they performed in your setup!

Best New Products from the Global Pet Expo

CONTROLLABLE KORALIA
The Hydor Koralias have changed the way people think about water flow and powerheads. Now, Hydor has improved upon the previous design and is introducing a wavemaker with wavemaker-compatible powerheads. These new pumps run on only 12 volts and, with the controller, can produce waves with varying speeds and durations. Yup, you heard right. You’ll be able to control the speed setting and duration of each pump independently to alternate and synchronous flows to suit your tank’s needs. The controllers are feature-rich, with a feeding mode and an automatic or manual low-flow night mode.

TAAM POLARIO
Another long-awiated product that will hit the market within the next 90-days is the Polario from TAAM. The controllable Polario pump is perfect for large tanks that require a ton of flow (alternating flow rates up to 10,000 gallons/40,000 liters!). With a single pump unit you can create multi-directional flow. Varied flow rates from alternating output creates ocean-like currents. Low-voltage, safe-self shut off (when removed from water) and a magnet mount round out why the Polario is high on our wish lists.

CURRENT USA CARDIFF AQUARIUM
The Cardiff: designer good-looks at a price the average aquarist can afford. Building upon the success of the Solana, Current USA’s latest creation is arguably the most stunning nano aquarium to hit the market in a long time. Similar in size and capacity to its forefather but with a personality all its own, the Cardiff features an elegant bull nose-shaped front that makes viewing life in the tank a pleasure. Bow fronts are becoming the norm for nano aquariums, but the sleek, seamless bull nose design is a new twist in the growing world of nano reefs. Includes built-in filtration and circulation, too!

MAG-FLOAT MAG FLIP
Tired of scraping algae from the front of your aquarium? The Mag-Float may be your answer. On one side, a basic algae cleaner; the other, a scraper. But wait! I don’t want to stick my hands in the tank to change the cleaner over. No problemo: just flip the outer (dry side) of the magnet and the inner (wet side) follows along. Voila! Both the cleaner pad and scraper are replaceable as well, so this algae cleaner should last a very long time.

TWO LITTLE FISHIES NANOMAG
Fans of nano reefing rejoice! A small solution for a big problem, the NanoMag is a magnet cleaner for budget reefkeepers. It seems most cleaning magnets on the market these days are made for big to ridiculously gigantic tanks. Unfortunately, these larger magnets can take up precious real estate in a small aquarium and obscure your view. The Two Little Fishies NanoMag floats and will easily slip between coral polyps because of its small size. The circular outer half is soft with a comfortable grip and the inner half is square—1” x 1”—and only ¼” thick.

JBJ VIPER LIGHTS
While metal halide lamps are great for your corals, the bulbs can also adversely affect the temperature of your aquarium due to heat produced by the bulbs. JBJ has solved this problem by placing a small fan on the arm of their extremely powerful Viper light. The K-2 Viper Deluxe’s new design incorporates a larger reflector for more light output, two LEDs integrated inside one of the arms (with their own power supply), and a two-speed high velocity fan. The fan can be set to a low setting with 105 CFM rating or high setting with 163 CFM setting. The K-2 Viper Deluxe will be available in 150-watt and 250-watt versions.

The New Hydor Koralia Nano is here! Your Nano tank just got bigger

Over the vast land of the internet I have been reading rumors and speculation about Hydor making a nano version of their Koralia series. For weeks, office talk suggested that what I have been reading and hoping for has come true. Today, MarineDepot.com proudly carries the Hydor Koralia Nano.

That’s right, folks. For a mere 30 USD this baby will flow 240 gallons per hour, at a low 3.5 watts. Aimed for the 10-15 gallon tank keepers, you are sure to get that water moving to keep those fish and corals happy.

Not wanting to leave our European friends out, here is the European pitch:

That’s right, folks. For approximately € 21.15 EUR this baby will flow 900 litres per hour, at a low 4.5 watts. Aimed for the 35 thru 50 litre tank keepers, you are sure to get that water moving to keep those fish and corals happy.

Upon receiving my Hydor, I opened the box and examined the design. It’s similar to the other Koralia counterparts except in size; it’s about the size of an egg.

The installation was very simple: take it out of the box, place it against your glass inside your tank and then apply the magnet to the other side of the glass, plug in and you’re done! It started up a bit noisy at first, but as soon as that puppy got a minute to get adjusted, my water was propelling.

Now my Maroon Clown, Malcolm, is in heaven. I often find him swimming against the current with a slight smile on his face.

With Hydor’s patented magnet support for rotational positioning I can move the flow anywhere I want and, for 29.99 (or 21.15 euros); it’s great for the budget.

Well that is it for my review, until next time, readers.

Blow, baby, blow!

Another Day, Another Product Review

The expression “don’t make waves” has no place in reef aquaria.

A quick Google search of the subject will yield countless sources that attempt to validate this claim.

But I say, “To heck with research!”

What makes this statement factual is that continuous body of water encircling our planet, commonly referred to as the ocean.

The saline waters of the ocean move. Thus, the saltwater in your reef tank should move.

Period.

