Your First Marine Aquarium

by John H. Tullock

Learning, Understanding, and Caring for the Marine Aquarium

Tullock’s 5 Rules for a successful marine aquarium

• Keep it simple• Keep it roomy• Keep it stable• Keep it clean• Keep it

natural

Coral Reef Environment• Chemical conditions: salt and other ions (p.12)

• Biological conditions: complex web of ecological reactions

• Physical conditions: temperature, light, photoperiod, currents, structure, substrate

• This will be discussed in greater detail later in the powerpoint

www.theartgallery.com.au

www.opwall.com

www.reefcheck.org

www.ksl.stanford.eduwww.visibleearth.nasa.gov

What is a coral reef?

http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/kits/corals/media/supp_coral05a.html

Coral reefs around the world

Coral reefs are some of the most diverse and productive ecosystems on Earth.

What is a coral?

Most corals are made up of hundreds to hundreds of thousands of individual coral polyps like these.

Courtesy of NOAA Ocean Service

Porites astreoidesSymbiodinium photo by S. R. Santos

Symbiodinium (zooxanthellae) are found in the gastrodermal layer of tissue in the coral at densities greater than 1 million per square inch.

Symbiodinium have symbiotic relationships with marine invertebrates

Corals

Giant ClamsAnemones

Jellyfish

Dan Thornhill

Should people take corals from reefs

for our tanks?

American Marinelife Dealers Association

• Oceans Reefs and Aquariums (ORA)

• Sun Pet LTD• Premier Aquatics

Coral Reef Environment• Chemical conditions: salt and other ions (p.12)

• Biological conditions: complex web of ecological reactions

• Physical conditions: temperature, light, photoperiod, currents, structure, substrate

Mini Reef Aquariums

• What is a mini reef?– Aquarium containing many of the fish, corals and

invertebrates, that can be found on coral reefs.

– Teeming with life, (even the rocks and sand that are used is called “live rock” and “live sand” because of the organisms found on it)

– Coral skeletons and rocks are functional, not for decoration

Reef Aquariums

• 1. Filtered water - reverse osmosis or de-ionized

• 2. Reef aquarium filtration – attempt to control nitrates through: – filtration like protein skimmers and denitrification filters, – addition of live rock– more constant and larger water changes.– limit phosphates, phosban reactor if necessary.

Reef Aquariums

• 3. Lighting – Intense to simulate sunlight in the tropics (metal halide bulbs). – Spectrum is also bluer to simulate conditions at lower ocean

depths (T5 - actinic lights).

• 4. Chemical Monitoring and Maintenance: – Temperature, salinity, pH, nitrate, ammonium, calcium,

strontium, iodine, carbonate hardness, and trace elements.

• 5. Strong water currents are necessary in a reef environment to bring nutrients to many of the filter feeding organisms and to carry away their waste.

Tullock’s Features of “Natural Aquariums”

• Ample quantities of live rock and live sand• High intensity, broad-spectrum lighting, and a

natural photoperiod• Protein skimming (removal of organic waste)• Maintaining physical and chemical conditions similar

to the ocean (a continuous supply of inorganic ions)• Replicate the physical characteristics: substrate,

currents, structure• Attention to community and social relationships

Different Styles of Aquariums

• FOWLR• Berlin • Monaco or Jaubert

Fish-Only-With-Live-Rock (FOWLR)• FOWLR = Fish Only + Live Rock• Live Rock:

– Best form of natural biological filtration for the saltwater aquarium.

– Called live rock b/c many creatures and organisms living on the inside and on the surface of the rock

– Take a good look!– Good rock (Fiji rock), can be expensive and may even be the

most expensive part of setting up a FOWLR tank.– A rule of thumb for setting up a tank with live rock is 1 to 2

pounds per aquarium gallon– Live rock sells for about $10+ per pound, so a 55 gallon tank

would need approximately 82.5 lbs (using 1.5 pounds/gallon) or around $820 to get started.

Berlin Style Aquariums

• Invented in Germany. • Original Berlin System is still the preferred

filtration system of many reef tank purists • Consists of:

– Live Rock– Protein Skimmer– Metal Halide Lighting

Berlin Style Pros• As with any filtration system, Berlin Filters have their

own advantages and disadvantages.• Pros:

– Simple and inexpensive.– Limited equipment requirement.– Low maintenance.– Uncluttered, "natural" look.– Natural Nitrate Reduction

Berlin Style Cons

• Cons:– Limited tank occupant capacity.

• Don’t want too much waste!

Choosing a Dealer

• Sunpet • Premier Aquatics

• Marine Depot• Oceans Reefs &

Aquariums

Quarantine/Reputation/Captive propagated fish/price/mail order

Tullock’s Rules for obtaining healthy fish and corals

• Know your dealer• Know which fish/coral come from what areas

of the world• Be aware of problems with fish/corals from

certain areas• Learn to recognize the signs of poor health• Don’t only shop for price

Who Lives with Whom?

• Size and disposition• Temperment• Fish and Invertebrates• Ex: clownfish, damselfish (groups or solitary)

Classification

• Amphiprion ocellaris• Lysmata wurdemanni• Tridacna sp.• Trachyphyllia geoffroyi• Montipora digitata• Symbiodinium microadriaticum

What is Live Rock?

• The rock itself is NOT alive. • Micro- and macroscopic marine life that live

on and inside it make it live. • Rock is calcium carbonate skeletons of long

dead corals or other calcareous organisms.

Cured Live Rock?

• Cure - the process of conditioning or cycling live rock (LR) for use in a saltwater aquarium.

• Cured means that it is live rock that has already been conditioned and is stable to use right away in an aquarium with minimal concerns.

Live Sand

• Natural reef coral sand that is collected live from the ocean, or non-living coral sand that is cultured to make it live (full of living organisms).

• Microscopic biological bacteria grows on it• Tiny crustaceans and other micro and macro-

organisms that reside in it.• Can serve as the main base for biological filtration in

a saltwater aquarium – the organisms living in sand consume organic matter

Our Equipment List

Most important – get to know your tanks. Let’s make our list!

1. Tanks

2. Sumps