This is an undisputable, basic truth. Like hair loss.

I know—just by looking—that I no longer have the brilliant, shining, shimmering hair I had two decades ago.

Sad but true.

But boy, what a head of hair it was.

The late 80s were my golden years: back when Southern California was a hotbed of smog alerts, earthquakes and drought.

I played with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figures, entered the Konami code to score 30 lives in Contra and tore through my ‘hood on a Huffy Sonic 6. All the while whipping the bangs out of my face like Tony Hawk in a Bones Brigade video.

Fast-forward to the present.

I wake up, look in the mirror and … sigh. Where my totally radical bangs once hung is now just a bunch of barren forehead. So much forehead, I call it fivehead.

I know—just by looking—that ocean waters move. Just like I know that one day soon I will be as bald as Lex Luthor.

But why is this movement important? To find out, let’s go back and check out a couple of the sources that came up in the aforementioned Google search results.

According to NASA oceanographer Gene Carl Feldman, “Ocean waters are constantly on the move. How they move influences climate and living conditions for plants and animals, even on land.”

The water movement in my aquarium is not likely to influence my living conditions, but let’s read on.

“Currents flow in complex patterns affected by wind, the water's salinity and heat content, bottom topography and the earth's rotation.”

This is good information … but a little broad. How, specifically, does water movement benefit a nano reef?

To answer that question, let’s turn to a couple of experts who also happen to be an actual couple: Stan & Debbie Hauter of Animal Jungle in North Carolina.

The Hauters manage and care for the fish department at Animal Jungle in the Vernon Park Mall and previously ran a livestock business in Hawaii.

“The more your tank water is circulated and filtered, the better the water quality is in the aquarium. [Water circulation] keeps detritus and other tank matter from settling on the bottom of the tank … circulation permits the majority of these particulates to be circulated or suspended, allowing them to be filtered out by a mechanical filter.”

I recently invested in a Hydor Koralia 1 Circulation Pump/Powerhead for our 24-gallon AquaPod (see my June 11, 2007 post for more in-depth info) and the results have been nothing short of spectacular. So when one of my colleagues informed me that I could improve water circulation even more for a measly $13 bucks, I was sold.

Enter the FLO Deflector from Hydor (pause and hold for dramatic effect).

The Hydor FLO Deflector is propelled by the water flow from our existing pump and perpetually rotates 360° degrees. In layman's terms, it’s in a never-ending spit-and-spin cycle and does not require an additional power source.

That’s right… there is nothing to plug in.

So rejoice, fellow hobbyists, the last remaining outlet in your surge protector can now be saved for something else. I’m sure our accounting department will appreciate the few watts I’ve saved when the electric bill comes around.

The rotating water flow creates a natural and pleasant wave effect. This is beneficial to reef inhabitants and leads to increased oxygenation and surface gas exchange. Generally, this is where I would make a joke about gas exchange. Jokes aside, it is that release that will prevent the infamous “white line” effects from forming on the walls of your tank.

The FLO comes packaged with several adapters that would seemingly attach to the outlet of “any pump or filter,” or so the box claims.

The truth is that none of the included adapters would permit me to simply screw the sucker on our pump. Instead, I chose the adapter combination that worked best and held it in position to make sure it would spin. Next I unplugged the pump, siphoned enough water out to safely glue the FLO on to the pump and then simply waited for it to dry.

Today all of the tank’s inhabitants, from fish and crabs to clams and coral, are benefiting from increased water movement and circulation.

Of course, if the water movement in your tank is already sufficient, you can always pick one up for the fun-factor: the turbo snail in our web designer’s tank likes to ride the FLO round and round like a carnival ride.

Hurry, hurry, step right up! Get your Hydor FLO Deflectors here!

“I Have the Powerhead!”

For non-80’s babies who didn’t catch or care for the “He-Man” reference in my headline, I feel a more surefire approach to labeling our blog posts may be necessary going forward.

But before we proceed, there are a couple of things you should know about me:

1. I’m not funny … although I’d like to think I’m funny. Therefore you must forgive me because I will be trying my darnedest to make you snicker, smirk or smile because, really, that’s what makes my job worthwhile.
2. I’m an advocate of easy-to-read, user-friendly websites. So when we write, we will try to make paragraphs short and easy-to-digest. When we do layout and design, we promise eye-candy will take a backseat to usability. Nevertheless, we will try to make the entire experience easy on the eyes. Some stunning scenery to stimulate your senses along the way should help make your journey that much more enjoyable.

So anyway, like I was saying, we’re introducing some straight-to-the-point graphic sigs to help you determine if a blog post is worth your time.

We know tagging stories is handy, but nothing beats inserting a functional (yet decorative) typographic treatment to identify certain topics, like a How-To or a Product Review.

And so, without further ado, I’d like to take a stab at penning a product review about the new Powerhead I just picked up for our 24-gallon AquaPod.

So, what is Powerhead exactly? I’m glad you asked…

A Powerhead, dear reader, is a small water pump that can be completely submersed in an aquarium. They are generally used to provide water circulation—which is why I bought one—but also power protein skimmers, wavemakers and/or undergravel filters.

Based on recommendations by both my boss and one of our customer service reps, I purchased the Hydor Koralia 1 Circulation Pump/Powerhead for $37.99 from the MarineDepot.com website.

Installation was quick and easy, with no small parts or assembly required. In fact, this puppy was ready to go right out of the box.

It’s a good thing, too. I hate reading instruction manuals.

The Hydor Koralia has a suction cup on one side with a magnetic support for the outside of the tank. To setup, all you do is attach the Powerhead to the wall of your tank and plug it in. That’s it!

For something so simple to setup, the effects could not be more dramatic. The instant we put the Hydor Koralia in our tank a week ago, everything began to spring to life.

Our Midas Blenny and False Ocellaris Clowns now swim around the entire tank. Pre-Powerhead, King Midas (our Blenny) would only sit inside a hole in the live rock, opening and closing his mouth. Now we enjoy his brilliant yellow color daily as he patrols his turf at the front of the tank.

Krusty and Pennywise, our clowns, used to migrate together to the top-rear of the aquarium by the pump, which I never understood. Now they are constantly abuzz, cruising around exploring areas of the tank they never used to visit.

I have to say, though, that I am most pleased with how the Powerhead has influenced the behavior of our Reef Haitian Anemone and corals.

Our anemone looked a little, I dunno … flaccid when we first put it in the tank. I was worried about its health because I’d read they were hard to care for and my boss cautioned us about putting one in the tank so soon.

It’s now behaving like I’ve read about in the forums, burying its base into a crevice of live rock for protection while the long, purple-tipped tentacles sway in the current.

Our Sun Coral and Star Polyps are also benefiting from the increased water circulation. The Sun Coral emigrated from a coworker’s tank after failing to thrive in a 3-gallon aquarium. The polyps’ normally orange skin tone has now returned and the beautiful yellow branches protract for its daily feeding (and presumably, to show off in front of other coral).

The water is clear, the light is bright and everything appears healthy and harmonious.

Oh yeah: just in case my personal account isn’t enough to convince you to invest in a Powerhead, I’ve included a fast-facts spec box for more tech-obsessed reef keepers out there.

Well, until next time … that’s all folks!

Brave New World

Powerhead. Live Rock. Filter Media.

Up until a few weeks ago, I wouldn't have had a clue what these words mean.

A Powerhead, to me, sounds like a boat engine: “Man, our 20-foot river boat is propelled by the new Powerhead 7000 and it really hauls butt!”

Live Rock could be some creature from a fantasy flick, like The Never Ending Story or The Lord of the Rings: “Hold your ground, Aragorn! Now only the Live Rock stands between Frodo and Mount Doom.”

Filter Media? Well, isn’t it obvious? Filter media is a new pop-up blocker for the PC!

In actuality, the aforementioned vocabulary words are products used in a marine aquarium.

Wikipedia describes a marine aquarium as “an aquarium that keeps marine plants and animals in a contained environment. Marine aquaria are further subdivided by hobbyists into fish only (FO), fish only with live rock (FOWLR), and reef aquaria.”

That was easy pretty easy to digest (burp!). Now, why all this talk about aquariums anyway?

Simple people: I began work for a company called Fins, Furs, & Feathers, Inc. a few weeks back and they own several e-commerce websites, including MarineDepot.com, MarineDepotLive.com and Petstore.com.

Oh, I’m Jeff, by the way. I work in the marketing department. Nice to meet ’cha!

Anyhoo, I began work at FF&F, Inc. and immediately noticed the office environment is radically different from the pretentious corporate world I had become so accustomed to.

And I mean “radically different” in a good way.

One of the coolest things to do here is stroll down the aisles of our customer service department.

You’re like, “Huh? That doesn’t sound terribly interesting, Jeff.”

In the words of a thousand infomercials, “But wait … there’s more!”

Nearly every customer service agent has a fresh or saltwater aquarium atop their desk. So, whenever I find myself marching through the office to visit my boss, Ben, I always peer into each employee’s cubicle and ogle the habitats they’ve created in their workspace.

From mid-size 24-gallon to small 3-gallon tanks, each of their underwater worlds are teeming with life; colorful, exotic and beautiful.

Did you know that Nemo has a darker, more mysterious cousin? His name is Gold Stripe, or Premnas biaculeatus, and he’s one cool character.

After only a couple of weeks being immersed in this “wild” new world, and, with the encouragement of my peers, my marketing colleague Brian and I decided to get an aquarium of our own and try our hands at this whole reef keeping phenomenon and become “hobbyists” ourselves.

No, not hobbits. Hobbyists.

The frontline of our company, the customer service team, are comprised solely of aquarium enthusiasts. For us, we felt like the best, most honest way to market to our customers is to connect with them like the CS team does.

We hope you’ll stay connected with us, too. Read our blog, shop our website, send us feedback and, heck, call us if you wanna talk shop.

You have questions? We have answers!

Tune in for my next post to see if I can hack it as a hobbit, err, hobbyist or if I simply drown in all my newfound responsibilities as a crypt keeper … I mean reef keeper.